Hey my lovely readers... Here comes the first chapter of this book... Hope you all will love it..
Happy reading..❤

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Track summary: Veer is the infamous guy of the college, the badass who can make anyone do anything. Even the teachers and the professors stay out of his way.
Bani, on the other hand, is a sweet simple girl who generally likes to be on her own, and ends up being considered as shy and introvert always.
Out of all the girls in the college, this introvert girl manages to pull a string of Veer's heart unknowingly, making him fall for her hard and deep in love.
But, what's in store for Veer as he starts to know her slowly?!. What if he finds out a totally different Bani behind this shy and introvert persona of hers?...

****************************

-------✿-------
♪ Bholi si surat, aankhon mein masti, dur kahi sharmaye...
Aaye haaye.... ♪
-------✿-------

Veeranshu Singhania, the name that could make anyone go weak on their knees, some out of fear while some out of admiration, was the most heard name in the premises of S P Jain Institute of Management and Research. Though it had been only 6 months that he had taken admission in the MBA batch in this college, there was no one who didn't know him. He was famous among everyone, from the peon to the students to the professors. Being the son of Balwant Singhania, one of the richest businessman of the city, even the dean of the college knew him and tried to maintain a safe distance from him. There were 4 types of people in the college: the scared ones who feared Veer to death and stayed out of his way; the fellow ones who followed him like lost puppies trying to be cool; the over-confident ones who considered him as their competitor and tried to outsmart him only to be failed everytime; and lastly, the rich spoilt girls who were crazy behind his looks and his "bad-boy" attitude. Overall, he was the famous, or say, the infamous badass guy of the college.

But for Veer, things were different. Yes, it was true that he enjoyed the fame and popularity, but being popular had its own cons too and no one knew it better than him. Most of the people who supported him or followed him blindly, did it only to look cool and get noticed by others. The girls ran behind him only for his money and popularity, they liked his "rich bad-boy" tag more than the real him. And not to forget the jealous ones, they tried to compete with him in even the smallest of matters; tell them Veer is having a glass of petrol and they will gulp down a bottle of petrol without even thinking twice, just to prove that they were better than him. But, for Veer, the most weird ones were those who feared him as if he was the devil himself; yes it was true that he was dangerous and didn't spare anyone for their wrong deeds, but he was not going to bury them alive without any valid reason, right?! Huh, stupid ones..

There were very less people who liked Veer truly. And that's why, inspite of being the most popular guy, he had only five friends in the whole college, his core group: Daksh, Monil, Karan, Viraj, and Nikhil. Ponky, Veer's cousin brother studied B.Com in the same college, and hence used to hang out with him and his group often, making them 6 in all. Their group was well-known as 'The Hooligans', Veer being the alpha of the group, as expected.

It was a usual day in college. Veer and his group reached the institute premises in their respective racer bikes. They parked the bikes at their regular parking spot and went to the tea stall just outside the gate of the college. It was their everyday routine to have a cup of tea and cigarette in the morning before the classes. They ordered the tea and went to stand at a corner.

The others were busy talking, but Veer seemed a little distracted today, he himself didn't know why. He was leaning on the wall and typing away something in his mobile, when a sweet voice reached his ears. His head automatically snapped towards the direction of the voice, and there he saw an absolutely adorable scene. A beautiful girl was sitting down on her knees and petting the stray puppies and feeding them small bites of biscuits with ample care and love. He was himself a very big animal lover and used to feed those puppies secretly everyday, without any fail. But, he had never seen anyone else petting or feeding them until today. This humble acts of hers touched his heart, and within that very moment, he deciphered that she was a girl with a pure and a big heart. He tried to see and identify her but couldn't as she had bent down and her luscious brown hair was left open. The hair flew here and there making it impossible for him to have a proper look at her face, but he was damn sure that he would be much more beautiful than he expected. Because according to him, the purity of her heart would reflect on her face.

Veer was planning to go and talk to her, when his friends called him right at that moment breaking his chain of thoughts. He replied to them in short phrases quickly and turned back to look at her, but couldn't find her there. The puppies were playing among themselves, the biscuit crumbs were scattered on the street, yet his eyes only searched for her, and alas, she was missing from the scene. He sighed and went back towards his group, keeping that short sweet moment at a special corner of his heart forever.

---------------------

After completing their regular "tea and cigarettes" ritual, they entered the college campus. There was still time for the classes to start, hence they went towards their hangout point. On the way, they met the group of girls who approached Veer. His friends laughed silently seeing his irritated face, and walked ahead leaving him alone with the girls there. He glared at them angrily. The girls tried to gain his attention, but he avoided them and walked out from there giving an excuse, like always.

He was annoyedly moving towards his friends gang, when that same sweet voice from the morning incident caught his attention. He stopped on his tracks and turned, trying to look for her. He looked around and found her standing near the entrance of the ground hall. Her hairs were now tied in a ponytail, she was facing her back towards him and trying to ask the direction of the accounts department to the group standing there. Veer realised that she was a new student here, and started walking towards her absent-mindedly.

B: *softly* Excuse me, can anyone please tell me where the accounts department is?!..

Before Veer could reach her, he saw one of his worst rivals, Krish Parikh, approaching her with a sly smirk. He instantly understood his motive and took long strides towards them in order to stop him from playing his cheap ragging tricks with her. The Hooligans noticed this weird behaviour of Veer from afar and ran behind him to check what the actual matter was.

KP: *coming near her* Hi Babe, you seem new here!!... New admission right?! Which batch?!... And you were asking for the accounts department, I myself will show it to you... Par uske pehle, you h

V: *loudly* Parikh, stay out of her way...

Veer's loud voice cut off his words and Krish turned to see him coming towards them angrily. He came and stood between him and the girl, successfully guarding her from Krish's view.

KP: *distastefully* Tch tch tch, har mamle mein tujhe apni taang arani hai, ha?!... Bad manners Veer, aisa nahi karte... *pushing him aside* Chal hatt yaha se...

Chuckling at the childish act, Veer walked back to where he was standing, and dragged Krish backwards, away from the girl. His face turned serious again.
V: *coldly* Maine kya kaha, sunai nahi diya?!.. To iss baar kaan kholke sunle... I said, "Stay out of her way"... Leave her alone Parikh, I am warning you...

KP: *sarcastic* Haww, main to darr gaya Veeranshu sahab, heh!.. *bending and trying to talk to her * Excuse me babe, don't mind him... Yeh aisa hi hai, irritating!!.. Chalo hum side mein jaake baat karte hai...

Krish came towards her and held her hand, but before he could pull her to one side, Veer held his wrist and pushed his hand away from her. Krish stumbled back a little due to the force with which Veer had pushed him. In this push-pull, the girl's bag fell down from her hand, and she bent down to pick it up.

V: *loud warning tone* Keep your hands off this girl... Don't you dare touch her, I will not let her be your next pawn in your cheap games...

KP: *tilting his head a little, trying to copy Veer's style* Kyun?! Teri maal hai kya?!...

Veer became extremely agitated hearing those filthy words about a girl from his mouth. He grabbed him by his collar, pulled him closer harshly, and glared at him with fire spitting from his eyes.
V: *dangerous voice* Aeee... Zabaan sambhalke baat kar, nahi to kaatke haath mein pakda dunga...

He pushed him away angrily, resulting him to fall back on the ground. Veer turned towards her and tried to help her stand up.
V: *politely* Hey, you okay?!... I am sorry that you had to face this on the first day itself... The Accounts Department is in the 2nd floor right wing corner, you should go there now... Yaha ise main handle kar lunga...

Everyone's mouth hung open seeing The Veeranshu Singhania apologizing, that too to a mere simpleton newbie girl in the college. She quickly cleaned the dusts off her clothes and looked up at him. Veer's eyes met hers, and he instantly drowned in her deep honey-brown orbs. He didn't even notice her face properly as his eyes got stuck at her eyes itself. She was trying to talk to him, but Veer had no idea about that. He was so much in trance that he even failed to notice the punch coming towards his face.

Krish took the opportunity of Veer's absent-minded self and punched him right at his right cheek. Veer fell down due to the hard punch and winced slightly in pain. The Hooligans called out his name as a reflex, "Veer". They got furious seeing his audacity to push Veer and were coming forward to show him his right place, but Veer guessed that. He instantly showed them his palm, indicating them to stop right there as he alone was enough to fix the skull of this minion. He turned to look at Krish and slowly got up, his sharp hawk like gaze never moving away from his face. The girl got tensed seeing his ferocious angry expressions. She was about to go and stop him from continuing this fight when another girl came and dragged her away from there.

