13.“Ouch, Mom! That Hurts! Why Are You Hitting Me?”

As we stood in front of my apartment, I noticed everyone staring at me with wide eyes. I raised an eyebrow, feeling their gazes burn into my back. "What?" I asked, smiling like I didn't get what the big deal was.

Lavanya broke the silence, her voice laced with surprise. "You live here?"

"Of course," I replied, shrugging. "What did you expect? A bungalow, a luxurious house, or maybe a mansion?" I couldn't help but chuckle as they exchanged glances, their disbelief evident.

Letting out a sigh, I added, "Look, just remember—don't say anything unnecessary inside. My parents don't know anything about this... situation," I gestured vaguely, hoping they'd understand. "So don't bring up anything that'll get me in trouble. Let me handle things, alright?"

They all nodded in agreement, though I could still feel a mix of confusion and curiosity lingering in the air. I gave them a reassuring smile. "Good."

With a deep breath, I pressed the doorbell. Within a minute, the door swung open, revealing my mom standing there. She had that familiar look on her face—half annoyed, half relieved. I shot her my best "I'm innocent" smile and said cheerfully, "I'm back!"

But before I could even take another step, my mom grabbed my arm and smacked me lightly on the back—though it felt a bit more serious than usual. "Ouch, mom! That hurts! Why are you hitting me?" I winced, rubbing my back as I made a face, trying to look pitiful.

Hearing this, my mom crossed her arms, looking a little annoyed. "Hari, you said you were just going to pick up your friends for dinner, and then you disappeared. I've already finished cooking! Where were you wandering? Don't you see it's getting late?"

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, trying to sound convincing. "But I did go to pick up my friends," I said, gesturing to the group behind me. I glanced back at them, and I could see they were all struggling to hold back their laughter, trying their best not to burst out right in front of my mom.

Mom's expression softened as she turned to look at them. "Oh... these are your friends?" she asked, her voice calming down a bit as she looked them up and down.

I nodded quickly, and when the others saw me, they immediately nodded too, flashing polite smiles. They were trying hard to make a good impression, though the situation still felt a bit surreal.

Mom tilted her head slightly, studying them with curious eyes. "I thought your friends were around your age. Aren't they... a bit too grown up to be your friends?" she remarked, her tone half-joking, half-serious.

I groaned, rolling my eyes dramatically. "Mom, I'm not a kid anymore! And are we going to stand here talking, or are you going to invite them inside?" I asked, motioning toward the door, hoping to divert her attention from the awkwardness of the situation.

She looked at me for a second, sighed, and then stepped aside, waving us in. "Alright, alright, come on in. But don't think you're off the hook, Hari. We'll talk later."

As we sat cross-legged on the floor, the warm aroma of freshly prepared food filled the room. Mom and grandma moved around us, gracefully serving food onto our plates. Lavanya and Nandini had offered to help, but Grandma immediately waved them off with a warm smile. "You're our guests, beti. Just relax and enjoy."

The atmosphere was a mix of warmth and awkwardness. I glanced at my friends—Parth, Sidharth, Vishal, Lavanya, and Nandini. Though they were trying to look comfortable, it was clear they felt a little out of place. After all, just a few hours ago, we barely knew each other, and now they were sitting in my home, about to share a meal. I couldn't help but smile at how strange, yet oddly perfect, this situation was.

As I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly felt eyes on me. I looked up and found Kartik, my younger brother, staring at me with his head slightly tilted.

"What?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

Kartik crossed his arms, smirking like he was onto something. "Why are you smiling?" he asked in that nosy, younger-sibling tone, clearly enjoying the chance to call me out in front of everyone.

I raised an eyebrow, leaning back a bit. "Why do you want to know?" I shot back, trying to keep my tone casual, but Kartik just grinned wider.

Hearing Kartik's dramatic statement, with his hand on his chin and eyebrow raised in mock suspicion, I could only stare at him, baffled by his imagination. "You look suspicious," he declared. "Are you really my dada, or are you his doppelgänger? Because as far as I know, my brother didn't have any friends besides Yash!"

The room fell into laughter, breaking the awkward tension. Parth, Sidharth, Lavanya, Vishal, and Nandini started laughing too, and for a moment, the uneasy atmosphere lifted. I couldn't help but chuckle as well, though I was still side-eyeing Kartik, who clearly felt like he'd won something.

"You little—come here!" I said, lunging playfully at him. But, as expected, Kartik darted toward the kitchen, laughing like he'd just pulled off the greatest prank of all time.

Just as things settled down, Dad spoke up, his deep voice cutting through the lightheartedness. "Anyway, Hari, where did you meet them?" His tone wasn't stern, but it carried a weight of curiosity.

I turned to look at my friends, who all looked back at me with the same unsure expression. I could feel their silent question—what do we say?

Dad raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing the brief silence. "Are you going to keep staring at them, or are you going to answer my question?" he asked, now with a faint smile, but still serious enough that I knew he expected an explanation.

Hearing Dad's question, I quickly put on a smile and replied, "Of course, we met at the library! You know I sometimes go there." I tried to sound as casual as possible. I looked at my friends for backup, silently pleading with them to go along with the story.

They caught on immediately. Parth, Vishal, Sidharth, Lavanya, and Nandini all nodded in unison, smiles on their faces. "Yes, yes, Madhav's right, Kaka. We all met at the library," they said, almost too eagerly, but Dad seemed to buy it. He nodded thoughtfully, satisfied with the answer but then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Madhav?"

