Care & Demand

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Anokhi entered the kitchen and began checking the fridge. Although there were plenty of food items, it was clear from her expression that she was looking for something else, and that particular item wasn’t there.

“What are you doing? This isn’t the time to eat. What do you need? Tell me, I’ll get it for you,” Rishabh said, closing the fridge door.

“I want… I want…”

“Yes, tell me,” Rishabh urged.

Anokhi gestured with her hands for him to come closer. When Rishabh bent a little toward her face, she whispered softly into his ear, “I want… I want to eat pav bhaji.”

“What? You want pav bhaji at this hour?”

Anokhi nodded enthusiastically and said, “Yes, I want pav bhaji, and I want it now.”

“Cupcake, listen. It’s too late. Pav bhaji won’t be available at this time. Let’s sleep, and I’ll get you pav bhaji tomorrow morning. Promise.”

“No, I want it now,” Anokhi said, sitting on the floor cross-legged.

Rishabh slapped his forehead in frustration. He knelt before her and tried to reason, “Fine, fine. So you want pav bhaji, right? I… I’ll get someone to arrange it for you right now. But come to the room first. Are you planning to eat it sitting here on the floor?”

“No! I don’t want to eat it on the floor. I want to eat it sitting on the sand,” Anokhi declared.

“Sand?” Rishabh asked in confusion.

Anokhi flashed a wide smile and said, “Yes! I want to eat pav bhaji from Juhu Beach, sitting on the sand. I want to eat it near the sea, enjoying the cool breeze with hot pav bhaji. There’s nothing like it!”

She got lost in her dreamy thoughts of food and started talking like a food critic, advising on the best ways and seasons to enjoy different dishes.

Frustrated, Rishabh said, “Absolutely not. You’ll get pav bhaji, but only inside this house, in the room. Now get up quietly and come with me.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the floor, trying to lead her away. But Anokhi stood rooted to the spot.

When Rishabh turned, he saw tears welling up in Anokhi’s big eyes. She sniffled and said, “You’re so mean. You really are a Rakshas Shergill. You won’t let me eat, and you’re scolding me. Everyone says husbands stop loving their wives after a while. They only show love at the start, and then they just scold. I won’t marry you again!”

She kept sobbing as she spoke. Rishabh stared at her in disbelief. Suppressing his irritation, he thought, “Vikram! Cupcake is acting like this because of you. She’s drunk, and it’s all your fault. You’re dead, buddy. Live your life tonight because tomorrow, you won’t be able to escape me.”

Meanwhile, Anokhi’s face was now drenched in tears. Seeing her teary face and watery eyes, Rishabh pulled her close, wiped her cheeks gently, and said lovingly, “Alright, alright. I’ll take you to Juhu Beach and get you pav bhaji there. Stop crying now.”

“Really?”

Before stopping her tears, Anokhi sniffled one last time and made Rishabh promise, as if she didn’t trust his words at all.

Rishabh sighed in defeat and said, “Yes, really. I promise. Let’s go.”

Taking her hand, he led her out. He made her sit in the car, then got into the driver’s seat. Before starting the car, he buckled her seatbelt and then his own. He made a phone call and waited for someone to pick up.

In Praveen’s room, Shanaya was lying in his arms while Praveen gently stroked her tummy. She was smiling at him, and he had a big smile too because the baby was kicking lightly, and Praveen felt immense joy at the sensation. Yet, he softly said, “Baby, that’s enough now. Go to sleep. Mommy’s tired, and she needs rest too. If you keep kicking, how will she sleep? So, say goodnight to Mommy and be a good boy.”

Teasing him, Shanaya spoke to the baby, “Yes, baby, be a good boy. Your daddy isn’t a good boy since he never listens to me. At least you’ll listen to Mommy, right? So, be a good boy.”

As soon as Shanaya finished speaking, the baby stopped kicking. Praveen glared at her playfully, leaned closer to her face, and said, “Oh, so I’m bad, am I? Let me show you how bad I can be.” He moved toward her lips, but Shanaya placed her hand over his mouth, gently pushing him away. “Praveen, I was joking. Stop being so naughty, okay? Otherwise, the baby will turn out just like you—shameless.”

