Shiva was the first one to wake up. He felt another body next to him. His head was heavy, but he managed to open his eyes and look at her. Raavi was sleeping peacefully by his side. Everything that happened last night, came rushing back to him. He cursed himself for almost revealing his true feelings for her. His back was strained from sleeping in an uncomfortable position all night. While trying to stretch his back, he managed to wake up Raavi.
Raavi woke up from her slumber and looked at Shiva. She kept staring at his face. How was it that he managed to look so handsome in the morning? She really looked like a chudail in the morning. Quickly, she fixed her hair which had fallen all over her face and smiled at Shiva, who was looking regretful and guilty.
"Good morning." Raavi greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.
"Subah subah daayan ka chehra dekh liya. Ab toh din pakka kharab jayega." Shiva scowled and got up.
Raavi hugged him from behind before he could stand up. "Shiva mat jaa na! Thodi der aur so jaate hai."
Suddenly Shiva's eyes fell on the clock. "Gadheri 6 baj gaye!"
"Toh?"
"Toh tu Maami ko ghar se batake nikli thi?" Shiva asked.
Raavi's eyes widened. She had completely forgotten about her Maasi. "Shiva Maasi mera murder kar degi!" She squealed.
"Toh chal jaldi!" Shiva got up, and pulled her up.
Shiva started his bike and she sat behind him. He drove at full speed and dropped her at her house. Raavi was relieved to see she had reached before it was time for her Maasi to wake up. She got down and smiled at Shiva. Her fingers caressed his face, and she planted a kiss on his lips. Shiva was too stunned to react. She merely giggled and went upto her room.
***
Raavi went through all the pages of her diary. They were filled with her dreams of marrying Dev. There was also a mention of Shiva on every page, recounting every single thing he did and said that day. She had drawn him with a pair of horns, like the devil. He would just jump in every time she tried to get close to Dev like the villain he was, and drive her out of their house. She wrote down every weird and new names he called her by. This diary was a treasure trove of memories.
Suddenly a thought popped into her mind. Ever since Shiva gifted her those green bangles, she had completely forgotten about Dev. Never even once had she missed it. How was it so easy for her to forget Dev? It didn't even hurt her to move on. She tore away all those pages. They meant nothing to her now. Now her life was all about Shiva.
She started writing all about Shiva this time. Everything that had happened between them over these last few days. Especially the kiss they shared, and the thing they did, which she was too shy to write about directly. She couldn't stop blushing as she wrote about him.
"Raavi."
Raavi almost jumped up when she heard Anita's voice. "Anita di? Aap yaha?" She quickly hid her diary under her mattress.
"Kal raat tu kaha gayi thi?" Anita asked.
Raavi was speechless for a minute. "Main... yahi thi. S..so rahi thi."
"Maine tujhe dekha khidki se chadhte hue subah." Anita said.
Raavi felt her breath hitch. Anita di knew. If she told Prafulla, she would probably bolt her doors and windows and lock her in her room forever. She started thinking of a lie but nothing was coming to her mind. Anita di knew and the only way out was to tell her the truth, and make sure she kept it to herself. She cleared her throat, which had suddenly gone dry.
"Raavi bata tu kaha gayi thi. Maine abhi tak Phui ko kuch bataya nahi hai par agar tu jhoot bole toh mujhe unhe batana parega." Anita said.
"No no no... Maasi ko kuch mat batana. Main kal raat Shiva ke saath thi." Raavi finally blurt out the truth.
Anita was shocked. Raavi held her hand and made her sit on the bed.
"Shiva?" Anita asked.
"Haa."
"Kya..kya kar rahi thi tu Shiva ke saath?" Anita asked.
"So rahi thi." Raavi said, but she saw Anita getting up almost suddenly and stopped her. "Waise nahi Anita di. Bas aise hi. Kuch nahi hua humare beech."
"Yeh sab kya laga rakha hai Raavi? Tera dimaag toh kharab nahi ho gaya hai?" Anita asked.
"Woh mera hone wala pati hai Anita di." Raavi both blushed and averted her gaze.
"Kya? Yeh kab hua? Tera hone wala pati toh Dev tha." Anita said.
"Shiva ne mujhe hari chooriyan di Anita di." Raavi blushed.
Anita was confused for a second. "Toh?"
Raavi was dumbstruck for a minute. How could Anita not remember? She had terrible memory. "Anita di, Hari chooriyan matlab shaadi. Aap hi ne toh kaha tha mujhe!"
"Maine kab kaha tha?" Anita asked.
"Aapne kaha tha mujhe. Laila Majnu ki kahani sunate waqt. Aap hi ne kaha tha koi mujhe hari chooriyan de toh main usse shaadi kar lu."
Anita laughed. "Raavi woh bachpan ki baat thi! Tera dimaag kharab ho gaya hai kya? Aise hota hai ki chooriyan de di aur shaadi ho gayi? Tu abhi bhi bachhi hai kya? Kahani ko sach maan liya tune?"
"Aapne mujhse jhoot kaha?" Raavi asked.
"Kahani sunayi thi." Anita said. "Aur tu bhi Shiva se shaadi karne nikal pari? Dimaag toh thik hai na tera? Aur saari raat tu uske saath soyi? Raavi kabhi toh soch samajh ke kuch kiya kar!"
Raavi had stopped listening to Anita di. Her mind kept going back to the time when she announced that she would marry Shiva in front of his family. Then to the part where she asked him to marry. His kisses and his fingers in her core flashed before her eyes. It was a lie. There was really no connection between the bangles and marriage.
