First ray of sunlight fell over the mansion, scattering golden hue over.fresh aroma of parathas was coming from the kitchen along with aksath favorite laddos.
He told everyone that he was coming today with adrika and above all they called a priest for shivaay and veera so shivaay was present in the mansion along with his baby Olivia.
Mahir sat crossed leg inside his room on the bed, combing vidhi hairs while she was playing with her dress fabric.her eyes focused on the dress,it's designs and all.
Ishita was busy nowadays because of joining a deal with a biggest businessman for dressing his sister jewelleries and she has to design family members jewellery also.
She was sitting in the balcony,and a cup of coffee was still untouched beside her.
"Papa,when is the wedding?"vidhi asked curiously with an excited grin.
Mahir chuckled softly,his head lowered till her level "today a priest is coming,he will tell us the exact date".
Vidhi mouthed a ooo then looked up at him, twinkling her eyes"I will go shopping then".
Mahir smiled warmly "offcourse,my little girl..tell me what you will buy from the market?".
She thought for a while, scrunching her nose"hmm...one lehnga,two sharara,one long frock,one long shrug,one saree ,a big makeup box,der sari jewelleries and.....
She looked up at him,her lips formed in pout"yaad nhi aa rha".
Mahir chuckled, hugging her from behind"it's ok...jb yaad aaye tb bta dena,papa is always ready to hear".
She grinned widely, throwing her arms around his neck.she kissed his cheek softly then his nose"you are the best father of the world....I love my papa "she murmured, pecking his left cheek repeatedly.
He grinned widely, squealing in her little arms"love you too beta".
Ved was watching everything from far, raising his brows together."i am also your son papa"he said in fake anger.
Mahir looked up instantly.he felt a little bad but vidhi spoke up"he is mine father,you love mumma more...than go to her".
Ved narrowed his eyes at her"he is mine father also".
Vidhi rolled her eyes, tightening her grip around his neck"honge,but for now...he is mine and Vidhi doesn't like sharing ".
Mahir bit back his laugh but before Ved spoke , Ishita came inside the room with the fake glare"hello miss,he is only mine ok".
Mahir looked up at her in confusion.
"I am his wife,leave him"she said only to earn a laugh from vidhi.
"But I am his girl right,papa?"vidhi asked innocently.
Mahir nodded his head"Yes my girl".
"What is my girl?I am your girl...not she.hey you, leave my husband "ishita said, glaring at her.
Ved also ran towards them"yes..mumma is his girl".
"Just shut up!"vidhi snapped fakely, glaring at him.
Mahir sighed , pulling three of them closer to his chest"don't fight guys,i am yours...you are my little girl,you are my girl and you are my boy,you all are mine now ok".
"More than ok"three of them said together then laughed softly.mahir also laughed at their silliness.
🧿
All the family members gathered at the dining hall where harshita and ishita were serving everyone.harshita was upset as Adarsh will come after a week while ishita was a little tired.
Pari and Priya were looking at their food with a smile.they missed the taste of food,the taste of harshita hands and from one month...they both were happy.
Lavanya was sitting absent mindly on her chair,not eating or drinking....just staring at her plate because of sadness.even Sofia tried her best to cheer up her Mind but nothing was working.
The dining hall was silent,just the voice was coming off clinking spoons on plates.
"Lavi beta,eat something...let me feed you"Sofia said softly, forwarding a bite of paratha towards her but she turned her head, pouting.
"I am not hungry"she mumbled with a dry voice.
"But beta....
"I said I am not hungry,stop disturbing me"she shouted in frustration.tears gathered in the corner of her eyes.sofia tried to touch her but she jerked her hand, running upstairs.
Everyone stood up to go behind her but sarthak stopped them"don't ".
"But why ?she is crying "mahir asked.
Sarthak took a deep breath"look ,she is just restless as she didn't see her father for one day and adrika from the whole week.she just needs alone time....let her cry for a while."
Everyone nodded their heads unwillingly because he is pediatrician .offcourse he knows better than them.
Lavanya entered inside her room, throwing herself on the bed.her body started trembling because of anger rising inside her body .
