Hello friends...

I'm back with the next part...

Enjoy reading the update...

FATE TWISTED BY LOVE

CHAPTER 14

"Haannnn... Main... yahaannnn..." Preeti gestured her hands around the class. "Tum... tumne pehle kyun nahi bataaya Preeti, ki tum bhi yahin padhne waali ho? Pataa hai, aaj mujhe yahaan kitna akela feel ho raha tha, koi nahi hai jaan pehchaan wala.", Naina said lowering her eyes.

"Accha ji... Yeh accha hai huh... Tumne pehle kabhi mujhse poocha hi nahi ki main kaunse college jaa rahi hun toh maine bhi nahi bataaya. Socha ki main tumhe first day class mein hi surprise de dungi. Par yahaan toh scene hi alag hai, khush hone ke bajaay tum mujhpe gussa kar rahi ho.", Preeti finished with a pout.

Naina couldn't her smile anymore & hugged her tightly, "Tumhe yahaan dekhkar main kitna khush hun yeh tum soch bhi nahi sakti Preeti." Preeti sighed in relief & hugged her back happily. The professor arrived at the next moment & the class fell silent. Their last lecture ended at around two in the afternoon & both the girls left the college as they wanted to get back to the café at the earliest.

As they came out, they saw that everyone was in a hurry to leave the college which confused the girls. It seemed chaotic at that moment. "Chal Naina... main tujhe ghar drop kar deti hun.", Preeti pulled her towards the parking lot. As soon as they walked ahead, Sameer's car approached the gates.

Naina was stunned to see Sameer coming out from the driver's seat. He smiled politely at Preeti & looked at his beautiful wife, "Naina... Chalo. Hume jaldi ghar pohonchna hai. Nanu hamara wait kar rahe hai." Preeti was surprised to hear that & she raised her eyebrows in appreciation whereas Naina looked away, feeling guilty of keeping away the most important thing from her best friend.

Sameer turned to Preeti, "Tum bhi jaldi ghar chali jao. Kabir thodi der mein ghar aa jaayega." She stood confused hearing that her brother was on the way home. She just nodded & took out her mobile to call Kabir. "Preeti... Sabhi phone lines jammed hai abhi, toh tum please apni car mein baitho aur ghar jao." She bid goodbye & hurried towards the car & drove off towards her home. Naina too settled down quietly in the passenger seat & left towards home.

When Preeti sat back in her car, she wondered about the previous day. While cooking in the kitchen, she had seen how Naina was preparing Sameer's favorite delicacies. She had known that biryani was his brother's favorite & had deliberately asked Naina to prepare it. But when on the dining table, Nanaji said that it was Sameer's favorite dish too, Preeti understood why Naina hadn't said no to her request.

She was confused with the way Sameer behaved last night while dinner. He was angry, but why? Was he angry on her brother who took Naina to the kitchen to wash her hand with cold water? Or was he angry with Naina for serving her brother? The look she had seen on Sameer'a face was clearly reflecting his jealousy & possessiveness towards Naina. Did even Sameer like her as her brother did? Did Naina like him too?

She had seen the way Naina was next to Sameer in an instant when he had started coughing. She had seen Naina's cheeks turning red when Nanu had disclosed that biryani was his favorite dish too & the way Sameer had glanced at her sideways, leaving her face scarlet. She had seen all & was watching this exchange since last week.

The way Sameer talked to her as if he had a right to do so. The way they both cared for each other & held each other's gazes. She wanted to discuss all this with her bhai without hurting his feelings. She didn't know how to approach on this topic though. She didn't want him to be heartbroken. She decided to first find out what was cooking between her best friend & Sameer & then she would decide what to do next.

On the other hand, Kabir too was thinking on the same lines. Nothing had escaped his experienced eyes yesterday. He was now sure that there was definitely something going on between Sameer & Naina. He had known Sameer for a long time. Though he wasn't his best friend like Munna & Pandit, yet he was close enough to him in college & could understand his expressions.

After talking to Naina in her room, Kabir had called the commissioner to track about those two goons & then was surprised to hear what Sameer had done to them. When he had gone to his room to freshen up, he had seen those bags, the stationery & the dresses as well. He understood at that moment, that all these gifts were for Naina.

