Always and Forever Part – 24: Incomprehensible Pleasure

It was a normal morning. Naina Agarwal woke up at her usual time of 5:59am, one minute before her alarm was set to go off. A few tinkling sounds told her that as usual Chachiji was already up and about.  Yawning she rolled off the bed, wrapping the knitted blue shawl around her she stepped out onto the balcony. She knew Chachiji would have hot water ready for her bath within ten minutes.

She liked starting her mornings with a view of the sky, listen to the twittering of the birds, and breathe in the sweet clean fresh air. Then she would take a nice, relaxing bath, often humming old songs to herself. While dressing up, she usually planned her day, and then started to help Chachiji for preparing breakfast and tiffin for Chachaji and Preeti. Leaning against the parapet she wondered, how her mornings would be after her marriage.

She recalled the feeling of waking up in Sameer’s arms, her whole body encased in his arms. It was funny, she had never slept like that. Preeti would hug her sometimes at night, but usually after sometime she would start feeling uncomfortable with the weight, and then she would push her away. But when she had slept with Sameer, she had slept so deeply, never once feeling uneasy even though he had draped not just his hands but also his leg on her. She had been held captive, yet there wasn’t any captivity more secure than that.

Her whole schedule would change. That was for sure. Sameer would demand time and attention. She had seen how light his sleep was. He would wake up as soon as she moved. So… would he accompany her to the balcony? Or would he ask her to stay in bed and talk to him? Or… maybe… he would want to make love like some of the heroes in the romance novels. He stomach clenched just at the thought, and the images of her and Sameer standing at the balcony of their room, shifted and altered to them in their bedroom, still lounging in the bed.

She started to feel warm, even with the cold morning air swirling around her. What would she be wearing? The nighties Chachiji had bought? Or… nothing? And Sameer… what would he wear to bed? In their school and college trips he had usually wore night suits, but she didn’t know if he wore them now too. Somehow she couldn’t imagine him anymore in those blue or yellow pyjamas he used to wear. That was the boy she had known. But now… he was so much more elemental and so definitely male, that she didn’t think he would wear a set of blue pyjamas to bed. So what else could he wear? Jeans? No. That would be so uncomfortable. Then what? Tracks? Or… he didn’t wear anything?

He heart lurched inside her ribcage, and she placed a shaky hand over it, as if trying to contain it from bursting through her skin. The changes in her own self astonished her. It was hard to believe that barely a month ago she hadn’t even kissed Sameer, and now… She again wondered how had he controlled himself all these years, especially in college, when they used to be in such close proximity every day. Not just then, even now he controlled himself all the time, making sure that he didn’t overstep his boundaries before their wedding.

She came inside and checked the time, already eager to go and meet Sameer. Last night she and Preeti had talked until late, discussing about the almost unannounced visit by Sameer’s family. Preeti was ecstatic about Taiji’s condition, be it her half-broken dinner set, or the way her eyes had bulged on each announcement from Vishakha. For a moment, Naina had felt sympathetic, “par Preeti, unka adha set tut gaya. Soch who baki ka adha kabhi istemaal nahi kar payenge.” Preeti had rubbed her hands in glee, “wahi to unki saza aur hamari maza hai. Bas ek kami reh gai… kaash jijaji ne toda hota.” For another minute Naina had thought about the matter, and then she had laughed, “lekin unke ladle Parlay babu ke haath se tutne pe unko aur zyada dukh hua hoga.” After that Naina had been convinced that Taiji deserved every bit of it for insulting her and Sameer’s relationship. She had also asked Preeti if she was going to confess her love to Rohan this time, and Preeti had blushed saying she will think about it.

She stepped out to the kitchen, and found Chachiji busy in preparing tea for herself and hot lemon water for her. “Jai Siya Ram Chachiji”, Naina hugged her from behind, “Good Morning.”

Bela raised a hand back to cup her cheek, “Good Morning beta. Yeh le paani pee le. Aur fir naha lena. Aaj toh damadji ke ghar jayegi na.”

Naina took the glass of lemon water, “Chachiji… Sameer ne aapko kitni baar kaha hai ke unko sirf naam se bulaiye, damadji nahi.”

Bela smiled, “haan woh toh hai. Par kabhi kabhi nikal jaata hai muh se. Achcha sunn, shaam ko shaadi ka joda pasand karenge, toh teri kya pasand hai? Konse rang ka chahiye?”

Naina was perplexed. She hadn’t given a thought to this thing yet, simply because she hadn’t even thought she had a choice. In Pooja didi’s wedding everything had come from her in-laws and they hadn’t asked for Pooja didi’s opinion or her family’s wish. She took a careful sip of the hot water, “ummm… sach kahu toh socha nahi. Darasal pata nahi tha ke mujhse pucha jayega.”

