Hey!!! How are you guyz….. just two more exams to go… then maybe I’ll be regular…… thanks for supporting me everyone…. Please do tell me how you feel about this…
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All her journey, sam did was, just think about the days she spent with her family, which meant her grandparents, parents, radhika, and the main person, arjun. he never left her thoughts. As well, tears never stopped. The hostess had irked her ‘bout food, drinks and stuffs…. Sam avoided to the possible extent. She wasn’t pleased ‘bout her journey. Everything and everyone were to her nerves or so she thought. not to mention, there were people staring at her unpleasant able form, dishevelled hair, puffy eyes, dark circles. She wanted punch square on their face. She wasn’t angry on someone else, but on herself. All her life she was clumsy, stupid, what not! Radhika and arjun were the only ones who accepted her as she was. Living far away from them, when she loves them to eternity, seemed impossible. Her heart did clench at the sight of arjun and radhika’s marriage. But she was still happy for them or at least trying to be. She hid her emotions all her life and that is what she’ll be doing now. often she caressed arjun’s photo on the screen of her cell phone. She cried. She smiled at the silly fights they had, the pillow fights, ice cream fights, their schooling. Her smile was followed by the tears that never seemed to stop.
There was an announcement made about the flight landing in another 20 minutes. She rubbed off the last tinge of tears on her face with the back of her hands and smiled to herself. She had never been alone for long, away from her family. She wished her this journey would bring something good in her life. She put her phone in the online mode after getting of her flight. She glanced around and stopped at the flashboard which stated, ‘welcome to Berlin’. She walked around and stood in front of the luggage counter. She slid her bag and walked to the exit. She remembered that Dilip, her dad had asked her to call him later so that he could give her the information about her living arrangements in here. She was ‘bout to press the green button, when he called her. She smiled to herself. Her dad was too caring about her unlike her mom.
“hey child!! You reached?” he asked. She had asked mala to tell him the matter which she promised to tell before she left. She could tell that mala had told him everything as she listened to his hard voice, which feared coming out of his throat.
“yes, dad” she replied.
“are you going to be okay? I mean, you know, you could have told us ‘bout things….”
She cut him off.
“I’m not meant to stay there, dad. Things are finished. Just leave them. I’m more into my life here now.”
“okay, I’ve asked one of my friend and he said you could stay in his house. His son lives there and he’s trustable.”
“and yeah… he’s arjun’s cousin. You may feel free. You’re hardly about year or two younger than him.” He added after a pause.
“okay dad…”
“have your food properly. Have a check on your surroundings. I’ve asked him to get a rental car for you. I don’t want you to walk all along. Be careful.”
“dad you’ve told me this around hundred times….”
“I know… I can’t help. I’m your dad….. I miss you…. it been days….”
“miss you too… but It’s only been two days remember?”
“yeah…”
“okay…. I gotta go… we’ll skype later on….” She said and held the call as soon as she saw a board with her name in the air. She walked over and pointed to herself after waving her hand in front of the tall guy.
“samaira mishra” she said pointing herself.
“good to see you, ma’am…. Am Mark.” He stated with a goofy grin. She smiled back.
He caught hold of her luggage, and made his way towards the exit motioning her. She stumbled when someone ran into her. The person steadied her and went away mumbling a sorry. She felt the voice familiar. Mark came back to her and led her to the car.
“how are you today, ma’am?” he asked after a perfect silence, breaking the ice.
“fine…. and call me sam please…” she didn’t like the way ma’am sounded.
“okay….”
“so who are all there in the house?”
“sir, and his niece. His parents will leave today. They just came to visit them.”
“oh!!”
She analysed. There were two people living in there. A man and his niece. His parents were visiting them and today they are getting back…
“what are you here for?” he asked breaking her stance.
“studies…. MD in gynaecology.”
“people come here to study technology. But why are you here for medicine? There are better colleges in the world.”
“I like it here.” She stated.
There was a comfortable silence. She looked out through the window. A building very tall with a clock stood there. It was almost mud in colour. Few birds sat there, and few people stood there. Seemed like a tourist area.
“that’s birds eye….” Mark said. She smiled at him.
“beautiful…” she said. Someday she would go there she decided.
“there’s lot more….” Mark smiled at her.
She smiled back.