The Sameer he knew in the college was totally different from the one whom he saw nowadays. He had seen how Sameer would maintain a distance from the opposite gender & stayed aloof in college days. He only had Munna, Pandit & Kabir by his side at that time. Though he talked politely with everyone around, but yet he never let anyone come close to him.

But now, the way Sameer was behaving around Naina had left Kabir baffled. He was sure that Sameer hadn't liked the way he had pulled Naina to the kitchen. He had seen him storm out from the dining table. Did he like Naina that much that Sameer didn't like his closeness to her? Did Naina reciprocate his feelings too? There was definitely something going on between the two, he was now sure about it. He needed to find out before his feelings grew towards Naina.

During the drive towards home, Naina saw many police vans & ambulances on the way & saw many people frantically running here & there. She asked Sameer, "Ummmmm... yeh sab kya ho raha hai? Yeh itni saari police vans aur ambulances yahaan kyun hai? Aur yeh log darr ke maare yahaan wahaan kyun bhaag rahe hai?"

Even though Sameer knew what was happening, he didn't reply, "Pataa nahi Naina. Hum pehle ghar sahi salaamat pohonch jaate hai, fir shaayad kuch pataa chal jaaye." Naina just looked outside to see chaos everywhere. They were on the same road where the café was located. She saw a huge crowd gathered everywhere so couldn't see the café. She thought, "Pataa nahi kya hua hoga. Bhagwaan ji sabki raksha karna please..."

When the car stopped at the entrance of the Maheshwari Mansion, she saw Nanu waiting for her. As she approached him, he enveloped her in a hug & said, "Tum thik toh ho na? Kuch hua toh nahi?" She looked confused, "Mujhe kya hona tha Nanaji? Main toh abhi abhi college se aayi hun. Aap... aap itne dare hue kyun lag rahe hai? Aapki tabiyat toh thik hai na? Kuch hua hai kya?"

Nanu looked at Sameer who shook his head gesturing that he hadn't told her anything. Nanu blinked his eyes & took Naina inside the house & caressed her head, "Naina... Tum pehle fresh hokar aa jao, fir aaraam se baat karenge." He turned to his grandson, "Tum bhi jao, fresh ho jao. Fir saath milkar lunch karte hai."

Naina wanted to know what had happened but Nanu didn't tell her & she reluctantly walked to her room to freshen up. After fifteen minutes, when she opened the door to come downstairs, Sameer stood in front of her with worry written all over his face. He entered the room without a word & asked her to go downstairs as Nanu was waiting for lunch.

Sameer joined them in the next ten minutes & started eating. Once the lunch was done, Nanu switched on the television. He stopped at the news channel & increased the volume so that Sameer & Naina also could hear it properly.

The news reporter commented, "Aaj Ahmedabad mein terrorist attack hua hai, jagah jagah bomb blast kiye gaye. Bus stand, auto rikshaw stand, railway station ke baahar, restaurants, café, yahaan tak ki housing society mein bomb explosions ki news confirm hui hai. Kya ab hum kahin bhi surakshit nahi hai? Dhyaan se dekhiye inn tasveeron ko, kya haal kar diya hai hamare sheher ka inn kuch terrorists ne." Sameer knew this & so he had personally gone to pick up Naina. He had intentionally kept this news away from her. He didn't want her to get panicked in the middle of their ride.

He picked up his mobile & called Kabir, "Hello... Preeti thik se toh pohonch gayi na ghar?" He took a pause & continued, "Haaannn... Hum bhi ghar aa gaye hai." He again stopped, "Thik hai..." He saw Naina was looking at him intently, when the voice of the news reporter distracted her, "Dekhiye iss café ka kya haal kar diya hai. Accha hua ki uss waqt koi nahi tha uss café mein, warna hum soch bhi nahi sakte ki aur kitni jaane hum gawaa chuke hote?"

Naina sat down on the couch with a thud seeing the images of the café where she had started working since last few days. Sameer was next to her in an instant & held her by her shoulder, "Naina... Naina... Tum thik ho?" She looked blankly at Sameer & then without any warning she started crying. She turned in Sameer's arms while he held her close to him.

