Aadarsh had decided to stay home. He wasn't feeling any better since the last night. Thankfully, Dai Jaan was back early that morning. Unfortunately, the cold war between Ruhaani and the others continued.

Ruhaani had been too busy in the morning to even make an attempt to extend an olive branch. No one ever fussed about final exams in the house as much as she did. Not even him. It was almost like she was going to give an exam, not the twins.

Aadarsh had stayed home to recoup his health, but that didn't mean he didn't work. Work was getting hectic with the bid submission deadline for a good government project round the corner. Usually this was normal work. But with the court case and Devashish getting personal with a competitor things were getting ugly.

Devashish was a very dependable person usually. He might have unusual ways— some of them even falling behind the line of morals—of getting work done but he was as good at it as they came. Nonetheless, he could be an ass sometimes. Not to mention his dubious ways when it came to charming the fairer sex.

Aadarsh had always kept his family away from him, from DV (a.k.a Devashish Vashisht). Abhi had met him a couple of times when he had been to office to sign some official papers or attend board meetings and there thrived strong mutual dislike between the men. DV wasn't likeable but Aadarsh liked him, for all he was and for all he could do.

Devashish was not a bad man, he had his own set of morals however twisted they were. Aadarsh needed a man like that. Someone who was loyal, someone who did the dirty work for him without involving him.

However Aadarsh couldn't let that man any where around his family. That now included Pari and Ruhaani. His blood had almost boiled over when he had seen Devashish flirting with a very unsuspecting Ruhaani, at the wedding reception.

It was better of DV remained a stranger to his family.

He was going through the papers of some property with his legal advisor towards the evening of the day when the doorbell rang. His gaze moved to the door expecting it to be Ruhaani. It was not. It was Abhi.

"Hello, uncle!" He greeted the man touching his feet.

"Bless you child." The man in his sixties replied. He had been a legal advisor with the company since the time their father and now still was with him.

"No retirement plans, uncle?" Abhi asked, taking a fee cashews from the bowl placed in the centre of the table.

"I will go mad if I don't work." The man chuckled.

"No wonder you and Bhai are such a good team. Look at him, all beaten up by the flu, still stubbornly working." Abhi remarked moving to his brother's side.

"How are you feeling?" He further asked softly.

"Much better. Why don't you freshen up and be back here? We need some of your signatures." Aadarsh answered.

"Okay, so what is it?" Abhi asked glancing at the papers in his brother's hands. He was a board member of the company but knew very little of what went on. However, when it came to the real state—which his brother did quite some investments in— he tried to keep a full track.

"The GXZ office space in Gurgaon that we discussed last time." Aadarsh said, Flipping to the next page.

"Oh that, I actually did some research about that. Are you certain that's a good investment? I mean, with all due respect to both your due diligence," Abhi glanced at the older man and then his brother, "the property is about seven kilometres away from the actual hub. Also, in a two kilometres radius to this property there are only residential properties. Having a commercial building there is a poor choice isn't it?"

"Good observation, Abhi." Aadarsh spoke up, his voice sounding quite nasal from the cold. "But I have already promised Suresh, the builder, that I am buying six units."

Abhi nodded. There was no room for debate there, he could discern from the tone. His brother's decision was always what prevailed. He wanted to argue but doing so before an outsider— however well known to their family— would clearly piss his brother off.

"Review the deets, I will be back." He said forcing a smile. He walked away wearing a thoughtful look.

Aadarsh turned his gaze back to the papers. He felt proud of Abhi's discounting. Slowly his brother was getting a hang of investments. Abhi was right, this was a shitty deal. But what Abhi did not know was that this deal was more than what it looked like. He didn't have to know the grey details of it. The lesser he knew the better.

He glanced at his watch, sniffing. Usually Ruhaani was home well before this time. He wondered why she wasn't home yet.

An hour later, the papers had been signed, the work had been completed and their legal advisor had left.

"Why did you promise the builder you'd by units in that building?" Abhi asked, flipping through the copy of the signed papers. It was a cheap deal no doubt. The rate was the cheapest they'd find in that area.

"Just the usual Abhi. You support me, I support you." Aadarsh sighed, picking up the laptop from the table and placing it on his lap.

Abhi looked up at his brother, as he sat beside him. "We are supplying the material?"

