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FATE TWISTED BY LOVE

CHAPTER 2

Naina's heart had skipped several beats when Nanu talked to his grandson over the call. She was helping Ramdhari to clean up the dining table, her focus entirely on Nanu's one sided conversation. She so wanted to hear his voice. After a while, she heard Nanu saying, "Tum waapis aa jao. Fir usse thik se mil lena."

She somewhere felt that he had asked Nanu about her & she felt butterflies dance in her stomach. Had he really asked about her? No. no. It wasn't possible. But she had heard the conversation which meant that his friends had told him about her. So, was he enquiring about her?

What would've been his reaction after knowing that she's staying here now? How will he react after seeing her here in his house? She cursed herself a little for thinking about his reactions. After finishing the call, Nanu asked her to bring the turmeric milk in his room, which broke her thoughts & she was back to reality.

On the other side, Sameer was thinking about her voice sounding so soft & soothing to him & her name 'Naina' had involuntarily stopped his heartbeats. He desperately wanted to go back to his home & meet this girl. He was amazed with these sudden feelings as he never felt such a strong pull towards anyone earlier. He admonished himself for losing his control on his feelings. He pushed aside his thoughts & busied himself in the presentation.

Both the poor souls kept tossing & turning in their respective beds thinking about the other. Nanu noticed a change in their behaviors since the call that night. Whenever the landline rang, Naina would run to pick it up & then her face would fall after handing over the call to him, knowing very well that it wasn't HIS call.

On the other side, Sameer called at different times of the day hoping that Naina would pick up his calls & he would hear her voice again. Their destiny was almost playing some games with them as whenever he called, she was busy in the kitchen or was in her room. Nanu was observing this from last two days & was happy seeing the restless souls. Maybe it was the right time to fulfil his promise & he made up his mind to have a talk with both of them together, once Sameer returned. But before taking that step, he wanted to see their reactions on seeing each other. He had to wait till his grandson returns.

The next day, Nanu & Naina went to Ahmedabad University for finishing the admission process for her post-graduation diploma. She was very much happy that her life was finally getting back on track. That night she slept peacefully. Sameer's work had prolonged his stay in London.

When she got up early the next morning, she was pissed. The tap in her bathroom wasn't working & she wasn't able to freshen up for the day. Cursing under her breath, she moved to Sameer's room to shower. She would see to it that the tap was fixed today itself as she can't keep coming to his room for showering. It had already happened twice earlier.

She took a long shower washing her hair too. But as she was done with her shower, she realized that she hadn't brought her clothes along. She again cursed some more. She had a habit of changing in her room as she didn't want her dresses to be wet in the bathroom. But today in her hurry & also because of her habit, she had forgotten to bring her clothes. She wrapped one towel around her hair first & then another around her body & quickly opened the door.

As she stepped out of the bathroom, she bumped into a hard chest. She stumbled & was about to fall, when two strong arms pulled her safely, protecting her from the fall. The sudden action made her stumble more & she landed on the same hard chest. On a reflex, her hands held his shoulders tightly & his were circled around her waist. She had closed her eyes in fear.

She stayed in his arms for few more minutes. When her heartbeats were stable, she realized that she was still in someone's arms. She opened her eyes slowly & then she froze. She was in HIS arms. Her traitor heart had almost stopped beating the moment their eyes met. The deep brown chocolaty eyes which made her nights sleepless & restless were staring back at her.

Sameer was stunned with the turn of events in his room. He had taken a late-night flight & had landed here just an hour ago. But the journey from the airport to his house was a challenge. The cab in which he was riding had broken down in the middle & he had to hire another one which took another fifteen minutes. He was pissed, too much pissed.

He already had the keys of the house, so he hadn't pressed the doorbell. He didn't want to disturb Nanu's sleep. So, he opened the door quietly & had tiptoed to his room. He felt strange when he found the lights to his room on. He just kept his luggage aside & was about to open the bathroom door, when the door automatically opened & he stood rooted on his spot.

Seeing a girl wrapped only in a towel, his heart had stopped beating altogether. And without seeing ahead, the girl had collided with him & lost her balance. To protect her from falling, he had instantly pulled her towards him. She had clung to him in fear, scared to fall down. But he was lost, lost in the moment, feeling a soft body clinging to him with her eyes closed.

