#1 TaaRey FF - Vivah - a journey from engagement to marriage...Moved#2 - Page 56

"Nikli ya nahi?" Arjun barked into the phone.

"Haan, cab mein hoon!" Taani screamed back.

"Cab kyun?"

"Gaadi ke engine ka kuch problem hogaya hai."

"Burn down your damn car!"

"Shut up!" Taani reprimanded.

"Itna late kyun hua tujhe nikalne mein?"

"Kyunki tune fifteen minutes pehle call karke bataya ki class prepone ki hai and it's starting in half an hour." She said sarcastically.

"Waise, half an hour ke fifteen minutes already nikal gaye hai." He chuckled.

"Teri hi galati hai. Pehle bata nahi sakta tha?" She scolded.

"Raat ko call kiya tha. Infact, Purvi bhi try kar rahi thi. Par tera phone busy aa raha tha. Phir mujhe doubt aaya aur meine Rey ka phone try karke dekha, toh uska bhi busy tha aur mein samajh gaya ki tum dono lage huye ho. Then we decided to not even text you and make you run in the morning." Taani could hear the smirk in his voice.

"So what if we were talking? Ek toh teri wajah se bina breakfast kiye nikli hoon ghar se. Mumma aur bhai, dono chilla rahe the."

"Kaunsi nayi baat hai. Tujhe toh daant khaane ki aadat hai na?" He asked tongue-in-cheek.

"Tujhse baat hi kyun karti hoon mein?" She huffed. "Purvi ko bol canteen mein rukne mere liye. Saath mein class jayenge."

...

Taani hurried from the college gate towards the canteen. There was hardly a minute left for the class to begin and now she was regretting her decision of meeting in the canteen before the class. Nevertheless, she paced to the canteen. As she reached, she heard loud commotion and stopped in her tracks to see her friends in the canteen. She looked at her watch to confirm the time and looked back up to see them grinning at her.

"Surprise!" They called out at once and she saw Arjun and Purvi approaching her with a cake in their hands.

"You!" She squinted and made an angry face but couldn't hold it for long. She burst into a smile seeing their arrangement.

"Happy Birthday Taani!" They sang as Arjun placed the cake on a table.

"When did you plan all this?" She hugged Arjun followed by Purvi.

"When you didn't attend our calls last night!" Purvi answered breaking the hug.

"Sorry." Taani made a cute face and Purvi hugged her again. "Inn sab ko kab bulaya?" She asked referring to the others.

"Raat ko hi. Jaise hi pata chala ke free cake milne wala hai, sab ready hogaye aane." Arjun chuckled earning a smack from Naina who stood next to him.

"Taani ka birthday hai isiliye hum maane." Naina told him.

"Chal jhooti. Tuhje itna plead kiya meine isiliye tu maani." Arjun retorted.

"Nai re yeh pakka cake ke liye hi aayi hai." Aman chuckled.

"Free ka cake khane toh tu stranger ke bhi birthday celebration mein ghus jaata hai. Aaya bada mujhe kehne wala." Naina taunted back at him and their banter started.

Taani stood there smiling, while the others tried to doze their fight. She was enjoying how her birthday was progressing. First, the call from Rey at night and now, this surprise which her friends had planned for her. She felt elated and got lost in the memories of the previous night.

...

"Hello." Rey sang into the phone.

"Aagaye tum?" Taani settled down on her bed.

"Haan, just ghar pahucha." He answered.

"Flight late thi?"

"Ek ghanta toh Mumbai ke upar bas chakkar laga rahi thi." He huffed.

"Air traffic?"

"As always. Tum batao kya kar rahi ho?"

"Kuch khaas nahi."

"Waise, I'm really sorry for that day. Tumhe all the best bolne call kiya for your project showcase aur turant so gaya. Was damn exhausted."

"At least you called in the middle of your busy schedule there. That was enough for me." She smiled.

"Thanks." He was happy that she understood him.

"You're most welcome."

"So, how was the event?"

"Amazing! Humare project ko bohot appreciation mili."

"Milni hi thi. You guys had worked your ass off for it."

"Language!" She was taken aback by his choice of words.

"You're not a five-year-old ki mein apni language pe check rakhu."

"Still.."

"Yaar!" He complained.

"Iska matlab I'll have to start to getting used it too?" She pouted.

"Tumhare upar hai. But I'm not gonna keep a check on what I fuc.."

"Stop!" She stopped him before he could complete his sentence making him laugh.

"Atcha sorry. I was just goofing around."

"Good. Cause I don't f**king like when someone talks like that."

"Now we're talking!" He grinned making her laugh.

"Atcha mujhe tumhe kuch batana hai." Taani said diverting the topic.

"Ek minute, ek minute. Let me just.." He trailed off looking at his watch.

"Rey?" She called out to him when he didn't speak for a while. "Hello?"

"Happy birthday Luv!" He wished her.

"Tumhe kaise..?" She was taken aback by his sweet gesture.

"Was waiting for the clock to strike twelve." He chuckled at her shocked state.

"But seriously, tumhe kisne bataya ki aaj mera birthday hai?" She asked once she got out of her shock.

"Kisine nahi."

"Rey?" She demanded an answer.

"Kya? I am telling you the truth. Mujhe kisine nahi bataya."

"Toh kaise pata chala?"

"Tumhare official papers mere through gaye the. Meine tabhi hi dekh liya tha." He answered.

"Tumhe tabse pata tha?"

"Haan."

"Thanks. I'm still trying to process it."

"Why? Has no one ever called you at midnight to wish you?"

"Well, no one has called before midnight, talked normally and then wished out of nowhere."

"You're welcome luv."

"Stop calling me that." She huffed.

"You know, mujhe toh laga tha ki mujhe tumhe airport se hi call karna padega to wish. Luckily the flight landed before time."

