The female looks at them one last time before turning her gaze. She looks back at Darshan's grandma and continues sipping her tea. Darshan goes and greets her while Jaimi is standing in the doorway with Esha, who hands her a cup of coffee.

Esha: Agar yeh kuch bole toh mind mat karna! Yeh humari neighbor hain, Sangeeta Dadi. 

Sangeeta: Aaj kal ladke aur ladkiyo mein koi sharm rahi hi nahi hain!

Grandma: Kya hua?

Sangeeta: Kal raat ko hi ek ladka aur ladki chhat pe khule me hi-

Darshan chokes on the tea he was sipping. 

Grandma: Darshan, tum thik ho?

Darshan: Haan. Woh kuch zyada hi garam thi. 

Grandma: Kis ki chhat pe?

Sangeeta: Woh toh nahi dekha! Light chali gae thi na. 

Jaimi goes to the kitchen to wash the cup followed by Esha and Bhakti. 

Bhakti: Yeh tumhare aur Bhai ki toh baat nahi kar rahi na? Tum dono bhi chhat pe soe the raat ko woh bhi akele. 

Jaimi's face turns pale for a moment before she gains her composure again. 

Jaimi: No! Mein toh uppar jaate hi so gae thi. 

Esha: Iski baaton pe zyada dhyaan mat do! Yeh pagal kuch bhi bolti hain. 

She helps them wash the dishes and clean up. Jaimi goes back to the living room to grab her phone when she sees other people. Darshan's cousins have come back with three males around Rajendra Uncle's age. Four more females look to be his aunts. Esha and Bhakti walk past her and greet all of them. Once everyone has settled down, their eyes fall upon Jaimi. 

Darshan: Jay, yaha aao. 

Jaimi slowly makes her way to him. She stands by him. He introduces her to them and vice versa. She says hello before looking down and playing with her ring. They all chat for some time before Esha and Bhakti come back with decorated aarti ki thali. They perform the Raksha Bandhan rituals and the boys give gifts to their sisters. They all look at Jaimi standing in the corner. 

Esha: Jaimi, tumne apne Bhai se kya maanga?

Jaimi: Kuch nahi. 

Bhakti: Raksha Bandhan pe gift lena toh haq hota hain. 

Jaimi: Woh abhi India mein nahi hain!

Bhakti: Oh. 

Rajendra Uncle turns on the tv and surfs through the channels before stopping on TV9 Gujarati. 

Anchor: Aaj ke special report mein baat karenge uss haadse ki jisne 7 saal pehle Gujarat ke market ko hila diya tha. Ab tak toh aap sab ko pata chal hi gaya hoga ki mein kis haadse ki baat kar raha hoon. 

Jaimi's breath hitches in her throat. 

Anchor: Ji aap sahi soch rahe hain! Mein ussi accident ki baat kar raha hoon jisme Patel Industries ke maalik aur unki behen jo Fashion Essentials ki maalikin hain unka accident ho gaya tha. Uss accident ke baad Ved Patel aur Daksha Patel ki koi khabar nahi mili hain. Uss accident mein inn dono ke alawa Ved Patel ki beti aur Daksha Patel ka beta bhi ghaadi mein the. Aaj tak inn dono companies ke maalik aur unke vaaris ka koi pata nahi chala hain. Aaj tak duniya iss baat se anjaan hain ki woh zinda bhi hain ya nahi! 

Jaimi fidgets in her place as she begins to feel restless. 

Anchor: Abhi inn dono companies ko Abhishek Mehta handle kar rahe hain jo Daksha Patel ke ex-husband hain. Sutro se yeh khabar mili hain ki iss mahine ke khatam hone se pehle Ved Patel aur Jai Patel ki will announce ki jaaegi jisme Patel Industries aur unki saari properties ka maalikana haq transfer hoga. Ab yeh dekhne ke baat hain ki inn properties ka haqdaar kaun hoga. Abhishek Mehta ya phir Ved Patel ke beti jisko duniya ki nazaro se pichle 25 saal se chupaya gaya hain. Daksha Patel ki bhi will bhi unke saath hi announce ki jaaegi. Issi tarah ki dilchasp khabare dekhne ke liye dekhte rahiye TV9 Gujarati. 

Rajendra uncle turns off the tv. 

