"The worst things in life come for free and the best things in life aren't things "
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As she drove,she was smiling,giggling,blushing as random thought clouded her mind. Soothing music was on the radio and all of those lovey-dovey songs were finally making sense.
Grazing her lips,she turned red again. Even the thought of his touch,gave her goosebumps. Reminiscing each gesture of his,she felt her insides moan.
She shook her head. 'Stop it Dhra. Control.' she said to herself.
"Hmm. Prithvi..." she sighed,with her chin up,lip bitten and cheeks glowing red.
In a desperate plea to distract herself from her ongoing wild imaginations,she shifted her focus to the scenery. She hadn't been here in a while,and last night she couldn't even think straight,let alone admire the scenic beauty.
As she scanned the place and its greenery,she felt a sense of deja vu. As though,something important to her happened in this very place.But what...
A few houses seemed to be peeping behind the fields. She wasn't sure what.but something pulled her.Pressing the breaks,she abruptly got out of the car.
With steady steps,she made way through the crops. The place was quiet,the houses looked like they belonged to a wealthy lot.
As she opened the gate,the squeal of the gate's latch,brought back those repressed memories. She immediately took a few steps back in horror.
This is Advait's farmhouse.This is where he had brought her,when they had...for the first time. She felt dizzy,she needed to get out of here.
Clumsily,she paced up. She tripped a few times,but she rose back. She was running now. As she panted,she wipes off the tears which had fought its way through her eyes.
Everything from there on,was foggy to her.
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Big boxes,small boxes,cards and flowers. Her room was stocked with gifts. Resting her chin against a knee,she sat there on the floor,wondering why people actually spend their hard earned money on gifts. Not that she didn't like them. But still.
Her hair was tied in a messy bun,her mother had forcefully made her wear the girliest of the newly purchased clothes,despite her frowns and yells. Something about 'Im not a girl. Im a tom-boy Ma. Deal with it.'
After the 'episode' she had earlier that morning on her way home,all she wanted was to get into her room and have some time to herself. But no,when she got home,she had to witness the over-huggy-touchy family which had been waiting at the doorstep. After a lot of hugs and kisses and 'happy birthday to you' in the loudest possible way,they had finally let her get into the house.
Yes,all that drama,was at the gate. Sigh. Poor neighbours,she thought.
Speaking of neighbours,she needed to call Prithvi. But,she hadn't made up her mind on telling him about...
As she dialed his number,she thought for a moment again, 'Should I?'
She bailed. No point in bringing in the past. She threw on the phone on her bed. "I'll just meet him in sometime."
Peeping through her curtains,she tried to look into his house. His windows were open.
"He's home." she said,as a smile made way. She had missed this-watching him do his whatever-it-is-that-he-does-with-so-much-swag through her window.
Which brought back those memories of that tug in her heart.
Why had he taken off? Why had he taken off without telling her? Why had he taken off without telling her and then returned?
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Throwing another crumpled piece of expensive paper,he finally gave up. There was no point. After what he made her go through,there was no way he could defend himself. There was no way she would let him in again.
If only she let him explain. One chance. That's all he hoped for. But he couldn't just barge into her life uninvited. She had moved on,in the true sense. He was happy for her,genuinely.
Nobody knew him, like her. Nobody understood him,like her. Nobody 'cared' for him,like her.
He owed her a lot. She made him get a hold of himself. He'll always be grateful;he has always been grateful. If only he had been more verbal with his feelings.
Sigh. It was too late. It was too late to sort things out with her. It was too late.
It was too late to tell her that she mattered to him. It was too late to tell her that she was,is and always will be 'important' to him.
His 'best friend'. The only friend of his who had actually been a 'friend' to him,in its true sense. No lies. No backstabbing.
Was he wrong in letting her go? Did it do more harm, than it did good?
Does she still think about me? Hope not. She can't. She should not.
But...
He picked up a fresh sheet and penned down straight from the heart.
Dear Dhru,
Happy birthday Dhru.
I know I shouldn't be writing to you,not now.Not after all this while.But I had to..I had to tell you what really happened.
I miss you Dhru. I always have. But I needed to hurt you,so that you distance yourself from me. So that,you fall out of love with me.You're too good a person to have fallen in love with me. Im anything,but good. I don't deserve you. I never have and never will.
Even if I loved you.
Yours sincerely,
Adu
Moments later,this sheet of paper found itself in the dustbin.
'I cannot do this to her. She can't know...She can't know that I was,infact,...that I was..that I am...in love with her.'
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He was at peace today. After all these years of ups and downs,he was finally at peace.
Dhruvi had finally landed right where she had to-in his arms.
He had just one more task to finish though. An important one. Once he is done with that,he can breathe easy.
