Were we meant to be? (COMPLETED-Unedited)

Over the dinner

"Niti?"
"Hmm?"
"Chalein ab? Its getting darker."
I didn't realize since how long my head had been leaning against his chest. I could hear his heart beat under my ear.
I was so relieved after saying all of it. I was tired of hiding my feelings and I was tired of pretending. I just wanted peace in my head and heart. To know that he too felt the same way about me made me elated. I felt good, I felt happy, I felt special.

"Hmm let's go." I removed my head from his chest and looked up at him, he was smiling. It wasn't just his lips but his eyes too smiled. I could see how happy he was. His eyes said it louder than he himself.
We broke our hug and went into the car and my stomach growled again.
"Aaooouch Parthh, mujhe bhookh lagi hai!" I was holding my stomach hard. It was growling like a hungry bear now!
"Listen let's just go back.. I don't know the way ahead and its almost dark." He said. "Accha I remember! I got these cookies just open the dash board, usmein hai.."
"Are you MAD!? Pehle nahi bata sakte thhe tum?" I hurriedly took the cookies out and threw them into my mouth. I had never wanted food more badly than I did that moment.
I looked at Parth and found him smiling at me. "What? I'm hungry!"
He laughed "I know" and smiled again. He started the engine, took a U-turn and started driving back towards Mumbai.

The road which we were on had no network coverage but soon we crossed that road and reached the area where network was available.
I checked my phone.
"Oh no!"
"Kya hua?"
"20 missed calls! Charlie, Veebha, Ayaz.. Sabka!" I told Parth. "They must be so worried!"
"Haan toh call them back na.."
"What will I say to them? Where were we?" Obviously I was not telling them anything about today.
"Tell me them na.. Where we were." He was smiling.. It was more of a smirk that he had on his face.
"Are you stupid? No way!"
"Arre what 'No way' we gotta tell them right?" He had his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"Haan but abhi wait.."
"Wait? For what?" He asked me.
"I'll tell you later. Let me first call..." Just when I was about to touch the green call option, I received a call from Utkarsh.
"Hello?" I said.
"Niti! Where are you guys!? Tumko kabse phone kar rahe hai.. Why didn't you pick it up!?"
"Utkarsh, vo.. Actually we.." I looked at Parth hoping for help. He told me put the phone on speaker.
"Utkarsh, sun tell everyone not to worry we actually got lost and network nahi tha so we decided to go back to Mumbai. You guys don't worry and we'll meet tomorrow haan? Bye." He told Utkarsh.
"Haan okay bye.."

Finally we reached the city after almost one and a half hour.
For the first time there was no awkwardness between us. We were in the same car for so many hours but neither of us felt weird about it. It was a nice and sweet feeling that was there inside.
We talked. The whole way back to Mumbai, we talked. Talked about random stuff and how we didn't like each other at all earlier. Soon I forgot that my stomach was still empty because I was so engrossed in our talk.
But how could my stomach forget that it needed food? It started growling like a dying crocodile.

"Still hurting? Is it?" He asked me.
"No, but I want food."
"We're just 10 minutes away from this amazing restaurant. Thoda aur wait bus.."
"Okay." I said.

"...and that is it I guess. Thank you." He said to the waiter.
We reached the restaurant in exactly 10 minutes as he had said. We ordered our food. It was almost 11pm and because it was a weekday the restaurant had less number of people there.
We were waiting for our food to come. I was looking around here and there and I then I looked at him. He was already looking at me. My eyes went down and a smile came on my face.
"I.. I have never had a boyfriend." I looked up at him.
"Henh?" He looked confused.
"Arre that day.. Our first 'lunch' together, you asked me na.."
"Haan jab you went all crazy about it?" He laughed.
"Ha..haan wohi." I said.
"Hmm.." He said.
"Hmm? Just hmm?"
"Hmm."
"Okay." I said.
We sat in silence for sometime. But then he broke the silence by asking.. "Why did you not want to tell the others.. About us? Haan?" He asked me.
"Because Parth, we have always been fighting or argueing from each other and I don't know.. We can't be certain about anything. I mean.. Tum samajh rahe ho na?"
"Mhm.."
"So its like.. I wanted for us to get to know each other , for real. We should spent some time together. Know each other even better before making any kind of commitment to each other and to the rest of the world." I didn't know how he would react to it. It wasn't like I was doubting what we had but we just confessed way we felt and I for one could not be sure about anything. At least not at that moment.
"Okay. If that's what you want.." He gave me a smile and kept his hand over mine.
Soon our food came. We ate and chatted about a few more things, the regular stuff.

After that he dropped me back home like he usually did. We reached my place bug were still sitting inside the car.
Now was the time when I didn't know what to say or what to do.
So many questions started hitting the wall of my brain. 'Should I kiss him goodbye?' 'Should I call him upstairs? To my house?' 'Should I just leave like I always did?' I did not know what to do.
"Uhhh.. Okay, so.. Bye? I guess?" I said to him.
"Umm.. Bye." He replied. Just that? I wondered will this guy ever do anything? Because it was me who first confessed my feelings and not him.
"Okay.. Bye." Even though I was expecting more but I didn't mind. I was happy today. Happy that I finally cleared what my heart held for so long.
I got out of the car and closed the doorbehind me.
He pulled the windo, of my side of the car, down.
I leaned forward, my hands resting on the window.
"Bye, see you tomorow." I said and turned back and walked towards the gate.
"Bye." He smiled.
I had walked a few steps when I heard him shout... "I hope today, you will sleep in peace!" I turned back and gave him a wide smile, I felt my cheeks turn red.
"I hope I do and you too!" I told him and went running inside the gate.
And then he left. He always waited for me to first get inside and reach up to my room and when I would switch on the lights of my room.. He'd leave.
I knew that even tonight, I wasn't going to sleep. He again would not let me sleep. His face, the idea of him standing in front of me, our confession, his eyes, the hug!
It all came running to my mind. It wasn't something I had dreamt of always but something that I did secretly want. I did want to be with him. And today, I was happier than I had ever been in those few months, maybe more than that day when I got selected for the show.
I looked in the mirror, my face all red and smiling.
"So Ms. Niti Taylor, this is it."