~ 45 ~

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Author's POV:

The next morning, Maya woke up and saw Aashi sleeping beside her, hugging her tightly. She turned and saw Pranav sleeping on his stomach with his mouth open and snoring lightly. She slowly got up and sat on the bed. She saw Surya, who was sleeping in a weird position. His one leg was swaying in the air, and he rolled the entire blanket around his body. She chuckled, looking at them. She looked at the time on her mobile and saw it was 4 o'clock. She slowly untangled herself from Aashi's hold, got off the bed, and went from there, closing the door behind her.

She entered her room and saw Avi sleeping peacefully, cuddling her Teddy with a cute pout on his face. The same teddy, who is the villain of his love life, according to him. She went and sat beside him and caressed his hair. As if sensing her presence, he shifted his head to her lap, wrapped his hands around her waist, and snuggled into her tummy. She chuckled, looking at his antics, and kissed his forehead.

She kissed his eyes, whispered "Good morning" in his ears, and then pecked his lips.

The next moment, he pulled her under him while she looked at him wide-eyed and pouted at him.

He pecked her pout, caressed her cheeks with his thumb lovingly, and said, "Your cheeks lost their chubbiness, bunny."

She gave him a weak smile, listening to his words. He pecked her lips and picked her up in his arms, while she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder. He went and sat on the swing on the balcony with her on his lap. None of them spoke a word. He was pecking her head while she was playing with his chain. A lone tear escaped her eyes. How would she have survived without him? The thought itself was making her uneasy. How did she think that she could live without him?

Avi was enjoying the morning breeze and the birds' chirping when he felt wetness on his vest. He looked down and saw Maya crying silently in his arms. He sighed.

"You became a cry baby, Bunny," Avi said, pulling her cheeks.

She looked at him, flaring her nose.

He pinched her nose, making her pout at him, and said, "Instead of manofying me, you are sitting in my lap and crying like a baby."

She glared at him, and she was about to get up when he pulled her and held her tightly.

She turned her face aside, twisted her mouth in annoyance, and thought, "How dare he call me baby? From which angle am I looking like a baby to him, huh, idiot Avi?"

"From this angle," Avi said, pointing at her small hands and feet.

She opened her mouth with a big "O" and looked at him in shock.

"Did he just mock her cute and small hands and feet?" She thought while giving him a murderous look.

"Yes!!" Avi said, smiling cheekily at her.

She slapped his hand and bit his cheek angrily, making him hiss. He pulled her closer and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, making her breath hitch. She shivered as she felt his hot breath against her neck. He dropped feathery kisses on her neck, turned her around, and looked at her intensely.

She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and looked down, unable to bear his intense stare. He lifted her chin with his finger and made her look at him. She looked at his dark brown orbs, which held immense love for her.

"What do you want to do next, bunny?" Avi asked, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" She looked at him, confused.

He made her sit properly in his lap and asked her, "What do you want to do next? Before our marriage, you prepared for civils. Do you want to prepare for them or do you want to do a job?"

Listening to him, she got lost in her thoughts.

Avi looked at her keenly and asked, "Do you want to say anything, bunny?"

"I'll tell you after the party," said Maya.

He nodded his head at her. She snuggled more into him while he pulled her close to him. Both of them fell asleep after some time.

********************

Arjun knocked on the door of Avi and Maya's room. Getting no response from them, he slowly opened the door and peeped inside. He saw the empty bed. He moved inside the room and went directly to the balcony. He shook his head in disbelief at seeing them. He went near them and shook Avi, to which he nuzzled his face more into Maya's neck. He tapped on Maya's shoulder, but she also didn't budge. He slapped his head and took his mobile and went inside the room and connected it to the speaker. He took the speaker with him and placed it near them. He played the music loudly, making them come out of their beauty sleep.

Maya was about to fall down, but Avi held her tightly. Avi looked at the source of the sound and saw Arjun holding a speaker in his hand. He glared at him while Arjun gave him a toothy smile and ran from there. Avi and Maya got up from the swing and ran behind him.
Three of them ran through the whole house and finally stopped in the garden.

Avi saw the gardener watering the plants with a pipe. He smiled mischievously, took the pipe from him, and pointed the pipe at Arjun, making him drenched in water. Arjun stomped his feet like a kid and shouted at him. He snatched the pipe from Avi and pointed at him, but Avi escaped from there, making Maya drenched from top to bottom.

"Annayya!" Maya yelled at Arjun and glared at him.

