Sanam's POV:

Gul: "Ummmmmm... No...Actually it's my birthday today..."

I couldn't believe what I just heard!

Me: "Birthday? Like the day when you were born!!??" Okay, too lame Sanam!

Her: "No! The day I started walking!" Gul was at her sarcastic best.

Me: "Really? You celebrate that too? Well then it should be called 'Walkday' instead!!"

Her: "Sanam!!!" She sounded irritated but she giggled. "Shut up!!" And she laughed a little more. I subconsciously accompanied her.

Me: "Okay okay... On a serious note now... Why didn't you tell me?" I was finally coming to the point.

Her: "Ummmmmm.... Maybe because you never asked?!"

Me: "Hey! But this is not done!" My annoyance was only mildly evident in my tone.

Her: "Happy Birthday???"

Me: "Oh yeah! Sorry! A very very Happy Birthday to you Gul!" Sanam! Silly you!!

Her: "Thank you!!" She said in her usual cheerful voice.

Suddenly, my attention was drawn to the music and noise in the background. She was celebrating.

Me: "Okay, I know you're busy... Party Khatam ho jaaye, toh mujhe message kar dena {message me once the party is over}... Samar, Keshu, Venky and Ben would want to wish you as well..."

Her: "What about your concert?"

Me: "Ms. Birthday Girl... You seriously are too busy to keep track of the time... Abhi toh bas dopahar hai yahaan! {It's just the afternoon here!}"

Her: "Oh haan{yes} sorry!!! Okay I'll message you..."

I disconnected the call. It is her birthday today and I didn't even know! What the hell man!! I could've done something special for her... But the day isn't over for me yet...

I had a cute little plan to surprise her, though her birthday would be over by then. So what? At least I can satisfy my guilt a little...

We were in the hotel and there were a few fans who had come to meet us, so all of us were in the lobby downstairs. I had called up Gul once we were done and back in our rooms, but the rest of them decided to collect in Keshu's room instead. I went there and informed the guys of this latest piece of news that I had received.

Samar: "Gul's birthday???? Wow! And she didn't even give us a hint!"

Keshu: "Yes dude, like seriously? She knew about our tour... And she definitely knew that her birthday is on the day of the concert..." They were stating facts but I don't think it affected them as much as it affected me.

Venky: "Sanam, how did you get to know?"

I told them our little conversation, trying my best not to sound annoyed. But why am I annoyed? Frankly speaking, I have no idea! Maybe because, I wanted to do something special for her... But I had never thought that I would be doing something special on her birthday... I had not even asked her her birth date, then how can I be thinking that I would do something to make her happy! Well of course she is happy, partying with her friends... But what can be the reason of her not telling me? Or us rather...

My brain was working at full speed. All these thoughts made me even more uncomfortable. Where on one side I chided myself for such stupid behaviour, on the other side I couldn't help ignoring the fact that it was her special day and I was not able to do ANYTHING for her! The guys didn't really discuss about this much, except for concluding that we must wish her at least. I told them that she will be messaging me once she's free and they seemed content with the idea of the video chat.

But my inner voice didn't let my mind rest. Why would she hide her birth date? What can be so secretive about someone's birthday? What could she be thinking?... Does she even consider me a friend? This struck a chord. Although I have happily accepted her as a friend in my life, she probably hasn't given me the same position in her life. Maybe she thinks that because I'm a celebrity, I might be an arrogant and extremely proud person; not worthy of her friendship. But it doesn't really feel like that; she is very normal towards me, towards us.

Ughhhh Sanam! Itna mat soch {Don't think so much}!!! This piece of instruction by my conscience caused me to shoo away all these thoughts. I needed to do something special for her, regardless of the fact that she didn't tell me that it was her birthday. Then it came! I guess that was all I could do from where I was then. I shared my idea with the rest and they agreed instantly! Chalo {Come on} at least something I can do for her...

After like an hour of waiting in anticipation, I received a text from Gul, asking me to call her. I immediately set up a video call and she received it within a second. When the screen changed to show me her face, I suddenly realised that I hadn't seen her for a week; and to be honest, suddenly it seemed to be very long.

