Accidentally in Love
Chapter 2: The Voice of Heart

The morning was bright with February sunlight, and the istriwala set up his stall, keeping aside his pile of clothes and pulling out two new sarees that he had been instructed to press. A dog sat at the society gate, scratching its ear, and sniffing at the air as if it could sense some excitement. A man hurried with several bags in his hands, and climbed up the stairs quickly.

The atmosphere at Agarwal house was no less than festive, with the decorative door hanging replaced with a new one made of fresh marigolds and mango leaves. The floor was cleaned with lemon-scented cleaner, and fresh rajnigandhas were placed in a copper vase on the table. The plain TV and phone covers were replaced with knitted colorful covers saved for special occasions. Showcases were cleaned, making sure to display the wooden dolls and elephant sculptures, and also the grand silver Ganpati that Chachaji had received as a gift from one of his clients.

Chachiji was preparing a multitude of food items; after all it would look good if all food on the table is homemade. Naina was made to apply turmeric-besan paste on her face and body, and special rose water was added in her bathing water. Preeti was ecstatic with all the preparations, but Naina somehow suddenly found everything dull. She kept having flashbacks of the time she spent in the theater, and no matter how much she tried she could not forget Sameer’s face and the way she had felt when he had touched her.

All too soon, it was time for her to dress up. Chachiji held up the two sarees that had just been pressed, “beta yeh peela wala pehenna. Gulabi wala thoda fika lag raha hai.” Naina nodded, and took the saree she was ordered to wear. Standing in-front of the mirror, draping it she wondered how she would have felt today if she hadn’t met Sameer yesterday. Preeti noticed the dull expressions on her sister’s face, “Naina kya hua tujhe? Dekh… zaroori nahi hai ke aaj jo ladka aa raha hai tu usko haan bol de. Itna dukhi mat ho.”

“Aisi koi baat nahi hai”, Naina tried to smile, and then asked, “waise, tujhe naam pata hai kya? Taiji ne toh mujhe nahi bataya, aur naa hi photo dikhaya.”

Preeti nodded, glad that she could provide some information to her sister, “haan. Maine aaj hi Taiji-Tauji ko baat karte suna. Ladke ka naam Ajay hai.”

Naina turned towards the mirror, closing her eyes and pronounced the name. It didn’t give her the warm and familiar feeling that she had felt while taking Sameer’s name. She sighed, “chal meri madad kar de ab.” Only too eager to help, Preeti tied Naina’s hair in a long plait, applied light make-up, made her wear the gold set that Chachiji had taken out from locker.

On the other hand at Maheshwari residence, Sameer got dressed in a pale grey suit, not exactly sure why he chose that dull color when he hated it. Because you are not meeting Naina, whispered his subconscious mind or that might be his heart, he didn’t know. Nanu came up to him, placing his hand on his shoulder, “beta, Divya bahot achchi ladki hai. Lekin tum usse baat karke, jo puchna hai puch lena aur usko bhi apne baare me kuch batana agar woh naa puch paaye toh.”

“Ji Nanu”, he nodded, trying to swallow the hard lump in his throat that seemed like his dark destiny.

At 11am, Naina came out with Preeti, her head covered with the pallu of her saree. She sat with her head lowered, hands on her lap, ears buzzing. She didn’t listen to how Chachiji praised her cooking, how Taiji took credit of her upbringing, how proudly Chachaji talked about her. Later when she was asked a few questions by the boy’s mother, she answered as expected and as taught. He hand and legs turned cold when she was asked to talk to the boy alone, she had no idea what to do as Preeti took her to their room and left with a whispered good luck.

After an awkward five minutes, the boy’s high pitched voice sounded in her ears, “yeh saare gaane ke cassettes… movie wale… ummeed karta hun tumhare nahi hai. Mere ghar pe yeh sab nahi chalega.”

Naina’s heart sank, as she looked at the cassettes, and then at Ajay who sat expecting a negative answer from her, “ji woh… mujhe aur Preeti ko kabhi kabhi gaane sunna achcha lagta hai.”

Ajay frowned in disapproval, “mummy ko yeh sab pasand nahi. Shaadi ke baad yeh aadat chodni hogi tumhe.”

