A Long Waited Reunion - II

Before starting this chapter I want to tell you something that I had started a new story named "Falling For My Husband". That story is totally different from this one and also the male protagonist is not like Adrijay. So, do check it for once.

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Sarika tries to explain to him with difficulty, but Adrijay does not listen to a single word and directly makes her stand in front of her family, saying, "Finish your work later, for now, meet our special guests!" Saying this, he turns Sarika toward her family.

Seeing her family after nine long years, Sarika's eyes fill with tears. The same was true for Diwakar Ji, Krishna Ji, and Shlok. All three stood up from their places, looking at Sarika with teary eyes.

Looking at them, Sarika could only utter, "Maa, Baba, Anu!!!" Tears streamed continuously from her eyes. She did not know how to react when Adrijay, smiling at her, said, "Won't you meet them?"

Hearing his words, Sarika looked at him with tearful eyes, then ran straight into Krishna Ji and Diwakar Ji's arms.

Seeing her do this, Diwakar Ji smiled with teary eyes and gently stroked her head, asking, "How is my little doll?"

Hearing his voice, Sarika closed her eyes in peace as tears rolled down her cheeks. Without wiping them, she moved away from them, looked at them with teary eyes, and said, "I am very well! You... you all... how are you?"

Seeing her emotional, Krishna Ji wiped her tears and said, "We are all very well too!"

Hearing this, Sarika smiled through her tears and said, "You look so beautiful, Maa! Even after so many years, you haven’t changed at all. You still look the same..."

Krishna Ji, looking at her with teary eyes, said, "Neither have you! The only difference is that back then, you were free from the shackles of responsibilities, and today, you are imprisoned by them!"

Hearing this, Sarika hugged her mother again and started crying. To lighten the mood, Shlok playfully pouted and said, "This isn't fair, Didi! All the love is just for Maa and Baba? You didn't even meet me! It seems you didn't miss me at all, only them..."

Hearing this, Sarika separated from Krishna Ji, wiped her tears, and looked at Shlok with a soft smile. "You've grown so much, Anu! When I last saw you, you were in 8th grade, and now look at you—you even have a job now..."

Shlok pretended to be upset and said, "Oh, so at least you remember me! I thought you had completely forgotten me!"

Sarika smiled, hugged him, and said, "How could I ever forget my Anu! You know, I missed you the most, even more than Maa and Baba..."

Hearing this, Shlok smiled and hugged her back, saying, "I missed you a lot too, Didi..." As he spoke, a tear rolled down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away, stepped back, and asked, "By the way, where are my nephews? I don’t see them!"

Sarika smiled and said, "They’re in their room. Wait, I’ll go call them right now. You’ll see, they’ll be so happy to see you all, especially Tanu..." Saying this, she excitedly rushed toward the room.

Adrijay, who had been smiling warmly while watching the happiness on Sarika’s face, walked over to her family after she left and said, "Please have a seat."

Diwakar Ji and Krishna Ji sat down again, while Shlok ignored Adrijay and focused on his phone.

Just then, Kishori Ji passed by and immediately recognized Diwakar Ji and Krishna Ji. Delighted, she sat beside them and said, "Namaste, Samdhi Ji, Namaste, Samdhan Ji! How are you both?"

Diwakar Ji and Krishna Ji smiled and greeted her back, after which Kishori Ji started talking with them. Then her eyes fell on the empty table, and she frowned at Adrijay, saying, "Adri, what kind of manners are these? Guests have arrived, and the table is empty. Go call Vishakha!"

Nodding, Adrijay quickly went to find Vishakha. Within moments, he spotted her talking to Shivika. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to them and calmly said, "Vishakha, Bua Ji is calling you in the hall."

Vishakha was momentarily surprised to hear him speak so politely, but glancing at Shivika, she simply nodded and left for the hall without saying anything.

