Always and Forever
Part - 35: Loving. Caring. Sharing.

The dark velvet of night sky was sprinkled with millions of stars and the quarter moon hung lazily. As his lips sipped from hers, she opened her eyes once, the glaze of passion made the stars look as if they were in motion. The sky might have looked like this every day for centuries, yet today she mused how it was witnessing her dream, her love… Her eyes shifted to his face shadowed in the dark, the moonlight highlighting his chiseled features in a silvery glow, and she smiled into the kiss, dipping her hands into his wind tousled hair, sinking into him.

Sameer panted for breath when they parted, “aaj bahot mood me lag rahi ho?”

She hid her face in the crook of his neck, and even in the darkness he knew she was blushing. He held her with one hand, and leaned to grab the coffee cup… he didn’t need it, but why let good coffee go waste. So he took a sip, and then offered it to her, “yeh lo… warna thandi ho jayegi.”

She didn’t try to straighten from his arms, she was much too comfortable, and accepted the cup from his hand. They shared the coffee in silence, with him rubbing her arm to ward off the chill. She asked about his work, and he told her about the deal. When he asked about her shopping, she answered briefly and then distracted him, “kitne sawaal puchte ho… itni raat ko chat pe sawaal-jawaab karne aaye ho?”

He laughed softly, and then pulled her closer, “nahi… main toh bas…” Inside the blanket his hand slid over her body, dipping beneath the night suit top, and flattened over her belly. She shifted, trying to adjust her position, moving closer.

He was puzzled, “kya hua? Gudgudi ho rahi hai?”

She smiled, “nahi… lekin zameen pe aise bethe hai na… pillow laana yaad nahi raha.”

He tilted his head considering the situation, and then wrapped his arms around her, smoothly lifting her onto his lap. She shrieked, “kya kar rahe ho?”

“Pillow se zyada achchi jagah de raha hun”, he replied.

She chuckled, adjusting herself comfortably, “umm… aur ab?”

He rubbed his nose with her, “jo tum chaho.”

She wanted a lot of things, and so she cupped his face, her fingers behind his ears half in his hair, and her thumbs rubbing his jawline, she tilted his face up, and kissed him as if she was starved for the taste of him. There was no soft brushing of lips like she usually did, rather she nipped on his lower lip making him hiss, and took the immediate opportunity to slip her tongue inside, making him forget everything. He hummed in approval, opening his mouth further to let her deepen the kiss, and his hand again dipped inside her top, cupping her breast. His thumb unerringly found her nipple, even over her bra, and he rubbed, feeling fascinated at how quickly it hardened. She shuddered in his hold, and her felt her thighs clench.

His lips moved to shower hot quick open mouthed kisses over her throat, and beneath her top his skillful hand pulled down once cup of her bra, eager for the feel of her. However, just as his callused warm palm covered her naked breast, she moaned aloud. He immediately withdrew his mouth, and whispered, “Naina… shsh… itni zor se awaaz karogi toh Rohan aur Preeti ko pata chal jayega.”

She huffed, “jaise ki unhe kuch pata hi nahi chala jab tumne unko jaaneko kaha.”

He couldn’t stop dropping quick kisses on her neck and shoulder, “hmmm… lekin phir bhi main chahunga ke yeh sab private rahe.”

She tilted her head further to give him better access to her throat, “phir toh rehne hi do… kyunki mujhe toh pata hi nahi chalta ke main kab awaaz kar rahi hun.”

He pulled back and frowned, “aise kaise pata nahi chalta? Awaaz khud kar rahi ho toh pata toh chalega na.”

She rolled her eyes, and shifted aside a bit, determined to explain. Capturing his lips in another kiss, she lifted the hem of his pullover and slid her hand inside to stroke his chest. A small hum sounded in the back of his throat, and she moved from his lips to his jaw and then to this throat; and her small palm covered his right pectoral muscle, her thumb moving over his coin like nipple. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned aloud; she lifted her head and stared at his face, “toh… ab kon awaaz kar raha hai?”

He opened his eyes, confused… but soon he understood what she had done, and spoke in a mischievous tone, “aisa kiya kya maine? Firse batao toh, ek do demo chahiye hoga shayad.”

She chuckled and continued caressing his chest, her lips moving hot and slow over her neck. His breathing accelerated, stomach contracted, and soon very soon he felt as if he would forget the world around them… but he couldn’t… they weren’t alone, and even if they were he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop if he started. So it was better that they didn’t start… A taste of her always made him crave for more and more, and that right now was like a bitter-sweet fruit that he couldn’t afford to cherish. He held her tight and tilted backwards until he was lying on the blanket, and adjusted the remaining portion of blanket so that they were wrapped up in a warm cocoon.

“Tum aise kaise letoge? Sir me lagega”, she protested.

He shook his head, “kuch nahi hoga… waise bhi puri raat nahi ruk sakta na… thodi der ki baat hai bas.”

Her hand was still inside his pullover, and her fingers threaded through his chest hair, “kaash ruk paate…”

He kissed her forehead, “kal subah aaunga na wapas… trip ke baad pehli baar tumse milne.”

She laughed at this, “haan… yaad rakhna padega ke pehli baar hai. Aur Preeti ko bhi bolungi muh bandh rakhe apne, warna kuch na kuch bol hi degi.”

At the mention of his saali, he glanced around, and then asked in a conspiratorial tone, “woh dono hai kahan? Kya lagta hai tumhe… woh dono bhi aise…”

Naina giggled, “Nahi… abhi waqt hai unn dono ko… mere hisaab se toh dono baate kar rahe honge… Rohan shiqayat kar raha hoga ke Preeti ne usko maggi nahi khilai, aur Preeti kahegi tum bachche ho kya. Aur dono wahan, uss chote wale terrace ke wahan honge… udhar maine aur Preeti ne kuch paudhe lagaye hai.”

