Page 43 of The Escape

Krish leaned back, looking at him with exaggerated seriousness. “No, she’s right. You actually look good.”

Ayaan nodded. “Annoyingly good.”

Vishnu stared at both of them. “This is getting worse.”

The laughter around the table grew louder. Then Ayaan glanced towards the entrance.

“So…”

Krish followed his gaze.

“And now we wait for Raghav.”

The three men exchanged a look. The women exchanged an even more excited one. Because if there was one man none of them could imagine wearing a multicoloured floral shirt willingly, it was Raghav. And that was exactly what made everyone suddenly eager to see him walk through the door.

A few minutes later, Raghav and Siya appeared at the entrance of the restaurant, and the conversation around the table came to an abrupt stop.

The reaction from the men was immediate.

Ayaan’s mouth fell open.

Krish actually stood halfway out of his chair.

Vishnu simply stared.

Because Raghav wasn’t merely wearing the shirt. He was wearing it as though it had been made for him. The dark, multicoloured floral print looked surprisingly good against his broad frame, and the casual trousers only added to the relaxed holiday look. More importantly, he didn’t appear even remotely uncomfortable.

There was no tugging at the sleeves. No adjusting of the collar. No attempt to hide himself. He looked completely at ease.

Raghav had barely taken a few steps inside when he noticed the three men already seated at the table. His gaze moved from Ayaan to Krish to Vishnu, each of them dressed in the same multicoloured floral shirt and white linen trousers.

For a moment, he simply stared. Then his eyes shifted towards Siya who was already grinning.

“Don’t be mad,” Siya said immediately, walking closer to him. “It was a collective idea.”

Before he could say anything, she leaned up and pressed a quick kiss against his cheek. “Please?”

Raghav looked at her for another second. Whatever argument he might have had disappeared before it could even begin. Siya slipped her arm through his and started walking towards the table with him.

Ayaan finally found his voice. “You actually wore it!”

Krish laughed. “We were convinced you would never agree.”

“I thought Siya would have to negotiate with you forever to make you wear that,” Vishnu added.

“No chance.” Raghav reached the table and glanced at all three of them. “When your wife wants you to wear something, you wear it, no questions asked.”

Siya looked up at him, grinning as Raghav glanced down at his shirt. “Besides, it doesn’t look bad.” He gave a small shrug. “It’s not something I would normally wear. But Siya wanted me to, so I wore it.”

The women immediately broke into applause. Siya’s cheeks turned slightly pink as everyone started clapping.

Ayaan shook his head in disbelief. “My brother has officially won the Husband of the Year award.”

“Forget Year,” Krish said. “Husband of the Decade.”

Vishnu nodded solemnly. “Possibly the Millennium.”

Meher looked at Ayaan with exaggerated disappointment. “See? This is what you should have done.”