Always and Forever
Part - 52: Once in a Lifetime Love

Gleaming granite counter tops, fogged up glasses of the shower cabinet and the mirror, the creamy tiles and shiny faucets, neatly arranged fluffy towels, over-sized bathrobe behind the closed door – Sameer was used to seeing all this in his bathroom by now. But, it was the first time that his bathroom was filled with floral fragrance. The warm water from the shower seemed to enhance the smell and it cheered him up because he knew that this difference was courtesy his wife.

Naina had just finished her bath, and then hurried him inside because she wanted to at least start getting ready before a reminder knock came from his family. He had queried as to what difference it would make, and she had explained that it wouldn’t have mattered if it was just the family at home, but when guests were there they had to more careful because people gossiped. If the new bride was always late then the fast-mouthed women would gossip about how Vishakha’s bahu was lazy and always stayed cosseted in her room, and then they would tag it as a drawback of love marriage, citing that the bride was relaxed because it wasn’t a typical proper marriage. Naina had reasoned that she wouldn’t want anyone to say that her love was a reason for her lax attitude or anything bad, and so till the guests were here she had to be on time and perfectly presentable all the time. To be honest, Sameer didn’t understand the pressure or the necessity, but since she said it he believed it… After all, she would have much better understanding of all these things; plus, it was just a matter of few more days… Then it would be just them in their house.

He wiped himself down and stepped outside to find his wife pinning up the pallu of her saree, and smiled at the sight, “hey sweetheart… kuch help chahiye.”

She turned to look at him, relief visible on her face, “achcha hua tum aa gaye… yeh saree dekho na… kaisi lag rahi hai? Maine pehle kabhi itna bhaari saree nahi pehna… Theek se pehenne me bhi itna time laga na…”

He walked up to her, his eyes moving up and down her body, “gorgeous… tumpe color bahot suit kar raha hai… aur tum na kisi bahot bade desh ki khoobsuat rani lag rahi ho…”

She chuckled, patting down her pleats, “nahi baba… main Mrs. Maheshwari hi theek hun… kahin ki rani nahi banna…”

Crossing by her, he glanced into the mirror, ruffling his wet hair, “haan… waise bhi mere dil ki rani toh ho hi… aur kahin ki banne ki kya zaroorat hai.”

She bit her lip, her gaze moving over his fingers sifting through his hair; his naked torso on which droplets of water still gleamed; the white towel knotted at his hip, low enough to give her a glimpse of two dips on his lower back that she had never noticed before; and his long muscular legs that were adept at parting her thighs or holding her body down. Moving forward, she smoothed her hand over the pads of muscles on his back, wiping a few stray drops of cool water, “tum aise mat khade raho… taiyar ho jao.”

Her breathy tone seemed as if she was having difficulty dragging in air. He turned to her, and grinned, “awaaz se toh lag raha hai ke tum chahti ho main kuch bhi naa pehnu.”

She blushed, unable to control her reaction, “uh… Mt. Abu yaad aa gaya. Par… abhi time…”

“Time nahi hai”, he finished before she could, and sighed, “parlor wale aate hi honge… haina? Isiliye mujhe taiyar honeko bol rahi ho, taaki mujhe kamre se bahar nikal do… par dhyan se sunlo… shaadi se pehle jo kiya so kiya… ab main bahar nahi jaunga… Tum taiyar hogi toh mujhe dekhna hai.”

She smiled, “parlor wale nahi aa rahe… Sirf Preeti aane wali hai meri madad karne. Isiliye bol rahi hun ke taiyar ho jao.” Trailing her fingers down his chest and belly to the knot at his hip, she said, “main nahi chahti ke mere alawa koi aur tumhe aise dekhe…”

His lips curved in a teasing lopsided smile, “help karna chahti ho?”

She laughed softly, “haan… lekin sirf shirt aur suit pehenne me… uske alawa kahin aur help kiya toh dulha-dulhan apne hi reception me late pahonchenge.”

He glanced at the clock, “reception khatam kab hoga?”

“Sameer…”, she pleaded, pushing him away, “jao…”

Shaking his head, he grabbed his cologne from the dresser and moved towards the bed where she had laid out a mid-night blue suit, white shirt along with a matt-reddish tie. He sprayed himself, and pulled on the boxers, constantly frowning and finally queried, “yeh tie kyun rakha hai? tumko toh pata hai mujhe pasand nahi.”

“Set hai”, she responded, “tie ka color thoda sa meri saree se matching hai, aur…” As he hooked his pants, she came up to him, picking up the shirt from bed, helping him to wear it, and he asked, “aur?”

She came to his front, starting to button up the shirt from the last button, “aur tie me sexy dikhte ho.”

He frowned, “mujhe bandh bandh lagta hai gale me.”

She smiled, smoothening her hands over the fabric of shirt at his shoulders, down his arms and then buttoning up his sleeves, “jaanti hun. Dinner karenge tab thoda loose kar dena. Phir main sochungi…”

He stood still watching her as she expertly knotted the tie at his throat, “kya sochogi?” She checked the tie once, and then flicked the suit, holding it up for him. He thrust his hands into the sleeves, and then shrugged his shoulders to set the fabric, “bataona… kya sochogi?”

She did the two buttons at his stomach, and then stepped back a bit to admire, “yahi ke wapas room me aake tie kaise utaarungi…”

He stared at her for a long moment before raising an appreciative brow, “wow… yeh raat kab hogi?” Just then there was a knock on the door, and he said, “main kholta hun…”

It was Vishakha and Preeti at the door, and he wished, “hello saali saahiba…”

“Hi Jijaji”, Preeti grinned stepping in, and then on seeing her sister let out a squeal of delight, “Naina…” The sisters hugged each other and Preeti said, “tu jaanti hai tujhe maine kitna miss kiya… Tu nahi thi toh mujhe neend se uthane wala bhi koi nahi tha.”

Naina laughed, “aaj toh main bhi der se hi uthi hun. Ek minute ruk…” She moved towards the door, “maa, main bas thodi der me taiyar ho jaungi.”

Vishakha nodded, “haan abhi thoda waqt hai… araam se taiyar ho jao. Main toh bas yeh kehne aai thi ke hum log pehle nikal jayenge. Rohan tum teeno ko leke aayega. Munna aur Pandit abhi-abhi nikle hai, keh rahe the decoration check karna hai unko.”

Sameer immediately queried, “kyun check? Koi problem hai kya?”

“Jo bhi hoga woh dono dekh lenge”, Vishakha assured, “tum apni biwi pe dhyan do aaj.”

He grinned, “jee mummy.”

As Vishakha left he closed the door, and Preeti asked, “aapko neeche nahi jaana jijaji?”

“Bilkul nahi”, he replied firmly, “mujhe Naina ko taiyar hote hue dekhna hai.”

Preeti was stunned for a moment, and then asked, “kya?”

Naina chuckled, “normal hai Preeti… tu chal meri help kar ab… pehle make up karu ke hairstyle karegi?”

“Of course hair style”, Preeti replied in an agitated tone, “itna time ho gaya phir bhi aise sawaal… Kab sikhegi khud se karna…”

Naina just smiled and let her carry on knowing that she would blabber constantly while styling. Sameer pulled up a chair from the desk and sat down nearby, watching with full concentration as Preeti combed Naina’s hair and then formed a delicate looking knotty hairdo that was decorated with pins and pearls. He guessed it was some kind of a bun, but didn’t really look like one. On seeing a few loose strands, he said, “thode baal reh gaye.”

Preeti threw him a glare for disturbing in between, “woh baad me curl hoga.”

He shrugged, and then watched with avid interest as Naina slowly but surely put on her make-up, guided by Preeti at some stages. She capped the lipstick, and huffed, “baapre… kitna time lagta hai.”

Preeti patted her shoulder, “koi baat nahi… aadat ho jayegi tab zyada time nahi lagega.”

Sameer assured, “kya farq padta hai… tum roz thodi na makeup karogi… mujhe toh tum aise hi achchi lagti ho.”

Naina smiled, and opened the small silver box of vermillion, and as an immediate response Sameer stood up. Preeti watched with a happy grin as Sameer filled the partition in Naina’s hair with sindur, and then teased, “jijaji aaj itne dhyan se dekh rahe the sab kuch ke thode hi dino me khud hi sab karne lagenge… Tera full make-up aur hairstyle bhi.”

Sameer smirked, and blurted, “Naina ka first hairstyle change bhi toh mere wajah se bhi hua tha… school me.”

Preeti placed her hands on her hips, “excuse me… woh hair cut maine kiya tha.”

“Haan par, chewing gum toh maine lagaya tha na”, Sameer countered.

“Toh?” Preeti argued, “baal kaate toh maine na jijaji.”

