Hello friends...

I'm back with the next part...

Enjoy reading the update...

FATE TWISTED BY LOVE

CHAPTER 19

When Naina entered the house, Nanu was already in his room having his afternoon nap. She freshened up & then decided to go through the NGO work. She had decided to work at least for two hours every day. She went through all the details of the NGO & made some notes on the laptop.

She remembered what Kabir had told her to do & how to check if all the accounts were properly tallied. She lost track of time & submerged herself in the work till late evening. There was a knock on the door & then Nanu walked in to see her working on her laptop. He sat beside her & then offered her a cup of tea, "Naina... Kaam mein itna busy nahi hona chahiye ki tum khaana peena bhool jao. Chalo yeh chai pee lo."

Naina closed her laptop & accepted the tea cup. She looked at the clock & exclaimed, "Itna time ho gaya Nanaji, mujhe pataa hi nahi chala." He patted her back & continued, "Waise tumhe koi bhi problem ho accounts samajne mein toh Kabir ko phone karke pooch lena, wohh sab thik se samjha dega tumhe. Thik hai. Chal ab jaldi se chai pi le aur neeche aaja."

Naina had almost finished her work & then decided to have a long shower. There was no college till freshers party, so she thought of washing her hair today itself. Once done, she came downstairs to help Ramdhari in making the dinner. She was happy since afternoon, especially after Sameer had joined them in the mall. She hadn't expected him there but when she saw him at the entrance of the food court, she was beyond happy.

Naina didn't know the reason behind her sudden happiness but something had changed between them since last few days. The closeness they shared wasn't what she had imagined to happen between them, yet she enjoyed it & sought for his warmth & company. She decided to make his favorite dinner that night as he was the one who had asked what she wanted to wear for the freshers party & helped too.

Now, she had no second thoughts about her dressing for the party after Sameer had asked her to follow her heart & not the others'. When Sameer came back late that night, he joined them for dinner directly after freshening up. He missed his favorite coffee that evening. He was held up in an important conference call with his foreign clients & was late home, missing the evening dose of coffee.

At dinner, Sameer was very much delighted to see his favorite dishes served to him. Naina too was content after seeing her bhukkad husband relishing the meal heartily. Nanu too was happy watching them smiling together & enjoying the meal. Sameer informed his grandfather about the new deal in California. Once the dinner was done, everyone retired to their rooms.

When Naina entered the room, she saw him standing near the window, looking at the moon. She quietly collected her nightwear & headed towards the washroom to freshen up. Once back, she saw him still standing there. She took slow steps towards him & stood beside him, looking at the ever-shining moon, her best friend.

Without looking at her dashing husband, she asked, "Aap thik hai?" He glanced at her sideways & asked, "Tumhe aisa kyun lag raha hai ki main thik nahi hun?" She took a while to answer, "Aaj aap na toh laptop par kaam kar rahe hai aur na bed par soye hai, bas isliye lagaa ki aap thik nahi hai, isliye poocha."

He turned to her & stood rooted to his spot seeing his wife with her hair left open. He kept staring at her for few more minutes. She cleared her throat to break his trance. He still couldn't look away. Naina had kept her hair open now as they were still a little wet. With lots of efforts the words finally came out, "Thanks... aaj mera favorite khaana banaakar mera mood thik karne ke liye."

She too turned fully to face him now, "Aap chaahe toh mujhse share kar sakte hai. Main shaayad aapki koi help na kar paun, par koshish zaroor kar sakti hun." He kept looking at her & hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, "Jyaada kuch nahi hai, bas thoda kaam ka tension hai. Jis California waali deal ke baare mein main dinner ke time baat kar raha tha, usme thode problems hai, issi wajah se thoda pareshaan hun."

She smiled, "Aap fikar mat kijiye, main jaanti hun ki aap acche se yeh bhi sambhaal lenge. Aur jahaan tak aapke mood thik karne ki baat hai, toh aap rukiye, main abhi aayi." Before Sameer could stop her, she was out of their room. He just shook his head & went back to his bed. He opened his laptop to check his mails for the time being.

