Reyansh's POV
We reached the mansion and entered the living room, where Sanvi was watching something. "Hey, you guys are back. What took you so long, Bhaiya?" Before I could respond, Aadarsh jumped in with his remarks.
"Your Bhabhi, Sanvi."
"Whatttt? What are you saying, Aadarsh Bhai?"
"He's telling the truth, Princess," I told her with a huge grin on my face.
"Wow, Bhaiya! Who is she, and how did you find her?"
"I'll tell you everything. You don't want to join Aadi?" I lightly smacked Aadarsh's head.
"Why not? Why not? I'm keenly interested to hear my best friend's tale of love that happened in an instant."
"Oh, please, don't throw your lame jokes at me. Love doesn't depend on time or place; it just happens when it's meant to. When it happens to you, then we'll see what you say."
"No, it won't happen to me. Tu hi kr pyar, me aise i theek hu. Mere paas or boht zroori kaam h krne ko"
(You do love, I'm fine like this. I have much more important things to do)
"Hnn, hnn jaise k meetings"
(yeah yeah, for example meetings)
"Okay, okay, guys, you can continue this later. Let's hear the story first," Sanvi interrupted both of us.
The three of us sat on the couch, and I told them about the little interaction I had with Munji Ghull.
"So, you have her Snapchat ID, but you're not on Snapchat, Bhai."
"I'll download it right now, Princess."
"And what's next? What will you say? 'Hi, my name is Reyansh. I met you yesterday. I love you, let's get married and have kids'?" Aadarsh mocked me.
I glared at him. "Definitely not, Mr. Jindal. If you give one more stupid reply, I'll change the design of your face right away."
"Fine, if you don't need my suggestion, I should leave."
"Areee, Aadi Bhai, don't go."
"He's just kidding, Princess; he won't go anywhere." We both shared a smile.
"You want to see her?" I asked her.
"Of course, Bhai, show me. No, actually, wait, let me show everyone." I tapped on my phone.
"What do you mean by 'everyone'?" Aadarsh asked me, confusion prominent on his face.
Before I could reply, Sanvi jumped from the couch with a notification she received. "No way, Bhaiii! You sent the picture to the family group?"
"Unbelievable, man, show me, Sanvi." Aadarsh took the phone from Sanvi's hand.
"'Meet my future wife,'" he read the text I sent with the photo of her and me. "You've lost your mind, man, didn't you. You didn't even ask her anything yet and sent her photo to the family group. This isn't right."
"Everything is right, Aadarsh. Mom was asking me just yesterday when I'll get married, and if there's someone I like. So, I sent this so they know there is someone."
"Still, at least get to know her first before taking any other steps. Don't run with the speed of Rajdhani Express."
"I understand. Don't worry, I won't do anything against her will."
"I'll check on dinner, Bhaiya. You carry on," Sanvi said, heading to the kitchen.
"I know this, you dumbass. I know you'll never do anything against her will. You're just an excited idiot. But Rey, on a serious note, calm down. I hope everything goes in your favor, but what if it doesn't? I don't want you to get hurt."
"Don't worry, Aadi, everything will be good. Let's have dinner."
"I won't be able to stay for dinner. I just received a text from Dad. He needs to discuss something. I gotta go."
"Who discusses office matters at this time? I must say, your dad has some next-level dedication to his work."
"Yeah, that's the only thing he's good at. Anyway, I should go. I'll see you soon."
"See ya. Goodnight." After Aadarsh left, Sanvi and I settled down for dinner when my phone buzzed, flashing "Mom."
"Answer it, answer it! I want to see her reaction," Sanvi urged with a mischievous grin. As soon as I picked up, Grandma's voice boomed through the speaker.
"What is this, Reyansh? Who is she? Where did you find her? Is she around now?"
"Shaant, Daado, shaant."
(Calm down, Grandma, calm down)
"What do you mean calm down? Do you even know what kind of shock you've given us?"