Naina didn’t say anything, but she thought how she had almost predicted this to happen yesterday. They spent another ten minutes inside, where Ajay kept on talking about his preferences in food and how he thought that girls should be adept at handling household work. Later, when they went outside, there were some more small talks and then the boy’s family left saying they would call with an answer. Taiji and Tauji were positive that all would be well, as they had discovered that the boy’s uncle was Tauji’s close acquaintance. When Bela asked Naina, she hesitated at first, but then said honestly that she was not happy with this meeting.

Almost at the other end of Ahmedabad, Sameer was struggling with a similar scenario where he suddenly found himself alone with the girl, and she was waiting for him to ask something. He cleared his throat and asked, “tum shaadi ke baad kya karna chahti ho?”

She smiled, looking up at him, “umm… ghumne chalenge na.”

He tried to control his surprise, “aah… mera matlab tha… ke padhai puri ho gai hai toh apne career ke baare me kya khayal hai?”

The girl looked confused, “naukri kyun karna hai? Mummy ne toh bataya tha aap bade businessman hai. Mujhe toh sirf ghar sambhalna hoga na, aur wahan bhi naukar toh honge na.”

Sameer nodded, finding it hard to believe that a person could have no ambitions apart from getting married.

As they drove towards their home, Nanu asked him how he found the girl. Sameer thought for a moment, “dekhne me thik hai Nanu, lekin… usko life me sirf shaadi hi karni hai aur kuch nahi karna. Aisi ladki ke saath main office se ghar aake baat bhi kya karunga jab woh mujhe samjhegi hi nahi.”

Nanu nodded, “beta, tumhari naani bhi ghar pe hi rehti thi. Zamana itna aage bhi nahi bada hai ke har ladki kaam karna chahe. Fir bhi main tumpe koi dabaav nahi daalunga. Thoda soch lo, fir hum unn logo ko bata denge jo bhi tumhara faisla ho.”

They found one of Nanu’s friend waiting for them at their home. Sameer went up to freshen, and Nanu sat chatting with his friend, telling him that he was looking for a girl for his grandson. He sighed, “lekin Sameer ko koi pasand nahi aa rahi. Pata nahi ab aisi ladki kahan se laau jo iska saath bhi de aur isko sambhal bhi le. Tumhari nazar me koi ho toh batana Brijmohan.”

Brijmohan was silent for a moment, then hesitantly spoke up, “ek ladki hai. Sundar hai, aur padhi-likhi bhi. Uske Chachaji mere CA hai, toh main unke parivaar se bhi mil chuka hun. Ladki bahot hoshiyar hai, teacher hai, aur apne Chachaji ki madad bhi karti hai. Bas…”

Nanu looked excited at this new prospective girl, “bas kya? Koi kami hai kya?”

“Nahi nahi”, his friend immediately assured, “ladki me koi kami nahi hai mere hisab se toh… lekin unka parivaar tumhare hesiyat ka nahi hai. Middle class ke sadharan log hai.”

Nanu sat back pleased, “main yeh barabari aur hesiyat me nahi maanta… mujhe toh bas Sameer ke liye ek achchi ladki chahiye. Agar tumko lagta hai woh ladki achchi hai toh fir main baat chalane ko taiyar hun.”

Brijmohan nodded, “thike. Lekin jaldi karna hoga. Kyunki uss ladki ke liye bhi ladke dekh rahe hai… aaj subah hi shayad koi dekhne aaya tha, uske Chachaji ne kuch din pehle bataya tha.”

A good alliance was very difficult to find, and Nanu didn’t want to miss this opportunity that had suddenly landed in his lap, “aaj shaam ko mil sakte hai kya? Tum baat karke dekho… main Sameer se baat karta hun fir. Waise ladki ka naam kya hai?”

Brijmohan smiled, “Naina naam hai uska. Main abhi phone karta hun unke ghar pe.”

A call was placed, and everyone at Agarwal house was shocked at this sudden request for meeting from one of the richest families in Ahmedabad. Taiji’s eyes almost popped at the thought that someone from that family would even want to meet a motherless child. Chachaji felt this was too soon after the first meeting this morning, but he couldn’t refuse his client of many years. Chachiji felt worried too, as all the home cooked snacks had been polished off by Ajay and his family and now there was no time to prepare more.

“Nanu please”, Sameer pleaded, “main aaj wapas ek aur ladki se kaise mil sakta hun?”

