SS: Tu rooh ka humnava hai. Yeh jismon ka rishta nahin. Update Page 67 - Page 26

Hey readers,

Finally the beginning of my favorite part of the story is here. The part for which I actually started writing the story to share it with you all instead of keeping it in my head. So one of them has finally realized that they didn't only share a friendship. It was much more than that.

The realization has shaken the person in such a way that you will understand only after reading.
I have mentioned a few times that their realization will happen suddenly and in a silly way. I mean it was planned that way from the beginning. I really wanted to show that despite sharing everything together and having so many deep and romantic moments, meaningful conversations, seeing each other with their respective partners, nothing made them realize their feelings till a small push that shook them so bad. Neil realizing his feelings because of jealousy or Saira realizing her feelings in comparison of Samir and Neil would have been too cliché. I wanted a different story for them.

Stopping my bakwaas here. I really hope you will like this chapter as much asI loved writing it.
Thanks for reading and the lovely comments.

Invited at Naira’s place, Neil was resting on the sofa after they filled their stomach with couscous. Both the girls were lying on each side of him resting their heads on his arms. They were having a discussion about Saira's wedding happening too fast.

« Who was that person who wanted to enjoy at least six months of engagement before getting married ? », Neil teased Saira.
« It was applicable only for a love marriage. I am not in love so there is no way I am going to waste my time for the engagement. », Saira replied.
« Weren’t you the one who said that you wanted to get married between the last week of April and the first two weeks of May ? So how did you agree to marry off season ? », he asked.

He couldn’t understand why Saira was sacrificing her dreams. She always said that she wanted to live fully all the phases. She never wanted to get married immediately after the engagement like how it happened in almost every Indian family. She wanted to feel the engagement phase. She wanted to get married between April and May because she wanted to use lilies of the valley in the wedding hall for decoration. Marrying at this time of the year meant there won’t be any lily of the valley. If he couldn’t understand Saira’s decisions, she on the other hand wasn’t bothered about anything anymore. She was getting married for the sake of getting married not to have her dream wedding.

« When are you having a discussion with Yohann ? », Saira asked Naira to change the topic.
« We are on a break. », Naira replied.
« You have to decide, girl. Either get divorced or give each other a chance. You can’t stay forever on a break. You are separated for almost a year now. », Neil reminded her.

Naira sighed and Neil seeing her doing that rolled his eyes. He didn't like the fact that both the girls were running away from their problems.

A week later during a phone call, Neil felt by the sound of her voice that Saira was unhappy. When he insisted on knowing what was bothering her, she told him that her would be in-laws wanted her to wear a red color lehenga for the wedding which was her least favorite color. Neil pleaded with her to talk to Samir as he himself said on their first coffee date that he will always find a solution to all her problems. Saira took his advice in consideration and talked to Samir who told the family about Saira’s demand. They accepted her to wear a champagne pink color lehenga. Neil was happy to see Saira’s smile back on her face and was grateful that Samir's family was very understanding.

A week before the wedding, Saira’s favourite cousin who lived in the USA landed in Paris. She didn't want to miss her little cousin sister’s wedding at any cost. Before Saira started traveling with Naira and Neil, Shelly was her only traveling partner. Shelly had joined the trio on a few trips and met her best friends. She always thought one day Saira and Neil would confess their love to each other but she got the shock of her life the day she announced about her wedding to someone else. The day she arrived, they all met for a dance rehearsal. She was introduced to Samir for the first time and also to his friends and siblings. A few hours later when almost everyone left and the remaining people were taking a break, Saira went away from the crowd. Neil joined her a few minutes later.

« Ready for the bachelorette party ? », he asked.
« Yep ! », she answered.
« Ready for the first dance with your husband ? », he asked.
« Nope! », she replied.
« Wanna practice ? », he asked extending his hand.

She smiled and held his hand. Both started a slow dance.

« How do you think he is going to ask you for your first dance ? », he asked.
« I don't know. », she replied curious after being questioned on that topic.
« Perhaps he will say, may I have this dance Mrs. Nazareth.”, he said.

