Disclaimer: This series is a pure work of fiction. It does not intend to hurt the feelings of any individual or community. Any resemblance of the characters to real life people is a mere coincidence. All images shown are courtsey Pexels free photos and their contributors.

Cheeni on my Chawal translates to “The Sugar on my Rice” in English. Sweet Rice is a popular dish in India.

Read Chapter 1 here…!!! [Continued from Chapter 1 …]

After reaching the airport, Pravanya, Rushikesh, and Riyaanshi completed their check-in and security formalities before heading to the nearest lounge to rest for a while. The airport buzzed with activity—announcements echoed overhead, travelers hurried past, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air.

Rushi’s phone buzzed, flashing his office’s name. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’ll be right back, just need to take this call,” he said, stepping out of the lounge.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Anshu turned to Pravu, her eyes laced with hesitation. “Bhabhi… is Bhaiya unhappy with my marriage?” Her voice was soft but heavy with worry. “I don’t want to marry if he doesn’t like it. He is the most important person to me.”

Pravu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yrr, you and him are made from the same cloth.” She shook her head affectionately. “You know, when we started dating, Rushi would always bring you up— always. If we were out for dessert, he’d say, ‘Do you want to try the cheesecake? My sister loves the Belgian chocolate one from here.’ If we were trying a new dish, he’d be like, ‘My sister loves this!’ It was honestly so endearing to see a man so crazy about his sister.”

Anshu listened, a small smile creeping onto her face.

“This one time,” Pravu continued, “I was frustrated about something unrelated, but Rushi mistook it as me feeling ignored because he kept talking about you. He got so worked up trying to explain himself— ‘Pravu, I don’t want you to think I’m ignoring you, because I’m really not. I love you soooo much, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that you are actually my third love. My first is my mom, second is my sister, and then it’s you.’”

Anshu burst out laughing, shaking her head. “Classic Bhaiya!”

“Right? And he wasn’t even done! He went on— ‘I’m very possessive of my loved ones. I usually don’t talk about them to just anyone because I fear nazar lag jayegi, but with you, I feel so safe and comfortable that I don’t have that fear anymore. I’m really sorry if my talking about them made you feel ignored. That was never my intention.’ And then he just went silent.”

Pravu smiled at the memory. “I was sooo moved by the fact that even though he misunderstood my reason for being upset, he still noticed my mood, acknowledged it, and—more than anything—he humbly tried to explain his stance. It was the sweetest gesture and the cutest explanation possible. I smiled so much and just hugged him after that. From that day, I truly started to adore and respect the love you two share.”

Anshu sighed, her heart swelling. “That’s bhaiya for you…. Always overthinking but always caring…”

“Exactly,” Pravu nodded. “That’s exactly how even you’re mistaking his emotions right now. He’s not upset about you getting married, Anshu. He’s just a loving elder brother who wants to make sure you’ll always be happy. He’s scared of change, but more than that, he’s scared of losing you.”

Hearing this, Anshu felt a lump in her throat. She rested her head on Pravu’s shoulder, her voice barely above a whisper. “I wish I could somehow show him how much he really means to me.”

After a moment, she took a deep breath and confessed, “You know, Bhabhi… in college, I really loved someone. It was serious, but for various reasons, we had to end it. I was shattered. I didn’t even have the energy to tell Bhaiya, but I needed to talk to someone. That night, Bhaiya called me, out of nowhere. It was like he knew something was wrong.”

Pravu looked at her, intrigued. “What did he say?”

“We had some small talk at first. I was unable to understand how to start telling him about it. And then he asked me, ‘Betu, cheesecake khayegi? Zomato kar doon?’” Anshu let out a small chuckle, wiping at her eyes. “I just said, ‘Nahi Bhaiya, abhi mann nahi hai, rehne do.’ He paused for a second and then said he had some important work and would talk later. We hung up, but I instantly regretted not telling him everything. It was suffocating me.”

She exhaled shakily before continuing, “I somehow fell asleep, and a few hours later, there was a knock on my door. I opened it, and there he was. The Rushikesh Saxena, standing there with a Belgian chocolate cheesecake in his hand, smirking. And then he just said— ‘If I can’t even understand MY Anshu’s silent cry for help, then I don’t deserve to be the best brother after all.’”

Pravu let out an emotional laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. “Oh my God… he really knows you.”

“He just gets it, Bhabhi, I really don’t understand how but he does” Anshu said, tears forming in her eyes again. “I hugged him tight and just broke down. He stayed with me for two-three days, cooked my favorite dishes, fed me with his own hands. Mom and Dad were so confused about why he randomly showed up, but as always, he handled it like a pro. Before leaving, he hugged me for the longest time, like he was making sure I’d be okay before he went back.”

Anshu wiped her eyes and sighed. “Bhabhi, he has always been my first love. Even when Rik and I got serious, the most important thing to me was— ‘Will Bhaiya like him? Will he approve?’ I know why he feels like I’m going away… but how do I explain to this fool of a brother that I will always be his kiddo first?”

Pravu smiled warmly and kissed Anshu’s forehead. “Don’t overthink, bachcha. He’s Rushi. He’ll come around. He just needs time to process all this, and we’ll be there for him until he does, right?”

Anshu nodded, feeling a sense of relief settle over her.

“You are so amazing bhabhi. So much more calm, composed and patient than bhaiya. I still don’t understand how this dumb fellow made such a beautiful and mature girl fall in love with him,” she added playfully.

Pravu smirked. “Oh, he must have learned from his ex, I suppose.”

Anshu gasped dramatically, while Pravu burst into laughter.

Rushikesh’s jaw dropped. “Heyyyy! That’s not fair! I leave for five minutes and you start bitching about me?” He plopped down onto the seat next to them, pretending to sulk.

Anshu grinned. “Achcha fine, now let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.”

“Yes, please,” Pravu agreed.

Rushikesh huffed. “Well, the mature ones have spoken, so I suppose the immature one should follow.”

The three of them laughed as they got up to grab some food. On the way, Rushikesh walked ahead, pulling out his phone. He typed out a message quickly.

“Hey Raj, is everything ready? Let’s meet once I land and finalize it.”

A small smile played on his lips before he put his phone back in his pocket and continued walking. Pravu, watching him closely, sneaked a glance without Anshu noticing. She raised her eyebrows in silent question.

Rushikesh met her gaze and simply nodded with a knowing smile.

Pravanya said nothing but felt a spark of curiosity. “What was he up to? ” she wondered.

The three continued their meal, unaware that Rushikesh’s little secret was about to unfold soon.

[To Be Continued…]