“I have nothing to talk about with you, Dihan. Just give me my share of the money, and I’ll go to sleep. Oh, by the way, I don’t see your Bipasha Natasha. Where is she?”
“She left with Shubhrata.”
“You could’ve kept her back. Your dear pampered one.”
Hearing Trupti’s words, Dihan frowned at her. Seeing his reaction, Trupti added,
“Why are you looking at me like that? I just said the truth. If she wasn’t so spoiled, would you have scolded her so much?”
By now, Dihan understood the hidden meaning behind Trupti’s words. He then smiled slightly and muttered,
“Oh, so that’s what this is about.”
“Say whatever you want directly. Why are you mumbling?”
“I’ll say it however I want. What’s it to you?”
“Nothing to me. Just give me my money so I can leave. I’m really sleepy.”
Then, turning to Maria, she said,
“Hey Maria, take your share of the money too.”
“Dihan Bhaiya, give me my money too.”
“I can give it, but on one condition.”
Ruhan, Trupti, and Maria spoke together,
“What?”
“Whoever can stay up all night watching a movie with me will get the money.”
Trupti walked up to him and said,
“Seems like you’re just going to give us the money for free.”
“Don’t forget, the money is in my hands now. So, you guys can’t do anything just because you want to.”
Letting out a sigh, Trupti plopped onto the sofa. Ruhan looked at Maria with a disappointed expression. Maria then pouted and said,
“We agree.”
A while later…
“This movie Your Name may be old, but I really like it. The love story between the two characters is beautiful. And the songs—don’t even get me started! Everything about Your Name is just amazing. It’s one of my favorite movies. What about you guys? Don’t you like it?”
Dihan, lost in the movie, turned to look at Ruhan, Trupti, and Maria as he finished speaking—only to be completely stunned.
On one side of the sofa, Maria was curled up fast asleep. On the other side, Ruhan was sleeping with his mouth open, one leg on the sofa and the other hanging off in such a ridiculous way that anyone who saw him would burst out laughing. And then there was Trupti—leaning against the sofa beside Dihan, fast asleep. Anyone sitting like that for long would definitely wake up with a stiff neck.
“Unbelievable! All three of them are snoring away. But then… who was I talking to this whole time?”
Muttering to himself, Dihan looked at the three of them. However, his eyes lingered on Trupti. It was the first time he had seen her asleep. He had always heard that sleeping girls looked angelic, but today, seeing Trupti, he finally understood what that meant.
Standing up from his seat, Dihan walked over to Trupti and gently placed her head on his lap. Running his fingers through her hair, he gazed at her and softly whispered,
“Tonight is my Trupti. I will remember this night forever. I never imagined I’d get to spend the night with you in my arms. You are the beloved of my soul, Trupti. You reside in the deepest corner of my heart. When will you realize that? When?”
Saying this, he placed a deep kiss on her forehead.
The next morning, Snigdha opened her eyes, blinking drowsily. As she turned to look at Ranbir beside her, memories of the previous night flooded back. Thinking about it, she curled up shyly. Carefully, she moved Ranbir’s arm off her and smiled softly while looking at his face.
“Sleeping people really do look so beautiful, huh?”
Then she got up and went to the washroom. After taking a shower, she wrapped herself in a maroon saree. Glancing once at the sleeping Ranbir, she stepped toward the kitchen.
As she entered the living room, she was utterly shocked to see Ruhan, Dihan, Trupti, and Maria sprawled across the sofas, sleeping soundly. However, what made her happiest was seeing Trupti curled up in Dihan’s lap. She stood there for a moment, staring at them with a soft smile, before stepping closer and calling out to wake them up.
But no one moved. Each of them was so deep in sleep that they just mumbled, “Mmm,” and dozed off again. After trying multiple times, Snigdha grew frustrated.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Rafia was busy cooking. Seeing Snigdha as a newlywed bride in the early morning filled her heart with warmth. Walking up to her, she said,
“Oh, my dear daughter-in-law, you’re up?”
Snigdha smiled softly and touched Rafia’s feet in greeting, then said,
“Look at them, Ma. I’ve been calling them for so long, but they won’t wake up!”
“I left them watching a movie last night. Looks like they stayed up the entire time, so now they’re fast asleep. Let them sleep. You sit down. I’ll bring breakfast.”
“Ma, let me come with you. I’ll help you cook.”
“Of course, you will. But not now. You’re the new bride of this house. Should I really take you into the kitchen so soon?”
“Ma!”
“Hush. Not another word. Sit here quietly.”
Seeing no other choice, Snigdha nodded in agreement and sat down on the sofa. Rafia smiled and walked back toward the kitchen.
