Fatima's Cozy Corner 3 - Final Update on Pg 114 :) - Page 25

Originally posted by: AASUS

❤️
Meet anniversary coming - party time almost well almost 🤡 Fatima do you have any sneak peek for anniv. 😎

Originally posted by: AASUS

Fatima r u avail now ? can i send pm - hv question need answer asap

Originally posted by: Fatima_Q

Yes 😛

Chapter 33 - A Weekend in Ambala

It was very early in the morning, when Preet stepped out of the house carrying Chahat in his arms. "Come on Munchkin, in you go," he said, as he helped the sleepy little girl into the van with the other kids and buckled her in.

"Why did we have to get up so early?" whined Chahat. "Barbie and I can barely keep our eyes open." She held up her doll for Preet to see. "See, she's still very sleepy."

"Silly girl," laughed Vikas. "Barbies always have their eyes painted wide open."

"So what," argued Chahat. "Mommy said fish sleep with their eyes open, so why can't Barbie?"

"Okay guys, let's not argue here," sighed Preet. "I know it's early, but we want to get to Ambala as soon as possible and enjoy a fun day together. You can sleep on the ride over if you need to."

"Mamu aren't you going to come to the farm with us too?" asked Tanu.

"Of course I am princess," smiled Preet. "But the van is already full with you guys and your parents so your Veera bua and I are going to take the other car. We'll meet up at the farm and then we'll do all sorts of fun farm type things together."

"Like ride horses?" asked Vikas. "Or how about a sack race?"

"Maybe," smiled Preet.

"I want to milk a cow," said Chahat.

"What if the cow kicks you in the head?" chuckled Ketan. "Or what if it poops on you?"

"It won't," Chahat said adamantly. "Meher Maasi is very nice, so I'm sure her cow will be nice too."

"I agree with Chahat," said Preet.

"About Meher Maasi or the cow?" teased Tanu.

"Both smarty pants," Preet shot back as he ruffled the little girl's bangs.

Just then Prem, Heer, and Kulraj joined them.

"All set?" asked Prem as he added some small bags in the trunk.

"How long before we get there?" whined Ketan.

"Hai Rabba! We haven't even started and this boy is already complaining," sighed Kulraj. She handed each child a small backpack. "Okay, your bags each have juice, snacks, video games, coloring books, paper and crayons. Enough stuff to keep you busy for two and a half hours. Does anyone have to go to the bathroom again?"

"No," the children shook their heads in unison.

"Good. Feel free to fall asleep, and we'll wake you up when we get to the farm," chuckled Kulraj, as she got in and buckled her seat belt.

"If everybody is ready, we'll head out now," Prem said as he took his place in the driver's seat. "Preet, we'll see you in Ambala."

"Don't be long," added Heer. "And don't speed!"

"I won't," smiled Preet. "I'll leave as soon as Veera is ready."

Preet stepped back and watched the van pull away then checked the time on his watch. What was taking Veera so long? As if on cue, she came out of the house, carrying an overnight case in one hand and a picnic basket in the other.

"Hey Bhaiya, give me a hand will you?" she said.

"What's all this?" asked Preet.

"A change of clothes, make-up, toiletries, you know the usual girl stuff. Oh and I packed some picnic items I thought everyone would like," Veera smiled as her brother put her things in the car. "Where's your bag?"

Preet pulled out a toothbrush from his pocket. "I'm a guy, this is all the stuff I need," he said. "Now hurry up and get in the car. We're going to be late."

"For what?" asked Veera. "It's not like we have to catch a plane or something."

"I know," sighed Preet. "But I want to get to Ambala as soon as possible...before..."

"Before what?" asked Veera.

Before Viren, thought Preet. "Before...uh...before the kids start driving Heer Bhabi and Kul Di crazy," he said. "I promised them we'd do fun stuff together and I don't want to disappoint them. Besides, what's the point of spending the weekend in Ambala if we're not going to spend as much time there as possible?"

"And what's the point of getting there before everyone else?" asked Veera.

