Love Across Time

Thirty Eight

-𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓵𝓮𝓷 𝓖𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓟𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓻𝓼-

"And you know, Bhrata Bheem, when Rukmi entered the room, I was worried for a second," Aanya said, widening her eyes with mock horror. Bheem, Sahdeva, and Dushala were settled down, circling around her. Yudhishthir smiled, looking at the group as he focused on his work. Nakul stood in front of the mirror, laughing, as Aanya regaled them with tales of Vidarbha.

"Then our Brihannala Devi took matters into her own hands," Aanya said, pressing on Brihannala's name for emphasis as everyone chuckled.

She jumped up, standing in front of the group. "I'll act this out. You all better watch closely," she said excitedly, her eyes shining with anticipation.

She grabbed her dupatta, draping it over her head and pulling one end till it reached her mouth. "Pranam, Yuvraaj Rukmi," Aanya giggled shyly, enacting Arjun with a dramatic flourish.

"Then you should have seen the smile on Rukmi's face. He was literally blushing," Aanya chuckled. The whole group erupted into laughter. Aanya continued to act out the entire Brihannala act, adding playful embellishments while withholding the certain details.

"And you all would have laughed seeing the heartbreak on Rukmi's face when his Brihannala turned out to be a man," Aanya giggled. The group couldn't contain their smiles as Aanya spun the captivating tale.

Just then, Arjun sauntered into the room, arching an eyebrow as he overheard Aanya regaling everyone with their Vidarbha adventure. He couldn't help but roll his eyes as she embellished the story with her own imaginative details. He smiled as she made exaggerated gestures that had everyone enthralled.

As Aanya tripped over her own foot, her eyes widened in surprise, prompting Arjun to dash to her side and catch her just in the nick of time. Aanya's dupatta fluttered to the ground from her head as she looked up at him in disbelief, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. The rest of the group watched with wide eyes, a collective gasp escaping their lips. Aanya quickly regained her composure, standing up straight and trying to mask her flustered state, but she couldn't help but blush as all eyes turned toward her and Arjun.

"Wow, aren't you just the best storyteller?" Arjun said, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he tried to shift everyone's attention from their little clumsy moment.

Aanya simply shrugged, a proud smile playing on her lips.

"You know, if only you paid as much attention to your walking skills as you do to your storytelling, Aanya," Arjun teased with a smirk.

Aanya shot him a playful glare. "Do you want me to hit you in front of everyone?"

Arjun chuckled. "That wouldn't be the first time, right?"

Aanya lifted her chin defiantly, turning to Yudishthir for support. "Bhrata Yudhishthir, please tell him to behave."

Yudishthir nodded with a knowing smile and gently scolded Arjun with a shake of his head.

Nakul couldn't help but join in the banter. "You two should have saved this argument for Rukmi's entertainment. He might have asked you to leave just to escape the drama!"

Aanya laughed, her eyes sparkling mischievously as she nudged Arjun. "And don't forget, he was probably dreaming of becoming the son-in-law of Hastinapur himself!"