Accidentally in Love
Chapter 6: Stolen Moments

An ice-cream vendor pedaled his cycle cart, ringing the bell, enticing people to buy the chilled ices he was selling. Students returned from school, burdened with their heavy backpacks, yet skipping along the road or chattering on cycles. Small shop owners had blooming business at this time, as parents would usually let their children buy peanuts or spicy green peas for a snack.

Naina walked down the road along with her sister recalling the days when she would also pedal down this same road to go to school. Everything still looked the same yet it was different. The simple hoardings on road were slowly evolving to display flashy prints, the STD booths had fewer queues as connections at home began to cost less, people still invested in post office savings certificates but awareness about stock market was on the rise, the roadside panipuri still was the tastiest food option but there were also proper restaurants for a family dinner.

They passed a home that was decorated with flowers and fairy lights, probably for a wedding, and it made her smile as her own wedding was not far now. They had spent more than a week finishing all shopping, and she had taken Preeti’s help in learning some quick makeup tricks and fancy hairdos. She didn’t know what would be expected from her after wedding, but she didn’t want to be a cause of embarrassment for Sameer and his family. She understood that she might need to spruce up more that she was used to, especially for some functions, and so she had decided to learn. The afternoons she spent at Preeti’s parlor also gave her an insight into how girls and women were starting to be more conscious about their looks, and instead of relying only on multani mitti and besan, they were spending more on facials and waxing and threading. After talking to Chachiji even she had booked a day for getting all these done before wedding, and arranged for the parlor lady to come over at home, because soon she wouldn’t be allowed to step outside any more.

She had been given more than usual freedom before marriage for a week so that she could go shopping and have her parlor classes, and she had not missed to take full advantage of it. She had had her fill of pani-puri, shopped for gifts for Sameer, had bought magazines that would help her learn how to dress up. But perhaps the biggest advantage she had taken was of going to the airport to receive him back. She had wanted to surprise him, and so she had planned with Preeti about the course of action that could enable her to be there to welcome him from Mumbai. It had been a beautiful afternoon, the mild February heat, the heat of upcoming summer, the clear almost cloudless sky, and the sight of airplanes zooming overhead as they moved to the runway to land. It must be so fascinating to sit inside one of those, she had wondered. That day she had finished her parlor classes early, and then left with Preeti for the airport. For a moment she had wondered if she should go alone, but then she had decided that such moments would be best after marriage. For now she would love to see the surprise and joy in his eyes, mixed with the slight annoyed expression when he would learn that she was not alone.

Her excitement had been like a small child, and she had clutched onto Preeti’s hand, constantly on her tiptoes trying to see from over the head of the crowd. And then she had spotted him. Her breath had left her lungs in a wishful sigh as he had walked out of the airport dressed in blue trousers and off-white shirt, with his suit jacket slung over his one forearm, and a leather duffel bag in another hand. How did he manage to look so handsome all the time, that had been her first thought. And then it had followed with some really strange feelings and observations, she had noticed how strong his hands looked, yet she remembered how delicately he had always held her. She had spotted the additional button open at his chest, and suddenly remembered the hug in her room when he had been wearing just his vest. She had observed the way he walked, and her breathing had accelerated at the movements of his limbs. She hadn’t really understood all the sudden sensations. But in just a couple of minutes her own body’s reaction was not what she was worried about, but rather had started enjoying Sameer’s condition.

He had stopped in mid-stride on spotting her, and his mouth had fallen open in surprise. The way he had stopped suddenly had resulted in another man crashing into him from behind, making him stumble against an aged woman with a walking stick. He had recovered and quickly apologized to both the man and woman, but the woman had grinned and pulled his cheeks saying it was rare to spot such fine specimen of male anymore. He hadn’t known how to react apart from turning red in embarrassment, while Preeti and Naina had covered their mouth to control their laughter.

