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FATE TWISTED BY LOVE

CHAPTER 31

As the couple went backstage after their performance, their friends whistled. "Hume nahi pataa tha ki hamara yaar itna romantic dance bhi kar sakta hai. Kyun Chenu?" Munna agreed with his friend, "Yakeen toh mujhe bhi nahi ho raha Ponga ki yeh hamara hi Sameer hai, jo hamesha har ladki se sau feet durr rehta tha aur aaj dekho kaise apni biwi ke saath chipak chipak kar romantic dance kar raha hai."

Sameer kept glaring at them while Naina blushed slightly & left with her friends to the dressing room to change. As soon as they reached, Preeti cornered her, "Naina... Tujhe kya hua hai? Subah se dekh rahi hun tu ekdum chup si hai aur tera chehra bhi kitna utra hua hai. Bataa kya baat hai Naina? Tu thik hai na? Maine dekha tha pehle, Sameer tere liye hot water bag aur medicine laaya tha."

Nothing had escaped Preeti's eyes. She had seen the hot water bag on the chair along with a strip of medicine. She couldn't check it as they were called for their dance performance on stage. She had seen her best friend's pale face since morning. It was only after Sameer gave her medicine, she looked better.

"Preeti... meri menstrual cycle shuru ho gayi hai. Bas isiliye mujhe thoda pain ho raha hai." Preeti almost screamed on her best friend, "Naina... Tune pehle bataaya kyun nahi? Pehle hi bataa deti toh hum tujhse dance hi na karwaate. Baith yahaan..." Preeti made her sit on the chair & asked a girl who was nearby to fill the bag with hot water.

Anjali had heard the conversation & she asked another girl to arrange for some snacks for Naina. Preeti & Anjali sat beside her & kept the conversation going till there was a knock on the door. Sameer entered the dressing room with a plate full of snacks for his wife. The others kept staring at them adoringly as Sameer made Naina finish most of the snacks in no time.

"Naina... tum aaraam karo. Main bas thodi der mein baahar ka kaam khatam kar leta hun, fir hum ghar chalenge. Thik hai?" She nodded in reply while the others admired their growing bond. Sameer left after that & finished the rest of the work in another half an hour. After taking Nanu's permission, Sameer took his wife home while the others stayed in the NGO till all the guests left.

On the drive home, Naina rested her head on her husband's shoulder & slept due to fatigue. As they reached home, Naina was deep in slumber & Sameer didn't want to disturb her nap. So, he dismissed his driver & without disrupting her sleep, he opened the door & carried her in his arms to their room. Luckily Ramdhari had heard the car's honk & had opened the door beforehand.

Sameer put her down on his bed & caressed her face lovingly. He kissed her forehead softly & got up. It was a little tiring for him too so after freshening up, he too rested on the couch. He didn't know when he dozed off while looking at his wife sleeping peacefully on his bed.

It was after three hours that Sameer opened his eyes groggily. Due to sleeping on the couch, his body had started paining a little. His eyes landed on the empty bed & he got up in a rush after seeing the time on the clock. He freshened up hurriedly & walked downstairs. He saw his friends & Nanu savouring tea & snacks.

Sameer smiled at them & without uttering a single word, he walked towards the kitchen to find his wife who was missing. The moment he reached the door, he saw Naina brewing coffee for him. The coffee's aroma filled his nostrils & he groaned in contentment. He had missed the coffee today made by his lovely wife.

Sameer remembered something & entered the kitchen. Standing behind Naina, he spoke, "Maine kahaa tha naa ki tum jab tak ekdum thik nahi ho jaati, tum koi kaam nahi karogi. Fir tum yahaan kya kar rahi ho?" She had sensed his presence the moment he had entered the kitchen.

