If you submitted a fic and I didn't share it or I shared it but it's not on the list, please let me know so I can fix it ASAP! Thank you to all those who participated in week two! Happy Creating in week three!!!
For her Diwali visit to her family, Arundhati thought of taking Ethan with her to finally meet her parents. She constantly kept changing her decision as she was afraid of her parents disapproving of her being in a relationship with anyone. So, she had never taken her ex home, no matter how serious they were about each other.
Ethan was already nervous about meeting them, but his nervousness increased when he saw how scared Aru was. He had already met her brother Sahil, the only one who knew about their relationship. As a result, he was the only person from her family that Ethan was comfortable around.
"Didi, come on, there is no need for you to worry about aai and baba. Once they find out how much Ethan loves you, they will not have any issues at all", Sahil said when Aru called him to discuss her dilemma.
"What if they don't accept Ethan and disown me after learning about us?" Aru questioned, with a quiver in her voice.
"Don't worry about all of that, didi. Nothing like that will ever happen. Just focus on coming here to meet us."
"How can you be so sure?"
"That's because I know they love their daughter more than anything in the world and trust her completely. If you tell them that Ethan is the one for you, they will fully trust your decision. So, please do visit us, okay?"
"Thanks for your support, bro. I'll discuss this with Ethan and hopefully change his mind about visiting you all."
Ethan was initially extremely tensed to meet Aru's parents, more so because of her nervousness. However, when he saw that she was relaxed, it made him feel better as well. He knew that he would face anything if she was by his side.
Eventually, Ethan and Aru headed to her childhood home to meet her family.
Aru didn't know how her parents would react to her having a boyfriend who was her boss at work. Therefore, she decided not to inform her parents about the relationship as soon as she met them.
Ethan marvelled at the decorations outside Aru's home and how bright they made the house look. He knew what Diwali was but had never gotten a chance to experience it first-hand.
Arundhati's parents were elated to see her after a long time. She couldn't get time to meet them during her first year due to her workload, and she got even busier due to being on the Diagnostic Team. It was only after the attack that she stopped taking her life and family for granted.
Her parents were surprised to see another person with her, to say the least.
They welcomed Aru and Ethan inside, and Sahil greeted them with a hug and a refreshing glass of water.
He was amazed to see how pretty her home looked, especially with the beautiful fairy lights and some flower garlands.
After some nudging from Sahil and confusing looks from her parents, Aru decided to introduce her parents to her boyfriend.
"Aai, baba, this is Dr. Ethan Ramsey, my partner and my supervisor," she said, throwing caution to the wind yet unsure of their reactions.
Her parents were more scared for their daughter than shocked. They knew that their children would date someone once they grew up. However, they did not expect their daughter to date someone significantly older than her. They were unsure if Aru pursued the relationship because he forced her to or if she did it herself to get a better job opportunity. Nonetheless, they made sure to mask their expression until they knew more about her relationship.
"Wait a second, so is this the same Dr. Ramsey whose books you used to read all the time?" Sahil pretended to be surprised in front of their parents.
"Yes, Sahil. He's the same doctor."
"Well, Dr. Ramsey, welcome to our house. I hope you have a good time with us today. And I hope you are taking good care of our daughter."
"Thanks for welcoming me, Mr. Kulkarni. I promise I will never harm your daughter in any way. If I break my promise, you can feel free to give me the harshest punishment possible."
"Well, we'll see about that later. Right now, you are my guest. So, I have to look after you till you are here."
"Well, enough chit-chat for now. Please have these snacks, children. I hope you aren't hungry," Aru's mom said.
"Thanks, Mrs Kulkarni. We had some breakfast on the plane. Thanks again for the snacks."
"Aai, the chaklis are so delicious. How do you always make them this good?"
"Beta, my mom taught me this recipe. I have been practising this recipe for years now."
"Please teach me how to make these!"
"Ho, pan tyacha sathi tula vel pahije na. Tu tar purna divas busy astes."
