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It has been one week since she found that Bir does not have Bipolar's. Thankfully.

And the kissing never stopped, with the number of kisses only increasing. They were working professionally in the hospital but gave looks to each other when no one was noticing.

Now the evenings were not only filled with terrace session but also with binge watching their favourite shows together, cooking for each other and playfully flirting and lots of kissing.

Zara was becoming an addict. This was her new drug. She felt like she no longer needed those anti-anxiety pills that she was taking but knew that she can't leave the ten day course in middle.

Today was the tenth day and she was scared. Generally in past when she went off her meds; she got anxious for one or two days.

She was thinking that maybe this would not happen now when she was happy but human brain has always been a subject of her wonder and curiosity and the secrets of amygdala are still a subject of research for scholars world-wide.

They still haven't talked about what they were doing and even though it was bothering her, she kept quiet because Kabir had said that he was having some issues and she didn't want to burden him with anything. She can wait. Also, she knew that he must like on some level to give those smiles, looks and kisses.

Tonight also, they binged watched her favourite show after dinner and retired to sleep and Zara's nerves started kicking in. May be she should take another pill today.

One pill won't be bad, right?

No. No Zara. You are a doctor and you know that one pill is where it starts. She thought and clenched her fists worrying about getting addicted like she did in her teenage.

Zara gulped a glass of water and decided to go to the balcony to get some fresh air. She was surprised to see Kabir there.

"Can't sleep?" He asked without turning. She went and stood beside him. She nodded looking ahead and felt his hand covering hers and her anxiety lessened a bit.

"Sometimes it happens to me too. Breathing fresh air really helps." He said and she smiled a bit.

They stood in silence for few minutes before Kabir said, "It's late. We should probably sleep now. Are you still feeling sleepless?" He asked and Zara could see that he was now feeling sleepy so inspite of her lack of sleep, she said yes and they left for their respective rooms.

She switched off the light and turned in her bed for one hour and finally was falling asleep when it started. Arun's face came and his hands around her hands and he was pushing her against the wall. But he was not saying what he said that day instead he was saying,

Like mother like daughter

Gold digger...

Money minded...

Worthless...

Wasting her father's life...

Not letting her father find happiness again...

Coming in way of his happiness...

With each words she started whimpering. This had happened when she was a teenager. Her father was there with her that time.

Thankfully nothing serious happened after they left their hometown but that incident with Arun opened the deep buried wounds and she started whimpering just like she did when she was thirteen years old.

She felt the lights being switched on and a hand around her hairs, comforting her.

"Sunshine... Wake up. It's just a dream. No one is here but me. Open your eyes and see me, feel my touch and listen to my voice. Just breathe." He said in a soothing tone and Zara finally came out of her dishevelled state and opened her eyes and saw Kabir.

"Dr. Kab-" She said and then stopped realising she was safe with him. "Bir." She said and hugged him tightly with her eyes watering.

Those words they felt so real and that touch it still bothered her. She needed something to calm her and Bir's touch provided her that.

"It's all right Sunshine. I'm here." He said and hugged her back, all the while whispering gently in her ears.

Zara came out of the embrace and finally realised the position they were in due to her nightmare.

Not that it embarrassed her; her mental health was never a subject of her embarrassment. Just that she never spoke to anyone about it other than her father and her doctors about it.

"You didn't take your medicine?" He asked and that surprised Zara.

He knew?

How?

"I noticed them on your bedside when I came to your room few days back." He answered her unasked question.

"I... I completed my ten days course." Zara said hesitatingly.

"And the nightmares come after that?" He asked.

"No... they generally don't but this time it was a serious situation." Zara explained and looked on the other side, feeling vulnerable and exposed.

"Sunshine, look at me... You don't have to feel embarrassed about anything ever in front of me. Alright?" He asked and she looked at him with a tired smile.

"You said generally they don't come. How many times have you taken those pills?" He asked and Zara bit her tongue.

Nothing escapes his notice.

"I..." She started to speak something to cover up but then decided to go with the truth.

When he is so caring and patient with her, he deserves honesty from her.

She took a deep breath before starting to speak.

"My mother left me and my dad when I was three year old." She started speaking and Kabir instantly stilled.

No.

God, please don't speak Zara.

