*Aslesha*

"Aaj saara mera favorite khaana? Kya baat hai Aashu" Papa grins as he sits for dinner. I smile nervously.

Of course. Aapko batana jo hai ke aapki laadli Aashu ka ab ek boyfriend hai.

As soon as Viraj went home, I started to prepare dinner for Papa. Mera pura din toh khana banaane me hi nikal gaya.

Aur Viraj ko kiss karne me.

Papa ke saamne bhi aise khayal aa rahe hai. Oh god.

"Arre kha kyu nahi rahi tum? Start karo bahot achha khana banaa hai" Papa asks and my thoughts are broken.

I blink a couple of times and start eating.

From the corner of my eye I see papa eyeing me suspiciously.

"Last time jab tumne mujhe itna achha khana khilaya tha tab tujhe vo farmhouse pe dosto ke saath jaana tha. Ab kis chiz ki permission chahiye ha?" he asks me with narrowed eyes.

Permission? Mai toh aapke permission ke bina hi boyfriend pataa li hu. Damn!

"Kya papa.. Aap aise bol rahe ho jaise mai aapko achha khana khilati hi nahi" I say.

He laughs and nods. "Chalo achha hai" he says and continues eating.

Oh god kaise bataau?

Soon we are done with dinner and I still haven't told him. Ab toh bartan bhi dho liye. Baat ko jyada stretch kar ke faayda nahi. Bataa hi deti hu.

I see papa in the living room watching news and I go and sit beside him. I sit for a few moments fidgeting with my dress and then meekly look at him. He is already looking at me with his eyebrows raised.

"Papa?" I say and clear my throat.

"Ha Aashu".

"Maine aapko bataya tha na about that guy jo mujhe pasand hai" I say and he nods for me to go on.

"Jisko mai nahi pasand thi" I say and his eyes light up in amusement.

"Hmm"

"Toh papa actually.. vo bhi mujhe pasand karta hai" I say and papa leans closer with his eyes widening.

"Aur?" he prompts.

"Aurvomeraabboyfriendhai" I say quickly and sigh.

"Kya kya kya kya" papa asks. "Slow down. Aaram se bolo".

"Papa.. vo ab.. vo ab mera boyfriend hai" I say and look down towards my hands.

He must be so ashamed of me. Sochenge college isse padhaane bhejta hu ya lafde karne.

I hear papa laughing out loudly as he doubles over in laughter. I look at him with confusion. Itna shock laga ke dimaag hill gaya papa ka?

"Papa mai mazak nahi kar rahi" I say as he wipes the moisture from the corner of his eyes and finally calms down.

"Aashu tumhara face.. tumhara face itna ajeeb.. Hey Bhagwan, itna kyu darr rahi thi tum?" he asks and starts laughing again.

"K-kya?" I stare at him and blink a few times. I take the bottle of water that is kept in front of me and take a sip nervously to calm down my nerves.

"Tumne toh mujhe daraa hi diya. Do minute ke liye mujhe aisa laga ke tum kahogi ke tum pregnant ho" he says and I spit the water out of my mouth in shock.

"Papa!" I exclaim as he laughs again and I shake my head.

"Oh god no papa. Ugh!" I say as I put my face in my hand in embarrassment.

"Toh Papa aap gussa ho kya?" I ask carefully.

"Nahi beta. I'm happy if he makes you happy. Aur waise bhi mai tumhe kisi chiz ke liye manaa karta hu kya? You'll take your decisions and learn from them. I'm just here to guide you, not control you. And I trust you. I know you're just seventeen now but you're a really smart girl. As long as you're safe and happy, mujhe koi problem nahi hai" he says and I smile in relief.

Kya papa mile hai mujhe! I'm the luckiest daughter in the world seriously. Itne understanding aur achhe papa sab ko mile.

"Aur kya tum bhi itna darr ke bataa rahi thi ha. Itna bhi nahi jaanti kya tum mujhe" he asks and frowns.

"Vo baat nahi hai papa. Aap mere papa ho. Kaise bataau samajh me nahi aa raha tha. Mujhe laga tha aap chillaoge" I say and chuckle nervously.

