Hey everyone..Thanks for all the love you are giving this story.... I am overwhelmed...
I am glad you all are keeping my request, and commenting so much on the last chapters. Thanksssss....I love you all..❤️
Last chapter crossed 1.66K comments... OH MY GODDDDD.... Thanks to each one of you for commenting on my chapter... I loce you all so muchhhh🥺🥺❤️❤️❤️❤️
Plz like and comment, and share if you like it. This is my first ff on Wattpad, and I really want everyone to read this and enjoy.
Happy Reading.

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Dil Ibadat kar raha hai, dhadkanein meri sun,
Tujhko mein kar loon haasil, lagi hai yahi dhun...

Veer was sleeping very comfortably and peacefully with the love of his life beside him, who was sleeping while hugging him back tightly. He was having a dream, where he and his Sweetheart had gone to an island for a holiday and were spending some cute lovey dovey moments with each other. He was smiling in his sleep due to the sweet dream. But, his mobile rang right at that moment, disturbing his sleep and making him come back to reality from his dreamland.

Veer half-opened his eyes irritatedly and tried to search for his mobile on the side table. He mistakenly touched the decline button and the call went unattended. He yawned and looked beside him, and an instant smile came on his face seeing her serene face. He removed the hair strands from her face, and kissed on her forehead. She smiled and snuggled more in his arms like a small kitten. He chuckled at her cuteness and then looked around the room to realise that they had fallen asleep in the guest room yesterday. He yawned again and closed his eyes.

Just when he was about to catch on some more sleep, the mobile rang again. He groaned in frustration and picked up the mobile from the side table. He received the call without checking the caller-id.

V: *sleepily* Hello, kaun?!...

BS: *stern* Tera baap...[*Shailee in background* Balwant ji!! Kaise baat kar rahe hai aap Veer se...]

V: *yawn* Oh, hi Dad... Baad mein baat karenge, abhi main so raha hoon... Bye...

BS: Veer tu abhi uth, aur neeche jaake aaj ka business newspaper check kar... Ya fir, internet on karke business news portals dekh...

V: *irritated* Kya Dad, subah subah news padhne ke liye bol rahe hai!!... Aap padh lijiye, mujhe baad mein bata dena

BS: *annoyedly* Veer main mazak nahi kar raha... Tu abhi jaa aur newspaper dekh, it's urgent...

V: *frown* Dad..*loudly* Please, I can't go downstairs now... Let me sleep...

Bani stirred in sleep and whined hearing his loud voice.
B: *in sleep* Mmh, Veer... *trying to cover his mouth* Chup...

V: *softly* Oh shit, sorry Sweetheart... *kissing on her hand and rubbing her back lightly* Sleep... *on call* Dad I will talk to you later, Bani is sleeping and mujhe bhi sona hai...

BS: Veer...

Veer could hear Shailee's voice in the background.
SS: Itna bhi kuch pareshan hone wali baat nahi hai... Sone dijiye unko, wo uthke dekh lega... Abhi to sirf 6:30 hi baje hai, kyun disturb kar rahe hai unhe?!..

V: *covering his mouth and the mic of the mobile* Thanks Mom, I love you... *to Balwant* Dad, main 7:00 baje uthke, news check karke aapko call karlunga...

BS: *trying to convince him* But Veer, listen...

V: Bye Ballu... Goodnight...

He cut the call and kept the mobile on the side table. He looked at her for one last time before closing his eyes, and fell asleep again.

               *********************
Bani's sleep broke at about 7:20 am. She yawned and opened her eyes lazily. Looking beside, she realised that she had been sleeping keeping his head on his chest all this while. She blushed and tried to get up. His sleep got disturbed in the process. He woke up feeling her movement and loosen his hold around her waist. She sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes cutely. She turned and gave him a sweet smile.

B: Good Morning Cutu...

V: *smiling back* A very good morning Sweetheart...

Veer sat up on the bed beside her and rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. Bani smiled at his act. She looked around the room and realisation dawned upon her.

B: Ouh, kal hum yahi so gaye the?!.. *stupid smile* Mujhe pata hi nahi chala kab mujhe neend aagayi...

V: *smirking with eyes still closed* Ha, tum movie ke beech mein hi mujhe hug karke so gayi, aur phir tumhe waise araam se sote dekh mujhe bhi neend aagaya aur main bhi so gaya...

B: *blushily* Theek hai, samajh gayi.. Ab utho, fresh hone jana hai...

V: *hugging her from her waist* Nahi, aise hi raho... Mujhe abhi bhi thodi der rest karna hai, aise tumhare kandhe pe sar rakhke...

B: *chuckling* Mr. Cutu, office nahi jana?!..

V: Nope, aj chutti hai... Tapish bhai ka aj ek international clients ke saath meeting hai, to saare employees usme busy rahenge, and they are not supposed to meet us right now... So, mera aur Daksh ka day-off...

B: Tumhara day-off hai, par mujhe to office jana parega na... Isliye, chhoro...

V: *whining like a baby* Bas 5 minute Sweetheart...

B: *smiling at his cuteness* Achha okay, but only 5 minutes ha?!..

V: *happy* Hmm...

Bani kept her head on his head, and closed his eyes satisfactorily. She held his hands that were on his waist. He smiled feeling her hands, and intertwined his fingers with hers. They stayed like that for few minutes. And then, Bani opened her eyes and looked at the clock. She slowly tried to move her hand out of his grip.

B: Veer, utho, 5 minute ke jagah 10 minute hogaya hai...

V: *leaving her hand and hugging her more securedly* Achha hi hai, aur 2 minute wait kar jao, uske baad I will let you go...

B: *strictly* Nahi, bilkul nahi.. *patting on his hand continuously* Utho utho utho utho utho, utho Veer please... *moving her shoulder to get him to move away* Utho aur jao jaake fresh ho... Tab tak main iss room ko saaf karke proper kar deti hoon... Chalo, jao...

Veer finally left her and moved away from her slightly, and sighed.
V: Fiiiiine, jaa raha hoon... *smug smile* But, pehle... *forwarding his cheek towards her and pointing there*

B: *smiling inwardly* Kyaa?!...

