RULES, RULES, RULES.

The sky overhead had started to turn orange when they reached the outskirts of the small town. Ranbir was fast asleep with his head on Prachi's shoulder while she tenderly stroked his arm, smiling at the familiar path and places. Indeed it was true that she was coming here about two and a half years later, but you can never forget the way to your home.

Aryan drove carefully, trying his best to memorize the way. His concentration broke as something soft caressed his hand. He turned to look down to see Shahana's dupatta covering his left hand that rested on the gear stick. Softly tickling his skin by the intricate lace on the hem. A smile unknowingly spread on his lips. 

He was going where Shahana had spent her entire childhood. Most of her life had been spent here. This place is what made her 'Shahana', his 'sutli bomb'. Ready to blow up anywhere, anytime. And he looked forward to getting to know that place.

Shahana too relished the nostalgic feeling, but her heart didn't hum the way Prachi's was. It flowed with different emotions and the only prominent and distinguishable being hopefulness. Hope that maybe this time she will get the closure she sought. The last closure and that maybe she would be able to cut all ties and finally let herself ahead.

"Umm listen, I have to say something important" Prachi's voice emitted, peering everyone away from their individual thoughts.

"Ranbir," She softly tapped the boy's cheek to wake him up. "Ranbir.."

"He is having the best sleep of his life, Prachi." Shahana teased, "He isn't going to wake up this easily."

"Shut up, you speak anything without even giving it a second of thought." Prachi chided, trying her best to ignore the heat that rose to her face.

"Arey, it isn't that she lied or anything," Aryan supported Shahana, making Prachi roll her eyes while the younger girl grinned.

"Ranbir!" Prachi said loudly, but it only caused him to shuffle a bit and snuggle more into Prachi's shoulder, making her cheeks seem on fire.

"Stop sniggering!" she snapped at the other two who were having a hard time holding their laugh in.

"Urgh!" Prachi groaned before angrily pushing Ranbir's head off her shoulder in hopes of waking him up but he, in turn, just slipped onto her lap, still sound asleep.

That was all it took for both Aryan and Shahana to burst out laughing, much to Prachi's dismay.

"Wait, wait," Shahana said in between her fit, taking a deep breath to control her laughter, "wait," She moved around in her seat to face the romantic couple.

"Prachi, you really want to wake him?" Shahana asked in an awed voice, resting her chin over the back of her hand, "He looks so peaceful."

"Are you going to wake him up or should I?" Prachi squeaked, the color never leaving her skin.

"I am, I am," Shahana assured, clearing her throat.

"Prachi," She started loudly, hoping to cut into Ranbir's subconscious. "What are you going to wear to your wedding with Aarav?"

"NO SUCH WEDDING IS HAPPENING!" Ranbir bolted upright, scaring the living soul out of Prachi and making her jolt.

"Why did you scream? Baklu!"

"You are not gonna marry him!" Ranbir caught Prachi's hands pleadingly in his, his eyes boring into hers, "You... you are not going to marry anyone but me! You can not do this to me. I'm telling you Prachi, if you ever so thought about leaving me, I WILL kidnap you for real."

Prachi, though on the brink of bursting out in laughter, held onto her emotions as she saw the specs of sheer distraught seeping into him underlying the irritation and possessiveness.

"I'm not." Prachi whispered, squeezing his hands, "I'm not."

"Oh thank god!" Ranbir heaved a sigh, resting his hand against his forehead and dramatically leaning on the backrest making Prachi smile in amusement.

"Ahem, ahem." Aryan cleared his throat catching their attention and Shahana swatted his arm.

"What?" Aryan whined.

"You distruped a moment here, Bandar." Shahana reprimanded, straightening in her seat.

"But.." Aryan started only to be interrupted by Prachi.

"First listen to me, this place is where Shahana and I grew up, and this place is drastically different than Delhi and the modern lifestyle that goes on there. So there are quite some things that you guys will have to keep in mind..." Prachi wrung her fingers together, trying to comprehend words to explain.