Bela filtered her tea in a small white cup, “haan, maine bhi nahi socha. Ladke wale kabhi aisa puchte nahi hai. Lekin jaise tera Sameer alag hai waise hi uske gharwale bhi alag hai. Vishakhaji ne kal jis tarah se kaha ke teri soch aur raay bhi unke liye utna hi maaine rakhti hai jitni ke Sameer ki, main toh bahot khush ho gai.” She set the flame to low, so that the water doesn’t boil over, “chal aaja thodi der bethte hai aaj.”

It was on rare occasions that she and Chachiji would sit and talk in morning. It would only happen when they both were feeling too lazy or when there was something important to discuss. Bela took a sip of her tea, “hmmm… yeh naya wala chai masala achcha hai. Bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye, main toh bhabhiji ki elaichi wali chai pee peeke thak gai thi. Ab se toh yahi masala daala karungi, ho sakta hai bhabhiji yahan chai peena band karde.”

Naina chuckled, “woh to hone se raha. Yeh wali chai bhi pee hi lengi woh, aakhir unhe khud jo nahi banana padega.”

Bela was surprised. In all these years, Naina had never criticized Taiji directly like this. A comment here or there in joke, or with Preeti was all she had heard. It made her think to a day before, “Naina… tujhe uss din bahot dukh hua tha na bhabhiji ki baato se? Mujhe maaf karde beta, main unko rok nahi paai.”

Naina smiled, and placed her hand over Bela’s, “nahi chachiji. Aapko maafi maangneki zarurat nahi hai. Main jaanti hun ke dukh aapko bhi hua, lekin parivaar ke daayro me bandhke aap kuch bol nahi paati. Taiji badi hai, uss lihaaz se main unki izzat karti hun, lekin uss din… mujhe khud ke liye nahi par Sameer ke liye zyada bura laga. Itne saalo se main apne baare me bahot kuch sunti aai hun, aur sab kuch bhula diya. Lekin uss din Sameer ke baare me jo bola unhone, aur hamare rishte ke baare me woh main kabhi bhul nahi sakti.”

Bela nodded, “Sameer ko saari baat pata hai? Aur Vishakha ji ko?”

“Haan, Sameer ko maine sab kuch bata diya uss din ka. Usse pehle kabhi kuch nahi bataya, lekin unhone kuch kuch baato pe gaur kiya tha Pooja didi ki shaadi ke waqt”, Naina affirmed, “lekin mummy ko maine kuch nahi bataya. Aur mujhe yakeen hai Sameer ne bhi nahi bataya hoga.  Woh iss ghar ko apna maante hai, iss parivaar ki baate uss parivaar me nahi karenge. Aur agar kuch bola hota toh mujhe zarur batate.”

Bela smiled at the complete faith Naina had on Sameer. It also reassured her. No matter how bad she felt, she wouldn’t want her family matters to be a topic of dinner table discussion at some other family. Suddenly she had a brainwave, “aree… tu aaj Sameer se kyun nahi puchti ke uski kya pasand hai shaadi ke jode ko leke?”

Naina instantly thought back to how he had grabbed and kissed her yesterday, and blushed, “umm… woh toh shayad laal hi bolenge.”

Bela laughed, “kisi din teri aur Sameer ki puri kahaani sunni padegi mujhe. Badi ichcha hai jaanne ki. Lekin tum dono saath me honge tab sunungi.”

They talked for some more time, and then Naina went to take a bath. She found a purple salwar-kameez with multicolored embroidery on the border. Taking some time to dress up she carefully applied kajal and styled her hair in half pin-up, half-loose style. She tilted her head to check, and smiled wide because she knew Sameer would itch to pull her hair free. Slipping on oxidized jhumkas and bangles, she lathered a layer of shiny pink gloss. Before stepping out of the room, she paused for a second and then quickly stuffed the gloss in her purse.

Preeti dressed up in a yellow and green salwar-kameez, eager to meet Rohan, but just as she stepped she finished her breakfast the phone rang. It was from her parlour. She made a sad face, “yaar… gadbad ho gai. Mrs. Mehta ko aaj kisi function me jaana hai aur woh mere alawa kisi aur se hair-style nahi karvati. Jaana hi padega ab toh.”

Naina understood her sadness, “iska matlab tu ab nahi aayegi?”

“Nahi nahi”, Preeti immediately assured, “aaungi na. bas thodi der ho jayegi. Tu chali jaa main uske baad aa jaungi.”

“Thike”, Naina grinned, and then whispered, “jaldi aana… warna Rohan khud aa jayega tujhe lene.”

Preeti blushed, “ched mat. Tu jaa mere jijaji ko sambhal.” Both the sisters laughed, and then Preeti left for her parlour.

