"Vritika!!" Avantika's voice echoed through the air, and I turned to see her sprinting towards me. She finally reached me, panting heavily, with Amrapali by her side.

"Vritika..." Avantika said, trying to catch her breath. Amrapali finished the sentence for her, "You... are... already leaving?"

I nodded, and in perfect sync, they both let out a disappointed "Ooh.." Their mouths formed a perfect 'o' shape.

"Yeah!" I replied, smiling at their antics. "It was really fun at the New Year's party, na... I want to go again!"

It's hard to believe two months have passed since that incident. Jarek and I are in a long-distance relationship; we talk on the phone and chat too. I can't believe how close we became in just a few meetings. I want him with me, but he has work commitments.

No worries, though - he'll be here soon for bhabhi and bhai's remarriage. Mom wanted to do it a month ago, but Pandit Ji said there were no auspicious dates. So, the program was postponed until now. But the date is near. This extra time has also allowed them to grow their bond stronger.

I just wish they stay happy, and I become an aunt soon... God...

A ping sound disrupted my dreamland. I checked my phone to see who had interrupted my dreams.

'See you soon'
'And yeah, love you, mio cara'.

A wide grin spread across my face as I read the message from him.He's coming soon!

"What happened?" Amrapali questioned, noticing my expression.

"Huh? What?"

"Your cheeks are flushed!" I realized that my cheeks had turned crimson as memories of that night flooded back, but I wasn't ready to share them yet.

"I think it's just the weather... it's really hot today, right?" I tried to brush it off.

"Hmm... the weather is so unpredictable, one moment it's chilly and the next it's hot..."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Are you guys done for the day?"

"No, I still have one more lecture to attend."

"Ohh!"

"And you?" I asked, turning to Amrapali.

"Me too!" She replied

"Guess I'm the only free one here!" I sighed

They just hummed

"Not at all.." I heard a third voice and  I shouted "Ahh!!" And jumped when a hand snuck onto my shoulders. Everyone present turned towards us. I looked at Ariv, who was standing there like he had seen a ghost.

"It's nothing, guys! Just our casual bickering," he dismissed the crowd that was watching us.

"What?" I questioned the owners of the eyes gawking at me.

"Nothing," Ariv shrugged nonchalantly.

"Okay, we're leaving; it's almost time!" Amrapali muttered, and Avantika hummed in agreement.

"See you guys soon!" I waved them.

"Yeah!" they chimed in unison with waving their hands and left.

"So, let's go!" Ariv proposed. He was my twin and the same age as mine but a whole five minutes older. So, that means he is older. His words not mine.

"Yeah, sure!" Just then, the Dean's voice caught our attention: "Ariv, Vritika.."

"Yes, sir!" We both walked towards him, and I couldn't help but blink in surprise after catching sight of a familiar person.

His grey eyes locked onto mine, and a huge grin spread across his lips.

"Mr. York, they are... Ariv and Vritika," he announced, interrupting the Dean.

"Do we know each other, Mr...?" Ariv inquired, his curiosity piqued, and the Dean also stared at him with interest.

"Yes!" I acknowledged to Ariv, drawing attention to myself, while he simply grinned mischievously.

"He's bhabhi's cousin!" I declared, trying to explain the connection.

"Ohh!!" The Dean exclaimed, trying to piece together the relationship.

"I guess you guys know each other?" he pondered, seeking clarification.

"Yeah, we're relatives," Ariv confirmed, his eyes fixed on Jarek, who was still gawking at me.

I, on the other hand, tried to divert my attention elsewhere, avoiding eye contact with him.

"By the way, what brings you here, Mr. York?" Ariv queried, his tone slightly probing.

"We are major shareholders in this college," he explained, his eyes fixed on Ariv.

"Ooh!" Ariv exclaimed.

"Yeah! Let's go, Vritika!" Ariv said, holding my hand.

"We'll see you soon, Jarek."