He had sauntered over to him, his eyes glittering, and before Naina knew he had looped an arm around her shoulders pulling her to him in a side hug. She had probably blushed the shade of deepest red. They had had lunch together, with Preeti tagging along, but Sameer had taken no offence to it. Instead Naina had liked how accepting he was of the fact that it might not be possible for them to meet alone all the time, and was just happy with the surprise meeting.

Over the next week Sameer had come by quite often under the pretext of wedding arrangements, sometime even bringing along his friends Munna and Pandit. She couldn’t help but observe Pandit eyeing her sister all the time, and she had started teasing Preeti about it. When she had met or rather seen Munna and Pandit in the movie theatre, she had understood that they were very close to Sameer, but over the number of trips she had come to realize that they were more than friends for him. The trio were like brothers, family, and they supported each other endlessly. On one such visit, Chachiji had to go downstairs to buy vegetables, and Sameer had quickly come over to Naina in kitchen and demanded a hug. She had been shocked, and stammered saying everyone was sitting outside. He had clucked his tongue and gently pulled her in his arms, ignoring her stammering, and if she was honest she had felt so good in that moment that she had wished for time to still. Few minutes later they had come out to discover that fed up of his teasing, Preeti had dumped Rasna on Pandit. Everyone had been silent for a moment before dissolving into laughter, and after that Preeti had also been courteous with both Munna and Pandit.

“Oye sunn… Chalna ice-cream khate hai”, Preeti pleaded.

Naina smiled, “haan… bachpan ki tarah… main orange wala lungi.”

“Main bhi”, Preeti said. Naina looked on puzzled, “par tu toh hamesha mango leti thi”, and then teased, “oh achcha… jabse Pandit se dosti hui hai orange rasna pasand aane laga hai… toh yahan bhi orange chahiye tujhe.”

Preeti blushed but hit her sister lightly, “chup kar tu… warna main jijaji ko tere sab kaarnaame bata dungi.”

They ordered two popsicles and stood slurping at them. Naina licked her lips and asked, “konse kaarnaame?”

Preeti giggled, “tera roz parlor jaana, modern wale blouses silwana, heels kharidna, aur sabse bada raaz woh chaar nightie jo kharide hai.”

Naina’s cheeks flushed, “chup kar tu… yeh sab kisiko batane ki zarurat nahi hai. Aur woh night gowns… bhagwaan jaane kab chutkara milega. Uss din toh fekne nikala toh Chachiji ne dekh liya aur ched rahi thi ke uss din main sharma rahi thi dukan me aur yahan nihaar rahi hun unko.”

Preeti laughed, “mujhe toh samajh nahi aa raha ke tujhe fekna kyun hai? Shaadi ke baad jijaji se puch lena ke kya kaam aayenge woh.”

Just then someone caught Naina’s hand and tugged. She gasped and turned to find Sameer licking the half eaten popsicle in her hand. He hummed in pleasure, “ummm… bahot saalo baad khaya. Ab toh aur bhi tasty lag raha hai… khaas kar ke yeh wala.”

Naina’s eyes widened and she blushed realizing that he didn’t just mean it seemed tasty because he had had it after a long time, but rather because it was her jhootha.  Preeti squealed, “jijaji! Aap yahan kya kar rahe hai?”

Sameer smiled, “tumhare ghar hi aa raha tha. Lekin raaste tum log dikh gaye. Waise… kya baat kar rahe the tum dono? Kya fekne wali thi Naina, aur kya puchna tha mujhse?”

Naina turned redder, and even Preeti seemed uncomfortable making him wonder what was the matter. Preeti tried to cover up the situation, “woh… Naina ke kuch purane kapde hai… Keh rahi thi ke shaadi ke baad toh roz saree pehenegi toh woh sab fek de.”

