Part 18
Ananya sneaked a glance at her husband driving, they have planned out this beach house outing, as a surprise bday party for Di, but more than that, she wanted Kabir to have a change, she wondered off late, he seemed to lost...making her wonder whats wrong with him😕😕... she just hoped the outing will be a nice change for him...the drive was relatively nice as the sun was warming Mumbai nicely, as it wasn't too hot, perfect for picnic at beach house...she sighed in relief, comparatively to yesterday, Kabir looks more relaxed 😊😊...though he had kept to himself after returning home...but she was glad when she had seen him enjoying with Aryan the previous day...though she was still curious, what made Kabir hug her, out of the blue...but she was happy, atleast Kabir didn't looked as much lost now...😊
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As soon as reaching home, Kabir sat in his study, lost in his thoughts...since his chat with Maya, his thoughts were in a jumble. Nothing seemed so easy anymore... he cud hear Aryan's laughter coming from the living room & he knew that only Ananya could have made him laugh so heartily...like she does it to him...& it eased his heart in every sense...
Kabir admitted to himself long back that he cared for Ananya...exact moment, even he himself doesn't remember... but he cared for her so much that at times he couldn't imagine not having her around. And when Maya said that Ananya would leave, & wud not wait forever, it truly scared him. How would he go on without her?
Deep down Kabir knew & accepted to himself that the attraction they shared had a deeper meaning. It was more than little flirting here and there...his thoughts went back to the kisses they had shared...or everytime they have been close, every moment had been electric and it made him want to hold her in his arms for as long as he could...But Kabir knew it better, that this attraction wasn't just physical but emotional too...Ananya understood him like nobody else could...& despite her bubbly chirpy childish nature, she was an immense support for him...& she was mature in her own different way... Her eyes reflected kindness and caring... her simplicity was endearing...her smile just made his heart soar...& seeing the twinkle in her eyes was enough to light up his day...😊
Kabir turned to the side table and saw their picture, taken during their wedding reception months back, where they posed with Aryan along... it had been his favourite click...The more he looked at her, the more he realized that he couldn't live without her...
His thoughts broke as he heard the study door being pushed open, only to end up smiling at the sight to see Aryan waddle in, with his broken car in his hand, babbling away in his own language how his car broke...reaching him, Aryan looked at him with his big expectant eyes ...eager to be picked up...With a smile, Kabir pulled her up onto his lap...when Aryan looked at the picture in his Paa's hands...
Aryan (excitedly poked her fingers at the frame)"Ishhh Ma-ma (pointing at Ananya's pic) Ishh Paaa (as he pointed to Kabir's pic)
Amused Aryan looked back at Kabir & then again at the picture, almost wondering why he saw two of the same face...he continued his little game of patting Kabir's pic & face again & again, giggling to himself...making Kabir laugh too... looking back at the picture...the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Maya was right everytime she teased him about it, that he couldn't walk into a room and not search for Ananya...& she had made him human again...& Kabir can't himself agree but more...that Ananya taught him the value of the small things in life...She was the one who brought him back to life. No one has ever made him feel so complete before...His Ananya!!!...the very thought made him smile...
Kabir (taking frame out of Aryan's hands)--Can I ask you something?...
Momentarily Aryan looked up at him with his big eyes...but then became fascinated by the shiny buttons of Kabir's jacket...
Kabir(smoothing Aryan's hairs)--Is it ok... if I fell in love with your Mama? Hope I am not doing wrong... I know I couldn't admit it to myself because of what happened in the past, but it seems so clear to me. Your mama is very special to me, you know that right...
Aryan (shrieked)"Ma-ma ...Isshh Ma-ma... (said confidently, the only word he understood from whatever Kabir said, & pointed to the picture on the table)
Aryan replied with a big smile, with a twinkle in his eyes ...as if he understood every word Kabir had said...For some reason, Kabir felt like he had received his answer...His heart felt lighter... As Aryan turned his concentration back to the shiny button...Kabir sighed to himself... all along Love had been right here in front of him...yes, he had been afraid to just accept it...that he loves her... loves her with all his heart...never thought he would really ever be in "love"
Kabir (kissing Aryan)--But this stays between you and me! (Aryan giggled) Don't tell anyone what I told you! (He squealed and smiled kicking his legs...as Kabir bounced him up & down)...
