The chatter of a group of newly arrived guests disturbed the afternoon silence, somewhere a bird trilled resolutely despite the heat, but no one paid any attention to it, a room-service personnel came up to room 506 but silently left upon seeing the “Do Not Disturb” card hanging on door. Inside the room, the sleeping man tried to turn on his back, his movements pushing the blanket down to his belly.
Naina stirred as the cool air hit her bare arms, she was still not used to sleeping in the air-conditioner. Before her wedding, at her home, she had slept beneath ceiling fan. In summers, the balcony doors were kept open to let the night air in; that was the way to beat the heat. Sometimes when she was small, they had also slept on the terrace. But since her wedding with Sameer, every night the air conditioning was turned on, and she would cuddle under the blanket even in summer.
Her eyes blinked open, and she yawned, stretching as much as she could in the constriction of her husband’s arms. Post the first night after wedding she was never disoriented about where she was, she always knew it was Sameer holding her to him, but now she frowned staring at the bouquet of roses near the bed… When did he bring them? Her eyes wandered around the unfamiliar surroundings, and it took a few seconds to realize that she was not in their room, but rather at the hotel in Mussoorie. The roses were from the hotel for their honeymoon… And they had made love… in broad daylight… for couple of hours. Oh God…
She stretched once again, this time experimentally, and gasped when her breasts rubbed against the slightly coarse hair of his chest, her naked legs against his, and her fingers clenched on the side of his body. What was he? She had never thought about lovemaking, never wondered about it, never even considered that it would be something she would enjoy… But Sameer had made her feel the need, had made her want to take that step forward, had made her crave for something she had never thought of, and finally he had made her realize how pure and magical this experience was… It wasn’t just fire, though well… with Sameer it was. But there was also that amazing sense of belonging, of being the most basic elemental self and yet experiencing the zenith of pleasure.
From the way she had heard of things from several women, she had gleaned that this would be something in which men found more pleasure, while for women it was one of the marital duties they were bound to serve. From her books she had gained a different perspective, a world where everything was rosy and perfect. She hadn’t believed either of them… Rather she had deduced that the ideal experience might lie somewhere in between. Yes, it was expected of women. Yes, it was one of the marital duties, as termed by the society, because this helped a woman bear child. Yes, it also made the world around glowing and perfect for a few minutes, because that was just basic science. When making love, the logical part of the brain shut down, and the body and brain became busy in producing hormones which increased pleasure, desire, and motivation. So yes, there was the conventional information and the scientific information… She had entered into the relationship with this knowledge.
But what she had not anticipated or been ready for was the fact that how much more was added by just feeling the emotion of love for your partner, or the natural way everything moved. Being in his arms was natural; feeling the urge to hold him was natural. There had been nervousness in kissing him, apprehensions in taking the next step, but there had been willingness to do it too. And that made all the difference… It wasn’t just duty, or a seeking of pleasure… It was so much more than that… It was a bond… Yes, that was the best way she could describe it. Just the mangalsutra and sindur, or the phera didn’t make them husband and wife, this was also one of the bond that tied them together. It wasn’t just the man getting something from his wife; it was both the partners in marriage experiencing something that made them connect in a way that transcended every boundary; it wasn’t mere joining of bodies, it was a connection which they shared only with each other.
An urgent pressing need made her squirm, and she chuckled… This need was different. She lifted Sameer’s arm, and sat up, holding the blanket to herself. Where were her clothes? She looked down her side of bed, but they weren’t there. She spotted her salwar on the stairs leading to seating area. Why did he just throw all their clothes here and there? Couldn’t he remove them and keep to one side. She glanced once at her husband, and then cautiously lowered the blanket, and slid off the bed. One more look at the bed, and then at the closed suitcase… but a tickling in her belly made her forego her modesty and rush to the bathroom. After taking care of the urgent natural need, she glanced around the lavish bathroom, and was surprised on seeing her own reflection in the huge mirror.
Stark naked… That was how she was standing, and even though no one was watching she blushed. Her hair was messy, the sindur smeared, her light lipstick was also completely smudged… The only things on her body were the chuda on her hands, and the mangalsutra around her neck… A slightly closer look in the mirror revealed a reddish mark just above her right breast… She frowned, tracing that mark with her fingers… Did some insect bite? A mosquito perhaps… But a memory of the bruise she had left on her husband’s shoulder during their first time made her realize that this was not an act of any insect… This was a mark of passion and possession… Something electrifying ran down her spine at the thought that Sameer had done this, and such was her haze of passion that she hadn’t even felt it at that time.
Her belly clenched again, but this time it wasn’t because of arousal, but rather hunger. It had been so long since they had eaten anything. Spotting the pristine towels and the bathrobes hanging behind the door, she decided to take a bath first. She didn’t spend a lot of time under the shower, but made sure to keep the water warm… She didn’t want to be sore at all because she was sure that the day’s quota of lovemaking wasn’t over yet. With a smile on her face at her own thoughts, she patted her body dry, and slipped into the soft white bath robe. She combed her hair, and then walked out, thinking to place the order for food first and then get ready.
As soon as she stepped out, her eyes roved over the scattered clothes in the room, and she shook her head, picking them up and keeping them on the sofa to be folded. She picked up the bounded folder she had seen upon coming to the room, and found the room service menu. Given the time, she chose a few snack items and tea, and then picked up the phone but paused at a loss… She had no idea how to order… What number to call…? She looked at the menu again, hoping to find some number at the bottom of the page, but there was nothing. How to place the order? She carefully inspected the menu once more, and then sighed, accepting defeat, and went to wake up Sameer.
He was sleeping so deeply that it took her more than a few shakes to wake him up, and as soon as he stirred the first thing he did was to grab her hand and pull her on top of him. She squeaked and he rolled over, placing her on the bed, and blinked, “hey wifey…”
Usually she would frown on this term, but today, she smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed his nose, and purred, “hi darling…”
His eyes widened, “wow… aaj suraj kahan se nikla?” Then he glanced at her shoulder and frowned, “kapde kyun pehen liye?”
She chuckled, “kyunki maine naha liya.”
His lower lip jutted out in a pout, “mujhe uthaya bhi nahi…”
She queried, “aap kya karte uthke?”
Mischief lit up the depths of his eyes, “tumhare saath bathroom me nahata… aur… ek aur condom use karta.”
“Bathroom me!”, she exclaimed, “mazaak mat kijiye.”
He leaned down, nuzzling her cheek, “mazaak nahi hai darling… chalo phirse bathroom me, abhi saabit kar deta hun.”
She pondered over his words while he kept dropping soft kisses at her neck. Soon she felt his hands searching at her waist, and stopped him, “bilkul nahi… maine nahake abhi abhi yeh pehna hai.”
He smirked, “toh? Bathrobe hi hai… ek minute bhi nahi lagega utaarne me.”
She kept a firm hold on his hand, “nahi… pehle mujhe bhuk lagi hai… kuch khaate hai.”
“Bas ek baar”, he pleaded, “dekho mera kya haal hai.”
She had to laugh at his expressions, “aapka haal poore din aisa hota hai. Par mujhe energy chahiye.”
His eyes took on a concerned tone at this, and he grazed her cheek with his knuckles, “bahot zyada ho gaya kya? Mujhe waqt ka dhyan hi nahi raha… Bas tumhe batana chahta tha ke tum mere liye kitni khoobsurat ho.”
Her gaze softened, and she stroked his hair, pushing them back from his forehead, “waqt ka dhyan toh mujhe bhi nahi tha… kaise kahu…? Shabd nahi hai… par jaadu jaisa tha.”
He chuckled, but looked extremely proud as he said, “bathroom me chalo phirse jaadu dikhata hun.”
“Uff”, she tried to push him, “pehle khana chahiye. Yeh room service menu dekhiye na… mujhe toh samajh hi nahi aa raha kaise order karte hai.”
He frowned, “kaise matlab? Bas jo khana hai woh select karo aur phone pe order kardo.”
She waved the menu for him to look, “par kahan phone karu? Number toh diya hi nahi hai.” He looked so surprised for a moment, that she understood she had missed something glaringly obvious. Her cheeks flushed as she murmured, “maine pehle kabhi nahi kiya.”
He smiled, softly kissing her cheek, “jaanta hun… main bas… kabhi kabhi bhool jaata hun ke kuch cheeze maine bhi pehli baar experience kiya tha. Tumko pata hai jab main first time hotel me raha tha Nanu ke saath, mujhe sabse zyada excitement bathroom me rakhe hue samaan se hui thi… sab kuch dete hai aur chote chote dabbo me… Nanu jab kaam kar rahe the tab maine shaving cream ko face cream samajhke achche se poore chehre pe laga liya tha.”
She laughed out at this, and he grinned, “Nanu kehte hai tab itna shaving cream ghisa tha isiliye ab meri dadhi itni jaldi jaldi badh jaati hai.”
Still chortling, she rubbed her palm over the slight rasp at his jaw, “ho sakta hai… par mujhe toh bahot pasand hai. Shayad uss waqt mere liye hi woh shaving cream laga liya tha aapne.”
He hummed, dropping a quick peck on her lips, and then rolled off her, “phone pe dekho… side me sticker hoga… usme numbers likhe honge… room service ka zyadatar 9 hota hai hotels me. Aur haan zyada khana order karna… bahot zoro ki bhuk lagi hai. Main bathroom jaake aata hun…”
She sat up, watching her husband slide off the bed, and stretch his arms. He caught her staring, and smirked, “Naina… Khana yahan nahi hai… Phone pe order karna padega. Aur aise dekhna hi hai toh achche se kareeb aake dekho.”
Her face flushed, she turned away towards the phone, and he chuckled. She picked up the menu once more, but kept watching from the corner of her eyes as he walked to the bathroom and closed the door. She sighed at her own unabashed behavior, and shook her head, trying to get rid of the image of his shifting muscles. Recalling his words, she checked the phone and indeed there was a small white sheet with numbers written on them, inserted in a transparent slot on the side, and room service was number 9. She quickly dialed up, and placed the order; they said it would take around 30 minutes for the order to be delivered. Ensuring that the bathroom door was closed, she unlocked their suitcase and snapped it open to look for her clothes. She quickly pulled on fresh underwear, and then pulled out a set of new salwar-kameez, and waited. She didn’t try to change, as she was not sure when he would come out, rather she took out one set of clothes for him as well.
Sure enough, Sameer came out just then, thankfully with a towel around his waist. Walking up to her, he looped an arm around her waist, “ab tak bathrobe me… lagta hai full mood me ho.”
Her hands automatically came up to his chest, his skin cool to touch, and the fragrance of soap telling her that he had taken a quick shower. She breathed in deep, and smiled, “dhatt… main intezaar kar rahi thi taaki bathroom me andar jaake change kar saku… Jaanti thi yahan karungi toh ho sakta hai aap beech me hi bathroom se bahar aa jaaye.”
He chuckled, “khana order kiya?”
“Haan”, she replied, “masala Bombay toast tha kuch, woh mangvaya… usme aloo hai isiliye. Aur paneer ka ek dish hai. Saath me chai.”
He frowned, “bas itna hi?”
She clucked her tongue, “dinner nahi hai yeh… bas nashta hai.”
He countered immediately, “par lunch bhi toh nahi kiya na… kuch meetha bhi toh mangvana chahiye tha.”
She shook her head and pulled back from his arms, “aap dekh lijiye menu ek baar. Main change karke aati hun.”
