It was late at night, Sidharth had already woken up multiple times to change the ice pack on Shehnaz's head. She continuously stirred and whimpered in her sleep but didn't wake up because of the painkillers. He felt the behind of her head and saw that the swelling had gone down a lot and he finally fell asleep, pulling her completely into his arms again.
Sidharth suddenly felt some movement and a weight lifting off of his body. He turned over, still completely asleep. After a few minutes he could hear grunting and heavy breathing. He remembered that Shehnaz was hurt and his eyes opened in a flash and he looked to his side. There she was, her top bunched up under her arms, and her bandage was off, he could see her bare skin and the long slit in the middle of her back. She had another fresh set of bandages in her hand. She was trying to stick it onto the wound but was failing miserably. She pulled her top further up and tried harder to place the bandage.
"Shehnaz kya kar rahi hai? Ruk main ata hoon." He said.
"Woh mai Rashmi ka help lene wali thi lekin sab sog gaye the. Sorry maine tujhe uthaya." She mumbled, out of breath.
"Koi baat nahi. Main aah raha hoon." He said quickly getting out of bed.
She blushed at the thought of him touching her bare skin but waited for him nonetheless.
He pushed all the wild thoughts away from his head and made his way to her. He sat on the bed and made her stand between his legs with her back facing him. He pushed the top up a little bit and held onto it, opened the tube of ointment and rubbed a bit of it onto the wound. Her skin was soft and warm under his cold touch making her breath hitch at the contact. He grabbed the bandage, placed it on the wound, sticking it firmly. All through out he could hear her heavy breathing and whimpers. "Hogaya hogaya." He kept whispering.
He knew how a cut felt, it stung horribly, as if someone were constantly rubbing acid in that slit. He saw the small round band-aids placed across her arms, "Tetnus ke injection diye tujhe?" He questioned her.
"Haan. TT bola tha unhone aur kuch aur doh energy ke liye. Khoon bohot aya na. Rab da shukar hai ki stitches nahi dalna pada." She replied softly, still breathing heavily.
"Tera saans kyun phul raha hai bey?" He asked her, a cheeky smile overtook his concerned face.
"Kutta. Voh lagane ki koshish kar rahi thi na. Isiliye." She said in an irritated tone.
Sidharth chuckled loudly, letting go of her top that was bundled up in his hand and pulling it down into place.
"Chal So jau ab." He said, placing both of his hands on her waist and pulling her into bed. He pulled her onto him again, leaving no weight on her back or on her head.
"Ek baat bata." She said softly, tracing the red lines on his blue T-Shirt.
"Hmm." He said, his eyes closed.
"Mai jab andhar thi, tab teri ladayi hogayi thi kya kissi se?" She asked him.
"Kyun puch rahi hai aisa?" He questioned her.
"Tera muh phula hua tha." She chuckled.
"Abey chal na. Mera muh koyi phula hua nahi tha." He defended.
"Phir jab se main ayi thi andhar, Aarti, Shefali, Paras, Mahira aur Vikas mujhe milne kyun nahi aye? Baaki sab ko chod do, Vikas toh mera dost haina? Aur Aarti se jitna bhi khundas ho, usse mai acche se baat karti hoon. Mera chod de, woh log tujhse bhi kyun door the?" She asked him.
"Vikas shayad guilty hoga, usne hi toh push kiya that Shehbaz ko, Shefali ke saath." He mumbled.
"Usko thoda malum tha ki itna ho jayega. Lekin dusre sab kyun terese baath nahi kar rahe hai?" She asked him, this time looking up at him and cupping his face in her hands.
"Baby so jau na. Kitna pakathi hai tu." He said.
"Teekh hai math bata lekin merese baat kar. Dard ho rahi hai. Aur tablet nahi lesakti mein. Mereko attention de aur mera iss dard se attention nikal de." She whined.
Sidharth's eyes opened finally and he looked down at her face that was resting on his chest, looking at him with big wide eyes and her fingers were tracing the lines on his neck.
