It had been two hours since the buses arrived at Agra. Two students were suppossed to share a room with two beds but being the surprise entries that Sona and her friends were they were stuffed into one room with a single bed.

Sonakshi was busy reading her novel. Neha had just had her shower. Ele had gone out of the room about half an hour back to get some information about the buffet.

"Varun ke saath nikal li wo" Neha concluded.

"It's 9 now. I guess we should leave for the buffet. I bet Ele would be there, eating from Varun's plate" Sona closed her book and pulled Neha out.

In the banquet hall the buffet was already laid.

"Neha ... Sonakshi where have you guys been?" Ritika welcomed them "Elena toh starters bhi kha chuki"

"Oh hi guys where were you?" Ele screamed from a nearby table and yes, she was eating out of Varun's plate.

"Isko to mai.." Neha clenched her fist to hit Elena but Sona pulled her back.

"Did I do something?" Ele asked as Neha and Sona zoomed past her. Varun nodded his head in a no and shoved a papad in Ele's mouth.

"Sona ... Neha wait" Ritika joined the two of them in eating. They were picking their plates. Neha and Ritika had bonded well but Sona was still not comfortable around everyone.

"Ye bhukkad to pehle hi khane baith gaye" Ritika chirped "Wo dekho Karan, Umang, Jatin aur Ankita ki pet puja chal rahi hai"

"D.. Dev kaha hai?" Sona asked out of the blue. Neha and Rits looked at her with surprised expressions. "I ... I just asked out of concern" She clarified

"Ahaa" Neha winked

Sona took her plate and moved ahead.

"He'll join us shortly... Lo there he comes ... Dev... Dev ... Idhar" Ritika called him

"Behra nahi hu mai" Dev lightly slapped Ritika's back. "So what are you eating Sona?"

He was peeping into her plate, hovering like a bee around Sona, commenting on every thing she kept in her plate. She kept rolling her eyes off him but kept smiling from within on getting all his attention.
_______________________________________

"Where has she disappeared?" Dev was wondering. After the dinner Sona had excused herself from the crowd. She looked quite annoyed with Karan's unwanted undiverted attention. She didn't like him definitely but the guy was trying to flirt with her constantly.

The night was in full bloom. The dark sky was studded with stars. Deep blue clouds floated randomly with the breeze.

"Sonakshi there you are" Dev spotted Sona on a distant bench in the garden. He ran towards her "You know I've been looking for you ... Where had you gone missing ... I was searching for you since the last..." He stopped for a while and looked at his watch "... Last 15 minutes ... Oh! Its just been 15 minutes"

He looked down at Sona. She shifted on the bench making space for him. She was reading her book earlier and she placed it slowly between them.

"You were reading?"

"I finished the book a couple of minutes ago" She looked ahead into the void

"Glad you did. Atleast now.... Uhh wait a minute have you been crying?" Dev just noticed a lining of tears on her lashes.

"No" She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand "The book ends on a tragic note"

"Hahahahhahahaa"

"Why are you laughing Mr Dixit?" She narrowed her eyebrows. What had she been expecting? Did she want him to console her? Or was she wishing that he would wipe her tears? A splash of hurt ran through her eyes.

"Who cries for a book?" Dev was having a hard time controlling his laughter

Sona looked ahead into the void again. She plucked a leaf from a near by bush. She started breaking the leaf. There a long pause. She didn't look up and Dev had began wondering if he did something wrong

"I don't cry. I am a strong and righteous girl" Sona plucked another leaf.

Silence fell over the duo. The only sound that could be heard was of the wind rushing past them.

"I don't cry either. I am too busy for it" said Dev. He too plucked a leaf and began breaking it.

Neither of them said a word for a long time. Both had drowned into their own worlds. Both had started to wonder how good and carefree life is now but once they get back to their regular routine all the daily complications of life would envelope them. They should be making the most of this trip.

"How's Karan?"

"How's Ritika?"

They spoke at the same time

"Huh?" Both asked

"You first" She said

"Oh nothing. I have seen you hanging around with Karan lately. You seem to be liking him ... as a friend of course" He randomly spoke in a flow of emotions. He thought that he had given out a lot about his angry feelings so he added the last part

"Not really... I mean he's nice and cute ..." She suddenly noticed him raising his eyebrows and quickly added ".... But he is too arrogant. He is dumb and still he considers himself superior to others. He is funny, yes he is, but what I have seen till now doesn't leave a good impression of him"

Dev let out a sigh of relief. He felt a heavy weight getting lifted off his chest.

