A variation of the story **To tell or not to tell**PG8 update - Page 3

Your story is progressing just awesome.. Keep writing such realistic moments of romance for Dev and Kasak I love reading your work.. Update the next part as soon as you can..

It's so beautiful..read it fully just now...the nok jhok is really awesum

Good thing your keeing the theme realistic. It is easy to connect with the story. Loved today's update. And you are a very good writer. Waiting for the next part!

"Dr. Sheth, please come to the emergency ward!" boomed the intercom. Kasak rushed to the emergency ward. It was late in the evening and she was about to head out of the hospital, but alas.

"Do ladakon ka case hai. Drink kar ke bohat zyada speed mein gaadi chala rahe the. Aur, raste par khambe se gaadi thok di. Car completely destroy ho chuki hai, saari air bags khul gayi thi aur passengers ko upper chest injuries bhi bohat hai," the intern doctor briefed Kasak. Since Dr. Singh was not currently in the hospital, Kasak was the senior most doctor available. As she walked into the operation theater, she was shocked to see Vicky as one of the injured patients.

"He's the driver," said the intern doctor.

"Of course, he is," thought Kasak. While the others checked his blood pressure and other vitals, Kasak checked his upper body for lung injuries. Kasak hoped his lung hadn't punctured or anything. "Damn, two of his ribs are broken," she said. But, after running several breathing tests, it was determined that his lungs had not been punctured by the broken ribs. He had many other injuries throughout the body and tests showed that his liver was deteriorating due to excessive alcohol consumption. The injuries, though severe, would heal soon. "Call Mr. Dev Dixit," ordered Kasak.

Kasak walked out of the Emergency ward to find the entire Dixit family waiting outside, with Mami jee hysterically crying and cursing at the Universe.

"Dr. Sheth," said Mr. Dixit. "Vicky...kaisa hai ab woh?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Dixit. He's fine now. Injuries kaafi hai, lekin woh proper aaram karega toh theek ho jayega," Kasak walked away to check on the other patient, Vicky's friend, with those words. As she returned after checking the other patient, she decided to have a quick chat with the Dixit family.

"Dekhiye, mein jaanti huh ke shayad eis waqt mujhe yeh nahi kehana chahiye. Lekin, Vicky ka yeh accident actually hona hi nahi chahiye tha, yeh totally preventable tha. Agar woh eitni zyada alcohol drink karta aur nashe mein car nahi chalata toh...Look, I think you all should advise him to make healthy life decisions, especially Mami jee, since you are his mother," Kasak said. She observed fury on Dev's face and concern on Ishwari's face.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Vicky healed well and Ishwari's health also improved significantly. So, Dr. Singh ordered Kasak to not go to Ishwari's house everyday. Instead, he said that she would only have to go there once a week. There were other patients in the hospital who needed her more. Though she had tried to accept the fact that she and Mr. Dixit could never be together, Kasak was still utterly disappointed to hear this.

She tried to explain to Dr. Singh that Mr. Dixit was one of the investors of their hospital and he wouldn't approve, but Dr. Singh said that he himself would convince Mr. Dixit.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ding dong!

Kasak rushed to open the main door of her apartment still holding a rolling pin in right hand. She wondered who it could be at this time. Mr. Dixit! She was shocked to find him standing there. Oh, how she had longed to see his handsome face in such a long time! He was wearing a black suit with his favorite blue shirt and his honey brown eyes sparkled in the dim light of the apartment hallway. Kasak inevitably blushed upon seeing him.

"Aap guests ka aise welcome karti ho?" he teased pointing at the rolling pin.

"Nahi, woh mein cook kar rahi thi," Kasak said gesturing him to come inside. "Waise bhi, careful rehna padata hai. Patah nahi evening time par kaun ghar mein ghush jaye. Delhi bohat dangerous ho gaya hai," she smiled.

"Aapko mein chor jaise dikhta huh kya?" he teased her back.

Kasak had missed these moments with Mr. Dixit dearly. Yet, she wasn't about to let him win. "Patah nahi, aaj kal toh hamare desh mein businessmen hi bade bade scam karke khatarnakh chor ban gaye hai," Kasak remarked.

