Always and Forever Part 40: Transitions

The Sunday morning was far from jovial in Agarwal house. Preparations were going on to welcome the distant relative who was supposed to come in just after breakfast. Preeti huffed as she shelled what she swore was the 500^th pea, and grumbled, “hai kaun yeh jiski swagat ki itni taiyari ho rahi hai?”

Taiji kept the dining set on the table and replied, “tere dadi ki chacheri behen ki nanad aur unke pati.”

Naina frowned, “itne dur ke rishtedaar ke liye ki itni taiyari?”

Chachiji replied, “karna padta hai beta… aur ab toh ghar me shaadi hone wali hai toh zyada khatirdaari karni padegi.”

“Aur tu sunn le maharani”, Taiji instructed, “chup-chap se saree pehenke rehna pure din. Shaadi tay ho gai hai phir bhi yeh salwar aur jeans me matakti rehti hai.”

Naina sighed, deciding to follow Taiji’s instructions rather than spoiling her entire Sunday. If one relative could cause all this, then how would it be when everyone arrived for wedding. The guests arrived at 10:30am, by then Naina had dressed up in a light blue saree, her hair tied up in a braid, and she was ready for inspection which she knew would start soon. And just as expected, the woman started as soon as she entered, “ohooo… Toh yeh hai hone wali dulhan… Achcha kiya jo saree pehnake rakha hai behenji. Abhi se aadat pad gai toh shaadi ke baad taklif nahi hogi.”

The whole morning passed in gossips and criticisms, discussion about the things being given for wedding and of course expert advice for the bride. Naina took a breather after lunch, digging into a cup of ice-cream with Preeti in total silence, and she thought that silence never felt so good.

On the other hand Sameer was having a pretty crazy day since morning. Munna and Pandit had decided to wake him up like older days, by jumping on his bed and shaking him. The only glitch, he was not in bed but rather on the floor doing push-ups. And when his two friends thundered inside they tripped over him and fell face-flat on the floor.

Sameer sat up on his knees, panting for breath, utterly confused, “tum log kya kar rahe ho?”

“Tujhe uthane aa rahe the yaar”, Pandit informed rubbing his head.

Munna also sat up, “par tu toh uth gaya hai… aaj suraj kahan se nikla?”

Sameer got up and grabbed a towel, covering his bare torso, “wahi se jahan se roz nikalta hai. Par ab main jaldi uthta hun… kaafi saalo se.”

“Dhat teri ki”, Pandit slapped his forehead, “saare surprise ka satyanash kar diya.”

Sameer laughed and asked them to sit while he took a shower. When they went downstairs they found that Ramdhari had prepared an unusual breakfast of bread pakoras, something which they used to gorge on in school and college time. The bike was washed and polished, and Sameer got on it, followed by Munna and then Pandit. It was definitely a tighter squeeze than before, and Pandit grumbled, “Sameer mota ho gaya hai.”

“Ise muscles kehte hai”, Sameer countered, “tu bhi bana le, tabhi ladki milegi tujhe.”

As they drove out, Munna laughed, “haan warna hamara ponga baal-brahmchari reh jayega.”

Pandit smacked him on the head, “bandar ke haath hoor lag gai hai toh zyada bol raha hai.”

Sameer chuckled, feeling the pressure of work and business lift of his shoulders as the January air sifted through his hair. This was indeed like old times, him driving and his friends squabbling at the back. He took them to their school, and Munna asked puzzled, “school kyun aaye hai?”

Sameer parked the bike in his usual spot, and said, “socha lunch se pehle thoda cricket khelte hai.”

Pandit rubbed his hands in excitement, “solid idea hai… jaldi chalo bat leke aate hai.”

Together the boys went inside the sports room and brought out the required equipments. A solid two hours of cricket made Sameer feel that he was reliving his teenage years. It was just so wonderful, Naina was right, he should keep doing all these activities even after the wedding. Off late he had been focusing so much on expanding his business that he had almost stopped spending time with his friends, of course the upcoming wedding also took up a lot of time. But well, like they say, better late than never.

He sighed, “yeh idea sabse best tha.”

Pandit wiped his face, “cricket khelneka?”

Sameer chuckled, “nahi… aaj ka din saath bitaneka. Jab hum school me the tab bahot baar sunte the ke bade hone pe sab badal jaata hai, par hum hamesha bolte the ke hum teen nahi badlenge. Aur ab dekho… do-teen mahino me ek baar aise waqt bitaneka mauka milta hai.”

Munna smiled, “yaar… woh guzre din the… maana humne kuch pal gavaye hai bade hone ke saath saath lekin dosti thodi na gavai. Hum teeno chahe jahan bhi ho, apna yaarana hamesha bana rahega.”

They had lunch at a local restaurant near their college, and ordered the same dishes like they used to earlier. Squabbling over the paneer tikka and extra piece of paratha, the three friends laughed to their hearts content, and somehow ended up feeding each other. Pandit swallowed the piece of paneer Sameer had fed him, and snorted, “thoda zyada emotional ho gaya.”

Sameer laughed, “haan… maine toh Naina se kaha tha ke hum teeno khane pe jhagdenge… par yahan toh hum ek dusre ko khilane lage.”

Munna queried, “aaj Sunday hai toh bhabhi ko bura nahi laga ke tu unse nahi mila?”

