" Uhh Shehnaaz !! Mujhe ek drink chahiye. " Arti spoke

Sidharth lost his control over this attempt of humiliating her . Shehnaaz turned back .. She wouldn't have mind this at all... but right now Arti's intention and tone was very clear.

" That's not her job Arti.. " Sidharth said controlling his frustration.

Shehnaaz felt good that Sidharth was with her and that was enough for her... she didn't reacted and asked a waiter to come there ... Arti picked up the glass took a sip and asked the waiter to stand there ... And got indulged in talking to Shefali ... Shehnaaz saw this and was fuming but avoided to make any issue ... Sidharth, Sourav and group also noticed but they knew Arti & zariwala are like this only... they don't consider self- respects of people who serve them in any way .

Shefali was keeping the glass back without even looking at the tray and she dropped it on floor by mistake... the drink spilled on their dresses...

" What the Fuck !! Are you blind or what ?? Dikh raha tha na I was keeping the glass... theek se pakadna tha na ... aise hi faaltu logo ko rakha hai.. haa ??" Shefali said looking at Shehnaaz.

" Shut up Shefali !!! You should have been careful while keeping it ... don't blame him." Sidharth spoke not able to take the nonsense anymore.

" Arey yaar you don't sympathize with these people ... inka yahi hai.. kaam karna nahi hota theek se " Arti spoke in between .

" Have some shame !! Atleast look at his age ... Kuch to soch k bolo . " Sidharth said grinding his teeth trying hard not to say something which makes a big issue.

" Kyu ?? Galat kya bola ?? They are being paid ... free me nahi kar rahe hai kuch bhi. Aukaat hai nahi... Yaha pe 10 log bhi jaante nahi honge par sar utha k beech me aajate hai " Shefali now started taking out her frustration and kept eyeing Shehnaaz in between which was noticed by most of the group .

" Uncle aap chaliye !! " Shehnaaz came and took the elderly waiter with him and handed him another duty.

The party resumed as all this happened at a corner of the hall where only this group was present ... Arti tried to make it big in between by raising her volume and make other's listen but stopped when realized she's not getting support instead was being opposed by Sidharth.

Shehnaaz went back where the group was standing.

" Aaap dono unke bills bharte hai ?? Ya unhe roz ka khana khila rahe hai ?? Kya kar rahe hai aisa aap haa ?? Yaha bhale hi 10 log unhe ya mujhe nahi jante honge but you know what ?? we don't give a damn kyunki kitne log jaante hai isse aapki dukaan chalti hogi par hame ghanta farq nahi padta laggi samajh . Par ha yaha mostly logo ko pata hoga ki sahi kon hai aur galat kon tabhi aapke peeche koi khada nahi hua ... aur utna mere liye kafi hai ... Aapke liye matter karta hoga aapke social media par kitne followers hai.. par wo jo hai, jitne hai, aapke liye hai ... kyunki aapko chahiye !! ..aur hame nahi chahiye... to isse kisi pe ehsaan nahi kar rahi hai aap jo dusro ko jata rahi hai ... aapke liye hogi ye aukaat naapne ki unit hamare liye nahi hai .. to ye aukaat naapne wala meter aap apne pas rakho aur apne liye rakho ... baki sab apna khud dekh lenge" Shehnaaz spoke loud enough for the group to hear but low enough to not let the party disturb.

" Aur ek baat .. waha sabke saamne mai bhi bol sakti thi .. uncle bhi bol sakte the .. par aapki ijjat ki dhajjia na ude isliye yha aake alag se bola... aurrr zaruri nhi hai koi jawab nahi de raha to uske pas jawab nahi hai ... ho sakta saamne wale ki buddhi ki aukaat utni na ho " Shehnaaz gave it back amazingly and Sidharth couldn't stop smiling looking at his Sherni...

" Mr. Dixit ... I'm sorry but it was necessary.. because my team was paid to serve your guests and not to take shits from them... It may not matter to some people but I can't let anybody tamper self- respect of anybody from my team." Sidharth felt immensely proud of his girl. She did it all what he wanted to .

" kitni mannerless hai ye !! I can't believe you guys are thinking of being friends with her... I don't even want to come across her ever again ." Shefali said again.

" Ofcourse !! Why would you ?? But I have an advice ..... please take her advice .. " Sidharth said tauntingly and they saw some people laughing.

