Chapter 19
Next Morning
The morning light filtered through the curtains.
Naina slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the brightness.
It took a moment for her to realize where she was…
in Ruhaan’s bedroom, his arms still wrapped securely around her as if even in sleep, he was reluctant to let her go.
She glanced at his sleeping face. Her heart squeezed at the thought of leaving today to Mumbai.
This had been their last night here, the last night in the bubble they had created during this trip.
She couldn’t help but think how Ruhaan had made her feel.
It had been a turning point in their relationship, a monumental shift that had left her breathless and yearning for more.
They had made love, or at least, come as close to it as they dared.
Ruhaan had been attentive, passionate, and above all, respectful.
He had pleasured her in ways she had never experienced before.
She had seen the desire burning in his eyes, matching her own willingness to take that leap.
But there had been something else there too - a hesitation.
It was as if he wasn’t quite sure whether consummating their relationship so soon was the right thing to do.
She had respected his decision, grateful for his consideration and self-control.
But she couldn’t deny that part of her wanted to give in, to give him all of herself.
So, they had spent the rest of the night exploring each other in other ways – tender kisses, passionate caresses, and whispered words of affection, speaking volumes about their growing feelings for one another.
Yet, now that the morning had come, reality settled in. She had responsibilities—Neil, her life in Mumbai, and the fact that this had started as a casual fling. But the way her heart beat for Ruhaan now, it no longer felt casual.
Suddenly she remembered with a jolt that Neil would be waking up soon. Panic surged through her as she imagined her son finding her absent from their room.
Quickly, she slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake Ruhaan as she gathered her saree from the floor.
She tried to drape it quietly, acutely aware that she couldn’t risk anyone seeing her do the “walk of shame” in last night’s attire.
Her fingers fumbled with the pleats, her mind still hazy with sleep and the lingering effects of their passionate night.
Soon enough behind her, she heard the rustle of sheets as Ruhaan stirred. His gaze fell on her, watching her dress up. Before she could finish adjusting the pleats of her saree, she felt his strong arms encircle her waist, pulling her back against his chest.
“Where are you going?” His voice was groggy. “Can’t you stay a little longer?” His lips brushed her neck.
Naina bit her lip, trying not to melt under his touch again. “Ruhaan,” she said softly, pushing him away gently but not completely. “I’ve already given you an entire night. Isn’t that enough?”
“Not nearly enough,” he whispered, his breath hot against her skin. “It’ll never be enough, Naina.”
Hope bloomed in her chest. Perhaps this wasn’t just a fleeting moment of passion. Perhaps Ruhaan truly didn’t want to let her go. Maybe Ruhaan this time wanted more than what they’d originally agreed to.
Ruhaan gently turned her around, his hands resting on her waist as he kissed her temple.
“You still haven’t given me your address in Mumbai,” he said, a playful glint in his eyes.
She looked up at him, eyebrows raised. “Why do you need my address? I’m not inviting you over, if that’s what you think,” she teased.
He chuckled, pulling her closer. “If you won’t give it to me, I’ll just get it from your uncle.”
Naina laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. “You wouldn’t dare,” she challenged.
“Oh, don’t underestimate me. I’m capable of asking for a lot more from your uncle if I have to.”
Naina’s smile faltered, her heart skipping a beat as she tried to decipher what he meant.
Was he really thinking about something more serious, more permanent?
Even Ruhaan seemed taken aback by his own declaration, confusion flitting across his features.
Before she could ask, a loud shout from outside broke the moment.
“Mom?”
It was Neil, and his voice carried the unmistakable tone of frustration.
Naina’s heart lurched, and without hesitation, she pulled away from Ruhaan, rushing out of the room.
She moved swiftly through the house, following the sound of Neil’s voice, wondering what could have upset him so early in the morning.
The moment she found Neil standing in the hallway, his little fists clenched in irritation, she immediately sensed something was wrong.
