Vivah: His Arranged Bride

ch-19 (aahna)

"bhai, stop hogging the remote!" I exclaimed, reaching out to grab it from rudra bhai's hand.

He chuckled, "Arre Aahna, chill yaar. Let me watch this match in peace."

I rolled my eyes, flopping down on the couch next to him. "You and your cricket obsession! I swear, it's like you have a love affair with this sport."

Rudra grinned, "Well, can you blame me? Cricket runs in our blood, thanks to Dad and chachu."

aashika chuckled,  "Rudra, yaar, remote dedo usko, It's not like cricket is the only thing on TV."

Rudra raised an eyebrow,  "Excuse me, madam. Cricket is not just a game; it's an emotion!

ritika chimed in, nodding, "exactly! Aashi di, aap bhi na, cricket ka maza hi kuch aur hai! Rudra bhaiya, don't listen to them."

"Kya ho raha hai? Itne shor kyun macha rakha hai?" maa shouted from kitchen.

bhai quickly handed over the remote, "Kuch nahi, maa! Bas Aahna ko cricket dekhne ka bhot man kar rha hai, isiliye thoda zyada cheekh rahi hai."

Aashika responded to Mom's inquiry, "Arre aunty, Aahna aur Rudra ka cricket ka debate chal raha hai. Aahna toh cricket se bore ho gayi hai, but Rudra ko match dekhne ka  bhoot chadha hai"

Mom chuckled from the kitchen, "Arey Rudra beta, thoda adjust kar lo na. Aahna ko bhi kuch dekhne do."

bhai quickly handed over the remote. "okay okay! Aahna, tu bata kya dekhna hai?"

I smiled, "Woh new show aaya hai na, uska trailer bhi accha lag raha tha."

Just then, Mom entered the living room,  she started "Arey, bacho, suno, abhi meri komal ji se baat hui, Guess what she said?"

"Kya hua aunty" aashika asked eagerly.

Mom smiled, "we are thinking about fixing wedding dates for Veer and Aahna!"

"Arey par Maa, kal se mera new semester start ho raha hai," I exclaimed.

"Haan toh beta, uska bhi toh dhyan rakhna hai. Lekin shadi ki tayariyan bhi toh karni hai na," Mom replied,

I sighed, understanding Mom's perspective, "okay maata shree, karlo date fix"

"Arre Ana di, aap bhi na! college ki tension mat lo. Waise bhi, Veer bhaiya ke saath toh aap shaadi ke baad hi settle hogi," Ritika teased.

Maa smiled, "Haan, beta chalo ab jaldi so jao, kal subah jaldi uthna hai college ke liye."

I nodded, "Haan mumma, main jaa rahi hoon. Goodnight, everyone!"

I made my way to my room, my mind buzzing with lots of thoughts, It wasn't that I didn't like Veer or the idea of being with him. In fact, i love him It's just that everything seems to be happening so fast. College just started, and now talks about wedding dates? It's overwhelming.

I reached for my phone on the bedside table, and scrolled through my social media feed, feeling a pang of guilt for neglecting my influencer duties. It had been a hectic week with college preparations and family events, but I knew I couldn't keep my followers waiting for too long.

I sighed, setting aside my phone. Tomorrow would be another busy day, but for now, I needed some rest.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside my window. The sunlight streamed in, casting a warm glow across my room. Stretching lazily, I glanced at the clock and realized I had overslept.

"Arre yaar, late ho gaya!" I muttered to myself, jumping out of bed in a hurry.

Quickly freshening up, I threw on some clothes and rushed downstairs to grab a quick breakfast. maa papa chachi, rudra bhai and aarav were already in the kitchen, sipping on their morning tea.

"good morning everyone" i muttered.

I quickly grabbed a slice of toast and poured myself a cup of tea. As I took a sip, I realized that I hadn't seen Aashika yet.

"Aashika kahan hai?" I asked, scanning the room.

 bhai swallowed his food hastily and shrugged, "Pata nahi yaar. Shayad apne room mein hogi."

 "Don't tell me vo abhi tak nahi uthi, bhai ham late ho rahe hain!" I exclaimed, feeling a sense of urgency creeping in.

Chachi  chimed in, "Arre nahi, vo apna bag lene gyi thi bas aarhi hogi. Tum tension mat lo."

"Aashi! Jaldi aa, hum late ho rahe hain!" I called out loudly.

Within moments, Aashika appeared at the top of the stairs, bag on her shoulders "Aa rahi hoon, Aahna! Chill kar!"

bhai, who was still finishing his breakfast, looked up, "Tum dono ready ho? Main abhi car nikal deta hoon."

I nodded, "Haan, bhai. Jaldi karo, please."

he glanced at the clock and quickly swallowed the last of his toast and made his way to grab the keys. "Arre haan, chalo, jaldi baitho car mein."

As we settled into the car, Aashika turned to me,  "Aahna, I hope yeh naya semester thoda chill ho," Aashika said, adjusting her seatbelt.

I chuckled, "Chill? hamare college ka koi semester chill hota hai kya? we always end up buried under a pile of assignments and projects."

"True that," bhai agreed, navigating through the streets. "But meri suno toh, work hard, party harder!"

"but tumhari life mein toh balance ka naam hi nahi hai," Aashika  spoke, nudging me playfully.

bhai glanced at us through the rearview mirror, "Arre, balance ka kya hai yaar! Life ek hi milti hai yaar, usko full on enjoy karo. Work, study, party, sab kuch ek saath!"

I rolled my eyes, "Bhai, aapko toh kuch bhi fikar nahi hoti. Humare college ka last semester hai, aur aap bas party ki baatein kar rahe ho."

Aashika nodded, "Haan Rudra, by the way, tumhara result kab aarha hai? You've been on edge about it for weeks now."

Rudra sighed, "Pata nahi yaar. They said it'll be out soon."

Finally, after years of hard work and late-night study sessions, my brother would be graduating. It was a proud moment for our family, and I couldn't wait to see him walk across the stage with his degree in hand.

It was a reminder that time was moving forward, and soon it would be my turn to step into the real world. The thought both excited and terrified me. my mind wandered to the conversation about fixing wedding dates between Veer and me. It wasn't that I didn't want to marry him; in fact, I couldn't imagine my life without him.

we stepped out of Rudra's car and onto the college campus, I couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement mixed with a hint of nervousness. It was the beginning of a new semester, a fresh start filled with possibilities.

"Wow, it feels good to be back," Aashika exclaimed.

"Chal, Aahna, humara pehla lecture start hone vaala hai," Aashika said, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Haan, chalo," I nodded, following her towards our classroom. "byee bhai" i looked back and waved at him, he waved back at me looking out from the car window.