Arranged In Love

Janhvi Meets Neha

        After getting changed into jeans and a simple yet classy top, and bidding goodbye to her parents, Neha left for Anjali's place.

Neha had always shared a close bond and a close bond with Anjali and Raj Malhotra. She had never let either of the two feel the void of their kids, who had been settled abroad with their respective spouses. She shared a great bond with Raj, too, whom she turned on to for guidance regarding her career. Ever since the Malhotras had known Neha, they had considered and treated her as their daughter.

Janhvi had already reached the Malhotra mansion, and the two sisters had settled themselves on the couch, catching up over what they had missed. Janhvi received an urgent call and excused herself to attend it.

        In the meantime, Neha, who had also reached the Mansion and noticed Anjali seated on the couch, her back facing Neha. Neha stealthily walked towards her, making sure not to make any noise, and enclasped her eyes from behind and said, "Guess who?!" Anjali was startled for about a second. Still, immediately recognizing the touch and the voice of her beloved Babydoll, she exclaimed, "Neha!!" and pulled her beside herself and then engaged her in a bear hug. They broke the hug after a few good seconds. "How are you, love? Its been so long that you visited us! Your Raj uncle and I have been missing you so much, but it seems like you don't miss us at all!" Anjali complained like a small kid, making a bad face, which made Neha giggle. Then taking Anjali in a side hug, she said, "Sorry, Aunty! Actually, I had been a bit busy lately, with post-college stuff. Sorry!" holding her ears and pouting ever-so-cutely. And that was enough to melt down Anjali's fake anger. Then removing Neha's hand from her ears and bussing her forehead, Anjali said, "It's okay, love! You need not apologize. Meera had told me that you were busy! I am not, and never can I be angry with you. I was pulling your leg" Neha just chuckled at her. Their little mo was broken by Janhvi's fake cough.

        Janhvi, who had returned after attending her call, was surprised at the scene in front of her, more precisely amused, to witness her elder sister crib like a small baby to a much younger lady. She decided to keep mum, until the moment of the two - Anjali and Neha - was over, and when it became apparent that they were done with their private mo, she faked a cough to get them out of their reverie.

Janhvi settled herself on the Sofa chair, opposite to where Anjali and Neha were seated, passing a small smile to Neha, a gesture which Neha returned. Breaking the silence, Anjali introduced Neha and Janhvi to each other, saying, "Janhvi, this is Neha, Neha Bose. You must have heard of my friend Meera Bose, right? Neha's her daughter.", And then facing Neha said, "And this is Janhvi Dixit. My younger sister and Sid's mom; you have met Sid, haven't you?" Neha nodded and got up from the sofa and went to Janhvi and bending down to touch her feet, said, "Namaste (greetings) Aunty!". Janhvi, who was impressed by this gesture of Neha, as in today's world, youngsters consider touching the feet of their elders to be uncool and down-market, patted her head, and said, "God bless you dear!", which earned her a genuine smile from Neha.

        After their small introductory session, Anjali was about to call Ramesh Kaka - an elderly and the most trusted servant of the Mansion - to serve them hot beverages and light snacks to go along with it, as it was still a long time to go, for lunch. She was interrupted by Neha. "Aunty, I will make it!? Please??" suggested Neha, with a cute, pleading face, something she was sure Anjali would not say no to! And that is what exactly happened. "Fine! You always win with this face. This is not fair!" Anjali grumbled, to which Janhvi giggled, along with Neha, who pulled Anjali's cheeks and said, "Hehe Aunty, you are so cute! Now tell me, what would you like to have, tea or coffee?"; and turning towards Janhvi, asked, "And Aunty let me know about your preference as well?" Neha then made her way to the kitchen to prepare some coffee and bread-butter, as suggested by the sister duo.

"You adore her a lot, don't you!?" Janhvi asked Anjali in a matter-of-fact tone. Anjali smilingly nodded at her sister's question and said, "Yes, Janhvi, I do! She's a gem of a person. You know, she's never let us feel the void of our kids. She has met Vihaan, Nia, Shriya, and Harsh only a couple of times and is best friends with them already! They all adore her so much that whenever they call, she is the first person they inquire about after us. She gets along so well with everyone that it's surprising! And oh! You should see her and Raj - my ever-so-jolly husband gets emotional if something happens to Neha! Can you believe tha?! Raj gets emotional! Haha..", laughing at her last sentence. Janhvi was all smiles listening to her elder sister praise someone so genuinely. "She must be something that Di is so very fond of her!" thought Janhvi.