Sameer asked for the bill and said, “bilkul nahi… tum dono toh jaante hi ho ke Naina hamari dosti ko kitne achche se samajhti hai. Uska toh kehna hai ke shaadi ke baad bhi mujhe yeh karna chahiye, aur jab hum teeno ghumenge tab woh teeno hamari buraiya karenge.”

His friends laughed, and Pandit said, “waah… shaadi hote hi ladkiyo me sabse pehla badlaav yahi aata hai… chugli karna sikh jaati hai.”

Sameer chuckled, “tumko pata hai… Naina jo kahaani likh rahi hai na, usme usne hamari dosti ke baare me bhi likha hai.”

Munna eyes widened in happiness, “sach me… par love story me hamara kya kaam?”

As they stepped out of the restaurant, Sameer said, “main wahi kahunga jo Naina ne mujhe kaha tha… hamari love story tum dono ke bina adhuri hai.”

Munna and Pandit raised their collars at this making Sameer laugh out. Once again they sat on the bike, this time Pandit driving it, and they headed towards the movie theatre. Pandit had got the tickets of the movie, and when they saw the poster, Sameer and Munna were shocked.

“Hum yeh movie dekhne aaye hai Ponga?”, Munna queried in disbelief.

Pandit shrugged, “Sunny Deol aur Mithun me se ek ko chunna tha toh maine Mithun ko chuna.”

“Shapath”, Sameer groaned, “hey bhagwaan… isse achcha toh ghar me rehke DVD pe kuch dekh lete.”

Pandit pulled his friends along, “aree movie dekhneka toh theatre me masti karneke liye socha tha na… Ghar me rehke masti nahi hoga… chalo andar.”

Within an hour all three of them were bored to death with the movie, and as soon as the interval time was indicated onscreen they escaped. Sameer took over driving again, “itni ghatiya movie kaun pasand karta hai yaar.”

Pandit grumbled, “aree meri kya galti. Theatre me hai hi saare aisi movies abhi.”

“Abey ponga”, Munna snapped, “achchi movies nahi thi toh bol deta yaar… Ab kya karenge?”

“Ghar chalte hai”, Sameer suggested, “DVD pe movies dekhenge, aur bahar se pizza order karenge raat ke liye.”

Pandit cheered up, “haan! Aur abhi jaate hue raaste se cold-drinks aur thoda chips vagera le jaate hai.”

Munna agreed, “achcha idea hai… Ek kaam aur kar sakte hai, pehle ki tarah.”

Sameer queried immediately, “kya?”

“Bhabhi se milte hai”, Munna replied.

Pandit asked, “unke ghar jaana hai?”

Munna chuckled, “nahi yaar… ghar ke neeche… safari ke suit ke jeb me. Yaad hai ponga… do baar po-po bajaya aur pyaar chala aaya.”

Pandit whooped, “aree haan Chenu… Romeo ke ek ishaare pe Juliet balcony pe aa jaati hai.”

Sameer laughed, his heart starting to beat fast at the thought of seeing Naina, and he need not be coaxed at all as he immediately steered the bike towards Naina’s home. As they reached the society, Munna and Pandit started to debate about the song that had been playing that day on radio at the istriwala’s stall. Sameer chuckled, “gaana bajane ki zarurat nahi hai.”

Munna thumped his friend’s back, “aree baja kaun raha hai… hum toh gaane ki soch rahe hai.”

“Uske ghar pe mehmaan hai”, Sameer supplied.

Pandit countered, “tab toh ghar pe kisiko kuch pata bhi nahi tha, phir bhi hum naach rahe the, toh aaj toh banta hai.”

Munna nodded, and then snapped his fingers, “yaad aa gaya… Kishan Kanhaiya ka gaana tha… Kuch ho gaya, haan ho gaya…”

Sameer again tried to say no but his friends were in too much of a happy mood to listen. He parked near the society gate and looked around once to ensure that none of her family members were there. Munna prompted, “dekhte hai ab tak signal tagda hai ke nahi.”

Sameer smirked, “ab dekhte jao Sameer Maheshwari ka jadoo”, and honked twice.

Naina was in the kitchen helping Chachiji to make arrangements for dinner when she heard the two honks. Her head snapped up, breath stopped, smile bloomed on her lips, and she rushed outside to the balcony ignoring Bela’s questions. Just like all those years back she saw Sameer seated on the bike, smiling up at her; Munna and Pandit were standing beside him, grinning and waving. Sameer dragged in a deep breath; his eyes glittered as he saw that she was dressed in a saree. But her hair wasn’t open, it was done in a braid, a few locks had come loose at the front and waved in the gentle evening air. He bit his lip, remembering the day in school when he had come to convince her for the Mt. Abu trip, and repeated the same gesture to move her hair aside from her face. She blushed, her smile widening as she obliged to his demand, and he winked at her. Suddenly Munna and Pandit started singing the song from Kishan Kanhaiya, and Naina burst into a surprised giggle while Sameer tried to hush them. And then as if history was truly repeating itself, he heard Rakesh sir’s voice, and saw Naina’s eyes widen and she quickly hid herself behind the pillar. He frowned, automatically looking towards the adjoining balcony of Taiji’s home, but it was empty. There where did the voice come from?

“Sameer”, Rakesh sir’s voice sounded again, from his left side. Sameer gulped and looked beside him to see Naina’s father scowling at him, he glanced to his right to find his friends standing holding onto each other with horrified expression.

Rakesh’s eyes narrowed, “tum teeno aaj yahan kya kar rahe ho?”

