Always and Forever
Part - 44: Frustrated Desires

Naina felt Sameer wrap his arm around her as she slept, and pull her to him… His hand moved over her belly, inching towards her breasts and his lips traced her cheeks. She waited for him to kiss her, that moment when she would know he wanted more. But this time instead of kissing her, he chose a different way… His hand strong and sure moved down her body, parting her legs a bit, and his long fingers searched and sought over cloth, until she arched and held on to him. She opened her eyes knowing he would be smirking at her as he had managed to wake her up.

Blinking her eyes she stared up at him, wondering why he was so fuzzy. And why was his beard glittering? She opened her mouth to ask, but just then some other voice reached her ears, “Naina… chod mujhe…” Shocked, she opened her eyes wide to see Chachiji leaning over her, trying to free herself. A surprised terrified sound erupted from her throat and she left her. Bela straightened, adjusting her pallu that had glittering edges, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye… pagal ho gai hai kya? Main uthane aai toh mujhe pakad liya. Chal kya raha hai dimag me tere?”

Naina still gaped at Bela, but Preeti sat up and giggled, “shaadi se pehle aur kya chalega dimag me mummy? Pakka aapko jijaji samajh liya hoga.”

Bela whipped the blanket off the girls, “dono betiyaan pagal jhalli mili hai mujhe… Ek hai jo 6 baje uth jaati thi, par aaj dekho 7 baj gaye phir bhi so rahi hai, aur uthaane aao toh jaganewale ko hi khich liya; aur dusri, koi bhi teej-tyohaar ho ya koi bhi mausam soti hi rehti hai der tak. Bas ek meri Pooja achchi thi… Bilkul shanti se shaadi ho gai uski.”

Naina had recovered by now from the dream that had nearly turned into a nightmare, and sat up yawning, “Pooja didi toh 5 saal ki thi tabse unka ek hi sapna tha… Shaadi.”

“Aur nahi toh kya”, Preeti added, “shaadi ki mala japte-japte pure ghar me ashaanti fela rakhi thi unhone. Isiliye shaadi shanti se ho gai… sabne socha achcha hua peecha chuta.”

Both the sisters started giggling, and Bela reprimanded, “chup karo dono… shaitaan. Aaj tere mamaji aa rahe hai Naina… uth chal… nahake taiyaar ho jaa.”

As Bela left from the room, Naina yawned again and leaned back on the headrest, a small smile curving her lips at the dream she had. Preeti turned to her, sitting cross legged and eagerly asked, “jijaji ka sapna dekh rahi thi na?”

Naina’s smile widened, “haan… pehli baar aisa sapna dekha.”

Excited Preeti asked, “kaisa sapna? Kya ho raha tha sapne me?”

Naina chuckled, “tujhe waqt hai ab tak samajhne me… Rohan ko thodi aur mehnat karni padegi tujhpe.”

Preeti rolled her eyes, “achcha yeh toh bata… Jijaji aaye the kal?”

Naina nodded, “12 baje… chhat pe. Subah ko 4 baje wapas gaye, isiliye meri aankh nahi khuli.”

“Haww”, Preeti gasped, “matlab tum dono puri raat upar bethe the?”

“Bethe nahi the, so gaye the”, Naina informed.

Preeti slapped her own forehead, “hey bhagwaan… sona hi tha toh chhat pe kyun gai thi? Yahin so jaati… Jijaji ke saath baate karne ke jagah so gai.”

Naina laughed, shaking her head as she stood up from bed, “maine kaha na… tu nahi samjhegi abhi.”

While taking her bath, she recollected the dream. What was it? Since when had she started to dream such things? Was this because she was missing him? But then… they had just met last night. As she applied soap, her own hands sent shivers down her spine because awareness of being touched by him raced along her nerves… There was no place of her body that he wouldn’t touch or see… Just that… That fact was so huge that it might have scared her off, but Sameer had cultivated that desire in her to see and touch him before she had even realized this fact. She still remembered that the day she had been fully aware of what would happen post marriage was the day she had seen him without a shirt for the first time, and she had demanded to see him like that. Her desire and demand had come before her knowledge, and that had made the whole idea of the act even more desirable. And then there was the way he treated everything so organically… His need to touch her, her longing to touch him, their progress down the path of intimacy… Everything was natural because of the way he made her aware of it.  Whenever she had wanted to touch him and felt shy or apprehensive he had explained to her how natural it was for husband and wife to want such things, to want to explore… Earlier she had always thought of it as a right that people have on each other after marriage, but he had made it clear that it wasn’t just about rights but also about freedom, choice, wants, desires, and most of all trust. She had all the nervousness of a new bride, but along with that she also had the happy anticipations of a new relationship instead of a blank wall that would disappear after wedding. And that knowledge, that freedom, that sense of understanding made every moment of this upcoming wedding sweeter than ever.

