Shehnaaz felt great, so did Sidharth, they had a delightful smile on as they slept peacefully. Life and surroundings were the same yet in a different manner, they were the same yet quite special and caring now. The constant ringing of the doorbell woke Sidharth, he walked past his living room grumping and glancing at the wall clock. It was 9 am! Who was at the door so early, on a sunday morning! 

"Mom?" He was surprised to see RitaJi at the door. He welcomed her with a hug. A tight one. His sleepy face immediately glowed with this wonderful surprise. She would hardly visit him, or say she had only been in his apartment thrice, in the two years he had been living here. He would always visit her on weekends so she didn't need to visit his place but this time she had reasons to show up. 

"Where's your phone? Kal se call kar rahi hu.. Ghar bhi nahi aaya tu!" she complained, when he didn't let her go. 

"Good morning Mom!" he wished. 

"Last moment, ek meeting arrange ho gayi.. Toh phone silent pe tha.. Sorry.." he added. She felt his temperature slightly warmer than normal. 

"Bukhar hai bache?" she asked. 

"Hmm.. Thoda sa Mom..you know mai thoda sa bhi bheeg jata hu toh ho jata hai.. I'm quite better now.. " he revealed. 

"Isliye mujhe bechaini si ho rahi thi kal.. Itni barish nahi hui hoti toh aa jati mai kal hi.." she spoke worriedly and then threw questions at him then - if he had any medicines? Why didn't he call her if he wasn't feeling well? Why didn't he ask her to come over? How did he manage with those headaches he gets? He answered all her questions saying he managed it all himself and asked her to sit while he freshens up, Typical mother, isn't she? Getting madly anxious about her child, even when he's grown up. 

Rita Ji wasn't convinced though. Sidharth, her only child, had given her a hard time during his childhood. He would always catch cold during such inclement weather and would always fuss about, when his body ached. She arranged plates on the dining table for the two of them and waited for her son to return. He was a grown up but never did his habit of taking long time in the bathroom had changed, he better not be smoking inside! She frowned at the thought. Sidharth was so used to cigarettes that he'd often lit up them in his bedroom and his mother would always scold him for that, so he had made bathroom another spot to hide from his mother's wrath. And whom did he learn that from? His father! The duo were two spoiled cheat buddies who'd cover for each other when she used to get angry. The doorbell rang, toring her out of her thoughts. 

"Good morning Sidh.." There was a girl, a young and beautiful girl, dressed in a sweatshirt and loose pants and a covered plate in her hands. Shehnaaz had thought of getting her dear boyfriend early morning breakfast, she knew he'd go to mother's place but after she saw his car still in the lobby, she instantly planned a breakfast with him. She had not expected a lady to open the door, so checked the name plate if she was at the right place or not, C- 805, Dr. Sidharth Shukla. Yep, that's him. 

"Umm.. Aap Sidharth ke Mumma ho? Namaste Auntie.." she said, bowing her head shortly as she couldn't join her hands. The lady in front of her had the same eyes as him, enough to recognise who she must be. 

"Namaste.. Aur aap?" Rita Ji returned the gesture and asked her. 

"Mai.. Shehnaaz.. I'm a..uh..friend.. Mai samne wali building me rehti hu.. Vo Sidharth ki tabiyat theek nahi thi toh mai parathe layi thi.." she nervously replied. Not knowing how the lady would feel after seeing an unknown girl getting her son breakfast. 

"Come in then!" Rita Ji motioned her hand, stepping aside. 

"Yeah.." Shehnaaz nodded and kept the plate on the table. Rita Ji walked in to knock at her son's bedroom while Shehnaaz stood next to the coffee table in the living room. 

"Aa raha hai.." She informed Shehnaaz and asked her to take a seat. She smiled at Rita Ji and she smiled back at her, as they sat in silence waiting for him. 

"Hi! Shehnaaz.." the ladies heard him behind them as the door opened. He raised his brows at them with a smile, another surprise! 

"Hi.." she nervously nodded. 

"Parathe layi thi.. Abhi tabiyat kaisi hai te.. Dr. Sidharth?" she asked, she was about to address him with 'teri' in front of his mother and carefully correcting her words in time. 

"I'm fine.. Thank You!" he replied. Rita Ji asked her if she'd like to join them for breakfast but Shehnaaz politely declined, letting the mother-son enjoy their time and closed the door after her. 

"These are nice!" Rita Ji exclaimed after tasting a bite of the aloo paratha dipped in curd. 

"Hmm.." Sidharth nodded and he adored Shehnaaz more for such a sweet gesture. 

"Tum dono mile kaise?" his mother asked. 

"Aise hi.. Samne wali building me rehti hai.." he shrugged, focusing on the plate. She wanted him so many things but then, chose not to, keeping her questions for later. The duo spent their day talking, she had seen two mugs in the sink though while she was preparing their lunch. She smiled, waiting for her son to reveal the thing himself and suppressed the urge to know more about that girl. 