Veer went towards Krish, and in just two punches, the guy was laying down on the ground wounded. He then bent down at his level, and holding him from the nape of his neck, warned him; "Iss baar bas itne mein jaane de raha hoon... Kisi larki ko aise treat karne ki galti dobara dohraya na, to chalne ke layak nahi chhodunga... Ye baat apne dimaag mein basa lena!!...". He left him there like that and went away wiping off the blood from the corner of his lips, with his group following him right behind.

---------------------

After Veer had his wound treated by Shriya, Nikhil's girlfriend, he had thought to go and look for the girl. However, he didn't get the chance as he was soon called at the Principal's Office. The principal suspended Krish for a week and also gave him an ultimatum to stop his harassing acts, and along with that, suspended Veer for the day because of his harmful and lethal threats. Not that he cared about it an ounce. He went back home and prepared himself for the evening, afterall he had an important duty of gatecrashing a wedding.

In the mean time, he made use of his popularity and got one of the student whose father was a member of the Admission Cell to find out the details of that girl, obviously with the help of his friends. The girl's name was Bani Sharma. He found out that she was in the same MBA batch as him; she had shifted to Mumbai from Pune one month ago and hence joined the college in the mid-year. Veer had also got hold of one of her passport sized photograph. The photograph was a bit hazy and worn off, but well, something was better than nothing. He saw the picture and smiled; he was right, she was indeed very beautiful. He smiled caressing the picture and kept it along with the other documents safely in his drawer.

At about 7:00 in the evening, Veer and his friends met near the garage of Veer's hideout place. They discussed their plan for the final time and left for their mission "Noor's nikaah fiasco". A girl named Noor, who had been dating Viraj's elder brother for the last 2 years, was caught cheating on him with another guy last month, and now she was getting married to a third guy who happened to be the son of Balwant's ex-assistant, Zafar Khan. Veer got the news yesterday and instantly called the assistant's son and told him to call off the Nikaah. But, when he didn't agree even after listening all the reasons, Veer shared this news with his gang and they all decided to break off their wedding in their style.

They reached the wedding venue and parked their bikes a little away from the main entrance, near the jungle, and walked ahead to the venue. The securities tried to stop them from entering, but Veer being Veer, he successfully bribed them with a whopping amount of 10000 Rupees cash and went towards the hall in full swag. The wedding was just about to begin when Veeranshu entered the venue with his boys, clapping slowly and gaining all attention towards them. Mr. Khan saw him and was very happy seeing his ex-boss's son attending the wedding, but he became confused with his weird behaviour. On the other hand, the color drained from her face seeing her worst nightmare coming true.

Daksh and Monil announced that the wedding was cancelled and the forced the guests to leave. The family members of either sides were baffled at all this and tried to stop them, but Veer quietened them and went towards the groom.

V: *seriously* Isse shaadi mat kar Aly!! Main firse keh raha hoon tujhe...

A: Kyun Veer bhai, kyun?!... Aap kal kya bol rahe the mujhe samajh hi nahi aaya, mujhe yakeen nahi hota... Aap prove kar sakte hai kuch?!...

Veer rolled his eyes and turned towards Noor. He moved the floral curtain a little amd bent down to look at her face.
V: *sly smirk* Hi Noor, kaise ho?!... Theek hi hoge, obviously *chuckle*... Dekho, tumhe to ab tak pata chal gaya hoga ki aj tumhara ye mukhota utarne wala hai... To, I can be a little nice to you... Main tumhe ek option deta hoon, tum khud sab sach ugal do... Nahi to mujhe hi sabko sach "dikhana" parega... Ab bolo, kya karna hai, khud bologi ya main bolu?!...

Veer waited for her to speak up, but when she looked down not meeting his eyes, he sighed dramatically and stood up to face everyone. He took his mobile out from his pocket and showed few pictures and videos of Noor with Viraj's elder brother and then that other guy. Viraj himself spoke up and said how Noor had used his brother for money. The family members of either sides stood rooted at the spot hearing the truth. Aly looked on shocked at Noor, unable to believe that she would turn out to be a cheater and a gold digger. Veer sighed and patted on his shoulder.

V: *consoling him* Isliye maine tujhe kal call pe warn kiya, tu agar tabhi maan leta to mujhe yaha ye tamasha khada karna nahi parta.. She is not the right girl for you Aly, all she wants is money money and money... She would have never valued your feelings...

Mr. Khan came and thanked Veer and his friends for saving his family, and them left from there with his family without saying anything else to anyone. Veer spared one last look at a crying Noor and turned to leave, when Jay, Noor's elder brother, called him out. He turned back and a punch landed on his cheek, making him stumble back a little. Veer's friends held him and instantly marched towards Jay. But Veer stopped them with his loud voice, "Stop!!!" and himself came towards him.

V: *turning towards his friends* Kya yaar tumlog bhi, iss ek haddi ke insaan ne apne 250gm ke haath se mujhe marne ki koshish kiyi, aur tumlog ise marne chale gaye?! Tch, tumlog marna shuru karoge to ye zinda bachega??... Kuch bhi nhi karoge tumlog aj... Let me handle him yaar, you guys just enjoy the show today *wink*... *facing Jay* Haa bol, kya karne jaa raha tha tu?! Firse try karna chahega?!... *laugh*

Jay scowled at Veer and was about to punch him again, but Veer held his hand before it could touch his face. But then, something unexpected happened. Veer saw a familiar face afar from the gap between Jay's head and hand. The person whom he was longing to see from the morning was standing behind Jay, clad in a emerald green color salwar suit and a golden embroidery dupatta, looking absolutely ethereal and gorgeous with the maangtika on her forehead and the long loop earrings, and the pure innocence on her face just enhancing her beauty. Veer got awestruck seeing her in this ethnic look. He had seen her picture and knew that she was beautiful, but right at the moment, he realised that she was not less than a goddess. He got so lost in her that he even forgot to blink. The moment paused for him and he felt everything still around him as he kept staring at her endlessly. To say the least, he was totally a goner by then. He slowly left Jay's hand and stepped back with a small smile slowly forming on his lips while looking at her. Jay started to beat Veer, and he kept taking each blow with a smile, neither wincing nor fighting back. His eyes did not avert from her even once as he kept getting beaten up by Jay. He didn't even feel the pain, because he was too busy in studying her features minutely with his eyes and saving each feature in his mind forever along with every little detailings.

Bani was upstairs, sitting in the balcony and staring the night sky. It was her childhood friend Nafisa's cousin sister's wedding, and Nafisa invited Bani to accompany her to the ceremony. Bani had denied instantly, but after a lot of pleadings and emotional blackmailing, she finally agreed. And now, she was regretting it. She anyways didn't like Nafisa's cousins as they were very mean and money-minded, but she specifically hated that one annoying cousin of hers, Jay. He was extremely clingy towards her and never left a chance to flirt with her. Bani sometimes even felt like kicking his butt or punch his nose, but her sweet harmless self never allowed her to do that. She was thinking all this when she heard a commotion from the downstairs where the Nikaah was happening. She went and hid behind the pillar and heard everything. Though she was a little shocked at first, she didn't bother much as she knew it was easily possible for a money-minded person like Noor, who judged everyone based on their monetary status, to go to this extent for money. She remembered how Noor had once called Bani cheap names just because she had worn a hand-woven sweater by her Grandma. Yes, she did feel a little bad at the way those guys exposed her in the middle of the wedding mandap. She felt that they could have done it in some other way. Anyways, she tried to look down properly because she could not see any of those guys' face, she only heard one of the guy's voice and she found it very familiar. That's when Nafisa came upstairs and took her downstairs along with her, saying that they should leave from there as soon as possible.

Bani came downstairs and saw the skeleton-human Jay beating someone. She went ahead to stop him, and right then, he saw the face of the guy standing on the other side. It was the same guy, probably named Veeranshu, who had fought for her in the college today. She was surprised seeing him here, and she got all the more confused realising that the guy who had so sensibly come and helped her out in the morning was now here to expose Noor in such an inappropriate way. But, when he started getting beaten up and didn't even protest for once but just kept looking at her, she was worried. She kept on looking at him horrifiedly as Jay beat him blue amd black with his thin hands. Bani was feeling extremely angry at Jay for taking stand for the wrong and she even felt like stopping him and slapping right across his cheeks, but she couldn't do anything because of her nature and mainly because it was her friend's relative's house.

Jay was finally unleashing all his anger and expressing his hate for his long-term rival Veeranshu through the punches and kicks. He had been hating him ever since the high-school where Veer had excelled in the exams and got the all rounder award, which otherwise would have been his. He remembered that day and kept punching him, and the last punch was si hard that Veer fell back and his friends held him at the right time. They so wanted to thrash Jay badly for his audacity, but Veer's order was what had their hands tied. They shot an angry warning glare at Jay and tried to take Veer out from there. Veer still kept staring at her, not caring about his surrounding. Bani was oblivion of this fact, she kept thinking why this guy was not fighting back when he could easily handle Jay in just one hard punch. Jay saw him gazing Bani and his nose flared; he was about to march towards Veer to beat him again for eyeing his ladylove, but Bani understood his intentions and quickly put her foot forward, resulting him to stumble upon and fall on his face. She instantly pulled her foot back and smiled inwardly, finally she could teach this jerk a lesson, huh. No one noticed it, but Veer did. He became confused at this small act of hers, but anuways smiled at her and walked out of the venue with his friends.

