After everyone was practically tired of laughter, Devika spoke calmly, her face deadpan. "Ho gaya?"
Everyone replied with a weak nod, their shoulders still shaking with lingering smiles and grins.
"To, Harsh aur Vikram ki zimmedari hai saare tickets vagaira ki. Agar pichli baar ki tarah agle saal ki ticket katai, to haath kaat denge dono ke," she ordered, making both of their grins stretch even wider. A few years ago, the duo had been tasked with booking flights to their maternal home but accidentally booked them for the exact same date a whole year later. The mistake had earned them a fierce scolding and a mandatory sentence of fifty pushups each, personally supervised by Devika.
"Avani, Sugandha, Nandini aur Jai ghumne ki jagah, khana vagaira dekhegi," Devika continued, mapping out the strategy with the clinical precision of a field commander. "Aur Rajveer ki zimmedari hai ye saare nikamme koi galti na karen, nahi to unhe bhi saza milegi. Clear?"
The entire table snapped to attention, shouting a resounding, "Clear!"
Then Jai paused, a sudden thought striking him. "Accha, Bhabhi, kis baat pe daat padi?"
Devika looked genuinely confused. "Kisko?"
Jai replied, "Aapko!"
She blinked. "Kisse?"
Jai sighed. "Dada sa se!"
"Oo haan!" Devika finally remembered, waving a dismissive, mehendi-stained hand. "Hume daat nahi padi. Kuch baat karna tha unhe. Hume kya humesha daat hi padti rehti hai sabse?" she asked defensively. The entire brigade immediately and teasingly nodded in unison, receiving a sharp, narrowing glare from her.
"Kaun si baat?" Avani pried further, leaning across the table with wide, curious eyes.
"Vikram ke liye ladki dekhni hai!" Devika shot back irritably, smoothly using Vikram as her ultimate scapegoat once again.
Instantly, every single pair of eyes snapped back to Vikram, the younger siblings grinning shamelessly. Vikram threw his hands up in mock despair. "Yaar, Bhabhi! Kabhi to reham khaya karo!!" He abruptly stood up from his chair to leave, but the siblings immediately swarmed him, tugging at his sleeves and playfully coaxing him back down like a toddler throwing a tantrum. "Accha, accha, sorry, sorry!" they chimed.
"Sab janna hai tum logon ko! Chalo kaam pe lago!" Devika ordered, biting her inner lip to control the giggle bubbling in her throat. But just as she turned away, she remembered something crucial. "Accha haan. Kal sab taiyaar rahenge 6 baje tak. Hume ek party mein jaana hai."
"Kiski party hai?" they all asked at once, their excitement instantly reigniting.
Devika smiled mischievously, her eyes glinting with a dangerous charm. "Vikram ki mangni shayad!!"
That was the final straw. Vikram aggressively pushed his chair back, stood up, and began stomping back into the palace with giant, furious steps while the garden erupted into another deafening roar of laughter behind him.
"Lekin Bhabhi, hume to shopping pe jaana tha kal!" Sugandha asked, her lower lip turning into a sad pout.
"Koi baat nahi. Aaj chale jao. Hum nahi chal sakte, hume kaam hai," Devika replied, smoothly sliding off the wooden armrest of Rajveer's chair.
"Theek hai. Chaliye, Bhaiya!" Sugandha stood up, enthusiastically gesturing for Rajveer to join the shopping brigade.
Rajveer opened his mouth, already framing a polite, corporate excuse to escape the nightmare of mall hopping, but Devika's voice sliced through the air from right behind him. "Are? Hum nahi jayenge to humare pati kyun jayenge!!"
Rajveer quietly let out a breath of relief, leaning back in his chair, thoroughly satisfied with his wife's absolute veto power.
Jai leaned forward on the table, a wicked, knowing smirk plastering his face. "To aap dono yahan akele karoge kya?" he asked, his voice dripping with pure tease.
"Romance karenge. Tumhari bala se!!" Devika shot back boldly, without an ounce of hesitation.
The response was so raw and unexpected that even Rajveer arched a sharp, surprised eyebrow at his wife, a dark amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Chalo niklo. Shoo. Shoo," she commanded, shooing them away with dramatic waves of her hands.
The siblings didn't need to be told twice. They scattered toward the palace doors, giggling and howling as they ran.
"Are kariye, kariye! Hum bhi to yahi chahte hain! Ji bhar ke romance kariye!! "they shouted back over their shoulders.
Rajveer and Devika stood side by side, watching the chaotic herd rush inside the palace to grab their handbags, sunglasses, and of course, to drag a still-furious Vikram along with them.
