“Rey!” Taani shrieked.
“Where the f*ck do you think you’re going?” Rey held her hand and pulled her back to him.
“I was kidding!” She giggled while trying to free herself from his grip.
Rey let go of Taani’s arm and pinned her to the wall pressing his body against hers. She slowly stopped giggling as she noticed the intensity radiating off him. He pressed himself closer, flush against the wall.
“Rey!” She shuddered as she felt his pelvis grind against hers.
“You see what you did to me?” He whispered huskily.
“Rey!” She moaned and raised her hands to cup his face.
“Not so easily, Taani.” Rey smirked and quickly grabbed her hands and held them above her head. “Not. So. F*cking. Easily.” He whispered, brushing his lips against hers.
“Please?” She tried to resist his hold on her and kiss him.
“What please?” He grazed his free hand down along the curves of her body up to her thigh making her shiver.
“I was.. just trying to..” She could barely think straight, feeling his hand rise up slowly on her thigh.
“To do what?” He smirked and stopped his hand just shy of her butt cheeks.
“Rey!” She shuddered.
Rey let go off her hands and lifted her off the ground. Taani locked her legs behind his back. Rey held her securely by placing his hands on her thighs and pressing her body hard against the wall. Taani could feel his erection poking through the fabric. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her mouth.
“I warned you to stop.” He grunted.
“I.. don’t want you to stop.” She wrapped her hands behind his neck as her breathing became more erratic.
“Oh don’t you worry about stopping. I ain’t gonna do that!” He let out a throaty chuckle. She could feel his body vibrating against hers.
“I want you.” She whispered softly in his ears.
“I know luv.” He whispered back.
“Please!” She begged.
“But first!” Rey let go of her, making her stumble on her feet. He then swiftly picked her on his shoulders and turned away from the wall.
“Rey? What the hell?” Taani snapped out of her ecstasy.
“I still have to take revenge for what you did.” He smirked and walked to the bed.
“I was just fooling around.” She panicked.
“I’m done fooling around girl!” Rey threw her on the bed and she bounced off it.
Taani felt like she was about to fall off and her eyes snapped open. She looked around as she breathed heavily. She sat up straight focusing on her breathing to calm herself.
“What the f*ck was that dream?” She gulped hard as it played in her mind. “What is wrong with me?”
Taani picked up her phone which was on the side table and checked the time. “3 A.M. It is demon hour!” She tossed her phone aside and held her head. “Why am I so horny? I need to stay away from Purvi. All her constant yapping is making me lose my shit!”
Taani picked up the empty water bottle and headed out of her room to fill it. Her breathing was getting back to normal. She gulped almost half the bottle down and filled it back up again.
“You seriously need to go shopping if that’s the only thing you have left to wear!” Shivam walked up behind her and taunted her as she was wearing Rey’s T-shirt again.
“Bhai not now!” Taani sighed and turned to go back to her room.
“Good night!” Shivam shook his head behind her.
“Wait a minute!” She stopped and turned around to face him. “Why are you dressed up?” She squinted at him.
“Thank you for noticing.” He chuckled. “I have to go to Delhi.”
“Oh haan! But itni subah?”
“I still have an hour before I leave. Voh bas awaaz aayi toh main dekhne aaya.”
“Aap wapas kab aa rahe ho?”
“Do din baad agar kaam extend nahi hua toh.”
“Okay..” She nodded.
“You good?”
“Not really.”
“Kya hua?” He took a seat at the dining table.
“I don’t remember, but mujhe aapse kuch baat karni thi.” She sat next to him.
“Regarding?” He raised a brow at her.
“Wahi main sochne ki koshish kar rahi hoon.” She wondered.
“Sleep on it for now. Jab yaad aayega tab puch lena.”
“Neend nahi aayegi.” She pouted.
“Is it regarding your job?” He asked.
“Nope!”
“Mom? Juno? Purvi? Umm? Arjun? Your boss?” He started throwing names at her.
“No!” She furrowed her brows.
“Rey?”
“What Rey?” She sat up straight. “Nothing related to Rey.” She acted defensive.
“Okay..” He let it slide pass. “Dekh it’s pretty late, tu soja. Hum baad mein baat karte hai.”
“Late? Huh?” She thought hard. “Oh haan! Sneha!” She exclaimed as she recollected what she wanted to talk about.
“What Sneha?” Shivam furrowed his brows at her.
“I know that you are mad at me for the other day. But I was just trying to look out for you. I know that you like her. But she is married, with a child. Which is why I said that you shouldn’t be going after her. I don’t want you to be hurt.” She explained.
“Firstly thank you so much for your concern at three in the morning, but I don’t need it.”
“Stop being cocky!” She flared her nostrils at him.
“Dekh tujhe gussa hone ka koi haq nahi banta. Gussa toh main hoon ki tujhe yeh lagta hai ki main koi aisa affair kar sakta hoon!” He glared at her.
“You dated Elakshi. So I don't know what to expect from you.” She tried to hold back her laugh.
“Very funny Taani!” He rolled his eyes. “And just for your information, she is divorced and shares joint custody with her ex-husband.”
“Oh!”
“Yeah!” He nodded.
“Then go ahead! Good luck bhai! I hope you get her!” She gave him a thumbs up.
“Tujhe neend ki jarurat hai. So jaake!” He pointed towards her room
“Meri neend toh kabki udd gayi hai.” She muttered under her breath.
“Kya kaha?” He squinted.
“Kuch nahi. Text me when you reach. I’ll try to sleep for some time.” Taani gave him a hug and went back to her room.
…
“That looks so pretty! Mujhe wapas aana hai!” Taani whined.
“What pretty? Do you know how much of a struggle it is to travel in this snow? Aur upar se yeh jab road clean karenge to side ka snow will turn all dirty. And then it’ll melt and everything will be wet for a week!” Sid complained.
“Shut up! Let me enjoy the view!” Taani pouted.
“Enough of the view. I have something important to tell you.” Sid switched back to the front camera and settled on his bed.
“Bol!” Taani huffed at him.
“Ty and I have decided to make it official.” He informed.
“Oh were you two supposed to be a secret?” She squinted.
“Kisko bataya tune?” He squinted back at her.
“Bhai, Purvi, may be Rey. I’m not sure.” She thought about it. “How does it matter now? You guys are official!” She grinned.
“But I’m still..” He stopped, trying to find the right words.
“Who are you worried about? Ty is a great guy. Kisiko koi problem nahi hogi.”
“Wahi toh sabse badi problem hai that he is a great guy!” He sulked.
“What do you mean?” She furrowed her brows.
“He has a friend, well ex-boyfriend, Joe. They were together for like five or six years. Ty is always hanging out with him. Which was my main reason for not making things official. But then I realized that I like him too much to not do that. Mujhe laga that things would be better now, but he still hangs around with him.” He sighed.
“Just because they hang around together doesn’t mean anything. You should go and join them as well.”
“He has called me multiple times but I can’t stand that Joe. He is too annoying!”
“Have you talked to Ty about this?” She asked.
“He knows! But doesn’t do shit about it. He acts like I’m making a fuss of nothing!” He rolled his eyes.
“So you’re telling me that you decided to make things official just so Ty stops hanging out with his ex?”
“That’s the second reason..”
“What’s the first?”
“I want to be with him.” He spoke softly.
“Awww!” Taani smiled into the camera. “You want to be with Ty and I’m pretty sure he wants that too. So f*ck everything else and enjoy being together. Because trust me, being alone is no fun!” She pouted at the end of it.
“He’s still not back?” Sid inquired.
“Nope!”
“When was the last time you spoke to him?”
“On his birthday..” She sighed.
“It’s been more than a month to that!” He exclaimed.
“I f*cking know that!” She flared her nostrils.
“Rey is going to be in big trouble when he comes back.” He chuckled.
“At this point, it’s if he comes back rather than when!” She rolled her eyes.
“Ouch! So when is the breakup?” He held back his laugh seeing her glare.
“Why breakup when I can annoy the f*ck out of him for making me wait for all this time?” She smirked.
“Wet?” He squinted, wondering if he heard right.
“What?” She asked, confused.
“He is making you wet?” Sid raised his brow.
“W-A-I-T WAIT!” Taani flared her nostrils and Sid burst out laughing. “You’re my brother for f*cks sake! Act like one!” She shook her head.
“I am..” He continued laughing. “Wet!”
“F*ck off!” She disconnected the call.
…
“Taani?” Tanya knocked on her door.
“Haan mumma?” Taani answered.
“Tum theek ho? Itni late tak so rahi ho?” Tanya sat on the bed next to Taani.
“Haan voh I woke up in the middle of the night and then couldn’t sleep back again for a while. Toh Siddo se baat kar rahi thi aur phir ek nap liya.” Taani informed.
“Toh Sid aa raha hai?” Tanya asked.
“Kahan?” Taani squinted.
“Geetika ka birthday hai next to next week. Main aur Shivam toh jaa rahe hai Bangalore, what about you?”
“Main bhi aa rahi hoon! What kind of a question is that?”
“I just wanted to be sure. You are too busy with your office these days.” Tanya commented.
“What else do I have left to go after?” Taani muttered.
“Sab theek hai na?” Tanya asked with a hint of worry.
“Kya matlab?”
“Between you and Rey? I haven’t seen him nor heard from him for a long time.” Tanya expressed her concern.
“Mumma everything is fine. He is just too busy in London to even respond to my texts. But don’t worry voh jab wapas aayega tabhi uski acche se khabar lungi!” Taani flared her nostrils.
“Armaan ko shayad pata ho ki voh itna busy kyun hai. Did you talk to him?” Tanya asked.
“Armaan bhai!” Taani chuckled. “Rey ne unka number block karke rakha hai. And not just that, unko sab social media platforms pe bhi block kiya hai.” Taani laughed.
“Why so?” Tanya giggled.
