Sameer “Swag” Maheshwari
Part 2: A Journey

Next morning Naina woke up determined to fulfill her resolution of winning Sameer back. It shouldn’t be difficult at all, she was confident of that. She just needed to apologize properly, tell him repeatedly that she loved him, and he would melt within minutes giving in to her. And this time she would make sure to keep reminding herself that any decision or thought that could separate her from Sameer was miserable… It was just a matter of few hours, by the end of college today she would again be with Sameer. After all hadn’t he mentioned that he was waiting for her?

Tum haath badhake toh dekho… main waada karta hun ke kabhi tumhara haath nahi chodunga…

Yes, he had said that to her… And Sameer Maheshwari always stayed true to his word. So yes, according to her it wouldn’t be difficult at all to placate her boyfriend. And as soon as her sister woke up, she informed this to her as well. Preeti rolled her eyes, and got off the bed without replying. Naina grabbed her, hugging her from behind, “tu kyun gussa ho rahi hai ab mujhpe… main samajh gai na ke main galat thi… Sameer ko mana lungi aaj.”

Preeti squirmed until she was out of her sister’s grip, and then turned to her, “tujhe ab tak yeh mazak lag raha hai na? Matlab… kya samajhti kya hai tu? Tu jaake bolegi ke tu sorry hai aur galti ho gayi, toh jijaji tujhe gale laga lenge? Tune samjha bhi hai unke dard ko?”

“Samjha hai”, Naina interrupted, “mujhse zyada koi Sameer ko nahi jaanta… Usko maine kitna dard diya hai yeh jaanti hun, par saath saath yeh bhi jaanti hun ke woh mujhse bahot pyaar karta hai… Isiliye woh jhat se mujhe maaf kar dega.”

Preeti shrugged, “theek hai… tujhe aisa lagta hai toh aisa hi sahi… Waise bhi teri soch, tere faisle, teri zindagi, inn sabke saamne hum sab kya maaine rakhte hai. Tujhe jo karna hai kar, par main aur Swati teri isme koi madad nahi karenge.”

Naina sighed as she watched her sister go into the bathroom; it looked like along with Sameer she would also have to convince her friends, or maybe once Sameer forgave her, the others would too. She was worried, but not much concerned… Maybe Sameer would scold her, and she would have to listen to “I told you so” many times for the next few days, but he wouldn’t stay away from her once she apologized. And then all their friends would also forgive her and everything would be like before…

She got ready with lots of excitement, wearing Sameer’s favorite pink dress, ready to woo him. As soon as they reached the college, she spotted him dismounting from his bike, and rushed up, “hi… kaise ho?”

Sameer glanced at her… she could see his brows furrow, even though his eyes were covered by sunglasses. And then he just… left… Naina stood shocked at the lack of response… She couldn’t understand. Why didn’t he reply? She looked at Munna and Pandit, who simply followed behind their friend. When Preeti came up to her, she murmured, “Sameer aise kaise… chala gaya… kuch… kuch bola bhi nahi…”

Preeti shrugged, “normal hai… chal ab andar… warna class ke liye late ho jayenge.”

Once inside the classroom, she sat on her usual bench adjacent to Sameer, and kept looking at him, but he seemed to be totally devoted to what JBR was teaching. She tore off a bit of paper, wrote “hi” on it and then threw it at him, but he didn’t even spare her a glance. Irked she muttered, “itna toh kya padh raha hai yeh?” She kept on throwing little pellets of paper, but even though each one of them hit him, he never turned to her.

During break time, she located him in the canteen, and sat next to him, “Sameer… suno na… mujhe baat karni hai tumse… Mujhe maaf…” However, even before she could complete her sentence, he stood up and left. Naina closed her eyes, a feeling of gloom settling in, but she determinedly stood up and went to look for him again. This continued for the whole day, and not once did he pay any attention to her, even though she kept on trying. Finally at the end of the day, as he went to his bike, she desperately grabbed his hand to stop him, “Sameer please… mujhe pata hai tum mujhse naraaz ho… lekin mujhe ek mauka toh do tumse maafi maangneka…”

“Main naraaz nahi hun”, he interrupted, and tugged his hand out of her grip.

She paused in her speech, and a swift smile curved her lips, “naraaz nahi ho? Iska matlab… tumne mujhe maaf kar diya?”

He looked confused, “tum kis baat ki maafi maang rahi ho?” She started to say, “maine jo tumse bola…” but he once again interrupted, “kya bola?”

She was extremely puzzled by his attitude, “main… maine woh… hamara rishta…”

He let out an “ohh” of realization, “toh tum uss puraane rishte ki baat kar rahi ho… Wahi na jo tumne khatam kar diya? Kya kaha tha tumne… yeh galat hai… right? Toh ab mera haath pakad ke mujhe kyun rok rahi ho? Agar tum bhool gai ho toh main tumhe yaad dila deta hun… tumne kaha tha ke hamari kahani khatam ho chuki hai… naa main tumhe jaanta hun, naa tum mujhe… aur yeh baat main jitni jaldi samajh jau, utna achcha hoga mere liye… Toh lo… main samajh gaya. Aur jo kahani khatam ho chuki hai uske liye gussa kyun rahu main.”

Her eyes filled with tears, “tumne kaha tha Sameer ke main haath badhaungi toh tum mera haath thaamoge… aur kabhi nahi chodoge… Tum apna waada bhool gaye?”

He slipped on his sunglasses, “nahi… par shayad tum bhool gai ke uske baad maine tumse ek aur baat kahi thi… Yeh ke tum apni zindagi apni marzi se jee sakti ho… Sameer tumhare raaste me kabhi nahi aayega.”

Her breath almost stopped, her vision blurred with tears as she saw him leave on his bike, and then her legs just lost every feeling, forcing her down on her knees as a sob tore out of her throat. How could he do this to her? How could he leave her? Did he listen to his own words? Did he understand what he had just said to her?

She felt a touch on her shoulder, and gasped, turning to look. Through the tears she could see Preeti and Swati, and she immediately hugged them, “sab khatam ho gaya… Sameer… Usne kya bola tumne suna?”

Preeti drew back and held her shoulder, “haan suna Naina… Tu aansu ponch apne.” Swati helped her wipe the tears, and then gave her some water. Naina hiccupped, a sense of desolation settling in her heart. She couldn’t stop the tears, as she mumbled, “woh aisa kaise bol sakta hai… sochta bhi nahi hai…”

Swati gently reminded, “tune socha tha?”

Naina looked up at her friend, “matlab?”

Preeti reminded, “Naina… Sameer ne kuch naya nahi bola… Usne wahi baate dohrayi jo tune use boli thi… Wahi shabd jo tune istemaal kiye the apna rishta khatam karne ke liye.”

Swati added, “tune toh galti ki hai phir bhi yeh shabd dukh pahoncha rahe hai, toh soch zara uss waqt Sameer ko kaisa laga hoga.”

Preeti sighed, “ab tujhe sochna yeh hai ke tu aise roti rahegi tab tak jab tak Sameer apne dil ke saamne haar maanke tere aage sir na jhuka de… Ya tu wakai pe samajhneki koshish karegi ke tujhe kya karna chahiye usko manane ke liye.”

Naina looked so confused the Preeti and Swati didn’t tell her anything more, rather they just helped her stand up and all three girls hailed an auto to leave. Near the college gates, from behind a tea stall, Sameer peeked out, his eyes wet with the acknowledgement that he had made Naina cry. He had just wanted to make her feel the pain that he had experienced on hearing those words, maybe it was harsh of him to do so, but she needed to realize it. If she didn’t realize it now then it wouldn’t matter even if they got back together, if in future she was in such a situation with her family again she might once more choose to sacrifice her love. Honestly, he had felt so happy at the way she had tried to grab his attention the whole day, and only he knew how difficult it was for him to not respond to her. When she had held his hand, all he had wanted was to use the same hold to pull her in his arms, and never let go… But dammit… when she had started speaking he had realized all she had intended was to apologize and tell him that she still loved him… That was all… He already knew she loved him… He was sure that she would always love him… What he needed her to realize was the place he had in her life, the place this relationship had in her life… And until she realized that, he couldn’t accept any of her advances.

At home, that night, Naina sat on the balcony, clutching the large pink teddy bear to herself as silent tears rolled down her cheeks, her heart still hurting at the way Sameer had blatantly rejected her advances. How could he do that? Didn’t he always tell her that he couldn’t tolerate even a drop of tear in her eyes, then how could he make her cry? This question however made her take a pause between her thoughts… She lifted her hand to look at it, rubbing her thumb over her fingers, that now had no mark, but years ago had once sported a burnt mark… A pain that she had inflicted on herself just to experience the same pain as Sameer had… She had claimed that his pain always reached her ten times stronger than what he had felt. Hadn’t that been the reason that in Mt. Abu she had shed her barriers to touch him for the first time, and confessed that she loved him? She had felt the pain of his loneliness, her heart had ached on hearing his scream, and all she had wanted in that moment was to give him the warmth of her love without worrying about her own apprehensions.

