When I Met Him | fin.

Nine

The hotel room was decorated with flowers. Rishika turned to look at Devansh who just smirked. She entered the room and sat down on the bed. Devansh too sat down beside her. He took a hold of her hand and kissed the back of it. Rishika too put her head on his shoulder. He handed her a packet. A packet with some sort of dress. She took the packet from him and went inside the bathroom. When she entered the bathroom, Rishika looked at what was inside it and gasped. It was a black nightie. She poked her head out of the door and looked at him questioningly. Devansh looked at her with puppy eyes, a face she couldn't refuse to.

Rishika wore that nightie and stepped out of the bathroom. By then Devansh had dimmed the lights so she doesn't feel uncomfortable. Devansh was standing in front of the mirror when Rishika hugged his back. Her hands pressed against his chest, making him hiss in pain.

She frowned and turned him around, “What happened?”

He didn't reply and began unbuttoning his shirt instead. There was a bandage on the left side of his chest. She kept silent and raised her eyes at him. He motioned her to unwrap the bandage. She did so but very slowly so it doesn't hurt him. It was a tattoo. Of the same design she had sent him. Rishika looked at him with a smile showing her surprise. She hugged him.

Devansh buried his head in the crook of her neck and proceeded to pepper kisses on her neck and shoulder reaching upto her jaw. He kissed her, clutching her waist. His hand reached the hook of her nightie.

“May I?” He asked for her permission.

Rishika nodded shyly and hugged him.

✿ ✿ ✿

The next morning when Rishika woke up, she couldn't find her phone. Devansh was still sleeping. She picked his phone so she could ring a bell on her number and find her phone. She typed Baby to see if her number appears but it didn't. Then she typed Rishu but again her number didn't appear. Later, she typed Rishika but still her number didn't appear. So, at the end, she typed her phone number and Rara Momos appeared on the contact list.

The same moment Devansh opened his eyes and saw his phone in her hands and a weird look on her face.

“What happened?” He asked while yawning.

“Rara Momos, seriously,?” She frowned.

“It's cute.” He smiled.

She shook her head at him and pressed the call button. Her phone rang somewhere inside the bathroom. She got up from the bed and went to fetch her phone.

When she came out with her phone in her hands, Devansh told her, “We need to go to the hospital. To get you contraceptive pills.”

“Okay.”

✿ ✿ ✿

It was a bad idea. Not birth control, but going to the hospital at that very moment. Because there they saw something sad and depressing. A young, unmarried couple of about their age had lost their unborn child. And they saw them grieving. They were just like them. Getting intimate before marriage and got pregnant. But the tragedy was that their families didn't know about them or their pregnancy. They couldn't share their grief with their families and had to bury the pain deep inside them. Rishika could see herself in that woman. But she didn't want to go through that pain at any cost.

✿ ✿ ✿

On the Monday night, when both of them were at their homes, Devansh video called Rishika.

“I miss you.” said Devansh.

“You miss me or something else?” She teased him about the night they slept together.

Devansh laughed.

“How was your day?” He asked her.

“Quite boring.”

They kept talking about random topics. Rishika laid down on her bed. She was wearing a sleeveless top. So lying down exposed her chest area. And Devansh couldn't help stare at her chest.

“Dev, look up.” She told him sternly when she realized he was staring down at her exposed chest.

Devansh just smiled sheepishly.

✿ ✿ ✿

A few weeks later, Rishika was standing in front of Devansh's office building. She called him.

“Hey, Rishu!”

“Come out. I'm standing outside your office.”

“Wait, why?” He asked her in confusion.

“Just come down!”

“Okay, I'm coming.”

He stepped out of the office and saw Rishika standing there. He was about to ask her the reason for her sudden visit but she pulled him with her towards his car. When both of them were sitting inside the car, she said, “Drive to a nearby pharmacy.”

“Why? Rishu, are you sick?” He asked.

Rishika just kept quiet. So he drove to a pharmacy near his office. When the car halted near the pharmacy, he looked at her. Rishika took a breath and spoke, “Bring me a pregnancy test.”

“WHAT!?” Devansh shrieked in utter shock and horror.

“My periods are one week late. Bring me a pregnancy test.”

Again, Rishika kept quiet after that and kept looking at him. Devansh sighed before going out. He came back with a pregnancy test and then they drove to a nearest shopping mall.

Rishika rushed to the women's restroom and there she took a pregnancy test. She stepped out of the restroom and Devansh was waiting for her.

“What's the result?” He asked, scared of his family's reaction if they actually happened to be expecting a child.

“It's negative.” She sighed.

He too sighed in relief, “Yaar, I was shit scared.”

“Dev, we won't be sleeping together again before marriage.” She declared.

“WHAT!?” And he shrieked again.