This story is actually inspired by oye_nakhrewaali's two beyond lovely stories Drabble: 5% of a Love Story and Questions when you start dating
It's set in the same universe, but it's a in-between stage or a relook at the same stage (i don't know, i'm blabbering). Read those first (obviously)
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Priya was pacing up and down at the terrace café and the two figures were looking at her intently, having given up trying to make sense of the gibberish she was uttering as part of her half sentences.
“Kunal…” she started before shutting up, failing to articulate her thoughts.
“Priya, for pete’s sake….can you please finish your sentence. We’ve been looking at you for the last 30 minutes”.
“Kunal…DO you know that Bri and Mr. Kapoor will skewer me alive? Why didn’t you go to them directly? Why are you telling me this?”
“Priya, exactly that. Can you imagine Bri if I walk up to her and break the news? I’m coming to you so you can run interference and obviously also charm both Bri and Ram because they sure as hell won’t be as violent with you as they will be with me. I mean I’m doing this for all of our best interests including your husband’s…remember his BP?”
“So you agree that there will be some violence involved? Yaar, why am I the bali ka bakra in this situation?”
“Dosti ki hai, toh nibhani toh padegi” he smirked, exchanging a hi-5 with the other person on the table
“Don’t get cute with me Kunal”. She looked at the two of them, and sighed. “Tumko aur koi nahi mila…isi se pyaar karna tha?”
“The heart wants what it wants Priya” he stated
“Acha starting se bataao phir, so I can get all my facts, arguments and counter arguments in place…”
“Right…So, as you know after you unceremoniously ditched my offer for marriage for my richer best friend”…Priya blushed hard at the mention of it…
“Kunal, we’ve been over this, after 8 months you cannot bring up this fact for a 10-minute crush you had, and you can CERTAINLY not bring it up anymore as you sit here professing your love for someone else”
“Sorry baba, I couldn’t resist. Acha suno…so I actually had done some self reflection earlier in the year and had decided to stop having flings and look for a serious relationship. You know how unsuccessful that was with the multiple actual rejections I faced. It’s a tough dating world out there”
“How did Sid come into the picture?” She turned her face to Sid who was sitting that
“Well, he actually had a heartbreak and that’s where we met?”
“What, Shivina? I thought that was just a passing interest. I didn’t know that you had such deep feelings for her. Wow, new surprises every day!”
Sid turned the colour of a tomato as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He mumbled something incoherent which she didn’t understand. He looked over to Kunal to come to his rescue as Priya continued to stare at him.
“Nahi yaar Priya….not Shivina….the other Kapoor”
“Omg, yeh kaunsi cousin hai that I don’t know about?”
“Priya…the other Kapoor sibling”
The penny dropped very slowly into Priya’s head and when it did, it made so much more sense to her. No wonder Sid went ahead with all the hare brained schemes Shubhu came up with (including convincing himself that 5% > 95%).
“Did Shubham know?”
“I was never able to tell him, and it really killed me to be beside him and watch him dating various other women. It was pretty clear he and I were never to be, and when I was wallowing in self-pity is when I met Kunal”
“….And the rest as you know is history!” piped up Kunal, taking Sid’s hand and squeezing it ever so slightly.
“So Sid…the hard work you’ve been putting in at the company the last few months, what was that for? Are you still interested in Shubu? After all it is really difficult to forget an intense love. I want to make sure Kunal is not a rebound and you are not going to hurt him. I’m not sure how it works with you and Shashi, but here friends are family and forget Ram and Bri, I won’t let you alone if you even think about hurting Kunal. And you know that I don’t say this lightly”
Kunal laughed with a deep warm laugh as he heard Priya give Sid the version of the dad talk. He loved his friends beyond everything else, and he was so pleased that her reaction was so accepting yet cautious for his well being
“Priya….I promise, Kunal was instrumental in healing my broken heart and I wouldn’t jeopardise that for anything. Alsooo, all that good work was more to impress you and Ram, as I know how important you are for Kunal.”
Priya smiled at his response and immediately went back to her initial panic. Her husband, Bri, Adi detested Shashi and Sid. The Vedika fiasco had not done much to build trust on that end, and she was convinced Bri had a voodoo doll set of the entire family stuck with pins.
She had her work cut out for her, but one look at the soppy, very in love faces of the two people ahead of her convinced her that in the end it would be for the good, and it would all work out. After all…dosti ki hai, toh nibhani padegi!
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i hope I've stayed with the ethos of that universe.
Repeating the blurb about "Don't be rude in the comments if you don't see Sid or Kunal as someone who isn't heterosexual. Spread love!"
Also cannot seem to tag @oye_nakhrewaali (not sure I know how to do that), but thank you so much for the inspiration.
Cricket
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