"Abey ey gadhi. Tu pagal hogayi hain?" Sidharth yelled.
"Heh? Mainne ki kara?" She frowned, walking out of the bathroom.
"Yeh kya hain? Talli hogayi tu?" He asked, perplexed. He had a tissue in his hand with something written on it, in her handwriting.
Main Sidharth Shukla se pyaar karti hoon aur agar woh bhi karta hain toh mere liye woh harr ghanta meri tareef karke cheek pe kiss karega. Aur selfie post karega. Aur doosre ladkiyonko apna behen banayega.
"Accha woh...?" She giggled.
"Accha woh kya hain? Kya hain kya yeh?" He asked, gritting his teeth and smacking her head.
"Kal raat ko bore horra tha toh maine likh diya aur tere side pe rakh dhi. Aaj tu jaa raha haina issiliye." She said, folding her arms across her chest.
"Toh?" He asked, looking down on the floor, hearing Sona's frustrated groans.
"Gaana thoda zyada romantic hain, tu doh dinn ghar pe nahi rahega, mere saath koyi romance nahi karega, aur main tujhe miss karungi aur teri co-actress bohot hot hain aur main tere baarein hadh se zyada possessive hoon." She ranted, watching him pick up their struggling daughter. She really was trying to crawl.
"Oh." He smirked.
"Tu mera naam tattoo karle Sidharth." She said.
"Aur kuch? Property papers banwaloon? Gale mein pehen ke ghoomunga." He said.
"Nahi. Yeh hain." She muttered, tugging at her mangalsutra. There was a knock on the door, and then the already opened door opened wider.
"Baccha... Sonniya uth gayi?" Maa asked and then smiled when she saw her in Sidharth's arms.
"Yeh lijiye. She's so frustrated." He sighed, handing her off to her.
"Massage kardungi Sona ki aur jaldi jaldi crawl karlegi." Maa smile, kissing Sona's cheek, Sona gurgled and wailed around her arm and screeched, dropping the pacifier to the floor. Maa walked out of the room hastily.
"Mere doh pagal bacche hain." Sidharth muttered, pulling off his t-shirt and locking the door.
"Math pehen wapas." She demanded.
"Abey kaam pe jaa raha hoon. Sach mein romance nahi karunga. And I already feel shitty leaving you and Sonniya. Kyu kar rahi hain aisa?" He sighed.
"Kyunki Terese pyaar karti hoon. Aur papers ki zaroorat nahi hain, main tattoo banadeti hoon." She giggled, pushing him into the bathroom.
"Chal bey." He blushed
"Tu waise bhi jaa raha hain. Ab main kaha chalu?" She mumbled, pushing him against the door and attacking his neck like a minx.
"Baby not there. Ken saare button kholdeta hain." He rasped, feeling her lips on his skin.
"Acha hain. Dikhne doh saareanu. Mainu ki?" She mumbled, pinching his lips together between her fingers and kissing them softly.
"Shehnaz nahi baby!" He groaned.
"Phir kaha karu?" She giggled. He looked at her face, she was glowing. Her cheeks were pink, her lips a light shade of red and her hair, absolute mess. She looked divine, she felt divine, pressed against him and teasing him endlessly.
"Chal bey... Paka math." He mumbled.
"Sach mein jaungi toh doh dinn tak kissie bhi nahi milega." She warned, pulling off her t-shirt. And that warning was the reason why she was bent over the counter, with him behind her and the absolute love that shattered both their minds.
It was March 15th, Sona was a little over 8 months old, horribly frustrated because of teething and on the verge of crawling. Sidharth had a music video to shoot for in Lonavala again, he'd be gone for 2 days. He didn't want to leave, not at all, but he had to work. And Shehnaaz decided to put off her meetings with producers and shoots for the rest of the week. Sona wasn't doing that well with the pain in her gums. And even though Sidharth not being there was bothering her, she needed to toughen up, she was a mother now. They both continued then entourage into the shower, she did mark him, he stared at himself in the mirror, seeing the red blotches, one on his neck, to his utter embarrassment, and a few on the 'v' at the bottom of his torso. The woman he married was a hot spitfire. Her possessiveness for him matched his for her, and it excited him to end. She sat on the bed, looking innocent as ever, in a patiala and a kurta, her wet hair was down and leg folded up against her chest as she painted her toes. He dropped his towel and walked over to her, making her raise an eyebrow at him. He smirked down at her and picked up his briefs that sat right next to her and put them on.
"Uhuh. Hogaya toh baithke nailpolish laga." She said.
"Mereko jaana hain." He said.
"Mereko tere bina rehna hain." She retaliated. He sighed and sat next to her, pulling her feet into his lap.
"Tu mujhe miss karega?" She asked.
"What? No. Pagal hain?" He mumbled, very concentrated on the job at hand.
"Tu mujhe miss nahi karega?" She gasped.
"Nahi."
"Theek hain phir. Main kissi aur ko dhoond leti hoon raat ko hug karke sohne ke liye." She said, pulling her feet out of his lap. His head came up instantly, before he pushed her back onto the bed and sat on top of her legs. She glared up at him, folding her hands across her chest again.
"Tera body pillow bann ne ka haq sirf mera hain." He growled.
"Nahi. Tu mujhe miss nahi karega waise bhi. Main kyun sochu tere baarein?" She mumbled, pouting. He bent over and kissed it softly.
"Mere alawa koyi aur tere dimaag mein aaneka himmath bhi nahi karega." He rasped against them.
"Abhi Karthik Aaryan hain." She smiled sarcastically.
"Main nikaal deta hoon ruk usko bhi." He mumbled, trailing his lips down her face.
"You know why you're perfect for me?" He asked, biting her cheek harshly. She winced but hummed questioningly.
"Koyi aur yeh possessiveness jhel nahi paata aur naa hi tera jhel paata. Hum doh paagal ek saath." He chuckled. She smiled at that. Because it was nothing but the truth. They were maddeningly possessive about each other and they loved it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss.
"I'll miss you." He mumbled.
"Good. Waha pe kissi ko aankho mein aankein daalke dekha toh maarungi tujhe. Aur kissi se jyada gullu gullu kiya toh bhi maarungi. Tere dil mein aur dimaag mein sirf mera chehra dikhna chahiye aur mera naam hona chahiye. Aur tu mera hain, mera hi hain. Phad ke rakh dungi sabko. Aur tujhe bhi. Laggi samajh?" She said, pinching his nose close.
"Marr jaunga." He gasped.
"Marr ke wapas mere paas aajana." She smiled sweetly.
"Okay, you're becoming creepy." He said, getting off of her.
"Lekin tujhe laggi samajh? Zyada chemistry biology karne ki zaroorat nahi hain. Accha acting kar. Bas hain. Wohi tera chemistry aur woh sab bann jayega." She said.
"Yes madam. Aur kuch?" He asked, grinning at her.
"Haan. Call karega na? Aur Sona bhi tujhe miss karegi." She said, slightly more serious now. He sighed and walked closer to her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into himself.
"She'll be okay, no?" He asked.
"Hmm. Papa ki sher hain. Kya hoga usse?" She asked, but she knew her daughter, she knew that if Sidharth was away from her for too long, she couldn't take it. She was attached to him in a way that Shehnaz had never seen before. If he was around her and didn't pay mind to her for more than a few minutes, all hell would break loose. And it was because of the person he was, the kind of father he was, he loved her that much.
