"Aarini uth ja beta! It's already 8:30! Degree lene nahi jaana kya tujhe?!"

("Aarini, get up, child! It's already 8:30! Don't you have to go to get your degree?!")

Renuka Mehta's voice echoed through the house like an alarm louder than any iPhone ringtone.

"Aree maa please na... sirf 5 minute aur... kal raat 2 baje tak script likhi thi!"

("Are maa, please no... just 5 more minutes... I wrote the script till 2 am last night!")

Aarini Mehta, 22 years old, wrapped herself deeper in the rajai, trying her best to avoid the upcoming tsunami—aka mummy.

"Script likhi thi ya Netflix dekha tha? Haan? Abhi uth rahi hai ya main paani daalu?"

("Did you write the script or watch Netflix? Yes? Are you getting up now or should I go and pour some water?")

Renuka narrowed her eyes and lifted a glass of water threateningly.

"Maa! Drama bandh karo, uth gayi!"

Aarini sat up like a haunted jack-in-the-box, her frizzy curls sticking in every direction like a storm-hit bush.

Outside the room Rahul Mehta—her 19-year-old, hyperactive, full-time irritating and part-time cute brother—peeked in.

"Good morning, lazy buffalo! Degree milne ja rahi hai ya Mangal grah pe ja rahi hai? Face dekh apna!"

(Good morning, lazy buffalo! Are you going to get your degree or go to Mars? Look at your face!")

Rahul grinned.

Aarini threw her pillow at him. "Tujhe na, ek din main scooty se baandh ke jungle chhod ke aungi!"

("One day, I will tie you to my scooter and leave you in the jungle!")

"Bohot funny ho, stand-up kar lo phir!" Rahul did a fake mic drop and ran off laughing.

"Five minutes mein toh Rahul tumhara bed le lega,"

Renuka warned as she stepped into the room. Just then, Rahul burst in with his trademark dramatic flair.
("Rahul will take your Bed in just five minutes,")

"Mujhe lagta hai ki main national award deserve karta hoon... kyunki main ek future writer ke saath rehta hoon jo subha uthti hi nahi!"

Rahul flopped on her bed.
("I think I deserve a National Award... because I live with a future writer who doesn't wake up in the morning!")

Aarini pushed him off with a laugh. "Oye! Tu na ek din sach mein comedy circus mein chala jayega."

("Hey! One day you will really go to Comedy Circus.")

"Waise bhi tumhari har story mein main villain ban jaata hoon," he said dramatically, clutching his heart.

("Anyway, I become the villain in every story of yours,")

Renuka rolled her eyes.

"Aaj tum dono mujhe pagal kar doge. Jaldi tayar ho jao. Sunaina aur Divya bhi breakfast ke liye aa rahe hain."

("You both are going to drive me crazy today. Get ready quickly. Sunaina and Divya are also coming for breakfast.")

Mehta Family Breakfast Table

The dining table buzzed with morning chatter. Vikas Mehta sipped his tea quietly while scrolling the news on his phone. Neeraj cracked jokes with Rahul. Sunaina arranged the parathas while Divya peeked at her lipstick shade in her phone's front camera.

"Divya, degree lene jaa rahi ho ya shaadi mein?"

Aarini teased, stuffing her mouth with aloo paratha.
("Divya, are you going to get your degree or to get married?")

"Arey, photo achhi aani chahiye na Instagram pe. Caption hoga – 'She believed she could, so she did'," Divya winked.

("Hey, the photo should look good on Instagram. The caption will be - 'She believed she could, so she did',")

"Toh scooty pe filter bhi lagwana, okay?" Rahul smirked.

("So you should get a filter installed on the scooter too, okay?")

"Rahul!" three voices chorused in unison.

Vikas chuckled.
"Tum sabhi ke degree milne se zyada khushi mujhe iss baat ki hai ki aaj ghar mein sab time pe uthe."

("I am more happy about the fact that everyone at home woke up on time today than you all getting your degrees.")

Aarini rolled her eyes.
"Papa! Drama band karo. Main roz time pe uthti hoon."

("Papa! Stop the drama. I wake up on time every day.")

"Haan, sapno mein," Veer muttered.
.

.

.

Some Time Later...

Dressed in a mustard kurti and denim jacket, with her bag slung carelessly, Aarini tied her hair into a loose ponytail and hopped on Lucy, her beloved scooty.

Divya joined her from behind.
"Bhaag Milkha bhaag, warna degree reh jaayegi!"

"Don't worry, Lucy flies when I drive."

Lucy definitely did fly—until she didn't.
.

.

.

While Returning...

The girls were laughing at some joke when suddenly a car door swung open right in front of them.

THUD!

Lucy lost balance. Aarini and Divya tumbled to the side like two potatoes tossed off a cart.

"Ayeeee!"

Aarini jumped up, dusting her jeans and pulling her bag to her chest. She marched to the sleek black car and banged on its window.