“Kyun nahi mil sakte? Divya toh itni achchi nahi lagi na tumhe”, Nanu persisted.

Sameer shook his head, “nahi. Woh toh main sure hun ke naa hi bolunga. Lekin fir bhi… aaj hi milna zaruri hai kya?”

Nanu tried to explain, “dekho beta, achche rishte mushkil se milte hai. Uske gharwale ladke dekh rahe hai uske liye. Aur Brijmohan bata raha tha ke yeh ladki sundar honeke saath saath hoshiyaar bhi hai. Job bhi karti hai, jaise tum chahte ho. Aur… pata nahi kyun uska naam sunne ke baad ek apnapan sa laga.”

Sameer nearly rolled his eyes at the last statement, “Sorry Nanu… lekin aaj nahi. Aap kisi aur din milne ka kahiye unko. Waise bhi mujhe office ka bahot kaam hai aaj.”

Nanu sighed, knowing that he could not bend his grandson after a point, “thike… toh main Brijmohan se kehta hun ke Naina ke gharwalo ko phone karke aaj ka mana kar de.”

“Ek minute”, Sameer called as Nanu started to step out of his room, “kya kaha aapne? Kya naam hai ladki ka?”

Nanu smied, hopeful at this interest, “Naina… achcha naam haina?”

Sameer’s heart thudded with a sudden hope. Could it be her? Was it possible? There must be so many girls with the same name. What was the probability that this Naina was his Naina? Very very small… but still… Could he let this chance pass based on that? No… He couldn’t. Even if there was one percent chance that this Naina was the same girl, he wanted to see it for himself. He looked up at his Nanu, “main milne ko taiyar hun aaj hi.”

Overjoyed at this, Nanu asked him to dress up, and went to give the good news to Brijmohan. An hour later the three of them left to meet the Agarwal family. Nanu had insisted Brijmohan to accompany them, as this meeting was fixed by him and it was too sudden. He could fill in any awkward gaps in conversation as he knew the girl’s Chacha. He had been told by his friend that the girl’s mother was dead, and that she was brought up by her Chacha-Chachi, which didn’t bother him one bit.

The Agarwal house was in frenzy for the second time that day, as snacks were bought from outside. Chachiji insisted for at least one home-cooked variety, so she quickly made some aloo-chaat, hoping it would be enough. This time Naina was dressed in the pink saree that Chachiji had rejected in morning and she was still just as clueless. The news that another prospective family had called up to meet her didn’t excite her. Preeti had told her that this family was super rich, probably the richest in Ahmedabad, and she wondered why they wanted to meet her.

Sameer descended from the car in-front of a modest looking society, with peeling paints at the corners. Many people stood outside, literally ogling at the car. This time he was dressed in a black suit, with a powder blue shirt, and his heart thumped with hope. They were warmly welcomed by a group of people, and Brijmohan did the introductions as soon as they were seated. He looked around the living room, hoping to see some photographs that could give him some confirmation, but it looked as if that was not happening.

Nanu took over the conversation after sometime, “maaf kijiyega itni jaldi me milne ko kaha aapse. Darasal Brijmohan ne bataya ke aap log apni beti ke liye ladka dhund rahe hai, aur usne itni tareef ki aapke parivaar ki aur aapki beti ki ke mujhse raha nahi gaya.”

Tauji nodded, “aree aap maafi mat mangiye. Yeh toh hamari bachchi ka saubhagya hai ke aapne use iss layak samjha.”

Snacks and tea were served, and Bela was pleased when they praised all the arrangements, quite contrasting to Ajay’s family who found some faults despite all the efforts she had gone through. Sameer however, just toyed around with his cup of tea, his stomach too unsettled to eat anything. He just kept waiting for them to bring the girl, so that he could know if she was the same. And what if she isn’t? He forced himself to focus on the tea, rather than his gloomy thoughts.

Bela stood up to get Naina, and Sameer kept down his cup of tea because his hands had started trembling. The bedroom door opened, and Naina came out flanked by Preeti on one side, and Chachiji on the other side. Sameer controlled himself from craning his neck to see, but the first sight he caught was of Preeti, and his heart gave an elated thump. A second and another passed… and then… he could see her… Naina… It was her! Despite his attempts to control his reaction, a shaky breath left his lungs.