V: *rolling his eyes* Tumhe achhe se pata hai main kis ke baare mein baat kar raha hoon... *emphasising on "kis" to make it sound like "kiss"*

Bani slapped him lightly, turning his face to the other side. Veer gasped and looked back at her with shock.
B: *sternly, but smiling* Jaaao...

He stood up, took his mobile from the side table, and went to the door. Before walking out, he turned and said with a sad face,
V: Bohot kanjoos ho tum, Bani Sharma...

Bani pouted cutely to mirror his grief, and he left from there. She chuckled at her extremely cute husband. She stood up and started making the bed. She cleaned and arranged everything properly, and then went to their room after closing the door of the guest room.

              ************************
Bani entered their room and Veer came out of the washroom at the same time. He looked at her. She went towards him and he thought she was going to come and hug him, but she crossed him and went to the washroom instead. He shut his eyes and scolded himself for expecting this from his "boring" wife.

Sighing, Veer went and picked up his mobile from the table. He saw that the mobile was switched off. He tried to switch it on but it didn't happen. He realised that the mobile's battery was dead. He put it on charge on the nightstand, removing her mobile from the charging port. He was about to go down when she came out of the washroom. She wiped her hands in the towel and hanged the towel on the cupboard handle. He waited for her to come so that they could go down together. She came to him and quickly pecked on his either cheeks, and then went past him to go down. He turned and looked at her in surprise. She giggled seeing his amused expression.

B: *giggling* Tum subah maange the aur maine nahi di, isliye ab dedi... With interest...

V: *amused* Woww, with interest/, nice!!... Didn't expect it from you!!...

B: *flipping her hair strands* I know, I know... Learning from the best, you see... *wink*

V: Ohhho, aj itni tareef horahi hai meri, kya hua achanak se?!...

B: *shrugging her shoulders* Kuch bhi nahi... *coming towards him slowly* Aise hi tareef kar rahi hoon... *pointing on his shoulder* Afterall, eklaute pati ho tum mere, *batting her eyelids cutely* itna to main kar hi sakti hoon, haq se...

Veer held her close from her waist, and smirked at her.
V: Achha, ha sure... Ab, jaise haq jata rahi ho, waise pyaar bhi jatalo ek bar...

Bani rolled her eyes at his comment. She came out of his hold and turned to leave. But Veer tugged at her hand and pulled her back towards himself. He kissed on her either cheeks just like she had done, making her smile.

V: Main kuch bhi adhura nahi chhodta... *smirk* Talking about that, ek kaam kal se adhura reh gaya hai...

Bani gave him a confused look. He smirked evilly and moved his face near her neck. She finally understood what he was talking about, and pushed him away.
B: *glaring to hide her blush* Veeer...

Veer looked at her flushed face and gave his signature laugh. She sighed and went to the door. Before going out, she turned one last time to look at Veer.
B: *smiling irritatedly* Chalo...

V:*controlling his laugh* Haa, chalo...

They both went down together, the topic of the newspaper and the news portal long forgotten by Veer.

              **********************
Bani and Veer came down together and saw Meera pouring tea in their cups. She heard their footsteps and turned and smiled at them. Bani came to her and gave her a side hug.

B: Good morning Meera di...

MS: Good morning Bani... *to Veer* Good morning Veer...

V: *with his charming smile* Good morning dear Bhabhi...

MS: *whispering to Bani* Ise kya hogaya, ye itna khush kyun hai subah subah?!...

B: *chuckling silently* Pagal hai aapka devar, dohra padta hai ise... Ignore...

MS: *stern* Aee... *slapping her shoulder lightly* Aisa nahi bolte...

B: *dramatic* Ha ha, kuch nahi bol rahi main aapke "favourite devar" ko...

Meera glared at her, and she laughed. Veer intervened their sister talks.
V: Tapish bhai aur Daksh nahi dikh raha, kaha hai wo dono??...

MS: Woh Tapish Daksh aur Ponky, they have gone for a run...

V: *frown* Wo log chale gaye, aur mujhe bulaya bhi nahi?!...

B: *fake smile* Ha, kyunki tab tum ghode bechke so rahe the...

V: *rolling his eyes* Whatever... Aane do unhe, main dekhta hoon... Waise, gudiya abhi bhi so rahi hai kya?!..

MS: *smile* Haa, bechari kal raat bohot der tak jagke assignments kar rahi thi... Hum jab sone gaye, kareeb 1 baje, tab bhi baithi huyi thi apne books aur copies leke... Isliye maine uthayi nahi use...

B: Par aj uski college hai na?!... Abhi nahi uthegi to der ho jayegi... Main jaake utha deti hoon Puchki ko...

Just then, a voice came from upstairs.
Puchki: Aap logo ne hume yaad kiya, aur hum chale aaye...

Bani and Meera smiled at each other, and turned to see her. Veer muttered "Nautanki..." and chuckled, waiting for her to come down.

Puchki: *while coming down* Good morning Bhaiyaa, good morning Bhabhis...

V: *mocking tone* Good morning bandar...

B: *glaring* Tch, Veer... *going towards Puchki and hugging her* Good morning Veeni bachha... *kissing her forehead*

Puchki: *smiling happily* Aww, Mom bhi na subah bilkul aise hi pyaar se hug karke good morning wish karti hai mujhe... *hugging her tightly* Love you Bhabhi...

Bani smiled at her. Puchki ignored Veer and went to hug Meera. Veer came and stood beside Bani, and whispered in her ears,
V: Mujhe bhi subah aise pyaar se hug karo, forehead kisses do...

B: *scrunching her eyebrows and smiling* Abhi room mein mila na gaal pe kiss, aur abhi fir ye bhi chahiye... Tumhare demands to badhte hi jaa rahe hai...

V: *teasing smirk* Abhi to demands shuru bhi nahi hua, *bending towards her* shuru karu kya?!...

B: *pushing him away* Veeer... Hum hall mein hai... Kuch to sharam karo...

She shook her head and walked away from him while blushing. She started discussing about the breakfast menu with Meera. Veer laughed inwardly and went to Puchki.

