His Grumpy Wife

apke liye

Alisha knew exactly who to call. No one could navigate the treacherous waters of wardrobe selection better than her best friend, Aaradhaya. Hitting the speed dial button,

The phone buzzed in Aaradhaya's hand, displaying Alisha's name. As she picked up, a playful yet frantic tone met her ears,
"Aaru, duckss!"

"Kis ki body gad ni hai?" Aaradhaya immediately switched to serious mode, "Duck" being their code word for anything urgent... Alisha chuckled softly, used to her friend's dramatic first assumption. A chuckle from Alisha eased her initial panic.

"Ash, why are you laughing? Matlab matter kuch jyada level pe serious nahi hai ," Aaradhaya chided, her sternness laced with playfulness

"Arre, Aru, it is important!" Alisha countered, a tinge of impatience creeping into her voice. "I have a date tonight, and I have no idea what to wear!"

A stunned silence followed before Aaradhaya exploded, "Hold on a minute! THE ALISHA SINGHANIYA has a date?!"

"And by the way," she continued, her voice laced with playful suspicion, "who exactly are you going with? Don't tell me it's a solo date – the one in which you believe self-love is important and all the other shit…"

"Arre baba, listen na !" Alisha interrupted, her voice gaining urgency. "It's not a solo date, although self-love is important.....I'm going with Aniket ji."

Aaradhaya's jaw practically hit the floor. "Acha acha… EK MIN AP ANIKET BHAI KE SATH DATE PE JA REHI HAI?? UNHONE PUCH LIYE APSE DATE PE JANE KE LIYE AND APNE HAA KARDI!?? "

"Apparently, yes," Alisha stammered, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness while she air quoted the word "bhai" . "I'm going on a date with your 'bhai,' but actually, I asked him out, not the other way around."

Aaradhaya's bewildered voice rose, "YOU asked him out?!" This was certainly not the news she expected to hear first thing in the morning.... She might require a coffee after this conversation and apparently Alisha might also require a masala tea after this conversation because the way Aaradhaya was speaking she knew there was going to be a headache building up

"Listen to me first, okay? You come over, and I'll tell you the whole story, even the part about realizing I might like him…" Alisha trailed off, a blush creeping up her cheeks before ending the call.

Aaradhaya sat there, the phone still in her hand, processing the unexpected news. A date with Aniket? Alisha, the ever-so-independent one, confessing her feelings? This called for an emergency bestieeee meeting, complete with snacks, gossip, and probably a wardrobe raid. The day had just taken an exciting turn, and Aaradhaya wouldn't have it any other way.....

As solitude enveloped Alisha, a wave of overthinking washed over her. "This isn't me," she thought, "going on dates with strangers." isn't my forte.  While Aniket wouldn't be categorized as entirely unknown, He had stepped into the role of protector, offering a sense of security that felt strangely akin to what her mother and Aaradhaya provided. Yet, the weight of the unknown loomed large

Pushing aside the negative thoughts, Alisha decided to surrender the decision to a higher power, her protector. HER MAHADEV she looked up towards the sky and muttered a silent prayer "mahadev ap jante hai... humne apni jindagi ki dori apke haathon mein kab ki rakh di thi toh ab apse hume yeah hei asha hai ki jo bhi hoga humare sath acha hei hoga kyunki ap toh humare baba hai na ap Humare sath galat toh nahi hei hone denge hume ap pr itna toh bharosa hai"

•♫•♬•♬•♫

Aniket could barely contain his excitement for the date. It was an unexpected move from Alisha, but he was thrilled that their relationship was progressing. He rushed home from work, eager to get started on a gift for her. He knew she was bringing something for him, and he wanted to reciprocate the gesture.