Paradise ~ A Devdutt Padikkal Story

27.

The peaceful silence of a Wednesday morning was interrupted with the loud blaring of the alarm. Sooraj Hua Maddham was the alarm tone and only Vedangi could be this unconventional.
Experimenting and romanticizing the little things in her life thrilled her. Like setting your alarm ringtone as a cheesy bollywood song. She liked and enjoyed these little things.

Lazing around for a minute, she sat upright on her bed, legs still under the blanket. Sleepy eyes didn't offer her a clear vision so she rubbed her left eye to come to her senses. The cold metal chain around her neck tingled with all the head movement. Vedangi unclasped it and held it in her hands.
Her mind couldn't help but wander back to the conversation that happened a week before.

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"Vedangi, can I talk to you for a minute?" Dhruv asked hesitantly.
"Is it about the Makhija case? What can I do if they want to settle it out of the court?" She expressed her displeasure.
"No, it's not about that!" He replied hurriedly, fearing she would dismiss him.
"Then? Since when did you start asking for permissions to talk to people?" Vedangi chuckled.
"It is a little sensitive." Dhruv's tone suddenly changed to a serious one.
Vedangi's face morphed into a serious one too.
"Actually, happy birthday." Dhruv wished her, simultaneously pulling out a box from his desk drawer.
"This is for you and don't worry, it didn't burn a hole in my pocket." Dhruv justified before handing over the velvet case to Vedangi.

She smiled heartwarmingly, opening the case only to find a beautiful piece of jewelry resting inside it.
It was a small American diamond type stone with a dainty silver chain. It was exactly like the Swarovski pendant she wanted to buy for herself.
"Did you browse my Google history? Or did you watch me obsess over that Swarovski necklace?" Vedangi chuckled as she carefully picked up the necklace by its chain, observing it under the bright sunlight penetrating through their office window.
It glittered and glimmered exceptionally, making Vedangi obsess over it.
"Oh my God this is so beautiful! The glimmer! It is breathtaking!" She exclaimed appreciatively, caressing it with her fingers.
"I'm glad you liked it." Dhruv smiled.
He felt peaceful watching her turn ecstatic due to a mere piece of jewelry. God he was so much in love.

"You went all serious only for this gift? Acting karna toh koi tumse seekhe!" Vedangi laughed, lightly hitting him on his arm.
"Oh no, not about that. There's something else I need to tell you." Dhruv sounded anxious, fidgeting with his fingers.
Vedangi on the other hand caught a whiff of what was about to come her way. There is no way she was going to get wounded up in another heartbreak story. Smiling, she gestured him to go on.
"Okay so don't freak out but I like you." Dhruv stuttered a little.
Anticipation of her reaction made his heart throb fearfully.
Vedangi closed her eyes momentarily before she looked back at him again.
"It's okay if you don't feel that way, this shouldn't spoil anything between us and nor should you refuse to accept the gift, it's yours." Dhruv added hurriedly before Vedangi could speak out.
"Firstly, I'm overwhelmed and blank at the same time. Dhruv, I've always considered you as a good friend." Vedangi put her palm over his on the table.
"Secondly, I can totally relate to what you're feeling right now. The fear of rejection eating your gut, who would know it better than me?" She smiled ignorantly.
"I myself am in love with someone who's never going to be mine, you shouldn't waste your time over a broken person like me." Vedangi stated truthfully.
Dhruv's eyes darted to her face rapidly at the mention of her loving someone else.
His chest started aching physically with the weight of her words raining like rocks on him.
"And thirdly, I wouldn't refuse the gift because I understand how much of effort went in there and I value it." She smiled longingly at the end.
Dhruv nodded slightly before rushing out of his chair. Vedangi felt terrible for the way he abruptly vanished. She had just broken his heart with hers being already broken.
She so badly wished to be Disha for a day. Only a day would suffice her for a lifetime.

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Dev groaned as he closed the car door behind him. His mood had been sour since yesterday night and he was well aware of the childish tantrum he threw infront of Vedangi and Disha.
To his surprise, Vedangi sympathizing with Disha was something he never expected to happen. Aren't women unpredictable when it comes to bitching about other women?  was what he thought all this while only to be proved wrong.
He loved the way Vedangi was so headstrong about her opinions and the unconventional decision of having an argument with him over some third person. She could've fueled the fire if she wanted to but she chose to do otherwise. He loved Vedangi all the more now. She was not ordinary, she was extraterrestrial.

Dev walked into the field at the NCA and eventually got engrossed in practice, completely forgetting about Disha working in the same place.
At lunch break, Dev and few of his teammates chatted about the upcoming series. He had been selected to play for the three ODIs and two T20s versus Zimbabwe. The smile on his face vanished the very second he saw Disha Rajan walk into the cafeteria with another girl, following the team manager.

All the eyes followed them until the team manager spoke up.
"Boys, let me introduce you to Disha Rajan and Neha Thomas, they've joined us as junior PR managers for the Indian Cricket Team."
Everyone applauded while the two girls put on a shy smile at the sudden outburst of attention they received.
Disha's eyes met Dev's and she smiled warmly, only to end up confused at his reluctant behavior.
"They are new to the profession as well as the team so be kind with them guys! And no flirting!" The team manager said jokingly earning a laugh from all the people.

"How did the BCCI even appoint these absolutely unexperienced girls for a job?" Dev's voice carried a displeased tone.
"They'll obviously work under Rajal and Vishnu Sir. Hume bhi toh maiden call up pe directly batting pe nahi bhejte na?" Ishan Kishan reasoned and then laughed at his friend's silliness.
He couldn't help but notice the way Dev was so ignorant and against the appointment of those two girls. Ishan had watched the obvious hesitation between Dev and the new girl Disha. The hesitant eye contact, the frown, the confusion and the hurry to exit the place made Ishan wonder about a possible history between them.

"Bhai why are you so bothered with those girls? They're not even going to travel with the team. They'll only sit in the office and do their work." Ishan's tone was apprehensive.
Dev sighed. He had made it extremely obvious for Ishan to notice his disturbed body language.
"Ahh fine, that girl Disha and me were in the same college and at a point we had feelings for each other." Dev revealed earning a gasp from Ishan.
"Then Disha shifted to London two years back and I was heartbroken and in pure agony. So much that I don't even want to see her face now."
"And iss sab ke beech I've fallen in love with someone else and Disha is still in the false belief that I love her. It's pretty complicated." Dev stated and Ishan couldn't help but smile ignorantly.
"Bhai kaha fass gaya tu? And if I'm not wrong, that girl is your neighbour Vedika right?" Ishan questioned.
"Vedangi." Dev corrected him.
"Haa wahi. And before you ask ki mujhe kaise pata chala, your phone notifications are the answer to it. You've rarely talked to girls all your life and seeing so many notifications from Vedangi continuously popping up on your phone is pretty self explanatory." Ishan explained.
"It's going to be hard sorting this mess and koi na koi is going to end up hurt. If you ever need help, bol de." Ishan added before he left.

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Can this story be called a Love Quadrilateral now that Dhruv is involved too?