He didn't move for the next few minutes. He was taking in her appearance. Her hair wrapped in a towel. Some beads of water still clung to her face & neck. Her perfectly arched eyebrows, long black eyelashes, her cute nose. The next sight caught his attention too much, her naturally pink rosy lips. He had a sudden urge to taste them.

He controlled his reactions & his eyes moved downwards against his wishes & saw another towel wrapped around her fragile soft body. He saw the fair silky skin that was exposed for him to see. He closed his eyes to control himself again or else he would regret moving his hands on her.

When he opened his eyes, his world stopped. She had opened her eyes too & was looking at him straight in his eyes. He had never seen such beautiful doe shaped eyes in his life. Her hazel brown eyes shone under the lights. He wanted to drown in them forever. Her hands on its own held him more firmly. The close proximity playing havoc in both of their minds.

The birds chirping outside his window broke their intense moment. He cleared his throat & spoke, "Tum... tum kaun ho? Aur mere kamre mein kya kar rahi ho?" She lowered her eyes & stammered, "Wohhh... Wohhh... Mere bathroom mein nal kharab ho gaya tha, aur mujhe jaldi taiyaar bhi hona tha, isliye main yahaan aa gayi."

He was loving his effect on her, "Accha... Toh itne bade ghar mein tumhe sirf mera hi kamra mila nahaane ke liye?" She looked away from his intense gaze, biting her lower lip & stuttered again, "Wohhh... wohhh... yahi mere bagal wala kamra tha. Isliye... isliye maine jyada socha nahi aur yahaan... yahaan aa gayi."

If her voice on the call had sounded soothing for him, now it sounded sexy which was the effect of seeing her half naked. Both of them were still in each other's arms, not wanting to part away. The knock on his door made them aware of their position & they separated instantly. Both of them breathed heavily. Sameer gestured her to go inside the bathroom again & she slowly moved away.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to see his Nanu standing in front of him. Before Nanu could take a step inside, Sameer moved outside on an impulse. He knew he can't allow Nanu to enter his room right now. He was too afraid of the consequences.

"Chaliye na Nanu. Neeche chalte hai. Mujhe na... mujhe naa... haan... chai peeni hai. Chaliye neeche jaakar hum Ramdhari ke haathon ki bani mast chai pee lete hai. Ekdum fresh ho jaayenge." Nanu didn't know what was wrong with his grandson. He kept his hand on Sameer's forehead to check his temperature.

"Teri tabiyat toh thik hai na Sameer? Yeh kya subah subah badbada raha hai. Aur tu kabse chai peene laga? Teen hafte kya London mein raha, apni saari addatein bhool gaya tu?" Despite trying to look confident, Sameer stuttered, "Nahi... nahi... main toh yeh keh raha tha ki aap chai pee lena aur main coffee pee lunga. Haaan... haann... yahi kehna chaahta tha main."

"Thik hai chal neeche." Nanu was confused with his behavior & turned to walk downstairs. Sameer spoke hesitantly, "Nanu... aap neeche chaliye. Main na zara fresh hokar aata hun." He nodded & walked ahead mumbling to himself, "Pataa nahi isse subah subah kya ho gaya hai? Kaisi paagalon jaisi harkatein kar raha hai."

Sameer sighed in relief & opened the door to his room after making sure that Nanu had reached downstairs. "Tum baahar aa sakti ho.", he spoke softly making sure that his voice wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear apart from them.

The door opened slowly & she walked out nervously. He saw her fidgeting with the ends of the towel. It was a very big struggle for him to control himself & keep his focus on her face only. "Main... main... chalti hun. Aur... I'm sorry.", she mumbled softly. She was about to open the door, when he spoke, "Ruko... Mujhe dekhne do. Koi baahar toh nahi hai na. Wait here."

He opened the door & looked around. On finding no one there, he moved out first & then asked her come out. Once out of his room, she didn't even try to glance at him & ran towards her room. Sameer stood there with a smile on his face. No morning was as beautiful as this.

