His to Hate.

Chapter - 31

I stepped into the lawn and immediately spotted the area where the Holika Dahan was going to be set up this evening.

I had promised Daadisa that I will make sure that all the preparations are done as expected, now that it was my duty to oversee all the festivals and functions happening here in the palace since I was, well, the so called queen.

Weird, but I did not have the time to think about anything else.

"Pri, let's decorate using balloons!" Ishaan was jumping around the lawn, chasing rabbits.

"Ishu, it's Holika Dahan, not your birthday!" I laughed and chased him while Pankhuri shook her head at us, talking to the men maids.

"Ishaan, if you touch those rabbits again, I am telling Daadisa you delayed the entire setup." she warned her son, completely serious.

"I am not delaying anything." he shot back, stopping only because I caught his arm.

"You are, and if you bring balloons anywhere near this setup, I will personally throw you out of the lawn." Pankhuri replied, trying not to laugh at us.

Ishaan's mouth fell open like she had just said something extremely offensive.

"You cannot throw me," he said, pulling his arm back from my hold and placing both his hands on his hips.

"But I definitely can." I replied, bending slightly to his level, "and I will."

He stared at me for a second, then turned dramatically toward Pankhuri.

"Mumma, see na! Pri is being rude."

Pankhuri did not even turn this time.

"Good. Someone should be." she said, completely focused on directing the staff. "Now stop running and come here."

"I am not running." he muttered, but his feet slowed down anyway.

"That is literally all you have been doing," I added.

"That is because nobody is giving me work." he said immediately, looking back at me like that was a very valid excuse.

I raised a brow. "You want work?"

"Yes."

"Proper work?" I asked him again.

"Yes." he looked damn serious and I looked at Pankhuri once. She gave me a small nod without even asking what I was planning.

"Okay." I said, turning back to him, "come."

He followed instantly, all complaints forgotten.

I led him toward the side where the pooja items were being arranged.

"You see this?" I pointed at the plate of flowers.

He nodded.

"You have to separate them properly. All the big ones on one side, small ones on the other."

He looked at the plate, then at me and then back at the plate before replying very offended, "you are giving me baby work."

"That is because you are a baby, my cutie patooti pie." I bent down and pinched both his cheeks as he made a disgusted face.

He did not say anything but when he realised that this was the only work he was going to get, he sat down on the grass, legs folding as he leaned forward and picked up a flower very carefully, like it might break.

"This is big." he said, placing it on one side.

"Good." I nodded.

"This is small." he said, putting another one on the other side and he was only talking to himself now and I left him after telling two maids to look after him and made my way back to Pankhuri.

Pankhuri was in the middle of instructing one of the workers when another maid approached her, slightly out of breath.

"Choti Raanisa, Daadisa is calling you."

Pankhuri turned immediately, her expression shifting into something more attentive.

"Now?" she asked.

"Ji."

She glanced once at the setup, then at me.

"I will just come back in ten minutes," she said, but her tone had already changed into that responsible mode she switched into effortlessly. "Can you handle this?"

I looked at her for a second.

Then nodded.

"Yes."

She held my gaze for a moment, like she was actually checking if I meant it.

Then she nodded once.

"Make sure the base stays tight. And the samagri should be kept closer to the right side, not too far. Also....."

"I will manage, Pankhuri! Don't worry, pakka!" I cut her off before she could list ten more things and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Okay."

And then she left.

"Okay." I said, mostly to myself, rubbing my hands together and walked straight towards the baskets of marigold strings and picked up two without waiting for anyone to hand them to me.

"Raanisa, we will do it." one of the maids said quickly, stepping forward.

"It is fine." I replied to her with a smile, already moving towards the wooden frame around the Holika.

I lifted the first garland and hooked it across the top, adjusting the fall so it did not droop awkwardly in the middle. It slipped once and I caught it immediately, tightening the knot properly this time so it stayed where I wanted it.

"Hold this side, please?" I asked, handing the other end to the maid beside me.

"Not so low." I added, stepping closer again and lifting it slightly until both sides matched.

I stepped back, looked at it and then moved forward again to fix one corner.

Now it looked right.

"Continue like this." I said, picking up another string and moving to the pillars this time.

I wrapped the marigold around one of them, making sure each loop sat neatly against the previous one instead of bunching up. My fingers worked steadily, tightening and adjusting until it looked clean and others followed what I was doing with all the other pillars, making my job easier.

