#2 TaaReyFF- Vivah-a journey from engagement to marriage...[MIGRATED] - Page 11

Originally posted by: smiliiiii

Please update.. I am dying... Cant concentrate on anything.

Yaar, few ka matlab 3-5 hota hai, yahaan pe tum toh seedhe 15 ghante tak pahunch gayi ho. 😂

Originally posted by: anitaanu

yes ever now and then checking for update 😒

True every now and tgen checking for updates

Originally posted by: AbhiNikiLuver

Yaar, few ka matlab 3-5 hota hai, yahaan pe tum toh seedhe 15 ghante tak pahunch gayi ho. 😂

😂😂😂😂

18 hoursssss when will we get update🥱😒😭

“Hum yahan aise kyun baithe hai?” Rey looked across the empty round table at the restaurant.

“Speak when you’re being spoken to. Now eat!” Armaan pointed at the plate of food in front of Rey.

“What?” He was about to argue when he saw Taani, Shivam and Sid walk towards them. “Inko bhi aapne bulaya?” He questioned Armaan.

“I’m really sorry traffic mein phas gaye the hum.” Shivam apologized once they all settled in.

“We’re sorry too. Bhook lagi thi toh order kar liya.” Armaan chuckled.

“Why are we here?” Taani asked.

“Teko bhi nahi pata?” Rey questioned her.

“Mujhe bhi matlab?” Taani narrowed her eyes at Rey.

“Shivam can you explain me at least?” Rey looked at Shivam.

“I have no idea, Sid asked me to accompany!” Shivam raised his hands.

“What the f**k is going on?” Rey was now irritated.

“Chup chap kha, hangry mat ban.” Armaan rolled his eyes at him.

“Tune toh mera suggestion bohot hi seriously le liya yaar.” Sid chuckled at Armaan.

“Siddo, what’s going on?” Taani asked sensing Rey’s building anger.

“Arre meine Armaan ko suggest kiya tha ki usse Rey se badla lena chahiye for getting Riri here without telling him. I asked him to get Rey here as you two need to decide the date for engagement and joked that don’t let Rey take any decision. He’ll have to agree to whatever you say.” Sid explained to Taani.

“That won’t happen! Aur date toh mumma aur aunty ne finalize kar di thi na?” Taani narrowed her eyes.

“Koi date final nahi huyi hai.” Shivam confirmed.

“Wait, what did you mean by that won’t happen?” Rey questioned Taani.

“Tujhe sirf yes bolna allowed hai, to whatever we decide here. Nothing else!” Armaan glared at him.

“Armaan bhai engagement uski bhi hai. He gets a say in it.” Taani defended Rey making him grin at her.

“Riddhima ko yahan laane se pehle usne mera opinion liya tha? Nahi na? So, he too doesn’t get any say!”

“Can you guys stop arguing and come to the point?” Shivam intervened.

“Any particular reason for bringing him along?” Armaan asked Sid pointing at Shivam.

“I am here to tell you that meine wedding planner select kar di hai. She just needs the date to start working.” Shivam informed.

“Aise hi kisiko bhi leliya? Uska work experience kya hai?” Rey argued.

“Meri behen ki shaadi hai, aise kisiko bhi select nahi karunga mein!” Shivam replied back.

“Engagement!” Rey and Taani corrected him.

“Dono ke thoughts kitne milte hai.” Sid smiled in glee at them.

“Shut up!” Rey scowled.

“Yeh dekh work experience.” Shivam showed a few pictures on his phone.

“Tu toh serious hogaya. I was joking.” Rey put his phone away.

“Sarcasm mere bhai ko samajhta nahi.” Sid chuckled.

“Voh sarcastic nahi tha.” Shivam argued.

“Hum main topic se bhatak rahe hai.” Armaan intervened. “Date?”

“Bhai mein soch raha tha..” Rey spoke.

“Tereko kisne pucha?” Armaan stopped him.

“Arre?” Rey argued.

Armaan ignored him and looked at Taani. “Taani, tum batao.”

“I.. don’t know.” Taani looked at her hands on the table.

“Great!” Armaan rolled his eyes and sat back.

“How about we decide the venue and stuff, phir availability dekh ke date decide kar lenge.” Shivam suggested.

“Kitna unromantic hai tu, pehle date phir baki sab!” Sid stated.

The argument kept going on throughout dinner and at the end of it all they were back to square one, deciding the date. In the middle of this discussion, the waiter came with the check and placed it in front of Rey. He removed his card while still talking and paid for the dinner. Taani looked from him to Armaan, to Sid, to Shivam and found Shivam looking back at her with the same question written on his face as hers. She smiled awkwardly at him and shifted her attention back to the conversation.

“We’ve played around with a lot of options now so let’s do one thing, tum dono ghar jao aur socho aaram se and come up with a date. Abhi toh koi decision lena impossible hai!” Armaan came up with a solution.

“Atcha now I get a say?” Rey narrowed his eyes at him.

“Kya karu after all bhai hai tu mera!” Armaan raised his shoulders.

“Nautanki!” Rey shook his head. “Atcha Shivam, would you mind if I drop Taani home?” He asked.

“Kyun? Aayi toh mein bhai ke saath thi?” Taani raised her brow.

“Toh jaa mere saath sakti ho.” Rey gave her an innocent look.

“Nahi aana.” She mocked.

“Please?” He pouted.

“Aajao na uske saath, kuch baat karni hogi usse.” Shivam encouraged her.

“I can’t believe you just said that!” Taani widened her eyes.

“Aise kyun dekh rahi ho? Voh tumhe ghar hi to drop karna chahata hai, kaunsa kahin ghoomne jaa rahe ho?” Shivam said tongue-in-cheek making Sid and Armaan laugh at Rey’s expense.

“Muskaan ko bohot tang kiya tha na tune, sabka badla lega mera bhai!” Sid said proudly patting Shivam’s back.

“Shivam tell me honestly, tujhe merese kya problem hai?” Rey confronted him.

“Tujhe batana mein jaroori nahi samajhta!” Shivam smirked.

“What the hell!” Rey protested. Armaan and Sid laughed at him.

“Bhai?” Taani looked at him controlling her laugh.

“Kya bhai? You too can laugh at my expense!” Rey sulked.

“Mein kahan hass rahi hoon?” She said as her lips twitched while trying not to laugh.

“Sir your card.” The waiter handed back his card.

“Fine then! I’ll leave!” Rey got up inserting his wallet in his back pocket.

“Wait, you’re supposed to drop me home.” Taani got up.

“Kyun mere saath toh aana nahi tha.”

“Mann badal liya. Kyun abh lift nahi deni?” Taani wiggled her eyebrows.

“Chalo.” Rey grabbed her hand before she changed her mind again.

…

“Ice cream?” Taani’s eyes lit up as he pulled up in the lane of the ice cream parlour.

“Yes luv!” Rey grinned at her.

“Aaj bohot pyaar aa raha hai?” Taani teased.

“Tumhe kab hoga.” Rey mumbled looking ahead but Taani caught onto it.

“Mujhe hogaya hai Rey, par samajh nahi aaraha ki tumhe batau kaise.” Taani thought as she trailed behind him to the parlour.

“Kya logi?”

“Mint chocolate chip.” She replied.

He ordered for them and they settled on a bench in the garden.

“So?” Taani looked at him.

“Tumhare saath time spend karna tha. So.. this.” He smiled.

“No.” She replied, and he narrowed his eyes at her. “There is something else.”

“Let’s just enjoy this for now.” He pointed at the ice cream in his hand.

“How is Sharon? Haven’t had a chance to meet her since her return.” Taani asked.

“She is getting back to normal now. All of it happened so sudden that it took a toll on her. Swayam aur meine usse yahan bohot busy rakha hai just to stop her from calling uncle every ten minutes.”

“Usse wahin rehne dete na uske papa ke paas.”

“Sharon was the last thing Gautam uncle needed. Voh wahan rukti toh uncle ko pakka dusra attack aata aur seedha upar!” He shut his eyes immediately as he realized what he said. “Sorry, I.. I didn’t mean it.” He held her hand.

“It’s okay but please next time kabhi aisa mat kehna.” She squeezed his hand.

“So, this engagement date, socha hai kuch?” He changed the topic.

“Kahan kuch. Mujhe laga tha mumma kar degi fix waise bhi roka wagera unhone hi plan kiya tha na.”

“Tum khush ho na?” He questioned.

“Of course! Aise kyu puch rahe ho?”

“Usually aisi sab cheezon ke liye excitement hoti hai. I mean I know that yeh decision and all tumhara hai, but I guess.. I don’t know.” He looked away.