After few minutes, she was back with two cups of his favorite hot coffees. The moment the aroma of the coffee reached his nostrils, he groaned, "Tum iss waqt coffee banane gayi thi?" She smiled brightly & replied, "Haannn... Kyunki mujhe pataa hai ki aapka mood sirf iss coffee se hi thik ho sakta hai."

Naina was about to turn to the couch, when he hesitated, "Ummm... Naina... tum yahin bed par baithkar coffee pi sakti ho." She debated only for a minute & then sat down at the edge of his bed. It wasn't the first time that she was sitting on his bed, but yesss, this was the first time that she was sitting on his bed in his presence.

Sameer kept staring at his beautiful wife while she couldn't even lift her eyes as she aware of her husband's constant stare. He sipped his coffee slowly relishing each & every sip. "I missed this???" Naina finally lifted her gaze hearing his words, "Mujhe pataa hai...", came her soft reply.

"Aapko kaise pataa tha ki mujhe wohh black saree pehle hi pasand aa gayi thi?", she put forth the question which had lingered on her mind since her return from the mall. He kept looking at her, "Jaise tumhe sab pataa hai, bas mujhe bhi pataa chal gaya tha." He didn't dare to tell her that it was his choice too. He too had wanted to buy that black saree for her, but the moment he had seen her glancing at that saree more than thrice, he had made up his mind to buy it.

They finished their coffees & then Naina went downstairs again to keep away the empty coffee cups in the kitchen sink. When back in the room, she saw him busy on his laptop. She quietly shifted to the couch & opened her own laptop to finish her NGO work. Sameer glanced at her & asked, "Ummm... tum NGO ka kaam kar rahi ho???"

Without looking up from her laptop, she replied, "Haann... bas thoda hi baaki hai, aadhe ghante mein ho jaayega." He hummed in response & asked again, "Tumhe kuch bhi problem ho toh mujhse pooch sakti ho. Main help kar dunga." She looked up suddenly meeting his gaze, "Sameer... Aapko aapka hi kaam bohot hai. Aap fikar mat kijiye, mujhe abhi tak toh koi problem nahi hua, aur agar hua bhi toh main Nanaji se yaa fir Kabir se pooch lungi."

She had just finished her sentence, when her phone rang. She was stunned to see the name of the caller & glanced at her husband before picking it up. "Ji... Boliye Kabir... Kuch kaam tha kya aapko?" Sameer wasn't sure if he had heard the name correctly & he looked at Naina. He lost his focus on the incoming mails in his mailbox & concentrated on his wife's conversation.

"Naina... Mujhe Nanaji ne bataaya ki tumne aaj se accounts check karna shuru kiya hai, toh bas poochne ke liye call kiya ki kahin tumhe koi problem toh nahi hua na, agar tumhe kahin kuch samaj na aaye toh mujhe bina kisi jijjak ke call kar sakti ho, main help kar dunga." Naina spoke nervously sensing her husband's gaze on her, "Thik hai... Ab tak mujhe kuch problem nahi aaya hai, agar kuch samaj nahi aaya toh main Nanaji se pooch lungi."

Kabir didn't knew how to continue the conversation ahead, though he was very much desperate to do it. Naina was very much in a hurry to end the call as she wasn't comfortable talking to him, "Thank you Kabir, ab bohot raat ho gayi hai. Goodnight..." Without hearing his reply, she had disconnected the call. Kabir mumbled looking at his mobile, "Goodnight..."

Naina sighed in relief after disconnecting the call while Sameer's anger had flared up. He thought to himself, "Yeh Kabir ko itni raat ko Naina ko call nahi karna chahiye tha. Uss mein itni samaj nahi hai ki der raat kisi ladki ko call nahi karna chahiye. Kal milne do college mein, acche se class lagaata hun uski."