"Baath kar merese." She demanded again.
"Bol." He said nonchalantly.
"Tujhe itna darr kyun laga tha?" She put him on the spot again.
"Meri maa. Kuch ache sawal nahi puch sakti tu?" He asked her. She always made him confront and come face to face with what he felt and it never went down well with him.
"Bol na Sidhaaaarth." She dragged on.
"Tere saath yeh poora week ladayi hui thi. Baat bhi ache se nahi kiya. Aur kya kya bol diya tujhe maine. Aur hum abhi abhi phir se theek hue the. Mujhe darr tha ki tujhe zyada chot lag gayi, lekin todhi der baad na? Woh darr khud ke liye lagne laga. Last week meri jitni gandi ladayi hui sab se, kabhi nahi hui. Tu nahi thi mere saath aur uska pura frustration maine sab pe nikaal diya. Itna gussa aah raha tha aur control bhi nahi hua merese. Pehele toh tu aajati thi beech mei aur mujhe darr lagjata tha ki kahin physical hogaya toh tujhe galti se chot nahi lagjaye, toh mein rok deta tha apne aap ko. Lekin jiss tarah se maine apna aapa koya na? Mujhe darr tha ki agar tu aaj zyada chot lagne se chali jati ghar se, toh mein pagal hojata yaha pe tere bina. Zyada mere liye laga tha darr." He admitted to himself and to her, his voice was very low, almost inaudible.
In the darkness of the night, Sidharth found it easier to confront his own heart and mind. He didn't have to worry about the cameras nor the people that were in the house. Especially with the privacy of the captain's room, he had nothing to fear. It was only him and his Shehnaz, the way sometimes their emotions came out in the open with each other, leaving them naked, no fear of being tampered with, no fear of them being used, no fear of these emotions being played with, it was endearing. His admission that he drove himself mad because he was in a fight with his Gadhi and that he had taken out that frustration on all the housemates made Shehnaz lose every ounce of control she had. She always wanted him to be vocal with his feelings but wasn't this equally enough?
Despite the pain she felt throughout her body, she pulled herself up closer in his arms, her face was less than a few inches away from his, Sidharth's eyes remained closed but he was aware of the close proximity between them, he gulped slightly, tightening his grip on her. She closed her eyes, held his face in her hands and pressed a long, lingering kiss on the corner of his lips, he knew if he moved his head even a bit what would happen. But this kiss wasn't sensual, it was intimate, like the ones that speak to the soul, he didn't understand just how intensely Shehnaz felt for him. He didn't understand that this was exactly how Shehnaz felt every time he stopped talking to her after a fight. He didn't understand that Shehnaz was in for it for the long-run, there was no turning back for her anymore. His inhibitions about his age, about her feelings changing for him and a lot of other things were left behind.
"Accha laga jaanke ki tu bhi pagal hojata hai mere bina." She giggled sweetly, resting her face against his.
"Mera gandha baccha. Soja tu." she said sweetly, running her hand through his hair, making him sigh softly.
******
Shehnaz sat on the couch in the kitchen opposite to the stove, her head was resting on Shehbaz's shoulder.
"Motto, tujhe khana nahi hai?" He asked her.
"Haan lekin Sidharth ko ane de. Woh gym kar raha hai abhi. Phir khayenge." She told him.
Shehnaz saw Vikas sitting alone on the dining table, cutting potatoes, lost in thought. She knew he felt guilty for what happened and she wanted to tell him that it was okay.
"Vikas idhar aa." She called to him. Vikas looked at her, unsure.
"Poora pain horaha hai Vikas nayi toh mai hi aajati." She tells him, making him feel even guiltier. He quickly got up, wiping his hands on the kitchen towel and sat down in front of Shehnaz on the floor.
"Kya hua tujhe?" She asked him.
"Kuch nahi... Woh kal ke baad..." He spoke.
