Author's Pov :

It was 10 in the morning and samruddhi was still sleeping peacefully in her bed but someone threw cold water on her and she woke up with panic and said " Sunami aa gayi.. sunami.. bhago.. bhago.. " and was ready to run from her place but she heard a voice of laughing and sudden anger rushed in her veins. She grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it towards the girl laughing at her like a mad woman.

"Are you crazy Anisha ..?? You really want me to die with a heart attack don't you..?? " Samruddhi Said to her best friend with angry questioning eyes.

"What..!!? No samu.. but don't mind me you were so funny.. " Anisha said while laughing.

Samruddhi just gave her a look and said in a broad tone " what do you want in the early morning..?? You broke my beauty sleep bitch..."

Anisha on the other hand gasped and said dramatically " you promised me to join the mall, how can you forget it ? "

" Ohh right i forgot we are going to buy a gift for my dear brother or we can say for love of your life " samruddhi said in a teasing manner.

"Okkk enough of you and get ready fast we are getting late and Vanya is directly coming directly at mall. " Anisha pushed Sam in the bathroom while blushing. Looking at her blushing face, samruddhi laughed hard and nodded and went to get ready.

After sometime she came wearing white crop top and black wide leg jeans with open hairs and minimum makeup.

Samruddhi is beautiful with her long black hair, big beautiful round black eyes that sparkle when she smiles. She has a height of 5.7' feet which makes her more attractive.

Samruddhi was dragged by Anisha towards the door while saying "you really took a long time to get ready samu "

Sam rolled her eyes at her statement but smiled and said "chill Ani we have whole day to buy him gift "

"Ya but you know na i also need to buy dress for myself for tomorrow's party "

Sam hmmm at her and followed her downstairs. Just when they reached, they both were stopped by samruddhi's mother's angry voice "where are you both rushing without having breakfast, come and have it first."

They both gave each other a look and went towards the dining table for breakfast. On the breakfast table samruddhi's father, mother, uncle, aunty, and her cousin sisters Isha and Naina who are twins were having their breakfast they both wished everyone good morning and took seats to have breakfast. While eating Sam asked her mother "Mom where is bhai?"

"He went to the office early today for a meeting but he said he will come for dinner and will take leave for tomorrow"

After listening to her mother Sam gave a look to Anisha and whispered in her ears to tease her "are you planning to join us for dinner tonight? "Anisha just blushed hard after listening to her friends teasing and looked at her with angry eyes.

They both finished their breakfast and Sam kissed her father's cheeks and said bye to everyone and went out with Anisha to go shopping.

"Vanya's message just came," Anisha said, glancing at her phone.

"Is she not coming now?" Sam asked with a disappointed sigh.

"No, she has an important meeting," Anisha replied.

"She's been so busy these days. We really need to have a talk with her," Sam said, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, we will. But for now, let's go. We'll be late," Anisha said as she grabbed her bag.

Sam nodded, and the two of them got into the car and headed toward the mall.

At the mall, Samruddhi and Anisha were searching for a gift for her brother. After searching for 3 hours, Anisha found something special for Anirudh. They both decided to eat something before going shopping for their dresses.

As they walked toward the café, Anisha spotted her brother with Siddharth and called out, "Aditya bhai!"

Aditya turned around, his face lighting up as he saw his little sister walking toward him with Samruddhi. Siddharth, standing beside him, turned as well. The moment his eyes found Samruddhi, time seemed to stand still. Five years had passed since he'd last seen her, yet she looked even more beautiful than he remembered.

Every fiber of his being longed to close the distance, to pull her into a hug and erase the years of separation, but he forced himself to remain composed. His heart raced in his chest, but outwardly, his expression stayed neutral, though his gaze lingered on her a moment longer than it should have.

Samruddhi caught his eyes, and her breath hitched for just a moment. There he was—Siddharth. Older, sharper, more striking than ever. A fleeting warmth spread through her before she forced it away. No. She couldn't allow herself to feel this way. Not after everything that had happened.

She straightened her posture, schooling her expression into calm indifference. He didn't matter anymore, she told herself firmly. He shouldn't. Turning her attention to Aditya, she forced a polite smile and gave him a small nod of acknowledgment.

