Hiding Behind Smiles

26| Happiness.

Naina's POV

"Sir there are two more meetings line up for the best 3 hours," I said and he nodded. After discussing a deal for a club with Atharva we reached our building. Ridh went his way and I went to the café to bring a cup of tea.

"Hey," I heard a voice behind me and saw a girl probably of our branch. "Yes?" I said and passed her a smile.

"Are you with..Ridhhant sir?" she asked softly and I smiled. "Uhm yes, is that a problem?" I asked, my heartbeats rising a little.

"No, I just wanted to know. You two look cute." I smiled brightly. She went and joined her group which had one more ladies and 3 men. She said something excitedly and two of the men took out some money and handed her.

They bet on us? Wow.

I smiled and took the teacup and went to our office and gave him his tea then worked my ass off.

It has been like this since the last 1 week, after Ridh called the jail and told them he wished to talk to the..couple one last time, it had been all good. We decided he would go to therapy every  one week for the next 3 months. Today he'll be go directly to his therapist and I'll go home and play with Olly, work, read and write.

I still don't know when I will confess my love. I was thinking I'll do it soon. I thought why not propose him before he proposes me, if he plans on doing so.

That man has to love me. Because I'm just too good to be not loved by a man as good as him. Hehe.

I didn't know when time passed and I was now playing with Olly when the bell rang. I opened the door and saw him with a small smile.

"Hey, how was the session?" I ask softly preparing a glass of water.

"Fine, he irritates me a lot." He says and hugs me from behind. Too much for my unconfessed love.

"C'mon go freshen up, you stink," I said and literally felt him rolling his eyes. Muttering a 'K whatever' he walked upstairs while i decided to prepare for dinner.
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.
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"Why are you making dinner so early? Should have told me?" I hear him while I serve the dinner.

"Why? so that you could distract me. no thanks. and early dinner because we will read poems!" A giggle leaves me with happiness.

He comes towards me and plants a soft kiss on my cheek making me giggle again. "Go sit," I whisper and he frowns.

"Where's my kiss?" Bruh. Kissing his cheek lightly I waddle towards the table.
.
.
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"I will love in death and life, in dark and bright..ew no I am not getting any ideas." i huff and that fucker chuckles.

"Lol tu rehne se aaj. (Leave it Today..)" he chuckles again.

"By the way I remember you singing on my birthday, can you sing now?" I ask hopefully. His eyes squinting under the moonlight.

"Naah." he downright rejects.

"Okay." i say and stand up. "Oh madam kidhar? (Where?)

"Bed. My bedroom, you go to yours." I say giving him a smile which said 'i could kill you and make it look like an accident'.

I walked towards and grabbed the door knob when I heard a soft hum. My heart stopped for a moment.

"Dil ka yeh kya Raaz hai,"

(What is this secret of the heart)

"Jaane kya kar gaye, jaise andheron mein tum chandani bhar gaye."

(What did you do, like in the darkness, moonlight like you filled the room)

"Kare chaand taaron ko mashhoor itna kyun?"

(Why do we praise the stars and moon so much?)

"Kambakht inse bhi khoobsurat hai tu,
i love you.."

(For you are a lot prettier than them
and i love you.)

A soft gasp left my lips. His face was glowing under the moonlight, like the sky were watching him and he was under the nature's spotlight.

I love him so damn much.

"So..." he said with a grin. I rushed towards him and hugged him. "Aww thank you so much. THAT WAS AMAZING."

He unwraps his hands and passes me a smile while I comb his hair with my finger which I messed while I huggef him.

"You sing really beautiful."

"Only for my firefly." He says and sticks his tongue out and laughs. I don't know what's so funny.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Idk felt like." he laughs again. There's something wrong.

"What is it?" i whine. he points at my eyes and laughs. Wha- I rush towards the glass wall and see my kajal smudged making me look like a panda.

When the fuck?

i wipe my eyes and huff and sit beside him again.

"Ridh stop. i can feel your gaze on my face."

"Oops you are too pretty to stop." He says and I roll my eyes.

"What got you so cheesy today?" i turn to him while he cups my cheek.

"I read a post on Instagram, let the people you adore know how much they value to you.
we never know when they are...gone.

I wish I told my Maa too. How beautiful she was. How much I loved her." He says and touched my forehead with his. His voice sounding sadder.

"She knows it, Ridh." i say with a smile and connect our lips. His hand traces my cheek while the other grabs my waist.

"i love you. You make it so hard to hide it-"

There goes nothing.

I pull away and getting a little away.

And we stare eachother for the next moment. "Ridh?" i say and he blinks his eyes.

"Oh hey. I mean I wasn't expecting that like I mean y'know.." he kept stuttering.

"Y'know?" i mutter.

"Y'know..I WAS GOING TO PROPOSE YOU, I was so excited for tomorrow," a pout marring his face.

"But I love you, of course. Why wouldn't I?" his pout turning to a smile.

Next I know I was kissing him. My happiness could melt a rock.

"I can't believe this." he says. "This went too quickly, like I never imagined I would be sharing my grief with someone, I never thought someone would love me knowing my past. That none of them knew.
Whenever I thought of my life, it was just joking around Atharva and Amaya bhabhi but now..gah damn thank you so much for entering my life." He said in one breath. His voice low like a stroke of paintbrush on my heart.

I hug him and smile. "Thank you for entering my life too. I was just a normal middle class girl with my parents doing my job if it wasn't for your mom to offer such a weird job." i say and chuckle, him joining me.

"I am happy now. So happy." He says and I almost cried the way he said it.

"Now you no more hide behind your smiles.

I would know you in every smile and tear, in death and in life. Your grief is your identity as much as your bliss." i say.

You said I couldn't write a poem today. I did it, when it comes to you; I always do.

hi.

epilogue next, this is what the book was about. :)
no marriage or children or a full happily ever after.

but a certain man being happy, without faking.