"We won't. Meher wanted to get her place ready so she left last night with Gaurav and Sam," explained Preet. "Ashlesha's picking up Viren. PB, Heer Bhabi and Kul Di have all left even though they had 4 kids to get ready. Me...I have just you, and we still haven't hit the road yet. Nihal is waiting for us to pick him up too, so come on."

"You just want to see Meher real bad don't you?" teased Veera, as she got into the car.

Preet threw her an annoyed look, then pulled the car out of the driveway.

"It's okay, I know how you feel about her. It's really too bad things didn't work out between you 2 though. I guess somethings just aren't meant to be," Veera shrugged her shoulders.

"Meant to be my foot!" cried Preet. "It's all old Chandni's fault. He didn't think twice before turning my life into one of his stupid business deals."

"Bauji pushed you into a corner, but what about Meher?" asked Veera. "Why is she getting married to Viren. She doesn't really seem to be fond of the guy."

"Let's just say she got cornered into something she didn't really want either," sighed Preet.

"You know, I'm surprised we're even going through with this weekend get together, considering what happened," said Veera.

"Why, what happened?" asked Preet.

"Come on Bhaiya, it's not like you don't remember," said Veera. "Meher kissed you...right in front of everyone."

"Oh...that," said Preet.

"I mean, I know it was a mistake...," continued Veera.

"Hey...a kiss is still a kiss," countered Preet.

"Maybe...," said Veera. "In any case, Viren didn't seem too pleased about it. In fact, he didn't say another word and left soon right after it happened."

"Yeah well, no one was interested in anything he had to say anyway," Preet said sarcastically. Just then his phone rang. It was Viren. "Ha! Speak of the devil!" He put his phone to his ear. "Hey Viru, what's up?"

"It's Viren, Preet. Viren," Viren corrected him.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," said Preet. "What do you want? I mean, I'm driving, so make it quick."

"I just wanted to let you know that Ash and I won't get to Ambala until later this evening," sighed Viren.

"What!" Preet cried excitedly. "That's gre...I mean...that's really too bad."

"I...uh...had a scheduling conflict come up," explain Viren.

"Hey that's alright man, don't stress," grinned Preet. "In fact, it's okay if you can't make it at all."

"You wish," Viren muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Preet.

"Nothing...I...uh...I was trying to reach Meher, but she wasn't answering," said Viren. "Ash was saying they don't really have good signals out at the farm, so I was hoping you could tell her I was sorry and that we'd be there as soon as possible."

"Sure," said Preet. "I'll definitely tell her. Oh and Viren...take your time."

Meanwhile...

Viren was seated opposite Ashlesha in a small cafe. He frowned as he put his phone away.

"So? Why the long face?" asked Ashlesha. "What did he say?"

"Exacly what I expected him to say," frowned Viren. "That I should take my time or not bother coming at all. I tell you Ash...there's something going on between him and Meher. He kissed her for God's sake!"

"He didn't kiss her, she kissed him," Ashlesha corrected him. "Meher told you it was an accident, didn't she?"

"Yes...but...," said Viren.

"And she clarified the matter with me too," continued Ashelsha. "She was excited about Heer Bhabi's news, and was giving all of Preet's sisters kisses on their cheeks. He happened to be standing in line with them and she just didn't stop in time. Seems plausible enough, so stop with your daily soap inspired conspiracy theories. There is nothing going on between Preet and Meher."

"Then why does Preet treat me the way he does? He's had it in for me ever since the first day we met," complained Viren. "He can't even ever get my name right. Viru! Chaddi! He does that on purpose you know."

"Does he?" chuckled Ashlesha. "He does have this unique, wicked sense of humor. You just have to get used to it."

"Yeah, well, whatever it is, I don't like it," said Viren.

"I didn't say you had to like it," said Ashlesha. "Just ignore him if it bothers you so much."

"I can't!" cried Viren. "And...what about the way he looks at Meher?"

"How does he look at Meher?" Ashlesha asked him with narrowing eyes. "I've never noticed anything out of the ordinary."

"Maybe that's because you don't care," said Viren.

"I don't care, because I know Meher," said Ashlesha. "She's one of those goody-two-shoes girls, you can trust completely."