That's how Ananya found two of them, when she came up to call them for dinner...both of them giggling & Kabir chasing Aryan around as energetic kid ran around whole study... ... As Kabir turned & looked into her eyes, Kabir knew despite his silence during the day, she was there and he knew that she cared... Kabir watched her for a moment, now knowing the reason for his heart fluttering...
Ananya smiled & reminded about dinner again...& turned to leave, when Kabir caught her wrist with his hand and silently pulled her into his arms holding her close...
Ananya didn't know what had gotten into him...but she knew that she felt good being in his arms. She felt warm and fuzzy inside and eventually slipped her arms around him, returning the hug. ..
Kabir knew then this was where he belonged...He knew that he had found his soulmate...
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As they reached settled on a shaded patch of grass in back garden overlooking the beach...the girls sat, as the guys went to play Frisbee...with Aryan joining the fun, running away with the Frisbee everytime it came to his hands...😆 girls ended up having a good laugh...how Aryan, made Kabir & Shekhar run behind him...
After spending much of the day driving...nobody was up to cooking so Kabir took the liberty of ordering Pizza everyone could enjoy...Kabir kept on feeding Aryan small bits and pieces of the pizza, who seemed to genuinely enjoy it, especially the stringy cheese that made him oh-so curious...
After lunch, as they relaxed chit chatting...Madhu looked at Ananya, who was covering a sleeping Aryan with his tiny baby blanket...as he dozed off in her lap...seeing Ananya gelling with family & most importantly with Kabir...was something which made Madhu content & happy...Ananya is being simple and caring, she wasn't high maintenance like Neha was...
Madhu thought back to all the arguments that she & Neha would have- she would have never agreed to come on family picnics...It was hard enough to convince her to have dinner with the whole family even once a week...let alone spending time with everyone...Neha was always so persistent on things being done her way & was never open to suggestion...but here was Ananya was content sitting here with a family ...& Madhu found it amazing how Aryan ended up opening up with Ananya...so easily, even for Maya it took months before he opened up to her...but with Ananya he just connected...😊
And when Madhu looked at two fool love birds, she cant help but shake her head...throughout the time Maya & Madhu both noticed, Kabir Ananya stealing glances from one another from the distance...each with a shy smile hiding in their eyes...like right now, as they all sat around beach side, with weather becoming more cooler...& after his short nap...all energetic Aryan, was up & going on fooling around...
Ananya who is chatting away with Kabir, explaining about the beach house...not realising that Aryan is circling them...giving tiny fistfuls of sand to everyone sitting, ever so graciously...When he came to Kabir, he sat in between Ananya and him and began piling the sand ...& began to amuse himself by burying his feet...Soon he was on to digging himself a shallow hole...burying his whole feet in sand...laughing off to himself... 😆😆😆after some time, Aryan took Ananya's hand & buried it in the sand, while he talked to herself in his own precious, yet indecipherable, language...Keeping Ananya's hand firmly in the sand, he took Kabir's hand and placed it on top of Ananya's...Both looked at each other...Ananya quickly pulled her hand back...seeing that Mama wasn't playing...Aryan began to whimper & was about to cry...😭 Ananya immediately pulled her hand back and replaced it in its original spot...happily, Aryan began to pile on the sand once again, tiny fistfuls at a time...
Aryan (exclaimed happily)--Mama! No see!
Ananya (smiled)"No kiddo...cant see my hand...
She then looked at Kabir who was watching Aryan too...She could feel his warm hand within the cool grainy sand...not wanting the situation to become awkward...she waited until Aryan was distracted by something else, to try to pull away her hand... but after a moment she realized that she couldn't...the more she tried to pull her hand away from under the sand, the tighter Kabir would hold on...
