***Part 11***
"Manvi, do you really want to spend time with us or are you forcing us to come along because you don't want to go home." They asked.
She was forcing them to come along because she didn't want to go home, she knew for a fact. The house was so depressing; it was filled with his books, his clothes, his guitar, his stuff, arghhh!! She really didn't want to spend the rest of the day wearing his shirt and indifferently watching some stupid romantic flick or eating ice cream with Priya.
As a matter of fact, she really didn't want to be anywhere near Priya tonight. She has become the queen of depression land these last few days. Nothing Manvi did or said seemed to work on her. She remembered her from this morning.
"Thirty nine hours, 49 minutes, 348.. seconds" she counted.
"Priya, teri majnu ki laila, sad math kar yaaar." She begged her.
"Babe, the only difference is you are counting in your head and I am counting aloud." Priya retorted angrily. She denied it outright but it was true, life without her partner was so boring.
"Yaar, Ranbir Kapoor ka movie hai. Kitnaaa hawt hai, kitnaaa handsome hai aur uper se mera rockstar guitar bajathaaa hai. Me toh, am going. Baki aap ki marzi." She was selling her idea to her friends.
"Mannu, tu Rabir Kapoor ki baat kar rahi hai ya Virat ki??" Sneha, her bestie in college asked and everyone started laughing.
"Ohh plz..Rabir over Virat any day" she said dramatically throwing her hand in the air.
"Accha?? Itna hot hai?" she heard someone say behind her, she could recognize his voice anywhere. She swirled around and she couldn't believe her eyes. He was there, sitting on his bike, like always. He was wearing a white full hands shirt over his rugged jeans; shirt partly tucked out, his first few buttons open. He looked a little tired but this was how he always ended up at the end of the day. She was lost looking in his eyes and he looked back at her lovingly and smiled. That smile, so sweet, so sexy was enough to stab her in the heart. Heaven! She looked at him, love-struck.
"No, not again Manvi!"she told herself. She turned back to her friends, thinking it must be a hallucination; she was having a lot of those in the last few days. "Go away Virat!" she muttered.
"Kya main doh hafton ke liye gaya, tum ne toh station badal dala yaar??" he said surprised at her reaction.
"Manvi how can you do this? poor jijaji, aap bhi party badal doh, main ready hoon, movie chale?" Sneha winked. Everyone started laughing and that was when Manvi realized, he was really there. She turned back "Viraaat? You are really back?
"Nahi, I am Virat's evil twin brother, here to kidnap you." He shook his head smiling.
"Ohh my god!! Ohh my god!!! You are really here." She ran to give him a hug. He hugged her back tightly. She broke apart for a second and cupped his face "You are really here!" she said and hugged him back. She was crying with joy.
"Yes baby, I am really here. I missed you." He said smiling, a little conscious because of the audience.
"Awww" her friends exclaimed together, hands on their cheeks dreamily.
She forgot about them for a few minutes. Realizing how much they would tease her the next day, she moved away from him a little. She was blushing and smiling. "Chale? Dramaqueen? he asked looking at her and then her friends.
"Manvi, chalo, let's go, we are getting late for the movie. Ranbir Kapooor!!!" Sneha teased her.
Manvi threatened Sneha with a 'shut up or you will die a horrible death' look.
"Haan haan, jao jao, handsome bhi hai, hot bhi hai. Riiight??" Virat joined Sneha, raising his eyebrows and grinning.
"Guitar bhi bajatha hai" the rest of the girls said.
Manvi glared at them and put her hand on Virat's shoulder. "No way, my rockstar is right here." She said getting on the bike, her hands encircling his shoulders.
"Are you sure, I might not be able to sing so well" Virat looked back at her with a chuckle.
"Shut up Virat!" she said. "Take me away." She whispered slowly smiling.
He looked at her friends who were still teasing Manvi 'Dicher, daukebaaaz'.
"Bye girls!" he said shaking his head and started his bike.
"She is going to ditch you, just like she is ditching us jijaji, but, don't forget, I will be waiting for you right here." Sneha shouted.
"Deal" Virat winked and zoomed away on full speed with his love.
She rested her head on his back, closed her eyes and hugged him tightly from behind locking her fingers on his chest. A really cool breeze was blowing through her hair.
"I am finally home" he smiled putting his hand on hers.
She couldn't stop smiling. She probably didn't open her eyes for a while, when she finally did, she sat up seeing that they were not going towards home "Virat??? Where are we going?" she asked puzzled.
"It's a surprise." He said.
"Aren't you full of surprises today?" she smiled putting her hands on his shoulders and looking around to figure out where he was headed. He reached out for her hand from the front and put it back on his chest and gently pulled her closer, telling her to hug him back. She complied, nevertheless with a very curious expression. She knew he didn't like it when she was too clingy or overly sweet. "Hmmm.." she thought pleasantly surprised, yet again.
He stopped before a really really nice hotel.
"We are going in there?" she asked pointing towards the entrance, taken aback.
"Yesss"
"OK!? Viraaat'"
"Ummm?"
"What's going on?"
"What's going on? Can't a man spend his evening with his wife??" he winked.
She smiled sweetly "I really loved that you came back early. How was everything at the camp?" she asked.
"Uhhh, no, let's not do that. Today, we are just going to celebrate." He said.
"You got the fellowship!" she stated out of the blue, startled.
"Uh, Yes! They will recommend me for it. But, that's not why''"
She didn't even let him finish. She hurled herself into his arms so tightly that he had to lean on his bike to balance himself. "I knew it, I always knew it. Didn't I tell you.." She cried out in joy.
"Manviii?" he called her, couple of people were looking at them.
"I can understand your excitement, but let's go inside?" he smiled.
"Ohh. Sorry" she bit her lower lip embarrassed. He gave her his arm and led her inside.
"Virat? aren't we here to eat." she asked as they were walking away from the eating area.
"Umm, if you are hungry, we can order room service." He said while he walked into the elevator.
"Virat????????????" she couldn't believe him. "What has gotten into you? Why will we stay here? We have a perfectly nice house." she asked innocently.
"Do you know the one rule of this place?" Virat replied.
"Kya?"
"No talking." He smiled naughtily, standing opposite to her in the elevator. He was leaning back, so relaxed and happy.
She blushed slowly realizing what he was upto. Part of her didn't want to believe him. True they were together, true he was into her, but he was never this romantic. Her heart began to race as she looked at his mischievous eyes. He is acting so different today. 'Did he really miss her that much?' she thought walking beside him.
He kept stealing glances at her. He stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked into her eyes passionately coming closer. She looked away smiling coyly. He smiled and lifted her off her feet into his arms and stared into her eyes deeply, lost. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was scared he might hear it.
He struggled to open the door with his single hand and she put her arms around his neck for support giggling and blushing. He finally kicked the door open and walked in, carrying her in his arms and kicked it back close from inside.
"Do not disturb" read the sign on the door.
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