CHAPTER 23! FIVE DAYS
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?The traditional katha concluded without any casualties. The prayers were offered, the blessings were taken, and no one was murdered.
?Hours later, the entire sprawling assembly gathered around the massive, polished teak wood dining table.
Food of every imaginable variety covered the surface-rich paneer curries, aromatic pulao, dal makhani, and stacks of fresh naans.
For almost ten whole minutes, a beautiful, fragile peace existed. Uncles discussed politics, and the children giggled at the kids' table.
?Then, Aadhira finished washing her hands at the side sink.
?Caught up in her own thoughts, entirely distracted by the heavy weight of Aryav's gaze from across the table, her brain completely short-circuited.
Instead of reaching for the neatly folded linen napkin resting right beside her plate... she grabbed the edge of Padmini's custom-imported silk curtain and wiped her wet hands directly on it.
?Shaurya stared at the curtain. Then at Aadhira. Then back at the curtain.
?"Maa," Shaurya said, his voice ringing with absolute, deadpan clarity across the table. "AADHIRA ne parde se hath pocha, Main witness hoon."
?Thirty spoons paused mid-air. Conversations snapped shut. Aadhira slowly let go of the fabric, looking up with wide, innocent eyes. "What?"
?"You just wiped your hands on Maa's custom Italian silk curtain," Shaurya stated, pointing his fork at her.
?"No, I didn't," she lied instantly, her face turning bright red.
?"Aadhira, tune abhi kiya. The wet patch is right there."
?"It was an accident!" she hissed, trying to kick him under the table.
?Padmini looked across the table, her hand flying to her chest as she stared at the dark damp spot on her precious drapes. "Aadhira! Hath pocha tune parde se?!"
?Sensing her impending doom, Aadhira pointed a dramatic, shaking finger directly at her older brother. "Maa, He smokes!"
?Shaurya nearly choked on his glass of water, coughing violently as his face turned a dangerous shade of crimson. "WHAT DOES MY LUNG CAPACITY HAVE TO DO WITH THE CURTAIN?!"
?"You complained about my mistake!" Aadhira shot back, crossing her arms defensively. "I am just sharing information."
?"Maa, she is deflecting!" Shaurya stammered, his courtroom confidence entirely evaporating. "Main toh bas curtain ka bol raha tha!"
?Padmini's gaze slowly turned away from the curtain. Her head snapped toward Shaurya, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Smoking, Shaurya?"
?"Maa, listen to me-"
?"Aur mujhe yeh aaj pata chal raha hai?!
"
?Aadhira sat back in her chair with a deeply smug expression, picking up her fork.
?A few seats down, Vaani wandered away from the children's table carrying half a gulab jamun.
Without hesitation, she climbed directly into Kashvi's lap.
?Kashvi blinked, momentarily startled. "Hello Vaani."
?Vaani offered her the sticky, half-eaten sweet with an innocent smile.
?"For me?" Kashvi asked. Vaani nodded. "This is the greatest honor of my life," Kashvi said softly, a warm laugh escaping her lips.
?Vaani giggled, leaning back comfortably against her. Across the table, Vivaan looked up from his phone and stopped entirely.
Kashvi wiped a stray drop of syrup off Vaani's chin with a napkin.
?Before the moment could linger, Ayaan appeared beside Vaani, looking up with serious expression. "Can I sit with you?"
?Kashvi frowned slightly in amusement. "You need permission?"
?Ayaan nodded solemnly. "Mama says we should ask permission, it has more chance to get chocolate."
?Kashvi laughed so hard she nearly dropped her spoon. Across the room, Vivaan's eyes remained fixed on her.
Vaani eventually passed out against Kashvi's shoulder, completely trusting and comfortable.
Kashvi adjusted the little girl's head carefully, ensuring she wouldn't wake.
?Vivaan noticed. "She's sleeping on your dress," he muttered under his breath, his tone cold and brief.
?Kashvi narrowed her eyes, keeping her tone low to avoid waking the toddler. "She's six."
?"Exactly."
?Kashvi threw him a sharp look. Vivaan stared at her for a second longer than necessary, his jaw tightening before he looked away first.
?Ayaan wandered over right after, carrying a silver spoon twice the size of his hand.
He looked at the sleeping Vaani, then at Kashvi, and finally at Vivaan. "You two fight a lot," Ayaan observed casually.
?Vivaan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
?"We're not fighting," Kashvi whispered fiercely, throwing a warning glance at the boy.
?Ayaan considered this for a long moment. "Okay." He pointed a small finger directly at Vivaan. "Then why does he keep looking at you?"
?Complete silence fell over that section of the table. Reyansh dropped his spoon, a low whistle escaping his lips.
Kashvi froze, her cheeks instantly burning. Vivaan merely stared at the child, his eyes narrowing.
?Aryav finally looked down at his son. "Finish your food."