He pulled her back in his arms, and toyed with the knot of the robe, “change karne ki kya zaroorat… isime achchi lag rahi ho… chai peeke phir…”
She blushed as he trailed off, “nahi… abhi nahi… thodi der aas paas ghumte hai thoda… phir wapas aake.”
He frowned grumpily, “honeymoon pe bhi mana karti hai meri biwi… bathroom ke liye bhi koi jawaab nahi diya… aisa kaisa dry honeymoon.”
She gasped, “dry? Room me ghuste hi sabse pehle humne… umm… woh kiya… Isko dry nahi kehte.”
He smirked, “woh kya? Theek se batao…”
“Hatiye”, she pushed him, “jaake jo order karna hai kijiye warna sab kuch saath me nahi aayega.”
The lure of pulling her back in his arms was strong, but the rumble in his empty stomach was stronger, and so he let her separate without any argument. He watched her pick up the clothes from the bed, and frowned, “salwar-kameez? Jeans pehno na Naina… Mujhe dekhna hai phirse… Bilkul waise hi jaise first time dekha tha… Please.”
The pleading felled any arguments she would have put up, and she smiled, “theek hai… aap jaiye order kijiye. Main jeans pehen lungi. Aur aapke kapde bhi nikaalke rakhe hai.”
By the time she came back, he had also worn his clothes, and was ruffling through the suitcase. She went up to him and asked, “kya kar rahe hai aap?”
“Condom ka ek box nahi mil raha”, he frowned, continuing to lift the neatly folded clothes and check, “saare upar hi toh daale the… pata nahi kahan gaya.”
She chuckled, “suitcase me nahi hai…”
He looked up at her, “toh kahan hai?”
Her cheeks took on a slight reddish tone, “umm… woh… maine ek dibbi nikalke bed ke paas wale drawer me rakh diya…”
Puzzled he queried, “kyun?”
She bit her lip, “aap bhi na… uhh… maine socha wahan se nikaalna asaan hoga jab hum… umm…”
His face split in a grin as he understood what she meant, “wow darling… achcha khayal hai… bas ek hi problem hai…”
She blurted, “kya?”
He cupped her face, and dipped, “zaroori nahi ke hamesha hum bed pe hi ho.” She looked up in his eyes, and he caught her lips in a deep kiss, that made her toes curl, and her hands wound around his neck. She lifted up to press against him, the hunger for food suddenly forgotten, as another hunger started to pulse in her veins.
However the kiss was extremely brief as they were rudely interrupted by the loud ring of phone. Sameer scowled, and picked up the phone, frustrated, “hello…” A moment passed as he listened, and then reddened a bit, “uhh… haan abhi dekhta hun.”
Keeping the phone back, he went to the door, opened it and then closed it again. She was extremely confused, and asked, “kya hua?”
He smiled sheepishly, “maine aane ke baad darwaze pe ‘do not disturb’ ka sign laga diya tha, taaki hume koi pareshan na kare. Aur uthne ke baad nikaalna bhool gaya, toh khana dene aaye aur wapas chale gaye. Isiliye unn logo ne phone kiya…”
She laughed out on hearing this, “wow… pata nahi hotel wale kya soch rahe honge.”
“Honeymoon suite hai darling”, he shrugged, “aur kya sochenge bhala…”
She blushed, moving close to him, and lifted one hand to his heart, “Sameer… maine kabhi socha nahi tha ke…”
She trailed off as the doorbell rung, and he sighed, “khana aa gaya… ek minute.”
He went to open the door while she hastily stuffed back all the condoms in the suitcase, afraid that whoever came to give the food would see them, but to her surprise Sameer rolled in a table loaded with several dishes. She tilted her head, “aap kyun le aaye? Waiter room me nahi aate?”
He smiled, “aate hai na… par yahan aata toh… hamara raaz dekh leta.”
She walked down the short flight of stairs to him, “kaisa raaz? Maine condoms toh wapas rakh diye.”
He grinned, held her shoulders and turned her away from him, “par darling bed kaise chupati?”
She blinked at the bed, and then her eyes widened. Goodness… The bedsheet was pulled off from one side, the blanket was a rumpled mess, three pillows were on the floor, and one lying diagonally on the bed… Had they done this?
Smiling at her expressions, Sameer teased, “dekha tumne kya kiya?”
She gasped, turning back to him, “maine? Aapki wajah se hua hai yeh…”
“Jaanta hun”, he smirked, “meri harkato ke wajah se tum bed pe itna hil rahi thi ke bechare bed ka yeh haal ho gaya.”
Her face flushed, she had to lower her eyes, and her body trembled at the erotic recollection of his actions. He chuckled, cupping her face, and dropping a quick loud kiss on her lips, and then further teased, “chalo ab… jab dekho tab idhar-udhar ki baate karni hoti hai tumko… itni mehnat ki hai ke thak gaya hun… khane do mujhe…”
Still at a loss of words she shook her head, and started to lift the covers of the dish. There was the sandwich and paneer dish she had ordered, but he had added some kind of noodles, something that looked like white round balls, and a chocolate pastry. Pointing at the round balls she asked, “yeh kya hai?”
“Momos”, he replied, and busied himself to sprinkle chilli flakes on the noodles, “tum chai nikaalo.”
She picked up the fragile looking white kettle and poured out the tea in two cups, “hey bhagwaan… yeh hotel wale chai me dudh daalna bhul gaye.”
Sameer looked up at her, a funny expression on his face, and pressed his lips to control his smile, “bhule nahi Naina… yeh English type chai hai… Dudh aur shakkar alag se diya hai. Tumne shayad movies me dekha hoga kabhi…”
Her brows furrowed as she recalled elegantly dressed women in movies sitting on delicate white chairs, in a green lawn, maybe under an umbrella, and serving tea from kettle. They usually asked if they should add milk and also how much sugar to put. She grinned, “oh haan… yeh waisi wali chai hai? Wow… Main hamesha sochti thi ke aise kaise chai banate hai table pe laake. Ab main bhi bana paungi… Aapko shakkar kitni du?”
He chuckled, “2 cubes.” She had a constant smile on her face as she added milk to the tea and then picked up the small pair of tongs and bit her lip as she picked up a cube of sugar and added it to the tea. He smiled on seeing her enjoying like this, and felt glad that she was no longer afraid of new unknown things, rather she was taking it in stride and trying to learn. She stirred the sugar, and looked up at him, “pata hai… main aur Preeti na isko vilayti chai bolte the.”
He pulled up the chairs for them to sit, “toh laao meri vilayti chai do…”
She handed over a cup to him, and then picked up her own cup, taking an eager sip, and then wrinkled her nose. He asked, “kya hua?” She took another small sip, “isse achchi toh hamari adrak wali chai hai. Isme to dudh kachcha lag raha hai aur chai bhi kadak nahi hai.”
He shrugged, “bade hotels me itni achchi chai milti nahi hai. Yeh lo khana shuru karo.”
She took a piece of paneer on her dish, and then queried, “yeh… momos… yeh kaise khate hai?”
He grabbed a spoon, “tumne kabhi khaye nahi?” She shook her head, and he smiled, carefully added some spicy sauce on one momo, and lifted it on the spoon, holding it up, “khake dekho… achcha lagega. Poora lena muh me, bite mat karna.”
She did as instructed, gingerly chewing, and then closed her eyes as the flavor burst in her mouth… The crunchy yet juicy vegetables mixed with the spicy sauce, and the chewy bland covering balanced out the whole taste. She made a small sound, “mmmm…”, and licked the corner of her mouth, “kitna tasty hai yeh.”
He grinned, helping himself to one of the piece, and had an almost similar reaction as her. Together they finished up all the food, discussing about what to do next, as Sameer wanted to stay in the room, while Naina wanted to go out. By the time they were done, Naina had managed to convince Sameer to go out by threatening that if he refused she will only stick to heavily embroidered salwar-kameez and won’t wear skirts or jeans for the rest of the trip. Reluctantly he agreed to go out, but clearly told her that they were not going anywhere far. She pulled on one of her newly bought jackets, and kissed him once before they left the room, which made a smile stick to his face the entire time. Naina was becoming more and more confident in expressing her desire, and especially after today morning she was not that shy anymore.
They visited a nearby park that had a pond in the center with quacking ducks, and Naina insisted on buying some bread to feed them. Children were playing in the spacious garden, it seemed to be full of locals as well as tourists. There was a street market alongside the park which reminded them of Law Garden in Ahmedabad. As usual Sameer insisted on buying something, and spend around 30 minutes to choose different trinkets for Naina. When she removed the earring she was wearing and slipped on one of the other he had bought, he grinned happily.
“Naina… Kal hum mall road chalenge”, he declared enthusiastically, “bahot sundar views hote hai wahan pe, aur zyada dukaane bhi hai. Dopahar ko niklenege to pehle Gunhil view point pe jaake aayenge, aur phir sunset mall road pe.”
Naina held his hand as they strolled down the road, the chilly wind turning her nose cold, and the weight of Nanu’s task heavy on her shoulders. She wanted to visit different places, enjoy with him, just see him happy and excited all the time. But Nanu had given her a responsibility that she couldn’t give up. And so she decided that tomorrow she would tell him about it, it was better to get the difficult thing out of the way first, and then focus on fun. Mussoorie wasn’t going anywhere… If they couldn’t visit all the places this time then there could always be a next time. But she couldn’t avoid the task…
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer, “kahan kho gai?”
She smiled up at him, his features shadowy in the dusk, his hair fluttering in the wind, and the black jacket just made him look sexy. Tomorrow could be a tough day, but tonight… tonight was just for them. And just like that, she didn’t want to spend one more minute outside. She wrapped her hand around his waist, and pressed her fingers on the side, “mujhe thand lag rahi hai.”
He grinned impishly, “toh… baaho me le loon logo ke saamne?”
“Main soch rahi thi…”, she said in a musing tone, “woh jo box khula hua hai usme 2 packet bache hai na ab tak… toh agar khatam karna hai toh jaldi jaana padega na room me.”
His eyes widened, “Naina… tum kya…”
She shrugged, blinking her eyes innocently, “honeymoon hai darling…”
He kept staring at her in amazement as she started to guide him towards the hotel. It wasn’t far. When they reached the lobby, he asked, “umm… dinner?”
“Order kar lenge”, she said determinedly, and pressed the button for their floor. As soon as they reached inside the room, she closed and locked the door, and then removed the scarf she had twined around her neck. He still stood on the spot, staring at his wife as she proceeded to remove her jacket, and then pulled the curtains over the window. Then she turned to him and smiled, “udhar kyun khade hai aap?”
He slowly walked up to her, and touched her forehead, “tum theek toh ho na? Yeh sab…”
She bit her lip, and her eyes suddenly lowered, “umm… aapko achcha nahi laga maine bola toh?”
