CHAPTER 3

11 months ago

Shesha

@Sshesha

Vehicle Parking, Annie Besant University / Evening 3 PM

Laura sits on her scooter and drives out of the parking. While Dev is clueless on what she is up to. 

Laura - "Dev, sit behind me."

Dev - "Yeah, but where are we going?"

Laura - "Come on, Dev. Don't ask many questions and just come with me."

Dev - "But Laura..."

Laura - "Take your seat, Mr. Devrath Dixit. Else you have to face wrath of Ms. Laura Dutta."

Laura says in a dramatic tone.

Dev - "As you say, madam sahiba."

Dev laughs and sit in the scooty.

Before Laura starts her scooty, Ritesh runs to her scooter and takes the key out of it immediately.

Laura sighs upon his antics. Dev gets annoyed.

Dev - "What's your problem, Ritesh?"

Ritesh - "This girl is my problem. What will you do, bro?"

Dev - "Don't beat around the bush. Tell us clearly. We have some urgent work."

Laura - "Don't talk to this idiot and all. I know how to respond to this guy."

Laura gets down from her bike and tried to grab the key from his hold. Ritesh didn't give up and lifted his hands up. 

Laura starts jumping to his hand's height but in vain.

Ritesh smirked at Laura.

Ritesh - "You have the beauty with no brain, princess."

Laura - "Princess my foot, you donkey!"

Laura jumps and holds his hair tightly. Ritesh started screaming and hold Laura's legs and lifted her up and rotates. Laura tried to get out of his hold.

Dev tried to resolve the fight but the catfight went out of control. Laura slightly twists her body which made Ritesh lose his balance and he fell down and Laura is upon him.

Laura tries to get the key from him but Ritesh managed to take control over her and put Laura on the ground and him over her.

Dev goes in between them and splitted both of them and asked both of them to shut up.

Dev - "What childish behaviour is this! That too in college... Glad that its freshers party. That's why no one is here. Otherwise..."

Laura - "Ask this guy to give my key. Otherwise I'll kill him."

Ritesh - "Ask her to apologise me."

Dev - "Apology? For what?"

Ritesh - "She spoilt my car by throwing stones and broke the front glass. And now, she is acting too innocent."

Laura - "What nonsense? Why should I damage your car? I should only damage your jaw for messing up with me yesterday."

Ritesh - "Since you're strong enough to break my jaw, you damaged my car."

Their proximity got closer as they are again heading for a fist fight.

Laura - "I didn't do it. Dev, at least you trust me."

Dev - "Okay guys. Calm down."

Ritesh and Laura took a step back. Ritesh took Dev and Laura to his car. It was severely damaged. 

Dev - "Oh my god!"

Laura - "I am not responsible for this."

Ritesh - "Don't lie blatantly. It's very obvious that you did it out of revenge."

Laura - "You can't make baseless allegations on me as such, Ritesh."

Dev - "Stop it, guys. Once again."

Another dead silence.

Dev - "Ritesh, do you have any proof that Laura did it?"

Ritesh shows the trunk of the car where it was written, "You better rot in the hell, you douchebag."

Laura whispers, "No wonder why truth taste bitter."

Dev signs her to be silent.

Dev - "How could you say that its written by Laura?"

Ritesh - "Simply because she couldn't match my dance moves and the frustration was evident on her face. Secondly, her ego... Thirdly, except her, no one has the guts to do such thing to my car."

Laura - "Wait a minute. You're speaking as if you're a saint. The whole college is aware of your flamboyance and your love stories. So anyone can do this."

Dev - "Laura is right. Someone else could have done it."

Laura - "Also, this is written in peach colored lipstick. I rarely use lipstick and it is only red."

Clap sounds are being heard. Ritesh, Laura and Dev looks behind. 

It is Vani and Akshata.

Ritesh - "You two? "

Vani - "Yes, why not?"

Akshata - "We are together and we both did this to your car, Mr. Ritesh Deshmukh."