Preeti noticed the boy sitting on the sofa, and her eyes narrowed. She clutched Naina’s hand tighter, and whispered, “hey bhagwaan, yeh toh wahi awara ladka hai.”

Naina looked up at her sister; her brows furrowed in confusion, and then followed her gaze. She stopped in her tracks as her eyes landed on Sameer, who sat on the sofa his eyes fixed on her. Was she dreaming? How could it be that he was here? Chachiji looked back at the girls, “Naina beta, chalo. Ruk kyun gai?”

Sameer sat stunned at the sight of her. Oh God. It was her. And she was again dressed in pink. He had this strange vision of himself jumping up and pulling her in his arms, twirling her around and screaming in elation that he had found her. In this dream or hallucination, she too laughed, throwing her arms around him. By the time he had shaken himself out of his dream world, he saw that Nanu was already asking few questions to Naina.

The feeling within him were too new, he had never ever felt like this. While this morning he had hardly paid any attention to what Nanu asked, now he hung on to every word. When Naina’s voice trembled slightly, he wanted to go sit beside her and hold her hand to provide support. When Chachiji praised Naina’s cooking skills, he felt proud. When Chachaji said that Naina helped him with his work too, he smiled in approval. When Nanu kept on talking, he fidgeted eagerly waiting for the time when he would be allowed alone to talk.

Finally, Nanu asked the question he was waiting for, “agar aap logo ko aitraaz na ho toh Sameer aur Naina thodi der ek dusre se akele baat karle?” Sameer sat up eager, feeling pleased at how their names sounded in the same sentence.

Preeti accompanied Naina, and looked back at him when he followed in the room. “Meri behen ke saath badtameezi ki toh bahar tumhare nanaji ko sab bata dungi”, Preeti hissed, “main bahar hi hun.”

Sameer nodded, slightly amused at this protectiveness, but he understood that he hadn’t really left a good impression at the theater. Was it the same for Naina? Somehow he was sure it was not.

He had been eager to meet alone, but now in the room with her sitting on the bed, he didn’t know how to proceed. He gently spoke, “ummm… tumne mujhe pehchaana na?”

She nodded but didn’t look up, and neither did she say anything. He nervously confessed, “aah… waise toh soch raha tha bahot baate karunga. Lekin ab samajh nahi aa raha ke kya bolu.”

Naina looked up quickly, “aap… aapko pata tha ke aap mujhse milne aa rahe hai?”

He shook his head, “sirf naam pata tha… Naina… par… ummeed kar raha tha ke woh tum hi ho.”

“Kyun?”, she asked immediately, and then looked away her cheeks coloring as if she thought she must have asked something inappropriate.

He smiled, “nahi pata. Lekin kal ke baad tumhe bhula nahi paa raha tha.”

She again looked at him, surprised at his openness, and blushed more. He looked around her room, eager to know more about her. He noticed the books kept slightly haphazardly, and the stack of music cassettes, two small teddy bears were carefully placed. The dressing table didn’t contain too many cosmetic items, and he could see that she had hardly used any make-up and fondly thought that she didn’t even need any.

As he looked around, Naina shyly glanced at him, trying to control the happiness blooming inside her. He had just come to meet her, it didn’t mean that he would marry her, she admonished herself. Yet, she couldn’t help the warm feeling on seeing him dressed in that black suit and blue shirt. This time he had only one button open, and she wondered if it was because he was here to see a girl for marriage.

He looked back at her and asked, “tumko movies bahot pasand hai na?”

She immediately reflected to the conversation in morning, and gloomily replied, “haan… par… mujhe pata hai ke shaadi ke baad yeh sab nahi ho sakta. Isiliye kal akhri baar movie dekhne gai thi.”

He frowned, “aisa kisne kaha tumse?”

She looked away from him, “woh… subah ko bhi ek jan aaye the milne…”

Sameer at up straight in his chair, “shaadi ke liye?” She nodded, and he quickly asked, “tumko pasand aaya kya?”

Naina took a moment too reply, which was too long for Sameer, but she finally softly said, “nahi.”

He relaxed, then thought she too deserved honesty, so confessed, “main bhi kisise milne gaya tha subah ko.” Feeling gratified, when she immediately glanced at him with question in her eyes, he smiled, “maine mana kar diya hai Nanu ko.”

