UNEDITED!


PART - 10

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"It Hurts When You Have Someone In Your Heart, But You Can't Have Them In Your Arms"

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"Welcome to our family, Apple" Radha welcomed the newly weds into their home and engulfed Inayat in her warm embrace. "Veer, my jaan, take care of your precious" Radha advised her grandson.

"I will, dadi" Veer promised and kissed his grandma's cheek.

"Mom, you must be tired. You go to bed. I will show Inayat her room" Madhu said. Radha nodded and headed to her room.

Madhu took Inayat to Veer's bedroom and Veer followed the ladies.

"If you want anything ask your Veer. He will help you." Madhu said to Inayat with a smile. Inayat nodded her head.

"Sleep well" she said and turned around to Veer. "I am so happy for you, Veer." Madhu hugged her son. Veer hugged her back and kissed on top of her head. "I love you, maa. You are the best"

"I know" Madhu said cheekily and stuck her tongue out. Veer laughed. Inayat watched the duo with a fond smile. She thanked Allah for blessing her with such a lovely family.

--0--

"Daddy..." Naira sat beside her dad on the sofa "um... You want something? Can I get water for you?"

"Why thank you, darling but I don't want anything. You just tell me what you want?" Rishab asked her too sweetly.

"Daddy, I want to meet Sabeer...tomorrow"

"Okay" he said and waited for her to continue.

"Um... I... I want you to come with me"

"Your mom?" He asked.

"No, please" she made a puppy face.

"Why you and your little brother are hell bent on getting me into trouble?" Rishab asked. "Already your mom is cross with me..."

"Daddy please. Mom is mad at me and she will make things difficult for me... I am actually planning to proffer my love to Sabeer, tomorrow"

"And you want me to be presented there?" He asked in surprise. When the hell girls started proposing love? That too in front of their fathers? He wondered. "Am I too lenient with my kids? Is Madhu's accusation right that I am spoiling them?"

Naira nodded her head. "You know you are my support system, daddy... I will be more confident when I have you around me...so please come with me" she pleaded taking hold of his hand.

"If that's what you want...yeah, okay, I will come with you, honeybee" Rishab said and shrugged his shoulders.

"And I also want you to talk to Sabeer's parents about our wedding"

"Naira, one thing at a time. Don't rush, okay?" He advised.

"Okay" she nodded understanding him.

"If your proposal goes well and Sabeer is ready to marry you like real soon then your mom and I will have a formal talk with his parents and fix your engagement." He promised.

"Love you, daddy" she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Rishab ruffled her hair, affectionately.

Madhu cleared her throat. She just walked back to the living room after settling the newly weds in their room.

"What's going on here?" Madhu asked suspiciously.

"Nothing" Rishab said to his wife in a casual tone. "You go sleep, honeybee. It's late, already"

"Good night, daddy" she stood up and hugged her mommy. "Good night, my paradise" she kissed her mom's cheek.

"Ah, Naira, I am stoked" Madhu said rolling her eyes and fanning her face with her fingers. Naira stuck her tongue out just like her mother does and ran to her room.

"This girl..." Madhu shook her head and threw her hands in air. "Don't know what I am going to do with her" she muttered under her breath.

"Shall we go to bed, Madhu?" Rishab asked.

"You go. I am waiting for Arjun to come home" she said brusquely and sat on the chair opposite to him instead of sitting beside him on the sofa.

Arjun had gone to drop Kathryn at her place.

--0--

"Veer, you can sleep on the bed... I will sleep on the floor or on the couch" Inayat said when she saw Veer making his bed on the couch.

"No, Inayat. That's not happening. You sleep comfortably there and I will sleep here" he said pointing to the comfy couch.

"But Veer..."

"Inayat, this couch is much comfortable than the tents we use to sleep in army camps"

"Veer, I am sorry..." She said looking down at the wool shag rug.

"Inayat, please, dont. I will wait...to have you in my arms"

"How long?"

"Forever and more"

"I...I really want to hug you...but I just couldn't do that and it hurts me. I hate myself for doing this to you..." Inayat bit her bottom lips turning it too a deeper shade of pink.

"Inayaa...please don't beat yourself up. We will be fine. Just little time we need to cross this hard phase"

"Veer, you surely are happy with our marriage, right?"

"You don't know for how long I was waiting for this day, Inayat" he said with utter sincerity and love glowing in his eyes for her. She smiled.

