Chronicles Of My Darling Husband

27. Madanah (Part 2)

"Where's your friend?" Devika inquired, absentmindedly playing with her Sabudana Vada. "I mean Chandrakant, he had said that he'll accompany you for the next meeting."

They had all settled on ordering some South Indian cuisines, as Vaishali was well known for it. Devika, however, had preferred Sabudana Vada over anything else. She always enjoyed standing out and had a penchant for the unconventional. While most people enjoyed the regular items, she always chose something different, underrated, and placed her bets on it.

Her life always seemed to revolve around many kinds of Sabudana Vadas.

"He didn't come along..." Jagdish muttered between bites of dosa. "He said it's an unnecessary trip for him; he wanted to focus on a case instead."

"Oh," Devika responded, her disappointment evident.

Nishita watched Devika's reaction with a mix of curiosity and surprise. Devika was known for being vocal about her needs and opinions, and quite direct with whoever it was... So it was unusual to see her quiet about Mr. Baggy. Instead, she seemed interested in learning more about his absence, directing her inquiries to Jagdish. This shift in behavior piqued Nishita's interest, prompting her to wonder about the reasons behind Devika's sudden change.

She nudged her and enquired silently, to which Devika shrugged nonchalantly.

They sat around the table, the air filled with the clinking of cutlery, except for the occasional banter between Jagdish's siblings, who brought a different vibe to the table. Nishita was unused to such a lively sight at home. Being an only child, she often relied on her friends for company, her cousin Mohini being the closest to a sibling she had. Her eyes fell on Jagdish and how he occasionally glanced at his siblings. Krishna and Subhadra, mischievous as they were, seemed to understand his unspoken cues, quieting down whenever his eyes met theirs.

It was a delightful sight.

He was... He looked cute.

Huh? What did you think about him?

She cleared her throat to gather Jagdish's attention.

"Hmm... Why did it take you so long to reply?" Nishita inquired, a smile playing on her lips as she watched Subhadra playfully jabbing a fork at Krishna's arm.

"Huh?" Jagdish swatted Subhadra's hand from Krishna and turned to Nishita, blinking rapidly as he tried to grasp her question.

Devika chimed in, "She means it's been a month already," she leaned back in her chair, "You two should have been engaged by now if you both were interested to do each other."

Krishna choked on his Idly, coughing vigorously. "What?"

"Yes, you heard correctly the first time itself," Devika confirmed with a smirk, "Are you not accustomed to blunt remarks, Mr. Krishna? Or you quiet a Sanskari Bacha?"

Krishna narrowed his eyes. "I don't know about being 'Sanskari' but I do know about manners."

"Are you suggesting I lack manners?" Devika shot back, a playful glimmer in her eye. "Oh, please! You're the one who thinks it's perfectly fine to pull your sister's hair in public just to get a reaction out of her!"

Krishna's expression turned to one of annoyance. "You..."

"I like you, Devika Di," Subhadra chirped with a grin. "I admire how effortlessly you manage to rile up my adversary here."

Devika erupted in a laugh. "Oh, cut that Di, call me Viki. Also, it's good to know this gentleman is your foe."

Subhadra patted Krishna's shoulder furiously, joining in the laughter.

Jagdish couldn't help but hide his smile behind his hand, amused by his brother's irritation, who by the way was fuming to be the butt of the joke.

"Don't tease him, Viki," Nishita scolded her friend and redirected her attention to Jagdish. "I asked you something."

"Oh... I was caught up with work. I had a major case to handle and couldn't make it to Pune," he explained, his head slightly bowed, and Nishita sensed he was holding something back.

Pushing gently, she continued, "You could have at least called me or messaged on WhatsApp."

"I... I..." Jagdish hesitated.

Krishna jumped in, "Actually, he was too nervous to reach out to you."

Nervous!?

"What?" Nishita was surprised, her eyes widening at Krishna's admission. "Why?"

"I have no idea," he shrugged. "But why didn't you call him? You could have reached out to him as I came to know that you also have his contact details," he added, supporting his brother's reluctance with a more pointed question.

Nishita swallowed. "I... I thought he would..." She trailed off, lacking a clear response.

"She was afraid of rejection," Devika interjected on Nishita's behalf, causing Nishita to gasp in surprise.

"Shh!" she hissed, embarrassed.

Jagdish looked at her, equally surprised. "What!?"

Gosh!

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A/N

Krishna and Devika's blunt interactions and apparent rivalry are just too interesting of a concept for me. I have a feeling Devika might prove to be even more vexing to him than Alisha... Oh, did I accidentally drop another spoiler for other stories?

Dropping the fabulous "Aafreen Aafreen" here cause why not?

Jagdish will sing an entire song praising Nishita's beauty, and in the end, he will say...- "Husn-e-jaana ki taareef mumkin nahi..." like excuse me what??? What were you singing about then!?? Argh, stummpid!

And then he will be scared to even meet because... stupid stupid stupid.

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