Always and Forever
Part - 30: Love Lasts Forever

Sameer Maheshwari had woken up at his usual time, but for the first time in his life he didn’t get up from the bed immediately. There was no urgent need, there wasn’t any work, there was no irritation. If anything there was just pure happiness and satisfaction because his Naina was sleeping in his arms. Wearing his shirt, pressed to him, her hand resting on his back, and her head on his shoulders, her breath fanning his skin. Sigh… if this wasn’t heaven, he didn’t know what was. This was the best place where he could be, and so he just admired her sleeping form – the way her hair sprawled like a halo around her head, the way the shirt had lifted a bit to give him a peek of her bare waist, the way her leg nestled trustingly between his own, the way her chest rose and fell with each breath.

In just another few moments she started to stir. The whole routine intrigued him as she shifted slightly trying to adjust or find a more comfortable position perhaps, her eyes moved behind her closed lids, her lips pressed then puckered, the tempting tongue darting out for a second to moisten them, and her hands moved over his skin on their own accord. Finally, after wrinkling her nose in a way that he found to be extremely cute, she opened her eyes and blessed him with a soft smile. His breath almost stopped, the smile that curved her lips was soft, feminine, and it belonged to a woman who had been thoroughly loved and sated. God… he could do anything… any damn thing to see this smile every morning. Giving in to his elemental need, he lowered his mouth and kissed her gently, wishing with all his heart that every morning of his life was like this.

She sighed into the kiss, and responded with lazy strokes of her own. When he lifted his head, she smiled, “Good Morning.”

He nuzzled her hair, as if wanting to reduce all distance, “Good Morning Sweetheart. Kaash meri har subah aisi hi ho.”

She hummed, “aur meri bhi.”

He chuckled, and nibbled gently at her throat, whispering in a husky voice, “tum chaho toh isse behtar bhi ho sakti hai.”

Her throaty laughter seared through him, and he very nearly groaned. Oh God, how can just her voice affect him so much? If this continued he would be in a lot of trouble every morning. She turned and burrowed further in his chest, as if seeking warmth and he tightened his hold on her even more, if such a thing was possible.

She reluctantly asked, “kitne baj rahe hai? Sab log uthne lagenge na.”

He slid one hand beneath his shirt and stroked her bare back, “subah ke paanch baj rahe hai. Thoda waqt hai hamare paas.”

She tilted her head back and kissed his bristly jaw, the rasping sound reminded him of the angry red mark he had left on her belly. He pulled her head back a little, and looked down in her eyes, “Sorry Naina… roz roz shave karneki aadat nahi hai na. Par ab se dhyan rakhunga. Mujhe toh lagta hai din me do baar shave karna padega.”

She stared at him perplexed, and lifted a hand to stroke his cheeks, “par kyun? Mujhe toh yeh bahot achcha lagta hai. Tumpe suit karta hai. Clean shaved bhi achcha hai, but thoda sa growth rakhte ho na toh zyada achcha dikhta hai.”

He shrugged, “dikhta hoga… par tumhe chot lagti hai har baar.”

“Chot?”, she asked, confused, “kaisi chot?”

He shifted his hand to her belly, where he remembered the mark to be, “yahan…”

She thought for a moment, understanding what he was trying to say, and then smirked, grabbing his hand and slowly lifting it to her breast, “aur yahan jo hai uska kya?”, she asked referring to the hickey he had left.

His cheeks colored, though his fingers inadvertently explored her soft breast, feeling exhilarated when the nub hardened under his ministration. “Woh toh alag hai na”, he rasped.

She nipped at his throat making him suck in a sharp breath, “alag kaise hua. Meir daadhee nahi hai, warna tumko bhi aisi hi chot lagti rehti.”

He laughed, drawing back from her tormenting mouth, and rolled so that she was half beneath him, “sach bol rahi ho? Tumhe achcha lagta hai? Jalta nahi hai na zyada.”

She gave him a reassuring smile, “bilkul bhi nahi. Tension mat lo.”

Relaxed with her assurance, he focused on other topics, and gently queried, “kal raat ke baad koi sawaal?”

She was silent for a long minute, and then shook her head. He frowned, searching her face, the way she slightly lowered her eyes told him that she was lying. Why? Wasn’t she comfortable talking about it yet? Or maybe, he thought, she didn’t know how to ask. After all, he shouldn’t forget that it was her first time. And the way it had ended was… well… not exactly how he had planned. Maybe she would feel comfortable the next time. A part of his brain wished for the next time to be straight on their wedding night, and the pheromone fused side of his brain wished for the next time to be now.

Dragging his mind back from the erotic recollection of how she had explored him, he decided to ask something that had puzzled him since last few days, “toh fir mera ek sawaal hai.”

Her brows furrowed, “kaisa sawaal?”

He placed his hand on her belly again, “yeh… tumhare periods… exactly yeh kaise hote hai?”

She gaped at him, “matlab? Iska koi process thodi na hota hai.”

He mentally smacked himself. What the hell was wrong with him? He could dare to make her touch him, but not frame a simple question properly. He cleared his throat and tried again, “process nahi… time. Mera matlab… mujhe yeh pata tha ke periods har mahine same date pe hota hai. Toh fir tumko pehle kyun hua? Peechli baar to pehli taareekh ko hua tha na.”

She acted to be surprised, “haww… mujhe toh laga tumko sab pata hai. Kitni badi badi baate kar rahe the mere saamne. Mujhe samjha rahe the periods ke baare me, aur itni si baat nahi pata tumko.”

He narrowed his eyes at her teasing, thinking to punish her with a hard kiss. Wouldn’t he love to nip at the pink inviting lower lip? But his need for answers was slightly more now than the need to kiss her. So he ignored her teasing and tried to put forth his concern, “batao na Naina. Mujhe fikar ho rahi hai. Aise alag dates nahi hone chahiye na? Hum doctor ko dikhaye Ahmedabad jaake?”

She sobered down, understanding that he was truly concerned. Caressing his back, she answered, “haan, har mahine same time pe hota hai, par date fixed nahi hota. Do-teen din aage piche hota hai har kisiko, par jab tak aisa hi har mahine hota rahe tab tak fikar ki koi baat nahi. Jaise mere periods har month teen-chaar din pehle hote hai peechle mahine ki date se. December me ek tareekh ko hua to iss baar January 1^st ke chaar din pehle shuru hua. Aur February me bhi aisa hi hoga.”

His expressions turned thoughtful as he did some quick calculations and then a wide grin brightened up his face, “matlab hamare shaadi ke time koi tension nahi.”

She laughed at his jubilant expressions, then slyly asked, “aur hoti toh?”

He quickly pecked her lips and replied, “toh jahan itne saal intezaar kiya, thoda aur kar leta.” And then asked, “waise ek aur sawaal hai mera. Yeh periods ke time ka family planning se kya relation hai?”

She had a puzzled expression on her face as she asked, “woh kya hota hai?.”

“Aree… maine samjhaya toh tha”, he began explaining, “family planning matlab shaadi ke baad bachche ke liye…”

She interrupted, “woh mujhe pata hai. Main puch rahi hun ke iska periods se kya lena dena.”

He frowned, “Tumko bhi nahi pata? Fir kaise karenge… Mera matlab, shaadi ke baad toh yeh sab pata hona chahiye na.”

She didn’t fully understand why it was so important, but her mind raced on how they could gain more information and like always she immediately had the answer. “Library”, she exclaimed.

