Always and Forever
Part - 10: Endless Bliss

The clock struck 10pm and the room was silent, the air blowing cold from the open window, there were some sounds from the other rooms in the house, but Sameer sat completely lost. He gazed at the handkerchief, the pink kiss mark, and the message Naina had left for him. How could he have not understood it earlier? He should have known something was wrong when Naina returned his handkerchief. They never returned each other’s handkerchief. What had started as a coincidence between them had transformed into a mysterious habit and then into a conscious decision. The first time when she had offered her handkerchief to him in school after accidentally sprinkling ink on his shirt, he had slipped it in his pocket without knowing he had done it. That day when he had come home and seen the kerchief with ‘N’ embroidered on it, he had been reminded of the way she would patiently teach him, answer all his questions, and he didn’t know why but he had not wanted to return it to her. Feeling incredibly silly, he had kept the kerchief in his wardrobe. After that he had given her his handkerchief when she had fallen in the mud after the head boy selection, he had been angry on her because she had lied in-front of her father, and then because she had labelled him as thief, but still he had been strangely satisfied when she hadn’t returned his handkerchief. This habit of them had continued, they had never talked about it, but it was understood between them. In the second year of their college, once when Naina had come home because he had been ill, she had found all her handkerchiefs in his wardrobe. That was when they had talked about it, and both of them had been happy to know that they had felt it was their right to keep those little tokens. It was funny, usually couples had milestones of togetherness defined by gifts and cards, but they had handkerchiefs. Even when they had been angry with each other, they hadn’t been able to discard those handkerchiefs. Today he had been much too occupied with that gloss, else he would have noticed it right then.

His breathing was erratic, as if the kiss wasn’t imprinted on the handkerchief but on his own lips. He touched the mark, lightly, then brought the kerchief up and brushed his lips over it. She knew. How? And why was he thinking how? The important thing was she knew, and she was ready. So, he should be there, with her.

He stood up, grabbed the car keys and was out of the house and in his car in flat two minutes. He started the car, and was ready to reverse out, when he stopped himself. Slowly he turned off the ignition and sat thinking. What was he doing? Yes, she had let him know that she understood and was ready, but he can’t just storm up to her house and demand a kiss. She has a family. And they are not married yet. Even if they had been married, this wasn’t the way. It would be their first kiss. Sure, he didn’t want to make a production out of it with roses and candles. But still, he cannot just grab and kiss her anywhere. He had waited so long for this moment. He wanted it to be special. And more than that he needed to keep himself in check. Just because she was ready, didn’t mean that she cannot be scared of it. He wondered how much courage it would have taken for her to tell him about this. He knew how big a step this would be for her. He had known that all these years. Wasn’t this the reason he had waited so long? He cannot risk spoiling it for her.

He got out of his car, slammed the door, and dragged a shaky hand through his hair. God, just the thought of finally kissing her was enough to turn his insides into jelly. He needed to get some control over himself. When he kissed her, he wanted to show her his love not his desperation. He wanted to show her a glimpse of the pleasures future held for them. He wanted to prepare her, enlighten her about the aspects of intimacy. He walked over to the swing in the garden and settled down, reminding himself that kissing her was not the end goal, it was just the beginning. And what exactly did he think he could do at this moment? Nothing, that’s what. He wouldn’t sneak in that house like a thief for a stolen first kiss. It was his right, her right, and he wanted to have ample time in hand when he kissed her.

He looked up at his home, lights spilling out from the windows, and felt a surge of happiness. This was the place he would be sharing with Naina, their home. He wanted to share their first kiss here. It seemed right. Tomorrow. Rohan and his mother would leave, and he could have some time with Naina. He just needed to think of a way to bring her here. He sighed, resigning himself to another night, before he could have a taste of those lips that had tormented him for so many years. Then he grinned as he thought that finally he wouldn’t have to groan inwardly and close his eyes when she would bite her lips, he would simply hold her and kiss her every time she would do that, let her know what she did to him.

Couple of moments later Rohan came out of the house and joined him on the swing, “yahan kya kar rahe ho bhai?”

Sameer rocked the swing, “kuch nai, bas neend nai aa rahi thi. Tumhe sona nai hai? Kal flight hai.”

“Jaanta hun”, Rohan frowned, “bhai, aaj aapke haath se glass kaise tuta?”

Sameer laughed, “hahaa… yeh sawaal to mujhe tumse karna chahiye. Preeti ne aisa to kya kiya ke tumne glass tod diya?”

