Do Pyaar Karne Waale [RAGHVI]

15: as they grow [+ bonus part]

this is an English oneshot of raghvi in an alternative universe that i wrote for my india forums account that i am now publishing here as well + an EXCLUSIVE bonus part for all my supportive readers on wattpad! thank you for all your votes and comments!

One day, Janakamma was people-watching when she saw the town's most lively child, Pallavi, arguing with a boy who seemed to be her own brother's age. Sharda had been telling her during their daily morning walks that Pallavi was starting to spend more time out of the house. She'd come by every morning, after having breakfast at her house, to greet the Deshmukh family and then skip along after Mandaar to go to school with him. Along the way, Janakamma would catch her talking to Mandaar and glaring at another boy who walked with the two kids. For at least one half of the day, Pallavi and her "enemy" would argue about everything under the sun. How Mandaar handled the both of them was beyond Janakamma's imagination.

Years later, gone were those school days. But, Pallavi would still spend more time with the Deshmkuh family than her own brother. She would also attend the Deshmukh family's events, claiming to be a part of their family from the very start. Sharda, happy to have a daughter-like figure in her house, was very welcoming to her behavior.

Janakamma would always hear Pallavi make claims about one day being a part of the family officially. And, soon she began to realize how she seemed to achieve that. Since their school days, Pallavi hogged Mandaar's attention and would go out of her way to make him smile. She even fought with the kid she always glared at since it seemed to make Mandaar laugh. Soon she started making big gestures and claimed she loved Mandaar. By her twenty-fourth birthday, she had even set her eyes on marriage. But there was one obstacle in her obsession with the Deshmukh family—her enemy since childhood, Raghav Rao.

Raghav came from a respected family and lived down the street from Pallavi's house and right across the Deshmukhs. When his father was alive, he had always instilled the idea of respect for others in Raghav's mind but Raghav couldn't help himself from getting into physical altercations when anyone insulted his loved ones.

One day, Janakamma had seen the young boy fighting for his sister on her first day of school. Apparently, Mandaar's best friend, Ritesh, had pushed the six-year-old down and ten-year-old Raghav happened to be walking by. Mandaar was standing silently by Ritesh, not making a move to stop him. Keerthi, Raghav's sister, had been crying loudly and a crowd had accumulated around the kids. Raghav, not handling his sister's pain, ended up breaking Ritesh's arm and Mandaar's nose when Mandaar tried to save his friend that day.

But now the trio was older and Mandaar and Raghav had forgiven each other for their mistakes. But, Pallavi couldn't. And since Pallavi didn't seem to forget that one incident, Raghav took the liberty of maintaining their enmity.

Seeing them grow together and constantly argue provided a sense of entertainment for Janakamma. She looked forward to each new day with a hope that she'll catch a glimpse of the two having a petty argument. And if she didn't, Sharda would brief her on their morning walks with all the details of how much Pallavi spoke about Raghav when she came to their house the previous day.