“You guess what Rey?” She made him face her.

“Is it because you don’t.. I mean you’re not in love with me?” His voice turned into a whisper by the end of it.

She broke eye contact and looked away to control her racing heart. She wanted to tell him that she loved him back, but words had refused to come out of her mouth.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that. Mera intention tumhe guilty feel karane ka nahi tha. I don’t know why I said it.” He apologized instantly.

“Rey I know what you want to hear but..” Taani looked at him tongue tied.

“Mein jaanta hoon ki jab kabhi tumhe mujhse pyaar hoga tum bataogi, but I don’t know why jab bhi tumhe dekhta hoon I feel that you too are in love with me. I know I’m reading too much into you, but I just can’t help myself. Jitna easily tumne mujhe forgive kiya aur phir trip pe meri wajah se mere friends ne tumpe jitne pranks kiye uss sab ka bhi bura nahi maana, yeh sab dekh ke I sometimes feel that I don’t deserve you. I made you question your trust on me, aise insaan se tumhe kya mujhe khud ko pyaar nahi hoga.” He sighed.

“You don’t give a lot of credit to yourself.” She entangled her fingers in his. “Yes, you made one mistake and yes I doubted my trust on you, par tumne kabhi voh trust khone nahi diya. It’s still intact. In fact, it has grown strong now. I know you care deeply for everyone around you. Aur tumne toh suna hi hoga, you hurt the ones you care about the most.” She smiled.

“Suna toh hai but I don’t get why. Jinki hum care karte hai unhe toh kabhi bhi hurt nahi karna chahiye hume.”

“Itni philosophical toh mein hoon nahi, so iska answer tumhe kahi aur dhundana hoga.” She giggled making him smile.

“Tum bilkul pagal ho.” He head-bumped her.

“Tumhare saath rehke thodi ban gayi hoon.” She bit her lower lip and saw his eyes unintentionally linger on it. She straightened up.

“Abh toh tum mere aur Aashi ke baare mein jaan chuki ho, so I hope you’re not mad at me anymore for that.” He looked at her hoping for a positive reply.

“A little maybe.” She said tongue-in-cheek.

“Really?” He challenged her reading into her playfulness and shook his head as she started laughing.

“Atcha tell me, agar Siddo mera bhai nahi hota, toh what would have been your explanation?”

“I don’t know. I was trying to come up with one par tab tak Sid saamne aagaya.”

“Agar nahi aata toh? Jhoot bolte?”

“Poora sach nahi bolta bas. Voh fake relationship mein aane ka koi reason bana deta maybe.”

“Tum na ek alag hi character ho. Sid ka secret safe rakha aur abhi Purvi ko aise selflessly help kiya.”

“I wasn’t completely selfless.” He confessed.

“I know that since she is my friend you helped her but jis tarah se uski help ki was selfless.”

“If you say so!”

“She told me about Juhi aunty.” She studied his face. “Is that why you never went in a relationship?”

He gave a throaty chuckle and said, “you know I always argued with myself that I never found someone who I liked to be in a relationship with but somewhere deep inside I knew that I didn’t want to. I couldn’t bear the thought that someone would break ties with her family for my sake. Maa ne kiya, but deep down I know she still misses her family. Muski too almost did that. So, I’ve seen both sides of this and it’s not easy being on either side. I just never wanted this possibility to ever occur if and when it came to me. Also, in hindsight this maybe the reason why I helped Purvi so selflessly as you put it.”

“Rey tum..” She hugged him and rested her head on his chest.

“Abh keh bhi do Taani. Tumhari aakhein tumhare dil ka haal bayan kar rahi hai. I’m dying to hear it from you.” Rey thought.

“I want to tell you how much I love you, par bol hi nahi pa rahi hoon.” Taani thought.

They sat in each other’s embrace for a long time till a ringtone disturbed them.

“Muski?” He looked at the name flashing on his phone and answered. “Hello.”

“Riri se baat kara meri.” Muskaan said urgently.

“Kya hua sab theek hai?” He asked worried.

“Kiara ko bohot tez fever hua hai jo kam hi nahi ho raha hai. Abhi last option medicine hai and I just want to crosscheck with Riri to know what is safe.” Muskaan informed.

“Mein abhi bahar hoon, uska number tumhe forward karta hoon. Call me if you need any help.” He disconnected the call and forwarded the number to Muskaan.

“All good?” Taani asked him.

“Kiara ki tabiyat environment change ki wajah se thodi upar neeche rehti hai.” Rey informed.

“We should leave, it’s already very late.” Taani looked at the deserted garden.

“Tum chalo, mein pay karke aata hoon.”

“Paise jyada hogaye hai?” She immediately closed her eyes and mentally cursed herself for saying it out loud.

“Sorry?” He was taken aback by her words.

“Mera matlab hai wahan restaurant mein bhi poora bill tumne bhara aur abhi bhi pay kar rahe ho.” Taani stated awkwardly smiling at him.

“Mujhe koi shawk nahi hai kharche karne ka. Voh toh bas check mere paas aaya so I just had to.” He explained.

“Had to?” She questioned.

“It’s kind of our pact.”

“Pact?”

“Well, jab tak hum college mein they, tab tak wherever we went we used to contribute equally. Phir jab job lagi tabse it started getting weird ki pay kaun karega as all of us wanted to. You know new job, so thoda show off sabke saamne.” He chuckled.

“Phir?”

“Phir, I observed bhai. Voh jab sab friends milke bahar jaate the toh the person paying was the one who received the check in front of him. So, we started doing that to avoid arguments. And now it’s not something we even think about. Shayad yahi tumhe awkward laga hoga ki bhai tha wahan yet I paid, right?”

“Haan, in fact even Siddo didn’t mind that, toh mujhe thoda weird laga.”

“Don’t worry you’ll get used to it.” He chuckled.

“So now if I pay for the ice cream, you won’t mind right?”

“I..” He paused and then said, “will mind.”

“Why?”

“Because see, you aren’t working right now, so that’s not technically your money. It’s complicated yaar. Hum itni raat ko yeh discuss kyun kar rahe hai?” He wailed.

“No, I want to know. Suppose ki kal agar I decide that I don’t want to work and sit at home, phir toh according to you I’m broke. right?”

“Tum kahan se kahan le ja rahi ho? I didn’t mean it that way.”

“You did. Tumhare kehne ka matlab hota hai ki I’m not allowed to spend money on myself because it’s not mine.”

“Seriously Taani? Why are you reading so much into it? I just meant ki aise treats wagera mujhe lene nahi pasand. Especially because that’s your pocket money.”

“No, it isn’t! It’s the savings money which my father saved for me to use.”

“Okay sorry. Tumhe pay karna hai, kar lo.” He raised his hands in defeat.

“Meherbani nahi chahiye. Pay karke aajana, I’ll wait outside.” She walked off.

“Isse atchanak kya hua?” Rey wondered.

“What was I doing? Itni sab bakwas karne mera muh khulta hai but ek simple I love you bolne nahi horaha mujhe. God, I want to just..aggrh!” She stomped her foot.

“Taani listen, I’m sorry if I offended you. Mein aage se dhyaan rakhunga. I know you are independent, and I’ll try my best to not repeat this.” Rey came out paying the bill and saw her frustrated.

“Can we leave? I’m really tired.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Sure.”

“Good morning sir!” The receptionist greeted Rey.

“Good morning, Zenia!” Rey greeted back as he made his way to his cabin.

“Watch where you’re going!” Kiya cursed as she bumped into someone and her files dropped on the floor.

“Excuse me?” She heard in return and paled on recognizing the voice.

“Armaan sir, sor..ry. Voh me..mera dhyaan kahi aur tha.” She fumbled.

“Relax.” Armaan responded and bent to pick up the files.

“I.. I’ll manage. You don’t worry.” She hurriedly started to pick up the files.

“Let me help.” He offered.

“No sir, aap takleef mat leejiye. Mein kar lungi.”

“Okay!” He handed her the file and left.

She sighed in relief and heard a roar of laughter. She looked up to see Rey holding his stomach and laughing at her expense.

“Bhai se itna darti hai tu?” He asked moving towards her and still chuckling.

“Sir Mumbai kab aaye?” She questioned him.

“Aadat daal lo abh se regular aane wale hai.” He helped her gather all the files.

“Thanks.” She almost lost her balance picking them up.

“Idhar lao.” He picked up half of them and followed her. “Yeh sab files ke saath kar kya rahi ho?”

“Mansi ma’am ne mangwayi hai.” She informed.

