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Target: 100 votes

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"For how long should I sit like this?", shona asked Dev who was literally gawking at her. "A few more minutes", Ramu said on his behalf, with a meek smile. "But he isn't drawing anything", she said confusedly looking at Dev who seemed to be in his dream land. "Arey shona, you didn't know about these things. He has studied so much. He knows everything. First step of drawing is observation! Firstly, he will observe what he needs to draw. Then he will memorise each and every feature of that thing and finally he will draw. That's what he is doing now too", Ramu blabbered everything that came in his mind and she took a while to understand what he is saying.

"Dev bhaiyya, what are you doing? She may doubt us", Ramu whispered in Dev's ears but he was all lost in her, making him facepalm. "Dev bhaiya look at me", Ramu shook him by his shoulders. "Sshhh.. Ramu don't disturb us", he said dreamily making Ramu facepalm again. "Sshhh", Dev heard and gestured him to be quiet. "Sshhh", he heard again and his irritation grew up. "Why are you telling me to stay silent. You be quiet", Dev said irritated by the constant sound but it didn't seem to stop. "But dev bhaiya, I didn't make any sound and even I can hear the same", Ramu said confusedly and looked down. And what he saw then, made him stand rooted at the place.

"Ssss..", Ramu stuttered in fear, gulping down nervously. "Ramu keep quiet otherwise I will feed you that donkey's food tonight", Dev said irritatedly without moving his gaze from her. "Ssssss...", he hissed again making Dev annoyed. "What sss? Why are you hissing like a snake?", Dev asked him irritatedly looking at his panic stricken face. "Not like... Really it's a ssss..", Ramu stuttered nervously looking behind him making Dev confused. "Sshhh", the sound came again but from the other side taking Dev by surprise. "Who's th...", his words died in his mouth as he turned around and saw a snake sitting majestically near his feet.

"R.. Ramu.. why.. does.. this.. look.. like.. a.. snake.. to.. me?", Dev asked stuttering looking at the cobra infront of him. "Because.. it.. is..a.. Sssnake only", Ramu replied shivering. Dev gulped down glancing at the snake, as it stood coiled infront of him, flickering it's tongue occasionally. "Ramu.. Do.. something..", Dev whispered nervously as it stood still without even moving an inch, making him freeze at his place. "Bhaiyya.. What can I do.. when I am myself already shaking!", Ramu said looking at his legs that were shaking as if there was an earthquake.

"You..You are living in this village since your childhood. You should have get used to these things right? Throw it away", Dev said still looking at the snake nervously. "Bhaiya, I am scared of even a lizard. If you ask me to hold a snake then I will definitely die", he mumbled while Dev cursed him under his breath. Mentally crying over his state, Dev looked at the snake which was rooted at the same place. He tried to move his leg a little away, but when he did, the snake hissed aloud making him startled. He gulped down nervously and shut his eyes in horror. The flashes of the moment he met shona came before his eyes. "No, I don't want to die this soon!", he whispered to himself and stood there motionless wondering what to do and the scene which then unfolded infront of him made his eyes pop out in shock.

Before him stood shona, holding the snake in her one hand and giving both of them a disgusting look. Dev and Ramu stood in horror, looking at her who was busy in examining the creature. After a few moments of admiring it, she finally let it go and dusted her hands tiredly. She turned around and saw Dev and Ramu standing still shocked with her sudden move. "What happened? Haven't you both ever seen any snake in your life?", she asked them who were still gawking at her. "I know that Ramu is a coward. But I never knew that even you are like him", she said looking at Dev making him alarmed with her words. Ramu flared his nostrils at her angrily and was about to say something but she continued again.

"Even chotu used to play with snakes. But you both are grown ups. Be brave. Though you aren't, try to behave like one", she said crushing his ego. "Excuse me. Who said that I am scared of snakes? I was about to throw it away but you came before that", he said trying to cover up. He couldn't believe that she literally called him a coward straight on his face. No one ever dared to do that in his life before. But what mattered the most to him was, he was looking like a loser infront her, which he never wanted to happen. "Oh really! Then why were you both standing still at the same place for the past hour?", she asked him smirking while he stammered trying to gather some words.

