Fatima's Cozy Corner 2 - Link to New Corner on Pg 152 :) - Page 82

Originally posted by: kiran_28

wow amazing update...

preet was soo cute..i love that kitchen scene..

fatima u knw wat..i think u should start writing novels 🤪

Originally posted by: Fatima_Q

Short?😕 You're kidding right.😆

Yeah I know I wish episodes could go on and on too...but then life happens😆

Thanks for reading Kulsum🤗

somehow even i felt it was short... 😕 ..

and btw When u updating... Weekend is here ... i so wanna read... 😳

Originally posted by: Rhea_401

and btw When u updating... Weekend is here ... i so wanna read... 😳

Chapter 15 - It's Not Over Yet

Preet poked his head through the door separating the kitchen from the dining and living room areas of Maan's home. He spotted Meher siting on a chair by the lamp working on her embroidery. He looked around to make sure no one else was around, then stared at the kurta in his hand. This was it, he thought. He was leaving for Delhi in the morning. Bauji's orders. Who knew how long it would be before he saw her again. He had to speak with her. He wanted to tell her how he felt. He was practically bursting at the seams to tell her.

He quietly approached Meher then cleared his throat. She paused her work and looked up at him questioningly.

"Hi," he smiled.

"Hi," said Meher. Her face was tight and held none of the warmth and shyness she had once shown towards him. Why? He wondered.

"I was just getting ready for bed," said Preet.

Meher nodded.

"Meher I'm sorry," said Preet, as he knelt before her. "I've been trying to talk to you all day and tell you that but I didn't get the chance. I know you're upset because Mrs. Maan found out about us sneaking out of the house. I'm really really very sorry. I never meant for you to get in any kind of trouble. I was just trying to..."

"It's okay," Meher interrupted him. "It's not your fault. I never should have agreed to go out like that in the first place. I disobeyed my step-mother and I shouldn't have."

There was an awkward silence, and Meher tuned back to her embroidery.

"Hey, I notice you happen to have a needle and thread handy," smiled Preet.

"So?" said Meher.

"So...I happen to have button that needs to be sewn back onto my kurta," said Preet. He held out his hand. There was a small white button in it. "I was hoping you could help."

Meher was about to reach out for it, when she noticed Kuljeet entering the room with a magazine tucked under her arm.

"Kuljeet Ma," Meher said standing up suddenly. She fluffed up the cushion of the chair she was sitting in. "Please come sit here. The lamp will give you good light by which to read. You must be tired from all the day's work. I'll go make some tea for you."

Kuljeet smiled and nodded. She threw a questioning glance at Preet.

"Uh...Mr. Juneja needed a button sewn back onto his kurta," Meher explained as she handed Kuljeet a needle and thread. "Perhaps you can help him while I go make your tea. But if you're too tired I'm sure he'll understand. It's not like he buttons his shirts all the way up anyway."

Preet frowned at Meher's remark. He stood quietly as she turned and walked off to the kitchen.

"Well don't just stand there," Kuljeet said as she put on her glasses. "The kurta...let me have a look at it."

"It's okay," Preet said quietly. "It's not so important after all."

The next morning...

Preet and Gaurav walked out of the offices of the Juneja's hotel with their briefcases in hand, and headed towards their car.

"Well, I guess this is it," said Gaurav.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Preet.

"You know, I'm actually going to miss coming down here every morning," said Gaurav. "It's too bad we're leaving just 2 weeks before the opening."

"Hmm," agreed Preet.

"Mr. Chowdhry seems like a capable guy," continued Gaurav. "I'm sure he'll be able to take over the reins of the hotel easily enough. And then of course Mr. Maan is always there for support."

"Of course," said Preet.

"Maybe we can come back for the opening," suggested Gaurav.

"Maybe," said Preet.

"Can I borrow a million bucks?" asked Gaurav.

"Maybe later," sighed Preet.

"Are you even paying attention to what I'm saying?" chuckled Gaurav.

Preet looked up at his friend and gave him a weak smile. "You just asked me for a million bucks and since I don't carry around that much money, I said later." He motioned for Gaurav to get in the car.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" asked Gaurav. "Your mind seems to be some where else."

"No it's okay, I'm fine. It's just...," said Preet.

"Meher?" Gaurav finished his sentence. "You didn't get to speak to her, did you?"

"No," sighed Preet. He started the car and began to drive away. "In fact, I didn't even see her this morning. There is something wrong between us."

"You said her step-mother found out about you 2 sneaking out of the house when she was grounded, maybe that's it," said Gaurav.

