The Mediterranean sun had no idea what was hitting it. Within three days, the ultra-luxurious, white-washed villa in Santorini had been completely conquered by the Rathore sibling brigade. The quiet cliffside estate now echoed with a chaotic mix of Marwari teasing, loud laughter, and running footsteps.
Now that the drowsiness of the sedatives had completely faded, Devika's bold, bubbly persona returned with the force of an Aegean cyclone. Having noticed how Rajveer's ears flared up whenever she was too close, she decided to turn the tables. She grew shockingly bold, actively seeking his touch, while the terrifying prince did his absolute best to stay away from her proximity.
"Raj! Us chattan ko dekhiye! Chaliye vahan se paani mein jump marte hai!! Bahut maza aayega!" Devika beamed, her breezy blue linen dress flaring as she practically lunged at him on the terrace, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist from behind.
Rajveer stiffened instantly, his calm composure completely evaporating. He tried to subtly untangle her small arms, desperately looking around to see if his siblings were watching. "Devika, aise khatarnaak stunts nhi karne chahiye. Chot lag jayegi," he murmured in a low, panicked whisper.
"Are kuch nhi hoga, Patidev! Hum bahut baar kar chuke hain!" she laughed loudly, "Chaliye na! Please! Please!" She tried to persuade him by pressing and shaking her face right against his shoulder blades.
Desperate to stop his reckless wife from doing a dangerous stunt, Rajveer had no choice but to deploy his ultimate tactical weapon: diversion. His strict eyes frantically scanned the horizon for literally anything to change her hyperactive mind. "Dekhiye! Devika, udhar... Kitna bada seagull hai! Chaliye use kuch khilate hain. Aur udhar, kitne saare khaane ke stalls hai. Aapko bhook nhi lagi?"
Surprisingly, his chaotic wife actually paused. Her big, round eyes blinked, completely locking onto the passing bird and the distant food stall. She nodded enthusiastically, her focus instantly shifting to the new distractions. Rajveer let out a long, ragged breath of relief, silently celebrating his absolute victory.
---
Rajveer's strict medical decree on Devika's diet was still in full force, much to her absolute misery. While everyone else feasted on heavy Mediterranean platters, Devika was forced to stare at clear broths and juices under Rajveer's watchful, disciplinary eyes.
But the Princess Devika Rajveer Rathore always finds a loophole in the system.
The moment Rajveer stepped away to take a corporate phone call, Devika turned her big, round puppy eyes directly toward Vikram, who was sitting across the table with a plate of loaded Greek fries and cheese pies. She didn't say a word; she just stared at his plate, her lower lip trembling comically.
Vikram closed his eyes for a second, silently praying that Rajveer wouldn't murder him. "Bhaiya busy hain," Vikram whispered frantically.
With lightning speed, Vikram snatched a massive, cheese-stuffed pastry from his plate and slid it under the table. Devika's hand shot down, grabbing the contraband with professional precision. She stuffed half of it into her mouth in a single second, chewing like a maniac while flashing Vikram a victorious thumbs-up right as Rajveer turned back around, entirely unaware that his younger brother was running a black-market food syndicate right under his nose.
---
Down at the black-sand beach, the drama reached a spectacular crescendo. Harsh had made the monumental mistake of asking two local Greek girls for directions to a nearby cave—and he had smiled a little too warmly while doing it.
Nandini stood a few paces away, her arms crossed tightly over her sundress, her face a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. "Bahut badiya? Jao unke saath hi manao honeymoon!! Aise muskura rahe the jaise pehle kabhi ladki nhi dekhi!!" she snapped the moment he walked back.
"Are, Nandu Rani! Humari baat suno, hum to bas—" Harsh stammered, his face turning pale.
Instantly, the entire sibling brigade mobilized to save the groom and coax the angry bride. "Nandini bhabhi, humara bharosa kijiye. Vo to unhe pehle hi bata chuke the ki vo yahan honeymoon pe aaye hain, duniya ki sabse haseen ladki ke saath! Humne suna tha!" Jai lied shamelessly.
"Haan, Bhabhi! Aapko pata hai, bhaiya pichle teen din se yahan olives hi dhunde jaa rahe hain. Kaha tha aapki farmaish thi!" Avani chimed in, aggressively nodding.
Devika stepped up, wrapping an arm around Nandini's shoulder. "Chor na Nandu, ye to hai hi paidaishi gawaar! Maaf kar de, kahin rone na lag jaye. Dekh rahe ho kaise chuhe jaisa muh ho gya gya hai iska!"