“Rey is up to something. Ek baar pehle bhi usne aisa kiya tha.” Taani shook her head.
“I’m really happy for you.” Tanya smiled at Taani.
“Hain?” Taani looked at her quizzically.
“Sach kahun toh I was not ready to even talk about your marriage this early. Everything happened so quickly. But after seeing you slowly ease into it and accepting it, has made me happy.”
“I’m happy as well. And as filmy and stupid as it sounds, Rey has taught me how to love someone.” Taani let out a chuckle.
“You always had it in you. He hasn’t taught you that.” Tanya disagreed. “He has only aided you in understanding it.”
“That’s true! Because apparently, Juno liked me and I had no clue about it.”
“Did you like him back?” Tanya questioned.
“No!” Taani opposed immediately. “Mujhe toh pata bhi nahi tha. In fact, ek baar Rey had brought this up and I had dismissed it saying it wasn’t true.”
“Rey is very observant which is a rare trait to possess. Jab main meri book ko leke stressed thi tabhi he offered me help without anyone asking him for it.”
“And he didn’t even tell me about it!”
“He is a selflessly selfish person.”
“Matlab?”
“He is selfless enough to help everyone but is selfish to keep it to himself.” Tanya explained.
“Main kahan phas gayi?” Taani held her head.
“Abhi tak poori tarah se phasi nahi ho. Abhi bhi time hai, nikal sakti ho tum.” Tanya giggled with a wink.
“Mumma?” Taani looked at her with wide eyes.
“Let Sid know about the birthday celebrations.” Tanya got up to leave.
“Mumma?” Taani stopped her.
“I was joking Taani. Don’t read too much into it.” Tanya closed the door behind her.
“A secluded cabin in the woods with no network or wifi. How am I getting murdered here?” Tyler asked Sid.
“A stake to the heart, you vampire!” Sid turned to face Tyler.
“What?” Tyler asked, confused.
“You’re looking pasty white in that light.”
“So vampire?”
“That’s the first thing that came to my mind. Anyway, how do you like the place?”
“I love it! You’ll finally be off your phone for two days here!” Tyler chuckled.
“Excuse me? You were on your phone for the entire drive up here!” Sid pointed out.
“That’s because you were driving.” Tyler rolled his eyes and settled on the bed.
“That’s my side!” Sid folded his arm across his chest.
“We could just roll in together. Sides would be the least of concerns then.” Tyler smirked at Sid.
“I drove for six hours straight. I need a nap before you start getting all horny.” Sid taunted and walked to the bathroom.
“Where are you going? You can change right here.” Tyler wiggled his brows.
“I have to pee!” Sid squinted and closed the door behind him.
“Did you lock it?” Tyler knocked on the door.
“Are you alright?” Sid busted the door open.
“I’m just pulling your leg. Go finish your business.” Tyler chuckled and pushed Sid inside the bathroom.
Tyler’s phone beeped and he walked to check it.
“There is reception here?” He wondered as he opened the unread text.
‘Do let me know the name of the place. I’d love to visit too. See you soon. Will miss you!’
…
“Juno!” Taani barged into the house.
“Bell baja ke aa na!” Juno yelled at her.
“Fir teri aisi shakal kaise dekhne milegi?” She giggled.
“What if I was doing something.. indecent?”
“In the living room?” She squinted at him.
“You..” He stopped and sighed audibly. “Aaj kya tamasha leke aayi hai?” He asked.
“What the hell?” She asked aghast.
“Well.. every time you have barged in like this you have always been mad about something or someone. And the majority of the time, it has been your fiancé! So, what has happened now?”
“Meri life tujhe tamasha lagti hai?” She huffed.
“Hai nahi par tu usse bana jarur rahi hai.” He chuckled.
“I have decided to not think about any of it and just exist for now. So please help me do that and not bring it up.” She sighed.
“Then you’ll probably hate me for asking what I’m about to ask.”
“What?”
“You were going to show me the academy someday. And considering there is nothing to do today, I was gonna ask if we could go there?” He asked.
“Fine!” She let out a huge sigh and agreed.
“Great!” He smiled.
“I’ll have to ask Sharon or Swayam first.”
“Ask? Permission kyun? Rey ki academy hai and you have a right over it.”
“Uski akele ki nahi hai. Plus they all usually go there to practice as the launch is nearing, toh mujhe disturb nahi karna hai.” She explained.
“Okay! Toh let me know. Main nahane ja raha hoon.”
“Maine pucha?”
“Bata raha hoon. Warna bolegi ki phone aur texts ignore kiye.” He rolled his eyes at her and went into his room.
Taani shook her head at him and called Sharon.
“Hi Taani!” Sharon answered.
“Hey..” Taani greeted back and stopped to formulate her words.
“Kya hua call kyun kiya?”
“I wanted to ask you something.”
“Shoot!”
“Do you mind if I take Juno to show the academy around?”
“Why would I mind it?” Sharon asked, confused.
“Tum sab wahan practice karne jaate ho and I don’t want to come there unannounced.”
“Ohh..! Let me educate you about something..”
“Go on.”
“Unless there is some insane event or a competition which is literally the next day, you won’t find any one of us practicing on a Sunday!” Sharon chuckled.
“Noted!” Taani giggled. “Toh wahan koi nahi hoga?”
“I could give you company but I’m not in the mood to get out of bed.”
“No problem!” Taani replied as a smirk formed on her lips. “Have fun with Swayam!” She chuckled.
“What the f..?”
“Bye!” Taani disconnected the call.
…
Sid dusted off the snow from his coat as he walked into the cabin.
“Where were you?” Tyler asked him.
“I went to check for cell reception. But there is none!” Sid hung his coat on the coat rack.
“See, you’re the one who is addicted to his phone, not me!” Tyler pointed out.
“Anyway, I learnt that there is a snowstorm coming which is going to last for roughly two days. So I have to inform home that I won’t be able to make it for Geet’s birthday.” Sid sulked.
“Come here!” Tyler motioned him to sit next to him.
“It’s her first birthday and I won’t be able to attend it.” Sid sulked even more.
“It’s not like you planned not to go. Sometimes shit happens, don’t take it to heart.” Tyler comforted him.
“But I want to be there!” Sid huffed.
“So do I!”
“Wait what?” Sid squinted.
“You heard it.” Tyler smiled.
“You can’t come to India!” Sid yelled and removed Tyler’s hand from around his shoulder.
“What do you mean?” Tyler asked, confused.
“You cannot come to India! Are you delusional?” Sid widened his eyes.
“I don’t need to be delusional to meet your family.” Tyler crossed his arms.
“You’re jumping the gun buddy! We just got together!” Sid explained.
“Why are you getting defensive? We are serious about each other, love each other, then what is the harm in meeting your family? Mine is practically dead anyway!”
“We will talk about this later.” Sid dismissed the topic.
Tyler gritted his teeth and walked to the kitchen to prepare food. Sid huffed and sat on the couch comprehending his actions. The phone next to him beeped and he picked it seeing the name on the pop up notification. He unlocked it to read the message.
‘That sucks! Anyway, just be careful, there is a storm brewing.’
He scrolled up to read the previous messages.
‘Do let me know the name of the place. I’d love to visit too. See you soon. Will miss you!’
‘It’s in Buffalo. I’ll send the location when I get a chance. I’d also love to come back again. But unfortunately, there is barely any cell reception. I’d be surprised if this message gets delivered. I’ll see you when I get back! <3’
Sid locked the phone and kept it aside.
“You hungry?” Tyler asked. “I’ll take a few more minutes to finish cooking.”
“Take your time. I don’t feel like eating. I’m heading to bed.”
Tyler walked out to find Sid lying on the bed. He felt disappointed and walked back into the kitchen.
…
“That looks complete. When is the grand opening?” Juno enquired looking at the Academy building.
“I’m unsure of the exact date, but it is sometime next month.” Taani replied.
“Is that why he is busy?” He asked.
“Could be, but then again London mein kya kaam aa pada hai academy ka?” She sighed.
“Might be some investors, he could be roping them in at the last minute.” He suggested.
“Jitna mujhe pata hai, they don’t want any outside investors. Anyway, come on in, I'll show you around.” Taani got out of her car.
“Tere paas keys hai?” He asked surprised.
Taani rolled her eyes at him and walked to the gate.
“Arre? Andar kaise jayenge?” He walked behind her.
“Gate pe security hai. He can let us in.” She pointed.
“Oh!” He walked in behind Taani, smiling at the security guard.
“I’ve been here so many times ki security guard bhi mujhe pechanta hai.” Taani chuckled lightly.
“This place is massive.” Juno looked around.
“Where do you want to start the tour with?” She smiled.
“Before that, can you answer me something?” He asked as they walked down the hallway.
“Puch!”
“You being Rey’s partner, will you be getting any percentage of shares here?”
“Excuse me?” Taani halted.
“Arre genuine question hai. He owns the academy. And after marriage, will you be a part of it, legally?” He explained himself.
“Firstly, he doesn’t solely own it. He is one third of an owner. And secondly, mujhe uske paiso mein koi interest nahi hai!” She flared her nostrils at him.
“Main kya puch raha hoon aur tu usse kis tangent pe leke jaa rahi hai?” He huffed. “I was asking out of curiosity. Functioning jaanana hai start-up ka, nothing more than that!”
“Toh directly puch na. Aise weird questions puchega toh gussa aayega hi na!” She sneered.
“Okay, I’ll shut up. You show me around.” He gestured to her to move forward.
“Thank God you are my friend, warna toh main..” Taani muttered under her breath.
“Holy shit! Look at the wall of mirrors!” Juno exclaimed looking at a rehearsal hall.
“This is one of the many rooms. And all rooms have almost the same structure to them.” Taani fidgeted with the handle on the door. “It’s locked.” She frowned.
“I would love to dance here!” He was still looking inside through the glass walls.
“We all can sign in for some workshops. Arjun and Purvi will also enjoy it a lot.” She suggested.
