|NAINA|

I think everything crashed just about now. I was not expecting this. I needed time to prepare for this. I can't do this right now. The look on my parents face was probably the worst thing ever. I can't stand that look! Their faces were etched with pure betrayal. "Mom come on! Don't be so dramatic!!!"

Well that was definitely the wrong thing to say. What was wrong with me??? Why would I ever say that??? I wish I had shut my mouth but now I really can't take back what I just blurted out right. God! I'm so stupid! "Yes you are!" My subconscious chided at me. Ugh I hate it when that happens.

"I'm being dramatic! Oh wow this is really nice! My daughter here is roaming with some man and I have to be cool about it. That's what you want right?" Oh god this is definitely turning into a soap opera scene. I don't know what to say. I have never been in this situation before.

I never had boys in my life who were this close to me. "Why aren't you saying anything Mr. Rao? Just look what your daughter has done!!!!" My mom screeched once again. I sighed and turned to glance at Viraj who was standing there awkwardly and shifting his weight from one leg to another.

"What am I supposed to say? I can't believe our daughter would ever do something like this!!!!" My dad exclaimed and shook his head. His face was etched with disappointment. Oh how I hate it when I see that face. I knew my dad had a lot of expectations from me and I can't help but think I had shattered all of those expectations.

"Dad! Really I can explain! It's really not what you're thinking! Viraj is a really good man! Don't say stuff like that!" Both my parents shook their head. I was frustrated! I didn't know what to do. Tears filled my eyes and were at the verge of falling when Viraj interrupted.

He cleared his throat trying to catch our attention which he successfully did. "Hello Sir! I'm Major Viraj Gupta. I know this is not what you expected and I know this is completely out of order. If I was in your place I would be mad too. I'm really sorry that you had to find out this way. We were going to tell you but you're already here. It was never our intention to hide it this."

I nervously swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'll be in this situation. God I sure as hell hope they like him. He isn't a South Indian so I don't know how they're going to react. I know they're open minded but I have no idea as to how they'll react because it's not someone else, it's their daughter.

"Ohh so you are the one huh? What made you think you could manipulate my daughter? Who are you? Are you even who you say you are?!?!" My dad yelled the last part making my mom and I flinch. I glanced at Viraj and he sure as hell appeared nervous. I could tell that his palms were sweating as he was continuously clenching and unclenching them.

He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. I was about to defend him when he raised his left hand and assured me that he has got this. "Sir may I talk to you for a minute? In private?" My eyes widened and I shook my head vigiruiously at Viraj. Is this man crazy?

My dad is an amazing person but when it comes to my sister and I he's overprotective. Even my mom gave Viraj a sympathetic look. Oh boy! This is so not good!!! Why would he jump into this knowing that it's a death trap??? Insane man! My dad smirked at him and nodded his head with the most lethal look on his face. If Viraj was scared he was great at concealing his emotions and I'm not surprised that he's maintaining a facade.

My dad was the first one to walk towards the playground and gestured Viraj to follow him. Viraj once again glanced at me and mouthed "I'll be fine!" With that he walked away following my dad. They disappeared towards the far end of the field.

My mom was staring at them nervously. I decided this was the right time to apologize to her. I patted her shoulder to get her attention, she turned and threw a glare at me. If she was a cartoon character I'm sure smoke would be coming out of her ears.

I was still carrying those bags.I placed them on the slab with a sigh and stretched my arms as they are super stiff. Without uttering a word I wrapped my arms around my mom and hugged her as tightly as possible. "I'm really sorry Ma! I didn't mean to hurt you or dad! I-I was really scared. I didn't know what to do. So I did the first thing that I thought was right. I hid it from both of you. I'm so so sorry. Please forgive me."

I sobbed against her neck. I missed my mom so much. It felt like several minutes passed and I still didn't get any response from her. I was about to pull away. My mom sighed and hugged me back. I pulled her closer as she caressed my back. I sniffled and tried to control my emotions.

"Naina! I can never stay mad at you for long. You know that don't you?" I shook my head as she pulled away and wiped the tears that were on my face. She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the concrete where I had previously placed all the bags.

She sat down and patted the place next to her asking me to take a seat beside her. I sat beside her hesitantly and wrung my fingers together. She smiled and squeezed my hands. " I'm just diappaonted that you never shared this with me. You always tell me everything! Sorry correction you share everything with both of us."