"Is this why you wanted to get back from New York before the tenth of April?" She asked as she realized it from their earlier conversations.

"Aur nahi toh kya. Pata hai kitne papad bele meine to get back here before your birthday." He boasted.

"Waise, iss se better surprise de sakte the tum ." She said tongue-in-cheek.

"Jaise?"

"Tum baara baje khidki se mere ghar aake wish kar sakte the." She said dreamily.

"O madam, agar aapke yeh expectations hai toh mujhe baksh do aur kisi aur ko pakad lo."

"I don't think that's possible now. Abh tum phas gaye ho. Toh yeh saari wishes toh tumhe hi poori karni hogi." She bit back her giggle.

"Seven floors pipe se chadke aau? Pagal kutte ne kaat rakha hai na mujhe!" He rolled his eyes.

"For the first time I hate living on the seventh floor." She pouted.

"Ground floor pe hoti toh bhi nahi aata. Shivam ke haaton marne ka shawk nahi hai mujhe. Waise how is he and aunty?"

"Both are fine."

"You didn't defend Shivam?" He found it odd.

"Kya fayda? That won't stop you from bitching about my brother."

"Uh, excuse me?"

"Don't act innocent."

"Isme acting ki kya baat hai? Mein toh paidaishi innocent hoon." He grinned.

Her phone beeped indicating a call.

"I'm getting a call." She informed him.

"I'm not going to let you cut my call."

"Arjun ka call hai yaar."

"Toh mein kya karun? Waise bhi itni raat ko tumhe sirf mujhse baat karni chahiye naa hi kisi aur se."

"Aisi baat hai? Last week janab ke paas time nahi tha mujhse baat karne ka aur abh haq jata rahe ho?"

"Aur last month jo tum ignore kar rahi thi voh? At least meine tumhe bataya tha ki mein busy rahunga toh shayad baat na kar pau. Tum toh ainvayi maze le rahi thi." He taunted making her giggle.

Her phone beeped again and a mail notification showed up.

"Rey, can I call you back in five minutes?" Her tone changed.

"All cool?" He asked.

"Yeah." Her voice was heavy with emotions.

"Kya hua? You don't sound well."

"Papa ka email aaya hai." A tear trickled down her eye.

"Papa ka email?" He questioned.

"Haan, unhone mere birthdays ke liye messages pre-record kiye the when he came to know that he was terminally ill aur unhe schedule karke rakha tha. Har birthday pe ek aata hai." She sniffed.

"Hey, stay strong for him. Mein rakhta hoon. Tumhe baat karne ka mann ho toh call kar lena." He could understand her emotional state.

"Can you please stay. Mujhe akele nahi sunna." She pleaded.

"I'm always here for you luv." He said making her smile at luv.

Taani opened her laptop and downloaded the voice clip. With a heavy heart she clicked on play.

"Happy birthday gudiya. Haan mujhe pata hai ki abh tum badi hogayi ho par mere liye tum meri gudiya hi ho. Now that you have turned twenty-two, I think you would be in Mumbai in your dream college. Right? Aur agar tum wahan ho toh I know that you are extremely happy and I hope that no boy is trying to mess around with you there. Waise mujhe iss baat ki itni chinta nahi hai kyunki meine Shivam ko yeh duty di hai ki voh tumhe protect kare." She let out a laugh between her sobs hearing him. "Par agar koi ho tumhari zindagi mein jis se tum pyaar karti ho, toh usse mujhse milwana jarur. Tum jaanti ho kahan. Aur tum apne teddy ko hug karke rona band karo. Promise yaad hai na?"

"Agar aasu khushi ke na ho toh beete huye pe mat bahao." She repeated with him and wiped off her tears.

"Atcha gudiya aaj ke liye itna hi. Mein tumhara jyada time nahi lunga. Tumhe baaki sab bhi toh call kar rahe honge. But I hope, like always, I'm the first one to wish you. Happy birthday once again gudiya. Agle saal phir milenge!"

The clip ended and it went silent. Taani sat on her bed hugging her teddy which her dad had gifted her on one of her birthdays. She didn't speak a word after the message stopped playing. Rey too kept mum, giving her time to absorb her father's voice.

"Hello?" Taani spoke into the phone after a while.

"Hello gudiya." He teased.

"Oh God, what have I done?" She wailed. "Why did I let you listen?"

"Good to know that you are okay." He smiled.

"Papa ki awaaz sunne ke baad how can I not be okay?" She smiled back.

"Toh tum papa ki pari nahi papa ki gudiya ho."

"Yes. And you better not let it out in front of my friends." She warned him.

"Abh toh main bataunga." He teased.

"Rey!" She wailed.

"Firse rone mat lag jana." He stopped her and she huffed. "Atcha, tell me something."

"Kya?"

"One favourite memory of him?"

"Umm.." She thought for a while and then spoke. "This one is one of my favourites. It was actually on one of my birthdays. Unhone mere liye ek bohot hi beautiful necklace laya tha. But I was so adamant on some toy which he wasn't buying for me ki meine voh necklace tree mein bury kar diya tha." She laughed reminiscing about it.

"Excuse me? Tree mein bury?" He asked to confirm if he heard it right.

"Haan. Jodhpur mein humare ghar ke saamne ek jhaad hota tha jisme papa, bhai aur meine ek chamber banaya tha. That was our secret chamber. I still remember that I had loved that necklace, but I wanted some toy toh meine usse safety ke liye uss chamber mein rakh diya tha." She giggled. "I don't think I ever removed it from there." She added as an afterthought.

"Are you telling me that there is a necklace buried in some tree in Jodhpur?"

"Yes!"

"Tum toh mujhse bhi jyada pagal ho yaar." He chuckled.

