MaAn Love

23rd July

(Writer's note : this short is suitable for readers 16+. Dedicating this short to the amazing MaAn chemistry we've seen grow over the last 100 episodes)

Anu checks her watch again as she hurries around the resort kitchen trying to get her chocolate fudge and paan milkshakes made in time. She wonders if she should have listened to Malvika & simply ordered the food instead of coming down to the kitchen to make it. "Nahi nahi Anupama, tu yeh kar sakti hai" quips her inner voice, suspiciously sounding a lot like Anuj. Tucking her pallu in at her waist, she starts whisking the chocolate again.

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One hour later, and a whole lot of items checked off her list with Mukku's help, Anu looks around her cottage rethinking the candles. There were so many lit, it was starting to look like a fire hazard. Besides, it was 08:15 AM! "Is waqt candle kaun jalaata hai?" she thinks out loud, hastily putting them out. Her eyes wander to the open window, where she sees the light fog slowly & lazily lifting. Beyond her small outdoor dining area, the endless expanse of the resort's tea plantation is a bright sappy green in the misty weather. She thanks Mukku's therapist mentally for the millionth time, a change of scenery had definitely helped. Not only were the siblings getting quality family time, her relationship with the kid sister had also greatly improved. In fact she still couldn't believe, how much of a help Mukku had been this week -right from conspiring with Kinju baby to get Anu the perfect shade of baby pink salwar, to doing Anu's hair & makeup... she had really outdone herself.

The kids in the next door cottage giggle loudly & bring Anu out of her reverie. She decides to set up the breakfast table outside. She only has 20 minutes left to get things in order before Anuj arrives. Mukku had volunteered to deliver the most important package that day -Mr. Kapadia himself, at Anu's cottage before leaving for a morning tea tasting tour of the local estate followed by what she called an "Ooty food crawl". Anu quickly prays on behalf of GK kaka's digestive system, hoping the 'teenager' was up to the task of keeping up with Mukku.

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Anuj's mind wanders, Mukku's last minute pep talk barely sinking in. This would be the first time in 27 years that he would be spending this day with Anu instead of her memories. As his sister plops something on his head, he looks at his reflection -"Really Mukku... a fedora? Yeh thoda zyaada nahi ho gaya?" he asks as he quickly removes it, brushing his fingers through his hair to set them; scanning his reflection to see what other 'trendy' accessories she had given him while he was lost in thought. "Mukku... Mein soch raha tha..." he starts and is immediately interrupted. "Bhai... aapne mujhe promise kiya tha. Abb aap aise peeche nahi hath sakte" she chides him. She pats his jacket pocket to make sure he has THE box on him and takes a step back, observing him...
Crisp white shirt unbuttoned at the top✅
Linen sky blue casual suit✅
Loafers... she sighs, her brother still looked like an idiot. He had absolutely refused to wear anything but the white sneakers he loved. Definitely a far cry from the "Henry Golding" vibe she was trying to achieve.

Anuj could feel the butterflies in his stomach. Was the jacket a bit much, he wonders as he sits in the tiny golf cart that Mukku had commandeered. The smell of freshly mowed grass and jasmine wafting from the garden nearby reminds him of Anu. He sits up straight, trying to recall everything he wanted to tell her. He isn't sure this is a good idea but Mukku seemed confident enough for the both of them-that it was time for bolder moves. As the cart comes to a stop, the butterflies morph into huge rats & he starts to panic slightly feeling sick. Mukku smiles reassuringly, gives him thumbs up and jets off before he can change his mind.

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Right on time! Anu thinks, peering through the white muslin curtains. She was glad she had stolen a look now. Taking in the suit that perfectly showed off his perfect body, the lightness of the color matching the lightness she felt in her heart these days... She chuckles at the choice of shoes. That must have been where Mukku had lost. He stands there, looking around for a few seconds... Why does he look nervous she begins to wonder but as he runs his hand through his hair, lost in thought... Her mind goes blank & she feels her heart skip a beat.