Ritesh gets angry and shouts, "How dare you both? You don't know how special this car is to me... You don't know what you've done to me."

Akshata - "Not really too much."

Vani - "Yes. We were foolish enough to go behind a guy like you and even our friendship got broken because of you."

Ritesh - "When you let a third person decide your friendship between you two, then it's not really a friendship."

Vani - "Shut up, We've had enough of you. You deserve this."

Vani and Akshata goes.

Laura too pulled Dev and goes.

Ritesh punches the wall. 

***

One hour later

Laura takes Dev to the bakery. Laura made Dev sit in a chair and she goes to the shopkeeper.

Laura - "Susheela, is everything ready? Especially the sugar free cake. "

Susheela - "Yeah Laura. Everything is ready. Shall I send the ice cream first?"

Laura - "Yeah fine. It should also.."

Susheela - "be sugar free as your Dev is a fitness freak and avoids all unhealthy components etc etc..."

Laura sheepishly smiled.

Susheela - "Seriously girl... you're telling this to me for the 10th time today. Seriously, you're not trusting your friend."

Laura - "Oh sweety Sushu... I trust you but the thing is all about Dev."

Susheela - "Even I heard this dialogue too... Main tumhe trust karti hoon par baat meri Dev ki."

Laura smiled. 

Susheela - "Go and look after your man. I'll bring the ice cream."

Laura goes and sits.

Dev - "Who is she? I'm surprised that you smiled and talked with her. Something is fishy."

Laura patted his shoulders.

Laura - "She was my childhood friend. It's her new start-up."

Dev - "That's cool."

Susheela served a cup of ice cream for Dev and Laura. Dev was about to refuse but Laura let him not.

Laura - "It is sugar free, Dev. Don't worry."

Dev smiles and takes the cup.

They started eating. They chatted for some more time.

Susheela brings something covered with a lid. She kept it on the table.

Laura opened it, "Tadaaa...."

Dev is shocked to see such surprise from Laura. He felt embarrassing and tried to hide it. Laura noted it.

Laura closes the lid.

Laura - "Oh come on, Dev. These people just made assumptions when they see a boy and girl together. Stupid people."

Dev didn't speak anything.

Susheela served them pancakes to cover up.

Laura - "Chalo Dev... let's eat the cake."

Laura and Dev started eating the cake.

Laura and Dev come out of the cafe. Dev holds Laura's hands.

Dev - "Susheela is your friend, right? Then, how did she make such assumption?"

Laura - "So what, Dev? It's just an assumption."

Dev - "The cake sent was also not meant for couple. That's for proposing. How would they assume like that?"

Laura didn't speak.

Laura - "No one assumed anything. I was about to propose you. But your reaction gave me the answer. So I didn't let the topic grow."

Dev - "Laura..."

Laura - "What Dev? I guess my assumption wasn't wrong, right?"

Dev - "Leave that, Laura. But from when..."

Laura - "For 8 months..."

Dev thinks, "Sorry Laura... I don't even know that you're feeling such thing for me. But I'm can't think of you in such a way. You're my best friend and that's it. Also, I find Sonakshi could complete me. I don't know how to tell this to you and make you understand."

Laura - "Come on, Dev. I got that you're not feeling romantic with me. That's fine. It's not needed that you have to feel the same way that I feel for you. But once if you feel, let me know. I'll be there for you."

Dev stood awestruck.

Dev - "Laura..."

Laura - "I hope this incident won't affect our friendship, right?"

Dev - "No... never. Our friendship is beyond everything."

Laura smiled.

Laura sits on her scooter. She gets a call from her mom. She attends the call carelessly as she pulled the side stand of the scooter. The scooter fell down along with her in a nick of second before Dev could help it.

Dev shouted, "Laura..."

Laura shouted as the scooter fell on her legs.

Dev took Laura out from scooter's grip. He took a taxi and admitted Laura in the hospital.

***

Bose house / Night 7 PM

Naina took all the materials from the almirah to clean the house. Somnath is also helping her,

Somnath finds a DVD cassette and it is written 'Naina weds Somnath'.

