UNCONDITIONAL

XVII

When Noor walked out of her room, she felt a whole new rush of energy, not just inside her but inside her entire house. She knew her staff was well aware of what took place last night but was hoping they wouldn't make it obvious. The joy, however, was so overwhelmingly real in each and every person, that Noor realized they couldn't have hidden it even if they attempted.

"Good morning, ma'am." Her butler greeted her. He was smiling. "Your breakfast is ready."

"Good morning, Peter." Noor slightly shook her head to avoid the smile she felt coming onto her face but eventually gave in. She noticed the cleaning staff pause their work as she passed by to greet her in bright, almost hopeful expressions. Unsure of how to respond, she simply nodded at them and carried on.

Harleen was already waiting for Noor at breakfast. She looked at Noor with excitement that could not be contained. "Good morning, boss! It is an absolute pleasure to see you this beautiful day." Her playful and naughty smile was contagious.

"Good morning, Harleen." Noor replied nearly blushing as she took a seat at the table.

"I heard last night was quite a historical one." Harleen's eyebrows bounced on her forehead as she questioned Noor.

"Historical it was, indeed." Noor answered still smiling but beginning to compose herself.

Before Harleen could respond, she heard footsteps and turned to see Prem on his way to the dining table. Her second plan had been successful as well. She could tell from Noor's face that her heart had picked up its pace upon seeing Prem. Once at the table, Prem paused and looked around.

"Where's Tayiji?" He asked Maria who stared at him blankly before shifting her gaze over to Harleen.

"Uhh..." Harleen began carefully. "She was here...but left. But she also wanted to invite you for breakfast. I mean she wanted to have breakfast with you but had to leave for some reason. But she insisted you have breakfast, right here. I mean like right now. She'll be back...well maybe. She seemed pretty busy." She sighed as she finished her answer. Noor and Prem looked at her in utter confusion.

"The next time you send a handwritten note to my room to invite me for breakfast, make sure you sign it as Tayiji, not Bhuji. She would know how she's related to me. Okay?" Prem told Harleen as he pulled out a chair.

"I'm sorry...bhaji (brother)." Harleen apologized. "Shit. I'm so sorry. I hope you don't mind me calling you bhaji."

Noor's fork dropped out of her hand when the word bhaji left Harleen's mouth for Prem and he looked over at her. Their eyes spoke for a moment before he tore his away and turned to Harleen to silently nod at her in approval.

Refusing to let tension get in the way of this moment, Noor watched smitten as Prem took a seat across her at the table. She did not know if she could live through so much happiness in one day. Seeing him at the dining table across from her was something she didn't believe was possible even in her dreams at this point. As Prem flipped over his plate and served himself some breakfast, he let his eyes travel across the table to Noor. The expression on her face was a mixture of emotional and grateful. He could tell nothing in the world could have made her happier than seeing him at the table across from her in that moment.