Always and Forever
Part - 8: New Beginnings

The temperatures dropped further compelling people to pull out woollen clothes from the old tin trunks stashed in the corner of the shelves near ceiling. Men could be seen taking an early morning walk with monkey caps pulled over their face. Sameer paced in his bedroom, brochures in hand, looking through the materials that had arrived from printing. It had been three days since he had met Naina, he had resolutely shut off all the thoughts and analysis of the flying kiss and the phone conversation in one compartment of his brain and focused on the final preparations for the exhibition. It was Sunday today, yet he was working, since the exhibition was scheduled for next day. He had to pull this through. This exhibition would give him the visibility he was seeking to explore other markets and different segments.

However, Naina was never far from his mind. Especially when he was tired and alone, he felt as if talking on the phone just didn’t seem enough. Erotic dreams troubled his sleep, it seemed like her flying kiss had flipped onn a switch that had increased the intensity of his dreams. As per her request he had called up his mother and asked her if she would be able to come over, then had added his request to bring Rohan and Deepika too. She had agreed to bring Rohan, though Deepika couldn’t join them because of her school. He had talked to Rohan as well, and his brother had fumbled, fidgeted, then hesitantly accepted that he loved Preeti, and asked how to go about letting her know. When he had been studying in Nainital, if someone had told him that he would fall in love one day and then would be giving tips on love and that too to Rohan, he would have gotten that person admitted for psychiatric treatment. But here he was, not only hopelessly in love since so many years, but now also giving tips to Rohan. He checked his watch, and then decided to take shower and have breakfast, after that he had to go to the airport to pick up his mom and brother.

As the plane descended, Rohan looked out of the window, feeling extremely happy to see Ahmedabad, his thoughts wandering on what he would talk to Preeti and what would be her reaction on seeing him. He hadn’t told her that he was coming, had also requested bhai to not share it with her. Of course, bhabhi knew too, naturally because bhai knew, but he had been super pleased to know that it was bhabhi who had requested to do something to move this love story forward. After their first phone conversation he had talked to Preeti daily, always at the pre-decided time, and they were slightly more comfortable now. Unfortunately, though, he fumbled whenever she talked about movies, and she fumbled whenever he talked about books. Still, he was eager to meet her, get to know her more.

Sameer parked his car and rushed to the arrivals gate, checking his watch again. He reached the gate, just as Vishakha and Rohan stepped outside with their luggage, and Rohan exclaimed, “bhai!”, before hugging him. Sameer embraced him and whispered, “bahot zyada excited hai lagta hai”, he pulled back and winked at his brother who blushed. He turned towards his mother, and went ahead to take the bag from her, but was surprised when she hugged him. He stood stunned for a moment before wrapping his arms around her, relishing in the warmth of his mother’s embrace, while Rohan beamed at them. She pulled back, and cupped his cheek with one hand, “kaise ho?”

“Main thik hun”, Sameer replied automatically, still a bit surprised.

He was more amazed when like every time Vishakha didn’t take his words at face value, but looked at his face properly and said, “hmmm… thoda tired lag rahe ho”, then teased, “lagta hai Naina se nai mile kaafi din se.”

His eyes widened at the unexpected teasing, he blushed, and Rohan chuckled. He glared at his brother, “ghar chale? Mujhe kal ke liye kaafi kaam hai”, he lifted one bag and Rohan picked up the other one as they proceeded towards the parking area. The roads were relatively empty, and the car speeded towards their destination, Vishakha leaned back comfortably, “achcha hai subah jaldi aa gaye, ab main apni beti se araam se mil sakungi.”

Sameer frowned, “Deepika to Delhi me hai.”

Rohan laughed at his brother, “bhai, mummy bhabhi se milne ki baat kar rahi hai.”

“Oh”, Sameer’s expressions cleared, “lekin aaj to mujhe sach me bahot kaam hai.”

Vishakha smiled, “toh tum kaam karona. Mujhe Naina ke ghar jaane ke liye sirf car aur driver chahiye ya fir auto bhi le sakti hun.”

Rohan cleared his throat, “main drive kar lunga na mummy”, he suggested.

“Nai beta”, Vishakha replied, “tum wahan aake kya karoge? Tum apne bhai ke saath rehna, main to Naina se shanti se baat karne jaa rahi hun.”

Rohan’s face drooped, and Sameer sniggered looking at him. After a moment he said, “mummy actually aaj maine driver ko chutti di hui hai. Last week mere saare kaam ke wajah se unki bhi bhaga-daudi ho gai thi, to aap Rohan ko le jaana saath me”, he slanted a look towards his brother, “waise bhi aaj Sunday hai to har jagah aapko auto milega nai easily. Aur Rohan bhi mil lega Naina se, bhabhi ka chamcha jo thehra.”

