AUTHOR'S POV
Anand ji called out to his children.
"Tarun, Kanika, yahan aao."
The siblings turned around and made their way toward the group.
As soon as they reached them, Anamika smiled warmly.
"Arre Tarun beta, kitne bade ho gaye ho."
Tarun immediately bent down and touched her feet respectfully.
"Aunty, itne saalon baad dekhenge toh aisa hi lagega na."
Standing beside him, Kanika leaned closer and whispered into her brother's ear.
"Bhai, kaun hain ye log? Jinhe aap bhi jaante ho aur main nahi?"
Unfortunately for her, Tarun's reply was loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Arre Kanni, ye Anamika aunty hain. Mumma ki friend. Yaad hai na, Mumma batati hain inke baare mein."
Kanika immediately pressed her lips together in embarrassment.
Before she could recover, Kavya added,
"Tu toh paida bhi nahi hui thi jab hum Mumbai shift ho gaye the."
"Ohhh..."
Kanika nodded slowly as realization dawned on her.
Anamika smiled fondly.
"Toh tum ho Kanika."
Then her expression softened.
"Sorry beta, hum tumhare birthday par nahi aa paaye the."
Kanika blinked twice.
Then looked around in complete confusion.
"Arre ho kya raha hai? Main toh kisi ko jaanti bhi nahi aur yahan mujhse maafi maangi ja rahi hai."
The entire group burst into laughter.
Even Tarun couldn't stop himself.
Only Kanika stood there, confused and mildly offended.
Tarun gave her a side glance.
Typical Kanika.
Kavya finally looked around.
"Tarun, Kanni... ye hai birthday girl..."
She paused.
"Arre, kahan gayi?"
Everyone followed her gaze.
A few feet away, Trisha was busy talking to her friends.
"Trisha!" Kavya called out. "Idhar aao."
The moment Trisha approached them, Kavya introduced them.
"Trisha, ye hain Anand uncle ke bade bete Tarun... aur ye unki chhoti beti Kanika."
TRISHA'S POV
The moment I saw him...
Something snapped inside my mind.
My breath caught.
My heartbeat skipped.
Ye...
Before I could complete the thought—
"Happy Birthday, Dii."
A sweet voice interrupted me.
I looked beside him.
And froze again.
The girl standing there looked nothing less than an angel.
"Thank you so much," I replied.
"You are looking so gorgeous."
Wait.
She was calling me gorgeous?
Of course I looked good.
But had she seen herself?
"Thank you once again, Kanika," I said honestly. "But I must say, you look like an angel."
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
She simply smiled.
Then—
"Happy Birthday."
A deep voice reached my ears.
For a second, the entire hall disappeared.
A cool shiver ran down my spine.
Tarun extended his hand toward me.
And before my brain could process anything—
I grabbed it.
"Thank you very much," I whispered.
The moment the words left my mouth, I wanted to disappear.
Oh God, Trisha.
What are you doing?
Why are you acting as if you've just discovered some rare species?
I mentally smacked myself.
TARUN'S POV
"Oh wow."
The words escaped before I could stop them.
I was ninety-nine percent sure my father had heard me because he was already looking at me suspiciously.
I ignored him.
My eyes remained fixed on her.
Has the moon actually descended to earth?
Or has one of Kanika's fictional princesses somehow stepped out of her stories?
She was beautiful.
No.
Beautiful was too small a word.
Her eyes.
Her smile.
The way she carried herself.
The way she spoke.
Everything about her felt unreal.
The entire hall slowly faded into the background.
Guests.
Music.
Lights.
Voices.
Nothing existed.
Only her.
And me.
And then—
My father ruined the moment.
"Birthday wish kar de. Aaj uska birthday hai."
Insult.
Publicly.
In front of my own heart attack.
Still, I somehow managed to extend my hand.
"Happy Birthday."
Then she held it.
Just for a moment.
Yet somehow, that brief touch felt enough to send my heart into chaos.
And suddenly...
I felt like I was standing above the clouds.
Thank you for now...
See you in the next chapter. ♥
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