When you sit by my side

And choose me every time,

To tell your tale,

To share your pain,

When I see your smile

And I know I'm the reason,

I know I've found it all

What people long for all along.

— K :)

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"Abir Rajvansh, you are late."

Says a frowning Mishti. Her arms folded, eyebrows furrowed and eyes about to shoot daggers.

Abir gasps and quietly takes out the box of Ferrero Rocher, hoping Mishti will forget her anger. For such a cute, cuddly and beautiful lady like Mishti, she can look too intimidating if she wishes too. Abir makes a mental note to never be late again to pick her up in his life. It's scary. He just hopes the chocolates work, or else God knows what's going to happen.

"So you think you can get out of this by feeding me chocolates?" Mishti sternly looks at him. "Well, I'm really sorry, Mishti." Abir speaks, "I just totally forgot-- I mean it just went out of my mind and I- uh, I'm sorry Mish. Please." You're finished, Abir.

"Don't Mish me now. You're too honest. At least make an excuse. But you really said that you forgot." Mishti fakes a laugh, "Too cool, aren't you?"

Of course I am. But he can't say that now. "Well Mishti, I know I'm a little late. A little more than a little. But I'm really sorry. It's bad that I missed meeting your friends. But honestly I don't really regret it. So please let it go?" He says trying to make the best puppy face he can. Mishti shrugs. She knows she can't stay mad at him anyways and him trying to be cute is something she can't resist.

"Okay, let me make it up to you. Ready?" Abir grins, knowing that Mishti finally gave up.

"Abir?" Mishti starts but gets cut off by him. "Just come with me." Abir holds her hand and runs to his car. Opening the door for Mishti he excitedly runs to his driving seat. Mishti watches him in amusement, all these little things that apparently means nothing makes every sense of the world. And when it's only the two of them, together, every little minute becomes lively. That's something she adores about Abir - just by being himself he makes life beautiful.

"When I think about it, it feels crazy - somewhere four years ago you were hating on just the name of Abir Rajvansh. You didn't even know him and I know, situations were different. Who knew in the end you were gonna lose your heart to the same man. Life's funny, isn't it." Nishant said, making Mishti blush.

"Wow! Now you're even blushing at his name. This should be the greatest progress of the year." Nishant teased.

"Yeah but no one could have imagined that you, Nishant Singhaniya, out of all people would become best friends with Abir four years down the line." Mishti snapped this time.

Nishant smirked, "To be honest Mish, the first I heard about him I knew this man would be something. Okay, I didn't plan all this to happen but deep inside I knew Abir was not just a short paragraph in the book of your life. I mean, Rajshree Aunty was too interested and Vishmabhar uncle hated him too much. Looking back, things were bound to happen. Honestly you literally ruined his life without even meeting him with his "ex-girlfriend" thing. So you two were meant to cross paths. Thank Heaven, he's a good guy."

Mishti didn't say anything but pondered over Nishant's words. Where's the lie though?

"Okay that's enough for now. I gotta hang up, Nish. Abir will be here anytime soon."

"Wow Mish, you've got a date tonight. My ex-best friend has grown up so fast!" Nishant said in a dramatic tone, making Mishti curse the moment when she became friends with him.

"We live together, Nish. We don't need to go on dates." Mishti said, "And right now he's already late to pick me up."

"Well if he's made a mistake then he'll make it up to you. I'm sure of my best mate."

Mishti chuckled at the smug tone of Nishant. "Whatever you say, but now I gotta hang up. Bye."

"Enjoy the date."

Mishti smiles, recalling the phone call with Nishant just a few minutes ago. And now she notices two more things about it - Nishant addresses her as his "ex-best friend", not as his "ex-wife" which she is really thankful of. Honestly both of them know that they can't just go back to being best friends now, some scars gonna remain; but it's great to see that they are at least comfortable now and things are going fine.

And the second thing, Abir is now his "Best mate" and Nishant is right about the date thing. Because wherever Abir is taking her to, it seems to be a date already. Mishti grins at the thought as she looks at the man by her side. It feels so good to be really happy without worrying about anything.