"Oh, shut up!" She hushed him.

"Nahin sachme." He teased more.

"Rey!" She whined.

"Okay peace." He called truce. "Tumhara kal college nahi hai?"

"Hai. Kyun?"

"Toh sona nahi hai? Ya phir lectures mein soti ho tum?" He taunted.

"Ek week baat nahi hui toh kya poore week ka quota ek hi din mein khatam karne wale ho?" She pouted.

"Awe, baby ko bula laga?" He asked in a childish tone.

"Ew." She cringed at his tone.

"Atcha now go to sleep. Bohot late hogaya hai."

"You too. I know ki flight mein soye nahi hoge tum."

"Yeah, well, too much noise! Anyways, Good night."

"Sleep tight." She giggled.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Chee yaar."

"Bye!" He laughed.

"Thank you so much guys. This is seriously the best surprise ever." Taani told her friends.

"Really?" Purvi eyed her.

"Yeah. I can't imagine anything topping this." She said truthfully.

"Cut your thank you speech short. Hume photos leni hai!" Naina jumped up from her seat. "Aman." She grinned batting her eyelashes at him.

"Haan haan mein toh sirf photo click karne paida hua hoon." He replied sarcastically.

"Yeh DSLR khareedne ke pehle sochna chahiye tha. Abh tu kheech meri photo, tu kheech.." Naina sang.

"If you sing that song one more time, I swear I'll kill you." Aman stopped her.

"Arre par.." She tried to object.

"Seriously Naina, that was bad." Taani agreed with Aman.

"Chale?" Arjun got up.

"Kahan?" Naina asked.

"Canteen mein pics leni hai?" He asked sarcastically.

"Our usual place?" Taani asked. Purvi nodded.

"Let's go then." Varun said enthusiastically.

They all went to their photo wall which was near the entrance. The wall made a pretty backdrop for pictures and it also had the perfect amount of lighting due to which it was their picture-perfect wall. On every occasion they did their photoshoot against this wall.

"Yaar tum girls ki bohot pics hogaye. Abhi mujhe iske saath ek pic chahiye." Varun stated.

"Okay cry baby, go ahead." Purvi mocked him.

They clicked a lot of pics with different poses and then Arjun joined them. They both were on either side of Taani holding her waist. Just as Aman was about to click, they picked her up by her waist making her squeal and others laugh.

"Put me down." She cried but they didn't budge. She was still hanging mid-air.

"One more. One more. Ready?" Arjun looked at Varun and nodded.

"Wait what?" Taani looked at them both and they just smiled and got closer.

They both kissed her cheeks at the same time and Aman clicked.

"Nice pic." They all heard a voice as Taani jumped out of their grip and almost fell to the ground.

"Thanks bro." Arjun went ahead to hug him.

Taani was adjusting her hair which were haywire due to her abrupt jump. She looked up and her eyes popped out on seeing the person Arjun was hugging.

"What the hell Arjun? You were supposed to take our pic." Aman complained when Arjun left.

"Fine, don't crib. Go stand there." Aman gave Arjun the camera and stood next to Taani.

"Taani, camera idhar hai." Arjun called Taani who was still looking behind him.

Taani smiled awkwardly at him and posed for the camera. Arjun clicked a few pics and showed it to them.

"Yaar dhang ki kheech na. Yeh kya hai?" Aman complained.

"Pasand nahi aa rahi toh selfie lele!" Arjun rolled his eyes at him.

"Mein kuch help karu?" He came closer to them.

"Can you operate a DSLR?" Aman asked him and he nodded. "Great then."

Aman and Taani posed again and he clicked a few pictures of them. Taani was nervous at first but relaxed quickly on seeing the smile on his face.

"If you don't mind, can you click my pic with the birthday girl?" He asked Aman.

"Sure thing." Aman agreed.

"Ready luv?" He asked her.

Taani shook her head and stood next to him. He put her hand around her waist and pulled her to him.

"They look so adorable." Purvi whispered.

"Who is he?" Varun nudged Arjun.

"Card almost full hogaya hai. Someone stop them. Waise dono ki pics mast aa rahi hai." Aman said still clicking as they were continuously posing for the camera.

"Rey stop." Taani told him when he got closer to her and he stopped immediately.

She glanced up and saw her friends eyeing her. She released herself from his grip and moved towards them.

"Just when you thought that it couldn't get any better. Hmn?" Purvi teased Taani.

"Shut up!" Taani reprimanded hoping that Rey didn't hear it.

"Hello Purvi." Rey approached them.

"Hi Rey." Purvi smiled at him.

"Rey? Haven't heard your name before." Varun questioned.

"Exactly! Who are you and how do you know them?" Naina asked.

"I'm Taani's.." Rey paused and looked at Taani. She looked back at him and signaled a no. "Brother's friend." He completed.

"Oh, Shivam's friend. But why here?" Varun asked further.

"Well, Shivam is a little busy so he sent me here to pick up Taani." Rey replied.

"Shivam aisa kyu karega?" Arjun squinted.

"Kyunki voh busy hai. Bola na meine." Rey said holding back his smile.

"I have lectures today. I can't come." Taani told Rey.

"And you've never bunked a single lecture in your life, right?" He rolled his eyes at her. "Stop being a wuss and come."

"Rey, I am not going anywhere." She glared at him for calling her a wuss.

"Fine. Your wish." He walked off.

"Tu kar kya rahi hai? Jaa!" Arjun whispered.

"Par yeh sab? Already photo session ke baad yeh sab itne questions pooch rahe hai. Abh uske saath jaungi toh aur questions karenge." She whispered.

"He just gave you a reason to escape. Aur yeh teeno ko mein aur Purvi handle kar lenge."

"Pakka?"

"Just go before he leaves!"

...

"Toh hum kahan ja rahe hai?" Taani asked Rey.

