You know what nobody tells you about love stories?
The after is even better.
Not the dramatic confession.
Not the almost-kiss.
Not even the “yes.”
No.
It’s the part where your best friend marries the love of her life…
And suddenly your life turns into a full-time romantic comedy with zero privacy.
Kabir and Meena didn’t just get married.
They unlocked chaos.
And somehow—
Aarav and I got dragged into it.
Double dates started as a “let’s meet occasionally” thing.
That lasted exactly two days.
After that?
It became:
“Where are you guys?”
“Come down.”
“We ordered food.”
“No excuses.”
Kabir and I?
Extroverts.
Loud.
Dramatic.
Thriving.
Meena and Aarav?
Introverts.
Calm.
Observers.
But put the four of us together?
Absolute disaster.
“WHY ARE WE MATCHING AGAIN?” Aarav muttered one evening, staring at his shirt.
Kabir grinned.
“Because Lilly and I have vision.”
“Vision?” Meena raised an eyebrow.
“Yes,” I said proudly, fixing her sleeve, “aesthetic matters. Memories matter. Photos matter.”
Aarav sighed.
Meena tried not to smile.
Five minutes later?
We had 237 photos.
Kabir and I are directing poses like professional photographers.
Meena pretended she hated it.
Aarav actually hates it.
And don’t even get me started on food.
“Order something light,” Meena would say.
Kabir: “Yeah, yeah.”
Forty-five minutes later—
Three pizzas.
Two pastas.
Garlic bread.
Dessert.
Aarav is staring at the table like we’re planning a wedding buffet again.
But my favourite part?
The gossip.
Oh, the gossip.
“Okay, tell me honestly,” I said one night, leaning forward dramatically.
“When did you fall in love?”
Meena glared at me.
“We’re not doing this again.”
Kabir smirked.
“She fell first.”
“I did NOT!”
“You literally used to stare at me in meetings.”
“I was judging your presentations!”
“You laughed at my worst jokes!”
“They weren’t jokes, Kabir. They were embarrassing.”
Aarav, from the corner: “They still are.”
I nearly choked laughing.
And then—
The flashbacks started coming out.
My favourite one?
Jealous Kabir.
“Oh, you didn’t tell her?” I grinned.
Kabir groaned.
“Lilly—”
“Tell me WHAT?” Meena narrowed her eyes.
I leaned back, enjoying this way too much. Get faster updates on g.com.
“Your husband,” I said sweetly, “once got annoyed because you were helping the new, good-looking intern with a project.”
Meena blinked.
“What?”
Kabir ran a hand through his hair.
“I was NOT annoyed.”
“You literally stayed back in the office for no reason,” I continued, “and kept interrupting them every five minutes.”
“I had work!”
“You didn’t even open your laptop.”
Aarav quietly added, “He also spilt water on Rohit’s file.”
Meena stared at him for a full three seconds.
Aarav said while fixing his glasses, ” I know the details because Lily told me more than 20 times.”
Kabir: “IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.”
And then—
She laughed.
Soft.
Bright.
Real.
“You were jealous?”
Kabir looked away.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” I repeated.
“Okay, YES.”
Meena shook her head, smiling in that quiet way she does.
And for a second—
It was like we were back in those office days.
Yeah.
I used to work there too.
Before I became a writer.
Best decision ever, by the way.
Because now?
I get to watch all of this like it’s my personal series.
Then came the big twist.
Marriage.
Moving.
Neighbourhood chaos.
They moved into the same society as us.
Okay, so here’s the actual story—brace yourself, because this was not simple, this was strategy.
I told Meena—no wait, “told” is a very innocent word—
I emotionally blackmailed her.
Yes.
Full drama.
No shame.
“Stay with me in my society,” I said.
“We’ll live together, roam together, eat together, drink together—I mean, we’ll basically become permanently attached humans.”
Did I exaggerate?
Absolutely.
Did it work?
…we’ll get to that.
Now Kabir—Kabir was a different case.
I didn’t emotionally manipulate him.
No, no.
I upgraded.
I went strategic.
Very calmly, very casually, like I wasn’t plotting anything at all, I just slipped ideas into his brain—
“Bro… imagine this… we could play games together.”
“Bro… barbecue nights.”
“Bro… home theatre. IN THE HOUSE.”
I mean, come on.
Who says no to that?
And guess what?
He didn’t.
He agreed.
Immediately.
Like—no hesitation, no second thoughts, nothing.
I was standing there like… wait, that was too easy.
Should I be scared?
And then—plot twist of the century—
Kabir convinced Meena.
I just stood there.
Processing.
Because Excuse Me??
I did the emotional blackmail.
I did the brain planting.
I built the entire foundation of this operation.
Unacceptable.
So technically, yes—he convinced Meena.
But spiritually?
Emotionally?
Mentally?
This was my victory.
I deserve credit.
FULL credit.
But can I take that credit?
No.
Because if I say even one word of this in front of Aarav—
I will not survive to tell the story.
So, for now…
I’ll just stand quietly.
Smile.
And let them think this all happened naturally.
(But deep inside… I know.)
Mastermind.
“Why do I feel like I lost my privacy?” Aarav muttered on day one.
“You didn’t lose it,” Kabir said, entering our house without knocking, “you upgraded it.”
“To what?”
“Shared.”
And then—
Came the babies.
Meena and Kabir’s son: Luca.
Aarav and I’s son: Kai.
And yes—
Lucas is exactly four months and fifteen days younger than Kai.
Not that Aarav lets anyone forget.
“Experience matters,” he says.
“He’s a baby, not a CEO,” Kabir replies.
Lucas is calm.
Observant.
Kai?
Chaos.
Pure chaos.
(He got that from me. Obviously.)
Our evenings now?
Two babies.
Four adults.
Zero silence.
“Lilly, he’s crying again,” Aarav said one day.
“That’s his personality.”
“That’s not a personality.”
“That’s character development.”
Kabir walking in with Lucas: “See? My son is peaceful.”
Lucas immediately starts crying.
Meena: “Say that again.”
And the photos?
Oh, they got worse.
Matching outfits—now including babies.
Tiny shoes.
Mini jackets.
Family photos.
Aarav blinked at half of them.
Meena is holding Lucas like he’s royalty.
Kabir is making faces behind the camera.
Me yelling, “ONE MORE!”
And sometimes—
In between all the noise, all the teasing, all the Chaos I watch them.
Kabir and Meena.
Quietly sitting together.
Not saying much.
But saying everything.
And I think—
Maybe love isn’t just about finding your way back.
Maybe it’s about staying.
Choosing each other— again and again in the middle of everyday chaos.
It gave all of us—
A story worth staying for.
To Be Continued… 👀
Became a parent and is living in the same society Chaos or Peace?