He grinned, “matlab Laila-majnu ko romance sikhne me aur time lagega… afsos iske baad toh Rohan ko akele aana padega balcony ya chhat pe… Kyunki meri Naina toh mere paas hogi, mere saath, hamare ghar me.”

She hummed in approval of his thoughts, but her body had a mind of its own… His warmth, the feel of his skin against her hand, his masculine fragrance, everything teased her. Lying like that on top of him she could feel his response too, which didn’t make things easy for her. Sameer noticed how she kept fidgeting every other minute, and understood how she was feeling… unfulfilled just like him… craving for more, feeling the need for more… yet helpless to do anything more. He wished and wondered if he could do something to provide her the relief her body was craving for… they can’t make love… but maybe… maybe with his fingers… He knew he could do it, and maybe once he started he would figure out the technique and style too… But, he didn’t want her first time to be like this… On the terrace, with nothing but a blanket to lie on, hiding from everyone, no freedom to do what she wants or make sounds… and most importantly he didn’t want her first time to be with his fingers. He had waited so long… They had waited so long… They both deserved the first time to be… to be… he didn’t have words to describe the emotions he felt every time he thought of their first time… but he supposed along with it being pleasurable, it would also mean a lot to both of them… it would be something pure, something primal, something that would bind their relationship of many years for eternity, a bond of not just body but their soul too.

Hoping to calm her down, he gently rubbed her back. When he tried to pull her hand out from under his pullover, thinking that touching him like that wouldn’t really ease her, she resisted, muttering that she liked it. Well… he liked it too, so he let her be. He stroked her hair, nuzzling her forehead, and whispered, “main promise karta hun Naina… Shaadi ke baad kabhi aisa feel nahi hoga tumhe.”

She lifted her head to look at him, and asked, “tumko pata hai mujhe kya ho raha hai?”

He nodded, “haan… kyunki mujhe bhi wahi ho raha hai.”

Her brows furrowed as she thought that Sameer was also feeling this incredible wanting, this yearning for more, this frustration at not being able to attain something, the feeling that there was something… something really ecstatic round the curve which they were not able to reach to. And for a moment she wished that he could reach it, that his body wouldn’t feel so tormented, that there was some way to satisfy his need… But then… they both wanted to wait for that first night… so, if she was feeling tormented then it was only fair that he too felt the same, after all he was the one to introduce her to all these unknown unbelievable incomprehensible sensations. Therefore, she put her head back on his chest, and muttered, “achcha hai… main akele kyun bhugtu.”

A deep chuckle rumbled through his chest, and he tightened his arms around her, “so jao thoda… main utha dunga.”

She closed her eyes, and fell asleep so quickly that it seemed as if her body was waiting for his permission to sleep. He felt her breath on his neck, her hand small and warm on his chest, and felt amused as he thought that the woman had no idea how much torture she has put him through all these years with her sweet voice, her habit of biting her lip, her each innocent look and question… And she still tortured him with the acknowledgment of her own sensuousness, her new knowledge of intimacy shining in her eyes, her suggestive talks, leading questions, innocent touches and bold advances. He almost shivered with anticipation and delight as he realized that he could easily look forward to more and more of this in next many many years. God… He loved her so much!

With these thoughts swirling around his head, he dozed off… By the time he woke up again two hours had passed. He checked the time, it was thirty minutes to four, time to leave, but still he stayed like that for some time enjoying the feel of her on top of him. She was deeply asleep, totally comfortable; he had never imagined that he could serve so well as a mattress. He chuckled at that thought, and she stirred. He wondered if he should say something, let her know it was him… but before he could decide, she took a deep breath and murmured, “Sameer…”

Amused, he queried, “neend se uthte hi kaise pata chal gaya ke main hun?”

She lifted her head, trying to adjust her eyesight to look at him, “tumhari smell se.”

He frowned, “Naina… main nahake aaya hun… kamsekam aisa toh mat bolo ke badboo aa rahi hai.”

She chuckled, “badboo nahi… tumhari smell… alag hai.”

“Ohh”, he understood, she had a unique fragrance too… He supposed every human being had it, though why he had never noticed this thing he didn’t know. Gently stroking her hair, he said, “jaaneka waqt ho gaya hai.”

She sighed, “thike… lekin kal jaldi aana.”

He grinned, “yes madam… ab jaane se pehle ek aur kiss milegi.”

She smiled and reached up to fulfill his wish. As her tongue tangled with his, her body molded to his, he sighed in pleasure, thinking that he could easily agree to be her mattress for the whole life.

As she folded the blanket, Sameer suddenly remembered something he had to tell her, and exclaimed, “aree Naina suno… ek baat batana toh bhul hi gaya.”

She brushed her clothes, making sure everything was alright, “kya?”

He helped her with the tiffin boxes, “maine mobile kharida hai naya. Kal connection shuru ho jayega, fir sabse pehle tumko call karunga.”

“Wow”, she grinned, “konse color ka hai? Aur sach me itna chota sa hai jaisa TV me dikhate hai?”

He laughed, “haan… pocket me aa jaata hai. Aaj tumse milne ki jaldi me yaad nahi raha warna leke aata.”

“Koi nahi”, she assured, “kal leke aana. Sabko dikhana.”

He nodded, and then went off to find Preeti and Rohan. Just before they turned into the small terrace, Sameer stopped, slightly uncomfortable, “umm… Naina… tumhe yaqeen hai ke woh dono kuch… mera matlab… main aise dekhna nahi chahta.”

