Unedited

Part - 40

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"There is a reason behind every story... Mine is simple, I never want to lose you!"

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Arjun walked out of the bathroom taking a hot bath and wearing a pair of denim pants. "Oohhh it's too cold here" he quickly ran and grabbed his white full sleeve T-shirt from the bed.

He was about to throw his T-shirt on when someone knocked at the door. "Come in" he shouted hoping it was his girlfriend.

Inayat walked in and quickly turned around seeing Arjun's bare chest. Well, he thought to flaunt his waist up nakedness to his girlfriend and seek her attention but didn't mean to embarrass his shy bhabi.

"Sorry" she muttered softly.

Arjun chuckled and quickly slipped his hands into the shirt arm holes and tried to pull it down but it got stuck mid face, refusing to go down further. "Ahh.. Somebody help me. I can't breathe. I can't breathe." He yelled like a child pulling the hem of his shirt.

Inayat quickly ran to him and unbuttoned the top two buttons, widening the neck space. "How many times I told you to undo the neck buttons before wearing your shirt, Izzaan?" She scolded forgetting the fact that she wasn't talking to her brother. "But you never listen to me at all"

"Bhabhi" Arjun offered her a small smile before gently shaking her shoulder.

Inayat blinked her eyes rapidly as if coming out of her reverie. She slowly took her shaky hand and placed her palm on Arjun's cheek. "He is not Izzaan, my baby" she murmured to herself.

"I am so sorry... I scolded you" she said caressing his cheek still finding it hard to believe it wasn't her brother. "I thought... I... I..." She stammered.

"I know. It's okay. Relax." He held her shoulders for support and gently rubbed her back.

"Never in his life he wore his shirt properly. He always shrieked 'Ammi, I am stuck. Help me. Ammi, I can't breathe. I can't breathe.' And I have to run leaving all my work to help him." Inayat talked softly as tears stung her eyes remembering those were his last lines too. Ammi, I can't breathe. He cried struggling to breath but she couldn't help him then.

"Ammi?" Arjun asked, surprised.

"He used to call me ammi because he never got to see our mother..."

"Oh" he smiled.

"I am sorry. It's your birthday and I don't want to upset you." She said forcing a smile on her face. "I just came to give you something..." she opened her palm and showed him a thin and plain gold chain. "My birthday gift for you. Will you wear it?"

Arjun smiled before bowing his head a little wordlessly asking her to put the chain for him.

"Thank you" Inayat said happily and quickly hooked it around his neck.

"I will always wear this chain, bhabhi" he promised as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. It was a gesture he always did to show his love and respect he had for her. 

--0--

Kathy took a quick shower, got dressed and packed her things, ready to leave before Arjun and his mother woke up.

"Hey, good morning" Rishab greeted her as he walked into the open bedroom. He found his daughter Naira still sleeping on the bed covering her body from head to toe.

Kathy scooped her hair up and tied it with a hair tie before turning around and smiling at him. "Good morning, uncle"

"Going somewhere?"

"Yeah, Airport."

"Spend the day with us, baby. You can go home, tomorrow or Wednesday, when we are returning home!"

"Oh no no! I have to leave now" Kathy shook her head vigorously in denial. "Is Arjun up?"

"I don't know. I had gone for jogging and just came back." he wanted to check on her before going to take his shower. 

"Is Arjun's mommy up?"

"No, I guess."

"Good. I will escape before she finds me, okay?" she said softly as if telling him a secret.  

Why is she so scared of my Madhu? What's happened? Rishab thought with a frown. 

She hurriedly grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. "Thanks for letting me stay here last night, uncle. Bye." She gave him a quick peck on his cheek.

"Do you know skiing?" Rishab asked. 

"Yeah, I know but why do you ask me that now?" she stopped in track and replied to him. 

"We're going to Gulmarg today and there, we have planned to do skiing. It would be so much fun you know. I would like you to join us, would you?" 