Rohan blushed, but gathered enough courage to utter, “umm… shayad wahi jo bhabhi ne aapke saath kiya”, then he faltered when Sameer glared angrily at him, “mera matlab, Preeti ka paav galti se mereko lag gaya tha, usne bataya mereko.”

“Hahahaa”, Sameer gave up the pretense of anger, “haan mere saath bhi wahi hua, bas Naina ne galti se nai kiya”, he winked.

Rohan stared at his brother for a moment, surprised, then laughed. They sat companionably for some time, reminiscing the happenings of the evening, and sharing laughter over Taiji’s expressions on seeing the broken pieces of glass. Finally, Rohan asked, “bhai, aapko pata hai na ke Preeti kaam karti hai?”

“Haan, parlour me”, Sameer affirmed. When Rohan didn’t comment anything for a while he asked, “kya hua?”

“Main soch raha tha ke meri bhi padhai khatam ho gai hai”, Rohan observed softly, “lekin main kuch kaam nai karta. Pura din ghar pe hi hota hun.”

Sameer sighed. Mr. Somani wanted Rohan to take over his business after few years more, till then if he wanted he could work as an executive in his office. And Rohan had no interest in fabrics, colours, or anything related to garment industry. Rohan wanted to teach, he had even gained the required certification, but Dadi and Mr. Somani was against anyone in their family doing a job.

“Tum sach me teacher banna chahte ho?”, Sameer asked.

Rohan nodded, “haan bhai. Par usse bhi zyada ab kuch karna chahta hun life me. Bas sure nai hun ke business mere liye sahi hoga ke nai.”

Sameer understood. He had felt the same way after falling in love with Naina. He had wanted to become a better human being, to do something in life so that he could give a future of safety and happiness to Naina. Well, he had always been the rebel in the family, always going against the set rules, so he could use that tag again and help Rohan. Sameer decided that if his brother wanted to be a teacher, that’s what he would be.

He placed a hand on Rohan’s shoulder, “hume hamesha wahi kaam karna chahiye jo hum genuinely karna chahte hai. Sirf kisi aur ke kehne pe apna career mat decide karo. Teacher banna hai na tumko? To wahi karo. I will help you.”

Rohan exhaled in relief. He wanted to do things his own way. But he didn’t always have that courage to stand against rules and his family. Too much training had been ingrained in him since childhood. He had needed some support, and his bhai was perfect for that, because he looked up to him, feeling awed and inspired with the way he had shaped up his life. He hugged Sameer, “Thanks bhai.”

Sameer embraced him, “chinta mat kar. Main mummy se aur Mr. Somani se baat karunga. Zyada problem hui to thode time mere saath yahan ya fir kisi aur sheher me rehna”, he patted his back.

Rohan pulled back, “aur Dadi?”

“Kaun Dadi?”, Sameer asked raising an eyebrow.

Rohan laughed recalling his brother’s habit of completely defying or ignoring Dadi’s rules.

At the other end Naina was pacing in her room. Oh God. How did she get so much courage? What would Sameer think? Did he really understand what she had meant? She sat down in-front of the dressing table. She had kissed him. Her cheeks flushed, and she hid her face in her hands as she recalled it. He had used their conversation on hand kiss to an extent she hadn’t thought was possible. She felt goosebumps erupt along her hands, she could still feel the touch of his lips as he kissed every inch of her hands. She hadn’t known that he could kiss her hands like that. She hadn’t known that merely a few kisses on her hands could make her feel like that. How would she feel when he kissed her cheeks or lips? Her breath hitched. She had told him that she was ready. Was she? Did she really want him to do that? Sameer hadn’t kissed her before. But she knew him. Oh, she knew him too well. He would be unstoppable. After they had held hands for the first time, he had continued to hold her hands with full right. He had waited for her, seeking permission to hug for the first time, but after they hugged once, today he hadn’t hesitated to pull her in his arms. It would be the same thing after they would kiss. It wouldn’t be a one-time event. And what after that? She had read quiet a few things in books, but she wasn’t exactly sure about those things. She didn’t understand all of it. Would Sameer want to do all those things too? She placed her hands on her belly, as something fluttered inside.