Naina was sure, but still even she stopped… she didn’t think that they would be up to anything, but who could guess for sure. Preeti knew that she and Sameer at least kissed each other, so maybe she could have thought that it was okay to do it. And even if not kissing, what if they had hugged and fell asleep… It seemed like intruding in their personal space.

She thought about it, and then muttered, “idea.”

Picking up a small pebble from the nearby flower pot, she aimed it around the turn. There was no response. She tried again… after the fourth pebble, there was a soft shriek, and Naina recognized the voice. She called out softly, “Preeti…”

“Naina, paththar kyun fek rahi hai”, she grumbled, “seedhe se aake utha nahi sakti.”

Sameer and Naina looked at each other, almost on the verge of laughing, and they turned into the terrace to find Preeti sitting up yawning, and Rohan cuddled in half the blanket leaning on the wall beside her.

“Tum dono bethe-bethe so gaye the?”, Sameer asked in disbelief.

Preeti shrugged, “Naina laai bhi toh do hi kambal. Ek kambal leke aur kaise sote jijaji…”

Sameer stammered, “aaah… ummm…. Jaane do”

Naina giggled, “chal ab Rohan ko utha. Inn logo ke jaane ka waqt ho gaya hai.”

Preeti shook Rohan softly, calling out his name. But when he didn’t respond, she shook harder, “Rohan… utho…”

“Aah”, Rohan jerked, “kya hua… Preeti… kya kar rahi ho?”

Preeti yawned, “utha rahi hun… Jijaji bula rahe hai… ghar jao.”

Sameer couldn’t stop the soft laughter that escaped from his mouth, he leaned towards Naina and whispered, “tum theek keh rahi thi… abhi waqt lagega inn dono ko.”

Rohan stood up, and then helped a still yawning Preeti, and sighed. Naina shook her head, and pulled Sameer aside, “chalo hum udhar wait karte hai.”

Rohan watched his Bhabhi drag his bhai away, and mentally thanked her once again. He glanced at Preeti who was now folding the blanket, and smiled, “Preeti…”

“Hmmm”, she mumbled without looking at him.

He quickly grabbed her hand, “I love you”, and dropped a soft kiss on the back of her palm. Preeti gasped, but before she could respond, he fled from there afraid of his girlfriend’s reaction. Reaching Sameer, he grabbed his hand, “bhai… chalo.”

“Par Preeti…”, Sameer objected.

Rohan dragged him away, “aa jayegi… aap chalo na mere saath.”

Naina coverer her mouth with her palm to stop her laughter, wondering what Rohan had done to flee like this. Sameer quickly wished bye to Naina, and the brothers disappeared down the stairs. Naina went to look for Preeti, and found her standing like a statue, staring at her hand.

“Preeti…”, she called out, “tu theek hai na.”

Preeti shook her head, “Rohan… usne… usne mujhe kiss kiya.”

Naina almost giggled, but controlled, “kya? Kiss kiya… kahan?”

“Kahan matlab?”, Preeti frowned, “abhi yahan… aur kahan?”

Naina shook her head, “Preeti… kahan matlab… gaal pe, haath pe… ya fir…”

Preeti gasped, “kuch bhi mat soch… haath pe kiss kiya.”

“Toh…”, she queried, “tune kya kiya?”

“Huh”, Preeti frowned, “kuch nahi… Rohan bhaag gaya.”

Naina laughed, “jaane de… chal niche jaate hai. Bartan bhi dhone hai.”

They went downstairs and sneaked inside. Naina quickly went to the balcony once to see if she could spot Sameer and found him on his bike, with Rohan, at the society gate. He was waiting for her. She grinned and waved, he waved back, and then left from there. Naina helped Preeti in cleaning everything, and then wiped all the vessels, keeping them at proper place, and also cleaning the kitchen countertop so that Chachiji won’t spot anything in morning.

As they went inside their room, Naina lay down, but Preeti was now wide awake. Even though she had washed utensils which meant her hand was washed, she felt as if she could still feel Rohan’s lips on her skin. She frowned, trying to put the feeling in order, give it some name… but she failed to do so. Naina turned to her side and saw her sister still sitting up and staring at his hand, and softly enquired, “Preeti… sona nahi hai?”

Preeti nodded and lay down, then unable to hold it she asked, “tujhe sunke ajeeb nahi laga ke Rohan ne mujhe kiss kiya?”

Naina understood her confusion, and tried to explain, “tujhe pata hai main paththar kyun fek rahi thi? Kyunki mujhe aur Sameer ko laga ke hum tum dono ki privacy ko disturb kar rahe hai. Hamari nazro me tum dono ab ek couple ho, isiliye ek hi cup me coffee diya tumhe… aur Rohan khana bhi share karna chahta tha, jaise main Sameer ko khila rahi thi waise… Rahi baat kiss ki, toh tujhe galat laga kya?”

Preeti shook her head, “nahi… galat nahi. Lekin tu aur jijaji yeh share karna, aur yeh sab… kitne saalo baad.”

Naina chuckled, “ek dusre ka jhootha toh hum school se kha rahe hai… lekin haan, baat kiss tak pahonchne me bahot waqt laga… Lekin Preeti, jab main kehti thi yeh sab shaadi ke baad, tab tu hi toh mujhse puchti thi ke main Sameer pe zulm kyun kar rahi hun.”

Preeti smiled, “haan… tab asaan lagta tha kehna… Ab khud pe baat aai hai toh samajh aa raha  hai.” She looked at her hand again, and mumbled, “tujhe bhi aisa hua tha kya?”

Naina smiled, recalling the first time Sameer had held her hand, “waqt beet jaane pe bhi aisa lagta hai jaise ab tak us ehsaas ko mehsoos kar paa rahe ho… tabhi toh jab Sameer ne mera haath pehli baar pakda tha main uss haath ko dho bhi nahi rahi thi.”

