Author's POV
The winter night was crisp, and the cold breeze brushed against the walls of the grand Rajput mansion. Under the vast, dark sky, the blue moonlight spilled over the mansion's structure, accentuating its royal elegance. The garden, though chilled and wrapped in darkness, was alive with the warmth of family, gathered together for a late dinner.
The entire family sat around in the garden, wrapped in mufflers and warmth, laughter rising like smoke in the cold air.
Shashi's POV
The night was calm... beautiful... and peaceful. And tonight, I had the warmth of my people. I was nestled into a soft couch, engrossed in my novel, while Saksham and Aadarsh sat beside me, chatting away like always.
"Yeh ashleel chize padhne mein tujhe maza aata hai?" Aadarsh teased, raising an eyebrow.
(Do you enjoy reading this vulgar stuff?)
"Abe usne hi likhi hai, toh padhne mein maza toh aayega hi." Saksham chuckled.
(She's the one who wrote it-of course she'll enjoy reading it.)
"Tum dono apni bakchodi band karoge?" I muttered in a low, threatening voice.
(Would you two shut your nonsense?)
"Tujhse hi seekhni hai." Saksham grinned.
(We learned it from you.)
I slapped him straight across the cheek.
"Mujhe shanti se padhne do dono, nahi toh main aur chaar marungi... woh bhi waha jahan zor se lagegi," I warned sternly.
(Let me read in peace, or I'll hit you both four more times-where it hurts the most.)
"Bhui... story kya hai?" Saksham asked, grinning through the sting.
(Anyway, what's the story?)
"Khud padh lena," I replied coolly.
(Read it yourself.)
"Abe tu bata na yaar," Aadarsh insisted.
(Come on, just tell us.)
"The male lead is a CEO, and the female lead is an event manager. Neither of them believed in love... but they ended up falling hard for each other."
As I narrated, both of them listened with genuine curiosity, their usual nonsense silenced by the charm of my storytelling.
I smiled faintly, remembering how they always used to ask about my books-never read them, of course, but always poked their noses into my stories.
"Bro, story toh mast hai!" Aadarsh grinned.
(Bro, the story's awesome!)
I bowed dramatically in response.
"Actually... it's nice," Saksham nodded in agreement.
"Toh tu abhi bhi koi likh rahi hai?" Aadarsh asked.
(So, are you writing something new now?)
"Ha," I replied casually.
(Yeah.)
"Teko time milta hai likhne ke liye?" Saksham asked.
(Do you even get time to write?)
"Ha, weekends pe... aur roz raat ko likhti hoon jab ghar mein shanti hoti hai," I explained.
(Yeah, on weekends and every night when the house is quiet.)
"Sirf raat ko hi dimaag mein aati hain na yeh ashleel chize?" Saksham smirked.
(These vulgar things only come to your mind at night, huh?)
"Or nahi toh kya," I said with a chuckle.
(Obviously.)
"Tharki aurat," they both said together.
(Oh, what a woman!)
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"Oberoi," Saksham called out mockingly.
"Hmm?" I hummed, not looking up.
"Tujhe Aakash kaisa lagta hai? I mean... agar uski woh 'one letter wali baat' chhod de, toh overall, how do you see him?" he asked, suddenly serious.
(What do you think of Aakash? I mean, leaving aside that 'one letter' issue, how do you see him?)
"He's a nice, well-built man. Bro, any girl would fall for him. If we talk about looks, it's heaven-sharp jawline, great body. And behavior-wise... even when I curse him or get pissed, he still respects me," I said, not even realizing when my lips curled into a smile.
"Are you sure you're not falling for him?" Aadarsh asked with a sly look.
"Abe main sirf tareef kar rahi hoon! Aur mujhe bahut acche se pata hai ki main woh nahi hoon jise woh lifetime apni biwi banakar rakhega. I'm nice, and I know he has nice taste."
(I'm just complimenting him! And I damn well know I'm not the kind of woman he'd keep as his forever wife. I have nice taste-and so does he.)
"Par agar woh tujhse pyaar karta hai toh?" he asked gently.
(But what if he does love you?)
"Toh bhi kuch nahi bhai... mera ideal man sirf mera ho. Matlab sirf mera. Mujhe pata hai ki mujh mein woh baat nahi hai ki koi mujhe pasand kare toh baat khatam."