Sameer thought that it was funny that despite not being in school anymore the three of them were still just as scared of the librarian. He cleared his throat, “ah… hum… cold-drink lene aaye the.”

Rakesh folded his arms, “kyun? Tumhare ghar ke aas-paas kahin nahi milta? Aur cold-drink kya Naina upar se fekegi?”

“Wahi toh”, Pandit interrupted, “cold-drink dukaan me milegi, par yahan aaye toh bhabhi dikh gai balcony pe, isiliye bas…”

Munna agreed, “aur hum ghumne gaye the na toh wapas ghar jaaneka rasta yahan se hoke guzarta hai.”

Rakesh grumbled, “school se nikal gaye par harkate ab tak waisi hi hai.”

Sameer sighed, “sorry sir… hum jaa rahe hai bas. Hum toh bas sab saath me the aur Naina ko dekhne ki ichcha hui toh aa gaye.”

Rakesh was silent for a moment, glancing upward once to find his daughter peeking around the pillar probably worried that he was scolding Sameer, and then said a little softly, “maafi maangne ki zarurat nahi hai. Naina se milne tum kabhi bhi aa sakte ho, par abhi woh Urmilaji aai hui hai na… tumhe niche aise dekhegi toh baate banayegi. Naina bhi unke wajah se subah se saree pehenke ghum rahi hai ghar me… Agar milna hai toh ghar me chalo, tab woh kuch bol nahi payegi, ulta khaatir karegi.”

Sameer was surprised, both by the tone and long statement. This was probably the first time there was no reprimand in his tone, and also the first time he openly acknowledged Sameer’s relationship with Naina. Was Rakesh sir really changing? It was difficult to believe it, but maybe it was happening. He smiled a bit, “samajh gaya. Hum abhi nikalte hai, main raat ko Naina se phone pe baat kar lunga. Yeh… Urmilaji raat ko nahi rukne wale na.”

Rakesh shook his head, “nahi… chali jayegi khana khake. Par tab tak pura ghar sir pe uthaake rakhegi. Tabhi toh main bahar nikal gaya.”

Sameer hesitated slightly, but then dismounted from his bike, “ek minute sir… main abhi aaya.” He sprinted to the small shop nearby and bought three dairy-milk chocolates, and handed them over to Rakesh sir, “Naina aur Preeti ko de dena please, unka mood theek ho jayega.”

Rakesh frowned, “aur teesra? Pralay ko?”

Sameer kick-started his bike, gesturing his friends to sit, and then said, “teesra aapke liye.” Before Rakesh could reply, he revved up, took a last look at Naina, smiled and left. Rakesh stood there flummoxed at the gesture, staring at the chocolates in his hand, and a small smile bloomed on his face as he glanced at the departing boys. From the balcony upstairs Naina understood that her father had smiled, once again because of Sameer. It was so usual for his father that nobody thought of him, just as it was with her before… But since Sameer came in her life, he always thought about her, and now her father was experiencing the same thing from Sameer.

When Rakesh came upstairs, he called for Naina, and handed over the two chocolates, saying, “tere aur Preeti ke liye.”

Taiji noticed this with large button eyes, and immediately piqued, “oh bai! Aap kabse chaaclet laane lage Rakesh babu?”

Rakesh gestured Naina to leave, and then replied, “man hua toh le aaya… ab kuch kharidne se pehle ijazat leni padegi kya? Huh…”

Taiji scowled, complaining about Rakesh’s intolerable behavior in low voice to Urmilaji. From the kitchen Naina noticed the whole exchange, amazed that her father had taken Sameer’s share of rebuke upon himself, and also saved her from criticism. This was the first time her father had ever protected her, and tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes.

While the evening at Agarwal house was dull and boring with Naina itching to change her saree and wear something comfortable, the boys at Maheshwari bungalow had an eventful time with a mix of Bollywood and Hollywood movies, scrumptious pizza and an abundance of cold-drinks. Sometime around 10pm when they were stuffed to brim with food, Munna rubbed his belly and broached the unexpected conversation, “toh… Shaadi ke baad kya socha hai?”

Sameer quirked an eyebrow, “matlab?”

“Honeymoon”, Pandit replied, “jaana hai ke nahi?”

Sameer chuckled, “koi shaq hai tum dono ko?”

His friends chuckled and Munna asked, “jagah plan kar li? Hum soch rahe the ke hum help kar de.”

Sameer asked suspiciously, “kaisi help?”

Pandit said with utmost seriousness, “shayad kuch DVDs taaki tujhe pata chale ke karna kya hai honeymoon pe.”

Sameer laughed out loud, “haan kharid le… isi bahane tu sikh jayega, tab shayad koi ladki mile.”

Munna gasped pretentiously, “iska matlab tujhe sach me kuch nahi aata?”

“Uhmmm”, Sameer hummed with a smile on his face, “tumko pata hai English me ek kahawat hai – A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”

Pandit frowned, “gentleman? Yeh kaun hai? Hum toh sirf teri baat kar rahe hai…”

“Haan”, Munna added, “School me toh sab kuch batata tha tu hume, toh ab bhi toh batayega na ke kitna pata hai kitna nahi.”

Sameer smirked, “bas itna samajh lo tum logo ko fikar karne ki zarurat nahi hai.” He stood up and went near the window in his bedroom, “waise tumko kabhi pata nahi chala par main school me bhi sab cheeze nahi bata tha tumko. Shart ke waqt bhi nahi.”

