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FATE TWISTED BY LOVE

CHAPTER 27

Naina saw her handsome husband staring at her but something was different, she could feel it. She could see pain in his eyes even from afar. She had just taken a step ahead when Preeti stopped her, "Kahaan ja rahi hai Naina? Abhi toh inn sab ladkiyon ne kuch hi steps sikhe hai."

Anjali had seen Sameer standing a little away from them & even she could tell that something was wrong. She knew Naina won't be able to voice out in front of her best friend, so she rescued her this time. "Preeti... Shaayad Naina thak gayi hai, thoda usse bhi saans lene do." She turned to Naina, "Tum jao zara tehel aao, toh thoda relax feel karogi."

Without waiting for Preeti's reply, Naina walked away hastily towards Sameer who had walked out of the hall towards the corridor. Naina almost ran to him & held his arm. He stopped right where he was & turned to see the worry lines on her beautiful face.

"Sameer... aap kidhar jaa rahe hai? Aur... aur... aap thik toh hai na? Kuch hua hai kya?", she asked knowing very well that her husband was definitely upset about something. How could he tell her that he was upset with himself, with the situation which was solely his creation? How could he tell her what Kabir had told him a while ago? Was he courageous enough to let her know about Kabir? What if Naina accepted Kabir's proposal before their marriage ended? Could he bear to see that?

Many questions swirled in his mind but there were no answers to them. Naina saw through his pain & moved closer to him. Holding his face in her small palms, she asked in concern, "Bataaiye na? Kya hua hai? Kisine... kisine kuch kahaa kya?" She didn't know why but she couldn't see him in such a state.

The closeness brought out the best between them & Sameer pulled her in a hug, which soothed his pain instantly. Kabir's words forgotten already & his raging heartbeats calmed down feeling her warmth. Naina held him tightly & rubbed his back slowly. Sameer inhaled her fragrance yet again & was lost in her.

How could he let her go after a year? Will he be able to do that? Will Naina do that? Yess... maybe she would, afterall she was following his conditions dutifully. His heart ached yet again when he remembered those agreements & conditions. He realized now that what he had done with her wasn't right. He had made a huge mistake in understanding her.

But immediately, an image of his mother hanging in his Nanu's house swam in front of his eyes & his hold loosened on Naina. His insecurities weren't going to end so easily but he wanted to try. Naina knew the moment his hold loosened on her & his pain was back. Without thinking for even once, she spoke softly, still rubbing on his back, "Sameer... Main hamesha aapke saath hun, aap fikar mat kijiye, sab thik ho jaayega. Hum sab aapke saath hai."

Her words worked liked magic on him & he took a deep breath realizing that anyone could walk on them. He parted from her & met her misty gaze, "Naina... Tum... tum kyun ro rahi ho?", he said while wiping her tears. She watched him intently, "Aap... aap thik toh hai na?" And at that moment Sameer realized that she had known something was wrong with him & she had come to sooth his pain, leaving everything behind.

"Main... main ab thik hun Naina..." At a distance he saw Preeti, Anjali & Kabir watching them. "Chalo Naina... tum acche se sab ladkiyon ko dance sikha do, tab tak main kuch dusre important kaam karke aata hun." Naina wanted to know what had happened but she had seen the way his eyes had wandered behind her which meant that there was audience & she just nodded in response.

As he was about to leave, Naina held his hand again, "Suniye... aap jaldi aa jaiyega... Main aapke bina khaana nahi khaaungi." That wasn't a request though & Sameer could feel that. He smiled & within a second, he had pulled her in his arms again. He kept his eyes focused on Kabir & whispered in her ear, "Main bhi tumhare bina khaana nahi khaaunga. Aate waqt kuch le aata hun sabke liye. Thik hai..." She hummed in response & he left her, knowing very well that everyone had seen their closeness, but not before giving her a sweet forehead kiss.

Naina blushed as she knew they were having viewers around but she didn't care a damn. Once he left towards his car, she turned to see smirking faces of her two best friends while Kabir looked at her blankly. She moved past him & entered the hall with Preeti & Anjali. Once the girls were out of his sight, he finally smiled.

