Chapter 2A:
Seaside Restaurant:[I know…very original name, na?]
Damini was looking around, wide eyed, at the scene in front of her. Prithvi had led her into the restaurant with a blindfold on, but when he had taken it off, the setting looked beautiful. In front of her was a small table, enough only for two people, with a single rose at the center. Covered in red tablecloth, the little table seemed perfect. The entire edge of the room was lined with candles, while the walls were filled with pictures of the two of them. Them at the stables, them at parties, and them during different dates. Tears filled Damini's eyes as she realized how much Prithvi had done to make this day really special for the both of them.
"Prithvi…" she whispered, still awestricken by her surroundings.
"Shh Damini. I don't want to hear anything…" he responded, slowly taking her by the waist and pulling her into a hug. They stayed like that, her head on his chest and his arms around her waist, feeling the closeness in their relationship, the love that they shared.
Prithvi bent down his head to her ear, as he slowly whispered, "So….May I have the honor of a dance with this beautiful lady?"
Soft music began to play as Prithvi held out his hand, which Damini then graciously accepted, a blush forming on her face because of the intense look in his eyes. The two slowly moved along with the music, gazing into each others eyes as they reminisced about their relationship, and all the memories they shared.
[Insert your favorite romantic song here: (I chose Mar Jawan….I'm sure you all know why)
Finally, as the song came to a close, Damini hugged Prithvi tightly, never wanting to let go as she felt so secure in his arms. "I love you, Prithvi" she whispered, standing on her toes to slowly graze her lips across his. A smile across his face as he bent down and pressed his lips against hers, "Mmm. I love you too Damini. I love you too."
*********
Later that night….
Prithvi slowly braked the car to a complete stop in front of the Gujral Mansion. Their wonderful evening had finally come to a close, as after dinner, they had taken a walk along the beach, just talking and loving the time they spent together.
Damini leaned towards him in the car. "Thank you so much Prithvi for such a wonderful night." She pecked him on the lips once more, before she stepped out of the car and waved goodbye to her boyfriend as he drove away into the night.
As she made her way up the stairs, she glanced over at the clock, only to realize it was past midnight. Uh-oh. Avni and Roshni are going to kill me tomorrow morning for not getting home earlier.
However, she was wrong. They weren't going to kill her the next morning. They were ready to kill her then. Her two sisters had been sitting in her bedroom, waiting for her to come home for the past two hours.
Damini stepped into her room, only to find her sisters sitting on the bed.
Roshni, the more eager and excited one of the two, started questioning her sister immediately. "So di! Where were you for so long? What did Prithvi do for your date?"
Damini just stood there for two minutes, before turning around to close the door, and asking her sisters, "So girls. A sister sleepover tonight? In my room?"
Avni and Roshni slowly smiled, as they realized that their sister was going to fill them in on all the hot, juicy details of her relationship. However, Damini was not one to easily relent.
After changing into her pajamas, she sat on her bed, turning to Avni as she asked her "So Avni. What is this chakkar with the park wale?"
Avni blushed profusely, before she responded. "Hmm diii. His name's not park wale. It's Sameer. He's such a sweetheart, you know di?"
"Looks like you are completely fida over him" giggled Roshni.
Avni just stared into space dreamily. "You know? The first time I met him, we both were actually arguing over who gets the park bench to paint."
Chapter 2B:
Flashback:
Avni had decided that the park nearby would be the best place in which to pain, with the beautiful lake and bird sanctuary that were located inside it. So she set out one morning, early at 9 AM, just going by the lake, her paints and her canvas and easel in her hands. That day was her first meeting with Sameer, the man who was to consume her dreams and her thoughts.
Walking along the side of the lake, she had found the bench, a little distance away, but in a relatively secluded spot, away from the main sidewalk. "This is the perfect place to pain" she said to herself, as she examined the surroundings. "So calm, so peaceful, and so so beautiful."
The lake, with its crystal clear water, seemed to be sparkling under the warm morning sun's rays. Fish swimming underneath the surface of the water added movement to the lake, making the little scene come to life. Birds chirping in the background, and the green grass lightly swaying with the breeze just added to the beauty of the entire setting. Avni had instantaneously fallen in love with this heaven, her paradise, as she had later come to call it.