I nodded my head and couldn't stop the tears that made it's way down my cheeks. "I was sacred! I-I really didn't know! All of this happened so fast! I'm still in shock that it happened. I swear I was going to tell you soon but you both showed up so soon. Why are you here by the way?"

Shs raised her brows when I asked her this question. "Excuse me! Do we need permission now to meet our daughter?! I don't think so. Moreover we were missing you so much. Sanjana wanted to be here but she had some exams so we thought of coming here but it's us who ended up getting a surprise huh?"

I knew she was joking but it still felt like a jab. "Forget all of that! Tell me everything about this young man who has managed to steal my daughter's heart ?" My mom joked and bumped her shoulder with mine. I gaped at her. Is it just me or are my ears ringing???

"What?" I exclaimed and gave her a "Are serious look?" My mom once again threw her head back and laughed. "I know you're shocked but seriously did you think your father and I would never agree to let you marry the person you love?" I shrugged my shoulders.

She sighed and shook her head. "Naina we may be a bit disappointed but we respect your choice baby! We trust you enough to know that you'll make the right choice. Don't worry about your father you know how he is. He's making sure you chose the right person that's all." I once again let out a cry and hugged my mom who chuckled and embraced me.

"Now that's enough! We're a bit disappointed that it's happening this early but we love you! Always remember that!" I nodded my head and pulled away from her. "Now out with the details!" Woah I think I have had enough shocks for one day. I let out a laugh and told her everything. Of course not the kissing parts, I don't have a death wish plus that's too much. She sympathized when she realized Viraj had lost both his parents and to top it all the one person who he respected the most had betrayed him.

"Who says he has no one? Aren't we all here?" My eyes filled with tears and I agreed with her. My dad and Viraj hadn't returned yet. I hope he's okay and my dad didn't bombard him with questions. Finally after 20 minutes I could see my dad and Viraj making their way towards where we were sitting.

My dad looked content while Viraj appeared to be irritated and a bit exhausted. My mom and I stood up. "Naina your mom and I will be leaving now. I am very disappointed but that doesn't mean I love you any less." My mom did not like the tone he spoke in, she narrowed her eyes as him. "Both of you rest we'll discuss this matter tomorrow." Saying so he started walking towards the exit while my mom kissed my cheek and once again assured me that everything will be fine. She gave Viraj a smile and patted his arm. He looked shocked but nonetheless smiled at her.

I let out a tired sigh and plopped on the slab. I groaned and rubbed my hands on my face. Viraj sat beside me and sighed tiredly. He leaned his head on my shoulder. "Hey, what did my dad say? Tell me? Did he shout at you or scold you? Oh no! Is it worse? Did he insult you or something?" I was ranting on and on.

Viraj laughed and moved away. "Can you calm down?" He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and kissed my forehead. I relaxed for a bit but once again my anxiety skyrocketed. I turned my torso completely towards him and held his left hand in between both my hands.

"So what did he say? Was it scary?" Viraj groaned and closed his eyes for a second. "God!!!! Neel and Arjun were so right! This was harder than shooting any of the enemies!!!! I was sweating the hell out the entire time Naina! Your dad is one intimidating dude!" I burst out laughing. It was cute to see Viraj all flustered and scared. He rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away and scoffed in anger.

"I'm sorry! It was just funny to see you that way. I'm really sorry!" I bit my lips trying to control my laughter but failed once again. "Naina! Stop that! I hate you right now!" I wiped the tears and finally stopped laughing. Viraj was pouting like a child. I scooted closer to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I kissed his cheek and mumbled a sorry.

Finally after a few minutes he turned towards me with narrowed eyes. "It's not funny Naina! I thought I was going to be dead or worse beaten up!" I breathed out a laugh and bit my lips when I felt Viraj's gaze burning holes.

"I'm sorry! I know we made a deal but make an exception just this one time! You're so cute!" I pinched his cheeks as he whined and pulled away from me. "Naina stop it yaar!" I kissed his cheeks and grinned. "It's nice to see that the big bad solider is scared of my father." He rolled his eyes but shuttered a bit.

I laughed once again. This never gets old! I could go on and on. He glared at me for the billionth time. I made a zipping sing against my mouth. "Okay! I'm sorry! Now tell me what exactly happened? What did you say? What did he say?"