She clutched her pillow tighter, digging nails inside the fabric.her tears fell silently but she didn't dare to wipe them away.her hiccups grew stronger and she Started crying more harshly.
Everyone was standing outside her room, banging the door softly.
"Beta open the door,look masi is waiting for you "harshita said softly but she didn't reply,just clutched her knees together..... crying more Harshly.
"Lavi… please baby, open the door," Sofia whispered from outside, her forehead resting against the door. Even her voice was trembling now.
But Lavanya didn’t move. She pressed her face deeper into the pillow, trying to hide from the world, from the emptiness she felt without her father and Adrika.
She looked around the room and her gaze fell on the photo frame kept on her study table....her, Rohan, and Adrika.
She pushed herself up and crawled weakly toward it. Her fingers trembled as she traced Rohan’s face in the picture.
"Papa… where are you?" she whispered brokenly, voice completely cracking.
Her lips quivered again and she hugged the frame to her chest, crying .
Outside, Ved and Vidhi came running from downstairs, confused.
"Kya hua?" Ved asked, frowning.
"Lavi ro rahi hai?"Vidhi whispered, her own eyes worried.
Ruhaan bent up to their level immediately. "Yes … she’s missing her papa and sister."
Ved’s face softened. "Then… can I draw something for her?" she asked shyly.
Sofia smiled weakly. "Haan… she will like that."
Before anyone could say more, a click was heard.
The door unlocked.
Everyone straightened immediately.
Lavanya didn’t open it… the latch had just loosened on its own because of how hard she had closed it earlier. Sofia pushed the door slowly and peeked inside.
Lavanya was sitting on the floor, hugging the photo frame tightly, her eyes swollen, her hair messy, and her breath still shaking.
Sofia’s heart broke.
She walked in slowly, kneeling down in front of her. "Lavi…"
Lavanya didn’t look up. Her fingers dug into the frame harder.
"I want papa…" she whispered.her voice breaking.
Sofia cupped her cheek softly, finally touching her. "I know, beta… he’s coming. He’ll be here soon."
Lavanya blinked, tears spilling again, but this time she didn’t push Sofia away. She rested her forehead on Sofia’s chest, little arms loosening.
Sofia hugged her gently, rubbing her back. "Cry, baby… let it out. Papa will come. And Adrika too."
Everyone watched from the doorway, relieved that she finally let someone hold her.
Lavanya clutched Sofia’s kurti tightly, voice breaking into a soft sob…
"Please call papa…".
Sofia looked towards everyone like telling them what to do but before anyone could unlock their phone they heard car horns....
Lavanya recognised immediately.her teary eyes shone brightly.she stood up immediately and ran downstairs with excitement.her tears were streaming but nothing was important for her .
Her little feet dragged her outside.a wide smile lingering on her face.
From the outside,aksath and adrika were coming inside the mansion with smiles on their faces.aksath was holding a bag of her medal and award with certificate.
Before she could enter inside, lavanya ran outside.her teary eyes clenched adrika and aksath heart painfully.she didn't wait for their expression,just ran towards adrika and hugged her legs tightly.
Adrika and aksath were stunned for a while, adrika breath caught in her throat after seeing her like this .she immediately knelt down till lavanya level, cupping her cheeks.
Her eyes were red and teary, fresh tears were streaming down her soft cheeks.body still trembling.she didn't question just hugged her tightly.lavanya also tightened her grip around her.
Adrika entered inside clutching lavanya to her chest,like lavanya will vanish if she let her go.her each cry was making her heart raced.unknowingly tears gathered in her eyes also.
"Shhh didi is here beta"she murmured softly, caressing her back.aksath was just behind, silently anchoring them.
Lavanya sniffed wiping away her tears.her voice came out low "I missed you mumma".
That's it.
Adrika's heart skipped a beat.aksath also felt that ground slipped away beneath his feet.
"I missed you so much,why did you leave your daughter alone"lavanya murmured again with hiccups.
Adrika composed her racing heart, shook her head gently "shh baccha.. Mumma is here.mumma will never leave you again now".
