The worst part about marriages? Being stuck in a position where you have to choose. Be it parents vs husband. In laws vs husband. Friends vs husband. Cooking at home vs eating out. I shake head at the last one, shaking myself out of my stupidity.

"Paa. I'm sure it's not wha—"

"Don't. Don't even try to take his side. Stop being one of those wives." Samyak Paa cuts me off. I look at my lap, embarrassed at being called out. Fluff you Sahil Sahdev! You always get me in mess.

"Samyak! Stop it. You're fifty-four and you still have men's night with Rudra. Chill out yaar. He's with Advik, Yug and Hood na." Avni Maa steps closer, keeping hand on Samyak Paa's chest.

"It's 1:46am, Avni. I don't care who he's with. He should have been at home with her." Samyak Paa points at me. My father yawns, least interested in the drama. I don't like how he feigns innocence whenever it's time to yell at my husband but he makes sure to be mean with my brother on the same fooking thing. Son in law over your own kids? Not good, Mr. Rudra Mehrotra Papa!

"We came home from our drinks night last time at 3am." My father states, his head leaned back and eyes closed. "Tu jaa. Soja jake. Kisne bulaya tujhe yaha?" Samyak Papa screams at his best friend, the said best friend gestures at my mother who must have dragged his arse here when she heard Samyak Paa yelling on the phone.

It's Saturday night, boys wanted to go clubbing. Both Falak and Suhana have their periods, so we decided to stay back and hang out at home. But since Falak's grandfather is a big pain in all our arses, he didn't let her come— his voodoo doll is in process. I'm not above using black magic when someone comes between me and my best friends. Suhana and I gossiped with our mothers—with Falak whining on the video call—before our fathers stole them, newly wedded and all that you know.

Suhana went to sleep, leaving me alone to get bored. I came down in the living room, waiting for my husband to return. That was at 11:30pm. It's now almost two in the morning and my husband still not home. Shitz hit the fan when Papa came out to get some water and found me waiting for him.

He tried calling all of them but none picked up. Papa went to WhatsApp call Hood but ended up seeing his story which was of my husband, Yug and Advik doing shots challenge. My husband won.

Wohoo! Proud wife.

"Keep him on leash, Ahaana! Stop giving him so much freedom. Learn something from your mothers." A chuckle escapes me at Samyak Papa's words. Why is he so cute? My parents in-law has to be the first in-laws who pushes me to control my husband. Keep him on the leash, like he said.

"Hadd hai! Ye ladki pagal ho gayi hai Avni tere bete ke pyaar mein, isko uski galtiyaa bhi nahi dikhti." Samyak Papa throws his hands in air, frustrated. I stop laughing, not wanting to piss him off anymore than he already is..

"Paa you know na, this is not a regular occurrence. He cribbed so much to take me with him. I wasn't in the mood to dress up. And to be honest, your son's really needy, he needs my eyes on him when he's around. I have been trying to finish this series—mind you this has three books— since we returned from his birthday trip and I'm still at fifty-three percent of the first book because he doesn't let me read. I don't even know why he even gifted me this device if he wasn't going to let me read!" I say waving the kindle around.

My phone fell from the bed one day, he picked it up and realised that it was the same phone my father gifted me when I got my 12th grade result. The back had cracks and I was hiding those with cover. Of course, I didn't have the fluffing money to buy myself new phone in these five years and it was working just fine. I damaged it when I was packing my life to come to India for good.

I was in the kitchen that day when he came fuming from the bedroom, picked up the car keys and left without telling me where he was heading. He returned back after an hour with a new phone all set up and kindle. Apparently he saw that I read fictions and wanted to make it easy for me.

It's always the little things he does for me that makes me want to weep my heart out in his chest. I didn't even realise I needed to upgrade my phone until he handed me the new one. He's staying true to his words and spoiling me rotten every chance he gets.

"Ahaana. Did you try calling him?" My mother questions, I shake my head in negative.

