Homecoming
Naina did not look apologetic, but at least Inder was polite enough to drop her off at home
Akash insisted he come in so they could talk
He looked fearful and lost when he hesitated Viveka noticed as she sipped her chai,
It two days before Diwali…
It was not even 6 AM that foggy morning
Akash insisted Inder come in
Anu was frozen in shock
Akash did not tell her when Naina was returning just in case his rebellious daughter decides on Plan B
Naina went into her room and shut the door as if the family owed her an apology
“chai peekar jaana”
Anu stared at the guy dumbfounded
He was tall muscular and stocky like he was a younger version of Salman Khan
He had a somewhat charming smile
He frequently flicked his hair back nervously
Viveka made chai
“Kaise chali gayi beta Naina?” Akash mumbled politely
“Umm.. I guess she was upset so” Anu detected a strong Brit accent
“To? Aise ghar chhodkar thodi bhaag jaate hain?”
The twins were sleeping in the parents room
Dadi was in the twins’ room right near the living room
Akash kept it low
“Thank you for bringing her back” Anu tried not to cry but did somehow
“I am sorry Ma’am”
“Do you love her beta? I haven’t asked you. Us din aap dono” Akash reminded Inder of the making out that morning”
“Umm… yes sir” “I like her a lot” he nodded and smiled
“Phir aapne break up kaise kiya?”
“Umm.. I guess”
Viveka brought his chai and wondered what happened to the charming people pleaser she saw back in Jaipur
“We live with my parents beta, ghar mein shaadi hai, bas ek mahiney mein, do you know Harsha Shrivastav?” Akash asked
Inder lowered his head in shame, that’s where he had met Naina for the first time
“Yahan society mein dekho sab log poochhte rehte hain Naina nahi dikhi, we live a different life beta, things are harder to explain, there is a lot more scrutiny”
Anu could not see her husband be so reasonable and mature, she wanted to pull Inder’s hair and smack him on his face
She got up wiping tears and walked into Viveka’s room
Viveka sat dumbfounded
As Akash continued
“If u had told me you like her I would have approached your parents” Akash nodded seeking agreement
Inder squirmed again
“I want to be modern beta but I am surrounded by certain family traditions, I am unable to be” Akash tried to tell Inder it was stupid of Inder to go away on a pre marital honeymoon like that with the whole family watching
“We just wanted to go on a short trip” Inder mumbled
“Aap dono almost mahiney se gaayab ho, do your parents worry at all?” he questioned
Inder nodded sadly
“Aapne unse baat ki?”
He nodded politely
“Dekho Naina ne hamey EK PHONE nahi kiya” Akash teared up at the utter humiliation
“She was afraid”
“Jab bhaagi thi TAB nahi laga dar?
Viveka sighed… “Ufff” she groaned getting up
She knocked on Naina’s door
“Nainaa” she whispered between each knock lest Dadi woke up
Naina reluctantly opened the door wearing her night clothes
“Papa ko sorry kaho” Viveka urged
“Tum MA ho?” Naina mocked
“Ma to baat karengi nahi abhi”
“DON’T try to be the boss of the house Veev” Naina warned
“Kya matlab?”
“You engineer everything, you tell people what to do how to behave, you hook up with rich dudes and lay down different rules for me” Naina whispered behind shut door
“You’ve JUST returned after spending a month with Inder. I broke my engagement off Naina” Viveka was angry at herself for taking crap from her sis
Naina looked stunned for a second
“I KNEW IT, Inder’s bua is a monster SHE connived my breakup”
“Oh?” Viveka’s heart sank
“But I am stronger” Naina was smug
“He did what Inder did to me once, at least now you will know”
“Ab bhi tumhe bas apni padi hai?” Viveka hissed
“I don’t want to talk I am tired”
“Inder ke jaane se pehle Papa ko sorry bolo”
“Nahi”
Viveka stood glaring
Inder was sipping his tea quietly
Akash sat across him breathing heavily
“Aage kya socha aapne?”
