Dhruv's POV

The afternoon sunlight slanted through the windows, casting golden streaks across the living room where laughter rang freely. It was one of those rare, easy afternoons—post-lunch, bellies full, hearts lighter.

Aakriti sat on the couch, Sachi animatedly talking to her. Sachi, Karan, and Kabir were sharing our childhood stories. The house felt cheerful as everyone was here.

I sat beside Aarav in front of them, sipping my coffee, my eyes occasionally drifting to Aakriti. She was radiant today, wearing that saree, her hair tied loosely, a few wisps escaping to frame her face. That smile... yeah, it still got me.

"Bhabhi, tell me," Sachi said, propping her elbow on the back of the couch. "How did you all become friends? It's so rare to see a group like yours—you, Aarav, Rajveer, Vihaan, and now Ansh. Feels like a movie, gang! I asked Aarav so many times, but he just says that 'we vibed' nonchalantly."

Aakriti chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Actually, the story is quite filmy."

"Aaku, don't you dare say that." Aarav warned her, and she simply winked at him.

"Ohhh, now I have to know." Sachi leaned forward.

"Aaku."

"Come on! Aarav, be quiet." Sachi grinned. "Now I want the whole spicy version. Not the 'we just vibed' summary."

I looked toward Aakriti, expecting her usual shrug or some vague line.

Instead, she sat up straighter, that devilish twinkle glinting in her eyes.

"Well..." she began dramatically, clearly enjoying the spotlight, "to tell this story properly, we have to go back to sixth grade."

I leaned back with interest. This was going to be good.

"Aarav, Rajveer, and Vihaan were already inseparable. Their fathers were best friends, did business together, and practically raised their sons together. They were the annoying, inseparable trio."

"I protest," Aarav interjected. "We were cool."

"You were not," Aakriti said firmly, grinning. "You were loud, mildly annoying, and thought you ruled the school because you played cricket and had matching bicycles."

I chuckled, picturing Aarav's sullen adolescent face. "Matching bicycles?"

"Red bicycle," Aakriti confirmed. "With stickers that said 'Beast Mode.'"

"Oh god," Sachi laughed.

Aarav covered his face with both hands. "Why are you like this?"

"Anyway, for me they didn't exist and vice versa. But then...," she continued with a regal air.

"Guy, do not judge me. I was twelve." Aarav said, and Aakriti burst out laughing. Everyone was curious to know because of their reaction.

"I had an envelope in my hand and was about to go and sit at my desk. But this idiot thought that I wrote a love letter for him and started throwing attitude. Saying stuff like I don't like you, and You are not my type. I was confused at what nonsense he was talking about, and then I explained that this was not for him, but he started saying that I didn't have to be embarrassed; he can understand after all; he is so handsome. I tried again, but once an idiot, always an idiot." Aarav looked so embarrassed. I could hear his thought that he simply wanted to bury himself.

"Then." Kabir asked with twinkling eyes.

"I punched him because my patience wore off. Before he or anyone else could recover, I dragged him by his collar in front of the mirror and asked him from which angle he looked handsome. And this idiot..." She started laughing, leaving us utterly shocked.

"I hate this," Aarav muttered. "This is character assassination."

"Please, Bhabhi, continue."

"He started crying as his nose was aching because of the punch." Aakriti said, leaving no hope for Aarav to recover his CEO image.

"Aaku...yaar." Aarav said helplessly.

"Our parents were called, and then we both were scolded by our respective parents. We were asked to shake hands and become friends. Rajveer and Vihaan, those traitors, were watching all this with excitement." Aarav continued.

"They became my fan in an instant. We became friends as they realized I was cooler than them." Aakriti said, grinning.

"At the cost of my trauma." Aarav complained.

The room erupted again with laughter, and poor Aarav looked like he was reconsidering all his life choices.

"Okay, but that's iconic," Sachi grinned, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "I get why they became your friends. So... what about Ansh? He came later, right?"

"We thought that our group was complete. Then came the chaos." Aarav said, shaking his head.

