Hello lovely people 😃 Thank you for your comments; they are the ones that motivate me to write better and (longer updates). A few people didn't like my last update and by the amount of comments, figured.😊 I know it wasn't good so that made me want to make the next update better. I welcome criticisms so if you're confused about something or not liking something, do tell me. 😊I had a lovely holiday, thanks for asking. I am back with the promised long update(i think it's long).😆 I hope you guys like it. Please comment to let me know. Please add me as a buddy for future updates or check back on new ones. Happy reading! 😉
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"There are winds of destiny that blow when we least expect them. Sometimes they gust with the fury of a hurricane; sometimes they barely fan one's cheek. But the winds cannot be denied, bringing as they often do a future that is impossible to ignore."
Chapter 10
Maanvi squealed in delight with the encounter of the strawberry and cream Frappuccino placed in front of her as the waiter smiled enthusiastically at her and she mirrored her actions, thanking her for the drink and staring at the swirls of red in the double wiped cream. 'You're meant to drink that', Virat reminded her. She looked over to his confused face, creased forehead, a hit of amusement at her behaviour. 'Well aren't you funny? She replied, smiling sarcastically and moving her gaze back to her bright drink.
'It's kind of disturbing the way you're staring at that', he furrowed his eyebrows together. His eyes demanding attention from hers. 'Well now you know how people feel when you stare', she replied, not bothering to look at his expression and she had mentally figured out a glare. 'What?', he asked as her head snapped up at the stern thoughts. She looked over to his piercing eyes, maybe offended by her tone.
'Nothing I was just going to say-', she began bored.
'-That I am very nice?' he ended. She blinked her eyes sleeplessly, taking in the choice of his words. Her words. He looked at her flushed face, the way bluishness crept around her rosy cheeks as she smiled hesitantly. 'Your antics are predictable and so are you conversations', he added as the hesitant smile turned into a grin and her eyes lit up.
'I can read your mind', she began as he looked at her in anticipation of her new discovery. 'I would rather be anywhere else then here', she finished, and her voice held authority almost a hint of anger. Virat wasn't surprise at her words nor did he reply. He just sipped his coffee, staring out of the large window, overlooking the busy road outside. Maanvi looked around the restaurant, hoping to find something to distract her thoughts but the next statement startled her.
'I would rather be here then anywhere else right now' , he replied sincerely as they both fell in silence.
'So what do you think of global warming?' she asked excitedly sipping her Frappuccino. 'What?' he asked in surprise. 'Just making up conversation which you're refusing to do' was her reply.
'I think its bunch of wheeled up rumor. Who cares what is going to happen in around 50 years' time. We'll be gone, so why should it matter?' he answered confidently, not believing his own ears of engaging in a debate about global warming. 'This girl was something', he thought, smirking in the process.
Maanvi rolled her eyes. 'Couldn't have put it more intellectually'. 'You psychoanalyze your dates then?' he asked as the realization of his words sank into his mind.
'Date?' she pinpointed the certain word, her eyebrows raised. 'Lunch', he corrected.
'You said date?' she argued with amusement. 'I say all kinds of crap', he ended sternly as her earlier grin vanished to take in his blank face.
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'Take me out!' Tina exclaimed on the phone as soon as Daboo picked it up. He laughed at her statement. 'And where would you like to go my love?' he asked.
'Dinner! Mom's friends are here and they insist on eating this diet stuff with spinach and carrots', she whined, knowing that she wouldn't be able to consume 'real' food in her house today.
What's wrong in that?', he asked in a mocking voice as her mouth formed an o shape.
'Mr Debashish Chaudhary. Are you suggesting I am fat?', she shrieked at the mere unknown words. Dabo laughed at his girlfriend and the fact that she would never put on weight but would claim to be 'fat'. 'Course not. 8pm, I'll pick you up', he stated.
'Best person', she replied happily as he hung up his phone, still laughing.
'Where is Maanvi di?', he thought as he texted her to find out where she was. An instant reply came.
'With a friend. Will be home later. Will call you to let you know when I am coming back. Stop worrying about me Daba and get some food for me if you're out tonight. Maanvi the great.
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'You're phone hasn't stopped beeping for hours. Maybe check it?' she said, sipping through the Frappuccino and staring at the bright screen, that shone from time to time.
'You know what they say about people who don't pick up phones in front of people' , she reeled. 'And what would that be?', he asked as he looked over to the text which reminded him to be home for the party.