“Thike”, Vishakha agreed, and then asked puzzled, “bhabhi ka chamcha matlab? Rohan ne kab itni baat ki Naina se.”

Rohan coughed, and Sameer scowled, “Naine se nai, mujhse jitni baar baat hoti hai bhabhi bhabhi karta rehta hai”, he explained and Vishakha laughed.

As they reached home, Vishakha went inside, and Sameer grabbed his brother by his nape, “aashiqui ka dusra rule, safai se jhuth bolna sikho. Aur khaasna bilkul nai.”

Rohan’s eyes widened, he nodded and gulped, “aur pehla?”

Sameer smirked, “mehbooba ko naraaz karne se pehle, usko manana sikho”, he lifted the bags and strolled inside.

At the Agarwal residence, everyone had just finished a sumptuous Sunday lunch and Preeti yawned, “aaj to jamkar soungi.” Tauji was at his friend’s place, he had taken Pralay along with him, and Rakesh was visiting Arjun in Baroda where he worked as a sports coach in a school, this unfortunately meant that Taiji was having lunch with the others.

Hearing Preeti’s declaration, Taiji scowled, “haan, maharani ko bas sona aur khana hi to aata hai. Aaj ghar pe ho to chup-chap saare bartan karo.”

“Bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye bhabhiji, rehne dijiye na”, Bela meekly suggested, “pure hafte to kaam pe hoti hai.”

“Ne wah Bela, baal kaatneko kaam nai kehte”, Taiji taunted, “yeh kaam to hamare gaanv me peepal ke ped ne niche betha naai bhi karta hai.”

Preeti opened her mouth to argue, but Naina caught her hand, silencing her, then turned her attention to Taiji, “Taiji woh Preeti hair styling ka kaam karti hai”, she elucidated, “Tauji ke client hai na Mr. Patel, unki biwi bhi Preeti ke paas aati hai har baar kisi party me jaane se pehle”, she added quickly to calm the volcanic eruption of Taiji’s anger, “unko to pata bhi hai ke sheher ke itne bade vakil Preeti ke Tauji hai. Aur Preeti hamesha koshish karti hai ke unko koi shikayat naa ho, warna Tauji ka bhi naam kharab hoga na.”

Taiji visibly struggled for a minute between taunting Preeti’s work and praising her husband, “bilkul, bilkul… ab tumhare Tauji ki itni izzat hai sheher me to uska thoda fayda hamare bachche bhi utha le to kya hai”, she relented, then added, “sunn ladki, woh mahilaa ke baal hamesha achche se, woh kya kaha Naina beti ne…”, she thought, “haan…achche se ishtyle karna.”

Chachaji and Chachiji controlled their smile, unlike Taiji they hadn’t missed the silent threat issued by Naina. Preeti squeezed her sister’s hand for the support she had shown towards her work.

When Naina and Chachiji carried all the dishes to the kitchen, Preeti stood thinking for a moment before going in, “mummy, aaj aap dono rehne do. Main kar deti hun.”

Bela patted her shoulder, “aree nai beta, bhabhiji to bas aisai bol rahi thi. Tu jaa aaram karle.”

Preeti shook her head, “Nai, har roz to aap dono hi karte ho.”

Naina smiled, “Chachiji aap jaiye Taiji ke saath bethiye. Aaj Preeti meri madad kar degi.” Bela tried to protest, but Naina added, “soch lijiye Chachiji, hum dono ne kaam kiya to ho sakta hai kamsekam teen chaar din Taiji aur koi shikayat nai karegi.”

Bela thought for a moment, then smiled wide, “fir to fayde ka sauda hai. Karo karo tum dono, main jaati hun mukhwaas leke bahar.”

Soon the kitchen was filled with aromatic lemon fragrance as Naina scrubbed the dishes with soap, and Preeti rinsed them properly leaving them to dry. “Aaj to teri saas aane wali hai, tujhe kaam karta dekh khush ho jayegi”, Preeti teased.

Naina wet her hand from the running tap and sprinkled some water on Preeti, “teri bhi saas wahi banegi”, she stuck her tongue out, “oh achcha! Haaye main ab samjhi ke tujhe kyun aaj kaam karne ki ichcha hui”, she continued teasing and Preeti blushed. Chachiji came in to tell them to go change clothes as Vishakhaji could arrive any moment, Preeti protested, “par main kyun kapde badlu?” Naina almost slapped her forehead, she couldn’t tell Preeti that Rohan was coming too, so she said, “kyunki tu meri behen hai, ab chal”, and literally dragged her sister.

