13

"I need your help."

Shruti looked up from where ten-month-old Aryan was sleeping in his crib to see Shivam standing at the doorway of the nursery. She backed away from the sleeping baby and led him downstairs.

"What's up?" she finally asked.

He took a deep breath. "I want to ask Ananya to marry me."

Shruti lit up. "Are you serious, Shivam? Really?"

"Yeah," he smiled, looking more vulnerable than she'd ever seen in the nearly ten years she'd known him. "True to form, I'd like to do it big. I've uhh, actually been working with Arjun on a song I'd like him to sing, but I want to get everyone involved."

She threw her arms around him. "I'm so excited, Shivam! And I'm so, so happy for you."

"Thanks, Shruti," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "She'll be back in Mumbai tomorrow, so I would like to plan for Friday evening."

Shruti sat down on the leather sofa and motioned for him to do the same. "You know what would be really amazing? If we can fly Akshara over. Ananya is going to say yes no matter what, but if you really want to stalk the deck in your favor, having Akshara here would do it."

"You think?" he mused. "Could you call her, see if that's possible? I'll fly her out."

"Sure," she agreed. "Where do you want to propose?"

"Well, we had our first date as an actual couple at Cecconi's, Soho House in Juhu

," he explained, "so I was thinking there."

"That's lovely," Shruti agreed. "Well, do you have any ideas about what you'd like to do, or do you want my input on that?"

Shivam sighed. "I don't know. I feel like I'd like to give some sort of speech, because you know I like to grandstand, but I'd feel so awkward giving it in front of everyone. I just know I want you all there."

"Hmm," Shruti considered. "Can I think about it? I desperately need to shower because Aryan slept on me a little earlier, and he sweats like crazy, but I will plan some stuff and get back to you. And I'll speak to Akshara." She hugged him again. "I'm so proud of you, Shivam. This is a huge step, and it shows real maturity."

"Thanks, Shruti," he accepted. I love you, bhabhi."

"I love you, too," she told him as they stood and walked to the front door. "I'll call you later."

Once he was gone, and she'd checked in on Aryan, Shruti took a quick shower. When she finished, she went down to the recording studio in the basement and found her husband sitting at the soundboard, playing around with the controls.

"Hi," she smiled, going to sit in his lap. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to decide if I want to record the song Shivam and I wrote for his proposal," he answered, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder. "It isn't finished yet, but it's good, and I quite like it. He gave me permission."

"Can I hear it?" she requested.

"I would love to play it for you," he began, "but Shivam has sworn me to secrecy, so I cannot. It's definitely a song from Shivam to Ananya, and it fits them."

"I'm so excited for them," she whispered as he ran his hands soothingly through his damp hair. "Selfishly, I like that it would mean Ananya settles down here in Mumbai."

He chuckled. "She's already here during much of her downtime as it is."

"Yes, but his place would become her permanent address," she reasoned. "Then only Akshara would still be in Manali."

"Well, let's leave her—and Vishal—back in Manali," he declared, nudging her to stand. "Is the boy still grouchy?"

"He isn't grouchy," she denied as they went back upstairs. "He just wanted his mama this morning and you aren't used to that."

"He's never turned away from me as he did at breakfast," Arjun grumbled. "He couldn't get away from me fast enough."

Shruti patted his back. "He has a tooth coming in."

"You don't think he resents that I was away so much in the first several months, do you?" he asked softly. "I was essentially gone until he was six months old."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly. "Don't even think that, Arjun. He worships you. Nine times out of ten, it's you he goes to. Sometimes a baby just needs his mom. I'm sure that when he wakes up, he'll go back to wanting you all the time."

Arjun sighed. "Maybe you're right. I still just feel so guilty."

"You shouldn't," she denied. "That's silly. He loves you, and I very much love you."

"Good," he breathed, kissing her softly. "Enough to make another baby?"

"Not yet," she denied as his hands slid under her tank top. "I want them to be two years apart like you and Neil and you and Shivam. That means we start trying in February. Dr. Navya said we should start trying a month before we want to get pregnant, and we'd want to get pregnant in March."

He groaned and rested his head on her shoulder. "No more medical talk, please. You're ruining the moment."

Before Shruti could respond, they heard babbling from the baby monitor.

"And it's officially ruined," she teased, going to the stairs with Arjun at her heel.

"Shivam is proposing?" Arohi smirked that night during her weekly girls' night dinner with Shruti and Shanaya. "What makes him think Ananya will say yes?"

"She will," Shruti stated confidently. "Don't say that to him because he's already nervous as it is."

"My brother, nervous?" Shanaya scoffed. "That I need to see."

Shruti felt defensive of Shivam. "It's a big step, but I think he's ready. He'd like to have everyone involved, so you don't have a choice. Whatever he requests, you'll do. It's happening Friday night at Cecconi's, Soho House."

"Fine," Arohi shrugged. She twirled her spoon between her fingers. "I've got the news. I'm pregnant."

"What?!" Shruti cried. She looked around the crowded restaurant in embarrassment. "Sorry." Turning back to Arohi, she was beaming. "You're having a baby?"

"Yep," Arohi confirmed nonchalantly. "We weren't trying, it just happened, but we've decided we're happy about it."

"I'm so happy for you guys," Shruti said, squeezing her best friend's hand. "Congratulations."

"Yes, congrats," Shanaya added softly.

Shruti and Arohi locked eyes. Shanaya's desire for a child was blatant, but Rishabh kept insisting he wasn't ready yet, so they'd postponed trying. While she wanted to be supportive of her husband, Shanaya was losing hope that he'd ever be ready, despite him only being thirty and she just twenty-eight.

"I'm sorry, Shanaya," Arohi apologized in a rare moment of guilt. "This was really inconsiderate of me to announce like this."

