Hue Re Khud se Paraaye Hum Kisi se Naina Jor Ke

                                    

                                          

'She's just about two months along Alia. Two months ago, I was in Australia, with you.' Despite knowing what he means, she finds the need to ask for clarification anyway. 'Oh come on Als, you know what I'm saying,' he tells her with a humourless laugh. 'I'm not going to be a dad, Alia, because there's no way that baby is mine.' 
Even though she'd kind of been expecting it, Alia has no response to his words. For a minute, she simply stands there, staring at him, unable to actually comprehend what he's telling her. And then – even though it's the last thing she wants to do – she finds herself doing the same thing she always used to when Varun came to her after a fight with Natasha: she comforts him. And she tries to convince him that he's wrong. 'Are you sure?' she asks, hating herself for even trying. 'I mean, sometimes the doctors get the dates wrong. Like, when my mum was pregnant with Shaheen – the first appointment she went for, they gave her a due date a month out. The second one, they told her something different.' 
'Really Alia?' he asks, arching an eyebrow and giving her a smile that holds no mirth. 'Shaheen was born in the 80s. Technology wasn't so great back then.' She can't deny he has a point and, really, she should just leave it there. But she can't help the instinct that's ingrained in her at this point, no matter how much she wants to. 
So, she tries again. 'Okay but, Jaanvi was telling me, when she first found out about Niyaara, they were wrong then too. And that wasn't so long ago.' He gives her another of those smiles, one that seems to say nice try but no. 
'Why are you trying so hard to convince me that I'm wrong?' he asks her. 'To convince me that she's not – that that baby is...' he trails off, scrubbing a hand over his face and letting out a long breath before looking at her again. 'Why are you trying so hard to defend someone you can't stand?' Alia opens her mouth to protest but he cuts her off before she can even begin. 'Don't Al. Don't try to tell me that it's not true because we both know it is. You can't stand Natasha, you've never been able to. And yet, whenever I've come to you because of some problem with her, you've done the same thing. You're still doing it! And I just can't, for the life of me, understand why?' 
'Yeah, well, that makes two of us,' she shoots back without thinking. But as soon as the words are out, the brief spark of irritation that had preceded them vanishes and she just kind of deflates. 
Suddenly feeling tired beyond belief, she sinks onto the sofa, her head in her hands. 
For a long few minutes, they simply stay like that – Alia on the sofa, trying to think of something more to say and Varun stood in the middle of the room, looking at her while he waits for her to expand. 
And then, after what feels like an eternity, she speaks again. 'Honestly Varun, I don't really know why I still defend her. Why I ever defended her. I just...' she pauses for a moment, considering her words, choosing them carefully. 'In the beginning, I guess it was because you loved her, you know? And yeah, maybe I didn't like her, but, I don't know, I guess I thought that if I didn't defend her, maybe it would seem like I was trying to persuade you away from her. Especially when I never exactly tried to hide my feelings for you.' She lets out a small laugh at that, an almost nostalgic smile on her face as she finally turns to look at him. 'And then, afterwards – after, you know, things happened between us – then it was about protecting myself. Even if it hurt to send you back to her again. It was better than having my heart broken when you walked away again.' 
'You don't know that I would have walked away again,' he tells her, looking so very hurt. 
'Maybe. But I didn't know that you wouldn't either,' she counters; and, although he can clearly tell from the way she says it that she doesn't mean to hurt him, he feels the pain all the same.