"No, I already apologized to her for that," said Preet. "I even apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Maan after dinner last night. But there is something else...some unresolved issue between us that's totally changed her behavior towards me, and I don't know what it is."

"Well, maybe if we do come back for the hotel's opening, you can see her then and find out," suggested Gaurav.

Preet thought for a moment then turned the car around in the direction of the mall. "I don't want to wait that long."

At the mall, Preet headed straight for the flower shop Meher worked in, but she wasn't there. To his surprise, Mrs. Saxena informed him that she had called in and requested some time off. He and Gaurav then drove back to the Maan's home, but she wasn't there either.

"I told you she's not here," insisted Kuljeet. "What do you think I'm lying or something?"

"I didn't say that Mrs. Maan," sighed Preet. His eyes scanned the premises for any sign of Meher. "It's just that Gaurav and I are leaving for Delhi, and we just wanted to personally come by and thank you and Meher one last time for all the hospitality you both showed us. We just wanted to say good-bye."

"Well...you're quite welcome," smiled Kuljeet. "I'm sure you'll have nice things to say about Balraj to your father. A recommendation for a raise or a promotion wouldn't hurt either."

"Of course," smiled Preet. "And...Meher..."

"She's not here," said Kuljeet. She hesitated for a moment then spoke up. "If you must know, Sam came by late last night and took Balraj's permission to take Meher back to Delhi with her. They just threw some things in a bag and left. She'll be gone for a few days, but I'll be sure to tell her you stopped by, when she gets back."

Preet's heart skipped a beat. Sam had taken Meher with her to Delhi of all places. "Thank you Mrs. Maan," he smiled. "Thank you so much for everything."

He quickly walked out of the house with Gaurav in tow. It wasn't until they were back in the car before he spoke up again.

"Sam took Meher to Delhi. Did you know about this?" asked Preet.

"No," Gaurav shook his head. "But they are best friends, so it doesn't come as a complete surprise."

"Well, call Sam and find out what's going on?" said Preet.

Gaurav called Sam's phone but she wasn't answering. He then tried the landline at her home. A servant answered and confirmed that a friend had arrived with the family.

"They just got home early this morning," Gaurav informed Preet. "Everyone's tired and the girls are sleeping."

"It doesn't matter. She's in Delhi," Preet said excitedly. "Do you know what that means Gaurav?"

"That this love story isn't over yet," smiled Gaurav.

"You bet it isn't," grinned Preet. "I'll still be able to see her. I can see her without her step-mother hovering over our shoulders. I'll take her out to dinner. I'll resolve whatever misunderstandings have arisen between us. Maybe I can take Heer Bhabi to meet her."

"Woah! How about if you tell Meher how you feel first," chuckled Gaurav.

"Yes," smiled Preet. He turned the car on and sped out of the Maan's driveway. "Delhi...here I come."

Later that night...

Back at home, Preet was getting ready for bed when Chahat ran into his room, with Heer following close behind her.

"Chachu!" Chahat cried as she ran to him and jumped into his arms.

"Hey munchkin! How are you?" said Preet, as he tossed the little girl into the air, then gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"Sorry Preet," said Heer. "I know you must be tired from your trip, but she refused to brush her teeth unless she saw you first."

"That's okay Bhabi," smiled Preet. He turned his attention towards his niece again. "So munchkin, did you miss me?"

"Yes! This much," smiled Chahat. She extended her arms back as far as they could go. "Dadu said you'd be home for dinner, how come you didn't show up?"

"Well, it was a long drive from Ludhiana to Delhi," explained Preet. "Gaurav uncle was with me, so I had to drop him off too. And when I did, his mom insisted that I stay for dinner at their place. She wouldn't take No' for an answer. But don't you worry, now that I'm back we'll be having plenty of dinners together. Deal?" He held out his hand.

"Deal!" Chahat said as she smacked Preet's hand.

"So tell me, what did I miss while I was away?" asked Preet.

"Veera Maasi is getting married!" said Chahat.

"So I heard," smiled Preet.

"Tanu, Vikas and Ketan were here today," said Chahat. "We had lots of fun playing together. They're going to be moving back here next week."

"Kiran Jiju is leaving for Toronto on business," explained Heer. "He's going to leave Kulraj Didi and the kids here so she can help out with Veera's wedding."

"Tanu said she was your favorite niece, but I told her I was!" said Chahat.

"Well...you're both right," smiled Preet. "See she's my favorite princess and you're my favorite munchkin."