He looked at her perplexed, “huh?”

She grinned, her eyes sparkling, “library Sameer. Tumne mujhe card diya tha na public library ka. Wahin se toh mujhe romance novels mili thi. Toh wahan medical journals ya koi aur books aisi hogi na jisme yeh sab bhi hoga.”

He smiled, “tumhara har raasta ghum firke library tak hi pahonchta hai… haina? Par achcha idea hai. Mt. Abu se wapas jaaneke baad library chalenge.”

She rolled her eyes, “tum bhi mere saath chaloge toh fir koi information milne se rahi. Tum mujhe padhne hi nahi doge, bas pareshan karte rahoge, jaise college me karte the.”

His smile widened as he fondly recollected the way he would be so impatient of his topper girlfriend in college. No matter how much time he spent with her it was never enough. He would be satisfied when she would stay near him, her attention focused on him, but as soon as she focused elsewhere it would grate on his nerves, and that included her library sessions. Sometimes she would hold up the book to read, and that would obstruct his view of her pretty face, so he would tolerate that for a minute or two before snatching the book from her hands. He would sit and continuously stare at her – the way she would hold the pen between her lips sometimes, and then upon remembering that she shouldn’t do that she would hastily wipe it on her dress; the way she would tuck her hair behind her ears only to have it slide free again; the way she would sometimes play with a strand of hair while understanding something complex, and he would wish for the freedom to sink his fingers in her hair. Other times he would sneak in food in the library, quite forgetting that clashes with ‘librarian’ was written forever in his horoscope; in college too, the librarian would come sniffing the aroma of food, but just at that time Naina would have the sudden urge to find a book and of course would need the librarian’s help for that. By the time she would come back, the food would be polished off and then he would sit and listen to her scolding him in soft tone about how he should not break library rules. She didn’t know or maybe she did, that he sneaked in food on purpose to listen to her pyaar wali daant. Sometimes, the peaceful surroundings of the library would be the perfect setting for him to slyly hold her hand under the table and then watch her blush, and try to pry her hands from his unsuccessfully until she would just give in and hold his hand too. From their second year, his routine of staring her and disturbing her in library had been the same, with the added on physical desires of touching her and kissing her after the perfectly glorious view of her waist once when she had leaned down. Sometimes he would actually fall asleep beside her while studying, and sometime he would pretend to sleep just to check if she would touch him to wake him up. She would always rub his hand or arm, but he never lost the hope of her one day touching his shoulders or even his hair. He would keep on imagining how amazing it would feel when she would touch his hair. It amused him that, Sameer Maheshwari, was so eager to let his prized possession, his hair to be touched by someone else apart from himself.

Just at that moment, as if sensing his thoughts, Naina weaved her fingers through his hair, staring up at the small smile playing around his lips. He came back from the wonderful recollection to the amazing reality of actually having her in his arms, and her stroking his hair. His smile widened as he wondered if life could be any more perfect… oh but it could… when he would have her with him 24×7. Leaning down, he let his forehead touch hers, and murmured, “I love you Naina.”

“I love you too”, she whispered and arched upward to kiss him. And he let her, with pleasure. She pushed his shoulders lightly, and understanding her demand, he rolled taking her with him. Adjusting herself on him, she continued to kiss him, and his lips parted, softened, welcomed. She took it slow, and he marveled at how quickly she had learned how to arouse him, how to explore, how to demand. By the time she lifted her head, he was panting for breath and was again painfully hard. He eyed her swollen lips and thought that nothing mattered if she kept on kissing him like that. Hadn’t he known that this woman would be his undoing? She peppered kisses on his face, and then buried her face against him neck, relaxing on top of him as if it was completely natural for her to sleep like that.

He didn’t want to, but still mindful of the time, he gently stroked her back and said, “Naina… uthna hoga hume. Koi jaag gaya to problem ho jayegi.”

She sighed, and rolled off of him before sitting up, and pushed back her hair, “main change kar leti hun. Par tum… breakfast pe wait kana. Thike?”

He too sat up, “yeh bhi koi bolne ki baat hai? Of course main wait karunga.”

She gathered her clothes and went into the bathroom to change, but before removing his shirt she took a moment to draw in his fragrance that seemed to cling to the fabric, and twirled in happiness. By the time she stepped out, he had also changed into a t-shirt and also straightened the bed to wipe out all signs of last night. He said that he would first go and wake up the trio in the other room before taking his bath. She nodded and rushed to her room, relieved to find Preeti and Swati still sleeping, and quickly took out the shirt that she had bought for Sameer. She went back to his room, and searched his cupboard for his jeans, and then laid out both the garments on his bed, knowing he would understand. Tilting her head, she gazed at the things, and blushing slightly she went back to the cupboard and took out a clean set of underwear and hid it beneath his shirt.

It took Sameer more than fifteen minutes to wake the trio, and frustrated at the lazy mumblings he splashed some cold water on all of them. That did the trick, as the water was cold as ice. Munna rubbed his eyes wondering where he had lost his shirt, Pandit got up and wondered how come he had Munna’s shirt draped around him, and Rohan scratched his head thinking why he was wearing a keychain on his finger and clutching an ugly plastic rose.

“Good Morning”, Sameer greeted loudly enough for all the others to clutch their head.

Pandit groaned, “dheere bol bhai. Sir pe hathode pad rahe hai.”

“Woh toh padenge hi na”, Sameer reasoned, “puri ek bottle khali ki hai tum logo ne. Ab chalo utho, breakfast ka time ho jayega aur fir Chachaji-Chachiji aa jayenge.”

Rohan tried to get up, but lost his balance and tumbled back, “uff… mera sir… aur yeh sada hua gulaab kahan se aaya?”

Sameer chuckled, “apne pyaar ki nishaani ko sada hua bol rahe ho?”

Rohan frowned, “pyaar ki nishaani?” Then a horrified expression crossed his features, “P…preeti yahan aai thi?”

Sameer splashed some more water on his brother making him gasp, “Preeti aai hoti to gulaab nahi milta, joote padte. Yeh toh tumhare aur Pandit ke pyaar ki nishaani hai. Kal raat sagai jo ho gai tum dono ki. Par afsos, Pandit ka pyaar khokla hai… Tumko ring pehnane ke baad usne Munna ki shirt utaar di.”

The trio stared at him, stunned, and then each one of them either coughed or laughed uncertainly. Sameer scowled, “naha lo. Main bhi nahane jaa raha hun, kisi ek ko udhar aana ho toh dus minute baad aa jaana.” He reached in his room, and closed the door, slightly irked at the time it took to wake them up. But his expressions cleared, and a grin bloomed on his face as soon as he saw the neat stack of clothes on his bed. Naina. When had she come back? There was a new navy blue shirt with thin and broad cream checked pattern, his jeans was also there, and his grin widened when he saw the way she had hidden his boxers between them. Feeling incredibly happy he walked inside the bathroom, and started showering.

On the other hand, Munna decided to take a bath in Sameer’s room, and sauntered out in the corridor, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Swati had also come out to hoping to go and check if she can get an early cup of tea. Her eyes widened on seeing Munna walking towards her dressed in jeans and only a vest. She screamed, closing her eyes, and Munna jerked staring around with a hassled expression. When he saw Swati, he brought up his hands, clutching himself to cover up, “aee Pandat… tu yahan kya kar raha hai?”

Swati peeked from between her fingers, “tum… tum aise kyun ghum rahe ho?”