Preeti frowned, and then gasped, “aur… aur maine toh dho liya… woh bhi bartan dhone ke sabun se.”

Naina laughed, “koi baat nahi… Rohan ko jaankar khushi hogi ke tujhe koi problem nahi hai, aur woh wapas kiss kar dega.”

Preeti blushed, and pulled up the blanket to cover her head, making her sister laugh again. They fell asleep slowly, unaware of the dawn breaking far away on the eastern horizon.

Next morning the sisters were woken up by persistent knocking on their door by Chachiji. Naina jerked upright and quickly opened the door, only to be greeted by Bela’s surprised voice, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye beta, aaj tu bhi so rahi hai?”

Naina yawned, “sorry Chachiji… aankh nahi khuli.”

Bela clucked her tongue and moved to wake up Preeti, who mumbled in her sleep, “Naina sone dena… Kal puri raat bethe bethe soyi hun.”

Bela looked confused, “yeh kya bol rahi hai?”

Naina stammered, “ah… woh… Chachiji kal… kal na hum baate kar rahe the toh letna bhul gaye… aisai bethe bethe so gaye.”

“Bhgawaan jhuth na bulaye, Preeti toh thi hi pagal, tu bhi shuru ho gai”, Bela slapped her forehead, “teri shaadi hone wali hai ab, aisi harkate bandh kar… warna damadji bolenge kis pagal se pyaar kar liya. Chal ab nahake taiyar ho jaa, aaj damadji aane wale hai… yaad hai na?”

Naina grinned, “ji Chachiji. Aap chaliye, main nahake fir Preeti ko jaga dungi.”

Bela left from there telling her to hurry. Naina took a quick bath, recalling the moments of previous night, and their conversation about smell. She giggled as she thought how he had thought she was commenting on bad smell from his body. He never smelled bad, she thought. And at night, every time she had been with him, he had a clean healthy smell, the fragrance of soap mixed with his own unique scent. It always made her want to bury her face in his neck and take a deep breath. She lathered herself with soap, and wondered how she smelled, she didn’t have a habit of taking a bath every night, she did that only in summers. But then… all those time at night, how had he found her smell to be… and he had kissed her, umm… even her body, especially in Mt. Abu. And she had not even thought of washing off the dirt and grime of whole day. She wrinkled her nose… Thank God it was so cold in Mt. Abu that she had not sweat at all. Maybe she should start taking a bath at night… After all, they would probably make love every night after marriage. Did he also brush at night? She didn’t know… but she could start doing that as well. She imagined Sameer’s reaction on suddenly finding out that she had started to take a bath at night, and bit her own lip, hiding her face in the towel to hide her blush.

She dressed up in a light pink salwar-kameez knowing how much he liked this color, and then woke up Preeti almost pushing her in the bathroom. After carefully applying a bit of kajal, she slid bangles on her wrists and went outside to help Chachiji with breakfast. As it was Sunday, everyone was at home, and even Taiji was eating with them. Tauji had gone to meet a client of his for breakfast, and Rakesh had also left mumbling about some work. Naina could barely eat, trying to keep her excitement in control. Chachaji was looking through his diary, examining the list of pending work; Bela was talking something about lunch menu with Taiji who kept mumbling about knee-pain.

Just then the phone rang, and Naina didn’t even bother to be shy or behave normally, she literally pushed her chair away and rushed to pick up the phone, amidst the laughter of Preeti and Chachaji, while Taiji let out an “oh bai!” with a hand over her heart.

“Hello”, she breathed excitedly.

At the other end Sameer grinned, “hi sweetheart.”

“Tum ab tak ghar pe ho”, she huffed, “mujhe toh laga ke yahan jaldi aaoge.”

He laughed, “yeh suno…” She frowned as she could hear honks, some chattering, even a vegetable vendor hollering. He asked, “suna?”

She queried, “haan… par… kaise? Ghar ke wahan toh aisi awaaze nahi aati.”

He grinned, “haan… hamare ghar ke wahan bilkul nahi aati. Lekin main abhi raaste pe hun, drive kar raha hun.”

She was puzzled, “raaste se phone…”, she trailed off and then exclaimed, “ohhh!! Mobile! Chalu ho gaya?”

“Haan”, he announced proudly, “abhi abhi… aur sabse pehle tumhe call kar raha hun.”

She blushed, “abhi kahan ho? Kitni der aur?”

His laughter rang out again, “bas tumhare society ke liye jo gali me aana padta hai wahi se mud raha hun.”

She was about to tell him to disconnect the phone and focus on driving, but before she could say anything she heard him curse loudly. “Sameer…”, she called out hesitantly… And then there was a crackling sound, more curses, a thud, his shaky voice muttering of her name, a loud crash… and then silence…

It took a few seconds for Naina to understand what the sounds meant, and then she screamed, “Sameerrr…” Her legs gave out completely, she collapsed on the floor, still clutching the phone and calling out for him. She didn’t realize when everyone stood up and came to her, she didn’t know when Preeti shook her asking what had happened… She only heard when Chachaji asked, “kya hua Sameer ko?”

Naina looked up, her eyes wide and blank, “Sa…Sameer… Mob..mobile… accident…accident…”

There were shocked gasps and some quick prayers. Anand gulped, trying not to imagine anything, he cupped Naina’s face and gently asked, “Sameer ne kya kaha… kahan tha woh…”

Naina shuddered and gasped in shock, her face paled… A moment passed before Anand realized what he had said, and he hastily clarified, “nahi beta… mera woh matlab nahi tha. Kuch nahi hua Sameer ko. Mujhe yeh batao ke raste peh kahan tak pahocha hai woh, kuch bataya usne.”

Naina nodded, “gali ke mod pe.”

