Sidharth was having breakfast with his family on a Sunday morning at home. 

"Maine suna tu flat dekh raha hai? You're moving out? Is it because of the firm Sid? I know jab se humne firm expand kiya, we've been using our house as the office.. Disturbance toh ho raha hai na usse?" Ajay asked. He was Sidharth's elder sister Preeti's husband. 

"No way! Tumlog ke firm se mujhe koi disturbance nahi ho rahi hai. It's just that my workload has been increasing lately! And I wanted to work on my designing as well. So.." Sidharth shrugged and dipped the torn aloo paratha into curd. 

"You sure? Tu theatre room lele? Aise bhi Adved ab bada ho gaya hai, khelta bhi nahi vaha.." Ajay wanted to confirm if it was his office and stuff affecting their home. 

"Nahi yaar, that theatre room has been Adved's playroom since forever. Mai nahi le raha vo room. I'm not like Preeti!" Sidharth replied, not at all wanting to take his nephew's childhood memories and side by side taunting his sister for something she did years back. Around two decades ago when Sidharth was in college doing his MBA, his sister had opened up her own office at home to start her practice. 

"Achaaww? Aur kitne saalo se vo room band pada tha?" Preeti questioned with confidence. 

"Farak nahi padta! Tune mere permission ke bina mera room khola tha!" the little brother retorted. 

"Ha! Acha kiya khola tera room varna sabko pata kaise chalta ki pocket money ke paiso se tu playboy ki magazines mangavata tha!?" Preeti sniggered, she never liked losing arguments to him. Damn it, this incident was still so embarrassing. 

"Acha toh abhi purani baatein bolegi!? Yaad hai mujhe bhi jab tu meetings ke naam pe-" Sidharth began to reply but stopped when his mother asked him to. 

"Bas karo ab! Aaj tak bade nahi huye ho tum dono!" Rita Ji scolded. 

"Good morning everybody!" Adved's voice boomed across the hall, there came the youngest member of the family. 

"Good afternoon! Aaj jaldi uth gaya mera beta, sirf 11 baj rahe hai!" Preeti scolded him sarcastically, like a typical mother. The rest of the clan chuckled to that. 

"Moommm! It's a sunday! Morning Nani!" Adved whined to his mother and took a seat after wishing his Grandma. 

"Morning mera lazy sa Adi baccha!" Rita Ji chuckled while serving him breakfast. 

"Baitho Nani, lelunga mai. Bas khilado apne hath se!" Adved made her sit back and took the plate from her hands. 

"Aaj ka kya plan hai Mama? Xbox khele?" Adved asked, turning to Sidharth. 

"Koi plan nahi hai aaj ka! Tu padhai karega aur tera Mama apne liye flat dekhne jayega!" Preeti replied before Sidharth could. 

"Kya? Aap sachme ja rahe ho? Kyu Mama?" Adved was so disappointed about that, his uncle was simply the best one could ever get, he was his best friend in a way. Even Sidharth adored the 17 year old a lot and couldn't see him upset like that. 

"Arey mai kahi ja raha hu? I'll be staying in a different place in the same city! Bas! Tujhe difference pata bhi nahi lagega!" Sidharth answered, rufling Adved's hair. The boy muttered a 'fine' before getting fed by his Nani while Sidharth surfed through websites looking for a rentable place. 

It took him a complete week to find a 2 BHK flat at an affordable price which was owned by his friend's uncle, get the keys and move in there. Rita Ji gave him certain handy tips to keep his room clean and how to try to make it less messy, while Preeti asked him to keep reminders of all the bills in his calendar to pay them duly. However, Sidharth had chosen a place close to his home so food was not big a responsibility. 

"This place is good Mama! Mai yaha aa jaunga aapke paas bore hua toh!" Adved excitedly said, the flat was indeed spacious, had a modern touch with an open kitchen and sliding glass doors. 

"Abey maine ye ghar kharida nahi hai, kiraye pe rahunga taaki apni convenience pe chhod bhi saku!" Sidharth replied, laughing. "Aur master bedroom ki hi chabi mili hai, Sharma uncle wants to give the other room on rent as well." he informed the rest of the family. 

