Royally yours

44. Dubai?

Chaitra

I got ready after the call and lay on my bed scrolling through social media apps while Seema curled her hair. We climbed down the stairs once she was done getting ready and waited for the boys to pick us up as they said. They came in some 5 minutes and we climbed onto the bikes. Seema sat with her boyfriend while I sat behind my other friend. We reached the restaurant in 20 minutes. I offered to stay back and bring the Chauhan siblings up and Mayank tagged along, while Seema and Karthik moved to the rooftop.

"Bhabi!" I heard Akansha's voice and soon I was engulfed in a bearhug by her. Then I shared hugs with Akshaya, Abhi, Rakshith, and Maitri. The boys shared brotherly hugs while the girls waved at Mayank. We moved in and took our seats at the table we booked. It was one of the restaurants our family owned. I asked the Manager uncle to book a table for us and he agreed. This is one of my favorite assets of my family. From the top, we can see the starry sky and the beautiful plantations, the ambiance is wonderful. The dishes are mouthwatering and the staff is very friendly. There would be a show every Saturday and Sunday. 

"Let's order." Seema chirped and everyone nodded taking the menus. I sat there silently. I don't need to order.

"Why are you not ordering anything, Bhabi?" Akshaya's voice grabbed everyone's attention. Chauhans were giving me questioning looks while my friends turned their attention back to their menus as it was not any new thing for them.

"She doesn't need to order," Seema answered in a bored tone, moving her eyes between veg and non-veg choices, contemplating the pros and cons of selecting one among them. 

"Why?" Maitri asked looking at me and I gestured her to look behind her, from where a waiter was coming towards us with the dishes neatly arranged in a tray.

"Good evening, ma'am!" He wished me politely and started placing the dishes on the table one by one.

"Good evening, Nithin! How's your love story going on?" I asked and he blushed, a tint of pink formed on his ears and he looked down with a shy smile.

"It's going awesome," he replied in a meek tone and I nodded smiling. He left after saying he would come back again with the main course and desserts later.

"Do you order the same thing always?" Maitri asked once Nithin left and I nodded negatively smiling.

"My brothers ordered it. I called them in the evening to say about the results, and we are going to party so they have ordered all my favorites beforehand." I said serving the starters on my plate. A moan left my mouth as soon as the taste of masala hit my taste buds. 

"Do they do that every time?" Akshaya asked taking a bite of her chicken pizza and I nodded.

"Yeah, always. That's our way of celebrating from a distance. If we were at the same place, we would mostly cook our favorite dishes but when we are far from each other, we would order the dishes for each other. " I said and they all nodded understandingly. 

Soon, we completed our dinner with lots of fun and bickering. Then we decided to go to the nearby mall and play a few games before returning to the hostel and everyone agreed. We reached the mall and played a lot of games. It was really fun. We were playing pool when my phone went off. It was Daksh. I texted him about my results in the evening and asked him to call me when he was free. I walked a few feet away from my friends and answered the call.

"Jaan!" His voice reached my ears before I could say something. His voice sounded tired as he was working for really long hours.

"Hi!" I chirped enthusiastically and heard him chuckle on the other end. I sat on the nearby bench and took my lower lip between my teeth waiting for him to say something.

"I am sorry, kitten! I was in our jet when you texted, so I couldn't see your message." He apologized. But why was he in a jet? Did he go somewhere?

"Where are you?" I found myself asking immediately. He didn't say anything about going somewhere.

"In Dubai. I had to come here in the morning."  He replied and I just hummed at his reply. I don't know why but I am getting angry. Why didn't he inform me?

"Jaan," He called me in a soft tone and I again hummed in reply. I don't want to talk right now. I am very much angry to talk.

"Are you angry with me?" He asked again.

"No, why would I be?" I replied in a sarcastic tone trying hard not to shout or cry. For the first time, I felt ignored. I mean he could just text me, right? I guess I am going to get my period soon.

"Jaan, I am sorry. An issue happened here and I had to travel here in an hour. I wanted to call you but you were in college bachha." He cooed in a soft voice making me nod although he couldn't see me.

"Then you could have texted me, Yuvraj!" I complained. Wait, Yuvraj? Where did it come from? I have never called him like that. We both kept silent for a while before he finally spoke clearing his throat.

"Sorry, Kitten. I didn't want to disturb you during the class. It will be the last time I travel somewhere without informing you. I promise!" He said in a soft tone and I felt myself melting in his words.

"When are you going to return?" I asked after a short pause. I heard him speaking something to someone else.

"I will be back as soon as possible, baccha! And we are going to celebrate your success as soon as I return. And, I know you are out with your friends and the youngsters, but go back to the hostel soon. I don't want you to fall sick with tiredness. You have been traveling continuously for the last few days." He instructed in a soft tone and I replied with an okay.

"And, I am very much excited to have my biwi in my office." He said in a husky tone making butterflies flutter in my stomach. A blush crept onto my cheeks and a shy smile formed on my lips.

"I am not your wife, yet," I replied in a slow tone and heard his throaty laugh in reply. His laugh is enough to make people go crazy.

"Oh, you are, my kitten! It's just a matter of a few days before the world will know it. But for me, you became my wife the moment you agreed to our marriage." He replied with a mixture of tease and sincerity in his tone.

"Stop flirting, Daksh!" I whined smiling and he chuckled in reply.

"I am stating facts, Kitten! Now, go and enjoy your time with your friends. But, I want you inside the hostel before 10." His voice turned strict at the end. 

"Okay. You too take rest and come back soon!" I said and we cut the call after wishing each other good night. I went back to my friends and we played a few other games, Abhi urged us to return after he got a call from Daksh. 

Karthik and Mayank dropped us at the hostel and went back to their homes. I sent a good night text to Daksh and slept almost immediately after that.