"The only reason I'm leaving is because you're here. I love you baby. Tu hain toh she'll be okay." He said, kissing her head.
"Sidhaaarth." She sighed, she really was trying to not get too serious before he left, because she had a child to take care of, it wasn't only about her anymore.
They stood at the door half hour later, Sona wouldn't let go of Sidharth, Shehnaz had a hand on her hip, the other rubbed her face in exasperation, maa stood to the side and watched. Sidharth pressed a sweet kiss to Sona's lips.
"Be good for mumma sweetheart. I love you meri jaan." He mumbled, hugging her closer. He looked at Shehnaz's face with slight worry. He looked at her pleasingly, dipped his neck kissed her softly and handed Sona off to her. But she had her fist full of his shirt.
"Sona..." Shehnaz sighed.
"Bye baby. I'll call you. I love you." He said, ripping himself out of his daughter's grip. She was crying.
"Bye maa. Love you." He waved, saying good bye again. He already did before he took Sona.
"Tu jaa. Zyada dher rukega toh aur mushkil hoga." Maa said. Sona was screeching and trying to grab him, like every other time that he went out, but now she was more aware of him being her papa, and way more attached, so she was having a hard time. And Shehnaz didn't know how she'd cope the next two days when he wouldn't be here. Poor little baby didn't even know that her papa wouldn't come home after a few hours like he did every other time. He walked out the door hastily, and Shehnaz closed it in the same hurry.
"Kya hogaya?" She cooed, kissing Sona's forehead. Her eyes were scrunched shut, her gums on show and her cheeks and nose red with the way she was crying.
"Kuch dher royegi, but tu chinta math kar. I'll make lunch today. Tu jaa thodi dher rest kar. Raat ko uthi thi?" Maa asked.
"Haan maa. Yeh dekho, gums laal hogayi hain. Raat ko almost ek poora ghata roya maa." Shehnaz complained.
"I know. Ek kaam kar, table pe kele rakhe hue hain, freeze karle aur haath mein dede. Relief milega thoda." Maa said. Shehnaz nodded, bouncing the crying baby in her arms.
"Tu bolne ki koshish kar rahi hain?" Shehnaz giggled at Sona, walking into the dining room. She was blabbering and crying at the same time. Sona sat on her hip, trying to bite into her mumma. Shehnaz put a banana in the fridge and walked back into the room. She turned on the TV and put on a cartoon, Sona sat on the bed with a few of her toys spread out on the bed, Shehnaz put a few pillows on the edges of the bed, picked up the hamper full of Sona's dirty clothes and walked out of the room. She hurriedly stuffed the washing machine with the clothes, turned it on and put in some detergent. She could hear, and slightly see Sona from outside. She sat on the bed very still, chewing on her teether and watching the cartoon. She had her giraffe in her hand. It was only 12pm, she had finished her nap already. Shehnaz picked up the laptop from the study and walked back into the room.
She had recieved a message from Kaushal that morning to check her emails out. Sona leaned her head onto her thigh and let out blabber, Shehnaz quickly picked her up and pulled her into her lap, pushing away the table with the laptop on it. She kissed her head and laid back, holding Sona closely against her. Sona was watching the screen intently, despite not understanding much of it. Her phone buzzed, she picked it up and cuddled further into Sona.
How's she doing?
Abhi rona bandh kiya. Cartoons on tv
Okay. Tu theek hai?
Hmm
Kya hua?
Kuch nahi. Tere bina bore horra
Kissi ka sar khaa le😜
Tera kha jaungi
Only 2 days baby...
I know... Kaushal ne email check karne ko bola. Main baadh mein dekhungi. Tu bhi dekhle ek baar
Ok... I'll check. Take care meri jaan
Tu bhi💋
She sighed and pulled Sona closer, kissing the top of her head. She looked up, spitting the teether out of her mouth and snuggled into her.
"Mera nona baccha." She smiled, kissing her cheeks.
"Kitna pyaara hai tu mera baccha." She cooed, smothering her face and little body with kisses. She was in love with this little girl. She slid down and blew raspberries on her round belly making her sweet giggles ring out through the room. She turned the camera on her phone, set it up against the pillow, and tickled Sona again. Sona gripped onto her mumma's face, she giggled loudly as Shehnaz played with her. Shehnaz sent off the video to Sidharth. She knew that he would have a hard time being there, it was more about Sona now, and as much as she joked around, she needed him to do well in his work. And she would make sure he got all the boost he needed.
We love you baby 💋♥️
It was towards night time, the day had been quite, Sona was low too because of the constant pain in her mouth, and she had bouts of cries when she wasn't distracted. Shehnaz held her all day long, she hadn't texted Sidharth all day long after that morning video. He had a break at around 8:30pm, they had a shoot in a little yacht in the middle of the river stream later in an hour, he sat near the director's seat while everyone prepared for the shot. He called Shehnaz on facetime, wanting to see Sona once before she went to sleep. He held it in front of his face and waited for her to answer.
"Baby doh minute ruk." Shehnaz said in a hurry, she was walking around the house with the phone in her hand, she seemed to be in a hurry, so beautiful too. Her hair was in a messy bun, still in the clothes from this morning.
"Kya hua?"
"Doodh." She stated, as if it explained everything. And it did. She was going to put Sona to sleep, and he could hear her crying.
"Sona maa ke paas hain?" He asked.
"Nuhuh. Di."
"Kaunsi?"
"Neetu."
"Abhi aur Harsh bhi aaye hue hain?"
"Sab hain. School ke baadh teeno aagaye issiliye distract hogayi thi lekin sau lagge abhi woh tere liye hi roh rahi hain. Iss waqt pe sirf tu dikhta hain usse." She said, shaking the bottle vigorously and walking out of the kitchen.
"Sona.. dekh papa aagaye hain." Shehnaz cooed, picking her up. Sidharth felt his heart clench. Sona looked around for a few seconds before crying again.
"Good night bolo sabko." Shehnaz said sweetly. The phone was at an awkward angle, all he could see was Shehnaz's chest and the ceiling lights. He tried to stay quite so that he didn't startle Sona.
She walked back into the slightly dark room, with only the night lights on. He waited patiently for Shehnaz to sit on the bed. She put the crying baby on the bed too.
"Yeh le. Papa." She said, putting the phone against the pillow in front of her. Sidharth couldn't keep the grin off his face, Sona was even looking up, she was completely taken by the remote in her hand. She wore an adorable blue onsie and was chewing on her fist.
"Hey sweetheart.." He said softly. She looked up and around the room swiftly. Her bottom lip quivered and a frown took over her face. He desperately wanted to pick her up.
"Idhar dekh meri jaan." He said as soon as she started cry.
"Sona. Idhar dekh. Papa." Shehnaz said, tapping on the screen, she looked there, and the little baby's eyes welled up as she tried to grab the phone, and it went directly into her mouth.
"Baba no. Muh mein nahi!" He laughed. She screeched and shrieked loudly.
"Sona!" Shehnaz giggled, picking her up and laying her in her lap, she put the bottle into the mouth, but it was pushed right out as she cried louder. She had now changed into a night gown.
"Kya hogaya sweetheart? Look at papa." Sidharth said softly. He could hear the surroundings quietened down around him. Shehnaz pulled the phone out of her hands and held it over her face.
"Dekh papa ko dekho." She cooed, rocking her legs and calming Sona down.
