Check if you've read the previous update.
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"Promise?", he asked by holding her hand and placing it on his heart.

She looked at his chest.

"Promise!", She said by nodding her head.

"Thanks Sana. I'll use it whenever need arises. Did you have your dinner?", He asked.

She nods no.

"Okay though Manju had served me dinner, I think this part is still vacant here and I am experiencing hunger here. Rest all the parts are fine and full you see.", He saying pointing at a random portion of his ab.

"Huh? That was a bad joke!", she narrowed her eyebrows and laughed.

"Wow!! What's would be your reaction on the good jokes then?", He asked.

"Try cracking one and see for yourself.", She said.

"I really want to now.", He said.

"Okay, I'll get some midnight snack for both of us. I don't want your this portion of tummy to stay hungry.", She said pointing at place which he had pointed earlier.

"Pretty soon please before the hunger turns contagious and spreads to the entire tummy." He said with puppy eyes.

She smiled while shaking her head to gesture unbelievable. She left to the kitchen while Sidharth was lost in his thoughts.

I have been granted 3 wishes and I have to utilise it wisely. It could act like a boon to our incomplete lives. It was so soothing to find her laughing and smiling again especially after what I witnessed in the wood forest today evening. I want her to forget all the pain and embrace the new life. I need her, she needs me and most importantly this little sleeping angel needs me the most because though Sana decided to let me go, Manvi wants her father's heart to find her peace. (Kisses sleeping Manvi's temple softly)

I feel jealous of Agastya who made such a place in their life that they don't find anything else calming their restless lives then him. But at the same time I feel thankful to him for the heart which he left for me which inturn connected me to these beautiful souls.

The way Sana cared for a stranger like me just to preserve his heart by doing all the dirty duties which only a mother can do for her child makes me greedy. Every man wants a wife who looks after him like his own mother and I've finally found it. I really don't want to lose her now.

Flashback:

27 year old Sidharth sitting alone in his office canteen and having his food. He had turned himself into a stubborn person in these 6 years due to his unrequited love for Gunjan. He never opened up himself to anyone again with the fear of them breaking him again just the way Gunjan had done.

"Excuse me! Can I have a seat?", A lady asked pointing at the chair infront of him.

He looked at her with a straight expressionless face and looked to the other side after pushing a spoonful of food into his mouth. She shrugged and occupied the seat as there were no other seats left.

She opened her tiffin box and arranged it infront of herself. Sidharth looked at her again. She was a lean girl yet the amount of food infront looked too much for her appetite. She looked at him, his plate was empty hence she forwarded the tiffin offering him.

He again showed no interest in her and got up with the plate walking away to the dispose area. The girl frowned and cursed him at the back of her mind.

The next day, the same happened where the girl occupied the seat infront of him and ate food in silence. Until now nobody wanted to sit with him due to his stubbornness. She was a new recruit and had no friends yet so she always sat with him.

It had been over 2 months that they sat together yet not a single word communicated. Sidharth starts coughing as a morsel of food gets stuck in his air valve. She looks at him and pushes her water bottle without uttering a word. He was coughing pretty badly hence took few sips from her bottle. Once his cough subsides, he looks up at her to say thanks but she gets up and walks away as she was done eating her food. He frowns and keeps quiet.

One day, she didn't come. He looks around and finds her sitting with another girl on a different table. He smirks and ignores the thought.

He was promoted to a different role one year later where he had got a new projects to handle. Soon he realises that the project belonged to a problematic client who never did payments on time. He had to handle the project alone since it was an individual work with no teams involved. He looked at the financials and realised that there were a huge list of receivables pending since 2 to 3 years where the company had lost hopes of recovering.

He pulls up his sleeves to clean up the long pending dues as a challenge to the top officials who put him in this project looking at his stubborn behaviour and due to complains from his colleagues not wanting to work with him.

He contacts the customers and conducts various meetings with them and soon learns that they have done quite a few payments in the past. He goes to research to the accounts receivable department to dig up unclaimed receivables.

The manager asks Sheetal to help Sidharth. He was surprised to find that she was the same girl who used to sit with him during lunch breaks last year.

Sheetal: Sir, there are 1000s of unclaimed receivables pending since years. It would take some time to research which ones exactly belongs to your client.

Sidharth: I understand but I need to clean off this at the earliest so I can concentrate on the new ones as well. Let me know when can we sit together to research and sort this out.