Naina waited until Chachaji also left, and then she fidgeted as she knew Taiji would soon stomp in. Last evening had been quite traumatic for her, and Naina knew that if given a chance she would again taunt her. So she decided something and turned to Bela, “Chachiji, main thoda jaldi jaau? Woh Preeti bhi saath nahi hai, aur Chachaji chale gaye… mera matlab Taiji…”

Bela immediately understood, “haan. Tu jaa, lekin sambhalke. Aur Preeti bhi aa jaaye toh ek baar phone kardena mujhe.”

“Ji”, Naina nodded, and then quickly left.

On the other hand at Maheshwari residence, Sameer closed a file on which he had been working since early morning, and checked the time. It was still almost two hours for Naina to come. He sighed, thinking he should have worked some more. He went to his desk and pulled out a journal, opening to a page where he had written about his surprise plan for Naina. Everything had been finally arranged, he would start after his family left. But the last bit of the plan was slightly difficult to achieve, he just hoped that Chachaji and Chachiji would give their permission. He replaced the journal and shut the drawer, and his eyes fell on the green kurti still lying on the chair. He frowned, then remembered how his mother had found it last evening, maybe in their haste to go to Agarwal house she had forgotten to keep it back. He picked it up and carefully folded it, opening the cupboard he kept it inside. He would have to make some space in this wardrobe too, at least enough to keep all the things they would buy for Naina. His hand touched a black polythene, and he pulled it out wondering what had he kept here. His hand trembled as he saw the content.

Shit! The purple nightie.

He should have remembered it. Images of their recent meetings flashed in front of his eyes. The faith with which Naina handed over her body to him, the abandon with which she enjoyed whatever happened between them, always took his breath away. It did the same now. The sounds that had erupted from her in the shower cabinet were still fresh in his mind. Even in his wildest dreams he hadn’t imagined going to this extent with her before their wedding. He had thought it would take him a long… much longer time to make her understand and accept these changes. But she had taken to it like fish to water, and now he felt like a fish out of water with all her flirting and sensual comebacks. God. She was so responsive. It seemed as if his slightest touch affected her. And he so enjoyed seeing the effect he could have on her.

His breath fast, he put the nightie back in the cupboard, but it didn’t make the images in-front of his eyes disappear. He had this particular fantasy of making love to her up against the wall when she was wearing this nightie. It might take a lot of time for her to be comfortable doing that, or even being ready to wear this type of night dress to bed. Or… maybe not. Given her recent comfort, and the way she had assured him last time that he could voice out anything he thought of, that made him think that she might be ready earlier than he could anticipate. Hadn’t he thought that she would be against his bathroom fantasy? But, she had not even thought it to be weird; instead she had led him inside the cabinet herself not letting him back out even when he had tried to.

He paced the room, trying to calm himself. Suddenly his mother called out to him, “Sameer.” He turned, trying to act normal, “haan mummy.”

Vishakha rummaged in her purse checking something, “beta, meri woh saheli hai na Sheetal, main zara usse milke aati hun, thoda kaam hai. Naina aur Preeti ko aane me waqt hai, tab tak main wapas aajungi. Deepika ko saath le jaa rahi hun, aur Rohan bhi aa raha hai. Keh raha tha ke usko wahan pe ek dukaan se kuch kharidna hai. Aur Ramdhari ko maine bazaar bheja hai.”

Sameer immediately felt relieved. He would be alone, so he could work out, and that could calm him down, “thike. Aap log jaake aaiye.” He watched his family leave, waving them off with a tight-lipped smile, and then quickly changed into his exercise tracks.

Naina descended from the auto in-front of the big white bungalow, and hurried up the drive, not even noticing the missing car. Her only focus was on seeing the happiness on Sameer’s face when he would see her come in early. She reached the big wooden front door, and lifted her hand to ring the bell, but stopped mid-way. Smiling to herself she reached in her purse and pulled out the bunch of keys that Sameer had given her when she had come here for the first time after their Roka. She took a minute to look around and for the first time felt a wave of possessiveness sweep over her. This was her home, the place where she would be coming in some more time, in a life which would not only give her a loving and caring life partner like Sameer, but also an extremely affectionate family. It all felt like a dream to her.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside in the spacious foyer, breathing in the fragrance of lemon floor cleaner mixed with the subtle scents of fresh flowers. Her bangles clinked as she skimmed her fingers along the wall and followed the narrow corridor which opened into the huge living room.  She looked at the old sofa set, the coffee table and knew they all would soon change, will be replaced with the new sets she and Sameer had chosen. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she registered that there wasn’t anyone at home. There were no sounds from kitchen, Deepika didn’t jump at her, and Rohan didn’t call out to her. Where was everyone? Was Sameer home? She climbed up the familiar steps swiftly, opened the door to their room, and froze in that exact position.

