Faded Ties, Rekindled Hearts

Chapter 18

In the evening, Arnav returned from the office, a sense of accomplishment evident on his face. As he entered the living room, he called out to Ishita, "Raj Singhania ne hume dinner ke liye bulaya hai. Our combined project has been a huge success, so he wants to celebrate tonight."

Ishita nodded, understanding the importance of the dinner. "Main Tanya ko bata deti hoon," she replied, knowing that Tanya would need to be informed.

Arnav, already heading to his study room to wrap up some work, instructed, "I'll be in the study for a while. We'll leave soon. Make sure Tanya knows."

Ishita made her way to Tanya's room, only to find her fast asleep, still recovering from the first day of school. Instead of waking her up, Ishita decided to set an alarm for one hour, giving Tanya some more rest. She wrote a note and left it on Tanya's bedside table, reading, "Please be ready and come to the Singhania house. We'll leave before you. The driver will take you there."

After setting the alarm and placing the note, Ishita returned to Arnav and explained, "Tanya abhi so rahi hai. I've set an alarm for her to wake up after an hour. She'll come to the Singhania house with the driver. Raj aur Avantika family hi hain, so they won't mind."

Arnav smiled in agreement. "Haan, it's fine. She can join us a little later."

With that settled, Arnav and Ishita prepared to leave for the Singhania house, knowing Tanya would follow soon.

Meanwhile, at the Singhania house, Avantika was busy overseeing the servants, making sure everything was perfect for the dinner. As she adjusted the table settings, she noticed Yuvraj entering, drenched in sweat from his football practice and still wearing his jersey.

"Yuvi! Tu ab aa raha hai? Aur ye kya haal bana rakha hai? Ja, jaldi se ja ke naha le aur tayaar ho ja," Avantika scolded him, her tone sharp.

Yuvraj, clearly exhausted, rolled his eyes and groaned, "Kyun tayaar hona hai, Mom? Abhi thak kar aaya hu practice se, bas sona chahta hu. I just want to sleep, mujhe kahin nahi jaana."

Avantika, unfazed by his excuses, crossed her arms and replied, "Toh kaun le ja raha hai tujhe? Arnav aur Ishita aa rahe hain dinner par. Kam se kam change to kar le! Aise aayega kya dinner par?"

Hearing Arnav and Ishita's names immediately caught Yuvraj's attention, and his mind went straight to Tanya. His tiredness seemed to vanish as he curiously asked, "Tanya bhi aa rahi hai?"

Avantika gave him a look, "Kyun nahi aayegi? Ye family dinner hai!"

Suddenly, a mischievous grin spread across Yuvraj's face. "Pehle batana tha na, Mom! Just give me 15 minutes. Abhi ready ho ke aata hoon!" His energy renewed.

Avantika narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her son's sudden enthusiasm. "Kya chal raha hai tere dimag mein? Ye devil smile kyu de raha hai? Dekh, Yuvi, ye dono families ka bond bahut achha hai, tere papa ke college time se. Tu koi gadbad nahi karega, samjha? Ye jo bhi teri narazgi ya ladai hai Tanya se, woh sirf tum dono ke beech rakhna. Hum badon ke beech mein nahi aana chahiye."

Yuvraj smirked even more, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Mom, aap tension mat lijiye. Main apni ex-best friend ka bohot achhe se khayal rakhunga." He winked before heading off to get ready, leaving Avantika shaking her head, knowing all too well that her son had something brewing.

In his room, Yuvraj began tossing shirts out of his wardrobe, muttering to himself in frustration. "Uff yaar, kya pehnu? Usko kya accha lagega?" He paused for a moment, contemplating his options. Then, with a smirk, he added, "Beta Yuvi, wo to tujhe dekh ke billi jaise nochne ko daudti hai, aur tu yaha ye soch raha hai ki use kaunsi shirt pasand aayegi?"