Get on & Get off
“We haven’t had a lot of time to get to know each other or do couple things together” “Do you want to start meeting once a week?” he asked pleasantly
“So I quit asking you stupid questions”
“You are gorgeous, I should be more worried” “I am probably dull as a doorknob compared to the people you hang with” he chuckled
“No you are not” she mumbled
“I can prove you wrong Viveka, meet with me” he begged
“I want to spend every moment of my life with you” she said haltingly
“thanks”
“I am just afraid we may not be the best choice for each other, and then there will be a lot of tears and a giant heartbreak”
“Wow you do love living on the edge don’t you?” he laughed
“thanks for mocking me, mujhe dar lagta hai, everyone around us knows more than we do”
“that will always be the case”
“I know…”
“I am not a douchebag Viveka, I can promise that”
“That’s a giant relief” she chuckled
“so? Can we meet tomorrow”
“Tum aa jao Bua keg har”
“I was going there hoping to meet you” he said coolly
Otherwise dude had no intention of socializing with Harsha
“To tum unko help nahi kar rahe?”
“I was… but I visited to catch a glimpse of you”
He made her weak like a person made of jello
“Does Harsha know?”
“I told him a week ago” he laughed
“Funny!”
“Do u want to know what he said?”
“hmm?”
“He said “I am shattered my complex business problems were not it”
She was blushing real hard right now
“Does anyone else know?”
“My Dad, Mom and rakshit”
“Raanav”
“U asked”
“I know”
“Tomorrow at 4?”
“What if Bua pulls me into wedding work”
“Assign it to your sister” he said a little awkwardly
“Naina doesn’t go anywhere” she said spontaneously
There was complete silence afterwards
“I called Inder” she told him candidly
“I heard” he said quietly
“Oh? He hasn’t called me back”
“Hmm”
“I will worry about Naina Raanav”
“Hmm”
“We had the best friendship, its like she is on another planet now… unreachable”
“U feel the urge to fix it?”
“Agar Rakshit ki baat hoti to?”
“I get it” he said quickly without arguing
“I am going to do what feels right”
“K”
“I want to be honest with you, though you seem to be aligned with Inder’s decision”
“Umm.. lets meet tomorrow”
“Tum ek dum lawyer ki tarah baat karte ho kabhi kabhi”
“Only kabhi kabhi?” he laughed
“Good change of topic”
“Viveka I cannot say anything without making you upset”
“Umm.. OK fine” she sighed
“Do you want to get married before or after Rakshit?”
“After is fine” she said quietly, sighing audibly afterwards
“This is happening Viveka” he said firmly
“Jaanti hoon”
“From my vantage point it seems very complicated”
“Did u expect something easy?”
“Har koi easy shaadi hi karta hai”
“Ah”
“Kal aaogey Bua keg har?” she asked with longing
“I could come tonight if u promise to sneak me in”
“Dadi is a night owl, so no”
“Fine”
She hung up and walked out of her room with a smile
Dadi’s dinner drama ensued
She watched the YT video with Papa
“Kab karogey beta shaadi? Everything was left open ended” Akash reminded
“Raanav asked me before or after Rakshit”
Oh?”
“Hmm.. I told him after”
“Great” Akash yawned, it was after 1 AM
“I think I will have a easier time if I live in Kharagpur” she finally aired her fear
“Oh?”
“Aapko nahi lagta aaj my future MIL completely ignored me?”
“Umm.. completely nahi” Akash was gracious, “have u talked to him?”
“Uski Ma ke baare mein?”
“Hahaha Dadi abhi bhi Ma ko tok tee hain agar Ma mujhe TUM keh de to”
“Well it’s the 21st century we almost 1/4th of the way there, so yeah” she curled up on the divan with a book”
“Have u?”
“No Papa I haven’t… I was supposed to today” she mumbled
Trying to hide behind her book as to how every free minute with him was spent making out, getting on like a house on fire
“Inder se baat karni padegi mujhe” Akash said with worry
Viveka’s heart skipped a beat
They were SO similar
“Aapko bhi lagta hai?” she asked with a gentle smile
“Haan, hua kya us kisse mein?”
“Ma should not have been so suspicious about her”
He looked at her neither agreeing nor disagreeing
“I think she may have overdone some of her reactions”
“Ma didn’t goad her to overdo beta”
“Hmm.. I guess”
“I cannot see her be distant and cold agle teen mahiney, aaj kaha usne Mauritius nahi jaayegi Harshu ki shaadi mein”
“Oh?”
Viveka wondered if she had begun seeing someone
That thought jolted her to sit up
“Diya se baat karte ho aap?”
“what about her?”
“she seems to be on SM too much”
“Aap Ma ki tarah mujhe spy karne ko keh rahe ho?”
He smiled and did not disagree
“I cant do that papa”
“Chalo” he mumbled
“she is a teenager”
“Aa paise baat kar rahe ho jaise aapki umar 40 ho”
“I feel like it sometimes, or I should say I wish I was… I don’t have to deal with the drama”
Of husband cheating, or being insecure, I would be like Ma, plugging away at my career, and kicking butt
“Jan ke liye aap waitlisted ho” “If u get in, have you told Raanav you have to look for a place and move?”
“I haven’t”
“Will he divide his time between Aurangabad, UK and Singapore?”
“Yes, thankfully u did not mention Dilli” she laughed
“You love Smritaji so much huh?”
“Mujhe pasand nahi kartin who”
“Who Ma ko bhi pasand nahi karti”
“I feel bad for Ma, ek who hain, ek Dadi hain, she cannot catch a breath can she”
“Kya kiya jaaye ab aisa hi hai, jab hamey chance mila UK jaane ka jab aap tabhi tabhi hue they, hum gaye nahi” Akash sounded despondent
“Oh wow”
“Kya hua?”
“U were always happy u didn’t go”
“Abhi shaayad pata nahi age bhi ho gayi, Dadi se bhi thak gaya hoon main, mujhe lagta hai Anil Chachu ke hawale karke chaley jaana tha mujhe”
“U can run but u cannot hide”
He laughed
“I say that for both of us”
He smiled got up and sat by her, pulled a blanket up to her chin and hugged her like a bundle
“Have u talked to Abhishek?”
“Once”
“Was he upset?”
“Thoda sa”
“Kya kaha?”
“Umm… u know” “U wanted to marry someone rich, tabhi mujhe patak diya”
“Did u tell him you are doing a prenup” (Viveka had told him she wanted one when they started watching the video 3 hours ago)
“Nahi… its not something to brag about”
“Galat kar rahe ho beta”
“I cant marry him otherwise”
“I get the part of keeping finances separate” “But this is taking it a bit too far”
“I want to feel good about myself Papah”
“Is shaadi ko lekar kitni saari baatein hain” he mumbled
“If u ever feel this is not the right thing for me will you tell me?” she asked him worry enveloping her face
He was taken aback
Anu and him had discussed it frequently the last 3ish weeks
“I have always told you”
“But I feel you two are being especially generous” she sighed and followed it with a “Uff”
“Nahi to”
“Oh please Papa don’t lie” she opened her eyes and pushed her glasses in
“I hope you get off the waiting list” he said gently getting off the divan
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