Neha came back with the coffee and snacks. Janhvi, who wanted to get to know more about her, after listening to her praises from Anjali, asked her about herself and some other questions here and there, which would give her an insight into Neha's personality. Neha, on the other hand, answered all of Janhvi's problems without any hesitation, confidently, not faltering even once, which left Janhvi all the more impressed with her.

Time passed, and the three females were having one heck of a time. Janhvi, who wasn't the one to be impressed by someone in a short period; not that she was a tough nut, she just believed that their first impression could not judge people; had wholly come to adore Neha with all the love and affection she had. Neha, too, had grown fond of Janhvi.

        It was around six in the evening when the ladies heard a car being pulled into the driveway, indicating Raj's arrival. After winking at Anjali and Janhvi, Neha rushed into the kitchen to put a special tea for Raj; the way he liked it when prepared by Neha, along with coffee for the two sisters and herself!

        "Oh! Janhvi, what a pleasant surprise!" Said Raj on spotting Janhvi seated beside Anjali. Janhvi just smiled at her Jiju (brother-in-law). Raj went upstairs to their (his and Anjali's) room, and after a quick freshen-up-and-change session, he was descending the stairs to join the sisters, when he got a whiff of the special tea that Neha would prepare for him. He knit his brows in confusion and called out Anjali and asked," Anjali, why am I smelling the tea just how Neha makes it?" "Because it is Neha herself who has made it!" Instead of Anjali, the reply came from Neha, who had returned from the kitchen and placed the tray on the coffee table.

Raj stood rooted at his place on unexpectedly finding Neha there. Slowly, a smile made its way on his face, replacing the dumbfound expression. He opened his arms in a forward direction, a gesture for Neha to run into them, which is what she exactly did! Making sure that the tray was properly - or more precisely safely - placed on the coffee table, Neha ran and flung straight away into the arms of her beloved Raj Uncle, who was by now on the lowermost step of the grand stairwell. "Raj, Uncle!" It was all that she could whisper. After a few good seconds, they broke the hug, and Neha noticed Raj's moist eyes and asked, "What happened, Uncle!? Why are you crying? Aren't you happy to see me?" and pouted sadly. "Ah! No, love! I am delighted to see you! I missed you a lot!" replied Raj, dabbing on his unshed tears. "I missed you too, Uncle! Now hurry up and have the Neha-special tea I brewed for you, else it will go cold.", said Neha, dragging Raj to the table where Anjali and Janhvi were seated, admiring their bond.

        Every passing second, Janhvi was growing more and more fond of Neha. Something had clicked in her mind, and she had decided to talk to Anjali about it once Neha would have left. The evening passed by with Raj and Neha catching up. It was almost dinner time, which meant Neha had to go. Raj and Anjali made her promise them that she would visit sooner next time, to which she happily complied. She took Janhvi's blessings too. "It was nice meeting you, Aunty! Hope to see you soon!" Neha said to Janhvi. Janhvi blessed her and replied lovingly, patting her cheeks, "Yes, sweetheart! Definitely!" After bidding a final farewell to all, Neha left for her place in Raj's car, at his behest.

        Anjali, Raj, and Janhvi were waiting for Anant, Sid, and Soumya to join them for dinner at the Malhotra Mansion as decided by Anjali. Anjali noticed Janhvi's restlessness to speak to her. "What happened, Janhvi? Is there something you need to talk about? I have been observing that you are restless. What is the matter?" Anjali asked Janhvi. Eyeing both Raj and Anjali, she said, "Di, Jiju...I need to talk to you about something, very, very important!" The two nodded, and Janhvi continued after inhaling a deep breath, "I wanted to propose for Neha's hand for Sid...in marriage!" Their faces looked as if they had seen some alien! She cleared her throat to gain their attention, and taking Anjali's hand in hers explained, "I know that you must be thinking 'How come Janhvi is impulsive!?' Trust me...I am not! Like for all the decisions, I have thought through this one too! I know, I have known her just for a couple of hours, but there is something about her that prodded me to take this decision. I think she's perfect for Sid!" Raj and Anjali's lips turned upwards in a smile, and Anjali said, "We were confused initially but not anymore! I think what you said is correct...she would complement Sid very well. We are in, in this with you!" "Thanks, Di! Because I need your help. Talk to her parents on my behalf, please?! Only if they approve, would we then take this alliance further!", Janhvi said, and Anjali blinked her eyes and nodded her head in affirmation.

Their talks about Sid-Neha's impending marriage alliance came to an end when the rest of the Dixit clan joined them for a sumptuous family dinner, shortly after. After having a gala time at the Malhotra's, the Dixits left for their abode. Whereas, Raj and Anjali too, moved to their room.