𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐞𝐬

Chapter 5: Tale of Heartbreak

"We'll work on that." Logan smirked and then casually extricated himself from her company and let her saunter towards her mother who was in a conversation with her dance teacher. He needed to have her soon.

"Meera! Oh, there you are!" Adira called out delightfully and wrapped an arm around Meera. "Your teacher was just saying how wonderful you were up there."

She couldn't hold back her mordacity and blurted in surprise, "really?"

Her teacher put on her fakest smile that could very much pass for a sneer rather and replied, "oh yes! Very dedicated girl. I knew she'd do well."

Meera restrained from rolling her eyes. Even her praises sounded synthetic but she couldn't hide the smugness in her features from having proved her biggest critic wrong.

"Thank you, Mrs Mathur," she replied and skillfully manoeuvred her mother and herself away to the rest of the group.

A little far away and her mother enveloped her into a warm hug and Meera sank in, releasing her tensed muscles. She placed a kiss on top of her head and said, "You were phenomenal. Your father would've loved it."

Meera mumbled a 'thank you' against her shoulder. She was elated to have made her mother proud. Her biggest cheerleader. At least she had her and her friends.

Looking up she found her brother staring at her from behind their mother, with a strange yet sweet mix of emotions flitting across his widened orbs; disbelief and awe.

"So?" Meera couldn't help but smirk lightly at his amazed expression. "Worth it?" It was not every day she got to dazzle her brother.

He didn't reply but the slight upwards tilt of his lips was an answer enough. He didn't hug her or even pat her back or show any form of appreciation like she had seen so many of her friends' brothers do but that was their norm for the last several years. She had forgotten the last time they had done something together as normal siblings did, and no matter how much she wanted to wrap her arms around her brother and melt in his protective embrace she couldn't. She wouldn't.

Sameer glanced at the sleeping beauty beside him with her head lolled upon his shoulder, snoring away. Her breath tickled the side of his neck while her heavy weight settled his arms.

He gently nudged Ahana to wake her up but she swatted his hand away and instead snuggled closer to his warmth. She was tired after days of sleepless nights, caught in the middle of her parent's battle.

Meera slowly stepped closer and put a finger on her lips to silence Sameer.

"Knock, knock." Meera rapped her knuckle lightly against Ahana's temple, grinning when her friend mumbled some very rude words and batted her hand away like it was an annoying fly.

Ahana groaned, "Leave me alone," nestling closer to Sameer who was controlling his laugh and away from her.

Meera crouched down onto an empty seat and spoke loudly near her ears, "Wakey, wakey, Ahana."

Ahana juped up, her eyes flying open at the sudden disturbance.

"I'm up. I am up. Goodness! Stop blasting at my eardrums." She glared unpleasantly at her friend while rubbing her ears.

"Oh thank god," Sameer moaned. "I can't feel my arms anymore."

He pushed Ahana with his shoulder who had just realised the position she was in, sprawled against Sameer with her face inches away from his, and scarmbled to create a proper distance between them.