UNEDITED

Part - 25

-------------

"Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own"

-------------

"Are you feeling okay now?" Madhu asked her daughter in law in concern who was busy making aloo poori for breakfast.

"I am fine, ammi" Inayat said with a small smile. She looked bright as sunshine. There was no trace of dullness in her face. Maybe, waking up in her husband's arms did the magic. They slept at two ends last night but somehow they were pulled together like a magnetic energy and to her surprise she didn't experience panic attack having her husband breathe so close to her. She wanted to freeze the moment as she felt so comfortable and protected in his arms but she couldn't so she just prolonged the moment admiring her peacefully sleeping husband before sneaking out of the bed to perform ablutions and Morning Prayer.

"Good" Madhu didn't miss to notice the secret smile on Inayat's face. She felt happy about that and went back cooking oats upma for her daughter Naira. She was very health conscious.

"Ammi, do we have apples?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes, we do"

"Can I make apple pudding? Veer likes it"

"Of course, you can and you know you don't have to ask, right? It's your home, Inayat"

Inayat simply nodded her head with a smile.

"Oh and I have a sweet tooth so make extra pudding for me."

"Sure, ammi" she smiled and asked "Where's uncle?"

"I knew you would be surprised to see me in the kitchen this early because usually you will have your uncle's company, right?"

"Um... Yeah" though it was hardly a week since she started living with them, she had built a bond with each and every one of them, mainly with her father in law as they spend more time in kitchen.

"He slept late last night so I told him to sleep a little longer and I will help you in preparing breakfast"

"Is he upset or something?" Inayat asked sensing some trouble.

"Yes, he is kinda upset... He didn't like the way Arjun's behaved last night and he couldn't reach that girl Kathryn. He was worried for her and he couldn't sleep well"

"It's my fault. I didn't mean to cry and put off everyone's mood. And I really feel terrible for Arjun's girlfriend. She faced the brunt because of me. She saw me crying and only then she fought with Arjun. I... I don't know... I just couldn't control myself last night... I am really sorry, ammi. Please forgive me." Inayat took hold of Madhu's hand seeking her forgiveness.

"Ohho Inayat! There's no fault in your part so no need to feel guilty. Just don't cry, at least not in front of Veer. He hates tears just like his dad and he can't handle a teary eyed woman. If you want to cry then go to Arjun. He will console you for a whole day and make you smile in the end. I seek him whenever I put a fight with my husband. He helps me in brightening my mood" Madhu said with a soft chuckle. Inayat smiled fondly. She agreed with the part 'Veer hates tears' but not with the 'Veer sucks in consoling an emotional woman' because he had been doing an exceptional job in soothing her whenever she broke down.

--0--

“What are you two doing in my room?” Veer asked his siblings spotting them in his room when he stepped out of the bathroom taking his shower.

“Were you expecting bhabhi to sit here and drool over your half naked body?” Arjun teased. Naira giggled. Veer rolled his eyes and went back to the dressing room after picking his clothes from the bed where his wife had neatly pressed and kept. He told her not to press his clothes as he can do that job on his own but she said she won’t be doing that job till he comes home for the next time but only today.

“You’re not going to the court, Naira?” Veer asked walking out of the dressing room.

“Nope, I want to be here to see you off. Roe is there to represent the case on my behalf.”

“Roe is treating you nice, right?” Veer asked in concern though he knew already Roe was a gentleman and he would treat his sister with respect.

“To my utter surprise, even after everything, every pain I gave him, he is treating me nice like he always had. No grudge, no hatred, no vengefulness. He sees me as his work partner on the professional side and a good friend on the personal side.”

“If I was in your place I would have married Roe by now and gone to Switzerland for our honeymoon and came back home only after having a baby, Naira di” he joked but there was a hint of seriousness in his statement. He wanted his sister to realize her lose.

“You know what? You guys are lucky.”

Veer and Arjun shared an identical look of confusion.

“On what basis you state we are lucky, Naira di, when you get all the privileges in this house for being an only girl child of our family and being treated like a princess by dad?” Arjun questioned back. “You called off your wedding but dad stood by your side and I asked my girlfriend to get out of our house for ruining our dinner but that made him to go mad on me. He hasn’t spoken to me since last night. He is giving me the look that clearly screams ‘you are an asshole and don’t show your face to me’. Is it fair to treat me this way?” he asked pissed.

