~Next day~

With the wide smile plastered on her face, Tia is busy painting a portrait of someone with full concentration. At times, she would stop and close her eyes to imagine.

At first, she imagined an amazing pair of dreamy eyes and smiled before getting it down on the canvas.

Then, she drew the other facial features and stepped back to take a look at it. She couldn't help but grin with a tint of red on her cheeks.

"Duffer! He is not even here and you are smiling like an idiot seeing half of the painting," she slapped herself on the forehead.

Next, she closed her eyes again and imagined the smile she could die for.

"Everyone can only see the strict side of yours. But I am the only lucky one whose days start with your smile and ends with the same... Aww... I miss you so much! It's not even a day now, how will I pass a whole week without you?" she talked with the painting as she almost finished it.

Before she could give the painting some finishing touches, there was a knock on the door.

"Good morning," she greets Yohan after opening the door.

"Good morning. If you are ready, can we go for the breakfast?"

"Yes, sure. Just 2 minutes. Come inside."

He entered the suite and looked at the surroundings. He spotted a canvas in the living which raised curiosity in his mind. Tia put the paint brush, she had in her hand, beside the canvas.

After she went to the bedroom, he went to satisfy his curiosity. It was a colored painting of Arjun.

"Isn't it nicely painted?" Tia's voice made him jump back a bit.

She was dressed in a simple salwar-suit and was arranging her handbag.

"Huh? Yes, you have painted it very well. But how did you get a canvas here?" He asked.

"This was definitely done by Arjun. Who else could do this?" she replied smiling. "I am damn sure that it was only him who solved the problen regarding the rooms."

He frowned seeing her talking about Arjun so lovingly.

"Anyways, let's go. We have to leave after having breakfast," he tried to change the topic because he wasn't liking it.

"Arjun's call!" She was delighted to see the caller ID on her phone, "Yohan, you carry on. I will join after talking to Arjun."

"No, it's okay. You talk, I will wait here," he took a seat in the living room and pulled out his phone from his pocket.

"Okay," she shrugged her shoulders.

She went to the bedroom while Yohan looked on from the corner of his eyes.

"Good morning, Raja-sa!" Tia answered the video call excitedly.

"Good morning, Rani-sa. How was your flight?" Arjun asked from the other end of the video call.

"We'll talk about those later. First of all, let me see my son! Where is my Tej?" She groaned.

"Yes, yes. He's right here," Arjun turned the camera and there was Tej giggling.

"Awwllee, my baby! Is Papa taking good care of you? Mumma misses you so much, baby! I wish I could bring you along with me..." her excitement was turning into sadness as she wept quietly.

"Hey, hey, hey. Rani-sa, no crying," Arjun turned the camera back towards him because even Tej's happy face was turning into a sad one, "Rani-sa, see. Seeing you upset, even Tej got upset. It's just a matter of few days. Come back quickly after completing your project. We miss you a lot."

"I miss you a lot...." she sniffed.

"If it was in my control, I would have jumped out of this phone screen and given you a very tight hug. But that's not possible. But you can imagine."

She chuckled. Arjun chuckled along with her.

"That's more like it! Keep smiling like this."

"Did you have your breakfast?"

"Yes, I just came back from there. Did you like your room?

"Yes, obviously, I liked it a lot. Th..."

"Don't even think of saying 'thank you'. You tell, did you have your breakfast?"

"No, was just going to."

"What is this, Rani-sa! You have to take medicines as well. Quickly go and have your breakfast."

"I will go but let me see Tej for once. Please, please??" She insisted.

"Not. At. All. Firstly you will have breakfast, then I will let you see Tej."

"Only once. Please, Arjun!" She whimpered like a baby.

"You might be Rani-sa, but you will not get what you will always ask for. Bye, Rani-sa," he disconnected the call.

"Arjun! Damn...." she grumbled.

"What happened, Tia?" Yohan got up and asked.