Though she seemed unchanged, she still amazed me with her looks. She wore a beautiful pink dress; she probably hadn't changed after the party. I couldn't take my eyes off her, her face was glowing more than usual. I was suddenly brought back to the world when she cheerfully said 'Hi' to me. I greeted her back.

Her: "So, where are the rest?"

Me: "You're looking... very nice!!" I could see her face instantly turning red.

Her: "Thank you so much!", she made it as polite as she could. "But I guess this wasn't the answer to my question...!" She managed a low chuckle.

Me: "Oh Ya right! I didn't hear you...They'll be here any moment!" I tried to cover up the mess that I had created of myself. Sanam! Focus!

Soon, the guys came into the room and they literally screamed a very loud 'Happy Birthday' to her. She looked really overwhelmed. It doesn't really look like she's even a bit uncomfortable around us... Then why did she...?

Samar: "A very Happy Birthday to you once again Ms. Gulab!" He was being his usual self.

Her: "Thank you very much Mr. Puri!!!" and she laughed.

Me: "I'm also Mr. Puri!"

Her: "Oh yes! I completely forgot!" Very funny Gul!

There was a round of laughter and jokes after which the girls also came. All of them were dressed up, although they looked a little tired, all of them looked good. All of us did some talking but no one mentioned why Gul didn't let anyone know about her birthday. Not that it could be a topic to be discussed, though.

Well, the call ended and after a few hours, we were ready for our concert. It was a great show! The audience was overwhelming and the atmosphere was exhilarating. We were nearing the end of the show. It was now time to put my plan into action. Ben was at a little distance from the stage but when I gave him the cue, he could easily get the signal.

I began:

"Thank you so much Suriname! It was such a pleasure performing before you guys!!"

This is when all of us collected in the middle of the stage.

"There is one little thing that we need to do... Actually today is one of our friend's birthday, and we are not able to celebrate with her... Although her birthday is over back in India, but we still have a few hours left here! So we're gonna sing Happy Birthday for her and you guys please join!"

I looked at Ben who gave me a thumbs up; he was on a video call with Gul. We started singing and the whole crowd joined us. I just hope she liked it. It sounded really amazing, it was like the whole world was wishing her. I wanted to see her reaction, so I had asked Ben to record the chat. I had made sure not to use her name anywhere; she wouldn't like it. I just hope I could make her feel special (even though she thinks I ain't worthy enough of even knowing her birthday 😒)

After returning to our rooms that night, I watched the recorded chat. She was really overwhelmed! She was blushing hard and her eyes were open wide. I was smiling throughout the video, and also while I watched it the second time. I decided to call her up, hoping that she might have not gone to college yet.

Me: "Hey!"

Her: "You! You're mad!!!" I was taken aback.

Me: "Ummmmmm... Sorry?"

Her: "Yes, you definitely are!!!!!!" Now I could make out that she wasn't serious.

Me: "Kyun bhai? {Why dude?}"

Her: "What was that???" She sounded so dramatic, I couldn't control laughing. "Has kyun rahe ho? {Why're you laughing?}"

Me: "I wanted to make up for my absence and also for not knowing your birthday..."

Her: "Oh God Sanam!!! Your wish was enough for me! You didn't have to do so much... Seriously..." She sounded really serious this time.

Me: "Gul, you liked it or not?" I asked plainly.

Her: "OF COURSE I DID!!! It was just amazing!!! It felt like the entire world was singing for me all at once!!!" Now she sounded excited.

Me: "Then that's it... No more discussion... Though I'm not satisfied yet..."

Her: "Thank you so much Sanam, thank you... I really can't thank you enough... " She sounded earnest.

Me: "Anytime." I said, with a smile. She probably didn't pay attention to the 'I'm not satisfied' part, good for me!

After two days we returned to India and we're received by Gul at the airport. She had come to meet us and thank all of us at the airport itself.

