"You know exactly how to woo me, Manish," I text, as I trot my way over to his apartment. I can feel it already. The warm spices of Manish's Rajasthani food enticing my taste buds while the rich quality of the food slowly dragging me into a coma was something I wouldn't trade for a million dollars.

Not to mention my chest hurting from all the humorous conversations that we have and my cheeks stinging from all the smiling. Everything just seems like something from a good TV show that you keep on revisiting just because it gets you going when things get rough.

"I do, don't I? Don't worry, it'll only be the best that I can bring. I'll see you in a bit," he texts back, as my feet clack against the ground leading up to his door. I drop the phone back into my pocket and head up to the door. As soon as I ring the doorbell, my stomach lets out a low, furious growl that would cause all the deer in a 50 mile radius to run for their lives.

It doesn't take long for the possibility of my desires to be fulfilled when the door swings open. Instead of being greeted by Manish's cozy smile and toasty brown eyes, I'm greeted by the curious look of Isha along with her suitcase sized eye bags. A slight smile curves at her full lips when she sees me, and she moves aside so that I can come inside. "Come in, Jaya," she greets, as I try to return an equivalent smile back to her.

She closes the door behind her to preserve the toastiness of the house. Almost immediately, I hear the pattering of little feet lead their way into the room. My eyes dart to a little Nishant standing there, slightly curious as to who this mysterious lady is standing in his uncle's kitchen.

Immediately, the smile on my face breaks out even wider, as Isha herself lets out a slightly amused chuckle. "Nishant, yeh kaun hai?" (who is this?) Nishant contemplates his answer for two minutes, and looks at me from all angles like my brother inspecting his biryani for any whole elaichi cloves.

After a long examination, several of his little teeth pop out in a tiny smile and he squeaks out, "Jaya."

I feel like my cheeks are going to rip apart from how much I'm smiling, as Isha gives her son a little nod. "Right, that's Jaya aunty. Jaya aunty ko 'hello' bolo," (Say hello to Jaya Aunty) she instructs, and he waddles over to me to give me a proper greeting.

I expect him to squeak out a hello, but instead, his body latches itself onto my legs and hugs me tight. "Hi," he excitedly squeals, as I explode into a fit of giggles. Even Isha herself can't contain her laughter, as I lean down to reciprocate the hug.

"Hi, Nishant," I greet him, as he looks back at Isha. Isha inches forward, with all the amusement glimmering in her eyes.

"Mumma, I go play now," he announces, as Isha gives him the Indian mom nod.

"Theek hai, beta," she affirms, as he scrambles his way off to one of Manish's bedrooms to play with his toys. Isha's eyes dart right back to me, as she bursts into another fit of giggles. I can't help but join her, as I can feel Nishant's enthusiasm infect me like some kind of contagious virus. "He really likes you, huh?"

I shrug, as Isha tucks a wave of hair behind her ear. "I guess. Not sure why, though."

Isha's eyes glimmer with a small sense of admiration, but also with a look of love that's a hundred times greater. "Nishant has always been very extroverted and loving. Puneet, my husband, was the same way. He loved everyone and just had the biggest heart ever. Nishant inherited that from him, for sure."

The smile on my face wilts a little bit from the mention of her late husband. A small part of me hurts for Isha because the thought of being a widow so young and with a young son to take care of is not an easy job at all. "Manish told me what happened. I'm so sorry."

Isha's lips purse together a little bit, while a little bit of pain and sadness stings in her eyes. "I am too. It sucks that Nishant will never grow up to know his father. And it's even worse that Puneet won't be there to see Nishant graduate, get married, and have kids of his own. But, the way I like to think of it is that Puneet died so that others can live their lives. He sacrificed his life so that others can live theirs. And that brings me peace."

As my heart aches for her, I do appreciate her positivity on this whole thing. The fact that she was still able to bring the positive out of such an awful situation really shows how strong and tough she is. "Oh, and Manish is out getting last minute groceries. He's been on this planet for over 3 decades and he still doesn't know how to not procrastinate."

