"Kitna pyaara lag raha hai mera beta," Shalini, with a beaming face, entered Ram's room.
"Aapse bahut kam," Ram grinned, admiring his mother, who was decked out in his favorite 'Rani pink' sari, looking pretty as always.
"Maa ko ched raha hai," Shalini playfully scolded, placing kohl behind his earlobe.
"Aap bhi toh lagao," Ram mimicked her action, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Jaan, main aapki baat maan raha hu, aapko bhi meri baat dhyan rakhni padegi aur acche se rest karna padega. Idhar-udhar nahi bhagna hai," he repeated the same line for the umpteenth time in the past two days.
"Ab tumhe jhelne wali aa rahi hai, toh mujhe bas aram hi aram karna hai. Uska welcome toh acche se karne de," Shalini spoke, making a pout.
"Oohooo, beautiful log," Shardul added before Ram could protest, entering the room.
"Idhar aa, teri bhi nazar utarni hai," Shalini repeated her action with Shardul, making Ram and him smile heartily as the trio shared a group hug.
"In sab ke chakkar mein main bhool jaun uske pehle: Ram, guess kar apna engagement surprise," Shardul spoke in a teasing tone, sharing a knowing glance with Shalini.
"Ae, aaj koi mazak nahi, please. Mujhe already bahut anxiety ho rahi hai," Ram spoke, fearful of any stupid prank by his friends and cousins.
"Dekh rahe ho, maa," Shardul spoke, mimicking a hurt face towards Shalini.
"Bataega?" Ram asked, nonchalant about his acting.
Shardul turned his gaze towards the door. "Surprise!" A young girl wearing a golden outfit entered the room with a wide smile.
"Sona," Ram whispered, surprised, looking at his favorite cousin, who was no less than a little sister to him.
"Ram bhai," she came forward, hugging Ram.
"Tere exams the na?" he asked as they broke the hug.
Shardul, Shalini, and Sona shared a disappointed look.
"Kitne boring ho aap! Taeji tak samajh gayi thi main jhoot bol rahi hoon aapko surprise dene ke liye," she answered, clearly disappointed in her brother.
"Aap sab mile hue the," Ram spoke, looking at the trio with a frown.
"Gussa baad mein hona, pehle photo khichte hain," she spoke excitedly, taking out her mobile phone.
"Has le," Shardul said to Ram, putting his hands around his shoulder, posing for the picture.
"Hashtag mere bhai ki shaadi hai," Sona cheered, almost clicking on the shutter button.
"Ruko, ruko," Shalini stopped them. "Hashtag rahega mere bete ki shaadi," she added, making everyone's smile wider.
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.
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Ram secretly looked at his watch while talking to the guests.
As if by luck, Alekha came at the same moment, informing him about the arrival of the Soods.
As he reached closer to the entrance, he saw his mother, mami, and chachi standing near them.
"Bahot accha socha hai, bahot pyaara lag raha hai," he heard his mother. He didn't know the context but was sure she must be taking Priya's or Sood's side.
"Namaste," he greeted everyone while he and Priya shared a small nod with a tiny little smile.
" Tum dono baate karo, tab tak hum log engagement wagra ka dekh lete hain," on Shalini's saying, the two left the place, walking near the area where Shardul, Alekha, and Sona were standing.
YOU ARE READING
Meant to be......together !!
General FictionA not-so-typical arranged marriage romance: Ram Kapoor, owner of the famous food delivery start-up 'India Eatz', is among the richest businessmen in the country. Despite having both wealth and power, he felt like a failure when he wasn't able to do...
