Vani FF// The Phoenix (Thread 2 Link in Pg 1) - Page 52

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Chapter 88

While Veer seemed to have slowly start accepting his new phase, he had also gotten a little rasher. His bike races have gotten frequent. The feel of air he got while flying fast, he wanted to cover using bikes. He would drive extremely fast to feel the same flush of air. He had almost crashed and got into an accident. Luckily, he hadn’t severely injured himself.

It reminded her of the Veer Singhania she had first met. The rash, reckless and out of control. Partying around to avoid the pain inside him. Yet, it remained that he didn’t completely ignore Bani. He did also spend time with her. The moment Bani tried to talk about the ‘incident’, he starts avoiding her. After a few days of that, Bani didn’t ask him about him anymore. She decided to let Veer tell her on his own time.

No longer did Veer feel guilty about killing Markaat. Bani did notice that he had gotten a little more aggressive. When someone provokes him into a fight, he goes all out. The only reason he wasn’t behind the bars was because Singhanias were a powerful family. The police would always support the rich.

Veer did realize that every time he looked sad and in pain, Bani would be worried so, he altogether stopped expressing his pain and sadness. Not that it helped because Bani would always know that underneath all that smile and laughter, Veer was still hurt on the inside.

Bani stared at the letter in her hand. The letter which confirmed her job. She sighed at that. She was happy that she was going to start working but on the other hand, there were these problems. They still had to deal with the Farishta and Nikhil. The Singhanias had already gone ahead to Nikhil and given him a taste of what they could cook up. Nikhil had ended with several broken bones, more bruises and stripped of his pride.

“What’s this?” Veer entered the room. She moved it away.

“Nothing important. Just some bills.” She lied.

“Why the hell are you carrying bills?” Veer caught on to her lie. He tried to get it from her but she didn’t give it so easily. The two started trying to get the letter. At a point, the two got entangles and fell over bed. Veer was on top of her.

It instantly flashed back the memory of the first time Bani and Veer entered the room they now share. The same way, he fell over her. The first night after their marriage. How things had changed so much since then. Took almost half a year but they were there. From Bani and Veer, they had become Vani.

While Bani got distracted with his eyes, Veer grabbed the letter.

“Veeranshu…” She tried to get it back but was too late.

“Sweetheart, this is amazing. Tumhe toh humesha se yeh chahiye tha. I thought you’d be already jumping around the house in happiness but you look a little off.” Veer commented.

“I don’t know, Veer. Maine socha tha ki Markaat ke khatam hone ke baad everything is going be chilled out toh isiliye I was happy about joining but abhi jaisa situation hai, uske hisaab se nahi lagta ki this is the right time.”

“Are you insane? Kya hua hai? Sabh toh theek hai, Bani. Main theek hun, Sam bhi theek hai. This is going to sound utterly foolish that just because you think the timing isn’t right, you don’t want to go ahead with your dream.”

“Veeranshu, aisa nahi hai. I just want things to settle down. Once we finish dealing with the problems in hand, we can get back.”

“Bani, seriously. You don’t have to think like that. Hum sabh handle kar lenge. Tapish bhai bhi toh kaam kar rahe hai. He is also managing both of them together. Obviously, you can do it too.”

“Veeranshu…”

“I’m not having it, Gharwali. You know that if you want do things on your own, this is one rare chance, right? Ise haath se jaane dogi toh baaki career rona padega.”

Bani sighed. Veer smiled at her.

“I know you want to support me but aadha dimaag yahan raha aur aadha kaam pe toh theek se nahi kar paaungi.”

He took her hand and led her outside.

“Sweetheart, trust me when I say that hum sabh bilkul theek hai.”

“Kya baat hai Veer bhai?” Daksh asked.

“Bani got her job letter.”

“Awesome, Bhabhi. Congratulations. Yeh toh party wala occasion tha. Aur aapne hum mein se kisi ko bataya bhi nahi.”

“Congratulations, Bani.” Balwant and Pawan patted on her shoulder with a smile.

“See, sabh khush hai. Sirf tum hi stupid baatein kar rahi ho.”

“Yeh stupid baatein nahi hai.” Bani defended herself.

“Stupid toh hai, Bani. We all have to balance our lives and that is going to happen when you also achieve your dreams. Kyuki tumhare sapne mere sapne hai aur tumhari Khushi meri Khushi hai.”

Bani gave a smile. She couldn’t have been more thankful that she had a supportive family like them.

“Congratulations, Bani.” Tapish hugged her.

“Thank you, Tapish bhai. Main toh interview se pehle darr hi gayi thi. I didn’t know how I would have done it.” She thanked Tapish. He had assured her and prepared her for the interview well.

“Yeh kabh hua?” Veer asked.

“Jab tum apne nashe mein the. Tumhari parties aur bike races khatam hi nahi ho rahe the. Toh Bani ne mujhe approach kiya.” Tapish explained.

“Tapish bhai mujhe drop karne taka aye the.” Bani stuck out her tongue at Veer. “Aur tum ghode bech ke so rahe the.”

“Haan toh utha deti.” Veer complained. “Matlab itna important din tha tumhare liye aur tumne mujhe nahi bataya. Offensive.”