Too many things were changing. Today when her dress had soiled, she had taken the chance to give him a message, she had planned to use tissue earlier, and hide the note in his suit somehow. But at that moment she had realized that given their history of keeping each other’s handkerchiefs, it would be the best thing to communicate. She had feared that he would notice the message right then, because he must have felt odd when she returned his handkerchief, but still she had taken a chance, betting with herself that he was preoccupied with the exhibition and the lip gloss. Then when she had kissed his cheek, it had been a spur of moment, she hadn’t planned it, she had just wanted to do it. She looked at the clock. Had he read the message already? Why didn’t he call yet? What if he came here now? Her eyes widened, and she rushed to the balcony, sighing in relief on seeing the empty road. She leaned against the parapet looking into her own room, trying to think how it would feel when he would kiss her. For now, she only felt queasy, as if something was trying to come out from within her. And her heart thumped wildly. Her breathing increased. Oh no, she wasn’t ready for this yet. Maybe she had been too hasty to give the message to Sameer.

She jumped slightly as the phone rang, and then she rushed to pick it up. “Hello”, she breathed, knowing already that it was Sameer at the other end.

“Intezaar kar rahi thi?”, he asked, fighting to keep his tone natural.

She sat down on the sofa, “Haan.”

He leaned back in the chair, the handkerchief in his hand, “sorry, Rohan se baat kar raha tha isiliye thodi der ho gai.”

She relaxed slightly, thinking he hadn’t read the message yet, “koi baat nai.”

He told her of Rohan’s decision to start working, then asked her if she could come to the temple tomorrow morning with Preeti as Rohan wanted to meet her once before leaving. Naina agreed. There was silence for few moments.

“Kal ghar aaogi?”, he asked, “furniture selection ke liye.”

She hesitated, “furniture selection?”, wondering if that was the only thing he wanted to do.

“Haan”, he voiced softly, “aur… mujhe tumhara message bhi mila.”

Her heart started beating violently. Sameer could feel her nervousness even in her silence. “Naina, tum jaanti ho na ke main kabhi kuch aisa nai karunga jo tum nai chahti”, he assured her, “kal hum sirf furniture select kar lenge aur agar tum chaho hum kal nai kabhi aur milenge. Waise bhi…”

“Nai”, she cut him off, “hum kal hi milenge. Main ghar aaungi”, she stated, overwhelmed at the fact that even now he was ready to hold off things, just for her.

“Sure ho?”, he asked his own breathing uneven.

She knew, had complete trust, that if she uttered a single no, he would stop, he would keep waiting for her. But it was enough. He had waited all these years. Now she didn’t want him to wait. It would be new, something she hadn’t even thought of before. But she wanted to do it, for him, for her, for them. Yes, for them. She understood that the relationship of marriage came with somethings that were new and unexplored, but she couldn’t back off simply because she had no knowledge of it. She trusted Sameer. So, she decided to take the plunge, “haan, main sure hun Sameer.”

He exhaled, silently thanking God, “thike, to kal subah pehle mandir me milte hai. Fir lunch ke baad main tumhare liye car bhijwa dunga, and Chachaji se bhi main baat kar lunga.”

“Thike”, she agreed, still slightly nervous, but at the same time determined.

“Ab so jao, Good Night”, he smiled, “aur suno… I love you sweetheart.”

She laughed softly, her heart lightening, “I love you too. Good Night.” Yes, she loved him, and this love had always given her strength. This time too it would give her the required courage. Ever since she had fallen in love with Sameer, there had been many firsts in her life. And now she was ready for more.

Next morning, she told Chachiji that she had prayed for Sameer’s success in the exhibition, so she wanted to visit the temple, and since Preeti had woken up early, she was accompanying her too. As they climbed the long flight of stairs to the temple courtyard, they found Sameer and Rohan sitting on a bench, both looking at their watches. Sameer looked up immediately, sensing Naina, and nudged his brother. All of them stepped into the temple, praying, then sat in the courtyard again. Sameer and Naina left the other two to talk and wandered over to the other end.

“Thanks, mujhse milne aai”, Rohan said sitting next to Preeti.

She adjusted her dupatta, “usme kya thanks. Tum mujhko bhi to bula sakte the directly, ya har baar apni bhabhi se hi message bhijwaoge?”, her eyes gleamed mischievously as she looked at him.

He laughed softly, “kal kaafi late ho gaya tha raat me, isiliye tumko call nai kiya”, then added teasingly, “par tum kehti ho to ab main bhi tumko late night calls kiya karunga Delhi se.”

“Aur tumhari Dadi?”, she quizzed.

