Sonakshi sat up breathing quickly in the middle of the night. Everything seemed blurry as she closed and opened her eyes again. If she could remember anything at the moment it was her mother and father's dead bodies in front of her eyes, covered in blood. It had been an horrific accident almost a year ago. They left her alone, penniless, and orphaned. If it wasn't for her husband's parents, only God knew where she would have been right now instead of this wonderful air-conditioned room.

Her husband, Dev Dixit, had given her everything. A nice home, a happy life, loving in-laws. If he couldn't give her one thing it was the love she had always expected from the man she was married to. Not to mention, she never thought that Dev Dixit would be her husband one day.

Their marriage hadn't been planned. She was engaged to Dev's elder brother Jatin Dixit for over an year before he died, during the horrific 9/11 attack. She still remembered sitting in her room looking at her ring. Thinking about the man she loved, Dev Dixit, and the man who she would soon be getting married to, her love's elder brother, Jatin Dixit.

If Dev loved her then she would have rejected Jatin without thinking even once. But she knew he didn't care for her for more than a casual friend then. She was always told by her mother, "respect the one who loves you, not the one you love." Thinking that she first rejected, then accepted his proposal.

Jatin had called her thirty minutes before the first plane had hit the world trade center to tell her he was missing her a lot in New York, that he loved her so much.

She didn't love Jatin ever in her life not even after he died. But she cared for him as her closest friend, she cherished him like she didn't cherish anyone else in her life. She'd known him, but properly met him through the Academic Decathlon team his senior year. When he'd proposed to her on Valentines Day a year and a half before the attack she was shocked. Her instant answer was, no, I can't marry you. It would be your answer if you were madly in love with someone else all along.

Sonakshi Bose had loved Dev Dixit for as long as she remembered. The Bose's and Dixit's were great friend despite the difference is their status. While the Dixit sons were born with a golden spoon in their mouths, Sonakshi wasn't. She'd seen her parents fight over small issues that revolved around money. They had to think three times before spending even a penny.

But Dev never paid any attention to Sonakshi, then. His goals in life were different than hers.

She remembered Jatin telling her once that Dev wanted to be a part of NFL. They both had laughed, Dev didn't have the height or the body built to play football in high school, let alone professionally.

He'd heard them then.

His freshmen year he played football as running back and then soccer after football. He hated Sonakshi from that day on.

Then, when Sonakshi came back on an assignment to California she met Dev again. She had finished her second year of law school and he his second year of Business Management. She'd said sorry and they were talking on regular terms, until Jatin proposed to Sonakshi.

Sonakshi knew that Jatin loved her while Dev would never. After saying no, she went back and agreed. She was her parents only child and her marriage to Jatin would allow one less responsibility for them.

After the 9/11 attack Sonakshi didn't know what to do. She had lost Jatin, the man who understood her, who loved her so much. She didn't love him but she knew that he would keep her happy. She respected him. Losing him was perhaps the biggest loss of her life, until her parents also left here in a car accident a few years later.

Then it was either the Dixit family or living alone forever. Six months after her parents death, Sonakshi and Dev got married.

Dev kept her happy, they shared a warm friendship, something very close. They lived in separate rooms since his parents had moved back to London, England again. She was a house wife and a very good one. He loved her for the great friend she was.

Dev knew he could move on with her, but he didn't know that Sonakshi was never in love with Jatin, but she was then and now, in love with him.

Sonakshi fell back on her pillow and tried to sleep despite the fact that she knew she would see the twin towers falling before her eyes and her parents dead bodies.

She took a deep breath. She was at home alone tonight, Dev wasn't going to get back until tomorrow morning from the Boston's press-conference and launch. He'd asked her if she wanted to come along, but she'd refused, like always.

She turned on her bed and then saw the lights on outside, confused she sat up again. When she heard the T.V. turn on, she grabbed her robe and went outside. She walked into the kitchen and watched her husband close the fridge and then turn to her.

"Sonakshi?" He said putting the jug of water on the counter. "Why are you still awake?" He looked at his wrist to check the time. "It's one." He was still dressed in his work cloths, maybe she had been wrong then, Sonakshi thought. Dev Dixit was now almost six foot and two inches tall, but he still wasn't built the way a football player should be built.

"I just woke-up Dev. You weren't going to be back until tomorrow, right?" She watched him pour his glass of water and then look at her.

"My plans changed." He placed the glass down, shrugged, and walked to her.

"Everything okay?" She asked looking at his tired face, the light brown eyes that looked lonely and exhausted.