“Thode thode lekar jati ya kisiko help ke liye bulati.”

“Abh aap aagaye na, hogayi help.” She giggled.

“Kiya!” Mansi’s voice startled her.

“Files ma’am!” She forwarded them.

“Cabin mein jaake rakho.” Mansi instructed and she rushed in. “Rey, tum yahan?”

“Help kar raha tha. Yeh pakdo!” He handed over the remaining files to Mansi and turned to leave.

“Rey?” She stopped him.

“Hmm?”

“I saw Armaan today, is he joining back?” She asked.

“Yes and no!”

“Huh?”

“Yes, he is joining back but I don’t know from when.” He explained.

“Usse Purvi ke baare mein pata hai na?” Mansi asked.

“Bhai tujhe aake question nahi karega, you relax. Usse pata hai Purvi ko meine kyu hire karwaya hai.”

“Great then! See you later!” She left.

“Hey Purvi.” Rey was going back to his cabin and spotted her.

“Hi Rey.” She greeted back.

“How are you? How’s everything going?” He walked up to her.

“You know Rey, you don’t have to check on me every day. I’m doing great, all thanks to you!”

“Yes, I know that, but if you need anything..”

“I’ll manage.” She interrupted him. “Tum already meri bohot help kar chuke ho.” She smiled at him.

“I’m sensing where this is going, so let me just tell you ki I’m not going to accept any money from you. Tumhari help meine apni marzi se ki thi.”

“But Rey, let me pay you back for the plane tickets at least.” She pleaded.

“Bye Purvi, I’ll see you later.” He left before she started arguing with him.

For the past few days Purvi had been trying to repay Rey for helping her out. He kept refusing her, so she even tried to get Taani involved, but Rey didn’t listen to her and flat out told Purvi to stop bothering him. Later he felt bad for shouting at her and hence was checking on her everyday at the office to make sure she was alright.

“Are you sure of it?” Purvi heard whispers as she came back to her desk.

“I’m just telling you what I’ve observed in the last two days.”

“So, you mean to say that Rey sir and Purvi are a thing?”

“He comes here every morning to greet her. Baki log bhi hai office mein, unhe toh personally jaake kabhi greet nahi kiya sir ne. And did you notice, she doesn’t address him as sir. On top of that, I saw her with Juhi ma’am yesterday.”

“Wow! I feel really jealous of her right now!”

“Mein aur Rey?” Purvi’s eyes widened as she overheard the conversation. “I hope this doesn’t reach him. Voh mere baare mein kya sochega? Aur Taani? No, no, no! I’ll have to be careful. These rumors need to die!” She thought to herself.

…

“Yeh tumhare liye kuch aaya hai.” Purvi handed an envelope to Taani.

“Yeh?” Taani thought opening it.

“Atcha sunn, I need to talk to you about something.” Purvi hesitated.

“Kya hua?” Taani looked up from that envelope, keeping it aside.

“Voh Rey office.. I mean..” Purvi broke eye contact and struggled to form a coherent sentence.

“Rey!” Taani flared her nostrils at the mention of his name. “Leave him to me, mein bhi dekhti hoon how he doesn’t accept money from you. Bohot badi badi baatein karne aati hai bas usse, kya bola tha khudke dumpe kisike help ke bina sab build karna tha. Aisa sirf usse karna allowed hai, koi aur toh kar hi nahi sakta!” Taani ranted.

“Hain? Tujhe kya hua hai?” Purvi was startled by her rant.

“Dimaag garam kiya hai usne mera!” Taani sat down on her bed pulling her hair.

“Paani pee.” Purvi offered her water.

“Thanks.” She drank the whole bottle in one go.

“Abh bata kal se tera mood kyun off hai?” Purvi questioned.

“I am mad at him. But uss se jyada khud pe gussa aa raha hai!” Taani sighed.

“Par kyun?”

“Kal raat ko hum ice cream khane gaye the. I wanted to pay, and he didn’t let me saying ki yeh mere paise nahi hai. Uske hisaab se mein dusro ke paise udati hoon!”

“He said that?” Purvi widened her eyes.

“Yes!”

“Sachchi?”

“First part haan. Aage ka nahi, but it implied that!”

“Then tell him ki aage se aise na kare voh. I’m sure he will listen.”

“I told and he did listen.”

“Toh phir?”

“Yaar khud pe gussa aa raha hai ki khudka frustration uspe nikal rahi hoon!”

“Seedhe seedhe batayegi?”

“I don’t know how to confess to him.”

“Muh se!” Purvi giggled.

“Very funny!” Taani glared at her. “I’m serious! He is expecting it from me and is feeling guilty for doing that! He has been very understanding abhi tak, I don’t want him to be disappointed for expecting something which I should have told him long ago!”

“Tu bol kyun nahi pa rahi?”

“Whenever I try, uska confession yaad aajata hai. And I can’t just casually tell him, he deserves something grand. Usse poora yakeen tha ki mein uss se pyaar karne lagungi. I want to let him know how freaking right he was!” Taani had a dreamy smile on her face.

Purvi shook her head at Taani’s juvenility and came up with a solution for her. “Arrange a date with him and tell him!” Purvi suggested.

“He will suspect it. Aise atchanak se mein date pe kyun le jaungi usse? There should be a reason na.”

“Treat for graduating!”

“Huh?”

“Next week results hai, bhool gayi?”

“Oh haan!” Taani stood up with a spark in her eyes. “Thanks a lot!” She jumped around the room in joy.

“Pagal!” Purvi shook her head and her eyes fell on the envelope lying on Taani’s bed. “Pratt University, New York.” She read on the envelope and her eyes opened wide in horror.

“Hello aunty.” Rey greeted Tanya as he walked in to the house.

“Hi Rey, kaise ho?” Tanya greeted him back.

“Mein theek hoon par ghar pe itni shanti kyun hai? Sab kahan hai?” He asked looking around.

“Sid, Abhi aur Nikki koi movie dekhne gaye hai. Taani aur Purvi room mein hai. Aur Shivam, Sneha se milne gaya hai.” Tanya informed.

“Sneha?” Rey looked confused.

“Your wedding planner.” She replied.

“Shaadi meri hai aur mein aaj tak uss se nahi mila hoon aur Shivam already teen chaar chakkar laga chuka, maanjra kya hai?” He wiggled his brows with a coy smile.

“You’ve got a point. Kuch toh maanjra jaroor hai.” Tanya agreed.

“Shivam?” Aruna entered in.

“Nahi aunty mein.” Rey answered.

“Hello Rey.” Aruna smiled at him and then looked at Tanya. “Atcha Tanya, Taani ka mood kaisa hai aaj?” She asked.

“Subah se room mein hai. Pata nahi kya hua hai.” Tanya sighed.

“Rey tujhe kuch pata hai iske baare mein?” Aruna raised her brow at him.

“Jab pata hai toh kyu pooch rahe ho aap?” Rey replied guiltily.

“Kya pata hai?” Tanya looked at them with narrowed eyes.

“Jhagda hua hai dono ka.” Aruna answered.

“Jhagda nahi, she’s just a little upset.” Rey corrected.

“Jiss tarah voh kal tumhari car se nikli thi, uss se little upset toh nahi lagi.” Aruna challenged.

“Aruna kya bol rahi ho tum?” Tanya asked her.

“Kal jab Rey chodne aaya tha Taani ko mein neeche hi thi. Aur jis tarah se Taani gusse se nikli thi mujhe laga hi ki kuch gadbad hai. Phir raat ko dinner pe usse shaant dekh ke mein samajh gayi ki jhagda hua hai.” Aruna explained.

“Tumhe pata tha toh kuch bataya kyun nahi? Ruko mein baat karti hoon uss se.” Tanya got up to go to Taani’s room.

“Arre aunty aap baitho. She is mad at me, let me talk to her.” Rey stopped her.

“Anything serious?” She asked.

“Not at all. Please aap tension mat lo.” Rey assured her and went to Taani’s room.

He knocked on the door and opened it. He saw Taani and Purvi lying on the bed and a laptop in front of them. They were completely engrossed in it as didn’t hear the door open. He saw on the screen a man holding another man by his neck and off the ground.

“Bonjour Monsieur Gatineau. I should let you live to tell of this, but I seem to be on a bit of a roll.” The man said and snapped his victim’s neck and threw him across the room.

Someone whizzed towards him and pinned him to the wall holding him by his neck.

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” The woman holding him taunted and he smiled back at her.

“Hello luv!” He said in a throaty voice.

“Hey, that’s my line!” Rey protested from the door.