“That sounds like a plan!” He exclaimed.
“There is one room which could be open.” Taani walked down the stairs at the end of the hallway.
“This one’s massive!” Juno’s eyes popped open.
“This is their personal room. And I was right, it is open!” Taani grinned as she walked in.
“I have no words to explain how amazing this looks!”
“Yeh jo walls pe silhouettes hai na voh sab team ke hai. Like you can make out that this is Swayam, Nil, Rinni. I guess this is Vicky and Rey. And yeh Amar, Simmi, yeh shayad Sharon.” She pointed at the pictures.
“Jiska bhi yeh idea hai bohot mast hai!”
“I agree but I have designed better!” She boasted.
“Let’s go there then!”
“Rey ke ghar jaana hoga uske liye.”
“Waah! Tune abhi se bedroom change kar diya uska?” He teased.
“Shut the f*ck up!” She glared at him. “He has a rehearsal hall at his place which I have designed.
“Okay calm down. Let’s continue the tour?”
“Follow me!”
“Yes ma’am!”
“Juno yaar!” She huffed.
“Kya?” He chuckled lightly.
“Kuch nahi.” She punched him lightly on his shoulder and they walked back up.
“Yeh sab team members ke personal cabins hai.” She told him. “Wow sabke nameplates lag gaye? Last time yeh pending tha.”
“Abhi next month launch hai toh it makes sense.” He pointed out. “Can we go in any of the cabins?”
“I wouldn’t.” Taani shook her head.
“I understand.. their privacy!” He rolled his eyes.
“But, I could show you Rey’s cabin. He can’t get mad at me for that!” She smirked and walked to his cabin.
“Why is his cabin so dull?” Juno questioned Taani looking at the basic cabin. “Mujhe lagta tha banda creative hai!”
“Shit!” Taani widened her eyes as the realization hit her. “I was supposed to decorate his cabin. Usne pucha tha. Main bhool kaise gayi?” She held her head.
“Abhi bhi time hai, tu kar sakti hai.” Juno cheered her.
“He wanted me to decorate his cabin for him. I’m so mad at myself for forgetting it because of work.” She huffed.
“You can still do it. You have plenty of time till the launch.”
“Kaha time hai? Kal Bangalore ja rahi hoon aur wahan ek week tak rahungi. Aur phir aate hi Ayush will dump me with work. Kaise time nikal paungi main?" She complained.
“I will just say that if you really want to, you will manage to take time out and decorate the cabin. I know you can do it!” He smiled warmly at her.
“Tu hi mera sacha friend hai!” She hugged him.
“Chal abh nautanki band kar.” He chuckled. “Aur bhi kuch bacha hai tour guide?”
“I think we covered everything. Kuch reh gaya hoga toh voh hum baad mein bhi dekh sakte hai. I need to go home and finish packing.”
“You haven’t packed yet?” He asked aghast.
“I’m ninety percent done okay. Don’t gimme that look!” She pouted as they walked out of the Academy.
“Thank you for the tour. How much will be the charge?”
“A ride back home? I’m too tired to drive.” She sat in the passenger’s seat.
“Jo hukum mere aaka!” He got in the car.
“Juno!” She shook her head at him.
Taani noticed a car parked at the end of the parking area. She neglected it at the first sight but something struck her mind and she decided to have a second glance at it. She recognized the car and squinted to have a clear look at it. She realized that it was Rey’s car.
“Yeh sirf entry hai. Exit peeche ki side hai.” Juno muttered and started driving towards the exit.
Taani had her eyes glued to the car as they approached it. She noticed two individuals sitting inside. As they drove past the car, she saw Rey sitting in the car along with Riri.
“Rey Mumbai kab aaya?” Taani wondered as they left.
…
“Hum yahan kyun aaye hai? I thought you had to go home and pack?” Juno raised his brow at Taani as he stopped in front of Rey’s house.
“Ma.. Juhi aunty ne text kiya tha. She wanted to send a gift for Geet with me. Armaan bhai ka plan kabhi bhi cancel ho sakta hai.” Taani answered and got out of the car.
“Voh jaane wale the?” Juno asked surprised.
“Haan Nikki bhabhi ne unse kaha tha more like unhe order diya tha.” Taani chuckled.
“What if he can’t go?”
“Siddo nahi aa raha toh bhabhi is already mad. I don’t think Armaan bhai would like to make her fume.”
“I wish I could come too.” He sighed.
“Me too!” Taani rang the doorbell and pushed the door open.
“Door open kaun rakhta hai?” He asked as they entered.
“Arre tu abhi hi aagayi?”Juhi walked out to the living room.
“Haan aunty voh main bahar thi toh socha ki yahan se hote jau.” Taani smiled at her.
“Well, tujhe yahan rukna padega for a while. Maine Rann ko bheja hai to buy the gift and he will take his own sweet time.” Juhi chuckled.
“Paa shopping karne gaye hai?” Taani widened her eyes and chuckled.
“Koi aur option tha? Mujhe Rann ko bhejna pada as mera bohot kaam pending hai.” Juhi explained.
“Haan Rey bhi nahi hai..” Taani nodded, sympathizing.
“Voh..” Juhi paused and then continued, “true!”
Taani found the pause weird. Juhi noticed the question forming on Taani’s face.
“Tum kyun itne shaant ho?” Juhi asked Juno.
“I wasn’t sure what to say.” Juno let out a dry chuckle.
“Figure it out then. Also, I don’t think mujhe koi invitation dene ki jarurat hai tumhe apne ghar mein baithne ki.” Juhi looked at Taani.
“Aap bhi toh khadi ho.” Taani pouted.
“Pagal!” Juhi smiled and shook her head.
Juhi was about to sit when her phone rang and she excused herself to go to her room.
“Can we sit?” Juno looked at Taani.
“Invitation chahiye?” Taani sneered back and sat on the lounge.
Taani and Juno settled on the couch and got busy talking. Juhi came out after ending her call.
“Yeh Rann pagal kar dega mujhe!” Juhi huffed and sat across them.
“Kya kiya Paa ne?” Taani chuckled.
“I gave him a list and he has sent me a dozen photos asking if he should buy those as well. Like list ki koi value hai?” Juhi shook her head.
“This sounds so like Rey. Bhai bata rahe the when he helped Rey with the gifts for Kiara.” Taani chuckled.
“Yeh baap-bete same hi hai.” Juhi commented.
“Taani tere bag mein jaga toh hai na?” Juno asked.
“Nahi hogi toh bana lungi. Koi aur option nahi hai. Because I know if I don’t take everything, he will get mad at me.” Taani answered.
“I would suggest ek extra bag hi le lo.” Juhi giggled.
“Itne bhi gifts nahi hai.” Taani defended Rannvijay.
“Oh you wait!” Juhi had a smirk and Taani gulped horrified.
“So is Armaan definitely not going?” Juno asked Juhi.
“Yeh mujhe bhi nahi pata.” Juhi shrugged. “I’m sure he will figure out a way to go. Warna Nikki uski band baja degi.” She laughed further.
“Nikki bhabhi..” Taani stopped mid sentence when she heard the main door open.
Taani saw Rey walk in followed by Riri. They both were busy talking to each other and didn’t notice anyone. Rey made his way to the stairs and was about to climb up when Riri stopped and saw Juhi, Taani and Juno staring at them. She stopped Rey and gestured at him to look at them. He turned and gave a faint smile to them.
“Hogayi bhaag daud khatam?” Juhi asked him.
“Maa voh..” Rey wasn’t sure what to answer.
“Tum Mumbai kab aaye?” Taani asked Rey.
“Kal raat ko.” Rey answered.
“Oh God! Rann!” Juhi answered her call and walked into her room shouting at Rannvijay on the phone.
“Hi Taani.” Riri smiled at her and took a seat across from her. Rey absentmindedly sat next to Riri.
“You both look tired.” Taani commented.
“Yeah jetlag.” Riri shrugged.
“Is everything alright? Armaan bhai bata rahe the ki London mein bohot kaam aagaya tha which made you extremely busy. Everything sorted now?” Taani asked.
Rey looked at Taani who was expecting an answer from him. He was trying to phrase a proper answer for her question. He didn’t want to lay out everything in front of her but also didn’t want her to feel ignored.
“Armaan has no idea of how busy we were.” Riri scoffed
“Riri!” Rey looked at her sternly.
“I would assume so, considering he had no contact with you two.” Taani looked Rey dead in the eyes.
“Yeah.. it was necessary.” Riri replied with a nervous chuckle.
“Why so?” Taani was starting to get impatient.
“Rey tumne gym ke saath saath meditation class bhi join kiya hai kya jo aise shaant baithe ho?” Juno let out a chuckle.
“Sorry?” Rey looked at him confused.
“Oh sorry. I didn’t realize you two were busy looking at each other.” Juno pointed at Rey and Taani. “Continue!”
“F*ck off!” Taani reprimanded Juno.
Rey looked at Taani and was surprised at her profanity. He looked away as soon as Taani turned to look at him.
“Tum dono yahan kaise?” Riri asked them.
“Hum academy gaye the, Juno wanted a tour. Aur phir yahan aaye to collect gifts for Geet’s birthday.” Taani answered.
“I have been wanting a tour for so long but this one here is not taking me there.” Riri rolled her eyes at Rey.
“I’m sure after you are well rested and your jet lag is over, Rey will take you there. Haina Rey?” Taani squinted at Rey and noticed him shift uncomfortably.
“I’m sure he will.” Riri answered instead of Rey.
“Riri chup kar. I’m damn sure Taani saw us there.” Rey mentally face palmed.
“Rey tum Bangalore nahi ja rahe?” Juno asked.
“Bangalore kyun?” Rey asked, confused.
“Geet ka birthday hai.” Taani answered.
“Oh right.” Rey muttered to himself.
“Juno, he is busy.” Taani sneered.
