47. Happily Alone

A very long chapter...😁

✧༺♥༻∞

Amrita said softly, "So I’m all alone here, huh?"

Her lips curled into a playful smile as the realization sank in. The entire house—this grand, luxurious penthouse—was hers for the morning. Just her and the space to do whatever she wanted.

Peeking out of the bedroom door, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called out loudly, "Anyone in the house?"

The sound echoed slightly in the spacious halls, but there was no response. Silence greeted her.

Her smile widened, her eyes gleaming with childlike excitement as she turned on her heel and happily jumped back into the bedroom, her bare feet bouncing lightly against the plush carpet.

She let out a small giggle, her carefree energy filling the room.

With a newfound excitement buzzing in her chest, Amrita headed straight for the closet.

She flung the double doors open and stared at the array of clothes hanging neatly inside.

Aaryansh had clearly been indecisive while shopping for her—there were dresses, casual wear, oversized hoodies, ethnic outfits, and even gym clothes.

"Does he think I’m going to model for a fashion show every day?" she mused with an amused chuckle as she ran her fingers over the neatly hung fabrics.

After rummaging through the collection, pulling out tops and tossing them back in, she finally found the perfect outfit.

Her smile widened as she held the clothes against her body, turning to the mirror to admire the choice.

Moments later, Amrita emerged from the walk-in closet wearing a sleeveless black crop top that hugged her toned frame perfectly, showcasing the faint outlines of what could almost be a six-pack and her beautiful waist.

Her light gray shorts revealed her bare thighs, her skin glowing in the morning light that poured through the bedroom windows.

She only wore sleeveless tops and shorts when she was completely alone, with no one around to see her.

They were her comfort clothes—a rare luxury she allowed herself only in solitude.

The feeling of the soft fabric against her skin, the freedom of her arms and legs unrestricted by layers of clothing, and the way the light fabric let her breathe—it was a small yet significant escape from her usual guarded self.

In these moments, away from prying eyes and judgment, she felt a sense of liberation.

Her usual reserved demeanor melted away, and she allowed herself to be just Amrita—not the stoic, composed woman everyone else saw.

But the moment someone else was around, she'd immediately slip back into her usual attire—long sleeves, high collars, and well-fitted trousers or flowing dresses that covered her entirely. It wasn’t about insecurity; it was about her shield.

These comfort clothes were her secret, her little rebellion against the weight she always carried on her shoulders.

Here, in the quiet of the empty house, surrounded by the faint hum of the air conditioner and the soft glow of the morning light filtering through the curtains, Amrita felt at ease.

She twirled in front of the mirror, her playful smile still firmly in place as she admired herself from different angles.

"Well, not bad, Amrita. Not bad at all," she murmured to herself with a wink.

Satisfied, she ran her fingers through her soft, slightly curled hair and gave herself one final nod before heading downstairs.

The house felt even quieter as she descended the grand staircase. The faint hum of the air conditioning and the distant chirping of birds outside were the only sounds accompanying her steps.

But none of it dulled the happy energy she carried.

Her feet padded against the cool marble floor as she walked into the living room and switched on the TV.

The sudden noise filled the space, but she didn’t stay for long.

"Food first, entertainment later," she decided and headed straight to the kitchen.

The kitchen was immaculate—clearly untouched since Aaryansh had left.

On the sleek marble counter, a plate sat neatly covered with a glass lid, and a small note was propped up beside it.

Amrita picked up the note and read it aloud, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Here is your breakfast, Buttercup ❤️ Enjoy it."

She lifted the glass lid and saw perfectly arranged golden waffles drizzled with maple syrup and topped with fresh berries.

Her stomach let out a soft growl in anticipation.

But as she reached for the plate, another note caught her eye. It was tucked under the glass lid.

"Drink water, Buttercup. Don’t forget.

Also, there’s a packet of chips in the cupboard if you want.

If you want more snacks, just message me, and I’ll send them.

Again, drink water, Buttercup. If not, I swear on myself."

Amrita snorted as she finished reading it. "Is he… blackmailing me?"

She shook her head with a chuckle but grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge anyway.

"Better not risk his ‘swearing on himself’," she mumbled playfully.

With her plate of waffles in one hand, a water bottle in the other, and the bag of chips she’d fished out from the cupboard tucked under her arm, Amrita made her way back to the living room.

She placed everything neatly on the coffee table before plopping herself onto the large, plush couch.

Pulling a soft blanket over her legs, she leaned back into the cushions and let out a content sigh.

The waffles smelled heavenly, and she wasted no time digging in. Bite after bite, the sweet syrup mixed with the tangy berries made her hum softly in delight.

As she chewed, she picked up the TV remote and started scrolling through channels.

Action movies, cooking shows, cartoons—nothing caught Amrita's attention.