(Even then, nothing would change. My ideal man should be only mine-completely mine. I know I don't have that kind of magic that someone would actually love me like that.)
"Vo bohot chahta hai tujhe," Aadarsh said seriously.
(He really cares for you.)
I stared at him, half singing, "Phoolon ki laashon mein taajgi chahta hai."
(He wants peace in the graveyard of flowers.)
"Admi chutiya hai, kuch bhi chahta hai," i muttered.
(The guy's an idiot, he wants ridiculous things.)
"Baat toh sahi hai," saksham agreed and i high-fived him.
"Yeh sab chhod bro... discussion bas chutiyapa hi reh jayega," Saksham laughed.
(Forget all this, bro. This whole discussion is just nonsense anyway.)
Author's POV
"Shashi, ab yeh bata tujhe tera ideal husband kaisa chahiye?" Saksham asked playfully.
(Shashi, tell me-what's your ideal husband like?)
"Mujhe shel paye, yahi bohot badi baat hai. Par bande ko mere se uchi awaj baat karna nahi aani chahiye... nahi toh main sar phaad dungi!" she declared.
(If he can tolerate me, that's already a big deal. But he better know how to talk to me without raising his voice -or I'll smash his head.)
"Iske pati ko purush helpline ki zarurat padegi," Saksham chuckled.
(Her husband will need a men's helpline.)
"Tera phone de," Aadarsh said, and she handed it over.
"Bro, tujhe itne logon ke messages aaye hain... par tune reply ek ko bhi nahi kiya?" he asked.
(You've got messages from so many people-why haven't you replied to even one?)
"Mat kar reply," she said.
(Don't bother replying.)
"Kyu?"
(Why?)
"Abe saari lesbian hain," she shrugged.
(Because they're all lesbians.)
They both stared at her, stunned.
"Toh tujhe approach kyun kar rahi hain?" Saksham asked.
"Abe meri posts dekh-ek bhi ladkiyon wale kapdon mein nahi hai. Aur meri stories? Bikes hi bikes." Aadarsh laughed.
(Look at her posts-not one with girly clothes. And her stories? Just bikes.)
"Ladko ki jagah humari behen ko ladkiyan propose kar rahi hain." Saksham sighed, rubbing his forehead.
(Instead of guys, girls are proposing to our sister.)
"Tension mat le bhai. Mujhe toh bandon mein hi interest hai," she said, laughing.
(Don't worry, bro-I'm only interested in guys.)
"Chalo, Bhagwan ka shukar hai!" Aadarsh exclaimed.
(Thank God!)
"Shashi!" Laksha called, walking up with a spoon in her hand.
"Yeh kya hai?" Shashi asked.
"Kha kar bata," Laksha said.
(Eat it and tell me.)
"Aapka jhuta hai?" Shashi raised an eyebrow.
(Did you taste it?)
Laksha nodded.
"Pagal ho gaye ho kya? Jhotha khane se pyaar badhta hai?" Shashi teased.
(Have you gone mad? Sharing food bring us love?)
Laksha slapped her head lightly. "Abe kha na!"
(Just eat it, idiot!)
She took a bite, chewed, and closed her eyes. "Bohot mast hai!"
(It's amazing!)
"Chalo, it's approved!" Laksha grinned and walked away happily.
The family finally settled down for a hearty dinner, savoring the traditional delicacy litti chokha under the winter stars.
Later That Night - In the Bedroom
After dinner, everyone retreated to their rooms. Shashi walked into her room where Aakash sat on the bed, absorbed in a book.
"Which type of books do you read?" she asked, pulling the blanket over herself.
"Psychology," he answered simply. "And you?"
"Fiction... and only romance," she replied with a smirk.
"As in, why only romance?" he asked, curious.
"Come on, I'm not that kind of girl who reads... you know, intellectual books," she rolled her eyes.
"So, you're the kind who likes romance, hmm?" he teased, smirking.
"N-no, I mean-" she stuttered.
"Hmm... sweetheart, just admit it."
"Yes... yes, I do!" she said quickly, flustered.
"Good," he said softly.
"Now... shall we sleep?" she asked, climbing onto the bed.
"Yes... unless you're planning something else?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Just sleep," she huffed, turning away.
"Good night. And don't wake me up early," she mumbled.
"As you command, madam." He bowed slightly. "Good night, Mrs. Rajput."
"Good night, Mr. Rajput," she replied from beneath the covers, a faint smile on her lips.
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