DU: Ved Patel ki beti hain kaun?

Ankit: Jo bhi hogi uski toh zindagi mein aish hain. Patel Industries aur unki saari proerties aur investment ka maaliqana haq usko milega. 

DA: Kitne saare paise honge inn ke paas!

RU: Pichle saal jo report aae thi usme kuch 350 carore ke aas paas ki properties thi Jai aur Ved Patel ke paas jiske baare mein public jaanti hain. Diksha Patel ke paas kuch 90 carore ki income thi iss accident ke pehle aur properties ka pata nahi hain. 

Grandpa: Kismat ke dhani hain dono bacche!

DA: Mein batana bhul jau usse pehle Abhishek Mehta, Arasi Mehta, aur unki beti, Shraddha aaj yaha aa rahe hain. 

Jai: Kyu? 

DA: Unka Darshan mein interest tha apni beti Shraddha ke liye toh meine bula liya sirf milne ke liye. Phir, toh Darshan ki marzi.

Darshan makes a face and looks back to where Jaimi was standing. He panics seeing that Jaimi is not there anymore. Esha sees it. 

Esha: Woh kuch minute pehle kisi ko phone karne gae thi. 

After a few minutes, he goes to check on her. All the colors from her face have drained. 

Darshan: Jay? Kya hua?

Jaimi: Uh- nothing. Ayesha is in town and she wants to take me out, so can I go?

Darshan: Yeah. 

Jaimi: Ok. She'll be here in a few minutes. I'll just grab my things. 

She grabs her things and makes her way outside after bidding them goodbye. She hops on Ayesha's two-wheeler and they ride away from the house as far as possible. After a few minutes of their departure, the Mehtas arrive at the house. They all greet them. Esha and Bhakti serve teas and snacks to everyone as they chat away. 

Arasi: Darshan, tumhe Shraddha se kuch akele mein baat karni ho toh kar sakhte ho. 

Darshan is about to refuse, but his aunt agrees before he could disagree. They are sent away to the terrace. They both are standing there in awkward silence. 

Shraddha: I love your songs!

Darshan: Thank you.

He says it with a small smile. Darshan's thoughts keep running back to Jaimi and the panicked look he saw on her face before she left. He sighs and shakes his head before turning to Shraddha. He sees her carefully studying her surroundings with her nose scrunched, in what seems like disgust. She touches the railing and quickly pulls her hand back like it burned her. She rubs her hand trying to get rid of the invisible dirt. He rolls his eyes at her spoilt brat behavior. 

Darshan: Look, mein tumhe koi hope nahi dunga aur time bhi nahi waste karunga! Mera iss rishte mein koi interest nahi hain. 

Shraddha: Huh? I mean tumne milne ke liye haan kaha tha, so-

Darshan: Meine haan nahi kaha tha! Meri kaki ne tumhari family ko invite kiya tha aur baaki sab ko aap sab aae uski 10-15 minute pehle hi pata chala. 

Shraddha: Just out of curiosity, why are you not interested? 

Darshan: It's not you, it's me! Mein kisi aur ko pasand karta hoon, so iss ya phir kisi aur rishte ki gunjaish hi nahi rehti. I'm sorry!

Shraddha just nods with a deflated look on her face. 

Darshan: Hume niche chalna chahiye!

Shraddha follows Darshan down the stairs. They both take their respective seats. Darshan rolls his eyes at his cousins who are giving him a teasing smile. The Mehtas stay back for lunch. Darshan notices Shraddha's behavior throughout her stay at their house. She makes a face when she doesn't want to do something like sitting on the floor to eat or eating on a steel plate. The Mehtas leave after lunch. They see them off. The ladies clean up before joining the others in the living room. 

DA: Darshan, Sharddha kaisi lagi?

Darshan: Mere type ki nahi hain!

DU: Acchi toh hain aur padhi likhi bhi hain! Abhishek Mehta ki beti hain so acche khaandaan se bhi hain. 

Darshan: Mujhe nahi pasand aae. Aap logo ne dekha ya na dekha ho par usko jameen par baithne se problem, steel ki thaali mein se khaana khaane mein problem hain, aur uppar terrace pe bhi muh bana rakha tha. Woh humarilifestyle se adjust hi nahi kar sakhti hain and she has a behavior of rich spoilt brat. 

