|AUTHOR|

Viraj unlocked the door of his house  and stepped aside letting Naina and Veer enter first. Veer had fallen asleep. Poor baby was super tired after scribbling all the drawings in his book. "Naina why don't you put him in the guest bedroom and freshen up." She nodded her head with a smile and moved towards the guest bedroom.

She laid Veer on the bed. Without disturbing him she removed his shoes and changed his clothes into comfortable pyjamas. Veer didn't even stir even for a second. Naina assumed he must must have been really tired. She tucked him with light blanket and kissed his forehead. "I love you Veer!" She whispered and to her surprise Veer grinned cutely in his sleep.

Naina's heart melted and she kissed his chubby cheeks as well. She changed into her pyjamas and walked towards the hall where she found Viraj staring seriously at the laptop. Naina sat beside him causing Viraj to slam his laptop shut. Naina raised her brows at him. "Sorry work stuff! Can't really show you. I hope you understand." Naina sighed and nodded her head.

Truth to be told it wasn't a secretive thing, he was just looking at the map he didn't want Naina to know where he would be going moreover that would freak her out. He placed the laptop on the coffee table and turned towards her. The mission will start the day after tomorrow. He was aware of the repercussions that he had to face.

He thought now was the right time to broach this topic. He held both her hands in his and stared deeply into her warm brown eyes. " What is it?" Naina asked him with a hushed voice. Viraj sighed heavily, "Naina you do know that I have to leave the day after tomorrow Right?" Naina nodded her head. "Yeah of course. What about it?"

"Look Naina I just wanted to say that this is different from when I usually get deployed. I mean the jist is same but you need to understand that the same rules might apply. I can't call or text you often. It isn't my intention to ignore you." Naina scoffed at the statement.

"Viraj I know! I understand, we have already been over this. Why are you telling me all of this again?" Viraj has no idea as to how Naina is going to react to what he was about to say one thing is for sure, she's definitely going to be mad at him for saying this but he had to get it out of his system.

"Hello! I'm waiting for an answer!" She snapped her fingers in front of his face. He cleared his throat and smiled at her. "Naina umm oh god how do I say this! Please don't kill me for saying this but I really have to spit it out. In case something happens to me I want you to move on Naina. Find another man and be happy with Veer."

Naina gasped and her eyes brimmed with tears. She glared at Viraj and shoved his chest. "Shut up Viraj! What the fuck are you talking about???? You will come back safe and sound no matter what! Do you get me?" She fisted his collar and gritted her teeth.

Viraj had never spoken like this before. But something about this mission gave him an eerie feeling. He was a hundred percent sure something bad is going to happen. Not that it never happens but something was definitely off. Viraj sighed and wiped Naina's tears.

Naina shoved his chest again and got up from the couch. She opened the door towards his backyard and sat on the patio. She tried to muffle her sobs. Naina couldn't believe Viraj would ever say such a thing. "How dare he say all this crap???" She shouted. The mere thought of not having him in her life made her feel miserable.

Viraj sighed and walked towards where Naina was crying her heart out not before making sure that Veer was still sleeping. He sat beside her and pulled towards his chest after a lot of resistance from her side. He rubbed her back and kissed her head. "Shh! Naina clam down. I was informing you about the possibility that's all! Nothing more than that."

Naina once again moved away from him and glared at him. "Shut up Viraj! There's only one possibility and that is you coming back to me. Don't you dare tell me all this carp. I don't care what you do, you are coming back safely! Do you have any idea how bad it hurts when you say all this shit?!?! I love you! What makes you think I'll be fine if you die? Oh my god ! Just saying it sends me into a panic attack!"

Naina's breathing became shallow as she tried to catch her breath. Viraj scooted closer to her and held her face in between his calloused warm hands. "Naina calm down! I'm sorry okay? I'll never ever talk like this again. I promise. Look at me! Breath  Naina!" Viraj took a deep breath and asked Naina to follow his lead. After a few minutes she calmed down.