It was about an hour drive. They reached a building, creamish. Mark honked and the keeper opened the gate. They smiled at each other. The porch had few pillars. The garden was filled with colourful flowers. A car rushed before mark entered and stopped just in front of the door. A man got out from the passenger seat and ran into the house.
“that’s sir….” Mark stated.
“oh!!”
“and sam, be careful about the girl, his niece. She’s sweet but quite arrogant.”
Sam giggled.
“how old is she?”
“three….”
“hmmmm…. I don’t think she could be arrogant at that age.”
“you’ll see”
He stopped the car in front of the door.
“come…” he said and took her luggage out of the car.
Sam glanced around. The house was clean. Quite bigger than hers. The surrounding seemed welcoming. She felt her heart in peace.
“sam…” mark called her from the door.
“huh… am coming…” she said moving slowly, still observant.
——
She stood at the door. As said there were a couple sitting on the couch in the living room. Ready to leave. A man stood there with a girl in his arms. He had his back to her to see his face. Mark had gone inside with her luggage.
“tell them not to go….” The little girl whined.
“they have to leave sweetie… they will come after few days and will take you around…. Okay?” the man asked. This voice was more than familiar to sam.
“okay…” the girl nodded still displeased.
“mark!!” the little girl exclaimed as she struggled to get out of his grip. She ran to him after she was free.
“neil brought me chocolates…” she held his hands for him to pick her up. Mark smiled and looked at her amused.
“more chocolates… more black teeth….” He stated. She frowned. She kissed his cheeks and got down from his grip.
“hi!!!” she said standing in front of sam.
By now, sam was processing things. She strongly felt she knew this person. She was snapped from her thoughts by a tug on her hands. She looked down. The girl stood there her arms crossed against her chest.
“I said hi!!” she stated.
“oh!! I’m sorry… hi”
“its okay…” she smiled at sam.
“come in….”
Sam smiled. The girl went to the man and held her hands in air. He picked her up and turned around when he heard something fall. the vase nearby had broken into pieces and sam was collecting it.
“sorry!!” she said once she finished.
“idiot!!!” she whispered in shock as soon as she saw his face.
“sam” neil whispered.
“is she momma?” the little girl asked neil bringing his face to focus on her with her little hands.
“no naina…. She isn’t…” neil said, his voice softened at her.
“oh!!! Get in child.” Stated prem, neil’s father.
Sam went near them. She glanced at the little girl. She had wrapped her hands around neil’s neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He rocked her back and forth while she cried.
“hello uncle. Hello, auntie…”
“hello, dear…. Neil, she is the one I said.” Prerna, his mom said.
“you two have met earlier, right?”
“yeah…”
“okay, we’re being late. We’ll leave. You can trust on him. If there’s something, then you can call us. Okay?” prem asked and sam nodded with a smile.
They went to neil. They hugged their goodbyes. The little girl cried at them. They promised they would return again and started.
Mark showed sam the way to her room. He had asked her to get back down once she was fresh. Sam had nodded. She finished unpacking, had shower and descended down stairs. She stood near the staircase. There was no one in the living room. She was searching for someone so that she can feed her stomach which growled in hunger.
She was busy glancing when she felt a tug on her arms. She jumped at once and later calmed herself as it was the girl who called her.
“hi!!” she chirped again.
“huh…. Hi!” sam blushed.
“I’m Naina Malhotra….”
“I’m Samaira mishra….” Sam smiled.
“hey little one! Come have your food.” Neil called her.
“neil… wait..” she yelled back.
“will you be my friend?” she offered with her fist up in the air…
“you are supposed to pump it this way….” Neil cuts sam before she could speak and pumps his fist with her small one.
Naina offered again and sam pumped it with a smile.
“go… be a good girl and sit there in the chair…” he said naina pointing to the dining hall. She complied.
“aaahhhh…. We haven’t met properly…. I’m neil malhotra…” he offered his fists. Sam looked at him amused.
“what?” he asked and she shook her head.
“nothing…… samaira Mishra” she pumped with his’. They laughed.
“well, come over for the lunch… it’ll take time to adjust.”
“yeah!!” she offered.
“by the way…. Naina is getting attached to you… she won’t usually speak to everyone. I was amused when I saw her walking to you herself. I’m sorry if she does something embarrassing…. She hadn’t done anything today yet…. I don’t know what awaiting…”
Sam laughed.