Sheetal: I will need to check my schedule and let you know.

Sidharth nods and goes back to his cabin. However, Sheetal doesn't return to him and whenever he calls she cites different reasons.

Sidharth: Ms. Sheetal, what's your problem? I have been waiting for you to give me some time since past 2 weeks. If you are too busy then I'll speak to your manager to give me some other resource to help.

Sheetal grumpily sets up a meeting with him. She was avoiding him as her peers told her how rude he is to work with. However, as they set up meetings after meeting their behaviours and views about each other changes.

They soon started to sit together for lunch again and discuss work comfortably. Though at personal level he never shared his story as he was scared of opening up to her.

It had been 6 months since they started talking to each other. They were casually chatting over the whatsapp. She tells him that her parents are searching for a probable groom for her. She confesses to him that she likes him and that she would like to marry him if he feels the same for her.

Flashback interrupted.

"Sidharth, the snack is ready.", Sana said placing the tray on the teapoy.

They both occupy the chairs kept near the little teapoy. Sidharth looked at the plate. It was jam bread. He picks up the slice and holds it near her mouth with a smile. She moved away a bit on his sudden gesture. She observed his face which changed showing disappointment. He tries pulling back his hand when she holds it and takes a bite from the slice.

"Pufff... It's safe to eat.", He said to lighten the environment.

"Huh? Ofcourse it is. By the way both are store brought.", She said frowning at him.

"Yes, that's why I wanted to test because I can't trust anyone else then my wife.", He said looking into her eyes.

Sana felt a bit awkward since he was now comfortably accepting the relationship which was nothing but a lie.

"How can you trust me so much Sidharth when you don't remember anything from the past?", She tried to provoke a different thought in him.

"My statement was on the basis of present rather than past Sana. Even if you give me poison I will savour it happily because I know if you weren't by my side now, I wouldn't have been alive as well.", He said with his eyes still fixated at hers.

"Don't trust me so much Sidharth because when the trust breaks it doesn't make noise but can shatter your whole life.", She said staring into his eyes confidently.

"I trust my gut feeling. I know where I am investing my emotions now. If I can't trust you then I can't trust the God either.", He said pointing his finger up.

"Bonds and promises which aren't broken by human are often broken by God's intervention.", She said having faced the situation herself.

"But the heart never stops loving. It is made to love by default. Life doesn't stop hence it is foolishness to stop ourselves from loving again. It's like starving the hungry man which can only lead him towards self destruction and nothing else.", He said.

She was speechless because as per her knowledge he knew nothing about her life but his answers were all trying to guide her to move ahead in life.

She kept staring at him lost in her thoughts until he bent forward and fed her yet another bite of the bread.

"Sana, I want to make my first wish.", He said bringing her back from the trance.

"Sure, what is it Sidharth?", She asked.

"Out of 24 hours in a day, I want you to give yourself an hour atleast everyday.", He said.

"Huh? I didn't understand", She said.

"What is that activity which relaxes your mind and helps you de-stress?", He asked.

"Dancing", she said without any delay.

"That's it! I want you to give yourself an hour everyday to dance. Strictly for yourself without worrying about anyone or anything else.", He said.

"But this isn't a wish for you?", She said surprised.

"It is for me, Sana. Everything that brings smile on your face brings me joy. A lady of the house is like a heart of the family, only if she is happy, she can keep the entire family happy.", He explained it in a very simple term.

She smiled as she had given up on her dancing since the time she learnt that she was pregnant with Manvi. There was no doubt Agastya loved her a lot but amidst her thinking about him and her little bundle of joy, Manvi, she had ignored and pushed her self-love to the last in the list.

She had made Agastya and Manvi her first priority and thought her happiness only lies in them but today when Sidharth told her about taking out time for herself, she was overwhelmed.

"Sana.. Sana.. I hope you know that you can't deny me from granting a wish!", He said

"I will!! Thank you Sidharth. Thank you so much!", She said by holding both his hands, bowing her head and touching her forehead to his hands to show how grateful she was.

"Sana please! It should be me thanking you for accepting my wish. So, thank you!" He pulled back his hand along with hers and kissed them. She smiled back from the bottom of her heart which brought him happiness.

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To be continued.. ❤️❤️

Your opinion on his first wish - properly utilised or wasted?