As Abir pulls in near a jungle-like area, Mishti finally diverts her gaze from him to outside.

"Where are we Abir?"

"You didn't bother to look at any signs during the whole drive, did you?" Abir grins, "Someone was busy staring. Staring is rude but I'll excuse you."

Mishti blushes. So hard that she can't even say anything to object. It's true after all and she's blushing so hard that it's childish. But Abir is happy and that makes her happy. So it's all fine.

"It's an honour to be stared at by Mishti Agarwal. So thank you." Abir whispers in her ear and Mishti can't help the funny feeling she has in her stomach. So Abir definitely knows what he's doing and Mishti doesn't mind. As she looks at Abir who takes her hand on his own while walking through the woods, she knows she will never mind it.

"So here we are." Abir spreads his arms wide open as he looks at the view in front of him, finally letting her hand go. So Mishti looks around and it's mesmerizing.

"Wow Abir! This is just sooo ---"

"Beautiful, isn't it? I know right." Abir finishes for her. "You know Mishti, I found this place last year. Like I was just wandering and ended up here. That was when I knew I had to bring you here someday. I finally did." Abir grins, turning to look at her. Mishti glances at Abir who was smiling wholeheartedly. She doesn't even notice when tears fill her eyes.

"You said you wanted to bring me here?"

"Yeah actually. I still remember the day I came back from Delhi, I wanted to clear my mind and was wandering around this area aimlessly. The next moment I knew I was standing at this hilltop. It's so peaceful here, look, we've such a beautiful view of the city. From here you only feel the beauty, not the chaos of the city. Not the pollution, noise or anything." Abir chuckles, "It's just beautiful. Peaceful actually. You just sit here and admire nature. Lie down on the grass and stare at the sky, counting stars..." Abir keeps on talking but Mishti's mind was stuck at his wish to bring her here. So she looks around her to cherish this moment.

Honestly she never realised Rajkot is indeed beautiful until this moment. But the important thing is how it is always Abir who makes her see the beauty in everything. She smiles some more as the thought crosses her mind; right now right here, she's living her life story. And Abir is the pillar of her story.

Because everything comes back to him.

Because this is Abir and she's Mishti and no matter where they are, they always find their way back to each other. Years ago when she didn't even know Abir, destiny marked her way to him. She kept running away yet he found her. After everything that they went through, after every possible hurdle they crossed, ultimately here they are - standing together, holding hands.

This is their story. Complicated much yet the simplest plot - in the end, they come back to each other. Always.

"Only if I knew it'd be this beautiful, I'd have come sooner." The words come out of her mouth absentmindedly. And Abir seems to get the hold of it.

"At least we are finally here. That matters the most."

Mishti rests her head on his shoulders as they sit on the grass enjoying the view, talking about anything and everything, stealing glances of each other and kissing passionately till they're out of breath. They surely have lost count of the time because it's dark now and it's all quiet with no birds chirping, the chilly wind doesn't make much difference as they are wrapped around each other's warmth and it's so safe and secure.

Home is where your heart is, they said it right.

Mishti doesn't want to leave but Abir finally stands up. "Time to go home. Come on." But Mishti frowns, "I can live here for good you know."

"Okay, then we'll have to think about building a small cottage here." Abir says, "But I hate to break it to you that we don't have it yet. So we better be off to home. Ketki is coming over, remember?"

"Yeah." Mishti reaches for his hand and gets up, "But we should do this more often."