Taani and Purvi got startled hearing his voice and immediately paused the video.

“What are you doing here?” Taani asked coming out of her shock and sitting straight on the bed.

“Baat karni hai tumse.” Rey pouted.

“Mujhe nahi karni!” She rolled her eyes at him and stopped Purvi when she saw her leaving. “You are staying, and he is leaving!”

“Please?” He asked innocently.

“I need to pee.” Purvi excused herself and ran out of the bedroom before Taani could stop her again.

“Don’t act cute with me!” She sneered at him. “And I’m busy right now.” She laid back down and resumed the video.

“Klaus Mikaelson?” He moved forward and sat next to her.

She paused the video and looked at him with questioning eyes. “Sharon used to watch this.” He answered.

She nodded and shifted her attention back to the laptop.

“Taani?” He called. “Taani yaar, at least let me explain.” He wailed.

“Hmn.” She responded still looking at the screen.

“Taani!” He shut her laptop forcing her to look at him.

“What the hell!” She glared at him.

“Sorry.”

“What’s your problem Rey? Pehle haan bolte ho phir mana karte ho and now here, kyun? Mujhe tumhe treat deni thi graduation ki but tumhe mujhse koi treat nahi leni. Samajh gayi mein. Abh aur kya explain karna hai?”

“Yahi explain karna hai ki meine treat ke liye mana nahi kiya hai. You were very clear about this the other day and I’m not going to make that same mistake again.” He said.

She looked away from him as her guilt of yelling at him resurfaced.

“Toh kyun mana kiya?” She asked.

“I’m not here that week.”

“Then why did you agree in the first place?” She argued.

“Because kal subah pata chala mujhe ki I have to leave.”

“You always have to go somewhere. Graduation hai mera Rey, I want you to be here.” She turned on her back making room for him.

He lied down beside her. “I do too. Trust me.”

“Then stay na.” She pleaded.

“If I do, then jab tujhe milna hoga toh Australia aana padega as I’ll be in a cell for like six months.”

“What?” She sat up at once. “Kya bakwas kar rahe ho?”

“Bakwas nahi hai. Legal notice aaya hai Sydney School of Dance se. Swayam aur mujhe jana hoga to solve the dispute.” He explained.

“Notice? What have you guys done?” She asked.

“We haven’t done anything. But since six of their dance instructors resigned at once, someone from their team did some research and found out that they’ll be joining D3. So, they decided to sue us for bribing their instructors.”

“Are you serious? Now what are you guys going to do?” Taani panicked.

“Calm down. Mein aur Swayam wahan jaake uss idiot pe defamation ka case karne wale hai. Because he forgot that the contract with SSD was over aur uske baad sab ne resignation diya hai. So, his case is void!”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, I am! Humare khilaaf voh case bana hi nahi sakte. Voluntary resignation tha sabka.” He assured her.

“Toh tum sab kab ja rahe ho?”

“Sab nahi ja rahe. It’s just Swayam and I. In fact, none of them know about this. Inn sab ko pata chala toh udar jaake koi aur scene create kar denge. Office work bolke hum dono ja rahe hai.”

“Pakka tum kisi problem mein nahi ho na?” She asked holding his hand.

“Agar sachme koi problem hoti toh kya mein itna calm hota?” He asked her.

“Nahi.” She shook her head and leaned on his shoulder. “I’m sorry for being mad at you.” She whispered.

“You have every right to be mad, luv. And I’m sorry too.I wish I could postpone it.”

“No, I should have heard you out yesterday. Aise gusse mein ghar aana was not right. Mujhe nahi pata what’s wrong with me lately. Uss din bhi park mein bematlab ka gussa kar rahi thi tumpe. You know what, you don’t worry about me. Treat ka kya hai, tumhare wapas aane pe de dungi. Just take care of everything there.” She broke the hug and told him.

“Bematlab ka gussa nahi hai yeh. It’s called sangat ka asar. My habits are starting to rub on you.” He joked.

“How can you joke with all this serious stuff?”

“Arre baba I just explained. It’s not a big deal. You know what, I’ll call Swayam and ask him to handle it on his own. That way I can be here with you.” He took out his phone.

“Are you mad? Don’t be selfish. You should go with him.” She stopped him from calling.

“Will you be fine?”

“Keep me updated with everything. Then I’ll be fine.”

“Deal!”

(Scroll down)

“Taani Raichand.” She heard her name and walked up the stage.

The chief guest handed the degree certificate to her and posed for the camera to capture the picture. She looked past the cameraman at the audience and noticed two people cheering the loudest for her. She shook her head at Arjun and Purvi’s enthusiasm and looked over at others, some of whom were just clapping absent mindedly while the others were busy clicking pictures of themselves with the graduation hat. She walked off the stage and came to where Arjun was standing. They both waited for Purvi, who after getting her degree danced down the stage.

“I can’t believe that we’ve graduated!” Purvi smiled with glee at them.

“Tum log yahan ho? Everyone is waiting outside!” Naina dragged them out.

“There you are! Kahan the tum sab?” Varun asked them.

“Kahan the matlab? Bina certificate ke yahan photoshoot ke liye aaye?” Taani complained.

“Atcha next kisse click karwani hai?” Aman asked.

“Me, me, me!” Purvi ran before anyone else could.

“Pagal!” Arjun muttered as she started posing for the camera.

“Voh toh hai hi pagal. But uss se bada pagal tu hai.” Taani looked at him.

“Taani yaar don’t say that. This decision is not easy for me.” He sighed.

“Meine kab kahan ki easy hai. But tujhe chance mil raha tha, you just let it go.” She smiled sadly at him.

“Meine usse promise kiya hai Taani. Until and unless her parents forgive us, I’m going to stay away from her.”

“Arjun tujhe nahi pata ki voh kitni koshish kar rahi hai unhe manane ki. Every day she tries calling them but uska phone koi receive hi nahi karta. Voh mujhe dikhati nahi but I know how upset she is. Aur jab usse yeh pata chalega..”

“Usse pata nahi chalega. Promise me you won’t tell her.” He said urgently.

“Of course, I won’t! Pagal khudko blame karna shuru kardegi.” She calmed him. “But are you gonna at least inform her?” She asked.

“Tum dono yahan kya kar rahe ho? Pics nahi leni?” Sanaya yelled at them. “And Arjun come on teri aur Purvi ki couple pics bhi toh leni hai.”

Purvi’s face dropped on hearing that. But she pulled herself back together when she saw Arjun walking towards her.

“For old times sake?” He whispered to her and she just nodded at him.

They all clicked a few more pictures and made several boomerangs of tossing their hats up in the air. Once they were tired of jumping around, they finally settled in the canteen.

“Taani?” Naina called her.

“Haan?”

“Tere baju wali seat abhi tak khali kyun hai?” She asked.

“Seat bharne wala toh Australia jaake baitha hai.” Taani thought. “I hope everything is fine. He hasn’t called since yesterday.”

“Exactly!” Sanaya exclaimed snapping Taani out of her thoughts. “Naina and Aman out of all people have started dating, why are you still single?” She asked.

“Excuse me?” Both Aman and Naina took offence at that.

“Shut up you two! We all know that you both dating is the most shocking news of the century.” Varun hushed them.

“I disagree to that.” Arjun said coyly looking at Taani.

“Atcha, what gossip do you have?” Sanaya rubbed her hands in anticipation.

“I know what he is talking about.” Purvi smirked.

“Obviously you do!” Aman retorted.

“Shut up!” Purvi replied in the same tone.

“Wait a minute!” Naina looked at the two and asked, “so it’s true that you two have broken up?”

“Where did you hear that?” Purvi widened her eyes at her.

“People talk.” Naina defended herself.

“It’s partly true.” Arjun agreed to it. “We haven’t broken up, but we technically aren’t even dating.”

“What?” Aman looked confused.

“Hum dono ke personal reasons hai.” Arjun ended the topic. “And I have a stale but fresh for you gossip.”

“What?” Sanaya asked.

“Taani? Bol du?” Arjun looked at her and everyone’s attention turned to her.

“Itna sab bolne ke baad kya puch raha hai? Go ahead, tell everyone that I’m getting engaged!” Taani sneered.

“What? When? Who? Why didn’t we know about this? How long have you been dating?” She was barraged with questions from everyone.

“When? No one knows. Why? As there was a lot of back and forth confusion going on to announce it to everyone. How long? Well, it’ll be almost a year in a few months.” Arjun answered their questions.

“And who is this lucky guy?” Naina asked.

“You guys have met him!” Purvi exclaimed.

“When? I don’t remember Taani introducing anyone.” Aman said.

