सुबह होने ना दे साथ खोने ना दे
इक दुसरे को हम सोने ना दे........

They all went to the Dining table and then suddenly a message ploped on Shresth , Yatra and Mantavya , then they looked at each other and said , "Finally , CHHUTTIYAANN".

Indu froze, her morsel of paratha halfway to her mouth. Dristi blinked in confusion. "Chhuttiyaan? Kaisi chhuttiyaan?". Mantavya said , "College mein kuch renovation ka kaam hai , toh students aur professors ko chhutti. Yaani ki Shresth aur Yatra ki as students and main as a professor , humaari chhuttiyaan. woh bhi ek hafte ki."

Dristi let out a breathy laugh, leaning back in her chair. "Ek hafta? Mantavya, tumhare college waale itne meherbaan kab se ho gaye? Aur Shresth, tumhari toh attendance waise hi 'Gumnaam' rehti hai, tumhe chutti ki kya zaroorat?"

Shresth grinned, reaching for an extra glass of lassi to celebrate. "Mummy, jab kismat meherbaan toh gadha bhi pehelwan! Ek hafta no assignments, no corporate calls, and no 'Beta business seekho' lectures from Dad."

Yatra was staring at her phone, her brain already mapping out the possibilities. A week. Seven days without the "Ice Queen" mask, without the firewall of being a perfect daughter. She looked at Mantavya, who was watching her with a calm, knowing smile. He wasn't just a professor anymore; he was a partner in crime.

"Toh phir plan kya hai?" Isha asked, leaning in eagerly. "Agar ek hafta free hai, toh hum ghar par baith kar boring 'Family Time' toh nahi bitayenge?"

Madhu smirked, looking at the Jaiswal twins. "Hum 'Gumnaam' hone ki baat kar rahe the na? Let’s go to the outskirts. No bodyguards, no royal cars. Just us, an old jeep, and that 'Haunted Mansion' Yatra was talking about."

Indu slammed her hand lightly on the table, making the cutlery jingle. "Hush! Haveli aur bhoot-pret ki baatein band karo. Agar ek hafta chutti hai, toh tum log Jodhpur jaoge. Wahan thandi hawa hai, purane qile hain—"

"Nahi Dadi!" Yatra interrupted, her voice firm but playful. "Jodhpur gaye toh wahan 'Bade Hukum' mil jayenge. Phir wahi shaadi ki baatein, wahi rasmein. Humein 'Gumnaam' rehna hai. Anjaan sheher, anjaan raste."

Mantavya nodded in agreement. "Dadisa, renovation sirf college mein nahi, hamari dimaagi halat mein bhi zaroori hai. Humein thoda waqt 'Commoners' ki tarah bitane dijiye. Local dhabas, roadside chai, aur shayad... thodi si matargashti."

Dristi looked at Indu and sighed. "Rehne dijiye Ma. In bacchon ne pichle kuch dinon mein bahut 'Drama' jhela hai. Ek hafta inhein apni marzi se jeene dijiye."

Indu grunted, but the corner of her mouth twitched. "Theek hai. Par yaad rakhna, agar kisi ne koi nayi 'Hacking' ki ya koi nayi 'Mirchi' kha kar hospital gaya, toh main zimmedar nahi hoon. Aur Mantavya..." she looked at him sternly, "...in teeno bandaron ka khayal tum rakhoge. Professor ho na? Discipline dikhao."

Mantavya gave a mock salute. "Ji Dadisa. Poora discipline... with a touch of poetry."

Shresth and Shaurya shouted together , "PURANI HAVELI , WE'RE COMING!!!!". They all quickly finished their dinner and then Sresth and Shaurya dragged Isha and Madhu to their room for packing. Yatra looked at her Mother like a small kid smiling at her for giving her a chocolate and says , "Maaa...." "Bilkul Nahi , Main koi madad nahi karne waali." Yatra then turns towards her her Dadi but she quickly said , "Mujhe nahi pata , no help from me."

