MaAn in reversed roles

Anuj’s POV

I was minding my own business.

Truly. I was just sipping lemonade—well, what was left of it after Choti Anu had stolen half with a straw and a suspiciously innocent smile—and thinking about Anu’s eyes during that kiss behind the marigold curtain.

That kiss.

The haldi. The way it melted against her skin. The way she smelled—like turmeric and roses and mischief.

I was in a blissful post-kiss fog.

Until—
“TOH KAISA LAGA GARDEN MEIN MANGO TREE KE NEECHE HALDI KA MEDITATION, MR. KAPADIA?”

I choked.

Lemonade up my nose.

Coughing like I had swallowed a lemon whole, I turned to find Devika and Dolly standing there with the smuggest grins in human history, arms crossed, sunglasses on, sipping cold drinks like gossip-hunting divas.

Devika continued, “Poor mango tree must still be recovering from the PDA shock.”

Dolly nodded solemnly. “Also, we may have found yellow handprints on the pillar. And a haldi-covered earring. Care to explain, Bhai?”

I blinked. “I… I was attacked.”

Devika raised a brow. “Attacked? Oh wow. So you’re saying Anu pinned you against the pillar, smeared haldi, and—kissed you breathless?”

“I—NO—she didn’t—ok maybe yes but that is NOT the point—”

Dolly added, “Listen, I get it. Romance. Emotions. Haldi. But you left a visible trail from the drapes to the pillar, Bhai. This wasn’t a private moment. This was a breadcrumb romance.”

“Breadcrumb romance?!” I gawked. “Kya tum dono ne crime documentary dekh rakha hai?”

Devika pulled out a haldi-smeared marigold petal from her dupatta like it was evidence.

“Exhibit A. Yellow petal. Witnessed suspicious moaning noises. 2:17 p.m.”

“Devika!”

“And Exhibit B.” Dolly held up a selfie. “You both are blurry in the background but, trust me, that’s you two. Anu’s hand in your hair, your lips on hers, and a squirrel on the bench looking scandalized.”

I buried my face in my hands. “This is emotional blackmail.”

“No. This is revenge for all the times you teased me about my teenage crushes,” Devika smirked.

“Also,” Dolly chimed in, “We just wanted to say... finally. After all these years, you two found each other again. Even if it's in a turmeric-smeared, garden-side, fairy-tale chaos of a way.”

I dropped my hands and looked at them.

Devika’s teasing softened. Dolly smiled gently.

Dolly: “She deserves this version of you. And you deserve her. All of her.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You two are the most annoying, nosy, emotionally manipulative women I’ve ever met.”

“True,” Devika said, raising her drink.

“But you’re also family.”

They raised their glasses to me.

“To the golden garden romance,” Devika winked.

And I laughed—genuinely, warmly—haldi still clinging to the curve of my jaw and happiness blooming like marigolds around my ribs.

The giggles had barely faded when I heard the sound of her anklets.