“Tum thoda zyaada time Bani ko dete toh pata chal jata.” Tapish pointed out.

“Acha yeh sabh chodo. This is celebration kind of event toh main Pizza order kar raha hun.” Sam exclaimed.

“Meera ko bataya hai?” Tapish asked her.

“Haan, jis din letter aaya usi din Meera di aur Vanshika ko bataya tha.”

“Which was two days ago. Aur tum hume batane bhi nahi wali thi.” Veer crossed her arms.

“Mujhe nahi pata ki main accept karu ya nahi. Bas isiliye nahi bataya.”

“What do you mean, Bani? You didn’t go through the interview for nothing.” Tapish scolded her.

“Tapish bhai, main chahti hun ki cheezein thodi si normal ho jaaye before I start working.”

“Bani, we’re not normal. Things will never be normal around here. We have to keep going. Situation jaisa bhi ho, apne sapno ko peeche mat chodo because situation here seems difficult. Tumhe akele ko toh nahi karna hai sabh. Hum sabh hai yahan, Bani. Sabh milke kar lenge.” Tapish tried to explain to her.

“Exactly, Bhabhi. Matlab although Veer bhai aapke pati hai but you should also do what you want to. Apne sapno ko bhai ke liye mat chodo. Bhai apne aap ko adjust kar lenge aapke schedule mein.” Sam too agreed with Tapish.

“See… sabkha yahi manna hai that you’re being foolish by not accepting the offer.”

Balwant made Bani sit down.

“Yeh Veer hai. 27 saal se maine ise dekha hai. Har din iska kuch naya hota hai. Kisi din bike accident ho jaati hai. Kisi din kuch zyaada hi style maarne ke chakkar mein seedhi pe se gir jaata hai. Kabhi kisi ladai mein chala jaata hai. Kabhi apne dost ko uski shaadi se bhaagne mein madad karne chala jaayega. Kabhi kuch aur. Har din koi na koi naya tamasha hota hai iska. Aisa kabhi nahi hoga ki sabh kuch normal hai ya phir calm hai. Koi na koi naya panga ho hi jaata hai iska.” Balwant told her. “27 saal mein itni baar aisa laga mujhe ki iske chakkar mein kaam sabh chodke iske peeche hi ghumna padega. But aisa ho nahi sakta, Bani. Apna schedule adjust karna padta hai. Shuru karogi tabh tareeka mil hi jaayega dono ko manage karne ka.”

“Aisa lagega ki tum nahi kar paaogi ki ek tarah Veer ke baare mein pareshaan ho aur dusri taraf apne job ke baare mein but yeh toh hota hi rahega.” Pawan added.

At the assurance of all of them, Bani agreed. Everyone had started to have a party. Tapish walked up to Bani.

“Tumhara kal se office hai?” Tapish asked.

“Haan. 9 to 7.” Bani answered.

“Toh kal shaam ko 7 baje I’ll come to pick you up. Thoda sa important kaam hai and I need your help.” Tapish told her.

“Kya hua?” Bani asked.

“Kal aa hi rahi ho na. Toh tabh dekh lenge.”

“Yeh kya suspense hai? But Veeranshu keh raha tha woh mujhe pick karne aa raha hai.”

“Veer ko main handle kar lunga.” Tapish assured her.

Bani sighed. It was impossible to get things out of Tapish when he is adamant not to spill it out. Bani was slightly excited to start her job. She had always wanted to work in the advertising field and was finally able to do it.

The next morning, Bani got up a little extra early in excitement. She checked herself in the mirror. Veer come out of the bathroom and saw Bani in business attire. He smiled.

“Kya baat hai, sweetheart.” Veer grinned at her. Black trousers, black heels, white-light blue striped buttoned up shirt, and cufflinks at her sleeves. Her hair was half up in a bun and half let down. Her black bag was not way too huge but not too small either. It could carry her laptop easily. It had space for her lunchbox, coffee and other stuff. Veer had got it for her way early when she told him that she wanted to work.

“All the best, Gharwali.” Veer put his arm around her shoulder as they walked downstairs for breakfast. “Waise toh I know you’ll do amazing toh mujhe koi tension nahi hai. Don’t stress yourself about impressing everyone.”

Bani hugged him. “You be careful. Pata chala jab tak main wapas aayi tumne koi nayi musibat apne sar le li.”

Veer laughed. “That can’t be helped, sweetheart. I’ll always be your headache.”

Tapish was ready too. His perfect business attire. Balwant chuckled.

“Mujhe lagta tha ki sirf Tapish hai jo business attire ke memo ko follow karta hai but seems that he has company.” Balwant teased her.

“Haan toh there’s a reason for them having a dress code. Apne marzi se kaise bhi thodi na jaa sakte hai. We have to look presentable.” Bani commented.

“Exactly what I tell them.”

“Sweetheart, company khud ki ho toh kuch bhi pehenle koi fark nahi padta.” Veer commented.

“Of course padta hai.” Bani and Tapish said together. The two laughed.

“Bani bitiya, yeh aapke liye aaya tha subeh.” Ramesha kaka gave her a flower bouquet and a potted plant. Bani smiled when she saw the sender. Aishwarya and Amar had sent her flowers. Kushal had sent her the plant as goodwill. She felt really happy to have everyone support her so much. Vanshika and Meera had already called her in the morning before they were getting ready for their work.

