..Chapter 1..
-Somewhere in Mumbai-
It was just another bright, sunny day in Mumbai, when Sai Joshi woke up to the sound of a car honking... a very loud honking, mind you.
"Dev yaar! Tu kya kar raha hai?" [Dev! What are you doing?] yelled Sai, as she got off the bed and stomped towards the door, her eyes red with anger... and sleep.
"Dev! Tu itna loudly honk kyun kar raha hai? Tujhe pata hai na, kal raat ko main hospital se bohot late aayi thi, because I was assisting Dr. Armaan in a surgery?" [Dev! Why are you honking so loudly? You know that I came home late from the hospital because I was assisting Dr. Armaan in a surgery, right?]
"Sai, meri jaan, aaj toh woh extra-curricular activities ke liye sign up karna hai, remember? And the registration closes by 11:30 am. Saare popular ones fill hogaye toh? Jaldi ready ho jao, aur chalo." [Sai, my love, we need to sign up for those extra-curricular activities, remember? And the registration closes by 11:30 am. What if all the popular ones get filled up? So, get ready soon.] said Dev, settling down on the plush sofa, while Sai rushed to the bathroom.
Dev's eyes settled on the photo of the Late Mr. Kamal Joshi, Sai's father, hanging on the wall. Dev knew that if Kamal uncle was watching over her, he would be proud of his daughter.
Dev had known Sai for 3 years now, ever since she transferred from Nagpur Medical College to Sanjeevani Institute of Medical Sciences, Mumbai, and they have been best friends ever since. Dev was Sai's first ever friend in Mumbai, and Sai was the only one who accepted him whole-heartedly, and made him feel like he belonged.
Likewise, Dev was the only one who knew everything about Sai's past, right from her Aaba's untimely death to her broken marriage. Despite her quick temper, sharp tongue, and not to forget, her clumsiness, she was a gem of a person, and Dev loved his best friend more than anyone else.
"Dev, main tayyar hoon! Gaadi nikalo!" [Dev, I'm ready. Start the car] said Sai, as she pulled Dev out of the door and got into the car. In one swift moment, they were off to the hospital, playing 90's Bollywood melodies and singing along at the top of their voices.
...
-Chavan Nivas-
For a change, the atmosphere at the Chavan Nivas seemed peaceful. Ashwini Chavan was in the kitchen, humming an old Bollywood song while she prepared Aloo Paranthas, while Bhavani relaxed on the sofa in the hall, sipping on a cup of amrit chai.
In his room, Virat woke up to the rays of the sun hitting his withered face. From the corner of his eyes, he could see his former sister-in-law, and now wife, Patralekha a.k.a Pakhi, drying her hair in front of the mirror.
"Good morning, Patralekha." he greeted her, as he got up and turned to go towards the bathroom.
"Good morning, Virat. Tum acche se soye kya?" [Good morning, Virat. Did you sleep well] asked Pakhi.
"Haan. Aisa lag raha hai ki bohot dino baad acchi neend aayi hai." [Yes. I feel like I got a good sleep after many days.] said Virat, his lips pulling into a smile at her concern.
Patralekha was wearing a white and blue anarkali, reminding him of the time he first saw her at the temple in Nashik. Her now long hair was damp and loose on her shoulders, and he couldn't deny the fact that she looked pretty.
"Tum mujhe aise kyun dekh rahe ho Virat?" [Why are you looking at me like that Virat?] Patralekha's voice broke his reverie.
"Nahi... woh... kuch soch raha tha." [Nothing... I was just thinking about something.] said Virat, as he walked into the bathroom.
"Maybe it was worth it after all..." Patralekha thought, as she filled her maang with sindhoor. All the heartbreak she had been through, every twisted thing she had done in the name of love, all the pain that she had endured... everything was worth it. She got the love of her life after all.
-Sanjeevani Institute of Medical Sciences-
"Sai, jaldi chalo! Dr. Riddhima opening speech dene wale hain. Aur tumhe toh pata hai ki woh punctuality to lekar bohot strict hai." [Sai, hurry! Dr. Keerthi is going to give the opening speech. And you know that she's very strict when it comes to punctuality.] said Dev, as they ran towards the auditorium.
"Relax Dev. We are on time. In fact, before time. The registration timings are from 10:30 am to 11:30 am. And it's just 10:20 am now. We'll reach." said Sai, gasping for breath as they ran up the stairs.
Suddenly, without a warning, a tall figure collided into Sai from behind, making her trip over a stair. And there was nothing to hold as the railing was further away from her. She knew that she was going to fall, face down, and probably fracture her nose. She closed her eyes, waiting for the hard impact of the floor right on her face, but nothing came.
Instead, she could feel an arm snaked across her waist from behind preventing her from falling. Shocked, she opened her eyes, turning around to see who her "rescuer" was... and her breath caught in her throat.
Shantanu.
Shantanu. Malhotra.
Her arch nemesis.
The bane of her existence.
He definitely wasn't her "rescuer". Rather, he was her "destroyer". The "destroyer" of her mental peace. But... if only her stupid heart would stop beating erratically every time they made contact, it would have been better, isn't it?
Sai could feel Shantanu's hand tighten around her waist as he effortlessly straightened her. Somehow, that simple action made her heart skip a beat, or ten.
"Sai, you hate him. Remember? He is annoying, egotistic, proud, and an absolute jerk." she reminded herself, before she turned to face him.
"Oye Chashmish. Dekh ke nahi jaa sakti kya? [Can't you watch where you're going?]" asked Shantanu, as walked past her without waiting for an answer.
"Ugh! Isne khud mujhe dhakka maara aur upar se attitude dikha raha hai? I hate him." [Ugh! He pushed me himself, and now he's showing his attitude? I hate him.] said Sai, as she walked towards the auditorium in anger.
"Arre yaar, tum aur mere bhai hamesha kyun ladte ho? Just calm down." [Dude, why do you and my brother always fight? Just calm down.] said Dev, hurrying to catch up with her.
"Tumhara bhai bohot irritating aur badtameez hai. Aur mujhe aise log pasand nahi hai." [You brother is very irritating and rude. And I don't like such people.] Sai spoke in a low whisper as they got into the auditorium.
"Haan haan... that's why you both were staring at each other on the stairway?" asked Dev, hiding a smirk as a blushed creeped upon Sai's face.
"Just shut up." was Sai's response, as she directed her focus to the stage where Dr. Keerthi was standing, and definitely not towards her best friend's cousin, her enemy, who was sitting a few rows ahead of her.
Author's Note:
Hey guys! I was done with Sai-Rat long ago and I definitely cannot bear to see them as endgame. I'm sick and tired of Virat being let off hook despite everything he does. And now that I know that Sai will run back to him in the end, no matter what, killing the very essence of Sai Joshi.
I'm posting this FF as a wish fulfilment, where Sai can actually do some college-girl stuff, move on from the toxicity of the Chavan family, find success, and find love, truly. And in this story, I'll be including some of my most favourite actors, as mentioned in the cast❤️.
I want to write Sai actually being a strong character and taking a stand for herself. And this is me giving Sai the character arc and the story she deserves.
The story will start after the surrogacy track where Sai leaves the Chavan Nivas. But, there are no kids involved. Pakhi miscarried due to some complications and they would have lost Vinu. I was Sai enjoying her college life without any other additional responsibilities like kids. And all of Sai's traumas will be addressed in this story.
THIS IS NOT A SAI-RAT STORY
I would like to sincerely thank all those people who encouraged me to write this story
Love,
Niya❤️
Edited by LadyWhistledown - 1 years ago
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