Naina lost interest in her work & shut down her laptop, placing it away on the bedside table. Sameer too kept away his laptop & looked at her nervous wife. He had seen Naina getting nervous around Kabir many times & he was very much curious to know the reason behind it. But for now, it can wait.

"Mujhe neend nahi aa rahi Naina... thodi der baat kar sakte hai." After Kabir's call, she too had become anxious. She didn't know if it was good to have conversation with her husband right now but she didn't want to deny him. She nodded, "Waise mujhe bhi neend nahi aa rahi."

Sameer hesitated, "Ummm... Neeche garden mein chale, baahar mausam bohot accha hai..." If she could kiss him, she would've done it by now. She too wanted to go the garden & sit for a while. What was with him today? He was doing & asking whatever she was feeling & wanted to do. Was he reading her mind?

They both tiptoed to the garden & sat there on the grass. They were quiet for few minutes. Naina was looking at the sky while Sameer was lost in her. He loved the way her open hair were swaying in the air. He wanted to touch & feel the softness of her hair, the fragrance of her shampoo was already intoxicating him.

To break the silence between them, Naina spoke, "Main bachpan se hi iss chand ko dekha karti thi, Nanaji kehte hai ki mere mummy papa upar aasmaan mein hai, taare ban gaye hai. Toh bas tabse main inn taaron se aur chand se baatein kiya karti hun. Ek alag sa sukoon milta hai mujhe inhe dekhkar, mann halka ho jaata hai inse baatein karke."

Sameer couldn't resist, "Aur aaj bhi tumhe sukoon chahiye tha na?" She turned to look at him, "Haannn..." She didn't know why did she answer that but she did & she wasn't going to back out from the conversation now. She wanted him by his side, she wanted to talk to him the whole night, if she could & this was her chance & she wasn't going to let go of this chance.

Sameer finally moved away his gaze towards the sky, "Main jab se yahaan Nanu ke saath rehne aaya hun tab se hi yeh jagah meri favorite hai. Mujhe bhi ek alag sa sukoon milta hai yahaan. Yeh baat aur hai ki main kisi ko inn taaron aur chaand mein nahi dhoondta. Bas yeh shaanti acchi lagti hai, yeh raat mein chalne waali thand hawa dil ko sukoon de deti hai. Din bhar ki saari thakaan khatam ho jaati hai meri yahaan baithkar."

Naina kept staring at his glowing face. She could see a soft stubble on his face & she wanted to touch it... feel it under her palms. Without thinking about the consequences, she touched his jaw & rubbed his skin. Sameer closed his eyes, feeling her soft palm over his face. He shivered, he didn't understand if it was due to the cold wind around him or her touch.

It was definitely her touch, no doubt. At this moment, he thought, "Isse accha sukoon mujhe aaj tak nahi mila kahin." He opened his eyes & looked at her in a daze. She held his intense stare, "Aap bohot acche hai Sameer... Bhale aapne kuch bhi kiya ho shaadi se pehle, par kuch dinon se jis Sameer ko main dekh rahi hun, mehsoos kar rahi hun, wohh bohot acche hai. Aapne har kadam mera saath diya, mujhe sambhaala, mujhe wohh har cheez di jiski mujhe zarurat thi. Mere kahe bina aap wohh sab mere liye laaye. Thank you, Sameer... Main iss sab ke liye kitna bhi thanks bolun wohh kam hi padega."

He covered her hand with his own on his face. "Naina... Mujhe thanks bolne ki zarurat nahi hai tumhe. Tum bhi jo Nanu ke liye aur mere liye kar rahi ho, wohh bhi kuch kam nahi hai. Jab se tum iss ghar mein aayi ho, ek alag si khushi chaayi rehti hai ghar mein. Nanu tumse bohot pyaar karte hai Naina. Jab main kahin abroad jaata toh dar rehta ki Nanu ko kaun sambhaalega? Munna aur Pandit aate rehte hain beech beech mein aur Ramdhari toh ghar mein rehta hi tha, par fir bhi Nanu ko akela chodkar jaane ka mann nahi karta tha. Ab tum ho, toh main ekdum nishchint hun, kyunki jaanta hun ki tum mujhse bhi jyada acche se khayaal rakhogi Nanu ka."

