Love Me Again

Chapter 42

As the family gathered for dinner at the restaurant after a long day at the beach, Rohit’s patience was wearing thin. He had hoped to sit beside Virat and Samira, craving the proximity to his husband, but Arjun beat him to it, sliding into the seat next to Virat with a smile. Rohit’s jaw tightened as he took the other side, feeling increasingly like an outsider in his own family.

Virat, sandwiched between Arjun and Rohit, sensed the tension simmering beside him. Samira, seated on Rohit’s lap, was lazily picking at her food, clearly exhausted from the day’s activities. As she fumbled with her spoon, Virat leaned over to wipe a smudge of sauce from her cheek.

"Samira, dhyaan se khaana. Don’t make a mess"

Rohit watched, his heart aching as Virat’s fingers brushed against Samira’s cheek.

Their eyes met briefly, and for a moment, Rohit felt a flicker of hope. But Virat, catching the intensity in Rohit’s gaze, quickly looked away, burying his discomfort under a neutral expression as he focused on his meal. The distance between them felt palpable, and Rohit’s frustration grew.

Across the table, Ishan was in his own world, enthusiastically feeding Ayansh from his plate. Both of them wore matching sunglasses perched on their heads, creating an adorable mini-me moment that didn’t go unnoticed by Shubman, who watched with a smile tugging at his lips.

Ishan grinned, taking a playful selfie with Ayansh as they both struck goofy poses. It was moments like these that made him feel closer to his son, easing some of the tension between him and Shubman.

Rahul, meanwhile, was slumped in his seat, eyes half-closed as he fought off sleep. Hardik, ever the attentive husband, kept insisting he eat more, piling food onto Rahul’s plate despite his protests.

Rahul whined. "Hardik, bas karo. I’m tired, and this food never ends.

"Tumne pura din kuch theek se nahi khaya baby i promise this is last but say aaah"

Rahul sighed, knowing there was no winning this argument. He took small bites, glancing around at the family’s interactions, his thoughts drifting as Hardik fussed over him.

Meanwhile, Mahi sat beside Sonu, with Ziva nestled between them.

He occasionally fed her small bites, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of Virat and Rohit.

Something felt off.

Virat had been quieter than usual since arriving in Chennai, and the unspoken tension between him and Rohit was growing impossible to ignore. Mahi decided he would talk to Virat later, needing to clear the air and understand what was going on.

Arjun, oblivious to the emotional undercurrents at the table, launched into an animated story, recounting a memory that sent a jolt through Rohit.

"Aur yaad hai Virat, Mahi aur Sonu ki shaadi ke waqt? Jab tum mere ghar pe the, aur hum bina bataye yahan aa gaye the. Raat bhar Chennai ghoomte rahe, aur kisi ko pata bhi nahi chala."

Arjun laughed, his eyes sparkling with nostalgia, while Virat squirmed slightly, embarrassed by the attention. He glanced nervously at Rohit, whose expression had hardened.

The laughter that once connected them felt like knives now, each memory a reminder of what he hadn’t shared with Rohit.

Rohit’s grip on his spoon tightened, the metal bending under the pressure.

He tried to focus on his plate, but Arjun’s words echoed in his head.

Rohit and Virat were dating when mahi and soun got married, Rohit remember Virat come to Chennai for almost month for sonu mahi wedding, when virat come back to Mumbai he shared everything with Rohit about his fun activity at his cousin brother wedding... but not this... not where he went out with Arjun and roam around the Chennai or whatever.