Didn't see it coming, did you?
This one is short and unedited.

Happy Reading ;)
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The next two days passed in a blur with a tight schedule in their hands owing to the completion of the order from one the clothing brands. The consignment was delivered successfully. The following three days went pretty decently.

That day, they both had returned earlier than usual, so they decided to watch TV together. After twenty minutes of just changing the channels, they had finally settled for the movie, Golmaal 3, a Hindi comedy film. With every scene, Naina found herself chuckling making Sameer mentally pat his shoulder in proud.

It was a typical morning in the Maheshwari mansion. Both of them were occupied with their chores. Naina was busy in the kitchen assisting Ramdhari to prepare the breakfast. Her hands were smeared with the sticky crumbles of mashed potatoes and of which she was currently making the filling for the vegetable toast.

Just then, Sameer came hollering her name, "Woh file kahan hai jo kal tumne mujhe dikhayi thi? Mujhe chahiye. It's a bit urgent." He said in a go.

"Umm...woh toh mere room mein hai. Main yeh karke dun aapko?" She gestured down towards the bowl.

"Nahi rehne do. Tum kaam karlo. Main hi le leta hun. Kahan rakhi hai, tell me." He suggested when he saw her occupied.

Ramdhari began to advise her about something due to which her mind diverted and she absentmindedly told him that it was on her study table. He went upstairs to her room and spotted the file on her table.

Without caring, he picked it hastily due to which the things kept beneath it fell on the floor. He knelt to collect them up and that is when he saw a diary lying with its pages open. He was about to pick it but halted as his gaze zeroed on the words which seemed to be the part of a fiction or something.

Curiosity took over him. Keeping the file back on the table, he stood up flipping through the pages of the diary. He knew it wasn't right to look into it as it might be personal but with every page, he found some short stories, tales, and a few articles which did nothing but increasing his inquisitiveness about them. He took it along with the file to the study not before making sure that she was still in the kitchen.

Once inside, he settled on the chair and opened it. 'Kuch Mere Khayal' was written on the first page in beautiful handwriting which he presumed to be hers. Turning it over, he began to read.

Half an hour later, when she was all done and satisfied with the breakfast, it stuck on her like a bolt of lightening what blunder she had done. She rushed towards her room to look for the diary which she had left on the table last night. Much to her impatience, she wasn't able to find it. She checked below the table, on the bedside table, inside her cupboard, and every possible place but in vain.

As if her fears came true, a voice came from behind, "Isey dhund rahi ho?" She turned around instantly. Sameer stood at the threshold, his one hand under the pockets of his pants and the other holding her diary. A bucket full of nervousness splashed over her. 

"W-woh...yeh...woh..." Unable to frame coherent words she shifted her gaze to the ground.

"Yeh sab tumne likha hai?" He asked signalling towards the diary. She looked up and nodded slowly.

"Toh tumhe reading ke saath saath writing ka bhi shouk hai..." He started taking slow steps towards her.

Any other person should have been mad if someone had touched their possession without any consent, but for some reason, she wasn't offended, instead, she was just nervous about his response.

Coming face to face with her, he said, "I am sorry mujhe isey aise bina tumse puchhe lena nahi chahiye tha, but jaldi jaldi mein mujhse yeh gir gayi thi aur khul gayi. Jab maine 1-2 lines padhi, mujhse raha nahi gaya. Naina...you write really well, sach mein." He looked clearly impressed.

She felt shy, "Yeh toh bas aise hi...kabhi kabhi..."

"Oh, don't be so modest. Yeh kabhi kabhi ka toh nahi hai. You have so much talent, isko chhupake kyu rakha hai? Tum toh kisi bhi ache publication ke liye writer bann sakti ho." He said.

Her eyes widened at his compliment. Not being used to so much appreciation at once, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a gesture that came out of diffidence. 

"Arey main mazak nahi kar raha hun, I am serious. Tumhe try karna chahiye." He said gently. 

His firm tone implied that he wasn't joking which left her dazed. "Sameer, aap kya keh rahe hain...Ab kaise...Office ka itna kaam hota hai..." She tried to reason.

He brows creased, "Maine yeh kab bola ki abhi se shuru kardo. I am just giving you a suggestion. Aur agar time issues hain toh bohot si publication houses hain jo online internships karwate hain, tum unme part le sakti ho." 