"Vikas koyi baat nahi yaar. Hum sab ladayi karte hai tasks ke waqt. Last week maine bhi kitne zorr se Dhaka diya tha Sidharth ko. Poora juloos nikal diya uska." She laughed out loud to make him feel better.
"Mujhe maaf karde Khushi. Mai soch bhi nahi sakta tujhe hurt karne ka." He said apologetically.
"Toh Shehbaz ko hurt kar sakta tha?" She asked.
"Nahi woh task mein hogaya. Tum dono jaante ho ki mai kitna pyaar karta hoon iss bhai behen ke jodi ko. I'm sorry." He said again, holding both of their hands.
"Arey koyi na yaar." Shehbaz said.
Vikas was surprised with how forgiving these both were. He felt awful about how competitive he became yesterday.
It was almost time for breakfast, Sidharth and Shehnaz's food just arrived in the storage box and Sidharth was clean and showered from the gym session. They sat next to each other and all the housemates were scattered around in the dining room area with their breakfasts. Sidharth and Shehbaz kept making sure that Shehnaz ate everything that was given to her.
"Shehnaz tujhe kuch chahiye?" Rashmi asked her from the kitchen.
"Hayee itni seva?" She laughed out loud.
"Kamini. Poonch rahi hoon toh bol na?" Rashmi said, smiling.
"Haan. Thoda achaar." Shehnaz smiled.
"Abey Gadhi tujhe itna masala khaana mana hai. Yeh kha chupchap." Sidharth said, not looking up from his food.
"Theek hai. Pani dede. Woh pee sakti hoon ya phir ushe boil karke aur pure karna padega Sidharthji?" Shehnaz said sarcastically.
"Chup baith." He said, laughing.
"Yeh le." Rashmi handed her a cup of water. She looked down at Shehnaz's bandage, pulling her top up slightly.
"Iska dressing karna haina? Kal raat ko nahi kiya tha. Khaana khale phir kardoongi." Rashmi said.
"Nahi koyi zaroorat nahi. Kuch ghante pehele hi, aadiraat ko isne kardiya tha." Shehnaz said, eating her food.
"Kisne?" Rashmi asked confused.
"Sidharth ne." Shehnaz stated obviously. A silence fell over the house as everyone heard her answer, they looked at her in disbelief.
"Sidharth ne?" Aarti asked her.
"Haan." She said.
"Kab?" Devoleena continued.
"Raat ko. Woh uthar gaya tha toh usne kardiya." She said nonchalantly. She didn't realise how many questions that would raise. First of all, it was Sidharth Shukla they were talking about. Second, did he actually redress her wounds? How?
"Abey Gadhi. Chup hojau tu aur khana khau." Sidharth said, he started fumbling on his words because he knew how the entire ordeal seemed to them. He didn't look up, it would be maddeningly awkward to make eye contact with her brother who sat right next to him after this.
"Hayeee. Nahi batana tha?" She asked him giggling. She knew exactly what was going on in his mind and wanted to play with him more.
"Maardunga abhi tujhe. Khana khale pehele." He said, this time in more authority making her listen to him.
The housemates slowly went back to their conversations but the awkward silence still prevailed in the house. Everyone who doubted their relationship found it very hard to believe just how close these both actually were. They had always heard Shehnaz say that Sidharth was her family, that he was her everything but they believed it was only from her side. A lot of their doubts about Sidharth genuinely being concerned and caring for her were cleared. He never said anything but everything he did for her spoke volumes of his love and care for her. They really were close in more ways than one, all of them indescribable. Some were rather happy about their bond, some didn't care but there were some who felt like Sidharth and Shehnaz's closeness was a bitter pill to swallow.
*****
"Designer ne kapde bheje lekin yeh zakham ke vajhe se nahi pehen sakti. Skin fit hai woh." Shehnaz whined, complaining to no one in particular, sitting on the bed in the bathroom area.
"Kya pehenegi phir?" Devoleena asked her, doing her makeup.
"Night dress main ajaungi." She whined again.