Sameer was… boxing… wow! The black boxing bag swung dizzyingly fast, and the noisy thuds gave her a very good idea of the power behind his punches. Her eyes shifted from the moving boxing bag to… a shirtless Sameer. Double wow! All these years she knew the he had continued boxing, it had even served as a means to vent out his frustration and relieve stress. In fact, once in the college sports room she had been treated to the view of Sameer throwing punches at the bag when he had been frustrated because of a meeting. However, at that moment all her focus had been on soothing Sameer and not on how he looked while boxing. But today… she searched his face for a moment. Even though his face was set in a hard expression, his lips pressed in a thin line, she knew that he was not tensed or stressed. But he was occupied in some thoughts; else there was no way he wouldn’t have known that she had arrived. That day in college too he had immediately known when she had stepped inside, and had asked her to just let him be for ten minutes. But today, he was so occupied that he didn’t realize she was here. This gave her time to see him properly.

Time stretched like elastic and each second expanded, causing the swift blurry movements to slow down and suddenly she could focus on specifics. Her belly fluttered when she saw the way the muscles in his arms and shoulders bunched and eased with each punch. His broad chest surged as breath bellowed from his lungs, and she could swear that she was able to see the tiny droplets of sweat clinging to his chest hair. The contracting abdominal muscles made her recall how they contracted in the same manner when she touched him. If she had felt possessiveness on seeing the white bungalow, now she felt an even stronger wave of it hit her on seeing the half-naked man in front of her, the man who was soon going to be… ummm… check that… who was her husband. Beads of sweat trickled down his temple, to his slightly stubbled jawline, and then down the strong column of his throat. His hair was slick with sweat, the longer locks falling on his forehead.

He was hers.

“Mine”, was all she could think of. She let the door close without any sound, and moved forward her eyes focused on him. When she reached within touching distance, she lifted her hand and let her fingers trace the muscles along his side. Sameer jerked, and turned towards her quickly catching the swinging boxing bag in the same motion so that it didn’t hit them.

“Naina tum!”, he exclaimed, panting for breath. He rotated his shoulders; the pull in his muscles made him realize that he had extended his normally allocated time. Dammit. He had totally forgotten to keep a tab on time.

Suddenly he became aware that she was still touching him, still tracing his naked flesh. Ah God. It felt heavenly. He looked down at her, intending to tease, but with a thundering jolt registered that she was wearing purple. Erotic images that had just barely faded from his mind, popped up again, with double clarity than earlier, this time coupled with imaginative sound effects. Shit! He was in deep trouble, and the said trouble started to stir and harden making him curse under his breath.

He needed to stop her. Catching her wandering hand, he asked, “tum itni jaldi kaise aa gai? Preeti kahan hai?”

She didn’t reply, instead raised her other hand to touch him again. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to think. He realized that she was alone. Obviously if Preeti was here, she would have barged in right after her sister. But no hurricane invaded his room, so it meant his saali was not here. He took a moment to pity Rohan, but then Naina’s fingers brushed against his left nipple, and he let out an involuntary groan.

“Sameer…”, she whispered, her voice husky, and even to her own ears she sounded breathless.

He shivered, “Naina please. Tum thodi der bahar jao. Main aata hun.”

“Nahi”, she refused instantly, and flattened her palm on his belly, making his muscles contract.

He clenched his fists, trying to control, “thike… tum ruko yahan. Main bas aaya abhi. Gharwale aa jayenge.”

She leaned towards him, blowing on the patch of hair at his chest, raising goosebumps on his skin, and softly whispered, “kahan gaye hai?”

Her innocent yet bold action buzzed his brain, “huh? Woh… bahar gaye hai… tumko aane me waqt tha isiliye.”

She kept tracing the slightly throbbing muscles on his biceps, “iska matlab… hamare paas waqt hai.”

He couldn’t believe that she was saying that. Oh God. No. This won’t work. He would lose all control and this isn’t the right time. What if his mother and everyone else come in suddenly? But how could he ignore Naina like that? Especially when she is being so open and responsive. No, no. He would have to control if she doesn’t. He needed to clear his brain.

“Nahi”, he uttered, and tried to side-step her. Naina acted quickly, turning to block his way, and deftly locked the door. He froze in shock at her action, “Naina jaane do mujhe.”

She turned to look at him, “nahi.”

Astounded at her boldness, and feeling his control slip with each second he spent with her, he roughly grabbed her shoulders, “tumko samajh nahi aata kya? Dikhta nahi hai tum mera kya haal karti ho.”