Pandit rubbed his hands in glee, “ahan… ab aaya kuch interesting… bata bata kya kya chupaya hai ab tak.”

Sameer chuckled, “umm… hamara do ring wala code… Jab maine Naina ko shampoo gift kiya tha uske baad usne woh banaya tha. Aur usi code ke wajah se agle din class me maine uss Pankaj ya jo bhi tha woh ladka, usko peeta nahi.”

Munna also stood up in surprise, “hume laga tu Kamya ke kehne pe ruka.”

“Kaun Kamya?” Sameer scoffed, “mera saara dhyan toh uss ladke ko maarne pe tha jab tak Naina ne apni book desk pe do baar nahi tapka. Tab main ruka.”

Pandit whistled, “aur?”

Sameer thought for some time, “mujhe pehle se pata chalta tha jab Naina ka phone aata tha. Aur jab pehli baar Nanu ne mere special friend ki baat ki tab main Naina ke alawa aur kisike baare me soch nahi paaya. Phir Pooja didi ke roka ke din Naina ne mujhe phone karke doha gaake sunaya, aur mujhe bahot achcha laga.”

“Phir…”, Munna proded

“Phir main mandir jaate jaate wakai me thoda vishwas karne laga tha bhagwaan pe”, Sameer continued, “canteen me jab Naina ke debate ki speech sunvaya sabko tab mujhe sach me yaad nahi tha ke main natak kar raha hun. Aur phir Mt. Abu me toh sab upar neeche ho gaya tha campfire ki raat se, par mujhe samajh hi nahi aa raha tha.” He took a deep breath and turned to look at friends, “aur sabse badi baat… mere birthday pe jab Naina sabse jhooth bolke wahan aai thi aur humne saath me cake kata, tab agar Pandit beech me aake gira nahi hota toh mujhe shart ki baat toh yaad hi nahi aati.”

There was a prolonged silence, and then Munna smacked Pandit on his head, “yeh ponga hamesha galat waqt pe ghusta hai.”

“Ow”, Pandit rubbed his head, but then focused on Sameer, “bhai… matlab tujhe tabse…”

Sameer shrugged, “hamesha se.”

Again they were silent for few minutes, and then Munna grinned, “aah… mudde ki baat se bhatak mat… humko bata kya kya hua.”

Pandit bounced on the sofa, “haan… batana… usne sharmake tujhe dekha… uski zulfon ne tujhe chua… aur… baago me do phool mile ke nahi.”

Sameer chortled, “pata nahi… ab tak kabhi garden me try nahi kiya.”

It took a moment for his words to register, but as soon as they did his friends whooped and jumped. Sameer stood there amused as Pandit thumped his back, and Munna asked if Naina slapped him when he tried that. He smirked, “kyun? Tujhe Swati se thappad pada kya?” The three friends laughed and played around like teenagers until midnight, and then fell on the bed in one of the rooms. However, Sameer got up in ten minutes and went to his own room to call Naina. As expected she was awake and waiting for his call.

“Hi sweetheart”, he smiled, sitting down to talk.

She also sat back, finally relaxed in one of her old night dresses, “hi… so gaye woh dono.”

“Haan”, he replied, “bahot masti ki humne… thak gaye.”

She chuckled, “aur kya kiya? Movie konsi dekhi? Popcorn pe jhagde?”

He laughed, “popcorn liya hi nahi.” And then he narrated the entire movie fiasco and how they came home instead, and Munna’s idea to go to her society. She grinned, “main bhi chaunk gai thi horn sunke. Aur phir jab papa aa gaye, tab toh laga aaj toh kaam se gaye.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “mujhe bhi aisa hi laga… par Rakesh sir dheere dheere librarian kam aur tumhare papa zyada lagne lag rahe hai.”

She crossed her fingers, “shayad tumhari baat sach ho. Tumhari di hui chocolate unhone apne paas hi rakhi thi, phir dinner ke baad maine dekha unko chup-chupke khate hue.”

The idea of Rakesh sir hiding to eat a chocolate was so ludicrous that he laughed out, “sach me? Mujhe toh umeed hi nahi thi ke woh khayenge.”

She assured him, “khaya unhone… aur tumko pata hai jab hum ghar pe dinner ke aaye uss din, tab jo mithai laaye the na hum, woh bhi papa leke aaye the. Aur mere aur Preeti ke liye sonpapdi bhi laaye the uss din, jaise bachpan me laate the mere results aane pe.”

He felt incredibly happy on hearing this. Maybe Rakesh sir was really changing. He sighed, “yeh sab sunke lag raha hai ek din mujhe unko papa bulana padega… socho zara… ameerzada baalo ki dukaan aur librarian safari suit ek dusre ke saath jhagadne ke jagah pyaar se baat kar rahe hai. Aisa din aaya toh usko itihaas me likhna chahiye.”

She laughed, “Sameer… tum bhi na…”

He chuckled, and then asked, “achcha waise… aaj saree me achchi dikh rahi thi.”

She rolled her eyes, “tum aisa bol rahe ho aur Urmilaji ne kaha ke mujhe thoda kam khana chahiye, shaadi se pehle wajan kam karne ke liye… kehti hai kamar pe tyre bante hai jab bethti hun.”

He bit his lip, “uhmmm…. Mujhe toh kuch aur hi yaad tumhare kamar ke baare me.”

