"By the way, did you know that Ayaan is quite unpleasant at work with?" Kajal mentioned, as she took a bite of her cheeseburger.
"Unpleasant? No way," I replied, my mouth also full. "My husband can't possibly be rude."
"He can be, actually. Once, when I fell ill and had to go to the hospital, Ayaan was scolding his intern. And it wasn't just scolding, he was shouting at him. I don't know what the intern did, but Ayaan's voice was so loud," Roshni bhabhi shared. I took a sip of my coke, finding it hard to believe her words.
"Yes, I agree. He can be," Kanak chimed in. I looked at Bhavya, wondering if she had anything to add.
"He helped me a lot during my pregnancy. I had my own room, and he was so sweet," she said, confirming my belief in Ayaan's kindness.
"No, during my pregnancy, he scolded me just because I sat down on the floor," Roshni bhabhi added.
"Well, I don't know how he is in the hospital," I admitted.
"He is rude when he's not in the operating room. When he has to check a lot of patients, his attitude changes, and he becomes a bit strict or rude, I would say," Kanak explained. I pouted and scanned the table, trying to decide what to eat next.
After five minutes of contemplation, I grabbed a cheese stick and took a bite.
"Why don't you see for yourself? I have a fake ID, and you can disguise yourself as a patient and meet him," Kajal suggested, sounding like my old friends.
"Give it to me. If I find him rude or anything, I'll give him a piece of my mind. He can't get frustrated," I said, still chewing, as I checked the ID.
"Nimita? Okay, I'm fine with that," I agreed.
"Just act a little difficult, like you can't follow his instructions. That way, he'll see you as someone who's not so easy to handle. I mean, try to give him a hard time," Kanak advised, raising my eyebrows.
"Why should I give him a hard time? If I do as you say, he'll just get angry, and there will be more people for him to see," I argued.
"let's follow our own advice and eat up!" I exclaimed, craving something spicy.
"But aren't we eating a lot already?" Kajal questioned, but a stern glare from me made her reconsider.
"You're right," Roshni bhabhi chimed in, causing me to pout.
"Bhabhi, let's forget about everything else and devour the entire menu. No need to worry about anything else," I insisted, giving them a determined look.
Why are we wasting time gossiping about our husbands? We should focus on how delicious this food is, like it's the best thing on earth.
"Bhabhi, should we order gol gappe too?" I asked Roshni, who winked at me and placed the order.
The waitress brought a beautifully decorated plate in front of us.
I took one bite and waited for a spicy taste to hit me but it never happened.
"Is it just me or is this really bad?" I asked, looking at everyone's faces.
"It's not that great. We can only get the authentic taste from street vendors.
What a waste of money. Should I just order everything on the menu?" Kanak suggested, and we all nodded in agreement.
________
"Kajal, do you want to stay over tonight?" I asked Kajal, who shook her head and held her belly.
"I'll call you once I reach home. Besides, my husband is waiting for me on the main road. Love you, bye bye," Kajal said and drove off.
"So we definitely had way too much food, right?" I said, looking at Roshni bhabhi.
She nodded and leaned onto my shoulder.
" I don't want to pay visit to your husband. "
Bhabhi's words made me chuckle. Bhavya bhabhi coughed, grabbing our attention.
"I had too much too," she said with a pout.
"I'm perfectly fine," Kanak said, smirking.
"At least it was good. Let's head home," I suggested, and we all made our way to my apartment.
When I rang the bell, Ayaan opened the door with a happy smile.
"Where is Kajal? Wait, you didn't let her drive on her own," he remarked.
"Ayaan, her husband is waiting for her across the street. Let's go. I didn't allow Bhavya bhabhi to leave, especially since it's nighttime and I've never seen Deepak Bhaiya do so," I explained as we entered.
To my surprise, everyone was gathered in the living area, watching a match on TV.
"So, you were enjoying the day too," I commented as Roshni bhabhi moved towards Daksh bhaiya and hugged him from the side, whispering something to him.
"Let's sit for a while. The kids are sleeping in their room," Ayaan whispered in my ear, pulling me towards the couch.
_____
Rahul drew Kanak closer to him and gently tucked her hair behind her ear.
"How was your day?" He inquired in a soft, affectionate tone.
"It was good. I had a lot of fun," Kanak whispered back, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Should we go?" Kanak asked, to which Rahul nodded in agreement.
"I'm leaving, you all can enjoy," Rahul announced as he left the house with Kanak.
"Should we leave too?" Bhavya asked Deepak.
"I don't know. You just came back, right? Rest for a while," Deepak replied, looking at Ayaan, who was engrossed in the TV.
"Hey, I'm taking Bhavya to the guest room."
"But Deepak ji, Kavi is alone..."
"She is with my parents and yours too. Let's rest for a while," he said, heading to the guest room.
"We are going home, Ayaan. Have a good day," Daksh said as he left, leaving Aashika and Ayaan alone.
"How was your day?" Ayaan inquired.
"It was good. I had a lot of food," Aashika replied, flashing her teeth at him.
"How come... I thought you all thought you were fat," Ayaan said, raising his eyebrows.
"It's just to say. We had a lot of food and it was delicious," Aashika explained, causing Ayaan to chuckle and nod his head. He moved closer to kiss her, but they separated upon hearing footsteps.
"Aashika dii, " Bhavya called out softly.
Aashika looked back and signaled for her to continue. Bhavya then pointed her eyes towards Ayaan.
Rolling her eyes, Aashika walked out with Bhavya.
"What happened?"
"Can you give me your night dress? Deepak ji said we can go home tomorrow."
"Of course."
