******chapter 21******
she sat quietly besides him with her hand tugged around his arm . Resting her head on his shoulder she silently wept along with him with a promise to walk this life with him forever .
Jalal reposed his head against hers , his eyes were filled with tears , he didnt utter a word from his mouth , his silent tears were enough for Jodha to understand the pain behind every droplet .
Rubbing his hand to comfort him ,she blinked back the tears that stung on her eyes , all the while looking at his gloomy face .
With his eyes still fixed on salima's face and his fingers tracing the border of the frame ,Jalal urged to pour his heart out .
" you know Jodha , after my di's demise i actually cocooned myself in the darkest room ... except from my friends with whom i hangout everyday and Noor ,my angel ...i loathed everyone else's presence , Pausing monentarily he pursed his lips tight to control his emotions and continued ..." especially my mother ... i hated her like anything and accused her for all the miseries of my life ...still , why does it hurts to hear something bad about her ... why do i get terrified shivers running down my spine with the mere thought of loosing her ...why do i", ...he was cut short by a familiar voice that resounded in the entire room .
Jodha appi ...Jodha appi ...Noor darted inside the room screaming Jodha's name all along .
A wide smile appeared on Jodha's name as she very well knew the owner of the voice ...
she quickly stood up and turned around ... Noor raced into her wrapping her hands tightly around Jodha's legs .
" I missed u so much appi ...where were u all these days ?why didnt u come to meet me ? Are u angry on me ?? ", ...Raising her head to meet Jodha's eyes Noor queried all in a go ...making Jodha reciprocate the little soul's love by hugging back her tightly .
she picked up the little girl in her arms thereafter and kissed her fondly ..."How r u Noor ?? ", she asked instead of replying her .
"Im good Appi ... see ",
...she twirled around and smiled brightly when her eyes happened to fell on the person sitting on the floor .
Taking few steps ahead she faced the familiar person who quickly masked his face with a meek smile .
But , his tear filled, red puffed eyes didnt go unnoticed by noor's eyes ...her once dazzling smile after meeting Jodha ,was now dissipated .
" Mamu ... were u crying???" , ...her small heart ached noticing tears in Jalal's eyes ...
He tried his best to keep up a normal face if not smiling , but those stubborn tears betrayed him .
Noor's eyes then shifted to the frame in his hands ..." Mamu , r u missing mumma ?? ", Her innocent eyes stared him for a while for an answer but all she got was silence...that proved she wasnt at all .
she sunk down besides him and cleaned the dried marks of tears with the back of her little hand .
Taking the picture frame in her hands ...she gazed lovingly at her Mother's face ... " i know mamu ,u love mumma a lot , just like i do ...but see ...unlike u im smiling ...becoz someone once said ...our dear ones who become stars after leaving us ,tend to watch us from the heaven and they dont like , if they see their loved ones sad ...so", ...shifting her gaze from the frame to her mamu ...she pulled his cheeks and continued ..." Be a good Mamu and get that sweet smile of urs back ...becoz u might not have ur di ...but u have me , right ?? I will take care of u on behalf of my mumma and promise to be with u always ,happy ?? She smiled an innocent smile that filled his hearth with warmth .
He couldnt beleive his eyes , his angel was growing and surprisingly he didnt realise it till date , pulling Noor to himself he embraced her tightly in his arms ...smiling widely .
With her tiny hands she stroked her mamu's back .
Jodha watched every bit of the scene in adoration , she was awed by this Mama and bhanji . A sudden urge to capture this moment made Jodha fish out her mobile from her bag .
click ...flash ...
click click click...
The sound chimed in Jalal and Noor's ears which they choosed to ignore first ...but when they found the source of the sound they gasped agasht .
what the ???
clicking pictures from each and every angle possible Jodha looked up only to meet Jalal and Noor's horrified faces .
what ?? she asked biting back her chuckle .
"May we know what u r doing ?? ", Jalal asked to confirm her act .
Taking pics , obviously ...she replied casually when her eyes twinkled with a glint of mischeif .
" u know ...you Mama and Bhanji were looking so cute crying and hugging each other that i thought to save this moment forever ...and was wondering in between , what will be the responce to these pics on social networking sites if i post these there ?? ...u will be popular right ?? ...she uttered dreamingly as if visualising Noor and Jalal surrounded by paparazzi .
she squealed in escatasy fetching their raised brows in return .
" Really ?? ", the look on their faces was worth watching , it took her every ounce not to burst into laughter .
keeping up the same casual demeanor Jodha continued .
Dont u beleive me ,then see it urself ...she stretched out her hand to show them their pics which she clicked moments ago .
"Were u seriously thinking of posting them ??", Jalal growled in sheer disbelief , He was looking horrible to say the least .
Noor appi ...u cant post these pictures on ...so ...soc...socia .
