"I expect the mutton was marinated for at least 24 hours. Make sure the starters are ready to be served before the guests but still piping hot." Shivaay instructed the cooks and picked up a kebab sample to taste.

"I'm freeeeeeee LET IT GO LET IT GO IM ONE WITH THE WIND AND SKYYYYYYYYY"

The shouting, er, "singing" caused Shivaay to nearly choke on the bite he took.

"Kya hua sir? Taste theek nahi hain?" The cook asked, looking at Shivaay's pained expression.

"Nahi, the taste is fine." Shivaay replied and instructed the servers not to serve anything while kids watched Frozen for the 50th time. He went to the hall to find the KiddOs fully dressed and fully engrossed in the movie.

"Kids, I don't want to break up the party but our guests will be arriving in an hour." Shivaay informed, though their eyes were still glued to the TV.

"Big Papa, just let us watch till Elsa freezes Anna's heart and the Trolls try to get Anna and Kristoff married." Rubina requested but everything she said bounced off of Shivaay's head.

"Is that scene really important?" Shivaay asked.

"YES!" The KiddOs replied collectively, and loudly.

Shivaay threw his arms in the air in resignation.

"Big Papa."

Shivaay turned his attention towards his niece who stared at him for a couple seconds before dramatically cupping her face.

"Big Papa is Elsa!" Rubina declared, causing five pairs of widened eyes to stare at her.

"Papa? Aur Elsa?" Ansh questioned.

"Think about it!" Rubina insisted.

The KiddOs looked at Shivaay, blinked twice, looked back at the TV screen and again at him. Being stared at by 5 pairs of multicolored, big doe eyes made Shivaay a tad bit uncomfortable.

"HE IS ELSA!" The kids chorused while Shivaay could only face plam.

"Okay, now watch your movie and I think they're about to fall off a cliff right about... Now." Shivaay said and immediately the attention went back to the TV. He used this opportunity to slip away and back into the kitchen.

Bhavya returned from work and entered the kitchen. "Good evening bhaiya." She greeted him while pouring herself a glass of water.

"Good evening Bhavya. How was work?" Shivaay asked.

"Commissioner ke saath meeting thi, we're expecting further cuts in the non-existing funding, just the regular things." Bhavya replied and shrugged her shoulders. "Aapka din kaisa tha?"

"Usual. Meetings, approvals, reviewing company reports." Shivaay replied and Bhavya gave him an acknowledging nod.

"Bhavya, ek sawaal poochhoon?"

"Of course bhaiya."

"Am I like Elsa?"

"Ha... matlab nahi... matlab kyo..kyoon? Kisne kaha?" Bhavya, clearly not expecting that question, got flustered and tried to dodge it.

"Bacche bol rahe the." Shivaay said.

"Arey bhaiya, yeh bacche toh kuch bhi bolte hain. Ek din Rishi bol raha tha main Toy Story wali Jessie hoon. Humne kabhi socha nahi tha aisa din aayega ki criminal profiles se zyaada humein cartoon characters ke profiles yaad rahenge." Bhavya expressed, earning a chuckle from Shivaay.

"Bhaiya hum jaa ke Gauri bhabhi ki help kar dete hain. Guests aane wale honge." Bhavya said and left from the kitchen while Shivaay cross checked the food.

An hour later, the Oberois and KiddOs were in the hall to welcome Farhan, Fiza and Faizan. Farhan hugged Shivaay, then Om and Rudra while Fiza hugged Gauri and Bhavya. Farhan and Fiza shook hands with RiVya and ShivOmRu respectively

"Bhavya, aap Dubai toh kabhi aaye nahi Likin ab kaam bahana nahi chalega. Ek din aapko humare ghar toh aana hi hoga." Fiza insisted.

"Zaroor aayenge Fiza likin aaj toh humein aapki khaatirdaari karne dijiye aur aap araam kijiye." Bhavya said.

"Woh toh zaroor karenge." Fiza giggled. RiVya noticed how visibly Fiza was more relaxed and laidback as compared to the last time she came to their house, which they were very glad about.

