|TUSHAR|
I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling with a stupid grin on my face. I haven't felt this giddy since I had spoken to my first crush when I was in eighth grade. I distinctly remember the first time I saw Anjali at the park. It was as if the universe was telling me that there is someone out there for me.
I'm so glad that I asked her out. Ever since the death of my parents, I had always felt that I don't have anyone with that special connection. Early on I learned that I was born alone in this world and the only one who was going to be with me is myself. But, I realized how wrong I was. The moment I saw Anjali I felt a spark with her. I had to get to her and I'm glad that I met her.
I smiled and texted her goodnight with a selfie that we had taken today. I smiled when she replied. I swiped through the pictures on my phone. I stared at one particular picture. It was a candid picture of Anjali. We were talking about something and I remember cracking a joke. Her face was glowing and her eyes were closed. Everything about her was so perfect and beautiful.
Am I doing the right thing by bringing her into my world? I knew that it wasn't going to be easy to be in a relationship with me. That's precisely why I never dated anyone for long, that and another reason is that I hadn't found the right person. But with Anjali everything is different. She's so different and so pure. I want to know everything about her. I want to spend each moment with her. I smiled and closed my eyes. The last thought was Anjali.
|3 months later|
|ANJALI|
It has been almost two months since Tushar and I had gone out for the first time. Since then we had gone on a lot more dates. Things had been going well. I don't even know how to describe this feeling. All I know was that I was falling hard and fast for this incredible man. I kind of feel it's too soon to tell but when you know you know.
He treats me like a princess. Not once did I find he was overbearing or pushed me to do things that I don't like. For two months there have been a lot of cheek kisses and forehead kisses. As for the actual kissing that is yet to happen. There were times when it almost happened but something or the other always interrupts us.
The one time I'll never forget is when Trisha caught us. That was embarrassing. She didn't stop yapping about it for a very long time. Tushar was so frustrated that he almost shouted at Trisha while I tried to control my laughter. I have to say he has a lot of control over his anger.
I was at home right now, correcting some of the books. Just then my phone began ringing. I smiled when I glanced at the caller id. It was Tushar. I swiped the accept button.
"Hello, beautiful! Are you busy ?" I blushed and twirled around on my chair, I leaned back and pulled my legs up to my chest. "Hi, Tushar! I was just correcting some books. What's up?" I smiled as he cleared his throat. He was getting ready to ask about something with an assumption that I'm going to immediately reject or hate that idea. This is something that I had observed about him over the past few months that we had been dating.
"Go on. I won't bite you if you ask me." He chuckled and whispered something like, "I want you to bite me." I laughed out loud and he cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry Anjali. I'm just I'm sorry okay, I didn't mean to sound like such a jerk. God, what is wrong with me?!" He kept on cursing and mumbling.
"Okay okay stop apologising Tushar. It's okay, just get to the point." I interrupted him with a huge grin on my face. He can be so adorable. If he was in front of me right now I would have pulled his cheeks.
"Right, about that. So, my friends and their wives and girlfriends have been pestering me to introduce you to them. They have planned a two-day trip to Lonavala. No pressure at all. Of course, we won't be sharing a room. All girls in one room and all guys in one room. I would never want you to feel uncomfortable." My heart fluttered. How lucky am I to find someone who's this considerate? I waited for a couple of minutes to give him an answer. I could sense that he was already getting impatient.
"Tushar that's great! I would love to come and I do want to meet your friends. When is the trip?" I asked him. "This weekend. We will be back by Sunday evening." Tushar answered excitedly and I chuckled.
"Okay, then I shall be there. Will you be picking me up?" I asked him waiting for him to answer. "Are you sure? What will you tell your father?" I sighed and tapped my finger against my chin thinking about it.
"Tushar, I want to come! As for my Dad umm I will figure something out." He chuckled when I shouted. "Okay then get ready! It's in about two days. I have got to go now. I'll call you later. Bye, Anjali takes care."
"Bye Tushar!" I replied with a laugh as I could hear someone calling him whipped in the background. He groaned and cut the call. I finished correcting the rest of the books and prepared for the next day. All I could think about was what I was going to tell my father. I didn't want to lie to him.
