PREMYATRA (under editing)

Chapter 17 : THE FIERCE LIONESS

📍SHARMA NIWAS
DAY - 5 : morning 11 AM

{AUTHOR POV}

Ishika had just come back to Rishikesh from Dehradun. She parked her open jeep in the garage.

And the her bodyguards made sure she was safe & left, but she stayed in the garage, lost in her thoughts.

She was looking at an om locket that her sweetheart gave her in the morning after doing the puja rituals.

The locket used to belong to Adi, as he was a mahadev devotee, and Nandini Rawat, kept it safe after Adi passed away.

Now, Ishika had it, and wearing it made her feel really positive.

Suddenly, she noticed there was a car parked in the garage that she didn't recognize.

She got curious and wondered who it belonged to. So she decided to go inside her house.

Ishika had been feeling a strange sensation since morning, as if something was not quite right.

Standing at the main door of her home, she could hear loud laughter emanating from the living room.

The sound of her parents continuous giggles surprised her, as they were usually at the hospital at this time.

She knew it couldn't be her mamu's family or other relatives. It must be some special guests, she thought.

Despite her ambivert nature, Ishika mustered up the courage to go inside and see who it was.

She was usually an extrovert around her loved ones, but in front of new people and strangers, she became more introverted.

As Ishika made her way into the living room, she caught sight of her parents, Aarav, and Arjun, along with two unfamiliar figures.

Positioned behind the sofa, facing back to her, she couldn't make out their faces.

Suddenly, Aarav's eyes locked onto Ishika, and without a moment's hesitation, he rushed towards her, enveloping her in a warm, brotherly hug.

It was as if he had missed her immensely, even though she had only been gone for a mere 24 hours.

All eyes turned to Aarav, Nandish, Sneha, Arjun, Vikram, and Varun, everyone's expressions brimming with pure adoration as they witnessed the undeniable bond between the brother & sister.

As Aarav embraced Ishika, she was taken aback by the suddenness of the hug, even though it wasn't the first time they had shared such a warm moment.

After a few moments of processing, Ishika's gaze landed on the two figures who had been looking at her all along.

And there they were, her Vikram fufa, aka her Vikky fufs, and the other person she guessed must be none other than her Varun veerji.

A rush of emotions flooded Ishika's eyes, a mixture of happiness and surprise as she realized she was seeing them after a long 12 years.

As the loud sound of crackers and drums echoed outside their house, it startled Ishika, causing her to break the embrace with Aarav.