UNEDITED
Part – 22
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“The Pain You Feel Today, Will Be The Strength You Feel Tomorrow”
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“Naira, I actually want to tell you something…” Sabeer started tentatively.
“Yeah, tell me?” she braced herself for whatever he was going to tell.
“Let’s be friend?” he blurted out.
“Um… we’re already friends, aren’t we?” Naira asked in confusion.
“Yeah, of course, but… we are not as close as you and Roshan”
“Roshan and I are work partners, Sab, so obviously we spend lots of time together and we get to know each other better but that doesn’t mean there is something going on between us…”
“I didn’t say there is something going on between you two and you should stop putting words in my mouth” he said getting little pissed at her presumptuous nature.
“I’m so…”
“Don’t. Don’t say sorry. I’ve heard enough of it for today.” He raised his palm up stopping her mid sentence.
“Look, Naira, I’m not telling you are close with Roshan just because you both work together. I’m telling you this because I have seen you and Roshan together since our childhood. Whenever I come to your place to attend yours or your brothers’ birthday parties or on any other occasions, I have seen you trailing behind him like a love stuck puppy…”
“No, you mistook me…”
“Let me finish, please?” he asked politely.
“Okay” she nodded letting him talk first and decided to justify her action later.
“Even I have seen you attending the ‘R’ brothers’ (Roshan, Rohan & Rohit) birthday parties but you never attended mine, why?”
“I was scared of your dad, Roe…”
“Sab” he corrected. Naira scrunched her eyes and cursed under her breathe for being a foolhardy.
“I’m sorry. I… we were talking about Roe… so it just slipped out of my tongue”
“It’s okay. Cool!” he brushed it aside. She silently thanked her stars and decided to keep her mouth shut unless and until he asked her to speak.
“I didn’t get you, Naira. You were scared of my dad?” he asked with a confused frown. Of all the people out in this world she was scared of his dad who had never ever hurt even an ant.
“If anyone should’ve been scared here then it should’ve been me because your dad was a policeman and he always carried a gun with him.” Sabeer slightly shivered. “I thought if I mess with his daughter he would shoot me on the spot”
Naira giggled seeing his horrific expression. “Is that why you never courted me?”
“I thought I never had a chance. You were so into Roshan, Naira” he sighed.
He still found it hard to believe she ditched him in the altar.
“When your parents came with your wedding invitation I was like ‘Finally! The ‘glued at the hip’ couple is going to tie the knot and settle down’ but then… you literally stumped me when you said you called of the wedding and your love confession to me was even more shocking. I was like when the fuck this happened? I was not even in the picture a day back…”
“Are you insulting me, Sab?” Naira asked feeling hurt and humiliated.
“No, No! I’m just telling you how I felt then.” He said, his eyes had softness and no ill intention to hurt her feelings.
“You confuse me, Naira.” Ever since she confessed her love his mind was corrupted. He liked her but he couldn’t trust her, trust her words to be exact. How could she love him all of a sudden?
“Wait! First tell me why you were scared of my dad?”
“He is a doctor…”
“So? Even I am a doctor and you claim you love me, right?”
“No, I am not scared of him now… I was. I was scared of doctors in general when I was small. I thought doctors will put injection to me if I behave badly or that’s what Veer told me so I stayed away from you guys. I never attended your house functions because I thought your dad will be there holding a big injection ready to jab it in my butt” she admitted sheepishly.
Sabeer burst out laughing. “You’re scared of needles, not doctors”
“I realized” she blushed.
“Oh God! It’s so funny to think that our dads didn’t but their precious possessions - a gun and a needle, separated us, all these years” he couldn’t help but laugh loudly making few heads in the café turn his way.
“Sab, control” she said softly and reaching across the table, she placed her hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Sorry” he said once he stopped laughing. “Naira, I will be frank. I hate to hurt or get hurt. I already got hurt because of Sasha and I don’t want to get hurt by you again…”
“I won’t leave you like…”
“You already left someone in the altar remember?” he asked blatantly.
