| Chapter 2 |

Hey my lovelies! 🌷🌹

I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 1! Now, let's dive into Chapter 2.

I'm new here, so there might be some grammatical mistakes. Feel free to correct me if you find any.

So without any further delay, let's start the next chapter!

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In Kabir's room, during the evening.

Kabir shut his laptop with a frustrated sigh and leaned back against the headboard, rubbing his temples. The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting long shadows on the walls. No matter how hard he tried to focus, her face kept flashing in his mind-uninvited, relentless.

He exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his hair. This was absurd. He never let anyone occupy his thoughts, let alone some woman he barely knew. And yet, there was something about her... something that refused to fade.

Pushing himself up, he walked to the window, shoving his hands into his pockets. The city skyline stretched before him, bathed in the golden hues of the setting sun. It should have been a moment of peace, but all he felt was a strange, restless energy simmering under his skin."This needs to stop," he muttered.

He wasn't a man who got distracted. He didn't believe in fate, in chance encounters that meant something. Yet, here he was, standing alone in his room, trying to chase away a woman's face from his mind.

Kabir's mom knocks on his door before stepping inside. Then says, "lo beta tumhaari evening coffee.. Aao baitho.."

[ Here, son, your evening coffee... Come, sit with me.]

She gestures for Kabir to sit beside her and then says, "Betaa sunn, dekh teri umar ho gyi hai abb shaadi ki.. abb jaldi se mujhe apni bahu ka chehra dekhna hai orr fir tere bacche bhi.."

[ Listen, beta, you're at the right age for marriage now. I want to see my daughter-in-law soon, and then, of course, your kids too. ]

Kabir sighs and replies, "Maa fir se yeh topic.. baar jo bhi kehti ho woh mere liye aadesh hai.. lekin bass shaadi waala topic nhi.. please"

[ Mom, not this topic again... You know I always listen to you, no matter what. But when it comes to marriage, please... not this. ]

His mom frowns. "tu apni age dekh rha 30 ho gyi hai.. fir buddhaa ho jaayega toh koi nhi milegii.."

[ Just look at your age-you've turned 30! If you keep waiting, you'll be too old, and no one will be left for you! ]

Kabir shakes his head, trying to change the subject. "chhodo na maa.. Aapko Hot chocolate Pini hai..?? mein banaa ke laata hu.."

[ Forget this, Mom... Do you want hot chocolate? I'll make some for you. ]

Without waiting for a response, he quickly gets up and heads toward the kitchen.

Watching him leave, his mom sighs dramatically. "hey Krishna ji isko bhi koi ladki se pyaar karwaa do.. tabhi toh baaki baccho ki shaadi hogi.. bahaana maar ke idhar se chalaa gyaa.. har baar esa hi karta hai yeh ladka.. abb kya karu mein iska.."

[ Oh, Krishna Ji, please make him fall in love with someone. Only then will the rest of the kids get married too. He always finds excuses and runs away from this topic. What am I supposed to do with him? ]

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At Mehra's Mansion

Sanvi tiptoed into the kitchen, her eyes glinting with mischief. Her mom had spent the entire morning preparing gulab jamuns for the guests arriving in the evening. And well... they just smelled too tempting to ignore.

With ninja-like precision, she grabbed a bowlful and darted out.

Just as she stuffed one into her mouth, a deadly voice echoed behind her- "Sanviiii!!! Mere gulab jamun kahan gaye?!"

[ Saanviii!!! Where are my gulab jamuns?! ]

Sanvi turned around, cheeks still full, and came face-to-face with her fuming mother. Uh-oh. Swallowing way too fast, she grinned. "Maa... woh... Krishna ji ki kasam, mujhe nahi pata!"

[ Mom... uh... Krishna Ji be my witness, I don't know anything! ]

Her mom's eyes narrowed. "Muh khol!"

[ Open you mouth!! ]

"Woh toh already khula hai, maa," she said, giving her best innocent smile.

[ It's already open, Mom ]

That was it. Her mom grabbed a rolling pin and bolted toward her.

