Siya's Raghav

Raghav's Room

Raghav's eyes had been stuck on his laptop screen for quite some time. On the screen was a picture from Radha's birthday—posted by Siya on her social media. There were many girls in the photo—Siya, Radha, and others—but Raghav's eyes were fixed on only Siya.

Just then, Adit entered the room and whispered softly, "She's really beautiful, isn't she…?"

Raghav smiled and nodded, but when he turned and saw Adit standing behind him, he was embarrassed to the core and looked away, trying to hide his face.

Adit teased with a smirk, "Oh wow! Look at the face of our Mr. Tough Guy… blushing like crazy! Come on, be honest—how long have you had feelings for her?"

Closing the laptop hurriedly, Raghav replied, "It's nothing like that, Adit… I was just—"

Adit cut him off and said dramatically, "Oho! My Romeo… if just her picture can do this to you, I wonder what'll happen when she stands in front of you. Your heart might actually forget how to beat!"

And then, Adit began singing loudly to tease him—

🎶 "Dil toh paagal hai, dil deewana hai…" 🎶

Lost in his thoughts, Raghav murmured:

"Are you in my memories, or am I within you?Are you in my thoughts, or are you my thoughts?My heart keeps asking, again and again—Are you in my soul, or are you my soul itself?"

Janvi Overhears

At that moment, Janvi was about to enter the room—but hearing Raghav and Adit's conversation, she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes welled up with tears.Watching your first love fall for someone else is perhaps one of the most painful things in the world—something no one wants to witness…

Janvi turned and quietly walked away.

As she stepped out, a radio played nearby—🎶 "If only this heart hadn't broken, we wouldn't be so shattered... If only God had heard the heart's last prayer…" 🎶

The lyrics mirrored Janvi's emotions. Instead of going to her room, she walked out onto the quiet streets of the afternoon and sat by a lake. Birds were scattered along the bank. She saw a pair of birds sitting peacefully together and silently prayed that nothing ever breaks their bond.

Just then, Adit sat beside her and asked, "So, what did you wish for…?"

Annoyed, Janvi snapped, "What are you doing here?"

Adit replied cheekily, "Well, I saw you wandering like a lost ghost, so I thought I'd keep you company… unless you've got an invisible ghost-boyfriend you sneak out to meet?"

Janvi glared and said, "Just shut up!"

Adit made a thinking pose and teased, "Guess it's time I spoke to your mom about our wedding, huh? What do you think about that?"

Janvi smacked him in mock anger, "I'll just kill you!"

Adit jumped up and started running, with Janvi chasing after him, trying to hit him. Just moments ago, she was grieving—but now, she was laughing again. And that was exactly what Adit wanted: a smiling, happy Janvi. 😊

After a while, Adit paused and raised his hands, "Time, please!"

Janvi stopped too—and burst out laughing. A smile lit up Adit's face as well.

"Come on," he said. "Let me treat you to the best samosas in town!"

Janvi shook her head, "No, no, I don't want any."

Adit grabbed her hand and pulled gently, "Let's go before they're all gone…"

Samosa Stand

A little while later, they were standing in front of a crowded samosa shop.

Pointing toward the chairs, Adit said, "You sit, I'll bring them."

He dove into the crowd and emerged victoriously a few minutes later, proudly placing the plate in front of her.

"Ta-da! Presenting hot, fresh samosas for the queen herself. Please accept, Your Highness!"

Janvi couldn't help but smile at his nonsense. Anyone watching Adit's silly antics would be laughing out loud.

He sat down next to her and opened his samosa dramatically—only to find there were no potatoes inside.

Looking at it in disbelief, Adit said, "What?! Where did my potatoes go? I've been robbed! Tell me the truth, Janvi—did your ghost-boyfriend eat them?"

Janvi laughed and nodded playfully. Adit sighed and munched on the hollow samosa with exaggerated sadness.

After they finished, Adit also packed samosas for Raghav and Janvi's mom. Still chattering non-stop, he walked her home.

At Home

As soon as Janvi entered, her mother was standing in the hallway, clearly upset.

"Janvi, where were you? I was so worried!"

Before Janvi could reply, Adit stepped in, "Aunty, Janvi was with me. We just went nearby to have samosas. Here, I brought some for you too…"

Her mother didn't say a word—she just turned and went inside.