Sameer had always said that she had loved him selflessly… But now she was forced to think if that was true. She had always loved him, right from the moment she had seen him for the first time… She had believed her love to be pure, selfless, not affected by the fact if he loved her or not… But… there were instances when she had pushed him towards pain, sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly.

She recalled how for the very first time she had been faced with the dilemma between lying to save Sameer and saying the truth to principal sir. She had chosen the second option, and let Sameer be expelled. She had prayed to God to save him, but she hadn’t been able to do anything herself… Maybe that was okay… It was the first time she had been faced with such a choice, and she had never lied before, so it was obvious she found it difficult.

The second time, she had successfully managed to save him, by lying for the first time and saying that she hadn’t spotted anyone smoking around the lab. She had seen Sameer smoke, but she had known that fire was accidental, and also she knew that if she said the truth that time then Sameer would be forever gone from her life, and so she had gathered courage and lied.

The third time, she had been struggling between her family and him, in the principal’s cabin, when it had been revealed that one of the candidates for head-boy had stolen the examination papers. She had clutched the steel key inside the white male handkerchief, hoping against hope that it wasn’t Sameer who had done it; she had wanted to talk to him, ask him about the key. It had hurt her to see her father accuse Sameer, and claim that his son Arjun couldn’t even think of cheating… A physical search hadn’t revealed any keys on any of the boys, and she had heaved a sigh of relief, thinking the matter to be closed. But then the principal had discussed about suspending her father from school as he had failed to keep the examination papers safe… And that had been it… She had instantly given over the key, telling everyone that it had fell from Sameer’s pocket. He had been shocked, stunned, an expression of disbelief on his face… Ignoring even his own mother, he had tried to talk to her, ask her if she really believed that… What had it mattered to him what she believed? But still he had asked, because he had thought that since she had taught him, she would know how honestly he had been preparing for this… But she had ignored his hurt, his anger, his questions, suddenly starting to firmly believe that he was indeed a thief. All she had cared about in that moment was about saving her father…

The fourth incident was when she had found out that it was her perfect, ideal, obedient brother who had actually stolen the papers, and without a qualm had let Sameer take the blame. When she had questioned him, he had cried claiming he had done it for their father as he had feared the consequences of failing to win the head-boy competition. He had pleaded that their father hadn’t got any happiness or respect ever, and so he had done it to ensure that this time he got the due respect. When she had asked about Sameer, he had said that he was guilty and that’s why couldn’t meet his eyes… But then he had given her swear to stay silent, not tell anyone just for their father. And she hadn’t… Since she had been assured that Sameer wasn’t a thief, she had gone back to him, accepted his friendship, elated at having a chance to show him her love, but she hadn’t thought of the consequences he had suffered, she hadn’t made any attempts to clear his name. His mother had left him, his Nanu had been insulted, he had been labelled as thief in the whole school while her brother strutted around in the head-boy badge… But what she had been focused on was a potential budding relationship with Sameer.

And then in Mt. Abu everything had turned into a nightmare for her when she had gotten to know of Sameer’s bet… She had been heartbroken, she had been angry on him, helpless to stop loving him, accusing him of being heartless enough to play with a girl’s feelings. And then when he had redeemed himself, fallen irrevocably in love with her, slowly healed her heart, she had accepted him back… This time they had known it was for forever… But still… still she hadn’t told him about the paper theft incident, even now he didn’t know…

And finally the most recent occurrence, once again for her family she had left him alone, she hadn’t given a thought to his feeling, his emotions, his pain… All she had thought of was her family and their honor… Today she had fallen on her knees when he had said that their love story had ended, but hadn’t she told the same to him? Yes, she had said that their love was a mistake… How had she done that? A feeling that she had always believed to be selfless, pure, innocent, how had she tagged that as a mistake?

Tumne apne baare me toh soch liya… Lekin mera kya? Meri feelings, mere emotions… uska kya?

Main, main, main… Sirf main… Aur aaj… Aaj tumne itni asaani se apni marzi chaladi…

God… How had she been so selfish as to not realize the full scale of the pain she was inflicting on him? How had she dared to state that he was less important than her family? If she loved him so much, then how had she been unable to see him breaking bit-by-bit because of her words and behavior? And still… still he had come to talk to her… He had tried to make her see the future that they had dreamt of… He had believed in her love… And what had she done? She had told him about her family searching for wedding prospects for her… She had called their love a mistake… She had claimed that their story had ended…

She recollected how he had taken a few steps back from her, placing physical distance between them after the emotional distance she had created. His eyes had lost their shine, his smile had evaporated and he had given her the free will to do as she wanted with her life. She had always been so proud of her love, but she had failed miserably in upholding the value of that relationship. She buried her face against the soft fur of the teddy, unable to comprehend how she had lost the ability to understand his pain, how she had turned as emotionally selfish as to care only about her family. What should she do? How could she take back what she had said? How could she make him realize that she loved him? How could she heal him?

Main apni poori zindagi tumhare intezaar me beeta sakta hun par tumhare zindagi me bina kisi priority ke nahi… Isiliye ab jab tak tum samjhogi nahi ke hamare rishte ki tumhare zindagi me kya jagah honi chahiye, aur tum saamne se chalke mere paas nahi aaogi main khud tumse door rahunga… Theek waise hi jaisa tum chahti ho…

Priority… What did he mean by that? After her reflection of past, it didn’t take her much time to understand what he meant… Till date, whenever faced with a choice between him and her family, she had always chosen her family. He wanted that place to be his… He wanted to be not just her love, but also her need, her want, her desire, her… her priority. The first one in her life, and if needed the only one… He hadn’t paid any attention to her, he had ignored her attempts because all she had tried to do was apologize, while what he had wanted was for her to tell him that she understood his importance in her life… She knew Sameer, no matter how much she hurt him, he could forgive her in less than a minute, but this time it wasn’t just hurt, it was disrespect. He had always respected her choices, her values, her morals; he had made her his life; he had always given priority to her, even told about her to Nanu; but she had failed spectacularly in reciprocating his gestures. She had fallen in love but had never understood the responsibilities that came along with this relationship. Till date he had always accommodated her ways and thoughts, but now he wanted her to change her perspective. Hadn’t he also spelled that out to her?

Actually, dekha jaaye toh yeh parivaar ki izzat aur permission toh sirf ek bahana hai. Sach toh yeh hai ki tumhe apni soch badalneki zaroorat hai…

Yes, he had… Could she do that? Could she suddenly change the way she thought? Could she give him the deserving priority? Could she, if and when time comes, choose between her family and him? Sameer had suffered through the loss of family, she knew he would never ask her to turn her face away from her family, he would never ask her to leave everything and elope, but her family might never understand this relationship… Especially Tauji, Taiji and her father… So, if needed could she gather the courage to hold Sameer’s hand in-front of her family and accept that she can’t live without him?

She remembered how her brother had backed out, how hurt Shefali had been… She remembered the noose around her father’s neck, and then the nightmare about Chachaji… She shuddered in fear. But this time the images in her head was overlapped with Sameer’s hollow eyes, his sad face, his disappointment, his tears… And she dragged in a deep shaky breath, something tingled in her veins, and she closed her eyes, a small smile breaking through her gloom, as she whispered into the night, “I love you Sameer… Mujhe samajh aa gaya tum kya chahte ho… Mujhe pata hai mujhe kya karna hai…”

Next morning she was up early, and busy in kitchen by the time Chachiji woke up, and exclaimed in surprise, “bhagwaan jhooth na bulaye beta… tu itni subah subah kya kar rahi hai?”

“Aloo ke parathe bana rahi hun”, Naina replied with a smile, “aaj kuch khaas khane ka man hai… aur khud se banane ka bhi.”

Chachiji was pleased, “kaash aisa thoda man Preeti ko bhi hota kabhi… poore din bas khati rehti hai aur soti rehti hai.”

Naina chuckled as Chachiji went to wake up her daughter. After thirty minutes when Preeti came in the kitchen, Naina was carefully packing the parathas in tiffing box, and she asked, “yeh kiske liye banaye hai tune?”

Naina cheerfully answered, “tere jijaji ke liye…”

Preeti’s eyes widened, “kya?”

