Chapter 1

Staying away from family makes people more understanding and mature. It helps them realize how different the real world is from the dreamland our parents create for us. Living alone, we learn to deal with problems on our own. We might fail once or twice, but eventually, we get up and face them.

Sidharth Shukla had been living in London, away from his family, for the past six years to complete his degree and master’s in civil engineering. Being the youngest in the family, he had always been pampered and loved. His calm, mature, and understanding behavior reflected the good manners instilled by his family. Despite the six years away, his inherent nature remained unchanged.

Today, after a long six years, he was returning to India. He hadn’t come home during holidays as he didn’t want to weaken his resolve. His father, a man of his word, had given him the courage to stick to his commitments, shaping Sidharth into a calm, loving, and at the same time, a decent and perfectionist individual.

“There he is!” exclaimed Abhimanyu excitedly. The faces of the Shukla family lit up with happiness and excitement as they saw their beloved Sidharth after six long years.

They all felt immense pride. He had stayed alone in London and completed his degree and master’s in civil engineering to join their family business. Sidharth’s Dadi maa, Anuradha ji, and his mother, Rita ji, held their breaths as they saw their handsome son approaching them with an enchanting smile. When he had left, he was just a teenager, almost a kid. But now, he looked mature and manly.

Dadi maa shook her head with a smile, while tears of happiness formed in Rita ji’s eyes.

He is Sidharth Shukla!

No!

He is not The Sidharth Shukla yet, as far as his opinion is concerned. He has not yet done something so great to be called that. He loved being modest and silent.

The moment Sidharth reached them, Dadi maa was the first to hug him, followed by his mother, Rita ji, who embraced her son with tearful eyes. “Kaisa hai mera Sid?”

Sidharth smiled as he hugged his mother back. “Maa, main theek hoon. Aap ki rone ki aadat abhi tak nahi gayi na?”

Abhi giggled, Kabeer smiled, Dadi maa rolled her eyes, while Rita ji pouted her lips with tears still clouding her eyes.

Sidharth instantly took Dadi maa’s blessing and complained, “Dadi maa, aap ko aane ki kya zaroorat thi? Main ghar hi aa raha tha na. Aap ko apna khayal rakhna chahiye.”

Dadi smiled at his caring nature while Sidharth continued, “Ab aap ki heartbeats normal hain na?”

To this, Dadi maa dramatically complained, “Meri heartbeats ko chhodiye. Un masoom ladkiyon ke baare mein sochiye jinki heartbeats aapke handsome chehre ko dekhkar badh jaayegi.”

The family broke into peals of laughter at Dadi maa’s comment while Sidharth chuckled, “Dadi maa, aap bhi na… bilkul waise ki waise hain… chhote bachhe ki tarah.”

Dadi maa giggled as she replied, “Buddhe ho humare dushman,” and further laughed as she finished, “Abhi toh hum jawaan hain,” making everyone join in her laughter as they proceeded towards the parking area.

# Shukla Mansion

The Shukla Mansion was a vibrant scene, glowing with lights and bursting with fireworks, celebrating Sidharth’s return like it was Diwali. The entire mansion seemed to be enveloped in a bubble of happiness.

Why wouldn’t they celebrate?

The family had been filled with joy ever since Abhi and Sid had entered their lives, bringing love and warmth. They hardly remembered any moments that didn’t transform into cherished memories.

Abhi took a bite of paratha and asked with concern, “Sid, aate waqt koi problem to nahi huyi na tumhe?”

Sidharth smiled, savoring the home-cooked food after such a long time. “Nahi bhai, everything was great.”

Kabeer ji, with a smile of satisfaction, added, “Tumhare results se sab bahut khush hai, Sid.”

Sidharth smiled, nodding at his family. “Thanks, Dad.”

Rita ji rolled her eyes at her husband, frowning slightly. “Par kitna patla ho gaya hai mera beta.”

Dadi maa watched her daughter-in-law as if she were an alien and asked in an amused tone, “Hayye rabba, ye tujhe patla nazar aa raha hai? Arre dolle-sholle to dekho Sid ji ke.”

