*Anusha Pov*
"What is going on here?" I asked, looking at the event happening before my eyes.
However, no one responded except for my Mom who finally took a step back from the place she was standing and turned around to look at me.
Then she just asked, "Now, I just need to wait for a half an hour, right? So, I will just go and take the shower. I am feeling too sweaty."
I stared at her even more confused thinking why is she saying that to me, but Kirthi who is standing beside her just mumbled, "Sure! I will be here."
"I will just be back." Mom said, nodding at me and walked off, literally with a spring in her steps.
"What happened to her?" I asked entering inside the kitchen to see Kirthi closing the dish on the stove with a lid.
"What do you mean?" she asked finally turning around.
"What do I mean? I was just invited for a dinner and when I came, I just saw my mom standing inside the kitchen and cooking. To top that surprise list, I can see both of you doing it together." I replied and she chuckled walking near to me before giving me a hug.
"All because of your Satvik." She said, shrugging and stepped back.
"Not mine! But what did he do now?" I asked her frowning.
"Well, he gave leave to the cook without anyone's permission and no one knew until he served breakfast again to all of us yesterday." She explained and I groaned.
"Where is he getting time to do all this?" I mumbled shaking my head.
"Anyway, Aunty realized either we should get a new cook which is a very difficult job as she already went through it a few years back or someone else should cook. She didn't want to ask me to do that as she still feels I am an outsider, but she is fine with taking my help." She explained in detail.
"And she just cooked the dinner?" I asked, thinking how can she when she just started yesterday.
"She knows how to cook, but just never thought of doing it much. Anyway, now she is also talking to me properly." Kirthi replied smiling.
"I am so happy for you." I said, smiling back to which she chuckled.
"Yeah? Then go and thank your Satvik." To her words I let the smile slip from my face.
"Done?" we heard a harsh voice and turned to see Bhai standing near the door, throwing daggers through his eyes at Kirthi to which Kirthi just laughed.
"Half an hour!" she replied and he just huffed before walking away.
"You both fought?" I asked her frowning.
"No! I just didn't accept his idea." She replied vaguely.
I raised my eyebrow at her answer and she finally sighed before dragging me to the dining area and we both sat down.
"From the time we are here that is these last two months, we are staying you know in separate rooms and it finally ticked him off. He asked me to marry him and..." I cut her off throwing my arms around her.
"I am so happy." I said grinning.
"Why? He already asked me a few times before. Anyway, I said I will not marry him." She continued and I gasped.
"What? But why?" I asked not at all understanding her answer.
"Well, because I don't want another situation like the one that happened in your life. I want your parents to completely accept me before I marry your brother." She replied and I sat back feeling shock.
"It will never happen to you." I promised her.
"Why? I feel there are more chances. What if I became the reason for complete seperation between your brother and parents. When Satvik who is very close to his parents and mainly his mother can let the situations arise as such whatever happened then why can't Ansh who is already angry at your parents?" she asked and this time I don't have any answer.
"Bhai would never hurt you." I finally said and she smiled.
"But we both already did that to each other." She said shrugging.
"And who knows what will he do when some situations arise? How can I make his tensions increase and destroy our relationship?" she asked and I know I need to ask her one thing.
"You think I am overreacting, not accepting Satvik back into my life? You think he has made no mistake?" I asked and she immediately shook her head.
"He did! And he too knows that, but I just want to say that throwing each and every wrong at his feet is also not correct." She replied placing her hand on mine.
"I didn't mind much whatever his family did you know, but when he... when he repeatedly accused me... I just..." I stopped in the mid sentence and she squeezed my hand.
"And he is beating himself about that every day. Trust me when I say that." She mumbled, but I didn't reply.
"Now that Mom is talking to you and everything is fine, why don't you marry Bhai?" I asked her frowning.
"Yeah! All thanks to Satvik about that, but I want to wait for some more time." She replied and stood up to leave.
"What do you mean, thanks to Satvik?" I asked even though I know deep inside what is she talking about.
"Didn't you get it already? All this was his plan so that Aunty and I can spend time and also she can accept me." She replied before walking away while I stood up to go away from here feeling even more restless than the past few days.
However, when I reached my Dad's office room, I got another shock. But this one is major because Satvik and Dad are walking out of Dad's office with grins covering their faces as if they achieved something.
They both turned but stopped in their tracks looking at me. Dad just cleared his throat recovering from his shock and walked off while Satvik walked near to me.
"What is happening here?" I asked and immediately added, "I am tired of asking that question."
"Nothing! We were just talking." He replied, shrugging and I know he is lying outright.
"Yeah? What is your plan? What to give a gift to your family or something? What happened to our relation is not enough to satisfy them? You want to destroy my Dad's company also?" suddenly everything just burst out of my mouth and I don't know from where it started.
He stared at me silently while I kept on cursing myself inside to even think like this and when I saw his mask slipping a little and stared straight at the hurt in his eyes, I walked off from there reaching the steps and climbed them in a hurry to reach my room.
I didn't climb down to reach the dining area until Kirthi knocked on my door calling me for the dinner. I didn't make eye contact with anyone and calmly sat on my chair.
After we started having the dinner, we heard Mom clearing her throat, after which everyone stared at her.
"How is it?" she asked and I saw that she didn't touch her food.
"It's amazing, Mom!" I replied smiling and the compliments started to which after a very long time I saw her grinning with complete happiness and I had to look away to clear my throat so that I don't start crying.
After that the dinner was kind of normal with everyone talking with others except for Satvik and me. Finally, I stood up to leave wishing everyone good night, but glanced at Satvik before gesturing him towards the door.
