Samaira Lakshmi Deshpande is caught between two worlds, two masks. Amidst the hunt for her missing twin and the pressure to fit her family's mold of the perfect daughter facade, she's trapped in a life she despises.
Everything shifts when a strange...
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Bangalore, India October
Samaira's POV
My breath hitches when our eyes meet. He just stares at me as if he is as shocked as me.
Didn't anyone tell him about me already?
"Beta." My Bua presses again and I look at her, she signals me with her wide eyes and my nose flares in anger but I keep a straight face nodding at her curtly.
I start moving around the room. I offer the coffee to an elder man and an elder woman, both of whom give me polite smiles and I bow to them in return like I have seen my sister-in-law do to my father when we went to see her for a ritual. As I move towards the kid, whom I recognize as Aryan's nephew whom Aryan talked about, I can't help but smile at him. I hand him the milk cup with a warm smile, "Hey Champ," I whisper, winking at him. His giggles fill the room, making me smile too and he replies with a shy 'Hi.' making his mother chuckle beside him.
Next, I offer coffee to a young couple, acknowledging them with a friendly smile. Finally, I approach Aryan, my heart pounding in my chest. I don't look at him, and he waits for me to make eye contact, but I deliberately avoid it.
I give him the coffee, maintaining my composure, and continue without acknowledging his presence.
Walking back, I handed the tray to Nithya, who was beaming with happiness. I shoot her an amused smile in return before turning to leave the scene. However, my brother's hand clasps around my wrist, and he speaks softly, "Ammu, come sit here." I glare at him, but he grins back mischievously. Reluctantly, I sit on the single sofa beside my father, stealing a glance at him. He wears a happy smile gazing at me, and I respond with a small one before shifting my focus to the elderly woman who starts speaking, presumably Aryan's mother.
"I am Geetha, and this is my husband, Vijay," Aryan's mother introduced, prompting me to join my hands in a respectful bow as Bua gestured for me to join hands behind them. "This is my first daughter, Maya," she continued, and I smiled at the young lady, who waved enthusiastically. "That's her husband, Jagadish, and that's their son, Ishaan." The shy smile of the little boy hiding behind his father drew laughter from everyone.
"And that's my second son, Aryan," Aryan's mother proudly announced. I turn my head to look at him, finding his eyes already fixed on mine. Mischief sparkled in my eyes as I joined my hands and bowed mockingly to him, catching him off guard. Aryan plays along, joining his hands and bows back with a sly grin, hiding it behind his hand. I immediately look away, putting on a composed and indifferent expression only to meet his mother's eyes who have a surprised smile on her lips as she looks between me and her son noticing the silent exchange.
Heat rushes to my cheeks, "Oh, look at her blushing." Bua speaks from the other side of the room in a high pitch which gains laughs from several, but I control the urge to roll my eyes and not snap at her saying 'It's not what you think.' I just divert my attention from her looking at his mother back who smiles at me warmly making my face heat up at the attention.