"Yeh... yeh sab kya ho gaya? Bechaari Preeti ka kya haal hua hoga jab usse yeh baat pataa chali hogi? Unn logon ne Preeti ke pitaji ka sapna ek hi jhatke mein tod diya. Aisa kaise koi kar sakta hai? Itna selfish koi kaise ho sakta hai ki sirf apni kuch maange poori karne ke liye kisi aur ke sapnon ko tod dete hai, jeete jaagte logon ko maar dete hai, ek hi jhatke mein sab khatam kar dete hai."

She kept crying while Nanu understood her condition & looked at her sobbing figure which was shivering in Sameer's arms. Sameer had turned fully towards her & wrapped her in his embrace, securing her tightly. He too was feeling bad with whatever happened. But now after seeing his optimistic wife crying like that in his arms, his heart broke yet again.

She continued crying for about half an hour. When Nanu couldn't see her sobbing anymore, he said, "Bas karo Naina. Tumhe toh yeh sochkar khushi honi chahiye ki uss waqt koi nahi tha café mein, warna pataa nahi kya ho jaata? Main samaj sakta hun tum pe aur Preeti pe kya beet rahi hai, par ab rone se kya hoga, batao? Kya hum kuch badal sakte hai Naina? Jo hua usse koi nahi rok sakta tha."

Sameer whispered, "Naina... Chup ho jao naa please." She was still in his arms & had dampened his shirt with her tears. "Dekho... Agar tum hi aisa rone lagogi toh Preeti ko kaun sambhaalega? Usse apni best friend ki zarurat hogi na? Aur uske saamne tum hi aise kamzor padd jaaogi toh kaise chalega? Naina... Preeti ne tumhare ghaav bhare hai na, toh ab tumhari baari hai, tumhe uske ghaav bharne honge. Best friend kehti ho na khudko, fir chalo utho, yeh rona dhona band karo. Hum abhi chalte hai Preeti ke ghar, aakhir usse bhi hamari zarurat hogi iss waqt."

Sameer looked up at Nanu who replied, "Thik hai. Main bhi tum dono ke saath chalunga. Aise waqt hume Preeti aur Kabir ke saath hona chahiye." Sameer wiped his wife's tears, "Jao... Fresh ho jao. Aise latka hua chehra lekar jaaogi apni best friend ke ghar?"

She quickly freshened up & they left towards Preeti's home. The roads were empty & they reached in the next fifteen minutes. The scene at Preeti's home was what Naina had dreaded the most. Preeti was sitting in front of her parent's photo frame & was looking at it blankly. Kabir was sitting next to her & looked disturbed.

When he saw them entering, he sighed in relief & walked towards them hurriedly. Sameer could clearly see the marks of dried tears on his face. They both hugged each other & then Kabir moved to Nanu, "Nanaji... Dekhiye na kya se kya ho gaya? Kitni mehnat se humne wohh café shuru kiya tha aur Preeti ne toh apni poori jaan lagaa di thi uss café ke liye aur aaj... aaj... kuch mutthibhar logon ne uska aisa haal kiya hai ki main khud dekhne se ghabra raha hun."

Nanu rubbed his back, "Sshhhhhh... Sab thik ho jaayega beta. Hum hai na tumhare saath." Naina hesitated, "Preeti... Preeti kaisi hai???" Kabir looked at her & then gestured her towards where Preeti was sitting. Naina slowly looked at her & her eyes misted instantly.

"Preeti ko jab se pataa chalaa hai, usne kuch nahi khaaya peeya. Bas papa-mummy ke photo ke saamne baith gayi. Nanaji... Mujhe darr lag raha hai. Uski aankhon se ek bhi aansoon nahi nikla hai. Kahin... kahin... wohh waapis depression mein na chali jaaye. Nanaji... Sameer... Naina... kuch karo. Kuch bhi karke rulao usse. Main usse iss haalat mein nahi dekh sakta. Mera meri behen ke alaawa koi nahi hai iss duniya mein. Please kuch karo na..."

Everyone's heart went out for him. The strong businessman Kabir Sehgal was weakening because of his sister's silence. He was afraid that Preeti would again drift into depression the same way when their father had passed away few years ago. He looked hopefully at them & he saw Naina moving in his sister's direction.