"I love skiing... but I can't come with you... I mean I can come with you but not with your family... no, to be exact I can't come with your wife... I'm so sorry!" 

"Why is that so?"

"Your wife... she doesn't like me, especially after last night" she whispered. 

"No, Kathryn, you are wrong. She likes you...um, at least, she has nothing against you." he amends his statement. 

"No, she is so mad at me right now" 

"No, she is mad at our son Arjun. She didn't like the way he behaved with you, last night."

"I was also a part of that act, uncle, so obviously she would be so mad at me, right? Actually, I know for sure, she is hell angry on me. I saw the anger in her eyes, last night. Oh jeez! I'm shit scared of her." she cried. 

"What act?" he wondered loudly. Maybe, she is referring to the slap she gave to Arjun! But that's one well deserved slap and I know Madhu would agree with me so why would she be angry on Kathryn? He thought.

"She didn't tell you anything about it yet yet?" 

"What's there to tell when I was there on the spot?" he asked.

"Oh shit nay!" Kathy cursed. "This is so embarrassing." she covered her face and turned away from him. "You too saw us making out in the kitchen!" she cried. 

"You guys made out in the kitchen? Ewww!" It was Naira who said that in utter disgust. 

When the hell she woke up? Kathryn thought irately. 

"Ah hell nah!" she stomped her foot, pissed at herself for being so loud and waking her up with this breaking news "I wish the ground would swallow me up right at this moment!" she cried in frustration. 

"Hey, cool down. I didn't see anything. I thought you were talking about the issue happened last night when you came here to celebrate his birthday party." Rishab said scratching his forehead. 

Now he understood how his son had gone to the bed from the floor. Last night, he remembered going to sleep having his two sons on either side of him, in the living room, but when he woke up only Veer was sleeping next to him and Arjun was missing so he took a peek at the bedroom where his wife and mother slept and there he found him sleeping between the two ladies like a baby.

Rishab thought Arjun wouldn't have felt comfortable on the floor so went to the bed but now only he realized his wife had dragged him to the bed and sandwiched him between her and his mother so that he won't run back to Kathryn.

"Oh" Kathy breathed a sigh of relief after knowing he didn't catch them in any awkward position just like his wife had.  

"So you guys patched up?" Naira asked curiously.

"Yeah" 

"I wonder how you guys sorted it out so soon?" 

"He fed me. He said he loves me. We kissed..." she shrugged. "And that's how we mended things." 

"Oh, cool" Naira smiled genuinely at Kathy for the first time. She wished she had a cool boyfriend like Kathryn's or a caring husband like Inayat's. 

Kathy's lips too curved a little.

"Naira, you go get ready quickly. We have to start in an hour. Gulmarg is quite far from here. It will take us at least 1 and half hours to reach there."

"Alright, dad" Naira said and rolled off the bed and headed to the bathroom after collecting her necessary things.

"What about you?"

"Your wife..."

"She won't eat you!" He snapped. She gulped, nervously.

"Come with us." He insisted. He knew his son would be happy if she joined them in this trip. He wanted his son to be happy, not only on his birthday but always. "I will take care of you..." he assured her placing his palm on her soft cheek. He would take care of the girl his son loves. He vowed to himself. "But try to maintain some distance..." Before he could finish off his sentence she cuts him off. "Don't worry, uncle. I will stay 10 feet away from your wife."

"Not from my wife. Maintain some distance from my son Arjun." He said giving her a tight smile. He wanted his wife to be happy and worry-free too so he said so.

"Uh-huh!" she wasn't sure whether that was possible. "Alright" still she conceded. 

"Good. Now, go chance to some jeans and sweater"

"What's wrong with these shorts and camisole?" She asked, offended.

"Nothing is wrong, dear. You look pretty in these shorts and camisole but I don't want you to freeze in this cold weather. Remember, we are going to the mountain peak."

"But we will be wearing ski suits and ski boots, right?"

"Kathryn, already your fingers are blue and your face is too pale" he said tiredly. 