Nikhil: Hoga hi na! Abhishek Mehta ki eklauti beti hain aur Adhiraj Mehta ki bhatiji toh nakhre toh honge hi. 

Grandma: Darshan, sone ki chammach mein khaane walo ko hum jaiso ke rehne sehne ke tareeke nahi maloom hote toh usme kya hua? Aur, waise bhi usko kaha yaha rehna hain? 

Darshan: Mera opinion pucha tha toh wahi bata raha hoon ki mujhe iss rishte mein koi interest nahi hain aur meine usko bhi yeh bata diya hain. Ab iss baat ko yahi khatam kare toh behtar hoga!

They all shake their head at his decision. 

RU: Darshan iss rishte se khush nahi hain toh iss ko aage badhane ka koi matalab nahi hain. 

On the other hand, the Mehtas are driving back towards Ahmedabad when Arasi turns in her seat to look at Shraddha, who is playing with her phone in the backseat. 

Arasi: Toh, Darshan ne kya kaha?

Shraddha: Usne kaha ki usko iss rishte mein koi interest nahi hain aur hume bulane ke liye uss ne kabhi haan nahi kahi thi. 

Arasi: Aisa kyu kahega woh? Meri uski kaki se baat hue thi kal hi. 

Shraddha: Kyu ki woh kisi aur ko pasand karta hain! Mujhe apna aadha din uss khander mein bitana pada taki naa sun sakhu. 

Arasi: Upset mat ho Shraddha! Uski pasand toh mein badal kar hi rahungi. 

Shraddha: Mom, mujhe woh chahiye hi!

Abhishek: Shraddha, woh koi cheez nahi hain! Just because you like him doesn't mean he has to be yours. He is not a toy, so Arasi tumne kuch kiya toh mujhse bhura koi nahi hoga!

Arasi: Tumse bhura koi hain bhi nahi! Waha tumhari bhatiji Mehta Jewelers ki maalkin ban jaaegi aur Shraddha ka usme ek pecent ka bhi hissa nahi hain. 

Abhishek: Kyu ki woh Abhiraj ki company hain uspe sirf or sirf Ayesha ka haq hain!

Arasi: Patel Industries apne control mein rakho. Uss Ved aur tumhari woh ex-wife, Diksha, ke lawyers se notice aa gaya hain ki uss ladki ki birthday pe will announce hogi. Ab toh yeh baat news mein bhi announce ho gae hain. 

Shraddha: Iss will ka kya drama hain? Woh chaaro marr gae hain toh will ka kya matalab hua? Pichle saat saalo se aap chala rahe hain dono companies toh unka maalikana haq humari family ke paas hi rehna chahiye!

Abhishek: Shraddha, apni maa ki tarah mat bano. Jo cheez humari naa ho uspe haq nahi jatate! Aur, Patel Industries mein tumhari position iss will ke baad hi decide hogi by the board of directors. 

Shraddha turns red in anger. She clenches her fists and looks out the window. Abhishek shakes his head seeing her behavior. 

Ayesha and Jaimi hang out in the backside garden of a Jain Derasar(temple). 

Jaimi: Hum dono yaha kyu hain? 

Ayesha: Kyu ki kahi aur jaa nahi sakhte warna uss naagin ki nazar pad gae toh dass khaaegi!

Jaimi: Aashu.

Ayesha: Don't! 

Jaimi: Yaha sab kaise dekh rahe hain hume. 

Ayesha: Haan kyu ki mein yaha bhaag ke aae hoon aur aap toh mohtarma...-

Jaimi: Shut up yaar! Shorts aur Darshan ke shirt mein Derasar ke garden mein baithi hoon toh log yaha hi dekhenge na. Aur, dupher se yaha baithe hain. 

Ayesha: Sahi hain par mohtarma jang mein bahot kuch karna padta hain. 

Jaimi: Do me a favor aur kal mere liye kapde bhejna Jyugal ke saath. Darshan lagta nahi ki mujhe jaane dene wala hain. 

Ayesha: Uss ko aisa toh mat bol. Sweet hain!

Jaimi: Haan aur ussi sweet insaan ne meri medicine lab mein bheji thi test karvane ke liye with pictures of my medicine bottle jisme mera naam clearly likha tha! 