"MS. SHETH," Mr. Dixit said angrily, and grabbed Kasak by the arm. "Are you accusing me of corruption?" As his honey brown eyes locked with hers, her heartrate raced and she almost dropped the rolling pin.

After about a minute, she finally mustered the courage to say: "Mr. Dixit, please let me go," after which he freed her.

Reverting back to her old self, she said: "Mr. Dixit, the nation wants to know. Are you or are you not corrupt?"

"Oh hello, Ms. Arnab Goswami. Please, medicine chodi ne journalism no bhoot chadhiyu che shu? (Please, you left medicine and now are obsessed with journalism or what?)" said Mr. Dixit in broken Gujarati again. He always pleasantly surprised her by speaking Gujarati. Though he inevitably made mistakes, Kasak thought the effort was exceptionally well directed.

"Mr. Dixit, bhoot toh tamne chadiyu che Gujarati nu," (You're the one obsessed with speaking Gujarati). Mr. Dixit's brows knitted in inquiry and he grabbed his phone out, and asked her to repeat so his translation app could translate what she had just said. Kasak laughed and told him to put his phone away. Then she said: "So, why are you speaking in Gujarati all of a sudden?"

"I'm practicing," Mr. Dixit said with great pride.

"Why?" said Kasak. "Are you going to dinner with the PM or something? Better yet, are you going to dinner with your Gujarati restaurant partner, Mr. Gujral's daughter?" she asked.

"Well, she is exceptionally beautiful, but tonight isn't her night," Dev said to Kasak's great displeasure.

"She's okay; I mean she is really not all that beautiful. I've seen her around at your place a few times," Mr. Dixit sensed that he had touched Kasak's raw nerve and responded rather calmly.
"Nahi...she is indeed quite beautiful,"

"Waise, aapki yahan kyun aaye hai? Aachanak?" asked Kasak turning her back to Mr. Dixit. But before he could respond, she went into the kitchen. She didn't want to hear anything else about Natasha or any other girls that Mr. Dixit may be romantically inclined towards.

"Ms. Sheth, mein yahan aapko dinner pe le jaane aaya huh. It's my treat to you," Kasak still did not make eye contact with him. She continued rolling the rotis, and asked him why he wanted to take her out to dinner all of a sudden. "You've done so much for my mom and my family. Aur phir Vicky ka treatment bhi toh apne hi kara tha na. Besides, tonight is the three month ceremony of our restaurants' inauguration and we're making a big announcement. In fact, the Gujarati restaurants have been so popular in Delhi that we've decided to open up a five more," he finished.

"Well congrats, Mr. Dixit. Lekin mein wahan aapke business partners ke saamne aake kya karungee? It'll be really awkward. Please excuse me for the night," Kasak said. She had absolutely no intention of interacting with Natasha or Mr. Gujral.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dev's POV

"Kya karungee matlab? Are aapko toh food bohat aacha lagega. Besides, there are no other business partners except for me. I'm the only one who's making the announcement tonight. Mr. Gujral is out of town," Dev finished explaining.

Patah patah jaanta hai, ek tu hi na jaane haal mera"the tune emanated from Kasak's phone, which was lying in the living room. "Let it be," Kasak said pointing to her flour ridden hands.

"Okay," said Dev. "Please get ready, Ms. Sheth,"
"I've already prepared the dinner for tonight, Mr. Dixit," argued Kasak.

"Ab hum log koi 18^th century mein toh reh nahi rahe hai ke aap yeh khana fridge mein store kar ken ahi rakh sakati. Are kal kha lena na yaar, Kasak!" Dev said losing his patience. "Um...I mean Ms. Sheth," he reverted back to his old self again.

"Dr. Sheth," she corrected him as finished washing her hands.

"Okay. Give me a few minutes. I'll get ready. Tab tak aap TV dekho. Actually rehne do. Mere cable mein business channel nahi aata," she taunted him as she disappeared in her room.

"Toh kya aata hai"health channel?" he yelled after her. Suddenly the door opened again and she came out to tell him this:
"Nahi, Yoga channel aata hai. Uss mein 8 o'clock bohat aacha program aata hai. Baba Ramdev specifically usmein insomnia ke liye yoga ke aasan dikhate hai. I think aapko dekhne chahiye," she smiled and went back in her room. Dev was so angry upon hearing that, but he couldn't formulate a reply quickly enough. Dev absent mindedly flipped through various TV channels.