“Come on Aman you clicked their pics on her birthday. Yaad aaya kuch?” Arjun asked.

“Haan! But uska face yaad nahi aa raha. Wait I have my hard drive with me. Dekhe toh sahi kaun hai yeh banda.” Aman pulled out his laptop and connected the hard drive to it.

“You guys carry on, I’m getting late. Office se half day leave leke aayi hoon. Late pahuchi toh my boss will kill me!” Purvi stood up collecting her stuff.

“Purvi.” Arjun called her. “Tujhse kuch baat karni hai.”

They moved out of the canteen. Purvi saw him struggling with words and finally asked, “Arjun baat kya hai?”

“I’m moving to Pune.” He closed his eyes and said in one go.

“Pune? Kyun? I mean aise atchanak?” She questioned.

“Isn’t it better till uncle forgives us? I mean agar hume milne ka kabhi mann kare toh we’ll get at least four hours to rethink and to keep our promise.” He explained.

“But why you? Yeh sab meri wajah se hai na. I’ll leave.” She argued.

“Pagal hai kya. You’ve already got a job here. Yeh chodke tu kahin aur kyun jayegi?”

“And you?”

“I have applied at a few places there. Kahin na kahin toh mil jayega.”

“Arjun, I’m sorry.” She felt guilty.

“For what? Both of us are bearing the pain of separation for the larger good, right?” He made her look at him.

“I love you.” She swung her arms across him.

“I love you too.” He hugged her back. “And I’m just a call away. If ever you want to talk to me, I’ll be always there for you.”

He walked her off to the gate and walked back in to find everyone teasing Taani.

“No wonder yeh photos itne atche aaye hai. You guys look so good together.” Aman complemented.

“Why didn’t you introduce us to Rey?” Naina asked.

“I was unsure where we were, at that stage.” Taani replied.

“You were unsure about him?” Sanaya pointed at the screen. “Girl you’re crazy!”

“Exactly!” Naina agreed to her.

“Excuse me?” Aman looked at her.

“You’re good but look at him!” She disregarded him and pulled up Rey’s Instagram account.

“Seriously Naina? Taani ke saamne uske fiance ko checkout kar rahi ho?” Arjun taunted.

“Mein toh bas dekh rahi hoon ki jeeju ki personality kya hai.” Naina scrolled through his account. Sanaya, Varun and Aman were latched as well.

“Jeeju!” Arjun chuckled while Taani sat glaring at them.

“Shaadi nahi huyi hai ki jeeju bula rahi ho!” Taani pulled her phone and closed the app.

“Possessiveness toh dekho.” Varun teased.

“I’m leaving!” Taani got up.

“Arre party?” Aman asked.

“Kaunsi party?” She asked.

“Teri engagement ki, par voh tu baad mein de dena.” Varun teased. “We are talking about our graduation party jo shaam ko hai.”

“Shaam ko hai na. I’ll go home and come. Tab tak Purvi bhi free ho jayegi.” Taani informed.

“In that case mein bhi nikalta hoon. I have to complete some paperwork so office jaake unka sir khana hoga warna next month tak mujhe bulate rahenge.” Arjun got up cursing the office staff.

“Cool then. Shaam ko milte hai.”

…

“Great! Aaj hi mujhe apni gaadi nahi laani thi na? Ek cab nahi mil rahi! Ola and Uber should just shut down! Not a single cab available!” Taani was frustrated standing twenty minutes for a taxi.

“Aye item kahan ja reli hai?” She heard someone call.

“What the fu..?” She looked around to see who the source was.

“Arre bata na.” This time it was loud and clear than before.

She saw a car standing a few feet away from her. She started to move inside the college gate.

“Arre hello madam, kahan bhag rahi ho?” The driver poked his head out of the window.

“Vicky!” She sighed in relief and moved to the car.

“Hi!” He waved at her.

“Why were you catcalling me?” She glared at him.

“Wasn’t me.” He pointed at Nil who was sitting beside him and innocently waving at her.

“Bye!” She sneered and walked away.

“Arre wait!” Nil got out of the car and ran behind her. “Sorry. Mein bas mazak kar raha tha.”

“That wasn’t funny!”

“Sorry.” He genuinely apologized. “Aage se tumhe kabhi item nahi bulaunga. Abh chale?”

“Kahan?”

“Jahan aap le jaana chahe.”

“What?”

“Arre Taani he means ki since tumhe cab nahi mil rahi, we’ll drop you.” Vicky said.

“Why are you guys taking trouble?” She tried to refuse.

“Aur kitni der aise dhup mein rukogi? Chalo we’ll drop you.” Nil took her bag off her shoulder and walked to the car.

“I guess I have no say.” She followed.

“So finally, graduated haan, kaisa laga raha hai?” Vicky asked to start a conversation.

“I don’t really know. It hasn’t sunk in yet ki college khatam hogaya hai.” Taani smiled thinking about it. “Waise tum dono yahan kaise?”

“Ghar pe bore ho raha tha toh bas ghumne nikle and then somehow reached here. Phir tumhe dekha wahan toh ruk gaye.” Nil explained.

“Line maarne ke liye?” Taani taunted.

“Rey se pitne ka koi shawk nahi hai mujhe.” Nil rolled his eyes making her giggle.

“Speaking of him, when is he returning?” She questioned.

“Tujhe bhi nahi pata?” Vicky asked in disbelief. “Kaisa hai re yeh pagal.” He cursed Rey.

“Aur kaunsa itna office ka urgent kaam nikal aaya hai?” Nil joined him.

“Hoga kuch.” Taani smiled lightly. “Inhe abhi tak pata nahi hai shayad.” She thought.

“Vicky, understanding dekh raha hai iski. Rey yahan iske itne important day pe nahi hai phir bhi she isn’t mad.” Nil stated.

“Issi ko toh pyaar kehte hai pagle.” Vicky commented.

“Tum dono pagal ho.” She shook her head and then realizing something she looked out of the window. “Why are we on this road?”

“Rey nahi hua toh kya hua? Hum tumhare saath celebrate karenge. Right Vicky?”

“Correct! We are going out for lunch.” Vicky announced.

“Why are you guys taking trouble?” Taani tried to refuse.

“Isme trouble kya hai? Hum vaise bhi vele hai.” Nil raised his shoulders carelessly.

“Rey has sent you as a proxy right? As he couldn’t be here?” Taani asked after a while.

“Kyun hum tumhe lunch pe leke nahi ja sakte?” Vicky counter questioned.

Taani took out her phone and began typing. Nil snatched it out of her hand and threw it in the dashboard.

“No texting while driving!” He said.

“I’m not even driving!” She protested.

“Car rule, no mobile phones allowed!” Vicky said.

“Mein bas ghar pe inform kar rahi thi ki late hoga.”

“Sorry Taani, but hum rules nahi todte.” Nil refused to give her the phone back.

Taani sat back with her arms folded while they blasted music. “I hate you Rey for this!” She mentally cursed him for sending his friends as his replacement.

After about an hour and a half of driving, Taani had finally gotten comfortable around Nil and Vicky. They kept her entertained with their constant bickering and the casual snarky comments targeted at anyone and everyone.

“Guys I’m asking you for the last time, where are we going? Mumbai se kaafi dur aagaye hai hum.” Taani asked.

“Hum tujhe kidnap kar rahe hai.” Nil passed her an innocent smile.

“I’m serious! I need to reach home latest by six.” She said and frowned as the car halted on the narrow road in the middle of nowhere.

“My guess is none of us is reaching home by six.” Vicky turned off the engine and got out of the car.

“Kya hua?” Taani asked.

“Wait here, let me check.” Nil too got out when he saw Vicky opening the bonnet.

Taani waited patiently inside the car. After some time, it became too quiet for her to handle. She called out their names, but they didn’t answer. Fear slowly creeped its way into her. Building up a lot of courage she opened the door and got out to find no one. She was alone. She gazed around but couldn’t see them. She started to panic. She went back to the door to get her phone out and call someone. She pulled on the handle, but the door was locked. She ran around the car and realized that all the doors were locked. She screamed their names but still no response. Sweat had started to form on her forehead but she tried to maintain her calm. She went around the car again to see if she could spot them when something covered her eyes. She stood still for a short minute but then started yelling.

“Calm down luv, it’s me!”

“Rey?”

“Yes luv?”

She recognized his voice and hugged him. He soothed her back and assured her that she was safe. She went to remove the blindfold covering her eyes when he stopped her.

“Not yet.”

“Arre? I can’t see anything.” She protested.

