"Bhai Rutu, ab mujhe har jagah Meera dikhayi de rahi hai." Dev couldn't believe his eyes.
"Ae Bavlat, I'm really here." Meera jumped on Dev and engulfed him in a hug.
That flowery scent of her hair was enough for Dev to know that she was actually there.
"Tumhara seminar tha na? And how are you with Rutu?" Dev asked puzzled.
Meera and Rutu high fived each other and said in unison, "Mission successful".
"Are pagal, I helped Meera in her plan of surprising you." Rutu elaborated.
"Achha to tu isse pickup karne gaya tha?" Rutu nodded.
"Aur I was purposely disappointing you by saying ki I wont come because surprise jo dena tha." Meera said as she entered the house.
"Meera, you should've seen his face! Itna dukh bhari aatma ban gaya tha na ye." Rutu tried to embarass Dev.
"Aai ga." Meera pulled Dev's cheeks.
"Toh you went to Delhi ya nahi?" Dev asked still confused.
"Are stupid jab bhi she was messaging you ki left for airport, reached Delhi and all that, Madam was sprawled on her bed in Pune." Rutu informed.
All three of them had a good laugh.
"I'm so glad you're here! This has to be the best birthday gift." Dev said affectionately.
"Obviously how on Earth would I miss your birthday?! I'm seeing you after a whole month!"
"I still look flamboyant." Dev stated.
"But what's with your eyebrows?" Dev asked Meera.
"Oh, that's a new eyebrow shaping technique. Does it look good?" Meera answered and questioned simultaneously.
"Yeah you still look pretty the same." Dev replied.
"Woh kya chameleon hai kya ki har mahine alag dikhegi?" Rutu jumped into the conversation and Dev hit him on the head.
"But Dev, Rutu and I've become very good friends! Ekdum sajjan bachha he is. And he loves Chai." Meera taunted Dev in the last sentence.
"Chai people forever." Rutu high fived Meera.
"Bhai, friendship tak hi limit kar tera relation. Meera Bangalore ki bahu banegi, not Pune's." Dev warned Rutu after Meera had gone to wash her hands.
"Are mein tera Bhai hu! Aur mere paas meri wali hai." Rutu assured Dev.
Around 11: 45 Dev's parents and Chandni entered the living room.
Seeing them, Meera got up immediately.
"Amma, Achan, this is Meera." Dev introduced her to his parents.
Meera touched their feet and they blessed her.
"Dev has told us all about you. Bohot sundar ho tum." Dev's mother complimented Meera.
"Thank you so much." Meera blushed.
"Hello Meera!" Chandni hugged Meera.
"Chandni, O meri Chandni." Meera sang while hugging Chandni and everyone laughed.
"The bangles are so pretty!! You have an amazing choice!" Chandni exclaimed referring to the bangles Dev had got for her from Pune.
"Thankyou so much!"
"I heard that you're a Chai lover?" Dev's father asked Meera.
"Yes Uncle a crazy Chai fanatic. Its like Chai bina chain kaha re." Meera was in her element.
"Good, we need more people like you in our family. Warna ye Dev humesha Coffee ke pichhe pada rehta hai. Wo Starbucks mein jaake mehengi coffee peeta hai." Dev's father taunted him.
Rutu raised his eyebrows suggestively at Dev on hearing what Dev's father said.
Dev smiled in response.
"I swear I hate Starbucks! Faltu mein 400 rupees ki kadwi coffee pee ke kya milta hai? Usse achha filter coffee peeyo. Better hai." Meera opined.
"Here's chai for you. Though it's thoda different from Maharashtrian method of Chai." Dev's mother said bringing 4 cups of Chai with her.
"Aunty you're the best!" Meera said relishing her Chai.
"Raat ke 12 baje kaun Chai peeta hai yaar?" Dev asked amazed as he saw Rutu pour his tea in the saucer and drink it the traditional way.
"Tu Meera ko dekh, kitni khushi se chaha pi rahi hai. Bad Hindi but you got the emotion." Dev nodded and looked at Meera.
Soon it was time for cake cutting and they cut the homemade cake made by Dev's mom.
Dev fed cake to his parents, Chandni and then to Meera.
"Saale,ladki ke chakkar mein bestfriend ko bhul gaya na." Rutu said in a low voice so as to not publicize it when Dev brought the cake to him.
"Chal nautanki." Dev fed the cake to Rutu.
Meera and Chandni slept in the room which Dev and Chandni shared.
Rutu and Dev slept in the hall.
7th July.
8 am.
"Dev get up!!" Meera tried to wake up Dev who was sleeping soundly.
"5 minutes." Dev replied in a sleepy voice and it took Meera everything to not sleep beside Dev.
"I think we should empty a water bottle over him." Chandni suggested and Ruturaj agreed to it.
"Asa goad goad bolun to nahi uthnar." (he won't wake up if you talk this sweet)
"Aye, uth." Chandni and Ruturaj pulled Dev's blanket and Dev got up annoyed.
"Y'all are bitches." Dev cursed and went to the balcony as everyone laughed.
"Waise Chandni, how do you know Marathi?" Meera asked curiously.
"I was in Mumbai for my degree, 5 years." Chandni revealed.
"Wow!"
Meera was in the kitchen when Dev entered.
"Can I get some coffee?"
Meera loved his morning raspy voice and she could feel butterflies in her stomach. She'd want to wake up to that voice everyday.
"Yes you can."
