Silver Lining | Grooms #3

XXIII. Visiting Home

Esha questioned Nikhil one last time, "Are you sure about this?"

He smiled at her, seated on the passenger seat of the car, "Yes, Esha. Your family is not going to scare me away."

She chuckled, starting the car, "Don't be too sure."

It had been a month since she confessed her growing feelings to him. Esha was going home to see her sister. She had been meaning to visit since Sanam had called to inform of her pregnancy, but with the project, it had been hard to get a few days off, and just going for the weekend wasn't enough. She wanted to stay a few days more. Ofcourse, Sanam had also asked her to bring Nikhil so they could meet him, if he was up for it.

Nikhil was surely not going to pass off the chance of meeting her family. She had met his, and he believed it was high time he met hers. "Why are you so negative about introducing me to your family?"

She took a right turn out of the neighborhood, "They haven't had the best track record in approving my decisions. If they had it their way, I'd be miserable in med school right now."

"Okay, and? We both know you still do what your heart tells you."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that deep down, I don't feel bad for disappointing them. If Sanam hadn't encouraged me to follow my heart despite their wishes, I wouldn't be here right now."

He nodded, and then passed a comment to cheer her up, "Well, no need to worry. They will definitely approve of your decision this time. I'm a catch."

She quickly glanced at him and he winked at her. She chuckled, "That, you are."

"Now, let's get the party started." He turned on the music, and raised the volume. She folded one leg over the seat, getting comfortable. Given it was an automatic car, not a manual, she didn't have worry about using both feet to drive. A few minutes later, they pulled on the interstate.

He sometimes asked her to slow down when she would break the 80s mph, but she simply would tell him to chill out. He sighed and hit his head back on the seat. The next three hours, his heart was unsettled and his mind was alert. He did trust her driving, but he was also careful. He did not want to get into an accident.

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Esha pulled up in an elegant neighborhood and in the driveway of a two-story house with six-door garage. Nikhil was taken aback at how spacious it looked from the outside itself. The design was Mediterranean style. Nikhil did not get much time to get his thoughts together since Esha spoke, "Come on."

She started climbing the steps of the house to reach the front door and rang the doorbell. It had an arched entryway. Nikhil looked around at the perfectly shaped bushes, the luscious courtyard, its pillars, the long windows, the stone walls.

The door opened to reveal a girl in light brown hair with red streaks, medium height and built. She grinned seeing Esha and hugged her. "Eshu!"

"Hey Anaya." Esha answered the hug, shifting back and forth on her foot before parting. "How are you?"

"Good. Great." Anaya answered and then turned to Nikhil with a kind smile, "Hi, I'm Anaya."

Nikhil shook her hand and offered a smile back, "Nikhil."

"I know. Nice to finally meet you. Come in!" She stepped inside and to the side to let them in.

Nikhil awkwardly asked, stopping Esha, "Uh, and our bags?"

"One of the guys will get them." Esha answered and started to walk in. This was normal for her. With the amounts of workers at the house, she had learnt to allow them to bring in her bags every time she visited. At first, she was uncomfortable, just like Nikhil. But Arjun had eventually succeeded in spoiling her.