Getting down from his car, Sidharth entered the florist shop dressed in an all black suit. He stared at the bouquet of flowers arranged on stand, when he heard a female voice from behind.

"Excuse me, Sir."

He turned around.

"May I help....(Sana's eyes widened in surprise).. You!!", She exclaimed.

"Ma'am aap? Aap yaha kya kar rahi hai?", Said Sidharth in his ever innocent tone.

"Aaa.. woh.. woh.. main.. main yaha disco karne aayi thi..", she bounces with her sarcasm after initial stumbling.

"Ji.. yaha?", Asked Sidharth with still naive tone.

"Arrgghh.. Udaas Agnihotri.. florist ki dukaan pe koyi bhi aam insaan phool lene hi toh aayega na? Yeh bhi koi puchne ki baat hai? Achcha, batao tum yaha kyu aaye ho?", She asked.

"Ji.. main bhi disco karne hi aaya tha.. pata chala yaha pe sirf phool milte hai..", he returned back her sarcasm innocently.

"Achcha? Bade aadmi bann gaye toh mere pe hi sarcasm chaalu?", She said placing her hand on her hips.

"Nahi Ma'am, aap jitna bhi badha nahi bana main. Main toh bas football team ka player hoon, par aap toh uss team ki sponsor ho.. indirectly woh team toh aapke hi paison se chalti hai..", said Sidharth.

"Achcha taarif karna choddo aur batao kiske liye phool khareedne aaye ho?", She teased wanting to see him blush.

"Woh main aapke liye hi phool lene aaya tha..", blushed Sidharth.

"M.. m.. mere liye?", She fumbled as she was taken aback.

"Woh main aapke hi ghar jaane wala tha aur aap mujhe yaha mil gayi.", Said Sidharth.

"Haan, main woh yaha phool khareedne aayi thi.. par yaha koi bechne wala dikha hi nahi.. tumhe peeche se dekha toh mujhe laga shayad tum salesman ho..", she lied badly. He looked at himself dressed in a expensive and elegant blacksuit.

"Oh!! Achcha?", He played along.

"Hmm..", she hummed nervously.

"Aap kiske liye phool khareed rahi thi?", He asked.

"Woh.. aaa.. mere restaurant mein aaj ek bade celebrity aane waale the toh maine socha main unke liye phool khareed loon.. par tum mujhe kyu phool dena chahte the?", said Sana.

"Woh.. ek minute..", he went back out to his car to get something. She looked at herself in the mirror quickly to check if she looked presentable.

"Yeh lijiye..", said Sidharth giving her an envelope. Sana turned and accepted the envelope.

"Ismein kya hai?", She asked inspecting it.

"Mere shaadi ka invitation card hai.", Sidharth blushingly smiled.

"Kya?", Sana's had shivered as she looked absolutely shocked looking at his face.

"Meri shaadi hai agle mahine.", He smiled.

"Kisse?", She asked.

"Of course, meri lucky mascot, Shehnaaz se..", he said.

"What? Mazak kar rahe ho?", She asked.

"Aapko yeh mazak kyu lag raha hai?", He asked.

"Usse? Kaise? Tum usse kabhi miley bhi ho?", Asked Sana even more shocked.

"Ofcourse mila hoon, tabhi toh hum shaadi kar rahe hai. Jitni dil ki achchi hai utni hi dikhne mein bhi sundar hai. Aap toh aise hi use simple gareeb ladki bula rahi thi.", Said Sidharth.

"Are you sure ki wohi tumhaari Shehnaaz hai? I mean tumhe kaise pata ki woh tumhaari Shehnaaz hi hai? Koi behrupiya huyi toh, joh tumhaara fame dekh ke tumse jhoot bol rahi ho toh?", Said Sana.

"Aap phir wahi baat kar rahi ho. Kuch din pehle hi maine usko apne Dino mascot costume uttarte dekha. Aapne hi toh kaha tha ki woh akeli female dino mascot hai. Woh meri hi Shehnaaz hai, mera dil kehta hai ki woh meri Shehnaaz hi hai.", Said Sidharth.

"Galat kehta hai tumhara dil. Woh Shehnaaz ho hi nahi sakti.", Argued Sana.

"Kyu nahi ho sakti?", Asked Sidharth.

"Kyuki.. kyuki usko naukri se nikaale 4 mahine ho gaye..", said Sana.

"Aap jhoot bol rahi hai.. kyuki aap usse nafrat karti hai.", Said Sidharth.

"Main kyu apne aap se nafrat karne lagi?", She asked extremely irked. She then realised that she has blurted out the truth in haste.

Flashback:

Unlike the first two matches, the third match was held at Kolkata as their rivals were Bengal Tigers. Sidharth's team won the crucial match and he received a bouquet this time again with a printed card. When Sidharth asked the person who gave the bouquet, he said he was just a delivery man who delivers gifts selected by the sender on the online portal.

