Perfect Mismatch

Ch 53 - Mera Ghar

She emerged out of the washroom, wiping her face with the sleeve of her t-shirt to find him carrying a tray with a covered bowl and a glass of water. Exhausted from all the crying and a general feeling of malaise, she quietly sat down on 'her side' of the bed, as they used to call it, her feet dangling down. Sidharth went to her side and kept the food tray on the side table and sat next to her. Silently, she leaned on to his side, resting her head against it. Kissing her head, he pulled the drawer of the side table out and cleaned the thermometer with a tissue kept on the table and inserted it under her tongue. Placing his hands under her armpits, he pulled her up and placed her on the bed, pulling her feet up and covering her legs under the duvet. She kept her eyes closed and placed her head against the headboard.

The thermometer beeped and he pulled it out of her mouth to take the reading. Sidharth sighed at the 100 being flashed on the LCD display and lifted the tray to place it on himself.

"Shehnaaz, uth, thoda sa kha le, fir paracetamol dunga..."he spoke in a whisper and she sat up, her eyes filling up the moment she saw him again.

"Baat karna hai pehle? Stop crying baba!", he urged.

"Baat nahi karna" she muttered, wiping her eyes.

"Theek hai, nahi karenge baat, khao at least", he said, thrusting the bowl into her palm.

"Kya hai?" she asked, sniffing and looking like a lost baby. His heart skipped a beat seeing her this vulnerable and without an ounce of disgust, he wiped her nose with his palm. She broke into a giggle and he chuckled in relief.

"Kha abhi, naatak nahi. Daal-palak aur rice tha dinner me. Woi haii thoda sa. Kha phir davai dunga", he said, watching her eat. She started eating and he asked Alexa to play "Shehnaaz's favorites", making her smile again. Punjabi music played in a soft volume as she gulped down the food and then reached out for the glass of water when he swatted her hand away.

"Ruk, muh khol pehle", he ordered, standing at her head. Making her swallow pills was a task in itself, which he had been finally able to master. With a frown, she gave in. holding her jaw, he placed the tiny tablet on her tongue and washed it with some water. Making scrunched up faces, she gulped it down. He dimmed the lights and settled down next to her. She was snuggled up to him in an instant. He rubbed her back but stayed mum. She was here, in his arms and not going back home and in the moment, it was enough to be thankful for.

"Maine overreact kia na...", she whispered after what seemed like hours.

"Tujhe nahi karni thi na baat, so ja phir baby" he said, his right hand covering her eyes while the other one held her tiny frame on to her.

"Meri ore dekh na...", she whispered, pulling his hand away from his eyes and he turned to face her, placing the other hand also on her waist.

"Sidharth..."she spoke, but her eyes welled up again and he sighed.

"Sun...its okay. Tu gayi nahi na. Yahi hai. Abhi bukhar bhi hai. Aise royegi itna toh bas tabiyat kharab hogi...I love you, baby. Jo bhi hai, jiss bhi wajah se tu itni hurt hui ki tune mereko chhod ke jaaane ka decide kia, I would really want to know. Lekin, abhi tu mere paas hai, woh bohot hai darling. Kal baat kar lete hain na?...Kal bhi kya, 12 baj chuke hain, aaj hi ho gaya hai", he corrected in a lighter tone.

"Bebu...tu mereko chhod ke toh nahi jayega na?" she said, closing her eyes in tiredness and sleep. Perhaps the paracetamol was slowing her down.

"Bathroom jaunga, tab tu so jayegi. Warna nahi, kahin nahi jaunga tujhe chhod ke" he whispered kissing her cheek. She smiled at that and shifted closer to his face, placing her lips on his, touching them softly, cupping his face.