Aarshi slowly began to feel comfortable around Ayaan, and this made Momo quietly happy. She genuinely wished that the two of them would become close friends. Momo hoped this friendship would help Ayaan improve his social skills, because he had always avoided girls. Being around them made him uncomfortable. The only girls he felt truly at ease with were Momo and his cousin. Apart from them, Ayaan had two female friends with whom he shared a good bond and could behave casually and comfortably. Still, Momo had noticed something—Ayaan never seemed to even look at other girls. That was why she wanted Aarshi to become his close friend, hoping that both of them would form a warm and genuine bond with each other.
Aarshi, on the other hand, had no male friends at all. She only had two female friends, one of whom was her best friend. However, a few years ago Aarshi did have a male best friend who was very dear to her. Unfortunately, he transferred to another school, and after that they never met again. Even now, she sometimes missed him deeply.
The next morning, Ayaan stepped out of his room and went to the washroom to freshen up. After that, he headed to the rooftop to do his warm-up exercises. Ayaan was an international Taekwondo player who had never lost a single match in his life. His morning warm-ups were an important part of maintaining his skills and discipline.
On the rooftop, he began stretching calmly, moving his arms and muscles in quiet concentration. He positioned himself facing the rising sun, believing that the early sunlight filled him with positive energy. While performing a backbend during his workout, his eyes suddenly caught sight of someone standing on one side of the rooftop. It was Aarshi, quietly watching him.
Ayaan was startled. When did she come here?
He immediately stopped his workout and began walking toward the stairs. Then he paused and asked her, "Since when have you been standing here?"
Aarshi replied softly, "About five minutes before you came."
Ayaan was shocked. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed her all this time.
"What were you doing here?" he asked.
Aarshi hesitated slightly before answering, "Morning sunlight has vitamin D… so I came here to get some."
Without saying anything more, Ayaan quickly went downstairs. That day he had exercised for only half an hour, even though he usually worked out for a full hour.
Ever since childhood, Ayaan had trained himself to stay physically fit because he was a martial artist. Even during his boarding school days, he used to wake up before dawn and run on the dormitory grounds. Because of this disciplined lifestyle, his body had developed into a strong and attractive form even in his teenage years. In school, he was considered one of the most charming boys—perhaps even the most charming.
Meanwhile, Aarshi had arrived on the rooftop just a few minutes before Ayaan. When she first came there, she stood facing the sunlight and breathed calmly in the peaceful morning air. Soon she saw Ayaan step onto the rooftop and begin his workout while facing the rising sun. Since she was standing quietly in a corner behind him, he didn't notice her at all.
Aarshi watched him silently, making sure not to make even the slightest sound. She observed him carefully, because she had slowly begun to feel attracted to him. His strong physique and graceful movements fascinated her, and she couldn't help but watch him with admiration.
Soon after Ayaan went downstairs, Aarshi also came down from the rooftop. Both of them were blushing deeply. Ayaan felt embarrassed that Aarshi had seen him working out, and Aarshi felt embarrassed because he had caught her staring at him.
Their cheeks had turned bright red.
Momo noticed this and asked curiously, "What happened to both of you? Why are your faces so red?"
Ayaan replied confidently, "I was working out."
Aarshi hesitated to say something, but before she could speak, Momo quickly said with a smile, "Oh right! Aarshi went upstairs to get some sunlight."
Momo then placed breakfast on the table and said, "Come on, let's eat."
They all sat together and had breakfast.
Deep down, Momo knew very well that something had happened on the rooftop, but she chose not to say anything about it.
Soon after, Momo got ready for the office. When she came downstairs after getting ready, Aarshi stared at her for quite a long time without even realizing it. She was lost in thought.
In Aarshi's eyes, Momo looked incredibly beautiful. Even without dressing up, she looked graceful and radiant. Aarshi admired every feature of hers. Slowly, Momo had become the image of Aarshi's ideal woman.
Aarshi thought to herself, If I, being a girl, can admire her this much… how much must Jihan like her?
By now, Aarshi had already understood that Jihan truly liked Momo. In her mind, she had happily decided that Momo would surely become her sister-in-law one day. Thinking about it filled her with joy, and she began imagining it like a sweet dream.
Suddenly—
Snap!
A pair of fingers snapped right in front of her eyes.
It was Ayaan.
Aarshi was startled, as if someone had woken her from a deep dream. She looked at him.
Ayaan teased her lightly and said, "Did you forget your glasses or something? Why were you staring so hard?"