"Baat kar kuch." She said to Sidharth.
"Sonniya. Idhar dekh. Look where papa is." He said softly, getting up and turning the camera around and showing her the river. She cried even louder.
"Tera chehra nahi dikhra." Shehnaz sighed. He urgently turned the view back to himself.
"Kya kar rahi hain sweetheart? Papa's missing you so much meri jaan..." He began talking, and it was almost as if his little girl went off into a trance. She put the bottle in her mouth. She noticed him ward off a few people, signalling them that he'd be there later. He continued to talk, telling Sona all the stories in the world, Sona was hungry, and calm, she was exhausted from being a baby all day, and soon, as her papa spoke to her, she fell asleep in Shehnaz's lap.
"Sidharth tujhe jaana nahi hain?" She asked, putting the bottle away and laying back and resting Sona next to her.
"Break extend kardiya. Talk to me baby." He said softly.
"Bohot rohyi subah se?" He asked.
"Bohot zyada. Tera chehra photo mein dekh ke roh padi dophair ko." She said.
"Photo kyun dikhaya? Pagal hain tu?" He asked.
"Gussa kyun kar raha hain? Mera lockscreen pe tha... Dekh liya. Mujhe samajh mein nahi aaya kya karna hain toh main bhi roh padi. Doctor ke paas leke jau? Bohot dard horaha hain shayad Sidharth.." She sighed.
"Nahi, parsau hi gaye thi. Doctor ne bola na ki hoga? Chill kar." He said.
"Tu bhi nahi hain... Darr lagta hain." She said.
"Kis baat ki meri jaan? Sab theek hain. I'll be back tomorrow." He said.
"Haan.."
"Did she crawl?" He asked.
"Nahi. Matlab aagey be jaa rahi hain. Aaj Harsh ne usko ghutno pe bithaya, toh woh aagey jaane ki koshish kar rahi thi lekin phir se leit gayi aur aise hi chal padi. Lekin almost kardiya." She said.
"Thank God. I didn't want to miss it." He said.
"Tu ne khaana khaya?"
"No... Shot ke baad I'll order." He said, smiling softly when she tried to reach out to the lamp and turn it off, and groaning when she couldn't reach it.
"Fitteh muh." She muttered.
"Feed kyun nahi kiya?" He asked.
"Khana nahi kaya theekse. Aur kal raath ki tarah beech raath uth gayi toh? Tu bhi nahi hai, issiliye yahi sularahi hoon." She said.
"Call me if she wakes up."
"Hmm.."
"Tu paani mein jaayega abhi?" She went on to ask.
"Nahi nahi. Waha pe boat khada hain. Usmein sirf baithna hain."
"Agar mera pati zinda nahi mila wapas toh waha sab pe case karke khud maar be aajaungi." She warned. He noticed a few heads turn to him.
"Abey chup baith gadhi." He said exasperated.
"Sau lagge Sidharth." She pushed.
"Okay meri jaan."
"Tu jaa phir. Kar apna hardcore romance." She said.
"Nahi ruk na." He said urgently.
"Kyun? Mujhe miss kar raha hain?"
"Haan. Koyi mere pair nahi daba raha hain idhar." He chuckled.
"Juloos nikalwana chahtha hain? Sunlo saare anu, yeh mera sevak rozz mere pair dabake chai deta hain mujhe." She said a little louder. He had already taken the call off of video, he knew her too well. And he loved teasing her and getting called out for it by her.
"Kutta." She muttered, sticking the phone to her ear. She felt Sona shove herself right into her mumma's body and pulled her closer.
"Gadhi." He gave back.
"Tu hain woh."
"Theek hain. Kal kya kar rahi hain?"
"Kuch bhi toh nahi. Bas Kaushal se baat karungi. Phir poora dinn tujhe text karungi aur bas.. kal ka kal hojayega." She said. Neither of them wanted to get off the phone.
"Sweetheart, I'll call you in sometime. Please don't sleep. Woh aagayi hain. Shoot start hoga." He said.
"Hmm. Tu ja." She mumbled. Neither of them hung up.
"Baby kya hua?" He asked softly.
"Kuch nahi. Tu theek haina?"
"Haan meri jaan. Did you eat yet?" He asked.
"Na."
"So we'll eat together. Should I just drive back? Bas ek ghante ki baat hain.."
"Nahi. Pagal hain tu? Phir subah subah jaana padega. Koyi zaroorat nahi. Main waise bhi nahi sohne wali thi. Wapas aake call kar. Hum dono theek hain. Maa bhi theek hain. Bye. I love you." She said and hung up.
He sighed, he could see his co-actor waiting near the yacht. She hung up so abruptly. And he knew it was so that he doesn't defy her again. She walked closer to the water, his white clothes made him slightly concious about getting them dirty. Ken had clicked a few pictures of him as soon he was done styling. He sent it to Shehnaz, along with a sweet message.
I love you meri jaan... Don't sleep 😘
Shehnaz smiled widely looking at the picture. She turned on the TV, went onto YouTube and played Bhula Dunga, she had a strange attachment with the song, it was their first project ever. And it was just purely them, and beautiful music along with it. She loved watching the song over and over again. She pulled Sona closer, her soft and small head in the crook of her arm felt so comforting, she pulled her further up and placed her onto herself and pulled a blanket onto themselves and watched the screen. Sidharth called again in almost an hour and a half. It was 11:15pm. She walked out of the room with Sona asleep in her arms. Sona had a hard time sleeping, and even last night, she clung to Sidharth all night after waking up. They spoke softly to each other, him in the empty hotel room and she in the empty dining room as they ate. Towards the end of their conversation an hour later, Sona woke up, crying and screeching, and so the conversation extended. He just stayed on the line as Shehnaz put the soothing cooler on her gums with her fingers. She couldn't even feel the tooth properly yet, it felt like an almost unnoticeable bump on her gum, but she knew for a fact that it have immense pain. She latched Sona onto herself, laying down on her side.
"Soja baby. Subah subah call karungi." She mumbled sleepily.
"Okay. I love you." He said softly.
"I love you." She sighed. He hung up and tossed and turned in bed. Then he remembered the note she wrote him in the morning, smiled widely and pulled his phone out. The internet broke again.
realsidharthshukla🔵
realsidharthshukla Life will become more beautiful if only v understand which hand to shake and which to hold 😊
@shehnaazgillshukla
Shehnaz woke up to the post the next morning. She laughed loudly seeing it, and then she reposted it with a 'good morning', she couldn't help but feel like they had been unshackled from this entire public life fear after their live, they had opened up so much, enjoyed a bit more and felt slightly happier. But what she loved the most was how much he had taken it upon himself to come out of his shell to make her happy. She knew for a fact that it was for her more than anyone else. Sona woke up later than usual, and the day very much passed by the same way as the previous one did. She cried and when she heard her Papa's voice in the afternoon, Shehnaz got insanely worried that she'd get sick. Her entire face was red and she would cry bloody murder if she put her down even for a second.
"Kya hogaya Sona? Papa aajayenge!" She sighed, her own eyes watered up with frustration. She walked back into the room to keep maa from seeing her have a breakdown. Absolutely nothing worked to calm her down. Shehnaz almost sobbed and pulled out her own hair, she felt like a sorry excuse of a mother for not being able to give her daughter any rest. Sona had her fist full of her mumma's hair and pulled on it.
