Natasha played with Gaurav's fingers as they lay peacefully on the bed. It was one of those soulful moments when they'd enjoy each others' company without any stress of work or fear of being called on work suddenly. And they savoured each second of it.

"I talked to my parents about your proposal." Natasha resumed the conversation after a long pause. Gaurav opened his eyes after the heated session and looked at her.

"I propose to you many things." He urged her to elaborate.

"The marriage proposal." She added.

"Finally! What did they say?" He asked getting excited.

"They agreed..."

Gaurav instantly pecked her lips to show his happiness.

"...Let me finish..." Natasha chuckled.

"Sorry."

"But they want the wedding to be simple...Only close family members would be invited...If that is okay with you."

"I am fine with everything till I have you." He said romantically and Natasha smiled at it.

"So, which date should we finalize?" He asked as he brought his phone from the side table. Natasha whined when he took the blanket along with him, making her pull it quickly to cover herself.

"Nothing I didn't see already!" He teased and unlocked his phone to let her see the phone.

"Shut up." Natasha scolded him for being so blunt.

"2 missed calls?" Natasha frowned when she saw the screen.

"Why did Nupur call me?" Gaurav almost asked himself.

Natasha patiently waited as he called Nupur again. It was already late at night.

"Hey, Nupur." Gaurav greeted as he knew she was in one of her relatives' houses in Pune.

Gaurav listened patiently to her and after a minute or so, cancelled the call.

"What was she saying?" Natasha asked.

"She asked me to tell Viraj that her father wants them to have lunch together and discuss the procession of the wedding. Apparently, they need to do a lot of shopping for themselves and the guests. Also, she wants to meet him at the Taj." He answered.

"Why is she telling it to you then?" Natasha asked.

"You know she is scared of Viraj!"

"Whatever! She can't be shy with her own fiance! Why is she like this?" Natasha whined.

"She doesn't want to get on his bad side. She thinks Viraj will doubt her for forcing her father to instruct so. And, if he denies to go out with her, then his own father will question him."

"God! Why is Nupur playing with Viraj! Poor guy! He doesn't even want her."

Gaurav sighed. The auction and the birthday dance were fresh in their minds. And, they both thought the same thing.

"And, he can't get the girl he wants, either." Gaurav added.

"He can...But he is just too proud to accept his feelings for her! I mean...even a child can see that he likes her. I just don't understand why he himself can't see it."

"Viraj threw the pine cone in the college...in front of Sneha." Gaurav told her the news.

"Pinecone?"

"It was what Sneha offered for the auction. Viraj threw it."

"He what? Why? And who told you this?" Natasha asked.

"Ananya told me. Even she doesn't know it. She asked me if I knew why he was so angry."

"Poor Sneha! She must be feeling so embarrassed! I know how rude Viraj can be." Natasha mumbled as she visualized the scenario.

"Even I don't understand it. First, he bid that enormous amount for that little thing, and then he suddenly throws it. I don't know what he is even thinking these days. In the meeting today, one of the presenters called for his friend, whose name coincidently was Sneha. As soon as Viraj heard her name, he frantically searched for her as if she was the Sneha. When he realized that it wasn't the Sneha he knew, he looked at his papers back with a frown." Gaurav sighed.

"I think he is still unable to understand his feelings. It is quite understandable. He has trust issues with women, after all. And, I don't think he will easily give away his heart again after his mother ruined it for him." Natasha mumbled with sympathy.

"He needs to accept his emotions, at least!" Gaurav said.

"He won't accept it. Not unless he gets a strong stimulus to break his own walls." Natasha added.

"What more stimulus does he want? He knows that he is strongly attracted to Sneha...He can't keep himself away from her affairs. God! He is so stubborn!"

"He won't accept his feelings. You should talk to him."

"You think I didn't? I tried to convince him to think over his feelings for Sneha. He'd just neglect me by saying that he feels nothing for her." Gaurav answered. Natasha sighed after hearing it.

