***Ramya's POV.***

"Who do you think you are?" A scary voice yells as I hide behind the bed.

"Stop it, Adhrit." Mum says.

"You should have thought before going against my word, you bitch." He says, and I hear another clashing sound and whimper.

"Ahh!" Mum screams and puts her hand on her mouth so I don't hear her.

"Scream. So your useless daughter can hear what kind of mother she has. Scream." He says, and I had enough seeing Mum cry in agony.

I rush to her and see her eyes widen, not in shock but in fear. But I don't think about it and throw myself at my mother and feel a harsh sting on my back.

I scream and wake up with a start. My breathing is rapid and I am sweating buckets in winter because of my harsh nightmare. After all these years, why this nightmare again? Is this some kind of warning that Maa Kaali wants me to know about? If so, then is Mum in danger again?

"Ramya? Ramya?" Mum says and enters my room, "What happened, dear?"

"Nothing. I had the worst nightmare." I say and her eyes widen and I mentally curse myself, "Of someone stealing my favorite necklace."

Mum sighs in relief and lightly smacks my head and says, "Silly you. You literally scared me."

"I am sorry." I say and put my head in her lap.

"Don't worry. Everything is safe." She says as she caresses my hair and pats my back.

"I know." I say and hold her tight. "All thanks to you."

Always.

There is always a person in our life we love the most compared to all the people we love. There is not something I love everyone equally. That's pure bullshit. And there is nothing wrong with loving one person more than another because that one person deserves it. And for me, that person is my hero, my Mum.

I love her to the moon and beyond, and I know I will never be able to love anyone more than her, not even my own kids. The reason? Simple. She has been my everything, always. My Mum, my friend, my tutor, my rival, my inspiration. I could not help but fall for her every day.

And every night before going to bed, I thank Maa Kaali for making me the luckiest girl to have her.

But protecting her is in my hands and this time I won't fail her. The only thing I have to do is recognize the enemy. Then we will be fine.

Next morning, I jog around the park and do some warm-ups as I listen to old bollywood songs. Not that old. As I turn a corner, I come across a scene which makes me smile widely. I make a dash towards them before they get away.

"Gotcha." I say.

"Ahh." Both of them scream.

"Ramya." Dadu says and smacks my arm lightly. "You scared me."

"Then why do you do stuff like this to be scared? Eating jalebi and rabri and that too when one of you has BP and the other one has a heart problem." I scolded them.

"Arey, Ramya. We were just tasting it a little." Jiju's Dadu says.

"Please, RD. I know both of you. You both are FF." I say.

"What is that?" Raghu Dadu asks.

"I know. Fantastic foodies. Right?" He asks with a wide smile.

"No. Fanatical Foodies." I say and shake my head in dismay, "My poor Dadis. Do you know how many vrat, upas she keeps, to keep you both alive? And you two... I am so disappointed in you both."

"They and the poor? Pfft." Dadu scoffs.

"Right. When they have so much jewelry." RD says.

"Hey! Do you really want them to know?" I ask.

"Okay, fine. Here." Dadu says and keeps his plate aside and then RD follows.

"Good boys. Let's get you both a special reward." I say.

"What reward?" They ask.

"Mum is making chole bhature. If you want to eat something tasty, eat something healthy too." I say and take both of their arms in mine.

"How can they be healthy?" RD asks in confusion.

"Because my Mum is making it and she is health conscious of me. How do you think I eat all that stuff and stay fit?" I ask.

"Because you never stay still." Dadu says.

"Right. Unlike you both. If you want to eat something, exercise for it." I say.

"Hey! Mum, look who I brought home." I say.

"Another puppy." She says.

"No. Two sneaky Dadus." I say and Mum looks up from her file.

"Arey, Dad, Uncle. How are you?" She asks and touches their feet.

"Stay prosperous. Ramya caught us eating jalebi and brought us here for chole bhature if we ditch that." Dadu says and pinches my cheek.

"Hmm... It is delicious." RD says as he takes a bite.

"Told you so." I say and take one more.

