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"Remember, be done b—" 

"—by nine. Don't stay up late.” Sameer hummed as Naina handed him his wallet. 

"And for the next few days, no—" 

"No working and also, eat lunch at exactly twelve." Sameer continued instructing, "And lastly, most important of all—" Naina cuts him off once again. 

"—Do not over exhaust yourself and don't forget to take your medicines on time." Naina finishes his statement. He frowns as he lets out a defeated sigh, "I'm serious, Khaza.”

Naina stares at him and then lowers her gaze, "I know. Don't worry." She mumbles and tries to reassure him as she looks up at him just in time to see him look at his watch with a hard look on his face.

"Is it necessary to go, Mr Maheshwari?" Sameer nodded his head in response.

"When will you return?"

"It will take a few weeks or months. Listen, Naina, do not step out of this mansion. If you need anything, call me or ask Kabir. I have asked him to stay here until I return. Okay?" Naina shook her head in a way of understanding, still holding his palm.

Nothing felt like his anymore, not after he had met her. All those little things that defined him felt as if they quavered away when he was with her. He felt alive when he looked at her soulful smile, her laughter warmed his cold heart. He had promised himself to safeguard her, even if they weren't together. He wanted so desperately to go back to the mansion or home as she said. Walk-in their bedroom and crawl into bed with his wife next to him. Lay there in the dark, holding her in his arms.

Sameer sighed as he looked at his phone, hesitating to call his Naina. He had been a jerk for days or two months to be specified. Though he wanted to speak to her, he chose not to pick up her calls or answer her messages. These past few weeks of doing everything in his power to avoid her had taken every ounce of his strength. He realised that he can’t do it anymore. He had thought that by staying away from her he was being strong, but not being near her was making him weaker than he had ever been. His heart sank knowing that he shouldn’t have been here when she needed him the most. He craved to hear her, see her and touch her. By now Sameer knew that he felt something for his wife, more than just caring for her but he could never love her or that's what he thought.

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"Is it looking good or shall I change this?" Naina chuckled at Kabir's behaviour. It was the eleventh time he had changed his clothes.

"Shrikha won't judge you based on what you wear."

"If things don't go the way I have thought, I will lose her forever," Kabir murmured as he palmed his face.

"She will understand for sure," Naina assured him. Kabir checked himself in the mirror for the last time and left the mansion, bidding Naina goodbye. Naina sighed as she sat on the chair alone, with her hand resting on her bump which was quite visible. Loneliness is a strange sort of thing. It creeps up on you, quiet and still, sits by your side in the dark, strokes your hair as you sleep. It wraps itself around your bones, squeezing so tight you almost can’t breathe. Naina laid her head on the table, closing her eyes shut, missing her husband. 

"You should rest in your room." 

"Leave!" Naina snapped, recognising to whom the voice belonged.

"You did not answer my calls."

"Even you didn't reply."

"I was so pathetic these days. Can we just go back to how things were?" Naina glanced at Sameer who was looking at her with expectant eyes. Naina shook her head, suppressing her lips yet a loud sob was let out from her mouth. Tears flowed from her eyes as streams of rivers.

" I-It hur-hurts." Naina mumbled more to herself. She shifted on her seat uncomfortably as Sameer kneeled on the floor, to reach her height. "What's hurting you?" He asked her as he held her palms in his firm grip.

"I...nothing...just leave it. You won't understand." Sameer frowned as she withdrew her hands.

"We need to speak and I am not taking a no as an answer."

"Do you expect me to obey whatever you say? How do you even expect that after ignoring me for days?" She asked in bewilderment.

"Please, we need to speak." He said staring at her, walking towards his room to freshen up and change into some casuals as he looked pathetic after a long tiresome journey.

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Shrikha noticed every movement of Kabir, patiently waiting for him to speak."The place is so beautiful yet depressing." He mumbled as he looked at the cafe. His voice trailed as Shrikha glared at him, gesturing him to speak.

"I have always liked you. Even when I broke up with you, I wished to stay with you. But I knew how much you loved your mother and what she has gone through because of her ex-husband."

"You called me here to pity my mother's condition?" 

"No, that's not what I meant."Kabir quickly replied, "I don't know how to say this to you. You won't believe me."

"I trust you," Shrikha uttered softly. Kabir stared at her for a few seconds and then took out his phone from his pocket. He searched for a photo from his gallery before handing his phone to her.

