The air had grown thick—not with color, but with the intensity of emotions rising under the vibrant canopy of Holi.
Just when the garden felt too small for all the laughter and longing, Rudra walked in.
And as always—when he walked in, silence followed.
His eyes swept the lawn once.
Only once.
Because his gaze locked on the trio standing near the Tarect exit gate—Anaya, swaying slightly in her drunken innocence, flanked by her two guards: Janvi and Ria.
He didn't waste a second.
"Ravi. Don't let them step out. Close that gate. Now."(The command wasn't loud. But it thundered.)
Ravi, startled, snapped to action, turning on his heels to block the path.
Before anyone could react, Rudra stepped forward, not stopping till he stood face to face with his wife.
Anaya looked up at him, cheeks flushed pink—not just from the gulal, but from the effects of the bhang lassi she drank in innocence.
He reached for her wrist gently.
"Chalo. Room mein chalo. You're not in a state to be outside."
But before he could even guide her, Anaya tugged her hand back and grabbed Ria and Janvi's hands like a little girl refusing to be separated from her dolls.
In a soft, slurred baby voice, she pouted—
"Main unke bina nahi jaungi… mujhe meri girls chahiye. Yahin. Mere saath. Please?"(I won't go without them… I want my girls. Here. With me. Please?)
Rudra sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You need rest, Velvet. And medicine. Come on. Don't argue."
She looked at him with wide innocent eyes.
"I don't want to go there. Mujhe unke saath rehna hai. We have plans."
Rudra leaned closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear—
"Velvet… tu toh buri tarah nashe mein hai. You need medicine, samjhi?"(Velvet… you're clearly drunk. You need medicine, understand?)
And in that one whisper, there was something more than worry—something soft, something careful.
Everyone heard the tone.
Everyone froze.
Ravi blinked.
"Sir… am I dreaming?" he muttered under his breath, eyes wide in disbelief.
Janvi, smirking proudly, elbowed Ria and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear:
"Maine bola tha na? Pyaar toh hai. Aur kitna!"(I told you, didn't I? There's love. So much love.)
Aarav, pretending to be casual, threw a hand on Ravi's shoulder.
"Bhai… kya yeh waaqai tum ho? Ya kisi ne bhang waali laddu tumhe khila di?"(Bro… is this really you? Or did someone feed you a bhang laddu?)
Ria squealed softly.
"Owwwww… cutie couple alert! Ughhh, this is too much!!"Her hands clapped like a fangirl, cheeks puffing with glee.
But Anaya?
She wasn't hearing anyone anymore.
Her eyes were fixed on Rudra's face, trying to process his words, his voice, his gentleness.
Her heart whispered inside her head—
"This is a dream, right? Yeh banda… yeh Rudra… aise behave kar raha hai… sabke saamne?"
"Kya woh mujhse sach mein pyaar karta hai? Jaise main karti hoon?"(Does he really love me? Like I love him?)
Rudra cleared his throat.
"Let's go, Anaya. Please."
She pouted again.
"Nahi! I want to stay here with my girls. Please please please, Mr. Wallet? Pretty please?"She blinked at him with glassy, innocent eyes.
Ravi and Aarav exchanged a look and chuckled.
"Rudra atak gaya, bhai."(Rudra's stuck now, bro.)
"Haan, aur poori tarah se."(Yep, completely trapped.)
Janvi and Ria caught the moment and jumped in, matching Anaya's baby voice like a perfect trio.
"Pleaseeeee bhaiiiii… pretty pleaseeee."They whined in unison, their faces squished in pleading puppy-eyed expressions.
Rudra sighed dramatically.
"Ravi—bring medicine. Right now. For all three of them."
Ravi saluted playfully, "Yes sir. Operation Talli Girls begins."
"Aarav, snacks. Kuch spicy. And close the damn Tarect exit before these girls sneak out again."
Aarav raised both hands."Snack aur security. On it, boss."
As the boys left to follow orders, the three girls stood in the middle of the garden, arms linked, eyes shining, and suddenly—
They jumped.
All three.
Ria, Janvi, and Anaya bounced in their spot, laughing and yelling—
"Holi with the Queens!! Woooo!!"
Rudra, standing with his arms folded, watched the scene with an amused huff.
His lips curved upward.
Just a little.
Maybe Holi wasn't such a bad idea after all.
