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“When Nandini married Shaurya and moved next door, we were all so happy for you,” she said. “To have your granddaughter so close, it’s a rare blessing. And now, with Varun and Priya moving into Serene Meadows… well, we’re feeling just as lucky.”

Varun immediately perked up. “Actually, speaking of that,” he said, barely containing his excitement, “I was thinking of taking Priya to the new house tonight. The furnishings are almost done, and I want her to see everything. You know… her future home.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

Varun’s mother narrowed her eyes at him, part suspicious, part amused. His father folded his arms across his chest and raised a brow.

Slightly panicking at the silence, Varun blurted, “I-I mean, I’ll drop her back later! Late night. Very late at night. I just thought... maybe we could spend some time there, just the two of us...”

He looked at everyone’s faces and cleared his throat. “To… to admire the furniture. And the curtains. And… um… the wall colours.”

The silence broke into muffled laughter. Everyone had read the subtext. Nandini nudged Priya, who was blushing furiously. Grandpa shook his head in amusement, clearly seeing right through Varun’s excuse.

Shaurya smirked, whispering, “Control yourself, buddy. Priya’s not going anywhere yet.”

Still, no one said anything definitive. Both Varun and Priya’s parents just exchanged a look, deliberately keeping their faces neutral.

Sensing their hesitation, Varun made his final pitch. “Now that the engagement’s official, you can’t really say no to me anymore, right?”

Grandpa winked at Priya’s father, a teasing grin playing on his face. “Well, sir, I believe the boy just proposed a second time. What do you say? I think we should let him romance the sofa and chandelier in peace.”

The entire group burst out laughing. Even both sets of parents couldn’t hold it in. Shaking her head, Priya’s mother finally relented, waving her hand. “Go. But have her homebeforemidnight at least.”

Varun beamed, victorious. Priya groaned, hiding her face in her palms.

Shaurya and Nandini smiled as they watched their friends so happy. This warmth between the families, this togetherness of friends… it was everything they had ever dreamed of.

Raichand Villa – Late Night

It was well past midnight when Grandpa, Shaurya, and Nandini returned from the engagement party. While Grandpa and Nandini disappeared into the living room, still laughingand gossiping like co-conspirators about the guests at the party, Shaurya stepped out to take a pending work call.

The garden lay still, except for the occasional rustle of the mango tree. The same tree that had once been the cause of petty arguments, eye-rolls, and drawn lines between properties. Funny how things change.

The breeze had picked up slightly, and its branches swayed in the wind as if they were listening in on him. As his call ended, Shaurya didn’t head back inside. Instead, something pulled him towards the tree. He walked over and rested his palm on the bark, the texture rough and familiar beneath his fingers. A small smile tugged at his lips.

“Our anniversary’s coming up next month, Daadi. It’s been one happy year with Nandini,” he murmured, as if speaking to Nandini’s late Daadi, who had planted this tree decades ago.

He exhaled, his eyes still on the trunk. “And I’m confused. I’ve been trying to figure out what to give her. Something that’sunique and perfect, just like her. Of course, I am telling you this because I think you can help me think clearly… help me decide.”

He chuckled under his breath. “You were the first one I ever opened up to, remember? Right here. When I was scared out of my mind about giving love a second chance. I know it was you who sent Grandpa, exactly at that very moment, to hear my confession. It was your way of guiding me and nudging me through him.”

He paused for a long second, his hand still planted on the tree.

“And maybe that’s why I hide nothing from you now,” he added. “You’ve become a habit. Just like Nandini and Grandpa know me inside out, you do too. Whatever I share with them, I have to share with you too.”

Then, lowering his voice, like a little boy revealing a secret, he whispered with a smirk, “But hey, don’t tell them thatsometimes, I talk toyoufirst. Even before them. Let’s keep that between us, yeah? Our very own secret!”

The breeze carried his words as if the tree itself was listening. He added, his voice filled with emotion. “When I grow old, I’ll build something for Nandini too. Just like you left this tree for Grandpa. Something that stays long after I’m gone.”

“I didn’t take you for a copycat,” a familiar voice interrupted his tête-à-tête.

Shaurya turned around, startled to see Grandpa walking towards him with Nandini by his side. But what made him pause wasn’t just his words. It was the look on Grandpa’s face. There was a softness in his eyes, and a faint smile tugged at his lips, the kind that came with remembering something precious.

His gaze moved from Shaurya’s hand resting on the bark to the roots below, then up to the branches swaying gently above. For months, Shaurya had fought the very existence of this tree. And yet, here he was now, not just accepting the tree, but speaking to it and trusting it with the thoughts he hadn’t shared with anyone else.

And that, more than anything, touched something in Grandpa’s heart.

“I hope you are not planning to plant another tree for my Nandu. Do something original, son,” Grandpa said, narrowing his eyes at him.