Samandar se zyada meri aankhon mein aasun. Jaane yeh khuda bhi, hai aisa kyun. Tujhko hi aaye na khayal mera. Patah path jaanta hai, ek tu hi na jaane haal mera. Kasak's phone went off again. This time, Dev got up from the couch and looked at it. The name "Darshan" flashed across the screen. That infuriated him. That meant that Ms. Sheth and Darshan were still in touch. Perhaps, they communicated on a daily basis. Perhaps, she was dating him. No, no, no! How could she? She lived all the way here in Delhi, and he was so far away in Ahmedabad. No, no, no, that can't be it. Afterall, Ms. Sheth had herself told Dev that she didn't have any companions to share her feelings with a few weeks ago. The phone finally stopped ringing. Trying to push his thoughts aside, Dev flipped through the channels once again. He finally stumbled upon the Yoga channel, where it was being taught how to relax oneself. "What the hell," thought Dev and took a deep breath, just like they were showing on TV.

He heard laughter from behind him. "Good, do this daily for 15 mins and your insomnia will be gone!" Kasak said. Dev immediately turned off the TV.

"I was just...uh...Chalein?" he said walking towards the door. He looked at Ms. Sheth as she was looking the door; he simply could not take his eyes off of her. She was wearing a pink saree with bangles, earrings and a small bindi. She had deliberately left her hair loose, which further glorified her beauty.

"Ab kiska wait kar rahe hai?" she asked, shaking his shoulder.

As Dev and Kasak sat in the car, Dev told her the address of the new restaurant and that it would take about twenty minutes to get there.
"Twenty minutes?" Ms. Sheth said. "And you won't even play music? What do we do for twenty minutes?"

"Spend quality time together. I mean, I could just spend the entire night looking at you," said Dev. "I mean, I haven't seen you in such a traditional form before. You look like a sanskari Indian girl tonight. Otherwise, you're always in Arnab Goswami mode," he quickly tried to cover up his comments.

"Aacha?" she said shocked.

After about five minutes, Ms. Sheth insisted: "Seriously, Mr. Dixit. You have to the turn on the music. Aap kaise music ke bina..."

"Okay, okay. Lekin meri pasand ka, deal?" said Dev, giving in. He asked Kasak to grab a CD from the back of the car and put it in.

Mera Jeevan kora kagaz, kora hi reah gaya...Dev observed Kasak staring at him in disgust. He forwarded to the next track. Jaane kyun log mohabbat kiya karte hai. Dil ke badle dard-e-dil liya karte hai...Kasak hit the "next" button herself this time. Chingari koi bhadake toh sawan use bujhaye, sawan jo aaggan lagaye use kaun bujahhaye.

Kasak abruptly turned off the music. "Can't you listen to something a bit more cheerful? One or tracks of sad songs is fine, but this is too much," Dev didn't understand what the problem with old, sad songs was. He found them to be strangely peaceful. It was almost as if they expressed his emotions without him having to do so himself.

Patah path jaanta hai, ek tu hi naa jaane haal mera... "Aap uss Darshan ko bol dejiye ke aap apne boss ke saath meeting mein busy hai," Dev said angrily. How many times did he call Kasak in the span of thirty minutes? Yet, ignoring his advice, she picked up the phone. "Ms. Sheth," he began.

She raised her right arm and gestured him to be quiet. "MS. SHETH," Dev repeated himself louder.

"Haan, send the patient for the lab tests. I'll be in tomorrow morning," she spoke softly into the phone. "It was from the hospital, Mr. Dixit," Dev's anger subsided a bit. She questioned him whether he checked her phone and he admitted that he had read the name on the screen when it went off earlier.

They reached the restaurant and Dev escorted Kasak in.

Coming up: first date! I thought the song "Patah Patah" from Azhar was perfect for their feelings!

It was a lovely update.. So finally the family knows how careless and a drunkard Vicky is.. Hope they deal with him.. I always love the moments you write between Dev and Kasak it's beautiful.. So warm and so believable..