She stilled under his hands, her brows furrowing at his dialogue. What did he mean? Why did he sound as if he was in some anguish? What had she done? He had asked if she couldn’t understand or couldn’t see, so she looked. Staring at his face in confusion, and moving her gaze down slowly past the expanse of his bare chest and belly, and landed just below his waist. Her eyes widened and lips parted in surprise when she saw exactly what he meant. The hard length of him stretched against the fabric of his tracks, and pulsed slightly even as she watched. Heat rushed through her, flooding her cheeks with color, and she bit her lip, a small sound escaping her throat. She recalled how he had felt against her when he was on top of her, and then just the other day in bathroom. She suddenly also recollected his practical demonstration of lovemaking, and felt the breath choking in her lungs. Oh God. Was he supposed to…

Before she could finish her thought, Sameer’s control snapped and he pulled her to him, capturing her lips in a heated kiss. Damn the time. Damn anyone who could come in. Taking one second to ensure that the door was indeed locked, he tightened his hold on her and pushed her against the wall on the side. She froze for the briefest second under his sudden assault, but as his tongue made its way into her mouth, she moaned and melted like butter against him. She could feel his warm breath on her skin, feel his hard body pressing into her, feel his hands roaming impatiently over her; and suddenly she too was extremely impatient. She whimpered into his mouth, nibbled at his lips earning a groan from him, and returned his kiss with equal fervor. Her fingers skimmed over his back, tracing the muscles that had so fascinated her. Her hips curled against him, wanting to feel him right where it would help the most.

“Purple kyun pehna?”, he asked hoarsely, even as his hands wandered beneath her kurti and closed over her breasts. She collapsed against the wall, gasping for breath, registering his strange question, yet unable to answer. She could only tremble and moan as he placed hot open mouthed kisses on her throat. His hands on her bra covered breasts aroused her, and still she felt the need for more. Why wasn’t he doing anything? And just then he flicked one taut bud with his thumb, and she jerked, clutching onto him, “Sameer…”

“shshh”, he kissed her, and whispered against her mouth, “thoda dhire. Koi aa gaya toh pata nahi chalega mujhe.”

What was he speaking? Why was he speaking? How could he even be in control enough to speak when she was losing all her senses? With the thought to kiss him again, she shifted, and his erection rubbed against her belly. Intrigued, she stayed where she was, trying to focus more on what she was feeling. Oblivious to her turmoil, Sameer continued to kiss on her neck and shoulders. He felt her hands trail on his back, to his waist and skimmed the waistband of his tracks. His heart thundered inside his ribcage, his mouth on her neck stilled as he waited. What was she going to do? Would she touch? No, she wouldn’t dare. Relieved he moved up to nuzzle her temple, and that is when he felt her hands skim over his bottom and slowly shifting to the front. Oh God. She was going to… Dammit… This woman. Why does she have to do everything unexpected all the time?

He quickly grabbed her hand and pinned it to the wall near her head. She made a frustrated sound as she looked up at him, and he narrowed his eyes. He knew this expression very well. It was of curiosity and quest to learn more. He had seen it so many times on her face that he could recognize it in one second. He couldn’t have been happier than letting her have her way with him, but right now his control was stretched thin, and he didn’t think he could take that risk… but given she was being so inquisitive, he could turn the tables and return the favor for sure.

He leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers, “aaj nahi… aaj meri baari.”

“Matlab?”, she enquired.

He brushed his lips over her cheek, her nose, and then nipped at her lush inviting mouth, teasing her with brief touches. She tried to deepen the kiss but he pulled back each time leaving her on the edge. Her hands fisted is his hair as she tried to hold him close, but he used his strength to control himself and  her too. She made a disgruntled sound, but froze in his arms the next moment when she felt his hand on her thigh. He trailed up the length of her inner thigh, right to the apex and down again, watching her face intently for any kind of reaction. He didn’t want to do anything until she was comfortable, and totally in sync with him.

Her eyes widened slightly in shock, but when his fingers brushed near her slightly she shivered, and met his gaze. He watched fascinated as the shock and surprise, turned into desire, and in just a moment she was all soft and pliable to his touch. He reached for her at the same time as she tugged his head down, and their lips met in frenzied passion. It only took a heartbeat for the kiss to turn rough, teeth nipping, and tongues plundering. He slid his palm up her thigh and for the first time touched her lightly.

She gasped, her hips giving an involuntary jerk, her thighs instinctively doing the virgin clutch. He nipped down the satiny flesh of her throat, wanting to take her to the point where arousal overtook hesitation. Needing more of her, he positioned one leg between hers, and shifted her legs apart.  He slid his hand between her thighs fully and cupped her, pressing the heel of his palm against her in slow deep circles.

Naina was lost. She was lost in his scent, in the hard feel of him, the heat of his lips on her skin. She felt the pressure of his hand against her, and her knees went weak. Rather than feeling shy or afraid, she found herself pushing against the pressure, parting her legs for him. The feel of his hand against her was too arousing, too pleasurable to be true.

“Ohh”, she sighed. Heat spread in a liquid rush through her belly. When his other hand shifted behind her back trying to open the zip of her dress, she moaned in approval, the sound reverberating through the room.

