"it takes time to bloom again..but you do.."

It had been 10 minutes since she got into the car and more than 20 times she had opened her mouth and shut it trying to form words but not being able to..He kept checking her out from corner of his eyes and his mind was rolling on laughter seeing her frustrated for not being able to initiate a converstation....

"I will go"

"I am sorry" she said with him..

They both finally said together looking at each other and laughing for a brief moment."Sorry? seriously...you got it out right na!" he said teasing her now

"Han...vo actually, I mean I know I was a bit rude to you"

"Very rude" he said as he changed the gear

"Yeah..but dont push it..you were a jerk too"

" 'Were'..not 'are'....Are you sure you are Miss Gill?" he said chuckling and further teasing her..enjoying her frustrated self...

"Are..You are a jerk..." she said getting a lil annoyed...scrunching her nose making him smile as he looked at her...she looked at him as he raised an eyebrow at her words..."Han thik hai...Jo bhi hai...So you will come!?" she asked cutting to the chase and looking questionably at him...

"hmm" he hummed as he looked back at the road...not satisfied with the response she went on..."You can refuse if you want to..."

"I know" he said again in a brief sentence

"Then" she said still trying to know his intentions..

"Chai?" he asked stopping in front of a tea stall at roadside..an old age man making a tea in his small stall and 4 wooden pillar just at side of it, with an old bench in between to sit...

"Yahan" she asked raising her eyebrow at him...

"Koi problem hai.." he said switching off the engine

"Nahi...tumhe dekh kar lgta nahi..ki tum tapri vali chai type person hoge" she said giggling

"Tum kya book likh rahi ho mujh par" he asked getting on her side of the seat opening door making her step out..and throwing his blazer at hanger in the backseat..

"Nahi kyu" she asked confused as she saw him rolling up the sleeves and followed behind him seating themselves on the wooden bench..

"Pure time muje judge karti rehti ho.."he said chuckling

"Tum bhi to karte ho.." she said repulsing back

"Congratulations you have found world's best defense...Mai or bhi bhot kuch karta hu.." he said now winking at her..as a small boy came to them..

"Baba..apka vahi..2 chamach cheeni....kadak ilaichi vali chai"

"haan..or madam ki bhi ek chai" he says patting the guy's head lovingly as he said that..while Shehnaaz just looked at him astonishingly at a side of him she was turning a blind eye to, since so long...and that is actually so humble to melt her heart in an instant...

"Aapko bhi do chamach chini didi.." he asked bringing her out of the gaze she had on his face as he looked towards her..

"Hn..Nahi..meri mein chini nahi" she said as he smirked at her health consciousness...making her stare at him with a pout immediately shutting him up....."Or meri bhi kadak ilaichi vali" she says completing herself as the guy went smiling at them..

"Kya hai" she said almost shouting at him annoyedly

"Kuch nahi..maine kya kiya" he said as he controlled his laughter..

"Bakwas khana" she said moving her face away from him as he smirked at her annoyance and she smiled inwardly, at his laughter, trying to supress her smile...

"To..Dekho simple si baat hai, I will go with you but mainly for Vaidehi.."he said breaking a brief moment of silence

"And why is that.." she said looking straight into his eyes

"I dont know" he said absolutely absent mindedly as he looked back in hers..their eyes gazing into each others trying to find answers to questions they don't know how to ask...

"Chai.." the guy said breaking their gaze...as they turn towards him..he out forward his hand taking two glasses from him with a smile as she looked everywhere to avoid heat that this moment had in midst of cold breeze that these Mumbai drizzles bought...she knew this heat, he knew this one..they felt it that night at the trek, and it was undeniable between them...

"Chai.."he said passing a glass to to her..

"Hmm.."she said taking the glass..as they sat in silence blowing at the hot tea..As she took the first sip..she felt her senses calmed, it was actually one of the best tea she had since so long...she was so lost in the taste and he in her as she closed the eyes savouring the aroma and taste of the tea.."Its good na" he asked lookin at her..

