"Adranksh, this is Maya. Maya, this is Adranksh." Shrestha introduced, her voice filled with amusement.

The moment their eyes met, the air around them seemed to thicken. Neither was willing to look away, their gazes locked in a silent battle of dominance.

Shrestha, sensing the tension, sighed and snapped her fingers in front of their faces. "Are you two planning to sit, or would you rather continue staring at each other all night?" she teased.

Laughter erupted around them, making Maya and Adranksh finally break eye contact. They settled onto the grand sofa prepared for them as the mehendi ceremony commenced.

Kausalya stepped forward with a bowl of freshly made mehendi. "Maya, meet your mehendi artist for today," she said, gesturing towards a young woman.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Aditi, and I'll be doing your designs today," the artist introduced herself politely.

Maya gave a small nod.

Kausalya smiled. "Before we begin, Adranksh needs to touch the mehendi."

Without a word, Adranksh did as he was told.

Shrestha passed the bowl to Aditi, who carefully carried it away to fill the cones. Kaveri addressed the ladies in the room. "Once Maya starts applying mehendi, the rest of you may also choose your artists."

Meanwhile, Rajendra announced, "Food will be served inside shortly."

A few minutes later, Aditi returned with the cones arranged on a plate adorned with delicate flower petals.

"Ma'am, shall we begin?" she asked.

Maya extended her hands. Aditi hesitated. "Ma'am, you'll need to remove your bangles."

Without a second thought, Maya slid them off and absentmindedly placed them on Adranksh's lap, completely forgetting his presence.

Adranksh glanced down at the pile of bangles in disbelief, then turned to stare at her, waiting for her to realize what she had just done. But Maya, seemingly unbothered, focused on Aditi as the mehendi application began.

Aadrik and Avyaansh approached and immediately noticed the bangles on Adranksh's lap. Their shocked expressions turned into suppressed laughter, but one sharp glare from their elder brother was enough to silence them.

Clearing his throat, Aadrik decided to introduce himself. "Hello, hone wali Bhabhi sa. I'm Aadrik." He extended his hand for a handshake.

Maya glanced at his hand, then at her own, which were covered in mehendi. Just as he was about to pull his hand back, another hand grasped his firmly.

"Hello, Aadrik. I'm Vedha, Maya's best friend," she introduced herself with a bright smile.

For a split second, Aadrik looked taken aback, but he quickly recovered, shaking her hand with an easy grin.

Ishani joined them, adjusting her dupatta. "Maya, do you need anything? Are you hungry?"

Maya nodded. "Yes. Get me something to eat?"

Ishani left, and Vedha continued chatting with Adranksh and his brothers. After a while, Aadrik and Avyaansh excused themselves. Ishani soon returned with a plate filled with an assortment of dishes.

Adranksh, immersed in his phone, paid no attention to the exchange.

"I'll feed you," Ishani offered. "What do you want to try first?"

Maya eyed the plate before pointing to the masala dosa. Just as Ishani was about to feed her, Kamakshi approached.

"Ishani, Vedha, go get your mehendi done."

"I'll feed her first, then go," Ishani replied.

Kamakshi shook her head. "I'll do it. You two go." She gently took the plate from them.

As Ishani and Vedha walked away, Kamakshi turned to Adranksh and Maya, observing how they continued to ignore each other's presence. She sighed.

"Beta, did you eat anything?" she asked Adranksh.

He shook his head. "I'll eat later, aunty."

Shrestha walked in at that moment. "Of course he hasn't eaten. My son always needs his mother to remind him," she remarked with a teasing smile.

Kamakshi chuckled. "Boys will be boys."

Shrestha suddenly turned to her son, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Kamakshi, let's go get our mehendi done. Adranksh can feed Maya."

Before either of them could protest, Shrestha handed the plate to Adranksh. "You're sitting here doing nothing anyway," she pointed out before dragging Kamakshi away.

Adranksh watched them go, sighing in defeat. He glanced at Maya, who was looking at the food expectantly. With another sigh, he pulled a sanitizer from his pocket and rubbed his hands together.

When he looked up, he found her already watching him, waiting.

Rolling his eyes, he broke off a piece of the dosa, only to grimace at the excess oil on his fingers.

"Chutney?" she asked.

He groaned inwardly but complied, ensuring it was properly coated before feeding her. Maya, oblivious to his irritation, chewed happily.

Piece by piece, he continued feeding her, silently observing . When it came to the pulao, she abruptly shook her head.

"I hate tomatoes."

Adranksh inhaled sharply, silently picked out the tomatoes before offering her another spoonful.

She hummed in satisfaction after each bite. Once she was done, he handed the plate to a waiter.

"Water," she requested.

Wordlessly, he grabbed a fresh bottle from the table. Just as he was about to open it, his phone rang.

"Hello, Dhruv," he answered, twisting the cap off with two fingers and flicking it aside.

"Sir, we secured the land. The architects are ready to begin work tomorrow."

"Good. Anything else?" he asked distractedly, wedging the phone between his shoulder and ear while supporting Maya's head with one hand. With the other, he carefully tipped the bottle to her lips.

Maya drank in silence, watching him multitask effortlessly. Once she was done, he pulled back and focused on the call.

"Bring my laptop in the next ten minutes," he instructed before hanging up.

When he looked at Maya again, she was still staring at him.

"Anything else?" he asked sarcastically.

She smirked. "Aren't you going to eat now? Or will you wait for your mother to remind you again?"

His lips twitched in amusement. "What do you think?"

"If I wanted to think, I wouldn't have asked," she retorted, rolling her eyes.

Before he could respond, Dhruv arrived with the laptop.

"Sir," he said, handing it over.

Adranksh checked his watch before accepting it. "Get a room for yourself here. You can leave now."

Dhruv nodded and left.

As Adranksh got to work, Maya leaned back against the sofa, humming softly along with her music. The mehendi artists had gone for a break, and the once lively room was now quiet.

A peaceful silence stretched between them, until Maya's phone rang. She didn't notice, her earphones drowning out the sound.

Adranksh, still focused on his screen, didn't hear it either.

Maya glanced at her phone before turning to him.

"Adranksh?" she called.
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