"I hope you didn't mind what I said about your friend. I was just being ... honest" She quickly covered up

"No. I am more than happy" He chuckled slightly

"I bitched about your friend. You should be shouting at me. What kind of a friend are you?" Sona was shocked

"No... Hahaha ... Karan thinks you like him... Ahahaha" Dev was laughing so hard that Sona began smiling too. His laughter was contagious

"What?" She managed to speak between her chuckles

"Yes... Hahaha... Apparently you were stt..staring at him in the food court  and he thinks you like him"

"Huh ... Pagol che! Areee I was looking at you and Ritika" Sona suddenly stopped laughing. She shot her eyes open wider than they were before. Oopsie this wasn't meant to come out like this

"Me and Ritika? Why?" Dev had also by now got hold of his laughter

Kuch soch Sonakshi. She cursed herself for being so naive.

"Uhhmmmm... Wo tum dono saath me acche lagte ho" She decided to speak a filtered truth "She is your girlfriend right? I have seen her around you ... All the time... You are good together ... Yaa you are" She looked the other way

Dev was back on his laughter spree.

"Now what?" Sona was getting annoyed now

"Hahaha ... Ritika and I? What a story Sonakshi!! Why don't you ... Ahaha.... Why don't you publish it .... In Champak? It will be the best kids comedy every" He couldn't believe that anyone on Earth could thing that he and Ritika were dating each other.

"So you are not dating her?"

"Ofcourse not"

"You don't like her?"

"Nahi baba"

"And she?"

Dev controlled himself and said "See Sonakshi ... Tumhe bata raha hu kisi aur ko mat batana... Ritika has a major crush on Jatin"

"JATIN!!" Sona almost shouted "But he likes Ankita"

"I know" Dev added in a sad tone

In a second, all of Sona's jealousy and anger with 'that' Ritika got washed away from her mind. She had her sympathies for that chirpy girl.

"She isn't letting it show but yes she is hurt. Still she is trying to make Jatin confess about Ankita. I asked her why is she doing so? She simply said because she wants him to figure out what Ankita thinks about him so that he can move on" Dev said " She thinks she can pull off this happy facade for long"

"You also think you can pull your facade for long" She steered the conversation in a different direction.

"Excuse me? What?" He didn't get her point

"I think ... And this is purely what I feel so need for getting offended or something ... Haa to I think ki you carry this facade of always being happy, of having an attitude big enough to hurt anyone in this entire world but actually you do care for others. You got Neha's car fixed, you didn't leave us alone stranded on the expressway, you infact just teased me for sometime and that was it... Your revenge from me for taking your window seat was done." She paused for a while and searched for a trace of annoyance on his face. When she didn't find any she continued "Aur haa ... I think its your family's responsibility that has fallen on your shoulders after your dad died that has made you numb to your feelings. You shut your own thoughts out so that you don't get hurt and here is where your cool dude attitude helps to mask your true emotions... Am I right?"

"What a thesis Ms. Bose!" Dev looked at her for a while "Don't you carry this 'strong and righteous girl' image because you want to prove your worth to everyone ... Maybe to a bunch of people who have always under estimated you... and you always want to be right so that you gather applause. Bolo? Waise in this attempt of yours you have turned a bit judgemental and short tempered. Look at your temper it is ready to jump of your nose anytime" He pressed her nose with his finger "Am I right or am I right Ms. Bose?"

"What a thesis Mr. Dixit!" She smiled "We have to leave for Lucknow in the dawn itself so lets leave"

She got up to leave but he held her hand from behind. Dragons, elfs, goblins, thestrals all unleashed in her tummy.

"Can we talk for some more time?" He had taken a pleading tone and she sat beside him. He started inspecting the novel.

"The boy with a broken heart" He read " A strong, righteous girl. A fighter who will put anyone in jail if they hit their bullet with a vegetable vendor's stall, she reads love stories? strange"

"What is so strange? Reading is my hobby. Ladke to saare nikhatu hote hain" Sona said "And in real life no one is a Brahmi to get a Raghu"

Dev looked at her with a confused expression

"Brahmi and Raghu are the leads of the first half of this trilogy" She clarified

"Maybe there is a Dev for Sonakshi" He mumbled

"Did you say something?"