It's hard to convince this girl! He thought shaking his head. 

"Just wear something warm and comfortable. I don't want you falling sick."

"Sweet" Kathy smiled widely showing all her teeth.

Go get ready" he said giving her a gentle slap on her cheek and walked out of that room.

--0--

"Hi" Arjun took a seat at the back beside Kathryn in the mini-van. 

"Hi" Kathy replied for courtesy sake and turned her face towards the window.

"Still mad at me?" he asked in a whisper as he nuzzled her ear. 

"Move away and sit or else your mommy will freak out" she said as she shoved him little away. 

"Ah nah! She wouldn't have a problem. She is such a sweetheart you know..." 

"Arjun!" his mother's loud tone made him jump. 

"Yeah, what mom?" 

"Sit with your sister and dadi. Your dad and I will sit in the back with her" 

Kathryn covered her mouth with her fingers to hide her smile. She knew this was coming.

"Mom, the ride will be bumpy and you won't be comfortable sitting here. You sit in the front with Naira di and dadi..." 

"You do as I say!" she ordered. 

"Fine" he grumbled before moving to the front. 

Madhu shoved her husband to the back and made him sit in between her and Kathryn. 

Kathryn smiled at Rishab and looped her arm around his arm. Seeing that, Madhu too looped her arm around his other arm. Rishab huffed and rolled his eyes at his wife's childish behaviour. 

"Shall we start?" Veer asked glancing at Inayat who was sitting beside him. He was the driver for the day as he was familiar with the routes.

Inayat nodded her head with a shy smile as he toyed with her wedding ring. 

"Yes" everyone chorused but still the minivan didn't come to life and start moving. 

"Bro, I think you're not holding the gear shift but bhabhi's hand." Arjun like a genius found the reason behind why the minivan was still static.  

"Shut up" Veer hissed at him before letting his wife's hand go and starting the engine. 

The smooth and silent ride made Arjun sleepy.

He leaned his head against the window and dozed off.

After few minutes, he woke up when the terrain got rough and bumpy.

He subtly yawned and let his eyes roam around his family members.

He smiled seeing how contented his brother and bhabhi were just by holding each other's hand. "They still haven't let each other's hand go?"

He wished his girl was sitting next to him but not behind him. He missed holding her soft hands and feeling blissful just like how his brother would feel now holding his bhabhi hand. 

He, then, cast his eyes on his sister who was busy studying her phone. He got curious and spied her phone hoping to find her chatting with one of her boyfriends but to his utter disappointment she was reading a case judgment. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "For this reason, you will stay single forever, Naira di" he thought. 

His dadi was interestingly playing PUBG, an online multiplayer game, in her phone. "How many ever times I tell her not to play mobile games as her eye sight is poor, she wouldn't listen to me at all!"  He slapped his face with his palm and shook his head in hopelessness.  

Then he titled his head back to see what his mom, dad and Kathy were doing. 

Madhu was crunching a Munch chocolate. "She always grinds something in her mouth" he thought with a chuckle. 

Rishab was resting his head back and had his eyes closed. Maybe, sleeping.

"You want, husband?" his mother poked his father's arm and asked whether he wanted her half eaten Munch. He opened his eyelids, turned his head to her side and gave her a sharp glare. 

"Okay, I get that look. You go back to sleep. I won't disturb you."

"You already disturbed his sleep, mom" Arjun thought, mentally laughing. 

And finally he craned his neck further to take a peek at his girl but she wasn't sitting there.

"What the?" He panicked.

He swiftly turned around and knelt on his seat to have a clear look at the back seat. "Oh thank God!" He sighed in relief.

"What?" Rishab asked in pissed off tone.

"She is here" Arjun breathed. Kathryn had curled herself to a ball and was sleeping in her seat placing her head on Rishab's lap and he was gently caressing her hair. She looked serene. "I thought she had jumped off" he said his worry out loudly.

Madhu rolled her eyes before asking him to sit but he kept gazing at Kathy in daze.

