Chapter 11

Devakshi FF: Small Moments

Part 11

Sonakshi took a deep breath and smiled a small smile.

"Haan Mr. Dixit. I'm ready."

Dev noticed that Sonakshi had not made the mistake she had last night. She addressed him as Mr. Dixit. And that surprisingly disappointed him. Deciding not to dwell about silly things Dev moved aside and reached his hand out for Sonakshi's bag so that he could put it into the back of the car with the other suitcases. "Dr. Bose, aap yahan pichhey Riya ke saath baithiye" Dev said pointing towards Riya who smiled excitedly at Sonakshi once again. "Theek hai" Sonakshi said happily, but before stepping into the car she turned around and waved to her family who had by now gathered on the balcony. "Bye! Aap sab log dhyaan rakhna. Aur dada, zyada chocolates mat khana" she said laughing and winking at Saurabh. "Arey kya Sona, jaa naah apney trip peye, Mujhey kyun sata rahi hai" Saurabh said embarrassed, while everyone else laughed. She nodded her head from side to side and turned back to Ritwik. Taking a step towards him she said "Ritwik, ab tumhaari responsibility hai yeh dekhna ki sab theek se rahey, theek hai naah?" Ritwik nodded his head vigorously saying "Aapka aadesh sarankhon par!" making Sona and her family dissolve into fits of giggles once again. Ritwik came forward and gave Sonakshi a side hug saying "Aapna dhyaan rakhna aur baaki chinta mujh pe chhor dena." Sonakshi happily agreed and said goodbye to her family one last time.

But while this exchange took place there were two people that were very unhappy with this situation. One was Kushal who had been silently observing everything. He had never liked Ritwik. He was fiercely protective of Sonakshi and had created the greatest problems when Kushal and Sonakshi had been together. In fact, Kushal blamed Ritwik for their separation. He knew Ritwik was the only one who knew about Sonakshi's relationship with him. Which was a good thing because if Sonakshi's family knew then it would have been difficult for him to go on this trip. Ritwik alone couldn't do much harm and this trip was necessary for him. This was his only chance to get Sonakshi back. While he pondered upon the ways he could get her back, Ritwik's eyes landed on him. Instantly Kushal sat up alert. He didn't want to make a scene. He just wanted to quietly get away from here and set his master plan rolling. Ritwik narrowed his eyes dangerously and glared at Kushal. Even though he didn't say anything aloud, Kushal got the clear message that if he tried anything with Sonakshi, he would be in big trouble. But Kushal wasn't a least bit bothered because he knew his plan would work. So, he just looked away and continued to refine his plan.

By this time Sonakshi had finished her goodbyes. But as she reached out to open the door to the car, Dev was already there, opening the door for her to get in. Sonakshi looked up shyly at him and smiled saying a soft "Thank you" and the got inside while Dev closed the door. Then he turned around and looked up at the Bose family and smiled charmingly. "Namastey Uncle, aunty aur daadi. Hello Elena, Saurabh. Aapko chinta karney ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Dr. Bose ka dhyaan achhey se rakhoonga...I mean rakha jayega" he assured them correcting his mistake. Sonakshi who had been talking to Riya, snapped her head towards Dev at this. Just like Dev picked up the smallest slips Sonakshi made, she did the same. Sothe mistake that Dev made did not go past her and now she stared at him with wide eyes. Asha on the other hand was impressed by Dev and so was daadi. They shared a knowing look while Bijoy said, "Namastey beta. Haan humein pata hai ki aap log Shona ka achhey se dhyaan rakhengey. Par issey pehley Shona akeli, matlab humarey bina kahin gayi nahin naah, toh chinta toh hoti hi hai. Waise humein poora bharosa hai ki aap Shona ko theek se hi rakhengey. Uski itni tarakki ka shreye toh aapko hi jaata hai" he happily declared. Dev quickly nodded his head negatively saying "Arey nahin uncle, jo achha kam karein unki toh tarakki hona hi chahiye. Ismey meri koi contribution nahin."