He smiled, cupping her face in his hands, and softly replied, “bahot zyada achcha laga… par ek sawaal hai… main shaam ko baar baar keh raha tha yeh sirf uss wajah se toh nahi hai na? Matlab… tum sach me chahti… mmm…”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence because she stretched up and pressed her lips to his, tasting him like he did to her. His whole body tensed, and heat slammed in his gut at her action. Who was this bold woman? His wife never made such moves… But as her tongue slipped inside his mouth, and her taste filled him, he knew it was his wife… The only woman who had ever made him feel desire, the only woman he had ever loved. It seemed that their lovemaking this morning had hit the correct mark, because she was now assured of herself, of how she looked in his eyes, and that had set her free to express her own desires. Now he just needed to learn how to handle this fire he had lit…
A gentle metallic rasp caught his attention, and another fresh bout of amazement washed over him as he realized that she was undoing the zip of his jacket. Goodness… She really was serious about using up those condoms. He made a slightly frustrated sound when she broke the kiss, but then stood there silently watching his wife with eyes heavy-lidded with desire and astonishment, and readily cooperated when she removed his jacket, and then the shirt. He was wearing a vest as well, which made her pouty lips curve in a frown, but even that was out of the way soon enough. Her eyes roved over his bare chest, and then her fingers followed, making him shudder… He felt her breath tickle the hair on his chest, and then her lips softly kissed, followed by a few gentle licks of her tongue… And he swayed on the spot, his entire body almost turning limp… It was too much to take… Not because what she was doing was too much, but because it was her doing it.
She held him, guiding him backwards, and he just obeyed with no idea where she was taking him. As he sprawled back on a chair, he realized that they were still near the window and she had backed him on the high chair. His surprise knew no bounds when she climbed on his lap, straddling his thighs, and adjusted herself comfortably. God… He was so hard that he could literally feel himself being restricted by his jeans. She cupped his face, beneath his ears, sliding her fingers in the hair at his nape, and he raised his eyes up to see her kiss his forehead. His heart thudded when she brushed her lips on his eyes, closing them, and then skimmed down to his cheeks. “I love you”, she whispered, and then gently kissed his mouth. Tasting one lip at a time, she slowly built up the kiss, the heat in his body pulsing higher degree by degree as she lazily deepened the kiss… A shudder… A deep-throated groan… And then his hands were on her waist, trying to lift the top up, searching for skin to touch.
She complied, not even mentioning about the light once, and he sucked in a breath on seeing the black lace she was wearing inside her maroon top. Tracing a line along the arched edges he asked, “yeh kab?”
“Shaadi se pehle”, she murmured, her cheeks tinging with color.
His thumb rubbed the hard nubs he could feel over the lace, and his voice was deep and low, as he almost growled, “sexy”, and then pulled her up a bit, his lips skimming over the soft fabric and plucking at the tips. She moaned, her hands fisting in his hair as she tried to keep herself steady… He hadn’t even removed the bra, and still she could feel bolts of heat shoot to her belly, and pool between her legs. She felt his fingers move over her belly, unsnap and unzip her jeans, trying to tug it down… Her head felt dizzy as his teeth nipped lightly at her breasts, still over the lace that was now totally wet, and then his hands were cupping her bottom, kneading them gently.
She wondered what he was doing, the position was so awkward, her jeans were tightly stretched around her thighs, and she had to hold on to him or the chair to maintain her balance. Thinking to move to the bed, she opened her mouth to ask, but just then one big hand slipped beneath her lace underwear, stroking her bare bottom, and a long finger curved around to front, gently touching her, searching… and then nudged inside a bit. She moaned aloud, her back arching, pushing her breast more in his mouth. It was… amazing… yet not exactly enough. She needed a bit more… But he seemed to be in no hurry to get up or do more…
“Sameer please”, she pleaded.
He nuzzled the swells of her breast, murmuring, “hook…”
She blinked, taking a moment to understand what he was saying, and then just debated for an extremely brief moment, but her need won over her shyness, and she herself unhooked her bra. He immediately nudged one cup aside with his nose, and his tongue swirled around an aching crest before clamping down hard enough to make her see stars behind her eyes, and his finger rubbed the throbbing bundle of nerves between her legs. Her breath left her lungs on a shuddering sigh, her legs trembled, her hands in his hair fisted painfully, and as his finger pushed inside her once more, she melted like cold ice in summer sun.
He held her, gently stroking her, feeling the trembles running through her body, his lips kissing wherever he could reach on her body, trying to prolong the tender pleasure. He knew it wasn’t the kind of sensation she usually felt when they made love, because the angle had been such that he hadn’t been able to use his full finger too, but still the look of bliss on her face and flush covering her tempting breasts made him feel proud of what he could make her feel. As the tremors of her body subsided, the need inside him burned hotter than ever, and he tightened his hold around her, reared up, and placed her on the chair. She opened her eyes, blinking up at him, as he removed her bra, jeans and panties swiftly. She didn’t question him, just kept looking mildly puzzled as if she couldn’t understand something. He shucked his own jeans and boxers, and then urgently parted her, placing one of her slender legs on the armrest. Leaning down he kissed her mouth, and started to guide himself, but the first touch of her shocked him, and he drew back, muttering a curse.
Her warmth reminded him that he had totally forgotten the condom, and so he rushed to the bedside cabinet, and thanking God that Naina had taken it out and kept it handy… Else he would have totally been pissed off if he had had to open the suitcase right now. He walked back to her, simultaneously tearing the small packet and sheathing himself. She was still waiting, just as he had left her, legs parted, sprawled on that high chair, somehow managing to look ravishing even in that awkward position. He throbbed at her sight, blood pulsing hot and thick, and he forgot all semblance of gentleness… He just needed. He just wanted. He had to take her. Placing a knee on the seat of the chair, he grabbed her thighs, and entered her in one single hard thrust. Her body arched in feminine shock, and she moaned his name so loud that he stilled for a moment… Struggling for control he asked if she was okay, but she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down, capturing his mouth in a heated kiss. He groaned, and poised himself, starting to thrust fast and hard. He kissed her face, stroking her body, wanting to tell her that he had no hold over his control, that he was so gone that he could be done anytime soon… But it seemed even her condition was the same, because her nails scored his back, her teeth nipped at his shoulder and neck, and she wrapped one leg around his knee and lifted her hips, meeting his next thrust… His body strained tight, his veins corded, and with a deep throated groan he grounded against her. His only last cognizant observation was her keening cry, arched body, and he knew that she too had reached her completion.
His legs gave away, and he dropped awkwardly over her, slipping a bit because he couldn’t find balance. She held him tight, wrapping her arms around him, and turned her face in his neck, breathing in his male fragrance. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage; she glanced at the clock once, and chuckled. He stirred at the sound, a contented sigh escaping his lips; he dropped a quick kiss on her shoulder, and mumbled, “kya hua?”
Her voice held laziness and a tinge of amusement, “soch rahi hun kabhi 2 ghante se bhi zyada lete hai aur kabhi bas adha ghanta.”
He laughed, drew back a bit, and teased, “tum mushkil se toh thoda time deti ho… Warna bas… Sameer please…”
She blushed, but lightly pinched his waist, and he yelped, amazed and amused at his wife. He could have never guessed that the calm, shy and demure Naina would have this hidden fire inside her. Few days into their relationship and he had understood that she had a bold side, but this… this was insane. He had thought he would need to spend a lot of time to make her aware of the intricacies of this relationship, and even more to actually get her to express and demand. But goodness… He now wondered if there would ever be a time when he wouldn’t be surprised by her. Dropping another kiss on her shoulder, he gently withdrew from her, and stood up. She curled up her legs, but kept sitting, staring up at him with a small smile on her face.
He frowned, “kya?”
She tilted her head, as if thinking something over, and said, “soch rahi hun pehle dinner kare ya…”
The unfinished sentence spiked up his heartbeats that had barely calmed down, and he murmured, “chai ya momos me kuch milaya tha kya hotel walo ne? Tumhe ho kya gaya hai aaj?”
She laughed, the sound throaty and confident, and he ached to hold her in his arms once again. “Kuch nahi hua”, she assured, “aap bathroom jaake aaiye.”
He shook his head and left; she stretched, yawned, shook her hair hoping they weren’t too messy and lifted their clothes from the floor, keeping them on another chair. Maybe she should check her hair and lipstick, but she didn’t feel like it. She also didn’t want to do anything more somehow, like not even taking out other clothes from the suitcase, and so she slipped on her panty, and shrugged into the shirt Sameer was wearing earlier, and curled up on the chair once more, waiting for him. She had wondered the purpose of such a big chair in the room, and had thought it was too big for one person, but now she knew that it wasn’t really built for one person… It surely had specific uses.
When he came out, he frowned at the bed, because he had thought she would be there, but instead he turned to spot her still on the chair, but this time dressed in his shirt. Wow! He pulled on his jeans, and went over to her, “ab tak yahin ho?”
“Hmm”, she smiled up at him, “kaash din hota, toh khidki ke bahar kuch dikhta.”
He grabbed a bottle of water, chugging half of it, and then spotted a portable radio set near the telephone. He turned it on, and to his delight melodious songs filled the room. Turning the volume to low, he went back to her, and gave her the water. As soon as she drank it, and kept the bottle aside, he picked her up, sat down on the chair, and then positioned her sideways on his lap, in a way that she could still curl up her legs. Thankfully the chair was spacious enough. She leaned on his chest, delighting in the warmth of him, the chilly weather of Mussoorie only making it more pleasurable.
He kissed the top of her head, and closed his eyes, totally at peace. He mentally thanked Nanu for this trip because truly it was turning out to be incredible. Also he was really enjoying how much unrestricted Naina was here… He was sure she wouldn’t have worn just his shirt in their room… Yes, she had done that for a brief time in the morning after their first lovemaking, but usually as soon as the sun rose she would be rushing to get ready, one of her standard arguments being, ‘Nanaji uth gaye honge.’ But here, it was just them in this room, and she was quickly adapting to the circumstance and exploring the most of it.
A small sound caught his attention, and he glanced down at her to find she had closed her eyes, there was a gentle smile on her lips, and she was humming the songs. Sudden warmth filled his heart, the love he held for her seemed to overwhelm him, and he tightened his hold on her. Her smile widened a bit, she didn’t open her eyes, but turned her head a bit to nuzzle against his chest, still humming softly. She felt so much at peace, it was like being in a dream, thought Naina… Everything around seemed beautiful, there was no hurry to do anything, no one asking her to get up and get going. She was as content as a kitten, and cocooned in his warmth, she was also the happiest kitten.
The dinner that night was extremely special for Sameer because he had never had so much fun. Despite being in the hotel room, they literally sat on the rug near the sofa because that’s where Naina had pulled him down for a kiss just before the food arrived. Conversation flowed easy over food, as they discussed about their life in school and college, and they had a fun time trying to eat with chopsticks. Also he was amused because she had not allowed him to open the door in just his jeans, claiming that the view was only for her and not some random waiter. So he had had to get another shirt from the suitcase and put it on before getting the food table from the waiter.
He put on a movie after dinner while Naina went to freshen up, and to his delight wore one of the night suits for him, though he now felt that his shirt on her looked sexier than this. The movie was good, and he actually sat with full attention for an hour, but then when she started to draw patterns on his chest with her fingers, he couldn’t control anymore. He leaned down to kiss her, and she smiled, but at the last moment he stopped. Quickly drawing back, he commented, “iss baar bed chahiye… Tum TV bandh karke jao, main do minute me aaya.”