Sidharth’s eyes widened in surprise as he chuckled. “Sid ji? Dadi maa…”

Dadi maa giggled along with the others.

“Waise, humein next week Mohali ke liye nikalna hai,” informed Kabeer ji, confusing Sid. He questioned, “Mohali? Ye kaunsi jagah hai? Koi relatives hai kya wahan?”

The family burst into laughter while an embarrassed Abhi preferred to concentrate on his food. The unexpected laughter confused Sidharth even more. “Maa, aap sab has kyun rahe hain?”

Noticing no one planning to stop their laughing session, Abhi got annoyed. “Will you all please stop now?”

Kabeer suppressed his smile and finally voiced, “Sid, tumhare bhai ne aisa kaam kiya hai jo aaj tak humare ghar me kisi ne nahi kiya.”

It was almost one and a half years ago when Abhi had to go to Chandigarh for an urgent meeting. He planned to enjoy a few days there after his work was over. During these days, he met a girl named Payal, who was there for her college work. Their meeting was like a scene from a movie. Payal had leaned down at the edge of a cliff, trying to capture more of the beauty when she felt her foot slip on the smooth surface. She knew she was gone, but then a strong arm pulled her back. She found herself safe in the arms of a handsome guy named Abhimanyu Shukla. They felt an instant attraction which further turned into love as they spent more time together.

Abhi looked at his dad with a pitiful expression and instantly complained, “Dad, aap bhi mera mazaak bana rahe hain.”

Rita ji giggled as she announced, “Pyar ho gaya hai tumhare Abhi bhai ko.”

“WHAT!”

That was the first word from Sidharth’s lips. Shocked by the piece of information, he found himself at a loss for words, unsure of what to say next.

Abhi focused intently on his food, trying not to be caught in Sidharth’s amused and worth-watching expression.

Sidharth exclaimed with excitement and surprise, “OMG! Wow, bro! Not bad…” He winked.

Abhi realized there was no need to act anymore and looked up at his brother with a mock, “Very funny…” making everyone laugh again, leaving him deeply embarrassed.

Sidharth smirked as he threw the question, “So, when will I get the chance to meet my would-be bhabhi?”

Abhi knew he would be teased endlessly and acted as if he didn’t hear.

Rita ji smiled as she answered, “Sid, ab bas kar. Hum sab pehle hi usse bahut pareshan kar chuke hain. Aur hum sab Mohali tumhari bhabhi se milne ja rahe hain.”

Abhi smiled to himself, and Dadi maa instantly took the chance. “Hayye, I can’t believe… mera pota sharma raha hai.”

Abhi rolled his eyes and gave an annoying look to Dadi maa while she smirked.

“So, what’s the story?” Sidharth’s voice was laced with excitement and interest. Dadi maa replied with a smirk, “Ab aaye na aap sahi sawal par, Sid. Main batati hoon…”

And with that, Dadi maa began to tell Sid the story, adding her own mirch-masala, making Abhi choke in his food. She described how they met, their instant attraction, how they became friends, fell in love, and finally, how Payal proposed to Abhi. This surprised Sid to the core.

He had expected his brother might have proposed to the girl. Knowing that it was the girl who proposed to his brother made Sidharth giggle at Abhi in amusement.

Abhi again preferred to concentrate on his food, avoiding Sid’s amused stare, and finally murmured, “Dadi jitna khatarnak insaan aaj tak maine nahi dekha.”

________________

# On the Way to Mohali

All three cars slowed down as they realized they had entered a local area. Abhi and Dadi maa were in one car, Kabeer ji and Rita ji in another, while Sidharth rode with his new bodyguard, Mr. Lovely Singh, in the third car.

The rough state of the roads and the reduced speed made them aware that they were passing through a sparsely populated village area on their way to Mohali. Sidharth sighed at the car’s pace. “Lovely, have you ever been to a place like this?” he asked, looking at the bumpy roads, fields, and rustic scenery.