"Wait, I was just leaving too, and I'm headed to Randhawa Palace," Jarek muttered, grabbing Ariv's hand.

"Sure, but are you alone? I thought your family was coming too!"

"They are, but I came ahead since I had some work. They'll arrive by evening."

"Okay!"

"Let's go together then?" I proposed.

"Sure, we're finished here," Jarek mouthed, staring at me while I gazed back into his captivating grey eyes.

"Fine, let's go then!"

"My car isn't here yet," I announced after reaching the parking lot.

"Come with me!" Ariv offered, gesturing to his bike.

"Okay!" I mumbled back to him, the last thing I was to discover him about our relationship but sensing his demeanor I guess he had already sensed something between us.

"Are you guys going to leave me alone?" Jarek inquired, his doe eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.

Hell! I wanted to go with him too, but I didn't want to reveal any more information about my relationship to anyone just yet. I wasn't trying to hide it, but I wanted to share it at the right time, and this definitely wasn't it. Everyone may have accepted bhabhi, but there were still many things they needed to work through, and the bond she shared with our family wasn't strong enough yet. If I told everyone about my relationship with Jarek, they would judge its certainty, and it could even affect bhai's and bhabhi's lives, which I didn't want.

"You can follow us, Mr... I mean, Jarek!" Ariv declared, and Jarek gazed at me, but I pretended to be busy admiring Ariv's bike.

"Okay," he murmured, but his doe eyes still lingered on me.

"Come on, we'll meet soon," I thought to myself, rolling my eyes internally.

Just as we were about to leave for the bike, Ariv received a call.

"Hello?"

"Yeah!"

"I'll be there," he responded, but I couldn't hear what the other person was saying.

However, based on Ariv's responses, it seemed like he needed to leave. "I'm sorry, Vritu, I need to go," he said, confirming my suspicion.

"It's okay! By the way, who was on the other end?" I questioned.

"Ashish..."He responded "it's something important!" He added.

"Ooh, okay! Fine, then I'll leave with Jarek," I offered. Ariv agreed nodding but his face shoes concern , a small smile played on my lips but I hided it before anyone could see.

"Let's meet at home, then," I chirped, trying to maintain calm

"Yeah," Ariv agreed.

He walked over to Jarek's car and knocked on the window. Jarek was already sitting inside and lowered the window, raising his eyebrows in question.

"Can you take her with you?" Ariv quired.

"Surely," Jarek instantly agreed, with a grin on his face. "Okay!"

Jarek got out of his car and opened the door for me. I quickly slipped inside, and he closed the door before settling into the driver's seat. Ariv gave us a nod, and the car pulled away from the college campus.

"So, how was your day?" Jarek inquired.

"Just as always," I murmured.

"And how's your 'always'?" he queried with a hint of curiosity.

"Like it should be?" I responded.

"And what should it be like?" he probed.

"Amazing!" I exclaimed.

"Really?" he pondered.

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"So, mio cara!" he uttered, his voice filled with affection.

"I missed you!" I confessed. He turned to look at me, and a smile flashed on his lips.

"Me too!" he echoed, his eyes locking onto mine.

"Wait, why did you come here first instead of going to Randhawa Palace? Was it because you wanted to meet me?" I probed, realizing that his timing suggested he had come to meet me.

"What do you think?" He flashed me a cheeky grin before averting his eyes back to the road. A smile played on my lips too. He had come here to meet me. He was here for me.

"Wait... wait... wait!" I shouted, suddenly excited. He immediately applied the brakes, pulling the car over to a safer side.

"What happened?" He asked, looking concerned.

"Ice cream!" I blurted, pointing to the ice cream store. He chuckled.

"I want ice cream," I added, and he laughed.

"Okay, wait here... no, I'll come with you," I announced before he could finish.

"Sure, let's go!" We both got out of the car and walked to the ice cream parlor. I bought a milk chocolate chip, while he took a cookie cream. "Mmm... it's really tasty," I moaned, savoring the heavenly taste. He just chuckled in return.