Anand queried, “hamare society ki gali wale?”

She nodded, and he immediately rushed outside. Naina sat there, her nerveless fingers somehow still holding the phone as if it was her lifeline. Bela got up to get some water, and Preeti tried to pry the phone away from her. When she didn’t leave it, Preeti said, “phone rakh de Naina. Agar papa ne ya jijaji pe phone kiya toh pata nahi chalega.”

That made her release the receiver, and together Preeti and Taiji pulled her to her feet. For some time it seemed even Taiji had forgotten to say anything harsh. But then slowly she started muttering about technology being the bane of human existence. Naina didn’t have any energy to react, her eyes kept moving from the clock to the phone and back. Each minute left her feeling hollow… five minutes… ten minutes… fifteen minutes… And she stood up, shakily walking towards the door.

“Oh bai”, Taiji caught her hand as she tried to walk past the dining table, “tu kahan chal di?”

Naina’s throat was dry, but she somehow managed to request, “Taiji… mujhe jaane dijiye… Sameer…”

Taiji adjusted her pallu, “neva! Ab bholuram sadak pe teri raah thodi na dekh raha hoga. Chup-chap beth yahin. Yaad nahi tujhe… ab shaadi tak kahin akele nahi jayegi.”

“Taiji main le jaati hun”, Preeti piped in.

“Bilkul nahi”, Taiji glared, “maine kaha tha na sirf kisi bade aur zimmedaar insaan ke saath. Tu dur dur tak zimmedaar nahi hai.”

Naina started to cry, trying to free her hand, “Taiji please…”

Chachiji also had tears in her eyes, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye bhabhiji, jaane dijiye na. Main saath chali jaati hun. Uski haalat toh dekhiye…”

Taiji kept a firm hold on Naina, “oh bai! Main kya dushman hun… mujhe fikar hai tabhi bol rahi hun ke ghar pe rahe… Bholuram ko kitni chot lagi hai, kya hua hai, hume kaise pata… Gaadi takrai hai, choti si baat nahi hai… aisi haalat me Naina usko naa hi dekhe toh achcha hai.”

Naina’s head spun, images of Sameer lying injured with blood on his face revolving around her eyes, and she whimpered, still trying to pull free. But Taiji’s hold was so strong that it left marks on her soft skin, and her hand started to pain as well, which she didn’t notice. There was a small noise near the door, and everyone looked towards it… Naina held her breath… but instead of Sameer, it was Tauji and her father who entered.

Tauji looked around at the small gathering, and enquired, “kya hua?”

Before Taiji could answer, Preeti spoke up quickly summarizing the situation, and pleading Tauji to take Naina with him. Naina kept begging, her cries increasing in intensity along with her attempts to pull free… Rakesh looked from one face to another, and then at his daughter who seemed to be on the verge of fainting, but still kept trying valiantly to escape the hold. He walked towards her, and removed her hand from Taiji’s hold, “main le jaunga Naina ko.”

The gratitude Naina felt in that moment for her father was so intense that she couldn’t voice out anything apart from a soft, “papa…”

Rakesh kept a firm hold on her arm, afraid that she will fall down if he left her, and tried to calm her, “bas ro mat aur… chal hum jaate hai.”

As they took a step towards the door, suddenly there was a small thudding sound, and Anand entered inside with his hand firmly holding Sameer’s forearm… There were multitude of reactions from everyone, but the most prominent was from Naina, who uttered a choking cry, disentangled herself from her father’s hand, and flew straight to Sameer, her arms wrapping around his waist as she sobbed on his chest.

Sameer stumbled at the force of her hug; almost teetering backwards on his heels, and gasped as he was still disoriented from the crash. He shook his head and looked down at her, and in less than a minute registered the situation… Naina was clinging to him, sobbing loudly, her body shaking… and it made him realize the scare she must have faced. His head was still spinning, his right leg throbbing, his shoulder was burning and hurting, but all that faded from his senses as he focused on the most precious person in his life. Removing his hand from Chachaji’s grip, he enclosed her in his arms, dipped his head, letting his cheek rest on her head and closed his eyes on a sighing breath.

It had been a scary situation for Sameer… One moment he had been happy, gushing over the phone with Naina, and the next moment a kid had suddenly ran in-front of his car while chasing a loose kite. He had swerved, barely avoiding hitting the kid, and then a vegetable vendor… A pole had loomed big and tall in-front of him and he had felt as if he was going to lose everything forever… He had only been able to think of Naina – her eyes, her smile, the feel of her in his arms… He must have taken her name, he was not sure… The car tyres had screeched as he had desperately tried to brake, there had been a stench of smoke, and the too strong realization of the approaching eternal blackness… A split second before his car had hit the pole, all he had wished for was Naina to be happy even if it was without him… and then there had been a loud crash, his head had hit the window glass, the mobile slipped from his hands, and then… nothing.

His next moment of consciousness had been when he had barely heard someone desperately pounding on the window, and then felt several pairs of hands pull him from the car… He had been lying on something hard, probably the road, when he had felt cool drops on water on his face. Groggily he had wondered if it was raining, and he had forced his eyes open… Amid the hazy blurry pool of face, a tensed familiar face was looking at him… His brain had registered that it was Chachaji, but all his mouth had been able to utter was a fading whisper, “Naina…”

Chachaji had helped him sit up, and gave him water. Then he had made him sit on a nearby bench for some time, until he was steady enough, and then he had hailed an auto to go home. It had been difficult to climb the stairs with a spinning head and hurting leg, but he had done it because somewhere he knew that Naina was waiting… And then finally, she was in his arms.