Yatra gives a hopeless cute pout but Mantavya dragged her to her room saying , "No Problem , Main help karta hu"

Yatra looked up at him, stunned. "Aap? Aapko pata bhi hai ki ladkiyan kya pack karti hain? Mere paas teen tarah ke chargers aur sirf ek tarah ka dimaag hai jo packing mein kaam nahi karta."

While they reach the room , they hear screamings inside the room and Yatra understood and barged the room open to find Shresth wearing her ghoomar ka costume and Shaurya was wearing her white chunni like a mummy and Isha and Madhu were rolling on the bed laughing. She looked at her brothers and burst into laughing holding her stomach meanwhile Mantavya was stunned to see the 3 girls laugh like witches in the house.

Yatra was laughing clutching her stomach , sitting on the floor. Isha was dying by laugh while holding the pillow. Madhu was rolling on the bed laughing. Mantavya went to Shaurya and freed him from the chunni. Then he went to Shresth and helped him take the ghagra off. Yatra was laughing like a maniac with the Rajput sisters.

"Jijaji... thank God," Shaurya wheezed. "I saw my life flash before my eyes. It was all white and smelled like Yatra’s expensive detergent."

"I’m retired!" Shresth declared, wiping sweat from his forehead. "No more cultural dance experiments. Isha, you are a demon in a designer saree!"

Yatra, still sitting on the rug, pointed at them and let out a fresh peal of laughter. The sight of the three girls laughing like maniacs—their hair messy, their eyes watering, and their "Sanskari" masks completely shattered—was something Mantavya knew he would never forget.

He looked down at Yatra, offering a hand to help her up. "Yatra ji, if the University finds out I’ve been spent my 'Renovation Break' acting as a dresser for a 'Mummy' and a 'Ghoomar Dancer,' my reputation is finished."

Yatra took his hand, her laughter finally subsiding into small, shaky breaths. She looked up at him, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling with a joy that was completely unfiltered.

"Reputation toh bohot boring hoti hai, Professor," she said, pulling herself up. "Ab jaldi kijiye. Isse pehle ki Shaurya phir se kuch pehen le, humein yahan se nikalna hai."

At 2:45 a.m.

The mansion was swathed in that deep, indigo silence that only exists right before dawn. The group moved like shadows—or rather, shadows that occasionally tripped over their own shoelaces. Shresth was lugging two heavy bags, whispering "Chalo, chalo!" like a heist leader, while Isha and Madhu followed, clutching a stash of midnight snacks they’d raided from the pantry.

In the driveway sat the Grandfather’s Jeep—a rugged, open-top beast that looked like it had seen more adventures than the rest of them combined.

"Drivers' seat kiska hai?" Mantavya asked, tossing the last duffel bag into the back.

Yatra jingled the keys, a mischievous glint in her eyes that outshone the fading stars. "Professor, aapne packing ki... toh raasta main dikhaungi. I know the backroads that aren't on any 'Sanskari' map."

The Jaiswal brothers gulped hardly , "Alag raaste se jaa rahe hai ya alag duniya mein" whispered Shresth to Shaurya. Yatra looked at them and said , "Mujhe sunai deta hai. Aur haan iss baar main safely chalaaungi." Isha asked getting confused , "Iss baar? matlab?" Even Mantavya and Madhu were looking at them curiously. Shaurya some how found his voice and said , " Kuch nahi bas 17 saal ki thi tab hum gaye the Ranchi gaye the. Isne gaadi challane ki zid ki aur humne ise chalaane diya. Par yeh chala nahi rahi thi , yeh udaa rahi thi."

Finally , they started travelling. This time Yatra sabki neend uda rahi thi. Everyone was looking at the night lights of the Delhi city but Mantavya was busy admiring Yatra. Yatra whispered to Mantavya , "Raasta aage hai professor sahab , abhi yahan dhyaan mat dijiye , nazaron ka lutf uthaaiye." Mantavya just smiles and whispers back , "Nazaron ka lutf toh hum aapko dekhkar utha rahe hai." Yatra just smiles and Mantavya continues to watch her.