Fifteen minutes later Vishakha and Rohan entered Agarwal residence, and were greeted by everyone. Chachiji went to call Naina and then detoured to the kitchen to get water. Naina and Preeti came out from their room, and Rohan who was still standing near the door, opening his shoe laces looked up at them. Preeti was busy adjusting her dupatta and didn’t look up until Naina poked her, she scowled, then looked in the direction Naina was pointing. On seeing Rohan, Preeti jerked to a halt, her jaw hanging open in shock, while Rohan smiled. Naina giggled and poked Preeti again, and she started backtracking her steps hiding behind Naina, and whispered, “yeh yahan kya kar raha hai?”, she gripped Naina’s hand.

Naina folded her fingers over her sister’s, they were cold as ice, “mera devar hai, mujhse milne aaya hai”, she whispered back, “aur… kisi aur se bhi”, she winked.

“Main bahar nai aa rahi”, Preeti tried to escape.

Naina stopped her, “pagal hai kya? Tujhe milna nai hai usse?”, she tried to reason, “bas phone pe hi baat karti rahegi?”

Bela saw them, “aree wahan kyun khadi ho dono, bahar aao.”

“Ji Chachiji”, Naina pulled her sister, “chal mere saath.”

As Naina came in the living room Vishakha stood up and smiled at her, Naina bent to take her blessings but she caught her shoulders, “aree nai beta, hamare me betiya paav nai chute.”

“Oh bai! Par bahu to chuti hai na”, Taiji couldn’t help but comment.

Vishakha smiled, “haan, lekin Naina meri beti hai”, she stated and hugged Naina.

Naina was a little surprised by the affection but hugged her back. Chachaji and Chachiji were happy to see this kind of acceptance for Naina. Preeti struggled to keep her eyes focused on Naina, and tried to control the blush that threated to creep up her face, while Rohan kept on staring openly at her. Naina saw it and cleared her throat, “hi Rohan.”

“Oh, hi bhabhi”, Rohan shifted his attention, “kaisi ho aap?”, his eyes darted towards Preeti again.

“main thik hun”, she replied, then pulled Preeti and turned towards Vishakha again, “Aunty, isse to mile ho aap pehle, Preeti, meri behen.”

“Ab usse kyun milwa rahi hai?”, Taiji muttered.

Vishakha smiled, “haan of course mili hun, par baat nai hui thik se kabhi”, she indicated the chairs, “betho hamare saath.”

They talked for some time, but Naina and Preeti kept feeling awkward as Taiji continuously interrupted with her well-placed comments, and Preeti studiously avoided looking at Rohan. Vishakha was slightly irritated with Taiji and decided that proper conversation couldn’t take place in this house, she looked at her watch, then asked, “Anandji agar aapki ijazat ho to main Naina ko bahar leke jau?”

Chachaji could understand the situation, he looked at his wife who silently nodded, and before Taiji could say anything he agreed. She smiled at Naina, “chale beta? Preeti tum bhi chalo na saath me”, she invited Preeti surprising her. Preeti looked at her parents who smiled and nodded.

“Lekin kahan?”, Naina asked.

Vishakha grinned, “Rohan ne aaj mera driver banne ki responsibility li hai to use hum sab milke thoda pareshan karte hai.” On seeing Preeti and Naina’s confused expressions, she laughed, “aree baba shopping karne chalte hai, ladko ko pareshan karne ka isse achcha tareeka ho hi nai sakta.”

Everyone laughed except Taiji, who seemed displeased with the camaraderie of Naina and her future in-laws. Naina and Preeti quickly went in to pick up their purse, and Preeti grabbed her sister, “Naina, mujhe samajh nai aa raha ke main kya karu. Rohan to dekhe hi jaa raha hai”, she blurted.

Naina understood her sister, “ghabra mat, abhi bahar jaa rahe hai na to thoda mauka milega baat karneka. Itna sharma mat, tu jaisi hai waisi hi reh”, she tried to calm her, “baat karegi to hi to tumhari baat aage badhegi.”

Vishakha guided them towards Ratanpole market, and they entered Asopalav, an extremely famous ethnic wear shop. Naina and Preeti were slightly nervous because they had never come for shopping in such high-end shops. A sales-person guided them towards the saree section and another man came with a tray carrying glasses of water and asked them if they would like to have tea or coffee. Vishakha politely declined the offer, then whispered to the girls, “yahan ki chai achchi nai hoti, hum shopping karne ke baad kahin kuch khane challenge.” The sales girl started showing them the latest collections, and Naina gradually became comfortable. However, Preeti was still agitated, so she excused herself and stepped outside. After a minute or so, Rohan followed and found her couple of shops ahead, in a book store. He was surprised because Preeti wasn’t interested in reading, curious he stepped in and went to her, “kya padh rahi ho?”