She giggled, “chup… ab jaake so jao… bahot der ho gai hai aur kal office bhi hai.”

He hummed, “par pehle ek kiss chahiye.”

She smiled, blowing him a kiss on the phone, and they wished good-night to each other.

The next day was pretty busy for Sameer as he spent the entire time in preparing for his upcoming Jaipur trip. He had received a phone call indicating that the furniture was supposed to arrive on 20^th and he was leaving for Jaipur on 21^st, and so he wanted to finish all his work today, because there was no way he was going to miss out of the bedroom furniture arrangement. It took him all his day and a major part of the night working at home to wrap up stuff he would need for the trip. He had also intended to pack, but by the time he closed his last file all he could do was call Naina and then fall on the mattress.

On 20^th morning Naina was up at 5am, simply too excited for words, the furniture would arrive in a few hours, and she couldn’t wait to see all the pieces that they had chosen. She took her bath and then started preparing aloo paratha, and by the time Chachiji was up she had the filling and dough ready. When it was time for Ramdhari to come in, she called up Maheshwari bungalow and instructed him to only cook lunch as she was bringing breakfast. And she was there at the doorstep of her home at 8am, unlocking the big wooden door with her keys.

“Good Morning memsahib”, Ramdhari wished.

Naina smiled, “Good Morning… yeh rahe parathe… garam kar dena, aur chai bana dena. Sameer upar hai?”

Ramdhari nodded, and whispered, “subah subah chilla rahe the kisipe phone pe.”

She frowned, “uhmm… main dekhke aati hun.”

She climbed upstairs as fast as she could, opening the door to their room and found him bent over the desk poring over a file. He hadn’t even noticed she was there. She tiptoed up to him and slid her arms around his neck, dipping to kiss the side of his head, “Good Morning…”

Sameer jerked, and turned around, “Naina… tum yahan… wow…”

As he pushed back his chair, she sat on his lap, “good morning bolna bhool gaye. Kya hua?” She rubbed his forehead, noticing lines that usually appeared when he was tensed.

He sighed, “kal jaana hai Jaipur, aur contract me itni galti hai ke kya kahu. Pata nahi Rajeev kis dhun pe tha. Subah utha hun tab se laga hua hun.”

“Aur chilla bhi rahe the, maine suna”, she prompted.

He growled, “Ramdhari… abhi se meri shikayat kar raha hai tumhare saamne.”

She chuckled, tipping his head back, and kissed him softly, teasing his lips, loving the fresh mint taste. She rubbed his nose with hers, “thoda break lo. Main aloo ke parathe laai hun… breakfast karlo, uske baad kaam karna. Main help karungi.”

His eyebrow quirked, “contract me?”

“Ji haan Mr. Maheshwari”, she smiled, “tum hi ne kaha tha na ke main business ka seekh sakti hun agar chahu toh…”

He cheered up considerably, “wow… sach me? Tum join karogi business?”

She shrugged, “pehle seekhna toh shuru karu.”

“Good idea”, he murmured, “aur… amazing surprise.” She hummed, cupping his face and kissing him again for a long moment, tilting his head, moaning when his hands clenched on her body. When he went downstairs for breakfast he was considerably cheerful and relaxed, and was surprised to know that Naina had called in morning to instruct Ramdhari about not cooking breakfast.

After eating Naina did help him in reviewing and even retyping the contract, it took them around an hour to finish it, and he was glad she was there else it would have taken him much more time to do it. And of course her typing speed was much faster than him. While Sameer did the final check on all the documents, she kept pacing the bedroom and stopping at certain spots, murmuring something to herself, and then again moving along.

Setting the document in file, he asked, “uhh… Naina… tum kya kar rahi ho?”

She turned and queried, “kaam ho gaya?”

He nodded, and her entire expression changed from thoughtful to animated, and she jumped, “Sameer… Sameer… Sameer… kab aayega furniture. Phone karo na unn logo ko.”

As she came rushing to him, he held her, “tum theek toh ho? Itni excitement.”

She grinned, “mujhe dekhna hai… kaisa hoga sab… hamara desk, love seat, wardrobe aur… bed.”

He pulled her closer, his hand stroking down her back to her bottom, “uhmmm…. Mujhe bhi bed me bahot interest hai.”

She tickled him lightly, “mujhe achchi tarah se pata hai tumhare interests ke baare me.”

He dipped his head to catch her lips, but just then the doorbell rang and Naina’s excited squeal made him step back and block his ears. Wow! His wife could make really loud sounds all the time. She literally went flying down the steps eagerly opening the door, and when the man outside enquired about Mr. Maheshwari, she simply said, “haan… main unki biwi.”

Sameer chuckled as he stepped beside her, “main Sameer Maheshwari… aaiye.”

The men started to move in bits and pieces of furniture inside the house, and Naina frowned, tugging of Sameer’s sleeve, “bed kahan hai?”

He grinned, “le toh jaa rahe hai upar… dekho… woh raha headboard ka ek piece.”

She gasped in horror, “tut gaya hamara bed?”

He slipped an arm around her waist, laughing softly, “nahi Naina… bed bada hai toh usko upar nahi le jaa sakte na, isiliye pieces me laate hai, aur upar jodenge.”

“Ohh”, she relaxed, “mujhe nahi pata tha ke aisa hota hai. Hum upar jaake dekh sakte hai?”

He gestured her to the stairs, “hamara ghar, hamari marzi… jahan jaana ho jaa sakte hai madam.”