Sameer frowned looking at his would-be wife, “tum roz saree pehnogi ghar pe? Pareshan ho jaogi… I mean tum bahot sexy lagti ho saree me, par fir bhi…”

Naina gaped at him, and her cheeks seemed to match the scarlet salwar-kameez she was wearing. Meanwhile she noticed that he was still holding her hand, eating her ice-cream, from her hand. She spoke softly, “kaisi baate kar rahe hai aap? Aur mera haath toh chodiye.”

He grinned, “kyun? Ice-cream khana hai toh khao na.” Saying so, he used the grip on her hand to take the ice-cream to her lips, and then leaned to softly whisper, “aur saree me sach me sexy lagti ho…”

She muttered, “besharam”, and tried to tug her hand free. He laughed and let go, but not before smoothly whisking the ice-cream from her hand, and even as she watched he licked the stick clean. Naina sighed, it seemed like after marriage her bhukkad husband would polish off all the food from her dish too. She wanted to eat that ice-cream, but didn’t say anything.

But she need not have worried, Sameer asked them to wait for a minute, and jogged back to the vendor who had already moved a few paces ahead. He returned with three orange popsicles, giving one each to Naina and Preeti, and keeping one for himself. Preeti was delighted, “jijaji aapko sach me yeh sab khana pasand hai?”

Sameer nodded, and then glanced at Naina, “sorry… par woh pehli wali ice-cream toh tumne adhi kha li thi na, toh baaki ka toh mera hi tha.”

Naina grinned shaking her head, recalling how he had eaten her cream roll in the movie theatre. Well… she wouldn’t mind sharing like that… not with him. They finished the ice-cream and he asked, “tum dono kaha gaye the?”

Naina replied, “thoda samaan kharidna tha. Fir parso se mujhe ghar se bahar nikalne nahi denge, isiliye sab kaam khatam kar rahi hun.”

He frowned, “ghar se kyun nahi nikalne denge?”

“Phulla bua-dadi aa jayengi na. Pahal paawni ki rasam hogi… fir dulhan ka nikalna bandh, shaadi hone tak”, she supplied.

He rolled his eyes, “kya ajeeb rasme hai. iska matlab mujhe tumse milne tumhare ghar aana padega. Aur wahan toh Taiji dera daale bethi hongi.”

Naina raised her eyebrows and Preeti laughed, “jijaji… sirf Naina ka ghar se nikalna bandh nahi… aap dono ka milna bhi bandh. Ab seedhe shaadi pe dekhna apni Naina ko.”

His mouth fell open in horror, and he screeched aloud making quite a few heads turn, “Kya!!??”

Naina placed a palm over his arm to calm him, “shsh… dheere… log dekh rahe hai.”

He threw an irritated glance at her, “shaadi 12 tareekh aur aaj ek taarekh hai. Parso matlab 3 March, poore dus din main tumhe dekhe bina kaise rahunga? Main yeh sab rasam nahi maanta.”

Preeti shrugged at her sister’s annoyed look, and escaped, “main woh paneer kharidke aati hun abhi.”

Naina looked at Sameer’s frown; she hadn’t wanted to tell him like this. She had thought she would call him tonight, and explain properly, but naturally Preeti couldn’t control her mouth. Sameer watched his would-be saali disappear, and then at his fiance, his eyes narrowed, “tumne mujhe bataya kyun nahi?”

She sighed, “batane wali thi… aaj raat ko phone pe. Lekin Preeti…”

“Main yeh sab nahi maanne wala… ek toh shaadi ke jode me dekhne se roka, tumko kahin akele le nahi jaa paata, aur ab yeh naya riwaaz”, he grumbled.

She understood his irritation, “dekhiye aap pehle shaant ho jaiye. Meri baat ko dhyan se suniye… yeh saare reeti-rasam sadiyo se chalte aa rahe hai.”

He rolled his eyes, “maine to suna hai pyaar duniya ki kisi reet ko nahi maanta… Toh hum kyun maane. Tumhara woh favorite hero, Salman, woh bhi kahan apni kisi movie me kisi rasam ko maanta hai.”

