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Muskuraiye aap Uttar Pradesh mein
hai!

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With the above lines our girl trio reached the outskirts of Noida. As they were about to enter the Yamuna Expressway they were welcomed by Mayawati built Dalit Smaraks on both the sides.

Elena lowered the glass of her window and let the fresh air come in. She closed her eyes and embraced the wind.

"Chal band kar de ab khidki" Sona said "A/C chal raha hai andar... Khud ko kisi film ki heroine ki tarah treat karna band karde"

Elena made an angry face.

"There is no thrill in this trip. There should be some... Some fun... Something ... Umm... Something ... Something TOOFANI." Elena mused.

Neha changed the radio station and stopped at 91.1 Radio City hearing Jagjit Singh's song.

Chithi na koi sandesh
Jaane wo kaun sa desh
Jaha tum chale gaye

Sonakshi opened her novel again.

This was the height of frustration for Ele. Had she not been the beauty conscious one of the three she would have pulled her hair out and cried at her friend's attitude but kajals aren't tear friendly and Sunsilk doesn't really give you thick locks.

Slowly the black coal roads gave way to the grey roads of Yamuna Expressway. The sky high buildings were long left behind and the roads were adorned with green patches on both the sides. Farms, empty plots for sale and occassional sign boards to beware of the 'neel gai' welcomed the travellers to India's World Class Expressway, The Yamuna Expressway

Ele saw a board with the maximum speed limit.

"100 for cars" She read aloud. She looked at Neha who was driving at 90 kmph.

"Neha thoda to tez chala 140 to banta hai" She joined her hands in request

Neha nodded her head in a no. Her car was already too old to bear the strain of this long road trip. Her brother didn't let her take his car so she was left with no option but to drive this old Alto 800. She was in no mood to take a risk with her 'khatara'.

"Tu nahi maanegi" Elena staunched an angry glare

"Sona is ko bol na yaar" Ele looked at Sona for help but Sonakshi was busy reading.

Elena thought for a while and a nasty idea crept her mind. She looked at Neha with eyes full of mischief and then she looked at the steering wheel. In a split second Ele leaned over the drivers seat and pushed Neha aside. The control of the steering wheel was in her hand. She moved it right and left abruptly and the car went zig zag over the road. Sona fell on the back seat and her novel went sliding below Ele's seat. "Damn you Ele!" Sona cursed. Neha tried to push Ele aside but Ele increased her grip and Neha's force over the accelarator increased,increasing the car's speed. Sonakshi got up quickly and pinched Ele's arm as hard as she could but there was no use. The car was out of control or in better words it was under Ele's 'mis-control'. It was when  the car seemed to collide with the edges of the raised roads of the expressway that Ele went back to her seat and closed her eyes shut in fear.

It seemed like the end. They would collide with the silver barrier and would fall off the expressway. Sonakshi screamed in fear. Neha was too panicked to press the breaks.

1...2...3...

Whoosh

"Are we alive? Ye swarg hai ya nark hai?" Elena asked. She had covered her face with her hands. She peeped through the slits in between her fingers.

"Bach gaye" She squealed with happiness.

"Ele ki bacchi! What the hell were you upto?" Sona shouted "Thank god for Neha. She pressed the breaks at the right time"

"I didn't" Neha said. She too had, in  shock, covered her face with her hands.

"Then how did the car stop?" Ele spoke in a whisper

"Tu chup kar ke baith" Sona said "Neha come with me"

Neha and Sonakshi went out of the car and stood in front of it. Neha opened the bonnet of it and was welcomed with white fumes.

"Ye kya ho raha hai Neha?" Sonakshi kept her hand on Neha's shoulder.

"Meri Maut" Neha face palmed herself
_______________________________________

"What next?" Elena removed her scarf from her neck and draped it on her head to block the sunshine from tanning her dusky tone.

"No idea" Sona said while chewing her lower lip thinking of an idea

"Guys it getting late. We gotta find an idea soon or we'll be stuck up here all night and the expressway isn't safe" Neha, the more practical one of the group said.