.whatever site it is ...see im looking so bad .
"Exactly ., .he seconded her ... delete those pics right now Jodha or else ...he said in his supposedly warning tone .
Or else what Mr Jalal Mohmmad ??? she challeged him .
Or else ...he narrowed his eyes taking up the challenge ...taking slow steps ahead like a predator towards its prey Jalal tried to catch her .
Jodha's act unknowingly turned the gloomy environment into a blooming one .
She was quick enough to escape from Jalal ... stucking out her tongue Jodha ran towards the exit .
" Noor catch her ...he shouted at the top of his lungs ...and the Mama and bhanji ran behind her to save their so called image taht was now at stake .
Jodha ran in the whole house with Noor and Jalal chasing her ...she didnt actually intend to post their pictures online ...but would it be wrong if she teased this Mama and bhanji a little .
Their screams echoed in the whole house , Hamida who came out hearing their voices watched the trio's marathon in amazement .
The chase which once started on serious note ...now became much like a game ...they ran and laughed along making the sight for Hamida enticing .
After Jalal and Jodha's disperse Hamida shed tears at her helplessness... Jalal's tears face made her feel more and more guilty ...she wanted to tell him everything but then she knew she cant .
But now after finding him laughing with Jodha and Noor ,her heart rested in peace ...she smiled through her tears and pledged to make her family complete and happy like before .
Couple of minutes later little Noor gave up panting heavily and sat besides Hamida who now watched them running sitting on a couch .
Though tired to bits Jodha and Jalal continued the race leaving Noor and Hamida back in the hall.
After running around the whole Mansion Jodha was now back to Jalal's room ...she was literally exhausted by now , no doubt ...but then she loved this cat and mice race to the core .
Moreover Jalal's smiling face boosted up her energy whenever she decided to drop ...but right now she was badly running short of breath ...Counting upon her aching feet she decided to hide herself behind the cupboard for a while , oblivious to the pair of eyes that caught her hiding there .
He tiptoed to her from behind while she was busy filling her lungs with air ...Her pounding heratbeats hadnt settled down yet when a strong pull on her hand from behind made her practically jump out of her skin.
The impact was so much that Jodha lost her balance and fell towards him , her weight and momentum caught Jalal off balance and the duo ended up sprawled on the bed .
offf ...
Jodha had landed herself awkwardly on top of him with her hands wounded around his neck . It took her few seconds to get her breath back and when she did
...she found Jalal staring back at her with his face inches apart which reminded her of something similar months back .
Kanha ...she helplessly looked up at the ceiling as if waiting for some sort of divine intervention when she heard Jalal's voice .
"Umm , R u always this clumsy ,or you tend to fall upon me eveeytime , finding me alone??", ...hinting towards Noor's birthday party when they fixed themselves in similar situation Jalal winked with a wry smile playing on his lips .
And the Jallad was back ... she rolled her eyes inwardly wondering if this was the same man she was comforting just a while before , but then she felt glad too to see the old Jalal back .
Getting consious she felt her body hot pressed against him and his devilish smile was making her condition worse .
Giving him a 'Dont flatter urself ' look ,Jodha wriggled only to realise his hands which clasped her like a steel band .
His hard body felt so wonderful pressed against hers that he couldnt just let her move away from him .
His lips curved up into a teasing smirk looking at the way she was trying hard to get out of his grip .
"You dont seem to moving haan ?? ",he murmered with that signature smirk of his , pupils darkening against his brown irises .
Jodha found herself so lost in their depth that she didnt realise when she stopped wriggling ...heat rushed up to her cheeks while her heart did its usual job .
With only a hair width distance ...they could hear each others pulses beating in rhythm.
His eyes focussed on her lips while his hands tightened his grip around her waist securely ...taking a deep lazy breath he hushed in a low hoarse whisper .
Jodha ...
hmmm ?? she hmped staring at his captivated eyes .
"U r not planning to be in same position for lifetime ? R u ?", seeing her puzzled expressions he continued ... Not that i mind ,but doesnt it look ...wrong ?? Pointing towards the position they were in , Jalal grinned impishly with that known signature smirk of his which snapped Jodha back to reality and the heat of embarassment flooded through her body .
Ofcourse not Jalal ...shooting daggers at the teasing soul ,she levered herself using her elbows when she realised she was still in his arms ...she gritted her teeth irritatingly but maintained her calm ...but for that i need ur help ...she jested with a smile .
Now it was his turn to get puzzled
Help ?? As in ??
pointing at his hands that held her firmly she mused .
" oh yes , taking his hands back he helped her get up from him and sat on the bed feeling utterly awkward .
Straightining their dresses the now hesistant couple passed a whole minute stealing glances at each other when they finally remembered 'Aren't they dating ' ??