"No, that would bring in conflict of interest. The paperwork becomes intense in that scenario." Aadarsh answered, his gaze on his laptop screen.

"Then what's the catch?"

"Why do you think there is one?" Aadarsh finally looked up from his screen and turned to his brother.

"This is too good to be true and has some questionable logic." He spoke waving the document in air.

Aadarsh parted his lips to give him a reason but Abhi held up his forefinger and issued a warning, "the truth, I am not a kid anymore."

"Well then, you should understand that somethings are need to know basis only."

"I need to know, Bhai. I signed those papers. I am a co-owner now. "

"Yes, you are for now. But not long. We'll sell it in good profit by end of the third quarter of this year."

"Wow, so there's a plan in place already. You don't tell me all of this and then expect me to be good at financial independence and investments."

"Abhi, trust me. I keep your best interests in mind before doing anything. If there's another investment option in your mind, go ahead with it...we can even discuss it. Just let this one slide okay?"

Abhi sighed. Somewhere deep down he knew his brother wasn't always in the white side of the line. Up until now it had always been easy to trust him blindly. But now that he knew how things worked in the world, he couldn't ignore that annoying feeling in his chest. That feeling of almost knowing something wasn't right but turning a blind eye to it.

"Where's Ruhaani? Did she call you?" Aadarsh asked casually.

Abhi was pulled out of his thoughts. "No. Remember she declared a cold war on us?"

"Are you kidding me? Just call her and ask where she is. She's never been out so late."

"If you're so worried just call and ask her. I am not talking to her."

Aadarsh let out an irritated sigh, moving forward to place the laptop on the table again. "Just say sorry and fix the problem."

"You think I didn't try that? I tried it last night, apologized like five times with good reason but she refused to make peace."

"Why is she so damn stubborn!" Aadarsh mumbled.

"Cause she's your match. Remember thirty-one out of thirty-six gunas match!"

"Shut up, Abhi!"

"Bhai, I mean it seriously.

Stubbornness check,

Awfully responsible check,

Bossy check,"

"Abhi, shut up or you get punched. I have had a not-so-good day as it is." Aadarsh muttered turning to Dai Jaan who had just approached them.

"Soup is here," she declared.

"I will have it with dinner." Aadarsh told her and then asked, "Did Ruhaani call you?"

"No, she didn't call her also, right DJ?" Abhi spoke before the woman could answer, giving her a look to not tell about the call.

"Call? Yeah, I don't remember. I have been so busy cleaning your room. We didn't find any lizard there by the way." Saying that, the woman quickly walked away.

Abhi held back the smile from his face. It was cute seeing his brother fuss over his wife, for a change. Otherwise it was usually one of them.

"Abhi call her!"

"Nope. Your wife, your headache."

Aadarsh took a cushion and threw it on his brother's face with full force. It happened so suddenly that Abhi barley had the time to duck.

"What was that for?" He whined, massaging his nose.

"For being annoying!" Aadarsh muttered, walking away while dialling Ruhaani's number.

"Hello, where are you?" He spoke as soon as the line connected.

"Still here." Ruhaani answered, overcoming the surprise of receiving a phone call from her husband.

"and here is?" Aadarsh asked pinching the bridge of his nose using his other hand.

"Perhaps, you should try opening the family chat group sometime," Ruhaani muttered.

Aadarsh quickly shifted to speaker mode and opened the group chat she was talking about. He saw the message from her. She had informed that she would be late and have dinner outside at a restaurant near her office. DJ had replied with a thumbs-up just as Abhi had. Traitors.

"I didn't have time." He muttered. "So where exactly is this restaurant? And who are you with?"

There was some disturbance from her side before her voice flowed over the line, "with my colleagues who are also my friends. Is everything okay at home?"

"Of course it is." He muttered. He didn't know why he felt annoyed.

"The why are you pissed?"

Aadarsh froze. How on earth did she know he was annoyed? He recovered quickly, deflecting her guess "I am not pissed. I was just worried was Pari. She must be getting terribly bored among your friends." He stressed on the last word. Since when did she have friends? He didn't remember any of them attending their wedding.

"Oh trust me, she's not. Far from it. She's been the star of the evening. Getting pampered by everyone."

