15. Nirlaj Besharam Insaan

When I reached the dining room, everyone — Nandini aunty, Kirti aunty and his grandparents — were already there. Only Ishita, Rudra, and Aditya uncle were missing... oh, and that akdu as well. Moksh and I entered together.

As soon as Nandini aunty saw me, she smiled warmly and gestured for me to come closer. "Aah, tum aa gayi beta! Neend toh aayi na achhe se? I know this place is new for you, thoda time lagega adjust hone mein, but sab theek ho jaayega." (You've come, beta! You slept well, right? I know this place is new for you, it'll take a little time to adjust, but everything will be fine.) Her tone was so soft, so comforting — like she genuinely cared.

Siya smiled a little and nodded, "Ji, neend achhi aayi... thank you, aunty." (Yes, I slept well... thank you, aunty.) She chuckled gently. She added warmly, "Aunty nahi, beta — maa. Nandini maa bulao, okay?" (Not aunty, beta — mother. Call me Nandini maa, okay?)

Siya froze for a moment, her smile faltering slightly. Her throat felt tight — she couldn't bring herself to say maa. The word held too much meaning, too many memories of her own parents. She looked down, fidgeting with her dupatta, unsure how to respond.

Sensing her hesitation, Nandini's expression softened even more. She reached out and gently patted Siya's hand.

"Arey, koi baat nahi beta," she said kindly. "Jab mann kare, tab bula lena. No pressure. Jab tak comfortable naa ho jao, aunty hi theek hai." (Oh, it's alright, beta. Call me that whenever you feel like it. Until you're comfortable, aunty is fine.)

Siya looked up, meeting Nandini's eyes — eyes full of warmth and understanding. She managed a small nod, gratitude flickering silently in her gaze.

Everyone seemed in a cheerful mood. The clinking of cutlery, the aroma of food — everything felt oddly homely. Just then, Aditya entered. He walked straight to Nandini, smiling, and before Siya could even process what was happening, he bent down and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

Aditya : "I'm sorry, Nandu... mujhe aaj breakfast miss karna padega. Ek zaroori meeting aa gayi hai, main late aaunga." (I'm sorry, Nandu... I'll have to miss breakfast today. I have an important meeting, so I'll be late.)

For a moment, Siya froze. He had kissed her in front of everyone! Her eyes widened involuntarily. Around her, no one seemed shocked — in fact, everyone smiled, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Nandini turned slightly red, looking down shyly, "Theek hai... khayal rakhiyega." (Alright... take care.) Siya's gaze shifted to the others — even the grandparents had a gentle smile on their faces. Before Siya could process it all, she got another shock when Nikhil too entered.

He walked in briskly, holding his car keys, and went straight to Kirti. Without hesitation, he leaned closer and whispered something in her ear that made her laugh softly. Then he kissed her cheek. "Kirti, mujhe bhi ek urgent Kaam aaya hai. Breakfast office mein kar lunga, okay? Don't wait up." (Kirti, I also have some urgent work. I'll have breakfast at the office, okay? Don't wait up.)

Kirti shaked her head and said, "Haan haan, jaaiye aap bhi. Lagta hai aaj ke din sab husbands ko 'urgent kaam' hai." (Yes, yes, you go as well. Looks like all husbands suddenly have 'urgent work' today.)

Everyone chuckled, the atmosphere turning light and teasing. The easy laughter filled the room, wrapping it in a kind of warmth Siya hadn't felt in a long time.

She sat quietly, watching them — the soft teasing, the open affection, the way everyone seemed so comfortable with one another. It was beautiful... and a little strange. She was still sitting there, feeling like an outsider watching a scene unfold — warmth, love, and an ease between everyone that she wasn't used to.

Aditya then walked toward Siya before leaving, his usual composed smile still on his face. He gently placed his hand on her head and patted lovingly, a quiet, fatherly warmth in that touch that made her heart flutter for a second. "Khush rehna, beta," (Stay happy, beta) he said softly. "Yahan sab apne hi hain." (Everyone here is your own.)