"Yo, let's go quickly. Let's have breakfast. Come, come!" Tia hurried out of the room, followed by a confused Yohan.

~

Tia and Yohan were on their way for the project. Yohan was turning over the project file and explaining it but Tia's concentration was on her phone.

"Tia, are you even listening to me?" Yohan said when he lifted his sight from the file and found her continuously turning her phone on and off.

"Yes, obviously," she answered absentmindedly.

Yohan huffed in frustration and slammed the file closed. Even then her concentration didn't shift from her phone.

The ride for the next few minutes were quiet until her phone rang.

"Arjun, I have been trying to call you for so long. Where were you?" She scolded as soon as she answered the video call.

She was greeted by Tej's giggling instead of Arjun's voice.

"Tej! How is my baby?" Her anger melted in a fraction of second seeing Tej.

She talked with Tej for a while. Meanwhile, Yohan pull on his earphones and played some nice music and closed his eyes to calm his mind.

"You know how tough it is to steal Baba-sa's Chhote-hukum from him. Now tell me, did you have your breakfast?" Arjun said.

"Done!" Tia answered proudly.

"Medicines?"

"Done."

"Good girl!"

The rest of the ride went on like this as Tia was busy video-chatting with her family while Yohan listened to some music.

~2 days later~

Yohan and Tia were discussing the project in Tia's suite.

"If we follow this plan, then our project will be complete two days earlier. That means we will be able to go back home two days earlier!" Tia clapped on the discovery.

"Two days early...." Yohan feared as his repeated it in his mind.

"It's great that we'll be getting two days extra. We can use those days to go through the project again and check if it's perfect or not, right? If there's any flaw, then we will have time to rectify it," Yohan urged.

"Hmm. We could do that as well..." she thought.

Tia's phone rang, "Yohan, we have already made the plan. Can we follow it from tomrrow? You go now," she tried shoo him away.

"Fine... I will come when it's time from lunch. Okay?"

"Yes, yes. You can leave now."

Tia closed the door behind Yohan him and started talking to Arjun.

Almost after an hour, Yohan came back and knocked on the door. Tia opened the door but she was still on the phone, giggling.

"She's still talking to Arjun!" He was amazed, "All day only Arjun and Tej, Tej and Arjun. She has wrecked my brain talking about them all day," He kept his frustration in his mind only.

"Yo, come?" Tia was finally not on her phone.

He flashed a smiled and nodded.

"These 3 days passed away like this only. I must do something about the next 4 days...." he thought.

~

After dinner, Yohan and Tia were back to their respective rooms. Yohan was getting ready for bed but his phone rang. "Nick calling" flashed on his phone screen.

"Hey, Nick! How are you?"

"Yo, I have something very serious to talk to you about," Nikhil sounded serious.

"Woah! What happened to you? Why so serious, man?"

"Other teams from your department left today only for the project work. But why did you leave 3 days earlier? Tell me honestly, Yo. What are you planning to do?"

Yohan's facial expression changed because he was caught red-handed.

"Who told you that?"

"That's not important. Why do you need 7 days for a project of 4 days?"

"Nick, actually I wanted to spend some time with Tia... Alone," Yohan finally admitted the truth.

"Yohan, initially I thought these are just one of those childishness. It's very natural and common to have a crush on someone. But what you are doing now is obsession! This is not right, yaar," Nikhil tried to make his understand.

"I know what I am doing, okay! You don't have to tell me what..."

The intercom of his room rang. With Nikhil on hold, he answered the intercom.

"Hello?"

"Yohan, it's me. Tia."

"Oh. This late at night? What happened?"

"Actually, I can't find my phone. Did you see it?

"Your phone.... Not at all, I didn't see it."

"I took it along with me when we went for dinner. Even you didn't see it.... I will just go and check in the restaurant."

"Tia, why would that restaurant be open this late at night? We will go tomorrow surely."

"Okay. Good night..." she hung up.

She sounded upset but Yohan was grinning ear to ear.