Aadarsh's jaw tightened. Here he was feverish, sick, had an awfully annoying blocked nose and there she was letting Pari be among strangers. Pari should have been with him.

"Fine. Just drive home safe. Whenever you want. Bye." He ended the call.

"Ouch, what's crawled up your ass, big bro?" Abhi's voice floated over his shoulder.

"Abhi, don't. Just shut up or better, get lost."

"Did she fight with you too, the warrior Ruhaani Sehgal?"

"No." Not that she didn't do it often, he thought to himself. Until yesterday she was pretending to be concerned about him and now she was having a happy dinner outing with friends while he was at home sick. She didn't even ask if he still had fever or if he still felt sick. Not that he wanted her to. He didn't give a damn.

He just wanted to be with Pari. Off late that little angel was the best part of his day.

"Then why the annoyance?"

Aadarsh walked away ignoring his brother. He was hungry. He had a not-so-good day at work. He was annoyed by the sudden disappearance of Devashish at work. He was irritated by the switch between a running and blocked nose. Ruhaani, like always, left him exasperated with her ways.

And now, Abhi had decided to be a stupid fly that buzzed around one's face.

He was done.

***

"God, this is so delicious!" Abhi hummed as he licked his fingers coated in the gravy of the kofta that Dai Jaan had prepared."

"Yes! Sarla, no one can cook like you. You're our master chef!" Shelly Bua remarked blowing a chef's kiss.

"Where is Bhabhs?" Nirvan asked.

"She'll be home in some time." Dai Jaan told him. "Eat the corners of the chapati or I am going to tell your Bhabhi you wasted food again."

Nirvan made a face then started picking the edges of the roti and started eating them with the gravy.

"So, speaking of Bhabhi, is her absence a part of her cold war tactic?" Ashvi asked.

"I wouldn't put it past her." Shelly Bua remarked.

"Abhi, Ashvi, why are you both stretching this." Dai Jaan spoke up. "Apologise and put an end to it."

"We didn't start it. And it was NOT our mistake." Ashvi argued. Just like that a back and forth of reason started.

"Enough," Aadarsh spoke out loud.

"All three of you should apologize. Abhi, you apologized to her but with reason. That's as good as not apologizing at all." He turned to his sister. "The next time you spend two hours in the kitchen and cook for us, you'll know exactly the amount of effort it takes. And then we'll refuse To eat that. We'll see how you react to that."

Aadarsh turned his gaze to his aunt, "With all due respect Bua, it's not Ruhaani's duty to cook for us or for that matter do anything for us. If she does anything, it's because she wants to. It's not right to hold anything against her for not cooking."

"You are being biased Aadi boy!" Shelly Bua spoke up. "Not your fault, happens to the best of men. They become advocates of their wives."

Aadarsh drew his hand into a fist. He had wanted to snap at her. "I am not being biased. I am being a realist. You all seem to have some unrealistic expectations from her. Perhaps you all should revise them." He muttered getting up from his chair. "And Bua, no one better than you knows that there is hardly any truth in your last statement."

He turned to Dai Jaan. "Thanks for the dinner Dai Jaan,"

Dai Jaan nodded as a heavy silence fell on the table. Once Aadarsh was gone, Dai Jaan managed to wear a smile despite the tension in air and turned to the twins engaging them in a conversation to distract their thoughts.

***

"Thought you'd return tomorrow morning!" Aadarsh commented as his wife entered the room. He hadn't spoken a word since she was home. She hadn't either, not even an enquiry about his health. She had gone straight to the kid's room while he had spent time with Pari in the living hall playing building blocks with her.

His little one was so exhausted that she had slept off on the sofa. He had then carried her to the room so that she could sleep with them for a change.

Perhaps he needed the comfort she radiated. Just having her around was enough to make him feel better.

"I wish." Ruhaani muttered, knowing it would annoy him. She was done with his hot and cold attitude. She dumped her dupatta on the recliner and moved to the bed.

"Why did your bring her here?" She questioned, eyeing the bed nervously.

"There's no lizard here. Dai Jaan was supervising the cleaning. And what do you mean by why did you bring her here?" His voice grew a bit agitated despite the exhaustion from fighting the sickness.

"Aadarsh, she'll catch your cold."