Setting her painting supplied down on the bench, she took a deep breath of fresh air, closing her eyes, and spreading her hands wide apart, a smile slowly appearing on her face. Only when she turned around to begin painting did she notice that some man was sitting at the bench, her bench, and setting up his canvas and easel to begin his painting.
She marched over to the park bench angrily, "Excuse me mister. I came here first, so I get to sit and paint here. You'll have to move!"
Looking up, the man gazed at her with his fierce brown eyes, before sweetly smiling and responding "I already set up my stuff here, and this is where I come every day anyway, so uh you should be the one that has to move. Not me."
Avni started to become annoyed, and she was the one that always was patient, in any and every situation. "But…but I got here first today…" she whined, a little pout on her face, as she really really really didn't want to move from that bench.
The man opposite her chuckled at her whining, before he said "Fine. You know what? Today, for this beautiful lady, I'm willing to share this park bench. How about it? Would you have a problem with that?" he asked, moving over on the bench to make place for Avni.
Avni deliberated this for a few seconds, before she smiled, "Thanks for that. I wouldn't mind sharing. I'll just try getting here a little earlier tomorrow."
So Avni sat down on that park bench, sharing it with the mystery man. The first day they did not talk at all, each doing their own painting and minding their own business.
Avni, however, was shocked the second day morning, when she had got there 8 AM, and this man was sitting on her bench. This time, deciding not to make a big deal of this entire park bench situation, she smiled at him, "Hi! It's me again. Would you mind sharing the park bench with me again?"
He responded with a smile. "Sure" he said, moving his supplied over so half the bench was Avni's.
"By the way, I'm Sameer" he stated, turning towards her. "Hi! I'm Avni" she responded. "Well, not to sound creepy or anything, but you are a beautiful woman" he said, as he gazed at her face, only to see her hazel brown eyes twinkling with happiness.
Avni began to blush profusely, as although she had been complimented before, this man's statement had sent jitters down her spine. "Thanks" she replied shyly, as she looked away from the man's intense look, hoping that the butterflies in her stomach would go away.
Like the previous day, the two then quieted down, each doing their own thing until 9 AM, when he began to pack his painting supplies. A questioning look on her face, Avni asked Sameer "You're going already?"
With a wide grin, he replied "Why? You don't want me to leave so soon?" But seeing her blush from her embarrassment, he quickly added "Don't worry. I'll be here again tomorrow. Same time. 8?"
She nodded back and waved goodbye to him as he walked away. That was the beginning of their journey together.
Everyday, Avni and Sameer would meet at the park, 8 AM sharp, and slowly, as the days went on, they both began to talk more and more. She discovered that for him, painting was just a hobby, while in actuality, he worked with his brother in their own company. He discovered that she was a full time painter, a quiet, sweet woman, who was extremely protective of her family. It wasn't long before the painting was just an excuse for them to meet at the park. In actuality, they both had wanted to spend time with each other, and they had both began to like each other.
One fine day, Sameer had asked her if she wanted to go for a walk around the lake. Surprised, but pleased, she had agreed. During their walk, Sameer had turned to Avni saying "I know this seems out of the blue. I don't even know how you'll react to this, but I like you. I like you a lot, and I want to go out with you." He stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to respond, smily, scream, slap him, do anything, but she didn't. "Avni….?" he questioned, lines of worry appearing on his face.
"I…I like you too" she responded, blushing and turning her head away. "So so will you go out to dinner with me tomorrow?" he questioned, holding her by the chin and turning her to face him. She looked into his eyes, which were staring back into her own, as she softly said "Yes…"
End of Flashback
"So…so Sameer and I are going out to dinner tomorrow" Avni finally ended, a soft smile appearing on her face, as she turned to look back at her sisters.
Roshni and Damini were staring at her wide-eyed. They had definitely not expected their quiet sister to hide something like this for over six months. "Wow. Wow Avni, and you were telling me that I should have told Mama?" questioned Damini, a smirk appearing on her face.
"Well…sorry di…I didn't know you knew about Sameer" replied Avni shyly, realizing her fault.