I want him to have fun. He has spent the last five years, studying, working and locked up in his paint room. He's finally going back to living life like he used to back when I was still here and I want him to just fluffing do that. Have fun, like he used to. Sahil, Yug and Advik know their responsibilities. They work hard. They love deeply. They do everything they are supposed to, in the best way possible. They deserve to put everything on the backseat for one fooking night—not worry about someone touching their girls inappropriately, not to have alcohol because they have to drive back and look after their women's alcohol intake. They freaking deserve one night all to themselves.

Also, I got a series to finish. Ahaana Sahil Sahdev got her priorities sorted.

"Call him. I know you want him to enjoy and I want the same as we have seen how he spent the last few years, but bacha none's picking up. It's been almost twenty minutes to Hood's last call. Hood said he'll make Sahil call us, but he hasn't." I look at the mothers worried faces and give a slight bob of head. Reaching for my phone on the coffee table, I dial his number on speaker. He picks up on the third ring. "Haan baby." His slurry voice coos, the loud music in the background tells us he's still at the club.

"Why didn't you answer Papa's call?" I ask my husband.

"Because he's going to yell at me for being late. I'll be home in a few minutes after we find Hood. Tell the old man to not worry and sleep, also let others sleep. I know he loves m-- Hood! Where have you been fucker?" My husband forgets all about me being on call and puts the phone in his pocket because I hear nothing other than the loud music and some slight rustling of fabric. I disconnect the call facing the elders. I can't believe Suhana slept through all this.

"You all go sleep, they'll be home soon. You can yell at them in the morning." I try to save my husband and brothers arses. "I know what you are trying to do here." Samyak Paa narrows eyes at me making me blush. My father and both the mothers chuckle at that. "You're going to keep waiting for that idiot, aren't you?" I don't reply to my father in laws question. He shakes head extending his hand to Avni Maa. My parents stand up too.

"Good night, Chinu." My mother kisses my head, Dadda yawns again before ruffling my hairs. "If they are not here in thirty, call me. I'll go bring the idiots yanking on their hairs." I wince at my father's words. What did my poor husband and brother ever do to them?

The elders head back to their bedrooms while I lay down on the couch, my eyes stuck to the main door. Twenty-three minutes later, I hear the sound of elevator followed by hushed whispers. I slip on my house slippers and walk to the the door threshold, leaning against it I wait for the best friends to be done with whatever they are talking about and come towards me. Neither of them seems to notice my presence.

"Who drove?"

"Fuck!" My husband and brother almost screams at my voice, but they don't, they slap hands on each other's mouth. I shake head at the duo. "You're trying to give us heart attacks, Ahaana? My brother whisper yells.

"Why are you not in bed?" Husband dearest steps closers, cupping my face with one hand. "You both are drunk, tell me who drove or I'm going to wake everyone up." I warn the two when they try to dodge my question.

"Hood. He just had one drink." My husband finally replies and then turns to Advik saying, "Go to bed. Don't drunk text or call Falak, she slept." My brother salutes at us before walking in Mehrotra house. "Chalo aap room mein. I'll bring the water bottle." He nods and drags himself to the stairs.

Walking in the kitchen, I take two glasses of water, squeeze lemon in both and then put one glass of lemon water, water bottle and Advil in a serving tray. I head to Mehrotra's and then my brother's bedroom. The view makes me squint eyes.

"Advik! Tum na sone do mujhe, warna I swear to God, I'll never speak to you or marry you." I hear my best friend whisper yell on speaker. "Yaar Birdie mat kar na, I miss you. I just want to see you for one minute. Just look down your balcony and I'll come back home." My brother murmurs half asleep, I shake head at the idiot and walk in the room closing the door behind me.

Keeping the tray on the side table, I remove his shoes and climb on the bed. "Get up. Drink this lemonade, take the medicine, change and sleep. You can see your birdie tomorrow."

"Thank goodness you are here, Ahaa. This idiot was going to drive all the way to my house in this condition." Falak lets out a tired sigh, her voice gruff from sleep. This idiot woke her up at freaking three in the morning. Bollocks!