Shehnaaz on the other side planned her day with her roommate. They dusted the living room together and rearranged their respective cupboards.  "Yeh mera top hai na? Jo tune pichle hafte liya tha.." Shehnaaz asked, picking up a white top in between Arohi's pile of dresses. 

"Ha.. Main wapas karne wali thi lekin meri ek meeting hai parso.. Uske baad dedungi.." Arohi replied, keeping that top back at it's place. She always did that. 

"That's a pretty watch!" Shehnaaz compliments the Fossil's analog watch kept at her roommate's dressing table. 

"Haina? Sonal gifted me.. On our last date.." Arohi blushed while answering. 

"Oh.. So her name's Sonal? Tell me about her!" Shehnaaz teased. 

"Ye dekh.." Arohi passed her phone, a selfie of the two was displayed on the screen. There was a slightly chubby yet hot girl next to her, pouting into the camera. 

"She is so beautiful!" Shehnaaz commented. 

"I know.." Arohi blushed. 

"Sana.. would you like to meet her?" she hesitantly asked. 

"Pagal hai? I would love to! Finally maan gayi vo mujhse milne ke liye.." Shehnaaz replied, holding her hand. 

"Arey..don't ask kitna chillayi mujhpe because I told you about the two of us.. She's like 10 times more hesitant than me about all this.. Lekin finally maan gayi tere se milne ke liye.." Arohi said. It wasn't easy for them to accept her sexuality and then getting into a relationship, it took her a good time to settle with the fact that they were different from others and were going to face huge difficulties to coax their parents about it. For now, they were relishing their own little world and were used to lying to people about a secret relationship. 

 "Acha sun.. Vo balcony me pani bhar jata hai.. Tiwari ko bolna koi plumber bhej de yaar.. Tell him we'll pay and get it fixed!" Arohi whined. 

"Message kiya yaar! Bahar hu.. I'll call you later bolta har baar.." Shehnaaz scoffed. 

"Okay! We'll get it done by ourselves.. Aur jab rent mangne aayega na.. Tab batayenge usko.." Arohi scoffed too, their landlord was such an ass. Done with the arranging things, the girls cooked themselves food and went to take a small nap. She unlocked her phone and thought of telling Sidharth that she was missing him, a lot more than other days.

'I miss u.. Teko pata aaj itni saaf-safai kari maine.. Abhi mai sone ja rahi.. Bahut thak gayi hu..'

'Let's hope I get u see in my dreams at least..'(wink) she chuckled before sending it away and shutting her eyes. It was 4 in the evening when she woke up from her slumber to the vibration of her phone. 

"Hello?" she received it groggily, with her eyes still closed. 

"Did you see me in your dreams then?" Sidharth asked. She chuckled, and sat up. 

"Tu bata! Did you miss me?" she asked him. 

"A lil bit.." he answered and then she heard him exhale. 

"Are you smoking again?" she frowned.

"What do you mean again? It's my first today!" he answered aloud, he couldn't even have one yet because his mother arrived in the very morning and he had always avoided smoking around her. Gladly, she was in the guest room, talking to someone, that gave him some time for himself and to make this call. 

Shehnaaz thought if he's smoking then he must be in the balcony, she jumped out of the bed and strode to her balcony.  "Argh! Shit!" she grimaced, as she stepped into the dirty rain water that got clogged out there. Top of it, she was barefoot. 

"Arohi! Ek wiper lana!" she called her roommate for help. 

"Sidharth.. Ek help karega?" she asked over the phone. 

"Bolna darling.." he replied, watching her using the wiper from his place. She was in her comfy loose tees and shorts, looking cute. 

"Kisi plumber ka number ho toh bhejna.. '' she whined. 

"Okay.." he replied in affirmative. 

"Acha sun! Abhi koi aa jaye toh acha hai.. I've to go somewhere with Arohi then.." she said. 

"Ha.. Plumber baitha hoga na.. Tere ghar aane ke liye.." he commented. 

She laughed, "Thik hai.. Bas laa de koi plumber.. Mai irritate ho gayi hu isse ab.. Yaha itna danda pani bhara pada hai.. Eww!" she replied, feeling extremely gross. 

"Hmm.. Ek bande ne kiya tha mere kitchen me kaam.. I'm sending you the number.." he confirmed. 

"Thik hai!" she replied and hung up. 

A guy arrived in the next hour and replaced the outlet in another half an hour. The girls carried on with their day then, the dinner with Arohi's partner went smoothly, the girl was extremely nervous though. 

Shehnaaz tried her best to make the two comfortable and befriend her. Drinks helped in the making, the girls hit the bar nearby, enjoyed themselves and clicked lots of selfies. 

"Yaar.. Tum kitni cool ho! Honestly I wasn't sure about this dinner thing tonight.." Sonal smiled, as she finished her drink. 