Kabir wanted to laugh out at the moment when Sameer had hugged Naina almost giving him a warning to stay away from his wife. This possessive Sameer was a treat to watch for him & he was enjoying it to the core. He mumbled to himself, "Bas jald hi Sameer apne feelings samaj jaaye toh main villain banna chod dun."

Everyone was back to their work & it was already lunch time. Naina was happy that the girls were learning fast & were practicing a lot. She had already shown them the whole choreography for the song & they were almost done with half of the song. The girls asked them to join for lunch but Naina denied politely saying that she wasn't hungry. How could she eat when she had clearly said that she won't have lunch without her dashing husband who was upset for some reason.

As the girls were about to leave for their lunch, Munna & Pandit entered the hall with lots of carry bags & soon the hall was filled with the aroma of pav bhaji. Sameer had called a restaurant the moment he had left from the NGO & ordered pav bhaji for everyone. The gang distributed the meal to all the girls & also the other staff members. Kabir too had joined them after his sister had called him.

Naina waited patiently for Sameer while the others had started eating their meal. When Preet saw that her best friend hadn't touched her meal, she asked, "Naina... Tu kyun nahi khaa rahi? Tujhe toh pav bhaji bohot pasand hai na?" Before she could say anything, she felt HIS presence & her eyes met HIS...

Her lips automatically curled upwards & she smiled heartily watching her handsome husband who was leaning on the entrance of the hall & was looking much better now. Everyone's gaze moved towards him & Pandit spoke, "Naina ko pav bhaji pasand hai isliye toh Sameer ne order ki thi sab ke liye."

Naina saw that Sameer too was holding onto a carry bag. A helper came in at that precise moment & took away that bag towards the kitchen. Sameer entered the hall & took a place next to Naina which was left vacant by their friends. Naina looked around but there was no extra pav bhaji for him. It seemed that all the packets were already distributed.

Sameer saw his lovely wife looking out for another packet of pav bhaji but there was none. Before he could say something, Naina had shifted closer to him, "Hum dono yeh pav bhaji share karte hai." He took in a deep breath & nodded. He was much calmer now & his eyes remained locked on his wife, who opened the packet & saw that there was more bhaji & even extra pavs in it.

She looked up & met Anjali's gaze who just winked in response. Sameer smiled, as he was the one who had deliberately packed a large packet for them to share. As she was about to take the first morsel of her favourite pav bhaji to her mouth, another morsel appeared in front of her & she halted to see that her loving husband was feeding her.

She leaned in & ate the morsel. Munna & Pandit hooted while the others smiled watching the couple, though Kabir had maintained a blank face but he was inwardly happy with the cute scenario playing right in front of his eyes. When Sameer met his gaze, Kabir just raised his eyebrow, understanding fully well that this was meant to let him know where Sameer stood in her life for now.

Without any hesitance, Naina too fed him pav bhaji & they finished their meal. When they freshened up after lunch, the helper came & served them chocolate ice-creams. The girls squealed happily as they would get them only on some special occasions. Once they were done relishing the delicious ice-creams, the girls were back to their practice. Preeti & Anjali were taking care about what dresses they would wear for their dance performance while Naina continued with the dance rehearsal.

Munna & Pandit left the NGO to invite the remaining guests while Sameer & Kabir were back in Munshiji's cabin. Kabir had already finalized the caterer & he was now discussing about the menu. Sameer too had already finalized an organiser who would take care of the decorations & the other arrangements. He was supposed to visit him in an hour & he was waiting for him. Till then, Sameer was planning about what all decorations he wanted.

The organiser came on time & finally everything was in motion. Done with all the work allotted to them, Kabir & Sameer went back to the hall to see if the girls were done, so that they could leave. It was already evening & they all had to get back home. Kabir got a call & he went out to attend it while Sameer entered the hall. He saw that Naina was still rehearsing with the girls.

He sat down at the nearby chair & saw her intently. Naina knew the moment he had entered the hall but she didn't turn to look at him. Munna & Pandit were back too & were seated next to Anjali while Preeti was also dancing with the girls, finally her wish of learning to dance was also coming true. Naina had made sure that her best friend too learned dancing. Munna pushed Anjali too to dance with the girls & she complied.