She looked at him pleadingly, but he refused to meet her gaze and kept a cheeky grin plastered on his face as she struggled...She bit her lip in fear that someone would notice but then thanked her stars that their hands were buried under the sand...He wasn't letting go of her hand, & the more she struggled the wider he smiled, causing her to smile too...
Kabir (keeping a straight face)--Something wrong?😈
Ananya's mouth dropped in surprise & immediately turned red...after some time, she gave up and stopped struggling to let go. She wanted to smile, but knew that everyone would wonder what the cause of her smile was. She was already as red as a tomato...
Finally letting go, standing up suddenly...She looked at him dumbfounded as he turned around really quickly, giving her a wink and a smile just before scooping Aryan into his arms. She could feel her heart flutter with that smile...
Kabir--taking Aryan to the water...
She couldn't help but watch the two of them play...Kabir was very careful with Aryan being near the water, never letting go of him for a second. As the waves crashed upon the shore, she saw Aryan clutching onto Kabir's leg tightly, slightly scared -curious and slightly excited...every now and then Kabir would look at her and they would be deep into each others eyes, hardly moving their gaze.
He knew that he felt things for her that he had never felt for anyone before...as much as it thrilled him, somewhere it scared him as well...every thought, every feeling felt new to him... These feelings, these thoughts, these emotions were all a sudden change from his once lonely life...she never let him feel alone.
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Later in the evening, Shekhar took Madhu out for a while, so rest of them can prepare for the party...completing everything, Ananya decided to take a walk along the beach...she liked the calmness around...sun was about to set, & very picturesque sight it made...with house being situated near the water...the clear blue water crashed softly against the pale white sand... the color of the reddening sky, as sun was about to set in, reflected off the ocean...
She smiled to herself how b'ful life turned out for her...she got married to person she loved & whom she thought she cud never have...now, here she is with him for life long...she had tough time facing Di & Maya's teasing throughout the day ...they kept pulling her leg, how it was only for her, Kabir agreed to bunk office, & agreed for this outing in middle of week in spite of being busy...how he is smitten by her...whereas, she feels its other way round, its she who is smitten by her husband...& exactly why, she herself doesn't know...& with time she has only become crazy about and loved him to no extent...Since when... she has no clue...
Was it when they had met first time years back...or was it now, years after when they had met again...or was it when they decided to be friends with each other...or when she had suggested about marriage...whenever it was, it has been love all along as she remembers...no wonder, she always felt something in her arise whenever she would catch him smile ; why she always felt so apprehensive whenever he was sad or lost in his thoughts...The butterflies she felt in her stomach whenever he touched her, the memories of kisses they shared are enough to make her warm all over...& she just wanted to swoon whenever he came near... how she spent so many hours just staring at his sleeping face late into the night...
She doesn't care, if he has never said it in words, that he loves her...but she liked how he makes it so obvious, through his actions, through his concern...without even saying...how silently he lets her know that he is there for her...she still remembers how he took care of her when she wasn't well, to the extent he took an off...She loves how he makes her smile, blush...just by being there with her...More than anything she cherishes the togetherness they share...
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Ananya was surprised when while walking something brushed her fingers...she looked up to see Kabir walking beside her...she was so lost in her thoughts she never realized when he joined...
Not finding her around, Kabir had walked out to see Ananya walking ...& cudn't resist the temptation to join...as she looked just as elegant as ever. The wind was blowing her silky hair, and the sun glistened in her eyes...he looked at her, admiring the serenity on her face. She had a soft smile playing on her face ...noticing Ananya looking at him, he smiled back at her...
