She squealed in fright but was saved by her gusty as in reflex he held her pulling her by her waist tightly. They were very close, face to face and Janhavi's eyes closed in anticipation as gusty teased her face with the tip of his index finger stopping just near her lips and pulling her up and closer.

"At last, bulana hi pada naa gusty. To itne bhav kyu jaan?" He again called her jaan as he spoke against her lips. He found her trembling and her eyes were still closed while his finger tip still rested near her lower lip.

He pinched her nose softly finding her in her own thoughts smiling. That's when she was brought back to being hurt.

"Kya bulaya tumne?" She asked to confirm if she had heard it right twice and Agastya as usual played innocent. "Kuch bhi to nahi jaanu. Tune kya suna?"

And she slapped Agastya, although not harder. He was taken by surprise. "Fuck! You slapped me. Kyu lekin?"

"Mera bus chale to tumko kapde jaisa dho dalu. Fucking moron! Dare you ask kyu? You have the audacity to even ask kyu? Really?" She was angry.

"Baby main to pyaar kar raha tha!" Agastya tried defending himself as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sorry! I mean jaanu main to pyaar se baat kar raha tha. Slip of tongue!" He chuckled and Janhavi hit him with few more punches on his arm and torso.

"Ouch! Why are you hitting me jaanu maanu?" He asked trying to dodge.

"Kyuki you made me cry all these years. Fuck your jaanu maanu. Might have been after girls, made girlfriends and forgot me, abandoned me in the middle of no where and have the guts to ask why? And to top it all, behaving as if nothing has happened. You're a moron Agastya!" She cried being hurt.

He held her by her arms and made her look at him. "I was after no other girl ever except one. It's you dumbo. You are the only one I have always wanted and needed. You are the only one I have always loved!"

She grew nervous finding him confess his feelings. Although it made her happy beyond imagination. Agastya shared further what he had felt when they had distanced.

"I felt when the distance grew, I thought that you'll move on with studies, career and your relationship."

It hurt her again bringing her to tears as she looked at him in his eyes, disappointingly.

"Koi relationship successful hota hi kaise kisi aur ke sath? Nobody was my gusty! Jab tumhare alawa kisi ko kabhi dekha hi nahi us tarah. You never wanted me to be around any other guy since childhood and honestly I never felt the need to, when I always had you. When you were the only one I needed and wanted! Are you a fool to even think your jaanu could move on? Move on, without her gusty?"

And with this she broke down into sobs, conveying him without words how hurt she had been. How could he even think that she would move on without him. She shared how the distance made her life miserable.

"Maine bachpan se kabhi seekha hi nahi gusty ke bina enjoy karna, khush rahna. Yaa kisi aur ko wo spot dena jo sirf mere gusty ka hai, hamesha se!There has always been only one bestie, the only companion my heart ever wanted to be around. But then the distance and your changed behaviour pushed me to a different kind of loneliness. There were a lot of people around but I wanted nobody but you. Aise kaise best friend the tum Gusty? How did you even think that distancing yourself would ever ease my life?"

Her heartfelt feelings were brought out in open. She was deeply wounded and disappointed in him. Although, she thanked her stars to have brought her gusty back in her life. But the pent up emotions and hurt were flowing with tears. Looking at her broken so badly and her vulnerable self, Agastya hugged her tightly. His eyes were wet too. But his lips had a happy curve and his heart was at peace. To stop her from crying further, he whispered softly.

"I love you baby! I always have and I always will. Now stop crying my baby. I am irrevocably in love with you since always!"

Listening to him profess his love, she looked at him through the damp lashes and asked with a pout clutching his shirt. "Sachhi?"

He smiled broadly. "Muchhi my baby bear!"

"I am head over heels in love you since always! My heart and soul desires no one, but you, today, tomorrow and forever. I haven't known love, i have known you and that's what love is for me. Aai ga! Kitti radavla mala, kitti tras dila! (How much did you make me cry and troubled me!) " She confessed smiling and hiding herself in his chest feeling sheepish.

Agastya again professed looking straight into her eyes. "I love you Jaanu! I am so sorry to make you cry."

His thumb rubbed her right cheek softly as he looked at her intensely and Janhavi closed her eyes feeling giddy and anxious. In that spur of the moment, he was about to kiss her but looking at her closed eyes as a reaction to their first romantic encounter, Agastya smiled and thought.

"Aise thode hi hoga kuch Jaan. I will earn this too!" And he whispered against her lips. "I love you! No matter how many times I say, I love you to you, it would never be enough jaan. I feel so!"

Janhavi opened her eyes looking at him as he had called her JAAN again skipping the U making it sound ever so delicious from him to listen.

