Ronak ✓ || A RoNakshi tale

Bonus. (before)

Bonus. (before)

"Have you never thought about dating anyone?" Netra Mehra, or Sona's industry best friend often repeated the same question to her time and again. "You are young, very well mannered and my goodness you are drop dead gorgeous." She complimented the girl who was getting her make-up off after a long 18 hour shoot.  The rising sun was now a known friend to her, the one she bade a good night too. Why do TV serials never go by a single episode without drama! She was so pissed at the way she had to cry her eyes out while the male lead only stared.

There was double standards for women in fictions too!

"Netra-ji, no matter what I tell you, you will pester me with this same question. Pray tell me till how long are you going to ask me this?" 

"Until I see you in love and hand-in-hand with a man." Netra narrowed her gaze at Sonakshi, it always bewildered the TV producer on how Sona had zero social life, no friends, not even flings. The woman was literally the definition of being simple and alone. "Come on Sona, if you keep going home and then work and back home again, how are you going to meet THE ONE?"

Sonakshi laughed, she was dead tired but she still felt the need to laugh. How was she to tell Netra-ji that her THE ONE did not exist because she hated and distrusted men. Her father had robbed her off happiness and sanity and Sona would never trust another man, after the death of her mother and the abuse they all bore. No man was worth her love and trust.

"Netra-ji, you crack me up I swear." She waived it off and with a goodbye, Sona walked towards her car, slumping and exhausted. "Shankar, please stop at the nearest tapri, I need a coffee asap." She called her driver who obliged, and Sona sat in her car, all the while fighting the urge to sleep. She had a ceremony to attend in an hour, and she knew if she slept, she would collapse and wake up after 12 hours. 

Sona never was the one to let others affect her, but the words often keep haunting her. The ones where she was often told to live a little, to be happy, to date, to have friends. She wanted all of it, she wanted friends, a boyfriend, time to spend with her family and maybe some day, have a family of her own. But she knew that everything she wanted was nearly impossible for her to get considering how she was in a tight schedule and there was no way anything else could fit in that. Thinking about having a life outside her professional life was plain torture and hence, considering herself unfortunate was the only thing to go about. 

Who knew that a particular arrogant surgeon was going to ruin her plans. 

Rohit Sippy was the top surgeon of the city, he was a hardworking, talented and very disciplined man. He was a no nonsense guy, loved his family to death and forgot how to smile when he attended the funeral rites of his best friend, the love of his life who died leaving him behind. Raima was everything to the boy, they had met in college, fell in love and she died, just like that, with a snap of his finger she was gone. And now Rohit had never considered loving again. After the heartache he got, it was a goodbye to love and he was more arrogant, more miserable than he was before. 

Resting his back, Rohit took a sip of the warm tea, it was a long night, well early morning now, the post-op was tricky but he had managed with his team to get the patient back to his normal state. Life was a mundane thing for him, work, home, work and home. But, he was fortunate to have a crazy family so there was not a single day where he was bored. Although, the prick of death and the pain of the past still burdened his heart, kept him aloof and away. 

"BHAI!" 

Rohit snapped his eyes, the sight of his teenage siblings was such a cute stress-relief. The twins rushed to the grown man, the cabin door wide apart, hugging him, one on either side. For being teenagers, Ajit and Pooja sure were still kids with him, and their bond hardly changed over the years. "Ajit Pooji, what are you two upto?" 

Ajit sat back on the chair, while Pooja still hugged Rohit. "We skipped college for the ceremony."

"Yes," Pooja pouted, "college is not that interesting as they show in movies. Plus with your twin sticking to you like glue, no boys want to be around me." 

The mention of boys made both Rohit and Ajit to eye the girl with concern and rage, "good job, Ajit." Rohit pointed to his brother, "you are taught well." They nodded at each other solemnly only for Pooja to frown at the duo. 

"Unfair, you two always make a team." She groaned, sitting on Rohit's chair, the man towering his twin siblings, "I want a sister." Pooja threw a paper weight at the laughing Ajit, Rohit leaning on the wall behind him and adoring his siblings. "BHAI GET A GIRLFRIEND YAAR. I need a bhabhi asap." 

Rohit chuckled, shaking his head, "you want me to get a girlfriend only so you could get a sister?"

"Duh," Pooja threw her hair back, smiling, "I am tired of you two already, I think a girl would equal things here. And I can get someone I can talk to!" 

"But you have us!" Ajit said, arms on the glass table, "why do you need another person?" 

"True," Rohit sided with Ajit, he had already found the woman he loved and once was all he got. "We don't need a fourth person in this equation." 

Pooja eyed Rohit and then Ajit and sighed, "I want one. I don't care. Bhai, just date already." 

"Date already?" Rohit smiled, shaking his head at his sister, "you want me to date just anyone random? Pooji..."

"What is the harm! People go on blind dates, why can't you?" Pooja was stepping in the uncomfortable territory, "come on bhai," Ajit tensed up at how Rohit was straightening up, "it has been two years since Raima's death... how long are you going to..."

"Forever." Rohit cut her off, his angry voice startling the duo, "I am going to forever hold onto her. You do not just leave people when you are done with them."

"But she left you first." Ajit added, even though he was most terrified of his brother's anger, "and she would want you to move on too." 

"Listen-"

The knock on the cabin door helped put the discussion to an end, the nurse entered with a questionable look on her face. "Sonakshi Rastogi is here." 

"who?" Rohit frowned, meanwhile Ajit and Pooja were thankful for the interruption. "Sonakshi Rastogi?" 

"Sir, the chief guest for the ceremony," Nurse Tulsi said, wondering how did the man not know a very famous TV actress, "she is the famous TV actress..."

THE FAMOUS TV ACTRESS.

Rohit scoffed, his mother insisted to have Sonakshi open the OT for their hospital, something he absolutely despised. Who even gave this stupid idea to her?

"Sonakshi Rastogi is here!" Ajit stood up excited, "yes, I always wanted to meet her."

"What?" Rohit turned towards Ajit, "why?"

"Why? What do you mean why?" He shrugged, Pooja was bewildered at her twin too. "Have you seen how beautiful she is?" 

"She is atleast ten years older to you," Pooja frowned, hitting her brother, "why are you my brother?" 

"Age is just a number, plus I was not asking for me," Ajit rubbed his ear, "she would be perfect for bhai." He said, standing just afar to not get thrashed by Rohit. 

"WHAT?" Rohit yelled at him, "That TV actress? And me?" Rohit then chuckled, like it was the most funniest thing he heard. "Ajit, you need some good thrashing from me, come here." But Ajit was out of the door instantly, Pooja following him to see what the hype really was. 

Rohit stood back, sighing because he had to hold onto his anger to please his mother. Sonakshi Rastogi, he hated actresses' and especially the melodramatic TV ones. 

But who was to tell him that this melodramatic TV actress was soon to make his life dramatic.

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