The Regal Reunion

XIX. Growing fondness

When Keya and Shivansh left, Suhana stood outside the palace, waiting for the staff to bring the car. To her surprise, it was Dev who appeared instead.

"Dev? What are you doing here?" Suhana asked, puzzled.

"Good afternoon, Miss Suhana. I'm here to escort you to the mall," Dev replied with a charming smile.

Suhana raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced. "You? Escorting me to the mall? Since when did you become a royal escort?"

Dev chuckled, "Well, since today, apparently. It's my duty to take care of royal guests, as the bride's brother.. you see."

She gave him a narrow look, "I am the wedding planner..." Dev just shrugged, "When you're not working, you're a guest.."

Suhana laughed, realizing the ruse. "Oh, I see. Well then, Mr. Dev, lead the way."

Cutee

As they walked towards the car, Dev held the door open for Suhana with a flourish, playing the part of the perfect escort. Suhana couldn't help but giggle at his theatrics.

Thw two walked through the mall, Suhana spotted a quirky accessory store and couldn't resist going in. She dragged Dev along, much to his amusement.

"Now that looks little too much?" Dev teased, eyeing the array of accessories in the store.

Suhana rolled her eyes. "You can never have too many accessories, Dev. It's called fashion."

"Ah, my mistake. I should've known better than to question your fashion sense," Dev replied, faking remorse.

Suhana giggled, picking up a pair of oversized sunglasses. "What do you think, Dev? Do these scream 'fashion icon' to you?"

Dev pretended to inspect the sunglasses seriously. "Hmm, they definitely scream something. Maybe 'I'm secretly a spy'?"

Suhana burst out laughing, trying on the sunglasses and striking a pose. "You're right! I could totally pull off the spy look. Here you try one too.."

"Damn I definitely have the sexy spy looks.." he said trying on one of them and earned a smack on the back from Suhana, "you look like a bodyguard nothing else, loser!"

Dev chuckled, enjoying their playful banter. He found himself admiring Suhana's carefree spirit and infectious laughter. It was moments like these that made him forget about their differences and just enjoy the present.

Adorable

After browsing through the store, they continued their shopping spree, moving from one store to another.

As they walked, Suhana noticed a food court and her stomach growled loudly, causing her cheeks to flush with embarrassment.

Dev grinned. "I take it that's a sign we should grab some lunch?"

Suhana nodded sheepishly. "I may have gotten a bit carried away with the shopping. Food sounds perfect right now."

They settled on a cozy cafe and ordered their lunch. As they waited for their food, their conversation flowed easily, filled with jokes and laughter.

As the day drew to a close and they headed back to the palace, Suhana couldn't help but feel grateful for Dev's company. Despite their initial awkwardness, they had managed to have a fantastic day together, full of laughter and fun.

He's not that bad I guess...

———

The day wore off, full of cute and unexpected moments of growing fondness towards each other.