"Hmm," said Chahat. The little girl put her fist under her chin and thought for a moment, as if debating whether it was better to be Preet Chachu's princess or munchkin. She shook her head then spoke up again. "I lost another tooth. She opened her mouth and pointed to the blank space where her tooth had been. "The tooth fairy left me 10 whole rupees for it!"

"Wow!" chuckled Preet. "You'll be rich in no time."

"And she'll be toothless like an old lady if she continues to refuse to brush her teeth," said Heer.

"I'm afraid your mom is right there munchkin," said Preet. "We wouldn't want that to happen now, would we?"

"I guess not," Chahat shrugged her shoulders. "Will I see you at breakfast?"

"You bet," smiled Preet.

"Okay then...see ya!" smiled Chahat. She gave her uncle a hug then ran off to her room.

"Make sure you brush for a full 2 minutes," Heer called after her. "I'll be there to tuck you in as soon as you're done." She turned to Preet and smiled. "I'm glad you're back home."

"Thanks Bhabi," said Preet. "I hope Bauji wasn't too upset that I didn't join you guys for dinner."

"He was looking out for you," admitted Heer. "But at least you got back tonight. I'm sure he'll be okay with that. Preet...just to warn you...Bauji knows that you were staying at some employee's house."

"Oh no, did he go all ballistic over that?" Preet asked worriedly.

"Well, he wasn't happy when he first heard the news," said Heer.

"I knew it," sighed Preet. "I knew he'd react as such. The hotel wasn't ready. It wasn't even livable, so Mr. Maan, the manager there, invited Gaurav and me to stay at his place. He lives in the company house and they had a separate guesthouse. It seemed like an okay solution, so we stayed."

"And even after the hotel did become livable, you continued to stay on. Any special reason?" probed Heer.

Preet hesitated. He wanted to tell Heer about Meher. His Bhabi had always waited for the day when he would tell her he had finally found that special girl. But he hadn't had a chance to speak to Meher and tell her how he felt. Nor had he been able to find out if she felt the same about him. He didn't want to get his Bhabi's hopes up. Not yet anyway. "Uh...the Maan's were really nice and hospitable people. I guess we just got too comfortable."

"And that's all?" asked Heer.

"Yes," said Preet. "I mean, I wish there was more to tell you, but there isn't."

"Okay," said Heer. "Well...good night then."

"Good-night Bhabi," said Preet.

Heer walked back to Chahat's room and found Prem there, tucking their daughter in. He put a finger to his lips and motioned her to meet him outside the room.

"Thanks for tucking her in," smiled Heer.

"Sure," smiled Prem. "She was so tired, she didn't even ask for a 2^nd bedtime story."

"I was talking to Preet just now," said Heer.

"Yeah...Chahat told me he was back," said Prem. "Did he say anything?"

"He admitted to staying at an employee's house," sighed Heer. "But he didn't mention anything about the Rampal's daughter being there."

"Maybe that's exactly the reason he didn't mention it. Because she is the Rampal's daughter," Prem pointed out.

"Hmm...maybe," said Heer. "It did seem like he was holding something back."

"Well, I'm sure he'll open up once Bauji tells him it's okay," said Prem. "I mean, it's more than okay. Bauji has already given her parents the go ahead for their marriage."

"I don't know Prem," said Heer. "Something is just not right. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something in all of this is just not right."

"Heer, I know you and Preet are very close. You stepped into Ma's shoes when we lost her, and you've been mothering him since he was 16," smiled Prem. "As far as you're concerned, I bet no girl will ever be good enough for him. But you have to let him choose for himself."

"That's the whole point Prem," said Heer. "Preet should be allowed to choose the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with. He deserves to be happy. And I won't stand by and let him be reduced to some business deal Bauji wants to crack. If it is the Rampal's daughter that he wants, fine. But it should be his choice."

i really cant see preet meher seperated.😕

Originally posted by: sherma

i really cant see preet meher seperated.😕

but glad meher is in delhi.

preet-heer bonding is great,

just saw ur mre chpts name-looks interesting n so want to read all of dem togther.

thanks fr pm.do cntinue soon

Come on people...I'm pouring my heart and time out for this FF and my readers are being awfully stingy with their feedback...what gives? 😕

Wow!!!fabulous chemistry between bhabhi and devar...lollzz...meher and preets scenes was gud...👍🏼NYC bonding of chahat and preet nd missed meher in dis chapter as der was not much scenes of her...😔 but over all it was gud nd nxt chapter concept is interesting ...😎cnt wait yar...pllls update sooon... 😊