Preeti jumped, startled, “aah!”, the magazine fell from her hands and she whirled to see Rohan standing behind her. He looked sheepish, “sorry”, he bent to pick up the magazine and saw it was related to fashion. He frowned, “tum yeh kyun padh rahi ho?”

Preeti stared at him, “tum yahan kya kar rahe ho? Aunty kya sochegi?”

“Kuch nai sochegi”, Rohan assured, “unko bhabhi se baat karni hai isiliye to hum bahar aaye, aur main wahan saree kharidne me kya madad karta unki”, he paused, “aur tum bhi to bahar aa gai.”

She conceded, deciding to talk as her sister had advised, “mujhe saree pehenna pasand nai”, she informed him.

He smiled, “chalega.”

“Chalega matlab?”, Preeti asked confused.

“Umm… kuch nai”, he blushed, then added, “tumne bataya nai, tum yeh magazine kyun padh rahi thi?”

Preeti took the magazine from him, “kyunki isme latest in-fashion hair-styles ke baare me likha hai”, she moved to the counter to pay for it.

“Toh?”, he had a puzzled expression as they stepped out of the shop.

She looked up in surprise, “toh mere kaam ka hai yeh, isiliye padhna hai mujhe.”

He was even more confused, “kaam? Tum to school me padhati ho na? I mean, teacher?”

“main aur teacher?”, she laughed, “bechare bachcho ka kya hoga fir.”

Rohan frowned, “lekin jab main pehli baar tumhare ghar aaya tha tab to Chachaji ne kaha tha ke unki beti teacher hai.”

Preeti understood the confusion, “oh! Woh to Naina ki baat kar rahe the”, she explained, “woh pehle school me padhati thi, ab sirf apni book likh rahi hai.”

“Aur tum kya karti ho?”, he asked.

She tucked the magazine in her purse as they walked, “main parlor me kaam karti hun, hair stylist.”

He jerked to a halt, “baal kaatne ka kaam!”, he blurted surprised.

Preeti turned to look at him, her expression furious as Taiji’s taunts rang in her ears, “main logo ke baal kaatu ya banau, tumko kya hai?”, she almost shouted, “tum hote kaun ho mere kaam ki insult karne wale? Bade ghar se aaye ho iska matlab yeh nai ke kuch bhi bologe aur main sunn lungi.”

Rohan stood stunned as she left from there, “shit”, he muttered and ran behind her, “Preeti ruko”, he called out futilely. She heard him but didn’t stop, tears gathered in her eyes. How could he say like that? Didn’t her work, her passion mean anything to anybody? She passed the saree shop and entered a small park and sat on a bench at the far end. How could she have been so foolish? She had thought he cared, but now it seemed she was wrong.

Rohan cursed himself as he stepped inside the park, he slowed down looking at her, he could see she was crying. How could he have said such a foolish thing? He had just been surprised by her choice of profession, because from whatever they had talked, and the few times he had seen her, he hadn’t thought she was interested in anything related to fashion. He hadn’t meant to insult her, but the words had come out like that. If he could, he would have kicked his own ass. Mehbooba ko naraaz karne se pehle, usko manana sikho. The golden rule taught by his brother just this morning played in repeat mode in his head. He had never confronted an angry crying girl before. He wished he could talk to Sameer right now, or even bhabhi, he desperately needed some advice on how to tread in this delicate situation. He looked around at the empty park, as if frantically searching for some solution, his heart wrenched on seeing her crying like that. Finally, deciding that no one could help him, he had to handle this on his own, he moved closer and sat down next to her. She turned away to the other side.

“I am sorry Preeti”, he apologized trying to look at her face. She didn’t reply, so he continued, “mera galat matlab nai tha, main bas thoda surprise ho gaya tha aur bina soche jo muh me aaya bol diya.”

Preeti got up to leave, and on a desperate impulse he grabbed her hand, she stopped stunned. She looked at him, her eyes glistened with tears, but he could clearly see that she was still angry, “haath chodo mera”, she commanded.

He gulped but gathered his courage and shook his head in negative, “aise naraaz hoke mat jao, please meri baat sunlo.”

“Aur bhi kuch kehna baaki reh gaya hai?”, she queried, then gave a short sarcastic laugh, “ya tumko apne baal katwane hai.”