"Pri!"

I turned to find Ishaan running towards me, holding a single yellow flower.

"This one is confused." he said, frowning.

I took the flower from him, looking at it for a second.

"It is medium." I said.

He blinked.

"Medium?"

"Yes." I told him and he thought about it like this was a new concept he had just discovered, then nodded slowly.

"Okay."

And then ran back.

I shook my head and picked up another garland, moving toward the entrance of the setup.

This one needed to look a little more decorative.

I stood on the small stool this time, lifting the string higher and letting it fall in a slight curve instead of straight across. The wind moved it a little and I waited for a second to see how it settled before adjusting one end again.

It was doing fine so I started to arrange the flower canopy around.

I adjusted the curve of the garland once more, lifting one side slightly higher so it did not dip unevenly in the middle and fixed them in place, stepping back just enough to check if it looked balanced.

It did. almost.

I leaned forward again, shifting one loop and then another until it finally sat the way I wanted it to.

"You do not have to do this yourself."

A low, steady voice with that depth came from behind me and I did not need to turn to know who it was.

I glanced over my shoulder anyway.

Ranaji was standing a few steps away in a totally white kurta, watching me, his gaze moving from the arrangement to me.

"You can just oversee it." he added.

I shook my head lightly, turning back to the garlands.

"It is not a big deal." I said, adjusting the flowers again even though they were already fine.

My fingers kept moving, fixing things that did not need fixing, straightening loops that were already straight, just to have something to focus on other than the fact that he was standing right there.

"I have always done this." I added, picking up another strand.

"I used to be the HOD of decoration back home." I added another clarifying statement.

"Jai bhaiya and I used to compete. Whoever decorated an area better got to decide the kind and theme of decoration for the festival." I continued, shifting slightly on the stool to reach the other side.

I smiled a little without thinking.

"Once, during Diwali, he spent two hours putting up lights only to realise they weren't even working." I told him and let out a small breath that was almost a laugh, my hand pausing for a second before continuing again.

"And he only realised after climbing down and switching them on in front of everyone." I could see bhaiya's annoyed face in front of me and shook my head slightly.

"Then he had to climb back up while I stood below and laughed at him." I let out a laugh this time, thinking how Papa had twisted his ears so violently because Papa had to put on the lights of the entire house as it was too late to call someone to get it done.

I moved to fix the last strand.

"And during Holi, he once ate the entire box of gujiyas that mumma had made and that earned him......" and my words just stopped midway as I blinked a few times suddenly aware that I had been talking too much and that I had forgotten who I was talking to.

"Never mind." I said quickly, brushing my hands together, my voice quieter now.

"Will you finish it?" his voice came again, closer this time but there was something in the way he said it, like it was meant only for me.

My fingers stilled on the garland for a second as he made his way from the back to standing right in front of me while I stood on the stool, taller than him but not as much as one would expect.

"I talk a lot." I said, standing on the stool, still facing the canopy instead of him.

"I wish you did, but you don't, not with me,Mrs. Raisinghania."

My breath caught before I could stop it. Not enough to make a sound, not enough for anyone else to notice, but enough for me to feel the shift inside my chest the moment that word settled in.

Mrs. Raisinghania.

My fingers paused on the garland, the flowers slipping slightly before I caught them again, holding them tighter than I needed to as my mind stayed fixed on what he had just called me.

Firstly, id he just call me that and secondly but most importantly, why on this damn earth did my heart skip a beat listening to it?

I did not realise that my feet shifted a little and the stool wobbled under me and my balance tipped forward before I could correct it, my breath catching instantly as the stool shifted under my feet and the world tilted just enough to make my stomach drop.

My hands moved on instinct and the next second my palms landed against his shoulders.

Before I could even process that, his hands were already at my waist.

My fingers tightened against his shoulders, his kurta creasing under my grip as I tried to find my footing again. My feet adjusted on the stool, one small shift and then another but I did not move away.

I told myself I couldn't move because his hands were still on my waist but truly, I could not move away from him because of the way he was looking at me, into my eyes.

His gaze did not waver, Not even for a second.

It stayed on me, steady and direct, like he was not even aware of anything else around us. And that did something very strange to my thoughts because instead of focusing on the fact that I had almost fallen, all I could think about was how close he was.