A ring and thud sounded.

Sameer removed his hand from her legs, cupped her face and kissed her thoroughly. Then he simply picked her up and carried her to the bathroom much to her confusion.

“Sameer… kya…”, she began only to be silenced by his lips.

He quickly pulled back from the kiss, “shsh… niche koi aa gaya. Tum yahin ruko aur dress thik karlo. Main bahar jaake room ka door kholta hun.”

She shivered, as he went outside. Oh God. Still feeling shaky she perched on the edge of the bathtub. Had he really touched her? Yes. The dull throb between her legs was answer enough for her. What was happening to her? How could she? She had literally invited or rather compelled him to lose his control. He had tried to refrain, but she had pushed him until he didn’t have an option. What if someone had come upstairs? Hazily she remembered Sameer asking her to not make more sound. He was right, even if someone would have been unable to enter the room, they would have been able to hear her. She should have been more careful.

But seeing Sameer like that, feeling the possessiveness, she just had been unable to stay away. And then… when she had seen his aroused state… Blushing to the roots of her hair, she refrained from even thinking about it as of now. Instead, she quickly adjusted her dress, washed her face, and checked for any marks that he might have left on her. But there was none. He was so careful always. The marks on her body were at places that were only privy to her and him. He never left any marks on her neck or shoulders where people could easily see. She wondered if that would change after their marriage.

After brushing her hair properly, she stepped out to see who had intruded in their private moment, and found Sameer putting on a shirt. He had also put on his boxers beneath the tracks, but Naina controlled her eyes from wandering down his waist. Turning his head, he smiled at her, “Preeti aa gai hai niche.”

She frowned, “aur tum aise gaye the niche? Bina shirt ke?”

His lips curved in a lopsided smirk as he registered her possessive tone, “nahi madam… t-shirt pehenke gaya tha. Toh ab shirt pehen raha hun.”

Her expression turned to one of confusion, “t-shirt pehni thi toh ab shirt kyun pehen rahe ho?”

He shook his head, and explained in the tone of explaining to a kid, “woh isiliye kyunki tumne hi mujhse kaha tha ke main shirt me zyada… umm… matlab tumko shirts zyada pasand hai, t-shirts nahi.”

A surprised laughter spurted from her, “Sameer… maine kaha tha ke shirt me tum zyada achche lagte ho. Iska matlab yeh nahin ke t-shirts me bilkul achche nahi lagte ya woh kabhi pehno hi nahi.” She came closer to him, “sach kahu toh college me jab tum blue t-shirt aur white jacket me bike pe aate the na… tab college ki har ek ladki tumko hi dekhti thi. Aur main sochti rehti thi ke kaise sabki nazre tumpe se hatau.”

He grinned, “toh fir kuch raasta mila?”

She chuckled, “zarurat nahi padi. Kyunki tumko chahe jo bhi dekhe, tumhari nazre hamesha mujhe hi dhundti thi. Aur itna mere liye kaafi tha.”

He smiled, then frowned, “iska matlab main t-shirt pehen sakta hun? Tumko chalega?”

She lifted her hands to close the remaining buttons of his shirt, “haan. Tum t-shirt me handsome dikhte ho, shirts me usse thoda zyada handsome… lekin…”, she closed the last button at his collar and stood on tiptoe, brushing her lips on his chin, “bina shirt ke sabse zyada sexy.”

Sameer stood stunned while she dropped a quick kiss on his lips and escaped from the room. Oh wow. Now he needed to find more ways to be shirtless in-front of her. Chuckling at his own thoughts, he went outside to join her and Preeti in the wait for his family.

Vishakha came in after around fifteen minutes, an old man and a young woman trailing after her. Rohan and Deepika followed with a few bags of snacks in their hands. Deepika clutched on to Naina as soon as she saw her, making Sameer frown. After exchanging pleasantries, Vishakha asked the tailor to take measurements for the lehenga. Sameer was talking with Rohan about something, but narrowed his eyes as soon as he saw the man pull out a measurement tape.

The tailor had just started to measure Naina’s hand when Sameer interrupted, “aap maap loge chacha?”

The old man squinted up at Sameer through his thick spectacles, “haan beta.”

“Yeh kyun nahi le sakte?”, Sameer enquired gesturing to the female who had accompanied the tailor.

“Ruksana ko maap lena nahi aata, woh toh bas hamari madad karne aati hai”, the tailor supplied.

Rohan sauntered over and innocently inquired, “kya problem hai bhai?”

Sameer eyed Naina from top to bottom, then his gaze shifted to the tailor and then his mother, finally resting on Rohan. He gritted his teeth, “kuch problem nahi hai.”