Her thumb hovered over the remote, flipping endlessly through streaming apps, her brows furrowing in frustration.

"There has to be something interesting here," she muttered, slumping deeper into the couch.

But after another five minutes of searching and still finding nothing worthwhile, she groaned, tossing the remote aside.

"Ughhh, I can't find anything interesting!!" she whined, dragging out the last word like a frustrated child.

A thought suddenly struck her—Ishika. A smirk played on her lips as she grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts.

Meanwhile, miles away, Ishika was lounging comfortably in the chill room, practically glowing with excitement.

A brand-new flat-screen TV had been set up, and her favorite K-drama was playing in high definition.

Ishika's face was flushed pink, her cheeks practically hurting from smiling and blushing at the romantic scenes unfolding on the screen.

She clutched a pillow to her chest, squealing under her breath as the male lead leaned in for a kiss.

But just as the scene was about to hit its peak, her phone buzzed loudly on the armrest.

Ishika jolted, eyes wide with mild annoyance at the interruption. When she saw Amrita’s name on the screen, her irritation vanished instantly.

Without hesitation, she picked up the call and practically yelled into the phone, her words spilling out like an unstoppable torrent:

"Where the hell were you?!?! Where are you now?!? Why are you not speaking?!? Talk, Ritu!! Are you alright—"

"Mayya, Mayya, Mayya, Mayya! Stop, stop!" Amrita interrupted, half laughing. "Give me a chance to speak na!"

Ishika froze, blinking in surprise. Something about Amrita’s tone wasn’t the same. It wasn’t sharp, rude, cold, or stoic. Instead, it was… soft? Playful, even.

Her brows furrowed as she leaned back against the couch. "Where are you now?" Ishika asked, her voice laced with concern but curiosity.

Amrita smiled faintly, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers. "At Aaryansh's penthouse..." she said hesitantly.

"What!! Penthouse huh??" Ananya's voice suddenly came through the phone, loud and excited.

Amrita's brows shot up. "Wait. What are you doing with Isha Mayya's phone?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… we came running as soon as we heard 'Amrita' from Ishika's voice!!" Divya chimed in cheerfully in the background.

Amrita let out a small chuckle, shaking her head. "Anu, you alright?"

"Yesss! But I didn’t know the bedrooms of this palace were soundproof!" Ananya said dramatically.

"Soundproof??" Divya, Amrita, and Ishika exclaimed together, their voices overlapping.

"Yeah!! You guys didn’t know??" Ananya asked, genuinely surprised.

"No!!" They all replied in perfect unison, their shock evident.

"Oh well. Anyways, Amul baby!! Do a video call!!" Ananya demanded, her excitement bubbling through the phone.

"Okay, okay!" Amrita said with a sigh before hanging up. Within moments, the four were connected on a video call.

As soon as Ishika, Divya, and Ananya saw Amrita on the screen, their faces froze in pure shock.

Their eyes were wide, mouths slightly open, and no one said a word.

Amrita furrowed her brows, confused by their reactions. "What happened?" she asked cautiously, glancing at her reflection on the screen to check if something was wrong with her appearance.

Ishika was the first to recover, her lips parting as she pointed at Amrita through the screen.

"You… You don’t look rude at all!! You… you look soft!!!" she stuttered as if she couldn’t believe her own eyes.

Divya leaned closer to her phone, her eyes glued to Amrita’s hair. "Your hair… It’s let open!!!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief, as she never lets her hair fully open.

And then came Ananya, clutching her chest dramatically and leaning back as if she was about to faint.

"You are wearing sleeveless!!!!!" she practically yelled, before pretending to fall backward out of the camera's view.

Amrita blinked at them, her lips twitching as she tried not to laugh at their antics. "Are you three done?" she asked dryly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No!!" all three of them said in unison before bursting into laughter.

"Who are you, and what have you done with our rude, stoic, and cold Amrita?" Ishika asked, still laughing but trying to sound serious.

"Exactly! Our Amrita would never—and I mean never—sit in a sleeveless top, hair open, and smile so naturally!" Divya added, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Ananya popped back into view, her expression exaggerated. "Are you alone? Or did some fairy godmother do magic on you overnight?"

Amrita rolled her eyes, her lips curling into a small smirk. "Oh, shut up, all of you. I’m just… comfortable, okay? No one's here, and I can dress however I want."

"But… why does it feel like you’ve transformed into a Disney princess overnight?" Ananya teased again.

Amrita sighed, but her smile didn’t fade. "You three are impossible."

"But wait. Why are you alone? Where is Aaryan??" Divya asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Yeah, where is he?" Ishika added, leaning closer to her phone screen as if she could spot him somewhere in the background.

Ananya, who had been quietly sipping water from a bottle, paused mid-sip, her curious eyes locked on Amrita.

