Chronicles Of My Darling Husband

12. Lochan (Part 2)

Nishita blinked, attempting to conceal the rapid rise of her breath that was trying to beat the record of P. T. Usha. Grasping his shoulder, she struggled to avert her gaze from him, finding it inexplicably difficult to do so.

Stop gaping at those plain stupid eyes!

Common sense kicked in and her hands left his shirt. Instead of retreating, the man drew her nearer, enveloping her in his arms and crushing her body to his, prompting her to gasp, "Excuse me!"

Abruptly snapping back to reality, the man recoiled, his arms jerking her to release with a bit of unnecessary force, causing her to stumble backward.

"Um... I am sorry for that," he murmured, his voice husky.

Recognizing the presence of that stranger in the front walkway of her home, Nishita regained her composure, narrowing her eyes. "Hello mister, who the heck are you?" she inquired, hands on her hips as she started tapping her right foot impatiently. "And why are you obstructing the pathway like a Victorian fountain to my home?"

The man stared taken aback. "Your home?" His neck and cheeks—clean-shaven to the point that they looked as smooth as a baby's butt—turned pink. He was so bloody fair-skinned that he put all the female models in the Fair and Lovely ad to shame. "I... uh..."

"Hey, Nishu, who's this charmingly flustered gentleman?" Devika interjected, her tone teasing. "Aw, look at him blush like a cute teen!"

Nishita observed the man nervously licking his lips, his expression furrowed. He ran his hand through his neatly styled wavy hair and began to scan the ground as if searching for something. "I dropped my phone..." he muttered.

Giving him a stern look, she followed his gaze to spot an iPhone near a rose bush. Kneeling hastily, she retrieved it. "Here," she said, dusting off her knees before handing him the phone.

Just as she was about to pass him the phone, the screen lit up, revealing the lock screen. She froze, her grip on his phone tightening involuntarily.

It was a photo of him with his family... The family which included his siblings, his father, and his mother... The mother being... Mrs. Singh.

This man was Mrs. Singh's freaking son!

Dammit!

"Thank you." He snatched his phone from her tight hold.

Right on cue, a man approached from behind and gave him a friendly pat on the back. "Jaggy, you won't believe it, your dre—" His words trailed off as he caught sight of Nishita and Devika, his eyes brimming with curiosity. "Oh, it looks like introductions have already taken place."

"Introductions?" Devika exclaimed. "Hold on, you're the adorable son of the esteemed Mrs. Singh?"

The other man snickered. "Adorable?" He continued holding Mrs. Singh's son's shoulder. "Well, we do refer to Aunty as esteemed, but you find my friend, Jaggy, adorable?"

Devika rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Mr. Baggy, the friend of Mr. Jaggy," she nudged Nishita aside and strolled past her.  "I'm here for the free food as usual," she announced to no one in particular, striding forward. "If you guys are done ogling each other, please feel free to join me inside."

Nishita frowned. "Free food? You just fucking wolfed down two whole Vadapavs twenty minutes ago." Sidestepping, she ignored the presence of the men standing there—one with a shocked expression and the other with an amusing smile—and continued walking inside, shouting after her friend, "Where does all that food go in your body?"

"Hey, are you indicting me of being a Ghatotkach?" Devika gasped dramatically. "That's a faulty accusation, I might have to ask Mr. Baggy and Mr. Jaggy to file a case against you."

Engaged in their usual banter, they entered the house, greeted by Mrs. Singh's welcoming smile and two unfamiliar faces.

Freaking hell, how many guests have traveled for this gathering?

Devika waved at Nishita's mother as she shrugged her bag down and plopped herself in her favorite bean bag present in the corner of the living room. "Maa, what's on the menu today?"

Shaking her head, her mother commented. "Devi Beta, there are guests here. Can you please try to behave a little better than your friend?"

Wow! Better than your friend!?

Nishita grimaced. "Viki being her usual self doesn't reflect on me!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "You spoil her, and then complain that she should behave better than me!" Turning to Mrs. Singh, she added, "Sorry, Mrs. Singh, I had to address this nonsense before greeting you."

Mrs. Singh chuckled. "Not a problem at all, dear. This is your home."

Devika's attention snapped to Mrs. Singh. "Really?" Leaning forward with a dreamy expression, she rested her face in her hands. "I came here ready to outdo everyone with my arrogance, but you might just make me fall in love with you," she said with a grin. "That was truly amazing, Mrs. Singh. If Nishu rejects your son, consider me a replacement for her," placing a hand proudly on her chest she beamed. "I might be a better fit, you never know."

The young woman seated beside Mrs. Singh laughed. "Jaggy has a younger brother, so you have options."

"You have two sons!" Devika clapped aloud. "Then it's settled!"

Mr. Baggy entered the scene along with the twin brother of tomato. "Maybe you should think twice," he said, casting a smirk at Devika as he raised a brow. "Mrs. Singh's second son can be quite a handful... But Jaggy's bestie, or rather myself, isn't such a terrible choice."

Nishita turned to him, her expression twisted in disgust. "There's no need for shameless flirting in front of your friend's mother," she scolded. Glancing at her own mother, she added, "See, now who's the one misbehaving?"

Mrs. Singh chuckled. "Nishita Beta, please have a seat. You can argue about this later."

Shaking her head, Nishita offered an apologetic smile. "I need to use the restroom; I'll be back shortly."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a pair of intense dark brown eyes boring into her. With a sudden sense of unease, she turned and hastily made her way out of the room.

Goodness, why the fuck is he staring at me like that?

--

A/N

Devika and Mr. Baggy really need to chill out XD

"Tumhe Jo Maine Dekha" is such an apt song for Mrs. Singh's son's mood right now, the lyrics (the whole song) just fit so well XD

The lines- "Tumhi Ko Maine Pooja, Tumhi Ko Chaha Paana..."

Translation- "I have only worshipped you, I have only wished to claim you!"

Oh, gosh, my heart!

Btw, this is one of my favorite songs sung by my goddess Shreya Ghosal, except for that weird wild section in between Mukhda and first Antara :)

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