Puzzled she watched him escape to the bathroom, and then shrugged, thinking he must need a quick trip before bed. She turned the TV off, and then walked over to the bed, smoothing out the sheet, and folding the blanket. Stroking the pillow she chuckled… What had he done to her? Rather than blushing and being shy she was actually preparing for and demanding lovemaking. She felt just so… confident… She was always the girl who would hide in shadows, not one for public stage. The only time she had been first to speak up was to answer questions in class, and then she had chosen to be a teacher because she loved how a teacher played an important role in shaping up the life of so many kids. Also she taught kindergarten kids… Children at that age have a unique ability to always be happy and see the good in others. It just came naturally to them. They were a rare combination of honesty, purity, innocence, mischief and when they looked up at her with so much hope and adoration sparkling in their eyes, she felt like she could achieve anything in this world, she felt treasured. And that was exactly what she had seen in Sameer’s eyes in that dark cinema theatre. It hadn’t taken time to notice how incredibly handsome he was, and his hair was just… wow… but the emotions in his eyes had captivated her. She had immediately known that this man was not just honorable but also determined, and still had somehow managed to preserve that childlike innocence inside him. And then she had seen the mischief sparkle in his deep eyes when he had commented about their love deepening because of the cream roll and cola. She hadn’t really understood it then, but everything she had seen in his eyes had immediately ensnared her heart, and she had fallen in love without even a romantic song or guitar music like in movies… There was no big moment or fireworks or extravagant proposal on clouds… It was just the depth and range of emotions in his eyes that she had witnessed.
Strong arms looped around her waist, and she grinned as she was pulled back to a strong hard chest. He nuzzled her neck, and murmured, “bed ko itne dhyan se kyun ghoor rahi ho?”
She laughed, and turned in his arms, “aap nahi the toh bed ko hi ghoor liya.”
“Kisi aur ko ghoorogi toh mujhe jalan hogi”, he teased, “phir chahe woh bed hi kyun na ho. Ab toh bed ko sazaa deni padegi.”
Intrigued she queried, “bed se kaise badla lenge?”
He picked her up in his arms, “jis bed ko tum ghoor rahi thi usi bed pe tumse pyaar karke.”
She chuckled, looping her arms around his neck, “bahot achcha idea hai…”
He grinned and dumped her lightly on the bed, coming down on top of her, aiming for her lips. But she placed her hands on his cheeks, framing his face, gazing into his eyes. Puzzled he queried, “kya hua?”
She smiled, “kuch nahi… bas aapki aankhon me dekh rahi hun… Jaise woh pehli mulakaat me dekha tha.”
Mischief sparkled in his eyes, “kuch hua tha kya?”
She trailed her hands beneath his shirt, stroking his back, “hmmm… aapse pyaar ho gaya tha, bas pata nahi chala tha.”
He kissed her nose, “mujhe bhi tumhari aankhon me dekhte hi pyaar ho gaya tha… Tumhe pata hai jab Nanu ne mujhe bataya tha ke hum kisi Naina se shaadi ki baat karne jaane wale hai, mera dil ekdum zoro se dhadka tha, aur man me socha – kahin yeh meri Naina toh nahi.”
She hummed, softly kissing his lips, and smiled because she realized that he had gone to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He groaned, pushing her top up to bare her belly, his hand skimming the soft skin to reach up and cup her breast. “Ab kal baat karenge”, he muttered, and she moaned in agreement, wrapping her legs around him. He reached out to turn off the lights near the bed, but kept the surrounding lights on, and was lost to her passionate fire when she tugged his shirt off. The big room echoed with moans and groans, as the two figures entwined together, once again messing up the carefully arranged bedsheet.
Couple of hours later while Sameer slept soundly, Naina curled in his arms, delighting in the aftermath of their long and slow lovemaking, and prayed to God that her love would be enough to prevent the impact of sadness he would have to feel tomorrow. She kissed his chest, closing her eyes, and slowly she too dozed off.
Sameer woke up in the morning, blinking because of the direct sunlight that filtered through the window curtain. He yawned, and looked down at his wife curled up near him, her head on his arm, a strand of long hair idle over her cheek, and her hand was on his waist, fingers digging in as if she wanted to hold him close. He tightened his hold on her, rubbing her bare legs with his, and wondered how satisfying it was to wake up like this. In fact he had totally forgotten what it was like to sleep alone. He kissed her forehead, and she stirred a bit, murmuring something, and then sighed, scrunching her nose as if annoyed. A smile curved his lips as he observed her antics, and then gently pushed back the errant strand of hair that seemed to disturb her. She nuzzled a bit, finding a comfortable position and then was calm again. He checked the time and thinking that it was still early he also closed his eyes. But now that he was awake, he couldn’t ignore the way Naina was curled up, the feel of her naked body, the way her supple breasts pressed against his hard chest, the way her leg nestled trustingly between his… He had to stroke his hand up her body, beneath the quilt, cup her breast, and rub his thumb on the underside. She shifted a bit, and with astounding wonder he felt her nipple harden against his thumb. God… She was responding to him even in sleep.
“Naina”, he softly muttered, not sure if he wanted her to wake up or just that he needed to speak her name. Whatever it was, it seemed she heard him, yet didn’t wake up, just eased a bit on her back, giving him more access to her body.
Naina was in the most erotic dream ever… She was lying naked on the bed, and Sameer was kissing her… not on her lips… her legs… She felt him nip on her thighs, and then move up to her quivering belly, then to her breasts… When he came to her mouth she parted her lips for a much awaited kiss, but he didn’t kiss her, rather his hand found its way between her legs and a long skillful finger slipped inside her. She moaned his name, her eyes snapping open, and felt someone jerk near her. Breathing hard she looked to the side to see her husband staring at her with a perplexed expression, and his hand was… not between her legs, but on her breast. She blinked, not sure what was real and what was not. Had she been dreaming?
Her doubt was confirmed when he asked, “Naina… tum theek ho? Aise kyun mera naam le rahi thi?”
Oh God… It was a dream. But it had felt so real… Still to confirm she asked, “aap… aap kya kare the?”
He smiled, and rubbed his thumb on the tip of her breast, “bas itna hi kiya.”
“Ohh”, she frowned, “mujhe laga… aap… shayad sapna tha.”
His eyes sparkled with interest, “tum sapna dekh rahi thi? Kya kar raha tha main?”
Even though she was lying naked next to him, even though they had spent so many hours making love yesterday, she still blushed hard, not finding words to explain what she had dreamt. A deep chuckle rumbled in his throat, “chalo option deta hun…” He gently kneaded her breast, rotating his thumb on her nipple, “aisa kar raha tha?” She gasped, her eyes fluttered shut, and she shook her head. His hand stroked down at her waist, rubbing deep circles, “aisa?” Once again she shook her head, and he smirked, trailing down further, cupping and massaging her bottom, “aisa?” Her breathing increased, but she didn’t respond to him, just made an annoyed sound. He gently parted her legs, and teased the bundle of nerves between her thighs, “aisa Naina?” Her lips trembled, and she shook her head, clutching onto his shoulders. “Toh fir”, he stroked one finger down, and then entered inside, “aisa?”
She arched up instantly, a loud moan erupting from her throat, and her nails scored down his back indicating her urgent arousal. “Shit”, he cursed, continuing to stroke her, and simultaneously pulled out his other hand from beneath her head, and fumbled in the drawer for a condom. But there was none… He cursed once more, and sat up, flinging the blanket aside, “ek second bas.”
Stumbling to the suitcase, he threw it open, and grabbed a box from the top of clothes. In continuous fluid movements, he climbed back up on the bed, flipped the box open, tore a pack, slipped on the condom, covered her body with his, and drove home. “Ohh”, she whimpered, her entire body lifting to the contact, and her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him close to her, her breath tickling his neck.
“Naina”, he mumbled, trying to kiss her shoulder.
She wrapped one leg around his hip, using it as leverage to curl her hips every time he thrust, her movements driving him to the brink so fast that his head spun. There was an electric current running through his body, he was unable to think and speak anything, the only sounds he could manage were hoarse grunts and groans. Something pricked near his neck, but the sensation was like in some alternate universe, because in that moment he could only focus on the snug clench of her body as she convulsed beneath him, taking him along with her on the tossing and turning waves that flung them along the shimmery coast of passion.
He heard her soft amused voice after many minutes as she pondered, “subah ke sapne wakai me sach hote hai.”
He lifted up a bit to look at her face and frowned, “aisa kaisa sapna tha tumhara jisme ek kiss bhi nahi tha.”
She laughed, stroking his hair, and then pulled him down for a soft sensuous kiss, murmuring against his lips, “good morning.”
“Mmm”, he nipped at her full lower lip, “good morning darling…”
He almost dozed off to sleep right there in her arms once more, but she pushed him off, instructing him to go wash up. “Aaj poora din room me nahi rehna”, she determinedly stated. He laughed and obeyed, since he also wanted to visit some places today… Mall road sounded like a brilliant idea, they could enjoy scenic views with her in his arms, the cold mountain air swirling around them. She would cuddle more into him, and maybe he could sneak a small kiss amid the meadows.
Naina took a long warm shower and dressed up in jeans and one of the shirts Sameer had bought for the trip, she wanted to do everything she could to make him happy today. By the time he had taken his bath, she had taken out his clothes for him, and he grinned as he gladly pulled them on, and then declared that he was hungry. She slapped her forehead, “mujhe breakfast order kar dena chahiye tha toh ab tak aa jaata.”
He smiled, “breakfast buffet hai neeche. Chalein?”
She nodded, looking around the room once to make sure everything was alright, and then gasped as he suddenly grabbed her and kissed her mouth. The kiss was brief and soft, as they separated he said, “ab seedhe room me wapas aake milega na isiliye ek chahiye tha abhi.”
The buffet in the restaurant looked so lavish that Naina was confused about what she should eat and what not, while Sameer just grabbed a dish and started piling on. Finally she chose some different bread to try, and a dish of idli sambhar. As they sat down, Sameer frowned, “bas itna hi? Aur kuch order nahi kiya?”
“Order?” She queried, “buffet hai na?”
He nodded, “haan par woh counter pe garam dosa ya parathe bol sakti ho. Chalo koi nai… maine bola hai, share kar lenge… phir aur chahiyega toh wapas mangva lenge.”
Just then a waiter came to serve coffee to them, and Sameer explained, “chai achchi nahi lagi thi na toh aaj coffee mangvaya. Mall road pe chai pee lenge.”
Naina paused in the task of applying butter on bread, “ummm… Sameer… Aaj mall road ke jagah kahin aur jaane wale hai hum. Mujhe aapko ek jagah pe le jaana hai.”
He swallowed the first mouthful of aloo-bonda, and asked, “tum le jaogi? Kahan? Kuch plan kiya hai kya?”
She took a small bite of her bread, and tried to keep her voice casual, “ah… haan… darasal… Nanaji ne kaha tha ke aapko…”
He interrupted, “Nanu? Woh kyun…” He trailed off as his eyes lit up with excitement, “ooooh… surprise? Nanu surprise dena chahte hai?”
She gaped at him for a moment not knowing what to say, but as another waiter came to keep plates of piping hot dosa, alu-paratha and medu vada on their table, she just nodded. He rubbed his hands in glee, “amazing! Par woh tumhe kyun bolenge? Surprise toh dono ka hona chahiye na?”
She served him a paratha, once again not knowing what to reply, but it seemed he didn’t want any reply from her. He himself ascertained, “of course… woh anjaan jagah pe dono ko kaise surprise de sakte hai… aur agar mujhe kehte tumhe surprise karneko toh main toh usi din tumko bata chuka hota… Isiliye tumko bola hoga…”
She pressed her lips and shrugged. He rolled up his paratha, taking a bite out of it, and nodded, “haan… aisa hi hoga… Nanu bhi super smart nikle. Pehle chupke se hamara honeymoon plan kar liya aur phir yeh surprise bhi. Toh hum kab jayenge? Abhi ya mall road pe ghumneke baad?”
