Sanam's POV:

Today was going to be exciting, I knew. Today we were going to be shooting most of the video, except for the prom part. Oh! I must have not mentioned the "prom part" before... That was the last scene in the video, where we're all at our college prom, and Gul and I have to dance together. The motive behind this scene is just to show that despite being together as dance partners at the prom, and friends for the entire college tenure, we don't confess our feelings to each other even at the end of it. So we were basically gonna complete three-fourth of this video today. There were too many costume changes and the girls were here earlier than usual. I was pretty excited for it, and moreover I was feeling much much better after talking to her yesterday. I was really surprised when she stepped up to talk to me; I was almost convinced that she was totally mad at me! Whatever she said last evening, made me realise that she was very sensitive yet sensible in her approach. She was sure not a girl who was too modern in her thoughts; she was a little traditional, so I believed that she might hate me for whatever had happened considering she's the 'girl' and all... But she behaved quite maturely and realised that it might have been our mistake collectively, and not mine alone (Although, I doubt the truth in that, but I decided to not press that topic any further).

Well, I didn't wanna think about that anymore. So this evening, when the girls came, all of us were almost already done with makeup and hair, and thus they rushed with it. All through the evening we did fun-filled scenes, almost like yesterday, but the 'masti {fun}' was definitely intense!

Today's target were an interesting pair of people. I don't think it would be a hard guess... Yeah, I'm talking about Ananya and Samar. I had been pressing Samar since last evening to tell Ananya that he likes her, but he wouldn't listen. And I wasn't the only one who wanted this to happen; Gul was all the more excited. She had been giving smirks and side glances to Ananya all day; I had noticed. Ananya kept rolling her eyes at her, but she definitely blushed a little every time.

We were getting ready for a "colliding" scene, if I can call it. In simple words, Gul and I had to be colliding in the corridor and our books were to be scattered on the floor. I was almost done with my clothes and Gul was getting her makeup touched up, when Ananya volunteered to bring the stack of books that Gul had to hold. She had no reason to be doing it, but since she volunteered, Aditi let her. No one really paid attention, but then there was a loud thud. I turned around to see Ananya bent down, picking up the the scattered books... But she wasn't the only one gathering the books, my very "helpful" brother was there too. Looking at the situation it was clear that the scene that had to be enacted by me and Gul, was being rehearsed by these two "to-be-love-birds"!

I was having a great time watching the two of them, in that awkward moment!😜

Samar: "I'm really sorry Ananya, I totally didn't see you coming..."

Ananya: "Arre it's absolutely okay Samar...Not a big deal!" she gave him a warm smile while taking a book from Samar's hand. He gave his "absolutely weird" smile, which is his signature when he is feeling nervous. And then this guy doesn't want to tell her that he likes her😒...

They were going on and on, apologizing and forgiving, when I decided to make a move. I went up to where the two were busy stacking back the books and said:

Me: "Samar, I think you and Ananya crashed into each other on purpose!" I suppressed my laughter while I looked at both their faces; gawking at me. Gul, as if on cue, came into the frame.

Gul: "Haan yaar {Yes dude}... This was exactly the scene that was to be shot between me and Sanam right now!" Her twinkling eyes clearly showed her excitement.

Ananya: "Tu chup karegi? {Will you shut up?}" She gave her a stern look, while her cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

Gul: "Arre I meant ki you guys gave us an example you know... Something like... An inspiration!" She diverted the topic to avoid any further awkward moments.

Samar: "I'm glad that we were a help to you Ms. Gulab {Rose}!" He had the fake smile pasted on his face, when he placed the few books in his hand, on the nearby table, and his arm around my shoulders, forcing me to leave the place immediately. He took me to the makeup room and gave me a disgusted look.

Samar: "Pagal hai kya???? Kya bakwaas kar raha tha tu bahar? {Are you insane??? What nonsense were you uttering outside?}" I smirked.

Me: "See, maine decide kiya hai {I've decided} that since you're not going to talk to her straightaway, I'm gonna make you confess your feelings to Ananya! And you had an example right in front of you just now... " He slapped his forehead and I gleamed.

Samar: "Leave that to me, can you? Please humein aise embarrass mat kar na!? {Please don't embarrass us like this no!?}" At this point, his helpless yet annoyed expression was making me laugh like anything.

Me *laughing*: "Okay, okay... Phir se nahi hoga... Bas itna bata de, tu use kab bata raha hai?? Kyunki agar tune zyada time lagaya toh.... {Won't happen again... Just tell me this one thing, when are you telling her?? Because if you're gonna take a long time, then I'm afraid.... }"

Samar: "Bhai theek hai! Yeh meri problem hai... Bata dunga main use... Tu please meri help mat kar!! {Okay brother, that's my problem... I'll tell her... You don't need to help me please!!}" He said, holding both my shoulders, while I laughed shamelessly. He's pretty used to my ways, I'm dead sure any other person would have smacked me in the face if I had done such a thing!