"Abey Moti. Uss din tune woh red wala lehenga dikhaya na? Woh pehenle." Sidharth suggested while shaving his face.
"Haye sacchi? Zyada nahi hojayega?" She asked him.
"Nahi. Acchi lagegi. Tere back par bhi nahi padega woh." He said, washing his his face and walking off.
"Yeh kuch zyada pati patni vibes nahi de rahe hai?" Devoleena said, loud enough for Shehnaz to hear.
She bursted out laughing, "Usko toh maine bol dia kuch din pehele ki voh mera pati hai." She said, laughing uncontrollably, making Devoleena laugh too.
"Tu nahi sudregi. Pagal ladki." She laughed again.
****
All the housemates got ready for the Weekend-ka-Vaar shooting and sat down in front of the TV. A few minutes later, showed up Salman Khan.
"Weekend-ka-Vaar mein aap sabki Swag se Swagat. Aaj toh connections bhi hai hamare saath." He said. A number of greetings from all the housemates went his way in return. The conversations and discussion carried on about Rashmi and Himanshi, about the other housemates and their connections. Sidharth heard Shehnaz suck in a sharp breath, she moved to the side and breathed deeply.
"Kya hua?" He whispered in her ear.
"Stiff hogaya hai pura back main. Cut pe bohot dard ho raha hai." She whimpered back to him.
"Letegi jaake?" He asked her.
"Nahi. Thoda hillungi toh theek hojaungi. Woh support nahi hai na. Dard hora hai." She assured him.
"Idhar aaja." He said, pulling her into him and letting her lean into his side and putting the weight on him. She finally sighed in relief.
"Yeh le." He whispered, giving her some water.
"Motto tu theek hai?" Shehbaz asked her from behind where he was sitting on a stool. She simply nodded.
"Sana." Salman Khan's voice came, breaking her attention from the pain.
"Hi sir." She giggled.
"Kaise lag rahi hai ab?" He asked her.
She moved away from Sidharth knowing his distaste towards display of affection and straightened up but softly hissed in pain. He quickly grabbed her, letting her lean on him again before the discomfort aggravated.
"Theek hoon sir. Thoda pain hai par koyi na." She told him, still giggling.
"Kabhi kabhi samajh mein nahi aata ki main tumhari tareef karu ya gussa." He said.
"Hayeee sir. Kasam lage meri rab Di maine kuch nahi kiya iss hafta. Ek bohot choti ladayi hogayi Shukla se lekin woh toh rozz ka hai. Kisse se bhi ladayi nahi hui meri... Sachiii." She said.
"Arey woh nahi pagli. Tumne jo kiya. Devoleena ko bachane ke liye. Uss baat pe." He said, worry and concern very evident in his face.
"Sir usko dekho. Already uska pura back tootapota hai. L2 L3 wala. Aur woh utni patli hai ki mera Shehbaz girta uspe toh poori ki poori toot chuki hoti... Main toh hatti katti proud Punjaban hoon, sirf chot lagi, kuch bhi nahi toota." She said laughing loudly, beating her chest in pride. Devoleena blew her a kiss from her right.
"Aur maine toh socha that ki tum sabko itna sataogi especially Shukla ko, itna nakhre karogi lekin tum toh sunti ho inn sab kii. Yahi toh mauka tha usse poora attention leneki." He said, smiling.
"Hahahaha sir. Sataya sir, khana khate waqt. Aur waise bhi peheli baar uska poora attention sirf mere pe tha, kya mazaa aaya mujhe. Maangni bhi nahi padi. Bechara pagal ho raha tha." She said, she was slightly losing energy with all the laughing and talking and the pain throughout her body wasn't helping much. She started breathing slightly heavy. Sidharth quietly handed her the cup of water, trying to relax her.
"Dekha aapne?" She said, nodding her head at his action. Sidharth rolled his eyes at this, blushing, she really had to do this now.
"Dekha dekha aur dekh bhi raha tha. Shuklaji, aapke toh poore tevar hi badal gaye?" Salman said, with a hinting smile on his face.
