Arranged In Love!

Ishwari Meets Sonakshi

After getting changed into her favorite attire - kurta and salwar - and bidding goodbye to her parents, Sona left for Anjali's place.

Sona had always shared a close bond with Anjali and Raj. She had never let her or Raj feel the void of their kids, who had settled abroad with their respective spouses. She shared a great bond with Raj too, whom she turned to for guidance regarding her career. Ever since the Malhotras had known Sonakshi, they had considered and treated her, as their daughter.

Meanwhile, Ishwari had already reached the Malhotra mansion, and the two sisters had settled themselves on the couch, catching up on what they had missed. Ishwari received an urgent call and excused herself to attend it.
In the meantime, Sona reached the Mansion and noticed Anjali seated on the couch, her back facing Sona. Sona stealthily walked towards her, making sure not to make any noise, and enclosed her eyes from behind and said, "Pehchaan kaun?!" Anjali was startled for about a second, but immediately recognizing the touch and the voice of her beloved daughter, she exclaimed, "Sona!", and pulled her beside herself and then engaged her in a bear hug. They broke the hug after a few good seconds. "How are you, Baccha? It has been so long since you visited us. Your Raj uncle and I have been missing you so much. Par tu hai kai jaise humein bhool hi gayi hai,", Anjali complained like a small kid, making a bad face, which made Sona giggle. Then taking Anjali in a side hug, she said, "Sorry Maasi. Woh I had been a bit busy. Maine intentionally nahi kiya. Sorry.", holding her ears and pouting ever-so-cutely. And that was it to melt down Anjali's fake anger. Then removing Sona's hand from her ears and bussing her forehead, Anjali said, "It is okay, Baccha! You need not apologize. Asha had told me that you were busy. Main naaraz nahi hoon tujhse; aur na hi kabhi reh sakti hoon,", making Sona chuckle at her.

Their little mo was broken by Ishwari's fake cough.
Ishwari, who had returned after attending her call, was surprised, more precisely amused, at the scene in front of her. It was not every day that she got to witness her elder sister crib like a small baby, to a much younger lady. She decided to keep mum, until the exchange of the two - Anjali and Sona - was over, and when it became apparent that they were done with their private moment, she faked a cough to get them out of their reverie.

Ishwari settled herself on the Sofa chair, opposite where Anjali and Sona were seated, passing a small smile to Sona, a gesture which Sona returned. Breaking the silence, Anjali introduced Sona and Ishwari to each other saying, "Ishu, this is Sona, Sonakshi Bose. You must have heard of my friend Asha Bose, right? Sona's her daughter." And then facing Sona said, "And this is Ishwari Dixit. My younger sister and Dev's Mom. You have met Dev, right?", to which Sona nodded and got up from the sofa and went to Ishwari and bending down to touch her feet, said, "Namaste, Aunty!". Ishwari who was impressed by this gesture of Sona; as in today's world, youngsters consider touching the feet of their elders to be uncool and down-market; patted her head and said, "God bless you, Beta!", which earned her a genuine smile from Sona. After their small introductory session, Anjali was about to call Ramesh Kaka - an elderly and the most trusted servant of the Mansion - to serve them hot beverages and light snacks to go along with it, as it was still a long time to go, for lunch. She was interrupted by Sona. "Maasi main banati hoon na! Please?", suggested Sona, with a cute, pleading face; something she was sure Anjali would not say no to. And that is what exactly happened. "Fine! You always win with this face. This is not fair.", Anjali grumbled, to which Ishwari giggled, along with Sonakshi, who pulled Anjali's cheeks and said, "Hehe Maasi, you are so cute! Achha now tell me what would you like to have, tea or coffee?"; and turning towards Ishwari, asked, "Aur Aunty aap kya loge?" Sona then made her way to the kitchen, to prepare some coffee and bread-butter, as suggested by the sister duo.

"You adore her a lot, don't you?", Ishwari asked Anjali in a matter-of-fact tone. Anjali smilingly nodded at her sister's question and said, "Yes, Ishu, I do! She is such a gem. You know, she's never let us feel the void of our kids. She gets along so well with everyone that it's kind of surprising. She has met Vihaan, Nia, Shriya, and Harsh only a couple of times and is best friends with them already. They all adore her so much that whenever they call, she is the first person they inquire about, after us. And oh, you should see her and Raj! My ever-so-jolly husband gets emotional if something happens to Sona. Can you believe that? Raj gets emotional, Haha..", laughing at her last sentence. Ishwari was all smiles listening to her elder sister praise someone so genuinely. 'She must be something, that Di is so very fond of her.', thought Ishwari.