They stood and watched as the workers assembled the bed with total expertise, and then place the new mattress on it. The room was swept, the new wardrobe placed in its place, and the remaining furniture shifted about as needed. Meanwhile Sameer and Naina had a standing lunch in the kitchen discussing about what all they should aim to finish by today. By the time the furniture workers were done with shifting and assembling every piece for bedrooms and study, it was 3pm, and all Sameer wanted was to have the house to himself and Naina. And it seemed Naina wanted the same because as soon as the last man was out of the door, she flung herself in his arms, again squealing in excitement.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her, and asked, “toh… ab kya kare?”

She took his hand, pulling him upstairs, “kitna kaam hai… bedsheet bichana hai, cushions rakhne hai, desk aur dusri cheeze arrange karne hai.”

He stopped her as she wandered to the cupboard, “ek minute… pehle thoda…” His head dipped towards her, hoping to catch her lips but she placed a palm over his mouth, “uh uh… bilkul nahi… hum yeh shuru karenge toh aur kuch nahi hoga. Isiliye pehle kaam phir romance.”

“Tumhare andar sasurji ki aatma ghus gai hai”, he grumbled, but opened the cupboard anyways to get the stuff they had bought.

She grabbed the bag of bedsheets, “naye wardrobe me kapde kab rakhenge.”

He picked up the pillow covers, “main kar dunga woh sab Jaipur se aane ke baad. Aur purana cupboard dusre room me shift kar dunga. Ab batao bedsheet konsi daale.”

“Dark blue”, she smiled.

Together they smoothed the sheet out on bed, put on new pillow covers, arranged the cushion on their new love seat, and placed the rug in the study. Naina even took time to carefully place all the new vases, lamps, decorative hangings they had bought together. The new bookshelf was bare, so she took out a novel from her purse, and kept it there. As she stood staring at the bookshelf, Sameer crept up behind her and hugged her, nuzzling the crook of her neck.

She squirmed, “Sameer… ab tak kaam khatam nahi hua.”

He turned her to face him and softly coaxed, “bahot ho gaya kaam… baaki sab shaadi ke baad karenge. Main aur nahi ruk sakta…”

Her brows furrowed in confusion, “matlab?” His one hand spanned on her bottom and he pulled her close, letting her feel what he meant, and her eyes rounded in realization, her lips parting on a surprised “ohh.”

He had been controlling since so long, wanting to kiss her, yet holding back because she wanted to decorate the house. But the sight of her parted lips made him snap and he cupped her face with one hand, tilting her head back and kissed her. His hand had just moved beneath her top to caress her waist when she pulled back.

“Naina”, he murmured, pulling her back.

She pushed him lightly, “Sameer ruko na… thodi der aur bas. Ek last cheez baaki hai, tumhe…”

He interrupted her, “problem kya hai Naina? Nahi man hai toh mana kar do na… Kabse bahane banaye jaa rahi ho.”

“Main mana nahi kar rahi”, she immediately tried to pacify him, “par, bas yeh last cheez… subah se sochke rakha tha. Tum thodi der aur wait kar lo na.”

He sighed, dragging his hand through his hair, and tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible, “dekho… main kal se trip ko leke tensed hun kyunki yeh bahot badi deal hai mere liye… Aur phir wapas aaunga uske baad hum akele mil bhi nahi payenge. Aaj last day tha… par mujhe dikh raha hai ke tumko koi interest nahi hai.”

“Sameer baat ko samjho na…”, she started to explain, but he interrupted again, “bas Naina… bahot ho gaya. Maine pehle hi samjhaya tha tumko ke tum naa bol sakti ho, koi zabardasti nahi hai. Tumhe jo decorate karna hai karo, main pados wali room me hun.”

Naina was alarmed by this change in his mood, and tried to stop him, “Sameer…”, but he walked out of their room and into the next room, shutting the door with a bang.

She knocked on it, trying to unlock it, “Sameer meri baat toh suno, please…” There was no response from inside; she kept trying for some time without any success. Finally, she decided to carry on with her plan, which at first she would have done with him, but now she hoped it would surprise him enough to improve his mood. Blinking back the tears from her eyes, she went downstairs to get the bags she had hidden in the kitchen in morning.

Since the time they had selected the dressing table from that catalogue Sameer had been so interested in her make-up stuff, her bangles, matching jewelry with sarees, so she had taken the opportunity during his last Surat trip to go out with Rohan and Preeti to buy all the things she would need after wedding. And since then she had it planned that she would arrange all this stuff inside the dressing cabinets with Sameer, she had wanted to see his excited happy expressions, the shine in his eyes, the awe on seeing the multi-colored bangles. But she had not anticipated his mood, and now she herself didn’t feel happy on arranging all the stuff. What a disaster!

She sighed, slipping in the bangles through the cylindrical tubes, and setting them back inside the dresser. Sameer was right, he was leaving tomorrow and they wouldn’t have such an opportunity again, but she had not thought about it. Plus he had been aroused, she had felt it, and then she had stopped him despite knowing that whenever he was tensed or cranky he just needed to be around her. No surprises mattered to him in such a mood… all he needed was her. Well… it was too late now.

After finishing the entire arrangement, she went back to the closed door and knocked, “Sameer… please ek baar bahar aa jao. Dekho toh sahi ke main karna chah rahi thi.”

