Only Mine
Chapter 6: Drenched Souls

The month of February led to the cold being milder, the sun brighter, and every student around the block was tensed. Exams were approaching. The school fest was done and over with, the teachers had started to make students do revision of the syllabus, some surprise tests caused panic in the classrooms. Sameer and Naina were no different, they tried to focus on studies as much as possible which caused the number of pranks to lessen, but subsequently that also meant that they saw each other less frequently too. Both of them took solace in the last proper conversation they had had near the water taps of PVKM. Usually they would see each other in morning, when both would be headed to school. Sameer would honk twice, and Naina would smile and wave. What had subtly changed was that Munna and Pandit also waved, to which Preeti reciprocated and sometimes Swati too if she joined the other two girls midway.

The man of the match trophy from the tournament had received a special place in Sameer’s showcase, though he didn’t realize he had done that. Nanu noticed that all the other trophies he had won were inside the cabinet under his desk, but this one was proudly displayed. He wondered why it was special for his grandson.

Naina had shared her slightly squishy chocolate with Preeti and Swati, refusing to tell them from where she had got it, but they had noticed the smile that had adorned her face throughout the time she ate it. Swati asked Preeti to keep an eye on what Naina does with the wrapper. Preeti had been puzzled but surprisingly she had noticed that instead of throwing it away Naina had stuffed it in her bag. And then when they had reached home, she had carefully flattened it out and inserted it in her diary. Perplexed Preeti had shared this information with Swati the next day, and Swati had giggled, “I knew she would do that.”

Preeti had been more puzzled, “how? And why so much care for a chocolate wrapper?”

“Because that chocolate was from Sameer, and your sister and my dear friend is starting to feel something for him”, Swati had informed.

“What!?!” Preeti had been shocked, “no way… not possible. You know she hates him.”

Swati had raised her eyebrows, “does she? Is that why she was happy when he won, or kept gasping whenever he was close to being out in the match?”

Preeti had noticed all this, but now she stammered, “b..but h…how… I… I mean… alright he is handsome and all… b…but… Love? How can she? Our family would kill her. We should talk to her.”

Swati had clucked her tongue, “let it be… she doesn’t realize it yet. And my guess is neither does Sameer. Let them realize it themselves… and you know Preeti, if anyone can fight over that oppressive mindset of your family, it is Naina. And if Sameer also loves her, then I don’t think there could be anyone who would be able to stop them.”

Preeti had given it a thought… It was dangerous. But it did look like her sister felt something for Sameer… whether it was already love, or would turn into love in future she didn’t know. But there was something… And Swati was right… Naina obeyed her family, but try as much no one, not even Taiji had been able to clip her wings. If she fell in love with Sameer, she would defend her love like a tigress. And from what she had seen of Sameer, he was no less… Maybe, they should let destiny and time work its magic.

And so had continued the saga of waving and smiling, some small talks, and harmless pranks. Soon it was time for the examinations to start, and just when there was a week to go, Mr. Jayprakash Maheshwari arrived at PVKM for some work. He moved through the corridors thinking of his plans to refurbish the sports room, and add more collection to the library. Just as he was about to enter the principal’s cabin, a girl came out and he smiled wide, “Naina… Good Morning!”

Naina looked up and grinned, “Good Morning sir… How are you?”

“Absolutely fine”, he said, “what about you? All ready for exams?”

She nodded, “yes. They will start in a week.”

“Same as my grandson’s”, he informed, and Naina almost blurted Sameer’s name, but controlled in time.

She swallowed her impulse, and hesitantly asked, “I hope he has prepared well.”

He shrugged, “he usually does… but I try not to ask. Sameer doesn’t like it, because that’s all his mother…” He trailed off, not sure as to why and how he was about to share this piece of information with a girl who was almost a stranger.

Naina noticed how he had stopped speaking, and wondered what was it. But asking about it seemed like prying. Instead she remembered how Sameer had held her hand and fed on the sweet curd, she smiled at the memory, and said, “Sir… even if you don’t ask, maybe you could feed him sweet curd every day before he leaves for exams. That would be his good luck and your blessings too.”

Mr. Maheshwari was surprised at the thoughtfulness of the girl in-front of him, “that seems like a very good idea. I will try it.”