Close enough for me to notice the smallest things that I had never paid attention to before.

The way his grip at my waist adjusted just slightly as I steadied myself, not tightening, not loosening, just enough to make sure I did not lose balance again. The way his shoulders stayed completely still under my hands, like he had no intention of moving first.

My fingers curled just a little, not gripping this time, just resting, but even that made me aware of the difference.

Of him, of the way he stood and of the way his presence felt this close.

My eyes shifted without permission, just for a second, tracing the line of his shoulder to where his sleeve ended, the slight pull of the fabric at his arm where it sat neatly, like it had been made to fit him and no one else.

Then back to his face.

I should not have noticed that but I did.

His hands at my waist had not moved, they remained exactly where they were like he was fully aware of the contact but had no intention of drawing attention to it. His grip was not tight but it was not light either.

My breath felt uneven again, my chest rising a little faster as I became aware of the way the thin fabric of my kurti did nothing to hide the warmth of his hands.

It was not wrong or inappropriate and yet, it felt like too much.

Because I could feel it, every bit of it.

My fingers pressed slightly into his shoulders again, almost unconsciously, like my body needed something to balance against that was not just the stool beneath my feet anymore.

His eyes were boring into mine and there was no rush, no confusion, no hesitation in them.

Just attention on me and that made it worse because there was nothing to hide behind.

No distraction, no excuse and no space to look away without making it obvious.

My breath slowed just a fraction, then picked up again, uneven, like my body could not decide what it was supposed to do in this situation.

His hands at my waist tightened just enough to be deliberate this time and before I could process it, before I could even think about stepping back on my own, he lifted me and my grip loosened on his shoulders instantly, my fingers sliding down as my feet left the stool and the ground came up to meet me the very next second.

I blinked once, my breath still uneven, my thoughts not catching up fast enough as I looked anywhere but at him for a second.

"Thank you." I muttered quickly, the words slipping out before I could even think about them.

He held my gaze for another moment, something unreadable passing through his eyes before his voice came again, steady as ever.

"You did not finish it."

It took me a second.

"What?" I asked, still a little out of sync, my brows pulling together slightly.

He did not repeat himself but I could see the corner of his lips lifting just slightly into a smile and it took me a few more seconds to realise what he was saying.

"Oh," I let out a small breath, a smile slipping through before I could stop it, "that."

I shook my head lightly, pushing a strand of hair back as we started walking towards Ishaan, right next to each other.

"The gujiya thing." I continued, glancing ahead where Ishaan was still sitting on the grass, very seriously sorting flowers like it was a life mission.

"He ate the entire box. Not one or two, not even half. The entire thing." I said, feeling steadier now and looked at him briefly, just for a second

"He thought mumma would not notice." I continued, smiling.

"Which was very ambitious of him."

We walked a few steps further.

"Mumma had made them for the guests and when she opened the box in the evening and it was empty, she just stood there for a full ten seconds without saying anything."I added.

I could still picture it.

"The silence was worse than anything." I said, letting out a small laugh.

"And bhaiya....." I shook my head, ".....he tried to blame me."

That earned him a look from me this time, amused if I were to say.

"Which was a very bad decision."

I slowed slightly as we got closer.

"Mumma made him sit in the kitchen and help her make another batch from scratch and he had to fold every single gujiya properly."I smiled through.

But the moment I looked at Ranaji once again, I could see his expressions changed. It was not very easy to notice but I had now been living with him for months.

His reactions were never so outward for anyone to catch easily but I could now.

He was not looking at me anymore, he was looking ahead and towards nothing in particular.

My steps slowed for half a second before matching his again, my smile fading. I should not have talked to him about my family in the first place, especially about something that he had never experienced, because of my family.

Way to go, Parthvi. You have hurt him without meaning to. My throat felt a little dry suddenly and I looked ahead again

Say something. Fix it.

But what? Sorry for reminding him of something he had lost because of mine?

Fuck.

"I am sorry, Ranaji. I did not mean to hurt you." I said, meaning every word of it.

For a second, he did not respond and I almost regretted saying it out loud but then he turned his head slightly, just enough for his gaze to fall on me.

"You have nothing to apologise for, Parthvi. I asked you because I want to know about you, about my wife."

I swallowed, my fingers twitching slightly at my side.

This was the second time today he had addressed me as his wife.