Sameer immediately debated, “lekin chewing gum laga nahi hota toh baal kaatne hi nahi padte na… Iska matlab hairstyle ka credit mera, aur tumhara hair-stylist banne ka credit bhi mera…”

Preeti gasped, “haww… aap kuch bhi bolenge aur main kya sunn lungi… hairstyle ka credit…”

Naina shut her ears trying to drown out the sounds, and at the same time trying to stop her husband and sister from arguing baselessly. But the jija-saali duo weren’t in mood to entertain her, and the argument went on, until the door banged open, and Deepika rushed in, “bhabhi… main bhi aapke saath aau car me?”

All three of them paused for a moment, staring at the teenage girl, and then started to argue again. Preeti was just explaining about how intricate an art hairstyling is, when suddenly Deepika queried, “yeh bedsheet kyun change kiya bhabhi? Naya hi toh tha…”

Preeti looked puzzled; Sameer pressed his lips lest he blurt out something not so proper, and Naina’s cheeks reddened slightly. Finally after a minute, Naina somehow managed to say, “uh… woh… dudh gir gaya tha… isiliye badalna pada.”

Deepika nodded convinced, while Sameer struggled to control his smile. The argument about haircut didn’t seem important now. Sameer grabbed Deepika’s hand, “uh… main dekhke aata hun ke Rohan taiyar hua ke nahi… Phir nikalte hai.”

After he left, Preeti slowly asked, “yeh bedsheet… dudh ke wajah se nahi badla na?”

Naina blushed, shaking her head, “nahi… wajah kuch aur hai… par main samjha nahi sakti.”

Preeti shrugged, letting go of the topic, “chal… pallu laga deti hun.” Naina sat down once more, and Preeti carefully set the heavy border of the pallu on her head, framing her face, and used a couple of pins to hold it together. After ensuring that all the make-up was perfect and everything in room was okay, the sisters went down the stairs. Sameer was waiting at the bottom with Rohan and Deepika; on seeing his wife, he extended his hand out, helping her down the last few stairs, and then used the same hold to lift her hand up to his mouth, dropping a soft kiss on the back of her palm. Naina’s eyes widened and color tinged her cheeks, while the remaining people grinned.

Rohan cleared his throat, “uh… chale? Warna der ho jayegi…”

The drive to the hotel was not long, but the evening traffic drew out the time. Sameer was seated on the back seat along with Naina, and to his extreme annoyance, Deepika as well. But he was grateful that Naina had chosen to sit in the middle so that he didn’t have to vie with his sister for attention. As they stopped at a signal, Naina suddenly queried, “reception me kya hoga? Matlab… maine toh dekha hai ke dulha-dulhan bas stage pe khade rehte hai.”

Preeti laughed, “haan… tujhe bhi wahi karna hai aaj… ek badi si smile dete hue stage pe khade rehna hai.”

Rohan navigated the car around the turn, “mujhe toh torture lagta hai.”

Sameer chuckled, “thodi der ke liye rehna padega stage pe. Lekin maine mummy ko bola hai ke sirf ek ghante hum stage pe honge. Uske baad hum khud neeche jaake logo se milenge.”

Naina was perplexed, “yeh mumkin hai?”

“Kyun nahi”, Sameer shrugged, “waise bhi main tumko sabse theek se milwana chahta hun. Mere kuch clients honge, office ke employees, aur phir hamare school ke teachers bhi toh honge…”

Naina smiled, “shanti teacher bhi aayegi na… aur principal sir…”

“Aur safari suit”, Sameer added, sniggering.

Naina hit him lightly, and Deepika queried, “safari suit kaun hai?”

Sameer couldn’t help but laugh, “mere sasurji…”

Just then Rohan beeped the horn, and they all looked out to see the approaching hotel. There were many cars parked around, and Naina wondered if all the guests had arrived. Sameer helped her down, and Preeti adjusted her saree a bit, and then asked, “meri saree theek hai?”

Naina nodded, “haan… achcha lag raha hai tujhpe yeh.”

“Jisko bolna chahiye usne toh kuch bola hi nahi”, Preeti muttered.

Sameer chuckled, “seekh raha hai dheere-dheere… aur shaadi ke kaam me kaafi uljha hua hai. Agar woh bolna bhul jaaye toh bhi, I am sure, usko bahot pasand aaya hoga.”

Preeti smiled, “koi baat nahi jijaji… main samajhti hun.”

Rohan locked the car and came around, “Deepika… chalo… tum mere aur Preeti ke saath chalo. Bhai aur bhabhi alag se aayenge.”

Deepika pouted, “kyun?”

“Kyunki aisa hi hota hai”, Preeti said and tickled the girl who giggled and went along happily. As they walked inside Rohan inched closer to Preeti and muttered, “aaj yeh yellow-green saree me bahot sexy lag rahi ho.”

Preeti gasped, turning her head to see the smile on his face, and promptly blushed a shade of crimson. Rohan chuckled, daring to hold her hand till the entrance of the banquet hall.

Sameer offered his hand to Naina, “ready Mrs. Maheshwari?”

She took in a deep breath, placed her hand in his, and smiled, “haan…”

Hand-in-hand they walked inside the big hotel, each step caused a small fluttering inside Naina’s belly. They had got married yesterday, but today she was going to be in-front of a large group of people, officially as Mrs. Naina Sameer Maheshwari. She was smiling, but she was extremely nervous about meeting his business community, his clients, and even his employees. Sameer was so perfect all the time… What if the people there felt that she wasn’t exactly as per the required standards? What if she wasn’t able to function smoothly in such a different social environment?

Meanwhile inside the hall, everyone was waiting for the bride and groom to arrive. There were several conversations floating around on how it was love marriage and how they expected the bride to be not typical one.

“Mujhe toh lagta hai ekdum modern wali saree pehenke aayegi.”

“Haan… aur diamond-shiamond bhi honge.”

“Sindur toh lagaya hoga na?”

“Ab kya pata aaj kal ke yeh jawan ladka-ladki… mangalsutra-sindur jaisi cheezo me toh bharosa hi nahi raha.”

“Aree woh Mrs. Jaiswal ki bahu toh bado ke paav bhi nahi chuti… Yeh bhi aisi hi hogi, dekh lena.”

“Parivaar wale dekh-dikhake shaadi karte hai tab hi jaake sundar-sushil-sanskaari ladki milti hai… Yeh prem-vrem me toh modern mem hi gale padti hai.”

Preeti rolled her eyes at the whispered comments, and gestured Rohan to take Deepika along, while she moved towards her own parents. After a minute, Naina and Sameer entered, their hands still entwined and several people around the hall started to clap. Naina paused at the sound, clearly surprised, while Sameer grinned at his office staff. Vishakha hurried over, guiding them to the stage, and their friends also climbed along. As they were made to sit on a beige-velvet sofa Naina quickly glanced at the crowd, “wow… itne saare log.”

Sameer squeezed her hand, “tension mat lo… main hun na saath.”

She smiled, keeping her gaze down, as people hustled around. From somewhere soft music started to play, and conversations became a buzz. At a gesture from Mamaji, slowly guests started to come up to meet and congratulate. Sameer introduced as and when needed, and Naina did the same if it was some guest from her family.

The banquet hall chosen was spacious, and one wall was floor to ceiling wooden door, that could be thrown open into the gardens. When Naina and Sameer had come to finalize the booking and decorations, they had chosen to include the garden as well. There would be many guests resulting in the hall being a bit congested, but the gardens not just added extra space, they also lent an overall freshness to the whole scene. The dinner was arranged in the garden, as the weather was still cool and also special fans had been arranged to avoid any discomfort. The whole hall was decorated in shades of ice-green and beige; sheer shimmering fabrics formed a canopy extending from around the chandelier in center of the ceiling to drop into flowy drapes along the wall. Arrangements of roses and carnations added color pops to the walls and the sofas that lined the sides of the hall.

Outside in the garden, fairy lights were delicately twined around the trees and bushes lending a soft glow to the environment. Naina had strictly refused the use of halogen lights, and so more than two dozen tall gas lamp structures were installed giving the garden a look of some English novel scene. The distance between the yellow glowing lamps were dotted with white painted benches. Eight chairs surrounded each of the round tables adorned with lanterns and daisies, ready for people to sit and dine. The night air was tinged with the aroma of food, and fragrance of flowers.

Naina and Sameer got a five minute breather in between, and they gratefully sipped water. Preeti and Swati were keeping the envelopes of money secured, while Rohan, Munna, Pandit and Deepika were busy with arranging the gifts near the stage. Naina had met most of the company staff by now; although she couldn’t grasp all the names clearly, but she made sure she remembered the names of the senior staff at least. Gayatri didi had come up and teased Sameer, saying that now his mood would be good every day, and then she had told Naina, “kabhi kabhi thoda jhagda kar liya karna. Sir roz muskurate hue ya seeti bajate hue office aayenge toh staff ka darr kam ho jayega.”

After she had left, Sameer had leaned down and whispered, “hum jhagda bhi karenge?” Naina had smiled, and nodded, and that had caused him to start thinking about how would he pacify his wife if they ever quarreled. Before he could come up with any proper ways, their school principal came up on the stage along with Shanti teacher, Lochan sir and a couple of other teachers and Rakesh sir.