"Ho na. Amcha kaam tasach aahe na. When I have a free day, I will video call you. Chalel na?"
"Ho, mala chalel. But let me know in advance so I can arrange my chores accordingly."
"Yes, I'll let you know, aai."
"Beta, do you want to show Ethan around by the time I set lunch?"
"Are you sure you don't want any help?"
"Ho. Tu relax kar. I'll call Sahil to help me."
"Are you mad that I am dating Ethan?" Aru asked her mom privately when they entered the kitchen.
"I'm not worried, Aru. I'm happy for you. Ethan seems like a good person."
"I can clearly see that you are worried, aai."
"Aru, we can talk about it later. Go on, beta. Get Ethan away from your dad's threatening."
"Thanks a lot, aai."
Aru made her way to her father to ask for his permission to take Ethan away.
"Baba, is it okay if I show Ethan around?"
"Yes, my girl, go ahead."
"Ethan, come on, let's go," she said, relieved to get Ethan away for a while.
"Where should we start from, Aru?"
"Let me show you my room first."
Ethan wanted to check Aru's room to see how she was as a child. Also, he wanted some material to tease her with to get back at her.
"Well, this is my room," Aru said.
The first thing that Ethan saw after entering her room were some movie posters.
"I see you have been a huge fan of movies since childhood," Ethan expressed, observing her giant posters of different Hollywood and Bollywood movies.
"I know you, Ethan. You love this, don't you? You finally have something to annoy me with."
"It seems you know me very well, my darling."
"I mean, that's..." Aru couldn't speak anymore because of how much she was blushing. No matter how many times Ethan called her his darling, she couldn't stop blushing every time he did so.
"Honey, didn't you used to read classics while growing up?"
"Why yes, I did, and absolutely loved them!"
"What else did you read?"
"Well, I started reading medical books that my grandpa owned. As I got more interested in medicine, I wanted to read more recent books."
"Can I have a look at them?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"Aru, you have almost all the books I have written," Ethan said, as he was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Aru enjoyed his research.
"Yeah, I first got Diagnostic Principles and was in awe of your research. That's when I made it my mission to read all of your books I could get."
"So, you were my biggest fan, weren't you?"
'Well, a fan. Not the biggest fan."
"So, how did you not know what I looked like?"
"I wanted to focus only on your work."
"Why, Aru, was I that distracting?" Ethan asked jokingly.
"No, Ethan. As much as I love looking at you, that was not the case. I didn't want to look at your picture or look you up as I didn't want to have a bad impression of you."
While Aru was showing Ethan around, her parents sat with Sahil to discuss her relationship.
"Sahil, please tell me the truth here. Did you know about them?" his father asked.
On hearing that, Sahil hesitated a bit.
"Beta, we won't get mad at you or Aru if you tell us the truth."
"Yes, your dad is right. We want to know if Ethan genuinely wants to be with Aru or if he's taking advantage of her good nature," his mother told him calmly.
"Well, to tell you the truth, they have been together since the attack. I saw how Ethan was around didi. He stayed with her all night after they gave her the remedy. When didi woke up, the first person she saw was him," Sahil revealed.
"I talked to her about Ethan then and asked her all about him," he continued.
"Well, what did she say about Ethan?"
"Didi told me that he was gentle and caring. He looked after her when she most needed him."
"Well, that sounds good to me. If Aru trusts him, I don't have to worry about him. But is he still her supervisor now?"
"No, I had the same question. Didi told me that they have reported their relationship to HR. She now has a new supervisor."
"Well then, that's good. But that doesn't mean I trust Ethan. I'll be keeping an eye on him."
"Sure, baba. Do what makes you feel better", Sahil said sarcastically.
"Well, I'm glad she hasn't been forced to be with him. And that Aru finally has found someone worthy of her."
Meanwhile, Ethan and Aru finished their tour of her childhood home and came down to the living room where her family was chatting.
"Aru, done with the tour? Did Dr. Ramsey like our place?"
"Ho, aai. Ethan loved our garden the most."
