Truly, Madly, Deeply- a Devakshi story.

Just strangers, with some memories.

Sonakshi was very irritated but at last decided to go down to Aamby Valley to meet Dev. She understood that Dev was trying to  show his disdain for her by making it difficult for her to meet him. She somehow resisted Bijoy's pressure to take Sourav or Jatin along with her and left for Aamby Valley to face her own demons on her own.

Aamby Valley- Cloud 9

It was a cool rainy evening, rain clouds blowing across the Western Ghats and the hotel lobby was warm and bright. Sonakshi stood undecided in the lobby, not even having his phone number to contact him. She was nervous about meeting Dev. For the umpteenth time she felt really irritated with Dev for creating so many road blocks. She looked for him everywhere, going through the lobby, the restaurant and the bar, staring and checking out every person but he was nowhere.

In the bar, a group of men and women were partying hard, boisterously chattering and laughing and drinking; as she turned away, to go back, something drew her gaze back to the group. And there was Dev, in the midst of the group who were evidently celebrating something. He  sat there, deathly quiet, watching her with a brooding expression. They looked at each other across the length of the bar. She noted he looked less boyish, less slender, but extraordinarily handsome, dressed for warmth in a black blazer and fawn chinos, a Burberry long Cashmere scarf draped around his neck, his hair slicked back differently than she remembered. He made no effort to walk towards her but stayed silently, watchfully,  where he was,sitting on the bar stool. The group around him had women dressed in party dresses and everyone seemed to be drinking and laughing. Sona felt out of place in her saree. She understood that Dev was making sure to extract his pound of flesh by making her walk up to him.

Sona fumed internally, "Always kiddish behavior; dosent matter how old Mr Obhodro gets, he will always make sure he has the upper hand".

Dev had chosen the spot and planned the evening so that he had all the cards stacked in his favour and felt in control. He had watched her from his vantage point, since she came down the staircase in the lobby. For a moment he was thrown off balance, she looked so different with her tall slender figure draped in a navy blue saree with a narrow green border, the severity of the color and the plain rippling fabric only serving to highlight her feminine curves. But it was her face that was truly arresting, her lovely black limpid eyes, her high cheekbones and her smooth olive skin was classically beautiful . He noted the lack of any ornaments, just a largish watch and a solitary small nose-pin and a tiny bindi. Her wavy hair was pulled back into a loose chignon at the base of her neck. He watched her look for him and get frustrated and finally when she found him and as their eyes met, the clamor in his ears faded. She hesitated for a few moments, as she realized he was in the midst of a party and then shrugged and walked towards him.

 He noted how the men in his group turned towards her and eyed her as she moved through the party. She looked gorgeous, incongruous in the midst of the women dressed in colorful, short cocktail dresses.

Sona had imagined this scene so many times and had always thought that anger and betrayal would surely be the first emotions she would feel, but she was totally unprepared for the thrill that shot through her. She shivered involuntarily, hesitated a moment as she saw he did not move, and then her feet just turned towards him, she wasn't conscious of moving till she was a couple of feet away.

And so met Sona and Dev, again, after years. She noticed he looked older and his eyes had lost the innocence she had so loved; He looked calculatingly at her, not wanting to make this easy at all. He noticed that her expressive eyes no longer sparkled with liveliness but they looked dark , still pools of gentle sympathy. 

 And in that infinitesimal moment, something shifted , something unfurled deep inside Sona, her rehearsed lines forgotten, she looked deep into his eyes and smiled , ever so slightly, but with genuine warmth and said "Hello".