"I was.. I was just admiring how beautiful it looked", he replied with a meek smile and she rolled her eyes off him. "Listen, I am not scared of anything. Even if another snake comes here, I will kill it right away", he said confidently and before he could complete he sensed something crawling on his shoulders. Gulping down nervously, he moved his eye balls to his right, without even moving an inch and his heart skipped a beat looking at a snake moving on him. Ramu who was seeing all this, stood frozen in his place in horror. Dev looked at shona who gave him a do-it-now kind of look and gave her a nervous smile.

And before he could register anything, his vision became blurry and he collapsed down, falling straight on shona's lap making her startled.

Chotu who was trying to suppress his laughter till then, rushed towards him taking the fake snake in his hands from his shoulders. "What have you both done to him?", Ramu asked panicked looking at Dev who was lying his head on her lap unconsciously. "We were just playing. We didn't know that he will faint", she said nervously. "Is it some kind of joke? You both are going too much. If anything happens to Dev bhaiya, I won't mind in complaining to your father about what happened today", Ramu said angrily making the brother-sister duo panicked. "Chotu, go and bring some water", he said and chotu rushed to fetch some water. He soon came back with water and Ramu sprinkled it on Dev's face.

"Bhaiya.. Are you fine?", he asked as Dev tried to open his eyes making shona amd chotu sigh in relief. "Ahh.. Ramu..", he murmured taking shona's hand from her lap and holding it close to himself. "Dev bhaiya, I am here", Ramu said trying to lend him his hands but Dev ignored him royally, clutching shona's hand tightly. "Ramu.. Don't go..I am scared.. I think I will die..", Dev murmured in his half conscious state placing shona's hand on his cheek and it was then Ramu understood that Dev was indeed acting and huffed at him tiredly. "Dev, don't talk like that. You are fine now. Open your eyes and look at me. Look at us", shona said nervously patting his cheek and he smiled a little sensing her soft touch, which didn't go unnoticed by Ramu. He shook his head tiredly and waited for the rest of his drama to unfold.

"Dev, I am sorry. We just thought of playing with you. We never know that something like this will happen. We are sorry. Please open your eyes", she said panicked. Hearing her, he did an happy dance internally and tried to open his eyes, with lot of efforts. "Don't worry Ramu.. I'm fine..", he said opening his eyes a little, still holding both her hands in his. "I am here", Ramu said sitting opposite to them. "Then who is this?", Dev asked reaching out to touch shona's face while Ramu gave him a as-if-you-don't-know kind of look. "It's me.. Shona", she replied faintly and Dev shot his eyes open. "I am.. I am sorry", he stuttered nervously and tried to get up from her lap with a jerk but fell back, holding his head in his hand.

"Relax Dev. It's okay. I don't mind", she said and he rested his head comfortably on her lap and closed his eyes with a serene smile playing on his lips. "Last week Raja too fainted on didi's lap like this only", Chotu said and Dev shot his eyes open in shock. "Raja! Who is this raja?", he asked him in shock. "You know Radha didi na? Shona didi's friend she is. Raja is her dog", chotu completed and Dev sighed in relief. He gestured Ramu to help him to sit upright and he did the same. "Dev bhaiya, you were lying were that dog was lying a week ago", Ramu whispered in Dev's ears trying to suppress his growing giggles while Dev gave him a death glare.

"Before I kill you now, give us some privacy and get lost from here", Dev whispered back in Ramu's ears gritting his teeth in annoyance. "But where?", Ramu asked him in disbelief. "Go anywhere and if you can, take chotu too with you", he said softly while Ramu nodded at him without any other option. "Dev bhaiya, you can't walk now it seems. It's better to wait here till you get fine", he said. "But you need to go to town now, isn't it?", Dev asked him innocently. "But how can I leave you here alone?", he asked confused. "I will be with him", Shona said interrupting him making Dev do a happy dance in his mind. "But when will you return back?", she asked Ramu who thought for a while. "I will return before the sunset and let me take chotu with me", he said with a tight lipped smile.

"But why?", she asked him confused. "Because I may need some help", he said with a meek smile while she narrowed her eyes at him. "Hey, I won't make him work. Trust me", he said and she looked at Dev who blinked his eyes as if assuring her. "But I am not coming with you", Chotu said furrowing his brows at him. Ramu looked at Dev who gestured him to convince Chotu and take him away. "I will buy you candies", Ramu said and chotu gleamed in joy. "I am coming", he jumped smiling happily. "And, take care of my brother-in-law well. If I heard that you troubled him, I will break your teeth", Dev whispered to Ramu to which he gulped down in fear and walked away along with chotu leaving Dev and shona behind as they both settled in the mandap, near the river shore.