"Tumne toh fir bhi bahot late kiya. I had my first girlfriend when I was twelve" he says proudly and I laugh.

"Oh god papa!" I say.

"Aur mujhe toh ye bhi lagne laga tha ke you are more into girls. Lesbian you know. Waise bhi tu aur Pari vo room me itni der kya karte the kya pata. Mujhe toh shaq hota tha" he says seriously and shudders.

"Papa!" I say and cover my face with my hands to hide my flaming cheeks.

"Waise mai tumhe iss decision me bhi support karta" he says and I start laughing.

Good lord!

"Waise who's the lucky guy" he asks and more colour rises to my cheeks at that question.

Papa looks at me in amusement, waiting for my answer.

"Viraj. Viraj Singhania" I say looking down at my hands trying to control my goofy looking smile.

"KYA!" He shouts suddenly making me jump in my seat. I look at him and he is looking at me with wide eyes, all the amusement on his face now gone.

"Kya?" I ask nervously. Itna shocked expression kyu? Wapas mere saath mazak kar rahe hai kya?

"Viraj Singhania?" He says like he can't quite believe it that I said his name.

"Ha. Aap usse jaante ho kya?" I ask in shock.

"Obviously. Vo ladka jisne kuch saal pehle tumhare baal kaate the".

"KYA!" This time I'm the one screaming.

"Aapko kaise pata. I mean.. kya? Kaise?" I say as I look at him with shock and confusion.

"Mai tumhara papa hu. You came that day with your half hair cut. And then you lied to me ke dare tha. You know I'm not that dumb" he snaps at me.

I look down at the floor not knowing what to say.

"Agle do din tak I heard you so many times crying in your bedroom. Fir I couldn't take it anymore. Mujhe jaanna hi tha who hurt my little girl like that. Vo ladki jiska birthday tha uske dad mere dost the. Toh mai unse Mila and I asked ke tum kiske saath thi party me vagera. Tab he told me tumhara aur vo ladke ka jhagda hua tha. Viraj Singhania. Lekin bass simple sa jhagda tha jaise bachhe jhagadte hai aur fir solve bhi ho gaya. I went to your school after that and told your principal about it. He was furious but said ke vo school ka ek bahot achha student hai and they can't remove him. Also that I had no proof against him and that whatever happened was not in the school premises so it's not in their hands. But they gave me his parents number after I pestered them a lot. I called his dad and told him about it" he says.

I go blank for a few moments, taking in all the information.

So all this time.. it was him. Papa!

"Papa.. oh god. I thought you trusted me. Tab sirf uski galti nahi thi. Maine start kiya tha. Aur.. aur.." I say but fail at words.

"Aur kya Aslesha? How dare he cut your hair like that. Kya tumne bhi uske baal kaate the. Did you hurt him physically?" he asks furiously.

"I slapped him in front of the whole school. Our history goes way back papa. Hum dono bachpan se aise hi hai. I thought you trusted me" I say.

"That's doesn't give him a right to do what he did. And yes I trust you. But my main priority is your safety. I trust you iska matlab ye nahi ke I'll let any guy harass you like that" he snaps.

"But now I know the whole story behind it papa and I've forgiven him. Aapne bina mujhse puche uske papa ko dhamki vagera di police complaint ki. That was not right" I say putting my head in my hands.

"Wait wait wait.. police complaint? Maine koi dhamki nahi di uske dad ko" he says and I look up at him in confusion.

"Toh aapne uske dad se kya kaha?" I ask.

"Ke vo unke bete ko samjhaye. I might have given him a warning ke aage se kuch aisa nahi hona chahiye. But police complaint ka I don't know anything" he says.

Oh. My. God.

Matlab ye Viraj ke dad ne khud kahani banayi. But kyu? Then I remember what Viraj had told me. Inhe Mumbai jo jaana tha. Aur isse unko achha bahana bhi mil gaya.

What an evil man!

"Oh god" I mutter under my breath and massage the temples of my head.

