Author's POV:-
"My Cupcake Choco-Pie! Where are you? Get ready Pronto! This Zara is on her way to meet her Veer!" the person on the call exclaimed.
Meera, taken aback by the unexpected news, quickly asks, "What do you mean? You're in India right now?"
Her bestie chuckles on the other end of the line. "Yep, just landed. Surprise!" she exclaims gleefully.
Meera's eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. "But when did you arrive? And why didn't you inform me beforehand?" she questions, a hint of reproach in her tone.
"Well, where's the fun in that? I wanted to surprise you!" she replies cheekily
"For sure, but where exactly are you?" Meera asks
"Anywhere you want me to be, darling! After all, I've come all this way just to see you," the person on the call ,says playfully.
Meera, feeling a bit shy and caught off guard by her playful tone, responds, "Aanya."
Aanya chuckles mischievously on the other end of the line.
"Oh sweetie, if you're blushing this much just talking to me, I wonder what will happen when you're in front of your husband!" she teases, completely unaware of Meera's current marital status.
"Aanya, stop it!" Meera protests weakly,
Aanya laughs heartily, clearly enjoying her friend's reaction.
"Alright, alright, I'll behave... for now!"
"Now tell me, where are you? I've just arrived and I want to see you.
Come meet me!" she insists eagerly.
"Uhm.. yeah but where ?" She asks.
''Let's meet at 'The Celestial Cuisine' Aanya suggests, her voice filled with excitement.
"Oh okay , I'll see you there ." Meera agrees.
"But when, miss?" Aanya asks.
"How about at lunchtime?" Aanya suggests, her voice filled with excitement. "What say?"
"Okay" Meera replies.
___________________________________________
After a while
After getting ready, Meera hesitantly makes her way downstairs, still feeling embarrassed about the kick incident with Aaryansh earlier.
As she enters the dining area, she exchanges greetings with Aaryansh's mother and everyone present there.
Soon, Riya voices her dissatisfaction with the meal.
"Mom! I don't want to eat this. I want to have biryani," she declares.
Her mother responds calmly,
"You should have informed me earlier, beta. Now, eat what has been prepared."
She declines, insisting,
"Maa pleasee I don't want to eat this"
"Riya.. Acha I'll ask the cook to make it , fine?" She says
"No, I want it made by your hands" Riya says
Her father chimes in, "Beta, your mom's hands are injured. So, she'll not be able to make ."
Confused, Riya asks,
"Why? What happened?"
Her mother intervenes, saying, "Nothing to worry about, just a minor twist."
Disappointed, Riya murmurs to herself, "Oh, but I wanted to eat..."
Sensing her daughter's disappointment,
She reassures her,
"It's okay, I'll make it for you."
However, before she can leave, Riya's father interrupts,
"No need, your hands are already..."
Meera steps in, offering her assistance. "Aunty, I can make it if you're okay with it."
She hesitates for a moment before relenting,
"Oh no, beta, I'll make it. Don't worry, it's okay."
But Riya interjects,
"Oh yes, bhabhi can also make it! Besides, her kheer was outstanding,
I'm sure her biryani will be a blast too"
Meera smiles at her and says,
"Thank you, Riya , I'll do my best."
With that, she heads towards the kitchen.
___________________________________________
Meera's POV:-
I did offer to make biryani since aunty's hand was injured, but..... how to make it?
I only know one and only recipe and that's kheer
I had said I'll make it because her hand was injured, and it wouldn't look good if I was just sitting there like nothing... Whatever it is, I'm the daughter-in-law of this house, so I have got some responsibilities....
It's fine, I can look up the recipe online and make it... It's not a big deal, I guess...?
__________________________________________
Meanwhile
Aaryansh looks around for something, prompting his mother to ask,
"Beta, do you want something?"
"Water." he replies.
Unfortunately, it turns out to be finished. His mother then says
"Oh, wait. I'll ask the servant to bring it"
He intervenes,
"Mom, I'll go by myself and get it."
Aaryansh's POV:-
As I made my way towards the kitchen to get water, I paused at the entrance area, observing her .
Forget the food, she's the one heating up the kitchen with her hotness!
Behave, Aaryansh. my subconscious chides.
Yeah yeah.
She's looking confused, I note, noticing her puzzled expression as she furrows her brow, seemingly trying to decode a recipe from her mobile.
Seeing her, I guess she doesn't actually know how to make biryani...?
Is that so? I ponder, bemused by the thought.
Then why did she offer to make it?
Maybe seeing Mom's injured hand?" my subconscious suggests.
Yeah, right, I guess, I agree, shrugging off the confusion.
Deciding to approach her , I tiptoe towards her like a secret agent on a mission, careful not to disturb her concentration.
However, my stealth skills seem to have taken a coffee break as I manage to trip over an invisible obstacle and send a utensil flying with a loud crash.
She whirls around,
her eyes wide with surprise,
and I freeze like a deer caught in headlights.
"Sorry about that," I say sheepishly, flashing her a grin.
"Didn't mean to interrupt your cooking adventure."
"No no....it's.. fine.." she replied.
Why does she stutter in front of me ?
It's not like I'm a ferocious tiger ready to pounce on her anytime.
