Claiming My Best Friend's Brother

33 Pacifying My Best Friends Brother

The room had finally settled into a deep, comfortable quiet. Diya had forgiven us-not without putting us through a modest emotional trial and making us squirm in guilt first, of course, but the lingering hurt in her eyes had finally melted away completely.

Though she made it abundantly clear that she reserved the right to tease us mercilessly for hiding our relationship, the suffocating cloud that had hung over the mansion had dissipated into thin air.

Ansh glanced back and forth between his sister and me, pushing himself off the mattress with an effortless stretch. "Okay, now that you two have officially made peace and I'm no longer the public enemy, I'm going to make my exit."

Diya rolled her eyes in dramatic fashion, waving a hand dismissively at him. "Good. Out you go."

Ansh placed a hand flat over his chest, feigning deep emotional damage. "Ah, such immense love from my own sweet sister."

"Out, Ansh bhai!" she laughed, tossing a small accent pillow at his head.

He chuckled, catching the pillow effortlessly before dropping it back onto the bed, shooting me a quiet, lingering look before slipping out the door. Once the latch clicked shut, I turned to Diya with a light, relieved smile. "Okay. Laptop setup and movie time?"

"Definitely movie time," she agreed, pulling her legs up under the duvet.

A little while later, Mrs. Raizada knocked softly and stepped inside carrying a wooden tray loaded with bowls of warm buttered popcorn, sweet treats, and cold juices.

"Here you go, girls," she said with a bright, maternal smile, setting the tray down between us on the mattress. "Enjoy your movie!"

"Thank you, Maa!" Diya beamed, already reaching for a handful of popcorn.

I smiled warmly up at her. "Thank you so much, Aunty."

Once Mrs. Raizada left us to ourselves, we settled back against the headboard.

For the first hour, the room was filled with the familiar sound of our chatter.

We laughed loudly at the ridiculous dialogue, made sarcastic commentary about the main characters, shared snacks, and seamlessly slipped back into our old, effortless rhythm.

It felt as though the painful breach from last night had been nothing more than a bad dream, and I couldn't have been happier or more relieved.

Pausing mid-laugh during a particularly funny scene, I glanced over at Diya. "Hey, Diyuu? What do you think he's going to do next?"

Silence answered me.

I turned my head to look at her properly. Diya's head had slumped heavily against the wooden headboard, her mouth slightly parted and her eyes fast asleep.

A quiet giggle escaped my throat. "Seriously?"

Diya mumbled something completely unintelligible in her sleep, shifting slightly into her pillows.

"You couldn't even make it through the first half of one movie," I whispered fond nonsense at her.

Carefully reaching over, I paused the video, closed the laptop, and set it softly on the nightstand.

I slid out from under the covers, pulled the heavy duvet up over her shoulders, and tucked her in tightly.

"Sleep well, sleepyhead," I murmured, giving her one last affectionate look before slipping toward the door.

I stepped out into the hallway, closing the bedroom door behind me with a silent click.

The upstairs corridor was completely empty, bathed in the soft afternoon light streaming through the large arched window at the end of the hall.

My eyes immediately drifted to the dark wooden door directly across from Diya's.

Ansh's room.

A small, mischievous smile gradually curled the corners of my lips. I cast a quick glance down the grand staircase-no sign of Mrs. Raizada or any of the house staff. The coast was entirely clear.

Quietly stepping across the runner rug, I turned the brass knob of Ansh's door and slipped inside, shutting it soundlessly behind my back.

Ansh was sitting propped up against the headboard of his king-sized bed.

The moment his dark eyes registered my presence, his relaxed posture instantly shifted.

He looked straight at me for a fraction of a second...

and then deliberately, ostentatiously turned his head toward the balcony window, ignoring me entirely.

I paused by the edge of his bed, my eyebrows drawing together. "...Hi."

Dead silence.

I took a couple of cautious steps closer, leaning over slightly to catch his gaze. "Ansh?"

Still nothing. He picked up his phone from the nightstand, tapped the screen aggressively, and began scrolling through his feed with an intense, rigid focus.

I stared at him, crossing my arms over my chest. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he replied, his tone clipped, flat, and devoid of any warmth.

"Then why aren't you looking at me?"

"I'm busy."

I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Busy doing what, exactly?"

"Scrolling."

"On your phone?"

"Yes."

My lips pressed into a fine line as I studied his stubborn side profile. "Really, Ansh?"

"Really."

I continued to stare at him, taking in his tense jawline and the dramatic way he was staring at his screen. Then, suddenly, the realization hit me like a splash of cold water.