"AAAHH! Maa, violent mat bano!" Aarushi screamed, running for her life.

[ AAAHH! Mom, don't turn violent! ]

Her mom said, "Main itni mehnat se banati hoon, aur tu ek pal mein uda deti hai?! Agli baar sirf karela juice milega tujhe!"

[ I spend hours cooking, and you eat it all in seconds?! Next time, I'll make karela juice just for you! ]

Sanvi dashed around the sofa, using every piece of furniture as a shield. "Mom, chill! Krishna Ji bhi kehte hain 'Jo bhi hota hai, acche ke liye hota hai!' Shayad guests ko dieting ki zaroorat ho?"

[ Mom, chill! Even Krishna Ji says 'Whatever happens, happens for the best!' Maybe the guests need to diet? ]

"Main tujhe bataati hoon dieting kise kehte hain!" Her mom lunged.

[ I'll show you what dieting means! ]

Sanvi let out a dramatic scream and bolted for the door. "Krishna Ji, bacha looo!"

[ Krishna Ji, save meee! ]

Just then, her elder sister Samaira walks in, and Sanvi immediately hides behind her.

"Didi! Please mujhe bacha lo, maa rolling pin lekar mere peeche padi hai!" Sanvi almost whined.

[ Didi! Please help me, Mom is chasing me with a rolling pin! ]

Samaira crossed her arms and gave her a knowing look. "Ab kya kiya tune?"

[ What did you do this time? ]

Sanvi pouted. "Maine kuch nahi kiya! Bas... thode se gulab jamun taste kiye the."

[ I didn't do anything! I just... tasted a few gulab jamuns. ]

Before Samaira could react, their mom shouted, "Samaira, hatt ja! Aaj isko sabak sikha kar rahungi!"

[ Samaira, move aside! I'm going to teach her a lesson today! ]

Samaira smirked and shook her head. "Sanvi, tu sudhregi nahi! Maa, thoda araam se, warna yeh phir drama karegi."

[ Sanvi, you'll never change! Mom, go easy on her, or she'll start her usual drama again. ]

Sanvi gasped. "Didi, tu meri taraf hai ya maa ki?!"

[ Didi, whose side are you on-mine or Mom's?! ]

"Main sach ki taraf hoon," Samaira said, enjoying the scene.

[ I'm on the side of truth ]

"Toh sach yeh hai ki maa overreact kar rahi hain!" Sanvi declared dramatically.

[ Then the truth is that Mom is overreacting! ]

"Overreact?!" Their mom looked even more furious. "Samaira, hatt ja, warna tujhe bhi saath mein saza milegi!"

[ Samaira, move, or you'll get punished along with her! ]

Samaira immediately stepped aside. "Sorry Saanvi, par main unnecessary risk nahi leti."

[ Sorry, Saanvi, but I don't take unnecessary risks. ]

Saanvi's jaw dropped in betrayal. "Didi, tu badi hai! Tu mujhe bachaane ke liye bani hai!"

[ Didi! You're my elder sister! You're supposed to protect me! ]

Samaira shrugged. "Main badi hoon, isliye samajhdari se side ho rahi hoon."

[ I'm the elder one, which means I'm wise enough to step away from danger. ]

Meanwhile, their mom charged at Saanvi, who let out a dramatic scream and ran for her life. "Krishna Ji, bacha looo!"

[ Krishna Ji, save meee! ]

Saanvi zigzagged across the living room, dodging chairs and jumping over the sofa like an action hero. "Maa, please! Sirf do hi toh khaye the!" she pleaded while running.

[ Mom, please! I only ate two! ]

Her mom, still wielding the rolling pin, huffed, "Jhooth mat bol! Bowl bhar ke le jaane wali ko 'sirf do' kaise keh sakti hai?!"

[ Don't lie! Someone who steals a whole bowl can't call it 'just two'! ]

Samaira folded her arms, watching the scene unfold like a live comedy show. "Saanvi, bas maan ja. Tu bachegi nahi aaj."

[ Sanvi, just accept your fate. You're not escaping today. ]

"Didi, tu mazaak mat uda! Koi distraction de na!" Saanvi whined.