While the women sat on one side of the couch, talking about their lives and kids, the men sat on the other side, talking about work and family.

"Farhan, aunty kaisi hain?" Shivaay asked, recalling their last, and rather unpleasant, encounter.

"Theek hain. Mujhse aur Fiza se kabhi kabhi khafa ho jaati hain likin Faizan par jaan'nisar karti hain." Farhan told them and the men agreed that it was the same with all their mothers.

"Likin aaj kal unki tabiyat kuch nahi hain." Farhan added. "Toh hum unhe bhi Mumbai bulaane ki koshish kar rahe hain."

"That's good. Aunty saath rahenge toh unka khayal rakhna bhi easy hoga." Shivaay said.

"Exactly. Though... She won't really be staying with us. Humne same building 2 flats le liye hain. Upar hum teeno, neeche Ammi aur ek full time attendant." Farhan explained.

"Ek minute, likin tum aunty ko bulake unhe alag kaise rakh sakte ho?" Shivaay questioned, tone laced with disapproval

"Shivaay, hum teeno 15 saal se Dubai mein hain. Haan, Ammi aati rehti thi, hum jaate rehte the likin humare rehen-sehen ke tareeke bahot alag ho gaye hain. Fiza aur Faizan ko bhi apni personal space ki aadat hain, aur zaroorat bhi. Already Dubai se Mumbai shift hona bahot bada badlaaw hain aur main nahi chahta unhe ya ammi aur taqleef ho." Farhan explained. "I know tu joint family se hain toh shayad tere liye samajhna mushkil hoga but please try kar."

Shivaay nodded slowly. OmRu shared their thoughts on the matter, both agreeing with Farhan'a point of view before the conversation shifted to their professional lives.

A staff member approached them and informed, "Sir, khaana lag gaya hain."

The men and women made their way to the table where the KiddOs were already seated, elder three chatting, still munching on snacks.

"Okay kids, don't fill up on snacks. You'll miss out on the other delicious food." Om told them as he took his place beside Gauri.

Aroma filled the room as the servers lifted the covers off the serving bowls and put portions of each dish in plates.

"Bhaiya, iski khushbu itni achhi aa rahi. Hum toh jabse office se aayein hain, tabse khaane ka wait kar rahe hain." Bhavya gushed.

"I really hope it lives up to your expectations then." Shivaay said. "Bon Appetite everyone."

Everyone began to eat and immediately words of appreciation echoed through the dining room.

"This is, hands down, the best mutton I've ever had!" Faizan declared.

"And thanks to you, hume bhi khaane mil raha hain." Raahil said while devouring the food.

"Mumma is missing this." Ansh commented while eating.

From the corner of her eye, Shivani noticed Shivaay's jaw clench and stop chewing the morsel halfway. "I would say main thoda pack kar lete hain but I doubt ek bite bhi bachne wali hain."

"That's a very real possibility." Raahil added and the air around them lightened and lighthearted conversations resumed.

"KiddOs and Faizan, up for an Impromptu Ice Cream?" Rudra asked as the servers cleared the plates.

"YES!" RuRiAnsh squealed immediately.

Shivani and Raahil looked towards Faizan while the latter turned to his parents.

"Abba, agar aap ijaazat dein toh kya main apne doston ke saath ice cream lene ke daure par jaa sakta hoon?" Faizan asked.

Fiza nearly choked on sip water she had while Farhan's eyes widened. "Yah Allah! Aise kyoon baat kar rahe ho!?"

"Kyoonki kisi ko lagta hain hun saari baatein, sorry guftagu Urdu mein karte hain." Faizan remarked while eyeing Shivani, who looked away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear to hide her embarrassment. "But seriously, can I go?"

"Of course, likin Rudra bhaijaan ko zyaada pareshaan mat karna." Fiza instructed.