This time she replied, “abhi chalte hai.”
“Sure”, he grinned, and showed her the roll of paratha, “par breakfast karle pehle?”
She nodded with a smile, and he happily devoted himself to finishing off the generous portions while Naina could only manage to eat a little bit in her tension.
Sameer asked for a hotel car, and Naina wrote the address for them on a slip of paper. He kept on asking repeatedly what was there, and she just tried to keep pretending that it was a surprise. The journey was short, approximately twenty minutes, and the driver informed them that they would soon be there. The car stopped outside big wrought iron gates, and they ascended. Sameer looked around curiously, unable to see anything of interest. He turned to his wife, “Naina… idhar kyun aaye hai hun? Yahan to kuch nahi hai.”
She took a deep breath, and turned to him, held his hand, and softly said, “Suniye… chahe kuch bhi ho hamesha yaad rakhna ke main aapse bahot pyaar karti hun.”
He quizzed with a funny expression, “kya bol rahi ho? Mujhe pata hai tum mujhse pyaar karti ho… Par abhi yeh sab kyun bol rahi ho?”
She tugged on his hand, “aaiye… humne idhar jaana hai.”
He walked along with her, extremely puzzled, “iss ghar me? Kya hai idhar?”
“Andar chaliye”, she said, “sab pata chal jayega.”
Shaking his head, he urged, “Naina… ab toh bata do kya surpri…” He trailed off, spotting a brass plaque on the wall near the wrought iron gates, “idhar kuch hai… ek minute.” Leaving her hand, he went to the sign, and moved aside the overgrown creepers partially hiding it from sight, and read the name, “Vishakha and Alok Maheshwari.”
Naina came up near him, and her heart thudded, she raised her hand wiping the plaque gently, removing the dust of time, making it clear for him to see the past. A strange sensation tightened his throat, as he whispered, “mummy?” It seemed as if he was seeking confirmation. She held his hand once more, “haan… aapke mummy aur papa.”
He looked at her, “yeh… yeh ghar…”
“Aapka hai”, she affirmed, “aaiye andar…” He hesitated, not sure if he wanted to go in or not. There should have been questions in his mind, but all he had was uncertainty and fear. He didn’t know anything about this side of his past… He had never even uttered ‘papa’ in his life, never, he didn’t have anyone to address as father. And now… Naina was saying that this is where he lived… His father used to live here? As if in a daze he suddenly remembered once seeing his birth certificate during school admissions in Ahmedabad… His birthplace had been listed as Mussoorie. Oh God… Why hadn’t he remembered it before coming here?
She seemed to understand that there was some turmoil happening inside him, but even she didn’t know what he was thinking. He wasn’t saying anything, so she didn’t know how to ease his worries. Acting on instinct, she just tightened her hold on his hand, “chaliye andar Sameer… Main hoon aapke saath.”
He followed her tug, in a kind of daze, as if the event were happening in some another dimension, while he was just a passive witness rather than an active participant. The iron gates creaked at the hinges, opening only partially because of the creepers that had wounded up the spirals, enclosing the mechanism in dense growth. The grounds were overgrown, untended; a tree had fallen probably in some monsoon, and now sported moss and mushrooms; there were no flowers marking tender care and attention, only the weeds of neglect thrived. There was no path to walk on, dried leaves and twigs cracked under their feet, the stench of decay making his nose wrinkle. He could see a dung beetle rolling a ball of mud, busy with its mundane task, unconcerned about the intruders. Somewhere a bird chirped, the only sound of hope in this desolate place.
Naina stopped in-front of the wooden door that was somehow strong enough to stand the test of time, and fumbled in her purse, pulling out a set of keys and gave it to him. He accepted it, the cold iron like a weight too heavy to carry. He closed his eyes, and asked in a trembling whisper, “zaroori hai yeh? Mujhe nahi jaanna kuch iss baare me… Maine kabhi koi sawaal nahi puche. Phir kyun?”
She rubbed his arm, hoping to offer him some comfort, “mujhe pata hai aapne kabhi kuch nahi pucha… lekin ab waqt aa gaya hai jaanne ka. Aapki zindagi ke har ek pehlu se ab main bhi judi hun, mujhe bhi jaanna hai…”
He opened his eyes to look at her, the assurance and surety in her eyes somehow giving him the courage to unlock the door, and he observed with a frowned, “yeh locks naye hai kaafi. Baki aas paas ki tarah purane nahi hai.”
She shrugged, unlatching the heavy bolt, and together they pushed the door open. The portion of living room that they could see was dusty, and the few furniture pieces were covered in cloth. She again held his hand, encouraging him to step in, and he did. It didn’t seem too difficult to do… He still kept feeling as if this wasn’t real, as if it was happening to someone else. Why did he feel all the clogged up emotions that he had experienced while talking to his mother? This was also his past… But then why did it feel like an alternate universe?
From beside him, Naina queried, “kya hua? Aap theek hai?”
He nodded, looking at her, “mujhe ajeeb sa lag raha hai… Jaise maano yeh sab kuch mera beeta hua kal nahi, balki koi film ho main dekh raha hun. Mummy se baat karneko bola tha tumne, ya jab Rohan aur Deepika ke diye hue gifts khole, tab itna kuch chal raha tha dimag me… Uljhan thi… Par yahan… bahar jab naam dekha uske baad kuch pal ke liye maano dimag sunn pad gaya tha, par ab… Samajh nai aa raha.”
She exhaled in relief, glad that he was not as overwhelmed as she had expected. Glancing around the house she tried to explain, “shayad aapko aisa isiliye lag raha hai kyun aapne yeh zindagi theek se jee hi nahi. Mummy, Rohan, Deepika… inn sabke ke saath aapki yaadein judi hui thi. Par iss ghar ki aapke dimag me koi yaad hi nahi hai…”
He thought about it for a moment, and then nodded, “ho sakta hai… Par phir hum yahan kya kar rahe hai?”
She smiled, “aapko kuch yaad nahi hai… par iss ghar ko yaad hoga na… Dekhte hai.” He wandered inside, curious to see what he would find. The big house was a single floor construction, wide spread with all the rooms on the ground floor itself. There weren’t many, just three bedrooms, a small spare room, kitchen and the spacious living room. The kitchen was equally dusty but he could still see some pots and pans hanging near the countertop. Suddenly he heard Naina’s voice from the living room, and went back to her, “kya hua?”
“Photo”, she whispered, and turned a frame to let him see. He blinked, holding his breath and walked up to her, talking the photo-frame from her hand. It was a picture of a family, he could of course recognize his mother, but the man was unknown, and there was baby in his mother’s hand. “Mummy kitni khush lag rahi hai”, he noted with a smile.
Naina covered his hand with her own, understanding that he probably hadn’t realized, “maine yahi tasveer ghar pe dekhi thi… ek album me. Yeh aap hai Sameer.”
He glanced up at her, his brows furrowed in confusion, and then back at the baby in the photograph, “main?”
She nodded, “haan… aap, mummy aur papa…”
He gaze wandered to the man who seemed to have a proud smile on his face as he looked at the baby… His father… Really? Lifting the frame closer to his eyes, he tried to check the features, and even though the glass frame was a little grungy, he could see that the man had slightly long and silky hair like he did. Was the jawline similar as well? And the height? The man was definitely bit skinny than he was… maybe he didn’t exercise. But oh God the smile… It was a carbon copy of his own… or maybe his smile was a carbon copy of the man…
He dragged in a deep breath, and then exhaled in a shuddering sigh, “papa…”
Naina blinked at him, her eyes teary, “aapke papa bhi aapke jaise handsome hai.”
Sameer sniffed, smiling at the photograph, “wow… Naina… dekho… main inki tarak dikhta hun na?” She nodded, and his smile widened in elation as he said, “pata hai main bachpan me sochta tha ke main Nanu jaisa nahi dikhta, mummy jaisa bhi nahi… itna alag kyun hun.”
She pointed to the shelves on the wall, “udhar aur bhi photo hai.”
He eagerly went up to look at the row of photo frames, finding some new similarity with his father in every picture. In some photos his father stood just like he did while posing, or in some their eyes glittered the same way, or maybe they smirked the same way. Keen to know more, he looked around, “itne kam furniture kyun hai yahan pe?”
She shrugged, “pata nahi… uss taraf kya hai?”
“Kitchen”, he informed, “bahot ganda ho rakha hai… par wahan dusri taraf bedrooms hai… Ek room ko office jaisa banaya hua hai… udhar dekhe? Shayad thode aur photos ho?”
She nodded, and they went to the room he had seen in his brief tour. It was a bedroom converted to kind of study room, with a desk and chair, a small cupboard, and another small table near a cushioned lean-back chair. There were three photographs on the desk, and he immediately snatched one of them away, hiding it.
Naina giggled, “chupa kyun rahe hai?”
His cheeks had turned red, “chee… tumhe sharam nahi aati? Aur aisa photo kaun rakhta hai frame karwake?”
Her eyes sparkled with mirth, “kyun? Aap toh abhi bilkul besharmo ki tarah mere saamne bina kapdo ke ghumte hai… Sab kuch toh dekha hua hai maine… Toh bachpan ki tasveer kyun chupa rahe hai?”
“Naina, tab main chota tha”, he argued, “pati ko dekh sakti ho aise… bachche ko kyun dekhna hai.”
She laughed, “bachche bhi toh aap hi hai.”
He frowned, “haan toh… tab me aur ab me bahot farq hai.”
She bit her lip, “hmmm… woh toh hai.”
“Yeh photo tum bilkul nahi dekhogi”, he instructed, and opened a drawer in the desk to keep it. Just as he was about to close it, she stopped him, “rukiye…”
He watched as she pulled out a leather bound diary, and flipped the cover open, “Alok Maheshwari.” She looked up at him, “papa ki diary hai…”
He let out a loud sigh, “uhh… tum padho…”
“Saath padte hai”, she suggested, “udhar bethe?” He glanced at the rolled up mat near the wall, and scrunched his nose, “nahi… bahot purana hai woh. Ek minute…”
Pulling out his handkerchief, he dusted the chair near the desk and the other chair as well, and then pressed down with his hands to check if they were still sturdy enough. They seemed okay, and so he offered her one chair to sit on, and he perched down on the other one. Naina gently turned the yellowed pages, and held the diary between them so they could both read at the same time.