Hesitated he was,but this was for Dhruvi,so he had to.
Should he make a phone call or go meet in person? The former would have been preferable,because that would minus the possibility of wasting physical strength.But,he chose the latter. He needed to talk face-to-face.
Dressed in a white and grey shirt,coupled with a pair of black trousers,he got out of his house. The weather was good today,must be a sign.
Trying to see through her room's window,his forehead creased.
'I should probably text her'
Picking up his phone,he typed her a few lines and then got into his car.
It was only when she heard the sound of the tyres,when Dhruvi looked out into her window. That was Prithvi's car 'where did he go?!'
Just then,she felt her phone buzzing.
'See you in the evening,darling. I got some urgent work. So g2g.
Oh and btw,I love you. :* '
As she typed him a 'I love you too' in reply,she wondered where he was headed. Must be the hospital,she thought. She flung her phone into the bed,and then went downstairs,as she heard some voices of her friends.
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The shimmering lights reflected on her glowing face as she made way through the crowd. Hugging out a bunch of friends as they greeted her. He watched as her eyes lit up when her favourite song echoed in the discotheque and he noticed that she felt a bit embarrassed every-time someone passed her a compliment 'Ah!Still not comfortable with receiving compliments,is she?' he thought as he chuckled.
Her eyes seemed to be in search of something...or someone.
A few of her friends didn't seem to be letting her go without shaking a feet or two. Shaking her head in disapproval like a kid at first,she finally gave in. But no,she bends down. Wait,what?
Of-course,never dances with her shoes on. He felt a strong urge to dance along as he watched her head sway rythmically to the beat.
Dhruvi always had the best moves in the dance-floor. Part of the crowd,yet so very distinctive.
He turned around before he lost control of himself,pretending to stir his drink,he was lost in thoughts again.
Furrowing his head,he seemed to be trying had to make up his mind. Finally coming to a decision,he took a deep sigh and turned around,she wasn't in her spot anymore.
Had she moved to another place as she danced? Moving his head in a swift movement,he scanned the place,but she wasn't visible.
Where did she go?
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Having hardly any knowledge of how exactly she had escaped the crowd,reached the lobby and had landed safely into Prithvi's arms,she looked at him with a baffled expression.
Before she could ask him for an explanation,she felt the taste of his lips.All of it happened so fast,that she needed a minute to get it registered in her head first,before she broke off the kiss to look at him.
As she abruptly pulled away from him,she saw his features showing signs of annoyance. But before he could complain,she got a hold of his collar firmly and locked her lips with his. She felt a tickle triggering from deep within,as she felt his lips caressing every bit of her own.
Within a few moments,they were both panting,but neither of them wanted to let go.When he finally opened his eyes to look at her,she hadn't opened her eyes yet and was gasping for breath. Bringing his mouth as close to her ears as possible,he then whispered 'Dhra..'
Not having a hold of herself as yet,she managed saying "Huh?" in pseudo consciousness.Smiling at his lady love,he gently steered her towards the nearby door,which lead to a private room.Pinning her against the door,he swiftly bolted it.
Planting one last kiss on her lips,he at last gives her a chance to speak.
'Did he always fake that intensity in his eyes to look more irresistible or is it built in?' she thought.
Running her fingers through his hair "You should have spent the day with me,you know",she said,keeping her eyes fixed on his hair.
His grip on her waist tightened as he brought his head down towards hers,as she tilted her head a bit to look at him now,he said "I've decided to spend the rest of my life with you,so do you think you can forgive me for this 'one' day's absence?"
Prithvi's eyes kept moving to and fro between her eyes and her lips. Reducing the distance between them even more now,he whispered "Forgive me?"
She wanted to extend her bluff for a bit longer,but his incredibly charming personality was making it hard..very hard.
His taut torso pressing against her body now,she could feel his breath, "Forgive me?" he repeated.
Being over-taken with a strong desire to kiss him,she put her hands around his neck,and their lips sought each other in hunger.
When they pulled away from each other, "This doesn't mean I forgive you though." she said,smirking.
Giggling,he said "Ofcourse,I believe you."
"I'm serious." she said,trying hard not to laugh. "Where were you anyway?" she added on.
"Ermm..to get your birthday gift.We should go outside.You can then..see..it." he seemed a bit aloof as he said it.
Locking her arm with his elbow,she patiently waited as he unlocked the bolt and swung the door open.
As she turned her head to look at the lobby now,her feeling of content had reached its dead end abruptly.
Her expressions turned pale,she felt chills running through her body,her mouth had gone dry as she stared at her...birthday gift.
It was Advait,in bone and flesh. For real. He was standing...right there,in front of her.
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Book Talk
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
36