Tangled in the web of love - hima (best english books to read for beginners TXT) 📗

desperate need of some water to quench his thirst.

He grabbed two cool drinks and headed towards her table. He watched her as he walked towards her, he noticed how her tiny frame shook whenever she thought someone was walking too close to her, she nervously played with her Dupatta and her thin lips quivered. Aman couldn’t help but wonder what happened that night.

“Here…”He said pushing the drink towards her. He finished the drink and seemed to immerse in the funny role play a person was enacting, It was something in the lines of a drunken wife beating her husband. And the wife was none other than his sister Neha, she was enjoying it way too much to his surprise, scolding and beating the poor guy. She managed well that slurred tone and staggering walk. He noticed some of his friends eying him and giving an appreciative wink as his sister spell bound the viewers with her talent.

Neha waved at them and dramatically curtsied to them and left the stage skipping in joy.

After few minutes Neha joined them at the table, she slumped on to the other side of the couch and grabbed the bottle. Aman swatted her arm.

“Whoa… what was that for?” she grumbled rubbing her arms.

“That is for Dia, go get another one…”He replied with a hint of joy as he saw her sister still rubbing her arms.

Neha narrowed her eyes at him and murmur something incoherently but Aman knew too well about her sister, she probably meant we’ll see at home. Neha being the younger one and a girl after many generations, she was pampered very much by her dad. She used that as a leverage to taunt her older brother.

“Dia…you must be thirsty?”

Dia slowly peeked at him.

“Dia…you must be thirsty. Take this, it’s zero percent alcohol…”Ishaan smirked.

Dia nodded and chugged down the contents… she didn’t know that she was thirsty until then. From the corner of her eyes she saw him grin like an idiot.
Her head felt funny and the world seemed to be fuzzy, “I feel funny…”The words came out in a slurred tone out of her mouth.

“It’s time…” Ishaan dragged her out of her cosy chair as she complained to put him down.

Dia jerked out from her past memories as someone shook her, Aman watched as she eyed the drink bottle as if it was something dark and ominous.

Neha slouched on the couch, she watched Aman staring nervously at Dia, and she kicked his shin trying to catch his glance. When he did, she raised an eyebrow and he just shrugged.

“It’s zero percent alcohol. See, I’m drinking and it’s not like you never drank.” Neha said.

Did she know? She thought but most of all Dia couldn’t take it anymore, her disturbing past taunted her mind. She was in the verge of breaking down, pushed past Aman and ran out of the hall and collapsed in an empty corridor breaking into sobs, she didn’t want anyone to see her like that so she slowly crouched into the dark corners.

“Why… Ishaan? I put my faith on you more than anyone and you decide to break it?” she croaked.

“I hate you for not trusting me enough…I hate you for not loving me enough… I hate you for believing your foolish friends words… I hate you for making me love you… I hate you for breaking my heart…” She sobbed, shouting into the darkness.

“I hate me more than anyone for falling for you in the first place…” She whimpered, crouching on the floor.

“I’m not going to waste any more time crying over you, mother is right, I’m only letting you ruin my life by clinging to the past and I can’t do that anymore… I can’t hurt the people who love me just because I lost something in the past…”she decided wiping away the fresh tears that slid down her cheeks.

Aman was staring at the space where he saw Dia sitting a few minutes before… Neha is swearing profusely thinking she was the reason that Dia is hurt; she didn’t mean to say that, it just slipped out.

“We need to find her…”Neha urged tugging at her wide eyed brother.

They ran out of the function hall and checked in the parking area, and made two rounds over the entire surroundings, they didn’t find her anywhere. Neha began to tense about her safety

“What if she decided to do something silly?” this question tormented him and by every passing minute and not finding her, pushed him to the edge.

“Dia…Where are you? Aman…where do you think she is gone?” Neha mumbled.

“It’s your entire fault, you can never keep that blabbering mouth shut…”He snapped at her little sister, running his fingers in hair.

Neha whimpered, she was never used to being shouted at, let alone her brother, Aman was always gentle and caring towards her no matter how much she pissed him off and now he was snapping at her.

Aman realized what he did when he heard Neha’s sniffling sounds in the dark; He ran to her and pulled her into a hug apologizing for his crude manner. Hugging her sister helped him to lessen the anger and think straight.

“Let’s go find her…”Neha said pulling away from his hug.

They went to the function hall, hoping they would find her in there. They went two different sides seeking every corner table in vain.

“Whoa…What’s the hurry?” Asha screeched when Neha bumped into her.