"Of course she will. She won't catch anything from being out with you and eating out. But she'll catch cold from me."

Ruhaani sighed, picking up Pari in her arms. "kids catch cold faster, especially her, Aadarsh."

Aadarsh's eyes followed her as she carried Pari around the bed. He looked away as she walked out of the room.

She had a point. The last thing he would want is for Pari to fall sick because of him.

He took a deep breath and laid down on his side of the bed.

Cause she's your match.

You're being biased.

He turned to the side restlessly.

It's no a big deal, you just care for her. Like you care for others. It's your responsibility to make sure she's fine. There is nothing wrong if you were worried about her. A voice in his head tried to calm him down.

Fine. Let's agree with that. Why did you speak up for Ruhaani? You were being her advocate. Since when did you start getting involved in household nuisances? Another voice argued.

It was just... doing the right thing. Ruhaani's happiness is my responsibility. If she is happy others at home are happy.

And you made the others upset to make Ruhaani happy? That's bullshit. Why do you care for her? Why was it so hard to have sex with her even when that's all wanted in that moment? Why does it annoy you if she doesn't ask you about your health?

Aadarsh opened his eyes feeling the warmth of a cloth over him. He turned only to meet Ruhaani's gaze, as she spread the duvet over him.

"I thought you were asleep." She explained stepping away. She disappeared into the walk-in closet.

She sighed as she reached the rack of her casual clothes. She shouldn't be so worried for him, for his health. At the end of the day he was that annoying man who only got to her nerves. She had called Dai Jaan thrice through the day just to take updates on his health.

She had thought going out for dinner would help her stop thinking about him but all her hopes were crashed when he had called.

In that moment, seeing his name flash on her screen had almost doubled up her heartbeat. However, again he had proved to be the unpredictable man who was always annoyed no matter what.

His cold-and-hot attitude was becoming annoying. In one moment, he led her to believe that they could have normalcy in their marriage. Like calling her to make sure she was okay. Like willingly holding her hand. Like giving her company for drinking hot chocolate at night.

In the other, he would annoy her. Remind her that he was still in love with someone else and their relationship never had a chance to be something normal.

Minutes later she was getting on the bed.

"You might catch a cold too," he mumbled.

Ruhaani chuckled, "you are still awake just to just taunt me, aren't you?" She said pulling the duvet towards her side.

"You wish," he muttered.

"Did you take the medicine?"

Why do you care? Aadarsh blinked, a silence fell. "Yes," he mumbled instead of making the sarcastic comment.

"Badi Bua and Phupha ji will come tomorrow, they'll stay till the weekend. For Holi."

"I thought we decided," she turned to the side so that she was facing him, "that we won't celebrate it with a flourish because NiMuk have exams."

"NiMuk?" He turned his head to look at her.

"Niravan & Mukti. It's better than referring to them as the twins."

He sighed, looking back at the ceiling. "Holi was my mother's favourite festival. We always celebrate it. They have an off for Holi anyways plus there's a weekend that follows so it's a win-win."

Ruhaani sighed. She wasn't a fan of the festival. Perhaps it had to with that one year when she was in eight grade. Two older boys from her neighbourhood had poured a bucket of filthy dark blue on her. Bullies!

"You don't have to stress so much over their exams. No one stresses as much as you do."

"It's essential to get good grades, the society judges you by that. It's good to make it a habit from now to keep their grades good. By the time they're in high school it will be easier. Eventually that'll get them a good college and subsequently a good career. It's good to have someone other than you concerned about your grades and involved in your studies. I never had anyone." Her voice trailed off.

She had never been that great at studies. She never had parents' expectations to meet. However, Arti, she had expectations. Her every score mattered. She went to a better school. There were days when her Chachi would stay up to give company to her. But when she had exams, no one cared that much.

Aadarsh turned to her. His hand had moved halfway towards hers when it stopped.

"My father used to fuss over grades, Maa was happy as long as we passed and she didn't get complaints from teachers." He spoke up.

Ruhaani smiled. "I can bet Abhi got better grades than you,"

"No. We were almost as good as the other. Ashvi sucked at maths which almost always brought her grades down."

"What were you not good at Mister Sehgal?" She asked, as her gaze stuck to his clean shaved cheek.