Around him stood Ruhaan’s mother, Kaushalya.
Neil’s voice had woken up her uncle and aunt as well who came out of their room followed by Suman and Rohit from their own bedroom.
The moment Neil spotted his mother, he bolted toward her.
Naina quickly kneeled in front of him, her heart pounding with worry.
“Neil, what’s wrong? Why are you so upset this early in the morning?” She glanced up at the others, particularly Kaushalya, wondering if something had been said to upset her son. But what could she have possibly told him?
Neil’s face crumpled with frustration as he replied, “I don’t like Raj uncle.”
Naina blinked in surprise, and so did everyone else. Just yesterday, Neil had seemed perfectly comfortable around Raj. What could have changed so drastically overnight? Her uncle and aunt exchanged confused looks, and even Ruhaan’s mother seemed taken aback.
“Why, Neil?” Naina asked gently, trying to keep her voice calm. “What happened to make you feel this way about Raj uncle suddenly?”
Neil shot a quick, accusing glance at Kaushalya before looking back at his mother.
“Kaushalya Daadi said that Raj uncle is going to be my father,” he blurted out.
Naina was furious. How dare she fill Neil’s head with such ideas? It was clear that Ruhaan’s mother harbored some dislike for Naina and Neil, but to manipulate a child’s emotions like this was crossing a line.
Her uncle, Subodh, stepped forward and tried to comfort Neil, drawing him gently into his arms. “Neil, listen,” he began softly, “what Kaushalya Daadi said might be true in the future. But what’s the problem with that? Your Raj uncle is a good man, and didn’t you say you always wanted a father?”
Neil wriggled out of Subodh’s grasp, taking a step back.
“Raj uncle can never be my father,” he snapped.
The conviction in Neil’s voice stunned everyone. Before Naina could say anything to calm him down, Kaushalya interjected.
“Why, Neil? Why don’t you want Raj to be your father?”
Neil’s small face contorted in frustration, and before anyone could stop him, he turned and ran.
Naina’s heart sank as she watched him sprint down the hallway, his little feet pounding the floor.
Everyone turned, following his path. Naina’s breath caught in her throat when she saw where Neil was headed.
Straight to Ruhaan.
Neil flung himself at Ruhaan, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist.
“I want Ruhaan to be my father.” Neil declared.
The room plunged into silence.
Kaushalya’s face twisted with anger and disapproval.
Naina’s uncle and aunt were too stunned to react immediately, while Rohit and Suman exchanged uneasy glances.
But for Naina and Ruhaan, the world seemed to narrow down to just the two of them and the little boy clinging to Ruhaan’s waist. Their eyes locked across the space between them, a thousand unspoken words passing in that single gaze.
Ruhaan stood rigid, his arms hanging limply at his sides, unable to return Neil’s embrace. He seemed utterly unprepared to deal with Neil’s request.
Neil, oblivious to the tension he had created, looked up at Ruhaan with hope shining in his eyes. “Will you be my Dad, Ruhaan?” he asked with innocent longing.
Ruhaan swallowed hard, but the words wouldn’t come. The entire house seemed to hold its breath as the seconds ticked by. Naina watched as Ruhaan’s face remained unreadable, his silence deafening. The hesitation, the uncertainty, it crushed her.
She had thought last night had been a turning point.
The intimacy they’d shared, the way he’d held her, touched her, made her believe that perhaps this time things would be different.
His words from earlier that morning echoed in her mind - how he had playfully threatened to ask her uncle for more than just her address.
He had spoken to her about the future, even in a teasing way, and for the first time in years, she had allowed herself to hope.
Hope that Ruhaan was finally ready to commit, if not now, then in the near future.
But as the silence stretched on, that hope began to crumble.
Ruhaan’s eyes, usually so expressive, were unreadable as they flicked between Neil and Naina.
The lack of response was like a physical blow to her, each passing second feeling like a rejection not just of Neil’s innocent request, but of the future she had dared to imagine for them.