Naina's eyes turned misty & glittered under the moonlight. Sameer wiped her tears & shook his head, "Naina... main jaanta hun ki maine tumhe jaane anjaane mein bohot kuch bola hai, bohot kuch sunaaya, tumhe bohot galat samjha hai. Par yakin maano, main kisi par bhi jaldi se vishwas nahi kar paata. Mere papa..."

Naina kept her finger on his lips, silencing him totally. "Main jaanti hun Sameer aur aapko yeh sab abhi kehne ki zarurat nahi hai. Aaj main aapse kuch kehna chaahti hun." She moved her hand away & Sameer instantly missed her touch. She continued, "Main jaanti hun ki aap jatt se kisi par bhi bharosa nahi kar paate. Par sach kahun Sameer, mujhe yeh sahi bhi lagta hai. Kisi ajnabee par kabhi aise hi vishwas nahi karna chahiye. Pehle usse samajna chahiye, usse jaanna chahiye, aur waise bhi bharosa kamaaya jaata hai Sameer, toh wohh saamnewaale bhi nirbhar hai ki wohh uss bharose ke laayak hai bhi yaa nahi."

"Mujhe pehle aap par bohot gussa aaya tha, jab aapne mujhse badsaluki ki thi kamre mein. Par uske baad jaise jaise din beete, maine aapka ek naya roop dekha Sameer. Humne ek contract marriage ki hai aur aapne itne saare conditions rakhe mere saamne, maine tab bhi manaa nahi kiya kyunki main jaanti hun ki aap bhi meri tarah aapke Nanaji ka vaada poora kar rahe aur unn conditions ki wajah se mujhe khud se durr rakhna chahte hai, kyunki aap mujhpar vishwas nahi karte."

"Pehle bohot gussa aata tha ki aap aise kyun behave karte hai mere saath, par fir dheere dheere mujhe sab samaj aane laga, main dheere dheere aapko samajne lagi hun. Bhale hi hum married couple ki jaise nahi rehte, par fir bhi aap mere har kadam mein mere saath khade rahe hai, har mushkil mein mera saath diya hai. Aapko kya lagta hai ki main nahi jaanti ki wohh sab pens, books, diary... yeh sab aap laaye the mere liye, Nanaji nahi..."

He was shocked, "Tumhe pataa tha Naina???" She smiled, "Haannn... Pataa tha. Maine uss time isliye manaa kiya tha, kyunki wohh mera darr tha ki kahin aap yeh sab isliye toh nahi kar rahe jisse saabit kar de ki maine aapse aapke paison ke liye shaadi ki hai. Fir jab Nanaji ne kahaan ki unhone aapse wohh sab laane ko kahaa tha toh main manaa nahi kar paayi. Par mujhe tab pataa tha ki wohh sab cheezeen aap hi laaye the mere liye, Nanaji nahi..."

"Fir aap mere liye mobile aur laptop laaye, tab bhi mujhe samajh nahi aaya ki main kya karun, par jis tarah aapne mujhse ek chance maanga toh main tab bhi manaa nahi kar paayi Sameer. Aap jaante hai ki aapse jyada aapki aankhen baat karti hai. Aapki sacchai, acchai, sab aapki aankhon mein dikhta hai. Waise naam mera Naina hai, par aapke yeh jo nain hai na, bohot expressive hai. Main unme sab padh leti hun."

Sameer was stunned with the revelations she was making today. He had never imagined that she would say all this to him. She could seriously read his eyes & understand him without words. He wanted to ask something & he mustered some courage to do that, "Tumhe lagta hai ki mujhse shaadi karke tumne galti kar di hai Naina? Tumhari zindagi maine kharaab kar di?"