"I missed you," he whispered pulling her into a hug. "I missed you a lot. I never thought that I was getting so used to you being around me all the time. It took me sometime to realize that, but I did."

She was too shocked to hug him back, the fact that he was holding her so tightly was the only reason she was still standing. Her knees had given up the second he'd pressed himself against her. Okay, so he had missed her, then what?

"Were you dreaming again?" He asked pulling away slightly, put still holding her close.She nodded robotically. When her brain started to function again, she placed her hands on his back, making him smile.

"Are you okay now?"

She nodded again and pressed her face to his shoulder. He'd held her before so many times, but she felt closer to him now than ever before. His embrace was complete and safe.

"Are you hungry?" She finally asked leaving him.

He wrinkled his nose with a nod.

"Coffee will do perfectly."

"Go freshen-up and I'll get you something to eat."

She sat down on the dinning table beside him and gave him his coffee and a sandwich. "How was the conference?" It was a reasonable question to ask right now.

"It was okay. The next one is in Florida and then in Paris." He sipped his coffee.

"Florida? That's awkward. What does Florida have to do anything with diamond and fashion?" Dev was the soul owner of a fashion house. They had more than just textiles thought, perfumes, diamonds, and any other type of fashion was a part of his profession. The best designers from Paris, France and Milan, Italy worked with him on a daily basis.

Sonakshi always thought his profession to be extremely exciting. Meeting new people, traveling almost every few weeks to the most beautiful places in the world. But she was never with him anywhere. While he went on his trips for as long as three weeks sometimes, she stayed at home doing nothing all day.

Sonakshi had always been part of a simple life style. Even now that she had all the money and a husband who didn't care how she spent it, she'd been shopping maybe once in the past seven months for herself. She'd never learned to drive and therefore he'd hired a driver for her. She knew nothing about what this world was like.

She was a law major and Dev had told her so many times to start practicing but she never listened. He hated the fact she still wasn't able to come out of the shock of her parents and Jatin's death. He wanted her to live like everyone else but she never did. She was quiet for the most part, never went anywhere with him unless it was at the grocery store to buy groceries since Dev didn't know how to do that on his own. But whatever little time he did spend with her, were lovely moments for him. She understood him and his work, he understood her and her problems. And most importantly they respected who they were.

"Sonakshi, are you listening?" He snapped his fingers in front of her face and she looked up at him. "You there?"

"Yeah." She shook her head. "I'm sorry Dev, what were you saying?" She noticed he was almost finished with his sandwich and ready to drop on his bed for a good night sleep.

"I was talking about the races that were taking place in Florida in a few weeks." She was somewhere else he decided when she didn't reply to his previous statement. He sighed and placed a hand on her hand. "Sonakshi." She looked at him again. "You need to start working.""I do." She smiled and took her hand back. "I'm doing something at home all day Dev. And, if I started practicing you wouldn't get breakfast, lunch, and dinner ready everyday. I would have to concentrate on one things, home or work." She picked up his plate and empty cup and stood up. When she turned and walked into the kitchen he followed her. "Moreover I don't think I can start practicing now. It's been almost four years since I've looked into a law book."

"Well then why don't we start from teaching you how to drive? Maybe you can do a small course." He stood beside her at the sink and watched her wash his dishes. "Something small like real estate, notary, or even insurances. If you want you can start helping me at office. I'm sure I could use a personal assistance." He smiled when she looked at him. When she nodded and closed the tap he frowned. "Come on Sonakshi, you stay in this house everyday for days before you get out sometimes. How long will you grieve over something that happened almost five years ago?"

"We've talked about this so many times Dev. I can't work. I don't have the will anymore. I'm happy at home cooking."

"Oh that's pathetic Sonakshi." He crossed his arms and looked at her in anger. "If you don't start working you can't use my money to buy anything anymore. Not even the groceries at home."

"Dev." She looked at him. "You're being stubborn now. Go to sleep, we'll talk about this tomorrow."

"No." He grabbed her arm when she tried to walk away. "We will talk about this now and settle it now as well." He dragged her out of the kitchen and pushed her to a loveseat. When she settled, he stood in front of her, arms crossed again. "I promised Mom I would take care of you but if someone saw the way you are living, I would have to go to jail. It looks like I'm not keeping you happy. Anyone would suspect I beat you every night. You are such a quiet and introvert person."

She sat there quietly as he continued to babble on and on about what others might think of him seeing her like this. Living this sad and unhappy life. When she didn't interrupt him for another five minutes he stopped and looked at her. He'd been pacing and talking at the same time.

