Shehnaaz shifted closer to Sidharth, resting her head over his chest, sighing and nuzzling her head comfortably.

"Hmm?" He promptly looked at her, running his fingers through her hair lovingly. All wrapped up under the sheets, they were cuddling after making passionate love.

"Another round?" He asked.

"Tch! Nahi." She shook her head.

"Toh?" He asked further.

"What do you mean 'toh'? Mujhe nind nahi aa rahi hai, kuch baat karna." She replied, confused.

"That's why I suggest we go another round. Kya baat karna?" He was chuckling.

"Such a one track mind." She hit his chest, sitting up and grabbing her T-shirt to wear. Once decently dressed, she freshened up and returned to him on the bed.

"Hmm.. you remember the new years eve?" He asked her and she nodded in response.

"Tune aur maine ek list banai, about what all we would do together this year." He added, meanwhile his left hand reached out to the night stand to grab a folded paper.

There it was, the paper, her handwriting, her jumbled alphabets, her past, her insecurities all displayed in front of him nicely. Shehnaaz swallowed a lump, bracing herself for the question he was bringing up slowly because she had seen it coming. She knew she should have told him about it but she kept preferring to do it at the right time and circumstances.

However, Sidharth as a partner had always been supportive and understanding but she was somewhere still worried. Different people react differently at different times owing to their state of mind, she was worried if he would be able to accept the fact.

"Koi writing problem hai tujhe?" He asked calmly.

"Um.. ha. Kind of." She replied.

"Mujhe.." she paused herself to take a deep breath and continue.

"Mai bachpan me padhne- likhne me weak thi, kuch bhi ho samjhne me time lagta tha. Badi mushkil se pass hoti thi." She shrugged and looked up at him, he nodded.

It was strange, a writing difficulty at this age, not that it wasn't possible but a problem like could have been treated long back. Back when she was a child, when she was in school.

"Toh iske liye tune kuch kiya nahi? As in, didn't your parents seek help for you?" He asked.

"Kaisi help? Tuition lagaya tha mummy ne. School toh school, mai toh tuition ke tests me bhi fail ho jati thi." She pouted, embarrassed.

"No. I didn't mean that, like not academically." He replied and thought about it for a minute.

"Tune jaise likha hai, uss hisab se I think tujhe likhne ke liye special attention deni chahiye thi." He said, looking at her.

"I don't know Sidharth. Mere gharwale ko laga ki mai padhai me achi nahi hu, bas.  Aur kya special attention dete?" She replied, wishing he wouldn't the stretch the topic anymore. It was making her uncomfortable now, the topic had brought back the memories she didn't really appreciate having with her in her childhood. She used to study, try a lot and work hard but just couldn't understand how easily the rest of the students in her class could do it but not her.

"Hmm." He nodded, keeping the paper aside and letting go of the topic. She was right, parents at their time, in the 90s didn't believe in therapies. She was a wonderful girl, he simply adored her for what she was despite all this. 

"Acha toh apni list me se kya karne ka socha hai?" He asked.

"Kuch naya, kuch bada bol rahi thi. Sochi hai kuch?" He added, scooting closer to her.

"Nahi yaar. Uss raat toh aisi talli hoke bol diya, I really have no plans. Mai kya bada karungi?" She shrugged.

"Aye! Aisa sada muh leke baithegi toh kuch soch bhi nahi payegi!" He retorted, throwing an arm around her neck and squeezing her into him.

She looked lost, it happens when someone's insecure about something, she understandably didn't want to talk about it. She has been keeping it to herself precisely because she was insecure about it. The mere mention of an insecurity risks having to experience all the negative commentary that she was often afraid of in the first place. However, he wanted to say that opening up to him about her insecurities could be liberating for her.

"Tu kaam kar apne interest pe, plan bana. Sab ho jayega." He suggested it to her.

"Manifestation? Really?" She asked him back.

"Ofcourse! It works." He nodded.

"What you don't believe me? Dekh, I'm really manifesting we go for another round and I'm telling you it'll happen in the next..." He paused to take a look at the wall clock.

