Now, this is not the original chapter I had posted for the competition. This has a few more scenes added from their childhood. If you want to read the original, but yaar mat padhna kyuki this one is better, par fir bhi padhna hai toh, its entry no 1 in the Rose Love Awards.
The little boy sat quietly beside the baby girl, sleeping in the bassinet while their parents talked in the garden. He was mesmerized by the little girl's soft, squishy chubby cheeks. She was only eight months old while the boy was just a few months shy of four years. He wanted to touch those soft cheeks which felt like cotton candy but he did not want to wake up the baby. While he was lost in his dreams of eating her cottony soft cheeks, a butterfly passed his eyes. He followed the butterfly's trail and contained his squeal when she went and sat on the baby girl's head. He held his hands to his mouth in amazement but little giggles bubbled out which awoke the sleeping baby. Her big eyes looked here and there for familiarity but the open sky of the garden scared her. Just as she was about to let out a wail, the little boy came forward and cooed at her. She recognized him and smiled at him. She continued to gaze at him as he explained something to her in his broken vocabulary. Soon, it was time to return home and the little boy did not want to leave the baby girl so he cried. He wailed so loudly that even the baby girl started crying. The mothers took them away while the boy kept on mumbling 'my futterfly'. His mother just thought that he wanted a butterfly which he had seen in the garden and explained how he can't have her. The boy wailed even louder until he exhausted himself and fell asleep. Who would explain that the baby girl was 'his futterfly' and he wanted her?
His parents took him back to the garden after a week, because kept pestering his parents for 'his futterfly' and kept crying at random hours of the day. However, his futterfly was peacefully sleeping in her crib that day. After not finding Naina, he again started crying, even when there were lot of butterflies fluttering around the rose bushes. Finally, after a long dilemma his mother understood about which butterfly was her son talking about. She arranged to meet her friend at the earliest and so they went to the Suryagarh palace together. As soon as he saw 'his futterfly', he ran on his tiny, wobbly feet and waved shyly at her.
"Baah baahhh", Naina babbled happily seeing people surround her.
"Me hold her?", Veer tugged his mother's hand.
"You want to hold her?", she laughed looking at his cute pouty face.
He nodded vigorously.
"Okay, come, sit here", she made him sit on the sofa and gently lay Naina on his lap, teaching him to support her head while her cute butt rested on his lap. He giggled having her in his arms, his cute dimples poking out of his cheeks, his grey eyes alight in excitement, his pout turned into a full-blown smile.
"Veer, smile for papa", his father beckoned to him, holding his phone, while both Veer and Naina were busy discussing the name of their kids. Yes, the discussion was that serious.
He looked up and frowned at his father for interrupting his talk with his futterfly while his father clicked the photo.
--
"It hurts, Vee", four-year-old Naina had tears streaming down her cheeks. She had fallen while playing with her cousins and the other royal kids. It was in the summer vacations while all the kids were having a camp in the Jaigarh palace. Each year, different royal families hosted it, and invited every royal acquaintance so the kids could mingle up and know each other better.
"Hey, hey. Shh. You are my brave butterfly. How dare the ground hurt you. Don't worry, I'll kick it", saying so the seven-year-old Veer stomped on the ground. After that, he gave her piggy back ride till the benches where he seated her. Naina was clinging to him as a baby monkey would cling to its mother.
After that, his took water bottle and poured it slowly on the wound of her knee.
"Hurts", Naina whimpered and tried to pull back her leg but Veer held it in place.
"Shh. Shh. See, all done. You are very brave, hai na.", he distracted her while he dried the water and blood with his hanky.
"Let's take you inside. Mumma will apply medicine on your boo boo. Can you walk?", he asked. She nodded her head in a no.
"Okay, hop on my back. Don't fold your knee, okay?", he instructed and bent a little so she could hop on his back.
"Aree, what happened to your little butterfly?", Veer's mother asked when she saw them entering her room while she was working.
"Boo boo", Naina muttered sleepily. She was tired after playing since the morning.
"Ohh! Put her down, I'll get the first aid kit.", Sonali rushed into the washroom.
Applying the cream, she dressed Naina's knee while Naina was swaying sleepingly and Veer held her back.
"You wanna sleep, butterfly?", he asked, brushing her hair out of the face.
"Mhhm", she nodded and slept off.
"Mumma, hungry", Veer whined.
"Okay, lets go to the dining room, then. Its time for lunch", she tugged at his hand.
"Butterfly?", he asked.
"I'll bring a bottle of milk and feed her, okay?", she smoothed Veer's hair.
"No, bring my food here. I will eat with her", he ordered. Always bossy, like his father.
"Is that how you talk to your mother?", Sonali raised her eyebrows.
"No, sowwy. Please, I wanna have my lunch with butterfly", he mumbled, widening his eyes and puckering his lower lip outward.
"Okay, I'll send your food, and her bottle here. Now, stop this helpless boy drama", she kissed his head and went away to check on lunch and other kids.
"So cute, my butterfly", he kissed her cheek.
When a maid brought the food and bottle, he first put the bottle in Naina's mouth and made her little hands hold it. She had started suckling and drinking the milk. After he was sure she would not drop it, he went back to his plate and started eating.