He held her as tight as possible, breathing in the fragrance of her shampoo, which was a welcome change after the acrid smell of smoke and rubber. None of them were bothered about the fact that they were hugging each other in-front of the whole family; in fact they didn’t even realize it was an anomaly. The need to be with each other, to assure each other was so strong, that they overlooked every other thing. He had really felt that today was the end… that he would die with the sound of her voice in his ears. Never had he felt such a fear… and now that he was with her again, he didn’t want to let go.

Chachaji, Chachiji and Preeti looked on at the couple with affectionate eyes, Rakesh watched them cling to each other and then lowered his gaze as if trying to give them privacy, Taiji stared with rounded eyes and signaled to her husband to separate them but he held his hands behind his back and looked away from his wife not wanting to interfere into Sameer Maheshwari’s matters.

Naina had stopped sobbing, but even she didn’t try to move away from him… after hearing the crash on the phone, and his desperate helpless murmur of her name, she had been too much in shock… Her heart had thudded with so much fear, her body almost numb… and her head spinning with too many scary images… All she had been able to think of was when Nanu had left them and she was not there for Sameer… and even today, she wasn’t there when he had called out for her… He needed her, and she wasn’t able to go. Her only assurance was that she was still breathing, which she strongly believed to be a signal of the fact that Sameer was also breathing somewhere… She firmly believed that if his breath had stopped, then so would hers, because there was nothing in her life without him, not even the urge to take the next breath…

The room revolved and blackness started to cloud around Sameer’s eyes, and he stumbled, still holding onto Naina. She gasped and tightened her hold, trying to balance him, “Sameer…”

“Main theek hun”, he croaked, but she could see he was not. With Chachaji’s help, she took Sameer to her room, and made him lie down on the bed.

Naina looked at Chachaji, “please doctor ko bulaiye na.”

Anand nodded and left to make a call, and Naina removed his shoes and socks, putting his legs properly on the bed. She moved up to sit near his waist, and stroked his hair. His eyes were closed, but he was murmuring her name. She threaded her fingers through his hair, and gently spoke, “shsh… main yahin hun Sameer.”

He calmed down on hearing her voice, and his chest surged on a deep shuddering breath… Naina kept caressing his face, his hair, trying to see where he was injured. She could see a cut on his forehead, not deep, and no longer bleeding, but there was a trail of almost dried blood on the side of his face. She had seen him limping, so obviously he had hurt his leg. She lifted his hands one by one, rolling up his shirt sleeves to check, but there wasn’t anything, just some scratches on his left hand. She placed her hand over his chest, feeling his heart beat, but as she caressed up to his shoulders, he flinched. Frowning, Naina parted the collar of his shirt to see, but even though he had two buttons open as usual she couldn’t see anything. Without the least bit of hesitation, she undid another few buttons, opening the shirt till his stomach, and parted the seams. There was an angry red bruise on his right shoulder and across his chest, and she gasped realizing how much it must be hurting him.

Fresh tears pooled in her eyes as she softly touched the bruise with her fingers, and he hissed in his half-conscious state. She pulled her hand away, closed the buttons she had opened, and covered him with a thin sheet. Bela came in to inform that the doctor would be here in few minutes, and she nodded, not budging an inch from his side. Sameer turned his head towards her touch as she kept caressing his hair.

The doctor came in another fifteen minutes, and while he was checking Sameer, Anand told Naina that he had called up Rohan. Naina nodded and asked if he was coming, though she knew the answer very well.

Anand replied, “haan… aur Sameer ke car ka bhi maine bataya usko, usne kaha ke insurance company ko call kar dega, aur sab sambhal lega.”

Naina again nodded, not much interested in the state of the car when her Sameer was still lying unconscious. Anand pulled out a polybag from his pocket, and handed it over to Naina, “beta… yeh Sameer ka mobile… tut gaya hai shayad. Uska wallet aur goggles bhi hai isme.”

She took the bag, somehow wanting to throw away the cursed mobile as she thought the accident happened because Sameer was distracted while talking to her. But before she could do anything, the doctor finished his check-up, and asked, “davai o ka kisko batau?”

Naina kept everything on the desk, and stepped up near the bed, “mujhe.”

The doctor nodded and started explaining, “sir pe chot lagi hai, maine dressing kar diya hai, lekin sirdard rahega kuch ghante. Paav pe bhi chot hai, daayaan paav thoda mud gaya hai… sek karte rehna kuch din, thik ho jayega. Abhi injection diya hai toh kuch der yeh so jayenge, lekin aap yeh davaiya mangva lijiye, isme waqt aur maatra likh diya hai maine.”

Naina looked through the prescription, and then got her purse to pay the bill. Chachaji didn’t object, for which she was grateful. It was her right to look after Sameer, and she might not be earning as much as him but still she could at least do basic things. Just as the doctor left, Rohan arrived, his face tensed. Bela guided him inside the room, and he saw his brother lying on the bed with Naina beside him. He slowly walked towards the bed, “bhabhi… bhai…”

Naina gave a small smile, “Sameer thik hai… Doctor abhi abhi gaye hai.”

Rohan nodded, “kuch chahiye?”

She handed over the prescription to him, “yeh davai laa doge? Filhaal doctor ne injection diya hai toh so rahe hai, par uthneke baad chahiye hogi.”

He pocketed the prescription, “main le aaunga. Aur car ka bhi intezaam karta hun… Aap bas bhai ka dhyan rakhna.” Before stepping out he turned once, “Bhabhi… umm… mummy ko bata de?”

Naina thought for a moment, “Sameer ko uth jaane do… Mummy ko pata chalega toh bahot chinta karegi, aur uspe agar Sameer se unki baat nahi ho paai toh aur pareshan ho jayengi.”

Rohan agreed that it was a good idea, and left from there.