Naina let out another cry and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you so much! Don't ever say that again! Please!" Viraj smiled sadly and nodded his head. He hugged her tightly and buried his face in her neck. Her scent had a calming effect and slowed down his raging heart.

He moved away slowly and captured Naina lips with his. Naina's eyes closed on their own accord. She looped her left arm around his neck and ran her right hand over his stubble. Viraj opened his mouth and pushed his tounge against her lips. Naina opened he mouth with a moan.

He explored her mouth and growled against her mouth when Naina pulled him closer, until there was no space between them. They could taste each other. Viraj was the first one to break the kiss. He moved his lips against her jaw and down her neck. Naina panted and pulled him further towards her. He moaned sucked on her neck for a few more minutes.

"Viraj!" Naina moaned. Viraj moved away and stared deeply into her eyes with hooded eyes. He wanted to take her then and there but he didn't want their first time to be rushed. He wanted to make it special for her. He placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. "I love you too Naina!" They were seated like that for a few more minutes.

After some time Naina felt tiny arms encircle her neck. She tilted her head and found Veer who smiled at her. Viraj pulled Veer into his arms and tucked his head under his chin. Naina smiled softly at them. Viraj pulled Naina into his embrace as well. The three of them sat and basked in the moment. Viraj would leave soon and Naina didn't like the way she was feeling about his departure. She decided to bury those feelings and focus on what she had now. They spent the entire night together as a family. Veer was happy to have two people who loved him so much.

***

The next day arrived within a jiffy. Before Viraj's dropped Naina at the orphanage Naina recited the entire scene that had taken place with Annie the day before. Viraj listened to her intently. "So I think they might be adopting Meera!" Naina smiled and clapped her hands animatedly. Viraj exhaled a laugh and nodded his head.

The respect he had for his friends went up a notch. He knew the pain Annie had gone through. Both of them had similar battles to fight. "That's great news!" Naina nodded he head excitedly. "I know right! I'm so happy for them! When you think about it, the three of them are perfect  together. It's like they're meant to be!"

Viraj smiled at Naina and stopped the car right in front of the main gate. Veer was still asleep and snuggly tucked in Naina's arms. " Yeah I'm sure! Just like we are right? Veer, you and I !" Naina smiled noddeding her head. Viraj leaned and kissed her forehead as well as Veer's.

"Okay here's your stop ma'am! I have a busy day ahead and once again I hope you understand when I don't answer your calls." Naina rolled her eyes at him and jumped down the jeep carefully with Veer in her arms. "I know Viraj! Chill! I'll be fine. Bye! Have a good day! Love you!"

Viraj put on his aviators making Naina swoon all over him. He was so  handsome and the aviators made him  look more irresistible. "Bye Naina! Love you too!" With that he drove towards the headquarters and Naina stood there until she couldn't see him anymore.

She walked towards the toddler's room and placed Veer on his bed. It was still very early, just 6:30 am. She brushed his hair behind and kissed his forehead. "Nea loves you!" She tucked the blanket around him and walked away to her room. Sleep was far away for her, so she took a quick shower and got ready for the day.

She still hadn't heard back from any of the companies that she had applied for. Tha was really disappointing and dwindling her confidence. She browsed through the internet hunting for more jobs. Finally she found two openings that were appropriate for her resume. She applied for them quickly and shut her laptop with a tired sigh.

Her phone started ringing. It was Isha who was calling her after a very long time. Naina smiled and picked it up. "Hey there Isha! How are you?" Isha growled at her and Naina wondered what she had done to miss her off this much. "Shove that hey up your ass Naina!!!! When were you going to tell us?!??!"

Neena laughed as well. "What the hell are you talking about? What do you want me to tell?" To be honest Naina was actually confused. She didn't know why Isha was so mad at her. "Woah! Bravo! You take such a huge decision and forget to inform your best friends about it! I so hate you right now!"

