14th July, Agni Mahal, Udaipur, Rajasthan, 1.30 p.m.
Never in her entire life, had Shivanya expected such a grand welcome anywhere.
Udaipur was beautiful.
The minute they landed, the airport, despite it being a private one, was flooding with people.
Her gaze flickered across the crowd, smiles were flaunted her way, etched widely, toothy, crooked, wicked, mirthless, fake, forced, genuine.
Out of the crowd, a family stood forward and a woman immaculately dressed in a black double breasted blazer, paired with beige pants stepped forward, her black orbs having a spark of awe and excitement in them as she smiled at her, a genuine one, leaned to her height.
" Hi Shivanya. I'm Nitara. It's such a delight meeting you! You resemble Anika Aunty in so many ways! And are just as beautiful as her!"
" You're so pretty." Shivanya found herself mumbling in awe and Nitara chuckled.
" Thank you so much! So are you! You're too gorgeous!"
" Nitara! I thought you were in my team!" She soon heard Shiv's voice cut their conversation short as he accused playfully.
The raven haired woman chuckled yet again, shaking her head.
" I'm sorry Uncle, but she does look a lot like Anika Aunty...except for the eyes." She murmured towards the end but Shivanya heard her nonetheless.
" You NEVER came to pick ME up at the airport whenever I came from work trips!" Arnav shot her an accusing glare.
" Bold of you to consider yourself that special Rajawat." Nitara rolled her eyes at him and Aadish, Ashrut and Shivanya broke into a chain of chuckles.
" Haww! Dekha Uncle, Aunty aapne? Dekha? Best friend bhi mili toh kis tarah ki! Humari Behen ko lene Kunwarisa bina koi soch ke aa gayi, par hume lene keliye aane ke wakt yeh busy rehti hai!"
"-Do you see her behavior Uncle and Aunty? What kind of a best friend did I even get! Her Highness came to receive my sister at the airport without any second thoughts, but when it comes to receiving me, she's always busy!"
" Kunwarsa, aapke paas humare liye bakwas baat karne ke alava vakt hota hai kabhi? Bade aaye hume bolne wale. Hmph!" She rolled her eyes at him as her Mother, Kairavi stepped forward with narrowed eyes.
"-Your Highness, do you have any spare time for me apart from whenever you want to rant out and tell me nuisances? And he has the audacity to point fingers at me. Hmph!"
" Ji aapko bura nahi lagta humare ladle ke baare mein aise burai karne mein? Bechare Arnav."
"-Don't you feel bad to talk about my dear child like that? Poor Arnav."
" Aapko bura nahi lagta apni hi beti ho kosne mein? Kitni pyaari hai, aur yeh, yeh koi kaam ke nahi hai!" Anika too stepped forward in Nitara's defence.
" If you ladies are done with faux scoldings, can we get Shivanya out of this airport first?" Advay asked.
" I think that would be a good idea, should I kick these people out?" Arnav asked.
" How do you plan on doing it?"
" Pretty sure he'll say by asking them to leave." Ashrut whispered out to Shivanya.
" By asking them to leave duh!" Arnav shrugged and Ashrut shot her a 'I told you so' look.
Advay forced a smile.
" Are you dumb, or are you dumb? Even Aadish is smarter than you."
While Ashrut and Shivanya snickered, Nitara too giggled, a hand flying over her mouth in order to stifle the giggles.
Advay's gaze moved towards her, momentarily distracted and mesmerised.
" Bhai! Hey! Stop laughing!" Arnav frowned at them and Shivanya, with great difficulty, stifled her laughter while Ashrut and Nitara continued to laugh.
" How mean! Only my sister listens to me!"
" Because your sister is naive and doesn't know how deceitful you are!" Nitara retorted back.
Advay cleared his throat yet again.
" Can we leave now? You two can continue this at the lunch table."
" Yeah yeah whatever. Let's go. I'll kick them out first." Arnav said, appearing offended.
" By asking them to leave?" Aadish asked with genuine innocent confusion causing Ashrut and Nitara to laugh harder while Shivanya had a hard time controlling her laugh.
" What? No! Aadi not you too! I'm a lawyer okay! My argumentative skills are pretty good!"
" What's that?" He asked curiously.
" What's what?"
" That big word argu-argument-whatever it was!"
" What Dadisa does with everyone." Arnav told him and Nitara gasped.
" Arnav! He's a kid!"
" Oh so you mean fighting for no reason? But why would you fight for no reason with all those people?"
" I won't fight with them without reason Aadi. We need to leave the airport as soon as possible right?"
" Right."
" So we must send these people away."
" Why are they here in the first place?"
" Your Di returned from an adventure right? So they're here to see her."
" How did they know Di's coming?"
" It's all because of that bastard, Dev Raizada, I bet he's involved in it." Ashrut muttered under his breath but Aparna heard him and smacked him.
" Mind your language! You've got your brother around you."
" Is he...that bad?"
" Ignore him darling. Arnav, please?"
" Yes Chachu."
Arnav walked away at a distance, his phone in hand as he made a few calls, and within ten minutes, five cars drove out of the airport.
One including Anika, Shiv and Aadish, another including Bhairav and Aparna, the third one including Arnav alone since he had to rush to work for something, but promised Anika that he'd be home for lunch, the fourth one including the Chauhans-Samarjit, Kairavi and Nakshatra, and the last one including Advay, Nitara, Ashrut and Shivanya.
As the siblings slid in the backseat, with Nitara and Advay in the front, Ashrut mumbled to her.
" We'll be third wheeling, be prepared okay?"