"I know you love to tease us, Reyansh. I just mentioned marriage and you brought a girl this fast? You were joking, right?" Mom chimed in, peering over Grandma's shoulder.
"Daado, Maa, it's not what you're thinking. She's not with me. I just wanted to introduce her to all of you. I haven't proposed yet."
They both sighed, looked at each other, and said together, "You are mad."
"You haven't even asked the girl yet and you shared her photo with us. This impatience isn't good for you. What will she think if she finds out?" Mom said, shaking her head and Daado interrupted, "Anyways, what is her name?"
"Aathiya," I said, raking my fingers through my hair.
"Matashree, Bhaiya is getting all blushy-blushy just by saying her name. I wonder what will happen when she's in front of him," Sanvi teased, and the three of them burst into laughter.
I rubbed the back of my neck "I'm getting sleepy; we'll talk tomorrow. Love you, Maa. Love you, Daado."
"Listen, Rey..."
"Bye, bye, bye," I quickly ended the call and headed to my room. I didn't try to talk to her tonight; it was already late. Scenes from the garba pandal replayed in my mind until sleep finally took over.
Aadarsh's POV
After parking my car in the garage, I went inside to see Dad.
"Aashu, when did you come, beta?" Mom asked, coming from upstairs.
"Just now, Maa."
"Should I serve dinner?"
"You go ahead, I'll come after talking to Dad."
"He said he'll join us for dinner."
"Oh, okay. Then, let me help you arrange dinner," I said, heading toward Mom. We started setting the table together.
"How was your day? Did you enjoy the event?"
"It was fine, Maa. You know I don't really prefer going to such crowded places."
"I know, beta, but it was a very important event for your dad. It will boost the promotion of his new hotel."
"You really love him, don't you? You always keep his needs and him as a priority."
"Everyone should keep their partners as the first priority, beta," Mom said, smiling at me.
I wish somebody had taught this to him as well, I thought. We sat at the dining table, and Dad came in all his glory, sitting opposite me.
"How was the event?" he asked in his business tone.
"It was good," I replied plainly.
"I wanted to talk to you about the new branch we opened. The manager over there resigned suddenly, and we need a new manager urgently."
"How can he resign all of a sudden? What was the issue?" Mom asked.
"He had to go to India."
"What does this have to do with me? Talk to Chachu to arrange a new manager. By the way, where are Chachu, Chachi, and those two idiots, I asked maa?"
(A/N: Aadarsh lives in a joint family with his father's younger brother, his wife, and their two sons, Jaiveer and Kabir.)
"They have gone to attend the wedding of Mr. Mittal's daughter," Mom replied. I nodded, listening to her.
"Dhanraj himself told me to appoint you there."
"Why me? If you remember, I'm not the property manager. I'm the vice president. I'll schedule some interviews and get you a new manager soon."
"It will take time. It's a new establishment. I don't want any inexperienced person handling my brand-new location."
"Don't worry. We have many lined-up resumes. It won't take me more than a day to find a suitable manager."
"I don't want anybody else. I want you to cover the location for some time. I don't need any negative publicity in the initial days."
"But......"
"Aashu, what's the big deal, beta? You have experience, so you can handle it for some time. I don't see an issue here."
"Yeah, Divya, put some sense into your son," Dad said. I glared at him and was about to reply when Mom held my hand and requested me with her eyes not to stretch it further.
"Fine, I'll handle it for whatever time you want, but as vice president, I have to continue my other duties as well. What about that?"
"Kabir will be there to assist you. It will also be a good chance for him to learn."
"Fine."
"I think everything is settled now, Rushabh. Let's have dinner."
"I already had my dinner, Divya. You two enjoy. I am going to sleep." He stood up, and Mom was about to follow him when I called her.
"I'm very hungry, Mom. Come, let's have dinner. I also have to wake up early in the morning." Listening to me, she sat back at the dining table, and we had our dinner in his absence once again. Tomorrow will be a hectic day.
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Hope you liked the chapter Janemans. Please share your feedback and let me know how you are feeling about the story.
Happy reading! 😊
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