The tailor started to take the measurements and scribbling them down on a notepad that was diligently forwarded to him by Ruksana as soon as he finished taking one measurement. Sameer pressed his lips together, his fist clenching slightly, as he watched the elderly tailor take his Naina’s measurement. If it had been possible then he would have taken up the task himself. But he didn’t know how to put forth what he was feeling in-front of his mother. It irked him that his whole family was standing audience to an unknown God-knows-who tailor measure his wife’s waist and assorted body parts. Naina was slightly confused but kept staring at Sameer trying to calm him down, not knowing that he could only calm down when the process ended.

Finally after what it seemed like ages to Sameer, but was only fifteen minutes, all the measurements were taken, and Naina stepped back. He breathed a sigh of relief. In the next minute the same bomb of jealousy dropped on Rohan, when Vishakha announced, “chacha, aap Preeti ka bhi maap le lo. Agar saare designs me se usko bhi kuch pasand aaya to shayad shaadi ke liye banva le.”

Rohan stilled, his eyes narrowing, as Preeti stood up happily to give her measurements. Sameer leaned towards his brother and whispered, “ab samajh aaya ke kya baat thi?”

After another painful fifteen minutes, the tailor handed over few books to Vishakha, saying that all the designs were given in them, and they could select any and let him know.

As soon as the tailor left, Rohan chirped, “chalo aaj lunch me pizza khane chalte hai. Maine toh Ramdhari ko mana kar diya kuch banana se.”

“Yes”, Deepika jumped up from the sofa.

Vishakha also agreed, “haan thike. Chalte hai. Naina, Preeti tum log bhi chalo. Fir hum log wahin se tumhare ghar chal challenge.”

“Mera nahana baki hai”, Sameer announced.

“Toh hum wait kar lete hai”, Vishakha replied calmly.

Sameer’s mind worked at laser fast speed, “aah nahi. Pizza banne me waqt lagta hai. Aur hum logo ko kaafi der ho gai hai. Aap log aage niklo Preeti ko leke, aur order kar lo. Naina aur main aate hai.”

Deepika held on to Naina, “main bhi Bhabhi ke saath aaungi.”

Sameer was on the verge of exploding, but Rohan understood his bhai better after watching Preeti’s measurements being taken, so he interrupted, “Deepika, agar tum yahan ruk gai toh udhar tumhara cheese pizza nahi banega. Mummy aur main toh vegetable wala order karenge.”

The lure of cheese pizza was enough for Deepika to abandon her Bhabhi, much to her elder brother’s relief. A silent nod of thanks passed on between brothers. When his family left, Sameer shut and locked the front door, and then turned to Naina, “upar chal rahi ho?”

An electric tingle ran down her spine, as she recalled their earlier happenings in their room. She nodded and turned towards the stairs, with Sameer right behind her. There was no one in the whole house, but still he shut the bedroom door, and only then did he pull her in his arms. She moaned when his lips closed over hers, kissing her deep and hard, his hands like bands of steel around her waist.

After a few moments, she wrenched her mouth away from him, “kya hua?”

He turned and caged her against the wall, pressing into her, “mujhe nahi achcha laga ke woh anjaan tailor tumhara maap le raha tha.”

Sinking her fingers in his hair, she pulled him down, and whispered, “toh tum madad kar dete unki. Waise blouse ke liye bhi tailor ne maap liya tha mera.” She bit down on his earlobe and he made a sound that sounded very close to a growl.

Waves of possessiveness reared inside him as he thought of some other man being so close to her. She was his… only his. He would make sure to be with her whenever she went to a tailor from now onwards. But for now… He captured her mouth, grazing his teeth on her lower lip, trying to calm the torrent rising within his body. She responded with equal fervor, her hands busy in unbuttoning his shirt. The need to touch skin was too much for her to ignore, and it seemed it was the same with Sameer because he was also busy in unzipping her dress and pulling it down. When his hungry mouth closed over her nipple, she fisted her hands in his hair, not to pull him away but to hold him there. His hand wandered over her thighs again, and this time pressed against her without any hesitation. Fabric shifted over skin, and his long fingers rubbed against her, and she whimpered aloud.

“Sameer mujhe…”, she left the whispered sentence incomplete, unsure what to say or how to say.

He made a sound, trailing his mouth up to her throat and shoulders, and lifted her up the wall. Startled she opened her eyes, “ohh.”

But he was too far gone to register her surprise. He lifted one of her leg and wrapped it around his waist. His tongue thrust into her mouth at the same time as his hips thrust against her. And she closed her eyes, shivering, heat rushing through her belly, a sensation so strong that she felt consumed by it. She clutched onto his shoulders and held on, every cell in her body surrendering before his possessive claiming of her.