She turned to him with a smile, "Sameer... Main bas coffee banaane aayi hun. Mujhe bhi coffee peene ka mann ho raha tha, isliye aa gayi." Moving close to him, she whispered, "Aur main jaanti hun ki aap bhi meri banaayi hui coffee miss kar rahe the subah se. Kyun... kar rahe the na???"

Sameer smiled at his wife, "Haannnn... Miss toh kar raha tha main coffee, par usse jyada mujhe tumhari tabiyat ki fikar hai." Before he could say more, Naina interrupted, "Main ab pehle se thik hun Sameer. Neend bhi acche se poori ho gayi isliye fresh bhi hun." Sameer observed her face & nodded, "Thik hai. Sirf coffee hi banaana, baaki ka kaam Ramdhari dekh lega."

"Arey Sameer tum ab tak yahin ho? Jao tumhare dost tumhara kabse wait kar rahe hai baahar.", Preeti said teasingly. Sameer shook his head at her & left, while Naina went back to prepare his favourite coffee. Preeti stood next to her best friend & asked, "Naina... Aisa kya hua hai ki achanak se yeh khadoos tumhara itna khayaal rakhne lagaa hai?"

Naina updated her friend about the last two days when she had accepted his friendship. Preeti gaped at her best friend, "Tabhi main sochun ki itna badlaav kaise aa gaya inn mahashay mein?" Naina hit her lightly on her arm, "Kuch bhi mat bol. Sameer pehle se hi acche hai."

"Haannn... haaannn... itne acche hai ki unhone shaadi ki shuruwaat contract aur conditions se ki hai.", Preeti said in a sarcastic tone. Naina lowered her eyes & concentrated on the coffee. Preeti understood that she shouldn't have mentioned the contract & conditions right now, especially when everything was getting back on track in her best friend's life.

"Preeti... tu baahar jaa. Main coffee lekar abhi thodi der mein aati hun." Preeti replied, "Sorry Naina... Mujhe aise contract waali baat abhi nahi kehni chahiye thi." Before she could say more, Ramdhari entered, "Bhabhi... aap jaaiye, main Sameer bhaiya ke liye coffee lekar aata hun."

"Ramdhari bhaiya... coffee taiyaar hai. Aap mere liye bhi le aaiyega?" Naina & Preeti joined the others in the living room & chatted for some more time. The friends left after sharing about the celebration which Naina & Sameer had missed later. They returned to their room to rest while Nanu decided to water the plants in the garden.

Few days passed with Naina being busy with her college & NGO work. In these few days, she got to know more about Kabir as she started spending time with him in NGO & also at home whenever he came to meet Nanu. Preeti was happy watching her best friend & brother bonding well while Sameer wasn't too happy about it.

Munna & Pandit kept teasing their best friend whenever they got a chance about Kabir. They started poking him about how Naina had accepted Kabir's friendship & within no time, Naina would start liking him too. They also said that one day Kabir would definitely share his feelings with her & Naina won't mind accepting it.

Days passed quickly & it was already three months into their marriage. Their bonding had changed completely. Sameer & Naina would leave together in the morning & then Sameer himself would come to pick her up from college or would send his driver, whenever he was busy. Naina tried to convince him that she would manage it on her own but he wouldn't listen & was stubborn about it.

Nanu was happy watching the couple together, but he knew that still there was something lacking between them. He himself couldn't point it out what was exactly missing in their relationship. He prayed every day for their happiness & for their relationship to nurture more.

Sameer was busy with his Califoria project & had started coming home late which was disturbing Naina as he had started skipping his meals too. She tried talking about it with him but he would clearly ignore her & would drift to sleep instantly. Naina was worried about it & had even asked Nanu to talk about it with her husband.

But even Nanu couldn't get hold of him these days as he would leave early in the morning & would come home late, usually after he slept. Sameer knew that he wasn't spending time with his Nanu & his wife but for now even he couldn't do anything. This project was very important & crucial for him & his company.

