The Celebration She Deserved

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Aashna practically skipped up the stairs of her home, her heart still thrumming with excitement. The moment her team’s name had been announced as the winners, she had been unable to stop smiling. It was a victory she hadn’t even realized she wanted this much. She had poured her heart into this project, and now, holding the first-place certificate in her hand, she felt a surge of pride.

As soon as she entered the house, she called out, “Mumma, Baba! We won! First place!”

Her mother emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her dupatta. “Sach?” Her eyes sparkled with pride as she quickly walked up to Aashna and cupped her face. “I knew it, beta. I knew you could do it.”

Aashna grinned as her mother wrapped her in a warm hug. “It was amazing, Mumma. The judges really liked our concept, and—”

Her father’s voice cut in from the living room. “First place? In what?”

“In the short film competition, Baba! The one I told you about,” she said, turning to him, still smiling.

He barely looked up from his newspaper. “That’s nice. But how is this helping your career?”

Aashna’s smile faltered. “Baba, it’s—”

“Don’t waste too much time on these extracurricular things, Aashna,” he interrupted. “Focus on your studies. That’s what actually matters. First place or last place, this won’t help you in the long run.”

Her mother shot him a disapproving look. “Let the girl have her moment, Ravi.”

Aashna swallowed the lump in her throat. She had known this was coming. Why had she expected anything different? She just nodded, murmured a quiet “Okay,” and walked to her room, her excitement draining with every step.

The moment she entered, she collapsed onto her bed, hugging her pillow. She had been so happy just a moment ago, and now, she just felt… empty.

A low whine caught her attention. She looked up to see Shadow, her German Shepherd, standing by her bedside, his ears perked up in concern.

“Shadow…” she whispered, reaching out a hand. The dog wasted no time jumping onto the bed, pressing his body against hers. Aashna let out a small laugh as she wrapped her arms around him. “At least you care about my victory, huh?”

Shadow licked her cheek in response, making her giggle. “You’re the best, you know that?” She buried her face in his fur, feeling his warmth seep into her, comforting her in a way words couldn’t. Within minutes, exhaustion took over, and she drifted into a dreamless sleep, her arms wrapped around her dog.

Meanwhile, at Dhruvin’s home, the atmosphere was completely different. The moment he had stepped in, his Aaji had let out an excited squeal.

“My shana mulga won first place!” she said, beaming with pride.

“Aree wah!” his Aajoba added, clapping him on the back. “We knew it. Didn’t we, Sumati?”

“Of course!” Aaji huffed. “Now, come on. We’ve made all your favorite food to celebrate.”

Dhruvin’s stomach growled at the smell of home-cooked dal, crispy sabzi, warm chapatis, and—his eyes lit up—sheera.

“Aaji, tuzya sarkha sheera  konacha nahi banavu shakat (No one makes sheera like you),” he said, taking a bite.

Aaji swatted his arm. “Bas bas, abhi butter mat lagao. Tujhse ek poochhna hai.”

Dhruvin raised an eyebrow. “Kay?”

“The dinner I invited everyone for—arey, that girl is coming, na? Aashna?” Aaji asked, smiling knowingly.

Dhruvin tried to act casual. “Haan, hopefully.”

“What does she like to eat?” Aaji continued. “We have to make something special. And I need to clean the whole house.”

“I’ll do the cleaning,” Dhruvin said quickly. “You just make good food, Aaji.”

Aaji looked impressed. “Aree wah. Look at him, Sumati. Our grandson cleaning the house for a girl!”

“Shut up,” Dhruvin groaned, but he couldn’t hide his smile.

That night, he got to work. He swept, dusted, mopped, and even set up some fairy lights outside in the garden for the dinner setting. The patio looked warm and inviting, and he felt a strange satisfaction looking at it.

Then he went into his room. He changed his bedsheets, replaced his pillow covers, even did his laundry—which was rare. He had never been this nervous before. It wasn’t just any dinner. It was the dinner. The first time Aashna would come to his house. And though he would never admit it, he wanted everything to be perfect.

His fingers hovered over his wardrobe as he tried to decide what to wear. Black? Too intense. White? Too plain. Blue? Too casual.

After much internal debate, he finally settled on a baby pink shirt. He wasn’t sure why, but it felt right. Maybe because he knew pink suited him—or maybe because he was hoping Aashna would notice.

As he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, he thought about tomorrow.

Would she finally give him her number?

Would she like his home?

Would she even notice the effort he had put in?

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Who was he kidding? This wasn’t just about a dinner anymore.

He liked her. More than he wanted to admit.

And tomorrow, he was going to do everything he could to make sure she felt that.

Even if it meant suffering through endless teasing from his Aaji.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Author’s Note

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