"It's not Meher I'm worried about," grumbled Viren.

"You don't have to worry about Preet either," smiled Ashlesha. "Mom and dad have his desperate little family wrapped so tightly around their fingers that they've already sold him off to the highest bidder. He'll never get out from under his obligation to his family. Trust me. Now...I don't know about you, but I take no joy in going to that stupid farm Meher loves so much. We have to show up for appearances sake, but you and I both know the real reason we're going to be late. You go and do what you have to do and I'll go do what I have to do and we'll meet back here as soon as possible."

A few hours later...

Sam and Gaurav walked out onto the roof of farmhouse, and instructed some men where to place several charpayees (cots).

"So, you ready to sleep out here in the open tonight, with the rest of the boys?" Sam teased Gaurav.

"It's not the boys, but the mosquitoes I'm more worried about," sighed Gaurav. "I'm like a dust magnet for them." He made a swatting motion in the air with his hands. "I guess I have naturally sweet blood or something."

"Yeah right," laughed Sam. "In any case, you don't have to worry. We'll put a mosquito coil near your bed." She glanced over to where Meher stood in one corner. "Listen Gaurav, please help these guys finish setting up here. I need to go talk to Meher."

Gaurav nodded. Sam slowly walked over to her friend and watched her wring her hands nervously as she anxiously looked out in the distance for any sign of her guests.

"Hey, we made good time," said Sam. "Everything is ready, just like you wanted."

"Hmm," Meher said absentmindedly.

"Meher don't worry," Sam put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Everyone will be here, and we'll all have a good time."

"What if Viren doesn't come?" Meher asked worriedly. "What if he's still upset about what happened at the dinner party?"

"Meher, that was an accident," said Sam. "And if he couldn't see that, then he's really not worth bothering with."

"You don't understand Sam," Meher shook her head. "We haven't had a chance to speak much since the dinner party. He said he was okay about what happened, but it didn't really sound that way from his tone of voice. I can't afford to have Viren back out on our marriage because of some misunderstanding. What would my parents say if they found out? So much is riding on this...as long as Viren is there...Preet will have to..."

"Marry Ash?" Sam finished her sentence. "Meher if you really believe that, then you really don't know Preet at all. It's so obvious that he's in love with you."

"And I wish for God's sake that he would stop making it so obvious!" cried Meher. "Oh look, I see some cars. Let's go down."

Moments later...

Meher, Sam, and Gaurav, stood at the edge of the field, ready to greet the newly arrived visitors. Meher's face fell as 2 cars pulled up and only the Juneja family and Nihal stepped out.

"Hi guys!" smiled Gaurav. "Glad you made it! How was the ride over?"

"The kids slept most of the way, so we could enjoy ourselves for a change," chuckled Kulraj. "You have some beautiful countryside out here Meher."

"Thanks Kulraj Didi," smiled Meher. "Um...where are Viren and Ashlesha?"

"He's not coming," scowled Preet.

"He means, they're going to be a little late," Veera corrected him. "Viren called, and said he was still juggling a few things around in his schedule. He and Ash will be here as soon as they can. He tried to call you, but couldn't get through."

"Oh," Meher sighed in relief. "Yeah, the signals aren't exactly the best out here. And since we no longer live here, we had the landline cut."

"And his loss is our gain...," added Preet. He watched the children pour out of the van. "I mean...the kids...they were looking forward to this visit, so...let's get started."

"Right," Meher smiled. She held her arms out for the children and they all ran towards her. "I am so happy to see everyone. Thank you so much for coming out here. You guys must be glad to get out of the car after the long drive. There is plenty of space here to stretch yourself out. The cars can't go all the way up to the house, so we'll have to walk from here. I'll take you all inside and you can get freshened up and then I'll show you around the farm."

"Yeah!" the children shouted in unison.

"Last one to the house is a rotten egg!" cried Ketan. He made a dash for the house, and the rest of the children ran after him.

"I hope you know what you're in for Meher," chuckled Kulraj, as she and the rest of the adults headed into the house.