"So, you are new to this place, aren't you?", she asked him finally breaking the silence. "Yes", he said with a tight lipped smile.
"Where were you living all these years?", she asked him curiously. "London", he said quickly and bit his tongue, realising what he has blabbered. "Where is that?", she asked him confused. "It's a... village near... Varanasi", he said with a meek smile and she nodded at him understandingly. "So, your parents must be living there, isn't it?", she asked him smiling. "I lost my parents when I was seven years old", he said with a sad smile.

He didn't know why but he wanted to share everything with her, everything that had happened in his life so far. There is something in her, something that he felt in between them from the moment he met her. An unknown pull or an invisible bond, he didn't know what. Whatever it was, he felt it to be beautiful. But he also knew that this was not the right time to tell her everything. So he stopped himself from going further. "I'm sorry", she said understanding what he must have went through. She can understand how it would be living without a family because even the slightest thought of being without her parents and brother shook her up.

"Never mind. Now you tell me about your family", he said trying to divert the topic as it brought back so many memories, which he was trying to forget. "I know chotu is your brother and I have also heard from Ramu that your father is very strict. But how do you and your brother are so dramatic?", he asked her and she twitched her nose at him angrily. "Why are you trolling me?", she asked furrowing her brows at him. "Hey I'm praising you", he said grinning widely. "How?", she asked narrowing her eyes. "You have a talent that no one in your family has. That's a god's gift", he said seriously to which she thought for a while. "Yes, you are right", she said flashing one of her brightest smiles making him chuckle.

"I thought of asking you this. Will you call everyone you see as 'Bhaiya'?", he asked her anxiously. He still can't believe that she had called him as 'Brother' the very first time they met. Even the thought of that made him sick. "Yes, mostly", she said smiling proudly. "Such a bad habit", he murmured audible enough to her. "Is it that bad?", she asked him with a sad pout. "Yes, very bad!", he said seriously. "I won't repeat. Hereafter I won't call anyone as 'Bhaiyya'", she said sternly. "No.. No.. You can call anyone as Bhaiyya. Infact hereafter you should call everyone you meet as 'Bhaiyya' except me", he said with a shy smile. "Why so?", she asked confused. "Only then it's good for me", he murmured to himself inaudible to her and smiled at her who gave him a confused look. "You will understand that soon", he said and she nodded at him confusedly.

"But I don't have any elder brothers. So I thought of adopting you as my brother", she said with a proud smile and his heart stopped for a while hearing her words. "Even I don't have a lover. So let me adopt you as my lover", he said in a go and it took him a minute to realize what he had said. He looked up at her who gave him a staunch look and smiled at her slyly. "Joke.. Joke.. That was a joke", he said trying to cover up and started laughing aloud clutching his stomach. Soon his laughter died seeing her still staring at him angrily and he gulped down in nervousness. "I mean.. I didn't..", he stammered in fear but this time she broke into fits of laughter taking him by surprise. "Look at you!", she said still giggling looking at his scared face.

Soon his eyes softened and unknown to himself his lips curved up seeing her laughing. "Do you know one thing?", he asked her still smiling. "What?", she asked him trying to control her giggles but she couldn't. "Your smile is so beautiful that I don't mind in staring at you for all my life", he said huskily staring deep into her eyes making her giggles die. Her heart skipped a beat hearing his words and his intense gaze made her go weak in her knees. "I was just joking", he said laughing out aloud and her fully flushed face now became red in anger. She twitched her nose at him and turned her face away from him leaving him giggling to himself. Only he knew that whatever he said was nothing but true.

**End of flashback**

I can't deny the fact that this is one of the best days of my life. Not only that I got to spend my entire day with her, but also that I got to know her well. No matter what, the place where we got to know each other will be my most favourite place. And I'm sure that this day will be the start of our beautiful relationship.

Suddenly sonakshi got an idea and she closed the diary. She looked at the clock which was about to strike at noon. After thinking for a while, she stood up and walked out of the room. She went to Dev Dixit's room and knocked the door. But as always, he didn't show up much to her disappointment. She pushed the door a little and found it open and she shook her head in disbelief. She opened the door and was about to step in but stopped in her traces. Everytime she stepped into his room, something strange had happened and this made her wonder whether to enter in or not.

