Author's POV:-

In the evening, guests started arriving one by one. There wasn't a single person Nikhil had not invited to their reception. From office colleagues to distant relatives, everyone was present.

Nikhil wore a tailored black tuxedo that highlighted his strong posture, adding a touch of charm and allure. Anyone could see that he had an impeccable sense of fashion.

As he engaged in a lively conversation with some relatives, a familiar voice called out to him from behind.He turned towards the voice with a charming smile, knowing exactly who it was.

His close friend, Rudra, stood there.

Despite his demanding job, Rudra wouldn't miss Nikhil's reception for the world.

"At last, you got time for this fellow, right?" Nikhil said sarcastically.

Rudra smiled warmly. "You know how important my duty is."

Nikhil rolled his eyes, the same old excuse.

Nikhil then turned to Rudra’s wife, Shilpa, and embraced her warmly.

"It's so good to see you, Shilpa," he said, genuinely pleased.

"Congratulations, Nikhil, on your success!" Shilpa grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Both Nikhil and Rudra exchanged puzzled glances.

"Success?" Nikhil asked, chuckling.

"Of course, the success of getting married to the love of your life," she said excitedly.

Rudra shook his head, a smile spreading across his face.

"Thank you, Shilpa," he laughed.

Naksh joined the group, greeting everyone with a warm hug.

"After a long time, di, how are you?" Naksh embraced Shilpa.

"It's better you ask your bhaiya, who's always busy with his girlfriend," she glared at Naksh teasingly.

"Really, bhaiya?" Naksh widened his eyes in mock surprise.

"Haww, Rudra! How can you do this? You’re cheating on your own wife! I never expected this from you,"

Nikhil said dramatically, clutching his chest in pretend shock.

"Hey, stop it, both of you," Rudra said through gritted teeth, glaring at Nikhil and Naksh.

Naksh bit his lip to suppress a laugh.

"She's talking about my duty, yaar. Why are you all taking it another way?" Rudra explained, exasperation in his voice.

Shilpa turned her face away, pretending to be upset.

Nikhil took her in a side hug. "That's not fair, Rudra. Why don't you give time to my lovely sister?" he fakely scolded him.

Rudra glared at Nikhil but remained silent.

"You know, Nikhil, for the last few days, Mr. Rudra has been so busy with his so called work that he doesn't even come home at night nor does he bother to inform me. I don't know what important work he has that it has to be done late at night," Shilpa twitched her lips in annoyance.

Both Nikhil and Rudra shared a knowing look.

Rudra sighed and pulled Shilpa towards him. "Acha baba, I'm sorry. Next time, it won't happen," he coaxed her in a cute manner.

Shilpa looked into his eyes, signaling that one sorry word was still not enough.

Rudra was about to hold his ears in apology, but she quickly caught his hand. "It's okay, I already forgive you. You don't have to hold your ears like a kid," she giggled, hugging him tightly.

"Enough, Rudra. You two can continue this in your room. No one will disturb you then," Nikhil winked at the couple.

Shilpa broke the hug, her cheeks flushed from the comment.

Rudra playfully punched Nikhil, while both Nikhil and Naksh laughed heartily.

"By the way, where is our Mrs?" Shilpa asked Nikhil after a moment.

"She's getting ready in the room. She'll be here in a few minutes," Nikhil replied, glancing toward the hallway with a smile.

Suddenly, everyone's eyes moved towards the stairs. Nikhil froze on the spot, his mouth partially open. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the person descending the stairs.

Titli.

She slowly started descending, careful not to misstep in the gorgeous saree she wore.

His eyes tracked her every step, afraid she might vanish if he looked away for even a second. His heart was screaming one thing.

LOVE FOR HER.

His heartbeats started racing.

She was wearing his red georgette saree, which perfectly defined her body curves. The deep-neck blouse highlighted her collarbones, making her look even more stunning. A diamond pendant adorned her brown, dusky skin tone, and her long hair was tied in a bun.

The sindoor in the partition of her hair and the mangalsutra she wore proudly proclaimed that she belonged to him.

Aisa lagta hai kyu teri aankhein  jaise,

Aankhon mein meri raha gayi,

Kabhi pehle maine,

Nah suni jo,

Aise baatein keh gayi,

Tu hi tu hain jo har taraf mere ,

Toh mujhse pare ,

Mein jau kaha,

Mere dil Mubarak ho,

YAHI TOH PYAARR HAI!!!!!!

