Nayab, a brilliant and meticulous MBBS student, possesses a mind built for calculations and precision. Her dreams are set on excelling in her medical career, leaving no room for frivolities or romantic distractions. Meanwhile, Danish, a vivacious an...
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Nayab had a 24-hour shift at the hospital. So after getting free from work, Danish wondered what he should do. He didn't feel like going back to the guest house, so he got into his car and drove. With no destination in mind, he just let his subconscious thoughts guide him. And he ended up outside his home.
It had been a week since the day Nayab had brought him here. Contemplating if he should go inside, he spent several minutes in his car just looking at the bungalow in front of him. Then he let his heart win and walked inside the gates.
It was around 10 at night, so he wasn't sure if Raghu and Sita would be awake. But he decided to check. The lights of the outhouse were on. The old couple were up, having their dinner.
Their faces brightened up seeing Danish and they invited him in to have dinner with them. He tried to refuse, not wanting to intrude, but they didn't listen. So Danish sat down on the floor as Sita served him a plate of sabudana khichdi.
"I would have made something nice for you if I knew you were coming." Sita said, slightly ashamed of serving khichdi to him.
Danish smiled. "This is the best." He hadn't had sabudana khichdi in such a long time that the taste almost made his eyes water.
While eating, Raghu told him all about their life in the past years. After that, Danish politely asked for the house keys and took his leave.
He unlocked the bungalow door, walked inside and locked the door from inside. Without turning on the lights, he was able to walk to his parents' bedroom without stumbling on anything.
He lit the tubelight of the room before taking off the cover from the bed. Then he sat down on it quietly.
He didn't know how much time passed with him staring into nothingness before his phone rang.
It was Yahya's video call. He picked it up.
"I wasn't sure if you'd be awake this late." Yahya said through the screen.
Danish forced a smile. "How is my little boy doing?"
Yahya rolled his eyes. "First of all, I am not that little anymore. And second, this boy misses you too much. When will you be back?"
That got Danish's smile fazed away. "I-I don't know."
"What do you mean?" Yahya frowned.
"Yeah, the work is almost over here." Danish said, "but..I don't feel like coming back."
The frown on Yahya's forehead deepended. "Bhai.."
"I am at home right now." Danish moved the camera to show him the room. "At my home."
That surprised Yahya. He knew how much his cousin ran away from the memories of his parents.
"And Yahya, I have never felt this closer to mom and dad ever since they left. It is like I can almost feel their presence with me. I always used to think that returning to this place would break my heart more than ever, but it is actually healing me."
Yahya just listened silently.
"And the thought of leaving this place somehow feels like they would be taken away from me again." Danish's voice was cracking. "And I don't know if I could do that."
They both got quiet after that. Just sat there with their messed up thoughts.
"But what about Felicity? What about us?" Yahya finally spoke.
"With the weddings I have planned here, a lot of other people have been approaching me. Shifting the base of Felicity to Mumbai won't be tough." Danish said, "But the only thing stopping me is you guys. Leaving chacha-chachi, Yusuf, you..I don't know if I can do that either."
"Bhai, do what your heart wants and everything else will get okay eventually. And even if you decide to shift to Mumbai, I am sure everyone will understand and accept the decision." Yahya said.
Talking to his little cousin did calm Danish's racing thoughts, but he still wasn't sure what he was going to do.
Leaving London would mean getting distanced from those people who took him in when he needed them and raised him to be the man he was today. But leaving Mumbai would mean parting with the girl he loved, and leaving behind his home and the memories of his parents. He was stuck between a rock and hard place.
So he decided to talk to Nayab.
They were seated in her apartment the next day. He poured his heart out in front of her, voicing all his fears and insecurities, while she listened patiently.
"What do you think I should do?" He asked.
She sighed and entwined their fingers. "The selfish part of my brain is asking you to stay here. But that would be unfair to chacha and chachi. They've raised you. You can't just get up one day and decide to shift continents without talking to them. This is a very huge decision, Danish. It is something that is going to impact all of our lives. And you can't take it alone. They deserve to be a part of this. They deserve to have a say in this."
He knew she was right. He needed to talk to them, explain the troubles of his heart.
And he couldn't do that on the phone.
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For the next ten days, Nayab and Danish spent every possible minute together, except for when they had to work. He finished with the last wedding he had before booking his and his team's tickets back to London.
Nayab and Danish stood at the departure gate of the Mumbai airport, hugging each other.
"Take care of yourself." He said, "And don't wear any stupid heels. I don't want you to fall in my absence."
She felt her eyes fill with tears. "Then don't go."
He kissed her hair. "I don't want to. But we don't have a choice."
She pulled back to see his face. "When will I see you again?"
"Soon. Very soon, darling." He wiped her tears. "Nayab, whatever chacha and chachi say about me shifting to Mumbai, remember, this is not the end for us. We will find a way to be together, right?"
She nodded while sniffling.
"Good, because there is no one else I'd rather spend my life with."
She raised her head to capture his lips. He let her lead the kiss for a few seconds before taking over. Grabbing the back of her head, he sucked her mouth like his life depended on it.
"I'll see you." He promised on top of her lips. His eyes held hers till he walked inside the airport.
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I don't even know what to say. I am so sad this is ending.