[ Didi, stop making fun of me! Do something, create a distraction! ]

Samaira smirked and casually picked up a gulab jamun from another plate, popping it into her mouth. "Mmm... maa, yeh toh sach mein kamaal ke bane hain."

[ Mmm... Mom, these really do taste amazing. ]

Their mom turned to her in shock. "Samaira, tu bhi?!"

[ Samaira, you too?! ]

Sanvi saw her chance. "HA! Didi bhi doshi hai! Ab bas maa, hum dono ki ek saath pitai karo ya maaf kar do!"

[ HA! Didi is guilty too! Now either punish both of us or forgive us! ]

Their mom glared at both of them. "Aaj toh tum dono ki khair nahi!"

[ Oh, neither of you are getting away today! ]

Just then, Saanvi's friends arrived, instantly calming her mom down. Seeing the guests, she let out a deep breath and decided against punishing Saanvi and Samaira-for now.

Kavya, Ruhaan, and Ishika arrived just in time, instantly calming down Saanvi's mom.

Saanvi smirked and spread her arms dramatically. "Aree meri jaan ke rakshako.. thankyou sahi time pe aane ke liyee.. mein tumhaara ehsaan kaise chukaaungii..."

[ Ah, my life saviours! Thank you for showing up at the perfect time. Now tell me, how can I ever repay this debt? ]

Kavya rolled her eyes. "Drame band karke chukaa sakti hai.. shayad.. "

[ Maybe by cutting the drama? Just a thought. ]

Saanvi shot her a glare. "jyada boli toh shampoo pila dungii.. ganjichudail"

[ Say one more word, and I swear I'll make you drink shampoo, you bald witch.

Before Kavya could retort, Samaira stepped in. "bass kar sanvi.. chup ho jaa.. orr tum log andar aao.. Sanvi ne mujhe bataaya hai ki kya plan karna hai.. toh chali Sanvi ke room mein.."

[ Enough, Saanvi! Just shut up and let's go inside. I already know what we need to do-Saanvi told me the plan. Now, let's move to her room. ]

With that, everyone followed Saanvi to her room. A little while later, her mom brought in some snacks and placed them in front of everyone before giving Saanvi a pointed look. "kripa karke sabko khaane dena.."

[ Please, for once, let everyone eat in peace. ]

Saanvi groaned, throwing her head back. "Mummmaaaaa yrrrrrr"

[ Mummaa, you're so unfair! ]

Saanvi's mom left, and the group started chatting.

Saanvi asked, "acha tum log kya keh rhe the ki kahi festive occasions organize kiya gyaa hai.. kaha hai?"

[ Okay, what were you saying about that festive occasion? Where's it at?]

Kavya replied, "Aree meine uske baarein mein search kiyaa.. woh bohot badaa festive organize kar rhe hai woh bhi lonavla mein.. kitna best hoga"

[ I looked it up. They're organizing this huge fest in Lonavla. Imagine how awesome it'll be! ]

Samaira then said, "toh kya kehte ho?? chale lonavla..???"

[ So, what do you think? Should we go to Lonavla? ]

Saanvi added, "haa di.. lekin matashree orr papa se permission koun legaa..?? Papa daatenge toh..??"

[ Yeah, but who's gonna ask Maa and Papa for permission? What if Papa scolds us? ]

Samaira grinned, "Aree mein le lungii.. Bass.. papa ko bass discipline se pyaar hai baaki papa tujhse bohot pyaar karte hai toh tujhe bhi manaa nhi karenge.."

[ Don't worry-I'll handle it. Papa only loves discipline, and besides, he loves you so much he won't say no. ]

Saanvi hesitated, "haa lekin mujhe darr lagta hai.. aap hi lo permission"

[ Yeah, but I'm kinda scared... You get the permission, okay? ]

Siya, Kaira, and Aisha all chimed in with, "haa samaira di aap hi jaao.."