"Surprise hai." He winked at her.

"Rey!" She whined.

"I know my name." He chuckled.

"Fine mat batao!" She huffed and he continued driving.

"Rey are you gonna tell me?" She asked after a while.

"I'm not kidnapping you, trust me." He answered and continued to drive.

Taani's phone rang and it was Shivam. Rey let out a deep breath when she told him but didn't move his gaze off the road. She felt it weird but nevertheless answered the call.

"Haan bhai?"

"Tum kahan ho?" Shivam asked her.

"Mein Rey ke saath hoon, kyun?"

"Do you want to go with him?"

"Aap aise kyun pooch rahe ho?"

"Just answer me Taani!"

"Bhai voh mein.." She trailed off when she saw Rey's grip tighten on the steering.

...

"Tum yahan kya kar rahe ho?" Shivam asked as he opened the door and found Rey standing in front of him.

"Mein andar aa sakta hoon?" Rey asked nervously.

"Sure." Shivam forced a smile. "Tum yahan ruko mein mom ko bulata hoon." He turned to leave.

"Shivam wait."

"Yes?"

"Last month jo.."

"I'm not interested in knowing anything." Shivam stopped him.

"You've taken it all wrong." Rey tried again.

"Listen buddy, I've heard your explanation once. If you think that repeating it is going to do any good then you are wrong. Meine abhi tak kisise yeh baat share nahi ki hai kyunki Taani is really happy with you and I don't want to take that away from her. Just make sure that you don't f**k up. Warna mujhse bura koi nahi hoga!" Shivam warned him.

Rey nodded quietly and sat on the couch. Shivam left to call Tanya.

"Hello aunty." Rey greeted her as she came out.

"Rey, tum yahan? Taani toh college gayi hai." She told him.

"Ussi ko leke mujhe aapse, actually app dono se kuch puchna tha."

"Date pe jise le jana hai ussi ko puch lo. Hum dono ki permission ki kya jarurat hai?" Tanya teased him.

"Actually, jarurat hai." He smiled awkwardly at her and narrated his plan.

"I have no objection. Just promise me that you will take good care of her."

"Of course, aunty. But are you seriously okay with it?"

"After knowing your reason, I'm more than okay with it." She smiled at him.

"Shivam?" Rey looked hopefully at him.

"Isse kyun problem hogi. Tum dono jao. Aur apna khayal rakhna." Tanya answered instead of Shivam.

"Thanks aunty. I'll leave then? Taani ko bhi pick karna hai." Rey bid her bye.

"Rey." Shivam called him as they both reached the door. "I'm going to call Taani and if she says no then you will bring her back home. Understood?"

Rey nodded and left.

...

"Kya baat hai Taani?" Shivam asked when she didn't answer.

"Do you think that I should go? I mean he isn't even telling me where he is taking me."

"Mein kaise batau?"

"If you know that he is taking me somewhere then you also know where that place is. So, tell me, mein jau ya nahi?" Taani asked and felt the car slow down to a stop.

Taani ended the call and looked at Rey. He was sitting with closed eyes and a fallen face. His hands were still gripping the steering.

"Kya hua gaadi kyun roki? Flight miss karni hai?" Taani raised her brows at Rey.

"You mean?" He wanted to be sure.

"Bhai told me where you were taking me and also said that if I didn't go it would make me unhappy. Which means we are going to Jodhpur!"

"When did you plan all this?" Taani asked Rey when they were waiting for boarding gates to open.

"Yesterday night after our little chat."

"And why?"

"You wanted a better surprise." He answered truthfully.

She averted her gaze as her eyes moistened a little. No one had ever shown such care towards her tiny wishes.

"And I also think that we should retrieve your necklace." She smiled at this and look at him.

"Thanks."

"You need not thank me luv." He winked.

"Why do you call me that?" She frowned.

"What?"

"Luv! Kyun?"

"Kyun nahi?"

"Mujhe nahi pasand."

"Par mujhe pasand hai na. Waise bhi I'm the one saying it." He argued.

"But I have to lis.. What logic is that?"

"That's my logic!" He grinned.

"It's stupid!"

"No, it isn't luv."

"Stop!"

"Passengers travelling on Jet Airways flight 9W 839 to Jodhpur please proceed to gate 1, we are now boarding." They heard he announcement and moved towards the boarding gates.

"Jodhpur mein koi friends hai ya nahi?" Rey asked once they were buckled up.

"School friends hai mere jinse meine Mumbai aane ke baad contact hi nahi rakha hai. They will kill me abhi milne gayi toh." She replied sheepishly.

"Dost ho toh aisi!" He mocked.

"Bol toh aise rahe ho jaise tumne sab friends ke saath contact rakha hai." She rolled her eyes at him and felt him still for a brief second and then he was back to his jovial self.

"Don't you want to meet them?" He asked.

"Time kahan hai? We'll reach at two. Phir purane ghar jaake necklace retrieve karna hai aur raat tak nikalna bhi toh hai."

"Not really."

"What do you mean?"

"We are staying over for a night." He informed her.

"What? But I don't have anything to change into for the night."

"Why do you want clothes?"

"Excuse me?" She widened her eyes at him.

"Okay, that came out completely wrong. I didn't mean anything of that sort. I mean I wasn't implying anything." He rambled.

"You're making it worse. Stop." She cringed.

"Sorry. I mean to say that don't worry about your clothes, I have picked them up. Mere hi bag mein hai."

"Yeh kab kiya?"

"Subah tumhare ghar gaya tha, tabhi."

"Ohh."

"Yup."

"Tell me one thing, how did you convince bhai?" She chuckled thinking about it.

"What makes you ask this?"