"She is cute" the words of adoration came out of his mouth without his control.

Madhu glanced at Kathryn and said "Yes, she is" Though she wasn't fond of Kathryn she had to agree that she indeed looked cute like a baby while sleeping. "Now, you sit!" She told him again.

"Mom?" Arjun looked at her with eyes full of determination.

"What?" She asked casually.

"I want to marry her" he confessed pointing his finger at a sleeping Kathryn.

"WHAT!?" Madhu yelled and at the same time Veer swiftly applied the brake, bringing the van to an abrupt halt and looked behind at his brother in shock. Inayat was shocked too and worried about her mom in law's reaction to Arjun's unanticipated announcement.

"Shush!" Rishab shushed his wife as he gently patted Kathryn's shoulder feeling her stir. He didn't want her to wake up now and hear this convo. He knew she wasn't ready for marriage yet, even his son wasn't but he was just stating what was inevitable now.

"Have you gone nuts? You are still in college, Arjun! And don't forget your dream of becoming a neurosurgeon!" Naira shouted.

"Naira, tone down!" Rishab admonished her.

"Why are you admonishing her when she is talking some sense into him?" Madhu fought with him.

"Madhu calm down. Our boy hasn't said when he wants to get married to her yet, has he?" Rishab asked softly. She shook her head in negation and looked at her son expectantly.

"When?" Rishab pressed when he remained silent.

"9 years from today..." Arjun replied after making a quick mental calculation. "...after I complete my neurosurgical training program and obtain my license and a job, I want to marry her."

"Thank goodness, you didn't say 'right at this moment' or else I would have had a heart attack!" Madhu said placing her hand over her chest feeling her throbbing heart. Rishab wrapped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer to him to give her comfort. He could feel her anxiety.

"You're so dramatic, Madhu" Radha teased her. "I think you are forgetting he is 21 now and it's a marriageable age for men so there is nothing wrong even if he wants to get married right at this moment." She laughed saying that.

"Mom! This is no joke so stop seeding stupid ideas in his mind!" Madhu bursts out. Radha's laughed ceased as she regretted her joke.

"Calm down! Calm down!" Rishab whispered as he petted his wife's hair.

"Sorry" "Sorry" both Radha and Madhu said at once.

"Why did you say it now?" Rishab asked his son, irately. He didn't like the unnecessary shock his son gave to his wife. "My poor wife almost had a panic attack" he thought.

"I don't know..." He wondered himself what possessed him to bring this marriage topic now when he clearly had so many years ahead before he thought about it. "Maybe, seeing Kathryn like this..." He paused to look down at his dad's lap where she had placed her angelic face.

"Like what?" Madhu asked, confused.

"For the first time, I am seeing her sleep peacefully, mom" He muttered. "I want to give her this peace and contentment all her life." He said gently caressing her cheek. "And for that to happen, she needs a family. She needs us." He knew how much she longed to have a perfect family like his. "So yeah, I wanna marry her and take her into my perfect family."

"Your brother is just like you" Inayat said softly to Veer. He smiled nodding his head in agreement. Just like him, his brother too wanted to give his girl a perfect happy family where she would feel loved, cherished and protected.

"Oh my baby, I didn't know you love her this hard and deep." Madhu said in awe.

"Too late to realize when it was too obvious, Madhu" Rishab commented with a chuckle. Madhu elbowed him quite painfully. "Ouch" he yelped in pain and bounced his legs.

Kathryn jumped off his lap, startled and asked him in concern "What... What's wrong? Are you okay, uncle?"

"Nothing, baby. I am fine." He said rubbing his abdomen region.

"You sure, uncle?"

He nodded. "You go back to sleep."

She shook her head. She wasn't feeling sleepy now.

"We reached?" She asked as she looked outside the window. "Why have we stopped here?" She asked with a frown.

"We are about to reach" Veer answered as he revved up the engine and drove off.

... To be continued!

Major twist is coming up in Naira's love life! Keep reading to know that!

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