Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Early Arrival (And New Suspicions)
The morning started like any other.
Jay was in the kitchen, making coffee, when her phone exploded.
Shreya: WE'RE COMING TOMORROW!
Akshi: TOMORROW! TOMORROW! TOMORROW!
Chethan: Flights booked. Packing now. HYPERVENTILATING.
Mithun: Our dates were preponed. We'll be there tomorrow evening.
Jay stared at the messages.
Then screamed.
---
Keifer ran into the kitchen, Keiran on his hip. "WHAT? WHAT'S WRONG?"
"THEY'RE COMING TOMORROW!"
"Who?"
"EVERYONE! Shreya! Akshi! Mithun! Chethan! TOMORROW!"
Keifer blinked. "Tomorrow? Like... tomorrow tomorrow?"
"TOMORROW!"
Keiran's eyes went wide. "AUNTIES AND UNCLES COMING? TOMORROW?"
"TOMORROW, BABY!"
Keiran dropped Rex and Ganesha and ran in circles. "REX! GANESHA! DID YOU HEAR? THEY'RE COMING! TOMORROW!"
Rex and Ganesha seemed appropriately excited.
---
The news spread faster than wildfire.
Percy arrived within the hour, Honey in tow. "I HEARD! THEY'RE COMING EARLY! THIS IS AMAZING!"
Honey tried to calm him. "Babe, we have to prepare."
"PREPARE FOR WHAT? CHAOS? WE'RE READY!"
Aries walked in, coffee in hand. "I've already arranged airport transfers. Two vans. They'll be comfortable."
Ella smiled. "Aries being efficient as always."
"I like things organized."
C.N. appeared via video call. "I heard the news. Mother, you must be excited."
Jay pointed at the phone. "Stop calling me mother!"
"You ARE excited though."
"I AM excited. But still not your mother."
---
The teasing began immediately.
Percy grabbed the phone. "SHREYA! MIT HUN! YOU'RE COMING EARLY! TOGETHER! ON A PLANE! FOR HOURS!"
Shreya's face appeared on screen, already red. "It's a group trip. All four of us."
"BUT YOU AND MITHUN WILL BE SITTING TOGETHER!"
Chethan's face appeared beside her. "I'M SITTING WITH AKSHI! THEY CAN SIT TOGETHER!"
Akshi shoved into frame. "I WANT WINDOW SEAT!"
Mithun's calm voice came from somewhere off-screen. "I don't care where I sit."
Percy gasped. "YOU DON'T CARE? EVEN IF IT'S NEXT TO SHREYA?"
Silence.
Then Mithun, very quietly: "I didn't say that."
The room erupted.
---
Jay grabbed the phone. "OKAY! So tomorrow! What time do you land?"
"6 PM," Shreya said. "Then customs, baggage, all that. Probably 8 by the time we're out."
"We'll be there," Keifer promised. "All of us."
Akshi's eyes went wide. "ALL of you? Like, the whole chaos crew?"
"The whole chaos crew."
She screamed. "I CAN'T WAIT!"
Chethan grabbed the phone. "I need to know everything! Where we're staying! What food we're eating first! What—"
Mithun gently took the phone. "We'll figure it out when we arrive. Stop overwhelming them."
Chethan pouted. "I'm not overwhelming!"
"You're overwhelming."
"AM NOT!"
"Are too."
---
The call continued for another hour, planning and replanning.
When they finally hung up, the group dispersed to prepare.
Guest rooms needed to be readied. Food needed to be stocked. Welcome signs needed to be made.
Keiran was in charge of the signs. He took the job very seriously.
"REX! GANESHA! We need WELCOME! With SPARKLES!"
Rex and Ganesha nodded.
---
That evening, Jay sat on the balcony with Keifer.
"They're coming tomorrow."
"Tomorrow."
"Everything's going to change."
"For the better."
She leaned into him. "I know. But it's still big."
"The biggest. But we're ready."
"You think?"
"I think." He kissed her forehead. "We have a big family. A chaotic family. A loving family. And it's about to get bigger."
"The best kind of bigger."
---
Her phone buzzed.
Shreya: Hey. Can I call you? Alone?
Jay blinked. "Shreya wants to talk. Alone."
Keifer nodded. "I'll check on Keiran."
He left.
Jay called Shreya.
---
Shreya's face appeared, nervous. "Hey."
"Hey. What's up?"
Shreya took a deep breath. "So... I need to tell you something. And you can't laugh."
"I make no promises."
"JAY!"
"OKAY OKAY. I'll try."
Shreya looked around, lowering her voice. "I think... I THINK... Akshi and Chethan might have feelings for each other."
Jay's eyes went wide. "WHAT?"
"I've been watching them. The way they interact. The way they look at each other when the other isn't watching. The way Chethan gets weirdly protective of her. The way Akshi blushes when he compliments her."
Jay grabbed her phone tighter. "EVIDENCE. I NEED EVIDENCE."
"Last week, Chethan brought her soup when she was tired. Homemade soup. HE COOKED. Chethan never cooks."
"HE COOKED FOR HER?"
"And when she fell asleep on the couch, he covered her with a blanket and just... sat there. Watching her. For like an hour."
Jay was losing it. "THAT'S ROMANTIC!"
"I KNOW! And yesterday, she got a paper cut—a PAPER CUT—and he ran to get her a band-aid and kissed it better. KISSED IT BETTER!"