She was speechless. She wasn't able to believe that he loved her articles and stories so much that he was openly advising her to not let her "talent" go in vain. In today's world, where there are husbands who have issues with their wives doing a single job, hers was encouraging to follow her passion. Her mind and heart had the same question, 'Was she dreaming?'

"Kya soch rahi ho?" His voice broke her trance. "Dekho Naina, itna stress lene ki zaroorat nahi hai iss baare mein. If you think it's right then go for it. Waise main toh yahi bolunga you should go for it." He gave a small smile. 

"Aapko sach mein koi problem nahi hai mere writing karne se?" The question tumbled out of her mouth.

"Agar problem hoti toh main tumse bolta? Aur tumhe mere reaction ki itni tension kyun rehti hai?" He lifted an eyebrow. "Main tumhara boss sirf office mein hun, ghar mein nahi. Yeh tumhari life hai, tum jo chahe woh kar sakti ho. Okay?" He tipped his head forward.

She smiled gratefully, "Okay."

He glanced at his wristwatch and said, "Oh, time hone wala hai jaane ka. Tum ready ho jaao, main tab tak woh file dekh leta hun." 

She nodded. He turned and stepped towards the entrance but came to a halt a couple of steps before. He again turned to face her and showed her the diary which was with him all this time, "Aur agar tumhe koi problem na ho toh yeh main le raha hun. Abhi saari nahi padhi hai maine." He smirked. 

"Thik hai." Came her humble reply.

"Jaldi aana, Writer ji." With this, he left leaving her dazed and a smile plastered on her face. She turned came face to face with the mirror. The girl in the reflection was smiling, an actual smile, not an artificial one. Her cheeks had a tint of crimson. Only if she noticed that this had been happening often. 

*****

The whole day, his suggestion didn't leave her mind for once and why not, it was the very first time he had requested for something. The morning scenario was flashing continually in her mind. Thinking over it, she felt that his idea wasn't disagreeable. It could prove to be beneficial by resolving her pecuniary setback. It would be a little hectic initially but she knew that it won't be unmanageable. 

In the evening, Naina got free much earlier than her usual office hours. Since Mohan was on leave today, Sameer was supposed to drive. Locking her cabin, she went towards her cabin and asked about his whereabouts from the peon who notified that he was currently in a very important meeting. She recollected when he had informed her about the same when they were on their way to the office. It was about a deal on which he had been working hard since last few days. He seemed pretty tense about it.

"Kitna time lagega abhi unko?" She asked. 

The peon replied, "Ma'am thoda time toh lagega. Aap tab tak unke cabin mein wait kar lijiye."

She nodded and stepped towards his cabin after politely refused his offering for tea or coffee. Twisting the doorknob, she pushed open the door and entered inside. The ceiling lights had been left turned on inviting a mellow ambiance.

Placing her purse along with her journals on the couch, she looked around. Her gaze fell on the mess on his table. The pen stand laid horizontally, the papers were in a chaotic jumble and files were lying in a confused heap, some of them even open. 

She presupposed it to the last-minute analysis before the commencement of the meeting. To kill her time, she decided to rearrange everything till he comes back. While compiling the papers, she saw a porcelain ashtray with burnt cigarette butts. A frown appeared on her face in disapproval. The upswing in his smoking habit was beyond her understanding. She still remembered what Pandit had told her about him and didn't know how to convince him to quit this. 

The sound of footsteps from the corridor announced his arrival. She kept the ashtray back immediately and rushed to her place on the couch. A minute later, he entered. Seeing her waiting for him, he felt strangely gratified and the cleaned up table added more to it since he knew she was the one who did it.

"Sorry tumhe wait karna padha, meeting thodi stretch ho gayi thi. " He said. 

She rose on her feet and replied gently, "It's okay." Grabbing her stuff, she asked, "Meeting kaisi rahi? Deal hui ya nahi?" She inquired, her tone having a tinge of impatience.

"Car mein batatu hun sab." He said simply though he failed to conceal the look of contentment on his face.

She just shook her head in acceptance and they both left the building.