After fighting a mental battle she finally decided to go inside and look for him. Exhaling a sharp one, she entered in. The room was calm unlike usual times and that made her a little panicked. She turned around often to assure herself that the door was wide open. Convincing herself, she walked inside the room. She looked around but he was not there. Even the washroom door was open, so finally giving up she thought of searching him outside. But something caught her attention and she walked towards the study table that had some papers flipping in the air, unaware of someone's gaze following her everywhere.

She walked past the mirror but stopped sensing something unusual. She turned to face the mirror and what she saw then made her heart stop for a while. Gulping down nervously she walked towards the mirror. Her breath went uneven and she felt her heart pounding aloud in her chest. It looked like her. But it wasn't her. She felt different. She felt strange. She felt someone else. She could see something in her reflection, that she didn't have, but she didn't know what. Her eyes wandered around nervously and stopped at her forehead. That was it. There was it.

She took her trembling hands and touched the forehead of her reflection in the mirror. There was a big red bindi, seen in her reflection which was nothing but a drop of red paint on the mirror. She removed the paint off the mirror and sighed in relief looking at it plain and clean. She wondered how a drop of paint could make her feel something weird. It was nothing but her illusion, she thought and walked away not before giving a last glance at herself through the mirror unaware of the fact that the little red dot appeared on the mirror yet again.

She walked towards the table and found some papers flipping, being held on by a paper wait. At the corner of a paper, she saw something. Something that she had seen somewhere but couldn't figure out what it was.

She was about to take the paper in her hand but stopped hearing someone. "Ms. Bose! What are you doing here?", she heard Dev's voice and turned around to see him standing near the door step. "Mr. Dixit, I came here to ask you something. But you were not here", she said walking towards him. "I was cleaning that room only", he said and she mentally facepalmed herself. "Oh sorry! I forgot that it's your working hours", she said. "It's okay. Any problem?", he asked her confused. "No.. Nothing like that. If you are free, I thought of..", she stopped sensing his confused look. "Thought of?", he asked raising his brows at her. "Thought of asking you if you can come out with me", she said and gave him a nervous smile making him gawk at her.

"Ms. Bose, are you fine? It seems like you are not feeling well", he said unable to believe her words while she rolled her eyes off him. "I am very fine", she said with a tight lipped smile. "Then how is it possible? Oh wait!", he said forwarding his hand. "Pinch me", he said showing his hand at her making her confused. "Pinch me Ms. Bose", he said still standing at the same position. She looked at his arm and then at him with a confused look. "Okay wait", he said and walked towards the bed side table. He took an empty vase and rushed towards her. "Hit me with this", he said forwarding the vase to her while she looked at him dumbfounded.

"Ms. Bose please hit me with this. I know I am dreaming and I want to wake up from my sleep. It's bad to sleep during working hours", he said seriously lowering his head, while she tried to suppress her giggles. She got the vase from his hand and hit him on his head slightly. "Do you have only that much strength? Come on", he said shutting his eyes tightly and lowering his head, gesturing her to hit him. Rolling her sleeves up she narrowed her eyes at him and hit the vase on his head with a loud bang making him scream in pain. "Ouch!!", he shrieked aloud rubbing his head with his palm. Unable to hold it anymore she bursted into laughter making him cringe in annoyance. "So, it isn't a dream", he said caressing his forehead angrily to which she nodded in a no, still laughing at him.

But soon his eyes softened and unknown to himself his lips curved up seeing her laughing. "Do you know one thing?", he asked her still smiling. "What?", she asked him trying to control her giggles but she couldn't. "Your smile is so beautiful that I don't mind in staring at you for all my life", he said huskily staring deep into her eyes making her giggles die. Her heart skipped a beat hearing his words, the same exact words from him, yet again. "This time, I am not joking", he said still staring into her eyes making her heart thump aloud in her chest. "I will change and come soon", he said and walked into his room, closing the door behind while she stood numb, still trying to process his words.

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Why was sonakshi asking Dev for a day out? Is there any hidden motive? 🤔

Precap : A heart to heart talk.. But between whom?

Complete the target soon, to get next chapter.

My other works,

# Falling for you..

# A Journey towards her.. [COMPLETED]

# My Little Paradise - A sequel to AJTH [COMPLETED]

# All Credits To Love - A Sharica OS

# Mine - A Devakshi OS

# Happy Ending - A Sharica OS

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