"The hardest decision in life is deciding whether to 'walk away' or 'try harder'"
Ananya's Pov
So it's Saturday and today I'm going out for dinner with Dev and his friends. At first I felt as I was invading their friends' privacy and entering in their group forcibly but they didn't let me feel like that evenfor a moment while lunch yesterday.
I felt really good after meeting them and and they all were really nice with me.
I was as usual alone at home as mom was again not home as usual busy with her work. While these years I became used to being alone. After these years I never waited for mom to come home or have lunch or dinner with me. Ray's dad taught me cooking as when I went his home he always cooked something for us and I used to do his help.
I was ready and waiting for everyone to come as they all were coming to pick me up and the bell rang when I opened the door.
Ananya's look
A smiling Dev stood in front of me "You look good" he said taking quick look at me. I smiled and said "Thanku" and saw a grand SUV parked at front driveway from where everyone was waving at me.
I looked at him and his red t-shirt, checked shirt and black denim really suited him well when I said "Red suites you" and he smirked looking at me.
Dev's look
"Well, you're welcome Arora" He said smirking.
"I was wearing this when he dumped me" I said not looking at him.
"OH" he said and after a pause for some seconds he said "Toh phir vo andhaa hoga ya phir pagal" he said chuckling and i decided not to reply.
We reached the car and Sumedh was at the driver's seat and Mallika beside him. Mallika waved at me from the window and said "Heyy, nice to see you again" with a huge grin on her face.
Sumedh was continously irritating her from the driver's seat by pulling her hair or leaning over her shoulder when he waved at me cheerfully and Mallika punched slowly him on the shoulder when he was laughing.
I looked at them and wondered if the two were dating but I didn't bothered to ask.
In the middle were Siddharth, Manav and Meher and the three of them also greeted me with "Hi, hello, heyy"
I and Dev were left to sit at the back end and so we ended up facing each other.
As soon as I sat down Sid spoke up "You know, Ananya you need to speak with us."
"Ha warna tum Sid ko tolerate ni kr paogi" Manav said and everyone laughed.
"Ignore them" Dev said to me.
"Acha tune bhi yahi kiya tha kya jab tujhe Sumedh ki mom mili thi" Meher said to Dev and I giggled when he smiled sheepishly.
"Oye tum log ke match ka kya hua dusri college team kab aa rahi hai" Mallika asked them.
"Ha vo ek do din me aaenge to college me match hai" Manav replied.
"Tum log cricket bhi khelte ho" I asked.
"Yess cricket toh mera pehla pyaar hai" Dev said smiling.
"That's cool" I said smiling.
"Aur mera dusra" Sumedh said and Sid asked him "Acha toh pehla kya hai"
"Mai nhi bata skta mujhe sharam aati hai" Sumedh said smiling looking towards Mallika.
"Aage dekh ke gaadi chala warna pehla dusra sb chala jaega" Mallika said hitting his head.
We reached the restaurant and everyone came out of the car and rushed inside the restaurant leaving me and Dev behind. Dev came down from the car and to my surprise he offered me his hand to jump out as it was a little bit high.
I held his hand and as soon as I kept my foot down I lost my balance and Dev held my waist to balance me. My hands were on his chest and we were really close. I could feel his breathe on my face.
He looked in my eyes still holding me tightly and said "Your eyes are mesmerizing"At this my cheeks turned red as much as they could and his touch was sending chills down my spine. He looked at my face and chuckled.
"Looks like you'll produce tomato any minute" He said laughing and left me and walked ahead.
I was unable to move from my place and when he realized I was still not moving he shouted over his shoulder giggling "Come on Arora" and we went inside.
As soon as I entered the restaurant I was reminded of my dad as he used to love Chinese and we always used to come here when I was little.
There was a bell at the door of the restaurant which was to be rung by customers who liked the food and my father used to lift me up to ring that bell.
"You ok there" Dev asked and I came out of my thoughts and nodded and we headed towards the table where everyone was already seated.
We sat and everyone ordered their favorite food when Meher spoke up
"What I'm saying is pizza ko hatho se khane ka alag hi maza hai, mtlb fork aur knife se kaun khata hai yrr" Meher said.
"I'm with you" I said to her and she high fived me.
"Then you'll look like someone without table manners" Sid said with an amused smile.