"Yohan? Yohan!" Nikhil yelled from the other end of his phone.

"Yes, say," Yohan put the phone back to his ear.

"Tia can't find her phone.... Yo, why do I feel like you have something to do with this?"

Yohan laughed, "Maybe. Anyways, good night!" He hung up before Nikhil could say anything else.

He switched off his own phone and pulled out another phone from his pocket.

"For the next 4 days.... no phones, no calls!" He switches the other phone off as well with a evil smirk on his face.

~Next day~

*knocking sound*

Yohan continues snoring in deep sleep.

*vigorious knocking sound*

Yohan woke up with a jerk and stared the door as the vigorous knocking continued. He checks his phone and it was just 7 am in the morning. He goes back to sleep with the pillow over his head to prevent the knocking sound from disrupting his sleep.

By 9 am, he was ready. He went to the bedside table and smirked seeing two phones. He picked up his phone only and stepped out of his room.

He reached Tia's room. Generally it would take her a lot of time to open the door because she is always on her phone. But today she opened the door in one knock only.

"Yohan!" She sounded desperate as if she was waiting for him only, "I knocked on your door so many times! Where were you?"

"Sorry, actually I am a heavy sleeper," he tried to act embarrassed, "So... What's up? Why do you look so worked up?"

"Don't you remember... My phone! We have to go find it."

"Oh. Yes. Let's go."

Tia got her bag and then they went to the restaurant they had dinner last night.

~

"What do you mean you didn't find any phone? Ain't I telling you I left my phone only here? Tia almost yelled at the restaurant staff out of desperation.

"Tia, Tia, relax," Yohan tried to calm her down.

She huffed to calm her mind.

"It's okay, guys. We trust you. Thank you. And sorry....for the inconvenience," Yohan said to the restaurant staff.

"Wait! What, no," she stopped the staff from leaving, "We could check the CCTV footage. They might be...."

Yohan pulled her to a side before she could complete the sentence, "What are you saying, Tia? Why would they lie?"

"They could be lying as well. I am damn sure I left my phone here only!"

"Tia, calm down. It's just a phone. You can get another one."

"It's not about the damn phone, Yo! I haven't spoken or talked to Arjun or Tej since last night. You don't understand...." She was restless to see them.

"Arjun and Tej again!" Yohan expressed his disappointment in his mind.

"We will get a new phone for you by today evening. Okay?"

"Even you have a phone. Don't you?"

"Aa....ya."

"Give me your phone. I need to call Arjun. Give me, quick!"

He didn't have any other option than doing as she said because she sounded demanding. Hesitantly, he pulled out his phone and placed it on Tia's palm. She tried to turn it on, but it wasn't starting.

"What's wrong with it?" She gritted her teeth.

"Oh, maybe it ran out of charge," he shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"It's okay. I will make a call from the reception."

"Tia!" He called her out before she reached the reception. "It's already 11 am. We were supposed to meet Mr. Ali at 10. We are already late. You... You can talk later. Let's go now."

"We will go for sure but I will talk to them first."

"No, no, no, no. I mean... If you start talking, we will be m late.um baat karne lag jaogi to bohot late hojayega. Chalo, pehle meeting khatam karte hain. Waise bhi hum ek ghanta late hain, he must be so busy. Unnhone hume ek time dia tha, phir shayad nehi mil paye.... Hain na?"

She got thinking because he was actually right. Again, on the other hand, she needed to talk to Arjun.

"See, if Raja-sa was here, he would have wanted you to complete yoir work first. Right?" He knew mentioning Arjun would work.

"You are right.... Let's meet Mr. Ali," reluctantly she agreed.

"Great!" He grinned wide in happiness. "Let's go."

They got a taxi and hopped into it. Yohan explained him the address. Tia stared out of the window, dejected.

~

It was almost 1 am when they reached the hotel. Tia was both sad and tired. She didn't wait for Yohan to come. She entered the hotel alone and Yohan ran behind to catch up with her.