[ Yes, Samaira di, you go! ]

Later, Samaira left Saanvi's room and headed to the hall. She saw her mom, dad, and all the uncles and aunties sitting together, while Sanvi, Siya, Kaira, and the others were hiding behind the curtain, secretly watching and listening.

Taking a deep breath, Samaira said to her parents, "Mumma papa.. Umm.. Mujhe aap logo se kuch puchna hai.. Umm actually permission leni hai.."

[ Mumma, Papa... Um... I need to ask you something... Actually, I need permission. ]

Sanvi's dad, Rishi, smiled and said, "haa bolo beta.."

[ Go ahead, beta. ]

Samaira continued, "Dad woh hum sabne Ek plan banaaya hai ek week ke around ka.." Before she could finish, her dad interrupted, "Jaao jaao.. orr permission meine de di.. thik.. khub moj masti karna.. lekin discipline mat bhulnaa.."

[ Dad, we've planned a week-long trip... ]

[ Alright, go on-permission granted. Have fun, but don't forget your discipline! ]

"Dad..?? Sacchii??" Samaira exclaimed.

[ Dad... Really?! ]

Rishi replied, "Haa.. bilkul.. orr sanvi kaha hai.." As he looked around, he noticed all the kids huddled behind the curtains. "bacchooo idhar aao.." he called.

[ Absolutely. And where's Sanvi? ]

[ Kids, come here! ]

Hesitantly, Saanvi and the others approached. Rishi reassured them, "Saanvi beta.. dekh mujhse darne ki jarurat nhi.. bass mujhe discipline se pyaar haii.. orr baaki toh usse bhi jyada mujhe mere saare bacchoo se.."

[ Saanvi beta, there's no need to be scared. I just love discipline, and I love all my kids even more. ]

Hearing that, Saanvi and the rest ran over to give him a big hug.

Saanvi then asked, "Lekin Papa aapko kaise pata ki hum permission lene hi aaye hai"

[ But Papa, how did you know we were here to ask for permission? ]

Rishi laughed, "Mein tumhare room se gujar rhaa tha toh mein tumhaari batein suni.. Lonavla jaana hai na.. Toh jaao jaldi se bag pack karo sabhi log.. kal subah tum logo ko nikalna bhi toh hai.. 3 Cars leke jaana kyunki tum sabko hi jaana hai toh teeno car lagegi.. hmm"

[ I was passing by your room and overheard your conversation. You all want to go to Lonavla, right? Then hurry up and pack your bags, everyone. We need to leave by tomorrow morning. We're taking three cars because all of you are going, so make sure to pack up quickly. ]

Then he added, "Kavya, Ishika,Ruhaan beta.. meine tumhaare parents se bhi baat kar li hai.. toh direct jaake packing kar lena.. orr meine Rishabh ko bhi bulaa liya hai.. Ohk saanvi tumhare bestfriend ko.."

[ Kavya, Ishika, Ruhaan beta, I've already spoken to your parents too, so go pack directly. And I've also called Rishabh-okay, Saanvi, your best friend too. ]

Saanvi beamed, "sachhii papa??? Thankyou so much.. kitne time se nhi mile humm.. Love you papa.."

[ Really, Papa? Thank you so much! We haven't seen you in ages. Love you, Papa! ]

After that, Samaira, Saanvi, Siya, and Kaira all headed to their rooms, while the rest-Kavya, Ishika, and Ruhaan-went back to their homes. Everyone started packing for the trip.

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At Oberoi's mansion

Kabir heads to his room with hot chocolate for his mom, and they sit together chatting and savoring the drink. Suddenly, Veer bursts in and exclaims, "Waahhh.. Dekho toh akele akele.. Maa aap toh mujhe bhul hi gyi ho hainaa.."

[ Wow... Look at you two all alone. Mom, you totally forgot about me, didn't you? ]

Kabir shoots back, "Aree oo nautanki baaz.. aa idhar.. le tere liye bhi banaaya tha orr baaki logo ko bhi de diya hai meine niche hi.. par tu dikha hi nhi.."