“Acha, toh main drop kar dun?” Tapish asked Bani.

“Tapish bhai, Bani meri biwi hai.”

“Haan toh maine kabh kaha ki Bani teri behen hai.”

Bani broke into laughed at the way Veer narrowed his eyes at Tapish.

“Ha ha ha… you’re so funny.” Veer’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

They finished breakfast and Ramesh kaka gave her a coffee in a cup and a lunch box.

“Lunch ke saath thode se chocolates bhi rakhe hai. Aap tension ya stress mein hote ho toh chocolate khaate ho isiliye rakh diye hai hai.” Ramesh kaka told her. Bani smiled.

“Perfect, kaka.” Bani thanked him. He smiled back at her assuringly.

Tapish was about to take her in his car when Veer showed up.

“Shooo…” He told Tapish and pushed him to his car. He then waved his hand, in a signal to go. “Bye bye… jaao jaao…”

Tapish rolled his eyes at his younger brother. He put on his sunglasses and sat in his car. Veer opened the door of his car for her. Bani smiled as sat. He then drove her to her office.

“Tum tension mat lo meri. I’ll be perfectly fine. You focus on your dreams.”

Bani smiled. Her papa had always been supportive of her dreams but chachi used to keep pinpointing how her dreams were too high for someone who is a middle-class girl. Then she had another half of her family who were all really supportive of her. She was glad for that.

She sighed when she saw the building before her. She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. Veer kissed her fingers.

“Ready?” He asked her.

“Haan.” Veer got out first and opened the door for her. He leaned against the car as she started to go ahead. She turned and hugged him. Veer kissed her forehead.

“Might seem a little nerve wrecking but mujhe pata hai ki aisa kuch hai hi nahi jo tum nahi kar sakti.” Veer assured her. She went ahead. As she went a little ahead, she turned back to look at him. He winked at her, waved his finger and gave a flying kiss. Bani smiled and shook her head.

She went inside the building. She reached the HR department.

“Bani. Bani Singhania.” She told at the reception.

“Seedha jaake third left waha se third room. Miss Aditi Thakur aapki help karengi.” The woman gave her a small pack. It contained her office ID, a notepad, a few pens, and a few papers. Bani took them and went ahead to the direction given to her. She looked at her ID. She smiled. Finally.

She knocked on the glass door of the cabin.

“Haan. Come in.”

Bani entered. The woman looked at her and smiled.

“Bani, right?” She asked.

“Yes.”

“Welcome, Bani. I’m Aditi Thakur. Toh agar kabhi HR department se contact karna ho toh you can contact me. Aao. I’ll give you a tour.” Aditi smiled at her. She was in her middle years. She showed her the office around.

Bani was shown her cubicle. She put her bags and stuff there. Aditi showed her the place around. She introduced her to the people she is going to report to.

“Bani, this is Varun Khanna. He’s your boss. The one you’re directly going to report to.”

“Hi.” Bani shook his hand. Bani was then introduced to the team she was going to work with.

“This is Latika Sharma. Divya Singh. Kartik Kapur. Mohit Tanvar and Abeer Singh.” Bani introduced herself to them.

“Guys, this is Bani Singhania. She’s going to work with you guys.”

After a while, Aditi left. Bani started talking to them. After having a short conversation about her, she started to take notes on everything that was going on. Bani quickly got on board with the submission dates and other things.

They started to get busy with work. Bani was assigned the task for the days. Her team really liked how Bani was quick with ideas. They had four projects in line. Bani already came up with the idea for two of them.

“I think this is an amazing idea, Bani.” Mohit commented. Bani smiled.

“Thanks.”

They started up with the idea. After putting together several styles for the poster, Bani agreed with one of them.

By lunch time, she checked her phone several messages from Veer. She smiled. He was sending her photos of him getting bored. He was playing Monopoly with his brother.

Main bata raha hun, Bani. Yeh dono mere against koi conspiracy kar rahe hai. How can they manage to block all the yellow ones?

Bani chuckled. She decided to call him while eating her lunch.

“Hi, Sweetheart.” His voice just made her smile. If this was going on, she was going to because a love puppy.

“Hi.”

“How’s it going?”

“Accha tha abhi tak. It seems to be going well.”

“Bani… come na. Saath mein lunch karte hai.” Her teammates called her. Bani nodded.

“Haan.”

“Kya haan? Sweetheart, hum baat kar rahe the. Come on.” Veer complained.

“Tum apne bhaiyo ke saath Monopoly khelo.” She teased him. She cut the call and then sat for lunch with her teammates.

At 7, everyone started to pack. Her boss had already left at 6. She quickly picked up her stuff. She went out and saw Tapish leaning against his car, waiting for her. He was on his phone.

“Abhi tak kaam kar rahe ho?” Bani asked with a smile.

“Smile se lag raha hai ki Day 1 accha tha.” Tapish grinned.

“It was really good. Teammates acche hai. Of course, my boss seems to be a little apprehensive of everything at first. Mere team mein sabhko usse chid hoti hai.” Bani started telling him all the things that they told her about her boss.