Shanti madam hugged Naina, “congratulations… ek-ek marks ke liye lada karti thi tum, aur ab dekho… pyaar ki ladai me bhi full marks le liye.”

“Madam thoda credit mujhe bhi de do”, Sameer immediately complained, “aapko bas apni favorite student dikhti hai.”

Lochan sir laughed, “aree trustee mahoday… aap toh Romeo ka role karte karte sach me Juliet ke pyaar me padh gaye. Toh isme credit kaisa? Credit toh Naina ko milna chahiye jo tum jaise bigde hue ladke ko sudhaar diya… Kyun sir?”

Principal Pandey heartily agreed, “haan… bilkul… aur isi baat pe ek sher yaad aa gaya… Sameer ko mil gai Naina… Bachchu ab kya pyaar se bulaoge ise maina…”

“Waah sir… Waah”, everyone praised and laughed. Sameer said, “sir… maina ka pata nahi, mere liye toh Naina hi sahi hai.”

Principal Pandey laughed, “aree… Rakesh ji… aaj aap kuch nahi bol rahe. Sameer ke liye koi naya naam rakha kya aapne? Ab toh yeh aapka damad hai, matlab aap isko baalo ki dukaan ya ameerzada nahi bula sakte.”

“Haan Rakesh sir”, Shanti madam prodded, “ab kya bulayenge aap Sameer ko?”

Rakesh fumbled a bit, “uhh… ab… kya bulau… damadji hi bulaunga.”

Naina giggled, “papa… rehne dijiye… Sameer hi bulaiye. Aapke muh se damadji sunke kahin yeh behosh na ho jaaye.”

Just then Deepika, who had been listening with complete attention, spoke up, “nahi… naam toh rakhna padega na bhabhi… Bhaiya bhi toh aapke papa ko safari suit bulate hai.”

There was total silence for a moment, and then everyone laughed aloud, except Sameer, Naina and Rakesh sir. Totally oblivious to the uproar she had caused, Deepika queried, “par uncle… aapko safari suit kyun bolte hai?”

Pandit slapped his forehead, “satyanaash… ab safari suit ka jwalamukhi fatega.”

“Maare gaye aaj toh”, Munna muttered.

Deepika pleaded, “bataona uncle.”

Sameer was gesturing his sister to shut up, and Naina also furiously whispered, “shsh… abhi yeh sawaal nahi.”

Rakesh looked at the tensed faces of his daughter and son-in-law, suppressed his smile, and replied to Deepika, “main school me pehle safari suit pehenke jaata tha. Isiliye shayad…”

Sameer rubbed the back of his neck, “sorry… papa…”

Rakesh queried, “naam tumne rakha tha?”

Sameer bit his lip, but before he could reply, Munna and Pandit spoke up, “humne rakha tha… humne… Sameer ki koi galti nahi hai.”

“Nahi”, Sameer quickly intervened, “maine rakha tha… Munna-Pandit toh bas jo main bolu wahi bolte the.”

Shanti madam laughed, “yeh teeno ab tak waise hi hai…”

“Hamesha ek dusre ko bachane kud padte hai”, Rakesh muttered in an irked tone, “maine toh bas pucha tha… main konsa sazaa de raha hun abhi ke abhi.”

Naina piped up, “matlab baad me denge?”

To everyone’s surprise Rakesh laughed out, “yeh dekho meri beti… school se leke ab tak Sameer ko bachane me lagi hai…” He assured his daughter, “kuch nahi bolunga tere pati ko… chinta mat kar.”

Anand and Bela were standing near the stage, eager to go meet the couple, and even they were surprised to see Rakesh laughing. After few more minutes when all the teachers descended, they went up, and Naina immediately hugged Chachiji. Anand blessed the couple and expressed how happy he was. Sameer queried, “aap log kahan the? Itni der kaise ho gai?”

“Beta, car ka tyre puncture ho gaya tha”, Anand replied, “repair karwane me waqt lag gaya. Upar se tumhari chachi ko toh tum jaante hi ho… pure waqt chup hi nahi hui.”

Bela huffed, “bhagwaan jhooth na bulaye… bola toh kya bura kiya? Beti-damad ke shaadi ke reception mein maa-baap itni der se aate hai kya bhala?”

Naina pacified, “koi baat nahi chachiji… hum toh Sameer ke office ke logo se hi mil rahe the ab tak. Ab araam se aapse baat kar sakte hai.”

Bela smiled, “abhi nahi beta… dekh zara aur kitne log intezaar kar rahe hai. Tum dono baki sabse mil lo, phir khana khaneke waqt hum milenge.”

Several relatives came to meet and bless. The previously gossiping ladies were bit surprised to see that Naina not only had a proper pallu on head, but she had also applied sindur and wore her mangalsutra. And when she bent to touch their feet as a gesture of respect, they were literally stunned to silence. Mrs. Naina Sameer Maheshwari was not what they had anticipated. They could see her talking to everyone without being afraid; they could see she didn’t hold back to seek blessings from elders; they were also bit surprised to see her equation with her sister-in-law and mother-in-law, both of whom seemed to dot on her. They wanted to comment on her beauty, mention that even dressed in fineries she was not what they would consider the perfect bride for Sameer Maheshwari, but they couldn’t comment on that, because every time Naina smiled, her husband would glance at her and start smiling himself. They wanted to say that love marriages were only about attraction and not about care, but they couldn’t do that, because every time Naina sat down or got up, Sameer offered his hand to her, whenever Sameer coughed or cleared his throat Naina asked for water to be brought up. The loving glances the couple shared, the knowing smile on their faces, the shine in their eyes was enough to convey to everyone that this couple wouldn’t be bothered about what others thought of them because they had formed their own happy little bubble of love.

The couple’s next five minutes of interlude was disturbed by an enthusiastic lady dressed in deep green designer churidaar. She climbed up on the stage, and immediately complimented, “oh my God… you are looking so beautiful Naina. Congratulations…!”

Naina smiled, “thank you Maya… inse milo… mere pati Sameer Maheshwari.” She looked at her husband, “Sameer… yeh Maya hai… maine jo parlor book karwaya tha shaadi ke liye wahan ki manager.”

“Oh”, Sameer muttered, his mind flashing back to the smooth view and feel, “uhh…. Hi… Hi Maya.”

“Hi Sameer… Congratulations to you too”, Maya grinned, and then leaned towards Naina and whispered, “tumne desk pe konse zamane ki photo lagake rakhi hai… yeh toh usse kai zyada handsome aur muscular hai… You are so lucky…”

Naina lifted her hand to stifle her giggle, “haan woh kaafi pehle ki photo hai… college time ki…”

Sameer glanced away, trying not to overhear or think about the fact that this was the woman who had suggested his Naina to do that special wax and also had been there when it was done. Maya commented, “itna sharma kyun rahe hai tumhare pati?”

This time Naina couldn’t control her chuckle, “umm… tum khud hi guess kar sakti ho… waise, surprise kaafi achcha laga mere husband ko.”

Maya’s brows furrowed for a moment before realization dawned, “ooohhh… Hahaha… Okay, main samajh gai… ab neeche jaati hun warna guests sochenge ke yahan dulhan ke jagah dulha sharmila hai.”

Sameer let out a breath of relief as Maya left and Naina giggled again. He looked at his wife, “bahot hasi aa rahi hai?”

She nodded, “kya karu… Maya se milte hi tumhari shakal dekhne jaisi ho gai thi…”

Before he could form a proper comeback to the teasing from his wife, the next guests came up on stage and Sameer was extremely surprised to see them. He had not expected them to arrive, even though he had invited them. “Mr. Rathore”, he smiled, “mujhe bahot achcha laga aap aaye.”

Mr. Rathore nodded, a small smile on his face, “shaadi ki bahot bahot mubarakbaad.”

Sameer quickly introduced, “yeh meri patni… Naina… Aur yeh Mr. Rathore, jinse milne main Jaipur gaya tha.”

Naina smiled, knelt to take blessings along with Sameer, and then wished, “Namaste…”

Mr. Rathore introduced his family, “yeh Kavita, meri beti… Aap toh mil chuke hai isse. Aur yeh mere damadji Vikram Thakur… aur yeh mera pota, Karan Thakur.”

Sameer welcomed them all, and then said, “aap logo ne bataya hota toh main car bhijwa deta… Rehne ka bhi intezaam…”

“Koi baat nahi”, Mr. Rathore interrupted, “hum hamare dost ke ghar ruke hai. Aur aapko bata diya hota toh shaadi ka tohfa kaise dete… Kavita surprise dena chahti thi.”

“Surprise?”, Sameer was puzzled, “kaisa surprise?”