V: Oyeee... Mujhe hug nahi karegi?!.. Main invisible hoon kya?!...

Puchki: *narrowing her eyes and fake smiling* Nahi, par main to bandar hoon, aapko bandar se kyun hug chahiye bhala?!... Jao yaha se... Aapse mujhe koi baat ni karni...

V: Achha?!... *taking her in a headlock and tickling her* Achha?! Achha?!... Ab bol...

Puchki laughed uncontrollably and Veer kept tickling her. Bani and Meera laughed seeing their childishness. Finally, he left her and they sat down on the sofa tired, and burst into laughter. Bani smiled and went towards them, and handed them their cups of tea. Meera came with her and Bani's cup. They settled on the sofa, and the four of them talked and laughed about various things and topics.

Suddenly, they heard Daksh and Ponky shouting Veer's name from the outside. Veer quickly finished his tea, kept the cup on the center table, and stood up in hurry. Bani and Meera also finished their tea and stood up. Puchki frowned at their stupid brothers and kept sipping the tea relaxedly. Daksh entered the house with a newspaper in his hand, Tapish  behind him, and Ponky following them with an excited face.

TS: *calmly* Veer, sun...

Daksh: Veer bhai...

Ponky: Veer bhaiii, bhabhiii, ek kaand hogaya hai...

V: Arre, ek minute... Koi ek baat karo, sab ek saath mera naam mat japo... Kya hua kya hai?!... Newspaper mein kuch ayaa hai kya?! Dad subah call kiye the aur bol rahe the newspaper dekhne ko, maine kaha baad mein dekh lunga par fir dimaag se nikal gaya... What's the matter?!...

Daksh: *forwarding towards him, the folded newspaper* Aap khud hi dekhlo...

Veer took the business newspaper and unfolded it. The bold caption on the very first page of the paper along with the large picture in the centre caught his attention. He looked at the news with wide eyes.

V: What the... *looking at Tapish* Ye kaise hua?!...

MS: *sharing a confused look with Bani* Arre par hua kya hai, ye to batao...

Ponky: Veer bhai aur bhabhi ka eksath photo aya hai, business newspaper ke cover page par, with a cheesy and questioning caption...

Hearing the news, Puchki spat out the tea from her mouth and stood up in shock. Bani stumbled back and her eyes widened in horror and fear.

Puchki: What!!!... *excited* Are you serious?! Show me the news...

B: E-ek minute, *nervous laugh* Tum sab mazak kar rahe ho right?!... Tapish bhai, ye prank hai, hai na?!...

V: *looking back at the paper* Nahi...

Bani dashed towards him and snatched the paper from his hand. She saw the caption and the picture, and looked at Veer with a tensed face.
B: *whispering to Veer* How on earth did they manage to get a picture of us together there?!...

V: *whispering back* How will I know?!...

Puchki: Daksh bhai, mujhe bhi dekhna hai...

MS: Wait... Daksh, read out the news...

Dksh took the newspaper from Bani's hand, and showed the cover page to everyone. There was a photo of Veer and Bani together; they were standing near his car with their back towards the camera, and hence only their side faces were visible. Veer was busy laughing about something, while Bani was looking at him with an irritated smile. It was clear the picture was clicked yesterday when Bani had come to see off Veer near his car and Veer was teasing her about something, probably the "bite" matter. The cameraman had managed to click their picture by zooming on them from outside the office boundary without their notice.

Daksh turned the paper back to himself, and started reading the news.

~~~~
Iron-hearted man and Wonder Woman of the business world seen together in an unusual manner; Is something brewing??
The heart might be made of iron, but even iron can be melted with a touch of wonder... Well, this seems exactly the condition of the famous businessman, Mr. Veeranshu Singhania who, let alone happy, never even simply smiled, is seen laughing away heartily with the ever 'wonder'ful Ms. Bani Sharma, who smiles being slightly irritated, probably at some lame joke cracked by one of them... Maybe some inside joke, who knows!!!...

The duo were spotted together yesterday afternoon, in the outer premises of the building of The Global International's branch in Mumbai, where Ms. Sharma serves the post of the Head of the Coding and IT Department and also the executive HR manager... As per our sources, we came to know that Veeranshu Singhania is planning to sign a new deal with The Global Internationals regarding the upcoming project of his company 'The Mercury Industries', for which he had been visiting their office often in the last few months... The business world is well known about this news and is waiting eagerly to see the professional linkup of Bani Sharma and Veeranshu Singhania.. But the unusual smiles on their faces gives a hint of something else going on between them other than the professional linkup... Well, there's actually more to this news...

Lately, one of our reporters spotted them together outside the Phoenix Mall in Kurla.. Mr. Singhania's mother and sister were also present there with them... The interesting thing is that, we could see Veeranshu's family members' close bonding with Bani... We saw a heart warming scene between the Singhania brother and the sister, and Bani played a very important part in that, which clearly depicts an already warming relationship between Bani and Veeranshu...

The news doesn't end here... Ms. Bani Sharma is very much active on social media, but she likes to keep her personal and professional life separate and thus she has a separate private insta handle for her personal life... Veeranshu Singhania, following her trail, recently opened a private insta account... The thing that caught our attention was, both of them are following each other's private account from not only their private accounts but also their public accounts... Even, Veeranshu Singhania's each and and every family member follows her private account and she follows them back... Not only that, a date "15.5.21" mentioned in a special way in Veeranshu Singhania's private insta handle's bio matches with the date on which Bani Sharma posted a heart-touching writeup of hers on her public account, and the writeup was about "starting of a new journey"... We can't help but take this as another hint about something special growing between the two...

Bani Sharma never talked about her personal life and preferences openly, so we don't really know her detailed opinion about love... The only thing she had ever said regarding this matter was that, she is very optimistic about the feeling of love amd she hopes to find it in her life soon... On the other hand, Veeranshu Singhania had clearly mentioned in one of his past interviews that, there is no place of love and any special woman in his life... But, as we all know, people and their opinion changes with time... Maybe, Bani Sharma, the Wonder Woman of the Coding Industry, with her unique and extraordinary ways, managed to break the iron cage and make a way to Mr. Singhania's heart... Maybe, Veeranshu Singhania, the Iron Hearted Man, similar to the elements like Iron as in his iron heart and Mercury as in his Mercury Industries, managed to discover an element of love as in Ms. Sharma in his life... Maybe, it is not something else but only love and ample love brewing between them...

We can't wait for them to confirm this news, or let us know something related to this matter... Till then, to know more, stay tuned and keep connected with us on our e-news portal www.thebusinesstimes.com...
~~~~

Everyone was smiling after hearing this beautiful and sweet words about Veer and Bani. Veer smiled remembering their small moments from the beginning till now. His shock was now replaced with giddiness. Even Bani smiled while hearing the news, but her smile faded soon, thinking about something. Puchki and Ponky squealed and jumped around in excitement.

