Smiles Of The Heart

Chapter seventeen

Chapter seventeen

All six of them settled around the dinner table, with Parul extending a heartfelt invitation to the visiting couple, who initially hesitated to accept. Persuaded by Parul's insistence, Ritesh eventually relented, convincing his wife to join them for the meal. The meal progressed in silence, punctuated only by the sounds of the spoon clinking against the plates, until Ritesh broke the quiet.

"Paneer ki sabzi bohot achi bani hai," he commented, offering a compliment with a courteous smile.

(The paneer dish is really delicious)

Avika glanced at him briefly before returning to her meal, assuming his praise was directed at Parul. Indeed, a moment later, Parul expressed her gratitude, mentioning Avika was the one who had prepared it. She looked up at her mention and passed a smile to Ritesh who appreciated her cooking again.

Avika found herself involuntarily glancing towards the person next to him, and her muscles tensed when she caught Richa already looking her way. Richa offered a smile upon realizing Avika's attention, prompting Avika to reciprocate, albeit reluctantly. In an ideal situation, Avika would have preferred to overlook the interaction and divert her gaze elsewhere, but the circumstances didn't allow for such a response.

Her gaze then found Kiaan's, who offered her a comforting blink, instantly easing her tension. The dinner continued in relative silence until Yug's sudden move towards the fridge and his enthusiastic exclamation, "There's cake!" broke the quiet, drawing everyone's attention towards him. It was then that Avika remembered the cake she had brought, realizing that without Yug's discovery, it might have remained overlooked.

His eyes sparkled with excitement as he placed the cake on the table, looking at Avika with anticipation, "yeh aap laayi hai, bhabhi?" His eagerness was palpable, and Avika simply nodded, choosing not to mention that she had actually made the cake herself. His enthusiasm unabated, he eagerly began to slice it, and Avika volunteered to serve the slices to everyone. As she offered a piece to Parul, she noticed her mother-in-law's meaningful glances. Confused at first, Avika caught on when Parul subtly indicated towards the cake, realizing she was encouraging her to share with everyone that she had been the one to bake it.

(Did you bring this, Bhabhi?)

With a hesitant smile, Avika subtly communicated through her gaze that she preferred not to announce her role in the cake's creation, to which Parul responded with a bemused expression but respected her wish.

Amidst the light-hearted moment, Yug's delighted exclamation, "This is sooo good," as he savoured his slice, drew a chuckle from Avika, who also found humour in Kiaan's less-than-impressed look towards his brother. Just as Avika was about to enjoy her own piece, Richa's inquiry paused her, "So, Avika, what do you do?" she asked curiously, pausing with a spoon halfway to her mouth.

The silence that followed was loud. Avika never looked away from Richa's gaze as she slightly titled her head and raised an eyebrow at her. "Could you share about your career? I assume you're engaged in more than just household duties," Richa ventured, her tone laced with a hint of provocation as she casually continued enjoying her cake. Beside her, the man shifted uneasily, while Yug was observed giving his sister-in-law a sharp look, momentarily abandoning his plate.

Parul was on the verge of responding when Avika discreetly squeezed her hand under the table, signalling her to pause. Avika could sense Kiaan's rising tension, evident in his rigid posture and tightly set jaw. Richa seemed determined to provoke a reaction, as she didn't hesitate to add, "Well, aaj ke zamane mein ladkiyan bohot aage nikal gayi hai. Mujhe hi dekh lo, main interior designer hu aur ghar ke kharche mein apna contribution bhi deti hu. Iss se kharcho ka burden bhi kam ho jata hai. I mean, main bass apne views share kar rahi hu. Please, don't take it the wrong way." She concluded with a sweet smile, sliding her empty plate towards the middle of the table.