Mr. Rathore linked his finger behind his back, “Mr. Maheshwari… aapko pata hona chahiye ke uss din meeting me jis tarah se aapne mujhse bartaav mujhe bilkul achcha nahi laga…” Sameer started to apologize but Mr. Rathore shook his head, “meri baat poori karne dijiye… mujhe achcha nahi laga… lekin zaroori tha ke koi mujhe aaina dikhaye. Aapne uss din jo tarq mere saamne raha woh bilkul sahi tha… Main auroton ki pragati ke liye kaam karta hun, lekin apne khud ke ghar me bhed-bhaav kar raha tha. Jis tarah se aapne yeh baat mere saamne rakhi mujhe laga ke koi mujhse chota aise kaise baat kar sakta hai… Par baad me ehsaas hua ke aap umar me chote hai, par soch bahot badi rakhte hai. Isiliye maine aur Kavita ne ek faisla liya hai.”

He gestured his daughter, and Kavita handed over a file, “yeh Maheshwari Industries aur Rathore Textiles ke merger ka proposal hai. Isme humne hamara vision aur hamari sharte dono likhi hai… Aap poora waqt leke ise padhke dekhiye, aur agar aapko sahi lage toh hum agreement sign karneko taiyar hai.”

Sameer was dumbfounded as he looked at the file, but quickly gathered himself, and queried, “merger… matlab… aapke taraf se Kavitaji honge?”

Mr. Rathore nodded, “haan… isme sab details hai. Aap baad me padhke dekh lijiye aur mujhe call kijiyega. Ek baar phirse, shaadi ke liye congratulations… Aur aapka faisla chahe jo bhi ho, aapka aur Nainaji ka Jaipur me hamesha swagat hoga.”

As her father walked away from the stage, Kavita smiled, “congratulations aap dono ko… And thank you Sameerji… Aapke wajah se bahot saalo ki doori kam ho gai hamare ghar me.”

A quick photograph was clicked, and then the family went down from the stage. Few more guests were waiting to meet, including some of their school and college friends. Dinner had started by then; so many guests were already out in the garden. As they got a picture clicked with their friends, Kamya commented, “yaar… Mitali ko bulana chahiye tha aaj… Shakal dekhni thi uski…”

Sameer laughed, “card toh diya tha, par aayi nahi.”

Hema queried, “kya? Sach me card diya tha uss chudail ko? Tum bhool gaye woh Naina ko kitna pareshan karti thi?”

Naina chuckled, “aree Sameer mazak kar rahe hai… Darasal peechle mahine hi woh mili thi hume… CG Road wale naye shopping plaza me.”

Everyone immediately queried about the happenings of the meet, and Sameer narrated it with relish, making all of them laugh out. Finally after a couple of pictures with Munna, Pandit, Deepika, Rohan, Preeti and Swati, they all went out for dinner. Sameer was hungry enough, but they still had a long journey to the table as many people who had finished eating came to chit-chat, and each time the couple had to stop and talk. They had to mingle as Sameer had mentioned earlier in the car. And this was where the real test for Naina was. On the stage when people came to meet, they rarely had time to carry on a conversation; it was just a few greetings and photographs. But here on the floor, people talked, and she being the new bride had to face a lot of questions.

People wanted to know how they had met, office staff wanted to know if she would be coming to the factory, several ladies wanted to know how it was to be married into a rich family, relatives wanted to know when the couple would come over to their house. Naina tried her best to talk, to keep up with the several discussions, divulging enough but withholding more. It was tough in the beginning and she faltered often, but slowly she got the hang of it, her experience of talking to her students’ parents and the editors for her short stories came handy. Sameer stood by her all the time, supporting or interrupting as and when needed, but he too noticed how she slowly became comfortable and managed on her own. Vishakha also noticed the same from a distance, and finally when Naina was talking to Bela, she came over to her son and commented, “Naina ne kaafi achche se handle kar liya sab logo ko… maine socha nahi tha…”

Sameer smiled, his eyes fixed on his wife, “mujhe pata tha kar legi… woh teacher reh chuki hai toh usko aadat hai alag alag tarah ke logo se baat karneki… Aur rishtedaaro ke maamle me toh Agarwal khandaan humse bada hi hai.”

Vishakha chuckled, “haan woh toh hai… suno beta… tum log kha lo… kaafi der ho gai hai… Log toh milte rahenge, par tum logo ki sehat kharab ho jayegi aur der karoge toh.”

He nodded and walked up to stand beside his wife, smiling at everyone, and queried, “aap logo ne khana kha liya?”

Bela replied, “nahi beta… tum log betho khane, tabhi hum bethenge.”

“Saath bethte hai na”, he proposed. This time Anand responded, “nahi nahi… hum iss table pe bethte hai… Tum log apne dosto ke saath betho.”

Taiji interrupted, “neva Anand babu… ab bholuram bol raha hai toh betho na saath me.”

Sameer pressed his lips to hide his smile; he had been wondering why Taiji had been so silent since she had arrived. But then he had attributed it to the shock of seeing Naina dressed up in expensive saree and the ancestral jewelry set. Naina had been reluctant to wear it, but Preeti had assured that even though it was heavy it would look good with the saree she was wearing, and also that it surely matched the status of new Maheshwari bride. When the family had come up on stage he had seen Taiji’s eyes zoom in on Naina’s necklace, and he had almost nearly grinned. Tauji was always a man of fewer words, so he had simply congratulated and asked how they were.

Anand tried to explain, “bhabhiji hum sab saath me bethenge toh ek table pe sab nahi beth payenge na. Kursi kam padegi… Isiliye inko dosto ke saath bethne dijiye.”

Bela added, “bhagwan jhooth na bulaye… bilkul theek bol rahe hai Preeti ke papa. Aur waise bhi inn dono se milne mehmaan aate rahenge, toh aap inke saath bethenge toh zyada kha nahi payenge.”

“Oh bai”, Taiji exclaimed, “kya boli tu?”

Just then Phulla Bua arrived holding onto Arjun’s hand, “kya chal raha hai yahan pe? Mandli kyun laga rakhi hai?”

Sameer and Naina knelt to take her blessings, since she hadn’t walked up on stage owing to her knee pain. Phulla bua blessed them and commented, “aree waah Naina… Tu toh aaj bhi bilkul dulhan ki tarah taiyar hui hai. Kinti sundar lag rahi hai.”

“Aaj subah bhi lag rahi thi”, Sameer pitched in, “humne saath me sareeya kharidi thi na Chachiji… Sindhi market se… Unme se ek pehni thi.”

Bela excitedly queried, “sach me? Konsi wali?”

“Orange-pink wali”, Naina replied and Sameer expertly added, “Gharchola saree.”

“Aur set konsa pehna tha beta?” Bela further asked, “bhaari wala kuch pehna tha na? Muh dikhai me halka pehenke toh nahi chali gai neeche?”

Before Naina could reply, Sameer did, “nahi nahi Chachiji… Naina ko pata tha ke function me thoda bhaari wala pehenna chahiye. Toh usne Phulla Bua wala set pehna tha… mast lag raha tha ekdum… Aur baliya kitni sundar thi, mujhe toh pehle samajh me hi nahi aaya tha kaise pehente hai use.”

Phulla Bua teased, “chalo Naina ko saree kharidne me bilkul taklif nahi hogi… Aisa pati dhunda hai jisko har tarah ke saree ki samajh hai. Aur ab saaj-shringaar bhi samajh aane laga hai… Kuch dino me chudiya bhi kharidne lagega…”

Everyone chuckled, but Sameer instead of feeling embarrassed, raised his collar. Taiji murmured, “oh bai… Ab bholuram thodi na har baar saare kharidega.”

Sameer grinned, “kyun nahi… Naina khud toh shopping me bilkul dhyan nahi deti… Toh main hi karunga na… Waise bhi mujhe toh bahot mazaa aata hai Naina ke liye cheeze kharidne me. College me chudi aur bali chup-chupke deta tha, par ab toh koi nahi rok sakta, aur naa hi Naina ko chupana padega…”

This information raised quite a few brows, and Naina elbowed her husband in his stomach. Thankfully Arjun interrupted, “aree… dosto ne shaadi ka tohfa diya ke nahi?”

Preeti replied, “denge… par pehle khana… kasam se bahot bhuk lagi hai.”

“Mujhe bhi”, Sameer agreed, “chalo jaldi kha lete hai…”

Most of the guests were done, and some people came to meet them before leaving. It took them twenty minutes more to be finally seated for dinner. Waiters started to serve them immediately, and Sameer sighed, “ab tie thoda loose kar du?”

Naina nodded with a smile, “haan… kardo.”

“Bhai”, Rohan teased, “sab kuch ab bhabhi se puchke hi karoge kya?”

Sameer smirked, “tumhari bhabhi ko main tie me sexy lagta hun, isiliye puchna banta hai.”

Naina gasped and blushed, while others giggled at the smug expression on Sameer’s face. They kept chatting as they ate, and the waiters kept hovering around taking care of refilling the drinks or serving more food as needed. Sameer picked up a bit of paneer dish with naan and held it up for Naina to eat, and she smiled as she accepted it. He smiled, gesturing towards the dum aloo, and she obliged, feeding him the same. Pointing at a mix-vegetable gravy he asked, “yeh wali sabji shaadi ke din bhi thi na?”

