"Thank you for being so thoughtful." I told him a few minutes later.

"Mention not." He says as he continues to drive.

"So well how's life going?" I ask him, hoping I don't sound too nosey.

"It's going great I guess." He replies.

"What about you? Found your the one yet?" He asks.

"Nope, not yet but Sneha is hell bent on sending me to another blind date." I tell him with a chuckle. He doesn't find the thought amusing I guess because his lips pull into a straight line.

"So will you go on one?" He asks me.

"I might." I answer honestly.

"Right." He murmurs to himself.

"What about you? Got any girlfriend?" I ask him.

"Nope, my last relationship was in college. I had to move back to India to manage the family business, she had to stay back in the UK and I knew for a fact long distance wouldn't work out for us." He answers.

"Oh. What was her name?" I ask him out of curiosity.

"Niharika." He answers.

"Oh." I say in response.

"What about you, have you been in any relationship?" He asked me.

For a fact I have not. But I cannot tell him that.

"Yes, I did. A co-worker back at the other branch of Mittal and Co. where I worked." I answer.

The truth was I had a crush on that guy but I never got the courage to ask him out and sometime later I found out he had started dating someone.

"What was his name?" He asked me.

"Kartik." I answer and a smile forms on my face as a mental image of him forms in my mind.

"Must be someone special if just the thought of him brings a smile to your face." Arjun says and I notice his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

"He was." I answer trying to suppress a smile.

"Whatever." I hear him mumble.

"Are you by any chance jealous, Mr. Mehrotra?" I ask him.

"Jealous and me? What about? " He asks.

"About the fact that he got to be a real boyfriend while you were only a pretend one?" I ask him.

"Nope, not one bit. How does it even matter, I'm the one you are with now." He says.

At lightning speed I turn my head around to look at him and he looks at me too.

"What did you just say, I'm with you now?" I ask him, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"I meant with me, in my car, Shravya." He answers and at that moment his car comes to a halt in front of the restaurant building.

Arjun unfastens his seatbelt and then moves forward to help me with mine but I stop him.

"I'll manage." I say and he looks taken aback but then gives me a nod and leaves the car.

I try to unfasten the seat belt, keyword being 'try' but I am unable to do so.

I look outside the window and find Arjun scrolling through his phone outside my side of the door.

I clear my throat to gain his attention. He looks back at me confused. I motion towards my seatbelt.

He rolls his eyes and walks back to the car.

He opens my side of the door and leans down towards the seatbelt. His arm brushes my body again and I feel shivers run down my spine.

When he's done he moves back and I come out of the car and the two of us make our way inside.

The moment we step in, half a dozen pairs of eyes look in our direction.

I freeze on the spot.

The Mehrotras. All members of Arjun's family standing on the ground floor near the reception.

I feel Arjun tense beside me.

"Uh Hi, everyone." He finally says after a good thirty seconds of silence.

"Hello, Bhai, who's she?" Abhimanyu Mehrotra is the first one to speak.

"She, well, she is the interior designer, who's looking after the designing and stuff of this restaurant." Arjun says from beside me.

"Oh really? And who's Mr. Dholakia then?" His Chaachu asks.

"Mr. Dholakia is the head and she works under him. An assistant." Arjun says.

My heart starts hammering rapidly against my chest.

Don't ask me any questions, please. I silently pray.

"Oh and Mr. Dholakia has assigned you to give her a ride here, yes?" His Dadi asks.

"What, no of course not, Dadi. I just met her on the way and offered to drop her, you see the weather outside isn't really nice." He answers.

"You've been giving her rides too often then." His Dadi says.

My eyes lock on his Chachi and she gives me a warm smile. Then they move to his twin cousins who both wink at me.

His Bua and Chaachu seem to be scrutinizing my face.

When my eyes finally settled on his Dadi, I found her looking at me with a neutral expression on her face.

"No, Dadi, I.." Arjun begins to say but she shows him her hand indicating him to stop speaking at once.

"What is your name?" His Dadi asks me.

"Shravya." I softly answer.

"Shravya." Abhimanyu and Aarohi yell in unison while his Dadi looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

A few seconds later she walks towards me and stops in front of me.

"You have got a beautiful name Shravya and you seem like a nice girl." She says, a smile finally breaking on her lips.

"Thank you." I say and pass her a small smile.

"You must have work to do, the two of you?" She asks me.

Before I can reply, Arjun does.

"Yes, Dadi we do. By the way how's the entire family here?" He asks her.

"We're all going for a long drive, Arjun and we decided to pick you up from here." Bua replies.

"Oh, okay, but you guys could have told me, I'd reach back home and join you guys from there." He says.

"It's good we did not Bhai, or else we wouldn't have met your lovely lady, this lovely lady, Shravya I mean." Aarohi says and in response Arjun narrows his eyes on her.

"You weren't home the entire day, Arjun, so I packed some food for you." His Chaachi then.

"But Chaachi I had my lunch already." He says.

"A sandwich isn't lunch, Adi. This is." She says and hands him a tiffin.

I stand there now starting to feel a little uncomfortable as the entire family starts chatting with each other.

A few minutes later I walked over to Arjun.

"Arjun." I softly call out and he turns away to look at me.

"I'll be on my way home." I tell him and am about to turn around to leave when his fingers wrap around my wrist and he stops me.

"No, wait, I'll drop you off. He tells me.

"No, it's okay, I think the rain has slowed down. I'll get an auto on this road hopefully." I told him.

"Shravya, just give me a minute okay." He says. I try to free my hand from him but he doesn't let go of it.

"Lovers' quarrel?" Someone said behind us and both of us froze.

It was Abhimanyu.

"Abhi, not this again." Arjun muttered angrily.