Riri placed her hand on his and squeezed it tightly. Rey’s phone beeped and he got up looking at the notification.
“Excuse me!” He left and went upstairs to his room.
Taani was stunned by his action. She looked at Riri who just shrugged.
“Is he alright? He seems a bit.. off.” Taani’s voice was laced with worry.
“He.. ugh..” Riri didn’t know how to answer.
“Riri!” Rey called for her.
“I’ll go check on him.” Riri excused herself.
…
“Mamoo help!” Armaan whined as he struggled to keep the door open as Rannvijay walked in empty handed.
“You are capable of handling everything. Isn’t that what you said?” Rannvijay taunted.
“Mamoo please!” Armaan pleaded.
“Armaan yeh sab kya hai?” Juhi asked aghast seeing him carry a dozen bags in his hands.
“Help!” Armaan yelled.
“Idhar la.” Juhi took a few bags from him.
“Thank you.” He threw himself on the couch and kept the remaining bags in front of him.
“Yeh sab leke jaana hai?” Taani asked, horrified.
“Don’t worry, I’m coming.” Armaan smiled.
“That’s.. a relief.” Taani smiled.
“Relief kyun?” Armaan squinted at her.
“Siddo. He is really sad that he can’t come.” Taani informed.
“Voh toh Tyler ke saath gaya hai na? So how was he going to make it here?” Armaan asked.
“Voh dono bas weekend ke liye gaye the.”
“Oh mujhe laga for the whole week.”
“That is going to turn into a week as wahan snow storm aaya hai and they are stuck.”
“Good!” Armaan chuckled.
“Accha Armaan sunn.” Juhi sat next to him.
“Haan bolo.”
“Tune location finalize ki?”
“Maami aap kyun tension le rahe ho? Jinhone responsibility li hai, let them handle it.”
“Haan par koi update hi nahi hai.”
“Relax yaar. Everything will be fine.”
“Please yeh sab Ananya ko bhi bol do. She is getting really paranoid.” Juhi informed.
“Yaar mom ka kuch nahi ho sakta.” He sulked.
“Armaan bhai, Maa ki concern is a hundred percent justified. Everyone has pushed the wedding preparations aside.” Taani giggled.
“Academy launch is around the corner, I expect nothing less from anyone of them. Plus, Riddhima madam ko fursat nahi hai yahan aane ki, so why rush with the wedding?” Armaan shrugged.
“Umm..” Juno looked at him and looked behind at the stairs.
“So I was correct, dono ne kisiko bhi inform nahi kiya tha.” Juhi muttered.
“Like I said.” Rannvijay asserted.
“Kya inform nahi kiya?” Armaan squinted at them.
“You’ll find out.” Juhi shook her head.
“They are here?” Armaan got up.
“Itna utavlapan?” Rannvijay smirked.
“Are they seriously here?” Armaan questioned.
“Haan upar hai dono.” Taani informed.
“Dono ko upar hi pahucha dunga main ek din.” Armaan muttered.
“Pehle surprise milne do phir jo chaahe kar lena.” Taani smirked, making him laugh.
“Yeh dono upar kya kar rahe hai?” Rannvijay asked.
“Main bula ke laati hoon.” Taani walked up the stairs.
Taani walked up the stairs and went to Rey’s room. She knocked on it lightly and opened the door. She could hear them talk but couldn’t comprehend it.
“Tell Taani..” Riri held Rey by his shoulders.
“No!” Rey interrupted and pushed her hands away.
They both stopped as soon as they saw Taani at the door. She found it absurd but didn’t show it. She had heard her name and had contemplated that they were keeping something from her.
“Taani?” Riri called her.
“Voh Armaan bhai aaye hai neeche..”
“Oh great. I’ll head downstairs.” Riri turned to leave.
“Ri..” Rey tried to stop her but she had left by then.
“Hey.” Taani smiled warmly at Rey. She forgot all the anger she had built up towards him.
“Hi.” Rey replied and sat on the bed.
Taani moved in slowly and sat next to him. Both sat quietly staring at the open door, listening to the faint voices of everyone coming from downstairs.
“Kaise ho?” She asked softly.
“I’m fine.” He replied.
“You barely look fine.” She scoffed.
“What?” He looked at her.
“Kaam ka itna stress leke rakha hai ki apni health ko ignore kar rahe ho?” She looked at him and he looked away.
“I don’t have time.. to sort everything.” He replied taking a short pause.
“Tumhe pata hai..” Taani leaned on his shoulder and she immediately felt him stiffen. She sat back straight again. “What’s the matter?”
“Kuch nahi yaar Taani.” He replied, annoyed.
“Okay..” She shifted a little away from him.
“Riri!” Rey groaned when her phone rang. He walked away towards the window and answered it.
Taani sat on the bed trying to understand the awkwardness she was feeling around him. This was the first time she felt weird being around him. She wasn’t able to shake the uneasiness away. Rey disconnected the call and stared outside the window. Taani made herself walk to him.
“Are you trying to ignore me?” Taani whispered.
“What?” Rey came out of his thoughts.
“I’m worried about you. You look worse than the last time I saw you.” She looked at him from top to bottom. He had lost a lot of muscle.
“Don’t worry about me.” He disregarded her concern.
“It’s hard not to.” She sighed.
Rey kept fumbling with the phone in his hand.
“Abh tum yahan aa hi gaye ho toh Bangalore chaloge?” Taani asked.
“Bangalore kyun?” He furrowed his brows.
“Geetika ka birthday hai.” She reminded him.
“I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“I understand. You’re still jet lagged.”
“Not just that. I have work here which needs to be done urgently.”
“You’ve become a workaholic!” She huffed. He didn’t react to it. “Anyway, I’ll be leaving tomorrow aur ek week baad I’ll return.” She informed.
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you then..” Taani turned to leave.
“Taani.” Rey stopped her.
“Haan?” She turned back with a smile.
“Riri ko upar bhej dena please.” He said curtly.
Taani nodded and left his room. She felt rage build inside of her. She stopped outside his room and turned back to go in. She walked up to him and made him look at her.
“You don’t get to act aloof after leaving me alone for so long!” She glared at him. “I want my hug now!”
Taani embraced him tightly. Rey struggled to free his arms. Taani realized it and let him lose for a brief second and hugged him back. He reciprocated the hug and separated from her.
“Yeh kya tha?” He looked at her.
“I know you are doing this on purpose, so the end result better be good!” She stormed out of the room.
“Rey?” Sara yelled.
“Abey voh London mein hai. Teko phir se daure padne lage?” Vicky mocked her.
“Abey andhe wahan dekh.” She pointed to the door.
“Tu kab aaya?” Sharon widened her eyes at him.
“Parso raat ko.” Rey joined them.
“And where were you yesterday?” Swayam asked.
“Sleeping at home.” Rey replied and walked in.
“Aur yeh kya halath banake rakhi hai apni?” Sara asked.
“Please don’t start with that.” Rey gritted his teeth.
“It’s great that you’re back. Hum routines start karne wale hai iss week se.” Aashi informed him.
“Everything else set?” He looked at Swayam and Sharon.
“Yes, apart from your cabin which you specifically told not to touch.” Sharon answered.
“Venue and everything?” Rey asked.
“Everything is set. We just have to finalize our routines. A few old ones and some new as well.” Swayam said.
“I’m so excited to perform some of the older routines.” Neha smiled, reminiscing the old memories.
“I actually have one suggestion for the launch.” Rey said.
“Go on.” Vicky told him.
“I believe the plan is to start with a series of dances followed by interviews and all that jazz, right?” Rey asked.
“Yeah.” Swayam answered.
“How about we record like thirty second bytes of the team dancing individually to different forms and create a video to run on loop throughout the rest of the event? So there will be something going on continuously in the background.” Rey suggested.
“That sounds amazing!” Sharon exclaimed.
“We can even shoot it in the different rehearsal halls we have.” Simi added.
“Let’s get working on it then.” Swayam grinned.
“Is the launch on the same day?” Sara questioned.
“As?” Sharon asked.
“I don’t believe this. Kisiko bhi yaad nahi?” Sara looked around.
“Same day in the evening.” Rey replied.
“What?” Nil asked, confused.
“Bhai’s promotion!” Sara shook her head at them.
“Oh f*ck haan!” Sharon slapped her forehead.
“I completely forgot about it.” Swayam looked away feeling embarrassed.
“Get ready for ditching SRS questions.” Vicky chuckled.
“I hate press conferences.” Swayam scowled.
“Start mentally preparing for it then.” Rey let out a small chuckle.
“Okay enough of this, can we start with the routine?” Aashi got up.
“I have to rush somewhere, you guys continue.” Rey got up.
“Aye ruk!” Sara yelled at him. “Abhi aaya nahi aur nikal pada?” She glared at him.
“Exactly! Aur routine hum thodi der mein start kar sakte hai. There is no need for any rush.” Sharon made them all sit back again.
“Toh bata, London kaisa tha?” Nil asked Rey.
“Kya?” Rey furrowed his brows at him.
“Tu return aane ka naam hi nahi le raha tha toh hume laga ki London mein koi mil gayi teko.” Vicky chuckled.
“Kyun? Teko milne jana hai uss se?” Neha glared at Vicky.
“Tu bhadakti kyun hai be merepe?” Vicky looked sternly at her.
“Kyunki tera interest clearly unn ladkiyon mein hai.” Neha folded her arms across her chest.
“Neha, meri Kagu, teko chodke meko kisi aur mein koi interest nahi hai.” Vicky walked to her and sat beside her with his arm around her.
“Ugh! I want to puke!” Sara made a disgusted face.
“Yeh iska Babu kab activate hua?” Amar looked at Vicky.
“Karna padta hai.” Neha nuzzled Vicky.
“Guys please yaar, not here.” Simmi looked at them annoyed.
“Feeling left out?” Nil taunted her.
“Who asked for your input here?” Simmi rolled her eyes at Nil.
