CBG#8 LOVE ON THE LINE

Chp:-2 Sponsoring The Frenzy

ABHISHEK SINGH RAIZAADA

I sat in my brother's living room, sipping on a cup of tea. My elder brother, Advik, and my sister-in-law, Mihika, had called me over to discuss something important. My brother was married to my best friend Rohan's cousin and Soham Raichand's sister Mihika Raichand about a year ago. Mihika had a big smile on her face as she spoke.

"Abhi, you won't believe it! Food Frenzy India is approaching us for sponsorship of their culinary competition show. And guess what? Dakshi is going to be one of the judges!"

I tried to keep my expression neutral as Mihika raved about Dakshita's achievements and personality. After all they're cousins so I understand bhabhi's feeling of pride when it comes to Dakshita.

"She's doing so well for herself, and she's such a sweet girl. I remember when she first came to Mumbai, she was just Raichand's youngest daughter but now she has her own identity of 'Chef Dakshita' and now she's a judge on a popular TV show!" She said.

I gritted my  teeth, trying to hold back my emotions. I didn't want to ruin the time I was trying to spend with my brother and sister-in-law, but I couldn't help the thoughts that were swirling in my head. I still feel quite stupid about something that happened between Dakshita and me in Soham and Aashi's wedding, I hate her even more after that. Arghhh......!!!

As soon as Mihika left the room to attend to something in the kitchen, Advik noticed the tension on my face and asked, "What's wrong, Abhi? You look like you swallowed a bitter pill."

I hesitated for a moment, but then decided to confide in my brother. "Do you remember Dakshita's ex-boyfriend, Rahul? The one who used to bully Kashish back in high school?"

Advik's frowned as he nodded. "Yes, I remember. What about him?"

I took a deep breath and recounted the story of how I had seen Dakshita and Rahul tormenting Kashish at the unofficial Ecole Mondiale Holi party years ago. "I couldn't believe that Dakshita, who seems so nice and successful now, could be so cruel."

Advik listened carefully, and when I  finished speaking, he spoke with conviction. "Abhi, you've got it all wrong. Dakshita is a great girl, a pure gem. It's Kashish who's fake."

I  was taken aback by his brother's statement. "What do you mean?"

Advik explained, "Kashish has always been jealous of Dakshita's success. Since those days Dakshita has been really good at whatever she did, she comes from an impeccable afluent Raichand family who is associated with the Singhanias the powerful family of all times and is one among the members of the crazy billionaire gang. Kashish has always been bitter and envious of anyone who's doing well especially Dakshi because of the rapport she once had with you and she dated Rahul, you both were termed as the studs of your batch.

And as for that incident you mentioned, I remember it too. But you have to understand that Dakshita wasn't bullying Kashish. She was actually getting bullied by her and Rahul was protecting Dakshi. Dakshi never ever spoke up against her for your sake because she knew you've always been a sucker for Kashish. God knows how she always managed to play the victim card.

She was the one who was actually being aggressive and rude, and Rahul was trying to calm her down which didn't happen so Rahul just gave her a piece of his mind. Rahul Sabbharwal is one of the nicest people I have ever known dude. I feel sad for you because a fake bimbo like Kashish Bhandari is your fiancé you don't know what you're tying yourself up with for the rest of your life. I am praying that your life doesn't get ruined and you don't regret this.

Abhi, you need to decide what you want to believe. Do you want to hold on to your past biases and misunderstandings, or do you want to see the truth? Dakshita is a wonderful person, and she's Rohan and Mihika's cousin. You need to be careful about how you react or what you say in front of her."

I was surprised to hear this. I don't understand why Advik bhai, Saira, Supriya and even Mihika bhabhi for that matter hate such a pure innocent girl like Kashish so much. Rohan, Randheer and Abhinav seem quite neutral and cordial with her so it's hard to tell whether they like or dislike her. Never have I ever gotten the fake bimbo kinda vibes from Kashish. She is such a sweetheart.

I  nodded, feeling a mix of emotions - confusion, regret, and a flicker of hope. Maybe I had been wrong about Dakshita all this time. Maybe I needed to give her a chance.

As I left Advik's house, I was deep in thought. I knew I needed to talk to Kashish someday and get her perspective on things. But I also knew that I needed to approach Dakshita with an open mind now that I'm the sponsor of the Food Frenzy India show and she's one of the judges.

GOOD LORD WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING..............................