Sameer saw all the girls including Naina, Preeti & Anjali matching their steps together. It was the best scene he had watched since morning. Naina had tied her hair in a bun & tied her red bandhej dupatta at her left side. The flair of her anarkali dress & her round dance movements mesmerised him. He was lost in her totally.

Naina was aware of his intense gaze on her & her heartbeat had accelerated. She had danced in front of him in the fresher's party & now again she was doing it. Kabir was back too & he sat beside his friend. Sameer stiffened a little as he knew that even his friend was going to watch his wife dancing. But he couldn't do much as he would never stop Naina from dancing.

Kabir knew that he was affecting Sameer by his presence here, but he did have a motive & he was sure to fulfil it at the earliest. He glanced once at Sameer & started, "Tumhe darne ki zarurat nahi hai Sameer. Main abhi Naina ko apni feelings ke baare mein nahi bataaunga, par haann... main usse dosti karne ki koshish zaroor karunga, kyunki dosti hi wohh pehli seedhi hai jisse main Naina ko acche se samaj paaunga, jaan paaunga. Humsafar banne se pehle acche dost banna bohot zaruri hai, hai na???"

Sameer glared at him & was about to retort when Naina appeared, "Sameer... hamari practice ho gayi hai. Mujhe lagta hai, hume ab jaana chahiye. Nanaji bhi subah se akele hai ghar pe." She didn't even once glance at Kabir & Sameer thanked heavenwards for that. Naina had left to freshen up with her friends while Sameer turned to his friend, "Dosti toh tab hogi na jab Naina tumhari taraf dekhegi." Saying that, he left a little sad Kabir behind.

Kabir knew that Naina wasn't comfortable with him & he had to do something about it. But what could he do? Should he talk to his sister? Or should he talk to Naina directly? There was no answer to that though. When Naina, Preeti & Anjali were back, they bid goodbye to the other girls & asked them to rehearse nicely the next day too.

Sameer & Naina were the first ones to leave while the others stood there near their respective cars. Kabir updated Munna, Pandit & his sister about his conversation with Sameer that day. The others stared at Kabir in shock. Pandit recovered first, "Tumne Sameer se yeh sab kahaa aur fir bhi tu yahaan hamare saamne zinda khada hai???"

Preeti hit him hard on his arm, "Tum kya bakwaas kar rahe ho? Pataa bhi hai, kya bol rahe ho?" Munna instantly replied, "Arey Preeti... iska matlab yeh hai ki Kabir ne itna sab bolne ke baad bhi Sameer ne kuch react nahi kiya aur chupchaap sunn liya. Peechli baar toh usne Kabir ko maar diya tha."

Kabir laughed, "Arey... Sameer kuch kahe yaa kare, usse pehle hi Munshiji aur Naina beech mein aa gaye, isliye main bach gaya. Warna aaj Sameer meri sach mein haddiyaan tod hi deta. Pataa hai main risk le raha hun, par main unn dono ki khushi ke liye kuch bhi karunga. Bhale hi mujhe buraa banna pade par mujhe yeh sab karna hoga."

Anjali was surprised hearing all this, as she wasn't aware about all this. She stood in front of Kabir, "Kabir... tum jo bhi kar rahe ho, zara sambhalkar karna. Yeh sab karne se kahin unn dono mein se kisika dil na toot jaaye. Dono ka past accha nahi hai, dono ne bohot dard sahe hai bachpan se aur shaayad abhi bhi wohh dard hai. Dikhta hai unki sehmi hui hasi mein. Kabir main tumhe yeh sab karne se rok nahi rahi, par aisa kuch mar karna jisse unke dard aur badh jaaye."

Preeti too stood by her & said the same thing. She was too much attached to her best friend & she didn't want her to be broken or hurt again. Taking a deep breath, Kabir said, "Main aisa kuch nahi karunga jisse dono ko hurt ho, main sirf wohi kar raha hun jo unke rishtey ke liye accha hai. Main sirf Sameer ko aaina dikha raha hun ki ek saal baad kya ho sakta hai. Aur jahaan tak main Sameer ko jaanta hun, mujhe pataa hai ki usne abhi tak Naina se dosti nahi ki hogi. Aur jab dost nahi bane, toh apna dard kaise share karenge."

