Greetings my dear readers,

In order to mark my 20th B'day🎂,
I'm treating you all with this super early update...❤️

Please give it a try.

And if you like the story,
please show some love by
voting and commenting
on this chap.

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Important :

Do follow me (Sonali_nefelibata) my dear lovelies, so as to keep track of each and every important announcement and not miss out on anything.

Moreover, catch me and your lovable JI HUZOORI's characters on Instagram with the username - 'sonali_nefelibata'. Exciting reels and igtv videos are waiting for you there.
(Link has been provided in my profile's description area.)

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You may begin now.

🏵️⭐🏵️

~~~

This chap is affectionately dedicated to - Srishti1713🖤✨

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"There's nothing more intimate in life than simply being understood.................."

"You're such an uncooperative person..."

Manjiri huffed making Shaurya look at her with disbelief. He couldn't understand what abruptly went wrong with her.

"Excuse me!"

"No, don't talk to me. Carry on with whatever you're doing. I don't care."

He sighed sharply, darting his eyes back on his laptop's screen, what was really his mistake if he had to leave for Chandigarh soon after returning from their short trip. It was a part of his job, not that he purposely prefer going away from his family. He wanted her to understand that. Maybe she did understand that, but at times she really behaved in a certain, hell stubborn way.

However, at then, he didn't quite really figure out what was actually bothering her, his going or her undecidability over her attires as they had to leave for Poornagiri, the next day. He wondered whether she was hating packing up the stuff or was she hating doing that alone. With all those thoughts, he chose to look at her again.

On noticing her sitting on the bed, in between two huge piles of clothes, he couldn't help but comment

"I thought that we are going for only three days."

His words were enough to receive a seething glare from her side

"You think I'm not getting what you're trying to imply, huh?"

"I'm just asking, aren't these a lot?"

Shaurya simply shrugged. Manjiri looked at him with a sheer disappointed gaze

"Wow! Just look at you. You don't have time to lend a helping hand but you've ample time for taunting."

"Oh God, Manjiri! I'm not taunting. I'm just wondering how will you be able to handle all this?"

He tried to explain, making her question him sharply

"Aren't you coming along?"

"Have you again lost command at your mental faculties? I'm not gonna handle these top the hill."

He scoffed pointing his forefinger at the heaps of clothes sprawling around her. She looked at him bewildered

"One second, hold on. You're thinking that I'm packing all these up?"

"Obviously! Any level headed human would think the same..."

He stated plastering a slight smile.

"No, I'm just shortlisting from these."

She told him. She was a kind of human who particularly used to start disliking the clothes which she owned when she had to make choices from among them. She find it utterly hard to pick a style, which she had really like to stick to. And specially when it came to opting suitable winter clothing, one can really get extremely confused in the selection of matching/contrasting woollens to go with his or her attires perfectly, and also provide enough warmth at the same time.

But oblivious Shaurya didn't quite understand those very perturbations of her.

"So what you did a while ago when you were standing before the wardrobe?"

"Oh that! That was 'shortlisting - phase 1'."

She replied arranging and then disarranging neatly stacked clothes in the bag. At that, Shaurya was tempted to mock at her.

"Ok so as per your so called choosy attitude, how many more rounds of this shortlisting process I'll be able to witness?
Cause I'm seriously loving this haphazardness created on my bed. Truly impressive! I wonder how you do it so effortlessly, huh?"

"Estimate that yourself."

Her reply was curt. But Shaurya didn't stop at that.

"Fine, if this all is going with us then do carry my laptop bag too. Okay?"

"No, your laptop isn't going anywhere. This can't happen."

She spoke vexed. Then mumbling to herself, she kept on going whilst continuing doing whatever she had her hands in.

"Carry my laptop bag too... Huh! I swear if it goes there, I'll seriously drop it down the hill, into River Sarda."

"I can hear that."

Shaurya announced, sounding offended. But she ignored that too.

"So do mind that."

Sighing heavily he returned opening his laptop to carry on with his leftover work. But soon he heard her yell

"At least come and pack your own stuff."

Continuing holding up his last few threads of patience, he tried to reply calmly. At times she could get very stubborn. However, he wanted to make peace with her so he chose to surrender

"Alright! Coming. Just two minutes."

_

"Probably everything's done now.
So are we settled, then?"

He asked as he got settled on the bed, pulling her by her elbow towards him to make her sit too. But neither she got seated nor she uttered anything.

"I asked something."

He spoke upping his eyelashes to look at her. She basically stood like a statue in front of his sitting self. She lacked words and facial expressions.

"Just a while back, you were spitting fire. Now you abruptly went cold... Heights of unpredictability!"

"Won't you talk to me?"

The fake innocent softness in his voice wasn't definitely going to fool her in any way. She didn't say a word to him and kept on looking away.

"Alright! Your loss."

