A Love Story: Then and Now

Then

Nirmal Jyoti society was decked up like a bride, never before had the people over there seen such a grand decoration, and lighting. The gates were covered in lights and fake ivy; the exterior walls had strings of fairy lights hanging from them; the road outside was lit up with several lamps and ribbons were connected from one lamp to another. A huge tent or mandap was set up in the society common ground, the bright red and pink fabric serving as the perfect background for the hundreds of yellow fairy lights. Several people had worked day and night for many days to achieve this result. It wasn’t any festival that demanded this kind of dedication, but rather it was the wedding preparation of Arjun Agarwal, the pampered son of Rakesh Agarwal, and the colony cricket star. The people working so hard for the wedding festivities were not just hired men, but also Arjun’s college friends and his cricket team.

Arjun Agarwal was the star player in VJN College, a student of third year and also the captain of the cricket team. And three days later he was getting married to his long time fiancé Juhi. Some people said that they were childhood sweethearts, given the families were well acquainted with each other. Other said they started dating as teenagers, after all being in the same school and college had its advantages. The families though, strictly maintained that it was an arranged wedding because they were a good match for each other and the kundlis also matched.

“Yaar yeh phool udhar lagane the”, Munna declared, wiping sweat off his forehead, “tune idhar kyun lagaye.”

His friend, Pandit, grumbled, “Sameer ne kaha idhar bhi lagane hai.”

A third boy, Ravi, asked, “hai kahan Sameer? Hum sabko kaam deke khud gayab hai.”

“Gayab nahi hai”, Arjun announced, coming down the stairs, “Juhi ka lehenga collect karna tha dukaan se, wahi lene gaya hai. Aata hi hoga.”

Just then a car horn beeped, and a blue Maruti-800 came to a stop in-front of the society gates. A handsome boy dressed in jeans and checked red-blue shirt stepped out, combed his fingers through his hair, and then took out a carefully arranged basket from the back seat. Smiling at the gang of boys, he came forward, “yeh lo dulhan ka joda.”

Pandit complained, “yeh kya Arjun… Hum sabko aise mazdoor bana diya hai aur Sameer ko itna mamuli sa kaam?”

Arjun laughed, “dulhan ka joda sabse important kaam hai. Tum log nahi samjhoge… Isiliye toh main saari important zimmedaari Sameer ko hi deta hun, fir chahe cricket team ki ho ya mere shaadi ki.”

Sameer chuckled, “vice-captain jo thehra… karna hi padega.”

All the boys started laughing at this… Sameer Maheshwari was a second year student in the same college, and also the vice-captain of the cricket team. It was only a matter of few months before this term would end, and along with it Arjun would graduate, which would mean that he would be the next captain. Everyone in the cricket team were his friends, but he had a special bond with Munna and Pandit. With Arjun it was a bond of mutual respect and common appreciation for the game of cricket, but over the span of 2 years since he had joined college and the cricket team, the bond had also strengthened. And that was the reason that despite being tagged as a boy from one of the richest families in Ahmedabad, he was here, working for Arjun’s wedding. It was a new experience, and he was enjoying it to the fullest. He knew some in-and-out of how middle class families functioned, given he had been friends with Munna-Pandit since childhood, but this was the first time he was almost living in this environment. The wedding preparations demanded that he spent the whole day in here, and since they all had study breaks for exams, none of them were worried about college. And this had given him a chance to observe things, the way of life in such families and close-knit societies, and also the people… especially Arjun’s two younger sisters – Naina and Preeti.

He had known that Arjun’s sisters had joined the same college, and studied in first year, but he had never paid any attention to them or even known who the girls were. Technically, he had met them first time a week ago, when he had come over to discuss the decoration plans. A mousy little girl had opened the door, and then fled inside. He hadn’t noticed much except two ponytails, and a scared pair of eyes. Later on when he had asked for water, the same girl had come to serve them, and Arjun had introduced, “Sameer tum isko toh jaante hi hoge… meri behen Naina. Hamare college me hi padhti hai… First year me.”

Sameer had blinked in astonishment… The girl dressed in plain skirt-top with two ponytails went to college? He had thought she was a school student. But then he had noticed that her nervous eyes were incredibly big and such a brilliant shade of brown. It almost looked as if the sunlight was captured inside them, and sparkled occasionally to mesmerize people. He had noticed that the small delicate hands sported long rounded nails, unpainted and clean. His eyes had drifted down her body, observing the dips and curves that betrayed her age spectacularly. And he had mused why the heck he had thought she was a school girl… And why had he never noticed her in college.

However the answer had been clear to him in just a couple of days. Naina was the silent one in her family, who faded into background, without bothering anyone. Compared to her, Preeti was like a storm, loud and sure of herself, she made herself heard. If Preeti’s laughter echoed around the house, Naina was the one who would have a tender smile on her face. If Preeti argued and demanded, Naina would just bow and accept. If Preeti was loved and pampered, Naina was disciplined and ideal. Apart from the obvious differences, he also got to know that Naina was brought up by Preeti’s parents, her Chacha-Chachi; and he could see how her father totally ignored her. He never had much care for Arjun’s father ever since he had seen him pressurize his son before an important cricket match, but the way he treated Naina was almost unbelievable. It wasn’t dislike, it was total neglect, and that was something he knew could hurt more than rebuke and punishment.

Maybe all these differences in the way Naina was treated and the way she behaved were the reason that his eyes had started to stray more often to her. Whenever she was around, he would glance at her to check if she was alright or needed anything, because he had understood that even if she was in desperate need of something she wouldn’t ask. If something happened, he would look at her to see her reaction; like the time Munna fell from the wooden ladder, he had looked at her to find an expression of concern on her face while everyone else around them were laughing. Once during these days there was a power cut, and he had tried to light a candle using matchstick, but had accidentally burnt his finger slightly. He had jerked without a sound, but at the same time he had heard a soft hiss from nearby, and then Naina had been there lighting the candle for him. His finger had burned, but he had had smiled as he had realized the hiss had escaped from Naina’s mouth. And then as the flame had lit, he had been almost captivated by the gentle glow on her face… Subconsciously, he had tried to memorize how she looked in that soft glimmering fire. But before he could have his fill of her sight, she had disappeared in the darkness. When he was about to leave that night, he had found a tube of ointment near his bag. Checking the name, he had known it was a burn healing gel, and a smile had curved his lips because only Naina knew that he had burnt his finger. He had looked around wanting to thank her, but nowhere had he been able to spot the soft pair of brown eyes.

“Naina… sharbat leke aana zara”, Arjun hollered as they reached the doorstep of his house.

Sameer frowned, “Arjun… rehnde do na… Behen hai tumhari, koi naukar nahi.”

Arjun chuckled, “kya bol rahe ho tum Sameer… yeh toh normal hai… Ladki hai toh itna kaam toh karegi hi na.”

Before he could reply back, Naina came with a tray loaded with glasses, and kept her eyes down as all the boys took a glass each. Sameer was the last, and as he took the glass, he wished, “thank you Naina.”