“Damn. Main bata raha hun, he’s going to be a pain in the ass.” Tapish laughed.

“Kam se kam abhi toh bata do ki kya karna chahte ho? Hum kahan jaa rahe hai? Because this isn’t way home.”

“Mujhe humesha se lagta tha ki we should take the traditional route. Matlab 5-6 saal date karo. Uss time mein you manage to know a person well aur phir uske baad shaadi karen. But…”

“Oh. My. God.” Bani exclaimed when they stopped at a jewellery store. “Tapish bhai, please kaho ki hum yahan mere liye nahi aaye.”

Bani was going to go crazy. Tapish smiled.

“Tumhare liye aaye hote toh tumhe kyu laata? Aur tumhare liye toh tumher Veer le aata na.”

“Tapish bhai, this is the best news I’ve heard.”

“You seriously cannot tell anyone. Maine sirf Sam aur Veer se kaha hai ki yahan aaye. Dad ko bhi nahi bataya hai. Veer aur Sam ko bhi exactly nahi pata hai. Maine sirf baaju ke restaurant ki location di hai.”

“Seriously? Aapne sabse pehle mujhe bataya? I feel really special.” Bani exclaimed. They were soon joined by Veer and Sam.

“Tapish bhai!!!!” Sam exclaimed. His grin was proof that the idiot had already seen it. He ran and jumped up at Tapish.

“Tapish bhai, I can’t believe ki aapne yeh sabh itna silently decide kar liya. Matlab kaano kaan khabar bhi nahi hui kia ap consider kar rahe hai.” Veer hugged his brother.

“Main toh abhi se excited hun.” Sam added.

“Haan. Toh tum dono idiots bilkul apna muh band rakhna. Kisi ko bhi pata nahi chalna chahiye.” Tapish warned them.

“Aye aye, Captain.”

They entered the store.

“Yes, sir. Aaiye. Aapke hisaab se humne designs ready kar liye hai.” The store’s manager instantly recognized Tapish.

“Aapne already designs de diye?” The trio asked.

“A week ago.” Tapish answered.

“Tapish bhai, ek hafte se aap yeh sabh plan kar rahe the aur hum abh bata rahe hai?”

“Shut up, guys. Dekhlo. I had given them the basic requirements. Mujhe designs dikhaye the unhone. Usmein se I had selected 5-6. Un mein se koi ek select karna hai.” Tapish told them.

Bani looked the rings. All of them were really beautiful.

“Tapish bhai, manna padega. You’ve got an eye for detail.” Bani praised.

“This one looks really pretty.” Veer pointed to the blue ring. Small diamonds and a blue sapphire.

“Mujhe yeh waala better laga. This had more detailing.” Bani pointed out. A small rose like design with rubes and surrounded by diamonds. The trio took out four designs and were left with 2 designs.

After an hour, they finally decided one.

“Yeh wala.” The tree agreed.

“Okay.” Tapish pushed the ring to the sales guy there. He nodded and took it to the counter. Tapish gave him his card.

“Toh aap kabh propose karne waale ho?” Bani asked.

“She’s got an off day after tomorrow.” Tapish commented.

“Kal kyu nahi?” Sam asked. “Kal shaam ko dinner le jaao and bam…”

“Oh, hello. Idhar logo ko tayyar hona padta hai. Tujhe toh dekh ke hi lag raha hai ki tu hai hi nashi mein court marriage karne wala hai. Veer ki toh baat hi na kare toh better hai. Jail hi chala jaata blackmail karke shaadi karne ke liye. Main bohot normal hun iss point mein. I’m not going to look like a stuttering idiot jise pata hi nahi hai ki kehna kya hai.” Tapish answered. Bani smiled. After the long time she’s spent with Singhanias, she had begun to notice small things about them.

Tapish always becomes extra cautious when he’s nervous. He prepares 7X times when he’s nervous, coming up with every single possible scenario and then making up speeches for what to say in that case. Bani was sure that by now Tapish had gone through 6-7 scenarios in his. One where she would say yes. One she would say no. One she’d say she doesn’t know. One she’d say that she isn’t sure about marrying him. One that picks out the issue that happened with Veer almost marrying Meera. One where she doesn’t want to marry soon but take a while. One where she will agree because of pressure from her mother.

Bani hugged him from the side.

“Tapish bhai, chill. Mujhe pata hai ki Meera di haan hi bolegi. Sabh ko dikhta hai she does love you. She already considers you an in important part of her life.”

“Waise, ek baat batao. I thought that you will go the traditional way. Matlab 5-6 saal date karoge phir you’ll be engaged for like a year and then marry.” Veer and Sam questioned. Tapish sighed.

“I thought of the same. But then recently jo bhi hua, uske baad something changed. I don’t think ki shayad main use handle kar paata. The last time I had been in such a situation was long ago. Everything was out of control. Kuch samajh hi nahi aa raha tha. Us time pe Meera thi mere saath and I’m more than glad that she was there. Humesha se aadat thi ki sabh akele jhelne ki. But for the first time, it felt that I had someone I can lean over. Dad humesha busy rehte the. He had to be the father. I had to be tough on the outside. But Meera ke saath I felt like it would be alright if I tell someone that I feel as if everything is falling apart. Yeh feeling nahi thi that I had to be strong for others. It would be alright if I tell her that I feel a bit tired. Ya phir yeh ki darr lagta hai that everything will go worse and I wouldn’t be able to handle it.” Tapish started to tell them.