"What the hell! Aise beech raste mein kon car rokta hai?! Dimaag toh hai nahi tum logon ke paas!"
(Who the hell stops a car in the middle of the road?! You guys don't have any brains!")

she yelled, banging the car's window.

The driver door creaked open, and out stepped a sharply dressed, strikingly handsome guy, adjusting his sunglasses.

He looked at the broken taillight, then at her, clearly annoyed.

"Oh hello madam! Agar scooty chalani nahi aati toh chalati kyun ho?! Meri car tod di!"

(If you can't ride a scooty, why do you even drive it?! You broke my car!)

Aarini huffed.

"Oh hello! Khud gadi beech mein park karte ho aur mujhe bolte ho! Chalani nahi aati toh chalti kyu ho—yehi main tumse bolti hoon! Ghar pe baitho ya driver rakh lo."

(You parked the car in the middle of the road and you're blaming me? If you can't handle it, stay home or hire a driver!)

He blinked.

"Aap apni aankhon ka ilaaj karo. Meri car sahi jagah park thi."

(You should get your eyes checked. My car was parked at the right spot.)

He pointed to a board.

Aarini turned and saw the 'PARKING ZONE' sign right next to his car. Her scooty had entered it from the side.

Still, she refused to back down.

"Mujhe kuch nahi pata! Tumhari wajah se meri Lucy ko chot lagi hai!"

(I don't care! Because of you, Lucy is hurt!)

He blinked, confused.

"Lucy?"

He glanced at Divya.

"Inka naam Lucy hai?"

(Is her name Lucy?)

"Pagal ho kya?! Main uski baat nahi kar rahi!"

(Are you crazy? I wasn't talking about her!)

"Toh Lucy kaun hai? Kutta bhi tha kya saath mein?"

(Then who's Lucy? You brought a dog too?)

"Oh hello! Meri scooty ka naam Lucy hai! Aur tumne uski insult ki hai!"

(Oh hello! Lucy is my scooty! And you insulted her!)

He burst into laughter.

"Ab toh mujhe yakeen ho gaya... tumhara dimaag full crack hai. Scooty ka naam koi Lucy rakhta hai?! tumnhe sayad scooty chalane  sihkne se phale apne dimag ka ilaaz karan chahiye."

(Now I believe it—you're totally cracked. Who names their scooty Lucy? You probably need to get your brain treated before you learn to ride a scooter.")

Aarini narrowed her eyes.

"Tumhe kisi ne bataya nahi? Tum bilkul ostrich jaise lagte ho!"

(Did no one tell you? You look exactly like an ostrich!)

He was about to retaliate when a new voice broke in.

"Kya hua bhai?"
(What happened, bro?)

A younger guy, phone in hand, walked over. He stopped when he saw the scene.

His eyes flicked from the scooty to Divya.

"Aap thik hain?"
(Are you okay?)

Divya nodded. Aarini, still fuming, snapped,

"Nahi! Tumhare bhai ki wajah se Lucy ko chot lagi hai!"

He blinked.

"Ohh! Kaha hai aapka kutta? Main le jaata hoon Dr. ke paas!"

(Where's your dog? I'll take it to the Dr.!)

The elder brother groaned, already realizing the madness.

"Lucy meri scooty hai!" Aarini shouted.

Just then, a traffic police officer appeared.

"Sir, sab theek toh hai? Koi problem?"
(Sir, everything okay?)

Before anyone could reply, Aarini jumped in.

"Haan, iski wajah se accident hua hai."
(Yes, he caused the accident!)

The officer inspected the scene, then pointed at the board.

"Madam, inki car sahi jagah park hai. Aap hi parking zone mein ghus gayi thi. Compensation aapko dena padega."

(Madam, his car is parked correctly. You entered the parking zone. You'll have to compensate.)

She opened her mouth to argue but the younger brother stepped forward.

"Nahi sir, koi problem nahi. Let it go."

(No sir, no problem. Let it go.)

The officer nodded and walked away.

Both Aarini and the guy exchanged glares.

Divya gently tugged her.

"Chal Aru, chhod na. Hum theek kar lenge."

("Come on, leave it. We will fix it.")

Meanwhile, the younger brother helped his bro back to the car, then walked to Divya.

"Sorry... aap thik ho na?" he asked softly.

Divya smiled.

"Haan, no problem. We're okay."

He smiled back and got into the car.

As the SUV drove away, Aarini kicked the scooty lightly.

"Hey bhagwaan! Is ostrich jaise insaan se dobara kabhi mat milwana!"

(Oh my God! Don't ever let me meet this ostrich-like person again!")

She kicked Lucy gently.

"Chal Lucy, ab ghar chalte hai. Doctor Rahul tujhe ointment lagayega."

("Come on Lucy, let's go home now. Doctor Rahul will apply ointment to you.")

Divya giggled from behind.