"No, don't be," Shanaya shook her head with a smile. "I really am happy for you two, and I love spoiling babies. Are you hoping for a girl or boy?"

"I think I'd like a girl," Arohi declared. "Neil would be happy either way; he's so over the moon about it."

"A girl would be nice," Shanaya nodded. "So, what's the plan for Shivam?"

"I want a baby."

Rishabh looked up from his laptop to see Shanaya standing at the foot of their bed, hands on her hips.

"What?" he finally asked.

"I would like to have a child," she repeated. "Arohi and Neil are pregnant, and she never even wanted a baby. I've wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember, and yet, you've refused. We've been married two years now, Rishabh, and I'm ready. Aren't you ready? Don't you want to be a dad?"

He set the laptop aside so she could crawl into bed beside him. "Yes, I'd like to be a dad. I'm just not sure I'm ready to be one yet."

"Well, when will you be sure?" she demanded. "You keep putting it off, and that scares me into thinking you'll never want a child. Is that the case?"

"No, Shanaya, it isn't," he denied. He sighed. "I'm just afraid I'm going to end up like my father. Rakesh Sir pushed me into doing so many things that I never wanted, and while I don't think I'd do that, what if I do? Then I'm no better than him."

Shanaya frowned. "You're nothing like your father. He's a controlling tyrant, much like mine was, and you're sweet and supportive. Any child would be lucky to have you as a father, Rishabh."

"You think?" he murmured, wrapping an arm around her.

"I know," she confirmed. "We can wait a little longer if that makes you more comfortable. I just don't want our kids to be so much younger than Aryan or Neil and Arohi's child. And I know Shruti and Arjun will have at least one more. Plus, Shivam is asking Ananya to marry him, and he wants kids yesterday, so they'll get pregnant as soon as she's ready."

"Shivam is proposing?" Rishabh smirked. "That should be interesting."

"Shruti is helping him plan," she explained. "We just have to be at Cecconi's, Soho House on Friday evening."

"Akshara!" Shruti called as she stood just beyond security at Mumbai airport on Friday morning.

Akshara hurried through the crowd and stopped when she reached Shruti, hugging her tightly. "Hi, Shruti!"

"I'm so glad you could make it," Shruti said as they walked through the airport. "Shivam really appreciates it."

"I'm so excited," Akshara gushed. "I can't believe Ananya is getting married."

"These days, I'm with Shivam more, and him getting married is more shocking, but it's right," Shruti said. "They're really good together. She grounds him and he gets her to loosen up."

"They are cute together," Akshara nodded. "Arohi said she has news, too. Is she finally getting her nose done?"

Shruti fought to keep from rolling her eyes at Akshara's weak attempt to disparage her twin sister. "Um, no, that isn't it. Come on, I still have to put everything together for tonight, so we have to hurry."

Ananya emerged from her car at Cecconi's on Friday evening and found Arjun waiting for her, his acoustic guitar strapped over his shoulder, with Shruti holding a video camera.

"What's going on?" she asked nervously. "Where's Shivam?"

"Just head to the gardens," Arjun advised. Once she'd started, he followed and began to play, with Shruti filming the whole thing.

Itni mohabbat karta hoon

Ke lafz bhi na keh paaye

Tum mile mujhe yun lage

Jaise koi duaa mill jaaye [x2]

The first person Ananya reached on the path was Rishabh, holding up a sign with Shivam's messy handwriting on it.

"I'm pretty sure I fell in love with you the first time we met at that Garba party in Ahemdabad."

"Rishabh, I had no idea you felt that way," Ananya joked with a wink as Arjun continued her forward.

Mujhe jeena tera bana le

Kiya khud ko tere hawaale

Sochun tujhe shaam se subah tak

Har lamha...

Ki shab tum ho...

Tumhi din ho... [x2]

Shanaya and her sign were next.

"You thought I was an idiot, which I am, but you still agreed to get to know me, and I can never thank you enough for that."

After Shanaya came Neil ("Our relationship hasn't always been easy"), Prince ("But I've never given up that someday, we'd get to this place"), and Arohi ("And I'm so happy this is where we've ended up").

Ik dil hi toh tha mera

Woh bhi tune le liya

Mujhe dena tu wafaa

Yeh hi tujhse ilteja [x2]

The last person Ananya got to, near the heart of the garden, was Akshara, holding the biggest poster yet.

"You're the only woman I've ever truly loved. I want to wake up with you every morning, go to bed with you every night, and share everything in between. I can't imagine my life without you, and I'm hoping I never have to."

Ananya, who now had tears slowly streaming down her cheeks, continued past her best friend in search of the next person, who she hoped would be Shivam.

Shabnami si ho tum

Meri pyaas mein rehna

Mera sukoon ho tum

Mere paas hi rehna

Standing in the gazebo in the center of the garden, Ananya found Shivam standing with a bouquet of red roses, her favorite flower. He set them aside to take her hands when she reached him.

"Hi," he smiled, trying to shake off his nerves.

"Hi," she whispered, squeezing his hands to comfort him.

"I wanted to make this something you'd always remember, and what better way than to include the people closest to us?" he began, nodding to their friends and family who had circled around the gazebo. "I hope the cards said everything I wanted to convey, so I'll just get to the point." He got down on one knee and pulled out a small velvet box that he opened to reveal a princess-cut diamond ring. "Ananya Gujral, I love you so much. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," she answered, allowing him to put the ring on her finger. "Yes, I'll marry you."

Shivam stood up and hugged her as Arjun finished the song he and Shivam had written together for this very moment.

Mujhe jeena tera bana le

Kiya khud ko tere hawaale

Sochun tujhe shaam se subah tak

Har lamha...

Ki shab tum ho...

Tumhi din ho... [x2]