He stood up, “haan kuch kehna hai”, he tugged her hand and turned to face her, standing close, so she had to step back, her legs touched the edge of the bench, “betho.”

Preeti was unnerved by the sudden proximity, she sat down again, and after a moment tried to pull her hand free, but Rohan tightened his grip, and crouched down on his toes in-front of her. He looked in her eyes, and offered his handkerchief, she didn’t take it, so he kept it on her lap, “tumhe yaad hai jab hum pehli baar mile the?”, he questioned. She nodded. He smiled slightly, “tumne yellow dress pehna tha, bahot beautiful lag rahi thi.”

Something fluttered inside her at the compliment, but she was still angry, so she tried to pull her hand out of his hold again, and this time he freed her, again managing to surprise her. However, before she could get up, he placed a hand on either side of the bench, he didn’t touch her but kept looking at her face, sitting patiently. Frustrated with him, she finally looked down, meeting his gaze. He gave a mental thumbs-up to himself, and smiled again, “Preeti, main Delhi ke sabse bade school aur fir shayad sabse bade college me padha hun, lekin wahan pe kabhi koi khaas dost nai bane. Main hamesha books me khoya rehta tha. Mummy aur Dadi ke saath bahot parties attend ki, lekin kabhi masti nahi ki. Meri puri life timetable ke hisaab se chalti thi. Lekin uss din bhai ke college me jab tumse mila, tab pehli baar kisi ladki se baat karne ka man hua.”

Preeti was surprised, her eyes widened, he chuckled at her reaction and continued, “haan. Tum itni cheerful lag rahi thi ke mujhe aisa laga ke main kabhi aise khulke hasa hi nai. Uss din se maine kabhi timetable follow nai kiya. Bhai to aaj tak chidate hai mujhe uss baat ko leke”, he shook his head as he recalled the teasing, “Mr. Timetable bulate the mereko Delhi me, aur ab tak chedte hai ke Preeti ne mera timetable bigad diya.” His eyes crinkled as he grinned, then his expression became solemn again, “mujhe aadat nai hai kisi ladki se, ya kisise bhi itni baat karneki. Bas bhai aur Deepika se baate karta hun, fir bhabhi se, aur ab tumse”, he shrugged as she looked on at him curiously, “isiliye galti se tumhe hurt kar diya. Sach kahu to I am proud and impressed ke tum aur bhabhi dono kuch aisa kar rahe ho jo tum karna chahte ho. Maine to hamesha wahi kiya hai jo Dadi ya Papa chahte the.”

He sighed, hanging his head, “please maaf kardo. Main hurt nai karna chahta tha tumhe.”

Preeti looked at his bowed head, silently going over whatever he had said. Maybe she had overreacted a bit, she thought. After all it was not the first time she had been faced with such reaction from people on hearing about her job. She usually rolled her eyes at their foolishness and moved on. It’s just that Taiji’s taunts were still fresh in her mind. She had been affected because the same words had come from Rohan, and specifically more because it was Rohan, she accepted wryly. She took a deep breath, “it’s okay”, she gave a small smile as he quickly looked up, “aaj din me dusri baar aisa comment suna tha na isiliye zyada gussa aa gaya.”

Rohan stared at her smile, then exhaled in relief, standing up and sitting next to her on the bench, “thank you”, he smiled, then something prodded in his brain, “dusri baar?”, he enquired hesitantly. She nodded, “Taiji”, her smile turned into a frown.

“Unko pasand nai tumhara kaam?”, he asked, picking up the handkerchief from her lap and offering it again.

This time she accepted it, and wiped her tear stained face, “hum kuch bhi kare unko kabhi pasand nai aata. Mera to fir bhi thoda thik hai, sabse zyada problem to unko Naina se hai”, she laughed, “par ab kuch bol nai paati use.”

“Woh kyun?”, he stared as usual charmed by her lilting laugh.

She scoffed, “Sameer Maheshwari itna bada naam jo hai, ab kaise naraaz kar sakti hai woh unke hone wali biwi ko.”

Rohan chuckled at her tone, then asked, “tumne sach me mujhe maaf kar diya na?”

Preeti looked at him, “mereko bekar ke nakhre karna pasand nai”, her eyes lit up as she spotted something, “par agar puri maafi chahiye to pani-puri khana padega mere saath”, she pointed at the small stall outside the park.

He looked at the shabby looking portable stall, and the vendor who was flicking his towel probably to keep the flies away, “udhar khana hai tumko?”, he asked with a horrified expression. Preeti nodded determinedly. “Lekin woh kitna unhygienic hoga”, he observed haltingly.