“Yes, it is” Veer said. “Because you hurt a woman and you know how vehemently dad opposes that”

Arjun growled at his brother. “Dad himself knows he is biased but he will never stop favoring girls.”

“Hey, cool. Let’s not go there now.” Naira intervened. She selfishly enjoys her father’s support so she never wants him to stop doing that. “I said you guys are lucky in the context of having one person in your life. Veer loves Inayat and she loves him back. You love Kathryn and…”

“She doesn’t love me back” Arjun beats her.

“Oh” Naira didn’t know that. She thought they were one ‘It’ couple, too cool and too hot in equal proportion.

“Whatever! You don’t have any confusion. It’s either her or her but in my case I have two men. One loves me and another one, I love.”

“Love triangle is always complicate.” Veer huffed out and felt glad he had a straight forward love and marriage.

“I know right”

“You better marry neither of them, Naira di. Find someone else so that there won’t be any confusion” Arjun said gruffly.

“Stop joking, Arjun”

“I am serious, Naira di. I don’t think you can live with either of them”

“Why?”

“You don’t love Roe. Sab doesn’t love you. Then what will you do with these two fellas?"

"What if Sab falls in love with me?" She asked in a challenging tone.

"What if you fall in love with Roe?" He retorted.

Naira sighed. "That's not going to happen. I love Sab."

"Then Sab falling in love with you might not happen too"

"Stop being negative, Arjun. I think Sab likes me. He wants a relationship with me. He told me so."

"Really?" Veer asked with a frown. "Well, if he wanted a relationship with you then why were you upset last night?"

"Um... No, I wasn't upset." Naira tried to cover up.

"You were upset and angry. You even took out the anger on my girl" Arjun said with a pout.

"Hey, I defended you although you acted like a brute" Naira said and slapped him.

"Ahh, its hurting" Arjun yelled as he rubbed the place she slapped him. "Did I really behave badly with her?"

"Yes, you did" Veer and Naira unanimously agreed.

"Oh no! Do you guys think that's the end of my love story?" He asked slumping back on the bed with a painful sigh. He knew he should apologize to his girl but he was reserving it. He didn't want to make Kathy madder than she already was.

"Love? What kind of love you share with your girl, Arjun?" Naira asked curiously. Arjun frowned. What stupid question is that? He thought. Love is love. Are there kinds in love? How come I not know that? He wondered.

"I think I didn't get you, Naira di" he said and looked at his brother hoping he would help him but he shrugged his shoulders implying he didn't get her question as well.

"Platonic love or Romantic love?" She elaborated.

Arjun thought for few seconds contemplating whether to answer to this question or not and decided to answer. "Purely romantic"

Actually purely physical! He thought but he couldn't tell that to his bro and sis.

"So it's not wrong to have a romantic relationship with Sab to find love between us, right?" Naira asked.

"What?" Veer yelled as he stood up from the bed. "What exactly he wants from you, Naira?" His protective instinct kicked in.

"He wants us to be friends... And when I am ready he said we can be little more than just friends. If we find love in each other we will get married otherwise say our goodbyes." Naira confessed everything he said without looking at her brothers.

"Very practical approach. Seems like a cool guy to me." Arjun voted for Sabeer's suggestion.

"Cool my foot!" Veer scoffed at his brother showing his disapproval "Is this you meant when you said he wanted a relationship with you?" He asked his sister as he pulled her up by her arms to face him. She nodded her head. "Naira, I don't like what he proposed to you."

"He is too straightforward, I agree bro but I don't find any wrong in that. He is just like dad, frank and straight to the point"

"Don't compare this doctor guy with dad!" Veer grimaced. "Have you told dad what he suggested you?" He asked his sister and she shook her head frantically with wide eyes full of fear. "Ah, I knew it. Dad would have whipped his ass by now if you had told him!"

"Veer, you are getting him wrong. He respects me and he just suggested. He didn't force anything on me. He wants us to gradually progress in our relationship..."

