Book II - Darling, I Love You (Part One - Completed)

Part 11

UNEDITED!

PART - 11

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"Love Is Hard To Find, Hard To Keep And Hard To Forget"

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Next day

Rishab was preparing breakfast when Inayat walked into the kitchen.

"As-salamu-alaikum, uncle?" Inayat greeted him

"What should I say in return?"

"Wa-alaikum-salaam"

"Okay, I will remember to say that from next time. Oh and you can call me dad" Rishab said with a smile.

Inayat fell silent hearing the word 'dad'. The man (Rafiq) who she saw in a father figure all her life trying to molest her made her hate that word and she decided never to call anyone 'dad' or 'abbu'

"It's okay. You can call me uncle if that's what you like to call me" Rishab understood her reticence.

"Um... Can I help you?" She offered.

"Sure, you can peel the potatoes. Meanwhile I will make tea for us. Wait, you drink tea or coffee?"

"Tea. Thank you"

"Your mom never wakes up before 7 so ever since we got married I cook breakfast. She cooks lunch and dinner." Rishab said.

"Oh, I can help you from today onwards, uncle"

"I love to cook but still I will take your help. You daily wake up this early?" He asked.

"Yeah, daily by 5am I wake up to do Fajr prayer... I mean we do prayer before dawn"

"Oh I see"

"After that I won't get sleep. I just get ready for the day and start cooking for my brother..." She paused, thinking about Izzaan.

"So you worked in a school right? Which grade students you were teaching?" He asked to distract her.

"6-9 grade, English"

"Good" he said and offered a cup of tea to her. The cup clattered against the saucer when she held the saucer with her trembling hands.

Rishab took a sip of tea and closely watched her. She grimaces her face after taking the first sip of tea. Rishab snickered.

"You didn't like my tea? Tsk, tsk, too bad. My wife loves it"

"No! No! I like it, uncle. It's just the milk... We use camel milk in Kashmir so this tastes odd...but I will get used to it"

"Ohh, I will get a camel for you" he joked. Inayat smiled.

"Only Veer is a morning person like me. Naira and Arjun are like their mom, lazy pandas!"

Inayat softly giggled and then went silent. She stood on the other side of the kitchen counter and cooked potato masala.

"What's your favorite hobby, Inayat?" Rishab asked to kill the silence.

"I like to read books and novels, uncle"

"Ah, I should have guessed it. English Lit you are, so obviously you would love to read books"

"What you like the most about Veer?" He shot his next question.

"Are we playing 20 questions, uncle?" Inayat asked with a teasing smile.

Rishab laughed. "Not really"

"Well, I like everything about Veer. He is warm, caring, smart... Above all he is so genuine, uncle"