Chapter 6

[NOCOPY]

Previously: Raavi has a sleepless night before her mehendi, before the ceremony she sees Shilpa getting close to Shiva and teams with Krish to spoil her mehendi ceremony.

Part 6

After instructing Krish about what to do with the laxatives, Raavi went back to join the rest of the family in the angan.

“Arey Raavi, kahan gayab ho gayi tu, aa aake bait. Teri mehendi lagva dete hai,” Dhara said spotting Raavi immediately.

Raavi sat as far as possible from Shilpa and held out her hand for the mehendi.

Krish walked out of the kitchen just then with two glasses of sherbet.

“Arey baita, bahut acha kiya tune, mera gala sook gayi hai,” Maami said reaching out for a glass.

Krish gave her a look, “Maami, aap khud kitchen se le lena. Ye meri nayi bhabhiyon ke liye hai,” he said giving one to Shilpa. But mehendi was being applied on both her hands so her mother helped her drink it.

Shilpa smiled at Krish sweetly and said thanks.

Krish felt a twinge of guilt, he turned to Raavi and held out the other glass to her.

But before she could reach her free hand for it, another hand swooped down and grabbed it.

She looked up annoyed to see Shiva standing next to her, taking a sip and smirking.

“Krish, shaadi nahi huyi hai aur tu toh bhabhiyon ka gulaam ban gaya,” he chided Krish.

“Shiva, vo meri glass hai. Mujhe do!” Raavi said annoyed.

He offered the glass to her, “mera juta piyegi?” He locked eyes with her, daring her to drink it.

She grabbed the glass from him with her free hand and drank it all in one go. She licked her lips and looked back at him narrowing her eyes.

“Raavi, tu-“ came Shilpa’s annoyed voice from next to her, but before she could complete her sentence, her hands clutched her stomach and her face contorted with pain.

A bead of sweat rolled down from Shilpa’s forehead, as she got up and ran.

Dhara and her mother ran behind her, leaving Krish, Raavi and Shiva behind.

Raavi fell back on the floor laughing out loud. Krish was also holding his stomach, he was blinking back his tears as he tried to control his laughter. 

Shiva pieced it together. “Toh ye tum do nautankiyon ki kaam hai, chal beta tujhe abhi dikhata hoon,” he said pulling Krish’s ears.

Krish gave Raavi panicked look, reaching out his hands for Raavi to protect him.

Raavi got up on her knees, despite the protest of the girl applying her mehendi, and pulled Shiva’s arm towards her.

He was caught by surprise and fell down on the cushions next to her with an “uff!”

“Ay gadhedi! Kya kar rahi hai!” He said trying to get back up.

She quickly put her free arm over his shoulder and pulled him close to her, smiling widely at him.

“Tu mere saath bait, mujhe yahaan baite baite bahut bore ho rahi hai,” she said giving him her puppy dog eyes and pouting slightly.

Shiva’s gaze caught on her lower lip and his breath hitched. He wanted to lean in and take bite it.

A shudder ran through him as he closed his eyes and tried to compose himself.

“Chod mujhe” He said, his voice strained.

“Oh! Tujhe usse join karni hai? Krish, chal! Shiva ke liye bhi voh special sherbet le aa,” she said with a laugh.

“Didi, aap-“ started the mehendi girl, but was interrupted by Raavi.

“Shiva, tujhe abhi time hai, uss daayan se shaadi thod de,” she whispered in his ears.

“Ay MamiKiBehenKiBeti! Pagal ho gayi hai kya? Kal se ye kya naya drama chalu kar rakhi hai tune,” he said annoyed.

“Shiva, tu mujhe dekh. Bilkul pari dikh rahi hoon na? Aur usse dekh sadi huyi aalo jaisi hai. Ab agar hum dono bahu banke yahan aagaye, toh bechari ko bahut inferiority complex ho jayegi,” she said turning her mouth down into a sad face.

“To mein sirf tumhe use bachane ke liye keh rahi hoon,” she finished. 

Holding him close to her with her arm around his neck and leaning further in to whisper in his ears, Raavi had gotten very close to him. She didn’t notice how still he had gone.