'That they are hiding something', she replied, nodding her head. 'Oh really?', he asked in a teasing voice, his lips curled into a small smile. 'Yes', she replied confidentally.
'And who were these people who are saying this?', he asked. 'Me, of course', was her reply as he grinned at her. He didn't want go home. If he did, it meant leaving her. He wanted more time.
'Figured. What are you doing later on? There is a party at my house. Filled with hyped and snobby businessmen and politicians. Want to go?' he asked quickly. Wanting to get the words out of his mind before he changed his mind.
'Come again?' she asked. Wondering if there ever was a sentence that came out of his mind which hadn't failed to surprise her. 'You want me to repeat it? Cause I know you heard it the first time and I will not be repeating myself'.
'If I say no?' Maanvi asked followed by a soft look on his face, his jaw relaxed. 'Then I'll ask you to reconsider', he stated.
'If I still say no?' she asked again. 'Then I'll still ask you to reconsider' was his reply.
'It's kind of late now', she replied, not knowing the time or how long they had been here. They had been talking about things in general. From the present to the future and had sometimes just sat in silence. Maanvi had never found a person she would be happy to share silences with. Even in the silence, she had felt comfortable.
Its 7 p.m.', he replied as she looked down at her phone. Wondering where the four hours went. 'You will be dropped at home before you're bedtime and I'll drop you myself. You can even have the police at speed dial', he promised with a sly smile.
'I don't know, I don't get along with snobby-hyped-businessman and politicians'. She smiled, scrunching her nose to show her liking towards them. 'Good, we have something in common' he stated and she knew she wouldn't be able to see no to him.
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Keep your distance from that woman in green who is standing in the middle of that group', Virat warned as they made their way around the large living room. Why who's that?' she whispered curiously. Waiting to hear that she is the editor of page 3 or a scandalous figure.
'Badi ma', he replied as her eyes grew wider and she stared at him, flabbergasted. He motioned her to turn around and she did.
'Virat', came the familiar voice from behind as he halted in his steps. Annoying to him, proud to her. Maanvi saw the twitched features of his face as he slowly turned around with her. 'Nice to see you here'; she said in a mocking voice as he forced a smile which he knew will convey fakeness. 'And whose your friend?' ignoring his fake attempts, her eyes lingered over to the slim girl that stood in front of her. Wearing casual jeans and an off the shoulder top. She was dressed too casually for the party.
'Maanvi', he replied for her, voicing his authority and a clear statement to back off. 'Hello, nice to meet you', Maanvi replied, looking at the hateful exchange Virat shot at his Badi ma.
'I am sorry, I didn't recognize you', his Bua replied politely. 'Maanvi Singh? Well of course, you're the daughter of Mr. Dheeraj Singh. He was telling me about you', she smiled brightly.
'Maanvi Chaudhary', Virat corrected her. 'She goes to my college'.
'Ah, so Maanvi what do you study in college?' she asked at her earlier attempts of matchmaking her nephew with the owner of a fashion house came crashing down. She was also curious to know why Virat was keen to keep her hidden as she had never seen her before. His earlier girlfriends were always the one who would come up to her and engage in a social conversation. Wanting for her to like them for Virat, so they can be accepted into the family. Virat never really cared when they went up to his Bua to discuss their life plans but she saw a different hateful gaze towards her from him. That warned her to not ruin this.
'Well, I am studying sciences right now but in the future, I would like to do something in medicine', Maanvi answered politely. 'And what do your parents do?', Badi ma asked.
Virat glared at her Badi ma. Only she would twist conversations around to investigate one's status and rank. Maanvi turned around to face Virat as he looked straightforward at his Bua. 'My mother was a dance teacher and my dad worked in the bank', she replied with pride as her eyebrows rose higher by the two facts. She investigated further on the second one. 'Was?' she asked? Maanvi looked around uncomfortable by the question as Virat's hand held onto her waist, hidden from the site of his Badi ma. His eyes encouraged them to talk further as a curiosity held him afar. Her back stiffened from the touch as she refused to look at his face, not wanting to know the reason for the touch. Sympathy was not needed.
'They passed away a few years ago', she whispered, her voice breaking at the end as a fake smile plastered on her face yet sadness appearing on her features. She was still the young child that was told her parents would not be returning.
'I am sorry Maanvi', she replied and placed a hand on her shoulder in condolence. 'Swamini ji', a cheery voice came from behind. As Swamini eyes roamed around to find the face of a new MP, she had failed to greet. 'Excuse me', she said as she moved away from them and walked over to the middle aged MP that had two bodyguards around him.