“you talk like a girl”
“huh… I’m no girl…”
She laughed again.
“she won’t do something embarrassing…. I’m fine with her.”
“neil….” Naina yelled from the dining hall.
“coming….” He yelled back.
“please come fast before she does something….” He said and ran over to the dining hall.
Sam stood there amused. They were different. Her lips curled into a smile. Her phone rang and her smile was gone. It was radhika. Sam feared to attend it. she would give her an earful about her being worried and she would scold her like there’s no tomorrow.
“hello” sam said as she pressed the green button.
“skype after an hour… with neil…” radhika said and held the call. her anger was obvious.
Sam was again amused. She didn’t know that radhika knew about her being in neil’s house. Today she was surprised with many things…. She prayed that everything went good before heading towards the dining hall.
—–
“why is jerry brown? He can be purple?” naina offered and neil sighed.
“we will ask them to paint him purple, okay?”
Neil was sitting on the chair while Naina sat on the dining table with her crayons and colouring books around. Neil fed her while she coloured.
“why paint? We can colour him with my crayons, pencil and sketches right?”
“yeah… we can use colour papers too…”
“what if my crayons got over?” her voice stifled as Neil stuffed a spoon full of flakes into her mouth.
“we will buy new one.”
“okay, we’ll shop tomorrow?”
“okay, in the evening. I have office tomorrow.”
“don’t go… please…” she pleaded. Her lips pouted. She gave him her best puppy face that melted him.
“okay!” he sighed and got up to put the bowl in the sink.
“you sit here until we have food and then we will speak to Arjun okay?” he said pointing towards Sam who just entered. Naina smiled at her.
“Samaira Mishra…. Your name is too long….” She said with her hands spread out as much as possible.
Sam laughed.
“you’re cute…” she said as she pinched both of her cheeks.
The little one blushed. Sam laughed at this.
“now, too cute….”
She kissed her cheeks. The little one wiped her cheeks and kissed sam back. Sam smiled.
“you know…. You can call me Sam or Sammy…..?”
“Sammy….” Naina squirmed in her arms.
“stop it sweetie…. She’s elder to you…” Neil scolded.
“so are you…” Sam retorted.
“don’t support her. She calls my dad by his name too.”
“well, I have no problem. I’m not too young for her to call me a sister not too old to call me aunt.”
Neil groaned.
“she’ll get everything her way…” Neil huffed.
Naina winked and Neil twitched his nose. She stuck her tongue out and he did it back. Sam now laughed more.
“you are no less than a child when compared with her Neil.” She said between her laughter.
“be with a three year old, you’ll get to know….” He said and joined her in laughter. Naina was now confused.
“who is the child?” she asked sam innocently.
“you, obviously…” neil said.
“no, I’m three years old. I’m not a child…..” she said sticking out three fingers.
“you are…”
“no….”
“yesss…….”
“noo….”
“yessss…….”
“no…………”
“yessssssssssssssss………….” He hissed ‘s’ extending with each yes.
“stop you two…..” Sam shouted.
“see you made my friend angry….” Naina said and Neil stared her amused. She kissed Sam on cheeks.
“Neil said if we hurt anyone, you should kiss on the cheeks and ask sorry…. I’m sorry….” She said.
Neil and Sam smiled at her.
“Neil even you ask sorry…” she said. Now both were embarrassed.
“I said you…… she would do something.” Neil said. Sam smiled awkwardly.
“its okay… I’m not angry as Naina asked sorry. Okay?”
Naina nodded smiling.
“hmm…. I don’t know to cook. So, you have to wait for mark until he appoints new cook. You can have some toast and flakes if you want.” Neil said with his brows up.
“mind if I cook?”
“not really…. You know to cook right?”
Sam stared at him.
“I guess that’s the reason I offered to cook for you..” she said sternly.
“sorry…”
———
“when did you come back?” she asked him after setting the table for lunch.
Neil sat with Naina sleeping in his lap. He caressed her head patting it slowly.
“today morning….”
“is this yours?” she asked showing a chain which had a diamond shaped locket.
“god!! Where did you get this? I thought I lost this. Its my brother’s last present.” He said as he reached for his chain.
“I guess you need to be careful when you rush.” She said when she was confirmed that the person who bumped into her was him.