He went back to his room & found a towel on the floor. He picked it up & took in the fragrance. He realized that in her haste, the towel on her head had slipped & fallen down here. He again took in the fragrance of her shampooed hair & ruffled his hair, "Nanu sach hi keh rahe the. Paagal hi ho gaya hun main."

On the other side, Naina got back to her room & sat in front of the dressing table. She took in her appearance. Ohhh God... she was in his arms in just a towel. She covered her face with her palms. And then she realized that the towel which was wrapped around her head was missing. She looked closely in the mirror again. Her face was glowing today & a natural blush adorned her cheeks.

She got ready in a superfast speed & left her room. As she passed his room, she heard him singing some tune. She blushed as she remembered the way he had looked at her. She fastened her steps & reached the kitchen downstairs. Soon, she took over the task of making breakfast. Ramdhari informed her about Sameer's arrival & asked her to make coffee for him. He mumbled, "Main jab bhi coffee banata hun, unhe acchi hi nahi lagti. Hamesha kuch na kuch kami nikaalte hi rehte hai. Aaj aap hi banaa dijiye coffee. Main nahi banaunga."

She laughed at his antics & took over the task of making coffee for him. It was after half an hour that Sameer joined his Nanu at the dining table for breakfast. Nanu was reading the newspaper as always & sipping his favorite tea. The aroma of coffee filled the house & he hollered, "Ramdhari... Jaldi se coffee la. Itni mast smell aa rahi hai na coffee ki, ki ab raha nahi jaa raha... Ramdhari..."

Nanu looked at him with raised eyebrows, "Chilla kyun raha hai? Aa jaayegi teri coffee. Aaj aaya hai tab se ajeeb-o-gareeb harkatein kar raha hai." He just smiled in response & thought to himself, "Kaise aur kya bataun Nanu? Subah se kya kya hua hai." Within the next five minutes, Ramdhari placed the cup of coffee in front of him & stood there to hear what complaints he had for it today.

Sameer for the first time in his life smelled the coffee first & then took a sip. Ramdhari was still standing there & was observing the expressions on his face. Sameer took another sip & almost groaned aloud. Nanu kept the newspaper away & observed his grandson's expressions.

"Waaahhhh Ramdhari... Kya coffee banayi hai aaj tune. Mann kar raha hai ki tumhare haath choom lun." As soon as the words were out, Ramdhari stepped far away from him & spoke, "Hey bhagwaan... Aap thik toh hai na? Kya bole jaa rahe hai? Waise bhi agar haath choomne hi hai toh Naina didi ke choomo, kyunki coffee unhone banaayi hai, humne nahi."

There was pin drop silence after Ramdhari spoke aloud. Nanu tried to control his laughter whereas Sameer didn't know how to react after knowing that this favorite coffee was made by Naina. Ramdhari just sauntered off before Sameer could comment something more.

In the kitchen, Naina had heard the entire conversation & had turned beetroot red in a span of seconds. She actually imagined how it would feel if he kissed her hands. She instantly closed her eyes & pushed the thoughts away, when she saw Ramdhari back in the kitchen. She continued making the breakfast.

After ten minutes, Ramdhari was back with a casserole & bowl of curd. He placed the plates in front of Nanu & Sameer & went back to the kitchen. Naina took slow steps towards the dining table knowing very well that it was time to face HIM again. As soon as she was out, Nanu called out, "Arey Naina... Itna dheere dheere kyun chal rahi ho? Jaldi aao aur hume naashta paros do. Bohot bhook lagi hai."

Sameer took a deep breath taking in her fruity fragrance as she reached the table. She opened the casserole & placed two parathas on Nanu's plate & filled a small bowl of curd for him. She turned towards Sameer & their eyes met again. The butterflies in their stomachs were back. Her hand trembled while serving him the parathas & curd. She sat next to Nanu & served herself.

All the while, Sameer's eyes didn't leave her. She was dressed in a light pink long georgette kurti which was paired with white leggings. Her hair was tied in a messy bun. Few tendrils had escaped the bun & were freely flowing on her face. Once in a while, she would tuck those stubborn tendrils behind her ear & resume eating.

