Sidharth & Shehnaaz almost chuckled at their darling Nisha having a ball game. Hearing her mom speak of guests, she now opened her eyes wide and clear to see and impulsively exclaimed "WTF! Shubman Gill?" She was in utter disbelief.

"Nishuuuu Language!" Preeti almost scoffed at her daughter.

"Uh I'm sorr..." Preeti further tried to apologise but was interrupted by a sweet soft yet husky unusual male voice.

"No no ma'am... It's fine. Please sorry mat boliye"

Nisha stood rooted to her place with wide eyes and an embarrassed face now that she was fully awake and realised that she wasn't day dreaming but the owner of the unique voice was really present in her house. However, she was in no state to utter any more words from her mouth seeing the deep eyed lad with an infectious, dimpled smile, sitting right across her. Needless to say, she was stunned to see Shubman from so close but she was also stumped by how handsome he looked in real too. His facial features looked more prominent & his signature dimpled smile was no less than a heart wreck to her.

As on cue, Sidharth pitched in to his dear niece's rescue.

"Abey Preeti chill na. She's sleepy, abhi abhi uthi hai meri bachi. She is just surprised to see Shubman humare ghar mei. I'm sure he has seen way more crazy reactions, hai na?" Sidharth smirked & the star cricketer nodded his head & gave his yet another enchanting smile.

At the same time Shehbaz entered the hall saying "Yeh Nisha aise bhootni ban ke kyu khadi hai?" making everyone laugh except Nisha. She then realised her appearance and about how she had casually walked in on their guests in her shorts, messy hair and a droopy face.

She quickly mumbled a soft "uhm sorry" and ran inside but not before throwing a cushion at Shehbaz for calling her a bhootni.

Everyone had a good laugh at their banter and continued their conversation. The star cricketer of the Indian team Shubman Gill was at the Shukla house along with his manager John.

On the way to the room, Nisha heard them speak of how Sidharth was helped by Shubman & his manager while he was escaping from the smugglers the previous night. Sidharth had personally invited them over for lunch that day to his house as a gesture of gratitude.

Sidharth was heard saying "Uh mein zyada details nahi bata sakta but unn smugglers se toh mei escape ho gaya tha somehow and I ran towards the main road that I could see, na mere paas phone tha na hi mera walkie talkie to contact anyone. Tabhi a car was passing by on the same road and I stopped them for help. Dekha toh it was Shubman inside the car, mujhe aise zhakhmi haalat mei dekh ke definitely ghabra gaye the yeh dono but still they helped me call up Jenny phir hospital bhi le gaye. Thank you so much boys. I don't think many celebs would actually do whatever you did..."

"Arre nahi Sir,aap poore shehar k liye kitna kuch karte hai,this is the least I could have done for you. It's an honour to be of any tiny bit of help. I'm glad I was there on the same road by chance uss waqt. Waise, apki jagah koi aur hota tab bhi I would have done the same...please don't thank me" Shubman replied genuinely.

Nisha smiled to herself listening to him & quickly went inside the room to freshen up.

Sidharth was impressed with the Punjabi lad for being so humble & down to earth despite being a well known athelete. He gave a heartfelt smile and everyone was with him on this.

"Phir bhi,thank you so much beta for helping Sidharth. Na jaane aur kitne takleef sehni padti usse aap waha nahi aate toh" Sidharth's mom said being immensely grateful.

"Oh no, aap sharminda kar rhi hai mujhe...thanks mat boliye please" Shubman said. He was visibly kind of shy with the way the Shukla family was constantly thanking him but he also felt homely & warm with them all as if he had some kind of karmic connection.

