Sajan Bade Senti

Trisha

@Trisha49

New concept, Taarey have been in the same class for a while now but aren't dating. This is an attempt at showing a simple college romance. Tell me kaisa laga..

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"I'm thirsty yaar"

"Bottle khaali hogayi"

They said together and immediately their eyes met. They smiled. Rey gestured her to go ahead of him since the water cooler only had one tap. Taani smiled and indicating the bottle in her hand said,

"This will take longer.."

He smiles and takes two sips. His consciousness was palpable, her friends saw his stiff posture and passed knowing looks to each other. This had been on for a while. These two dumbos were definitely crushing on each other but never got down to talking.

He shoots the paper cup in the bin and in his nervousness he misses his aim and then quickly bends to pick it up and put it in carefully this time. He walks two steps and turns to smile at her but she was engrossed with her bottle. He awkwardly turns and walks in the direction his friends had gone.

                                  ----------

They walk in to an almost empty classroom. It's early in the morning and the air itself is drowsy. Aashi hands Taani her phone and Taani, who for some reason is in a great mood keeps it on the desk behind them and walks to the windows. Aashi sits and starts looking for the notes required in this lecture, too sleepy to do anything more. Taani hears a few more people enter the class but she's too into her own zone to care. 

Her favourite song plays from a desk behind her. Realising it is from Aashi's phone, Taani throws some moves while singing along as well.

https://youtu.be/wLUMQtQrkJw 

"Banda toh ready hai, tera hi kaidi hai,

Samjho tum bhi jo baat, aankhonse keh di hai.."

The tune ends and she turns while saying,

"Aashi gaana acha hai iska ye matlab nahi ki tum phone nahi utha..ogi"

The pause was because she noticed there was an unexpected audience behind her. They were right there, Rey's face was amused and his friends were grinning too. Her frozen expressions make them start laughing as well and embarrassed, she glares at Aashi.

"What? Ye mera phone nahi tha!" Aashi says.

Taani looks back at the desk to see another phone right beside Aashi's, lying face down. The guys' laughter gets louder. Rey picks his phone up confused and sees the notification for a missed call. He gives a a questioning look to his friends but the smirk had not left his face yet. He faces his friends while also looking at her from the corner of his eyes. Realising their prank he says in the same tone as her,

"Guys gaana acha hai iska ye matlab nahi ki tum log bina bataye ringtone change karloge"

The guys can't stop laughing anymore. Aashi too laughs, clapping her hands at this whole scene that she had witnessed. Rey leaves to make a call but makes sure to land a smirk in her direction before walking out and her face gets flushed even more. She hears his friends' comment on how he found the song annoying and blushes further.

                                  -----------

"Why don't you talk to him? You like him and he too evidently likes you back.."

"Arey yaar ye sab relationship ke pachde me padna hi nahi hai!" Taani answers tired. The aftermath of her first relationship with Shivam was still there.

"Oh madam, maine bas baat karne bola, relationship tak toh aap hi le gayi!"

"Tu bol toh aise rahi hai jaise maine kabhi usse baat hi nahi ki hai." She says, changing the topic..

"Hi, bye, lecture kidhar hai, notes do, ye sab count nahi hota conversation me!"

"Toh kya baat karu?"

"Ye bhi Mai batau? Come on Taani" she said suggestively,

"Ew, bye." Taani walks off.

                                   ----------

He was the head of event team which she worked for.

"Taani tum mere saath chalogi?" Rey asked.

"Sabko order aur isko question, kaam pe jaa rahe hai ya date pe?" His friend whispers as Aashi hears and giggles

"Uhm cool." She responds glaring at Aashi, not having heard the source of her laughter.

They head to the auditorium and once other technical stuff is done they ask Swayam, the tech head to play something aloud to check the speakers. Swayam looks at the two of them, he had heard what had happened through the guys and smirking inwardly plays the song. 

"Banda toh ready hai, tera hi kaidi hai,

Samjho tum bhi jo baat, aankhonse keh di hai.."

The peppy number begins and Rey cringes in response whereas Taani's face blooms. The next instant they both remember the incident that happened a few weeks ago and turn to each other. Before Rey could tease her Taani starts with,

"You don't like this song, do you?"

"Uhm, don't get offended but it's just a sad Punjabi song.."

"Sad Punjabi, oxymoron nahi hogaya?"

"Ab tum stereotypes pe aajaogi?"

"Kyu? Tum Punjabi ho?"

"Yep."

She sighs, "Tab toh hosakta hai, infact mere saamne hi hai sad Punjabi." She says teasingly.

"What makes you think I'm sad?"

"Itna beautiful, lively gaana kisi dukhi aatma ko hi sad lag sakta hai." She laughs.

"Usko music me taste hona bolte hai!"

"Chartbuster hai ye, you're missing out, haina Swayam?"

"Yeah buddy, you're definitely missing out!" Swayam looks at Rey with a sympathetic look that was conveying something more than music choices while his head tilted to point at Taani.

Taani excuses herself to attend a call and Rey asks Swayam,

"Wo kya tha?"

"Kya tha?" Swayam said, pretending to be innocent.

"Definitely missing out" Rey mimicked Swayam's tone as he laughed.