Once again there was no reply, and this time the tears leaked from her eyes, but she didn’t let him know that she was crying. He was already angry, and if he knew she was crying then he would feel guilty, and come out just for her… And then he would apologize for being angry. But she didn’t want that… she just wanted him to be happy, and she understood his anger. She had been so mad at him that one night when he had refused to come over to her room even though Preeti was not there, she had wanted him to stop doing the right thing… She had wanted him then… And he had wanted her today, but she hadn’t been there for him.

She went back to the room for ten more minutes to do something, and then was back at the closed door, wishing to see him once. Rubbing her eyes, she swallowed to control the tremble in her voice, and leaned as close to the door as she could, “I am sorry Sameer. Tum… jab chaho tab kamre me jaake dekh lena. Main niche hun… thodi der baad ghar jaungi.”

Inside the room Sameer closed his eyes, knowing that he had made her cry. God… What an idiotic jerk he was. The first time she had shown disinterest in intimacy he had gone ahead and got angry. What an absolute fantastic way to show her that she can say no whenever she was not in a mood. So what if it was the last day they could meet like this? It was not a crime to still not be interested in making out. For the past half-hour when he had cooled down some, he had been analyzing what happened in the bedroom, and from every angle he was wrong. He also remembered that her periods were approaching, maybe that was the reason she didn’t feel like it… Oh God… What should he do now? Well… for first he shouldn’t let her go back alone. He needed to go and drop her back, and also apologize, and maybe took her out to an ice-cream parlor.

Having made the decision he stood up and went outside, but just as he was about to go down the stairs, he paused and turned back. Curious to know what she had been talking about he went inside the bedroom, but everything looked just as he had left it. No additional stuff, no candles or flowers, nothing surprising… What had she been talking about? He looked around one last time, ensuring he didn’t miss out on anything, and as soon as his eyes landed on the dressing table he blinked… Lipstick! What the heck… Naina had written a message on the glass with lipstick. He walked forward slowly, reading the two words, “Open It.”

He obeyed her, and opened the dresser on one side, to find it full with bangles, and other stuff. Oh my God! Quickly he opened the other door and it contained little bottles of nail-polish, lipsticks, some other cosmetics he didn’t know, and even an ornate wooden bowl with all the earrings and bracelets he had bought for her in college. This was the surprise! He moved his fingers over the bangles, fascinated by the clinking sound, his heart starting to beat faster. Just then his eyes fell on an envelope placed on the dressed and he picked it up, opening it to reveal a note.

Sameer… I am sorry… Mujhe pata hai tum bahot thake hue the kal se, aur meeting ko leke pareshan bhi the. Aur mujhe yeh bhi pata hai ke jab bhi tum pareshan hote ho tum chahte ho ke main tumhare aas paas rahu. Par aaj tumhe yeh surprise dene ke utsukta me main yeh baat bhul hi gai. Galti meri hai… main bahot zyada utsahit ho gai thi aaj furniture dekhke. Mujhe yaad hai ke jab humne catalogue me se yeh dressing table chuna tha tab mujhse zyada tum utaavle the isme meri cheeze dekhne ke liye. Jab tum Surat gaye the tab maine Rohan aur Preeti ke saath jaake yeh saraa samaan kharida tha tumhe surprise dene ke liye… Socha tha jis din furniture aayega uss  din saath milke iss dressing table me sab rakhenge. Khair… Main jaanti hun tum shayad mujhse baat karneke mood me bilkul nahi ho, par ummeed hai ke yeh dekhke tumhara mood thoda theek ho jaaye. Aur suno… Dimag thanda ho tab khudko dosh mat dena, mujhe samajhna chahiye tha ke surprise se zyada zaruri hamara saath hona hai. Kal tum jao usse pehle tumhe dekh paungi ke nahi, pata nahi, par agar mujhe maaf kar diya ho toh ek baar raat ko phone zarur karna… Tumhari Naina.

Shit. She had been planning this since so long and he had spoiled everything. God… he needed to stop her now. He rushed downstairs to find her opening the front door, and literally ran up to her, placing his hand on the door to slam it shut and using his other hand to pull her back. She gasped and turned to look at him, and he slammed his lips on hers, kissing her urgently. She froze for the briefest moment under the sudden assault, but then she shivered, dropped her purse on the floor, and wound her arms around his neck, opening her mouth to him, kissing him back. He pulled back for a moment, “I am so sorry Naina…”

“Sam…”, she started to object but he didn’t let her, his mouth moved against hers stealing short urgent kisses that made her tremble and collapse against him. He kept on kissing her but his hands didn’t wander anywhere. He needed to make sure that she was okay…

When they parted for breath he said, “I love you Naina… Thank you…”

She looked up at him, her eyes wide, “tumne dekha?”

He nodded, “gadha hun main… tum itne time se surprise plan kar rahi thi aur maine sab kharab kar diya. Pata nahi kyun ekdum se bhadak gaya… please mujhe maaf kar do. Aise mat jao. Mere saath raho… dinner karo yahan pe… main ice-cream bhi khilaunga.”

She leaned onto his chest, sighing, “ice-cream hamesha kaam karta hai… haina? main abhi wahi laane jaa rahi thi, taaki tumhe mana saku.”

Surprised he queried, “tum wapas nahi jaa rahi thi?”