“Naina jaldi kar”, Preeti banged on the door from outside.

She chuckled at her tendency of getting lost in Sameer’s thoughts all the time, and quickly wiped herself, dressing up in a leafy green salwar-kameez. Naina’s mamaji rarely visited Ahmedabad, but whenever he did it was a pandemonium because they came from village, and had their own set of rules and regulations to follow, along with some extremely odd habits… like bathing outside in the balcony with a tub full of water instead of inside the bathroom and that too at 4am, brushing teeth with datoon because he still didn’t believe in the concept of toothpaste, and of course his loud gargles three times a day. Thankfully his wife tried to adapt to the city whenever she was here, and their children were already married now so they would arrive later with all the other guests.

After a breakfast of puri-bhaji, the whole family got busy in numerous tasks, and soon there was loud beep of auto horn outside, and someone yelled, “aree koi neeche aayega ke nahi.”

Naina and Preeti giggled, Arjun rushed downstairs followed by Rakesh to bring the new guests home. As soon as Mamaji entered the house, he started talking, “pata nahi log kaise rehte hai iss sheher me. Naa dhang ka khana milta hai aur naa taazi hawa.”

“Namaste mamaji, Mamiji”, Naina stood up to greet them. Mamiji blessed her, “haaye kitni badi ho gai hai hamari Naina, aur kitni khubsurat bhi.” As Mamiji wound some money around Naina’s head, Taiji made a derisive sound from behind, thinking how can anyone term that girl as beautiful.

Mamaji also blessed her, “bilkul… yaqeen nahi hota ke gudiya ke jagah kitaabe leke ghumne wali choti si Naina ki shaadi ho rahi hai.”

“Ruk jaa”, Mamiji said as she sat down, “main kuch laai hun tere liye. Aaj shagun me wahi pehenna.” She pulled out a polybag that was carefully folded. Handing it over to Naina, she said, “yeh Rama ki saree thi… Jab tu hone wali thi na tab uski godbharai ke liye hum dono ne jaake khaas sheher se kharidi thi… Rasam ke baad usne mujhe yeh dhulvaneko di thi, par phir kabhi wapas dene ka mauka hi nahi mila.”

Naina pulled out the saree from the polybag, her hands shaking a bit as she held the deep red gaji silk bandhej with traditional hand embroidery on the edges… It was a beautiful saree, and her mother had bought it with happiness because she was pregnant… But… How could she forget that that very pregnancy had costed her life? Trying to control her sudden tears, she said, “main… main yeh nahi pehen sakti.”

Mamiji was worried, “beta kya hua? Tu ro kyun rahi hai.”

Naina shook her head, few tears leaking from her eyes, and in a flash Preeti and Bela were by her side, holding her. Phulla Bua also tried to pacify here but the tears that had started didn’t stop. The saree started to slip from her hands, but before it could fall to the floor, someone caught it. Naina looked up to see that it was her father and she gasped, trembling a bit, still crying. Anand came forward, “Naina… beta rona bandh karo. Kuch bhi toh nahi hua…”

No one understood the real reason, thought Naina, and she was not in a frame of mind to explain. She tried to tug free of everyone and go to her room, but just then the phone rang, and she halted in her tracks… “Sameer”, the name escaped her lips instantly.

Preeti glanced from her sister to the phone, and before Taiji could reach it, she picked it up, and tentatively asked, “Hello… Jijaji?”

At the other end, Sameer blinked in surprise, “tumhe kaise pata ke mera phone hai?”

Preeti smiled a bit, “mujhe nahi… Naina ko pata chala.”

“Naina…”, he softly asked, “ummm… Naina theek toh hai na? Mujhe bechaini si ho rahi hai, jaise maano woh pareshan hai.”

Everyone was staring at the two girls, quite surprised at how Naina had guessed whose call it was. After a bit of hesitation, Preeti informed, “Jijaji… woh… Naina ro rahi hai.”

