🎵 Song: Safarnama – Tamasha (Instrumental)

"Sometimes, the biggest journeys don't begin with a train, a flight, or a destination... they begin with a new address."

The warm rays of the morning sun filtered through the car windows as a white SUV slowly entered one of the most beautiful residential areas of the city.

Wide roads lined with blooming trees...

Elegant houses standing proudly on both sides...

Children cycling without a care...

Birds chirping from the branches overhead...

It was peaceful.

A fresh beginning.

Inside the car, however, one girl was anything but calm.

Sitting beside the window with her earphones in was Aarohi Sharma.

She rested her forehead against the glass, silently watching the unfamiliar streets pass by.

In her lap lay a small notebook—the one she had carried since childhood whenever life changed.

New school.

New neighbourhood.

New people.

Everything felt unfamiliar.

She tightened her grip on the notebook.

Her mother, Nandini Sharma, noticed the nervous expression on her daughter's face and gently smiled.

"Still thinking about your new school?"

Aarohi looked at her mother and gave a tiny nod.

"I'm... a little scared."

Her father, Rajeev Sharma, who was driving, chuckled softly.

"A little?"

From the back seat came an exaggerated sigh.

"A little? Papa, Didi has been worrying since yesterday!"

Everyone turned towards the youngest member of the family.

Anaya Sharma.

Twelve years old.

The complete opposite of her elder sister.

If Aarohi was quiet...

Anaya was unstoppable.

If Aarohi thought before speaking...

Anaya spoke before thinking.

She leaned forward between the seats with a mischievous grin.

"Didi has already imagined fifty different ways her first day can go wrong."

Aarohi immediately looked back.

"Anaya!"

"What? I'm telling the truth."

Nandini laughed.

Rajeev shook his head with amusement.

"Our drama queen and our silent princess."

Anaya proudly pointed at herself.

"I'm obviously the princess."

Aarohi couldn't help but smile.

"No, you're the drama."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

The car filled with laughter.

For a few moments...

Aarohi forgot she was nervous.

Almost thirty minutes later...

The SUV slowed before a beautiful two-storey house painted in soft shades of white and cream.

A neat garden decorated the front yard.

Fresh marigold plants bordered the pathway leading to the entrance.

A wooden swing rested beneath a mango tree.

"It feels like home already," Nandini whispered.

Rajeev parked the car before smiling proudly.

"Well..."

He looked at his family.

"Welcome home."

Before anyone could even step out properly—

"I CALL THE BIGGER ROOM!"

Anaya shouted dramatically before jumping out of the car.

"Anaya!" Aarohi called after her, laughing despite herself.

"You already know which room is yours!"

"But maybe destiny has changed!"

Rajeev laughed.

"Your destiny is still the smaller room."

"No fair!"

Boxes.

Suitcases.

Furniture.

The next hour passed in shifting luggage from the car into the house.

Aarohi carefully carried a carton filled with books to what would soon become her room.

Unlike Anaya, she wasn't excited about decorating.

Her mind remained occupied with only one thought.

Tomorrow...

A new school.

She had always been shy.

Making friends wasn't easy.

Speaking first wasn't easy.

Starting over...

was the hardest.

She placed her books neatly on the study table and quietly looked around the empty room.

Everything was new.

The walls.

The curtains.

The furniture.

Even the view outside the large balcony doors.

She walked towards them and pulled the curtains aside.

A cool breeze immediately entered the room.

For the first time...

she looked outside.

Directly opposite her house stood a mansion that looked completely different from every other home in the neighbourhood.

It wasn't just large.

It was magnificent.

Three floors.

Elegant glass balconies.

White marble exterior.

Beautiful gardens stretching across the front lawn.

Luxury cars parked neatly inside the driveway.

The entire place looked more like a modern palace than a home.

Aarohi blinked.

"Wow..."

She had never seen such a beautiful house from this close before.

Even from her balcony, she could tell how grand it was.

The sunlight reflected off its glass windows, making it sparkle.

She wondered who lived there.

A businessman?

A celebrity?

Or perhaps an entire joint family?

Before she could think further—

"Aarohi!"

Her mother's voice echoed from downstairs.

"We're ordering lunch! Come down."

"I'm coming, Maa."

She took one last glance at the grand mansion opposite hers before stepping back inside.

She had no idea...

that behind those elegant walls lived someone who would soon turn her peaceful life upside down.

Someone who would make her laugh...

cry...

grow...

and eventually become the most important chapter of her life.

But for now...

It was simply the luxurious house next door.

And for Aarohi Sharma...

This was only the beginning.

End of Chapter 1 🌸