RIVAN apologies and bathroom romance
Hey hiii mayawiyans!!
Enjoy the chaptere???
Here's the DOUBLE UPDATEa?¤???e???e???
Sorry, I haven't been actively updating recently. A week before, my exams were going on, and then last week my mother wasn't well, so I wasn't able to focus. Whenever I opened it, I just felt helpless, so I ended up taking a break without informing anyone.
I felt bad about it, but I hope you can understand me. My brother also came to India, and all my sisters are here with me, so everything has been a bit of a mess and I haven't been able to focus properly.
Thankfully, my mumma is fine now, and I'll start giving regular updates again.
Thank you for your patience
Zaid strolled down the brightly lit corridor toward Devyani's room, balancing a beautifully wrapped gift box in one hand and lazily checking his phone with the other.
He was entirely in his own world until a sudden, aggressive rustling of heavy fabric made him halt.
A few feet ahead, Aradhya was practically wrestling with her own outfit.
She was clutching the voluminous layers of her heavily embroidered dress, her face flushed with frustration and absolute fury in her eyes as she muttered curses at the sheer weight of the fabric.
Zaid took one look at the miniature storm brewing in the hallway, decided he valued his peace of mind, and promptly chose to ignore it.
He took a step forward, intending to walk right past the danger zone.
But gravity, as the Thakur household was quickly learning tonight, had absolutely no chill.
Just as Zaid pulled level with her, Aradhya's heel caught on the heavy border of her can-can. Her eyes widened in sheer panic.
Losing her balance completely, she let out a sharp gasp almost a scream and instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for a very painful, highly undignified crash onto the hard marble floor.
She waited for the impact.
Instead, a strong, solid arm suddenly hooked around her waist, halting her descent mid-air with effortless strength.
Aradhya slowly opened one eye, then the other, expecting a classic, romantic Bollywood gaze-lock.
She didn't get one.
Zaid was indeed holding her up securely with one arm.
But his face wasn't inches from hers, looking deeply into her eyes.
No, his head was tilted back, his free hand holding his phone right above her face as his thumb flew across the screen, furiously typing out an email.
Aradhya hung there, suspended in his grip, utterly bewildered.
But before she could even process the absurdity of the situation, her traitorous brain took a quick inventory of the face hovering above her.
Damn, she mentally noted, staring at his sharp jawline and the faint, clean scent of his cologne.
Maal toh accha hai (He's actually quite a catch)...
She blinked, violently shaking herself out of the sudden trance.
Wait, what?! No! Focus, Aradhya!
She looked from his face to his phone, and then back to his face.
Hein? What on earth is this? Who in their right mind types out a corporate deal while holding a girl in his arms?
"Excuse me!" she snapped, her voice dripping with irritation as she struggled against his hold.
"Move! Let me go!"
With an incredibly calm, slow motion, Zaid easily hoisted her back onto her feet.
He didn't even look up from his screen until he hit 'Send' with a satisfying whoosh sound.
Only then did he pocket his phone and look down at her, a thoroughly amused smirk playing on his lips.
"I would have stood you up sooner," Zaid said, his tone incredibly casual.
"But you seemed so deeply lost in your thoughts possibly appreciating the view that I figured I had enough time to close a very important business deal."
Aradhya's jaw dropped. "Appreciating the view? You? Please! I was wondering why the Thakur family's bahu have best friend who doesn't know basic corridor etiquette!"
Zaid let out a low laugh, stepping into her space just enough to make her look up.
"Sweetheart, I'm a guest. And technically, I just saved you from a very public, very embarrassing face-plant. A 'thank you' is usually standard protocol."
"I am not thanking you for treating me like an arm-rest while you check your stocks!"
Aradhya huffed, pointing an accusing finger at his chest. "And for your information, this gown is a designer masterpiece. It didn't trip me, the floor did!"
"Right. The floor conspired against you," Zaid nodded solemnly, his eyes dancing with mischief.
"Very suspicious flooring we have here."
"Shut up!" she grumbled, swatting at his hand as she tried to adjust her heavy skirt, her face turning a very pretty shade of pink.
"Just go deliver your gift and leave me and my masterpiece alone."
"Gladly," Zaid smiled, giving her a mock-bow.
"Do try to stay upright, though. I don't think my phone has any more emails to send if you fall again."
"I hate you!" she yelled after him as he walked away.
Zaid pushed open the door to Devyani's room, his footsteps silent as he walked inside.