"Good. Come on, have lunch now. You both must be hungry," Aru's dad mentioned.
"Dr. Ramsey, please forgive me. I had no idea you would be visiting us today. So, if you can't eat the food for any reason please let me know."
"Mrs. Kulkarni, don't worry about it. I'll happily have what you have made."
"Well then, please get started, doctor. Please call me Nandita."
"Only if you call me Ethan."
"So, Ethan, are you serious about our Aru?"
"Baba!" Aru said, surprised at her dad's forwardness.
"Aru, we are asking him this just for your benefit, my girl. So, Ethan, please forgive us if it feels too much. We want what is best for her."
"I completely understand, Mr. Kulkarni."
"Ethan, please, call me Dilip."
"Dilip, I understand what you are saying. I have been serious about Aru ever since I almost lost her," Ethan said while interlocking Aru's fingers with his. I assure you all that I'll never hurt Aru at all. Also, I promise you that I'm here for the long run."
Her parents saw the sweet gesture and felt reassured by his words. They felt as if all of their worries had disappeared.
"Well, Ethan, I'm glad that you care about Arundhati. She's our only daughter, and we don't want her to be with someone who doesn't respect her," said Nandita.
"Ethan, I hope you enjoy your stay here. We hope you can visit us regularly", Dilip said approvingly.
"Aru, I think we should introduce our families to each other, don't you think?" Ethan asked.
"That's a good idea. Alan and Naveen would love to meet you all."
"Aai, baba, Alan is Ethan's father while Dr. Naveen Banerji is Edenbrook's chief, Ethan's mentor, and friend," Aru explained to her parents.
"Yes, that sounds fun, didi. Aai, baba, I have met Dr. Banerji. He is sweet and welcoming. He made me feel as if he knew me for a long time."
"Well, Ethan, I think we can come to Boston for Thanksgiving to meet your family. What do you both think?" Dilip asked his family.
"If Ethan wants to be in Aru's life for the foreseeable future, I think it is important for us to meet them."
"That's true, aai," Aru expressed.
"That's settled then, didi. We will be visiting you! Hopefully, we will also have a chance to meet your roommates without any stress."
"Yes, they would love to meet you at leisure. Aai, baba, everyone would love to meet you both," Arundhati replied, hoping no one would notice her internal freakout. She hadn't told Sahil that she mostly lived with Ethan ever since she went on leave.
Ethan realised what she was thinking and gave her a comforting smile which made her feel warm inside. She relaxed a bit, knowing that all would be well if he was by her side.
By the time Ethan and Aru came back from their vacation, her parents had gotten rid of their inhibitions against him. They had accepted him as their son, much to Aru and Ethan's happiness.
Translations:
Ho, pan tyacha sathi tula vel pahije na. Tu tar purna divas busy astes- Yes, but you need time for that. You remain busy throughout the day.
2. Ho na. Amcha kaam tasach aahe na- Yeah, but that's how our work is.
Thank you to everyone who has participated in Picktober. I hope you enjoyed it! I definitely had a lot of fun seeing so much creativity in the fandom and for so many different books!
If I did not reblog your post or if I missed it on the masterlist, please message me and I will remedy it! Thank you for your patience and understanding this past week with Tumblr tags not working well.
