The Royal Mess

Trust

An hour before Lunch Ajabdeh Punwar walked down the stairs in a yellow kaftan Kurta looking simple and elegant while all eyes were on her hungry for some gossip. Will she throw him out? Will she be sad? They were disappointed as she smiled at Heer like nothing happened.

An Orange Porsche stopped at the porch which made the bride smile. She had expected him at her wedding, fearing that he would avoid it. Coming out in his brown aviators, he walked up the stairs and smiled as he hugged Hansa and Patta.

" Shakti!" Hansa smiled. "I am seeing you after so long, my my! You have grown so handsome!"

"I do keep in touch with Heeriye, Ajab Gazab and Fattu, Mausi you should join social media too!" He smiled.

"Why? So that she can see you flex your girlfriends and trips abroad?" Ajabdeh's taunt made him turn with a smile as she came to pull his ears.

"Jija to you! Not Ajab Gazab!" He held his ears before hugging her. 

"But you are Ajab Gazab. Okay. Sorry!" He smiled at her.

Hansa felt her home was home again. She remembered how the five children always kept her and Jaivanta occupied, Ajabdeh was the most sensible among them. They grew up so much that everything changed. Or so she thought. Today, seeing Shakti hug Ajabdeh made her feel everything was the same. Kunwar Shakti Singh was Pratap's younger brother and the youngest member of the Sisodiya house. Although he was known for his bratty ways he had a heart of gold. Heer and Shakti grew up together much like Pratap and Ajabdeh but their friendship was always about Heer's tips for him to impress his girlfriends. When Heer said she was planning an arranged marriage Shakti was happy and anxious. He had always been so protective of Heer and Ajabdeh that he wanted to meet the groom himself. But he feared his brother's reaction. Unlike him, Shakti had secretly kept in touch with everyone. He knew his brother was miserable even when he never talked of it, he knew Ajabdeh was equally miserable and he felt helpless at times.

Ajabdeh hugged him tight remembering how she used to give him and Heer chocolates buying them saving her pocket money and snatching Pratap's. Pratap always teased that one day when Shakti would get married the girl had to impress Ajabdeh to get her way to Shakti. Five years felt like a decade as she looked at an exact resemblance to Pratap in Shakti, only taller.

"Bhai?" Pratap's surprised tone from the steps made everyone stare as he appeared surprised at the scene. Shakti came out of Ajabdeh's embrace and looked shocked.

"You are here?" Shakti spoke like he didn't believe his eyes and stared back at Ajabdeh who was looking away.

"I... Ranima was coming... "Pratap looked awkward. " But you said you are going on a trekking trip" He frowned.

"And you had a business trip." He defended.

"I still do. Here." The gang tried hard not to laugh as Ajabdeh looked confused.

"Ohho! Who will meet me?" Heer saved Shakti from Pratap's cold stares as he hugged her with a smile "Heeriye."

Ajabdeh smiled at the siblings glad that their friendship was intact despite the storms she had put them through. If anything, over the years, she had been guilty of keeping them away from each other. Her eyes travelled to Pratap and met his stare. Smiles disappeared as they realised they had similar thoughts.

"Lunch time!" Patta sprang up! "We are having a hell of a time today. All the emotional reunions are making me hungry."

"Patta! You are always hungry!" Heer scolded as Ajabde shook her head and addressed Shakti "Keep your things and freshen up. It's been a long time since we chatted."