A little while later, Niharika and Sarika bring everything they've prepared to the table, but not seeing anyone in the hall, Niharika asks, "Where did everyone else go?"
Making her sit down, Sarika replies, "You sit, I'll call everyone. You've already done so much work, and now you don't need to do anything more!"
Niharika smiles lightly and nods at her words, so Sarika leaves to gather everyone.
Sarika first goes to Neeta Ji's room and starts calling out to her. Just then, Tanishk crawls out from under the bed and whispers, "Mumma, shhh! Speak softly, or Dadi will find me, and I don't want to be caught, Mumma…"
Sarika, matching his tone, softly asks, "Oh really? Then tell me, where's everyone else?"
Tanishk whispers back, "Adhik Bhaiya is hiding, and Dadi is looking for both of us. I don't know about Papa and Uncle."
Lifting him into her arms, Sarika says, "Alright, then let's tell everyone to come to the hall because your favorite hot chocolate is ready."
Tanishk, delighted, plants a kiss on her cheek and says, "My Mumma is the best! I love you, Mumma."
Hearing this, Sarika, overwhelmed with emotion, hugs him close to her chest and says, "I love you too, my baby." After saying this, she pulls him slightly away, kisses his forehead, and then smiles, saying, "Now, let's go find everyone."
Soon, Sarika finds Neeta Ji and Adhik and asks them to come to the hall. Then, putting Tanishk down, she says, "Tanu, go call Papa and Uncle from Uncle's room, alright?"
Tanishk nods like a good boy and goes to call Mohit and Adrijay.
A little while later, Adrijay enters the hall carrying Tanishk in his arms, accompanied by Mohit. They sit down with everyone and start talking, but Adrijay's eyes remain fixed on Sarika, who is lovingly feeding hot chocolate to Tanishk.
After chatting for a while, everyone moves to the dining area. Sarika quickly tucks the pallu of her saree into her waist and starts frying hot puris, even though Niharika insists she shouldn't. Most of the food had already been prepared by Niharika and Neeta Ji.
Niharika stays with her, chatting continuously, which makes Sarika feel very happy. This house always made her feel a sense of belonging. It felt like these people were her own. Mohit always treated her like a sister, and Niharika regarded her as an elder sister, even though Niharika was older. But Sarika's experience and maturity made her feel like an older sibling. And Neeta Ji? She treated Sarika like her own daughter. Whenever Sarika came here, she forgot all her sorrows and laughed and talked freely, without a care in the world.
Sarika quickly places the freshly made puris into the hotpot and brings them outside, serving them on everyone's plates one by one. When she comes to Adrijay, she starts putting puris on his plate. Seeing her standing so close, with the pallu of her saree tucked into her waist, revealing her bare back slightly, Adrijay looks away uncomfortably.
Sarika finishes serving him and moves to Adhik to serve him as well. Neeta Ji then says, "Sarika, that's enough now. Come sit with us and eat. There are already enough puris, and no one needs more. Sit down and eat with us."
Before Sarika can reply, Niharika comes out of the kitchen, makes her sit beside Adrijay, and says, "Maa is absolutely right. Now, you sit and eat. Enough of serving everyone. Now, I'll serve you." Saying this, she starts putting food on Sarika's plate.
Seeing the amount of food, Sarika protests, "Oh no, that's enough! How much are you putting on my plate? I don't even eat this much in an entire day."
Niharika glares at her and says, "That's why you're so skinny! Just finish this quietly, or we won't let you go home today."
Neeta Ji supports Niharika, saying, "Niharika is absolutely right. Sarika, finish your food."
Hearing them, Sarika looks helplessly at her plate, which makes Tanishk laugh, covering his mouth with his hands.
Seeing him laugh, Sarika scolds playfully, "Wait till we get home, young man! Laughing so much, are we?"
Tanishk pouts, which brings a small smile to Sarika's face.
Meanwhile, seeing her smile, Adrijay finds himself lost in her for a moment, but quickly regains his composure and starts feeding Tanishk.
After dinner, Adrijay stands and says, "It's quite late now; we should leave."
Neeta Ji smiles and says, "Come by often, dear. It feels good when Sarika comes. She brings life to this house."
Adrijay nods with a smile, touching her feet for blessings. Sarika also bends down with him, which makes Adrijay smile faintly. Afterward, he hugs Mohit, tells him to take care of Niharika and their baby, and bids everyone goodbye before going to fetch the car.
Sarika and the children also say their goodbyes and step out. Once Adrijay brings the car, they get in, and he starts driving.
On the way, the kids fall asleep from exhaustion after playing, leaving the car in complete silence. While Adrijay thinks about Sarika, she is lost in thoughts of Yamini Ji, wondering what punishment awaits her tomorrow.
After some time, Adrijay clears his throat and, breaking the silence, asks, "Umm… do you want to eat ice cream?"
Sarika, startled, looks at him in surprise. Without looking at her, he repeats, "Tell me, do you want some?"
Sarika shakes her head and says, "No."
Hearing her short response, Adrijay sighs deeply and thinks, Looks like it's going to take a lot of effort. She's not even giving me any attention. What should I do now? Hmm… I'll stop at an ice cream stall anyway. She'll have to eat it, and maybe we can talk a little too. Thinking this, he starts looking for an ice cream stall, driving the car slowly.
Sarika, noticing the slow speed, starts getting anxious and thinks, Why is he driving so slowly? If we're late, Maa ji will not spare me. And here he is, taking his sweet time. Nervously, she looks out the window.
Finally, spotting a stall, Adrijay stops the car and gets out without saying a word. Seeing this, Sarika panics and thinks, Where is he going now? Why can't he just drive home? What is he even buying? Maa ji will be so mad… Her thoughts trail off as she watches him at the stall. When she sees him buying ice cream, she wonders, For whom he is buying ice cream?
A moment later, Adrijay returns with the ice cream, comes to her side of the car, and offers it to her through the window, saying, "Here, take this."
Sarika, confused, asks, "Who's this for?"
Irritated, Adrijay replies, "Who else could it be for? The kids are asleep, so obviously, it's for you." Realizing he sounded harsh, he immediately regrets his tone and berates himself internally.
Sarika, seeing his irritation, gets scared and timidly takes the ice cream, keeping her eyes down, and begins eating slowly. Watching her shrink away from him stirs guilt in Adrijay's heart, and his face reflects his remorse.
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