Naina rolled at her dramatic friend. "Look I apologize for whatever it is but you need to tell me what I didn't tell you!" Naina gritted her teeth. "Well about the whole marriage thing Naina!" That's when Naina realized she still hadn't informed her friends about marrying Viraj as soon as possible.

"Oh that! How did you find out?" Neena and Isha laughed. "Well darling , we have resources as well." It was Annie who had informed them about the proposal Viraj was planning for Naina. She had wanted their help and plus this had earned Viraj extra brownie points with her friends. They were impressed with Viraj. Of course they had got strict warnings from Annie and Viraj to keep their mouths shut. They knew Naina would whine and make a huge fuss about asking them to not do anything at all.

"Ohhh that! I was going to call you girls okay? But lately things have been kind of crazy. So I'm really sorry for not telling you girls before. Please I need your help when I introduce Viraj to my parents! I already feel like they're doubting me. God I don't what I'm doing!"

Naina rambled on and on while Isha and Neena listened to her chatters and laughed at her rambling occasionally. "You're not wrong there!!!" Isha chided while Neena laughed but agreed with her. Naina's heart dropped for a moment. "What are you talking about?" She asked holding her breath. "Oh my god! Chill! Breath Naina! I meant you're not wrong about your parents doubting you! They had called Neena and I just a couple of days ago and asked us more like interrogated us about what's been going on with you."

Naina let out a huge gasp and cried a bit. "Oh fuck!" Neena and Isha laughed once again. They had handled the situation but to be frank they don't know how long her parents are going to believe them. "Naina calm down! Isha and I have it under control. But you need to tell them as soon as possible. We can't keep up the charade for long."

Naina sighed and shook her head. "I know! I'm really terrified! What if they don't like him? Or are disappointed with me? I don't think I can handle either of that. Plus we're adopting Veer so I don't know how they're going to react to that." Isha and Neena gasped.

"Hold on! The both of you are adopting Veer???" Isha screeched into the phone. Neena screamed as well. Naina laughed at her friends. She missed them so much. "Yes we are! That's the first thing we are going to do after getting married!" Neena and Isha squealed loudly together. Naina had to pull the phone away from her ear because it was too much to handle.

"Okay that's enough!" Isha scoffed, "Enough! This is amazing! Don't you worry Naina! Neena and I are always by your side. We'll support you like always. I'm sure your parents will understand." Neena a hollered a yes agreeing to what Isha had just stated.  Naina smiled and sighed contentedly. She was happy to have such supportive friends.

They spoke for a few more minutes about things in general and cut the call. Naina was trying to do everything to keep herself occupied. She was fine until she remembered the conversation she had with Viraj last night. How could he say that? The mere thought about losing him was driving her insane. All she could do was hope that everything turns okay and Viraj is safe at the end of the mission.

***

Meanwhile Viraj was having a serious discussion with his teammates. That included Aryan, Noel, Sonia much to his disappointment. Then of course his two best friends Neel and Arjun. He had gone over the plan a million times but he still had bad feeling about this.

His teammates looked like they were done for the day. He had yelled at them, asked them million times to check and cross verify if everything was in order and of course drilled them with instructions. Neel was so done. He knew Viraj had this burning rage so the only way to cool him down was to send him away to meet his girlfriend. At least then they could breath for a few hours.

"Okay guys once more. Remember we're staying right here and those bastards are over here. None of you will leave the place without my permission. Am I clear?" Arjun sighed and the rest of his team hollered a tired yes. Viraj nodded his head absent mindedly and stared at the map where he had highlighted the two spots.

The Western Ghats was a very secluded spot. It made sense that they would hide there. But something was still not adding up according to Viraj.  They had already informed the forest officials about their mission. They would provide them with back up in case of requirement.

"Okay that's enough! We've been over this a million times Viraj! I'm sure this mission will be a success okay? Why don't we all go home today? We have to leave early tomorrow. Everyone needs to rest." Arjun stressed out. "But we still haven't figured out many things!" Viraj sneered at Arjun.

