Both the friends wheeled around only to see a girl standing at the door of the room which was now left ajar. They were stunned by her sudden arrival when they found her walking towards them though her face was not visible clearly. As she walked nearer they saw her face and were shocked beyond limits. No it was not Sonakshi, it was Natasha. The same shock was reflected in her face too.

Natasha: "Dev tum...tum Sonakshi se pyar karte ho?"

Dev gestured Rahul to go and close the door before anyone else could barge in and he did so. Dev turned to Natasha. By then Rahul had also joined them and he told her the whole thing.

Dev: "Haan. Yeh sach hain. Lekin wo mujhse pyar nehi karti. Please Natasha jo bhi tumne suna kisiko mat batana. Main nehi chahta ki Pari guilty feel karein."

Natasha: "Lekin.."

But she was interrupted by Dev: "please Natasha. Tumhein humari dosti ki kasam. Please aisa mat karna. Please mera saath do."

Natasha smiled: "Tum sach mein ek bahut acche insaan ho Dev. Yeh Sonakshi ki badkismati hain jo usne tum jaise pyar karne waley ko kho diya. Anyways, main tumhara saath dungi. Humare dosti ko jarur nibhaoungi. I promise."

Dev smiled back: "thanx Natasha. Thanx a lot."

Natasha: "Doston ko thanx ya sorry nehi kehte."

Dev smiled and nodded.

Rahul: "Toh fir tai raha yeh raaz hum teeno ke beech hi rahega."

Natasha: "Pata nehi kyun par mujhe lagta hain Dev tumhein kamsekam ekbaar Sonakshi se baat karni chahiye aur poochna chahiye whether she loves Neil at all or not."

Dev: "kash ki aisa na hota par maine khud dekha Neil ko Pari ko propose karte hue aur usko wo accept karte hue. Ab tum hi batao main kya poochu, kaise poochu?"

Natasha: "I understand. Don't worry I'm with you."

Dev and Rahul nodded and smiled.

*******************************************************************

Riya was extremely fatigued and worried a bit too as she had searched the whole college but couldn't find Sonakshi anywhere. She was heading towards the basketball court when she heard the sound of the ball bumping into the hard floor of the court. She increased her pace. She came to an abrupt halt just at the entrance to the court as she found Sonakshi playing basketball like a possessed person. She was playing extremely roughly, something she had never done before. Actually through the game she was giving vent to her anger, sadness and frustration as she was totally clueless about why Dev was behaving like that. Riya walked towards Sonakshi with slow but steady steps. On approaching her she put a hand on her shoulder. Sonakshi who was dribbling the ball ignored her and kept dribbling the ball. But Riya was way too stubborn. She grabbed Sonakshi's elbow and turned her towards herself and shocked to see the tears rolling down Sonakshi's eyes. Riya immediately wiped off her tears and hugged her tightly while Sonakshi sobbed on her shoulders. After a few moments, Riya broke apart as she had to know what happened.

Riya cupped Sonakshi's face in her palms and lifted up her face to meet her gaze: "Sona bata mujhe kya hua? Tere aur Dev ke beech kya tension hain? Larai hui kya tum dono ka?"

Sonakshi: "Usne ek pal mein mujhe paraya kar diya. Ek pal mein mujhse mere saare haq jo usne khud par mujhe diye the wo cheen liye. Aaj uske liye kaun kya sochta hain ye humare rishte se jyada bara ho gaya hain."

Saying this she again broke down and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

Riya was shocked to hear this: "Par aisa kya ho gaya?"

Sonakshi narrated the whole incident including his behaviour at last night and in the morning too. After she finished Riya was shocked beyond limits. She couldn't understand why Dev was doing that with Sonakshi. She decided to confront Dev.

Riya: "Main abhi jake Dev se poochti hu ke aakhir wo tumhare saath yeh kyun kar raha hain."

She was about to go when Sonakshi grabbed her arm and stopped her.

Sonakshi: "Nehi Riya. Koi jarurat nehi hain. Pehle mujhe khud janna hoga ki wo aisa kyun kar raha hain. Uske baad usse baat karenge. Please try and understand. Promise me you'll never say anything to Dev."

Riya smiled and nodded and then she kept staring at Sonakshi for a while with an understanding smile.

Riya (in her mind): "Ab lagta hain mujhe hi is dumbo ko realize karwana hoga iske true feelings. Aur intezar nehi kar sakte. (Aloud) You love him way too much."