Ayesha: Seriously?

Jaimi: Avukat ko message karna pada!

Ayesha: Bichara tujhse kitni daant khaae hogi?

Jaimi: Tu kis ki side pe hain?

Ayesha: Tum dono ki story aage badne de phir apna jawaab dungi!

Jaimi: Koi story nahi badne wali! Do din mein jo chapters khule hain woh bhi humesha ke liye band ho jaaenge. 

Ayesha makes a face and is about to speak, but is interrupted by Jaimi's phone. Ayesha answers the call and puts it on speaker. 

Darshan: Jay, tum kaha ho?

Jaimi: Yaha Jain Derasar hain wahi hoon. 

Darshan: Aaj wapas aane ka irada hain ya nahi?

Jaimi: Nahi kuch derr mein aati hoon. 

Darshan: Mein pick karne aata hoon. Shaam ho gae hain already. 

Ayesha and Jaimi chat away. Just like Darshan said, he arrives at the Derasar within 20 minutes. He searches for them and finds them laughing away. He greets Ayesha. 

Darshan: Jay, chale?

Jaimi nods. The three walk to the parking area. Ayesha leaves on her two-wheelers while the two leave for his grandparent's house. 

Darshan: Kal hum sab Ambaaji jaane wale hain aur phir shaam ko Ahmedabad chale jaaenge. 

Jaimi nods in understanding. The rest of the car ride is silent with Darshan glancing at Jaimi every few minutes. Jaimi helps the ladies in the kitchen with dinner. They all have dinner by 8:30. Esha, Bhakti, and Jaimi clean up while the others lounge in the living area. 

Grandma: Esha, tum sab bacche uppar chhat pe so jaana. 

The trio goes to the terrace to set up the sleeping arrangements. Rajendra Uncle's sister looks at Darshan and Jaimi after they all settle down. 

DA: Jaimi, tum toh badi ghori chitti ho! Tumhare liye toh ladko ki line lag jaaegi. 

Bhakti teasingly nudges Jaimi on the shoulder. Jaimi offers his aunt a small smile not knowing how to handle the situation. Darshan cocks his eyebrow. 

DA: Kabhi rishta dhoondho toh mujhe kehna. Mere paas kuch acche rishte hain!

Jaimi: Mera shaadi ka koi plan nahi hain!

Bhakti: Bhua, waise bhi yeh America se aae hain. Apne liye khud dhoondh legi. Kyu Bhai?

Darshan slowly nods looking at Jaimi who does not like the direction of this conversation. She excuses herself and goes to the terrace as her phone rings. She decides to call it a day and lays down on the mattress on the far end. They cleaned the terrace floor and have just laid the mattress on the floor for everyone to sleep on. 

They all retire to bed by 11 at night. Darshan takes her purse as he heads to the terrace. He lays down beside her. Esha and Bhakti are sleeping on the other end with his male cousins in the middle. He places her bag beside her and pulls up the comforter. 

Bhakti: Bhai, sach sach bolo ki subah Sangeeta Dadi aap ki aur Jaimi ki baat kar rahi thi na?

Darshan: Bhakti, kuch bhi mat bol!

Jai: Waise bol toh sahi rahi hain! Kal raat ko tum dono chhat pe akele the toh-

Darshan: Toh kya?

Ankit: Woh toh tujhe pata!

Nikhil: Aur waise bhi aap Jaimi ke peeche peeche bhaagte hain. Aaj pura din tere muh se Jay, Jay, Jay hi nikala hian!

Darshan: Kuch bhi!

They tease Darshan and he retorts back. After a few minutes, the topic changed to something else. They eventually all fall asleep except Darshan who looks at Jaimi under the moonlight. She has untucked his shirt and it covers up to her midthigh. A few strands of her hair have fallen on her face. He pushes them back. He kisses her forehead and drapes the comforter over both of them as they have to share one. 

The early morning sunrays tickle Jaimi and Darshan. Her face is buried in his chest with his chin resting on top of her head. One arm is under his head while the other is wrapped around her waist. Their legs are intertwined together. He looks down at her to see her struggling to open her eyes due to the sunrays. He puts his hand at a distance and its shadow shields their eyes. He looks down at her and is mesmerized by her jet-black eyes. 