His voice held urgency, “kyun? Kya hua? Kisine kuch bola? Naina ko phone do abhi…”

“Par bua-dadi…”, she uttered helplessly looking at her sister.

Sameer didn’t have time to waste when Naina was crying, keeping his voice loud and clear, he said, “Naina ko phone do… warna main ghar aa jaunga. Phir koi mujhe rok nahi payega Naina se milne se.”

Preeti looked at her father, “jijaji ko ehsaas ho gaya ke Naina pareshan hai… Baat karna chahte hai, warna ghar aa jayenge.”

Anand glanced at Phulla Bua, who after a bit of hesitation, nodded in approval. Preeti quickly handed the phone to her sister, “le baat kar.”

Naina took the phone, and whispered, “Sameer…”

He dragged in a shaky breath on hearing her voice, “Naina… sweetheart… kya hua? Kisine kuch bola?”

“Maa”, she could only say that one word.

Puzzled he asked, “maa? Taiji ne kuch bola… haina? Phirse taana diya?”

She shook her head, unable to explain. Preeti gently took the phone from her, and spoke, “jijaji… gaanv se mamaji-mamiji aaye hai, aur unhone choti Taiji ki godbharai wali saree di Naina ko aaj shagun me pehnneko… tabse ro rahi hai… bas yahi boli ke woh yeh saree nahi pehen sakti.”

Sameer closed his eyes trying to connect the dots… Preeti’s choti taiji… meaning Naina’s mother… Someone gifted Naina’s mother’s saree to Naina, and that was from godbharai function… it meant at that time Naina’s mother was pregnant… with… Naina… Oh God… Dammit… Did none of the Agarwals have any sensibility? How could they do such a thing and then not understand what she was going through?

Trying to keep a hold on his irritation, he commanded, “main samajh gaya… Naina ko phone do.” As Naina took the phone back, he immediately understood from her sob, and said, “Naina… main samajh raha tum kyun ro rahi ho. Tumhe aisa lag raha hai na ke tum yeh saree kaise pehen sakti ho jabke usi godbharai ke baad tumhari mummy chali gai?” She couldn’t reply, but nodded, totally forgetting that he couldn’t see her. And maybe he didn’t need a verbal reply from her because he continued, “dekho… aisa kuch nahi hota. Godbharai ki thi matlab tumhari maa kitni khush thi uss waqt… Tum hi toh hamesha kehti thi ke tumhare paas maa ki koi nishani nahi hai, toh yeh saree ko unka aashirwaad maan lo. Nanu ne bhi toh tumhe Nani ki saree di thi na… Aur dekho, aaj toh unn dono me se koi bhi nahi hai hamare saath, phir bhi tumne Nani ki saree hamare roka pe pehni, kyunki woh Nanu ka aashirwaad tha.”

She closed her eyes, calming down a bit, and whispered, “par… papa…”

He sighed, “Rakesh sir ki soch toh itne saalo me nahi badli… par iska matlab yeh toh nahi na ke unki soch sahi hai. Aur ab toh woh bhi dheere-dheere hamari shaadi me khush ho rahe hai… Zaruri nahi ke woh bura soche. Agar tumhe yeh darr hai ke unko bura lagega toh puch lo unse… abhi… main hoon tumhare saath.”

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, looking around at her family, each one of whom was staring at her. Her eyes fell on her father, who still stood at the same spot, holding the saree, a strange expression on his face. After a moment, she gathered enough courage, and started to ask, “Papa… main…”

But before she could complete her question, Rakesh extended the saree to her, “tum yahi saree pehenna… achcha dikhega tumpe.”

She stood shocked as her father handed over the saree to her, and she clutched it to her chest, at a loss of words. On the other side Sameer smiled, “ab tum theek ho?”

Jerking out of her trance she paid attention to the phone again, and a small smile bloomed on her face, “haan… thank you… aapko kaise pata chala ke main…?”

He chuckled as she trailed off, “jaise tumko pata chalta hai jab main udaas ya pareshan hota hun… kyunki I love you.”

Her smile widened, “main bhi…”

“Ayee haayee”, he teased, “parivaar ke saamne shareef bholi bhali Naina… tum ruko zara… shaadi hone do… sabko bataunga tum kitni bholi ho.”