“Nahi”, Naina replied, “shaadi ke menu me mix-vegetable nahi rakha tha. Thand ka hi mausam hai toh undhiyu rakhvaya tha na puri ke saath.”

He helped himself to more food, “oh haan… sach kahu toh mujhe yaad hi nahi uss din humne kya khaya tha.”

Preeti looked puzzled, “kyun? Saath me bethke hi toh khaya tha.”

Naina smiled, “haan par… uss din… dhyan khane pe nahi tha. Varmala ke baad dinner tha toh dimag me bas honewale phere aur rasme hi chal rahi thi… Khaya kya tha yeh toh mujhe bhi yaad nahi hai… Par menu humne hi fix kiya tha toh items yaad hai.”

Rohan giggled, “bhai ka dhyan khane pe naa ho yeh pehli baar hua hoga.”

Sameer stuck his tongue out at his brother. From a nearby table Vishakha observed this playful lively chatter and felt amazed at how she had once thought that Sameer was not capable of understanding love and relationships. Just having Naina in his life had made such a difference that he not just reciprocated love but also made others feel worthy of loving. Rohan, who had been always shy and introvert, now seemed so comfortable when it came to talking with people or being present in-front of a large crowd. And this change had happened because of Sameer’s acceptance of just how he was, and his guidance… Rohan had changed, and it was for the better. And not just Rohan, somehow her husband, Vivek, had also changed. Vivek’s and Sameer’s relationship hadn’t blossomed like a tree full of flowers, there was still saltiness, but at least there was some amount of mutual respect now as opposed to the complete disregard earlier. Sameer had accepted Vivek’s place in her life, in Rohan and Deepika’s life; and in turn Vivek had accepted Sameer’s importance in her life too. Not just that… Vivek also did manage to express that Sameer was a good businessman, and also accepted that he had good intentions for Rohan even if it meant for their son to become a professor instead of a businessman. She was sure that her father, who was surely watching over them from heaven, would be extremely proud of his grandson and also of his choice of life partner.

After dinner everyone scattered around, handling the remaining guests, wishing them goodbye. The hullabaloo of the wedding would finally end tonight… And all of them were looking forward to a few days of respite before returning back to normal. Finally it was just the family members around, and Bela proposed that they should leave too. But Preeti stopped them, “aree mummy ruko na… abhi tak toh family walo ne koi gifts nahi diye hai.”

Anand was bit perplexed, and said, “beta humne toh stage pe hi de diya.”

Preeti nodded, “haan aapne de diya… par hum sab baaki hai na.”

Taiji grumbled, “neva! Bol toh aise rahi hai jaise baal kaatke khazana ikhatta kar liya ho.”

Rohan scowled, but Preeti just chuckled, “khazana sirf meri kamai ka nahi hai… sabka milaake hai. Par haan ek cheez sirf meri taraf se hai mere jijaji ke liye…”

“Ruko”, Pooja didi interrupted, “pehle main dungi… Rishi ke wajah se stage pe bhi zyada der nahi ruk paai… Isiliye yahan pehle hamara gift.”

Varun handed over a bag to Sameer and Naina, which contained a fairly large box, and everyone wondered what it was. Preeti suggested opening it, but Naina said, “humne koi gift nahi khole.”

“Toh kya hua”, Swati said, “woh sab toh guests ne diye hai… yeh toh hum sab log de rahe hai na… Kholo na…”

Naina glanced once at Vishakha, who smiled and nodded in approval. Sitting down on a sofa, Naina carefully pulled out the box from the bag, and unwrapped it to reveal an assortment of things… There was a candle set with holders, a photoframe made of carved polished wood, a thick journal of handmade parchment, and some DIY decoration materials like stickers, glitters, and colored pens. Sameer was perplexed at the choice of gift items, and wondered what the use was, but Naina seemed to be extremely excited as she said, “thank you didi… thank you jijaji…”

Pooja didi grinned, and explained, “yeh mombatti wala stand hai na Varunji Mumbai se laaye hai, aur yeh photoframe hum Manali ghumne gaye the na wahan se liya… Sameer, tumko pata hai Naina ko bachpan me na color wale pen aur pencil bahot achche lagte the… Notebook me har rang se likha karti thi… Dekho, aaj bhi iske chehre pe chamak aa gai yeh dekhke.”

Sameer picked up the glitter pens, and asked, “tumhe sach me yeh pasand hai?”

Naina enthusiastically nodded, “haan… yeh diary me na main hamare photo lagaungi… aur neeche poora varnan hoga uss photo ka… kahan khincha tha… Socho na… hamari yaadon ki kitaab.”

He smiled at his wife, “achcha idea hai… main bhi help karunga.”

This assurance brought a big smile on her face. Preeti came up next with her gift, “yeh jijaji ke liye.”

Sameer accepted it, “sirf mera?”

Preeti nodded, “haan… Naina ko toh shaadi ke pehle hi de diya tha… woh bada wala makeup aur jewelery box.”

“Oh”, Sameer muttered, “main yeh kholta hun…” He opened the blue wrapping paper, and then laughed softly on seeing a men’s grooming kit. Taiji let out an Oh bai on seeing the contents. Preeti hesitantly explained, “yeh hamare parlor me kuch kits mangvaye the… imported wale hai. Maine socha aapko pasand aayega…”

Sameer had understood that it was expensive, “mujhe bahot pasand aaya Preeti… Lekin itna mehenga tohfa kharidneki kya zaroorat thi?”

Preeti smiled, “aap thodi na roz shaadi karenge. Ek hi baar ka tohfa hai… Phir toh poori zindagi aap mujhe tohfa denge. Aakhir saali jo thehri…”

“Achcha”, Sameer quirked a brow, “saari planning kar rakhi abhi se saali saahiba.”

Pandit clapped his hands, “ab hamari baari…”

Just then Arjun interrupted, “nahi… umm… pehle main…” Naina and Sameer were surprised when Arjun stepped forward, and after a bit of hesitation gave an envelope and a small box to Naina, and a slightly bigger and heavier box to Sameer. The couple looked at one another, and then Sameer gestured Naina to open hers first. Naina carefully peeled open the red wrapping, and discovered a small portable music player, similar to the one she used to play songs to Sameer. There was a small cassette inside too, and she pressed the play button. After a minute a deep familiar voice narrated a poetry she had never heard before…

Kaho toh ek baar phir chaand taare paas le aau,

Kaho toh ek baar phir chaand taare paas le aau,

Ugte suraj ki halki si aag le aau,

Bas tu muskurade,

Aankhon se wahi pyaar jhalka de,

Bahot dil dukhaya hai…

Bahot dil dukhaya hai, yeh maana maine,

Par dard par marham laganeka ek mauka de,

Ab tak itna kuch padhaya hai,

Bas ek baar phir se iss rishte ka hisaab kardo na,

Bas ek baar phir se iss rishte ka hisaab kardo na,

Naina… Mujhe maaf kardo na.

Sameer stared at the cassette player, his eyes wide with surprise on listening to the poetry. His friends were in a similar state, and Munna gasped, “yeh toh… yeh toh school me likha the tune…”

Naina queried, “kab?”

Instead of Sameer, Arjun answered, “Mt. Abu se aaneke baad. Jab school wapas khula… Sameer yeh cassette aur yeh card leke aa raha tha tumse apne pyaar ka izhaar karne, par beech me main aa gaya… Yeh usi din ki baat hai jis din hamari ladai hui thi.”

Naina was amazed, “hospital se nikalneke baad tumne yeh sab…”

“Nanu ka idea tha”, Sameer replied in a choked voice, “meri toh samajh me nahi aa raha tha ke tum mujhe maaf tak nahi kar rahi toh phir main yeh kaise kahu tumse ke main tumhe pyaar karne laga hun… Itna pareshan tha ke Nanu puchte rahe, aur maine unko sab bata diya… Woh bahot udaas hue the yeh baat sunke ke maine tumhara dil toda, lekin phir unhone hi mujhe salaah di ke agar dil toda hai toh jodna bhi padega na… Jab mujhe aisa lag raha the ke koi ummeed nahi bachi, tab Nanu ne mujhe ummeed di, tumhe phir se hasane ka sapna dikhaya… Aur phir bas main wahi sapna poora karne me lag gaya.”

Naina swallowed once, and gently pulled out the card from the pink envelope to reveal a cheesy “I Love You” message, but the inside was full of cut-outs of her pictures and tiny hearts drawn by Sameer. The tears she was trying to control, spilled over, and when she looked at Sameer his eyes were also full… Forgetting the presence of everyone around them, still holding the card, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He too immediately reciprocated, holding her, squeezing his eyes shut, because the poem had hit him with an unknown force and he was suddenly missing Nanu too much. He recalled how Nanu had always been a friend to him, his support system in his teenage years, guiding him, teaching him and believing in his love. Naina stroked his back, and murmured, “thank you… uss waqt itni koshish karne ke liye. Kaash ek baar main Nanaji ko bhi mil paati…”

Sameer drew back from her, wiped his tears and smiled, “Nanu ne sabse pehle hi tumhe aashirwaad de diya tha… Tension mat lo… Upar se dekhke muskura rahe honge aaj bhi.”

