Apulki Chapter 18 - Chaos, Confessions and a Sudden Silence
- Hansa
- Apr 28
- 6 min read
Recap Chapter 17: Akash earns an unexpected kiss from Yamini. Later, his disastrous cinema outing leaves her furious, and a forgotten dispatch lands him in trouble with his boss. Meanwhile, Isha struggles to book her tickets, finding everyone utterly unreliable.
Outside Right On Time Couriers’ office, Yamini was fuming.
“Such a bitch. How dare she speak to you like that? No wonder you call her Dragonosaurus.”
“Well,” Akash said, kicking an empty Coke can hard enough to send it skidding across the road, “I did forget.”
“You’re not made for this job,” Yamini shot back. “Why don’t you look for something better?”
Akash didn’t reply.
He just kept walking.
Something Doesn’t Add Up
At the airport the next morning, Isha stood at the security check, drumming her fingers impatiently as the ticket agent stared at his computer screen like it had just told him a ghost story.
He blinked.
Shook his head.
Leaned in again.
“Looks like someone laced my tea with rum this morning,” he muttered.
He nudged the agent next to him. “Hey Kuldeep, do you see what I see?”
Kuldeep glanced at the screen. “Yupp. Five times. Strange.”
The first agent turned back to Isha, dazed.
“So which seat would you like to sit on? A1, A2, B1, B2 or C2?” He paused. “Or all five?”
“What do you mean?” Isha snapped. “Don’t try to act funny, mister. Just give me my boarding pass.”
He handed her not one, not two, but five boarding passes.
Isha stared at them.
Then flipped through them.
And again.
Yes. The agent was right. They all had her name on them.
Best-Laid Plans, Aai Edition
Now, as if life wasn’t dramatic enough already, Yamini had her own little subplot unfolding.
Aai had come to Chimboli for a wedding. And like all mothers who attend weddings, she had returned with inspiration.
Dangerous inspiration.
Which is how, on a perfectly innocent Sunday afternoon, Yamini found herself dressed in a sari.
A sari! Standing outside a stranger’s house. She adjusted her pallu for the tenth time.
'You're looking beautiful in yellow. Should wear saris more often,' said Aai.
'Aai, how can I wear it all the time when it is raining almost every day these days?'
'When did I say everyday? I said some...' She stopped mid sentence as the door opened.
A young girl ushered them inside. “Memsahib will be with you shortly.”
They sat down.
Yamini looked around.
Then looked at her mother.
“Aai,” she said under her breath, “why have you brought me here?”
“He’s a nice boy.”
“I don’t want to get married right now.”
“Just say hello.”
A few minutes later, the prospective groom and his mother entered. Greetings were exchanged.
“Anil, go and get some tea,” said his mother.
“Mint tea, ginger tea, elaichi tea, Chinese tea, green tea or—”
“How about cut chai?” Yamini cut in.
“Cut chai? What’s that?”
“Never mind,” she said.
Anil left the room.
Yamini turned to his mother with a polite smile that lasted exactly two seconds.
“Your son is very…” She paused, searching. “Virtuous. Yes, very virtuous. A good guy. But I’m going to marry Sunil Waghmare.”
Aai nearly combusted.
Anil re-entered as soon as he heard the last part.
“Film star Sunil Waghmare? I’m a big fan of his!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! I’ve got a huge poster in my room. Want to see?”
The two mothers exchanged a look and held their heads.
“Satyanaash,” muttered Aai.
A few minutes later, Yamini found herself standing in front of a massive poster.
“Doesn’t he look like a farishta?” Anil said reverently. “So calm, so composed… so serene.”
Yamini’s eyes softened instantly.
“Yes,” she said dreamily. “Even his still pictures speak to the depths of your soul.”
“He should be on telly,” Anil continued. “So fans like us can get a daily dose. Instead of waiting for months for his next release.”
“But they’re worth the wait,” Yamini said. “With each film, he gets better.”
“Especially his action sequences,” Anil added.
“And the way he lowers his lashes and speaks with his eyes…” Yamini sighed.
Then, casually, “You know, I met him a few days back.”
Anil froze.
“OMG. Really? You’re so lucky. I can’t believe you met my god.”
On the way back home, Yamini thought about the entire episode.
It had been… strange.
The boy was a complete wimp.
And yet, she had managed to connect with him.
At a very deep level.
Fan level.