"Tia, wait up. I have an important news to share with you."

"Yohan, I am very tired. I am not in a mood to talk to anyone. Please leave me alone," she snapped at him in exhaustion.

"I know, but it will take not more than 2 minutes," he insisted.

"Okay, say fast," she agreed but showed no interest.

"Tia, I got a scholarship in Canada and if everything goes smoothly, I will be shifting there very soon."

"That's.... That's a great news. Congrats," she was clearly disinterested but gave a smile out of kindness.

"Thanks. And..."

Before he could say something else, the receptionist called Tia.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Goenka."

"Yes?" She went to speak to the receptionist.

"Ma'am, we received a lot of calls from Mr. Goenka for you."

Hearing that, all her tiredness was washed away.

"Can I make a call?" She asked the receptionist.

"Sure."

"But, Tia, look at tbe time. It's already 1am. Will it be right to disturb their sleep at this time? They must be sleeping," Yohan almost snatched the landline receiver from her hand.

Tia looked at the ceiling clock which showed 1:18 and sighed. Dejected again, she left for her room without saying anything. Yohan followed her.

"I am so sorry, Tia, you couldn't talk at your home because of me," he kept on apologizing till they reached her suite.

"Yohan, I am in no mood to talk about anything. Please leave me alone!" She snapped at him again.

She swiped her card and unlocked the suite. On unlocking, she could hear a familiar weeping of a child.

"Where is this sound coming from?" She went back in the hotel corridor to check.

"It's not from outside," said Yohan. "Is it coming from your room?"

Tia rushed inside to her bedroom and froze on her spot outside the room. Yohan followed her gaze and saw what she saw.

Arjun was walking to and fro in the bedroom with Tej over his shoulder, trying to put him to sleep.

Arjun's back was facing her, but Tej was faced towards her. He was making sounds seeing her and trying to reach out to her with his small arms. Seeing him, she literally dashed into the room. She took him in her arms and started kissing him all over his face which made him giggle. Arjun turned and couldn't help but admire them. To treasure the moment, Arjun recorded it.

Infuriated by the arrival of the unexpected guests, Yohan left the suit fuming. He came to his room and was about to slam Tia's phone on the ground. But he stopped and dropped it on the bed.

"May whatever I do, I can't just separate them! But I won't accept defeat so quickly. I must do something..." he got his brain working.

After putting Tej to sleep which didn't take Tia much time, she turned to see Arjun standing with arms crossed smiling at them. She almost jumped in his arms.

"You have become a cry baby in just 3 days."

"Shut up!" She hit him on his arm.

"Sorry, Rani-sa. I had promised to take care of Tej. But neither was he eating nor was hd eating without seeing you. That's why I thought of giving you a surprise."

"You took the right decision. Actually I lost my phone somehow. Then we were at Mr. Ali's firm all day. After that, he invited us to his party. I had no interest of attending it but Yohan said it will be rude to reject the invitation. After the party, he dropped us at the hotel in his car. So..." she yawns.

"You did the right thing. By the way, you made a really nice painting of mine. Looks like the idea of keeping a canvas wasn't bad."

She didn't reply.

"Rani-sa?"

She was fast asleep in his protective arms.

"She must be very tired..."

He picked her in bridal style and laid her comfortably on the bed.

"Good night," he said covering her with the blanket as she squirms in sleep like a baby.

__________________________________

Upcoming Chapters:
Baby on a Vacay
Pathankot
Haunting of the Past
Trust Issues
Kidnapped
Pati, Patni aur Woh- Part 2
At the age of 16...
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?

5 chapters earlier, I had thought that the book would end in 10 more chapters. But look at the chapters' queue up there! You know what, this is not it. There's more chapters as well!
As I kept writing, I realized there's so much story yet untold. So the number of chapters and the number of words in every chapter started increasing more and more and more.
Hope you will enjoy it like always!
Thank you for reading❤