बेचैनी, बेताबी, आज मुझे ये कैसी आज है जो,
पहले ना थी, दिल की हालत ऐसी
आँखों को उसी का इंतज़ार है
उन्हीं के लिए, ये रूप, ये श्रृंगार है
देखी है तस्वीर ही, आज मिलेंगे दर्शन हाय रे,
बढ़ने लगी है उलझन मिलकर क्या बोलें…
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Avyuktta’s POV—
“Ab bachon ko thodi der baat karne dete hai. Wo dono bhi ek dusre ko jaan le toh acha hoga.”
The instant these words reached my ears, my mind began to spiral. A rush of worst-case scenarios stormed my thoughts, and an unfamiliar sting climbed up my throat, blurring my vision. My teeth sunk into my lips, nervously chewing as if that could calm the tsunami brewing inside me.
I turned to look at Chachi, only to find her signaling toward my room. I nodded hesitantly and glanced at him—he stood tall, walking slowly toward me. I turned away and started toward my room, sensing his footsteps following mine.
I took a deep breath and stepped inside, with him entering right after. I stood beside the bed, my back facing him and my thoughts spiraling out of control. I tried to steady myself, whispering to my nerves:
‘Okay Avyuktta, take deep breaths. The worst he can say is bhak chudail and run away. Yeah, no need to panic. Everything is fine.’
A soft girlish giggle caught my attention. I turned around, curiosity getting the better of me. My frown eased as I saw Kanay and Tripti standing there, trying my best not to meet his eyes, although I could still feel the weight of his gaze burning into me.
“Aap dono ke liye chai laye hai. Aaram se baatein kariye ab aap dono,” Tripti said as they both giggled and left, shutting the door behind them.
Silence immediately filled the room. Neither of us spoke. My eyes stayed lowered until I heard some shifting and, finally, his voice.
“Aaiye baithiye,” he said after settling on the small couch in my room — completely unaware that his deep, soft voice had just sent a strange comfort washing over me. I took slow, hesitant steps toward him and sat down beside him where he had patted the seat — keeping a respectful distance.
Again, silence wrapped around us. But this time, he broke it.
“Suniye,” he said, and paused.
“Ji?” I replied softly, assuming he was waiting for an answer.
“Meri taraf dekhiye, itna bura bhi nahi dikhta hoon,” he added with a chuckle, coaxing a tiny smile onto my lips.
I slowly lifted my lashes to finally look at him — and felt all the air leave my lungs. He kept looking at me and flashed a bright, breathtaking smile.
He was gorgeous. The picture didn’t even come close. Seeing him in front of me felt like something else entirely.
“Aap bilkul bure nahi dikhte,” I said, still captivated. I saw a blush creep up his cheeks and ears, which brought a genuine smile to my face.
“Aap bhi bahut pyari hain,” he replied and then continued, “Mujhe aap bahut pasand hain Avyuktta. Main is shaadi ke liye kabhi mana nahi karunga... darasal main toh mana kar hi nahi paunga. Lekin isme aapki bhi marzi honi chahiye.”
He took a deep breath, gathering courage.
“Maine jabse aapki photo dekhi hai, tab se toh main apna sab kuch aapke paas haar chuka hoon. Khud ko bhi.”
He finally exhaled.
Bliss — that was all I felt in that moment. His confession lit something inside me. This was the first time I’d heard words like these, and their impact on me was overwhelming.
I was just about to respond when a knock interrupted us.
“Haan?” I said, and Kanay stepped in.
“Aapko sab neeche bula rahe hai,” she said, looking toward him.
“Ji, bas 2 minutes please,” he replied. Kanay smiled knowingly and walked out. He turned to me again.
“Suniye... agar aapko bura na lage toh... aapka number mil sakta hai?”
I smiled and extended my hand. He placed his phone in it. I typed in my number and gave it back to him. He looked at it and smiled, scratching the back of his neck shyly before muttering a soft, “Bye,” and walking out.
I couldn’t stop smiling. His flushed face was etched in my memory. I got up from the couch to leave the room when both my little devils came running toward me, already firing questions.
“Wo kaise hai didi?” Kanay asked.
“Aapko wo ache lage?” Tripti joined in.
"Unhone aap se ache se baat ki?”
“Kuch ajeeb toh nahi kaha na?”
“Tum dono thoda saans le lo... aur mujhe bhi lene do,” I laughed, stopping their mini investigation.
“Lekin batao na didi, kya baat hui?” Tripti nudged again.
“Lagta hai tum dono ko Singhaniya naam bada pasand aa gaya hai. Tum dono ki bhi baat chalau kya?” I teased.
Instantly, blush bloomed on their faces as they chorused,
“Didi yaar!!!”
Chachi entered just then and tugged their ears. They winced and cried out until she finally let go.
“Avyuktta, wo sab tujhe bula rahe hai,” she informed, and just like that, my heartbeat began to race again. I said nothing and followed her downstairs, with Kanay and Tripti rubbing their ears and trailing behind me.
Downstairs, everyone was gathered in the living room. The moment I appeared at the entrance, a few people exchanged sly smiles. Yashveer ji, red in the face, was staring out the window while his brothers continued to tease him with grins.
Chachi came to me and led me to the kitchen. Once we reached, she turned to me, raising her brows.
“Kaise hai wo? Unhone tere se ache se baat ki?”
“......Haan chachi. Aur wo bahut ache hai,” I replied, looking down.
“Meri bachi,” she whispered and kissed my forehead. Then she gently asked, “Toh hum baat aage badhayein beta? Tere pe koi zor nahi hai. Agar mann nahi bol raha toh chinta ki koi baat nahi. Tere chacha unse baat karke mana kar denge.”
“Unhone kuch kaha?” I asked, almost holding my breath.
She smiled with such warmth. “Unki taraf se haan hai. Wo keh rahe the ki agar tum bhi haan keh do, toh jald se jald shaadi ki tayyariyan shuru karna chahte hain.”
POV end—
Avyuktta blushed, eyes cast down, and slowly nodded her head. Her chachi gasped — audibly this time — and then a precious smile broke across her face.
“Sachi mera bacha?” she confirmed, her voice soft.
Once again, Avyuktta nodded gently.
Anuradha kissed her forehead again and took a box of sweets before heading toward the living room.
Avyuktta stayed back near the door, breathing heavily. She could hear cheerful voices and the sound of celebration, but her heartbeat only quickened further.
After a while, she stepped outside and saw everyone by the cars, getting ready to leave. She looked around but didn’t find him anywhere.
Shivani pulled her into a tight hug. After that, Avyuktta bent down and touched her feet, then moved on to Akshat, Shiv and Parvati to take their blessings.
While Abhinav and Anuradha discussed the roads and directions, Kanay appeared again, this time grabbing her hand, dragging her away.
“Kanay kya kar rahi hai? Chor mujhe, wo sab nikalne wale hai. Jaane de mujhe.”
“Offo didi, chalo na. Aapke liye surprise hai.”
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BUH-BYEEEE LOVESS!!!!
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