“Umm… I don’t know”
“If you or her are planning something I need to know” akash was biting for the first time
“I have to go back to London” Inder explained
Anu reappeared after washing her face and looking a litte more calm
“Naina ne chai peya?” she asked Viveka
Viveka hadn’t even asked her
“OK let me say this, you will not approach Naina until you want to get married to her, I will speak to your parents first” Akash sighed wearily and leaned back
“We are thinking about it”
“You want to get married?” Akash’s face lit up
Finally! Some good news
“I mean we haven’t thought of doing it”
“that’s what I meant” Inder explained
“You just said you were thinking”
“Umm.. sorry I meant it in a “We are still thinking not ready to rush in”
“Pichhle 4 mahiney mein nahi soch paaye aap?” Akash questioned
Inder acted like he didn’t understand
“You had time to mulll it over” Akash repeated
“Umm… I can talk to Naina”
“Not today not right now” he said firmly
“akash” Anu interrupted
“Nahi Anu”
Dadi opened her door and her eyes opened wide in shock
Viveka looked away
Unwilling to deal with it
“Can I say goodbye?” Inder insisted
“Umm.. probably not” Akash sighed
Inder nodded got up
“thanks for the tea”
“U are welcome” Akash got up and shook his hand “For the tea” he said firmly
Akash paused outside Naina’s shut door and then walked to Viveka’s room and shut the door and lay down
He sat up again and texted Satyen
“Thank u sir” he said
“Sir kehkar aap mujhe humiliate kar rahe hain bhai sahib”
“We are no longer samdhis” Akash sent a genial smiley “To sir kehna to banta hai” “I am thanking the CEO of Power Engg”
“Dost to hain” Satyen sent back two smileys
“Happy Deepavali” Akash yawned and waited for the blurry words on the screen to become clear
“Aap sabko bhi, including Ms Mathur” Satyen reminded
“Keh doonga”
“Kaisi hain?” “Ms Mathur?”
“theek sir”
“Phir kaha?”
“Hahaha She is good, she is always busy” Akash never felt pity for his daughter but today he did
Nobody had asked Viveka to sacrifice her relationship for Naina’s sake
The Naina episode reminded Viveka what she was dealing with when it came to Parashars and the insurmountable odds
Samajhdar ko ishara kaafi hai
Diwali came uneventfully at mathurs
Everyone trooped to Shrivastavs since the soon to wedded couple were celebrating together. Akash ordered Naina to drag her sorry a--- over to Bua’s
Naina did
She spoke less and cried less, Anu was not speaking to her again
Naina was not speaking to Viveka because she urged her to apologize to Papa
Viveka was used to that now
Bua had a million questions for Naina and for Viveka it seemed like
“Jeeji ab to Naina laut aayi hai kar do na aap pakki Viveka ki shaadi?”
“Umm.. pata nahi” Anu mumbled taking out dahi vada in a large crystal tray
“Viveka ki baat hoti hai?” Savita probed
“Umm.. nahi”
“Maine aaj bulaya par Diwali hai na unke paas to 100 invitation aate hongey, mushkil keh rahe hain”
“Oh?” Anu was relieved
“Maine Harshu ko kaha Raanav ko pooch lega, Raanav ne mana kar diya”
“who log Prime Minister keg har jaate hongey” Anu was unusually caustic
“Arey PMO, Ambassador pata nahi kaha kaha” Savita was really dense
Anu nodded with a look of “I really don’t want o talk about them
“Unke ghar bhi shaadi hai, aap log ja rahe hain?”
“Kaise Savi? We are not connected anymore” Anu said humbly
“Oh haan haan sorry, sorry sorry sorry” Savi hugged her tight, ashamed of herself
Anu realized she was harmless, just very chirpy and clueless
Dadi was toxic, Savi was like Dadu
“Arey kitna sundar dikhta hai Jeeji, hum to soch rahe they shaadi mein pakka Manish Malhotra pehenenge”
“Arey Pyu ki shaadi mein pehno aap”
“Arey uske liye main Anita Dongre le rahi hoon, Jeeji dikhati hoon aapko chalo” she dragged Anu to her room to show off a designer outfit before her samdhis arrived for Diwali
Anu felt terrible for herself and her daughters, she was not the one to usually feel low self esteem but since Naina returned day before yesterday, she was feeling really low
No promise of shaadi for her
Viveka’s engagement had ended
And now she was being asked to look at a Rs.5 lakh or Rs. 10 lakh Anita Dongre saree
Viveka was her usual self at least outwardly
She sat in Kamal Fa’s library and read a book, dressed in a dark red Jaipuri cotton saree with a gold like embellished blouse
She frequently checked the library doorway to see if “The Parashar kid” was here
She had a argument with him on the phone yesterday she did not tell her family
He had called her when she was walking out of class, she had answered without looking
“did your Dad threaten Inder?” he demanded
Her heart skipped many beats
He sounded mad, but his voice tho…
“He did not” she said after a “Uffff”
“Are you sure”
“Put yourself in his place Raanav, what would you do? If a guy like Inder brings back your daughter after a month long Middle East hiatus”
“And its all Inder’s fault?”
“Umm.. no did I say that?”
“You guys need to figure Viveka out”
“Got it Mr Attorney” she chuckled unwittingly insulting him
He hung up
Viveka felt heat cloud her face as she recollected that conversation staring at her open book……
“I am intensely attracted to him, but…” she struggled to extend that thought further, as her heart ached
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
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