"Mein last month se observe kar rahi hoon, there is something going on between the two of you. I've seen you two behave strangely in office. Bhai was always protective towards me but yeh last month se kuch jyada hi protective ho gaye hai. It feels weird. Aaj bhi agar tum Jodhpur nahi la rahe hote mujhe toh I don't think he would have agreed. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing you should worry over."

"Matlab kuch toh baat hai."

"Ek choti misunderstanding thi. Now everything is sorted."

"Are you sure? Kyunki jaise voh mujhse phone pe baat kar rahe the uss se toh aisa nahi lag raha tha."

"Did he not let you come with me? Aur kya proof chahiye?"

"If you say so. Par next time agar aisa kuch hua toh let me know about it. I understand he is looking out for me but he should come and talk to me first. I am his sister!"

"In a way, it's good that he isn't. I don't want any problems between the two of you because of me."

"Kya matlab?"

"Matlab yeh ki voh tumse mere baare me puchega and if you take my side he won't like it. And then you two might start fighting which I don't want. So, it's better if he directly confronts me."

"Our bond isn't that weak ki jhagda karne lag jaye hum."

"Ours was not either. Yet we ended up fighting." He had a faraway look.

"Aisa hua kya tha jiski wajah se you keep telling me ki behen ki baat aati hai toh bhai kuch bhi kar sakta hai. Kya kiya tha tumne?"

"We had pushed her to a point where she felt cutting ties with us was a better option than living with us."

"We? You and..?"

"Bhai."

"Armaan bhai?" She asked. He nodded. "Guy problems?" She further asked.

"Yeah." He chuckled dryly. "She fell in love with a guy in high school who completely shattered her heart by cheating on her. Since then we were extra protective towards her. Uske saare friends ki kundali nikal ke rakhi thi bhai ne with a list of potential people who could possibly hurt her. One such name in the list was Rahul Grewal. And somehow, she ended up falling in love with him. She confided her secret in me aur meine jaake bhai ko yeh baat batayi. He hired a private detective to learn more about Rahul."

"What?" Taani couldn't believe it.

"Yeh toh bas start hai. Aage suno." She got engaged into the story. "Muski ko pata chala about all this and she was furious at us. Unfortunately, detective se kuch extra information mili nahi, but we were adamant ki usko phirse wahi galati nahi karne denge. We obviously didn't want to see her sad."

"But didn't your disapproval for her love hurt her?"

"It did. But in our heads, we were protecting her na, toh tabhi yeh sab socha nahi. Then one day he left and Muski wasn't too hurt about it. We thought that she had gotten over him due to our persistence and now things would get back to normal. And according to us, they did. Muski had applied to a medical college in Melbourne and had received an acceptance letter from them. She was all set to go there."

"Rahul was in Melbourne, right?"

"Yeah. Apparently, both of them had applied to the same college. We had no clue about this."

"Toh pata kaise chala?"

"Wahan jaake she started ignoring us. Na calls answer karti thi na messages ka reply deti thi. So bhai flew to Melbourne and that's when we came to know. He was furious. Itna ki he got her back to India. But she wasn't the same. Chup rehne lagi thi. Kisi ke saath koi interaction nahi. I couldn't see her like that. So, I set her free. Paa se kehke uski ticket nikalwayi and we sent her back to her life. I guess I had accepted by then that she didn't need our protection for her entire life. Bhai hadn't. He decided to shift there too. So, Paa made him the head of our Melbourne branch and sent him there."

"So, this is the reason why he left Mumbai." Taani mumbled.

"Seems like you've heard a lot of things in the office." Rey cocked his brow up.

"Matlab tumhe pata hai ki people in your office think that he was sent away to make place for you?" She asked cautiously.

"Kuch toh log kahenge. Logon ka kaam hai kehna." He brushed it off. She too didn't drag it.

"Your sister is married right?" Taani got back to their original topic.

"Yeah."

"To whom?"

"Who else?"

"How?"

"She was adamant and kept two options in front of bhai, either bless her or forget her. Poor bhai, he had to accept them as Rahul wasn't that bad a person as we had thought of him. Then as time went by we realized how stupid we were and now we just laugh over it. But, I must appreciate Rahul, he kept his calm with us and understood where we came from."

"I'm so glad that I have just one overly protective brother. Baaki do chilled out hai." Taani let out a laugh.

"Baaki do?"

"Maasi ke bete. They live in Bangalore."

"Chalo atcha hai ki mujhe sirf ek ko jhelna hai." He joked.

"Par yeh ek dono ke barabar hai."

"Damn it!"

"And we are here!" Taani gestured towards her house.

"Why did you shift to Mumbai?" He was in awe seeing the place.

It was a beautiful house surrounded by trees on all sides and enclosed in a white picket fence.

"Too many memories to live with." She smiled lightly. "Chale?"

"Ghar pe koi hai nahi. Lock dikh raha hai." He pointed out.

"Hume kaunsa andar jaana tha."

"You seriously don't want to go in?"

"The house doesn't belong to me. And obviously abhi jo rehte hai unhone kuch changes kiye honge which I don't want to see. I want to remember this house in its past glory."

"So, tell me which tree we have to dig up?" He asked rubbing his palms.

"We need to climb that one." She pointed at one tree in the front of the house.

"Climb?" His eyes popped out on seeing the huge tree. "How the hell are we supposed to climb it? I don't see any stairs."

"You don't need stairs. Come I'll show you." Taani moved ahead and slowly started climbing up the trunk.

"I'm fine here."

"As you wish." She continued her ascend.

She reached the first branch and sat on it. She looked down at Rey and smiled seeing his worried face. He kept telling her to be careful. She asked him not to worry and tried opening the lid of the chamber which was drilled into the trunk. She pulled hard on it but it didn't budge. She pulled again and almost lost her balance while doing so.

