FF: Thaam Le Mera Haath: Chapter 7:Page 14: Mar 5 - Page 7

very nice update .... liked the way dutta expressed his feelings

Like with 'Temptations' I am really sorry I took so long to update this.

@ Sophia: Thank you so much 😳. Haha, yeah that was funny but very awkward for the two of them 😆. You're right, he won't give up at all, he will do everything in his power to have his way 😉😆. Thanks again 😳. x

@ ushankitvc: Hiya! 😃 Thank you, she won't agree to live with him, but you'll see what solution Dutta comes up with in the next chapter 😉. I will be updating the next chapter shortly 😳. x

@ Shilpita: Thank you Shilpita for your lovely comment 🤗. I hope you will be happy with the next chapter, because there's a little surprise for you in it 😉, hehe 😆. Well, I'll let you read that for yourself 😛. Awww, what a lovely boyfriend, you must feel very lucky to have him 😳. I guess at the time it can feel like they're fussing over you, but once you're better and you look back you realise just how much they care. It's amazing, these little moments that seem insignificant are the ones we should always cherish in our hearts 😍. Haha, yeah I can imagine, I don't have a boyfriend, but I'm sure if I had one, he would hate MR too because of my obsession with him 🤣. Anyway, I'm pleased you like that bit about men often discarding women. I know the majority of men are not like that, but it's that minority that tarnishes the image of the good guys 😆. Sorry for updating after so long, been busy with assignments 😳. But, thanks again Shilpita, next chapter shall be posted soon. x

@ vaniabi: Hey! 😳 Thank you- yes she's very independent, and extremely stubborn too when she wants to be 😆. I'm glad you liked it 😃. x

@ sasha_1: Thank you so much, I'm pleased you are liking both my stories, hope they continue to keep you hooked 😃. I will update soon 😳. x

@ shallymann: Hiya! 😳 Thanks a lot! 😃 Yeah, it was very sweet, simple but nevertheless enough to leave Naku completely stunned 😆. x

@ khushi0318: Thank you very much Khushi! 🤗 That's so sweet of you to say, I'm very grateful 😳. Awww, I'm really happy those lines touched you, I guess they were quite moving. He's a lovely man, the kind of one whose human, makes mistakes yet you can't help but love him because he acknowledges those mistakes and always does what's right 😍. For a guy like him to be completely enamored by Naku from their very first meeting is something very rare really, but it all looks amazing in stories, hehe 😆. Naku's definitely touched by his words, yet she doesn't show it, she's stubborn like that 😆. Thanks a lot Khushi for the amazing comment 😳. x

Love Zahra x

A persistent knock on the door aroused him from his musings and he called 'Come in'. His personal secretary slipped into the room, a file clasped between her fingers.

'Ah, Shilpita, take a seat,' Dutta said, gesturing towards a seat opposite his desk with a slight movement of his hand. She gave a faint smile and walked up to the desk, placing the file silently in front of him. His eyes momentarily flicked to the file before he looked back at Shilpita. 'Any luck?' he asked her anxiously.

'Yes sir, whatever I could find is all in the file,' she started, 'Her full name is Nakusha Ganpat Mahale,' she paused before continuing. 'Her mother died in an accident when she was a child, and her father died a few years ago from cancer. As far I know she has no siblings and lives alone in her apartment.'

Dutta closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. He knew that it was not right in the slightest to be probing into Nakusha's life, but it was necessary in deciding what action on his part was needed to ensure her happiness. Knowing that Nakusha lived alone paved the way in contemplating his next move.

When it came to delving out details about an individual, Shilpita was one of a kind, one of the reasons why she was a trusted and valued worker of his company. Dutta had always relied on her wise skills to shed light on future clients whenever he was in the middle of striking an important deal.

'What does she do?' he asked.

'She is an interior designer and has been embellishing homes, halls and wedding banquets across the world. There are some newspapers in the file which show some of her past projects,' said Shilpita. Unknowingly a small smiled tugged at the corners of Dutta's lips. It seemed they had more in common than he had initially thought. Whilst he created the shell, she shaped the ornament within.

'Sir...If you do not mind me asking...is this lady a client? I mean, I haven't heard of her up until now, so I was just wondering...?' Shilpita asked and Dutta flashed a brief smile.

'Something like that...you will all find out soon enough, I assure you,' he answered.

Shilpita nodded and having told him essentially everything, she turned and silently left his office. She could already tell it was a matter of the heart.

After what he had been informed of, Dutta was now one hundred percent determined to have his own way. Nakusha would simply have no choice but to abide by his wish.

~

Nakusha stood in front of her mirror with wide eyes, her fingers gently splaying across the distended hardness of her abdomen. As her eyes scanned over the small, but very definite bump, it made it even more real that there was a tiny life inside of her. Tears spilled recklessly down her cheek. Regardless of the fact that her pregnancy had been unplanned, it was still her baby, a part of her, and she was powerless to love it. With every passing moment, as the baby grew, Nakusha could feel her attachment and love towards the baby also growing.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Nakusha fixed her shirt back over her stomach and took herself to the window to steal a glance at her visitor. She heaved a sigh as she saw Dutta standing on the doorstep. It was strange how suddenly she was finding it extremely hard to control the fluttering of her nerves. Why was it that his presence made her enormously self-conscious? She ambled to the door and opened it to greet him briskly. As always, he looked striking in a casual black suit, charisma exuding from all over. His perfectly chiselled features tempted her to no end. Nakusha chose to blame her hormones for her unashamed ogling.

