Gauravi's POV
Parking my car on the porch, weariness settled in after enduring a marathon of duty hours covering for a colleague. Longing for the solace of sleep, my anticipation shifted abruptly upon entering our home, where a symphony of aromas enveloped the air, the whole house was bursting with aromas of different delicacies. Tami(Gautami, my younger sister) was arranging fresh flowers in the vases while orchestrated household tasks at the same time.
" Hey, what is going on? " I inquired.
" Di, Mihir Jiju and his family are coming for the dinner. " Tami revealed.
" All of a sudden? On a weekday?" I queried.
" Gautam uncle called up to tell us they are coming for dinner. " She replied with a smile.
Exhaustion and irritation clashed within me. " But why? I am so tired, almost dead on my feet, I just wanted to eat something and sleep. "
My maternal aunt ( chachi) teasingly declared, " Oh, c'mon, you will be as fresh as a flower as soon as you see Mihir. "
Protesting my fatigue, I just rolled my eyes. Tami just smiled and went to the kitchen.
" There is nothing like that... I really want to sleep. "
" But you can't, go and get ready. They will be here in half an hour. " Aunt Shruti said.
" Chachi... "
" No arguments... " I engaged in futile arguments until Siddh ( my first cousin) and my uncle walked in carrying many bags.They both smiled at me.
" Oh, my god, Gauravi, you are looking like horrible. Go and get ready or we will have to call a cardiologist to save Mihir. " Siddh said.
" Shut up! You go and see your face in the mirror. I look good in any condition." I said making a face. Everyone burst out laughing.
" Siddh, don't say anything to my princess, or I will beat you. " My uncle (Chachu) said hugging me.
" Dad, this is not fair, you always take her side. " Siddh said with fake anger.
" But dad, how can you beat Bhai, he is a boxing champion. Only dad can beat him, after all, he taught boxing to him " Tami said with a smile.
" I can still beat him as I am his dad. " chachu said. Just then Mom came out of the kitchen.
" Great! Everyone is here. Have you got everything I asked you to get, Siddh? " Mom asked.
"Ji! "
" Good, not go and freshen up both of you. Gauravi, go and take a bath. Shruti, since you are ready, please give them some snacks and tea, I will go and get ready." Mom said to Chachi. She nodded with a smile.
" Tami, go and change... " Mom said.
" Why do I need to change, Mom, they are not coming to meet me. I am fine, as it is I have a lot of work, I have to submit my project tomorrow, so I will stay in my room." She said and went away before Mom could argue.
" This girl is always busy. " Mom shook her head and said.
" Mom, I need to talk to you. " I said.
" Later on... I have to be ready before your dad and Shahs come. I am sweating after making so many things. " She said and rushed to her room.
" Go get ready... " Chachi pushed me to my room.
Why the hell didn't Mihir say anything to me? Why are they coming to our place?
I need to talk to him.
***
After about half an hour, I went downstairs, Dad had also come back. The moment he saw me, his face lit up and he hugged me.
" Good evening, sweetheart. You are looking very pretty, " Dad said
" Of course, Bhai, both the sisters look like Maurvi." Chachu teased Dad and he nodded.
" Thank God, they have inherited their looks from their mom. " Dad burst out laughing.
" Dad, I need to talk to you. " I said.
" Yes, beta... Tell me. " He said. But I could not talk to him in front of everyone.
" Can you come with me? "
" Where?" He was surprised at my request.
" To the study. "
" Now?? "
" Yes, Dad. "
" Not now, they will be here any moment. " Dad said shaking his head.
" Mom, dad, can I please talk to both of you? " I said and before they could say anything the doorbell chimed.
" Oh, it seems they are here. We will talk once they leave. " Dad said.
I wanted to argue but just then they all walked in.
We all greeted each other, Mihir winked at me, and Megha Aunty (his mom) , and Mahi (sister) hugged me. While Ron and Uncle smiled at me.
I managed to smile somehow. Everybody sat down and all the elders sat together, while we youngsters made another group. The helpers started serving tea and snacks.
" Aunty, where is Gautami? " Mahi asked.
"She has to submit her project tomorrow, she is working on it. Sri, please, go call her. " Mom said.
" It's okay Aunty, I will go and meet her," Mahi said.
