Shaayad...

63.

The two families sat on the dining table, laughing at the jokes that Shehnaaz was cracking, being her usual self. "You are lucky, shukla ji!", Shehnaaz whispered in his ear.

"Yes I am!", Sidharth spoke and sneaked a kiss before she could move back, making her gasp. "What?", he asked innocently when Shehnaaz threw accusing glares at him.

She rolled her eyes and went back to eating her food. "Toh ek hafte mein diwali hai, yaad hai na?", Maa asked. Everybody nodded, while Shehnaaz just smiled sadly.

Her parents looked at her with equal sadness and then looked away, making sure that nobody saw them. Sidharth, on the other hand spotted the three of them doing so and he knew that something was up.

Once, everybody got busy, Sidharth asked Siya to somehow send Shehnaaz in his room.

Today, nobody was leaving her alone, especially because now the prank was over and what they all wanted to do had been done.

"Ohho, mama you are disgusting. Kitna romance karoge aap dono? Ewwww!", Siya said making a face. "Abbe aye, pitegi tu samjhi!", Sidharth said as he smacked her head.

Siya rolled her eyes but made an effort nonetheless. "Sana di chalo mere satb mujhe kuch dikhana hai aapko!", she said.

"Siya baad mein, abhi hum baat kar re hain!", neetu di said. "Mom please, Sana di aap logon ke sath baith baith ke aunty ban jaegi aur abhi unki umar hai bhi nhi itni. So please!", she said.

Before anybody could object, Siya had already grabbed Shehnaaz's hand and pulled her along with herself. "Aisa kya dikhana hai?", Shehnaaz asked.

"Mujhe kuch nhi dikhana, mama ko shayad romance karna hai!", she said nonchalantly.

Shehnaaz gasped and smacked her, "Sab mujhe marte hain, mein chali jaungi ghar chordke!", Siya whined.

"Chal nautanki!", Shehnaaz said as she went inside Sidharth's room. Strangely, there was nobody inside, Shehnaaz further went inside the room, calling out his name.

"Sidharth..", before she could take his name again, he had already caught her between his arms from behind.

Sidharth closed the door as soon as she was fully inside, seems that he was waiting for her hiding behind the door. He hugged her from behind and dug his own face onto his shoulder.

"I missed you!", he whispered in her ear. "Huh? Abhi toh sath hi the!", Shehnaaz said in confusion.

"Rehne de, tu ni samjhegi!", he said softy and made her lay on the bed, beside him. He pulled her closer as they both lay in each other's embrace.

"Ek baat puchun, Sach bolegi?", Sidharth asked.

"Hmmm?", Shehnaaz asked as she played with the top most button of his shirt, while she drew patterns on his chest using her other hand.

"Diwali ka naam sunke tu sad ho gyi thi! Kyun?", he asked. Shehnaaz pulled apart and sat up, not wanting to talk about it.

"Shehnaaz, it's okay, if you don't want to talk. Sach mein!", he said as he instantly cupped her face.

Sidharth regretted asking this question when he looked at her welled up eyes. He had unintentionally poked her wounds, hurting her.

"It's alright Sidharth. It's just, I don't know how to talk about it. Mein kahan se shuru karun, samajh nhi aa ra!", she said as she looked away, smiling sadly.

Sidharth could see coldness in her demeanour and he cursed himself for that, if only he hadn't asked anything about what he saw.

"I am always here, right beside you! Whenever you are ready!", Sidharth said, making her smile.