A/N: This chapter is dedicated to SJ_3112 ❤️

|MEERA|

It's been four weeks! four long fucking weeks since all of this happened. Basically, a month. I had returned back home to Pune. Another month or so and I'm off to my next posting. I have no idea how Veer is doing. He asked me to give him some space and that is what I had been doing. I understand that he needed the time. I understand that he needed to find himself again after everything that has happened but I couldn't help but miss him.

I leaned against the ledge of my balcony and stared at the back gate as if waiting for Veer to come and make his stupid joke about Rapunzel let down your hair. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I have been standing here for hours and nothing. I do this every day in hopes that he would show up here. The only time I go down is to eat. The last I saw him was when he came to TIIS headquarters to complete some formalities. The urge to hug and kiss him was too much but I didn't. I made sure that he didn't see me the entire time.

Although eventually, it was inevitable because we had to attend a meeting together. Throughout the meeting, I kept my eyes on Officer Khan who was giving us some head up on all the things that had happened. But, once in a while when I turned to see I would find Veer staring at me. At the end of the meeting, he thanked Veer especially as it was his last day.

That was almost three weeks back and I miss him like crazy. At least when we used to fight we used to see each other every other day. This isn't the same! I wish he would come and talk to me. I want to help him but when he asked me he wanted time away from us my heart really cracked. I felt a shit load of emotions hit me but I put on a straight face and agreed to it. That's because I love him and I know when he's ready he will come but if he doesn't then let's just say that I'm going to take some drastic measures. Very drastic measures.

I sighed sitting on the chair and closed my eyes as a few droplets of rain kissed my face. "There you are! Come on! I need you on my team for playing UNO. You're my lucky charm!" Dad exclaimed and pulled me to my feet. I groaned shaking my head. He chuckled and nudged me by my shoulders pushing me out of the room.

"Dad! Please I'm not in the mood! I just want to be left alone! So, can you please leave me alone?" I whined as he dragged me down the stairs. He stopped for a minute and stared at me. "Meera, we have been leaving you alone for oh I don't know I think four weeks and it has done no good to you! All you do is sit there and sulk in the corner! I hate to see my cheerful girl this way! So, no we aren't going to leave you alone! You have had four weeks of that, which is a month! No more!"

I wanted to argue but he hugged me all I could do was hug him back. This was the only place where I felt protected besides Veer's arms. "Meera he will come and that's a promise!" I sighed against his chest and shook my head. "If he doesn't then I'm kicking his ass! He has already hurt my little girl enough times! Even you can't stop me!" I pulled away and laughed at his protectiveness. He sounded like he was joking about it but I knew better than anyone that my father is capable of doing that.

He smiled at me and kissed my forehead. "That's the Meera I love and want to see!" I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop myself from smiling. "On a serious note Veer can be a stubborn ass but he will come Meera! He loves you and as much as it kills me to say this you need to know that he's the only one who's probably worthy enough to have you." I laughed at his explanation but I was truly touched.

So, I hugged him and this time descended the stairs with a smile on my face. Mom and Andy were happy to see me. I teamed up with Dad and Mom and Andy teamed up. As usual, Andy hated it if he lost so he began shrieking and screaming like a freaking banshee. "This is why we call you Mike! You don't even need a mic to project your voice!" I teased him, my parents laughed and he huffed crossing his arms.

"Whatever! You cheated!" I smirked at him. "It's called luck baby brother! Luck which you don't have!" I teased and he pinched me. I screeched and pinched him back. This time he pulled my hair. I gasped and messed his hair. The entire time he was screaming no and trying to push me away. But, he doesn't realize that I'm stronger than him. We fought like we were kids again while our parents watched and laughed.

"Okay, that's it time out!" My Mom clapped her hands separating both of us and sitting between us. Andy glared at me while I stuck my tongue out at him. "Time for dinner! The boys will cook tonight, while Meera and I relax here!" I laughed when Dad and Andy whined together and began protesting. With one stern look from Mom, they dragged themselves into the kitchen. We laughed at them and began watching television.