Preeti had been looking at options to wear, when she had heard Swati’s scream so she also came rushing out. She yelped, “chee Munna… kapde pehenke aao.”

From the boy’s room, Rohan ran out, totally oblivious to the happenings, and without even seeing the girls he panted, “Munna… tumhari shirt bhul gaye. Aur tum wapas usi kamre me jao, main bhai ke nahane ka wait karta hun. Mere kapde toh iss room me hai.”

Munna groaned, snatching his shirt from Rohan, pulled it on, and gestured with his eyes to see. Rohan frowned, turning to look, and his eyes widened in horror on seeing Preeti and Swati. Before he could say something, Preeti bombarded, “tum uss room me kya kar rahe the? Aur Munna ki shirt tumhare paas kaise?”

Swati also joined in, “haan… yeh sab chal kya raha hai? Aur kal puri shaam kahan the tum chaaro? Aise bina bataye akele ghumne chale gaye?”

Rohan was perplexed, “ghumne? Par hum log toh…” He trailed off as Munna nudged him sharply in his ribs, but unfortunately for the men, both the women had noticed this.

“Kya chupa rahe ho?”, Swati asked, hands on hips.

Munna stammered, “ku…kuch nahi.”

Preeti narrowed her eyes, “Rohan”, she spoke just his name in a threatening undertone. Rohan blanched, unsure what to do. Why hadn’t his bhai given him some tip about such situations? He nervously swallowed, and stammered a lie, “hum log sab aise hi aas paas walk karne gaye the. Kuch khaas nahi.”

It was useless; the women immediately understood that something was wrong. Swati titled her head up, “nahi batana toh mat batao. Kamsekam jhooth toh mat bolo humse.”

Preeti nodded, a hint of sadness in her voice, “haan… hum thodi na jaasoosi kar rahe hai. Fikar ho rahi thi isiliye pucha, aur humne socha tha ke kal Chachaji aur Chachiji nahi hai toh shayad…”

Both the women looked at each other once, and then left from there together, while the unfinished sentence weighed down on the guilty conscience of Munna and Rohan.

Sameer came out after his bath; this time again wrapped in a towel, and was surprised to see Rohan sitting on his bed, his head bowed down as if he was sad. He chuckled as he pulled on his boxers and jeans, “jaake naha lo. Main canteen wale se kehke nimbu paani mangvata hun, sirdard thik ho jayega.”

Rohan sighed, glancing up to see his brother wearing a shirt, “sirdard to thik ho jayega… par… bahar Swati aur Preeti mil gai thi hume. Maine aur Munna ne jhooth bola ke kal hum log bahar gaye the, par unn dono ko samajh aa gaya. Bura laga unko.”

Sameer flipped his wet hair, and rubbed the towel on his head to dry, “pine se pehle nahi socha toh ab kyun soch rahe ho? Tumhe kya lagta hai, aisi laal aankhen aur sadi hui shakal leke breakfast pe jaate tab bhi unko kuch pata nahi chalta?”

“Par aapne hi toh kaha tha ke khud faisla karu”, Rohan countered, “aur… mujhe laga Preeti itni smart aur himmatwali hai aur main ekdum feeka sa… isiliye socha ke kuch toh try karu life me. Aapne bhi toh Bhabhi se kabhi kuch chupaya hoga na?”

Sameer sat down next to his brother, “bahot baar… bahot kuch chupaya tha. Hamari kahani toh ab tumko pata hi hai. Lekin ab Naina meri biwi banne wali hai, isiliye main usse kuch nahi chupata. Kal bhi na chahte hue bhi usne mujhe peene ki permission de di thi, taaki main tum logo ka saath de saku. Main chahta to pee sakta tha, aur Naina ko bura bhi nahi lagta, par maine socha ke mere liye kya zyada zaruri hai… ek glass sharab ya meri Naina ke chehre pe muskurahat. Bas fir toh koi option hi nahi tha mere paas.”

Rohan frowned trying to connect the dots, but the headache didn’t allow him to. Sameer patted his back, “dekho Rohan… Pyaar, shaadi yeh sab rishto me jitni khushi hoti hai utne hi adjustments bhi hote hai. Mere aur Naina ke paas yeh sab adjustments sikhne ke liye bahot waqt tha. Aur Naina mujhse itna pyaar karti thi ke meri har galti ko maaf kar deti thi hamesha… Par tumhare aur Preeti ke paas itna waqt nahi hai. Naina ki shaadi ke baad, gharwale Preeti ke liye rishta dhundne lagenge. Agar tum usse shaadi karna chahte ho toh naa sirf tumko Preeti se apne dil ki baat karni hogi, balki iss rishte ke nazuk dor ko bhi sambhalna hoga. Mere aur Naina ke rishte me Naina shaant aur suljhi hui hai, waise hi tumhare aur Preeti ke rishte me woh insaan tum ho. Aise me agar tum usse jhooth bologe, cheeze chupaoge toh pyaar ka jo phool abhi abhi khila hai woh murjha jayega… aur mera yakeen maano uss pal jo taklif hoti hai na woh tum nahi jhel paoge.”

Rohan thought through the statements, and slowly enquired, “aapka matlab… mujhe Preeti ko sab sach bata dena chahiye?”

Sameer smiled, “yeh mera sujhaav hai… par yeh rishta tumhara hai, toh faisla tum karo ke ise kaise sambhaloge. Ab jao naha lo, main breakfast arrangement dekhke aata hun.”

Rohan got up and walked to the bathroom still thinking about the matter. Sameer took a deep breath hoping everything would turn out right for his friend and brother, and then went on to enquire if the car had left on time to pick Chacha-Chachi from the village, and also to ask for some proper heavy breakfast since he was ravenous after his personal adventure last night.

Meanwhile in the girl’s room, Swati and Preeti had briefed Naina about the happenings and she felt guilty of hiding the truth from them. She had helped Sameer, but it was now hurting her friend and sister. Should she let them know the truth? But, then if she did so it might cause them to quarrel with the men. Also, wasn’t it unfair that she tell the truth now just because she felt guilty when she had herself hid it in the first place? She was still thinking what to do, when Preeti said, “tu zyada mat soch. Jijaji ne bhi toh tujhse jhooth bola.”

“Nahi”, Naina immediately countered, “Sameer mujhse kabhi jhooth nahi bolta.”

Swati inquired, “toh tu kehna chahti hai ke woh log sach me bahar gaye the?”

Naina bit her lip, “main bas itna keh rahi hun ke Sameer ne mujhse jhooth nahi bola.”

Preeti stood up facing her sister, “tu sab jaanti hai na kal ke baare me? Bata humko… sach sach bata ke woh log kahan the aur kya kar rahe the? Hamara haq hai jaane ka. Kyun Swati Munna se pyaar karti hai, aur main…” She trailed off realizing that she had never informed Swati of her relationship.

“Rohan se pyaar karti hai”, Swati finished her sentence, and smiled. Preeti gave an apologetic pleading look, and Swati grinned, “itni toh akkal hai mujhme ke bahar hi samajh aa gaya sab.”

Preeti apologized, “sorry… chupa nahi rahi thi. Bas sahi waqt pe batana chahti thi.”

Swati hugged her, happy for her, and chirped, “koi nahi yaar… dosti me itna toh chalta hai.”

