“Main aati hoon,” she muttered to herself before walking to the kitchen.

[ I'll be back ]

Kritika shot her a look the moment she stepped in. “Why are you so muh-phat? Didn't I tell you to act traditionally in front of them?” she scolded, handing Sanaya a tray of tea while preparing another tray with snacks.

As they stepped out, Rudraksh immediately noticed and walked over to help them.

The rasam proceeded smoothly. Anirudh’s family presented Sanaya with a shagun and a ring, officially accepting her as their daughter-in-law.

Her soon-to-be mother-in-law then gifted her a pair of gold bangles, sliding them onto her wrists herself. A warm bundle of affectionate wishes surrounded her—it felt strange. This was the kind of treatment she had never expected, especially from someone who, in typical Indian society, would be infamous for being negative.

Yet, in just an hour, her mother-in-law had treated her better than she had felt in the twenty-plus years of her life.

After all the rituals were completed, everyone took their seats at the dining table for lunch. Sanaya remained quiet, feeling a bit insecure. What if they reject me for being too talkative?

" Aap unke dada dadi ko nahi laye ?" " They both have some health issues, can't travel much."

As the conversation flowed, Sanaya's father asked about the bicholiya (matchmaker).

“He had some urgent work; otherwise, he would have come,” Anirudh's father responded. Anirudh’s mother smiled warmly. “He told me about Sanaya. I was a bit unsure at first, but after meeting her, I feel at ease. Thank you for trusting us with your daughter. We will take good care of her.”

A brief moment of warmth filled the room—until Rudraksh’s mother finally spoke, her tone laced with sarcasm.

“Oh, of course! But she talks too much; she can't even keep quiet for a minute. You’ll be calling us within two days of the wedding,” she laughed, throwing a joke into the air. The laughter didn’t land well, everyone blinked in silence for a moment.

Rudraksh's jaw clenched, his fingers tightening around his fork. Sanaya stole a quick glance at him before lowering her gaze to her plate.

His mother continued. “Plus, we can’t say anything for her upbringing. She’s been spoiled by her grandparents. They never let us teach her any manners—”

“Would you like more chapati?” Sanaya’s grandmother suddenly cut in, directing her question toward the guests, completely dismissing the remark.

Anirudh’s mother chuckled, wiping her hands with a tissue. “That’s perfectly fine. I don’t need a fake sanskari bahu anyway. I just want a daughter-in-law who stays true to herself—who laughs, talks, and remains as she is. Besides, my son barely speaks. At least now there’ll be some noise in the house.”

Sanaya's aunt and mother face straightened, their expressions immediately turning sour.

“And children should be energetic,” Anirudh's father added with a smile.

Sanaya’s face lit up instantly. She wanted to run up to them and give them a high-five.

“Aapke toh maze aa gaye,” Kritika whispered, trying to keep her excited so that her special moment wouldn’t be ruined by their mother and aunt.

[ You're going to have a great time ]

“Main bhi wahi dekh rahi hoon,” Sanaya murmured back, her gaze fixed on her in-laws, who were openly standing up for her.

[ I'm thinking the same ]

Rudraksh cleared his throat, bringing the conversation back on track. “Thank you for your understanding. I’ll talk to Pandit ji about the wedding. It would be better if we arranged everything in early summer. Winter is too far, and the longer we delay, the more complications we might face.”

He wanted his sister to get married as soon as possible, now.

A fleeting glance at his mother and aunt’s faces told him everything he needed to know. They had no choice but to accept it. If the wedding were pushed to winter, it could create unnecessary tensions, possibly even breaking the relationship before it had a chance to solidify.

Sanaya's face lit up with an unexpected rush of happiness. A warm glow spread across her features as excitement bubbled within her.

Kritika and Sanaya exchanged an eager glance, momentarily forgetting that they were sitting between their families.

As the elders continued discussing wedding plans for the next two hours, Sanaya remained seated, listening intently—until Kritika suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away.

"We shouldn't be listening to the elders' discussion," Kritika whispered.

"But it's about my wedding!" Sanaya protested, glancing back.

"Still…." Kritika insisted, dragging her along.

🦢

As the guests reached the door, it was finally time for goodbyes.

"Okay beta, khayal rakho," Anirudh's father blessed her warmly.

[ So dear, take care ]

Sanaya smiled and bent slightly in respect. "Uncle, aap Tara ko kyun nahi laaye?" she asked softly.

[ Uncle, why didn’t you bring Tara? ]

Anirudh's father let out a small chuckle. "Beta, usko kaha tha aane ko, lekin wo thodi sharmati hai naye logon se milne mein..." He paused briefly before adding, "Lagan aur sagai par zaroor aayegi." Sanaya nodded in understanding.

[Beta, I told her to come, but she gets a little shy meeting new people...]

[ She will definitely come for the engagement. ]

"Sanaya, your phone number?" her soon-to-be mother-in-law asked with a warm smile.

Sanaya quickly took her phone from her hand. She saved her number, and then handed it back.

"Please share yours as well," Sanaya said, offering her phone in return.

With a small, knowing smile, Anirudh’s mother took the phone and saved a contact with the name "Anirudh."

"I've saved it," she said, returning the phone.

Sanaya, still caught up in the moment, smiled and placed the phone on a nearby cabinet without even glancing at the screen.

🦢

Sanaya picked up her phone and went upstairs, lost in thought. Meanwhile, Kritika called her boyfriend, excitedly narrating everything that had happened.

"Congrats, Saali ji!" he said over the phone.

Sanaya smirked. "Ab bataungi me apki Shilpa aunty ko. " Acha, toh shadi ka invite bheju aapko" she giggled.

[ Now I'll see your Shilpa aunty ] [ Well, I'll send you a invitation ]

"Acha? Kya kahengi apne gharwalo se?" he chuckled in response.