When he called me for dinner I had made up my mind that I was just going, to tell the truth. I already felt bad that I hadn't told him about Tushar, I didn't want to tell another lie. He would never stop me from going because I'm an adult and he has always respected my choices. But I think it would surprise him as I never usually go on such trips with friends who he has never met. We were eating and having a conversation when I decided to bring it up.
"Umm Papa I'm going out with some friends this weekend to Lonavala," I said and began eating. He tilted his head and raised his brows. "You mean only you and Trisha or with a bunch of your colleagues." He asked me waiting for me to answer.
"These are some other friends. I uhh meet them in the park and you know we started talking. We clicked and it's been amazing." I rushed with my words and took a sip of my water. My Dad looked at me with an amused face.
"That's interesting. Anju you know right that I would never say no. Just be careful and safe yeah?" I grinned widely and nodded vigorously. He chuckled and ruffled my hair. He stood up with his empty plate walking towards the kitchen. I followed him and placed my plate on the counter.
"You will be fine right?" I asked him leaning against the counter. He chuckled and patted my head. "Might I remind you that I'm a grown man? I will be fine baccha. Don't worry about me, just enjoy the trip. Besides I have plans." I chuckled and nodded.
"Please take your medicines on time and no outside food. I repeat no outside food Papa. I'll ask the neighbor aunty to send you some food." He made a face but nodded when I glared at him.
"Okay boss as you say." I laughed. He patted my head and passed me the utensils. I wiped them and placed them in their respective places. We retired to our respective rooms for the night. I had a huge grin on my face. I couldn't wait for this weekend to come.
***
The weekend came by pretty quickly. It was already Friday and I was out doing some shopping with Trisha. She was excited probably more excited than I was. We quickly picked a few outfits and billed them. Once we reached home we jumped tiredly on the couch.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the couch cushions. I frowned opening my eyes when I heard Trisha laughing like a maniac. "Why the hell are you laughing like that? What's going on in that stupid head of yours?" I narrowed my eyes and asked her. My eyes widened, I patted my pockets searching for my phone. I sighed in relief when I felt it inside my pocket.
One time this idiot read my text of course not on purpose but while my phone was buzzing and she happen to be near it. She didn't stop eating my head and teasing me about it the entire day. "I made a prediction." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.
"What prediction?" She turned toward me completely and smirked. Oh boy, this isn't going to be a nice one. "I think Tushar and you are finally going to kiss on this trip." She blurted out and began running across the living room. I chased her all the to the room and hit her with my pillows while she laughed her ass off the entire time.
"Please shut up Trisha!" I hit her a couple of more times and plopped on the bed with a sour look on my face. "Aww okay, I'm sorry baby," Trisha whispered pulling my cheeks. I slapped her hands away and glared at her. For the next few minutes, she helped me with all the packing and her teasing never stopped.
Trisha stayed with me for the night. We watched some movies, talked, and had some yummy take-out food. I closed my eyes and I couldn't contain my excitement for the weekend.
The next day I bid goodbye to my father who asked me to be safe and give him a call at least twice a day. I warned him again to take care of himself and even asked Trisha to keep an eye on him.
It was pretty early in the morning for which I'm very thankful. None of the nosy neighbor aunties will be awake. I smiled when I found Tushar leaning against his car and tapping his feet in the next lane.
His face broke into a huge grin when he spotted me. "Hey there beautiful! Good morning. Here let me help you with your bags." I smiled replied good morning, blushed a little passing the bags to him. He opened the trunk placed the bags in them and shut it.
The both of us settled in our seats and Tushar started the car. The radio was playing and there was comfortable silence in the car. It was peaceful. "Where are your friends?" I asked him. He glanced at me for a second and scratched his cheek.
"I kind of wanted to spend some alone time with you so I told them that we would meet up with them at the resort." I smiled at his nervousness. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Tushar grinned and shook his head. "I can't wait to meet them," I said as I stared out of the window.
"Here's a heads-up. I have three very annoying friends. We meet in the academy. Two of them are married and one has a girlfriend. The ladies are great but irritating at times. They are going to tease you a lot." I giggled and nodded.
