Chapter 71 The Unseen Watcher
Vihan smiles lightly, rolls his neck, and replies,
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Karan turns to Samar, irritation clear on his face.
“I bet this executioner made you fight XEM, right? Who else comes up with such madness?”
Riya stares at Samar in disbelief, silently questioning him. Samar, sitting casually, replies with dry sarcasm, “If XEM had been handled properly, there wouldn’t have been a need to get beaten up by five people yesterday.”
Vihan hears him. He doesn’t reply, but embarrassment flashes across his face. He knows Samar isn’t wrong.
To lighten the mood, Karan says cheerfully, “Forget it! Yesterday’s party was a disaster anyway. Let’s do something fun today!”
Samar asks, “Like what?”
Karan grins. “Let’s surprise our partners. Do something sweet.”
Rohit smirks. “But you don’t even have a partner. Who will you surprise?”
Karan glances sideways at Riya and says teasingly, “Riya will be my partner today. What are friends for?”
I laugh and tease him, “Then just admit she’s more than a friend.”
He goes quiet for a moment, then says, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He quickly changes the topic. “Let’s play a game.”
Samar replies, “I have work.”
Vihan adds, “I need to send some project mails.”
Rohit raises his hand, “I’m free. I’ll play.”
Shorya stays silent, observing everything.
I ask excitedly, “What game?”
Karan replies, “Football!”
My face lights up. “I’m playing too!”
Neeti joins in. “Me too!”
Rimjhim smiles. “I’ll play as well!”
At that moment, Samar, Vihan, and Shorya stare at us with amused expressions. We’re still like kids, playful, excited and they clearly don’t know whether to laugh or admire us.
Karan turns to Ruhi. “Come on, little one. Join us!”
Ruhi shakes her head.
“No, I’ll just watch.” For a moment, Rohit looks disappointed, but he doesn’t say anything.
Everyone goes inside to change. Soon, only Samar and Vihan remain outside. Samar looks ahead and says calmly, “Whatever happened, forget it. There are many enemies… but together, we can take them down.”
Vihan’s eyes fill with emotion. He walks up and hugs Samar tightly. “Thank you… for forgiving me.”
Samar laughs and hugs him back. “Are you not ashamed? Apologizing like a child?”
Vihan laughs. “I may be grown up… but most of my actions are childish.”
Samar raises an eyebrow. “Now tell me something. Why did you marry Rimjhim? From your face, it’s clear it wasn’t your idea.”
Vihan chuckles and slowly tells him everything, the truth, the feelings, the reason behind the marriage.
Samar listens carefully. When Vihan finishes, Samar pats his back. “For the first time in your life… you actually did something right.”
Vihan bursts out laughing. Just then, Rimjhim and I step outside. We’re wearing white t-shirts, white track pants, and white caps. Our hair is tied in high ponytails. Simple. Sporty. Fresh.
Samar and Vihan freeze. They forget to blink. No makeup. No effort. Just natural, innocent beauty. And in that moment I realize how deeply their eyes soften when they look at us.
I give Samar a faint smile, and Rimjhim throws a mischievous glance at Vihan. A few moments later, Neeti, Ruhi, Shorya, Rohit, Karan, and Riya enter from the other side of the garden.
Neeti is dressed in a black sporty outfit, her hair tied back in a tight braid, her eyes filled with pure competitive spirit. Ruhi wears a simple pink top with jeans. She had said she wouldn’t play, only watch, yet a faint spark of excitement shines in her eyes.
Shorya looks effortlessly cool in his sports tracksuit, while Rohit comes fully geared like a professional football player, even his shoes gleaming. Karan wears a red T-shirt, and Riya looks comfortable in blue joggers with a white tee, casual yet sporty.
In one corner of the garden, the football already waits. The grass is freshly cut, a soft evening breeze flows around us, and there’s an unmistakable buzz of excitement in the air.
Samar and Vihan decide not to participate. They drag wooden chairs to one side of the garden and sit there like royal judges, pretending to watch the match though in reality, their eyes stay fixed only on their wives.
The game begins with Rohit. He gives the ball a light kick, and it rolls straight to Neeti. Neeti twists her foot skillfully and passes the ball to me.
I control the ball, dribble it forward, feeling the cool grass beneath my feet, then pass it smoothly to Rimjhim. Rimjhim spins quickly and shoots the ball toward Karan but Karan intercepts it at full speed and, smiling, passes it to Riya.
Ruhi sits on the bench, but when the ball rolls near her, she instinctively kicks it lightly, sending it straight back to Neeti. Everyone bursts into laughter.
Karan teases, “Hey Ruhi, weren’t you saying you wouldn’t play?”
Ruhi blushes and says softly, “I was just passing it…”
Now the match becomes even more fun. Everyone plays in their own style. Sometimes the ball stays under my control, and I notice Samar’s face swell with pride. Sometimes Rimjhim pulls off an impressive move, making Vihan’s eyes light up.
Neeti takes a powerful kick, and the ball flies straight toward the goalpost. Rohit dives to save it, but the ball slips in. Cheers erupt everywhere. Neeti raises both her hands in a victorious pose.
The football match is in full swing. Neeti, Rimjhim, Riya, and I keep showing off our moves sometimes scoring goals, sometimes blocking them while Samar and Vihan sit aside, quietly enjoying watching their wives play.
Then suddenly, something feels strange as if someone is watching us.
All eyes turn toward one side of the garden.
Standing near the edge, wrapped in a crisp white cotton saree, with a calm yet piercing expression, is Mrs. Shobha.
The moment Samar and Vihan see her, they immediately stand up from their chairs. The game halts instantly, as if someone presses a pause button.
Mrs. Shobha looks directly at Vihan and asks in a sharp tone, “What’s going on here?”
TO BE COUNTINUE...!!!