Forever Yours

Chapter Four

Shehnaaz came out of the theater hall to find Siddharth standing in front of her, leaning against his favorite matte-black sedan. He was dressed in a black hoodie and faded blue denim jeans. They smiled at each other and Siddharth pulled shehnaaz into his arms, hugging her tightly.  

She wrapped her arms around him, chuckling softly. 

"Hey Siddharth!" 

"Hello superstar!!" 

"You're looking so cute!" He exclaimed, gesturing to her off shoulder crop top and ripped jeans. 

Shehnaaz blushed.  

"Meri hone waali biwi itni talented hai, mujhe toh pata hi nahi tha." Siddharth exclaimed softly.  

Shehnaaz beamed at him. "Thank you Siddharth."  

Siddharth smiled and kissed her forehead. "Are you hungry?"  

Shehnaaz nodded.  

Siddharth led her to the passenger seat of his car and opened the door for her before walking towards the driving seat.  

"Tu theek hai, sweetheart?" Siddharth asked softly.  

Shehnaaz nodded.  

Siddharth held her hand, intertwining their fingers together and rested it on the gearshift. "Music?"  

Shehnaaz smiled, timidly producing her phone. Siddharth blinked.  

"I'll connect the music system to your phone's bluetooth," Siddharth fiddled with a few buttons on the car's system "Now connect from your mobile." 

Shehnaaz did as told. "Actually I'm a little fussy about my music." She confessed sheepishly. 

"I'm fussy about my food. It's nothing to be worried about. I get it." Siddharth said, putting the vehicle into ignition.  

"Kishore Kumar?" 

Siddharth grinned. "Oh sure."  

Shehnaaz grinned back, pushing the play button.  

"You're 23. Who told you about RD and Kishore in the world of Arijit Singh and.. I don't know Badshah?!"  

"Sunshine Orphanage ka sunday radio. Bachpan se orphanage mein Mohammed Rafi aur Kishore Kumar ko sunkar hi badi huyi hoon. Uss waqt ko chah kar bhi koi match nahi kar sakta!" Shehnaaz said, tapping her fingers rhythmically along the beats of the song playing in the background. 

Siddharth nodded.  

The rest of the drive lapsed in silence, with a soft humming of music keeping them company. They reached the restaurant after a drive of twenty minutes and were led into a specially reserved area where they sat side by side for their dinner. 

"Mom se first time kab mili thi tum?" Siddharth asked curiously. 

Shehnaaz pouted thoughtfully, "Mein kaafi choti thi. I think 11-12 saal ki. Aunty orphanage aaye the apke dad ke saath." She replied. "I never saw your dad again afterwards." 

"Tum ab bhi orphanage mein rehti ho?" Siddharth asked.  

"No. I left the orphange shortly after my nineteenth birthday. I have a flat in Andheri. Theater aur Ads se savings karke last year ek 1 BHK apartment liya tha. I think it'll take a couple months for the mortgage to be over." She said.

Siddharth nodded. "Shaadi priority hai tumhaare liye iss waqt? I mean clearly tumhaare plans hai, tumhaari life.. sab disrupt nahi hoga?" Siddharth asked curiously. 

"Shaadi ke baad, theater ya acting nahi karne denge aap?" Shehnaaz asked innocently.  

Siddharth's eyes widened at the implication of his words. "No. Of course I'll be there every step of the way to support you in any manner I can. I didn't mean that. Mein woh nahi bol raha tha. I mean.. don't take me wrong but tumhe nahi lagta kay ek ladki ki priority shaadi ke baad khud se hatke apni family pe aa jaati hai?" He asked softly. 

Shehnaaz smiled, "I guess so, but aisa toh aapke saath bhi hoga na? Jab shaadi hogi, toh changes dono ki life mein aayenge. Mera comfort aapke liye priority bann jaayega, aapka comfort mere liye. Aapki family ka hissa bann jaungi me.  Aapka routine mere hisaab se, kaheen na kaheen toh alter hoga, right? Thode changes mere bhi routine mein aa jayein toh it's fair isn't it?" She explained softly.  

Siddharth felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach. These words, this maturity! It surprised him and yet it made him respect her a little more for the way she worked with relationships with such purity and innocence.  

He tightened his hold on Shehnaaz's hand.  

Shehnaaz smiled.  

"Mere paas ek bahut pyaari family hai, sunshine orphanage mera ghar hai, magar woh sirf mera ghar nahi hai. Orphanage ki matron ma'am, Manager uncle, unhe sab bacchon ko dekhna hota tha, sabko equal treat karna hota tha. Kisi ke bhi saath kam syaada nahi.." 

"Mere parents mujhe chod ke gaye.. mene unhe kabhi dekha hai ya nahi.. mein toh yeh bhi nahi jaanti. Matron ma'am bahot pyaar se treat karti thi, bahut khayaal rakhti thi.. par Maa toh Maa hoti hai na Siddharth.."

Siddharth nodded. 

"Mein bachpan se apni Maa ko dhundti rahi. Ek pariwaar dhoondti rahi, jo mere saath rahe, mera khayaal rakhe. Woh pariwaar, Maa, Didis.. jijus, bacche, aap.." She bit her lip nervously, "woh sab mujhe ab mil raha hai. Mera pariwaar mil raha hai. Toh mein khud se upar, unhe kaise nahi rakhungi." 

Siddharth smiled, pulling her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. 

"Mere pass, prioritize karne ke liye kabhi koi tha hi nahi. Hamesha khud ke liye decisions liye. Apne baare mein socha.. but now, I have people who will be affected by my actions, who'll be worried for me. It's going to be a welcome change in my life, I swear." Shehnaaz said quietly. 

"Yeah. I believe you." Siddharth said sincerely. "I'd be honored to be on your priority list." 

"You'd top it." Shehnaaz confessed. 

"Yeah? Not even mom?" Siddharth asked surprised. 

Shehnaaz shook her head. "Would you share the top spot with her?" She asked innocently. 

Siddharth laughed at her cuteness. "I'd love to."

Here's the next part.

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