"Son... Please baby. Thodi dher chup hoja. Papa ki awaaz sunegi?" She pleased, her own face red. Her cries came from her throat, making then high and raspy, screeching like nails on a glass. She held her in her lap and turned on the TV and played whatever she saw first of Sidharth on the screen. She knew Sona was in pain, her temperature fluctuated and not seeing her papa made things a million times worse. Shehnaz sent off a message to Sidharth that they were alright and didn't answer his calls for the rest of the afternoon, she cried horribly every time they hung up. Shehnaz just finished feeding Sona her lunch, she herself was exhausted, hungry and almost done with the day. She latched her onto her nipple, laid down and patted her to sleep with an old interview of Sidharth playing in the background. She sent a message to her Doctor, asking if crying like this was normal.
Don't worry Shehnaz. Sab theek hain. You're taking good care of her too. Teething is a difficult time, but it'll only last a few days. She'll be okay once she gets used to it... And she's at an age where she recognises you and Sidharth, so his absence will affect her alot. Don't worry at all.
She sighed in relief and passed out next to Sona. Sona woke up much more relaxed and happier, her pain subsided and Shehnaz felt like her nipple would fall off any second. She closed her eyes and sucked in a sharp intake of breath, pulling the cup over her breast. She was losing her mind slightly. She wondered if this was his Sidharth felt even she was off for her shoot.
"I love you.." She whispered, pulling Sona closer, she was blabbering and drooling, onto her mumma, but stayed put. She held the giraffe in her hand, her face rested on Shehnaz, calm and collected as she watched the cartoon on the TV. Shehnaz pulled her up, pressing her face against hers, holding onto her tightly and closed her eyes, she didn't know what she felt like, she was just exhausted. She felt Sona's softly gummy mouth kissing her cheek, and she felt like everything that had bothered her since the morning vanished, she smiled, turned her face and kissed her softly.
"Mera nona baccha. Mera pyaara putthu hain tu Sona." She cooed, holding her tighter against herself. Being a mother was exhausting but she made everything worth it. Her eyes stung with tears as she let her remain closed. She was glad that Sona had clung to her like this, she at least didn't have to keep an eye on her. They finally got out of bed in the evening. Shehnaz left Shehnaz on the floor with her toys and her cousins who kept her entertained, she was trying desperately to crawl and Ruhi and Harsh seemed to have taken it upon themselves to make her, using Abhi as a bait. Shehnaz had an eye on her from the kitchen, her heart raced with excitement everytime she pushed one knee up and put it forward, but she failed to keep up.
"Sonniya go to Abhi bhaiya. Bhaiya ko dekho. He has your giraffe." Harsh said. Ruhi was massaging her chubby legs, giving them a push. Maa watched with excitement as she pushed herself forward, Shehnaz silently hoped that Sona would wait till Sidharth came home to crawl, but she didn't know when he'd come home, then or at midnight. And she was so close to pushing herself to do it. She looked at the clock, it was 7:30pm. She was vigorously trying to mash the rice in a bowl when the door opened, it was 7:55pm and Sona's loud screeches were ringing in Shehnaz's ears along with the kids cheering for her, as if she was in the last leg of a race and was about to win it. Shehnaz hurried out of the kitchen, nothing wanting the kids to be alone when the door opened, her eyes lit up when she saw him, and goodness gracious did he look amazing in the black trousers and button up, it looked like he didn't change out of the clothes he shot in.
Sidharth on the other hand watched his little girl's face light up a million watts when she saw her, there was a big toothless grin on her face, with her gums on show, she looked like such a mess with her chin filled with drool, hair all over the place and a tiny tshirt and a nappy.
"Mama stay there. She's going to crawl." Harsh said. Shehnaz stopped herself from jumping into his arms, she stood and stared as he crouched down, the corners of his eyes were wrinkled and he had the biggest grin on his face, his teeth stuck out as he held his arms out.
"Come here sweetheart. Papa ke pass aah." He encouraged her, she was already so close, she was on fours, going back and forth, back and forth before pushing her right knee forward. He almost screamed in excitement, clapping his hand.
"Ek aur aagey kar. Papa ki sher!" He shouted. She screamed incoherently to match his pitch.
"Come here baby girl." He urged her. He felt Shehnaz crouch down next to him, giggling loudly. He leaned into her side and kissed her cheek quickly .
"Babbu dekho papa aaye hain." She said, excitement lacing her tone, she lunged forward, pushing her knees up one by one, Shehnaz almost cried and laughed at the same time, Sona was yelling loudly too, crawling this time. Fully.
"Wohoo baby! Idhar aah! Come here!" He exclaimed, moving forward himself. It took all the self control in him to go and grab her and kiss her chubby cheeks. She moved a slight bit faster.
"Aaja aaja Sonniya!" He grinned, watching her crawl, fully completely, actually crawl and not slither on the floor. She finally got close to him, almost about to touch his show clad feet before he grabbed her into his arms and smothered her face with kisses. He fell back onto the floor and hugging her against himself.
"You crawled for the first time princess!" He laughed with excitement, kissing her slimy, drooling mouth. She screeched with happiness, wailing her arms around and trying to give him a kiss back.
"Sona nahi! Papa ko muh dhone doh." Shehnaz said, putting her hand on his chin, making Sona latch onto the back of her palm instead. Her brows furrowed and she let out a shriek. Her little hands slammed against his face. Sidharth kissed her nose.
"My princess, you're crawling now meri jaan." He grinned, squeezing her face.
"Baby, muh haath doh. Usko khaana hain tujhe." Shehnaz said seriously, grabbing Sona from his hands.
"Yes mumma!" He grinned.
"Tu bhi chal." He mumbled, getting up. He left his bag at the door, kissed his mom's head, mumbling a hi to her.
"Hi baccho." He grinned at the three kids, dropping a kiss on each of their tiny heads.
Shehnaz was grinning widely, she felt like half of her overwhelming tension was gone the moment he returned back home.
"Maami can you call Shehbaz bhaiya? He said he'd spend the night here." Harsh said.
"Tum dono yahi rukh rahe ho?" He asked.
"Haan. Mom aur badimaa kahi jaa rahe hain." He nodded.
"Oh lovely! Then no school tomorrow for any of you. Let's watch a movie." Sidharth said happily.
"Mama kal anyway Saturday hain." Ruhi giggled.
"Haan. That's why I said it. Tumhare maaonse pitna nahi ha mereko." He laughed.
"Naina bhi aarahi hain?" Shehnaz asked.
"Haan shayad." Ruhi shrugged.
"Chal theek hain, main call karti hoon donoko." She grinned and walked into the room with an erratic Sonniya in her arms. She was lunging at Sidharth, screaming, and Shehnaz was thankful that she was not crying. He walked in to the room too, locking the door behind him.
"Tu direct aagaya shooting se?" She asked.
"Her parts are still going on. Main aur ruk nahi paaya. Poora karke aagaya. Subah se tu ne message bhi nahi kiya. I knew you were stressing out." He said unbuttoning his shirt swiftly. Sona sat on her hip, still erratic and loud, as Shehnaz slid the closet open, pulled out a pair of shorts and tshirt and put it on the bed.
"Kiya toh tha. Roh padti Sidharth. Aur uske gums bhi laal hogaye. Darr laga, aur maine doctor ko bhi message kiya. Poora dinn toh rahi thi, phir dono soh gaye, bas dedh ghante pehele uthe the." She sighed, following him into the bathroom, she leaned against the door and watching him wash his hands and face.
