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This book is entirely a product of my imagination. Please do not copy my work, or I will take strict action.

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Aaradhya's POV

"Jaye Mera baccha!" Maa said emotionally standing up from her chair. She walked towards the man who had just entered the house. So his name is Jaye. One by one everyone went to greet him. I followed too even though I didn’t know him. After all he was a guest.

“didn't you miss us?” Darsh and Raj asked in unison.

“i missed you guys a lot!” Jaye replied dramatically making everyone laugh.

Papa hugged him warmly asking “How are you my boy?”

“I’m fine Papa” Jaye replied.

I stood there puzzled. Why was he calling Papa...Papa? I was still lost in my thoughts when Maa introduced me to him.

“she is aardhya, Aarav's wife” Maa said. Jaye looked at me silently for a moment before speaking words that made me blush.

"How did that idiot get such a good wife?” he said playfully and everyone burst out laughing. I smiled shyly lowering my gaze.

“You must be the idiot” Aarav ji said entering the scene and standing beside me. Jaye walked towards him and they hugged tightly as if meeting after ages.

“why did you come here?” Aarav ji asked.

“Maa look what he is saying!” Jaye replied sulking.

"Don't pay attention to what he says. Go freshen up quickly and then we'll have dinner." Maa instructed. Jaye nodded and went upstairs.

After some time Jaye returned now refreshed and sat beside Aarav ji.

"This time you won't go back, right?” Chachi asked hope gleaming in her voice. He nodded happily.

"Why didn't you come to Aarav's wedding?” Maa questioned.

"It's good you didn't come otherwise you would have run away with Aaradhya." Jaye said teasingly bumping shoulders with Aarav ji. Aarav ji didn’t respond just looked down.

“now you will work here?” Chachu asked.

"Yes my transfer has happened here. The company has also given me a nice bungalow and now I will live there” Jaye replied. Everyone glared at him but he just grinned.

I noticed Riya had been unusually quiet since Jaye’s arrival. Shrugging off my thoughts I decided to focus on understanding his connection with the family.

“the food is very delicious” Jaye commented while eating.

“Aaradhya had made all this” Maa said.

Jaye turned to look at me again and said "You've turned out to be multi-talented. Maa please find me a girl like this. And Aaradhya if Aarav doesn't take care of you come to me” he added winking playfully.

Aarav ji who had been quiet until now glared at Jaye. The dinner ended with everyone talking and laughing. Later Aarav ji left with Jaye to spend some time together.

Aarav's POV

Seeing Jaye after so long made me happy but I was also angry at him for leaving without a word.

“how are you?” I asked sitting on the couch in the garden.

“i'm fine” he replied but I knew he wasn’t.

“If you leave again without telling me I’ll kill you on the spot” I said half serious. He raised his hands in mock surrender.

“How’s your relationship with Aaradhya?” he asked.

I sighed deeply and told him everything from my runaway bride to how Aaradhya ended up marrying me and how badly I treated her initially.

“Are you crazy bro? How could you do this much to her?” Jaye snapped clearly upset. I looked down feeling guilty.

“I’m trying to fix everything” I said quietly.

“It’s your personal life but Aaradhya seems like a pure soul” he said smiling.

We talked about his life after he left and the hardships he faced. He also shared some tricks to help me apologize to Aaradhya. Jaye is my best friend someone who can brighten anyone’s day with just one smile.

I returned to my room after talking to Jaye and found Aaradhya sitting on the bed. She looked at me as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

I didn’t insist and started walking toward the couch but she stopped me with her soft voice.

“Can I ask you something?” she said hesitantly.

“You don’t have to ask permission. You can ask me anything” I replied turning to look at her.

“What is Jaye’s relation with the family?” she asked her voice laced with curiosity. Oh no one has told her about him yet.

I took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the bed to explain. “He is the son of Bua’s husband. I mean Jaye is from his first wife. His mother died while giving birth to him. Dad and Jaye’s father were very close friends so when Bua’s first marriage ended Dad arranged for her to marry him. He was a good man.

“But life wasn’t kind. After some time Jaye’s father fell ill and passed away. Bua wasn’t happy in that marriage anyway since his family was from an upper-middle-class background not as wealthy as ours. After his death Bua came back here to live with us bringing Jaye with her.

“Unfortunately she never treated Jaye well. She wanted to send him to a child home but Dad wouldn’t allow it. He took Jaye in and made sure he felt like a part of the family. Everyone else welcomed Jaye wholeheartedly because he has such a lovable personality.

“But four years ago Jaye left for America without informing anyone. He thought he was a burden on us. Now that he’s back he’s still reluctant to stay here because of Bua. That’s why he’s planning to live in the bungalow his company provided him” I explained everything in a calm voice.

Aaradhya seemed sad. Maybe she could relate to his pain since she had faced similar situations in her life.

We sat in silence for a few moments before she finally said “Good night.” She wrapped herself in the quilt turning away from me.

“Good night” I replied gazing at her back. After a while I went to sleep.

Next Morning

I woke up early and headed to the gym. To my surprise Jaye was already there lifting weights.

“Good morning dude” he greeted me with a grin.

“Good morning” I replied joining him in the workout.

“I’ll join the company tomorrow” he said mid rep. “But I’ll leave by evening because she’s coming tomorrow and I can’t stay here.”