She looked up at him for moment, surprised, and then fled back inside the kitchen. Sameer drank the cold sharbat, feeling a strange sensation inside him, ever since their eyes had met. What was wrong with him? Okay, Naina had beautiful eyes… But so what? There was nothing else about her that could attract any attention from a boy… Except… Well… Her nails were nicely shaped, and so clean all the time. And she never used makeup and still her skin had a perpetual glow. And what about the way some of her dresses clung to her… Goodness… What was he thinking? He needed to divert his focus right now. There was something seriously wrong with his brain. Maybe he was staying out in the sun for much too long. How could he even lay an eye on Naina? There were so obvious reasons for not doing so… First, she was Arjun’s sister; guy code demanded that friend’s sister was off limit always. Second, there were glaring social differences between him and Agarwal family. Third, she wasn’t his type. The third one was the most important, because his type of girl was Urvi, the stylish sexy girl in their year who had asked him out twice already. Hadn’t he thought that he would accept Urvi’s proposal and start his official dating life? Hadn’t he planned out how worthy it would be to have his hand around Urvi’s slim tiny waist as he walked through the college corridors? Hadn’t he been sure that Urvi was worth the time and investment as girlfriend because everyone said she was the prettiest girl in their college?

Arjun’s question broke into his thoughts, “kya soch rahe ho kabse?”

Sameer was silent for a moment before asking, “aaj tumhara tilak hai na, aur do din me shaadi… Toh tumko Juhi me sabse best baat kya lagti hai?”

“Yahi ke woh bahot khoobsurat hai”, Arjun replied promptly, “kuch bhi pehne use carry kar sakti hai, aur stylish hai… Mere saath achchi dikhti hai. Aur jab woh mere saath hoti hai tab dusre ladke jalte hai, kyunki unka koi chance nahi uske saath.”

Sameer frowned as these were the exact same things he had thought about Urvi, and Naina didn’t have any of these things, then why… why did he have such weird sporadic reactions to her? He softly queried, “agar tumhe chot lagi toh uska dard usko hoga?”

Arjun laughed, “kya? Tum pagal ho gaye ho kya Sameer? Yeh kaisi baate kar rahe ho? Ek aur glass sharbat pee lo please… Dimag me koi screw loose ho gaya hai shayad.”

Sameer shook his head, laughing a bit himself, and tried to focus on the tasks at hand. Naina came to take the empty glasses back, and as usual no one noticed her because she was extremely silent, and put in all efforts to just merge in the surroundings. No one looked at her… no one, except him. He was reading a list of task, but his eyes seemed to have a mind of their own as they kept peeking at her from over the sheet. Today she was dressed in a light sea-green skirt-top… Why were her dresses so loose and ill-fitted all the time? And despite being such shoddy examples of tailor work how did they manage to outline her breasts so perfectly? Dammit… He cursed on noticing where his thoughts had strayed again, and tried to focus on the sheet once more. However, as she came closer to pick his glass from the table beside him, he couldn’t help but sniff the floral fragrance in air, and murmured softly, “jasmine…”

She gasped, looking at him, and once again he found himself bit lost as their eyes met. Did her eyes always shine so bright? Or was it a special look she reserved for people she wanted to hypnotize? And why did she smell like jasmine flowers? Was it her shampoo or her soap? Surely, she didn’t use perfume… For God’s sake she never even put on lipstick; her thoughts wouldn’t even venture towards perfume… But then, why were her lips so pink? She bit her lip as if contemplating something… Maybe she was thinking if she should spare him or kill him… But damn, he was definitely getting killed with that lip bite. He shook his head trying to come out of the spell she had spun around him, and thankfully help arrived in the form of a small kid who came crawling inside, and let out a high-pitched baby giggle.

Naina looked away from him, and he shuddered, feeling an electric tingle race along his body. What was happening to him? Just then he heard an excited squeal of, “Rishi…!!” He looked to the side, in astonishment, to find it was Naina who had made that sound. Goodness… could she talk in normal sound? He saw Naina pick up the chubby baby in her arms, twirl once, and then nuzzle his downy head lovingly. The baby boy kept making those adorable baby sounds, and snuggled against Naina comfortingly, his hand fisting gently on the strands of her ponytail. Inadvertently Sameer smiled, his gaze softened, and he almost felt like letting out an ‘aww.’ Even though he hated such weird sounds, at that moment he couldn’t think of anything else that would be an appropriate reaction to the scene in-front of his eyes. The picture he was witnessing was so soft… Naina had a smile on her face as she rocked the baby, and the baby seemed to be overjoyed at the love and attention.

Arjun stood up as a woman entered through the door, and he greeted, “Pooja didi… finally aap log aa gaye.”

The woman smiled, “hamare ghar ka hero dulha ban raha hai… aana toh padega hi. Aur yeh dekho mera beta… Yahan aate hi seedhe mausi ki god me, aur maa ko bhool gaya.”

Naina flashed a brilliant grin that almost blinded Sameer, and he wondered where she had been hiding this side of her personality. If she smiled like that all the time, she would never fade into the background; in fact he was sure all eyes in college would be on her… Her smile was infectious, he thought, because it made him want to smile along for no reason at all. He couldn’t understand what was wrong with him. People around him were chattering, but he didn’t listen, until Preeti complained, “Naina de na… itne time se teri god me hai.”

Naina laughed aloud, and turned away from her sister, accidentally giving a clear full view of herself to Sameer, “nahi dungi… ek ghante baad aana. Abhi mujhe khelna hai Rishi ke saath.”

Sameer felt a strange hitch in his chest on hearing her laughter, on seeing the vibrant joy on her face. His own smile widened, and he wanted to see more of how Naina would keep the baby entertained. He had never thought that the sight of a girl holding a baby would make him feel so… pure. Yeah, he could feel the purity and innocence emanating from Naina, and he desperately wanted her to look at him once so he could see the emotions dancing in her big eyes. However, the fun in that moment was soon sucked up by gloom, as a fat lady waddled in. Sameer recognized her as Arjun’s Taiji. The woman’s eyes narrowed on seeing Naina and Preeti goofing around, and she immediately admonished, “oh bai… yeh kya udham macha rakhi hai? Ladko ke saamne thumakte hue sharam nahi aati?”

The girls immediately stopped tittering, and it seemed the baby also understood the rebuke because he too stopped giggling. Taiji continued her censure, “Pooja… Rishi ko apne paas rakh. Aisai chod nahi dete apne bachcho ko. Parlay babu ko dekho, main abhi tak kitna sambhal ke rakhti hun. Preeti, tu andar jaa… shaam ki taiyari me Bela ki madad kar. Aur Naina… tu kya titli ki tarah fudak rahi hai? Jaa jaake kaanch ke bartan dho saare… Ek toh bina maa ki ladki, naa nain-naksh hai na kuch, upar se aise lakshan ke ladko ke saamne uchal-kud kare. Jaa yahan se…”

Naina bowed her head and let the baby be taken away from her, and then picked up the tray of glasses and rushed into the kitchen. Sameer however had seen the flash of tears in her eyes, and it made him uneasy… Even more discomfiting was the fact that Arjun wasn’t at all bothered about this. Didn’t he hear what all his Taiji said to Naina? She basically directly accused Naina of frolicking in-front of boys to attract them. What kind of treatment this was? He had seen Naina being scolded the most usually, she also had to follow a stricter discipline than Preeti, and the reason behind that was always that she didn’t have a mother. He couldn’t understand this, but it hadn’t really affected him that much before today. The incident he saw just now, grated on his nerves. He couldn’t understand how anyone could tell a girl things like that. To his horror he heard a few boys sniggering, and turned around to glare at them, gesturing them to leave.

He looked into the kitchen once, but even though he could see Naina washing dishes, he didn’t think he should approach her or talk to her. For one, he still didn’t know why he felt concerned about her. Second, this was her home, her family; so maybe things like this were normal for her, and she would get over it soon. Third, even if this wasn’t normal, and she truly felt bad because of the rebuke, he didn’t want to increase her troubles by going up and talking to her. He sighed, thinking maybe after the wedding he could talk to Arjun once, and tell him that he needed to take better care of his sister. A guy-to-guy talk maybe…

Suddenly Arjun thumped him on his back, “guess what… aaj ek surprise hai tere liye.”

