Aaaaaand I'm back! Did y'all miss me?😉
Anyway, hope you love the Chapter as much as I loved writing it, without further ado, let's get into it!
Song of the Chapter: Voh Dekhnay Mein, London Paris New-York🗽
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"1 hour 57 minutes left!"
Lavanya excitedly exclaimed, making everyone looking at her with an amused grin.
"It's like she's a built in countdown. Excellent for New Year's Eve."
Ayan commented with a dry smile, making Mahira nudge his shoulders as the kids all chuckled.
They were all currently at the Malik residence to celebrate Nirvaan's birthday eve, while their parents would all join them for brunch the next morning.
Shiv, the ever busy young tycoon, would show up straight for the party the next evening.
"What did you get him?"
Ayaana asked Neil with a curious twinkle in her eyes, thinking she was being discreet as she whispered, only for him to shake his head amusedly.
"I'm not telling you, it's a surprise."
He said with a smile, as Ayaana pouted and turned to look at Nirvaan, who was busy playing Fifa with Sid and Abir.
"But it's HIS birthday, not mine. Mujhe toh bata sakte ho!"
She cribbed, pulling his shoulder down so he reached her height level, making him laugh.
"Please Ana, your face gives everything away. Tumhari shakal dekhke pata chal jaayega Nirvaan ko that you know, and then he'll pester you about it till you give in."
He replied with a grin, making Ayaana frown. Her face wasn't THAT expressive.
"He's right!"
Nirvaan yelled from his spot, making her gasp and widen her eyes, as Neil laughed at her surprised expression.
"Evesdropping on people's conversations is bad manners."
She said in a reprimanding tone as she joined the three boys on the couch, busy with their video game but also laughing at her predicament.
"It isn't eavesdropping when the conversation is about you, right ma?"
Nirvaan yelled, as Ayaana turned to look at Mahira, who gave her an apologetic smile as she nodded.
"Sorry Ana, but a rule's a rule. If I hadn't evesdropped on so many conversations between your mom, Raichand and my husband, I never would've known this emotionally-challenged robot likes me."
Mahira explained with a casual shrug, as Rhea chuckled at the expression Ayan had on his face.
"Hey! That's not true! I'm sure Malik would've told you very soon, he just needed time. Right?"
Ayaana defended her namesake, turning to him with a wide smile, as he gave her one in return.
Ayan only had those huge smiles reserved for Myra and Ayaana, it seemed.
"Dad said that you guys would never have gone for a date if he weren't there. And Sr. Raichand and Sammy too. I'm taking their word for it."
Abir mused with a smirk, as Neil chuckled and shook his head, while Lavanya giggled at Mahira's agreeing nod.
"Well tell your dad if I hadn't been his stupid background singer, he would've still be pining over your mom and you would not have existed."
Ayan answered back with his trademark smirk, as Ayaana chuckled at the frown on Abir's face as he realized he'd lost the argument.
Abir, Sid, Neil and Nirvaan were quick on their feet no doubt, but Ayan Malik was still Ayan Malik.
And he never hesitated from reminding them otherwise.
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"You seriously baked him a cake?"
Rhea whispered to Ayaana with a cheeky smile, making sure nobody heard them.
"Yeah, now I'm thinking it might not have been a great idea. I mean....a birthday cake isn't exactly that original."
She replied with a shrug, making Rhea shake her head with a chuckle.
"Only you would say something like that."
She commented, making Ayaana look at her with confusion.
"Stop second-guessing yourself, Ana. You have good instincts, and you know yourself, and him. He'll love the fact that you took the time and effort to make something for him. I mean I'm giving him a damn giftcard because I cannot be bothered to spend hours thinking of a good gift."
Rhea explained with a smirk, making Ayaana laugh as well.
"I'm giving him a leather jacket, he BETTER like it."
Lavanya joined the two, as Rhea grinned at her.
"It's weird how we know each other since we were literally babies, but we still have to think of this stuff."
She mused, making Ana and Lav nod as well.
"You think we'll ever reach that stage of just KNOWING exactly what the other wants? Like our parents?"
Ana asked, as the other two squinted in thought.