She smiled, and asked permission to leave as her class would start. Mr. Maheshwari nodded and watched her leave. All the while he talked to the principal, his thoughts kept jumping to the girl he had met, and he didn’t know why but he subtly enquired about Naina’s performance in school, and about her family. Principal sir gladly informed about Naina’s results, her win at interschool debate, the scores of science exhibition, and also about her father and brother. Later on he somehow felt the need to see Sameer as well, and so he left from PVKM and reached St. Peters just before the break time.

Sameer was puzzled but happy, “Nanu… what are you doing here?”

Nanu smiled, “I was nearby, in PVKM, so thought why not visit my prince.”

“I am not a prince”, Sameer objected, “and… you went to PVKM? Why?”

Nanu’s brows furrowed, “what do you mean why? I am trustee of that school… Have you forgotten?”

“No I did not”, Sameer muttered, “did you meet… uh… I mean… did u meet the principal there?”

Were you about to ask if he met Naina? Have you gone mad Sameer?

“Yes, I did”, Nanu replied, puzzled over the strange question, “but why are you so much interested in PVKM? You never liked that school… after all it is Hindi medium… so must be full of stupid students according to you.”

“No”, Sameer immediately defended, “they are not stupid. There are so many intelligent students… Don’t you know they even won the debate competition in fest?”

“Is that so?” Nanu was intrigued, “and how do you know that? Made some friends during fest?”

Sameer bit his tongue, and tried to get a handle over the situation, “no no… not friends… I just got to know this on the day of our match. I suppose if they can win the debate then they must be intelligent too.”

Nanu smiled, “yes I suppose… So, would you like to have lunch together?”

“Sure”, Sameer grinned.

The week to the exams passed at lighting flash speed, and the first day of exams brought a surprise for Sameer as Nanu waited for him with a bowl of sweet curd. He was happily puzzled, “why this?”

“For good luck”, Nanu said and fed him a spoonful.

Sameer recalled the way he had held Naina’s hand to feed himself the curd, and couldn’t stop himself from asking, “how do you know this? Who suggested?”

Nanu’s eyebrows quirked, “it is an age old custom. Why do you feel someone suggested it?”

Sameer frowned, slightly disappointed, “ah… nothing. I should leave now, else I will be late.”

Nanu watched his grandson leave, and then glanced at the clock… Leaving earlier than needed, defending PVKM, knowing about the debate, and now this sweet curd… Does he know Naina? If yes, then how? And what does it mean?

Sameer purposefully chose to drive extra slow on his way to school, and as usual his friends guessed the reason. He soon saw her cycling up the road in his rearview mirror, and grinned, honking twice. She was talking with Preeti and Swati, but immediately looked straight on hearing the honk, and a smile bloomed on her face. Sameer stopped, waiting for her to catch-up, and as she reached both of them spoke up together, “all the best.”

He grinned, “thanks… ahh… well prepared?”

Well prepared? Is that all what you can ask Sameer?

It was a silly question, but he was suddenly very conscious about his friends and her friends overhearing their conversation.

She gave a puzzled smile, “yes… I think so. And you?”

Why is it feeling so strange to talk like this? We talked so freely the other day in school.

He nodded, and then gestured if they should leave. He revved up his bike again, and the girls started cycling… It was awkward, and none of them knew why. Munna and Pandit looked towards Swati and Preeti, and the four shared a brief smile, none of them needed to tell each other that they were noticing their friends’ behavior. After about two minutes, Sameer said that he should leave, and increased his speed. Naina didn’t know why she did that, but she rang her bell twice, and felt incredibly happy when Sameer immediately turned back to look at her with a big smile and waved at her.

That was the only time they met during the exam week, but the final smile they had shared with each other lingered in their memory. On the last day, Sameer decided to go by her school after the exams, as from tomorrow it would be summer vacations and they would not see each other. He wondered briefly as to why he had this urge to meet her, but ignored it as an excuse of missing playing pranks. However his plan to meet her didn’t work out well, because once the exams ended his classmates decided on a post exam school party with lots of food and soft drinks. He enjoyed it, and even shared a secret smoking session with Munna and Pandit, though the assessment of “bad boy” did replay in his mind. Later on he popped a gum in his mouth so that there’s no trace of cigarette smell, and drove by Naina’s school hoping against hope that even they stayed back to celebrate. But PVKM was empty, the gates locked, and the watchman was leaving on his cycle merrily whistling to the tunes of Raja Hindustani.

Sighing with disappointment he reached home, and Nanu was puzzled on seeing him. He patted his grandson’s back, “why so glum? The paper wasn’t good?”