"It's okay. You go back to sleep. I'll put his drunk arse to bed." I snatch the phone from his fingers and look at the screen where Falak's on video call. She murmurs 'I love you' to both us siblings and disconnects the call. My eyes move down to my brother who's already asleep and mumbling something. I keep his head on my lap and weave my fingers through his hairs. "Bhaiyu." I whisper kissing his head, he hums in response; a smile pulling up on his lips.

"I—I love... when you call me... *hiccup* Bhaiyu." I laugh a little cupping his face and rubbing our noses. "I know you do. You cried when I denied from calling you Bhaiya." He nods laughing, his eyes closed. He forced me to call him Bhaiya saying I'm younger than him and he needs respect. Sahil did the same with Suhana but got a punch in the face instead.

I stretch my hand to take the lemonade and tilt his head up a little. When I put the glass to his lips, he starts sipping. Once he finishes the glass, I half fill it with water and keep the advil in his palm. He turns sideways, throws the pill in his mouth before washing it down with water. He starts burping sitting up, I get down the bed and head to the closet.

Picking up his shorts and vest, I return to the bedroom to find my brother trying to unbutton his shirt button but his fingers end up waving in the air. I unbutton his shirt and help him wear the vest. While he works on changing out of his jeans, I go to the bathroom and return with a wet towel. He's laying down on the bed, I clean his face and cover him. "Good night, Bhai." I mumble kissing his cheeks. "Night night." My brother whispers in his sleep.

Closing the door of my parents house, I walk into my in-laws house and take the other tray I left on kitchen island to my husband's bedroom. He has changed into his night wear and sleeping on his stomach, his face turned the other side. It's the first time in six months of our marriage that I find his clothes on the floor. I pick all the clothes and dump them in the laundry basket.

Climbing on the bed, I shake him slightly. "Suniye..." My voice's a whisper.

"Baby. Take the Advil please. I don't want you getting sick or worse migraine." My hand smooths out his hairs. He hums. Putting my hand under his head I turn him to me. His eyes slowly flutters open. I bring the lemon water to his lips making him take some sips. They aren't light weight like Yug. I'm sure they were late because they dropped him home first, making sure his parents didn't have to look after his drunk arse.

"Pura nahi?" I ask when he turns away from the glass. He doesn't really like sour things much. Uncapping the water bottle, I take the pill and touch his lips, making him open up. I put the pill on his tongue. Taking the bottle from my hands, he takes some gulps and hands it back to me. He wraps his arms around my stomach and cuddles close.

"Turn the lights off." My husband whispers, falling on his back on the mattress. I adjust the pillow under his head, cover him with the blanket and finally turn the light off.

He parts my legs with his foot. I try to find his eyes in the dark room and fail. Unlike our bedroom back at Ahuja's, this one's completely dark and doesn't have the automatic night light. But with him in my arms, I don't feel scared or uncomfortable. He moves between my legs, I widen my thighs further to give him more space. He keeps his head on my breasts and make himself comfortable. I start running my fingers up and down his spine. He jolts when it slightly tickles him.

"Soya kyun nahi?" My husband murmurs placing a kiss on my chest. I move my fingers in his hairs.

"Aapke bina bed khali khali lagta hai." I reply trailing my nails from his nape to bare shoulders. "Then you should have called me earlier, I thought you went to bed that's why I stayed back this late." My husband rubs his nose on my cleavage, I dig my nails in his shoulder making him hiss.

"Shea, don't fucking tease me. I swear I will fuck you into next week." I bite down on my lower lip at his threatening tone, when I repeat my action, he grabs my wrist and pins it on the pillow next to me. I feel him lifting his head from my chest. "Mat kar." He grits out roughly. My husband never fluffs me when we are here, especially if Suhana's not spending the night with Yug. Their bedroom shares the wall and Sahil doesn't want to scare his little sister. Obviously, I try to seduce him the most when we are here.

"I don't like you waiting for me, disturbing your sleep schedule. You spend running around the whole day. If you pass out of over exhaustion na Shea, I will not let you step down the bed. Your brother's wedding be damned. If you can't go to sleep without me, tell me, I'll come back and take you in my arms but no waiting and all those stupid things." My husband murmurs in the dark room. I tease his Adam's apple with my tongue, humming in agreement to whatever he said.