"Eat slow, Ramya." Mum scolds me.

"Okay." I say.

"From the time she has come to India, she only wants Indian food and nothing else. So as a mother, I have to be cautious about her health." Mum says and serves me some more.

"Well, it is benefitting us, too." Dadu says.

"So how is everyone, Dad?" She asks and they talk among themselves.

Our house is close to Dadu's so I meet him in the park every day and bring him home or to drink some hot chai. It has been fun coming back home and all that because I have my family around me.

After breakfast, I ask RD to stay as I will drop him and meet my recently wedded big sis too. I got ready a pink knitted sweater and jeans. I put my long hair in twisted pigtails. Soon, the winter would go away and spring would befall us. I hope February passes by soon.

When I reach Malhotra house, Aunty says, "Ramya, it is so good to see you again."

"Same here, Aunty. Wait, a second. You look like a fresh flower bud today. Anything special?" I ask with a wink.

"Stop teasing me." She says and blush as she goes in the kitchen.

"Good morning, uncle." I say, waving at Daksh uncle.

"Good morning, Ramya. Did you find Dad again near the jalebi stall?" He asks and RD shakes his head.

"I don't know. But he came home with Dadu and had chole bhature." I say.

"Brilliant." He says and I smile as I go up to meet sissy.

"Shaurya! Someone would come. Leave me. Aren't you getting late for your work?" I hear Mayra saying and hold back my giggle.

"We are in our room. Who would see us? Now give me a kiss before I leave. Come on." Jiju says, and I decide to spoil the fun. That is what saali is for.

"Good morning, Mayra and Jiju." I say, barging in without warning and see Mayra pushing Jiju away.

"Good morning, Ramya." Mayra says.

"What are you doing here in the morning, Ramya?" Jiju asks.

"Just came to check in on my sister and her kids. But what are you doing there on the bed, Jiju? Thinking about skipping work and having fun." I say.

"I wish." He says with a pout, "Bye, Mayra."

"Bye, Shaurya." She says with a smile.

I talk with her for a few minutes and play with my cute little nephew while she takes a nap. As Veer and I walk towards his room, I find a door to a room open. My curiosity gets the better of me for that person, and I can't help but peek in.

The man who wears specs and solid shirts, who never gives me a straight answer and always piques my interests with his words, who is irritating as hell but so sorted, is doing lunges. Oh, my gosh! This is unpredictable. I thought he was a geek, but he has the body of a Greek god. Not bad, Reyansh.

"I know." He says, and I look around.

"Did I speak that aloud?" I ask.

"Like always." He says, looking at me, then gets up.

"Wow! I didn't know you were a fitness freak." I say and enter his dark room, which kind of gives me the feeling of being in a horror show.

"Now, what is wrong with my room?" He asks.

"I have to do something about speaking my thoughts out aloud." I say, only in front of you.

"Chachu. Boo." Veer says as he sees his chachu drinking water.

"You look hot." I say and he coughs the water out.

"What the..." He stops when he sees Veer and I understand his reaction.

"You are so cute. Let me rephrase. Isn't it hot in here?" I ask.

"I hate catching a cold." He says as he makes Veer drink some water.

"Yeah. The engine should work well 24/7 all year. Right?" I ask.

"Yes. Anything else?" He asks.

"So, have you thought about my proposal?" I ask as I run my fingers over his bicep.

"No. And stop Ramya. I will never take help from you." He says, and my mood gets spoiled.

"But it won't be a help. It would be business. It will be beneficial to both of us." I say with a pout.

"For the last time. No." He says with his serious macho look.

"Agh! You are so frustrating. But I am no less. One day, my wish would come true. You will see." I say and take Veer's hand in mine, "Let's go, Veer."

"Yes, I will see for the first time your wish is not being granted. And you will learn a moral lesson." He says with a smile.

I turn and leave in a huff.

"Why does he always have to smile like that when I am angry?" I ask myself.

He can deny it for now. But he doesn't know that Ramya is a hurricane when she wants something. And as her heart is pure, she always gets it.