“It was… no worries”, Sameer gave a brief smile.

Nanu further enquired, “then what happened? You are usually so cheerful on the day exam ends.” And then he teased her by adding, “… my prince.”

Sameer frowned, “Nanu… you know I don’t like that. I am not a pampered prince. I want to be like you, grow on my own, do something to earn… I don’t want to rely only on our family business.”

Nanu smiled, “I know all that. But why do you think the family business is easy?”

“Nanu please…”, Sameer pleaded, “not today. I don’t feel like it.”

Nanu was truly puzzled by his mood, “well, in that case, why don’t you go play some cricket… or watch a movie?”

Sameer smiled and hugged his Nanu, “good idea… thank you.”

That evening as Sameer tried to cheer himself up with some good rounds of cricket, he didn’t have any idea of the surprises that awaited him next day. For one, his mother came to visit from Delhi, in morning. However, instead of cheering him up, it made him feel sad, when his mother chose to ask about the exams even before she asked about how he was. The breakfast was a messy affair with his mother briefing Nanu about Mr. Somani’s business, her trust on Rohan scoring above 95%, and how Deepika had been nominated to receive the best student of the year award. Sameer tried to devote himself to the scrumptious paneer paratha, but when he smeared pickle over it and rolled it, his mother clucked her tongue, “is that how you eat still? Haven’t you learned anything in all these years?”

Sameer didn’t bother to reply; rather he put down the paratha, and stood up, “Nanu, I have to go to Munna’s place today. I will eat breakfast over there.”

Nanu heard the dejection in his voice, and when he left, he addressed his daughter, “Vishakha… I thought you came here to meet Sameer. Is it necessary to always taunt him like this?”

“You don’t understand him papa”, Vishakha commented, “he needs a firm hand, and he needs to more competitive. You pamper him too much, that is why he is lacking even the basic table manners. Look at Rohan on the other hand, he is so perfect… always obedient, brilliant student, polished manners.”

“And boring”, Nanu muttered into his cup of tea, knowing that it was futile to talk to his daughter. Somehow the only thing she could see in her oldest son was flaws. He wished there was someone who would truly understand what a precious person Sameer actually was, he hoped there was someone who would be able to peel the layers in which he had draped himself since childhood and see the real him, he prayed that there was someone who would love him with all her heart and make him realize that it was okay to not be perfect.

That evening Naina sat on a mat in the balcony, reading a book and sipping on her cup of tea, when suddenly her father appeared. He set his hands on his hips and ordered, “get ready Naina. We need to leave in ten minutes.”

Naina closed her book and stood up, “where are we going?”

“Stop with your questions”, he replied irately, “just get ready.”

Naina rolled her eyes, quite used to being pushed around like this, and went to her cupboard to get a red salwar-kameez. She didn’t know why but it seemed like a day for red. Her mood was good, and the mystery novel she was reading was too intriguing, plus it was vacations. She didn’t dress up much, just tied her hair in a low pony tail, wore her watch and earrings, and slipped some bangles on her right hand. When she went out Arjun bhaiya and her father both were waiting impatiently for her. As they sat in an auto she again asked, “where are we going?”

Her father looked irritated as usual, but this time he replied, “we are going to see our school trustee Mr. Maheshwari.”

Sameer’s home.

She felt as if her heart missed a beat, which should have been completely illogical. Hesitating slightly she asked, “why?”

Rakesh didn’t reply, but Arjun did, “to talk about my college admission. He can refer me to good colleges, where I would have advantage with sports. And principal sir has told papa that Mr. Maheshwari is quite fond of you, so you are coming too.”

Naina frowned, feeling as if she was being used as a shield or a bait, “why do you even want a referral? Can’t you just apply and get in on merit?”

“Enough talking”, her father reprimanded, and Naina reluctantly shut her mouth.

Her eyes widened as she saw Sameer’s home… it wasn’t just a house… it was a mansion. It seemed she was quite right in her assessment of him being a rich spoiled brat. Only… he didn’t seem like a brat; and apart from the chewing gum incident and smoking it didn’t look like he was spoiled. She spotted a woman walking in the big lawns, and then the large front doors loomed.

Was he home?

She needed to remember to not give any hints about knowing him. Her family would never be able to digest her being friends with Sameer.

We are not friends.

Yeah, we are not friends.

