Author's POV

Dinner Day

(Rao Family)

"Ishani and Kunal, please come with me. I need your help," Mom requested.

"But Mom, why not call Jia di? She's older than us, and she should help you," Kunal suggested.

"Kunal, you know your sister. She won't come downstairs at all," Mom replied.

"But Mom, I think you should go talk to her. Mrs. Khanna's family is coming over. What will they think of us if she doesn't come down?" Ishani suggested.

"Yes, you're right," Mom acknowledged, heading towards Jia's room.

"Jia, please open the door," Mom called out.

The door opened, and Jia asked, "Yes, Mom?"

"Jia, today our neighbors, the Khanna family, are coming over for dinner," Mom informed her.

"So? What do you need from me? Do you want any help in the kitchen?" Jia asked.

"No, I just need you to come downstairs for dinner," Mom replied.

"No, you know I don't like socializing," Jia responded.

"Jiaaaa... what's happened to you? You were never like this," Mom expressed, concern in her voice.

"I'm okay, Mom. I'm going to eat in my room," Jia replied, returning to her book.

Mom went downstairs and called, "Ishani... Ishani..."

"Yes, Mom?" Ishani responded.

"Jia isn't going to come down," Mom said.

"Why? You should scold her," Ishani suggested.

"Never. Nobody's going to scold her," Dad interjected.

"Dad, but—"

"You guys don't understand... she's not okay. Let her take her time," Dad urged.

"But Dad, it's been more than a year... she's been behaving like this," Ishani pointed out.

"Yes, Ishani's right... there's something we need to ask her," Mom insisted.

"Seriously, Suhani... didn't we try this earlier? Right now, we should focus on the arrangements... the Khannas are coming any minute now," Dad said.

One hour later...

"Mom, I think they're here," Kunal said.

"Okay, yes," Mrs. Rao said, heading to open the door.

"Oh, hello, Mr. and Mrs. Khanna," Mr. and Mrs. Rao greeted with warm smiles.

"Please come in... feel at home," Mr. Rao invited.

"Well, thank you so much, Mr. Rao, for inviting us. We're glad to be here," Mr. Khanna replied.

"Mrs. Rao, your home is beautiful," Mrs. Khanna complimented.

"Thank you so much," Mrs. Rao said.

Vihaan's POV

'Oh god, such homely vibes... two new families meeting each other... this is so awkward,' I thought to myself.

"Please meet my elder son, Vihaan, and youngest, Rohan," Mom introduced us. I nodded and smiled at Mr. and Mrs. Rao.

"Please meet my daughter Ishani and my son Kunal," Mrs. Rao said. I smiled at Ishani; she's cute. But I could sense there was some tension between Rohan and Ishani. They were making faces at each other. I was also surprised to hear they had another daughter. Where was she, I wondered.

"Ahh... aunty, you also have another daughter, right? I saw her in the window," I mentioned. Mrs. Rao exchanged a glance with Mr. Rao, and Ishani shot me a look.

"Oh yes, yes, we have three children. Actually, these two are here only, so we introduced them. Our eldest daughter, she's busy with some urgent work in her room," Mr. Rao explained.

"Okay," I replied, feeling a bit strange.

We all sat down at the dinner table. On my left was Rohan, and on my right, Ishani was sitting.

"Oh, seriously, why are you sitting next to my brother?" Rohan questioned Ishani.

"Seriously, Rohan, don't get possessive about your brother... grow up," Ishani retorted.

"You grow up," Rohan shot back, and soon they started arguing.

"Okay, enough," I interrupted, trying to stop the argument. Both of them fell silent. "Your sister isn't coming for dinner?" I asked.

"No, she'll eat in her room. She doesn't like socializing much," Ishani explained.

"Why?" I asked, curious.

"Hmm, why are you so interested in knowing about her?" Ishani asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing... just seems a bit strange," I replied.

"Bhaiya, I'm telling you, don't talk to her," Rohan warned.

"Oh, shut up," I shot back.

After dinner, it was time for dessert. "Aunty, I want to wash my hands... where do I go?" I asked.

"You can wash them in the kitchen," she replied. I made my way to the kitchen, and as I was rinsing my hands, I felt someone behind me. I turned around, and there she was. We locked eyes for a brief moment, and she seemed startled. I could tell she was the eldest one. She grabbed a plate and left the kitchen. I did the same and left shortly after.

"Oh, Jia, come here," Mrs. Rao called out. Finally, the 'mystery girl' had a name—'Jia Rao.' Jia walked up to her mom.

"Mr. and Mrs. Khanna, meet my eldest daughter, Jia," Mrs. Rao introduced.

"Hello, Jia," they greeted her. She nodded faintly, offering a small smile.

"Jia, this is Rohan, and this is Vihaan," Mrs. Rao continued, pointing to me. Jia glanced at me with a blank expression. I smiled at her, but she didn't respond.

Everyone else got engaged in conversation, but I couldn't help but keep an eye on Jia. She stood there, expressionless. After a while, she went to the kitchen to get her dinner.

I couldn't resist approaching her. "Hey, Jia," I said. She stopped but continued to look down at the floor. "Hey, I'm talking to you," I tried again. She didn't respond. "Jia... hi, I'm Vihaan," I persisted.

"Vihaan, what are you doing?" Ishani interrupted.

"Nothing, just saying hi to your sister," I replied.

"Oh, okay... Jia di, you can go to your room," Ishani instructed. Jia quietly went upstairs to her room.

"Vihaan, don't get too close to her. She can be very moody. She was only quiet because of Mom. Please, stay away from her," Ishani warned.

"But why is she like that? She doesn't even smile," I asked.

"She's just like that," Ishani replied before leaving. Why? Why is she like that? My curiosity is eating me up. I want to find out more about her.

As the evening wound down, I couldn't shake the feeling of intrigue surrounding Jia. She was mysterious, distant, and didn't seem to engage with anyone the way the others did. I wanted to know why she was so different, why she chose to stay away from social interactions, and why she gave off such an enigmatic aura. I knew one thing for sure: tomorrow, I'd find out more about her.

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I'd like to let you know that the next chapter is in the works. However, due to my work commitments, I might not be able to update daily. Nevertheless, I'll do my best to provide regular updates.

Thank you for your continued support and happy reading!

Warm regards, 

Erica <3