It was Saturday night when he came home late & was surprised to see Nanu & Naina waiting for him. Before he could say anything, Nanu spoke, "Jaa jaldi fresh hokar aaja, hum dinner ke liye tera wait kar rahe hai." Naina went to kitchen to reheat the food while Sameer went to freshen up.

At the dining table, Nanu scolded him, "Sameer... yeh kya chal raha hai? Tum roz subah jaldi office chale jaate ho aur itna late ghar aate ho. Main samaj sakta hun ki tum bohot busy ho kaam mein, par tumhe apni family ke liye bhi time nikaalna hoga. Tum aajkal kaam mein itna doob gaye ho ki tumhe hum yaad hi nahi rehte. Pehle toh tu phone bhi kar diya karta tha par ab tune toh wohh bhi karna chod diya."

"Sameer... Kaam aur ghar dono ko bhi zindagi mein balance karna bohot zaruri hai. Tum aise kaam ke liye hume nazar-andaaz nahi kar sakte na?" Sameer heard whatever Nanu told him silently but didn't react much. He just nodded in response & continued eating his meal. Naina too remained quiet during the meal.

Once the meal was over, Nanu retired to his room & Sameer went to sit in the garden. Naina finished her chores & joined him there. Sameer was sitting on the grass & his wife sat beside him. He was gazing at the starry sky while his wife kept looking at him.

"Tumhe bhi kuch kehna hai toh keh sakti ho?", he asked looking at her. She just smiled, "Mujhe aapse kuch nahi kehna Sameer. Aap khud samajdaar ho. Aaj jo bhi Nanaji ne kahaa wohh aap bhi jaante ho, toh yeh sab waapis mujhe dohraane ki zarurat nahi hai. Haannn... par main yeh zarur kahungi ki Nanaji ko aapki aur aapki sehat ki bohot fikar hai."

"Sameer... Nanaji aapko miss karte hai. Aap subah jaldi chale jaate hai aur raat ko bhi der se aate hai, toh unhe aapko dekhne ka yaa milne ka mauka hi nahi milta. Nanaji aapse kitna pyaar karte hai yeh toh aap bhi bohot acche se jaante hai na? Unki jaan basti hai aap mein. Aur jab unhe pataa chalega ki aap time par khaana bhi nahi kha rahe fir unko toh aapki fikar honi hi hai na?"

"Sameer... Aap kaam kijiye, usse aapko koi manaa nahi kar raha, par itna bhi mat kijiye ki aapko apne logon ke liye hi waqt na mile. Jaise aapke liye Nanu aapki family hai, waise hi Nanaji ke liye bhi aap hi unki family hai. Aur kaun hai unka, jispar wohh aise hakk jamaa sake?"

Sameer kept looking at her with misty eyes as he understood that he was hurting his Nanu, his only family by over exerting himself for work. Naina leaned on his shoulder & whispered, "Waise... Main bhi apne friend ko bohot miss karti hun Sameer." A shiver ran down his body when he heard her words.

He pulled her gently & whispered, "I missed you too Naina... And I missed Nanu too. Par kya karun main jo bhi kar raha hun wohh unke liye hi kar raha hun, hamari company ke liye kar raha hun. Main jaanta hun ki main abhi Nanu aur tumhe time nahi de paa raha, par I promise jaise hi yeh project complete ho jaayega, fir mera time sirf meri family ka hoga, tumhara hoga."

She turned a little & met his burning gaze, "Sacchi???" He just blinked his eyes at her in reply & held her gaze. Her serene face brought peace to him. He relaxed & slept on her lap while gazing at the stars. Naina's fingers automatically started brushing his hair & he closed his eyes feeling sated. This is what he had missed the most. Her care, her touch, the whole of HER...

"Sameer... chaliye... jyada der yahaan rahen toh hume thand lag jaayegi." Sameer noticed that she hadn't worn the dupatta & she was indeed right. They walked back to their room together. Naina gave him a tablet & a glass of water & he looked at her in confusion, "Yeh kis liye Naina?"