Shehnaaz was glad that he took her side , also he defended the waiter, but still the things were messed up in her mind, why there they weren't like , what they were usually??? why didn't people there knew how good bond they share, why didn't he told anybody that they knew each other , may be he did in her absence, but that still doesn't makes sense, he didn't even met her properly, she felt like she was being rooted out of his life immediately, he was being vanished like a dream slowly , like she was waking up from a dream where she was happy and content and suddenly she's coming out of it where she's alone again .

Sidharth & Ankush knew things were going out of the hands , they looked at each other and realized what has to be done at first ...They moved from there silently and suddenly an announcement was made and the lights went off and all eyes got fixed on the big projector which was at a corner at a good height. They played a mashup of all the songs produced under the company to relive the 2 year journey. Sidharth got a good opportunity and he started looking around..

Ankush saw Shehnaaz standing behind them near a wall and a mischieve came to his mind,Vardaan looked at him, he could clearly see the mischievous grin on Ankush's face under the dim lights... Ankush winked at Vardaan and moved slightly and stumbled giving Sidharth a slight push towards Shehnaaz.

As Sidharth got pushed he fell forward, the force was not that much that he couldn't have balanced himself but he felt like he didn't need to ... as if he was being taken to right place only ... he fell crushing Shehnaaz between him and the wall his hands were on the wall besides her waist with his wrists touching her body and his face on her shoulder. He didn't stepped back an inch. No matter how he ended like this but he wanted this only... he moved his hands to her waist and then wrapped them digging his face more into her neck through her hair inhaling her with deep breaths. He knew this was not a normal hug .. he felt obligated under his wish to hold her as close as possible... to hide her in him... to not let anyone look at her... he didn't let his mind interfere, as soon as any thought started to build he would tighten his grip to make himself sure that it has to be shrugged off.

Sidharth felt tingling sensations throughout his body and could feel the goosebumps on her bare waist. They both knew this was something different, much more than what they shared till then, Shehnaaz got melted under his touch, her heart fluttered and her body responded to his touch like it never knew it could, she held him as tightly as she could, believing that it would calm the storm going inside her...

But as she opened her eyes, those girls , his friends and the group was still in front of her eyes which made her think about those questions again... she never doubted him... not for a moment... she knew whatever he was doing was real... and doing from his heart but why now ??? and not a few moments ago when there were people around them... of course this was their moment and only they need to be in it... but why this poles apart difference in behaviour with and without people... they could have behaved like he was doing with other friends , but she wasn't even close to how close he was with them.

These mixed emotions were making her crazy... At one place, this moment was clearing a lot about her previous doubt of her confidence about his feelings but these new questions now were making her restless again.

Arti & Zariwala were already in a bad light so they planned to cover up for what they did and also now that Sidharth is back in the limelight, atleast she thinks so, being close to him is going to be beneficial for her in many ways. Cake was being cut already and all the guests who appeared formally had left already, and only friends were there .

" Sidharth... where are you ??? Please come to the stage !!! " Arti announced on mike.

Sidharth and Shehnaaz came out of their moment listening to his name. They looked at each other, and were confused... He came out of that corner which was almost hidden because of the fabric used for decoration... Arti being on stage saw him coming out and saw Shehnaaz coming after him... Her mind developed all kinds of assumptions and her jealousy and disliking towards Shehnaaz aggravated like anything. She didn't knew anything clearly but got hell bent on proving Shehnaaz that she was closer to Sidharth than her.

" Okay guys !! Sidharth is leaving... I know abi ek ghanta hai but mujhe pata hai wo nahi ruk sakta to ham abi celebrate karlete hai . " Arti said coming down from the stage and pulling Sidharth towards the table kept in center of the hall.

Ankush & Vardaan looked at each other in confusion and Sidharth looked at them , when it striked to Ankush's mind.

" Ooo Shitttt !!! " he gave out a harsh whisper .

Sidharth noticed Ankush's expression , and understood as soon as he saw a cake in front of him.

" Happpppy Birthday " Arti shouted almost clinging on him followed by Zariwala and then followed by others.

Sidharth couldn't curse his fate more... He was kind of scared now, had it been one or 2 thing, he would have clarified himself but everything was coming together... He felt like there was nothing more left that could happen that day. But he was proved wrong again when Sourav took the mike.

