Strings Of Love

Chapter 29

Shehnaaz being upset would have been an understatement, she was shattered. She just couldn't stop crying once she was all by herself in the new room. All curled up under the quilt, she was wide awake till the sun peeked through the curtains. She kept recalling what all happened last year, she had heard her distant aunts talking about her, her uncle and the family she was going to marry into.

The next thing she remembered was making plans, looking for a way through the window to escape and not stopping till she reached the nearest bus stand. And when she finally pulled out her stunt, ran away from her wedding and was about to fly to Delhi in the next few days. Her friend, who helped her out with the tickets, informed her about her Uncle's health condition. Her uncle was humiliated, insulted and mocked when his niece didn't show up at the altar.

The wedding was called off, he
apologized to the groom's family and each and every guest for the inconvenience. Along with loads of mortification and disgrace, came huge business losses. The disputed land couldn't get the contract followed by the termination of all business ventures the groom's family had with her family. Unfortunately, one fine day her uncle fell off the chair and complained of immense pain on the left side of his chest.

A heart attack that it was, it took him a lot of injections and medications worth a lot of money to recover from it. Shehnaaz went back home and was there at the hospital when her uncle gained consciousness. She apologized for her misbehaviour but nobody could bring themselves to forgive her for running away. She fell from their grace after what she did and faced their wrath, her aunt, also Amrit's mother, slapped her across her face, told her she meant nothing to them and she was as good as dead to them since the moment she chose herself over the family's pride.

She wished she was comfortable enough to share her emotional baggage with Sidharth, she felt like she could trust him since he wasn't someone who was likely to go around with a trumpet blowing her details. She thought it'd be alright since he had been a good friend till date, someone who really does take the edge of the problem by listening to her and offering suggestions. She thought she might feel better but she just wasn't ready to talk about it, yet.

"Shehnaaz?" There was a knock on the door that broke her out of her reverie, she immediately wiped her tears away before opening the door.

"Ha. Hi." She smiled at Sidharth.

"Breakfast?" He asked, pointing towards the table all set with casseroles and cutleries.

"Ha, mai bas abhi aayi brush karke." She replied.

"Haaye, tu abhi se ready bhi ho gaya?" She was about to turn when she noticed he was dressed in a formal white crisp shirt and black pants.

"Ha, mai usually 9-9.30 tak nikal jata hu." He replied.

"Oh, aaj shayad mai der tak so gayi. Mai bas abhi aayi, tu baith khane." She said, disappearing into the room.

He returned to the table and waited for her to return. He knew she was trying to look alright but her face had never been so dull, her under eyes so puffy and her nose still red out of all the crying but he didn't ask her anything, as promised.

"I'm back." She said, pulling out a chair for herself and rubbing her hands together.

"Kya bana hai?" She asked and he removed the lid from the casserole.

"Poha." He said, serving breakfast to themselves.

"Tune banaya?" She asked, doubting if this guy infront of her could even cook while tasting it.

"Ofcourse." He nodded, watching her amused reactions.

"Lagta toh nahi tujhe kuch karna bhi aata hoga. Sachi tune banaya?" She asked again.