"Everyone left me alone." Roop whispered, holding both of their hands as they sat in front of her.
"It's okay, I'm- we are here for you," Mihir replied, patting her head with his free hand.
Holding the hand on her head, Roop kept Mihir's hand in Madira's, "I'm hungry, jaao kuch lekar aao mere liye." She ordered.
(Go bring something for me.)
Mihir quickly pulled his hand out of hers, getting up. "Let's get you something healthy, Bhai asked me to not let you eat junk food. You got sick yesterday."
"Haan toh, unhone acha pasta nahi banaya tha. Apni galti kabhi maan ni hi nahi hai." She shook her head disappointedly.
(Yes and? He cooked that useless pasta but no, he never owns up to his mistakes.)
"Agar aap soch rahe ho ki aap aise bologe aur mai maan jaunga to let me tell you, aap galat soch rahe ho." Mihir replied, crossing his arms.
(If you're thinking that if you say it like that and I will agree with you then let me tell you, you're thinking wrong.)
"I want a pizza." She whispered sadly.
"How about…a salad?" He suggested.
"Stop sounding like my mother." She covered her face with her hands, "I don't like this place, it's suffocating." Roop fanned herself with her hands, "Can we go somewhere with less crowd?" She asked, looking at them with a hopeful expression.
"Of course." Madira stood up.
"I'll text Ishani that the driver will pick them up, let's go." Mihir replied, keeping a hand over Madira's shoulder accidentally, making her still in her place before she looked at him in surprise, "I'm sorry." He moved away when he realized, walking out of the mall, his head buried in his phone.
"Jiya dhadak dhadak, jiya dhadak-" Roop sang, making Madira hurry out too.
Shaking her head at their reactions to each other, Roop followed them outside, wiping her forehead with her dupatta as she felt too hot even in the air-conditioned place.
Reaching outside, she saw Mihir standing near his car, typing something on his phone while Madira looked at the entrance of the mall, waiting for her.
"I don't feel good." Roop murmured to herself, touching her forehead as she tried not to blackout.
She heard Madira's fading voice in the background, losing consciousness as her head spun, "Bhabi!" Madira rushed towards her, holding her before she fell.
Hearing Madira's worried voice, Mihir looked up, throwing his phone in the car as he looked at the unconscious Roop in Madira's arms.
"What happened?" He asked, panic filling his veins as he helped Madira, who was struggling to hold Roop up, "Open the door please." He said, picking her up.
After making her sit in the car, Madira looked at Mihir, holding his shivering hands, "Calm down. She's okay, let's take her to the doctor? Yes?"
He nodded, looking at Roop in worry, "She was fine just now…Bhai trusted me with her and I-"
"Mihir." She interrupted, "It's not your fault. She must be feeling fatigued due to wedding preparations, don't worry." She looked at him, trying to make him understand.
"Okay. Okay." He blinked, "Search for a place…clinic, hospital, whatever you find nearby." He said, rounding the car as he got inside.
"My friend's mum is a doctor. Her clinic is just five minutes away." She told him, getting in the car.
It had been thirty minutes since they reached the clinic and Mihir kept walking to and fro in the room while Madira looked at him, his worry making her worry too.
"You can come in now." The doctor opened the door, looking at them with a smile. Both of them rushed inside, looking at now awake Roop who looked like nothing happened, "Do you want to tell them?" The doctor asked.
"Can you do that for me? Please?" Roop asked, a red tint appearing on her cheeks.
"She's expecting."
"Expecting what?" Mihir frowned.
"A baby, dummy," Madira whispered.
"A baby? What?" His frown deepened, "Oh Bhabi…" He sighed in relief as the words sank in, "Shit, I'm so happy!" His frown disappeared as his lips spread in a smile.
Roop smiled looking at him, keeping a hand over her stomach. A content smile took a place on her face as she thought about how Amrit would react, she was slowly getting everything she wanted in her life and she couldn't be more happier.