She was a bit surprised that he would quote Salman as an example despite hating her being a fan of him. Also, he was more upset than she had expected him to be, she had thought the wedding rituals would excite him like the shopping had done. She knew she had to calm him down first before explaining the circumstances to him. So she smiled and said, “par mere favorite hero to aap hai.”

He was surprised at her declaration, and mumbled, “mujhe patane ki koshish mat karo.” But she could see that he relaxed visibly, and a small smile bloomed on his face.

She thought about it for some time before slowly explaining, “hamari kahani ki shuruat bhale thodi filmy rahi ho, lekin zindagi bhi waisi hi ho yeh zaruri to nahi. Yeh duniya ke reeti-riwaaz naa manna, bagawat karna, yeh sab movies me bahot achcha lagta hai… lekin asli zindagi me hamesha aisa nahi hota na.”

He queried, “matlab?”

She continued, “dekhiye… mujhe pata hai hum mil nahi paayenge kuch dino tak. Lekin yeh sab rasmo ke peeche purane zamaane me koi na koi wajah zarur hoti thi. Pehle hamesha arranged marriage hote the, sab kuch dono parivaar walo ke beech me tay hota tha… toh ladki ke parivaar walo ko darr lagta tha ke agar ladke ne ladki ko shaadi se pehle dekh liya aur napasand kar diya toh parivaar ki badnaami hogi. Isiliye toh shaadi me bhi dulhan ko ghughat odhake rakhte the taaki chehra dikhe hi nahi.”

He considered what she said, and then his expressions turned incredulous, “iska matlab ladka apni patni ko seedhe suhaagraat ke waqt dekhta tha… aur… aur tab tak bahot der ho chuki hoti thi… naa bolneka koi chance nahi.”

She smiled at his expression, but blushed slightly at the mention of suhaagraat. Clearing her throat a little, she continued, “umm… haan waisa hi kuch. Yeh sab purani baate hai, lekin aaj bhi iss riwaaz ko maana jaata hai. Kehte hai ke dur rehne se…  umm… milne ki khushi zyada hoti hai.”

His eyes sparkled with mischief as he questioned, “milne ki ya milan ki?”

“Sameer… hum raaste pe hai”, she whispered blushing to the roots of her hair.

He laughed softly, “okay… chalo ghar chalte hai.”

She hesitantly asked, “aap aur gussa toh nahi hai na?”

He shook his head, “nahi… lekin iska matlab yeh bhi nahi ke main khush hun. Par tumse shaadi karne ke liye kuch bhi.”

The adoring blush that covered her cheeks and the slight gasp made him react immediately and he barely controlled reaching for her and pulling her to him. His eyes fell on Preeti coming over to them, and he softly said, “chalo… baaki baate ghar jaake karenge.”

He drove the sisters back home, and was greeted happily by Chachiji and Chachaji. To his relief Tauji and Taiji had gone to a relative’s place for the evening. He happily chattered with everyone, enjoyed a cup of tea, and then mentioned about having finalized the reception hall. It was a banquet hall in one of the biggest hotels of Ahmedabad. When it was time to leave, he looked almost pleadingly at Naina, who understood that their conversation had not ended. She thought to tell him that they would talk over the phone, but his expressions didn’t give her the courage to do that. So she asked Chachiji in soft tone if she can talk to Sameer for some time, since from day after tomorrow they won’t be seeing each other anymore. Chachiji conferred with Chachaji and they agreed.

Sameer happily went inside the room with Naina, and shut the door lightly, thinking whatever privacy they get was good. She moved sit on the bed, blushing just at the sight of him. She didn’t know why she had started to notice all these little things about him, even his shoulders and fingers seemed… well… so well sculpted.

He chuckled and sat beside her, “Naina, tum shaadi ke baad bhi itna sharmaogi to mera kya hoga?”

Her brows furrowed in confusion, “matlab?”