She also wiped her tears, and looked at her brother, “thank you bhaiya… itne saalo baad yeh card aur tape mila… sirf aapki wajah se… thank you.”

Arjun shook his head, “cassette aur tape dono mere ek dost ne utha liya tha. Baad me jab ghar pe mujhse milne aaya tab diya tha… Main toh shayad phenk deta par taang tuti hui thi toh uth nahi sakta tha, aur kisi aur ke haatho me dena sahi nahi laga. Isiliye chupa diya… Pooja didi ki shaadi ke baad kitni baar socha phenk dunga, par hua nahi… shayad isiliye ke kahin na kahin jaanta tha ke main galat hun. Khair… Mujhe laga isse achcha mauka nahi milega tumhe tumhari cheez lautaneki.”

Naina smiled, “Sameer ki di hui har ek cheez ab tak mere paas hai… thank you inn cheezo ko itne saal sambhal ke rakhne ke liye.” Then she looked at her husband, “Sameer… apna tohfa kholo na.”

He nodded, and opened the wrapping to find a white cardboard box. Lifting the lid, he pulled out the content, and gasped. It was… a trophy… The year inscribed told him it was the man of the match trophy that Arjun had won in school, along with the car for his father. But to his utmost surprise the name Arjun Agarwal had been scratched off, and instead Sameer Maheshwari was written on top. Before Sameer could ask anything, Arjun said, “trophy ke andar dekho.”

Sameer peeked inside, and his face clouded with confusion as he pulled out a pin… Turning it in his hand, he saw it was the headboy badge from school. He was extrmemly puzzled, “Arjun… yeh sab kya hai?”

Arjun smiled, “yeh trophy uss din tum hi jeet te agar maine cheating naa ki hoti toh… Jaan-bujhke tumhe run out karwaya taaki khud jeetu, aur uske baad bhi tumne hi meri madad ki jeetne me… Aur yeh badge… dekha jaaye toh yeh bhi tumhara hi hona chahiye. Haan, main tumse zyada behtar tha padhai me, aur jeet sakta tha, par wahan bhi maine cheating ki… Uss waqt agar meri chori pakdi gayi hoti, toh headboy tum bante aur tum iske haqdaar bhi the kyunki tumne wakai me mehnat ki thi aur sachchai se competition me hissa liya tha.”

Sameer stood up, “Arjun… tumko pata hai na… agar main headboy hota toh poora school discipline ke jagah masti seekh raha hota. Uss waqt headboy competition me hissa lene ki wajah sirf mummy thi, mere koi nek khayalaat nahi the… Aur rahi baat cricket trophy ki toh uss din main khelne aaya hi tha tumhara saath dene… mujhe na state team me select hona tha, aur naa hi car chahiye thi… main toh Naina ke bhai ko jeetne me madad karne aaya tha. Isiliye yeh dono cheezo pe ab tak tumhara hi haq hai…”

“Par main chahta hun inhe tum rakho”, Arjun prompted.

Sameer assured, “theek hai… main rakhunga kyunki tumne mujhe yeh tohfe me diya… Lekin iska matlab yeh nahi hai ke tum yeh cheeze deserve nahi karte. Tum har kamyaabi ke kaabil ho, bas khud pe bharosa nahi tha tumhe…”

Arjun nodded, smiled and then was surprised when Sameer hugged him, but at the same time he felt the weight of his own past mistakes lift away from his shoulders and he took a deep breath of relief.

As they separated, Swati clucked her tongue, “sab emotional ho gaye… Munna, jaldi se hamara gift nikalo… sabko hasana padega na phirse.”

Naina and Sameer looked on with curiosity as Munna, Pandit and Rohan brought a red heart shaped box, big enough that three boys had space to hold, and it had a lock as well. They placed the box on the sofa, between Sameer and Naina, and grinned. Sameer was puzzled, “isme kya hai?”

“Bhai… kholega toh pata chal jayega na”, Pandit chided.

Naina twirled the small bronze lock, “par chaabi kahan hai?”

“Hamare paas hai”, Shefali and Swati said in unison.

Naina extended her hand, but Preeti shook her head and said, “uh uh… aise nahi… chaabi milne ke liye ek sawaal ka jawaab dena hoga.”

Sameer cautiously asked, “kaisa sawaal?”

Shefali posed the question, “tum dono ne ek dusre ke baare me pehla romantic dream konsa dekha tha aur kab?”

Naina’s eyes widened, “yeh… yeh kaisa sawaal hai? Shefali… tu…”

“Sirf Shefali nahi, hum bhi janna chahte hai”, Preeti added.

Taiji adjusted her pallu, covering half her mouth in shame, “oh bai… Bela sambhal apni ladki ko.”

Rohan pleaded, “bhai poori love story toh bata chuke ho… yeh bhi bata do na.”

Sameer stared at his wife who was blushing scarlet, her hands fidgeting as if she was not sure what to do… Suddenly she bit her lip and the recollections of all his erotic dreams flashed through his mind… He pressed his lips afraid he would blurt something improper, and his cheeks also turned a shade of crimson. Pandit came over beside them, and leaned to whisper in Sameer’s ears, “bhai… itna laal mat ho… romantic dream bola hai… tharkee nahi…”

Jerking at the words, Sameer gasped, “yeh bahot ajeeb sawaal hai.”

“Bataona…”, everyone pleaded.

After a bit of thought, Sameer sighed, “theek hai…” Naina looked up at him, her eyes wide, and he smiled, blinking in assurance. Taking a deep breath he said, “mera pehla romantic sapna unn dino ka tha jab main Naina ko manane ki koshish kar raha tha. Roz uske ghar jaake Arjun ki sewa ke saath Naina ka dil jodne ke liye bhi papad belna padta tha… Jis din Naina ne sabke saamne Arjun ke theek hone ka credit mujhe diya, uss din wapas ghar jaake main sapna dekhne laga ke main apne room me Naina ke saath dance kar raha hun. Couple wala romantic dance… par Naina ko choone ki ijazat nahi thi sapne me bhi, toh couple dance bhi thoda dur se hi kar rahe the.”

“Awww…”, Preeti clasped her hands, “yeh to cute wala sapna hai.”

Munna sniggered, “pyaar ka izhaar karne se pehle hi dance ke sapne… waah waah…”

Sameer blushed, and Naina smiled glancing at him. She remembered about this dream, the song, the way they had danced… He had described everything to her. Soon Shefali prodded, “ab teri baari Naina…”

Naina thought for a moment, chuckling at her own dream, and said, “mera pehla sapna romantic tha zaroor par baad me darawna ban gaya…”

Sameer curiously queried, “kaise?”

She shook her head at her own recollection, “yaad hai main aapko headboy competition ke liye padha rahi thi aur papa ne pakad liya toh maine bol diya ke main aapko apni marzi se nahi padha rahi thi?” He nodded and she continued, “usi din raat ko maine sapna dekha ke aap Munna aur Pandit ki madad se seedi leke mere balcony tak aa gaye, aur mujhe bula rahe the… Jaise hi main bahar aai, aapne mera haath maanga taaki aap theek se upar aa sake… Pehli baar aapka haath pakadne ki ummeed, aapko choone ki jhijak… Par phir maine aapka haath pakda, aur andar aane me madad ki… Aap gussa the ke maine papa ke saamne jhooth bola… Aap chahte the ke main poore haq se bolu ke main apni marzi se aapko padha rahi hun… Mera haath pakadke mujhe kamre se bahar le gaye… Aur saamne achanak se papa aa gaye.”

Pandit asked in a hushed voice, “phir kya hua?”

Naina laughed, “phir kya hona tha… jo zor ka chaata pada sapne me ke neend hi khul gai… Aur dekha toh balcony bilkul khali.”

Their families laughed at the description but Sameer was silent, lost in thoughts. She poked him, “kya soch rahe hai aap?”

He glanced at her, and blurted, “soch raha hun tum toh school me hi badi tez thi… bekar me maine itna intezaar kiya haath pakadne ke liye.”

She gasped and promptly blushed profusely, causing everyone to laugh more, until Vishakha put a stop to it, saying that it was late, and they should wrap up this gifting session soon. Swati agreed, handing over the key to Naina, who carefully unlocked the small bronze lock. Sameer undid the tiny bolt and then lifted the top half of the heart. It was filled with glittering ribbons and colorful thermocol balls. He frowned, “yeh koi mazak hai?”

“Nahi bhai”, Rohan assured, “andar haath daalke dhundo.”

Both Naina and Sameer thrust their hands in the ample thermocol balls, and after a moment, her fingers touched something like a fat paper. She carefully pulled out a red envelope and exclaimed, “mil gaya mujhe.”

“Mujhe bhi”, Sameer added, pulling out a crystal globe with a dancing couple inside. He turned it over and flicked a switch on bottom, and then turned it back to its original position. A beautiful music floated out of it, and the white flakes inside the globe swirled because of the way Sameer had turned it, and the figurine of the couple twirled to the music.