She quickly thanked God in her mind. He tilted his head, “Naina… kya tumko bhi main awara lagta hun?”

Naina’s gaze softened as she looked at him, “nahi. Aur aap Preeti ki baat ka bura mat maaniye. Woh toh bas kal aapko aise dance karte dekha na toh…”

He chuckled, “mujhe bura nahi laga. Par shayad tumko apne baare me kuch batane ki zarurat hai…” He told her his full name, about his education, his age, and how he joined Nanu’s business. He also told her about his mother staying in Delhi with her second husband, and that he was not on good terms with her. He explained that he had stayed in hostel earlier, and then with Nanu since he was thirteen. He told her of his love for movies, and music, and also that he loved traveling to new places.

Naina listened with rapt attention, feeling happy that he was different from others. Rather than criticizing or asking questions to her, he had started the conversation with telling her about him. Slowly, she too told him about herself, but hid the fact that she loved writing stories feeling that it might sound too foolish. He too listened with attention, noticing how her voice fluctuated whenever she talked about something she liked to do. Gently, he asked, “shaadi ke baad apne career ke baare me kya khayal hai?”

She was again silent for a moment, and then replied, “mujhe kaam karna hai. Ghar ka kaam karne me koi problem nahi hai, lekin apne liye bhi kuch karna hai…”

He grinned at her, extremely pleased with her response, “padhana hi hai… ya fir business me interest hai? I mean… hamara kapde ka kaam hai. Lekin accounting bhi toh aati hai tumko.”

She nodded, “woh toh main bas Chachaji ki madad karne ke liye karti hun. Darasal mujhe toh kahani…” She trailed off, horrified that she had blurted something she had wanted to hide. He noticed her expressions, “kya hua? Kuch bolo…”

Naina shook her head in distress, “kuch nahi. Main toh bas aise hi…”

Sameer frowned, “Naina… main tumse jhuth nahi bolunga. Mujhe tum pasand ho… kal se hi. Isiliye apne baare me sab sach bata diya tumko…” He was silent for a moment, then added, “umm… college me 2-3 baar cigarette bhi pee thi. Par fir Nanu ne pakad liya aur maine unko promise kiya tha ke kabhi nahi peeunga.”

She smiled. He continued, “kehne ka matlab yeh hai ke tum bhi mujhe sab kuch bata sakti ho… agar main bhi tumko pasand hun toh.”

Naina looked at him in surprise. How easily he had said that he liked her? Did that mean he was going to say yes for marriage? She hesitated for another few moments, then stood up and opened her cupboard, carefully extracting the bag and her journal from it. Taking a deep breath, she said without looking at him, “mujhe kahaniya likhna pasand hai.”

He stood up and went to her, “wow. Sach me? Isme hai kya? Main padhu?”

She was surprised at his eagerness, and turned to look at him. Shocked to find him so close, she stumbled, her pallu falling from her head, and he immediately held her arms, “sambhalo.”

Naina stilled at his touch, her eyes going round in wonder, and he glanced down at her, helpless again as he lost every thought as soon as their eyes met. Slowly, his hands trailed from her arm, to her wrist and he covered her palms that were still clutching the bag and journal close to her heart. He whispered, “kal jab pehli baar dekha tumko toh socha ke pink me kamaal lagti ho. Aaj bhi pink pehna hai tumne, aur utni hi khubsurat lag rahi ho.”

She trembled, the bag and journal dropping from her nerveless fingers, and she wondered what to say. “Please kuch toh bolo…”, he gently persuaded.

Naina bit her lip for a moment, “kya bolu? Mujhe toh sab sapne jaisa lag raha hai… aap… yahan… aise…”

He shifted his hold on her hand, linking their fingers, “sapna nahi… sach hai… kaho toh yakeen dila du.”

Her brows furrowed, “kaise?”

His eyes glittered with mischief as he tugged her closer, and she blushed leaving his hands and turning away from him. He chuckled, bending to recover the bag and journal. Curiously he looked inside the bag, and exclaimed, “yeh toh mera rumaal hai…”

Naina whirled again, horrified that he had seen inside her bag. She snatched it from him, “aise kisiki personal cheez nahi dekhte.”

He grinned, leaning towards her, “kisiki bhi nahi… apne honewali biwi ki dekh raha hun.”