"ON A PAPER CUT?"
"ON A PAPER CUT!"
---
Jay was pacing now. "This is HUGE! This is BIGGER than you and Mithun!"
Shreya's face went red. "There's no me and Mithun!"
"THERE'S TOTALLY YOU AND MITHUN! But we'll deal with that later. AKSHI AND CHETHAN!"
Shreya nodded frantically. "What do we DO?"
"We observe. We document. We gently push."
"Gently?"
"Very gently. With lots of teasing."
Shreya grinned. "I'm good at teasing."
"I KNOW you are."
---
They planned for another hour.
Strategies. Observations. Potential interventions.
When they finally hung up, Jay was buzzing with excitement.
Keifer returned. "What happened?"
She grabbed his arms. "Shreya thinks Akshi and Chethan have feelings for each other."
Keifer blinked. "Really?"
"REALLY! Soup! Blankets! Paper cut kisses!"
He processed this. Then slowly smiled. "This is going to be fun."
"The MOST fun."
---
The next morning, chaos reigned.
Everyone gathered at the mansion, preparing for the airport trip.
Percy had made signs. Multiple signs. All sparkly.
Akshi and Chethan had their own welcome poster, which Percy had decorated with hearts.
Jay looked at it. "Percy. Why hearts?"
"FOR WELCOME! HEARTS ARE WELCOMING!"
"Hmm."
Keifer caught her eye. They both knew.
---
The vans departed at 5 PM.
Twenty people. Three vans. Endless excitement.
Keiran was vibrating. "AUNTIES! UNCLES! COMING! REX IS READY! GANESHA IS READY!"
Keigan, dragged along, pretended to be annoyed but was clearly excited.
Yuri had three cameras. Rakii had two. They were ready.
---
At the airport, they waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Finally, the doors opened.
And there they were.
Shreya, running toward them, tears already streaming.
Akshi, screaming, launching herself at Jay.
Chethan, bouncing, dragging approximately seventeen bags.
And Mithun, calm as ever, walking with quiet dignity, a small smile on his face.
---
The reunion was chaos.
Hugs everywhere. Tears everywhere. Keiran being passed from person to person, Rex and Ganesha introduced formally.
Chethan hugged Percy like they'd been apart for years. "BROTHER!"
"BROTHER! YOU'RE HERE!"
Akshi grabbed Jay. "SISTER! FINALLY! TOGETHER!"
Shreya hugged Keifer. "Thank you for having us."
"Thank you for coming."
Mithun shook hands with Aries, nodded at C.N., accepted a hug from Honey with grace.
And then—
Jay watched.
Akshi turned to Chethan, grinning. "WE MADE IT!"
Chethan grinned back, and for just a moment, something flickered in his eyes. Something soft. Something warm.
Akshi blushed.
Jay caught Shreya's eye.
Shreya nodded.
They knew.
---
On the ride back, the vans were chaos.
Percy and Chethan sang loudly. Akshi joined in. Shreya laughed.
Mithun sat quietly, watching them all with quiet contentment.
Jay watched Akshi and Chethan.
The way they sat close. The way Chethan kept checking if she was comfortable. The way Akshi leaned into him without noticing.
She texted Shreya.
Jay: YOU WERE RIGHT.
Shreya: I KNOW. IT'S SO OBVIOUS NOW.
Jay: WE NEED A PLAN.
Shreya: TOMORROW. AFTER THEY'RE SETTLED.
Jay: DEAL.
---
At the mansion, more chaos.
Rooms were claimed. Luggage dragged. Keiran gave a full tour, Rex and Ganesha assisting.
Akshi loved everything. "THIS IS AMAZING! YOU LIVE HERE?"
"We live here."
"LIKE A PALACE!"
Chethan found the game room and immediately challenged Percy to everything.
Mithun found a quiet corner and simply breathed.
Shreya found Jay. "We're really here."
"You're really here."
"Sisters forever."
"Forever."
---
That night, they gathered for dinner.
Long table. Twenty-plus people. Endless food. Endless laughter.
Percy stood, raising his glass. "TO THE INDIA CREW! FINALLY HERE!"
"HEAR HEAR!"
Akshi stood. "TO THE PHILIPPINES CREW! FOR ADOPTING US!"
"HEAR HEAR!"
Chethan stood. "TO CHAOS! FOREVER!"
"CHAOS FOREVER!"
Mithun didn't stand. Just raised his glass with a small smile.
Shreya caught his eye. He looked away quickly.
Jay saw.
She texted Shreya.
Jay: HE TOTALLY LOOKED AT YOU.
Shreya: HE DID NOT.
Jay: HE ABSOLUTELY DID.
Shreya: STOP.
Jay: NEVER.
---
Later, after everyone had dispersed to their rooms, Jay and Keifer stood on the balcony.
"They're here," she whispered.
"They're here."
"Our family keeps growing."
"It does."
She looked up at him. "I love our life."
"I love you." He kissed her softly. "Now let's get some sleep. Tomorrow, the real chaos begins."
"The best kind of chaos."
They went inside.
The mansion hummed with new life, new laughter, new love.
And somewhere in the guest wing, two people who didn't know they were in love yet slept under the same roof.
Akshi and Chethan.
The next chapter was about to begin.
---
End of Chapter Sixty-Nine