"Shehnaaz, darling sun na ek minute, woh mera ipencil dekha kya tune?" Sidharth came into the bathroom scratching his head, wearing a frown. His wife of one month was checking herself out, leaning closer to the mirror, her eyes carefully glued to the mirror.
"Darling, bata na...mereko contract sign karne ka hai. Woh ipencil nahi mila toh phir poora scan karke bhejna padega yaar...Sheh...baby?" He shook her by her shoulder and she looked at him angrily.
"Mere muh mat lag, ye dekh...roz ka hai tera...phir kaata tune" she complained, pointing at a blue gash which he had unknowingly given her last night in throes of passion. However, she was pretty serious with the complaint, her eyes burning with anger, her nostrils flaring up, making her look all the more adorable. He couldn't help laughing at her and pulling her closer.
"Hatt tu...ye sab nahi...shoot hai yaar mera shaam ko...tu toh kutta hai, wahan alag gossip ban jati hai set me. Meri death ho jati hai jab koi aise pooch leta hai phir..." she said, complaining, initially protesting the hug, but then giving in and pouting.
"Koi nahi, abhi lagate hain lacto calamine, concealer, foundation ...sab lagayenge tere...Dekh, ab ye sab manage karna tereko seekhna padega baby" he teased her, pecking her lips only to be pushed back.
"Tu mat seekhna insaan banana, kutte. Seekhna padega.."she mimicked him moving out of the bathroom with him following her with amusement.
"Tera woh pencil Ki ke paas tha...woh drawing bana rahi thi kal, udhar living room me dekh jaakar, mereko late ho raha hai, main aur maa jaa rahe hain, unki ek friend ke yahan lunch pe, phir shaam ko shoot hai..."she yelled going to Ma's room.
It had been one month to the 'shaadi'. While not a lot had changed in their lives, but a lot had. There was no need to 'pretend to stay in the guestroom' for Shehnaaz; her apartment however, had been bought by Sidharth as a wedding gift to her. Initially, the plan was for them to move to the flat but Shehnaaz had protested against that.
"Nahi Sidharth, Ma, tu aur main, ek ghar me rahenge. Ab tak tu Ma ke sath raha hai. Ab jab unhe sabse zyada hamari zarurat hogi toh hum alag nahi reh sakte. Aur mereko ek bhi reason nahi hai justify karne ko ki hum kyun kahin aur shift hoyein. Idhar space hai, hamari yaadein hain, and most importantly Ma hai." She had reasoned out.
"But beta, I don't want to disturb your privacy. Aur ek hi building hai baccha, practically sochte hain..."Ma tried explaining the rationale but her tears were already dropping down her eyelids.
"Mereko nahi chaiye aisi koi privacy Ma. Ek room hai hamara, is se zyada kya privacy ki zarurat hogi humko. Aur main keval isko pyaar nahi karti hun, aapko bhi karti hun. Just coz shadi ho gayi hai, ab aapko kya privacy dena hai humko? Aur tu? Kitne din hote hain jab main tujhse bina mile jaati hun, but Maa ke paas roz aati hun. Kyunki ghar wahin hota hai jahan Maa hoti hai...aur tune hi kaha tha na yaad hai, Ma aur tu hamesha aise rahe ho...aur teri priority Ma hai...Sidharth meri bhi priority Ma aur tu hai. Keval tu nahi...Mereko aur kuch nahi kehna hai bas...." she couldn't explain it any further, but the moment she said this with a sob, Sidharth had rushed to her to envelope her into a warm her with a string of reassurances that they will not go ahead as planned.
Ma was in awe of her daughter, like always, but she felt absolutely overwhelmed seeing her so vulnerable at the idea of not having Ma in the same house. Ma had tears in her eyes too as she hugged both her children kissing them on their heads. They eventually settled at creating a home studio and a guest room in the other flat making more space in their home with new interiors.