"Papa.. Viraj ke dad ne usse jabardasti school chhudwaya. Itna hi nahi but Goa se bhi nikal gaye vo log. Because his dad said ke kisine complaint ki assault ki" I tell him.

"Itna kuch nahi tha Aashu. I just called him and warned him. Assault vagera ki baat hui hi nahi" he says deep in thought and I sigh.

This whole thing is so twisted up.

"He cut your hair. Your hair which you loved more than your life aur tum usse hi date kar rahi ho" he says shaking his head.

"Papa maine bhi usse kam pareshaan nahi kiya hai. Aur maine aapko bataya toh tha ke Viraj ne hi mujhe dance competition me part lene k liye force kiya. He made my stage fear go away. Ussne meri bahot help ki hai jab se college shuru hua hai" I say and his face scrunches up in confusion.

"Vo Veer tha na. Viraj aur Veer same hai?" he asks looking bewildered and I literally slap my head.

"Ha papa" I say.

"Oh" he says.

Maine kabhi Viraj ka pura naam liya hi nahi kya papa ke saamne? Ek ya do baar hi li hu. And tab I mentioned Viraj as Veer? I don't even remember. Ugh!

I take his hands in my hands and he looks at me. "Papa I really like him. I.. I love him" I say and his face softens at my words.

"Aashu.. Beta are you sure you'll be safe with him" he asks with concern and I nod.

"I feel the safest with him. Vo achha ladka hai papa" I tell him and he nods and finally a smile breaks on his face.

Thank God!

"Anything better that you being a lesbian I guess" he says and we both start laughing at that.

"Well then milne bulaao usse kal. Mai bhi milu tumhare boyfriend se zara" he says and I grin.

I nod and hug him. "Thanks papa. I love you".

"I love you too beta" he says patting my head and I leave the living room and go to my bedroom.

What a day this was!

Vo ek phone call me toh meri life hi change kar di. Viraj ne meri life change kar di hai.

Pehle uske ghar gayi itne raat ko, fir uske mom dad ka divorce ki khabar, his breaking down in my arms, his confession that he likes me and feels like kissing me all the time, him asking me to be his girlfriend, all those sweet words that he said to me that made my heart melt into a puddle.

Fir kissing, fir uska mere ghar pe aana, fir wapas kissing, fir khana, fir kissing, fir movie aur fir aur kissing.. I squirm in my seat as I imagine his lips on mine.

Hmmmmm...

Kya soch rahi hu mai bhi baap re. I change into my pajamas and lay in bed and see that I have a few messages. One of them is from Viraj. It's one hour ago.

I open it feeling like a giddy school girl and instantly smile looking at what he's written.

*Have a good night paglu. Dream of me ;)*

I quickly type a reply.

*Maybe I will. Good night dummy xx*

I keep the phone away when suddenly a thought clicks me.

Maine uski complain nahi ki but papa ne toh bataya uske dad ko. What if he blames me. Viraj Ko batana toh padega. Oh god!

Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god....

Kaise bataaungi mai usse? What if he says that he's not interested in me anymore because somehow I'm to blame for this. Oh shit!

Waise he won't. He's not like that anymore. Also, he likes me now. Yes, he does.

But what if he does blame me?

I groan inside my pillow and close my eyes.

Waise bhi kal Viraj ke ghar jaana hi hai. I'll get it over and done with tab. Jo hoga dekha jaayega.

With that thought I go to sleep.

~•~•~•~•~•~•

*Viraj*

I go home and sit on the sofa. I was having such a good time with Aslesha. I smile thinking about her. She looked so pretty today.

White suits her. I remember the day when I accidentally ruined her dress with my chocolate sauce. She was wearing a dress similar to the one she was wearing today.

That day when it all started.

Usse alag hue 10 minute bhi nahi hue and I'm already thinking about her. What the hell. I'm whipped!

Uske paaltu kutte ke lakshan wapas.

Agar usse ye baat bataaunga toh hassegi vo. Paaltu kutta. I smile to myself as the image of her laughing comes to mind.

And boy! I finally licked her irresistible dimple today. I'm so obsessed with her dimple. It was a big achievement. And now I can kiss her anytime, anywhere!