"Taani neeche aao yaar. Chuck it if it isn't opening." Rey shouted from below.

"I'm fine. Aur itni durr aake I'm not giving up. I want my necklace!" She argued.

"Theek hai. Just be careful up there."

She finally managed to open it. She pulled out a polythene bag from the chamber in which was her necklace.

"Mil gaya!" She gleamed.

Taani positioned herself to climb down but in her ecstasy, she missed a groove on the bark and slipped down. Rey caught her but due to the high fall they both fell to the ground with Taani on top of Rey. She rose up slowly removing her hair which were covering his face. She sat up next to him while he lay flat on the ground.

"You alright?" She asked him.

"I think I broke my back." He answered.

"What?" She shrieked.

"Relax, I didn't." He got up. "But I could have though."

"Idiot! Tumhe yeh mazak lag raha hai?" She started hitting him as he ran away from her.

"Ou ou ou, you're hurting me." He said dodging her hits.

"You deserve it!" She glared at him.

"Okay sorry. Aage se no mazak." He held his ears.

"Good!" She panted.

"Necklace toh batao." He said after catching his breath.

"Here." She gave it to him.

"It's pretty. May I?" He offered to tie it around her neck.

She turned around and moved her hair to one side. Rey took a step ahead and placed the necklace around her neck. Goosebumps erupted through their bodies as his fingers touched her neck but they both maintained a straight face. He tried to secure it, but it was too small for her now.

"I'm choking." She managed to speak.

"It's an actual choker then." He chuckled and held it in front of her.

"I'll never be able to wear it." She was sad.

"We'll figure something out. Abhi kahin chale? I'm famished." He held his stomach.

"Alright." She replied half-heartedly.

"Let's go eat something. Khane ke baad shayad dimaag chale." He persuaded and she nodded.

...

"Why aren't you ordering anything?" Rey asked Taani who sat with a glass of water across from him.

"I'll order later." She looked at the clock behind him and frowned.

"Kiska intezaar ho raha hai?" He asked with a lopsided grin.

"Mere ex-boyfriend ka. Will you be interested in meeting him?" She asked extra sweetly.

"Sure, why not? Thode tips le lunga uss se. Kya hai na, I'm having a hard time figuring you out." He smirked.

"Ha ha very funny." She replied sarcastically.

"Waise yeh wale ex ka naam kya hai?"

"Shut up!"

"That's a weird name to have."

"Tum humesha mere ex ke peeche kyun padhe rehte ho? Apne baare mein batao. Kaun thi? Or should I ask kitni thi?" It was her turn to smirk.

"Umm.. let me think." He furrowed his eyebrows and started counting. "One.. two.. three.. fou.. yeah, she counts. Four.." He went on.

"Okay stop!"

"Why? Are you jealous?" He wiggled his brows.

"For me to get jealous they still have to be a part of your life, which they are not."

"How can you be so sure? They still can be a part of my life."

"But not your love life!"

"Itna confidence?"

"No. Trust." She looked into his eyes and she could see the surprise in them. He was clearly not expecting this answer from her.

"Thanks." He didn't know how to respond to her.

"Also, I'm sorry." He said making her furrow her brow.

"For?"

"Yesterday. I've been wanting to apologize since morning, par samajh nahi aa raha tha ki kaise bolu."

"Par kyun?" She was confused.

"For unknowingly wishing you before your papa. Aur kal unki baatein sunne ke baad I felt really guilty for doing that."

She let out a laugh hearing his innocent apology.

"Kya hua?"

"Papa was never the one to wish me first."

"Toh voh message?"

"That was his way of saying ki mein bhi baara baje wish kar sakta hoon. He used to always sleep by eleven aur next day mujhe wish karte the jab baaki sab kar chuke hote the." A smile formed on her face thinking about her father.

"If you don't mind me asking.." Rey was interrupted before he could finish his question.

"Unko cancer hua tha which went undetected for a long time. And when he reached the last stage tabhi detect hua. But it was too late. Doctor ne toh bas ek mahina bola tha. But his will power was so strong that he survived it till three months and then his organs gave in."

"You were lucky that you got to spend his last days with him." Even though he had a smile on his lips, his eyes had a faraway look.

"Kiske baare mein soch rahe ho?" Taani asked him.

"It's nothing." He tried to brush it off.

"You can talk to me." She placed her hand on his.

"Billy uncle. Bhai's dad." He spoke. "I was five when he passed away in a car accident. Par aaj tak voh bhai ki kahi baat nahi bhool paya hoon. Uncle kisi kaam se bahar gaye the aur bhai ki unke saath kuch behes huyi thi phone pe. While coming home he met with an accident. When the news reached us, bhai just wished that he hadn't fought with him when they last spoke and had got one chance to say goodbye." He had a pained look.

"I'm sure uncle knows and is proud of him now." Taani squeezed his hand.

"Mein bhi kitna pagal hoon. Birthday ke din yeh sab." Rey took a deep breath to clear his head.

"Toh kya baatein karni hai?" Taani asked.

"Umm.. let's start with that guy who is gawking at us." He pointed to his right where someone was staring at them.

"Raghav!" She looked at her left and screamed instantly on recognizing him.

"Tannu!" He ran towards her and hugged her. "Tu yahan? Kab? Kaise?"

"Bas tujhse milne ka mann kiya toh aagayi." She grinned.

"Such a liar." He squinted.

"Sia aur Juno kahan hai?"

"Sia nahi, Pushpa madam bolo. She is the owner here."

"What? Yeh kab hua?"

"Abhi recently. Yahan kaam kiya aur phir uss sadu boss ke paison se ussi se cafe khareed liya." He chuckled.

"Aur Juno?"

"Juno toh gham mein dooba hai ki ek din tum wapas aaogi. He is gonna be real upset now." He gestured towards Rey.