"Not fair Avni and Damini di. Your stories have gone so far, while mine is a complete buddhu" whined Roshni, a pout on her face, as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Toh hamari princess ka kahani kya hai?" questioned Damini, a smile on her face as she patted her younger sister on the cheek.
Chapter 2C:
"Varun hamari college mein ek Teacher's Assistant hain, aur he graduated two months ago, but during his final year, he was working with my Economics Professor…" she began, her face turning into a wide grin.
Flashback:
Roshni had entered the first day of her Economics class to find a man sitting at the front of the class, dressed in a nice formal outfit, his hair combed back and a grim, serious look on his face as he was flipping through the book. As she walked to a seat in the back of the room, all she noticed were his looks, and boy did she think he looked handsome!
"If this is our professor for the rest of the year, I won't be in the mood to learn anything yaar" she giggled to her friends, while discussing how their professor, who they had expected to be an old, balding man, was actually this young looking, suave gentleman. Before they could continue their discussion further, the man up front cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, especially that of the girls, instantaneously.
"Um…Um..Hi everyone" he began hesitantly. "I'm…I'm Varun and I will be the teacher's assistant for the year. I'm in my final year right now, and majoring in Economics. Professor Sharma is not here today so yeah, just wanted to clear that up to anyone who thought I was the professor" he stated, eyeing Roshni specifically, as if conveying to her that he had heard what she said before.
Rather than blush or be embarrassed like anyone else in her situation had been, Roshni instead chose to declare in front of the whole class "Awwww. It would have been awesome if you were the Professor. Are you going to be here all year to teach us?" she questioned, as her friends beside her continued giggling and the rest of the class stared in shock, including Varun, at the audacity of this girl.
So the year continued in this way, with Varun trying to divert the attention away from himself, but Roshni and her friends, mainly Roshni though, were fawning all over him. Over time, Roshni had come to really like this man, not only for his good looks, which were definitely the icing on the cake, but because of his personality, his extrasweet demeanor, and his intelligence. She was one to always stand in awe as he just rattled away something Economics related like he was the professional.
On the other hand, Varun's opinion of this girl also definitely did change as the year went along. Initially, the first day of school, he thought she was another rich snob, the way she had just called out in class and flirted. Although both of these habits didn't change over time, Varun also came to see how this girl was so innocent, so happy all the time; how she was vulnerable, but had a strong and sensitive heart. He had begun to like her, but wasn't sure of her feelings at all.
Come April, one week before Varun's graduation, Professor Sharma had announced to the whole Economics class that that was Varun's last week with them, as he would be graduating and leaving in pursuit of a job. Roshni was devastated. She had hoped there would be some way by which she could get him to like her, but he never even seemed to look at her. When someone suggested a going away party though, her face brightened instantaneously, as the perfect idea creeped into her head.
A small celebration in the college's hall, Roshni made sure to dress well, not that she always didn't. Wearing a red strapless dress that reached her knees, and a pair of really high heels, and throwing some make up on her face, she decided she looked perfect for the evening.
As she walked in to the party hall, her jaw dropped to the ground seeing Varun, who was looking dashing in an all black ensemble. She had see heaven! Nervously, she decided to execute her plan, so she slowly walked up to where Varun was just standing around, talking to other people.
Once she got there, the two others excused themselves, leaving Varun and Roshni alone. "Um…Umm will you dance with me?" Roshni blurted quickly, never having felt more unsure of herself in her life. Varun looked at her shocked, thinking "Wow. She's asked me to dance with her! Buddhu. Why didn't you do it yourself?"
Quickly looking back at her, he agreed and the two slowly moved to the dance floor, where right at that moment, a soft number came on, requiring the couple to slow dance. Putting his hand out in front of him, Varun looked at her "May I?" he questioned.
Pleased that she didn't have to ask him this time around too, Roshni smiled as she placed her hand into his and moved closer to him. At the end of the dance, Varun and Roshni had walked off the dance floor smiling, before he had gotten a call from his older brother, saying that he had to go home immediately. However, that day Varun decided he wasn't going to lose this opportunity to talk to Roshni again, so he asked her for her number. Shocked but delighted, she quickly gave it to him, before taking his and turned away, a sweet smile on her face.