"Ab main aapko itne dinon mein itna toh jaan gayi hun ki aapko kab kya ho raha hai. Yeh medicine aapke headache ke liye hai. Toh ab chupchaap isse pee lijiye aur bina kisi temsion ke so jaaiye. Kal Sunday hai aur aap bilkul jaldi nahi uthenge kal. Samjhe..." She handed him the tablet again & he gulped it down without taking his eyes off her.

Naina pulled the thin sheet over him & kissed him on his forehead. "Goodnight, Sameer..." He mumbled, "Goodnight, Naina..." He watched her pulling out her quilt & pillow from the cupboard. He had many times wished that she would agree to sleep on the bed. He remembered the night when they had shared the bed.

He had asked her the other day to sleep at the other side of the bed so that she could sleep comfortably, but she had denied politely saying that she was fine sleeping on the couch. Naina wasn't sure about how she would do in sleep if she slept with him on his bed. She knew that she would seek for his warmth in her sleep too & would do something that she shouldn't. Her love for him kept increasing day by day & sleeping on the same bed with him wasn't a great idea after all.

When the things at his work settled down, Sameer started coming home early to spend time with his wife but usually his plans were spoiled either by Preeti or his brother. Sameer had started getting frustrated with the intervention but he couldn't voice it out in front of his wife. He could feel the change in her as she had started being more confident & happier around everyone now, which delighted him too.

After dinner, Nanu had called Naina in her room & Sameer had already been back to his room for an important call. As Naina sat beside Nanu, he said, "Naina... maine tumhe kuch zaruri baat karne ke liye bulaaya hai." She tried to guess what Nanaji wanted to tell her. "Kahiye na Nanaji."

"Naina... parso Karwa Chauth hai. Jaanki hamesha mere liye Karwa Chauth karti thi. Fir maine bhi apni Jaanki ka saath dena shuru kar diya. Jab patni apne pati ki lambi umar ke liye nirjala vrat kar sakti hai toh ek acche pati ki tarah mujhe bhi apna farz toh nibhaana hi tha."

"Dekho Naina... main tumhe sirf yahi bataana chahta tha ki parso Karwa Chauth hai. Isse Sameer ke liye rakhna ya na rakhna, yeh main tum par hi chodta hun. Koi zabardasti nahi hai Naina. Tumhe fir college bhi toh jaana hota hai na? Tum jo bhi faisla lo wohh mujhe kal bataa dena, jisse main aage ki taiyaari kar sakun."

Naina left from his room after bidding him goodnight. When she entered her room, she saw Sameer busy on a call. She quickly freshened up & was ready to call it a day. She was just pulling the thin sheet over her when her mobile rang. She didn't want to disturb her husband as he was still on the call.

So, she picked up the call & opened the door to the balcony. "Hello... Preeti... bol kya hua? Aaj fir se neend nahi aa rahi?" She chuckled on the other side of the call & hummed, "Haannn... yaar Naina... mujhe sach mein neend nahi aa rahi." Naina knew that this was just an excuse from her side. Preeti was the one who could sleep any time of the day. She knew that her best friend just called her up to check on her daily at night. There was no need for it anyways but still Naina loved the way her best friend was over protective about her.

Even after seeing Sameer's care & possessiveness, Preeti never trusted him wholeheartedly & Naina was aware about it. She tried to make her understand that her husband wasn't that bad, but Preeti wasn't sure. She felt that someday he would hurt her again & this time she wanted to be with her best friend.

"Accha Naina... sunn na... Parso Karwa Chauth hai. Tu yeh vrat Sameer ke liye rakhne waali hai kya?" Though Naina had made up her mind but she didn't want to disclose it to her yet. "Nahi Preeti... Maine iss baare mein ab tak kuch socha nahi hai. Nanaji ne bhi abhi yahi kehne ke liye bulaaya tha."

