Whispers of the Heart ♡

Chapter 19: In the Depths of Doubt

Meera's pov

As Preeti scrolled through her Instagram feed, I lay beside her on my bed, my head gently resting on her arm. The soft glow from her phone illuminated her face, casting a warm light in the dimly lit room. I couldn't help but peek at her screen, curious about what caught her attention.

"Anything interesting?" I asked, trying to stifle a yawn as I peered at Preeti's phone screen.

She rolled her eyes, a hint of sarcasm lacing her words. "Oh yeah, I'm just burning with envy looking at everyone's vacation photos," she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her response. "Well, we did go to Nani's house for a week, remember?" I reminded her.

Preeti let out an exaggerated sigh. "Oh yeah, how could I forget? Endless servings of Nani's home-cooked meals and thrilling adventures like riding on Grandpa's old scooter," she said, her voice laced with mock enthusiasm.

"And let's not forget about that little rascal from next door, what was his name? She tried to recall, "Virat?" I added, recalling the mischievous neighbor boy who had stolen her ice cream and dashed off like a little bandit.

Preeti's expression darkened, her eyes flashing with irritation. "That Virat kid! He snatched my ice cream and ran off like a thief! He's nothing but a troublemaker kutta kahi ka," she grumbled, clearly still fuming over the incident.

"Are uss chotte bacche ko to aisa matt bol Wo Kitna cute hai!" I couldn't help but tease, trying to lighten the mood.

("Do not say that to that little child, he is so cute!")

Preeti rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. " Bada aaya cute, mere haat lagta to ek thappad marti usko."

(keep aside his cuteness, if I had caught him, I would have slapped him.)

As Preeti continued scrolling, a picture of Lakshya caught my attention. I couldn't help but stop the screen and gaze at it. He was sitting on the beach, the waves crashing behind him, wearing a Goa-vibe shirt that perfectly complemented his handsome features.

Preeti nudged me playfully, saying, "Ohhooo, nazrein nahi hat rahi meri jiju se, hmm?" Her teasing made me blush, but I tried to play it cool.

(Seems like you're not taking your eyes off my jiju, huh?)

"Do you follow him?" I asked, masking my embarrassment.

Preeti grinned mischievously. "Yes, wanna see his profile?"

I nodded eagerly, unable to hide my curiosity. But before I could agree, Preeti laid down her condition.

"But... ek shart hai," she said, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Bolo manzoor?"

(But... I have 1 condition, if you agree)

I hesitated for a moment, knowing that Preeti's conditions always came with a catch. "Yes," I replied cautiously.

"You have to complete my Hindi homework," she declared, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Our handwriting looks similar, so just write the letter a little smaller than usual."

I stared at her in disbelief. Our Hindi teacher had piled on tons of homework, and now Preeti was adding to the load. "No way, it's too much work," I protested, shaking my head.

Preeti shrugged casually. "Okay then, don't look at jiju's profile. After all, school will reopen in just a week, you can see it then," she said, slipping her arms out from under my head.