"Shub, tu na sadi bohat madad kiti ae, so thank you bolna paega nai? Inni vaddi sheher ch baba ji ne tenu chuneya Sidharth di madad lyi, I'm so glad it was you kaake" Shehnaaz spoke her heart to Shubman in Punjabi leaving the others to guess the meaning and which they did fairly well, all thanks to her. (Shub, you have helped us a lot so we must thank you right? In such a huge city, baba ji chose you to help Sidharth. I'm so glad it was you baby boy)

"Sanu yaar,pehla toh kaake na bula, phir hun tussi vi same shuru na karyo. Koi load nai, inni vaddi koi kaam nai kiti mei te tuade saare thank you shank you dass di phire" Shubman replied humbly. (Sanu, firstly please don't call me kaake & now you don't start the same thing. I haven't done anything big for you all to constantly say thank you)

Shubman was a distant relative to Shehnaaz from her father's side. So they knew each other since their childhood & got along really well once they grew up & he became a cricketer as whenever he was in Mumbai he'd stay over at her place. So, Shehnaaz was happy to know that it was Shubman who helped her man when in need. And also that Shukla family would get to know one more member of her family other than Shehbaz.

Shehnaaz scooted a little closer to Sidharth, leaned on his shoulder and said "Tenu hun samajh na avegi Shub, jad vi teri life ch koi kudi kadam rakhegi tenu pata lagega how much it means to spend a few hours in anxiety about our loved one's safety and then see them fine in front of your eyes" Sidharth pulled her closer and wrapped his free arm around her shoulder to press a soft peck on her head. He knew how scared his girl was the previous night.

Everyone smiled at them both in adoration. They looked super cute together so, Shehbaz immediately captured the moment in his phone camera. They all spoke for a few more minutes before agreeing to begin the lunch.

Shubman was pleasantly surprised to see Shehnaaz be so comfortable with Sidharth & everyone in his family. Also at how domesticated she was in their house just like a family member herself as she roamed across the house doing normal chores to set up the dining table for lunch, taking care of the little Vedanth in between & talking to Sidharth's sisters in a very homely manner. He was glad to see her being herself and happy among the Shukla family. During the conversation, Shehnaaz had introduced Sidharth as just her close friend to him but then he was not a novice to gauge that they were more than friends. He liked everyone in their family whom he had met until then & their company.

But, his eyes unknowingly kept searching for the girl who had given a dramatic entry and reaction on seeing him. The moment he laid his eyes on her, he knew she was unlike any other girl. She had appeared in her most unkempt, messy look as she was right out of bed but boy was she gorgeous? She looked like the most beautiful mess of a magnificent chaos.

Within a few minutes of her arrival, he had known that her name was "Nisha", all thanks to her mother calling her out. He couldn't help but smile inwardly at her dramatic reaction upon seeing him. Sure he was used to a lot of female attention but this girl was something else. When he was lost in her thoughts, there she appeared walking towards the couch, as fresh as a morning Daisy. Her face was bare of any cosmetic making her look the most pristine beauty. Her hair was left free as they cascaded down her shoulders in waves. She wore a cream colour full sleeves V neck tee tucked in a white cargo pants accentuating her curves and beauty.

She was carefree & laughing at something that Shehnaaz said. It was the most beautiful sight Shubman had ever witnessed in his life and he was not hiding his admiration.

Nisha spontaneously turned and caught him oggling at her. She also realised that he was checking her out. Their eyes met for a brief second and immediately looked away at once. That was it, perhaps the tiny moment shared between them was enough to make them aware that there probably was a fire ignited at both ends.

Soon lunch was served & it was a grand affair with sumptuous food, drinks & fun. Once the lunch was done, they had some more conversations where Sidharth was intrigued to know more about cricket from Shubman who was patiently answering to him. Then, it was time for the guests to take a leave when Shubman grabbed Shehnaaz's hand and took her aside, which didn't go unnoticed by Sidharth & Nisha both.

"Ammaaaa...Ae ki Shub?" Shehnaaz fake whined trying to free he wrist from his grab.

"Sshhh bas drame karo tussi" Shubman chuckled & Shehnaaz did too.

He continued to speak holding her arms "We didn't get the time to talk ever since I came here. I just wanted to say Menu bohat khushi huyi twanu iha family de naal dekh k. Tussi dasya nai ki sach mei Sidharth sir kaun si ga twade lyi but mein samajh sakda te dekh vi sakda ah. I'm so happy for you" (I'm happy for you. You didn't tell me who Sidharth sir is to you, but I do understand & I can also see)

Shehnaaz blushed as she was caught now. She playfully hit his arm and said "chup kar! It's... It's kinda complicated right now Shub but, I'm happy. Lagda ki life ch sari khushiyan yeh banda menu de dega"

"I'm sure he will. Chinta na karo sab kuj theek ho javega" Shubman assured and Shehnaaz was quick to give him a warm hug.