Preet was about to go too, when Meher stopped him. "Ek minute Preet," she said. "Please tell me you didn't have anything to do with Viren and Ashlesha not being able to join us this morning."

"I wish I did," Preet mumbled under his breath.

Meher's mouth fell open. "What did you say?"

"I...uh...I said It's not my fault your fiance had a problem with his schedule," said Preet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going inside. My bladder is about to burst."

A short while later...

Meher walked out of the farmhouse, looked around and smiled. The farm hadn't changed much from the last time she had been here, but seeing it through the eyes of the children made it seem new all over again. As if on cue, she heard their laughter in the distance.

"Hey Meher Maasi! We're back from our walk!" cried Tanu, as she and the rest of her cousins ran towards her.

"Wonderful!" smiled Meher. "So...how did you like the farm?"

"It's nice!" smiled Chahat.

"It's big too!" said Vikas.

"I thought you said this place wasn't being kept up," said Preet. "I wasn't expecting anything to be growing out here. But you've got some cultivation going on the West side."

"That's our neighbor's hard work," explained Meher. "He looks after our animals in our absence. Papa Ji recently agreed to let him plant crops in return for a portion of the profits from the harvest. It's good for the land and for us."

"You've got a row of mango trees on one side too," Nihal pointed out.

"Yes," smiled Meher. "Ambala is known for its mangoes. I'll be sure to have some packed for you guys to take back with you."

"Take back with us?" Said Veera. "You're not coming back to Delhi? What about my wedding?"

"That's right Meher," agreed Preet. "What about Veera's wedding? You're not really going to go back to Ludhiana are you?"

"Wasn't that the idea?" asked Meher. "You yourself said Ambala is midway between Delhi and Ludhiana."

"Yes, but I didn't mean...," said Preet.

"Hey, how about if we climb the trees and get the mangoes ourselves?" Ketan interrupted him.

"Woah guys! Aren't you tired from the walk?" asked Prem.

"No!" Chahat shook her head. "Meher Maasi, we want to do something else!"

"Prem Ji, why don't you all go inside the house, and I'll take care of the kids," offered Meher. "Heer Didi and Kulraj Didi were waiting for you to get back. They have some refreshments ready for you too."

"Thanks Meher," smiled Prem. "But are you sure you'll be able to manage these 4 by yourself?"

"Don't worry PB, main hoon na," Preet grinned at Meher. "I'll help her manage the kids."

Oh great! frowned Meher. I was trying to avoid him and instead wound up giving him the perfect excuse to spend time with me. Oh well...he'll behave with the kids there...at least...I hope he will.

Preet smiled as if reading her thoughts. Seeking to put her mind at ease, he forced himself to look beyond her to the beauty of the wide open space of the farm, and took a deep breath. "It sure is nice out here," he remarked.

"Yes, but what are we going to do?" Chahat spoke up.

"We're...uh...we're going to meet some of the animals on the farm," said Meher. "Would you like that?"

"Yes!" the children cried out excitedly.

Meher led everyone to a small fenced in enclosure behind the house. There were some chickens walking around in it. "Let's see if these girls have any eggs for us today?" said Meher. She opened the door to the enclosure so the children and Preet could step inside, then closed it behind her. Ketan and Vikas immediately began running after some chickens and tried to pick them up. The birds scurried about in fright. "No boys!" said Meher. "You musn't frighten the chickens. And no grabbing their tails."

"Yeah...or they won't give us any eggs," said Chahat.

"Right," laughed Meher. She picked up an empty basket with some plain straw padding in it and handed it to Chahat. Then she picked up a small bucket with feed in it. She took some of the feed in her hand and then handed the bucket to Vikas. "Ketan, Vikas and Tanu, I want you guys to feed the chickens...like this." She demonstrated to the children how to draw the birds' attention and scatter the feed around for them to peck on. "This will keep them busy while Preet, Chahat and I quickly collect the eggs."

"I want to hold the bucket!" cried Ketan.

"No, she gave it to me!" protested Vikas.

"All 3 of you can take turns holding the bucket," sighed Meher. "Now come on, show me if you can feed the chickens like I did."