Once the lawn was completely empty and the heavy wooden doors clicked shut, a profound, peaceful silence settled over the garden.
Rajveer turned his head slightly, staring down at her with a casual, devastatingly calm expression. "Chaliye!" he said softly.
Devika was still staring at the empty pathway, her mind half-occupied. "Kahan?" she asked absentmindedly.
The reply came in an instant, low and raspy. "Romance karne!"
Devika's head snapped up. She froze, giving him a wide-eyed, completely speechless look. Her bold tongue, which had just bragged to the entire family about their afternoon plans, completely failed here. Rajveer didn't break his gaze. Instead, he gave her a sharp, mock-serious nudge with his shoulder, silently commanding her to follow him.
"Chup-chap se jao upar. Ab kaam nahi karna aapko?" she managed to stammer out, a nervous, breathless smile breaking through her shock as her ears flared a brilliant, crimson red.
Rajveer stepped closer, his tall frame blocking the sunlight, his thumb lightly brushing the edge of her dark mehendi. He leaned down, a dark, heart-stopping smirk playing on his lips. "Aap se zaroori kaam kya hoga, Jaaneman! Chaliye! Chaliye!"
That was it. Devika's entire face caught fire. Turning into a blushing, giggling mess, she completely abandoned her post, spun around, and practically ran inside the palace to escape his suffocating charm, leaving him laughing softly in the warm afternoon sun.
---
Late evening arrived, and a soft knock sounded at Rajveer's office door. Devika glided into the room, balancing a steaming cup of tea in her hands.
Rajveer looked up from his screen, a warm smile breaking across his face. "Itni chai pilayengi hume, to aadat pad jayegi!"
"Hum to chahte hi hain aapko humari aadat pad jaye!" Devika countered instantly with a bright smile, handing him the cup.
As he took it, Rajveer's sharp eyes noticed that her shoulders were slightly slumped, and her bubbly smile wasn't quite reaching her eyes. The strain of the all-day fasting and hosting was finally catching up to her.
"Aap theek hain?" he asked, his voice softening with deep concern.
Devika completely threw herself onto the nearby plush velvet couch, letting out a dramatic groan. "Aapko kya lagta hai? Bhook lagi hai hume!!" she whined with mock-sadness.
Rajveer nodded in understanding.
"Ye kambakht raat aa hi nahi rahi!" she complained, staring at the ceiling. Then, she abruptly sat up straight, pointing a finger at him in mock-irritation. "Aur aapki Bua Sa!! Ek number ki chant aurat hai, sahi me!!"
Rajveer let out a low chuckle, leaning back comfortably in his leather chair. "Aur vo kyun?" he asked, totally expecting an incredibly amusing answer.
"Kyun kya kyun? Agar aaj humara vrat nhi hota na, to bhook ke maare unhe hi kha jaate!!" she snapped back. She crossed her arms over her chest like a child, throwing her lower lip out into a dramatic pout.
"Are, are! Kha jaati? Aap shakahari nahi thi, jitna hume yaad hai?!" Rajveer teased, a smug smirk spreading across his lips.
"Haan, hum shakahari hain! Shudh shakahari!" she hurriedly corrected, her eyes widening.
Then, her face contorted back into that dramatic, calculating look. "Lekin ab pet ka sawal hai. Ab aapko to kha nahi sakte na! To us budhiya se hi kaam chalana padega!"
"Kyun? Humme kya dikkat hai?" he asked curiously, his dark eyes locking onto hers with a sudden, playful intensity.
She smirked mischievously, leaning her chin on her hand as she tilted her head. "Aap tasty honge?"
"Try kar ke dekh lijiye!" he shot back at once, matching her fierce, flirting energy without a second thought.
"Agar ise aap log romance kehte hain," a loud, mocking voice sliced through the air from the open doorway, "to phir laanat hai aapke taste par."
Jai was standing right at the threshold, his arms and legs crossed as he leaned casually against the wooden door frame. Right behind him, the rest of the siblings poked their heads into the office, all wearing massive, relentless teasing smiles.
Rajveer's ears instantly burned with a deep scarlet embarrassment, and he quickly cleared his throat, trying to pull his strict, cold mask back on. Devika, however, didn't lose her composure for a second. She smirked darkly at the intruders.
"Tum saalo ko koi aur kaam nahi hai na, kabab mein haddi banne ke alawa!!" she barked playfully, waving her hand to signal them inside. "Ab tapak hi pade ho, to aao andar!"
The siblings grinned broadly, hopping into his formal office with a mountain of colorful shopping bags, completely transforming the serious workspace into a chaotic lounge.
