Broken Pieces - Finding Way To Eachother's Hearts

26

Aditya kept aside the bowl once he was finished eating and looked at Naina who was licking the spoon off like a lollipop. As if sensing his gaze, she looked at him.

"What? I am hungry! Can't a woman eat?" She asked.

In response, he raised both his hands saying as if he had no complaints regarding her eating.

Shaking her head, Naina continued to eat the remaining noodles from her bowl while Aditya continued to look at her who looked like a small child. Beautiful, with a pure heart, sometimes innocent and sometimes fiesty, strong at the same time fragile. Just like the eleven years old Naina.

And this very moment, he swore to himself that he would bring back that Naina into her life.

While slurping the noodles, she thought in mind. Was it a date? If not yesterday, then today it really seemed like one. They were alone. They have a spectacular view in the front. They were eating noodles which she loved. Should she ask him? And make fool out of herself? No. But she wanted to know it.

"Is it a date?" An unexpected question was asked by her which broke his trance.

"..."

"..." She turned to look at him sitting in silence but still looking at her.

"What does it look like?"The thought of date actually never crossed his mind at all. Not wanting to upset her, He mumbled, scratching his neck nervously.

"A date?" It sounded more like a question.

"A date it is" he confirmed her, tilting his head a little.

"The last thing I know it's that the person is supposed to ask before taking the person on a date!" She stated as if it were a fact. Which actually was. She wasn't asked for anything like that. Yet they were seated here, spending time together. Like a date.

"If I had asked, would you have come along with me?" He then asked.

"..."

"Exactly the reason I didn't ask" he said.

"But still, wouldn't it be kind enough to ask before going out?"

"My apologies, next time I will definitely ask. But let this one pass... " He said in a gentleman tone.

"Do you even realize, you ruined my first date?" Naina said ignoring his words.

"What?! Your first? You have never been on one? Oh my god!" He looked at her knowing now that even before she married to him, she had no one in

"What did you think of me to be doing? Roaming around with men?" She snapped at him.

"Oh, no. Not at all. I didn't mean anything like that. I just didn't thought that it was your fist date."

"Exactly, even I never thought that! And look, we just bickered with eachother on my very first date! How wonderful!" She said stabbing the poor noodles with the fork.

"Hey and it was our first bickering too, isn't that great?" Aditya said wanting to sound funny. But Naina's face looked like she was pissed off of the fact that her very first date was started with bickering

Seeing her, he could easily tell that this was not how she had expected her first date to be. "Hey... We can always have our first date. Just like you want. For now let's say that it's just two people meeting, alright?" He said with his gentle voice which calmed her also made her aware of how she had opened up her thoughts shamelessly.

Heat crept up her cheeks and turned into red. They never had conversations like this. From asking, to bickering and then teasing to her rambling. Both of them were actually surprised how they could be angry and then calm at the same time.

"You are a man with lot of patience." She said looking at him.

"I won't always be, Naina. Everything has a limit" he said in a low voice with utter seriousness and continued to say.

"Naina, it is now or never. It's really your choice. It's all up to you. If you don't want, you can back off. I don't know how your life has been, so I won't judge you. But the wait of five years are too long and short at the same time. All you to do is just hold my hand and be there. We can make it through." He said looking deeply into her eyes.

Hearing him, Naina was left speechless. After long gap of silence, keeping aside the empty bowl, she spoke.

"Did you think I never tried? There are so many things that wouldn't let me-" with the lump that formed in her throat, she couldn't bring herself to speak anything related to her past.

"But I really want to try. Believe me, I really want to." She said meeting his gaze. Her eyes showed nothing but her sincerity about the words she said.

"I do. I do." He said comforting her.

"We are in this together" he smiled at her which was reciprocated by her.

"By the way, if this is what a date for you then we already have had our first date years before" he said out of nowhere making her look at him as if he's grown two horns on his head.

"What? When?" She asked curiously.

"Don't you remember that day? In school?" He asked as if she would remember only with this much information.

"There were so many days in the school. Which day are you talking about?"

"Naina, there was only one such day in our school days. Unless...."

"Unless what?"

"Unless, you were dreaming about that day everyday to happen"

Naina realised about which day he was talking exactly. How can she forget that day? Naina blushed thinking about that day. He was definitely speaking true this time. After that particular day, she had wished to happen again and again. At least once, someday. As if not knowing, she asked him again composing herself.

"What nonsense are you speaking? Which day?"

"Ah... That day, when we were all alone by ourselves and spend time with eachother. Just like this day. Yet completely different." He said as if he could feel himself transported to that particular day of their past and so did Naina. Both lost in their past memories which they shared together yet they had their own versions.

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Unable to sleep, I decided to write this chapter. Hope you will like this. Please ignore if you find and mistakes. Goodnight!

Please do comment and vote.

Thank you :)

Dated : 23 May, 2020

Edited - 16 June 2021