Naina shrugged, “ab agar usko manana hai aur yeh batana hai ke woh mera sab kuch hai toh pehle uska gussa thoda kam karna hoga na… Aur aloo paratha uska favorite hai…”

“Tujhe pata hai na tu kya bol rahi hai?” Preeti asked to reconfirm, “phirse peeche toh nahi hat jayegi na?”

Naina washed her hands, and offered one plate of paratha to Preeti for breakfast, “peeche hati toh Sameer ko hamesha ke liye kho dungi, aur shayad khudko bhi… Uska saath diya toh ho sakta hai mera parivaar mujhse rooth jaaye, lekin mujhe Sameer pe bharosa hai… Agar usne kaha ke woh sabko mana lega, toh woh zaroor mana lega, isiliye mujhe darne ki zaroorat nahi hai.”

Suddenly Preeti grinned, and hugged her sister, “thank God… tujhe thodi akkal toh aayi.”

Naina hugged her back, “haan… thoda waqt lag gaya… pata nahi mere dimag ko kya ho gaya hai, badaam khane padenge.”

Just then a loud exclamation separated them, “oh bai! Badaam? Paise kya ped pe ugte hai? Aisa kya ho gaya tere dimag ko…? Pagal ho gayi toh shaadi bhi nahi hogi iss ladki ki…”

The sisters giggled, and Naina commented, “aap chinta mat kijiye Taiji… shaadi toh ho hi jayegi.”

That day too when she reached college, she found Sameer in the parking area, and he paused for a moment when their eyes met. Somehow, in that instant, she immediately understood that he knew she had cried yesterday after talking to him. Even from this distance she could see the concern that he was struggling hard to control. But now she won’t push him to forgive her… Once she had taken her own sweet time to let herself heal, to forgive him; and now he deserved this time… She smiled at him, waving, let her eyes drift over his black and grey checked shirt, and signaled that he was looking good. She saw his eyes widen a bit before he controlled himself, and looked away.

She didn’t disturb him in class like yesterday, but in between two different periods, when he went for a quick bathroom break, she quickly inserted a small note in his book. Munna and Pandit saw this, but didn’t comment. When Sameer came back, she waited until he saw the note, and since she was observing him so keenly she noticed the slight stiffening of his body, the only gesture he had after reading the note. She saw him crumple the note, raise his hand to throw, and she quickly coughed twice…  He immediately paused, unable to throw the note, and she smiled as he just stuffed it in his bag.

Later on in the break time, she offered him the tiffin box, “aloo ke parathe hai… maine banaye…”

“Toh tum khao”, he muttered, trying to side-step her.

She quickly added, “khaas tumhare liye banaye hai.”

He bit his lip, glancing away from her, “mujhe aaj samose khane ka man hai… excuse me…”

She waited until he came back and sat down… He lifted one piping hot samosa, bit into it, and then kept it back on the dish. Suddenly, she picked up the dish, kept the tiffin box in front of him and walked away with the samosa. He sat stunned by her act, his hand reaching out to touch the tiffin she had brought for him… From a nearby table, she watched his eyes soften a bit, but soon he shook his head, stood up and left, leaving the tiffin untouched. Munna and Pandit didn’t know what to do, and so they picked up their dishes, starting to go after their friend. However, Pandit stopped and came back to collect the tiffin box Naina had given. She smiled at him, and started eating the half-eaten samosa that Sameer had bit into.

Just outside the canteen, near the window, Sameer felt his heartbeat pick up pace as she bit into the samosa… What was she doing? First that note… Did she mean it? His eyes closed as the written words played in his mind in her soft voice, “Sameer… I love you… Pyaar toh hamesha karti thi par aaj samajh aaya ke iss rishte me pyaar ke alawa bhi bahot kuch hota hai… Maine sirf tumhare dil ko nahi, tumhare samman ko bhi chot pahochayi hai… Isiliye ab main tumse kahungi nahi ke tum mujhe maaf kardo… Bas jis tarah kabhi tumne mera intezaar kiya tha, ab main tumhara karungi… Waise… aaj bahot handsome dikh rahe ho.”

A nudge on his arm made him open his eyes, and he saw Pandit hold out the tiffin box, “iska kya karu?”

Sameer struggled for a moment, and then took it, “mere liye hai… rehne de…”

Munna had a disapproving frown, “tu phirse bura phasega… Kyun baar baar apna dil tudvata hai uske haatho.”

Sameer opened the tiffin box, smiling a bit on seeing the rolled up parathas, and lifted one to taste, “nahi… iss baar jo ho raha hai sahi ho raha hai… mera dil kehta hai ke woh samajh rahi hai.”

He felt his heart ease a bit as he ate the parathas, and then handed over the tiffin box back to Pandit, asking to give it back to her and say that they ate the parathas, not him. As per his instruction, Pandit said just that, but Naina simply smiled, “koi baat nahi… Aaj nahi khaya toh kya hua? Sameer ko waise bhi poori zindagi mere haatho ka bana hi khana hai.”

That night was a little bit easier for all of them. To the boys’ extreme surprise, next morning each one of them found a rose on their bench, red one on Sameer’s desk, and yellow ones on Munna and Pandit’s desk. It didn’t take them time to understand who had kept it there, but the responses were different. Pandit happily picked it up, exclaiming at its beauty; Munna pushed it aside, determined not to accept; while Sameer stared at it for some time and then kept it in his bag. That day during break time, she caught up to Munna and Pandit, and stopped them, “mujhe tum logo se kuch baat karni hai.”

“Bolona bhabhi”, Pandit immediately replied despite a sharp nudge from Munna.

Naina softly apologized, “I am sorry… Mujhe pata hai mere darr aur mere swarth me maine Sameer ke saath saath tum logo ko bhi chot pahonchayi hai. Isiliye Sameer ko manau usse pehle main tum logo ko manana chahti hun.”

Munna scowled, “hum zariya nahi hai Sameer tak pahonchne ka.”

“Maina aisa kab kaha”, she promptly replied, “main toh mere dono devar ko manana chahti hun.”

Pandit tried to talk, “aree bhabhi…” But Munna started to pull him away, until he heard Naina again, “please… mujhe pata hai maine bahot badi galti ki hai… aur main yeh nahi keh rahi ke tum log mujhe ekdum se maaf kardo… Par itna toh bata do ke main tum logo ke liye kya karu…”

Pandit looked pleadingly at Munna, who sighed, and turned back, “hume kuch nahi chahiye… hamare liye kuch bhi karne ki zaroorat nahi hai… Bas, hamare dost ke chehre pe phirse muskurahat laa do… Par iss baar hamesha wala.”

She smiled, “I promise… Main Sameer ka haath kabhi nahi chodungi… Koi hamare beech me nahi aa payega, mera parivaar bhi nahi… Aur tum log fikar mat karo, uski muskurahat ka intezaar toh mujhe bhi hai… Par usse pehle, mere paas tumhare liye kuch hai Munna…”

Munna stared puzzled at the red rose she held in-front of him, “yeh kya…”

She softly interrupted, “meri taraf se nahi… Yeh uss ladki ki taraf se hai jo mere hisse ki sazaa bhugat rahi hai… maine jo kiya usme Swati ka kya kasoor hai Munna? Tum use kyun sazaa de rahe ho?”

Munna let out a long sigh, a small smile bloomed on his face as he accepted the rose, “galti ho gayi… dost ki fikar me, apne pandat ko akela chod diya.”

“Usse baat karlo, please”, she requested. Munna nodded, and Pandit rubbed his hands gleefully, “yes! Ek kahani to phise chal padi… ab dusri ki baari…”

She quirked a brow, and declared, “hamari kahani ruki kab thi? Mere aur Sameer ki kahani koi khatam nahi kar sakta, hum khud bhi nahi.”

As she walked away, Munna smiled, “lagta hai Sameer ka dil theek hi keh raha tha.”

Next day the college buzzed with an announcement of an upcoming drama, and students were called for audition of roles. When Naina heard about a dance sequence to be performed, her eyes lit up with a plan, and unknown to everyone she auditioned for it. Couple of more days went by with the same repeated events… Naina would keep a flower every day for Sameer, and he would stuff it in his bag. She would cook for him, and he would pretend not to eat it. But somewhere all these small gestures started to ease his heart, make him smile. Munna and Pandit noticed the change and were happy about it. And then one day, Arjun came to college to pick up Naina and Preeti, during break time, because they had to attend a sagai function of some relative in evening. Naina bit her lip, thinking for a moment, and then pulled her brother along to where Sameer was seated in the canteen.

Standing next to the table, she said, “Sameer… mujhe baat karni hai tumse.”

He dragged in a deep breath, and stood up, “tum kyun roz…” On seeing Arjun next to her, he trailed off, and instead asked, “tum yahan kya kar rahe ho?”

