Always and Forever: Part – 1 : First Step

The sun was preparing itself to chase the darkness, but the night still had dominance. Beside the road, few men were huddled over a crude bonfire created out of twigs and newspaper. The quarter moon struggled to maintain its hold over the sky and resolutely showered its last light for the night through the paned window, onto a man sleeping peacefully.

The man shifted as if disturbed by the moonlight and turned over to face the other side. His outstretched hand found the silky skin of the woman lying next to him, his fingers trailed on her belly. Something stirred inside him, the last vestiges of sleep left his eyes as they landed upon her beautiful face, glimmering in moonlight. Her dark hair was spread on the pillow, but an errant strand had found its way onto her shoulders, curling in the crook of her neck. He lifted the silky lock and tucked it behind her ears, as if it was disturbing his view. He inched closer, and kissed her forehead, trailing down to her eyes. A soft sound escaped from her throat, emboldened him, as his mouth skimmed her cheek, then captured her lips. He pulled her closer, and felt her hands wound around his shoulders, as he savoured her mouth, probing deeply, stroking her tongue. His hands drifted down the curvaceous body, as he drew her beneath him, excitement coursing through him.

A shrill sound pierced through the room, shattering the romantic moment, and to his extreme astonishment and dismay, the luscious mouth of the woman turned into a wad of moisture sucking fabric, leaving a dry rough feeling on his tongue. Sameer Maheshwari jerked up from sleep, cursing, as he repeatedly hit the alarm clock to turn it off. Annoyed, he dragged his fingers through his hair, and pulled off his t-shirt, he was feeling extremely warm even in the cold November. He picked up the pillow, glaring at the round wet spot on the top, “Dammit, I have been kissing this thing again!”, he threw it back exasperatedly.

This wasn’t the first time when he had woken up like this, all hot and bothered, hugging or kissing the pillow, thinking it to be Naina. The incredulity on the situation dawned on him and he chuckled, as dawn stretched its fingers outside, finally defeating the darkness and drenching the sky in hues of orange and yellow. He got up and went to the window, opening it to let the cool breeze in, the birds had already started twittering madly, he could also hear few bicycle bells, probably the milkman or newspaper boy.

It was a beautiful morning, of course it had to be, it was such a special day, today they would be taking their first step, he and Naina would be tied together, official couple, with the blessings of their family. It hadn’t been an easy journey, but it was a memorable one, and he cherished each and every moment of it. Thirty days, it had taken all that time to convince Naina’s family for their marriage, to prove that their love was strong enough to withstand every opposition, to make them see that they were indeed made for each other. Chachaji and Chachiji were the first ones to be convinced of course, because for them nothing was more important than Naina’s happiness. Taiji had almost fainted the day he and his mother had gone to ask for Naina’s hand, “Oh bai! Bholuram yeh kya bol rahe ho?” His pujya sasurji had nearly brought the house down on their heads, Sameer felt his ears still hadn’t recovered completely, he could still hear the faint traces of the loud pitch. Tauji had taken over control after that, asking for all the details, needless to say everyone was shocked to know that Naina and Sameer loved each other, and even more shocked to know that this was going on since their school days.

Taiji had exclaimed, “Neva! Maine to kaha tha tabhi ke ladki ke lakshan thik nai lag rahe…”, she trailed off realizing that it was the rich and handsome hero-type boy with whom the ’tiscu taiyan’ had been going on, and not the plain sidekicks as she had so conveniently predicted. Rakesh had been furious to know that their love story was going on right under his nose, he had raised his hand to slap Naina, but before anyone else could object or speak up, his hand had been caught by two pairs of hands much stronger than him – one belonged to Sameer, and the other to Arjun. The shocked expression on Rakesh’s face might have been hilarious, but at that moment Sameer was furious, he had let him know in crystal clear words that he respected him because he was Naina’s father, but if he dared raise a finger on her, he might forget what his relation was. Disgusted, Sameer left his hand, nodded a silent thanks at Arjun, but both kept an eye on Rakesh, just in case. Upon further objections, especially from Rakesh, finally Arjun had spoken up and the truth about the paper stealing and their fight had come tumbling out in the open. Sameer had tried to control the situation, stop Arjun from blurting everything, but Arjun hadn’t listened. His own mother had been shocked, Sameer had never told her about it, even after Arjun had confessed to him, only three people knew the entire truth and Sameer had decided to keep it like that. Unfortunately, it hadn’t, and the entire Agarwal family was shocked, his mother had started to say something, only to be silenced by a glare from him.

That was new, Sameer and his mother had finally developed a bond, if not a loving one, then at least a caring one. And she wholeheartedly wanted Naina to come in her son’s life as his life partner, because she knew how much Sameer loved her. Rakesh sir hadn’t known how to react on knowing Arjun’s truth, but Sameer had requested him to let it go, assured him of his love for Naina. One month and many serious conversations later, finally everyone had agreed for the proposal, and the date for Roka was fixed, one week from then.

And that day was today, an official announcement of consent, and he couldn’t wait one day longer. It already seemed like an eternity, his heart beat faster and faster at the thought of finally claiming Naina as his own. The date for their marriage would also be fixed today, he hoped it was just one more week, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, no one more day is more like it. He almost laughed aloud at his own impatience.