This sudden declaration took Sonakshi by surprise : "No I...I don't."

Riya: "Oh yes you do. And I just hope that you realize soon."

Sonakshi was still confused: " Par..."

But she was cut in by Riya: "Koi par war nehi. Yehi sach hain aur bahut jald tumhe is baat ka ehsaas bhi ho jayega. Khair ab chalo. Rehearsals ka time ho raha hain."

Saying this she almost dragged a confused and upset Sonakshi with her.

*******************************************************************

(Rehearsal room)

The gang was already there when Riya and Sonakshi arrived. As soon as Sonakshi arrived her eyes searched for the only person she cared for the most in the whole world and found him sitting at a distance and engrossed in some chat with Natasha. She felt a strange twinge in her heart seeing him chatting so freely with Natasha. However, her chain of thoughts was broken by the greeting of Neil who was walking up to her with a wide smile on his face. As soon as Dev heard Sonakshi's name he looked up while she, just at that moment, turned to Neil to answer his greetings. Dev immediately looked away, trying to hold back his tears as he just couldn't tolerate the sight of Sonakshi with someone else. Natasha looked at Dev, then at Sonakshi and then back at Dev and understood what he was going through at that moment. She took his hand in her own and squeezed it assuringly and consolingly. Dev turned to her and smiled sadly. However, this small gesture didn't go unnoticed by Sonakshi. A fury raged through Sonakshi's veins. Her hands formed fists as a strange anger and restlessness unknown to her ever before surged through her.

Sonakshi (in her mind) : "Iski himmat kaise hui ki yeh mere Dev ko chue bhi! Oh I'm so gonna kill her right away with my bare hands. How dare she! Aur Dev! Tumhe bhi koi aitraaz nehi hain kya is baat se? Tum muskura rahe ho? You are enjoying all this right?"

However her chain of thoughts broke when Soham announced that it was time for rehearsal and it was the turn of Dev and Natasha, both of whom got up from their seats and moved towards the centre of the room while the others including Sonakshi and Riya settled down. Arnav turned the song on.

Sholo si sholo si tere aankhon ki yeh roshni

Kiske liye hain kiske liye hain

( Putting his hands around Natasha's waist Dev jerked her closer and gestured towards her eyes with his fingers.)

Chandni chandni tere chehre ki yeh chandni

Kis ke liye hain kis ke liye hain

(Dev caressed her face while Natasha smiled and then she leaned back with him leaning on her.)

Tera muskurana najar yun jhukana [2]

(Natasha smiled and lowered her gaze while Dev left her and walked back a little facing her and pointed at her)

Mere liye hain bas mere liye hain

( He pointed towards himself while swaying with the rhythm of the music)

Sholo si sholo si tere aankhon ki yeh roshni

kiske liye hain kiske liye hain

chandni chandni tere chehre ki chandni

kiske liye hain kiske liye hain

(Dev and Natasha again came closer and Dev, taking hold of her hand, twirls her in and out and then arround him. All of a sudden everything got blurry for a moment in front of Dev's eyes. He blinked to clear the haze and when he opened his eyes he was shocked to see Sonakshi standing there in front of him with a smile.)

Samjho mera jo ishara hain

Jo bhi hain mera wo tumhara hain

(She smiled and then walked around him, putting her hand on his shoulder and when again she came in front of him she raised her hand, touched his face with her palm and  slid her palm down his face sensuously. She twirled at her place and then rest her forehead on his broad chest just below his neck with both of her hands on either side of his chest. )

Leher mein koi ho koi

Manjil jo hain wo tumhara hain

(She raised her head up and looked at him and then put her finger on his chest pointing while his hands on their own accord intertwined around her waist and they both swayed with the rhythm of the music.)

Ye meri adayein yeh meri wafayein

(She twirls in his hold and now rested her back on his chest, leaning backwards on him)

Tujhko pata hain sab tere liye hain

(She moved a little away from him , turned back and pointed towards him).

Sholo si sholo si mere aankhon ki yeh roshni

tere liye hain bas tere liye hain

Chandni chandni mere chehre ki yeh chandni

tere liye hain bas tere liye hain

(He took hold of her hand and pulled her towards himself and then lifted her up by holding her waist and twirls her. But as he put her down he was shocked to see Natasha instead of Sonakshi. He immediately let go of her and abruptly stepped back and halted  while looking at her with utter amazement in his eyes and then looked around.)

Suddenly Dev felt a tap in his shoulder and turned back to see Rahul, looking at him with questioning eyes.

