CHAPTER 17 #2
The doorbell rang, pulling her from her thoughts. Moments later, Reyansh entered the living room. Anand greeted him with genuine enthusiasm.
“How’s South Africa?” Reyansh asked immediately.
“Progressing well,” Anand replied with a nod.
Reyansh’s gaze flicked toward Aanya, who sat stiffly at the edge of the couch, her attention locked on her phone. She looked like she didn’t want to be there. At all.
“Excuse me,” Reyansh said, walking over to sit beside her. His voice dropped. “So... how’ve you been?”
Aanya met his eyes, little surprised.
“Why are you asking like we’ve been apart for years?”
“Haven’t we?” he shot back, with a sarcastic tilt of his brow.
She narrowed her eyes at him as he continued.
“You barely speak to me at home. You’re gone before I wake up. You don’t respond to my texts. And by the time I return, you’re either asleep or pretending to be.”
So he knew she pretended to be asleep to avoid him?
“What’s your point?” she asked, uneasy.
“Why don’t you show me your room?” he suddenly said loudly enough for everyone to hear.
Aanya blinked. What was going on?
“Yes, Aanya,” Kyle interjected. “Won’t you show Reyansh your room?”
“My room?” she echoed sarcastically. “Is it still where it used to be?”
An awkward silence fell over the room. Radhika tensed beside Rishi. Reyansh, however, looked oddly satisfied. Aanya caught the flicker of embarrassment on her father’s and Kyle’s faces.
“I was just kidding,” Aanya lied smoothly. “Come on, I’ll show you. Di, want to come along?”
Radhika shook her head. “No, you two go. I’ll check it out later.”
Aanya led Reyansh up the stairs, still unsure what he was up to.
She opened the door and turned on the lights.
To her astonishment, the room remained untouched. The same curtains, the same furniture, the same cozy chaos she’d left behind on her wedding day. Her eyes fell on a familiar doll hanging by the wall.
“Oh God! This is still here?” she whispered, rushing to embrace it.
Reyansh watched silently. She still loved dolls? Hmm!
Aanya kissed the doll and turned back, suddenly remembering she wasn’t alone.
“That doll’s from the time your mother was alive, isn’t it?” he asked gently.
Her eyes widened. “How do you know?”
“That doesn’t matter.” He stepped closer. “Is it?”
“Yes,” she replied with a soft smile. “She gave it to me when I was ten.”
Tears pricked her eyes, but before they could fall, Reyansh reached out and gently brushed them away with his fingers. She looked up, startled by the softness of his touch.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
That one question, spoken with such tenderness, shook something inside her. But she forced herself to blink it away and took a step back, breaking the moment.
“Don’t pretend like it matters to you.”
“It didn’t before,” he admitted. “But now? Yes. It matters.”
What? There was no jest in his tone, no sarcasm. Just raw, unapologetic truth.
Before she could respond, he got to the point.
“I’m flying to South Africa next week. For three days. And you’re coming with me.”
Her jaw dropped. How could she travel?
“Are you out of your mind?” Aanya snapped.
“If wanting to take my wife along on an official trip means losing my mind,” Reyansh drawled, “then yes, I’ve completely lost it.”
Aanya let out a frustrated sigh. His insistence was triggering all her alarms. She gently set the doll aside, no longer in the mood for sentiment. She needed to focus because if she didn’t draw a line now, he would bulldoze right over it.
“I’m not coming,” she declared firmly. “I’ve just started my job, Reyansh. I have commitments. I can’t take off on such short notice.”
“I’ll speak to Prem,” he replied coolly.
“You will not,” she snapped, stepping toward him. “You don’t get to interfere in my career. Stay out of it.”
He exhaled, unfazed by her fury. “Fine,” he said. “Then you speak to Prem tomorrow. Tell him whatever reason you want and pack your bags. We’re flying Monday.”
She stood rooted in place, disbelief flashing in her eyes.
Reyansh roamed the room like he had all the time in the world, taking in every corner like it belonged to him, when technically, it didn’t.
He paused at her childhood photo with her father.
She was ten years old in it. He picked it up and studied it with unexpected softness.
“You had chubby cheeks back then,” he smirked, glancing over his shoulder to catch her reaction.
“Stop buttering me,” she muttered, stepping forward and snatching the frame from his hands. “Why do you want me to come to South Africa with you? It makes no sense.”
“It will make sense,” he said, plucking the frame from her hands again and setting it gently on the table. “Once you’re there, everything will.”
He walked toward the balcony next. Aanya followed, her eyes narrowing as he stopped near the swing.
“Girls and swings,” he murmured. “There’s always a connection. Even Di had one in her room.”
Aanya stepped out beside him, folding her arms. “Now you have a problem with my swing too?”
“I didn’t say that,” he replied, holding her gaze. “But tell me something—why do you always get defensive with me? Can’t we ever have a normal conversation? The second I walk into the room, your tone changes.”
She didn’t have an answer.
In a split second, she shifted the conversation. “I accepted Shagufta’s friend request today on my Instagram.”
Reyansh’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t even flinch. “And what does Shagufta have to do with our current conversation? Or are you tossing random grenades to justify your tantrum?”