The conversation vibrated in her ears, along with her confession of trusting him, and she felt confused about their relationship. She felt happy to see him, but still she didn’t know him properly.

A young man, who seemed to be the servant, guided them inside the big living room. She stepped inside, her toes curling at the cold marble, and she didn’t understand the weird fuzzy feeling inside her as she moved down the foyer. It was like she had read in one of her previous novels; the heroine had felt that something was about to happen with each step she took inside the hero’s home. She had thought it was a preset of a kiss, but had turned out to be the scene of a blood-chilling murder. Suddenly she felt inclined to laugh at her thoughts, it’s just a house, bigger than usual, there was no murder happening here.

Neither a kiss Naina.

Well… of course. There was no need for her to even think like that. She sat down on the soft chair, and started mentally jotting down points on what she knew about Sameer… Okay, he was good at playing pranks; he smoked; he had a temper; he genuinely cared for Munna and Pandit even though they were not as rich as him; he was usually well-behaved apart from his habit of holding her hand now and then; he was honest; he had an inclination to win every challenge; and well… he looked more handsome than any Bollywood heroes she had seen.

Suddenly a deep voice pulled her out of her thoughts, “Naina… How wonderful to see you!”

She looked up to see Mr. Maheshwari walking down the hall, “hello sir. How are you?”

“Very well”, he smiled, “I didn’t know you were going to come.”

She smiled back, “ah… I didn’t either.”

Rakesh interrupted with a greeting, and Mr. Maheshwari shifted his attention to her father and brother. Naina expected to be thoroughly bored and irritated with the conversations, as she didn’t approve of admission by referral. However she was surprised when Mr. Maheshwari offered them tea and snacks, and then proposed that he would like to show Naina around. Her father couldn’t refuse because he was intending to use this liking to get proper admission for Arjun. And so Naina found herself on a tour of the big mansion.

The lower floor had the large living room, kitchen and storeroom, two bedrooms one of which was a guest room, and a puja room. The upper floor was equally large with three sprawling bedrooms, and a terrace garden which overlooked the lawns. Mr. Maheshwari pushed open one bedroom door, and she was greeted with a life-size picture of smiling Sameer Maheshwari.

“That’s my grandson”, he beamed, “the naughtiest kid ever, and the kindest too.”

Naina tilted her head, it was such a peculiar way to talk about a child, usually parents would highlight academic achievements or manners or any good qualities they could. He closed the door again, “let’s go. He doesn’t like people going inside his room.”

Naina was curious, “why? What’s he hiding?”

Mr. Maheshwari guided her out to the terrace garden, and laughed, “hahaa… nothing. He is just possessive of everything that belongs to him. That room is his zone which no one can enter.”

“That’s a very lonely way to live”, she observed, “I would start to feel trapped with so much privacy.”

Nanu smiled, “yes… me too. But Sameer is different…”

She stared at the lone roses in the flower pot, “yes, he is.”

Nanu glanced at her with a curious smile, the way she had acknowledged about Sameer being different… It did seem that she knew him. It would be good to know how… and how much. Maybe by the end of evening he would have this information. He placed a hand on her shoulder and proposed, “I need to talk to your father and brother. Why don’t you stay here or in the spare bedroom if you want, there are some book there.”

She smiled, relieved at being saved from sitting through the conversation, “I will stay here. It is pleasant weather.” He nodded and left to go downstairs to attend his remaining guests.

Naina walked around the large terrace for some time, and then sat on the swing. In about thirty minutes, just when the sun was starting to set, she heard the sound of a bike, and automatically rushed to stand near the parapet. How will he react on seeing her? She was just in time to see Sameer enter inside the gates on his bike, but as he parked it, the woman walked up to him, and he turned leaning his hip on the bike to talk.

She couldn’t hear anything, but soon enough, his voice filled with anger floated upstairs, “enough Mummy… Is that all you care about? Marks, performance, exams… Can’t you for once just ask where have I been? Or how was my day?”

The woman also raised her voice, “you have started to be more and more insolent these days…”

As she heard the altercation, she couldn’t help but feel that Sameer’s voice held more dejection than insolence. Just then someone placed a palm on her head, and she turned to see Mr. Maheshwari staring at the sight below with helplessness written all over his face.

She slowly enquired, “is that Sameer’s mother?”

He nodded, “she is my daughter… Do you know Sameer?”

It is not necessary that everyone in family likes one another.

Was he talking about his mother at that time?