The entire ordeal was witnessed by Sidharth & Nisha who obviously shared a similar thought process, felt a bit jealous because they were territorial in nature. It appeared like Shehnaaz & Shubman were having a personal chat, owing to their closeness.

"Chal hun, sab dekh rhe. We'll talk at home" Shehnaaz said breaking the hug and they went ahead.

Sidharth maintained a blank face as they went up to him and bid adieu.

He probably had a childlike irritation seeing Shehnaaz behave closely with another man. He knew he was being judgemental and a jerk but he couldn't help his irrational thoughts about someone else liking the girl he loves.

"Beta, please do visit us whenever you are in Bombay. We'd love to have you around" Sidharth's mom heartfully said as Shubman was about to leave.

"Sure. Aisa khana milega toh zaroor" he joked.

"Of course!" Preeti exclaimed and they all laughed.

"Shub, ghar aa ja shaam nu. You're staying over. John please make sure he checks out of the hotel today" Shehnaaz said sternly.

"Haha yes ma'am" Shubman answered instead & hugged her briefly.

He went ahead to touch Sidharth's mom's feet and then hugged him, Shehbaz & was about to turn when he bumped into Nisha who was also turning to walk away. This felt way too filmy to Nisha but could she complain? Absolutely not!

"I'm sorry!" Both of them said in unison & stole a few awkward glances.

"Aaj toh bohat sorries ho gaye tere Nisha" Shehbaz teased her making her go red in embarrassment.

She opened her mouth to give a befitting reply but mumbled a cuss word at him in mute and went away while he laughed. All Shubman could do was stare at the direction she walked away.

"Shub, time to leave" John whispered in his ears and they left finally.

**********

"Babyyyyy" Shehnaaz chimed as she walked into Sidharth's room with a cup of hot soup.

Sidharth was sprawled on his bed watching a news on UN summit.

Ever since the lunch was over, he had been aloof with Shehnaaz. She didn't fail to notice that however she behaved as if she had no idea. It had been 2 hours since the guests had left, she spent time with the family and now she wanted to give the soup to Sidharth and leave to her house.

"Yeh lo garam garam spinach soup layi hu, pee lo jaldi acche bache ho na mere gudhuuu" she cooed as if she was pacifying a miffed kid.

Sidharth still stayed in the same position ignoring her so she kept the bowl on the bedside table and kneeled onto the space next to him.

"Sidhhhaaarthh" she whined dragging his name.

"Kya hai? Kyu sadu banke baithe ho tab se?" She finally gave up and addressed the elephant in the room.

"Tujhse matlab?" He spat, surprising Shehnaaz. She simply stared at him so he continued.

"Tu jaa na tere Shub k paas jaa, yaha pe koi punjabi mei baat karneko nai hai tere sath. Jaa hass hasske baat kar aur chipak ja ussi se" Sidharth scoffed, clearly being a jerk of a man. Shehnaaz's eyes widened at how irrational Sidharth was.

"Sidharthhh bol kya rah hai? Are you mad?" She pushed him aside still being careful about not hurting his arm or leg and made space for herself to sit.

She knew that Sidharth was only throwing a tantrum because it was his first experience of seeing her behave closely with another man whom he didn't know. But that doesn't give him the liberty to talk the way he did.

"Mera Shub? Ussi se chipak jau? Sun bhi raha hai khud ko? Izzath nai ban rhi Sidharth teri aisa bol k...tujhe jalan huyi mujhe Shubman k sath dekh ke achi baat hai, honi bhi chahiye. That's normal but what is not normal is you talking shit about me, understand?" Shehnaaz gave him the much needed earful.

Sidharth suddenly became quite and lowered his eyes, perhaps the words shehnaaz said made sense to him and realised what he had said giving in to his temper. But he was still miffed with how she was grabbed and taken aside to talk and hug by Shubman.