Lovely Singh glanced around and replied, “No, sir. I’m from Delhi and was specially trained for six years to be your bodyguard by Kabeer sir.”

Sidharth shook his head with a smile at his father’s protective nature. “Okay,” he said.

As they continued chatting, the car suddenly slipped, breaking their concentration. The driver lost control, and the car veered off the road, hitting a nearby tree. Fortunately, none of them were seriously injured, except for a small cut on Lovely’s hand as he protected Sidharth from any harm.

The other two cars had already gone ahead, unaware of the minor accident. Stepping out of the car, Sidharth noticed the cut on Lovely’s hand and asked with concern, “Are you okay?”

Lovely shrugged off the injury, answering confidently, “I’m perfectly alright, sir. I hope you’re okay.”

Sidharth smiled at Lovely’s dedication. “Yeah, I’m fine. But this cut…” he began, still worried.

Lovely interrupted him, “It’s nothing, sir. Just a small scratch.”

“Okay,” Sidharth sighed, looking around for help.

Searching for the cause of the accident, they found a large, misplaced stone in the middle of the road. Sidharth sighed again and took out his cell phone. “Let me call Dad,” he muttered, but to his dismay, the area had no network coverage.

Brushing his fingers through his hair, Sidharth muttered irritably, “This had to happen now… what a perfect start…”

“Don’t worry, sir. Let me see if I can find a mechanic. You wait in the car,” assured Lovely Singh.

Sidharth nodded, having no other option. “Okay. See if there’s a telephone booth or something nearby.”

“Right, sir,” Lovely said, and left to find help.

Sidharth had a feeling it might take some time, so he decided to explore the area himself. The place was beautiful, with lush greenery and expansive fields. Despite the driver’s request for him to stay put, Sidharth informed him to wait by the car while he checked around.

As he started walking through the fields and surrounding areas, a sudden loud scream broke his trance. He searched for the source but saw no one. It was clearly a female voice, screaming desperately.

“But who is screaming and where is she?” Sidharth wondered, trying to locate the source of the sound.

He searched and searched but couldn’t find anyone. Tired, he stopped near a large mango tree and realized that the voice had become clearer and louder. He looked around and finally looked up.

“WATTTTTTTT!!!”

That was the only word that came to his mind at the unbelievable sight before him. He was sure he was dreaming. This had to be an illusion. Did he just see… a girl?

A GIRL!

A girl was standing on a very high branch of the tree, screaming loudly like she was mad.

“Holy Shit!” His eyes popped out in shock.

“What is she doing up there? How did she manage to climb up to that branch?” he thought, staring at the bizarre sight.

“Is he hallucinating? Or is she not human? Is she a chudail (witch) or something because a normal girl cannot climb a tree that high for sure,” he concluded, watching the seemingly impossible scenario unfold before his eyes.

No way!

She must be a bhoot (ghost) or something. He swallowed hard, trying to breathe, and glanced at her face.

His eyes stopped on her face.

“She is so beautiful,” thought Sidharth, looking at her angelic face and fair skin. Her pink churidar made her look like a baby doll or Barbie. Her curly hair fell onto her face, her thick and beautiful hazel eyes reflecting a myriad of expressions every single moment, and her beautiful pink lips widened in a scream.

“Wait, SCREAMING! Sidharth, you have lost it. She is screaming for help, and you are checking her out!” Sidharth scolded himself instantly.

A chudail can’t look beautiful, he thought. That means she is human. But then, what is she doing up there?

One second.

What is she doing?

“STOPPPPPPPP NOOOOOOOO!” he shouted.

______________

# SANA!!!

She is Sana… Shehnaaz Kaur Gill.

She is sweet, cute, beautiful, helpful, smart, intelligent, and a bit naughty. Of course, only a bit naughty… 😉

Isn’t she?

Well, yes!

Hobbies: She loves eating mangoes while sitting right on the mango tree branch.

Watttttttttttt…???????

