Naina wiped the tears silently without anyone noticing it whereas Janhavi was still in discussion with the henna artist. Agastya was simply mesmerized looking at the girl who had blossomed into a beautiful lady. Although he had seen her pictures on the social media, she looked all the more enthralling in person.

It had been around 7 years he hadn't seen her in person. A once-upon-a-time girl who used to tie ponytail wearing cute frocks was now a grown up woman. Wearing a green - silver striped sleeve-less kurta with sharara, her ears had big silver chandbalis and those honey brown eyes lined with jet black kohl had hypnotized Agastya. His eyes got stuck on the small yet noticeable nose-ring in silver that suited her already sharp nose. And those perfectly shaped petal like lips that had a nude caramel shade of lipstick. As she smiled on something looking at the henna artist, probably agreeing on a mehendi design, her lips curved outwards as Agastya couldn't stop himself from murmuring

"Whoaaaaa! So beautiful!"

Her caramel colored long straight silky tresses that reached till her waist were kept open and Agastya couldn't help but smile still stuck looking at her. She looked every bit of a dream he hadn't imagined that she could look that beautiful and effortlessly pretty in person. While Agastya was busy ogling his Jaanu, Janhavi had no clue that in the crowd present, there was someone who possessed her heart.

The ladies were chit chatting and making merry over dholak and traditional songs. Just then Janhavi's mother smiled broadly as her attention was drawn towards the corner on the far end of the hall and she couldn't contain her happiness looking at the now grown up Agastya as she called out to him little loudly walking towards him.

"Agastya?? Kitna bada ho gaya hai. Aur height to ohh hoo daddy se uncha ho gya hai. God I'm seeing you after so many years. Kaisa hai tu beta?"

As she exclaimed, that name made Janhavi's heart flutter. Lifting her face towards the direction her mother was chirping at, she saw him, her Gusty. A little over 6 feet tall, fair complexioned, handsome and suave smiling face. That pathani kurta pajama perfectly suited him as his biceps were clearly visible little ballooned at the full sleeves of the kurta. She saw him bending down to seek her Aai's blessings later hugging her bending down to match her height.

Janhavi's eyes had filled with tears, a surprized yet shocked expression told the story of her heart clearly to the one who again looked at her a glance. Her heart raced as their eyes met briefly and she took away her gaze quickly moving out towards the washroom. She didn't know Agastya was coming to India, he hadn't told her. She had thought he wouldn't be able to make it as he had joined just a year back and might not come. Finding him standing infront of her, after these long 7 years that felt a lifetime, she was numb, hurt, didn't know how to contain that excitement yet felt happy. Happy would be an understatement, she was beyond excited as she cried in the washroom hiding her face

"I hate you Agastya for doing this to me. Ab bolo sweetest heart yaa or kuch muh tod dungi tumhara. Fucking moron! Everything is a joke to you. Fir dialogue maro kya meri jaanu bhi badal gyi hai like the world. Ab bolo kuch sach me muh tod dungi...aai gaaaa...kitne kharab ho tum!!"

And she cried a little more. Her kohl was little smudged that she re-did and made herself presentable again. But those reddened eyes told a story otherwise. The mehendi was done with dhol and dance. Agastya so badly wanted to meet and talk to Janhavi but he didn't get a chance. And Janhavi too royally ignored, hating herself to do that to him. But the memory of their last meet from 7 years back at the farm house kept playing in her mind. She wasn't sure what to do.

Agastya felt helpless and in distress that Aarav saw and Naina too. Naina exclaimed to her husband "Agastya aur Jaanu baat kyu nahi kar rahe shona? I am now worried about them both"

Aarav murmured for her to hear "Karna dono ko hai, look at Agastya! He can't take his eyes of her while she too is looking at him on and off. Lekin itne saalon baad dekh rahe hain ek dusre ko, they don't know how to react. The ice hasn't broken but I can see that fire. Chatpatahat to hai bus mauka nahi mil raha, awkwardness hai"

Naina too had agreed as she too had observed the changes and their intense stares "Aapko kya lagta hai baat karni chaiye kya mujhe dono se individually?"

