VEER'S POV

"You feel similar" I whispered, looking at the sketch, which was drawn by me unconsciously 2 years ago. Unknowingly this sketch felt so mine, like my soul, a beautiful sketch which made its place in my heart as soon as it was completed.

"You feel exactly like my sketch, similar long wavy hair, same tenderness that I feel every time I see my sketch. Same warmness... is this possible? Who are you? Why do I feel like that? Wh--" I come out of my thoughts hearing continuous harsh knocks on the door. I immediately hid the sketch behind a pillow and asked the person to come in. It didn't even take a second, and the door opened with a loud thud, this boy never gonna learn.

"Bhaisa, come fast" he said impatiently. By he, I mean Vansh Devang Singh Raghuvanshi, my younger brother. Even though he has already spent 23 years of his life with me, but still he never learned one proper manner of knocking, opening, and closing the door. Him knocking on the door gently means he desires something otherwise he is an untamed animal who never learned how to knock like a human being.

"When will you learn?" I asked, controlling my urge to kick his ass for his action. He smiled nervously, looking everywhere but in my glaring eyes.

"I-I will try. Now hurry bhaisa, come fast. Ekansh bhaisa is not able to control himself" He said and ran out without hearing me. God!! He is alive because he is my brother. I know very well who is not able to control himself, rolling my eyes I went out of the room after keeping the sketch securely at its hidden place again.

Entering inside the bar, I saw Ekansh and Raghav sitting comfortably on the couch looking tired, whereas Vansh and Sameer were arguing in the corner

"No not that, I don't like her work, I never get satisfaction and pleasure, which I get after tasting my darling" Sameer said, hugging his so-called darling.

"No way!! We are gonna taste my new baby, did you ever touch her god the current I feel by touching her, smelling her ahh Haa Haa jannat" Vansh said kissing his baby before keeping it on his chest, falling down, lying there dramatically closing his eyes.

[wow, heaven]

I roll my eyes at their stupidity. Snatching the whiskey from Vansh and him. I glared at them. They immediately shut their mouths, sitting quietly like they were the most innocent boys alive, and I'm well aware of their innocence.... God!! Who the hell denotes a whiskey bottle as 'her', 'baby' or 'darling' like it's their girlfriend, stupid idiots!!

I went towards the couch and settled myself in the empty space between Raghav and Ekansh. Soon, Sameer and Vansh joined us. Sameer and Vansh quietly went and sat beside Ekansh with a nervous look on their face, occasionally glancing at Raghav, who had closed his eyes and had a deep frown on his face. Again, these stupid boys had done something crazy....

"What happened, Raghav?" I asked him, taking a sip of the alcohol in my hand. I sighed as its flavour exploded in my mouth. He opened his eyes and directly shot his aggressive glare at Sameer and Vansh, making them gulp hard, who were looking everywhere but in his eyes.

"As usual, bhaisa, it's their daily chore to do something crazy and annoy the people around them. This time, they targeted Raghav. Today, Raghav and Vansh both have an important meeting, and in that meeting, Vansh spilled a cup full of hot tea on Raghav--"

"It was not intentional," Vansh said, slowly cutting off Ekansh's words, looking at me with hopeful eyes, and in return, I just stared at him coldly.

"Yeah, yeah, unintentionally bas... later on, Raghav came to know that Sameer too visited the office, and he tried to make coffee. He destroyed four coffee makers and lastly went away after messing Rebecca's cabin" Rebecca is an employee who Sameer hates because she gets on his nerves.

Ekansh explained the whole scene, making me shake my head and take a deep breath before taking another sip.

"Why did you visit my office instead of going to college, Sameer?" Raghav asked with a poker face. He is just like me, cold, arrogant, and egoistic, but the difference is, he is the most aggressive one here. He gets angry easily, and in anger, he just loses his mind. He is the most aggressive among all five of us. Sameer, who was sipping quietly pretending like he doesn't exist, flinched hearing him and started stuttering

"Wo-woh b-bh-bhaisa m--"

[T-That, b-brother, i-it]

"Either speak clearly or don't speak at all Sameer" Ekansh said, irritated at his stuttering... and after that, everything goes silent. Raghav waits for his answer, and I roll my eyes, knowing where the thing is going.

