Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Naina's POV

"Naina you had anyone in your life?" Ranveer asked as we were having breakfast.

"What? No..no.. I never had anyone in my life,” I lied.

But it was not a lie.

Right?

Because before I could have anyone in my life, you came in my life Mr. Ranveer Singhania.

"Thank god,” he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I can't imagine you with anyone else," he said but I didn’t say anything.

He finished his breakfast and went to wash his hands.

"Anyways, I want to tell you something," I said as he came back in our room.

"What?"

"Today after lunch I want to go to the children's orphanage," I said.

"Where I first saw you?" he asked and I remembered the day when our eyes first met.

“Yes. Where you gave me your handkerchief to wipe my mouth,” I said and a smile came on his lips.

I love to see a smile on his face.

Naina!

What are you saying?

My conscious asked me.

“Yes,” he said.

“By the way why did you suddenly gave me your handkerchief?” I asked but before he could say anything a call came and he excused himself and came back after some time.

“Naina I have to leave. A client is waiting for me,” he said as he kissed me on the forehead and left for office.

After he left for office I freshened up, and washed my clothes and dried it up.

After having my lunch I decided to get ready.

I got ready in red salwar and yellow leggings.

While I was doing my hair the doorbell rang.

I tied my hair in a ponytail and went to open the door.

"You came early?" I asked as he gave me a bouquet of yellow roses and there was a smile on my face looking at the fresh flowers.

"Yes today there was not much work. I finished it and came home early so that we both can go to orphanage together," he said and a small smile escaped my lips.

"So let’s go,” he said and we went towards his car.

"You repaired the car?" I asked and he nodded in a yes.

We both were silent and I was looking outside the window.

It was not an awkward silence. It was more like a peaceful silence.

After almost twenty minutes we reached the orphanage and as soon we entered the orphanage the kids stopped playing and came to hug me.

They started asking me number of questions like "Didi how are you?" "Why didn’t you came to meet us?"

After few seconds someone asked "Didi who is he?"

Ranveer kneeled down beside me and pulled the kid in his arms.

"I am her husband," he told her.

"What is that?” Riya asked.

"After we grow up, everyone gets married and become husband and wife,” he explained.

"Yes and then god give them a baby like us,” she said.

I felt embarrassed.

"But we were not good baby, so our parent left us here.” Tina said.

"Who told you all this?" I asked.

"Aarti aunty," they said in unison.

Aarti was their previous caretaker who was asked to leave the job as they found her beating a girl because she was not feeling like eating.

"You all were very special kids that’s why you all came to a special place," I said.

"Really?" Pranav asked.

"Yes, my babies, you all are very special," I said.

"They why our parents left us? " Sravani asked.

I controlled my tears.

How can someone leave their child ?

"Naina?" someone called and I looked up to see Jaya aunty.

"You have come after so many days,” she said as me and Ranveer stood up.

"And who is he?" she asked.

"He is Ranveer, my husband,” I told her.

"You got married?" she asked and I nodded in a yes and introduced them to each other.

"I have a surprise for all of you," Ranveer said to the children.

"Really?" everyone screamed and I scrunched my nose in confusion.

Surprise?

"Yes. Wait a minute,” he said and left.

"So when you got married?" jaya aunty asked.

"Few days back," I said and Ranveer came with many packets in his hands.

When had he bought all this?

Where had he kept all this?

"Get in a line and one by one you will come and take these packets," everyone got in line hurriedly.

Then he gave packets to everyone.

In a packet there were some books pen, pencil, chocolates and blankets.

Everyone was thanking him and hugging his huge figure with their little hands.

I was so grateful to him for making them happy and specially Sravani who was now sitting on Ranveer's lap and laughing loudly as Ranveer was telling her something.

*****

Are you ready?" he was shouting but I was not ready.

It was Saturday, the day we had plans to go to NGO.

I wanted to wear a saree but I could not wear it.

I had only wore a saree once, on the day of our farewell in school and that day Kamla aunty helped me.

I tried watching you Tube tutorials but I was not able to do it perfectly.

I wanted to go to the NGO wearing a saree.

I don’t know why, but I wanted to do it.

I wanted to be traditional for once, but could not do it.

I had few sarees and out of them I had chosen a black one.

"If you will not open the door in a minute, I will break it," I knew by his tone that he was serious.

I hurriedly opened the door and he came in the room and looked at me and gulped and I realize I was standing in front of him only in a blouse and underskirt.

"For the past half an hour you are like this? We should be leaving by now," he said.

I showed him the saree.

