He likes her sister.
She has a crush on him.
What will happen, when a Rishta meant for her sister is sent to her? How will he react? How will the family react? What's their story?
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"Massi, Maa, what was the need to say all that?" Anisha said, tears forming in her eyes.
I didn't like what had happened. The adults could've had a mature conversation. They didn't have to bring up the past. At first, I wasn't comfortable with the idea of her being in a relationship, but then I realized the hypocrisy. Don't I love Aarohi?
"We are the elders. Don't teach us," Tayi ji scolded.
"But that doesn't mean you can say whatever you want," I intervened, not wanting things to escalate further.
"Yeah, but we don't want to have any relationship with that family. Bahut beizzat ho chuke hain hum unke kaaran." (We have suffered a lot because of them.)
"You are not allowed to call or chat with Kairav. We're going to start looking for rishtas for you. It's about time," Tau ji said firmly. The elders agreed—except for Papa.
"Just take a moment and think about it when you're calmer," he said, trying to ease the rising storm.
"I'll think about it." Tau ji gave him a nod.
Everyone else left except for us youngsters.
"They can't do that to me," Anisha sobbed, sinking into the couch.
Bhabhi pulled her into a hug, letting her cry. No words were spoken. We just let her calm down, let her ease her emotions.
"Nothing will happen. They can't forcefully marry you," I said softly. She was in a vulnerable situation, so I had to carefully choose my words.
"Yes, nothing will happen on our watch. Don't worry," Parth added.
"Do you want to talk to Kairav?" I asked.
"Yes, please. I want to know if he's okay. But... I don't have my phone on me," Anisha said, sitting straighter while wiping her tears.
"Don't worry about that. I'll call Aarohi. She'll give her phone to him," I said, pulling my phone from my pocket.
The phone rang, and Aarohi answered.
"Abhi?" Her voice carried worry. "Is everything okay?"
"No," I admitted. "But I'm trying to make it a little better."
She didn't say anything, but I could hear her breathing.
"Anisha wants to talk to Kairav. Just for a minute."
"She must be so scared," Aarohi said gently. "Hold on. I'll go to him."
I could hear her footsteps quickening on the other end, then a soft pause.
"Okay, I'm with him now. You can talk," she said.
"Cool," I replied, handing the phone to Anisha. "Here. It's him."
She hesitated, her fingers hovering over the phone.
"You can talk here," I said softly.
She gave a tiny nod, brought the phone to her ear, and spoke quietly.
"Hello... are you okay?" Her voice cracked just slightly.
A beat of silence.
"Aapse baat karke mann halka hua..." (Talking to you eased my heart.) She exhaled, her eyes misting again. "Sure. I love you. Bye."
She handed the phone back, her fingers lingering for just a second longer.
"Kairav said he wants me to meet him at a café. Is it possible if we all go?"
"Definitely. We're all free, right?" I asked.
"Yes," everyone answered.
"Perfect."
.
.
.
We piled into the booth, waiting for Kairav and Aarohi to arrive. Parth told the elders we were going out to cheer Anisha up.
Ting.
The door swung open, and Kairav walked in with Aarohi right behind him.
Anisha, who had been sitting at the edge, quickly jumped up and ran toward him, wrapping him in a hug. He didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms.
I sighed. He's a good man. She's happy with him.
The two stayed together for a long moment before moving apart.
Kairav and Aarohi took a seat. Nishtha stood up and said, "I'll go and order food for us. What do you all want?"
"A small iced coffee and Biscoff cookies would be fine. Thanks," I said.
"Chocolate chip cookies and two cappuccinos, please," Bhabhi said.
"Three molten lava cakes and three iced coffees," Kairav added.
"Okay." She walked away.
"What do you think we should do?" Kairav asked.
"Perhaps get married in court," Aarohi suggested.
"Nope, that won't work. You need to convince the family. Have another conversation. Tell them how serious you two are," Nishtha said, setting the coffee down. A waiter came behind her with another tray. She grabbed it and thanked him.
"Why is that?" Kairav asked.
Nishtha took her seat, sipped her latte, and said, "Because this will just give them another excuse to fight. Mom and Dad might blame you for what happens, and your grandparents will blame my sister."
"Whoa, when did my baby sister get this mature?" Parth teased.
She slapped him on the forearm. "Bhai!"
"I'm ready to talk to our family again. This time, I'll convince them for sure," Kairav said.
"Really?" Anisha's eyes gleamed.
"By the way, why did you have Aarohi's phone number?" Parth asked.
I choked on my latte and looked at him.
"Yes, Bhai, tell him," Neil smirked.
"Um... it's because we're neighbours, and... because we're together," Aarohi admitted.
"What?" Kairav snapped.
"Kairav," Anisha said, smiling sweetly. He turned to her.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"I think you forgot that he is my brother," she teased.
"I have no problem," Kairav said quickly. "It just... came out of shock." He paused, then added, "Now, we seriously need to convince our families. Not just for us, but for my sister as well."
