I had started this fiction on India Forums but then couldn't complete it due to commitments but I am back now and wanted to carry on with this plot in my head, unfortunately it seems as the post is locked on IF so I'm starting fresh here.
Let Sai and Virat's journey begin ....
Finally, Sai thought silently as she stared outside of the car window, watching the passing scenery of Gadchiroli as they drove towards the outskirts, on their way to Nagpur. It was a bittersweet feeling that was left in her heart as she said her final goodbyes to the place she had grown up in. She loved her little Village and the people she had called her family, but at the same time she was happy to leave the terror of the last couple years and move towards a brighter future to a city where she can finally work towards making her and her abba's dream come true, to become Maharashtra's best doctor.
She glanced at the rear view mirror to find a reflection of her abba sitting at the back seat, his eyes closed and a peaceful expression on his face as he slept, while her Usha Mausi sat beside him rummaging through her bag to make sure she has definitely got everything - like she has done several times already since leaving their tiny little abode. Seeing them so relaxed after the mayhem of the last couple of months brought an indescribable joy in her heart and she knew that they were just as happy to be leaving this place as she was, excited for the new prospects that the move would invite into their lives.
Smiling Sai Looked beside her at the driver's side and stared at the man who made the move to Nagpur possible. Virat Chavan.
Sai couldn't explain her feelings towards the ACP. Since meeting him her emotions had gone through a roller coaster ride. When she first found about Virat she was relieved because for her that meant her fathers VRS would finally get sanctioned and she can prepare to move to Nagpur as soon as possible, but then she had met him and realised he was the same 'Gabbar' whose car had thrown mud on her and worst of all delayed her Abba's retirement, at that point her feelings had changed to hatred. But then she had observed his behaviour towards her father and Mausi, the clear love and respect he had for them changed her perspective and she realised he wasn't bad - but she kept to her stubbornness and refused to make his life any easier. It wasn't until that creep Jagtap tried to shoot at her father and Virat took the bullet for him, she realised that her heart had grown fond of him and dare she say was attached.
She didn't know what name to give her feelings for him, was it just respect or more than that, but she knew that he has now become an integral part of her life and part of her family and that meant he was really important to her and if his behaviour and protective streak when it came to her was anything to go by, she knew that she was just as important to him.
"I can feel you burning a hole in my face. Itna kyun goor rahi ho"
Sai snapped out her thoughts and felt her face heating up, embarrassed at being caught staring at him.
"Voh .. I .... Mein, erm ...." She stammered, unable to think of anything to excuse her.
Virat chuckled "I ... mein ... erm" He mimicked, teasing her. "Cat got your tongue?'
"Oh shut up!' She snapped pouting, glaring at him which made him laugh harder, his shoulders shaking.
'Ow, Ah" Virat winced, rotating his right shoulder slightly, taking off his left hand from the steering to gently massage the blade.
Sai looked at him, biting her lips worriedly "dard ho raha hain?" She asked him softly.
Virat glanced towards her with a warm smile before turning to watch the road again. "Just a little, nothing to worry about"
"I think we should stop somewhere overnight, itna lamba car ride aap ki shoulders ke liye teekh nahin hain"
"The quicker we get to Nagpur, the better" He said, rejecting her idea which infuriated her.
"Aap kabhi bhi meri bhaat kyun nahin maante'
"Sai ..." He sighed, once again glancing at her gently. The warmth in his eyes made something in her flutter. "Aisa bilkul bhi nahin hain ke main tumhaari bhaat kabhi bhi nahin maanta, I listen to you and in normal circumstances I would also agree with you, but with Jagtaaps men still wandering around, I think it's safer for us to try and get to Nagpur as quick as possible"
'But ..."
"Sai" Usha Mausi spoke from the back seat, "Virat Saab teekh to kehren hain. Tum unse itna jagra maath kaaro, aur chup bheto"
Mouth wide open, Sai looked behind her at her Mausi, surprised at getting scolded when she knew she was right, but after receiving a solid glare in return she turned back in her seat, folding her arms defensively with a pout on her face 'fine" she thought, "Karne do, jo karna hain, Mujhe Kya?"
But even then she couldn't help but glance at him every now again, worriedly.
**
Virat tried to hide his smile watching her grumpy expression, so he turned his face away from her and concentrated on the road.
He doesn't know when and he doesn't know how, but at some point between their bickering, her calling him "gabbar' and him calling her 'Gadchiroli Express' he built an unnamed bond. He wouldn't say they were friends, because Virat wasn't stupid enough to not realise that some of his thoughts and protectiveness when it came to her were beyond "friendship", however he was unwilling to call it anything more than that either, because the only other feelings that he could describe it as was something he was not ready to delve in, especially not after the disaster of the yoga camp.
However, one thing he could say confidently was that she was important to him, really important to him, that's why her opinions mattered, her hatred for him affected him and when that Jagtap tried to marry her forcefully, something in him roared. Her and her little family had somehow become his family as well and he wished he could just stay with them forever, because speaking truthfully Virat hasn't felt happiness as effortlessly as he does when he is with the Joshi's and especially when he is around her.
He quickly glanced back at her and noticed she was fast asleep, her head resting against the back of the seat, her arms still folded and a pout still on her face. She looked unbelievably cute to him and once again he felt a smile draw up.
That was the beauty of Sai Joshi, somehow even without actively trying she brought so much joy in his heart that he forgets about all his pain and hurt and he finds himself surrounded only by her warmth.
"Sai seems to care about you?" A tired voice from the back spoke.
Virat glanced at the rear view mirror to find Kamal Joshi staring at him with a worn out smile on his face, but his eyes were twinkling merrily.
"That's not possible, she could barely tolerate me" He responded, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion when he noticed Kamal Sir smiling knowingly.
That smile held a secret, like the man knew something he did not know and Virat wasn't sure if he liked being out of the loop or whether he would prefer to not know.
"If that was the case she wouldn't have looked after you the way she did when you got wounded and were in the hospital"
Virat's frown grew even deeper and he found himself reflecting back to the time when he got shot by Jagtap and was getting rushed to the hospital. He knew that Sai was there every step of the way; in the ambulance holding his bloody shoulder to stop the flow whilst muttering reassuring words to him, or to her, he did not know, then when they finally got to the emergency ward her boldness in ensuring that he got the right care quickly, her doctor side coming out, and finally her fluttering around him and taking care of his every need when he was recovering, changing his bandages, feeding him, making sure he took his pain medications.The way she fussed over him wasn't a behaviour of someone who didn't care.
Realising that Sai wasn't completely unbothered by him made something in him jolt and he couldn't help the grin on his face take over and show his utter happiness at that thought. He quickly glanced back at her, biting his lips to control his emotions but his eye kept twinkling and without realising Virat's thoughts revolved around a certain 18 year old girl for the rest of the card ride to Nagpur.