Naina sat down next to Preeti & looked at her parent's picture. "Pataa hai Preeti... Tum bohot lucky ho ki at least tumne apne parents ke saath kuch samay toh bitaaya tha. Maine toh unhe bachpan mein hi kho diya, ab toh mujhe mere khud ke parents ki shakal tak yaad nahi hai. Bas mere Nanaji hi the mere saath, wohi mere papa, mummy, sab kuch the. Par ab toh wohh bhi nahi rahe. Main ekdum anaath hun Preeti. Tumhare paas toh tumhara bhai bhi hai, jo tumse bohot pyaar karta hai, jo hamesha tumhara saath dega."

Naina looked at Preeti whose lips quivered hearing Naina's words, "Nanaji ko khone ke baad meri zindagi mein unke best friend aaye, jinhone mujhe apne Nanaji se bhi jyada pyaar diya aur mujhe unke ghar le gaye taaki main kahin raste par na rahun. Mera koi ghar nahi tha khudka, jahaan main aur Nanaji rehte the wohh bhi kiraaye ka ghar tha. Isliye main unke jaane ke baad ekdum akeli bhi ho gayi aur... aur agar uss waqt Sameer ke Nanaji nahi aate toh mujhe sach mein raaste par hi rehna padta."

Naina kept looking at Preeti & continued, "Main jaanti hun Preeti ki wohh café tumhare papa ka sapna tha aur tum uss sapne ko poora kar rahi thi. Kya tumhara iraada itna kamzor tha Preeti ki ek musibat aayi aur tum yun haar maankar baith gayi apne papa-mummy ke photo ke saamne? Bas itni hi himmat thi wohh sapna poora karne ke liye jo ek toofan aaya aur tumne sab bikhar jaane diya? Itna hi bharosa hai khudpar ki yun kisine café tod diya, toh tum yahaan murde ki tarah baith jaaogi? Maine toh zindagi mein papa ka pyaar kabhi mehsoos nahi kiya, par tumne toh kiya hai na? Bas itna hi pyaar karti ho unse ki ek chota sa jhatka kya lagaa toh tum sab haarkar baith gayi yahaan?"

"Utho Preeti... Tumhe tumhare papa ka sapna poora karna hai. Uss café ko waapis ussi pyaar aur ussi vishwas se sajaana hai jaise tumhare papa chaahte the. Utho Preeti... yeh waqt yun photo ke saamne baithne ka nahi hai. Tumhe apne papa ka sapna fir se shuru karna hoga, unke pyaar aur bharose ko tum aise nahi tootne de sakti Preeti. Utho... Meri best friend itni kamzor nahi hai ki kisi terrorist attack se darr ke haar maan le."

Finally, a drop of tear escaped her eye & then there was no stopping them. She crushed Naina in her arms & sobbed loudly letting her tears flow which was washing away her pain too. Everyone in the room cried with them. Naina kept rubbing her back, consoling her all the while. Her eyes met Kabir who smiled at her still crying.

Naina made Preeti stand up & then she ran in her brother's open arms, crying heartily once again. "Sshhhhh... chup ho jaa behen. Itna royegi toh ghar mein sailaab aa jaayega." She laughed at his stupid joke & punched him in his stomach & he growled in pain. She laughed out which made the others smile too.

Once they settled down in the living room, Kabir brought a plate of food for his sister. When she denied, Naina glared at her & she quietly ate & finished her meal. Once Kabir was satisfied that she was fed properly, he sat down beside her & looked around the small family which had become an important part of his life.

"Preeti... Kabir... Tum dono khud ko kabhi akela mat samajna. Jaise Sameer aur Naina hai mere liye waise hi tum dono bhi ho. Maine pehle bhi kahaa tha aur aaj bhi keh raha hun, hamare ghar ke darwaaze tum logon ke liye hamesha khule rahenge, jab mann chaahe tab aa jaana." The siblings cried happy tears as they finally had someone to call them as family.

Sameer asked, "Kabir... Main jaanta hun ki yeh sahi time nahi hai, par mujhe lagta hai ki hume ek baar café dekh aana chahiye. Ummmm... mujhe commissioner uncle ka phone aaya tha thodi der pehle. Abhi toh wahaan nahi jaa sakte par kal hum ek baar dekh aate hai." Kabir agreed, "Sameer... Tum thik keh rahe ho, ek baar dekh lena chahiye. Fir renovation kitna aur kya kya karna hai yeh bhi toh pataa lagaana padega."