“Phir jab Chachi ne aapse pucha about your feelings, you changed your minds.”

“She said something that changed my mind. ‘Kisi ko saalon saal jaanne ke baad bhi hum use samajh nahi paate aur kisi ko bas kuch pal jaanne ke baad hi hum unhe samajh jaate hai. Hume lagta hai ki hum puri zindagi plan kar sakte hai but life happens when we try to make plans. Ek din jab dil mein yeh baat ho ki koi tumhe acche se samajhta hai, jab uss person ke saath tum sabh kuch share kar sakte ho, toh we shouldn’t think of rest’.” Tapish said.

“Toh tabh aapne decide kiya that you want to marry Meera?”

“You know I had made that plan of going the traditional way of dating for some time, stay engaged for a while and then marry. Utne time mein we can know better if we’re suited for each other. To understand what the other person expects and to be able to explain what I expect. Aur phir humare family mein history hai shaadi mess up karne ki. Darr lagta tha ki I’ll also end up the same way and that’s why I wanted to take that route. Then Chachi made me realize that if we don’t make it, no amount of planning would work. But if we’re committed to make it work toh koi chahe jitna koshish kar le, tod nahi sakte hume.” Tapish then looked at Veer and Bani. “I thought that if Veer can do it, I can do it.”

“Congratulation. Pehli baar aapne mujhse kuch seekha hai. Warna, it is always me learning from you. Waise I am glad ki maine aapko inspire kiya.”

“Tapish bhai, I know that you will never mess up kyuki hum sabh mein se sabse zyaada understanding aur patient hai aap. Then there’s Meera di. She’s also really patient and understanding. You’ve never made a hasty decision. So, I’m sure that you’ve thought through.” Bani was assured. Tapish smiled.

Chapter 89

Tapish and Meera had spent quite some time talking to each other. Meera was telling him about her sisters and their stupid plans.

“Mujhe kabhi kabhi lagta hai ki un dono ko samajhna mushkil hai.” Meera chuckled. Tapish kept trying to calm himself down. During the time they had spent together, they both knew that there was something between them. A soft silent understanding. They both knew that they both had feelings for each other.

“I want to talk to you about something important.” Tapish said. A part of his mind was screaming ‘Abort Mission’ but then the other part knew that if he didn’t do this, he wouldn’t ever be able to do it. He had planned well. There was no reason this should go horribly wrong. He knew in his heart that she would say yes.

“Haan, bolo.”

“I know ki yeh conventional tareeka nahi hai. The traditional way to go over it is to date someone for some time, then be engaged for a while and then get married. Trust me, mera bhi yahi plan tha par phir pichle kuch waqt mein jo bhi hua, uske baad, I just feel that there’s never going to be anyone else who I can get as well as I get you. Kyuki deep down hum dono similar hai. Hum dono ki understanding similar hai, priorities similar hai, mindset similar hai aur sochne ka tareeka similar hai. I know ki yeh decision shayad thodi jaldi ho sakta hai tumhare liye. But I have valid reasons to come to the conclusion to ask you if you would want to marry me.”

Meera was a little surprised. She blinked a few times to register that he was actually saying it.

“See, mujhe pata hai ki thoda sudden hai and all. Shayad tumhe ajeeb lag sakta hai but I just have this feeling on the inside that I have never suited anyone as well as I have suited you.” He added.

The way he took this calmly and slowly, Meera knew that he had prepared himself for it.

“Suno-”

“I know ki tumhe doubts ho sakte but I know one thing for sure that even if the way I love is flamboyant or crazy like brothers have, I do love you. Mujhe pata hai that I’m not the kind to go Devdas or Majnu but its not like I don’t love. It is just not the same way that everyone goes.”

“Ho gaya tumhara? Abh main bolun?” Meera asked.

“Haan. Sorry.” Tapish decided to shut up and let her speak. Meera laughed.

“Tapish, let me clear out somethings. Point no 1, ek baat jo mujhe bohot acche se pata hai tumhare baare mein, woh yeh hai ki tum koi bhi decision jaldi mein nahi lete. Toh agar tumne yeh decision liya hai toh socha hoga. Point no 2, I had talked about this to you but you were drunk at that time.”

“Okay, so an important part of communication is that both people are supposed to be in their senses. I wouldn’t remember shit you tell me when I’m drunk.”

“Mujhe pata hai yeh baat. Main tumse baat karne waali thi iss baare mein but sahi time nahi mila. Hum bas Naaglok se nikle hi the aur phir saara ‘incident’ hua. Uske baad yaa toh tum busy ho gaye the ya main busy thi. You said that you wanted to marry me but I thought you were drunk talking. In a typical Tapish Singhania fashion tumne list banake diya mujhe on all the reason why we’re both well suited for each other. Almost trying to convince me that we make a good pair.”

Tapish put his hand over his face.

“Please tell me I didn’t do anything stupid.”

“Well, shayad giving away your first kiss to someone who is drunk is somewhere more stupid than anything you can do.”

“Wait! Maine tumhe kiss kiya?”