"Sir woh usko chot lagi thi na isiliye." He said, rubbing his hand over his mouth constantly, Shehnaz giggled at his nervous habit.
"Shehnaz tum sachii bohot maze le rahi ho iska." Salman said laughing.
"Lekin ayinda na, tum kissi ko bachana ho toh tum beech mein jaake apne aap ko chot pahaunchana is not necessary. Look for another way. Tum iss ghar ki entertainer ho. Agar tum chup hogayi toh hamara TRP kaise aayega? Aur tension bhi hota hai." Salman joked, but there was an underlying seriousness to his tone. He was the host of the show, he would be termed as a biased host if he openly showed concern for a contestant, he had to choose his words wisely. But everyone understood what he meant and how he meant it.
"Ji sir." Shehnaz nodded in understanding.
"Aur ab jaate hain hum unke paas jinhone tumhe yeh hurt kiya." Salman Khan's voice became shallow and deep indicating his anger.
"Chalo Vikas aapko chod dete hain. Aapne jaake Shehnaz se maafi mangli and we could see the guilt." He continued.
"Ab aate hain Shefali pe." He said.
"Sir, jo bhi hua, it was all a mistake, it shouldn't have happened. Main jo bhi karti hoon soch ke karti hoon, mujhe uss waqt jo sahi laga maine kiya. It was honestly very unexpected of Shehnaz to show up in between the fight. I would never ever hurt someone like that. She shouldn't have come in between like that." She went on with her explanation, not giving Salman a chance to speak.
"Shefali aap toh sab jaanti ho na. Toh yeh bhi jaanlo ki this was completely on you and Vikas. Vikas toh abhi bhi regret karte hai, you didn't even have the courtesy to apologise or ask her how she was doing. Paras, Mahira and Aarti, aapko bhi nahi? It's so shameful. Thoda morality toh hona chahiye. Aapke ghar mein kissi ko chot lagegi toh bhi aise hi react karte aap. Agar vahape Shehnaz nahi aati toh Shehbaz aur Devoleena koh lagta. You wouldn't have been right in any way, madam." Salman Khan said to them in a harsh tone.
"Sir hume toh warning mila tha ki uske paas na jaaye. Hum kya fuddu baithe hai yaha pe?" Paras said in an irritated voice.
"Eh Paras, tone sambhal ke baat karo. Main koyi Mahira nahi hoon ki jo bhi kaho chupchap sunta rahoo." He screamed.
"Sir mera voh matlab..."
"Shut up Paras. Yahan aake itna masum bante ho tum log, kya kya baate karte ho yaar. Kabhi kabhi lagta hai ki aap log game mein aake apni insaaniyat bhool jaate ho." He said to them.
"Sir humne aisa kya boldiya? Sir I genuinely want to know kyunki I'm not sure what we said." Shefali asked
"Haan sir." Aarti said, with such a confused expression on her face.
"Clip dikhaun aapko? Dekhna chahoge kya gandh nikalta hai aapke muh se?" He asked them.
"Sidharth." He swiftly moved on, not giving them a chance to explain.
"Yes sir."
"You took a stand yesterday, usually you don't. Why?"
"Sir mujhe kabhi Shehnaz ke liye stand lene ki zaroorat nahi padi. She has always taken a stand for herself whenever she needed to, even against me. She's very strong like that. Aur main yeh cheez bohot admire karta hoon uske baare mein. Yeh mereko hamesha bolti hai ki yeh log galat bolte hai iske baare mein but they never did it in front of me, why would I go against them unnecessarily? And one more thing, I wouldn't normally say this but since the situation demands, main isse bhi yeh bola tha ki yaha pe baaki sab mere saath hai game ke liye aur vice-a-versa. Main yaha pe kissi se rishta banane nahi aya tha par Shehnaz ke saath ek bond aisa ban gaya. But it's not always mandatory that I unnecessarily go and push myself in her fights when I know that she can handle it herself. But yesterday she wasn't here to defend herself and finally I heard what they thought of her and main dushmani nibatha hoon aur dosti usse zyada, so I took a stand for her. And I will. Galat hai toh hai. Yeh sab ek delusion mein jee rahe hai aur inhe uss delusion se bahar nikalna zaroori tha." He explained clearly. Shehnaz stared at him with a small smile on her face, admiring him.