Puchki: Wow wow wowwww, kya likha hai editor ne... This needs to be framed... Wow... Aur, mera bhi mention hai iss news mein, hehehehe... I love this report...

Ponky: Sach mein, kya khatarnak likha hai... Veer bhai aur Bhabhi ke baare mein ekdam research karke fir news daala hai inlogo ne... Itna to humne bhi nahi notice kiya tha jitna inhone karliya... Commendable work...

Daksh: *stating fact* Haa obviously, stupid... They get paid for it... But yeah, they have arranged it in a very appealing and convincing manner...

MS: But, ek baat samajh nahi aa rahi, ye news cover page pe aise headlines banake dene ka kya matlab?!...

TS: Meera, this is nothing but the marketing strategy of the business newspapers... They always look for a spicy news to highlight on their cover page so that more people gets interested seeing the headline, and buys their paper... And, The Business Times, being one of the most read business newspaper of our country, they won't leave a chance to highlight this particular news so easily.. Afterall, both Veer and Bani are public figures in the business industry... This report will surely create a hype and will go viral...

MS: *nodding* Haa, woh baat to hai...

TS: *turning* Veer, chhote papa se ekbar baat karle... He has called me about 3 times in the past 30 minutes... Tera mobile switch off aaraha tha, aur Bani ne bhi nahi uthayi call, to unhone mujhe call kiya... You go and call him once... Aur ha, tell me, how are you planning to handle this?!...

Bani broke her silence at last.
B: Yeah, exactly... How will we handle this Veer?!...*nervous* Mujhe to kuch samajh mein hi nahi aa rahi...

V: Don't worry Tapish bhai, main Dad se baat kar leta hoon iss sab ke baare mein...*facing Bani* Aur, Bani, tumhe kuch sochne ki zarurat nahi hai... Main sambhal lunga...

Saying this, Veer ran upstairs to their room. Bani excused herself from there shortly and followed him to their room as she needed to discuss the matter with him in a proper way.

             ************************
Bani entered the room to find Veer talking to his father on the call. She didn't disturb him and quietly came inside and waited for him to end the call. Veer was facing the other side and hence didn't notice her.

V: Ha Dad, maine dekha newspaper mein kya aaya hai... ........ Haa, just now I saw, it's all over the news portals and everything, yeah... .......... Nahi nahi, wo sab karne se kuch nahi hoga... ...... Arre but, waise nahi hota hai na... ......... Ek minute, aap pehle shant ho,this is not a big issue to be worried about... ......... Ha main soch samajhke hi bol raha hoom, this can be handled in a easier way... ..... I have thought of something... Dekhiye, humdono waise bhi bohot jald apne marriage ke baare mein publicly disclose karne wale hai, you know that... So, now there's no point in answering their stupid queries in this matter... Let them be... Jo sochna hai soche, jo karna hai kare, ab hum inn sabko answer karne jayenge to baad mein jab shaadi ki baat disclose hogi, tab problem ho jayega.. ....... Ha exactly, isliye keh raha hoon, just politely cut them off and don't tell them anything about this... No need to pay heed to their unstoppable questions and confusions and predictions... Let them do what they want... ............. Yeah yeah, I will make sure of that... .......... Okay, thanks, main baat kar lunga once they  come... ....... Ha she is alright, no need to worry... ......... Hmm okkay, bye, take care you all... ...... Okay, bye Dad...

Veer cut the call and sighed smilingly. He turned and found Bani standing behind him. She was bothered at how he was planning to tackle the situation so casually. The tension was evident on her face. He walked up to her.

V: Tum kab aayi?!...

B: Tum jab baat kar rahe the Daddyji se, tab...

V: *concerned seeing her tensed face* Hey, kya hua Sweetheart, tum tension kyu le rahi ho?!... *smile* Everything is fine, relax... Maine almost sab sort kar liya hai, okay?!... Don't worry...

B: How?!... *sigh* Veer, are you seriously gonna let them be like this?!..

V: *shrugging his shoulders* Yeah... See, right now, agar hum unhe kuch bhi reply denge to woh log uss baat ko apni tarah twist karke present karenge and also, they will question the truth behind our marriage when we disclose about it in front of the world... So, I think this is the best option, to let the reporters think and do as they please...

B: *baffled* Veeranshu, tum niche mujhse ye kehke aaye ki tum sambhal loge... Par, mujhe ye nahi pata tha ke tum haalat ko aise sambhalne ke baare mein soch rahe ho... Main samajh rahi hoon tumhare baat ko, but do you really think that your plan is gonna help us at all?!... *sitting on the bed exasperatedly* Mujhe nahi lagta...

V: Kyun?! Problem kya hai Bani?!... It's just a matter of few days, after that they are anyways going to know about our marriage...

B: Yeah, I agree, but... *sigh* But still, we can't just sit idle and watch them spreading different types of rumours about us...

V: *teasing smirk* Arre, tumne hi to kaha tha, you don't mind being in the news for dating, it will be cool... Ab dekho, tumhari khwahish puri horahi hai... It's good right!!...

B: *stern look* Main mazak karne ki mood mein nahi hoon Veeranshu... And, wo baat aur ye baat mein ek basic difference hai... Maine kahi thi it will be good if I am the news for dating someone unknown, I mean, sirf mera chehra visible hoga, uss larke ka nahi.. I told this in the context where you were wearing a mask and walking with me... But here, the case is totally different... Here, both of our faces are visible, and so, now they think that we are probably dating... That's the main problem...

