Vivah: His Arranged Bride

ch-20 (veer)

i parked the car outside Bhavya's kindergarten, and she bounced in her seat with excitement, her tiny hands gripping her backpack tightly.

"Bhaiya, jaldi chalo!" she exclaimed.

I smiled, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Haan, Bhavya, bas ruko ek minute,"

after stepping out of car, I opened the back door, and Bhavya hopped out, clutching my hand tightly as we walked towards the school gate.

Bhavya's grip on my hand tightened, her eyes darting around the bustling courtyard filled with children and parents.

"Bhaiya, merko dar lag raha hai," she whispered.

I knelt down to her level, gently patting her head. "Don't worry, Bhavya. It's just your first day.  sabko dar lagta hai but don't worry bhot saare friends banaana aaj, okay? ."

She nodded, gripping her backpack tighter. "Okay, bhaiya. But you'll come to pick me up, right?"

I smiled, ruffling her hair. "Mai toh shayad naa aa pau, par Rudra bhaiya aa jayenge.."

her nervousness easing slightly. "Okay, bhaiya. Bye!"

Bhavya walked into the school, her backpack bouncing with each step. I watched her until she disappeared into the crowd of students, feeling a  pride moment. My little cousin sister was growing up so fast.

After watching Bhavya disappear into the school, I took my phone from my pocket and dialed Rudra's number. He picked up after a couple of rings.

"Hello?" came Rudra's voice from the other end.

"Rudra, Bhavya kindergarten me hai, Tu usko pick up kar liyo 11 bje. mujhe kuch kaam hai," I instructed him.

Rudra replied, "Haan bhai, don't worry. I'll be there."

"Good," I replied shortly, ending the call without further convo.

As I drove to work, I expected a smooth day, but instead, When I got to the office, everything seemed wrong. Something big had gone wrong with our project.  I mean, really messed up. And it was all because someone messed up something important.

"What happened?" I asked calmly. Nobody spoke. "Who did this?" I demanded, my voice getting louder. 

Silence. No one dared to meet my gaze.

"Speak up!" I roared, my anger boiling over.

"It... it was a mistake," one of the employees stammered, barely audible.

"A mistake?" I exploded, my fists clenching at my sides. "This is not just a mistake! This is a disaster!"

"What do we do now?" another employee asked nervously.

"fix it," I snapped. "And fix it fast. I want this sorted by 11 PM tonight. No excuses!"

"B..but sir, it's impossible to fix it by then," someone protested, their voice shaking.

"Impossible?" I roared. "you should have thought of that before creating this mess! You will fix it, or you'll find yourself another job!"

"Understood?" i asked calmly.

Silence again.

"understood?" I shouted.

"Y-yes, sir," they stuttered.

"Get to work," I ordered, my tone final. "And don't let me down again."

I stormed into my office, glancing at the clock, it showed 10:30 am. and I had a meeting scheduled at 11:00 am with an important client. The pressure was on, but I managed to make it on time.

***********

After the stressful morning, the 2 PM meeting was a relief. It went smooth, like always. No problems, no hiccups. Just the way I liked it.  

 I finally left work and headed home. As I drove past Aahna's college, I noticed her standing by the gate, talking to someone.  I slowed down to get a better look.

There she was, talking to Aashika and... a boy.

 I parked the car nearby and watched them from a distance, my brows furrowed.

Suddenly, the guy touched Aahna's hand while showing something, My fists clenched, and my jaw tightened,

Without a second thought, I stepped out of the car and went to them, "Veer, tum yahan kya kar rahe ho?" aahna asked.

"i was Just passing by," I replied casually and she nodded.

i whispered to her, "Ye kon hai?" My tone was calm, but my eyes bore into the boy standing next to her.

"Him? He's a classmate, my partner for a project," she explained calmly.

"oh fine" i replied.

"Nice to meet you," that boy said, extending his hand.

I ignored his gesture, my attention focused on Aahna. "Chalo, tum dono ko mai ghar drop kar deta hoon," I said to aashika and aahna.

Aahna spoke. "that's not necessary, Veer," she replied.

Ignoring her protest, I gestured towards my car. "Nahi, tum dono mere saath chaloge," 

She exchanged a quick goodbye with the boy, their conversation ending  as she turned away from him.

"Goodbye, Aahna," he called after her, but she didn't respond.

I opened the car door for aahna, Aashika stood on other side. I shot her a fleeting glance.

"Aren't you going to open the door for me too?" Aashika teased me.

"Kyu tumhare haath nahi hai?" I retorted

haath toh Aahna ke bhi hai," she said with a grin.

i glanced at her, "Woh toh hai, par tum Aahna nahi ho," I replied.

she sat in the car, "Right, my Aahna is just the best," she remarked looking at Aahna with admiration in her eyes.

Aahna smiled warmly and i took the driver's seat.

 "Veer, were you jealous back there?" aashika spoke.

 "Jealous? Why would I be?" I replied evenly, my eyes focused on the road ahead."

"hawww, Veer. Don't pretend like you weren't bothered by Aahna talking to that guy," she persisted.

"I wasn't bothered," I stated firmly.

Aahna chuckled, "Veer, don't deny it. I saw the look on your face when you saw me with Arjun."

I glanced at her through the rearview mirror,  "accha, And what look was that?"

Aahna grinned. "The 'I'm-not-jealous-but-I-am-definitely-watching-you' look,"  aashika spoke before aahna could say something.

"Aashika, can you please keep your observations to yourself?" I said, Aashika shrugged,

As we reached Aahna's home, I turned to Aashika. "Tum jao Aashika, Aahna and I need to go somewhere," I said.

Aashika raised an eyebrow, shooting a quick glance at Aahna, who nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'll see you later then," she replied.

as we drove off, "Where are we going, Veer?" aahna asked, breaking the silence.

I spared her a glance before focusing on the road again. "Just a drive," I replied.

she nodded, "okay sounds nice"

I parked the car alongside the beach, Aahna glanced at me curiously. "Why are we here?" she asked.

without saying a word, i got out of the driver's seat and walked to the backseat, where she was sitting. i climbed into the backseat and closed the door behind me. i leaned in and smashed my lips on hers. placed my hands on her waist and pulled her towards me.