Prologue
“They are sending me to prison for a crime I didn’t commit.”
Sitting across from him at the small, circular table was Advik, his best friend and partner-in-mischief for years. His fingers stopped their playful winding around the soup spoon as he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Come again?”
“Dude, there are about one hundred of them.”
Advik couldn’t help but chuckle at his friend’s dramatics. “It’s just a play school for kids.”
But Vivaan shook his head adamantly. “You don’t understand, kids are nuisance. They expect me to handle all of them? It’s a punishment fit for a criminal, not a twenty-five year old guy.”
“I’m not sure why you’re making a fuss out of it?” Advik looked up at his friend, bewildered by his reaction. But as he studied Vivaan’s tense body language and anxious expression, his own expression became more skeptical.
“Making a fuss?” Vivaan scoffed, reaching for a paper napkin to wipe off the sauce from his fingers. “It’s my mom’s idea to shoo me away because she thinks I can’t handle responsibility. I already have a job lined up. It’s just pointless.”
Despite Vivaan’s attempts to appear calm and nonchalant, Advik couldn’t help but grin at his friend’s dramatics. “Vivi, you’re acting like someone just pointed their rifle at you.”
He used to call him Vivi, a nickname that sparked fiery distaste in Vivaan’s heart. It sounded too feminine for his liking. But his best friend had never listened, calling him by that name despite his protests. Only his mother and he were allowed to use such an intimate nickname for Vivaan. Not even his Dad dared to try.
Ignoring his remark, Vivaan continued to state, “She thinks I can’t stand kids.”
Advik gave him an almost incredulous look, clearly not buying his excuse. “You poured brandy into your nephew’s milk bottle and almost let him drink it,” he argued.
Vivaan shrugged nonchalantly while sipping his drink. “He is going to thank me one day,” he said with a mischievous grin. “By the way, for the record, I was a little tipsy.”
It was unintentional on his part, and as soon as he observed the milk’s odd hue, he immediately removed it from his nephew’s grasp. His nephew was always curious and eager to try new flavors, taking after his father in more ways than one.
“Come on, Vivi, just give it a shot.”
Vivaan’s attention rested on him more intently this time after sneakily gazing at every female in the restaurant as he smirked and winked at them.
“Your appointment letter states that you will begin work in thirty-four days. I can’t think of a more productive way to spend this time.” He continued when he knew his friend was paying close attention to him.
Vivaan’s grin was subtle, but it spoke volumes. “Oh, I can think of a few better ways,” he said, his eyes now resting on a couple of women at a nearby table.
He’d known Advik was trying to make a point, but he was getting sick of this same conversation. It was the fifth time this week. His best friend wouldn’t let it go.
“You know, my mom is not going to fire you from her company.” He cracked a joke.
Advik’s eyes narrowed, clearly not in the mood for humor. “I got this job because of my hard work, not because I’m some charity case.”
Vivaan raised his hand in surrender at his sudden seriousness, stretching out a smile. “Woah, woah, relax! All I want to know is why you are trying so damn hard to persuade me.”
His friend sighed, running a hand through his hair while shaking the other to keep the spoon back in the bowl before clasping them together. “Listen,” he began in a serious tone, while Vivaan nodded cautiously, “one day you’re going to settle down and have kids, maybe five years from now.”
He stopped as he saw Vivaan’s countenance graved. It was as if he had just heard a ticking bomb about to explode at any moment.
“Fine, ten years? Fifteen? Thirty?” His friend raised an eyebrow suggestively. “Your mom wants grandkids before you start looking like their grandfather.”
Vivaan had a cheeky grin on his face. “She will have it. Any number she wants.” He paused for a while to think, and his smile faded. “Wait, she already has a grandchild.”
“So, you are a player now?”
Vivaan let out a snort. “I have a girlfriend.”
His best friend cut him off before he could finish. He shook his head and muttered, “I know,” with a hint of complaint. “Annoying girl.”
“Heard that.” He smirked mischievously.
“Whatever.” Ignoring his comment, Advik reasoned. “She has been waiting for your proposal since day one. Aren’t you going to marry her ever? You guys have been dating for a year now, and then you’ll get married, have kids-”
“That’s ridiculous.” He flailed his arm in the air as he spoke, sensing the desperation in his best friend’s voice. Advik and Vivaan’s girlfriend shared a mutual hatred towards each other, and yet he was trying to persuade him.
Vivaan’s laughter interrupted him. “That’s ridiculous.” He waved a hand dismissively, his voice dripping with humour. “We’re just messing around. I’m not in love with her or anything. Love is just a made-up concept. Every relationship has a shelf life.”
“Well, it seems your current love life is about to reach its expiration date. Guess I can’t really blame you for scanning the room for potential replacements?” Advik spoke in sarcasm as he saw his friend batting eyes at every woman in the room.
“I prefer to think of it as being open to new opportunities.”
Advik grumbled, clearly done with Vivaan’s nonchalant attitude toward love. “You’re impossible.” He leaned forward, tapping his chin as if pondering the meaning of life itself. “You wanna know what my logic says?”
Vivaan, sensing the inevitable, held up a hand. “Please, don’t,” he groaned. He recognized that look on Advik’s face, the one where he thought he was about to drop some profound life truth. He’d been through it a hundred times before.
But Advik wasn’t deterred.
“It’s clear as day, man,” he continued, unfazed. “You’re uncomfortable around children because you don’t believe in love. You’re scared that if you get too close to them, they might reveal the truth about what real love looks like.”
Vivaan nearly fell out of his chair, chuckling in disbelief. “Dude! Those aretwodifferent issues!” He shook his head in mock disapproval, but there was laughter in his eyes. “One lecture at a time, please.”
Vivaan groaned and threw his head back in frustration. “This is why I’m asking you to help me!” He gave Advik an incredulous look. “You are my best friend, but you’residing with my motherin this matter?”
Advik gave him a flat look. “I am your best friend, so I stand by your mother’s side on this one.”
Vivaan grunted, rolling his eyes. “Doesn’t sound any smarter, does it?”
Advik shrugged. “She’s not wrong, though.”
Vivaan paused for a moment, his mind whirring as he considered Advik’s proposition. His best friend wasn’t backing down, and neither was his mother. Both sides were cornering him, and he realized there was no way out of this.
But Vivaan was a man who thrived on challenges. If Advik thought he could manipulate him into some ‘family values’ nonsense, he’d show him who was really in charge here. And hey, if it meant he could get his family to drop themarriagetopic for a while, then maybe it wasn’t such a bad deal after all.
He took a deep breath and leaned back in his seat, his voice low but dripping with mock confidence. “Fine. You assume I don’t like kids because I don’t believe in love. Then I’ll prove you wrong.” His eyes gleamed with mischief, the corner of his lips twitching. “And if I did, from that day on, no one, not even my mother, will bring thismarriagenonsense up again. Ever. Got it?”
Advik squinted at him, clearly unconvinced but resigned. He sighed deeply, his forehead creasing as he rubbed his temples. “If that’s what it takes, man.”
Vivaan sat up straighter, his tone dramatic as he set his glass down with a soft thud. “That’s a deal,” he said, flashing a thumbs-up that could’ve been more sarcastic if it tried.
His friend shook his head, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth despite his irritation. “You’re gonna regret this, you know?”
“Enduring kids for a whole month... What’s the worst that could happen?”
“You have no idea.”
___________
