Toxic movie - spoiler filled thread....
Priyanka's Mum on Neckline : " Be dignified, dayre mein raho "
Mahabharat ki Pathshala Season 1 (Sign-Up open)
Member Topic: What makes us fall in love???
Originally posted by: priyaR4448
HI Sam , eagerly waiting for the updates.
i've read till chapter 11 , have you written more till now. a bit confused and don't want to miss the story. enjoy it too much.thks and do keep on writing.
Chapter 12
Sitting cross-legged with the laptop placed on the bed in front of her, she was completely absorbed in checking her e-mails. With the fingers of one hand rapidly moving back and forth on the mouse pad and the other hand holding a cup of coffee, her hazel eyes were fixed on the screen. Her long wavy dark hair were resting on her right shoulder. A shrill tone of e-mail alert penetrated the quiet, serene atmosphere of the room. She saw the name of the sender before hastily clicking on the newly received e-mail. As the screen changed to show the contents of the letter, she sat there with bated breath as if waiting for the important decision to announce. In the meantime she placed the cup she was holding on the table beside her. As her eyes scanned the letter, her facial expressions changed from surprise to one of joy. A huge smile appeared on her face. However, the next moment her smile faded, soon turning into a frown, as she continued to read further. The concluding passage of the letter had put a damper on her happiness, leaving her worried.
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"Astha beta, have you kept the box of sandwiches I made you? And those snacks..? Here are the drinks..." Anjali asked while handing her a few bottles of plain water and juices. "It's going to be a long journey. Make sure you stop on the way to take some rest and don't go long without eating something."
Astha laughed at her aayi. She was instructing them as if they were two kids going far away for a school trip. "Yes aayi, ok! We will do as you say. You don't worry!" she hugged and kissed her on the cheek to assure her.
"I know I don't need to with you around." Anjali smiled affectionately. She was well aware of her tendency to be over-protective when it came to her kids. Then as Shlok approached her, she said while giving them blessings, "You both take care and most importantly enjoy yourselves. Make the most of the week."
NA standing beside Anjali further added, "Have a safe journey. Let us know as soon as you reach there."
"Yes baba!" Shlok responded before climbing behind the wheel and starting the car. Astha followed him to sit in the passenger seat beside him. Soon they were driving out of the boundaries of Agnihotri Mansion.
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The car was running on the motorway at high speed. With her elbows placed on the rolled down window on her left hand side, she was sleeping with her head resting on the back of her seat. The wind had tousled her hair causing few strands to escape the clip she tied at the back. Shlok glanced at the sleeping form of Astha. He noticed the strands of her hair caressing her face due to the wind. He couldn't help admiring her apparent innocence and beauty. While holding steering with one hand, he extended his other hand towards her to move away those bothersome strands of hair partially hiding her face. He carefully tucked them behind her ear trying not to disturb her sleep. Just then out of nowhere, a car came zooming, overtook them and landed itself directly in front of them, causing him to break harshly. Both jerked forward. Astha woke up with a jolt, looking startled.
"Are you alright Astha?" Shlok asked looking at her with concern.
"Uh? Ya..yeah I'm fine!" she said feeling disoriented.
"Did I fall asleep?" she mumbled to herself whilst rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"No madam, you were driving for hours...it was me who fell asleep."
Astha turned to peer at him. Wearing blue jeans with light blue shirt, its sleeves folded up to the elbows, he was driving the car with both his hands placed on the steering wheel. He was apparently focused on the road but Astha knew better.
"Have we reached yet?" Astha squinted around the area trying to spot a familiar landmark.
"No, there's still some good few hours left."
"Hmm.." she nodded her head and leaned her head back on the seat as if intending to go back to sleep.
Shlok looked at her and saw her eyes closing again. He shook his head in disapproval. "Don't you know the basic ethics of sitting in the passenger seat?"
Astha opened her eyes "What? I have worn the seat belt."
"No, I mean the one about sleeping on the passenger seat"
"There's no such ethic...at least I have never heard of it."
"Why am I not surprised? For your kind information there is a rule forbidding the person sitting in the front seat from sleeping."
Astha rolled her eyes. She knew he was getting bored so was making mere excuses to keep her awake. But he would never admit it in million years. After realising that it was impossible for her to go back to sleep, she sat up straight and reached for the water bottle sitting in the cup holder between them.
"How long is it before we reach there?" she asked taking a sip directly from the bottle.
"You are tired already? Do I need to remind you it was me who was driving all these hours? You have been sleeping most of the way."
"This is precisely I don't understand. Why do all the drivers think no one else besides them can possibly feel tired?"
Shlok chose to ignore her comment while suppressing a smile spreading across his face. After a few minutes, he turned on the radio and tuned in to the sports channel where a commentator was giving a running commentary on a football match. Astha who was looking out of the window at the fields rushing past, turned to glare at him. The one thing she couldn't stand was listening to dull and boring sports commentary. Who cared how the player kicked the ball, how the goalie saved the goal, what the commentator thinks about the game, how's the weather like, etc. Couldn't they just stick to the point and get it over with? In sheer annoyance, she changed the channel.
"Oh hello madam I was listening to that", Shlok, who was surprised at her audacity, reminded her.
"Since when have you developed keen interest in sports? Let's listen to something which we BOTH can enjoy."