Arjun looked totally clueless about the happenings, but Naina determinedly continued, “itne saalo se tumse pyaar karneke bawjud bhi maine ek baat tumse chupai hai… School me woh exam ke papers bhaiya ne churaaye the.”

Sameer’s eyes widened in shock, as did Arjun’s; Munna and Pandit also stood up, their chairs clattering behind them; Preeti and Swati stood stunned. Arjun stammered, “Na…Naina tu…”

“Bhaiya please”, Naina pleaded, “aaj nahi…” She looked at Sameer and continued, “mujhe uss din principal ke cabin me yeh baat nahi pata thi… kuch dino baad pata chala… Par bhaiya ne papa ki duhaai deke mujhe chup kara diya. Aur uss waqt maine bhi… maine bhi apne bhai aur apne papa ke alawa aur kisika nahi socha. Sirf iss baat pe khush ho gai ke tum chor nahi ho, aur main tumse dosti kar sakti hun… Pata nahi tumhe isse kuch farq padega bhi ke nahi par, I am sorry…”

Sameer’s eyes flashed at Arjun, who stood keeping his head down. After a minute, he spoke up, his voice laced with disgust, “tum aisa kar sakte ho yeh mujhe ab tak yaqeen nahi ho raha… Tum padhai me mujhse zyada intelligent ho… Phir tumhe papers churane ki kya zaroorat thi?” Arjun stayed silent, but Sameer continued, “tum jaante ho jis tarah tum woh competition apne papa ke liye jeetna chahte the, main apni mummy ke liye jeetna chahta tha… Saabit karna chahta tha unke saamne ke main nalayak nahi hun… Aur tumse haarne ke bawajood maine woh saabit toh kar diya tha, kyunki unko khushi thi ke maine sachchi koshish ki… Par tumhari iss harqat ke wajah se mujhpe jo ilzaam laga, uske baad meri mummy mujhse itni dur ho gai ke aaj tak main woh faasla tay nahi kar saka. Tumne school me mujhe maara tha na, kyunki maine Naina ke dil pe shart lagai thi… jaante ho woh shart tumse harneke wajah se nahi lagai thi… mujhe toh pata tha ke Naina mujhe din-raat padha legi toh bhi shayad mere percentage tumse zyada nahi honge. Woh shart isiliye lagai thi maine, kyunki Naina ne mujhe chor saabit kar diya, jiski wajah se mere Nanu ki, unke parvarish ki beizzati hui… Aur yeh sab hua kyunki tumne paper churaaye.”

Arjun looked shocked at this revelation. Sameer added, “tum jao yahan se… mujhe tumpe gussa bhi nahi aa raha hai… balki taras aa raha hai… ke naa toh apne papa ke usoolo pe chal sake, aur naa hi jisse pyaar karte the uska saath de sake. Apni khudgarzi me apne aas-paas ke logo ki zindagi kharab kar di tumne.” He briefly looked at Naina once as he said the last line, and found understanding shining in her eyes.

Arjun suddenly asked, “tum papa ko…”

“Bhaiya”, Naina interrupted, “yeh faisla Sameer ka hona chahiye… Aapka ya mera nahi.”

Arjun tried to explain, “par Naina… papa ko pata chala toh woh mujhpe bahot gussa honge… Khaas kar ke Shefali wali baat ke baad… Aur unko kitna dukh pahonchega socha hai tune?”

She pressed her lips, and nodded, “haan… par yeh baate aapko sochni chahiye thi pehle… Ab ghar chaliye. Warna function ke liye der ho jayegi…”

As Arjun turned to leave along with the girls, Sameer called out, “Naina…” When she turned he asked, “aaj kyun?”

She smiled, “kyunki tum bhi mera parivaar ho Sameer.”

He swallowed once, watching them leave, surprised at how Naina didn’t even request him to not hurt her father, or expect any answer from him. Munna came up beside him, and gently suggested, “maaf karde yaar bhabhi ko… isse zyada woh ab kya saabit karegi.”

Sameer nodded, his eyes glistening with tears, “haan shayad thoda zyada tadpa diya usko… Kal dekhta hun kya naya karti hai woh, phir sochunga…”

However next day, a bomb crashed on him as soon as he entered the college… The final team for drama was announced along with the news that most of the rehearsals were already done, and they were just waiting for the king… Munna and Pandit were taken aback to see Karthik’s name as king, but Sameer was more shocked to see Naina’s name beside him on the sheet of paper on notice board. What the hell… How dare she? Was she taking revenge?

Suddenly a boy from beside him commented, “yaar… suna hai drama me saari ladkiya dance karne wali hai… mazaa aayega dekhne me.”

Sameer’s anger spiked like hot boiling lava, and he grabbed the boy’s collar, “saale… kya bola tune? Meri Naina ko dekhega…”

Munna grabbed his arms, pulling him back; Pandit also aided, “Sameer chod usko… usne bhabhi ke baare me kuch nahi bola.”

Sameer panted, staring at the scared expression of the boy he had been about to hit, then let out a string of curses and walked away from there. None of them could spot Naina for the initial lectures, and they assumed that she was rehearsing. Preeti and Swati were just as stunned as the boys, claiming that none of them knew about this. Sameer was like a raging bull for the whole time, breaking things, throwing stuff, getting angry on random people. He even toppled over a bench with a furious kick. Finally at break time, Munna managed to convince Sameer to sit in canteen and have a cold-drink. And Pandit spotted Naina, walking down the corridor as if nothing had happened.

As soon as she saw Pandit, she queried, “Sameer kahan hai?”

Pandit had an incredulous look on his face, “tum pagal ho kya? Yeh sab kya kar rahi ho?”

She looked puzzled, but before she could ask, Munna came rushing back, “Oh… Naina tum yahan ho… Yeh kya kar rahi ho tum? Drama me Karthik ke saath hissa logi? Tumhe pata bhi hai Sameer kitne gusse me hai… Subah se na jaane kitni cheeze tod chuka hai…”

“Aur kitne insaano ko todne se humne roka hai”, Pandit added.

She listened about Sameer’s antics in detail from them and then queried, “par hua kya? Drama me toh main…”

“Karthik ke saath hissa le rahi ho”, Munna accused, “tum dono ke naam noticeboard pe saath me likhe hai.”

Pandit stated, “yaar tumko bola tha Sameer ki muskurahat lauta do… Tumne toh use jwalamukhi bana diya.”

Naina kept thinking for some time and then laughed out, “ohoo… tum log chinta mat karo… aaj Sameer zaroor muskurayega. Canteen me hoga na? Main aati hun thodi der me milne… Mujhe akela chod dena uske saath.”

Munna and Pandit stared at her as if she had gone mad, but she happily hopped along to the classroom. Sometime later, Naina indeed walked in the canteen, her eyes fixed on Sameer who to her amusement was repeatedly banging the cold-drink bottle on the table.

“Sameer”, she called out… And crash went the bottle on the floor.

Munna sighed, “chal yaar Ponga… yes teesri bottle todi hai isne… paise bhar dete hai.”

Sameer also stood up to leave, but Naina grabbed his hand, and lifted it as if checking, “peechle ek hafte me main check karna hi bhool gai ke tumhara zakhm kaisa hai… Ab toh theek lag raha hai.”

He scowled, pulling his hand back, “tumhe isse kya? Tum jao na… Natak me hissa lo… Bahot bada TV star banna hai na tumko…”

She controlled her smile, “tumko agar problem hai mere natak me hissa lene se toh batao na…”

He glared at her, “mujhe kyun problem hogi? Aur mere kehne pe kya tum hissa nahi logi?”

“Haan… Nahi lungi”, she simply replied, “tum bolke toh dekho.”

He looked at her for a moment, as if struggling internally between some choice, and then said, “mujhe farq nahi padta.”

She sighed, and took a step towards him, still gripping his hand, “farq nahi padta toh aaj cheeze kyun todi? Uss ladke ko kyun maarne jaa rahe the? Aur canteen me bethe bethe cold-drink peene ki jagah bottles kyun tod rahe ho?”

His nostrils flared at the proximity, and he declared, “main toh hun hi gussewala awaara ladka… aa jaata hai gussa bina kisi wajah ke bhi…”

She smiled up at him, her eyes shining with love, “chalega… mera Sameer jaisa bhi hai mujhe bahot pasand hai. Isiliye mujhe tumhara gussa bhi manzoor hai… Tum aaoge na kal… Natak dekhne?”

He frowned, tugging his hand back, and stepping away, “nahi… tum karo natak me romance uss chapadganju ke saath… main nahi aaunga.”