?Ayaan turned his gaze to his father, completely unfazed. "Grown-ups are weird."
?The entire section of the table erupted. Aryav stared at him, his face expressionless, while Ayaan simply grinned and stole another gulab jamun from a nearby plate.
?The chaotic Agrawal banter continued to bounce off the walls for another five minutes before Shaurya, entirely exhausted and bruised by his mother's glares, finally snapped.
He pointed his silver spoon across the table, directing it squarely at Aryav.
?"Aryav, dekh raha hai?" Shaurya asked, gesturing wildly toward his sister. "Roz ka hai ye. Roz."
He looked at Aryav with a desperate, soul-weary expression. "Le ja isko. Please. Isko paanch minute akela chhod do, kuch na kuch tootega. She has framed me twice just this week!"
?"Only because you deserved it!" Aadhira defended herself fiercely. "And I am sitting right here, Bhai you can't talk like that about me!"
?Padmini looked at Aryav, pinching her temples with a massive sigh. "Beta, sach bata. Shaadi prep tum log jaldi nahi kar sakte?"
?Aryav looked up, his expression perfectly calm. "I could."
A microscopic pause followed.
"She won't like it."
?The entire table laughed, the tension breaking instantly.
?"Main thak gayi hoon in logo se," Padmini muttered.
?"I second this motion," Shaurya immediately raised his hand.
?Aadhira huffed, crossing her arms. "Bas. Mujhe adopt hi kar dete kisi aur ghar mein."
?Veer slowly raised his hand from the head of the table, a small smile playing on his lips. "Kar dete." He looked across at Aryav. "Ab aa hi raha hai lene."
?Aryav held Veer's gaze, then shifted his eyes directly to Aadhira.
?"Five days," Aryav murmured, his deep baritone cutting through the noise. "I'll take it from there."
?Aadhira stared at him, her jaw dropping. "Main shaadi cancel kar rahi hoon."
?"Nahi," Shaurya interjected instantly with a triumphant smirk. "Advance payment ho chuki hai."
?The very corner of Aryav's mouth moved, a phantom smile vanishing as quickly as it appeared.
?"Return policy nahi hai," Veer added quietly.
?Reyansh immediately lost it, while Veer and Padmini laughed openly.
Aadhira buried her face entirely in her hands, her voice muffled and miserable. "I hate every single one of you."
?The room quieted down a bit as the laughter began to taper off. Dadi looked at Aadhira for a long moment, the amusement in her eyes softening.
She reached out, gently patting Aadhira's hand across the table.
?"Sab mazaak kar rahe hain, beta," Dadi said softly. "Paanch din baad jab tu chali jayegi na... tab sabse zyada shor yehi log machayenge."
?For the first time that evening, nobody had a joke.
?Padmini reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Aadhira's ear.
The room went quieter.
Shaurya suddenly found his dinner plate incredibly interesting and looked away, his jaw tightening.
Veer cleared his throat quietly, taking a sudden sip of his water.
?Aadhira looked around the table.
At her father.
At her mother.
At Shaurya.
At the walls she'd grown up inside. Until then, it had all felt like preparations. Suddenly, it felt like goodbye.
?She blindly reached out for her water glass to clear the lump in her throat, but her hand met empty air.
?Without looking at her, keeping his eyes down, Aryav silently slid his own full glass of water across the polished wood, placing it right next to her hand.
?Dadi noticed, a small, knowing smile touching her lips.
?Suddenly, a servant in the background accidentally dropped a heavy silver serving platter.
The platter hit the marble floor with a sharp, gunshot crack. Nearly everyone at the table flinched or jumped at the sudden noise.
?Aryav didn't blink.
He simply continued eating.
?Right at that moment, the phone in his pocket vibrated once. Aryav pulled it out, glanced at the single message on the screen, and locked it again.
Across the table, Vikrant looked up briefly. Nothing was said.
?His chair scraped softly against the marble. Aryav left the room without explanation. Nobody asked where he was going.
?When he returned exactly three minutes later, the cuff of his black shirt carried a fresh crease.
Whatever had happened outside had already been buried.
Aryav sat down. Vikrant resumed eating. Only then did everyone else continue talking.
?Outside, the perimeter guards changed shifts with military precision. Inside, nobody even looked toward the windows.
?Reyansh, completely oblivious to the undercurrents, finally broke the lingering emotional weight. "If I were in your place Shaurya bhai, Main toh khushi mein laddoo deta sabko," he grinned loudly.
?A cushion from the nearby diwan immediately flew through the air and hit him squarely in the face, courtesy of Shaurya.
The laughter that followed was loud and unbridled, washing away the tension.
?Aadhira was laughing too, shaking her head as she leaned back in her chair. Then, she looked up.
?Aryav was already watching her. Neither of them looked away first.
?Five days.
For the first time, the number felt small.