"I love you." He whispers softly, I kiss my way up his throat to his lips. "I love you more, Bub." I whisper over his soft lips before smooching them. He tightens his arms on my body, squeezing me momentarily before relaxing over me. We both drift off to sleep in each other's arms.

•

"I'm never drinking ever again." Advik mumbles. His face palmed.

"Same." My husband groans in the same painful tone. Suhana and I look at each other, before rolling our eyes. Husband dearest's migraine knocked again and he's back to his bishy behaviour.

"We have a bar, boys. Knock yourself out, why don't you?" Samyak Papa comments from the kitchen. The microwave plug is stuck so Avni Maa put him on duty to get it out.

"Shea! Daba na yaar." My husband yells like I'm not sitting with his head in my lap. I resume working my fingers in his scalp. "Go shower. You'll feel better." I whisper kissing my husband's head. He hums lifting his head off my lap and standing up from the couch. Wow. That was quick. He listened to me in one go? Am I dreaming? Where am I? Who am I?

Instead of walking towards the stairs like I expected him, he walks to the kitchen. Standing next to his father, he yanks the plug and gets it out in one go. My eye brow raises up, impressed. "You keep the jibes going and this won't be the last plug I pull." He says to his father, I go back to being un-impressed. No one says anything to my cute father in law. Avni Maa bursts into laughter fits at her son's dark humour. Samyak Papa moves his narrowed eyes away from his son to his wife.

"Kaise sambhal payegi Ahaana iss nalayak ko." Samyak Paa shakes head looking at me.

"Sambhal chuki hai wo mujhe." My face heats up at his words. Suhana & Advik hoots loudly as my husband climbs up the stairs. I finally gather the courage to stand up and move to the kitchen. Samyak Papa grins at me when I start to collect items for a salad. He takes the veggies from me and starts chopping. Avni Mom helps me make the dressing.

"Where's Mom Dad? Falak and her family's going to be here soon." My brother asks from where he lay with his head in Suhana's lap. That's why the nitwit showered before 4pm on a Sunday.

I fill two bowls. Avni Mom takes one to my brother. "The jeweller's going to be here in a few minutes. Rudra and Shika went to get sweets and stuff for the big lunch today. You eat this and change, my baby gotta look the best in front of his in-laws." Avni Maa coos feeding Advik. I keep myself from snorting at the baby behaviour he's getting from both the mother these days. Shaking head at my brother, I take the other bowl and follow my husband to the bedroom.

Only eighteen days to go for the big Khanna & Mehrotra wedding. The reason why Sahil and I live here almost every day these days. Advik's pumped up. Suhana and I have so much fun looting him off at the name of 'sagun' for everything. Suhana got him to buy her three pairs of Louboutin's at the name of 'sagun'. I almost got diamond studded collars for Coco and Oreo but my own husband slapped sense into my brother and told him all about what Suhana and I are doing. Safe to say Advik's been keeping his distance from us since then. He was traumatised when he found out even Falak knew of this whole thing.

My husband's under the shower when I reach the washroom. The soapy water runs down his bare body. He runs fingers through his hairs, then rubs hand on chest and thighs. As if feeling my gaze, he turns to me, nodding his chin to say' 'what'. I shake head, he gestures at the towel behind the door. "You're drooling, Mrs." He says coming to me. I start drying him. "You gotta stop hitting the gym. You look so hot these days." I trail my knuckles from his chest to the band of wet underpants. He tsks moving back, letting my hand fall, I glare at the fluffer.

"You want me to be muhfatt and tell your sister to spend a night with Yug?" I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively. He whacks my head upside down. "Never." He mutters wrapping the towel around his waist and removing the wet underwear from under the towel, as if I would jump on 'it'.

I probably would but he got no right to hide 'it' from its owner! Fluffer.