“Bhai, what are you doing? You will catch cold”, Rohan stepped in just as Sameer turned to look at him, “You are so eager to meet Bhabhi that you are about to jump out of the window and that too without a shirt?”, he teased.

Sameer chuckled, “what are you doing here? Teasing your brother isn’t included in your timetable.”

“Stop it bhai. I haven’t used timetable since…”, he trailed off counting months and years.

“Since you met Preeti”, Sameer reminded, and Rohan blushed.

It still amused Sameer to see his severely disciplined brother and cheerful mad-as-hatter saali together. But maybe, somethings aren’t meant to make sense, it can only be felt, he mused. Just like no one could have imagined him and Naina to be together, similarly Rohan and Preeti seemed another unlikely couple, he could already imagine another war like scenario when these two decided to get married. He ruffled Rohan’s hair fondly, glad now that he had found a brother like him, and a sister like Deepika, he had never thought he would have these bonds, but just like Naina’s love had changed him slowly, she had also made him see the care and concern his siblings had for him. It was a slow process, but gradually he had opened up to them, and the rest, as they say, was history – Mr. Timetable had turned out to be quite a cool guy, and Deepika was a bundle of mischief and innocence.

“Bela… aree o Bela… Kahan chali gai subah subah”, Taiji entered armed with a big box, ready to take over the proceedings for the day, after all she was the elder of the family. “Ji bhabhiji, yahin hun, woh Preeti ko utha rahi thi”, Bela came in rubbing her hands on the pallu of her saree.

“Oh bai! Aaj itna khaas din hai aur woh dono maharaniya ab tak so rahi hai”, Taiji placed the box on the counter, “khair woh chod, yeh dekh naye wale chini mitti ke cup plates. Tere bhaisaab ko mila tha pichle saal. Bholuram aur uske parivaar ko isime chai dena, mehenge wale hai, achcha dikhega.”

“Bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye bhabhiji, aap to aise khush ho rahi hai jaise Naina ka nai Pralay ka Roka ho”, Bela couldn’t stop herself from teasing as she poured milk to prepare tea.

Taiji seated herself at the dining table, and looked into the kitchen, “Tu kehna kya chahti hai Bela…Hum log kya Naina ke liye khush nai hai… Ab Naina bhi to hamari bachchi hai, kitne naazo se paala hai use humne. Kitni fikar lagi rehti thi uske bhavishya ki.”

“Haan haan… Aur taana to hum log maarte the”, Bela added slyly turning her face away so that Taiji couldn’t hear her.

“Kya boli tu?”, Taiji’s brow furrowed suspiciously. “Kuch bhi to nai bhabiji… main to chai bana rahi hun na”, Bela pacified.

“Haan bas bas… sab sunai deta hai mereko. Chup chap chai bana aur elaichi achche se daalna”, Taiji ordered.

The preparations for the evening went on full swing for the whole day, even their neighbours dropped in to look at the arrangements, after all, Maheshwari was a big name. Naina sat in-front of the dressing table, meticulously applying kajal to her eyes, her heart leaping every now and then, she felt strangely nervous. She had waited for this so long, she was going to be married to Sameer, her stomach fluttered, and she placed a hand over her heart in a vain attempt to calm it down. Preeti helped her put on selected pieces of jewellery chattering happily about how handsome her jijaji would look. Naina looked up at her, “achcha, to tu apne jijaji ko dekhne ke liye itni excited hai, ya fir apne unko?”

Preeti blushed furiously, annoyed at herself, she couldn’t understand why her cheeks flamed every time someone talked about Rohan. Okay she liked him, a little too much, but the blushing part was way beyond her understanding. “Tu na… zyada bol mat… Jijaji pe dhyan de, Rohan pe nai”, Preeti instructed trying to be stern.

Naina stood up and held her by shoulders, “lekin meri pyaari behena, maine to Rohan ka naam hi nai liya. Matlab tu bhi yeh maanti hai tere ‘unko’ Rohan hai?”, she teased. Preeti looked shocked, the red colour that had just ebbed from her face, started creeping up again, Naina laughed on seeing it. She turned away, feigning anger, and Naina hugged her from behind, “Sorry!”

Preeti smiled, turning to look at her sister, “tune bilkul sahi kiya Naina. Nayi wali saree se zyada yeh saree achchi hai. Jijaji khush ho jayenge tujhe dekhke aur tu kitni khubsurat lag rahi hai”, she said turning Naina towards the mirror. Naina looked at herself, the orange saree was draped perfectly, the jhumkas glittered on her ears, her hair was left open falling down her back in thick waves, she did look good, she just hoped Sameer thought so too.

The late afternoon sun shone brilliantly as Sameer stepped out of his car dressed in a deep blue kurta with orange and green thread work on the collar and sleeves. He felt elated, as if he was going to carry away Naina with him today only, the silly smile refused to disappear from his face. Another car rolled in and stopped near the curb, and their friends stepped out. Sameer had sent his driver to pick up Munna, Pandit and Swati. As they hugged him, he could see they were equally happy for him, for them. They were welcomed with sweets and Chachiji immediately bustled off to make tea. Sameer took the seat at Sofa and kept craning his neck trying to see if Naina was coming.

