Saturday.
What Meera said to Dev yesterday was truly comforting. She was full of positivity and she tried to imbibe it in people around her.
Even in the dressing room, she was always her usual cheerful self. Dancing and laughing around,cracking jokes and making sarcastic remarks.
Dev enjoyed watching her.
Today evening they were going to visit Meera's parents with her.
Getting ready, Dev went for practice.
Virat's POV
I've been watching Dev for few weeks now and he looks completely smitten. Never did I imagine that the introverted, shy boy Dev would blossom in Meera's presence.
I've seen the way Dev looks at her, he's so much in love.
They're always together everywhere. Be it the bus,the team room, dinner, everywhere!
Virat approached Dev during the break.
"Kyun Dev, how's practice?" Virat asked to start a conversation.
"It's going good. After break, I'll go for fielding." Dev informed.
"Good Good. I've a suggestion for you Dev." Virat got straight to the point.
"Go on." Dev was suddenly nervous.
"If you're ever asked to sing a song for Meera, I suggest you go for aankhon ki gustakhiyan maaf ho "
Dev saw the knowing look in Virat's eyes yet he managed to put on a balanced facade.
"What? Why?"
"Because you've only got eyes for her! All of us see the way you look at her."
Virat stated and Dev couldn't hide it anymore.
He blushed slightly to which Virat had a purely older brother type reaction.
"You actually blushed!? Shaadi ki tayariya karo ji" Virat teased Dev.
"Is it that obvious?!" Dev asked in return.
"Oye chal chal, aise hi dadhi ke baal safed nahi huye. Everybody knows that you like her!" Virat spilled the beans.
"Does Meera know it too?" Dev asked apprehensively.
"We'll find that out soon. We'll hatch a plan for it. Aakhir main kis kaam aaunga tumhari lovestory main?" Virat chuckled.
"Aaj sasural jaane wala hai na tu?" Virat asked Dev.
"What sasural and all?! We don'teven know if she likes me! And how do you know about me going to Meera's house?!" Dev exclaimed.
"Mere jassos charo taraf faile hue hai. Ab jaa". Virat patted his back and Dev ran away to the field.
6:30 pm.
Dev put on a Black shirt and a jeans, styled his hair, put on his favorite mint scent and proceeded towards Meera's room.
He knocked on her door and Meera opened it.
She was wearing a yellow dress and her hair were in a loose bun.
"Thankgod you're here Dev! I need help." She said while rummaging around her room.
"Which one suits this dress?" She showed him two earrings.
"Kaunsa bhi pehno, it'll look good anyway! " Dev answered honestly.
Meera gave him a surprised look but tore her gaze away as she'd blush if she looked at him for a longer time.
"I still have some stuff to do!" Meera said eyeing her room.
"One thing! " Dev came closer to her and untied her bun to see those beautiful locks fall down her shoulders.
"Better." Dev said and Meera could feel her cheeks burning.
She went into the bathroom.
Coming out after 5 minutes, they left for her house.
They had booked an Ola as Meera's scooter was at her place.
The driver was playing songs when Mast Magan started and Meera clapped her hands in joy.
"My favorite song!" She exclaimed and Dev smiled.
She was singing along.
Kajra siyahi din rang jaaye,
Teri kastoori, rain jagaye
Man mast magan,man mast magan bas tera naam dohraaye.
Dev was looking at Meera while she was looking outside the window.
Dev saw the traffic of Pune. People rushing to various places, streets buzzing with people and new eateries with unique names.
Odh ke dhaani preet ki chadar aaya tere sheher mein ranjha tera.
Quite iconic, as it was Dev really in her city. He smiled to himself as the lyrics made more sense now than they did ever before.
They reached her house after a ride of 30 minutes but Dev wasn't surprised as he was used to Bangalore traffic. He thought this still was better.
It would be an understatement that Dev was nervous. What if he made a fool of himself.
"Chill yaar Dev! It's just my parents, they won't eat you up. And it's not like you're going to ask my hand in marriage!"
Meera teased. Dev laughed at that.
Ascending the stairs, she ran to her house.
She rang the doorbell and her Aai opened the door.
"Manu!!!" Meera's mom exclaimed and Meera hugged her.
"Ye ye aat ye, come in Dev!" She urged him.
Dev entered the house and Meera's mother whispered in her ear,"He really is handsome!".
"I know right!" Meera agreed.
Meera's Dad was sitting on the sofa with a Marathi serial playing on the TV.
He got up on seeing Dev and welcomed him.
"Good Evening Sir." Dev greeted him.
"What a fine young man! Those muscles! That height!" Meera's Dad praised him and Dev smiled.
"Dev, this is my Baba!" Meera introduced him to Dev.
"Baba this is Dev."
"Milind Joshi." Meera's Dad shook Dev's hand and Dev reciprocated.
"Chhan ahe ga mulga. Now I see what you saw in him" Meera's father exclaimed and Meera widened her eyes and exclaimed, "Baba!".
