Secret Admirer

Chapter 18 💕 Friends

"Look who's talking. Whatever I say or do, you have a problem with it. But you don't have a problem with what other people say and do to you." Kabir started to get slightly angry.

"What do you mean by that? Who are you talking about?" Amaira raised her eyebrow and asked.

"No one. And if you ever want to work in a real organization, you are welcome to my CSR branch. We also have some interns around your age, you'll enjoy working with them as a team," Kabir replied, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"No thank you, Mr. Mehra. I'm happy where I am. And I'm not crazy to work, especially with you, for twelve hours at home. And I need those twelve hours away from you for detox," Amaira said innocently, blinking her eyelashes repeatedly.

"No problem. This offer will always be there for you. By the way, your NGO has arrived. Have a nice day," Kabir said with a smile, and Amaira smiled back in response.

"Thanks for the offer, but you already know my answer. Thanks for the lift," Amaira said and got off the car. She waved her hand and said goodbye.

Kabir kept looking at Amaira as he sat in the car for a few moments. Then he drove the car forward. Amaira also didn't move forward after getting off the car and stood there until the car disappeared from her sight.

*****

That same evening, when Kabir came home and went to his room, he found a gift on his bed. He started smiling as he saw the gift. He had hoped to receive a gift today. He also felt a bit guilty because Amaira had taken money from Ishita to buy this gift. And she must have spent all her money on buying the gift. But since she considers Ishita's money as her own, it's not strange for her. And it means that he has to accept this gift with a smile and express his surprise too. It also means that she doesn't consider his money as her own.

Today, Kabir kept thinking only about Amaira all day. And in the end, he reached the conclusion that every aspect of Amaira is related to his family. She was a girl who sacrificed her entire life for her sister's happiness and never showed the world. He wasn't even happy with himself because he spent the whole day thinking about Amaira, which he didn't want at all. He just wanted to think about Mahima, not Amaira. And at first, he felt very angry with himself. But later, he told himself that Mahima is his love, and Amaira is just like him, a victim, so there is nothing wrong with thinking about her. It wasn't that he started liking Amaira or anything. It just reassured his mind. Kabir never showed sympathy towards Amaira because he realized that Amaira didn't like being treated like a victim. Because evidently, she chose this life herself, no one forced her. His face lit up with a smile at her thought. So that's why he is standing in his room, near the gift placed on the bed. As soon as he reached out to pick up the gift, he heard a voice.

"Wait. Let me give this to you, Mr. Mehra."

"What?"

"Oops! You shouldn't take the gift yourself. It's given with gratitude and respect."

"Really? Where do you learn all this from?" Kabir asked. He was amazed to see Amaira's understanding.

"From nowhere. It's an inborn talent in me. So, here it is for you. A small gift from me," Amaira said, handing the gift to Kabir.

"With gratitude? Uh... yeah... but why?" Kabir took the gift with a heavy heart, but kept a smile on his face.

"What? The gift or the gratitude?" Amaira asked with a smile.

"Both. Bye the way, thank you. But why?"

"Well, it's because I couldn't give you a gift earlier. And it's been two months since our wedding, so I thought this is the right time for me to give something to you. As a friend," Amaira said straightforwardly.

"Friend?"

"Yes. I've told you before that I don't have many friends now. And a friend should know everything about you, what's going on in your life, and for now, you're my only friend who knows everything about me, what's going on in my life. And you're the one who listens to my rambling when I get angry, so thank you. Thank you for understanding me so well."

"You know, you're really nice, right? I admit I used to misunderstand you as a immature kid."

"Okay. Now don't embarrass me. I just said what I felt."

"Can I open it now?"

"Yes, go ahead," as soon as Amaira said, Kabir began to open the gift.

When Kabir opened the gift, a bright pink-colored shirt came out of it. As soon as they both saw each other, they burst into laughter.

"So, you're getting back at me because I gave you a sober-colored pajama. That's why you got me a bright pink shirt. Very smart," Kabir said.

"You didn't like it?" Amaira asked mischievously.

"I loved it. I'll always cherish it," Kabir replied.

"That's great. Now take this," Amaira said, placing a small gift box in Kabir's hands.

"Now, what's this?"

"This is your second gift. The real one."

"Alright. Then let me open it."

"Umm... you can open it later too."

"Don't you want to know if I liked this gift or not?"

"You can tell me later," Amaira said awkwardly.

"No. I want to see it now." Kabir said and opened the gift. He saw a label pin inside, with his name beautifully written on it. Just by looking at the cover of the box, Kabir knew that it was purchased from his favorite designer. And he immediately understood why she got it for him.

"This... this is really beautiful. Both the gifts. Thank you. But why two?"

"Ah! I got it from a local shop to tease you. I know you'll never wear this. But I thought you might like this label pin. I thought you always wear designer clothes, so I got this for you."

"Thank you so much. But you don't have to do all this for me."

"I said I got all this for my friend."

"Do you really think I'm your friend?"

"Maybe not. But we can be. I can use this now, especially. I can bribe you to become my friend by giving you this gift. Enough fighting now," Amaira said jokingly, and Kabir smiled.

"By the way, I liked your gift, so yes, I can consider accepting your proposal. But this isn't enough. I want something more."

"What?"

"Answers."

"What answers?"

"First, sit down. I have some questions for you, but I'm afraid you might get angry."

"I won't."

"Amaira, have you ever felt like others have ruined your life?"

"What? Why would I think that? Do you think marrying you ruined my life?"

"Don't cross-question me like this. But the answer to your question is no. It's not ruined, but it has become a bit complicated because I had to suddenly involve you in my life. And I thought it would be very difficult because I thought you would be demanding like a typical wife. But you made it easy for me to live. I just need to be a little compromising, nothing else. I never wanted anyone in my life after Mahima. But you came into my life. You wanted a happy marriage, a loving husband, and two kids, all of your own. And you left all that behind. Don't you think your life would have been different if you didn't marry me? You would have been happy."

"So, you wanted an irritating wife who constantly bothers you to get your attention. Someone you could easily hate. I can do that too."

"Please, Amaira. I want an honest answer from you right now."

"I don't think about things that are beyond my control. It's just not possible."

"That's not the right answer."

"This is."

******

Hey Readers, that's it for today. Hope you all like it. Please vote for my efforts. Thank you and love you all.
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