He turned back to look at his friend, “kaisa surprise?”

Arjun smirked, and said in a low voice, “mujhe pata hai teri nazre aur iraade kis ladki pe tiki hui hai…”

Sameer’s eyes widened, and he surreptitiously glanced into the kitchen at Naina again, wondering how Arjun guessed he was having weird thoughts about his sister. Arjun clucked his tongue impatiently, “kitchen me kya dhund raha hai… Woh kitchen me nahi hai?”

Puzzled, Sameer queried, “kaun?”

“Urvi”, Arjun informed with a grin, “main usko bhi invite kiya hai… Aaj se saare functions me aayegi.”

Sameer somehow didn’t feel any surge of pleasure on hearing this, “uh… par tum toh usse baat bhi nahi karte.”

Arjun chuckled, “main baat karunga toh Juhi mujhe maar daalegi. But hum dono ne socha ke shaadi me bulana banta hai… Tumhare liye. Ab tumko kaafi chance mil jayega romance karneka… Waise bhi woh tumpe fida hai toh zyada time nahi lagega tumhe usko patane me.”

Sameer closed his eyes as Arjun thumped him on his back and left from there. He should be happy. This was convenient. If he started dating now then there would be scope of meeting and spending time together during the vacations as well. Plus not to mention, weddings did provide a lot of romance opportunities. There would be so many nooks to utilize, so many moments to steal… Maybe they could hold hands, dance together… And who knew, Urvi was so open-minded and fast that he might even get a kiss within these three days. However, all these thoughts while might have cheered him up before, now didn’t make him feel anything… He was just blank…

A sound caught his attention, and he opened his eyes to see Naina wiping wet glass stains off the tables. He saw a stray pen fall to the floor, and she crouched to pick it up… Somehow the pen-cap had opened, and so she was screwing it back as she tried to stand up, oblivious to the fact that she was too close to the edge of the table now… Sameer gauged that she would hit her head on the sharp wooden corner, and without even a second thought, placed his palm between her head and the table, as he muttered, “sambhalke.”

Her head hit his palm, which in turn hit the sharp edge, making him hiss in pain. He heard her gasp, and opened his eyes to look into her bright eyes full of concern, and she queried in a soft voice, “kya kar rahe ho tum? Zyada chot lagi?”

He smiled, moving his hand away, “nahi… theek hai… tumhara dhyan nahi tha bilkul… Sir pe chot lag jaati.”

She seemed to be surprised, and it took her a moment to stammer, “uh… th…thank you.”

“It’s okay”, he assured, “main neeche jaata hun.”

As he started to turn away, she called in a low voice, “Sameer…” When he looked at her, she asked, “haath pe lagane ke liye baraf laau?”

Her concern made him feel warm, and once again he assured, “main theek hun… itni zyada nahi lagi. Waise bhi tumhara diya hua pehle ki davai ab tak mere paas hi hai.”

Her pretty eyes widened, and he knew she was thinking of denying it, but after a moment she smiled, “woh jalne pe lagane wali davai hai… iss chot pe mat lagana. Dard zyada ho toh baraf laga lena.”

He grinned, and opened his mouth to reply, but just then few people entered inside the living room, and she quickly busied herself with the cleaning again. He understood that she won’t talk in-front of people, and left from there, somehow feeling happier at having this brief conversation, than the prospect of kissing Urvi. Maybe he was going mad…

Later that evening Sameer freshened up in Arjun’s room and dressed in brown trousers with light cream shirt, and a sleeveless fitted brown printed jacket. Usually he would go home to get ready, but there had been some last minute problem with the lights so he had stayed back and Munna-Pandit had brought his clothes from his home. As he stepped out of the room he almost bumped into someone, and in a flash of moment realized that it was a girl, so he quickly tried to control his momentum, twirling on the spot as a result to avoid crashing. There was an impression of fragrant jasmine, and his gaze met a brilliant brown pair of eyes… Naina… Even she had tried controlling herself from bumping into him, and now as they twirled she kept looking at him with surprised eyes, and lips slightly parted. He felt something shift inside him, as if he couldn’t breathe properly, or maybe his heart expanded more than normal, because he suddenly seemed to be breathless. His fingers were barely an inch away from hers, and all he wanted in that moment was to hold her hand, feel the soft and smooth skin that he could see. As they stopped, it took them both a minute to come to senses, and take a step back from each other.

His eyes drifted over her, and he felt pleasantly surprised on seeing her long flowy pink-gold frock, that for once was not ill-fitted. Rather it sat snugly on her body, highlighting every curve she had. And the v-neckline was a curse as well as a blessing… A blessing because it accentuated her breasts, drew attention to her long neck, the delicate golden chain shining against her creamy throat. And a curse because he had never been so fascinated by anyone’s throat… He dragged in a shaky breath, trying to control himself, and immediately the sweet fragrance of jasmine assaulted his nostrils, sending his brain into overdrive mode.

“Naina…”, he started to say, but paused on seeing her eyes widen in fear. Was she scared of him? The answer however was soon clear as he heard a sound of someone clearing throat behind him. He didn’t turn, but rather quickly spoke up, “Naina… Suna ke nahi? Thanda paani do na please…”

Naina jerked, her brows furrowed in confusion, as she stammered, “h…ha…haan…” She seemed to be a bit disoriented as she took out a bottle from the fridge, and poured out chilled water for him. He accepted the glass, thanked her, and then turned. He had thought it was just one person, but he was wrong… Four people had come in. Naina’s Taiji and Chachiji, Arjun, and of course his father was tagging along. He smiled at them, and Arjun asked, “Sameer tumhe aur kitna time chahiye taiyar hone me? Chalo yaar…”

“Haan ho gaya hai”, he replied, “bas taiyar hoke bahar aaya toh paani dhund raha tha… Naina dikh gai thankfully.” Arjun’s father kept glaring at him, so he muttered, “uh… main neeche jaata hun.” Keeping the glass back, he went outside, but paused at the door on hearing the harsh rebuke.

Taiji was almost yelling, “oh bai! Maharani kahinki… itna time kaun leta hai taiyar hone me.”

Naina tried to explain, “Taiji… w…woh… kaam karte karte der ho gai mujhe…”

“Neva”, Taiji exclaimed, “kaam ka bahana de lo bas… Mujhe pata hai yeh saraa waqt ban-than ne me bitaya hoga. Dekho zara… itna taiyar kyun hui hai? Aur yeh kaise kapde pehne hai? Tilak ki rasam me aise kapde kaun pehenta hai…”

Sameer peeked around the door cautiously, and watched Naina bow down her head, as she slowly said, “Chachaji ne dilwaya hai…”

Naina’s Chachiji also tried to intervene, “bhabhiji… rehne dijiye na…”

Taiji scowled, “kya rehne de Bela? Dekh zara isko… subah ladko ke saamne thumak rahi thi… aur ab aise chust kapde pehenke neeche jaane wali thi… kuch baaki rakha hai dikhane me? Ladko ko rijhane ka itna hi man hai iska toh shaadi karwa do…”

Chachiji tried once more, but Taiji strictly instructed, “khadi kya hai maharani… jaa jaake kapde badal… Diwali pe jo suit pehna tha hare rang ka wahi pehenke aana neeche. Khabardaar jo aur kuch pehna toh…”

Sameer went downstairs, but the vision of teary-eyed scared Naina didn’t leave him. It was all his fault… Dammit. He should have never talked to her. What was wrong with him? Why was he unable to keep his eyes off her? Today if he hadn’t been there with her, then she could have come downstairs dressed as she was. And he saw nothing wrong in that frock. Yes, it had better fitting than her usual clothes, but it wasn’t indecent.