“Tumhe naraaz chodke aise kaise chali jaati”, she smiled, “kabhi nahi jaungi… chahe tum kitna bhi gussa karlo…”

He gazed at her; there was a lump in his throat… The simple words she said meant so much to him. This was what he had craved for his entire life… Someone who wouldn’t give up on him or consider him less worthy of loving just because he was not perfect all the time… He dipped and picked her up in his arms, making her giggle, and he loved the sound of it though he still wasn’t able to say any words. She laid her head on his shoulder, and murmured, “room me nahi Sameer.”

He frowned, and her palm caressed his jaw, as she explained, “woh bed… main chahti hun ke hum hamare first night me hi use kare… special hai.”

His lips curved in a smile on hearing this explanation, and he whole-heartedly agreed to her. So he changed direction and moved to the couch, this was also new, but already in use… and he had fantasies here too. As soon as he placed her on it, she caught his hand and tugged him, making him sprawl beside her. She smiled, placing his hand on his chest, and lifting up to kiss him as he leaned back on the couch. Her lips moved over his face, dropping kisses wherever she could, and all he could think was bless the time they had chosen these big couches… But then she came to his lips and he forgot everything… the time didn’t matter… the place didn’t matter… only she mattered. He let her do whatever she wanted to… and it seemed she did want a lot, because soon her fingers were undoing the buttons on his shirt, and she pulled his hand down to her waist giving him indication to go on.

God he loved the woman, he thought as she got rid of his shirt, and was now dropping hot open mouthed kisses on his shoulder. She was wearing one of those winter tops that clung to her body and looked so amazing… but he was eager for more… He slowly slid the top up, letting his hand trail on her skin, and felt her teeth scrape near his collarbone gently; touching some nerves he never knew existed in his body. It was bit of a struggle to get rid of her top because she didn’t seem inclined to lift her mouth from his body. Her tongue swiped, her lips brushed, her teeth left tingling tendons behind, and he just lay there, a putty in her hands. He needed more… now…

She came up to his lips once again, and he took the chance to quickly whisk the top off, glad when she cooperated. And when their lips met again, he tried to remember his lessons and tried to deal with the tiny hooks of her bra. He did one within the next minute, almost cheering out of joy, and in another minute he had the next one open, for which she rewarded him by nipping at his lips. He didn’t exactly remember how he removed the beige bra, but in just a few moment his hands were on her naked flesh, cupping and teasing, making her throw back her head on a moan.

He was mesmerized by the glow on her skin, she looked like something exotic, like a rare flower whose bud had been sheltered by the large rainforest leaves everyone wanted to see, but then when the bud bloomed to a flowers, parting the leaves, there was no one who could take his eyes off it. And she was his rare flower… He craved her taste, and so he dipped his head, tasting her, enthralled by the sounds she was making. He reared up and turned so she was lying on her back, leaning on the couch, and he smirked at her, “ab meri baari.”

She just smiled and let him have his turn just like he wanted, and when his mouth drifted down, nipping at her flesh, one of her hands fisted in his hair and the other on the deep red cushions, making his fantasy come to life. He hated the jeans though, the obstruction was thick, but when she still moaned his name and lifted her hips he felt maybe his fingers still did the trick. He didn’t know how much time he spent like that, devoting his entire focus on every bit of naked skin he could find, but his jeans definitely felt much tighter than he ever expected. Pulling her up to him, he kissed her shoulders, leaving a small mark and then was taken by surprise when she flipped him on his back.

His eyes widened in surprise… Again! God no… They needed to stop. But when her mouth moved over his chest he could only groan, wondering how she learned that little flick of her tongue. And then he felt her hands drifting up his thigh… Oh… No… Shit… Seconds flashed by and then he could only think – Oh yes! His arms wrapped around her, pulling her to his body completely, and he opened his eyes to look at her… She was looking at his face, smiling, and dropped a gentle peck on his lips even as her hand still kept moving, stroking, and she asked, “tum theek ho.”

A strained laughter escaped his lips… Oh lord… There was a time when he would ask this question to her, ensuring she was okay with whatever was happening. But now… well… all he could say was she was a really god student. He cupped her face, his thumb stroking her lower lip, “ab tak toh theek hun… par tum agar aisai karti rahi toh uss raat ki tarah mujhe phirse bathroom me bhaagna padega.”

“Hmmm”, she smiled, leaning to kiss him, and he kissed her back with equal fervor, but slowly moved her hand up to his chest, flattening her palm over his heart. Breathing heavily he whispered, “kal se main roz calendar mark karunga… din ginunga uss raat ke intezaar me jab hum yeh… umm… program… bedroom tak le jaa sake.”

She blushed, hiding her face against his shoulders, “I love you Sameer.”

“I love you too”, he rubbed her back, dropping a kiss on her head, waiting for both of them to calm down.

Around ten minutes later, he smiled, noticing how lax her body was as she snuggled up to him. Reluctantly he murmured, “Naina… kapde pehen lo… Mujhe ice-cream chahiye.”

She hiccupped, starting to laugh, “tum pagal ho bilkul… bhukkad.”

They got dressed, and Sameer called up Chachaji letting him know that they would have dinner together as he was leaving for Jaipur tomorrow morning. They spent the remaining part of evening, walking in a park, where they ate ice-cream sitting on a bench, making one of Naina’s earlier dream come true. And then they had dinner at a Chinese restaurant, where he let his feet touch hers under the table as a reminiscence of their first official date after roka, but this time she was neither nervous and nor confused, rather she smiled and played along with him. He dropped her off with a kiss and a whispered promise of calling every day, and she promised that on his next business they wouldn’t have to part with just a kiss.