Seeing Vishakha, Kishori Ji scolded her lightly, "Vishakha, I told you to take care of the guests! How did you not notice them? They’ve been sitting here for so long, and no one has even offered them tea or water... What were you doing?"

Seeing Vishakha getting scolded, Krishna Ji stepped in to defend her, saying, "Oh, it’s okay, Samdhan Ji. We had snacks on the train, so we’re not hungry... And besides, a daughter’s house is like her own; even drinking water here is unnecessary."

Kishori Ji responded politely, "I understand your sentiment, but that’s an old belief. Nowadays, such customs don’t apply. And since you’ll be staying here for two or three days, how can you not eat? (Then, glaring at Vishakha, she said) Go bring some refreshments!"

Vishakha, seeing her look away, glared at her before silently heading to the kitchen.

Just then, Yamini Ji entered the hall while talking to Neeta Ji. Seeing Sarika's family, her eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched in anger.

Before she could say anything, Adrijay sat beside Diwakar Ji and started talking to him.

Seeing this, Yamini Ji was furious but swallowed her anger and, sitting next to Kishori Ji with a sarcastic smile, said, "Namaste, Samdhan Ji, Namaste, Samdhi Ji! So, you finally found time to visit your daughter’s house?"

No one liked her tone. Before anyone could respond, Shlok looked at Yamini Ji with a smile and said, "Of course, Aunty, we had to come! Well, you know very well whether we didn’t get time or if there was some other reason. I hope you are aware of everything—after all, you are the elder of this house. Nothing is hidden from you, right?"

Hearing his words, sweat formed on Yamini Ji’s forehead, as even Adrijay was now looking at her seriously. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, she forced a fake smile and said, "Oh, son, what are you saying.....(Then, looking at the empty table, she said) Oh, hasn’t anyone served you yet? Wait, I’ll check on it!" Saying this, she hurried to the kitchen without listening to anyone.

Entering the kitchen, Yamini Ji let out a sigh of relief and muttered, "Thank God I saved! By the way, this Sarika’s brother is something else. Seems like he’s forgetting his place… Anyway, I’ll deal with him later." Just as she turned around, she was startled to see Vishakha standing behind her.

Vishakha, looking at her suspiciously, asked, "What happened, Mummy Ji? Is everything okay? Why did you say ‘saved’?"

Caught off guard, Yamini Ji stammered, "W-When did I say that? You must have misunderstood!"

Vishakha stared at her for a moment, then shook her head and picked up the tray to leave. Just as she was about to walk away, Yamini Ji stopped her and asked, "Where are you taking that?"

Vishakha looked at her and said, "Outside, to Bhabhi’s family."

Hearing this, Yamini Ji glared at her and asked, "And why is that? Who told you to serve them such expensive snacks?"

Vishakha, shocked by her words, said, "What are you saying, Mummy Ji? Look, I know Bhabhi wronged you by taking Dev and Bhaiya away from you, and because of that, you don’t like her. That’s why you told me to stay on your side, or else Bhabhi would separate me from Dev too. But Mummy Ji, whatever happened was between you and Bhabhi. Why are we dragging her family into this? To me, they are just as much family as my own. I’m sorry, but I can’t be unfair to Bhabhi’s family." Saying this, she glanced at Yamini Ji once more before leaving the room.

As she left, Yamini Ji clenched her fists in anger and said, "Everyone has grown wings these days! And it’s all because of that Sarika. I won’t spare her! Once this party is over, she’ll see what I do to her. I’ll make sure she can’t turn anyone against me!" Saying this, she stormed off to her room.

On the other side, Sarika came downstairs with Adhik and Tanishk. Seeing Diwakar Ji, Krishna Ji, and Shlok, Tanishk ran up to them, touched their feet, and hugged Diwakar Ji happily, saying, "Thank you, Nana Ji, for giving me such a wonderful surprise!"

As soon as Krishna Ji and Diwakar Ji saw Tanishk, tears welled up in their eyes. They had never been able to hold their grandsons in their arms, a regret that weighed heavily on their hearts. But what could they have done? They had been helpless.