Dev didn't exactly decipher what was happening but he understood the last line.
"So Devdutt, how's the season going on?" Meera's father asked Dev.
"Good Sir. We've-"
" Dev, there's no need to elaborate, Baba watches every match so he knows pretty well" Meera interjected and Dev laughed.
"Have you ever tried Sheera??" Meera's mother asked Dev.
"Nope. What's Sheera?"
"Sheera is a marathi sweet dish which is made from Rawa. It's generally made on pious occasions or when guests come over." Her Dad explained to Dev.
"And for the account, I'm making Sheera today! Its my specialty!" Meera announced and proceeded to the kitchen.
Dev conversed with Meera's Dad and Meera and her Mom occasionally joined the conversation from the kitchen. Dev could smell the tempting aroma of Elaichi and Kesar.
Soon enough they were on the dining table with Meera's Mom serving them.
"Aai just sit down! All of us can serve ourselves!" Meera forcibly pulled her mother besides her chair.
Her mother sat down and began to explain what the food items in the plate were.
"This is called Thalipeeth. It's a paratha type item but usually thicker than paratha. It's made from Bhajani which is nothing but a mixture of grains like wheat, jowar,bajra and more."
"It's supposed to be eaten with dahi." She added.
"It's the best thing in the whole world and especially Aai ke hath ka!!" Meera exclaimed.
Dev had a bite of it and closed his eyes in pure happiness
"This is soo gooddd..." he said and everyone laughed.
"Sheera kasa zalay?" ( how's the sheera?) Meera asked Dev expectantly.
He took a bite of the sheera and he knew at that moment that Meera ke hath ka sheera is his favorite dish from there on.
"Chhan zala ahe!" Dev answered in Marathi and everyone gasped.
"Are wah Dev Marathi and all!!" Meera patted his shoulder.
"Meera ka influence!" He joked and everybody laughed.
After dinner, Meera took Dev on a house tour.
They entered her room and Dev looked at the beautiful interior and the way she had customized it.
There was a Hogwarts and Slytherin poster above her bed.
Besides it was a wall which had polaroids hanging on the it with fairy lights around them.
Meera switched on the lights and Dev could see the pictures.
He went closer to get a better look.
He could see a young Meera wearing a Rising Pune Supergiants jersey standing in a stadium.
Another picture was Meera with her parents on a snowy backdrop.
"That one was when we went to Sikkim. I was 16." She told him.
She pointed at another picture of Meera with two girls embracing her. "They're my cousins, Aarya and Rasika."
"We're pretty close. Aarya and me are the same age and Rasika is two years elder to us".
Dev saw another picture of a boy with his hands around Meera's shoulder. They were looking at each other and laughing. It was a candid picture.
"Who's this guy?"
"That? That's Rohit. We're very good friends since school times. This picture was taken when we went to the Marine Drive in Mumbai. A small trip to Mumbai."
"One of our friend took that picture" she added.
Dev just nodded.
"He had proposed to me, you know!" Meera revealed.
Dev looked at her shocked, with a thousand questions in his mind after what she had said.
Just when he was about to ask she explained,
"I admit I was attracted to him but I did not say yes to him because I was too career and study oriented. We're still in contact though."
Dev looked very annoyed but still relieved. He had learnt well to mask his emotions.
She took him to a corner of her room which was baby pink in colour. It had a book shelf with books like Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice and other romance novels lined on it.
There was a big comfy chair below the book shelf.
"This is my cosy corner. It's my favorite part in the whole house."
"You're a complete romantic at heart, aren't you?" Dev asked though he knew the answer.
"A hopeless one!" She replied.
He could see her Degree Certificate on the wall opposite.
"Woah!" Dev exclaimed.
"I know right!! I graduated from one of the best medical college in Maharashtra. I'm extremely proud of that!" Dev saw her eyes shining with pride and self appreciation as she looked at it lovingly.
They sat on her bed thereafter.
"So, kaisa laga mera ghar?"
"It's very nice!" Dev answered making her smile.
"I missed all of this for the last 3 years." She added.
"It's worth missing." Dev said with appreciation.
"Chalo, let's go back to the hotel now, it's 10:30 already. "
Meera's Mum and Dad handed Dev an envelope which had money in it.
Dev refused initially but after urging, took it.
They both touched her mum and dad's feet like a married couple and went away in a cab.
(cinematic much right?)
Throughout the ride, Dev was praising Meera's cooking.
_________________________________________
Heylooo!
This is the longest chapter I've written, 1850 words!
This is my second favorite chapter and I enjoyed writing it so much!
Also,for the non marathi people,
This is Thalipeeth
And this is Sheera, basically known as Suji ka Halwa in Hindi.
If you guys ever come to Maharashtra, please try Marathi cuisine.
Tell me about the Marathi dishes y'all have tried in the comments.
I'd love to talk to you guys!