Do Anjaane

Chapter 5

Sorry for the late update! To make it up, I'll be posting three chapters today. Enjoy!

Finally, it was time for dessert, and the kheer, a staple celebratory sweet dish, was served. Priya moaned, putting a spoon of kheer in her mouth. "Nothing hits like a perfect spoonful of kheer after dinner." Suddenly her eyes widened, and she stared at Raghuveer. "Arey haan, Bhai aapne Bhabhi ko wish nahi kiya." He raised his eyebrow in question. "Kyunki Bhabhi ko woh project mil gaya. Yeh sab special issiliye toh banaya tha." "Hmm, pata hain mujhe." 

Vaidehi scoffed quietly, looking down at her kheer. He didn't know anything, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. As far as her husband knew, she worked as a part-time lecturer at a college in town. He knew nothing else about her educational background or her job. He had never bothered to find out, so she had never shared the information. Fortunately, the team she worked in was pretty strict on maintaining work-life balance, although there were a few days every month when she would need to work overtime or on weekends. So, she was usually home by the time her husband returned, whose dictionary didn't include the term 'work-life balance', and she never had to explain any absences. 

As everyone cleaned up after the meal and left the room, Yagnik signaled for his younger siblings to hang back for a moment. "Guys, saaf saaf pata chal raha hain ki bhai aur bhabhi ke beech sab theek nahi hain. Lag rahe hain ki Bhai ab tak accept nahi kiya ki shaadi ho chuki hain unki. Hume hi kuch karna padega. Mission Milan." (Milan meaning 'the meeting of two people' in Hindi.) Priya nodded, "Haan Bhai, main bhi wahi soch rahi thi." Akshu, Yuv and Yug nodded vaguely, already building plans in their head. "Akshu, tumhe waise bhi Bhabhi se kuch baat karni thi, na? Tum baat karo, aur uss waqt main bhi Bhai se baat karta hoon. Pehla aag lagata hoon." "Pehla aag?" He grinned. "You guys trust in me, right?" "Of course, Bhai," they chorused. "Good. We'll meet afterwards and make a solid plan. Tomorrow, it's going to be 'Lights, Camera, Action' time." They all high-fived, then headed out to the living room. 

Later, as Akanksha and Vaidehi discussed her future study plans, Yagnik knocked on the door to his Bhai's study, right next to his bedroom. "Come in." "Bhai, mujhe aapse kuch important baat karna hain." Raghuveer pushed down the screen of his laptop, closing it halfway, and focused on his younger brother. "Hmm, bolo." No matter how busy he was, he always gave his complete attention when his family needed him. Yagnik knew and loved this about his brother, but why didn't he realize that Bhabhi is now part of the family, too? Alright, time to jump from the frying pan into the flames. "Aap Bhabhi ko kyun ignore karthe hain?" 

Raghuveer stiffened and glared sharply at his brother. "Yagnik, that's none of your..." Yagnik held up his hand, the frustration he had been holding back truly coming out now. "No Bhai, it is my business, it's all of our business. Because the fact that you clearly haven't accepted Bhabhi is visible in every part of your life, and to all of us, too. You didn't even know that Bhabhi cooks, much less that she's almost as good as a chef. Who do you think packs our lunches most days of the week? You even asked once if we got a new cook, but when we said no, you never bothered to think that perhaps that newest member of our household, your wife, was the cook. And this happened only in the first week of your marriage, three days after Bhabhi's pehli rasoi. 

You knew that she had cooked lunch that day because everyone made a big deal out of her pehli rasoi and Maa clearly mentioned it to you so that you could give Bhabhi her shagun. I don't even need to ask to know that you didn't give her any shagun. But how could you forget three days later that your wife cooks, Bhai? That shows just how much attention you give Bhabhi. And today, when Priya told you that Bhabhi got a new project, you didn't even congratulate her. Speaking of her work, well...I'll let you find out some things yourself. I don't think you realize, Bhai, how dependent you've become on Bhabhi in your day-to-day life. 

And forget about that, have you ever noticed just how much she loves this family. She's the best Bhabhi and bahu anyone could ask for. I don't like to insult you, but you're really stupid to not realize just how lucky you are to have married Bhabhi. I mean, did you know that one of her seniors from school finally worked up the courage to propose to her the day before your wedding, and she rejected him for you. A man she had only met once during the engagement and hadn't even shared two words with. Heck, if I had the chance to know Bhabhi a little bit better before your wedding, I would have run away with her myself."