Her body started trembling uncontrollably, her feverish brain registering his hard length rubbing against her, and she realized that this was much beyond what she had experienced before. His urgency and her own body’s response stunned her, scared her slightly. She wanted to ask, to clarify what she was feeling, but her brain seemed incapable of producing any coherent words that she could speak.

When his mouth left hers, his lips tracing her cheek, she managed to stutter, “Sa…sameer… mujhe samajh n…nahi aa raha.”

This time her voice broke through the haze of sexual need, and he immediately stopped rubbing against her. Holding her tight, he nuzzled her temple, breathing in deep. Something roared in his ears as blood rushed through his veins, and he was unable to stop the gentle roll of his hips. She panted, burying her face on his bare shoulders, her eyes squeezed shut.

He unwrapped her leg from around him, and gently lowered her to the floor, then cupped her face, “main zara zyada… umm… tum thik toh ho na?”

She turned her head to kiss his palm, “haan. Main thik hun… bas thoda… mera matlab pehle kabhi aisa mehsoos nahi kiya.”

He nodded, and helped her adjust her dress. One question bothered her, and she couldn’t refrain from asking, “Sameer… hamesha aisa lagta hai?”

He touched his forehead with hers, a gesture that now came too easily to them, “haan… aur… main koshish karunga ke isse bhi zyada achcha lage tumhe.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, the idea of any more pleasure completely incomprehensible for her, “ohhh… isse achcha bhi hota hai?”

His lips curved is a small smile, and he felt a surge of male pride at the thought that he was the only one who had given her this pleasure, and only he could make it further better for her. “Woh toh tumko shaadi ke baad hi pata chalega ab”, he chuckled and kissed her forehead.

Disentangling himself, he pulled back from her, “main nahake aata hun, warna aaj hum log pizza khane nahi pahonchenge.” She nodded. Before stepping inside the bathroom, he turned back, “Naina… mere kapde nikal dogi?”

She smiled, understanding the right he was exercising on her, “haan.”

When he came out after a much needed shower, he found that she had placed his grey jeans and blue t-shirt on the sofa for him, along with a clean set of innerwear too. Smiling to himself he quickly changed. He hadn’t thought that she would take out his boxers too, but she had, clearly indicating that she was not hesitant in exercising her own right.

She was waiting for him downstairs. Nothing much was needed to be spoken, as they drove in companionable silence. Rohan and Preeti had ordered quite an amazing quantity in their excitement, but with two hungry male at the table everything was polished off. When Naina was lifting the last bite to her mouth, Sameer caught her hand and ate the piece himself all the time eyeing her. She grinned at his antic, and Preeti blushed suddenly thinking about Rohan doing the same to her. Rohan also coughed, wondering what would be the perfect time to confess his feelings.

Armed with catalogues of wedding attires, they reached Nirmal Jyoti society. It was clear to Sameer that Taiji had almost driven Chachiji mad with her incessant nagging. After a round of tea, Vishakha took out the books. Everyone had one or the other opinion, except Taiji who kept trying to find a mediocre design, but was simply unable to do so. Each and every design was custom, unique and extremely beautiful.

She couldn’t stop herself from exclaiming, “Oh bai! Yeh sab toh bahot mehenge wale honge.”

Vishakha smiled, “Paiso se zyada Sameer aur Naina ki pasand maaine rakhti hai.” She turned towards Naina and Bela, “kuch pasand aaya beta tumko? Aur aapko Behenji?”

Chachiji immediately pointed out to a heavy zari work pattern, “yeh wala kitna sundar haina?”

Naina had her hand on another one, but nodded to Chachiji’s choice. Vishakha noticed and pulled the book from Naina’s hand, “aree waah… yeh wala tumne pasand kiya beta?”

Naina blushed but nodded slightly, thinking her choice would be discarded anyways. Vishakha looked at Taiji, and then offered the book to Bela, “dekhiye to behenji.”

Bela glanced at the picture of the embroidered lehenga, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye, yeh toh aur bhi sundar hai.”

Vishakha nodded in agreement, “haan. Naina ki pasand toh hamesha se hi achchi hai. Konse rang me banvaye yeh?”

Naina mentally slapped her forehead. She had thought to ask color preference to Sameer, but seeing him like that this morning, she had forgotten everything. Helplessly she looked at him, and he immediately grinned, and declared, “Red. Shaadi ka joda laal rang ka hi hoga. Maine Naina se haldi ke baad kaha tha ke ab agla rang laal hoga.”

“Oh bai! Haldi kab lagi?”, Taiji enquired.

Preeti happily announced, “Pooja didi ki shaadi me. Jijaji ke haatho se haldi giri thi na Naina pe. Aur fir Naina ke dupatta se Jijaji pe haldi lag gai thi.”

Looks of understanding dawned on everyone’s face, while Chachiji declared how everything was already written by God in destiny and Taiji frowned harder. Sameer winked at Naina, making her blush.