Can’t that be a hobby? She knows how to climb a tree, but what she doesn’t know is how to get down…

Well, she has a weapon… guess, guess…

SCREAMING!!!

Someone or the other always has to come for help.

—

So, as always, she climbed up the higher branch of the mango tree. She enjoyed eating mangoes, literally licking her lips clean while sitting up there. And now… now she wants to get down… but how?

“Oughhhhhhhhhhh stupid Sana,” she thought. “You should have told some sher dil munda to wait down for catching you. Now what will you do? Koi aas paas dikh bhi nahi raha… chal beta shuru ho ja…”

And then…

“BACHAOOOOOOOOO!”

“BACHAOOOOOOOOO!”

“HELPPPPPPPPPPPPP!”

Screaming, she thanked God for blessing her with such an amazing loud voice. She saw a munda coming towards her direction. Thankfully, he would help her, she thought hopefully.

What! He has a good body… agar nahi help meri toh I will name him LOOSER…

“Par ye pagal… uppar kyun nahi dekh raha… oyye gadhe, yahan hu main yahan!” screamed Sana, trying to gain his attention, but she noticed him looking everywhere except at her.

She looked up at her Wahe Guru ji and started her gaga, “Heyy Wahe Guru ji, kaise ullu ko bheja hai aapne help karne ke liye… nahi Sana baby… ye teri help karne wala hai… tu ise ullu bolegi aur ye bhag gaya toh… nahi nahi… mujhe niche utarana hai… no ullu, nice ullu… I mean, nice man…”

“Oyye helloooooooooooo!”

“Edhar edhar…”

Hashhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

He finally looked up…

“But… ye mujhe ghoor kyun raha hai?” wondered Sana as she saw him staring at her like he had never seen a girl before.

“Hayye rabba… dekh to aise raha hai jaise jawan sundar khubsurat aur aur… umm… aur… chhaddo… aise dekh raha hai jaise kudi kabhi dekhi hi nahi… mar janiya… khota dekho kaise dekh raha… par iske expressions to aise lag rahe hai jaise esne koi bhootni dekh li ho… KYA… ye ek bhootani par line maar raha hai… kya zamana aa gaya hai… par Sana… ye tujh par line maar raha hai aur tu bhootani thodi na hai…” blabbered Shehnaaz to herself and relaxed a little.

Wait!

What!!!

THAT’S IT…

WATTTTTT D HELLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!

“Ye mujh par line maar raha hai…” concluded Shehnaaz, her eyes widening in shock and anger.

GADHA…

“Kamina… abhi maza chakhati hun…”

With that, she took a mango from a nearby branch and showed him what would be her next step. His horrified expressions made her giggle. Ignoring all his pleas, she threw the mango in his direction.

And…

Yessssssssssssssssss!!!!

“There you go, Ms. Shehnaaz Gill… what a shot, bro… direct shoulder pe…” she patted her back proudly and again held the branch, scared she might lose her balance.

—

That’s it…

This stupid girl, whoever she is, standing on the branch of the tree like a mad person, throwing a mango at him. That did hurt, yaar…

“Ouchhhh…” winced Sidharth as he looked at her with a damn anger he never knew existed in him.

She looked at him like an idiot and smiled like a real idiot.

“Oyye mundeya… mujhe help chahiye…” declared Sana, looking at him, and he looked around thinking whom she was referring to.

Shehnaaz rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Oyye mundeya… main tujhe bol rahi hun…”

Sidharth gave her a weird look, “Excuse me… I’m Shukla… Si…”

Shehnaaz didn’t let him finish and instantly cut him off, “Haan… toh teri chay (tea) banake pi jau ab…”

None of her words made any sense to Sidharth, and he was more confused about the word “chay”. “What… chay… you mean tea? What are you talking about?”

Shehnaaz wondered how many questions he asked and smiled at him, “Arreeee main samajh gayi… tujhe badi angreji aati hai… baki kaunsi kaunsi language aati hai wo hum baad mein dekh lenge… thik hai… abhi pehle mujhe niche toh utaro…”

Sidharth gave up, knowing she was hardly human, and finally asked, “Par tum wahan upar kya kar rahi ho?”