"Okay kids, to the car!" Rudra commanded and RuRiAnsh darted towards the door while Raahil, Shivani and Faizan walked out at a more normal pace, Rudra trailing behind with keys.

The six kids sat in the car. Raahil in the passenger's seat, Shivani and Faizan in the middle, and RuRiAnsh at the back. A shirt car ride later, they reached the ice cream parlour.

"Good evening Rudra sir." An employee bearing the name tag Suraj greeted.

"Good evening Suraj. Our usual table, for 7 today."

The employee guided them to a corner 6-seater table as another employee placed an extra chair at the table. The kids and Rudra sat down as the employees got them the ice cream menu.

Faizan whistled softly. "Little did I know Impromptu Ice Cream Runs involve fine dining experience. I thought we'd be sitting in the car or standing against a wall."

"You gotta expect this when you're in the company of the CEO of Oberoi Group." Raahil declared.

"Hey! Main CEO banne se pehle bhi tum logon ko sit-down ice cream parlours lata tha." Rudra argued, huffing dramatically.

"Faizan bhaiya, dhyaan se order karna. Aapka test liya jaayega." Rishi told Faizan.

"Rishi batana nahi hota!" Shivani groaned.

"Kya nahi batana hota?" Faizan asked.

"Aapka favourite ice cream flavour aapki personality ke baare mein sab kuch bata sakta hain." Rubina explained.

Faizan scoffed. "You believe in it?"

"You don't?" Shivani questioned.

"Let's put it to the test. Based on my personality, what would you guess is my favourite ice cream flavour?" Faizan asked Shivani.

Shivani thought hard, rubbing her chin.

"Vanilla." Shivani answered.

Faizan raised an eyebrow. "Vanilla? Itna sochne ke baad that's your answer?"

Shivani nodded confidently. "That's my final answer."

"...that's correct."

Shivani squealed threw her hand in "woohoo" pose. "Now guess mine."

"Chocolate." Faizan answered without missing a beat.

"How did you guess it so fast?!" Shivani asked bewildered.

"You look like a chocolate ice cream lover." Faizan justified.

"Wow, you two! That's impressive." Raahil complimented.

"Decide kar liya kya order hain?" Rudra asked.

"Haan." The kids chorused.

Rudra flagged a waiter to take their order.

The waiter took their ice cream orders; Vanilla for Faizan, Chocolate for Shivani, Coffee for Raahil, Mint Chocolate Chip for Rubina, Strawberry for Ansh, Cookies and Cream for Rishi and Mango for Rudra.

