Devika bent down slightly, her expression tight with worry. "Oh no… what have I done?" she said anxiously.
Ankitha quickly shook her head, her voice trembling. "Aunty, it's not your fault—it slipped from my hand. I'm really sorry."
But the relatives around began whispering among themselves.
"Such a thing shouldn't happen during haldi…"
"It's not auspicious…"
"It might bring bad luck…"
The murmurs only made the atmosphere heavier.
Before Devika could say anything more, Aryan stepped forward, his voice calm but firm.
"Mom, relax," he said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's just haldi that slipped, not a big deal. Nothing bad will happen."
Devika hesitated, her voice low. "But…"
Aryan gave her a reassuring look. "Mom."
She stopped, taking a slow breath.
Then Aryan turned toward Aanya. "Aanya, please make the haldi again—quickly."
At his words, Nandini's expression grew serious, her eyes narrowing. Aanya's friends, on the other hand, exchanged excited looks, struggling to hide their smiles, while Ankitha stood frozen in shock.
Aanya, who had been standing still, blinked rapidly and looked up at Aryan, eyes wide. "M–Me?" she asked softly, pointing to herself in disbelief.
Tara nudged her from behind. "Aanya! Aryan ji asked you to do it—then why are you asking silly questions?"
Aanya glanced at her friends, confused, and Tara made a funny face, moving her eyebrows as if saying 'Go on!'
"Haa…" Aanya finally said, turning to Aryan with a small, nervous smile. "I will, Mr. Aryan."
She quickly walked toward the kitchen. Once inside, she stopped and blinked as the reality hit her.
"Did Mr. Aryan just… tell me to make the haldi?" she whispered, her lips curving into a disbelieving smile.
Then, laughing softly, she spun around once, whispering, "He really said that to me! Yeah!" She did a tiny dance of joy before realizing she was speaking too loudly. "Oh no," she mumbled, covering her mouth and looking around quickly, "I should calm down…"
Still smiling, she muttered to herself, "Does he… consider me as family?" Her cheeks turned slightly pink at the thought.
But then her eyes widened suddenly. "Oh no! I totally forgot—I have to make the haldi!" she gasped, rushing to mix the ingredients. "I'm already late!"
In her hurry, she stirred and mixed as fast as she could, checking the color and texture anxiously. Finally, satisfied, she grabbed the bowl and turned—only to collide straight into someone.
The haldi splashed forward, staining a crisp white shirt. Aanya froze, eyes widening. "Oh no…"
It was Aryan.
He looked down at his white.kurta, then at her, his expression unreadable.
Aanya's hands trembled as she quickly placed the bowl on the nearby counter. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Aryan!" she blurted out, grabbing a tissue and trying to wipe the stain from his shirt. "I didn't do it on purpose—I was just in a hurry because the ceremony's about to start!"
Aanya finally stopped cleaning and slowly looked up—only to find Aryan already staring at her. Their eyes met for a brief, silent moment. She froze, realizing how close they were. Then, flustered, she quickly turned away. Aryan too glanced aside, clearing his throat.
Trying to change the topic, Aanya asked, "By the way, Mr. Aryan… what are you doing here?"
He raised an eyebrow at her tone. "Here?"
"I mean—uh, behind me," she said awkwardly.
Just then, a voice came from behind them.
"Aryan!"
Both Aryan and Aanya turned. It was Ankitha, walking toward them in surprise.
"Aryan, you're here?" she asked, stepping closer.
Aanya glanced nervously at Aryan, unsure how to respond. Ankitha's eyes suddenly caught the bright yellow stain on his kurta.
"Aryan, what happened to your kurta? Is that… haldi?" she asked, frowning.
Before Aryan could answer, Aanya spoke quickly, her voice nervous.
"Actually—it happened because of me…"
Ankitha blinked. "Oh, Aanya, why weren't you careful? You could've been more cautious!"
Aryan's jaw tightened slightly as he turned to look at Ankitha, his expression calm but edged with seriousness.
"I'm sorry," Aanya said softly, lowering her eyes. "I didn't do it on purpose."
Ankitha sighed and stepped forward. "Now this stain can't even be removed. Let me see—"
Before she could come closer, Aryan lifted his hand, stopping her.
"It's just a stain," he said calmly. "No problem."
Aanya looked up, surprised by his tone — gentle yet firm.
Ankitha hesitated for a second, unsure how to react. "Yeah… I mean, it's just a stain," she said quickly, forcing a small smile.
Aanya stepped back, her voice low. "Well, I should go now."
Before anyone could respond, she turned and walked away.
Aryan's eyes followed her as she moved through the crowd, her dupatta brushing lightly against the floor. He was about to leave too when Ankitha called out softly,
"Aryan… wait. I need to talk to you."