"Itna saara saman! Kitna kharcha kar ke aaye ho, kamino?!" Devika scolded, her inner protective big sister kicking in as she eyed the bags like a curious child.
"Are? Itni si to shopping ki hai!" Avani gasped dramatically.
Devika opened her mouth to interrogate them further, but Harsh cut her off instantly, already knowing her exact checklist. "Aapke dost ke mall se li hai!"
Devika tried to ask another question, but this time Sugandha cut her off. "Discount dekh ke li hai!"
She tried to speak again, and Jai jumped in. "Bodyguards saath le ke gaye the!"
Devika opened her mouth one last time, and Nandini completed the defense with a sweet smile. "Apni gaadi mein gaye the. Baad mein tel bhi bharva diya tha!!"
Left completely textless by their flawless coordination, Devika's face shifted into a mock-proud grin. She cracked her knuckles against her temples, taking their balaiyan with grand theatrical flair. "Haye! Humare bacche kitne bade ho gaye!!"
Then, she noticed Rajveer still sitting silently behind his desk, watching the chaotic family circle with a warm, incredibly tender smile. She waved her hand toward him authoritatively. "Aap vahan kya kar rahe hai? Yahi aayen!"
He got up from his leather chair without a single second of hesitation. The moment he reached the couch, Devika reached out, firmly catching his wrist like always and pulling him down to sit right beside her. The siblings smoothly claimed the rest of the room—some perched on the heavy desk, some on the armrests, and a few even sat cross-legged right on the carpet.
Jai suddenly remembered their earlier conversation and leaned forward with a teasing smirk. "Vaise, Bhabhi! Ek to shakahari, upar se vrat! Sharam nahi aayi aapko? Itni ashubh baate karte hue!"
Devika's lips curled into a dark, dangerous smirk. She tilted her head toward Jai like a seasoned cop staring down a suspect. "Shubh-ashubh ki baaten tum to mat hi karo, bacchu!! Sab pata hai hume tumhare parties aur drinking ke baare mein!"
Before Jai's brain could even process a witty response, Rajveer's head snapped toward his youngest brother, his eyes flashing with a sudden, dangerous elder-brother authority. "Drinking? Jai?"
Both Devika and Jai practically bit their tongues in unison, realizing they had just accidentally breached a major boundary.
Rajveer looked at Jai accusingly, his strict gaze pinning him to the spot. Jai looked like he was about to drop to his knees and beg. "Occasionally, Bhaiya! Occasionally!" he stammered out, his hands raised in surrender.
Devika couldn't help but giggle, throwing her brother-in-law completely under the bus. "Occasionally matlab once a day, Rajveer!"
"Nahi, nahi!!!" Jai almost screamed in absolute denial, looking helplessly at Rajveer, whose eyes had turned completely icy and disciplinary.
"Accha, choriye na," Devika stepped in to coax her husband, trying to diffuse the rising tension. Then, she turned to Rajveer and asked with a casual shrug, "Aap nahi pite?"
Rajveer's response came in a protective flash. "Bilkul bhi nahi! Hum—" He stopped mid-sentence as a sudden realization hit him. He narrowed his eyes, shifting his intense, questioning gaze onto his wife. "Aap kyun puch rahi hain?"
Devika's eyes went completely wide as she realized her massive blunder. She bolted upright from the couch, clapping her hands loudly to create a diversion. "Chalo, chalo! Packing nahi karni? Parso nikalna haina!!" she yelled, practically sprinting out of the office doors to escape his gaze.
"Bhabhi, ruko!!" Jai screamed, running right behind her to secure his alibi.
Rajveer slowly shifted his gaze to Harsh and Vikram. The two brothers gave him a guilty, sheepish grin before turning on their heels and running out of the room as well, closely followed by Nandini and Sugandha.
Within three seconds, the chaotic office was completely silent again. The only one left behind was Avani, who was still sitting comfortably on the carpet, surrounded by shopping bags and giggling quietly to herself.
Rajveer looked at his sister, too stunned to speak.
"Hum nahi pite," Avani reassured him with a sweet smile, breaking the silence. "Ek baar try karvaya tha in logon ne. Bilkul accha nahi laga hume. Baaki sab piyakkad hain, Bhai!"
A profound sense of relief washed over Rajveer. He reached down, took Avani's hand, kissed the back of it affectionately, and pulled her up to sit on the couch beside him.
"Aaj se tum hi humari sacchi behen ho. Haye! Insaaniyat se vishvas uth gya humara aaj!" he sighed dramatically, still recovering from the shock. Avani let out a bright, bubbly giggle and immediately began pulling dresses out of her bags, eagerly showing her big brother all her shopping while the rest of the palace prepared for the grand journey ahead.
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