She stood up, “mujhe to wahi khana hai”, she picked up her purse, “tum aa rahe ho ke nai?”

He swallowed audibly looking at her, then nodded, and stood up. They went to the stall, and as Preeti asked for two plates, Rohan closed his eyes briefly thinking about all the diseases that he could probably catch by eating at such a place. Preeti elbowed him, offering him a plate, and then focused on eating the first pani-puri, and closed her eyes in delight. He smiled looking at the blissful expression on her face, she opened her eyes and gestured him to eat. He picked up the dripping puri gingerly, but before he could place it in his mouth, it broke, the water splattering over his shirt. She laughed, offering him his own handkerchief back with a mischievous glint in her eyes. He kept the plate, then wiped his hands and tried to clean his shirt, he heard her calling his name, and looked up in surprise as she held up a pani-puri offering it to him. His eyes widened, “jaldi khao warna yeh bhi tut jayega”, she urged. As if in a trance, he bent slightly and ate the pani-puri from her hand, and then exclaimed in delight, “yeh to bahot tasty hai!”

Preeti laughed again, “chaunk to aise rahe ho jaise pehli baar khaya.”

“Haan, pehli baar hi khaya”, he accepted, picking up his own plate again.

She stared at him, shocked at the revelation, and he shrugged, “timetable… bataya tha na.” She nodded, then grinned, “koi baat nai. Jab mauka mile tab aish karni chahiye.” He agreed, and they laughed, enjoying what was probably the first unplanned date of their love story.

Meanwhile inside Asopalav, Vishakha had shortlisted a couple of sarees for herself and Naina, and was now checking on blouse designs. She pointed out a sleeveless design to go with the red saree she had selected for Naina, “yeh achcha lagega tumpe.”

Naina was astonished, “par Aunty yeh to sleeveless hai.”

Vishakha looked up at her, then asked the sales person if they could get some water. As he left, she turned towards Naina, “main ek baat tumse puchna chahti thi, jabse Roka ke baad humne phone pe baat ki tabse. Fir laga milogi tab puchungi”, she paused, then asked, “tum mujhe Aunty kyun bulati ho Naina?”

Naina furrowed her brow, confused, so Vishakha added, “shaadi ke baad bhi Aunty bulaogi mujhe?”

It took her a moment for her to process the question, and a nervous expression entered her eyes as she understood. Vishakha patted her hand, “koshish karo. Itna mushkil nai hai.”

Naina swallowed, her throat felt suddenly dry, “umm… Mummy”, she whispered almost inaudibly, as if testing the new word.

Vishakha nodded, then raised a hand to cup her cheek, “good, bas next time thoda zor se bolna”, she smiled. The word felt alien to Naina, she had never called anyone with this title ever in her life, even though Bela was like a mother to her, she had always called her Chachiji. She had never thought she would ever acknowledge someone as mother, but now she could, her relationship with Sameer had given her this new wonderful gift, she smiled back, feeling strangely happy. Vishakha looked in her moist eyes, and understood what she must be feeling, so she caressed her head and then asked her to choose blouse design. Naina selected a few, Vishakha looked at them, all of them were conservative ones, “woh sleeveless wala pasand nai aaya?”, she asked puzzled.

“Pasand aaya”, Naina admitted slowly, “lekin ghar pe kisiko achcha nai lagega maine aisa pehna to.”

Vishaka thought about it, then asked, “to tumne kabhi sleeveless nai pehna?”

Naina nodded, “pehna hai. College me, lekin sirf kisi party me”, she hesitated slightly before adding, “Taiji ko pasand nai yeh sab fashionable styles.”

Vishakha frowned, she had understood that Taiji had an interfering nature, it reminded her slightly of her own mother-in-law. Well she couldn’t change any of them, but for now she could give some freedom to her own daughter-in-law. “Tum yeh sab waise bhi shaadi ke baad pehnogi”, she explained, “aur yeh main tumko dungi bhi shaadi ke waqt, to isiliye Taiji ki nai, apne pasand se select karo.” Naina looked at her for some time, pondering over what she said, then smiled in relief. She had been worried about the questions she would face at home about these expensive sarees, she could almost hear Taiji’s taunts and criticisms. She looked at the design catalogue again, and this time selected different designs, Vishakha smiled on seeing them and gave her a thumbs-up. They went to the counter to pay the bill and Vishakha wrote down the address for delivery, it was then that she looked around and asked, “yeh Rohan aur Preeti kahan gaye?”