Nanu had seen the exchange & was happy seeing the pink tinge on both of their cheeks. This was a great start. He was now planning how to inform them about the promise. That was going to be tough. But he had to do it someday. He thought of waiting for the right moment & then he would carefully broach the topic.

Once the breakfast was done, Nanu introduced them when they got comfortable in the living room. "Sameer... Yeh hai Naina. Mere sabse azeez dost, Jayantilal Parekh ki naati. Aur Naina yeh hai mera natkhat naati Sameer." They both acknowledged each other with a smile. No words came out of their mouths as the scene from the morning kept flashing in their minds.

"Hey Sameer... Tu aa gaya?" Nanu's favorite Rahu-Ketu arrived stopping Nanu from speaking his next words. He just wanted to tell his grandson that Naina would be staying here with them from now onwards. Sameer got up to hug his best friends, "Tum dono subah subah kya kar rahe ho yahaan? Aaj Sunday hai na? Aaj ka ek din ghar par nahi raha gaya tum dono se?", he teased his friends.

They smirked & continued the teasing, "Ab tere bina hamara mann nahi lagta na. Jab tak teri aisi gheesi peeti baatein na sunn le, hume khaana bhi nahi pachta. Kyun Chenu? Main sahi keh raha hun na?" Munna laughed & continued, "Haan bilkul. Ab tu gaya hai na toh hamare sar se thoda kaam bhi kam ho jaayega. Thak gaye hai itna kaam karte karte."

He turned to Nanu, "Nanaji... Ab se aap Sameer ko kahin jaane mat dena. Khud toh chala jaata hai yahaan se itna saara kaam dekar, aur fir wahaan jaakar bhi hume yahaan chain se jeene nahi deta." Nanu started laughing as he was used to their banters.

Naina was looking at them with amusement. She never had such friends with whom she had ever talked so freely or teased them. Infact, the people in her school & college only sought her help during exams when they were in need of readymade notes. Being a kind hearted person, she always helped others, even if they didn't treat her properly.

Her thought process broke with Samundit's laughter. A sweet smile bloomed on her face watching them chatting happily. She was about to move towards the kitchen, when Pandit called, "Naina... Kaisi ho tum?" She stopped in her tracks. She hadn't expected this at all. Yesss. The duo visited the house daily after their introductions but they never tried conversing with her.

So, what was special today? She turned to them, "Main thik hun. Aap kaise hai?" Pandit looked here & there & she stood confused. "Naina... Yeh aap mat kaho naa. Ekdum se uncle waali feeling aa jaati hai. Please tum chalega." Munna & Sameer chuckled, "Naina. Tu na mujhe tum bol lena par iss Ponga ko aap hi kehna. Waise bhi umar hoti jaa rahi hai, uncle types hi ho gaya hai..."

Pandit glared at him & turned to her with puppy eyes. Naina finally laughed out making Sameer skip his heartbeats. He was again lost in her. He hadn't seen her laugh so freely since morning. She had just smiled a while ago, when Nanu had made the introductions. He was seeing a lot of her expressions today. First, her scared face, then her nervousness, then her smile & now her laugh. Everything about her was mesmerizing him & drawing him towards her.

She felt Sameer's gaze on her that affected her too much & she looked away instantly. His speechless expressions didn't escape the eyes of the others. "Main thik hun. Tum dono kaise ho? Ab thik hai?", her voice broke Sameer's trance & he realized that all the set of eyes were focused on him.

He lowered his eyes in embarrassment. Pandit replied, "Main bhi mast." Munna continued, "Aur main bhi badhiyaa hun." "Tum dono kuch khaaoge?", her voice made Sameer look up at her. No one had ever asked them about their preferences. Even Mundit hadn't expected that. They looked at her & grinned, "Naina... Bohot bhook lagi hai. Kuch khaane ko milega kya abhi?", Pandit said rubbing his stomach.

Nanu was impressed with the way Naina was making her place in the house. She was now comfortable with his Rahu-Ketu but then he noticed that his grandson hadn't uttered a single word to her since he was here. What was going on in his mind? He saw him sneaking glances of her every now & then. But he wasn't talking & that was the main problem.