The ice creams were brought out soon and the chatter dissolved into gasps of excitement and hums of satisfaction.

~~~~

Back in Oberoi Mansion, Bhavya excused herself after dinner as she had to prepare for an early morning meeting. Climbing up the ranks meant more bureaucratic work and while she never complained, she much rather preferred getting assigned early morning missions during her youth over meetings any day.

Omkara and Gauri also excused themselves to let Shivaay catch up with his friends. They wished the three good night and retired to their room.

Shivaay, Farhan and Fiza say in the hall and talked for a while; from work to kids, sharing stories, tips and tricks.

Farhan got a call.

"Excuse me, I have to take this call." Farhan stated and went to poolside to receive the call.

Fiza was fiddling with end of her dupatta, meaning ask Shivaay something that she didn't want to ask in front of everyone but was now contemplating whether she even ask it or not.

"...Bhai jaan, ek sawaal poochh sakte hain?" Fiza asked, giving into her curiosity.

"Of course Fiza. Kya baat hain?" Shivaay asked.

"15 saal pehle, jab hum pehli baar aapke ghar aaye the, aap sab ne Farhan aur humare darmiyan galat faihmiya mitane ke liye jaan laga do thi. Woh humari zindagi sabse khoobsoorat Eid thi." Fiza recalled with a smile.

"Woh Eid toh humare liye bhi bahot special thi." Shivaay added.

"Bhai jaan, us din aapki di hui Eidi beyhadh besh keemti thi; Anika ki khushi ke liye unke saath nikaah padhna. Bhai jaan, jinse be intehaan mohobbat thi, jinko zindagi bhar ka saath vaada kiya tha, beech zindagi unka saath kaise chhoot gaya?" Fiza asked.

"Eid Mubarak mere chaand."
"Agar shaadi ka matlab zindagi bhar tum mere saath rahogi, mere saamne rahogi, toh yeh galti main hazar baar karna chahoonga Anika."
"Mujhe aap har rang mein qubool hain, qubool hain, qubool hain."
"Tum mujhe qubool ho, qubool ho, qubool ho."

Shivaay drew a sharp breath, memories of the past flooding his mind. He took a slow deep breath to clear his head. He turned towards Fiza but did not make eye-contact.

"Zindagi, Fiza. Life happened. Made us realise hum... hum shaayad ek doosre ke liye bane hi nahi thi." Shivaay replied solemnly.

"But you both were a force to be reckoned with. Aisi koi problem nahi thi jise aap solve nahi kar sakte the." Fiza argued.

Shivaay smiled sadly. "Wahi toh problem thi Fiza. Doosron ki problem solve karte-karte, halaton aur duniya se ladte hue hum kareeb toh aa gaye likin... shayad kabhi ek doosre ko samajh hi nahi paaye. Hum kehte rahi yeh cheezein matter nahi karti likin kisi bhi rishte mein yeh cheezein matter karti hain par jab tak yeh baat samajh mein tab tak..."

Shivaay trailed off, feeling a lump form in his throat. He grabbed the glass of water and took a sip while Fiza's eyes were downcast. She mentally cursed herself for scraping Shivaya's wound just because she couldn't contain her curiosity.

"Bhai jaan, humein maaf kar dijiye, humara irada aapko takleef pahunchane ka hargiz nahi tha."

"Fiza aapko maafi maangi ki koi zaroorat nahi hain. Aapne toh bas dost hone ke naate ek sawaal poocha tha." Shivaay said.

"Likin-"

"Sorry for running off like this. Board of investors ke saath meeting prepone ho gayi, sending the office chaos. I hope aap dono awkward silence mein nahi baithe the." Farhan returned and asked.

"Not at all, but we were beginning to think that Rudra and kids seem to forgotten that tomorrow is a weekday." Shivaay wondered, looking at the time.

Rudra came in a few moments later.

"Rudra, Faizan ne zyaada pareshaan toh nahi kiya?" Farhan asked, to which Rudra shook his head.

"Bilkul nahi. In fact Faizan toh itna well behaved tha ki hoping aap log aate rahe taaki in teeno miniatures par accha asar pade." Rudra suggested.

"Agali baar toh aapko humare ghar aana hoga, humein bhi toh aapki khaatiradaari karne ka mauka mile." Fiza commanded.

"We should take your leave now. Thank you so much for having us over Shivaay." Farhan thanked and the Khans said their goodbyes.

After they left, Shivaay and Rudra ushered the kids to their rooms.

"Come on kids, you still have to go to school tomorrow. Ansh and Shivi, you have to go to your mom's as well. Off you go." Shivaay reminded as the kids ran upstairs to their rooms

"Papa~" Ansh spoke while stretching the word, swinging side to side with arms behind his back.

"You have to ask for your want Mr Ansh Singh Oberoi." Shivaay told him, even though he knew exactly what his son was going to ask for.

"Can I sleep in your room?" Ansh asked, making puppy, more like, kitten eyes.

Shivaay put his hands on his knees and bent to his level. "Yes, you can but you know the drill. Eat your medicines, brush and pack your bag. Okay?"

"Okay!" Ansh beamed and darted to his room.

Shivani face-palmed and shook her head. She leaned towards Shivaay and muttered, "I'm telling it's not too late. Convert his room into a dance and music studio, at least then it'll actually be used."

Shivaay chuckled before pointing to the staircase with his thumb. " Off to bed with you, too, Little Lady."

Shivani went upstairs but not before telling her father "Good night, Old Man!"