Serious in Love ✔

28- "You'll always be the one who got away."

Vansh wasn't even surprised when he received a smack on his back at that. Pragya's nose crinkled in disgust at his remark. “Just concentrate on your driving, you dirty minded fool!”

A Toyota car drove through the highways with the sun, catching up above them. But that was of no consequence with the collective laughter and chatter happening inside the car. It was a blissful, Saturday morning for the five of them.

A little more than an hour later, the group stopped by a *dhaba (kind of restaurant) for a washroom break and snacks. Ahana returned to the car to grab her purse for snacks, when she noticed a pack of patties and a small bottle of mango juice.

“Vansh bought it for you.” Pragya answered, eating a sandwich herself. Ahana glanced at the snacks once again. Vansh had bought exactly the things she was going to buy. She wasn't surprised at what he bought. Rather, she was surprised at what he remembered. These were her get- to- go snacks, during the first half of a roadside journey.

Ahana swiveled her head around and spotted Vansh standing with Dhruv at a distance, having tea. For a split second, it seemed like Vansh was already looking at her, before she noticed him but maybe that was her imagination. She walked upto him.

“Thank you for this,” Ahana flashed her *patties. It was still uneaten. Her gaze then shifted to Vansh who was eating an omelet sandwich.

Vansh noticed this and extended his half eaten sandwich towards her. “Want some? Here, take it.”

Now he was offering it so kindly with a gentle smile on his face that she was finding difficult to ignore. She took a hold of his sandwich, her hand grazing over his. Before Vansh could think of backing away, Ahana stepped forward and took a bite, right where Vansh left off.

“It's good,” Ahana said, looking elsewhere. 'What was I thinking?!' Her mind shouted in embarrassment. She was so used to eating from his food in the past that for a second, she forgot things were different now. Or subconsciously, she wanted to do it. She stole a quick glance at Vansh who was apparently suppressing his smile but was failing miserably. If that wasn't enough then he surprised her by taking the next bite of his sandwich from where Ahana left off.

“I think it's my cue to leave before I see something else being exchanged other than a sandwich,” Dhruv intervened after watching the unusual exchange between his two friends.

“No, I shall go. Gotta eat.” Ahana quickly dashed off the scene before the boys caught a tinge of red on her cheeks.

“What's that creepy smile on your face, Ahana? Perhaps there's a joke you wanna share.” Lisa casually asked when Ahana returned to the car.

“Ah, nothing. Let's just eat this quickly,” and got to eating her patty, smiling internally.

The group had been traveling in the States for three hours now, passing through the villages and agricultural fields. They passed by the sign board earlier, entering yet another district. Pragya knew that her gang would be smart enough to figure out the destination by the next town. She wanted to play her game for a little while longer. What's more, it was she who was in charge of the steering wheel now. A detour was underway.

After a while, she brought the car to a halt by the side of the road. When asked why she gave a lame reply, “This car says it needs to rest for a hour before it sets off again. Meanwhile you guys can explore the surroundings or whatever.”

The group protested against it since there wasn't a dhaba or any kind of restaurant spotted nearby but Pragya stuck to her decision. The group being aware of Pragya's stubbornness, finally gave up and decided to click some selfies outside. While everyone was stepping out of the car, Pragya held Lisa's hand, silently telling her to stay back.