“Everyone!” Rudra’s voice boomed dramatically through the living room, his arms raised high as if making a grand declaration. “I, the most exhausted and overworked member of this family, hereby demand that we all take a day off from the chaos of life.”

The others looked at him, half amused, half curious. Shivaay raised an eyebrow, leaning back on the sofa with his arms crossed. “You? Overworked? Since when?”

“Since forever, bhaiya!” Rudra declared, placing a hand on his forehead like a melodramatic actor in a soap opera. “The Mishra scandal, the endless family drama… I can’t take it anymore. My muscles are stressed!”

Bhavya snorted. “Your muscles are never stressed. All you do is work out.”

Rudra ignored her, looking around the room expectantly. “So, what do you say? One day—just one day where we do nothing but relax, eat, and enjoy ourselves. Come on, we all need it!”

Omkara, who had been sitting quietly with Gauri, exchanged a glance with his wife. Gauri gave him a small smile and shrugged. “Well, Rudy bhaiya does have a point. We’ve all been through a lot lately.”

“Exactly! See, Gauri bhabhi agrees with me,” Rudra grinned triumphantly.

Shivaay sighed, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. “Alright, fine. One day off. No work, no drama.”

Annika clapped her hands together. “Oh, this will be fun! We’ll all spend the day together like we used to. I can already think of so many things we can do.”

“Does this mean I get to sleep in?” Bhavya asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rudra winked at her. “You can sleep in, but you’ll miss out on my amazing breakfast-making skills.”

Bhavya laughed. “Right, because last time you tried, we almost set the kitchen on fire.”

“Details, details.” Rudra waved her off as if it were no big deal.

Omkara chuckled, feeling lighter than he had in days. “Alright, Rudra. You win. We’ll take the day off.”

“Yesss!” Rudra fist-pumped the air, looking thrilled. “This is going to be the best day ever!”

**Later That Morning**

The kitchen was a flurry of activity, with Annika and Gauri taking charge of breakfast while the rest of the family milled about, lending a hand where they could.

Well, most of them.

“Rudra, stop eating the ingredients!” Annika scolded, swatting Rudra’s hand away as he tried to sneak a piece of fruit from the counter.

“I’m hungry!” he whined. “You’re taking too long!”

Gauri laughed as she flipped a dosa on the hot pan. “Be patient, Rudy bhaiya. You’ll eat soon.”

“Or you could help,” Bhavya added from where she sat at the kitchen island, sipping her coffee.

Rudra pouted. “I *am* helping. I’m… supervising.”

Shivaay walked over, shaking his head. “Rudra, stop stealing food and set the table.”

“Fine,” Rudra grumbled, grabbing plates and utensils while making exaggerated grunts about how much hard work it was.

As the delicious smells of homemade dosas, parathas, and chutneys filled the kitchen, the group fell into an easy rhythm. Omkara found himself enjoying the lighthearted chatter, watching as Gauri worked alongside Annika, their laughter filling the space.

“Okay, breakfast is almost ready,” Annika announced. “Who’s ready for the best meal of their life?”

“I am!” Rudra cheered, waving his hand like an excited child.

Shivaay chuckled. “It’s amazing how quickly your energy comes back when food is involved.”

“Food is life,” Rudra said sagely.

“Alright, we’ve eaten. Now what?” Rudra asked, lounging on the living room floor while everyone else settled in after the big breakfast.

Annika looked thoughtful for a moment. “How about a game?”

Rudra’s face lit up. “Ooooh, yes! Let’s play something! I vote for Monopoly. I want to bankrupt all of you.”

“No way,” Bhavya said, shaking her head. “You cheat every time we play Monopoly.”

“I do not!” Rudra protested, looking affronted.

“Fine,” Shivaay said, cutting in before the argument escalated. “No Monopoly. How about something less… aggressive? Like cards?”

Annika grinned. “I know just the thing. How about Charades?”

Omkara raised an eyebrow. “Charades? Really?”

“Yes!” Annika said excitedly. “It’s fun, it’s easy, and we’ll laugh a lot.”

“Plus,” Gauri added with a smirk, “Rudy bhaiya will be terrible at it, and it’ll be fun to watch him struggle.”

“Hey!” Rudra frowned. “I’m amazing at everything, thank you very much.”

But soon, the whole family was divided into teams, ready for a friendly round of Charades. Annika and Shivaay were on one team, while Rudra, Bhavya, Omkara, and Gauri made up the other.

As expected, Rudra’s attempts at miming were hilariously awful, sending everyone into fits of laughter. At one point, he tried to act out a horse but ended up looking more like a confused chicken, which had Gauri nearly doubled over in giggles.

“You’re terrible!” Bhavya said, laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.

“I’m not!” Rudra pouted. “You just don’t understand my genius.”

Omkara shook his head, smiling at the sheer absurdity of it all. The sound of his family’s laughter was infectious, and for the first time in weeks, he felt completely at ease. Gauri caught his eye, her laughter fading into a soft smile, and for a moment, everything else faded away. It was just the two of them, surrounded by the warmth and love of their family.

After the excitement of Charades, the group scattered to different parts of the house for some quiet time. Shivaay and Annika went for a walk in the garden, while Rudra dragged Bhavya off for a nap, promising to wake her up only for more food.

Omkara and Gauri found themselves outside on the balcony, sipping tea and enjoying the peaceful afternoon.

“Today was nice,” Gauri said, leaning her head on Omkara’s shoulder.

Omkara nodded, feeling a sense of contentment settle over him. “Yeah, it was. Was this how you all were in all those Shivratris I missed?”

Gauri smiled, reaching out to hold his hand. “You’ve been different lately. Lighter.”

Omkara glanced at her, his expression soft. “I think it’s because I realized something… something important.”

“What’s that?” Gauri asked, tilting her head to look at him.

He hesitated for a moment, then squeezed her hand gently. “I’ve spent so much time worrying about everything—about protecting you, Anaya, the company—that I forgot to just… be here. With you.”

Gauri’s smile grew, her eyes shining with emotion. “I’m glad you’re here now.”

They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the gentle breeze as it swept through the balcony. The chaos of the past few weeks felt distant now, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Omkara allowed himself to just *be*—to enjoy the moment without the weight of the world pressing down on him.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting the sky in shades of pink and orange, Omkara pulled Gauri closer. “I love you,” he said softly, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

Gauri’s eyes widened in surprise, her breath catching in her throat. “Omkara…”

“I do,” he continued, his voice steady. “I love you, Gauri. I think I’ve loved you for a long time. I just didn’t know how to say it.”

A tear slipped down Gauri’s cheek, but she was smiling. “I love you too.”

Omkara leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “We’ll face whatever comes next, together. I promise.”

Gauri nodded, resting her head against his chest as they watched the sunset together, wrapped in each other’s warmth.

And so, the day of rest ended not with dramatic revelations or heavy decisions, but with simple, heartfelt moments shared between family. For now, the future could wait. Today, they had each other.