“Yes, I know him”, Naina accepted.

He further enquired, “are you friends?”

“No”, she frowned, “I don’t know… we just like to play pranks on each other.”

Suddenly her face brightened up and her eyes shone, “Sir… can I set up a prank in Sameer’s room? It will improve his mood.”

“His room?” He frowned, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Please sir…”, she pleaded, “I promise he would be okay.”

Nanu was intrigued, “are you sure it will improve his mood and not spoil it further?”

She nodded animatedly, and he chuckled, “alright then… go ahead.”

Naina quickly slipped inside his room, and went to the showcase where she had spotted an unusual collection. It took her only five minutes to set up everything, and then she closed his room and moved to the staircase. However in her haste she didn’t see anything, and collided with someone. There was a whoof of breath, and she stumbled backwards, squeezing her eyes shut in fear… A hand wrapped around her waist, and another around her shoulder as she fell sideways, entangled with the person she had collided with.

“Ow”, she breathed, and opened her eyes to give an earful to the person. However, her eyes widened on seeing the face beside her and her heart again seemed to skip a beat.

“You!!”, they both said aloud.

It was then that she realized that he was holding her, she was literally in his arms, and her father was downstairs. “Shit”, she cursed and tried to pull back, only it was too difficult to do that while lying on the floor, and when her savior or captor – she didn’t know what he was – was not inclined to move his hand away from her waist.

“Leave me”, she fiercely whispered, “papa is downstairs.”

Sameer left her, and jackknifed to his toes and then up, offering his hand to her. She accepted, and slipped her hand in his palm, taking his support to stand up. He was astonished to see her here, at first he had thought he was imagining her, but then… well… she had been in his arms… And that sure wasn’t his imagination at all. He hadn’t felt inclined to leave her even when she had tried to pull back. He remembered how she had said about her father when he hadn’t left her, and suddenly smirked, “and what if your father wasn’t here? Would you have stayed like that?”

“Shut up”, she hissed and somehow avoided meeting his gaze.

Was she blushing?

He laughed softly, “it’s good to see you too Naina… but what are you doing here?”

“Papa came to meet your grandfather”, she replied.

His eyebrow quirked, “and where were you?” She saw his eye dart to the closed door of his room, and remembered he didn’t like anyone entering there. Plus he shouldn’t get to know about the prank.

So she quickly said, “terrace garden. Sir took me there.”

“Nanu?” He frowned, and then asked, “did you hear something?”

She put on an innocent expression, “what are you talking about? I just went to the bathroom in that room, and was going downstairs when…”

So she didn’t hear his conversation with his mother.

He relaxed and smiled, finishing her sentence, “when you decided to fall in my arms.”

She gasped in outrage, “I did not fall in your arms… I just… well… I just fell. You held me.”

“And I would… always”, he promised, “if you keep falling with me.”

What are you saying Sameer? Have you lost your mind?

She looked up, surprised. Did he know what he was saying? She wasn’t sure what he meant, and she said, “I would prefer not to fall at all. And now… I need to go.”

He didn’t move out of her way, leaning on the wall, blocking the staircase, and kept looking at her with a strange expression.  She didn’t want her family to see them like this, “let me go… my father…”

“Is downstairs”, he again completed her sentence, already feeling irked at her interfering father. Reluctantly he moved out of her way, “bye… for now.”

She smiled slowly, “bye Sameer. Enjoy your sleep.”

He frowned thinking it was a strange wish. But then… she was a strange girl. And today she looked… different… Her hair was in ponytail, not oiled for a change. She was wearing a salwar-kameez of the brightest red shade he had ever seen, and managed to carry it off too. He rubbed his chest where her bangle clad hand had settled when they had fallen; the clinking sound still rang in his ears.

Strange and Mysterious… That’s what Naina Agarwal was.

And as he went to his room and showered, he had no idea why he kept thinking of this mystery wanting to resolve it. The dinner was a tense event, and he finished his meal as fast as possible, though his mood which had improved somewhat after meeting Naina was spoiled again. That night as he fell asleep his dreams were full of red-clad girl in his arms whose face was not that visible but the feel of her in his arms was familiar enough. However, he didn’t have a peaceful sleep.

