Author

It was Sunday morning, and as usual, Devisha was sleeping like a dead body when suddenly her brother Vansh poured a glass of water on her face to wake her up.

Devisha

I was about to receive my award for the best fashion designer, but then I was suddenly transported to a pool and started drowning.

"Bachao! Bachao!" (Help! Help!) I screamed, and that's when I realized it was none other than my stupid brother, Vansh. Ugh, I hate him.

"Kya takleef hai tujhe, iss ghar mein koi kisi ko shanti se sonne bhi nahi deta." (What's your problem? No one in this house lets anyone sleep peacefully.) I groaned.

"Tu na chup hi reh. 12 bajne wale hain, but tu abhi tak soyi hui hai. Aur doosri baat, tu mujhe tere boyfriend se milwane wali hai, iss liye uth. Warna bhukamp bhi aa jaye, main tujhe nahi uthaunga." (Just stay quiet. It's almost 12, and you're still asleep. And secondly, you're supposed to introduce me to your boyfriend today, so get up! Otherwise, even if an earthquake hit, I wouldn't wake you up.) he replied nonchalantly.

"Kutta!" (Idiot!) I said, throwing a pillow at him, which he dodged successfully.

"Mummy!" I screamed.

"Arre, sorry na! Chal, taiyaar ho ja. Main bahar wait kar raha hoon." (Oh, sorry! Come on, get ready. I'll wait outside.) he apologized and headed towards the door.

Once the door was closed, I let out a deep sigh. "It will be a long day today," I sighed, and headed to the bathroom to freshen up and get ready.

I put on a simple black crop top and cream pants with my hairs left open.

~Devisha's outfit~

Yes, I was dressed casually, kyunki of course mera bhai Adwait ko dekhne ja raha hai, mujhe dekhne koi nhi aarha. (because, of course, my brother is going to see Adwait, no one is coming to see me.)

Looking at myself one last time in the mirror, I headed out of my room. There was my brother, sitting on the sofa talking to my mom while eating breakfast. I joined them.

I hugged my mom tightly, like I do every single day, and sat beside her. The three of us had breakfast together, as Papa was out of town for work.

Don't judge me for having breakfast at 12:30 kyunki humare yahaan aisa hi hota hai. (because that's just how things are here.)

After that, my brother and I headed towards the café where we were meeting Adwait. It was a small café near my house. I used to go there often with Sakshi, but---.

When we reached there, Adwait was already sitting at a table. As soon as he saw me, he waved in my direction, but something felt off. My brother and Adwait were glaring at each other as if they were about to fight. Ignoring it, I made my way over, sat across from Adwait, and my brother sat beside me.

My brother had a look of disbelief on his face, and I was getting nervous. There was an awkward silence, which I decided to break.

"Bhaiya - Adwait, Adwait - Bhaiya." (Vansh - Adwait, Adwait - Vansh.) I introduced them.
[In Hindi we address elder brother as bhaiya]

They were still glaring at each other when Bhaiya spoke.

"Tujhe bas yahi ladka mila tha date karne ke liye?" (This is the guy you chose to date?)

"Haan, iss se achha koi hai hi nahi." (Yes, there's no one better.) I answered honestly.

"You can't date him. Chal yah se. (You can't date him. Let's go)" Bhaiya declared and got up to leave.

Adwait got up too, giving me a small smile, and said, "Don't worry, we'll convince him." He moved forward to kiss my forehead.

"Adwait, dare you touch her!" my brother shouted and punched Adwait in the jaw.

"Bhaiya!" I grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the café before he creates more of a scene.

[Kya scene create karega? Kar chuka already. (What scene will he create? He already did.)]

Once we settled in our car, I shouted at him.

"Yeh kya tha?" (What was that?)

"Kya, kya tha?" (What was what?) he questioned.

"What makes you think ki main abhi joke karne ke mood mein hoon?" (What makes you think I'm in the mood for jokes right now?) I retorted.

"Kuch nahi, bas tu usko date nahi kar sakti. I don't like him, that's it." (Nothing, you just can't date him. I don't like him, that's all.) he answered calmly, though he wasn't really calm.

"Aur tujhe aisa kyun lagta hai ki main tujhse permission maang rahi hoon usse date karne ki?" (And why do you think I'm asking for your permission to date him?) I said.

"Main tera bada bhai hoon. Teri safety ka dhyaan rakhna mera kaam hai." (I'm your elder brother. It's my job to look after your safety.) Bhaiya said.

"I've known him for years, 12 years to be precise. Tujhe usmein aisi kya burai dikh gyi jo mujhe bara saal mein nahi dikhi?" (What flaws do you see in him that I haven't noticed in twelve years?) I said, wanting to strangle this annoying creature beside me.

"Devi, maine kabhi tera bura chaha hai kya? Tujhe mujh pe vishwas nahi hai kya?" (Devi, have I ever wished anything bad for you? Don't you trust me?) he said calmly.

I just nodded.

"Par—" (But—) I tried to say, but he didn't let me finish.

"Par-war kuch nahi. Yeh baat yahin pe khatam. You won't meet him ever." (No buts. This conversation ends here. You won't meet him again.) he said sternly.

Sometimes, I hate him as much as I do now, but he's the one who always protects me. I trust him more than anyone; he'd never harm me. But I love Adwait too; I can't just leave him because Bhaiya said so. I know Adwait well enough to trust him. But the thing is, how will I convince Bhaiya? He's way too stubborn to listen to me or Adwait.

To convince him, I'll have to find out why he dislikes Adwait so much. Then Adwait and I can work on it, and Bhaiya might agree.
---

Time Skip

Author

In Devisha's room, she picked up her phone and dialed Adwait. It was currently 9 p.m.

Adwait answered on the very first ring.

"I was waiting for you to call me. " Adwait said, his voice full of worry.

"Oh my god, itni chinta!" (Oh my god, so much worry!) Devisha replied mischievously.

"Devisha, mazaak karne ka waqt nahi hai. Bhaiya ko kaise manaye, ye sochne ka waqt hai. Unhone tujhe kya bola baad mein ." (Devisha, this isn't the time for jokes. We need to think about how to convince your brother. Tell me  what he said.) Adwait said sternly, inquiring about the situation.

"Woh maanne ko hi tayaar nahi hai, yaar. Tu mujhe ye bata, ki tu aur Bhaiya pehle kabhi mile ho kya? Kyunki Bhaiya itni jaldi kisi ko judge nahi karte." (He's not even ready to listen. Tell me, have you and Bhaiya met before? Because he doesn't judge people so quickly.) Devisha asked, feeling her brother's behavior was unusual.

"I—woh, mujhe nahi pata, aise kabhi main aur Bhaiya mile ho toh." (I—I don't know if Bhaiya and I have ever met like that.) Adwait stammered, because he was lying, especially to Devisha.

"Tu dar kyun raha hai? Bas poocha maine." (Why are you scared? I was just asking.) Devisha said, feeling suspicious about Adwait's behavior but choosing to ignore it.

"Kuch nahi, bas aise hi." (Nothing, really.) Adwait replied.