*****

While driving on the busy roads, he filled her in with every detail of the meeting. The much-awaited contract was finally in their hands for which he felt pleased. Naina too felt a sense of proud seeing him getting back on track.

Her brows furrowed a little when the unfamiliar roads outside came into her view. This wasn't the usual route to their home.

"Hum kahin aur jaa rahe hain kya?" She asked.

He shrugged, "Kaafi din ho gaye Kulfi khaye, toh maine socha chalte hain aaj. Tumhe koi problem toh nahi hai na?" He asked.

"Nahi, mujhe kya problem hogi." She passed a faint smile before diverting her attention to the outer world.

It was hardly a drive of twenty to twenty-five minutes till they reached the Kulfi Stall. This time Sameer parked the car facing the sea near to the stall. He had discarded his blazer and tie and had rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt. He moved out of the car followed by Naina.

"Tum yahi ruko, main leke aata hun." He was gone before she could respond. Coming in the front, she stood leaning by the bonet.

The Kulfi vendor was delighted to see them both again. Sameer ordered for Kesar Kulfi. The way of serving was different this time. Unlike the Malai Kulfi, the moulds of this one were long. A single plate was enough to serve two people, so he opted for that.

Carrying the plate and a handful of napkins, he made his way towards her. He passed the plate to her and picked one Kulfi for himself.
She stared at him in question, Weren't they going to sit today?

But then it came to her mind that she was wearing a Saree which won't have let her sit comfortably. Warmth spread inside her as she took in his thoughtful gesture.

"Khaalo warna melt ho jaayegi." He said amidst devouring his.

She complied. Through the corner of his vision, he saw how her plump lips parted just enough to take a tiny bite of the kulfi and the way her tongue rolled out a little to wipe off the remains. 'Wow, Matlab aur kuch nahi mila dekhne ko? Gadha.' His mind chided him.

Shifting his attention back to the Kulfi, he asked, "Toh?"

She gave a quizzical look to him. He said further, "Kuch socha tumne articles ke liye?"

"Haan, maine kuch sochaa hai..." She began slowly.

He waited for her to complete first.

"Maine socha hai ki main unn online internships ke liye apply karungi." She said making him smile, "Really?!"

She smiled and nodded, "Maine aapke idea ke baare mein bohot socha aur fir laga ki firse try toh kar hi sakte hain."

"That's good Naina. I am glad tumne mera idea consider kiya...ek minute, firse? Mtlb?" He asked.

She realised her stupidity and told him, "Maine pehle bhi ek public magazine ke liye articles likhe hain."

He was surprised at this new info, "Sach mein? Toh fir chhod kyun diya?" He aske.

"Meri pehli job Maheshwari Industries mein hi thi. Naya mahaul tha, naye log the. Stories or articles likhne ka time hi nahi mil pata tha. Uske baad itna sab ho gaya..." She trailed off.

He nodded in understanding, "Koi baat nahi, ab toh firse kar sakti ho. Mujhe believe nahi ho raha tum maan gayi."

She furrowed her brows, "Kyun? Kya ek dost dusre dost ke liye itna nahi kar sakta?" Her tone held innocence.

He chuckled, "Bilkul." 

Now came the time for what she had been preparing herself for, "In return, kya main aapse kuch maang sakti hun?"

He got confused, "Mujhse? Kya?"

She was a bit hesitant but composed herself to say, "Aap pure do hafte tak smoke nahi karenge."

Seeing his expression going blank, she began to regret it but then his face muscles relaxed.

His face had a pensive look. "Agar main smoke nahi karunga toh hi part logi?" He asked slowly. Her proposition took him off guard.

She nodded, "Haan." She turned to look at the sea. This was the only chance to convince him anyhow. From the corner of her eyes, she saw him placing the stick on the plate and wiping his hand using a napkin.

"Thik hai." He said gazing at the see. She couldn't believe what her ears heard. Her gaze shot up at him.

"Nahi karunga do hafte tak smoke." He stated.

Moving past her, he went towards the door of the passenger seat and unlocked it. She watched him taking something out from the glove compartment and walked back to her after locking the car. Taking her hand, he kept something on her palm. Her gaze shifted to the pack of cigarettes and then back at him. He complied with her request without any discord, for her. A shiver ran down her spine as she understood the gravity of the scene.