"The best" she said as she took another sip he just smiled at her finally taking sip from his glass, and scrunching his nose as the sip touched his tongue.."Cheeni kaha hai.." he said making faces..it was then Shehnaaz realized she was having cheeni vali chai and he got sugarfree one..she chuckled as he kept the cup aside waving his hand to get attention of the guy who just served him.."Raju" he called out ever so politely, he knew his name and that little thing just touched her heart at that moment, he must have like million people working under him and you meet so many people you rarely try to know name of such common people but the compassion he has, the empathy he showed towards the guy..was softening her heart in a way which she did not feel from a long time for any new person..he was about to get up when she held his hand in the inattentiveness of the moment..making him look at her with confusion and his face immediately changing expressions with the smile her eyes had as she did that...she extended her hand offering her glass of tea..which he held freezing the moment as they felt the heat radiating amongst them from touching of their hands..she bought her hand back picking up the sugarfree tea glass he just kept aside as he seated back comfortably taking the glass and taking a sip, when he noticed her crinkling her nose at the taste of tea now..she looked at him to find him already looking at her with a smile..offering her the glass again...gesturing her to have from it........she turned her face away and he was about to take his extended hand back when he saw her putting her glass away and turning back to him taking the tea from his hand and sipping on it with the smile and calmness back on it..they shared the tea non chalantly from one glass keeping it between them and picking it alternatively...the share might be very less from just one glass, but it felt more filling than any cup they ever had....in absolute silence where drizzles of rain made its own noise with aroma of tea and fragnance of wet mud during the rain..."Surreal" they both said together after sometime as she took the last sip of the tea keeping the glass down..walking towards the car seating themselves in..as he drove..he wanted to ask her about her ex whose wedding they will be heading to in two days but he did not want to jinx the calmness and peace of this serene moment between them, it is rarest to exist with them in such proximity..so he had been tapping his fingers on steering accepting and rejecting the idea as they were at 10 minute distance from her office...

"If I may ask...what is the story of you and that guy Shreshth..now that we are going to his wedding....." he said finally breaking the silence..forming words carefully....risking possiblity of his throat being slit at the question....

"No...don't ask..I know you are helping and maybe its selfless but still I dont like anyone intruding in my life"

"And we are back to square one" he sighed mumbling audible enough for her to hear..

"Why do you have to do this"

"Do what" he asked raising his eyebrow

"Get involved in my life..and then you say I am rude"

"That to you are" he says softly

"And you are a jerk" she says whiffing her face away annoyingly

"Aa gaya"

"Kya" she said almost yelling

"White house" he said fake smiling as she gave an annoyed look.."Tumhara office Queen Victoria" he said continuing laughing at her irritated look, as she looked around in realization and then at him picking her bag..opening the door in haste.."Bye" she mumbled exasperated...

"Bye" he said waving at her chortling at her antics...

He drove back silently..his mind running over this eventful ride...he was a lil disappointed but he knew she will not open up that easily but what was good about it that she did not eat him alive for the same, she refused him to intrude but it did not have that conviction like it always has, it was like she was telling it more to herself, he understood that, he knew that conflict as it run in him too as well more than often these days....his heart smiled at the serenity that moment held when they were sitting together at that tea stall, but also questioning him why he took her there when he did not even take Roop there ever in 4 years of their marriage, some moments like these just make him realize that he never loved Roop like she loved him, they got married as per his mother's whims and he also liked Roop..but maybe he was too involved in building an empire that he forgot to build a home with Roop, he never got to know her well, sometimes this regret burns his insides, maybe that was the reason she..he was bought out of his thoughts as the valet knocked his glass..and he refused parking the car himself..

Shehnaaz was picking out Vaidehi's clothes as she had a birthday party she wanted to attend, but her mind was just re running the bliss that moment had, how does she get so comfortable with him is something she never understands..she wanted to be angry at him for asking about her past, but what she was angry about was that she was not angry at him for that, she could not understand the smile that her lips had whole day as and when she thought about her time with him, it was calming but scaring her at the same time...

"Maa..night suit acha nahi lgega party m" Vaidehi whined as Shehnaaz absent mindedly handed her the night suit making Sidharth roll with laughter on his office chair, while he was connected on video call from his office..... Vaidehi showing him series of dresses to wear..

"Angel...wear that one..the blue one...you will look like a frozen princess"..he said recomposing himself...

"Maa says princess are fictional" she said in her baby voice looking at her maa and then him

"Sometimes I find your maa fictional" he mumbled and she heard..she turned around and he noticed her body turning around which meant storm, so he rephrased the words.."I mean yea..they are fictional, but when you will wear it you will look like a real princess.." he said blowing her an air kiss....

"You are just best Daa.." she says kissing the screen..making his heart full..

"Okay I will change and come..you are coming naa"

"Hmm..I will leave in 10 and reach to you in 15 minutes my princess"

"Bestest" she says kissing the screen back and running to the washroom

"No need" Shehnaaz said..still not facing him, just her half body visible through camera

"I am not intruding, Rohan is going too..So I will take both the kids" he said mockingly..

"I can take Vaid" before she could complete Vaidehi came out as she showed her dress twirling around to Shehnaaz and then her daa..who just looked at her with eyes full of adoration...

"She does look like a princess" Shehnaaz mumbled

"Hmm" he mumbled back smiling and gazing at her, as she twirled and jumped, laughing around..

Do check out my new book "One Shot To Go" ...it is a series of OS..First Chapter posted 'SidNaaz Live"...Give it a read if you find time❤️

Stay tuned..

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