"If you have a connection, a bond, then your relationship will gradually progress on its own. You need not put in words what you expect from your partner in future. It's like cautioning you that he will use you and dispose you but you should not sue him..."

"No, it's not like that" Naira denied to agree.

"Naira, love and intimacy should happen on the spur of the moment. You don't plan to love someone. You don't plan to kiss the one you love. It just happens. You get that, right?" He asked his sister holding her by her shoulder.

"I want Sab" she petulantly repeated the same to everyone like broken record. Both Veer and Arjun sighed in annoyance.

"You. Are. Obsessed. For. Him." Veer emphasized his words so that she would get that in her thick head. “I really feel your liking for Sabeer so unhealthy.” He said without any reservation.

Arjun nodded his head seconding his bro’s statement. "You don't get everything you want, Naira di. Oh and mind it, this time even dad can't buy him for you"

Naira looked at her brothers with disappointment. She hoped they would say something nice and positive but they didn’t.

"Naira, just don't lose yourself to him just because you want him. He should want you too. He should genuinely fall for you without any expectations from you." Veer cupped his sister’s face in his hands and said softly hoping to make some sense to her.

“Alright” Naira hugged her brother feeling emotional.

"Veer" Inayat knocked at the door before slightly opening it and poking her head in. When her eyes met with her husband's she silently asked him whether she can enter in.

"Uffo bhabhi, it's your room. You need not seek your husband's permission. Come on in" Arjun jumped in before Veer could reply her. Inayat smiled at him and walked in carrying a tray in her hand.

“I made apple pudding for you guys. Wanna try?” she asked as she puts forward the tray for them to take the bowls.

“Wow, my favorite” Veer was the first one to grab the pudding bowl and offered a smile to his wife.

“So it’s specially made for your husband, not for us” Arjun faked hurt.

“No, I… um, okay, I agree, it’s Veer’s favorite sweet dish so I made it for him but I want you all to try” she confessed truthfully as she couldn’t lie.

“Of course, we will try, bhabhi” With a huge grin Arjun took one bowl.

“Thanks” Naira took the last bowl smiling at Inayat.

“Whoa, what’s this yaar?” Arjun asked looking at Inayat after swallowing a spoonful of sweetness.

“You didn’t like it?” Inayat asked biting her lower lips.

“Oh bhabhi” he shook his head and got out of the bed and suddenly plunged to the floor on his knees in front of Inayat making her jump a step back. “May I kiss your hand?” he asked holding his hand out for her to place hers over it.

Inayat swiftly darted her gaze at her husband who held the spoon in mid air. Ever he was stunned hearing what his little brother asked. There was nothing wrong in him kissing his wife’s hand but still he worried how Inayat would react to that.

With little hesitance, Inayat offered him her shaky hand. He was like a brother to her. Moreover, she already felt so guilty that because of her he fought with his girlfriend. She had hurt him and she didn’t want to hurt him more by being rude.

Arjun with a smile gently held her fingers with his hand and leaning forward placed a small kiss on her knuckle.

“Astaghfirullah (I seek forgiveness from Allah)” Inayat muttered under her breath when she felt her brother in law’s kiss on her hand.

Though her husband was in the room and letting his brother kiss his wife’s hand, she still felt she was doing wrong to him, mainly when she was not letting him touch her. “I’m sorry” she mouthed looking at Veer as she eyes brimmed with tears.

“Hey, smile” Veer mouth back and smiled at her and she mimicked his action. 

“I have never tasted such a toothsome morsel ever in my life. The smoothness of butter, richness of almonds and sweetness of apples were perfectly gelled. It’s so delicious. I love it. Thank you so much, bhabhi” he brought her hand closer to his eyes and touched them.

“Thank you” Inayat’s lips curved a little as she gently withdrew her hand from his hold.

“He is right, Inayat. The pudding is yummy” Naira said showing her empty bowl.

“Thank you”

“You won’t say anything bro?” Arjun asked as he stood up from the floor and went back to eat the remaining in the bowl.

“What’s there to say when she already knows how much I love her apple pudding?” Veer said nonchalantly. He never expressed much to her. He always believed she understood his unsaid words and feelings.