Maanvi's eyes held back the wetness as she closed them briefly and opened them again, flushing all the memories which could break her. 'And I thought the bodyguards would look remotely like Salman Khan', she laughed lightly. Virat grabbed Maanvi's arm as she glared at him for acting roughly with her. 'Let go', she whispered, gritting through her teeth as he dragged her to his room upstairs. The roaming eyes would see a young couple holding hands and making the way upstairs but the story was far from what met the eyes.
He opened his door in rapidly and shut it with a loud noise, twirling her figure in the process to block the path out of his room. 'You are the most inconsiderate hum-' she began to shout as a quiet whispered held back the rest of her outburst.
'Sorry', he whispered as Maanvi stared at his features. 'Sorry for saying all that cra- all that nonsense about your parents. I didn't know', he stated. His eyes held a softness which was enduring. 'You do know I am not going to say it's fine cause you should be sorry for it', she replied confidentially as he smirked at her.
'I didn't get to meet your parents downstairs', she asked. 'My dad died a few years ago', he answered. The words that he had kept buried inside the confines of his heart or the empty space that lay there had evolved into such statement. He hadn't intended to tell her. He wanted to know about her. His recent discovery about a part of her life made him feel he didn't know much about her. He wanted to know more but he also knew that if he was expecting answers, he would also need to answer.
' I am sorry. Do you miss him?' she asked quietly. Maanvi realized she had asked the same question that people would ask her when they would find out about her parents. Her reply was usually muteness or a rare smile.
Virat forced a laugh. 'If I say no, will you label me as a damaged individual?' She looked over to his dejected face, acknowledging his disgusted tone. 'I was never the perfect child', he stated as the behaviour of his teenage years flooded into his mind. She held his cool hand making him stiffen by the touch as she led him onto his balcony and he stared at her until she halted in her steps to look up to the sky.
'You see the stars in the sky', she said as he followed her gaze to see the dark and despaired sky. 'Look closely. The darkness is just an illusion, she whispered as his gaze moved around the crystal white dots shining brightly in the midst of the twilight sky. 'They are there for a reason. When they shine brightly as they are now. They are listening to us. Those two stars in the far, I believe are my parents', she said, pointing to the afar shimmering stars that were standing closer to each other than any other stars. 'They listen to me when I am sad. Guide me in parts of life. Mornings have their own place but the night time eases the burden of my heart', she ended to meet his eyes which were drawing on her face. She smiled brightly and turned around to face the sky again.
Virat saw her drink in the sight, sensing the flood of memories she's unleashed and wanting nothing more than to let her know that he's here. With her. 'I believe this is your dad as he is the closest star to you. He looks down at you. Knowing for certainty that you are a good person by heart yet you choose to build walls around you. He knows you will make him proud. You just have to try'. She said and then a hint of the mischievous glint shone in her eyes. 'No one is perfect Virat, no one is that lucky, not even me', she replied as her infectious laugh rang around his lifeless balcony, which now had so much life to it.
At that moment, Virat realized something as he met the striking chocolate eyes of the girl that stood in front of him, knowing for certainty that he was falling for her. He voiced his authority over her, wanted to protect her from the harsh world and even sometimes from himself yet he couldn't possibly miss a moment with her. He wouldn't call her his addiction as it held negativity around it. Maanvi was positive. Alive. He wondered if anything in life had been this perfect and knew at the same time that it hadn't. As her eyes bore into his, he knew he had never felt strongly as strongly for another person as he did with her. He was falling for her and the feeling was even more wonderful then he had ever imagined it would be.
Without a second thought to his actions he touched her face with his hand as Maanvi trembled by the cool hand. Gently running his fingers over her warm cheeks. His throat tightened by the sight of her luminous face, her downcast eyes and her unsteady breath. He wanted to seal these feelings, as an unknown pull made him want to ask a question that he knew came deep from his heart. He liked her; it was as simple as that.
'Can I kiss you?' he asked, his voice weak but somehow full of promises.
Maanvi's head snapped up by his question to look into his soft eyes. What was she supposed to say? She realized he was the kind of guy that would let his actions do the talking but here he was asking her permission. Was he bluffing? She had let her heart rule over the decision relating to Virat. Was she ready to risk to give away her heart? She was struck by the simple truth that sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people..." And with that, she was ready to answer.
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