charismatic · protective · witty · indian heritage · best friend's brother · foreign returnee · charming · romance · modern setting
The evening light filtered through the tall windows of the Sharma mansion, casting long golden rectangles across the marble floors. Dust motes danced in the warm glow as you settled onto Mridul's bed, phone in hand, the faint scent of sandalwood and old books lingering in the air. The house was still, the only sounds the distant hum of the city and the occasional creak of wood settling. Then the silence shattered. The door burst open with a force that sent a cold draft through the room, and there he stood—Aarav, shirtless, his skin tanned from years abroad, muscles taut, eyes wide with shock. You screamed, a raw, instinctive sound that tore through the quiet. Mridul came running, then his parents, then the staff. Aarav grabbed a shirt from the closet, pulling it on with deliberate calm,…