Lavanya hummed, leaning against her chest.her cries stopped, replaced her soft breathings.everyone took a sigh of relief like they won world war.
Aksath stepped forward, wiggling his brows"miss.dimple I was absent for two days"
"Doesn't matter"lavanya mumbled, turning her head.
Everyone laughed softly,even aksath bit back his laugh.
"But I am your father, don't you miss me?"aksath asked innocently with a pout .lavanya rolled her eyes, hiding herself completely in Adrika's arms.
Everyone chuckled softly except pari and Priya.they both were busy admiring smiles at their family...the family they broke by their hands.
"Namaste pandit ji"Anjali's voice broke the entire conversation of family.everyone glanced towards the door where the priest was standing with a smile on his face.
Everyone smiled and touched his feets one by one.after every formality now he was sitting on the couch and everyone was sitting beside him.
"Bohot dino baad is ghar me phir se koi shadi hone wali hai"the priest said with a wide smile on his face . everyone chuckled softly.
"Sb bhagwan ka ashirvad hai"Anjali mumbled fondly.
He smiled then looked at aksath"how are you beta?".
Aksath smiled then caressed his head ,then mahir"you both are grown up now... adarsh was already mature from little she but they are looking mature now".
Everyone chuckled widely.
"So ,who is the groom and bride?"he asked with a deep sigh, glancing at everyone.
Anjali smiled, pointing finger towards Veera"she is our daughter.. going to marry him"she pointed towards shivaay who was smiling smugly.olivia was playing in his lap with ved and ruhaan.
Then she pointed her finger towards adrika "and she is going to be our third daughter in law,Asath's soon to be wife"Anjali said fondly with a smile.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.they all knew that the priest was coming for shivaay and veera but adrika....it was unexpected.
Aksath voice came out as a whisper because of shyness growing in his veins.his ear turning red"dadi..we can get married later.we should focus on veeru first".
Mahir and shivaay looked at each other while smirking.sarthak also winked towards adrika who was getting red because of embarrassment.
"Why?I want to see you married soon".
"But dadi...
He tried to speak but she cut him off in the middle"say thank you to me,i am thinking about this ok ...and you both are going to marry together."
She turned her face towards Veera"veeru do you have any problem with this?".
Veera shook her head with a smirk"no dadi".
She asked everyone and they shook their heads innocently.
"Done ..pandit ji aap hamare aksath and veera dono ka hi bta dijiye "Anjali said with excitement.
Aksath glanced at adrika who was trying to calm herself racing heart.her feets touching the floor wildly, fidgeting with her fingers and he could not help but smile at her actions.
After thinking for some time,the priest finally looked at them...his nose scrunched because of tension "there are two best times....after three months and after ten days.both are sacred for weddings so I suggest you after ten days".
Adrika heart nearly stopped thumping.aksath also got frozen for a while.shivaay couldn't even blink properly and veera....she coughed hard.
"W...what?".
"Yes beta,after ten days....it is the best day for both of you to get married".
Lavanya nearly jumped from her place and ran towards aksath, Hugging him tightly "yeah dadda is going to marry...I will get my mumma yeah"she shouted in excitement... throwing her legs .
Ruhaan also ran towards his bua, hugging her closer "i am sooooo much happy bua ...sooo much"he mumbled, jumping on his place.
Ved ran towards adrika while vidhi throwed herself in shivaay arms.four of the children's was more excited then the wedding couples who was getting whole red.
Mahir caressed aksath head, grinning softly "congratulations bro,get ready to join husband club".
Aksath chuckled softly.his eyes shines bright in happiness "thank you so much Bhai".
Mahir then walked towards shivaay, hugging him through his shoulder "soon to be jiju..how are you feeling".
Shivaay bit his lower lip,his ears getting red "more than happy"he murmured softly... trying to calm himself down.his heart felt heavy because from his childhood he didn't get what he wanted but today—he did.
Mahir hugged him,patting his back"don't worry my jiju...I know only you are best for my dear sister".
Shivaay just hummed ,his throat tightened.
After celebrating the good news,they bid the priest farewell then walked inside with a smile.