The 3 children quickly got to work. Meher then led Preet and Chahat to the nesting area. Some of the hens had gotten up to go after the feed, but a few remained asleep on their nests.

"It smells in here," complained Chahat.

"Yeah...and not exactly in a good way," added Preet.

"Don't worry, we'll get done really fast," said Meher. She took Chahat to the empty nests and showed her how to fish out the eggs hidden inside. The little girl jumped in delight when she found her first egg, then carefully placed it in her basket.

Preet on the other hand was left to fetch the eggs from the nests where the hens still sat. He rolled up his sleeves, cleared his throat and took a cautious step towards the birds, but they did little except look up at him suspiciously. "Hi ladies," he smiled taking another step towards the nests. "I know we've only just met...but...uh...I need your...eggs." As he stretched a hand out, a hen suddenly began flapping her wings and clucked loudly startling him. "Jeez!" he cried holding his hand to his heart. "She...she almost gave me a heart attack!"

"You're so silly mamoo," laughed Chahat.

Meher too giggled at his antics. "Oh come on Preet, it's not as difficult as it looks." She walked over to the hen he was standing in front of clicked her tongue and in an instant scooped her up and put her outside to get some feed. She then proceeded to do the same with the other 2 birds in the coop. "There...the coast is all clear now. You can look for the eggs."

Chahat came up to one of the nests and fished out 3 more eggs and added them to her basket.

"I can't find any," Preet complained.

"You have to dig deep Preet," said Meher, as she came and stood next to him. She stuck her hands into the straw in the nest. "Sometimes they're buried deep in the straw, or off in a corner."

Preet nodded and put his hand into the nest and did as Meher was instructing him to do. Instead of an egg, he felt her soft palm against his hand and immediately intertwined his fingers with his.

Meher gasped and looked up at him.

"Did you find something Mamoo?" asked Chahat.

"I sure did," grinned Preet.

"Preet Juneja...," Meher hissed under her breath. "You let go of my hand right now or I'll..."

Preet smiled as she struggled to release her hand from his grip. He loved flirting with her. Even the tiniest action on his part caused her to become flustered. Just as she was now. He was tempted to hold onto her hand a little longer, then decided against it. The kids were around and it would only make her mad. Besides, they had the whole weekend to spend together.

"I think we're done here," said Meher, as Preet let her go.

A short while later...

Meher led Preet and the children to an old barn. Inside to the left, were 4 beautiful horses. They snickered as the small group got close to them.

"Hey guys," Meher smiled as she walked up to the horses, and patted each one lovingly. "How have you been? I want you to meet some friends of mine. This is Vikas, Ketan, Tanu, and little Chahat."

"And Preet," added Preet. "You forgot to tell them about me." He smiled to himself when she ignored him.

"And these are my horses...," continued Meher. "The black one is Badal, the white one is Bahadur, and the brown ones are Raj and Simran."

"Raj and Simran? You mean as in the Raj and Simran from DDLJ?" chuckled Preet.

"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" frowned Meher.

"No...," laughed Preet. "It's just that...we suddenly went from dramatic names like Badal and Bahadur to Raj and Simran...so..."

"So?" said Meher. "I like DDLJ. DDLJ is my favorite movie!"

"Okay...okay...," sighed Preet, as he put his hands up in defense.

"Can we ride the horses?" asked Tanu, as she picked up some hay and offered it to one of them.

"Yes, in a little while," said Meher. "I've asked my neighbor to have someone come over to saddle them up. In the mean time, let me introduce you to my cows. She led everyone over to the other side of the barn. She pointed to the 2 cows one by one. "This is Chikni and this is Chamaili."

"All we're missing is Sheila and her jawani," laughed Preet.

Meher only glared at him, then turned to the children. "Since we're here, we may as well milk the cows," she suggested. "Would you kids like to see how it's done?"

"Yes!" the kids grinned.

"Good," smiled Meher. "Your uncle can help."

"Me?" Preet asked in surprise.

"Yes you," said Meher. "We'll break up into 2 teams. Boys versus girls. Let's see who can get more milk in their pail."