Somewhere down the line...it filled their heart with joy knowing that they could help bring that smile to each other...two looked at each other, their eyes meeting for the briefest moment only to be taken away bashfully...they felt they had so much to say one another, yet they walked in silence...so close that their fingers brushed...the crashing waves hit their feet as they continued to walk along the shore, the cool water was welcoming...they cud see the setting sun in the horizon... Kabir casually slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him...sounds of the ocean was so relaxing... Feeling at peace, she leaned her head on his shoulder, wanting to enjoy this moment of tranquility... Ananya cud notice that after so long he looked truly content & there was no worry in his eyes...which she had seen all these days...as the cool breeze hit, he noticed her hair flying in her face...removing his hand from her waist and tucked it behind her ear... letting his fingers linger on her cheeks...Ananya didn't know how, but she somehow turned she towards him...looking up at him...meeting his eyes, word for silent word...it was as if she cud understood everything without saying anything...the confusion, the hope all played in her beautiful brown pools...his eyes shifted down to her lips...lifting her chin slightly, his thumb touching the edge of her lips...as he inched closer to her, till his body was near flush to hers...with a tenderness, he grazed her lips with his own, barely touching hers and pulled back, afraid that she would pull away from him... the moment his lips touched hers, Ananya felt the same butterflies in her stomach like always ...he was so gentle with her, making sure she was comfortable. And with that single contact of their lips making sure she wasn't pushed away...
Kabir wasn't sure what compelled him to, but he deepened the kiss, taking over her lips...when he had seen her walking alone...he had the intention to just be with her... talk to her or may he might have even confessed it to her... He had so much in mind...so much to say to her...but with her being close to him, everything & every thought went out in haze... not even to realise his phone had been ringing...it took a moment for him to realise... he picked it up, it was Shekhar informing they are back...
While walking back, Ananya felt her cheeks flush, as if they weren't already red enough...they remained quiet, holding hands, yet their silence was not awkward...In fact, it was nice and comforting...
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Kabir, glanced out at Ananya...who was trying to sort some of her papers. ...& simultaneously talking on phone...she seemed to be tense cause of work...they have the hospital inauguration two days later...& since they skipped office yday coz of Di's bday, they need to rush into things...
Kabir recalled his thoughts from the previous days... the feeling is still taking time to sink in...to make him believe he was in love...& he knew that he had fallen hard for her...Kabir tried his best to concentrate on his work, but in truth was, he was just too happy to even think about work...what he really wanted to do was take her in his arms & just tell her how much he loved her...but he knew that this wasn't the time, nor the place...Kabir dove back into his work for a little while...
Winding up his work for the day...Kabir had walked upto Ananya's cabin so they can leave for home together, may be on the way they can "talk"😛...he can say what he wants to,..the very thought made him smile...but reaching her cabin...he was surprised when he heard her, agreeing to someone that she will be on time...she is just on her way out...disconnecting call, she turned around to find Kabir giving her confused look...
Kabir (smiled)"going somewhere...
Ananya - Haan woh!! Niks had invited for dinner...he said, he wants to discuss something too...I think inagauration ke bare mein...So,
Kabir (interrupting)"toh poora din, kya karte ho tumlog, why don't you discuss it then...(mumbled) specially dinner par jane ki kya zarut hai??
Kabir rolled his eyes as soon as he heard his name...So now he's taking his wife out for dinner---- damn that "poor boy", ...Just wait till he gets his hands on him---let this whole project end off, so he will have nothing to do with him professionally...
Ananya who was collecting her things was startled by his attitude
Ananya"what?? Aap kuch keh rahe the...
Kabir (shook her head) -nothing...Forget it... I'm going home...
Ananya stares at him in confusion, generally he wud have suggested that he wud join her too...but she stared as he walked out...she wondered whats wrong with him...but doesn't have any time to dwell on his grouchy mood since her cell rings again... She picks it up and automatically says, "Yes Niks, I'm coming...its just 5 mins back you told me to come...I am not a superwoman...that I will come flying..."
Not only her husband's mood confused her...but Nik's impatience & confusing behaviour was surprising her too...since past 2-3 days...Niks is behind her...that he wants to say something...but when she asks...he just goes all nervous...& just changes the topic...
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to be continued ...
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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction using characters from the show "Reporters" on 'Sony TV". The characters are owned by creators and owners of the show.
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