Rab Rakha

Chapter 35

"Once again congratulations mam, we're so happy for you." Riya, from the sales department mentioned. Almost all the ladies from the sales, marketing, administration and executive had taken Kriti out on lunch.

"Thank you girls. Yeh lunch ka idea kiska tha? The guys are gonna think hum half day karke ghar nikal gaye." Kriti joked and the rest of them laughed it off.

"Mam, if it's not personal. Is it an arranged marriage or love?" Shehnaaz asked her manager.

"You could say both, Ritwik and I've been friends since we were kids. Family walon ne suggest kiya, We dated each other for about a couple of years before and here we are." Kriti replied and all the girls were in awe.

"It's straight out of Wattpad." Soha commented and the others laughed at her.

"Let's order something, shall we?" Riya suggested and everybody started going through the menu.

Vardhan and Sidharth were visiting one of the restaurants they had been working upon. Since they didn't have any meetings post lunch, they decided to check out their upcoming and undergoing projects. They would start working on the interior designing of a corporate office in the coming week and inaugurate a restaurant at the same time.

"Acha listen, yaha pass me shopping mall hai. Waha Mira aur Ishani shopping kar rahe hain, kal Ishani US chali jayegi apne parents ke pass. Would you mind if we just drop by and say hi?" Vardhan asked his friend.

"Sure. Chal." Sidharth agreed, they were done with their work early anyway. Also, it had been a while since he met her.

"Hey! Sidharth!" Mira came forward to hug him as soon as they met at the ground floor.

"How are you?" Sidharth greeted Ishani.

"I'm good. What about you?" Ishani returned the gesture.

"The usual. Ho gayi shopping?" He replied.

"Yeah. Let's sit and talk? Mai bohot thak gayi hu, my shoes are killing me. Let's go somewhere." Mira announced and suggested that they go and occupy a table at the restaurant across the street.

"What all did you get? Itne sare bags?" Vardhan asked his wife.

"Aunty aur uncle ke liye gifts hain, Ishu ke bhi gifts liye aur Zara se maine bhi thode kapde le liye." Mira replied, shrugging her shoulders. Her husband didn't react much, he knew his wife was fond of shipping.

"Sidharth, Aunty aur Preeti didi sab Indore gaye hain. Tum nahi gaye?" Mira asked him.

"Ha, meetings me rehna tha mujhe yaha." He answered her.

"Okay. Toh weekend me ghar aa jana in case Aunty log nahi aate, humare koi plans nahi hai." She told him.

"Sure." He nodded. He gestured a waiter to come over and get them some mojito.

"You're fine with the third wheeling?" Ishani asked him.

"Third wheeling aur yeh? Baccha hai ye mera!" Vardhan answered for his friend and all of them laughed.

"It's been so long, I don't even feel like I'm bothering them. Mai bas uth ke inke ghar chala jata hu." Sidharth told her.

"Almost a decade, na Sidharth? I've known him since so long, ke humare beech ki kitni fights Sidharth ne suljhayi hai! Don't even get me started on that!" Mira told her friend.

"That's so nice." Ishani smiled.

"Like pehle he used to be just one of my boyfriend's friends. But one day, Vardhan was out of town for some work and I was travelling late for my interviews one night." Mira began to recite an incident that brought her closer to Sidharth.