Neha quickly explained the situation, Asha dumped her glass and ran after her out into the corridors, Rihan and Ria agreed to help, each of them went in different directions calling her name.

Aman checked out all the corridors except the one where the grills were locked, he seriously wished that she was there, he didn’t know what he was going to do if she was not there. He ran as fast as his legs could carry. He saw the silhouette of a sleeping form in the dark corners of the corridor, he slumped on to the ground and relief flooded him.

“I found her and I’m taking her home…You come home with Rihan…”He texted Neha.

Neha was frantically running hither thither when her phone buzzed, she pulled out and read the message Aman sent, she sighed knowing that Dia was safe. She texted the same to her friends and asked them to come back to the function hall.

Neha slumped onto the couch thinking what the hell happened just in a few minutes, she had never seen her brother so worried, he was usually calm and collected whatever the situation was, he never lost his temper, not on her. The way he looks at her, and his sudden interest whenever she mentioned about her at home…

She twiddled with her thumbs trying to make head or tail of all this weird behaviour, she thought of asking Asha what it meant but she all ready knew what she would say.

“Aw! So romantic, he is in love with her…” Asha would say fluttering her eye lashes in a dreamy way.

Neha laughed at the thought and then all of a sudden everything fell in place, she was right. My big brother is in love with her…With that thought her eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Huh, this is something, I could use…” she said rubbing her palms against each other, all ready plans forming in her little mischievous brain.

Aman carried Dia bridal style to her car, she stirred in his arms and snuggled close to his well defined chest resting her cheeks on his chest, Aman couldn’t take his eyes away from her, she was like an angel; peaceful and childish. All her worry and pain creased lines gone from her face.

He placed her in his backseat carefully, trying not to disturb her peaceful sleep. He did something he thought he could never do when she was awake; he leaned forward and caressed her cheek. She didn’t flinch at his touch and it brought a smile to his lips.

He drove slow, all the while glancing at her image in the mirror. She didn’t stir even when he tried to scoop her up for the second time.

Anjali looked horrified when she saw her daughter in Aman’s arms. Her gaze flitted between Aman and Dia; she continued it for a while unable to comprehend the situation.

“She is just sleeping…”Aman quickly said when he saw her mother’s face turning pale.

Anjali showed him to her room, Aman carefully placed her on the bed and Anjali tucked her in. She watched her daughter for a while, silent tears strolling down her cheeks. She pecked her cheeks.

“I’ve never seen her so peaceful not even in sleep over the last few months…” she said wiping away her tears.

< A new start>
Neha couldn’t wait to see Dia, she was excited about the new revelation, last night she ran straight to her brother’s room to taunt him but he was already in deep sleep and now she was going to put her plan into motion.

She waited until Aman joined at the table, it’s a strict rule laid by her mother that breakfast and dinner will be eaten together.

“Daddy, I don’t feel like going by bus, today…” Neha said.

“Sure…Aman will drop you at college.” Mr. Chowdary said dripping the idli in Sambar.

Mr. Chowdary was a business person, he was a middle aged guy, he radiates warmth and love, and anyone could warm up to his easy smile. Though he was one of the well known persons in the city his soul is still country. Aman takes after his father in looks department.

“No…No… I’m not going with him, he’ll drop me on the half way after all he can’t have a third wheel hanging in between them all the time…” Neha smirked.

“What…?” Aman scowled.

“Don’t pretend, I know everything big brother…” Neha started humming randomly lyrics of ‘burning love’ winking at her brother.

Mr. Chowdary, frowned and eyed his son who was twitching uncomfortably in his chair.

“Neha…Didn’t I tell you not to talk at the dining table.” Mrs. Chowdary scolded.

She was good 5’4 inches tall, petite looking woman and she had a commanding voice and an intense stare that put her children on the line. She was a perfect ideal for motherly figure. She worked as editor in the ‘Today’s times’ daily.


Days passed by and Neha didn’t let go any chance that she could use to taunt her brother, All Aman could do was glare at her and secretly smile at her. Neither Dia nor Neha brought up that night at the function hall.

Dia at last caged her heart and threw the key away, She was happy that she did so since then Neha even found her laughing once or twice and she thought that it all had something to do with her brother. She forgot all about that night, it didn’t even occur to her to ask her mother; how she reached home?

Dia was unaware of the fire scorching right behind her; Aman was in love with Dia, this was an open secret and Thanks to Neha for that. She never imagined that this will cause a rift in their friendship; if she had even a faint idea of it she wouldn’t have done so.

Dia was surprised to see a paper stuck at her desk