"Tu na pagal hai."
(You are crazy.)

"Pagal main hoon... ya phir woh akdu tha?"

("Am I crazy... or was he being cocky?")

Aarini mused, one last glare at the road where fate had just introduced her to a walking, talking ego storm.

As Lucy limped forward with a slightly bent handle and a wounded dignity, Aarini pulled her scooty to a halt near a familiar corner.

"Abe rukh Divu! Golgappe ka stall!"

she exclaimed, eyes lighting up as if she'd seen salvation itself.

Divya raised a brow.

"Haan toh?"

(So, what?)

Aarini parked Lucy like it was a royal chariot.

"Mood bigadne wale insaan ka toh kuch nahi kar sakte, par mood thik karne ke liye golgappe toh khaye jaa sakte hain!"

("You can't do anything about a person who spoils your mood, but you can eat golgappas to improve your mood!")

"Trueee!"
Divya chuckled, hopping off the scooty.

They approached the stall, where the bhaiya already had the patashe ready, with that spicy meetha-pani magic swirling in steel pots.

"Bhaiya, do plate. Extra teekha mere liye,"

("Bhaiya, two plates. Extra spicy for me,")

Aarini announced proudly, brushing dust off her kurti as if entering war zone again.

"Bhaiya mere mein medium rakhna. Pichli baar bohot teekha ho gayi thi,"

("Bhaiya, keep it moderate in mine. Last time it was very spicy,")

Divya whispered.

With the first crispy golgappa bursting in their mouths, silence took over.

Aarini moaned.

"Ufff... yeh teekha paani toh dil ka dard bhi mita de."

("Uff... this spicy water can erase even the pain of the heart.")

Divya giggled.

"Ab toh lag raha hai sab theek ho jaayega."

(“Now it seems everything will be fine.”)

Second golgappa down, Aarini's inner rant exploded.

"Par kitna akdu aadmi tha yaar. Aise ghura jaise main uski car nahi, uski girlfriend ko thok ke aayi hoon! Meri pyari Lucy ko chot lagi uski wajah se... mujhe emotional trauma mila hai."

("But what a akdu man he was, yaar. Such a fool that I had hit not his car but his girlfriend! My dear Lucy got hurt because of him... I have suffered emotional trauma.")

Divya laughed mid-bite.

"Aru galti toh teri hi thi. Hum hi galat side pe the... lekin thik hai, uske bhai ne mamla sambhaal liya. He was... decent," she said with a sudden softness.

("Aru, it was your mistake. We were on the wrong side... but it's okay, his brother took care of the situation. He was... decent,")

Aarini paused. Narrowed her eyes.

Suspiciously narrow.

"Tu uski side kyun le rahi hai?"

("Why are you taking his side?")

Divya shrugged, nonchalant.

"Aise hi... just saying."

"NAHIN!"
Aarini leaned forward, pointing a dramatic finger at her.

"Kahi tujhe pehli nazar mein hi toh pasand nahi aa gaya uska bhai?! Dekha Divu! Main keh rahi hoon, tu kisi ko bhi pasand karle, kisi se bhi shaadi karle, lekin main tujhe us ostrich ke bhai ki wife nahi banne dungi!"

("Did you not like his brother at first sight?! Look Divu! I am saying, you may like anyone, marry anyone, but I will not let you become the wife of that ostrich's brother!")

Divya choked on her pani puri.

"Aru! Are you mad?! Kahan pohoch gayi tu! Shaadi?! Pagal hai kya?"

("Aru! Are you Crazy?! Where have you reached? Marriage?! Are you crazy?")

Aarini smirked.

"I observe things. Tum dono ke beech aankhon hi aankhon mein silent signal chal raha tha!"

(There was a silent eye-to-eye signal going on between you two)

"Arre kuch nahi chal raha tha!"

("Hey nothing was going on!")

Divya turned pink.

"Main toh bas keh rahi thi agar wo nahi aata, toh hume us gaadi ke nuksan ke paise dene padte. Bas uski wajah se bach gaye."

(I was just saying that if he hadn't come, we would have had to pay for the damage to the car. It was because of him that we were saved.")

Aarini sighed and nodded, licking the last of the spicy paani from her fingers.

"That's true. Warna toh meri Lucy ke saath meri savings bhi ICU mein hoti."

They laughed together.

The last round of golgappe was devoured in mutual agreement that life, even when full of accidents and akdus, is still better with spicy snacks.

With bellies full and drama unloaded, the girls walked back to Lucy, ready to return home.

Aarini patted her scooty.

"Chal Lucy. Tu fighter hai. Tujhe toh medal milna chahiye."

("Come on Lucy. You are a fighter. You should get a medal.")

Divya grinned.

"Aur tujhe Best Drama Queen ka trophy."

They giggled as Lucy revved up again, limping heroically on the road, carrying two chaos queens back to their house of madness.