"Yeah but voh..." He tried to speak but words could not roll out of his mouth.

"Sidharthh...I understand that you feel possessive about me baba but aise gandi baatein mat bola kar na. Mere sath lad, muh phula k beith, sadu ban nakhre dikha sab kar bebu but don't talk like this to me..." she paused a bit and continued.

"Shubman na mera bhai jaisa hai, he's just like Shehbaz to me. I told you ki bachpan se janti hu usse and he's one of the very few among my relatives whom I get along with... Pata voh kya keh rah tha aaj mujhe? He said he's very happy to see me with you and he knows that you'll keep me happy"

"Shit! Sorry!" Sidharth said immediately turning to her.

"Acha? Bada kameena hai tu Sidharth. Usko Bhai bolte hi sorry muh pe aa gaya, mere bare mei kitna kuch ulta seedha bola uske liye sorry nai bola jatha tujhe" Shehnaaz taunted making a pout.

"Abey yar, no... I'm genuinely sorry ki meine gusse mei bina soche samjhe kuch bhi bol diya. Mein galat tha meri jaan. Tu ne akal thikane lagai na abhi aage se I promise to not behave like that okay?" He said softly taking her palms in his hands but she still remained stern with a poker face.

"Dil se sorry bol rah hu...maaf karde sweetheart" he said again surely knowing how to melt her by using cute endearments.

"Umm...jealous hoga aage se?" She questioned.

"Absolutely" he answered sincerely.

"Kuthe ki tarah bhonke ga mere upar?" She asked again making him chuckle.

"Definitely"

"Sidharth marungi mein..." and she hit his arm in haste.

"Aaoouu" he squealed a fake one but Shehnaaz was quick to repent as she thought she hurt his injured arm.

"Sorry sorry sorry...zyada lagi?" She immediately tended to him looking out if she had aggravated his already injured arm. Her face had turned crimson and worry was written all over.

"Sana! Darling I'm okay... Mazak kar rah tha... You didn't hurt me. Dekh" he said pulling her chin up.

"Kutta!" She cursed in a low tone but lunged at him to wrap her arms around his frame. He enveloped her with his free arm in reflex and peppered numerous kisses on her head.

"Gandhe bachee...abhi soup pee lo then I'll leave. Shub ko ghar bulayi hu na then amma ko aaj bhi jhoot bolke aayi hu yaha pe. I told her that I'm going to Thane for a meeting with the architects for our Maldives resort" she said rubbing her nose on his chest.

She seemed low all of a sudden and Sidharth knew. He pecked on her forehead again.

"Sana... I get it you feel sad to lie to your parents whenever you come to meet me but then for how long you'll hide it baba?" He asked in a dejected tone.

"For as long as I can..." she replied snuggling more into him.

"Par...kyu?" He questioned.

"Sidharth?" She abruptly moved apart and looked into his eyes. They suddenly had turned red, intense and scared.

"Huh?" He asked.

"Hum dono k beech mei kya hai?" She probed gesturing the tiny space between them with her forefinger.
Sidharth wasn't expecting her to ask him something out of the blue like this.

"What?" He was taken aback.

"Hum kya hai Sidharth? Sirf Friends hai? Girlfriend boyfriend hai? Friends with benefits hai? Kya hai? Have we ever acknowledged what's between us?" Her already red eyes turned moist as she spat each question straight to Sidharth like arrows.

"Baby!" He sighed rubbing his face with his pam.

"Kya? Huh? Bol Sidharth... Hum kya hai?" She asked softly this time.

"Meri jaan mein kya puch rah tha aur tu baat ko kaha le ja rhi hai?" He said exasperated as he was not ready to have this conversation yet because he was sure that he was head over heels in love with Shehnaaz but she? She had too many things before she could even realise that she loves him and accept it.