He replied casually whilst throwing his arms around her waist. As he pressed his face against her upper abdominal region, she wiggled in his hold. Since the day he got to know how ticklish she can get with his mere light touches at certain places of her body, he never really left a chance to gain irritated giggles from her.

Pushing him away with the help of his shoulders, she muttered on matching her gaze with his

"You've a cold heart, and you're quite inconsiderate..."

"Oh my fortune, that's means a lot, coming from you."

He exclaimed trying to pull her to him again. But she didn't give in instead shifting a little away, she directly questioned him

"What was that supposed to mean?"

"Wasn't it obvious, Silly Head?
How does one can feel when he's being noticed and remarked by the most inconsiderate and cold-hearted person herself."

He remarked stifling up his proud grin. She gaped at him. Crossing her arms, she stated looking away from him

"I can't help if you're being paranoid. I mean I myself know I've been on my best behaviour with you since last few months..."

"Then what is this behaviour? Why you're so mad at me right now?"

He asked holding her arms to untangle them making her stare at him

"As if you don't know. You know, you just rile me up even more when you act so innocent in front of me."

"Day by day you're revealing your true colours, Silly Head. This typical wife like attitude doesn't go with your silly personality, if truth be told."

He replied scrunching his nose, mimicking her. But his attempts to dissipate her annoyance went in vain as she scooted him away from her whilst declaring

"I'm the wife here so I'll act like one. If you aren't liking the attitude, then it's your headache not mine. Either improve your habits or practice distancing from me for forever."

Shaurya just shook his head helplessly at that.

"Leave my arms now."

She commanded as she tried to push his hands away. But he too was adamant.

"What if I don't?"

By her sudden strong push, he fell back against the bed. In the meantime, he too grabbed her wrist as he went, making her come tumbling onto him. And she landed almost on top of him.

Her one palm rested on his chest while the other on the bed, attempting to hold most of her weight. He was holding her wrist, and her palm against his chest was effortlessly sending an odd warmth through his body. They were so close that one could easily feel the swells of other one's body against his or her ribs.

Before Manjiri could think to get up, she sensed him locking his arms around her frame. As he opened his mouth to speak, she felt his breath fanning her throat.

"Manjiri, try to understand, I don't go to Chandigarh by hobby. It's part of my job, my training phase. And I swear, I won't talk to any of my other wives there..."

"And why should I trust you?"

She mumbled trying hard to not fall weak to his proximity and his roaming hands on her back.

"Cause you have no other option. More than half of my day would be spent at work and in the remaining time, you only tell, would I sleep or would I go and meet all of them, huh?"

As he explained, her mind immediately pondered over the amount of work he had to do on daily basis. Sympathising with his situation, she didn't even realize that she had begun speaking her mind without giving her words a second thought.

"How I wish you could have an assistant. Like people of corporate world have. An assistant who could assist you and reduce all your work into half or even less than that. And most importantly who could also deal with your VIP phone calls and emails."

"You know, if I wish I can still have a personal assistant."

He spoke as he held her by her waist and then in the blink of an eye, switched their positions. His move was so swift that it made her eyes go flew open widely, trying to sink in what did just happened. He grinned inwardly as he could sense her pulse racing like hell.

Shoving his fingers into her open waves which were lazily lounging on both of her shoulders; he basically tugged, knotted and breathed in them. That faint fragrance of her hair had completely captured his being in a split second. That he could somewhat sense his good sense flying out of the window.

But no sooner did he meet her utterly shy gaze, which too was having a tinge of astonishment, then he began mumbling

"Ok so question number 1 for you is..."

"What?... Hold on!"

She interrupted him. But he shook his head in negative, reprimanding her

"No, first focus on your interview."

"Who said I'm applying for the job?"

She asked creasing her eyebrows. He ignored that too and questioned her back

"What's your husband's name?"

"I forgot!"

She responded looking aside. In response, he said nothing but flicked her forehead with his fingers

"Ouch!"

She whimpered. He was about to do that again, but she stopped him by muttering

"Ok, ok telling."

She took a pause and then started speaking out consistently, as similar to a tape recorder.

"His name is Dr Shaurya Singh Mohan. He is 28 years old and is super annoying. He got too many wives but only prefers irritating his first wife. He loves to tease and torment her by flicking her forehead, time and again..."

She only got stopped when she sensed him leaning. He pressed an unhurried peck on her jaw lightly. That made her shut her eyes instantly.

"You got the job, many congratulations, Missus Shaurya."

As he leaned back, she hurriedly asked him, attempting to divert his mind before he could even think of going on with doing any other thing to her.

"What's my salary?"

"Missus Shaurya, as per my rules, I don't give money as salary. Instead I..."

She didn't allow him to complete his say.

"No, I want money only."

"I've better offers for you."