"Chalo tera toh final ho gaya na sab, all that matters!" Rita Ji tiredly sat down on the sofa, she had settled her son's clothes and those were pretty much for her to take care of. Everybody was tired. 

"Thak gaye Mom?" Sidharth sat close to her, enveloping an arm around her. He will be missing her a lot. While she just hummed, leaning towards his side and they all went out for dinner that night......

There was a sweet smile on his face recalling the day his family had dropped him in this apartment. He didn't miss them much because he used to see them almost every other day, in fact he was enjoying a lot of privacy and space until the other tenant moved in the next month. 

"Are you sure she's a tenant or you're moving in with somebody and lying to us?" Preeti suspiciously questioned him over their face time, sitting next to Ajay in their office. 

"Shut up yaar idiot! Kuch bhi ha!" Sidharth replied and Ajay chuckled. 

"Chal maan liya, so how's it to have a female roommate?" she asked then. 

"It doesn't matter, ek hafte pehle aayi hai. She minds her own business and mind mine! As simple as that." he shrugged, not sharing the fact that the new tenant wasn't new to him. She worked in the same place as him, just different departments. Well, Preeti found that cool. 

"Good then, what's her name by the way?" she asked. 

"Shehnaaz Gill." he answered. 

"Single hai?" Ajay inquired with an intention. 

"Engaged hai bhai!" Sidharth sniggered pouring water on his upcoming jokes. 

"Goodnight then, kya karenge Shehnaaz ke bare me jaan ke ab?" Ajay commented, defeatedly, it made Sidharth chuckle. 

Rolling some days back, Sidharth recalled the day Shehnaaz had a conversation with him for the first time outside their office through one of his colleagues Vardhan. 

"Sidharth! Hii!" she followed him out. 

"Hey Shehnaaz!" he replied. 

"Vardhan told me that his uncle was renting an apartment and he's rented you a room. Vaha ek room vacant tha na, I'll be moving in tomorrow. Baat karli hai unke uncle se and everything's done." she informed. 

"Great!" he commented. 

"Ha, I had a request if you could not tell anybody else that I'll be staying there. Mai nahi chahti log bakwas kare." she requested. 

"Kya bakwas?" he questioned confusingly. 

"I'm engaged na!" she answered, showing him her ring. "Actually, mera Mumbai aana toh lambi story hai, baad me bataungi fursat se yadi interested hoge toh. But my primary concern now is a place, lekin baat ye hai na ki mai engaged hu, mai ek ghar rent pe lungi aur vaha aap already rehte hoge." Shehnaaz explained though Sidharth couldn't get what she was trying to say. 

"Toh?" he asked. 

"Don't you get it?" she asked back, in an obvious tone. What would people think if a girl who is engaged moves to another city for work and she rents a place already occupied by another guy! She is really going to live under a roof with a stranger after being engaged to someone. How characterless? She is surely cheating on her fiancé, isn't she? She thought or somewhere knew what society said. 

"Shehnaaz mujhe apne ghar jane ki jaldi hai, so just make it quick. Directly bologi?" Sidharth said. 

"People will find it a good topic to gossip about, log bakwas karenge. I don't want that." she replied monotonously. 

"Then don't shift!" he replied. 

"Excuse me! Mai rahungi kaha? I come all the way from Borivali every day! It takes more than an hour to reach back home aur trains badal ni padti hai on the way. I cannot afford itna tamjham on a daily basis. And moreover YOU cannot tell me not to shift." she spat. How dare this guy just ask her not to move in. 

"Then choose, either listen to what shit people speak or get an accommodation as per your ease. Apna dekho, logo ko chhodo." he replied, in a tone calmer than hers. He understood her doubts regarding people gossiping but how many mouths can you really shut? But he couldn't deny that it takes courage to overlook that part. 

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heeyyyaaa!! how are you all doing? the first chpater is up.. padha? kaisa laga? jaldi batao!! aur vote karna mat bhoolna..