Saira’s heart skipped a beat and her entire body went numb. Neil stopped as her steps didn’t follow his. She looked into his eyes and desperately looked for answers about why he took his name. She didn’t know if he took it by habit or if his mind got confused between NAZareth and NASser. His focus on the choreography made her realize that it was a silly slip of the tongue which he himself wasn’t aware of. She felt a stab in the heart and wanted to scream but she was too numb to even react.

« Miss Saira Faris, would be Mrs. Saira Nasser, are you still there with me? », he asked with a smile.

She got the confirmation that it was just a slip of the tongue. Unable to control the piercing pain in the chest, she excused herself and left the place hurriedly. He couldn’t understand her reaction but didn’t move an inch while she said goodbye to everyone and left.

After tossing and turning in her bed for about an hour she got up and saw Shelly and two other cousins, Khushi and Fatiha sleeping peacefully. She watched from the window for some time but she was unable to forget what happened a few hours earlier during the rehearsal. Unaware of why she was having such a heartache, she was unable to stop her tears from rolling down her cheeks. She put a hand over her mouth to stop the sound of her broken heart coming out, got up and grabbed her keys of the house before running outside. Her feet brought her to the nearest park from the house. She sat down on the bench and cried her heart out.

« What's happening to me ? », she asked herself not understanding her own feelings.

She looked up and watched the moon to calm herself down. The same moon she looked at so many times with Neil. She shook her head to get him out of her mind but the only person who was in her heart and her mind was him. She let her tears stream down her face and placed a hand in her heart.

« Mrs. Saira Na… Nazareth ? », she questioned herself.

The question that helped her mind to realize what her heart had already realized long ago. Finally aware of her own feelings, more tears rolled down her cheeks. She cried like a child and screamed in anger.

« No no no no Saira noooo... stop your nonsense. », she scolded her ownself.

She closed her eyes to understand when and how did her feelings for Neil changed after all these years of friendship. It was true that Naira had introduced them with the intention of making them a couple and it was a fact that she was attracted to him in the initial days but with passing time the friendship had overpowered the attraction. Their friendship was so precious that she forgot to see him as a potential lover. Neil became her world as a friend. Friendship was their identity. No ambiguity, no uncomfortableness, no battle of emotions. Then why did things change now ? Just because he mistakenly associated his name with hers. She reopened her eyes and looked into space. Has she always been in love with him but was hiding her feelings behind the friendship tag ? Restless she clenched her fist and closed her eyes. She didn't want to imagine something like this but her mind went back to the past. There were so many times Neil described his type of girls and she was nowhere close to them. During those four years of friendship she saw the kind of girls he dated. She was aware of his taste. She was very much Indian by heart unlike all the girls he dated. She was a saree lover while he wasn't fond of it. During the initial days he hated the sound of her bangles jingling but which he got used to it later on. He loved outgoing girls while she was an ambivert. And why would he like a girl like her with so many dreams and expectations from life and who loved her freedom more than anything ? She was nowhere close to the girl of his dreams. She then recalled all the times he mentioned that he hated mixing up relationships. Friends should remain friends. Lovers can't become friends. He had once mentioned that one of the girls he dated made friendship with him with the intention of dating him and when he came to know about it he had two choices in front of him. Either break the friendship or else date her. He dated her but it didn't last more than three months before he lost her both as afriend and a girlfriend.

« Four years of pure friendship without any confused and mixed feelings just can't change because of a slip of tongue, Saira. There is no love but only friendship. Don't forget that you are getting married. This is just the wedding stress nothing else. », Saira tried to convince herself.


Saira's cousins woke up early in the morning and didn't find her in the entire house. Her cousins along with her parents were worried. Naira joined them a while later and was also looking for her. They couldn't contact her as she left her phone at home. Worried, Naira called Neil who was still in his sleep. He picked up the phone after the sixth ringtone. As soon as Naira explained the situation, Neil leaped out of his bed. He recalled that even a day before she acted quite weirdly and left the revearsal hurriedly.
Saira entered the house and answered to everyone's questions. She lied that she went for a morning walk. She requested everyone to get ready quickly for the trip before going for a shower. Naira called Neil to inform him that she has returned home safely. Neil took an u-turn and went back home. He shook his head. What an unique piece she was. The only woman who was capable of making his heart race fast be it in a good or in a bad way.