"Oh we know, the usual don't flirt, don't stare at girls and all," Aryan replied nonchalantly, taking a right turn, and the trees that flanked both sides of the roads turned to luscious green fields with faraway scattered trees.

"Not just that," Shahana replied with a smirk.

"Not just with any other girl, you will have to behave with every person there. Even us." Prachi announced, looking at Ranbir who was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Rule number one: Don't go around talking nonsense to just anyone you want.

Rule number two: No matter how much anyone forces you to drink, stating that 'It's fine, everyone drink.'-

"It's a glory for Punjabis to drink" Shahana chimed in.

"-DO NOT Drink." Prachi ticked off her finger.

"Rule number three: Do not think that your over-the-top fashion will be able to impress anyone there, more than not, it will only make you a mode for a joke.-"

"You think we have bad fashion sense?" Ranbir asked, offended.

"Not 'we' only you," Prachi looked him in the eyes.

"How come?" Ranbir crossed his arms challenging.

"Because I have never seen Aryan wear Red shoes to the office," Prachi stated as a fact.

Ranbir opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of the water while Prachi continued.

"Rule number four-"

"Okay, okay, okay, we get it." Aryan took a final turn, the houses on the outskirt coming to view. "We have to behave like SRK from DDLJ when he came to Kajol's house to win Amrish Ji's heart."

"Total Sanskari and Agyakari boys." Ranbir concluded and Prachi nodded.

"Oh-ho Prachi, relax. You know how charming these two are, they'll be fine. Relax!" Shahana assured and Aryan bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning madly.

"I know it's just..."

"Shh..." Ranbir shushed her, taking her hand in his. "Everything will be perfect. In fact, I don't understand why you are worried in the first place."

"Here we are." Announced Aryan, parking the car on one side of the dusty road.

Shahana jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped and almost dashed across the small street, laughing and greeting anyone and everyone she came across. Prachi got down followed by the boys and smiled enthusiastically.

"I'll get the luggage out." Aryan said, moving towards the car's rear end while Ranbir followed to help. Prachi on the other hand moved to stand next to Shahana who had gathered several people around her in a relatively small town. All laughed as she enthusiastically filled them in with half true half made-up information about their lives in Delhi.

"Namaste, namaste..." Ranbir and Aryan made their presence known as they caught up behind the girls with their suitcases in tow.

Upon coming closer, they smiled warmly at the three women and one man that Prachi and Shahana talked to. They seemed about the same age as their parents.

"Who are they?" One of the ladies questioned smiling in return while the other two looked at them up and down, closely observing them and the boys already felt awkward.

"Oh this is Ranbir," Shahana gestured at them, "And this is Aryan."

"Ranbir, Aryan, this is Kanak's mama-mami, and they are Reena aunty and Suman aunty, our neighbors." Prachi introduced and the woman she introduced as Kanak's mami placed a hand on Prachi's shoulder

"Arey, come on in, come. Kanak's already asked about you two thrice since morning. She would be elated to see you." She informed with an amused shake of the head.

"No, no aunty." Prachi refused politely, "Actually we are really tired. We'll go to beeji and come after that."

"But don't tell Kanak, we'll surprise her." Shahana jumped on the balls of her feet exuberantly.

"Okay as you wish," Mamaji said patting the girl's head as he took the three ladies away from the Quartet.

"Why were those women looking at us as if they were trying to testify us in front of the Police?" Ranbir asked his eyes trained in the direction the elders went.

"You really don't want to know." Shahana answered as she tried to take her suitcase from Aryan, who strongly refused with a 'lead the way'.

Ranbir shrugged before following Arhana, refusing to give away Prachi's luggage.

"Ranbir..." Prachi called hesitantly as they walked a few paces behind the on-the-way-new-couple.

"Hmm." 

"Can I ask for something?" Ranbir shot her a confused look before smiling.

"Anything."

"This place and the people here are almost like a family to me." She picked at her fingers. "I want them to be proud of you when they will know what you are to me. I want them to see you as the person that I will be spending the rest of my life with. 

