“It doesn’t matter how rebellious you are — a mom’s glare still works.”
It was barely 8 at night, but in the Khurana house, silence had already settled like a heavy blanket.
The main door creaked open, and a figure tiptoed inside. Quietly. Slowly. Trying not to disturb anything… or anyone.
But before she could even take two steps—
Click.
The lights blazed on.
“Mayra?” Her father's voice rang in the living room.
To his left, stood Mayra’s mother — arms crossed, eyebrow raised.
To his right, Dhvani smirking with folded arms, like she’d been waiting for the drama to start.
Mayra stood frozen, blinking into the sudden brightness, her jaw dropping like a busted thief. Nervousness took over as her father spoke, and her eyes darted to her mother, who looked ready to launch into lecture mode.
Mayra's Pov.:-
I gulped.
Three statues stood before me — all wearing expressions like they’d rehearsed a joint interrogation scene.
“Ji… Papa?” I squeaked.
“Papa ki bacchi?” Maa said, crossing her arms tighter.
I quickly dashed forward and slid my arms around both their shoulders, grinning.
“Sirf Papa ki thodi hoon, Maa… Aapki bhi toh bacchi hoon, na?”
That earned me a muffled giggle from Dhuvi — which Maa shut down with a single glare.
“Okay, guys! I'm sleepy. I'm sleepy. Going to bed. Good night!” I declared and began to walk away.
Or at least, I tried to — until a sharp pain shot through my ear.
“AAHH! Maa, kya kar rahi ho? It hurts! Leave me!”
“Good night ki bacchi!” Maa snapped, still tugging my ear. “Tu subah ghar se bhaag gayi — aur ab shaam ko aise wapas aa rahi ho jaise kuch hua hi nahi?!”
“Maa… woh… woh na—” I fumbled.
“Kya woh woh?! Sirf dekhne aa rahe the. Shaadi thodi ho rahi thi tumhari, jo tum bhaag gayi!”
“Maa, par clg function tha...”
“Was your college function more important than your father’s reputation?”
That shut me up. I lowered my gaze.
“Vo toh accha hua ki Malhotra ji ka call aa gaya. Warna toh… izzat toh gayi thi aaj.”
She finally released my ear, and I breathed.
“Maa, Papa, I'm really really sorry.” I said, holding my ears now. “Main aage se dhyaan rakhungi iska.”
“Kis ka?” Dhuvi asked with a raised brow.
I looked at her, “Aisi koi bhi cheez nahi karungi jisse papa ki izzat pe aanch aaye.”
“Good. Lesson learnt,” Dhuvi replied, and Maa and Papa finally chuckled.
“Waise Papa,” I turned to him, “un logon ne postpone kyun kiya?”
“Pata nahi,” Papa said with a shrug. “Teri maa gusse mein thi, tabhi call aaya. Bas yeh kaha ki agar koi dikkat na ho toh postpone kar dete hain. Problem kya thi — tu thi hi nahi.”
“And tab jaake Mimi ki jaan mein jaan aayi,” Dhuvi added dramatically.
“Haan, warna aaj toh Khurana House mein volcano erupt ho jata,” Papa teased.
Maa gave him a sharp look, but even she smiled.
“Okay, okay, enough now. Aant bhala toh sab bhala. I'm tired. Good night!” I yawned and walked upstairs.
The moment Diu’s footsteps faded, the living room returned to silence.
Not the awkward silence. The after-Mayra kind — the one that always followed one of her storms.
I looked at Maa and Papa, both still recovering from the chaos.
“She’s unbelievable,” I muttered, collapsing on the sofa. “Runs away in the morning like she’s the star of some rebel documentary… comes home dropping ‘Sirf Papi ki thodi hoon Maa’ like a filmy punchline… and somehow still melts both of you.”
Maa sat beside me, massaging her temples. “Melt? Beta, I was this close to turning her into chutney. The only reason I spared her was because dinner was already made.”
Papa snorted. “Chutney, huh? That too of red chillies. Perfect match for her personality.”
“Lal mirch wali Mayra,” I grinned. “Nice ring to it.”
Maa gave us the look… but even she couldn’t hold back a smile. Papa was already laughing behind his hand.
“You have to admit,” I added, flopping sideways and grabbing a cushion, “that girl could commit a heist and then somehow convince the cops to apologise.”
“She did apologise today, at least,” Papa said, rubbing his chin. “That’s a first.”
I nodded slowly. “True. Diu saying sorry is like a lunar eclipse — rare and slightly suspicious.”
“So… what do we tell Mayur’s family now?”
Wait. Mayur's family?
“Papa… the boy’s name… is it Mayur Malhotra?”
Papa nodded. My eyes widened.
Is he the same guy Diu was complaining about?
No, no… it couldn’t be. There must be a hundred Mayur Malhotras.
Forget it.
Maa sighed. “Thankfully, Malhotra ji didn’t fix a date. Let’s wait. She’s not ready — not mentally, emotionally… or logistically.”
“You mean she still thinks marriage is the end of freedom and the beginning of saree torture?” I teased.
“Exactly,” Maa said.
“She doesn’t even know the guy’s name,” I added with a grin.
Papa chuckled. “Poor Mayur. He has no idea he’s being set up with a walking-talking chaos theory.”
“A very stylish, dramatic chaos theory,” I corrected.
“Do you think they’ll even get along?” Maa asked.
I smirked. “If he’s calm and collected, then watching him with Diu will be like watching a kitten try to tame a tiger.”
Papa grinned. “Or like watching a firecracker go off next to a lit candle.”
We burst into laughter again.
But I couldn’t help thinking about that name.
Mayur Malhotra.
What if he really is the guy from college? What if he’s exactly the way Papa described him?
Either way being paired with Diu—our drama queen in designer heels, a fireball wrapped in glitter, who could cry, fight, laugh, and sass in the same breath?
This wasn’t going to be a meeting.
This was going to be a cinematic collision.
And I, for one, couldn’t wait to watch the fireworks.
The entire Khurana family believed Mayur Malhotra to be a soft-spoken gentleman. Responsible. Mild-mannered. The ideal future son-in-law.
Basically... a cute little puppy.
But who they thought Mayur Malhotra was.. and who he actually is — were two very different stories.
And when the truth finally surfaced, the Khuranas would realize:
This wasn’t just a harmless rishta meeting.
It wouldn’t be a spark.
It would be a full-blown explosion.
────❤︎☾────────❤︎☾────
💥 Mayra’s back. So is the chaos.
From ear-pulling apologies to chutney jokes — did you giggle or gasp harder? 🤭🔥
💬 Comment your fav one-liner (Dhvani’s sass? Papa’s punchlines?)
📸 Catch more on IG: @author._.hiya
🎯 Target: 5+ likes & your wildest rishta reactions!
Next up? Mayur’s reality check. Trust me — you’ll want popcorn. 🍿
— Hiyyaa 🩷
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