While Harsh was busy coaxing and being scolded, Jai and Tara were having their own war near the shoreline.
"Jai, nhi! Paani bahut thanda hai, main nhi Jaa rahi!" Tara barked, stepping back into the dry sand.
"Are, chal na, Tara! Hum yahan baithne ki liye thode hi aaye hain!" Jai cheered.
"Maine kaha NHI—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Jai let out a loud, evil laugh. He lunged forward, bent down, and shamelessly lifted Tara entirely over his broad shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Jai ke bacche! Bahut maarenge tujhe! Neeche utaar!" Tara screamed at the top of her lungs, her fists raining a barrage of furious slaps right onto his upper back.
The heavy blows had absolutely zero effect on Jai, who just grinned like a maniac, accelerated into a full athletic sprint, and launched both of them directly into a massive, crashing wave.
SPLASH!
They emerged from the foam, Tara gasping and aggressively splashing water into his face while her hair hung in wet patches, sending the entire family on the shore—even a stoic Rajveer—into a helpless fit of laughter.
In stark contrast to the lighthearted, explosive chaos of the rest of the couples, Sugandha and her fiancé, Shlok, were locked in a completely separate, intensely tense universe. None of the siblings quite understood the exact root of the friction, but a heavy, unspoken atmosphere had settled between them over the last forty-eight hours.
Sugandha was actively avoiding Shlok, her movements nervous and guarded. Every time he stepped into a room, she would look down at her lap, her fingers twisting the fabric of her skirt, before making a hasty, breathless excuse to leave. When they sat at the dinner table, she purposefully positioned herself as far away from him as humanly possible, her face flushing a deep, anxious pink whenever his name was mentioned.
Shlok, however, was quietly and completely refusing to give her an inch of space. He wasn't pursuing her with gentle, soft gestures; instead, a dark, heavy intensity had taken over his demeanor. He was tracking her movements through the villa with a steady, unyielding focus. When they walked down the narrow, winding stone steps toward the beach, Shlok didn't just walk beside her—he stepped right into her path, his large hand gripping her forearm with a sudden, unyielding pressure that stopped her in her tracks. It wasn't a gentle check to see if she was okay; it was a firm, uncompromising hold, his eyes staring down into hers with a dark, burning territorial edge that silently broadcasted a single message: 'You belong to me'.
When she tried to subtly pull her wrist back, his fingers only tightened against her skin, his jaw locking as he forced her to stay right by his side, steering her posture with an absolute, possessive dominance that left no room for retreat.
From the edge of the terrace, Devika watched the intense friction with a slow, calculating look, her sharp operational senses tracking the sudden shift. She leaned her shoulder against Rajveer's chest, pointing a finger. "Ye log thode... Thode pareshan se nhi lag rahe? Sugandha to jaise bhaag Rahi hai Shlok se."
Rajveer looked down at his wife, a genuine, warm smile finally breaking across his face. He didn't try to pull away from her touch this time. Instead, his long fingers smoothly slipped down to firmly loop through hers, locking their hands together against his linen trousers.
"Samajhne dijiye unhe ye rishta," Rajveer murmured, his deep, raspy voice sending a delicious shiver straight down her spine. "Sab aapki tarah nhi hote. Kuch logon ko time lagta hai ek naye insaan ko apni dil mein jagah dene ke liye."
Devika's bold expression instantly shattered. Her ears flared a brilliant, instant scarlet under the Greek sun, her thumb unconsciously tracing a slow circle over his palm as she stood entirely captivated under the protective, quiet reign of her husband.
---
The morning sun was warming the white cliffs of Mykonos, but at the Rathore sibling brigade's terrace table, a major tactical crisis had officially broken out.
Avani was staring. Her fork was frozen halfway to her mouth, her eyes completely locked onto the tall, remarkably handsome young man working behind the cafe's espresso counter. He was a striking blend of Greek and Indian heritage—possessing sharp Mediterranean features, sun-kissed skin, and deep, dark eyes. He moved with effortless grace, wiping down tables, handling the espresso machine with a practiced flair, and conversing with customers in a smooth, fluent mix of Greek and English.
Avani leaned in close, her cheeks turning a bright, immediate pink as she whispered softly to Devika, "Bhabhi, udhar dekhiye. Vo aadmi kya sahi hai na!!"