She laughed a bit, “jee theek hai… ab rakhu?”

“Ruko”, he said, “Chachaji hai toh unko phone do na zara.”

“Haan hai”, she informed and then turned to Anand, “Chachaji… woh aapse baat karna chahte hai.”

Anand took the phone and listened with rapt attention as Sameer quickly explained what had happened to Naina in case someone was wondering, and also requested to keep a lookout so that Taiji doesn’t taunt her today when she wears the saree. He also asked if he could send over some decoration plans and menu list to Naina with his driver as they needed to finalize the reception décor. Anand smiled agreeing, and disconnected. Afterwards as he saw Naina smiling, showing the saree to Preeti and Bela, he wondered how Sameer understood everything Naina was feeling from so far when her whole family couldn’t realize the pain she had felt on holding the saree. As Naina went inside to get ready for the ritual, Bela asked, “suniye Preeti ke papa… kuch pata chala Naina kyun ro di aise?”

Anand sighed and explained the whole thing just as Sameer had done to him, and also how the situation had been resolved. Rakesh looked surprised, and so did everyone else. Mamiji slowly asked, “damadji ko aise kaise samajh aa gaya ke Naina kyun royi… Hum logo ko tak pata nahi chala.”

Phulla Bua smiled, “yahi toh khaasiyat hai hamare hero jaise damad ki… usse zyada pyaar hamari Naina se koi nahi kar sakta aur naa hi koi Naina ko aise samajh sakta hai.”

Naina dressed up in the deep red saree, still a bit shaky with the realization that this was her mother’s saree… Finally she had something of her mother. A memory that she could now treasure… But still there was something missing… something didn’t sit well. She kept feeling jittery and nervous, which didn’t make sense. A doorbell sounded outside, and Naina wondered who had arrived at this hour. She ignored it and started combing her hair, but soon there was a knock on the door, and Bela called out, “Naina… darwaza khol.”

Puzzled a bit, Naina opened the door, and was surprised to be greeted by a smiling Vishakha. “Mummy… aap”, she exclaimed, and immediately tried to peek outside.

Vishakha smiled, “Rohan aaya hai mere saath… Tumhara Sameer ghar pe hi hai.”

Naina blushed, stepping back to let her in, and said, “aap aaj aane wale the yeh mujhe nahi pata tha.”

“Mujhe bhi nahi pata tha”, Vishakha chuckled, “par Sameer ne hall me kamsekam pachchis chakkar laga liye tumse baat karne ke baad. Fikar ho rahi thi par mil nahi sakta… Isiliye main aa gai.”

Naina smiled, “main ab theek hun.”

Vishakha kept her purse and a file on the bed, “jaanti hun… yahi saree hai?”

Naina nodded, nervously brushing the pleats, “kapda beth nahi raha theek se.”

Vishakha turned to Bela, who was still standing confused at the sudden visit, “Behenji, aapko aitraaz naa ho toh kya main Naina ko taiyar kar du aaj? Mujhe usse kuch baat bhi karni hai aur Sameer ne yeh designs ki file bhijwai hai toh woh bhi dikhana hai.”

Bela nodded, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye, mujhe kya aitraaz hoga… aap hi ki beti hai.” Saying so she left from there, and Vishakha locked the door of the room. Slightly agitated, Naina picked up the file from the bed to check.

“Baad me dekh lena”, Vishakha said, “laao pehle main saree theek kar deti hun.”

Naina began to object, “mummy iski koi zaroorat…”

“Zaroorat Hai”, Vishakha interrupted and knelt to adjust the pleats, “Sameer ne bataya mujhe sab kuch. Tumhe pata hai… Jab Sameer ne mujhse kaha tha ke woh tumse shaadi karna chahta hai toh mujhe aisa laga tha ke pata nahi kaisi ladki hai, sahi hai bhi ke nahi… Par phir pata chala ke papa ne bhi tumhe Sameer ke liye pasand kiya hai, tab aisa laga ke chalo ladki toh achchi hi hogi warna papa pasand nahi karte.” She stood up, adjusting the tucks near Naina’s waist and continued, “tab tak mera iss mamle me aana sirf ek formality sa lagta tha… Sameer akele nahi aa sakta toh mujhe le aaya baat karne… Jab rishte ki baat karne yahan aaye uss din pata chala ke jis galti ki wajah se maine khudko Sameer se aur dur kar diya tha woh galti usne kabhi ki hi nahi. Aur Sameer tumse itna pyaar karta tha ke usne sach pata honeke baawjud mujhe nahi bataya… tumse rishta jode rakhne ke liye use mera dur jaana gawara tha.”

