Paradise ~ A Devdutt Padikkal Story

29.

"Why have you summoned me on a Sunday afternoon?" Vedangi whined.
Dev rolled his eyes at her dramatic complaining.
"Have some patience, will you?" Dev told her for the fifth time.
Vedangi sat down on the living room couch yawning while Dev disappeared in his room.
"Did you actually doze off?!" Dev laughed at the sight of Vedangi cuddled on the couch with closed eyes.
Groaning, she got up and followed him inside his bedroom.

Vedangi was excited to see his bedroom, she hadn't seen it until now.
She looked at the walls painted in a creamy off white color with a large poster of Manchester United plastered on it. Besides the poster was a full size mirror that Dev used to click selfies wearing weird clothes.
The bed was a double bed, covered in grey silk sheets. Vedangi somehow found it hot enough to make her blush at an unholy thought crossing her mind.
"Why do you need a double bed? That too with silk sheets?" She asked nonchalantly, looking at the window besides the bed.
Her bedroom window was clearly visible through his and she smiled as she remembered their childish banter through the window.
"I don't sleep alone. Barney also sleeps here. Plus it's not intended for sleeping." Dev joked and Vedangi looked at him crossly.
"If you're done with your sexual inneundos, I'd like to resume observing." She narrowed her eyes.
"You can actually see my bedroom through your window! Woah!" She exclaimed surprised.

Before Vedangi could say anything more, her attention diverted to a small portion of the cream wall decorated with polaroids.
"You never told me that you collect polaroids too! I've a polaroid wall in my bedroom too!" Vedangi revealed, ecstatically observing the people in the polaroids.
"Agar tumne kabhi bedroom mein bulaya hi nahi toh how will I see your polaroid wall?" Dev said close to her ear, eliciting a shiver on the nape of her neck. Vedangi hit him in the stomach with her elbow and he grunted.
"Are you really flirting with me?" She teased and he showed her a thumbs up.
"Ye flirting wirting Disha ke sath ha, don't try it on me! I'll sue you in an American court!" Vedangi added the last part laughing. The 3 Idiots reference made Dev chuckle too.

Vedangi was about to go back to the window but a small reptile on the window pane made her scream in fear. Vedangi jumped back, losing her balance but was held by Dev safely. It was their bollywood moment and they only needed Tum Se Hi playing in the background.

Dev wanted to keep staring at Vedangi's face but she ruined his plans by telling him about the lizard on the window pane.
"Please kuch karo or I'll die of a heart attack." She requested and steadied herself on her feet before climbing up on his bed.
Dev burst out laughing at her reaction.
"I know as typical as it seems but I'm dead scared of lizards so please stop laughing and do something." Vedangi stated exasperatedly, throwing his pillow at him.

Ten minutes later, Dev settled down in front of her with a box between them.
"Because it was your birthday, here's your present." Dev gestured her to open the box. Vedangi glowed with excitement and she hurriedly opened the box without reading the note taped on the top. Inside were four fresh copies of the Twisted series.
"Oh my God!" Vedangi squealed with joy as she carefully removed each book from the box, scannning the pages and feeling the texture.
Twisted Hate was placed at the bottom of the box and Vedangi opened it to find the exact same note her own book carried.
"This is my book! Where did you find this?!" Vedangi exclaimed happily, only to realize that she had accidentally revealed that it was hers.
"Well obviously it didn't take me long to figure out who desi Jules is. I found it at the airport months back." Dev admitted.
"Girls say they love reading and then read descriptive sex, cool." He added while she blushed.
"Whatever it is, thank you so much!" Vedangi exclaimed joyously before throwing her arms around him in the spur of the moment.
Dev steadied himself with his left palm as he staggered, while the right one went around her waist. She mumbled something about the books but he was too engrossed to pay attention. Having her so close to him drove him crazy. His chin rested on her shoulder and his nose sniffed her sweet smelling hair.

Vedangi realized the position they were in and abruptly loosened her grasp on his shirt. She slowly went back to her original position as her fingers brushed past his shoulder and down his arm. Dev disliked the loss of affinity between them as she sat back flustered and embarassed.
"Achha hua no one saw, varna kya hi soch lete." She remarked, not meeting his eyes.
"No one's home by the way, didn't you notice?" Dev made her realize.
"Oh yeah! I didn't realize." Vedangi looked around the room.
"It's almost five, I need to rush. One of my school friend is here in Bangalore, we're going to meet." Vedangi got up hurriedly.
"Which place are you going to meet?" Dev asked.
"Toit Brewpub, the Indiranagar one." She answered.
Dev rolled his eyes at her answer. "Yeah obviously! There's only one restaurant in the whole city isn't it? Everyone just gets up and goes to Toit!" He exclaimed sarcastically.
Vedangi stuck out her tongue at him.
Dev watched her run away with a smile on his face. She would be the death of him. He was whipped.
"Tumhara gift to le jao!" Dev said loud enough for her to come back and collect the box before jolting out of the door.

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Wholesome, isn't it?
Okay one question to you guys, how did you come to know of Devdutt and what do you like about him?