Rahul: "oye kya ho gaya? Itna mindblowing perform kar raha tha toh achanak se ruk kyun gaya?"

Dev fumbled: "Woh...uh...nehi kuch nehi. Bas main thora thak gaya tha. (then he looked around) Sonakshi kaha hain?"

It was Neil who replied: "Wo Sona ko library jaana tha toh isliye wo chali gayi. Don't worry mujhe bolkar gayi hain. Aur riya bhi uske peeche nikal gayi."

Rahul cursed him under his breath: "is idiot ko bhi yeh abhi bolna tha Dev ke samne? Pata nehi Sona ko is moron mein kya dikha."

Dev just squeezed his eyes shut to control the pain erupting within him and gulped down the painful lump that formed in his throat and then he opened his eyes and slowly nodded. He turned back and walked towards the others followed by Rahul and hence they both missed the evil grin playing on Neil's lips. Neil watched them go and smiled inwardly.

Neil (in his mind): "Awe poor you Dev. Tumhein apne baaton mein fasana kitna asan hain. Sach toh yeh hain ki Sonakshi ne mujh se kuch bhi nehi kaha tha. Wo toh maine usse poocha toh usne library jaane ka bahana bana liya par maine dekha uske aankho mein jalan tumhein aur Natasha ko itna kareeb dekhke. Wo bardasht nehi kar payi tum dono ki yeh intimacy aur isliye wo yahan se chali gayi. Don't worry Sonakshi main tumhein is Dev ki yaad bhi nehi aane dunga. Main tumse bahut pyar karta hu Sona aur main tumhein Dev se dur aur apne kareeb lake hi rahunga. Main tumhein paake hi rahunga kisi bhi kimat par. Isliye toh us din maine jaan buhkar wo dialogues is tarah se kahe the jaise ki main tumhein propose kar raha hu. Maine dekha tha Dev ko. Usko tumse dur karne ke liye hi maine yeh sab kiya. Sorry Sona par maine jo bhi kiya tumhare liye kiya, sirf tumhare liye."

Neil smiled wickedly and then walked towards the others.

***************************************************************

Riya was searching for Sonakshi everywhere. When she left the rehearsal room abruptly, Riya knew that she was upset witnessing the intimacy between Dev and Natasha and hence decided to go after her and meanwhile prayed that atleast now she realized her feelings, her love for Dev before its too late. She was passing by a deserted room when she heard very low noise of sobs and decided to check. She opened the door to a semi dark room. At first she couldn't make out anything in the semi darkness but soon her eyes got used to the darkness and she found the silhouette of a woman sitting on a desk at a distant corner. Knowing pretty well who it could be, she walked with slow steps towards her. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder and turned her towards herself. It was none else than Sonakshi. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and her eyes were bloodshot red.

Riya : "Sona?"

Sonakshi (in a choked voice): "You were right Riya. You had always been right. I cant see him with anyone else. I just cant. I love him Riya. I LOVE DEV."

Riya smiled: "Finally. And yes you do sweetheart. I knew it always. Ab kya kisi muhrat ka intezar kar rahi ho? Go and tell him silly."

Sonakshi still hesitated: "par aise kaise...matlab..."

However she was cut in by an impatient Riya: "Oye tum jaati ho ya main jake usko bata du? Choice is yours."

Sonakshi smiled at her sweet friend and wiped off her tears: "Koi jarurat nehi hain. Main khud hi kaafi hu."

Riya smiled back: "That's like a good girl."

Both the girls giggled and Riya almost dragged Sonakshi along with her and they walked out of the room. Sonakshi was overwhelmed with joy and nervousness as she was walking towards the rehearsal room. With every step she was taking towards the room her heart raced and she was trying to control her erratic heartbeats which was thorbbing so loudly that she thought it would reach Riya. A sweet smile was playing on her lips which was out of happiness and also her fidgeting with her fingers showed how much nervous she was.