It was lovely..

Read all the updates in one go u r an excellent writer👏

Fantastic! As usual! Love their anter, yaar. And I'm sure Kasak looked awesome in the saree. Waiting for the next one!

Kasak's POV

"Aaiye, sir," said the manager as he escorted them in. "Madam, please," he gestured towards Kasak. Mr. Dixit followed Kasak to the table. The manager himself brought the menu with him and asked Mr. Dixit what he would like. Mr. Dixit handed the menu to Kasak and said that she would be ordering the food tonight.

"Ek kaam kejiye. Let's start with appetizers. I'd like a tomato soup please," said Kasak.

"Come on Dr. Sheth. Yahan pe bhi soup? Order something nice yaar," said Mr. Dixit.

"Okay, I'll take khaman-dhokala with it and also the coriander and coconut green chutney," she said.

"Double that," said Mr. Dixit. "And I'll take some vodka to begin please,"

"Red wine for me," said Kasak. The manager and waiter left. Kasak looked around the restaurant. It was a beautiful place with classy arrangements. The tables were decorated with white candles and the rich red tablecloths. The windows were draped with red and black velvet curtains. She told Mr. Dixit that the restaurant was beautiful.

"Thank you," he said proudly. "I am very happy I decided to partner with Mr. Gujral on this project,"

"Are you sure it's just for the sake of this project, Dev? Er...may I call you Dev? Now that we're celebrating your mother's recovery together tonight, you're no longer my boss," Kasak asked.

"Sure. But ek sharat par: I get to call you Kasak," said Dev.

"Okay," said Kasak. The waiter brought their drinks. Dev sipped his vodka and said: "So, I'm not your boss anymore. What acquaintance do we maintain now, Kasak?" Kasak smiled, wishing she could tell him exactly what kind of a relation she wanted to maintain with him. Perhaps, he saw her blush. With a naughty smirk, Dev continued: "Aakhir, hum aapke hai kaun?"

Kasak looked directly into his eyes at the conclusion of the statement and looked away a few moments later as Dev himself refused to take his eyes off of her. "I mean, I guess, we could be like friends now?" she imagined herself saying. But wait, if she said that, then she herself would be shutting the door to any romantic relationship between her and Dev. So, she simply remained quiet. Finally, Dev himself said: "Okay, toh aap main course ke khane mein kya lengi?"

"I'll take undhiyu and bhakhri with jalebis on the side," said Kasak as the waiter approached them.

"Mere toh bhai... mera usual hi la do please," said Dev. After the waiter left, Kasak asked him: "Aapka usual kya hai? Black coffee with toast?"

Dev's eyebrows once again knitted in utter annoyance. "Koi dinner mein coffee pita hai kya, Kasak?" he said. "I toh love Dal Dhokli," At this, Kasak burst out laughing.

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed that," Kasak said still laughing.
"Why?" asked Dev sincerely.

"Well, Dal Dhokli is generally considered a very feminine Gujarati food. It's usually eaten by those who can't handle spicy and tasty food, and during sick days," she finished.

"What? Feminine food...Aisa kuch nahi hota okay? Aur mujhse bhi zyada Dal Dhokli toh aapka woh special friend Darshan uss din kha raha tha,"

"Hahahaha," Kasak continued laughing.

"I'm just kidding, Mr. Dixit...errr. Dev. Actually, the truth is, I hate Dal Dhokli. Mere bhai ka favorite dish hai lekin it's one my least personal favorites. In fact, whenever my Mum makes it, I usually eat out with my friends," she explained earnestly. Dev sipped his vodka again and took a bite out of his khaman-dhokala.

Kasak also enjoyed the khaman-dhokala while listening to the music. A few minutes later she said: "Waise Darshan ki favorite dish Dal Dhokli nahi hai, undhiyu hai, jo meri bhi favorite hai,"

"Oh, okay," said Dev angrily. Bzzz...his phone vibrated loudly on the table.

"Kiska message hai?" asked Kasak as he picked up his phone. Without even checking, Dev said:

"Natasha ka hoga. She's very concerned about my whereabouts,"

"What the hell? You didn't check your phone," Kasak argued,

"I don't have to," said Dev. For the next few minutes, both of them continued to eat in silence and gave angry looks to each other.