"Why would I tell you that out of all people?" He asked holding back his smile, turning to her.

"Of course. Your ego is too large for humbly accepting your weak points. I will have that figured out and which way "

"How? I believe you're not in talking terms with Abhi."

Ruhaani's smile faded. She actually missed chit chatting with Abhi. With Abhi she could talk about the most random things. Occasionally make fun of Aadarsh. It was almost like free therapy.

"He's your brother, I didn't expect a quick apology. In fact, all you Sehgals seem to have a gene issue. No one admits to mistakes. Big stubborn egos."

Aadarsh smiled.

"He'll eventually come around. I know. That too without initiation required from my side." She muttered.

"Well, we'll see. Good night. Let me sleep."

"You were the one who started the conversation." She remarked.

"No, it's you who keeps talking. Shut up, Ruhaani." He muttered.

"Good night."

"See again," he pointed out.

"May you have hell in your dreams." Ruhaani mumbled turning the other way.

Aadarsh smiled. "Don't wake me up even if a crocodile is in the room."

"Nope, I won't. I will let it take my place here. You both can hug each other and sleep."

Aadarsh grinned, turning to her side. Hisbl eyes on her back "Good night." He said softly, feeling better than he had felt through the day.

***

Ruhaani couldn't believe the excitement that bubbled the household. It was a day prior to holi.

Badi Bua's presence in the house was like the aroma of desi food. It made their home feel hundred times more homely. The mornings would start with her tid bits of wisdom at breakfast table and Phupha Ji's terrible Whatsapp jokes.

The evenings were spent listening to their anecdotes from their lives, playing cards (only after everyone had attended the evening arti and had taken prasad). The dinners were like a party they never wanted an end too.

It had been only two days of them living with them but felt like they had been around for months. It felt nice.

However with pros came cons. One was Badi Bua and Shelly Bua's arguments. Somehow Ruhaani absolutely enjoyed how Badi Bua won the verbal battle. The other was Badi Bua's expectations.

Tonight, she had literally ordered everyone to get dressed in ethnic for the Holika Dahan Ritual. It was something that took only half the hour to get done with or even less. Yet, everyone was supposed to be well dressed in their desi attires.

Nonetheless, the house was suddenly bubbling with joy. It might have something to do with Dai Jaan being back. Dai Jaan was literally the liveliness of the household. Badi Bua was like the chocolate chips on chocolate ice cream. She perfectly matched DJ's energy.

Perhaps it was about the matriarch of the family. Their fuss over tiny matters of the home. Their desire to make sure everyone participated in the prayers and rituals of the festival. Their expectations of the family spending time together, eating together. Their pure yearning to see each member of the family flourishing and happy.

The strong feminine energy was like a delicate thread binding everyone together.

The Sehgal siblings were always so excited when it came to events and functions. Before, their bubbly excitement used to surprise Ruhaani but now that she knew them better, she understood the reason. They were all hungry for attention, for the happiness, for the simple notion of belonging somewhere.

It was not the function or the event, it was the coming together of people they could call their own. Badi Bua and Phupha Ji were the closest they had to parents in the family. The stubborn siblings may not say it in so many words but they looked forward to every occasion that brought them closer to Badi Bua and Phupha Ji.

Ruhaani stood before the hangers of sarees wondering which one to where. The red, she had worn during the wedding. The yellow, that her Chachi had gifted during the wedding, she didn't like. The green was a bit too dull for the occasion. The grey a tad bit formal. Badi Bua had specially asked her to wear a saree. She turned to the one that Badi Bua had gifted her as as of her homecoming.

"You are still here!" An exclamation was followed by the door of the bathroom sliding. Ruhaani looked to the side over her shoulder.

Aadarsh had just stepped out of the bathroom in just a towel around his torso. Ruhaani's eyes widened a little and her lips parted. His bare chest with faint hair, those tiny nipples and hard muscles, immediately captured her attention. Her gaze fuelled by curiosity lowered to the towel. The end of it tucked at the side of his waist.

He cleared his throat to get her back to earth from whatever dreamy world she was in. "I thought you would have been gone by now." He muttered walking to the other side where his clothes hung. Dumping his wet kurta on the ottoman, he turned away with the hint of a proud smile on his face. It was priceless to watch Ruhaani gawk at him.