"Why did you never introduce me to them?" I asked him with a curious look on my face. "Well, to be honest, I never dated much, and even if I did it never lasted long. I didn't have a reason to introduce you to my friends who are like the only family that I have." When he said that my heart tugged.
I held his hand and squeezed it. "Hey, now you have me too." He smiled glancing at me briefly and took a turn. "That I do and I'm so damn thankful for that." My heart was fluttering. I cleared my throat and pulled my hand back.
"What are their names?" I asked him. "Aarti and Rishab are sickly in love. It's pretty visible and they're expecting their first kid in about four months." I smiled giggling a bit. "Aww, that's adorable. I'm happy for them."
"Payal and Piyush are a funny couple. Their jokes are the best and they love to tease everyone. I feel like they're the perfect match and they would make amazing stand-up comedy. They can even have their show. They just got married a few months back. So it's pretty evident that their honeymoon period is not over."
By the end of that statement, I was laughing loudly and Tushar laughed as well. "Now for the last couple. Kriti and Arush. They have only been dating for about eight months. That's my friend circle. Hope you don't run for the hills once you meet them. I've already warned them not to be too overbearing so it should be fine."
I laughed shaking my head. "Oh come on, I'm sure they're amazing. I can't wait to meet them. I'm excited. I know how to handle people so you don't have to worry about that."
" I'm kind of exaggerating and teasing them a bit but they're amazing people." He sighed and stared at the road. I smiled nodding.
We were quiet for the rest of the trip. I pulled the window down and put my face outside. I giggled as the cool air touched my cheeks. I sighed staring at the view outside, it was beautiful and the fact that Tushar was there with me made it even more enthralling.
I took a deep breath and leaned my head against the headrest. My eyes felt heavy I was slowly falling asleep. I tried to stay awake so that I could give Tushar company while he drove but it became impossible.
"Hey sleep, I'll wake you up. We should be there in an hour or so." I closed my eyes, smiled, and held his hand tightly. My cheeks heated up when he kissed the back of my hand.
An hour later I was jolted awake and the first thing I saw was his beautiful black eyes. "Hey. You can rest after we eat. Come on." I took a deep breath when I felt him blow some air on my cheeks.
"Umm, what are you doing?" He grinned and kissed my cheek slowly, my heart skipped a beat. I mustered up the courage and placed my palm on his face. Our breaths mingled and I tilted my head closing my eyes. Just when our lips were about to touch someone tapped harshly on the window. I gasped and turned my face.
I laughed when I saw someone's face close to the window. He had cupped his face between his hands and squinted his eyes trying to make out what we were doing. Thankfully Tushar's car had tinted glasses.
"Hey, what are you guys doing in there? Are you doing the hanky panky?" I laughed hysterically while Tushar groaned and buried his face in my neck. "Well, welcome to teasing 101." I laughed and kissed his cheek. "Come on you big baby. Introduce me to your friends." He sighed and nodded. He kissed my forehead and got out of the car.
I laughed when I heard him scream at his friend. "Piyush you asshole. What is your problem?" I got out of the car and shut the door. I shook my head laughing when I saw the two of them wrestling. I looked around to find that we were in the parking lot of the resort.
"Ugh, they are so annoying!" Someone exclaimed behind me. I turned behind to find a woman who had an annoyed expression on her face. I smiled at her when she noticed my presence. She immediately pulled me in for a hug.
"Oh hello you must be Anjali, it's good to finally meet you. I'm Payal and the one wrestling your boyfriend is my irritating but cute husband Piyush." I laughed hugging her back. "Hey, it's nice to meet you too." I pulled back and she patted my arms.
"I can't believe that Mr. There's no one perfect out there for me finally found someone." I laughed when she did a funny imitation of Tushar's voice. "Come on let's go everyone's eagerly waiting to meet you." She dragged me towards the restaurant that was in the resort.
"What about Tushar and Piyush. Let's wait for them." I said, she shook her head and laughed. "Don't worry they'll come soon enough." I smiled and nodded. She dragged me towards a table where four of them were seated. They were all laughing loudly. I looked behind to find that Piyush and Tushar were already following us.
