Baat kyon Na Karuin Tumse?

It was almost completely dark outside when Siddharth came home that day. He wore a white shirt and dark blue denim jeans and entered the apartment with an ever-present cry of his mother's name on his lips. 

"Maa, ghar aa gaya mein!" He called out, slipping his shoes off near the entrance and rushed inside. 

He had barely stepped into the living area when he stopped dead in his tracks, a smile bloomed on his lips. 

"Moti tu kya kar rahi hai yahan?" He exclaimed, a teasing glint shone in his eyes as he walked up to her. Shehnaaz looked up at him and pouted. 

"Shehbaaz ko kaam se Pune jaana tha, toh--" Shehnaaz said quietly. 

"Toh woh apni museebat yahaan chod ke chala gaya? Tera bhai humaari dosti ka zyaada hi faayda utha-ta hai." Siddharth said, smirking. 

"Tujhe mein museebat lagti hoon?" Shehnaaz asked, her eyes wide as saucers. "Kutte, gall na kari mere naal hunn--" 

Siddharth chuckled. "Oye, Punjab ki shataabdi. Hindi aati hai na tujhe?" Siddharth nudged her teasingly. 

Shehnaaz glared at him. "Turr jaa aithon. Mein chittar laa doon nahi." (Get lost from here or I'll slap you.)

"Phir se." Siddharth rolled his eyes but before he could say anything more, she turned away from him. "Don't-- just don't irritate me yaar." 

Siddharth scrunched his nose, "Don't irritate me." He repeated her words in a shrilly mock of her voice. 

"Tu aate hi shuru ho gaya Siddharth!" Rita Maa admonished. "Yeh nahi ki saans le le, gharwaalon se do aachi baatein kar le. Aate hi meri laado ke peeche pad gaya."

Siddharth pouted childishly at being scolded by his mother while the woman herself turned to Shehnaaz, handing her a bowl. "Custard hai, kha le mera baccha, chod Siddharth ko woh toh gadha hai."

Shehnaaz smiled at Rita Maa and placed it on the table in front of them. Siddharth picked up the bowl, but before he could take a bite Rita Maa slapped his hand. "Shehnaaz ka hai, rakh waapis."

Siddharth frowned, playfully. "Kya karegi kha ke? Vaise hi dinn pe dinn moti hoti jaa rahi hai."

Maa glared at him angrily and Shehnaaz's face fell at his words. "Uska mood tere aane ke pehle vaise hi kharab tha Siddharth. Kya soojha tujhe aaj hi mazaak ka?" She sighed exasperated.

Siddharth smirk dissolved into a now genuine frown. "Mood kharaab tha, kyu bhai?" He asked, sitting on his knees in front of Shenaaz.

"Tu mana meri laado ko, mein dinner lagwaa rahi hoon." Rita Maa ruffled Siddharth's hair and left the couple alone.

Shehnaaz looked away from him. "Kucch nahi."

Siddharth sighed, guiding her to look back at him. "Kucch nahi toh nahi ho sakta bhai. Meri jaan pareshaan toh hai." 

"Koi jaan-vaan nahi hoon mein-- museebat hoon. Museebat hi theek hoon. You go about your work, don't talk to me. I'll go back home tomorrow-- won't bother you." Shehnaaz said quietly. 

Siddharth frowned.  "Kya bakk rahi hai bey gadhi! Tujhe pata hai mein mazaak kar raha tha. Aur baat kyon na karu tujhse, aise kaise nahi karu tujhse baat? Roz hi shoot pe ajeeb ajeeb ladkiyon ki shaklein dekh ke dinn nikaalna padta hai, ghar aaya hoon toh tu bhi mooh phula ke baithi hai pata nahi kiss baat pe.. mein kya karoon phir, marr jauin?" Siddharth asked, slightly agitated.

Shehnaaz pouted. 

"Rahi baat ghar jaane ki, toh kam se kam do hafta tu kidhar bhi nahi jaa rahi hai. It's been too long. Shehbaaz ke paas jaati hai, waapis aane ka naam hi mahi leti." Siddharth complained childishly.

"Tu roz udhar aa jaata hai Siddharth. Hum roz mil lete hai, mein kidhar bhi rahoon." Shehnaaz reasoned.

Siddharth sighed. "As if there's no difference. Ghar toh ghar hota hai na?"

"Ab bata, kyuin sada hua hai tera mood?" He asked softly. 

Shehnaaz took a deep breath, "Woh teri friend hai na, Diksha-- woh aayi thi aaj. Mujhe shehbaaz chod ke gaya tab woh idhar hi baithi thi. Woh-- Siddharth woh boli ki Siddharth ke standard ke hisaab se mein bahut "desi" hoon. Moti hoon." She shrugged, chuckling. 

"Tu bhi-- aate hi moti moti bolne lag gaya." 

Siddharth banged his head against Shehnaaz's knee. "Tu na ek gadhi hai baby."

"Kya galat bol rahi thi vaise woh-- moti toh hoon na mein. Desi bhi hoon, tere standard ki bhi nahi hoon." Shehnaaz said innocently.