My Mom spoke to me about everything except for Veer and I was thankful for that. I was really surprised that she hadn't still asked me about what had happened between us. I know she will sooner or later but I will take this any day rather than talking about Veer. I'm not ready to talk about it or give any details to anyone. I really appreciate Mom for understanding that.

We jumped on our feet and ran towards the kitchen when we heard Dad shouting at Andy who was screaming back at him and smoke coming out of there. We ran towards the kitchen. "Arjun! clean my kitchen right this very second! What is in the oven that's burning?" I slapped my palm against my mouth trying to suppress my laughter.

"It was Dad's genius idea to cook lasagne! I told you it would be hard! He wanted to try your special recipe and ended up burning it!" Mom rolled her eyes as Dad apologized to her profusely. "Forget it Arjun! Just clean my kitchen! I want it spotless! I'm going to go order some Pizzas! Meera you come with me. There's no need to help them. Come on!" She dragged me out of the kitchen as Dad and Andy began blaming each other again.

As a chef Mom was very particular about her kitchen. So, an hour later and Mom inspecting if her kitchen was spotless we had pizza and my Mom's special chocolate cake. We joked, laughed, and pulled each other's legs. For the first time in the past few weeks, I forgot about Veer for a while. I was actually hopeful that he would come back. I knew that he would. And my family was trying to cheer me up. I'm forever grateful to have them.

The next three days were pretty much the same. My Dad would drag me into playing some game with the rest of the family. We would laugh, eat, and then it was bedtime. I even accompanied my Mom to the bakery for a few days. It was fun to serve people and we even went to a couple of orphanages. I loved doing this and having no free time.

I even met up with Anjali on one of the days we visited the orphanage. I was happy to see her happy. I did feel the guilt creeping through me again but it made me happy to see her so cheerful and fun. Besides, the man who killed Tushar was now dead. My revenge was complete. She was really sweet and filled me in with how happy she was to have known him even if it was for a short period of time. A few more minutes of conversing later, I felt content. We promised to keep in touch.

About a week later I was lazing on my bed after a tiresome jog and long shower. Five weeks! It had been almost more than a month now! I barely had about twenty-five days left before I get deployed. That ass hasn't even called me or texted me. Even when I'm distracted I'm constantly thinking about him. He's always there in the back of my mind.

I flipped through the channels and finally found one which was worth it. Just as I began watching the movie Sheena barged into my room out of nowhere. She snatched the remote from my hand and switched off the television. "Why did you do that? I was watching that!" I screeched pointing at the television. Sheena glared at me and dragged me out of the bed until we were in front of my closet.

She began rummaging through my clothes while I just stood there glaring at her. "Not sexy enough! Too plain! Too boring!" She kept commenting on each dress and tossing it on the floor. What the actual fuck was happening? This is ridiculous! "Sheena, what the hell are you doing? Why are you ruining my closet? This is stupid!" I screamed and dumped the clothes back into the closet.

Sheena glared at me and dug through it again. We were now standing in a pool of clothes. I screamed and sat on the chair that was near the closet. Whatever! I don't care anymore! I'm a mess either way. This sucks! She's being so annoying right now. Suddenly she yanked me from the chair. Threw a jacket at my face and dragged me out of the room down the stairs. "Aunty I'm stealing your daughter for a few hours!"

I begged Mom silently to forbid Sheena from taking me but she just smirked and screamed "Have fun!" I protested as Sheena dragged me to her car and shut the door. I tried opening the door but she put freaking child locks on it. I threw my hands in the air frustratedly and pulled the jacket over my arms.

"Sheena! What is wrong with you? Is it so hard for people to just leave me alone so that I can sulk in peace?" I whined and banged my hand against the dashboard. She slapped my shoulder as the car stopped at the signal. "Shut the fuck up Meera! I'm tired of seeing you this way! So, I have decided to set you up on a blind date! It's tonight!" She exclaimed with a squeal. My eyes widened. I opened and closed my mouth several times trying to come up with the right words.