Just then a loud shrill squeal of his name made him look up, “Sameeeeerrrrrr….”

He frowned on seeing Urvi coming towards him, dressed up in a bright yellow sleeveless dress, that was so fit that it seemed it would burst from the seams. And to top that she hadn’t even covered herself with the dupatta properly, it was hanging like a useless prop down one shoulder. Talk about indecent, he thought, what would Naina’s Taiji say to this girl? Wait… What was he thinking? Urvi always wore such revealing outfits, and he had liked it… They were stylish, branded, of recent fashion, and he had always found her looking sexy in them.

“Hiee”, Urvi came to stand in-front of him, and directly got to the point, “so… Arjun bata raha tha ke tum chahte the ke main yahan aau… want to say something?”

Tell her that she looks sexy and you want to go on a date with her.

He opened his mouth to obey his brain’s command, but what came out of his mouth shocked even him. He straight-up informed her, “nahi… mujhe toh aaj hi pata chala ke tum aane wali ho. I am surprised… Arjun tumse baat nahi karta phir bhi usne tumhe bulaya, aur… tum aa bhi gai.”

Urvi looked flummoxed for a moment, but then smiled, “ahan… ab tak games khel rahe ho. Kab tak interest chupaoge… Teen din ka function hai… I am sure control nahi hoga tumse.”

As she sashayed away from there, Sameer closed his eyes and groaned… Dammit… What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just flirt with her? Thank God she didn’t take the comment as an insult… Just a challenge… So, he still had time. He tried to calm his breathing, form a plan to get Urvi, but before he could string his thoughts he heard a sniff. His brows scrunched, but he didn’t open his eyes… Urvi… He needed to think of Urvi.

“Naina ro mat na”, he heard a girl’s voice, “yeh dress bhi achcha lag raha hai.”

And then he heard Naina’s wobbly disheartened voice, “main apne hi bhai ke tilak me purane kapde pehen rahi hun… dekh zara mujhe… Waise hi sab kehte hai main kharab dikhti hun, aur purane kapdo me toh…”

He opened his eyes on hearing this, and then saw Preeti pacifying, “uff-o Naina… tu bhi kya soch rahi hai. Woh dekh… Tilak shuru hone wala hai… Chal.”

Naina wiped her tears, “tu chal… main paani peeke aati hun.”

As Preeti left, he took a step towards Naina, but she immediately saw him… A scared look entered her eyes and she fled from there. He sighed. Naturally she didn’t want to talk to him anymore… After all he was the reason she had to wear an old dress for the function. But he couldn’t let her feel so down in the dumps… Urvi can wait a bit more… Maybe he can find a way to cheer Naina up first. Thinking for a moment, he grabbed the notebook that was kept to record the shagun amount, tore a page, and wrote something. He scanned the crowd, and spotted her near the water table. So he inched forward, and then keeping himself sheltered behind the sprinkler fan, he threw the crumpled chit towards her. It landed on the table as soon as she kept the glass down, and he grinned at the perfect aim.

Naina frowned at the note, picked it up, and then started to throw it away, thinking it was some trash. From behind the fan, Sameer whispered, “no… no… no…” For some reason, Naina paused, opened the note to check, and then her eyes widened as she read, “koi bhi dress apne aap me sundar nahi hota… pehenne wala sundar ho toh dress bhi sundar lagta hai… aur tumhara dress bahot sundar lag raha hai.”

She stared at the note for some time, and then shook her head, thinking it was some kind of joke and tore the paper in half. But before she could throw it, she heard Taiji’s voice from somewhere nearby, and hastily stuffed the paper in her purse. Sameer smiled, hoping the note would cheer her up a bit, even if she didn’t believe what he said. Surprisingly, he realized that he meant what he had written. He didn’t know why people said that she wasn’t beautiful, or why she herself also thought the same… True, she wasn’t the type who would attract attention immediately like Urvi did… But once someone saw Naina properly, he was sure, that just like him, everyone would find it difficult to look away. He genuinely thought she was beautiful… maybe not in the typical way guys defined beauty, but there was something about her that demanded attention. He hadn’t noticed her before, otherwise he was sure he wouldn’t have been able to ignore the purity, innocence and calm that radiated from her. Any boy in her life would be lucky.

The tilak ceremony was thankfully uneventful. Naina stayed in the background as usual, but he was happy to notice that she didn’t cry anymore. Urvi on the other hand kept trying to gain his attention… But somehow after his brief interlude with Naina in the house and then outside, he couldn’t muster the energy or the will to spend any time on Urvi.

The next day it was mehndi ceremony in morning, and the boys didn’t have much to do except take care of the occasional work that seemed to spout without any warning… Sometimes there was shortage of food, sometimes there was less water, sometimes it was about needing more fans, or sometimes odd aunties asking one of them to serve them water or pass along their purse. Sameer stood aside, talking to a man who was supposed to do the lighting for evening Sangeet function. He had seen Naina as soon as he had arrived that morning. She had dressed up once more in a green salwar-suit, but this time a light colored one, and her dupatta and salwar were a shade of deep orange. The color looked good on her, but not as much as pink did. Try as much he hadn’t been able to rid his brain on the image he had witnessed previous evening… The long flowy frock had stuck to her like second skin, accentuating her body, making him realize that she was not a plain jane, but rather an unusually attractive girl. He wanted to see her in pink once more… Why did he want something like that though, he had no idea. And yes, he hadn’t thought of Urvi even once, until Arjun had asked if things had progressed during Tilak ceremony. Sameer had let out an unnatural laugh and said he was just trying to be bit hard to get, rather than accepting that suddenly he had lost all interest in Urvi.

After discussing about the lighting arrangements, he was about to leave, when suddenly he spotted Naina wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. Glancing here and there, he sighed, giving in to his impulse. He tucked his sunglasses in his shirt, and then adjusted the position of a fan so that she would be in direct line. As the cold air suddenly soothed her, and her hair flew, she looked up to find a fan placed nearby but no one was there. Sameer had immediately stepped aside, and now was standing near the boys, his head tilted, a smile curving his lips as he saw her hair fly in the air. Acting on another whim of his, he handed over the car keys, the list of things and the shop address to Munna and Pandit, asking them to go and pick up the stuff as he was not feeling well because of the heat. His friends were only too happy to help, and once they left, he sat down on a chair, his eyes fixed on Naina.

The morning dwindled away and soon it was time for lunch, he saw that most ladies and girls stood up to eat, but Naina was occupied. He waited for some more time, few ladies came back after eating, but still she remained busy. Why does she have to do everyone’s mehendi? He scowled at her carelessness… There were so many people around, and a lot of girls knew how to do mehendi, then why was she so busy? He spied a couple of boys starting to serve cold-drinks to the women, and an idea clicked in his brain. Grabbing a bowl he piled some kadhi-pulao in it, and then took a tray of cold-drinks, pretending to serve the ladies. He gave out a bottle or two, and then inched towards Naina, holding the tray near her, and muttered, “cold-drink.”

She probably didn’t recognize his voice, because she didn’t even look up and just declined, “nahi chahiye.”

He frowned, but couldn’t say anything more in-front of the lady who was getting mehendi done. And so he just kept the bowl of rice, and a bottle of cold-drink next to her, and left from there. Standing once more at her vantage point, he kept a lookout, and thankfully fifteen minutes later she was done with the mehendi. Naina wiped her hand, exhaling in relief, she was tired, and hungry, but lunch time was already gone. Maybe she could still find something to eat in the house, even a chocolate would do. The lady inspected her mehendi, and then smiled, “bahot achcha design banaya hai… ab khalo.”