Amrita shrugged casually, shifting into a more comfortable position on the couch.

Her hair swayed over her shoulder as she did so, glinting softly under the light. "He had some work… he went out," she said, her voice nonchalant.

And then—chaos.

Ananya choked violently on her water, spraying it all over herself and nearly dropping the bottle.

"Eww, Anu!!" Divya exclaimed, jumping back from her phone as if Ananya had sprayed water directly on her. "What the hell happened??"

Ishika quickly patted Ananya's back as she coughed and sputtered, trying to regain her breath.

Ananya wiped her mouth, straightened herself, and leaned closer to the camera with wide eyes.

"What the fuck is that on your neck, Amul baby?!?!" Ananya practically screeched.

Ishika and Divya immediately crowded closer to their screens, squinting to see what Ananya was talking about.

Amrita froze, her brows furrowing as her hand instinctively went to her neck. "What? What are you talking about?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"Is that…wait a minute…" Divya squinted harder, her eyes going wide. "Is that a hickey??"

"Oh. My. God." Ishika’s jaw dropped as realization hit her.

"*She has a hickey!*" Divya declared loudly.

"She has a hickeyyy!!!" Ishika echoed, her face lighting up in pure glee.

"Omg omg omg!!!" Ananya clapped her hands together, bouncing slightly.

"O. M. G.!!!!!!!" Divya practically yelled into her microphone.

"Wowwww!!!!" Ishika added, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

The three of them erupted into squeals, clapping and gushing like teenage girls who had just discovered the biggest gossip of the century.

Amrita's cheeks flushed a faint pink as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Stop," she said firmly, her voice low.

But they didn’t stop. They kept chattering among themselves, throwing exaggerated reactions, laughing, and hyping each other up.

"Wait! Who has a hickey?" Daksh asked as he was passing by.

"Ritu has!!!" Divya exclaimed

"Whatt!!" Daksh came to them in his big steps

"Woww Amrita!!" Daksh said looking at her.

Amrita quickly covered her neck with her hands, "Bhaiya!! Not you too!!" She whined

"Can you believe it!!!" Divya said

And they all started squealing again

"I said stop!!" Amrita finally raised her voice, her sharp tone cutting through their chaos.

The three girls froze mid-celebration, looking at her with wide eyes and bright smiles, still brimming with amusement.  And Daksh escaped silently from there.

"What?" Ananya said, trying to hold back a giggle. "Are we wrong though?"

Amrita let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You three are unbelievable," she muttered under her breath.

"Oh, come on, Amu!" Ishika leaned closer to her phone. "It’s not every day we see you—Miss Stoic Queen—blushing and avoiding eye contact!"

"Exactly!" Divya chimed in. "Just admit it, Amu. Something did happen last night, didn’t it?"

"Nothing happened!" Amrita snapped, her cheeks now a deeper shade of pink. "It’s not what you think!"

Ananya raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening. "So there is something to think about, huh?"

Amrita groaned and threw her head back against the couch. "Yes! And it's you!" she snapped, exasperated.

"Me??" Ananya gasped in dramatic disbelief.

"Yes! You and your dumb suggestion on using a curler!" Amrita growled, her frustration mounting.

"Oh. So it’s the curler," Ananya said, an exaggerated look of disappointment crossing her face. "What a bummer."

Amrita rolled her eyes "Anyways, I called you because I needed a suggestion for something to watch from Isha mayya. So, mayya,"

Amrita said, shifting back into her usual calm demeanor. "You said you wanted to give me a drama suggestion. Go on."

Ananya and Divya froze, their mouths hanging open in shock. "Oh my god!" Ananya exclaimed, clutching her chest as if she had just received the shock of her life.

"I can’t believe this! Amrita is asking for a kdrama suggestion!!!"

Divya dramatically fainted back, almost falling off her chair. "What is the world coming to?!"

Ishika giggled at the over-the-top reaction, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You should watch King The Land—it’s really good!"

Amrita’s face blanked as she processed the recommendation. "Uh-huh. Thanks, mayya," she muttered before abruptly hanging up, her hand swiping across her phone screen with force.

She tossed the phone aside onto the couch, exhaling a long, frustrated breath.

She slouched back into the cushions, running her fingers through her hair. "I swear," she muttered to herself, "the things I get dragged into by them."

A soft chuckle escaped her lips despite herself. As much as her friends’ teasing annoyed her, there was no denying the warmth they brought to her life.

Even when she was caught off guard, they always managed to make her smile—no matter how much she tried to act like the stoic, unbothered Amrita.

✧༺♥༻∞

And there is still a continuation to this!!

Comment your views ♥️

Beneath The Devil’s Mask, She Hid A Heart That Longed To Be Free Like A Child...✨❣️