"What the fuck? I don't want to go on any blind date! Are you out of your mind? I love Veer, you idiot!" I can't believe what I'm hearing. She is the one who basically told me I was never over Veer. She knows more than anyone as to how much I love Veer. The million-dollar question was then why the hell was she making me do this shit?

"Meera relax! It's just a casual blind date! Veer and you aren't exactly together right now and it's not like you're going to take things further with this guy. It's just so you would chill and unwind for some time! I can't take your gloomy mood anymore! It's like you constantly have a black cloud hovering over your head!"

I had never been this mad at Sheena before! What the fuck was she actually saying? "Sheena for the first and the last time! Veer and I didn't break up! He's just taking some time for himself and I'm giving him space. We are still very much together! I am not going on any fucking date!" I emphasized while screaming and stared out of the window.

Sheena sighed and drove parking in front of a boutique. Like I cared I wasn't getting out of this car. "Meera! Seriously, don't you trust me? It's like going out with a friend! But you just don't know who this friend is! Do you actually think I would set you up with a creep? Don't you trust me at all? It's not someone you don't know but you'll see!"

I know her intentions were right and she wanted me to have one fun night but I still didn't like it that she said Veer and I aren't together anymore. I didn't like that at all. "Sweetie! Karan and I will be there with you! You have nothing to worry about! I'm sorry for saying Veer and you are not together anymore!" She apologized and held her hands below her ears pouting like a child. I couldn't help but smile.

The more I thought about it the more comfortable I got with the idea. Sheena and Karan are going to be there! That's technically not a date but why did she refer to it as a date? You know what it's okay I think I'll go. It's not a date at all since Karan and Sheena are going to be there. It'll be like a group of friends hanging out together.

"Fine! I'll go only because you said it's someone we know and also because you and Karan are going to be there!" Sheena squealed clapping her hands together and hugged me. I laughed and hugged her back. "Come on then! We don't have much time! You are in desperate need of a sexy dress!"

I rolled my eyes as I followed her towards the boutique. I tried on at least a million dresses and each time I showed it to Sheena she would reject it with the stupidest reasons. "I don't understand what's wrong with this! It's not like I'm going on a date with Veer! It's some random dude! It's not even a date so why should I make so much effort?" I told her as she shoved a bunch of clothes into my hands.

"Meera just trust me okay? So, what if it isn't Veer! You still need to look good! Tonight is the night of many possibilities!" She exclaimed and I raised my brows and narrowed my eyes at her. Something wasn't right here and I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked her completely confused. This entire situation is confusing the hell out of me. She shook her head and cleared her throat. "It's nothing you'll know soon! Now goo! We don't have much time!" She pushed me into the changing room.

I groaned and began trying the dresses. If this was for Veer I would have been more motivated but it's a night out and this the only energy that I can muster up for now. Sheena rejected the next two dresses as well. To be honest I didn't like them either. But the next one was so beautiful. It had a halter neck, stopped right above my knees, and hugged the curves of my body perfectly. It was a blue color dress. I fell in love with it the moment I wore it.

I walked out of the trial room and placed my hands on my hips. I grinned at Sheena who was now squealing. "Oh my god! This is the one! It's perfect and you look amazing! That's it we're officially stopping the dress hunt! Go change we still need to go to the salon!" I was going to protest but decided against it when she gave me a stern look.

"Fine!" I huffed and changed into my previous clothes. We got our dresses billed and Sheena drove us straight to the salon. After three hours in the salon, she drove us to a fancy restaurant. The more closer we got the more I dreaded going inside. I wasn't interested at all. I thought it would be fine but I am just not in the mood.

"Okay, Meera! The table is already booked and if I'm not wrong he's already inside! Just go in and ask for your table. Karan and I will be sitting close by at another table. Now get down!" I whined but got down and shut the door. I held the clutch in one hand and balanced myself on the heels. My hair was open and styled in curls that cascaded down my back.

I haven't dressed up this much for a long time now. The last time I remember dressing was to catch that asshole, Charlie. That was also the night Veer got shot. Okay, that's the last one for the rest of the night I'm not thinking about a certain Veer Gupta. I need to stop this! I smiled at the lady at the reception. "A reservation for Meera Raichand." She nodded smiling and typed something on the computer.