He suggested. But she tried to humour him, hoping to get a chance to get away from under him.

"I require money, money and only money. I can see something there, let me check that..."

Shaurya perfectly understood what she was trying to do. So in order to alarm her more, he spoke and then slowly started inching his face close to her.

"How money-minded!
Well, Missus Shaurya, if you require money then I've none, but if you require a man then I can certainly be the one."

Before she could slip in his fake designed situation, she escaped from his vicinage by placing her one hand on his eyes to disengage him and pushing him away with the help of her other one.

Immediately slipping into the layers of the blanket to let that engulf her completely, she turned her back towards him and announced from inside the bulky fabric.

"I require nothing but a good sleep. Good night, need to wake up super early for tomorrow!"

He was still looking at her wide eyed. Shaking his head at her antics, he stretched out his hand to switch off the lights.

Slipping in the same blanket, he snuggled and reached out to her. Spooning her from behind, he landed his face against her nape as he breathed out

"Good night, Silly Head!"

With faint smiles spread on their faces, they drifted off to sleep relishing the warmth they received from one another's closeness.

"I am going to dedicate my life to mastering the art of making you feel seen and loved............................."

_

_

_

"Hey could you hold this for me *gives you my hand*..........................."

"Hello, Dii! How are you feeling now?"

Manjiri finally got to talk to her sister after a very long wait. Courtesy to her sister's illness, nap timings and her own mobile's signal issues.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Probably 4 more hours to go then we'll reach the Tanakpur Station."

She replied to Adishri's queries. Shaurya was sitting right beside her. Along with them, they had Dev and Sameeksha too, in the same compartment as them. They both were sleeping with their mouths open and heads tilted. Rest all seats were empty. There was a possibility that they might get occupied when they will reach the next stoppage or so.

"No, I'm here in another compartment. Elders are in the other compartment, just behind the one in which we are seating."

Shaurya heard Manjiri talk to Adishri in a soft tone, she was careful enough to not wake the two sleepy heads lazing on the berth, right opposite to them.

"Is it? Must be signal issues then.
Yeah, I can hear your voice properly."

He watched her creasing her eyebrows whilst answering the call. She really did have a habit of scrunching her nose and creasing her eyebrows, every now and then, when talking to any person.

"Ok listen, you have to take care of yourself. Don't make me come back from half way, I'm telling."

Manjiri threatened Adishri.

"I swear I'll be very mad at you if I'll find you sick like today morning, when I'll come back to you.
So mind it.
Eat healthy and timely."

He smiled as she was trying hard to act strict.

"I am pressurising you?
Come on, Dii. You do that always not I. By the way, Jiju was absolutely correct. One has to pressurise you when it comes to your health."

She muttered smiling to herself.

"Yeah, I've my jacket on, that too properly. Don't worry about me, take care of yourself. Bye!"

As she finished up the call, Shaurya reached out to her and dragged her a little closer to him, by pulling the two drawcords of her loosely hung jacket.

"Such a liar!"

He remarked as he zipped up the two parts of her open jacket close together. As he made her wear the cap of that jacket too, she mumbled.

"You know, eavesdropping is a wrong deed."

Shaurya chose to ignore her mocking remark. And then asked her with concern.

"How's she feeling, now?"

Adishri wasn't feeling best of her health since the previous night. That made the whole Mohan family a little worried.

"She is better now.
She has an appointment with her doctor at 6."

"Hmm."

"Umm! Manjiri... Why did you cry in the morning?"

Shaurya finally got to ask what was bothering him a lot. Since the moment he noticed her tear stricken face, in the morning, a weird kind of unease had settled within him. He didn't get any chance to talk to her in privately since then, so now when they had no one around, he finally asked making Manjiri lie to that instantaneously.

"I didn't cry. You're mistaken.'

''You think I'm blind, huh?"

He looked at her sharply. She fall short of words at that.

He took her icy cold hand in between his warm ones and hid that inside his jacket's pocket to let it gain some warmth. He probed her again after that.

"Then why?"

"Just like that."

She stated simply. But he didn't seem convinced with her answer.

"Who even cries just like that?"

At first Manjiri thought to provide him a fabricated answer, but then lying to him didn't seem right to her. So taking a soft sigh inwardly, she began draining her mind

"I felt really very weird when I was caged into Dii and Dadi's arms, and it somewhat felt wrong to leave them at then. It felt like I wasn't just leaving the house, but a part of me to them. And when Jiju endearingly kept his hand on my head, I was transported back to the day when I had freshly entered the Mohan villa and he had asked me to have patience and accept all the new changes of my life."

She took a slight pause and then added

"You know after marriage, this is the first time I have left the city in which I'm supposed to live. In the morning, I kind of had the similar emotions which I had when I had left my own Dadi's place. I wasn't sad at all, it was just that for a few moments, I was zipped into a nostalgic coma."

"Manjiri!"