Everyone was very happy to get quite.everyone was feeling like jumping in their places but they controlled themselves.
Aksath walked inside his room and shivaay went in his room.adrika and veera walked inside the kitchen as Anjali told them to eat something sweet but who is going to stop ....
Sofia, ishita and harshita grinned widely, running behind them with excitement.their smile widened,a grin cornering their mouth.
Adrika heart thudded wildly inside her chest.she took out sweets from the fridge and gave one to veera .they both took a bite from their sweets when three of them walked from behind.
Adrika turned her head only to get surprised with them.she knows why they are here...
"Hello soon to be brides"ishita said excitedly, waving her hands in front of them.veera smiled warmly, adrika also forced a smile between her nervousness.
Harshita chuckled "how are you adrika?"she asked innocently.
Adrika looked up starlet"m...me? What happened to me?"..
"Pyar"Sofia jumped in conversation.
Ishita leaned against the slab,her hips touching the counter "so...only ten days are left them you both will become their wives".
Adrika lowered her head because of shyness.veera clutched her dupatta tighter.
"Yes then they will behave like wives...aksath ji suniye na , suniye jara shivaay ji"Sofia mimicked innocently turning them more red.harshita and ishita laughed softly.
"Oh god I am too excited for your wedding...."harshita said excitedly.
"And I am for the first night"ishita jumped on her place.
Adrika nearly choked on her water,her cheeks turned bright red"w...what?".
Harshita stepped forward, caressing her cheeks innocently "what happened baby, will you not celebrate your first night?".
"Didi"adrika winned but Sofia jumped between.
"Kya didi aap bhi,she is too shy.she will surely faint the next time she saw him shirtless".
Adrika coughed hardly.her cheeks turned brighter red.four of them grinned widely.
"Ten days,we are ready to ruin your innocence mrs.aksath"ishita said drawing closer.
"Firstly you have to give him milk on your first night...you know for better stamina and endurance"ishita whispered in her ears.
Adrika bit her lower lip.
"Yes then he will hold you in bridal style, throwing you on the bed"harshita whispered teasingly.
Adrika winned , trying to turn but Sofia held her hand."then he will hover above you...only in pants".
"He will tear your clothes apart and....
Adrika pushed them harshly then ran outside the kitchen with her full force.ishita fell on the ground because of laughing too much, harshita nearly trip over the kitchen slab and Sofia's stomach started hurting because of laughing.
Veera tried to run but Sofia caught her wrist.grinning at her"where madam?we are not done with you"
Veera bit her hand and ran out before anyone could catch her .three of them laughed hardly after it.
🧿
It was late at night.everyone was sleeping peacefully in their rooms after getting too excited with the news.
Sleep was far away from harshita eyes,she was just staring out of the window,gazing at stars.ruhaan already slept after playing but she was awake because she can't sleep before talking to him.
Each growing second was testing her patience and after half an hour, finally the phone rang.excitement surged through her.she ran towards her mobile and connected it with her laptop.
In front of her,adarsh was looking at her from the other side.he was shirtless,his room was dim and dark but enough for her to see him.his eyes were heavy and she knows he didn't sleep.
"Hello cupcake"he murmured softly, waving at her.
A wide smile spread through harshita lips.she gave him a flying kiss" hiii patidev".
He grinned, leaning closer."what happened to my wife's face,she is glowing too much...May I know the reason behind your glow mam?".
She chuckled "good news".
He mouthed a oo"what is it?".
"After ten days, aksath and veera wedding "she whispered fondly.her eyes shining with pride and joy for her sister's pure love.
Adarsh smiled warmly"it is really very good news".
Harshita’s face glowed even more after telling him. Adarsh rested his chin on his palm, just watching her lovingly.
"You look very happy,"he said softly.
"I am,"she whispered. "Everyone is excited… the whole house is celebrating. But… I missed you the most."
He smiled, slow and deep ... the only smile she ever got.
"I missed you more, cupcake."
She giggled and sat properly, hugging her pillow.her eyes narrowed
"Why are you shirtless?"
Adarsh shrugged lightly. "Thought my wife likes seeing me this way."