Naina smiled back, “khana khatam ho gaya hoga… main ghar me dekh lungi. Aapko kuch chahiye?”

The lady shook her head, “nahi… maine kha liya. Aur tumhare liye woh ladka khana aur cold-drink rakhke gaya.”

Naina looked to where the woman was gesturing, and her eyes widened on seeing the bowl full of kadhi-pulao and a bottle of cola. Immediately she looked around, trying to find who had given it to her, but couldn’t see anyone. When she turned to ask the woman about who the boy was, she found that even the woman had left. She slowly picked up the bowl, and sniffed at it. From a distance, Sameer frowned, muttering to himself, “soongh kya rahi hai… kuch milaya thodi na hai maine. Ek toh baat ki tab dekha bhi nahi ke main hun aur ab khana diya toh uspe bhi shaq.”

He saw her look around once more, and then she gingerly lifted a spoonful of rice and ate it. Her eyes closed in relief as she was really hungry, and he smiled on seeing her quickly finish up the food and half the bottle of cold-drink. Just then Munna came up to him with a dish, “oye Sameer… tune khana nahi khaya yaar… le kha le.”

He grinned, gratefully accepting the dish, and started eating wondering how he had forgotten that he too needed to eat. All he had been concerned about was whether Naina ate or not. After finishing his food, he sauntered once more inside the mandap, and immediately spotted Naina talking to a few ladies and then turning away disappointed. Now what? He moved towards her wanting to find what was troubling her so he could resolve it, and sure enough he soon heard her telling Chachaiji, “sabke haath me mehendi lag gai hai… aur ab koi mere haatho me lagake nahi de raha.”

Chachiji huffed, “bhagwaan jhooth na bulaye beta, kaise lagake dega koi… sabke haath me mehndi hai toh bigag jayegi na… Tujhe pehle sochna chahiye tha.”

Naina sadly pouted, “Taiji ne bithake rakha tha na mujhe… sabke haath me mehendi lagake phir uthna, aisa bola tha…”

Chachiji tried to pacify her, but was soon called away, and Naina felt disappointed as she started to clean up the empty used cones, piling them on a big thaal. Suddenly a crumpled chit fell on the thaal, and she gasped, picking it up, looking around determined to find the culprit… But once more, she couldn’t see anyone. What was it this time, she wondered, and opened up the chit. “Ek haath me gol banao aur ungliyo pe bhi laga lo… phir dono haath jod lo…” She earnestly laughed out on reading it, and this time instead of tearing up the note, she kept it inside her small purse. Thinking for another moment, she genuinely followed the instructions, drawing a big circle in the center of her left palm, covering the tips of her fingers, and then joined both hands, hoping it would work. After a minute when she separated her hands and grinned happily on seeing the patterns on her palms, and at a little distance Sameer also smiled wide on seeing her happiness. Chachiji came back for some work, and on seeing the design praised her intelligence. Naina smiled, thinking if only she knew who was this person then she could at least say thank you.

For the evening function Naina dressed up in a fuschia pink salwar-kameez, tied up her hair in a loose ponytail, and slid bangles on her wrists. Her mood was happy since she had received that note, and occasionally she kept looking at the design on her hand and smiling to herself. It was a good day, and she was wearing salwar-kameez, not a frock, so there was no chance of her getting scolded. Also she had taken care to keep her overall look simple, no make-up, she didn’t want to be sent back from the function. Lost in thoughts, she walked downstairs… Sameer had gone to dress up at home, and came back in time to see Naina descend the stairs. He smiled on seeing the small happy smile on her face, and sighed in relief that she was alright. However soon his eyes widened, and he almost called out but before he could give her any kind of warning, Naina dashed against Taiji in her lost state. “Oh bai!”, Taiji exclaimed, trying to balance herself.

Sameer was about to step forward to help, but just then someone grabbed his arm, and he turned to see Urvi grinning at him, “hey handsome… kahan jaa rahe ho? Main toh yahan hun.”

Before he could reply, a sharp sound of rebuke diverted his attention once more to Naina who stood in silence, her head bowed. Taiji meanwhile was busy in lambasting her, without caring a tuppence about who else was hearing, “andhi ho gai hai kya? Neva! Shakal-surat toh hai nahi, aankhen bhi kharab ho gai toh shaadi toh honese rahi… Phir poori zindagi hamari chaati pe moong dalegi…”

Naina’s eyes turned moist, and Preeti came forward to take her away from Taiji. Sameer felt a strange pain in his heart on seeing the tears… Why was she always scolded so badly even for a simple mistake? And why did no one take her side, fight for her, speak-up for her?

From beside him, Urvi scoffed, “ro kyun rahi hai woh ladki? Uss aunty ne theek hi toh bola.”

Sameer’s eyes narrowed, “matlab?”

Urvi shrugged, “tumne dhyan nahi diya hoga uspe… kitni jhalli type thi… aisa lag raha tha, bas kapde pehenna sikha diya ho kisine par aur kuch nahi… na makeup, na style, na chalne ka dhang… Aisi ladki koi ladka dekhega bhi nahi toh phir shaadi kyun karega.”

Sameer felt his temper shot up, and he carefully removed his arm from her grip, “maine dhyan diya ya nahi isse tumhara koi lena-dena nahi hai… Lekin thank you… Main tumhare baare me thoda confused tha… Tum dikhne me bahot achchi ho Urvi.” She smiled, sure that he was going to ask her out. After a short pause he continued, “lekin tumhara nature mujhe pasand nahi. Uss ladki ko sabke saamne itna bhala-bura bola gaya, par tum bura feel karne ke jagah uske baare me hi aur bura bol rahi ho. Isiliye ab mera confusion clear ho gaya… Hum kabhi date nahi kar sakte… Sirf achcha dikhna zaroori nahi hota, ek achcha insaan hona bhi zaroori hota hai.”

Urvi was shocked, “Sameer… tum… tum yeh kya bol rahe ho? How can you do this? Tumne hi mujhe bulaya aur ab…”

“I am sorry Urvi”, he interrupted, “jaanta hun tumko bura laga… Par maine wakai me tumko nahi bulaya tha. Arjun ne socha ke tumko bulake woh mujhe surprise dega. Aur sach kahu toh kuch time ke liye mujhe achcha bhi laga, socha shayad hamare beech kuch ho sakta hai… Par ab main sure hun ke hum saath nahi reh sakte. Aur isse zyada baat aage badhi toh hum dono ke liye achcha nahi hoga… isiliye behtar yahi hai ke hum date karna shuru hi naa kare. Jo rishta chal nahi sakta uski shuruwat hi kyun karni…”

Urvi stood baffled at the turn of events as Sameer left from there. He found Naina and Preeti standing a little bit away from the water table, and tried to move closer, pretending that he was busy reading something on a piece of paper. He heard Preeti trying to cheer Naina up, but it was useless. Naina remained gloomy, and she closed her eyes, murmuring, “rehne de Preeti… main theek ho jaungi. Tu jaa… mujhe do minute akele rehne de. Main aa jaungi function me.” Suddenly after a minute she heard two thumps… Her brows furrowed and she opened her eyes to see a group of people pass by. Sighing, she turned to the table to get some water to drink, but her eyes fell on the bottle of cola, with a note stuck beneath it.

Oh God… Again? She looked around, but as usual there was no one she could think would have done it… Maybe the person had disappeared with that group she saw. She quickly opened the chit, and felt her breath hitch, as she read, “cold drink peeke dimag shaant karlo… aur tension mat lo… maine kaha tha na tum bahot khoobsurat ho… Ek baat kahunga toh manogi? Tum khule baalo me zyada achchi lagti ho… aur ho sake toh ek choti si bindi, iss dress ke saath achchi lagegi.”