“sorry… did I hurt you somewhere?” he asked apologetically.
“no…. but be careful next time.”
“yeah….”
They started munching. Naina stirred in her sleep and Neil patted her so she could sleep some more.
“her parents…”
“they died in a terrorist attack last year…. Leaving her alone….” He said as he patted her head. His eyes covered with a thin film of water.
“I’m sorry….”
“its okay………”
—————
“Neil I’m afraid…….” Sam said fidgeting her fingers.
“be cool…” he stated as he entered carrying Naina into Sam’s room.
“hey!!!” Arjun greeted on her laptop screen.
“is your wife around?”sam asked.
“oh!! From my sister to your wife! Great improvement…” radhika who showed up later said sarcastically. Sam slapped her head.
“I’m sorry radhika…”
“you should be. You didn’t even let me say a bye to my sister.”
“I’m really sorry..”
“you better be….”
“I am. Okay…. How was your day?”
Radhika blushed.
“its awesome….”
“so?”
“we are going to paris on honeymoon.”
Sam flinched. She blinked to avoid her tears.
“that’s…. that’s really great!” she said trying to sound happy which she wasn’t.
Neil who sat next to her frowned. He didn’t know why, his heart flinched seeing her cry. He slightly pressed her palm.
“what is honeymoon?” the little voice joined the conversation.
“Arjun!!!” she exclaimed when she saw him.
“hey sweetheart! How are you today?”
“I’m fine… sleepy….” She yawned. All the four smiled.
“radhika…. Neil’s taking me for shopping!!”
“me?” radhika acted upset.
“you too come….”
“okay!” she said.
“sweetie, go bring your purple jerry and show them. Don’t you want to?” neil asked.
“I will get it….” she smiled and kissed his cheeks. She slid down and ran to get her books.
“how did you know I’m with neil?” sam questioned.
“dad told me” radhika glared.
“don’t you think you need to inform your sister once? What if I had done the same?”
“I’m sorry… I had to write my exams….” She said as she pouted. Neil smiled an unknown.
“sam, I can help you get a seat without giving exams… I have contacts….” Neil offered.
“no neil….” Sam said.
“yes neil… you will take his help. You understand?” radhika demanded.
“radhika…”
“no more arguments….”
“okay!!”
“that sounds more like sam…” arjun teased.
“yeah… I know….” She accepted.
“and this is my radhika…” he said kissing her cheeks. Sam again flinched. Neil shuddered.
“here!!” naina came to them with her books.
“wow! A purple jerry….” Arjun exclaimed.
“neil said he will ask them to paint the jerry purple….” She said and the others laughed.
“okay naina… now a kissie on my cheeks….” Arjun said.
She bent down and kissed sam’s laptop screen.
“so sweet…. Thank you!! see you guys tomorrow…..”
——-
“you should move on sam. I know its difficult…. But you have to….”
“I know… I’m trying. Please don’t tell this to arjun or radhika…. Please…”
“okay…”
—–
“sir, the form…..” mark said handing him the papers.
“okay! I’ll fill it and give it back.”
“what’s that for?” sam asked.
“boarding school…”
“neil she’s too small to go to boarding school. Think before….”
“even I said the same. I could look after her when he’s not around….” Mark cut her off.
Neil glared at him before he replied.
“she’ll get adjusted. Besides, I had left her with Mrs. Thomas for four months. She would adjust the same way.” Sam gaped at him.
“please don’t send me to Mrs. Thomas. Please dad…. I will be good….” The little one pleaded hugging his leg.
“naina, you have to…” neil said sternly.
Her tears budded. Her cheeks, ears turned red. She started sobbing.
Neil turned his way to his room. Sam signalled mark that she would see her.
She gently swept her in her arms. Naina rested her head against her shoulder and sobbed.
“I hate you, daddy!!” she said repeatedly between sobs.
“aahhh” she flinched when sam pressed near her hips to keep her in place.
Sam slightly lifted her shirt to see a red bruises on her hips.
“Mrs. Thomas beats me Sammy…. Please ask daddy not to send me back to her….” She pleaded. Sam’s eyes teared up.
“okay! I promise…. You’ll be with us… okay?”
She nodded.
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So how was the chapter? Do you want naina with them or not…. Please do give me your reviews…. Thank you…..