"Why not? Ho sakta hai hum unse bhi zyaada close ho, we had a headstart, after all."
Lav replied with a wink, as the two girls laughed and nodded.
"And what are my three favorite girls talking about?"
Sid announced his arrival, making the three look at him in amusement.
"Bitching about you, aaja, sunle."
Rhea muttered sarcastically, making him narrow his eyes at her, before shaking his head in defeat when she glared back instead.
"OH MY GOD! 6 minutes to go! We need to get ready!"
Lavanya yelled, making everyone cringe as they covered their ears, watching her run to Nirvaan's room excitedly.
"Pata nahi kahan se itni energy aati hai. Woh bhi Alya Maasi ka vegan diet food khaake."
Sid muttered incoherently, making the two girls beside him laugh, before dragging him out with them.
"Okay everyone, house rules. I don't care if you wreck Nirvaan's face with cake-"
Mahira began to announce, as Nirvaan glared at her for throwing him under the bus.
"-but if I see even a dollop of frosting reach my creme couches and vintage curtains, you're dead."
She continued, making everyone chuckle as Ayan shook his head in amusement.
"Wow mom, you've got your priorities set right!"
Nirvaan muttered sarcastically, to which Mahira responded with ruffling his hair and messing it up, as he cringed and fixed it again with an annoyed expression.
As per Ayaana's request, Mahira had brought a different cake for him right now, since she wanted hers to be just for him to eat.
"Okay now, only 1 minute, light up the candles, guys."
Neil said, as Abir and Rhea began poking holes in the beautiful cake and placing candles on it, with Lavanya complaining about how it was getting ruined.
As Nirvaan closed his eyes to make a wish, everyone crowded around him, and just as he took a breath to blow out the candles,
"Ek second! Are we singing 'Happy Birthday' or not?"
Lav asked suddenly, making him open his eyes in irritation.
"Um obviously? Why is that a question?"
Rhea replied and Nirvaan rolled his eyes, preparing to blow the candles again.
"WAIT! What version are we singing?"
Sid asked this time, making him grit his teeth as Ayan looked up at the ceiling in pure frustration.
"Abbey Coke Studio thodi hai, jo acoustic alag hoga aur solo alag. Ek hi Happy Birthday toh hota hai."
Abir replied matter of factly, as Ayaana and Neil facepalmed, looking at Nirvaan who was just about to burst.
"But-"
"Goddamnit can you let the kid blow out his bloody candles?!?"
Ayan yelled, making everyone quiet down, as Nirvaan grinned at him gratefully, before finally completing his wish and blowing them, Mahira putting her hand in front of one of them, so it stays lit.
The gang sang 'Happy Birthday' as off-key as they could, making Nirvaan laugh as Ayan and Mahira were the first ones to feed him cake and hug him, followed by Sid and Abir going crazy with applying the frosting to his face.
"Jesus, let him breathe man."
Neil commented as he finally got the two to stop, giving him napkins before hugging him tightly, as he gave him a grateful smile.
The girls were next, Rhea choosing to feed him one of the KitKat sticks topping the cake, while Lav offered him the choose to not eat more, given how many calories it had, much to his amusement.
"Your turn."
Nirvaan gave Ayaana a boyish grin as he held out a piece for her to eat, making her chuckle as she made him eat it instead, before eating it herself.
"Where's my gift? And the real one, this time you can't hide behind the door to see my reaction."
He asked with a mischievous smile, making her widen her eyes in surprise.
"You knew I was there?"
She asked him, to which he responded with an eyebrow raise and a smirk, as if it were obvious.
"Okay, I'll give it in sometime."
She said with a cheeky grin, making him frown.
"But mera birthday shuru hogaya! You can't say no to me, Ayaana Murthy Malhotra."
He complained like a child, making her chuckle.
"Too bad, I think I just did."
She said with a sweet smile, before walking over to the couches where everyone had settled, waiting for Nirvaan to open up his gifts.
Nirvaan chuckled as he shook his head, she'd never let him get the best of her.
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It was 4 in the morning, and the sky was still dark, gleaming with stars.