"2 hours." He completed his sentence the next second and she hit him in the head.

"Dafa hoja!" She spat, slipping into the mattress and covering herself over.

"Acha sunna, bhook lagi hai. Kuch bana de." He shook her.

"Nahi uthegi? Order karu?" He asked when she didn't reply in the first place.

"So gayi?" He asked again and then bit her cheek when she didn't even move.

"Aaaah!" She yelped, caressing herself where he dunked his teeth.

"Kutte! Kamine! Mai bohot marungi tujhe!" She sat with a jolt and fisted his hair in her fist, tightening her grip and she managed to make him yelp in pain as well.

"Abey, chhod!" He laughed, shouting at her and freeing his hair.

"Kyu pareshan karta hai?" she whined, irritated.

"Weekend hai, apne ko sath me time spend karna chahiye toh tu muh sada ke baithi hai. Phir mera office chalu hoga monday se toh bolegi 'Kaha hai tu? Kab tak ayega?'!" He mimicked her by flattening his voice like a girl.

"Achaaww?!" She was surprised to hear it from him.

"Toh itna time kyu lagata hai office me? Itna kya kaam hota hai? Last saturday ko bhi der se aaya tha!" She complained, eyeing him accusingly.

"Bataya tha na ek important file sign karni thi!" He replied immediately.

"Toh itna time kyu lagaya? Weekend pe important file?" She asked again, squinting her eyes suspiciously.

"You don't believe me? Shaq kar rahi hai?" He asked her, to enlighten the mood.

"Ha." She replied.

He widened his eyes, surprised, "Acha?" He asked again.

"Kya pata kaha gulchhare uda ke aa raha hai? Important file sign karne gaya tha." She shrugged, mimicking him in the end and biting back her inner cheeks to hold back her smile.

"Haww! Papi aurat! Don't you trust me? Ram jaisa admi hu mai." He replied, exaggerating and hyperventilating. And in response to that Shehnaaz broke into a fit of laughter when he referred his character to be God-like and shook her head.

"Shahrukh Khan ki nayi movie dekhne chale?" He asked.

"Ye tu puch raha hai!!?" She looked at him surprised.

"Han." He shrugged.

"Bollywood movie!?" She clarified.

"Jana hai toh bol." He stated, rolling his eyes at her.

"Ha, bilkul jana hai. Kal chale? Ruk, book my show me seats dekh lu." She asked and fished out her phone to look at the time.

"9 se 12 chalte hai?" She suggested, almost booking two corner seats for themselves.

"Ha thik hai." He chuckled, she was so excited for the movie.

"Haaye, maza aayega!" She gushed happily, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Ha abhi chal kuch khane ka leke aa. Bhook lag rahi hai!" He shrugged off her hands and gestured to her to get going.

She rolled her eyes before leaving for the kitchen, a plain dinner consisting of daal, rice and aloo sabzi it was. Thinking through what all happened today, the way Sidharth brought up the question about her past and curiously asked, she had expected the same. But she was glad to have him by her side, someone with whom she could just be herself and still cared for. He was there for her all the time, what else could anybody wish for? She didn't need a proper love confession anymore, did she?

Back to bed in a couple of hours, amidst all the making out and pulling each other closer, Sidharth parted suddenly.

"Kya hua?" Shehnaaz asked, panting.

"Manifestation works, doesn't it?" He replied and she laughed out, nodding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hii all I'm back.. sorry for disappearing but now that I'm free.. i promise to be as regular as possible.. thank you all for waiting up for me..

Anyway.. back to the story.. some people told me that the plot was being unnecessarily dragged and slow.. i believe that it isn't according to my perspective because each and every character needs time and space to develop and get over it's insecurities...

I know it's a sidnaaz story and you guys know it's a sidnaaz story.. but that doesn't mean the characters in the story know that they're the one for each other.. I'm gonna give them all the time and lessons to learn and build themselves with a beautiful base for their relationship..