The Man of my Life

Chapter 3

Reyansh was busy talking to the event manager on his airpods, giving him instructions for the upcoming party. He said, "Yeah, I want it ready by 7:00pm."

He was interrupted by Aryan, his assistant, who entered his cabin and said, "Reyansh, Radhika aunty had called and said that you should go home now as Riya di has locked herself in the room."

Reyansh felt a surge of concern and worry for his sister, who was going through a rough patch in her marriage. He nodded and said, "Hmm... Cancel all my meetings today, Aryan. If there is any important meeting, you attend it."

Aryan nodded and said, "Sure, Reyansh." Reyansh said, "Come home at 8:00, for di's birthday." Aryan nodded and went out. Reyansh grabbed his keys and went towards the basement, where his BMW was parked. He got into his car and drove towards Singhaniya Mansion, his family home.

He reached the mansion and rushed inside, without bothering to greet the servants. He saw Radhika, his aunt, sitting on the couch, looking worried. He asked, "Chachi, where is di?" Radhika said, "She is in her room, beta."

Reyansh ran towards Riya's room and knocked on the door. He said, "Di, please darwaza kholo, main Reyansh."

He heard some movement inside and the door opened. He saw Riya, his sister, standing there with red eyes and a pale face. He went inside and hugged her tightly. Riya hugged him back and buried her head in his chest. Reyansh stroked her hair gently and said, "What happened, Di?"

Riya said, "U-unnone kaha ki vog aaj nahi aa sakte kyunki usko koi zaroori kaam hai." She told him that her husband had called and said that he could not come today because he had some urgent work. Reyansh said, "Di, voh ek lawyer hain na, toh kaam hoga. Aur hum hai, Chachi hai, Chachu hai aur Raman bhi aaj Delhi se aaraha hai."

He tried to console her, saying that her husband was a lawyer and he must have work. He also reminded her that they were there for her, along with their uncle and their cousin Raman, who was coming from Delhi. Riya hiccuped and kept her head on Reyansh's shoulder. She said, "Chote, tum aisa kabhi nahi karoge na?" She asked him if he would ever do something like that to her.

Reyansh said, "Di, aap mere liye bohot important aur main aapko chodke kahi nahi jaaongi." He assured her that she was very important to him and he would never leave her. Riya lifted her head and smiled. She kissed Reyansh's forehead and said, "Chote, tum duniya ka sabse achha chote bhai hoon. Mere saare friends kehtaha hai ki unka chote bhai bohot parishan karthe hai, par mere chote mere kyaal rakta hai. Mujhe kabhi kabhi lagta hai ki main hi choti behen hoon aur tum bada bhai hoon."

She praised him for being the best younger brother in the world. She said that all her friends complained about their younger brothers, but her brother took care of her. She said that sometimes she felt like she was the younger sister and he was the older brother. Reyansh smiled lightly and said, "Accha, aap aaram karo. Party par aap bohot lively toh rehna hai na."

He told her to rest and said that she had to be lively at the party. Riya nodded and ruffled his hair. Reyansh went towards his room and went inside. He called his brother-in-law, who picked up the phone and said, "Jiju, aap aaj kyu nahi aara hain?"

He asked him why he was not coming today. His brother-in-law said, "Ansh, mujhe aaj shaam bohot zaroori case ka study hai isiliye main nahi aasakte."

He said that he had to study for a very important case in the evening and that was why he could not come. Reyansh said, "Hmm... di bohot royi kyunki aap nahi aaraha hain." He told him that his sister had cried a lot because he was not coming. He heard a sigh and said, "Main kya karu, main bhi raani saheba ki saat baat kiya aur voh rone shuru kiya."

He said that he did not know what to do, he had also talked to his wife and she had started crying. Reyansh said, "Kal aane kiliye koshish kariye jiju, di bohot kush hoga." He asked him to try to come tomorrow, saying that his sister would be very happy. Then he disconnected the call and opened his laptop. He worked for a few hours before the party, trying to forget the troubles of his family.