V: *fake hurt* Oh, you mean, you have a problem with me being there with you in the picture... Wow...

B: *defending herself* Maine ye kab bola Veeranshu?!... I didn't mean it, you know that... *taking a deep breath to calm herself down* Veeranshu, do you realise one thing?! For the world you are still single, but I am not... Everyone in my office knows that I am married... I hope, now you understand what effect this news can have on my career and even on my personality...

V: *sighing* So, what do you want me to do?! Announce our marriage right now, like this?! All of a sudden?!...

B: *exasperated* No Veeranshu, no... *pulling him beside her on the bed, turning towards him and holding his hands* Veer, see, I can understand that you want to announce about our marriage in a certain, with proper arrangements and all... Honestly kahu to, even I want that... But, the situation is not in our favour right now... *squeezing his hand* Iska matlab main ye nahi keh rahi hoon ki tum abhi jaake duniya ko batado hum shadishuda hai... Main bas itna keh rahi hoon ki, kuch karo aur unhe chup karao... Don't let them spread this news and rumour too much...

V: Bani, main unke ek sawaal ka jawaab dunga to woh log aur do sawaal khare kar denge, aur ye chalta hi rahega until they get their hands on the truth... Tum samajh kyun nahi rahi ho, this is not possible...

B: Main samajh rahi hoon Veer, you are not wrong... Tum sahi ho... But, tum ekbar meri side se bhi socho... I will have to go through so much in the office... Isliye barbar bol rahi hoon, kuch bhi karo, but end the news or atleast make them shut up for a while...

V: *irritated* Kya karu main?! Bolo, tum hi bolo, kya karu?!... Or better, tumhe agar pata hai to tumhi karlo kuch, I won't stop you...

B: *trying to be calm* This isn't about only me... If it was, I would have handled it in my own way for sure... This is about Us... Mere akele ke haath mein kuch nahi hai... You are much more famous than I am... Hence, your words will have more effect than mine... Tabhi to itni bar tumhe bol rahi hoon... You are The Veeranshu Singhania right?! Then, use your powers, utilize your connections, do anything you can do, and shut the mouth of the bloody reporters and business news channels...

V: *adamant* I can't, Bani... There are some boundaries and rules that I have to maintain... I can't do this... Being too famous comes with some cons as well.. Before you say, think once about how it will affect me...

B: *slightly irritated* And what about me Veeranshu?! Mera kya?!... Aj jab main office jaungi, mujhe hazaro questions, hazaro allegations, hazaro comments ko face karna parega... Uska kya?!... Did you think once about this?!...

V: *rolling his eyes* What's there to think?!... Ek baat batao, who will question you or allege you, that MD right?!... Bani, as far as I know, you are a very strong and self-dependent woman... You can easily answer him back and shut him up... Then, do that...

B: It's not only him... Fine, I will shut him up, but, what about others?! Ek ko to main chup kara dungi, par sau ko kaise chup karau Veeranshu?!... It's impossible, you are not being practical while saying all this...

V: *serious* I am being practical, you are the one who's over-thinking and over-analyzing things regarding this casual matter.. Tum batao, sau log tumhe question karenge hi kyun?! They don't have any right to ask you about your personal choices in the first place... And, even if they do, you can just stop them by telling it's your personal life... That's all...

B: *mock smiling* Tumhare liye ye bolna bohot asaan hai Veeranshu, because you aren't the one who's gonna face it... Tum apne khud ke office mein kaam karte ho, you are the owner of the company, you never have to think about all this... Isliye, tumhe ye sab fizool ki baatein lag raha hai... This petty things don't matter to you... But, I work under a company... I will have to bear the consequences if any of my actions go wrong or are unjustifiable... It can be serious to such an extent that my job can be at stake... There are certain strict protocols in such multinational companies, and if by any chance, someone proves that I have violated it, I am fired... That's the reason I am getting so stressed and worried about this "casual matter"...

V: *confused* Ye itni serious issues hongi hi kyun?! Mujhe sach mein kuch samajh nahi aa raha hai...

B: *very annoyed* Main tumhe ab aur samjhana bhi nahi chahti... Tumhe jo sahi laga tumne kiya, fine.... Well done... Mujhe iss baare mein aur kuch nahi kehna...*standing up* Because no matter what I say, you gonna stick to your decision... So, I don't want to waste anymore words on you... Do whatever you want to do, I won't stop you... *going towards the walk-in closet* And regarding me, I will handle my own problems, leave it... I am getting late for office...

Bani went into the walk-in closet and closed the door with a thud. Veer looked towards the door of the closet, and sighed grimly. He stood up after few minutes, wore his black denim jeans and leather jacket, picked up his mobile from the night stand, took his bike keys, and went from there.

             **********************
Bani came out of the washroom wearing a white long kurta with blue detailings which reached till her feet. She came in front of the mirror and quickly combed her hair and left it open. She took some sindoor and put it on her hidden hairline and covered it with her hair. She picked out the matching blue and white printed dupatta from the cupboard. Hanging it around her neck, she checked herself properly in the mirror for one last time. She then went to the side table, took out her office bag from the cabinet, arranged the items and prepared to leave.

Before going out of the room, Bani went to the nightstand to take her mobile. There were over a hundred missed calls in her mobile, some from her parents, some from his parents, some from her friends, while some from DD and Shrads. She sighed and kept her mobile in the bag. There, she saw that his mobile was missing!!... She understood that Veer had gone out somewhere. She went to the door and called his name loudly, but no reply came. She came back inside and took out her mobile from her bag. She dialled his number and called him, hoping that he would pick it up.

Veer was driving his bike in full speed. He had gone out to check if any media people were near their house and also to get some fresh air and clear his mind. But, it started drizzling in the meantime. Luckily, he was wearing his waterproof leather jacket and also his helmet and so didn't get drenched. He expected that media people would be waiting nearby to catch a glimpse of him and ask him "stupid and dumb" questions, but thankfully, there was no sign of any. Balwant had contacted the Mumbai police, and there were already police postings outside their house to ensure their privacy and safety in this chaos.