His expressions were dreamy as she continued, “matlab socho na… hamari suhaagraat kaisi hogi… Tum aise hi sharmati rahogi.. aur main…”

He trailed off on hearing her gasp, and realized what he was uttering in his excitement. She looked so flustered. He bit his lip and apologized, “sorry… main kho gaya tha…”

She nodded, curious to know more, but not having the courage to ask. Finally she prodded, “aap kuch kehna chahte the?”

Sameer came out of his suhaagraat dreams and composed himself, “aah… haan… tumne bataya ne ke parso se hum mil nahi sakte toh main soch raha tha ke kyun na hum kal mile. Sirf tum aur main… Kahin ghumne chalte hai, jaisa humne socha tha.”

Her eyes widened, and she looked nervous, “aise kaise milenge? Main ghar pe kya bolungi? Nahi… nahi… aafat aa jayegi main puchungi bhi toh…”

He almost slapped his forehead, “Naina… puchna thodi na hota hai. Yahi to mazaa hai pyaar ka. Chup-chupke milenge na.”

She shook her head, “aapko mazaak lag raha hai kya yeh sab. Maine kabhi jhooth nahi bola ghar pe… Aur aise…”

He held her hand, “shsh… dheere bolo warna sab sunn lenge. Pehle meri puri baat suno.” She calmed down and nodded. He rubbed his thumb on the back of her palms as he continued, “main tumse milna chahta hun… ab yeh main ghar pe bhi kar sakta hun, tumhare gharwale mujhe mana nahi karenge. Lekin hamare roka se leke shaadi tak ke beech ka jo waqt hai usko yaadgaar toh bana sakte haina? Dekho na… hum dono ek baar mile aur hume pyaar ho gaya, kismet bhi achchi thi ke shaadi ki baat bhi turant tay ho gai, lekin humne pyaar karneke baad ek dusre ke saath akele waqt hi kahan bitaya. Yaad hai woh din jab tum mujhse keh rahi thi ke hum dono ek dusre ko theek se jaante bhi nahi hai… yahi mauka hai Naina. Ek din… bas ek din chura lete hai ek dusre ke liye hamari shaadi se pehle.”

She stared at him still unsure about the proposal, but the prospect of being alone with him, getting to know him more was too alluring. He sensed a breakthrough as he gazed in her eyes, and added, “I promise Naina, main tumhara pura khayal rakhunga. Tum jahan jaana chahti ho wahan le jaunga. Zara bhi pareshan nahi karunga… aur… aur tumko cream roll khilaunga.”

She laughed softly, “aap pareshan nahi karenge toh mujhe lagega hi nahi ke main mere Sameer ke saath hun.”

He exhaled loudly, “iska matlab… haan?”

She smiled and nodded. He quickly hugged her in excitement, rocking her from side to side. Her heart thumped at being enclosed like this in his arms, and after just few seconds she too wrapped her hands around him. His eyes closed as he burrowed his nose in her hair, she always smelled so wonderful, he thought. What surprised him was that she was also hugging him so comfortably, and seemed like she had no intention of pulling back. It made him feel all the more excited about their wedding night, as he kept on wondering how it would be.

After few minutes he softly spoke, “Naina… koi aa jayega.”

She seemed to jerk out of some trance, and drew back, her face flushed. He smiled and inched closer, gently kissing her forehead. Then he asked, “kal kahan mile?”

She thought about it for some time, then said, “aap mujhe 11am ko Preeti ke parlor se pick up kar lijiye, aur shaam ke 5 baje wapas drop kardena. Main Preeti ke saath ghar aa jaungi.”

He nodded, “lekin ghar pe kya bologi? Preeti ke saath kyun jaa rahi ho?”

She blushed but then confessed honestly, “woh main kuch dino se Preeti ke saath hi jaa rahi hun… Makeup vagera sikhne.”

His eyebrows quirked, “kyun?”