Siddharth nodded slowly, "Haan. Very good, very very good. Tu mere standard ki nahi hai." He mocked her. Shehnaaz looked down at her lap and began playing with her fingers. 

Siddharth jumped to his feet and sat next to her. "Baby-- pyaar mein kab se standard hone lage? Pyaar toh bas ho jaata hai na meri jaan, kisi ke haath mein thodi hota hai, pyaar toh-- instinct hai bas. Tu mera pyaar hai, mera sab kuch hai tu baby, mere standard se bahut badhke, bahot upar. And, how did that even crosses your mind? Tu toh mera Punjab ka patakha hai.. tujhe kabse yeh sab baaton se fark padne laga?" Siddharth asked incredulously. 

Shehnaaz sighed. "But, the fact is that--" 

Siddharth pressed his palm against her lips. "Don't even think about it." He said firmly. "Don't you dare suggest you're fat."

"I am."

"You're chubby. Tu moti thodi hai, baby. Tu toh meri moti baby hai. Tere weight se, teri body se mujhe farak nahi padta meri jaan. Mujhe toh tu pyaari lagti hai, bilkul panda jaisi." Siddharth chuckled, pulling her cheeks. "I fell in love with your heart, with your smile, with everything that you are. It was never about your body, always about your soul, about the way you always made me feel, how you effortlessly cheered me up."

"If you are okay with the way you are, if you're comfortable in your body, who the hell is the world to tell you any different? Who the hell is Diksha, to tell you that you are imperfect?" He asked rhetorically, cupping her face.

Shehnaaz smiled. 

Siddharth pecked her nose gently. "Pyaara sa baccha hai tu mera, mere alaawa koi tujhe mota bole toh band baja diya kar uski.." 

"Tere alaawa?" Shehnaaz raised her eyebrow, amused. 

Siddharth nodded. "Mein toh saari zindagi tujhe moti baby bulaane waala hoon, chaahe tu neem ki dandi jitni patli kyon na ho jaaye." 

Shehnaaz pouted. 

Siddharth nuzzled her cheek affectionately, making her giggle. 

"I'll go and freshen up, okay?" Siddharth said, getting off the couch. "Miss me while I'm gone."

"I will."

"Custard mat khana.." Siddharth called out, causing shehnaaz to frown as she was about to take the bowl. "Kyon, kya hua?"

Siddharth shrugged. "Mein aa kar batainga. Mat khaana."

Shehnaaz pouted, but nevertheless, placed the bowl of Custard back on the table. 

***

Siddharth returned to the living area and settled back into his seat next to Shehnaaz. Shehnaaz was watching a web-series on the Smart TV when Siddharth settled next to her. She cuddled into him and was rewarded with a kiss on the head by her man. 

"Rabdi laaya hoon tere liye. Khaayegi?" Siddharth asked, and Shehnaaz looked up at him grinning.

"Tujhe kaise pata mein houngi yahaan?" She asked innocently.

Siddharth slapped her head playfully. "Baaz mujhe bolega nahi ki meri jaan ko ghar chod ke gaya hai? Aise hi chod jaayega?"

Shehnaaz pouted. "Mera surprise bigaad diya tha usne?"

Siddharth smiled. "Mera baby ghar aaya hai, surprise ho ya nahi.. mujhe hamesha khushi hi hoti hai jab mein kaam se ghar aata hoon aur tu mujhe hasti hui milti hai, mere ghar ki raunak hai tu." Siddharth confessed. 

"Mera ghar hai tu--"

"Tu bhot cheezy hai."

Shehnaaz giggled. "Jaise tu nahi hai."

Siddharth reached over for the tin of Rabdi and began feeding his little munchkin small bites of the sweet.

"I should not eat this. Mein moti ho jaaungi."

Siddharth forwarded another bite of the sweet in her direction. "What did we talk about, Shehnaaz?" He asked sternly.

"But, Siddharth I need to lose weight."

"You don't need to do anything. You want to lose weight, we can work on that. Kal se workout kar sakte hai hum saath mein-- but if this idea has suddenly come to you, after Diksha shamed you about your weight, or about the way you look. Trust me you won't be happy, even if you do lose weight. We can't live our lives trying to make everyone happy. You don't have to prove anything to anyone. You don't have to lose weight if you don't want to. Okay? No one's going to judge you." Siddharth explained. 

Shehnaaz nodded. "I know. I want to-- not too much, just enough so that you can always carry me around the house without hurting your old man back." She said, grinning mischievously. 

"Old man back-- I'll show you old man back." Siddharth grabbed her by her waist and dumped her safely over his shoulder. Shehnaaz screamed between frantic giggles as Siddharth carried her to their bedroom and placed her gently over the bed before climbing atop her, and tickling her mercilessly. 

"I can carry you anywhere, you get that?" 

Shehnaaz nodded, laughing helplessly as Siddharth continued to tickle her while laughing along with her. 

A few minutes later, Siddharth stopped tickling her and collapsed, laughing on top of her. 

"I love you, baby."

"I love you." 

Siddharth wrapped his arms around his Naaz and kissed her gently. "I love you more than anything in this world."

***

Another one's here. If you have any prompts. Please drop them in the comments below

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