♪♫ Aaj agar bhar aayi hai,
Boondein baras jayengi
Kal kya pata inke liye,
Aankhein taras jayengi
Jaane kab gum hua, kaha khoya,
Ek aansu chupa ke rakha tha...♪♫
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It was almost 4 in the morning when Kabir was walking back to his room after getting some water from the kitchen.
He got into a minor argument with Ahana, and because his mind was still stuck on her, he forgot to take the water bottle with him.
They were 16—almost 17—when he saw Ahana for the first time—he had come back from two months long NCC camp and she was going to school—and he only had one thought, that she was painfully beautiful. He was awe-struck but that went down the drain when he accidentally bumped into and spilled coffee on her.
She made a fuss about it because she was going for an interview at the school and was running late. Later that day, he tried to befriend her by apologizing to her, and for that, he made a lemon cake for her, but he was so nervous that he accidentally put salt in it instead of sugar, and let's just say it didn't end well.
From that day, he tried to irritate and annoy her every chance given because that was the only way Ahana talked to him otherwise she had decided to keep her distance and he didn't like it.
He walked toward his room but stopped when he heard someone whimpering. It took him a second to realize what was happening but when realization dawned upon him—he rushed into Ahana's room.
There she was, lying on her bed, restless and almost crying. She was having a nightmare. Her top had ridden up a little and he could see the long scar on her abdomen which disappeared into the waistband of the pyjama shorts she was wearing. The scar was healed but was still very prominent. It hurt him to see her like this.
A year ago she got into an accident and that's the only information he and everybody knows. She wasn't ready to tell anyone what actually happened but there is one thing that everyone knows—a large shard of glass pierced through her abdomen and cut into the uterus and because of that she can't become a mother.
She used to live alone but after the accident, Badi Ma ordered her to come and stay with them. She was worried that she would lose Ahana too like she lost her best friend Varsha. Varsha aunty was Ahana and Mehar bhabhi's (elder brother's wife) mother.
Ahana has been having these nightmares for over a year now. Initially, they were frequent but with time they reduced. Now she only gets them when something triggers her.
He speed-walked, sat on her bed, and took her into his arms. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Shh... it's okay, Ahana. You're okay, everything is okay. It's just a bad dream."
He repeated the same words again and again just like he had done numerous times now until she woke up or went back to sleep.
Whenever Ahana has a nightmare, he rushed to her and tried to calm her down and it was their mutual understanding that they won't mention it ever again.
This was their little secret.
Ahana woke up from the nightmare and he sighed in relief. He filled the glass that was on the nightstand with water and made her drink it.
Her eyes were looking dead like there was nothing alive inside her. She had bags under her eyes, her cheeks were hollow and her lips were cracked and he hated that look on her.
She was still in his arms as they sat there in silence but when he tried to stand up to go back to his room she held his shirt tightly. "You're not leaving, are you?"
Her voice was weak and gave away the vulnerability that she was still trying to hide. He shook his head and again sat there, with his back resting on the headboard and her head on his chest while he ran his hand through her hair.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head and he didn't bother her after that.
He sneaked out of her room after an hour as she fell asleep again.
▪◀▩▶▪
Kabir was sitting in his cabin working on his laptop when his phone rang. He smiled when he saw the caller ID.
Badi Ma calling...
Mrs. Neela Jaisingh is his father's sister-in-law and Kabir's favourite person. She has always treated him like her own son and that's why he calls her Badi Ma.
"Kabir, can I ask you for a favour if you're not busy?" he heard his Badi Ma after he picked up the call.
"Yes, tell me."
"Ahana left early this morning so she didn't have her breakfast and neither did she have her lunch with her. I don't want her to eat from outside because she has been doing that for a few days now." Her voice had concern in it.
"Okay, so what can I do?"
"I want you to make something at the restaurant and give it to Ahana in her office."
"You want me to do food delivery?" he snickered.
"Stop joking Kabir! Will you do it?" she said in a fake stern voice.
"Of course, I'll do it. Anything for you."
"Okay, thank you, beta. I'll make your favourite dishes today."
"You don't need to bribe me, Badi Ma."
"Nonsense, it's my love for you. Now go! It would be her lunch break in an hour. Reach on time."
"Okay, I will."
He immediately got on with making something that Ahana liked after ending the call.