"Sidharth, my parents are orthodox & very different from yours. Unke liye mera kisi k sath relationship mei hona ya date karna gunah hai. Aise mei how do I tell them that I have an attachment with you and not a conventional relationship? Do you think they'll understand? Tabah kar denge sab kuch. I do not have this freedom Sidharth! Mein bhi chahti hu ki jab bhi tujhse milne aau amma ko sach bata ke aau that I'm going to meet Sidharth ya phir jab bhi voh call kare bina darey batau ki Sidharth k sath hu aa jaungi ghar but I cannot, I just CANNOT" she started crying profusely by the end of her monologue. Sidharth's heart tugged so bad to see her break. He engulfed her in his arm and let her cry.

He did not once tell her not to cry because he knew she had pent up her tears and bottled up her thoughts for so long that it was good for her if she cried out loud and expressed whatever she felt like and he would give her the safe space to do that.

He kept pressing incessant soft kisses on her head as she cried. After a few minutes when her tears muffled, Sidharth caressed her hair lovingly and said "Shehnaaz, baby... dekh jo bhi hai humare beech hume pata hai ki bohat organically hua hai. Na kisi dabav mei na kisi ke kehne se na khud humare intention se. The day we met in my office, it was magical. Humare bas mei kuch tha nahi... We have this unsaid, non-established bond between us which is way above any normal relationship between a man and a woman. Hai na? If your parents are not capable of understanding that at present it's okay to not let them know about us. Shayad kuch time baad voh samajh jayenge akhir tu unki beti hai na meri jaan? Parents can never hurt their children willingly. I'm sure some day they'll understand you and your decisions wholeheartedly"

Sidharth concluded by pressing another long kiss on her forehead assuring her of everything that she needed at the moment. However, Shehnaaz cried more listening to him.

He rocked her in his arms to and fro whispering sweet nothings to soothe whatever more she was undergoing and his efforts probably worked.

Shehnaaz calmed down in some time. She raised her chin to see the beautiful face of the man who had been so sensitive with her breakdown.

She moved herself a bit high to reach his face and slammed her lips across his face peppering numerous kisses on his eyes, nose,cheeks, lips everywhere she could to shower all that she felt for him which was unsaid and Sidharth gladly let her use his face as a canvas to paint her love.

"Sab kuch hi hai tu mera" she mumbled still keeping her lips on his.

And she suddenly moved back and squealed.

"Hayeee soup thandi ho gayi Sidharth. Teri wajah se!" Shehnaaz taunted comically making Sidharth giggle. He knew that this girl would surely make him insane with love. She could so quickly change her mood within seconds that nobody would believe if she was weeping like a baby seconds ago and now she was taunting and blaming him royally. He absolutely loved her.

"Meri wajah se? Kya hai be tu? Mereko dant bhi tu lagayi, royi bhi tu, pappiya bhi tu ne di, time itna lagaya in sab mei tu aur soup meri wajah se thandi ho gayi...kya baat hai kya baat hai kya baat hai sahi hai" Sidharth said by clapping his hands in a slow motion.

"Ha toh yeh sab shuru kisne kiya tha kutte?" She spat back and their banter began.

But eventually they ended up laughing and cuddling.

"Waise, I guess you will still have a problem with Shubman" Shehnaaz said with a little giggle drawing patterns on Sidharth's chest.

"Huh? Kyu bey? Bola na tune Bhai hai phir kyu hogi problem mereko?" Sidharth asked being amused.

"Haha" Shehnaaz laughed again.

"Bol na hass kyu rhi hai?" He insisted being curious.

"Mujhe laga tune notice kiya hoga par tu na budhhu hai ek number ka... Mere peeche gussa ho ke baitha tha aur kuch dikha hi nahi" Shehnaaz said slapping her palm on his chest softly.

"Abey yaar! Paka mat, bol na"

"I think... I mean I guess... Nishu ko voh pasand hai and Shub ko bhi" Shehnaaz revealed as she had noticed them stealing sweet small moments throughout the lunch.

************

Thanks for reading...

I don't know why I had a writer's block and took this long to finish this chapter. Sorry for the delay but I just couldn't get myself to complete this and finally did now.

Hope it wasn't boring. Please do comment how it was...

How's the new entry? Don't worry this will still remain a SidNaaz FF but thoda Nisha- Shubman yaha waha will be added bas...

Love,
Avni