I LOVE YOU KITTEN #3
Why was her pillow... breathing?
Her brows knitted together.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
She opened one eye.
A broad chest.
She blinked.
Twice.
Her gaze slowly travelled upward.
Strong jaw.
Messy hair.
Closed eyes.
Peaceful face.
Rivan.
For three whole seconds...
Her brain completely stopped working.
Then
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Her scream echoed through the entire haveli.
Rivan jerked awake violently.
"Huh?!"
He sat upright in panic.
"What happened?!"
Devyani pointed a trembling finger at him.
"YOU!!"
Rivan blinked.
"Me?"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
He looked around the room.
Then at himself.
Then back at her.
"...Sleeping?"
"SLEEPING?!"
"YES!"
"IN MY ROOM?!"
"I think so..."
"You THINK SO?!"
Before she could continue
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"DEVU!"
Reyansh's voice came from outside.
"What happened?"
Another loud knock.
"Open the door!"
Devyani's eyes became the size of saucers.
Rivan's expression mirrored hers.
Both slowly turned toward the door.
Then looked at each other.
"Oh no."
They spoke together.
Reyansh knocked again.
"Devu! Are you okay?"
Virendra's voice followed.
"Beta?"
Yashodha sounded worried.
"Open the door!"
Soon...
Half the family had gathered outside.
Inside...
Pure chaos had begun.
Devyani jumped off the bed.
"Hide!"
Rivan blinked.
"Where?"
"Mai tumhara pati hun Devyani??"
Devyani glared.
"Ex pati mr Thakur!"
She looked around the room frantically.
Behind the curtain?
"No."
Too obvious.
Inside the wardrobe?
"Maybe!"
She grabbed his wrist.
"Come!"
Rivan obediently followed.
The moment he stepped toward the wardrobe
"Ouch!"
"My stitches!"
He bent over dramatically.
Devyani covered her face.
"Not now!"
Outside
"Devu!"
Reyansh banged harder.
"If you don't open this door, I'm breaking it!"
Inside...
Devyani somehow dragged the six-foot-two man toward the wardrobe.
"Get inside."
Rivan stared.
"...It's small."
"I KNOW IT'S SMALL!"
"I won't fit."
"YOU WILL TODAY!"
"I physically won't."
"You have no choice!"
With all her strength...
She pushed him inside.
Half his body entered.
The other half stubbornly remained outside.
Rivan looked down.
"...See?"
"Told you."
She groaned.
"Why are you so huge?!"
"I go to the gym."
"This isn't the time to flex!"
Outside
"Three..."
Reyansh counted loudly.
"Two..."
"Oh God!"
Devyani yanked him harder.
Rivan accidentally stumbled forward.
Both of them crashed inside the wardrobe.
THUD!
Several hangers fell.
A suitcase landed on Rivan's head.
"Ow."
"Shhh!"
"I didn't even say anything."
"You thought loudly!"
"I don't think that's possible."
She glared.
"It is with you."
Another knock.
"ONE!"
Reyansh shouted.
"I'm coming in!"
Devyani looked at the wardrobe.
Rivan was folded in impossible angles.
One leg remained outside.
She stared at it.
"...Seriously?"
"I told you."
She grabbed his ankle.
"Fold it!"
"It doesn't fold that way!"
"It does today!"
She pushed.
He yelped silently.
Finally...
The leg disappeared inside.
She slammed the wardrobe shut.
Silence.
She sighed in relief.
Then...
Knock... Knock... Knock...
From inside the wardrobe.
She froze.
"...What?"
Rivan whispered from within,
"...I can't breathe."
She whispered back angrily,
"You've been breathing for thirty two years."
"Not like this."
"Manage."
"I think I'm dying."
"You'll survive."
"I don't think I—"
She quickly opened the wardrobe a tiny bit.
"Quiet."
He nodded obediently.
The wardrobe closed again.
She hurried toward the door.
Took one deep breath.
Opened it.
Standing outside were...
Reyansh.
Virendra.
Yashodha.
Rudraksh.
Payal.
Aradhya.
And almost every servant.
Reyansh immediately looked worried.
"What happened?"
Devyani smiled awkwardly.
"Nothing."
Everyone blinked.
"We heard you scream."
"Oh..."
She laughed nervously.
"There was..."
She looked around desperately for an excuse.
"...a cockroach."
Silence.
Reyansh slowly folded his arms.
"A cockroach."
"Hmm."
"The same Devyani Sehgal..."
"...who once pointed a gun at men without blinking..."
"...screamed because of a cockroach?"
"...Yes."
Reyansh narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting."
Before anyone could speak
A loud sneeze came from inside the wardrobe.
"...Achoo!"
Complete silence.
Every head slowly turned toward the wardrobe.
Devyani's soul nearly left her body.
Reyansh looked back at her.
"...Your cockroach sneezes?"
She smiled weakly.
"...It's... allergic?"
Rudraksh frowned.
"To what?"
"...Dust."
Another voice came.
Muffled.
"...Actually... I'm allergic to cramped spaces."