Ruhaani shouldn't have let her gaze follow him. But she did. She turned around looking at him. His shoulders broad and the back muscles sculpted just as well as his arms. His back narrowed aa it neared the waist. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Her mouth felt unusually dry.

"Ruhaani, you're staring," he said catching her reflection on the mirror on the side.

"No. I was just..." She raced her mind. "Actually I am quite confused about what I should wear." She said in a single breath.

"So, you want my clothes?" He asked, turning around as he wore a vest. His brows lifting up mockingly.

Ruhaani's gaze darted away towards the bathroom door. She could feel the heat on her cheeks and her ears. She just hoped that her cheeks didn't show a hint of red.

"No. I don't. I just...." She stuttered and paused to get a grip on herself. "wanted your opinion," she turned to him with a renewed confidence.

"My opinion? You want my opinion?" He asked enjoying the impact he had on her as he grabbed the maroon kurta from the hanger and pulled it down his head.

"Yeah, do you see anyone else here?" She taunted, her gaze very carefully observing how his arms moved, the muscles in them flexed and the few veins became beautifully prominent.

Aadarsh looked at her with an even expression but his eyes glinted with his amusement. He walked over to the other side of the ottoman, standing beside her. "What do you want an opinion on?"

Ruhaani wondered if he had forgotten about the trousers. Like the protagonist Rahul in a scene from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

"Shall I wear this saree?" she said quickly when he gave her one of those smug raise of eyebrows.

"Badi Bua gifted this." She added pointing to the ivory coloured saree with maroon embroidered lace."

Aadarsh drew the hanger out from the rod and looked at it. "It will make her happy, wear it."

She nodded.

He almost smiled. Tempted by the urge to tease her, he stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" He asked leaning his face closer to hers. His voice low and husky, that somehow made her muscles clench.

Ruhaani blinked, her breath got caught in her airways. She could smell his body wash.

"Sorry!"

"We didn't see anything!"

Two loud voices made them widen their eyes and turn to the entrance to walk-in wardrobe.

Abhi and Ashvi stood their. Ashvi had turned around while Abhi was only covering his eyes with his palms. That sly boy!

"I told you, we should knock!" Ashvi muttered.

"The door was wide open. An open door doesn't require a knock, chipmunk!" Abhi muttered. He created a narrow slit between his fingers. "is the moment over?"

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Aadarsh muttered annoyed. Abhi would never stop teasing him for this. That man still brought up the engagement kiss for God sake.

Abhi dropped his hands down. "Uh, we wanted to talk to Bhabhs. That is if you are done with whatever it is you were.."

Ashvi drove her elbow into her brother's ribs. "Shut up!"

Ruhaani finally grew some courage and turned around, walking towards them. Away from the man who had power to reduce her brain's power on her. "What?"

Ashvi slowly turned as Abhi nudged her.

"We wanted to say we're sorry, for hurting you." Abhi said.

"And for taking you for granted," Ashvi added.

"And for stretching this tiff. I miss talking to you Bhabhs. It's like my day is not complete if I don't talk to you."

"Ditto." Ashvi added.

They both then held their respective ears. "Sorry!"

Ruhaani smiled her eyes turning glossy. "Okay, that's enough. I am sorry for being difficult too." They both jumped forward to take her into a hug.

Aadarsh turned and walked back to his rack of clothes. He turned to them again. They had something so special with Ruhaani.

You can have it too, a voice whispered in his head. Something even better than what they have they have with her.

"Sorry to you too bro, we interrupted your umm...moment." Abhi said, holding Ashvi's hand. "But we'll be out of your hair and you can resume like we were never here."

Aadarsh glared at him while Ashvi chuckled. Ruhaani looked aside, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"We'll also close the door on our way out." Abhi said as they both scurried out.

"And I will make sure Pari is ready!" Ashvi added.

Ruhaani turned to Aadarsh, he had grabbed his white trousers. "Ignore them," he muttered walking out. Sliding the door shut.

Ruhaani couldn't help but grin. They were all so damn crazy. But they were family, her family.

• — • — •

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Would love to read your thoughts on it.

Next : Monday/Tuesday 

Don't forget to vote ☆ on the chapters.

—Anami!♡