Oh. He's sulking.

I bit the inside of my cheek, desperately trying to suppress the smile bubbling up in my chest. "Are you actually angry with me?"

"No."

"Then why are you ignoring me?"

"I'm not ignoring you," he said smoothly, still refusing to grant me a single glance.

"You haven't looked at my face once since I walked through that door."

Ansh gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Maybe I'm trying out a new philosophy."

"And what philosophy would that be?"

"Being independent and self-reliant."

A snort of laughter almost escaped my nose. "Since when are you practicing independence?"

"Since my girlfriend decided that her best friend is infinitely more important than her boyfriend," he muttered, his thumb swiping aggressively across his screen.

There it was. The truth was out.

I shook my head in utter disbelief, stepping right up to the side of his bed. "Ansh..."

He kept his eyes glued to his phone. "No, really, I get it. I completely understand."

"You don't."

"Oh, trust me, I do," he nodded with theatrical solemnity. "Your best friend desperately needed you. You spent the entire morning reassuring her. You ate snacks with her. You watched a movie with her. And God know, you might have even tucked her into bed like a sweet little child."

I stood there, my mouth practically agape. "Are you... are you seriously jealous of your own sister right now?"

"No."

"You sound completely jealous."

"I am not."

"Ansh, you are throwing a full-blown tantrum."

"I said I am not!"

I moved directly into his line of sight, blocking his view of the room. "Ansh. Look at me."

He immediately tilted his head away, staring intently at the plain beige wall to his left. "There's a very interesting paint texture on this wall."

I let out a long, dramatic sigh, placing my hands on my hips. "You are being utterly ridiculous right now."

"Okay."

"Ansh."

"Hmm?"

"Are you genuinely upset with me?"

He finally paused his scrolling, casting a fleeting, guarded glance up at me from beneath his dark lashes. "...Maybe."

All the playful teasing drained out of me, replaced by a sudden rush of warmth. My expression softened completely. "Why?"

Ansh tossed his phone onto the mattress beside him and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest like a stubborn child. "Because last night, I snuck out, climbed through your window, and came to see you."

"I remember," I murmured softly.

"And I wanted nothing more than to just hold you and spend time with you."

"I remember that too."

"And you completely turned me down."

"Because we hadn't fixed things with Diya yet, Ansh! I couldn't breathe through the guilt."

"I know that," he admitted, his defensive posture relaxing just a fraction.

"And today, we finally cleared the air and fixed everything with her."

"I know."

"So?"

"So..." He looked up at me, his dark eyes brimming with a raw, needy vulnerability that made my heart do a violent flip. "I thought that after all that emotional chaos was over... you'd come straight to me."

I blinked, taking a small step closer. "I did come to you."

"After spending hours in her room."

"She fell asleep, Ansh. She needed the comfort."

"I know," he mumbled, turning his gaze away toward the blanket. "You keep saying that because it's true, and because I get it. But I still wanted my girlfriend."

My heart completely melted into a puddle right then and there. "Aww..."

"Don't 'aww' me, Niyati."

A helpless smile broke across my face. "My poor, neglected baby..."

Ansh shot me a sharp, indignantly handsome glare. "I am not your baby."

"You are literally sulking on your bed like a five-year-old."

"I am not sulking!" he protested, though his ears were turning a faint shade of pink. "I am maturely expressing my emotional dissatisfaction."

I burst out laughing. "By ignoring my existence?"

"Yes."

"That makes absolutely no logical sense."

"I am a complex individual."

"You are incredibly annoying."

"Also true," he muttered.

I shook my head, stepping right between his open knees as he sat on the edge of the mattress. "Okay."

Ansh looked up at me, his dark eyes locking onto mine at last. "Okay what?"

"I'll pacify you," I declared gently.

His dark eyebrows lifted in surprise. "How?"

I offered him a sweet, secret smile, leaning down toward his face. "Wait and see."

Before he could react, I leaned in and pressed a soft, lingering kiss against his left cheek. Ansh went entirely still, his breath hitching in his throat.

I pulled back a few inches, searching his face. "Better?"

He tried desperately to lock his facial muscles into a stern, unyielding scowl, though the muscle in his jaw twitched. "No."

I stared at him, narrowing my eyes playfully. "No?"

"Not even close."

"Fine," I murmured. Leaning in from the other side, I pressed a warm, delicate kiss onto his right cheek, lingering just a second longer against his skin. I pulled back again, my eyes sparkling. "Now?"