“Maine kal hi ek baat sikhi hai bhai se”, he grinned, “kaun Dadi?”

Preeti stared at him for few moments then laughter spurted out of her. He kept staring at her, charmed, “I will miss you Preeti.”

She stopped laughing, the sound cut off suddenly, “I… I will miss you too”, she blushed.

They talked for some more time, Rohan telling her about his decision to work, and how Sameer motivated him. He asked her if she thought it was right. Preeti was at first taken aback on being asked, then felt a surge of warmth inside her upon knowing that her opinion mattered to him. She assured him that it was indeed right to make career decisions based on passion.

When Rohan signalled that he was ready to leave, Sameer stood up and looked at Naina, “2pm. Taiyar rehna.” Naina nodded, trying to control her blush. Naina didn’t know what she ate that afternoon, she was just too distracted. After finishing her lunch, and helping Chachiji in the kitchen, she fished around in the refrigerator and took out a chocolate bar. She usually didn’t eat chocolates unless she was going through the rigorous five days every month, at that time she could yell on anyone and could eat any amount of chocolates. She wasn’t on periods today, yet she needed chocolate. It might help to calm her nerves.

Sameer was at her doorstep five minutes before 2pm. Well, honestly, he had been sitting impatiently with the car keys in his hand since 12pm, wanting to go get her immediately. Only he knew how he had spent 1.5 hours scowling at the clock and every other inanimate object in the living room, and he had brushed his teeth five times. He felt silly. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel excited at the same time. He felt like a kid left loose in a candy shop. Throughout the whole drive up to her home he had to keep reminding himself that he needed to wait. Don’t pounce Sameer.

Naina opened the door, dressed in jeans and a baby pink kurti. Pink! He wanted to have some control and she had to wear pink today! He closed his eyes briefly, biting back the groan, then opened his eyes and noticed that she was already carrying her purse, he smiled slightly, it seemed just like him, Naina was also not able to wait. As they sat in the car she observed that he was wearing jeans and shirt, two buttons undone at the top, she swallowed, “aaj office nai gaye?”

He shook his head, slipping on his sunglasses, “nai, jin logo ne exhibition ke liye itne din extra kaam kiya unn sabko chutti di hai, aur maine bhi chutti le li aaj.”

She stared at his profile, she had seen him wear sunglasses so often, then why did he look extra handsome today. The black aviators caused the fluttering inside her to increase. Heart thumping heavily, she thought of something to speak, “mummy aur Rohan ko chod aaye airport?”

He glanced at her briefly, she couldn’t read the expression in his eyes, “of course. Unki subah ki flight thi.”

“Aur Ramdhari to uss din ki tarah apne rishtedaar se milne gaya hoga?”, she blurted.

“Haan”, he affirmed, then turned to look at her, “tumhe pata tha uss din?”, he asked surprised.

She realized what she had said, “n…nai, uss din nai pata tha”, she accepted stuttering.

He didn’t say anything, so she started chattering about her story. She didn’t know why she couldn’t keep quiet.

In no time, it seemed to her, they reached home. He descended and opened the door for her, as she stepped out, his hand went to the small of her back. The customary gesture she had gotten used to. Yet today it seemed she was hypersensitive. She jerked at his touch, but she was so busy in calming her nervous heartbeats that she missed his scowl. Every second seemed to stretch, and she tried to convince herself that she was ready, that she could do it, that she didn’t want to scoot and hide somewhere. Once inside he asked her to sit and sauntered into the kitchen.

He grabbed a glass of water and drank trying to cool himself. She was nervous. He could feel anxiety rolling off in waves from her. The constant chattering, the jerk on his touch, everything indicated that even though she had said she was sure, she was scared. It was normal. Not that he discussed things like this with anyone, but he didn’t think there would be any other couple who had planned to meet like this, to share their first kiss. He chuckled nervously. Who was he kidding? He was ready to grab her, but even he was jittery. It’s not like he had been on a kissing spree all these years, it was the first time for him too, unless he counted his encounters with the damn pillow. But that pillow was a sorry replacement for Naina. He took a deep breath. Yes, he was shaky. But he needed to calm down and lead the way here.

She was sitting on the sofa, looking at the furniture catalogues scattered on the table. He got some water for her and sat down beside her, keeping some distance. “Main soch raha tha ke upar ke extra room ko office me convert kar dete hai”, he said as she accepted the glass of water, “hum dono ko zarurat padegi. To pehle uske liye furnitures dekhle?”