Viraj took a deep breath and started narrating the entire scene that had taken place between the both of them.

|Falshback|

|VIRAJ|

Fuck! What was wrong with me? My hands were literally trembling as I followed Mr. Rao towards the end of the playground. I think I'm losing my mind. It was never like this when I meet my ex-girlfriend's father. "Maybe because you weren't going to marry that vile woman!" My stupid subconscious mind chided at me.

I wanted it to shut up now more than ever. He stopped abruptly causing me to stumble a bit. He turned towards me with an angry look. "Look boy, I'm going to get straight to the point! What are your intentions with my daughter?" Mr. Rao gave me a lethal look and waited for me to answer.

I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself. "Sir, with all due respect I really love your daughter and want to spend the rest of my life with her. I will never break her heart!" I answered his qustyion sincerely and yet he stood there with a blank expression. God this man seems to be stubborn.

He stared at me until I felt awkward and wanted to walk away from there. I could feel sweat seeping through my body. It was like he was analzying me and clearly the nerves weren't helping me. "Hmm I see! What do you do boy? What's your job? Are you really in the army?"

What type of a question is this? If someone else had asked me this I would have hurled them across the room. But considering it's his daughter that I love I let it go. I took a deep breath and dug my pocket. I fetched out my ID card and showed it to him. "Sir I'm an in the army! If you have any more doubts go ahead and see this!"

He examined the ID with at most precision. Once he was satisfied he returned the card to me. "Well, that's good to know. You are indeed doing a great job boy! Protecting the country is not an easy job." I nodded my head and smiled a little. Well at least he wasn't hostile now.

"I can already see that you love my daughter a lot, but I didn't like it that she hid it from me. I'm really disappointed in her and I'm sure you're parents will feel the same way if they found out you had hidden this from them." I shook my head silently as pain pierced through my heart. I wish they were alive.

I cleared my throat. "Sir I don't really know how they would have reacted as both of them are no more. But I'm really sorry to disappoint you. We weren't going to do anything drastic without your approval. Naina would never do that and I could never make her do anything like that either."

Mr. Rao's eyes appeared misty but they disappeared as soon as they appeared. It felt like I had imagined it. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Look son, I know both of you are adults but this is still not right. I still need to think about my decision. Let's go back for now. I'll think about this today and tell you tomorrow."

He patted my shoulder which was shocking plus he had called me son not boy! Woah should I be happy or sad? He still asked for time to think about the situation. I sighed and followed him in hopes that he would make up his mind as soon as possible. I can't wait to start my life with Naina.

|Falshback ends|

|NAINA|

I was staring at Viraj with my mouth wide open. "Woah! He called you son! I can't believe this!" I shrieked and hugged him. Viraj sighed and pushed me slightly. "What? I don't get it why are you so sad? This is good Viraj! I thought we would have some sort of drama but he's treating me like an adult and respecting my decisions, not just him my mom as well. Trust me this is a good sign!"

Viraj shook his head. "No! I can't help but think about how he's going to say a no!!!" I rolled my eyes and shoved him. "Stop being so negative! I'm sure he'll say a yes but he may have some conditions. Which may or may not be gruelling. Other than that I think it'll be fine."

Viraj once again shook his head and disagreed with me. "I don't know Naina! I still feel something might go wrong. What if he changes his mind before the sun rises tomorrow? What am I supposed to do then. I'm not leaving you. That's for sure!"

What the hell? I went to shake him hard and tell him nothing like that is ever going to happen. "Shut up! Even if he does, he will change right back! My mom's on our side don't worry! It'll all be good tomorrow, you'll see!" Viraj sighed but nodded his head reluctantly.

"Plus I told you he loves the army and has huge respect for them! Viraj seriously don't overthink so much. God it's like we have switched roles. I'm usually the one who overthinks. Chill okay? Trust me I'm not leaving you ever!" I stressed out the last part and hugged him.

He nodded his head and kissed my hair. We sat there in comfortable silence. Lucky for us no one was there to witness what had just happened. After a while I felt someone caressing my head. To my surprise it was Sister Brenda she glanced at the both of us and gave us a warm smile.

Viraj stood up and hugged her after greeting her. "Hello children! How are you now Viraj?" Viraj smiled, "I'm good ma'am nothing to worry about?" She smiled and patted his cheek. " Naina I apologize for not informing you about your parents arrival. They insisted that I would not tell you anything. That's mainly why I didn't tell you anything."

