ALIA'S POV:

I was still near the window when a customer walked in and placed their order. After serving them, I sat down beside the window.

As I looked outside, the golden sun retreated behind a veil of clouds, leaving behind a trail of muted hues. The air grew heavy with anticipation as raindrops began their graceful descent, like whispers from the heavens. Each droplet was a tiny messenger of nature's symphony, painting the world with a delicate touch. The earth awoke, adorned with glistening jewels, as the gentle rain wove its melody, creating a poetic harmony between sky and land.

As I gazed at the raindrops, my mind wandered towards Dhruv. He is unpredictable and appears and disappears suddenly. I also wondered how he knew that I was lying to him. My trance was interrupted by a delivery boy calling out my name.

I walked up to him and asked, "Kya chaiye bhaiya?"

"Miss. Alia?" he asked, and I nodded.

"Yeh raha apka order," he said, handing me a small packet.

"Par, bhaiya, maine toh koi order place nai kiya hai," I informed him. (But I didn't place this order)

He had turned to leave, but he looked back and said, "Ji, order kisi aur ne kiya hai, delivery address yahi ki thi." (Yes, the order was placed by someone else, but the delivery address was yours.)

Before I could ask him more questions, he had already left. I wanted to make sure that the package was for me, so I carefully checked it and found that the given address was mine. I then proceeded to open the packet, inside of which were medicines for a cold and runny nose, both of which I was suffering from at the time.

Looking at the medicine, I began to wonder who might have ordered it for me. I hadn't told anyone that I had a cold, so why would someone order medicine for me? Suddenly, the thought of Dhruv crossed my mind. He was the only person who had asked me about my cold, but my mind was also questioning why he would order medicine for me.

Keeping all these thoughts in mind, I took out a medicine, used it, and continued with my work.

Despite taking my medicine, my health hadn't improved. Neither Diya nor Sahil was around to help me, and endless cups of hot coffee didn't seem to do much good. I realized that the only option I had was to leave work early and go home.

"You're crazy, Alia," I scolded myself. "Kon itne saare ice cream khata hai, jab tu janti hai tu bimaar hojayegi?"

I was dreading going home because I had never left a table without finishing my food before. My phone had been switched off all day, and I had told Dheeraj uncle that I was going to the bakery before leaving. I wasn't sure if anyone had asked about me, otherwise, they would have come looking for me.

Within the next half an hour, I somehow finished all my work and left for the house.

DHRUV'S POV:

She appeared to be suffering from a cold, but she refused to acknowledge it. However, her flushed face and hoarse voice gave it away. On my way back to the office, I ordered her some medicine and made sure she wouldn't know it was from me.

As soon as I arrived at the office, I learned that both Sameer and Vishal had left. Shortly after, Shreya updated me on my schedule and a meeting before leaving.

After completing some minor tasks, I was comfortably seated at my desk when someone knocked on my cabin door.

"Come in," I replied.

To my surprise, Esha and my mother walked in unannounced. I looked at them with a serious expression, taken aback by their sudden visit.

My mother walked up to the couch in my cabin and sat down, followed by Esha. She had just returned from an outdoor shoot and was still lost in her world, oblivious to what was happening around her. As a result, she didn't notice the disapproving looks that my mother had been giving me.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" my mother asked.

"I'm not avoiding you," I replied, avoiding eye contact.

"Raat ko late se aaya, Subha bina mile office chala aaya, toh avoid hi toh kar rha hai tu," she scolded, while my sister looked between me and my mother.

"Dekh, Dhruv, hum dono ne ek dusre se promise kiya tha. Maine apna promise nibhaya aur tera aur uska meeting fix kardiya hai next week. Ab tu apna promise pura kar, usse jakar mile" [Look, Dhruv, we had made a promise to each other, I have fulfilled mine and now it's your turn]

I had so many questions to ask her, like who the girl was, and if it was Alia, how come it was her? But I couldn't voice them.

My sister was just staring at my blank face, trying to read my thoughts. When I looked at my mother, she was waiting for an answer, and wouldn't leave until she got one.

I sighed and replied, "Okay, agar mein free rha toh, main usse jakar mil aaunga"

"Apna calender clear karlena, aur mujhe koi bahana nai chaiye meetings wagera ka thi," she stood up from her place and moved towards the door.

"Maa, ap jao, mein aayi thodi dher mei," Esha said, not moving from her spot. And my mother left.

Esha stood up and sat in front of my desk, staring at me intently. After looking at me for a while, she blurted out, "Do you not want to meet her or any girl?"

Before responding, I looked at her properly to check if she was teasing me or if this conversation would turn serious. All the little hope I had for this to be seriously broke when she said, "It's okay if you don't want to meet her or anyone for that matter, unki life baach jayegi," and started laughing.

My faith was already laughing at me, and I didn't want my sister to laugh at me too, so I rudely told her to "Get lost and go get a job."

"I can earn in an hour what you make in a week," Esha exclaimed.

"So, I think it's you who should get a new job," she continued, winking at me.
I was aware of my sister's action, but I scoffed at this statement.

Esha has always been the pampered child of our family. Being the youngest and only girl of her generation, we have always fulfilled her demands. From the time of her birth, I was devoted to her. My mother still reminds me of the time when Esha was a newborn, and I, at just 5 or 6 years old, would often cradle her to sleep. I was her best friend, but that changed when I went abroad for my studies. I became so engrossed in learning and preparing to run our family's empire that I may have unintentionally left Esha alone.

As a result, she has learned to take care of herself better than I could have ever done and does not rely on me for small or big things. And I am very proud of the strong woman that she has become and I always pray for her best.

