?THE TANGELD THREADS?

48 | ?????? ?? ????

For her it was just a physical attraction and Attraction fades with time.

And I was probably reading too much into the lines putting the names to this feeling complicating it more when it was just a fleeting attraction.

‘ it's an attraction ’ I told myself knowing somewhere deep down i knew it wasn't.

Even if it was just an attraction, why did it feel like much more? Why did my heart race at the mere sound of her footsteps? Why did I find myself unconsciously orienting towards her, like a flower seeking the sun, even as I tried to maintain my distance?

I walked away from her without looking back, trying to convince myself that I just needed to stop overthinking.

"It's all in your head," I muttered, shaking my thoughts loose like a dog shaking off water.

"You're probably just hungry. Yes, that's it. Low blood sugar. Very serious condition" Nodding sagely at my own diagnosis, I descended the stairs, each step a determined march towards the kitchen and, hopefully, sanity. I was a man on a mission.

Operation: Cool My Mind and stop thinking about Avyaana.

As I rounded the corner into the kitchen, the world suddenly tilted. For a moment, I thought I'd finally lost it, my overactive imagination causing the floor to literally slip away.

Okay, I know I'm exaggerating. But the sight before me was enough to make anyone question their footing.

There, perched on the countertop sat Yuvika bhabhi. And in her hands?- my  tub of ice cream.

Our eyes met over the frosty container. Her spoon, piled high with a generous scoop of my precious dessert, froze halfway to her mouth.

"I'm not sharing" She said I opened my mouth, closed it, then opened it again. All my carefully constructed thoughts about distance and overthinking melted faster than the ice cream dripping down the side of the tub

"But it's my ice cream," I protested, taking another step towards her. My tone was indignant, but I couldn't quite hide the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

She fixed me with a glare that was probably meant to be intimidating, but with a smudge of chocolate on her nose, it was more adorable than anything else.

"But I saw it first, and so it's mine now. That's the rule."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, is that how it works? I must have missed that day in the ice cream etiquette class."

"It's a very important rule," she nodded solemnly, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Fine, fine," I sighed dramatically, reaching for a bowl. "At least you can share the ice cream you saw and which I bought." Yuvika considered this for a moment, tapping her spoon against her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm... I suppose that's fair. But!" She held up a warning finger.

"Only one bowl."I chuckled again, shaking my head in amusement.

"Your generosity knows no bounds, truly"As I scooped a modest portion into my bowl under bhabhis watchful eyes. And I sat next to her with a bowl of ice cream. As I had a mouthful of spoon I stared at the melted ice cream in front of me and suddenly I didn't feel devouring it. Even My favorite ice cream couldn't cool me off.

"Devar ji, that's barely a mouthful! Are you on a diet I don't know about?" Bhabhi teased, waving her spoon at me.

I rolled my eyes good-naturedly.
"Some of us have to watch our figures, bhabhi. We can't all be blessed with your metabolism." She gasped in a mock offense.