Somnath - "I got it. I was searching this cassette tape for years. Naina, it is our marriage video."

Naina - "So what. Go and fill some water in the bucket."

Somnath - "Oh Naina... Who needs water now... We got such a precious thing now."

Naina - "Somnath ji... you're just blabbering. What is the use of this cassette tape? We can't even use it to watch the video. Even if you give to someone to retrieve the data, quality would be lost. So go and bring water."

Somanth - "We don't need anything or anyone for retrieving. Because where Somnath is there, there is a solution."

Naina - "So what are you going to do?"

Somnath - "I'm going to repair this cassette."

Naina - "Then who will help me?"

Somanth - "Help yourself Naina ji... There is a proverb na... Self help is the best help."

Naina - "Seriously... I regret for calling you for help. I am going to self help myself and you just watch."

Naina angrily goes to the bathroom to fill water.

Sonakshi comes home. Sonakshi looks at her father looking deeply into the cassette and all the things are stacked here and there.

Naina comes there with bucket and looks at Sonakshi who is looking dull.

Naina - "Is it my daughter? You came home so early."

Sonakshi - "Mom, don't make fun of me. You're telling as if I always come home lately. Only if I have workload, I'll come late sometimes."

Sonakshi pouts and Naina smiles.

Sonakshi - "Maa... what's going here? Why is baba looking at something too keenly that he even ignored my presence. And please keep the bucket down. It's too heavy."

Naina - "Okay leave that...  Sit here. No no... Go and freshen up. Then, come here. I'll make something for you."

Naina sends Sonakshi to the washroom. She stares at Somnath who is very focussed on cassette. Naina goes.

Sonakshi comes and sit on the sofa. Sonakshi also stares at her dad.

Naina brings Mango Smoothie and fried fish for her. Naina too sits with her.

Sonakshi starts eating the fish.

Naina - "I know you came early to spend time with your mom. Right? My sweet Shona..."

Sonakshi - "Haan ma... I came early to ask you if the groom came here to meet you."

Naina - "Very funny... Ha ha ha... ha ha ha... I laughed."

Somnath - "Actually he came. He saw her shouting at me. So he ran away."

Sonakshi and Somnath laughed. 

Naina - "I was calling you for 1000 times and you weren't responding. But when a joke is made on me, you're the first to respond. Drama king..."

Sonakshi - "Mom, you didn't answer yet."

Naina - "Stop joking and finish your food. Not even a drop should be left in the smoothie." 

Sonakshi - "Okay mom." 

Sonakshi completed the smoothie and finished eating the fish.

Naina - "Now tell me, why are you looking dull?"

Sonakshi - "Nothing mom. I'm just normal."

Somnath - "Do you think that we didn't notice it just because we are busy with our works?"

Sonakshi - "I am just feeling tired. That's it."

Naina - "You don't even leave a second to make fun of me everytime no matter what. But you just obeyed today as it is when I simply diverted the topic."

Sonakshi lays her head on Naina's head.

Sonakshi - "I don't know mom. I feel people are just using me for their selfish needs. I'm not liking it."

Naina - "In what sense?"

***

Hospital / half an hour later

Laura is sitting on the hospital bed with plaster on one of her legs. There was a fracture on her right leg and it'd take at least a month for healing. The doctor has advised her not to go college for the next one and half month.

Tanushree is caressing Laura's head. Dev is holding her hands.

Dev - "Are you feeling okay now?"

Laura - "Yeah, the pain is less now."

Dev - "Take care of yourself, Laura."

Tanushree - "Yeah Laura. You should not go anywhere. Whatever you need will come to your house."

Laura - "Okay mom. But I miss dancing."

Dev - "It's just a matter of few months, Laura. Everything will get fine."

Laura nods.

A nurse came and asked Tanushree and Dev to go outside as Laura needed rest. 

Laura kept her head on the pillow and tears overflow from her eyes.

Laura - "I wished if you love me, Dev."

To be continued...