Aarshi said nothing. She simply gave him a slightly bitter expression and walked away.
Ayaan also said nothing and quietly returned to his room.
After a while, both of them went to take showers. When they came back to the hall, Aarshi was wearing her glasses.
For some reason, Ayaan always felt happy seeing her wearing them. To him, Aarshi looked incredibly cute with glasses—almost like a little rabbit wearing spectacles. Aarshi, however, felt insecure about them. Yet that very insecurity made her even more adorable in Ayaan's eyes. Her soft, chubby cheeks made her look even cuter, just like a small rabbit.
Both of them were attractive in their own ways. Ayaan had sharp and striking features, like a handsome actor from a drama series. Aarshi, on the other hand, had soft baby-like features that made her look innocent and sweet.
Aarshi came back and sat beside Ayaan on the sofa while he was writing something in his notebook. Curious, she leaned closer and tried to peek at what he was doing. Ayaan quickly tried to hide the notebook. As Aarshi leaned closer and closer, Ayaan leaned back to keep it away from her.
Finally Aarshi said, "I want to do what you're doing too."
Ayaan replied, "I'm solving math problems. Do you want to do them with me?"
Aarshi immediately made a disgusted expression. "Eww… I hate math."
She stood up from the sofa, but as soon as she did, Ayaan quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
"Then which subject do you like?" he asked.
"Arts," Aarshi replied proudly.
Ayaan smiled. "Then will you paint with me?"
"Of course!" Aarshi said excitedly, almost jumping with happiness.
Ayaan went to his room and brought down a new canvas. "Let's paint together," he said.
Aarshi happily agreed.
Both of them decided to paint a beautiful scenery. They planned to include mountains, a lake, grasslands, and whatever details they personally liked.
They began painting around ten in the morning. Sitting on separate chairs in front of the large canvas stand, Aarshi started painting the mountains while Ayaan worked on the grasslands.
Time passed quickly. They became so absorbed in their work that they didn't even notice how long they had been painting. They didn't even stop for lunch. From ten in the morning until three in the afternoon, they kept painting, yet the artwork was still not finished.
Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound echoed in the room.
Ayaan burst into laughter.
The sound had come from Aarshi's stomach.
Aarshi felt extremely embarrassed and lowered her head. She didn't say anything. Ayaan quietly left the room.
After he left, Aarshi began feeling even more ashamed of herself.
A little while later, Ayaan returned with a plate of lunch in his hands—but there was only one plate.
Aarshi asked deliberately, "What is that?"
Ayaan replied with a playful smile, "Something to calm that thunder sound."
Hearing this, Aarshi looked down shyly.
Then Ayaan said gently, "I brought lunch for you. Aren't you going to eat?"
"What about your plate?" she asked.
"I'm not hungry," he replied.
"My hands are covered in paint. I can't eat like this," she said.
"That's okay. You're hungry anyway."
He sat on the chair beside her and held a sandwich close to her mouth.
Aarshi turned toward him in surprise. "Are you tempting me?"
"I'm feeding you," Ayaan replied calmly.
Aarshi was stunned. She had never imagined that someone as handsome as Ayaan would one day feed her lunch with his own hands. Blushing quietly, she took a bite of the sandwich.
Ayaan continued feeding her, and when she told him to eat too, he took a bite from the same plate. Soon they were sharing the meal together.
While eating, Aarshi kept adjusting her glasses with her paint-covered fingers, leaving small stains of color on the lenses. Ayaan noticed this and simply smiled.
When Aarshi saw him smiling at her, she began to laugh shyly as well.
Gently, Ayaan removed her glasses and wiped them clean with his T-shirt.
Aarshi was completely stunned. It felt almost like a dream.
By four in the afternoon, Aarshi was already exhausted, but Ayaan was still focused on the painting. Around five o'clock, sleep finally overcame Aarshi, and she fell asleep on the sofa.
Meanwhile, Ayaan remained seated on his chair, finishing the rest of the painting and adding the final details. Every now and then, he turned to look at Aarshi sleeping peacefully on the sofa… and each time, a soft blush appeared on his face.
In the evening, when Momo returned home, she saw Ayaan cleaning the floor in the hall, as if he had made a mess while painting. Aarshi was lying on the sofa, sleeping deeply.
Seeing this scene made Momo laugh softly.
It looked exactly like a married couple—
a tired wife sleeping peacefully after a long day, while her husband quietly cleaned the house to help her.