Meera nodded. Tapish knew Meera really well, it would be impossible that she would gather so much courage to kiss him.

“Shit…”

“Uske baad kitchen mein baith ke cookies boxes alphabetically arrange karte hue you tried to convince me that this was a good idea to marry each other. Aisa lag raha tha ki tum koi business plan discuss kar rahe ho.”

“Sorry…” Tapish laughed at the look on her face.

“That is why I’m surprised that you’re saying this. Mujhe laga tum mazak kar rahe the.”

“Mazak nahi kar raha hun, Meera. It is okay agar tumhe thoda time lena hai.”

“Tapish, pata hai jaise hum bade hote hai, thought process change hoti hai. Kuch 6-7 saal pehle tak mujhe bhi lagta tha ki sahi tareeka yahi hai ki ek insaan ko acche se jaan lena hota hai. Par abh yeh baat mujhe pata hai ki kisi ko samajhna is a process. When we’re younger, the idea seems perfect ki hum kisi ko ek time ke liye date kare aur phir decision le shaadi karne ka. Par kuch waqt baad samajh aata hai ki shaadi maintain karna hai toh hoga but nahi karna chahte hai toh kabhi nahi hota. At some point, hume accept karna padta hai aur commit karna hota hai. Iss time mein sirf itna hota hai ki ek dusre ke liye patience ho. We’re old enough to understand things. Ek relationship mein sirf pyaar hona kaafi nahi hai. Comfort, communication, understanding aur agreement hona bhi zaroori hai. To give someone a commitment to make the relationship work.”

Tapish smiled.

“Sound karega ki I’m being insane that at the first suggestion I’m saying yes but kuch cheezein hai jo bohot hi obvious hota hai. Tumhe lagega ki soche samjhe bina keh rahi hun but I’m human. You guys may or may not age slowly but I am going to age in human years. I do want to have a family. At 30, I’m not going to think like a teenage girl that maybe I should take more time. Itna toh baat hai hi ki mujhe bhi pata hai ki hum dono ke sochne ka tareeka same hai. Tum mein patience hai time dene ka toh mere paas bhi utna patience hai ki time dun aur baaki sabh samjhu. The thing that comes with human aging is that we all have a time schedule. I can’t spend 5-6 years do decide if I want to get married or not to you. Then spend another year being engaged to you. Then marry you. I’ll be 37 or 38 by then. We’ll take a little longer to settle down in the marriage. Then have kids by 40. By that time, it is difficult to have children.”

Tapish smiled and nodded. Meera and Tapish both had a common understanding of things. Instead of going emotional about things, they take it in a rather rational fashion. The habit of thinking before making decisions and not making them in the heat of the moment.

“Not to mention, tumhari maa ko jaldi hai.”

“Trust me, I know about that but yeh decision uss stress mein nahi hai. Brutally honest fashion mein log shaadi karte hai kyuki unhe bacche aur kisi ki company chahiye. Main isiliye shaadi karna chahti hun.”

“This would be the most unromantic proposal.” Tapish laughed. Meera laughed too.

“Hota agar tum itna hyper nahi hote toh. Romantic ek taraf hota hai aur tumhara confirmation ki maine soch samajh ke jawab diya hai dusri taraf hota hai.”

“Now that we’ve established ki mutual understanding hai…” he kneeled down “Will you marry me?”

“I would marry you par papa ko batana chahti hun ring pehne se pehle.”

“Tumhare papa ko pata hai ki main tumhe propose karne wala hun.”

“What??!!” She was shocked at that. At no point did it seem that Girish Sharma had an idea that his daughter was going to get proposed. He acted so chill, relax and ignorant. “Matlab Bani toh hyper ho rahi thi toh I guess use pata hai par papa se kabh kaha?”

“Dinner pe aane se pehle. Jab tum room mein Bani ke saath thi toh Girish uncle bahar aaye the. Mujhe bas aise hi baat kar rahe the. Tabh maine unhe bataya. Mujhe laga ki koi drama hone wala hai but it was quite easy. Unhone smile kiya, kandhe pe haath rakha aur bas kaha ‘Meera meri beti hai aur usse bohot zyaada pyaar hai. Jab tak itna assurance hai ki tum humesha use khush rakhoge, tabh tak mujhe koi problem nahi hai. Agar Meera ki bhi haan hai toh main object nahi karunga’. Bas. That was it. Though mujhe pata hai ki woh expect kar rahe hai ki main tumhare ghar aau dad ko leke.”

“Yeh alag hi scene hoga.” Meera laughed.

“Maine pehle hi unse puch liya tha kyuki mujhe pata hai ki tumhare liye tumhare dad ka approval matter karta hai.”

“Tumhare papa? Unse pucha agar unhe main pasand hun?”

“Meri family shayad kuch mahino se yeh baat kar hi rahe hai. Mere bhaiyo ko pata hai ki mujhe tum pasand ho. Mere dad aur chachu ko bhi pata hai. Toh koi aisa special issue nahi hai. Bas unhe Sunday ko le aaunga tumhare ghar.”

====

“Tapish humare ghar ka bada beta hai aur isiliye sabh hume perfect chahiye.” Balwant pointed out.