She nodded, slightly confused because she had expected him to kiss her immediately, while at the same time grateful for some more time. Slowly, his easy talking and her genuine interest in choosing furniture for their home helped her relax. They selected new desk for that room, a new cupboard, couple of chairs and a solid wooden low table. They also decided to shift the wooden sofa from his room to the new office room. Her excitement was reflected on her face as they selected a new wardrobe, with Sameer saying that it was too big to be of any use, and Naina arguing that they indeed needed that much space. They laughed and joked while selecting some other pieces that they had decided to replace. Finally, they came to the most important selection, a new bed, Sameer was waiting for this.

He watched her skim through the catalogue pages, her eyes moving over several pictures of bed, she was muttering something, he didn’t pay much attention to the words, his entire focus on her face. Her long hair was secured in a loose ponytail, he wanted to open it, pull out the rubber band, but he couldn’t, not yet.

“Yeh achcha hai”, she slid the catalogue towards him, pointing to a picture at the top.

Sameer looked down at the book, it was a redwood double size bed.

“Uh uh…Nai chalega”, he said shortly.

She looked confused, “Kyun?”

“First, yeh redwood hai, naram lakdee, bilkul bhi mazboot nai hoga. Second, size bahot chota hai”, Sameer explained.

She frowned, reading the dimensions, he looked at her face, shifting slightly closer. She was so engrossed that she didn’t notice. Turning over a couple of pages, she pointed to another bed, “Yeh kaisa hai?”

She looked up, as Sameer bent his head to look at the picture. Was he a little closer? Did he move?

“Nai, yeh wala bhi nai”, he stated avoiding her eyes.

She pulled herself back from her thoughts and started looking through the book again. He picked up another catalogue, scanning through it. He shifted, as if trying to lean back in the sofa, and his leg touched her. He was sitting exactly next to her, his leg pressed against hers. A shiver ran down her spine, she looked at him, eyes narrowed. But he had lifted up the book and she couldn’t see his face. She was sure now that he was up to something again. He was avoiding her eyes again, and that was a clear indication for her. She thought of moving away a little, but then determinedly stayed put. “Sameer yeh wala dekho”, she said finding one larger than the previous two.

He straightened, keeping his own book down, “Nai Naina, yeh wala bhi chota hai”, he said impatiently.

Naina raised her eyes skyward, “yeh 60″ x 80″ hai… Tumhe aur kitni jagah chahiye sone ke liye?”, she said irritated.

“Mujhe nai… hume”, Sameer said patiently, “yaad hai na… hamara ghar, hamara room aur hamara bed”, he added gazing in her eyes.

She stood up vexed, “sab yaad hai… isiliye to puch rahi hun ke aisa kya karna hai bed pe ke itni jagah chahiye?”, she asked still feeling irritated at all her selection being rejected.

That was it. Perfect time. Perfect question.

He grabbed her hand, pulled her towards him, leaning back at the same time so he rested against the side arm. The book fell from her hands as she toppled over on him, a surprised sound escaped from her mouth, and she clutched at his shoulders, he wrapped his arms around her.

“S…Sameer”, she whispered, looking at him, his eyes again had that same burning expression, “kya kar rahe ho?”

“Tumhare sawaal ka jawaab de raha hun. Bataun kyun chahiye hume bada bed?”, he asked softly, his hand reaching in her hair, pulling off the rubber band finally, her silky hair spilling over her shoulders, touching his face.

She didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything, just kept looking at him, strange sensations coursing through her body. This was stronger, much more potent than what she had felt when they had hugged.

He kept one arm around her, and with his other hand he pushed back the locks of hair, tucking them behind her ear, “sweetheart, jab tum yahan aaogi na tab mujhe bed pe zyada jagah bhi chahiye… aur bed strong bhi hona chahiye”, he whispered rubbing her back.

He wanted to kiss her, badly. But he convinced or rather forced himself to wait. More than any intimate advances, or advantage of opportunity, he wanted Naina to be comfortable, feel secure with him. She trusted him implicitly, but physical intimacy required a different kind of trust. She had to learn to trust him with her body just like she trusted him with her heart. She had started to think and talk about intimacy, but she was still skittish. He didn’t want to move fast and spoil it for her. He wanted her with him, every step of the way. Having her so close to him, he could see the striations in her eyes, smell the sweet scent of her skin, feel every inch of her soft body pressed to his own, it was frustrating for him. The dreams and fantasies were bad enough, leaving him in a state, but this was reality, he knew it would take a lot of time to get over this. But still he controlled himself, held her in his arms, lying still beneath her, because she was more important to him than any of his physical need.