Around 2am there was a loud ringing sound, and he jerked upright to find his beside clock ringing. What the hell. Who had set the alarm for this time? Soon there was another sound, this time from somewhere beneath the bed. He got down and lay flat on the floor, trying to reach the clock ringing its head off. Just as he reached it and turned that one off, another one started to ring. He cursed aloud trying to find the third clock. By this time Nanu had also woken up, and stood at the door of Sameer’s room to see what was up. He was quite amused and surprised to see his grandson squeezing in the small space behind his wardrobe, cursing aloud, and pulling out a madly ringing clock. And then as another and then another clock started to ring, Nanu understood it was Naina’s prank, and started to laugh. It was indeed hilarious to see Sameer search everywhere in his bedroom to locate the clocks.

Finally, when he had pulled out ten clocks, one even from inside the bathroom, he panted for breath and declared, “I am going to kill that girl.”

Nanu pursed his lips and enquired, “who?”

“Naina”, he announced, “who else?”

Nanu was intrigued, “and how do you know she did this?”

Sameer rolled his eyes, “she was here… and no one else has this much brain to trouble me like this. Plus, before leaving she wished me to enjoy my sleep. The little devil.”

Nanu tried to control his blooming smile, and suggested, “so… she entered your room.”

“Well, she had to”, Sameer shrugged, “else how would she have set up this prank.” Then his face lit up quite like Naina’s had and he said, “but now it’s my turn… I got to think of a good prank.”

Nanu smiled, “all the best. But you will have to wait for a long time. She is going to her village tomorrow morning to spend the vacations.”

Sameer was shocked, “what? She never told me… I mean… she was literally in my…” He bit his lip, controlling his unruly tongue.

Dammit Sameer… You cannot go around saying Naina was in your arms.

“In… in my room…”, he continued, trying to save the situation, “she could have at least told me.”

“And why would she?”, Nanu queried, “are you friends?”

He frowned, “No… I don’t know. We just like play pranks on each other.”

Nanu smiled on hearing the same words second time this evening, and thought that they indeed shared an interesting equation. Maybe he could find a way to see if this could lead somewhere; or if it already had and these two were foolish enough to not understand.

Sameer didn’t sleep well for the rest of the night. Was she really going away for two months? Deciding to check, he made a round near her society twice in the morning, but had no luck spotting her. Finally, he called up Pandit from a phone booth, and when his friend picked up, he asked, “I need Naina’s number… it is urgent.”

Pandit swallowed the piece of pakoda he was gorging on, and rattled off, “695087”

“Huh”, Sameer frowned, “you already know it?”

Pandit grinned, “I thought you might ask someday so had found it out.”

Sameer was puzzled, “aah… um… good work. I will talk to you later.” Pandit laughed at the disconnected phone, and then dialed Munna’s number to give him this new information. On the other side Sameer called up on the number he had just received, but even after several attempts no one picked up. He sighed as he concluded that they were really gone.

Sameer also took a short trip with his Nanu and his friends… But once every week he made sure to call on that number to see if someone picked up. However, he never had the luck. It pissed him off sometimes when his efforts didn’t pay up, and he had no idea why sometimes he wondered if she was missing him. It’s not like he was missing her… Yeah, he was just missing the pranks. After all it was his turn now.

Just before a week from the day when schools would reopen again, Sameer had a full-fledged cricket practice session, and was in good spirits. But as they were returning from the grounds, the sky darkened, and thunder started to roll, indicating the first rains of the season. He quickly drove to a nearby shop, and stood with his friends under the shade. He didn’t like rains. As he stared at the gathering clouds he thought that tomorrow was the day when he would be calling her again to check if she was back.

On the other hand, Naina and Preeti had just returned that morning from their village, and had decided to meet up Swati in evening for pani-puri. However, looking at the overcast sky, and the slow drizzling, they decided to get drenched and then enjoy hot cup of tea and bhutta. Preeti ecstatically proposed, “let’s go have cold-drinks first. Then we can enjoy in rain, and then have tea.”

Swati was puzzled, “why cold-drink?”

Preeti shrugged, “cold-drink… cold rains… I don’t know… Just feel like it… C’mon.”

Naina and Swati were quite used to the mad ways of Preeti, and so didn’t object to her ludicrous plan. They went to the shop, and ordered three cold drinks. Naina took a sip from her bottle, and then suddenly it was snatched out of her hand, and she made a surprised sound. She looked beside her and was astonished to see Sameer fusing her bottle to his lips and drinking.

