2| Mukhtalif

🤍 Ek maange agar sau khwaab doon

Tu rahe khush, main aabad hoon 🤍

"Hello to you too, boyfriend." She said with a smile and he connected their lips for a toe-curling kiss, again.

"I missed you so much." She confessed once they pulled away.

"Kiara, baby, you were literally missing from me. A piece of me I cannot help but part with." Kabir said stressing the word 'from'.

Kiara's eyes welled at his sincere words and she immediately pulled him in for a hug.

"Kya hua? Itni pereshaan kyu ho?" Kabir asked as he wrapped his left hand tightly around her waist and started caressing her hair with his other one.

What happened? Why are you so upset?

"Thi. Ab nahi hu." Her voice came out muffled but he understood her nonetheless.

I was. Am not now.

"Accha ji? Aisa kya ho gaya abhi?" Kabir teasingly posed the question.

Oh is it? What happened right now?

"Aapka deedar." Kiara said and earned a hearty laugh from him.

I got to see you.

Kiara sniffed in his scent and decided to break their hug. She gave him a smile and got one in return.

"Are you okay now?" Kabir asked.

"Way better." She replied.

"Wanna go home?" He asked as he took her hand and intertwined their fingers.

"I so want to but cannot. It's not even been an hour since I arrived." She said and Kabir nodded.

"I haven't met anyone either. How about we socialise for another hour and then we'll leave?" Kabir suggested and she nodded with a tired smile.

"I'll leave first, you come out after a couple of minutes." Kiara instructed as she fixed her hair and saree.

"Aap jaisa bolein." Kabir said and Kiara chuckled giving him a kiss on the cheek.

As you say.

She exited the powder room and as planned, Kabir got out after 2-3 minutes.

Kiara quickly blended in with the crowd and stirred clear of Kabir or any of his business associates for the rest of the party. She stuck with people of her industry as if it's a rule; which it sort of is.

Ever since Kabir and Kiara started dating, they decided to not make their relationship public until they feel comfortable. Even on parties like these, they try not to talk to anyone from the other's industry and especially each other. Hawk-eyed fans of either of them might spot them together in a picture that is super blurry and start unnecessary rumours. Their respective PR teams would have a nightmare putting off those rumours.

After what felt like years, those 60 minutes passed and Kiara bid her farewell to Shanaya.

"Thank you so much for the invite. It was a great party but I'll take your leave now." Kiara said as she hugged Shanaya.

"Don't be formal. Thank you for attending babe. See you soon." Shanaya said with a warm smile.

"Bye. See you." Kiara said and quickly exited Shanaya's mansion.

She called Akshay, her driver and spotted her car soon. Paparazzis were still outside the mansion who immediately started clicking her pictures. She didn't have it in her to stop for photos so she simply walked to her car and got in.

"Akshay bhua, ghar gheuna ja." She said to her driver in Marathi, which is his mother tongue and he nodded in reply. Kiara's mother tongue is Hindi but she has picked up basic Marathi sentences as time passed. Every other person who resides in Mumbai can speak enough Marathi to get through their daily life.

Brother Akshay, take me home.

She pulled out her phone from her clutch and immediately dialled Kabir's number. He answered after a ring.

"Hello. I've left the party. I'm going to my place right now." She said.

"Okay. I'll leave in 20. See you there." Kabir replied.

Kiara got home and the first thing she did was to undressing and then hopping in the shower. She loved taking cold showers at night and that was exactly what she needed to take her mind off the upsetting conversation she had with Rahul Modi earlier.

She used her favourite body scrub and body wash. After a good 20 minute shower, she got out and did her skin care. She ditched her bathrobe and got into her pjs. She tied her hair in a bun with some strands of her hair falling out.

She walked to the kitchen and pulled her favourite chamomile tea bags from the cabinet above. After filling a pot with some water, she put it on the stove and waited for the water to boil.

She started collecting things she needs to make just what she needed after a long day, Dal Chawal. She has been to numerous fancy restaurants but her comfort food will always be a bowl of home-cooked Dal Chawal.

Lentil Rice

As she noticed that the water had come to a boil, she took the pot off the stove and poured the hot liquid into her cup. She kept the tea bag in for two minutes and then discarded it.

As she was about to take a sip from her piping hot beverage, she felt Kabir's arms snake around her waist from behind. Kiara was surprised for a second before she relaxed against his chest.

He immediately nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck, breathing her in. He placed a soft kiss on her collarbone and then peeked at what she was doing.

"How are you always so silent?" She questioned, basking into the comfort of his arms. He shrugged his shoulders in a reply.

"Dal Chawal bana rahi ho? Kuch khaya nahi na party mai?" Kabir said as he turned her in his arms.

You're making Lentil rice? Didn't have anything at the party, right?

"You noticed?" Kiara asked in a soft voice.

"Baby when it's you, I notice everything." He said as he picked her up and sat her on the counter top. Kiara blushed at both, his sentence and his action.

"Kya kar rahe ho?" She asked.

What are you doing?

"Apko Pamper." He said as he handed her, her cup of tea and pulled her cheek lovingly.