"That's right Sidharth. Lekin aapke game pe yeh asar pad gaya toh? Team nahi chahiye aapko abhi?" Salman asked him.
"Sir inn sabh ke liye main akela hoon aur akela kaafi hoon aur inn sabhko mere akele se phat thi hai. Aur lag raha hai ki aaj kal Shehnaz se bhi phat rahi hi inki." He said with a smirk on his face.
Salman couldn't stop the smile that took over his face, "you can't deny that despite not playing a game, Shehnaz ne acche acchon ko piche chod diya hai." He said.
"Haan nahi toh sir. Game ka mazza usko jeene mein aati hai. Khelne se zyada." She said with confidence.
"Bilkul sahi. Aap jeete raho, mein ata hoon." And the TV screen turned off.
"Bebu tera ladayi mere baare mein hua inse?" She asked him sweetly and softly, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Chal bey. Boldiya na sir ke saamne. Ab math pooch yeh sab." He said, closing his eyes and feigning disinterest. But he couldn't stop himself for resting his own head on hers.
"Mera gandha baccha." She giggle in her cute voice, kissing his shoulder.
"Abey Gadhi tera lipstick lag jaayega." He screamed making everyone look at him.
"Sid tu ne aise kaise bol diya ki hamari dosti sirf game ke liye hai?" Aarti's voice disturbed them out of their moment, making Sidharth move forward and look at her to his right. He didn't want to raise his voice or start a fight with her still keeping in mind that they were in the middle of shooting and Kashmera was there, he didn't have it in his heart to put someone down in front of their family.
"Haan sahi hi toh bola maine... Abhi toh hum sirf game mein dost hai. Agar kuch theek hua to bahar jaake dekhenge. But I doubt it, dosti nibhana sikhna padega na aapko bhi?" He said innocently. Shehnaz pulled him back and rested on him once again.
"I'm hurt that you think we won't be friends." She said with an exaggerated expression on her face.
Sidharth didn't continue the fight, simply snorting a laugh and settling down into the couch, resting his arm behind Shehnaz.
This particular Weekend-ka-Vaar had really been a special one, the Gill siblings had not only stolen the housemates and Salman Khan's hearts but the entire country had lost their minds laughing because of this duo. It was awfully amazing just how full of life these both were. Shehnaz's smile never deterred when her brother left the house, she was insanely happy and felt like her energy had been refueled. She finally felt like things were falling into place.
*****
"Guys raat ki bartan ki duty Shehnaz ki thi, uska tabiyath theek nahi hai aur kal raat ko Shehbaz ne kardiya tha. Aaj koun karega?" Aarti asked, her tone was somewhat bitter and accusing, as if it was Shehnaz's fault that she got hurt.
"Mein kardunga." Sidharth said sounding completely nonchalant and uninterested.
That was yet another blow of disbelief. What had Sana done to him? But everyone chose to not comment on it. He simply walked up to the sink and started washing the dishes.
Shehnaz had already fallen for him, and badly. The love she had for him was beyond all limits of understanding. She walked up to him, hugging him from behind.
"Ek hi toh dil hai. Kitne baar churayega." She whispered into his back, kissing it.
Sidharth's silence went unheard but the small smile on his face, almost unnoticeable made Shehnaz blush and hide herself in his back even more.
"Ganda baccha." She giggled, running her palms over his upper body.
Their last week in the house started from tomorrow, she felt bittersweet about where life would take them both in the next few days and after that.
---the end---
thank you so much for this request, it was such a treat for me to write and get such amazing reactions from the readers. It was such a lovely experience and I hope you liked it and it stood up to your expectations.
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