Hearing this I replied, "Papa, they call me by that name. It's kind of a nickname." I smiled. Dad just nodded.

At that moment, Grandpa, who had been quietly observing the conversation, chimed in, "Mauli, you haven't introduced your friends properly yet."

I nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Oops, I forgot! Sorry about that, Aji, Ajoba. Let me introduce them now." I turned to my friends, gesturing one by one as I spoke. "This is Parth Bhagwat," I said, pointing to Parth, who smiled politely. "This is Vishal Sawant," I continued, and Vishal gave a small nod. "This is Sidharth Deshmukh," Sidharth raised his hand slightly, giving a casual greeting. "This is Lavanya Pawar," I introduced Lavanya, who gave a soft smile. "And finally, this is Nandini Nimbalkar," I said, and Nandini, ever composed, smiled warmly.

Grandpa smiled, his eyes twinkling with warmth. "Ah, such a nice group of friends. It's good to see you have such a diverse company, Mauli." He then looked at my friends. "Welcome, all of you. Make yourselves at home."

Hearing this, my father turned to Sidharth, curiosity sparking in his eyes. "I think I've seen or heard your name somewhere before," he said. Sidharth opened his mouth, likely to reply politely, but I quickly jumped in, trying to smooth things over.

"Oh, that's probably because he's the son of Kothrud MLA, Aditya Deshmukh," I said, smiling, but as soon as the words left my mouth, the room fell silent. Everyone stopped and stared at Sidharth—my friends, my dad, even my grandparents. The look of surprise on Nandini, Lavanya, Parth, and Vishal's faces was unmistakable, their wide eyes flicking between me and Sidharth as they processed this new information.

My father, who had been casually observing the conversation, noticed the collective shock. "Why do you four look so surprised? Didn't you know who he is? Aren't you all friends?" he asked, his voice filled with mild amusement.

Parth, ever the quick thinker, immediately jumped in to save the moment. "Oh, of course, we knew!" he said with an overly enthusiastic nod, then turned to the others for backup. "Right, guys?"

Lavanya, Nandini, and Vishal all nodded in agreement, though their smiles were a little forced, still trying to come to terms with the sudden revelation. "Right, right!" they echoed, the awkwardness dissipating, but only slightly.

My grandpa, who had been watching everything with his usual calm demeanor, chuckled and said, "It seems Mauli has made quite good friends." His eyes twinkled with approval, and he looked at Sidharth as though the boy had instantly risen in status.

Dad, too, seemed impressed, though his thoughts were more practical. 'An MLA's son as a friend... That's something. It could be quite helpful in the future,' he thought, nodding knowingly.

Sidharth, who had been silent through the whole exchange, managed a polite smile. He didn't seem too bothered by the sudden attention, but I could tell he was a bit uncomfortable with all the focus on him.

I looked over at the others—Parth, Vishal, Lavanya, and Nandini—and saw their expressions slowly ease as they tried to make the best of the situation. The tension in the room began to lighten again, and I couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief.

Now dinner was served, and the smell of the delicious food was enough to distract everyone from any lingering awkwardness.

As dinner came to an end, Parth, Sidharth, Vishal, Lavanya, and Nandini stood up, thanked my family, and prepared to leave. I walked them to the parking lot, the cool night air refreshing after the warmth of the house. We lingered for a moment under the streetlight, and as we reached their bikes and car's, I smiled at them.

"Now that we're alone, let's discuss something important," I said, my voice lowering a little. They all turned to look at me, sensing that I had something serious on my mind. I could feel their curiosity building.

"We're going to start tomorrow," I continued, still smiling. "We need to talk about the business plan—what kind of business we want to do, and all the details. But the first thing we need is a place where we can meet and discuss everything without any interruptions."

They exchanged glances, processing my words. Sidharth was the first to speak, his expression calm and thoughtful. "I have an empty apartment under my name," he said. "We can meet there. It's quiet, and no one will bother us."

Hearing Sidharth's suggestion, I nodded approvingly. "Good. Share the address with us." Sidharth quickly pulled out his phone and sent us the details. Just as we were about to wrap things up, Nandini raised a valid concern, her voice thoughtful. "But what about the finances? Who's going to invest in our business? Where are we going to get the funds?"

Her question made everyone pause. They exchanged glances, uncertainty written on their faces. I could see the wheels turning in their minds. It was a question that mattered, after all—how do you get a dream off the ground without money?

But I had already thought of this. Smiling, I looked at Nandini, then at the rest of the group. "Don't worry about it," I said, my tone confident. "I already have a plan for that." They all seemed to relax at my words, trusting me, though I knew I'd need to reveal more in time.

As the tension eased, I smiled wider. "Anyway, we'll go over everything tomorrow. Let's meet at Sidharth's apartment at 4 PM. Good night, guys."

They nodded, each of them saying their goodbyes. One by one, they climbed into their bikes and car's and drove off, leaving me standing in the parking lot, the faint hum of engines fading into the night. I watched until the last taillight disappeared around the corner, then turned back toward my apartment.

The night air was cool against my skin as I walked, my mind already racing ahead to tomorrow. This was it—the beginning of something big. Something that could change all of our lives. With every step, my resolve grew stronger, and by the time I reached my front door, I was certain of one thing: this was going to work.

I smiled to myself, the weight of the day finally catching up to me. Tomorrow was a new chapter, and I was ready for it.

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