Siddharth sat on the dining table, glaring blankly at the laptop sitting open in front of him. His forehead was contorted in a frown, lip held between his teeth. He looked, at best, troubled. Shehnaaz walked into the dining area, dropping her belongings on the couch, along the way. "Siddharth?" Her voice was gentle, almost concerned. "Are you okay?"

Siddharth looked at her, startled. "Hey sweetheart." 

"You looked busy." Shehnaaz slipped into the chair next to him. "Is.. everything okay?" 

Siddharth smiled, tugged at her slightly, pulling her closer. "I missed you baby." He whispered, kissing her forehead affectionately. 

"You saw me.. like-- hours ago." Shehnaaz looked at him mischievously. "Can't be too much." 

"It was hours ago." Siddharth deadpanned. Shehnaaz giggled at his response, his honest, mischievous, adoring eyes glittering with mirth as he talked about her. 

Shehnaaz never really knew the kind of adoration that she was being showered with by the people that she had the good fortune of surrounding herself with. Dr. Shukla, Siddharth, Preeti Di.. 

She smiled at the thought, "What's running in here?" Siddharth asked curiously, tapping the side of her head. 

"I met Preeti Di today.." Shehnaaz answered, instinctively. Siddharth frowned. "What?" 

Shehnaaz sighed, "Dr. Shukla's eldest daughter. Preeti Shukla. She came to the office and.. to my utter bewilderment asked for me to be let out." Siddharth's frown deepened, "I don't.. understand." 

Shehnaaz nodded, agreeing with him. "I know. I didn't, at first either." 

Siddharth looked intrigued, "It was bizarre. Preeti di came to the office and called Dr. Shukla to let me out for the day and we went shopping. I was late in the morning too and I just.." She recounted the whole thing to him cheerfully. Siddharth stared at her, at loss of words. 

Shehnaaz laughed at his expression, "Yes, I would've had the exact same reaction if I were you but Preeti Di is amazing. She made me feel right at home, throughout the said outing she made me buy a few clothes, we had lunch together. I helped her in picking out a gift for Dr. Shukla's birthday, next week and we had a fun time." She explained to him. Siddharth smiled, "You had a fun day today, then?" 

"I did. It was a good day." Shehnaaz confirmed, with a beaming face. Siddharth nodded. "Preeti Di told me that Dr. Shukla talks about me all the time, at home. She didn't feel like a stranger to me. She practically knew me like I was a part of her family for years now." Shehnaaz added, happily. 

"You are his family. You're practically another daughter to him. I mean.. I'm sure he doesn't treat anything less than that." Siddharth said softly. Shehnaaz nodded, agreeing with him. "He.. doesn't." 

Siddharth interlaced his fingers through hers, smiling warmly at her. Shehnaaz shook her head, blowing out air in a tired huff, "Enough about me, Siddharth. You were home earlier than usual and you seemed troubled about something." She said softly. 

Siddharth chuckled, "I was thinking about you, actually. I.." He exhaled softly, "I have to tell you something, but before I do that, I need you to know that I really wanted to tell you about everything way earlier but I just never found the right time. I need you to know that I would never hurt you. I.." 

Shehnaaz interrupted him, "Woah, Siddharth. What is it?" She exclaimed her eyes widened slightly, "I lied to you. My name is not Siddharth Sharma, it's Siddharth Shukla. I had lied to you the day you had asked my last name, because I didn't want things to change between us." He told her, truthfully and waited for her reaction with a bated breath. 

Shehnaaz blinked, "You.. are Siddharth Shukla. Dr. Ashok Shukla's son." She looked questioningly at him, but her words didn't quite sound like a question. 

Siddharth bit on his lower lip, "Yes." 

"So you do exist." Shehnaaz chuckled, while Siddharth groaned. "Shehnaaz, please!"

Shehnaaz stopped laughing, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" She asked 

Siddharth closed his eyes for a moment before replying "You were the first girl that I really noticed and you were the first girl who didn't throw herself on me for fame or money or.. I don't know-- sexual pleasure. You were so naive, innocent and I loved that about you. You kept to yourself, were helpful, cheerful. When you saw me, you didn't see the son of a rich businessman, you saw the man that I was, the one that really wanted the world to know. You knew Siddharth Shukla the way he wanted to be known, even before you knew his name. You saw a smile mate, a friend. I was scared that once you found out who I really was, I'd lose that." He said genuinely. 

Shehnaaz didn't say anything for a few seconds. Siddharth watched her patiently, "Did you think I'll manipulate you for money, if I knew?" She asked, her eyes were filled with uncertainty. Siddharth gasped, "Nahi jaan, of course not. I didn't mean it that way. I didn't want to scare you or.. intimidate you. I just.. I thought you'd distance yourself from me and I didn't want that. I don't want you to think that I am in any way a different person just because.. I am the son of wealthy parents." He said hopefully.

Shehnaaz sighed, "I lied to you too, when I stopped showing up at the doorstep for a week. It was not because I was not in Mumbai, it was because I.. was scared. Obviously, I didn't know that you were Dr. Shukla's son, but I did know that you were.. rich. You own a bloody Mercedes for god's sake and.. I didn't want you to think that I was a gold digger. We had barely talked for a few minutes at a time and it was stupid but I didn't want you to think that I was behind your money. You were always a distant dream for me, up until the day you showed up at home and asked what was wrong. I realised that I was just as much a part of your life as you were of mine and I couldn't single handedly decide for the two of us. I convinced myself to take a leap of faith and see where it'd lead me." She told him. "So, I guess I won't blame you for assuming that way. You weren't entirely wrong, anyway." 

