Qainaat

16

HHEELLOOOWWWW!!!!!!!!!! Still alive waving at you while navigating through the challenges of my exams.😭😭😭

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Dhara also stepped forward to look at the unfamiliar car in the garage area. She found the man in front of her briefly looking in the same direction as well. His eyebrows furrowed but his face looked so calm, 'Shayad uncle aunty ghar aaye hon, why don't you join us inside?' Despite not fully comprehending why she extended the invitation, she proceeded nonetheless.

After thinking for a few seconds, Anirudh agreed and they made their way into the house, 'Umm......alright!'

'Anirudh Dhara bete aa gaye tum dono......' Seema smiled and asked them to come inside, seeing both of them standing at the main door.

'Ji chachi.'

Stepping inside the house, Dhara greeted her family with a warm smile. She observed her loved ones seated with Avinash and Sarika, sharing laughter and engaging in discussions, likely reminiscing about their school days. Dhara caught snippets of their conversation as she approached, her ears capturing a few words exchanged in the nostalgic banter. While Samaira on the other hand was working on her laptop occasionally smiling at them.

'Dhara aaja beta.....' Dev said, patting the space next to him. Nandini grabbed her stuff from her hands and kept them on the coffee table and went inside the kitchen to get tea for both.

Respectfully nodding her head at the guests, She sat next to her dad.

'Kaisa hai mera baccha?' Sarika asked her son softly in a low voice, As he sat next to her after taking blessings from everyone.

'Ji ma-'

'Aree bhagyawan, is se kya puch rahi ho, puchna hi hai toh Dhara se pucho ki vo kaisi hai. Aakhir is boring aadmi ke saath almost ek din kaam kiya hai usne.' Avinash playfully said.

Sarika smiled and elbowed her husband but he was unstoppable today. 'Haan, to Dhara beta kaisa raha aaj ka din. Did he trouble you much?'

'Nahi nahi uncle aisi koi baat nahi hai.' Dhara smiled awkwardly as her gaze awkwardly flickered to him sitting like a king. The sleeves of his white shirt rolled up till the elbow. His pants exhibit minimal creasing, quite distinct from how they appeared before,his hairs were a bit messy, not how sleek they looked in the morning. The right hand adorned with a Rolex and a kalawa hangs gracefully, its once vibrant red hue now gently faded into a subtle shade of pinkish-red.

'haha....Acha Dhara beta tum vo Harsh se mil li thi, koi issue toh nahi hai design related?', Avinash asked. Dhara blinked her eyes, emerging from a trance-like state.

Before she could open her mouth to say something, Anirudh took the matter in his hand,'There is no issue Papa, and I don't think there will be any issue in the future as well.She already knows him.'

His eyes stuck at her, The way her gaze stopped at him for two seconds, only for two seconds and then again went back to the cup of tea. the two strands of her hairs sticking out hugging her cheeks like a curtain hiding her face from him.. Her hands gripping the cup her mother just handed her, Lavender colour suited her. The pink lipstick appeared somewhat paler now.Her hair that was softly braided in the morning was now carelessly rolled into a bun clearly showing the tiredness of the day. But still her face glowed golden under the light of the living area.No one ever looked so heavenly beautiful in such a simple attire.

'Huh...? Tum jaanti ho......?' Jai asked. Nandini came and sat next to her daughter after giving the cup of tea to Anirudh. Seema on the other hand was busy whispering something to her daughter, about her being on laptop while they have guests at home.