"Kya bola doctor ne?" He asked, splashing the water onto himself.
"Ki daanthonke wajah se horaha hain aur ab woh bohot pehechaanti hain dono ko toh aise kar rahi hain. Bas aur kuch nahi." She shrugged. Sona was calmer, watching Sidharth with the utmost interest as he wiped off his face.
"Oh.." he mumbled, smiling softly at Sona and then grabbing her into his arms.
"Hi sweetheart." He smiled, kissing her cheek.
"I missed you baba." He whispered, taking in her baby smell. Except she even smelt like bananas. She was so calm in his hold, pressed her opened mouth to his cheek.
"Thank you meri jaan." He grinned, rubbing his thumb on her pink and chubby cheek. He handed her back to Shehnaz, pulling his shorts and tshirt on quickly. She was tickling Sona, making her giggle loudly. He wrapped his arms around both of them. He felt like he was being dramatic, both of them did, but being first time parent, being away from each other for the first time after a series of harsh and traumatising events, with their little baby who wasn't doing that well, it definitely pushed their anxieties high.
"You both were okay, no?" He asked, kissing her head.
"Haan." She said.
"Tu ne khaana khaya aaj?" He asked. She thought about it, for a good few seconds, her memory was only filled with Sona's crying. She remembered how after an hour of feeding Sona some food, that she hardly ate, she nursed her and passed out along with her. She didn't eat since that morning. He sighed.
"Pagal hain tu? Poora dinn kuch nahi khaya?" He asked, pulling away and grabbing Sona.
"Yaad nahi tha." She pouted.
"Khud ka khayal nahi rakhegi toh iska tera baap aake rakhega?"
"Iska baap aagaya. Tu rakh. Kutta." She scoffed.
"Abey mazaak tha. Papaji hote toh sach mein rakhte." He laughed, pulling her into himself and threading his fingers into her hair and pushing his mouth onto hers.
"I missed you so fucking much baby." He groaned against them.
"Hmm." She hummed, pulling him further down and kissing him harder.
"Jaan hain tu meri baby. Meri poori jaan." He sighed.
"Sab kuch hi haun tu mera." She mumbled. She felt like someone covered her with a protective armour the minute he came back home. They walked back out, the house was messy and noisy, Shehnaz had sent in a message to Shehbaz and Naina, who were both on the way back home with snacks. They were in for a great night.
"Wahi soyenge raat ko sab?" Maa asked on the table, Sona was seated in front of her in a high chair, chowing down on the dal and rice, mashed together, there were crispy rice papads that she was sucking on, softening up and eating. Maa somehow managed to feed her without making a huge mess. She was giggling away looking at her brothers and sister, who couldn't take away a chance to entertain they're little sister.
"Haan!" Abhi nodded.
"Dekha tere aate hi kaise badal gayi iska mood?" Shehnaz muttered, stuffing a papad into her mouth.
"Moti baby." He smiled fondly, kissing her cheek.
"Mhm?" She looked at him, her hand came up to pick at a random bump on his face. She moved her chair closer and looked at it.
"You used to eat like this when you were pregnant." He chuckled.
"Achaww. Yeh kya hain?" She mumble, running the pad of her thumb on it.
"Pata nahi. Kya hua?"
"Baby tu ne waha kuch khaya? Chaar aur hain." She said, picking on it.
" Nahi. Nothing unusual." He shrugged.
"Idhar mudh. Shirt upar kar." She said pulling him back. She pulled his t-shirt up and pinched his stomach, that was for him, before actually checking, there were no marks on it.
"Yeh kyun aaye hain? Haaye Rabba tujhe kuch ho toh nahi gaya?" She gasped.
"Make up ghatiya tha iss baar. Uske wajah se hua hoga." He said.
"Kis bakwaas artist ne kiya?" She asked.
"I don't know... Main make up ke waqt sohata hoon." He shrugged.
"Toh usse pehele hawa ko dekhta hain?"
"Tera chehra imagine karta hoon."
"Main tere liye naya makeup laati hoon. Wohi use karne ko bolna."
"Mere saath make up leke ghoomunga? Pagal hain tu? Gadhi."
"Main gadhi nahi hoon. Tere baare soch rahi hoon."
"Socha math kar. Bas bakwaas hota hain tere dimaag mein."
"Mere dimaag mein tu hain bas. Sahi kaha. Bakwaas hain tu."
"Tu aur main same hain toh tu bhi bakwaas hain."
"Mujhe yaha tension horaha hain ki tera khoobsurat chehara kharab ho raha hain aur tujhe drame karne hain bas. Pagal."
"Toh main ab makeup leke ghoomunga?"
"Nahi mera buddhu kutta. Woh artist ke paas hoga. Bas tera equipment sirf tera hoga. Main Lena ko boldeti hoon."
"Accha. Phir theek hain." He said.
"Nautanki." She scoffed.
"Tu hain nautanki."
"Kitne entertaining maa baap mile hain Sonniya ko." Maa cooed, bringing them both out of their consumed conversation. Their faces became light shade of red, and a small smile over took their faces.
Shehbaz and Naina came back home later at night, loaded with packets of chips, drinks and all the junk in the world. Shehnaz didn't dare touch any of those, they laid out beds on the floor, leaving Shehbaz, Abhi and Ruhi on them. Naina was cuddled up in a recliner with Sona, she cried right before the movie started till Shehnaz rubbed some of that cooling relaxant on her gums, put a paci in her mouth and calmed her down. Harsh sat on another one while Sidharth and Shehnaz sat on the couch, their couch. She played with his finger, not very interested in the movie, she would've been had it been another day. But she had a long and an exhausting day. It was also way past Sona's bed time, so at around 12:30, she started crying, Shehnaz picked her up and walked out of the room with Sidharth following closely behind.
He was sprawled out on the floor, his shorts hiked up over his thighs making Shehnaz stare at them for a few seconds too long, she was seated in the armchair, nursing Sona, while he just spoke about everything that came to his mind. And once she unlatched, Sidharth picked her up, put her on his chest and rubbed her back gently, pressing down with his fingers from time to time, it always put her to sleep, and it did, in a record of 10 minutes time, he kissed her cheek and put her in the crib Britt leaving y run with Shehnaz.
"Shooting kaisa chala?" She asked, finally finding time to be alone with him.
"Ruk. Do you want to go back and watch the movie?" He asked, she shook her head.
"Phir chal." He mumbled, dragging her off into the balcony and shutting the tinted glass doors shut.
"Gaana sunegi?" He asked, she smiled widely and nodded. The balcony looked beautiful. Shehnaz remembered how this was the first place she came out to the night they got married, despite having a new one, this old balcony had a special place in her heart. And all the moments she shared with him in there just added more revere to it. That was the first time he had ever spoke to her earnestly, face to face too. She remembered how uncomfortable she was in the lehenga and the heavy jewelry, she believed that she had to wear them all night, it was 2am, everyone had retired back to their houses and rooms after finishing up all the fun rituals. He had poked his head into the balcony and asked her if she was going to change. She looked at him unsure and then slowly nodded. She walked back in 5 minutes later, he was crouched down on the floor, rolling up the white cloth sheet with her red footprints on them. She found him so odd, who cleans up the house on the same night of his wedding. He was in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She walked back into the room that was supposed to be hers and his, so unsure and scared of the expectations he might have had from her from that night, especially because the room was beautiful, there were petals on the bed and all that. He had apologized on behalf of his sisters and cleaned up the room.
