Chapter 7: Traditions & Togetherness

NOTE- There are some dialogues written in Gujarati. I have written the English translations as well in Square brackets [ ]

A few weeks later,

At Naina's apartment:

(Naina was sitting comfortably in her living room when her phone buzzed.

She smiled seeing Niyati's name pop up on a video call. Answering it, she leaned back, her voice warm as she spoke.)

Naina: (smiling) Hey, Niyati! Kem chhe?

[How are you?]

Niyati: theek- thak hoon, Naina.... But thoda nervous feel ho raha hai.

Naina: (concerned) Nervous? Shun thayu? Sab theek hai na?

Niyati: (sighs) actually, Kal Karwa Chauth chhe na!!! Aur mujhe pura din bina paani aur khana rehna padega... I don't know if I can manage!

(Just then, Aryan's voice interrupted from the background.)

Aryan: (out of the video call frame) Arrey, I keep telling her not to keep the fast, but she doesn't listen!!!

Naina: (laughs) Aryan, chup kar!!!! Yeh tumhaare hi Punjabi customs hain... and Niyati is the daughter in law of your house.... Jo tumhaari mummy karengi.... technically, Niyati bhi toh wohi karegi naa?? But Niyati.... I want to know about how you feel. Do you want to keep the vrat?

Niyati: (nods her head) Haan, Naina!!! I want to keep up with the traditions. I want to keep the vrat, but Aryan mujhe fast nahi rakhne dena chahate...

Aryan: it is not required-

Naina: (interrupts) Tu beech mein mat padh, Aryan!!!! Yeh hamaare reeti- riwaaz hain... if she wants to, then let her!!!!

Niyati: haan.... I want to do this.... par mujhe thoda stress ho raha tha, isiliye socha tumse baat kar loon. Tum kaise manage karti thi?

Naina: (smiles nostalgically) Agar tum yeh vrat, iss feeling ke saath rakho, ki tum apne pati ke liye.... Apne love of the life ke liye rakh rahi ho.... toh kuch bhi difficult nahi lagta.!!

(Niyati blushed and looked at Aryan lovingly. Aryan, still unconvinced, rolled his eyes)

Aryan: (coming into the frame) Pyaar dikhaane ke aur bhi bahut tareeke hain! why stay hungry and thirsty the whole day??? Nunu, tu toh bhukkad thi... bina khaaye nahi reh sakti thi!!!!

Naina: (laughs loudly) Haan, I know! Par, yeh traditions hai hamaare.... Hum inhe aage nahi le jaayenge, toh aur kaun karega??? Yes, it does get a little overwhelming, but we do it!!!

Niyati: (asks curiously) Toh phir, tumhara Karwa Chauth kaisa hota tha? Tumhaari saas, sargi ke liye, kya- kya banaati thi?

(Naina's laughter faded, and her expression softened.

She hesitated for a moment before looking away from the screen.)

Naina: (low voice) Meri saas ne kabhi mere liye sargi nahi banayi.

Niyati: (frowning, her voice filled with sympathy) That must have been so hard, Naina. Tumne toh bina support ke sab kiya... how did you manage?

Naina: I read an article in a magazine once.... They wrote some tips for karwa chauth....and I followed that every year. And frankly speaking, mujhe vrat rakhne mein kabhi zyaada problem nahi hui.

Niyati: (her eyes widen) Tips? What tips? Bolo naa!!!

Naina: (she explains) toh.... Sargi na waqt, tu salty foods avoid karje, nahi toh akho divas pyaas lagi rahe. Hu anar khavti hati, kyanki e tamne akho divas hydrated rakhe chhe. Ek banana khavati hati hunger pangs mate, ane thodu meethu, jevu ke fruit juice, ke je tamaru blood sugar high rahe akho divas.

[So... during Sargi, you should avoid salty foods, otherwise, you'll feel thirsty the whole day. eat pomegranate because it keeps you hydrated the entire day. Eat a banana to curb hunger pangs, and something sweet, like fruit juice, to keep your blood sugar high throughout the day.]

Niyati: (nods her head, impressed) Wow, e to bau sense banave chhe! Mane to mummy ji sargi ma bahut badhu khilavse savare.

[Wow, that makes a lot of sense!!! But Mummy ji is going to feed me a lot of food during sargi.]

Naina: (laughs) Haan, Maa ke pyaar ko mana nahi kar sakte. But... bas zyada namkeen mat khaana.

Niyati: (smiles, feeling reassured) Thanks, Naina. I'll definitely follow your advice!

Naina: (her eyes twinkle, curiously) Waise Aryan ne, Karwa Chauth ke liye tumhe kya gift diya??

Niyati: (blushes) He got me a new lehenga to wear tomorrow.... aur matching jewellery bhi!