She hesitantly explained, “shaadi ke baad taiyar honeme asaani rahegi.”

He cupped her face and made her look at him, “tum itni khubsurat ho ke makeup ki zaroorat lagti hi nahi hai. Lekin agar tumhari ichcha hai toh tum zarur taiyar hona.”

She smiled, warmth filling her heart at the compliment, “roz ke liye nahi… bas kahi ghumne gaye toh uske liye.”

He nodded and quickly hugged her again, before getting up to leave. Bidding goodbye to everyone he left asking Chachaji to call him if something was needed for the wedding preparations.

That night they both were so excited that it was difficult for them to sleep. Sameer held up several shirts and t-shirts discarding one after another until Nanu came up to his room and cleared his throat. Sameer looked up, and frowned, “kya pehnu samajh nahi aa raha.”

Nanu asked, “kuch khaas hai kya?”

Absently discarding another shirt, Sameer replied, “haan, kal Naina aur main…” He closed his eyes, biting his tongue as she realized what he was about to confess.

Nanu understood and finished his unspoken sentence, “ghumne jaa rahe ho… kisiko bina bataye.”

Dammit. Nanu always managed to catch him. He sighed, “umm… haan Nanu. Parso se hum ek dusre ko mil nahi payenge. Ajeeb rasme hai, lekin Naina bhi maanti hai inn sabme. Isiliye maine socha shaadi se pehle aakhri mauka hai… Par Nanu, sach me… Naina toh mana kar rahi thi, maine usko manaya. Aap please gussa mat hona.”

Nanu smiled, and spoke cheerfully, “aree gussa kaisa. Main toh bahot khush hun… peechli baar akela chodne pe bhi akkal nahi aayi thi. Kamsekam iss baar khudse toh dimag lagaya.”

Sameer heaved a sigh of relief, and plonked down on bed, “bas sab theek se ho jaaye. Naina ko maine bharosa dilaya hai ke kuch problem nahi hogi.”

Nanu patted his back, “kapde chod, aur kal ka achche se sochle. Kahan le jayega usse, kahan khaoge… Ahmedabad bahot chota sheher hai beta. Kahin bhi pehchaan wale mil sakte hai.”

Sameer nodded, and Nanu wished him goodnight before leaving him to his thoughts.

On the other hand Naina was also frantic about what to wear. Preeti was teasing her to wear jeans, but she refused saying that might make Chachiji suspicious. Finally after much debate she chose a deep blue churidaar, and decided to pair it with silver jhumkas. She pressed the churidaar, keeping it ready, and thought about what they would do tomorrow. She had often read about the term date, and decided that this was it… Last time when they had spent some time alone it wasn’t exactly a date. Nanu and Preeti had left them alone, and they had just spent the time on shopping. But this was proper date… He had asked her, and they would spend almost the whole day alone. Would be bring her a gift? Flowers maybe? Should she take some gift for him? Opening her cupboard, she took out a photoframe that she had purchased; it held a single picture of them from the day of their roka. It would be a good gift for tomorrow. Slowly she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Next day arrived bright and sunny, and Naina waited anxiously at Preeti’s parlor, making so many repeated trips to the bathroom that Preeti worried that she might be nearing her periods. Naina rolled her eyes and said that her periods were over, but she was so nervous today.

Preeti bumped her shoulder, “sunn… jijaji ko kiss kare toh mujhe zarur batana.”

Naina quickly looked around to ensure no one was listening, “pagal hai kya, kuch bhi bolti hai.”

Preeti giggled and just then a car honked outside. They rushed out to see Sameer in his car. Naina bade goodbye to Preeti and then sat inside, quickly buckling the seat belt. Sameer grinned and then put the car in drive again.

“Darr lag raha hai?”, he asked.

She took a deep breath and turned to smile at him, “thoda… par aap hai na. Sab theek hi hoga.”