"This way ma'am." We went up the elevator and she led me to the roof. It was empty except for one person. A man was already seated but I couldn't see his face because he had the stupid menu covering it. It was a dark place and the only way I can make out his face would be if they switched on some lights. Ahh, the mystery date. I rolled my eyes and followed the receptionist. I sat down and turned to see that he was still reading the menu. Could he even see anything? The only source of light was the fairy lights that covered the roof but that wasn't bright either.

He was still reading the menu. What the hell? I cleared my throat. "Hi, I'm Meera!" Still no response. Are you kidding me right now? I glared at the man sitting before me. "Umm, it's nice to meet you! Although it would have been nicer if I could see your face." Still no reply. What the hell?

I sighed and slammed the clutch on the table. I quickly sent an angry text to Sheena stating that this man was rude and he didn't even acknowledge me! She asked me to stay there and I'll know things soon. What the hell does that mean? This entire thing is driving me crazy. I looked around to find the entire place empty. At least the outside where we were seated was empty. My hair fluttered around my face as the wind blew. I sighed and pushed it out of my face. I could hear him cursing under his breath and slamming something on the table.

"You look really beautiful!" He whispered and my eyes widened. I whipped my head towards him. The voice sounded so familiar. Veer? Why would he be here? Yes! I have officially lost it! "Uhh, thank you!" I said and fiddled my fingers. I could see him peeking from the menu but I still couldn't make out any of his features except for his silhouette.

"Look I want to make one thing clear!" He titled his head behind the menu. "And what is that?" His voice is so familiar. Call me crazy he sounded like Veer. I ignored the shivers that ran down my body and cleared my throat. No this isn't Veer. Why would he be here?

"I already love someone else. So, this isn't any romantic date for me. I'm going to be brutally honest with you. I'm only here because my friend insisted that I come here!" The man chuckled huskily and I frowned.

"I am very serious about this! Don't expect anything from me is all I'm saying!" He cleared his throat and finally put the menu down. I squinted my eyes as I tried to make out his features. I could make out that he had a very contoured face. I gulped as he leaned forward. I really couldn't decipher any of his other features.

A few minutes later the entire place lit up. I gasped when I saw who was seated in front of me. Veer sat there in all his glory with his hands on the table. My mystery date was Veer? "Veer!" I whispered slowly.

"Meera! You really do look amazing!" He raked his eyes over my figure. My mind was blank. He stood up walked towards me and held out a hand. I glanced at his hand and clasped it. I felt tingles spread down my arm as he pulled me up. He was looking at me while I was busy trying to memorize every inch of his face. My Veer was finally here!

Tears welled in my eyes and I wrapped my arms around his neck hugging him tightly. The smell of his cologne, the feel of his arms, and his mere presence were enough for my restless heart to calm down. The raging storm inside me had finally been subsided. I buried my face in his neck and hugged him tightly. I couldn't help but sob.

"Hey! Come on now! Don't cry Meera!" He held my face between his palms and wiped the tears with the pad of his thumb. "I'm sorry it took me such a long time! I'm such an idiot!" He whispered and I chuckled through my tears. "You are an idiot!" I brushed my fingers over his cheek and traced his lips.

He smiled against my touch and leaned forward until our faces were only an inch apart. "I love you Meera! I'm assuming that the certain someone who you're in love with is none other than me right?" He joked trying to make me laugh. I giggled and punched his shoulder.

"No, I have another man waiting for me!" I teased and locked my arms around his neck. Veer scowled and I laughed. I kissed his cheek. " Of course it's you Veer, you fool. I love you too idiot!" Veer grinned widely and I closed the distance between our lips. He growled as I pushed my tongue into his mouth and tangled it with his.

I tilted my head and moaned as he explored my mouth. Our lips moved with perfect synchronization. We were thirsty and hungry for each other. The carnal need to be with each other had hit the peaks. I gripped his hair as he traced his hands over my hips. It's a good thing I was wearing heels. I didn't have to stand on my toes.