Aakriti's expression softened noticeably. "Yeah. He joined school in the eighth grade. He became my deskmate. And trust me when I say this: Ansh was chaos. Pure chaos."

"The most dangerous ideas used to pop in his head, ideas that would give you a weird sense of excitement. Aakriti loves excitement. Joining in all his mischief and dragging us three. We were lucky to not get expelled from the school." Aarav complained.

"You mean rich." Aakriti said, and Aarav nodded.

"But you know what, Aaru? I always had this doubt: Where did you get your confidence from? If it would have been Vi and Rajveer, it would have been understandable." She said, making me shocked. What does she mean?

"I am more handsome than both of them." Aarav argued.

"But those two were more popular than you." Aakriti said nonchalantly.

"Why?" Sachi asked.

"Because Rajveer was excellent at basketball, and Vi was mesmerizing when he played guitar. You might fall in love with him if you hear him." Aakriti said. I sipped my coffee a little too quickly.

Fall in love with him? My jaw tensed.
Cool. Cool, cool, cool. No big deal.
Just my wife casually saying another man is mesmerizing.
Totally normal. Not jealous at all. Not even a little.

"Why would she? When she is already in love with me?" Aarav said in jealousy.

I glanced at her—she was laughing, completely unaware that her words had triggered a very childish storm inside me.

Mesmerizing, huh?
Should I pick up the guitar again? I think I had one in here... somewhere. Probably in the storeroom with my forgotten ambitions. Dhruv, wake up. She is married to you. Stop being jealous.

"You didn't even know how to play guitar, Raja sa." My inner voice mocked me.

"You didn't need to remind it." I said back.

"What about Ansh?" Sachi asked.

"Oh, don't ask about him. He is her partner in crime. For her, no matter how annoying Ansh is, he will always be sweet." Aarav said. Her sunshine. How can I forget?

I sat there, listening to them unravel a story from their school days like it was some Oscar-worthy plot twist. My wife, my dignified, calm, perfect wife, was grinning like a devil in disguise.

"Look at her smile, remembering my misery, right?" Aarav said, throwing a pillow towards her in mock frustration. Aakriti was trying to contain her laughter. Kabir, Karan, and Sachi are looking at her with curiosity.

"That was the best prank we both pulled. Aaru, I can never forget your three faces." Her eyes sparkled with mischief. And then it began.

"One day these two decided that it would be great if they convinced the entire school that the old, unused staff room on the third floor was haunted. That afternoon, while most students were in class, Ansh sneakily placed a small Bluetooth speaker inside the abandoned room, hidden inside an old file cupboard. She had a way with tech and had recorded spooky whispers and eerie sound effects—creaking doors, sobbing, and random footsteps. The next morning, the news spread like wildfire: 'Someone heard crying on the third floor last night!' Apparently, it was a junior that had "accidentally" gone up there to collect a cricket bat from storage; it was planned by Ansh, and that junior came back pale-faced and muttering about 'a woman in white.' This was not the end. That day Ansh convinced everyone in our class that there was a Bloody Mary ghost in his previous school. That day students bunked the class to hunt the truth. We dragged these two into the staff room, and they pretended to be scared." Aarav said, making us all shocked, but Aakriti burst out laughing. Wait. What?!

Aakriti. My perfectly poised, nightmare-slaying, speech-giving wife... Made a school haunted house?

The room was already howling with laughter, but I couldn't stop staring at her. This woman really fooled an entire school and had the audacity to look proud about it.

Aarav wasn't done. But Aakriti interrupted him.

"Aaru, your face at that time. When I played the audio of women singing. You screamed and climbed on top of Rajveer. You both were shivering. Vi was on the verge of fainting." Aakriti said, trying to hold her laugh.

"Then comes the best part. The next day, during the morning assembly, right as the principal was about to give his usual pep talk in the hall, I hit play from my phone behind the building. And then, a slow, spine-chilling whisper echoed through the corridor mic system:

"Get... out..."

Everyone froze.

The principal dropped the mic.

Teachers looked at each other in horror.

One of the watchmen literally ran." she said with all the necessary pauses.

