Fractured Crowns

Namaskar! Hello!

✮

The morning sun peeked through the curtains as Amrita stretched, a small smile tugging at her lips.

It had been a long time since she’d woken up feeling this… light.

After freshening up, she stepped out of the bathroom, running a towel through her damp hair.

Aaryansh, still lounging in bed, watched her with half-lidded eyes, his usual smirk playing on his lips.

“Did you drink water?” he asked, his voice teasing but gentle.

She blinked at him before smiling and reaching for the glass on the nightstand.

Without a word, she took a few sips, setting it back down.

Aaryansh tilted his head. “Since when did you become so obedient?”

She chuckled, sitting beside him. “Dadi told me something yesterday.”

His brows lifted in curiosity.

“She said that my dad was always after me to drink water. He’d constantly remind me, ‘Ammu, have you had water?’ I… I don’t really remember it, but when you asked me last night, it felt like… like I could hear him.”

Aaryansh sat up, his expression softening. He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing against her cheeks.

“I’m glad,” he murmured, “that I reminded you of him.”

Her heart swelled at his words. A warmth spread through her chest, and without thinking, she grinned—bright and radiant.

Aaryansh stilled.

That smile.

It was different from all the ones he had seen before. It was genuine, full of emotion, full of something… precious.

Before he could react, she leaned in and pressed a quick, feather-light kiss on his cheek.

He froze.

Amrita giggled at his stunned expression, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

Before he could recover, she slipped away, stepping toward the door.

“I’m going to meet Dadi,” she announced, throwing him a playful glance over her shoulder.

And then she was gone.

Aaryansh sat there, his hand subconsciously reaching up to touch the spot where her lips had been.

His heartbeat had kicked up, his mind replaying the moment over and over again.

For the first time in his life, Aaryansh Raghuwanshi was left completely, utterly flustered.

✮

As Amrita made her way downstairs, lost in her thoughts about her father, she suddenly bumped into someone.

“Oof!”

She stumbled back slightly, only to find Ananya standing before her, equally surprised.

“You?” Ananya blinked.

Amrita arched a brow. “You?”

For a second, they just looked at each other before realizing they were heading in the same direction.

Sharing a small smirk, they walked together, neither needing to ask where the other was going.

✮

Meanwhile, in another room, Divya stirred awake, her brows furrowing as her hand instinctively reached out beside her—only to find the spot empty.