"Rey, this is Raghav my school friend. And Raghav this is Rey my.."

"Boyfriend." Raghav completed for her. "Bachchi badi ho gayi." He teased.

"Tu batayega ki voh kidar hai?" Taani asked controlling herself from blushing under Rey's gaze.

"Dono aa hi rahe the.. there they are!" He pointed towards the entrance.

"Tannu!" Sia ran and hugged Taani.

"Excuse me? May I?" He pulled them apart.

"Of course, Juno." She hugged him.

"Tum logon ka emotional get-together hogaya ho toh inse mil le." Raghav pointed at Rey.

"Yeh kaun hai?" Sia asked him.

"Taani please introduce him." Raghav teased her.

"That's Rey, my.. boyfriend." She paused and inhaled deeply to stop herself from blushing. "And that's Sia and Jun.. I mean Arjun." She introduced them.

"Arjun hah?" Rey smirked.

"Not again!" She wailed.

"Meine kuch kahan bhi nahi."

"Kehne ki jarurat bhi nahi."

"Umm what?" Arjun (Juno) eyed them.

"Ignore him, Juno!" Taani rolled her eyes at Rey.

"Oh shit!" Sia screamed.

"Tujhe kya hua?" Raghav asked her.

"Aaj date kya hai?" She asked him back.

"Tenth April. Kyun?" He answered.

"f**k!" Juno cursed as her realized what Sia meant.

"I didn't keep contact with you guys and you all forgot my birthday. Call it even?" Taani bit back her smile.

"Pehle treat de phir sochenge!" Raghav demanded.

"Toh mangao jo bhi mangaana hai. It's on me." She grinned.

"It's my cafe Taani." Sia reminded her.

"Atcha hai na, tere liye double treat." Taani winked.

"How long have you been dating for?" Sia asked once their orders were in.

"Four to five months." Rey answered.

"You're five months late Juno. Tabhi Mumbai gaya hota toh aaj scene alag hota." Raghav smirked.

"Tu apni bakwas band kar." He retorted. "He is just kidding." He further told Rey.

"I hope so bro." Rey smiled at him.

"Tum kya karte ho?" Sia asked Rey.

"I'm an architect. I work." Rey answered.

"Week ke beech mein chutti kaise mili?" Raghav asked.

"Boss ko convince kiya. It was hard but he agreed when I told him that it was her birthday and my relationship depended on this leave." Rey bragged. Taani shook her head at his dramatic explanation.

"How sweet of your boss." Sia smiled.

"Said it too soon." Rey held his head as his phone flashed 'Bhai.' "Boss ka phone! I'll just be back." Rey excused himself.

"So.." Sia dragged looking at Taani as soon as Rey left.

"What?" Taani was confused.

"Batayegi ya phir hume hi sab puchna padega?" Sia smirked making Taani blush.

"I met him when I was coming back from college and my car broke down. It was a poorly lit road and he kept me company till bhai arrived." Taani smiled warmly reminiscing that night.

"Sounds too filmy to be true." Raghav squinted his eyes at her.

"Chod na Raghav. Abh yeh hume uski life ka hissa hi nahi maanti toh kyun batayegi kuch." Sia faked anger.

"Tumhe agar yeh jhoot lag raha hai na toh ussi se puch lena when he comes back." Taani huffed.

"Waise, how is he? Not the shakki type na?" Juno asked cautiously.

"Aise kyun puch rahe ho?" Taani asked him back.

"Nahi voh thodi der pehle yeh Raghav bakwas kiye ja raha tha na hum dono ko leke. So, I just wanted to be sure ki voh kuch galath matlab na nikal le." He smiled nervously.

"Juno!" She pulled his cheeks. "Tu itna kyun sochta hai? Usne kuch galath matlab nahi nikala hai. And you guys didn't notice but jab meine tumhe introduce kiya tabhi ussi ne mujhe tumhare naam pe tease kiya tha." She giggled.

"Par voh aisa kyun karega?" Juno squinted.

"I have a friend back in Mumbai whose name is also Arjun. Aur ek baar masti masti mein I had called him my ex." Taani giggled.

"You're lucky to find him." Sia smiled. "And I'm sure he loves you a lot. Warna birthday pe yahan nahi laata tujhe and that too by taking a leave."

"Love?" She wondered in the back of her mind and just smiled at Sia.

...

"Haan bhai bolo." Rey answered the call.

"Tu skype pe answer kyun nahi kar raha hai?"

"Mein office mein nahi hoon. Kya kaam tha?"

"Kab tak wapas aa raha hai?"

"Kal."

"Where the hell are you?"

"Taani ka birthday hai. Uske saath bahar aaya hoon."

"Kahan leke gaya hai usse?" Armaan teased.

"Jodhpur."

"Jodhpur?"

"Long story. Fursat mein kabhi batata hoon."

"Okay. I'll call Swayam then. Bye."

"Ruko!" Rey shouted into the phone.

"Kya hua?" Armaan frowned.

"Muski ki awaaz hai?" Rey asked.

"Haan, abhi ghar pe hoon mein."

"Give her the phone." Armaan passed the line to Muskaan.

"Hello sissy." Rey grinned.

"Muski was fine. No sissy!" Muskaan glared.

"Tum ladkiyon ko nicknames pasand kyun nahi aate?" He frowned.

"Taani ko kya pasand nahi aaya?" She teased.

"Hai kuch. But that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Toh kya baat karni hai tujhe?"

"Sorry bolna tha."

"Kis cheez ke liye? Mujhse mile zamaana ho gaya hai iss liye ya phir since I've been pregnant tumne mere health ke baare mein mujhse ek baar bhi nahi poocha ya.."

"Tumhe Rahul se durr rakhne ke liye." He stopped her from rambling.