Suddenly, the musicians began playing Jeena Jeena from Badlapur. "Dahleez pe mere dil ke jo rakhe hai tune kadam, tere naam pe meri zindagi likhdi mere humdum," Kasak hymned along as she couldn't stop herself. After a few moments, Dev continued where she left off:

"Na seekha maine jeena jeena, kaise jeena, na seekha maine jeena mere humdum,"

"Are waah? Tame toh saras gao cho! (Are wah, you sing quite well!)" said Kasak.

"Thanks. You're not bad yourself," said Dev. "I mean...um...tu saras che,"

Kasak laughed. "No, Dev. tu saras che' means I like you, not I like your singing,'" she gently corrected him by placing her hand over his. Immediately, Dev put his fork down, and wiped his hand. He then put his other hand over hers.

"Yeah, I know exactly what it means," Dev said, again staring at Kasak.

"Anything else, sir?" the waiter interrupted. Out of embarrassment, Kasak retracted her hand from underneath that of Dev. Dev looked towards Kasak inquisitively.

"No, I'm good with the undhiyu. Let's just finish off with some Dahi Vada," she said.

"I don't know what to order for dessert. Any suggestions?" Dev asked Kasak.

"Why don't you try, Lapsi? It's considered to be a good luck sweet when starting a new venture. Since you're opening up new restaurants, we'll go with that," the waiter thanked them and departed, only to return moments later with the desserts.

Dev grabbed a spoon to eat a bite of his Lapsi. But, Kasak grabbed the bowl from him. "Wait," she said. "The tradition is to feed someone Lapsi and give them your good wishes," With a smile, she grabbed another spoon took out a spoonful of Lapsi from the bowl. "Here," she said, extending her hand towards Dev's mouth. He smiled heartily and ate the Lapsi. "My best wishes, Dev. Best of luck to you, always!" Kasak said while feeding him.

"Thanks so much, Dr. Sheth...errr...I mean Kasak," said Dev muching on the Lapsi.

"Yeh loh. Jab bolna tha tab toh nahi bola, aur ab bol rahe hai "Dr. Sheth"," Kasak said. Dev laughed again.

"Waise, let me make the announcement," he said. Dev excused himself and went towards the center of a jam-packed restaurant. "May I please have your attention all?" he said. "Namaste to all of you," he said. "I hope you're enjoying the food. I am an investor of the restaurant and this is my sixth Gujarati restaurant in Delhi. I will be opening a few more in the coming weeks. I hope you all continue to come here," The audience applauded with great ardor and a few people even screamed in Gujarati: "Bahu saras! (well done) " and "Abhinandan, bhai! (congrats, bro)" Dev smiled proudly and finished up: "As they say, please fari aavajo (do come again)," Given Dev's accented Gujarati, the audience burst into appreciative laughter and applauded heartily. He looked towards Kasak to see if he had said it correctly, to which she responded by giving him a thumbs up.

Dev handed the mike over to the manager and walked towards Kasak. They thanked the manager and walked out of the restaurant towards Dev's car.

Once in the car, Kasak extended her hand to turn on the music, but quickly retracted it remembering the kinds of songs Dev had on his CD. Seeing this, Dev smiled and said: "You may turn on the radio,"

"No, it's okay. I was just...uh...stretching," Kasak said awkwardly. Dev drove towards a local park and parked his car there. Kasak looked at him curiously.

"Wanna go for a quick walk? The weather is nice," he said.

"How romantic!" thought Kasak. But, then she regretted her thoughts. Why was he doing this to her? This was just a one time thing; a few hours later, he would go away from her and all she would be left with are his memories, which would sadden her. The more she tried to repress her feelings for him, the more they hurt her. Oh, Dev! How she wished she could tell him how she really felt about him, and how satisfied she felt when he got furious at Darshan, and how she had told him to do Yoga as a serious thing for his insomnia even though he took it as a joke.

"Kasak," they began walking in the park. "I don't know what it is about you, but I enjoy spending time with you," Dev began. "You know, at first, I really thought you were an arrogant person. But, now I realize that you're just self righteous," he said.