Naina had that talent. She could survive by only drinking milk. Drinking milk, even while sleeping was an art she had mastered. Even if she was awake, she would still drink her milk from the bottle, always.
--
"Vee", the fifteen-year-old girl squealed in delight.
"Hi, my butterfly", the almost eighteen-year-old boy hugged her in greeting and kissed her forehead. They had met almost after a year. She was sent to boarding school and had just returned yesterday.
"Help me, pwease", she pouted and showed him her maths holiday homework. Though she knew the answers, she wanted him to be near her so she sought this method.
"C'mere", he sat and showed her how to solve the problems.
Unknown to them, they stole glances at each other.
Yesterday she had seen a guy and a girl kiss in her school and her friend had explained that it is done when you love that person.
She also wanted to do that but she wasn't that courageous.
Maybe a peck on the cheek would suffice, she thought.
Just as she bent to kiss his cheek, he turned and their lips met. Both of them became stiff and their eyes widened. He immediately retreated.
"What was that, little butterfly? Did you want to kiss me?", he asked.
She simply nodded her head in shyness. She couldn't lie, he hated it when she lied and she didn't want to upset him.
"Bu-but only on the cheek, though", she hurriedly added.
"Okay", he forwarded his cheek and she quickly kissed it, and then they went back to studying.
Later that night, both of them were huddled together in a blanket in the balcony, stargazing. She was telling him about her days in the boarding school while he was trying hard not to shut her up by kissing her.
Suddenly she turned around and hid her head in his neck and cried.
"I missed you, I missed you so-so much, Vee. I missed you the most", she cried as held her in his arms.
"Shh, little butterfly. I am here now, aren't I?", he cooed, rubbing her back. She nuzzled into his neck almost subconsciously and lightly kissed the visible skin.
He wiped her tears gently, running his hands through her hair, calming her down.
"Hey, is that the pole star?", he pointed randomly to a star to distract her, his fingers still in her hair, massaging her scalp.
She sighed and adjusted her head on his chest and giggled when she saw the star in the direction he had pointed.
"No dumb-dumb, that's the pole star", she took his hand in hers and took it to extreme left pointing it to the pole star.
"You see those three stars in the row?", she pointed his finger in the direction of those stars.
"Yeah, yeah, I know this one. Its Orion's belt", he smugly said.
"Mhmm. Then which part are his legs and which part are his hands?", she asked raising her head from his chest and looking directly into his eyes. She could get lost in those eyes of his and never want to be found.
"That's the legs, and there, that part, its his hands", he pointed on the opposite sides.
She laughed; her laughter so infectious that he too let out a few chuckles. Hearing her laugh was the best masterpiece he had ever heard. She was a drug he wanted, to constantly be high on.
After she calmed down, he asked, "Can I kiss you?"
"You don't need to ask, silly", she giggled and forwarded her cheek.
"No, butterfly, on your lips. Can I kiss your lips?", he turned her face towards her and his thumb pressed on her soft lips.
"Really? You want to kiss my lips?", her eyes lit up at his request.
"Does that mean you love me?", she asked, biting on her lower lip, when she realized how crass it sounded.
"Yes. It means I love you. I love you the most in this whole world", he replied.
"Really, I love you, too. The most", she squealed.
"But I don't know how to kiss", she pouted.
"It's okay, even I don't. We can learn together", he whispered in her ear. Bringing her closer to him such that she straddled him he brought their entwined fingers to his mouth and gave a kiss to each of her fingertips.
"So can I kiss you?", he asked again.
"Okay", she whispered shyly and bent her head.
He held her chin and nudged their noses together. Their mouths pressed together, tentatively. Both of them closed their eyes when their lips met but they didn't dare move another muscle. This was new to them; it was their first kiss.
She remembered the way the guy had held the girl's waist while the girl had her hands in his hair.
Experimentally, she moved Vee's hands to her waist and her own in his hair and slowly moved her lips, sucking on his lower lip. He followed suit and brought her closer to him while she tugged at his roots as he sucked her upper lip. They both separated, panting after the need for air grew too much, their hearts beating too fast, the butterflies in their stomach unlocked into a jungle. It was their perfect first kiss, under the sparkling night and glittering stars.
"That was wow! Where did you learn this?", he asked, making her blush tomato. He was almost angry to think someone taught his butterfly, other than him, to kiss.
"I -I saw someone in the school yesterday, doing this", she murmured bashfully.
He didn't waste any time before grabbing her cheeks and kissing her again.
"Will you be my girlfriend, butterfly?", he asked breathlessly and prayed to all the Gods above that she accepts his proposal.
"Will I get your kisses?", when he nodded, she mumbled out a yes and brushed their lips together again.
After separating, she confessed again, "I love you"
"And, I love you, my little butterfly", he murmured back, letting her rest on him.
**
Thats a wrap, people.
Do you have a ship name in mind for Veer and Naina. If yes, please share. I'd love to know.
Do you want to see Veer begging on his knees for Naina's forgiveness??
Stay tuned for the next update, which I don't when you'll get because I have another test on sunday and I haven't written a single word. Phew!!
How do you like this Veer?
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