💕.______..______..______..______..______..______..______.💕
The madness of colors still clung to everyone's clothes, skin, and hair, but now... the wild euphoria of the day had melted into something softer. A lazy, mischievous energy filled the cooling night air.
Maybe it was the thandai.Maybe it was the bhang-laced sweets some had unknowingly devoured.Or maybe... it was just that feeling of being young and foolish, surrounded by the people you trusted the most.
Somewhere between teasing and laughter, the three girls — Ria, Janvi, and Anaya — brimming with leftover madness, huddled together near the low table lit by scattered fairy lights. Their heads bent close, their whispers urgent and animated, punctuated by giggles that refused to be stifled.
Then, suddenly, Ria clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling with wicked delight.
"Guys! Chalo, let's play Truth or Dare!" she announced, her voice ringing into the night.
The idea caught like wildfire.
Across the lawn, Rudra heard it first.He turned, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile that promised nothing but trouble. His voice, low and smooth, carried easily as he drawled,"Truth or Dare? Main ready hoon."
Aarav, mid-sip of his drink, nearly choked.
Ravi shot Rudra a look of pure disbelief. "Rudra bhai… are you sure? Tum theek ho na?"
Aarav nodded dramatically, thumping his chest in exaggerated concern."Pakka kuch chadh gaya hai. Koi antidote lao, yaar."
The others snickered, but Rudra only chuckled under his breath, his gaze never shifting from Anaya.He wasn't playing for fun.
Tonight, Rudra had a mission.
To uncover what his wife truly thought of him — unfiltered, unguarded, no masks.
He leaned back lazily, every line of his body deceptively relaxed, and said, almost to himself,"Main toh bas yeh jaanna chahta hoon ki meri biwi mere baare mein kya sochti hai..."
For a moment, the teasing around them stuttered.Even Ravi, who had been ready with another wisecrack, paused. His eyes flickered toward Ria, who was now dragging bottles and cushions, setting them up in a large messy circle under the glittering fairy lights.
And in that heartbeat, something shifted in Ravi's expression — a softening, a hesitance.
"Umm... okay fine. I'm ready too," he mumbled, trying to sound casual, but not fooling anyone.
Because if Rudra was willing to risk it, maybe he could too.Maybe... a few old, buried truths could surface tonight.
Across the small courtyard, Anaya called out, grinning wide as she surveyed the chaotic set-up."Guys! Seats are ready! Opposite teams ya sab milke?"
"Teams mein!" Ravi answered immediately, smirking."Team banana zaruri hai, warna toh yeh Rudra cheating karenge."
Everyone burst into laughter, the tension broken.
But Rudra didn't bother responding.Without waiting, he crossed the distance to Anaya in three strides, caught her hand firmly, and, before she could even protest, led her toward the cozy two-seater couch tucked under the fairy lights.
It was barely big enough for two.
He dropped down onto the cushions first, pulling her gently but insistently down beside him. Their thighs brushed; his arm draped lazily across the back of the couch behind her, an unmistakable claim.
Anaya stared up at him, wide-eyed, the flush rising high in her cheeks.
Rudra only smirked, slow and satisfied, as if seating her there was the most natural thing in the world.
Across from them, Ria plopped down on a larger couch, tugging Janvi with her, while Ravi and Aarav sprawled on either side, pretending casualness — but their eyes were too sharp, their movements too careful.
The air between them all vibrated with unspoken things.
Excitement.Fear.Hope.
Ria rubbed her hands together gleefully."Main start karungi!" she declared, reaching for a slim glass bottle, still dusted pink with gulal from the afternoon's Holi festivities.
She set it carefully on the low table at the center of their circle.
The bottle wobbled precariously.
Everyone leaned in instinctively — closer, tighter, as if drawn by the same invisible thread.
Hearts thudded.Smirks tugged nervously at lips.
And then, Ria gave the bottle a sharp spin.
It whirled madly.Colors blurred into a streak of light.Laughter bubbled up helplessly.
The world seemed to narrow, in that moment, to a single point: the spinning bottle.
Around it — friendships teetered.Crushes burned silently.Hidden love stories trembled at the edge of confession.Jealousies sharpened like knives.Secrets that could shatter whole worlds hovered just beneath the surface.
Everything balanced on that single, dizzying turn.
And somewhere deep inside, each one of them knew —
Tonight, nothing would ever be quite the same again.