“Tum sab bina argument kiye ek jagah reh nahi sakte na?” Sara scoffed.
“Look who’s talking!” Sharon taunted her.
“Okay enough!” Swayam yelled. “We are starting rehearsals now!” He ordered and left to change. They all followed suit.
…
“Where did you run off to? Rehearsals ke liye bhi nahi aaya?” Simmi walked up to Rey who was sitting alone in his backyard.
“Kaam tha.” Rey replied and gestured her to sit next to him.
“Kitna kaam karega?” She chuckled lightly.
“I can’t neglect it.” He shrugged.
“How have you been?” She settled next to him.
“Fine.” He replied.
“Ghar pe hi tha, toh Swayam ke yahan aa jata. We were all there.” She told him.
“I had to take care of some work.”
“All done now?”
“Not yet. Meko thoda break chahiye tha toh yahan aake baith gaya.”
“What are you stressed about? Everything is going smoothly.”
“I know. I’m not worried about the launch.”
“Toh kis kaam mein busy hai?”
“Office ka hai.” He informed.
“Ask for help na. Sab kaam apne sar pe kyun leke rakha hai.”
“Simmi..” He groaned.
“Alright I won’t pry. Do your work.” She rolled her eyes.
“Thank you.” He smiled at her. “Abh bata yahan kyun aayi?”
“I came to check on you.”
“And?”
“And nothing!”
“Ask for help if you need it.” He mocked.
“Such a hypocrite you are!” She hit him on his arm.
“Bol abh.” He shook his head.
“I came to talk to you but I don’t want to burden you with my nonsense. You already have a lot to take care of on your plate.” She sighed.
“What’s the matter, Simmi?” He persisted.
Simmi sat quietly twiddling her thumbs while Rey patiently waited for an answer from her.
“I.. I kissed Nil.” Simmi spoke after a while.
“And?”
“I still have feelings for that dumb*ss. But I don’t think the kiss held any value for him as he hasn’t talked about it. Heck, he never even acknowledged the date.” She huffed.
“Date?” Rey raised his brow at her.
“He was pestering me for a date and I somehow ended up agreeing to it. To my surprise, he was really nice to me and did say some really sweet things. I had an amazing time with him. He dropped me home and told me something which warmed my heart and I.. I ended up kissing him. He left and we’ve never spoken about it. It feels like it never happened.” She narrated.
“Solution simple hai.” He gave her a knowing look.
“I don’t want to bring it up.” She wailed. “It took me a while to be okay with it.”
“So you just want to forget everything and move on?”
“It has been so long and I still haven’t moved on.” She sighed.
“Maybe having the conversation will help you move on.” He suggested.
“It’s not easy. Tere ilava kisise baat karne ki himmat bhi nahi hoti. I just can’t!” She pulled her hair.
“You both kissed. It’s not a big deal. No one is going to judge you for it.”
“But awkward nahi hoga to bring it back up after a month?” She asked.
“So you’re telling me that you both are completely chill?” He asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “It feels like we both have decided to dust it off under the rug and never talk about it.”
“Okay tell me one thing. How many dates has he been on after that?”
“Meko kya pata?”
“You and I both know that he likes to boast about his dates. And since he hasn’t said anything, that should mean something to you. I genuinely think that you should talk to him.”
“I am not doing that. Period.” She opposed.
“Okay, just don’t be harsh on yourself.” He smiled at her.
“I’ll try.” She smiled back.
“What else happened while I was away?”
“Well, Aashi sold her ring and made some good money out of it. We all were surprised to know that it was a real diamond.” Simmi let out a chuckle.
“Good shit.” He smiled.
“Oh and Sharon and Ayush are friends again. That d*ckhead has been around a lot lately.” She rolled her eyes.
“D*ckhead?” He raised a brow at her.
“Well he is one.” She raised her shoulders carelessly.
“True, but he is a good d*ckhead.”
“How do you differentiate between a good and a bad one?” She asked. “Wait, don't answer that!” She shuddered.
“Yea..” He laughed wholeheartedly.
“Has Vicky talked to you about anything?” Simmi asked after a while.
“About?” Rey wondered.
“Neha has been very cryptic with some stuff and we all have tried to talk to her and also Vicky about it, but to no avail. Toh isiliye pucha, if he mentioned something to you?”
“Nothing that I can think of. He constantly keeps yapping so it’s hard to tell the important stuff apart.”
“Also, considering that you last spoke to us more than a month ago, you wouldn’t know anything.” She taunted.
“Okay bud!” He shook his head when she started giggling.
“What else? Umm..” She thought. “Oh haan Sara!”
“What about her?” He asked.
“Is she alright? Something seems to be off about her. And it comes out in spurts. Sharon bhi bata rahi thi that Sara’s behavior has changed from the time she has come back.” She informed.
“Helpline open ki hai tum sab ne?” He narrowed his eyes at her.
“Yeah..” She giggled. “Bolo beta tumhari koi problem hai Taani ko leke? Hum har problem ka solution denge.” She laughed.
Rey’s phone rang and flashed Riri’s name. He immediately picked it up.
“Oh thank God..” He answered the call and walked off.
…
“Teko Mumbai mein rukna tha toh ruk jaati. I wouldn’t have minded that.” Nikki walked up to Taani.
“I would have!” Taani pouted. “I want to be here!”
“Then be here and stop sulking around.” Nikki folded her arms across her chest.
“I’m not sulking. I am tired.” Taani sighed.
“Jhoot mat bol.”
“But I am tired. This has been a long party, of which she won’t have any memory of.” Taani rolled her eyes by the end.
“Rey has rubbed off a lot on you.” Nikki shook her head.
“Bhabhi yaar please.” Taani complained.
“Tum dono yahan kya kar rahe ho? Aur isse kya hua?” Abhi pointed at Taani.
“Maine bola tha Rey ko kidnap karwake laate hai yahan, you didn’t listen.” Nikki shrugged her shoulders.
“He made you wait for two months. Tu usse ek week ke liye to wait karwa hi sakti hai!” Abhi commented.
“You know what, I’m going back outside!” Taani huffed and got up.
“Baith! Sab chale gaye hai.” Abhi informed.
“Geet?” Taani asked.
“Armaan sula raha hai usse.” Nikki chuckled.
“Kya halath bana di hai Rey ne meri behen ki.” Abhi gave her an apologetic look.
“I agree!” Shivam joined them.
“Bhai aap bhi?” Taani pouted.
“You were excited for the birthday until the day we left for Bangalore. And it is because he came back to Mumbai.” Shivam pointed out.
“Were excited matlab? I came here because I wanted to be here. I mean Armaan bhai bhi toh Riri ko chod ke yahan aaye hai. Why aren’t you saying anything to him?” Taani huffed.
“Because he is actually out there enjoying the party, unlike you who is sulking. Aise behave kar rahi hai jaise humne punish karne tujhe yahan bulaya hai.” Abhi shook his head.
“What do I have to do to prove that that is not the case?” Taani looked at them.
“For starters, smile.” Nikki smiled at Taani, making her smile in return. “Good!”
“Shit!” Shivam cursed looking at his phone.
“What’s wrong?” Abhi looked at him.
“Mujhe ek call karna tha. Main completely bhool gaya.” Shivam replied nervously and left the room.
“Isse kya hua?” Nikki wondered.
“Kaam se related kuch hoga.” Taani replied.
“Itni late?” Abhi asked.
“Look at him!” Nikki pointed at Shivam, who was pacing to and fro outside the room. “I’m pretty sure he is talking to a girl.”
“Itni late?” Taani looked at her.
“Why else would he be smiling like an idiot?” Nikki pointed out.
“He’s not yet dating her..” Taani mumbled.
“Who?” Abhi narrowed his eyes at Taani.
“Hmn?” Taani looked at him.
“Who is he not dating yet?” Abhi clarified himself.
“Aap bhai se hi puch lo!” Taani ran out of the room.
“What the f*ck?” Taani glared at her locked screen.
She unlocked her phone and dialed Rey’s number again. The call rang out and she got no answer. She looked at the ten in brackets beside Rey’s name indicating the number of times she tried to call him. Feeling dejected, she locked her phone and threw it on the bed.
“He is making me so angry!” She flared her nostrils.
“At least tere calls connect ho rahe hai.” Armaan said from behind her.
“Shit!” She was startled.
“Sorry.” He let out a chuckle and walked in front of her.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be here.” She replied.
“Walk pe jana hai?” He asked.
“Right now?” She looked at the time. It was eleven in the night.
“Chal.” He walked out of the room. Taani followed.
“Where are we going?” She asked as he unlocked the car and got in.
“I don’t want to wander around in the middle of the night. Let’s just drive to somewhere quiet.” He answered.
“Okay.” Taani buckled in.
Armaan quietly drove around the city while Taani sat next to him staring out of the window at the passing streetlights. He stopped the car when they arrived at a dead end. Taani looked at him and he gestured to her to step out.
“What is this place?” She looked around.
“This is a garden.” He pointed to the locked gates.
“Oh..” She leaned on the car.
“Come sit here!” He jumped on the bonnet of the car.
Taani tried to climb up but she kept slipping down. Armaan got down and helped her up. He got on as well and sat beside her.
“Is he avoiding me intentionally?” She asked softly.
“Yes.” He replied. “But the intention is unknown kyunki voh mujhe bhi ignore kar raha hai for the past month. If it’s a prank, it has become stale now.” He rolled his eyes.
“Usne last time aisa kiya tha tab he had a surprise planned for you. What could that be now?”
“Mujhe pata hota toh hum yahan ye conversation nahi kar rahe hote.”
“Aapko pata hai main kitni gussa thi uss pe..”
“I know.” He nodded.
“I was so annoyed that I wanted to start a fight but as soon as he arrived my anger vanished. I forgot all the anguish and was just happy to see him.” She smiled weakly.