"The next time you seek me out for a quickie at Mehr, I'll kick you out. I won't be welcoming like last time." I swat his chest with the back of my hand and move to the washroom to the closet. When fluffer wants me, he'll have me anywhere. His office. Penthouse. My work room on the designer floor. But what about me? I have gotten so used to those relaxed love making of ours back at our home--those rough breaths of his in my ear, sensual touches on my body-- that I just want to be under him, on that same bed with the same lightings and same comfort & love.

"Then stop dressing like that. Why are you wearing sarees these days? You're seducing me." I hear him say behind me. I turn around in time to see him drop the towel and pick up the undergarments. "I'm in my saree era." I say crossing hands on chest.

"You're in your 'murder Sahil with looks' era." He pulls on the pants, gesturing at the shirt. Shaking head at the fluffer, I help him put it on and start buttoning. "Kya biwi lagti hai na tu aajkal." He whispers trailing his nose from my jawline to cheekbone. "Lagti hoon matlab? Biwi hoon main aapki." I garland my arms around his neck. His hand move on the bare side of my body, we both turn our gaze down to my stomach. My stomach sucks in on its own when he starts circling the navel with feather like touch. "Sometimes I just want to pin you against any fucking surface and just..." He stop to gulp down the saliva, his breath heavy as if just thinking about what all he would do to me makes his mouth water.

"Just...?"

"Fuck you... so damn hard, we both loose our senses. I want us to blend in each other." He growls the next words in my ear, later bites on the lobe making me hiss in pain. I fist his hairs, his hand moves up from my waist to breasts. "After the jewellery thing is done, create a scene. We'll go spend some time in our bedroom." He says teasing my cookies from over the blouse, his thumbpad moving in circles on both sides.

"I am not doing anything. You want to spend time with me, you do the drama." I step out of his hold swatting his hand away from my chest, his eyes narrows. He always does this. Fluffer's on his way to ruin my good angel like image in front of my in-laws.

"Shea. Natak nahi." He warns following me to the bedroom.

"Haan wahi, natak nahi karne Shea ko. There's your salad, have this, hydrate yourself and come down. I have to help prepare the lunch for Falak's family." I motion at the water bottle and Salad bowl I brought, opening the door.

"Tere karne se hi nahi hota sab kuch. We have house helps for a reason. Who's damn idea was it for you to take those cooking classes?" He doesn't follow me to the door, his face morphed into angry glare. Aah well, nothing new there.

"My own! I'm sorry if I wanted to cook for my husband out of utmost love, but you fluffer only deserve to be hit with a hot pan out of utmost hate." I slam the door between us, my breath heavy from the spat. Fluffer knows how to piss me off extremely well. I storm down the stairs.

Falak, Suhana and I realised we need to learn to cook for our own good. At least Falak and I knew our way around the kitchen but Suhana knew nothing. She sat us down one day and begged us to join her on the beginners cooking classes she's thinking of joining. We did. Now I know how to make dal tadka the easiest way, I can roll chapatis--not circle but I hated Geometry growing up so you can't hold it against the firecracker dazzling Ahaana. Purvi Aunty teaches us easy dishes every Sunday, so we now can survive a few days if our house helps are on leave.

My husband hates everything about this whole thing. He complains that I messed up with his kitchen setting, which I never do. I leave everything on its designated place and keep everything squeaky clean. Fluffer just doesn't want me in the kitchen after I burned myself some days back. He had a meltdown while I didn't even feel the burn. Dramatic Husband!

"You guys can't spend a day without fighting?" Advik comments looking at me and then behind me. I find my husband strolling down while eating the salad and the water bottle hanging from his little finger under the salad bowl. "Your sister can't." He passes me, not without brushing his shoulder against mine. Chihuahua!

"This okay?" Advik asks me motioning at his outfit, I nod in positive. He doesn't really put much efforts into dressing up and stuff around Falak and her parents, but her grandfather's coming--who thinks Falak and Advik are in arranged marriage setup.

"Ahaana-Suhana, I brought your favourites." My father yells from the threshold bringing all our attention to him and Mumma, he extends a small bag to us. We both sprint to my father and share the sweets. "What about me, Dad?" My brother pathetically asks. I snort at the audacity of him to even ask such dumb questions.