She pretended to be confused, “romance? Par natak mera toh koi boyfriend nahi hai… haan, bhai hai… do-teen dialogue hai… aur ek group dance hai…”

His brows furrowed as he tried to comprehend her sentence. She grinned, tucked a note in his hand, and then ran away from there, leaving him all the more confused. As soon as she left, Munna and Pandit came in, relieved to see the surroundings still intact… Thank God nothing more was broken; they had started to think how much a chair or table would cost. Sameer opened the letter she had given, and read, “shayad tumne theek suna nahi hoga, ya samjha nahi hoga… Natak me main kisiki biwi ya girlfriend nahi hun… Sirf raja ki behen hun… Yaane Karthik ki behen ka role play kar rahi hun… Usme bhi uske saath toh mera sirf ek hi scene hai, do-teen dialogues… Par usse pehle ek dance hai… Bahot saari ladkiya hai group me, par main sirf tumhare liye dance karungi…. Isiliye hissa liya tha natak me. Agar tum kal nahi aaye toh main dance nahi karungi, par yeh waada raha ke tumko manana bandh nahi karungi. I am sorry Sameer… I love you. Tumhari… Sirf tumhari… Naina.”

A wide grin lit up his face, which was an extremely pleasant surprise for Munna and Pandit, and they queried unanimously, “kya hua?”

Sameer chuckled, his expressions delighted, “Naina uski behen hai drama me… Behen…” And then he threw back his head and laughed. Outside the canteen, Naina closed her eyes on hearing his laugh, a smile curved her lips, a tear leaked from the corner of eye at the relief she felt on hearing that sound. She quickly wiped her eyes, and left from there. Meanwhile inside the canteen, Munna asked, “toh… tu kal drama dekhne jayega?” He just re-read the letter, and smirked.

Next day was busy, and Naina couldn’t spot Sameer anywhere, but she didn’t lose hope. All the time she dressed, her thoughts were focused on him, and finally it was time for the dance to begin… She peeked out from behind the curtains, staring at the stage, the audience, but her face fell when she couldn’t spot him. The other girls urged her to come out, but she didn’t… She just kept waiting… Few minutes later, when she was about to turn away, suddenly her heart thudded at the same time as the door of the auditorium banged open. Her face lit up on seeing Sameer rush in along with his friends. He glanced over at the girls on the stage, and then his breath was caught in his throat on seeing her step out from behind the curtains. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, signaling best of luck to her. As the sequence started the three boys took their place, and Sameer felt as if indeed Naina was dancing only for him. Her eyes never left his, her smile tugging at his heart… He was struck by her grace, by her beauty… When she moved her hips and waist, he bit his lip to control his reaction… When she winked at him, he blushed, covering half of his face with his hand… And when the dance ended, he stood up and clapped the loudest. Naina grinned at him because she was sure that today after the play all differences between them would be resolved, she would have her Sameer back.

Sameer waited impatiently for the next scene to be done… The king would meet his sister, they would talk, and then Naina’s part would be done… He had no intention of watching the rest of the play, he only wanted to talk to Naina, meet her, listen to what she had to tell, and then tell her that he had never stopped loving her or believing in her. However, what transpired next shook him to the core. Karthik suddenly placed his hands on Naina’s shoulder and pulled him in a gentle hug. Sameer sat up in his seat, his anger surging up, and his friends also commented, “yeh kya ho raha hai?” For a split second he had a thought that how could Naina not warn him about this, but then his eyes met hers, and he immediately saw the discomfort, the helpless tears, and he understood that even she didn’t know; it was all Karthik’s plan.

As soon as the curtains fell on that scene, he stood up and rushed backstage along with Munna and Pandit, hoping to meet Naina. But he couldn’t find her, even Preeti and Swati weren’t there. Munna warned him, “kuch pagal jaisa mat karna.”

Sameer shook his head, continuing to look for her, “nahi karunga… main bas yahan Naina ke liye aaya hun. Usko meri zaroorat hai.”

Meanwhile Naina was in the bathroom, puking her guts out while continuously sobbing. She splashed water over herself, not caring a bit that her clothes were getting wet; she felt unclean, and a dread settled in her heart as to how she would ever explain this to Sameer. All consolation from Preeti and Swati were in vain…

Sameer was just about to leave the backstage and go looking for her at some other place, but just then a few girls from dance group came in, talking about how Karthik improvised the scene. One of those girls queried about Naina, and another one replied, “bathroom gai hogi, usko ulti aa rahi thi.”

A shrill laughter alerted him, and then he saw Karthik saunter in along with his gang of boys, and a laughing Sunaina. Karthik raised his collar, “dekha kaise uss behenji ko thikaane laga diya maine.”

Sunaina gleefully mocked, “ab toh breakup ekdum pakka hai. Jo maamla thoda sulajh raha tha, ab hamesha ke liye khatam ho jayega.”

Sameer just snapped in that moment… He grabbed Karthik by his collar, “teri himmat kaise hui meri Naina ko choone ki?”

Karthik looked shocked for a moment, but then tugged himself free, scoffing, “maine toh wahi kiya jo usko chahiye tha…”

Sameer didn’t even realize when he raised his hand and punched the disgusting boy. Karthik stumbled backwards and fell down. Munna and Pandit held Sameer, and Karthik’s friends helped him stand up… With a loud sound like a roar, Sameer freed himself and jumped on Karthik again, totally bent on beating him to a pulp.

However just then, a few teachers came in, along with the Dean, and Naina also returned. JBR ordered the boys to stop fighting, but it seemed no one listened. For a moment, Naina forgot all her worries, and rushed to pull Sameer away, trying to calm him down.

The Dean scolded, “yeh kya laga rakha hai… Sameer, tumhe sharam nahi aati aise ladte hue? What kind of indiscipline is this?”

Sameer retorted, “Karthik ne jo kiya, ladna usse bura hai kya?”

The Dean queried, “kya kiya Karthik ne?”

“Usne Naina ko uski marzi ke bina hug kiya”, Sameer replied, “usko kisne haq diya kisi ladki ke emotions aur respect ke saath khelneka? Yeh sab log… Karthik, Sunaina, aur unke dosto ne milke yeh plan banaya… Aur ab has rahe the jo hua uspe. Par aap inn logo ko kuch nahi bolenge na? Aakhir Karthik trustee ka pota jo thehra…”

“Enough”, the dean stopped his rant, and then turned to the drama teacher, “yeh sach hai? Woh scene drama me nahi tha?”

The drama teacher hesitated a bit, and then said, “nahi… tha toh nahi…”

She turned to look at Naina, and asked, “tumhe pata tha ke Karthik aisa karne wala hai?” Naina shook her head, on the verge of tears. Swati and Preeti also supported her saying that it wasn’t part of the drama, and they even prompted a few of the dance group girls who said the same. The dean stated, “Karthik ko aisa karne ka koi haq nahi tha… it is a crime. Isiliye Karthik ko college se suspend kiya jaata hai, aur iss saal exams me bhi bethne nahi diya jayega. Main uske dadaji aur parents se bhi baat karungi. Rahi baat uske dosto ki, toh inn sabko exams tak expel kiya jaata hai.”

The group stood shocked, and then Karthik sputtered, “madam aap Sameer se pucho na uska Naina se rishta kya hai…”

Sameer took a step forward, his voice laced with an undertone of threat, “ek shabd aur nikala toh saari haddiya tod dunga…”

The deam immediately interrupted, “ab koi ladai jhagda nahi hoga… Sameer, tum jao yahan se… Naina, tum jaake change karlo. Preeti, Swati… Go help Naina…”

Sameer wanted to stay with Naina, but knew he won’t be able to, so when she passed by him, he murmured, “music room”, to let her know where he would be waiting for her.

Fifteen mintutes later Naina was walking towards the music room, dressed in jeans and pink top that she had specifically chosen for Sameer today. She had thought that after the drama was over, they would spend happy moments with each other, talk, laugh, hold hands… But now, all her thoughts were occupied with what she could she tell him, how could she explain, what would he say. Sameer was pacing around the music room restlessly, but as soon as she appeared at the threshold, he stopped and looked at her. She came inside, closing but not locking the door behind her, and then stood, wringing her hands in nervousness, “I am sorry.”

“Iski koi zaroorat nahi hai”, he gently assured.

She swallowed, uneasily stammering, “main woh… darasal aaj stage pe…”

He interrupted, “mujhe pata hai kya hua tha… tumhare chehre pe sab kuch saaf saaf likha tha.”

She looked at him with big hopeful eyes, “tum naraaz nahi ho?”

“I love you”, he said the only thing that could truly assure her.