“Aap bilkul tension mat lijiye, bhaisaab. Meera bilkul acche se saare kaam kar leti hai.” Ritu pointed out with laughter.

“Sabse best baat yeh hai ki Tapish bhai bilkul Veeranshu ki tarah nahi hai. Bohot acche aur bohot hi sweet hai.” Bani hugged her sister.

“Hello, guys.” Veer showed up with Sam, Daksh and Ponky behind him. Tapish raised an eyebrow at his brother.

“Tum log yahan kya kar rahe ho?” Tapish asked.

“Tapish bhai, itni important baat ho rahi hai aur hum kaise nahi aate? Aur family ka important part toh hum bhi hai.” Veer answered.

“Great. Last time tumne bohot acche se deal kiya tha.” Tapish muttered under his breath. That made Balwant laughed. “Dusri baar aake pata nahi kya jhande gaadega.”

Pawan patted his back.

“Matlab aap humare aagyakari aur adarshwadi bade bhai Tapish bhai hai. You know that song ‘Chote chote bhaiyo ke bade bhaiya… aaj banege kisi ke saiyaan’ Aisa mauka thodi na miss karenge.” The boys settled themselves.

Tapish held his forehead.

“Kaha tha aapse ki confirm kar lo ki yeh idiots party mein hi hai.” Tapish complained to Balwant.

“Mujhe kyu bol raha hai. Isne kabh meri baat suni hai?” Balwant commented.

“Arrey, koi baat nahi. Aap toh Singhanias hai. Badi family hai aapki. Theek bhi hai ki sabh aaye hai.” Ritu chuckled. Tapish took a deep breath.

“Meera, sochlo. Tapish bhai se shaadi hone waali hai. Jitne seedhe dikhte hai. Utne seedhe hai nahi.” Veer commented. Pawan hit Veer on the head.

“Tameez, chote, tameez. Aise naam se nahi bulate apni bhai ki hone wali patni ko. Yahi Sam, Daksh ya Ponky Bani ko uske naam se bulaye toh?” Pawan scolded him to tease Tapish. Tapish rubbed his forehead. His family can never be serious. “Kya bolna hai use”

“Meera Bhabhi…” The brothers said together. Bani and Meera laughed at Tapish’s expression.

“Uncle, aapko koi date mile toh bata dijiye.” Tapish said.

“Haan, ek kaam kar tu hi baat kar le na.” Balwant taunted Tapish. Tapish rolled his eyes.

“Hum ladke waale hai. Decide toh hum karenge.” Veer agreed. Balwant and Veer gave each other a fist bump.

“Isse accha akele hi aata.” Tapish muttered. “Pura ka pura khaandaan pagal hai.”

“Tu bhi usi ka hissa hai.” Pawan pointed out. Tapish narrowed his eyes at Pawan.

“Sharma ji, Kal ki date hum soch rahe the. Kal engagement rakh lete hai. Phir sangeet, mehndi aur haldi Saturday ko rakh le.” Balwant offered.

“Thoda jaldi hai.” Girish commented.

“Sharma ji, mera bada beta hai. Abh usne decide kiya hai finally shaadi kar raha hai toh jaldi toh hum sabh ko hai hi.” Balwant answered. He looked at Tapish and put his hand on Tapish’s shoulder. “Aaj tak mujhse Tapish ne kabhi kuch nahi maanga hai. Pehli baar aake mujhse kaha hai ki ise Meera se shaadi karni hai. Aur maine ise iski Khushi jaldi dena chahta hun.”

“Meera Bhabhi, soch lo. Agar aap Tapish bhai se shaadi karengi toh kitchen aapki entry ban hai.” Ponky teased.

“Aisa thodi na hota hai. Meera di ka pura haq hoga humare ghar pe aise restricted areas nahi chalenge.” Bani insisted.

“Tum zara chup raho. Ice-cream khaayi aur tubs wahi chod diye tumne. Zameen par bhi ice-cream gira hua tha.” Tapish retorted. “Tumhe aur Veer ko sabhse pehle ban karna chahiye.”

“Tapish bhai…” Bani exclaimed.

“Haan. Bas toh tum bhi chup raho.” Tapish told her.

“Arrey koi baat nahi. Hume koi problem nahi hai. Hum kal bhi kar lenge.” Ritu eagerly answered. “Matlab meri do do betiyan Singhania ki bahu banne wali hai.”

“But aap toh cheel hai normal insaan bhi nahi. Toh kis hisaab se shaadi hogi? Kyuki tum mein bhi koi aise special rituals hai kya?” Dehek asked.

Balwant stood up and gave Meera a box. They had a diamond and ruby necklace and earring set.

“Yeh tumhare liye hai. Humare family mein hone waali bahu ko gehne dete hai. Hope tumhe accha laga hoga.”

“Haaye!!! Kitna sundar hai!!” Ritu exclaimed seeing the set. Meera just smiled at Balwant.

“Thank you.”

Balwant patted her arm.

“Waise toh tum bohot pehle se hi humari family ka hissa thi, abhi bas officially ho. I hope ki tumhe saari Khushi mile. Tapish thoda sa alag hai hum sabh se. Mujhse zyaada inn sabka baap toh Tapish raha hai. Main aur Pawan humesh busy rehte the tabh Tapish ne sabhko sambhala hai. Pehli baar hai ki Tapish ka khyal rakhne koi aane waala hai. Yeh chota sa gift toh de hi sakte hai. Kuch aur chahiye ho toh bina jhijhak maang lena.”