Iss baar match dekhne nahi aa paayi, kyuki match dusre jagah hai. But my best wishes are with you and I know you will farewell.
~ Shehnaaz

"Kya soch rahe ho Agni? Aaj bade Udaas lag rahe ho?", Said his teammate.

Udaas.. the name given to him by her. He smiled remembering the times she used to call him Udaas Agnihotri.

"Suno, iss sheher mein kisi ko doondhna ho to kaise karenge?", Asked Sidharth to his teammate.

"Hmm.. police mein gumshudha hone ka complaint karenge, newspaper ya media mein missing advertisement chapwayenge.", Said the teammate.

"But that person isn't missing. She is just hiding from me.",said Sidharth.

"Huh? Kaun hai yeh jo tumse chippte chipaate fir rahi hai? Aisa kya kiya Agni ne?", Teased his teammate.

"Usse doondhne mein help kar do baad mein bataaunga ki kaun hai woh.", Said Sidharth.

"Hmmm.. tum galat kaam karne walon mein se nahi lagte isiliye madad karunga. I have a friend who is a detective, jo tumhara kaam bina kisi ko pata chale kar dega.", Said his teammate.

"Thanks dost.", Said Sidharth hugging him.

The detective gave Sidharth the information about Sana's whereabouts. She had been working at the florist shop in the city. At night, she sleeps in the same shop because she has no place to stay and can't afford a home on rent with that little money.

Flashback ends

"Main toh Shehnaaz ki baat kar raha tha ma'am. Aapne aisa kyu kaha ki aap apne aap se kyu nafrat karengi?", He asked.

"Woh.. main.. woh..", Sana tries finding an excuse but later decides to drop it because it was the question of Sidharth's future. He can't marry an imposter due to her lies.

"Sidharth, Shehnaaz naam ki koi ladki nahi hai. Main koi Dino Burgers ki owner nahi hoon. Main toh bas waha kaam karti thi. Main hi woh dino mascot thi jisne kabhi tumhaare maa ko paise bejhe the. Meri maa nahi hai toh mujhe feel hua ki maa toh maa hoti hai, aur tumhaare naukri na milne par woh kyu bhookhi rahe?

Phir mujhe tum dikhe, jise naukri ki talaash thi. Par iss sheher mein rehte rehte mujhe pata tha ki naukri milna kitna muskhil hai toh jab tak tumhe kuch aur nahi milta tab tak mujhe tha ki tumhaari maa ko tum paise bhej sako. Toh maine tumhe naukri pe rakh liya.", Said Sana.

"Aur bina kaam kiye mujhe aap tankha deti thi sirf ghar mein baite rehne ke liye. Woh ghar kiska tha?", Asked Sidharth.

"Unka jinhone mujhe goddh liya tha.  Aryan Joshi ke pita, Mukesh Joshi ka. Woh ghar court ke faisle tak band tha, toh mujhe peeche ke raaste ki khabhar thi, jaha se main aati jaati thi. Phir mujhe pata chala woh case Aryan jeet gaya aur woh usse kisi aur ko bechne wala hai, toh maine tumhe naukri dhoondhne ke liye push kiya. Waise bhi, mere paas paise bhi nahi bache the tumhe tankha dene ke liye.", She said putting her head down feeling mortified.

Sidharth took a step closer and pushed her chin up by his finger to meet his eyes.

"Aap kyu sharaminda ho rahi ho? Kyuki sharminda toh mujhe hona chahiye. Maine itni khari khoti sunna di aapko mere galat fehmi ki chalte..", said Sidharth.

"Maine kaha tha na tum bhole ho.. meri jhoot ko tum sach maante chale gaye. Woh galat fehmi toh maine hi create karaya na? Itna jhoot bol diya ki akhir mein sachch kehne se darr lagne laga. Socha jitna tum Sana se nafrat karte the kahi usse jyada Shehnaaz se bhi na kar baiton. I was happy being Shehnaaz kyuki tum usse dekhe bina itna chahte the..", she said.

"Kya aap mere saath chal sakti ho?", Asked Sidharth.

"Kaha?", Asked Sana.

"Mujhe Shehnaaz ko shaadi ke liye mana karna hai. Kaise kahu samajh mein nahi aa raha? Kahi usko bura lag gaya toh? Bichaari ka dil toot jaayega.", Said Sidharth.

"Bechaari? Pehli baat toh woh Shehnaaz nahi hai.. Aur dusri tum kyu uske liye itni humdardi aur sammaan dikha rahe ho? Kahi tum sach mein uske khoobsurat chehra dekh ke pyaar mein toh nahi padh gaye?", Sana asked angrily.

"Aisa nahi hai, but shaadi fix hone ke baad thod dena galat hai na? Hamare samajh mein jinn ladki ki shaadi toot jaati hai unka doobara rishta karaana bahut mushkil hota hai.", Said Sidharth.

"Oye mahaan aadmi. Ek kaam karo, ek bureau kol lo, sabhi ladkiyon ka jinka shaadi toota hai unka udhdhaar karne ke liye Sidharth Agnihotri unse shaadi karega ka board lagwa lo.", Said Sana.

