Just as Vihaan was about to head out, the doorbell rang. He walked to the door and opened it, his eyes widening slightly as he found Gauri standing on his doorstep. Before she could say a word, he asked, a hint of surprise and perhaps a touch of suspicion in his voice,
"Ms. Gauri? What are you doing at my house?"
Gauri, holding out the leather bracelet, replied softly, "I came to return this. I found it at the scene of your accident."
Yug and Raani, who had followed Vihaan to the door, exchanged mischievous glances and started teasing him in hushed whispers. "Ooh, Bhai has a visitor! And it's a girl!" Vihaan shot them a stern look, silencing their playful banter.
Gauri, meanwhile, was keenly observing Vihaan. Despite Harsh's words about minor injuries, she couldn't reconcile that with the mangled wreckage she had seen. Vihaan, noticing her intense scrutiny, raised an eyebrow.
"Is there something wrong, Ms. Gauri? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Gauri's gaze flickered over him, a thoughtful frown creasing her forehead. "I… I was just wondering. The accident… it looked so… fatal. How is it that you aren't… injured?"
Vihaan's eyes narrowed slightly at her pointed question. "Were you perhaps expecting me to be injured, Ms. Gauri?" he asked, a sharp edge to his voice.
"Of course not!" Gauri retorted, taken aback by his accusatory tone. "I was merely curious. The damage to your car was… extensive."
Vihaan's expression remained cool. He reached out and took the bracelet from her hand. "Thank you for returning it."
Gauri frowned. "It's better if you don't thank me like that, Thanedaar Sir. It sounds more like you're scolding me than expressing gratitude."
Yug and Raani, who had been silently observing the exchange, couldn't suppress their amusement any longer and burst into giggles. Vihaan shot them another warning glare.
Gauri tilted her head slightly, her eyes meeting his, and recited softly:
"A gift returned, a kindness shown,
Should meet a tone more gently blown.
For gratitude with harshness laced,
Leaves little warmth, and joy erased."
She paused, then added with a faint smile, "Just something to consider, Thanedaar Sir."
Vihaan's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. Her words, and the way she delivered them, had a knack for grating on his nerves. He gave her a curt nod, his eyes betraying a flicker of irritation. Yug and Raani, however, were doing their best to stifle their laughter, clearly enjoying the subtle jab at their usually stoic brother.
"Anyways, I should take my leave now," Gauri said, a touch of awkwardness in her voice as she turned to leave. But as she stepped back, her foot caught on the edge of the rug, and she stumbled, a gasp escaping her lips as she started to fall.
Instinctively, Vihaan's hand shot out, his fingers closing firmly around her wrist. He pulled her back towards him, his grip surprisingly strong. For a fleeting moment, they were close, their eyes locking in an unexpected, intimate gaze. The earlier tension seemed to dissipate, replaced by a strange, unspoken connection.
Yug and Raani, witnessing the near-fall and the subsequent close proximity, erupted in giggles and playful teasing. "Ooh la la!" Yug exclaimed, while Raani made exaggerated heart gestures.
Gauri and Vihaan quickly broke the eye contact, both looking slightly flustered and irritated by the siblings' antics. Gauri steadied herself, a blush creeping up her neck.
"Anyways, I should really take my leave now," she repeated, taking a deliberate step back towards the door.
As Gauri turned to leave once more, a sudden patter of raindrops began to fall. Large, heavy drops splattered on the porch, quickly escalating into a steady downpour. The sky, moments ago a clear twilight, now darkened ominously.
Yug, ever the hospitable one, immediately piped up. "Oh no, it's raining! Ms. Gauri, please come inside for a bit. You'll get soaked out there." Raani nodded in agreement, her teasing momentarily forgotten in the face of the sudden change in weather.
Vihaan, still holding the returned bracelet, hesitated for a fraction of a second before echoing his sister's invitation, albeit with a touch less enthusiasm. "Yes, Ms. Gauri, you should probably wait until the rain lets up." He stepped back slightly, gesturing for her to come in.
Gauri paused at the doorway, glancing at the downpour and then back at the Kothari siblings. A small smile touched her lips. "Thank you," she said, stepping back inside. She shook her head slightly, a few stray droplets of rain clinging to her hair.
Just then, Dadi came downstairs, her footsteps soft on the polished wood. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the sight of the unfamiliar woman seated in her living room. "Oh my goodness, what a downpour!" she exclaimed, adjusting the edge of her dupatta. Her gaze then settled on Gauri, who immediately stood up, a polite smile gracing her lips.
"Namaste, Dadiji," Gauri greeted, her voice respectful.
"Bless you, dear," Dadi replied warmly, her eyes holding a flicker of curiosity. She subtly inclined her head towards Raani, a silent question passing between them: Who is this girl? Does she know Vihaan?
Raani, ever quick on the uptake, shook her head almost imperceptibly, her eyes flicking towards her elder brother. "Dadiji, this is Ms. Gauri. She was just returning something of Bhai's." She deliberately kept her explanation vague, avoiding any mention of the lost bracelet.
A knowing smile touched Dadi's lips as she looked at Vihaan, who stood a little stiffly near the doorway, his gaze fixed on Gauri with a barely concealed irritation. Gauri, in turn, met his gaze, her own expression mirroring his annoyance. The air between them crackled with unspoken tension.