------------

It had been two days since the Mehta family visited the Maheshwari. Janvi was still overwhelmed by the love, warmth, and respect she received.

And yet— If there's one question lingering in everyone’s mind, it was: Was that a 'yes'?

Still unsure. Still silent.

---

Present moment. Everyone at the Maheshwari house was seated at the dining table, sharing the first meal of the day.

Janvi was enjoying her breakfast quietly, while the others kept stealing glances at her.

“Jaanu,” her father called gently, his voice wrapped in affection.

She hummed, still savoring her food.

“Janvi,” he said again, this time with a little more weight.

She finally looked up, a playful glint in her eyes. “Pata hai mujhe aapko kya poochna hai,” she said. (I know what you want to ask me.)

“Toh beta, jawab bhi de de,” her mother added eagerly. (Then dear, give us your answer too.)

“Mujhe family acchi lagi,” she said softly. (I liked the family.)

A pause.

“Banda bhi mast hai,” she added with a tiny smirk. (The guy's also amazing.)

“Btw, unki taraf se kya hai?” (By the way, what have they said?)

“Ladke wale toh kabse ready hain,” someone replied teasingly, and everyone nodded in agreement. (The boy’s side has been ready for a while.)

“Toh… fix karte hain phir?” Janvi said while applying butter to her paratha, carefully avoiding everyone’s gaze. (So… shall we fix it then?)

“Sachchi?!” the whole family chorused in joy. (Really?!)

“Haan,” she said, still not looking up, but her smile gave her away. (Yes.)

Her parents immediately got up from their chairs and hugged her tightly, planting kisses on both her cheeks, making her giggle. The whole family was buzzing with happiness and excitement.

Rashmi decided to call and inform the Mentas immediately.

She put the phone on speaker as soon as the call connected.

“Jai Shree Krishna,” both women greeted warmly.

“Ji, kahiye, theek hai Rashmi ji,” Poornima replied cheerfully. (Yes, please continue, Rashmi ji.)

“Poornima ji, badhai ho! Janvi ne haan kar diya,” Rashmi said, almost glowing. (Poornima ji, congratulations! Janvi has said yes.)

Squeals of happiness erupted from the other end.

“Toh engagement kab karein?” Poornima asked excitedly. (So when do we fix the engagement?)

“Agar Rishi bhai se puchoge toh woh kal hi ready hain,” Akshay chimed in. (If you ask Rishi bhai, he’s ready tomorrow itself.)

Everyone laughed as Poornima replied, “Mujhe lagta hai bachchon se poochhna zyada sahi rahega.” (I think it’s better to ask the kids.)

“Ji, yeh bhi sahi baat hai,” Rashmi agreed. (Yes, that’s true.)

The women were quickly engrossed in more excited conversation.

---

Evening. Janvi was waiting at a quiet, cozy café—one that held special memories—for her fiancé.

She was typing something on her laptop with intense focus. Instead of just waiting, she had decided to get some work done.

---

Rishi’s POV:

I drove as fast as I could to reach the café.

And as soon as I stepped inside, my eyes found her—there she was. Beautiful. Effortless. Mine.

Sitting under the warm glow of the setting sun, lost in her work. Her navy blue top was playfully covered in tiny elephants and giraffes, the thin straps gently framing her shoulders—exposing just enough to steal my breath.

She had paired it with soft grey flared pants.

Kaise ho sakta hai koi itna khubsurat? I whispered to myself. (How can someone be this beautiful?)

That tiny black bindi on her forehead, those pretty jhumkas swaying every time she moved—they made her look ethereal.

And me? I wore a sleek ivory suit over a crisp white shirt, unbuttoned casually. Black loafers. A golden watch. The effortless, luxe look.

“Good evening,” I greeted her with a soft smile.

She looked up from her laptop, eyes locking with mine.

“Oh, you're here,” she said, and gestured for me to sit. She pushed the laptop aside

“We decided to meet at 6, mister. You’re 20 minutes late.

“I was stuck in a meeting. I’m really sorry,” I said sincerely.

“It’s fine, Mr. Mehta,” she said playfully, flashing me that smile I’d kill for

“To make it up to you…” I handed her a bouquet of lavender and white Moses blooms “Please forgive me?”

She smiled, took the flowers, nd said, “Look, I don’t have much time. I’ve already decided everything—you just need to say yes or no.”

She opened her laptop again and showed me images of the décor, outfits, invitation ideas—we chose things together, but trutfully, I barely noticed the images.

I was just watching her eyes.

With each photo she scrolled through, her eyes sparkled more. The ore she smiled, the deeper I fell.

“Everything’s set. Now just tell me the date,” she said.

“Next week?” I asked. “Only if you’re okay,” she replied gently.

Soch lo. Ladki se kahin baad mein bore ho gaye, meri jaisi engagement ho gayi toh mujhe pachtana pade, she joked. (Think it through. If you get bored of me later and regret this engagement…)

“Meri aankhon se dekhiye, fir aapko pata chalega—pachtava toh kahin nazar hi nahi aata,” I said, fully smitten. (Look through my eyes, then you’ll see—there’s no trace of regret.)

---

Just then, someone called her name from behind.

“Janvi.

We both turned to see a girl around 19 or 20, in baggy jeans, loose t-shirt, earbuds arond her neck, and a trishul charm on a chain.

“Shashi…” Janvi whispered and  got up, hugging her tightly.

They stayed in each other’s arms for a full two minutes

Then Shashi kissed Janvi’s chee and said, “I missed you, meri jaan.” (I missed you, my love.)

I coughed loudly at the meri jaan part.

They both turned to me like Id committed some sin.

“Rishiii,” Shashi said with wide eyes.

“You both know each other?” Janvi aked, stunned.

“Yes,” we both replied at the same time.

“YOU were the one she was talking about?” Shashi looked at Janvi.

Janvi nodded with a blush.

“Agar mujhe pehle profile bhej di hoti toh mujhe tension hi nahi hoti, bro,” Shashi said with a grin. (If you’d just sent me his profile earlie, I wouldn’t have been so stressed, bro.)

“Sorry to interrupt,” I said, still confused. “May I ask—how do you two know each othe?”

“She’s my childhood bestie,” Shashi relied instantly.

“Anyway, I’ll leave you two. Enjoy your date,” she smirked

“We were not on a date,” Janvi said quickly. “I can see the flowers clearly,” Shashi teased.

“It’s not what you think—” we both started, but she interrupted

“Arey it's fine. Next I know, tum dono ka Netflix-level romance bhi chalu ho gaya hoga,” she laughed. (Oh please, by now I’m sure your Netflix-level romance has already begun.)

“Shameless!” Janvi exclaimed, slapping her on the back.

“I'm sorry rishi , kuch bhi bolti rehti hai , thodi pagal hai "

        -------------------------------------

Hey pretty beings

Hope you liked the chapter

In The next chapter

The scene will be directly shifting to their engagement

If you liked it please comment and follow me on instagram

📚 Love beyond the contract

Is shashi's love story

Check it out

~ your author