Tauji talked shop with Mr. Somani, while Taiji kept Vishakha busy. Sameer had clearly warned Mr. Somani, in not so many words, that he wouldn’t entertain any trouble from his side at Naina’s home. This was one relationship that was probably going to be forever strained, and he didn’t much care about it. Preeti came in looking for Swati, her eyes met Rohan’s, both of them blushed and Sameer poked him teasingly.

Sameer kept looking at his watch willing it to move faster, until the mahurat arrived, and Naina entered the living room, dressed in his Nani’s saree, she literally took his breath away, with her beauty and her thought. Unexpected tears sprang to his eyes, of happiness, of gratitude. He had been missing Nanu so much since this morning, wishing he could have been with him, and here Naina had given him the assurance of his blessing by wearing this saree. Naina met his eyes, saw the tears, and smiled, a sense of relief finally settling inside her, knowing she had made the correct decision.

They kept sneaking glances at each other as the rituals were carried on, her belly fluttered every time her eyes met his. Everyone blessed them. Sameer felt a sense of disbelief when Rakesh sir did his tilak, blessing him, placing a shirt, watch, coconut and some money on the fabric he held on his lap, he almost expected another slap. Vishakha blessed Naina, gifting her a saree and jewellery, she kissed her forehead, surprising her and Sameer too. But when Naina looked up, the smile on Vishakha’s face and the tears in her eyes, clearly told Naina that she loved Sameer very much, but probably circumstances hadn’t let her shower love on her son. Naina placed her hand on Vishakha’s, softly squeezing, as if assuring that she understood, Sameer didn’t miss the exchange. Panditji looked at their horoscopes, and after much muttering and calculations that none of them understood, gave them few dates to choose from, all in February of next year. Sameer nearly groaned aloud. Here he had been thinking that even one more day was torture, and now he would have to wait for almost three months.

Snacks were served, Chachiji kept praising Naina’s cooking skills, Sameer didn’t need to hear that, he knew exactly what all his Naina could cook. He stood in the corner, drinking tea, talking with Arjun, Munna and Pandit. Naina looked at him, her gaze lovingly moving over him, taking in the changes years had brought. He had been seventeen when Nanu had left them, eighteen when his life had taken a new direction, a young boy, mature for his age and burdened with responsibilities that would have felled a lesser person, but still young. At twenty-four now, he had already learned the full range of his own strengths, his personality wasn’t the least bit malleable, his character had been honed down to steel-core overlaid with the subtle geniality required for a man of his status, it was evident in the way he stood, the cool, level way he surveyed the world around him, marking him as a man who was prepared to take on the world and bend it to his will. It was clear that whatever challenges he had faced, he had been the victor, and Naina knew each of those challenges.

Physically, he looked tougher and bigger than he had before. Years of boxing, jogging and several other exercises, that he had taken up to get rid of the work life stress, had resulted in a build of whipcord leanness, coiled steel waiting to spring. His shoulders had broadened, and his chest deepened. His forearms, exposed by the pushed-up sleeves, were thick and roped with veins. His hair was shorter than it was in school and college, still long at front, and styled perfectly. His face was darkened by the shadow of beard and her hands itched to touch it to see if it was rough or not.

Sameer felt her gaze on him and turned around meeting her eyes, she blushed at being caught staring at him, he smiled and winked at her. Naina, if possible, blushed even more, but she didn’t look away, instead something flickered in her eyes, and she winked back flirtatiously.

Crash! Sameer had dropped the cup he was holding. His mouth open in big “O”.

Naina stifled her laughter, clapping a hand over her mouth, as Munna shook Sameer, asking what happened. Sameer came out of his trance, apologized, while Taiji looked in dismay at the broken cup pieces from her new tea set. His gaze wandered back to her, she looked gorgeous, he felt an irresistible temptation to touch her, but it wasn’t possible, his hands fisted as he tried to control himself. His eyes scanned her thoroughly, lingering on the perfect curve of her waist, back up to her face. He saw a blush creep upon her face and it enchanted him even more. He wondered how she would taste, how she would react when he kissed her, then almost laughed. Naina had hugged him just once in all these years, when he had returned from Delhi, and the maximum extent they had gone was to hold hands. He hadn’t even kissed her hand, and yet he dreamed of kissing her lips and more, every night, but now, when they would get married he could finally fulfil all his dreams and fantasies, show her this new side of love.

He crossed his hands over his chest, leaning comfortably against the wall, they both knew he had yet to take his eyes off her. And he knew he didn’t intend to. He tried to think of her reaction to their first night, and his mind came up with nada, he wondered how he would make love to a girl whom he hadn’t even kissed yet, how he would even manage to explain things to her.

As the purple and lavender shades of twilight began to darken the world outside, Sameer decided to leverage the three months to let her get used to him, his eyes glittered as his mind raced thinking of several ideas, each more pleasurable than the previous one.