“That’s what a long distance relationship does to you. You long for that person so much that the longing turns to borderline hate. But the moment you meet them, you feel overwhelmed with love. And trust me when I say this, love overpowers all other emotions.”
“How did you handle these two months?” She looked at him.
“I definitely missed Riddhima, but yeh long distance ki hume aadat ho gayi hai. This is the longest we’ve gone without talking to each other, apart from the time we had broken up. We have become accustomed to it. That doesn’t make it okay but we both are fine with it, which clearly is not the case with you. You both were literally stuck to the hips before this hiatus.”
“That’s not true.” She complained. “We both gave each other space.”
“Yeah, talking on phone daily and meeting every other day is giving each other space to breathe.” He mocked.
“So you mean I suffocated him?”
“You both did. And it happens when you are in the early stages of your relationship, the longing to just be with each other is the strongest.”
“How did Riri react when you told her that you were coming here?”
“Jab do mahine se kuch baat huyi nahi thi toh teen aur din se kya farak padne wala hai?” He shrugged.
“You didn’t tell her?” She was shocked.
“I let her know that I would be gone for three days. That’s it.”
“And she didn’t mind it?”
“Yeah.”
“I would have lost my shit.” She let out a scoff.
“Taani it’s not fair to compare your relationship to mine, for that matter to anyone else’s. Everyone goes through different shit and what might seem like a small thing for you could be mighty big for someone else. How you want to deal with Rey is completely up to you. All I can do is give you advice.” He smiled.
“I want to go back to him.” She said softly.
“Then come with me tomorrow.”
“But Nikki Bhabhi..?”
“Kya Nikki? You came here to celebrate Geetika’s birthday. Now that it is done, you can go back and figure out your relationship. Why would Nikki mind anything?”
“She was very upset when Siddo texted her that he won’t be able to make it. I don’t want to do that to her.”
“Why do you think that I made sure that I came here? I could have just joined the zoom call yesterday like everyone else. I came here to essentially be Sid’s placeholder, he asked me for it.”
“Yeah he was bummed out to a different level. But at least he is spending time with Tyler.” She smiled.
“Oh!” He looked away.
“You knew about it, right?” She asked, confused.
“I knew. We had spoken about it.” He cleared her confusion.
“I’m glad that he is taking their relationship seriously. I mean Tyler is a great guy and to lose him would be bad.”
“I agree, Tyler is very patient with Sid. He loves Sid to a point where he is okay dealing with all of Sid’s bullshit. And Sid needs to open his eyes and see that. Or else Tyler will be dragged to his breaking point and then things will be impossible to mend.” He sighed.
“Aapko pata hai Sid ne yeh trip plan kyun ki thi?” She looked at him. “It was to keep Tyler away from his ex. I mean why is Sid bothered by his ex when he knows that Tyler loves him.” She shook her head.
“Come on now.” Armaan let out a chuckle.
“What?” She squinted.
“Like you never freaked out on learning about Rey’s alleged ex’s?” He raised a brow at her.
“That was different.” She squirmed under his gaze and looked away.
“How so? It was plain and simple, jealousy! Which Sid is feeling right now.” He explained.
“Well at least they are spending time together.” She sighed.
“Yikes! Do I need to warn Rey?”
“Main Sid aur Tyler ki baat kar rahi thi..”
“Are they spending time together?”
“The trip?”
“You don’t know, do you?”
“About what?”
“Sid broke up with Tyler and they are now stuck in the cabin together. If that counts as spending time together, then yes they are.”
“Voh aisa kyun karega? Aur aapko yeh kaise pata?”
“He sent me a long text explaining everything. The gist being that he thinks Tyler is cheating on him with his ex.” Armaan shook his head. "Let me read it out to you." He pulled out his phone.
“He did not!” Taani widened her eyes in shock.
“Hi Armaan, you are receiving this rant because I have to vent out. I have decided that I’m done with Ty. Voh yahan mere saath aaya hai but he is busy texting Joe and making plans with him to come here the next time. Aur yahan kuch jyada karne ke liye hai nahi, so you can imagine why they want to come here. I thought they were just friends but I guess I was wrong. You cannot be best friends with your ex. But you know what the worst thing is? Ty denied everything. He is lying to me. He says that he loves me but usse time hamesha Joe ke saath spend karna hota hai. Kaam bhi uske saath karta hai. Har cheez uske saath! Then why am I in his life? Meri koi value hi nahi hai! I have decided and my decision is final. I am breaking up with Ty. Hopefully, we can leave soon from here and then NYC mein voh uske raaste aur main mere!” Armaan read Sid’s message.
“Siddo!” Taani held her head. “He is being stupid and to a certain extent, even Tyler. Why is he still friends with Joe?” She huffed.
“Why is Rey still friends with Sara? Why is he still friends with Parul? With Aashi?” He asked sternly.
“Because I am okay with it?” She replied unsure.
“What if you weren’t? Would you expect him to give up his friends?”
“I don’t want to play a game of what ifs. It gets scary.”
“Sid is going to repent later on. And this time I’m not gonna help him!”
…
“I’m going back to work tomorrow. I’ll be having long shifts for the rest of this week till the new year.” Tyler informed.
“Long shifts with Joe?” Sid scoffed.
“Enough dude! What is the matter with you?” Tyler flared his nostrils. “Can you stop targeting Joe for all of your f*cking insecurities?”
“My insecurities? B*tch you have been openly cheating with him!” Sid yelled.
“Spending time does not equal cheating. Get that in your thick head!”
“All you do is spend time with him. Why are you even dating me then? Just go be with him.”
“There is a reason why we broke up. We can’t be together. But that doesn’t mean I cannot be his friend. I will help him whenever he needs me.”
“His needs are all you see.”
“If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t be putting so much effort into maintaining our relationship. You clearly have past issues which you still have to work out. So deal with those first then come and blame me!” Tyler turned to go into his room.
“Where are you going? I don’t want to be near you. It’ll be better if you leave.” Sid pointed to the main door.
“In your dreams!” Tyler scoffed. “I pay half the rent and the lease is in both our names. So until it expires, you can’t make me leave.”
“I thought you’d love to live with Joe.”
“And we’re back again!” Tyler pulled his hair.
“Am I wrong?”
“Yes! I do not have any feelings towards Joe. The only reason that I’m spending time with him is because I am helping him with something.”
“What?”
“Not your concern.”
“How?”
“Do I ever ask you about you and Armaan?”
“Me and Armaan?” Sid raised his brow.
“You are clearly not over him. Have I ever brought that up?”
“I never dated him!” Sid denied.
“That does not take away from the fact that you had feelings for him. In fact, you still do. I never brought that up because I believed that one day you will. And I didn’t want to make things awkward for you.”
“I thought that I was done hearing your bullshit but apparently not!” Sid rolled his eyes.
“I am done talking to you. Goodbye!” Tyler went to his room.
Sid looked at the closed door with gritted teeth and went to his room seething in anger.
“I am here!” Taani announced as she got into the house.
“Tu Bangalore gayi thi na?” Juhi asked her.
“Haan, jaldi wapas aagayi.”
“Itna miss kar rahi thi mujhe?” Juhi chuckled.
“Of course! I couldn’t stay there, away from you.” Taani laughed.
“Right!” Juhi laughed, shaking her head.
“Paa kahan hai?”
“He is busy with office stuff. Sab Armaan ko transfer karna hai. It’s a lot of paperwork!”
“Does Armaan bhai know about it?”
“Officially announce nahi kiya hai kabhi but he knows. In fact everyone knows.”
“He deserves it. I haven’t seen anyone work so much. Flight mein bhi he was on his laptop the whole time. I had to force him to shut it off, kyunki meko bore ho raha tha.” Taani shook her head.
“I will have to commend you for that. No one has managed to make him do that.” Juhi was impressed.
“Make who do what?” Rannvijay entered followed by Armaan.
“Armaan chutti ke baare mein kabhi suna hai?” Juhi shook her head.
“Mamoo forced me to go to the office!” Armaan refuted.
“I just asked you. You came voluntarily.” Rannvijay argued.
“Bullshit! Your literal words were - get your arse out of the bed and come to the office!” Armaan rebutted.
“Okay enough!” Taani intervened. “Abhi ghar aaye ho aap dono toh forget about the office.”
“Hum office ghar lekar aaye hai.” Armaan grinned from ear to ear.
“Then go from here and do all the work you want. I want peace while I cook.” Juhi ordered them.
“What are you making?” Armaan walked over to her.
“Palak paneer.” Juhi answered and Armaan made a face. “What were you expecting?” She gave him a stern look.
“Mujhe laga Taani aayi hai toh aap kuch accha bana rahi hogi.” Armaan pouted and played with the potatoes.
“What the hell?” Taani looked at Armaan, confused.
“Armaan, tujhe kuch special chahiye toh order de.. Taani ko. Voh bana degi.” Rannvijay chuckled seeing Taani’s confused face.
“Fine, I’ll cook. Jab inhe tasteless food khana padega then they will stop badgering me!” Taani walked next to Juhi and glared at Armaan and Rannvijay.
“I didn’t even say anything!” Armaan huffed and started slicing the potatoes.
“You can cook something later. Abhi jao aur Rey aur Ridhima ko bula ke lekar aao.” Juhi told Taani and walked out of the kitchen.
Taani walked up the stairs to Rey’s room. She knocked on the door and opened it slowly peeking in. She saw Rey sitting on the edge of the bed with his back towards her. Riri sat next to him. His head rested on her shoulder and she had her head leaned on to him. Taani stood uncomfortably at the door not knowing what to say.
“Taani you were supposed to call them down!” Armaan yelled.
Rey and Riri heard the voice and turned to look at the door to find Taani looking back at them. Taani saw their hands entwined with each other. It was clear to her that they were in the middle of a deep conversation.
“Lunch ready hai. Aunty ne neeche..” Taani stopped talking as they got up.