“You often make this pudding for him?” Arjun asked feeling envious of his brother for getting the chance to eat that delectable sweet dish. 

“No, on occasions like his birthday or my brother’s birthday I make it.”

“You celebrated your birthdays with them for the last four years?” Naira asked. 

“Yeah” Veer grinned sheepishly. She would treat him with the best dinner she could ever serve. She had never let him miss his home or homemade food on his birthdays. 

“Bhabhi, one day you’re going to tell us how you met Veer bro and how you guys fell in love, okay?” Arjun insisted.

“There is nothing much to tell.” He knew how uncomfortable Inayat gets to talk about their love life. It’s not like she didn’t like it or found it uninteresting... for her, for them, their love story was the best but she wasn’t the type to expose it to the world. “We just met and rest all streamed like a river, nothing planned.” Veer said looking at his sister trying to convey a message. “And now, I would like you two to vacate my room so that I can spend some time with my wife”

“Alright! We’re leaving. Have fun" Arjun said and walked out of the room. Naira followed him.

--0--

“You sure you don’t want me to come to the Airport?” Inayat asked feeling upset.

“Yes, I am”

“Why, Veer?”

He sighed. “I just don’t take my family with me whenever I leave home for a longer period, Inayat. My dad is the only exception to that rule.”

“Why is that so?”

“That’s because only he keeps his emotions in check. He doesn’t bawl out like the rest of my family.”

“I won’t cry” she promised and gave him a pleading look. He shot his brow up and gave her an incredulous look. “I cried a lot last night and there are no more tears to shed, believe me, Veer” she said cutely. He was so tempted to take her with him. He wanted to cherish every single moment he gets with her but he couldn’t. He had always told his mother not to come to the railway station or Airport to see him off because her tears make it hard for him to go away from her and now if he took his wife to the Airport who had promised him not to cry, he felt his mother might feel bad. She might think her son was giving importance to her daughter in laws’ feelings but not to hers.

“If I take you to the Airport, I might just get you a flight ticket and take you to Kashmir along with me. You ready for that?” He asked with a smile.

"I might just come with you" she whispered looking at her feet. With time ticking away she started feeling anxious. "I think I will miss you"

"You think? Ouch, you wounded me" He said teasingly placing his fist over his heart region.

"I know I will miss you terribly." She amended.

"And I will miss you but I have to go. You know that, right?"

She nodded. "Veer..." she stopped when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in" he called out. Rishab opened the door and stepped in.

"Dad" Veer stood up. Inayat adjusted her hijab and bowed her head.

"You ready? It's almost time to leave" Rishab reminded him looking at his wrist watch.

"Yeah, I will come down in two minutes"

"Alright. I will take your bags down?" He offered.

"No, dad. I just have a backpack. I will get that myself."

"Okay" Rishab nodded and left their room.

"Inayat, here" he passed her his credit and debit cards. "Use these cards for your expenses. Go out and shop with my maa or Naira. I have asked Arjun to show Mumbai city to you whenever he gets time. He loves eating so when you go out with him make sure you treat him..."

"Veer, you have already given me a huge sum (Mahr money) on our Nikah. I will use that if I need anything..."

"No, that's for your future. You don't touch on that unless and until you really need the money."

"Veer..."

"Inayaa, you have never let me spend on you before marriage and I respected that but now you are my wife and it will give me immense happiness if you spend from what I earn. Carte Blanche for you!"

"Thank you" she smiled.

"Ah, time is running out and I have lot to say."

"Say" she said and waited for him to say whatever he wanted to say. She could just listen to him speak all her life.

"Don't go out on your own. Always take someone with you, okay?" He instructed. She nodded.

"Don't stay in this room all day. Go and spend some time with maa, dadi..."

"I know, Veer. I like them. I will be fine here."

"Yeah, okay. Whatelse?" He scratched his temple trying to remember whatelse he missed to say to her.

"Naira can be little rude at times and Arjun can be annoying, always but don't mind them." He said with a chuckle. Inayat didn't comment on that but just smiled.

"Inayat, take care of my family for me, please"

"They are my family too so you don't have to worry about them. I will take care of them." She promised.