"Maine sirf wohi kahaa jo sach hai. Sameer ne sirf Naina ko apni biwi maana hai, unke rishtey ko naam diya hai, par kya sirf naam de dene se dono ka rishta mazboot hoga? Nahi... unn dono ko pehle ek dusre ko acche se jaanna hoga, samajna hoga, tabhi ek dusre ke dard samaj paayenge. Unhe ek dusre ki taakat banna hai. Aur jo bhi Munna aur Pandit ne Sameer ke parents ke baare mein bataaya, usse yeh saaf hai ki Sameer Naina par poora vishwas nahi kar paayega abhi. Wohh bharosa, wohh vishwas, yeh sab tabhi hoga jab wohh dono ek dusre se apna dard baatenge aur yeh sab tabhi mumkin hai jab wohh dono dost banenge."

"Maine jaanbujhkar dosti ki baat Sameer ke saamne rakhi taaki mere pehle wohh Naina se dosti kare." He looked at Munna directly, "Tu aur Anjali pehle dost hi bane na, fir tum dono ek dusre ko jaanne lage, samajne lage, sab share karne lage. Kyun sahi keh raha hun na? Yaa dosti ke bina hi sab share karne lage the aur aise hi pyaar ho gaya tha?" Everyone understood his point of view & agreed to it.

Anjali hesitated, "Kabir... Tumne Naina se dosti karne ki koshish nahi ki?" And he went silent. Preeti replied, "Naina toh Bhai se bohot durr bhaagti hai. Pataa nahi kyun karti hai aisa par jahaan tak main usse jaanti hun shaayad Naina ko samaj aa gaya tha ki Bhai usse pasand karne lage hai, isiliye shaayad Bhai se durr hi rehti hai."

Kabir too agreed, "Preeti sahi keh rahi hai. Khair chodo, meri dosti ho yaa naa ho par main chaahta hun ki Sameer aur Naina pehle acche dost bann jaaye." The others smiled watching this selfless soul who wasn't even asking for her friendship anymore. He just wanted their friend's happiness even if he had to become a villian in their lives.

"Tu bohot accha hai Kabir... Sach mein... Hum bohot khush kismat hai ki tu hamara dost hai." Munna & Pandit hugged him tightly while the girls smiled at him lovingly. This bond was forever & no one wanted to break this at all. Pandit spoke, "Kabir... tu jo kar raha hai Sameer ke liye wohh shaayad hum bhi nahi kar paate. Par ek vaada karte hai hum aaj ki jab bhi tumhe hamari zarurat hogi, hum tere saath honge, hameshaa..."

All the five had a group hug & left towards their home. On the other side, the ride to the Maheshwari Mansion was silent. Naina was tired of dancing that day & Sameer was emersed thinking about what his friend had said earlier. He had never thought that way & how would he know all this, when he was the one who always stayed away from the opposite gender. He didn't know much about how relationships worked? He had never been in one to know about it, then how would he understand it?

What Kabir said seemed logically correct to him. Even if they were married, there were some limitations in the relationship. They never spoke openly to each other as friends would do. If they would've been friends, it would've been easy for him to share his thoughts as he did with Munna & Pandit.

When they got off the car, they saw Nanu sitting in the garden. They greeted him & then left to freshen up. Naina entered the washroom first & had a quick shower while Sameer rested on his bed. She came out wearing a simple white cotton salwar kurta. He noticed that she hadn't taken the dupatta till she was in their room. She went downstairs to make his favourite coffee & tea for herself & Nanu.

Sameer too freshened up & joined his Nanu in the living room. They were discussing about all the preparations when Naina walked out with a coffee & tea & some snack too. She knew Sameer hadn't eaten much in the lunch, so he must be hungry. Naina sat beside Sameer while the discussions continued.