Her faith left him spellbound, and he was happy that he had taken Nanu’s advice and stopped thinking about clothes and had rather focused on the plan for the day. He stopped the car at a shop, “tum betho, main paani ke bottles leke aata hun.”

When he came back she asked, “paani kyun? Kahan jaa rahe hai hum?”

“Munsar lake”, he informed.

Her eyes rounded in surprise, “yeh toh bahot dur hai na.”

He nodded, “ek ghanta lagega, lekin aas paas kahin pura din bitaane me thoda risk hai. Isiliye yeh jagah chuni.” Reaching to the backseat, he grabbed a bouquet he had kept there and offered it to her, “hamare first date ke liye.”

She grinned wide as she accepted the gorgeous pink roses, and was happy that even he thought of this as their first date. Blushing slightly she said, “main bhi kuch laayi hun aapke liye.” She took out the wrapped photo frame from her purse.

Intrigued he opened the red wrapper, and sucked in a breath on seeing the photo, “wow… thank you Naina. Yeh sabse best gift hai. Main na isko bed ke pados me rakhunga.”

She smiled, glad that he liked her present so much. He slipped on his sunglasses, and started driving while Naina kept the flowers and photo frame on the back seat. The drive was pleasant as it wasn’t much hot yet, and there was nice soothing music on the radio. They talked about wedding preparations, the guests that would arrive, and the rituals.

They reached their destination at 12:30pm, and he parked the car near the gates. It was slightly surprising for her that Sameer would choose such a calm and holy place for their date. But she was glad that they had come here. It was so far from their home that there was no chance of someone spotting them. They visited the temple first upon Naina’s insistence, though Sameer stood back a few paces letting her pray and was just happy observing her.

They sat on the step leading down to the lake, and Sameer dared to loop his arm around her since the place was deserted. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t object but leaned onto him. After a moment she asked, “aapne puja nahi ki andar?”

He picked up a small pebble, rotating it in his hand before tossing it in the lake, “bahot zyada maanta nahi hun bhagwaan me.”

She didn’t ask the reason, knowing that with time she would get to know everything. Deciding to focus on present she asked, “mujhe laga nahi tha ke aap itni shaant jagah pe leke aayenge mujhe.”

He smiled, “tumne hi toh kaha tha ke muaka mile toh kisi jagah jaana chahogi mere saath jahan shanti ho. Waise aisa kyun?”

She reached for his other hand to hold it and explained, “mujhe aapke shopping karna bhi achcha laga tha, aur movie dekhna bhi… lekin jab hum khaas ghumne nikal rahe hai ek dusre ke saath waqt bitane ke liye toh shor-gul wali jagah me kaise mazaa aaye. Yahan kitna sukoon hai, main bina dare bethi hun aapke saath… aur… mujhe aapki dil ki dhadkane bhi sunai de rahi hai.”

He hugged her tighter, “kuch din baad se roz sunna.”

She chuckled, “haan… zarur sunungi.”

He was surprised that she didn’t blush. They sat in peace for some time. Even though they were not talking Sameer didn’t feel bored. After sometime he asked, “bhuk lagi hai?”

She nodded, “haan lekin yahan kahan khayenge?”

“Car me khana hai”, he informed, “tum betho, main lekar aata hun.”

He disappeared for fifteen minutes and came back with a three tier tiffin box and two bottles of water. He had brought paratha, alu-sabji, and boondi laddu. They shared the simple meal with him insisting her to feed him. She laughed at his demand and happily obliged but was completely unprepared when he gently bit her finger. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and when she pretended that it had hurt her hoping to worry him, he caught her hand and kissed each of her fingers individually. He fed her a bit of boondi laddu, and his thumb traced her lower lip as if relishing the feel of it.

“Sameer…”, she whispered, her eyes fluttering shut.

He cupped her face, leaning to let his forehead touch hers, “I love you.”

“I love you too”, she immediately replied, making him smile.

