Next Morning — The Mehndi Madness
By morning, the Sharma mansion had transformed again — this time into a whirlwind of green, yellow, and pure chaos. The courtyard smelled of fresh mehndi, marigolds, and steaming cups of chai. The decorators shouted over blaring music, kids chased each other with haldi bowls, and aunties had already started arguing over which shade of green suited the theme best.
"Who turned the speaker volume to 'neighbourhood alert' level again?" Advika shouted over the noise, her dupatta half-pinned, half-tangled around her arm.
"That would be you, dear," Sara said, sipping chai with zero shame. "You literally told the DJ to 'bring energy, not boredom.'"
Advika glared, adjusting her mint-green sharara that shimmered softly in the morning light. Her hair was
tied in a loose braid, tiny jasmine flowers woven in."Okay fine," she admitted, "maybe I did. But I didn't ask him to make the neighbors file noise complaints before breakfast."
Across the lawn, Khushi, the bride-to-be, sat on a cushion while mehndi artists worked on her hands. She looked radiant in a yellow and pink lehenga, laughing with her cousins.
When she spotted her sisters approaching, her grin turned downright mischievous.
"Oh look, everyone!" Khushi called out dramatically, "Here come yesterday's couple dance champions! One danced with a professor, the other with a movie star!"
Immediately, a chorus of whistles and laughter erupted from the cousins.
Nitya, who was carrying a tray of bangles, nearly tripped. "Didi! Don't start!"
Khushi smirked. "Oh, please. After last night, how can I not? You and Reyansh bhai were glowing brighter than the stage lights!"
Nitya blushed furiously, mumbling, "It was the LED spotlight, okay?"
Sara chimed in, pretending to fan Nitya. "Sure, sweetheart. The LED spotlight that apparently stares back at you with dimples."
The whole group burst into laughter.
Advika grinned. "You all are impossible."
Khushi wasn't done though. "And you, Miss Verma…" she said, turning toward Advika, "our very own Professor's favorite student."
Advika froze mid-step. "Excuse me?"
"Oh come on," Khushi teased, waving her freshly hennaed hand. "The whole hall saw it! The way Aarav Shekhawat was looking at you — I thought he'd forgotten there were other humans present."
Sara snorted. "True. He looked less like a professor and more like he was giving a private lesson in chemistry."
"Guys!" Advika groaned, covering her face. "He's literally my professor! You all have no idea how awkward it was. He'll probably assign me a 20-page essay on 'why dance isn't academic behavior.'"
"Awkward?" Sara said, smirking. "You looked like you were straight out of a Yash Raj movie, Advika."
Nitya joined in, still red but laughing. "And the way he said 'Careful, Miss Verma' — honestly, I thought he'd propose to you on the dance floor!"
Advika threw a cushion at her. "Shut up!"
The laughter echoed through the courtyard. Even Khushi's mother, passing by with a tray of sweets, shook her head fondly. "These girls will make the groom's family run away at this rate."
"Mission accomplished," Sara said proudly.
A group of cousins came rushing over, waving cones of mehndi."Didi! It's time for your designs!"
Khushi grinned. "Perfect! But make sure you draw a film camera for Nitya — symbolizing her crush on a movie star."
Nitya gasped. "Khushi Didi!"
"And for Advika," Sara added cheekily, "draw a chalkboard and a stern face — her Professor of Doom!"
Everyone burst out laughing again, including the mehndi artist, who whispered mischievously, "Noted, ma'am."
As the girls sat down to get their mehndi done, the teasing continued — chatter mixing with the hum of dhol beats.
Nitya looked across the lawn, spotting Reyansh talking to Khushi's father about the evening's performances. He looked effortlessly handsome in a simple white kurta, and when he caught her eye, he smiled.Nitya instantly looked down, pretending to study her mehndi cone.
Sara elbowed her. "If you blush any harder, they'll use your face as the next haldi bowl."
Meanwhile, Advika tried to focus on the mehndi design on her palm — but her mind drifted to a pair of sharp eyes and a teasing voice that kept replaying in her head.