“Nahi, aisa kuch hai nahi.” Meera answered.

“Kuch aur maang hi le. Itne pyaar se puch rahe hai.” Ritu told her.

“Ritu, tu yahan aa zara.” Girish pulled her away.

“Nahi. Koi special request aisa hai nahi.” Meera insisted.

“Meera Bhabhi, ek hi baar shaadi hone wali hai. Aur bade papa openly puch rahe hai. Kuch bhi maang lo.” Daksh tried to tell her.

“Exactly. Kuch bhi maang sakti ho. Car, property, kuch bhi.” Veer agreed.

Meera thought for a moment.

“Mujhe pata hai ki aapke aur Ahana aunty ke relations sahi nahi hai. Par agar woh aa paati toh mujhe accha lagta. Koi compulsion nahi hai but I just wish if she could be there. Jabh shaadi hoti hai toh sabka dil hota hai ki unki mom bhi ho. Uski apni mom toh nahi hai. Jo maa jaisi hai woh toh bas uski chachi hai. Tapish aapse nahi kahega kyuki use pata hai ki aapke liye mushkil hai. Shayad kayi saare buri yaadein hai par Tapish ke liya unki har memory bohot khaas hai.” Meera said.

“Meera, woh-” Tapish tried to tell her that it couldn’t happen. All the boys were surprised. Everything that she could ask and she asked this. Bani just stood silently. She didn’t know how Pawan and Balwant would react.

“Kuch bhi bol deti hai. Koi zaroorat nahi hai.” Ritu tried to ease the tension with a chuckle.

“Tumne maang liya toh maine bhi de diya.” Pawan answered patting her head. Balwant smiled too. Tapish was surprised. He wasn’t expecting them to say yes.

“Chachu…”

“Tapish, Na tune kabhi kuch maanga hai aur na hi Meera kabhi kuch maangegi. Dono hi ek jaise ho. Shayad rare hai ki yeh kabhi kuch maangegi. Jab maanga hai toh nahi denge toh hume lagega ki pehli baar usne kuch maanga hai aur humne nahi diya. Tum dono khush ho. Bas isse zyaada kuch important nahi hai.”

Daksh looked a little irritated. Pawan held his hand before Daksh could react.

They went out.

"Dad, aapko pata main nahi dekha chahta unhe. Phir bhi maan gaye. Meera bhabhi ne koi shart toh nahi rakhi thi ki aapko agree karna hai." Daksh complained.

"Daksh, teri shaadi hoti toh hum tere hisaab se decision le lete. Par shaadi Meera aur Tapish ki hai. Dono chahte hai ki Ahana shaadi mein aaye. Shaadi sirf ek baar hoti hai." Pawan told him.

"I can't stand her. Jo hume chod ke chali gayi thi unhe hissa kyu banana chahte hai zabardasti?"

"Daksh, tumhari problem kya hai?" Bani asked.

"Problem Ahana Dewan hai."

"Daksh..." Pawan warned. Bani had never heard that tone from Pawan before. "Jo bhi hua hai. Woh humesha teri maa rahegi. Itni izzat toh de hi sakta hai."

"You're still holding out for her? She's moved on, dad. Kabhi wapas nahi aayengi aapke paas. She has two other kids. She doesn't give a damn about you or you holding any feelings for her. Bohot aage badh chuki hai apni life mein." Daksh told him.

Pawan sighed at Daksh's reaction.

"Tu nahi samjhega, Daksh. Jo baatein samajh nahi aati unke baare mein nahi baat karni chahiye. Isse bura uske saath aur kuch nahi ho sakta ki uska khud ka beta usse itni nafrat kare. Sabse pehla beta."

"You still love her?"

"Pyaar ki baat hi aisi hai ki bhulte nahi hai. Pyaar kiya hai toh kabhi nahi bhulenge. Pyaar karna nahi bhulte. Yeh bhul jaate hai ki pyaar kaise karte hai."

"You do realize that she doesn't love you, right?"

Pawan didn't want to talk about Ahana with Daksh. It always made him uneasy. Daksh's hatred for her and his own failure to keep the woman he loved with him would bother him. Daksh was good with remembering things and memorizing things. But he couldn't ever understand emotions. He's only memorized hating her. Pawan had never memorized it. He only remembered how he had messed up everything he had. A conversation about Ahana to anyone was uneasy. Daksh's hatred would make him slightly angry. He couldn't bear that their firstborn child had such hatred for her so he would never understand everything he felt for Ahana. He couldn't talk to Tapish, Veer, or Sam because it made him feel more guilty. They had loved her more than he had loved her and his mess up took her away from them. Ponky didn't even know her like for him to be able to talk to Ponky about her. Balwant and he never spoke about these things. It was unchartered territory. Balwant blamed himself for the mess and Pawan didn't want his brother to feel more guilty.

Acha guys, just giving a warning. Yeh stories ka update plan sirf 100 chapters tak hai. This is probably the final track. I will finish the story after 100 chapters.