" So guys I wanted to tell you all something... Maine ek gaana likha tha 5 saal pehle aur tab se aaj tak mera apna hi gaana mera favourite hai ... Sidharth mere liye bhai se kam nahi hai aur ye gaana mere alawa sirf usne suna tha... "

Sidharth suddenly felt like everything is hell bent on shattering his beautiful dream... he was anxious, he was frustrated, he wanted to shout & scream out of frustration. He had planned so many things, had everything gone his way he would have been telling all this to Shehnaaz himself at this moment... he felt pity on himself, as he felt like his fate was snatching more than it gave him...

" It was about a soldier's life and I always wanted to give a face to my words & lyrics. It was like my dream project and Sidharth didn't even asked me any details about the project before saying yes... and I must say I don't know anyone who could have done more justice with my feelings towards the song . And as the first poster is ready so I want to show it to you all right now  !! ... So here it is... " Sourav completed pointing at the projector screen . The poster had a big picture of Sidharth in Soldier's look with the song name , and all the other details .

Sidharth all this while looked at Shehnaaz, her face was blank, her eyes were blank, he couldn't derive anything,  What if she thinks I lied to her ???, What if she thinks that trusting me was a mistake??? What if she'll hate me now ??? his thoughts were eating him up and scaring him more.

Shehnaaz just felt a weird numbness, she is listening everything but her brain can't process anything, she is not understanding what exactly to feel... he is an actor, definitely an experienced one... that's why all these people know him so well, this is his life, this is his world , completely different from her's , that's why she was feeling an outsider, their worlds are different, and that's why they found it so difficult to merge here... that's why he couldn't make her a part of his world... Here, everyone knew about his special day but she didn't,  does she not deserve this ?? or she herself was just raising her place in his life in her imagination and expected it to be real ?? .

Ankush knew Sidharth won't remember as his mind was heavily occupied these days, definitely in a positive way but he also forgot to tell Shehnaaz about Sidharth's birthday. Everything just looked like messing up more with each passing second.

Sidharth cut the cake and everybody fed him, his eyes never left her's as if pleading to not assume anything and question him, to give him a chance to explain... she looked at him and a tear left her eye which she didn't knew when did it formed , she saw the guilt in his eyes, but why was he guilty ?? she didn't had any complaints with him, she still trusts him more than herself. She was hurt with herself. Not for a second she had any negative thoughts about him, she didn't doubted him even for a moment , she can't ever do that, it won't be less than a sacrilege for her because what he had became for her was something far above than just love.

She felt that she won't be able to take anymore and she moved subconsciously out of there as in attempt of protecting herself from going crazy...

"Shehnaaz bahaut disturbed hai tu jaa uske peeche mai Sidharth k sath hu . " Vardaan told Ankush tensely.

" Haa .. " Vardaan moved out behind Shehnaaz.

Sidharth wanted to come out of there right at that moment and take his Naaz into his arms , drawing out all the negatives these people planted between them and go back to their hidden solace. He looked around and couldn't find her. He felt like he was losing it. One more thing and he will just burst .

" Arey where is your new friend ... looks like she left already !!! " Zariwala spoke and the hidden dirt was clear in her tone.

" Bade logo k beech rehke kitni der pretend karenge ye log !! nahi ?? Inki reality dikh hi jaegi na ... ab standard,  class bhi to koi cheez hai " Arti spoke laughingly keeping a hand on Sidharth's shoulder.

Shefali - " Obviously... inka to aisi parties me aane ka reason hi yeh hota hai ... ham jaiso se dosti karo aur apna kaam nikalwao. "

Arti - " Tabhi to mai samjhati hu aapko aise logo se door raha karo ... relationships ka matlab thodi hota hai inke liye." ( she said to Sidharth with her fake concern. )

" Shut up !!! okay just shut up !!! Aur bakwas kari na bhool jaunga ki ladkiya ho . " Sidharth bursted not able to bear anymore.

" Tumhare standards aur status .. ye tumhari gandi zabaan bahaut clearly dikha rahi hai ... tumhe kya lagta hai  tum har waqt kya karne ki koshish karti ho kisi ko samajh nahi aata ??? Sab samajh aata hai par kya hai na yaha sabko pata hai ki tumhe gyaan dene se, tumhare kachre me paer rakhne se koi farq nahi padne wala.. " He was hell angry and looked like ready to take it out all, his face clearly showed his frustration and anger.