I shook my head and held her hand. "It's okay ma'am! Don't worry about it." She smiled and patted my hand. "So how did it go?" We shrugged our shoulders. "Fine I guess. We still haven't told them about adopting Veer but I'm sure they'll be supportive." I told her confidently. I was sure, they might resist in the beginning but eventually they'll come around. No one can say no to my Veer.

"That's good! I shall leave now my children, I have a meeting to attend. Take care of yourselves and Veer as well. He's in his room by the way eagerly waiting for the both of you." Viraj mutterd a bye absent mindedly. She waved and walked away.

"What now?" I screamed at Viraj. "Naina how are we going to tell your parents about adopting Veer? This is so frustrating! One problem resolves and not too soon another one shows up. What am I even saying? The first one isn't even resolved?" He started rambling on and on. Seriously have we switched roles or what? It definitely has to be the medicines.

I scoffed gathering all my bags and walked towards my room. Viraj followed me muttering something under his breath. "Viraj stop it! I'm not leaving you! End of discussion!" I opened the room and placed all the bags on the chair. Lisa was probably at the canteen having lunch.

"I'm sorry Naina, I'm scared! I just got you, I can't loose you already! I just can't!" My heart sank as he voiced out his fears. I walked towards him and pushed him on the bed urging him to sit. I sat beside him and held his face in between my hands. I could feel his stubble under my fingertips. "Viraj! You are not going to loose me! I'm not leaving you! Okay?"

Before he could answer I slammed my lips against his. He smiled against my lips. I pulled away from him and pecked his lips once again. "I love you!" I whispered against his lips. His gery eyes gleamed with happiness. He placed another long kiss and whispered, "I love you too!" against my lips.

"Good! Now let's go meet our boy! He must be waiting for us!" He nodded his head and we walked towards Veer's room. No one was there, the other kids had gone for lunch. Veer was busy flipping through a book and he sighing sadly from time to time. Surprisingly Meera wasn't with him. "Arjun and Annie have taken Meera out." Viraj answered even before I could ask.

I grinned and nodded my head. She's such a sweet girl and deserves the world. I walked slowly towards him and hugged my Veer from behind. He resisted in the beginning but jumped in excitement when he realized it was me. "Nea you bawck! I misshed you!" I smiled and kissed his chubby cheeks. "I missed you too Veer so much!!!!"

Veer buried his face in my neck and hugged me tightly. Tears filled my eyes, I missed this munchkin so much! I'm never going away from him for this long ever again. He hugged me as tightly as he could with his tiny hands.

Viraj stood there with a smile on his face and waited patiently for Veer to realize he was here as well. Veer pulled away and wiped the tears that were on my face. "Don't be sadh Nea! I was goodh!" He turned behind suddenly and squealed in joy when he realized Viraj was here as well.

He jumped off the bed and sprinted as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. Viraj knelt and caught Veer with his left arm. "Hey champ! I missed you so much!" Viraj whispered as he rubbed Veer's back. I stood there and stared at my boys, my family. I vowed to myself that I'll never let anything come between us ever. I love them so much.

"Vee! How you now?" Veer moved away and frowned at the sling that was across Viraj's right shoulder. "I'm fine Veer! It only hurts a bit now. Nothing to worry." Veer stared at the Viraj until he was satisfied with the answer. After a while he once again hugged Viraj and kissed his cheek which was the cutest thing I had ever witnessed.

Viraj's eyes turned misty, he stared at me and pulled Veer more closer to him. "I misshed you too!" Veer whispered and a stray tear dropped from Viraj's eyes. That's when I walked towards them and knelt beside them. I wiped the tear from his cheek and hugged them both.

Veer sighed contentedly in between us. Viraj held both of protectively. This is where I belong. This is my destiny. Veer and Viraj were my life. No matter what decision my father makes tomorrow I have made up my mind. I'm not leaving these two. My dad has to come around that's all.

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I loved how well the ending of this chapter turned out! The three of them together are family goals!

What will Naina's father decide? He's after all a stubborn man.

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

P.S. Another book is definitely on the way! This book is nearing it's end! As much as I hate to admit it! 😭😢.

Also thank you so much for the support! I'm really overwhelmed! I never thought so many of you will actually read my book! Much appreciated!!!! So please continue to support! I love writing and I'm glad that you guys are liking it.