You Feel Like Home

Chapter 18: The BFF Reunion

~Arushi~

"Here's the white cloth you asked-", an ever familiar voice caught whole of my attention in between all these overwhelming surprise. The way Ansh's teammates and seniors planned our welcome, it was so warm. But this voice was warmer. I peeked inside not being able to hold back my curiosity and my eyes widened in surprise, of course the happy one.

"Sid?!"

A slow whisper left my mouth when I confirmed it's actually him. Siddhant VASHISHTH, it was my bhalu!! That meant Harshita was the one he always used to be all giddy about and Sandhya Ma'am, I had never met them but I knew all of them by name.

"You two know each other?", Fahad's question brought me back in reality and maybe Sid too, since he was looking startled as well. "Your Bhalu?", Ansh asked me in a slow whisper which was just audible to me and I nodded, tearing up with happy tears. He was posted here so I have all the time to pacify him and make him realize that Ansh is nothing like what he was thinking.

Sid's gaze flickered between me and Ansh and our twined hands. "Avyansh Sir is your husband?", Sid asked to reconfirm and I instantly nodded tightening my grip on Ansh's hand.

"Can someone please elaborate what's happening?", Harshita asked again and this time Sid spoke up, breaking his silence. "Ita, my panda", he pointed towards me and I smiled in contentment, he was at least calling me that. Harshita and Sandhya Ma'am seemed to understand as their expressions changed from confused to surprised to happy.

Sandhya Ma'am was about to pull me in but Payal reminded her about the remaining ritual thing she stopped with whatever she was thinking and told me kick the pot and enter after dipping my feet in the Alta. I nodded following them, it was same like my Grah Pravesh in Malhotra Mansion. But when I had to take my first step inside, I tugged Ansh's hand and understanding my point, he took the first step with me.

Ansh and I entered into what everyone was calling our second home, together. Then we took blessing from Sandhya Ma'am and blessing me like Mrs Avyansh Malhotra, she hugged me as Arushi as well. Sid knew the dark side of my life so I won't be much surprised if they too know any fragment of it. "You know Sid used to talk so much about you. We're so glad to finally meet you"

"I'm glad to meet you too, Ma'am", I said with a smile. But surprisingly she shook her head saying, "You're Sid's panda, call me auntie at least"

"Bu... but how can I...", I hesitantly looked at Ansh but he was neither nodding or denying. "Don't look at him like that, I've lost my count of how many times I've told him to call me auntie, but he loves to stick to his senior decorum. Even Fahad and Payal calls me auntie", Ma'am said again grabbing my attention and earning a sheepish smile from Ansh.

"Correct", Fahad and Payal agreed with her. But then Ansh finally gave in and gave me an encouraging nod. "Okay, umm... auntie", I smiled at Sandhya Ma'am- I mean Sandhya Auntie. I turned to Sid but he instantly looked to the other side. Although I caught him looking at me with a smile already before he started dumbly counting stars on the ceiling. Harshita saw his antics and elbowed him to which he made a wincing face. I chuckled but a sour taste filled my senses, this wasn't how I was supposed to introduce Ansh to him. Though he knows him already I guess, as he was calling Ansh as Avyansh sir but I wanted to make him meet Ansh as my Ansh.

"He'll come around, don't worry", Auntie said. Even if she didn't know what happened between us, it was quite evident that we weren't in good terms or something. Otherwise they too knew that there was no way he would miss my wedding. I gave her a small smiling nod before Payal and Harshita pulled me aside to have a 'know each other better' session. Mostly Payal as Harshita seemed a more reserved kinda person which I had already known from Sid.