Saira, her three cousins, Naira, Nassiha and four other high school friends of hers drove to a hill station for her bachelorette party. They arrived to the chalet they had booked for the weekend and were hypnotized by the beauty of the place. The chalet was huge and beautiful. There was a jacuzzi pool from where the view of the mountain was mesmerizing. Three of the girls went to the nearest bakery and bought some desserts and a cake. They also bought some food and drinks for the party. The rest stayed back to decorate the place. All the girls wore the same matching black dresses with golden color sashes written « Team Bride ». Saira wore a white dress with a blue color sash wirtten « Bride To Be ». She also put a blue color floral tiara.

Playing games, dancing, having a photo session, eating delicious food were on the program. Shelly and two of Saira's friends even organized a hookah session. Naira noticed that everyone was enjoying but Saira was quiet. In the past whenever she had mentioned about her bachelorette party she always had sparkles in her eyes but now that the day had come she was looking so unhappy and lost. Sitting by the pool, she video called Neil.

« What's up ! Enjoying the party ? », he asked.
« I am but the one who should actually enjoy it isn't. », she replied.
« Who ? », he asked.
« Saira. Even in the car she looked so absent minded. She is keeping herself out of the crowd. I am worried. », she replied.
« Maybe it's just the stress before the wedding. Only one week left before her life will drastically change. », he replied.
« No there is something that's bothering her which she is not telling us. », she said.
« Yesterday also after you left, she acted quite weird and rushed out. But I guess she is a little stressed. », he explained.
« And today she disappeared in the morning since then she is quiet. What if she doesn't want to get married anymore ? », she asked.
« Don't be so dramatic Nini. When did she want to get married anyway ? She is getting married because Samir is the only perfect match not because she really wants to get married. », he reminded her.
« Yeah, you are right. », she agreed.
« What the hell ! You said she was unhappy ? But how come she is having a blast behind your back ? », he asked.

Naira turned her head. Saira was dancing with the girls and smoking hookah with Shelly and her friends. A few minutes ago when she saw the efforts they all put to organize the bachelorette party of her dream, she decided to throw away all her problems and enjoy the moment with them.

« I swear five minutes ago she was sitting in a corner. », Naira was stunned by the changed behavior of her friend.
« All is well that ends well. », Neil replied.

Neil laughed. She never failed to amaze him in a peculiar way. Naira walked up to Saira and told her that Neil wanted to talk to her. She took the phone from her hand and greeted him. He congratulated her and she happily showed him the decoration. He complimented her that she was looking very pretty. She thanked him with a smile. She looked normal and happy as usual but her eyes looked sad like if something was broken inside her. He wondered if whatever Naira told him wasn't true.

The next day they explored the town flaunting their bachelorette trip in the same dress. They took more pictures, had fun, went to a restaurant for lunch, went for shopping and bought souvenirs. The weekend ended and they drove back home.


The next day Saira's parents invited Samir and his family for a family dinner night before the wedding and wanted to take that opportunity to discuss about the last prepations of the wedding. Seated next to each other, Samir whispered at Saira that he saw the weekend pictures and that she looked beautiful. She smiled shyly pretending to be happy that her would be husband was complimenting her but her heart wasn't happy. Shelly, Khushi and Fatiha winked at her and teased her. She shushed at them but the parents burst out laughing. Embarrassed, her cheeks became red while Samir looked down with a smile. She looked at everyone. Both the families were so happy.

After the Nassers left, Saira's entire family reunited in the living room. A wedding house is always full of energy and fun. Saira was in her room turning on and off the switch of the bedside lamp and staring at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts and the tears silently rolling down the sides.

PS :So this is it.
All it needed was to be called Mrs. Nazareth to realize that Mr. Nazareth was in her heart. 😉