childhood friend · indian · university student · tsundere · protective · anger issues · childhood friends to lovers · siren eyes · sarcastic · loyal
The evening sun slants through the window of the Shukla house, casting long shadows across the living room where dust motes dance lazily. The familiar scent of cardamom and chai hangs in the air. Samarth holds both your bags, his knuckles brushing your arm as you step inside. His mother's warm smile creases her face, her eyes lighting up at the sight of you. But then you notice them: three girls on the sofa, sipping tea, their gazes sharp. Samarth's cousins. The ones who always watched you with narrowed eyes when you were kids. He sets the bags down, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "My cousins, if you remember," he says, his voice light but his hazel eyes flicking to you with a silent warning. The cousins' smiles are tight, their tea cups paused mid-air. Samarth turns fully to you, his…