She was extremely surprised to read this. How did this person know whenever she was upset or sad? Why did this person kept saying she was beautiful? She desperately tried to ignore everything as she kept the note back on table, and started to leave. Sameer was standing a bit away in the dark shadows, and frowned on seeing her place the note back. What was she doing?

Naina had barely gone a foot away, but then she paused, came rushing back and picked the note up, fisting it in her palm. She closed her eyes, biting her lip as if struggling to decide something, and then she quickly took a few sips from the bottle… Sameer smiled, glad that she drank what he had offered, but then he stilled as she tapped the bottle twice on the table before leaving. What was that? Was she asking him to come out? However, it didn’t look like that because after keeping the bottle back she left from there. He kept standing in the shadows, watching her move towards the house, not sure what to do. After a few minutes, he slowly walked over to the table… But before he could reach there, he saw a waiter reaching out to pick up the bottle. Immediately he called out, “ruko… rehne do usko… woh mera hai.”

The waiter nodded with a bow and left. Sameer’s hand shook a bit as he grabbed the bottle, he felt as if he could still feel her touch… His heart thudded hard, his breathing labored, and then driven by some strange uncontrollable impulse, he lifted the bottle up to his mouth and fused his lips at the spot her lips had touched and drank… After a few healthy continuous swigs, he pulled the bottle away, staring at it with an incredulous expression… Oh God… What was he doing? What had he done? Why had he done this? How could he…

Meanwhile inside the house, Naina stood in-front of the mirror, reading the note over and over again. Today finally she had gotten to know that these notes were from a boy… Before this the notes she had received were general, no way to know if it was a male or female who had written them. But today… this note… It clearly indicated that it was a male. And still she had kept the note… She had also drunk from the bottle he had offered… Was it right? Would he think of this as some indication of availability? Was she leading him into believing that she was interested? But then these notes weren’t the flirty type… All the boy had been trying to do was cheer her up, soothe her spoiled mood. But why? What did it matter to him if she was sad or upset? Why did he wipe her tears with his words? Why did he make her laugh? Why did he call her beautiful? Did he really think of her like that?

Tum khule baalo me zyada achchi lagti ho.

The words played inside her head, and she dragged a deep shaky breath, slowly pulling out the rubber band from her hair, letting the strands slip loose. Her hair reached just above her waist, and the shorter locks in front framed her face, softening the overall look. She combed her hair, brushing them until they were smooth and shining, the ends were naturally wavy so she couldn’t do anything about it.

Aur ho sake toh ek choti si bindi…

How had he managed to notice such minute details about her appearance? She had no idea who he was but his words warmed her heart. And so she fulfilled his demand by sticking a small pink-gold bindi on her forehead. Going along with the flow she also applied some light pink lipstick on her lips, taking care to not make it immediately noticeable. Whoever this boy was, she understood that maybe he didn’t want to talk openly, but she wished him all the happiness in the world for being there for her when she had felt so low about herself, for making her laugh, for making her think that maybe someone does find her beautiful.

Outside near the mandap, Sameer had barely managed to recover from the shock he had suffered by his own act. He still didn’t know why he had drunk from that bottle, why he wanted to feel her taste on his lips, why he felt this strange emotion that seemed to constrict his heart. He felt trapped, claustrophobic even though he was out in the open… He unbuttoned his suit jacket, hoping that would make him feel better, help him breathe properly… But then as he looked up, he simply stopped breathing… Naina was coming out of the society gates, her open hair flying in the gentle breeze, she was smiling, and as she came closer he saw the small bindi sparkle on her forehead… And… He fell in love…

Shit. Damn. No… Oh God, No…

Love… What the heck! No, it wasn’t possible… How could he… Not her… Never… Naina… It wasn’t possible… It couldn’t happen… It shouldn’t happen…

She walked by him and he dragged in a shaky breath, the smell of jasmine flooding his senses and he groaned like a man in pain… What was he doing?

“Sameer”, a soft voice called him, and his eyes snapped open to meet Naina’s confused gaze. She was staring at him, a puzzled expression on her face, “tum yahan kya kar rahe ho? Tum theek toh ho na? Shakal aisi bana rakhi hai jaise pet me dard ho raha ho…”

He let out a constricted laugh, “pet me nahi… seene me ho raha hai… ajeeb sa lag raha hai.”

She frowned thoughtfully, “dopahar ko kadhi peeya hoga na… shayad acidity ho gai. Main thanda dudh laake deti hun.”

“Nahi”, he stopped her, “it’s okay… main bas… thoda soda pee lunga toh theek ho jayega. Tumhe iss waqt yahan nahi, mandap me hona chahiye.”

She smiled, “haan… wahin jaa rahi thi… par phir tumhe dekhke ruk gai. Tum pakka soda pee lena… Aur kuch chahiye toh batana mujhe.”

He nodded, watching her leave and then murmured, “kaise batau ab ke main tumhe chahne laga hun.”

Oh God… Why? Why her? She was Arjun’s sister. She was off limits. Plus this family was the most conservative one he had ever seen. This would not be accepted at all… Any relationship with her wasn’t possible. He should forget her… He should stop thinking about her… This would only lead to tons of trouble… For him, for her, for everyone. Yes, he needed to avoid her, forget her, ignore her…

However, it was easier said than done. Even when he stood aside, intending to watch the function from far, he eyes somehow managed to find Naina. When she danced along with Preeti, he couldn’t help but appreciate her moves, her grace. When she laughed, the sound seemed like music to his ears. When her bangles clinked, he felt his heartbeat accelerate. And when her eyes met his, he couldn’t help but fall a little more surely in love. Oh man… He was in such a trouble.

Munna and Pandit didn’t let him stand away for much time… As everyone started to dance, they pulled him in, and he tried to enjoy the moment. Forget the recent treachery of his heart, and simply dance with his friends… But it seemed fate had other plans… He had just started to enjoy when suddenly Naina’s hand brushed along his, and he jerked, coming to a complete stand still in midst of the dancing crown… He felt as if a 440 voltage shock coursed through his body… Never before had he felt like this at the touch of any girl… God… If only the touch of her hand can cause this kind of reaction inside him, what would happen if she hugged him?

He had no idea how she spent the remainder of the day, all he knew was his eyes never wavered from Naina. He seemed to be hungry for her sight; watching and trying to remember her every expression, her every reaction… How she laughed when she was happy, how she talked when she was excited, how she kept tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ear. Just before the function would end, some other boy from their cricket team randomly commented, “aree yaar… Arjun ki behen aaj achchi dikh rahi hi… Kya naam hai uska? Haan… Naina… Pehle dhyan nahi diya kabhi itna uspe.”

Sameer felt a red mist swim in-front of his eyes, as he had turned and grabbed the boy’s shirt, “abhi bhi dhyan mat dena… Ulta-seedha socha toh muh tod dunga.”

The boy tugged himself free, quite surprised at this outburst, “hey… Sameer… cool down yaar… main toh aisai bol raha tha. Waise bhi woh mere type ki nahi hai… Par tu itna kyun bhadak raha hai? Arjun ki behen hai woh, teri thodi na hai.”

Sameer somehow managed to control himself, and left from there, afraid that if he stayed longer he would do some serious damage to the boy. Just as he picked his bag to leave, a silver something fell on the floor, and he picked it up to check… It was medicine… for acidity. Naina… His temper immediately cooled down, his heart warmed and he had a silly grin on his face as he drove to his home.