Naina stood smiling, until both of them turned back to her, and demanded answers. Thinking back to how Sameer had explained that all coins have two sides and the way he had confessed about his Delhi phase, she made her decision and answered, “mujhe Sameer ne jo kuch bhi bataya woh hum dono ke beech ki baat hai. Main tum logo ko nahi bata sakti, kyunki Sameer ke vishwaas ka sawaal hai. Lekin bas itna kahungi ke… pyaar karte ho toh unn logo ka nazariya bhi samajhna sikho. Shayad hamesha har baat ussi waqt pata na chale, par agar unko bhi tumse pyaar hai toh zindagi bhar chupa nahi payenge kuch bhi. Jis din taay kar lenge ke tumse kuch nahi chupana uss din apne dil ka gehre se gehra raaz bhi bata denge tumko.”

Preeti scowled, and Naina laughed, “sorry behen… iss baat pe koi behes nahi. Jao dono naha lo ab. Mujhe taiyaar hona hai. Aaj mandir jaane wale hai.”

She had changed into a blush pink salwar-kameez, and now sat down to comb her hair, recalling how Sameer had once detangled it at their home. He had been so gentle, and she hoped he would do that sometimes after their marriage too, quite apart from how good it felt, it would also give her some respite from this daily routine. She left her hair open, knowing they would be outside the whole day and won’t get much time alone, so he would be able to untie her hair and keep getting irritated. The wind outside might tangle her hair again, but well… What was a few tangles in-front of the way he looked at her? Lining her eyes with kajal, she looped silver jhumkas and adorned her wrists with some bangles.

Breakfast was a relatively quick affair, with Swati and Preeti glaring at Munn and Rohan, Pandit stuffing his mouth with whatever he could find, Sameer and Naina exchanging worried glances. When they finished Naina sighed on seeing the each one going in different direction. Sameer also frowned. Then they both turned to each other and asked at the same time, “tumne samjhaya?”

They both nodded, and Sameer sighed, “kal rok leta unko, kamsekam Rohan ko, toh shayad…”

Naina smiled and held his hand, “nahi Sameer. Tumhari koi galti nahi hai. Maine bhi toh unse chupaya. Aur tumne thik kaha tha kal, bachche nahi hai woh log. Khud samajhna sikhna hoga… Tum dekh lena… aaj shaam tak sab thik ho jayega.”

“Pakka?”, he enquired. She nodded, “mujhe vishwas hai.”

He smiled, trusting on her faith, and together they started to walk back. Halfway to their room, he suddenly stopped, and before she could ask anything he had backed her to the wall. “S…Sameer”, she stammered, suddenly breathless on seeing the look in his eyes. He looked so handsome in that shirt… absolutely perfect. And the level of perfection increased because she and only she knew what lay beneath that deep blue fabric stretching across his chest – amazing sets of muscles that she loved to touch and kiss, intriguing patch of hair that always tempted her, and just from last night there would also be a small mark of her passion.

He gave a lopsided smirk, caging her to the wall with his hands, “kya maine tumko kabhi bataya hai ke tum pink me kitni kamaal lagti ho?”

She blushed, her hands lifting to his chest on their own accord, “bahot baar.”

He shrugged, “toh firse sunn lo… tum pink me bahot bahot bahot zyada khubsurat lagti ho. Aur… jab bhi main tumko pink me dekhta hun mera man karta hai ke main tumko kiss karta hi rahu.”

She laughed, “aisa hai toh fir mujhe kiss chahiye hogi toh hamesha pink hi pehenna padega… koi aur color se kaam nahi chalega.”

His eyes heated on hearing her laugh, “kiss toh hamesha kar sakta hun tumko… par pink me aur bhi bahot kuch man karta hai. Kabhi shaadi ke baad fursat se dikhaunga pink ka asar.”

She blushed furiously, “hato yahan se… jaane do mujhe.”

“Na na”, he leaned slightly closer, “aise kaise jaane du. Puri tarah se nahi toh thoda asar toh dikhane do abhi.”

Her gaze locked with his, her fluttering heart gave one loud thud and then almost stopped, her belly quivered as if he was not standing a few inches away from her but rather plastered to her, and her lips parted invitingly knowing she would feel him right there any moment now. The way she immediately responded, without any objection, floored him and hit him with a shot of pure testosterone. Not wanting to wait any longer, he leaned further, closer… closer… just the last half inch… and there was a loud clattering noise. Naina jerked, and he jumped back from her, his eyes drawn to the floor where a small steel lid rotated and then clattered to a stop. His gaze travelled to the strewn laddoos, the steel container which still held some of its precious contents, and then he looked up and coughed, turning red immediately.

Chachaji and Chachiji were standing there, and he realized that they had just been about to see him kiss Naina, who apart from being his would-be wife also happened to be their daughter. Shit. Chachiji stared at them in shock; Chachaji made some small sound, a cough or laugh he didn’t know, and then incredibly enough started whistling the tune of “accident ho gaya… rabba rabba” while looking anywhere but at them. Naina glanced from her Chacha-Chachi to Sameer, and then fled abandoning her would-be husband to handle the situation alone.

Uncertain what to do or say Sameer blurted, “oh no. Saare laddoo gir gaye.”

Chachiji gave him an ‘are-you-serious’ look, and opened her mouth to say something but Chachaji immediately grabber her hand, “Bela, chalo yahan se. Hume ab tak taiyar hona hai mandir jaane ke liye.” Guiding Bela skillfully to their own room, Anand turned once, “Sameer beta, dabba utha lena.”

Once they reached the room, Bela immediately started, “woh… woh dono kya kar rahe the? Aapne kuch bola kyun nahi? Shaadi se pehle yeh sab… chee chee.”

Anand thought back to what they had spotted, or were almost about to spot, and the expressions on Sameer and Naina’s face, and smiled. However he understood his wife’s perspective as well, so he gently reminded, “Bela… hum bhi toh shaadi se pehle mile the. Jooth bolke, sabse chupke.”

Bela glanced at him, “mile the… sirf mile the… yeh sab nahi…”

Anand made her sit on the bed, and then sat beside her, “jaanta hun. Lekin unn dino aur inn dino me bahot farq hai. Zamana badal raha hai.”

She narrowed her eyes, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye, Preeti ke papa… aapke hisab se yeh sab sahi hai kya?”

He sighed, “sahi-galat insaan ke nazariye ki baat hai. Tumko hamari beti pe vishwaas hai?”

“Haan”, she immediately answered.

Anand smiled, “mujhe bhi hai… aur Sameer pe bhi pura vishwaas hai. Toh iss baat ko jaane do na. Waise bhi Sameer aur Naina kitne saalo se ek dusre se pyaar karte hai. Kuch galat karna hi hota unko toh bahot pehle kar chuke hote. School me, college me, jab unke paas choot thi, aur hume unke baare me kuch bhi nahi pata tha. Lekin unn dono ne aisa nahi kiya, woh hamare paas aaye, haalat ka saamna kiya, kitne jatan kiye apne iss rishte pe bado ka aashirwaad paane ke liye. Agar Sameer ka irada galat hota toh woh yeh sab kabhi nahi karta.”

Bela melted a little, but voiced, “mujhe bharosa hai unpe. Par aise… Koi dekh leta toh. Aur yahi baat ghar pe bhabhiji ke saamne hoti toh… Log toh Naina ko hi taana maarte na. Shaadi me thoda waqt hi toh bacha hai ab, thoda sabr ka lete.”

He wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulder, “hamari shaadi tay hui uske baad beech me 6 mahine the. Meri haalat kharab ho gai thi, tumse milne ka sochke aur fir jab mila uske baad tumhare baare me sochte sochte. Sameer aur Naina ko bhi teen mahine intezaar karna pad raha hai. Aur yeh toh socho… unke rishte ko kitne saal ho gaye. Ab hum hamare bachcho pe itna toh bharosa kar hi sakte hai ke unko thodi choot de. Aur fir… woh log hum dono ko yahan apne saath Mt. Abu laaye hai, humko apni puri kahani bata di, woh bhi toh sochte honge na ke hum unke nazariye ko bhi samjhe.”

She thought about it, and slowly queried, “aapko yakeen hai ke yahi sahi hai?”

Anand smiled, “mujhe sahi-galat nahi pata Bela… bas itna pata hai ke Sameer kabhi koi aisa kaam nahi karega jisse Naina ko zara si bhi takleef ho. Naina ke aankh se ek aansu bhi girta hai na toh uska sabse zyada dard hum dono ko nahi, Sameer ko hota hai. Hamari beti ki khushiya, maan, samman, yeh sab Sameer ke liye bahot maaine rakhte hai.”

She stared at her husband for some time, and then took a deep breath and nodded. He grinned, and continued, “aur waise bhi unki umar hai romance karneki.”

Bela smiled wide, adjusting her pallu, “toh hamari nahi hai kya? Bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye, aaj bhi main Rekha hun aur aap Jitender… Dono milke Salman-Madhuri ki chutti kar denge.”

Anand laughed, “haan bilkul. Toh isi baat pe ek tohfa hai tumhare liye.” He pulled out a polythene from his bag, and gave it to her, “yeh lo. Aaj yahi pehenna.”

She opened the bag excitedly, and was shocked to find a light blue salwar-kameez with pink and green threadwork. She nervously stammered, “yeh… yeh main pehnu?”

Anand nodded, “haan, aaj yahi pehenke ghumne chalo. Waise bhi shaadi ke baad tumne shayad ek-do baar hi pehna hai salwar-kameez. Tumhe yaad hai na, hum jab chupke mile the tab bhi tumne aise aasmaani rang ka dress pehna tha.”

She nodded, “yaad toh hai… par… abhi yeh kaise pehnu? Bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye bachche kya sochenge.”

He chuckled, “bachche apne romance me busy rahenge. Aur fir tumne hi toh abhi abhi kaha… ke hamari bhi umar hai romance karne ki… Meri Rekha.” Bela blushed, and after a few more minutes of coaxing agreed to wear it.

Meanwhile, Sameer had collected the laddoos and packed them all again in the steel container, but he didn’t know what to do with them. So he walked over to Naina’s room, knocked and entered to find her pacing the room, “aah… Naina… yeh laddoo ka kya karu?”

She paused her pacing to glare at him, “thus lo.”

He tried to keep his expressions innocent, “tum gussa kyun ho rahi ho? Mujhe thodi na pata tha ke woh log aise usi waqt aa jayenge.”

She crossed her arms, “woh log kya koi bhi aa sakta tha. Kal puri raat saath me the, fir bhi… tumko corridor me hi romance sujha.”

He shrugged, daring to smile at her, “mujhe toh har jagah romance sujhta hai.”

She shook her head in amazement, “sahi hai. Shaadi ke baad bhi yahi haal raha toh naa tumhara office hoga, aur naa hi mera book.”

This time he chuckled, “tum na iss duniya ki pehli patni ho jo uska pati romantic hai iss baat ki complain kar rahi hai.” When she kept on glaring at him, he hastily wiped off the smile from his face, “aree… tum gussa kyun ho rahi ho? Chachaji aur Chachiji samajhdaar hai, khule vichaaro wale hai… woh humko samjhenge. Suna nahi tumne, Chachaji seeti baja rahe the.”

She frowned, “toh aur kya karte? Tumse puchte ke kya kar rahe ho?”

He started to smile again, “haan… puch lete toh bata deta ke unki beti ko kiss kar raha hun.”

She scoffed, “achcha? Uss time toh saara dhyan laddoo pe tha.”

He took a step towards her, “par ab toh wapas tumpe dhyan hai na. Aur yahan toh chacha-chachi bhi nahi hai.”

She clearly understood his intentions, and tried not to get affected, “nahi… bilkul nahi. Jao yahan se Sameer.”

“Main kahin nahi jaa raha”, he smirked, “aur naa hi tumko jaane dunga.” He caught her around the waist with one arm, still keeping the container secured in another hand. As he aimed for her lips, she kept a hand on his mouth. He smiled, trying to find a way to her lips, and just then there came twin shouts of “Jijaji…!!”, from the door.

Crash! Down went the laddoos again, scattering all over the floor, a few even rolling under the bed.

Cursing his luck, Sameer fled from the room, and Naina bit her lip for a brief moment before dissolving into laughter. Swati and Preeti stared at her, shocked at the fact that she was so calm and laughing even after almost being caught kissing Sameer.

Swati frowned, “yeh sab kabse chal raha hai?”

Preeti also asked, “aur tu itni shaant kaise hai?”

Naina smiled, “usme konsi badi baat hai. Aur tum dono ko aur koi kaam nahi hai kya? Kal se mujhe aur Sameer ko baar baar disturb kar rahe ho.”

Swati gaped at her, and Preeti narrowed her eyes, “tu bhi toh jijaji ko rok rahi thi.”

Naina shrugged, “woh toh aisai… par tum dono toh beech me aa gai.”

Preeti rubbed her eyes, staring at her sister… and Swati clutched her head sitting on the bed and declared, “mujhe toh chakkar aa rahe hai. Yeh hamari Naina hi hai na?”

Naina controlled her smile, and knelt to clean up the laddoos. They can’t be eaten anymore, so she started packing them in a polythene bag to throw away. By the time, she was done Preeti and Swati had recovered and started asking questions.

“Naina, bata na, tum logo ne sach me kiss kiya?”

“Kaisa lagta hai?”

“Movies me dikhate hai waisa hi hota hai?”

“Hothon pe aise kiss karna ganda nahi lagta?”

Naina laughed, and gestured at Swati, “tu jaake Munna ko kiss kar”, and then gestured at Preeti, “aur tu jaake Rohan ko… sab samajh aa jayega aur saare sawaalo ke jawab mil jayenge. Mujhe bathroom jaana hai.”

Preeti pouted, and Swati reminded, “tu toh bada waada karti thi school aur college me, ke hum teeno me se jisko sabse pehle sab kuch pata chalega woh dusro ko batayega. Aur ab jab teri baari aai batane ki toh ek shabd nahi bol rahi uss baare me.”

Naina stopped at the half-open bathroom door, took a deep breath and turned, “movies ka pata nahi lekin asliyat me bahot achcha lagta hai… aur… kiss pe kissa khatam nahi hota, yeh toh shuruat hai.”

Blushing a bit, she quickly locked the bathroom door, and outside Preeti and Swati plopped on the bed trying to process the information that Naina had indeed kissed and liked it, and also that there was much more than kiss.

Finally when everyone was ready to leave, they waited impatiently for Chachaji and Chachiji, and after about ten minutes they came out. Bela was dressed in the blue salwar-kameez, her long hair tied in a braid, and her eyes casted downwards while Anand smiled proud. The four boys were shocked; Pandit coughed causing Bela to halt on her way. Naina, Preeti and Swati immediately understood the hesitation and went up to her.