Riri walked to the door followed by Rey. She walked past Taani and left the room. Taani waited for Rey. He walked out of the room absentmindedly. Taani didn’t like the fact that Rey didn’t acknowledge her presence, but she decided to not bring it up at that instance. She followed them down to the dining table.
“Paneer?” Riri mumbled as she looked at the food in front of her.
“I have fried potatoes for you.” Armaan kept a plate in front of her.
“Thank you.” Riri smiled at him.
“Oh right, I forgot. Sorry.” Juhi shook her head.
“It’s alright.” Riri smiled at her.
“Maami you good?” Armaan asked Juhi.
“I’m tired!” Juhi sighed.
“Then why were you cooking? Rey ko karne bolti.” Armaan scolded her.
“Hmm?” Rey looked at Armaan.
“Go back to playing on your phone.” Armaan rolled his eyes at Rey.
“How was the birthday celebration?” Rannvijay asked Taani.
“Nikki bhabhi had literally called every person she knew.” Taani chuckled.
“I was expecting more to be honest.” Armaan laughed.
“Did Sid make it?” Juhi asked.
“Siddo couldn’t come.” Taani frowned and looked at Armaan as their last conversation ran in her mind.
“Poor thing was stuck in a snowstorm.” Armaan chuckled.
“Voh wapas aane wala hai ya wahin pe settle hone ke plans hai uske?” Rannvijay asked Armaan.
“Settle!” Armaan scoffed lightly and shook his head.
“Kya?” Rannvijay looked at him.
“I have no idea. Taani?” Armaan looked at Taani.
“Mujhe bhi nahi pata.” Taani replied.
After lunch, they all settled in the living room. Rey was sitting in between Taani and Riri. Armaan sat on the couch to the left of Riri, while Juhi and Rannvijay took seats to the right of Taani. Rey kept fiddling with his phone. Taani was noticing his behavior throughout lunch and he was constantly on his phone.
“Rey, Taani, tum dono ne kuch socha hai?” Juhi questioned.
“Kiske baare mein?” Taani asked.
“Wedding?” Juhi clarified.
“Nothing yet.” Taani looked away.
She looked over at Rey who was busy typing on his phone.
“Rey?” Juhi called him.
“Not yet.” Rey answered.
“Destination chahiye toh abhi hi bata do. I don’t want you to keep postponing your wedding as well.” Rannvijay looked at everyone sternly.
“Mamoo aap kyun tension le rahe ho? Everything is under control.” Armaan assured him.
“Under control hota toh abhi shaadi ho rahi hoti.” Rannvijay narrowed his eyes.
“Academy launch hai mamoo shaadi kaise hoti?” Armaan chuckled.
Taani looked at Rey wondering why he didn’t say anything. She noticed he was still busy on his phone.
“Taani?” Juhi called her.
“Haan?”
“Do you have anything in mind?” Juhi questioned.
“Jyada socha nahi hai kuch. I think we still have some time before we get married.” Taani answered.
“And you Rey?” Juhi looked at him. “Do I really have to threaten to take away your phone?” She shouted at him.
“Sorry.” Rey looked up.
“Tune kuch socha hai? Ya same as her?” Rannvijay pointed at Taani.
“Same as what Taani said.” Rey answered.
“Great! Jab shaadi ka mood hoga tab bata dena.” Juhi shook her head.
“Sure!” Rey replied and picked his phone back again.
Taani observed Rey for a couple of minutes and noticed a pattern - Rey and Riri were alternately using their phones. She adjusted herself and looked at his phone. He was having a conversation with Riri. She found it weird and tried to read the messages.
“You good?” Riri texted.
“I am tired.” Rey typed.
“I can see it. You need a break!“ Riri replied
“Yeah, I am exhausted!” Rey agreed.
“Go upstairs. NOW!” Riri ordered.
Rey got up. They all stopped talking and looked at him.
“Teko kya hua?” Armaan squinted at him.
“I’m going to my room. Bye.” Rey announced and left.
“Bhaag! Bhaag!” Armaan taunted, shaking his head.
“Excuse me as well.” Riri got up behind him.
“Haan tu bhi ja uske peeche!” Armaan continued shaking his head.
Riri stopped to look at Armaan. She opened her mouth to retort at him but decided not to say anything and walked up the stairs.
“Juno, you ready?” Taani walked out of her room and saw him.
“Yeah. But why am I going?” Juno asked her.
“I don’t know. Rey has called us. Bhai bahar hai and he said that he will directly meet us there.” Taani informed.
“Taani, tujhe pata hai Rey ne kyun bulaya hai?” Tanya walked out of her room.
“Nahi mumma, he didn’t say anything specific.” Taani told her.
“Theek hai.” Tanya nodded.
“Yeh Purvi kahan hai?” Taani huffed.
“She told me ki usko thoda time lagega.” Juno informed.
“Arjun ke saath busy hogi phone pe.” Taani rolled her eyes.
“I was not!” Purvi denied as she entered.
“Great! You are here. Let's leave!” Taani walked to the door.
“Waise Rey ne kyun bulaya hai?” Purvi asked.
“I don’t f*cking know! Ussi se puch lena when you meet him!” Taani walked out.
They all drove to Rey’s place. Taani walked in the house followed by the rest. She walked over to Juhi and Rannvijay who were sitting in the living room.
“You’re early.” Rannvijay commented.
“Rey kahan hai?” Taani asked him.
“Upar.” Juhi informed.
Taani nodded and walked up the stairs to Rey’s room. She knocked on his door and tried to open it. She realized that it was locked and knocked again. Rey opened the door and stepped out, immediately closing the door behind him.
“What does ‘we need to talk’ mean?” Taani glared at him pointing at her phone. “And why did you ask me to call everyone?”
“I.. I need to tell you something.” Rey whispered.
“What?” She asked.
“Let everyone come. Sabko ek saath bata dunga.” He replied.
“Get the f*ck out of my face!” They heard Riri yell from the room across.
“Sure! Will do!” Armaan left the room, banging the door behind him.
“What..?” Taani was confused.
“I’ll meet you downstairs.” Rey told her and went over to Riri’s room.
Taani followed Armaan down the stairs and settled on the couch in the living room. She had an ill feeling in her stomach and kept looking at the stairs, not paying attention to the conversation.
“Hello!” Sharon entered.
“Tum sab yahan?” Purvi asked on witnessing the entirety of D3.
“Rey called for a meeting. I didn’t expect everyone to be here.” Swayam wondered.
“He did say ki kuch important batana hai.” Juhi told them.
“Where is that drama queen?” Sharon asked.
“Upar hai. Aajayega.” Rannvijay informed.
“Anyway bhai, all set?” Sara sat next to Armaan.
“What?” Armaan looked at her.
“Shaadi!” Sara pointed out..
“Teko karni hai?” Armaan snapped at her.
“Okay.. sore topic.” Sara scurried away and stood next to Sharon.
Rey walked down the stairs along with Riri. They both carried bags with them. They kept the bags at the bottom of the stairs and walked over to where everyone was assembled.
“Yeh sab kya hai?” Juhi asked Rey.
“Sorry I’m late.” Shivam entered.
“Right on time actually.” Rey looked at him.
“What’s going on?” Taani walked up to Rey.
“I..” Rey looked at everyone staring back at him.
Riri walked next to him and held his hand, comforting him. Rey looked at Riri and let out the breath he was holding. He freed his hand and walked to Taani.
“Taani.” Rey took her hands in his. “I’m sorry.”
“Wha..?” Taani furrowed her brows.
“I wish there was a better way to do this.” He squeezed her hands.
“Do what Rey?” She looked sternly at him.
“I’m breaking up with you. I’m sorry.” Rey lowered his head.
“Ha! Good one!” Taani forced a chuckle.
“I have been debating on how to tell you this and believe me it has been rough.” Rey explained.
“Why are you doing this?” Taani asked in a shaky voice.
“I owe it to you to tell you that I don’t see us being together. I mean just look at these past few months. I grew out of love and it wouldn’t be fair to continue our relationship.”
“You’re lying.” Taani shook her head.
“I’m sorry Taani.” Rey squeezed her hand.
“I don’t believe you.” Taani freed her hands from his.
“Rey yeh sab kya hai?” Sharon walked up to him.
“I am leaving with Riri to avoid any problems here.” Rey told Sharon.
“What has breaking up with Taani got to do with you leaving?” Sharon yelled at Rey.
“Shar, I can’t be here.” Rey replied softly.
“That doesn’t answer my question!” Sharon glared at him.
“I’m sorry Shar.” Rey looked away.
“You can’t go!” Sharon demanded. “What about our academy?”
“It’s all set up for launch.” Rey gave her a weak smile.
“Rey par..” Swayam was left short of words.
“I’m sorry.” Rey mumbled.
“Rey, you need to explain.” Rannvijay intervened.
“Paa, I have come to terms with it. I don’t want to leave Taani hanging. It is better to break up with her.” Rey explained.
“That doesn’t explain these packed bags and you deciding to leave. And where is it that you are going?” Rannvijay asked sternly.
“I’m moving to London with Riri.” Rey looked at Armaan from the corner of his eyes.
“What do you mean with her?” Armaan walked to Rey.
“Bhai voh..” Rey gulped.
“We both love each other and want to be together.” Riri walked up to Rey and held his hand.
“Yes.” Rey nodded.
Everyone in the room gawked at them.
“Yeh sab kya hai Rey?” Juhi asked him.
“Sach hai.” Rey answered.
“And why did you hide it for so long?” Juhi glared at him.
“Because he is a jerk. And he only likes to play with people’s emotions!” Shivam yelled at Rey as he comforted Taani.
“And is this why you two have blocked me?” Armaan looked at Rey and Riri.
“I can explain.” Riri told him.
“Please do!” Armaan rolled his eyes at her.