Shiva didn’t hear a word of what she said, all he could feel was her breathe in his ears as she spoke.

“Didi-“ the mehendi girl started again.

Just then an aged neighbour of the Pandya house who was walking by saw Raavi almost sitting on Shiva’s lap.

“Arey baita! Itni ache lag rahe ho dono saath saath! Kisi ki nazar na lage,” the old lady said pinching both their cheeks.

They both looked up in shock at her.

“In dono ki shaadi nahi hai, Shiva toh Raavi ka devar hone waala hai,” said the aunty next to her, with a disgusted expression on her face.

“Ey Bunty aunty, aapki paet nahi bari kya puri Somnath ke gossip karke, hamari bhi karane aayi,” said Shiva.

“Haan, aur ye mera Shiva hai. Mein jo bhi karun, aapko kyun problem ho rahi hai,” said Raavi siding with Shiva.

“Iss generation ki yahi problem hai, zubaan badi tez chalti hai,” chided the nosy lady.

“Haan, hum bahut tez hai. Aur tamasha dekhna hai?” asked Raavi, and swiftly gave Shiva a peck on his cheek.

“Ab khush? Ya kuch aur bhi dekhni hai?” Raavi smirked at both of them who were gaping now.

Raavi had a satisfied smile on her face as she turned to Krish, who had a similar expression on his face.

She turned to the mehendi girl who looked horrified.

Raavi giggled and turned to Shiva, he was staring at her with an expression she couldn’t decipher, she’d never seen anyone look at her like that before.

A shiver ran through her at the expression. His arm that was at his side till then snaked around her waist and pulled her close.

Raavi bit her lips.

“Dhara bhabhi!” Krish cried seeing his bhabhi and Shilpa return.

The moment was broken and Shiva immediately let go of her and stood up and walked away.

“Didi?” came the mehendi girl’s quiet voice. “Please mujhe daanta math, meine aapse puchne ki koshish ki thi. Par aap busy the, aur Shiva bhaiya aapke paas baite the aur meine socha ki aap dono ki shaadi thi. Isliye unke naam likdi aapke haath main.” She said pointing at Raavi’s mehendi.

Krish smirked and ran after Shiva to taunt him with this new piece of information.

Dhara and Shilpa who had taken seats next to Raavi also heard it.

“Ye kya hai? Raavi, abhi jaake haath dho,” cried Shilpa.

“Haan Raavi, aaja,” said Dhara worried.

Raavi knew she should be annoyed at the mehendi girl, but in that split second she couldn’t remember which other name was supposed to be written instead.

She just nodded, but as she was about to go wash off her mehendi Shilpa complained of stomach ache again.

Dhara helped her stand up, “aaja hum doctor ke paas chalte hai.” And both of them left.

Raavi sank back into the cushions. “Tum iss haath mein bhi mehendi laga dena,” she said smiling a little too sweetly at the girl.

The girl looked appalled but she did as she was told.

“Krish, tum toh bahut hi kamaal ki partner in crime nikhle. Mission MNRW success!” she thought to herself, having noted that both of Shilpa’s hands were incomplete.

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After the girl finished applying her mehendi, Raavi went to find Krish.

She found him lounging on the terrace with a glass full of sherbet. She went to him and stood with her hands on her hips.

“Krish! Tu idhar taare gin raha hai kya?! Responsibility naam ki bhi koi cheez honi chahiya. Hume abhi bahut kaam karna bakhi hai! Utt!” she ordered unimpressed with how carefree he was being.

“Raavi bhabhi, please mujhe bakshdo!” he whined.

“Arey Krish, kaisa bhai hai tu. Apni bhai ke liye itna bhi nahi karega?” she tried to guilt trip him.

“Meri maa! Vo sherbet waali kaand mein hum bach gaye, isse zyada mere paas himmath nahi hai. Aap koyi dusra devar doond lo, bhagwan ke liye mujhe chod do,” he said getting up and running away.

Raavi looked at his retreating form with a long face.

♥️

Part 7 - Page 18