Neel closed his eyes and groaned. "Well that's why we're going there aren't we?" Viraj sighed and pinched his nose. "You don't get it! I feel like this is a trap!!! What if all of this is just to distract us from the actual thing?" Arjun sighed and patted his shoulder.

"Viraj if you remember we have cross verified their location about a billion times. Our drones have captured their pictures and looks like that bastard Anmol Desai is with them! What more do you want?" Viraj sighed and shook his head. "He threw his hand in he air and ran his fingers through his hair frustratedly.

"Yeah man! Arjun is right you need to calm down. I think you're overthinking this." Aryan added his point and Noel agreed nodding his head vigorously. "May be I can help you relax. Why don't you come back to my place?" Sonia place his hands on the table and leaned forward smiling seductively at Viraj.

The men in the room groaned and glared at her with disgusted expressions. "For god sake! He has a girlfriend Sonia!" Neel screamed at her as usual she rolled her eyes and flipped her hair. Viraj glared at her He hated her to the core but her skills were commendable and he was in need of that.

Deciding to ignore her comment Viraj looked at his watch it was already 8pm. They were packed and ready to hit the road tomorrow. "Okay then since everyone is so confident about this, I'm leaving. Remember all of you should be there at the airport on time! We have an early flight to catch!" They had to first go to Kochi, Kerala and then drive to Western Ghats.

He pulled his jacket wore his aviators and walked out of the headquarters driving straight to the orphanage. He had to see Naina one last time before leaving. He stopped near the front gate and called her. "Hey Viraj! What's up?" She chided excitedly into the phone.

Viraj laughed huskily, "Naina can you please come out? I'm here at the front gate!" Naina mumbled a quick yes and stuffed the rest of the dinner into her mouth. "Eat slowly my child. What's the hurry?" Naina gulped the food and smiled sheepishly at Sister Brenda. "Umm sorry ma'am but Viraj is waiting outside for me. I have to go and meet him. He's leaving again tomorrow."

Sister Brenda smiled at Naina with her twinkling eyes. " Okay but slow down at this rate you're going to choke yourself." Naina nodded her head and completed her dinner as soon as possible. "Also Naina I have spoken to Annie and Arjun. They can take Meera home when they're ready." Naina sighed in two of and nodded her head with a smile.

"I promise Veer will be our son soon too. By the end of next month." Sister Brenda grinned at her and Naina nodded her head walking away to keep her plate. Sister Brenda never asked them about the adoption thing again. She had trusted the young couple to make the right decision and now she was more confident than ever that there was no one better who were best suited to take Veer under their wing.

Viraj stood there leaning against his car at a secluded part of the road. Naina's heart beated faster the moment she spotted him. He was wearing a black leather jacket with his aviators hanging on his T shirt. " Oh my god! He looks like a Greek god!" Naina mumbled to herself and shook her head trying to sort her thoughts.

She walked towards him and tapped his shoulder. Viraj turned and gave her his signature grin. Naina smiled and moved forward to hug him. "Hey!" Viraj whispered as Naina buried her face in his chest. She mumbled a greeting. Comfortable silence surrounded them. Viraj had finally felt peaceful. He embraced her tigheter and sniffed her hair. The scent of fresh flowers filled his nose.

Naina was the first one to move away and face him. She locked gazes with his beautiful grey eyes. Viraj's lips tugged into a smile. He brushed her hair and kissed her forehead. "I'm leaving early in the morning tommorw so I thought I would meet you." Naina smiled at him and created her neck to peck his lips.

"Umm can I spend the night at your place?" Viraj sighed heavily and held her face in between his. He placed a long kiss on her lips. Naina  closed her eyes but she didn't like the way he did kissed her. It felt like a goodbye kiss and Naina was hating him right now for making it this way. She pulled her lips away from his and breathed against his lips.