Shehnaaz looked at him, annoyed. Ohhhooooo… how many questions he asks. Her eyes made a short communication with her Wahe Guru ji as she looked up, “Wahe Guru ji… ye mujhe niche utarake fir sawal nahi puchh sakta… haan ji…?”

Sidharth saw her looking up and speaking, and he looked up himself, wondering with whom she was speaking. He checked if there was anyone else on any other branch eating mangoes like her, but found none.

Shehnaaz looked at him and smiled idiotically as she called him, “Shukla ji…” (in the same tone Kangana Ranaut says *Sharma ji* to R. Madhavan in TANU WEDS MANU)

Sidharth had never been called like this before and knew this was going to be tough. “Yes…”

Shehnaaz stated her words properly, “Agar main yahan se giri… toh saara ilzaam aapar aayega…”

Sidharth was baffled, “What… but what did I do… why me?”

Shehnaaz asked with a shocking face, “Aye lo… kaisi gal karte ho tussi… etna jawan munda hoke… ek kudi ko girne se nahi bacha paye… toh chhi chii… kya fayda… in dolle-sholle ka…” She said so dramatically that it almost made him believe her words.

He felt like pulling his hair in irritation. Goshhhhhh… why did he come to this village, and now here he was, landed up in this situation. “Just what the hell am I doing here, bearing this nonsense,” muttered Sidharth to himself.

“Aapne kuch kaha?” Shehnaaz asked curiously.

Sidharth closed his eyes and looked back at her. “Fine… but main tumhe bachaoonga kaise?”

Shehnaaz excitedly answered, “Catch karke…”

WATTTTTT!!!

She has got to be kidding me!!!

Sidharth gave her a look like, seriously… is she impossible… does she find this funny… I hope she doesn’t… he mocked her words, “Catch karke… like she is some flower and he is a gardener…”

Shehnaaz looked at him, confused, “Haan… kyu? Tum kabhi cricket nahi khele?”

Sidharth rolled his eyes, “Aur tumhe lagta hai… ek ball ka aur tumhara weight same hai…”

That was it!

Shehnaaz burst in anger, “Tumne mujhe mota kaha? Kutte…”

Sidharth scratched his head, confused, “Maine tumhe mota kab kaha?”

Shehnaaz complained, making a baby cry face as she frowned, “Abhi kaha…” and with that, she started to cry loud, much to his embarrassment. That was too loud.

Sidharth looked at her, shocked. She would definitely gain a crowd. “Hey, why are you crying… ok, I am sorry… please just stop crying…”

Shehnaaz instantly wiped her fake tears, making a cute face. “To aap mujhe catch karoge na?”

Sidharth nodded his head in agreement, like he had an option.

Shehnaaz excitedly jumped on the branch. “YEYYYYYYY!”

Sidharth smiled weakly at her, as if he was as excited as she was to catch her… 

However, with the sudden jump, she lost her balance and fell down…

___________________

Author’s Note

Hello, dear readers!

Thank you for joining us on the journey of Sidharth and Shehnaaz. In this chapter, we’ve experienced Sidharth’s unexpected detour into a village, where he met the lively and endearing Shehnaaz, stranded on a mango tree. Their playful and humorous interactions have set the stage for a blossoming connection filled with charm and resilience.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the blend of humor and romance in their story. Your thoughts and feedback are incredibly valuable to us. What did you think of their initial meeting and interactions? Are there any moments that stood out to you? We look forward to hearing your insights and suggestions as we continue this enchanting journey.

Also, stay tuned for Baarish,  Bhula Dunga, Mora Piya, Beintehaa and Thodasa pyar which will be starting soon along with the rest of the stories. There’s so much more in store, and I can’t wait for you to dive into these new adventures.

Don’t forget to follow me on  Wattpad, Instagram and Youtube  for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more. Your support on these platforms helps keep the creativity flowing.

With love and gratitude,

Shalaka