Pallavi hadn't forgotten the Anjali Incident, but against her better judgment, she was starting to soften to Raghav. She smiled when she saw him out of the corner of her eye sneak her homemade breakfast out of the fridge before the workers got their hands on it, she had gotten used to his breathing in bed next to her as she slept, she started to miss the way he smelled of sandalwood, musk, and whiskey.
She walked into the backroom with the tv, and saw Amma and Keerthi on one sofa already, Raghav sitting awkwardly on the other sofa. She gave a bowl of popcorn to Keerthi and Amma, and tried to sit with them, but Keerthi grinned and put her legs up and laid her head on Amma's lap. Pallavi sighed, and sat on the other couch, putting a bowl of popcorn between her and Raghav.
"We're rewatching a classic tonight, Rao family," Keerthi declared, "Dil Chahta Hai!"
Raghav grinned, he loved that movie, right until the end when Aamir Khan's stupid character decides to actually fall for Preity Zinta's character. What an idiot. Pallavi smiled at Keerthi, "good choice, Aamir Khan is my favorite actor in that movie, right until the end when he spends way too much time crying over ZInta's character." Raghav looked at Pallavi, wondering if she could read minds.
As the movie progressed, first Keerthi left to go to bed near intermission, and then Amma left a little later. Pallavi noticed Keerthi leaving, and thought of moving to the other sofa, but she decided against it. Raghav noticed Amma leaving, and thought maybe he should ask Pallavi if they should just finish the movie some other night. But he decided not to.
At one of the emotional scenes, Pallavi was almost crying, and then she caught Raghav's face in the corner of her eye, holding back tears, and she had to try incredibly hard to hold in her laughter. But she failed.
"I wasn't crying, Pallavi, something just got in my eye."
"Tera dialogues, Karan johar ki dialogues se bura hai. Tsk tsk. Get some new material," she grinned.
By the end of the movie, they were asleep. Raghav on the arm of the sofa, and Pallavi had drifted onto and fell asleep on her shoulder.
The next morning, a grinning Farhad and Keerthi would notice them fast asleep, and obviously Keerthi took a pic, and Farhad took one just in case Keerthi's phone broke tomorrow, who knows.
As the sun hit his face, Raghav woke up, his neck was in pain, and he was about to scream out, when he noticed Pallavi on his shoulder. A few strands of her hair covering her face, that intoxicating scent of strawberry and vanilla making him smile. He reached to push the hair away from her face, but as he did, she woke up.
"Oh, it's morning. I—I have to go to the shop, Nikhil is waiting for design proofs on our new stock, and well, I should, I should go." Pallavi went to get up, when she realized her pallu was stuck behind Raghav's arm, she instantly tripped and fell back onto the sofa, right on top of Raghav.
"Crap, sorry," and she tried to get off of him, and pulled furiously at her pallu, even thought Raghav was doing basically nothing to help, and by help, all he had to do was move his shoulder. He was lost in her face. Her eyes, so big you could swim in them. Her nose, which scrunched up when she got angry or sad. Her lips, which looked like they were softer than clouds. Finally Pallavi had freed herself, and she straightened her sari, and basically tripped her way out of the room. Keerthi and Farhad, burst out laughing, Raghav notices them and then chases after them.