"I was trying to wear a saree, but I do not know how to wear it. I wanted a traditional look but I am not able to do it,” I told him.

"You don’t know to wear it then why you are trying?" he asked.

"Because when I was with them some of them said that they wished to see me in a traditional look and I want to fulfill their wishes," I said.

"Give me the saree,” he said and I looked at him with questions in my eyes as I didn't know what was going in his head but then I gave him a saree.

He unfolded the saree and tucked in the saree from the right side and drape it one time.

"Pin,” he asked and I told him that pin was on the dressing table.

He asked me to hold the saree and bought few pins.

He took the other side of the saree and plated it and he took it one more time around me and he placed it around my shoulder and secured it with a pin.

He pleated the remaining portion from the left hand side and placed it perpendicular to my belly button and arrange the pleats and inserted it straight to my belly button and secured the pleats with another pin.

"Wow! You are looking beautiful,” he complimented making me smile.

"Where did you learn it?" I asked.

"When I was in college Mom met with a small accident and her right hand was fractured and doctor had advised to not remove the plaster for fifteen to twenty days. There was some occasion in her office and she had to compulsory wear a saree for three to four days and that time I learned it."

Wow!

"Oh.. okay," I said as I went towards the dressing table, did my hair, wore earrings and necklace and applied minimal make up.

“Let’s go,” I said and was leaving.

"Wait," he said and left and then after some time came with a box.

"Open it," he said giving me the box.

I opened it and saw a beautiful pair of gold bangles.

"Wow!” I exclaimed.

"These are free size bangles," he said.

"Why did you buy it? You don't have to waste money on it," I said.

"Naina buying these is not waste of money for me. Buying something for you makes me happy and your happiness is my asset," he said.

What?

He always makes me speechless.

"Thank you," I said as I wore the bangles and was ready to leave.

"Now let's go," he said and we left the house.

"We should buy something for them. They are so caring and they love us so much,” I said.

"Yes. You are right. Let's go," he said and we went to a saree shop.

In an hour we bought fifty sarees and we also bought one for Mom and also a packet of sweets.

*****

We left from the shop and after about twenty five minutes we reached at the NGO.

"You are almost two hours late,” Mom said as we reached the NGO.

"Mom I am sorry but because of your Naina we are late,” he said and she looked at me.

"Wow Naina! You are looking so beautiful,” Mom said and hugged me.

"Wow Bhabhi! You are looking so beautiful. Now we understood why you both were late. Ranveer bhai was not leaving you. Right?" everyone teased and once again that stupid blush came on my face.

We went inside and they made us sat on a chair and gave a glass of cold drinks and after that we gave them sarees. They were so happy as they saw the sarees.

"Thank you so much," everyone said in unison making us laugh.

Ranveer's mobile rang and he went to attend the call.

"Ranveer is looking so happy," Nisha aunty said and I looked at him.

He was looking so handsome.

"You can't take you eyes off him,” Shilpa aunty teased and I just gave her a small smile.

"With you he seems to be more happy,” another aunty said as Ranveer came and sat beside me.

"Love changes everyone,” Mom said.

Love?

What am I doing? Playing with everyone's feeling and especially playing with Ranveer's feeling?

"So Ranveer how you met her?" someone asked.

They all were standing around us.

I looked at him to see he was already looking at me.

"For the first time I saw her in the ice cream parlor having ice cream with kids and the way she was handling the children, I couldn't take my eyes off her," he said and I was literally dumbfound.

"Wow!" everyone exclaimed clapping their hands.

Oh!

So now I know why he said that?

He said that to make everyone happy.

Then they took us in a room and served us dinner.

We both looked at each other as we were shocked to see so many dishes.

"All this is specially for both of you," Rani aunty said as we looked at our plates consisting of fried rice, dum aloo, shahi paneer, daal makhani, naan and gulab jamun with Papad.

"Yes we hope both of you will love it," Shilpa aunty said.

"Don’t worry aunty we will definitely enjoy it." Ranveer said and I nodded my head in a yes.

*****

"Thank you for today. We enjoyed the day," I said.

"You will come again, right?" they asked.

"Yes we will come again," we both said at the same time.

We bid Mom goodbye as Mom wanted to stay there for some time and sat in the car.

"You didn’t have to lie that you were attracted to me the first time you saw me. You could have told the truth that how my father betrayed you and you married me because of that,” I said.

He looked at me for few seconds.

"What I say to anyone is none of your business," he said and I felt that he was angry and didn't argue further.

So he lied?

So everything he said in the NGO was a lie?

It's okay.

Why am I feeling sad?

I should be happy about it.

*****