"No" He paused for a second "How do you know when you are in love? Like true love?"

Sonakshi felt a knot fasten in her tummy. She gulped down her saliva. She wasn't oblivious to the 'thing' brewing in between them but she didn't want to give in so soon. What if its just attraction? What if they break up after a month from now? What if they carry their relationship for years from now on. They are just 20. If later when they want to get married their parents go against their relation? Will she able to oppose her Maa and Baba. She wasn't a follower of the Luv U Zindagi Chair Theory. She was looking for something with a  strong base.

"Sonakshi?" He waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"Haa... M..m..mujhe kya pata ... Raat bahut ho gayi hai. Kal jaldi nikalna hai" She left.

"Sona your book" He shouted but she ran away. He turned the pages of the book. Something came over him and he decided to keep the book with him
__________________________________
Early morning around 4 am. The students gathered around the bus to leave for Lucknow.

Dev and Sonakshi were the last to get into the bus.

"There is no seat for us! Sir how is that possible?" Dev tried hard not to scream

"Oh my dear ishtudent we had to take some shupily (supply) for the trip ahead. That is taking up two seats." Professor Rao told them

"Then where do we go?" Dev shouted now

"On the roof. Can we sit on the roof?" Sonakshi asked

"Haa baith to sakte ho par thoda khatra hai" Conductor told them

"Let's do it" She pleaded Dev

"That's not a good girl's thing to do Sona" He said

"Well ... Someone told me the pros and cons of my personality last night. I'm trying to improve" She said with a sly smile.

"Ok. So I'm scared going up there but I'll join you" He agreed

"That's not how you put a facade" She reminded him

"Well someone told me the pros and cons of a facade last night and I'm trying to improve" He smiled too

"Done then bhaiya we'll sit on the roof" Sonakshi told the conductor. He helped them climb up cautiously and told them to be together, hold each other as tight as possible and not to move at all. He kept some luggage around them so that they don't fall.They like good kids agreed. The bus then finally started moving.

Sonakshi fell asleep on Dev's shoulder. The highway looked amazing in dawn. Trees and villages passed by and Dev kept staring at his sleeping beauty.

Heere moti main na chahoon
Main to chahoon, Sangam tera,
Mai to teri saiyaan, tu hai mera,
Saiyaan, saiyaanaaaaaaaaaan
Tu jo choole pyaar se, araam se mar jaaun
Aaja chanda baahon mein tujhmein hi ghum ho jaaun mai,
Tere naam mein kho jaaun,
Saiyaan, saiyaaaaaaaaaaaaan.2

The mild jerks which could be ignored otherwise were being felt in heavy proportions on the top. Dev had turned  white still he was trying to balance the sleeping Sonakshi on his shoulder. The sunlight shined on Sona's eyes and she slowly opened them. Her eyes met with his scared face. She thought of saying something but then decided against it. She pressed his hand tightly and comforted him.

"Can we lie down?" His voice was almost a whisper "It'll be less shaky"

She smiled and thought for a while. He held her hand and they slowly rested themself on the roof. She rested her head on his shoulder and he held her hand, resting it slowly on his shoulder. He looked down to see her reaction but she was asleep.

Actually, she wasn't asleep. She just closed her eyes to avoid his gaze. Her heart was happy but her mind interfered.

Mere dil khushi se jhoome gaaye raatein.

Pal pal mujhe doobayein jaatein jaatein,
Tujhe jeet jeet haaroon, yeh pran-pran waaru,
Haye aise main niharu, teri aarti utaaru.
Tere naam se jude hai saare naate,
Saiyaan, saiyannnnn..
Banke maala prem ki, tere tan pe jhar jhar jaaoon
Baithun naiyan preet ki sansaar se har jaoon main,
Tere pyaar se tar jaaoon
Saiyaan, Saiyannnnn

Precap - Lucknow!

TSJ-O-PEDIA: This chapter was why I wanted to write this book. The idea of this chapter and a girl's road trip video from the timeliners inspired this book.

New entries wait at Lucknow and the book along with me as a DevAkshi writer are going to end in the next 4 chapters. So don't miss them