“Keep it on for a couple of minutes. Tumhare liye surprise hai.” He whispered in her ears sending chills down her spine. “Chale?”

“Mujhe kuch nahi dikh raha how am I supposed to walk.” She argued.

“You don’t have to luv.” He picked her up in his arms and started walking.

He walked into a house while opening the door with his back and in the process hitting her leg on the door frame.

“Ouch!”

“Sorry!” He apologized.

Once inside he carefully made her stand on her feet and removed her blindfold. She slowly opened her eyes adjusting to the light in the room. She noticed a table set for two in front of them. The room was filled with sweet scents of candles. She looked at Rey and saw him grinning back at her.

“Rey yeh sab kya hai?” She asked.

“Pehle yahan baitho.” He made her sit at the table. “You wanted to celebrate this day with me, and I felt awful for not being here. So, to compensate, I planned this surprise for you.” He kissed the back of her hand and sat next to her.

“You’re spoiling me!” She pouted.

“I’m allowed to.” He winked at her.

“Yeh sab kya hai? When did you plan all this?”

“Kuch itni bhi badi planning nahi ki hai meine. Yeh Swayam ka farmhouse hai. I landed early morning then came here and made a few arrangements.”

“Nil aur Vicky se mujhe kidnap karwaya voh?” She narrowed her eyes. “Waise voh dono hai kahan?”

“They left. Dono ko meine bas bola tha to get you here without you finding out that I was in town. Abh dono ne kaise kiya voh pata nahi, but it worked!” He grinned.

“Dono ne mujhe for sure daraya!” She complained.

“Daraya? Did Nil flirt with you?”

“A little.” She replied meekly hoping it wouldn’t make him mad.

“Yeh ladka kabhi nahi sudhrega.” He shook his head making her smile at his response.

“Yeh kya hai?” She picked up the bottle placed in the ice filled bucket on the table. “Sparkling water?” She made a face at him.

“Tumhe kya laga champagne hai?” He cocked his brow at her.

“Haan I mean, generally toh celebrate karne ke liye champagne open hoti hai na?”

“Pehle bolti yaar, airport se do bottle utha laata.” He chuckled.

“I don’t want to drink.” She opposed immediately.

“I know.” He nodded at her. “Aaj hum iss paani ko champagne samajh ke pee lenge!”

“It’s not like I don’t ever want to. But I’m afraid what if I’m not able to handle it?” She expressed her concern.

“Phir toh mujhe careful rehna hoga.” He closed the top button of his shirt making her jaw drop.

“What the hell, Rey!” She swatted his hand.

“Wanna try?” He suggested.

“No!” She refused.

“I’m honestly asking you, try karna hai? Kuch hua toh I’m here.” He assured.

“Yahan kahan milegi?” She asked partially giving in to the temptation.

“Come.” He held out his hand.

She took it and followed him up the stairs. It was a cozy house with a hall, kitchen and a bedroom downstairs. On reaching the top of the stairs, she noticed a blue cabinet in front of her. She furrowed her brows and questioned him. He asked her to wait and moved forward to open the door of the cabinet. He eyes popped open on seeing the completely full bar cabinet.

“So, what would you like to have?” He asked.

“It..na..wh..y..k.kk.. what?” She blinked her eyes to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating.

“Yeh toh kuch bhi nahi hai, you haven’t seen the bar at home.” He brushed it off.

“You have a bar at home?” She squealed.

“Haan.” He chuckled at her reaction.

“Kis bevde se shaadi karne ja rahi hoon?” She gulped hard.

“Oh hello? Collect karna pasand hai, iska matlab yeh nahi hota ki mein alcoholic hoon.” He glared at her.

“And why haven’t I seen your collection?” She sneered.

“You don’t drink.” He defended himself.

“You have a point.” She agreed.

“Ab bol, karna hai try?”

“I..” She contemplated looking at the bottles.

“Itna mat soch. Try karna hai kuch toh this is an amazing opportunity.”

“Yes.” She answered.

“Really?” He asked to confirm, and she nodded. “Great then, what would you like?”

“Okay don’t laugh, but I wanna try Tequilla shot. Neat.” She spoke feebly.

“Neat?” He looked at her with eyes open wide and an amusing smile on his face.

“Why? Is it bad?”

“No, it isn’t. But I must say that’s a bold choice.”

“You know what, forget it. I changed my mind.”

“Good! Cause yahan Tequila nahi milegi. Sharon hates it.”

“I meant..”

“Don’t you dare lie!” He warned her.

“I’m scared Rey.”

“Mein hoon na to look after you. Jyada se jyada kya hoga? Chadegi? Mujhe utarni aati hai. Relax!” He calmed her down. “Now pick, Gin or Vodka?”

“Vodka?” She answered unsure.

“Absolut? Nice!” He pulled out a bottle. “You’re in for a treat!” He grinned and pulled out a crate of beers before closing the cabinet.

“That sounds extreme.” She looked at him worried.

“You’ll handle it, don’t worry.”

“Rey!” She shook her head sideways.

“Fine. Mein dusri dekhta hoon.” He opened the cupboard and searched through it. “Grey goose! This one is great, trust me.” He pulled out the bottle and just below it he saw something. “JD? Isko yahan chupake rakha hua hai.” He pulled it out and smirked.

“Rey hum wapas ghar kaise ja rahe hai?” Taani asked looking at the numerous bottles in his hand.

“My car, how else?” He replied.

“I think we should skip the drinks today.”

“Yeh sab nahi peene wala. Tension mat lo.” He chuckled at her concerned face.

They walked back down and settled at the table. Rey set the shot glasses down with a piece of lemon next to Taani’s. He opened the vodka and whisky bottles and poured it into the glasses. He picked up the whisky and waited for her to pick up her drink. After contemplating a lot, Taani finally held the glass and raised it to his.

“Cheers!” He said and gulped it in one go.

She gulped audibly and took the glass to her mouth. Exhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and gulped down the thirty milliliters.

“It burns!” She said making a face.

“Have this.” He held he lemon slice at her mouth.

“I can feel the burning sensation down my chest!”

“It’ll be fine in a minute.” He assured her.

“How do you guys do it?” She asked on seeing him pour a drink for himself.

“Overtime you start to enjoy the burning sensations.” He chuckled as he poured some sparkling water in it to dilute.

“I can literally feel the heat inside of me!”

“Did you like it?”

“It didn’t taste like anything. It just felt like I was gulping spirit.”

“To be fair vodka is bland.”

“Pehle kyun nahi bataya?”

“Yeh try karna hai?” He gestured at his drink.

“I don’t wanna mix. I’ll stick with vodka.” She made a drink for herself.

“Congratulations on graduating!” He bumped his glass with hers.

“I still can’t believe you came here early just for me.” She said with a dreamy smile.

“Tumhare liye yeh sab nahi karunga, toh kiske liye karunga?” He returned her smile.

“Tum aise kyun ho? You always make me wonder what I did to deserve someone like you?”

“That is a question I keep asking myself.”

“Rey, I’m serious! Aaj ka hi example lo, meine just bataya tha tumhe ki I want to celebrate this day with you, and you made it happen! Even though you had something way more important up your sleeve.”

“Yes, taking care of that legal issue was important. But granting your wish was as important to me as that.” He held her hand in his.

“You make me feel bad about myself.” She pouted.

“Kyun?”

“Tumne mere liye kitna kuch kiya hai. What have I done?”

“Tumne mera saath diya hai.” He answered.

“Voh toh tumne bhi kiya hai. Nothing special about that!”

“Tumhara saath is the most special thing ever in my life!”

“Rey!” She got up to hug him but stumbled as soon as she got up.

“You alright?” He got up in concern.

“I’m fine, just a little lightheaded, I guess.” She assured.

“Drinking empty stomach was a bad idea. Let’s put something in there.” He made her sit.

“Do you intentionally say something like that?”

“What?” He wondered what he said and burst out laughing on understanding. “Sorry, I meant food.” He laughed more.

“Be specific next time.” She giggled. “Khane mein kya hai?”

“Lasagna!” He grinned.

“You love Italian cuisine, right?” She smiled and inhaled the delicious aroma. “It smells amazing!”

“Yes, I do. What about you?” He asked serving her a portion.

“Chinese, Vietnamese, basically hot pots and noodles.” She took a bite and looked at his expecting gaze. She narrowed her eyes at him and then it hit her. “You made this?”

“How’s it?” He nodded.

“It’s delicious. There’s no way you made this!”

“Don’t you dare doubt my cooking skills. Subah se bohot mehnat karke banaya hai meine!”