That night he kept pacing in his bedroom, trying to piece everything together. He couldn’t understand how he could fall in love in one day, one moment… Just because she fulfilled his demand by keeping her hair open and sticking that bindi doesn’t mean that he has to love her. But after almost an hour when he tiredly sat down on the window sill, and stared at the moon, slowly he started to put together the pieces of the puzzle. It hadn’t happened in one moment… It had started since that day when he had been formally introduced to Naina for the first time. There was no explanation otherwise as to why he would notice something non-physical and totally unrelated things like the shine of her eyes or the cleanliness of her nails. A guy would notice her figure, any obvious physical traits that could attract attention… He had also noticed her breasts, but that had come after her eyes… And for days he had been stuck on how brilliantly her eyes shone. He had also liked that simple jasmine fragrance, while sophisticated branded perfumes of other girls had failed to entice him… And then there had been the concern he kept feeling for her. Even before he had started writing those chits he had kept an eye on her, checking if she needed anything. He had understood how different she was from other girls he usually interacted with. He had associated terms like purity and innocence with her, something he had never given a damn about when it came to girls. He had found her beautiful not just on the day of Arjun’s tilak, but even before that, on that dark evening when the power had cut and she had lighted up the candle for him. He had been touched by her concern; it had made him happy that she was worried about his burnt hand. And after that he had always tried to protect her from harm, otherwise why did he keep his hand over her head so that the table wouldn’t hurt her. He had instinctively chosen to take the pain upon himself and protect her… And in circumstances where he had found himself unable to do anything, he had found a way to cheer her up without revealing himself. He had been irked every time someone scolded her, and today he had almost punched the guy who had just dared to say that she looked good. And the most glaringly obvious thing was how he had felt when he had seen her with that baby… He should have known then… Boys didn’t get such mushy feelings on seeing any random girl with a baby; they usually felt that softness, that happiness, that need to see more, that urge to protect what they were witnessing only when the girl in consideration mattered to them. He had felt all those range of emotions because Naina had already started to matter to him. It had taken a little over a week for him to just come to terms with it… The way she had fulfilled his wishes today, unknowingly giving him the right to demand, had sealed the deal for him.

Next day was the day of wedding, and Sameer was up unusually early… Not because of Arjun, but because of his sister. The soft, bright pair of brown eyes had disturbed his sleep, until he had simply given up, and tried to think of what he should do. That’s why he was outside in the lawn, approaching his grandfather as he read newspaper on the swing, “Nanu…”

“Sameer”, his Nanaji smiled, “tum itni subah subah uth gaye aaj… mujhe nahi pata tha ke Arjun ki shaadi ki itni excitement hai tumhe… aao betho…”

Sameer sat next to him on the swing and spilled out his question without any preliminaries, “Nanu… agar mujhe kabhi kisi aisi ladki se pyaar ho gaya jiski family shayad hamare social status ki naa ho, hamare jitni rich na ho… Woh ladki mummy ki tarah sophisticated na ho… Toh aap kya karoge? Use reject kar doge ya mera saath doge?”

Nanu’s eyes sparkled with interest as he answered, “agar kisi din tum mujhse aake kahoge ke tum kisi ladki se pyaar karte ho, toh main tumse sirf do sawaal puchunga… Pehla, uska naam kya hai? Dusra, kya woh bhi tumse pyaar karti hai? Iske alawa mujhe aur kisi baat se lene dena nahi hai…”

Sameer smiled, sighing in relief, and then confessed, “I am in love… Mujhe pyaar ho gaya hai.”

Nanu grinned and whooped, hugging his grandson in delight, “I am so proud of you!” He drew back a little and held his shoulders, “itni achchi khabar aise sukhe sukhe de rahe ho? Sharam nahi aati? Kamse kam apne saath meri honewali bahu ko bhi leke aate…”

Sameer blinked in surprise, “bahu?”

Nanu frowned, “haan… bahu… pyaar karte ho toh shaadi bhi karoge na… ya yeh sirf woh aaj kal ke generation jaisi dating hai… college me ghume-phire phir tata bye-bye?”

“Nahi Nanu”, Sameer chuckled, “main wakai me pyaar karta hun… Par mujhe khud kal realize hua toh shaadi tak toh maine socha hi nahi… Aur waise bhi ab tak toh maine usko bhi nahi bataya.”

Nanu queried, “uska naam kya hai?”

Sameer smiled, “pehle usse baat karne do… phir aapko bataunga.”

“Okay”, Nanu agreed after a bit of thought, “aaj hi baat karlo… mujhe thodi jaldi ho rahi hai.”

Sameer laughed, agreeing to talk today, and wished that Naina would at least agree to try this relationship, even if she wasn’t in love yet. He just wanted a chance to let her know that there was someone who loved her very much…

Meanwhile at Agarwal house everything was in a state of chaos since morning. There was so much to do even after all the boys arrived to help. Sameer reached there just after breakfast, and saw everyone rushing around but Naina was sitting in a corner carefully counting coins and notes, noting the numbers down, and keeping them in a bag. Just then Chachaji came over, “aree Sameer… achcha hua tum aa gaye. Arjun keh raha hai tumhe paiso ki zimmedari de sakte hai. Naina gin ke sab rakhle uske baad tum uske paas se bad le lena.”

Sameer smiled, happily nodding, glad of any opportunity to come closer to her. He grabbed a glass of cold-drink, and went to sit beside her, careful of keeping some distance between them. “Hi”, he wished enthusiastically. She looked up, smiled at him and then frowned, “oh no… ginti bhula di tumne.”

He chuckled, “koi baat nahi… laao yeh notes mujhe de do… Tum sikke gin lo. Chachaji ne kaha hai ke yeh paise main apne paas rakhu.”

She nodded, handing over the bundle of 10 rupee notes, “haan… yeh shaadi ki rasmo me dene ke liye hai. Aur yeh dusra wala bundle baraaat ke time ke liye.”

His eyebrow quirked, “baraat me note udayenge… movies ki tarah.”

She laughed, making his heart flutter, “nahi Sameer… dhol walo ko dena hota hai beech beech me… Tum isse pehle kabhi baraat me nahi naache kya?”

He shook his head, “nahi… yeh pehli shaadi hai jisme aise hissa le raha hun. Bahot mazaa aa raha hai… Par kaafi cheeze pata nahi hai… Jaise ki saari rasme mere liye ekdum nayi hai.”

Her gaze softened, “koi baat nahi… tum dekhna bahot mazaa aayega… sab dance karte hai, aur bahot masti karte hai.”

He smirked, “tum bhi karti ho kya? Waise mujhe nahi lagta… Tum shayad wahan bhi kisi kone me khadi rahogi…”

She giggled, “shaam ko dekh lena… ab paise gino… Warna Taiji kahegi hum dono bewajah tahake laga rahe hai.”

His brows furrowed in confusion, “tahake? What’s that? Naina… yaar Hindi me bolo na…”

She looked surprised for a moment, and then grinned, “tahake lagana matlab zor zor se hasna…”

“Oh okay”, he smiled, and started to count the notes quickly.

