109.
The preparations for Aarav and Shaurya's wedding were already in full swing. The mansion buzzed with workers, decorators, and endless instructions being thrown around.
Aarav, however, wasn't entirely at ease. Somewhere at the back of his mind, one thought kept lingering—Bilal was still out there.
But Shaurya, on the other hand, seemed very invested in the wedding. And that alone was enough for Aarav to push his worries aside and go along with everything.
"Oi Mitthu, bag pakar!" Parveen announced dramatically as she stepped out of the car right outside the Shekhawat mansion gates.
Mitthu, her poor son, was already drowning under three oversized bags and still nodded obediently.
"Aur kya dekh rahe ho meri shakal?" Parveen snapped at the bodyguards. "Side hato zara!"
The guards exchanged confused looks. One of them stepped forward. "Ma'am... who are you?"
Parveen placed both hands on her hips, offended. "Lo suno! Tum logon ko Aarav ne bataya hi nahi hum kaun hain?"
"Yaar chachi, please..." a voice came from behind.
Anirudh Jaiswal stepped forward, already looking tired of the drama. "I'm Anirudh Jaiswal. Cousin of the Prince."
Before the guards could react—
"Hey! Let them in!" Aarav's voice rang out from inside.
He walked over quickly, a wide smile breaking across his face as soon as he saw Anirudh. Without hesitation, he pulled him into a hug.
"I'm so glad you're here," Aarav said warmly.
Anirudh smirked, leaning closer. "Shekhawats are a bit boring, right?"
Aarav snorted, nodding immediately.
Right then, Shaurya approached from behind. Aarav casually patted Anirudh's shoulder before turning to him.
"Shaurya, this is Anirudh—my favourite cousin. Probably the only one in the entire family with a functioning brain."
"Bas aur thoda tareef kar de," Anirudh muttered dryly.
Shaurya didn't react immediately. His gaze lingered for a second on Aarav's hand still resting on Anirudh's shoulder.
Aarav caught the look.
Slowly. Intentionally.
He gave Shaurya a look.
Shaurya exhaled quietly, then stepped forward and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy your stay."
As he said it, his other hand casually reached for Aarav's, lacing their fingers together.
Message received.
Aarav suppressed a smile and finally let go of Anirudh.
Then Shaurya tilted his head slightly. "Aur woh... blue chashme wali aunty kaun hai?"
Both Aarav and Anirudh burst out laughing.
"That," Aarav said, "is my Mamiji."
He raised his voice, "Parveen Mami!"
Parveen, who was busy fixing her salwar like she was about to attend a fashion show, turned dramatically and walked toward them. Mitthu followed behind like unpaid labour, still struggling with the luggage.
Parveen stopped in front of Shaurya and slowly lowered her sunglasses, inspecting him from head to toe like a strict judge.
"Mami, this is Shaurya," Aarav said.
"Hello ji," she said, instantly switching tone. "Myself Parveen. But aap mujhe Pari bula sakte hain."
Aarav shot her a death glare.
Shaurya raised an eyebrow and glanced at Aarav, clearly enjoying this.
"Chachi Parveena," Anirudh cut in quickly, embarrassed, "yeh aapka damaad hai."
Shaurya smiled politely and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."
"And yeh mera beta, Mitthu," Parveen added.
Mitthu, meanwhile, looked like he was about two seconds away from collapsing under the weight of her bags.
Aarav sighed, already walking toward him.
"Mitthu, just give the bags to the staff, okay?" Aarav said, already reaching out to rescue him.
"Nahi nahi, Mitthu sambhal lega," Parveen cut in immediately, as if her son was on a weightlifting mission. Then, without missing a beat—"Mitthu, chal. Shaurya ji ke pair chhoo."
Mitthu, still half-crushed under the luggage, obediently bent down.
"Hey—no, no, that's not necessary," Shaurya said quickly, letting out a slightly awkward laugh as he stopped him midway. Then, glancing at Aarav, he added dryly, "Yeh toh chaabi wala Mitthu nikla."
Aarav snorted.
"Let's go inside. Baith ke baat karte hain," Aarav said, trying to restore some normalcy.
"Yeh mota bachcha kiska hai?" Ravi's voice came from near the car. He was peering inside, clearly confused.
Anirudh froze. "Oh shit... Mirchi toh andar hi reh gaya."
Shaurya slowly turned his head toward Mitthu and Parveen, his expression unreadable. Aarav, meanwhile, was already distracted again.
"Mitthu... tu paan khaata hai kya? Zubaan laal kyun hai?" Aarav asked, narrowing his eyes.
Mitthu nodded. "Ji, Bade Bhaiya."
Aarav just blinked. "Great. Perfect. Bas yahi baaki tha."
Meanwhile, Anirudh opened the car door and shook the sleeping boy inside.
"Uth ja. Pahoch gaye hum."
The boy groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Sone do yaar..."
Grumbling, the boy stepped out, stretching lazily. His eyes landed on Ravi, who was staring at him.