Hearing this, Praveen laughed, and so did Shanaya. Just then, Praveen’s phone rang. He picked it up from the side table and saw Rishabh’s name on the screen.

“A call from Rishabh at this hour? Is something wrong?” Shanaya asked. Praveen kissed her forehead and replied, “Nothing will be wrong. This man probably forgot I’m not his assistant anymore and needs something done. One second…”

He answered the call, and Rishabh ordered, “Tell hotel chef to go to Juhu Beach right now, arrange everything, and prepare pav bhaji for me. I’ll be there shortly.”

Hearing this, Praveen said in shock, “What? Send chef to Juhu Beach and ask him to prepare pav bhaji at this hour?”

Shanaya, lying beside him, looked at him in surprise as well. Rishabh’s stern voice came from the other end, “Why? Do you have a problem?”

Praveen made a face but then decided to tease him. “Mr. Rishabh Shergill, perhaps you’ve forgotten… Maybe you’re half-asleep and don’t realize that I’m no longer your assistant. So if you want me to do your work, you’ll have to say ‘please.’”

Praveen's words made Rishabh's brows furrow. He suddenly realized that he had indeed forgotten Praveen was no longer his assistant, yet he had called to order him around. Still, maintaining his pride, he angrily said, "Praveen..."

But before he could finish, Praveen, smiling mischievously, interrupted, "Not P for Praveen, P for Please."

Watching Praveen tease Rishabh, Shanaya also smiled and playfully hit him on the chest. Praveen looked at her and winked in return. Meanwhile, sitting in the car, Rishabh heard Praveen's comment, and his gaze instinctively shifted to Anokhi, who was staring at him intently with her intoxicating eyes.

Seeing her, Rishabh’s mind recalled the ABCD Anokhi had once taught him.

"Not P for Praveen, P for Please. Does company really influence someone so much that their words also start sounding alike? If that's true, I better keep Cupcake far away from everyone," Rishabh thought to himself while looking at Anokhi. Then, taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and said aloud, "Please, Mr. Praveen, just do what I asked."

With that, he ended the call, started the car, and drove away.

Praveen laughed after hanging up, muttering, “Hearing a ‘please’ from this man feels like getting a guaranteed entry to heaven.”

"Don't fly too high, because if he gets angry, I'll make sure you understand properly, especially for having too much fun right now," Shanaya said. Then, after thinking for a moment, she added, "By the way, having pav bhaji at Juhu Chowpatty at this time... has this happened before?"

"No, this has never happened before. But earlier, he didn’t have a wife, did he? After a wife comes into the picture, wives have all sorts of demands. I know this very well. In fact, I know it better than anyone else because I got married first, and my wife got pregnant before anyone else's. So, when it comes to wives' mood swings, I'm currently an expert," said Praveen, pulling Shanaya into his arms with both hands.

Pinching his cheek, Shanaya said, "For now, stop being a 'husband expert' and get back to your old job. Do the arrangements he told you to."

Hearing this, Praveen made a face but still called to get everything arranged because he knew that even though he was no longer Rishabh's assistant, if he didn’t do the work Rishabh assigned or made him angry, Rishabh could cause a lot of trouble for him.

After hanging up, Praveen looked at Shanaya. "All the arrangements are done. Happy now?" Shanaya smiled and nodded.

Then, while brushing away the strands of hair from her forehead, Praveen said, "By the way, Shanaya, it would’ve been better if Mom and Dad had stayed a few more days. Your due date is near, and the baby will arrive in a few days. They could’ve seen the baby before leaving."

"Yes, I know. But going there was really important, right? The hospital inauguration could be delayed, but the patients couldn’t wait. That’s why they had to leave. But it’s okay. They’ll meet the baby later," Shanaya replied.

"That’s true. Let’s do one thing. Once the baby is a few months old, we’ll take them to meet Mom and Dad," said Praveen, making Shanaya smile.