Aanya was speechless. He wasn’t just calm today; he was winning every verbal battle without lifting a weapon.
“There’s definitely something off with you today,” she muttered. “Why are you suddenly being... nice to me? Since when do you care this much?”
“Good question,” he said, sliding his hands into his pockets, his posture perfectly still. “I’ll answer that in South Africa. With proof.”
She frowned. Proof? What was he even talking about now?
A knock at the door interrupted their tension. Radhika peeked inside.
“May I come in?” she asked with a warm smile.
“Di! You don’t need to ask,” Aanya quickly said, shifting her energy to welcome her sister-in-law. Reyansh followed her back inside.
“Where’s Jeeju?” Reyansh asked, returning to a normal tone.
“He’s with Anand Uncle. They’re waiting for you,” Radhika said. “If you’re done here.”
“Sure,” Reyansh replied and walked out. Aanya’s eyes followed him until he disappeared down the hallway.
“I hope I didn’t ruin your moment,” Radhika teased.
Aanya rolled her eyes. “You could never ruin anything.”
“Aww. That’s sweet.” Radhika looked around. “Your room is adorable. Like a teenage girl’s dream.”
Aanya chuckled.
Radhika suddenly turned serious. “I don’t know if I’ve the right to ask, but you haven’t accepted Kyle as your mother, have you?”
Aanya’s face turned sombre. “No, Di. She’ll always be my father’s wife, not my mother. That place is irreplaceable.”
“I understand,” Radhika said softly. “When our mother passed, Reyansh and I felt the same. Luckily, Nani stepped in. She became our safe space. For me, a mother. And for Reyansh... well, I think I took that role for him.”
“That’s why he loves you so much,” Aanya murmured.
Radhika’s eyes shone with affection. “Yes. He does.”
A house help entered to inform them dinner was ready and Radhika and Aanya made their way out.
Dining Room – Malhotra Mansion
“Paneer Mutter?” Aanya lifted the lid from the serving bowl.
“Your favourite,” Anand announced, beaming with pride.
She was surprised. Her father remembered? That stirred something deep inside her. She stared at the bowl, lost in thought.
“You want me to serve?” Reyansh offered softly.
Her eyes snapped to his. Even Radhika turned to listen.
“Only serving, Reyansh?” Radhika teased.
He rolled his eyes, that trademark smirk curling his lips. “I could feed her too.”
Aanya nearly choked. Was he drunk? Or just possessed? The giggles from Radhika, Rishi, and her father didn’t help.
Before she could react, Reyansh had served her two rotis and a generous portion of Paneer Mutter. He poured her a glass of water too.
“Want me to feed you?” he whispered, leaning closer.
Aanya jerked slightly, startled. She needed to rein this in before it spiralled out of control.
“Stop doing this …” she murmured, her voice low but firm.
“ This? ” Reyansh asked, lifting a brow, clearly waiting for her to clarify.
“This,” she repeated, pointing at the plate in front of her. “This whole act… the extra buttering. If you’re doing it for Di or to impress my parents, you can drop it. It’s overkill.”
“I’m not overacting,” he replied smoothly. “And it’s hardly my fault. If I get to be near my wife after a week, this is exactly how I’ll behave.”
She rolled her eyes, annoyed and flustered all at once.
“Oh, I see. So all this sweet talk… this pampering—it’s just your way of convincing me for South Africa, isn’t it?” she whispered through clenched teeth.
But before she could add more, he lifted a piece of roti and fed her without warning. Her lips parted on instinct, catching the bite mid-sentence. She nearly choked, not on the food, but on her own rising heat.
A soft flush crept up her cheeks, all thanks to his steady, admiring gaze as she chewed.
“You eat like a little kid,” he muttered with a smile.
She swallowed quickly, barely managing to process the food, let alone his words.
Just as she opened her mouth to retort, Anand’s voice cut in, pulling them both back to the dinner table and reality.
“Reyansh, when are you flying to South Africa?”
“Next week,” he answered without hesitation. “For three days. Aanya’s coming along. I hope Di doesn’t mind.”
Aanya gritted her teeth. Why had he gone ahead and confirmed everything without even asking her first?
Radhika lit up. “Why would I mind? That’s wonderful news! You two deserve a little getaway.”
Aanya clenched her jaw but kept eating. It was hard to resist her favourite dish, even harder to ignore the man beside her orchestrating the entire evening.
Kyle noticed Aanya’s disinterest in this conversation.
“Aanya doesn’t look excited. Everything okay, dear?”
Aanya gave a tight smile. “I’m just unsure if I’ll get the leave approved. It’s a new job.”
“Oh,” Radhika frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“She’ll talk to her boss tomorrow,” Reyansh interjected. “If needed, I’ll shift my schedule around hers.”
Aanya gaped. Since when did Reyansh Chopra adjust his calendar for anyone?
Kyle raised her brows in approval. “Must say... our son-in-law is a gem, Anand.”
“Of course,” Anand nodded. “But my daughter is no less. Right, Reyansh?”
Reyansh turned to Aanya, the smirk back on his lips.
“Absolutely. Aanya is no less. She’s priceless. ”
And just like that she stared at him again. What the hell was he playing at? And why... for the first time in forever... did she wish she actually knew the answer?