Naina immediately tried to pacify, “nahi mummy… Sameer aapse bahot pyaar karte hai.”

“Jaanti hun”, Vishakha smiled, “main bas apan nazariya bata rahi hun… Khair… Uss din maine socha ke Sameer se rishte aur sudhaarne ki koshish karungi… Phir ek din mujhe uske kamre me photo albums mile. School ke, college ke… Har ek album ke har ek panne ko palat te hue ehsaas hua ke galti kabhi bhi Sameer ki nahi thi… uski jitni galtiya thi, unn sabki wajah main thi. Vivek se shaadi honeke baad, mummyji ko Rohan ki parvarish karte hue dekha aur dheere dheere wahi mere liye ek aadarsh ban gaya… Aur main Sameer ki tulna usse karne lagi… Rohan padhai me achcha hai toh Sameer ko bhi hona padega… Dono mere hi bete, par phir bhi main unko alag insaano ki tarah nahi dekh paai. Sameer ko kabhi maine Sameer ki tarah nahi dekha. Har bachcha ek jaisa nahi hota yeh baat maine nahi samjhi. Sameer ko Rohan se compare kiya, lekin Sameer ki apni jo khaasiyat thi woh maine kabhi nahi dekha. Uss din woh photo album dekhke pata chala ke jo cheeze main nahi dekh paai thi woh tumne dekhi usme… Aaj woh kamyaab insaan hai, par jab usme sirf bachpana tha tab bhi tumne usse pyaar kiya. Uske dil ko pehchaana…”

Naina smiled, wondering what was the reason behind this discussion. Vishakha removed the pin from pallu and re-adjusted it, “Uss din maine taay kiya ke main sirf Sameer ki mummy nahi, tumhari bhi banungi… Kyunki mere bete ki zindagi ki har ek kami tumne poori ki… Warna shayad papa ke jaane ke baad Sameer kahin andhere me kho jaata, aur mujhe pachtane ka mauka tak nahi milta. Aaj bhi kabhi kabhi khudke purane harkato ko kosti hun, lekin phir khudko sambhalke tum dono ke bhavishya ka sochti hun. Kuch samajh aaya?”

Naina thought for some time and shook her head. Vishakha smiled, making her sit on the bed, “guzra waqt kabhi wapas nahi aata Naina… Lekin rishto ko sawarneke mauke kai aate hai. Purane zakhm dard denge, par naye rishto me unn zakhmo ko bharne ki takat hoti hai… Bichre log yaad aayenge, par jo naye rishte dastak de rahe hai unhe pehchaano.”

Naina was still puzzled, but Vishakha didn’t explain further. Rather she pulled out a box from her purse, and opened it to reveal a gold set, and said, “aao… udar betho.” Obeying her, Naina moved to the dressing table and sat in surprised silence as Vishakha made her wear the gold necklace, earrings and bangles. Yeh mujhe meri shaadi me meri maa ne diya tha… Sameer ki Nani ne. Aaj main chahti thi ke yeh tum pehno… Kyunki Maa ho ya Mummy, rishta toh ek hi hai na.”

Naina’s eyes widened as she lifted a shaky hand to touch the necklace, tears pricked her eyelids, and she turned to look at Vishakha who simply smiled. A small sob escaped her lips, “Maa…” And then she hugged Vishakha, crying as she finally understood what Vishakha was trying to tell her… That she was not just Sameer’s mother but hers too, and it was not a formality. She might not have seen her mother, but now she had been blessed with a new relationship which could fill that gap in her life. Vishakha wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl, and let her cry. After few minutes when the sobs subsided, Vishakha teased, “kaash abhi Sameer dekh paata hume, toh badi jalan hoti usko.”

Naina pulled back, wiping her tears, “jalan kyun?”

Vishakha grinned, “tumko main gale laga rahi hun, aur woh tumhe dekh tak nahi sakta.”

Naina bit the inside of her cheek, laughing lightly. As Vishakha helped her with the hair and make-up, she asked, “maa… Sameer ko pata hai aap yahan aai hai? Aur yeh haar ke baare me?”