Was she really busy or was she...? I was thinking about her when Mehul uncle asked Dad, " Gautam, we are here to say that if you don't mind, can we fix the wedding date? "
Oh, no!!
" What is the hurry, Mehul? " Dad asked. "
" Since Mahi has got married and has gone to live at Kapoor Mansion, our home has become very quiet. We are missing our daughter. So, we want our daughter Gauravi to come and live with us now. " Uncle replied and everyone smiled.
Mihir kept looking at me and his brother-in-law Ron cleared his throat.
" Stop ogling at her, there are other people around you. Her dad might beat you. " Ron said and grinned.
" Shut up! Look who is talking, the one who can't take his eyes off my sister. " Mihir retorted.
" Your sister is my wife now. I have every right to see her. " Ron replied.
" So? Gauravi is engaged to me. I have every right to look at her." He said.
"Mihir, may I have a moment?" I inquired. His grin widened as he nodded, assuring me, "You don't need to ask; I'm all ears for you."
"Come with me," I urged. Ron interjected, "Hey, you can talk to him in our presence, I swear I won't tease you." Mahi joined in with a teasing smile.
"Ron, please, if you don't mind, can we talk? It's something urgent," I solemnly requested. Ron acquiesced, nodded, and urged Mihir to join me.
As Mihir and I found ourselves alone, he closed the physical gap between us, pulling me into his arms. I gently pushed him away, determined to express what weighed on my heart.
"What?" he asked, wearing a long face.
"I said we need to talk, so let's go and talk," I replied, glaring at him.
"About our honeymoon? Yes, let's talk," he joked.
"Mihir, I am serious," I asserted.
He paused, the gravity of my words sinking in. "So am I," he replied, inching closer, his eyes searching mine.
"Fine, then listen. We can't get married." I said it bluntly.
Gauravi's POV "Fine, then listen. We can't get married." I said it bluntly. The words hung in the air, and I could see the shock etched on Mihir's face. "We are getting married, love," he said, attempting to play it off with a smile."No, we can't. It doesn't feel right. I don't want to get married," I confessed.Mihir's expression shifted from surprise to concern. "Why not?" he asked, his voice gentle."I don't know. I am not excited about it. I feel that we are just friends, very good friends. I don't have any romantic feelings for you," I explained, my gaze fixed on the floor. I didn't want to break this heart as I knew he loved me, but I could not think of him as my life partner. He took a moment, absorbing my words. "Gauravi, we've known each other since kindergarten. Our families are practically one. I love you. This... it's what we've always planned," he said, his voice a mixture of confusion and hurt." No, Mihir, I never planned it. I have always considered you as my frie
Gauravi's POV " Shaurya? As in Shaurya? Sagar's son?" Dad asked me, absolutely shocked. His eyes seemed to be coming out of his face. " Yes, Dad! " I said and all the color left his face. " No!! You are kidding... Right? You and Shaurya have always been like enemies. " Ron said. " I am not kidding. " I said firmly. " You are lying, just to avoid getting married. I know, you can't fall for him." Mihir said. " No Mihir! I am not lying." I said looking into his eyes. " Shaurya?? Like really?? He is a certified Casanova. Every other day, we see him with a new girl. How can you think that I will allow him anywhere near you? Sid, get my gun. " Dad asked Chachu to get his gun. " No, dad!! Please don't say anything to him. " I requested. " I will not say anything to him, I will go and shoot him between his eyes. " Dad said. " Mom, please try to make him understand. " " Sweetie, stop this prank, now. You are just like your dad. But let me tell you this is not funny stop this nons
Gauravi's POV "I agree that Mihir is a nice man but he has feelings for you, not for Tami. " Mom said. " But he is a good man from a good family... A good son, a good brother, and a good friend." I argued. " I'm sure he would be a good husband," Dad said. " Yes, I am sure, but he would not be my husband. " I said firmly. " There is no rush, I think that you panicked as we were fixing your wedding date, take some time and think about it for some time. I want you to think of all the pros and cons of this. " Dad said and Mom nodded. " Dad, Mom, trust me I am saying this after thinking all these things. I don't deserve his unconditional love when I can't reciprocate his feelings. " I said and Mom looked into my eyes, I averted my eyes away as I knew she was trying to read my mind as she had this magical power to read people's minds, now even Tami had inherited that trait. I wish I could read people's minds and know what they were thinking. " Gautam, stop this! There is no use,