The mobile buzzed and vibrated in his pocket, alerting him. He stopped his bike at a secluded corner and took out the mobile. His mind was occupied with the dispute he had with Bani earlier in their room, and thus he  didn't notice that she was calling him. He just lifted his helmet a little amd held the mobile against his ear after accepting the call.

V: Hello?!..

B: Kaha ho tum?! Ghar mein nahi ho, I know that... Ho kaha?!..

V: Bike leke bahar aaya hoon, raaste mein hoon... Kyun?!...

B: *rolling her eyes* Are you serious?! Baarish mein ghar se nikal gaye?!... Bataye bagair?!... Nice, very nice... Whatever, main office ke liye nikal rahi hoon, batane ke liye call kiya tha...

V: *slight smile* Oh, okay... Main ghar wapas hi aa raha hoon, ho sake to 2 minute wait kar jana...

B: Hm ok, bye... *taking a pause* Drive back safely...

V: *smile* Yeah...

He was about to cut the call when he heard her speaking to herself.
"Ye aadmi sach mein akdu hai ek number ka... Aur pagal to hai hi... Do khitpit kya hogaya mere saath, baarish mein bike leke nikal pada, wow... Haa theek hai, pati patni ke beech to aisa hota hi rehta hai, iska matlab ye thodi hai ki aise muh uthake chal dega!! woh bhi iss weather mein... Hadd hai...".

He realised that she thought he had already cut the call and thus started scolding him loudly in her mind. He chuckled at her cute anger on him, and finally cut the call. His disappointment faded away and the happy charming smile came back on his face after hearing her caring words for him, even when they had a fight and she was supposed to be annoyed. He quickly put his mobile in his pocket, and drove off towards the Singhania Mansion.

                 *********************
Bani quickly had her breakfast with everyone. She shared her worry with Tapish and Daksh, and Tapish assured her that she would take care of the matter. She thanked him and kept looking at her watch impatiently. After about 10 minutes, when he had still not returned, she went out while trying to call him again.

Bani was anxious and worried about what was going to happen in the office, and tears pooled in her eyes thinking what all she would have to hear today. She quickly wiped her tears and dialled her number while walking towards the exit. She was looking at her mobile, and thus didn't notice him coming from the other side. He was clearing off the water droplets from his leather jacket, and thus he also didn't notice her. Their almost collided with each other, and looked up with shock. Soon, Veer's expression became soft, but Bani's expression remained to that of annoyance and tensed.

Veer noticed the water in her eyes, and tried to lighten her mood with his flirty words.
V: *cute smirk* Thoda late kya hogaya, tumne to rona hi start kar diya... *widened his arms* Hug lelo, maafi dedo...

B: *pushing him* Tum... *sighing* Veer dekho, I literally have no time to waste right now... Tumhara ye drama baad mein karna... Ek to mujhe samajh nahi aa rahi main sab kaise handle karu, upar se tumhare ye faltu nakhre...

V: *telling her to keep quiet* Ssshh... Juriya pad jayegi umr ke pehle... Relax, calm down, breathe... *walking around her* Waise ,ek baat kahu, call pe you sound way too sweet... *coming in front of her and acting like holding a phone* Tring tring... Tring tring... *wink*

B: *looking away briefly, murmuring inaudibly* Yaha main pareshan hoon, aur ye flirt kar raha hai mere saath... *looking at him annoyedly* Tumhe dekhke hi gussa aa raha hai ab mujhe...

V: *smirking grin* Tab bhi mere samne khade ho...

Hearing his flirtatious talks, Bani groaned in frustration and went past him. While going, she unintentionally pushed him with her shoulder.

Veer turned his face towards her, but didn't turn his body.
V: Ise Goodbye samjhu?!...

Bani turned back, and understood what he was talking about. She sighed smiling irritatedly, and walked back to him. She made him turn towards her and saw him smirking.
B: *smacking his arm* You are hella irritating, I swear...

Veer chuckled, making her smile at him.
B: *giving him a quick hug* Bye...

V: Yeah, bye... *stopping her* Oh, suno, maine check kar liya hai, aas paas koi mediawale nahi hai... Aur, tum dekh hi sakte ho, Dad ne police posting baitha diya hai... So, no need to worry... But still, for further precaution, tum piche ke darwaze se jao aj...

B: *becoming serious* Hm, ok...

She nodded and opened her umbrella, and walked away towards the back gate. Veer kept looking at her retreating figure until she left, and then again went out with his bike.

            ************************
Bani was sitting in the backseat of her car, on the way to her office. Suddenly her car stopped on the midway. The driver tried to start it again, but nothing happened. He came out of the car and checked the engine. Bani also came out of the car to check what had happened.

B: Kya hua Kishore bhaiyya?!...

Dri: *hopelessly* Madam, engine mein kuch problem hai... Abhi servicing ke liye le jana parega...

B: Arre, tchh... Meri mercedes bhi servicing mein hai, ab office kaise jau?!... *sigh* Theek hai, aap gadi ko start karne ki koshish karo, ho jaye to service centre pe chale jao... Main dekhti hoon kaise office jana hai...

Dri: Ji Madam...

The driver got in the car and tried to start it. After 4-5 tries, the car finally started, and the driver drove off to the service centre which was at a 10 minute distance from there. Bani first thought to call Veer and ask him to send a car for her, but then she decided against it because of the current ongoing fiasco. She tried to book a cab, but no cabs were available due to the Mumbai weather. She cursed her fate and went to the nearby bus stop. She tried to stop a few auto-rickshaws, but none stopped. Not getting any option, she waited there for a bus to pass from there soon.

Within two minutes, out of nowhere, a bike came in full-speed and stopped right in front of her. She got scared for a moment and moved back. Then, she realised that it was Veer. She slowly came towards him. He glanced at her and opened his helmet.

B: *surprised and confused* Tum, yaha?!

He got down the bike and walked up to her, keeping the helmet on the bike.
V: Haa, tumhare driver, Kishore bhaiyya ne mujhe inform kiya ye problem ke baare mein... Chalo, main tumhe drop kar deta hoon, come come... *going towards his bike*

B: Veer, pagal hogaye ho?!..

