Published on 14th July 2021.

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Happy reading!

For those who are into Mafia and want to find one for themselves— Real life Mafia are too dangerous. They are not your too-hot-to-resist men. Beware! You're warned!

♡ Caught in the moment, not even thinkin' twice

Everything's frozen, nothing but you and I

Can't stop my heart from beating

Why do I love this feeling? ♡

– S H R U T I –

"I need mangoes." Radhika said with a straight face. Her husband pressed his eyes with force and sighed.

"Babe, it's November, not May. If you want, I can go and bring the ones available in the market." Ansh justified and she shook her head in negative.

"I want seasonal mangoes. Nothing else."

"Radhika, what is this behaviour? How can we get seasonal mangoes at this time? It's not a good way to be stubborn." Ma said and Ansh nodded. I was sitting on the adjacent chair and was checking a few documents.

I bet everyone was having a hard time dealing with Radhika!

"For your kind information, I'm your only daughter-"

She was cut off by Ansh in the middle, "And, my only wife." She smacked his arm and he muttered sorry.

Running my gaze back to the sheets, I checked the words clearly. It was evening and I was extremely tired after chatting continuosly with Radhika for entire sunday. Sitting in the verandah, everyone was having an evening tea.

"It's not me who wants it. It's the baby in my stomach who's craving for mangoes." Radhika stated while jutting her lips out and I smiled. Such a drama queen she has become! It was normal for me to see this today as I had already experienced everything through the phase of Akriti.

Pregnancy is scary!

"What about mango candies?" I asked, in hope to solve her problem and she shook her head in negative. "Mango flavoured yogurt?" I asked and she again nodded in negative. "Ice-cream?" As the words left my mouth, her eyes lit up.

"No way!" Ansh shouted and glared at me.

I think that wasn't a good idea.

"Ice-cream is done. Let's go out." Radhika grinned and stood up. She wore her slippers and was ready to head out. When no one stood up from their seat, she shrugged her shoulders. "Let's go."

"No, Radhika. You're not going to have ice-cream. It's harmful in this weather." Ansh said and she narrowed her eyes at him. I guess I made a wrong move!

Rishabh walked out of the house and sat on the chair adjacent to me. All this time, he was busy completing his designs. Poor him! "What's going on?" He leaned towards my side and asked.

"Radhika wants to have mangoes. And, I suggested for mango ice-cream. Now, she's adamant on the second option. That's the fight all about." I said and he nodded.

"That was not a good thing to do, you know." He said and I nodded while humming. "What do we have for dinner tonight?"

"It's not the time for dinner. You're hungry?"

"Nope. Just asking." He said and I nodded.

As the dinner approached after three hours, we settled in the dining room and started eating. I widened my eyes when I saw Radhika gulping down a big bite of her food. I think pregnancy turns you crazy too!

Will I behave in the same way?

What am I even thinking?

While eating, I saw Rishabh adding more gajar-ka-halwa in my half empty bowl. I admit that I love halwa. I mean, it's the speciality of winters. Why to leave it?

"Rishi bhai! It's just a month that you got your wife. And, you already forgot your age old sister?!" She yelled and he chuckled. He took her empty bowl and gave her a filled one. She immediately took it from him and dug first spoon as fast as she could.

"I guess you need to say something." Rishabh said.

"Hmm?" She hummed and he rolled his eyes.

"He's asking you to say thanks. Thank you." Ansh said and she nodded.

"Thank you bhai. May you have lots and lots of children." She said and I widened my eyes. She's really blunt! I remember how Akriti and I used to tease each other with our future husbands in the name of blessings. At that time, we were kids and it wasn't too awkward. But now, it was more than awkward!

Without speaking anything, I continued digging the food until I saw my plate empty.

"Shruti, I want to have a great talk with you tonight. Can I?" Radhika asked and I nodded after thinking a lot. Although I love my sweet sleep a lot, I can't say no to my sister-in-law, can I?

Rishabh leaned towards me and whispered, "How much time would it take?"

"I don't know." I murmured and he hummed.

✨

"You know, once ma was teaching me how to braid my hairs. And, bhai wanted to learn it too. But, when his hands reached to his hairs, he realised that he never had long hairs. Poor him!" She laughed and I chuckled.

"How old were you at that time?"

"I was three and bhai was five." She said, "Even though he's older, he has been more notorious than me in childhood. I remember how he used to dodge those flying slippers ma threw at him." After all the things she said, I couldn't control myself from laughing.