"Don't take it wrong," She hurried to explain when Ranbir didn't reply, "It isn't that I need their, or anyone's approval to be with you," Corner of Ranbir's lips lifted at that, "I just want them to love you when or if we made any future visits here."

"Is this why you were drawing a full-fledged list of rules some time back?" Ranbir asked and Prachi nodded, unable to meet his eyes.

A chuckle from Ranbir made her look up, "Prachi, I get where you are coming from. You just want everyone to love me just as much they love you. There's nothing wrong or odd in that. You just wait and see, they all will absolutely adore your future husband by the end of this trip."

Prachi stopped in her tracks as Ranbir continued to climb the front porch of the house joining Aryan and Shahana.

"Future husband." Prachi muttered, tasting how the words rolled off her tongue, a breathtaking grin splitting on her lips "It's got a nice ring to it."

She quickly made her way to join the other just as the door opened. Just as the old lady stepped out both Prachi and Shahana tackled her in a bear hug screaming "Beeji."

"We missed you so much."

"You wouldn't believe how much we missed you."

They spoke over each other just as the lady looked at them uninterested.

"How are you?" Prachi aksed.

"How's babuji?" Shahana followed closely.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Shahana asked when beeji kept the same look plastered.

"Who are you?" Beeji crossed her hands across her chest. Prachi shared a look with Shahana just as Ranbir and Aryan did the same.

"Did we come to the wrong house?" Aryan asked.

"The way these two jumped at her.." Ranbir mused, "Don't think so."

"Beeji we are Shahana and Prachi," Shahana answered though she herself looked thoroughly confused.

"Who am I to you?" The lady looked between them sternly.

"You are our beeji, what kind of questions are you asking?" Prachi asked jokingly.

"Beeji," The elder woman swatted Prachi's head, "Beeji," She responded the same to Shahana, "You are our beeji," She mocked, "you only remember your beeji when you need to, when was the last time you called me? When was the last time any of you asked me 'Beeji, how are you doing?'"

"We are so sorry beeji, actually so much happened in the last few months, we have had our hands full." Prachi side hugged the apparently 'angry' woman.

"And now that we are here, you will be begging for one second of peace." Shahana hugged the other side.

"Yeah, yeah, we will see." Beeji placed her hands on the girls' cheeks and finally cracked a smile. "Now that you two are here, the house will be full of life again."

"Ahem, ahem." The boys cleared their throats feeling sidelined.

"And who are these young men?" Beeji inquired.

"Beeji this is Ranbir and Aryan," the boys bent to touch feet and Beeji blessed them.

"Friends?"

"Aryan here is my cousin," Prachi introduced, "They joined us for the wedding."

"Come on in child, you all must be famished!" Beeji welcomed them into what Ranbir and Aryan were sure counts as the deadly sin of gluttony.

~*~

"What should we wear?" Ranbir barged into Prachi and Shahana's room after the extravaganza meal Beeji had forced into them. How the girls were in shape after having this kind of meal their entire life was beyond him.

"What do you mean what should we wear?" Prachi asked from where she sat on the bed cross-legged. 

"I mean, I need to give off a nice impression. So what should we wear? You know, how much effort should I put into getting ready? The marriage is still five days away, what rituals are going to take place today?" He took place right in front of her.

"Shahana, could you go and check on Aryan?" The girl shot in a confused look but left altogether.

"There is no need to get all decked up today, or tomorrow for that matter. The rituals will start on the day after tomorrow.

"Oh," Ranbir twirled a strand of Prachi's hair around his fingers before tucking it behind her ear.

"What are you doing?" Prachi narrowed her eyes.

"Just thinking how I got so lucky.

"Well, you are a good boy," Prachi pursued her lips, placing a finger on her chin and pretending to think. "You also are such a loving, gentle, and caring boyfriend. That ought to be enough to give you the luck to last a lifetime."

"Umm-hmm," Ranbir pressed his lips together to keep the smile in. Prachi nodded.