The first entry was about a new job, saying it was his first job and how happy he was. The next few entries recorded his experiences and problems he faced, and then the happiness of a promotion. And then there was an entry which grabbed their attention…
Aaj main ek bahot dilchasp insaan se mila… Jaiprakash Maheshwari. Hum dono me bas ek hi samaanta hai… Hamara surname. Maine aaj tak inke baare me akhbaar me bahot baar padha hai, par aaj unse milke pata chala ke jitni bhi tareef unke baare me likhi jaati hai woh sab bahot kam hai… Mujhe khushi hai ke mujhe iss company meeting me jaane ka mauka mila, aur main unse mil paaya. Itne mamuli se audhe par honeke bawjood unhone mujhse naa sirf achche se baat ki balki mujhe woh izzat bhi di jo mujhe apni company me nahi milti. Kaash zindagi me unse phirse milne ka mauka mile…
There were more descriptions in later pages about his job, and some financial problems he faced, and then another meeting with Nanu, and another… It looked like they met several times through these meetings, and had bonded well. And then there was finally the mention of his mother…
Aaj ek ajeeb si baat ho gai… Jaiprakashji ne mujhe meeting ke baad akele milne ko bulaya. Meri samajh me nahi aa raha tha ke akele me kya baat karni hai. Par unhone toh… mujhse shaadi ki baat ki. Ab tak yaqeen nahi ho raha ke unn jaisa bada aadmi apni beti ki shaadi mujhse karwana chahte hai. Maine toh mana hi kar diya… Kaise sweekar karta yeh prastaav? Hai hi kya mere paas? Yeh ghar jo kehneko toh family home hai… poorvajo ka ghar. Par iss ghar ki dekhbhaal karne jitna bhi paise nahi kamata main… Kisi mahine pipe leak hota hai toh kabhi deemak lag jaate hai, aur mere paas kabhi paise nahi hote turant theek karwaneko. Parivaar me bhi koi nahi hai… Maa, baba toh paanch saal pehle chale gaye, rishtedaar ke naam pe koi dur ke chachaji hai Kanpur me, par naa toh kabhi unse mila hun, aur naa hi unhe jaanta hun. Aise insaan ke saath bhala kaun shaadi karega…
Sameer looked up at his wife, and mumbled, “unhone mana kar diya… toh phir kaise…”
She flipped the pages, “aage padhte hai..”
Aaj phirse Jaiprakashji ne wahi baat chedi… Maine unko samjhane ki bahot koshish ki… Pucha bhi ke mujhse hi kyun shaadi karwana chahte hai. Unhone kaha ke woh apni beti ke liye jaisa ladka dhund rahe hai, woh saare gunn mujhme hai. Pata nahi aisa kya dekha unhone mujhme… Bhagwaan ne bas achchi shakal de di hai… Aur kuch toh khaas hai hi nahi. Jab maine unko bataya ke meri hesiyat nahi hai unke beti ko khush rakhneki, toh woh bole ke paise zindagi me itne maaine nahi rakhte jitna hum sochte hai. Unhone mujhe naukri bhi offer ki, par maine mana kar diya… Bachpan se sar uthaake jeena seekha hai, aaj yeh offer le leta toh mera aatm samman khatam ho jaata. Itna sab honeke bawjud unhone mujhse binti ki ke ek baar main unki beti se mil lu, aur phir faisla karu. Mujhme aur himmat nahi thi unki baat ko thukraane ki… Itne bade insaan baar baar mujhse binti kar rahe the… Main milne ke liye maan gaya. Kal jaa raha hun Ahmedabad…
Sameer’s face lit up, “woh milne wale hai…” And he almost snatched the diary from her to quickly flip the page. They both felt the excitement on reading the name written in bold on next page.
Vishakha… Socha nahi tha ke aisa hoga. Jaiprakashji ne pata nahi kya dekha tha mujhme, par Ahmedabad jaake aisa laga ke mujhe mera bhavishya dikh gaya. Sab kuch tha uss ek ladki ki aankhon me… Bas ek ghante ki mulaqat, thodi sehmi hui si baate, kuch haklate hue puche gaye ajeeb se sawaal… Par jaise hi usse nazre mili waqt maano ruk sa gaya… Dil me kuch harkat si hui aur phir sab shaant… Meri toh kuch samajh me hi nahi aaya… Baad me Jaiprakashji ne mujhse kaha ke unki beti ko rishta manzoor hai… Tab meri nazar wapas uss ladki se mili, aur woh bas sharma gai… Maine toh muskura hi diya tha, par sapno ki chaukhat pe asli zindagi ne dastak de di… Uss alishaan bungalow me, woh khoobsurat si ladki, mehenge kapde aur zevar me nazre jhukaaye mere jawaab ka intezaar kar rahi thi. Par meri hesiyat toh usse baat karneki tak nahi thi… Phir poori zindagi bitaane ke liye haan kaise kar deta… Dil me bahot dard hua, par kisi tarah himmat jutaake maine Jaiprakashji ko mana kar diya. Uss bungalow se nikalte hue jab Vishakha ki aankhon me aansu dekhe tab ehsaas hua ke bas ek ghante me kisi tarah toh main apna dil haar chuka tha… Par main haalaato se majboor tha, dil ke jagah dimag ko chuna…
Naina wiped her tears and looked at her husband to find him scowling. He seemed angry, and before she could ask, he almost thundered, “mana kar diya? Aise kaise mana kar sakte hai… Nanu ki baat nahi maani… Mummy ko rulaya…”
“Sameer”, she interrupted his rant, “hume pata hai ke unki shaadi hui thi… Gussa kyun ho rahe hai? Aage padhte hai.”
Aaj pura ek hafta ho chuka hai Vishakha se mile hue, aur ek pal aisa nahi gaya jab maine use yaad nahi kiya. Itne din diary me bhi kuch nahi likha yeh sochke ke pata nahi kya likh dunga… Kisi filmy dukhi aashiq ki tarah gam-bhare shayari likhne laga toh… Khudpe gussa bhi aata tha aur hasi bhi… Hasi iss baat ki ke zindagi me love story hui bhi toh bachcho ki kahaniyo ki tarah hui – hero gareeb tha aur heroine kisi desh ki rajkumari. Aur gussa iss baat ka tha ke asli zindagi me kyun kahaniyo ki tarah happy endings nahi hoti. Khair… Ek hafte baad aaj subah Jaiprakashji ka phone aaya, agli meeting ke taiyari ke liye… Maine khudko bahot roka, socha sirf kaam ki baat karunga, par kahin yeh ummeed bhi thi ke woh saamne se kuch bolenge shayad. Par unhone toh bye bol diya… Tab mujhse aur raha nahi gaya, aur maine puch hi liya ke Vishakha kaisi hai. Kisi tarah sawaal puch toh liya par jawaab sunne se bhi darr lag raha tha… Kahin aisa na bol de ke shaadi tay ho chuki hai. Par Jaiprakashji ne kaha ke Vishakha udaas hai, aur abhi kisi aur ladke se milne se mana kar diya hai. Mere chehre pe hasi khil uthi… Thodi der sochta raha aur phir maine ek prastaav rakha… Maine bol diya unko ke main Vishakha se shaadi karna chahta hun, par usse pehle mujhe ek achchi naukri dhundni hai taaki main zimmedaari theek se nibha saku… Aur agar woh aur Vishakha dono taiyar hai intezaar karne ko toh mujhe bata de… Itna bolke maine phone rakh diya. Aur theek 15 minute baad unka phone aaya, par iss baar baat Vishakha kar rahi thi… Usne pucha ke kya main sach me taiyar hun… Ab main kya bolta usko? Kaise batata ke main pyaar karta hun? Phone pe aisi baate thodi naa karte hai… Maine kaha ke agar usko meri baat manzoor hai toh main uske alawa kisi aur ke saath shaadi karneki soch bhi nahi sakta. Usne jab dheere se kaha ke usko intezaar manzoor hai toh aisa laga ke sardiyo ke kohre me se suraj ki pehli kiran ne meri zindagi me ujala kar diya.
Sameer almost jumped up in joy making Naina laugh at his antics. Suddenly she was extremely glad that Nanaji had asked her to do this for him… Seeing Sameer get to know about his parents this way was just so pleasing… He seemed to be living their story. With great excitement and joy they continued reading how his father found a new job luckily within six months, and after another year his parents got married. Vishakha moved to Mussoorie, to this very house where they were right now. There were details about how the house lacked on womanly items like dressing table, and the dearth of proper kitchen equipments; how they slowly added things in the house and moments in their life. Vishakha faced problems initially with no servants and the sudden adjustment in lifestyle, but his respect and love for her was reflected in the way he explained about how she adjusted slowly but surely, how much happiness she brought in his life. He had mentioned how the ancestral family home now actually seemed like a home to him. Years passed through those pages, and on a familiar date after two years there was an entry that made tears leak from their eyes… Alok and Vishakha were blessed with a baby boy and they named him Sameer Maheshwari. The entry in the diary mentioned – aaj hamari choti si love story me jadoo hua… aaj phir main kisiki aankhon me dekhkar apna dil haar betha… Sameer ka rona bhi Kishoreda ke gaane se zyada sureela laga… Aur usko apne haatho me liya toh bas yahi dua maangi ke mere hisse ki saari duyaaein aur saari khushiya usko mil jaaye…
Naina blinked her eyes, sniffing back happy tears, and then leaned on her husband’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, lost in thoughts about what he had read. Had he really brought so much happiness to his parents? How surreal it was to read about this now, after all these years… If not for this diary he would have never known the story of his parents or the joy he had brought in their life.
Naina flipped a few more pages, eager to read more, but there were no more accounts of his life… Had he stopped writing? Why? A few pages later she saw ink again, and paused, but to her astonishment it wasn’t about his life, but rather poems… short, happy poems. And then on the date of Sameer’s first birthday there was another entry – ab meri zindagi me itni khushiya aur itna sukoon hai ke mujhe diary ke inn panno ke saath ki zaroorat mehsoos nahi hoti. Main bas pehli baar khulke zindagi ko jee raha hun… Meri Vishakha aur mere Sameer ke saath.
There were a couple of more poems spanning a few months, and then nothing… The diary was suddenly blank… And with a heavy heart Naina realized that this was when he had passed away leaving behind a family that had seemingly broken apart, but thankfully all was well once again. She hoped that his soul was happy now on seeing his Sameer here finally getting to know about his father, and that too through his own words. She tugged on Sameer’s sleeve and showed him the poems, “papa kavita likhte the…”
He read a couple of poems, a smile of wonder curving his lips, “bilkul jaise tum kahaniya likhti ho…”
She smiled, showing him the note of his first birthday, and he also flipped the pages to see more and came to the same conclusion as her. He sighed, closing the diary, and stroked the leather cover, “Naina… hum yahan kyun aaye hai? Nanu ne yahan kyun bheja hai?”
Naina slowly tried to explain, “jis din honeymoon ke tickets diye, Nanu ne mujhse uss din baat ki thi. Papa ki tasveer dikhayi, aur phir thodi bahot baate batai… Itna vistaar se nahi, bas kuch baate jaise papa naukri karte the business nahi, shaadi ke baad yahan rehte the, mummy kitni khush thi, aapka janam… aur phir… papa ka accident. Nanu ne kaha ke mummy iss ghar me rehna bhi nahi chahti thi uss haadse ke baad… Woh mummy ko aur aapko Ahmedabad le gaye. Jab mummy ki dusri shaadi hui tab yeh ghar ki chaabiya mummy ne Nanu ko de di yeh kehke ke iss ghar ke baare me jo faisla karna hai woh kare. Nanu ko lagta tha ke yeh faisla unka haq nahi hai, isiliye woh intezaar karte rahe ke kisi din aapko bata sake…”
He frowned, “toh bataya kyun nahi?”
She sighed, opening her purse to pull out an envelope, and handed it over to him, “yeh diya tha Nanaji ne aapke liye.”
Sameer curiously opened the envelope to find a letter from Nanu, and he held it in a way so that Naina could also read it since there was nothing he needed to hide from her.