Naina stroked the globe, “kitna khoobsurat hai… Thank you.”

“Envelope toh kholo”, Shefali impatiently prompted.

Sameer handed over the globe to Naina, and took the envelope from her hands to find hotel booking receipt of Udaipur for the next weekend. It was a three night’s stay in Lake Palace Hotel along with an added booking of a dinner at their fine dining restaurant. Surprised, he looked at the bunch of people, “yeh kya hai?”

Naina peeked into the papers and gasped, “Udaipur…”

Preeti explained, “hume pata hai tum dono honeymoon pe late jaane wale ho… Par shaadi ke baad toh ghumna banta hai na. Isiliye humne socha…”

“Kyun na Udaipur bheje tum dono ko”, Swati continued, “waise bhi college se gaye the tab kitni ichcha thi jijaji ki tere saath akele ghumne ki.”

“Haan”, Munna took over, “par college professors ke wajah se ho nahi paaya. Aur bhabhi bhi itne akele jaati nahi thi tere saath… Toh humne socha ab achcha mauka hai.”

Sameer protested, “par itna kharcha karne ki kya zaroorat hai.”

Pandit clucked his tongue, “bhai… hum sab kamate hai… Tu itni fikar mat kar. Aur yeh hum sabne milke diya hai… Preeti, Swati, Shefali, Rohan, Munna aur main… Toh tu kharche ki fikar mat kar… bas enjoy kar.”

“Bilkul”, Shefali grinned, “aur car leke jaana… humne isiliye train ya flight nahi karwaya. Drive karke jaoge toh mazaa aayega aur raste me kahin aur ruk bhi paoge agar man ho toh.”

“Lekin Shefali”, Naina objected, “yeh hotel bahot mehenga hai.”

Rohan pitched in, “bhabhi… yeh booking bhai ne karwai hoti toh bhi aap aisa bolte kya? Nahi na… Toh phir aapke saare devar, aur bhai ki saari saaliya milke itna sa bhi nahi kar sakte kya? Please mana mat kijiye na…”

Sameer was still puzzled about the whole thing, but Naina acquiesced silently as she looked at him and gave a small nod. He immediately grinned, “theek hai done… Waise bhi main bewakuf thodi na hun jo mini honeymoon ke liye mana karu?”

Their friends cheered and Naina blushed, making him grin wider and he already started to happily anticipate the trip. It would be a good one, and he could combine it with his Jaipur trip… The merger with Rathore Textiles needed to be settled at the earliest, and he had wanted to take Naina along. So they could go to Jaipur first and then come back via Udaipur. It would be an extremely long drive, but he would find a way, maybe a driver…

Munna’s voice interrupted his thoughts, “dekho yaaro… Sameer toh abhi se Udaipur pahonch gaya.”

Vishakha laughed, “Udaipur jaane me waqt hai… Filhaal ghar chalo.”

Gifts were packed and stowed in cars… Naina bade goodbye to Chachaji and family… Bela reminded her about pehli rasoi and pag-phera… Taiji passed some snide comment which Naina ignored… The hotel’s banquet manager came over to thank them and asked if everything was alright, Sameer assured that it was and requested the bill to be sent at his office so that the remaining payment could be done. Finally, it was time to go, and Sameer wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist, gently querying, “tum theek ho? Thak gai hogi na?”

She smiled up at him, “zyada nahi… bas yeh heels utaarne hai.”

He tilted his head to look at her feet, “heels… tabhi sochu ke achanak tumhari height kaise badh gai. Maine dekha hi nahi ghar se nikalte waqt… Meri nazar toh ek hi jagah pe atki thi…”

She asked, “kahan?”

He smirked, “tumhare blouse pe… Jab pehna tabhi se soch raha hun ke sirf do hooks pe kaise rahega… koi risk toh nahi…”

She gasped, “Sameer… tum bhi na… aur tumko kaise pata ke sirf do hooks hai? Andar…”

“Kuch nahi hai”, he finished her sentence, “tumhare saare naye wale blouses maine shaadi se pehle hi theek se dekhe the… Mujhe pata hai ke iska back cut itna deep hai ke andar tum kuch nahi pehnogi… aur isiliye blouse stitch bhi waise hi kiya hai…”

Her face flushed, “tumne shaadi se pehle yeh sab… aisa kaise?”

He chuckled, “kyun? Tumko toh dekh liya tha toh tumhare blouse nahi dekh sakta?” She didn’t know how to react, but he continued in an extremely low voice, “ek baat bolu… secret wala…”

She gulped, “kya?”

He leaned down a bit, “maine hooks kholneka practice bhi kiya tha inn blouses pe…”

She almost choked, clapping a hand over her mouth, as she sat in the car, and he slid in beside her. He moved her hand away, “kuch bologi nahi?”

She shook her head, shifting her gaze to the window as Rohan sat inside along with Deepika, and started to drive. After a moment, Sameer stroked a finger down the side of her waist, causing her to gasp. Deepika immediately asked, “kya hua bhabhi?”

“K…Kuch nahi”, Naina stammered, “neend aa rahi hai.”

Sameer chuckled, and murmured, “sach me?”

She bit her lip, and watched his eyes darken, her pulse tripped as she somehow knew that he was aroused. Swallowing hard, she grabbed his hand, and shook her head, hoping he would understand that he shouldn’t tease her. But he just smiled, moved his eyes down her body, and licked his lips. Her body clenched, she closed her eyes, but instead of moving away from him, she leaned towards him and placed her head on his shoulders. He smiled, wrapping his hand around her shoulder, and murmured, “I love you sweetheart…”

“Love you too”, she whispered.

It took them another fifteen minutes to reach home, and as the several gifts were brought in, Sameer thought that his mother and mamiji might ask them to stay back and see the things first. He had no intention to stay downstairs… He had stayed patient all through the day, even in evening when Naina was getting ready he hadn’t done anything, though the sight of her in that blouse was enough to make him forget everything else. Now he wanted to go up to their room, he wanted to kiss her, touch her, and… make love to her if she was feeling okay. And so as soon as his mother came over, he yawned loudly.

Naina glanced at him in surprise because this was so unusual of him, “kya hua?”

He shook his head, “bas thodi neend aa rahi hai…”

Her eyes narrowed, and she smiled a bit, amused at his hurry. But if she was honest, she also wanted to rush upstairs right at that moment. It would take time to change and freshen up, and the wait was too difficult. Vishakha looked around at the things in the living room, and said, “yeh sab kal theek se rakhva denge, dekhne ke baad. Abhi 12 baj gaye hai, jao tum log jaake fresh hoke so jao… Thak gaye honge… Hum bhi so jaate hai.”

Sameer grinned, “okay… good night mummy.”

“Good Night”, Naina also wished and then followed Sameer to go upstairs. Deepika thundered up after them, “bhabhi… ek story sunao na.”

Sameer scowled, “Deepika abhi nahi… bhabhi thak gai hai.”

“Bhabhi please”, Deepika pleaded.

Rohan also tried to take her away, “main sunata hun na story… chalo…”

But Deepika was adamant, “nahi… bhabhi hi…”

Sameer opened his mouth to say something, but Naina interrupted, “story se behtar ek idea hai mere paas… ek minute…” She asked Sameer to unlock their room, and then went inside. She was back in a minute with a big box gift wrapped in pink paper. Leaning down to Deepika she gave it to her, “yeh tumhara gift… maine kaha tha na aaj dungi.”

“Wow”, Deepika squealed in excitement, and setting it on the floor, she tore open the paper to see a set of books. Naina explained, “yeh Enid Blyton ki Famous Five hai… 22 books hai… mujhe yeh stories bahot pasand hai, lekin kaafi saal ho gaye padhe hue toh zyada yaad nahi. Tum ek kaam karo… aaj isme se first book padhna shuru karo, aur kal subah tum mujhe sunana jo tumne padha. Okay?”

Deepika hugged Naina, “thank you bhabhi… main kal subah breakfast ke time aapko story sunaungi.”

“Perfect”, Naina agreed, and kissed the enthusiastic girl’s forehead, “good night.”

Deepika picked up the box, and hopped along to her room after wishing them good night. Rohan stood there for a few seconds before nodding and then he too left. Sameer grabbed Naina’s hand, and pulled her inside the room, locking the door, “good idea sweetheart…”

She smiled, wrapping her hands around his neck, “jaanti hun…”

He nuzzled her hair, “dard kaisa hai?”

“Konsa dard”, she murmured, kissing the side of his neck, “bas fresh hone do…”

“thodi der me”, he groaned, “pehle ek kiss…” She stretched up to kiss him, but flinched, and he was immediately concerned, “kya hua? Dard hai na ab tak?”

She shook her head, “nahi nahi… bas aidee me thoda dard hai… heels ke wajah se.”