"Damn" Sona punched the car's bonnet. "Ouch!Ouch! That hurts" She shook her hand to avoid the pain.

"Sab iss gadheri ki wajah se" Sona pointed her finger at Elena

"Mercy!" Ele bit her nails "I was just trying to make this trip memorable"

"Memorable? Ya it will be jab rat ko tujhe tendua kha jaayega tab hogi ye memorable... Elena zinda hai se tu Ek Thi Elena ban jaayegi tab hogi ye trip memorable... MY FOOT"  Neha slapped Ele's forearm

"I'm so sorry" Ele said

"Let's do one thing you call the PCR Neha. They'll help us" Sona suggested and Neha tried dialling the number for help

"No one's picking it up" Neha pressed her forehead in stress

Elena went away from the car

Aise waison ko diya hai
Kaise kaison ko diya hai
Mujhko bhi to lift kara de
Thodi si to lift kara de

Ele screamed-cum-sang and jumped on the road trying to stop the cars.

"Shut up and come here" Neha pulled her back.

"Isse accha Pishi ki bak bak sun leti" Sona said and sat on the edge of the road.

Peep! Peep!

A Volvo honked behind them. Ele waved to the bus and began singing her classic "lift kara de". The bus stopped a few metres ahead of them. Elena ran to the bus' door

Neha saw her leave while Sonakshi who had lost all hope buried her head in the groove of her crossed arms.

"Want some help?" A 21 year old college student jumped down the bus

"Dev?" Elena seemed to know the person well

"Hello Beautiful" He hugged her.

Neha nudged Sona and she looked up. They saw Ele hugging someone with the guy's back towards them. The duo gave disapproving nods to the scene unfolding in front of them.

"Ye kisi se bhi chipak jaati hai kya?" Sonakshi said.

Ele dragged that person towards them. The sun was painting the sky in hues of orange. It was only when Ele brought the stranger near them that Sona was able to get a full view of his face.

"Guys this is Dev! Our parents are business partners" Elena introduced her friends to the intruder.

"Ele told me that you all are in a fix. Want some help?" Dev opened the cap of a Bisleri bottle in his hands and drank from it. Water droplets trickled down from his face gaining long sighs from girls seated in the bus. "My college is sending us to Lucknow. Wanna join us?"

"Tum" Sona screamed.

Dev looked left and then right. He peeped behind his back.

"I can't see a 5th person here. So yaa me" Dev said

"Apni ye tricks kisi aur ko dikhana" Sonakshi was about to burst with the anger fuming in her.

"Do we know each other?" Dev had recognized Sona. He had not expected to meet that 'interesting' girl again in his life but destiny had other plans for him maybe. He had seen her twice in a day and she seemed to be Ele's close friend. He wanted to help her and then maybe apologize for his actions that day but the anger ready to jump from her nose made him want to play around with her for some more time.

"Mujhe nahi pehchana? Ye yaad hai?" Sona pointed to her foot.

"Ohh yaa"

"Yaad aa gaya"

"Yup. That's called a foot. Plural of that is feet and see even I have them... Are we twinning? What a coincidence!" Dev was irritating her and her expressions were a treat for him to watch.

Sonakshi walked close to him and crossed her arms. She looked into his eyes. She was trying to scare him off but she was amusing him by her act.

"Mai nahi yaad?" She asked him

"Uhh.... Are you one of my ex?" Dev smirked.

Elena heard them fight. She remembered Sonakshi pointing to that bus in the afternoon where those boys were sitting who were involved in her accident. She had felt that she saw Dev but she wasn't too sure then. She joined all the dots and then the picture cleared in front of her.

"Dev you were the one who was involved in Sonakshi's accident that day?" Ele asked him

"Who Sonakshi?" Dev acted innocent

"Mai Sonakshi" She said

Dev analyzed her from top to bottom. The day he had first met her she was nothing but a mess who seemed to have come to the market straight from the bed. She looked a lot more presentable today.