"My aunt became my guardian when my parents and sister died due to an accident. After a year she married Anurag, your biological father who had divorced your mother. He did not like me but had paid for my educational expenses on the insistence of my aunt. I never knew he was your father until I visited your home to meet your mother." Kabir paused, glancing at Shrikha who was trying to process what he had just spoken.

"I know how much you hate that man and would never like to speak to anyone related to him or his family. That's the reason I broke up with you.  I did not tell you the reason because I was scared that you would hate me more. I have always liked you Shrikha but I won't force you to stay by me. It's totally up to you whether you wish to stay or move on with someone much better than me." Kabir spoke, waiting for her response. Shrikha placed his phone on the table.

"I am sorry Shri, I should have told you before." Kabir said as she did not respond.

"You're perfectly annoying but that's okay because it's as much a reflection of me as anything else. You can be anything but him." Shrikha mumbled as she sipped her coffee.

"So you are not mad at me?"

" You could have told me about this before, Kabir. I just care about you and my mother. He never took care of me, I even doubt if he recognizes me as his daughter. You made your assumptions that I would hate you when you speak the truth.  I feel like hitting you with this fork for not telling me the truth before."

"The technical word is stab, Shri. I missed you so much." Kabir said as he held her hands.

"Oh please, Naina did tell me how much you love Sameer." Shrikha laughed while Kabir scratched back his head with a sheepish smile on his face. Shrikha pulled his cheeks making him blush.

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Sameer looked at Naina who stuffed her mouth with food. He knew she wouldn't speak to him."The problem with wanting," He whispered, clutching her hands. "Is that it makes us weak. The only thing I am scared of is caring and loving any person. I don't believe in love anymore, because whoever I loved dearly, left me. All these concepts of loving and staying together are illusionary, Naina." 

"You keep saying love isn't real. How would you know when you never gave it a chance? I don't know what I feel for you bu-but I can't do all these anymore. I don't want to stay like this..this contract. I don't want to live like this. Can't we live as normal couples, please?" She gently touched his shoulder as moisture filled in her eyes. He looked at her with his hairs messed up.

"A pure soul like you isn't made to be in the world I am in." 

"But I don't care. I just want to be with you." 

"Naina, it's dangerous. We just can't be together. For me what matters is your safety." Sameer tried to explain but she hit him with her fists, crying hysterically. He held by her arms, making her look at him. She stares at him as if she was getting lost in her head."Naina, I don't want to put your life at risk, okay?" His voice brings her back to reality.

"Then I don't want to live like this. I can't live like this. Wh-Why are you not understanding it, Sameer? When you weren't here, it felt so suffocated. I wanted to speak to you bu-but you did not pick up my calls.I realised that I genuinely feel something for you. I want to stay by you always even if it costs my life." She confessed whatever she felt at that particular moment. Sameer raised his hand which was shivering and placed it on her damp cheeks. Sweeping her long hair aside, he held her by the back of her neck as he pressed his lips on her temple. "Will you be able to bear an idiot like me?" Naina suppressed her lips as she bobbed her head in a way of yes, hiding her face in his chest.

"I wish only I could have been perfect for you."

"You are perfect in every sense. That's the reason why I am weirdly attached to you. As much as I know you, you would have never told me what you feel."

"When you were not there with me, I missed you so much. This may be selfish but I don’t want you to forget me. I can't see you with any other woman. I want you to think of me whenever you do any work or when you do not find me beside you. I just want to be by my side." She mumbled looking down at her fidgeting fingers.

"You are beautiful in so many ways, Naina. Not just by your appearance, you are beautiful for who you are, trying to make everyone happy when you yourself have gone through a lot. It's just that I don't want you to live in a world where you must not be." He spoke as he grasped her face, moving his fingers on the curves of her cheeks.

"I can protect myself and even if I fail, I know you will always be there for me." She mumbled placing her palms on either side of his face.Sameer smiled softly listening to her words.

"Let's sleep and stop crying, I don't want our child to become a crybaby like you. I won't be able to handle two cry-babies in my life." Sameer commented, smirking.

"I am not a crybaby, Mr Maheshwari!" She yelled in annoyance, puffing her face in anger.He wrapped his hands around her waist, burying his full lips into the crook of her neck. Naina giggled as his stubble pricked her soft skin, fisting his shirt as she felt his lips tug into a smile against her skin.

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