Teasing him a little, she asked, "By the way, what’s the matter? Are you feeling extra love for your mother-in-law these days?"

"Of course, I am! She’s my only mother-in-law, and she’s fiery too. Don’t you notice? Whenever she sees me, she glares at me like I stole her daughter."

"Of course, she’ll glare at you. Your actions deserve it. First, you secretly married her daughter, and then, after the wedding, you kept leaving me again and again. If it weren’t for this baby… it’s only because of the baby that our relationship came out in the open. Otherwise, who knows when people would’ve found out about us," Shanaya said, glaring at Praveen.

Seeing the slight anger on her face, Praveen immediately realized that Shanaya was having mood swings and was about to get angry. To distract her, he quickly pulled her close and said, "By the way, I can’t wait for the baby to come. You can feel them all the time, but I can only feel them when they kick. And I don’t even want them to kick often because it causes you pain. That’s why I want them in my arms soon, so I can hold them."

Shanaya gave Praveen a soft kiss on his lips, placed her hand on his cheek, and smiled. "Don’t worry. Your wish will soon come true. Just as you’re longing to hold the baby, I’m sure the baby is equally eager to come to their Papa."

Praveen smiled back at Shanaya in contentment, kissed her forehead, and closed his eyes to sleep peacefully.

In the car, Anokhi, sitting on the seat next to Rishabh, overheard him on the phone and broke into a big smile. She grabbed his arm, unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned closer, kissed his cheek, and said, "You are so sweet, Rishabh Ji. You are the world's best husband."

Rishabh smiled at the kiss but then glanced at her and said while looking ahead, "Oh, so now that I've agreed to take you for pav bhaji, I’ve become the world's best husband? Just a while ago, I was the bad guy. Rakshas Shergill. You didn’t even want to marry me. What changed now?"

"Well, you weren’t listening to me earlier, so what was I supposed to do?" Anokhi pouted and lightly traced her fingers on his shoulders, adding, "Besides, Ruhi told me that if a husband doesn’t listen, just shed big crocodile tears. Then they’ll agree. And it worked, Rishabh Ji. You weren’t listening earlier, right? But the moment I cried, you agreed instantly."

Listening to her, Rishabh sighed and said, "What do I do with all this? Everyone around here is crazy. I’ll have to keep Cupcake away from all of them; otherwise, they'll drive her insane, and she’ll keep doing all these silly things."

After some time, when Rishabh’s car reached near the sea, Anokhi saw the waves in the distance and broke into a wide smile. She quickly tapped Rishabh on the shoulder and said, "Rishabh Ji, stop! Rishabh Ji, stop the car!"

Hearing her, Rishabh quickly hit the brakes.

"What happened? Why did you ask me to stop? We haven't reached the beach yet," Rishabh asked.

Anokhi replied, "If we take the car onto the beach, it will make noise, right? So..."

Rishabh raised an eyebrow and asked, "So?"

Anokhi softly said, "The car will make noise! The fish in the sea will wake up and get disturbed. That's why we shouldn’t take the car. Let’s walk there."

"You're worried about the fish's sleep but not your husband’s? Did it not occur to you that it’s so late at night and Rishabh Ji might need sleep? You could’ve just stayed home and slept," Rishabh scolded her.

Anokhi, making a sad face and batting her eyelashes, replied, "Rishabh Ji doesn’t sleep! You don’t know? Rishabh Ji doesn’t sleep until I sleep. He only sleeps after I do. And I can’t sleep, so how will Rishabh Ji sleep? Get it, silly?" she said, pinching both his cheeks.

Rishabh burst out laughing. Anokhi got out of the car, and seeing her, Rishabh also stepped out quickly. Holding her hand, he said, "Walk with me quietly. Don’t you dare run around!"

"Okay," Anokhi replied like an obedient child.

Holding her hand, Rishabh slowly started walking toward the sea. But suddenly, Anokhi stopped and sat down on the ground.

Seeing her sit, Rishabh asked, "What happened? Are you feeling dizzy?"

He thought she might be feeling sick because of the alcohol.

