“Abhimanyu! Neil!” Mahima shouted.
“Yaar Taiji ko kya hua hai..! She never lets us talk.”
“Haan I know. C’mon.” Neil said. “Otherwise Mr. Doctor, ban Jana Mr. Weakling.”
“Neil..”
“Haan Bhabhi?” Neil asked. “Kya hua?”
“Aaru’s asked which earrings she should wear. And Mimi said that my devar, you, have to choose one for me too.”
“Uhm.. the pink flower one. Dress code for the function is yellow.. so pink flower one for Aaru. And for you..” Just then, Ahaan called him. “Aya Jiju! Uh Bhai, you choose for her, I’ll be back.” He said leaving.
“Haan Jiju, what happened?” Neil asked, reaching the spot where Shreya, Ahaan, Aaru where already.
“Nothing. We called you so Bhai can choose for Bhabhi.”
“are..”
“Yes they are. That’s our plan.”
~Other side of beach~
“So uhm…”
“Neil asked you to select for me. If you want, do so. Otherwise I’ll ask Aaru or Ahaan to choose. In fact, Shreya. She’s my Nanand anywayyyyyyyy… ” She said, but the word ‘anyway’ going on for longer than normal as she slipped. Abhi helped her up, and she wiped the sand off her.
“Um thanks Abhimanyu. And congratulations,” She gave a faint smile at him. “You’re MD of Birla hospital and institute.”
“Thanks, Akshu. Ugh, sorry I did it again. Akshara, thanks.”
“As long as we stay friends… I guess you can call me Akshu.” She replied, and he left.
“Aaaaaah! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO HIM AKSHU?!” Akshu thought to herself. “Wait.. Akshu, are you falling for him again? And if you are, he won’t like you back anyway!”
“How sure are you bout’ that Di?” Ahaan and Aaru approached her.
“How do you- I said it out loud when I thought I said it in my mind?”
“Right.. and by the way, Bhai has chosen your earring for you. There.” Aaru put the green flower earrings on her sister’s hand.
“But these are like yours.. you are the bride.. Goenka bride.” She said.
“Di, color difference hi hai. Now you are wearing this for the Mehndi function. Now go and get the hall and everything ready!!” Aaru said, pushing her sister towards the exit of the beach. It was two hours away before the function.
“No! Nahi Aa ru no! He will be there and everything will be reminded of again..”
“What will be reminded of?”
“Whatever happened last night.”
“Oh yeah. Di, I found out that the guy, was Sirat Masi’s ‘coach’, Dev Chaudhary’s son. Jay Chaudhary. And Dev is in jail still long for the harassment to Masi on a festival day.. since long time ago.”
“I just hope,” Aaru said. “Sirat Masi, Mumma, and Papa are happy up there seeing us get revenge for what happened. And the correct way to get revenge.”
“Yeah,” Ahaan said. “Not beating up. Or murder.”
Akshu opened a photo of them three with their parents, and Ranveer-Sirat. “Dev and Jay ko toh nahi chodenge.”
“Yeah. But not right now!” Aaru said. “Mehndi anyone?”
“Oh right. I forgot I was marrying,” Ahaan laughed, ‘accidentally’ pushing Akshu into Abhi, while the other 2 couples watched.
“Uh.. um.. sorry Voh Ahaan…” she glared at her brother.
“Uh oh.. bhai your a goner!” Aaru said, laughing, and leaving with Abhi and Ahaan.
“Shreya, since I’m a fan photography,” Akshu said. “Could you pose?”
“Yeah sure.” Shreya replied, but without smiling. Shreya had gone on Abhi for that matter, never smiling in photoshoots.
“Shreya yaar… c’mon smile!!” Akshu said.
“Bhabhi, Shreya’s smile is no less than Anil Kapoor as Mr. India. Dikhti hi nahi hai! And Bhai’s.”
Akshu’s laughing face dropped, hearing ‘Bhai’. “Sorry Bhabhi.”
“You’re marrying Aaru, I’m your Di, not Bhabhi. Why are you calling me bhabhi?“
“Because you have to marry my brother.” Neil thought.
“Huh?”
“Oh nothing. Time for Mehndi!”
At the ceremony…
“Madam ji, what name do I need to write on your hand?” The Mehndi artist asked Akshu.
“Uhm, please write Akshara-“
“Didi, write Abhimanyu.” Aaru interrupted.
“Aaru!” Akshu glared at her.
“Di, shush. I’ll talk to you later.” Aaru got up, going to Mimi.
“Mimi, can the wedding date for me, Neil, Shreya Bhabhi and Ahaan bhaiya be postponed?” She explained everything the fourth gen had planned, eventually the two families knowing except Akshu.
The next day..
Akshu was in her room, staring at the name ‘Abhimanyu’ engraved by the Mehndi from the ceremony. She saw Abhi’s hand, and that also had ‘Akshara.’
“Why did you get my name written on your hand, Akshara?”
“Aaru forced me to,” She didn’t look up from her phone. “Otherwise I just wanted a flower on my right hand. And you?”
“Same,” Abhi replied, looking at his mystery-book he was reading. “I didn’t want to get any Mehndi done.”
Abhi’s POV
Dang! I just told a BIG lie. To who I was supposed to impress. Of course I told Mehndi artist to engrave Akshara!
I hope Aarohi and Neil’s plan work. Otherwise, I’m staying single for the rest of my life. And Ruby Chaudhary, no way.
“Uh.. excuse me.” I said to Akshara. What else would I have said?
Akshu’s POV
Am I sure for real that even after ‘Abhimanyu’ being written for my Mehndi, I still haven’t fallen for him again?
Akshara!! He doesn’t like me.. he’s being kind because your brother is marrying his sister! And your sister is marrying his brother!
“No need to say excuse me, Abhimanyu.”
“Please,” he said. “Don’t call me Abhimanyu. I’m Abhi, for you.”
“Weren’t you going somewhere?“
“Oh yeah going to meet Neil,” He looked at me in the eye. “BYE.”
Akshu’s POV ends
“Argh!” Aaru came in, mad.
“Kya hua tum he?” Akshu asked.
“Ahaan!”
“Tera toh chamcha hai na,” Akshu put her guitar away in her case. “Always saving you from Mumma’s and Papa’s daat, but never me.”
“That was… bachpan mein tha yaar. But now, he’s after me! He wants me to help him meet Shreya at midnight.”
“Nahi.. I’m not gonna help you two. Imagine, aye, imagine Abhi comes storming cause his maa’s rule was broken!”
“Abhi ya Abhimanyu?” Aaru teased her sister.
“He said I can call him Abhi.” Akshu took off her bracelet. “And dulhan ji, you don’t tease me.”
“Di,” Aaru said, coming to face Akshu. “Tell me the truth. 9 years after, do you still love him?”
“Aarohi Goenka!” Akshu shouted.
“What Aarohi? What Goenka? You’re not a true Goenka, or a true Kaira ki beti till you become honest like them Di. Oh yeah, neither are you a true yourself, or a true SirVeer ki bhanji till you are honest like them.”
“Tu yeh kya bole jaa rahi hai? How dare you!”
“Sorry Di.”
Why is Aarohi saying all this to Akshara?
~Kritika~