"It is," he murmured, tasting his own ice cream. I quickly finished mine and then looked at him with my doe eyes.

"What?" He questioned, noticing my gaze.

"I wanna taste yours!" I exclaimed.

"Here, take a bite!" He offered, holding out his ice cream. I quickly took a big bite of it, and his eyes widened in surprise. I savored the flavor and then looked at him again. We both slid back in our seats, and he handed me his remaining ice cream.

"You don't want it?" I asked, puzzled.

"You can have it," he said, giving me his cute smile. I looked at him, and my eyes shone brightly. I quickly took it from him and started to finish it before he could change his mind. Meanwhile, he restarted our journey. I finished the ice cream, and he applied the brakes again.

"W...h...at... happened?" I inquired, surveying the scene. "Traffic," he replied.

"Ooh, okay," I acknowledge, finishing the last bits from my mouth.

Jarek turned to me, and before I could react, his thumb brushed against my lips, wiping away the cream. He then took that thumb to his own mouth.

"It's even sweeter now!" He exclaimed, licking his thumb. My cheeks flushed, and a crimson hue covered my entire face as his gesture gave me butterflies in my stomach. The engine roared back to life, and I looked at him. He appeared as handsome as ever, but there was something I couldn't quite read. The usual glow on his face was missing, replaced by lines of concern. His eyes, which had sparkled after meeting me, now seemed slightly dull.

"Is everything okay?" I mouthed, voicing the question racing in my mind. He looked at me, his lashes fluttering.

"Am I that easy to read?" He pointed out.

"Yes!" I replied, giving him an answer he didn't want to hear.

"Ooh!" He murmured.

"Is everything okay?" I repeated.He simply hummed.

"Let's go!" He said abruptly.

"Huh!" I exclaimed, surprised. The car came to a halt, and I looked around, realizing we had already arrived at the palace.

"Yeah! Let's go!" I told him, signaling the guards to open the door. They recognized me and opened the door, allowing us to drive to the parking area. He handed the keys to the valet and we headed inside.

"Vritika?" I heard Bade Papa's voice from above the stairs. He was descending the stairs, accompanied by Dad. With a few long strides, they were standing in front of me.

They looked at the gentleman standing behind me and questioned, "Who are you, gentleman?" Dad demanded, his face stern.

Jarek replied, "Hello! I am Jarek York," forwarding his hand while maintaining his expressionless face.

"Jarek York!" Dad and Bade Papa repeated his words, intrigued.

"Do we know you?" Bade Papa inquired.

Just then, Adwait Bhai appeared out of nowhere and explained, "He is Ava's cousin!"

"Ooh! He is the one!" they exclaimed, realizing who he was.

"Yeah! And Jarek, this is my Chachu Nityam Randhawa and Dad Abhyant Randhawa!" Bhai introduced them, and Jarek nodded in respect.

"Welcome to Randhawa Palace, young man," Bade Papa uttered, warmly welcoming him.

"Are you coming alone?" Dad inquired.

"No, Nonna and Mom will be here until evening," Jarek responded.

"Oh, good!" Dad declared.

"Make yourself comfortable here... Vritika, take him to the guest room," Dad instructed.

"Yeah, sure!" I agreed.

"Where's your luggage?" Dad queried.

"It's in the hotel suite," Jarek answered.

"Why?" Dad probed.

"I'm staying there," Jarek explained.

"Adwait, arrange for someone to move his luggage here. You should stay here, kid," Bade Papa suggested, patting Jarek's shoulder.

"I am sorry, we need to go! Vritika will help you settle," Bhai uttered.

"It's okay!" he responded. Dad and Bade Papa left for their respective work.

"I hope you had a nice journey!" Adwait Bhai inquired.

"Yeah!" he acknowledged.

"You should have brought Nonna and Aunt with you!"Bhai brought it up.

"I'm not coming from Italy; I was in Russia," he clarified.

"Oh, I see!"bhai exclaimed.