"Bhai, what are you talking about? I was talking about them." He said and pointed in the direction his parents seemed to be having an argument.

"Oh." Arjun said and the two of us relaxed.

"What did you think of Bhai? I was definitely not talking about you two, even though you guys were having a quarrel it seems, but you aren't lovers right? Or are you?" Abhimanyu asks with a wink and Arjun passes him a glare in response.

"By the way, Hello Miss Shravya. It's nice meeting you." He says and puts his hand forward for a handshake then his eyes land on Arjun's fingers around my wrist. He raises an eyebrow at that and then he smiles mischievously at us.

"Hi, it's nice meeting you too." I say and pull my wrist out of Arjun's grip and thankfully he let's me do it this time.

"So you seem close to Bhai, friends?" He asked me.

"No." I say.

"Yes." Arjun says at the same time.

"Interesting." Abhimanyu mutters.

"Shravya has to get home and.."Arjun begins but Abhimanyu cuts him off.

"She needs a ride, yes? I can give her one." He says.

"No." Arjun says in response.

"Why, not?" Abhimanyu asks.

"Because I'll do it." Arjun says.

Someone approaches us from behind. It's Arjun's Bua.

"You're Arjun's girlfriend aren't you? Abhi did you find out?" She asks Abhimanyu.

He whispers something in her ears.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Shravya, by the way I am Anjali Mehrotra, Arjun's bua." She says.

"I know." I say with a smile and then realising what I just blurted out, I immediately regret it.

"You know?" She asks me.

"Uh yes, Arjun told me once." I told her.

"So bhai told you about all of us or just Bua?" Abhimanyu asks.

"Umm a little about everyone." I answer.

"Oh, you guys talk about each other's family." His bua says with a bright smile and then shares a knowing look with Abhimanyu.

I have absolutely no idea what is going on here.

"I was just leaving, it's quite late already." I told her.

"Okay, Abhi will give you a ride, you will, right Abhi?" She asks, giving him a wide smile.

"Of course I will Bua. She's on a first name basis with Bhai, knows a little about all of us, she must definitely be special, so definitely I will give her a ride to her house." He answers.

"No, Abhi, Bua, don't bother. I will drop Shravya off." Arjun says and I sigh in relief.

"Abhi will do it, Arjun. I'm sure it's not a bother for him." His Bua says.

"It will be a pleasure, instead, Miss Shravya, if you will please let me." He says.

I remain silent.

"And Arjun you better not try to escape, all of us have to do a lot of talking with you." She tells him.

"Talking with me?" Arjun asks.

"Yes." She says and drags him away.

Arjun looks back at Abhimanyu and me.

"Drive safe, Abhi." He says and throws his car keys in Abhimanyu's direction.

He catches it and gives him a thumbs up.

Arjun's eyes then meet mine.

Text me when you reach home, he mouths to me and surprisingly I am able to understand him mouthing that to me.

I blink my eyes in assurance and then walk towards the entrance following Abhimanyu.

However before stepping out I turn back to have one last look at Arjun.

He's surrounded by the rest of his family members, with his Chaachi asking him a question.

He answers her but his eyes are fixed on me.

Our eyes meet and I pass him a small smile while he nods back at me.

I finally turn away to leave.

•

After I've given Abhimanyu the directions to my house he starts driving.

For a few minutes there's complete silence before he begins speaking again.

"You can call me, Abhi." He says.

I'm not even sure I'll meet you again but okay. I think to myself before saying, "Sure."

"By the way, I know." He says.

"I'm sorry what?" I ask him.

"That you aren't Mr. Dholakia's assistant." He says and I begin panicking.

"No, that's not true, I..I am." I say.

"Mr. Dholakia's assistant is Girish. I have met him." He says.

"Well, okay, if you seem to know it already then there's no point lying." I told him.

"Absolutely. Now, you and Bhai, do you both have a thing going on?" He asked me.

"Don't try to lie again okay?" He adds with a smile.

"No we don't and I am not lying this time. We know each other, yes, but there's nothing going on between us." I told him.

"Why not!?" He asks, sounding disappointed.

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"Bhai feels something for you, I am sure of that." He tells me.

"No, it's not like that.." I say but he interrupts me.

"Don't tell Bhai this but the day he came back to MM, Mehrotra Mansion I mean, I caught him looking at your profile picture on WhatsApp. And not looking by chance but by choice." He tells me.

"He was?" I ask him, surprised.

"Yes and then he denied doing it, but well I am Abhi Mehrotra and nothing goes past my eyes just like my Dadi." He says.

"That doesn't mean anything though, him looking at my profile picture I mean." I told him.

"Of course it does. Bhai was stalking you. He never stalks anybody, it's actually the other way round, people, girls, stalk him." He says.

"Of course." I mutter.

"So, I just wanted to make sure if you feel something, for him too." He says.

"I am not sure." I answer honestly.

"You can take your time and tell me." He says.

"Well okay." I say.

He gives me his number and I save it on my phone.

"You're the first girl he's showing any interest in since the time he has come back from the UK." He tells me.

The thought makes me...happy I guess?

"He's a good guy Shravya." Abhi says.

"I know." I tell him with a smile.

"And you guys have my blessings if you want to get ahead, start a relationship or something." He then says, looking at me and winks.

"I figured that out." I tell him with a chuckle.

"Think about what I've asked you. Bhai will not make a move on you unless and until he's sure you feel something for him too. So do think about this." He tells me.

"I will." I say in response.

"Thank you." He says.

"There's no need for a thank you." I tell him as the car comes to a halt in front of my complex.

"I'm counting on calling you Bhabhi to be the next time we meet." He says with a grin as I unlock the car door.

[Bhabhi : A term used to refer to an elder brother's wife.]

My cheeks flush and I quickly leave the car with a big, big smile on my face.