Unfazed

71. Solidarity (Harsh)

(IMAGE: Harsh - I d k what he's doing though :P

Other than that, I enjoyed writing this chapter - a lot. So, let me know what you think of it.

PLUS - Wattys is on - so please please vote, comment and share Unfazed!)

Huddled around Vishwas's dining table, the five of us had finally reached consensus on what we planned ahead. Not the most concrete plan, but then again, we weren't full-fledged detectives.

"So, at the event, Alana - you will go talk to Viren.. provided we prove that he is Kumar. Now by tomorrow, if Harsh and Deven are not able to work with this - Mr Iqbal - and find that the two are the same person, or somehow related, then Harsh will talk to Viren. Regardless of what happens, we need to be careful of this guy", Vishwas summarizes, for all of us.

"Took us long enough to agree", says Dee with a yawn, indicating towards the clock that hung on the wall, showing us that it was past midnight.

"Yeah - we should go", I say, getting up from my seat and stretching. Dee nods and follows suit.

"My bag and laptop are in your flat" she says to Dev, "Listen - bring it to office tomorrow, please?"

"Sorry man - not happening" he says, reflexively.

"WHYYYYYYYYY?" she whines, clearly taxed after a long day. I realise that I should be more concerned about the not-so-discreet bond between the two at this point, but I am not. Instead, I say, "Because he is your boss, the heir to the company and also, has an image to maintain."

"Thank you!" says Dev, almost looking surprised that I had defended him. "Dee, I'll give you my key - go get your stuff now.. or come by in the morning tomorrow before work. Either works for me - but hey! I am N O T bringing your stuff", he goes on.

I wasn't sure if Dee saw through his failed attempts at wanting to spend more time with her but she grumpily said, "Fine" and snatched Dev's keys from him.

"You want me to come with you?" Alana asks and Dee gives her a very hesitant approval when she insists that she would like to go with Dee. What was Alana up to?

Once the girls were out of the door, Vishwas says to both of us, "So Romeos, who's gonna make the first move?"

Dev looked too stunned to reply while all I could do was mouth, "Say whaaat?"

"Oh please! Have you both seen the way you look at them? Harsh, you're all 'Oh My God, she's my enemy - but ALAAAANAAA and you!" Vish says, looking at his little brother, "What happened to Mr. I-don't-need-a-woman? You are such a goner!"

"That is ridiculous!" says Dev to which, I retort, "Oh really, Dev?" With a pause, I mimick his voice with "Go get your stuff now or come by in the morning before work!"

"Oh! Excuse Me?!?!? I'm not the one with the 'I want to date you but you're my enemy and my sister hates you' issues, here okay?" he spits out at me.

"You're so going to regret saying that, you.." I say and start towards him, but Vish gets in our way.

"Look at the two of you, brawling like rogues", he snaps at us and this time, we both hang our heads in shame. "Whole lot of macho in front of each other, eh? Not one bit in front of your respective ladies", Vish goes on. "Point I'm trying to make, is - guys... Dee is Harsh's sister, yes - so Dev you need to know that he will not be 100% okay with you both, ever. Period. And Harsh, with all due respect, Ally is my sister by default too, you know? I want what's best for her too."

"Yeah.. I'm sorry" I said to no one in particular, but the message was clear.

"Me too", says Dev before teasing Vishwas with, "One second.. Vish.. Sneha hasn't said yes to you yet, you know? So don't be so sure."

"Oh.. Children... Children.." Vishwas says with a mocking seriousness I can't understand. "I've been committed to my girl long before either of you even found yours.. so please.. leave the stunts to the experts."