They both looked at each other at the same time , their lips started thinning first ,then curved up a little and the next moment the duo bursted into fits of laughter .
They realised they were actually behaving weird and to break the same Jalal chimed .
ummm coffeee ?? Jalal offered all of a sudden .
yeah sure !! if u r the to make it ...Jodha winked .
A small flashback scene played in Jalal's mind when he was somewhat around 17 , for the first time entered kitchen just to make a cup of coffee and ended up burning down the whole area ...he still wondered how he did that but however he did that , he decided never ever to step in kitchen again ...A shudder ran through his spine remembering the day .
Coming back to present he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile playing on his lips .
"Umm ,would u mind if i ask the house keepers to make it for us ? ..he asked uncertain making Jodha laugh again .
Forget it , let me make it this time ,ohk ??
she got up from the bed followed by Jalal who happily voluntered to show her the way to kitchen ...atleast he can do that without any damage ...right .
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It striked 6 in the clock ...
Noor on one hand skipped her tution classes and settled down to finish her homework in between praying her Allah to run the time quickly so that her study hours could end soon and she can spend the rest of the time with her Appi .
While Jalal on the other just wished the day not to end soon .
He watched her standing across the kitchen slab ,pouring milk into a bowl ,getting accquainted with kareem chacha and other maids in between she prepared two cups of coffee and a glass of milk for Noor .
He watched her each and every movement from a little far , shamelessly observing her doing her work sincerly Jalal felt like she belonged to be here , in this house . It was the sight he wanted to cherish forever .
With a widest smile playing on his lips ...he turned around to fresh up after messaging Jodha to meet her in Noor's room .
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Jalal stepped inside in all his glowry ,he has now changed into mint green t- shirt and sweat pants and the moment he came in he was amazed by the scene he beheld .
The two girls were laughing and talking like their was no tomorrow . Jalal 's eyes went large and smiled radiantly in adoration ...he wondered how and when Noor got so attached to Jodha ...but on second thought also knew its answer too ...after all he himself was trapped into Jodha' s spell , wasnt he ?
He quietly took his cup of hot beverage and trekked to the balcony when Noor was excitedly showing the sketches made by her ...she also showed her ,her recent sketch which was damaged by Rukkaiya but fixed by Jalal thereafter . Noor also mentioned Jalal's promise ...
"I wont let Jodha apart from u , neither from this family picture nor from our lives ".
Jodha's heart filled with pride , she was happy that Noor and Jalal already included her in their flock long back , Hamida also loved her and now it was only Bairam khan who was left ...whom she was sure Jalal will manage . All in all she knew, she soon will be a part of this wonderful family one day .
she fondly kissed Noor's forehead and craned her head towards Jalal who looked absolutely stunning in his casual avatar .
His broad shoulders , narrow waist enunciated by the mint green t shirt that fitted him in all the right places made her swoon over him unknowingly .
Gulping down the urge to run her hands through his messy hair , Jodha padded towards him when Noor left for washroom ...
The dying embers of the sun gave out the red glow to the slightly clouded sky making it look more beautiful .
sipping on his coffee he was so lost in his thoughts that he didnt realise when Jodha came and stood by his side .
so , how is it ??
Her voice brought him back to present , sparing a glance to the gorgeous lady who looked more enchanting owing to the soft red glow that fell on her face coming from sun ,Jalal asked .
what ?? Coffee ??
Nope , not the coffee , but the thing that caught ur eyes ...u r looking at it as if ur life depends on it ...she pouted getting less attention from him .
It made him chuckle to see her acting like a jealous girlfriend ...
It always feel nice to see sky from here ,a sight worth watching from which i cant take off my eyes ...just the way i cant take off my eyes from ...
From ?? she urged him to finish
Aah ...leave it ...shifting his gaze back to the sky he smiled inwardly watching Jodha pout from the corner of his eyes .
Waise ...he paused momentarily building up the excitement in her which soon died after hearing the remaining words .
i wasnt watching the sky right now ...infact i was thinking about Noor ...he said still looking at the sky .
Noor ?? Taken aback ...Jodha looked at him to unfold further .
U wont beleive me but today i actually saw Di's reflection in her ...i always knew Noor is exact carbon copy of my Di but today ,its proved .
My di was always there to cheer me up when ever i felt low , Just like noor did today ...she wiped my tears and rubbed my back as if i was a small kid ...he chuckled remembering the scene ...tears welled in his eyes again which she didnt like a bit of it .
Oh not again ...She liked him smiling always , thus she did what was ordered by her mind .
Jo ...jo stop ...what r u doing ??
she acted deaf and continued her work seriously .
Jo st...o...p ...tickl...ing or ...all his words were thrown out of the window as she cared least about them .
with no option left Jalal caught jold of her hands and tugged them behind behind and pulled her closer to him making Jodha gasp in shock .