“Ouch. That hurts” she said not bothering to mask her stinging pain.
“Not intended! I just stated the fact.” he said defensively.
“Okay”
“Well, you need to know what kind of a person I am. I don’t jump into opportunities unless and until I know it’s the last one. I basically take cautious steps and I do nothing in haste.”
“Your point is?”
“I am not ready for commitments anytime soon.”
“You could have told me this the moment I came in here, right? Why waste my time?” Naira growled.
“But I want us to be friend, or be a little more than just friends only if that’s okay with you”
“What do you mean by ‘little more than friends’?” she asked as her cheeks flamed with anger
“Hey! Chill hun” he said and gave her a minute to calm down. “It’s not what you think. I won’t take advantage of you. I respect you.” he assured her.
“Then what exactly you meant by that?” she asked impatiently.
“Naira, there are only two kinds of love: One – platonic love & Two – Romantic love”
“I didn’t get you”
“Friendship is purely platonic but little more than friendship is little bit romantic. Few kisses here and there will be fun, right?” he asked with a grin.
She creased her forehead and bit her lower lip not knowing how to respond to him. She had never ever kissed a man in her life.
"Do I want to give-away my first ever kiss to Sabeer, the man I love? Wait, if I love him, why am I even bothering about it? I should only feel happy to kiss and be kissed by him, right? But I know why I am bothered. I just don't want to waste my first ever kiss on a man who's not in love with me." She thought.
"Maybe, he will feel your love if you kiss him" her inner voice softly whispered.
"A simple kiss can do that?" She questioned her inner voice.
"Kiss is magical and it can do wonders" her inner voice replied.
"Now, you get what I meant?" Sabeer interrupted her chain of thoughts.
She nodded her head in yes though she was still doubtful.
“I’m all ready for a romantic relationship with you but you should not keep any hope on me that I will fall for you, it may or may not happen. We might part our ways as just friends when we feel we are not meant for each other or we find someone else or the other interesting possible, we might end up getting married.”
“I like your 'other interesting possibility', Sab. Rest all made me cringe.” she said.
"Even I find it interesting because I never thought of marrying anyone but a doctor. I thought only a doctor can understand another doctor. You know what we call it as compatibility? That will be there only when I marry a doctor as she will be aware of my priorities, preference, work nature and all..."
"Your dad is a doctor and your mom is an interior designer but they are very much compatible, Sab" she snapped.
"I know and that's where I am coming to. If I fell in love with you and we get married, it will be interesting and of course, challenging but I am not going to think far ahead now. I want us to take baby steps."
"In simple terms, you want us to date, right?" Naira asked.
"You could say so... but I don't want us to give the impression to our families that we're dating and we're heading towards the marriage goal" he made his point clear.
"I understand"
"So we're friends for now and little more than that when we get little closer, no hurry, okay?"
"Okay" she agreed with a sigh. "I think I will go now. We have a special family dinner tonight as Veer is leaving to Kashmir tomorrow"
"Oh, okay. Enjoy you meal" he said looking up at Naira when she stoop up to leave.
"You're not leaving?" She asked when he remained seated in his place.
"No, I am waiting for a friend."
"Another friend? Platonic or Romantic type friend?" Though she asked in a teasing tone she can't help feel curious and slightly jealous of this friend.
He shook his head with a smirk playing on his face and waved his hand silently saying "No reply" to her question and "bye" to her. She waved him back and rushed out of the café leaving him to pay the bill for their coffees.
--0--
"Inayaa, you leave it. I will do the packing." Veer said when he found his wife packing his things in a trolley travel bag when he walked into their room.
"It's okay, Veer. I have done it. Just check whether I have missed to pack anything important"
"Apart from you, there is nothing important I am going to leave behind and go" he said as he sat on the bed and dropped his head in his hand.