Gauravi's POV" What happened?? Is he not picking up your call?? Or is his phone busy? " Siddh asked with sarcasm." His phone is not reachable. I have been trying to call him for a few days." I said." I am sure, he is involved with many such girls and hence he is not picking up your calls. I think you should forget about him, he is not reliable or dependable. I am not comfortable with the fact that you are even thinking of him. Let's go and meet Shahs, we can say that it was just a prank. They know that I am a big prankster and you are very much like me. They might forgive you, Mihir loves you so much that he would be very happy to have you back in his life. I must say, that Mihir is a very nice boy, and I was excited to have him as my son-in-law. " Dad said firmly." No, Dad... Please try to understand, it is not possible. " I said." Why is it not possible? I will make it possible for you. You deserve Mihir, not Shaurya. " Dad argued." No Dad!! I don't want to get married to Mihi
Third person POVGautam and Maurvi are going to Malhotra's mansion." Gautam, drive slow. What is wrong with you? " Maurvi said." I don't know, I have never felt so helpless in my life. I don't want Shaurya and Gauravi to be together but ... I don't like his way of living. He is even worse than Sahil. I don't know how this happened, I mean they always used to fight, complaining about each other... " Gautam said." Hmm, even I didn't ever feel that they could ever be together. Maybe I could imagine her with Shlok, but not Shaurya. They are quite mismatched, both short-tempered and impulsive. Gauravi needs someone like Mihir, or maybe Shlok, or Sujal. But what can be done now? Let's hope, everything goes well. But please be calm there, let me talk, you know that I am better in these matters. " Maurvi said. Gautam nodded reluctantly." Now don't look like a grumpy uncle. " Maurvi said and he rolled his eyes." I swear if you yell at Shaurya or misbehave with him there, I will not talk t
" We know that you got into a relationship with Gauravi. So you don't need to hide it, beta, uncle is not going to punch you. " Damini said." Gauravi?? "You think that I am in a relationship with her??" He asked, looking at all of them. Maurvi and Damini nodded."No!!! It is a lie!! I am not in a relationship with her. " He said shaking his head and looking absolutely shocked as well as surprised as if this was utter nonsense." Don't lie, Shaurya, it's ok. We understand you are scared as Gautam is here. " Maurvi was saying." No, Aunty, I am not lying, I am not in a relationship with her. How could you think it was even possible? And... And she is in love with Mihir, in fact, she is even engaged to Mihir. Then why do you think that she and I... ". He said.Gautam had started getting angry." I know, but she refused to get married to him and the reason that she gave in front of everyone is that she is in love with you. " Maurvi said" No!! It must be her latest prank. You all know h
Gauravi's POV " Don't blame me for the baby you are carrying. I am not related to it in any way. I don't even like you, being in a relationship, being married to you, or having a child with you is something that I would not do in this lifetime. " He said firmly." Well, what do I say, if you are denying it outrightly... Okay fine, all the best for your life, I guess I was right about you in the beginning. Anyway, thanks for saving my life. Mom, Dad, let's go, please. " Gauravi said." How can you deny everything like this?? He should take the responsibility. " Siddh got angry and charged at Shaurya but Gauravi came between them." Siddh, let it be, please don't force him. I can take care of myself and if I am in this situation it is my problem. Nobody has to take the responsibility for my life. Let's go! Please Bhai. "" We don't need him to take care of you because we can't take care of you, Gauravi, it is the right thing to do, he has always been a playboy, but at least now, he sho
Gauravi 's POV" Gauravi, I am sorry to say this but I can't stop myself from doing it... You know how much Mihir loves you, right?? Then why did you break his heart? I know, he has been in love with you since we all were in kindergarten. I swear, if I had someone who loved me so much, I would have died for him. " Roohi got emotional saying that, Vihan was looking at her with a weird expression." Oh, please, don't exaggerate! A child in kindergarten doesn't even know about this emotion called love. " Vihan said." I am talking about normal people, everyone is different, Mihir has been in love since then, he is not like you, as you don't know about that emotion even after your post-education." Roohi rolled her eyes and said sarcastically." You are being mean now. I love everyone, every girl has something better than the other so how can I choose one, I want all of them. And I don't chase them they do it. I just don't turn them down. I love all of them. " Vihan said with a smile and w