More Than Friends ✔

43- "You have yet to give me a hickey."

Adhvik Dhawan got a new job.

Not the Boyd one but another. It was the fastest time he ever got one. This time it was a Chinese company named Sunwo. It was with a better salary and benefits. Luck was undoubtedly on his side this time.

On the other hand, Aradhana was getting married to her boyfriend, Saurabh. The wedding would be held on December. Although Aradhana had already mentioned about their marriage in their phonic conversations, the news still surprised Pallavi. Suddenly the people she knew were moving forward in their lives. She didn't want to feel inferior but she still did.

Perhaps that was the ammunition Pallavi needed to move forward in her own life.

After some online research and visits to other institutes offering certification courses, Pallavi Khuranna finally enrolled herself in DICE academy to pursue a course in
graphic designing. It was indeed a crucial milestone for her career. Something that she should have done years ago but better late than never.

Adhvik and Pallavi celebrated their milestones, congratulating each other with a bang. Literally.

A week later.

“Congratulations, Mr Dhawan!” Pallavi confessed on phone, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. She added when he asked her what, “We are not pregnant.”

“Shit, I missed this time too,” He faked his disappointment. “Pallu, yaar, not fair! Get pregnant for me once. We'll have a wonderful child.”

“Kaise baate karte ho? Just experience it with your future wife.” Pallavi retorted as usual. It wasn't the first time he said that.

“Do you know how much I crave coming inside you? But no, I have to wear a bloody condom and pull out everytime,” He clicked his tongue. “Atleast let me do anal.”

“Ew, no way! That gotta hurt. Why you gotta try everything with me?”

He snickered like a teenage boy. “Since you're my trail production process while my future wife will be the real one.”

Pallavi laughed out loud. Did he just compare their relationship with the manufacturing process in Mansur? You see, before the real manufacturing process of a new mobile model began, there was a trial process to check which raw materials would match the mobile cover. Once those samples were approved by Xiaomi, the real manufacturing process commenced. Though she didn't partially like how little meaning it had to their otherwise casual relationship. She wanted to believe they were more than that.

* * *

Eventually it was the beginning of December, 2019. Pallavi visited Adhvik in his apartment for the sixth time. Thankfully, she didn't have to say anything to her parents. Apparently they were out of station to her grandma's place in a town of Uttar Pradesh. It was just three hours from here. The tactics she had to adapt just to meet her partner. Unbelievable.

Just when she was about to step into his room, as usual, Adhvik stopped her with a sneaky smile. “I have a surprise this time.”

“Oh, really?” Her eyes lit up. “Show me, show me!”

And show he did as he unlocked the door to his apartment. He took her by the hand while instructing her to keep her eyes shut. “You can open your eyes now.”

Her expectation shattered like glass shards as she monotonously glanced up at the TV plasma screen mounted on the wall in front of his bed. Idiot, Pallavi! She should have known. Adhvik and surprise were never synonyms to each other. “You said it was a surprise!”

“For me... Who said it was for you,” Adhvik blurted out like it was obvious. He wore a smug as he described its features. “I bought this baby from my hard-earned money. See, I also have Tata Sky now,”