"Oh Mister! Kuch yaad aaya?" Sonakshi asked him again

"Umm maybe" Dev shrugged his shoulders "So Elena you guys can join us in our bus. We'll take good care of you... don't worry. It isn't safe standing here waiting for help."

He looked at Sonakshi.

"We need time to think"

Saying so she took the girls aside

"Mujhe to wo ladka bilkul pasand nahi hai" Neha voted in a no

"Come on yar Neha I know him ... He is good guy" Elena tried persuading her

"Looks like a flirt to me" Neha was adamant on her decision.

Now Sona had to decide. She didn't like the idea of travelling with her 'almost murderer' yet there was no option left for her. They could not stand there whole night. She asked Ele for the details of his college. Only when she was assured that Dev was on an authorised college trip she said,
"Fine let's go"

Dev came running back from his bus when the girls were ready with their answer. Behind him a man in his late middle age came walking slowly.

"Hello girls. I am Mr. Rao. I am travelling with my ishtudents. We will be glad to help you. Feel shafe (safe) with us. Shee ( see) this is my id card. I am a profeshor (professor)." Mr. Rao cleared things for them.

Sonakshi looked at Dev. Was he so considerate that he thought to give some reassurance to Neha and her so that they could feel safe? He caught her staring him and she quickly shifted her vision. He smiled.

"Get your luggage" Mr. Rao said.

"My car? What about car?" Neha asked

Dev looked at the car.

"Want it back?" Dev asked. He would have rather left the khatara here itself.

"Yes." Neha replied. She loved her car. What if it was useless for the world. It was her Dad's first car, the first car in her entire family. For her entire clan it was a prized possession too. She couldn't just leave it here.

"Fine... I'll get it lifted and repaired too ... Maybe" He took his phone out of his pocket. Before dialling a number he looked at Sona and said "Hum bhi police bula sakte hain". He tried reminding her of her constant 'police ki dhamki' that day. She was irked further in return.

"Sinha Uncle ...  I'm so sorry to call you now. Mere kuch friends ki car ye Yamuna Expressway par fas gayi hai ... Kaha hai hum exactly?" He scratched his neck "Mai aapko abhi send karta hu apni location aap yaha ki concerned PCR se baat kar lein... Thank you ... Thank you so much Uncle... Car ka number DL 9C AC 9769" Dev disconnected the call "Let's get going. You can take your car from the workshop when we return. We'll reach Lucknow tomorrow. You can stay with us. Waise bhi you won't be able to reach Lucknow today so you'll have to cancel your booking in the hotel you were suppossed to stay"

"Thank you" Neha said

"Aahh no need... Let's get going" He replied

The girls weren't carrying any suitcases. They were just carrying their travelling bags and some water bottles. Neha and Ele were discussing about considering to shop something for themselves when they reach Lucknow because they would be short of clothes. Sonakshi picked her
bag and tried to reach for her copy of The Boy With A Broken Heart but it was beneath the front passenger seat and was beyond her reach too.

Dev saw her struggling. He opened the front door of the Alto and after some struggle he pulled the book out of the seat and handed it over to Sonakshi.

"Sometimes if you change your position and look at things with a different perspective you are able to reach at right conclusions" Dev said. He was hinting at the fact that he wasn't exactly the way he may have seemed on the accident night. She took the book from his hands.

"Thanks" She said in a meek voice

He grinned and kept his hands in his pocket. He stared at her for sometime. Sona tried to look into his eyes but his intense gaze made her uncomfortable. She looked away for sometime and then walked past him.

"Karan ke dil se nikli thi dua ab shayad mai enjoy karunga babua!" Dev talked to himself "Its 5:15. We are not going to reach Agra before 7:30. I feel now it'll be like Mai Sonakshi ke peeche wo mere peeche..  too much fun"

Precap- Dev: Usne mere window seat wali pyaari neend churai hai ab mai uska chain churaunga😆

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Hey Silent Reader
Tum bhi wo sitara daba ke mere muh pe 440 Volt ki smile laa sakte ho. Trust me I know you can do it my sher my cheete!!!

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