As soon as they left, Bani excused herself from the place giving a lame reason and went towards the kitchen. She came back, hiding something behind her dupatta, and told Nafisa that she needed to go back home soon. Before Nafisa could ask or say anything, she ran out of the venue hurriedly without even caring about the others.

---------------------

Veer and his friends were walking towards the place where their bikes were parked. He was a little behind them as he had trouble walking due to hurting his knee while falling down. His friends had wanted to help him walk, but he showed his attitude and urged them to walk ahead. He stopped for few seconds and rubbed his knee, trying to soothe the pain, when he heard some footsteps behind him. He turned around, and there he saw her again at a distance, approaching him with a tensed face. Veer cursed himself in his mind for imagining her now even at these weird places. He sure was completely bewitched by her. Warning himself to not think about her, he turned back shaking his head and started walking again.

Within few seconds, he heard her voice behind him, "Excuse me...!!". He didn't turn back, thinking it to be his hallucination, and scolded himself for again thinking about her. But, soon, he felt a pat on his back. This time, he was damn sure that he was not imagining. He turned and saw her looking at him with her doe shaped eyes, concern evident in them. He blinked a few times to believe that she was really there. Bani tucked the loose hair strands behind her ear and looked down feeling his constant stare on her. He realised she was truly here and was now feeling uncomfortable due to his gaze, so he looked away and shifted back a little from her. He tried to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. Heck, he was feeling nervous for the first time in the 23 years of his existence!!... He gave a little dose of confidence to himself and finally spoke up, in monosyllable.

V: Ya?!..

B: *softly* Woh, umm, *looking up at him* Subah college mein jo hua, uske liye thankyou... Aur abhi waha jo hua, uske liye, *taking out her hand from behind her dupatta and holding out a first aid bo, towards him* ye...

Bani had managed to sneak out an ice pack and a small emergency first aid kit from the kitchen and the adjacent store room of Noor's house. Bani felt that he deserved this much after everything he had done in the morning for her, and even now in the wedding to save an innocent boy from the marriage trap, and that's why she was hurrying to catch up with him and give it to him before he left. Veer looked on, clearly shocked as well as confused, seeing her caring for him. The thankyou was acceptable, but, a first aid kit and an ice pack, like seriously?! Well, wasn't he the one who just broke one of her relative's wedding just a few minutes ago? And here, she was providing aid to that same man? Shouldn't she hate and despise him for his acts?! Weird woman!!... But, maybe she hated her too, who knew... Nevertheless, Veer took the first aid box and the ice pack from her hands and smiled at her gratefully.

V: *stammering a little* Welcome, and, err, th-thank you? Ye-yeah, thankyou...

B: Tumhare doston se apna marham patti karalena....

V: *baffled* Dost, kaun, mere dost?! *realising and glancing back* Ohh, wo dost... H-ha ok, main karwa lunga... Main akela bhi kar sakta hoon actually, par, n-nahi, theek hai, k-karwa lunga... Y-yeah, haa... (Shit, Veer, ye tu kya kar raha hai?! Tujhe use comfortable feel karwana tha, aur tu yaha khud fumble kar raha hai.. Shit!!... Subah jitna bhi impression bana tha woh to already uss mandap pe kharaab ho hi chuka hai, aur ab ye awkwardness pata nahi kaha se aa gayi mere mein, theek se bol bhi nahi paa raha hoon... Ab to ye pakka baat nahi karne wali merese... Kuch hone se pehle hi sab barbaad kardiya maine, Fuck it.... )

Bani saw him stuttering awkwardly, and couldn't help but chuckle. Usually it was always the other way round, she would get nervous in front of strangers and be awkward; but today seeing a guy stammering and messing up his words in front of her, she felt it was really funny and cute to some extent and giggled looking down. He was lost in his weird thoughts when he heard her giggles. He looked up at her and found her chuckling and giggling cutely, and he could swear that his heart skipped a beat. "Damnn, she looked so freaking cute and adorable while smiling like this!!...", he thought. He smiled in adoration, without caring about the fact that she was actually laughing at him.

He was so in trance that he loosened his hold and the ice pack fell down, breaking both of their chain of thoughts. Bani realised what she was doing till now, and instantly became silent. And Veer, on the other hand, bent down to pick the ice pack while chiding at himself for being all clumsy and messy.
V: ... (Haa, ab yahi to hona baki tha.. Chal beta Veer, kat le yaha se, before she thinks you are an awkward clumsy person and starts giving weird looks at you...)

Bani turned to leave, but didn't move any further. She had so many thoughts going on in her mind, she wanted to say so many things out loud. And, for the first time in her life, she didn't feel like stopping herself from speaking out what's in her head. She turned and stood facing him.
B: *softly* Ek baat kahu?!...

Veer so wanted to leave due to embarrassment, but seeing her trying to speak with him, he comprehended that she didn't think so bad about him like he expected; he was just overthinking till now, wasn't he?!. A small smile of relief came on his lips at this realisation. He shrugged all his thoughts and became a little free and comfortable, and stood up facing her confidently this time.
V: Ha?!...

B: Tumne waha jo kiya, woh waise naa bhi kar sakte the... Tumhara iraada sahi tha, tareeka nahi... Subah tumne ek larki ki izzat ka maan rakha, aur ab tumne hi ek larki ki izzat ko dhul mein mitne diya?!.. Ha pata hai ki wo galat thi, par galat ko ek aur galati karke sudharne ka kya matlab?!...

V: *looking down* Hmmm...

B: Aur ha, subah to hero ban kar uss larke ko pit diya, to ab kyun chupchap maar kha rahe the?!... Isse bhi do chaar maar dena chahiye tha wapas...

V: *confused chuckle* Apne parivar walon ke baare mein kisiko aise baat karte huye pehli baar suna hai!!...

B: *shocked* Nahi, mere parivarwale nahi hai... Meri dost ke relatives hai...

V: *understanding* Oohhh achha, ab main samjha!!... You don't like them that much, hai na?! Isliye tumne wo kiya... *smirk*

Bani gave a confused look at him, not really getting his words. He smirked and extended his leg and acted of stumbling, and her eyes widened understanding that he had caught her in her small mischievous act. She was absolutely embarrassed and looked here and there to avoid questioning looks from him.

V: *chuckling* Maine dekha!!... Don't worry, main kisiko nahi bataunga, this secret will be safe with me *Bani looks up at him, and he winks and she looks down shyly*... By the way, shot bohot hi achha tha, maza aagaya, thanks ha!!... *laugh*

Bani smiled at him and his joke. She was just about to comment on how much she wanted to hit that Jay, but then she stopped herself; it was her own little secret, no one else needed to know about that.. And suddenly, she realised what she had been doing. She was talking to a stranger, well almost a stranger, for the last few minutes without even feeling uncomfortable. She tucked the hair strands behind her ear awkwardly, and turned to leave without saying anything. But, walking a few steps, she realised she was coming out as rude. She turned and found him looking at her strangely. She softly spoke "Dawai laga lena..." and walked away without hearing his reply. He smiled like a stupid man and kept looking at her retreating figure. Veer turned to go when she was almost out of his eyesight, but then, he turned and shouted "Kal college mein milenge...". Bani turned and smiled softly before running away, and Veer chuckled and walked back blushing slightly while humming a tune.

---------------------

Later that night, Veer sat in his room with his guitar, and thought about the whole day. The day that had started on a different note, took an absolutely unexpected turn just by the arrival of a new girl in his life. Well, in his life?? Yes.. Because ever since that moment, many things changed in his life and in him. The guy who had never said sorry or thankyou to anyone in his life had said sorries and thankyous today, to her, willingly. The guy who never lost his confidence no matter what, had fumbled while replying to a simple thing, in front of her. The guy who had never listened to anyone's rebukes (including his parents) without answering back, had listened to her scoldings today even when he had answers to all her questions and he could easily defend himself and his acts, just because he felt like listening to her silently. Veer himself didn't know what was happening to him, but ever since he had seen her, she had started to roam in his mind all the time without his permission. He was feeling something new today, and he didn't know what to name that.

The situation was no different for Bani. Ever since she had come back from the wedding, she was constantly thinking about that weird guy and the moment spent with him near the jungle shortway. She was confused about herself. Never in her life had she talked so much to someone except her parents and her brother. She had always liked to be by herself, not involving herself in other's matters. And today, she not only did talk so freely to a stranger but also scolded him for his deeds and even advising him to beat people. Now, this was something unexpected on her part. How did she end up being so comfortable with him within these few minutes?! Well, God knows!!.. She shrugged off her thoughts as they were starting to mess with her mind, and a little part of her heart too.