Time to taste ur own medicine ... he said devilishly when Jodha screamed ...Jalal no ...u wont do that ...? U r good boy right ? what will Noor think of us ...she tried changing his mind but Jalal paid no heed to her words.
Trying to hold her both hand with his one hand ...Jalal loosened his grip and extended his hand towards her stomach when Jodha bit his shoulder lightly .
He was about to scream when Jodha heard the knob sound indicating Noor's entry .
she quickly shut his mouth by placing her hand , finding him calm Jodha was about to take back her hand when Jalal held it back and kissed her palm , surprised by his sudden gesture for a moment , she smacked his hand while the other moment her cheeks turned into delicious shade of pink .
They stood their lost for few seconds when her mobile buzzed...time flashed 7 o clock ...its high time she start for home now .
umm Jalal ...i have to leave now ...
.she said in a low voice genuienly feeling bad at the thought of leaving him .
Dont go , plsss, he mumbled holding her hands .
u know i cant stay here for longer right ??
Hmmm...breathing a deep sigh he gave up ...
fine let me drop u then ...he stated which sounded more like an order shutting down her all the chances to protest.
*****************
He parked his car a little away from Jodha's house as instructed by Jodha .
Earlier it was Moti's message that said her bhaisa was back home and was asking for her ...she couldnt risk him catching her with Jalal thus she asked Jalal to park his car at a distance but she couldnt refuse when Jalal insisted to accompany her till door .
It was risky though but she took the chance .
They walked through the lanes with everyone's eyes on them ...making the duo feel out of the world ... she preapred herself in mind , if any familiar person come across their way. ..she will simply tell ...he was her friend's brother and came to drop her ...but luckily she found none .
Exhaling a sigh of relief she entered the gate with Jalal ...when their pace halted in the garden area ...bringing back the memories of last night .
Jalal scratched the back of his head feeling little embarassed for previous night ...not that he regretted but then breaking down into a girls house that too late night sounded creepy even to himself .
Jo chuckled at his flushed face ...So sir finally realised what he did last night eh ? u dint even thought once what could be the consequences , right ???
she asked crossing her arms across her chest masked by a fake angry face .
Im sorry ...he cutely held his ears and apologised . I know my approach was wrong but my intentions were absolutely clear ...and u know that ...dont u ??
"Besides ...if i had missed that golden chance of meeting u last night" , he inched closer holding her hands , "we wouldnt have been seen standing here together today .
" Have u ever realised what all i had to go through ??
suddenly the playfulness in his voice vanished , substituted by a deep voice that carried loads of emotions .
I was trying hard to clear everything ...i wanted to convince you that what ever was happening wasn't according to my wish ...
He closed in more...and whisper yelled placing her hand on his heart...it hurted me right here when u were avoiding me , i was dying to get a glimpse of u ...and when i got ...it felt wonderful right at the same place .
I missed ur smile , i missed ur voice , i missed ur happy cheerful face and i ...He couldnt say more as the huge lump occupied his
throat .
She never realised that unknowingly she hurted him this much ...she wanted to make it up for him ...
she kept staring at him with teary eyes ...suddendly she felt responsible for all his pain .
I ...I ...m ... sorry Jalal ...im so sorry , she hugged him tightly leaving no space between them ...pouring all her emotions she held him closely leaving Jalal baffled .
Ohk ...agreed he just went possibly overboard ...but he never meant to get tears in her eyes ...damn him ...he cursed himself for not controlling his emotions .
The one best thing about this whole scene was ofcourse Jodha's unexpected hug which made him dance in esctasy .
Hugging her back with equal fervor Jalal even forgot that they were standing outside Jodha's house ... soon realising the fact Jalal composed himself ...he smiled and looked at her fervently .
Tugging the hair strand behind her ear he wiped those precious droplets ...Hey ...i got my girl back ,right ...no need to waste these pearls now ...pls ...he lovingly said and looked into some other direction thereafter .
By the way ... is that ur bhaisa standing at the window watching us ??
What ?? It took her a minute to register what he said just now and when she did ,her face turned horrified .
Looking into the direction where his finger pointed she blinked away the leftover tears to get a clear vision but couldnt see anything like he said .
Utterly confused she moved her half way to face Jalal when she felt something wet on her cheek .
Her eyes went wide and mouth flung open when she realised what it was ...his lips !!
Good night sweetheart ...he said and turned back on his heels without waiting to see her response ...coz he could actually pictuarize her reaction ...a shocked face with wide opened eyes and a hand on her cheek ,yes that's how she exactly looked .
A smile spread on his lips ...as he stepped the first phase of his new Journey .
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...here's the new chapter girls ..hope u liked it 😊
Arjun
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