There was a large barrel full of water on one side. Meher uncovered it and use a small cup hanging on its side to wash her hands, then motioned for Preet to do the same, before handing him a small metal pail.

"Come on Mamoo, you can do it!" Ketan said encouragingly.

"Yeah, you can't let the girls win!" added Vikas.

Preet gulped. He had never milked a cow before, let alone do it in front of anyone. The last thing he wanted to do was look like a fool in front of his nephews and nieces...or Meher. She did have the hometown advantage, but so what. How difficult could milking a cow be? He would just copy whatever Meher was doing.

"Hi cow," Preet spoke softly as he walked up to Chikni. "There there...you're a nice cow aren't you? We're going to be good friends." He gently pet Chikni's face then set up his stool next to her. She turned her head and looked at him warily, and shifted her weight as he reached out for her udder. "Whoa there girl, I'm not going to hurt you and hopefully you aren't going to hurt me either. Right? Please..."

Meher and the girls giggled.

Preet could hear the whish-whish sound of milk already pouring into Meher's bucket. He pulled his stool closer to his cow and placed the bucket between his knees. He reached out for the cow's udder again and began to milk her. To his surprise small spurts of milk began landing in his bucket. "There...you see that...I told you...it's a piece of cake..." He winked at his nephews. "There's nothing to this at all. We'll take over the girls in no time...and then we'll..."

He hadn't finished his sentence when there was a...Swat! Preet felt himself falling backward. His face was all wet and stingy. It took him a moment to realize what had happened. That stupid cow had just swatted him with her tail, which was matted and full of burrs! Chikni mooed and moved again. "Ugh!" He cried as the bucket came flying at him and hit him on his thigh, spilling milk everywhere. Stupid cow! She had not only swatted him, but she had tried to kick him too!

Meher and the girls came rushing to his side. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes," sighed Preet. His pride was hurt more than he was.

Meher and the children looked at each other then burst out laughing.

"Okay guys, we really shouldn't laugh. After all, it's not everyday that your Preet Mamoo milks a cow," chuckled Meher. She handed her bucket full of milk to Vikas. "Now I want you all to take this inside and give it to Sam, and then go wash up so you can go for your horse ride."

She waited until the children left, before walking over to where Preet sat pulling straw out of his hair. "Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Serves you right Preet Juneja."

"For what?" asked Preet.

"For grabbing my hand earlier," Meher reminded him.

"Oh I see," frowned Preet. "So you deliberately set me up for a fall with your evil cow, just because I held your hand?"

"No...that was just my good luck," retorted Meher. She held out her hand to him in order to help him get up.

Preet took her offer of help. Then in the blink of an eye, latched his hand around her wrist and yanked her down making her land right on top of him. His hands quickly moved down her back pressing her closer to him. "I guess this is just my good luck too then," he whispered into her ear.

For a moment, Meher was lost in those mischief filled brown eyes of his, then shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Let me go!" she cried as she struggled to free herself from his grip.

"God, I hate it when you say that!" sighed Preet.

"Tum...tum kitne besharam ho gaye ho Preet (How shameless you have become)!" cried Meher. "The children will be back any minute now. Let me go!"

Preet smiled then reluctantly did as she requested. "You know Meher...," he said, as they both got up and dusted off their clothes. "...whoever is writing our story keeps throwing us in together. You can keep on denying it, but we're meant to be...you and I..."

"There is no you and I Preet!" Meher spat back. "And there never will be."

"Of course there will be," argued Preet. "Just as soon as you stop denying your feeling for me and dump that stupid excuse for a fiance you have."

"Uff! You're impossible!" cried Meher. "Just...just stay away from me!"

Preet watched her back away from him and run out of the barn. "I'm afraid that's easier said than done Meher," he sighed. "Easier said than done."

Later that afternoon...

Sam, Gaurav, Meher, Nihal and the Juneja clan walked out onto to a green meadow. It was a beautiful sunny day just perfect for their picnic. They chose a nice spot under a thick old tree, and began to lay out the things they had brought with them. Chahat and Tanu started to pick wild flowers, while Ketan and Vikas started running around the tree.