When she finished speaking, Shaurya called out to her. Her words had definitely sprouted certain doubts within him yet again.

"Are you happy now? I mean do you feel at peace?"

She didn't quite know how to answer to that. How could she tell him that even when she is surrounded by her loved ones, there is a certain void in her heart that never really got filled. That emptiness usually roared inside her head from time to time and often drove her through the lane of the memories. She had a trunk sized space inside her brain, filled with all the memories to be cherished but those ones too, which she was most afraid of poping up and ruining everything every time. So she simply nodded her head, cause she didn't want to ruin his mood. But he wasn't settled even at that.

"I want words not your nod... Be honest, are you happy in staying with me?"

He asked with a profound look marring at his face. A face which held vulnerable emotions put up at display only for her. Emotions which literally shook her stilled heart.

She instantaneously brought her hand out of his pocket to interlace her fingers with him. Looking at their hands, she began mumbling

"Sometimes there is so much to say but you don't have enough words to express it.
Are words really needed to make someone realize that you want to stay with them? Can't we just hold hands and walk together through the life?"

"Its not that I'm being stubborn to hear from you. All I want to know is that if you still feel pressurised to be with me or not?
Are you still under any sort of pressure or helplessness?"

Shaurya literally put forward his all possible queries in a go in front of her. She couldn't help but argue at that

"I was never. Neither I was forced to marry you nor I was under any sort of pressure, but yes, I agree that I was left without a choice...
Moreover, people who are helpless or pressurised don't come forward and hold hands, Shaurya."

She finished gesturing him to notice their entwined hands. Taking an audible sigh, she continued

"I agree that it takes hell lot of time for me to get a hang on things and it might be possible that our journey together would be a little difficult... But I promise I will always make sure that the grip of my hand doesn't go weak ever."

As she squeezed his hand to make him aware of the grip she had of him, he directly looked into her eyes

"Manjiri, I really can't afford to lose you ever."

She kind of managed to pull the corner of her lips at that, despite the sudden weird sentiments surfacing within her at that instant. She didn't exactly know why he abruptly stated that, but she didn't question that either.

Before she could even try to think of how to respond at that, her attention got caught to Dev, who yelled at Sameeksha pushing her head off his shoulder

"Sam, just be on your side."

"Ouch! Why did you hit me?"

Sameeksha whined in sleep as she slapped Dev's arm. Dev gaped at that

"I haven't. Don't lie."

"You really did.
Now give back your shoulder."

Sameeksha muttered letting her head fall onto his shoulder yet again and pressing her already shut eyes even more.

Dev fisted his hand in annoyance but again he couldn't do anything at then, especially when Sameeksha's parents and elder brother were seated in the compartment, which was just behind the one in which he was.

Helpless he let out an exasperated sigh and unclenched his fist. His gaze shifted from Sameeksha to Shaurya and Manjiri, who looked at him whilst showcasing their amused grins.

He couldn't deter from commenting when he noticed their interweaved hands

"I should better keep my eyes closed only.
Man! Their dazzling affection might make me blind."

Dev's comment made Manjiri loosen her hand's grip but as she planned to retract, Shaurya held it more firmly.

Sameeksha immediately muttered to Dev, on opening her eyes a little

"And our not so dazzling disaffection must have disturbed them.
Now stop speaking cause I need a good beauty sleep."

Finally, Dev eyes too drooped along with Sameeksha. They were leaning against each other and sleeping with their mouths open and arms sprawled.

"They're too cute!"

Manjiri remarked smiling. Shaurya looked at her

"They're annoying.
No one can't tell by looking at them now, that they argued and hit each other a few minutes ago."

"True that!"

Manjiri agreed, smiling widely.

"Aren't you sleepy?"

Shaurya inquired. To which she shook her head in negative and meekly suggested

"No! But if you're then you can put your head on my shoulder."

His lips immediately curved up hearing that. She looked at him dumbfounded.

"What happened? What's up with this amused grin on your face?"

He replied in a matter of fact tone.

"Nothing. It's just that your shoulder is too low for me to recline."

"Oh!"

"Come here!" He instructed on opening and extending his right arm towards her. She meekly followed and shifted closer. He placed her head on his shoulder and then on reclining his head against her head, he mumbled "Now, this feels ok."

"Feeling safe and comfortable in someone's energy is top tier........................"

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Dear ones, do share your honest views on this chap and the story, as this is the only source of motivation which literally pushes me to pen down.
This can also help me in improving. So yes, eagerly waiting now.
I would really appreciate if each one of you will come and put forward your genuine reviews + expectations from me and
"JI HUZOORI".

~~~

This is it for now. Hope you liked it. I am sorry for the mistakes.

In case if you want to share your views or suggest something, you are more than welcome.

⭐My sincere request to all the SILENT READERS - Do vote this chap.⭐

Till then take care and stay connected.

Love ♥️✨