Devika paused, her sharp eyes tracking the target. She let out a slow, soft whistle, unashamedly looking at the man from head to toe, before turning back to Avani with a wide, wicked grin. She gave her a firm, supportive thumbs-up. "Good choice, Avani."
Instantly, the women at the table mobilized in a single fraction of a second.
"Dekh kya rahi ho? Jao baat karo usse!" Devika cheered, leaning across the table and nudging her arm aggressively. "Thodi shakkar mango! Galti se apna napkin gira do! Jao baat karo!"
"Haan, Avani! Jao ek aur frappe order kar ke aao!" Tara chimed in, practically vibrating with excitement. Nandini nodded aggressively, joining the huddle. "Jao, jao! Usse pucho ki kya vo India se hai! Use apne baare mein batao! Aasani se pighal jayega, dekhna!"
"Nahi! Bilkul nahi!"
A synchronized, thunderous chorus of elder-brother authority slammed down onto the marble table. Rajveer, Vikram, Harsh, and Jai instantly leaned forward, their faces hardening into identical masks of pure, unadulterated brotherly protectiveness. They began listing every single possible flaw of the poor man, pulling out any ridiculous excuse they could formulate in their panicked minds.
"Us saale ki height dekho! 6 foot ka bhi nhi hoga. Heels mein tum uski amma lagogi," Jai sniffed, crossing his arms fiercely.
"Aur kaam? Barista? Accha lagega kya Jodhpur ki Rajkumari ke saath!!" Harsh added, pointing a strict fork in the stranger's direction.
"Plus, us kamine ki aankhen dekh rahi ho. Pakka nashe mein hai!" Vikram analysed with supreme, unearned medical confidence. "Kya pata drugs leta ho. Ya phir—kahi koi criminal-vagaira hua to! Dekh rahi ho kaise coffee beans kut raha hai. Iska experience kahin aur lag raha hai hume!"
Before Avani could even groan, Vikram crossed his arms with immense finality. "Hum log khud dhundenge humari choti behan ke liye ladka! Tum in sab chakkarone mein mat pado!"
"Haan, bilkul!" Jai chimed in aggressively, nodding his head like a supreme judge. "Avani, ye boyfriend-voybriend acchi cheez nahi hoti!"
Devika snapped her head toward Jai in a split second, her eyes narrowing into a dangerous, dark smirk. "Oo Ho. Tum aur Tara to bhai-behan ho na!"
Tara burst out into a loud, helpless fit of laughter at the table, while Jai's confident face instantly collapsed into a comically offended scowl. "Humari baat alag hai, bhabhi. Ye abhi choti hai!"
The moment the excuse left his mouth, Devika, Tara, Nandini and Sugandha joined together in a perfect, loud chorus, matching each other's dramatic tones perfectly: "Haan haan. Tum to buddhe ho gaye na!"
The entire terrace table erupted into a roar of laughter. Jai ducked his head, trying to hide his flushing face behind his menu card while Harsh and Vikram tried to look entirely unrelated to him.
Then, the ultimate boss stepped into the arena. Rajveer slowly lowered his porcelain cup, his strict, commanding voice dropping the entire table back into a silent wait. He fixed his intense, unreadable gaze on the target and deliver his own verdict.
"Avani, vo aadmi hume bhi sahi nhi lag raha! Tum dekh rahi ho kaise cup ko apni pinky finger utha ke pakad raha hai. Europe mein ise ahenkaar ka bhav kehte hain. Hum to Vikram ki baat se bhi sehmat hain. Ye sachmuch nashe me lag raha hai. Dur raho."
FLIP-FLAP!
Avani threw her linen napkin directly at Vikram's face in absolute, crushing frustration, completely done with the family's scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Devika's jaw literally dropped at her husband's highly unexpected, hyper-detailed analysis of a random barista. Her husband had actually joined the petty brotherly gossip wing! She spun around in her seat, lunging forward with lightning speed to grab the crisp collar of Rajveer's white linen shirt, physically pulling him down into her immediate space.
"Aap bhi unke saath hain, Hukum sa?!" she gasped out, her big round eyes wide with mock fury as her nose nearly brushed against his.
Rajveer, trapped firmly in her grasp, looked at her with uncharacteristically helpless, soft eyes. His usual commanding aura evaporated under her close proximity. He raised his hands slightly in mock surrender, a rare, amused smirk playing on his lips as he whispered, "Maaf kar dijiye. Par jo sach hai vo sach hai!"
---
Write a comment ...