𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝 [ Shubman Gill ]

Six

Aditi's ears rang with the deafening silence that followed. Her eyes darted to Shubman, who stood dumbfounded, his face a perfect mix of disbelief and alarm. The letter, now crumpled in his hand, looked more like a prop in an absurd play. It felt like the whole world had paused, waiting for her reaction, her answer to this sudden twist.

"Aap... kya keh rahi hain, badi maa?" Aditi stammered, her voice cracking with equal parts of confusion and panic. "Shaadi... mere aur iski?"

Kiara's mother grasped Aditi's hand even tighter, her desperation palpable. "Beta, mujhe pata hai yeh sab bohot jaldi ho raha hai, lekin Kiara bhaag gayi. Shubman ko aise chhodna theek nahi hoga." Her voice wavered as she added, "And you two have always been.....close... it could work."

Aditi's gaze flicked to Shubman, whose eyes were still wide with shock. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking like a fish out of water. Ishan's nervous laughter broke the silence.

"Haan yaar, just imagine," he quipped, "abhi jo mandap set up ho gaya hai, usme sirf naam badal ke sab solve ho jaayega. Problem solved, right?"

Before anyone could retort, Aditi snapped, "Ishan, agar tu abhi ek aur word bolega na, toh main tumhe us mandap ke side waale pool mein daal dungi." She glared at him so intensely that Ishan quickly backed off, raising his hands in surrender.

"Bhabhi why are you saying? How can you think of doing something like that? Atleast bacchon se baare me to socho." Anita intervened, attempting to take a stand for her daughter in front of her sister in law— the lady who always put familial reputation before everything.

Atharva stepped forward too, his voice steady but urgent. "Look, badi maa, I understand you're worried about Kiara, but yeh solution thoda zyada extreme nahi hai? My sister isn't sone plan B!" He glanced at Shubman, briskly walking towards him and shouted, smacking his arm. "Bhai, bol na kuch."

But Shubman was still struggling to process it all. His thoughts collided in his mind—Kiara's sudden departure, the news of her pregnancy, and now, the proposal for a wedding swap as if they were switching dance partners at a party. He turned to Aditi, his voice hesitant and low. "Aunty, I... I don't even know what to say."

Ishan piped up, "Toh, iss sab ka matlab hai ke baraat ka kya hoga? Koi band baja nahi hoga kya?"

Shahneel couldn't resist. "Don't worry, Ishan. Agar tu chaahe, toh tu hi dhol bajane lag jaa. Thoda entertainment ho jaayega." She sardonically said.

Meanwhile, Aditi exhaled deeply, her heart pounding in her chest. There was a brief, absurd thought about how she had been eating chocolate just moments ago, blissfully unaware of the impending chaos.

Her mouth opened but she was immediately cut off by Anirudh, who had joined the fray. "Beta, I know this isn't fair to you, but think about it. Tum dono pehle se hi ek dusre ko itne acche se jaante ho. And we were family friends even before all this. Maybe... maybe it's not such a crazy idea."

Aditi shot him a look, raising an eyebrow. "So basically, we're doing this to avoid disappointing a bunch of aunties who came here just for free food?"

"That's oversimplifying it," Keart said, her voice wavering. "But yes, in a way, it's about keeping things from falling apart."