Asha's smile just grew wider with his words. Not only was he a successful and hardworking boy but also had proper manners and was humble. Plus, she had noticed how her daughter talked about him and how she had been looking at him. It seemed like her daughter had finally found someone and now it made sense why her Shona was so worried about being "presentable" for her visit to the Dixit's house. She couldn't be happier. But she wouldn't discuss it now. She would wait for Sonakshi to return and only after having a heart to heart with her, would she talk to Bijoy. Coming back to the matter at hand she smiled at Dev and said "Arey nahin Dev babu. Aap ki bhi contribution hai. Aapneye ussey itna achha job jo diya. Waise beta tumhey hum sabka naam kaise pata chala?" she asked surprised that Dev had recognised everyone correctly.

Dev smiled slightly and said "Woh aunty, Dr. Bose aap sab ke baarein me kaafi saari batein karti hai". Saying that he turned to look at Sonakshi mischievously, while Sonakshi just gaped at him speechless because till date she had never told him about her family. She had only told Ishwari about them and that meant that Dev talked to his mother about her. She didn't know what to make of this, so she just snapped her mouth shut and looked down at her hands. Her heart had started betraying her once again. Right at that moment, Ritwik stepped towards Dev who was standing beside the car and said "Hello Mr. Dixit. I'm Ritwik Sen. Nice to meet you", he extended his hand towards Dev. Dev turned to him and assessed him with a calculating gaze and shook his hand without a smile. "Nice to meet you too Mr. Sen" but in reality, he was not pleased at all. He hadn't failed to notice that hug Sonakshi had shared with him and that had ruined his mood to some extent. Ritwik on the other hand didn't notice anything amiss. So, he continued "Mujhey aapko yeh batana tha ki Sona ko Flight me thoda darr lagta hai. She is scared of flying. Aur issey pehley she has just flown once. Toh aap uska thoda dhyaan rakhna." He said this while winking at Sonakshi who glared back at him. Dev glared at Ritwik even harder. But as his eyes were hidden behind the shades he had put back on, nobody saw it. Before replying to Ritwik, he turned to Sonakshi and asked, "Kya yeh sach hai Dr. Bose?" he couldn't help but smile a little. Sonakshi looked down embarrassed and chose not to reply. Riya laughed lightly and said "Koi baat nahin. Main aapko bilkul darrney nahin doongi!" As Riya said this Ritwik's eyes landed on her and he was stunned. He hadn't noticed Riya before but now that he had, he just couldn't take his eyes off her. Riya noticing his gaze looked down with a blush and Sonakshi having looked up at the right time caught the look between the two and smiled slyly looking at Riya and Ritwik. Noticing her look both cleared their throat and quickly looked away. Sonakshi felt excited at the prospect of playing cupid for someone.

But Dev noticed nothing because he was too busy making plans to kill Ritwik quietly and dispose of his dead body somewhere. Plus he also noticed that Ritwik referred to Sonakshi as Sona, not Dr. Bose and he absolutely hated that. Not being able to hold it in any longer he said "Lagta hai aap Dr. Bose ko kaafi achhey se jaantey hai." Ritwik agreed happily and said "Haan. Mujhsey achha Sona ko koi kaise janega. We are best friends. Right from our diaper days." Hearing that Dev narrowed his eyes and nodded his head. He mentally accepted Ritwik's challenge. In a few more days Dev would most definitely be the one who knew Sonakshi the best. Not wanting to waste any more time Dev said "Achha toh ab humein chalna chahiye." Nodding his head at the Bose family and Ritwik once again he opened the door and got into the car beside Sonakshi. This took Sonakshi by surprise. She was sandwiched between Riya and Dev And sitting beside him made her hyper aware of both her movements and Dev's. She should not have been surprised because she knew Dev would not let Kushal sit beside her. So, it was only logical that he would have to sit beside them. As the car moved forward Sonakshi smiled at her family and then sat back straight. Finally, her tour had begun and there was no going back now.

The entire way to the airport, Sonakshi sat up straight so that she would not have to accidently touch Dev and Dev did the same. Riya kept the atmosphere light with her constant chatter while Kushal kept quiet occasionally stealing glances at Sonakshi through the rear-view mirror. Sonakshi noticed these looks but she didn't feel scared. After all Dev was there right beside her. Nothing could happen. After what seemed like eternity, they reached they airport. Sonakshi was excited and listened to all the instructions that Riya kept giving her. After submitting their bags and going through security check, all of them acquired their boarding passes. As they sat waiting to board the plane, Sonakshi's nerves set in. "Mujhey plane me baithna parega" she said softly to herself. Her hands felt cold and she could feel a headache coming. Also, Kushal sat right across from her, his eyes never wavering from her. This just increased her tension even more. Riya tried to console her realising her fear but it did little to calm her. So, she sat quietly taking small deep breaths. Dev, busy on an important business call hadn't noticed her predicament yet.