Veer tried not to think about her, but ended up thinking about her everytime. Now, he wanted to know more about her. He himself didn't know why he was so interested to know about this mysterious girl, but something about her attracted him towards her, maybe her sweetness and innocence. Veer decided to go meet her the next day at college and talk to her at any cost. Whereas, Bani decided to not be friendly towards him and stay by her own as it was just a matter of one day. They both ended up falling sleep, thinking about each other.

---------------------

Veer reached the college earlier than usual, the next morning. He did not inform his friends intentionally because he wanted to meet her alone and he knew his friends would ask him a thousand questions if they saw him trying to be friendly with a girl for the first time. He was waiting for her near the tea stall. And few minutes later, he saw her coming there and going and kneeling down near the puppies to feed them, just like he had expected. He put his hands inside the pocket of his leather jacket and walked towards her, behaving casual, as if he had just reached the college.

V: *standing beside her* Hey... Hi...

B: *looking up at him, blinking unbothered, and looking down*...

V: *trying to continue the conversation* Woh umm, kal maine bohot socha tumhare advice ke baare mein, and I realised ki tum actually sahi the... I should have done it in some other proper way... Thanks making me realise.... Oh, and, *taking out the ice pack and giving it back to her* thanks for this one too...

B: *smiling formally* You're welcome...

Bani took the ice pack from his hand and kept it inside her bag , and then concentrated on feeding the puppies and petting them affectionately. Veer frowned inwardly not getting any attention from her, but okay, he had come well-prepared with his alternate plans. He took out a packet of biscuits from his jacket pocket, and knelt down at her level beside her. She was too busy playing with a cute brown puppy to notice him. He held the packet of biscuits in front of her, and she finally looked at him raising her eyebrows in curiosity.

V: *suggestive smile* Ye dog biscuits hai, inke liye zyada behtar rahega... Ye khilao, lo lo...

He gave her the packet of biscuits forcefully, and stood up after rubbing the head of the puppy with his fingers. The puppy wagged his tail and barked cheerfully at him, he smiled at both Bani and the puppy and went from there as he saw his friends parking their bikes near the college gate. Bani kept looking at the biscuits packet and at his retreating figure in confusion; how did he know which biscuits she was feeding, and if he knew so much about dog foods and stuff, why did he not feed this biscuits to the dogs himself but gave it to her to feed them instead?!... Anyways, Bani understood that this boy was weirder and much more confusing than she had expected, and thought to avoid him as much as she could for the sake of the sanity of her mind. She however fed some of those biscuits to the puppies and kept the rest with her while going inside the college.

Veer entered the class late with his friends that day. The professor had already begun teaching, but he didn't say anything to them and let them enter. They went to the last row and sat at their usual places. Veer took a look of the whole class quickly. His gaze ended up at Bani who was also sitting in the last row, alone at one corner. He hadn't expected her to sit in the last row as she looked very studious and attentive, but well who was he to judge!!... Throughout the class, he kept staring her constantly, noticing her every little actions and movements. At one time, Bani felt someone's gaze on her and looked up to find Veer looking at him intently. He didn't avert his gaze even when her eyes met his. She shifted away a little and looked away, trying to focus in the class. But, his constant gaze didn't help her. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes every now and then, and everytime found him looking at her only. Finally, she decided not to pay attention to him and ignored him completely after that.

Once the 2 hour long lecture ended, Bani left the class with her bag. Veer had planned to go talk to her again after the class, but that didn't happen. He tried to look for her but couldn't find her anywhere. He searched for her in the entire college, not missing even one nook or corner. The guys were totally confused seeing him getting impatient for someone he had just met yesterday. But, they didn't dare to question him about the same, as they very well knew that Veer didn't like to be questioned about his decisions, and let him do whatever he wanted. He finally came to a conclusion that she must have gone out as it was the tiffin break. But when she didn't return for the classes even after that, he realised she had gone back home. He sighed and did the rest of the classes sulking because his plan didn't work out.

---------------------

Soon, the next day rolled in. Veer reached the college earlier again, this time with his friends. But today, he went to the classroom instead of waiting near the tea stall so as to not end up being predictable. All 5 of them were sitting on the last row benches and joking about some random topics, when Mayuri, the leader of the girls gang and the spoilt daughter of her rich parents who apparently was the only girl Veer liked, just how she liked to call herself, entered the class and started coming towards them. All the boys made faces looking at each other but maintained an evident fake smile on their faces. Veer saw her approaching him and quickly took his mobile out to act like he was all busy. But, Mayuri being Mayuri, she came and stood extremely close to Veer, and called him in her shrill voice.

M: *extra sweetly* Good morning Veeer!! Kal main college nahi aayi, you must have missed me right?!.. *holding his hand, trying to make him look at her* Aur ye kya, main tumhare samne khadi hoon aur tum meri taraf dekh bhi nahi rahe, not fair!!...

Veer and his friends, all rolled their eyes inwardly hearing her self-obsessed talks.
V: *acting ignorant* Mayuri, main thoda busy hoon, tumse baad mein baat karta hoon okay?!...

M: *adamant* Nope, not okay!!.. *seeing the band-aid on his forehead* Oh My God Veer, ye tumhare forehead pe chot kaise laga?! *extra caring* Are you okay Babe?! It's not paining right?!...

Veer coughed out hearing her extra-sweet endearments and words. He almost swore that if words could cause diseases, he would have been a final stage diabetic patient by now. He was about to answer her, when his eyes fell on Bani who was entering the class quietly. He quickly thought to escape from there while looking at Bani.

V: *not even glancing at Mayuri* Talk to you later Mayuri, I have to catch up with someone very important...

And he went away from there without even waiting for her reply. Mayuri gaped in shock at his direct ignorance. She turned to look where he went, and huffed seeing him following that new simpleton girl trying to talk to her. She stomped her feet in annoyance realising that he had chosen that stupid girl over a sexy beauty like her. Deciding to deal with them later on, she went from there angrily. Veer's friends laughed silently at Mayuri's irritated face, but the next moment noticed Veer and raised their eyebrows at each other, with the same thought roaming in everyone's mind, "Someone very important?! Hmmm, sounds interesting!!...".

Veer on the other hand hurried to go towards her, almost crashing and clashing with other classmates in his way, and finally was able to reach her.

V: *walking behind her* Hey Sweetheart...

Bani looked back and saw him smiling at her, standing right behind. She turned and resumed walking, assuming that he must have called someone else. She went and quietly sat at the same last row corner bench where she had sat yesterday. But today, Veer came and sat beside her. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes while doing her own work. He again called her with the constant enthusiasm in his voice.

V: Hey, Sweetheart... *Bani briefly looked at him*... Arre ha, tumse hi baat kar raha hoon....

Bani finally turned to look at him, well almost glaring him, being completely baffled and confused as in why he was calling her Sweetheart. Veer understood that and tried to explain his thoughts to her.
V: Aise kyun dekh rahe ho?! *casually*  See, you are sweet and you have a pure heart, so you are a Sweetheart... *dramatic* Aur fir, mujhe tumhara naam bhi nahi pata, isliye, I think Sweetheart will be the perfect name by which I can call you...

Bani frowned a little, but didn't say anything to him. Veer took it as a sign of affirmation and began talking with her. Within a minute, the professor entered the classroom and began with his lecture, but Veer didn't feel the need to stop. He kept on rambling in a lowered voice about this and that endlessly without taking a pause, trying to initiate a proper conversation with Bani, but the girl was hell bent on avoiding him. She was ignoring his presence to such an extent that even Veer himself for a second doubted if he had turned into a ghost or something. She would just make a tsk sound or throw an irritated look at him when his voice became a little louder, nothing else. At one point, Veer even felt like she was actually enjoying hearing his voice, and that gave him the motivation to continue [ Well you see, our boy is very optimistic in life ;) ]. The class ended after 40 minutes, but Veer's non-stop chattering didn't.

To say the truth, Bani was absolutely fed up with his continuous blabbering. She just didn't ask him to stop as she didn't want to even speak a word with him. She remembered how the girl, who had got out from that fight scene that day, had warned her about Veer's nature and character and advised her to avoid him like plague... But now, after listening to his constant talks about himself and his life and college, she somewhat realised he was not that bad and dark as everyone thought. And well, yes, he did keep her entertained throughout the boring finance lecture, though she would never accept that even to herself. But when he kept talking even when the class ended, she felt the urge to shut him up. She turned to face him.

B: *serious* Chup karne ka kya loge?!..