(Naina grinned, looking at Aryan with mischief in her eyes.)

Naina: Aryan! Tum toh full ready ho, apni biwi ka khayal rakhne ke liye!!! But do one thing.... Kal uska favourite meetha zaroor le aana for her sargi.... aur fast ke baad ke liye bhi, get something that she enjoys.

Aryan: (smirks) woh sab toh maine already kar diya hai.... but you cannot even guess, what I'm planning for tomorrow.

Naina: (leans forward, intrigued) Kya?

Aryan: (grins) I'm going to cook for her.

(Naina's face froze, and she turned to Niyati, her expression playful.)

Naina: Aryan ni cooking thi taru bhaal kare bhagwaan!

[May God protect you from Aryan's cooking!]

(Niyati burst out laughing, while Aryan looked completely confused.)

Aryan: Wait, wait! What did she say??

Niyati: (trying to catch her breath from laughing, shakes her head) Kuch nahi, Aryan, bas aise hi... aap please fruits mangwaa lo, kal ke liye.

Aryan: haan theek hai. main jaata hoon!!!!

.

(Niyati gave Aryan a smile as he walked out of the bedroom.

She then turned towards the phone once again.

Naina was still laughing at Aryan's confused expression when she suddenly blurted out-)

Naina: Achha, main phone rakhti hoon... I forgot to order the fruits for tomorrow!

Niyati: (caught off guard, tilts her head curiously) Wait, tum bhi vrat rakh rahi ho?

(Naina froze, her laughter disappearing as she turned to look at Niyati, her eyes wide in shock.)

Naina: Uh... main... woh...

(Naina stammered, clearly not expecting the question. Niyati's curiosity only deepened as she leaned closer to the screen.)

Niyati: Naina! Sach- sach batao... tum vrat rakh rahi ho, kya?

(Naina bit her lip, trying to think of an explanation, but her flustered expression gave her away.)

Naina: (sighs) Haan... main vrat rakh rahi hoon,

Niyati: (squeals in excitement, clapping her hands) Oh my god, Naina!!!! I am so happy that you found someone.... Waise, who is the lucky guy??

(Naina's shy smile turned into a startled expression as her eyes darted around. She leaned closer to the camera, lowering her voice.)

Naina: (curious) Aryan hai kya wahaan pe?

Niyati: (glances around and shakes her head) nahi... he just stepped out to place the order for the fruits.... But he can come back any moment. Kyun? kya hua?

(Naina paused, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her t- shirt.

Finally, she spoke, her voice soft but firm.)

Naina: main jinke liye vrat rakh rahi hoon.... woh Vikram ji hain.

Niyati: (eyes widen in shock) your ex-husband??

Naina: Haan... we decided to try to work things out. Aur abhi tak, sab kaafi achha chal raha hai...... He's not a bad person, Niyati... shaayad hamaara waqt hi kharaab tha!

(Niyati frowned slightly, concern evident in her expression.)

Niyati: But still, Naina... I would advise you to be careful. Relationships take a lot, especially after all that's happened

Naina: (nodding in agreement) Woh toh main hamesha rahungi. Maine already zindagi mein bahut kuch dekha hai, Niyati. Mujhe aur pareshaaniyan nahi chahiye. (pauses, looking intently at the screen) But please, don't say a word about this to anyone. Samjhi?

Niyati: (eyes widen in surprise, and she grins) Aryan ne kahi didhu toh ena mathu ghuce jaay, ne Purab pan?

[If I tell Aryan, he'll lose it, and so will Purab, right?]

(Naina burst into laughter, shaking her head.)

Naina: (laughs louder this time, nodding) Obviously!!! Bevu bane che ke tevo mara bodyguards jeva vyavhaar kare che. Jo tevo aa baat janse, to hu ant sudhi e baat suni rahis!!

[obviously!!! both of them behave like they are my bodyguards. if they find out about this, I won't hear the end of it!]

Niyati: (teasingly) Lekin ek na ek din toh, Aryan aur Purab ko pata toh chal hi jaayega!!! Tab kya?

Naina: I hope ki kabhi pata naa chale.... Nahi toh, mera vrat kya, yeh dono toh mera sab kuch tod denge!

(Both burst into laughter, their conversation lightening the mood as Naina felt a little more confident about her decision.)

___________________________________________

Author’s Note:

Naina is keeping the Kaarwa Chauth vrat for Vikram... but will she end up heartbroken again, like always? 😔

What do you think will happen this time? Is Vikram even going to notice? I can't wait to see what you all think!

If you’re feeling the tension and excitement, hit that ⭐ vote button! Every vote counts and helps me bring you more twists and turns in the story. And don’t forget to leave a comment—I love reading all your thoughts and theories. Let's keep this drama rolling! 💥 See you in the next chapter! ❤️