Smriti's POV

"Excuse me ma'am, we've reached the Piula Cave Pool." the person who was driving the motor boats tells after halting the boat.

Nush, Ritika, Natasa, Pritha and I exchange looks of confusion.

"Smriti, you have to get down over here" Anu instructs me.

"But why?" I frown in confusion and thoughts race through my mind making different theories about why I had to get down.

"Arre just do it na." Jess tells me.

"Are y'all planning on letting somebody kidnap me?" I joke as my confusion increases.

"Mhm yeah, something like that." Jess agrees with a playful grin and I groan at the vagueness of the situation.

"Guys bolo na kya hone waala hai." I pester them.

"It's a surprise for you, now get get down before we all push you out of this here and you accidentally drown." Kash tells me and I feign a glare at her

"Okay mom" I mumble as carefully place my leg out of the boat.

The boat leaves with all of my friends and my heart rate increases as I get anxious. I wondered what was I supposed to do as I look around in confusion.

A notification sound pops from my phone to see that I've received an email from a very random Email ID with a link attached to it.

I click onto it and it opens to show a GPS map which had the directions to the Piula Cave Pool. My hand's grip on my phone increases, was I actually being kidnapped?

If you're about to be kidnapped then why in the world would Jess, Anu and Kash ask you to get out of the boat? Stop overthinking, I scold myself.

A bunch of notification sounds pop up from my phone and I frown as I unlock the phone to see that I've received some texts.

Ishan:
Arre no one is going to kidnap you

Shreyas:
It's just a surprise for you!

Abhay:
Jaldi jao abhi

I couldn't help but let out a laugh at the coordination of the texts from these guys. So cheesy.

Although it was a walk of a few minutes away from here, I didn't mind the idea of going to Piula Cave Pool. I'd done some research before coming to Samoa and the cave pool was on the list of places that I wanted to visit, it was too stunning to look at in pictures.

After walking for a couple of minutes, the GPS map had indicated that I'd arrived at the entrance of the Cave Pool. The edges of the path had lights on them. I could already guess who had done this and all of it blew my mind.

Why did he have to take so much of effort for me?

"Shubman." I tell softy as I spot him standing beside the pool. I was just way too emotional to say anything else, and very nervous too. Which didn't make sense because I'd been out with him many times.

"Uh- hey." He tells I kinda planned this thing for us." I noticed that his hands were fidgeting nervously.

"Like- like a date?" I ask him.

"If you don't hate me then yes, it is a date" he tells me with a look of worry on his face.

"I was just hurt Shubman." I blurt out and continue "I've never hated you, if anything I've always been in love with you. Even though you're an idiot so many times."

"That I am." he tells with a sad smile on his face "I mean you were by my side for so long and I was so blind to notice that I had the person I need right with me. I mean I've ruined your life by asking you to marry me without even being honest with you."

"You haven't ruined my life" I tell him softly, noticing that he looked very guilty "Before we met again and decided to get married, I was upset because you dumped me for her but then I realised that it really wasn't in your hands. People fall out of love, it happens and I'm grateful that you didn't cheat on me but rather chose to be honest with me."

"I would've never cheated on you, you deserved much better. When we decided to get married, you threw our past in the back and decided to start it all again with me. I should've told you that I broke up with Ananya a few months ago and wasn't over her totally. You deserved to know that because well, You were getting married to me Smri. That's not a small thing to hide from somebody you're going to spend the next years of your life with." he explains his realisation and a small smile forms on my face.

I go one step forward to get closer to him and take his mind. "I feel like we shouldn't let our past ruin our present and future anymore, now that everything is cleared between us." I muse.

"You're right. Let's start over again, Mrs.Gill?" he asks me with a smile, the last two words intending to tease me.

"I'm convinced that you'll stop calling me by my first name and keep calling me Mrs.Gill just to make me blush." I mumble as I playfully glare at him.

"Don't tell me that you don't like it though." he tells me and a smile forms on my face knowing that he wasn't wrong.

"Okayyy so what shall we do first: just sit and relax for a bit, swin or have food?" he asks me.

"We could do all of that??" I ask him as my eyes widen in surprise.

"Of course we are, why do you think I booked this entire place?" he tells me with a small smirk, his dimples.

I go closer to him and kiss him on the cheek, this time his eyes widen him surprise and a blush appears on his cheek.

"You're the best." I tell him with a huge grin on my face.

"You deserve the best." he tells me as he gives my hand a little squeeze.

Published on: 22 March 2022.