"WILL YOU SPEAK OR NOT?" Suddenly, Raghav shouted in anger and irritation

"Iisko konse keede kaat jaate hai baar baar?" I heard Ekansh whispering before taking another sip

[ Why does he behave like this out of nowhere?]

"But Ekansh bhaisa said not to speak" Sameer said slowly but enough for us to hear. And Raghav gave him the 'I will kill you' look before he can say any further.

"Bhaisa, I heard today once again you got a marriage proposal" Hearing Ekansh, I looked at him, raising my eyebrow. Changing the topic I see. Ekansh noticed my expression and eyed Sameer, who looked scared. Of course, Ekansh is the protective elder brother....

I hummed, deciding to play along and protect my younger brother.

"50 Rejected.... half-century accomplished bhaisa" Raghav said, sipping his drink.

"Raghav, I think bhaisa has decided he wants to be a celibate" Ekansh said, chuckling while I stayed unaffected, I'm used to this now. It's not like I'm rejecting them for fun, I just don't see a match with them. I want someone who understands me, loves me, respects me as the person I am, not as a king or a CEO or a mafia king. I want someone with whom I feel at peace and warm, someone who is destined for me and someone I'm utterly devoted to. Someone who's laughter is my favorite melody and someone I'm not afraid to be vulnerable with, someone who's absence feels like a missing chapter in my story of life and someone who is my favorite daydream.

"Bhaisa!! Maa-sa told me you helped a girl? No-no, she said you helped a beautiful woman today" Vansh said, wiggling his eyebrows, and I ignored him, completely not interested in starting the topic of that unknown woman. But still, one thing that has been nagging me since the time I saw her is why she feels so similar to my sketch.

"Ekansh, I told you to do something" Vansh gave me a defeated look as I clearly changed the topic.

"Ya bhaisa done. Tomorrow, you will get all the documents, I completed all the formalities... also, we caught the right hand of Humza Shah" Ekansh said, smirking, which me and Raghav reciprocated.... It will be fun playing with you, Hamza Shah.

"Bhaisa!! It's kaka sa" Vansh said, passing Sameer's phone to me. I raised my eyebrow before taking the phone.

"Hel--"

"Aapne hello ko daal khadde mei. Barbad aulaad tumne mujhe Mc Donald's ka woh joker samjh rakha hai, ki tum aapni maa saa ke sath milke aapna kam nikalva lete ho. Nalayak aulaad yaha baap pure din dhoop mai kam karke thak jaata hai aur tumse thode marks nahi laye jaate exams mai‽‽ Roz savere tere baap ki university mai jaake machar marta hai tu. Tu mujhe mil to sahi jo paper peh tune teri maa sa se sign karvane hai ussi pen se teri aisi pitai karunga ki dusri baar kabhi aisi karamat karne ka sochega bhi nahi."

[Hello?? Keep your hello to yourself put, you useless son. Have you mistaken me for that McDonald's clown?? You and your mother together get the work done. You are a worthless child, your father works day and night, and there you can't even score minimal marks. What do you even do after going to college, huh? You just wait till I see you, I will beat you with the same pen which you gave your mother to sign those results. And I will make sure that you never repeat it again]

Kaka sa started as soon as I answered the call.... now I got it why Vansh gave the phone to me. I looked at Sameer, but he is not there anymore, pitega aaj ye....

[I'll beat him black and blue]

"Kaka sa it's me" I said, and he stopped speaking

"Veer!! Where is my useless son? What is his useless phone doing with you?" He asked.

"Kaka sa I will handle it. Don't worry" I said to him, knowing well he must be taking stress. Sameer being the youngest has always been most pampered among all of us. He never prioritises studies. For him, his music, his fun is everything. And it's not like he fails all the time. He is an average student, and he is happy with that. I don't think pressuring him for something he is not interested in is good, so I just tell him to get a degree and then pursue what he is interested in.

"Hmm.... don't know when he will get serious about his career.... leave it. All of you sleep early, tomorrow we have to visit Shiv temple for ekadashi Puja. Do not be late otherwise you know your maa saa and dadi saa. Also, tell that monkey that Akshita must be waiting for him" I said, reminding them about the auspicious Arti and puja that is organised by dadi saa in the mysterious temple of Chittorgarh. Well, that's what everyone says about that... we will be visiting there for the first time. I don't remember ever going there..... well, we will find out tomorrow.

