Paradise ~ A Devdutt Padikkal Story

24.

The surgery was performed successfully and Dev's mother had just received discharge.
"C'mon, Amma you can talk to Nalini Aunty later! Agar traffic lag gaya toh samjho our day goes waste." Dev urged his mother while he checked the hospital room for the last time.
"Nalu, I'll call you later."  Dev heard his mother talking over the phone.
"Achan is waiting for you at home!" Dev exclaimed as they exited the hospital room.

"Are you okay walking the stairs or should I pick you up?" Dev asked his mother concernedly as the car halted in the parking.
"Kuch bhi! I can walk." Ambili lightly slapped her son on the shoulder.
"Arey Amma, hai na apna bodybuilder! Fatak se utha lega!" Chandni laughed.
"Mumbai mein reh ke your hindi has only deteriorated." Dev remarked at his sister's dialect.
"Get lost!" Chandni retaliated before rushing up the stairs.

Ten minutes later, Ambili and Dev were  taken aback at the sweet surprise awaiting them at their door.
Four smiling faces stood at the door that was decorated with bright yellow marigolds and red fairy lights enveloped between them.
At the doorstep, rose petals stood to welcome them inside. Chandni stepped ahead with a silver plate that had a copper lamp with a small flame burning.
"You do this everytime, iss baar it's our turn to take care of you." She smiled at her mother.
"I guess the engagement had positive effects on Chandu." Dev joked from behind his mother, eliciting a laugh from everyone. Chandni threw some flower petals his way as her way of ridiculing.

Dev's gaze lingered over Vedangi. She had been smiling widely, watching with keen eyes the whole time. He couldn't help but chuckle at the color she was wearing. Vedangi had mentioned that she hated brown but surprisingly she stood there in a brown top. A tiny gemstone, presumably a diamond glittered on her neck. Her cheeks were a tint pinker than the usual.

Vedangi walked to where Ambili was standing and embraced her in a comforting hug. She sniffled as a sheen layer of tears appeared over her eyes.
"Thankgod you're back home safe! Jaan nikal gayi thi sab ki." Vedangi smiled genuinely.
"Ab kyu ro rahi ho? She's back home na?" Devdutt questioned.
"You won't understand, girls are sensitive." Vedangi replied and all of them laughed.
"It's dinner time! Presenting to you Aloo Matar from Vedangi's kitchen!" She jumped excitedly while making her way to the dining table.
Six months of being in Bangalore had made the Padikkal house special to her. She knew every nook and corner of their house except Dev's room. All she knew was what she could see through her window.
"Well technically, Padikkal's kitchen but the chef is Vedangi Shukla." Vedangi added, making all of them laugh.

Dev sat on the chair at the far end of the wall. His eyes traveled to the phone kept on the table corner. The notification on the display screen made him frown.
'Missed call from Dhruv Bramhecha'
This was the sixth missed call from his number, agitating Dev greatly.

'Send me a picture once you wear the necklace.'
A message notification from Dhruv made Dev fist his fingers tightly. Stop pestering her dude!

________🎶

"I though you hated brown?" Dev asked Vedangi as he leaned against the kitchen slab.
"Not anymore. I guess it looks good." She answered.
"Yeah it does." He stated as if the words were desperate to slip out of his lips.
Vedangi smiled at him and Dev noticed the pink tint on her cheek grow darker.
"I got it for my birthday." She told him, placing the leftover food in the fridge.
"When is your birthday?" Dev asked instantly.
"Fourteenth of July." Vedangi answered, closing the fridge door.
"Fourteenth matlab..oh shit tumhara birthday already ho gaya!? Why didn't you tell me?" Dev groaned.
"Jab ghar mein itna sab kuch chal raha hai, how right is it on my part to announce my birthday? Mujhe achha nahi laga that your mom is in the hospital and I'm celebrating my birthday." Vedangi answered genuinely.
Devdutt stood mesmerized at her selflessness. She let go of her birthday for a stranger? It had only been six months and she already considered his family as hers.
"Then what did you do on your birthday?" He enquired, feeling miserable for her.
"Nothing much, wore new clothes and went to Ganpati Bappa's temple in the next lane. Fir uske baad went to office, had bhindi ki sabzi for lunch, shaam ko ghar aake ordered pizza and icecream and watched Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Simple and sweet." Vedangi elaborated.

"Why are you doing all this? Khana banana, kitchen saaf karna aur hospital mein har roz tiffin bhejna?" Dev looked at her intensely. He was honestly baffled at the dedication she put into  his mother's hospital episode and the aftercare.
"Because I can see my Maa in your Amma." Vedangi replied with genuineness in her voice.
"I'm so far away from my parents, Mumbai to Bangalore isn't a large distance but what if I'm not able to reach them when they need me the most?"
"I don't have to put in special efforts for your mother, it's a natural instinct of caring and for the last six months, she has treated me like her own child, made me feel at home."
"Infact all of you make me feel at home. Aajkal ke jamane mein who cares this much for a random new girl in the city?"
"What I can't do for my parents, I do for yours. If my parents would've been in your Amma's place, wouldn't I have made good food for them? I do all of this in the hope that someday if my parents need urgent help, God will provide them protection." Vedangi stopped speaking and looked at him staring at her.
She had left him spellbound, evidently seen from the expression on his face.

"Can I take you out for dinner?" Dev asked, not tearing his eyes away from her frame.
"Why? Maar dalne ka plan hai kya khane mein zeher milake?" Vedangi squinted her eyes at him playfully.
Dev let out a hearty laugh before answering, "Are yaar sara plan barbaad! But jokes aside, you couldn't have a proper birthday so consider this as a compensation."
"Only if you take me to a good Pasta place." Vedangi agreed and Dev showed her a thumbs up.

Gosh, he was in love. He was too deep in love to care anymore. She had consumed his existence today and she would keep doing it for an eternity.
Dev had never believed how someone could fall out of love, only to be proven right this moment.
He loves Vedangi and he has to tell this to Disha if she expects him to reciprocate her feelings back.