Naina also looked around, her heart thumping. Where had they gone? What if Vishakha found out about them? However, before she could panic more, she saw Preeti coming inside the shop, “woh rahi Preeti”, she sighed in relief, “kahan chali gai thi?”, she asked as her sister came closer.

Preeti made a face, “yaar, main bore ho rahi thi, isiliye paas wale book shop me chali gai thi.”

Naina raised her eyebrows, she knew her sister very well, and the slight blush on her face also told a different story, but she refrained from asking anything. Vishakha asked, “beta Rohan tumhare saath tha kya?”

Preeti shook her head, “nai Aunty, woh bahar khade hai, car ke paas.”

They stepped outside and Naina nudged Preeti who blushed furiously. Vishakha suggested eating ice-creams before they went back, so they drove to a small dairy outlet and enjoyed chocobars.

As they reached back, talking nineteen to dozen, everyone was surprised to look at the small group so engrossed in their conversation. “Bhabhi aap bhi na…”, Rohan started to say, then faltered looking at the gathering in the living room of Agarwal house. Chachaji welcomed them, and Tauji who had returned talked to Vishakha, he invited them over for dinner tomorrow after the exhibition. Vishakha agreed. Taiji couldn’t stop herself, “kharidari karne gaye the na, kuch liya nai”, she asked Naina. “Ji liya hai, Naina ke liye thode saree”, Vishakha answered, “fall bidding aur blouse stitch ho jaaneke baad woh Sameer ke ghar pe deliver kar denge. Waise bhi shaadi ke liye haina to koi jaldi nai hai abhi to.” Taiji nodded, disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to give her precious opinion on the sarees.

That night Naina and Sameer talked for about ten minutes. She wanted to tell him everything about today, but held back, saying she would tell him when they meet. He reminded her to wear pink again and said that the car would be there to pick her up at 3pm. She heard sounds of urgent whispers, then Sameer laughed and told her to bring Preeti as well. Naina chuckled and asked if there was a colour demand for her as well, to her and Sameer’s surprise, the answer came – Yellow.

Naina and Preeti talked well past-midnight, when Naina told her about the yellow dress demand, she blushed and then slowly told her about the whole afternoon incident. Naina stared at her for a long moment, then hugged her in happiness, “tum dono to bade tezz nikle”, she teased.

Next morning, Naina visited the temple praying for Sameer’s success. When she accepted the pooja thaali back from Panditji, she heard the two signature dongs from the temple bell. She turned back surprised to see Sameer coming towards her, he stood next to her, praying, then took aarti. He looked at Naina, who was still staring at him in surprise, “mandir me aise ladke ko ghurte hue sharam nai aati”, he teased.

She shook herself, and blushed, “tum yahan kya kar rahe ho?”

He picked up the prasad from her dish, as they walked outside, “bhanwaanji se pray karne aaya tha”, he slid on his shoes, “aur apne good luck charm se milne”, he grinned.

“Mujhe laga aaj busy din hai to nai aaoge”, she wore her sandals, and they walked to a bench in the temple courtyard. Ever since Sameer had returned from Delhi, they would spend more time on their temple dates. They would sit on the stairs and talk, and later when benches were added in the courtyard the sat there chatting.

Sameer smiled, “aata kaise nai, tumhe dekhna tha.” He took out a pink rose from his pocket, and gave it to her, “exhibition me nai de paunga, isiliye abhi hi de diya”, then he noticed she was wearing pink even now, “oh wow! Tumne to abhi bhi pink hi pehna hai”, he exclaimed happily.

She laughed, “kya karu? Kisine chaar din se lagatar pink pink bolke dimag kharab kar diya hai mera.”

He blushed, “haan to, main to hamesha aise hi demand karunga.”

“Mujhe pata hai”, she chuckled. They talked for some time then got up to leave. As she was about to sit in the auto, she turned, “Sameer, tum aaj blue shirt pehenna, black suit ke saath”, she demanded, “sexy lagoge”, she winked and sat inside.

The auto chugged away, while Sameer stood there surprised at her demand and wink, “sexy?”, he muttered to himself, “yeh meri Naina hi thi na?”

Naina looped silver jhumkas in her ears and turned her head slightly to look at her profile. She was wearing a short-sleeved blush pink churidar, with matching bangles. Preeti had styled her long hair in cascading waves that fell down her back. Her eyes were lined subtly, and she added a touch of pink gloss to her lips. That should do the trick, she thought smiling wickedly.