Veer paused and looked at her happily, finally she decided to reply him, haash!!... He smiled at her cheekily, his mischievous self slowly coming in action.
V: *cutely* Mmmm, ek kiss... *wink*

Bani looked at him squarely for few seconds, and then looked back at the front as the professor entered and the next class started. Veer decided to be quiet now, feeling slightly guilty thinking that he might have offended her with his words. He kept glancing at her now and then, trying to decipher if she was angry or aggrieved with him. But Bani was too focused in the class to notice that. Finally, after few minutes, Veer gathered courage to break the silence and try to talk to her. He called her softly and was about to say something more, when she glared at him visibly irritated and shut him up with her words.

B: Sir ko bolu chup karne, tumhe baat karna hai na?! Nahi kyunki main do cheezein ek saath to sun nahi sakti, to decide karlo tum, sir ko hi bolti hoon chup karne?! ...

V: *baffled* H-ha, matlab nahi...

B: *almost standing up and calling* Sir...

V: *making her sit back down* Sshhh, achha o-okay main kuch nahi keh raha   ab...

B: *corner eye look* Hmm, better for you...

Veer took a sharp breath and zipped up his mouth for the rest of the class. Anyways, as soon as the class got over and the professor left the classroom, he sat facing her to answer back about what she did few minutes ago, and to also probably apologize for the inappropriate thing he had said earlier. Bani just spared him a look and turned to look into her bag. Veer kept reasoning his actions, but Bani didn't pay any heed. She finally took out something from her bag and turned towards him. She held his hand, turned it, and kept twenty-one rupees on his palm; and Veer went all quiet seeing her weird actions.

B: *patting on his palm* Chup karane ke liye...

And she stood up and went from there with her back, not looking back at him for once. Veer kept glancing at her retreating figure and at his palm alternatively, perplexed and mystified about what just happened. Veer's friends were heading out of the classroom, and came to call him. They saw him sitting with twenty-one rupees in his hand, and got confused.

Viraj: Eh Veer, kya hua?! Haath mein ekkis rupaay lekar baitha hua hai?!...

V: *questioning look* Ekkis?... *finally realising, and an impressed smile came on his face* (Ohhhh, ek kiss ha!!.. Smart, very smart Sweetheart... I am impressed...)... *keeping the money in his pocket* Nahi kuch nahi, chhod na, chal tu...

He stood up and went out with his friends, deciding to get back to her about this later. They went at their usual hangout place during the lunch, the sports ground. On other days, Veer would usually play football or volleyball, but today he didn't feel like. He kept looking here and there standing at one corner, hoping to spot her somewhere around, while his friends went to play. But to his bad luck, he couldn't see her anywhere near.

While returning back to the class after lunch, he finally saw her at the corridor walking towards the classroom. He ran and matched her pace, now walking behind her. He called her thrice only to get ignored by her. At last, he went and stood in front of her, obstructing her path. She sighed being irritated and looked up at him exasperatedly.

B: Kya hai?! *folding her hands near her chest* Kabse tumhe ignore kar rahi hoon, fir bhi pichhe pade ho... Badtameez!!...

V: *sarcastic chuckle* Oh tameezzadi, main badtameez nahi maha badtameez hoon.. *going closer to her* Na aurton ki izzat karta hoon, na mard ki; janti ho kyun?!... Kyunki main koi hero nahi hoon,*whispering dangerously, trying to scare her*  villain hoon, iss college ka villain... Aur sab kehte hai ki mujhme kuch bhi achha nahi hai... To ye baat jitni jaldi tum samajh jao, utna achha hai tumhare liye *shruged his shoulders*...

Bani rolled her eyes uninterestedly; such a dramatic person he is. Once he completed his speech, she looked at him with wise expression, catching him off-guard. Well he was not expecting this unbothered reaction, was he?!..

B: *nodding appreciatively* Dialogue achha tha... Tum filmcity jaake scriptwriter ke role ke liye apply karo, select ho jaoge... *evident fake smile with a glare*

Before Veer could react, she walked away from there to the classroom. He kept looking at her retreating figure, and smiled at himself once she was out of his sight. "Kya hai kya ye larki", he thought and rubbed the back of his neck chuckling; for the first time a girl was outsmarting him every moment like this and he didn't even feel bad, rather he was feeling weirdly amazed... He sighed in disbelief and walked back to the classroom.

Veer, though sitting beside her, didn't talk to her for the entire duration of the class after that. He just kept glancing at her now and then, conflicting in his own mind about her two contrasting personalities; he couldn't decide which was her real side: the quiet introvert side that he had seen on the first day, and the savage smart side of hers he just witnessed throughout the day today... He thought to find out about her and make her express her true self in front of him, which she had kept hidden inside her from the entire world, at any cost. Once the class ended, he turned towards her, back to his cheerful form. Bani noticed that from the corner of her eyes and rolled her eyes inwardly, "now I will have to tolerate him again".

V: Hey, Sweetheart...

B: *nonchalantly* Bani..

V: *innocently, as if not understanding anything, while smirking inwardly* Huh?!..

B: *strict* Sweetheart nahi, Bani... Bani Sharma...

V: *happy smile* Oh achhaa, nice name Sweetheart *Bani gave an irritated look, and he grinned* *self-praising* Waise tumhe to mera naam pata hi hoga, iss college mein sabko pata hai, but because we are finally introducing ourselves formally, myself the one and only Veeranshu Singhania... *flirtatious smirk* Mere dost aur baki sab mujhe Veer bulate hai, par tum chaaho to mujhe Jaan bula sakte ho... *wink*

B: *displeased look* What about I call you Jerk!!... *stood up and starting to leave*

V: *eyes widened while chuckling* A-arre, Sweetheart... Ruko to...

But Bani didn't listen. She took her bag and walked out of the classroom with steady steps. Veer hurriedly went behind her taking his bag, but by the time he reached the main corridor, she was already gone. He laughed more to himself remembering her irritated looks and classy replies, and went back to the place where his friends would be waiting for him.

---------------------

The next few days went away like this, with Veer irritating Bani and she quieting him with her unexpected comebacks. Sometimes Veer kept talking non-stop and Bani would just stomp on his feet making him wince in pain and shut up for few minutes after that. And, not to mention, him calling her Sweetheart every now and then to annoy her was a constant affair. Veer enjoyed these banters thoroughly, whereas Bani though didn't like this somewhat got used to it. But, amidst all these, one good thing happened that is they became kinda accustomed with each other; not friends till now, but still.

One such day, Bani reached the college and was going towards the seminar hall when she met that same girl who had warned her about Veer on the first day. She smiled at her and  greeted her warmly. Bani was about to walk away after some casual talks, but just then Veer reached there and called her loudly by her name to get her attention. Bani rolled her eyes and spared a short glance at him to acknowledge his presence. Giving a small smile, he started coming towards her. The other girl was still standing there; she noticed the small exchange between the two and frowned in dissatisfaction. She pulled Bani by her elbow, startling her, and spoke softly in a warning tone.

Girl: Bani, maine tumse kahi thi na iss Veer se dur rehne ke liye, aur tum yaha uski dost banke baithi ho... I am warning you Bani, stay away from her, he is the badboy of the college... Iska reputation itna achha nahi hai, maine suna hai, he is kind of a playboy... Tum nayi ho yaha, isliye tumse ab shayad aise achhe se behave kar raha hai, otherwise he is very rude and dangerous.... Tumse keh rahi hoon, just avoid him...

Though she said it softly, Veer heard that and smiled sadly. This is what this popularity had done to him, ruining his chances to prove himself as a modest person and a good friend, he thought. He felt affronted and hence turned to leave, when Bani's defending words reached his ears and he turned back shocked.

B: *clearly offended* Excuse me, kya bol kya rahe ho tum?!... How can you talk like this about someone?!... Tum Veer ke baare mein bas kuch baatein sunke use aise judge karoge aur uske baare mein ye sab bolte phiroge, this is clearly not done... Haa maanti hoon ki main bhi Veeranshu ko achhe se nahi jaanti hoon, par iska matlab ye to nahi ke main ye sab maanlungi.... Main tumhari tarah aise asani se kisiko judge nahi karti.... Tum jaise logon ke wajah se hi Veer itna infamous huya hai... You should apologise to him right now... *she looked at him and back at that girl to find her scoffing*... You know what, kuch karne ki zarurat nahi hai, just leave from here.. And, don't ever talk like this about someone without knowing that person very well...

The girl gave her a look and left. Bani sighed and turned to look at Veer to find him already looking at her, with an unknown expression!!. She walked up to him, and softly spoke out.
B: *sincere voice* Veeranshu, I am so sorry on behalf of her... She shouldn't have said something like that... Please don't mind her, I am sorry...