The heavy, dramatic tension of the hallway evaporated, replaced by the cozy, familiar scent of lavender and old paper.
Devyani was curled up on her bed in her favorite oversized pajamas, completely absorbed in a book, looking like she hadn't just survived a major family trial.
Creeping up behind her with practiced stealth, Zaid grinned and gently placed both of his hands over her eyes, blocking her view of the pages.
"I am still incredibly angry with you, Zaid," Devyani said immediately, her voice flat and completely unimpressed. She didn't even try to pull his hands away. "So there is absolutely no need to play this game."
Zaid let out a long, defeated sigh, slowly sliding his hands down to rest on her shoulders.
"I am so sorry, Devu," he murmured, his voice softening into genuine regret.
"I was caught up in some incredibly important work. That's the only reason I wasn't able to make it to your engagement."
Devyani finally closed her book with a soft thud and turned around to glare at him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"But Zaid," she protested, her lower lip jutting out slightly as the anger turned into hurt. "You can't pause your so-called precious work even for a single day? For your absolute best friend? Can't you do at least that much for me, huh?"
"Haaa baba, I am saying sorry!" Zaid pleaded, holding his hands up in surrender. "I know I should have stopped everything and run here. I really should have. But it was critical, Devyani. Please understand."
"No! I am not listening to any of your corporate excuses," she huffed, turning her back to him with a dramatic toss of her messy hair. "You missed the biggest day of my life. You're officially on my blacklist."
Zaid shook his head, a fond, helpless smile tugging at his lips.
He knew exactly how to handle her stubborn streaks. Reaching behind his back, he produced the beautifully wrapped gift box and slid it into her line of sight, right over her book.
"See? Look what I brought," Zaid coaxed, nudging her shoulder with the box. "I spent hours picking it out just for you."
Devyani barely spared the glittering box a glance, though her fingers twitched with curiosity. She lifted her chin, sticking to her guns. "I don't want it. Keep your bribe to yourself!"
Zaid slowly shook the box right next to her ear. It made a distinct, mysterious clink-clank sound.
Devyani didn't budge. She stubbornly stared at her book, ignoring the highly tempting noise.
"You know," Zaid remarked casually, leaning over her shoulder to look at the pages, "it is generally much easier to read a book when it isn't upside down."
Devyani froze. She slowly glanced at the text, realizing with a jolt of embarrassment that he was absolutely right.
With a defiant sniff, she quickly flipped the book right side up, refusing to let him win. "I was... testing my cognitive brain capacity. Reading upside down improves memory. You wouldn't understand, you corporate robot."
"Of course, of course. My apologies to the genius," Zaid chuckled.
Without asking for permission, he tossed the gift box onto her lap and plonked himself down right at the foot of her bed.
Devyani let out an exasperated gasp, throwing her hands in the air.
"Unbelievable!" she complained loudly, kicking her legs beneath the blanket. "What is wrong with the men in this house tonight?! First he treats my bed like a luxury lounge, and now you! Is there an invisible sign on my door that says 'Free Mattress, Please Defile'?!"
Zaid raised an eyebrow, a highly amused smirk spreading across his face.
"Rivan was in here? On your bed"?
"Don't change the subject!" she huffed, though her cheeks flushed slightly. "Get off! I am still actively ignoring you."
Zaid's smirk softened, turning into something much more gentle.
He reached out and lightly tugged on one of her loose pajama sleeves.
"Devu, come on," he said softly, his voice dropping its teasing edge.
"Do you really think I'd miss your engagement just to sign some random, boring contracts? You know me better than that."
Devyani kept her eyes fixed on the cover of her book, but her shoulders dropped slightly.
The anger was fading, leaving behind only the quiet pout of a best friend who had missed her favorite person on her big day.
"Then why?" she whispered, finally looking up at him, her eyes shining with a mix of stubbornness and vulnerability.
"You promised you'd be the one holding the extra ring boxes. You promised you'd threaten Rivan with a hockey stick if he got cold feet."
"And I would have," Zaid said genuinely, holding her gaze. "But the 'important work' I was doing... was actually for you."
Devyani blinked, her defensiveness entirely cracking. "For me? What do you mean?"
Zaid pointed a finger at the velvet-wrapped box sitting on her lap. "Open it. And then tell me if I'm still blacklisted."
With a suspicious glance at him.
Suspicion filled her expression.
She narrowed her eyes.
"It better be worth missing my engagement."
"It is."
"We'll see."
Carefully...