Preeti nudged her aside to check on herself, she had spent almost an hour in the afternoon, pulling out every dress she owned, before giving in to her heart and picking up the yellow one. Naina had sat aside, amused at her sister, recalling how she also used to struggle futilely before accepting Sameer’s demands. Bela came in to check on them, and exclaimed at how beautiful they looked, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye, bhabhiji ki nazar pade usse pehle kaala teeka laga deti hun”, she said putting black dots behind their ears with a speck of kajal from her own eyes.

Exactly a minute before 3pm Taiji saw them, “Oh bai! Filam dekhne jaa rahe ho ya bijnes ka pradarshini dekhne?”, she glared at them. However, she couldn’t command them to change, because just then the driver knocked on the door, “namaste memsaab, saab ne gaadi bhijwai hai aapke liye”, he said looking at Naina. She smiled, gesturing Preeti to come along, and they went downstairs, seating themselves comfortably in the back seat.

The exhibition had started since noon, and the primary business crowd was gone. Sameer had been overwrought since it had started, and he still wasn’t relaxed, however no one could see it from the way he presented himself. Everything had gone smoothly, Munna was by his side as usual, Rohan and his mother had arrived thirty minutes ago and were seated a little away. The team was now handling a few stragglers, and Munna was deep in discussion with a new supplier who had shown curiosity. Sameer glanced at the door, as he talked with a potential client, holding back his keen interest in the proposal. He was wearing a royal blue shirt just as Naina had demanded, teamed with black suit and a deep beige tie. He had selected a white shirt for today, but after Naina’s demand he had rushed home and pulled out his blue shirt. It needed ironing, so he set to the task, and his mother had caught him in the act. She had asked what he was doing when he already had everything chosen to wear the evening before, he had fumbled with his reply and a moment later she had smiled asking if Naina had asked him. He had blushed and nodded, as Vishakha had pushed him aside and taken over the task of ironing. When she had seen him fully dressed, she had complimented he was looking good, much better than he would have looked in white, and then had surprised him by commenting, “waise bhi Naina ka fashion sense kaafi achcha hai”, she had additionally informed him of how Naina had selected latest designer blouses for herself, including a sleeveless one. He had gripped the back of a chair tight enough to turn his knuckles white. He felt as if he was on a surprise field trip since he had woken up this morning; first she had demanded he wear blue, then she had said he would look sexy, then winked at him, now his mother was appreciating Naina’s fashion sense, and she had chosen a sleeveless blouse. If he hadn’t held on to the chair, he would have probably melted in a boneless puddle at the images his brain produced on hearing sleeveless. Only he knew how difficult it had been for him to cut off the sensuous thoughts and focus on business. Just as he promised to get in touch with the client in a couple of days, and they shook hands, he sensed Naina. He turned to look at her stepping in, along with Preeti and excused himself moving towards her. Was it his eyes, or did she really look more beautiful with each passing day?

Before Naina could come to the crowded exhibition area, he reached near the empty entrance with quick strides. He needed a moment, just a moment alone with her, he needed to be a normal man for a minute before falling back into his role of confident businessman. As soon as he was within touching distance, he held her hand, and pulled her as close as he could without actually hugging her in public. She looked up in his eyes, as he stared intently at her face, as if trying to memorize each detail. His tense muscles loosened, and he visibly relaxed as she smiled at him, she always had this soothing effect on him, she only needed to be around him, and his nerves would calm down. Preeti said something, he didn’t really hear what, before leaving them and going to his mother and Rohan. Naina chuckled, “usne hi kaha tumse”, to which he smiled and replied, “umm… baad me jawaab de dunga.”

She shook her head at him, her smile widened as she looked at him properly, taking in the blue shirt, she raised her hand, flicking off imaginary dust from his shoulders, because she couldn’t resist touching him. She trailed a finger beneath his collar, the small touch searing through the fabric, “kaha tha na, sexy lagoge”, his heart pounded violently inside his ribcage as she bit her lower lip. His focus shifted to the action, he lifted one hand and used his thumb to trace the outline of her lip before applying gentle pressure, making her release it. He touched the spot she had bitten, as if trying to soothe it, and then looked at his own thumb, inhaling sharply as he saw the pink tint on his skin. He looked at her lips again, his face set in a hungry cast, his grip on her hand tightened as he tried to control his urgent reaction. He had to remind himself that they were in a public place, no one could hear them, but everyone could see them. He swallowed, wondering if Naina was trying to kill him by slowly tormenting him, or if she was enjoying teasing him with unspoken innuendos. Did she even understand what she was doing? Did she know the effect she had on him? He shifted his gaze from her lips to her eyes in search for some answers. And as their eyes met again, Sameer saw an expression in those mesmerizing eyes, that till date, he had only seen in his own whenever he had looked at his reflection while thinking about Naina – burning intense desire.