It was an hour before Sameer woke up, and he blinked his eyes, wondering where he was. His foot throbbed reminding him of the accident, and then he realized there was someone’s hand in his hair… Naina… He smiled and looked to the side. She was leaning on the headrest, her legs tucked beneath her, and her eyes were closed as she had dozed off while watching over him. He reached up and touched her face, feeling the soft skin of her cheek. She stirred, “Sameer…”, and looked down at him.

Straightening up, she took hold of his hand, “uth gaye tum… kaisa lag raha hai? Bahot dard ho raha hoga na… Rohan gaya hai davai lene… Aa jayega…”

“Shsh…”, he interrupted, “dheere Naina. Main thik hun… tumko jo dekh liya.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes again, and he tugged at her hand… she obeyed the pull, shifting to sit sideways and knelt to keep her head on his left shoulder where she knew it won’t hurt him. He sighed, holding her, and then chuckled, “waise Naina… hum hamare ghar me nahi hai… fir bhi aise hug kar paa rahe hai… Accident ka fayda ho gaya.”

She sat up again, “chup… ulti-seedhi baate mat karo. Tumko pata hai main kitna ghabra gai thi. Aur tum… tumhe mazaak sujh raha hai.”

He looked at her for a moment, and then tried to sit up… she helped him immediately, and he enveloped her in a hug as soon as he was up. She tried to say something but it was muffled against his shoulder. He buried his face against her neck, and confessed, “darr toh main bhi bahot gaya tha Naina. Mujhe laga ab bas… sab kuch khatam.”

She stilled, and then after a moment caressed his back, “aise kaise khatam ho jaata… Ab tak toh hamari shaadi baaki hai…”

He hummed, “aur honeymoon bhi.”

A hiccupping little laughter escaped her, and she withdrew a bit, cupping his face she kissed his forehead. “I love you Sameer Maheshwari”, she whispered while peppering kisses over his face, “khabardaar jo aage se kabhi mujhe aise daraya toh.”

He soaked in the warmth of his love, his mind flashing back to his hostel days when he would be sometimes injured while playing or doing stunts, but there would be no one to soothe his wounds or worry for him. But ever since he had met Naina she had always been there to heal him, be it the wounds on his body or the wounds in his heart. She had felt each one of them along with him, and had healed them with her immense love.

She pulled back even more, and smiled, “main bahar sabko batati hun… Sab log pareshan the.”

He nodded and then asked, “achcha suno… Mera mobile haath se gir gaya tha… Chachaji ko mila kya.”

Naina folded her arms and scowled, “haan mila… aur shukkar manao ke maine phenk nahi diya use.”

He was puzzled, “phenkna kyun hai?”

“Usike wajah se tumhara accident hua”, she supplied, “dhyan baato me hoga tumhara aur…”

He shook his head as she trailed off, “nahi nahi… mobile pe baat karte hue bhi main dhyan de raha tha raste pe. Lekin achanak saamne ek chota bachcha aa gaya… kati hui patang ka peecha kar raha tha.”

She processed this new information, and growled in a vindictive voice, “kati patang… saare kati patang ko jala dena chahiye.”

He raised his eyebrows, and then laughed, “Naina… bekar ki cheezo pe dhyan mat do. Waise bhi Uttarayan hai, har jagah patang hogi. Tum nahi udaogi?”

She scowled, “mujhe nahi aata… aur tum bhi kaise  udaoge? Chot lagi hai…”

He grinned, “itni bhi nahi lagi ke do din me theek nahi hounga. Upar se iss baar toh tumhare saath rehneka mauka milega… toh aise kaise jaane du.”

A reluctant smile escaped her lips. Chachaji had proposed this idea of celebrating Uttarayan together, and that is why Rohan had also stayed back, eager to see this festival and of course spend time with Preeti as well. To be honest, Naina was also very excited; it would be their first festival with everyone. She asked him to rest and then went outside to let everyone know that Sameer was alright. When Rohan returned after doing proper arrangements of the car, and buying medicines, he hugged his brother so tight that Sameer yelped in pain.

“Oww Rohan”, Sameer groaned, “thoda kam pyaar kar.”

Rohan laughed, happy to see his brother all well again. Sameer was always so sure, so dependable, always there to solve problems that it had been somewhat shocking for Rohan to see him lying unconscious like that. But now finally his brother was okay again, and so he teased, “bhabhi gale lagti toh bhi kehte thoda kam pyaar karo?”

Sameer blushed and then whispered back with a smug expression, “kehta toh bhi tumhari bhabhi nahi rukti.”

Rohan’s eyes widened, and he laughed aloud, amazed at how happy his brother was at each moment just at the mention of his bhabhi. He had only heard of terms like match made in heaven, or soulmates, but looking at his bhai and bhabhi, he felt that all those cheesy mushy things people liked to say was indeed true.

Naina came in just then, and smiled on seeing the brothers, “kya baate kar rahe ho?”

Sameer bit his lip, and Rohan coughed, “umm… bhabhi… bhai bas aapki tareef kar rahe the.”

She understood that something was up, but didn’t pry further, rather she turned the tables, “shayad waise hi jaise Preeti kal raat ke tumhari tareef kar rahi hai?”

Rohan really coughed this time, his hand on his throat. Sameer frowned, “kya baat hai? Kuch aisa hai kya jo mujhe pata nahi…”

“B…bhai woh…”, Rohan stammered. But Naina interrupted, “haan haan… pucho zara apne ladle bhai se ke kal isne kya harkat ki.”

Rohan glanced towards the room door, “bhabhi please… koi sunn lega.”

Sameer asked again, “kya? Mujhe batao.”

Naina poured a glass of water from the jug she had kept on bedside table, and took out the medicines for Sameer, “hum soch rahe the inn dono ko bahot waqt lagega, lekin Rohan ko thodi jaldi hai.”