As they announced boarding Riya held Sonakshi's hand and took her to the gate while Kushal followed. He had made elaborate plans to sit beside Sonakshi and "console" her. That would be his perfect opportunity. As they stepped inside the aeroplane Riya guided Sonakshi to her seat beside the window, which was a two seater. Riya's seat number was the one in front of Sonakshi's and she didn't know who would be sitting beside Sonakshi. Even though Kushal's seat was the one behind Sonakshi's he jumped in saying "Koi baat nahin Ms. Dixit. Main Dr. Bose ke side pe baith jaata hoon. Jiska bhi seat hoga, main request karoonga ki who mere seat pe baith jayein. Aapko bilkul darrneye ki zaroorat nahin hai Dr. Bose" He finished giving her a scary smile. Riya had no clue about Sonakshi and Kushal so she readily agreed saying "Buss Dr. Bose. Problem solved!" But Sonakshi was about to burst into tears. She didn't want to sit beside that monster. Her fears started escalating when Kushal made a move to sit beside her. Just as she was about to scream out a "Yahan mat baithna" to Kushal, she heard a voice that she had unknowingly been waiting for all this while. Dev calmly held Kushal's left shoulder and stopped him. "Uski koi zaroorat nahin hai Mr. Roy. That is my seat. Aapko apni seat sacrifice karney ki bilkul zaroorat nahin. Dr. Bose ka dhyaan main rakh loonga." he said smiling slightly. Kushal could have strangled Dev if he hadn't been his boss. Sitting down on his own seat he vowed to win the next time.

But Sonakshi was an entirely different story. Moving a stunned Kushal aside Dev took his seat beside Sonakshi, while Riya, content with the arrangement sat back on her seat without any worries. Sonakshi really did want to hug Dev this time. This was the third time he had come to her rescue and she was overjoyed. She stared at Dev in awe while he adjusted his seat and put on his seat belt. Dev noticing Sonakshi's stare smirked and said "Ms. Bose aap mujhey hi dekhti rahengi ya aapna seatbelt bhi lagayengi? Ya aap unn choti bachhiyon me seye hain jinhey seatbelt ke barein me nahin pata?" Sonakshi quickly looked away. Keeping her eyes on the seat in front of her she said trying to look firm "Nahin. Mujhey pata hai. Main koi chhoti bachhi nahin hoon." Snapping her seatbelt into position she looked back up towards Dev to find him smiling at her, "Waise Mr. Dixit, it's Dr. Bose for you" she said with as much sass that she could gather with Dev's eyes on her. Instead of getting angry Dev just smiled wider and said "As you say Dr.Bose."

Just then the plane slowly came to life and slowly rolled through the runway. As the air hostesses started with their safety demonstrations, Sonakshi sat straight. Her heart beat wildly as her fear returned. As the plane took off finally with a jerk Sonakshi shut her eyes tightly and held onto dev's hand. She hated this part the most. As the flight slowly gained a stable position in the air Sonakshi opened her eyes and looked a Dev but found that Dev's eyes were on something else. As she followed his gaze she found that he was looking at her hand on his and the moment she realized that, she snatched her hand away. But before she could retract her hand completely, Dev held on to it and brought it back right where it was. "Koi baat nahi Dr. Bose. Aap rakhiye apna haath yahan. Aapko toh darr lagta hi rahega naah. Toh jab bhi zyada darr lagey, Yaad rakhna ki main aapka haath nahin chhorney waala" he said looking at her intently. That look just stunned her. It seemed as if he meant something more than just that situation.

"Hey Bhagwaan" Sonakshi thought "tour shuru bhi nahin huyi aur meri yeh halat hai." Nodding slightly at Dev's words she turned her head to look out the window. She didn't try to retract her hand this time. As she closed her eyes and tried to control her wildly beating heart she could not decide if it was a result of her fear of flying or  because of the man sitting beside her with her hand in his.

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Aaj ke liye itna hi!

Once again. flowers tomatars chappals chocolates all are welcome!

Enjoy!