[ Oh! What will you tell to your family? ]

"Bol denge, Kritika ji ke professor—"

Before she could finish, their eyes widened as they heard Rudraksh’s voice right outside the door.

"Sanaya?"

Sanaya straightened. "Haan ji, Bhai," she responded quickly.

Kritika hung up the phone and sat up straight, looking at Sanaya nervously. Rudraksh walked in, his sharp eyes scanning both of them.

"I hope you ignored Maa and Aunty," he said, his voice calm yet firm. "You know how they are. I'm not defending them, but I agreed to this match just for you. I want you to be happy, so don’t let anything they say hurt you."

Sanaya nodded, a small smile forming on her lips.

He sighed, then chuckled. "And you need to learn something."

Sanaya raised a brow. "What?" she asked curiously.

Rudraksh smirked, patting her head. "Don’t be too honest. Learn to lie sometimes."

Kritika immediately jumped in, "Exactly! Bhai, I told her to act Sanskari, and she got too honest!"

"Oh thank God she didn't say Kritika told me to be a sanskari," Rudraksh chuckled.

"She liked me," Sanaya said, referring to her soon-to-be mother-in-law.

Rudraksh gave her a small smile. "Haan, aur yahi sabse zaroori baat hai. Maa aur Aunty kya sochti hain, uska koi farak nahi padta. Unki ki Maa tumhari taraf hai, bas ye yaad rakhna aur is rishte ko manage rakhna"

[ Yes, and that's the most important thing. It doesn’t matter what Maa and Aunty think. His mother is on your side, just remember that and keep this relationship unbroken. ]

Sanaya nodded, a soft smile lingering on her lips. There was an unfamiliar warmth in her heart—a sense of acceptance she had never truly felt before.

🦢

“Bahut hi pyari hai, Anirudh ko tang karke rakhegi” his mother chuckled while they were having a discussion in the family area.

[ She’s absolutely adorable, she’s going to keep Anirudh annoyed all the time]

“She was asking about you, Tara,” Anirudh's father said with a smile.

“Really? Awwwwww,” Tara reacted and sat next to Anirudh, who was wearing headphones.

She looked at the screen accidentally. It was all blank. She glanced at Anirudh, who was pretending that something was playing in his headphones and couldn't hear them.

Anirudh cleared his throat. Tara glared and took the tablet from his hands, showing the screen to others.

“Tara?” Anirudh was embarrassed.

“Dekho kitna natak kar rahe hai, kuch nahi chal raha, aur bol rahe tha ‘mujhe sunai nahi de raha, main busy hoon, aap log baat karo,” Tara snapped and put it on the coffee table.

[ Look at him acting so much! Nothing is working, and he was the one saying, ‘I can't hear you, I'm busy, you guys talk.’ ]

“Waise sahi hai, ab iski biwi hi iske kaan seedhe karegi,” Grandmother said, glaring at him playfully.

[ Well, it's fair enough, now his wife will be the one to set him straight! ]

“Arey Dadi, sach mein video chal rahi thi, abhi band kiya,” Anirudh defended himself.

“Haan haan haan haan,” the family teased in unison.

🦢

As it was late at night, his father and grandparents went to sleep. Tara left because she had college tomorrow.

"I have given your number to her," his mother said, rising from the couch.

"Why?" he asked while collecting his headphones, phone, and tablet.

"What why?... She's your fiancée, talk to her," she shrugged and left for her room.

He stopped midway and sat back. His eyes lingered on his phone's screen—it was exactly twelve A.M. He checked if he had missed any calls, even though he knew he would have been notified.

"Waise toh itna bolti hai, ab baat karne mein sharam aa rahi," he muttered to himself, shaking his head.

[ She usually talks so much, but now she’s feeling shy to talk ]

Scoffing, he picked up his things again and walked upstairs.

🦢

Kritika was mid-conversation with her boyfriend when Sanaya unlocked her phone. They were both in Kritika's bedroom.

Her eyes widened the moment she saw the name "Anirudh" on her phone's screen. Her brain quickly connected the dots—her soon-to-be mother-in-law hadn't given her own number but Anirudh’s instead.

Her lips parted in shock, then curled into a grin as she recalled the way her mother-in-law had smiled at her. It was all intentional.

To stop herself from squealing, she bit down on her palm before Rushing toward Kritika’s study table. She brought the phone In front of Kritika’s face.

"Di… aapke paas kaise aaya unka number?!" Kritika gasped, placing her phone aside.

[ Di, how did you get his number? ]

"Aunty ne jaan-boojh kar diya instead of hers… ab kya karun? Should I call him?!" Sanaya whispered excitedly.

[Aunty purposely gave his instead of hers… now what should I do? ]

"But he must be sleeping at this hour," Kritika said, lowering her voice.

"Nahi, woh do se teen baje ke beech mein sote hai," Sanaya grinned widely, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

[ No, they sleep between two and three o'clock. ]

Kritika’s jaw dropped. "Di… aapko unka sleeping schedule tak pata hai?!"

[ Di… you even know their sleeping schedule?! ]

Sanaya rolled her eyes dramatically. "Aunty ne jaa kar zaroor bataaya hoga. Agar unhe baat karni hoti toh khud call karte. Agar main call karungi, toh lagega ki me tadap rahi hoon baat karne ke liye… main nahi karungi!"

[ Aunty must have told him. If he wanted to talk, he would have called himself. If I call, it will look like I'm desperate to talk… I won't do it! ]

She folded her arms stubbornly, but the way her fingers hovered over the screen said otherwise.

" Toh aap tadap nahi rahi unse baat karne ko?" Kritika teased.

[ So you aren't desperate to talk to him? ]

To be continued....

Happy Holi!