She stood awkwardly to the corner, watching him clean off the sheets. He was being nice so far. She didn't know what to expect from him, he was friendly, confident, and slightly scary with the maddening ferocity and intense aura. His eyes though, they were pools of unacknowledged grieving, she didn't know what.
"Uhh... I can take the couch." He said. She looked at the size of his huge body and the small couch, there was absolutely no way.
"Haaye Rabba nahi nahi. Bed pe soh sakte hain dono. Kuch nahi hoga. Itne bade ho, tum ya woh couch, dono mein se ek toot jaayenge." She giggled. He smiled softly at that, licking his lips and running his tongue over the bottom corner.
"Okay." He said, amused. He left the room, leaving her to change, she took an entire half hour, pulling off all the jewelry, putting them on the vanity, getting out of the lehenga and pulling on a night gown. Her huge nose ring stayed, she couldn't take it off and her eyes were swollen from crying, her nose was stained with the red sindoor. She left the room door wide open, he walked in a few minutes later.
"Woh kyun nahi nikala?" He asked.
"Nikal nahi raha tha." She sighed.
"Do you need help? Maa ko uthau?"
"Nahi nahi. Koyi zaroorat nahi." She said urgently.
"Should I help?"
"Uhh..okay." She shrugged. And he stood close to her, smiled softly at the red stain on her nose and the mess of a sindoor in her hair, he successfully unhooked the nose ring, she didn't breathe for those few seconds.
"I've emptied out the closet. Aur you can just... Basically yeh room tumhara bhi hain... Jo chahe woh karo and if I make you uncomfortable then tell me." He said making her chuckle. She looked beautiful, he couldn't deny that. And the moment her trust shot up was when he left the door wide open, and laid carefully on his corner of the bed, making sure to not go to close or make her uncomfortable. He held a pillow in his arms and one in between his legs. He was a cuddler, she felt herself grinning as she got into bed next to him and pulled a blanket on top of them both. He turned to face her.
"You're okay right?" He asked.
"Haan. Mujhe aadat hain dhoor rehena mumma papa se." She shrugged.
"Toh itna roh kyun rahi thi?"
"Shaadi hua mera. Rohna aaya toh rohliya." She said.
"Acha."
"Hmm."
"Tumhe nahi aaya?"
"Hmm?"
"Rohna."
"N..n..nahi?" He stuttered.
"Hmm. Okay. Good night Sidharth." She smiled.
"Good night Shehnaz." He whispered. She almost toppled at the way he stressed on the 'Naz', she smiled and turned away.
Shehnaz couldn't believe how far, absolutely how far they've come from that awkward night. They slept attached, almost on top of each other every night. She didn't understand how on earth the first two months together went past, it was a hazey memory, as she remembered was him being the most respectful man, the most amazing man she had ever met.
"Baby come here. Kya kar rahi hain?" He mumbled, pulling her closer, putting the phone on the centre table. She could hear the sound of rain.
"Baarish?" She asked softly. His movements were subtle, like butter on warm toast. He wrapped an arm around her waist, the other cupped her neck softly.
"Mujhe tere saath dance karna accha lagta hain." He said softly, as her arms wrapped around his neck.
Dua bhi lage na mujhe
Dawa bhi lage na mujhe
Jabse dil ko mere tu laga hai
"Tujhe accha laga?" She asked him. He stared at her for a few seconds, and instantly knew that she loved the song.
"Haan. Bohot accha tha. Shots were beautiful." He said, kissing her forehead.
"Paani se darr laga?"
"Nahi... Lekin waha teri yaad aayi." He chuckled.
"Abhi kyun suna raha hain? Ek hafte se pooch rahi thi." She asked, her finger twirled a lock of hair at the nape of his neck.
Jab saansein baroon main band
Aankhein karun main
Nazar tu yaar aaya kar
"Because I needed to decide ki tujhe plainly room mein bithake sunau, ya phir aise specially sunau." He grinned. He was a hopeless romantic, no matter how much he denied being one. And even he knew it. She couldn't help the wide grin that took over her face. And he felt like his entire world lit with with her bunny teeth on show. He dipped his neck and kissed her lips, tugging her forward by her own neck, his thumb caressed her cheek softly.
Dil ko karaar aaya
Tujhpe hai pyaar aaya
Pehli pehli baar aaya
Oh yaara
"Bohot sundar hain gaana." She smiled, his eyes were glinting with pride. He felt artistically pleased after a long long time.
"I loved it. Sach mein bohot accha laga. Shooting bhi accha laga. Ek dance wala part tha. Bohot pyaara tha." He smiled like a little child.
"Hmm? Isse pyaara hua toh tu raat ko sofe pe soyega." She joked.
"Isse bohot pyaara tha."
"Jaa phir. Ussi ke saath kar dance."
"Abey mazaak kar raha tha gadhi. Ruk. Dance with me." He said, pulling her back into himself.
"Tujhe thappad lagaungi." She mumbled, pouting. He laughed, kissing her soft, pouty lips.
"Asli wala karaar toh jiske paas dil hain, uske paas hi aayega nah?" He chuckled. She felt the strings of her heart being tugged. She stepped closer into him as he swayed them both. Beautiful, calm nights much like this one in Mumbai was an absolute dream, and they made the best out of all of them. It was a chaotic city, and even more chaotic life, and they anchored each other through it all. They were each other's peace.
"Kya soch rahi thi isse pehele?" He asked, resting his chin on top of her head.
"Shaadi ke raat ke baarein mein. Yaha khada hoke doubts ke saath bhar rahi thi apne aap ko." She chuckled.
"Aur abhi dekh, yahi, issi balcony mein dance kar rahe hain." She said.
"4 and a half years." He laughed. It was insane, absolutely mad.
"Mere life ke best the." She mumbled. She could hear the thudding on his heart in his chest. The song had stopped playing, but they continued to sway, he smelt like her, like lavender and vanilla. She noticed that all evening.
"Tere paas mera khushboo kyun aaraha hain?" She giggled.
"Tera body wash leke gaya by mistake." He laughed loudly.
"Toh waha hotel mein nahi tha?" She asked.
"Tha lekin tera stamp lagwana tha mere upar. Invisible hi sahi." He chuckled.
"Tu pagal hain." She laughed, pulling him down by his hair and kissing him.
Monday ensued a chaos that neither of them anticipated, they both had forgotten to check the email that Kaushal had sent, Sona was crawling all over the house now, getting tired, stopping mid way and crying out of frustration till they looked for her and picked her up and entertained her. Her gums were soft, and still in pain.
Kaushal was at the door at 8 in the morning, Shehnaz had Sona on her hip, a frozen banana in her hand, finding relief for her gums by biting and scraping on it, a tiny holding thing protected her little hand from the cold, Sidharth was asleep still in their room.
"Tu itna subah subah kyun aaya hain?" She frowned.
"Kyunki mujhe pata tha ki main jo karne bolunga, tu nahi karegi."
"Tu ne kya bola?" She asked, he pinched Sona's cheek, she spread her hand out, offering the gross, slimy banana to him, making Shehnaz giggle.
"Email check kiya?" He asked.
"Shit!" She gasped.
"Dekha?" He smirked.
"Haaye Rabba. Kya tha usme?" She asked, watching him say namaste to maa and sitting on the couch opposite to her.