"Careful, Miss Verma…"
She sighed, shaking the thought away."Focus, Advika. He's your professor. And your enemy. And… extremely annoying."
Sara caught her expression and grinned knowingly. "Thinking about him again?"
Advika scoffed, "No! Just planning his next exam punishment."
Khushi laughed. "Sure, sure. Just don't forget to invite him to tonight's function — we could use another romantic academic showdown."
Everyone laughed again, the air filled with playful chaos, marigold petals, and too many secrets disguised as jokes.
The day was just beginning — and the mehndi madness had already set the perfect stage for what was to come. 🌼
Evening — The Mehndi Function
By sunset, the Sharma mansion glowed like a dream — strings of fairy lights hanging from the mango trees, green and yellow drapes fluttering in the evening breeze, and the faint rhythm of dhol beats echoing across the courtyard.
The women's laughter mixed with the clinking of bangles and the fragrance of mehndi and mogra.It was the kind of night that shimmered — alive, loud, and a little bit magical.
"Advika! You're still not ready?" Khushi's voice called from across the lawn.Advika appeared from the hallway, adjusting her earrings and muttering, "I am ready! It's my dupatta that isn't cooperating."
She looked breathtaking — dressed in a deep mustard lehenga with green embroidery, her hair left open in soft waves. A small maang tikka rested on her forehead, and her jhumkas swayed as she walked.
Sara, sitting nearby, wolf-whistled. "Now that's the face of a woman who's ready to make her professor forget algebra again."
Advika shot her a look. "Sara, I swear I'll bury you under the haldi bowls."
Khushi joined in, laughing. "Don't threaten her, Advu. You might need her help when someone walks in again tonight."
"Who?" Advika asked, pretending not to understand.
But before anyone could answer, a hush rolled through the guests.The sound of an engine purred outside the gate — a sleek black car came to a stop.
The door opened.And there he was — Aarav Shekhawat.
He stepped out, dressed in a deep navy blue kurta with subtle embroidery, sleeves rolled to his elbows, exuding the same quiet dominance that made people step aside without realizing why. His presence drew eyes instantly — powerful, composed, and undeniably magnetic.
Khushi leaned toward Sara and whispered, "Looks like the Professor's made his grand entrance."
Sara smirked. "I told you, he'd come back. Probably to submit his own heart as an assignment."
Advika, who had been mid-sip of juice, choked. "What is wrong with you both?"
"Nothing," Khushi teased, "but maybe you should tell your heartbeat that."
Aarav's gaze swept across the crowd — polite nods to elders, a brief greeting to Anirudh Sharma — until it found her.Advika.
Her laughter died instantly, replaced by an awkward, almost nervous smile. He, on the other hand, smiled faintly — just enough to make it impossible to tell whether he was teasing her or reading her mind.
She turned away, muttering, "Why does he always show up like a plot twist?"
Meanwhile, Nitya sat at the mehndi corner, her hands beautifully patterned and still drying. Reyansh walked up, holding two cups of coffee, his usual confident grin softer tonight.
"Hey," he said, handing one to her. "You looked amazing yesterday. I didn't get to say that."
Nitya froze, the cup almost slipping. "Oh… um, thank you. You weren't too bad yourself. The girls were still talking about your dance."
He chuckled. "I heard. Though I think they were mostly talking about the way you couldn't stop smiling."
Her cheeks turned crimson. "I— it was part of the performance."
"Right," he said, leaning a little closer. "Then I'd love to see a private performance someday."
"Reyansh!" she squeaked, half-scandalized, half-giggling.
Across the lawn, Khushi watched with amusement. "Oh look, lovebirds in training," she whispered to Sara. "And Advika's pretending not to notice because she's too busy trying not to look at her professor."
Sara snorted. "The poor girl's fighting a losing war."
And they weren't wrong.
Aarav approached the group slowly, his voice smooth as silk. "Miss Verma," he said politely, "seems I keep finding you at the center of every celebration."
Advika turned, trying her best to look unaffected. "Sir. I could say the same. Don't you ever take a break from intimidating people?"
