"Tum yahan aake kyu baithe ho ab?" Naina asked her dusht man in a disgruntled tone when he occupied a seat beside her.
"Tum kaho toh woh jo red saree wali hai waha jake baith jata hoon, waise bhi woh bechari akeli baithi hai," Sameer said amusingly while pointing his finger at a classy lady sitting at some distance from them, decked elegantly in a satin cherry saree.
"Hawww you liar, tum kya bolte the mujhe mere alawa tum kisi ko notice nahi karte?" Naina feigned her exasperation, hitting him gently.
"Ab yeh kambakht aankhon ki gustakhiyan hai, isme meri kya galti?" Sameer looked at his wife with an innocent smile, and she narrowed her eyes at his dramatic demeanor.
"Theek hai, aankhein toh mujhe bhi di hai toh ab se main bhi dekhugi sare ladkon ko." Naina provoked her husband's possessiveness and passed a Cheshire cat smile.
"Woh behen ji jo red saree me baithi hai woh mujhe aayi thi puchne ki main aapke side me baithun kya. Isliye mein uth kar yahan aa gaya taki main yahan se bina fractured hue one piece me ghar jaa sakun." Sameer adorably told the actual story he was hiding to make her feel jealous, and Naina silently giggled when he called the classy woman his sister.
"Fine." She said sternly.
"Akdu." He murmured, loud enough to hear.
"Dusht." Naina accused him with a cute pout.
"Angry Bird," Sameer said vexedly.
"Rude Man." She told him his former nickname with a grumpy expression.
"Shortcake." He waggled his tongue, making her feel like she was talking with a toddler.
"Bas karo, kya chote bache jaise khelne baith gaye tum." Naina taunted him in an amused tone while crossing her left foot over the right one.
"Ab choti bachi se shadi ki hai toh bacha toh banna padega na mujhe." Sameer blamed her instead, and she tried to argue but the announcement from Pratiksha and Anmol caused her to quiet herself.
"Abhi chup baitho, tumhe toh main ghar jake dekhti hoon." Naina threatened him and drew her attention to the stars of the night.
"Hello everyone, thank you so much for coming and making our day special. This day is genuinely special for us because aaj hi ke din itne saal pehle Anmol ne mujhe I love you kaha tha, and since that, I couldn't remember if a single day went with him not loving me selflessly and limitlessly. I feel so lucky that I found my best friend, my guardian angel, my joker, my entertainment, my hero, my savior, my best lover, and most importantly my soulmate in Anmol." Pratiksha publicly expressed her feelings for her husband for the first time in these years, and her twinkling eyes shifted at him in sheer pleasure.
"I always believed ki pyaar sirf karne ke liye aur dikhane ke liye nahi, nibhane ke liye karo. It shouldn't last for just a few weeks or months, pyaar kiya hai toh use lifetime nibhao and if you're a coward and have no guts to commit to your partner then please don't give them false hopes and promises. It hurts the most. I am glad meri success me mere saath meri wife, meri best friend thi. She has seen me struggling, crying, spending difficult days and nights, and waking up with a fear of facing failure in my career. She has been with me through all thick and thin and I am so so so blessed to have found her." Anmol said with a prideful crown tucked on his head as he kept his calm gaze hooked on his wife who seemed emotionally delighted at his heartwarming speech.
He pressed his fingers on her right arm, his lips lingering a chaste kiss on her head.
And there both Naina and Anjali were drowning in the sea of mixed emotions and feelings which they were unable to decipher. A part of their hearts was pleased that all of them found loyal and trustworthy companions, but another part of their hearts was pessimistic over the thought that they had spent most of their golden days fighting with the boys or living apart due to misunderstanding and lack of communication. It was sad to know that each of them had faced a rough phase in their respective lives which left a deep scar in their souls.