“Wow Chachiji”, Naina exclaimed, “aap kitni achchi lag rahi ho.”

“Haan mummy, bilkul Rekha jaisi”, Preeti added. Swati took off a speck of kajal from her eyes, and applied in near Bela’s ears, “aaj toh sach me aapko Chachaji ki nazar lag jayegi.”

The boys were still standing with mouth open in shock, so the girls glared at them. Sameer recovered first and cleared his throat, wondering what to say. But when he saw Naina’s pleading expressions, he immediately spoke up, “aree Naina… tumne bataya nahi Pooja didi ke alawa tumhari ek aur badi behen hai.” As he spoke, he hit Munna, Pandit and Rohan on the back of their heads to get their expressions to normal.

Bela blushed a bit, and getting into form Munna blurted, “haan yaar Sameer… Tujhe toh ek aur adhi-gharwali mil gai.”

The girls gaped at him, while Sameer closed his eyes and nearly groaned. Anand chuckled, and Bela looked up immediately, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye beta, Sameer na damadji bane rahe wohi thik hai.”

Sameer’s cheeks colored as he mumbled some apology, and quickly asked everyone to get in the bus.

The Dilwara temple was just as grand as he remembered it. The renowed Jain temple had intricate carvings on marble stone, and opulent entranceway was a spectacular sight. As they got down, Chachiji immediately nudged Chachaji and they went away to buy some stuff to do pooja. Munna and Swati started to brief Preeti and Rohan about their last visit to this temple. Pandit stared around at some tourist groups, checking if there were any single girls. Sameer and Naina stood side by side, each of them recalling how they had been together yet separate on their last visit. Naina had been disturbed by the fact that he hadn’t eaten her jhootha, and Swati’s constant nagging that it was not true love. And Sameer had been confused of his own actions conflicting with his words, he kept on saying everything was for bet, yet he hadn’t been able to forget the way he had stopped by her window to admire her whicle she selected a hairstyle; the way he had asked her to leave her hair open as she looked good that way, and he had been telling the perfect truth at that moment, his heart at peace on seeing her hair fluttering in wind; the way his eyes had inadvertently drawn towards her as soon as he had entered the breakfast hall and his heart had filled with joy on seeing that she had accepted his demand; the way they had conversed with each other even amidst so many students; the way she had stayed half-hungry and offered her food to him, no one had ever cared for him so much; the way he had been unable to eat that chapatti because it had told him how much she loved him and he had been unable to find the courage to cheat her. It had put him in such a dilemma that when they had finally come to the temple he had distanced himself from her, hoping to find some solution for himself.

Standing there, lost in memories, unknown to both of them, their hands inter-twined as they sought the security of relationship from each other. Their nervous heartbeats calmed with the warmth they found in each other, and they both looked down at their joined hands, a smile blooming on their faces. “Iss baar main tumhare saath hi rahunga”, he assured, gazing into her eyes.

She smiled, “main kahin jaane de bhi nahi rahi tumko.”

Hand-in-hand they stepped inside the temple, and looked around at the beautiful compound, the impressive architecture. Soon Bela came with a huge plate in her hand that contained flowers and all kinds of stuff that was needed for worshipping, and also had a box of laddoos that immediately reminded Sameer of the happenings of that morning. They stepped inside the main temple, and had to wait for around ten minutes before their turn. Bela requested for some special Pooja to be done, and also added that it was because her daughter was getting married. The priest took the thaali and asked them to sit. Bela sat down and gestured Naina to sit beside her, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye beta, pallu toh daal le.”

Hastily Naina pulled up her dupatta on her head, and mesmerized Sameer started at her quite lost in the way the pink fabric framed her beautiful face. Bela noticed him staring constantly and huffed, “Sameer beta, Naina ko baad me dekh lena achche se, filhaal betho uske saath.”

“Main?”, he asked puzzled.

Bela rolled her eyes, “shaadi tumse hi ho rahi hai na? Toh tumhare alawa aur kaun bethega?”

He sealed his mouth, wary of causing any more disasters in-front of Chachiji, and sat down next to Naina. Quite unaccustomed to such things, he kept on fidgeting while the priest performed the pooja, until Naina placed her hand over his, calming him down. After that, he sat quietly, and when the priest came to bless them, did the tilak, he was actually charmed feeling as if their wedding rituals had already begun.

When they came out back to the huge compound, Sameer saw a familiar tree and tugged at Naina’s hand, “tumko iss baar khade nahi rehna uss ped ke neeche?”

She looked at the tree and smiled recalling how she and other girls had been quite taken in by the tale of true love, and had stood beneath the tree waiting for leaves to fall on them to indicate that they were going to be blessed with the true love of their life. She laughed, “nahi… mujhe iski zarurat nahi hai. Naa uss waqt thi, aur naa aaj hai. Mujhe pata hai tumhara pyaar sachcha hai.”

He tilted his head thoughtfully, “achcha? Par uss waqt toh tum jaake khadi ho gai thi, aur jab patte tumpe na girke Kamya pe gire toh tum udaas ho gai.”

She was confused, “yeh sab tumko kaise pata? Tum toh uss waqt the bhi nahi mere saath.”

He smirked, “madam… main hamesha tumhare aas paas hi hota hun. Uss waqt bhi main, Munna aur Pandit yahi the, aur… umm… tumpe patte girane ki koshish kar rahe the. Par hum daale usse pehle hi tum hat gai aur woh patte Kamya pe gir gaye.”

Bright laughter spurted out of her, “toh woh sab tum logo ki kartoot thi… aur bechari Kamya khush ho gai yeh sochke ke usko tumhara sachcha pyaar mil jayega.”

He leaned towards her, “par main toh hamesha se hi tumhara tha.”

She smiled, “toh fir toh tumne suna hi hoga ke maine Swati se uss waqt kya kaha tha.”

He nodded, “haan, par fir bhi tum thodi toh udaas hui thi na.” Suddenly he brightened up, “Naina… chalo ab uss ped ke neeche jaate hai.”

She stared at him amused, “nahi… iski koi zarurat nahi hai.”

“Jaanta hun”, he agreed, “par fir bhi try toh kar sakte hai na. Please chalo na.” Without waiting for her reply he caught her hand and pulled her beneath the tree. She tried to object, but he was not the one to listen. They stood for a minute, and nothing happened, and she looked up at his frown, “dekha… maine kaha tha na… yeh sirf kahani hai Sameer… hamare pyaar ko aise kisi pariksha ki zarurat nahi hai.”

He started to say something, but just at that moment there was a shower of leaves upon them, and stunned beyond words they looked around them. What just happened? Was it real?

Sameer recovered first from the shock, and gleefully said, “dekha… mera pyaar sachcha hai… prove ho gaya.”

Naina was still staring around her, when two voices shouted from above them, “bhai… aaj bhi hamare bina tera kuch nahi ho sakta.”

They looked up to see Munna and Pandit on a tree branch; Naina started to laugh as she understood that they had dropped the leaves, and Sameer scowled at his friends.

Later they had a quick lunch in the market, and had a few hours of spare time before they could go for boating. Bela and Anand again went off for shopping, Naina also wanted to buy a few things, so of course Sameer went with her. Rohan tried to draw in some courage and approached Preeti, “umm… suno… kya main thodi der tumse baat kar sakta hun?” He paused and added, “akele me.”