"Itni saari patiniya sambaalneke liye mere pass paise nahi hai..", blushed Sidharth.

"Kya? Hota toh kar lete?", Asked Sana.

"Kisi ka achcha ho raha hai toh khayal bura nahi hai na?", Asked Sidharth.

"Huh? Tum sachch mein bhole ho ya meri taang kheech rahe ho?", Asked Sana.

"Aapki taang main kaise?", He blushed yet again. She rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Ab tum toh kuch karne se rahe. Main hi usko bahaar ka rasta dikhaungi. Ulta usko toh main jail pahuchaungi.. chalo..", said Sana . She called up the boutique owner and took sick leave.

Sidharth drove her in his car and pulled over the car at the parking lot.

"Kaunsa floor? Aur kaunsa flat?", Asked Sana.

"3rd floor. House number 302. Aap unko jyada daantogi toh nahi na? Thoda narmi se pesh aana.", Said Sidharth.

"Arey, yeh baat pehle kehte, boutique se thode phool leke aati uski pooja aur arti karti phir bade sammaan ke saath usse uske sasural pahucha ke aati..", Sana said sarcastically.

Sidharth grinned sheepishly and followed her lead. Upon reaching the 3rd floor, she restlessly rang the doorbell and knocked multiple times before it was opened by a lady in her late 50s.

"Yeh?", Sana questioned Sidharth pointing at the lady.

"Maa hai..", said Sidharth.

"Oh!! Suniye, aap aapki beti ko bulaayengi? Mujhe usse baat karni hai.", Said Sana.

"Beti? Kaunsi beti? Yeh kaun hai Sidharth?", Asked the lady.

"Woh..", before Sidharth explained, Sana has already begun speaking.

"Matlab aap bhi uske tarah nakli maa ho? Badi chalak hai..", said Sana.

"Nakli maa? Kiski? Yeh kya ho raha hai Sidharth?", Asked the lady.

"Sidharth ko kya puch rahi hai aap? Woh kuch nahi bolega. Uske bholepan ka jyada fayda utta liya aapki nakli beti ne. Aaj toh bas main bolungi. Aap beech mein math padiye. Yeh main aur aapki nakli beti jo nakli Shehnaaz bani hai woh sort out kar lenge.", Said Sana.

The lady looked perplexed.

"Haan haan, main kuch nahi bolunga, aap andar chaliye..", said Sidharth.

Sana and Sidharth go inside the house. Sana goes on searching for the fake Shehnaaz around the house.

"Sidharth.. kaun hai ye pagal ladki?", The lady whispered to Sidharth.

"Maa.. Sana hai.", He whispered and his mother's mouth was wide open in shock.

"Par isko kya hua hai? Kisko doondh rahi hai yeh?", Asked his mother.

"Mujhse itna saara jhoot bola, toh maine bhi thoda sa jhoot bol diya ki mein kisi nakli Shehnaaz se shaadi karne wala hoon.. toh usi ko doondh rahi hai.", Mumbled Sidharth.

"Sidharth.. Kaha hai tumhaari hone wali dulhan?", Asked Sana.

"Tum hi toh ho?", Said Sidharth's mother

"Heh? Matlab?", Sana scratched her head in confusion while Sidharth blushed.

"Kyu tum isse pyaar nahi karti?", Asked his mother pointing at Sidharth.

"Aap?", Sana looked at her totally dumbfounded.

"Sidharth ki maa.", Introduced his mother.

"Huh? Aur Shehnaaz?", She asked.

"Woh toh tum hi ho na?", Asked his mother.

"Haan.. par Sidharth kisse shaadi kar raha hai?", Sana asked still confused.

"Ab tum Shehnaaz ho toh tumse hi karega na?", Asked his mother.

"Mujhse?", Sana looked at Sidharth and found him red as tomato.

"Matlab tum sach mein meri taang keech rahe the? Aur tumhe pehle se hi sab pata tha?", Asked Sana.

Sidharth nodded his head in yes.

"Ab batao, mere bete se shaadi karogi na?", Asked his mother.

She blushed for the first time in front of him and nodded yes. His mother blessed them and went on to get some sweets.

"Maa ke saamne meri beizzati kardi tumne.. Seedhe seedhe propose nahi kar sakte the kya?", Scolds Sana.

"Maine pehle kabhi kisi ko propose nahi kiya hai toh mujhe sharam aa rahi thi. Upar se hamare gaon mein shaadi ki baat ghar ke bade hi they karte hai.", Said Sidharth.

"Mere bholu ram.. Kya karu main tumhaara? Itne cute jo ho.. mann karta hai khaa jaau", She pulled his cheeks.

"Filhaal isse khaa lo, baad mein usse bhi khaa lena..", said his mother feeding them sweet.

The already blushing Sidharth turned crimson having discovered Sana wink at him.

_____________

Thus begins the journey of him and his lover who was his Lucky Mascot.

Signing off
~PoohBear ✍️
      ❤️❤️