She gasped at his declaration, heart thundering, her legs turning to jelly, and she swayed. Surprised at her reaction, he held her again, this time swinging his arm around her waist. It was just like yesterday. The both stilled at the contact, his fingers lingering on her waist, and her lips quivered as she looked up at him.

He wanted to hold her closer, wrap both his hands around her, his body instantly responding to her softness. But he was painfully aware of the fact that any moment they could be called outside and also that this was too soon for her. He slowly released her, making sure she was stable on her feet.

She shivered, and immediately felt the absence of his warmth. Hands trembling she extended the bag towards him, giving him that right which she had never thought she would give to anyone. Elated he took a peek, and took out the picture of snowy Mountain, and the soft red heart.

He was puzzled, “yeh sab kya hai?”

She looked down at his hands holding her unfulfilled dreams, and somehow felt secured at sharing this with him, “mere sapne jo shayad kabhi pure naa ho.”

He tilted his head, trying to understand what she was telling him. Why did she think that her dreams won’t be fulfilled? He thought about each items in his hand – the journal surely meant that she wanted to write stories in future, the picture of mountain might mean that she wanted to see snow or visit the mountains – but what about his handkerchief and the heart? Had she thought that he was a dream? Well… it could be… hadn’t he felt the same way about her? A wish, a dream – that had come in his life for a brief period and then vanished leaving him with an ailing heart. And the red heart? Who had given it to her? Was there someone in her life before?

Feeling slightly insecure he asked, “yeh dil… kisine diya hai kya?”

Her eyes widened at the implication, “nahii… yeh toh… umm… maine khud kharida tha. Woh… movies me dekha tha ke jisse pyaar karte hai usko aise gifts dete hai… toh… main sapne dekhti thi ke main bhi kisi din kisiko dungi, ya koi mujhe dega.”

He smiled, relaxed now, “ahan… shaadi hone se pehle hi gifts kya chahiye bata diye tumne toh.”

Her mouth fell open in surprise, and she sputtered, “mera matlab woh nahi tha… main toh bas… aapne pucha isiliye…”

He laughed softly at her nervousness, and lifted one had to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, “shsh… aaj se iss bag me apna har sapna rakhna, chahe ho woh kitne bhi bade ho ya kitne bhi chote. main tumhara har sapna pura karunga.”

Naina looked at him, her heart beat accelerating, as she wondered how can someone be so good. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she whispered, “aap…”

He interrupted, “Sameer… ek baar toh naam lo. Mujhe sunna hai.”

She closed her eyes, and shakily whispered, “S…Sameer…”

His own eyes closed briefly at the joy that filled his heart, “tumhe aur kuch puchna hai mujhse?”

She shook her head. He put all her things inside the bag, but kept the journal with him, inside his jacket, “yeh main ghar jaake padhunga aaj raat. Par filhaal… tum soch lo firse… meri taraf se haan hai. Par agar tumko waqt chahiye to main bahar jaake…”

“Soch liya”, she interrupted with a smile.

He grinned, “dekha… maine kaha tha na kal… jhootha cola aur cream-roll kaam kar hi gaya.”

Naina laughed, “haan. Aisa hi lag raha hai…”

There was a knock on the door, and Naina quickly stuffed her bag inside the wardrobe, and adjusted her pallu. Bela and Preeti entered to find Naina sitting on the edge of the bed, and Sameer on the chair.

“Baat ho gai?”, Bela asked.

Sameer stood up, “ji, main bahar jaata hun.”

Nanu caught his eye, as he sauntered outside, and he grinned nodding in a yes. Exhilarated Nanu stood up and went to his grandson, “sach bol raha hai? Pakka?”

Sameer nodded, “haan nanu. Naina perfect hai.”

Inside the room Bela gently asked Naina, “beta, tujhe ladka kaisa laga? Sab kuch puch liya na usne? Aur tune kuch pucha?”

Naina smiled, “chachiji woh bahot achche hai. Mujhe… woh mujhe…”

Bela noticed the glow on her face and prodded, “pasand hai?”

Naina blushed and nodded. Bela left the room to tell the news to her husband and the elders. Preeti frowned, “sach me Naina? Tune dekha tha na theater me usko… fir bhi tujhe pasand hai.”

