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Dad looks at me, and I turn to Meher, who is standing with her father. She holds her grin, encircling her arm around her father.
Pratap Walia laughs and says, “Even if Ayaan and Meher have a baby, I would still be superior to Kailash for having two grandchildren—Avika and Meher’s baby.”
“Oh, come on, Pratap,” Dad responds. “I would never win that way. That’s so mean of you. I’m not in any kind of competition here, okay? Take all the superiority you want. And I’m not going to pressure my sons to give me grandchildren. They are still young and can take all the time they want. I’m in no hurry. You’re doing well as a grandfather; I still have a few years before I reach that point, as I still look young.”
Everyone chuckles at Dad’s response. Pratap Walia and Dad continue arguing over this silly topic and standing there next to them, Meher gives me a flying kiss. The nerve of my queen! She is deliberately teasing me throughout this ceremony. She hasn’t even allowed me to touch her yet, let alone give her a hug or kiss. She’s purposely raising the anticipation between us for tonight. However, little does she know that the King has better plans with her, much sooner than she would ever expect.
MEHER
Ayaan is losing his mind as I continue to keep my distance from him. But it’s hard not to enjoy the moment and see him wait eagerly to pounce on me. I know he’s going to lose that patience soon. And I can’t wait to see what he does after that.
While Vishnu is talking to Ayaan, my attention is captivated by Raghav, who seems somewhat lost amid the chaos. Once the villain of our lives, he is now earnestly striving to make amends and become a better person. Ayaan’s gracious forgiveness and the gift of a second chance have paved the way for Raghav’s redemption. Initially, when Ayaan embraced Raghav as his brother and decided to help him in his ordeal, it unnerved me, given the harm Raghav was once capable of inflicting. However, seeing him now, subdued, intelligent yet not manipulative, drawing and maintaining boundaries between himself and the outside world, I am relieved that Ayaan’s decision was right. I feel a sense of duty to welcome him into our family.
“So, now I have one more added to the list of bachelors to try my hand at matchmaking,” I say, reaching the men.
“Matchmaking?” Krish interrupts.
“Yes, just like Ayaan has me, you, Vishnu, and Raghav should also settle down in the coming years. Actually, I should start the hunt for Vishnu as he is the eldest, but whenever I have broached that subject, he always ignores it. So, the next one in line is Raghav.” I turn to meet Raghav’s no-nonsense look. “Raghav, what kind of a woman do you have in mind as your life partner?”
“I’m not looking for one,” Raghav retorts. “Nor do I have any clue about how she should be.”
He glances at Ayaan, who merely shrugs, choosing to remain silent and not intervene in our conversation. Ayaan also believes that Raghav should be more involved in family discussions, as it would make him feel more connected and cared for by those around him. I see an opportunity to tease Krish and Vishnu, who seem to be enjoying my interrogation of Raghav. So, I decide to indirectly tease them and turn to Raghav.
“You have already met Trisha, my bodyguard,” I say, recalling that she was there when we were held captive at the warehouse. “She’s perfect for you. Strong and a great combat.”
The moment I say Trisha’s name, Krish coughs hard.
“You okay, Krish?” I inquire.
He gives me a frown.
“Trisha is off-limits,” he retorts sharply.
“Really? How do you know?” I tease further.
“I just know, Meher. Find someone else for your brother-in-law.”
“Okay, how about Simran?” I say, looking at Vishnu, who is as surprised as Krish was when I mentioned Trisha’s name. He glares at me again, but I ignore him and continue discussing Simran with Raghav. “You should meet Simran. She’s my friend and a fashion designer. She’s currently in New York, establishing her fashion label there.”
Without even looking, I know that Vishnu is angry with me for suggesting Simran to Raghav. Uff! I’m loving this.
“I’m not interested,” Raghav firmly replies. “Not in Trisha, not even in your New York friend Simran. I just need to figure out myself right now. A relationship is the last thing I am looking for at this moment in my life.”
Vishnu must be happy to hear it. Before I can reply, he reaches me.
“Simran is Devika’s friend, too, right? Then why didn’t she come here for the naming ceremony?” Vishnu asks.
“You wanted her to come?” I tease. His jaw hardens, so I don’t tease him any further. “Alright, we had invited her, but she said she is busy with ongoing formalities related to brand expansion and hence couldn’t travel. She would probably come to India next year. Not sure.”
“I forgot to ask,” Ayaan interrupts us, turning to Vishnu. “The other day we met at the Josh pub, you were a bit vulnerable over Meher coming to know that you are her half-brother. That night, while leaving, I saw Simran approach you in that pub. What happened after that? You never shared.”
They had met each other? When? Why didn’t Simran ever tell me? I can understand Vishnu not sharing, but Simran always asked about Vishnu, gathering information on him. However, recently, she had stopped doing so, and I wondered why. When Ayaan mentions that they met at Josh pub a few months ago, I wonder if Vishnu scared her off when she flirted with him, as she always did. Is that why Simran is no longer even checking on Vishnu with me anymore? The look on Vishnu’s face tells me there’s a story behind it, but he is unwilling to share. Before I can coax further, Dad asks everyone to join him at the dinner table for a family dinner. Everyone disperses. Krish leads Raghav, ensuring he is entertained and does not feel left out. Even Vishnu walks away without answering Ayaan’s question. Before I can follow them, Ayaan grabs my hand and leads me towards the stairs instead.
“Ayaan?” I ask, turning behind to see if anyone else is noticing this. Thankfully, everyone is busy with each other. “Why are we going upstairs?”
He doesn’t reply; he just leads me to the top floor, and by the time we reach there, I know we are headed to my bedroom at the Walia House. Goosebumps rise on my skin, knowing why we are headed there. This is where my King’s patience has worn out.
He swings the door open and closes it, but instead of kissing me passionately, as I anticipated, he starts searching for something. As he continues scanning for a few more seconds, I can’t help but inquire.