I could see her at the exit, waving excitedly towards us. When we reached her, she took turns to thank and hug each one of us, coming to me at last, like last time. However this time, there wasn't much time for us to feel awkward, cause she literally leaped and swung her arms across my shoulders, pulling me in a cute teddy bear hug. Even though I was caught unawares, I hugged her back, feeling good about it. It felt so nice, seeing her after 2 long weeks, even though we'd been talking almost everyday. We went home, and she returned to her hostel, since she wanted us to unpack and rest.

After we were done unpacking and freshening up, I told the guys my little plan to surprise Gul some more. I had bought a gift for her already but I didn't wanna give it to her just like that. We discussed the plan, and the next step was to talk to the girls. We would definitely need their help to set up everything. That night, I called up Shipra, and asked her to keep Gul busy in something while we can have a little conference regarding what we all need to do. I don't know how she did it, but I received a call in just 5 minutes, telling me that Gul was nowhere around and we can talk conveniently till we have finalised everything. The 8 of us discussed the plan for at least half an hour. We would execute it day after tomorrow. I just hope she would like what we were doing.

*NEXT DAY*

Even though we had decided to relax a little, and not go to the jam room, I called Gul to our place. We showed her pictures of our tour, and all the amazing things we did and bought there. She seemed very excited. The pictures she had seen many of them though, being a fangirl that she was, but still there were so many she hadn't seen. When it was time for her to go, I volunteered to drop her home.

While we were in the car, I couldn't stop thinking about the surprise plan we were going to execute tomorrow. Oh freak! I had to do the most important part!!!!

Me: "Gul...?" I said in a sing-song tone.

Her: "Hanji {Yes}?"

Me: "I am still not satisfied..."

Her: "With?"

Me: "I wanna do something more to make up for not being there on your birthday..."

Her: "You don't need to Sanam! What should I do to make you understand that you turned my birthday into the 'Best Day of my Life'?" She sounded serious and emphatic, but I had to do this.

Me: "What should you do...?" I faked thinking of an answer to her question.

Her: "Ya if there's anything..." I can't believe she was taking me so seriously! 😝

Me: "Spend the entire day with me... Tomorrow!"

Her: "Tomorrow?"

Me: "Yes tomorrow... Tomorrow your college is closed I believe?"

Her: "Yes it is... But how do you know?" She narrowed her eyes at me. Oops, I think I gave out more than I should have!

Me: "I was just guessing..." Bad try! Although she didn't buy this reason, she didn't question me more.

Her: "Alright, done deal! But after tomorrow you won't say that you couldn't make up for not being her on my birthday... Okay?"

Me: "Okay!"

We reached our destination and I returned home, full of excitement for tomorrow. I just wanna see her face when we surprise her!!

*NEXT DAY*

I woke up and all of us did a little check on all the things we required. Samar was on the phone with someone when I returned to tell him that I was leaving. I waited for him to be over with his talking, but it turned out he wasn't in the mood to keep the phone down. I kept waiting and waiting and finally gestured to him that I was getting late and going when I heard him say:

Samar: "Ananya just hold on a sec..." Ananya? Seriously? Well it didn't seem like they were talking about the plan. Oh Samar! Ab tu gaya!😝

Samar: "Haan jaldi bol ab! {Yes, speak up now!}"

Me: "I'm going to pick her up... Just make sure everything's ready by evening, okay??"

Samar was hardly paying attention. Hehe *wicked laugh*!!! I know what your up to dude! All the best to her!! 😝

I left immediately and went to pick her up. She didn't let me come very close to her college, so she asked me to wait way before. When she finally came, I stepped out of the car to open the door for her.

Gul: "Thank you so much!" She said with poise. She looked usual, and by usual... I hope you know what I mean. She was a breath of fresh air; everytime I looked at her, my lips curled into an inevitable smile.

She didn't wear clothes from the red carpet or cover her face with layers of makeup, yet she looked like she has just stepped out of one of the billboards, not literally though!😝 But her simplicity was something that left me gawking, mentally. She had a bunch of flowers in her hand, which she presented to me once I was seated. I took them gently from her hands, saying:

"Thanks?! These are really beautiful... Par mere liye kyun {But why are these for me}?