"He won't accept it so easily. He will try to cover it up. I think he is just scared of getting heartbroken again...to be left alone by someone." Natasha assumed.

"Phew! Why did his mother leave him! If she'd have been here, he'd have been more...lively." Gaurav sighed.

"The least we can do is to help him...I guess." Natasha mumbled to which he only nodded.

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To say that Sneha had suddenly become the buzz of the Geography department, would be an understatement. Everyone knew her now. She became famous for being the girl who brought the highest amount to charity. And, since the moment she entered the department, every single person she knew asked her about her relationship with Viraj.

"God! What's wrong with everyone?" Sneha sighed and slumped on her seat finally, beside Jyoti who was already seated.

"What happened?" Jyoti asked.

"First Mehek, then Neha, Shaurya, Siya and just now, Karthik asked me if there was something going on between me and Viraj!" Sneha almost whined.

Jyoti chuckled.

"Didn't they see him throwing your pine cone?" She asked, already knowing their reasons.

"Maybe not." Sneha answered and then revealed to her the happenings of yesterday's late-night event.

"That's strange!" Jyoti mumbled as she started trying to figure out why Viraj did what he did last night. She didn't take him as a person who would apologize for his actions...ever.

"Either he is a mental case or he has some dual personality." Sneha concluded.

They both stood up to greet the professor.

"It seems like he has some feelings for you!" Jyoti said.

"It's impossible, Jyoti. Even I thought so. But when he insulted me like that in the parking lot, I knew he doesn't like me. If he had, he would have never insulted me. I think...he has some issues. Or maybe, he is just too miser to let go of his money. Or he did feel bad for being so rude. Whatever! It just confuses me the more I think of it." Sneha said.

Jyoti answered her roll call and looked at Sneha again.

"Don't think about him, then." Jyoti suggested. Sneha slowly nodded.

"By the way, what did Abhishek give you? You were so upset yesterday that I couldn't ask you about it." Jyoti asked Sneha.

Sneha knew that Jyoti couldn't bid on anything. She directly gave the money to the charity box instead.

"He gave me a wishing stone." Sneha answered.

"What did you wish for?" Jyoti asked curiously while giving her a huge smile.

Sneha chuckled.

'That I should get a husband who loves me a lotttt! He should respect my family like his own. And, his family should be sweet and simple...' Sneha repeated in her mind the wishes that she had made playfully while looking at the stone, yesterday.

"Wishes aren't meant to be told to anyone until they are fulfilled." Sneha reminded her and answered her roll call.

Jyoti huffed.

"In that case, do let me know when it gets fulfilled." Jyoti joked to which she nodded with a chuckle.

"Oh! I almost forgot! You are meeting someone this weekend, right? That officer?" Jyoti asked.

Sneha panicked when Jyoti spoke so loudly.

"Hush!" She quietened her. Jyoti mumbled an apology before giving her a questioning look.

"Yes, I am. My parents are going mad over it. My father is expecting me to memorize the names of all the past PMs and presidents along with their tenure of service! Just today morning, he asked me who is the chairman of NITI Aayog! It's not like I am going for a job interview! Why are they expecting me to memorize all this info?" Sneha whined.

Jyoti couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, what if this guy actually asks you some academic questions? You know, to check your general awareness!" Jyoti asked.

"Then he can marry himself." Sneha mumbled.

"Sneha and Jyoti...What is so interesting that you are not paying attention to the class?" The professor scolded them and just like that, their conversation came to an end...for now.

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Ananya and Sneha walked towards the parking lot.

During the lunch break, all the five girls sat together to discuss the procession of the auction. And, Sneha cleared them accurately that nothing was going on between Viraj and her. It was absurd to think like that. She had said.

They were talking about their project when Sneha spotted Viraj in the parking lot, standing casually near his car.

"Why is your brother here?" She asked because these days it was Ananya's driver or Gaurav who picked them up from the college.