"Mai hu hi aisi.." Shehnaaz smirked, as she signaled the bartender to repeat their drinks and they all sniggered, totally inebriated. 

Arohi leaned forward and kissed her girlfriend's cheek, "I told you na she's an amazing person.. Lekin tu manti nahi thi.. You know Sana.. she used to get jealous every time I mentioned about you.." she said. 

Shehnaaz was taken by surprise, both at the action and scene, "Haaye sachi Sonal.." she chuckled. 

"Only because I didn't know you then.." Sonal hesitantly answered. 

"Chale..let's call it a night now.." she added, they made their way out after paying the bill and booked themselves a cab to drop off Sonal first. Arohi was so intoxicated that she passed out in the cab itself and even Shehnaaz felt her eyelids shutting down slowly, when she suddenly felt her phone vibrating under her pocket. Sidharth, on the other hand, had a great time with his mother. She cooked him a simple food keeping his health in mind, he had fully recovered from the fever though. Done with dinner and other business, he made his way towards the terrace, waiting for her. He had texted her around 10, when he saw the lights of her apartment still turned off. She hadn't returned. And surprisingly, she hadn't even seen them so dialed her number. 

"Hi.. Wassup!" She received the call. So she got drunk again! 

"Where are you? It's 11 baby.." he asked. 

"I'm in a cab.." she answered. 

"Shehnaaz jagah batao! Aur Arohi haina tumhare sath?" he asked again. 

"Umm.. Arohi hai.. Soyi padi hai mere upar aadhi.. Meri neend kharab karke!" she giggled. 

"Were you asleep in the cab?" he asked, astonished. 

"Hmm..aankh lag gayi thi.." she mumbled. 

"Have you lost it? You literally have the guts to say aankh lag gayi thi! And that idiot roommate of yours passed out too! Sit straight and tell me kaha hai pe ho iss waqt tum dono.. Is it the right route to your home?" he shouted. This was the height of carelessness! 

"Chilla kyu raha hai.. Ha hum ghar ke route pe hi hai.. Woh bus stand jisae mai roz jati hu dikha mujhe abhi.." she replied. Her heavy eyes had opened up completely after hearing him scream over the phone. 

"Uthao apni dost ko and stay on the line.." he told her then. She obliged, not wanting to argue at the moment and shook the sleepy head next to her. 

"Arohi! Uth ja meri Maa! Ghar aa gaya... Uthja isse pehle mera ye baap kood ke aajaye.." she whined and finally got out of the car as they reached their building. He had heard her, he would have chortled over it any other time but now. 

"Hello?" She checked if he was still on the line, after paying the cab driver and walking towards the elevator. The door opened, revealing Sidharth himself who had descended down from the terrace to give her a piece of mind. 

"Hi doc.." Arohi waved at him cheerfully. He rolled his eyes at her and followed the two up to their floor again. 

"Mai soyi nahi thi.. I had just closed my eyes and you called!" she justified it before he could even ask. 

"Yeah! Aur mai call nahi karta toh? So jati?" he asked, walking closer. The two were in the living room and Arohi had dismissed herself to her bedroom. 

"Do you have any idea.. Of how things go wrong!? Wo cab driver tum dono ko kahi aur le jata toh?" he asked, gnashing his teeth in anger. What if the driver had any other intentions? Two young girls, drunk and on the verge of passing out.. What if he would have taken them to some secluded place? You don't know. You'd never know what the other and unknown person is thinking of. After seeing numerous of rape and abused cases in hospital, his stomach walls had churned inside when she took a minute to realize where their cab had reached. There were slight yet possible probabilities of those worst things to happen.

"Wo humko kahi aur leke kyu jata?" she replied, totally not getting the reason behind his sudden lecture. 

He took a deep breath to calm down and not burst upon her, "Tum jao.. So jao.. We'll talk later.." with that he held her shoulders and turned her to the direction of her bedroom. 

"Acha sorry.. Tu gussa hai merese..?" she asked, turning to him and moving in between his arms and hugged him. He immediately reciprocated, holding her in place. 

"Bebuuu.." she cooed. 

"Kya?" he couldn't help how a chuckle escaped his mouth. It's wonderful how this very unique girl could make him mad, like nerve wrecking worried in one moment and could make him smile and simmer down the next.

"Bebuuu.. Tu gussa hai mere se.." she repeated, looking up at him, her chin dugged on his chest. 

"Nahi hu meri jaan.." he replied. She smiled, stood on her toes trying to reach him and pressed her lips against his. He pulled her closer, as they briefly kissed each other Good night. After last night, the kiss especially, not getting to be in each other's arms was hard and now that they finally were, it felt awesome. Enamoured. But the next day, Sidharth was determined to give her a piece of mind, to stay alert for her own safety measures and admonished her careless behavior. And the main thing, drinking within the limits, precisely when you've to travel back home. 

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