“It’s good”, he declared, “but I like cola better.” He had been standing there, scowling at the clouds, and thinking of her when suddenly he had heard her voice ordering for cold drinks. He had turned around in disbelief, but had been overjoyed to see her. She was back! Finally! But then he had started to scowl again when she hadn’t even noticed him… What in the world was wrong with her? He was standing right there, three feet away from her, and she didn’t see him. He was not so small and thin to be mistaken for one of the poles supporting the tin shade. Feeling irked, he had marched up to her and snatched the bottle from her, satisfied to see her shocked expressions, but he kept his gaze away from her, trying not to let her see that he was happy to see her again.

Naina had been extremely surprised to see him, and hadn’t been able to contain the surge of happiness inside her. It had been so long since she had seen him. All these days in her village sometimes she had wondered about the impact of her prank on his mood, thought about what his grandfather might inquire of him about her, and also wondered how he was spending the time in his vacations. She had hoped that she had had enough presence of mind that day to let him know that she was leaving. But falling like that, being held by him, her thoughts had scattered in several directions. And now when they were finally meeting, he was drinking from her bottle, but not looking at her.

Indignantly, she snatched back the bottle from his hands, “if you like Cola go order your own bottle.”

He looked at her then, watching her take another sip and couldn’t hold on to his anger or frustration. He was just too happy to see her. His gaze softened, and he pulled the bottle back from her hand, “don’t argue… we are meeting after so many days. Let’s not quarrel for once, and share.”

She smiled at that, and took the bottle back after he had taken a swig, “we don’t argue all the time… and you are right, it is too good weather to argue… Let’s share.”

The bottle again exchanged hands, and he said, “what is good about this weather? It is raining…”

“You don’t like rains?”, she quizzed and took the bottle back.

“No”, he replied, accepting the bottle again, “what’s there to like? Everything is wet, soggy, sticky and muddy.”

Naina took the bottle and sipped, but before she could say anything it started raining in earnest. She squealed, handing over the almost empty bottle back to him, and then rushed to her friends, dragging them out in the rain. He finished the last bit of cold drink and gave the bottle back, then stood with his friends watching the mad antics of the girls. Munna and Pandit laughed on seeing the three girls jump on the road, but Sameer scowled wondering how can she enjoy it. Naina threw her head back, and laughed, then called out to them, “why are you standing there? C’mon… this is fun.”

Munna and Pandit hesitated, but when Swati and Preeti also beckoned them, they stepped outside. Sameer scowled harder thinking what was wrong with his friends. When Naina called him, he shook his head. It was madness. How can they get wet like this? Look at the condition of their clothes… And their hair would be all wet too. Plus there are so many people and vehicles on the road, what if someone splashed muddy water on them. No thank you… He was okay right where he was, safe and protected under the shade. At least someone needed to be sane in this sudden onslaught of madness.

Naina rolled her eyes and shook her head on seeing Sameer’s stubbornness. She walked up to him and said, “let’s go…”

“No way”, he folded his arms and leaned on the pole.

Impulsively she grabbed his hand, and pulled him, but he was much too strong for her to pull. Instead, he tugged her back towards him, and she ended up standing inches away from him. The water from her wet clothes dripped on his pants and shoes, but somehow he didn’t seem to mind that. He softly repeated, “I don’t like rains Naina.”

She smiled at him, “Sameer… if you keep standing by the side and just watch others then obviously you wouldn’t like it. Rain is like love… You have to feel it to be able to cherish it.”

He frowned, “don’t speak in riddles. I don’t understand…”

She laughed, “that is what I am saying… don’t try to understand… don’t think… Just be with me… Trust me.”

He looked into her eyes, searching for the meaning of the words she was uttering, and found himself quite lost in the shine of those deep pools. This time when she tugged on his hand, he didn’t resist, and let her lead him out into the rains.

It had started to rain hard, and he blinked at the sudden sensation of rain pelting down on him, “ow! It hurts.”

She laughed again, “just feel it.” When she started to pull her hand back, he tightened his grip, and shook his head. She relented with a smile, and held on to his hand. Thinking for a moment about how to make him enjoy the rains, she started to point out the surroundings to him. He pushed back his dripping hair from his eyes with his free hand, and looked to where she was pointing. Few kids were playing in the rain, jumping in puddles and laughing their lungs out. A passing auto splashed water on the kids, but it only made them laugh harder. Next she made him look at a couple standing at a nearby tea-stall and sharing a cup of tea. They were drenched completely, but looked like they were enjoying their own cozy moment in crowd, and kept sharing smiles along with the tea. With her guiding him he looked at cycle riders purposefully driving through water filled puddles, women standing under the bus-stand shade extending their hands out to feel whatever they can of the season’s first rain, men with umbrellas buying corn or pakodas probably sent out to do so by their families, a group of old men standing beneath a tarpaulin at another stall and chatting about how the rains would be good for crops.