Diwakar Ji was lost in these thoughts when Adrijay said to Adhik, "Adhu beta, why are you standing next to Mumma? Come and meet everyone!"

Since Adhik was a bit introverted and didn’t talk much, he hesitated. Understanding his hesitation, Shlok smiled, walked over to him, lifted him in his arms, and playfully pulled his cheeks, saying, "Hello, Adhik!"

Adhik smiled slightly and said, "Namaste, Mama Ji!"

Shlok put him down, pulled out a chocolate from his pant pocket, and handed it to Adhik, who took it and said, "Thank you." Then, he went to meet Krishna Ji and Diwakar Ji.

Meanwhile, seeing Shlok give Adhik a chocolate, Tanishk excitedly ran to him, hugged him, and said, "Mama Ji, my chocolate!"

Shlok made a sad face and said, "Sorry, Tanishk, I forgot to bring your chocolate. I only remembered Adhik’s chocolate! I’m really very sorry!"

Hearing him, Tanishk smiled slightly and said, "No problem! The fact that you came is the best gift for me. As for the chocolate, Bhaiya and I will share it, right, Bhaiya?"

Adhik nodded in agreement, making Tanishk smile.

Seeing this, everyone else also smiled. Then, Shlok pulled out another chocolate and handed it to Tanishk with a grin, saying, "How could I ever forget to bring your chocolate?"

Tanishk happily clung to his leg and thanked him. Shlok picked him up, kissed his cheek, and sat down on the sofa, chatting with Tanishk and Adhik.

Watching all of them with teary eyes, Sarika smiled. Just then, her gaze fell on Adrijay, who was talking to Diwakar Ji. Seeing him, she thought to herself, Thank you so much, Ji! Today, on Tanu’s birthday, you have given me the greatest gift! With this thought, she smiled.

At that very moment, Adrijay noticed Sarika looking at him. She quickly looked away, flustered, making a soft smile appear on Adrijay’s lips.

Just then, Vishakha entered with snacks for everyone. She touched Diwakar Ji and Krishna Ji’s feet, greeting them with a warm smile. Seeing her bond with her family, Sarika also smiled.

Everyone sat together and chatted. A few moments later, Devansh also joined them and greeted everyone. Shlok interacted with him warmly, and seeing this, Adrijay thought to himself, It looks like my saale sahab (brother-in-law’s) grudge is only against me. With that thought, he focused on Diwakar Ji’s conversation again.

Mohit also joined them, and his presence brightened up the gathering.

After some time, Sarika went to the kitchen to check on the food, and Shivika, Niharika, and Vishakha joined in to help her. Although seeing Vishakha helping surprised Shivika and Niharika, they didn’t question it at the moment and continued assisting Sarika.

Noticing that the clock struck twelve, Sarika quickly wiped her hands, took the extra cake from the freezer, and placed it in a carry bag. Along with it, she packed some morning breakfast items she had already prepared and put them in another carry bag. Holding both bags, she turned to Shivika and said, "Bhabhi, please look after everything for a while. I’ll be back soon!"

Shivika nodded, allowing her to leave without worry.

Seeing Sarika leave with the extra cake and food, Vishakha was confused and thought to herself, This is the same extra cake that Bhabhi made, but where is she taking it? And why is she carrying food too?

She was still thinking about it when Niharika called her back to focus on the vegetables, so she returned to her work.

Outside the kitchen, Sarika gestured to Devansh to come to her.

Devansh walked over and asked, "Yes, Bhabhi, what happened?"

Sarika looked at him and said, "Devar Ji, I need to go to the temple…"

Devansh smiled and said, "Oh, then let’s go! Anyway, all the kids must be waiting for you!"

Hearing him, Sarika smiled slightly and started walking with him.

As they passed through the hall, Adrijay noticed Sarika leaving with Devansh and fell into deep thought.

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