Aradhya's POV
As soon as my hand entered the bowl it collided with his, even though I shifted it soon enough his touch still lingered, I couldn't focus on the game. I was feeling too much, his parents, dadi and now him too. At my side Samaira cheered, " Bhabhi you have to win. You can't let bhai win or else he'll be too arrogant about it. "
I have no idea what there is to be arrogant about after winning such a game and I knew he wouldn't be.
And before I knew my hand felt the ring, holding it up I brought it out. " Yes, " All three women cheered and the men looked like someone took their favorite candy from them.
" Next round, "
"Huh? What next round? " Abhimanyu voiced my question before I could.
" What bhai, it has three rounds. You can't lose this time. Okay bhai. " Rudraksh was pleading with him at this point, " We'll see. "
Returning the ring to the bowl, his mother mixed it and then motioned us to start. This time it was him who found it and rudraksh cheered like he won some international medal.
The third time everyone was on their tenterhooks like some life or death battle was going on. I've never seen a family like them. Mine was never like this and as for viraj dadu and vanya di both of them were always fighting. They loved each other but they never agreed on anything so it was mostly chaotic in their house.
Rudraksh and his father were cheering for him, while his mother, dadi and Samaira wanted him to lose. So when I brought the ring up, the ladies were happy whereas rudraksh sighed while saying, " Bhai now you sure are gonna be henpecked. After dad, now you, oh god all responsibility of this house is on me. " At which his father hit him on his head. " What nonsense are you talking about. "
" It's not like it's a lie. " He mumbled, "you're still talking. " His father said and he ran away from him, " No no no. "
Seeing everyone laughing at them I turned to see the person by my side and to my surprise he was looking at me. I couldn't decipher his gaze, being in the house of people who never liked me and then in the military I knew how to gauge someone's emotion from their eyes, but his were saying something I couldn't understand. The brown orbs of his eyes looked at me like he couldn't see anyone else, and I was getting scared to look at them, so I turned away.
" Now, aradhya you have to cook something. The chefs had prepared the breakfast so you don't have to worry about that. Just make something sweet for dessert. Okay? " His mother asked, I knew this ritual, I never thought much about what my life would be after marriage, Ansh and I never talked about it. But I knew his family didn't exactly like me, they agreed to the wedding just for the deal my father offered them. So I always knew my life wasn't gonna be a walk in the garden, I was prepared for that, the taunts, insults or anything thrown my way. But what I wasn't prepared for was this family, I didn't know how to reciprocate them. I knew how to return bad with bad, I was gonna do it soon. But how to return good, it was never on my list.
As she was still waiting for my answer, I decided to think about my future later, for now I decided to go with the flow.
" Yes aunty. "
" You can't call me aunty. Call me mom like these three do. Will you? " She sounded hesitant to ask me that, her question stumped me, my own mother had asked me not to call her that unless we were outside and we had to keep up appearances. So hearing this from her wasn't what I expected. No matter how good she had been till now, I wasn't comfortable calling her that. It wasn't her, it was me I just couldn't utter the word. I loathed the word to the extreme. Maybe sensing my discomfort Abhimanyu came by my side, " Mom give her some time. She's only been here for a night "
" Oh I'm sorry. I just got too excited. You can call me whatever you want. " And I nodded, " Let her leave now or she'll get late. " Dadi said asking for me to go to the kitchen.
"Yes yes, come I'll show you the kitchen. " After showing me where the things were she left.
It took me 30 minutes to prepare it as the materials were already ready. Servants were already arranging the plates on the table. So I took the bowl and made my way out. Everyone was already seated.
We had breakfast and after breakfast dadi asked me to serve them, I first served it to dadi, then uncle, aunty, abhimanyu, rudraksh and then samaira, at last I placed some of it in my bowl as well.
"Woah bhabhi, how did you know bhai liked gajar ka halwa the most. Are you psychic? " Samaira's voice sounded just as I handed her the bowl. Yes I had made gajar ka halwa, I didn't know that he liked that, I had guessed it, as the carrots were already grated so I knew that someone liked that. And as I knew how to make it, I did. Looking over to him, I could see him smiling and as he turned towards me, I turned away too.
" Don't talk while eating samaira. " Uncle chided her. No one talked till they all finished it, I wasn't bad at cooking and I knew I shouldn't care if they liked it or not but for some reason I wanted them to like it.
" Savita bring me the box kept at my nightstand. " Dadi asked the servant by her side. And as she returned with the box dadi called me to her,
"Was it good? " I asked not being able to digest the question any longer, it felt okay to me, but I had no idea if she liked it.
" It was so delicious. I don't remember the last time I ate something so tasty. " Dadi said with a smile, bringing one to my face too. And everyone started saying that it was good, Samaira and Rudraksh even started fighting over who'll eat the rest.
In the end it was aunty who stopped them, " It was Abhi's wife who made it. If you want it, you go get a wife and you learn how to cook. This is for him. " First part for Rudraksh and the next for Samaira.
"Now leave both of you. "
" Here, your shagun. " Dadi said bringing my attention to the box in her hand which she was handing to me. "Dadi, I.. " " No excuses, it's the first time you cooked for me. I have to bribe you for more now. I can't live with a one time demo. "
"I'll cook for you whenever you want dadi. "
" You called me dadi na. Now take it as a gift from dadi. No arguments. "
And she shoved it into my hand. After her aunty too came with a box and shoved it over the one dadi gave, " I won't ask you to take it. I'm ordering you to take it. It's yours now I don't know. "
Like uncle got his hint he also came and placed an envelope over the box, " I need to have food in the future too. " No idea if he was talking about me or aunty who was looking at him, like he won't get food if he didn't do as she said. I turned to abhimanyu thinking he wouldn't like his family giving gifts to a girl he was forced to marry but he was sitting there smiling like it was the best thing that happened to him. He just shrugged seeing me looking at him. I wanted to wipe that smile off his face. No idea if he heard my mind or if he really felt like it was time to go, he touched dadi's feet, hugged his mom, waved at his dad and left saying, " I'll see you guys in the evening. " He had already changed his clothes when I was cooking, he was back to his formal wear.
I don't know what went through his mind but he came back and pecked my forehead, " Wait for me. " And left, leaving me rooted to the spot, still feeling the tingles of his touch on my head and I knew i would feel them all day.
Everyone had already left when I came back to my senses, so I too took the boxes and the envelope and went to his room or now our room.