"Where's Maa and Badi Maa?" I queried, not finding them yet.

"They've gone to the Bansal mansion," he stated.

"Oh," I murmured.

"Yeah! By the way, where's Ava?" Jarek probed about Bhabhi.

"She's gone to work!" Bhai answered.

"Work?" he questioned, raising his brows.

"Hmm..." Bhai trailed off. "See you in the evening then!" he bid farewell and left.

"Let's go!" I declared, my voice firm but gentle, as I gestured to the man standing before me. He trailed behind me like a lost puppy, his eyes fixed on me with an endearing devotion. We arrived at the guest room, and I pushed open the door with a flourish.

"Here!" I announced, stepping aside to reveal the cozy space.

"Freshen up, and I'll provide you with a change of clothes." He nodded, his eyes sparkling with gratitude, and settled onto the edge of the bed. "As you wish, my lady!" he said, his voice low and smooth.

As I turned to leave, a sudden jolt of electricity ran through me. A hand grasped my wrist, and in a swift, fluid motion, I found myself ensconced in his lap.

"What?" I whispered, my gaze locking onto his, my heart racing with surprise.

"Stay," he murmured, his eyes burning with intensity. "I want to spend some time with you." My instincts screamed caution, but my body seemed to melt into his embrace.

"Someone will see us!" I protested, trying to wriggle free.

"No one's home, I think," he countered, his voice dripping with reassurance.

"But the servants are..." I trailed off, my voice barely audible.

He leaned in, his breath tickling my ear. "Don't worry, I won't make you scream my name," he whispered, his voice husky and seductive, sending shivers down my spine. His words ignited a flutter in my lower abdomen, leaving me breathless.

He placed his other hand on my back, supporting my body as it seemed to melt into his embrace, weightless and vulnerable. A sly smirk spread across his face as he gazed at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Already feeling butterflies," he whispered, his voice low and teasing.

His lips hovered above mine, pausing for a moment before brushing against them in a gentle caress. I closed my eyes, surrendering to the sensations his touch evoked. The soft brushing soon deepened into a tender sucking, his lips wrapping around my lower lip, sending shivers down my spine. I couldn't help but think, Gosh, I missed this. I missed his touch.

Our intimate encounters had been limited, but every moment was etched in my memory as pure magic. We had yet to cross many boundaries, but what we shared was perfect for now, and I reveled in it. He respected my limits, never pushing me beyond what I was comfortable with, and I appreciated his restraint.

In this moment, time stood still, and all that mattered was the gentle exploration of each other's lips, the soft sighs, and the promise of more to come.

"Vritika!!" The sudden exclamation made me jump, and before I could react, I found myself being gently pushed off his lap and onto the bed. I quickly sprang to my feet, smoothing my clothes and attempting to compose myself, knowing that my brother's wife was about to enter the room. I didn't want her to misinterpret the situation.

As I stood there, trying to calm my racing heart, I caught him gazing at me with a horrified expression, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. We exchanged a brief, awkward glance before Bhabhi entered the room.

"Vritika," she called out, her voice cheerful and oblivious to the tension. Her eyes landed on the person sitting on the bed, and a bright smile spread across her face. "Jarek!!" Her eyes widened in surprise, and a huge grin formed on her lips.

"Sorella!" Jarek exclaimed, leaping from the bed and sweeping Bhabhi into a warm embrace. "I really missed you..."

"Me too!!" Bhabhi replied, her voice muffled against his shoulder. They held each other for a few seconds, their joy and affection palpable.

"I'll leave you two to catch up," I muttered, beating a hasty retreat. I headed straight to my room, eager to refresh myself.

After a quick bath and change into a simple black cargo and cream-colored T-shirt, paired with a matching shrug, I felt revitalized. I left my room, assuming the others were still occupied.

My stomach growled, reminding me that I was hungry. I made my way to the second floor, but then hesitated, deciding to check on Bhabhi and Jarek instead. I approached the guest room, curious about their conversation.