Shlok didn't find any point in arguing so kept mum. Astha started searching through the channels and soon found one worth listening to. It was a song from one of her favourite movies. She turned up the volume.
So now I'll take my heart back
Leave your pictures on the floor
Steal back my memories
I can't take it anymore
I've cried my eyes out
Oh, and now I face the years
The way you loved me
Vanished all the tears
The song blared out of the speakers, its words reverberating inside the car. Astha was completely lost in the song. Listening to this song always brought out strange emotions in her. As the song ended, she turned to look at Shlok. He sensed she wanted to say something to him but was holding herself back. Shlok gave her a questioning look. The radio was still on but none of them was paying attention to it now.
"Why do women always like to act so secretive?"
Astha arched a brow, looking at him in surprise, "you are talking as if you know awful lot about women."
"Not a lot but I do know that they are God's most complicated creatures."
"And men are most insensitive and difficult creatures of this earth" she rolled her eyes.
"Well we are not emotional fools like women if that's what you mean. We are more rational" he smirked sounding proud.
"But rationality doesn't always work when it comes to relationships. For the success of any relationship you have got to keep emotions above rationality. May be that's why women always contribute more in a relationship than men." she said solemnly.
"You think men don't have emotions?"
"No, men do have emotions. They just don't give importance to them. And sometimes some men don't even give importance to relationships". There was something in her tone that vanished his smile and made him look at her. But she was looking the other way, her face hidden from his sight. They didn't realise when their bickering turned into a serious conversation.
After a while they made a stop at a service station where they ate the sandwiches and the snacks Anjali had packed for them. While eating Shlok was asking her random questions.
"What's the craziest thing you have ever done in your life?"
"Hmm...craziest thing?" she said thoughtfully while taking a bite out of her sandwich. "I guess the craziest thing I have ever done is bunking a lecture in my university and go out. But trust me, that was all my friends' idea." she added hastily, giving justifications for her 'insolence'.
Shlok looked at her in disbelief. "That's the 'craziest' thing you have done?"
Astha shrugged innocently, earning a booming laugh from him. She looked at him angrily as if offended by his laugh. "Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised. What else can be expected from a goody-two-shoes like you." Astha glared at him, the blush creeping up her cheeks.
"As if you are a dare-devil huh?" she snapped, arching an eyebrow.
"Well not dare-devil but I sure have done a lot more adventurous and crazier things than you."
"Oh really? Like what?"
"Like proposing an unknown girl and prank calling someone to make them believe they won a lottery." he said with a proud smirk while taking another piece of sandwich from the plastic container.
Unable to believe he would do such acts, she looked at him with wide eyes. Then she shook her head in disgust thinking how could he do such things just for the sake of his entertainment. Perhaps Shlok guessed what she was thinking because the next second he told her both acts were the results of a dare by his friends and being a dare he couldn't back down. Astha knew when someone challenges Shlok, it becomes the matter of his ego.
He told her about all the crazy things he did as a student back in Mumbai. Astha was amused to hear his tales. "So you are not as noble as I thought you were" Astha said casually still laughing but he instantly became serious. He stopped midway while taking the sips of the drink. "Apart from these couple of pranks I have never bothered anyone. I am quite a gentleman otherwise." He didn't know what made him justify himself. By now they had finished eating their lunch.
"Oh really? Well Mr. Gentleman, thank you very much for clarifying your status to me, or else I was starting to worry about my virtue living with you." she laughed yet again. Shlok simply stared at her. She abruptly stopped laughing feeling his intense gaze on her face.
"What?" she asked slightly nervously, unsure what made him go serious all of a sudden. But his left question left her completely dumbfounded. "Have you ever had a crush on someone?"
She stared at him in astonishment, trying to read his expressions. What would make him ask her this question? This question out of all? Did he suspect her feelings for him? She didn't know what to say. Should she tell him that she had? But then surely he will ask her about the guy. And there was no way she would reveal that to him. She felt slightly nervous, afraid that he will read the answer to his question in her eyes. But as usual she tried to overcome her nervousness and gain back her control.
"What if I say yes.." she asked guardedly after a couple of long seconds.
However, to her surprise he didn't ask about the guy. In fact he simply shrugged and looked away, breaking his gaze away from her face. He started the car and focused his attention back on the road.
After few minutes he asked, still looking ahead. "When's the last time you spoke the truth?" Another peculiar question. She was taken aback. She didn't know what he was trying to get at but she answered as simply as possible. "A couple of minutes ago when I answered your question."
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The sun sank lower turning the sky crimson, the light of the day gradually draining away. The evening air was damp and cool smelling faintly of salty water. A smile spread across her face as she realised that they had entered the boundaries of the city. After a long journey of 7 hours they had finally reached their destination: Goa, the city famous for its beaches, the city that Astha had always wished to visit but never before got an opportunity to, and now her fate itself had brought her here, the same fate that had other plans for this couple. Unknown to them, this was going to prove an unforgettable journey for them.
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Sorry for the delay in update guys! Because of some unavoidable circumstances I was unable to update earlier. I will try to update the next chapter by this weekend.
Any confusion or questions raised by this chapter will be answered in the upcoming updates 😊
Till then, enjoy reading! And don't forget to leave your feedback 😃
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