As we continued to walk ahead, I did not know what to say or do, so, for some god damn reason, I let my fingers move on their own and before I could stop myself from doing what I was about to, I let my fingers brush lightly against his hand.

But it did not stop there.

My hand slid just a little further and then I wrapped my fingers around his pinky finger and his hand stilled for a split of the second before I felt his eyes back on me while I continued to look ahead, blinking rapidly.

I kept my eyes ahead, pretending I was focused on Ishaan, on the flowers, on anything but the fact that my fingers were still hooked around his.

For a second, nothing happened. Then, his hand moved and his pinky slipped out of my hold and before I could even react to that, his fingers brushed against mine, turning my hand just enough until his palm fit against mine and my breath caught once again.

His fingers closed around mine one by one, steady, like he was giving me enough time to pull away if I wanted to.

I didn't and by the time I realised what was happening, my hand was fully in his.

We were holding hands.

Wait a second, were we even allowed to hold hands?

The knots in my stomach were forcing me to ask him the question but I was too coward. I refused to even look at him when I felt his eyes on me.

Then, his thumb rested lightly against the side of my hand without moving and my brain kept mocking me for being such a scaredy cat who could not even look.

"Pri!"

Ishaan's voice broke through everything as he came running towards us.

"I finished sorting the flowers!" he announced proudly.

Before I could react, he ran straight to Ranaji, stopping right in front of him and lifting both his arms up dramatically.

"Pick me, Bade Papa!"

Ranaji did not even hesitate and bent slightly and lifted him up in one smooth motion, settling him easily against his other arm like he had done it a hundred times before.

And his other hand?

It was still holding mine.

I blinked, looking down at our hands for a second like I needed to confirm that it was actually happening.

It was.

Ishaan wrapped his arms around his neck, completely satisfied now, and immediately started talking.

"I did all big flowers. Pri only gave me small-small work." he complained to him.

"That is because you are small-small." I replied instantly, looking up at him and smiled.

"I am big." he argued, turning to Ranaji immediately for support, "tell her."

Ranaji did not answer him right away.

His gaze shifted from Ishaan to me for a brief second and then back again.

"You are growing." he said finally and Ishaan seemed to consider that.

Then nodded, satisfied enough with that answer.

"I am growing." he repeated proudly, like that proved everything.

I shook my head, unable to stop the small smile that slipped through.

"Accha, show me your work." I said, stepping closer to the flowers he had been sorting.

Ranaji walked with me still holding my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world and I continued to pretend that the traitor butterflies in my stomach were not creating chaos.

Thankfully, when he noticed that I wanted to inspect Ishaan's work, his hold loosened on my hand and I pulled away from him slowly.

I crouched slightly, looking at the two uneven piles in front of Ishaan.

Half the flowers were in the big pile.

The other half were also in the big pile.

"And these?" I asked, picking up one that was clearly small.

"That is also big." he said confidently.

I looked at him, then at Ranaji and then back at him.

"Of course it is." I nodded seriously.

Ishaan grinned, completely pleased with himself.

"I did everything." he added.

"Yes, you did everything." I agreed, patting his head lightly.

Ranaji shifted Ishaan slightly on his arm, adjusting his hold when he leaned forward to look at the flowers himself.

"Good work." he said and Ishaan beamed like he had just won something.

I stood up again, brushing my hands together lightly, my eyes moving around the setup.

Most of it was done.

The garlands were in place, the canopy was sitting right, the flowers were arranged, slightly chaotic because of Ishaan, but still good enough.

"Almost done." I said softly, more to myself than anyone else.

Pankhuri returned a few minutes later, walking quickly toward us, her eyes scanning the setup before landing on me.

For a second, she said nothing.

Then her gaze shifted to the decorations.

Then back to me.

And then a small, approving smile appeared on her face.

"You did this?" she asked.

"Hmm." I nodded.

"Without burning the entire place down." she added.

I gasped lightly, placing a hand on my chest.

"That's not fair! I already have a bunch of people who love to bully me, including your son and now your husband at work. You better be on my team." I warned her.

"Ouch bhabhisa, now I am hurt." Yuvaan made his presence felt too as he stepped next to Pankhuri.

That's how I spent my entire day with these people and somewhere inside, my heart was accepting them as my own, as my family, almost reluctantly but truly, nonetheless.