Sameer… Mujhe pata hai tum soch rahe honge ke maine tumko wahan kyun bheja, aur shayad yeh bhi ke main tumhe khud waha kyun nahi le gaya kabhi. Sach kahu toh meri himmat nahi hui kabhi… Jabse tum Ahmedbad rehne aaye the tabse kabhi tumne saamne se apne papa ke baare me nahi pucha, maine batane ki koshish ki tab bhi tumne zyada dhyan nahi diya… Hostel me rehke aur phir Delhi me rehke jis maansik tanaav se tum guzre the main darta tha ke kahin guzre hue kal ki koi baate tumhe phirse koi dukh na de de. Vishakha ke saath bhi tumhara rishta bigadta hi jaa raha tha, aise me mujhe samajh nahi aa raha tha ke Alok ke baare me jaanke tum kya sochoge. Naina ke aane ke baad mujhe ummeed mili, aur jis tarah se usne tumhara Vishakha, Rohan aur Deepika ke saath sulah karwaya main samajh gaya ke Alok se bhi tumhe wahi mila sakti hai… Beta… Mujhe Alok bahot pasand tha… Vishakha se shaadi honese pehle bhi woh mere bete jaisa tha. Jab bhi tumhe dekhta hun toh sochta hun ke Alok hota toh kitna garv mehsoos karta apne bete pe. Tumhe pata hai… tumhare pehle janamdin pe Alok ne mujhe mazak me kaha tha – “papa, maine kabhi zimmedaari ke wajah se college me girlfriends nahi banai, par aap dekh lena mera beta mujhse bhi zyada handsome hai na, toh woh bahot saari girlfriends banayega.” Ab hasi aati hai iss baat pe, kyunki tum bhi Alok ki tarah hi ho, apne zindagi me sirf ek ladki se pyaar kiya, woh bhi pehli nazar me aur usise shaadi ki… Aur ab chaunkna mat ke mujhe kaise pata ke tum Naina se shaadi ki baat se pehle hi mil chuke the… Nanu hun tumhara… Aur… tumhare dosto ko bola karo ke tumhe chedte hue zara yahan-wahan nazar ghuma le, pata nahi kaun sunn raha ho. Khair… tumhe iss tareeke se Mussoorie bhejne ki wajah hai ke ab main yeh zimmedaari tumhe dena chahta hun… Ummeed karta hun tum Alok ke baare me thoda jaan paaye ho uss ghar me, ya kuch sawaal ho toh mujhse puchoge. Yeh ghar Alok ki amaanat hai, jo shayad woh zinda hota toh tumhe saunpta… Isiliye iss ghar ka kya karna hai yeh faisla ab tumhara hai…
Sameer closed the letter, the weight of responsibility suddenly heavy on his shoulder, as he looked around the room… His father’s home… The place where he was born… What should he do? He had just landed upon this place, the memories couple of hours ago, and now he had to take a decision about it. What would his father want? Why didn’t his mother ever tell him anything? How could he take such a big decision without consulting Nanu and his mother?
Naina placed a hand over his shoulder, and when he looked down at her, she smiled, “faisla abhi lene ki zaroorat nahi hai… Aaj ya kal bhi nahi… Aapko jitna waqt chahiye utna lijiye. Haq hai aapka…”
He seemed to be extremely puzzled, “par Naina main kaise faisla loon? Meri kuch samajh me nahi aa raha.”
“Mujhe yaqeen hai ke koi na koi rasta mil hi jayega”, she assured, “bahar chale?”
He was silent for a moment, “main thodi der yahan rukna chahta hun… Tum jaake dusre rooms dekh lo…”
She understood his need for solitude, and after brushing a soft kiss on his cheek, she went outside to check what other treasures this house hid. The bedrooms were bare apart from the large beds and wooden cupboards. Probably everything had been moved out. The backdoor was jammed and she couldn’t open it, the kitchen also held just minimal things, and the living room didn’t have anything more than what they had already seen. She stood there, thinking, trying to connect what she had seen.
Suddenly she thought she heard a gasp and a small sound of her name, and immediately rushed inside the study room. Sameer was standing there, holding his right hand with his left, flinching, as if in pain. She quickly moved to him, “Sameer… Kya hua aapko?”
He showed her his right palm that had a small bleeding cut, “almari bandh kar raha tha toh shayad kuch loha chubh gaya.”
“Hey bhagwaan, rukiye ek minute”, she quickly pulled out the small bottle of water she had taken from their room, and wet her handkerchief, carefully cleaning the cut while he stood patiently. She kept muttering about his carelessness, and wrapped the kerchief around his hand, “almari kyun khola aapne?”
He smiled, the care and concern she showed on a small cut still felt too new to him, and so he cupped her face and kissed her… He kept it soft, drawing out the moment, swallowing the small surprised sound she made, enjoying the way her body trembled… When he pulled back, she had a slightly dazed look in her eyes, and she licked her lips as if taking in his taste, it made him want to kiss her again. Pulling her to him in a hug, he said, “drawer me kuch aur nahi tha diary ke alawa, isiliye maine cupboard khola… socha shayad pehle ke aur diaries honge kahin, par uske jagah kuch files mile.”
She looked up at him, “kya hai files me?”
“Pata nahi”, he shrugged, “maine dekha nahi ab tak. Tumhe kuch aur mila?”
She shook her head, “nahi… par kuch ajeeb hai… ghar me thodi cheeze hai, thodi nahi… bedrooms khali hai… Sofa, table, bed, chair sab hai par koi lights nahi… tasveere hai par koi showpiece nahi… Agar Nanaji aur mummy ne iss ghar se samaan shift kiya hai toh tasveere aur study se yeh diary aur files kyun nahi le gaye?”
He pondered over it, “hmm… theek bol rahi ho tum… Yeh toh Nanu se puchke hi pata chalega… Kaafi late ho gaya hai, lunch bhi nahi kiya humne… Tum kaho toh wapas chale? Hotel jaake Nanu ko phone karte hai, aur… mummy ko bhi.”
She nodded, “jaisa aapko theek lage. Yeh photos le chale?”
He agreed, “haan le lete hai… par woh wala photo bilkul mat dekhna tum.”
She chuckled, tucking in all the photos in a polybag that was lying around in the study, and dutifully kept the supposed offending picture overturned so she wouldn’t look at it by mistake. He grabbed all the files he had found and the diary too… It took them sometime to find a transport back, and by the time they reached the hotel it was close to 3pm. The restaurant downstairs was closed for lunch, and so they ordered room service. They freshened up, and Naina spent the time cleaning the photoframes until the food arrived. The waiter also brought along a first-aid kit much to Sameer’s surprise, but Naina placed her hands on her hips saying the cut needed to be cleaned and bandaged. And so he bore through the ministrations, which at the end seemed rewarding because she fed him food courtesy the brand new bandage on his hand.
After lunch he talked to Nanu who was relieved to know that Sameer had visited the house and was okay, not sad, or disturbed. Nanu informed him that there were no servants at home, and so a caretaker had been hired after Vishakha left, but two years ago the caretaker had run away, and when he had come down to check he had realized that the man had been pilfering whatever valuables he could find in the house. Thankfully there wasn’t much, but all the showpieces, the lamps, the trophies his father had won in college, and some other items were gone. After that Nanu had changed the locks of the house, and left it at that. Sameer briefed him about how they had found the photographs and the diary which had helped him get an idea of their entire story. The entire time he talked, Naina sat beside him, a silent strength.
Later he also called Vishakha, but kept the whole discussion very light with just overall information about the events, and he asked if she had any wishes for the house. His mother affirmed that Nanu did the right thing by handing it over to him, as that was what his father would have wanted. She was just happy that after all these years Sameer was connected to his past, to his father in a way she could have never been able to do it for him. The call resulted in Vishakha reminiscing some more incidents around his birth, and Sameer listened to all of them with a smile on his face.
After the phone calls he proposed a walk because the sun would soon set and he wanted to go out for some time, clear his mind. And so they walked on some random road without any clear direction or destination, and Sameer narrated the tales his mother had told him. She listened to everything he had to say, and then teased him to cheer his mood, “woh special wala photo hai na usko frame karwake mummy ko dungi gift me.”
“Naina”, he gasped and tried to get a hold of her but she escaped surprising him. His face split in a grin as she ran, repeatedly looking back at him, and he too sprinted after her. The merry chase led them down a road lined with shops, fresh food market, and few restaurants. A stall of tea caught Naina’s attention and she pulled him along, relieved on finding good tea finally. She had two cups of it much to Sameer’s amusement, and he tilted his head, wiping a stray drop from her lips, “mujhe nahi pata tha tumhe chai itni pasand hai… I promise… kal se kaise bhi tumhare liye dhang ki chai mangva hi dunga subah ko.”
She grinned, “aisa sach me kiya toh… umm… main bhi kuch dungi aapko.”
His eyes glittered with interest, “kya?”
“Pehle chai”, she stuck her tongue out at him, “uske baad bataungi.”
She spied a shop of trinkets, and said she wanted to buy something for Preeti, Swati, Deepika. He nodded, “tum chalo… main chai ke paise deke aata hun.” They spent another hour visiting the several shops, buying different things, and then had light dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Once they reached back to the hotel, Naina took a warm shower because she kept feeling dusty from their visit to the house in morning. She wore one of her night suits, this time a red one, making him grin in appreciation. She waited on the chair near window with a book in hand, while he took bath. She watched with interest, peeking around the book as he came out with the towel draped at his hip, and then changed into a set of tracks and t-shirt for the night, but he seemed to be occupied in thoughts. Dropping the towel on bed, he walked back to the desk, and picked up the files he had stashed there. She kept watching in confusion as he sat on the bed, and flipped the files, a puzzled frown on his face.
She kept her book aside, went up to the bed, sat next to him, and softly queried, “kya soch rahe hai?”
He answered absent-mindedly, his thoughts still occupied, “yeh files ke baare me… pata nahi inme kya hai.”
She cupped his jaw, turning his face to her… Their eyes met, and she smiled, “kuch kaam ki cheeze hogi tabhi almari me rakhi thi. Itni fikar kyun kar rahe hai?”
He dragged in a breath and tried to explain, “Nanu aur Mummy dono sochte hai ke yeh zimmedari main utha sakta hun, ke mera faisla sahi hoga… Par mujhe nahi pata ke main kya faisla loon… kaise karu faisla? Nanu aur mummy ne toh papa ke saath kitna waqt bitaya hai, aur maine… Jo thoda waqt bitaya uski bhi kuch yaade nahi hai… Papa ne diary me mere janam tak ka sab kuch likha par uske baad kuch nahi… Kaise jaanu ke mere saath unki kya yaadein thi? Woh mujhse kya chahte the? Darr lag raha hai… Agar maine koi galat faisla le liya to? Papa hai nahi, par jahan bhi honge wahan se agar mujhe dekh rahe hai toh main unko dukh nahi pahochana chahta…”
She glanced at the files in his hand, “toh phir aap files padh kyun nahi rahe? Shayad inme se kuch mil jaaye aapko…”
He sighed and showed her one blue colored file, “yeh medical reports hai…”, and then another brown file, “aur yeh insurance… Kholte hue bhi jhijhak ho rahi hai… Pata nahi kuch aur aisa pata chale jo nahi jaanu toh hi achcha ho… Dimag me ajeeb ajeeb khayal aa rahe hai… Main itna bhi strong nahi hun Naina…”
The vulnerability in his voice made her ache for him. Maybe the overall experience had been bit easy for him because he didn’t have memory of his father, but that didn’t mean it was perfectly alright to be faced with past like this. Yes, he now knew more than he had ever known about his father. But… the downside of that would be he would have more questions now, and no one to answer them properly… He might be also feeling sad about how less time he had with his father and the lack of memories… Just seeing the resemblance in the photograph had made him so happy… How happy he would have been if he had some proper memory? Yet, he was not focusing on his own grief or emotions; he just wanted to do the right thing… He had no idea what the right thing was, but he wanted to find out… And all he needed was a bit of courage and maybe some peace of mind.