"Kya hua?" the boy said, smirking. "Kabhi sundar bachcha nahi dekha?"
Ravi blinked once, unimpressed. "Wah... khoon mein hi hai."
Before things could escalate, thapp!—Anirudh smacked the back of the boy's head.
Then he gave Ravi an awkward smile.
Ravi just shook his head and walked off toward Aarav and Shaurya, Anirudh and Mirchi followed behind like a questionable procession.
Inside, Aarohi's breath hitched the moment she saw Parveen.
Vedansh, sitting beside her, didn't even try to hide his reaction. He stared at Parveen for a long second, irritation clear on his face.
"I can't handle her," he muttered under his breath.
Without another word, he stood up, dusted off his shirt like he'd just encountered pollution, and walked upstairs—no greeting, nothing.
Parveen's jaw dropped.
"Agar mere aane pe itna bura lagta hai, toh bulaya kyun tha?" she demanded, clearly offended.
"Mamiji—Dad just went to take his medicine," Aarav jumped in smoothly, damage control mode activated. "Please sit. Mitthu, baith ja."
Aarohi quietly stepped forward and bent down to touch Parveen's feet.
"Jeeti raho, puttar," Parveen said instantly, her mood flipping back like a switch. Then she looked around dramatically. "Mera gulaab ka tukda kahan hai?"
Aarohi blinked. "Who?"
"Tera pilla paida nahi hua tha kya?" Parveen asked bluntly.
Aarohi blinked for a second. "Oh—umm... he's in school right now."
"Acha..." Parveen nodded like she was mentally judging the school as well.
Aarav leaned slightly toward Aarohi and muttered under his breath, "Yaar nani ko inhe hi kyun bhejna tha..."
"Yeh chashma andar kyun pehni hui hai? Woh bhi blue colour ka?" Ravi whispered from behind, genuinely confused.
"Pehle green tha, upgrade hua hai," Aarohi replied casually.
Ravi just stared. "Progress."
"Mamiji, you can go and rest. They'll show you your rooms," Aarav said politely.
"Theek hai. Lekin Mitthu mere saath rahega," Parveen declared.
Aarav and Shaurya exchanged a quick look.
Of course he will.
Behind them, Anirudh just shook his head in quiet disappointment, like a man who had given up on life long ago.
Ravi glanced at Mitthu again—fully grown, easily in his late twenties, maybe early thirties... still standing obediently beside his mother like a school kid on a field trip.
"Bade Bhaiya, Mitthu Bhai aur main yahan ghoom sakte hain?" Mirchi asked excitedly.
Aarav nodded.
"Oi hero," Mirchi grinned, poking Ravi's biceps like he'd discovered a rare species. "Ghumaoge humein?"
Ravi looked down at the finger poking him, then at Mirchi... then briefly at Mitthu... clearly reconsidering all his life choices.
"Mirchi, maine teri zubaan kheech leni hai," Anirudh snapped. Then, turning to Ravi, he added apologetically, "Sorry. Bohot pampered hai."
Ravi just nodded. "Iska naam waise kaddu hona chahiye tha". he said.
Mirchi rolled his eyes but still followed him like an excited puppy.
The rest slowly dispersed to their rooms.
Aarav scratched the back of his neck, already stressed. "Yeh sab namune humari shaadi mein aane the? I'm already stressed"
Behind him, Shaurya let out a quiet laugh, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around Aarav from behind, pressing a soft kiss to his neck.
"They're... interesting," he murmured.
Aarav turned to face him. "Shaurya?"
"Hmmm?"
"We're not rushing this, right?" Aarav asked, his voice quieter now.
Shaurya's expression softened instantly. "Absolutely not. And stop stressing, okay? I've handled everything. The palace is almost fully decorated, outfits are already here... we'll check them together."
Aarav stayed silent for a moment, just looking at him.
"And," Shaurya added with a small smile, "your campaign? It was incredible. I heard investors are lining up to support your trust. I'm proud of you, baby."
Aarav's lips curved into a soft smile. "And what's my reward?"
Shaurya leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Two more rounds on our wedding night."
Aarav's face turned instantly red. "Shaurya!"
Shaurya chuckled, glancing around the mansion. "I'm just glad this place will feel alive again."
"Oh god..." Aarav muttered, dragging a hand down his face.
Shaurya's smile faded slightly. "Everything okay?"
Aarav suddenly stiffened. "Shit—Eve."
"What?"
"She was supposed to arrive today. I told her I'd send someone to pick her up..." Aarav checked his watch, his expression dropping. "Her flight landed 20 minutes ago."
Shaurya's face fell at the mention of her name, annoyance flickering across his eyes.
Of course. Perfect timing.
Aarav, still holding his arm, let go abruptly and walked a few steps away, already dialing his phone.
"Hello? Yeah—where are you?—"
Shaurya exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.
"Unbelievable..." he muttered under his breath before turning and heading upstairs, irritation clearly written all over him.