First Love

Chapter 21

Aditya was waiting for Anjali when Vishal walked in the room. "Bhai, can I talked to you about something?"

Aditya looked up in surprise. "Vishal, of course come in and sit down."

Vishal sat in the chair beside Aditya, but now he didn't know where to start. He cleared his throat. "Bhai I don't want to burden you with more problems, but I need your advice."

Aditya looked at his younger brother with a frown and wondered if he had been too standoffish with everyone. "Vishal, don't worry about it. Is this about what I asked you the other day?"

Vishal flushed a little. "Yes Bhai. You and Bhabhi are both right, I do love someone. Things were going great, and we were going to tell the family soon, but recently she started doubting me and thinks I am cheating on her."

"So who is it? Although I do have a clue on who the person might be." Both Aditya and Vishal looked up to see Anjali and Kajal standing by the door smiling widely. It was Anjali who had asked the question.

Vishal stood up and looked at them nervously. He turned to Aditya, "May be we should talk about this some other time." He started to leave but was blocked by his sister and Bhabhi both.

Kajal took his arm and made him sit in the chair. "I already know it's know its Sonal, Hina auntie's best friend's daughter. You have been friends for long time and now finally realized it's more than friendship. Now tell Bhabhi what is really wrong."

Vishal glared at his sister. "Since you know everything why don't you tell her?"

Kajal scowled at him. "At the rate you are going we are never going to get your problem solved. Besides you might be surprised at how simple the solution to your problem is when Bhabhi comes to know about your dilemma."

Anjali was sitting beside Aditya waiting for Vishal and Kajal to finish. She looked over at him questioningly. He just shrugged his shoulder to let her know he had no clue what it was all about.

Anjali turned to Kajal. "What makes you think I have the solution to whatever the problem is?"

"Tell her Vishal."

"I should have never shared anything with you." Vishal said to Kajal who just raised her eyebrow and smiled at him.

Vishal turned to Anjali and Aditya and smiled at the closeness between his Bhai and Bhabhi. Aditya was currently holding Anjali's hand, not letting go when she tried to pull back. "Things were going well between Sonal and I, but about a week ago she started getting disturbing phone calls. Some woman kept calling her and telling her that I was seeing someone else behind her back. At first Sonal didn't believe her, and even asked me and I told her it was not true, I only loved her. She let it go and I thought things were ok, but then she stopped taking my phone calls.

Meanwhile your cousin Riya started showing up everywhere I went, she even came to the office claiming to visit her brother, but she never visited him for long, somehow she was always around me flirting with me, trying to make it look as if there is something between us. I finally went to see Sonal and she told me she saw me with Riya and she didn't want to see me anymore. I tried telling her there was nothing between Riya and me, but she won't believe me." Vishal felt awkward telling his Bhabhi about her cousin.

Aditya only had eyes for Anjali as soon as Riya was mentioned. He watched the fleeting expressions from surprise to anger, then despair and finally self-blame. The last two made him sit up and make her look at him. "Anjali!" He said sharply to get her attention. "You are not to be blamed for this, do you hear me? Do not blame yourself for this." He felt a twig of pain in his heart when he saw her eyes fill with tears. He knew his Anjali is lot stronger than this, but for some reason when it came to her family, she always lost all the ability to fight, and ended up blaming herself.

Anjali knew deep down in her heart that Aditya is right and she shouldn't blame herself, but she couldn't help herself. "I should have warned him. I knew they wanted to bring her proposal through me but I refused, and I was happy when I found out that Vishal was seeing someone else, I didn't even think about auntie and Riya." Anjali turned towards Vishal and Kajal who was watching them with astonishment.

Vishal spoke up first. "Bhabhi why are you so disturbed? I am sorry, may be I shouldn't have brought up your cousin. This is why I was going to try to speak to bhai alone. I didn't want to say anything bad about your cousin." He felt bad for making his bhabhi cry.

Anjali laughed bitterly. "No you have it wrong, I do not care for my cousin at all. I should have warned you that they might try to trap you somehow. When they showed up at the mall last time, it was only so Riya could flirt with you and at the same time impress Hina auntie somehow, but I never gave her the opportunity."

Vishal understood that his bhabhi and cousin were not close at all, and he never knew this. He sat back, feeling relieved.

Anjali wiped her tears. "Anyways, Kajal and I will go talk to Sonal tomorrow, and get everything cleared. Don't worry."

Kajal rushed over and hugged her. "Didn't I tell you she would have the solution? After all she solved my problem." They all laughed.

Aditya smiled over at Anjali. "And she is still paying for keeping it from me." His smile got wider when he saw her flush.

Kajal dragged Vishal out of the room. "Now that we got that straightened out, we can talk to the parents about getting you engaged as same time as me."

Both Aditya and Anjali smiled at Kajal's suggestion, while Vishal looked panicked again. They knew she wouldn't rest now until she has that accomplished.

Aditya got up and closed the door, then turned to Anjali. He took her hands and stood her up in front of him. He put his arms around her waist and looked down at her. "Are you okay?" You have lot to take in tonight, first the party, and now this situation with Riya."

Anjali put her arms around his neck, and played with hair at nape of his neck. "I am fine, I am nervous about the party, but you said bhai will be there, and of course Shruti will also be there." She winked at him.

She laughed when he groaned at mention of her friend. "Don't remind me, she can cut me in half with just a look. How can you be friends with her?" He asked her with a frown on his face.

She smoothed his frown with her hand. "She is not bad, she just cares for me a lot, and she was the first friend I made at college, she took me under her wings and showed me the ropes so to speak. Don't worry she will come around. She just needs time to adjust to our relationship. As for Riya, I am not worried about her, I just hope Sonal understands when I explain everything to her." Anjali said bit anxiously.

Aditya pulled her closer and hugged her, bending and placing his chin on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it right now, I am sure she will listen to you and make the right decision."

She hugged him back and smiled at his optimism. She turned and kissed his neck, moving to his throat, then his chin and finally his lips.

She moved back and looked up at him, they both stared at each other. Everything else seized to exist for them but their feelings for each other. They knew that as long as they were together nothing could hurt them.

Aditya leaned down and Anjali felt her breath go shallow in anticipation. The touch of his strong mouth on hers was tentative at first, then teasing. He enticed her to respond, then gave the gentle reward of damp tongue strokes and tender bites when she did.

Anjali's breath caught at each new thing, and she was suddenly helpless to keep from reaching up to wrap her arms around him.

He deepened the kiss when he felt her arms go around him. He pulled her closer and kissed her until they were both breathless. He pulled back and buried his face in her hair, hugging her to him tightly.

It was a long while before they were both able to release one another and prepare for bed.