Her cheeks warmed instantly. "Shut up…"
He chuckled that low, sleepy sound she loved the most.he leaned closer,his voice was soft.
"Tell me everything… how was your day?"
And that was it.
The long video call began.
Harshita talked nonstop about the priest, about Adrika nearly fainting, about Veera running away, about Sofia’s jokes everything. Adarsh listened quietly, nodding once in a while, smiling every time she got too excited.
Sometimes she talked too fast.
Sometimes she forgot what she was saying.
Sometimes she just stared at him and smiled for no reason.
Minutes changed into hours without them realizing.
"Cupcake… drink water,"he reminded softly.
"Haan…" she whispered, not moving at all.
Her voice was getting softer… slower… sleepier.
Adarsh watched her eyes drooping again and again.
"You’re sleepy," he said gently.
"No… I’m not…"She tried to open her eyes wider, but failed instantly.
"You’ll sleep if I cut the call," he teased,his grin widened.
"I won’t…"she whispered stubbornly, her cheek resting on the pillow.
"Then keep talking."
She tried.
She really tried.
But her words started breaking… sentences became half… and finally…
Silence.
Her breathing got slow and steady, like a small child. Her hair fell on her face, her lips slightly parted.
She had fallen asleep… right in the middle of telling him about Anjali mischievous plan.
Adarsh didn’t cut the call.
He just watched her for a long time .... her peaceful face, her soft breaths, her sleepy smile.
"Goodnight, cupcake," he whispered finally.
His voice was warm… full of love.
He stared at her one last time before lowering the laptop screen just a little… not enough to disconnect.
"Sleep well,"he murmured.
Then he leaned back on his chair, closed his eyes and slept too, with her still on the screen, like she was right beside him.both of them was sleeping too much closer yet too far from each other.
MORNING
Soft sunlight slipped into Harshita’s room, touching her face gently. She blinked slowly, still half-asleep, her cheek pressed against the pillow.ruhaan was hugging her waist from behind, snuggling in her hairs.
Her phone beeped softly,She didn’t even move.
Another beep,Still no reaction.
After a while,She frowned, eyes barely opening confused.
Her screen was still glowing.
The video call… was STILL ON.
Harshita pushed herself up instantly, hair messy, eyes wide.
"OH GOD"
Adarsh was on the screen.
His head against the chair, one hand resting near his jaw, his laptop kept open… just for her,He didn’t even cut the call.Her heart melted on the spot.
She leaned closer, whispering softly,
"You idiot… why didn’t you sleep on your bed?"
As if he heard her, Adarsh’s brows twitched. Slowly, he opened his eyes… sleepy, confused, and adorable.
He looked at her.
Then he smiled ... that slow, lazy morning smile that hit straight in her chest.
"Good morning… cupcake," he whispered, voice deep and rough with sleep.
She froze.
Her heartbeat jumped.
"G-good morning…"she stammered, pushing back her messy hair. "You slept like this"
Adarsh shrugged lightly, still watching her.
"I didn’t want to cut the call. You were holding your pillow like a baby."Her cheeks turned red instantly.
He chuckled then thought to tease her "You talk in your sleep, you know?"
Her mouth fell open. "WHAT did I say?"
"Hmm…"He pretended to think.
"You said 'Adarsh, don’t eat my icecream '
She covered her face with both hands.
"Shut up! I didn’t!"
"You did."
"No!"
"I recorded it."
"Adarsh!"
He laughed softly... really softly, the kind of laugh he never shared with anyone except her.
Then he leaned closer to the camera, eyes warm.
'How are you feeling this morning?"
She looked at him… really looked.
His hair messy.
His voice rough.
His shirt still lying somewhere behind him.
His eyes full of her.
"I’m… happy,"she whispered.
He smiled again. "Me too."
A small silence formed — but a sweet one, not awkward.
Then he said quietly,
"Next time… don’t sleep alone. I’ll be there."
Her breath caught.
She whispered back, barely audible,
"I’ll wait."
And Adarsh nodded… slowly… softly.
"Always."
____________
Love you all marshmallows 😚