Hey everyone! I hope you are enjoying my book so far.

I just want to ask a question. Would you like to ready Reyansh and Ramya's friends' love story? If so, then please let me know. Because I have to write it before Parth's story.

Thank you for your support. Take care. 😊❤️

P.S. Please let me know soon.

***Reyansh's POV.***

"Damn it." I say as I see a taxi going away.

I rush towards my car and realize the keys are with Ramya. When did she become such a fast runner? She outran me also and in those heels, no less. But why did she run, anyway?

"Oh, my goodness! Please don't tell me she thought I was angry with her. I have to get back home soon. But how? She took the last taxi and I don't have the keys." I say to myself in frustration.

"I can help you with that." I hear a voice and turn around to see Sameer.

I don't like this guy much as he is always hovering around Ramya, and the fact that he likes her doesn't make him seem much better in my eyes. But then I see Jagvi coming to the parking lot and I really don't have time for her stupid explanation of why her friends did what they did.

"Fine. Let's go." I say.

"Right now." He asks, confused.

"Yes, right now, before someone catches up with me." I say and he nods.

He unlocks his car and we sit inside and I ask him to rush as Jagvi finally founds us. He starts driving before she can reach us and I sigh in relief.

"What happened back there? Ramya looked super upset, and I also saw them laughing. But the laugh didn't seem like a joke laugh. It seemed more like laughing at her kind of laugh." He says, looking concerned.

"It is none of your business." I say, getting none of what he said.

"It will be when she becomes my cousin." He says with a cringe.

"Why do you cringe every time anyone mentions that she would be your cousin? Do you still like her?" I ask.

"Yes." He says and I clench my fist, "But that is not the reason I cringe. My reason is simple. I feel embarrassed that what if someone came to know that I declared my stupid love to my future cousin? That does not sound cool." He says, looking very much embarrassed right now.

"Did you not think to stop the wedding if you really love her?" I ask him out of curiosity.

"No way, dude. I am the type of person who prefers to be upfront about my feelings. That is why I proposed to Ramya the second I saw her, but obviously she loves you, so... And it is good this way. If my parents came to know that I liked Ramya, it would create problems with Tau Ji's wedding. I was opposed to it before because of my selfish reasons, but then I remember how Tau Ji always has been there for me. He deserves love and happiness, too. And also I can't force someone to love me." He says, sounding way too sensible now even though from what Ramya described, I thought he was weird.

"Still, how can you just let it go?" I ask.

"Well, it was easy after I saw how happy she was at the wedding reception night." He says with a smile.

"If I were in your place-" I say to know something.

"But you are not. You are not the person who proposed to her first, I was." He says with a smirk and he is back to being in the bad books.

"You said that a third time." I say with a blank look.

"That's not the point." He says.

"Then come to the point." I say.

"She chose you, dude. She loves you and got married to you. So now it is your responsibility to look after her, not me. So you are not in my place, helpless. You can do anything to make her happy and you should. Because I bet from however much I came to know about Ramya, she is doing her best to help you achieve your dreams and keep you happy all the time. My point is she has kept you her priority, hasn't she? So doesn't she deserve the same treatment?" He asks, and his question leaves me in a daze.

"Stop right here." I say and he does so.

"Hey!" He says before I leave the car, "I know it is none of my business, but you should talk to your ex-wife too." I frown and he continues, "I mean, if you don't put a full-stop on your previous chapter, it will continue with your new one. So you and your ex-wife should talk it out one last time and finish whatever it is for good. Because from where I stand I think you do want that but seem lost on how to do it and also you look desperate for advice."

"I do not." I say.

"Sorry then." He says.

I shake my head and get out of the car. But before I leave, I turn and say, "Thank you."

"I know. I am a very good advisor." He says with a goofy smile, which reminds me of Parth.

"For the ride." I say.

"Oh! You're welcome." He says, looking embarrassed, then drives off.

But whatever he said is not wrong. I am getting desperate to close the topic of Jagvi forever in my life and move on. Because the time I spend with Ramya makes me feel like I am only giving half of myself while she isn't holding back on giving all of her to me.

I rush back inside to clear this misunderstanding first, then maybe think about the closure that I need from my last relationship to move to my new one, which is more important to me now than anything else.

Silently, I move towards the stairs so as not to wake anyone up, but then I take a step back and go towards the kitchen. After acquiring what I needed, I went back to the stairs and went towards my room. Just when I get near my room's door, it opens to reveal Ramya, who looks ready to sneak away somewhere else. Not so soon.

I put my arms around her and my hand on her mouth before she shouts out, then I say, "You can't sneak away!"

Once we are inside the room, I lock it and take my hand away from her mouth, but don't let her leave my arms.

"Are you going to freeze me?" She asks, and I frown.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I feel cold against the back of my leg. Are you okay?" She asks, looking down at me, and I get confused, but then I realize what she is saying.

"Why do you always question that thing down there? It is the ice cream I am holding." I say and put it against her cheek.

"Reyansh!" She exclaims in surprise.