Preeti narrowed her eyes, “kyun? Aur jhuth bolna hai?”

Rohan sighed, thinking how could he have thought that she must have softened up some, “nahi… agar mauka do toh sach bolna hai.”

She was still furious and wanted to turn away, but one part of her brain warned her that this relationship was still too new and could be sensitive to such outbursts. Hence she controlled herself, and nodded, “thike.”

Elated he smiled, but she didn’t return it. Rohan tried not to feel disheartened, recalling his bhai’s words about how he needed to be the calm and level-headed one. Not sure of where to take her, he walked with her to the lake, and spotted a small restaurant selling local chaats. Remembering her love for pani-puri, he took her there, and asked, “kya logi? Jaanta hun abhi khana khaya hai, par kuch toh order karna padega.”

She quickly scanned through the small menu, and ordered a dahi-papdi chaat. Then she crossed her arms and waited, not saying one single word. He gulped, forgetting all the pretty sentences he had framed, and simply confessed, “hum kal raat ko bahar nahi gaye the.”

A raised eyebrow was her only reaction. Beneath the table his hands trembled, “please Preeti, kuch toh bolo.”

She scowled, “ab tak tumne kuch aisa bola nahi jiska jawaab deneki mujhe zarurat lage.”

The sweaty palms in the cold weather was new to him, “main woh… mera matlab hum log sab…” Closing his eyes he blurted in one breath, “hum log room me sharab pee rahe the.”

Preeti gasped, suddenly standing up so quickly that her chair clattered on the ground. Rohan tried to hide his trembling as he stood up, and urgently said, “mujhe pata hai tum kya soch rahi ho, par please ek mauka do sab bataneka. Uske baad tum jo chaho woh mujhe manzoor hoga.”

She breathed heavily, unsure what to do, but recalled how Naina always trusted Sameer. Rohan steadied her chair for her, and she sat again, trying to keep her temper in check. He explained how Pandit had proposed to drink whisky, how he had been unsure, how Sameer had said that it was upto him to decide what he wanted to do, “mujhe kuch samajh nahi aa raha tha… par fir aisa laga ke tum kitni cheerful aur confident ho, aur main ekdum simple aur boring. Life me kabhi kuch naya try nahi kiya, hamesha timetable ke hisaab se chala, aur itni bhi himmat nahi kar paa raha ke tumko apne dil ki baat batau. Isiliye socha ke thodi toh daring karu, aur… haan keh diya.”

She waited for a moment, and then sarcastically asked, “bahot mazaa aaya hoga na?”

He shrugged, “pata nahi. Ajeeb taste tha, aur jalan yaad hai. Uske baad kuch yaad nahi. Bhai ne aaj subah uthaya tab sir me dard tha… umm… ab tak hai thoda toh.”

A sardonic smile curved her lips, “toh sir daba du? Ya galaa?”

He felt defeated, waiting to speak as a man served the chaat at their table. However before he could speak, Preeti started adding the different chutneys to the chaat, and he noticed that she added a lot of tamarind chutney, “aree yeh kya kar rahi ho. Itna imli daalogi toh zyada khatas ho jayegi.”

She plonked the small bowl on the table, “wahi… wahi samajhne ki zarurat hai tumko. Hum dono ne abhi abhi toh baat karna shuru kiya hai… rishta kya hai yeh bhi pata nahi… aur tum itna bada jhooth kaise bol sakte ho mujhse? Ek baar bhi nahi socha ke jab sach pata chalega tab kya hoga? Kal main kamre me Swati aur Naina ke saath hote hue bhi yahi sochti rahi ke pata nahi tum kaha ho… Mummy-Papa nahi the toh mujhe laga hum sab saath honge, ya fir kamsekam hum dono thoda waqt saath bitayenge. Lekin tumko toh mujhse zyada sharab peene me dilchaspi thi… oh sorry sorry… kya kaha tumne… haan…. kuch naya try karne me interest tha. Itna hi naya try karna tha toh mujhse apni dil ki baat keh dete, woh bhi naya hi hota shayad. Rishta shuru toh hua nahi Rohan, lekin khatas pehle hi aa gai usme.”

She was hurt, he had hurt her. His cheerful Preeti was no longer smiling, in fact hadn’t smiled or laughed since morning. And it was all because of his stupidity. The realization almost shattered him, but still he tried. Lifting the bowl of sweet chutney he added some in the chaat, “rishta hai Preeti… chahe hum dono ne ek dusre se kuch kaha ho ya nahi, rishta toh hai aur yeh baat tum bhi jaanti ho. Rahi baat khatas ki, toh hum dono chahe toh meethas wapas ghol sakte hai.” He paused, nervously swallowing, and then confidently looked up at her, “I love you Preeti.”

Her heart lurched, a sudden dizzy sensation making her grip the chair tightly, and even though she wanted to hold on to her anger, her heart seemed to melt on hearing the words that she had so anxiously waited for even since the beginning of the trip. She didn’t know what to do, how to react. For a moment she felt as if she had landed in some totally unknown territory, and it frightened her. He was staring at her hopefully, waiting… but she didn’t know how to say the words back. Was it okay to forgive? Was it okay to just simply say that she too loved him? What would happen then? Unlike her hair dressing classes, there was no manual here that she could follow, that would detail out the next steps for her. Everything was unknown and she didn’t even know why she felt scared.

He had been waiting for her to say something, or at least smile to acknowledge his confession, but she looked positively terrified and shifted her eyes away from him. And just at that simple action of hers, the pain hit him unexpectedly, as if his heart was being torn away from his body. Bhai had been right – mera yakeen maano uss pal jo taklif hoti hai na woh tum nahi jhel paoge – he thought dimly, through the pain that was even more severe than any physical injury.

Preeti tried to calm her breathing and looked back at him, horrified to see a tear roll down his cheek. She forgot all her apprehensions and reservations, and placed her hand on his, “Rohan… I love you too.”

He gasped, not quite sure that he heard right, “kya?”

She chuckled, suddenly feeling confident of herself, “dusri baar sunne ka achcha trick hai. Chalo pehli baar hai isiliye bol deti hun wapas… I love you too.”

The surrounding noises faded, the air seemed to lift around him, the sound of her small chuckle piercing through the ice that had encased his heart, and the pain suddenly disappeared as he started to breathe again. His hand turned beneath hers, and he clasped her fingers, “I am so sorry Preeti… aage se kabhi jhooth nahi bolunga. Kabhi kuch nahi chupaunga tumse. I really really love you a lot.”

She blushed, smiling wholeheartedly again, and recalling how Naina had mentioned that once the man decided never to hide, he would always bare his heart to her. Well… she had received this promise already, and the sincerity in his voice told her that he was indeed going to fulfill this promise. Chattering non-stop, feeling energized, they polished off the extra sour, slightly sweet chaat, adding lot of spicy chutney in it too, all the flavours mixing together to form a delicate balance that made the taste just about right. And their hands remained linked as they together stepped into a sour-sweet-spicy relationship.

On the other side of the market, near the teddy bear stalls, Munna also decided to confess to Swati even though Pandit adviced against it. “Nahi yaar Ponga”, Munna sighed, “batana toh padega. Meri hi akkal maari gai thi jo itna bada jhooth bola. Sameer thik keh raha tha kal, pehle ki baat kuch aur thi, aur ab haalaat alag hai. Mujhe samajhna chahiye tha.”

