Na Jaane Kyon...

Tere aage hi main haara kiya tune kya asar

Title is the song 'Yeh tune kya kiya' from movie 'Once upon a time in Mumbai dobaara'

Naina gently fixed the belt that Ayush was not able to tie, and smiled, "Ho gaya. Ab ban gaya mera beta hero."

Ayush checked his reflection, patting his hair in place and turned to face her, a smug smile on his face, "Sameer papa jaisa lag raha hun na?"

Naina pulled his cheek, "Tujhe Sameer papa jaisa lagna hai?"

He again looked into the mirror, "Deepu bua kehti hai main bilkul chota Sameer papa hun."

Naina raised a brow, "Deepu bua? Tu toh Deepika kehta tha na? Yeh Deepu kabse kehne laga?"

Deepika answered, entering the room at that moment, "Maine hi bola bhabhi. Ghar pe sab Deepu bulate hain. Aur haan, aap bhi yehi bola karo. Mujhe achha lagta hai."

Naina dipped her head, "Okay. Agar tumhe achha lagta hai toh aisa hi hoga."

Deepika hugged Naina, "Thank you bhabhi. You're the sweetest."

Ayush hugged her from other side, "Naina mumma mere liye bhi sweetest."

Straightening up, Deepika huffed at Ayush, "Tujhe kuch aur bhi bataya tha. Bhool gaya?"

Ayush narrowed his eyes, tapping his head with index finger, then gave her a guilty look, "Haan."

Deepika hit her forehead with her palm, "Offo yeh ladka. Chal batati hun."

Naina looked from one to other, "Arre mujhe bhi toh batao."

Deepika held Ayush's hand and marched out of the room quickly, looking over her shoulder, "Aapko bhi pata chal jayega bhabhi. Pehle iss bhulakkad ko toh yaad dila dun."

Crossing her arms, Naina watched them go down the stairs, Deepika whispering to Ayush and he giving a sheepish smile, poking his tongue out. She exhaled a contented breath. What they were talking would eventually be known to her but for now, she was pleased to see how well they bonded. She was herself not worried about sending Ayush for a party where neither she nor Sameer would be present. He wasn't just her little brother anymore, he was the baby of whole family... loved, pampered, fretted over and cared about by each one.

In the hall, Vishakha smiled brightly as they reached her, adjusting Deepika's layered chains that were the latest trend, then tucking in Ayush's shirt from the side. Vivek ushered all of them out, showing the time. Nanu had left much before everyone. Rohan and Preeti were gone too. Sameer had asked Ramdhari to leave early, saying that they would be ordering from outside so he can take rest for the evening.

Once the house was silent, Naina went towards the library. Sameer had been on an international call for sometime. The requirement had come up suddenly, and could not be postponed as the buyers wanted all terms to be cleared immediately. Opening the door a crack, she peeked in. The call was still on. Soundlessly, she shut the door.

Holding the rail, she looked at the hall below. It felt strange. House was never this quiet. This stillness never bothered her earlier, but she didn't like it now. In just a few months, the silence of her life had transformed into blithe chatter of a large family. A family that included different relations. She had everyone now... parents, grandfather, siblings, son... and Sameer, her soulmate.

Pressing her eyes with her palms, she said a silent prayer before uttering, "Inn khushiyan ko kahin meri hi nazar na lag jaaye."

The touch on her shoulders didn't startle her. She leaned back without looking, resting against his chest.

He circled his arms around her, "Jis nazar mein itna pyar ho woh kabhi nahi lagti."

She glanced up over her shoulder, "Tum meeting mein the ya meri baatein sun rahe the?"