Darshan: Good morning!

Jaimi: Morning. 

He smiles hearing her sweet morning voice. 

Jaimi: Mujhe chodo!

Darshan: Huh?

She points at his arm that is draped on her waist. He quickly pulls it back and mumbles an apology. She untangles her legs from his and sits up to see the others slowly waking up. She goes down and brushes her teeth. She helps the ladies in the kitchen. Jyugal arrives around 8:30. He greets everyone and hands over Jaimi's clothes. She showers and changes into the clothes Ayesha sent. 

Darshan goes to call Jaimi as they're about to leave. He sees her wearing a sky blue salwar suit. The top reaches a few inches above her ankles. The net dupatta is sky blue with a white embroidered border. The salwar suit itself is plain with the embroidery at the end of the long sleeve. She has left her hair down in its natural wavy form. They look a bit damp. She puts on her white juttis when she sees him at the door. He looks away embarrassed by the fact he got caught staring. 

Darshan: Sab nikal rahe hain!

Jaimi nods. She grabs her purse and the bag in which she puts the clothes she wore for the past two days. She gets in the car with Darshan. She is sitting in the front seat as all his cousins and Jyugal are sitting in the back which she finds quite surprising. They all chat amongst themselves for the rest of the ride but Jaimi keeps it to herself. Darshan continues to glance at her every few seconds as her hair flows in the air due to the wind. 

They reach Ambaji temple by 11:30. They pray then, stop at a local dhaba for lunch. They decide to visit the Gabbar Hills. The elders take a cable car up the hills while Jaimi, Darshan, his cousins, and Jyugal decide to climb up. The trek takes them close to an hour and a half due to the hot weather and steep climb. 

Jaimi slips off her juttis and covers her head with the dupatta as they walk towards the Shaktipeeth. Darshan and she enter the cave where the statue of the goddess is placed. They pray then, make their way out the other side. They meet up with the elders at the cable car station. Jaimi, Darshan, and Jyugal are the last ones left. They get into the cable car. 

Jaimi sees Darshan's reluctance in stepping in. Darshan and her sit on one side with Jyugal across from them. The floor under them is made of glass giving them a view of the dense forest under. He looks down for a second before quickly looking away. Jaimi places her hand on top of his that is clutching the edge of the seat. His head snaps to her and she gives him an assuring smile. Jyugal, on the other hand, sneakily captures a few pics of them throughout the ride to the base. 

Darshan, his grandparents, Rajendra Uncle, Jaimi, and Jyugal get into his car after bidding the others goodbye. For most of the ride, Darshan can see Jaimi is very jittery and is fidgeting in her seat in the back. Her infamous mask is back on her face. 

Darshan: Jay?

Jaimi hums in response. 

Darshan: Tumne woh organizers se sab kuch finalize kar diya for tomorrow?

Jaimi: Yeah. I sent in the formalities and finalized the rest of the things as well. You and the band will receive the payment before the rehearsals to avoid any complications afterward. 

Jyugal: Tumne unko pehle payment dene ke liye convince kaise kiya?

Jaimi: I may or may not have threatened them to cancel the concert. 

Jyugal: Aur agar unhone concert cancel kar diya hota toh?

Jaimi: Unhone sab se paise le liye the toh do din pehle cancel nahi kar sakhte aur kiya hota toh public organizers ko chodti nahi. 

Darshan: Aur mera concert cancel ho jata toh?

Jaimi: They need you not vice versa. 

RU: Point!

The rest of the car ride is silent. After two hours of drive, Darshan pulls up at a hotel for dinner. They have simple Gujarati thali before hitting the road for Ahmedabad. Another hour and a half passed with small talk here and there. 

Jyugal: Last day tomorrow, Ms. Patel?

Jaimi: Yeah. 

Jyugal: Excited?

Jaimi: Probably not the word I would use for it. 

Darshan: Kal hum dono paperwork finalize kar denge. 

Jaimi: No problem. 

Darshan drops off his dad and grandparents at their house before driving toward Jaimi's building. Jyugal and he are chatting as he pulls over behind a cab in front of her building. Jaimi thanks them and bids them goodbye before getting out of the car onto the sidewalk. She looks in front to see a familiar figure getting out of the cab. She freezes in her spot and the two are just staring at each other. 

**********