CHAPTER 1: THE HOUSE THAT NEVER STAYED QUIET 🖤
PART 1 — THE HOUSE THAT NEVER STAYED QUIET 🖤
Aarohi never planned on becoming this close to her boyfriend’s family.
At first, they were just people she met occasionally during birthdays, festivals, random dinners, and chaotic family gatherings where everyone spoke over each other.
Then slowly…
The house started feeling familiar.
Too familiar.
His mother started treating her like she already belonged there.
His nephew followed her everywhere like a tiny bodyguard.
Even his girlfriend had become someone she could sit and gossip with comfortably for hours.
And then there was him.
Her boyfriend’s older brother.
The loudest person in the house.
He looked exactly like the kind of man people noticed immediately without understanding why.
Tall, broad-shouldered, always carrying himself with careless confidence like the entire world amused him slightly. Sharp eyes, messy hair most of the time, a sleeve tattoo running along his arm, and the kind of deep voice that naturally made people turn when he spoke.
There was something intimidating about him at first glance.
Not because he tried to be.
Because he simply didn’t soften himself for anyone. 🖤
The type of man who entered rooms with effortless confidence and somehow changed the entire atmosphere without trying.
Which should’ve been a warning sign.
Because Aarohi usually ignored people she disliked.
With him, ignoring was impossible.
He always had something to say.
Always teasing.
Always reacting.
Always observing.
And somehow…
Always noticing her.
If she got quiet during family gatherings, he noticed.
If she disappeared into another room, he noticed.
If she laughed too hard at something, his eyes automatically shifted toward her before anyone else.
At first she ignored it.
Then she started noticing things too.
Like how he searched rooms unconsciously whenever he walked in.
Or how his tone changed slightly while talking to her compared to everyone else.
Or how every conversation between them somehow became louder, funnier, and slightly more dramatic than necessary.
The worst part?
He matched her energy perfectly.
Whenever she shouted, he shouted louder.
Whenever she teased him, he immediately gave it back.
Whenever she acted dramatic, he somehow became worse.
One evening, Aarohi escaped into the bedroom for some peace while everyone else sat in the hall downstairs.
For exactly three minutes.
Then suddenly his voice echoed through the house.
“Where is she?”
Someone asked, “Who?”
“AAROHI.”
She froze instantly.
A second later—
“AAROHI COME HERE!”
The entire hall burst into laughter immediately.
Aarohi stared at the wall in disbelief while her boyfriend laughed beside her.
“See?” he said. “He noticed you disappeared again.”
“Oh my god,” she muttered dramatically. “Am I legally not allowed to sit alone?”
Before anyone could answer, he appeared at the doorway casually leaning against the frame.
“There you are,” he said.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“And you’re hiding.”
“I’m sitting.”
“Same thing.”
The room exploded into laughter again.
God.
He was exhausting.
But somehow…
The second she walked back into the hall beside him, the atmosphere instantly felt louder again.
More alive.
And annoyingly enough—
He noticed her smile before anyone else did. 🖤