I walked out of the house and waited for him, but then realized after whatever I said he may not even come. And then I felt his presence behind me.
"Will you be fine? I will come and drop you." He asked and I turned around before hugging him.
"I am sorry about earlier." I whispered and he just hugged me back.
"It's okay! After what I have done, I deserve it. I hurt you too, so many times with my accusations, didn't I?" he asked and I shook my head.
"But you never did it intentionally." I mumbled before I can stop myself.
"You really believe that?" he asked in a surprised tone and moved a little to stare at me.
I looked away not saying anything but then finally replied, "I knew, but that doesn't mean that..."
"I know! It is still my fault. You don't know how happy I am right now to know you don't think I did all that intentionally. And I will never do it again, even when I am unconscious." He said to which I turned to stare at him.
"Thank you!" I whispered.
"You should never say thank you for that." He said shaking his head.
"Not for that! I am saying that for my Mom. I never cared that she is not interested in cooking, okay. Because it is her life and she should do what she likes. I would have been fine with her never entering the kitchen also. But if she had not done that, I wouldn't have seen the glint in her eyes and the excitement which she lost all these years as far as I can remember. And now all that is back because of you. And also she is accepting Kirthi because of you too." I explained and he smiled.
"Kirthi is already amazing and no one needs to do anything for someone to accept her and I am glad that she is my adopted sister. And about your Mom, I didn't do this thinking she should be cooking or anything but because I saw her many times looking at the recipes in the magazine's she read and she seems to be bored with everyday life." He explained back.
"And I was also fine with you not knowing how to cook." He added and I nodded because I know that.
"Even I was fine, but I wanted to reduce the tension between everyone." I mumbled, not knowing why are we even talking about the past.
"Which is again my mistake as I was the one who asked you to do that." He said chuckling in a not so humorous way.
"Well, I am glad because now I am surviving on that cooking only." Saying that I turned to walk near the gate but felt him following me.
"It's really late." That's all he said when I stopped in my tracks.
I sighed before continuing to walk with him following me even into the cab. He waved when I got down near the company building and let the cab move after I completely walked into the building.
Next week, I couldn't help but cancel the dinner time with my family. I want to go, but my body is completely protesting with pains and this stupid cold.
"Hello?" I mumbled lifting the call still lying on the bed.
"Why are you not coming for dinner?" Kirthi asked and I sighed.
"I am just not. I messaged Mom about it and that's all." I replied and coughed.
"You are not feeling well?" she asked in a worried tone.
"Just a little! I will be fine after I take some rest." I replied and hung up after assuring her that I will take care of myself and also asked her not to tell anyone.
After some time I groaned hearing the door bell ringing and took a deep breath before climbing down from the bed and literally crawled towards the door.
"What are you doing here?" I asked after opening the door to see Satvik standing there.
"Soup, medicines and some healthy food and some good company." He replied holding a few things.
"Give them to me!" I mumbled remembering he will never enter this apartment.
"Leave all that!" saying that he stepped inside and I stared at him with wide eyes while he walked towards the kitchen.
"Close the door! You are already sick and you are standing in the cold air." He said returning from the kitchen carrying a bowl.
"You... you are in this flat." I mumbled to which he frowned at me.
"Yeah?" he asked and took hold of my hand before making me walk to the bed.
"You said you will never step into this flat." I pointed out and he stilled in the process of making me sit on the bed.
"That was me being stupid as usual, Sha. Do you really think after leaving all stupidity, I will held onto that?" he asked and finally arranged the blanket and sat beside me before lifting a spoon of soup near to my mouth which I sipped not saying a single word.
"You made Kirthi tell you about this even though when I asked her not to?" I asked after I finished the soup.
"She didn't tell anyone. I asked her to call you and was just standing beside her while she put the call on speaker." He explained and I shook my head.
"Okay! Let's take the temperature so that I can give you a proper tablet." Saying that he took out the thermometer.
"Why are you acting like a nurse here?" I asked and coughed to which he patted my back but placed the equipment near my mouth.
"I have a sister who is a nurse so of course I qualify as one." He replied and I didn't reply as the thermometer was placed in my mouth.
"Okay! You can have this tablet." Saying that he placed one in my palm.
"Thank god that Kirthi is not a doctor otherwise who knows you would have conducted an operation by now." I commented.
"Yeah! We should thank God for such mercy's." he mumbled, making me lie down and I chuckled to which he smiled.
He walked off to leave the bowl in the kitchen while I closed my eyes, but immediately felt cold and hugged myself tightly.
But then suddenly I felt him moving under the blanket and lying beside me before pulling me into his arms with his arm around me.
"What are you doing?" I asked even though snuggling myself into his hold even more.
"You are feeling cold." He stated to which I snorted.
"You could have got some other blanket or just switched off the fan." I pointed out.
"If I follow such logics, none of the heroes would be any more useful." He whispered tightening his hold.
"And you are taking leave for the next two days along with me." He added.
"Why are you taking leave? We are not kids here to say because you are not going to school even I will not go." I mumbled.
"I want to take care of you." That's all he said and that made me pause before saying anything.
After a few minutes, I took a deep breath thinking about everything that is happening around me about the past and the present.
"Me choosing the same thing from the past which is living as your wife with you is completely at odds, Satvik." I finally whispered.
"All I can do is, hope such odds win." He whispered back and held me even more tightly and I placed my hand over his hand which is around my midriff with a smile covering my face.
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finally an update huh... uff... hope the connection is there with the before chapter and i didnt severed it...
how is the chap???
comment plz and vote...
p.s- i will update whenever i will get the time... semester is kind of ending and the works are increasing...plz understand :)