Raavi paced the room nervously as she made Gaurav and Shashank sit on the sofa, who waited for her to say something but she was just walking around the room.

"Oye Raavi," Gaurav called out to her, "Kya baat hai? Kyu bulaya hume?"

"Woh..." She mumbled something under her breath, before grabbing a bean bag and sitting down.

"I wanted to ask something." Raavi picked the skin on her fingers subconsciously, as they both nodded.

"Haa toh puch na, aise kyu darr rahi hai. Khaa nahi jaayenge tujhe." Shashank joked, but from her expressions, she wasn't in the mood for one.

"Can you... Maine Shiva se bhi pucha tha last week..." Raavi trailed off, before shaking her head.

Get to the point Raavi.

"Can you both stand as witnesses for my case?"

Shashank and Gaurav looked at each other, confused at what she was saying. What case?

Raavi looked at their faces, and explained everything, sparing out the details of the violent fight which they both had fretted about anyway, looking at a badly bruised Shiva.

They both stood up, wiping their hands on their jeans and Raavi stood up with them, afrain they were going to refuse, since no one wanted to fall into the trap of legalities.

"Okay, choti."

"Dekho, please don't say no. I'm depending on you all. I promise-" Raavi began, but stopped mid-way. "Did... Did you say okay?"

"Yes." Gaurav put his hands in his pockets and gave her an assuring smile. "Tu itna kyu nervous ho rahi thi, hum mana kyu karenge. Of course we'll help you out, na!"

Raavi let out a relieved chuckle, and pulled them both into a group hug. "Thank you."

"Of course." Shashank patted her back and ruffled her head. "Tu-"

"Aye cheaters!"

The three of them broke their hug to see Shiva at the door, staring at them.

"Mere bina group hug? Gaddar log mere ghar ke andar!"

They all chuckled as Shiva rushed and squeezed himself into the group hug, which eventually tackled them to the sofa into heap of laughing messes.

They helped each other up into a proper group hug, as Shiva placed a kiss to the side of her head.

It really was the smallest things in life that mattered.

.....

Shiva sat down on the bed, stretching out his legs and arms after a long day at college, when his phone rang.

Dhara Bhabhi.

"Hi bhabhi, kaise ho?" Shiva picked up the video call, and smiled at his whole family in the background. He really did miss them at times.

"Tu kaisa hai? Sab theek hai, teri padhai acchi chal rahi hai na?"

"Haa bhabhi. Sab accha chal raha hai. Abhi just term exams khatam hue hai."

"Chuttiyon mein ghar aayega?" Gautam asked, passing the phone to his mom who was constantly bugging to see her son.

"Aye Shiva, koi ladki-wadki ke chakkar mein nahi pada na waha jaake?"

Shiva chuckled at his mom's concern, and was about to answer when Raavi walked in.

"Sun, khaana khaane aaja. Table laga diya hai maine." Raavi wiped her hands on her shorts and t shirt, tying her hair up in a bun.

She noticed he was on video call, and plopped down right next to him.

"Hi kaki, hi Gaumbi, sab kaise ho?"

"Hum theek hai beta. Tu theek hai? Naya ghar mila tujhe?" Suman asked.

"Aapko kaise pata?" Raavi asked, eyes widened in concern.

"Woh teri kaagdi maasi ne bataya tha ki tu naya ghar dhundh rahi hai, aur tab tak Shiva ke saath ruki hai. Bas, isliye pucha."

"Kaki. Mai ab yahi rehti hu. Inn teeno ke saath." Raavi smiled softly, and she could see Suman nod in approval.

"Accha hai, accha hai. Waise ye Shiva kisi ladki ke chakkar mein nahi pada na? Tujhe meri khabri banna hoga. Ye mera chota beta kya gul khila raha hai ghar se door pata nahi."

Raavi looked at Shiva, biting her lip, trying not to laugh, while Shiva looked absolutely mortified at the 'gul khilaana' his mother insinuated.

Obviously, he wasn't going to give her any details about the girl right beside him, but-

"Nahi kaki. Koi chakkar nahi hai." Raavi giggled, as Suman handed the phone back to Dhara.

