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Another sob escapes me, but this time, Vishnu lightens the mood with his playfulness.
“If your husband comes here and sees you crying, he’ll be ready to lock horns with me again, thinking I’m the one who made you cry. In fact, I wonder how that husband of yours deals with your mood swings, given his commanding nature?”
I laugh at his teasing and playfully hit his chest, urging him to stop.
“Enough, Vishnu. She’smysister first,” Aksh bhai’s voice booms in, interrupting our moment.
He probably overheard a part of our conversation, and the expression on his face is one of indignation. But soon, it changes to cockiness as he looks at Vishnu smugly.
“Aksh, she’s been my sister before you weren’t even born,” Vishnu remarks with a smirk.
Aksh bhai approaches us and winks at me before turning his attention back to Vishnu.
“Now I understand why I could never convince you to go against Pratap Uncle,” Bhai remarks, continuing, “because there’s no force in this world that can set a Walia against another Walia.”
“That’s absolutely right,” Vishnu smiles but then becomes serious. “I hope you don’t mind sharing the title of a Walia with me, do you?”
Aksh bhai grins at him and shifts his focus to me.
“I don’t mind at all. But mind you, Vishnu, I still won’t share my sister with anyone,” he teases playfully.
I giggle, understanding his joke, and give him a hug.
“Aksh bhai, you have already received plenty of my time and affection over the years. It’s Vishnu’s turn now. I’ve to compensate for all the time I have lost with him. Don’t mind, please.”
Aksh bhai shakes his head, while Vishnu appears pleased with my decision.
“I find this rather unfair,” Aksh bhai protests with a playful grin. “It wasn’t my fault that you got to stick around only with one brother all these years. If Vishnu is getting all your attention now, I want it too.”
Vishnu rolls his eyes while I hold back a chuckle. This is the first time I’m seeing Aksh bhai fighting like a kid who is unwilling to share his favourite toy.
“Actually, I can love both my brothers equally. There are advantages to having two brothers. When I mess up, and one of you is upset with me, I can always go crying to the other brother and gain more leverage from him.”
They exchange glances, then turn their attention back to me as I continue.
“And, by the way, this offer to pour all my love and attention on both of you lasts only until Devika bhabhi gives birth to her baby. Once my niece or nephew is born, I’ll be busy pampering the baby. So, decide quickly. Are you willing to share my sisterly love, or are you going to keep on competing?”
“We’ll share,” they both reply together, not wanting to miss out on the only opportunity they had.
I burst into laughter seeing their reactions and then hug them both. I am so happy that I feel as though I might burst into tears again. I grin, remembering Vishnu’s words about how Ayaan manages to deal with my mood swings. Suddenly, it dawns on me that I’ve left my husband alone downstairs. Even though I know that bhabhi will take good care of him, I can imagine how uncomfortable he must be feeling at the Walia House, especially in my absence.
The three of us head downstairs, and Ayaan is visibly relieved to see me back to my usual self, smiling again. It’s a look he recognises, one that tells him I’ve come to terms with the revelations that were troubling me earlier.
“See, I told you she’ll come down smiling with both the brothers by her side,” Bhabhi remarks to Ayaan. Evidently, the two of them were discussing about us in our absence.
I promptly walk over to Ayaan, and without hesitation, he pulls me closer, cradling my face.
“Are you okay?” he inquires.
I nod gently, conveying that I’ve never been better. Ayaan lets out a sigh of relief and plants a tender kiss on my forehead.
As I turn around after the kiss, I notice both my brothers intently watching the attention, love and concern that Ayaan is showering on me at this moment. I don’t blame Ayaan. He was worried about my well-being, which explains his affectionate reaction. Thank god it was just a forehead kiss because if it had been anything more, my brothers wouldn’t have been standing here and giving us those teasing looks. While Aksh bhai shakes his head knowingly, Vishnu gives me a sly grin. By the look on their faces, I know they are going to openly tease me about it.
Right on cue, Aksh bhai begins.
“Despite being married for two years, I never openly kissed and cuddled my wife in front of the family,” he teases. “Don’t you agree, Vishnu? And look at these two.”
“I agree. I never thought we’d see a Shergill openly flaunting his love and affection for our sister at the Walia House. Sadly, there’s nothing we can do about it now,” Vishnu replies playfully.