"Aur tune kya kahaa Naina?", Preeti asked curiously. "Unhone mujhe sirf yahi bataane ke liye bulaaya tha ki parso Karwa Chauth hai aur yeh vrat mujhe karna hai yaa nahi, yeh mujhpar hi choda hai." Preeti inhaled deeply & mumbled, "Accha hai. Naina... tujhe yeh vrat rakhne ki koi zarurat nahi hai. Poora din bina khaaye peeye kaise rahegi tu? Aur wohh bhi Sameer ke liye? Koi zarurat nahi hai aisa koi vrat rakhne ki."

Naina smiled & looked at the moon that was shining in the sky. "Accha chal, tujhe toh neend nahi aa rahi, par mujhe bohot neend aa rahi hai. Goodnight Preeti... kal college mein milenge." She disconnected the call & went back to the couch. As she was about to sleep, Sameer asked, "Kiska call tha Naina?"

She looked at his tired face & replied, "Preeti ka call tha, bas aise hi baat karne ke liye phone kiya tha." Sameer mumbled to himself, "Accha hai Preeti ka hi call tha aur uske bhai ka nahi, warna ab tak wohh Naina se phone par baat hi kar raha hota."

Naina saw her husband mumbling something, "Aapne kuch kahaa?" He looked at his wife with a smile, "Nahi... main toh bas goodnight keh raha tha." She too bid him goodnight & pulled the thin sheet over her. Sleep was easy that night for her as she had already made her decision about the Karwa Chauth.

The next day passed soon as she was busy with an assignment. Sameer was going to come home late & he had already informed Nanu & Naina about it. Naina had conveyed her decision to Nanaji & he was very much happy with it.

They had finished their dinner & Nanu guided her about the Karwa Chauth vrat which she was ready to do for her caring husband. The decision wasn't tough to make as she had seen the way he had cared for her since last three months. Even if their marriage was going to end in the next seven months, she wanted to do this for him, for her, for them.

Even if she didn't know what the future was going to be like, still she wanted to take this step ahead for him. She loved him & if she had to keep a fast for him for a day for his life's longevity & safety, she would do it always. Even if their marriage ended, she had decided that she would always keep this fast for him. Her love for him was unconditional & for his safety, she would do anything.

When Sameer entered the room, he saw that Naina was working on her laptop & was talking on the phone. He assumed it to be Preeti but as he came out of the washroom after freshening up, he heard her saying, "Kabir... ab bohot raat ho chuki hai. Aap so jaaiye. Baaki ka kaam main kal kar lungi."

Sameer fisted his hand in anger & thought, "Toh Naina itni raat ko Kabir se baat kar rahi thi aur mujhe lagaa ki wohh Preeti hai." Without glancing at his wife, he walked to his bed & slept facing away from her. Naina understood that he didn't like her talking to Kabir this late at night.

"Sameer... Goodnight..." But after not getting any reply from him even after five minutes, she got up to switch off the lights. As she went to switch off the bedside table lamps, she saw him asleep. She was confused & thought, "Yeh mujhse naaraaz hai yaa fir sach mein thak gaye the, isliye bina kuch kahe so gaye."

She didn't ponder over it much & just bent a little to kiss on his forehead. The worry lines on his forehead disappeared instantly. She went back to her couch & drifted to sleep immediately but not before setting the alarm for four o'clock the next morning.

Sameer opened his eyes & turned to face her on the couch. He had controlled his smile when her lips had met his forehead. He so wanted to pull her in his arms & cuddle her to sleep. But he couldn't do it. This wasn't the right time yet. He closed his eyes & dozed off.

Naina got up even before the alarm could go off. She took a long bath & washed her hair too. Without making any noise, she went downstairs & was shocked to see Nanu & Ramdhari up too. Her eyes landed on the plate that was served for her & her eyes misted instantly.