"Whatever you say, your highness." Abir bows as he speaks, making Mishti giggle. The sight of Mishti giggling is always a treat to eyes and Abir fondly looks at her trying to capture this moment in his heart forever. He has waited for so long to have her like this and when they're finally here, it feels surreal. Maybe they've not taken things much further and Mishti has not confessed her love directly but now he doesn't even need her to say it. Because in these little moments, he knows - this is their forever.

~~~

"Look at this place! Oh my God." Ketki exclaims as soon as she enters Abir's apartment. "It's been quite a few months since Mishti moved in and she has already changed every damn thing. Look at your place Abir, never in my life I imagined you to be this organized! I can't believe this, I just can't believe this. Everything is so bright and beautiful, neat and no mess. Oh my God!"

"Now that's enough, shut up Ketu. Stop embarrassing me." Abir gives a defeated look, his face looking as if he's gonna faint from embarrassment. Mishti can't help but laugh at the cousins. It's the first time she has physically met Ketki and she already likes her; finally there's someone who pointed out how messy Abir really is.

"Mishti, I must say, you're something. No wonder my bro is so whipped. You literally cleaned all his mess of months. Trust me when I say this, Abir is so damn lucky to have you. He really is." Ketki hugs her. "And I don't mean that you only made his apartment organised but I know you've organised his life itself. You've made him better." Mishti blushes at her comment. Hearing such a thing from a family member of Abir is really a great thing. She's glad that Ketki likes her, she feels at ease now.

Abir introduced Mishti to Ketki months back and two of them immediately clicked. Since then they've been skyping each other every now and then. By all means, Ketki is the only family Abir really has. But the cousins were hardly in contact because of their own busy lives. So the day Abir talked to Mishti about his sister, Mishti made it her mission to make things again the best between them. This is how today Ketki is here, visiting her brother's place properly after almost a year.

No matter what you say, your family is important. Mishti knows that better than anyone else. Unfortunately neither Abir nor Mishti had the privilege to have a happy family to stand by their sides. Maybe this is another reason they were bound to meet - the pain they shared connected them the most and they became each other's home. But if you've someone to support you, you don't let them go just like that. This is why Mishti made Abir invite his sister. After all, it's always better to share your happiness with people you really love.

"Hey Mishti, come back to this world please." Ketki snaps her fingers, making Mishti come out of her thoughts. "You alright there? Or was my blabbering so boring that you decided to dive into your own world?" Mishti laughs it off. Ketki is that kind of jolly and bubbly girl who can talk nonstop and brings an ocean of joy with her wherever she goes.

"Come on girls, dinner is ready."

"Yes baby bro. This is my most favourite part, your cooking." Ketki exclaims and literally drags Mishti along with her to the dining table. Well no doubts on that, Abir is a great cook and Mishti always looks for excuses to make Abir prepare their dinner. Well, she can't help it.

The dinner is fun as three of them spend nearly an hour at the dining table chatting, sharing stories, jokes and laughing at each other. Mostly the girls making fun of Abir and Ketki sharing Abir's embarrassing childhood stories. Even Mishti shares her adventures during college and it feels really good to feel so confident and unbothered when talking about herself. Even Abir too notices how happily Mishti is opening up and enjoying herself. So overall having Ketki over turns out to be an awesome idea. They will do this too more often, Abir mentally notes.

"So enough of me rambling, how are you two doing?" Ketki asks, making both Abir and Mishti glare at her. "Oh I mean, you two as MishBir?"

"MishBir?" Mishti rolls her eyes, "What is that?"

"That's your ship name I've just made. Mish and Bir, MishBir. Sounds so good, doesn't it?" Ketki says dreamily, smiling at the ceiling. "As if the names are made for each other, just like you two. So dreamy, so beautiful. I love your love --"

"Ketu that's enough, shut up." Abir says. He figured Mishti might not like it. Little did he know Mishti was grinning like a fool, blushing hard, her cheeks turning red.

"Thank you Ketu, MishBir is doing okay. In fact, it's great." Mishti says shyly and Abir's jaw drops. Did he hear it right? Did she just acknowledge them as a couple in "love"? Almost as if she could sense Abir's thoughts, Mishti looks at him and grins, tilting her head, "Aren't we?"

"Yeah, of course we are. Of fucking course." Abir says enthusiastically.

"Language, baby bro." Ketki rolls her eyes and throws a piece of vegetable towards him.

