Sanjana is 15 yay!

The dupatta covered my face a little as I solved my homework. Keshav was sitting in front of me, his back turned towards me and my benchmate, but he was flirting with her by passing notes back and forth. She giggled constantly, and it was becoming increasingly annoying. Our teacher was oblivious to everything. I just wished for the bell to ring.

It seemed like God had heard my prayers because the sharp ringing resonated throughout the corridors the very next second. It was lunch break, and I was about to leave the classroom with my other friends. But Bhargav Bhaiya appeared at the door, his eyes searching for us.

"Keshav! Sanjana!" He grinned brightly as he called our names. We were confused to see him. He never appeared unannounced like this unless something serious had happened.

"Kya hua, Bhaiya?" Keshav asked; he was the first to reach the door, and I stood next to him quietly. His teasing gaze fell on me.

(What happened, Bhaiya?)

"Bhabhi Ji ki pati maharaj aaye hai..."

(Bhabhi's husband has returned...)

I gasped, my cheeks red in an instant. Even Keshav was stunned to hear this, "Bade Bhaiya aaye hai?"

(Big brother is back?)

"Ji haan!" Bhargav grinned, "Headmaster ke kamre mai hai... Kaha ki aaj baaki din ham chutti le sakte hai!"

(Yes! He's in the Headmaster's office... We can take the rest of the day off!)

Keshav rejoiced and sprinted back into our classroom to fetch his bag. I was hesitant to move. My heart was pounding. It had been ages since I saw him. Bhairav Ji had come home very few times in the past few years, but he often came only while I was at school. He had never come to meet me.

The last time I had talked to him was during an awkward phone call where everyone was watching us. And that was a month ago.

I was pressing Dadi's feet while sitting beside her. Maa Ji was eagerly talking on the phone. She narrated everything to her son, starting from how she and I had cooked kheer for everyone, how she spent the rest of her day talking with the neighbors, how Baba never paid attention to his health... Everything.

"Arey Maa... Kuch toh khabar bacha kar rakho. Bhaiya yaha aakar aap kya baat karenge?" Keshav laughed from the dining table.

(Save some news, Maa. When Bhaiya comes home, what will you talk about with him?)

Everyone wanted a chance to speak on the phone, then Keshav and Bhargav asked their brother to bring a list of strange items from the city. Baba Ji asked him something regarding his business. I only listened to them talk while pressing Dadi's feet.

"Tujhe baat nahi karna?"

(You don't want to talk?)

Dadi asked, a playful smirk on her lips as she looked at me. The receiver was in her hands, and there was silence on the other end. I gulped and nodded slightly. Everyone watched intently as I squeezed the phone with both hands.

"Sanjana?"

"Ji..." I whispered. My heart was pounding. I was hearing his voice after so long.

"Padhai kaise chal rahi hai?"

(How are your studies going?)

Did he have nothing else to ask about?

"Woh... Ache se..."

(It's... Going good...)

"Keshav ne kaha ki pichle pariksha mai class mei sabse ache ang tumhare the. Sach hai kya?" His voice was soft, and I couldn't deny the butterflies inside me.

(Keshav told me that you came first in the last exam. Is that true?)

"Ji..." I gulped.

(Yes...)

"Acha. Taufe me shehar se kuch chahiye?"

(Good. Do you want something from the city as a present?)

I was quiet, not knowing what to say. "Sanjana?" He repeated, and I squeezed the receiver tighter, "Ji, kuch nahi..."

(No, nothing...)

"Thik hai. Maa ko phone dedo," he replied

(Fine. Give the phone to Maa.)

I felt my heart sink a little. He didn't want to talk anymore.

Bhargav led the way to the Headmaster's office. Keshav nudged me, "Bhabhi Ji, kya hua? Aapka hunar kho gaya?" I glared at him in return. He was chuckling now, and Bhargav shook his head, "Arey chod do bechari ko. Kabse dari hui hai. Bhaiya kuch nahi karenge, Sanjana. Chinta kyu kar rahi ho?"

(Bhabhi Ji, what happened? Where did your smartness go?)

(Leave her alone. Look at how scared she is. Bhaiya won't say anything, Sanjana. Why are you getting worked up for no reason?)

"Mai jaanti hu," I swallowed the lump in my throat. Keshav was sixteen now, while Bhargav was nineteen, in his final year of school. Even though I was the daughter-in-law of their house, Maa Ji treated me no less than her own daughter.

(I know that.)

"Hamesha beti chahiye thi... Par lo, do aise shaitan mil gaye..."

(I always wanted a daughter... But I got two devils in return...)

I remembered her complaining to me while we cooked. Maa Ji wasn't exactly Bhairav Ji's mother. She was the second wife of Baba, since Bhairav Ji's mother had died during childbirth. Even though they weren't related by blood, she loved him dearly.

After knocking, Bhargav entered the Headmaster's room. Keshav and I followed him. Bhairav Chaudhary sat on the chair opposite my Headmaster. My husband's presence was commanding. His right leg was crossed over his left. He was wearing a plain kurta with a scarf around his neck. His footwear looked royal, and the rings on his fingers were beautiful. It was the first thing I had noticed about him.

His eyes were as cold and distant as I remembered. He offered a soft smile to his brothers, but when his gaze shifted to me, the smile reduced. His eyes stayed on me a second too long, and I fixed my dupatta with trembling hands while looking away. Dadi had strictly warned me to never let it slip, even while I was at school. I was very scared of her.

"Hum abhi nikalte hai, Headmaster Ji. Mai bas inke padhai ke baare mei jaanne aaya tha," he got up and joined his hands before the headmaster. The man reciprocated, and Bhairav Ji turned to us.

(We'll leave now, Headmaster sir. I just came around to inquire about their studies.)

"Chale?"

(Let's go?)

Keshav and Bhargav were excited as they hurried out the door. I felt my breath hitch when my husband placed his hand on my lower back, leading me out the door. The warmth of his hand seeped into my skin. I was blushing too much. My mind was foggy. But when Bhairav Ji retreated his hand, I realised that he never noticed the gesture. How could a man be so blind?

The brothers talked while walking towards the car. Keshav and Bhargav argued over who gets to sit in the front.

"Sanjana." Bhairav Ji said while getting into the driver's seat, "Aage baith."

(Sanjana, sit in front.)

I watched my devars' faces scrunch in disgust. But I smiled at them and stuck out my tongue secretly before getting in the front.

"Aap kab aaye Bhaiya? Kitne din rahenge?" Keshav asked as we drove home.

(When did you come, Bhaiya? How long will you stay?)

"Sheher se seedha yaha aaya hu. Bas Baba jaante hai. Maa aur Dadi ko kuch nahi pata. Shayad do theen din rukunga. Shayad usse kaafi."

(I came here straight from the city. Only Baba knows. Maa and Dadi will be surprised. Maybe I'll stay for two or three days, maybe more.)

I smiled to myself when he said that. I'd finally get to spend time with him.