To say that Veer was overwhelmed would be an understatement. Never in his life had someone defended him and stood up for him like that, even his friends couldn't stand up in support of him as they themselves were seen in the bad light always. But today, a girl who barely knew him properly had defended him in front of her known person, and most importantly, the quiet Bani who never talked more than two sentences atthe most told her a mouthful for defaming Veer, this was a very big thing for him. Not that he needed an assurance, but having someone to support him like this felt nice; and he understood that today. He was genuinely glad and heart-touched today. He gave her a slight smile and nodded convinced.

V: *soft and sweetly* It's okay Bani... I am used to all this...

Bani sighed in relief, but frowned the next instant hearing his last sentence. But, she didn't ask him any further about it and let him walk away from there quietly. She herself also went to the seminar hall after a while. She sat at the second-last row and started noting down the important points for the seminar. Soon, Veer came in the hall as well and walked up towards the last row. On the way, he stopped beside where she was sitting and said, "Thanks...". Bani looked up at him and he smiled at her briefly before going and sitting at the last row alone. Her eyes followed his path, and she got confused seeing the clingy boy Veer sitting away from her, very strange!!. Anyways, she shrugged her shoulders letting him do what he wanted, and focused back to the studies as the seminar started.

At the end of the lunch break, Bani met Mayuri in the canteen. She didn't know her and was walking away crossing her, but Mayuri herself stopped her and started hurling curses at her for trying to steal Veer from her. Bani listened to her bickerings nonchalantly for few minutes, and then finally broke her silence when Mayuri forced her to answer her stupid queries.
B: *unbothered* Kya bolu main, tumne to already sabkuch assume kar hi liya hai!!... I am not obligated to explain my side of story to you... Yeah, just a food for your thought, do you really think Veeranshu is so immature that he can be easily manipulated by a girl like me that too single-handedly; tum jo itne dinon mein nahi kar payi main wo do hafton mein karli, really?! Think about it, you will get the answer yourself....

She smiled curtly and went from there, leaving a fuming Mayuri behind. Unknown to her, Veer and his whole friends group had heard that banter, and all of them, especially Veer, was impressed by her short curt answer. Veer again came back to his happy self after seeing her defending him, well almost, for the second time that day. He ran back to the class, hoping to talk to her as soon as possible. He reached the classroom and saw her sitting at her usual place. He walked up to her whistling a tune. Bani sighed, "Here comes the hurricane", she thought inwardly. Veer sat beside her and called her with his favourite name.

V: *chirpily* Hey Sweetheart...

B: *correcting him for the umpteenth time* Bani...

V: *rolling his eyes* Ha ha pata hai, tumhara naam Bani hai....

B: *narrowing her eyes at him* To wahi bulaao fir...

V: *grinning cheekily* Nahi, main to Sweetheart hi bulaunga...

B: *sighing exasperated* Annoying!!...

V: *not caring* Whatever... *smirking smugly* Waise Sweetheart, maine dekha kaise tumne uss Mayuri ki bolti bandh ki...

B: *widened eyes, and then blinking repeatedly to mask her surprised look* Wh-what!!...

V: *smug smile* Arre ha, maine dekha, tumne aisa jawab diya ki woh bilkul shocked ho gayi... Ufff, mazaa hi aa gaya aaj toh...

B: *fake smile* Khush ho?! *Veer nods happily*... To khush raho, aur chup raho... *back to serious mood*

V: *enthusiastic* Nahiii, suno... Main kya keh raha tha, ki tum aise mujhe defend kar rahe ho, mere support mein itni baatein keh rahi ho wo bhi anjaan logon se, par dekho abhi bhi hum strangers hai officially... To main soch raha tha, kyuna hum ab officially dost bann hi jaay... *forwarding his hand* So, friends?!...

B: *leaning towards him* I would rather prefer to be acquaintances...

She kept a pen in his hand (well because it was his habit too borrow a pen from her everyday during every important class) and moved back, turning towards front. She tried to maintain a serious and unbothered look but the smug smile on the corner of her lips gave in to her drama. Veer smiled noticing that and whistled knowingly, making her smile and look away.

---------------------

What the coming months witnessed was a beautiful bond of friendship growing between the two. Veer slowly unveiled her real self behind this introvert shy side of hers, a sweet bubbly girl who could speak a lot when she felt like and was pro with her savage replies and instant jokes. Whereas, Bani realised that Veer was not the bad boy that everyone portrayed him as, rather he was much simpler and genuine than most other guys she knew, and hence she started to become free with him and opened up to him.

In the first few days, Veer noticed Bani was missing during the lunch period. One day he followed her secretly and came to know about her love for books and hence her regular visits to library during the lunch break. The very next day, Veer started joined her in her library time. He just sat there quietly and watched her noting down something from the study books. From that day, it became his routine to spend the lunch time with her in the library instead of hanging out with his friends; yes it reduced his interaction with his friends a bit but atleast he was doing something productive, better than lousing around casually without any need. He would keep sitting quietly and watch her do her work or read some novels quietly, and sometimes he himself would read some books which in turn grew his interest in reading. Initially Bani used to get annoyed with his constant presence around her, but with time she accepted it as he was anyhow not disturbing her.

Veer started visiting Bani's house to help her with the studies of the previous semester which she had missed. Bani introduced him with her parents as her only friend in college, and they instantly liked him because of his friendly nature and caring attitude. Veer also liked her parents a lot seeing how open-minded and jovial they were. It was after long that he had seen such a happy close-knit family. But that also increased the confusion in Veer's mind. One day, in Bani's absence, he finally asked the question to her parents that was stuck in his mind from the very first day he had met Bani. And that's how he finally came to know the reason behind her shy and introvert persona. Bani's parents were both in the field of medicine. While Bani's mother Dr. Juhi Singh Sharma was a general physician, Bani's father Dr. Shashank Sharma was an army doctor. Due to the terms and conditions that came with his post, he had to transfer from one camp area to another every one-two years, and the family tagged along with him always. Bani had seen this life from the very childhood. Everytime she got accustomed to the new place and people and made new friends there, they would have to shift to a new city, causing her to leave all her friends and known ones behind and start afresh again. This caused an unfamiliarity in her mind and left a bitterness in her heart. After 5-6 times of this continuous place change, she slowly withdrew herself from everyone and started spending time alone. She stopped making new friends and didn't like meeting new people. Her only bestfriend was her brother who was 2 years older than her. Except him, she didn't talk much with anyone. 3 years ago, his brother also joined the army hospital as an intern, leaving everyone and shifting to the north-east, and would visit them only once or twice a year. This incident was a trigger for her; she just cocooned herself from everyone and firmly decided to never join the army hospital no matter what. Finally, her father retired few months ago and they permanently shifted from Pune to Mumbai, their original home. But, Bani's behaviour remained the same and she forbid herself from socialising or making any new friends, until Veer arrived in her life.

*Bani's parents*

Veer's parents, on the other hand, noticed him changing. They found his change in behaviour fishy and his mother Chandrakala tried to investigate the matter through her elder son Tapish, but it was of no use. Yes, Ponky once almost revealed the actual secret in front of the whole family, but Veer came there and prevented it at correct time. He even threatened Ponky to not reveal anything in exchange of a new sports bike, and, as expected, Ponky was sold at the idea of getting a new bike. Veer's parents didn't ask him about this as they knew their son wouldn't answer anything unless he himself wanted to let them know. So they just kept quiet and let him do what he wanted; afterall it was not harming him anyhow, rather is was benefitting him, and also they had trust in their son.

---------------------

Four months passed like this, and soon it was Veer's birthday week. Bani had decided to ignore him for the whole week before surprising him at the midnight on his birthday. She was halfway successful through her plan as she had managed to ignore him for the first three days; which included sitting on a separate bench with Viraj's girlfriend, making him involve in the game of volleyball during the lunch break with the help of his friends (they were now sort of her friends too, all thanks to Veer), and even didn't pick up his calls and just left a text saying that she would not be at home in the evening everyday for the whole week. Veer was starting to get annoyed at her constant aloofness, and even somewhat suspicious about her sudden change in behaviour with him. He doubted if she was planning something behind his back, but alas, he had no options to confirm it and his friends were not helping either (obviously, afterall they were a part of Bani's plan).

On the fourth day, that is, two days before Veer's birthday, Bani reached the college and straightaway went to the canteen. She had left the home in hurry as she had thought she was getting late, and hence didn't get time to have her breakfast. But reaching the college, she got the news that the first seminar was cancelled and the next class was 2 hour later. So, she went to the canteen to have her breakfast in peace. She ordered the breakfast meal combo and went to the corner seat with the food tray, not paying in advance because she had the habit of paying later and the man there knew that. However, that day, when Bani went to pay after eating, she realised that in hurry she had forgotten her purse and mobile at home. She tried to make the man understand her situation and promised to pay the next day. But, before she could convince the person, there came Mayuri, the only one in this college who hated Bani with all her heart. She heard the conversation and understood what might have happened. She smirked evilly, finally she had gotten one opportunity to harass her.  She tried to act pitiful towards the food seller, and started insulting Bani.