"Maine aloo ke parathe banaaye hai. Khaoge?", she asked them & they looked at Sameer. "Naina... Kya baat hai? Aaj tumne Sameer ke favorite aloo ke parathe banaaye hain? Ab toh khaana hi padega. Jaldi lao, ab mujhse aur bhooka nahi raha jaayega. Chuhe dance kar rahe hai pet mein...", Pandit again rubbed his stomach. Naina chuckled, "Main abhi laayi. Acha chai loge ya coffee?", she asked again. They shouted together, "Coffee..."

She was about to turn, when Nanu said, "Mere liye bhi chai laana." She kept her hands on her hips & said, "Bilkul bhi nahi. Aap already subah se do baar chai pee chuke hai. Jyada chai sehat ke liye acchi nahi hoti. Main aapke liye doodh laati hun. Aur aapko wohi peena padega."

She left to the kitchen & Samundit looked at Nanu with round eyes. "Tum teeno aise kya ghoor rahe ho mujhe?" "Nahin... Hum toh dekh rahe hai ki kaise Naina ne aapki bolti band kar di.", saying that they started laughing loudly. She was back within ten minutes with fresh aloo parathas & served Mundit. The three cups of coffee were placed in front of them & a glass of milk was handed to her grumpy Nanaji who was grumbling to himself, "Baccha thodi hun. Ab iss umar mein doodh kaun peeta hai?"

Sameer was surprised that she had made coffee for him too. He had loved the aloo parathas too but didn't appreciate it. He was so tempted to eat again that he couldn't resist anymore & served himself. Nanu along with Mundit saw that & just grinned in response. Naina too had seen the scene from afar & smiled unknowingly. The trio relished the parathas & the casserole was empty within minutes.

Ramdhari came back to pick up the empty plates & casserole. Naina too came back & joined them. "Naina... humne itne tasty parathe kabhi nahi khaaye aur coffee bhi bohot mast thi, ekdum strong, bilkul waisi hi jaisi Sameer ko pasand hai.", Pandit said jovially. Naina bit her inner cheek to stop herself from smiling in front of them. She just murmured a soft, "Thank you.", whereas Sameer sat there quietly observing her actions since morning.

All the three continued sitting in the living room discussing about the deal in London. Even Nanu heard the conversation & was happy seeing his grandson working so efficiently with his friends. Mundit left after an hour bidding their goodbyes to Naina too.

Naina was overwhelmed with different emotions today. So many things had happened since morning. Since Sameer's arrival, her equation with his friends was changing too & she was happy with this change. She had never made friends before & now she wanted to. Sameer hadn't spoken a word to her since they had collided in his room.

Once in her room, she thought to herself, "Pataa nahi mere baare mein kya soch rahe honge wohhh? Sochenge kaisi ladki hai, zara bhi sharam nahi hai. Main bhi na sach mein paagal hi hun, aise kaise kapde le jaana bhool gayi. Par mujhe kya pataa tha ki wohh aaj hi aa jayenge. Agar pataa hota toh main unke room mein jaati hi nahi na." She kept talking to herself, unknown of the fact that the door to her room was open & the mentioned guy was hearing her whole self-talk.

Sameer was going to the study as Nanu had called him there to talk something important. On the way, he heard her voice & stopped to listen to her mumblings. He almost smiled hearing all of that. Shaking his head, he walked towards the study.

Nanu was already waiting for him. He sat in front of Nanu & asked, "Kahiye Nanu? Aap kya important baat karna chaahte hai?" He glanced towards the door to see Naina walking in. Why was she here?

Naina fidgeted a little before sitting next to Nanu. He looked at both of them & spoke, "Mujhe tum dono se important baat karni hai. Aur ab main jo bataane ja raha hun, usse shanti se sunna. Thik hai?" They nodded & he started speaking with a hope that they would help him in fulfilling the promise.

How was the update?

And how was their first meet?

I hope you all liked the update.

In the next update, Nanu will let them know about the promise made years ago.

Will Naina & Sameer agree to fulfil the promise???

Do shower your precious love through votes & comments if you like the update.

Ignore the mistakes.

With Lots of Love,

Daksha...❤