Aryan stopped, glancing back at her with a composed expression.
Meanwhile, Aanya handed the bowl of haldi to Devika, who smiled warmly, visibly happy to see Aanya participating again. Nandini, however, watched from a distance, controlling the irritation that flickered in her eyes.
Aanya went to sit beside her friends.
Tara leaned closer immediately. "Where's Mr.?" she teased.
Aanya raised an eyebrow, pretending not to understand. "My Mr?"
Nisha giggled. "Don't act innocent! We just saw him going into the kitchen."
Aanya couldn't help but smile.
Meera joined in, "By the way, why did you leave him there with that Ankitha? You know how she always tries to be around him."
Tara nodded, "Exactly! That girl pops up everywhere you both go."
Aanya shrugged lightly, her voice calm but confident.
"Well, the ceremony was about to start, and I didn't want to be late. Besides," she added, smiling softly, "even if he's with Ankitha, it's fine. I trust my Aryan."
Her three friends froze, eyes wide.
"My Aryan?" Tara repeated, shocked.
Aanya blushed but didn't take it back.
In the kitchen, Ankitha stood near the counter, glancing at Aryan.
"Aryan… are you angry because of me?" she asked hesitantly.
He looked at her, his tone neutral. "Why would I be angry?"
"I mean… I slipped the haldi. I thought—"
"No," he interrupted calmly. "It's fine."
Ankitha blinked. "Really? I thought you'd be upset."
Aryan shook his head again. "No."
Before she could continue, Aryan straightened and said,
"The ceremony must've started. Let's go."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked out. Ankitha watched him silently, her words caught in her throat.
---
Just then, Aryan entered, followed closely by Ankitha. Aanya's eyes instinctively found him across the crowd. The moment their gazes met, she smiled softly — a smile she didn't even realize she was wearing.
Everyone was gathered around Prerna, applying haldi to her cheeks as laughter and light music filled the air. Though Prerna smiled, a quiet sadness lingered in her eyes.
Devika noticed Ankitha standing nearby and called out,
"Ankitha, where were you, beta? Come and apply haldi to Prerna."
Ankitha smiled and stepped forward, gently applying a bit of haldi to Prerna's cheek.
Aanya's friends leaned closer and whispered,
"Will aunty not call you next?"
Aanya chuckled under her breath. "Be quiet," she murmured, though her heart hoped Devika would.
A moment later, Devika turned and said warmly,
"Aanya beta, come and apply haldi."
Aanya smiled, feeling a rush of happiness. She walked toward Prerna, aware of Aryan's eyes following her the entire time.
Kneeling beside Prerna, Aanya took a bit of haldi and said playfully,
"Don't blush too much, Prerna. Dev isn't even here yet!"
Everyone around them laughed, and Prerna joined in, forcing a small smile. But as the laughter faded, Aanya noticed the sadness
hidden behind prerna's eyes — but before Aanya could say anything,
Devika's voice broke the moment.
"Aryan, come on, it's your turn."
Aryan stepped forward. Aanya moved aside, watching quietly as he knelt near Prerna.
Applying the haldi with brotherly affection, he said softly,
"Prerna, I'll always be your brother. Don't ever forget that."
Prerna's eyes filled with tears, but they weren't from sadness — they were from love.
She nodded, smiling through her tears.
Aanya watched the moment with a full heart, her own smile tender and genuine.
—-
Later, It was already 11:30 p.m., and Aanya lay on her bed. staring at the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried, sleep refused to come.
She sat up suddenly, frowning. "Why am I not able to sleep?" she muttered. "Ugh, let's just roam for a while."
Stepping quietly out of her room, Aanya walked down the dimly lit hallway. The house was silent, everyone fast asleep — or so she thought. Then suddenly, a faint sound echoed from downstairs.
Aanya froze. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Wait… what's that sound?" she whispered. "Everyone's sleeping, right? Then where is that noise coming from?"
Her imagination ran wild.
"Is that… a thief? Wait—" her eyes widened as her thoughts spit Alex," or is that a gho… gho… ghost?"
"No, no, Aanya, don't be scared… you're brave… totally brave…"
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and called softly, "W–Who's there?"
There was no answer.
Then suddenly—
a shadow moved.
Aanya's eyes widened, and she let out a terrified scream,
"Aaaaaahhh!"
She ran frantically, her feet almost tripping over the edge of the carpet, her heart pounding like a drum. In her panic, she suddenly bumped hard into someone
She slowly looked up… her breath caught in her throat.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
And then—she froze, completely shocked to see…
To be continued…
—-
End Of Chapter 46.