"Tera schedule aur ek script." He said.
"Script?" She gasped.
"Haan. Script."
"Kiske liye?" She asked unsure.
"Ruk. Math bol." She said, putting Sona on the floor, taking the messy banana out of her hand and pacing into the room. She shook Sidharth awake vigorously. He opened his eyes and looked at her questioningly and closed them again.
"Uth na please. Mere liye koyi script aaya hain aur mujhe gottha padd jaayega. Please uth." She said. He opened his eyes instantly, completely awake. He grinned widely and sat up.
"5 minutes." He croaked, dashing into the bathroom. Kaushal was already drinking coffee, talking to maa.
"Ab bolu?"
"Nahi. Sidharth aaraha hain. Uske baad bol. Aur kya hain?" She asked, wiping Sona's mouth and hands with a wet wipe. She threw her giraffe across the floor and shrieked.
"Phek ke chillati hain." Shehnaz muttered, exasperated.
"Ek shoot hain. To freshen up your Instagram." He said.
"Huh? Kab?" She asked, her anxiety kicking in.
"Today."
"Kya?" She exclaimed.
"Issiliye dekh liya karo emails." He said.
"Main ready nahi hoon. Kabhi aur karenge." She shook her head. Sidharth sat down next to her, patting Kaushal's back.
"Kya hua?"
"Aaj shoot hain madam ka."
"Okay. Toh isme kya hain?" He asked, frowning at her. Sona crawled all the way from the other end of the floor towards Sidharth, grinning widely and blabbered.
"Ah ha ha!" He sounded, picking her up and kissing her face, squeezing it.
"Good morning princess." He mumbled, squeezing her against himself.
"Yeh script ka kya tha?" He asked, Sona shoved her hand into his mouth and gripped his ear, and pulled herself up to stand, screaming in delight. Except, Sidharth was holding her still and helping her up.
"Haan...?" Shehnaz frowned.
"It's huge. Like big. Movie ka offer aaya hain. The impromptu live that you both did, uska ek next level response mila. 102k views, and it wasn't even a long one, kissi ka aaj tak nahi hua inta viewership, and it wasn't a long one either. Aur phir Sana ka campaign shot, it boosted your names. Aaj bhi hype utna hi hain, and it pushed producers. So abhi, we need to keep it up, aaj shoot hoga. There's a music video lined up, aur phirse Tony ke saath hain. You need to get back in the game Sana." Kaushal said. She didn't say anything, just stared at him. She missed working, she missed doing all this. But who would take care of Sona, what were they supposed to do from this point on?
"Kitna dher ka hain?" She asked.
"A few hours. Almost 5 ghante hoga." He said.
"So sona and daadi time for five hours. Perfect." Maa grinned. Shehnaz looked at her, she didn't know what to say.
"Baccha tu humesha ke liye ghar pe nahi baith sakti hain. You're going back today. Ek na ek dinn jaana padega." She shrugged.
"Lekin Sona?" She asked unsure.
"Sona mere paas rahegi." Maa said.
"Aap kitna khayal rakhengi?"
"Maine Naina aur Ruhi ka bhi rakha. Ab Sona ki baari."
"Kab hain Kaushal?" Sidharth asked.
"2 ko shuru hoga. Ken se, Shivangi se aur sabse baat ho chuki hain." Kaushal said.
"I'll convince her." Sidharth nodded, Kaushal looked like he was in a hurry too.
"Okay. Perfect. I have to leave. Sana you'll be okay." He said. Shehnaz wanted to yell at Sidharth. She huffed, got up and stormed off into the room.
"Kya hua?" He called out, handing Sona to maa and running after her.
"Tu samajhta kya hain? Mazak banake rakhdiya mujhe. Idiot hoon? I'll convince her ka kya matlab tha?" She yelled.
"I'll convince her ka matlab I'll boost your confidence. Zyada math kar abhi." He said, sliding open her side of the closet.
"Kya kar raha hain?" She asked.
"Tere liye kapde nikaal raha hoon."
"Sidharth doh second baith idhar. Main photo shoot ke liye ready nahi hoon abhi. Main nahi kar sakti hoon." She said, taking her head in her hands.
"Tu pagal hain baby? You've been dieting and going to the gym for months. You're more than ready." He said.
"Acting aur woh sab theek hain. Lekin merese yeh sab nahi hoga." She whimpered.
"Come here." He sighed, pulling her into his lap.
"You look beautiful. Merese pooch. I've seen you more than anyone else in the world. You're extremely ready. And remember, Sona ke liye. She's gonna be so proud of you. Tu itni perfect lag rahi hain. I'm telling you, camera on hoga, aur tu start hojayegi." He said, kissing her neck.
"Lekin achaanak... Matlab mera chehra dekh." She sighed.
"Kya hua tere chehre ko? Itna beautiful toh hain. Bhar bhar ke khoobsurati nikal raha hain." He said.
"Sidharth, beizzati hojayegi. Sab offers wapas lenge mujhe dekh ke." She said. He felt his heart clench.
"Sweetheart, people tell me to lose weight everyday on twitter. Aur tu mujhe bithake hot hot bolti hain rozz mein hazaar baar. I went and I shot, no? It's all in your mind. You look beautiful. Okay? Kuch nahi hain. Ek scar hain baba, wear it with pride. I already told, you did something that even science and nature told you that you couldn't. Right? You're so beautiful. Peheli baar jab maine tujhe dekha, when I wasn't even in love with you, tujhe thaad raha tha and you look a hundred times more beautiful now. Woh photoshoot kar, get back out there." He said, hugging her close.
"Pakka?"
"Haan."
"Tu chalega mere saath?"
"Nahi. This is all yours. Main aur Sona aake tujhe pick up karenge. Mereko ek meeting mein jaana hain 3 ko. I'll drop you and go." He said. And so he did. They showered together, he found more than ordinary ways to show her that she was the most beautiful, they both made sure to be together to feed Sona her lunch, put her to sleep and left. The photoshoot was something for Shehnaz, she felt powerful, having Ken by her side made a huge difference. He was amazing, he was so fabulous with his work and even greater friend, he made sure that she did her best. She loved her team, she loved her work, and absolutely loved how she looked. She instantly asked for a few really hot shots, and the moment she got into the car, she pulled Sona out of the carseat, she was screaming for her as she did, she shoved her phone with the utmost excitement into his hands, she was mad proud of herself and she couldn't have done it without coming out raw about her insecurities with him before she did it. No one in the world could ever support her like he did.
There was one particular look that she loved, in a black dress. And that one was the one she showed him. And she could the expression on his face, bit down on her lip and grinned at him. She knew he'd go ballistic the minute he saw it, he was on her mind when she posed for it.
"Holy fuck." He muttered. She saw him zoom in on various places in the pictures, looking at her with dark and wide eyes. She knew that look, she knew that look for sure. She was giggling and red in the face.
"Are you... Oh my God!" He gasped. Sona was pulling on her hair and was biting down on her cheek, Sidharth's new song was playing in the car, it wasn't out for the public yet. And Sona loved it. She would screech till he played it again and again.
"Baby.." He muttered, dragging her forward by her hair. She yelped and laughed, letting him kiss her senseless.
"You're so hot." He growled, biting down on her lip.
"Ghar chal jaldi." She murmured, giggling. And he drove, not like a madman of course, there was baby in the car. But he couldn't keep him hands off of her.