"Bhabhi, where were you till now? See, Bhai, this is how you have fun in your life." Kabir said, fanning over her. I shook my head slowly, trying not to smile, though every part of me wanted to pull her into a side hug and ask, Who even are you? Which of your sides is the real you?

"Were they discovered?" Karan asked wide-eyed, like a kid hearing a bedtime thriller.

"Yes, when this silly Aaku connected that scary audio during the class play. She was summoned to the principal's office."

I turned to look at her, raising my brow. "Really?"

"He was epic. Instead of punishing me, he asked about how I did it. After I told him everything, he was so impressed. He asked me if anyone else was with me."

"And as usual, you denied it." Aarav muttered.

"You never reveal your partner in crime if you are caught." she said, like it was some sacred rule.

But the best thing was that Aaru exchanged his Hot Wheels collection with Ansh for a protection bracelet." Aakriti said, giving Aarav a mocking look.

"You both are mean." he grumbled, folding his arms.

And yet, even he couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips.

"You are annoying," Aakriti said with a fond smile.

"Let me annoy you a bit more," Aarav smirked and darted upstairs.

"I have a bad feeling. I should run." Aakriti stood up abruptly, alert like a cat that heard thunder. "He's up to something. I know that face."

"No, he will not do anything." Sachi said, but Aakriti looked restless.

A moment later, Aarav reappeared at the top of the stairs... holding Gabbar. Aakriti looked like she had a walking nightmare.

"Aaku," Aarav called sweetly. "Guess who wants cuddles?"

"Aaru, don't you dare come near me!" Aakriti's voice shot up an octave, her eyes widening as she took a step back, hands up as if she were facing a wild tiger and not a 4-kilo cat with resting murder face.

"He's just a cat, yaar, bhabhi." Kabir said, laughing.

"He's not just a cat!" Aakriti shot back, her voice trembling. "He's Satan in a fur coat with whiskers!"

Gabbar blinked slowly, completely unbothered, dangling lazily in Aarav's arms.

"Bhabhi, he's literally purring," Sachi said.

"That's how he lures his victims," Aakriti snapped. "First purr, then claws. I've seen the documentaries."

"I think those were on lions," I murmured, amused.

Aarav took one slow, deliberate step down the stairs.

Aakriti shrieked. She came towards me and pulled me. I stood up, and he used me as a shield.

"Dhruv, save me. Or else I swear, I will never talk to you again! I will move back to Delhi. I will delete your name from my mehendi pictures!" She said, peeking from behind me. She held my hands tightly.

Gabbar meowed once. Loudly.

Aakriti froze. "He spoke."

"He's saying hi, Aaku!" Aarav teased, descending one more step.

"NOPE." Aakriti turned and bolted.

"Aaru, if you bring him closer, I'll cry. Real tears. Like ugly sobbing. If it's not about me, then think about my poor husband. Don't give him a heart attack." Looks like, in addition to Kabir and Sachi, two more kids have joined our family.

Gabbar meowed, and she gripped my sleeves a bit tightly.

Aarav stopped, chuckling. "Okay, okay, I surrender. Gabbar, your queen says, No audience today."

He walked over to set Gabbar gently on the rug. The cat immediately plopped down and began licking its paw like royalty, completely indifferent to the chaos it had caused.

"You are really so scared of my Gabbar. He is harmless." Kabir said with a pout.

"Aakriti hates every single living being. It's just that she tolerates humans a little." True. That too, only a few countable ones.

"He's licking his paw. That's a trap," she whispered to me.

"You want me to take him outside?" I asked her.

"No, just... keep him busy. Distract him. With... I don't know. Tuna?"

"Paneer Tikka." I said, and she made a weird face. Questioning his choices.

I chuckled. "You're scared of a cat, but not of punching boys in sixth grade?"

She narrowed her eyes. "That's because sixth-grade boys don't have claws hidden in their feet."

God help me.

I married the chaos.

And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

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

🥰🥰💕💕

Hello! I hope you liked this chapter..................

Do vote and comment.....................

Share this story with your friends.................

Do follow me...............

Take care bye..........