(🚨 Very long chapter ahead 🚨)

°∆~×~∆°

"You have the gifts, right?"

Nikhil shot me a glare from the back view mirror of his car when I asked him that question for the tenth time in just fifteen minutes. Mom scolded me to stop bugging him and just relax; I was overreacting to everything since morning.

"For the last time I am saying this: you look good, your dress matches your earrings, your hair is fine, and we have taken all gifts," Nikhil said like he was reading a grocery list.

He told me to stop distracting him from the driving, or we would all end up dying in an accident. I, Mom and Nikhil's mother were in his car while Dad and Avasthi Uncle were coming from another car.

We were going to Veer's birthday party, and I was hell of a nervous because my mind had decided to voluntarily shut off its major function of logical thinking ever since it heard Ved saying that he had a surprise for me.

"We are here," Nikhil announced and parked the car in the parking lot of The Rajput Mansion.

"Doesn't it look just out of some movie?" Mom commented.

Avasthi Aunty nodded and both women started chatting about the Rajput family and the decorations as we headed inside the huge residence after showing our official invitations. Dad and Nikhil's father also joined us soon and their reactions were the same as Mom's.

While my troop was busy admiring the beautiful yellow and sky blue decorations along with multicolored balloons floating in the whole premise, confetti covering the floor like foam and tables set up for the guests, my gaze was continuously darting around to see if Natural Heater was around or not.

"Thank you for coming," Veer's mom said with a dazzling smile.

She was looking really pretty in a grey saree, just like my Mom and Nikhil's mother who were clad in a maroon and rose pink sarees respectively. Even our dads were looking dashing in suits - I wondered if I was looking good or not.

(Veer's mom's outfit👆)

(Sandhya's mom's outfit👆)

(Nikhil's mom's outfit👆)

"Do I even have to say anything?" Krittika Aunty teased me.

I hugged her and asked for her sons. She informed me that Ved was getting Veer ready, and both brothers would soon announce their presence. After chit-chatting for a bit, we made ourselves comfortable, and my girl gang spotted me too.

I joined them and we began talking about random topics. I had to because Surbhi and Divya were busy torturing me by faking that Ved had arrived, and then laughing at my reaction. Tanya and Rashi were enjoying me getting teased, while my boy gang was busy in the opposite corner - they looked really engrossed in the conversation they were having.

"They are here," Tanya said.

My eyes widened when I saw Ved coming downstairs with Veer in his arms. Both brothers' appearances were jaw-dropping: Veer was looking like a soft toy, dressed in a white jumpsuit, while Ved was making my heart race with his flawless appearance in the royal blue suit. Beside them, I noticed a man, about Dad's age, smiling at the guests and when the three of them reached downstairs, Veer jumped in that man's arms.

(Veer's outfit👆)

(Ved's outfit👆)

I nodded to myself as I realised that the man was none other than Jaiwant Rajput, Ved and Veer's father. After noticing the joyful interactions between Ved and his dad, I felt relieved knowing that their relationship had improved from the last time I saw Jaiwant Uncle.

One by one, the Rajput family greeted its guests, and I felt my cheeks hurting with all blushing when my family's turn came. I was honestly surprised when Ved's dad recognised me and hugged me like he had found his long lost daughter. He shot a look at his elder son, who gave him a short nod and winked at me when his father turned his attention back on me.

"It feels so good to see you again," Jaiwant Uncle said.

"Same here, Uncle." I smiled.

He smiled back and then began talking with Dad as if they had known each other for ages; just like Surbhi, Dad was also a people's magnet. When the older generation was busy with each other, I noticed Veer waiting impatiently and tugging on Ved's hand. But Ved was staring holes in my face, so he didn't notice that his brother was asking for his attention.

"Are you trying to turn me into ashes with your stare?" I asked Ved as I went beside Veer and sat down to his level.

"Happy birthday, Veer." I shook his hand. "No one is looking after the birthday boy?"

Veer nodded sadly, and I hugged him. "Don't worry. I will tell them to hurry up, okay?"

I laughed when Veer began complaining about how much time his parents were taking, and he was already feeling tired after saying hello to everyone - he just wanted to cut the cake and spend the rest of his time opening up his presents.

"He is getting restless. Shouldn't you start?" I suggested.

Ved thought for a minute, and then went to talk to his parents about the same. Few minutes later, Krittika Aunty came and apologized to Veer for the long introductions. Jaiwant Uncle promised his younger son that his party would start in a few seconds, and he did complete his promise.

Soon, Ayush arrived with a six-tier cake on a trolley and placed it in the middle of the hall. Veer ran towards him, and Ayush picked him up to show him the full cake. A huge smile broke out on my face after seeing Veer's delighted expression and how much he was excited for his birthday party.