Nanu called Kabir & enquired about the other preparations while the couple quietly sipped their beverages. She held the plate of full of chiwda & biscuits in front of him, "Thoda kuch kha lijiye, aapne lunch mein jyada nahi khaaya tha." He silently picked up a couple of biscuits & after a while, he ate some chiwda too.

Naina helped Ramdhari in preparing the dinner while Sameer went back to his room to attend his mails. After finishing their meal, everyone retired to their room. Sameer was busy in his work when Naina joined him in their room. She too opened her laptop to go through her mails related to the NGO. She found few mails from Kabir & she opened it one by one to see that she definitely had some work to do for the whole day tomorrow.

As tired, she was that day, she wanted to sleep but she saw the tired face of her husband & asked hesitantly, "Sameer... Baaki ka kaam kal kar lijiyega, abhi so jaaiye. Thak gaye honge na?" Though Sameer was going through his mails but his mind was far away from work. His thoughts were full of what Kabir had said to him today. His each & every word was etched in his heart.

Sameer looked at the tired face of his stunning wife, "Tum bhi thak gayi hogi na? Aaj bohot dance jo kiya hai?" She smiled & nodded. He kept his laptop & phone away & got up from his bed. Naina kept looking at him & he walked to the balcony. Naina followed him after a few minutes with her shawl.

This time Sameer was sitting down on the floor with his head resting on the wall & closed eyes. Naina sat down beside him & asked, "Sameer... Main aapko subah se dekh rahi hun, aap kisi baat se pareshaan hai. Aap chaahe toh mujhse share kar sakte hai."

Sameer opened his eyes & looked at her with a fond smile curving on his lips. "Haaannn... Main subah thoda pareshaan tha, par ab main thik hun." She looked on & he asked, "Tumhe kaise pataa ki main pareshaan tha?" She looked away from him & saw the shining stars. "Bas mujhe mehsoos hua aur waise bbhi aapki aankhon se pataa chal jaata hai."

While she was looking at the stars, he was observing her serene face. Something struck her & she got up from there. Sameer too quietly followed her into the room & closed the balcony door as it was too cool outside. He saw his wife rummaging something in her luggage & then she took a small photograph of her parents.

Sameer kept looking at her & then he saw her resting down on the couch, pulling the thin sheet over her. He was confused now. What had happened for the sudden shift in her mood? He quietly switched all the lights off & then slept on his bed. Though he was tired, but still sleep was far away from his eyes today. Many things were going on in his mind.

He kept tossing & turning till midnight. And then suddenly, he heard some sounds of sobbing from his room. He was instantly alert. He looked at the empty couch & switched on the lamp. Where was his wife? And from where were the sounds coming? He got up from the bed & walked ahead to hear the sound coming from the washroom.

Sameer knocked twice, "Naina... Naina... Tum... tum ro kyun rahi ho? Tum... tum thik toh ho naa? Jaldi se baahar aao." When she didn't open the door after his incessant knocks, he warned, "Naina... dekho... tumne abhi darwaaza nahi khola na toh main yeh darwaaza tod dunga, fir Nanu bhi uth jaayenge." Hearing the name of Nanu, Naina opened the door.

Sameer was shocked to see her dishevelled state. She came out of the washroom & walked towards the couch slowly while Sameer kept looking at her painful state. His eyes shifted to the photograph that she was holding to her heart. He silently sat next to her & then pulled her in his arms. She rested her head on his chest & then the damn of tears broke again.

Sameer kept rubbing her back slowly till his t-shirt was soaked with her tears. "Sshhhhhhh... Naina... ab bas bhi karo. Kab se kitna ro rahi ho. Mujhe bataao, kya hua hai? Tum itna kyun ro rahi ho? Aur... aur yeh photograph kiska hai?" She parted from him & then she handed him that photograph.

Sameer asked, "Yeh... yeh... tumhare parents hai???" The colourful photograph was quite old & was a little faded. The couple in it were very much happy & they had held a small cute daughter in between them & they were kissing her on her cheeks together. The photograph brought a small smile on his face as he saw the small chubby Naina so happy with her parents. His smile dimmed when he remembered that he had no such photo to reminisce his parents.