He was brought back to reality when both Rudra and Naksh screamed the last line in his ears.

He shot them a disgusted look, but they just ignored him.

Rudra started laughing madly, seeing his face.

"Yaar, just stop looking at her with those eyes. Looks like you're ready to swallow her right this instant. Have some mercy on that poor girl. Control you hormones yaar" he said, holding his stomach as he laughed.

"Oh God, my stomach, it's paining!" he continued laughing.

With him, Naksh too started laughing as both did a hi-fi.

Seeing them, Nikhil punched Rudra in the stomach.

"Yes, come here. I'll help you with your stomach pain."

"Ahhh, sorry, sorry, I'm just joking yaar," Rudra tried to stop him from delivering continuous punches.

Finally, Nikhil stopped and gave a stern look at Naksh.

Naksh instantly stopped laughing and raised his hands in surrender.

"Nahh! Nahh! don't give me that look, bhaiya. It's all your besharam friend who started all this.”

Between this time, Shilpa goes and brings Titli towards their group. Titli gets confused as she is not able to recognize them and looks at Nikhil with questioning eyes.

Rudra moves towards her, extending a hand, "Hi, I am Rudra, Nikhil's friend since college times."

Titli nods her head with a smile, feeling a bit more at ease.

"You can call me whatever you wish. You are just like my sister," he says, patting her head lovingly.

Her eyes mist with his loving gesture. Since childhood, she has always craved a brother, as she is the only child of her parents.

“Can I call you bhaiya?" she asks in a croaky voice, her emotions evident.

"Of course, as you wish, my pyaari behana," he replies warmly, taking her into a side hug.From the other side, Naksh joins in, also giving her a side hug.

She chuckles, feeling the warmth and love from both sides, "I've got two brothers now, one elder and one younger."

"I'm already warning you, Nik," Rudra says, his tone mock-serious,

"if you ever hurt our sister any day, we won't leave you easily. Get that into your brain."

Nikhil rolls his eyes, smirking at his friend's protectiveness.

Next, Shilpa takes Titli in her arms,

"Hi, Titli, I'm Shilpa, Rudra's wife."

"I could already guess that," Titli smiles, hugging her back, feeling an instant connection.

She already starts loving these two people.

"Trust me, you are looking so gorgeous. I'm sure that even your husband is having a hard time controlling himself," Shilpa teases, winking at her.

Listening to her, Titli looks up shockingly., a blush erupting across her entire face.

It was quite loud that the rest three had easily clearly heard that.

Nikhil's eyes widened as he listened to her comment.

Without missing a beat, he signaled Rudra with a subtle nod. Rudra, understanding immediately, pulled his wife to the corner, covering her mouth with his hand.

This girl doesn't have any filter, he thought, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

She glared at him, her eyes flashing with defiance as she tried to free herself from his grasp.

With a swift move, she kicked him hard on the foot.He hissed in pain, his grip on her mouth loosening momentarily.

"What are you doing??" she demanded, her words muffled but her irritation clear.

Rudra chuckled, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"She's not as experienced like us na baby?Why giving a heart attack??’ he said pushing her to the wall.

Rudra’s smirked, his eyes darkening with intent.

Leaning closer to her ear, he whispered,

"In fact, you know, I can teach you a much better way to use that mouth of yours tonight,what’s say??."

His thumb traced her lips as he spoke, sending a shiver down her spine.

Heat spread across her face, her cheeks burning with a mix of embarrassment.

She punched him lightly in the stomach, her face flushed with red color,

'We are in public Rudra..have some shame!!!'

Rudra laughed at her reaction.

"Feisty, aren’t you?" he teased, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he watched her struggle to maintain her composure.

Unable to tolerate his teasing any longer, Shilpa moved towards him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

Rudra's smile softened as he placed a gentle kiss on the her lips , lingering for a moment. He rubbed her waist soothingly, his touch a blend of tenderness and reassurance.

She smiles between the kiss.

"But I love this feisty wife of mine..only mine," he murmured against her lip, his voice filled with affection.

Shilpa pulled back slightly to look up at him, her cute angry pout melting into a broad grin.

"I love you too, my handsome police officer," she replied placing her lips on his beard cladded cheek.

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