We both let out small chuckles, as the tension building from this heavy subject is dissolved like someone threw acid onto it. While we're alleviating some of that layering tension, a random question just flicks into my mind. Granted, it's not all that random considering our past, but it still is pretty random giving the scenario we're thrust into.

I turn back to Isha, and ask, "So, what happened between us? The last time we saw each other, we were about to rip each others' throats out. Why are we so friendly lately?"

Another sprout of regret shines in Isha's tired eyes, and this time, it's as contagious as Nishant's toothy smile and happiness. I feel a little bit bad asking this, but I need closure from all of this. "Well, these past 10 years have been a good reflection for me. I used to say that you'd never make him happy - which I now disagree with - I didn't realize how much you impacted Manish until he would call home. He was very rarely sad when you were around, but when he called home from Seattle, I noticed that he changed. That's when I realized I was being completely irrational. And not to mention, a lot of my remarks were completely unwarranted. Not to mention, it took me too long to realize that if he's happy, then I'm happy. And I don't always have to play into that happiness. But now that he's doing his own thing, I'm glad for him."

Isha looks back at the bedroom Nishant is playing in, and I can see the small amount of regret in her eyes start to fizzle out. "And now that I'm a mom, it's almost like a growth lesson for Nishant. I want him to be reflective and thoughtful, so I wanted to set an example. But it also helped me realize how terrible I'd been to you. So, formally, I really am sorry. I really shouldn't have interfered in yours and Manish's personal lives. And I totally get if you resent me. But I just wanted to make things right."

A sense of warmth and comfort fuzzes at my chest. The fear that had built up into a solid block is disintegrating into my veins and transforming into a weirdly relaxing feeling. It feels good to put all those years of negativity and intensity behind us and give us a fresh start.

To fuel off of the good vibes that are coming right now, I decide to pitch in my own two cents and perspective on this. "You're totally right. And I'm sorry if I ever intruded on you and Manish's relationship. I never meant for it to be that way. And I'm sorry if I ever came off as too mean or brash."

Isha's eyes widen, as she shakes her head in pure negation. "No, no, it's not your fault. They were all in response to my remarks. I thought it was totally justified. So don't worry."

I smile, and then Isha herself lights up with a smile. "Yay, peace! Gotta love that," I say, and she laughs again.

"Who doesn't?"

I'm so glad that we aren't at each others' throats anymore, considering that ten years ago our motto was, "Peace was never an option." But now that we're all good, it feels like the road has automatically smoothed out.

As we're laughing about our newfound peace, I hear the door lock click open. The door swings open to reveal Manish standing there, with one hand grasping his keys and the other clutching a plastic grocery bag. His long sleeved, maroon shirt is slightly crumpled at the wrists, and he quickly slides off his tennis shoes to enter the house properly.

"What did I miss, ladies?" he asks, as he closes the door behind him with his foot.

I shrug, as Isha gives me a slightly devilish smile. "Nothing. We were just talking and catching up. Now, can we please have lunch? Your procrastination doesn't spice my chole."

I instantly burst into a fit of giggles, as Manish can't help but roll his eyes at the both of us. "Sorry, Isha. I forgot the chilis. Shall we dig in? I'm starving too."

Manish plops the bag down onto the floor, as he dusts off his hands and smooths out his shirt. He extends his hand towards the living room, and we both gladly follow him. I know for a fact that both the chili and the newfound joy that's bloomed in the pits of my stomach is going to make the chole taste so much better.

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Knowing what Jaya went through in the last book, I'm glad her and Isha were able to bring some peace. Do you think them making peace was the right option? Let me know.

I hope you guys liked this chapter! As always, make sure to vote/comment/share/message/follow (both here and on Instagram [svts.writes]) for more updates regarding my work! See you in the next chapter!

Love you guys,

Shree