17. House hunting

Jai

I glanced down at her, trying hard to keep it cool. I wanted our first kiss to be special. I leaned in, planted a kiss on her cheek, not waiting for her reaction, then smoothly picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder.

"Jaiii!" she squealed.

"You think I'll just stand there while some other woman keeps flirting with me? I'm yours. Yours to keep, yours to care for, yours to do whatever you want. No one can ever compare to you, Ani," I said. I had more to say, but only a few words came out.

"And you are mine. So, I won't stand here and let her judge you." That woman kept eyeing her since she walked in. She gave Anika a look that said, 'And you are going to buy a house?' I was so close to losing my cool.

But she was the only real estate agent available, so I had to keep my cool until we found a house that Anika loved. We had to leave, so I carried Anika the same way outside.

She started shouting and telling me to put her down. Why would I do that?

I reached the lift, and Priya was waiting for us inside. The look on her face was priceless. Anika leaned close to my ears and whispered, "Put me down, this is embarrassing." I obliged and set her down.

She adjusted her dress and playfully punched my upper arm. "What was that?" she asked me. I shrugged. I had no answer.

Anika wanted a place surrounded by greenery, so we visited a few apartments. It was almost 10 pm when we arrived at this particular one. It had 20 floors in total.

She showed us the penthouse. I wanted privacy. I didn't want nosy neighbors to bother us.

or hear us.

When I looked at Anika, the way her eyes lit up, the way she admired the view from the balcony, and the way she smiled, said all the things I needed to know.

Our eyes met, and at that moment, I realized that I was going to spend my life in this very house with this amazing woman by my side.

"You like it?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"Yessss!" she exclaimed, hugging me. She was so cute.

"We'll buy this one," I told Priya. I couldn't read her expression, but she nodded.

"I'll get the paperwork ready by tomorrow," she said and left.

"How much is it going to cost?" Anika asked. I told her, and she gasped.

"It's too much for an apartment!" she said, and I laughed.

"You can ask anything in the world, and I'd buy it for you, baby," I told her, pulling her close to me by her waist.

She really underestimated the amount of money I earned.

"Is that so, Mr. Singhania?" she said, coming even closer.

"Sure is, Mrs. Singhania," I told her. The nickname suited her, I must say.

She pulled away, saying, "I need to get home. Mom, Varsha, and I decided to go shopping tomorrow." Her cheeks pink. She was shy around me.

"Wedding shopping?" I asked her, and she nodded.

"Did you start shopping?" she asked.

"Not yet, I go whenever you do," I told her.

"You're soo not coming with me. Not when mom is around," Anika said. I frowned but nodded in response.

I dropped her home, but whenever I was with her, I wished for traffic because I'd get more time to spend with her.

"What about ring shopping?" she asked me. We had to buy engagement rings.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. What about tomorrow? In the evening," I suggested.

"Sounds good," she smiled, and my heart did this weird thing.

"Meet you tomorrow," I told her and headed home.

The next day, I had a ton of work to do. Not in the office, but shopping. I asked Naman and Rahul to accompany me.

I had a lot of outfits to buy and no time, so I was going to do it today itself. I never really liked shopping. I usually gave my size and selected the color of my suits, and I got the order delivered. But this was different. I had to select from the color to the pattern.

I started from my home and reached the place by 10 am. Rahul and Naman arrived a few minutes after me.

"Why are you dressed in a suit, man?" Naman asked me. I just shrugged.

"You can't always go out in suits if you're with Anika. She has such a good fashion sense," Rahul said.

"What's wrong with my suits?" I asked him.

"Everything, minus the fact that she likes you in them. But you need more casual clothes," Naman said.

"Okay, I'm leaving the shopping responsibility to you both," I told them. We got seated inside.

It was a designer place, so the crowd was thin. I'm glad I didn't have to wait. I had already booked an appointment.

"Mr. Singhania, how can I help you?" a man came in and asked.

"I need wedding outfits," I told him.

"From engagement to reception, all of them," Rahul chimed in. The man asked about any particular requirements, so I told him a few.

"Sure, I'll be back soon," he said.

We chatted about a few things, and they teased me about being soft when I'm with Anika. Which is true, because I never let another person within my radius for more than a few minutes. And I wanted to spend time with her always.

The man came back with a few pieces of clothing.

"These are the options for your engagement," he said and brought a moving rack with hangers and stuff. We bickered a few times about the outfit.

I got a notification on my phone. It was from Anika.

Anika: Select one.

She attached 3 pictures. The first one was a baby pink lehenga with a matching top. It was good, the second one was a pink one with a similar design. I swiped to the next one. It was a color between red and maroon which suited Anika so well. The work was rich, and the way it fit her body was just wow.

Jai: Which one do you like better?

Anika: I like the last one, but mom says it's too much.

Jai: It's perfect. I like the last one too.

Anika: Thanks, how's your shopping going?

Jai: With these idiots? Going like a snail.

Anika: laughing emojis.

I selected 2 outfits and tried them. They were pretty simple because we were going to get engaged at my house. It was going to be a small event with only close ones. I didn't like the first one, but the second one was good. I clicked a picture and sent it to Anika.

The reply was immediate.

Anika: I hope I don't have to wait in a line full of girls to get married.

I smiled and replied

Jai: Don't worry, only one girl has my heart.

Anika: rolling eyes emoji.

I know she's smiling.

Then I picked a few outfits for the remaining ceremonies, but when it came to the wedding one, I selected a white kurta and chunni which matched the color of Anika's lehenga.

They took my measurements for alterations, and then we headed out. It was almost 3 pm by the time we came out. We headed out to eat something.

Jai: How is the shopping going?

Anika: Not bad.

Jai: Not good either?

Anika: Not with the elephants dancing in my stomach.

Jai: Didn't have lunch?

Anika: Nope, I'm waiting to give my measurements.

Jai: Send me your location. I'll pick you up in the evening.

She sent me her location. After we ate, I took her favorite - biryani and headed to the place she was in.

Jai: Where are you?

Anika: It'll take time. When are we meeting?

Jai: Now.

I texted her and went inside. There were a lot of people here.

She was one little thing; I had to go in a little more. Then I spotted her, dressed in a casual kurta with jeans and big earrings.

She looked so gorgeous. When I called her name, the look on her face was priceless.

"Hey," I said, sidelong hugging her.

"Namaste Aunty," I told aunty; Varsha wasn't present.

"Hi, beta," she said back with a smile. When I looked at Anika, she was still looking at me.

"What are you doing here?" she asked me.

"Can I steal her for a few minutes?" I asked aunty.

"But the line here is long, beta. Can you wait for a few minutes?" she asked me. I went near the counter and talked to them, then returned to Anika.

"It's your turn," I told her, and she looked at me in shock.

"What did you tell them?" she asked, and I shrugged. It really didn't take much.

"Go and come back fast," I told her. I wanted to sit, but there was no place.

She came back a few minutes later.

"Ring shopping at 6, mom. Don't forget," she told her mom, and we headed out.

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❀₊˚⊹♡

Jai raising the standards and how!🤌🏼

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