After the announcement, everyone gathered around Veer and began singing the birthday song. When he was allowed to cut the cake, he thanked us and fed his elder brother the first piece and then moved to his parents. Veer's friends clapped loudly, and Krittika Aunty told everyone that they could go now and help themselves in the buffet.

Few people left to get their hunger curbed, while others stayed to give Veer his gifts and congratulate him once more. While the toddlers were having a nice time giggling and bouncing around, Veer's eyes kept shifting in my direction. On a closer look, I noticed that more than me, he was curious about my gift.

The little guy had a really good memory afterall, but I wasn't going to let the history repeat itself. There were a lot of guests present along with kids from Veer's school, so I knew it would ruin his party if I did the same mistake I did eight years ago in Ayush's birthday bash.

Thus, when my turn came, I grabbed the green coloured box from the table and headed in his direction. He gave me his sweet smile when I reached him, and he fed me a piece of cake before I handed him his gift. When we were done feeding each other, Veer took his present and asked his brother if he could open it.

Ved nodded and Veer began opening up the box. I stepped back to give him some space and waited in anticipation for his reaction. I saw his eyes twinkle as he removed the wrapping paper, but instead of being really happy, Veer scrunched his eyebrows in confusion as he saw the remote control helicopter's image on the box.

As to confirm his doubt, he shot me a glance and opened the box in a hurry. He took out the helicopter and narrowed his eyes at the toy. He was staring at the toy for so long that I started getting worried. His reaction wasn't like what I had expected at all; even Shree was confused as he had helped me in picking up the present.

"Why did you gift me this?" Veer whisper yelled and looked at me with hurtful eyes. "You broke your promise."

He didn't give me a chance to respond and took off in the direction of his room. He threw the helicopter on the couch before zooming off like Flash, and I ran after him when my brain finally turned back on its functioning mode. I knew Ved was also confused after seeing his brother react like that, but he wouldn't have spared me for making Veer cry.

I followed Veer and managed to reach his room before he banged the door on my face. I got in and saw him sitting on his bed with arms crossed across his chest. He refused to look at me and told me to leave.

"Mom has told me not to trust people who can't keep their promise," he said.

"But I got you a present, no?"

I thought that I would be able to change his mind, but I learned that you should never lie to anyone, especially kids. I crouched in front of him and tried to take his hand in mine, but he swatted my hand away.

"You didn't like the helicopter?"

"Why would I like it when it isn't what I wanted? You had promised me that you would buy the tea-set for my birthday but you didn't. Why did you lie?"

"I didn't want you to get hurt," I mumbled.

Why does everything I do has to turn out like this?

"Sorry, Veer, but I don't want others to make fun of you."

Veer huffed. "But they will do it now because I already told them about the gift."

"Why did you do that?" I complained.

He shot me a glare, making me realise that I was blaming him for my mistake. After seeing that he was really hurt by my betrayal, I didn't see any other option than to call up Nikhil and tell him to bring the other gift box from his car. I told him to do it secretly and not let anyone get suspicious.

Fortunately, I kept Veer distracted by talking nonsense, and Nikhil arrived with the main present in his hands, but behind him, I saw Ved and Ayush enter the room too.

"Didn't I tell you to come alone?" I scolded Nikhil.

He gave me a flat look and gave the red gift box to Veer. The Little Rajput instantly unwrapped it and glowed like a star after receiving his anticipated present. At lightning speed, he jumped on me and thanked me for gifting him the tea-set like he had requested.

"Are you happy now?" I asked while shooting a nervous glance at his brother and Ayush.

"Thank you, Sandhya Didi!" Veer gave me a tight squeeze.

After smiling at his gift, he picked it up and bounced few times. "Finally, I got it!" he yelled and dashed out of the room.

What the? Is he really going to show it to others? Am I doomed since birth?

"It is okay, Sandhya," Ved said, but I shook my head.

"No, it is definitely not okay." I began my second sprint, with the guys following behind me.

My efforts of catching Veer turned out useless as he was already surrounded by his friends and was proudly showing off his gift to them. Ved caught me before I interrupted the kids and told me to stop overreacting. Ayush and Nikhil also told me that everything was fine, but I didn't believe them.

I was hundred percent sure that my decision of coming to the party was going to turn out to be the worst decision of the century, but when I saw Veer's friends, especially the girl named Lavanya, smile and congratulate Veer for getting the toy, I was flabbergasted.