But Abir's mind is already too far gone to notice that. That's the thing he loves the most about Mishti, she never fails to surprise him. Maybe she's not always vocal about her feelings but the times she speaks, she's always confident about things. And at times when Abir gets lost in his thoughts, Mishti always has those few right words to say. She can balance out his overflow of thoughts and emotions like nobody else. The thing about her is she doesn't need many words to prove her feelings or show that she cares whereas Abir always finds himself struggling with words to express himself emotionally. There's a reason Abir says that she holds his sanity.

"You're so damn lucky to have her Abir Rajvansh." Ketki's words bring him back to reality. Well, he might not know what's the context but he knows that's true. He's indeed lucky.

"By the way, are you talking to your father Mishti?" Ketki asks casually and Abir curses under his breath. Usually it's a topic Mishti rarely likes to discuss openly, so he tries concentrating on the food as hard as he can. He's sure Mishti's eyes are on him but he doesn't look up. For once he'd like to see how Mishti handles this situation.

Probably Ketki senses the tension. "I'm sorry Mishti. I understand if you don't want to talk about it. I didn't mean to --"

"No, it's alright. It's not a top-level secret kind of topic anyways." Abir hears Mishti speaking softly. That makes him finally look at her. Mishti slightly nods at him and Abir acknowledges her with an encouraging smile.

"Actually I went to his place a few times. We're not that great of course, but yeah no hard feelings at least. Just apologies don't do the work and things won't mend magically. We both agree that things just can't go back to the way they used to be and it's awkward at times." Mishti sighs, "It's just it'll take some time. I'm sure we'll get there nonetheless."

Mishti takes a deep breath and smiles at them. Abir squeezes her hand reassuringly and Ketki pats her shoulder in understanding. "I'm proud of you Mishti. You really are a fighter and a strong lady. No wonder you've changed this stubborn brother of mine so drastically. I see why he is so whipped for you." The girls laugh, Abir fakes a frown but joins their laughter later. Later he's definitely going to tell Mishti how proud he is of her and he mouths Ketki a Thank You for lighting up the mood.

"Okay it's movie time now." Mishti exclaims and in no time three of them are sitting on the couch, Love Actually being played on the tv. But after some time Ketki is busy devouring the popcorn and Mishti falls asleep on Abir's lap so Abir decides to stop the movie and take Mishti to her bed. Once done he comes back to sit with Ketki who is now smiling at the pictures they clicked today on her phone.

"I never really thought we'd have such a fun night. Last time I was here, you were just busy with work and I spent an entire day watching tv alone and cleaning up your stuff." Ketki says. "I can't believe I'm here tonight. It's like the old times. You're like the old Abir, who used to laugh a lot, make jokes and was not a workaholic."

"I wasn't that bad, please." Abir frowns.

"Who said you were bad? It's just you almost forgot yourself. I really don't mind that you were almost avoiding me, I understand the situations. Bad thing was you completely turned into someone you were not. What did they used to call you? The Casanova, the Heartbreaker? Oh my God, that's not you, Abir. That was a totally different version of you. That was someone who chose to hide from his own feelings instead of confronting them. I'm sure you've lost count of how many one night stands you had after Kuhu left."

Abir sits silently. He honestly has nothing to say about this.

"All thanks to Mishti." Ketki continues, "She brought you back to life. Like you were living, but that was not you. But this, this is who you are Abir. That girl came along and did something no one could have done. In fact, I as your sister failed and gave up on you at one point of time." She sighs, "I'm just really grateful that she came to your life, baby bro, now I know you're okay. In fact, more than okay. I'm happy for you."

"I know right. God only knows what I'd do without her." Abir says, resting his head on his sister's shoulder. She's right, it feels great to have Ketki back this way. He didn't even know how much he missed his elder sister. And with that thought he falls a little more for Mishti - how can she always be so right about things?

"She really loves you." Ketki says making Abir freeze for a moment. Did she just say the L word?

Ketki is puzzled at his bewildered expression. "What?" She asks, "Wait. She hasn't said that to you yet, am I right?" She figures.

"Uh, yeah. No-- I mean, yea-- Not exactly." Abir stutters. Mishti hasn't said the word but well, she doesn't even need to say that because he, uhm, knows. Doesn't he?

"Well that's alright baby bro." Ketki ruffles his hair and smiles reassuringly, "Her actions speak louder than words and I know that you know it. Keep her, she's your lucky charm."

And Abir smiles back. Of course, he knows.

He has always known.