I managed a small smile as he and Nikhil uncle exchanged a brief nod and left together. Everyone seemed cheerful, the room filled with small chatter again.

A few minutes later, Ishita and Rudra entered the hall. They were talking — or rather say arguing — about something. Ishita looked slightly grumpy, while Rudra appeared calm, clearly used to her mood. Ishita plopped down beside Nandini with an exaggerated sigh.

"Badi maa, dekhiye na, aapka beta phir se mana kar raha hai! (Badi maa, look! Your son is refusing again!) It's my friend's birthday party tonight, and he's saying no! Like seriously, what's the big deal?" Nandini looked up, hiding a smile. "Arre beta, shant ho ja thoda. Pehle batao, party kahaan hai?" (Calm down a little. First tell me, where is the party?) Nandini asked her.

Ishita rolled her eyes at Rudra and then started, "Badi maa, it's at Ananya's farmhouse. Sab jaa rahe hain. (Everyone is going there.) Only Rudra Bhai-sa is acting like my bodyguard again!" Rudra crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed. "I'm not bodyguard, Ishu. Bas keh raha hoon raat ko itni door jaana safe nahi hai. (i'm just saying that it is not safe to go so far at night) Don't you understand this?"

Ishita dramatically started, "Safe nahi hai? (It's not safe?) It's a birthday, not a gang war!" Everyone around chuckled quietly — even Kirti, her mother tried to hide her laughter.

Nandini sighed fondly, looking between the two siblings. "Tum dono kab bade hoge? Roz subah ek naya episode hota hai tum logon ka." (When will you two grow up? Every morning there's a new episode of you guys) Ishita pouted, leaning her head on Nandini's shoulder. "Badi maa, aap hi boliya na Bhai-sa se... please?" (Badi maa, You tell Bhai-sa yourself... please?)

Rudra just shook his head with a helpless smile, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Hopeless case." Watching them bicker so playfully, Siya couldn't help but smile faintly. There was love in their arguments — loud, chaotic, but full of warmth, which she never received from her brother. It felt like watching a family that truly belonged to one another.

Rudra leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms firmly. "See, I'm telling you, Ishu — if you didn't understand this the first time, I'll just tell Avi bhai-sa. Then don't come running to me or Moksh later, okay?"

Ishita immediately stood up, pointing a finger at him in mock outrage. "Aap dhamki kise de rahe hai, huh!? Dekh le na, Avi bhai-sa meri hi side rahenge... always!" (Who are you threatening, huh!? Just see, Avi bhai-sa will always be on my side!)

Rudra rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to fire back — but before he could, a calm and familiar voice echoed from the staircase. "Kya ho raha hai yahaan subah-subah?" (What's going on here so early in the morning?)

Everyone turned. Avinash was walking down the stairs, sleeves rolled up, his expression curious but gentle. Ishita's eyes widened the moment she saw him. Her dramatic energy instantly flipped into innocent mode — lips pouted, eyes big and teary, like a perfect actress.

Rudra sighed quietly knowing like what is going to happen. He muttered under his breath, "And the drama begins..."

Before anyone could say another word, Ishita ran toward Avinash. "Bhai-sa..." Avinash frowned, slightly alarmed, bending down a little. "Arre, what happened to my princess? Who made you upset this early in the morning?"

He cupped her cheek gently, concern clear in his tone. From her seat, Siya blinked in surprise. "Wait... this akdu can actually talk nicely?" she thought, completely stunned. "Wow... I didn't know that side of him even existed."

Ishita sniffed dramatically, holding onto his arm. "See na, Avi bhai-sa! Rudra bhai-sa is not letting me go to my friend's birthday party just because it's a little far — at the outskirts of Rajasthan! It's not like I'm going alone, my other friends will be there too. This is so unfair!"