Pampering you.

She smiled as she offered a sip to him and he denied scrunching her nose.

"You know I don't like tea." He said and she chuckled.

"I don't know how you drink black coffee everyday. It's so strong and bitter. I like cold brews but black coffee isn't my cup of tea." She chuckled at her own sentence and he smiled at that.

"You need to acquire the taste for it. I wasn't the biggest fan of it in the beginning but now I've grown to like it a lot. I prefer them over normal milk coffees." Kabir replied.

"Now, let's get some food in you." Kabir said and Kiara nodded.

She saw him taking off his suit jacket and then undo his tie. He kept both the things on the chair placed in front of the island counter.

Just like a fictional character, he undid the top two buttons of his crisp white shirt and started to roll his sleeves.

Kiara mentally drooled at the sight in front of her. She shamelessly started checking out her boyfriend. The veiny hands, the skin tight shirt, the faint ab lines visible through it and the way his hair were messy but in a perfect way. He was handsome beyond words.

Kabir started chopping vegetable and put the rice in stove. In another 20 minutes, he prepared Dal Chawal and served it in a bowl.

"Thank you. When did you start cooking again? You haven't cooked in months." Kiara said as she accepted the hot bowl of lentil rice from him. She had finished her tea 15 minutes ago.

"I don't cook when I'm in Delhi mostly because I don't have the time to. It's only when I'm in Mumbai that I get some free time." Kabir replied as he took Kiara's tea cup and kept it in the sink.

"You must be tired from the flight. Should've let me cook it myself. Why'd you do it?" Kiara took a spoonful of the rice and blew on it to cool it down. She kept the spoon in her mouth and closed her eyes at the taste. A natural smile formed on her face.

"It's delicious, by the way. Thank you." She said and he gave her a peck.

"First, I'm never tired to do things that bring out this smile on your face. Secondly, you're more than welcome." He said smiling back at her.

She forwarded a spoon in front of him and he opened his mouth just like a child. She fed him some rice and he nodded at the taste as he chewed on it.

"Not bad." He complimented himself and she shook her head at that. He cooks way better than she does.

He can easily make a three-course meal to perfection while she knows how to make only a handful of things in the kitchen. She never really got the time to learn how to cook and it's not like she's found of it either.

Before she got a house for herself, she used to live with her parents where her mom used to cook everyday for her and when she decided to move out, she found herself a cook. Her super busy schedule never allowed her to have the time to cook for herself. She had always been dependent on others for her meals.

It's not that she hadn't tried ever before. Whenever she gets some down time, she tries making simple meals by herself with the help of YouTube videos or her mom. She feels it's necessary for her to be as independent as possible.

"You want another serving?" Kabir asked as he noticed her almost empty bowl.

"Not really. I'm full." She said as she put the last spoon of the meal in her mouth and hopped off the kitchen counter.

She put her dirty dishes in the sink and started cleaning them. Meanwhile Kabir packed the leftovers for them to eat the next day.

"When's your flight for Delhi?" Kiara casually questioned.

"Mujhe bhagane ki badi jaldi hai?" Kabir counter questioned with a chuckle.

Are you in a hurry to send me off?

"Bilkul nahi. Bas aise hi puch rahi ho." Kiara answered.

Absolutely not. I'm just asking.

"Saturday evening." Kabir answered her previous question.

"That's literally tomorrow." Kiara said in a sad voice.

"I know." Kabir said in the same tone.

"Diwali nahi manayeinge saath iss baar?" Kiara asked in a sad tone.

We won't be able to celebrate Diwali together this year?

A glimpse of their last Diwali flashed in both their minds. They had sneaked off to Dubai for a quick vacation and made memories for a life time. That trip was a risk since they'd started dating only a couple months prior but it proved to be a significant time in their relationship. The trip brought them closer than ever.

"Ab baat nikli hi hai toh; ek baat puchni thi tumse." Kabir said as he stood next to Kiara, his back rested against the counter, hands folded to his chest.

Now that you say it, I've to ask you something.

Kiara looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"My parents want to meet you. Would you join me and them for Diwali dinner on Sunday? I want to officially introduce you to them." Kabir asked and Kiara breathed a deep breath.

Sure they'd known each other's parents before but never met them in real life. Meeting your boyfriend's parents for the first time, that too, on Diwali was a huge step. Kabir had already met her parents a couple months back and everything went smoothly and naturally it was her turn now.

"Don't be nervous. They'll love you and you, them." Kabir reassured her seeing the lines appear on her forehead. Kiara still hadn't answered and was thinking about the situation.

"Come on, baby. I'll be there as well. If you think the conversation is getting too serious or you're not feeling at ease, mujhe ishara kar dena, mai sambhal lunga." He said and gave her a smile.

Give me a sign, I'll handle everything.

"I don't think that'll happen but okay sure. Let's meet your parents." Kiara said and Kabir broke out in a big smile.

"I'll book your ticket as well." He said and placed a kiss on her forehead before dialling his assistant and exiting the kitchen.

~x ~

So, what are your thoughts on Kiara meeting Kabir's parents for the first time?