"Don't you know that already! I think everyone knows that you're missing out"

"Ha be saale, sab pata hai mujhe, khud toh single ghoom raha hai and I'm missing out!"

"Mai single hu kyuki koi pasand nahi, tere jaise phattu nahi hu mai!"

"Oye, mai koi darta-varta nahi hu kisise!"

"Kisi se nahi sirf Taani se."

"Kuch bhi!"

"REY! Taani screams over the music as he turns stunned, with his hand on his heart.

"What the... Fukat me dardiya! Chilla kyu rahi ho itna?"

Swayam who was equally startled a moment ago bursts out laughing. Taani gives an apologetic smile and continues,

"Sorry wo music tha toh.. didn't think I'd scare y'all.."

Swayam leans on the audio table laughing his stomach out, unable to stand straight anymore. Rey gives him a look that says 'shut up'

"Rey, wo Vicky asked me to tell you to call him." Taani said

"Huh? Khud call kyu nahi kiya usne?"

That's when Rey's phone rings and Vicky's name flashes on the screen. All of them smile at the ringtone but the call disconnects right then.

"Ye chindi Jio ke zamaane me bhi missed call deta hai!" Rey muttered under his breath to which Taani giggled.

Rey's eyes reach Taani's happy face, he smiles in reflex before walking off to call Vicky.

"Kya?" Swayam asked, finally sobering up.

"Tum batao kya, itna kya hasraha tha?"

"Tum nahi samjhogi Anjali, Rahul ko kuch kuch hota hai.." he says with a knowing look, this time his head points to Rey. Taani roles her eyes.

"Yes sure Karan Johar, bohot kuch hota hai, ab chalo!"

                                  ------------
The college confession page had an anonymous post :-

I think Rey from second year is damn cute 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Rey got to know of it when Taani sent the post to him and puzzled he put up a story asking whoever made the confession to talk to him. The next morning Taani asked Rey,

"Tumhe sachme nahi pata kisne likha?"

"Pata hota toh single hota mai?" He laughs.

"Aur kya guarantee hai ki jisne likha tumhaare saath hona chahegi?"

Rey narrows his eyes at her. He knew Taani was skeptical about being in a relationship, he had overheard and stalked her social media here and there.

"Taani tumne hi daala kya confession?"

"Itni bhi velli nahi hu jo tumhaare naam ka confession karti firu anonymously aur fir tumko hi bheju!" She laughed.

"Tumhe kya lagta hai, kaun hogi?" He still suspected her, she didn't look surprised at his question and her response was so calm, almost rehearsed.

She shrugs. To check for her reaction he opens the post again and shows it to her. She squints at the screen and asks him,

"Whom do you know jo purple hearts use karti ho?"

"Woah, detective Taani, emoticon hai wo, you're reading too much into it!"

"Arey emoticons say a lot about someone. See, I majorly use yellow hearts kyuki mera favourite hai, I'd never use a purple heart.." she said making a weird face. Her words seemed too specific to him. He tries to think of a way to confirm his suspicion as they walk to the vice principal's office to get some permissions for their event. Outside the office as she starts writing the permission letter he decides to prank her. Pretending to check his phone he tells her,

"Taani mujhe yaha network nahi aaraha, tum please group pe boldo sabko to report to the auditorium ... acha tum letter likho, mujhe apna phone de."

She unlocks the phone and hands it over to him. He opens the group chat and to prank her decides he'll send a random ridiculous message. Her keypad shows him the recently used emoticons and his eyes get stuck at the unexpected or should we say expected... The purple heart.

"I'd never use the purple heart." He remembered her reaction. A smirk coloured his face as she announced that the letter was ready, he returned her phone and with a huge smile walked into the cabin with her in tow, wondering what had raised his spirits.

                                ----------

That night Rey sent her a post on Instagram, it was another confession from the same page, and this time it read,

I think Taani and Rey should get together, dono saath me bohot ache lagte hai..💛💛💛💛💛💛

She blushes involuntary and freezes as she sees that he's typing something,

"Yeh mujhe saamne se kyu nahi bola? Anonymous confession kyu?"

Shocked, she responds with,

"Huh?
Tumko bola toh tha mai aise anonymous confession karne velli nahi baithi hu!"

"Sweetheart, fir in yellow hearts ka kya matlab hai?"

Her blush grows at sweetheart but she immediately defends herself,

"Duniya me sirf ek hi ladki yellow hearts use karti hai kya?"

"Nahi par ek hi ladki hai jo kabhi purple hearts use nahi karti fir bhi uske recently used emoticons me purple heart hai"

The world stood still for her. She checked her recently used tab and sure enough, the purple hearts were behind other emoticons, but present there. She remembers when he took her phone to post that message outside the VP's office. Embarrassed, she begins to think of a justification when he starts typing again. She was right about to say that it was a prank when she recieves his message,

"Banda toh ready hai, tera hi kaidi hai,

Samjho tum bhi jo baat, aankhonse keh di hai.."

Her eyes widen, she couldn't believe what was happening. He texted again.

Tomorrow, after lectures, the coffee shop near the station. It's a date ;)"

Her face bursts into a grin, excited her grip on her phone tightens as she squeals and before she could think of anything else, her phone pings again,

"Aur ha, by the way, ye waala anonymous confession mera hai."