"Thanks," she said. "Waise, aapne bhi apni first impression kuch zyada aachi nahi banayi thi," she responded. "But, Dev, you know what? You're a good man. You handle your family very well and are a really intelligent business man," she said looking directly at him. The moonlight bounced off of his wavy hair and reflected off of his honey brown eyes.

"Lekin, aapne mere ek sawaal ka jawab abhi tak nahi diya. Hum aapke hai kaun?" Dev said.

"Yahi sawaal mein aapse bhi pooch sakati huh," said Kasak. "Why did you take me out to dinner tonight? You didn't have to," she retorted back at him.

"Well, you're my company for the night, that's it. I needed someone to inaugurate my new restaurant with and since Natasha is out of town, I figured I'd ask you," Dev responded calmly. Kasak stopped walking abruptly, and without even looking at Dev, started walking towards the parking lot. Suddenly, he grabbed her right arm from behind. Her bangles chimed as he pulled her towards him:

"Kya hua?" he said.

"Nothing," she said somberly. "I have to make an urgent call to the hospital," Kasak said still not looking at Dev.

"Can it wait?" Dev asked gently. "Dr. Sheth, can your call wait a bit? I have something to tell you," he said gently pushing aside a strand of hair from her cheek and placing it behind her ear.

"Aap...kya chahte ho, Dev?" she asked, finally unable to resist making eye contact.

"Tumhe," he said. Kasak stared at him. She blushed profusely and tried to free herself from Dev's grip; she looked away. "Look, I'm asking you right now, directly: Would you like to be my girlfriend?" Dev said releasing her.

"Mr. Dixit," she said. "What are you saying?" she said. "You and I belong to very different societal classes and we have very different views on Life. I'm just a middle class girl," Kasak admitted genuinely.

"A middle class girl who can set me straight," smiled Dev.

"Haan, pan. Tame samajhta nathi (you're not understanding)...Look, I think you're an amazing man. You're responsible, successful, honest, caring towards your family, and of course very handsome," she finally admitted. "In fact, you're that Prince Charming that every girl dreams of. Sure, you have some flaws, but you have the courage to overcome them. And you admit to your flaws with great pride," she said, teary eyed. "But, you're too good for me, Dev. This relationship won't go anywhere," said Kasak.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dev's POV:

"What do you mean it won't go anywhere?" he asked, wiping the tear off of her cheek. "We won't know unless we try. And besides, we're both grounded human beings, come from humble beginnings and have made it big in our respective careers," he reminded Kasak.

"Careful!" said Kasak, as Dev wiped away another one of her tears, but this time directly from her eyes. "Don't mess up my eyeliner," she said.

"Oh, sorry, mein,..woh..." Dev said confused. They both smiled at that awkward moment together.

"Can I have some time to think about this?" asked Kasak.

"Of course," said Dev, as they walked back to the car. Dev turned on the radio as they drove back to Kasak's apartment.

"Suniye," he called after her as she stepped out of the car, "rukiye toh..."

She waited for him as he stepped out of the car. "Aap aaj bohat sundar lag rahi thi saree mein...actually, restaurant mein batane ka chance hi nahi mila," Kasak blushed.

"Oh, who am I kidding? Aisa nahi hai ke chance nahi mila, lekin, meri himmat hi nahi hui ke shayad aap bura maan jayengi," Kasak smiled at that comment and asked him:

"Do you really mean that, Dev?" He gave her an of-course-I-do' look. She continued: "It's just that I've always been busy studying. No one has ever called me beautiful before. Smart-yes, responsible-yes, but never pretty. I always felt that because I handled the responsibilities of my home, I neglected to somehow take care of myself and my feelings amidst this," finished Kasak.

Dev nodded empathetically. "I know what that feels like, Kasak. I'm telling you, we're both kindnred spirits. We understand and complement each other well. Think about what I said and let me know soon. I'll wait for your answer. Good night,"

"Good night, Dev. Aavajo (Bye; do come again)," said Kasak waving at him.

So, the point of this update was to let you guys know of my favorite/least favorite foods. Just kidding😆. They're not "in love" yet. They're exploring their compatibility by dating.