"Good boy?"

Prachi nodded again.

"loving and gentle?"

Prachi smiled.

"Boyfriend?"

Prachi's eyes widened, but she had something up her sleeve.

"Nope, Something better."

"Better?" Ranbir's eyebrows shot up.

Prachi looked down, nodding lightly, before meeting his eyes again. "You called yourself my Future husband..."

"I did?" Ranbir asked and Prachi blushed in return.

"It might be right. Like we have already been engaged..." He raised his eyes upwards to quickly count.

"four..." Prachi provided.

"Yeah, four times. Geez, that's amazing!" He commented to himself making Prachi laugh.

"So to-be-husband it is?" Ranbir asked.

"Nah, I want to relish in this boyfriend-girlfriend phase, we'll bask the fiance-fiancee timeline later?" Ranbir nodded.

"We have all the time in the world..."

~*~

Shahana walked towards Aryan and Ranbir's room, the view from the half-open door catching her attention, and her feet stopped on their own, taking her towards the door silently as she looked inside.

She knew it was wrong, very wrong, but she still found her eyes minutely following the small bead of water that dropped from the neck of the black-haired boy inside, gently sliding down the milky skin of his shoulder blade-

Only to be soaked by the fabric of his black t-shirt. The poor droplet lost its life!

Poor, Poor, Lucky drop...

"Hey?" Aryan's voice broke her musing.

'What the hell Shahana! What were you even thinking? Moreover, what were you doing!'  Her brain accused her.

'Oh you must've known what she was doing, eyes follow your command after all. So you must very well know what she was doing.'  Heart purred.

"Sahana, are you okay?" Aryan's cold fingers tapped her cheek and she could practically feel the heat rise to her face.

"Uh, umm, yeah, no. No, Okay, I'm okay, I'm fine." She fumbled tucking her hair behind her ear, her face as red as a hibiscus.

Aryan though unconvinced, nodded, "What brought you here?"

"Yes, actually Ranbir said to me that you were asking for me." Shahana thanked the heavens for the change of topic. "What was it?"

"I didn't call you." His brows furrowed before the realization made its way to the doors of his brain.

"He might want to spend some time with Prachi, maybe that's why he sent you here." he suggested, "and might want to help me out as well." Muttering the last part to himself.

"Oh," Shahana nodded in understanding.

"so, what's going on?" Aryan picked up two hoodies, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Nothing much," Shahana pointed to the green one.

"How do I look?" Aryan asked as he pulled the hoodie over his head. 

Shahana grimaced, "Like a bandar."

"Charming bandar?" the words rolled off his tongue before he could stop them.

"Huh?" 

"In the car," He said in a small voice, avoiding eye contact as his color crept up his neck "you called me charming..."

"Oh umm that.." Shahana looked anywhere but him. "Yeah, that... umm, no that was for Ranbir."

"So you don't think that I'm charming?" Aryan raised an eyebrow making Shahana's heart jump in leaps.

'Get a grip Shahana. This isn't the first time you are going to tease or insult him. It's not serious, he won't mind. Just say no. Outright no may hurt him a bit. So... yes Call him Bandar, you've done that plenty of times.' 

"Bandar." She snapped.

"Huh?"

"No, charming bandar, I mean Bandar, but Good Looking, Charming Bandar." Shahana spurred.

"Yeah coming." she replied towards the door to an imaginary call, "Someone is calling me, I'll go and see, you get ready and come outside." She called as she almost sprinted out of the door, leaving an amused and elated Aryan behind.

A/N:- Hey gummy bears, how are you all doing? Here is another chapter for you all. How do you find it, make sure to tell your views in form of Votes and Comments. 

Also, happy one year of 'Entangled Lives' lovely people. Yup, it's been One Full Freaking Year of your support and love that kept me going on and on. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the milestones you guys have helped me reach by the means of this story.

Quick question:- What is your favorite mythical creature?

My answer:- Dragons have caught my attention for a long time. They are so fascinating.

Lots of Love,

Simran