As they packed away the tiffin, he suddenly asked, “suno… tumhara honeymoon ke baare me kya khayal hai?”

She gasped and blushed, “ma…matlab?”

He smirked, “Naina… tum na sach me aisa karna bandh kardo. Dekho yahan aas paas koi hai bhi nahi… main tumko kiss kar sakta hun.”

She blushed even more at that, he mischievously came closer until she pushed him away. He laughed, “sorry… Mazak kar raha tha. Lekin honeymoon wala serious hai. Kahan jaana hai tumko?”

She tried to compose herself, wondering if it was normal for couples to discuss honeymoon before wedding, “umm… maine kabhi socha nahi. Pooja didi toh Shimla gai thi.”

He frowned, “hmm… achchi jagah hai woh bhi… Par hum kahin aur chalte hai. Aur kuch alag karte hai.”

Her brows furrowed as she enquired, “alag matlab?”

He excitedly explained, “log toh ek hi baar honeymoon jaate hai, hum iss pure saal me 3-4 baar jayenge. Jaise ki… abhi shaadi ke baad turant Manali, ya fir Musoorie. Fir baarish ke mausam me Mumbai aur Lonavla. Aur saal ke ant me jab wapas thand padegi tab India ke bahar kahin chalenge.”

She exclaimed, “itni saari jagah kyun jaana hai?”

His eyes glittered as he pulled her close, “har alag alag jagah pe tumse pyaar karunga na.”

She blurted, “matlab Ahmedabad me nahi karenge?”

He almost laughed aloud, somewhere realizing that she had probably not understood what he meant. Brushing his lips along her temple, he mumbled in a deep voice, “mujhko apne aap se dur rakh hi nahi paogi tum.”

Her breath caught in her throat at his action and words, and she clutched his shirt, “aap… aap yeh kya kar rahe hai.”

He sighed and withdrew, “filhaal kuch bhi nahi. Chalo, yahan se nikalte hai. Wapas jaate hue raaste me ek park aata hai, wahan kuch der rukenge.”

She stood up and held his offered hand, and they walked back to the car. It took them around twenty minutes to reach the park he was referring to. The lush greenery pleased her, and they walked hand in hand through the twisting paths inside the garden. There was a small pond with lotus plants and ducks swam in it. Naina brought out one left over paratha, and broke it into small pieces to feed the ducks. Soon it was time for them to leave. As they walked back he stopped her under a tree and hugged her, whispering how much he would miss her all these days. Tears formed in her eyes too as she thought that she would not be able to his smile, his antics for so many days now. It seemed strange to her that her days now seemed incomplete without him. He cupped her face, staring at her for a long time as if memorizing every detail. Finally, he took a deep breath and left her stepping away. But, she flung her arms around him, clutching him tight, letting him know without words that it was not easy for her to stay away as well.

As he stroked her back, she listened to his thumping heartbeats that were faster than usual, and it thrilled her for reasons unknown. She tilted her head back staring at the strong column of his throat, the protruding veins at his neck, the sharp jawline that made her itch to trace it with her fingers, the slight stubble that he usually kept. Driven by a force unknown to her, she stood up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek, lingering a bit on the sculpted line of his jaw that so fascinated her. He inhaled sharply, feeling the soft petal brushes, the slight rasp of his stubble as her lips moved, the desire he was trying to bury leaped out in the moment and his hands tightened on her back pushing her to his own body.

His head dipped as hers tilted backwards. Her pulse raced at this closeness. Her hair fluttered in the breeze and then it seemed as if time stopped for her as his lips touched her cheek. He traced a line up and down, and wherever his lips touched her skin seemed to burn and tingle. His nose brushed against hers as he was dangerously close to her lips… Would he? She wondered. In that moment she almost stopped breathing, her eyes closed and she surrendered. She felt him at the corners of her mouth, leaving a burning trail, but then he skimmed to her ear and whispered, “12 March 1997”