"Itne saalon baad kyun?" She smiled.

"Bas aaj actual mein realise hua ki tumpe kya beeti thi uss waqt."

"Let bygones.."

"Be bygones. I know" He completed her sentence. "I just wanted you to know that it wasn't right of us to do that. Also Rahul, usse bhi sorry bolna hai mujhe."

"Don't even think of it!" She warned him.

"Kyun?"

"Dekh mere paas abhi yahin ek cheez hai usse blackmail karne ke liye. You're not ruining it!"

"Blackmail?"

"Yeah." She giggled. "You see aaj kal mujhe bohot cravings hote hai. And if he doesn't fulfill them toh mein chalu hojati hoon usse yaad dilane ki even when you two didn't approve of him I stood by him as I loved him. Aur kya voh mere liye itna nahi kar sakta? Phir usse meri baat maanani hi padti hai." She laughed more.

"Bechaara mera jeeju. Kaisi bewi mili hai usse." Rey showed pity for him.

"Bohot atchi mili hai!" She retorted.

"Muskaan mera phone. Nikalna hai mujhe." Armaan called out for her.

"Aaj toh ghar se karne wala tha na kaam. Abh kyun jana hai?" She frowned at Armaan.

"Phone degi?"

"Rey, tujhse baadmein baat karti hoon. Pehle tere bhai se nipat loon."

"Enjoy!" He chuckled and disconnected the call.

Just as he headed in, he received a text message.

"Reached Jodhpur. In The Filos Cafe next to the airport."

"I'll be there. See you soon." He texted back.

"All okay?" Taani asked as returned back.

"Yeah, boss ne kuch kaam bheja hai. You don't mind if I leave for an hour or two, right?" He asked.

"No, I won't. Waise bhi mujhe inse mile zamaana ho gaya hai, so we'll get time to catch up." She smiled at him.

"Thanks, luv. I'll be back soon." He said with a cheeky grin annoying her.

"Luv! Kya baat hai!" Juno teased her which she ignored and fished her phone out.

"Is everything all right? Aur Armaan bhai ka call tha na?" Taani texted Rey.

"Haan. Aur jab meine bataya ki Jodhpur mein hoon toh unhe mojari chappal ki yaad aagayi. Toh wahin lene ja raha hoon." He replied back.

"I could have come with you."

"I thought you would like to spend some time with your friends. I'm sure they are interested to know more about me from you ;)"

"Thanks, bohot tareef karene wali hoon mein tumhari :P Agar kuch help chahiye ho toh call kar lena."

"Sure. Bye."

"Before you guys decide to irritate the crap out of me, you must know ki humara roka hua hai aur uska rishta aaya tha mere liye. It's not what you guys think it is." Taani said seeing their teasing looks towards her.

"Bola tha na ki voh andheri sadak akeli ladki sounded too filmy." Raghav challenged.

"Chup kar Raghav. Aur tu poori story bata." Sia demanded and Taani narrated her story so far with Rey.

"Finally, you're here!" She hugged Rey as soon as he entered the cafe.

"Sorry for calling you here. But, I couldn't come to London again. It was easier last week to come from New York." He explained.

"I know Rey, relax!" She smiled at him.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Us!" She sighed. ""I'm really confused as to what to do."

"Give me some time. I'll sort things out. Then all will be fine."

"Can you?"

"Trust me, I will. I just need some time."

"One month is all I have. Else I'm going to abort it."

"Calm down woman. I'll handle everything." He squeezed her hand which was on the table.

"Thanks a ton."

"Now cheer up and eat something. What time is your flight back to London?"

"I'm going to Delhi for a conference."

"By road?"

"Yeah, they've booked a car for me."

"Cool then."

"And when are you going back home?" She asked him.

"Tomorrow. There's no flight in the evening."

He dropped her off to the car which was sent for her and then went in search of mojari chappals to cover up his lie.

"Tum yahi pe ruki ho?" Rey asked entering the hotel lobby where they were supposed to stay the night.

"Upar jaake kya karti?" Taani shrugged.

"Humne hi rok rakha tha. Pata nahi upar kuch surprise plan karke rakha ho tumne jo hume nahi dekhna chahiye." Raghav smirked.

"Then it's a good thing that you guys didn't go up to the room." Rey smirked back.

"Chalo phir hum nikalte hai. We don't want to waste more of your time." Juno winked.

"Theek hai then. Bye. It was nice meeting you." Rey walked them off to the hotel gate and then went up to their room followed by Taani.

"Kya bakwas kar rahe the tum neeche?" She burst out on him as soon as they were inside their hotel room.

"Meine kya kiya? Voh toh your friend and strangely your ex suggested that." He said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"He is not my ex!" She huffed.

"Mein soch raha hoon, apna naam change karke Arjun rakhu."

"Kyun tumhe mera ex banna hai?"

"Matlab tum maanti ho?" He grinned when she got tangled in her own words.

"Go away!" She whined and sat down on the bed.

"Pehle apna gift toh lelo." He pulled out a box from his pocket.

"Gift? You're spoiling me." She took it from him and opened it.

"Kaisa laga?" He asked seeing her shocked face.

"When? And how?" She was unable to form a sentence.

"Bhai ki chappal le raha tha tabhi ek jewelry shop dekha toh idea aaya. I went in and asked is they could covert the necklace into a bracelet without spoiling its design. They did it!" He grinned.

"Thank you so much!" She hugged him.

"You're most welcome luv!" He hugged her back.

Hello everyone😃
I know I'm late but this was a long chapter to write and post hence in two posts.
Also with LASIK done it was even more difficult to sit for long hours and finish it.
Finally managed to complete and edit it.

Question of the update:
How many of you knew that April 10 is supposed to be Taani's birthday?

Please hit Like and Comment down below😳