"...You mean Nicolas could have a hand in all this?" Bhabhi's voice was laced with concern.

"Yes! Do you think Santo could orchestrate this alone?" Jarek replied, his tone low and suspicious.

"Yeah, but I never thought he'd...!!" Bhabhi's voice trailed off, replaced by Jarek's growing anger.

"He should pay for what he did!!" Jarek's voice transformed from a whisper to a growl.

"Hmm... but be careful. They'll stop at nothing to achieve their goal," Bhabhi cautioned.

"Don't worry, I'll make them eat their own words," Jarek vowed, his determination palpable.

"Hmm... Let's forget all this for now," Bhabhi suggested, attempting to diffuse the tension.

I lingered outside the door, intrigued by their conversation, but not wanting to intrude.

"And what about the parcel?" Jarek addressed the issue

"Which parcel?" Bhabhi replied, her brow furrowed.

"The one we received in Italy?" Jarek pressed on.

"Don't worry, I've already handled it," Bhabhi stated, her tone reassuring.

"Bhabhi!!" I called out, announcing my presence. They both turned around, realizing I was standing there.

"Yes, Vritu?" Bhabhi replied, using the affectionate nickname that everyone else used.

"Lunch!" I exclaimed, reminding them that it was time to eat.

"Gosh... I got so lost in our conversation that I didn't even give you time to freshen up. Okay, go get fresh, and I'll come back after that," Bhabhi suggested.

"Let's go, Vritu!!" Bhabhi exclaimed.

"Yes!!" I agreed, and both Bhabhi and I made our way to the kitchen.

"Kaki, is everything ready?" Bhabhi questions Kamla Kaki. She has been serving in our family from a really long time.

(Kaki= aunty)

"Ji, bahu rani." Kamla Kaki replied, addressing Bhabhi.

(Bahu Rani= daughter in law)

"Okh!!" Bhabhi exclaimed, satisfied that lunch was prepared.

As Maa and Badi Maa entered the kitchen, Maa asked, "Ava beta, is everything okay? You're home early?"

Bhabhi explained, "Ji Chachi, it's just that Jarek is here, so Adwait called me." I realized that Bhai had informed her about Jarek's arrival.

Badi Maa's brow furrowed in curiosity. "Jarek?"

Bhabhi replied, "Yeah, my cousin!"

Badi Maa nodded. "Oh, very well. Call him for lunch too."

During lunch, Maa and Badi Maa met Jarek, and they all got along wonderfully. Later, everyone retired to their respective rooms.

I entered my room and started working on my pending projects. Just then, Akshita knocked on the door. "Bai saa!!"

"Bai sa, Choti Maa sa is calling you for dinner!!" she announced.

"Coming," I replied, stretching myself and leaving my room.

As I ascended to the second floor, I unexpectedly collided with a towering figure, a man of immense size. But before I could stumble backward and hit the ground, a swift hand grasped my waist, steadying me.

"Be careful, mio cara," a deep, gentle voice cautioned, his eyes sparkling with concern.

However, before I could even process the sudden rescue, we were interrupted once again!

"Vritu!" The familiar voice cut through the air, and I felt a surge of frustration. Seriously, this was the second time in a row!

"Vritika!!" Janav Bhai's voice boomed, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of exasperation. I caught Jarek rolling his eyes too, but he graciously released me, and I went to greet Bhai. We then joined the others at the dining table, exchanging greetings.

Bhabhi's face lit up with joy at her brother's arrival, but my mind began to wander. Who was this Nicolas, and what did he want? Did he intend to harm Jarek? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. He better not... But what could I even do? My inner voice taunted me with the answer: nothing. I sighed and pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind.

"Okh!! So the thing is..." Bade Papa began, and all eyes turned to him. "All the rituals will commence from the day after tomorrow, and they will be held at both the Bansal Mansion and Randhawa Palace." The room fell silent as everyone nodded in unison.

After the dinner everyone retired to their respective rooms.