AUTHOR'S POV

After their brother's time in the bar, Veer came inside his room and sighed at the empty room. Don't know why but today he feels lonely, he feels like even after having everyone still a part of him is lonely, that part needs someone.

He never thought of all this but today after baba sa said those things he realised that he too is missing something important.

But the question is who would be that person? Which woman is meant to be his and his only?

He took a cold shower to relax his muscles. Coming out his feet took him towards the secret room inside his study room. The room he had converted into a sketching room.

[All Raghuvanshi brothers have their own secret rooms in their study, like a man cave]

VEER'S POV

Face??!!.... I can sketch everything but face..... I was able to see her but not her face, able to feel the same warmth and tenderness but then again I was not able to see the face. Face which I desperately wanted to sketch but was never able to....

Are you actually the one I had always needed? You are the one who would complete me or it's just I'm overthinking because baba sa suddenly brought this topic with a particular girl in my life.

Even after being with everyone, having everything I never realised that I'm lacking something but today I can feel that something is missing. Like I'm still incomplete, one of my parts is just secured and locked for someone special.

Will I ever be able to draw your whole face? I want to see you again and feel the same thing once again but this time I will make sure I see your face.

Okay now I think I'm being desperate to see her face. Control yourself Veer do not start something without knowing the actual outcome of it.

APEKSHA'S POV

NEXT DAY [SUNDAY]

Morning 4 am

"Apeksha beta, are you awake? It's too early, beta. We will start our journey around 6" Papa said, coming towards me. He kissed my forehead lovingly like every morning, making me smile. Papa follows five things compulsory every morning without fail, and those are,

1) His early morning Puja

2) To touch my feet every morning saying that I'm the Laxmi of this house and I mean a lot to him

3) Giving me a forehead kiss

4) Teasing mumma, which ends by kissing her forehead before going for office

5) Admiring and praising His Ramprasad.

"Apeksha!! Good that you are ready. Let's go have breakfast if we will reach early, then we will get to spend more time there in the peaceful atmosphere" Mumma said, coming out of the kitchen with a spatula in her hand. I smile, going inside the kitchen to help her.

"Nahi beta... I'll manage, go, and serve your papa. Otherwise, if he comes inside the kitchen, then we both will have to run out" She said, making fun of Papa's behavior of asking too many questions.

"Making fun of me in front of my princess, huh!!" Papa said with raised eyebrows and a fake glare while standing at the entrance of the kitchen.

"Ohh god!! Please don't ask anything, just go out. You will get your breakfast on the table" Maa said, and Papa's argument mode switched on.

"Why? Why shouldn't I ask any questions? At least a person should be aware of what he is eating. Anyways I already know what is mixed in this, so I don't need to know that, but.... you both go out. I will cook today" he said with a proud face, and the spatula fell down from maa's hand, directly hitting me on my foot.

I hiss in pain and immediately both ran towards me. I said I'm okay, but Papa being papa gets on his knees and checks it himself, making sure that I'm not hurt.

"Thank god you aren't injured. You should be careful, Vaishu, " Papa said softly to maa after getting up.

"I'm sorry, baccha," Maa said, kissing my forehead with a guilty face. I said it was nothing, and it's not her fault.

After completing our breakfast with Papa continuously informing us about whatever he read in the newspaper, we started our journey to Chittorgarh.

"Everyone says that Bhagwan Shiv and Vishnu both fulfil our every wish if it's requested with pure intentions. Apeksha beta, you can ask for a loving family and a handsome groom for yourself. I'm sure God will fulfil my child's wish."

Maa said excitedly, looking at me from the passenger seat, and I sighed in defeat, not again.

After a long journey of 6 hours, we finally reached Chittorgarh. It's better that we start the journey early.... I'm feeling fresh because I slept the whole journey, as I have visited here many times since my childhood. I come here a few times a year for ekadashi and the arti.

We started walking towards the temple for Darshan of both Shivjii and Vishnu jii and came out after taking the Shira as Prasad. I sat down at a particular place and started enjoying it when a pair of siblings came running towards me like every time. One is a cute little girl, while the other is a boy. They must be around 6 and 8. They are the children of the street vendors here. We became friends when I visited here last time.

