Used To Youᴿᵉ⁻ʷʳᶦᵗᶦⁿᵍ

00: Heart's Tug

"Nayi nahi hain ye baatein wahi
Phir is mod par hum mile hain
Na jaane ab milenge hum kabhi
To ruk jaao ek pal yahan pe"

As the sun rose over the bustling city, Sanyukta found herself lost in a sea of thoughts. The weight of the impending arranged set-up along with this transfer tugged at her heart, filling her mind with uncertainty. Little did she know that fate had something unexpected in store for her that day.

"Good morning!" Sanyukta greeted with a smile as she settled at the dining table across from her father, Kishore, who was engrossed in his newspaper.

"Morning, princess," Kishore responded, setting the newspaper aside upon hearing Sanyukta's voice.

Sanaya, her 16-year-old sister, joined them, expressing her envy about Sanyukta's day off on Saturdays while she had to attend school and even have tuition on Sundays. Sanaya scrunched her nose, waiting for breakfast.

"Don't be jealous, kiddo," Sanyukta chuckled, lightening the mood.

Kishore then announced that they would go out for dinner, which brought smiles to both Sanaya and Sanyukta's faces.

"Oh, please, let's go to Safronn Foods," Sanaya hummed, shouldering her school bag.

"Sure, Mumma," Sanyukta gladly got up to fill the empty dining table with freshly made raita and paneer Parantha.

"Anju will make us fat," Kishore playfully commented as he observed the scrumptious spread.

Sanyukta chuckled, responding, "Papa, this is healthy, don't worry." He nodded

Kishore asked, "So, what have you thought about the transfer?"

Sanyukta pondered for a moment before replying, "Umm... I don't know. My boss mentioned that I might not get transferred next year since they are closing transfers."

"But you have to go at least next year, right? You and Randhir will be getting married, and you both will be living together in Mumbai," Kishore expressed his thoughts.

"Yeah, I know, but..." Sanyukta trailed off, unsure of her own feelings.

Anju chimed in, offering her perspective, "Sanyukta, this is a good opportunity for you."

"Mumma, living in the same city as him but being almost a thousand kilometers away from you... I can't wrap my head around it," Sanyukta sighed, expressing her concerns.

"Baccha, we are just as concerned as you are, but sometimes we have to go with the flow," Anju reassured her, plating breakfast for everyone before sitting beside her husband.

Kishore added, supporting his wife's words, "I and Harsh have been friends for the past 30 years, and I can assure you that Randhir is a great choice for you. Shifting to Mumbai won't harm."

"Take your time and think about it," he advised, understanding the weight of the decision.

"By the way, Harsh called for a dinner. Randhir is in Jaipur, so we can have a family dinner like the good old days," Kishore added, making Sanyukta's heart skip a beat.

"Oh, that's great! Sanyukta and Randhir haven't met since the engagement, anyway," Anju replied.

Sanyukta stayed silent. Met? They've barely talked since then, maybe only three or four times. Sometimes she wondered if Randhir was even interested in all of this.

Kishore Agarwal and Harshvardhan Shekhawat have been colleagues and best friends for the past 30 years, even before Randhir and Sanyukta were born. Their families have also become close friends. Although Sanyukta and Sanaya were friends with Harsh's younger son Kartik, Randhir and Sanyukta hardly spoke.