All of the kids giggled and nodded when Veer asked them to join his tea party. Neither the boys made fun of him, nor did girls. No one was pointing fingers at him and teasing him about his choice of toys. I smiled at him when he glanced at me and began playing with his friends.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about," Ved said.

"But I thought that-"

"We get it. It is not your fault." Ayush hugged me and patted my back.

Nikhil also joined the hug, and Ved told Shreyas to start the songs. Soon, a sweet melody engulfed the whole place and the hall was converted into a dance floor. The kids started dancing in random pairs and groups, while the adults danced as couples.

Parth arrived and took Ayush and Nikhil with him after giving me a hug himself. He told me to relax and enjoy the party. My girl gang also advised me the same and told me to stop looking like a person who had a lot of burdens on her shoulders. When everyone was done reassuring me, Ved extended his right hand forward and gave me a smile which made me feel all fuzzy and warm in a millisecond.

"Can I have a dance with you?" he asked.

Surbhi pushed me forward, and Mom gave me a nod when I looked at her. I took Ved's hand, and he pulled me on the dance floor, my body flush against him. I tried to control my eyes from roaming all over him, but I couldn't help it.

"You are looking really handsome," I said.

He always did.

He grinned and ducked his head near my right ear. "And you are looking like a monkey."

(Sandhya's outfit👆)

I opened my mouth to counter attack, but he kissed my cheek and tightened his grip on my waist. He stared at me, and for a minute, I thought I saw his eyelids not moving at all - his chocolate orbs were dancing on my face, just like we were, not caring what was going on around us. It felt like we had to say a lot, but we didn't need to; we already knew what we felt.

"Sandy Pandy, I-"

"My turn," Veer said and tugged on my skirt.

Ved pursed his lips, and I concealed my smile as I saw him trying to keep his blush under control. Instead of getting angry at his brother for interrupting us, Ved made space for him and told him to dance all he wanted.

Veer thanked his brother and asked me if he could have a dance with me. I was so impressed by him that I instantly agreed. Since there was a significant height difference, I bent down at Veer's level and twirled him around.

"Didn't you say that Lavanya will be jealous after seeing your tea-set?" I asked.

"I also thought so, but I am happy that she wasn't," Veer said. "She agreed to play with me too."

I nodded and picked him up. We danced to an upbeat song, and after twenty minutes, both of us got tired. While Veer was back on the floor just after five minutes of resting, I felt like I had broken my waist. I rested for a few minutes, and then decided to get some fresh air. Divya had sent me a text saying that all of the them were hanging outside, so I could join them too.

It seemed like a good idea, so I ambled towards the backyard and reached a lavish garden, but I didn't see any of my friends. I decided to stroll while looking for them when I sensed a presence behind me. I turned around with a smile as I knew who it was.

"Catch me!" Ved yelled and ran towards me.

He wrapped his arms around me and balanced us before we both fell down. "I forgot how much fun it was."

I laughed at his enthusiasm, but he turned serious - and all red. While he was having an inner conversation with himself, I took a good look at him. I had fallen in love with my childhood arch-nemesis, whom I earlier wanted to kill even if we were the last people alive on earth. Also, I noticed that even though we were not enemies anymore, we were not friends too; we never mentioned anything about that.

"Ved?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you like to be my friend?"

He widened his eyes in surprise. "Friends?"

I nodded, and he asked again, "Friends with you?"

I was about to nod again, but when I saw his pupils dilate, I thought that I was transported in some other world. My body heated up, and I saw my reflection clear in his eyes.

"What if I want to be more than friends?" he asked.

I blinked rapidly, and before I could get my mind to make up a reply, Ved descended his lips on mine and pulled me closer. I felt my brain short-circuiting as I let the feeling of his lips slowly register, the tingles spreading throughout my body, and Natural Heater was also heating up to gazillion joules.

Ved traced my lips and broke the kiss after turning me into a tomato. "I love you, Sandy Pandy. I know I wasted a lot of time while worrying about the right timing, but I can't wait anymore. I love you, and I don't want to lose you."

After giving me another heart attack by kissing me again, he planted a kiss on my forehead and cupped my cheeks.

"You look pale, Sandhya."

Did he just kiss me? Did Ved just kiss me? I am not dreaming, right? Oh my god, I had my first kiss with Ved! I can die peacefully now.

"Sandhya? Hey!"

I felt my soul waving at me and dancing in circles. She told me that I wasn't dreaming, and it was all real. I nodded at her and moved my eyes back at Ved, but instead of seeing my Princess' face, I saw the blanket of darkness surround me.

I felt a soft touch on my cheek and heard Ved's worried voice, but I couldn't get why he was yelling my name like that. Soon, my mind sent a signal to shut off, and it was all black.