Naina held his hand & he could breathe now after feeling her touch again, "Jab hamari shaadi hui thi toh maine khud se ek vaada kiya tha ki hamare beech jitna bhi waqt ho iss shaadi mein, main ek patni ka har farz nibhaungi. Toh fir mere liye yeh shaadi ek galti kaise ho sakti hai? Maine soch samajkar shaadi ka faisla liya tha aur yeh shaadi mere liye galti nahi hai Sameer. Aur aap aisa soch bhi kaise sakte hai ki aapne meri zindagi kharaab kar di? Aisa aap kuch kar hi nahi sakte Sameer. Jis tarah se aapne mujhe sambhaala hai, mere liye itna kuch kiya hai, isse koi bhi yahi kahega ki main aapke saath iss shaadi mein bohot khush hun."

"Naina...Itna bharosa hai mujhpar, wohh bhi tab... jab maine tumse itne saare agreements sign karvaaye hai?" She nodded, "Aap ek businessman hai Sameer. Toh aapne jo bhi kiya wohh isliye kiya taaki koi aapka aur aapke paison ka faayda na uthaaye. Mujhe tab iss ghar mein aaye kuch din hi hue the aur hamari shaadi ki baat chali. Main samaj sakti hun ki aap mujhpar turant bharosa nahi kar paaye aur kar bhi kaise sakte the, hum jaante hi kitna the ek dusre ko. Aapki jagah main bhi hoti toh main bhi yahi karti Sameer. Aur jahaan tak bharose ki baat hai, toh haann Sameer... Mujhe aap par poora bharosa hai aur hamesha rahega."

Sameer didn't know how to react to all this. He wanted to hug her & wrap her around himself. He had misunderstood her so much. Her small confession was everything that he had wanted to hear from his life partner. He had done so much wrong with her, he behaved so fiercely with her, misbehaved with her & still she trusted him & would trust him forever.

Some sound in the distance broke their conversation & she whispered, "Hume ab sone jaana chahiye. Bohot hi late ho gaya hai..." Sameer agreed & got up first. He forwarded his hand to her & she took it happily. They walked back to their rooms hand in hand.

Once in their room, Sameer couldn't stop anymore & pulled her in a hug. He had never seen anyone trust him immensely, especially after hurting that person so much. He too promised himself that day that he would never hurt her anymore & would protect her always. He leaned a little & inhaled deeply. Her fragrance, her warmth, her closeness, was what he had craved for.

Naina too melted in his arms feeling secured & content. She felt him moving his fingers in her hair. She loved that touch, that feeling & the butterflies made their presence again. Her feet turned to jelly, when he whispered, "Tum khule baalon mein bohot sundar lagti ho Naina... Hamesha aise hi rakha karo na..."

His words made her shudder & she just hummed in reply. She had lost all the ability to speak, her mind had gone numb with this intimacy. After a few minutes, they parted & Naina was about to walk back, but he pulled her again & whispered, "Wohh black saree toh mujhe bhi pehli nazar mein hi bohot acchi lagi thi, isliye toh tumhe ussi shop mein le gaya tha. Bas dekh raha tha ki tumhe bhi wahi saree pasand aati hai ya nahi. Aur Mrs Maheshwari, aapne mujhe bilkul niraash nahi kiya..."

Saying that, he left her & she stood there stunned at this revelation. He too had liked that same saree. He didn't even voice out his choice in front of her & gave her liberty to choose. She blushed a little & turned to find him standing in front of her with folded hands & a mischievous smile on his face.

She lowered her eyes & mumbled, "Goodnight Sameer..." She walked past him & heard a soft "Goodnight Naina." She slept on the couch while Sameer too walked back to his bed, the smiles didn't leave their faces till they drifted to sleep peacefully.