The rest of the month went past in meetings and shoots. She had signed another music video, to just model in this time, and she felt like it was such an achievement. Post pregnancy, breastfeeding, losing her mind, herself and all sanity, she was still okay, she was still doing her best as an individual, as a working mother. She brought her mother-in-law a beautiful plain ring, she didn't know how else to say thanks to her, maa didn't have a habit of wearing jewelry, she wore absolutely nothing in her neck and always had a small pair of gold hoops in her ears, she dressed very simple and classy, so a simple band was all she could give her.
"Kyun baccha?" Maa asked, with a watery smile on her face.
"Agar aap na hoti toh main kaam nahi kar paati. Main nahi jaanti ki aapko thanks kaise bolu, aap meri jaan ho. Aap bohot support karte ho maa. Sona ke saath saath mera bhi khayal rakh rahe ho aap. Kal jab aapne khaana khilaya tha, mere aasu nikal gaye. Aap kabhi thakti nahi ho. Best maa ho sabse." Shehnaz said, hugging her.
"Toh thanks bas hota. Yeh kyun baccha?"
"Mujhe pata nahi tha ki kaise bolu ki aapke bina mera poora life mushkil hojata. Pehele toh main earrings lene wali thi lekin inn saalon mein kabhi uthara nahi aapne toh yeh ring sahi laga. Uspe maa likha hua hain andhar. Pyaar cheeson tola nahi jaa sakta lekin thoda dena chahthi thi." Shehnaz ranted.
"Tu meri pyaari bacchi hain. Thank you baccha. Bohot pyaara hain." Maa said, her voice sifter than usual. But her hug said it all, she hugged Shehnaz so tight, right against herself and kissed her forehead.
"Make me proud Shehnaz. Maa bas yahi chahthi hain. Ek acchi bahu, beti aur Biwi toh tu hain, lekin ek acchi maa banna bohot easy aur bohot mushkil hota hain, at the same time. Main chahthi hoon ki Sona Terese proud ho, be good at your work, hum sab support karenge, lekin tujhe himmath banake rakhna padega. Balance banake rakhna padega. Sona ko chodna, tere liye especially bohot mushkil hain, jo kuch hua, uske baad. Lekin kabhi himmath math haarna. Kaam, ghar, bacche, sab important hote hain. Aur tu bohot accha kar rahi hain baccha. I'm very proud of you, I want to be even more proud. Okay?" She said, kissing her cheek. Shehnaz's eyes had become red, wet and heavy, having a supportive mother-in-law, who not only did it for the sake of her grandchild and son, but purely out of love for her, taught her so much and gave her such words of wisdom, it was everything. It was everything a girl would have wanted. She was a mother to her before anything else, she didn't know a woman stronger than her, she had given up everything after papa passed to become the best mother to Sidharth, Preeti and Neetu. And she was, she was the best. Shehnaz fell asleep early after putting Sona to day, it was a tiring day, she had a meeting and a rehearsal that day, and she came home and cooked, Meena was on leave and she didn't want maa to overwork herself. Maa took that time to tell Sidharth about how her daughter-in-law had approached her with such a heartfelt gesture and gratitude.
"I'll always have you to thank for her maa. Aap nahi hote toh kabhi Shehnaz nahi milti, aur naa hi main itna khush hota." Sidharth said softly, resting her head on her shoulder, fiddling with her dupatta as they sat in the balcony. He was happy, life felt like it had done a good circle, and he was, definitely, completely happy.
It was May 30th, a hot day. Sidharth, Shehnaz and Sona were alone at home. The entire family was gone to Sindhola to meet maa's sister and her family. Sidharth and Shehnaz decided to stay back, she was in talks for a huge deal. And they couldn't afford to leave. Sona was crawling all over the room, and then grabbed onto the edge of the bed and pulled herself up to stand. She was a few days away from being 10 months old, she had 2 bottom teeth and 1 top, another one was just showing up. Sidharth was almost on top of Shehnaz, deeply asleep.
"Um um." Sona called out loudly, waving her hands up. She was so perfect, a pink faced, chubby little baby girl, who looked way too much Shehnaz with her nose and lips, her eyes however we still her Papa's. And so were her habits. She was almost going to fall back on her bottom when Shehnaz picked her up. She was blabbering.
"Kya hua? Bhook laggi hain?" She asked. She blabbered and waved her bottle around. She smacked it onto Sidharth's face trying to wake him up. He did, groaning and lifted his head off of her chest. Sona threw herself face down onto her mumma. And then pressed a slimey kiss to her mouth. Shehnaz yelped, her face was stained with the mango she had just eaten.
"Sona... Kyu?" She whined. Sidharth laughed, pulling her into himself, she sat on his chest and blabbered.
"Sona mumma bol. Say ma-ma." Shehnaz said, muting the TV. She moved into Sidharth's spread out arm and rested her head on his chest, kissing his lips swiftly.
"Uhum um" Sona blabbered, drooling and screeching.
"Ma-ma. Mumma bol." She said again, she was so close to speaking.
"What time do we have you leave in the evening?" Sidharth asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Che ya saath bhaje. Uske liye kuch leke jaayenge?" Shehnaz asked.
"Do we have to? Engagement hi toh hain." He said.
"Haan." She nodded, one of Sidharth's cousin's was getting engaged today and they were going to represent their family. They could hear Sona shrieking and hitting Sidharth's chest with her giraffe, asking for attention. She was blabbering incoherently, non-stop.
"Tujhe aur kahi jaana hain?" He asked.
"Nah. Chal aaj pakode banate hain. Mujhe bore ho raha hain." Shehnaz giggled. They had all just woken up from an afternoon nap. They fell into a silly banter, fighting and who ate more pakodas last time.
"Gadhi hain tu poori ki poori." He said.
"Tu ja oye.." She said, and was cut off by Sona's hand patting her face.
"Mamm-mma mamma...mamma...aamma." She said, Shehnaz gasped and her eyes became wide, so did Sidharth's. She just said her first word, in a string of words, but her first word none the less. She sat up and grabbed Sona, holding her up in the air and kissing her cheek.
"Phirse bol. Mumma bol." Shehnaz gasped, her eyes watering up. Sidharth sat next to her, excited out of his wits.
"Mumma.." Shehnaz sounded, highlighting the way her lips moved, Sona stared at her mum's lips, and then followed it, saying it again.
"Ma...maa.. mamma. Mamma." Sona followed, making Shehnaz let out a joy filled sob.
"Mera baccha. Mera kuddhu, mera gullu,mumma bola tu ne mera nona baccha. Meri nanhi gudiya." She cried, hugging her extremely close and smothering her with kisses. Sidharth pulled her into his lap and held them both, kissing their heads. Her daughter just said her first words, she just called Shehnaz mumma. Happiness knew no bounds, they prayed that no evil eye would touch their little family.
*****
I'm still working on all the chapters guys, I wanna do something about it.... So don't worry! The entire book is a mess, I'll fix it soon. And guys, don't worry, I didn't end the book, I'll still post. Don't worry
BUT MORE IMPORTANT THINGS, THE LIVE!!!!! I'M STILL NOT OVER IT WTF VVBDSFJMKGFSAAXV I DIED AND WOKE UP HAPPIER TOK SEFIN EVERY SUCKER TIME!!!!!!!!!9?-&_ OMG
ON ANOTHER NOTE, I LOVE YOU ALL 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