Finally, when we were all ready for the shot, we completed the scene, which was obviously nowhere close to the real one that we had just witnessed. I'm pretty sure Ananya must have been really annoyed with Gul for whatever happened, but she had pacified her; at least that's how it looked. When we were done with a couple of scenes, I grabbed the opportunity to ask Gul.

Me: "Ananya was mad at us, wasn't she?"

Gul *giggling*: "Of course she was!!" And both of us burst out laughing. We didn't have more time for chit chat so we completed the rest of the scenes, with a costume change every now and then.

Finally the day was over, and we decided to head back home, I got the opportunity to talk to her. Though it was all fun working together and stuff, but the time I spent with her was negligible. It seemed weird, of course, because I was used to our conversations; sometimes insane, and sometimes serious. I don't know about her, but for me, 'we' had become routine. All we had was small talk on our way to the car, while the others were busy chatting amongst themselves.

Gul: "...so that's why I asked the makeup lady to not go over-the-top with the eyes." She was telling me how she wasn't very comfortable wearing heavy makeup and how she's afraid she'll look a disaster tomorrow, since she has to get dresses for the 'prom' scene tomorrow.

Me: "So you're basically excited and afraid at the same time??" I had made sure to be listening whatever she said, because it was difficult for me to concentrate on her words when I looked at her eyes.

Gul: "Yep! I just hope it goes well...", she said in a hopeless tone. "But I can't wait to go to Maldives!!!" All of a sudden, her sulky expression turned into a glittering smile. God! The spontaneity with which her emotions change! She brings so much colour into a boring conversation; probably even in my life!

The day finally ended on a 'see you guys tomorrow!' The next day, it was an evening shoot. So the girls were done with their lectures for the day when they reached the set. It was actually an on-location shoot. The hall was actually a College hall, and it was decorated with red and white balloons all over. The girls were all quite excited to see the arrangements, but Gul was specifically thrilled. Before she went in for her costume, she reiterated about fifteen times about how much she liked the ambience of the place. She looked like an excited kid, who had tasted candy for the very first time. No wonder she's different!

We all went in for the costume and makeup. All of us were dressed in tuxedos and I was really loving the way the four of us looked. I wonder how Gul would look today... Well, this isn't a question at all! She looks good no matter what! But the fact that I had never seen her totally dressed up for a formal occasion before, got me a little excited.

While I was busy with my own thoughts, Ben came in to call us to the set. We reached there to find the entire crew, minus the girls. We didn't have to wait much before they came. They came in one after the other, and guess what, Gul was the last one to enter. Everything looked like a part of some romantic novel; it seemed like each step she took was in slow motion. She was looking so gorgeous! I don't know if I was gawking, because the next few moments passed really slowly. Her walk from the entrance up to the aisle of the hall (where I was) seemed to take hours. The beautiful dress she was wearing only added to the grace of her beauty. She was standing in front of me when I realised that I had been staring all the while.

Gul: "Sanam!" She clicked her fingers before my face. "Maine kuchh poochha tumse! {I just asked you something!}" Oh God Sanam! Will you stop making things awkward! She had the same apprehensive look on her face which she had the day before. And to be honest, I hadn't heard a word she had just said.

Me: "Kya...? Sorry Maine suna nahi... {What...? I'm sorry I didn't hear you...}" She made a straight face.

Her: "I asked you if I'm looking okay!? I've never felt so overdressed all my life!!!" She looked down at her dress consciously.

Me: "Arre you're looking awesome!!! And red suits you!" I winked at her.

Her: "Th... Thanks..." If I could read her face well, I'm sure she blushed a little.

"Look!" she pointed somewhere behind me, changing the topic.

I followed her sight to find Ananya and Samar standing together, and it was then I noticed that Samar blushed harder than Ananya, even though I'm pretty sure Samar must have complimented her.

Her: "They look so cute!!!!" Her eyes twinkled at the thought.

Me: "Yes they do..." I said, not removing my gaze from her face.

That's when Aditi announced us to gather and listen to her instructions one last time before the shot. I had to be walking up to Gul, on great persuasion by the guys, and ask her for a dance. She would say yes, and then we had to dance with our eyes locked.

The camera started rolling and we began. The 'persuasion' part went well, and then I walked up to her and gave her my hand. She looked at me hesitantly, like she was supposed to, and gently placed her delicate hand into mine. I don't know what happened, but as soon as her hand touched mine, I felt something. The kind of feeling that couldn't be explained in words. I shoved all those thoughts away and concentrated on the scene. I took her to the centre of the hall and placed her hand on my shoulder. She followed suit and placed mine on her waist. More awkwardness. It was really difficult for me to hold her so close, especially after what had happened just a few days ago. I had not fully placed my hand on her waist and probably Aditi sensed something because she exclaimed "Cut!"

That was it, we stood apart at once. Aditi walked up to us.

Aditi: "We need more chemistry here, okay!?"

There was a second take and we started all over again. I don't think it was different than the previous one because Aditi interrupted this time as well. She took Gul aside to talk to her separately. After a while, she came back to me alone.