The next morning Naina got up as usual & prepared his favorite breakfast. Once the breakfast was done, Sameer went back to his room to bring his bag while Naina stayed in the living room with Nanu. Sameer was confused that she wasn't there with him. He hurried downstairs to find her sitting with Nanu.

"Naina... tumhe aaj college nahi jaana? Dekho already late ho gaye hai." She walked to him & Nanu walked in the garden to give the couple some privacy. "Wohh... Main aapko bataana bhool gayi ki college freshers party hone tak band rahega." He smiled, "Thik hai... Chalo... main office jaa raha hun. Tum apna aur Nanu ka khayaal rakhna. Bye..." "Bye Sameer... aap bhi dhyaan se jaana. Aur sambhal kar waapis aana."

He smiled & turned to go. He stopped at the door & again turned to her who was following him to the door. Without any warning, Sameer kissed her on her forehead, "Have a good day Naina..." And he was gone. Naina stood there dumbfounded with his behavior. She turned to see if Nanu or Ramdhari had seen them. To her relief, she saw Nanu & Ramdhari both were busy in the garden.

She touched her forehead slightly & trembled. Last night seemed like many things had changed for them. She never imagined that she would talk to him so freely after whatever happened before their marriage. She still remembered everything but she wanted to have some good memories with him till the time would come to leave this house. Even if they were sharing a good bond right now, she knew her time was limited in this house.

Naina had no expectations from this marriage. She trusted Sameer & was very much comfortable with him now but still this wasn't something that would change their relationship, they were still strangers in front of the world. She knew where she stood in his life. She just had to stay a year & when the time would be up, she would walk away from this house, from his life... She kept these thoughts away for now & concentrated on her studies.

Sameer was feeling alone in his car. From last few days, he had got habituated with her presence in his car, in his life. And now he was missing her. He reached office & started his work. He got busy in a video conference with his clients & the day went by.

Naina too remained busy the whole day, either with her studies or with the NGO work. She enjoyed her lunch with Nanu & called up Preeti who still wasn't sure about what to wear in the freshers party, the next evening. Naina didn't disclose anything about the saree that they had bought the previous day.

Sameer had smartly given his office address at the saree shop counter & had received the delivery of both the sarees in his office in his name. He kept the bags away instantly in his car to avoid questions from his best friends. He reached home late that day too. As soon as he entered the house, he saw that Naina was busy in the kitchen while Nanu was watching news on the television.

He greeted Nanu & walked faster before Nanu could see the bags in his hands. He hid the bags in his wardrobe & freshened up quickly. After dinner, he waited for his wife in their room. Naina finished all her chores & finally headed towards their room.

As she entered, she saw Sameer sitting on the couch & was talking on the phone with someone. She went to change & freshen up. When she came out, Sameer could clearly see that she was a little disturbed. "Kya hua Naina??? Tumhara chehra aise latka hua kyun hai???"

She hesitated, "Sameer... wohhh... wohhh... saree ki delivery nahi aayi aaj. Mujhe kal freshers party mein pehenna hai. Toh bas ussi baarein mein soch rahi thi." He smiled & walked to his wardrobe & pulled out a bag. He handed over the bag to her, "Yeh lo... Maine saree ki delivery ke liye mere office ka address diya tha. Toh yeh parcel subah hi aa gaya tha. Dekh lo... sab barabar hai na???"

She sighed in relief & sat down on the pouch & pulled out the huge box. She opened the box & saw the black saree along with the readymade blouse & the shimmer underskirt that came with the saree itself. She felt as if the box held many more things below the saree as it seemed heavy. She took out the saree with the blouse & underskirt & then was surprised to see another packet.

She looked up at Sameer who blinked his eyes & gestured her to open the box. The moment she opened the box, she gasped...

How was the update???

Ab batao batao, box mein kya hai???😜

Next update mein freshers party shuru hogi... So, be ready for the dhamaakas...

With Lots of Love,

Daksha...❤