She froze for a moment, and then a sob escaped her as she ran towards him, and in a matter of seconds she had wrapped her arms around his waist, tightly hugging him, her head on his chest. He stilled in shock, and she kept on babbling, “I am sorry… I am so sorry… Maine jo sab bola, jo sab kiya uske liye. Main darpok hun Sameer… Papa ko waise dekhke ghabra gai thi ke kahin hamare baare me jaanke Chachaji bhi waisa kuch naa karle… Tumhare dard, tumhare dil ke baare me socha hi nahi… Khudgarz ban gai thi… Sahi kaha tha tumne, maine hamare rishte ko sahi ehmiyat hi nahi di thi… Par ab nahi Sameer… Mere liye ab tumse pehle koi bhi nahi, main khud bhi nahi… Tumne soch kaise liya ke main tumse alag hoke khush reh paungi? Mera dil toh hamesha tumhare liye dhadakta hai, har saans me sirf tumhara naam hota hai… Please mujhe maaf kardo…”

Slowly, gently he interrupted her rant, “shsh Naina…” And his arms lifted to wrap around her, hold her, “bas karo ab… Mujhe pata hai tumko ehsaas ho gaya apni galti ka… Aur maine kabhi aisa nahi socha ke tum mere bina khush rahogi. Kaise soch lu aisa? Mujhe toh pata hai meri Naina ke dil me sirf main rehta hun… Maine toh tumse kaha bhi tha ke tum aaj kya kabhi bhi kisi aur se shaadi nahi kar paogi. Mujhe bharosa tha tumpe aur tumhare pyaar pe… Mujhe pata tha ke shayad thoda waqt lagega par tum samjhogi mere dard ko, aur phir tum hi uspe marham lagaogi… Dekho, tumne wahi kiya na peechle ek hafte me… I am sorry Naina, ke maine bhi tumko rulaya, par mere paas koi aur rasta nahi tha tumhe batane ka ke woh shabdo ne kitni gehri chot pahonchayi thi… Tumne kaise bol diya ke hamara pyaar galat hai?”

“I am sorry”, she drew back from his arms and looked in his eyes, “mera dimag kharab ho gaya tha…” She paused for a bit and then added, “aaj ke liye bhi sorry… Agar sahi waqt pe Karthi ke dhakka de deti…”

He held her hands, “Naina… bas…” He stroked her arms, her shoulders, wiped her tears from her cheeks… Everywhere he touched she started to feel clean; the crawling sensations of Kathik’s unwanted touch seemed to wash away. “Tumne mujhe hug kiya”, he softly observed.

She smiled through her tears, “haan… pata hai…”

He also smiled and added, “tumhe maafi maangneki koi zaroorat nahi hai. Jo hua usme tumhari koi galti nahi… Saari galti Karthik ki hai… Tum kabhi aisa mat sochna ke main tumpe shaq karunga… main meri Naina ko achche se jaanta hun.”

Her heart was overwhelmed with his gentle understanding, and following the instincts of her heart, she stood up on her tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. His mouth fell open in shock, his eyes widened in disbelief, and then he slowly asked, “tum… tumne kya kiya?”

She blushed furiously but smiled and lifted up once more, quickly brushing her lips on his other cheek as well. An elated expression lit up his face, and he queried, “iska matlab… main bhi?”

Her cheeks flushed with color, and she nodded, closing her eyes, waiting for him to act on the permission she had given. But he just stroked his knuckles down her soft cheeks, and then lifted her hand, dropping the softest ever kiss on the back of her palm. She opened her eyes, gazing at him, and he pulled her in his arms again, murmuring how much he loved her. She nuzzled against his chest, relishing the way his arms tried to keep on tightening around her…

He would have stood there for eternity, but just then he thought he heard some sounds… And he quickly turned around, keeping his back to the door, and then pushed Naina away from him, “koi aa raha hai… dur jao…”

He could hear the door open, but pretended as if he didn’t and instead said, “ab agla kya bajau?  Drums chalega? Itna achcha nahi aata par phir bhi… Tum gaana select karo iss baar…”

Naina’s eyes however were fixed on the group of people that had entered the room… The dean and couple of teachers had arrived, along with Karthik, Sunaina and their gang. Karthik victoriously said, “dekha madam…”

Sameer turned and pretended to be surprised, “oh… aap sab log yahan?”

The dean asked, “tum dono yahan kya kar rahe ho?”

Sameer replied, “main bas Naina ko cheer karne ki koshish kar raha tha… kyunki woh ro rahi thi… Guitar bajake sunaya phir bhi ro rahi hai… Isiliye ab usse puch raha tha ke kya sunna hai.” He noticed their friends had also arrived just then, but were standing at some distance gesturing towards Sunaina. He couldn’t understand what they were trying to say, but just at that moment, Sunaina spoke up, “yeh dono jhooth bol rahe hai madam… maine khud suna tha Sameer ne Naina ko akele bulaya tha yahan pe…”

The drama teacher asked, “tum yahan pe akele me Naina ko cheer up kyun kar rahe ho? Private baate hai kya? Naina ke dost usko cheer up nahi kar sakte?”

Sameer frowned in apparent confusion, “akele me? College ke music room me? Akele milna hota toh main darwaza lock kar deta, itni toh akkal hai mereme sir… Aur rahi baat hamare dosto ki toh woh log bhi yahin the…” He glanced outside to see Preeti waving a bottle of water, and Munna had a chocolate in his hand, and so he smartly added, “par Naina chup nahi ho rahi thi toh woh log paani aur kuch khane ka lene gaye…” Then he exclaimed, “aree… aa gaye woh log…”

Everyone turned to see the four students outside holding water and chocolates. The dean nodded, seeming to be convinced, but the drama teacher scoffed, “Madam… Sameer ek dialogue toh theek se bol nahi paata, toh guitar kya khaak bajayega…? Mujhe toh lagta hai jhooth bol raha hai… Sangeet kala hai jiski samajh isko nahi hai…”

Sameer simply smiled, “aap madam se kyun keh rahe hai… mujhse kahiye na… main aapka shaq dur kar deta hun…” He picked up the guitar, glanced at Naina, holding her gaze, and started to strum “bahot pyaar karte hai tumko sanam…”

Naina smiled immediately, and from outside their friends cheered. Sunaina still tried to complain, the dean stopped her saying if she was wrong, that didn’t mean everyone else was the same. As everyone left, the group of friends rejoiced at finally being together again.

The next few days were like an extremely happy bubble for Sameer and Naina as they spent as much time together as possible, ignoring all the teasing. He was surprised at how comfortable and courageous Naina had suddenly turned, because when he asked for a bike ride she immediately accepted. And so they spent an afternoon roaming around on his bike, him enjoying the way she held his shoulders and didn’t keep the bag between then, and she loved the feel of him, the strength she could feel. He even dared to apply brakes one time, real hard, making her crash into him, and noticed that even though she reprimanded him a bit she also had a small smile on her lips while doing so. And then on a Saturday, he finally asked, “Naina… ab kal hum nahi mil payenge… Please ek baar hug karne do na.”

She pretended to be puzzled, “hug kyun? Hamara jhagda thodi na hua?”

He tugged her towards him a bit, “jhagda zaroori hai?” She didn’t reply, rather tickled him and escaped. But at the end of that day, as they were walking down the corridor, she suddenly pulled him inside an empty classroom, and hugged him… When they parted, he cupped her face, looking into her eyes for a minute, and then gently kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes at the feel of his lips on her skin, and a soft smile curved her lips. He happily queried, “kya iska matlab yeh hai ke main tumhe har jagah kiss kar sakta hun?”

She quizzed, “har jagah matlab?”

He touched a finger to her forehead, and she smiled… Then he trailed down to her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, stopping for a moment each time to see her smile in approval… And finally he touched her lips… She gasped, “wa…wahan nahi…”

He flashed a lopsided smirk, “matlab baaki sab jagah abhi kar sakta hun… yayy…”

She laughed and before he could hold her again she ran away… He grinned, shaking his head, and then ran after her, the merry chase leading them to his bike, where he asked if he could drop her home, and she immediately agreed. And so Preeti took an auto, while Naina went on Sameer’s bike, both of them descending a lane away from their society so that their family wouldn’t see Sameer.

Naina spent the Sunday morning learning to cook chole and pulao, hoping she could make it someday for Sameer. While at the other end Sameer spent the day, trying to make a list of his demands for Naina… Now that she was open to romance, he wanted to go on a proper date with her, he wanted to see a movie, he wanted to have lunch together somedays out of college… And most importantly he wanted to spend time with her in the upcoming Navratri festival.

In evening Chachaji proposed to go out to market as he needed to buy something. Preeti however chose to watch a movie along with Chachiji at home, since Taiji had gone to some relative’s place and won’t disturb them. Naina said she needed some stationary items, so she agreed to go out. After the shopping was done, Chachaji proposed, “aaj mausam bahot achcha hai… Tumhare pasand ki pani-puri khaye?”