Her brows knit in confusion, for she'd assumed Arnav and Nitara were closer.
But realisation soon struck her, that they were close enough, as best-friends, everything platonic.
While here....she shook her head dismissing the thoughts.
" Are you coming home, or should I drive you to the office?"
" No, I don't have any important meetings lined up. I was done with them in the morning. I'll come along."
He nodded his head, buckling his seatbelt, and the others repeated the action, sitting back.
" Did you have breakfast?"
Nitara, instead of responding, asked him the same question.
" Nitara...I don't like repeating myself. You're well aware of that. Don't attempt to answer my question with a question. I did have my breakfast. Did you?" He arched a brow at her and she sighed.
" I didn't have time." She admitted.
" You didn't have time or you didn't have anyone to bug you to eat?" Advay raised a brow as she let out a frustrated sigh, not answering him.
" You're staying for lunch." He declared.
" But I had a meeting-"
" Didn't you say you didn't have any important meetings lined up?"
Nitara pursed her lips and Advay glanced her way.
" Did you cut your hair?" He asked noticing the step cut.
" They've been cut for five days now. I suppose it's my sheer good luck Mr.Rajawat noticed."
She snapped sarcastically.
Shivanya bit back a smile as Advay appeared taken aback.
Not indulging himself in a further conversation of questionnaire, afraid that he'll receive more sarcastic replies, Advay shut up and turned on the music.
They reached Agni Mahal about thirty minutes later, and Shivanya had the most grand welcome ever.
A woman resembling her....supposed Mother, stood in the frontyard with a puja thali in her hands, with many more women accompanying her, in the traditional Rajasthani attire, with their veils on, laden with heavy jewellery from top to toe.
Dipping her finger in the vermillion, she lifted it up and lightly smeared it between her brows, Shivanya leaned, her eyes closing in reflex, her hand on her chest out of reflex.
" Bindani..." Her gaze flickered towards Nitara who stood behind her as she gestured her to come forward.
Nitara's bronze cheeks coloured red at being addressed like that, and Shivanya stepped aside, letting the woman come forward as she turned towards Ashrut, wanting to know what it meant.
Probably her curiosity and confusion was evident for he answered as soon as she turned towards him.
" Bindani means daughter-in-law. And before anyone addresses you that way, Kunwarisa means Princess."
" Then why was she addressed as...." Shivanya trailed off as her gaze travelled towards her oldest brother who stared at the raven-haired female like she was the only woman to exist and his world revolved started with her, and ended with her.
She nodded to herself and turned back towards her cousin.
" So I'm supposed to call her Bhabhi?"
" Aadish calls her Di, Arnav Bhai often jokes he'd never call her Bhabhi. And me, well it depends, sometimes I call her Di, sometimes Bhabhi. You can choose what you want to call her. I think the best thing would be asking her."
Shivanya nodded and immediately averted her gaze at being called.
The woman gazed at her for long, her eyes moist, and by now, Shivanya was sure she was her maternal grandmother, given the striking resemblance.
" She's a blend of both of you. And so beautiful." Her hand shakily and hesitantly raised to cup her cheek and Shivanya gave in to the affectionate touch, beginning to feel overwhelmed as she heard hushed whispers about her in the background, and all positive.
" Maa sa, if you don't introduce yourself how will she know who you are?"
" By the resemblance." Shivanya murmured as everyone frowned in confusion.
" You...you two look similar." She switched glances between her mother and grandmother causing them to chuckle.
" And she's observant too. Come, come in. Khamma Ghani Kunwarisa."
♧¤♧
The indistinctive chatters at the lunch table were usual for Shivanya.
What was unusual, was the constant limelight on her, and everyone checking if she was eating properly.
There were many of her favorite dishes laid on the table.
From her maternal family, she had her Aunt, and her family with a son and a daughter, the daughter older, and the son younger, but both of them had been equally excited to meet her.
There had been all unfamiliar faces, yet warmer than the Rawats had ever been.
The atmosphere had been lively, she was introduced to everyone present.
Ashrut was her aid every time she needed help, Aadish clung to her most of the time and Anika had a hard time feeding him till Shivanya took it upon herself to feed him.
" I don't like carrots. And that sabji either." He frowned in distaste.
Before Anika could reprimand him, Shivanya, who leaned to his height narrowed her eyes.
" Aadish...I thought you said you were a good boy?"
" I am!"
" But good boys don't make a fuss about whatever that is served to them, or give their Mother a hard time. They act obedient and finish everything. And what's wrong with this vegetable? Why don't you like it?"
" I find it spicy." He whined.
" But it's not. You probably end up chewing the ginger too and that's what you find spicy in it. Let's just remove the ginger and try it."
Tearing a piece of the puri, she dipped it in the sabji, and she fed him the morsel.
" Still spicy?" She asked and he shook his head, giving a thumbs up.
" It's good. Can I have the halwa?"
" Have you finished everything else in your plate?"
Aadish pouted, his lower lip puckering out as everyone smiled.
" She's just like Anu! They say it right, an older sister is always a second mother." She heard someone exclaim in the background.
" Shiv, Anika..." her maternal grandmother suddenly began, appearing solemn.
" Yes Maasa?"
" Does...Priyamvadha know? About Shivanya's return?" She asked, and the tension thickened as she watched her parents grow pale.
A/N : Thank you so much for 1K reads, it means a lot to me! When I first started the book, I did not expect it'd reach these many readers so fast. To all those voters out there, thank you so much! I cannot express through words how it means to me! I'll try updating another chapter soon.