'Hello Nakusha,' he said, grinning at her, an amused glint in his eyes. He took a step forward, his tall frame filling the doorway.

She frowned as the look in his eye told her that he was up to something. She wondered whether it was the right time to start dreading his emergence. Casting a fleeting glance in his direction, she mumbled a greeting before turning away and walking back into her home.

Dutta followed behind like her shadow.

Nakusha was completely oblivious to the two other beings that nonchalantly entered her home alongside Dutta. She went to sit in the living room, attempting to ignore Dutta's presence. Aware of him watching her with a smirk, she turned her attention to a magazine lying on the coffee table. It did not take her long to hear suspicious sounds resonating in the hallway outside. She frowned and heaved herself up from her seat, walking over to Dutta.

'What is going on?' she asked him.

Dutta was leaning against the door with his arms folded, as if expecting her to try to leave.

'You don't need to worry Nakusha, I brought them here, they work for me,' he stated and Nakusha stared at him blankly in confusion.

'They are moving my things in,' he said, answering her questioning gaze.

Nakusha frowned to show her bewilderment, her eyes wide with torment. 'Why?!' she asked, still in a state of shock.

'Because I've realised that I just cannot have you living here on your own. And since you have made it perfectly clear that you will not move in with me, this is the only other option,' Dutta said complacently.

'No!' she exclaimed desperately, inadequately trying to push past him, but Dutta stood resolutely in his position, obstructing her way out.

'They are just doing their job, leave them to it,' he insisted.

'This is absolutely ridiculous, this is my home!' Nakusha cried, dropping down on the sofa feebly and burying her face in her hands.

Dutta sighed and travelled the small distance across the room to take hold of her shoulders, drawing her closer to him and holding her against his chest. Muffled sobs escaped from her lips as she weakly clung to him.

'You have to understand why I'm doing this Nakusha, please,' he pleaded, threading his fingers through her hair in a soothing gesture.

Her tears soaked through the fabric of his shirt. As she pulled away, her eyes red and moist, she watched his eyes sweep penetratingly over her face. She quickly averted her head, in a hopeless attempt to control the rapid pacing of her heart and to resist the temptation of simply melting in his arms.

'I will behave, I promise,' Dutta joked to lighten the mood and Nakusha nudged her elbow playfully into his ribs.

'You better,' she muttered with a smile and Dutta let out a soft chuckle.

Dutta's lean fingers tugged at the knot of his tie and he idly tossed it aside.

Nakusha watched him with astonishment. 'What are you doing?' she asked.

'Making myself at home,' Dutta declared smugly.

'You may be able to act like a slob in your own home, but that won't work here,' she chided, 'Pick that up now,' she pointed to the tie lying carelessly on the floor.

Dutta looked at her incredulously- was she being serious? Telling by the murderous expression on her face, yes, she was being completely serious. He cautiously leaned over to pick up the tie as she watched him like a cat would a mouse.

'Thank you,' Nakusha said sweetly, her eyes twinkling with delight at his act of obedience.

Dutta's lips curled into a smile at the way she could turn from totally terrifying to irresistibly sexy within seconds. He watched her curiously. There was a magnetic pull that she had over him which drew him to her incessantly, and he was powerless to stop it.

Nakusha's smile slowly faded as Dutta refused to take his eyes off her. A languid weakness fused through her at the piercing gaze of his, her heart hammering away uncontrollably. She hated this effect that he had on her. Whenever his eyes would meet hers all sense of composure she had would cease to exist and she felt herself plunged into ecstasy. Those enticingly striking black eyes did not help to alleviate matters for her in the slightest. The only thing she could do was direct her attention elsewhere.

'I...Ummm...I want you to see something,' she faltered, debating with herself whether she should show him or not. Yet, it was not something that could exactly be hidden for much longer.

'Hmmm?' Dutta gestured for her to continue.

Nakusha took in a deep breath before nervously lifting her shirt just above her abdomen to reveal to him her little bump- the first real sign of their growing baby.

The expression that formed across Dutta's face was unfathomable. He sat staring with wide eyes at the swell of her stomach in silence, clearly lost for words. The reverberating silence was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with every passing minute. Dutta tentatively extended his hand out as if to touch it yet hesitantly pulled away, clenching his hand at his side awkwardly.

Nakusha smiled faintly, knowing exactly of the feelings that gushed through him, for they mirrored her own. She reached forward and took his hand in hers, carrying his fingers to place them gently over the bump. She did not expect to shudder slightly at the contact, hoping it went unnoticed. Luckily Dutta was unreservedly absorbed by the sight in front of him, unable to believe that he was experiencing this precious moment. Her skin burned at his touch and she could not fathom the reason why. She trembled as it strangely brought back memories of their night together. Nakusha sighed as she remembered that their baby would always be a constant reminder of it.

'This is just...amazing,' said Dutta, finally able to muster the courage to speak.

Nakusha nodded, tears blurring her vision. 'Yes...amazing,' she repeated.

Love Zahra x

aww what a wicked update zahra...