Hie
I'm eating apple pie
Don't know how to tie a TIE
And this rhyming sucks, sigh!

DO NOT READ IT AGAIN, YOU MIGHT GET A CARDIAC ARREST!

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"...........
Nothing, you should go, let me help you pack" these words came from a heavy heart. The heart which always craved for someone who could stay longer than they generally do. The heart who has always embraced all the pains and gain with no one but a mirror image. For once she felt, with what we may call intuition, that she's no longer going to be the only one who will stay with her. But at the same time she felt like his departure was not happening for good.
She tried to whisk her thoughts away and reminded herself that she is SELFISH, if the world is not, she is, she can stay with herself, care for herself, and love herself. That's all she has been doing since the beginning of her senses right.

Dev was watching at her face which was lost for a time and then all he could find was her neutral countenance which he was dreading to see. The same face was back again from the first time he saw her, the same face which never shows what turmoil is happening inside and what destruction it's causing. It never shows.

They walked unanimously toward his dorm without saying a single word. So to lighten up the mood Dev decided to break the ice.

"Oh boy do I hate packing and stuff"

"Really?(chuckles) well give me the bag, I'll do it"

Dev picked the bag from the corner and put it on the bed while she was sitting beside it. She opened it and all she could find was piles of clothes not even folded, just there randomly. Some are rolled while some are just shrunk and stuffed inside.

"God Dev it's a mess really"

"I know" he shrugged to which she nods unbelievably.

"Now go and collect your clothes you have used. Make sure you don't forget anything."

"Right on it" and he started searching for all the things and clothes he have used since last few days. Sonakshi saw him looking beneath the bedsheet, behind the dressing table, inside bathroom and many more un-visited places for her and he did find things there, she just facepalmed herself regretting her lately decisions.

"Here they are"

"Yucks man, you don't even wash them, you are so ewww"

"Alright alright...I'm sorry for not being Christian Grey madam.."

"Who?"

"Oh dear lord...so it's just not Bollywood huh..."

"Oh shut up"

And she started unpacking things first and then folded each cloth neatly and placed them inside the bag properly. To dev's surprise everything fitted inside and the bag closed without any hard efforts.

"Oh my god...it never got locked  before me sitting on it, what are you...some some BAG god?"

"Aww..I see the bag has been so mean to you.....it's okay I told it not to annoy you anymore." And laughs while he just pouts and looks at her.

They walk out of the room with all his stuffs. She started walking towards the parked car when Dev called her name while standing outside her dorm.

"What happened?" She asked while coming back to him.

"Sonakshi...this is exactly where I found out a whole new dimension of yours....and " and he stopped for some reason,  guess some lump in throat or something....

The events of that night started playing naked right in front of her eyes and she smiled but then suddenly her vision got glassy and she ridiculed herself for it. She was never into the vulnerable woman clan the world knew about. She was always the one who broke stereotypes and walked far far away from worldly emotions. Dev happened to be the only one in her entire 26 years life who found the little pearl coming out of her shell and shining out in the world. He was the only one who broke the oyster and found the whole new Sonakshi inside. She had given him some unknown authorities automatically and now she relies on him...for happiness.

Dev was staring at the dressing table and chair in front it. While sonakshi just reminded herself that she can't be weak here because obviously, her weakness should only come out when she and her mirror is present.
Dev shook her shoulder and she hung her head low immediately to avoid his view. A part of her wanted to tie him from the dressing table and never let him open the rope but oh! That's selfish.

Dev came closer to her and kissed her forehead. He stayed there for like a minute and sonakshi kept inhaling and exhaling on his Adam's apple. He lowered to her nose and pecked it too but this time she didn't twitch.

"I will reach you as soon as possible. I'm not gonna go away Sonakshi. You.....you define happiness to me" and there she looks up. All the loneliness and pain she was having since the minute he decided to go away was gone...just vanished for she got a whole punch of trust right on her face.  He was having the same feeling. She told herself she won't be alone anymore and he will reach her as he said.

"I'll wait Dev..I'm not the one to do so but something right now is telling me to wait.....for you"

"Yeah and I'm not moving to Jupiter right"

"Hah...yes" and they started walking towards the car smilingly.

*************

He reached Navi Mumbai at dawn. He hastly got out of the car and knocked the door. After a few minutes Baba came and opened the door lazily.

"Baba...Tula kai zale{ what happened to you}

"Deva...tu aa gya beta...{you came son}"
And baba hugs him lovingly. Dev embraced him too and relaxed for his tension was released, baba seemed safe and sound.

Dev kept asking him questions about why he called him out of blue and if there's anything he has been hiding from him but baba just dodged all the questions and told Dev to sleep as he was driving whole night.
They slept together.

Next morning, Dev woke up rubbing his eyes thinking of going to meet sonakshi but then he suddenly realised he was in Navi Mumbai now, at his home. He searched for baba but couldn't find him so he checked the time and found out it was 11'o clock so he probably would be in hotel by now.
He woke up and made himself some lemon tea.

Reaching the hotel he found baba finally. Baba greeted him morning and asked him to come in his office he needed to talk to him.

In the office.

"Dev....I have got to tell you some things you need to hear me patiently, without repelling okay."

"Hmm...mi ekat aahe{I'm listening}"

"I have found a girl.....for me"

"Girl?...it should be aunty baba.."

"I knew.....you were jealous of me"

"Oh shut up...stop fooling around"

"(Laughs) achha achha..Deva..I've got lung cancer"

"Who bloody hell said that?"

"I have been going for checkups since last few days and the report came yesterday"

".................."

"Deva they said I don't have much time"

"Baba stop...just stop yar...I don't like these jokes"

"(He walked up to him and held his shoulder) beta...I wish this was a joke..I wanted to see your kids annoying you like you do to me,(sniffs) but your old man's old lungs retired now...."

Dev started crying. He couldn't believe all the feelings he was trying to shoo away last night while driving were turning true somehow. Baba was actually sick. He never had known his real parents who left him at the street. Since his senses has awakened all he knew were Aai and Baba, and four years ago loosing Aai was not easy at all for him. Loosing a mother never is.
His hands started shaking merely thinking that he will be an orphan...and he will have no one as a family. Baba hugged him and Dev hugged him back immediately and more tightly.

After sometime they broke the hug and baba took a seat beside him. He held his hands and said
"Dev..your aai was the one who took care of everyone, after her, it's you for me and me for you. But now I need you to go away from me and find someone like your aai who can take care of you. I don't want you stuck with me beta.. I can't see your life getting wasted because of me...so go..." Was stopped in between.

"Tu Veda zala aahes ka??{ have you gone nuts} go away go away...where baba....where....back to the street from where you picked me, or back to the parents I don't fucking know? Go away...what do you think your raised me into....a mean guy who will leave you at this condition to set his life...find a girl and marry her... seriously hats off to Indian parents man...you guys are soooooooo dramatic, really"

"But Dev..."

"No....don't 'dev' me now..I'm not going anywhere.....what is your problem...I'll give you privacy with your girls..don't worry, and yes....you can make all the noises..." And got smacked five times consecutively from baba.

They hugged again wishing to not show each other any kind of devastation happening in both of them. The emotions are always the biggest dote to weaken someone, only if they are close to you.

************************************

Huff, god I would have started crying myself if have had continued exaggerating some more pain.

Anyways, do tell me if you like it...and you know the way.

Precap:- Inaugeration  party of Lonavala hotel.

Stay safe and happy
Do vote for the chappie

Start working on your rhyming or you will get a slappy!

Signing off
Shruti!