𝐘𝐞𝐡 𝐇𝐚𝐢 𝐀𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞

𝑀𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝐼𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝐸𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒

Ｔ𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 20: 𝙰𝚛𝚘𝚑𝚒 𝚁𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕,

"Hai toh dusmani, par yeh rista aaj ke baad hamesha ke liye khatam hoga, toh kyun na isse mithai ke saath khatam kare?" Arohi gathered all the ingredients to make kaju katli. "Ayaan toh bahana hai, asli mein toh mujhe khani hai," she said with a grin, wrapping an apron around herself and tying her hair into a bun.

Following all the steps taught by Dida, the entire house soon filled with the delicious aroma of freshly made sweets. Just then, Prerna walked in to get the broom.

"Tu yeh kya kar rahi hai? Subah subah kaju katli?" she asked, impressed by Arohi's efforts. "Haan Maa! Woh gamandi ke liye..." Prerna frowned, "Uske liye? kyun?"

"Maa, mana ki woh dusman hai, par aaj ke baad mein usse nahi milungi. Toh iss dusmani ko bhi mithai ke saath bidaai de du," Arohi explained. Prerna's lips curved downwards in contemplation as she walked away. "Jaldi aana, aaj hum Divya Old Age Home mein bhojan karwa rahe hain," she reminded Arohi.

"Apne bataya nahi, bol deti toh yeh kaju katli zyada banati," Arohi said, looking at the  sweets and pouting.

"Wahan kam se kam 200 log honge aur kaju bahut mehengi hai. Chodo, mein Dhruv ko bolke doosri mithai mangwati hoon," Prerna replied. Arohi nodded as both got engrossed in their work.

Arohi packed the kaju katli neatly into a small box and headed to her room. She took a quick shower, letting the warm water wash away any lingering stress. Stepping out, she chose a simple yet elegant flowery kurta. The soft patterns on the fabric mirrored her intent to end this enmity on a gentle note. She blow-dried her hair and let it down, heading to do her daily light makeup, though her beauty needed no enhancement. She applied a small bindi, some lipstick, and a long winged eyeliner that complemented her eyes.

Pulling a few strands of hair, she twirled them with her finger and smiled at herself in the mirror. "Let's go," she said softly.

Walking out, she found her mother talking to her father through a video chat.

"Itna sab hua tum logon ne important nahi samjha mujhe batana?" Rajeev scolded, clearly disappointed that they hadn’t informed him about Arohi's condition earlier.

"Bacchi, tu kaisi hai?" His tone softened as Arohi appeared on the screen.

"Baba, ab theek hoon. Aap chinta mat karo. Aur haan, diabetes ka medicine toh aap yahi bhool gaye? Waha mila kya?" Arohi asked with concern.

He nodded, appreciating her care. "Haan, mil gaya. Bye beta!"

Arohi gripped the edge of the chair as she waved goodbye and ended the call. She looked at her mother and then at Dida. "Maa, I will be back." Prerna nodded.

Taking her scooty to the park nearby, Arohi felt a mix of determination and doubt. She wasn't sure if Ayaan would actually come, but she went with full confidence anyway. As she arrived, she parked her scooty at the side and walked into the park, scanning the area for any sign of Ayaan.

"Gamandi, pata hai woh aane wala toh nahi. Kambakhat yuhi yeh mithai banaya, uske liye kuch karna toh time waste hai sachi mein," she mumbled, walking towards the exit, not noticing him trailing behind her, waiting for her to stop blabbering to herself.

"Jab ki tujhe pata Hai Arohi Woh kesa Gamandi Hai, Why did you even bother!" She mumbles disappointed

"Only if you shut your mouth and turn around, maybe you'll know," a sudden voice whispered in her ear. She turned promptly, shocked to see him standing there.