She happily agreed. However, before they could reach the stall, someone blocked their way and to Naina’s shock it was Sharad. Chachaji was puzzled, “Sharad… tum yahan? Aur yeh sab… itni chot kaise lagi?”

Sharad furiously said, “apni iss beti se puchiye na… Main jaanta hun mummy ne shaadi ke liye mana kar diya tha, lekin mujhe Naina pasand aayi thi… Isiliye main usse college me milne gaya, yeh sochke ke usse baat karke dekhunga, aur agar usko bhi main pasand hun toh phir main mummy se baat karunga. Lekin… isne toh mujhe apne aashiq ke haatho pitvaya.”

Chachaji was shocked, “yeh kya bol rahe ho tum?”

“Sach bol raha hun”, Sharad persisted, “Sameer naam hai uss ladke ka… Usine meri yeh haalat ki hai… agar aapko yaqeen nahi ho raha toh puchiye Naina se…”

Naina stammered, “na…nahi Chachaji…”

Sharad said, “jhooth mat bolo… Tumhe apne Chachaji ki kasam hai… Sach sach bolo, tum Sameer se pyaar karti ho na?”

Naina was rendered helpless in-front of the swear, and accepted, “haan… yeh sach hai.”

Chachaji was stunned on hearing this, and then his expressions turned to disappointment, because he had never thought that Naina would break his trust. Swallowing back his tears, he folded his hands, trying to apologize to Sharad… But something snapped inside Naina at the way Sharad had manipulated her, and so she grabbed Chachaji’s hands, “rukiye Chachaji…”

Chachaji angrily commanded, “chodo mujhe Naina.”

She didn’t let fear crumple her, and pleaded, “bas ek baar meri baat sunn lijiye… Yeh sach hai ke main Sameer se pyaar karti hun… Lekin Sameer ne yeh sab nahi kiya… Sharad college aaya the, lekin mujhse baat karne nahi… Usne mere saath badtameezi ki… Gandi baate ki… Aur phir jab maine use aisa karne se roka aur kaha ke maine usse shaadi karneke liye mana kar diya tha, tab Sharad ne mujhe thappad maarne ki koshish ki… Lekin Sameer ne dekh liya tha, aur woh beech me aa gaya… Haan, Sameer ne ise maara, lekin uss ladai me iski naak tuti thi sirf… Baki ke chot toh use accident me lagi hai, usi din, college ke saamne. Agar aapko yaqeen nahi hai toh yeh sab kuch Preeti ne bhi dekha hai, aur bahot saare students ne dekha… Aap college aake sabse baat kar lijiye, par yaqeen kijiye Chachaji maine aisi koi harqat nahi ki jiske wajah se aapko sharminda hona pade.”

Chachaji listened to all of this with increasing degree of surprise, and then after a minute slowly queried, “isne tumhare saath badtameezi ki?” She nodded. He asked once more, “tumpe haath uthaya?” She replied, “koshish ki… par Sameer ne aisa hone nahi diya.”

Turning to Sharad he took a step closer, and threatened in a low voice, “dobara kabhi meri betiyo ke aas paas bhatakna bhi mat… Aur isse pehle ke mera haath uth jaaye, chale jao yahan se…”

Sharad hadn’t expected Naina to spill out the entire truth, and now he felt scared, so he immediately scooted. Anand looked at Naina’s apprehensive face, and asked, “yeh sab kabse chal raha hai? Yeh wahi Sameer hai jiski Arjun se ladai hui thi aur hamare ghar aaya tha?”

Naina dragged in a deep breath, knowing the time had come for the entire truth to be told, and she looked around, “wahan mandir me chalke baat kare? Kahani thodi lambi hai…”

Sitting on a bench in the courtyard of the temple, Naina narrated her entire love story to Chachaji… How she had fallen in love at first sight, how their relationship had fluctuated because of her father, how she had thought of him to be a  thief when in reality the culprit was her own brother, the budding friendship and love, the revelation of bet, the way Sameer had worked so hard to redeem himself, how he had also resolved the issues between him and Chachiji, their patch-up in Pooja didi’s sangeet, her brother’s cheating in school cricket match, their confession in school, Nanu’s death and their separation, and then everything about college… Her voice shook when she told him about the date on her 18^th birthday and how she had tried to break-up with Sameer because she was afraid that he would attempt to do the same thing like her father… How she had hurt him repeatedly only to realize later on that all her attempts be away from him was futile because her heart didn’t allow her to do so… And then she told him about the incidents on the day of drama, and how once again Sameer had fought for her honor… She had tears on her cheek as she finished, “aap hi bataiye Chachaji… aise ladke se main kaise pyaar naa karu? Itne saalo se usne mujhe apni duniya bana liya hai… Aur mujhe toh ab jaake samajh me aaya ke Sameer aur parivaar me se kisi ek ko choon na mumkin hi nahi hai, kyunki Sameer bhi mera parivaar hai.”

Anand was surprised to know the entire story, and even more at the revelation that Arjun was a thief and also that he really had an affair with Shefali but had dumped her out of fear. Naina wiped her tears, and desperately tried to explain, “Chachaji… mujhe pata hai aapko dukh hua hoga yeh sab jaanke… Aapko aisa lag raha hoga ke maine aapka bharosa toda… Par please… Mera iraada aapko ya kisi aur ko chot pahonchaneka nahi tha… Main aapke sikhaye hue raste pe poori zindagi chali hun, kabhi koi galat kaam nahi kiya hai… Mera pyaar bhi galat nahi hai… Sameer bahot achcha ladka hai… Please Chachaji, main uske bina nahi reh sakti.”

Anand placed his hand over her head, “Naina… beta, sabse pehle toh apne man se yeh darr hata do ke main kabhi Rakesh bhaisaab jaisa kuch karne ki koshish karunga. Mujhe apni betiyo par poora bharosa hai… Aur mujhe achcha laga ke tumne itne saaf tareeke se mujhe saari baate bata di… Main Sameer se milna chahta hun, kal subah… Theek hai?”

Naina nodded, and hugged him, crying out once more, but this time out of relief. That night she talked to Sameer for a bit, and said that she had a surprise for him next day, and he eagerly queried if he was finally going to get a kiss on his lips. She laughed and said that what she had was probably better than that.

Eager to know what she meant, Sameer waited for her in the parking area next morning. Just before college would start, Naina walked in, grabbed his hand and pulled him away from his friends… He queried, “kahan le jaa rahi ho Naina?”

“Surprise ke paas”, she informed with a smile. After five minutes, he noticed that she had brought him to the temple where they had patched up after his return from Delhi. He grinned at her, “ohoo… mandir me romance…”

She clucked her tongue, gesturing towards a tree, and he turned to see… His eyes widened in shock on seeing Chachaji standing beneath the big sprawling tree, and he immediately tried to break their hand-hold, muttering under his breath, “Naina mera haath chodo… Chachaji khade hai.”

She shook her head, and instead pulled him right up to Chachaji and declared, “yeh hai Sameer Maheshwari…  Woh ladka jisse main pyaar karti hun.”

Sameer jerked, staring at her in shock. She smiled up at him, “Sameer… maine Chachaji ko sab kuch bata diya hamare baare… Hamari poori kahani…”

He was stunned, “kya? Par… kaise?”

Naina briefly told him about how Sharad had tried to create a misunderstanding, and so she had decided that it was time. Anand stood patiently until she explained, and then said, “mujhe tumse baat karni hai Sameer… Akele me… Naina, tum college wapas jao.”

She bit her lip, and nodded, then went inside the temple to pray for a minute. She rang the bell twice, making Sameer smile, and then wished him a quick good luck. Sameer watched her disappear around the corner, and then waited for Chachaji to speak.

Anand gestured him to sit on the stairs, and asked, “maine poori kahani Naina se sunn li hai… Par tumse bhi sunna chahta hun… tumhara nazariya jaanne ke liye.”

Sameer didn’t know what exactly Naina had confessed about, and so he omitted about Arjun being the thief, took the entire blame of bet on himself, said that Arjun fought with him because he had gotten to know of his interest in Naina. He briefly explained about the phase in Delhi, and then the difficulties they had faced in college… When he talked about their recent break-up he covered up how Naina had hurt him, but rather told him of her fear and worry and how that had led to her decision. And then he concluded, “lekin mujhe pata tha ke Naina mujhse dur kabhi nahi reh sakti… Jitna pyaar woh mujhse karti hai, utna kabhi kisine nahi kiya hai… Meri mummy ne bhi mujhe itna nahi samjha, jitna Naina ne samjha… Isiliye mujhe yaqeen tha ke jab uska darr kam ho jayega woh zaroor mere paas wapas aayegi.”