M: *rude* Really Bani, tum aise free mein khana khaane ke bahane dhundti ho?? How cheap... *turning towards the seller* Uncle, ye sab na drama hai Ye ladkiya aisi hi hoti hai.. Pehle kuch din paise de kar khana khayegi, fir jaise hi aapka trust build ho jayega ispe, bass; free mein khana khaana start... *giving a distasteful look towards her* You know what, aise poor filthy girls se main baat karna pasand nahi karti Tum ho sakti ho aise free food lover, but that doesn't mean I am gonna let Uncle suffer for that... Main tumhare liye pay kar deti hoon, ise donation samajh lena, okay?! *she and her friends laughed mockingly*

Bani, though felt bad, didn't answer back and kept listening to every accusations quietly. But, when Mayuri said she was gonna pay for her, she protested. But, Mayuri being the irritating woman that she was, she didn't pay any heed to her words and took out a 200 rupees note from her bag. Just as she was about to give it to the man, someone came and held her hand tightly in his grip. Everyone including Bani looked behind her and found Veer standing there, shooting daggers at Mayuri with his eyes. Bani sighed in relief. Veer pushed her hand away and instead paid the due amount to the ma. Mayuri masked her anger with a smirk, and again taunted Bani, this time related to Veer.

M: *mocking chuckle* Oh, to ye reason hai, ab main samjhi... Isliye tum Veer ke saath ho, taaki wo tumhare liye pay kare, tumhare expenses carry kare... Nice Darling, I am impressed... Apne iss so called innocence se patate ho ameer ladko ko, aur fir unke paiso mein aish karti ho, wow... You know what girls like you are called, a go-

V: *extreme anger* Just shut up Mayuri Sehgal.. Don't you dare say a word against Bani...

M: *trying to be concerned for Veer* But Veeeeer, main tumhare bhalai k

V: *fuming in anger* Shut the fuck up, I said.... I am warning you, don't test my patience... Main waise to ladkiyo ke saath iss tarah se baat nahi karta hoon, par tumne agar Bani ke khilaf ek aur shabd kaha to tumhe aj pata chal jayega Veeranshu Singhania ko terror kyun bulaya jaata hai... I paid for her because she is my friend, and I know how genuine she is... And unlike you who is always behind me, she doesn't even care about my money and power, you know why?! Because she is a pure hearted person... So, it's better if you stay out of her way, and in case my way, it will be good for you... Aur ha, kya keh rahi thi tum,

Before Veer could continue any further, Bani just pulled him out of that chaos and took him along forcefully outside the canteen. Once they were far from the canteen, Bani stopped and left his arm, and started packing her bag properly. Veer huffed in annoyance realising that she was listening to all those blames quietly.

V: *annoyed and angry* What's wrong with you Bani?! Waise to mere har baat ki reply hoti hai tumhare paas aur aj jab Mayuri tumhare baare mein itna kuch keh rahi thi, tum chupchap khade hoke sun rahi thi!!... Wow, have you gone mad?... Why would you do something like that?!... *frowned seeing her still quiet, made her turn towards himself holding her elbow* Ab bhi chup khadi ho, kuch to bolo!!.. I didn't expect this from you Bani... Tumne ek baar bhi socha, main nahi aata to kya hota waha?!...

B: *pushing his hand from her elbow harshly* Mujhe kisiki zarurat nahi hai Veeranshu, na kabhi thi na kabhi hai... Aur rahi baat kuch na kehne ki, to main aisi hi hoon, accept it if you want otherwise I don't care... You don't have to get bothered about me....

And she left from there without sparing a glance at him. He stared at her retreating figure, and smiled sadly. He didn't find her in the class the whole day and understood that she had gone back home.

Later that night, Bani recalled the events of the day, and realised that she had gone a little overboard with her rudeness towards Veer when he was just concerned for her. She quickly took her mobile and dropped a sorry text to him. He was online and replied instantly. They quickly sorted out the difference and went to sleep peacefully.

The next day, Bani went to the college and was eagerly waiting for the lunch break. As soon as the lunch break started, she went to Veer and requested him to accompany her to the canteen today. Veer was taken aback as the request was coming from none other than Bani Sharma itself, the person he had least expected. Anyhow he agreed after doing a little regular drama, which Bani had gotten used to till now. Once Veer informed his friends about his change in plan, they went to the canteen together. Bani ordered chhole kulche whereas Veer ordered his favourite burger fries and coke. They sat at the corner table and had their food while talking, but throughout the entire time Veer noticed that Bani was distracted and looking around more often. Anyways, he didn't ask her anything about that. He was going to get up after having his food, but Bani made him sit back and cutely pleaded to sit there for few more minutes. This just increased his doubt all the more. But, Veer being Veer, how could he deny his Sweetheart's request?!. He agreed to stay back and sat there comfortably. Within a minute, he saw a sudden smile flicker on her face while looking towards the door. He followed her gaze and was shocked, "why on earth was she smiling seeing Mayuri..?!". He was going to asl her about the same, but she quietened him with her stern look and stood up to pack her bag and leave, the smug smile still playing on her lips. A confused Veer just followed her trance and worked as per her actions. Soon, Mayuri came striding towards them and banged her hand loudly on the table. Bani didn't pay any heed to her and continued her work. Veer looked on, clearly baffled about the happenings.

M: *shouting* How dare you insult me like this?!.. What do you think you are, huh?!...

V: *irritated with her shrill voice* Why are you shouting?!.. Hua kya hai?!...

M: *shouting more* This bloody girl has paid an hefty amount and has told the canteen owner to take it on behalf of all my food bills for the rest of the month!!!!....

Veer gaped in shock and quickly covered his mouth to control himself from laughing out loud. This girl was a real savage queen...

B: *sweetly* Sshh, relax, calm down Darling... I just did this in return of what you did yesterday!!... Consider it as my kindness, okay?!...

Mayuri frowned angrily and was going to answer back, but Bani just left from there along with Veer, ignoring her words completely. The moment they came out of the canteen, Veer started laughing uncontrollably. He kept laughing recalling the pale face of Mayuri, and seeing that Bani also laughed out a bit. He laughed so hard that he choked on the breath and started coughing. Bani patted on his back,, and he finally calmed down after few seconds.

V: *taking deep breaths* Oh God, woh kya tha?!... How did you think of such a petty idea, Sweetheart?!... I can't even imagine, I mean...*laugh*... *raising his hands in surrender* I take back my words from yesterday.... *Bani chuckles* You are great.... *joining his hands and bowing down* Charan kaha hai aapke, Maate?!...

B: *raising one leg slightly and moving her feet* Yaha....

V: *bending to touch her feet* Thoda ashirwaad mujhe bhi dijiye...

B: *pushing him away and laughing* Shut up... Nautanki...

They both looked at each other for few seconds before laughing out together again. Soon, they returned back to the class as the lunch break was almost over.

---------------------

At about midnight, Bani reached near Veer's house as per her plan. She stood a little away from his house, almost near the seawall in front, and dialled his number on her mobile. He picked up after two rings.

V: *usual cheerful voice* Hiiiiii Sweetheart... Kya baat hai, itni raat ko call?!... Aj kuch special hai kya?!...

B: *rolling her eyes* Can you come out for a moment?!...

V: *gasp* Itni raat ko?! Kaha, tumhare ghar?!.. *cheeky* Kya iraada kya hai Sweetheart?!...

B: *muttering under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear* Murder karna hai tumhara.. *sigh* Drama bandh karo apna aur jaldi bahaar aao...

V: Nahi... *suspicious tone* Tumne sach mein mera murder kar diya toh... Mujhe itni jaldi nahi marna, wo bhi bachelor rehte huye, no chance!!... *wisely* Aur to aur, itni raat ko ghar se nikalna achhi baat nahi hota hai...

B: *narrowing her eyes* Tum to aise baat kar rahe ho jaise kabhi itni raat ko ghar se bahar gaye hi nahi...

V: *thinking about it* Haa, ye baat bhi sahi hai actually... But fir bhi Sweetheart, abhi bahar aane ka mann nahi kar raha hai...

B: *huffing irritatedly* Fine!! Mat aao... Meri hi galti hai jo main aake tumhare ghar ke bahar khadi huyi thi.. Main jaa rahi hoon ghar, bye!!...

V: *shocked* E-ek minute, whattt!!... Tum yaha aayi ho, itni raat ko?!... What the faa-- *stopping abruptly*... Pehle bolna chahiye tha na... Tum ruko, main bas do minute mein aaya...

He cut the call and Bani smiled in victory, but sighed the next instant. This man just knew how to get on her nerves every second!!..