Nirvaan was sitting on his terrace alone, looking at the scrapbook his mom and Myra had made for his birthday with a grin.
"Couldn't sleep?"
A soft voice startled him, as he turned around to see Ayaana climb up the fire escape to join him.
"You know I can never sleep on my birthday. I'm too excited."
He replied matter-of-factly with a huge smile, making her chuckle and smile as well.
He then looked at her with a questioning gaze, as if asking her the same thing.
"And you know I wake up at 4, no matter when I sleep."
She replied with a shrug, making him shake his head in amusement. Murthy genes were just built different.
"Woah, is that me?"
She suddenly asked with an excited smile, pointing to the scrapbook, a photo of her, Rhea and Nirvaan as new-born babies, them being closest in age to each other.
"Yup. Mom and Myra made it, birthday gift."
Nirvaan replied with a soft smile, pressing his fingertips to one of the photos of him with his little sister.
"You're missing her, aren't you?"
Ayaana asked with a twinkle in her eyes, to which he responded with an obvious shake of the head.
He loved that kid, even if she annoyed the shit out of him at times.
"So, since we're both up, and I'd promised I wouldn't hide behind the door this time, here you go."
She said with a nervous giggle, making Nirvaan's eyes light up as she forwarded a big box to him, tied with a silver ribbon.
Quickly dismantling the entire box, he opened it to find a delicious smelling cake, which said "Happy 18th Vaan".
"A cake!"
Nirvaan exclaimed, with a boyish grin that somehow didn't meet his eyes, Ayaana noted with a mischievous twinkle.
"Yes, Dark Chocolate Truffle, with walnuts. Your favorite."
She said with a smile, trying to control her laughter at Nirvaan's confused expression.
A store-bought cake wasn't exactly what he'd expected, after all.
"Thank you, Annie. It smells great."
Nirvaan said with a huge smile nevertheless, he couldn't let Ayaana think she'd disappointed him.
"I hope it tastes as well as it smells. This is my first ever try, you know. Don't blame me if it's disgusting."
Ayaana spoke with a teasing grin, making Nirvaan furrow his eyebrows at first, wondering what she meant, before his eyes widened.
"Hang on, you MADE this? You actually BAKED me a whole cake?"
He asked loudly, making her shush him violently, lest anyone wake up, before nodding with a chuckle.
"Jesus Christ, Annie. Couldn't have started with that? You're impossible, you know?"
He commented as he laughed, hugging her as tight as he could, unaware of how red and wide-eyed she'd become in his grip.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're the best."
He concluded, before finally letting her go to see her give him a flustered smile, but a big one nonetheless.
"Compliment me after you've tasted it. Try na, fast."
She said hurriedly, when she'd come back to her senses.
Quickly fiddling with her pockets, she brought out a shiny candle and a matchstick, placing it into the cake and lighting it up.
Nirvaan's focus was on how the light reflected in her eyes, before shaking his head and bending down to blow the candle, as she clapped enthusiastically.
Cutting himself a piece as delicately as possible, he ate a bite, looking up to see Ayaana look at him with excited, puppy dog eyes.
"If you promise not to tell mom, I might just say this is the best cake I've ever eaten."
He said with a smirk, which turned into an amused chuckle when Ayaana let out an excited squeal, pleased to have succeeded in baking her first cake.
"Okay now let me also taste."
Ayaana said with a smile, going for the spoon in Nirvaan's hands, which he held back from her, much to her confusion.
"You only said this is my gift. I'm not sharing."
He said matter of factly, making her gasp as she tried reaching out for his hand again, only for him to hold it up farther.
Ayan and Mahira smiled as they saw the two fight for the spoon, both laughing at the same time.
"Kid's grown up."
Ayan mused, as Mahira smiled at him, before leaning her head on his shoulder.
It was a night to remember.
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Aaaaaaah what a cutie chapter!💖 Anyway, as you might've noticed, I've started delving into personal relationships a bit more, while the initial chapters were all about the whole group dynamic!
What was your personal favorite relationship this chapter?
Anyway, until next time, keep voting, commenting and sharing the love! 💕
P. S Interrupting my series of SRK gifs with this one because come on...it's Fawad💁♀️