She was funny indeed!

"Let me tell you a secret about Rishi bhai." She said and I nodded while holding my stomach. I didn't want to laugh anymore. My stomach was hurting as hell! "In his life of twenty-nine years, he couldn't find a girlfriend for him. I mean, even his marriage was arranged too. Poor guy, I must say!"

Really?

Should I be happy with it?

I guess so.

"How come you're so sure about it?"

"These things can't be hidden. If he ever had a girl in his life, me being his sibling would've had known it a long time ago. I am hundred percent sure." She said and I shook my head, still being in shock.

I mean, he was really single till our wedding?

But it's not necessary that siblings would know each other's secrets and happenings all the time. What if he had a secret girlfriend?

Should I ask him directly?

No!

"Yours was a love marriage?" I asked and she shook her head.

"Yeah. I mean, a type of. Ansh was bhai's friend and I had always liked him. When his parents brought the idea of our marriage, I couldn't deny. We liked each other a lot before we were engaged. And then, a few dates made us realise that we were already in love. Now, as you can see, I'm heavily pregnant. All thanks to him." She blushed and I smiled.

Their story is too cute.

Ma and papa were in their room, Rishabh was in our room and Radhika's husband was in God knows which room. Radhika had threw him out of her room, just to talk to me. While leaving the room, Ansh looked at me as if I had stolen his wife!

"We could have made great friends in school. How come we never initiated the talk?" She asked and I shrugged my shoulders.

She pressed the mattress with her fingers and tried getting up. "What's the matter?" I asked and she shook her head in negative.

"I'm just going to have some water."

"Wait! Let me bring it." I said and she nodded. While I was pouring water in the glass, I saw some footsteps emerging towards the room.

"Do you want something bhai?" Radhika asked as Rishabh stepped his first foot inside. He shook his head negative and leaned on the door. If he didn't want anything, why was he even standing here?

I gave the glass to Radhika and she mumbled thanks before sticking it to her lips. I turned my face to Rishabh and saw him signalling something to me with his eyes.

How would I even understand what he was saying?

"What's the matter bhai?" Radhika asked while sipping water.

"Huh? N... No... Nothing." He stuttered.

"Oh! Go." She said but Rishabh being adamant stayed there. "You want you wife, right? Take her with you." Why were both the siblings hell bent on embarrassing me?!

"Let's go." He smiled and I nodded before stepping towards him.

"Can you call Ansh back?" She asked and he nodded. Bidding her good night, we walked out of her room. I paced alone towards the stairs to our room while he went to call Ansh. Or, that's what I supposed.

While stepping up, I felt a tight tug on my waist. Before I could even blink, I felt a palm cupping my face. I looked up and saw Rishabh standing just infront of me. He leaned down, pressed his nose against mine and closed his eyes.

He grazed my lips with his fingers in a pin-drop silence.

And, I was in love with this silence.

Stroking my lips lightly for the last time, he connected his lips with mine and pulled me in a feathery-light kiss which turned way too ferocious with time.

He trailed kisses down through my jaw towards my neck and let his warm lips linger over my skin. I clutched his shirt tightly as the pressure of his hands on my waist increased.

Wait!

We were on the stairs, not in our room!

"Rishabh!" I called him and he hummed while grazing the skin of neck with his teeth. No! He's not a vampire, is he? "Can we go in? We're on stairs." I said and he looked into my eyes. He nodded and his hand travelled down to my butt.

He had grabbed my ass, while looking straight into my eyes.

Audacity of this man!

He pulled me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist while my arms went around his neck on their own. As I felt his hardness touching my core through layers of clothes, I lowered my eyes down.

"Shruti." He rested his forehead against mine and mumbled while his breath fanned my face.

"Hmm?"

"I-"

"God! Innocent log bhi rehte hain is ghar mein!" Hearing a male voice from downstairs, I turned my face to the other side and hid it in his chest. (Innocent people live here too!)

Who was that?

Papa? But he didn't sound like papa.

It was ofcourse not Rishabh. There's only one Rishabh and he's with me.

Ansh?

"What the hell are you doing here?! Leave!" Rishabh shouted and I heard some footsteps disappearing from the room. It was the first time I heard Rishabh cursing!

Now, everyone in the house knows what we do!

Holding me securely, he ascended the stairs while I kept my head in the crook of his neck. I inhaled his intoxicating scent and closed my eyes.

My man smells great!