I paused looking at him seriously. “Should I get on my knees and beg you to stay?” I joked hoping to lighten his mood.

He chuckled. “No bro. That’s not necessary.”

Just then Darsh and Raj walked in bringing a burst of energy.

“Good morning Bhai!” Darsh greeted enthusiastically.

“Good morning boys” Jaye replied with a playful smile.

The four of us got caught up in talking and even started planning to go out together later.

Aaradhya’s POV

In the kitchen Maa was telling me about Jaye’s favorite food.

“Haan he loves paneer ke paranthe” she said with a smile busy preparing the dough. Chachi was chopping vegetables nearby and I just stood there watching them work.

Suddenly Jaye walked in his presence filling the room.

“Good morning beautiful ladies!” he greeted dramatically leaning casually against the counter.

“Good morning” we all replied.

"I missed the food made by you all a lot" he said dramatically wiping fake tears. We laughed at his antics.

"By the way Maa, Chachi, you both are so beautiful so why did you marry such a men?" Jaye teased signaling me just as Papa and Chachu walked in.

"What could we do? We couldn't find a good husband so out of necessity we had to marry them" Chachi replied playing along.

"Get him married to someone or else he'll end up wooing someone else's wife" Chachu joked glaring at him.

"Then find someone for me"  Jaye said with a playful grin.

"Should we find someone or have you already found someone?" Maa teased just as Riya walked into the kitchen.

"I really like a girl. By the way I’ll introduce her to you all soon." Jaye said clearly teasing someone probably Riya. I couldn’t help but notice something was going on between the two of them.

“Fast service hai badi teri!” Maa remarked and Jaye just grinned mischievously.

"Wow the paratha is very tasty" Jaye said eating enthusiastically.

I glanced at Aarav Ji and saw a faint smile on his face as he watched Jaye. It was clear how much he cared for him.

After breakfast I went to the garden to relax. Sitting amidst the flower I let the calmness of nature soothe me. The scent of the flowers was refreshing and the cool breeze brushed against my face.

“Hii” I heard Jaye’s cheerful voice and turned to see him walking toward me with his usual bright smile.

“Can I sit here?” he asked politely.

I nodded smiling. “Why not?”

He sat beside me and stared at the flowers for a moment before breaking the silence.

“Tell me something about you” he said tilting his head toward me curiosity shining in his eyes.

I chuckled softly. “There’s nothing about me that can interest you” I replied honestly.

He gave me a look I couldn’t quite decipher his eyes filled with an emotion I understood all too well.

“We are on the same boat” he said with a sad laugh.

I stayed silent sensing his pain.

“Aarav must have told you about me?” he asked.

I nodded gently. “Yes he told me everything.”

“That’s it” he said with a weak smile. “I don’t have anything more than that.”

I felt a pang of sympathy for him but decided to change the mood. “Who’s the girl you love?” I asked trying to lighten the atmosphere.

He looked at me, his face turning shy. “Ahh it’s nothing like that” he said scratching the back of his neck.

I laughed at his sudden change in demeanor. One moment he was all serious, and the next, he was acting like a shy schoolboy.

“Tell me na please. It’s a humble request” I said making my best puppy eyes.

He hesitated but eventually sighed. “Actually I didn’t tell this to anyone except Aarav but today I’ll tell you too. You won’t tell this to anyone right?”

I nodded eagerly, leaning in as he took a deep breath.

“Actually I love Riya from the start” he confessed his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

“Really? You love her? Oh my God! I think she likes you too” I said excited. I had noticed Riya’s unusual behavior around him.

He nodded but looked unsure. “Yeah I know but I’m not sure. She’s a Yaduvanshi and she wants me to propose to her but the thing is... What if I’m wrong? What if she doesn’t love me? Then our relationship won’t be the same as before. She doesn’t talk much with me but still…” His voice trailed off as he looked down sadly.

“Aww don’t worry! I am here. I will help you with this” I said confidently.

His eyes lit up with hope. “Really? But how?”

I thought for a moment and then shrugged. “I don’t know but let’s see.”

We both laughed together and I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. Jaye had a way of making people feel light and happy no matter what.

After a moment he looked at me and asked out of nowhere “Do you love my idiot friend?”

The question caught me off guard. My cheeks heated and I looked away. “I don’t know” I said honestly.

Jaye smiled knowingly. “I know the things he has done to you but believe me Aaradhya he’ll be on his knees for you someday. Don’t forgive him easily and I’ll help you make him fall for you” he said, his eyes sparkling with determination.

“How are you so sure he’ll start loving me?” I asked confused.

He grinned mischievously. “I’ve known him since we were in diapers. I know everything about him” he said confidently.

We laughed again and then Jaye pulled out his phone. “Let’s click a picture, please” he said holding up his phone.

Before I could refuse he clicked a selfie of both of us. “Perfect!” he said admiring the picture.

“Now let’s send this to him” he added with a devilish smile.

“Why are you sending it to Aarav ji?” I asked alarmed.

“You don’t know him but he’s really possessive about his things. I’ll make him jealous” he said laughing.

I shook my head, unsure of what to say. A moment later Jaye burst out laughing, showing me his phone.

I stared at the message wide eyed. “What happened to him?” I muttered my mouth hanging open.

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