I was caught off-guard when Payal pushed me into a chair and I sat down startled. "People this is the infamous Anjali who has smitten our boy. Anjali this is Aarti and Rishab and that's Kriti and Arush." Each one of them waved their hands and I waved back slowly because I was a bit shy meeting all these new people.
"Great now that you have met her I would like to take her somewhere. If you guys will please excuse my girlfriend and me for a minute we'll be back." Tushar announced and held my wrist. He was about to pull me but Payal tugged my other arm glaring at him.
"What's the hurry, Mr. Romeo. We just got here and would like to know more about her!" She exclaimed while I giggled when I noticed his irritated expression.
"Yeah relax buddy take a seat." Rishab pulled out a chair next to him and gestured at him to come to sit next to him. He was about to protest but Aarti glared at him which shut him right up. I bit my lips trying to control my laughter as he dragged himself towards the opposite side of the table.
For the next hour, we had breakfast and a great conversation. I felt so lucky to meet these people they were such great people. The first ten minutes felt like an interview, to be honest, but I cracked some jokes and the ice melted right away. I could make out that they were protective of Tushar hence the questions and prodding. I was just happy that he had these people looking out for him.
We all stood up to freshen up in our respective rooms. Aarti hugged me in the lobby while the guys went to meet the manager. "I'm so glad that he found you Anjali." I smiled hugging her back. "Me too. He's an amazing person." She smiled and nodded. I frowned when I saw tears in her eyes.
She just waved her hands when I asked her what was wrong. "Don't worry about it, stupid hormones." She sniffled and wiped her nose. A few minutes later she patted her swelled belly.
Kriti and Payal were on the other side talking about something. I pulled Aarti and asked her to sit. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you want some water or anything?" Aarti smiled and shook her head.
"No, I'm fine really. I'm just more emotional these days because of the little one." She patted her belly with a smile on her face. I sighed nodding. It made me wonder if my Mom ever felt me kick or had that sort of connection with me. I was lost for a second I snapped out when Aarti shook my arm.
"Please don't break his heart. He may get annoying at times but he's the best." I smiled and nodded. "I know he's amazing and I know for a fact that this isn't something temporary." She beamed at me and nodded.
I smiled at her and walked towards a pillar after making sure she was okay. I leaned against it and took a deep breath staring at the view. I closed my eyes for a minute and took everything in. Is it possible to fall in love this soon? I asked myself and the answer that I received from within was simple. Yes. I smiled opening my eyes but my vision was slightly blurred because of the tears. I'm not sad I'm happy. I'm happy to have realized this.
I gasped slightly when I felt familiar hands wrap around my waist. I quickly wiped my tears and tilted my head. "Hey, you okay?" Tushar asked when he noticed my eyes which I'm sure are slightly red. I cleared my throat and nodded smiling at him.
He frowned but nodded anyway. "Okay, so here's the thing everyone wants a room with their significant others and there are no other rooms available. So, you will have to share a room with me. Are you okay with that? I know it's too soon for anything I will be a complete gentleman. I mean I already am. If you are uncomfortable we can always switch rooms with one of my friends. They'd be happy to." He went on and on blabbering about how sorry he was that he couldn't get me a room.
I laughed and turned in his arms. I placed one arm over his shoulder and touched his lips with my fingers to stop him from speaking with my other hand. "Shh, why are you getting so worked up. I don't mind sharing a room with you. Let's not disturb your friends. I'm sure they all wish to spend some alone time with their loved ones. It's not your fault stop apologizing." Tushar's ears turned red. How cute!
He chuckled and pulled me closer. He kissed my fingers that were on his lips and nodded. "Very well then get ready for an adventure this weekend Miss Anjali." I giggled and hugged him. "Bring it on Flight Officer Tushar. I'm always ready." I replied placing a kiss on his cheek.
Only later will I realize the importance of this trip. Probably the most important memory, one of the memories that will keep me going in life. The remainder of Tushar, my love.
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A/N: I AM BACK!!! I have just been busy with life. The last semester of college and stepping into the real world is giving me the chills.
Hopefully you guys like this chapter. It's been so hard to get write lately probably because of the gap. I'm not that satisfied with this chapter. Please do let me know what you guys this.
Please do vote and comment! Have a great day folks!