He smiled slightly. "Only when the company's… distracting."
Her jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"
Khushi and Sara exchanged looks, grinning like schoolkids at a drama unfolding live.
"I meant," Aarav added casually, "your enthusiasm for family events is… admirable."
"Right," Advika said dryly. "For a second, I thought you were trying to compliment me."
"I don't do compliments," he replied, smirking. "They make students overconfident."
Advika narrowed her eyes. "And yet you're here — at a mehndi function. Should I assume this is a new teaching method?"
"Let's just say," he said quietly, stepping just a little closer, "I'm observing… cultural expressions."
Sara clapped her hands. "Okay, that's enough cultural tension for one night!"
The group burst into laughter. Even Aarav's lips twitched, his eyes glinting with amusement.
A moment later, the dhol picked up again, and Khushi's friends dragged everyone onto the dance floor.Reyansh offered his hand to Nitya, who accepted with a shy smile. Aarav stepped back, watching, his gaze lingering on Advika — who was now dancing freely, laughter bubbling out like sunlight.
For a moment, the ruthless man who came here for political gain stood still — forgetting his mission entirely.
Sara nudged him as she passed by, whispering with a wink,"Careful, Professor. She tends to make people lose track of their lessons."
Aarav smiled faintly, watching Advika twirl, her anklets chiming in rhythm with his racing thoughts.
The night sparkled with laughter, teasing, and the quiet beginnings of something far more dangerous —because under the fairy lights and music, love and chaos had officially begun their dance.
Next Morning — The Haldi Havoc
The Sharma mansion looked like a yellow explosion. Bowls of haldi, flower petals, and water guns littered the courtyard. Cousins ran around screaming, aunties argued over who applied too much paste, and somewhere, a goat had wandered in because why not.
Khushi, glowing in a bright yellow kurta, sat on a low stool, waiting nervously."Careful, everyone!" she warned. "Don't smear my face too much!"
But of course, chaos ensued.
Advika and Nitya tiptoed in, trying to avoid haldi puddles.
Nitya whispered, "Remember yesterday? If anyone teases me about Reyansh again…"Advika laughed. "You'll scream louder than the goat. Noted."
Just then, Aarav arrived — looking impossibly perfect in a white kurta with a faint yellow stole, completely ignoring the chaos.
"Professor!" Advika hissed. "Don't look so calm! People are slipping on haldi!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Seems… educational."
Advika groaned. "You're impossible."
Meanwhile, Khushi grabbed a water gun and aimed at Nitya."Die, blushy one!" she shouted. Nitya screamed, spilling haldi over her own dupatta.
Sara laughed from the side. "Congratulations! You just invented the self-ruining mehndi combo!"
Advika, trying to dodge Aarav, ended up tripping over a bowl of haldi."Nice one, Miss Verma!" he said, catching her hand. "Very… academic."
She glared at him. "If I fall again, I'm dragging you in with me!"
At that exact moment, Reyansh appeared with a grin and a handful of flower petals. "Need help, Nitya?"
"Only if you promise not to tease me like last night!" she said, but her smile betrayed her.
Within minutes:
Cousins were chasing Aarav with haldi sticks.
Aunties were trying to rescue Khushi while arguing about too much yellow.
Advika and Aarav ended up smeared in haldi, standing nose-to-nose.
"You're lucky I'm a teacher," Aarav muttered.
"Lucky you?!" Advika spat, trying to wipe haldi off his kurta. "I've lost all dignity here!"
Reyansh, laughing, tossed a handful of petals at Nitya. She shrieked and retaliated with haldi.
Sara clapped. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Sharma Haldi Olympics! Gold medal: Chaos!"
By the end, everyone was laughing hysterically, covered in yellow, some completely unrecognizable, but the house was filled with joyous energy — and enough photographic evidence to embarrass them forever.
Even Aarav, standing in a yellow-streaked kurta, couldn't help but smile faintly at Advika, who was shaking her head in disbelief.
Chaos, laughter, and a little bit of romance — the perfect Sharma morning.🔮✨🌙