Chronicles Of My Darling Husband

26. Madanah (Part 1)

Ever since their first encounter, his concerns had shifted from finding his dream girl to the fear of losing her before even getting a chance to know her. He dreaded the idea of speaking to her, afraid that she might not find him interesting enough, that his so-called reserved nature might not appeal to her vibrant personality. What if she rejected him? The mere thought plagued his nights, leaving him awake, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Just last week, he'd had a nightmare where she slapped him, berating him for daring to even dream about her, asserting that she deserved better. He'd woken up in a cold sweat, his eyes stinging with unshed tears.

Initially, he'd been eager to meet her, but as time passed, his anxiety only intensified as he began to notice the glaring differences between their personalities. She was outgoing, fearless, driven—an achiever in every sense of the word. How could someone like her even entertain the thought of spending time with him? What outlandish dreams was he entertaining?

"Here..." Krishna presented his phone, pressing it against his ear with a determined air. "I've got the number dialed. It's connecting now, so go ahead and speak!"

Horrified, his eyes widened in disbelief as he gaped at his brother. "What!?" he blurted out, his forehead drenched in sweat from the sudden shock.

Why had he called her? What if she doesn't respond? What if she doesn't recognize his number or worst his voice!? What if—

"Hello."

It was her... She had picked up his call.

Her voice washed over him like a soothing balm, calming every nerve in his body.

Was he dreaming? No, Not at all!

His eyes volleyed between his siblings, asking for assistance from Krishna and Subhadra to navigate the predicament his mischievous brother had so eloquently put him into. Krishna gestured something to him, twirling his finger in a clockwise direction, while Subhadra's wide eyes indicated her hands forming a 'W' shape and she kept hushing that resonated to 'week'.

"I... Can we meet next week?" He stammered, looking at both of his siblings who showed him a thumbs-up sign.

His plea hung heavy in the air, laden with hope.

Please, say yes...

"Jagdish..."

His name in her voice felt like a sacred invocation, a blessing he hadn't dared to hope for. His eyes welled to acknowledge that the woman he loved the most had called out his name. But it wasn't just that...

"Yes."

And then a single drop of tear escaped from his eye.

--

Krishna and Subhadra had accompanied him to Pune, emphasizing that his perceived uselessness wouldn't help him find a partner. They had joked that if he remained unmarried, they might also have to embrace celibacy due to cultural norms, and Subhadra had found it too jarring for her taste.

His beloved, Nishita, had messaged him the address for their meeting spot—a renowned restaurant called Vaishali. Prasanna had also recommended the place, but it had been too crowded during their previous visit, leaving them without a seat.

Upon entering the bustling restaurant, he scanned the crowd in search of her. Nishita caught his eye and waved, signaling her location. With a smile, he approached her, his siblings trailing behind him like a curious mouse and their offspring.

--

"Hey... It's quite crowded here," Jagdish observed, noting the throng of people in the waiting area.

"It's a weekday afternoon," Devika remarked. "Try coming in the evening; you won't even find standing room."

"Ah, got it."

Krishna rolled his eyes. "Isn't there another place in Pune where we could have had this arrangement?"

"And who might you be?" Devika narrowed her eyes at his siblings. "You both seem too young to be Jaggy Ji's friends."

"I'm Subhadra," she chirped, waving at Krishna. "And this moronic towering specimen of six-foot-four muscle is my brother, Krishna. We're Bhaiyya's adorable younger siblings."

"Looks like the whole Mandali is here today," Devika chuckled, eyeing Krishna. "So, you're the younger son of Mrs. Singh. What's with you Singh siblings and your extraordinary height?"

"It's in our genes," Krishna retorted. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Viki, Nishu's best friend," she replied, rolling her eyes.

Nishita frowned at the subtle tension growing between her best friend and Jagdish's brother. "Um... Why don't all three of you take a seat?"

Dragging a chair, Krishna settled next to Devika. "What did you mean by younge—"

"What would you like to eat?" Nishita interjected, cutting off Krishna's words, and he scowled.

So, this is what Chandrakant meant by the second son being quite a handful.

Nishita sighed.

--

A/N

'Madanah' in Sanskrit means cupid.

The chapters in my book are titled with Sanskrit terms, each expressing the concept or feel of that particular chapter. For this set of chapters, I chose names related to Cupid, symbolizing Krishna and Subhadra playing the role of Cupid and encouraging their Bhaiyya Ji to talk to Nishita, mirroring Devika's encouragement of Nishita to open up with Jagdish.

"Tu" fits the vibe of the story, as Jagdish is madly in love with Nishita, but just kept it to himself without making an effort to meet or pursue Nishita for anything further. Stupid!

Also, what a song, gosh I was 4 years old or what idr exactly, but I used to sing this song like mad and copy Sonu Nigam's steps from the video XD

Spoilers from other books-

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Readers familiar with "Not A Simple Engineer Boy!" will recognize that Krishna is a bit of an asshole but a good-hearted character (unlike the completely charming and lovely guy from "A Loan Of Five Rupees" because it's his POV, how can you say shit about yourself XD). A trait that is further explored in this story. You'll get to know more about Subhadra as well.

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