Her: "Woh isliye, taaki tum jaldi satisfy ho jao {So that you're finally satisfied} that you've made my birthday very very special already!"

Me: "So does that mean... You don't want to come with me?" I narrowed my eyes at her. "Very rude yaar!" I nodded my head with an artificial 'annoyed' expression.

Her: "I don't think I said that, did I?" She gave me a skeptical look but it was half naughty.

Me: "Iska Matlab toh yahi hua Waise {well this implies the same}..." I gave a matter-of-fact shrug.

Her: "Tell me when you're done Mr. Detective... I'm waiting..." She looked out of the window while suppressing her chuckle.

Me: "Achha okay... I'm done now!!" She looked at me again, with a naughty twinkle in her eyes. "What?"

Her: "On second thoughts... Give me the flowers... It's dangerous for you to accept these from me..."

Me: "What?" I was totally confused. This girl and her wit!

Her: "If your girlfriend gets to know... She might create a scene... You know what I mean!?"

Me: "Ohhhhhhh! That's what you mean... Arre uski tension tum mat lo, usko nahi pata chalega {You don't worry about her, I'll make sure she doesn't get to know}!!!" I winked at her.

The conversation ended with our laughter, which had become a common feature of all of our meetings. I usually laughed instantly at almost anything, but I've noticed lately that when I'm laughing with her, I'm mostly capturing the moment with my eyes and storing it in my brain permanently.

This time I had decided where we were going. There were a number of places where we were to go. And we started of by having Segway tours, something that I personally liked very much.

We were having too much fun, even though both of us had a little difficulty in learning to ride it, we manged to finally do it by holding each other's hands. It was a great experience, even though I had done it before. I made sure nobody recognised me; my cap and shades were in place all the time.

After that, I decided to take her for lunch, to one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to, the Dome. Thankfully it wasn't very hot, so the pleasant weather played a pivotal role in making us enjoy the day to the fullest.

She was loving the place very much. We were at our table, waiting for out order, when I decided to finally ask her.

Me: "Why did you not tell me it's your birthday?"

Her: "Arre? Tum abhi bhi wahin atke hue ho? {You're still stuck at that?}"

Me: "Tell me!"

Her: "Listen, it's over now... Chala gaya hai mera birthday {My birthday has passed now}... And we're still celebrating! How does it really matter?"

Me: "Ya fine, it doesn't matter too much... But I wanna know..."

Her: "Fine! I'll tell you... But frankly speaking, I don't really know why I didn't tell you... I could have, the day you guys told me about your tour, but when I heard that you won't be here for 2 weeks, I thought it won't really matter since you guys won't be here on the day..."

Me: "So... Is that the only reason?"

Her: "Well that's not even a reason... Ugh!" She rolled her eyes and looked away. "See, the thing is... Even till now, I feel that I'm more of a fan than friend, an outsider... So, though it might not feel so to you, but I still feel a little awkward and out of place with you guys... But it's very sweet of all of you to be doing things for me despite me being just an ordinary fan..."

Me: "Gul!" I cut her off. "We don't consider you JUST a fan, alright? You're our friend already!"

She gave me a weak smile and by this time our food arrived. Well, after this little conversation, I felt a little relaxed. God knows what all I had been thinking. She's humble, and sweet. That's all!

It was almost evening, so we decided to do something risky, yet peaceful. We went to the Bandstand.

Peaceful because there was something about the sea which made me very calm, and risky because people there could recognise me. We went there anyway, because I found out that she also finds the serenity of the sea very attractive.

We sat on the cemented sidewalk in silence, admiring the waves and enjoying the breeze. The moment was beautiful. Our lower legs hung from the edge of the sidewalk, and we passed the packet of potato crisps back and forth between each other. I looked at her face, strands of hair flying over it. The orange light of dusk was making her face look calmer than the sea. She turned her head to find me looking at her.

Her: "What happened?"

Me: "I was just thinking... Tum kaise karti ho yeh {How do you do this}?"

Her: "Kya {What}?"