Siddharth smiled, "I knew that you were lying to me, just not the reason and I wanted to give you time to open up to me. I knew you'd eventually come around and tell me. I need you to understand Shehnaaz, that my financial situation doesn't change anything. It doesn't change the fact that when I saw you for the first time, I lost my heart to your mere presence. It doesn't change the fact that you are, were and will always be the best thing to have happened to me. It will not change the fact that I love you with every fibre of my being and I will forever do so, with all that I have." Siddharth confessed, "I wanted you to know everything today, because I can't keep lying to the one person that I love about who I am." 

Shehnaaz smiled. Siddharth caressed her cheek gently, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I love you baby, never doubt that." He whispered to her, his eyes vouching for his truthfulness. 

Shehnaaz nodded.

"Ashok Sir.. ko pata hai?" Shehnaaz asked him, hesitantly. Siddharth nodded. "I told him today, just like I had promised. He's very happy for us." He said comfortingly. 

"He's happy?" 

"Very happy love. He can officially call you his daughter. What more do you think he needs?" He asked, with a glint of mischief in his eyes. 

Shehnaaz giggled, "Nothing, I guess." 

***

Shehnaaz was sitting on the bed, writing in her journal when Siddharth knocked on the door of the room causing her to look at the source of interruption. "Hey, come in." She said with a small smile. Siddharth entered the room and threw himself on the bed. "I didn't know you wrote a journal." He confessed, frowning at the thick book in her lap. Shehnaaz shrugged, "I don't, normally. It's for days when I miss home." She said.

Siddharth moved closer to her, "You miss home?" 

Shehnaaz sighed, "It's complicated. My parents have been dead for a very long time now and I've grown used to their not being there. When I was little, I had a beautiful home, a beautiful family with them and sometimes on days like this, I miss having that. I miss coming back to my mother's lap after a long day at school. I miss sneaking into their room and slipping between my parents when I had nightmares. I.." She stopped mid-sentence and inhaled. Siddharth squeezed her hand gently, she smiled. "So when I'm overwhelmed, I write." 

Siddharth nodded. Shehnaaz shut her journal and kept it in the drawer next to the bed. "I didn't mean to be gloomy." 

Siddharth shook his head, "It's perfectly okay. You're allowed to be sad every once in a while, as long as you promise that you'll let me help you feel better." He said softly.

"I have no one else I'd rather do this with Siddharth. It's always you." Shehnaaz said quietly. Siddharth pulled her closer to himself wrapping a protective arm around her. "Tell me more." He said quietly.

"'bout my parents?" Shehnaaz asked and Siddharth nodded, "What were they like?"

"They were good people, cheerful, happy go lucky. I remember them in bits and pieces but I do remember this, they were both hopelessly in love with each other. My father had a temper that only my mother could keep in check. They loved me, a lot but I never got much time with them. Dad was busy with work, mom was busy with family.." Shehnaaz sighed, smiling sadly. "Then an accident happened, they died and they never came back. I thought I'd have a whole lifetime them, that there's plenty of time. Then, I realised that I didn't have another minute. I had wasted it all and I couldn't do anything about it."

"My father had an elder brother who took me in at fourteen after my parents' death and they did everything they had to, in order to ensure that I was okay. I still had a family, but they were not mine and they had a family of their own." She said quietly.

Siddharth ran his fingers through her hair, comforting her. "Did they.." Shehnaaz shook her head, "No. I just never felt welcomed in their family. I was an obligation to them. They treated me well but didn't love me." She told him.

"It's okay." Siddharth whispered to her, not knowing what else he could say. 

Shehnaaz chuckled, "Dr. Shukla says they were idiots, because they couldn't see what they're missing." Siddharth nodded, "He's right. They're idiots, brainless and heartless idiots because it's impossible for someone to know you and not love you with all of their hearts. I can't imagine doing that, I bet neither can my father." He said kissing her hair. 

Shehnaaz nodded. "Thank you."

"You're more than welcome baby." Siddharth said softly. 

"Do you want to ditch office tomorrow and go meet Mumma?" Siddharth asked hopefully.

Shehnaaz rolled her eyes, "It's barely been a day that you've told my boss/your father about us and you're already taking advantage." She leveled him with a stern glare.

"We give our employees paid leave, sweetheart and you haven't used even one in the last one and a half years." Siddharth retorted back, "It's about time, you take a much deserved day off." 

"You seem to forget that I had left the office early today because I went shopping with Preeti di." Shehnaaz smirked.

"Are you saying that you can do it for her and not for me?" Siddharth raised his eyebrow at her.

"Is this a competition?" Shehnaaz asked surprised.

"Of course it is. You're practically choosing my sister over me and you've met her three times." Siddharth pouted

Shehnaaz laughed, "Okay, I'll tell you tomorrow, I'm sleepy now." She said slipping into the bed covers. Siddharth slipped in beside her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair. "Good night my little star." 

"Good night Siddharth."

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

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