Kulraj and Veera spread out 2 large blankets for everyone to sit on, but the little boys ran over them messing them up.

"Hai Rabba! Will someone please do something about these 2?" cried Kulraj.

"Don't worry Kul Di," said Preet. "I got this covered." He picked up a Frisbee and called his nephews to him. They were soon busy laughing and playing with him.

"What can I do to help guys?" asked Heer, as Gaurav set up a folding table near the tree.

"Nothing Heer Didi," both Sam and Meher said in unison.

"But...," said Heer.

"No buts Didi," insisted Meher. "You're our guest and you are not allowed to do anything."

"Except eat, rest and take care of the baby," giggled Sam.

Just then, the Frisbee landed near them. Meher looked back at Preet and frowned. He waved his hand and smiled apologetically.

"I got it!" cried Gaurav. He tossed the Frisbee back to Preet, and left to join him and the boys in the game.

Meher shook her head, then she and Sam took the coolers that Prem and Nihal brought over to the table and began to set up their table for serving lunch.

Veera joined them and poured out drinks, while Sam scooped out macaroni salad onto disposable plates. Meher got herself ready with a basket full of sandwiches and small bags of chips.

"Lunch is ready! Come and get it!" she cried.

One by one everyone came and took their lunches from the girls, then found a place to relax and eat on the blanket. Everyone had been served except Preet. The Frisbee was lost and he had gone in search of it.

"Um...you guys go and eat," Meher said to Sam and Veera. "I'll take care of the table."

The girls happily agreed, took their plates and went to eat.

Meher heard her stomach growl. She was hungry, and wanted to eat, but had to wait for Preet. He was after all her guest. She had kept her distance from him since this morning's incident in the barn, and now when she wanted him to show up he was no where to be seen. Uff! Where was he? Just then, she saw him heading her way. She took a deep breath and decided to keep her eyes focused on her work. I'm just going to ignore him. I'm not even going to look at him. As he approached the food table, she placed a plate with macaroni salad for him to take. She then held out a sandwich for him, while pretending to look for a bag of chips in the picnic basket. She gasped as she felt his fingers brush against hers as he took the sandwich. She was sure he did that on purpose, but still did not look up at him. I'm not going to let him get to me! She reminded herself. I'm just not!

Preet could see Meher was trying to ignore him, but he wasn't going to let her succeed. When she handed him the bag of chips, he grabbed her hand and the chips at the same time, crushing the small packet between their fingers.

Meher looked up at him angrily. "What is wrong with you?" she hissed.

"Sorry," grinned Preet. "It's hard to see what you're doing when you're not looking." Meher tried to pull her hand away but he refused to let go. "Thanks for the sandwich and chips."

"You're welcome," she said curtly. "Now, can I have my hand back?"

"I'll have to think about that one," grinned Preet.

Meher pinched the skin on the back of his hand, and he let her go with a tiny yelp.

Just then Tanu ran up to them. "Can I have some more chips?" she asked.

"Sure, sweety," smiled Meher.

"How come she gets a smile and I don't?" asked Preet.

"Because she...because I...," stammered Meher.

"Because you're not in love with her?" said Preet.

"Stop saying that!" hissed Meher. "Someone will hear you! And...I...I'm not in love with you!"

Preet shrugged his shoulders and walked away with his lunch.

Uff! Thought Meher. Why did she let herself get so nervous around him?

Later...

Meher sat on one side of the large tree with the other girls, nibbling on a chip. She watched Kulraj refill everyone's drinks. Preet was sitting sprawled on the grass just a few yards away, talking and laughing with the other guys.

Meanwhile, Ketan and Vikas had found a caterpillar and were taking turns letting it crawl over their hands. Chahat and Tanu came to see the little insect too, and ran away squealing when it was brought too close to them.

"Ha! Ha! Girls are scaredy cats!" cried Vikas.

"Hey guys, that's not cool," said Preet. He immediately got up and walked over to his nephews. "Let me see what you've got there."

Vikas handed him the caterpillar.

