Maya's pov :

Both of us came down after freshening-up. Ammamma and pinni are sitting in the dining area and gossiping. Mamayya and Babay are watching news. Attayya and Akka are in kitchen. Remaining people are missing. I went and sat beside pinni. I took fruits from her and started cutting them. Avi went to the living room.

"How are you feeling now Maya?" She asked, caressing my head.

"I'm fine pinni. I'm sorry, I made all of you worried", I said, looking down.

"You really made all of us worried. Take care of yourself, Maya. And, your eating habits worse than a kid. Even Vansh and Varsha eat better than you", said Ammamma.

I pouted, listening to her words.

"What? Don't give me those looks now. You were just playing with the food. I will ask Diya to prepare a diet chart for you. If you didn't eat properly, then Kittu will get punishment", she said.

I smiled, listening to her.

(Gayatri is Avinav's paternal grandma)

"This is nice darling. Why will I get punishment, if she doesn't eat properly?" He said, occupying the seat opposite to me.

"Because it's your responsility to take care of my daughter", she said, teasing him.

"Atta, it's diificult to look after this stubborn kid", he said, looking at me mischievously.

I narrowed my eyes at him and asked him, "Did you just say I'm a kid?"

"Is there any doubt? Did you see your height? You are just looking like Jerry in front me. But you didn't have Jerry's capacity in eating", he said, showing his tongue to me.

"Did you just say I'm Jerry?" I asked looking, angrily at him.

"Any doubt. If you have doubt, by chance just look at your fingers and feet. And, yeah not to forget look at your height", he said.

That's it the next moment I was chasing him. But he was taking advantage of his long legs and I was not able to catch him. Why he have to be so tall? (I said to myself pouting in my mind)

"Aww, Jerry couldn't catch me", he said, agitating me.

That's it, let me catch him, I will show him what this Jerry can do. I could hear cheers behind. Maybe everyone might have come. I was running behind him when I bumped into something hard, oops, that's a person. I scolded that person for coming in middle, while he said sorry. I was rooted in my place listening to the voice. I looked up only to see my best friend who was also standing there shocked. I just moved from there to the kitchen. I saw akka and attayya preparing dinner.

"Do you need any help ladies?" I asked them, hopping on the kitchen counter.

Akka told me,"How about you prepare some dessert? As everything is almost finished."

I nodded my head and peeked my head to look at what she was preparing.

She raised her eyebrow at me and asked me, "What?"

I smiled sheepishly at her and asked her, "What are you guys preparing?"

"Panner butter masala, Roti, Aloo fry, Sambar and rice."

I squealed, listening to her and hugged Akka tightly and placed a kiss on attayya's cheek.

I heard them saying, "Silly girl".

"So what are you preparing for dessert?" Attayya asked, looking at me.

"How about payasam and some brownies?" I asked, looking at them.

"Oho, someone is preparing her hubby's favourites", Akka said, smiling mischievously.

"Nothing like that", I said, avoiding their gaze and took the necessary ingredients required from the shelf.

"Okay we are going, kitchen is all yours, call anyone of us if you need anyhelp", saying that they left the kitchen.

I opened my mobile and played my favourite music and continued my cooking. I love cooking while listening to music. I was chopping dry fruits when I felt someone's presence. I looked behind to see it was Avi.

"Do you need anything?", I asked him continuing my work.

"Nothing", he said grabbing an apple from the fruits basket and hopped on the kitchen counter.

I continued my work while he sat there looking at me intensely, making me weak on my knees.

"So what are you preparing?", he asked breaking the silence.

"Payasam and brownies", I told him placing the brownie mix in the oven.

He pulled me near him, making me jerk and kissed my both cheeks. I looked at him in shock. I was like what.

"Why are you standing like a statue, prepare fast, I'm feeling hungry", he said rubbing his tummy like a kid.

I rolled my eyes at him and gave him a look.

"What?", he asked giving me an innocent look.

"I can prepare quickly only if you leave me", I said pointing his hands around my waist.

He removed his hands off me and started nagging me for the payasam. I told him wait for a few minutes. He sat there like a kid playing with the utensils. I shook my head in disbelief and placed the hot payasam in a cup for him and gave it to him. He literally snatched it from my hands and started devouring it.

"Wow! It's so yummy. Just like how ammamma used to prepare it". I smiled at him.

(Ammamma - maternal grandma

Nanamma - paternal grandma

Thathayya - grandpa)

I served payasam in cups and placed them in the refrigerator, by that time even brownies are ready. I took them out of the oven and let them cool down. I cleaned the kitchen counter in the meanwhile.

"Don't you have any work?", I asked cutting the brownie into pieces. I topped them with melted chocolate and nuts. Perfect.

"Wow! They look so delicious", he said eyeing the brownies."I want to taste them, now."

I shook my head at my foodie hubby and told him,"No, you already have two cups of payasam. You will get brownies with the others."

He pouted cutely at me and asked me giving me a puppy look, "Please na, I want to taste them badly".

I went near him and smudged his nose with the chocolate and told him, "No, this cute face of yours is not going to work".

He and his craziness for food didn't change even a bit all these years. I smiled to myself.

He pulled me close to him and whispered in my ears,"You know, it's bad to laugh on your husband".

God! He is affecting me badly. I placed on my hands on his shoulder for support. He placed a kiss on my forehead and I closed my eyes feeling the moment. We were in our own world when we heard someone coughing.