Don't speak anything else.

Don't be so honest.

Just answer the question without giving details.

Kabir prayed but when was fate so generous to him?

***

And hence he held her hand showing his support and strength even though he was feeling completely opposite inside.

Zara smiled at his appreciative gesture and started sharing the deepest secret of her life with him.

"My mom left me and my dad when I was just three year old. I don't have any memories to remember her by. I don't even remember her face but I know that I look like her. I have been reminded of that every moment till I was twelve year old." She said and laughed bitterly.

Kabir's heart clenched when he heard that laughter from her because his Sunshine never laughs like that. It was a cry of pain, deep agony.

"Earlier when people got to know that she left dad for some other man, people blamed dad saying that it must be his fault and that he wasn't able to provide for her and must have tried to torcher her so she left. The rumours destroyed our life but he stood strong and took it all for me because he was a small shop keeper and can't afford to leave that place and start somewhere else.

But as things started clearing up and people finally realised that my mom left dad for money they turned sympathetic towards him and evil towards me. I look like her and I was shy, so I avoided the crowd and gatherings. People understood my shyness as arrogance and then started another set of rumours.

That I was money minded gold digger like my mom. That I was becoming a burden on my dad and I was in the way of his second marriage. My dad never wanted to marry someone else; it was all his decision but who even tries to find the truth when the lies are this entertaining?

Evil, money minded daughter of a gold digger who was now bothering her father just like her mother did.

I was bullied in school but never told anything to my dad anything. I didn't want to become a burden. I knew now that I was not but people's words at that time, made me doubt myself, my self-worth.

Dad understood that I was having problems and tried to talk to me but I told him that it was nothing and he thought that I was missing mom. But why will I miss someone I don't even know?

Finally one day dad came to check up on me in school and saw me getting cornered and bullied and realised that enough was enough. We were in a better condition now, so we left our hometown and shifted to some other place.

I started seeing a child therapist and slowly came out of my anxiety but I still have issues. Whenever I'm in situations that make me anxious, I get anxiety attacks and my rational thinking leaves me. I need to take my pills.

I developed an addiction for them when I was a teenager but thankfully I came out of it. After that day, I never keep more than ten pills with me that too for emergency.

The situation with Arun was the most horrible experience that I have had after my primary school and I needed a full course for that. So, I was taking pills from last ten days and I stopped them today and got nightmares." Zara finished her story and looked at Kabir waiting for any kind of judgement or remarks but he said nothing.

He just looked at her for few minutes and gently kissed her forehead.

"Don't doubt yourself because of other's words, ever again. You came out of that situation once earlier; you will come out of it again too. I won't let anyone bully you or harm you. You will never get those nightmares again nor will you need those pills." He said in a determined voice as if arriving at some decision.

Zara looked at him with a smile, feeling some strength from his words.

He then moved away from her and she got confused at his sudden withdrawal before screaming in surprise when he picked her up in bridal style.

"Bir!!!" Zara screamed but he said nothing and carried her out of her room and Zara put her hands around his neck fearing the fall.

"Bir what are you doing? Where are we going? I will fall, just put me down on my feet!" She protested but hanged on to him.

"Seriously Sunshine? You think that I will let you fall?" He asked looking at her intently.

"I know you won't but gravity will!" Zara screamed and Kabir just shook his head, while carrying her across the hall.

"What do you think I do in gym, if I can't carry you for such a small distance?" He asked and Zara shook her head.

This man!

"Where are you doing Kabir?" Zara asked but was starting to understand.

Kabir opened his room's door with his foot and carried her inside and placed her on his bed and when she started to get up he held her tightly. He then lied down beside her and spooned her tightly not giving her any chance to escape. She finally tuned towards him and looked at him.

Her hazel brown eyes staring in his ocean blue ones.

"Good Night Sunshine. Sleep well. No more nightmares for us, from today."

He said and gently kissed her forehead and closed his eyes and Zara's eyes shined with love for this man who knew exactly what she needed when she herself wasn't sure about it. She thought and snuggled deeper into him before falling asleep; to slip into the most peaceful sleep she had since her childhood.

Not at all realising that it was the most peaceful sleep of his life too.

***

How was the chapter?

One step forwards, one step to future, which we all know yet can't change...