"Aw...that's nothing to be afraid of," said Preet. He motioned for Chahat and Tanu to come closer. "In fact, it kind of tickles when it walks on your hand." He gently placed the caterpillar in Tanu's hand. "And before you know it, this little fella will turn itself into a beautiful butterfly."

"Really Chachu?" asked Chahat.

"Really," smiled Preet.

"I want to hold it before it turns into a butterfly too," said Chahat.

Preet sure had a way with kids, Meher thought admiringly. His demeanor with his family was one of the things she loved most about him. Wait a minute! Why was she thinking about him, when she was supposed to ignore him?

Meher tried to interest herself in the conversation the rest of the ladies were having, but couldn't. Veera was busy chatting away about her wedding, which was just a week away. Meher glanced back in Preet's direction, and he caught her looking at him. Damn! She thought. She swore she wouldn't look his way again, however, she couldn't help but be drawn to his deep voice or his contagious laughter. He caught her looking at him again and grinned. Uff! Why hadn't she brought a book or something to hide behind?

Just then, Tanu and Chahat ran up to Kulraj and showed her the caterpillar, and asked her to come with them to release it in the field where it wouldn't be crushed. Nihal walked up to Veera and asked her to go for a walk with him. Gaurav and Prem also came over and took Sam and Heer away for a walk. Meher was left by herself. She decided to busy herself up with cleaning the picnic sight. She had just begun to collect the used disposables, when the Frisbee landed near her feet.

"Do you want to play?" Preet asked, as he ran up to retrieve it.

No, I shouldn't," said Meher. "I mean, I have to clean up."

Preet threw the Frisbee back to his nephews then picked up some used napkins. "I'll help you."

"No, it's okay, I can manage," said Meher.

"Why are you treating me this way?" asked Preet.

"Like what?" asked Meher, as she and Preet both reached for the same plate. She tugged at it trying to take it from his hand, but he held onto it firmly.

"Ignoring me...avoiding me...like I have the plague or something?" said Preet.

"I'm not," lied Meher. Okay she was, but she wouldn't admit it to him. "It's just that...you ...me...whatever it is you're trying to do...what happened this morning...what happened at the dinner party...I...I just don't need any complications..."

"You're the only one who is making things complicated Meher," said Preet. "I'm very clear about my feelings for you."

"Viren...and Ashlesha...," stammered Meher.

"Why did you have to bring those 2 up?" frowned Preet.

"No...," Meher pointed behind him. "I mean...Viren and Ashlesha...they're here."

Preet's mood changed immediately as he turned around to see the duo heading in their direction.

"Hi Preet! Miss me?" Ashlesha asked as she ran up to him and gave him a hug.

"Like I miss my dentist," Preet mumbled under his breath.

"What?" said Ashlesha.

"Uh...nothing," lied Preet. He glanced over at Viren. "I thought you had a scheduling problem."

"I did," nodded Viren. "But I wrapped up everything and got here as soon as I could." He put his arm around Meher and pulled her into a side hug. "Didn't want to leave this pretty lady alone for too long."

"She wasn't alone," Preet pointed out.

"I can see that," said Viren. "You always manage to wind up being near her some how, don't you?"

"We were just clearing up," explained Meher.

"Were you now?" Viren eyed Preet suspiciously. "Thanks for keeping my fiance company Preet, but I'll take over from here."

Originally posted by: Nikhad003

Hiii Fatimaaa!

I totally loved the update. It was fun filled. Everyone here is so nice and I love all the bondings they share.

Hmm, so there is something cooking between Ash and Viru. Uff I want to know about it and I want to kick them out of the beautiful story so much. Cartoons.

Preet will get hurt in the next update?! Nooo! I think finally Meher will accept her feelings then.

Thanks a lot for the update. Love you. Muwaaah.

Originally posted by: sherma

So I gt my bday gift😊 thnks Fatima fr d update.

So ash n viren r plnning sumthing😡

I was so bugged wen I hread preet wil b just.but denread chpt name so meher wil tkecre of him.Sowting fr next chpt . thnks fr pm.

N I m really srry by being activ much dese days . I hav lost my laptop so using my cell fr all the sns . nywys wil try to bbckpropely by next month