"Oh, bhai must have come to pick me up today." Ananya said. Thankfully, Viraj was busy on his phone and was yet to notice them.

"I'll take the bus, then." Sneha said.

"I'll talk to bhai about taking you as well. We are anyway going to the same place." Ananya suggested, but even she knew that her brother didn't like to be someone's driver. Sure he had given her lift once or twice, but his anger was unpredictable.

"I don't want him to scold you." Sneha said, but internally, she didn't want him to scold her...or insult her just like yesterday. Once was enough!

"Are you sure?" Ananya asked.

"Don't worry! It won't take me long. I'll be at your home by 5." Sneha said.

"Okay, then..." Ananya mumbled hesitantly. Sneha gave her a meek smile and parted ways with her to walk in the direction of the main exit.

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"Where's Sneha?" Was the first thing Viraj asked when he saw Ananya stand in front of him.

"She said she will take the bus." Ananya answered as she opened the car door to sit.

"Isn't she coming to our house today?" He asked with a frown.

"She is. She is coming via bus."

Viraj got confused.

"She used to come with you in the car, right?" He asked. It was the exact reason why he came to pick up Ananya, instead of asking the driver. After a long time, he finally had no appointments or meetings scheduled in the evening.

Ananya looked at her brother and frowned.

"Yes, bhai. She is taking the bus because you came to pick us up. And, she had once heard you scolding my friend by saying that you were not their driver. So, Sneha decided to take the bus so as to not get scolded by you again!" Ananya finally explained his unasked but obvious questions.

Viraj sighed before walking in the direction of the driver's seat.

"So, will you pick her up as well? Please?" She requested as he brought the car to life.

'Obviously!' He thought but didn't give a reply.

Driving towards the main exit, he easily spotted her. If her height and body frame were not evident, her style of walking easily gave her identity to him. On top of it, her college bag was always a constant.

'Does she have only one bag?' He wondered.

It was then he noticed, that amongst the crowd of students, she was walking with a certain boy. He was taller than her and they both seemed to enjoy their conversation. He could feel his ears getting hot and his grip on the steering wheel get deadly.

What was wrong with him!

"Oh, there she is." Ananya informed her brother as if he didn't see her already.

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"So, did you make the wishes?" Abhishek asked Sneha as they walked together in the direction of the bus stop.

"Yup. Why wouldn't I? What if my wishes really came true!" Sneha said with a chuckle.

"What did you ask for?" He asked.

"Uh uh! Wishes are never revealed...at least not before they are fulfilled." She answered in a singing tone.

"True... So, is your project over? I heard that the EVS students got some group project." He asked, since his friend was also in the EVS class.

"Yup. Today is the last day where we will be making those pamphlets and project files." Sneha explained.

"Okay! So, who is your partner?" He asked to prolong the conversation.

"Ananya." She answered.

"Oh god! That horrible girl?" He couldn't help but gasp.

Sneha chuckled. Earlier, she had the same notion for Ananya. But, now, she pitied her more than hating her. That girl can't even own her own money!

"She isn't bullying anyone these days." Sneha said gently in her favour.

"True. But, that doesn't change a person. What if she is yet to find her next target!"

"Could be possible."

"So, that is why her brother bid on your item. Even I was wondering why he spent 10 crores in the auction! Our friend circle was thinking that you and he are...you know..."

"Nothing...absolutely nothing is going on between us, Abhishek!" She asserted so that he and his friends would not spread the fake rumour.

Abhishek smiled.

"So, you are not taken, then." He asked shyly.

Sneha couldn't believe his confidence to ask such a question to her. To not give him any false hopes, she cleared her side politely.

"I am always taken..." She said.

"What?" He didn't understand.

"I mean... I am from Uttarakhand...And, my father is strictly against interstate marriages. So, I am always taken by someone from Uttarakhand." She answered with a chuckle. Abhishek was indeed comfortable to talk to.