Aarav immediately refused "Nahi, hone do ice break. Let them figure it out. Bahurani hurt dikh rahi, dekho dekh bhi nahi rahi. My poor champ! Ha ha ha. But this has its own charm. We don't know what they have gone through in these years. The distance looks like creeped in. Time shall decide else baad me baat karenge, if our intervention is needed. Give them time to sort on their own"

Sangeet too was held at the villa's terrace that was huge enough to host the crowd. It was not a typical choreographed sangeet, rather kids had planned to perform and dhol would fill in the sangeet pattern with traditional Punjabi boliyan and free style dancing. They had thought to ditch modern day typical sangeet. It was more about family and friends gathering and dancing their hearts out on dhol and enjoying food and drinks.

Janhavi had worn a shocking pink and dusky gold lehenga, had curled her hair loosely. She had paired her look with mang-tika, huge earrings and a big finger ring. The dupatta didn't serve the purpose as it was hanging loosely around her neck. Although the neck wasn't deep yet her perfectly sculpted body was on the show. Agastya had worn a blue T-shirt paired up with jeans. He wanted to keep it casual.

Janhavi's look had already blown his mind seeing her in lehenga and her ignoring had upset him and put him through frenzy too as he murmured with a glass of scotch

"why isn't she looking at me man? Jaanu! Baby look at me, just once please. Kyu ye saza de rahi ho? Baat karne ka mauka bhi nahi mil raha"

Everyone was dancing and enjoying on dhols that played loud. Aarna, Janhavi and Siya had dragged dadu dadi to dance on dhol and boliyan. Dadi was shy as everyone hooted and exclaimed smiling sheepishly to Jaanu

"Kya Jaanu tu bhi. Hum budho ki umar hai tum logo ko nachwane ki, hath pakad ke mandap tak le jaane ki. Ulta tum bachhe hi hum budho ka mandap saja rahe ho. Kyu Madhavi! Sahi kaha naa maine?"

Everyone looked at Janhavi, even Agastya and this mandap sentence made Jaanu shy as Agastya was standing just infront at far and was gazing her insistently

"Ishha! Kya dadi aap bhi" she exclaimed in marathi, using an expression that exhibited awkwardness being shy and sheepish. She smiled looking down and dadi softly patted her cheeks.

"Sach hi to kaha" and later dadi performed little giddha, Punjabi traditional dance on dhols.

Just then Aarna suggested to take a break from noisy dhol as she wanted to make dadu-dadi dance hand-in-hand on romantic songs. Dadi was already shy and had refused but dadu held out his hand that she couldn't refuse. The DJ played yesteryear songs which refreshed dadu-dadi's memories from their younger days. Dadi was giggly but later enjoyed dancing with dadu.

Aarna made all the other couples too dance hand in hand. Just then to break the ice Naina asked all the kids too, to join adults on the floor. Vi was the first one who pulled Siya

"Hey prettiness! Come let's dance" Siya had obliged happily. Aarna made faces "I should have had a boyfriend naa dadi.. See who should I dance with?"

Just then Aarav asked her to pair up with Hridaan, Prashant-Ragini's son who was quietly standing in a corner with cola in his hand. He smiled as Aarna asked him to pair up with her. It were Agastya and Janhavi who still were finding it awkward to take the first move. Aarna looked at Naina and she pouted but before they could say anything, Jaanu's aai suggested good heartedly

"Are Jaanu Agastya tum dono bhi aao naa sabke sath dance karne. Aajao jaldi fir wapas dhol pe dance karna hai"

How Agastya had thanked his stars for sending her aai as an angel suggesting them both. Janhavi couldn't deny or oppose her infront of everyone. Agastya had a broad grin as he held out his hand for her to hold. It was the first time they were this close after the farm house party. His hand had laid out for quite a few seconds and his eyes were stuck at her. He smiled gesturing at his hand shrugging when she held it softly keeping hers in his. And at that first touch both their hearts thumped loudly. Janhavi visually sighed closing her eyes for a fraction of a second still not looking at him. He pulled her softly to the dance floor.