“Chalo atcha hai, shaadi ke baad I won’t be starving.” She said tongue-in-cheek.

“Mein roz roz nahi banane wala.” He argued.

“Alternate days bana dena. I don’t mind eating stale food.” She bit her tongue.

He just shook his head and took a sip of his beer. She observed the bottle as he kept it back on the table.

“Go ahead. Have a taste.” He pointed at the bottle.

“I’ve heard it doesn’t taste good.” She replied.

“Rubbish!” He disregarded it. “It just has a strong taste.”

“Okay.” Taking his word, she took a sip and immediately gagged. “Ew! How are you even drinking this?”

He started laughing at her expressions. She gulped down her entire drink to mask the taste of beer in her mouth.

“Easy there!”

“You did that on purpose na?” She sneered at him.

“Sorry.” He said trying to maintain a straight face.

They finished lunch whilst constantly chatting about something or the other. After they were done, Rey suggested to go for a walk outside to help them both sober up. She agreed and they walked hand in hand quietly exploring their proximity and also the nature. They returned back after a twenty-minute walk.

“Feeling better?” He asked her.

“Haan. Still a little lightheaded but it’s fine. Better.” She replied.

“Thank God! Tension mein aagaya tha mein. Tujhe aise ghar leke jaata toh Shivam mujhe zinda gaadh deta!” He shivered at the thought.

“Tum jab bhai se aise darte ho tab bohot cute lagte ho.” She pulled his cheeks.

“Very funny!” He rolled his eyes at her.

“Rey..” She stopped him at the door.

“Hmmm?” He looked back.

“I love you.” She confessed.

“Kya kahan? Say it again!” A grin formed on his face.

“I’m in love with you, Reyansh Singhania. You were so right when you said that one day I’ll too fall in love with you. See it happened!” She smiled as tears started forming in her eyes.

“I love you, Taani!” He pulled her into a hug as his eyes started getting watery. “Tum nahi jaanti ki aaj mein kitna khush hoon! I love you!”

“I know Rey. And I have been trying to tell you this for a few days par bol hi nahi pa rahi thi. You have no idea how bad I felt when you thought that I don’t love you back.”

“Toh uss din kyu nahi bataya?” He broke the hug and cupped her face wiping the tears that were flowing down her face.

“Pata nahi khud ko kyun rok rahi thi. Kaunsa imtehaan le rahi thi, mujhe khud nahi pata.” She too cupped his face and wiped off his tears.

“Mein taras gaya tha tumhare muh se yeh sunne ke liye.” He kissed her forehead.

“Jaanti hoon.” She shut her eyes close.

“Bas ab rona band karo.” He wiped her face dry.

“Tum bhi.”

“Mein kahan ro raha hoon.” He argued.

“Haan haan, aakhon se paseena aa raha hai na?” She taunted.

“Chee! Bohot ganda tha!” He started laughing while she pouted at him.

His gaze fell on her lips and he stopped. She looked at him and found him opening and closing his lips while licking them intermittently. She then looked into his eyes and found his staring back at her. She shied on getting caught while checking him out but didn’t move. He made her look back at him and she gulped seeing the intensity in his eyes. She wanted to back up but instead took a step towards him. He too closed in the gap and leaned down at her. She looked down and breathed heavily but didn’t move back. He inched forward and placed a kiss on the corner of her lips and moved back unsure of her reaction. She stood staring at him while he tried to go in again to kiss her. He placed another kiss on the other corner of her lip and moved back but this time she stopped him. She caught on to his shirt and leaned in. He closed the gap between them. He molded his lips perfectly with hers as he sunk his hands in her hair. She held the collar of his shirt and raised on her toes to maintain contact with is lips. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his collar and she pulled back and ran inside the house. He followed her in and found her barfing at the toilet sink. He walked up to her and held her hair back and rubbed her back to soothe her. He helped her clean up and they walked outside. He offered her water to drink and she took it without looking at him. She was too embarrassed to meet his gaze.

“Yaar mana kar deti kiss nahi karna tha toh, itna over dramatic hone ki kya jarurat thi?” He teased.

“Sorry!” She said still looking down.

“Shut up.” He quieted her. “It’s alright. It was your first time.”

“You mean you have done this before?” She shot a look at him.

“Alcohol you idiot!” He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Oh atcha!” She looked away embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. People remember their first kisses for various reasons. This will be a first!” He raised a brow at her and she buried herself in his chest. “Chale? Ya rukna hai?” He wrapped his arms around her.

“Thodi der baad nikle?” She asked getting comfortable in his embrace.

“As you say luv!”

“Hi Shivam bhai, hi Sid.” Purvi greeted them as she entered the house.

“Mujhe bhai aur isko bas Sid kyun?” Shivam asked.

“Question Taani about this.” She defended herself.

“Voh hai kahan? Badi badi baatein kar rahi thi ki college se jaldi ghar aayegi and what not.” Sid taunted.

“Voh ghar nahi aayi?” Purvi wondered.

“Nahi.” Shivam answered.

“But she left college long ago. In fact, mujhe Naina ka call aaya tha abhi asking if Taani and I have left for the party.” Purvi said.

“Ghar toh nahi aayi hai voh.” Shivam informed.

“Rey se milne gayi hogi.” Sid said.

“Rey Mumbai mein nahi hai.” Purvi told him.

“Let me call her.” Shivam dialed her number but got no answer.

“Maybe she reached there now. Call them and ask ki Taani wahan hai kya.” Sid suggested.

“Hello? Aman?” Purvi tried to focus on his voice.

“Haan Purvi, tum log nikle ya nahi? Aur kitna late karoge? We’re waiting for you.” Aman screamed over the loud music.

“Taani wahan hai?” Purvi asked.

“Tum dono saath aane wali thi na, kya hua?” Aman asked.

“Are you sure she isn’t there?” Purvi was alarmed now.

“Can you speak loudly, I can’t hear you.” He screamed into the phone.

“Bahar nikal wahan se aur baat kar.” Purvi shouted.

“Tu Arjun se baat kar.” He handed the phone to Arjun.

“Haan bol Purvi.” Arjun asked over the phone.

“Taani wahan hai?” Purvi questioned.

“Nahi. Voh college se ghar gayi thi.” Arjun informed.

“She’s not at home Arjun.”

“Ek minute.” Arjun caught on to her alarmed voice and exited to go to a quieter place.

“Tum log kya faltu ki bakwas kar rahe ho?” Shivam took the phone from Purvi and turned the speaker on. “Taani college se kab nikli thi?” He asked.

“One-thirty two, mostly.” Arjun answered.

“And how was she coming?” Shivam questioned.

“Cab lene wali thi.”

“Where is she?” Shivam shouted.

“Shivam calm down, let me try calling her again.” Sid dialed her number and got no response.

“Arjun tu yahan kya kar raha hai?” Sanaya came to him.

“Taani ghar ja rahi hai ye bolke nikli thi na?” Arjun asked her. They all could hear their conversation.

“Haan.” Sanaya answered. “Par..”

“Par?” Arjun asked.

“Usse bohot der tak cab nahi mil rahi thi. I was upstairs and could see her through the window. Phir bohot der baad she took a lift.” She informed.

“A lift?” Shivam questioned.

“Lift?” Arjun asked her.

“Haan, two guys came in a car and offered her lift.”

“You didn’t find that weird? Couldn’t you inform earlier?” Arjun glared at Sanaya.

“I did find that absurd when the guy pulled off her bag off her shoulder, but she voluntarily followed him in the car. So, I thought it might be her fiance and so I didn’t tell anyone. Kyun, kya hua?” Sanaya asked as his faced tensed up.

“Her fiance is out of town and Taani hasn’t reached home nor is she picking up her phone.” Arjun informed.

“What?”

“Yes!”

“Uske ghar pe inform kiya?” Sanaya asked.

“Haan, I’m talking to her brother right now.”

“Arjun usko puch if she has seen any of the guys before.” Shivam said over the phone.

“Aap speaker pe ho and no she hasn’t.” Arjun informed.

“So, you didn’t think that it was important to inform your friends that you saw her going off with some unknown guys?” Shivam blasted at Sanaya.

“She didn’t protest in any way, so I assumed that she knew them. Why else would she get into their car?”

“Thanks for your help. Please don’t mind Shivam. We are very worried for Taani.” Sid apologized and cancelled the call.

‘Keep me informed!’ Purvi received a text from Arjun.

“What are we going to do?” Shivam panicked. “Kiske saath gayi voh aur uska phone kyun nahi utha rahi?”

“Complaint bhi nahi file kara sakte. It hasn’t been twenty-four hours yet.” Purvi said.