"I don't care" She replied.
"What if you're eating with President" Sumedh asked her.
"To mai usko bhi aise khana sikha dungi" Meher said.
Dev chuckled and came closer and said in my ear "Meher hates losing"
"Dikh rha hai vo to" I said smiling.
"Aur agar tere haath gande ho aur dhone ka option na ho to" Dev said leaning over table while smirking.
Meher opened her mouth to speak up but stopped as she didn't had a reply when she looked at Dev and said making faces "Then I'll eat with fork and knife" and added "I hate you for this"
"Ananya you know" Sidharth said when I cut him off and said "Call me Anu" he chuckled and said "Then you can call me Sid"
Sid was leaning over the table towards me when Dev stopped him and pushed him back in his seat saying "Hello Mr flirt, back off"
"Acha to mai keh rha tha ki Anu, pata hai isko ladkiyon se baat krne ki tameez hi nhi h" Sid said looking towards Dev.
"Kyu" I asked confused.
"Kyuki isse ek baar ek ladki ne pucha, tum mere sath coffee pe chaloge" Sid said like a girl and I was trying to control my laugh.
"Toh isne kaha, nahi mere per jal jayenge" Sumedh completed and I was laughing till now with everyone else except Dev.
"Jabse tum aayi ho na mujhe Iagta meri bezzati badha di hai in log ne" Dev said to me when I controlled my laugh.
"Manav tu saas leta hai" Mallika asked him.
"Ha obviously" he replied casually and added "Ye kaisa behuda sawaal tha"
"Toh sasur kyu nahi leta" Mallika said and everyone was in a fits of laughter.
The dinner finished like this and it was really good. Like it was so easy for me to be here with them as it felt that I knew them for so long. Everyone mixed up with me so well, and Meher and Mallika, were like my long lost sisters,I excused myself to go to washroom and Mallika and Meher came to accompany me.
We were going when Meher said "Dev kitne time baad itna khush hai na"
"Yess I know you are not dating yet but be with him pls" Mallika said.
"True, he looks genuinely happy" Meher said and I nodded smiling.
I was going with them when my eyes fell on a table and what I saw was something I never even expected.My mom was sitting there and that too with Ray's mom all happy and cheerful. They were talking like everything was still normal.
I walked upto her table and she noticed me when she looked up and her smile vanished after seeing me.
"Hello" I said trying to smile and added "Finished work early?"I was looking at her without moving my eyes from her, anger was rising up every second inside me seeing her here with Ray's mom.
"Anu" she said getting up and when I was going to speak she said "Let's talk outside" and we came out of the restaurant.
"What are you doing here with her" I asked almost shouting
"It's just I finished my work and she called me here so I came" She said casually.
"You know what, Maine apni aadhi zindagi akele guzar di, just waiting. for you to come home, you don't even talk to me properly mom and here you are having dinner with your best friend." I shouted on the verge of crying.
"Anu" she said touching my hand to calm me.
"Mom, last week you even asked me how I and Ray were doing" I said when tears were already flowing down my face.
"We broke up weeks ago mom" I shouted at her.
"Tumne mujhe.....bataya kyu ni" she asked.
"Bataya tha mom, bataya tha" I said, my voice choking.
"I'm sorry" she said, her voice becoming softer
"It's just, I've been so busy.." She was saying when I cut her off.
"Having dinner with your daughter's ex-boyfriend's mother" I shouted.
"Shut up, Anu, Mai jiske sath chahu dinner kr skti hu, mujhe tumhari permission ki jrurat nahi, I know you, just try to understand" She said, her voice rising a bit.
"You know me" I said and let out a sarcastic chuckle and added "You have no right to say you know me when you don't know half of the shit I'm going through mom" I said shouting.
"You know what" I said walking away from her "I hope you had a good time" I said and ran away ignoring her calls for me and stopped straight at our table in front of Dev.
He looked at me and stood up with a concerned look and asked "What happened?"
I looked at him, my eyes filled with tears which could flow anytime and I said those seven words to Dev Joshi I never imagined I would ever say
"Can I stay at your place tonight?"
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Hey peeps 🤗🤗
Here I am back with an update and here is another cliffhanger end
Hope you all are loving this story, if so then keep voting and don't forget your comment❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