Their journey began then, as the two met up frequently for coffee or at the library, just to talk and argue and talk some more. Neither of them admitted that they liked each other, or better yet, loved each other by now. Roshni, because she didn't want to be the first to say it, and Varun, because he wasn't sure if she liked him back. (I know! Complete stupid sometimes…na?)
*************
"So yeah….mere wale to complete buddhu hai. We've been talking for so long, but he can't say he likes me. But right now, friends is better than nothing, right?" she questioned, looking at her two sisters.
Avni looked at her sister fondly before replying, "Don't worry. It will happen sometime eventually…."
Damini gave her sister a quick hug before turning to both Avni and Roshni and saying "Wow guys. I didn't know how out of the loop I was these past few months with you two. But hey, I'm happy for the both of you, for finding your guys."
Roshni was quick to respond "Di…You've been so out of the loop, because your mind is filled with Prithvi, am I right?" she questioned, a twinkle in her eyes.
Damini blushed profusely at her sister's statement, as a dreamy look came over her eyes. "Toh batana di. Do you guys love each other?" Avni questioned.
"Haan. Yes. We love each other a lot. I don't know how it happened or when it happened, but everything about him is perfect for me. He shows me that I don't have be the man all the time, makes me feel like I can be weak, and most importantly, he loves me."
Roshni and Avni stared in awe at their sister, who had never admitted her feelings about anything so openly before. Prithvi had definitely brought about a change in her, and Avni and Roshni couldn't be any happier with their relationship.
"So di, have you and Prithvi thought about telling Mama and his parents?" questioned Avni, dropping the bombshell that quickly brought Damini out of her reverie.
"No. Don't even think about it" warned Damini. "Prithvi and me don't even know how to approach this topic with the parents, especially because we have no idea how they would react. We'll deal with this when we're good and ready. Now let's go to sleep, it's been a long day…."
*********************
Over the next few days, Avni's relationship with Sameer was progressing at lightning pace. The two had met up for either lunch or dinner, beyond their usual park encounters, every single day after that first dinner date.
Roshni was still not having much luck in her relationship, but she was happy with her and Varun and their friendship.
One day, Roshni and Avni decided to meet at a coffee shop, trying to figure out what to get their mother for her birthday. Although Damini was supposed to come, she had a business meeting that day which was extremely important, so she told her sisters that she would meet up with them later, after her meeting was over.
Sameer and Varun had decided to grab a cup of coffee that day too, as it had been a long time since they'd spent any time together, with Varun so busy with his pursuit of a job (and pursuit of Roshni!)
"Sameer?" "Varun?" questioned Avni and Roshni as they suddenly looked over and saw their men walking into the coffee shop.
"Avni!" "Roshni!" the boys exclaimed in surprise, as they made their way over to the girls table.
"Toh aap hain Sameer?" questioned Roshni, as she winked at her sister. "I've heard a lot about you…"
"All good things, I hope?" questioned Sameer, as he grinned at Avni, his irresistible charm just oozing over.
"Oh don't you worry about that…but wait. Varun? How do you know Sameer?" she questioned, her attention suddenly going back to the fact that the two were together.
"We're brothers. He's my older one, and we have another brother too, Prithvi bhaiya. He was supposed to join us today, but he had to finish tending to the horses or something…"
Avni and Roshni were shocked. "Prithvi? You mean Prithvi Saxena? The one that's going out with our Damini di?" they questioned, their eyes bugging out.
"He's dating someone and he didn't tell us. What a brother, and I thought the three of us were family" pouted Sameer, as he thought of ways to kill his brother. "I sure want revenge for this." Varun nodded his assent to his brother's statement.
Avni's and Roshni's brains were working in overtime, as lightbulbs seemed to go off on top of their heads.
Precap: Prithvi-Damini get the shock of their lives...and who's responsible? None other than their siblings of course 😆
so everyone, I know that was a realtively boring post...but i still hope you all liked it :) please do read and comment and this story probably has one or two more posts left....
sorry i didn't send out pms for 2B like i thought, but I'll def. send out pms now...
Happy Reading!
~Naina
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