Nanu smiled & took her in a warm hug, "Arey Naina... Yeh kya, tu rone kyun lagi?" She just hiccupped a little & replied, "Bas aise hi. Maine nahi socha tha ki aap bhi itni subah uthke yeh sargi mujhe denge." Nanu patted her back, "Main khud yeh meri Jaanki ke liye bhi karta tha aur ab main tumhare liye bhi yeh har saal karunga. Yeh sargi toh saasuma ka hakk hota hai, par ab tumhari saasuma toh hai nahi, toh yeh hakk mera hoga. Hai na???"

She nodded, "Thank you Nanaji... Aap mere liye sab kuch hai aur aapka mujhpar poora hakk hai." "Toh ab chalo, yeh rona dhona band karo, aur yeh sab khaa lo." Naina eyed the plate & saw it was full of sweets, fruits, parathas & juice.

"Main itna sab kaise kha sakti hun???" Nanu laughed, "Ab poora din tumhe bina kuch khaaye peeye rehna hai Naina, toh ab yeh sab toh tumhe khaana hi padega." Ramdhari too added, "Bilkul sahi kahaa Nanaji ne. Naina Bhabhi... aapko yeh sab khatam karna hai, tab tak main aap logon ke liye chaai banaa deta hun."

Naina couldn't finish everything present on that big fat plate & she even made Nanu & Ramdhari eat it. Once done with eating, Nanu handed her two packets. Naina opened the first one to find a beautiful red saree & the other one was a jewellery box, which contained golden set of necklace, matching earrings & bangles.

"Naina... yeh gehne Jaanki ne Sameer ki honewaali biwi ke liye banaaye the. Aur yeh amaanat aaj main tumhe saupta hun. Aaj tumhe yahi saree aur gehne pehenne hai Naina. Ekdum Dulhan jaise taiyaar hona hai tumhe." She accepted the gifts & went back to her room. She saw her handsome husband stirring in sleep. She kept both the bags in the cupboard. She stood before the mirror & started drying her hair as usual.

Sameer opened his eyes slowly & the scene that greeted him made his heartbeats accelerate erotically. It was after many weeks that he saw her drying her hair with the towel. He kept gazing at her lovingly while she kept rubbing the ends of her hair.

When she turned, she found him staring at her. She lowered her eyes & spoke, "Good morning, Sameer... Aaj aap apne alarm se pehle kaise uth gaye???" He kept staring at his gorgeous wife & replied, "Mujhe nahi pataa meri aankhen itni jaldi kaise khul gayi. Tum batao, tum itni subah subah taiyaar bhi ho gayi? Abhi toh bas che hi baj rahe hai?"

Their eyes collided & the time stopped. Before she could reply, his alarm buzzed which broke their sweet eye-lock. He got down from the bed & left to freshen up fast as he had an important meeting scheduled early in the morning.

Naina went downstairs to make his favourite coffee & breakfast. Sameer quickly dressed up & left the room along with his bag. He decided to leave directly after breakfast. While having the meal, Nanu said, "Sameer... aaj jaldi ghar aa jaana. Aaj Naina ka pehla Karwa..."

At that precise moment, Sameer's phone rang & he picked up the call without hearing what Nanu was talking about. As he was already done with the breakfast, he picked up his bag too. He kept the call on wait for a minute & mumbled to Nanu, "Main jaldi aa jaunga Nanu. Don't worry..."

He turned to Naina, "Tumhe college jaane mein abhi time hai na? Main driver ke saath car waapis bhej dunga. Tum baad mein jaana, thik hai? Apna dhyaan rakhna..." She agreed & he left in a hurry, continuing his talk on the call. Nanu didn't like the way he behaved but he knew that he was very much busy with work.

Nanu just hoped that his grandson would arrive home in the evening on time...

How was the update???

Are you excited for Samaina's first Karwa Chauth???

Stay safe & take care everyone...

Ignore the mistakes...

With Lots of Love,

Daksha...❤