Naina didn’t know what was happening to her. She was lost from the time he had pulled her on top of him. He was close, so close to her, so warm, his body so hard. Every cell in her body tingled with new sensations, she felt dizzy, a strange heat beginning to warm her insides. Oddly enough, she was coherent to know the difference between the warmth of his arms, and the warmth inside her. The one within her body was troubling her more, and she squirmed trying to get rid of it. However, as her body rubbed against his, she only managed to increase it further. There was a smell, heady enough to assail her senses, and with wonder she realized it was him. How she hadn’t noticed this smell before? She couldn’t help but draw a deep breath, her fingers tightening on his shoulders, her eyes unfocused, a tide of sensations swelling inside her. Her head felt too heavy, and as if by its own will it dropped on his chest, her body relaxed as she lay limply over him.

He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the closeness, knowing that she had finally relaxed enough for him to make his next move. He stroked her back, her hair, then closed one big hand around her nape, applying gentle pressure, “Naina”, he whispered.

She obeyed the sound and the hand, lifting her head to look at him, her breathing fast. His chest rose and fell with each deep heavy breath, his eyes focused on her lips in a look of feral concentration, he lifted his head slowly closing the gap between them. Just when an inch of a gap remained, she suddenly pulled back, slid off him, and ran upstairs. He lay there for a minute, not sure what happened, then jerked upright as he heard a door slam. Dammit. What happened? He had thought she was okay. Did he misinterpret? Was she still nervous? Oh God. What if he had scared her? He stood up, thinking he needed to talk to her. Cursing himself, even though he couldn’t understand where he had gone wrong, he climbed up the stairs. He had fearfully expected the door to their room to be locked, but thankfully it wasn’t, and he opened it to find her sitting on the wooden sofa facing the balcony. He walked over to her slowly and sat down, this time keeping a little more distance, he didn’t look at her face, afraid that he would see her scared expression, and he didn’t have the courage to see that he was the reason for it.

“Naina, I am…”, he began only to trail off as she inched closer to him, touching his hand.

He looked up now, with a hopeful expression, and exhaled loudly on seeing her smile. She lifted his hand and slid beneath it, wrapping his arm around her, surprising him, “main chahti thi ke first time yahan ho, hamare room me.”

Every thought, every doubt evaporated from his brain as he understood that he need not wait one minute more, he turned towards her, tugged her closer, and leaned down brushing his lips against hers, once, twice, repeatedly. He pulled back for a moment, looking at her face, wanting to ensure she was okay, she was with him, she was enjoying. Her eyes were closed, her lips curved in a tiny smile, and she was breathing fast – yes, that all the confirmation he needed. He pulled her even tighter against him, his mouth lightly touched her, lifted, settled again. He turned his head slightly to adjust the pressure, and somehow the motion parted her own lips, so that they yielded to the molding of his.

His taste was warm and pleasant and… male. The scent of him enveloped her, and she shivered in response. His mouth was still on hers, moving gently. She felt the tip of his tongue touch and tease, she felt enticed, and his taste was filling her senses. Warm pleasure shuddered up from her depths; with a little whimper she opened her mouth and slowly he took her.

The carnality of it was staggering and so was her response to it. She heard herself whimper again, responding in kind to his teasing tongue, a groan rumbled from him, and then somehow, she was pressed hard against him, her head tilted up and back to give him deeper access, an access he took with a hard male dominance that stunned her. She felt weak and hot, and her body tightened with an ache that contact with his hard chest both soothed and intensified. Coils of pleasure tightened deep inside her, and she was clinging to him like a lifeline.

Slowly he lifted his mouth, and it was all he could force himself to do, unwilling to break the contact. He gave in to the temptation to take several more quick kisses from the soft, innocent mouth that had so quickly warmed to awareness. He leaned, touching his forehead to hers, his breathing ragged, “kaafi achcha sawaal pucha tumne”, he panted.

She inhaled harder, then chuckled lightly, “mere paas aur sawaal hai”, she half opened her eyes to look at him.

His lips curved, wet and swollen, “roz puchna”, he breathed then unable to resist, captured her mouth again in an endless bliss.