She knew there was no way she could help him take the decision he had to take, but staring at his tensed face, she knew she could help him relax… shift his mind for sometime so that he could start over with a clear perspective… and most importantly assure him that she was there with him no matter what… She smiled, taking the files from his hand, keeping them on the bedside table, “shayad aap thoda zyada hi soch rahe hai… mujhe nahi pata sahi faisla kya hai, par yeh zaroor pata hai ke agar koi sahi faisla le sakta hai toh woh aap hai…” Cupping his face, she rubbed her thumbs on his cheeks, “jaante hai kyun?”
He shook his head, his gaze fixed on her as she pulled her legs up on the bed, turning fully to him, and sitting up on her knees. His brows furrowed in confusion, but then he sucked in a breath as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. Her soft soothing voice flowed over him as she said, “kyunki mere Sameer hamesha dusro ka sochte hai.”
Her lips trailed on his cheeks, “kyunki mere Sameer kabhi kisiko chot nahi pahoncha sakte.”
She reached out and turned off the lights near the bed area, just like he had done last night, “kyunki mere Sameer ko sahi-galat ki samajh hai.”
Her hands braced over his shoulder, “kyunki mere Sameer me har haalaat ka saamna karneki himmat hai.”
She dropped a gentle peck on his nose, “kyunki mere Sameer ka dil itna bada hai ke kabhi kabhi woh apni khushiyon ko bhulake bhi apni zimmedari nibhaate hai.”
She touched her forehead to his, gazing into his eyes, her own eyes shining with love, “kyunki mere Sameer asli zindagi ke woh hero hai jisne mera har ek sapna poora kar diya, jisne meri zindagi khushiyo se bhardi… kyunki mere Sameer se main bahot bahot bahot pyaar karti hun.”
“Naina…”, he whispered, and she angled her head, touching her lips to his, feeling how he immediately shuddered. But unlike other times he didn’t hold her or take control of the kiss… And that was okay… Because tonight she knew that it was her turn to show him what he was in her eyes; it was her turn to show him her love; it was her turn to make him feel loved, treasured, cherished. She framed his face with her hands, drawing out the moment, keeping the kiss tender, yet offering him her taste. His eyes fluttered shut at the gentle pressure that seemed to seep through his skin, spreading like a peculiar fuzzy sensation across his body. He felt as if he couldn’t move, as if she was holding him captive, yet she was doing nothing more than kissing him. Pulling away from his mouth, she kissed his chin, and murmured, “I love you.”
He just had a vague thought of asking her what she was doing, but even that vanished from his head when she lifted his t-shirt over his head and slowly pushed him back onto the bed. He had made love to his wife, and yet this time it was unlike before… He had thought he was loved whenever Naina whispered that she loved him… But now he knew a new definition of being loved as her lips moved across his body. He had thought he knew passion, but he never knew that passion could be wild until her teeth scraped his chest, marking him as hers… His hands fisted on the bedsheet, holding on as she pulled down his tracks, and her soft small hands skimmed up his legs… He had thought he knew desire, but he never knew that it could be tamed by a strong willed woman until she held his hands captive and kissed him deep…
He felt as if he was floating… Everything was soft yet uncontrolled… Fabrics floated to the floor, her lips whispered across his chest, the touch of naked flesh arousing yet gratifying… She uncurled his fists, lifting his hands to kiss them, nibbling at his wrists… And then she slid down his body, holding him, taking him in, so slowly that he felt he would die of the wait… Amazement kept his eyes open; her surprising spirit kept him captive and still… With every inch of him she took inside herself, he surrendered his soul to her bit by bit, until he was no longer his own being… He became hers in every way a man could belong to a woman… He was no longer just Sameer Maheshwari; in that moment as she threw back her head, sighing in pure delight on enveloping him totally, he became Naina’s Sameer. He closed his eyes and yielded to her as she placed her hands on his chest, and started to move… There was not a moment before this when he had felt so loved, so desirable, so treasured… He had heard lot of praises about his good looks, but his wife made him truly realize what he was for her… He was the man she loved, she desired, she cherished, she valued… and the man to whom she gave everything, and from whom she took everything… His entire body strung tight, arching off the bed like a bow, the tight clasp and pulsing clench of her body making him give until he was empty of everything… The white gleaming light behind his eyelids slowly transformed to the dim lights of hotel room; the soft cotton clouds disappeared into the satin of the bedsheet, and he knew he was back on earth when her smooth silken body gently collapsed over him. Somehow he managed to find the energy to wrap his arms around her, and then he never knew when he fell asleep, totally at peace with his wife slumbering on top of him.
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Mou...
Another fantabulous update....this time yet again u proved that jo actual yud mein nahi milega....wo mou ki writing mein milega.....😍....the full closing of Sam's parental loop was absolutely brilliant 🤩....and I still don't understand why the writers of the show never cared to show this aspect....it was so so important....I had always wondered that no rich marwari family will ever allow their widowed daughter in law to remarry......no matter what they would never abandon a male heir which was supposedly their sons akhiri nishani....but then trust to cover each loop so beautifully that a reader is just left awed....the fact that Sam's father had no family....thus making it easier for nanu to take decisions for vish....and adopt Sam legally.... awesome.....trust me u should be on the writing team of the next season of yud....
Coming to the romance part.....do I need to write how much I loved it 🙈.....and trust u to cover small details....be it naina not knowing how to use room service at a high end hotel....or being awed by the huge buffet spread...
You know....I'm seriously loving the honeymoon talks between samaina....🤣...I love the way Sam unabashedly talks about using the condoms in all possible scenarios and I can't tell u how much I thank God for coming across u as a writer who doesn't make honeymoon couples behave as if they are on a school sight seeing trip 😂..... Come on....honey moon is for lovemaking.....and that's what should be on one's mind all the time...🙈
Mou....that whole chai convo....that was so so realistic...I mean we Indians can never drink that teapot wali chai😂....and I will kill u for the momo description 😭.....the way u described it.....I'm craving for it.....and I can't eat it in this lockdown....and gharwala is not that juicy ☹️😭😭😭
Now coming to Sam's reaction....I simply loved his excitement.....his displeasure on his father refusing the marriage....to the excitement on their meeting....u covered it all so beautifully....and at the same time...drawing so many similarities between Sam and his father.....I mean I would've loved to see this aspect in the show too.....coz I always wondered if Sam got his writing and poetry skills from his dad....
I think I have a faint idea about what Sam plans to do with the house.....but then I'm going to wait patiently for the next part to see if my guess was right 🤗
Romance, emotions, romance with emotions.. I mean full package! And this much bold naina, Sameer is really astound 😂😂🙈. I will always thank youuu for giving us that which we all knew in this two years just a statement, Sameer lost his father when he was soo small, how, when, why ... We don't get to know. But you gave that to us, much thank youuuss. Me always wanted those moments of his life. In this update, that part is the bestest moment for me... He became much more chidish, scolding his father because he made vishakha cry, oh Sameer... And truly nanu done a good work, how naina pacified him, cared him, treasured him with her love, ahhhh... Total bliss. That lovemaking was anything else, more emotional with overflowing love of them🥺❤️.
And me was rightttt, I answered sooo correct🙈🤘🏻😂. The starting of the update just fireworks, so the first two when they made love. Naina became sooo bold. And I love that short moment when naina wearing Sameer's shirt, just curled up in Sameer's lap, and just humming songs... That moment actually felt sooo peaceful 😘😍❤️. Loved the fire cracking update lastly with emotions as🥺🤧🤧❤️, loveee it. How you weaved the update totally, I am in awe as always🥺🙈❤️, looking forward to read more what would happen in coming next days in mussoorie.. and what decision actually Sameer gonna take. Mou diii, againnn thank you for giving that emotional dose, me literally cried, I love those moments soooo muchhh🤧🤧❤️. Will be eagerly waiting for nexttt!
Hey Mou ......... a pathakha update it was🙈🌚😂🤪........ u put all the fireworks in this one🙈🌚😂. Well....... so much boldness from this Naina was so unexpected for Sameer as much as for me 🙈😂..... But we have to learn to handle this bold Naina like Sameer 🤪🙈. Sameer is a man who let his woman express his desires & have them her ways & makes her feel free so tht she can be herself when with him ❤️.
All the four love making scenes were explained differently with different feelings or emotions everytime but with same feeling of satiation 🙈❤️.
But Four times in less than 24 hrs ...... dude 🙈🤪🤪🤪. Well ...... whatever makes them both happy 🤪🙈🌚😂 afterall It’s Sameer 😁.
Loved the exact amount of emotions during the whole Sameer getting to know his dad & Naina always being besides him ❤️. No over drama & no over emotions still kept very much kept on toes 😊. I loved the twist of diary & the realistic approach of new locks & house being robbed if left without any attention, over grown garden etc.
This is the first time we got to experience Sameer past related to his dad & I should say nobody could write it better than you. Loved the every bit of tht whole sequence ❤️.
Thanku Mou for providing us the entertainment with ur amazing stories even in these difficult times ..... I know it must be so hard for u too but still u doing great at it .
Sorry for keeping the comment short this time but tht doesn’t mean I like the update any less ..... it’s just the timing .
Lots of love & luck ur way🤗🤗😘❤️.
Akshi
Mou soooooooooo fantastic ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Wow Mou... After a long time u have updated AIL and i couldnt be more happy....this was just out of the world.. i had lot of questions just like Sameer had but all those were answered by the update itself. And i had selected 3 as my answer in your tweet and that turned out to be true 😂😂🙈🙈 but just to be sure... The last time they dint use one, oh please tell them they are safe.... Itni jaldi baby nahi🙏
Was really really happy to read about Sameer's dad, i guess this is the only story where Sameer's dad has been given a role & so much details have been added. Loved how Sameer was so happy to see his resemblance in his father & his father's determination towards becoming a better man for Vishaka makes me proud and happy tat Sameer is just like his dad. Somani might be his Step dad and there are lots of stories where Sameer accepts him as Papa , but tat wouldnt be realistic for me . I could just say that yours is the only story where u had shown so many other layers where the show or any other story never thought of. Be it Vishaka's state of mind of while leaving Sameer and the tortures he faced from dadi as a kid, her own reasons of why she had to make a tough decision to leave Sameer at hostel and now Love story of Vishaka and Alok, though be it small adds so much value to the story. I am really really amazed that even though u write three stories of Samaina, u try to keep everything different and similar at the same time. Different where all there are Samaina stories but still have so much of difference in the base story and.track but their love for each other remains the same in all the stories... Waiting for ur next update Mou♥️
Wow.. this was just superb... Likewise from the starting, the hot and steamy romance of samaina to the twist of the chapter,"Mr. Alok Maheshwari"...
Never ever thought about Sameer's father being described in this way... Just totally out of the box.. The cute and adorable arranged romance of Vishakha and Alok.. The birth of Sameer and the realisation about all this to Sameer ... The emotions were hard to control assured trading the update.... Lived the way Naina stood asking with Sameer as his lifelong anchor..... How beautifully Naina brought out here Live in the form to express what Sameer meant to her..... I , seriously loved every bit of the chapter...... This was so fantabulous...... ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️