Me: "Kabhi {Sometimes} cheerful, Kabhi calm, Kabhi funny, kabhi sarcastic, kabhi sensible, kabhi stupid, kabhi serious... I mean... How????"

She raised her eyebrows and gave me a confused smile.

Her: "Well thanks for the Bezatti {insult}!" She said in a sarcastic tone and animated low pitched voice, which caused me to laugh uncontrollably.

Gul: "Waise... If you want an answer, well... Main Waise hi karti hu Jaise Tum kar lete ho {I do it the way you do it...} I hope you know you are also like this... Don't you?" she smiled at me.

Me: "Maybe, maybe not... Whatever it is, thanks to you this time, for my bezatti {insult}!?" and both of us cracked up again. It was time to return, and I had to drop Gul at Shreya's apartment, according to her; unaware of the fact that she's going to get her birthday surprise there.

We reached her building and once we were in front of her flat, Gul rang the doorbell, waiting for it to be answered. There was a click, and the door was unlocked, but nobody flung it open for us. It was all a part of our plan, but was completely confusing for her. She looked at me anxiously and then pushed the door open, very slowly. I followed her inside; it was pitch dark. I had given a missed call to Keshu before reaching, so they knew exactly when we would be there. Gul looked around, trying to reach the switchboard. Her back hit lightly against my chest, while she was trying to find her way. Suddenly, her proximity and the darkness caused my heart to flutter. I felt an urge to touch her. She had backed off immediately as she banged against me, but somehow, I felt weird. I just wanted the lights to be switched on, the ambiance was intoxicating. She finally found the switchboard and clicked all the switches to the 'on' position. I felt relieved now. That was when everybody screamed "HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUL" and she was caught unawares.

She covered her mouth with her hands and exclaimed "Oh My God!" Her eyes were open wide and her wide smile was what I wanted to see. She was literally gawking at the entire room, and I felt really proud and thankful to all my friends.

They'd done everything in just a day's time, and the girls had really helped with the photographs. Nimra, another friend of all of them, also helped us immensely. Dhruv, who was introduced to me by his girlfriend Shipra, had played a major part in putting all of this together. All of them were present there.

Gul hugged everybody and when she came up to Samar, he said:

Samar: "Miss. Gulab {Rose}! You know the one you should really thank is him..." he pointed at me. Completely unnecessary that was Samar... Thanks though!😉

That's when she came up to me and engulfed my in a tight hug, chanting 'Thank you' around a hundred times.

I smiled at her and gave her a wink. Then she cut the cake and and we were all eating, chatting and having fun when I went up to her. She was standing alone, admiring all the pictures that were tied to the balloons.

I handed over the little box which contained the gift I had bought for her. She looked at me, without saying a word. I gestured to her with my eyes to take it from my hands. She hesitantly did so and I whispered "Happy Birthday Gul". She opened the box and looked at it in complete awe.

She kept staring at it while I said: "For my best friend..."

She looked at me for a second and embraced me in a very warm hug. I returned her hug. Breaking apart from the hug, she said "Thank you so much Sanam, Thank you!" She really meant it, I could see that.

Me: "And I want one thing in return... Can you try and stop believing that you're a fan and I'm your idol? I consider you as my friend, can you do the same for me??" I asked softly.

Her: "Yes, yes I will..."

This was another one of those moments which I'm never going to forget.

Just then, I saw Samar and Ananya standing together near the table. I've got to tell this to Gul!

I nudged her with my elbow and she saw them too. Both of smirked at each other, 'cause we could see something coming up!

It was late and we were about to leave when Gul came up to me and hugged me one more time, saying "Thank you for the best birthday ever!"

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Author's note:

Phew!!!!! Such a long one no? I know you guys want to kill me right now, for the long wait and also for the extremely long chapter, but I've tried to make it entertaining for you guys... So I hope I can escape a little punishment! 😝

I'm not going to bore you anymore now... Just wanna say, please give me your reviews in the comment's box below! And thanks so much for reading and voting! Love you all!!!

Once a #SANAMian, always a #SANAMian!!!😘😘😘

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