"I brought so much, eat whatever you want." Dad motions at all the bags his driver and Mumma carries. Papa hands the other small bag to Avni Maa making her lips stretch into a smile and Samyak Paa glare. Sahil and Advik shares a look. "When Chinu got married you pampered her so much. Nothing for me and Sahil, why?" Advik asks our mother with a pouty face. "Sautela vyvaar." Mumma laughs patting his chest, walking to the kitchen.

"We'll go change." Mom and Dad walks towards the Mehrotra door. Dad stops and turns slightly, "Advik your sweets are in that packet. Sahil doesn't like sweet so I brought pyaaz ki kachori for him." My husband wiggles eyebrows at me in teasing, I show him tongue and share my sweets with Samyak Paa and we both glare at Sahil Samyak Sahdev for no reason at all. The mere presence of this man pisses me the fluff off. I want to *gulps* eat him raw, lick my way up his bare body... out of... anger. Yes. Anger. Nothing else.

•

"I still don't know which house is yours?" Falak's grandfather laughs looking between Mehrotra house and Sahdev's. During last preparation meeting we were seated in Mehrotra house. "Both are mine." Dadda shrugs, his eyes met with my mother. Seems broody Rudra Mehrotra got lectured to behave by my mother.

It's not as if Dad doesn't like Falak's Dadaji. He does, he respects him. Dad just doesn't like how he tries to control Falak's entire life all the time. Sometime Falak ends up crying so much, Bhai has to sneak in her house to calm her down. He's one of those people who believes in girls to stay at home and handle house. Falak's father and her grandfather had a huge fight when Falak took over her father's work.

"You do know if you guys didn't fight over business and assets, doesn't mean your sons won't, right?" This is what I'm talking about. In his eyes, Advik's really innocent and Sahil's the villain one, he thinks Sahil will throw Advik on the roads, leaving his granddaughter's life wreck. I snap my head towards my father and husband. Falak shoots them both a sorry face.

"Papa, just because your younger son is evil, doesn't mean everyone else is also." Falak's father, Arjun Uncle says silencing his father. Arjun uncle's younger brother was Dadaji's favourite son, but after he got everything named to him, he threw Dadaji out and Arjun uncle took him in. Khanna family has drama running in the background.

"We believe in our upbringing, Uncle. I'm sorry for whatever you and Arjun went through, but rest assured, my kids are not like others." Samyak Papa tries to handle the situation as calmly as possible. "Rudra call the jeweller." Dad's quick to leave the conversation.

"Ahaana, I see you haven't taken up my advice of trying to increase your weight." This man needs to tame it down. He's on his way to cause chaos. I'm all for drama and all but not from my father and husband. They are vindictive people, you don't want to be on their bad sides. I hold my husband hand under the pallu. "Dadaji. I'm taking milk with banana and that mixture you recommended, don't you worry." I plaster a smile on my face, he nods his head at me. "Increase the quantity if its not working." I agree to that as well.

"I'll bring water." I raise from my seat.

"I'll help you." Both Falak and Suhana follow me.

"He's single handedly pissing not one but all of Mehrotra's and Sahdev's." Suhana comments lowly, chuckling. I snort but shut up looking at Falak's sad face. "Hey. Stop worrying. You know none will say anything that can upset him." Suhana says, cupping her face.

"I'm sor--"

"Stop it." My brother pulls Falak in his chest, standing behind her. She looks up at him with glossy eyes. "Dad literally begged him to not say anything like this but he just doesn't--"

"He's old, Falak. Old people are moody people, just like this one here." My husband cuts Falak off, motioning at me at the last words. Fluffers calling me old? How dare him.

"The jewellers here." My husband says after he's done smirking at me like the Lucifer he is. We all wait for Advik to be done with whatever he's whispering in Falak's ears before walking out of the kitchen together. If we left the couple alone, Dadaji would probably have a breakdown.

Waheguru... please just let this wedding be done without any mayhem!