⟢Blades of Light and Shadow:⟢
Threep Pompedorfin Art submitted by @storyofmychoices👻 🎨
⟢The Elementalists:⟢
The Haunted Halloween Predictions (Ch3) - A TE Halloween mini-series [Beckett x F!MC] by @sunnyshiftyy
⟢Immortal Desires:⟢
At Dawn, A New Horizon [M!Cas x NB!MC] by @aallotarenunelma ☁️ 🍁
Hunger Pangs [M!Cas x NB!MC] by @aallotarenunelma 🍁
⟢Laws of Attraction:⟢
Love Letters: Part 1 [Gabe x F!MC] by @gabe-ricci-simp
⟢Mother of the Year:⟢
Services Rendered [Levi x F!MC] by @storyofmychoices 🔥 [18+ only]
⟢Open Heart:⟢
A Modern Fairy Tale [Sienna x M!OC] by @liaromancewriter ☁️ 🌷
Bats, Leaves And The Foundation Of Friendship [Bryce x F!MC] by @chocopeppermintcake 👻 🍁🌷
A Visit Home [Ethan x F!MC] by @choicesfanaf☁️
Autumn Fluff [Bryce x F!OC] submitted by @storyofmychoices 🍁🎨
Boston Halloween Party Edit [Ethan x F!MC] by @potionsprefect
Caught [Ethan x F!MC] by @lem-20 🔥 [18+ only]
Clingy [Rafael x F!MC] by @lorirwritesfanfic🔥 [18+ only]
Grandparents Day Part 3: An Act of God [Tobias x F!MC] by @jerzwriter ☁️
Halloween Memories Edits [Ethan x F!MC] by @liaromancewriter👻
Just for Fun… Edit [Tobias x F!MC] by @jerzwriter ☁️
Labyrinth [Ethan x F!MC] by @liaromancewriter ☁️
Mornings Off Edit [Ethan x F!MC] by @liaromancewriter ☁️
Might Occupy The Universe Today [Ethan x F!MC] by @inlocusmads 💖
Night Adventures [Sienna x M!OC] by @liaromancewriter☁️
Picking a Winner Edit [Ethan x F!MC] by @jerzwriter🍁
Pumpkin Pie Edit [Sienna x M!OC] by @liaromancewriter🍁
Pumpkin Spice Edit [Bryce x F!OC] by @peonierose👻 🍁
Pink Sky Edit[Bryce x F!OC] by @peonierose 💖
Sadie’s Self Care Sunday #10 [Ethan x F!MC] by @peonyblossom ☁️
Sadie's Self Care Sunday #11 [Ethan x F!MC] by @peonyblossom ☁️
Soon (It's a relative term) + Art [Bryce x F!OC] by @storyofmychoices 🎨 ☁️
Stop While You're Ahead [Ethan x F!MC] by @jerzwriter ☁️
The Cat and His Lady [Bryce x F!OC] by @peonyblossom
Tricky Treats [Ethan x F!MC] by @jerzwriter 👻
⟢Perfect Match:⟢
The Prettiest of Them All [Damien x F!MC/you] by @reveluving 🔥 [18+ only]
⟢Red Carpet Diaries:⟢
The Bogart Diaries #35: The Painter’s Tape Challenge [Hunt x F!OC] by @theartoflovingthomashunt
⟢The Royal Romance:⟢
Draketober: Bad Omen (edit) by @the-soot-sprite 👻
Draketober: Pumpkins (edit) by @the-soot-sprite 🍁
Draketober: Tarot Cards (edit) by @the-soot-sprite 👻
Draketober: Forest (edit) by @the-soot-sprite 🍁👻
Draketober: Siren (edit) by @the-soot-sprite 👻
Draketober: Haunted (edit) by @the-soot-sprite 👻
Draketober: Magic (edit) by @the-soot-sprite 👻
Picktober Challenge: Falling for you [Liam x F!MC] by @phoenixrising0308 ☁️🍁 [18+ only]
⟢Wake the Dead:⟢
It's Witchcraft [Eli x F!MC] by @jerzwriter 👻🎨
A/N: Sorry for reposting, there seemed to be issues with the first post
Hi! I'm sorry if you've already answered this, but when is the last day to submit fics for the October (Picktober) monthly challenge? Thank you in advance for answering and thank you so much for hosting!
Hi lovely,
I have mentioned it but I know posts get lost and not everyone sees every post so I'm always happy to answer any questions
I will accept October/Picktober posts through @wip-wipeout-weekend so if anyone (like me) has picktober WIPs, they have one last chance to get them done before I officially close the month.
I would encourage anyone without a current Picktober WIP to head to @choices-november2022 and see what wonderful prompts there are for this new month!