"If guys have completed your romance, then please grace us with your presence", Arjun Anna said, standing near the entrance of the kitchen and giving us a teasing look.

I tried to detach myself from Avi, but he pulled me closer, hugged me from back and placed his chin on my shoulder."My wife, my wish. If you have problem with my romance, then go and romance with your fiance I won't mind".

Gosh! What's with this man? I tried to move from his grip, but he held me tightly. I was never this close to him. His hot breath is fanning on my neck, and his warm hands on my bare waist are sending shivers to my spine. My heart is beating rapidly, and I can feel an entire zoo running in my stomach. I felt heat rising up to my cheeks. I tried my best to hide my blush.

"Aww, you don't need to hide your blush, pumpkin", Anna told me, but I could see the tease in his eyes.

I gave Avi a pleading look, but would that stubborn man listen to me? I sighed.

"Okay guys, times up. All are waiting for you both outside. So, make it fast". He left saying that.

I pinched his hand which is on my waist, making him yelp. I took the chance as his grip loosened and ran out of the kitchen showing my tongue to him.

"You may escape, now but at the end of the day you have to come to me", he shouted from the kitchen.

I giggled at his words, but again I bumped into someone. Oh God! What's with my bumping people today? I rubbed my forehead and looked at the person. I shook my head looking at the person.

I was about to walk away but that person hold my hand and said, "Even now you are walking away just like that day, Mia".

I looked at him with tears in my eyes and said, "And it took you one year to say this to me".

He was about to say further, when I showed my hand to him and said, "I know, we have a lot to talk Mr. Surya Varma, but not here."

I wiped my tears as Avi was coming towards us.

He came and stood beside Surya and told,"Oh! I forgot to say bunny, he is Surya, Tara's cousin and Surya this is my wife Maya."

I gave a smile to him and told him, "We know each before only Avi, he is my bestfriend Surya."

"Oh! So, you are that Sunny. I didn't know that you are the same Sunny. I heard a lot about you man. But, why didn't you come for our wedding?" Avi asked, looking at both of us.

What I have to say for him now?

Before I could say something Surya intervened and told him, "I was caught up with something important, so I couldn't come for your wedding."

We were talking when we heard Sravya calling Surya's name. We turned towards her, she was standing in the middle of the stairs with a shocked expression. She slowly came towards us and stood in front us and asked him, "How come you are here?"

Then I told her that he was Tara's cousin. She nodded her head and left from there. Strange. I went to the living room and called everyone for dinner. Me, Akka and Sravya arranged everything on the table. Some of us moved towards the living area as we all couldn't eat there. Soon all of us completed our dinner. I went to the kitchen and brought the desserts I prepared.

We youngsters moved to the terrace, while the elders got settled in the living room. We brought mattresses with us as we planned to sleep on the terrace. We girls again moved downstairs to bring water bottles, blankets, and desserts as we didn't eat and some snacks for my foodie hubby and brother. By the time we came back, boys pushed the chairs and sofas placed there to a side and arranged the mattresses. We went and sat beside our partners except Sravya.

I was observing these two, they haven't spoken a word to each other till now. That's something different. They can't keep quite without mocking at each other. Something is definitely wrong with these two. I looked at Sravya who was looking dull. I have never seen her like this before.

"Sravya?", I called her who sat beside me.

She looked at me in a daze.

"Is everything okay?" I whispered to her.

"Yeah! Why are you asking like that?" She said looking at nothing.

I was about to ask her further, but she got a call. So, she excused herself and left from there.

I looked at my hubby dear, who was busy in gobbling brownies. From where he was getting this much hunger. I looked at him, he was busy in licking his fingers which had chocolate on them and looking cute with chocolate smudged on his lips.

"What are you looking at it?" He asked, making me come out of my admiring session. I looked at others, they were busy in their own world. Making sure that no-one was seeing us, I pecked his cheek quickly and started using my phone innocently.

I looked at him sectrely from the side of my eyes. His hand was on his cheek, and he was pouting cutely. Aww, why does he have to act this cute?

I shook my head and leaned on his shoulder. I looked at others, everyone was busy, Akka and Yash Bava were looking at something on mobile together snuggling into each other. They have postponed their journey. Anna, Veeru bava and Surya were talking to each other. Sravya was talking to Atta on her phone. Diya vadina and Taara akka were watching a movie on the laptop.

I snuggled more into him and I didn't know when sleep took over me.

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

Avi's pov :

I was busy in devouring the brownies that were made by my bunny when I saw her stealing glances at me. The desserts were so yummy. I had eaten her handmade food many times, but I never had her handmade payasam. It reminded me of her grandma. Ammamma used to prepare the best sweets. I still remember their taste.

I was in my own world when she pecked my cheeks suddenly and started scrolling her phone like an innocent girl. Damn, girl, I will give you with interest. She snuggled more into me and after a few minutes I felt her whole weight on me. I cleaned my hands with the tissues and laid her properly on the mattress, and I too lied beside her. I covered us with the quilt and pulled her close to me. I placed a kiss on her forehead and mumbled I love you to which a smile formed on her lips. A smile formed on my lips seeing her smile. I hugged her from back and soon sleep took over too.

Stay safe and be happy.

Thank you for the beautiful cover Noqra99