Naina sighed, understanding her sister’s concern, “Preeti… hum bhi toh usi theater me the. Aur Sameer samajh gaye the ke hum ghar pe bina bataye aaye hai. Fir bhi unhone mere baare me kuch galat nahi socha… toh fir tu kyun aisa soch rahi hai. Aur fir… aaj…” She smiled as she continued, “tujhe pata hai, unhone mujhse ek baar bhi aisa nahi kaha ke kaam chodna padega ya movies nahi dekhna… balki apne baare me sab kuch bataya aur fir meri saari baate suni. Mujhe chunne ka mauka bhi diya ke agar mujhe aur waqt chahiye toh woh bahar jaake baat karenge.”

Preeti observed the softened expressions on her sister’s face, the glow in her eyes. The happiness that was missing since morning had returned, and she understood that the reason was Sameer. She had noticed yesterday too, how they had stared at each other, as if they were helpless to look away. It can only be destiny that had brought them together like this, and who was she to interrupt with it. She sat down next to Naina, “main bahot khush hun ke tera ek sapna pura ho raha hai… ummeed karti hun ke… jijaji tere baaki ke sapne bhi pura kar denge.”

Naina looked at her sister in surprise, “woh… woh abhi abhi mujhse yahi waada karke gaye.” Preeti smiled and hugged her sister.

Outside everything was moving at a pace that surprised the Agarwal family, but totally satisfied Sameer. Nanu was eager to finalize everything now that Sameer had finally chosen a girl for himself. A call to the Panditji ensured that there was a good mahurat for Roka after three days. When Tauji talked about the gifts to be given, Nanu gently declined saying they didn’t need anything apart from Naina.

Naina and Preeti were called outside, and Bela distributed sweets to celebrate the occasion. Nanu blessed Naina, saying that he was eager for the day when she would step inside her own home. Chachaji told Sameer how happy he was and apologized that they couldn’t make appropriate arrangements. Sameer smiled, assuring that there was nothing to apologize for, and that he couldn’t have given her anything better than a life-partner like Naina. This earned him a grin and thumbs-up from Preeti, and he grinned back understanding that he finally had the approval of his would be saali.

As they left, Sameer kept turning back to look at Naina, and she smiled. Later that night, the phone rang and Preeti sneaked the cordless inside the bedroom, offering it to Naina, “yeh le.”

Naina stared perplexed, “mujhe kyun de rahi hai? kiska phone hai itni raat ko?”

Preeti slapped her forehead, “hey bhagwaan… behen meri… shaadi teri hone wali hai na. Toh ab tu hi soch itni raat ko kiska phone hoga.”

She froze in surprise for a second, before snatching the phone from Preeti, who laughed. Naina closed her eyes and whispered, “hello.”

Sameer’s voice sounded from the other end, “aankhen kholo aur balcony me aao.”

Her eyes flew open, wondering how he knew, and she stepped outside. “Blue me bhi khubsurat lagti ho”, he said.

She was confused. Yes, she was wearing a light blue chikan kurta, but how… Before she could complete that thought, her eyes fell on the figure leaning the open PCO booth door, and staring up at him.

“Sameer…”, she mumbled.

He grinned, “haaye… firse bolo.”

She blushed, “aap yahan kya kar rahe hai… Sameer.”

Sameer tilted his head, “tumhe dekh raha hun. Shaam ka thoda sa waqt kaafi nahi tha.”

“Thand lag jayegi”, she observed.

He smiled at her concern, “uhmm… kaho toh upar aa jaata hun. Tumhari toh naa building unchi hai aur naa hi lift bandh hai.”

She laughed, amused at how he used the dialogue from movie to flirt. They stared at each other for some time cherishing this new bond that joined them. After few moments he whispered, “Naina…”

“Hmm”, she held her breath in anticipation.

He straightened, still looking at her, “I love you.”

She closed her eyes, a soft smile curving her lips. He waited, his heart thudding, but finally felt that he should give her some time. He gently assured, “koi jaldi nahi hai. Tum so jao abhi. Good Night.”

Naina looked down at him, her heart overwhelmed with his understanding. She swallowed, hastily blinking back tears of happiness, “Good Night Sameer… aur… I… I love you too.”

She clapped a hand over her mouth stifling her laughter as he jumped in elation and did a jig that was quite similar to the tapori dance of yesterday. He disconnected the call after saying that he would call again tomorrow, and she watched him leave on a bike that she assumed was his.