▪◀▩▶▪
"Sneha, is your ma'am inside?" Kabir asked Sneha—Ahana's PA.
Ahana's office building was merely 5 minutes away from his restaurant so it didn't take him much time to reach there.
"Yes, Mr. Jaisingh. Ahana ma'am is inside her cabin but she's in a very bad mood."
"I'll handle that. Can you please send someone with two plates? I have her food here with me." He showed the bag in his hand to which she nodded and went away.
He barged into her cabin just to rile her up and he knew he succeeded in his mission when he heard he voice.
"What do you think you are doing? And why in the hell are you here?"
"Aren't you sunshine this fine day?" he gave her a sarcastic smile, walked toward the couch, and sat.
"What do you want, Kabir?" she narrowed her eyes.
"Me? Nothing! But Badi Ma does want something." He said in as much serious tone as he could muster up.
"What does Neela Ma want?"
"She wants you to have your lunch." He put the box in the air over his head so she could see it. "She sent food."
She looked at him with suspicion but then gave up after he didn't budge. Just then they heard a knock and Sneha came inside with plates after Ahana gave her permission to enter. Sneha put the plates on the table in front of the couch and rushed out of the cabin.
Ahana came and sat silently on the opposite couch. He stood up to leave when he heard her voice.
"Join me." It wasn't a question or request. It was an order.
He smiled knowing that she doesn't like to eat alone. He walked back and again sat on the couch across from her. She was looking at him while Kabir served the food.
"How is it?" he asked after she took the first bite.
"You made this." She said it like it was the answer to his question.
"I never said that."
"It's nice." She answered his question instead.
"Nice? A 3-star Michelin chef made this and you're saying it's nice?" he asked in disbelief. "You know what? Let's try again. How is it?"
Her lips twitched and he realized that she was messing with him. "It's delicious."
He suddenly remembered the time when Badi Ma had a family party when he won the first Michelin star. He made a special dish for all of them and everyone liked it except Ahana because she didn't even touch it. That was the moment when he realized that she hates him so much that she doesn't even want to eat something which is made by him.
He had this urge to ask her why she did that but he simply asked, "Why do you hate me?"
She looked up at him and her expression was a mixture of shock and disbelief. "I just told you that the food is delicious! What makes you think that?"
"You can't answer a question with another question."
"I can. I just did."
He gave her a deadpan look. "Can you answer the question please?"
She didn't say anything for a minute. "No, Kabir. I don't hate you."
"Then why didn't you ever accept my friendship?"
"Are you by any chance talking about that one time when you offered me a lemon cake that had tons of salt in it?"
"Fine. Point taken. But what about the party when I got my first Michelin star?"
She frowned. "Seriously? That was 6 years ago but whatever. What about it?"
"I made a dish and you didn't even look at it!"
"I did look at it and that's why I know that it had mushrooms."
"So?"
"So, I'm deathly allergic to mushrooms. If I had eaten that, you would have had to rush me to the hospital."
"Oh!" he felt like an idiot to assume things.
"Anything else?"
"Uh... if I tried now, will you be my friend?" he asked sheepishly.
"Don't you think you're a decade too late for that?"
"See! You're again answering a question with another question. Why can't you just give me an answer? Will you be my friend?"
"I don't know, maybe. I think you have to try to find out." She had a smug look.
"Well, I have something to offer my friendship with."
"I hope it isn't tons of salt." He rolled his eyes at her, stood up, and started walking toward the door.
"You're offering your friendship by leaving me?" she frowned and he stopped.
"No. just wait here, I'll be back in a minute."
He didn't wait for her reply. He came back with a box in his hand and offered it to Ahana when he was close enough.
She looked into the box and even though her face didn't split up in a grin, her eyes were twinkling.
"A demon told me that you love ice cream and strawberries. So I made a strawberry-flavoured ice cream sandwich."
"Who is this demon? I think I have to give him a visit so he would stop telling you my secrets."
"Sorry. Can't disclose the identity." Her lips formed a small smile and he almost fell over when he saw that.
"Fine. Don't tell me, I would find out on my own." She took one of the sandwiches and bit into it. "Hmm... I'll be your friend if you promise to make desserts for me on demand."
"Done."
"Then I'll love to be your friend."
"Thanks, friend." He grinned at her.