After lunch, everyone parted to do their own work, and then by around 3pm the parlor ladies arrived to help people get ready. Sameer was also getting ready once more in Arjun’s room, but before that they had to get the groom ready. It was so much fun as they scrubbed Arjun with whatever they could find, and then someone instructed Sameer to get some ice from the kitchen. As he stepped out to get that, he found someone rummaging in the refrigerator, and called out, “excuse me…”

The girl straightened and turned, and to his astonishment it was Naina. She had her head wrapped up in a towel, a wet tendril of hair curving down the side of her face. It seemed she had just taken a bath, and her face looked so soft and smooth that he ached to touch her cheeks. He saw her eyes widen, and then she gasped, “Sam… Sameer… Tum… Aise…”

He looked down at himself in confusion, wondering about her reaction, and saw that he was almost drenched from the bathroom escapade, and his white shirt was stuck to his body, and somehow a few buttons on top were open… Who had done that, he wondered… As he looked up once more at Naina, he was gratified to see faint blushes on her cheek… Did the sight affect her? Years of cricket and exercise had resulted in some muscles, and now he hoped those worked their magic on her… If she was attracted to him then maybe he would have a better chance.

However on seeing her discomfort, he said, “actually Arjun ko nehla rahe the toh main bhi geela ho gaya.”

She nodded, and swallowed once before asking, “tumhe kuch chahiye tha?”

He smiled, “haan… thoda baraf.”

She immediately queried, “phirse chot lag gayi kya?”

His smile widened, “nahi nahi… Arjun ke liye chahiye… Torture bina baraf ke poora nahi hota na.”

She giggled softly and handed him over a bowl of ice. He watched her disappear inside her room, took a deep breath, and then once more went to Arjun’s room. The next time when he came outside, most of the people were ready, including Naina. And his heart nearly stopped on seeing her dressed up in a pink lehenga, complete with jewelry, bangles and bindi. When she walked something clinked, and he realized she was wearing payal today. The urge to go near her, talk to her, tell her about his feelings was so overwhelming that he felt he would stop caring about the audience near them as well.

He even took a step towards her, but then paused… What was he doing? He can’t just go to her and talk without any reason. If anyone from her family found something fishy then she would be in a big trouble. He wanted to show her love, not spoil her mood or make her cry. And she he turned back, hunting around for a paper and pen.

Naina meanwhile was occupied in arranging the aarti thaal that was needed before the baraat. She was glad that everything was alright since morning, no untoward incident had happened, Taiji hadn’t scolded her for anything, and she had even got a chance to do some makeup. But on the other hand she was also feeling little bit down as she thought that if she wasn’t upset then that boy wouldn’t send her a note… And somehow ever since morning she was waiting for a chit of paper to fall in-front of her… She sighed, placing the diya in the center of the thaal amid flowers, and just then a crumpled chit fell on the rose petals. She sucked in a breath, and quickly snatched the paper to read.

Sameer stood near Arjun, feeling happy on seeing Naina’s urgency and excitement to read the note… This meant that she had started to value these notes. It was a good start. Today he wanted to at least reveal his identity to her, tell her that he loved her, and ask her to think about it. They had time… But today he just needed the confirmation that she was willing to give a chance to this…

Naina eagerly read the note, “I am so happy ke tumne aaj bhi pink pehna hai… I guess, aaj se pink mera naya favorite color hai… Aur haan, hamesha ki tarah tum aaj bhi bahot bahot bahot khoobsurat lag rahi ho… Thank you, meri baat maanke apne baal khule rakhne ke liye.”

She blushed; closing the note in her fist, and a wide smile remained on her face as she kept the note in her purse and resumed her work. Today she hadn’t tried to look around to guage who he was… She still wanted to know, and she hoped that today he would let her know… After today all guests would leave, and she would have no chance to know who this boy was.

The baraat was really fun experience for Sameer, as he danced with his friends, and also took opportunity to be close to Naina. She smiled at him once or twice, and he felt his heart beat faster at her gesture… When cold-drinks were offered in between dance, Preeti grabbed a bottle of goldspot for Naina, but she refused, “nahi… goldspot nahi… cola de mujhe.”

Preeti changed the bottle and queried, “tujhe toh goldspot pasand hai na… toh tu kabse cola peene lagi?”

Naina had a dreamy smile on her face as she replied, “do din se… achcha lagne laga hai yeh.”

Sameer nearly whooped aloud on hearing this. He quickly scribbled a note, took careful aim, and threw it at her, taking care to hit her hand… However just at that moment, she lifted her hand to adjust her hair, and the note instead hit her bare belly. His eyes riveted to the inch of visible midriff, and he felt new desires cloud his thoughts. Damn… He hadn’t even confessed his love yet, and he was having all kinds of fascinations about her.

She picked up the note, and her eyes widened as she read, “kabhi kabhi hum goldspot bhi share kar sakte hai.”

He had listened… Goodness… That meant he was around her at that time. She scanned her surroundings slowly, and for a moment her gaze met Sameer’s who, for some reason, was staring at her without blinking. Could it be him? No… That wasn’t possible. He was Sameer Maheshwari… The Sameer Maheshwari… Richest and most eligible bachelor in their college, and maybe in this whole city… Boys like him wouldn’t pay any attention to mediocre girls like her. Plus hadn’t she heard her brother say that Sameer was interested in Urvi… And that was why Urvi was invited to the wedding too. But then, she hadn’t seen her today.

Someone pulled her away, breaking her chain of thoughts, and soon as the baraat reached its destination she almost forgot about the unknown boy. However, even as she enjoyed, Sameer didn’t forget what he had to do. And so after dinner, just before the late night pheras would start, he managed to get another note to her, this time by leaving it tucked in the zip of her purse. When she came back from the mandap to sit, she noticed the note, and immediately tugged it out. Her heart thundered as she read it, “Shayad tum mujhe pagal kahogi ya phir awara, par sach toh yeh hai ke inn kuch dino me main tumse pyaar karne laga hun. Jaanta Hun ajeeb hai, par meri zindagi ki haqeeqat hai. Kya tum mujhse milogi? Main tumse pyaar ka izhaar nazar milake karna chahta hun… Mujhe koi jawab nahi chahiye, bas chahta hun ke tum dekhlo main kaun hun. Hall ke main gate ke wahan jo Ganeshji ki murti hai wahan main tumhara intezaar kar raha hun… 15 minute tak agar tum nahi aai toh main samajh lunga ke tum hamara rishta anjaano ka hi rehne dena chahti ho.”

Her legs felt shaky and she had to sit down… Goodness… Whoever this boy was, he loved her? How? What should she do? She didn’t even know who he was… Even though she had waited for the notes today, she didn’t have any particular feeling for the boy. All she wanted was to thank him… But, this… this note changed everything… She had no idea what to do… She re-read the note, and the last line made her breath catch… No, she had to go to meet him. No matter what, he shouldn’t think that she didn’t even care enough to know who he was. There was no love from her side, and she would tell him that. She would explain about her family too. But she needed to meet him once, and listen to him, else his heart would break… And she couldn’t let that happen because when her heart had been in pain, he had tried to heal her.

And so she tried to leave from there, go out, but even before she could take a few steps, someone caught her arm roughly. To her horror, it was Taiji, and she was pulled away to do more work, and instructed to stay around. She couldn’t budge even an inch, even though she tried several times, and she kept thinking about that unknown boy, hoping he would wait and wouldn’t be disheartened.

Finally after around thirty minutes, she found a chance to sneak off as Taiji was busy with other rituals, and she quickly rushed off towards the main gate. The Ganeshji murti was easy to find, but there was no one there… He was gone… She couldn’t prevent the heartbreak, and much to her surprise, tears escaped from her own eyes. She dropped on her knees, clutching the last note to herself, sobbing at the incredible loss she felt.

Few minutes later, she somehow controlled herself, wiped her tears, and then left to go back inside, praying to God that the boy would get over this thing soon. Many kilometres away, Sameer dropped his suit jacket on the floor of his room, hugged Nanu and sobbed, his heart heavy with disappointment on losing his first love.

To Be Continued…