Anand started at the boy in surprise, a bit awed at how in his entire tale he had taken the blame of every problem and explained how lucky he was to have Naina in his life. He smiled, remembering how Naina, at each stage, had put forth reasons for Sameer’s behavior including the bet, trying to make him see his good side. Someone had to be a fool to not realize that these kids totally loved each other to the point of devotion. He slowly said, “Naina ne mujhe bataya ke Arjun ne paper churaaye. Jab tumhe pata chala toh tumne kuch kiya kyun nai? Ghar aake sabko bata sakte the…”

Sameer shook his head, “aur aisa karke main kya haasil kar leta? Rakesh sir ko apne hi parivaar ke saamne sharminda hona padta… Unka apne hi bete pe se bharosa uth jaata. Parivaar me dooriya bahot dukh pahochati hai aur yeh baat main achche se jaanta hun… Aur phir… Arjun ne jo kiya uske wajah se maine woh shart lagai… Par dekhiye na, uss shart ke badle mujhe Naina mili… Toh phir main badlaa kis baat ka lu… Mujhe Arjun se koi shikayat nahi hai.”

Anand smiled, “aur Sharad? Suna usko bahot maara tumne…”

Sameer’s eyes lit up in anger, “usne Naina se badtameezi ki… uspe haath uthane ki koshish ki… Maarta hi na usko main… Jitni baar mere saamne aayega utni baar marunga.”

Anand nodded, and further prodded, “Naina ne Karthik wali baat bhi batai… Drama me jo bhi hua sab kuch… Tumhe Naina pe thoda bhi gussa nahi aaya?”

Sameer was surprised that she had told about this incident too, “ek second ke liye aaya tha… lekin iss baat ka nahi ke Naina ne kuch galat kiya, kyunki mujhe achche se pata hai ke woh kabhi bhi aisa nahi kar sakti… Mere alawa woh kisiko bhi apne kareeb nahi aane degi… Lekin ek pal ke liye laga ke woh hug drama me tha aur Naina ne mujhe bataya nahi, par phir jaise hi uski aankhon me dekha sab kuch saaf nazar aa gaya.”

Anand suddenly smiled wide, every apprehension he had regarding this relationship vanishing at how Sameer never doubted Naina even for a minute. It seemed his daughter had chosen a boy for herself, much better than he could ever have found. And so he gave his consent, “Sameer… mujhe tumhara aur Naina ka yeh rishta manzoor hai… Main waada karta hun ke jaise hi tumhara college khatam hoga, main khud tum dono ki shaadi karwaunga… Parivaar walo se baat karne me bhi main tumhare saath rahunga.”

Sameer’s eyes lit up with happiness, “thank you Chachaji… Naina bahot khush hogi yeh sunke…”

Anand nodded, “jaanta hun… par beta, ek baat hai… Mujhe pata hai tum dono ek dusre se bahot pyaar karte ho, par shaadi hone tak tumhe apni hadd ka dhyan rakhna hoga… Naina ladki hai, agar kuch oonch-neech ho gai toh tumse zyada badnaami uski hogi.”

Sameer assured, “Chachaji please… aap bilkul fikar mat kijiye… Naina meri zimmedaari hai…”

Satisfied with this, Anand hugged Sameer, said he would keep meeting him sometimes, and then left. Sameer reached college to find that Naina was extremely worried, and as soon as that lecture ended, she dragged him towards the music room, this time locked the door, and asked, “kya hua? Chachaji ne kya bola?”

Sameer had thought to keep her worried for some more time, but he was unable to control his happiness and so he blurted, “Chachaji ne kaha ke unhe hamara rishta manzoor hai aur jaise hi college khatam hota hai woh hamari shaadi karwa denge.”

Her eyes widened for a brief moment, and then she let out an excited squeal, rushing into his arms. He caught her to him, lifting her up a bit, and twirled her around. Taking advantage of their position, she teased her fingers along the hair at his nape, and then brushed soft kisses on his forehead and cheeks. He stood there, basking in the glory of her love, feeling his body throb at the tender brushes of her lips. Setting her down on her feet, he cupped her face with one hand, his eyes heavy with desire as he dipped and touched his lips to her cheek… Her soft skin, her scent, her sighing breath, everything teased him, aroused him… Their eyes met for a moment, hers full of love and need, his glittering with intense desire… Slowly, they both started to close the gap between their lips… but just as her breath fluttered acorss his skin, he recalled his promise to Chachaji and stepped back from her.

She was perplexed at this, and queried, “Sameer… kya hua?”

He shook his head, “umm… abhi nahi… shaadi ke baad.”

She frowned, “yeh baat mera Sameer nahi bol sakta… Sach sach batao kya baat hai.”

He bit his lip, hesitating for a moment, but then confessed, “Chachaji ne kaha hai shaadi hone tak hadd me rehne ko… Aur yeh sahi bhi hai… Tum bhi toh hamesha yahi kehti thi na?”

She held his hand, “haan… lekin kya aaj maine tumhe roka?”

He shook his head, “par hum yeh nahi kar sakte… Kuch gadbad ho gai toh… Sab tumhe bolenge… aur tumhara parivaar…”

She lifted his hand, brushing a tender assuring kiss on the back of his palm, and then asked, “ek baat batao… uss din jab tumhe pata chala ke music room me shayad koi aa raha hai… tumne mujhe darwaze se dur kar diya aur woh smart wala natak kiya… kyun? Sharad ko maara… Kyun? Karthik ko bhi maara… kyun?”

His brows furrowed, “yeh kaisa sawaal hai… Sharad aur Karthik ne tumhare sammaan ko thes pahochaane ki koshish ki… Aur uss din agar hum hug karte hue pakde jaate toh college me kitni baate banti… Main tumhe kabhi kisi musibat me nahi dekh sakta.”

She smiled, “wahi toh… jab tum mere saath ho, toh phir mujhe kya darr… Mujhe pata hai kabhi bhi koi musibat aayegi, tum hamesha mera dhyan rakhoge, meri suraksha karoge. Chachaji ne hadd wali baat ki kyunki unhe hum dono ki parvaah hai, par yeh hadd kya hai yeh toh hum dono tay karenge na… Kuch dino pehle tumko hug karna, yaa gaal pe kiss karna bhi mere hadd me nahi tha… Toh phir iske aage ki hadd bhi hum hi tay karenge.”

“Par Naina…”, he started to argue… But she looped her arms around his neck, pulling him down a bit, and even though her cheeks tinged with color at her own act, she demanded, “Sameer Maheshwari… dekho… tumhe hug sabse pehle maine kiya, gaalo pe kiss bhi maine pehle kiya… toh ab yeh kiss ka record bhi mujhe mil jaaye usse pehle tum…”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence, because he suddenly dipped and pecked her lips. She gasped, her eyes wide, her cheeks red, and looked at his deep glittering eyes. He had a smirk on his face as he slid one hand around her waist, and the other went into her hair, cupping her skull, angling it. Her lips quivered, and then her eyes fluttered shut as their lips finally met in a tender kiss. She smiled into the kiss, feeling exhilarated at his taste… The teasing flicks made something flutter in her belly… And then he sought an entrance which she acquiesced to… Her entire body shivered in his arms as his taste flooded her mouth, and a soft needy moan escaped her lips at the velvety strokes of his tongue… He made her feel a thousand things with just one kiss, an explosion of golden stars behind her closed eye-lids, a feeling of immense freedom and the power of sensuality… She felt a thrill upon understanding his need, and a dark excitement at the way he dominated the kiss, cupping her face, angling her head for his pleasure and hers… He took, he gave, he taught and he made her understand what being desired felt like… Her own reactions and incredible yearning surprised her, and when she slowly softened the kiss she was astonished that she wanted to do it again.

He panted for breath as he hugged her to him, and she clutched onto his shirt on his back, feeling bit dizzy. After a minute when his brain stopped feeling like a complete mush he murmured, “wow…”

She smiled, “haan… wow…”

He drew back from her, looking into her eyes, wanting to ask if she was okay, if she liked it… But her broad smile and shining eyes told him about her pleasure without any words. And so he asked, “second time karu?”

She laughed, pulling away from his arms, “nahi… ab second time shaadi ke baad… jaisa tum chahte the…”

He stood transfixed for a moment, astonished at her statement, but when she unlocked the door to step out, he jerked out of his trance… Rushing up behind her, he pleaded, “Naina… suno na…” And so started another journey in their life, this time where they both knew that they needed not just love but also respect to hold them together, where they would be bound in a bond of lifetime.

THE END