[ Oh, you drama queen-come here. I even made some for you, and I handed out hot chocolate to everyone downstairs, but you never show up. ]

Veer immediately runs over and gives Kabir a big hug, saying, "Aree mere pyaare bhaiyaa.. Thankyou"

[ Oh, my dear bro, thank you! ]

Kabir smiles and replies, "tu bhaii hai.. orr tere liye sab kuch.. meri family hi mere liye sab kuch hai"

[ You're my brother, and you mean everything to me. My family is everything. ]

After they all finish enjoying their hot chocolate, Kabir announces, "Veer jaake sabko bol de ki packing karle.. kal subah hume lonavla ke liye nikalna bhi hai.. thik hai.. jaldi jaa.."

[ Veer, go tell everyone to pack up-tomorrow morning we're leaving for Lonavla. Hurry up! ]

Veer replies, "Haa bhaii mein jaata hu.." As he heads out, he thinks to himself, "hey Krishna ji iss khadoos se insaan ko Koi achi ladki mil jaaye.. Meri bhabhi maa aa jaaye.. shaayad festive occasions mein hi mil jaaye.. kitna majaa aayegaaa"

[ Yeah, bro, I'm on it. ]

[ Hey Krishna ji, please bless me-let me finally meet an awesome girl... or maybe even get a future sister-in-law at these festive occasions. How epic would that be?]

With that, Veer, still daydreaming and humming about pulao, goes off to inform everyone that we're leaving tomorrow, so they better start packing up quickly.

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At Mehra Mansion, everyone had finished their dinner, and most of them had already packed their bags. Meanwhile, over at Oberoi Mansion, the scene was the same-everyone had their dinner and retreated to their rooms, making sure they had packed everything needed for the Lonavala trip.

Saanvi lay on her bed, unable to sleep due to the sheer excitement buzzing inside her. She whispered to herself, "Kitna majaa aayegaa.. udhar ke saare festives mein.. kitne logo se milenge.. masti hogi.. Bass kal subah ka wait hai bass.. Krishna ji koi garbadi na ho bass.." Saying this, she turned off the lamp and closed her eyes, finally drifting off to sleep.

[ It's going to be so much fun... all those festive events, meeting so many people, all the laughter and craziness... I just can't wait for tomorrow morning. Krishna ji, just don't let anything go wrong... ]

On the other hand, Kabir was wide awake, sleep nowhere near his eyes. His mind was stuck on just one person-the one who had stolen his peace. Frustrated yet mesmerized, he muttered to himself, "Yeh kya ho rha hai mujhe.? kya sach mein mujhe woh live at first sight wala pyaar ho gya kyaa uss ladki se..?? Pataa nhi kya ho rhaa.. bass ankhein kholu toh dimaag mein woh orr ankhein band karu toh sapno orr saamne bhi wahi dikhti hai.. Abb kal subah bass sab ache se hi jaaye.. fir seven days ke liye shayad udhar ke enjoyment mein shayad mein uss ladki ko yaad na karu"

[ What is happening to me? Is this really love at first sight? Have I actually fallen for that girl...? I don't know what's going on... Every time I open my eyes, I see her in my thoughts. When I close them, she appears in my dreams. Even when I'm awake, it feels like she's right in front of me... I just hope tomorrow morning goes smoothly. Maybe... just maybe... with all the fun over the next seven days, I might be able to stop thinking about her... ]

Kabir let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair as he sat on the edge of his bed. His thoughts were a mess, his heart refusing to settle. What has she done to me? He scoffed at himself, shaking his head. This wasn't like him. He wasn't the type to lose sleep over a girl. And yet, here he was, restless, consumed by thoughts of her.

Maybe it was just a phase. Maybe after spending the next seven days in Lonavala, surrounded by friends and endless activities, she would fade from his mind.

With that final thought, he exhaled sharply, switched off the lights, and forced himself to sleep.

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And that's a wrap for this chapter! 🎉

Things are slowly falling into place, but there's so much more to come! What do you think will happen next? Drop your thoughts in the comments-I'd love to hear them! 💬

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Stay tuned for the next update!

SEE YAAHHHH!!! 👋😄