"What was that for?" Viraj smiled at her and traced his thumb over her lips. "A kiss my lady." Naina frowned at him and pinched his arm. Viraj flinched and clicked his tounge. "Naina what are you doing?" She glared at him and shoved his shoulder.

"I know it was a kiss Viraj but why were you kissing me that way ?" Viraj shrugged his shoulders and gulped. He may have underestimated Naina's observation skills. "What are you talking about? I kissed you like I always do! What's the big deal?" Naina glared at him and bared her teeth at him.

"The hell you did. You were memorizing the kiss. You have never done that before! Ever! It's fuck it's almost like a goodbye kiss like a forever goodbye one! I DON'T LIKE IT VIRAJ!" Viraj had a stern face he knew he shouldn't have done that but something was hitting him the wrong way. He didn't like the way he felt about this mission and on top of that  Anmol Desai was in the picture.

He shouldn't have done that. He had clearly freaked out Naina. That wasn't his intention. "Naina can you chill! I was just taking it slow. Why are you freaking out?" Naina scoffed at him. "I'm freaking out? I was fine until you said those stupid words yesterday! I was absolutely fine!!!" Viraj sighed and walked towards her and pulled her towards his chest. Naina resisted but before his strength all her efforts were vain.

He placed his hands on her waist and brushed a lone tear from her face. Naina sniffled and pushed his hand away. "Let's not fight right now okay? I'm sorry, I really was just kissing you. I love you. To answer your previous question no you can't spend the night at my place."

"Why?" Naina whined, "Naina it's just too painful. At least if I say goodbye now I can mentally prepare and set my mind straight. Please try to understand." Naina sighed and nodded her head with a heavy heart. She didn't know what exactly was this mission all about but she sure as hell was aware that it was a dangerous one. "What about Veer? He'll ask for you!"

"Don't worry about that! I have already spoken to my boy and might  appointed your very own personal bodyguard!" Viraj winked, Naina couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah right! Thanks for that!" Viraj grinned, "Your most welcome Miss Rao!"

"I'm sorry for all that. I promise to be more understanding. I'm being kind of paranoid." Naina whispered to him, Viraj shook his head and place his forehead against her's. "Shh you don't have to apologize for anything. I know how it feels. Calm down Naina! You're doing great! I know it's not easy being in a relationship with me but I love you. I hope you know that!"

Naina couldn't control her emotions anymore. Tears poured down her face. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and looped her arms around his neck. "I don't care how hard this is. I love you so much and I'll wait for you no matter what! Please please be safe." Naina begged him.

Viraj caressed her back and pulled her tigheter into his chest. This was the hardest part but he promised himself once he was done with this mission the first he's going to do is marry Naina. He wanted her to be his in every possible way. The couple embraced for a few more minutes under stars. Many things were unsaid between them but they didn't need words to fill the void.

"Naina I'll have to go now!" Viraj pulled away and smiled sadly at her. Naina let him go reluctantly. She once again warned him to be safe and not do anything stupid. Viraj laughed huskily and nodded his head. "I promise to be safe!" He got into the jeep and drove away. Naina stood there and watched them until he was out of her sight. She stared above at the sky and sent a silent prayer to the almighty asking him to keep her Viraj safe.

***********************************
Did you really think I would not write a chapter with Viraj and Naina's goodbyes? Well if you did you were wrong! I could  never do that!

I have mentioned this a million times but I will do it once again. I have huge I mean enormous respect for the families who send their loved ones away so that they can protect us.

I hope Viraj and his friends return back safe. Poor Naina has way too many things things going on.

I hope you liked this chapter. If you did please do vote and comment. I would love to know what you think!

P.S. So like I mentioned on my message board I might not be that regular with the updates but please don't loose interest in my story!

Took a lot of courage for me to write this story. Plus writing one chapter is not easy people. It takes me about 3 to 4 hours. So I really hope you guys are enjoying it. Lately my ovethinking brain has me feeling really insecure 😥.