Aditi: "Sanam... Is there a problem? What's up with you guys? This is the most intense scene of the video; you're supposed to be looking at each other, feeling the love. But forget about looking, you guys are not even standing close...!" I had no answer to her questions.

Me: "Sorry... We'll try our best..." was all I could say. After a while, I could see, Gul walking in, looking a little less pale than she was.

When she came up to me, we knew that none of us needed any promoting now. She took her place and the camera rolled. I walked up to her, took her to the centre of the hall, and placed her hand over my shoulder, all over again. When it was her turn, she took my hand, placed it on her waist and came towards me. She was inches away from me, when I heard her whisper, "Hold me tight..." For a fraction of a second, I couldn't register what she said; my eyes were locked with hers. As soon as I realised what I was just told to do, I tightened my grip on her waist, without leaving her gaze. Everything that followed was a blur. All I knew was that our eyes locked, and our hearts were beating rapidly. After what seemed forever, Aditi called off the shot. We were still too lost to notice that the shot was over, when finally the entire crew started applauding us. We stepped apart and accepted the appreciation humbly. The fifteen minutes had been very difficult for the both of us and I'm sure we needed time after all this.

We wrapped up the shoot and had a mini celebration for the completion of the video. By this time, the tension between us had faded to quite an extent. We were all ready to leave when I went to the makeup room to look for Samar. He had been away for sometime now. I heard his voice from inside the room and knew at once that he was there, but he wasn't alone.  He was talking to someone and so I decided to wait outside. The other person was none other than the lady herself: Ananya.

Samar: "I had been wanting to say this from quite some time now... But I didn't want to force you into anything..." Oh My God!!! He's finally saying it!

I didn't hear a reply, so I decided to take a peak into the room. She had hugged him so tight that he had lost his balance and was leaning against the dressing table. He hugged her back tightly. I was watching them shamelessly, but I couldn't help it, they were looking so cute! I so wanted Gul to be here right then, but thankfully she wasn't, because if she had been here, I'm sure she would have screamed and scared them! However, I wanted to tell her, and so I left the place immediately.

She was standing with everyone, in the parking lot. I didn't want all of them to know, but I really wanted to tell Gul. So I messaged her:

Me: " Sam n Ani r together!!!"

I was standing at a distance where no one could spot me, but I could see them clearly. As soon as Gul's phone beeped, she checked it and her eyes widened. She kept shut but looked around the place, probably searching for me. I peeped from my hiding spot, and waved to her lightly. When she saw me, she shrugged her brows in order to ask me about what's going on. I gestured her to come where I was and she immediately made an excuse to everyone, and came.

Gul: "Oh God Sanam!!!! Yeh kya??? {What's this???}" She sounded more excited than I was.

Me: "Chalo, I'll show you..." And I took her by the hand to where the lovebirds were. They were standing hand-in-hand when she saw them. She was screaming from inside but she just managed to keep quiet.

Gul *whispering*: "They're so beautiful together!" She was staring at them constantly.

Me: "They are..." That's when she turned her head to look at me in the eyes and smiled. Such moments!

We returned to where everyone was and decided to keep mum about this. The two of them came silently and joined us. Nobody had noticed their absence. We went home in silence and then I caught hold of my brother!

Me: "Samar... Idhar aa... {Come here... }" He had a confused expression.

Samar: "Kya hua?? {What happened??}"

Me: "Woh toh mujhe poochhna chahiye... {I should be asking this... }" I gave him a smirk and then I could see his face red.

Samar: "I don't know what you're talking about..."

I kept teasing him till he finally gave in.

Samar: "Yeah okay okay okay!!!! I told her that I like her... " My brother was blushing so hard that I doubt even Ananya would blush that much!

Me: "And she likes you back?!" I exclaimed.

He gave me a cold stare but then returned to blushing.

That was it. I ran downstairs and told Keshu and Venks at once! Samar was mad at first, but once the three of us began with our teasing, he kept blushing. Most part of the night was spent in this, when we finally fell asleep. We were leaving for Maldives next week and I was more than excited. I'm sure Gul would be too....

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Author's Note:

Hellooooo!!!! Meeting you guys after a loooooong long time! Okay, I'll begin with an apology, so sorry for being so late. My life has become way too hectic and this chapter has been written in so many parts, that it was really difficult to keep the flow smooth. I know you guys must have lost touch with the plot by now (sorry again) so all I can suggest is to reread the last portion of the previous chapter.

Well, let's talk about now. So we have year the couple of the season, Samar and Ananya!!!! Tell me what you guys think about these two lovelies and of course, the growing chemistry between our protagonists, Sanam and Gul.

A big thank you "hug" to my lovely readers and loyal followers without whose motivation I wouldn't have still uploaded this chapter!😅 Thanks to my 6K family! 😍

Don't forget to tell me how you guys found this one in the comment's box below... (You can also be critical... 😁)

Until next time...

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