But Anokhi shook her head and said, "No, my feet hurt a lot. I danced too much at the wedding, so they’re sore."

Then, spreading her arms toward him, she said, "Carry me on your back! I’m not heavy, I swear! I’m very light."

At that moment, Anokhi looked like a little child tired of walking and asking their mother for a piggyback ride. Rishabh couldn’t help but smile. He turned around, crouched down slightly, and said, "Alright, hop on."

Anokhi quickly climbed onto his back. Rishabh stood up with her on his back. She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck and, rubbing her face against his, said, "You’re so sweet, Rishabh Ji! You always agree to whatever I say."

"And you take advantage of that," Rishabh said as he walked.

Turning her face to him and pouting, Anokhi replied, "I don’t take advantage. You’re the one who takes advantage of every situation."

"And this is your way of getting back at me!" Rishabh said, leaving Anokhi at a loss for words. Seeing her silent, Rishabh smiled.

By then, they had reached the spot where Praveen had arranged everything. There was a beautifully decorated table. Rishabh’s hotel’s head chef and a few of his staff were standing there, staring wide-eyed as Rishabh carried Anokhi on his back, smiling softly and chatting. But as soon as Rishabh noticed them, his smile vanished, and he said in a stern voice, "Lower your gaze."

Immediately, they looked down and respectfully bowed their heads, saying, "Good evening, sir. As per Praveen sir’s instructions, we’ve set everything up. Please come this way."

The chef gestured toward the table, and Rishabh walked over with Anokhi. He gently seated her in a chair and then moved to the chair opposite her. However, he pulled it closer and sat beside her.

Rishabh noticed that Anokhi didn’t insist on making him sit on the sand. Perhaps she had forgotten and quietly sat down on the chair instead. Seeing this, he let out a sigh of relief.

Once they were seated, the chef and his staff brought plates of pav bhaji to the table. The chef stood nearby. Anokhi’s lips curved into a smile seeing her plate, but then she squinted and stared at it. Noticing this, the chef grew worried, thinking something was wrong.

Rishabh asked her, "What’s wrong? Why are you staring? Is something off?"

"There’s no butter," Anokhi replied. Then, looking at the chef with a sweet tone, she requested, "Uncle, please add extra butter. I want buttery pav bhaji."

Hearing her, the chef was both surprised and pleased. A smile crept onto his face despite himself because Anokhi was the first to call him "Uncle." Until now, every customer had addressed him as "Chef." But Anokhi spoke to him as if he were her uncle.

However, the chef caught Rishabh glaring at him. He quickly suppressed his smile, nodded, and said, "Yes, ma’am." Signaling to his assistant, extra butter was promptly added to Anokhi’s plate.

Seeing this, Anokhi was delighted. She grabbed a lemon, squeezed it over the pav bhaji, and began eating with relish. After just one bite, she closed her eyes and said with a full mouth, "Rishabh Ji, the pav bhaji is so tasty! Truly!"

Rishabh smiled but didn’t say anything. He started feeding her with his hands, and Anokhi happily ate from him. Watching them, the chef and his staff left the area.

Anokhi asked, "Aren’t you eating?"

"No, you eat," Rishabh replied.

"How can you not eat? It’s so tasty! Later, you’ll regret not having any," she said and started feeding him herself.

After they finished eating, the chef returned and respectfully said to Rishabh, "Sir, I hope the food was to your liking."

"Yes, yes, Uncle. It was excellent," Anokhi quickly replied.

The chef smiled. Anokhi then said, "Now, quickly get some ice cream too."

Hearing this, the chef looked at Rishabh.

Rishabh cupped Anokhi’s cheeks in his hands and gently squished her face, making her lips pout, as he said, "Absolutely not."

Speaking in a muffled voice, Anokhi asked, "Why? Why not?"

Rishabh replied, "First, I’m not letting you eat ice cream by the sea so late at night. Second, you’re so drunk I’m definitely not giving you anything sweet."

Saying this, Rishabh signaled to the chef, who promptly brought a glass of lemonade.

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