Riri took a deep breath and said, “I knew Rey before I met you Armaan and I found him attractive. But I always kept that to myself thinking that he doesn’t reciprocate those feelings. Then you came along and I buried those feelings I had for him. It wasn’t until my birthday two months ago, when Rey told me that he too felt something towards me. I let it pass but it kept nagging me. When Rey came back to London, I confronted him and we had extensive discussions. The last two months were extremely difficult, but we had to make a decision. We both felt that we were cheating you by not telling the truth. And the truth is that we both like each other and want to be together.”
“And this is the reason why I’m moving to London with Riri. I don’t want to create awkwardness for anyone here. It is better to remove myself from here.” Rey added.
Armaan walked up to Rey. Rey looked at him with fear. Armaan was trembling with rage.
“I’m so..” Rey whispered but stopped midway when he saw Armaan raise his hand at him.
“Armaan!” Riri quickly held Armaan’s hand before he could slap Rey.
“Have a happy life together.” Armaan walked away.
“Maa..” Rey walked to Juhi.
Juhi looked at Rey and behind him she saw Taani who was crying uncontrollably. She looked back at Rey and gave him a tight slap across his cheek.
“I’m sorry.” Rey kept mumbling as he walked to their bags.
Riri walked next to Rey and held his hand to comfort him. They both took their luggage and slowly started walking towards the door. Rey had his eyes lowered in shame as all the others present stared at Rey and Riri in accusation.
“You were the wrong choice. You proved me right!” Shivam said as they walked past.
Rey stopped at the door and turned around to take one last look at everyone. He saw Taani sobbing in Juno’s arms. Shivam walked in front of her to block his view. He closed his eyes and turned back around and stepped out of the house.
“Rey!” Sharon yelled and ran behind him. “You can’t leave me!” She hugged him.
“I can’t stay here, Shar.” Rey loosened her grip on him.
“But what about us, Rey?” Swayam came out followed by the rest of D3.
“You will not face any problem when it comes to the academy. I’ve made sure of that.” Rey gave him a weak smile.
“Are we just fellow academy members to you?” Simi asked him.
“No.” Rey shook his head.
“Toh kyun ja rahe ho?” Sharon sobbed.
“Staying here will only cause harm.” Riri answered for Rey.
“Hume koi problem nahi hai tu jiske bhi saath rahe. Why are you creating distance between all of us because of your breakup?” Sharon asked.
“Main yahan nahi reh sakta with this guilt. I will suffocate.” Rey answered.
“If that’s the case then we will visit you in London.” Nil said.
“Sure.” Rey nodded.
“I’ll miss you.” Sharon hugged Rey followed by everyone.
“I love you all.” Rey told them.
Rey and Riri got into the taxi which arrived to pick them up. They all waved at him with teary eyes.
Hello!
I hope you had a great time reading it. F*ck hope! I'm sure you did!
It took me this long to update as I wanted to end this chapter at the breakup. But there was a lot of shit to cover before that and I was too busy with my office to work on the update. It honestly would have taken me another week if I didn't have free time at work this week.
I honestly want to know each and every person's reaction and thoughts about the chapter or even the FF in general. So please do comment and if you don't want to share your thoughts publically, you can PM me or slide into my DMs on Instagram
Question of the update:
Did anyone see this coming?
Comment down below!
The promo was a perfect prompt for me to write something in my ishtyle! ...
Amidst the tumultuous storm of a high-stakes trial, Anushka Raisinghani, a ...
Comments (39)
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Diya @foreverlazy
+ 9
1 years ago
Yeah, fine, I’ll talk about the break up because Shweta I kid you not, I was shaking as I read the ending. I had to physically force myself to get through the last scene, aka the bane of my existence, because it was making me that anxious. I mean, if that was your goal, then fantastic job cuz ya girl loves drama even though it stresses her out. Drama and I have a complicated relationship. Anyway, even though I had spoiled myself about the breakup before reading this chapter, I still had that fun surprise of Rey and Riri being “together” because your favourite idiot was still stuck on Saara (is Rey saying that her baby was his not gonna come back around?? was that little plot point a complete misdirect because well done if that’s the case). Honestly, I have no theories at this point.
Diya @foreverlazy
+ 9
1 years ago
Okay, let’s talk about Sid and Ty because Shweta why has their break up had almost the same effect on me as TR’s. First, you have them get together offscreen, and they break up in the same chapter?? SHWETA!!! I don’t want to pick sides and I really want to be understanding of both perspectives, however, I would like the record to show that if I had to choose I would Ty’s side. I love Sid and I want good things for him and I absolutely empathize with his insecurities, but if I were Ty in that situation I would dump him. // Piggybacking off of that, I think something really interesting about this chapter was your focus on Sid and Taani because while reading this chapter I was like, ‘yo, y’all are like so much more similar than I realized’. I think it was a really good choice to showcase some of their similarities because they are going through similar situations and I feel like they’d deal with these situations in similar ways (literally take a shot every time I say similar). Also, Sid and Taani are both incredibly impulsive and self-destructive, at least to me. Like, if y’all don’t think that Taani is either of those things, let me just please take you back to when she broke up with Rey on his birthday (What was that like Ch. 17?). // “I don’t want to play a game of what-ifs. It gets scary.” - I loved this line in particular because that’s the kind of line that makes you go “Oh, Taani” like you don’t know whether to comfort her or knock some sense into her or both. God, that was such a heartbreaking line dude, it really got me. // Also, a quick shout-out to Armaan for this line that had me laughing for a solid ten minutes before I start ranting about the breakup - “Dono ko upar hi pahucha dunga main ek din.” (bro I’m right there with you)
Diya @foreverlazy
+ 9
1 years ago
You know what, I do have more to say, and I want to talk about Taani and Tanya’s conversation now. I think that was one of my favourite scenes from that chapter because Tanya’s realization of how much her daughter’s grown since she met Rey, while simultaneously not allowing her to diminish the role she played in her own growth is something only a mother can do. “You always had it in you. He hasn’t taught you that. He has only aided you in understanding it.” - This line is absolutely gorgeous Shweta, how dare you. // “Selflessy selfish” is absolutely the best way to describe Rey, someone put this on the D3 wiki page.
Diya @foreverlazy
+ 9
1 years ago
Like I said, I have a lot to say, so we’re gonna have to break up these comments. Anyway, I really love it when you focus on different family dynamics because obviously with such a big cast of characters, it’s hard to show everyone interacting in every single chapter, so I think switching it up between scenes and chapters is a really good way to make sure you don’t drive yourself insane. For example, that little moment between Ranvijay and Armaan was really cute and I thought it was absolutely HILARIOUS that Rann made Armaan carry all the gifts. Or like how NikkixAbhi made an appearance in this chapter. I really liked seeing their dynamic with Taani and Armaan and how different their presence is in the fic compared to MuskaanxRahul (who’ve made many more appearances before and have brought more lightheartedness to the story compared NikkixAbhi who have been able to really provide Taani with some much-needed perspective). I also just have a really soft spot for NikkixAbhi, they were my favourite DMG couple! // Speaking of dynamics, I missed scenes of the gang so much. The way you’re able to portray that same chaoticness that they had in the show through your writing is something that I don’t think anyone else can successfully do, and I will fight anyone who disagrees with me on this. No one can accurately write scenes of the D3 gang other than Shweta, that is a fact, stay mad. Tell me who else can write a line such as “Yeh iska Babu kab activate hua?” TELL ME. // I need to talk about Simmi and Rey’s friends separately because SimmixRey ftw!! I think I really needed Simmi to update Rey on everything that’s been going on because one, it’s very them to me, and two, I think I really needed it. Shweta, you pack in so much information and my brain is the size of a pea. Anyway, it really speaks volumes about their dynamic that Rey is Simmi’s go-to for all her Nil drama and also please please please let Nimmi have nice things that the show didn’t give them.
Diya @foreverlazy
+ 9
1 years ago
Heyyyy, it’s me, your favourite, the one who always reads almost a year after your update is here! Sorry, but I was lowkey putting off reading this chapter because I accidentally spoiled myself about the breakup when you first updated and I was like, I can’t do this. But I’m here now and I have THOUGHTS. // I was so confuzzled when you started off with TR about to have sexy timez, matlab yeh ladka vapas kab aya?? Then when Taani woke up I was like ‘thank god my memory’s still somewhat intact’. What a way to start off this chapter! Also, Taani is an absolute icon - “Why am I so horny?” (idk babe, but same) // I’m really happy that Taani and Shivam were able to sort things out because all Taani really wants is for her big brother to be happy. Also, it’s kind of sweet (and funny, but mostly sweet) how Taani keeps collecting big brothers like Pokémon. I liked her conversation with Armaan because they’re not just connected through Rey and Sid, they have a dynamic that can definitely exist outside of that, and it was kind of refreshing to see a one-on-one scene between them. // Maybe it’s just because I haven’t read this fic in a while, but Taani was really funny in this chapter, I was lowkey shook. Like she’s funny, but Ch. 34 Taani is a comedian. And she can be such a little menace when she wants to be, like, main likh deti hoon that Swayam probably got no action after Taani hung up on Sharon.
Niketha @atulaya_taarey
1 years ago
Get well soon and take care❤️
Niketha @atulaya_taarey
1 years ago
Plz pretty plz ...we need an update
Shifa @ShifaD07
1 years ago
Plzz Update Next Part Soon, Waiting...
Bhoomi_P @Bhoomi_P 1 years ago The first thing in my mind, WTF. Dude this escalated quickly actually not quickly but yes quickly. This was the least expected thing. Yes rey and riri spending time did have me awkward vibes but this was totally unexpected. I hope there is next update soon. Now when I have read this it is making me feel uncomfortable in a weird way. A part of me wants to slap both of them and give taani a better life and a part of me wants to know if this is what it looks like or there’s something else. DUDE YOU GOTTA UPDATE SOON PLEASEEEEE.
Sanjana singh @manveer123
1 years ago
When will we get next updateEagerly waiting