To not make it awkward, Aarav, Naina and few others kept dancing on their own. That's when Agastya whispered

"Hi sweetest heart! Kashi ahes?"
(How are you?) he deliberately asked in marathi to probably top up few brownie points

"Thik hoon" Janhavi answered in hindi deliberately without looking at him

Agastya smirked "Well! Thik se jyada achhi lag rahi ho waise"

She looked at him through her eyelashes "Ohh! You noticed? Thanks"

He loved how she was giving him looks and acting pricy as her nostrils flared "Well! I always notice when it's you, my sweetest heart"

Her heart beat aloud and she had goosebumps hearing his berritone. But she rolled her eyes as he again asked

"And what's that ishha? Kadhi aaikla nahi tujhya kadoon" (never heard you say that)

"You were not there when I picked it up" she kept her answers limited to one liners

"Ok! but now am here" Agastya said immediately without a pause and found her eyes tearing up

"Whatever!" She said moving to the bar leaving his hand and him smiling as she kept mumbling to herself

"Bloody moron! Badi marathi yaad aa rahi hai. Now I'm here. To kya karu, aarti utaru teri. Samne khade ho ke ghoor raha hai. Besharam kahi ka! Badi jaldi yaad aayi"

She had gulped cola in one go when Agastya approached her mistaking cola for hard drink. Showing concern he immediately said, not aloud though

"Jaanu kya kar rahi ho?"

"Not your concern" she said averting her gaze away when he held her by her arm firmly yet softly

"Ofcourse it is my concern. Who else is it then?" He said seriously looking into her eyes and found her eyes tearing up as she was overwhelmed and kind of irritated for obvious reasons. She pulled away from his grip as she muttered being hurt walking away

"Fucking moron" he heard it and infact chuckled at her "Hahaha, how sexy! Loved hearing you swear me baby".

He spoke to himself gulping scotch on the rocks. Soon Janhavi was pulled by Siya and Aarna to dance on dhol with their friends. Her dance, waist jerks and open loosely curled long hair swayed making her look ever so desirable. Soon the night was wrapped as dadu dadi were tired and others were too. Aarav, Naina and few of their friends including Janhavi's parents still were enjoying the night away over drinks when Janhavi got a call and she excused asking her aai to be back soon.

Agastya's eyes followed her to the stairs and his heart felt sad to find her going. He thought to have a glimpse of her from the terrace till she leaves. But, what he saw made him irritated, angry and may be jealous. Aarna had approached and found her bhaiya looking down. As she peeped, she smiled and screamed from the terrace drawing the attention of the visitor

"Arjun bhaiya! Hiiii.. come up!"

Arjun passed a broad happy smile to Aarna "Hii darling! Some other time.. gotta go. Getting late"

He waved good bye to Aarna and hugged Jaanu as he whispered "You alright?" And she just hummed hugging him back feeling too overwhelmed "Thank you for being there, always. Aur mera lehenga pick karne ke liye bhi thank you"

She said smiling as he held her face in his palms smiling at her "Anything for my dearest jaanu. Smile please sweetie"

She smiled. "That's like my girl. Chal gotta go. Ek friend ka midnight birthday celebration hai, not far from here. See yaa, take care"

He hugged her again and she too equally reciprocated. Looking at their comfort Agastya was hurt. He wanted to ask her to stay away and question her about who he was? But who was he and what right did he possess over her to question her anything that personal. However, that sight of them hugging wasn't a pleasant one and wasn't going to go away from his mind that soon.

Not knowing what to do, he called it a night retiring to sleep making an excuse of being jet legged and tired.
Not finding Agastya amongst everyone, Janhavi too sulked as she knew he might be hurt. But where was she wrong as he had abandoned her years ago.

She too retired to sleep with Aarna, who was super excited for the next big day.

______________________________
Lo bhai milwa diya dono ko.

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Love ❤️