I put the ice-cream away, turn her in my arms and pull her close. She looks at me as if trying to gauge my mood, which is good after seeing she isn't crying. But when her lips wobble, I panic. Okay. I have to distract her, then talk to her. I look here and there for some solution, but in the end I only find one way to distract her from crying.

I kiss her.

At first she is shocked and freezes up, but then she responds just like always. One kiss leads to another and before I know it, Ramya is taking my clothes off. I try to stop her but she distracts me with her fingers and before I know it again; we are in bed.

"Stop, Ramya. We need to talk." I say, panting as she kisses my neck.

"Later." She says and kisses me on the lips.

"It would take just a minute." I say as soon as we part.

"I said later." She says and kisses me again.

I would be a fool to stop her now, but obviously I don't want her to think I am angry with her and I definitely don't want her to sleep with me if she is using this as a reason to calm me down. So somehow controlling myself, I flip her over and hold both of hands above her head with one of mine.

"Stop it." I say as she brushes against me and I glare at her.

"Why?" She asks, "You don't want me?"

"Don't pose that question to me when you clearly know the answer." I say and she blushes all over.

"What is so urgent?" She asks.

"Ramya, what happened at the party?" I ask straightly and I can see a sadness in her eyes, "Did they say something mean to you?"

"What does it have to do with you? You already blame me for throwing a drink at your friend." She says with sudden anger, then looks away.

"When did I do that?" I ask as I brush a strand of hair away from her face.

"When you looked at me with those piercing eyes with anger in it." She says, still not looking at me.

"Oh! So you assumed ‌I was looking at you in anger." I say.

"Yes. But it wasn't an assumption." She says.

"It was an assumption and a false one at that. I wasn't looking at you in anger. Instead, I was looking at your condition and got angry. The moment I saw you I knew that something had gone wrong while I was away and the second Shweta opened her mouth I knew I made a mistake leaving my lamb like wife to the wolves." I say and kiss her shoulder.

She finally looks at me and asks, "You mean to say you are not angry at me?"

"Nope." I say, shaking my head.

"So you didn't think I threw a drink at Shweta?" She asks.

"No. Though I would have loved it if you had done it. I know her enough to know that she is a one melodramatic bully." I say.

"What do you mean?" She asks, confused.

"Shweta used to say that I am a creep and nerdy to Jagvi but then accepted me when we got engaged, but she would still badmouth me in front of my best friends. So I know what type of person she is all too well." I say.

"Did you not feel bad?" She asks innocently.

"Why should I? Do you remember you told me once that you saw an elephant pass down your street?" I ask.

"Yes." She says.

"Did you see some street dogs barking at that elephant?" I ask.

"Yes." She says looking confused where this is going.

"Did that elephant get bothered by it? Did that elephant react at all?" I ask.

"No. In fact, the elephant was going on her merry way without giving a single thought to those dogs. In fact, at one point, I thought she was taunting them by wagging her little tail at them." She says with a smile, but then shakes her head and asks, "But what does it have to do with what you feel?"

"Well, consider yourself or me elephant in this story and Shweta the dog. We shouldn't be bothered by what she thinks as her opinion of us doesn't matter because she matters nothing in our life. Actually, no one's opinions should matter in our life except our own. But I still want to know what Shweta said." I say.

"She called me fat-ass, fatty and many words, which include b and s and... Let it be." She says with her cute frown.

"Ahh..." I say in wonder and she looks at me with curiosity.

"What?" She asks.

"She was jealous of you." I say.

"Pfft!" She scoffs after a second of astonishment.

"Really. Come on, have you even looked at her? She is straight as slate, while you, on the other hand, are all about curves. Obviously, she couldn't stand that you have a perfect figure." I say and every one of my words are true.

"Don't try false flattery." She says, "And it is offensive."

"I am biased towards my wife, so if I am offensive, I don't care. You look hot the way you are and how many times do I have to groan out you are beautiful and you will believe it?" I ask.

"Men say anything during love making that doesn't mean they mean every one of those compliments." She says.

"That's not true. Men act like drunk men when they do that and are very much honest, especially me." I say.

"So you mean to say the scar on my back makes me look dangerous?" She asks with a teasing smile.

"Of course it does, but in a sexy way." I say with a smile and kiss her nose.

"I don't have extra fat on my belly?" She asks.

"Of course you don't." I say and kiss her left cheek.

"You like my butt?" She asks.

"Definitely." I say in a flow as she smiles, then I kiss her right cheek.

"You like me?" She asks.

"Of course I do." I say and kiss her forehead now.

"Will you ever fall for me?" She asks.

"Obviously." I say and realize what I said and look at her.

"Will you ever love me?" She asks with all seriousness.

But before I could answer her question, she lifts her face up and plants her lips on mine. I don't know what to do or say, so I just go with the flow and let our body talk rather than using the words to tell her what she means to me. Because even I don't know what I feel about her is love or not.

But one thing is clear: I don't want her to leave and for that I would do anything even if it means I have to try my luck at love again.