"Raavi, ispe nazar rakha kar, tu hi hume sacchi sacchi batayegi, warna iske dost humesha isse bacha lete hai."

"Meri toh nazar humesha ispe hi rehti hai, Dhara Di." Raavi turned to look at Shiva, holding his hand out of the camera frame, and Dhara frowned.

"Kya? Awaaz kat raha hai."

"Matlab..." Raavi quickly let go and composed herself, only to find Shiva smirking. "Aapne kaha hai toh mai nazar rakhungi ispe."

They spoke for a few more minutes, before Raavi got up and called him again to eat dinner.

"Kya hai khaane mein?" He looked up from the phone at Raavi, cutting off whatever question Dhara was asking.

"Dal, rice, karela aloo ki sabzi." Raavi replied, turning back.

"Tune banaya hai?"

"Haa." She smiled, and he looked relieved.

"Aata hu." Shiva nodded, and turned to his phone. "Kya bol rahe thi aap, bhabhi?"

"Tu kabse karela khaane lag gaya? Mai jab banati thi, toh ekdum se mana kar deta tha!" Dhara asked, surprised.

"Arre bhabhi, woh chipkali jab banati hai karela, toh kadwa lagta hi nahi hai. Aloo ke saath fry kar deti hai, ekdum sahi lagta hai!" Shiva praised her culinary skills, because he definitely would not have eaten karela had she made it another way.

"Sahi hai..." Dhara squinted her eyes, as Shiva got up.

"Accha bhabhi, rakhta hu, warna chipkali mere sarr pe tandav karegi. Dhyaan rakhna, bye!"

He disconnected the call, and sat down at the table next to her, moving to serve them whatever she cooked, since it was just the two of them today.

"Shiva," Raavi called out, her expressions reading mischief. "tera kisi ladki-wadki ka chakkar toh nahi hai na?"

"Hein?" Shiva asked, confused.

"Woh na," Raavi snickered, moving her hair to one side, "Suman kaki ne mujhse kaha ki tera koi chakkar chal raha ho toh unhe khabar karne. Kya pata, kaha gul khila raha hai."

She smirked at him and pulled the collar of her t-shirt down, the reddish mark on her chest very evident to the eyes of the person who marked her as his.

Shiva narrowed his eyes, and pulled her chair closer to his, their noses touching in a challenge.

"Ye toh sirf ek hai," He traced the mark with his thumb and whispered, looking into her eyes, "baaki kaha hai?"

Raavi widened her eyes and pushed him away, a blush creeping up to her cheeks, because the last thing she wanted to was to go to bed hungry after they got distracted, and Shiva just chuckled at his darpok chipkali.

"Accha sun," Shiva said, while eating a morsel.

"Hmm?"

"Woh, aisa mat sochna ki maine abhi tak ghar pe humare baare mein bataya nahi kyunki I feel-"

"Relax," Raavi smiled, grabbing some of the curd, "maine bhi kaha Maasi ko bataya hai? I just want us to be sure of us, before I tell them."

"Mai bas keh raha hoon ki aisa mat sochna ki mujhe embarrassment ho rahi hai ya phir-" Shiva sighed.

"Shiva," Raavi chuckled, pulling his cheek, "relax. Tu kuch zyaada hi soch raha hai. Jab batana hoga toh bata denge. Tu, mujhe, aur hum apne families ko. Okay?" She patted his cheek, and he knew what she meant.

Had she known what he was going to tell her today? He had wanted to take her out for a romantic dinner, after so long, and tell her everything he felt for her.

But she looked so excited to cook the karela sabzi for him; the first time she did, she had made a small quantity, thinking no one would eat it. But all 3 of them did, and Shiva barely got any.

So when she excitedly said she wanted to cook it again today, he gave in, and the smile on her face when he complimented her was worth the foiled dinner plan.

Whatever he wanted to tell her could wait, wait for a while. Because, just like the sabzi, his life wasn't as bitter as he thought it was. And in both cases, she was the only one who could make it better.

And he'd choose her any day.