13. Secret cameras

Anika

Jai dropped me off at home last night after we discussed our plan to inform our parents about our decision to get married. Jai was eager to secure the CEO position as soon as possible, and I had no objections from my side.

Today, we were heading to both of our parents' houses to break the news. I took the day off from work, and Jai had opted to work from home.

I doubted he would get much work done, though. We were riding in an ordinary car, not one of his fancy ones. It was a Skoda, and I couldn't resist teasing him.

"So, finally, a normal car, huh?" I teased.

"It's my first car. I bought it with my first set of savings. It just feels like a lucky one," he explained, his words sentimental. The more time I spent with Jai, the more I learned about him and the hidden depths beneath his confident exterior.

When we arrived at my parents' house, my mom opened the door, clearly surprised by our unannounced visit. We hadn't told them in advance because I didn't want to deal with a hundred questions on the phone.

"Hi, Mom," I greeted her with a hug.

"Hi, beta. Hi, Jai," she greeted us warmly.

"You look perfect, Mom," I assured her. She always looked beautiful to me.

"Hi, Dad," I greeted my father, who was getting ready for work in my parents room.

"Hi, beta. What a surprise," he said, a smile on his face.

"We have another surprise for you in the living room," I told him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"See for yourself," I said as we both left my parents' room and walked to the living room.

"Hi, Uncle," Jai greeted my dad.

"Hi, beta!" Dad replied, his face lighting up. They began conversing about something, leaving me and Mom alone.

"So, what's with the surprise?" she inquired.

"Nothing, Mom. Can't I miss you?" I said, trying to deflect.

"Hush, you barely come to visit us," she said, her expression tinged with sadness.

"I hate the long travel, Mom, otherwise, I'd be here every Sunday," I explained. I loved my freedom but I missed my parents and living with them so much.

"Yeah, I understand," she sighed.

"So tell me what's up?" I asked her.

We gossiped a little about our relatives.

"Let me call Jai, and we'll tell you why we're here," I said.

"Okay," she said, excitement in her eyes.

I went to my dad's home office and invited both of them to join us. My dad appeared to be in a particularly good mood, but I had no idea why.

Jai was behind him and when our eyes meet I gave him a confused expression, he just shook his head.

Then he intertwined our hands and took me to the living room. I never though Jai liked physical touch.

"Do you remember when you suggested that we go on a few dates to decide if we want to get married?" I began.

"Yes, we do," they replied.

"So, both of us did go out a few times, and we've decided that we want to get married," Jai continued.

"Really?" my mom exclaimed, hugging me tightly.

"Yes, Mom," I said, smiling.

We chatted for a few more minutes and had breakfast before heading to the Singhania residence.

I loved their house, a large independent modern mansion. It was like a palace but this century one. It had so many rooms, so many floors and parts, that I once entered Jai's room on one side of the mansion when I wanted to go to the other side.

As we entered, it was almost 1 pm, and I hadn't expected Uncle to be home, but he was. We found both Uncle and Aunty on the sofa, laughing. They were the ideal couple, and their happiness was contagious.

"Did you tell them we were coming?" I asked Jai.

"Yes, and they didn't stop asking questions," he replied, and I couldn't help but snicker.

"So, who do we have here?" Aunty greeted me with a warm hug.

"Hi, Aunty!" I hugged her back with equal enthusiasm.

"How have you been?" I asked her.

"Wonderful. What about you?" she inquired.

"Real good!" I replied, and all of us took our seats.

"We wanted to talk to you guys," Jai began.

"What is it?" Uncle inquired.

"So, both of us have decided to get married," Jai and I announced simultaneously.

Aunty immediately hugged me, her joy evident. She was seated to my right.

"Ahhhh!" she screamed happily, and I couldn't contain my laughter.

"Congrats, son," Uncle said, hugging Jai warmly. This family had always been affectionate, welcoming me in so many ways.

"Welcome to the family, beta," he smiled at me, and I returned the gesture.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"I've wanted you to become part of the family since forever. If Jai hadn't agreed, I would've blackmailed him." she said with a smile.

The thought of marrying anyone other than Jai never crossed my mind. He was the one. My thoughts about him were never ending.

"So you'll meet my parents?" I explained.

"To discuss the wedding date," Jai clarified.

"Ah, we'll get to that ASAP" Uncle replied.

"And you guys are not invited to it," Aunty chimed in.

"But why?" I protested, while Jai simultaneously said, "It's our wedding."

"Only the four of us will discuss. The children are out of this business," Uncle stated, chuckling.

"I'm 26," Jai pointed out.

"27 very soon, and you're still my bacha," Aunty replied, affectionately holding Jai's chin. Their love for him was evident, and it was clear he had always been close to his parents.

Uncle noticed me observing them and smiled when our eyes met. I returned his smile.

I winked at Jai. I had something in mind.

Jai asked about lunch, breaking the moment. "Mom, what's for lunch?"

"Oh, shoot, I totally forgot about it. Let's go have lunch," Aunty replied, with Uncle following her.

"Should I be worried about the wink you just gave me?" Jai asked me.

"Not really. We'll just be going there in disguise," I replied with a mischievous smile.

"You're definitely something," he responded, returning the smile.

After a delicious lunch, I decided it was time to head home. I was tired from all the traveling and couldn't wait to immerse myself in my books. I missed them terribly. I wanted to get back to my fictional worlds.

"Let's go," Jai said.

"I've already booked a cab," I informed him, holding up my phone.

"We've talked about this, Anika," he said, sounding a bit annoyed. When he was about to throw me over his shoulder, I protested.

His obsession with throwing me over his shoulder was never ending, but hey I'm not complaining !

"I know, but I don't want to be a burden, Jai. You're not obligated to drive me everywhere, okay? I can go on my own," I told him, hoping he'd understand. I didn't want him to feel obliged to do things just because we were getting married. I wanted him to enjoy my company.

"Text me when you reach, okay?" he said, hugging me.

"Deal," I replied, smiling up at him.

I wished I could stay in his arms forever.

As I was about to get into the cab, he added, "This is the only time I'm allowing you to take a cab, miss. From now on, you're stuck with me." He winked at me. Oh, I wish I was truly stuck with him.

I arrived home in a happy mood and called him when I reached.

"Reached."

"Okay, beautiful. Have a great time reading," he replied.

"Did you place secret cameras in my house?" I joked. I didn't usually like distractions when I was reading, but if it was a message from him, I didn't mind.

"Nah, just in your heart," he replied, and I melted into a puddle on the ground.

I rolled my eyes.

"I could see your face and tell you were thinking about your books. It was clear from your expressions." I wondered if he could truly read my expressions.

I had hidden my feelings for Jai so well over the years. Did he know? Or was I just exceptionally good at hiding them?

"Achaa Ji?" I asked him playfully. I didn't know what to reply.

"Haanji" he replied laughing.

I am always good with words but this guy often makes me speechless.

After a while, I decided to create a WhatsApp group with me, Jai, Varsha, and Aarav. Let the game begin.

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