How I Married Your Mom

Chapter 26- Samarth Opens Up To Jiya

"Tell me." Jiya urged him to continue. "We met on the second day of college." "Why not on the first day?" Jiya piqued. "Because she was absent, idiot." He lightly smacked Jiya's forehead as if knocking some sense into her while she made her mouth a perfect 'o'.

"She was from the Arts stream, I was a---" "Commerce student?" Jiya again interrupted. "Do one thing, you only tell me. No, no, you go ahead." Samarth spoke, annoyed. "Arey nahi nhi, tum toh gussa ho gaye. I was just saying that because you are a businessman, toh Science lekar toh businessman bane nahi hoge. Sorry sorry, continue." "Don't interrupt." Samarth ordered and she did a zipping her mouth action.

"So, I fell in love with her at first sight. She was almost too pretty to resist." Jiya was about to say something but stopped remembering her mouth has to be zipped. "So, few boys were ragging her and I saved her from them. Mujhe laga she will be impressed but instead she thought I paid those boys to rag her so that I could save her and be the hero. So, that was the start of our love story." 

"Then?" Jiya made him resume. "She got angry and abused me and I was shocked. But, I didn't feel hurt. In fact, I looked at her beautiful face while she was scolding me." He smiled. "Achha, tabhi se creepy the?" Jiya said in a flow only to realize what she had done by the gross look on Samarth's face after which she mouthed a sorry.

"I asked her out for dates only to be rejected by her numerous times. She never accepted me. I asked her out on Valentine's Day as well but she rejected yet again. I lost all hopes of ever being with her and went into depression. I started staying away from everyone. It was hard for me to accept the fact that Mihika wasn't actually the one for me because I had already given her my heart. And it's difficult to live without a heart, isn't it?" Samarth looked at Jiya and Jiya could, for the first time, notice a different emotion in his eyes. Vulnerability. She simply smiled seeing that the monster was finally letting his guard down around her.

"Phir shaadi kaise hui? Zabardasti?" Jiya mentioned a possibility knowing Samarth was totally capable of that. "I was not always this way, Jiya. People change!" The pain in Samarth's voice made Jiya run a hand on his shoulder to Samarth's surprise. He composed himself. "My parents grew worried about my mental health over the course of time. They asked me what was it all about? After much coaxing and asking, I told them the reason." 

"I didn't know how they did that but just after 1 month, after our colleges got over and we finally graduated, Mihika's parents came over to talk about marriage. I was stunned, shocked, but most of all happy. We discussed it all. Jiya hadn't come then. I missed seeing her. In college too, I was trying my best to avoid her. We talked and I convinced them to keep the marriage after 3 years, at least Mihika completes her University and finds herself capable of making her own decision. I could sense that Mihika's parents liked me for that. We got to know each other better during that time phase but I still hadn't won her heart."

Jiya was silently listening to all that. It was not hurting her to hear about her husband's first marriage story. Instead, she was feeling really happy and special right now. She realized how much Samarth loved and adored Mihika. Jiya understood that her cold and rude husband had changed with time, with experiences but she was just thinking if he would show his soft side to her as well, sometime in the future.

"We got married." Samarth's voice brought her back to the reality. "I still remember on the wedding night, she was all so defensive and boldly confessed she didn't want to consummate the marriage that night. I never planned to too. I was equally nervous on how to bring that topic up in front of her. She made it easier. After marriage, there were many moments, when we fought, we got angry, we got impressed, we got to know each other on a better level, living together. One day, I finally decide to confess my love to her. Talking about that, I had never actually told her that I loved her, it was presumed but I wanted to tell her because she was all I had ever needed."