"Main bhi saath chalungi.", they heard Preeti's voice. Naina too added, "Main bhi tumhare saath chalungi Preeti." No one had a heart to say no to them & everyone agreed. By the time Naina, Sameer & Nanu reached home, it was already evening. They walked back to their rooms to freshen up.

Sameer freshened up first & was out in ten minutes. When he came out, he saw Naina sleeping on the couch. He kept looking at her tearstained face for a while. He called out softly, "Naina... Naina..." She opened her eyes slowly & got up. "Naina... Fresh ho jao. Main jaanta hun tum thak gayi hogi, subah jaldi bhi uthi thi na. Tum fresh ho jao tab tak main neeche khaane ka dekh leta hun. Jaldi dinner karke so jaayenge. Thik hai."

Naina didn't react & walked towards the washroom with her night clothes. Sameer went downstairs to see if the dinner was ready so that they could have their meal early & then rest as everyone was beyond exhausted. Ramdhari had prepared a simple dinner which they ate quietly.

To lighten Naina's mood, Nanu asked, "Arey Naina... Main toh poochna hi bhool gaya ki aaj tumhara college ka pehla din kaisa tha? College kaisa lagaa? Koi dost bane yaa nahi?" She smiled & replied, "Accha tha Nanaji. Koi khaas dost nahi bane, waise bhi Preeti mere saath hi thi sab lectures mein toh hume kahaan kisi aur ki dosti ki zarurat padti."

Nanu agreed & they finished their meal. Sameer kept glancing at her in between. Once their dinner was done, Naina retired to her room bidding goodnight to Nanaji. Sameer & Nanu were surprised with that. She was always the last one to go back to their room but today she was the first one to bid goodnight.

Ramdhari cleared the table & washed the dishes. When he left, Nanu turned to his grandson. He had a lot to speak tonight. Sameer had already known that his grandfather wanted to talk to him, so he had stayed back.

"Sameer... Mere kamre mein chalo, mujhe tumse zarurui baat karni hai.", he followed Nanu to his room. Nanu stood near his window gazing outside for a while. Then he sat down on the bed resting his back on the headrest. "Sameer... baith jao." He gestured him to sit in front of him.

"Sameer... Main jaanta hun ki tum shaadi karna hi nahi chaahte the, par sirf mere aur Jayanti ke vaade ki wajah se tumne aur Naina ne shaadi karne ko haan nahi kahi thi. Mujhe heart attack aane ke baad tum dono ne shaadi mein haami bhari. Tum dono ko meri wajah se majburi mein shaadi karni padi, hai na???"

Sameer wasn't shocked to hear this as he knew that Nanu wasn't dumb that he wouldn't understand about their easy acceptance of their marriage. Nanu continued, "Sach kahun Sameer... jab main Naina se pehli baar uss hospital mein mila tab hi usme mujhe meri Jaanki ki parchaayi dikh gayi thi. Aur jaise jaise wohh iss ghar mein rehne lagi, uski har acchai aur sacchayi ne mera dil jeet liya. Naina se acchi jeevan saathi tumhe kabhi nahi mil sakti Sameer."

"Par main tumhe bhi bohot acche se jaanta hun Sameer, jaanta hun ki tumne bhale ek dusre se shaadi kar li, par ab tak tum dono sahi maayne mein pati patni nahi bane ho. Tumhare kamre mein ek saath toh reh lete ho, par aaj bhi ek dusre ke liye ajnabee hi ho. Mujhe pataa hai ki tumne ab tak Naina ko apni biwi ka darja nahi diya hai Sameer. Tum dono ek saath bed pe bhi nahi sote hoge, hai na?"

"Naina ne ab tak uska saamaan tumhare almaari mein nahi rakkha, dekha maine jab main kal tumhare kamre mein aaya tha. Maine sab suna tha Sameer kal raat, aur main pehle se hi bohot kuch jaanta hun. Tum kya sochte ho Naina ke baare mein, yeh bhi jaanta hun. Tumhe tumhari biwi laalchi dikhti hai Sameer? Tumhe lagta hai ki usne tumhare paison ke liye tumse shaadi ki hai? Tumne kal uske character par bhi shak kiya?"