"Wow!" Abhishek said in surprise. He was from Telangana and from yesterday's event, he had a flicker of hope that perhaps they could date. But, Sneha cleared all the doubts.

Before she could ask him anything, a horribly loud and prolonged horn resounded from their left. Instinctively, she along with everyone on the footpath looked in the direction of the horn.

'Who has gone insane?' She wondered and her eyes fell on the car that was making such noise.

"Isn't he..." Abhishek was about to say but Sneha completed his sentence.

"Viraj?" She mumbled when she saw him...And, he was looking...glaring at her in return.

Every single person looked in the direction of Viraj and then at Sneha, since he was looking at her.

"What's wrong with him?" Abhishek asked.

"I don't know!" Sneha said and resumed walking. But she had to instantly stop again when Viraj honked loudly again.

"What..." She exclaimed.

"I think he's calling you." Abhishek said slowly.

Sneha realized it too.

"Uhh... I'll go and see what the issue is. You may go...I don't want to make you late." She told Abhishek quickly and started walking towards Viraj's car.

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"Bhai!" Ananya exclaimed when she heard her brother pull this strange drama of honking so loudly.

However, he didn't answer her as he continued his glaring session. Even he wondered why he absolutely hated Sneha being too friendly with any man that wasn't him.

'What's wrong with me?' He thought but honked again when Sneha tried to resume walking, despite knowing that he was looking at her.

"Bhai! Everyone's seeing us! Let me call her." Ananya whined again and was about to step out of the car when he stopped her.

"She is coming." He mumbled and unlocked the car's backseat doors.

Sneha approached him with a questioning look, after making sure that she gave way to the cars that were trying to overtake Viraj's car.

Viraj had already had the glass halfway down.

"Sit." He told her when she came in the hearing range with a confused look.

Sneha looked at Viraj and concluded that Ananya might have successfully convinced him. After yesterday, she had mixed feelings for him. He had apologized after all...and it was a big thing.

Not giving him any reply, she opened the door and entered quickly.

"Thanks, Ananya." She mumbled.

Ananya could only smile in response as Viraj resumed driving.

"My friend is going to the bus stop too. Can you drop him as well?" Sneha asked Viraj, thinking he had gone soft on her after yesterday's event. However, the old Viraj was back on track.

"Do you think I am his driver?" He asked sternly while looking at her in the central mirror. Sneha went dumb again in surprise.

'Nor are you mine.' She wanted to retort.

She only shook her head negatively and sat back. Ananya remained quiet too...as usual.

They had just come out of the college premises when Ananya posed a question...a very embarrassing question for Sneha.

"You know what, Sneha... My professor asked me if you are bhai's girlfriend!" Ananya lied and started laughing hard at it.

Sneha's eyes became wide as saucers.

"Wh.what?" She asked while giving Viraj an embarrassed glance.

"Yeah! Apparently, the fact that you could make bhai donate 10 crores for the charity, spread like fire in the teachers' circle. They think something romantic is going on between you two." Ananya explained.

'Is Ananya insane? And what professor asks such a personal question to a student?' Sneha thought. She should have told this gossip to her when they were alone...and, not in front of Viraj! What would he be thinking! She wondered.

However, glancing at him, she didn't see any visible frown or discomfort.

"Nothing...is going on between...us." Sneha clarified when Viraj remained quiet.

'And, nothing will ever happen between us.' She thought.

"It's as stupid as it sounds." Viraj added soon after her.

Sneha got confused as to for whose statement Viraj said so... Ananya's or hers.

"I know! I told him the same. It's funny to even imagine you two together." Ananya faked a laugh. She was not that ignorant to not understand what was happening.

"It is." Viraj mumbled, yet Sneha heard him clearly.

And, it kind of made her feel glad that he had no feelings for her, whatsoever...just like her. She liked them to be strangers...no strings attached, at all.

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(Hey again!

Till next update!

Do not forget to (Since this is what will let you know my recent updates)!

Have a great day!)