As said, Veer came there within exact two minutes. He saw Bani standing there in a peach colored kurta and white palazzo pants with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She had not noticed him yet and was busy staring at the sea leaning back ar her car. He smiled seeing her, and walked towards her smirking.

V: Kya Sweetheart, mujhse milne ka itna mann kar raha tha ki tum sidha mere ghar tak aa gayi!!... Video call kar leti!!... *wink*

Bani turned towards him hearing his voice, and rolled her eyes at his stupid comment. He came close to her and leaned forward resting his elbow on the back bonnet of the car.
V: Batao kyun bulaya mujhe?!... *looking around and widening his eyes dramatically* Ek minute, Sweetheart, are you planning to propose me here right now?!... Haww, really?! To tum bhi meri charm ke aage phisal hi gayi, ha?!...

B: *annoyed look* Veeranshu Singhania, if you don't shut up right now, I swear I am really going to kill you and then dump you in the sea!!...

V: *grinning* How violent!!...

Bani glared at him and he quickly kept his finger on his lips, and then acted of zipping his lips and showed a thumbs up to her. She controlled her smile seeing his acting, and instead looked at the watch to see the time. After about a minute, she went and opened the door of the car and bent inside to take out something. Veer was about to ask what she was doing, but remembering her threat, he quickly ate up his words and stayed quiet. Bani took out a big bag from the car and came and kept it on the bonnet. She tore open the paper bag to reveal a box. She quickly opened the box, and there was a chocolate cake with Veer written on it. Veer gasped in shock and surprise and stared at Bani to confirm if what he was seeing was real or not. Bani softly miled and nodded slightly, as if reading his thoughts.

B: *sweetly* Happy Birthday Veeranshu... A very happy 25th birthday to you, partner-in-crime...

Veer chuckled hearing her cute wish, and his eyes clouded with tears, the tears of happiness. He had never ever expected anyone to surprise him like this, and here she was standing with a cake and wishing him happy birthday. His friends did wish him on the call every year, but never surprised him, nor did his family. But this girl, whom he had met only few months ago, had planned a sweet surprise only for his birthday, this has to be the most special birthday of his life, till now ;). He felt at loss of words now. She had managed to make Veer emotional, that was a big thing itself. He turned and wiped the tears threatening to fall from his eyes, and turned to face her happily. Bani noticed this but kept quiet.

B: *forwarding the plastic knife* Cut the cake?!...

V: *taking the knife with a wide smile* Yeah obviously, sure...

He cute the cake while Bani sang the birthday jingle. He fed the cake to her, and she fed it back to him and also smeared the leftover cream in her hand on his cheeks. He frowned but then smiled, unable to control the happiness and jitters he felt. He thought for a few second and then hugged Bani tightly, taking her in surprise. Once she realised what had happened, she smiled and hugged him back and patted on his shoulder.

V: *with sincere emotions* Thankyou so so much Sweetheart... You don't know how much this sweet gesture of yours means to me... Thanks for planning all this... No one has ever done anything like this for me... I am just so overwhelmed right now... Thanks a lot... This is literally my best birthday ever...

B: *coming out of the hug and smiling in relief* I am glad that you liked it Veeranshu... Main zyada kuch to plan nahi kar paayi, bas ye cake aur ye surprise visit, that's it....

V: *squeezing her hand* This is enough, believe me... *joking to ease the environment* Isse zyada kuch plan karti to kya pata main khushi se behosh hi na ho jaata, that surely would not have been good for my image, right?! *both chuckles*... Par tumne ye sab plan kiya kab, aur tumhe mera ghar ka pata kaha se mila?!...

B: *smiling sheepishly* Woh, Daksh and Viraj helped me... They knew about all this since the start of this week, hehe...

V: *understanding the whole matter* Ohhh, to isi wajah se Madam mujhe avoid kar rahi thi iss week, ab main samjha!!!... Very smart, Sweetheart, I must say...

B: *smile*...

V: *looking at his watch* Bani, raat bohot hogayi hai, ab tumhe ghar jaana chahiye... Nahi to uncle aunty tension karenge... Aur ha, kal, I am throwing a party at my farmhouse on the occasion of my birthday... You have to come for sure, okay?!... Main waise bhi tumhe kal subah call karta iske liye...

B: *unsure* Uh-um, Veeranshu, please count me out... I don't think I will be able to come...

V: What!! Why, what's wrong?!...

B: *sceptical* Umm, actually, nothing like that... It's just, I mean...

V: *getting her hesitation* Dekho Sweetheart, party mere ghar pe nahi ho rahi, farmhouse pe ho rahi hai, parents nahi honge... To parents aur bhai se milne ki naubat nahi aayegi... Rahi baat friends ki, to sirf mere close friends invited hai... Viraj, his girlfriend Neha, Nikhil, his girlfriend Shriya, Karan, Monil, Daksh, uski behen Dikshita, aur Ponky, I mean Pankaj... Tum to already sabko pehchanti ho, right!!.. Aur main to rahunga hi, then what's the problem Sweetheart?!...

B: *still not convinced* But, then also, umm, Veer!!...

V: *sighing* Bani, trust me, main hoon na... I assure, tum aao, tumhe bohot maza aayega, aur agar tumhe fir bhi uncomfortable feel hua to I will let you leave early, promise... Please aao kal *puppy eyes*...

B: *defeated smile* Fine, I will come...

V: *full-blown smile* Yayyy, thankss... I will make sure you enjoy tomorrow...

B: *chuckle* It's your birthday, Veeranshu...

V: *sheepish* Yeah, but still!!.. *changing the topic* Anyways, tum ab ghar jao... It's too late... Kal milenge, okay?!...

B: *smile* Yeah...

Bani packed the leftover cake and gave it to him, and then sat in the backseat of the car. Veer bid her goodbye from the window and the car drove off.

Bani came to attend Veer's birthday bash at his farmhouse which was also his bachelor pad. They all had a blast with loud music and fun games, all arranged by Veer. He even made sure to only keep non-alcoholic beverages as he didn't want Bani to get drunk. Overall, they enjoyed a lot, but mostly, Veer and Bani had a gala time together amidst everything. At the end of the party, when Veer went to drop Bani till her car, she gifted him a special customised black watch as per his liking.

V: *extremely happy* Thanks a lot Sweetheart, I loved this watch... But most importantly, thanks for coming... I hope you enjoyed...

B: *nodding gladly* Yeah, I really really enjoyed being here... Thanks for inviting me and convincing me to come...

V: *rolling his eyes* Shut up... Tum nahi aati to tumhe ghar se uthake le aata main, samjhe na!!... *smirking mischievously*

B: *fake laugh* Hahaha, very funny!!... *both chuckles*... Chalo, ab main chalti hoon... *Veer nods* Bubye...

Bani sat in her car and drove off. He smiled and went back to his friends waiting for him inside. Once he came, most of them left after wishing him for one last time. Only Viraj and Karan stayed back. Finally, they decided to talk about the elephant in the room. They asked Veer about Bani, and Veer had nothing to say except that they were very good friends. Viraj sighed and looked at Karan, this was the time they made their friend realise his feelings. They questioned Veer about his change his behaviour since the last few months and about being caring and concerned towards her, to an extent that he even arranged non-alcoholic beverages in his own birthday bash especially for her. They left without taking an answer, but just advising Veer to think about this calmly.

As told by them, Veer really thought about the things which they pointed out, and he realised that what they were telling were actually nothing but the whole truth. When did Bani become such a important part of his life?! Why did her presence start to matter to him so much?! Why did he wait eagerly to meet her in the college every single day, and why did he grow impatient and cranky on the days she did not come to college?! And, most importantly, why did he take the responsibility of arranging most of the things at the party as per her choice??...

He thought and thought a lot, and finally came to a conclusion that he was unconditionally and  irrevocably in love with this cute mad girl. He didn't know when how and why, he just knew that he had fallen in love with her; with her innocence and her craziness, with her cuteness and her boldness, with her pure heart and her sharp mind, and mostly with the whole of her. He smiled as the realisation finally dawned upon him, he had never felt so happy and so giddy before, as much as he was feeling today. Why not, afterall he was in love with the most beautiful and the most pure-hearted girl he had ever met in his life!!... He smiled to himself and went to sleep with a happy heart, hoping to confess his love to her soon. This indeed turned to be his best birthday ever.

************************

-------✿-------
♪ Ladki nahin hai woh jaadu hai, aur kaha kya jaye...
Raat ko mere khwaab mein aayi, woh zulfein bikhraye... ♪
-------✿-------

************************

Chapter Trivia...

Q. Will Veer tell Bani about his feelings?!

Q. If Veer tells her, what will be Bani's reaction?! Will she accept his love, or just go away from him because of this?!

Q. Will Veer and Bani ever become Vani, or will they remain Veer and Bani, drifted apart, forever?!