Sona came back with the coffee and bread-butter. Ishwari, who wanted to get to know more about her, after listening to her praises from Anjali, asked her about herself and some other questions here and there, which would give her an insight into Sona's personality. Sona, on the other hand, answered all of Ishwari's questions without any hesitation, confidently, not faltering even once; which left Ishwari all the more impressed with Sona. Time passed, and the three females were having one heck of a time. Ishwari, who wasn't one to be impressed by someone in a short period; not that she was a tough nut, she just believed that their first impression should not be the last one; had wholly come to adore Sonakshi with all the love and affection she had. Sona too had grown fond of Ishwari. It was around six in the evening when the ladies heard a car being pulled into the driveway, indicating Raj's arrival. After winking at Anjali and Ishwari, Sona rushed into the kitchen to put a special tea for Raj; the way he liked it when prepared by Sona; along with coffee for the two sisters and herself.

"Arrey Saali-saahiba what a pleasant surprise!", said Raj on spotting Ishwari seated beside Anjali. Ishwari just smiled at her brother-in-law. Raj went upstairs to their (his and Anjali's) room, and after a quick freshen-up-and-change session, he was descending the stairs to join the sisters, when he got a whiff of the special tea that Sona would prepare for him. He knit his brows in confusion and called out to Anjali and asked, "Arrey Anjali, yeh chai ki smell aisi kyun aa rahi hai jaise Sona banati hain?" "Kyunki yeh chai Sona ne hi banai hai!", instead of Anjali, the reply came from Sona, who had returned from the kitchen and placed the tray on the coffee table.

Raj stood rooted at his place after unexpectedly finding Sona there. Slowly, a smile made its way onto his face, replacing the dumbfound expression. He opened his arms in a forward direction, a gesture for Sona to run into them, which is what she exactly did. Making sure that the tray was properly and safely placed on the coffee table, Sona ran and flung straight away into the arms of her beloved Raj Uncle, who was by now on the lowermost step of the grand stairwell. "Raj Uncle!", was all that she could say. After a few good seconds, they broke the hug, and Sona noticed Raj's moist eyes and asked, "What happened Uncle? Why are you crying? Are you not happy to see me?", and pouted sadly. "Arre no, Princess, I am delighted to see you. I missed you a lot!", replied Raj, dabbing on his unshed tears. "I missed you too, Uncle! Ab chaliye, maine aapke liye Sona-special chai banai hai! Jaldi chaliye varna thandi ho jayegi.", said Sona, dragging Raj to the table where Anjali and Ishwari were seated, admiring their bond. With every passing second, Ishwari was growing more and more fond of Sona.

Something had clicked in her mind, and she had decided to talk to Anjali about it once Sona had left. The evening passed by with Raj and Sona catching up. The clock struck seven, which meant Sona had to leave. Raj and Anjali made her promise to them, that she would visit sooner next time, to which she happily complied. She took Ishwari's blessings too. "It was nice meeting you, Aunty. I hope to see you soon.", Sona said to Ishwari. Ishwari blessed her and replied lovingly, patting her cheeks, "It was lovely meeting you too, and I hope to see you soon as well." After bidding a final farewell to all, Sona left for her home.

Anjali, Raj, and Ishwari were waiting for Anant, Dev, and Soumya to join them for dinner at the Malhotra Mansion as decided by Anjali. Anjali noticed Ishwari's restlessness in speaking to her. "Kya hua Ishu? Kuch baat karni hai kya? Kabse dekhe jaa rahi hoon, that you are restless. Kya hua?", Anjali asked Ishwari. Eyeing both, Raj and Anjali, she said, "Di, Jiju...I need to talk to you about something, very very important!" The two nodded, and Ishwari continued after inhaling a deep breath, "I wanted to propose for Sonakshi's hand for Dev...in marriage!" Their faces looked as if they had seen some alien. She cleared her throat to gain their attention, and taking Anjali's hand in hers explained, "I know that you must be thinking, 'How come Ishwari is being impulsive?' Trust me...I am not As for all the decisions, I have thought through this one too! I know, I have known her just for a couple of hours, but there is something about her that prodded me to take this decision. I think she will be perfect for Dev." Raj and Anjali's lips tucked upwards in a smile and Anjali said, "We were confused initially but not anymore. I think what you said is correct...she would complement Dev very well. We are, in this with you!" "Thanks, Di. I would need your help. Will you please talk to her parents on my behalf? Only if they approve, would we then take this alliance further.", Ishwari said, and Anjali blinked her eyes and nodded her head in affirmation.

Their talks about DevAkshi's impending marriage alliance came to an end when the rest of the Dixit clan joined them for a sumptuous family dinner, shortly after. After having a gala time at the Malhotra's, the Dixits left for their abode. Whereas, Raj and Anjali too, moved to their room.