Vardaan tried to stop him and pull him away as Arti was standing close to him already before he lost his temper .

" Bhai chal abi ye sab ka time nahi hai ... You have important things to look after. " Vardaan said reminding him that he needs to talk to Shehnaaz.

He was about to turn and then looked back at her..

" Sabko Sab pata hai .. ye jo tumne bola value nahi hai ... use karna ... fayda nikalna ... ye bhi sabko pata hai ki kon karta hai kon nahi ... jiski baat kr rahi ho wo apni life me utna kar rahe hai jitna karna chahte hai , aur khush bhi hai... tum apna dekho theek hai.. ye bakwas mere saamne mat krna aainda" Sidharth said warning her in a low voice.

He left from there , Ankush texted Vardaan that he convinced Shehnaaz that he'll drop her and they are on their way.. Vardaan and Sidharth drove back as fast as they could and reached just on time when Shehnaaz & Ankush were about to enter the lift . Sidharth saw the door of the lift  closing and ran but missed it. He went to the next lift and reached just when she was moving to her flat .. Ankush blinked at him assuring that all will be fine.

He ran and reached her door just when she was about to close it . She looked at him with her blank eyes into his red ones which  carry fear, guilt and an appeal.

" Ek baar baat sunle bas !! " he said almost pleading .

She moved from the doorway and let him enter.

He was standing with his stomach churning with all the negative thoughts and fear. She came and handed him a glass of water as he was panting and gestured to sit and herself sat on other end of the Sofa.

He was waiting for her to ask questions, he was ready to answer anything today , he was ready take her anger in any way except silence. He wanted her to ask why didn't he tell her about his profession, his other life ?? Why didn't he introduced her in front of those people ??

She was so badly messed that she couldn't even think what exactly should be her reaction, somewhere she was embarrassed of herself to think that she was special, to think that she deserved to know about his life, his family, his birthday, his achievements.. that she deserved to be known by his people...

He went close to her where she was sitting on the sofa and sat on his knees holding her's .

" Naaaaaz !! Kuch bol please ... gussa kar, jo puchna hai puch .. please ... please.. chup mat reh please " He said with cracking voice .

" Mujhe pata hai sab galat tha ... anjaane me ya majboori me .. par galat tha.. par please tu mujhe pooch mai sab bataunga ." He said again.

She looked at him... slightly confused at why is he helding himself guilty ??

" Are you ashamed of me ??? " she finally spoke without even processing her words in her mind.

He was shocked and slightly confused at where these words are coming from ??

" huh ?? " he mumbled still processing her words.

" Tujhe sharam lagti hai mujhse ??? Mai layak nahi hu tere logo me aane ke ?? " she asked again but this time in a confident tone.

Whatever he thought that she could think out of this situation, this was what he didn't thought for even once... he thought everything that she could think about him, him being liar, a cheater, or anything... but even now she didn't had a single thing against him... she didn't thought anything wrong of him... she didn't let her trust fail... she didn't let his love fail... all what he was stressing about till now didn't even exists, he couldn't understood that he should get mad in relief right now or get mad at her, because what she assumed was more painful for him, she belittled herself, she thought that she was undeserving, she thought that they were his people and she wasn't... he would be madly pissed at any person who would hurt her, even if the person is herself his Naaz. Even she is not allowed to hurt herself.

His doubts, his fear everythin were washed out by her, he knew he wasn't at fault... but still he considered himself guilty because he felt that he wasn't able to protect Shehnaaz ... he would have been fine if she had said anything to him , but how dare she question herself, her authority, her position... a few moments ago, he was mad on himself but now he was more on her.

He stood up, took a deep breath but it didn't helped a bit , all his anger diverted on her now...

" Yeah... you are right actually... I am ashamed !!! "

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Here's the new part... wrote it yesterday but views are actually making me doubtful about the story now... anyways posting it .. hope you like it.. VOTE and COMMENT.

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If you feel that story deserves to be read, please suggest it to other readers .

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Also , Sidharth aur Shehnaaz k individual projects aa rahe hai... make sure ham dono ko utna hi support kare jaise ikkathe karte hai...

Solos ko ego ki Jang ladne do... ham pyaar ki ladte hai...

(P.S. There's no issue being a solo till you are just supporting your idol and not spreading hate for other person.)

STAY SAFE & TAKE CARE