7| Ulfat

🦢 Raatein gin ke, neendein bun ke,

Hoti kya hai khwaabdari humne jaani,

Tere surka saaz banke, hoti kya hai raagdaari humne jaani 🦢

🦢 Two years later 🦢

"I don't want to go to school, mumma." Aashna said as she gave Maya puppy eyes.

"Kyu nahi jana, baby?" Maya asked as she continued tying her hair.

Why don't you wanna go, baby?

"Diya is sick." Aashna said in a sad voice.

"She won't be attending." Maya said as she realised how her daughter doesn't wanna go to school without her best friend.

"So what? You can still go." Arjun said as he grabbed Aashna's hand.

"No papa. I don't want to." Aashna said as she shook her head.

"But why?" Arjun questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

"What why Arjun?" Maya said as she looked at her husband.

"What?" Arjun asked.

"How can she go if her best friend is gonna be absent today." Maya said as if it's the most obvious thing ever.

"I don't understand. Diya is sick, Aashna isn't. She can very well go to the school." Arjun said as he continued eating his breakfast.

"Aapke zamane mei ye hota hoga. Mere time se rules badal gaye hai." Maya said as she finished doing Aashna's hair.

That must've been how things go around in your era. The rules have changed since my time.

"Kya matlab?" Arjun asked as he stopped having his breakfast midway and looked at his wife.

What do you mean?

"Agar meri best friend school nahi jaa rahi to mai bhi nahi jaa rahi." Maya sassed as she brushed her hair off her shoulder and gave her husband a smile.

If my best friend isn't going to school, neither am I.

"Not that. What do you mean by 'aapka zamana'? Arjun said as he raise his two fingers and air-quoted his last two words.

'Your era'

"Aap mujhse bas thode se bade hai na." Maya said as she grabbed Arjun's jaw and said her words in a baby voice.

You're just a little elder to me.

"Sirf 6 saal." Arjun said in a flat voice.

Only 6 years.

"Sirf? Aap thode se buddhe hone lage hai, Arjun." Maya repeated in surprise and chuckled herself.

Only? You've started to get a bit old, Arjun.

"Biwi agar aap bhul gaye ho to mai yaad karau ke iss buddhe ke saath kya kya kiya hai aapne kal raatko. You didn't have this opinion then." Arjun pulled Maya near to him and whispered in her eyes in a way that Aashna couldn't hear them.

Wifey if you've forgotten then let me remind you of what all you did with this old man last night.

"Arjun!" Maya shoved him off and walked into the kitchen.

"Papa! Please let me miss school today." Aashna flashed her baby browns at her father again.

"Ye cheez aadat nahi banni chahiye." Arjun said as he took the parent voice with her.

This shouldn't become a habit.

"I promise, papa." Aashna said and raised her right hand's pinky up.

"Fine. You may take a leave today." Arjun said and intertwined his right hand's pinky with his daughter's. He smiled at her and she returned it.

The father and daughter didn't realise when Maya clicked their moment with her phone.

"So baby, now that you're not going to school today, what do you wanna do?" Maya asked as she walked back in the dining room and took her seat. She placed Arjun's coffee mug in front of him and kept her tea cup on the table as well.

"I want to watch a movie mamma." Aashna said.

"With you." She added after a second and Maya nodded with a smile.

"Can we please watch Beauty and the Beast?" Aashna asked with a cute smile on her face.

"Absolutely." Maya said and gave a small kiss to her on her chubby cheeks.

"I'll bring snowy. We'll watch it with her." Aashna said as she got down from her chair. Snowy is her favourite stuff toy.

"I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now. You guys enjoy your movie day." Arjun said as he stood up from his seat. He picked Aashna up in his arms and threw her in the air before quickly catching her.

Aashna giggled at that. Once Arjun held her in his arms again, she placed a kiss on her father's cheek.

"Bye baby." Arjun kissed Aashna's forehead and put her down on the floor. She ran back to her room.

"Bye hubby." Maya said as she got up from her seat to give him a hug.

"Byee wifey." Arjun gathered his wife in his arms and buried his head in her shoulder. Breathing in her scent, he couldn't help but place a couple of open mouthed kisses on her neck.

"Arjun." Maya tried warning him but it came out as a moan.

"Don't tease me, my love. It's anyways difficult to control myself when you're wearing black." Arjun said as he raked his hands up and down Maya's back.

She was wearing a black full length dress. Arjun loved to see his wife in black and she knew it very well.

"Tonight. I promise it'll be worth the wait." Maya seductively whispered and hear a growl from her husband.

"I'll hold you to that." He said as he detached himself from her.

"Bye." Maya giggled and placed a kiss on Arjun's lips and straightened the lapels of his coat.

"Bye my love." Arjun said as he tucked a loose strand behind her ears.

Both of them walked out of the house together. Arjun sat in the back of his black Mercedes. Maya waved at him and turned to walk back in.

"Aashna, come on." Maya called for her daughter and the next moment saw her descend downstairs with a white polar bear stuff toy in her hand.

"I'm here, mamma." She replied with a toothy grin.

.

.

.

"Arjun? Please get up." Maya frantically shook her husband's sleeping body.

It was a normal Sunday morning and as always Arjun was sleeping in late. That's the only day Arjun gets to sleep peacefully as he now has a no-business-calls policy on Sunday.