V: *facing her, keeping his hands on his waist* Kyun, ab kya hua?!...

B: Tum mujhe office tak chhodne jaoge?! Bike pe?!... *looking around* Veer, dekho, rumour ko aur badhana nahi hai mujhe, ab ye sab karke...

V: *annoyed sigh* To main ab apni biwi ko office tak chhodne bhi nahi jaa sakta!!...

B: Biwi hongi main tumhare liye, humare gharwalo ke liye, par duniya ke liye main Ms. Bani Sharma hoon aur tum Mr. Veeranshu Singhania, we have no connection... Why do you keep forgetting this simple thing?!... Main auto ya bus leke chali jaungi office, you don't need to worry...

Bani walked ahead in search of an auto-rickshaw. Veer followed her. She saw an auto coming, and stopped it. She went towards it and was about to go inside and sit, but Veer came in front of her, making her halt in her way.

B: *sternly* Raasta kyun roka hai tumne?! Dekho mai

V: *quietening her* Sshh.. Koi aur hota to jaane nahi deta, par tum keh rahi ho, isliye..

B: Hogaya?! Ab hato...

The auto driver liked Veer's attitude and his way of talking.
Auto: Bhaisaab, dekhke lagta hai bade shayraana mejaz hai aapke...

V: *smirk looking at Bani intently* Kya karu yaaar, lute huye aashiqon ki yahi pehchan hoti hai, kambakht shayaar bade kamaal ke hote hai...

Auto: *impressed* Wah saab wah, lut li, mehfil lut li aapne... Wah wah, wah wah...

Bani rolled her eyes, extremely pissed at Veer and the auto driver. Here, shw was getting late for office, and the two of them were busy in doing shayaris. She fumed in anger, and went and sat inside the auto. Veer turned and peeped inside, at her.

B: *to the auto driver* Ab nawab saab aap jaldi chalenge yaha se...

Auto: Ji Madam...

Veer took out a 200 rupee note from his back pocket, and offered it to the auto driver.
V: Ye rakho, *the driver takes it* aur Madam jaha bolegi safely pohncha dena...

Auto: Thikhai saab...

B: *instantly, to Veer* Ye kya kar rahe ho tum, *to the auto driver* wapas kariye ise...

Auto: *giving the money back to Veer* Ye lo saab...

Veer indicated him to keep the money while giving a stern look to Bani. She agreed seeing his serious look. The auto driver was too impressed with Veer. He turned towards Bani and told,
Auto: Bhabhiji, bhaisaab to bilkul hero hai hero...

Bani unknowingly smiled hearing the comment. She gave him an annoyed look, but the small smile was constant on her lips. Veer saw her smiling, and told,
V: *with attitude* Hero nahi, villain hi theek hoon...

Her eyebrows scrunched hearing his words. She looked at him with confusion, but he told the auto driver to go and waved his fingers to bid her bye. She kept looking at him form the moving auto-rickshaw till he went out of her sight. After the auto left, he got on his bike and went back home.

                *******************
Bani reached the office after about 30 minutes. Just how Tapish had promised, there was not a single news reporter outside her office building. She went inside safely. The fear of facing the MD and others was still there in her mind. She maintained her confidence and walked in. On the way to her cabin, she met her assistant who informed her that the MD would not be coming to office for two days and hence Bani's scheduled meetings were all cancelled. She sighed in relief and thanked God for listening to her prayers. She happily nodded and went to her cabin.

Bani settled down on her chair. She began to recall all the past events of the day from the beginning, and realised that she had behaved a little rudely with Veer during their dispute in the morning. Though he was the one who was being stubborn and non-cooperative, but still, she should have controlled herself and be a little more lenient towards him... She also remembered what he had told at the last while she was coming by the auto, and thought that maybe it was due to their fight. She decided to call him and apologize, and end their dispute then and there.

Veer was in his room, visibly upset. First, he had an unwanted fight with Bani in the morning which did not end properly; then again on the road, Bani didn't let him drop her to the office and went alone, showing him the reason of the "news chaos"; and now, after coming back home, Tapish scolded him badly, saying that he was being very casual about the matter and not handling it with maturity and seriousness. He was sitting and thinking about Tapish's words and relating them to what Bani had said, and trying to understand where he was going wrong. Truly speaking, when he had seen and read the news, he was happy that their relationship was coming in highlight like that, but now he felt that the news did nothing other than creating ruckus in his happy normal life.

Veer's mobile rang, breaking his thoughts. He looked at the screen and saw that Bani was calling him. He picked up the call nonchalantly.

V: Bolo...

B: Hello Veer, main safely office pohonch gayi hoon... *trying to ease the conversation* The autowale bhaiyya was nice enough, thanks to you... Bohot taarif kar rahe the tumhara... He dropped me right in front of the office, only because you had told him to...

V: *deep breath* Good...*uninterested*

B: *concerned hearing his cold voice* Heyy, you okay?! Kya hua?!... You sound a little off...

V: *trying to sound normal* Nahi, mujhe kya hoga?! I am absolutely alright... *diverting the topic* Tum batao, office mein kisine kuch kaha?!...

B: *relaxed* Nahi, abhitak to nahi... Kyunki, MD sir do din ke chutti par hai, so unko pekar to tension nahi hai... Aur, Tapish bhai ne situation ko itne achhe se handle kiya ki I don't think anyone is gonna question me now... Mujhe nahi pata unhone kya kiya hai, but kuch to zarur kiya hai... No one is even bringing up that topic... I really need to thank Tapish bhai for understanding me and doing this, he is the best...

Veer fell silent hearing her words.
V: Oh, okay... Nice...

Bani thought that maybe he was upset about their fight, and prepared herself to apologise to him and mend the situation.
B: *taking a deep breath* Veer, is it something related to our fight in the morning?!... *exhale* Cutu, I know I was somewhat rude...*scolds herself* No, not somewhat, I was rude... *gains back her composure* Yeah, so, I know I was rude to you in the morning when we were having that small khitpit, and I realise now that I was behaving a little out of character then and I might have hurt you with my words... I sincerely apologise for that... I am really really sorry Cutu, I didn't mean to hurt you, please, I am really sorry...