She had hoped Ruhaan would at least say something, anything. But his inaction, his inability to respond to Neil’s innocent question, felt like a knife twisting in her chest.
Neil’s hopeful expression began to falter too. It was this sight, the sight of her son on the verge of tears, that finally spurred Naina into action.
She strode forward, wiping away her own tears. Without saying a word to Ruhaan, she gently pried Neil’s arms from around his waist and pulled him close to her.
“Come on, Neil,” she whispered. “Let’s go.”
As she led Neil away, back towards their room, something inside her shattered.
This was over. Whatever feelings she had allowed to resurface, whatever dreams she had begun to nurture, had to end here.
Her son’s happiness and emotional well-being had to come first, always.
She couldn’t continue down this path, not when her son was getting hurt in the process.
As they reached their room, Naina closed the door behind them, shutting out the stunned faces of their family members, shutting out Ruhaan’s still-silent form.
Ruhaan couldn’t even respond to a seven-year-old boy’s request. He couldn’t face the reality of what being with her truly meant. And that hurt more than anything.
She knelt down in front of Neil, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall down his cheeks.
“It’s okay, baby,” she whispered, pulling him into a tight embrace. “We have each other, and that’s all we need.”
Neil’s small arms wrapped around her neck, as he sobbed while Naina steeled herself for the journey ahead…a journey that she and Neil would be taking alone. Without Ruhaan in it.
*****************
Ruhaan paced the length of his room he had stormed back once Naina and Neil left.
How had everything spiraled out of control so quickly?
One moment, he was watching Neil in the hallway, and the next, the boy was asking him to be his father in front of everyone.
He hadn’t expected it…he hadn’t expected any of this.
The way Neil had run to him, clutching his waist, looking up at him with those big, innocent eyes, full of hope, had left him utterly frozen. He hadn’t known what to say, how to respond. His mind had gone blank, and the room, filled with so many watchful eyes, had seemed to close in on him.
He punched his fist against the wall, cursing himself. How could he have just stood there, speechless? How could he have let Neil and Naina down like that?
He clenched his fists, the pain from the impact on the wall grounding him, but it didn’t ease the ache in his chest. The look on Naina’s face, the way her eyes had filled with tears as she watched him stand there, paralyzed by indecision, haunted him.
She had hoped for something from him…an answer, a sign…
but instead, he had given her silence. And now it tore him apart.
“Why couldn’t I just say something? Anything?” he muttered to himself with frustration.
He ran his hand through his hair, the frustration mounting with each passing second.
He knew his bond with Neil had been growing stronger.
He loved the boy, genuinely loved him. But being asked, in front of everyone, to be his father had thrown him off balance.
It wasn’t that he didn’t care for Neil or didn’t want to be in his life, but the weight of that question, of that responsibility, had stunned him.
And now, he hated himself for not being able to respond the way Neil deserved.
He had seen the tears in boy’s eyes, the hurt and confusion that crushed him. He had seen the devastation in Naina’s gaze as she pulled her son away, as if that was the final straw, the breaking point she hadn’t been expecting but had feared all along.
Ruhaan punched the wall again, this time harder. He had caused Naina and Neil pain. He had let down Neil and Naina in the worst way possible. But how was he supposed to be ready for something so monumental when he hadn’t even figured out his own feelings yet?
He sank down on the bed, his elbows resting on his knees as he buried his face in his hands. He knew he had to figure this out. This wasn’t just about him and Naina anymore. Neil was involved, too. That little boy had trusted him, and he had shattered that trust.
“I’m such an idiot,” he muttered under his breath, the regret twisting in his chest. He wanted to fix it, to make things right, but he didn’t know how.
He had never been faced with something like this before.
His whole life, he had avoided responsibility, avoided commitment.
And now, when it was staring him in the face, when it was wrapped up in the two people he cared most about, he had no idea how to handle it.