He sighed is relief and then knelt to pick her up in his arms. Carrying her to the bed, he placed her on it, and sat down next to her. She immediately leaned forward and kissed him, making him gasp, and then his eyes closed as he opened up to her. Her left hand wound around his neck, sinking her fingers in the hair at his nape, as she stretched and deepened the kiss. He held her waist, shuddering in delight at the way she was kissing him. He thought of the plan to freshen up and change… But then her right hand picked at the knot of his loosened tie, and soon she pulled back from the kiss, tugging off the tie from around his neck.

“Naina”, he murmured, confirming once more, “tum pakka theek ho na?”

She threw an annoyed glare at him, trying to get rid of his suit, “kitni baar puchoge… kaha na theek hun.”

His jaw clenched, something glittered in his eyes, and then he grabbed her hand, using the hold to turn her away from him, and leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “aise hi betho.”

She didn’t know what he was up to, but soon felt his fingers on her head, undoing the pins holding her pallu. As the fabric slid down her back, the sensation was followed by his palm, roving impatiently over the bare skin. She closed her eyes as he loosened the necklace and pulled it over her head… She gasped on feeling his lips trace her nape, and a small tug made her realize that he had opened her earring as well… A fleeting thought crossed her mind at how quickly he had learned to undo her earrings, but soon she lost track of her thoughts as he gently bit down on her empty earlobe and sucked on it. She moaned, and he moved to her other ear, repeating the same procedure. The bun was easy since Preeti hadn’t used as much pins as the parlor people, and when the black mass of hair fell down he couldn’t help but sink his fingers in it, gently scraping down his nails down her spine.

“Sameer…”, she whimpered and fell back on his chest.

He kissed the side of her head, and wrapped his hand around her, doing quick work with the pins at her shoulder and waist… Lifting her hands he undid the kangan on both her wrists; there were no bangles to remove since she was wearing the chuda, so it was one less task… Though he remembered that she was wearing the heavy payal, but he would get to that later… First… there was something he intended to do.

Opening the bedside drawer he pulled out a velvet box, and picked a delicate necklace from it, and held it in-front of her throat. “Sameer”, this time her voice was laced with confusion as she felt the cool metal against her skin, and reached up to touch. She couldn’t see it, but she felt a thread of what seemed like stones, and turned to look at him. He smiled, “wow… gorgeous.”

“Kya…”, she started to ask, but he lifted the box to show her the earrings that were still in there. She blinked at the beautiful clusters of diamond, and then again touched the necklace at her throat, “Sameer yeh…”

“Suna tha shaadi ki pehli raat ko tohfa dete hai apni patni ko”, he replied, “par hum dono… baato baato me reh gaye… aur main gift dena bhul gaya.”

She chuckled at the ‘baato baato me’ description, “thank you… bahot khoobsurat hai.”

He grinned, “earrings pehnogi?”

She bit her lip, and requested, “kal subah pehnu? Abhi umm… abhi kuch aur mood hai.”

He laughed softly, and then removed the diamond necklace from around her neck, “mera bhi… par pehle fresh…”

However, his sentence remained unfinished as she suddenly lifted her hand and traced a finger down his throat… “Kaise hota hai yeh”, she murmured, staring fixedly as if fascinated by something… Somehow he dropped the necklace in the box, and asked, “kya?”

“Yeh jo nase dikhti hai kabhi kabhi”, she whispered, “gale pe, aur haatho pe…”

He shivered at her touch, “toh…?”

“Toh mera man hota hai…”, she suggested and trailed off. And before he could ask what she wished for, she reached up and kissed his throat. He held her around the waist, the heavy pallu that was unpinned, slithered down from her shoulder, giving him ample view of the glorious swells of her breasts. Her fingers moved over his broad shoulders, sliding off the suit jacket, and her teeth sank down gently at the juncture where his neck met his shoulder.

Oh. God.

There was a moment of dizziness, and then he captured her lips in a deep no-holds barred kiss. A flash of heat… An impression of light… The cool gust of air from the air conditioner… And then Naina was lost in a sensation of pure delight. His suit disappeared, the buttons of his shirt lay open, and she had no idea when she had done that, the only feeling clear in her mind was of her hand touching his bare skin. She didn’t know when he pulled her up, almost on his lap as he removed the heavy saree and let it fall on the floor. He jerked off his shirt, letting her hands wander on himself, and leaned down to nip at her shoulder. Turning her away from him once more, he fulfilled his long time fantasy as he pushed aside her hair, and then bent to kiss her back. She moaned, her hands fisting on the bedsheet, as his hands were wanton over her body, and his lips left a trail of heat down her spine. In just a few seconds, he deftly unhooked her blouse and slid his broad palms over her back, pushing the fabric away, his eyes gleaming at the sight of her bare golden flesh. The embroidered blouse was flung away carelessly, and his hands came up to cup her naked breasts, his wicked thumbs finding the puckered nubs almost immediately and rubbing them to painful hardness.

Her breathing ragged, she swiftly turned in his arms, and then tilted backwards, pulling him down on top of her. Her mouth found his once more, kissing him nearly to oblivion as his hands unknotted the thread of her underskirt and then tugged it away. He sat up, intending to remove his trousers, but froze just like last night… but this time the reason was the shiny satin red panty his wife was wearing. He tore his gaze away from the wicked sight, and looked in her eyes, only to find her lifted up on her elbows, smiling slyly as if she knew exactly what effect it had on him… And that’s when he knew that she had planned it… She had worn this on purpose, wanting him to see it tonight…

He stroked his hand up her thigh, “bahot surprises dene lagi ho aaj kal… par main shaadi ke pehle wala Sameer nahi hun jo control kar lunga.”

“Maine kab kaha ke control karo”, she promptly replied.

He stood up from the bed, unzipped and unbuttoned his trousers, pushing them down along with the boxers, letting her clearly see the effect, and was satisfied on seeing her face flush, her lips part as she exhaled through her mouth. Blessing her with a lopsided smirk, he grabbed one leg of hers and pulled it up on his shoulder… She gasped, unsure of what he was doing. He unhooked the heavy payal, dropping it on the floor on top of her saree, and then kissed her foot. She fell back on the bed, her eyes closed and she let out a soft whimper as he nipped at her shins. Her other leg was also pulled up, and soon she felt his mouth move up that leg too…

Parting her legs, he climbed up between them, kissing his way up her thighs, and then she jerked on feeling his lips along the line of her panty at her waist.

“Sameer”, she moaned aloud, as his tongue circled her navel and then dipped inside at the same time as his clever finger dipped inside the satin and touched her. Despite all the urgency of his arousal, he was gentle as he nudged one long finger inside her, testing if she was still sore. However, she didn’t flinch in reaction but rather arched her back and her fingers clenched on his shoulders. Satisfied, her tugged off the panty down her slim legs, and continued stroking her as he lowered his mouth to her breasts and… feasted.

It did seem just like that as his lips tugged, tongue flicked, teeth nipped and mouth suckled back and forth at her breasts… She whimpered, her hands moving over his body, trying to make him realize her urgent need. And it seemed he finally understood after a few minutes, because he pulled out his finger, parted her legs further and positioned himself on top of her. “Zara sa bhi dard ho toh batana”, he murmured once, and kissed her, starting to push in as slowly as he could, hoping he wouldn’t hurt her. But all she felt was a need so desperate that there was no other sensation she could focus on apart from the excruciatingly slow movement of his thrust. She hooked one leg around his hip, urging him on, and with a deep dark groan he finally thrust in to the hilt, his brain buzzing at the warm tight clench of her body.

He lifted his mouth, and kissed her forehead, staring down at her with pride and love as he started to move. The gentle thrusts made her moan, clutch onto him, demand more… And the inexorable pull of her body burned him hotter, degree by degree, until he increased the pace of his thrusts, giving her what her body demanded. She felt the smooth slide of him, the way his body rubbed against hers; her half-opened eyes roved over his shifting muscles, his intensely focused eyes, his hair covering his forehead… She felt him jerk, saw the corded veins at his neck, and came apart beaneath him with a keening moan… He placed his lips on hers to muffle the sound, his hips grounded against hers, and then he too gave over to the building passion inside him.

It took him a few minutes to come back to senses, and realize that once more he had collapsed on top of her. Groaning slightly, he manged to shift a bit to the side so that he wasn’t a dead weight on her. After a couple of more minutes he pulled out of her, and moved to lie beside her. She yawned, curled up in his arms, and commented, “hum fresh nahi hue…”

He chuckled, “kal subah naha lena.”

“Hmmm”, she murmured, “ab roz raat ko aise hi soungi… tumhari baaho me… bahot sukoon ki neend aati hai.”

He rubbed her back, and kissed her hair, “mujhe bhi… good night sweetheart.”

“Good Night”, she mumbled, her lips moving against his chest, “I love you.”

“I love you too”, he smiled, turning off the lights, and closed his eyes. The last thought in his mind before drifting off to sleep was that this was just the second night, and he could easily look forward to many more years of nights like this… Their once in a lifetime love had turned into a fairy-tale with days full of happily ever after, because they had chosen to fill each other’s life with love and happiness.