Avani stared at Raghav, her wheatish complexion now paled, wide eyed, in disbelief.

" But...how could someone be so...cruel?" She murmured, unable to comprehend the information she'd received.

Raghav's heart twisted watching her expressions.

He shrugged.
" Some people just don't care. They can prioritise nothing over their goal."

" No matter how...cruel and vile that is?"

" No matter how cruel and vile that is."

" But family...blood is supposed to be thicker than water." She mumbled.

" When it comes to money, blood can be shed to gain it."

" That's wrong."

" That's how the world is."

" I'm aware. It's just that...it doesn't..."

" Sit right with you." Raghav completed for her with a nod.
" I'm aware too."

Avani looked down at her plate, her appetite suddenly losing.

" Hey..I've not poisoned that y'know." Raghav made an attempt to crack a joke, but that only broke her heart further as she recalled what he told her.

Someone had attempted to poison him through food.

Raghav once lived to eat,

The Raghav Deshmukh Avani had known, loved good food.

But today, the Raghav Deshmukh she was meeting, only ate to survive.

And it broke her heart.

He'd changed, and it wasn't a change she was growing to like.

" Avani..." her name escaped his lips, his voice the softest of whispers that she almost missed it when he called her out.

" Yes?"

" Don't stare at me like that." He shook his head, hating the broken expression on her face and she murmured an apology, a genuine one as she looked down.

They broke into an awkward silence, till Raghav chose to break it.

" Why didn't you ever marry?" He asked her.

And she looked up at him, having no appropriate answer to his question.

" I don't know." She murmured.

" No one asked you?" He asked, a twinge of disbelief in his voice and she shook her head.

" Many did. No one felt like the right person. Why didn't you ever marry?"

Raghav sighed, looking down.
" I'll tell you the reason someday." He murmured, not wanting to scare her off with the confession.

" Why not today?"

" Just...not today."

She frowned, but nonetheless let it slide.

" Were you...was that...proposal....did you mean it?"

" Huh? Speak coherent Joshi, you're confusing me."

" Did you mean that proposal?"

" I did."

" Why...why me?"

" Why not you? I've a thousand reasons for it to be you."

Avani stared at him, unable to find the right words to respond to what he said.

So she decided to change the subject.

" You...weren't in contact with anyone for the past eight years?"

" For the first six years, I wasn't. Two years ago, Daksh, Sparsh and Rohit managed to track me down."

" Was there no way you could connect to anyone?"

" None. I thought of emails...but that wouldn't be a good idea either."

Avani suddenly smiled, a small smile on her lips, and Raghav was curious.

" A penny for your thoughts Miss Joshi?"

" Emails reminded me of a story of two best-friends. After the boy goes abroad for his further studies, they happen to stop talking at one point of time—"

" Why? Does he cut off contact?"

Avani shook her head.
" She does. Wrong of her, but she'd had lot of muddled up feelings, leading her to doing so. Not like I justify it but yeah. So, he writes her emails, so many of them, but never sends them."

" Why?" Raghav frowned.

" I don't know. Maybe because he was stupid? But cute too. Thankfully, he finally confesses to her in the epilogue and they're dating in the bonus and he finally starts sending the emails instead of drafting them! It was such a cute, bittersweet, well written story! I'd loved it!"

" You and your neverending love for books." He murmured with a sigh, however, there was a smile on his face.

" Hey! What's wrong with books? It's your fault you don't have the patience to sit and read a book and prefer a movie instead!"

" I do have the patience to wait for eight years though." He pointed out, a hint of the familiar smug smirk on his face and her cheeks flushed red.

" Don't you?" He added and she shrugged.

" Wait? Wait for whom?" She played dumb, and he chuckled.

" Me?"

" You? Don't get too ahead of yourself Deshmukh. I was single by choice. Not because of you." She told him, her tone, although, light.

" Sure. I believe you." Raghav nodded his head, a smile on his lips.

As they finished the dinner, he vouched to drop her home.

" What are you, my chauffeur?"

" I'd like to be one for a lifetime."

" Ah only one? Not seven?" She teased.

" I'm hoping on seven only, of-course, but I need your permission for that. Do I get it?"

" You get your answer next week Deshmukh."

" Not today?" He feigned sadness and she bit back a giggle as she shook her head.

" Not today."

He heaved a loud, sad, dramatic sigh.
" Next week it is then." He nodded, elicting a soft giggle from her.

" So Miss Joshi, can I drop you home?"

" Can you?" She arched a brow and he sighed.

" Miss Joshi, May I drop you home?"

" Yes you may Mr.Deshmukh."

The ride back home was a silent one, but it was a serene silence this time.

As he drove right in front of her gate, she unbuckled herself, took her bag, and as he unlocked the door, before she could open it, she turned back towards him.

" And Deshmukh?"

" Yeah?"

" I did miss you as well." She told him with a smile as she got down and walked back in.

A ping on his phone distracted him

Avani-Drive safe, good night!

And the widest of glimmers spread across his cheeks, playing on his lips like it never wanted to stop.

His cheeks began hurting, but he didn't really seem to care.

All that mattered, was her confession.

And although it wasn't the one he wanted, he was still the happiest to have gotten it.