yun hi tu mere saath rehna

Chapter Twenty

“Yaar, yeh kahaan phans gaye!” Aryan cribbed lowly, only for his cousins to hear.

“Haan naa,” Krish agreed. “Armaan Bhaiya ka sahi hai. Woh bach gaye. Aur humein yahaan chod diya.”

“Wahaan Mishti Aunty ke ghar pe kitna mazaa ho raha hoga. Aur hum sab yahaan bore ho rahe hain,” Kiara added.

“Guys, chup-chap baithe raho. Kisine sunn liya toh abhi problem ho jaayegi,” Charu advised.

“Charu, Krish, Kiara, Aryan!” Kaveri called. “Itni kya zaroori baatein ho rahi hain?”

“K— k— kuch… Kuch nahi, Nani Sa,” Krish fumbled. “Hum toh bas… Yeh… Yeh keh rahe the ki… Ki… Khana bohot achcha bana hai.”

“Yeh baat toh bilkul sahi hai,” Vidya agreed. She turned to Swarna and said, “Sach mein. Khana bohot zyada swadisht bana hai.”

The entire Poddar clan had been invited to lunch by the Goenkas. Kaveri had allowed no exceptions but Armaan, who had gotten away with it saying it might be awkward for the Goenkas to host him after his bungled nuptials with Ruhi. Ruhi had tried to assure everyone that was not the case, but Rohit had also agreed that it would be better for Armaan to stay behind. After that, none of Ruhi's words had any meaning. After all, Kaveri would never do anything to hurt her beloved grandson. 

That's how they all found themselves at the Goenka residence. While the elders made small talk, most of the Goenkas' attention was taken by Ruhi. She was talking a mile a minute, telling her B-Nanu & B-Nani everything that had been happening. They indulged her like the caring guardians they were. But, it left the chorus gang to their own devices and they were bored. 

This never happened when they visited the Rajvanshes. Abhira always made sure to include them in her conversations. Plus, they had the other Rajvansh cousins to speak with. Like Abhira had thought, Aryan & Dhriti had quickly become fast friends, while Charu found a friend in Shreya. Kiara & Krish got along splendidly with all of them, but in particular with Raj & Ketan respectively. Whenever they went there, someone or the other would be there to make sure they didn't feel left out. But, nobody would do so here. 

“Guys, yahaan se nikalne ke baad, Bhabhi se milne chalein? Please?” Krish suggested. “Bohot boriyat ho rahi hai. Aur itne dinon se baaki sabse bhi nahi mile.”

“Done!” The other three replied in unison. With their plans for the evening looking brighter, they dug into the food. It really was delicious. They couldn't argue with that.

The meal was disturbed by the ringing of the doorbell. One of the servants opened the door and took the parcel that was delivered, promptly handing it over to Manish. “Sir, koi yeh de gaya hai,” he said. “Kaha ki urgent hai.”

Manish took the envelope and kept it aside, going back to Ruhi who had been interrupted, but Swarna prompted him to open it. “Manish Ji, shayad kuch zaroori ho. Aap check kar lijiye.”

“Swarna, khane ke baad shanti se dekh lenge,” Manish replied. 

“Nahi, B-Nanu,” Ruhi protested. “B-Nani sahi keh rahi hain. Aap ek baar dekh lijiye.” Much as she hated the hindrance, she couldn't deny that what Swarna was saying was right. It had been so long since she'd spent quality time with her grandparents, but she would just do that after he checked whatever the package was. 

Manish gave in. He tore the envelope open, removing the papers. Not even a full minute later, the papers fell from his hand. His breathing became laboured and he began sweating.

“B-NANU!!” Ruhi, who was sitting closest to him, cried. “Kya hua! B-Nanu!”

“Manish Ji!” Swarna shouted, rushing to his side. She offered him a glass of water. “Manish Ji, lijiye… Pani pijiye. Please.” She made him drink a few sips, but he coughed the water out, scaring everyone even more.