Leaving all that aside, I think she's having trouble making the dish .
I think I should help her out.
Approaching her, I assert myself.
"Let me help you," I declare, my tone firm and decisive.
Ignoring any protests or hesitations,
I step in to assist, taking control of the situation.
"No, no, it's okay...I'll do it," she insists, her voice carrying a hint of reluctance.
Ignoring her protests,
I respond with a firm tone,
"There's no need for that. Let me handle it," I reply, my voice carrying an air of authority.
As I assertively offer my assistance, her protests gradually fade into a quiet resignation.
With a subtle nod, she silently acquiesces and moves aside, allowing me to take control of the task at hand.
Was I too firm?
"Can you pass me the raw rice?" I asked her
She nodded.
As she goes to fetch the requested item,
I wait patiently, expecting her swift return. However, as time passes and she doesn't appear, I grow a little curious.
As I turn to see what she is up to,
I notice her struggling to reach something from the storage cabinet.
Sensing her difficulty, I move closer, intending to offer my assistance.
"Wait , let me help you."
However, just as I approach, she makes one final attempt to grab the elusive item, only to inadvertently knock it over.
And disaster strikes.
With a sudden "whoops!" and a flailing of arms, the bag of flour comes tumbling down, directly onto me.
In an instant, I find myself covered from head to toe in a snowy blanket of flour .
Well, I must have looked no less than a snowman standing in a chilly Arctic landscape.
As I stand there, dazed and speechless, she looks on with wide eyes, her hand flying to her mouth in shock.
"I-I'm so sorry , I didn't mean for this to happen," she says, her voice filled with genuine remorse.
" I-I just wanted to help, but... but..."
she stutters out her series of apologies.
First, that ninja kick, and now, the flour shower, she's really outdoing herself in the comedy department.
Before I could utter a word, the sound of our approaching family filled me with dread. "What happened? What was that noise?" they exclaimed in unison.
Panic set in as I envisioned the endless barrage of teasing and jokes I'd endure if they caught sight of me covered in flour. Especially those two troublemakers, always ready with a wisecrack. I couldn't let that happen.
In a moment of sheer absurdity
I found myself standing behind her. Like, seriously? What was I thinking? She's as delicate and thin as a flower and here I am, hiding behind her like a complete idiot.
You stupid! What she must be thinking
"Come here," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me down beside her. It was a move both logical and comical, as if we were playing some bizarre game of hide-and-seek from our own family.
Oh God the embarrassment.
But , at least it's a memorable moment, I guess..?
As I awkwardly settled into my hiding spot, she shot me a sideways glance, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"There, now they won't see you," she whispered.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. Here I was, a grown man, cowering behind my wife to avoid a little teasing. It was a ridiculous sight, but somehow, it felt oddly comforting to have her by my side, even in this embarrassing moment.
As our family members approached, their voices filled with concern and curiosity.
"What happened? What was that noise?" they asked in unison.
Meera, ever quick on her feet, replied
"Sorry aunty.. Actually, I accidentally knocked over the flour container"
My mother's expression softened with concern as she asked,
"Haaan? Oh, beta, are you okay? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?
"No no aunty, I'm fine .. Nothing serious."
she shook her head.
Relieved to hear that she was unharmed, my mother nodded
"Alright beta, just be careful next time"
Meera nodded , expressing her apologies once more.
"Sorry bhabhi , meri zidd ke wajah se ye sab ho gaya , aapko kahi lagi to nahi na?"Riya asked
She shook her head "No no Riya , it was just because of my mistake, don't think like that and I'm really fine , don't worry"
"Sorry bhabhi , acha ab matt banaiiye wese bhi college ka time ho raha and
I'm getting late too"
Meera nodded.
As the commotion settled, I couldn't help but admire her grace under pressure. Despite the mishap, she handled the situation with poise and sincerity.
As the family dispersed, I got up,
eager to tease her
"Well, since you're clearly the flour queen now, I suppose I'll leave you to your kingdom."
"I'm really very sorry ... I-i seriously didn't mean to---" here she goes again
"Listen, Meera," I began, my voice laced with mock seriousness.
"If you dare apologize one more time, I swear I'll dump the rest of that flour right on your head!"
Her eyes widened in horror,
"Sor- I mean than-- I mean.
...no more apologies," she replied.
"That's what I like to hear," I nodded in satisfaction.
With that ,I made my way out of the kitchen. As I headed upstairs to freshen up, I couldn't help but think, despite the chaotic start to the day, there was an undeniable bond forming between her and me, one that I couldn't wait to explore further.
_________________________________________
Meera's POV:-
Oh God, what is wrong with me?
First, I kicked him, and now I showered flour on him? What he must be thinking of me right now?
" I just want to bury myself underground," I muttered under my breath, feeling the weight of embarrassment settle in.
Why the hell am I so clumsy??
As I stood there, lost in my thoughts
Aunty called out to me, her voice tinged with a hint of urgency.
"Meera, could you please call Aaryansh from upstairs?" she requested.
My heart skipped a beat as I processed her words. Call him? Right now?
Oh, the irony.
Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I quickly response
"Jii"
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