This is the irony of our society—if a girl even talks to a boy, the entire world stands against her, as if she's committed some ancient sin. Janvi's mother was part of this same society. It bothered her deeply to see her daughter laughing and talking with a boy.She didn't say anything—but inside, she was burning with worry and judgment.

Adit, being a modern boy, didn't really understand all this. He just thought Aunty's legs must be hurting from standing too long and went to his room, unaware of the deeper tension.

Rishikesh – Kashyap & Nishtha

Kashyap and Nishtha got married in a simple temple ceremony. A few photos were taken as proof, and the news was leaked to the media that Jagjeet Raj Chauhan had tried to forcibly marry off Nishtha.

Nishtha arrived at her in-laws' house—but it was nothing like she had imagined. She had thought it would be a grand mansion, but it turned out to be a simple two-story house, with a car and a bike parked outside.

As she was about to step inside for the first time, a stern voice thundered—"Stop right there, girl!"

Nishtha turned toward the voice and saw a middle-aged man whose eyes burned with anger.

Kashyap said, "Papa…"

Nishtha realized this was her father-in-law.

Dhanraj Yaduvanshi, still seething, said, "Who gave you the right to marry without our permission?"

Kashyap, unbothered, replied, "Didn't feel the need to ask."

Fuming, Dhanraj snapped, "Then I don't feel the need for you either. Get out of my house!"

Nishtha stood silently as the two argued. Just then, a melodious female voice chimed in—

"And why wouldn't he stay here?"

A woman, draped in a Banarasi saree, with jasmine flowers in her hair and a radiant, youthful smile, stepped in.

Kashyap rushed over to her, "Maa, look—Papa's throwing me out!"

Vandana Devi gave her husband a stern look and said, "What's this I'm hearing, ji?"

Dhanraj stammered, "No, no, not like that… But ask him why he married without consulting us!"

Nishtha was stunned. The Dhanraj and Kashyap she had seen on TV—especially after the dark, oppressive atmosphere of Jagjeet Raj Chauhan's house—this family seemed entirely normal, like a typical middle-class household.

Vandana took the aarti plate and smiled at Nishtha. "He told me everything. Now come, dear. Welcome to our home."

Dhanraj muttered while looking away, "No one respects me anymore…"

After the aarti, Vandana called out, "Priya! Preeti! Akay! Come downstairs, quickly!"

Three people—two girls and one boy—came down arguing about something, but stopped in their tracks when they saw Nishtha.

Priya clung to her mom and asked, "Who's she, Mom?"

Vandana smiled, "She's your sister-in-law. Come get her blessings."

Priya and Preeti stepped forward, but when they tried to bow, Nishtha stopped them.

"Please don't. I'm your age."

Vandana cupped her cheek gently. "But in relationships, you're still older, dear."

Nishtha smiled.

Then she grabbed Akay by the ear, "Do I need to personally invite you? Come, touch your bhabhi's feet!"

Akay obeyed, and Nishtha shyly said, "Stay blessed…"

Vandana had a pot and kumkum plate brought in and completed the griha pravesh rituals.

Afterward, Priya and Preeti showed her to her room. It had a bed, a wardrobe, a sofa, and a study table. When she pulled open the curtains, sunlight filled the room.

Later, Kashyap entered.

"Your belongings will arrive by tomorrow. Ask Priya or Preeti if you need anything. Don't come to me."

He left.

Nishtha, still looking toward the door, was startled when Vandana entered.

"You're still in these clothes? Didn't you bring anything?"

How could Nishtha explain the circumstances of their sudden marriage? She stayed quiet.

Vandana said gently, "No worries, I'll arrange something for you."

A little while later, she returned with five or six sets of clothes and placed them on the bed. "Take whichever you like."

Nishtha was moved by her selfless kindness.

Time Moves On

Time passed.

Anurag was busy with exams. Jagjeet Raj Chauhan was losing political ground to a rising youth leader like Kashyap. Because of Nishtha, Jagjeet's name was smeared in the media and he couldn't silence anyone anymore.

Meanwhile, as Kashyap's wife, Nishtha was now under full protection.

Siya focused solely on her studies, and Kabir had become quiet. He no longer spoke to Siya or Shreyashi.

With seniors busy with exams, Shreyashi too focused on her studies. In short, everyone was busy in their own world, with no real connection to one another.

Even Janvi had started distancing herself from Adit after her mother scolded her. And Adit, respecting her space, let her be.

Raghav, too, was deeply engrossed in his studies.