"What are you guys doing here?" Aditya asked Anisha, his voice breaking the silence.

Samruddhi stayed silent, her expression calm and composed, even as her pulse betrayed her, racing with an intensity she refused to acknowledge. Siddharth, too, looked away, his face a mask of indifference, though his clenched fists told a different story. Both of them stood there, pretending the years hadn't happened, pretending the moment hadn't shaken them both to the core.

Anisha smiled brightly. "We came here for shopping, but we're heading to the café because we're starving. What about you, bhai? What brings you here?"

"We had a meeting here, and now we're heading back to the office," Aditya replied casually.

"Oh, okay. By the way, would you both like to join us for lunch?" Anisha asked with a hopeful smile.

Aditya glanced at Siddharth, who gave a brief nod of agreement. "Sure," Aditya said, and with that, they all headed to the café in the mall.

The walk to the café was marked by an awkward silence. Siddharth and Samruddhi didn't exchange a single word, their unspoken tension filling the space between them. When they reached the café, they found a table, settled into their seats, and placed their orders.

Halfway through a lighthearted conversation between Aditya and Anisha, Aditya suddenly asked, "Anisha, you mentioned you were going to buy dresses after lunch, right? So, what were you two doing in the men's section earlier?"

The question caught Anisha off guard. She froze, her eyes darting to Samruddhi, who stiffened at the mention. For a second, Anisha's brain scrambled for an explanation before she blurted out, "Umm... we were buying shirts for Samu's boyfriend!"

Samruddhi's head whipped around, her eyes wide in shock at the audacious lie. As the shock gave way to anger, she leaned closer to Anisha and hissed under her breath, "I'm going to kill you. You better run for your life, you little—"

But before she could finish, she felt a heavy, burning gaze. She hesitated, turning her eyes toward Siddharth, and her heart dropped.

He was staring at her, his jaw clenched, his hands fisted on the table. The intensity of his glare was suffocating, his dark eyes filled with something between hurt and fury. If looks could kill, she was certain she'd already be six feet underground.

Siddharth pushed his chair back suddenly, the screech of the metal legs against the floor startling everyone. "We should get going, Aditya," he said, his voice cold and clipped. "We have a meeting to attend."

Aditya looked at him, surprised by the abruptness but nodded. "Alright, let's go," he said, standing up.

Anisha tried to lighten the mood with a cheerful, "Bye, bhai! Bye, Siddharth!" but her voice faltered when Siddharth's piercing gaze briefly flicked to Samruddhi before he turned and walked away.

After Aditya and Siddharth walked away, Anisha let out a long sigh of relief and murmured, "Aaj toh bach gayi, Bhagwan."

Samruddhi, who was still simmering with anger, turned to her sharply. "Why the hell did you say that? Are you out of your mind, Anisha? What if he tells bhai?"

Anisha smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you worried about your bhai... or Mr. Siddharth Rajwansh?" she teased.

Samruddhi's eyes widened, and she immediately retorted, "What? No! Why would I? Who is he to me?"

"Yeah, right," Anisha said with a knowing grin. "Keep lying to yourself, Samu. It's not like I can see right through you or anything."

Samruddhi glared at her, but her lack of a comeback spoke volumes. Anisha laughed and tugged on her arm. "Anyway, let's go. We still have dresses to buy."

Reluctantly, Samruddhi followed her, but her mind was far from the task at hand. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about Siddharth—his piercing gaze, the way his presence unsettled her, and the storm of emotions she was trying so hard to suppress.

As they browsed through the racks, Anisha noticed her best friend's distracted expression. "Stop overthinking, Samu," she said gently, nudging her with an elbow.

Samruddhi blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, and gave a small nod. "I'm not," she lied, though even she didn't sound convincing.

Anisha gave her a pointed look but chose not to push further. The two finished their shopping in relative silence, with Anisha occasionally cracking a joke to lighten the mood. Once done, they headed home, but Samruddhi's mind remained a whirlwind of thoughts—a certain someone refusing to leave her head.