Bless me lord!

Uss churan Jay ka muh dekhne laayak hoga jab usse pata chalega Aslesha meri girlfriend hai. MERI! Saala jab dekho tab uske peeche kisi irritating makkhi ki tarah ghumta rehta hai.

Ha! I can't wait to see everyone's faces!

I've never been so excited to show off a girl. But now I am. Hell I'm so excited. Aslesha Mathur is mine. Koi uske paas dekhega bhi toh uski aankhe noch dunga.

Aur ab toh mai uska boyfriend hu. Boyfriends yahi karte hai na? Yes! Fir toh mujhe pura haq hai Jay ka muh fodne ka. Boyfriends ka kaam hi ye hota hai right?

The door bell rings and my reverie is broken. Maa aa gayi.

I open the door and take her bags. I quickly give her a hug and looking at her face, immediately makes my mood sulk.

She has bags under her eyes and she looks so tired.

I go and fetch her a glass of water as she sits on the sofa.

"Thanks" she gives me a weak smile and drinks the water.

"So it's finally done ha" I say and give her hand a squeeze.

"Yes. Yes it is" she whispers as her voice cracks.

"Maa.." I say as her eyes become glassy but she cuts me off.

"Nahi beta. I'm not gonna cry. You know what? He came with a woman to the court. Not with the one jiske saath affair tha. Koi aur hi aurat thi. Can you believe it?" she says and rubs her forehead as my jaw falls open.

"What? Oh my god. Kya aadmi hai. What a di- I'm sorry" I say quickly when I realise what I was about to call him.

"No right. He is a dick!" She says and my mouth falls open some more.

"Mom! Language" I say and mom rolls her eyes.

"Oh forget it. I've had a divorce. Language gayi tel lene" she says and I can't hold in my laughter.

I start laughing and after a moment maa joins me.

When finally our laughing fades away I lean and keep my head on her shoulder.

"We're gonna get through this maa. It's gonna hurt and life is not gonna be the same. But we're gonna get stronger and get through this. Let that bastard go to hell!" I say.

Maine maa ko Aashi ka dialogue chipkaa diya. Wah!

"Ohho. Itna achha pravachan" maa says and I chuckle.

I'll tell her tomorrow when Aslesha comes. Ke vo meri girlfriend hai. Vo bhi toh maza le maa ka expression dekh ke.

"Go make coffee for me. I'm gonna shower now" she says and shoves me away and I fall off the sofa.

And my violent mother is back!

I roll my eyes and walk to the kitchen. This is better.

Jab insaan apni aukaat dikha deta hai toh uske liye rone ka bhi mann nahi karta.

Like dad.

Unki aukaat nahi ke hum unke liye apne aansu waste kare.

He was once a very special person and now he's not. We'll live with the memories. Good and bad as well.

He can go fuck himself for all I care.

After a while mom arrives in the kitchen and we silently drink the coffee.

I guess even she is done with him after yesterday.

We order dinner and watch a crappy bollywood movie while having it.

I text Aslesha but she doesn't reply. Busy hogi shayad.

I go up to my room and keep checking my phone again and again. Ye kya haalat bann gayi hai meri.

Aur mere room ki bhi.

Kal maine sab idhar udhar fekaa tha. I decide to arrange it properly. By the time I'm done, I start feeling tired and fall back on the bed.

Aslesha was sleeping with me here yesterday.

I turn towards her side and pull the pillow she was sleeping on towards me. I press it to my face and inhale the fragrance.

The fragrance of her.

The same strawberries and coconut milk kind of smell.

And with that intoxicating fragrance, I'm instantly deep in sleep.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~

I'm really sorry for the late update guys. Pata nahi mere wattpad me kya problem hui thi ye chapter galti se delete ho gaya aur restore bhi nahi ho raha tha. I had to write it again. Itna gussa aaya kya bataau!! Fir bhi it's finally done. "Complain ki kisne?" ka answer ab mil gaya hai. You guys so didn't expect it right? Hehe.. No VirEsha scenes in this one because I wanted this chapter to be dedicated to their amazing parents. Hope you liked it. Ily :)