V: *stopping her* It's alright...

B: *in a sad tone* No it's not... I can sense the underlying sadness in your voice, and that's only because of our fight... I am sorry for hurting you and being rude with you... Can we please forget whatever happened in the morning?! Because, I hate to fight with you, and make you upset... Can you forgive me?!...

Veer couldn't help but melt at her cute efforts to make things alright between them.
V: *comfortingly* It's alright Bani, I was not angry or upset with you in the first place... You don't need to be sorry, it's okay... I also hate to fight with you; that wasn't even a fight, it was just a heated conversation between us which didn't end well... Anyways, we will forget it, just like you said, okay?!... And, if I have hurt you with my words by any chance, I am sorry too... Now, just forget it...

B: *hopefully* So, we are fine, right?!...

V: Yeah, we are fine...

B: *not convinced* Pakka na, we are fine?!...

V: *surely* Yes Bani, we are fine...

B: *still unsure* You mean, we are totally fine?!...

V: *assuring* We are totally absolutely completely fine, Sweetheart...

B: *relieved smile* Yeah, better now...

Veer finally understood what she was trying to do, and chuckled seeing her cuteness.
V: *smiling* It's... It's a nice and indeed a very sweet way to end the fight, I must say!!...

B: *cheekily* I know, right... Hehe...

V: *chuckling* And also, I really liked that sorry speech... Hosake to mujhe likhke bhejdena pura, I'll need it for future precautionary purposes...

B: *showing off* Ha-ha-ha, nope, not happening... It's Bani's exclusive...

V: *playing along* Oh achha... Fir to mujhe apna sorry speech alag se likhna parega... Too much work...

B: *joking* Yeahh, start writing it from today itself... Tumhe bohot zarurat parega...

Veer stopped for a second, and then replied seriously,
V: Matlab??...

B: *laugh* Main mazak kar rahi hoon Veer... Oh god, tumhe samajh nahi aayi that I was joking?!...

V: *smiling slightly* Ohh... Achha, nahi actually, I thought for a moment that you are serious...

B: Nahiii... *chuckling* Pagal... *seeing someone coming towards her cabin* Achha Veer, suno na, I think koi aa raha hai mujhse kuch important baat karne... Main tumhe baad mein call karti hoon, okay?! Ya fir ek kaam karo, tum mujhe 1 baje ke baad call karo, I will be free then...

V: Haa okay, no problem, I will call you after 1... Bye...

B: Bye Cutu... *kissing near the mic* Bubye...

Bani cut the call and got busy with her work.

Veer smiled getting her kiss. He threw the mobile beside him, and sat comfortably on the bed, leaning against the headrest. He remembered their conversation over the call, and a smile played on his lips. But then, he also recalled what she said about the sorry speech as a joke, and his mood became sour again. He somewhere felt that she literally meant it. His mind went back to Tapish's words and then how Bani was praising him. He became sad. The fact that he couldn't understand his wife's problems and help her, but Tapish bhai did that so easily, bothered him. He wasn't jealous of Tapish, it's just that he felt he was failing to become a good partner for Bani. He couldn't help but think that he was incapable as a husband, he was not understanding towards her, and maybe that's why she was not being able to love him back. He felt disheartened thinking that Bani didn't love him. He was now tired, tired of waiting for her to say that she also loves him equally as he does. He was now almost sure that she would never accept her love in front of him.

The negative thoughts were crawling into Veer's mind, making him go mad. He shook his head trying to get rid of those thoughts and live in the moment, but nothing helped. He walked up to the door and locked his room from inside. He then came back and sat on the bed exasperatedly, hiding his face with his palms and resting his elbows on his knees. He remembered how, in the past, he used to listen to music to calm himself down. He quickly took his mobile from the bed and played a random radio channel on the Spotify app. The song, Thodi Jagah, started playing. He lied down on the bed and closed his eyes, and concentrated on the lyrics of the song.

Thodi jagah de de mujhe,
Tere paas kahin reh jaun main..
Khamoshiyan teri sunu,
Aur dur kahin na jaun main..
Apni khushi deke main tujhe
Tere dard se jud jaun main...
(Veer heard the lyrics, and felt like telling these exact words to her. He wanted a permanent place in her heart, he wanted to become her perfect companion and be there with her through thick and thin, and understand her the most.)
Mila jo tu yaha mujhe,
Dilaun main yakeen tujhe,
Rahoon hoke tera sada,
Bas itna chahta hoon main...
(He just wanted to make her believe that he will be there for her. He just wanted to become hers by all means, he wanted her to love him endlessly.)

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he thought about Bani and his love for her which she doesn't reciprocate. He was feeling miserable at that moment. He stopped the song, and instead kept humming the lyrics of the song himself.

Thodi jagah de de mujhe,
Tere paas kahin reh jaun main..
Khamoshiyan teri sunu,
Aur dur kahin na jaun main...

-----------------------------------------------------------

Heyyy guys, here's a confusing chapter for you all... Hope you all loved it...

The idea of news report is inspired from loveeagle_'s Shivika fanfiction book.. I loved that concept, and couldn't stop myself from adding something like that in my book... Thanks for inspiring me❤️...

I will try not to make you guys wait much, and update the next chapter soon... I know you all are waiting eagerly for Bani to confess her feelings, but trust me, without showing the scenes that I have planned, I can't straightaway go there as then the charm of that scene will be lost... The next chapter will be like a roller-coaster ride, so be prepared for it ;)...

Chapter Trivia...
Q. What is your view about the news report that came out?! Was it too much intrusion into their privacy, or was it alright on the media's behalf?!
Q. According to you, who's point of view was more justified, Veer's or Bani's?! And why so?!
Q. What do you think, what is going to happen in the next chapter?! (Keep giving your guesses)

Precap:-
Ye larka hay allah kaisa hai deewana..
Kitna mushkil hai tauba isko samjhana,
Ke dheere dheere dil beqarar hota hai..
Hote hote hote pyaar hota hai...
(1 chapter to go for Bani's confession)