“Are you saying that she has been kidnapped?” Shivam looked at her.

“Agar voh hota toh abh tak phone aajata. Plus, her phone is still on.” Sid argued.

“Not anymore!” Purvi informed.

“Battery might have died.” Sid was still being positive.

“How are we going to find her?” Shivam sat down holding his head.

Just then the doorbell rang and Purvi rushed to open it. Taani grinned at her and entered in.

“Taani!” Sid sighed in relief.

“Hey Siddo!” She grinned at him.

“Where the hell were you? Aur phone kyun nahi utha rahi thi?” Shivam glared at here.

“Hey bhai.” Taani ignored his questions completely. “Purvi I really can’t come to the party, tum chali jana.” Saying so she moved to her room.

“Taani!” Shivam shouted.

“Good night bhai!” She went inside her room.

“Isse kya hua?” Sid wondered.

“Hey.” They all turned to the door to see Rey waving at them. “Taani forgot this in the car.” He handed a bag to Purvi.

“Tum Mumbai kab aaye?” Purvi asked him.

“Aaj hi.” He replied.

“Holy shit!” Sid widened his eyes and grinned at Rey.

“Tujhe kya hua?” Rey asked him.

“Taani ke iss behavior ka reason toh tere face pe saaf dikh raha hai!” Sid walked up to him.

“What?” Rey narrowed his eyes at him and Shivam looked up to see Rey.

“I didn’t know tujhe lipsticks lagane ka shawk hai. Tere lips pe clearly dikh rahi hai Taani ki lipstick.” Sid teased Rey. “Seems fresh, abhi goodbye kiss diya?” Rey flushed at his comment.

“Yeh usse de dena. I have to leave. Bye!”

Hello everyone😃

Look who's updating finally! I honestly don't know how I've managed to write it, gotten very busy with life. Hope you guys enjoyed the confession.

Te receive PMs for when I update, make sure your name is in the PM list.

Please hit Like and Comment down below😳

Awlele, ade bhaiyya ne pareshaan kar Rakha hai is gussed Ko😂😂😂😂 punya karne Gaya tha bechara Rey, phas Gaya😂😂😂

Sid itna adorable kaise hai!! 🌺🌺

Begining to love Rey and Shivam ki bickering, it's so pointless 😂😂😂😂😂 AND THEN SHIVAM TOOK REY'S SIDE WAAHHHH to quote you, icing on the freaking cake!!

Ice cream is absolute pyaar and that tumhe kab hoga! Uff, izhaar hone waala hai half hi

Damn! Hum Apne jokes me kitne insensitive hojaate haina, humesha realise hota hai bolne ke Baad hi🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Poor dad puppy is still doubtful about her love, someone please hug him😭

Aaaannndddd more philosophy! Haye Dil khush ho gaya. Cute hai dono kitne, Rey needs to love himself a little more please, and Taani needs to get some confidence, aapas me baatle dono! The head bump is so intimate and romantic!☺️

Damnnn Rey ki backstory bhi aagayi, wow she basically read him and he's so comfortably sharing it! That's some serious development!! Also, #couplegoals

Armaan should just always have someone ready to come give him the thug life waala chain, goggles and cigarette with the music! Harkatein hi RAD hai bhaisahab ki😂😂 Haye hopefully uska aur Riri ka theek hojaaye sab

Yaar ye gossip waale velle log aa hi jaate hai matlab🤦‍♀️ Rey aur Purvi😂😂 yehi couple baaki tha!

Kitni happy hai ye is love ke baare me aww, aankhon me chamak, pehle pyaar ki excitement, so cuteee

WTH wth wthhh! Long distance 😭 I know dur teer maara maine but damn, ye toh Rey se baat bhi nahi Hui aisi kuch, Abhi toh bhai Sahab ki academy shuru hogi aur ye gayab😭

Well SNEHAAAAAA😭😭 isn't Sneha Kapoor a beauty?! Dayum koi toh angle Shivam ka, Kahi isliye toh understanding nahi hogaya bhai😂😂 thanks for this🌹🌹

Damn thankyou for that scene! I would've been clueless about cute voice otherwise 🏵️🏵️🤗🤗 oho naice

Don't act cute with me? Ye toh paida hi cute hua tha lol

Damn, lawsuit! Already importance milgayi D3 Ko, eagerly waiting for it to start too! Bechare ReYam, gotta handle it all, and it's so cute how Taarey are now😍😍😍

Woah woah woah what chance? Ye kya karraha hai arjun damn.. tough decisions for my lovebirds, inshallah all will be fine..

Ye friend teasing kitni authentic thi! And I'm glad it was here lol, ye toh bohot important hai kisi bhi relationship keliye!

And office staff ka sar khaana toh students ka art hai lol😂😂😂

Arey bhagwaaannn, ye ladko ka dimaag matar jitna kyu hota hai! Ye kya tareeka hua🤦‍♀️ kisi din pitjaayega nil, Shivam nahi tha bachgaya

Aww her smile at knowing that he shared it with her❤️❤️❤️

No texting while driving🤣

Karleti text toh fukat hyper nahi hojaata Shivam ad everyone!

He Bhagwaan kidnapping 😂😂😂 bichari Ko Dara Rakha hai

He lifted her😭😭😭 lift practice for Romeo. The door pe pair lagna is so legit😂😂😂

To be continued lol, already ek mil Lamba comment hogaya 🤦‍♀️😂

That button closing scene😂😂😂😂😂 ek toh the lines rhymed upar se jo implication hai waah😆😆😍😍😍

Koi sense nahi bhaisahab Ko apne words ka, mujhe utarni aati hai, enjoy the burning sensation, put something in there 😂😂😂😂oh god!

he knew she'd want to try awww, saari responsibility leli.. I like how realistic this is, ki bhai peeke dono completely tun nahi hogaye😂😂

Tumhaara saath is the most special is so cheesy and so damn cute! Good going dudee, and it's so sweet that he actually cooked for her, kaafi mehnatt

The confession is so hawa me se and I'm so glad she didn't wait any longer, my dude got his loveee❤️❤️😘 I'm so glad she got down to saying it and damn, the idea of them saying it again aage se aise hi bas makes me soo happyyy!!

The tension between them before the kiss, and how it happened is so poetic, could they be any cuter!!

*Sigh* poor girl couldn't take too much, feel bad for her, and I'm so glad they've seen each other in all kinds of non fairytale like situations! Such support and then the teasing😂😂😂 and this chick and her suspicions oh God!!

All the freaking Panicking! Sid is a blessing, uske Bina to Shivam duniya sat pe utha leta! Seriously why did Vicky Nil not let her text fukat me😂😂 and the dhamakedaar ending 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣 Taani disregarding all questions and Rey embarrassed lol, how high are they ki dikhi nahi lipstick 😂😂😂 aww goodbye kiss😍😍 has Shivam melted already with awkwardness or is he gonna make Rey melt with the anger God knows! Aw man Shivam and Sneha have me excited!

Such loveeee! Taarey😍😍😍😍 bas ab speechless hogaye hum (puri lambi chaudi speech dene ke Baad😆🤦‍♀️)

Haaye, really waiting for the engagement, Taani taking Rey to meet her father, the whatever announcement with the letter thing.. God bless these kids and God bless you lol, khayal rakho Shwetuu😘😘😘

Oh my god oh my god oh my godd. If it hadnt been this late i would be jumping on the bed right now🥳. Shewta how do u do this man such brilliant writing and understanding of every character hats off to you yaar👍🏼👍🏼.

Now coming to the update I have to say mindblowingggggggggg😊. First and foremost such big update loved that , second ohh my the 1st scene was amazing and rey desperately waiting to hear the confession and even taani wanting to say loved that part👏.

Everything was just Perfect in this update. Loved how rey came back for her graduation party that she wanted rey to be a part of it🥳.

Rey is a dream boy for every girl i think.

And the much awaited confession it wasnt to fancy just like the show which is why i LOVED it even more and ofcourse tge KISS OF LOVE☺️☺️.

I MEAN I LOVEEDDDDDD IT

ALSO THE LAST PART TGSNK GOD SHIVAM DIDNT GO AT A EXTREME LEVEL TO FIND TAANI

AND SID THANKS TO HON THE GOODBYE KISS IS OUT,BECHAARA REY😆

IN ALL LOVEDDDD THE UPDATE❤️

AND YAA LIKE ALWAYS UPDATE SOON😉

Omg

No words to explain the happiness

Superb cute update

Finally taani confess her love

And cherry on top is there kiss

Love it

Thanks for pm

Update soon