Everyone froze.
Reyansh closed his eyes.
"...Rivan."
Silence.
Then the wardrobe door slowly creaked open.
Rivan unfolded himself with great difficulty.
His hair looked like a bird had built a nest in it.
A hanger was hanging around his neck.
One pillow was somehow stuck under his arm.
He smiled awkwardly.
"...Good morning."
Nobody spoke.
Not a single word.
Payal suddenly burst into laughter.
Then Rudraksh.
Then Aradhya.
Within seconds...
The entire family was laughing uncontrollably.
Virendra actually had to hold the wall.
Yashodha covered her mouth, trying to stop herself.
Reyansh simply stared.
Then looked at Devyani.
Then at Rivan.
Then back again.
He slowly clapped.
"Excellent."
"What an outstanding hiding place."
Rivan scratched the back of his neck.
"There weren't many options."
The room erupted into another round of laughter while Devyani buried her burning face in her hands.
Rivan leaned slightly toward her and whispered with complete sincerity,
"...Next time..."
"...I'll hide under the bed."
Without even looking at him, she muttered through gritted teeth,
"There won't be a next time."
Rivan smiled innocently.
"We'll see."
That earned him a sharp pinch on his arm.
"Ouch."
"...bewakuf ex pati ji next time I'll be your wife"
.
.
.
.
The entire family gathered around the long dining table for lunch.
Unlike the previous few days, the atmosphere felt unusually light. Conversations flowed easily, laughter echoed every now and then, and for the first time in a long while, everyone looked genuinely at peace.
Devyani quietly served herself while occasionally stealing glances at Rivan.
Every single time...
She caught him already looking at her.
He would immediately pretend to be interested in the food.
She couldn't help smiling.
Virendra cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.
"Reyansh."
"Hmm, Uncle?" Reyansh looked up.
Virendra smiled warmly.
"I've been thinking..."
"I want Rivan and Devyani's wedding to happen in Rajasthan."
Everyone looked toward him.
He continued calmly,
"All our relatives..."
"Our family friends..."
"Our people..."
"They're all there."
He looked at Devyani affectionately.
"We don't really have anyone here."
"So I want the wedding to happen in Rajasthan."
Before anyone else could respond, Reyansh nodded immediately.
"I was actually going to suggest the same thing."
Virendra smiled.
"But..."
Reyansh continued.
"I have one condition."
Everyone became curious.
"I want the engagement to happen here."
He looked at Devyani before speaking again.
"This is her home."
His voice softened.
"I want her to celebrate at least one ceremony in the house where she rebuilt herself."
Silence spread across the table.
Devyani slowly looked toward Reyansh.
For a moment...
She forgot everyone else was there.
Her heart quietly filled with warmth.
Three years.
Only three years.
Yet...
Everything had changed.
Three years ago...
She was a girl who barely knew how big the world really was.
A girl who lived inside invisible walls.
Afraid to speak.
Afraid to question.
Afraid to dream.
She had spent most of her life seeking permission...
To laugh.
To step outside.
To choose for herself.
Back then...
Marriage had happened because circumstances demanded it.
Not because she had truly understood life.
Then came pain.
Loss.
Loneliness.
London.
Learning.
Growing.
Building herself again.
Finding her own identity.
Making decisions without fear.
Standing on her own feet.
Holding a gun without trembling.
Questioning people.
Fighting for answers.
And today...
She was sitting here.
Surrounded by people who genuinely wanted her happiness.
The irony made her smile.
Life really was unpredictable.
Virendra nodded approvingly.
"I like this idea."
He looked toward Yashodha.
"What do you say?"
Yashodha smiled instantly.
"Of course."
"It'll be perfect."
Payal clapped excitedly.
"Oh my God!"
"Engagement!"
Aradhya immediately joined in.
"I already know what I'm wearing."
Rudraksh sighed dramatically.
"I don't even know what I'm wearing tomorrow."
Payal rolled her eyes.
"You've been wearing the same three colours for years."
"Because black never disappoints."
"It also never surprises anyone."
Everyone laughed.
Virendra looked around the table once more.
"Then it's decided."
He smiled proudly.
"Tomorrow..."
He paused deliberately.
"We'll celebrate their engagement here."
"And the day after tomorrow..."
"We all leave for Rajasthan."
Everyone agreed enthusiastically.
Except...
One person.
Rivan had gone completely still.
His spoon remained suspended halfway to his mouth.
His ears slowly turned pink.
Then red.
Then somehow...
Even redder.
He quickly lowered his head and began drinking water.
One glass.
Then another.
As if hydration could solve embarrassment.
Unfortunately for him...
Reyansh noticed everything.
He slowly leaned closer.
Without anyone else hearing, he whispered,
"Abe oye..."
Rivan kept staring at his plate.
Reyansh smirked wickedly.
"O tamatar..."
("Hey, tomato...")
Rivan shot him a warning look.
Reyansh wasn't finished.
"Apna muh itna laal mat kar."
("Stop turning your face so red.")
"Thodi toh izzat rakh le."