They parted breaking free from that proximity, only to regret the loss of warmth as they both thought. "It would almost have been a kiss"

Janhavi cribbed silently moving away feeling shy and awkward. "Gadhe ho yaa gentleman ho ye samajh nahi aaya Agastya. Well! It would have been our first kiss. Oops...no, not actually. He he he" And her chuckle drew his attention to her.

"Fuck gusty! Aise thode hi honi chaiye first kiss. Isn't it special for these girls. I know for a fact they celebrate even the first kiss, first hug, first eye-lock anniversaries. Bechari ki first kiss anniversary ruin nahi hui. Well! first kiss? Ha ha ha." Thought Agastya with a broad grin.

As they hadn't ideally been physically proximate like this ever before. Well, gusty thought so.

All this was very new for jaanu as gusty had distanced himself for very long and she had thought he never felt for her. On one hand, this closeness was something she had always craved for, while when it was happening in real, she didn't know how to react and moved away turning around with her back facing him. Agastya hugged her wrapping his arms around her. He kissed the side of her head.

She had goosebumps. She just held his hand that had wrapped her and he felt her shivering a little. Turning her towards him, he hugged her tightly.

"Relax jaanu!" He said rubbing her back softly.

"I thought you never felt anything and that's why you distanced yourself from me. Pata hai kitna tough tha tumhare bina rehna. Kisi aur ke sath ki adat hi nahi thi. I was so broken. Why did you do this, gusty?" She asked him daringly with a thumping heart.

However, Agastya sushed her. "Jaanu! Please yaar, abhi nahi. Let me just feel it all. I had been dying to hug you, hold you close to my chest, feel alive. Let's enjoy this moment. I want to make memories. They should be worth cherishing till we grow old. Rest all ifs and buts we shall talk about them later. This is pyaar time! I love you my jaanu maanu!"

He declared as Janhavi smiled feeling sheepish. This all felt so dreamy yet beautiful to experience. Her heart agreed that it was the time, only to cherish the newly confessed feelings and love. Agastya was oscillating her in his embrace, when he said.

"It's too late to go for you. Should we do a sleepover? Like bachpan wala."

Janhavi chuckled as she uttered being bold. "Bachpan wala? You sure? I thought jawani wala!" Listening to this they both burst out laughing and thumped on the bed. They kept looking at each other and the laughter didn't seem to die. Agastya smiled as his glance was fixed at Janhavi who was laughing like a maniac.

"The most beautiful sight I have craved to see for years. Come here my baby bear!" Agastya implored pulling her closer. She rested her face on his chest. With a smile she asked further.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Agastya was threading his fingers through her silky tresses as he replied. "Soch raha hoon, how did i get so lucky that my jaanu maanu waited all these years for someone you thought had abandoned you."

She poked her chin on his chest. "Seriously gusty-wastey you are! Because I truly loved only you, gadhe!"

And Agastya smiled at her honest. "I used to think that it will never happen. There might be someone who would have proposed to you by now. And I had lost the chance."

Janhavi smirked mischievously. "Gusty! You're not gutsy enough. Wo to main samajhdar thi!"

"Aww! My fruit-salad! How sweet of you my sweetest heart." He remarked while Janhavi frowned listening 'fruit salad' for the second time from him.

"Eww! What's fruit salad? Legit eww!" She remarked twitching her lips wondering what could it be.

Agastya's gaze was fixed at her. He pulled her closer and soon she grew nervous. "What?" She asked.

He winked and kissed her forehead as he whispered. "this is my apple!" Kissing her eye lids he said . "These are my blue-berries!" Taking turns to kiss her both cheeks, he uttered . "Ye hai cheeku!"

"This cute cute button nosey is my umm haan, this is grapes, black wale! Meethe meethe!" He smiled kissing her nose.

He kissed her chin softly. "This is pineapple! Khatta meetha! Yummy yummy!"

Janhavi felt ticklish. It was a very love filled moment. Agastya had never expressed himself this way, this romantically. She chuckled anticipating something further. He smiled softly as he whispered sensuously against her lips.

"But you know what are my most favourite fruits? Raspberries and mangoes! Wo baad me!" He winked with a chuckle talking in inundation. She was shy and blushed turning her back to him.

He chuckled at her. "My jaan is blushing! I love when you blush for your gusty. Come! Let me cuddle you to sleep."

He hugged, spooning her. His hands had held her through her tummy. It was very intimate. They were extremely tired with the emotional outburst of all those years. Their mind gave up to think anything more. But their hearts were happy and love filled. And soon sleep took over. That night had culminated on a happy high for them and their love.

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In love with this bold-beautiful-naughty-yet shy Jaanu.

Oh! I mean Jaan. Hay meri bahu rani 🤣🤣

Thanks for reading. Plz do vote and comment on the chapters that you haven't.