He didn't say anything after it. Her proposition had taken him off guard for sure. Till now, in this friendship span, he had understood that she wasn't very expressive with her words. For the first time, she had asked for something from him. When he had read her stories and articles, much to his surprise, he had found himself immersed in the depth of the emotions she conveyed. Her style of writing wasn't ordinary, it was special and he wasn't going to let it go even if he had to put his smoking on break.

Her wonderstruck face was indicating that she didn't see that coming.

"Yakeen nahi ho raha main itni jaldi kaise maan gaya." He said with a smirk.

Being distracted she nodded but immediately shook her head. He leaned a little towards her and said, "Ek dost dusre dost ke liye itna toh kar hi sakta hai na?"

A smile bloomed on her face and her gaze shifted to her feet in shyness. He straightened and chuckled seeing her face.

"Shit!" His abrupt swearing made her look up at him and her gaze fell on a yellow stain on his white shirt.

"Pata nahi kaise lag gaya..." He muttered under his breath.

"Yeh toh Kesar ke wajah se ho gaya hai." She inferred.

"Fir toh nahi hatne wala yeh." He deduced from the strong color on the fabric over his right pectoral muscle.

She shortened the distance between them to have a closer look at it.

"Yeh sukha nahi hai abhi, par ghar pohochne tak ho jaayega. Paani hoga na car mein?" He nodded.

She rounded the car to take out the water bottle and again stepped closer to him. Taking a napkin, she scraped off the red strands which were stuck. Only if she knew what she was doing. The familiar floral scent hit his nostrils sending him into a trance. 

He saw her opening the water bottle and wetting a small portion of the napkin. Wrapping it on her finger, she carefully dabbed it on the stain to clean as much as she would be able to so that it won't leave permanent color. She was too focused to even realise about their proximity. Satisfied with her work, she stepped away.

"Maine thoda saaf kar diya hai par puri tarah nahi ho paya, ho jaayega par thoda alag tareeka hai. Aap isey mujhe de dena. Main kar dungi." She said looking at the stain, completely missing the dazed look on his face.

He was bowled-over by her quick-witted intelligence, like everytime. These little things made him believe that somewhere, he felt fortunate to have gotten someone like her.

He cleared his throat and nodded, "Chalein ab? Dinner bhi karna hai."

"Haan." Getting her approval, they dumped the plate in the dustbin and moved to sit inside the car.

Once they were back on the road, he spoke, "Tumhe meri kuch help chahiye ho toh mujhe bata dena."

She smiled, "Thank you."

"Tum firse kuch bhul rahi ho..." He sneered.

She remembered what he had told about the no-thank-you-no-sorry rule, "Oh haan...sorry." She squeezed her eyes shut on her folly.

The next second, both of them burst into peals of laughter momentarily exchanging glimpses of each other.

Later, he switched on the radio. The melodious voice of Kishore Kumar rang around them.

Tera mujhse Hai Pehle Ka Naata Koi
Yoonhi Nahin Dil Lubhaata Koi.
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Maane Tu Ya Maane Na.

It was true that God had made them meet with a purpose, whether they had realized it or not. That day, she had told him that we should show our gratitude for what God had given to us, even if it isn't according to our expectations. This is why Sameer admitted that Naina was someone who had entered his life at the most unpredictable time but he felt thankful to have gotten a friend in her.

On the other side, Sameer's presence in Naina's life was proving to be a blessing in disguise for her. His civil and supportive nature always used to send her thinking if she has come into a dreamland. She still wasn't able to comprehend those tingling sensations but she felt thankful to have gotten a man who understood her, unlike others who just berate their wives over petty issues.

What they hadn't noticed was the fact that they hadn't let their pasts interfere in this radiant phase of their companionship. It's like they had forgotten about the demons of their past. But that's the most haunting aspect of them, they return at the most unexpected unpredictable time.

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The last one was getting too long so I had to split it in two. Hope it didn't break the flow.

Tell me if you liked it or even if you didn't.

The next update would be after 26th December as my exams are beginning from the next week. I have given this update beforehand since I might be inactive on Wattpad.

Till then, stay hidden inside your blankets and be safe, it's too cold outside. Also, Covid isn't over yet, so take care of yourself.

Lots of love, Sim❣