"How are you, didi?" They asked with a sweet smile, making my heart melt

"I'm good. How are you both?" I said, removing the dust from that boy's face. His name is Amir, while the girl's name is Jyoti.

"We are good" They said with a wide smile

"You did darshan?" I ask again, feeding her Shira with my hand.

"Not today" Jyoti said with a sad face, making me confused

"Why?"

"Aree didi you don't know? Today, our king is visiting this temple with his family. So the guards inform all the vendors and small sellers to stay away from them. Still, we sneaked and came inside, hehehe, " Amir said, giggling at the end

Why would the king do something like this? He is kind and caring to his people , so why would he deny these people to do business? Today is the day when they can earn more. I shake my head. There must be a reason behind it.... I shouldn't jump into the conclusion

"Didi mee too" Amir said, opening his mouth and asking for Prasad, and I smiled at his cuteness before feeding him myself.

"Didi, you know there is a group of dancers here they dance so well. You said you also like dancing let's go there please I want to see your dance" Amir requested and behind him Jyoti too started giving me puppy eyes and I couldn't help but agree to their proposal of tagging along with them.

Before going, I informed maa and Papa, who were busy chanting mantras. I was walking, holding Amir and Jyoti's hands when suddenly Jyoti started running behind a butterfly. God, this girl runs so fast.... me and Amir both ran after her to catch her before she fell or bumped into someone.

But I guess we are late. I saw her sitting on her bum with both her hands, either side of her looking confused about how she fell down. I chuckled at her confused face before going towards her, picking her up from the ground, dusting her yellow floral print frock.

"Didi clean it properly, mummy will scold me if I make it dirty" she said, pouting, looking at her frock to see if it's dirty anymore or not

"It's clean now, baccha" I said with a smile, and she looked at me.

"Sachi na? (I nodded) Haash now mummy will not scold me for being clumsy and hitting myself with a wall. But bhai who put a wall here...." She continues her blabbering without looking at her surroundings, but stops looking at the wall. I mean, that person she bumped into...

I, too, looked up to say sorry to that person but got still seeing the person standing in front of me.... Veer Devang Singh Raghuvanshi. I gulped and was about to apologise, but before that...

"Aree aap wall nahi ho sorry hehehe." Jyoti said, giggling, looking at the person who is looking at us with a blank look. Come on, at least you can give her a smile instead of scaring her.

"Hey girl!! Who allowed you to come inside, huh!! You poor life, Don't you know it's prohibi--" the bodyguard was harshly interrupted by Mr. Raghuvanshi's dark and dominating voice. A fear rushed inside my nerves, hearing his tone, whereas Jyoti visibly flinched in my hold.

"Mind your tone"

That guard immediately bowed his head, saying a small sorry. He looked so scary right now. I don't know why, but he scares me right now. I have always seen him in his dangerous aura even if we are not near him or facing him but still we can sense his power, his dominance but his behaviour to his people makes me always give him respect. Never thought I would get scared from the protector.

"Get out" his one command, and we started walking away from there but were stopped by him again,

"Not you" I notice his guards along with his secretary going away

He took a step closer to me, and I immediately took one step back, my heartbeats raising making him stop at his place only. He cleared his throat before speaking

"I want to check if she is hurt or not" he said politely, and I felt like my eyes would come out of their sockets in shock.

"Can I?" He asked again, maybe because I didn't give him any answer. He's such a gentleman

"She is fine, thank you for asking uncle" Amir said with a smile, and I suppressed my laugh after looking at his wide eyes at a particular word 'uncle'

"Amir you are so buddhu. He is not an uncle. He is our handsome king" Jyoti said, admiring her handsome king, but I'm still hearing the same word 'uncle.' I want to laugh right now, but I know what is best for me.

He gave Jyoti a proud look with a very small smile. Then look at me, he was about to say something but was stopped by someone

"Bhaisa!!" If I'm not wrong, that was his brother Raghav Manav Singh Raghuvanshi, walking towards him he frowned looking at us, he also looked scary.

"Dadi sa said it's important for all five of us to sit in Puja. No escape" even though he whispered trying to keep it confidential, but still, it was loud enough for me to hear it.

Mr. Raghuvanshi looked at me before walking away from there with his brother. I see his brother turning again looking at me before walking away.

Why were they looking at me like that?

_________________________________________

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