Arjun left the pipe and ran from there, with him behind her. Everyone came to the garden to listen to their shouts. The elder ones slapped their heads mentally and left from there while the youngsters hooted. Varsha and Vansh (for a change, he woke up early today) are shouting their Mama's name, clapping their hands, and giggling while looking at them.

"Ajju and Ammu, stop it, guys," Arpita said, trying to stop her brother and sister.

Arjun again took the pipe in his hands and pointed at all the youngsters, making them all drenched.

"What the hell, Ajju! Argh! I just had my bath and came," Yash said, pouting and glaring at Arjun.

"Chill, Bava. Why are you getting hyper? Didn't my Akka give you your morning dose?" Arjun said, winking at Yash.

"You idiot!" Yash yelled at Arjun and started hitting him by taking one of the balls from the twins' toys and starting to chase him.

But that ball hit Siri. Siri took the ball and threw it at Yash, but it hit Pranav, who had just come to the garden in his drowsy state. Maya and Aashi hooted, making everyone look at them weirdly, except Surya. Pranav chased Siri and Maya. They reached the swimming pool, and both the sisters looked at each other mischievously and pushed him into the pool, making him shout at them. Sravya and Avi pushed Maya, making her groan. Soon all of them were in the pool except Aashi and Vicky. Vicky was playing with the twins while Aashi was sitting at the edge of the pool and clicking their pictures. The elders looked at their children playing happily, forgetting the whole world, and prayed in their minds to keep them happy like this.

*********************

Maya came out of the bathroom after the shower and stood in front of the mirror, drying her hair. Avi sat on the bed, scrolling through his phone. She was about to tie her hair when he shouted, making her startled.

"Why did you shout now?" Maya asked, composing.

"Don't tie your hair; you look beautiful with your hair open," Avi said with a dreamy look on his face.

"You mean that I won't look beautiful when I tie my hair?" she asked, folding her hands and raising her eyebrows at him.

He got up from the bed and went near her, took her into a hug.

"For me, you look beautiful every time. But when you leave your hair open, you look more divine," he said, looking straight into her eyes.

She smiled, listening, and was overwhelmed as he applied the vermilion to her hairline and kissed her on the forehead.

She came out of the hug and told him, "I'll go and help Aashi," to which he nodded his head.

She was about to go when he held her hand and told her, "By the way, you are looking beautiful. You look divine in white; it suits you more." saying that he left her hand and moved to get ready.

Maya went to the guest room to help Aashi. Soon everyone reached down and sat in the puja mandir, as there was a small puja on the occasion of Vani and Shekar's wedding anniversary.

(Avi and Maya's atttires)

After the puja, everyone wished the couple.

"Happy 30th wedding anniversary, Attayya and Mamayya," Maya said, kissing both of them on their cheeks.

"Thank you, Ammu," Vani and Shekar said together.

"Happy anniversary, Amma and Nanna," Avi wished his parents.

"We don't want your wishes," said Vani.

"Then?" Avi asked, confused.

"I want a small Avi or Maya to play by next year," Shekar said, winking at him.

Maya's face turned red like a tomato, and Avi too blushed a little, making everyone chuckle.

"Or you can give both of them at the same time," Arjun said, looking at Avi mischievously.

Vani twisted his ear and said, "Stop teasing my babies."

"Ouch! Atta, leave me; it's hurting, yaar. And did I say something wrong? They are both leaving no chance for romance. If they go on at this speed, they will definitely make their cricket team," Arjun said, teasing his sister and brother-in-law.

Maya looked at him wide-eyed while Avi glared at him.

"After two weeks, you'll also get married; then I'll see how you'll be away from your wife," Vani said, smirking at him.

Arjun looked at Diya, who was already looking at him. He averted his eyes from her and looked away, making her sigh.

*********************

Chytra sat in her room getting ready for the boy's family, who had come to see her. They are not rich like Arjun's family, but they are well-settled and have a good name in society. Their son saw her at a function and fell in love with her. So, he sent his proposal to her family through his parents, even after knowing the entire truth. But does she deserve this man? She almost destroyed Arjun's life for her selfishness. She lost a gem in her foolishness, but she was happy for Arjun.

As if that were not sufficient, she joined hands with her brother to snatch Maya's happiness. She doesn't know what her brother is plotting, but this time she will not support him. Life has given her another chance to correct her mistakes, and she will not waste it. Her parents still don't know that she and her brother have lost their jobs. She was the reason for many bad things that had happened to their family. Her sister's marriage life was at stake. Her mother's health was deteriorating, and her father was feeling helpless. Does she deserve this boy? She composed herself and thought that this time she would accept what destiny had stored for her.