Naina's sobs brought him back to her & he spoke to divert her mind, "Yeh choti si, cute si, chubby si ladki kaun hai?" She looked at him surprised at his teasing comment. She smiled a little & then again, her eyes welled up with tears seeing her parent's picture.

Sameer finally asked, "Aaj bohot miss kar rahi ho mummy-papa ko?" She just nodded & then took the picture back from him. She looked fondly at the photograph & spoke, "Aaj mere parents ki barsi hai." And he froze. This wasn't what he had expected. He thought that she was just missing her parents today but now after hearing the reason, he didn't know how to console her, he had never done this before.

Sameer saw Naina tearing up again & then he asked, "Tum... tum... aaj ke din kya karti ho? When she didn't speak anything & continued crying, he too didn't ask her further. He got up from the couch & brought a glass of water for her. She sipped it slowly & then after a few minutes she spoke, "Main... main har saal iss din Nanaji ke saath mandir mein choti si pooja karti thi."

He hummed & then asked, "Tumhare paas yahi ek photo hai?" She looked up at him with her misty eyes, "Haaannnn... Yahi ek hai." Sameer saw the time & it was already 2 a.m. at night. He watched the tired face of his wife, "Naina... main jaanta hun ki tum kitna akela feel kar rahi hogi. Pehle tumhare Nanaji hote the tumhare saath aur iss saal wohh bhi nahi hai. Par main promise karta hun ki main tumhe akela nahi chodunga. Main, Nanu, Preeti, hum sab hai tumhare saath."

Naina asked, "Kya... kya hum thodi der baat kar sakte hai?" He nodded & asked, "Accha chalo mujhe yeh batao ki tumhare college mein koi best friends the yaa nahi? Jaise Munna aur Pandit mere best friends hai." He was trying to divert her mind & heart but unknowingly he was holding her raw nerve.

She replied in a choked voice, "Mere koi friends nahi the, jo bhi the wohh sirf naam ke liye the." Sameer asked in confusion, "Matlab?" Taking a deep breath, she continued, "School aur college mein sab mere dost sirf isliye bante the kyunki unhe mere notes chahiye hote the. Isliye main kahaa, sab sirf naam ke liye dost the. Meri life mein koi sacche friends hi nahi bane, toh best friend toh bohot durr ki baat hai."

Sameer's heart broke further after knowing about this. She continued, "Preeti hi meri sabse pehli friend bani hai, jisne har kadam mera saath diya. Ab main keh sakti hun ki wohi meri best friend hai. Aur ab toh Anjali bhi meri friend ban gayi hai."

She looked at him, "Aap lucky hai Sameer, ki at least aap ke paas Munna aur Pandit jaise bachpan ke dost hai, jisne kabhi aapko akela feel nahi hone diya hoga. Par mere paas koi nahi tha sivaay mere Nanaji ke. Main toh tab bhi bohot akela feel karti thi aur ab bhi."

He asked, "Ab kyun? Ab toh Preeti aur Anjali hai na?" She turned fully to him, "Sab baatein unse share nahi kar sakti na? Koi aisa dost hona chahiye jisse baat karne se pehle mujhe sochna na pade, jo dil mein hai wohh bol sakun, jo mere bina kahe mere dil ki baat samaj jaaye."

Sameer's heart went out to her & he hugged her. His eyes watered instantly & he asked hesitantly, "Naina... Kya... kya tum mujhe wohh dost maan sakti ho, jisse tum sab baatein share kar sakti ho, wohh bhi bina kisi hichkichaahat ke? Main promise karta hun ki tumhari har baat sununga, tumhara hamesha saath dunga, tumhe kabhi akela feel nahi hone dunga."

When she didn't say anything, he continued, "Naina... Kya... kya tum mujhse dosti karogi???"

How was the update???

I know it was a little bit emotional...

Some more Samaina conversation coming up in the next chapter...

Do you think Naina will accept her husband's friendship???

Do you think what Kabir is doing is right???

Will Kabir ever be Naina's friend???

Stay safe... Take care...

Ignore the mistakes...

With Lots of Love,

Daksha...❤