Suddenly Preeti and Swati pulled Naina away, but they were holding on so tight to each other that he was also pulled along. She tugged her hand away from his hold, and this time he let go, wondering what she was up to now. To his incredible amazement the girls criss-crossed their arms, and held each other’s hands, and then started to go round and round at an astonishing speed. Sameer watched Naina go around and laugh, and slowly a wide smile appeared on his face too. This wasn’t as bad as he always thought it would be. Naina happened to look at him just then, and stopped on seeing that he was finally smiling. She grinned and went back to him, standing in-front of him and suggested, “spread your arms out.”

Puzzled he extended his hand to the front, placing his forearms on her shoulders. She huffed, “don’t hold me… I said out… like this”, and she took hold of his arms spreading them to his side. He obeyed her, and she smiled, “good, now tilt your head up.”

He was amused, but did as she instructed, thinking he must be looking like a joker. But as he looked up, he forgot every apprehension… The sky was obscure, he had to squint to see the rain slashing across the air, and the bright lightning in the distance lent a silvery glow to the dark evening… there was something very appealing, something majestic… He could almost feel the energy tingle through his scalp and down his spine… It was a heady feeling – potent, real, and powerful.

Feeling ecstatic, he looked down at her, thinking of thanking her, but every thought flew from his head as his eyes met hers. The thunder rumbled hard, and his heartbeats started to beat harder. He didn’t know what he was feeling, but in that moment the rain seemed to fall so hard that the only thing he could see was her. She was close… so close that he could see each drop of water rolling down her forehead, to her plump cheeks, and dripping down her chin. Her pink lips looked a shade darker, and they trembled probably from the cold rain. The shorter hairs in front of her head had escaped her ponytail and were stuck to her forehead and cheek. The deep blue salwar-kameez she wore made her stand out in the world that was now all grey. His breathing accelerated as he slowly lifted his hand, and used his fingers to push aside the hair stuck on her face… He felt the need to see clearly, to touch, to feel.

She shivered as his fingers stroked down her cheek, and her breath left in soft exhalations through her mouth. She couldn’t take her eyes off him… He was again dressed in all white, probably had gone to play cricket. The rain made the fabric stick to his body, giving her a clear view of his shape. He was so tall, that she had to tilt her head back to look at his face. His eyes were dark and right now glittering with some emotion she couldn’t comprehend. His shoulders seemed wide, strong, dependable. And somehow, she thought that he would be incredibly warm… If only she could inch closer to feel because suddenly the rain seemed too cold to her.

His hand moved down to her shoulder, his grip tightening as if urging her closer, and she too almost took a step towards him. But, just then a car crossed them and it honked hard, making them jump apart. Sameer looked here and there, shaking his head to get rid of whatever had gripped him.

What were you doing Sameer?

Had he really touched her? Had he been about to pull her in a hug? God… what was happening? He was so confused. He closed his eyes, calming his erratic heartbeats.

Naina was also puzzled at what had transpired between them. What had he been doing? And what was she doing? How was it that for some time the only thing she had been able to see was him? They were standing on the road… then how… No, it must be the effect of rain. She had seen him happy, enjoying and focused on him. And as for his behavior… well… he always behaved strangely. Look at him now… shaking his head as if trying to get rid of the rainwater from his hair.

She laughed, and he blinked looking at her again. Why was she laughing? She grabbed his hand again, “the water won’t go away by shaking your head. C’mom let’s go have some tea… I am cold.”

He let her lead him again, puzzled by what she was saying. Mad… that’s what she was. Strange, mysterious and mad… Lost in thoughts, he only remembered that she wanted to drink tea, and ordered one cup. Naina didn’t object, and when he offered the glass to her, she said, “you first.”

He kept looking at her for a moment, but then took a sip from the glass while still holding her gaze, and then passed on the glass to her. She smiled, accepting it and blew in the glass before taking a sip. From distance, their friends watched them share the glass of tea, and then looked at each other, the four of them blurting the same question at the same time, “when will they understand?”