Such was the magic of Sunil Waghmare.
And what was with Aai and this sudden urgency to “settle down”?
Ever since Baba’s death, she had become slightly… dramatic.
“I want you to settle down before I leave this world. Your father will never forgive me if I fail.”
Her standard line.
Ufff.
What even was “settle down”?
Was she sand? Something that needed to settle after a storm?
And what if she chose to stay single all her life?
Would the gods declare Aai a failure and send her straight to hell?
Honestly.
Parents.
Yamini yawned.
Closed her eyes.
And decided the entire concept was ridiculous.
Rejection, Yamini Style
Back at the girls’ apartment that night, Neerav and Akash were deeply engrossed in an action-packed video game, yelling instructions that made no sense to anyone except themselves.
Yamini, seated nearby, was busy straightening her hair with the seriousness of a surgeon.
“Yammu met a guy today,” Neerav announced casually.
“For what?” Akash asked, without looking up.
“For marriage. What else?”
That got his attention. “And?”
“Same as last time.”
“Then what?” Yamini chimed in. “I told him, you want to check me out? Go ahead. But I’m only going to marry Sunil Waghmare.”
The boys burst out laughing.
Too Many Hands Spoil the Plan
At that exact moment, Isha walked in, dragging a suitcase with one hand and holding a laptop bag with the other.
“Yaaayyy, Ishu’s here!” Yamini squealed.
Neerav immediately got up and took the bag from her.
“How was it?” he asked.
“I had a very comfortable flight,” Isha said sweetly, “thanks to you guys.”
“You’re welcome,” Yamini said. “Bet you got the window seat.”
“No, aisle seat is more comfortable,” Neerav added.
“Both,” said Isha.
“Both?”
“Not just both,” she said. “I got the seats in front of me, beside me, as well as behind me.”
All three stared at her, blank.
“You bloody dorks…”
She smacked Neerav with the magazine in her hand.
“First you pretend to be too busy, and then all of you go and book my ticket?”
She hit all three of them again.
They squealed.
“Do you know how embarrassing it was? The entire queue was laughing at me!”
“See how much we love you?” Neerav said, ducking.
“Love me?”
He ducked again.
“But didn’t their system pick up the multiple booking?” he asked.
“Chimboli has an airport. That in itself is a big deal,” Yamini said. “Baba Aadam ke zamaane ke toh computers hein.”
“Exactly,” Isha said.
“There were computers in Baba Aadam’s time?” Neerav asked with a grin.
Isha threw a cushion at him.
“So I had five seats on the way to Delhi,” she continued, “and none on the way back. What were you all thinking? That I’m going to walk back to Chimboli?”
“Wow,” Yamini said thoughtfully. “That could be a film – Isha’s Long March to Chimboli.”
Akash snorted.
Then burst out laughing.
Neerav and Yamini joined in.
Isha glared at all three of them.
Not amused.
At all.
When Laughter Fades
A couple of days later, Isha rushed into the house – and froze.
Yamini sat on the floor in a pool of tears, surrounded by crumpled tissues and an open tub of ice cream. Neerav and Akash stood beside her, heads lowered.
Subscribe to my newsletter below to unlock Apulki’s next chapter before anyone else, and your exclusive weekly fix of humour, quotes, and little nuggets of trivia.
Missed a chapter? Click on the links below:
Chapter 10 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-10
Chapter 11 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-11
Chapter 12 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-12
Chapter 13 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-13
Chapter 14 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-14
Chapter 15 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-15
Chapter 16 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-16
Chapter 17 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-17
Want to know more about the Author? Click here – https://www.hansawriter.com/get-to-know-me
Keep smiling friends. Life is beautiful. Cherish each moment.
© 2026 Hansa Writer. All Rights Reserved.
"got the seats in front of me, beside me, as well as behind me.”
🤣🤣🤣
Seems like yamini is gonna flip everything in akash's brain, they seem getting close. That anil guy was eccentric, loved the ruckus of isha . Whimsical and funny episode 🤣 excited for next one
I thought Anil was Sunil for some reason haha
Interesting chapter
Ho ho ho 5 seats
I kind of guessed all will book tkt for Ishu
But no one sent her any info kya
Hilarious
Plus that Anil guy
Why do I feel I have known this type of person or maybe seen in tv
Looks like mr waghmare did something to make yamini cry
Hilarious and interesting
Waiting for next part