"I'm going to be a chachu!" Mihir exclaimed, pulling Madira in a hug in excitement, "I'm so happy!"
Although she was hesitant, she wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes as he tried to enjoy the moment as much as she could, storing her feelings in the back of her mind so she could think about it over and over again.
Leaving Madira, he walked over to Roop, hugging her, "Are you happy?" He asked slowly.
"So happy Mihir, I feel so lucky to have you people in my life to share my happiness with." She replied.
"You deserve this happiness," He told her, "more than anyone else." He added, patting her head brotherly.
"Madira?" She held out her hand, looking at Madira as she walked up to them, holding her hand, "I have a request from both of you." She said.
"What is it?"
"Can you not tell anyone? Just keep this to yourself until the wedding?" She asked.
"But-"
"Please?"
"Okay." Mihir nodded, "done."
"Thank you."
...
He was walking out of the cafe after a meeting with a client when he felt a pair of fingers brushing against his as someone walked past him, not bothering to turn around, he wiped his hand on his pants, continuing to walk. His phone was in his hand as he texted his driver to bring the car.
So engrossed in typing he didn't notice where he was going, running into someone.
Quickly wrapping an arm around her waist, he stopped her from falling, "I'm so sorry- Madira?" He stopped, looking at her.
Although his eyes were covered with sunglasses, she could feel his eyes boring into hers, "Hi." She smiled, her face instantly brightening up.
"Hey, Are you meeting someone here?" He asked.
"Yeah. Blind date." She told him, looking around for a person in a green shirt as she was told by her mother.
"Oh." He nodded in understanding, "Enjoy."
Spotting a man in a dark green shirt, looking at his watch at the table in the corner, she started to say, "There he-"
"Does Jashn bhai know about this?" Mihir asked, making her look at him again.
"My mother arranged the date." She told him.
"Do you have pepper spray? A knife? A-"
"Why would I bring all that to a date?" She frowned, cutting him off.
"What if he turns out to be an asshole? You should be careful, stranger danger? No one told you-"
"It's a public place, my mother knows his mother, I'll be fine Mihir." She replied. She was going to reject the person anyway, her mother was arranging these dates for the past year but in the end, the outcome was always the same, rejection from one side or the other.
"The wedding functions start tomorrow." He said, trying to keep the conversation going.
"I'm aware."
"Don't you have any last-minute shopping plans?" He asked.
"I do but-"
"Ditch him. Come with me." He replied, before realizing what he was doing.
"Really?" She raised her brows, a smile threatening to break through her lips, "What about him?" She asked, gesturing towards the man she was supposed to be meeting.
He was good-looking from afar, she gave him that but with Mihir standing in front of her, he stood nowhere close to how she felt about him.
"You like him? Who even wears a tie on a date? He looks like a prick from afar and he seems like he always has an opinion on something anyone does, he hasn't trimmed his beard for two weeks and it looks unhygienic as fuck, at least groom it perfectly. Are you serious-"
"Okay, I'm convinced." She turned around, controlling her smile as she tried not to dance in happiness, "But wait, what am I going to tell Mummy?" She asked, "He's her friend's son and I can't just ditch him, my mummy will fix another date with him." She told him.
"Tell him you have a boyfriend?" He suggested.
"But I don't." She frowned.
"Lie?" He looked at her incredulously.
"I can't lie to my mum, he'll tell her then she'll ask me about my boyfriend and to cover one lie, I'll have to tell them multiple lies." She exclaimed.
"Give me a second." He said, walking over to the man in question.
"Mihir! No." She tried to stop him but he was already standing beside the table, talking to her supposed blind date.
Two minutes later, he walked back to her, "Let's go."
"What did you say to him?" She asked.
"Nothing." He replied, turning her towards the exit by pushing her shoulder with his finger.
"You have to tell me!"
"Where do you wanna go? Bhabi asked me to buy baby clothes, let's get them first." He changed the topic, walking out.
"I want to get matching bangles for my dresses." She said,
"Okay."
…