I Found You

18.

Sitting comfortably on the couch in the living room, Adhira had a bowl of peas in her lap. Deftly, as she peeled the peas, the sound of their falling into the bowl filled
the room.

Last night was truly unforgettable for her. Her husband made sure to make it special by cooking for her, arranging a candlelit dinner in their room, and even watching 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma' with her.

She had to agree, her husband proved to be quite the chef, just as Veer had mentioned. The pasta he prepared yesterday has already become her favorite dish of his.

Their first date turned out to be perfect,
just as she would have preferred.

"Are you going somewhere, Chote papa?" Adhira inquired, noticing Jaideep dressed in a sleek black suit.

"Ji, beta. I have to attend a friend's son's wedding. It's a day wedding, followed by the reception at night." He explained, settling into a single-seater.

"Ohh!" Adhira responded with a smile, returning her attention to the task at hand, while Jaideep called out for his wife.

"Saanvi, could you please..." Jaideep's sentence was cut short by his wife's voice.

"Ye lijiye." She said, as she passed him a rough cloth, he had asked her to bring.

"Thankyou." He replied, grabbing it, while Saanvika moved towards Adhira, taking a seat beside her, to lend a helping hand.

"You're wearing a saree tonight, right?"
She asked, while Adhira gave her a nod.

"Didi's mother-in-law is little conservative. She is strict about traditional beliefs and customs. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been any problem if you had worn anything else." Saanvika explained.

"It's alright, Choti Maa. I don't have any problem with wearing a saree." Adhira reassured with a comforting smile.

"Paaaapaaa, what are you doing?" Mukti's voice echoed through the living room as she stormed in, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

"Just cleaning my shoes." Her father replied nonchalantly, looking up from his task.

Mukti's brows furrowed in disbelief as she approached him, her gaze falling on the cloth in his hand. "With my top?"

"Kisne diya yeh aapko?" Her voice tinged with disbelief as she reached for the cloth, which Jaideep handed to her with a guilty expression.

[Who gave you this]

"Teri maa ne." He replied, gesturing towards his wife, who was already gazing at them both.

[Your mother]

"Mummmmy?" Mukti looked at her mother with a glare, demanding an explanation.

"I noticed you haven't worn this top in months, so I assumed you were done with it." Saanvika continued to peel peas, unfazed by her daughter's expression.

"That still doesn't give you the right to turn my favourite top into a dusting cloth." Mukti retorted, her frustration evident as she stomped her foot before storming out of the room, while brushing past Vikram, who had just entered the living hall.

"What happened to her?" Vikram furrowed his brows in concern as he inquired, turning to Saanvika for an explanation.

"Nothing much, she's just overreacting." Saanvika rose from her seat, smoothing down her husband's coat collar.

"I gave her top that she hadn't worn in months to Jai, to clean his shoes." She explained with a sigh, before stepping out with her husband to the main door.