yun hi tu mere saath rehna

Chapter Forty Five

Abir stood at the top of the stairs of the first floor of the Rajvansh Villa, surveilling the last minute preparations as the household bustled about him. Abhira's first Rakshabandhan had to be perfect. He would leave no stone unturned to make sure of it. 

He smiled, satisfied, taking in the grandeur. Their home had been transformed in just a few hours, every inch decorated with fresh flowers, draped in the finest silks. The heady scent of lilies, lavenders, and jasmines filled the air and Abir took a deep breath, letting the fragrance settle within him. 

Just as he was about to go downstairs to check that the kitchen was in order, making sure that the extravagant menu that he'd settled on for the day was already underway, he felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around his waist. He felt Mishti rest her head on his back and grinned, turning around so that he could hug his wife properly.

“Hi,” he murmured softly, pressing a quick kiss to her mouth.

“Ajeeb Rajvansh,” Mishti grinned, “itni bhi tension mat lo. Everything is awesome.”

“But it has to be perfect,” Abir pouted. “Itne saalon baad aaj Heera humaare saath hai. Main chaahta hoon aajka din bohot memorable ho.”

“Memorable toh hoga hi,” Mishti countered. “Jab hum sab saath hain, toh isse zyada kisi aur cheez ki kya zaroorat?”

“But…” Abir sighed.

“No but,” Mishti instructed. “Tumhe pata haina Abhira bas yehi chaahti hai ki uski family uske saath ho? Usse inn sab cheezon se farak nahi padta.”

“I know,” Abir agreed. “Lekin tumhe bhi pata haina…”

“Haan, haan,” Mishti laughed. “Mujhe pata hai. You love this production. Tumhe toh waise bhi ghar bharne ka bahaana chahiye. Har function mein sabko invite kar loge aur phir mujhse kehte ho ki main tumhe time nahi deti.”

“Ohhhhhh,” Abir drawled. “Toh yeh baat hai. Tum jealous ho rahi ho, Angry Chorni?”

“Main koi jealous nahi hoon,” Mishti refuted immediately.

“It's okay,” Abir promised. “You can be jealous.”

“Abirrrrrr!” Mishti whined, making Abir laugh.

Pulling her into his arms, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Waise tumhe pata haina… There's no reason to be jealous. Mera saara waqt hamesha sabse pehle sirf tumhaara hai.”

“Oh! Lovebirds!!” Misha called out, breaking their moment. “Bohot kaam pada hai! Aap dono apni yeh lovey-dovey romantic baatein phir kisi din kar lena. Abhi chaliye aur apna kaam dekhiye!”

Abir rolled his eyes. “Why did we have kids again? Itne bade ho gaye ki khudke bachchon ki shaadi ki umar ho gayi hai lekin ab bhi humein akela nahi chodte.”

Mishti giggled, pushing Abir away. “You heard what Mishu said! Chalo. Jao. Kaam karo!”

Sighing, Abir did as she asked, but not before blowing Mishti a kiss, making her blush. Satisfied, Abir hurried down the stairs to the kitchen. Today would be awesome. Nothing would go wrong.

A sharp contrast to the liveliness of the Rajvansh Villa was the sombreness in the house across the street. “Maa Sa, aaj please Rajvansh parivaar ke saamne koi tamasha nahi hona chahiye,” Madhav instructed as the entire Poddar family assembled in the living room, ready to depart for the Rajvansh Villa. “Abir Sa aur Mishti Sa ne bohot pyaar se humein nyota diya hai. Uska maan rakhna humaara farz hai.”

“Madhav!” Kaveri roared. “Ab tum humein sikhaoge ki kiske saamne kaisa bartaav karna hai?”

“Main aapko sikha nahi raha hoon, Maa Sa. Bas bata raha hoon. Woh Armaan ka sasuraal hai. Wahaan humein achche se pesh aana chahiye,” Madhav countered calmly.