"Kabir ne uski jaan bachaayi thi Sameer... yeh ek ladki ke liye bohot badi baat hai, jab baat uski izzat pe aati hai. Agar Kabir Naina ko kitchen mein uska haath saaf karvaane le bhi gaya tha toh tumhe itni problem kyun ho rahi thi? Naina ne agar uthkar usse khaana parosa toh usme bhi koi problem nahi tha. Naina sirf apna farz nibha rahi thi, usse thank you bolne ki koshish kar rahi thi. Aur tum... tum uspar hi ghatiya ilzaam lagaa rahe the. Kya yahi meri parvarish hai Sameer? Maine yeh sab toh nahi sikhaaya tha tumhe?"

"Main jaanta hun ki tumhari Maa ke guzarne ke baad, tum kisi par bhi bharosa nahi kar paate jhat se. Par har insaan tumhare papa ki tarah nahi hota, jisse na toh teri maa ki parwaah thi aur naa hi tumhari. Sab ek jaise nahi hote Sameer, tumhe yeh samajna hoga. Jo tumhare papa ne kiya, wohi sab tumhare zindagi mein ho, yeh zaruri toh nahi hai na. Ek baar uss bacchi par vishwas toh kar ke dekho, usse ek mauka toh do Sameer. Naina waisi bilkul nahi hai jaisa tum usse samaj rahe ho."

"Inn buddhi aankhon ne itni duniya toh dekhi hai ki logon ko parakh sakun. Mujhe nahi pata tum dono ke beech kya baat hui hai shaadi se pehle, main nahi jaanta Naina ne kal aisa kyun kahaa ki wohh sirf ek saal hi iss ghar mein rahegi. Sameer main bas itna jaanta hun ki Naina bohot acchi ladki hai aur wohi tumhari ardhangini hai. Tum jitna jaldi isse samaj jao, utna hi accha hoga tumhare liye."

"Main aaj ke baad tum dono ki zindagi mein koi dakkhal nahi dunga, par tum yeh mat sochna ki mujhe kuch dikhaayi nahi deta ya samaj nahi aata. Jis din bhi tumne Naina ka dil toda Sameer, uss din tumhara iss ghar mein aakhri din hoga. Jaise tum mere naati ho ussi tarah Naina bhi meri zimmedaari hai. Agar usse kuch hua, tumne usse zara bhi taklif di, toh sazaa bhugatne ke liye taiyaar rehna Sameer Maheshwari. Tumne aaj tak Nanu ka pyaar dekha hai, agar Naina ko dukh diya, toh mera gussa bhi dekhoge. Uss bachhi ne bachpan se hi bohot dukh sahe hai, aur agar tumhe usse iss ghar mein dukh diye, toh iska anjaam bilkul bhi accha nahi hoga Sameer. Samjhe???"

Sameer hadn't uttered a word till Nanu finished speaking. He was in a daze. His Nanu had never threatened him for anyone. But for Naina, he had done that. He understood that Nanu was very much protective about her. Nanu had rightly guessed everything. While going back to his room, Sameer sighed in relief that at least Nanu wasn't aware of all the agreements he had made before marriage & even got Naina's signatures on it beforehand.

When he entered his room, the main lights were already off, only the bedside lamp was on. Before moving toward his bed, he walked to Naina who had drifted to sleep. When Sameer laid back on his bed, Naina opened her eyes & stared at the ceiling. How cruel this life was to her?

Naina felt bad for Preeti that her father's dream was crushed ruthlessly by those terrorists. It would take few months till the café would get renovated & restored again. She had thought that she would earn some money from the part-time job in café but now she was jobless again. How would she save for her living after the divorce comes through? How would she sustain her life after that? She would have to start hunting for jobs again. What was she going to do till the café re-opens again was a biggest question for her now???

How was the update?

I know, I know, it was a little bit emotional & very much unexpected...

What do think how Sameer would behave with Naina after Nanu has threatened him?

Will Naina find another part-time job???

With Lots of Love,

Daksha...❤