Another thing that remained the same was Shehnaaz still living out of the suitcase. While Sidharth would get mad at her for not setting up her wardrobe properly, she would make really lame excuses to evade extra work.
"Shehnaaz, ek mahina ho gaya hai yaar. Do wardobes hain idhar, kapde laga na idhar, aur phir aur space create hoga na after the interiors. At least pata lagega na ki space kitna short hai...Yaar bas do din ka kaam hai yaar, please Shehnaaz..."he would whine but she will just giggle at him. "Baby, jab hoga interior toh dekhenge na...aur abhi tu warranty me hai, husband return policy over hone ke baad saare lagaungi" she would giggle and make him madder. Of course, these conversations often ended with them on the bed making out.
Her parents and family had left a week after the wedding. Due to their shoot schedule and the fear of media growing suspicious, she couldn't go to Punjab for her pag-feras, but they did a twisted version of it by sending Shehnaaz and her parents to a hotel for a day where the family stayed for the rasams and the next morning at 6 am Sidharth was knocking at their suite door, grinning at their sleepy faces, asking to take his new wife back. Of course, he was teased for his actions but he kept grinning like a fool, making her want to melt with affection.
However, she had one regret - she could not wear a chuda how she had wanted to. She had always wanted to flaunt her wedding chooda like any other usual bride but the decision of going private and keeping things under wrap had its own drawbacks but despite these minor moments, life for the two of them and the family was a bubble of complete bliss.
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Shehnaaz had gone for her shoot after the lunch with Ma's friends. She was shooting for a movie the sets for which had been established in Mumbai itself. The first movie that she had acted in as a lead was going to release in ten days. There was a lot of hullaballoo around her on the work front but with the marital bliss energising her, she felt like she was flying. Except for today, when she felt like she would pass out.
"Uhh...Sidharth...baby, free hoke call kar. Urgent hai" she had left him a voicenote. He was out on a shoot for a talk show today and she knew he would be busy but she needed him.
"Hmm...kya hua?" He called her exactly twenty minutes later. She was literally groaning in pain by now and she had no idea why.
"Bebu, mereko lene aaja, ya Aditya bhaiyya ko bhejde...mereko bohot peit me dard ho rahi hai...vomit bhi kia hai...mereko na theek nahi ho raha hai" her voice could tell him the amount of pain she was in and that worried him.
"Oh...accha, aadha ghanta ruk payegi? Main aa raha hun ok? Shoot wrap up ho jayega in 10 minutes, main aadhe ghante me pohonch jaunga okay?" He tried comforting her and she nodded.
"Haan ...na? Baby? Zyada ho raha hai?" He was worried now.
"Oh sorry, haan ok. Nahi itna wait kar paungi...main sar hila rahi thi..." she groaned but softly chuckled.
"Chal theek hai...rest up. Main aa raha hun ok?" He hung up, his mind not able to concentrate any more.
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He was waiting for her at the backseat impatiently, his leg moving at its place in anxiety. He had informed Mom who was worried too. She was escorted till the car and the moment she saw him, she felt a sense of relief wash through her.
"Baby...you okay?...Kya ho gaya?" He asked pulled her closer kissing her forehead. Her face was as white as a ghost but she managed to smile. Comfortable kicking off her sandals, she leaned on to him when he asked her.
"Hmm.. baby, you had your periods last month no?" He whispered near her ear.
"Last to last week tha bebu...pregnant nahi hun main" she giggled, making him frown.
"Arrey, I was just checking, mera mental timelines hata hua hai shadi se" he confessed.
"Ma ko toh nahi ho raha hai na? Mujhe lag raha hai food poisoning hai" she expressed fearfully.
"Nahi. Bola toh nahi aisa Ma ne...tu chup karke baith thoda der. Pani pi aur" he told her, however, he was worried. Things were not going to go as per the plan.
YOU ARE READING
Perfect Mismatch
FanfictionSidharth and Shehnaaz were destined to meet on the stage that day but little did they know what future held for them.
