Prem Vivah

• Happy Five •

Twenty Five Days Later...

Abhinav phoned Naina while pacing the length of his bedroom, and she attended his call after the first ring.

"Hello." Her gentle voice echoed in his ear, and he replied to her with a sweet smile - "Hello, how are you?"

"I am good, how about you?" Naina asked him in a soft voice.

"I am feeling a little better, meditation is really helping me to feel stress free and less anxious," Abhinav answered her with relief in his voice, and Naina was pleased to know the treatment has begun to cure his disease.

"Badhiya, ab yeh treatment beech me mat chod dena," Naina told him stridently.

"Actually, uske regarding hi call kiya maine." Abhinav said hesitantly and continued - "Thank you so much Naina for shedding a light on my stupid mind. I wouldn't have listened to you hadn't I loved you so much."

Her smile thinned after listening to his last sentence, and even Abhinav felt his words might have made her experience discomfort.

"Adored you, I mean." He corrected, and she exhaled slowly.

"You have no idea, Naina...tum kitni matter karti ho mere liye. It doesn't matter what I feel for you, but I promise it won't make any difference in our blooming friendship. Hum aaj bhi dost hai aur humesha rahege, and I will surely pray you and Sameer get to live with each other forever because I know the pain of losing love...aur main kabhi nahi chahuga woh dard tum dono ko ho." Abhinav finished his emotional speech and let out a deep breath.

"Bas ab, phir se tum past ke bare me sochne lage?" Naina gently scolded him, and Abhinav just chuckled.

"Sorry, I will try to not think about them." He promised her in a solemn tone.

"Good Boy." She said in a sweet tone.

"Can I ask you one question, if you don't mind?" Abhinav uttered, in a hesitant tone, and Naina quickly replied to him - "Yes, why not! Go Ahead."

"Does your boyfriend, I mean Sameer knows you were helping me?" Abhinav asked her in a meek tone while gulping down nervously.

"Yes, he knows. He told me to help you and make you feel good." Naina answered him honestly, a part of her heart filled with pride for having Sameer in her life who never stopped her from helping people.

"Really?" Abhinav was surprised.

"Yes, tum khud hi pooch lo use yakeen na ho toh." Naina cackled.

"It's hard to believe, main hota toh apni girlfriend ko kabhi kisi aur ladke ki help karne nahi deta." He said with an uneasy expression, wondering how much he misjudged Sameer because he was the boyfriend of the girl he adored the most.

"That's the difference between you and him yaar. Woh hai possessive par trust bhi karta hai mujh pe, and he knows if I am helping someone then there must be a reason. Har relationship trust pe hi build rehta hai, Abhi. If you can't trust your partner you can't claim to love him/her, and I am so blessed to have a partner like Sameer, who I know wouldn't ever doubt my intentions." Naina calmly explained to him the simplicity one has to adapt to make the relationship work excellently, and Abhinav couldn't agree more.

"You are right, but as you know I have insecurities and trust issues because of my illness. I just can't straightway adapt to this new nature. Mujhe time lagega bahut but hopefully I will be fine with the right guidance." Abhinav said thoughtfully, and she nodded her head for a yes.