"So I will leave?" He asked feeling heavy at his heart.

"Hmm" she hummed meekly. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulders and took his steps in backwards fixing his gaze on her. She stood rooted to her place and fidgeted with her fingers.

He held the door knob but didn't twist it and open. He wanted to give her something and he couldn't move his feet without giving her that. He dropped his bag down and took a deep breathe before striding back to her.

She looked up at him with a curious frown.

"I am sorry" Veer said before holding her face between his palms and planting a tight kiss on her forehead. She closed her eyes and held her breath as she stood paralysed.

He wanted to drag his lips down to her lips and kiss her there but he resisted himself as he didn't want to frighten her. "I am sorry" he apologized again for touching her and kissing her without her consent and turned around to walk away but froze to his spot when she hugged him from behind, utterly taking him by surprise. "I am yours, Veer" she muttered letting him know he need not feel guilty and apologize to her for kissing her. "I am yours" she repeated and pressed her forehead against his shoulder, savouring the moment. "Take care" she said before releasing him from her hold and moving away.

"I will" he replied with a contented smile and picking his bag, he dragged his feet out of the room. Inayat took a minute to normalise her heart beat before going down to the living room to join the family.

--0--

"Dadi" Veer took Radha's blessing and hugged her. "Take care of your health"

"My health is perfectly fine and I am not going anywhere without seeing my great grandkids" she said confidently. Inayat blushed slightly and looked away.

"Couple more years you have to wait" Veer said softly to his grandma.

"Maybe your little brother will knock up his girlfriend sooner and get me a great grandkid." She said winking at Arjun.

"I just lost my girlfriend, dadi" Arjun faked a cry.

"Don't worry my boy. You will get her with your charm." Radha hugged both her grandsons.

"Mom, let me hug my boy" Madhu poked her mom-in-laws arm.

Veer moved to his mother and wrapped his arms around her shoulder tightly and stayed like that for few good seconds. She was like an energy booster to him. "Come back to momma as same as you leave now, okay?" He nodded his head and kissed her forehead just like he kissed his wife. They were his two most special women and they deserved equal love from him. "Take care, maa" he said. She nodded with a smile.

Then he moved to his sister and hugged her. "Don't worry. Don't hurry. Just listen to your heart, Naira" he whispered near her ear before parting away from her.

"Don't say anything, Arjun. I will keep up with my promise" Veer didn't want his brother to repeat those words which made his wife cry last night.

"Good" Arjun punched his bro's chest before hugging him.

"Apologize to your girl and patch up with her. She is really nice so never let her go" Veer advised.

"Done?" Rishab asked impatiently.

"Yeah" he raked his fingers through his hair and turned to look at his wife.

"Take Inayat with you to the Airport, Veer" Madhu suggested noticing the yearning desire between them.

"You sure?" Veer asked.

"Yeah"

"Then you also can come, maa" he said as he held her hand.

"And get scolding from your father all the way back home for crying?" She asked with a smirk. Veer chuckled.

"Come, Inayaa" he said and walked ahead to the car. She followed him to the car.

"Inayat is coming with us?" Rishab asked. He was settled on the driver seat.

"Yeah" Veer nodded.

"Then you take the back seat" he pointed his thumb behind.

"Cool" he left his bag on the passenger seat and went to the rear seat to sit with his wife.

He waved bye to his family as the car zoomed past the gate and taking out his phone he quickly typed "Thank you for sending Inayat with me and I love you, maa" and sent it. After shoving his phone in his pockets, he turned to his side and feeling his gaze on her, Inayat too turned her head and they shared a smile before settling to comfortable silence.

--0--

"Dad, exactly a month from now you are bringing her to me. I want to get our marriage officially registered"

"Alright"

"Inayat, you remember what I said right?" He asked. She frowned. "He said a lot to me and now what exactly he's asking about?" She thought.

"If you want to see me, tell to dad. He will get you to me. Right, dad?"

"Of course" Rishab agreed.

"Okay" she whispered.

"Take care of maa, dad"

"Whoa! To your mother you said 'take care, maa' and to me you are saying 'take care of maa' then what about me, son?"