Pandit faceplamed, “thike toh jaa chad jaa suli pe. Achcha hua meri zindagi me koi ladki nahi hai, warna main bhi aish karna bandh kar deta. Tu jaa apne frock wale Pandit ke paas, main chala samosa khane.”

Swati was browsing through the glittering offerings at a small custom jewellery stall. Munna went up to her and pointed out one, “yeh wala achcha dikhega tumpe.”

She glanced at him for a moment, and then turned away starting to leave from there. He kept pace, walking exactly behind her. This continued for ten minutes, and as they reached a small secluded patch of road that led up to the mountains, she irritatedly blurted, “kyun peeche peeche ghum rahe ho?”

He smiled, “aee pandat… main toh hamesha se hi tere peeche ghumta hun.”

Her eyes widened fractionally at his tone. It was so rare of him to use that tone these days that it never failed to charm her, and this time too she started to soften, but then remembered how he had lied to her, “Pandit nahi Swati… aur mere peeche ghumna bandh karo. Warna shor machake sabse pitwa dungi.”

“Toh kar le”, he still continued in the same tone knowing exactly how much she loved it, “main toh hun hi tera bandar… tu jaisa bolegi waisa karunga, jo sazaa degi jhel lunga, par tera peecha nahi chodunga.”

She crossed her arms, “mera bandar mujhse jhooth nahi bolta.”

He made a grumpy expression, “maaf kardena yaar… aage se kabhi aisi galti nahi hogi.”

She thought about it for a moment, then put forth the condition, “pehle sach bolo, fir sochungi.”

He sighed, guilty and tired, dragging his hands over his face, the headache still bothering him, “maine sharab pee kal. Pandit Mumbai se leke aaya tha.”

Her mouth fell open in shock, “tum… tum bahar nahi gaye the?”

He shook his head, “nahi. Kamre me hi the. Jaanta hun bahot bada jhooth bola… bina bataye sharab bhi pee. Par uss waqt socha hi nahi. Gadha hun main… Sameer ne kaha tha ke school ki baat aur thi aur abhi baat alag hai, par fir bhi. Usne toh nahi peeya Naina ke liye. Par main samajh nahi paaya ke mujhe bhi wahi karna chahiye tha. Sorry.”

The silence stretched, as she struggled to digest what he had confessed, and wondered what to do now. It had never come down to this in their relationship. Usually she was the one who made mistakes, but Munna would always forgive her sooner or later. She had never faced a moment before this where she needed to judge him for his mistake. He was always… so thoughtful, so perfect… she realized how he always tried to make her happy, make her smile, and had made so many changes in himself for her… just for her. So he had a moment last night, he was not her thoughtful boyfriend, but then… had he done something drastically wrong? She knew drinking was bad, but it wasn’t like he drunk alcohol everyday. And he had confessed so simply, not even beating around the bush or trying to distract her. Yes, it had hurt her as he had lied to her, but she should not forget all those years when in her ignorance and arrogance she had also hurt him. Caught in the internal struggle, her right hand went up to the small diamond ring gleaming on her left hand, and she rotated it without even registering her action.

Munna observed her lost in thoughts as she waited for his verdict, but his gaze was diverted to her hands suddenly and something jerked inside him on noticing the ring on her finger. Elated and scared at the same time he held her hand and picked it up, “tumne yeh ring kab pehni? Yahan… aise…”

Swati stared at her own hand, then slowly admitted, “mandir aa rahi thi na, toh socha pehen leti hun. Saath me bhagwaanji ki pooja karne wale the toh laga kya pata aashirwaad mil jaaye aur gharwalo ko manana aasan ho jaaye.”

Tears swam in his eyes at her gesture. She had been angry on him and yet she had worn the ring which was a proof of their relationship. She had been thinking of their future, of spending their life together, and here he had been so thoughtless leaving her for the whole evening yesterday without even having the courtesy of informing her. She must have felt so left out, and so worried about him, and on top of that he had lied to her this morning. But still… still she had been considerate and so thoughtful, so loving.

Overwhelmed, and not caring about who saw them, he simply pulled her in his arms, “I am sorry… maaf karde apne bandar ko.”

She hesitated for the briefest moment, before giving in and softening in his arms, wrapping her own hands around him, “koi baat nahi. Kabhi kabhi ho jaata hai.”

He tightened his hold, and shook his head, “nahi… aage se kabhi nahi hoga. Main kabhi tumse kuch nahi chupaunga.”

She smiled, fondly recalling how right Naina had been. A little trust and adjustment was all that was needed. He drew back and looked at her, charmed by the small smile on her lips. Caught up in the moment, he leaned forward, pausing only for a second too make sure she was okay before he dropped a soft lingering kiss on her forehead. She blushed, as much because of his action, as with the recollection of her recent knowledge about intimacy from her friend. He pulled back further, and grinned, “aree main chudiyan laaya tha tumahre liye, laal rang ke.”

She glanced at the bangles he offered, and then looked up at him again, “laaye ho toh pehna bhi do.”

The afternoon sun shone bright on them as he slowly slid each bangle on her wrist, finally holding her hands and kissing over the ring on her fingers.

Meanwhile in the market, Naina had finished her shopping, and kept all the bags inside the bus so that she didn’t need to carry them during the boat ride. But when she came out of the bus Sameer was nowhere to be seen. She was wondering where did he go, and had just started to worry when suddenly she heard two rings of cycle bell nearby. Turning back, a surprised smile bloomed on her face on seeing Sameer riding a cycle towards her. Where did he get that, she wondered. She tilted her head, staring at him, dressed in that jeans and shirt she had gifted, the boyish grin on his face, the wind-blown hair that always caused some fluttering in her stomach. He came to a halt in-front of her, and she grinned, “yeh cycle kahan se mila?”

He shrugged, “usse kya farq padta hai… main toh soch raha tha ki…”, he trailed off gesturing her with a slight motion of his head and eyes to sit behind him.

Her gaze softened at his demand. Sometimes he could be so simple and yet so charming, she thought. This was the man, who could demand so much from her just by kissing her, and this was the man who demanded every right from her, and yet sometimes this very same man put forth the simplest of demands she could ever imagine. She eyed the cycle, and smiled, shaking her head in a no. He immediately pouted; a pleading expression she could never resist. She laughed softly, and then lifting one of his hands from the handle she slid beneath his arm and sat side-faced on the front bar of the cycle. He looked down at her surprised, and she looked up at him her head brushing against his shoulder. Oh wow… this was so much better, he grinned pleased. Placing his hand back on the handle, he encased her in his arms, and started pedaling.

Bela and Anand stood outside a shop, and watched the cycle cross them, but both Naina and Sameer were oblivious of their surroundings. Anand watched, craning his neck, as Sameer cycled up a long stretch of road. Bela noticed this and tugged on his arm, “chodiya na ji. Chaliye hum ice-cream khate hai. Tab tak bachche aa jayenge, fir hum naav ki savari karenge.”

Anand smiled, amazed by how quickly his wife accepted the closeness of Sameer and Naina, and all because he had reassured her. He held her hand, “thike, konsa wala logi?”

She fidgeted with her dupatta, trying to come to terms with the fact that her husband was holding her hand in a market full of people, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye, mujhe to chaaclate hi pasand hai.”

He chuckled, “mujhe bhi. Chalo khate hai.” The early afternoon spun away, the glittering gold highlighting the tranquil waters of the lake, and Bela received yet another surprise when Anand ordered just one ice-cream to share.