Before Dev could say anything more, Meera handed him his coffee and went away for a bath to calm her heartbeat.
The effect Dev had on her!
Dev was sitting in the hall replying to messages when he smelt that familiar flowery scent.
He looked upto to see Meera drying her hair with a towel.
She flipped her hair and a few water drops landed on Dev's face.
He was awestruck and he now could believe that the sight before him was enough to make his heart stop.
Meera was wearing a white and purple printed kurta set and had a small bindi on her forehead.
Prettier than Megan Fox, thought Dev.
She flipped her hair to one side and Dev saw the back lace of her suit.
One day he was surely going to undo the lace.
"Stop staring and go take a bath." Meera said.
"Come with me." Dev smirked.
"Eww, get lost." Meera disappeared into the kitchen.
Dev was talking to someone on a call when Meera entered his room.
She had a box in her hand.
After Dev's call ended, she wished him.
"Happy Birthday Dev! You've been my absolute favorite since years and getting to wish you personally is a pleasure!"
"Aww, Thank you Meera!"
She handed him the box and Dev opened it to see an analogue watch from Tissot.
"This is sexy af!" Dev exclaimed enthusiastically and put on the watch.
"I'm glad you liked it."
"But why did you buy such an expensive gift?"
"Dev, I earn well enough to afford a good watch and upar se RCB paid me in lakhs."
"Now let's go, your mom is calling you for the Aukshan."
"Oh yeah, the birthday ritual."
For lunch, Dev's mom made his favourite dish, Parotta with Chicken Curry.
"If I'm stranded on an island with the choice of one food item throughout my life, I'll always choose this." Dev said and Meera laughed.
"You know Amma, Meera's Aai makes the best Thalipeeth, and Meera makes the best Sheera." Dev told his parents.
"Are Thalipeeth! It's the best!!" Chandni agreed.
"What is Sheera?" Dev's Amma asked Meera.
"It's Suji ka Halwa in North Indian language but I'm not sure about the Malayali word."
7 pm, Dev's home.
"Yaar tum log kitna time lete ho tayar hone mein. Seedhi saadhi party hai, kisi ki shaadi nahi." Dev was clearly agitated.
"Kya pata party mein hi shaadi fix ho jaye." Meera winked at Dev and highfived Chandni.
"Are Meera, try your best to flirt with Dev's friends, all of them are very hot." Ruturaj said while Meera was busy applying a lipstick in the other room.
Dev gave him a death stare while Ruturaj tried to control bursting out laughing.
"Koi jarurat nahi, woh sablog already commited hai."
Meera entered the living room.
"How do I look?" She asked the boys.
"Hot." Dev answered honestly and Meera blushed.
"Mein paida hi hot huyi thi." Meera did the hairflip.
"Ab kya dekhta hi rahega ya jana bhi hai?" Rutu whispered in Dev's ear and all of them proceeded out.
They reached the terrace of the hotel and Dev was approached by all his friends.
"Happy Birthday Bhai!" All of them wished in unison.
Dev then introduced Meera and Rutu to his friends.
Afterwards the waiter appeared with a few drinks and food.
"Tum peeti ho?" Dev's friend, Sagar, asked Meera.
"Kabhi kabhi."
"So can I buy you a drink?" He asked evidently trying to get her attention.
"Dev has already paid for everything." Meera flashed him a sarcastic smile.
From a distance Dev saw Sagar flirting with Meera and Meera was visibly awkward.
Har jagah Meera ko koi na koi cheen leta hai usse.
Lekin ab bas ho gaya.
He had to take action as soon as possible.
"Can I have a dan-" Sagar was cut off by Dev.
"Can the birthday boy get a dance with his favorite fangirl?" Dev put his hand forward.
Meera took it and they proceeded to the dancefloor.
The music turned to soft romantic one.
Dev put his hand on her waist and interlaced their fingers while Meera rested her hand on his shoulder.
Pehli Nazar mein kaisa jaadu kar diya,
Tera ban baitha hai mera jiya.
Jaane kya hoga kya hoga kya pata,
Iss pal ko milke aa jee le zara.
Dev twirled Meera and caught ber back.
The onlookers could certainly see their chemistry.
Mein hu yaha tu hai yaha meri baahon mein aa bhi jaa
O jaane jaa dono yaha meri baahon mein aa, bhul jaa
The whole time they were staring at each other intensely.
Their faces were super close and Dev expected their first kiss to happen but the music stopped and everyone cheered breaking their oblivion.
Dev kissed Meera's knuckles and Meera was left flushed.
"Bhai,sachme Jodi No.1." Rutu complimented Dev.
"Soch na tum dono ke bachhe kitne cute honge." Rutu added.
"Ha yaar meri height aur uski akal." Dev agreed.
"Waise tujhe kitne bachhe chahiye?"
"Meera ko 6 chahiye isiliye 6. Mujhe banane mein koi problem nahi hai."
Ruturaj burst out laughing.
It took Dev all his control to not kiss Meera today.
One thing which he pondered upon the whole evening and came to a conclusion was, that he was going to propose to Meera during her Bangalore stay.
_________________________________________
Hiiiii
Happy Diwali!!!
Hope y'all had a great Diwali!
To those who had a lowkey Diwali, all my hugs are for you.
Also y'all won't believe what I saw a few days back!
I was waiting at a signal and mere aage wali car had Dev and Meera written on it!!!
It's a sign, isn't it??
I swear I'm not lying.