After spending some time together, she left the office, and I resumed the work I was doing before she and Maa came. I completed the work within an hour and then headed home.

ALIA'S POV:

I reached home and found the living room deserted. I peeked into the kitchen and saw Masi busy with her chores. I slipped into my room unnoticed and shut the door behind me.

I felt sick and exhausted, but I forced myself to get up and change my clothes. I took a hot shower to soothe my aching body.

I stepped out of the bathroom and heard a knock on the door. I opened it and was embraced by two strong arms. It was my brother. He released me from the hug and lifted my chin. He asked me, "Where were you all day?"

I avoided his gaze and walked to my bed. I sat down and picked up a book from my lap. I tried to read it, but the words were blurry. I held the book closer to my eyes, but it didn't help. Suddenly, the book was snatched from my hands.

"Leave me alone and give me back my book," I yelled at my brother, thinking he was the culprit. I looked up and saw Meera Bhabhi standing next to him. She had a guilty expression on her face. She was holding a tray of food in one hand and my book in the other.

She heard my voice and came to sit beside me on the bed. She reached out to touch my face and asked, "Are you sick? You have a cold, don't you?" Before my brother could say anything, his phone rang and he left to answer it.

My brother left to take his call, leaving Bhabhi and me in silence. She tore off a morsel of roti dipped it into the butter paneer, my all-time favorite dish, and brought it to my lips. Even though I was angry with her, I couldn't resist the tempting food. The only things I had eaten today were ice cream and coffee. If I accepted this bite, I could avoid talking to them longer.

I opened my mouth, moved closer, and took a bite. The food was so good that I closed my eyes and enjoyed it. Maybe it was because I was hungry, but it was the best thing I ever tasted. I bit my lip to stop myself from making any noise. The food tasted like heaven. Literally.

As I swallowed the last bite of my meal, I lifted my eyelids and met the gaze of my sister-in-law. She was looking at me with an intense expression, that made me think what she was thinking.

I took the tray from her hands and kept it on my lap and told her, "Mein khalungi, ab jaye," she didn't object, stood up, and left.

After eating, I lay down on the bed and started thinking about who could be the family that Mumma had received a marriage proposal from. When did my mother start discussing my marriage? I kept thinking about all these things and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

The following morning, as I woke up, I noticed my mother had slept in the chair beside me, and there was a bowl with a cloth on the bedside table. I checked the time and saw it was 6 a.m. As I tried to get out of bed, she woke up after sensing my movements.

"Abhi tabiyat kaisi hai?" my mother asked.

"Thik hai abhi," I nodded my head and replied. She came forward and touched my forehead to check my temperature. After seeing that my fever had subsided, she got up saying, "Go, get up, get ready, and come down for breakfast."

Once Mumma left my room, I got down and went inside the bathroom. As I undressed and stood beneath the shower, the cold water touched my body and all my sickness vanished. I finished my shower and came out of the bathroom, I quickly got dressed and headed down for breakfast.

It was as usual for breakfast my father was reading his newspaper, and my brother and dadu were talking about something, my mother and sister-in-law were in the kitchen cooking delicious breakfast for the family. But still, there was this weird silence amongst us.

When I pulled my chair and sat, both bhai and dadu turned their heads, and Papa at the same time folded his paper and kept it aside. I greeted them and they replied.

After everyone settled, we started with our breakfast, except for the sound of the spoons and cutlery there was no other sound. We ate our food in silence, that was a first in our household.

I was grateful to my grandfather for saying something and eliminating the silence, "Princess, are you fine now, no fever, right?" I smiled and him and nodded.

I finished my breakfast and stood up carrying my bag to leave, my mother questioned, "Kahan jaa rhi h?" with a confused look. I turned my gaze at my entire family, they all held the same look.

"Bakery," was all I could say to them and I heard my family yell at me in unison, "No."

"Why?" I asked

"You had a fever last night and you are talking about going to the bakery?" bhabhi replied while the rest of them just nodded.

"It was not fever, kal maine ice cream zayda khali thi, and I wasn't feeling well, toh maybe body heat ho gayi meri,"

"I am dedicated to my work just as you and Papa are, bhai, and I have decided that I am fine right now and I'll go to the bakery, that's my decision, at least I can decide on this, right?" I said rudely, walked out of the house, and drove towards the bakery.

DHRUV'S POV:

My mother seems determined to get me married. After our conversation in my cabin, she brought up the topic again at dinner last night and is still talking to me about it at breakfast.

Listening to her, I realized that I had no idea how to decline meeting the girl now that Alia had captured my heart. I don't know how to convey my feelings to Alia, and even if she finds out, there's no guarantee that she'll reciprocate them. After all, she's my best friend's sister.

I need help, and my last resort is Sameer, who always seems to have a solution to all my problems. But I haven't heard from him since I left to check on Alia.

While I was still thinking about these things, I heard my mother say, "I heard that a marriage proposal has come for Vishal's sister?"

Hearing her, I remembered the reason why I had gone to check up on Alia; she received a marriage proposal and wasn't happy about it.

"Where are you lost?" Papa called me out. I shook my head and stood up to leave for the office.

Before exiting the house, I heard my mother yelling, "Dhruv, get some decent clothes and wear them on your date."

As I mentioned earlier, my mom is extremely determined to get me married. But now that I was curious to know who this person was, I turned to face my mom, and asked her,

"Maa, who is this girl that you're so eager for me to meet?"

Despite being taken aback by my sudden question, she replied, "I believe you're familiar with her. She comes from a good family, and I think you two would get along. Her name is-" Before she could finish, my phone rang, showing a call from my assistant, Shreya.

After ending the call, I looked around for my mother but she had already left. Once again, I was left clueless about the girl's identity, so I started going to the office