"Good night, Inayat"

"Night, Veer" Inayat said and crawled on the bed. Veer slumped down on the couch. They kept looking at each other longingly till sleep took over them.

--0--

"What's taking him so long?" Madhu worriedly paced the hall way.

"Relax, Madhu. He will come home safely. He might have got stuck in traffic"

"Traffic? At midnight?" Madhu asked him through gritted teeth.

"Why are you mad at me?"

"You know why, Rishab" Madhu said fidgeting her fingers and checking the drive way for every ten seconds.

"I like Arjun's friend Kathryn...she is smart and strong!" There must be some strong reason for a girl to fall prey for drugs so he didn't let himself judge her character and dislike her.

"But I don't like her, Rishab. That girl... she is mysterious... she is like a drug... making my son addictive to her..."

"Madhu, you are thinking too much..." He cut her off fearing she would catch the nub of the problem.

"Rishab, just tell me, are they just friends? or friends with benefit?"

"Madhu, why don't you ask that to your son?"

"Alright! I will ask him. I will ask him the moment he comes home..." And as if on cue Arjun pulled his car in the drive way and walked into the house.

"Mom, dad, you guys didn't hit the bed yet?" Arjun asked dropping his car key on the coffee table.

"Arjun, baby, I want to talk with you" Madhu stood up from the chair and rushed to him.

"What's it, mom?"

"You and your friend... That girl Kathy..."

"Mom, please, we are just friends so lets drop the topic here. I am going to bed. I am drained."

"Arjun, baby..." Madhu blocked him from walking past her and hugged her son and softly sniffled.

"Mom, are you crying?" Arjun panicked and tried to take a step back so that he can take a look at her face but she hugged him tightly and started crying.

"Madhu..." Rishab rushed to her side and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Arjun, you still smell like milk..."

I would have probably smelt like sex, mom, if hadn't taken the shower at Kathy's place after our quickie. He thought with a mental chuckle.

"And that proves you are still my baby..." She said caressing his stubbled cheek.

"Baby, my ass! He better not get that girl pregnant and have a baby" Rishab muttered under his breath.

"Please, Arjun, please don't fool your mother... I can see you and that girl... there is this spark... this attraction between you two...you both look sizzling hot together..." She admitted honestly though she didn't want to say all that. "...but remember every hot couple will have the coldest of cold ending..."

"Is that a curse, mom?"

"No, it's not. I am just forewarning you... you will be left heartbroken, Arjoo. You can't bear the pain, baby... so please listen to your momma and quit her... quit everything you are doing with her, now, right at this moment..."

"Oh my sweet soul just listen to me, will you?" Arjun asked cupping his mother's cheeks. "You don't look pretty when you cry so stop crying, please" he wiped off her tears and kissed her forehead.

"Now, come, sit here. Let's talk" he guided his mom to the sofa and made her sit. Then he knelt down in front of her and placing his hands on her lap, he asked "Tell me what you want me to do? You want me to cut my friendship with Kathy? But that's next to impossible. We both study in the same college. She is my classmate and we are in the same batch so we do work on projects together..."

"I know that can't happen..."

"Then?"

"Just don't do anything you will regret later, Arjun"

"I am not doing any such thing, mom and I won't do in future too. Trust me?"

Madhu nodded her head. "You are young and you have a life, Arjun, so don't spoil it"

"I won't. I promise. Now stop worrying for me." He took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Did I upset you, baby? Sorry, I got emotional"

"Ah no, mommy angel! it's fine! Tears do clean our eyes so shedding some tears once in a while is good."

"Oh really, doctor? Then tell that to my husband. He has forbidden me from crying." Madhu said looking up at her husband with a soft smile.

"But still you cry, always!" Rishab complained.

"Not always!" She scoffed.

"Now, come, my love, I will tuck you in bed" Arjun said and earned a smack at the back of his head from his dad.

"That was supposed to be my line, Arjun" he glared at his son for stealing his words.

"Ah dad, you and sweet lines never go hand in hand" he teased and hi-fied with his mom.

"Go to bed before I kick your ass, Arjun"

"Alright" Arjun raised his hands up as if surrendering. "Good night, my Sunshine" he kissed his mom's cheek and raced up the stairs to his room.

"He is such a flirt!" Rishab grumbled shaking his head in disapproval. Madhu giggled.

... To be continued!!!

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