"Arjun?!" Maya said in an even louder voice than before and Arjun's sleep broke at once.

"What? What happened my love?" Arjun woke up and immediately sat up on his place. He cupped her face and scanned her for any injuries.

Tears were continuously streaming down her face. Her breaths were ragged and she was full on panicking.

"Arjun, Aashna kahi nahi mil rahi hai." Maya hid her face in her hands and continued crying.

Arjun, I cannot find Aashna anywhere.

"What? What do you mean?" Arjun said as he threw the comforter off him and got up from the bed.

"I cannot find her anywhere. I searched the whole house." Maya said as he looked up at Arjun's face.

He picked up his phone and immediately dialled the person who was in-charge of his house's security.

"Have you guys seen Aashna anywhere?" Arjun asked.

"No sir. She hasn't left the inside of the house. We last saw her entering it last evening with Mrs. Singhania." The head of the security team informed him.

"She isn't out of the house." Arjun said as he disconnected the call. He was relieved now as Aashna was in the house itself.

"Maine kab na bola." Maya said and Arjun stopped what he was doing.

When did I deny that.

"What do you mean?" Arjun asked as he sat on the bed in front of her.

"After breakfast she asked me to play hide-and-seek with her. I counted till 20 and then started searching for her. I looked literally everywhere but I'm not able to find her. I lost our daughter Arjun." Maya said as fresh set of tears started pouring down her face.

"Maya, maya." Arjun said as a smile broke on his face. He shook his head and kissed her wife's forehead.

He cupped her face and wiped her tears off. She looked up at her husband, confused as to why he wasn't taking this matter seriously.

"Arjun! Aashna bhale ghar mei hi ho par mil to nahi rahi hai. Mai kya karu?" She said and started crying again. She climbed in his lap and hid her face in his chest.

Aashna is in this house itself but she's still nowhere to be found. What should I do now?

"Mai kya karu tumhara?" Arjun said as he encircled his arms around his wife and continued laughing.

What am I gonna do with you?

Maya slapped his chest for laughing at her. Arjun picked her up in his arms and started walking out of the room.

"Kya kar rahe ho? Kaha jaa rahe ho?" Maya questioned as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

What are you doing? Where are you going?

"Abhi pata chal jayega." He said and walked to his office.

You'll see in a bit.

He kept Maya down and walked towards his cupboard. He opened the left door and there Aashna was, comfortably sitting between a pile of cushions.

"Aashna! There you are." Maya ran towards her as she got out of the cupboard and engulfed her in her arms, kneeling on the ground in front of her.

"I won, mamma." Aashna innocently said, not realising what was happening.

"Yes you did baby." Arjun said and raised his hand for a high-five. Aashna gave him a high-five and ran out of the room.

"Ab theek ho?" Arjun said as he forwarded his hand towards Maya.

Are you okay now?

"Thank God." Maya said as she put her hand in his and got up from her position.

"Aapko kaise pata chala ke Aashna yaha hai?" Maya asked, composing herself.

How did you know she was here?

"Mujhe sab pata hota hai." Arjun smugly said and gave her a cocky smirk.

I know everything.

"Bataiye na." Maya said as she slapped his chest.

Tell me.

"2 din pehle usne yehi cheez mere saath ki thi. Mai bhi darr gaya tha par bad mei mujhe wo yahin se mili." Arjun said recalling the incident.

2 days ago she did the same to me. I panicked as well but then I found her here.

"Mujhe kyu nahi pata. Mai kaha thi?" Maya asked.

Why don't I know of this. Where was I?

"Tum so rahi thi. Raat k 1 jo baje the." Arjun said and realised what he said.

You were asleep. It was 1 am so.

"Aap dono ne phir der raat ice cream khai?!" Maya asked as she kept her hands on her waist.

You two had ice cream so late at night, again?!

"Are nahi nahi." Arjun tried lying but he knew it wasn't gonna help. He kept his hands on either side of her waist and carressed her skin there.

Oh no no.

"The only reason for you two to be awake at 1 a.m. is if you're having ice cream. I know you guys too well." Maya said.

"I'm sorry. Pakka nahi khayenge aabse." Arjun said as he pulled her body to his and kissed her scrunched nose.

We won't eat do this from now, for sure.

"I'll see about that. Abhi jaiye aur naha lijeye." Maya said as he kept her hands on his bicep.

For now go and have a shower.

"You wanna take a second shower?" Arjun asked.

"Jee nahi. Mujhe bada kaam hai. Aap jaiye." She said as she lightly pushed on his chest.

Oh no. I have lots of work to do. You go.

"Argh, fine." Arjun said with scrunched nose and walked out of the room.

Maya turned around to close the door of the cupboard but stopped immediately as she felt her husband's hands on her body. Arjun once again picked Maya up in his arms and started walking out of the room.

"What are you doing Arjun?" Maya asked as a surprised giggle left her mouth.

"You should know by now my love, I don't take no for an answer." Arjun said as he opened the door to their room and walked straight to their bathroom.

"We're gonna have a long shower, aren't we?" Maya asked as Arjun placed her on top of the basin counter.

"For sure." Arjun said as he connected his lips to hers.

- x -

So that's it for Maya and Arjun's story. Please give your feedback and lots of love to all of you. ❤️