Sameer’s brow furrowed as he tried to understand, but then he caught up, and gasped, “kya? Sach me? Kab…? Humne toh dekha yeh log bethe bethe so rahe the?”

Naina rolled her eyes, and sat down next to him, handing him the glass of water, “dimag ke ghode thode kam daudao… Rohan ne sirf haath pe kiss kiya hai.”

Rohan blushed furiously, unable to believe that his bhai-bhabhi were openly discussing about him kissing Preeti. Sameer gulped down the medicines, and tempered his excitement a level down, “sirf haath pe… aur usime aise bhaag rahe the jaise pata nahi konsi race jeetni ho.”

“Bhai aap…”, Rohan stuttered, “aur bhabhi… please…”

Sameer and Naina looked at each other and laughed. Rohan nervously queried, “Preeti naraaz hai?”

“Bahot…”, Naina teased, “tabhi kitchen me tuver ki sabji banane ki koshish kar rahi hai.”

Rohan was puzzled, “huh… par tuver toh mujhe pasand hai.”

Sameer clucked his tongue and threw a pillow at his brother, “abey tubelight… Naina wahi toh keh rahi hai. Tumhare pasand ki sabji bana rahi hai, matlab naraaz nahi hai… apne raaste pe lage raho.”

“Ohh”, Rohan grinned, and he stood up to leave for the kitchen. Naina warned him, “ghar me nahi.”

Rohan smiled and nodded, before leaving and closing the door behind him. Sameer grabbed her hand and pulled her close, “hum toh ghar me kar sakte hai na?”

Naina smiled, “tumhe kab permission li hai aaj tak jo aaj le rahe ho.”

“Koi dekh lega toh?” He queried, but still cupped her face with one hand, and sealed their lips before she could reply.

She hummed and her hands fisted on his collar, her one finger dipping beneath it to touch his skin. The kiss was brief, but still calmed them both. After the scare they had went through it seemed they needed these brief moments. She dropped another quick kiss on his lips, and then drew back, “chalo khana kha lete hai.”

He nodded, and she helped him up from the bed. As they moved to the living room, he took full advantage of his condition to keep Naina close by him, his hand around her shoulders. He had this thought that her height made her the perfect crutch, but he didn’t voice it, afraid that Naina would pinch him.

Throughout lunch he couldn’t help but flinch repeatedly as his right shoulder and arm hurt courtesy the seatbelt. Finally, Naina sat next to him, and started to feed him much to his astonishment. He looked about once after accepting a bite from her hand, but everyone was eating or moving around business as usual. It seemed as if no one minded Naina feeding him, and so he relaxed, starting to enjoy this freedom.

After lunch, Naina called up Vishakha and told her about the accident. As expected she was frantic, but Naina calmed her down, “Sameer thik hai ab Mummy. Aap fikar mat kijiye. Lijiye main unhe phone deti hun.”

Sameer smirked as he took the phone, and mouthed, “unhe?”

She blushed and hit him softly, making him chuckle. He talked with his mother for some time, assuring her that he was alright, and not much injured. Later when Naina took the phone back, Vishakha was much calmer, “Sameer toh thik lag raha hai, tum kaisi ho? Mujhe pata hai tumhari haalat bhi kharab ho gai hogi accident ka sunke.”

Naina shuddered recalling the crash she had heard over the phone, but skipped the detail, and assured, “main ab thik hun.”

Vishakha understood that she had been scared but was not sharing details, probably because she didn’t want to remember anymore. So she changed the topic, sighed, “kaash main tum dono se mil paati.”

Naina immediately suggested, “aap aa jaiye na…”

“Ahmedabad?”, Vishakha queried, “abhi?”

Naina giggled, “abhi nahi mummy. Do din baad… Uttarayan hai na… Sab saath milke manane waale hai. Toh… aapke bina adhura hoga na.”

She looked back at Sameer as she said this, and he smiled, pride reflected in his eyes for the woman he was marrying. Naina not only valued family, but also understood the dynamics of family – Loving, Caring, Sharing – this was everything that Naina had taught him and surrounded him with. She loved him, and had taught him to love. She cared for him and had inadvertently increased the number of people in his life for whom he genuinely cared for. She shared her life with him, and taught him what it was like to actually have a family to share your joys and sorrows with. She was his family… his home… his world.

Vishakha thought about the offer and then said, “waise toh bahot kam time hai… lekin… main dekhti hun Vivek se baat karke.”

Naina smiled and added, “koshish kariye na… bahot mazaa aayega. Aur Deepika ko bhi leke aaiye. Khub masti karenge.”

Vishakha laughed and said she would let her know if she could come. As she kept the receiver down, Sameer scowled at her, “Deepika ko bulane ki kya zarurat thi?”

Naina laughed and poked him in the stomach, “chup… behen hai tumhari.”

“Sabse best wali”, Sameer agreed, “lekin yahan aati hai toh pure time tumse chipke rehti hai… aur mujhe dur rehna padta hai.”

She giggled, “achcha hi hai fir toh… warna tum uttarayan me patang pe kam dhyan doge, aur romance pe zyada.”

His eyebrow quirked, “usme kuch galat hai?”

“Tyohaar sabke saath manane ke liye hota hai”, she quipped, “akele romance karne ke liye nahi.”

“Achcha”, he tilted his head, and challenged, “dekhte hai fir toh ke iss Uttarayan kaun romance dhundta hai aur kaun tyohaar manata hai.”

Naina looked at his determined expressions and felt a thrill course down her spine. Uttarayan was already a season of crazy excitement for people living in Ahmedabad, and Sameer’s challenge had just increased the anticipation by several degrees. It looked like this Uttarayan was going to be very special.