"Say something!" He yelled startling her. She lowered her head and bit her lip. He'd never raised his voice at her before.

"Okay I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She said softly, like a small five year old girl.

He looked down at her. She had flawless, pale skin. It looked peachy and pinky when her silky brunette hair fell on her cheeks. She was a doll who didn't take care of herself yet was so beautiful. She had equities and morals that she had stopped using. She was living like a prisoner who had a choice to leave but chose to stay.

"Okay." He sat down beside her, calmed himself down. "Tomorrow I will not go to work." She looked up and then turned her face to his. "We will go to the DMV office and get you the Drivers Education book. We'll study it for a few hours and then you will come to the office with me and see how things work there."

"Dev I-"

"Shut-up!" He said strictly. Something that reminded her of Jatin.

"What law did you major?"

"Business."

"Excellent! You shouldn't be bored if I ask you to keep my accounts." He smiled at her expressionless face.

"Now you can go to bed."

"Thank-you." She answered politely, standing up. "Good night."

"Sonakshi!" He threw his hand in the air and she looked at him confused.

"What's wrong? You said I could go back to bed now so I'm going. Did you need something?"

He groaned and then sighed. "No." He nodded his head. "Good night."

She smiled, "Good night." Without another word she turned around and went to her room.

Dev rolled his eyes and fell on the sofa. She needed to come out of her shell. She never argued! Who on earth had allowed her to become a lawyer?He closed his eyes and smiled, she was the type of girl he'd never seen or met in his life. And, perhaps never would.

Sonakshi Bose was the last person he thought he would get married to. It had been a shock for him when his parents told him about his elder brother's death, she was the first person he thought about. He'd seen them together and he'd seen that they shared something not too many people shared. She loved him, according to him, and he knew she was going to be shattered when she found out.

Then when he found out that her parents also died in a car crash he was shocked more than being sad. What more did the poor girl still had to go through? That's why when his parents asked him to marry her he couldn't refuse. Fine ,maybe he didn't love her, but he could keep her happy. He was already established and according to him the amount of money he made would keep her happy.

But it obviously didn't. She still hadn't forgotten her parents and nor had she forgotten Jatin. He hadn't either, but he'd also moved on, she hadn't.

Not once since the day they had been married she asked for anything. She was happy in whatever she got. He thought she would want a normal husband-wife relationship and she would ask for it. But she didn't. She was happy with the friend she found in her husband.

And, he was happy with the friend he found within his wife. But he wanted to move on. He didn't love her but he could start now. He wanted to give her everything he would have given his wife otherwise. Love and happiness. And, somewhere he knew that if she could move on in life with him she would forget her past. That's why he wanted her to start working. He wanted her out of the house and meeting new people. Going around with him. No one in the city knew that the handsome and popular, young millionaire Dev Dixit was married. He wanted everyone to know that he was married to Sonakshi.

She had not been to a single event with him since their marriage. His associates brought their wife's at every launch, at every party. He saw them get the respect they deserved being that particular man's wife. He wanted Sonakshi to get the same.

But she wouldn't let him. He'd never tried to get close to her physically but he'd tried to be the closest person to her emotionally. For a fact he was very close to her. But there were things that he didn't know about her.

In the past one week he'd missed her so much he doubted himself if he wasn't already in love with her. He was completely dependant on her since they had been married. She did everything around the house. His clothes were ironed and laid out on the bed by the time he got out of the shower. When he finished dressing and got to the breakfast table, his breakfast was ready. Before his breakfast was finished, she had his briefcase ready.

His lunch got to his office before he could yell at anyone about the fact that he was hungry.

When he got home, she'd already drawn a bath for him. His dinner would be ready and if he ever needed help with anything she would help him with that as well.

She was nearly perfect and kept him happy. But he couldn't keep her happy. He didn't understand what he could do to keep her happy. She didn't treat him like her husband. She was always polite and well mannered around him. Never argued and did everything the way he wanted it done.

He'd seen her parents fight over silly things like what they were going to eat for dinner. Or how his mother didn't like the way he came home every night at eight instead of five. Or he never took her out to dinners or never bought her gifts.

Sonakshi never fussed about the fact not once in the period of their married life that he didn't ask her for dinner. She never asked for gifts and perhaps never expected anything either. Because she knew he didn't love her.

He didn't. He knew that very well himself but he wanted to keep her happy. And, tomorrow he would surely start.

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