"Veer, don't get upset. I will be fine here" she sat next to him leaving a considerable space between them.
"I know but... Inayaa, why don't you come along with me? I can try and get a quarters for us..."
"Veer, you know I can't. I need this change. Please, try to understand." She said helplessly. She knew she won't get out of her fear if he was near her. She wanted the time to school herself to be strong and lead a normal life with her husband who absolutely adores her.
"I know and I am sorry I asked. It's just that I can't bear the thought of leaving you here and going away for long. I will miss you, terribly"
"I will miss you too" she said and surprised him by placing her hand over his which was gripping the edge of the bed. "I will be waiting for you, Veer, to start our life" she said with eyes full of conviction that she would overcome her fears by the time he returned home, and that's after six months from now. He smiled at her fighting the urge to take her in his arms and kiss her lips tenderly.
"Inayaa, you know I can't come and see you in-between but you can so if you feel like seeing me, please do visit me but don't come alone."
"Veer..." She started but he cuts her off saying "I have already talked to my dad regarding this matter and he is willing to take you to Kashmir anytime. Just tell him, you want to see me and he will get you there to me as soon as possible"
"Veer, that's not right. I can't bother uncle. I will come on my own if I want to see you."
"Inayat, no arguments. My dad will accompany you."
She sighed but agreed with him.
"Bro, Bhabhi?" Arjun knocked at the door. "Dinner is ready. Everyone is waiting for you two. Come dow..." Before he could complete Veer opened the door and stepped out of the room and Inayat followed him.
"Did you ask him?" Arjun whispered to Inayat when Veer walked a couple of steps ahead of them.
"Ask what?" She asked with a confused frown.
"About Niki? His close friend Hardik's sister? His teenage crush? At least did you check his phone?" He bombarded her with his question as he jogged behind her.
"I didn't ask him anything and I didn't check his phone." She talked softly looking at him as she descended the stairs. "I told you I trust my husband so stop it, Arj...ahh" She shrieked when she missed a step and was about to fall but Arjun quickly caught her hand.
"Inayaa" Veer turned around and climbed up a couple of steps to get closer to her and right then Arjun left her hand from his tight grip knowing full well his bhabhi would land safely in his brother's arms.
"Idiot" Veer cursed his brother under his breath for being insensitive and leaving Inayat's hand. He luckily caught her but in an awkward position. Her upper body was flushed against his chest and her hands were tightly pinned around her neck. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her lips were pressed against his neck.
"She smells like jasmine" Veer thought inhaling her floral scent and then he lifted her up by wrapping his arms around her waist and stepped down the stairs in backwards and once he reached the last step, he set her down on the floor and gently pulled himself away her.
"You okay?"
"She is fine. You can see that, right?" Arjun commented as he coolly walked down the stairs. He stood in his place and watched the show, it seems.
"Shut up, Arjun" Veer scolded. Inayat looked everywhere but at the brothers as she tried to calm her raging breathe.
"Okay" Arjun said and placed a finger on his lips. Veer glared at him before walking to the dining room but this time he let Inayat walk first.
Madhu and Inayat brought the dishes to the table from the kitchen and then she asked Inayat to sit next to Veer denying her offer to serve everyone. Let's do self serving!
"Where is Naira?" Radha asked wondering where her granddaughter had gone.
"She's gone out to meet her friend and she is on her way, mom" Rishab replied and right on cue the door bell rang. "Ah, she is here"
"I will open the door" Madhu said and headed to the hallway.
She sprung opened the door and there stood Kathryn with a beaming smile on her face.
Madhu gaped at her with wide eyes as she stood still, blocking the way for Kathryn and holding the door knob tightly, ready to shut on her face.
"Hello, aunty. Hope there is some butter chicken left for me to eat" she said and gently pushed the door wider but Madhu didn't take her hand off the door so Kathy had no other go but to duck under her arm and crawl into the house.
... To be continued!
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