However when she reached the room and opened the door a little she got the biggest shock of her life. It was as if her life was sucked out of her. She stood thunderstruck at the door as she saw Dev hugging Natasha. His back was turned towards her and Natasha was hugging him tightly and her face was hidden in the crook of his neck. Sonakshi felt as the ground beneath her feet slipped away as she realized that Dev loved Natasha. All the happiness and the desire to live, laugh and love drained off and she was left with an immense pain and the sense of being abandoned by the one person she loved the most in the whole world. For a moment she lost her balance and had Riya not hold her at the right moment she would have fall down. Sonakshi felt as if everything slipped away from her hand just within moments. She couldn't think anymore. She just ran away from the place and more importantly from Dev. Riya followed her. Sonakshi ran to a deserted alley that led to the deserted backyard of the college where no one naturally used to go. The area was shaded with densely set rows of trees which concealed the place from general view. Reaching that spot Sonakshi could no longer control herself and fall down on the ground and started to cry bitterly. Riya, who was running behind her, came and sat beside her on her knees. Sonakshi was crying badly with her face covered in her palms. Riya removed her palms and pulled her into a tight hug. Riya kept on patting Sonakshi's head with one hand while rubbing her back with the other in an attempt to soothe her and calm her down, even her own eyes were not dry. Sonakshi was hugging her tightly and crying her eyes out. After quite a while, Sonakshi managed to speak out.

Sonakshi: " Aaj maine apna sab kuch kho diya Riya. Mera pehla pyar...mera pehla pyar adhura reh gaya Riya. Main ab kya karu? Kaise jiyungi main ab? Meri duniya aaj mujhse cheen gayi. Sab kuch khatam ho gaya. Wo...wo kisi aur se pyar karta hain. Mere saath hi aisa kyun hua?"

Sonakshi couldn't say anything more and once again began to cry her heart out. Riya hugged her tightly and tears rolled down her cheeks too seeing her closest friend in so much pain.

Riya tried to console her: "Sona please chup ho jao. Sab thik ho jayega. Aur mat rona please."

Sonakshi: "Ab kuch bhi thik nehi hoga. Sab kuch khatam ho gaya hain."

Riya got angry seeing Sonakshi in so much pain: "Aur yeh sab us Dev ke wajah se hua hain. Us idiot ke liye tum mat ro jise tumhari koi kadar hi nehi hain. Aur usko toh main dekhti hu. Usko mujhe jawab dena hi hoga ki kya haq hain use tumhein is tarah dard dene ka."

Abruptly Sonakshi came out of the hug and looked at Riya with eyes glistening with unshed tears. Sonakshi took Riya's hand in her own and squeezed them softly.

Sonakshi managed to speak through her sobs: "No, no please don't do that Riya. Usse kuch mat kehna. Isme uski koi galti nehi hain agar wo kisi aur ko chahta hain. Usko toh pata bhi nehi hain ke main usko chahti hu. Fir agar wo kisi aur ko chahta hain toh isme uska kya kasoor? Rahi meri baat toh meri khushi Dev ki khushi mein hi hain. Agar wo khush hain toh main bhi khush hu. Mujhe bas uski khushi chahiye aur kuch bhi nehi chahiye. Main uski khushiyo ke beech kabhi nehi aaoungi. Mujhse vaada karo Riya, vaada karo ki yeh baat tumhare aur mere alawa kisi aur ko pata nehi chalega. Dev ko bhi nahi. Please promise me Riya."

She pleaded while crying bitterly while Riya couldn't help admire the depth of her love for Dev.

Riya: "Tum sach mein bahut acchi ho Sona. Yeh jante hue bhi ke Dev kisi aur ko chahta hain, ke wo kabhie tumhara nehi ho sakta tum uski khilaf kuch nehi sun sakti. Tumhare nazron mein uski koi kasoor hi nehi hain jabki uski wajahse aaj tumhein itna dard sehna par raha hain. "

Sonakshi: "Uski wajahse nehi. Jo bhi hua wo mera kismat hain. Mera kismat hi aisa hain. Jisse bhi maine pyar kiya mere kismat ne usse mujhse cheen liya. Pehle mere mamma aur papa aur ab mera pehla aur aakhri pyar, mera Dev."

Saying this she again broke into tears. After a while she composed herself a little and managed to speak out again.

Sonakshi: "Riya I need some time alone. I cant face him now. If I'll see him now I'll break down and wont be able to control myself. Please take me to your home."

Riya: "Fine. Waise bhi mere ghar pe koi nehi hain kyunki mere parents out of town gaye hain. Chalo hum chalte hain. Par usse pehle Dev ko inform kar dete hain."

Sonakshi nodded in affirmation. Then Riya took out her mobile phone from her jeans' pocket and dialled Dev's number.

******************************************************************

(Rehearsal room)

Rahul entered the room and was utterly shocked to see Dev and Natasha hugging each other.

Rahul: "Dev!"

******************************************************

That was the end of the chapter. Please comment and do vote

Target- 35 votes