I kissed his lips one more time and pulled away when my chest began burning. We panted against each other gasping for breath. "I missed you so much!" Veer whispered tracing his fingertips over my face. "I missed you too!" I leaned forward and pecked his lips. A few more minutes of kissing later Veer pulled away just when I was getting to the good part. I was finally dominating the kiss. I whined glaring at him and leaned forward again but he just laughed moving back.

"We will do more of that but first how about dinner? I realized amongst all the chaos and everything that happened we have never really been on a proper dinner date! So shall we?" He asked me and lifted his arm. I chuckled and wrapped my hand around his arm. He kissed the side of my head pulled the chair for me. After making sure I was comfortable he walked towards the opposite side and sat down.

For the next few minutes, we ate, laughed, and joked about things just like before. The food was amazing. I didn't ask him what he had been doing for the past month and neither did he tell me. I didn't want to push him. I knew that he would tell me with time so I decided to just leave the topic for later and enjoy myself.

"So, this was only the first part of the date!" He said and smirked at me. I swallowed the ice cream and raised my brows. "There's more?" He grinned and nodded. "Finish your dessert fast! A surprise awaits for you Miss Raichand!" He winked at me. I blushed and felt like a love-struck teenager. Something has changed about Veer. He seemed more calm and composed which making me fall harder for him. And it also makes me wonder as to what he was up to all these days.

I sighed and quickly gobbled down the rest of the ice cream. Veer pulled me to my feet and clicked a selfie. He brushed his thumb over the corner of my lips and licked the ice cream that was smeared over it. Butterflies swirled around in my belly. He glanced at his phone and a huge grin spread over his face. He dragged me towards the ledge and pointed at the sky.

I frowned but stared at the sky. A few seconds later the dark sky lit up with sparkles. My heart raced when the letters "Will you marry me Meera?" filled the sky. Tears rolled down my eyes and I turned to find Veer kneeling before me with a  beautiful ring in hand. My heart soared. Veer Gupta my childhood best friend, the love of my life had just proposed to me.

"So, I think you already know the question? What do you say? Ready to endure me for the rest of your life?" I nodded my head vigorously and jumped screaming "Yes!" Over and over again. Veer looked relieved and stood up. Was he scared that I would reject him? He's so silly. He pushed the ring over my left ring finger and kissed my knuckle. I chuckled and hugged him.

"You said yes!" Veer exclaimed and twirled me around. I laughed and gripped his shoulders. He put me back on my feet and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. I felt love surround us. At this moment I knew that nothing would ever take Veer away from me. Nothing at all. We pulled back when he heard the sound of claps.

I was shocked to see the entire family here. My Mom cried and hugged me tightly. My Dad joined as well. "I told you he would come back right?" I nodded and hugged him tightly. Viraj Uncle and Naina Aunty were the happiest as well. They hugged and said that there was no one else better for Veer. The rest of the family congratulated us. Sheena squealed and asked me to show her the ring. "See, I told you to trust me!" She said while admiring the ring with an awe expression on her face. I laughed and hugged her. I was so lucky to have such amazing friends and family.

I glanced at Veer who was now talking to my mother. He grinned at me as I blew him a kiss. We may have been through hell and back and I know for a fact that the path further wasn't going to be easy but as long as we had each other nothing we could overcome anything. He pulled me into his arms and I have never felt this content.

It was a mere dream to live with Veer but now I was actually going to live the dream. I kissed him as everyone hooted. "I love you!" He whispered as a few tears rolled down my eyes. "I am not going anywhere after this! No more running away! I promise!" He whispered. I nodded and hugged him. "I know! I love you too!" I was finally living the dream.

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A/N: Can I just say that this was my favorite chapter to write! I had so much fun while writing it. My babies are going to get married! I can't believe how far they have come!

I am crying as I saw this but we are almost at the end of this story! I am not ready to let it go just yet!

Hope you liked this chapter! If you did please do vote, comment, and share! I would love to know what you guys think!