"You're strong enough to take care of yourself, dad so I need not tell you anything" Veer said with a smirk.

"Ahaan! At least give me a hug" Rishab opened his arms for his son and they braced each other.

"I am not going to tell you anything as well because you know what you are doing." He patted his son's back twice before pulling apart.

"Time to board" Veer said when he heard the final boarding call. "Bye, dad. Bye, Inayat"

"Bye" they said in unison and Inayat moved a little closer to hef father in law for moral support.

Veer turned around and started heading to the boarding gate.

"Be safe, Veer" Inayat called at the top of her voice. Rishab smiled fondly at his daughter in law.

Veer looked at his wife over his shoulder and nodded his head with a smile.

--0--

"Give me a minute, Inayat. I have to take this call" Rishab said as he pulled over the car on the curb. They were now heading back home after seeing off Veer in the Airport. "Hello, Kathryn, you okay?" He asked in a rushed tone.

"I am okay, uncle" she coolly replied from the other.

"Why didn't you attend my calls or reply to my texts? I was worried, you know"

"I am sorry, uncle. I don't have any valid reasons for not replying to you. I just wasn't in mood to talk to anyone."

"I understand"

"Thanks, uncle and I need a favour from you"

"Anything, dear" he said.

"Can you be my scribe for tomorrows and other upcoming exams?"

"What? Why do you need a scribe? Why can't you write? What happened to you?"

"Calm down, uncle. Nothing happened to me yet. I just broke my left hand, my writing hand"

"What the heck have you done to yourself, Kathryn?" Rishab asked through gritted teeth. He can bet and say her injury wasn't an accident. He had studied Kathryn that much to guess she brought that to herself.

Inayat sitting next to him on the passenger seat gave him a worried look.

"Uncle calm down. I am fine. Just tell me, will you be my scribe or not? I don't know much people here, uncle." She said helplessly. "In fact you are my only friend I can rely upon... so please help me, uncle"

"Oh Kathryn!" He sighed rubbing his forehead. He didn't know how to help this crazy girl who tends to harm herself physically to forget her pain. "Baby, don't do this, please. Self-harming is not going to help you. And yeah, I will be your scribe."

"Uncle..." Her voice cracked hearing him call her 'baby'. She felt fatherly affection and care in his words. "...thank you"

"Kathryn, did you check with a doctor or you want me to come and take you to the hospital" he asked.

"Thanks but no thanks, uncle. I have already taken a scan..." She paused.

"And?"

"My knuckles are cracked and badly bruised... it will take a couple of weeks to heal"

"What exactly you did?"

"I... I... Punched my fist against my car window"

"Were you that angry on my son that you hurt yourself?” he asked in disbelief. When she left their home last night she surely was hurt but he didn’t think she was mad. Something must have happened after that. Who provoked her to hurt herself? He wondered. “Kathryn, you could have better fought with my son or even punched him for being an asshole to you instead of harming yourself."

"No! No, uncle! I didn’t do this because of Arjun. It's something else. Something personal"

Her bloody parents then it must be! He thought.

"Kathryn..." he started to ask was it her parents but she cuts him off.

"Uncle, I have lot of study to do now so I will catch you later. Bye."

"Kathryn, just don't do anything stupid"

"I won't" she promised before hanging up.

Rishab shook his head in dismay and put his phone back in his pocket before starting the car.

"How is she?" Inayat asked tentatively.

"She has gone crazy" Rishab muttered without thinking. "I am sorry" he bit his tongue for the slip.

"With the one side conversation I heard I can make this much that she's hurt herself..."

"Yeah, she has and I think she always does that and she has no one to tell her that's wrong."

"She has Arjun. She has us, uncle"

"That's true but she is not letting us mend her. She is broken beyond repair I think!"

"No, uncle. She can't be like this forever. She will want us just like I wanted Veer and you people...to help me" 

"You are right, Inayat" Rishab smiled. Inayat returned the smile.

... To be continued!

OMG!!! 5100+ WORDS' UPDATE!!! So I think a long update worths the wait!

Hope the update wasn't bad and you all enjoyed it!!!

Please VOTE & COMMENT!

Thanks!