Avinash looked at her with an indulgent smile, clearly used to her dramatics. "Hmm... toh princess chhupke se permission lene aayi hai, haan?" (Hmm... so the princess has come secretly to ask for permission, huh?) He glanced at Rudra, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Aur tumne mana kar diya?" (and you refused?)

Rudra answered camly, "Because it's late-night, bhai-sa. And she's being careless, as usual." Ishita protested,"Careless!? I'm not careless, I'm careful and cute — don't mix them up!" Everyone laughed at her childish defense — even the grandparents chuckled softly.

Avinash sighed and ruffled her hair. "Theek hai, we'll talk about it after breakfast. Abhi drama band karo dono." (Alright, we'll talk about it later. Stop the drama for now, both of you.) Ishita huffed but smiled, clearly satisfied that at least he wasn't scolding her. She followed him back to the table, while Rudra just shook his head, muttering something like, "She always gets her way..."

Siya was still sitting quietly, a soft smile lingering on her. But the moment Avinash's gaze shifted toward her, her smile flatered. His dark eyes caught hers for the briefest moment, and she immediately averted her gaze, pretending to adjust her plate.

Avinash didn't say anything — he simply looked at her once more, then walked over to his seat and sat down at the head chair. Siya was seated just beside him, though she avoided turning in his direction. On her other side sat Moksh and Ishita, while on the opposite end, Nandini and Kirti were seated together, chatting softly as their husbands were not their.

Once everyone settled and the servants began serving breakfast, the atmosphere turned easy again. From across the table, Nandini looked toward Siya with a warm smile. "Beta, today we'll go shopping for your clothes, okay?"

Siya blinked, confused for a moment, her spoon pausing midway. "Shopping? But, aunty... you already—" Nandini frowned slightly, cutting her off. "Wait... didn't the servants deliver the clothes I sent to your room this morning? You didn't wear any of those?"

Siya's eyebrows drew together. "Aunty, I wore what you had kept in the room." Nandini looked even more puzzled, glancing at Kirti., because she clearly remembers she hadn't sent this clothes which she was wearing right now.

Before Siya could say anything, Ishita chirped in excitedly, twirling a strand of her hair. "Oh ho, bhabhi-sa! That means we'll do lots of shopping today! I already know what will suit you — pastel shades, soft colors... hai na?" Moksh groaned dramatically beside her. "Haan tujhe aur koi kaam dhandha hai hi nahi, bas shopping, gossiping, aur drama." (Yes, you have no other work to do, just shopping, gossiping, and drama.)

Ishita glared at him. "Excuse me, Mister Boring Bhai-sa! You wouldn't understand! It's girls things.." Everyone laughed softly at their banter, but Siya barely heard them. She was still trying to make sense of Nandini's words.

She looked at her carefully. "But... aunty, the room already had so many clothes. All perfectly arranged — dresses, sarees, suits... even accessories and jewellery. I thought you had placed them there for me." The table went momentarily quiet. Nandini blinked, exchanging a surprised look with Kirti. "Beta, I didn't keep anything there. Neither did Kirti."

Siya frowned, her confusion deepening. "But... everything was my size. Perfectly fitting. Even —" she stopped herself quickly, cheeks warming. "I just thought you'd prepared it all..."

( achha huva muh nahi khola 😂 )

Nandini shook her head slowly, genuinely puzzled now. "No, beta. Not me." Siya's spoon paused halfway to her mouth. Her mind began to spiral — the neatly arranged clothes, the shoes and sandals that fit perfectly, the soft nightwear folded with care... and then her thoughts snagged on the memory of the undergarments, each one exactly her size. The realization hit her like a jolt.

She inhaled sharply — wrong timing — and choked on her food. "Bhabhi-sa!" Moksh said with concern in his voice, thrusting a glass of water toward her. She coughed, eyes watering, one hand pressed to her chest as she took a few quick sips.

When she finally caught her breath, her gaze darted beside her — straight to Avinash. And before she could stop herself, the words slipped out — loud and clear. "Nirlaj... besharam insaan!" (Shameless... shameless human being!)