“Haan”, Vishakha supplied, “tabhi jaake toh thoda shaant hua.”

“Aur udhar bhaat ki rasam kab hai?” Naina queried.

Vishakha smiled at the interest, “shaam ko… abhi Kamlesh bhaiya saare cards dene nikle hai, aur phir shaam ko 4 baje ke kareeb shagun karenge Sameer ka.”

Naina applied lipstick, and smiled to herself, her heart beating fast as she knew that this meant Sameer was nearby. Looking for an excuse, she picked up the used tissues, “main yeh phenk ke aati hun.” And she stepped out on the balcony, surreptitiously looking around to see if she could spot him. She couldn’t, but still she knew he was there. She threw the tissues, and stood for a minute, admiring the roses and smiled hoping he would understand that she was alright. At some distance, on a rooftop, Sameer smiled, exhaling in relief and mentally thanked his mother for making his Naina smile again. As he drove back to home, he understood that Naina somehow knew he was there to see her; else she wouldn’t have come to the balcony like that.

Later on when Vishakha brought Naina out, Preeti gasped in delight, “Naina… yeh saree tujhpe kitni achchi lag rahi hai.”

Naina smiled, her eyes searching for her father who was standing at the far corner, but when their eyes met he nodded and smiled a bit. A relief settled inside Naina’s heart that her father approved, and was not sad with memories or blaming her for her mother’s death. Bela made her sit on a small raised wooden chowki and helped her put the pallu on her head. Mamiji came forward to bless her, and commented, “aree waah… yeh haar toh bahot sundar hai. Anand bhaisaab aap ne toh Naina ke shaadi me koi kami nahi chodi.”

Bela looked at the jewelry in confusion, “yeh humne nahi diya… bhagwan jhuth na bulaye beta yeh kahan se aaye.”

Naina touched the necklace, and smiled, “maa ne diya.”

“Oh bai”, Taiji queried, “ab teri kaunsi maa aa gayi?”

“Yeh meri baat kar rahi hai”, Vishakha informed.

Bela was surprised, but folded her hands, “behenji aapne aisai shaadi ke liye bahot kuch kharida hai… Phir yeh kyun?”

Vishakha calmly replied, “yeh shaadi ke liye nahi hai… ab tak jo bhi kharida Sameer ki maa banke kharida… Par yeh haar mujhe meri maa ne meri shaadi pe diya tha… Aaj jab Naina apni maa ki cheeze pehenke taiyar ho rahi hai toh mera bhi toh haq banta hai apni beti ko mere gehno me dekhneka.”

Mamiji had an impressed expression on her face, however Taiji couldn’t help but comment, “neva! Aapki beti toh Deepika hai… aapke gehno pe uska haq hai, Naina ka nahi.”

Vishakha smiled, “Naina ka pehla haq hai… Aur mujhe yaqeen hai ke jab Deepika ki shaadi hogi tab Naina uska pura dhyan rakhegi… Mujhe zara bhi chinta karneki zaroorat nahi hogi.” Leaning down she cupped Naina’s face, “beta ab main chalti hun… ghar pe bhi taiyariya karni hai.”

Rohan came forward, and offered a dairy milk to Naina, “bhabhi… yeh aapke liye.” Naina smiled and took it from him. Then he took out another one and held it out for Preeti, “aur yeh tumhare liye…”

Preeti’s eyes widened and she looked at Naina who was also surprised. Rohan quickly realized how the scene must look, and he stammered, “uh… umm… woh… Bhai ne dono ke liye bhijwai thi.”

Everyone relaxed and smiled. “Oh”, Preeti sighed in relief, and took the bar from him knowing well that it wasn’t from her Jijaji.

After Vishakha and Rohan left, Naina’s mamaji did the ritual that signified the blessings of mother’s brother and his will to share some expenses in wedding in case there was a need. Mamaji and Mamiji placed some clothes and jewelry in Naina’s lap as shagun of her wedding. And then they left along with Anand to deliver the shagun invitations.

On the other side in Maheshwari bungalow, Sameer’s mamaji had returned from his errand, and the same process of shagun started there. Dressed in a light blue kurta Sameer sat on the chowki, grinning wide as mamaji did his tilak and then blessed him with gifts. Mamiji added her own gifts and blessings, and also pulled his cheeks making him frown. Poonam bhabhi teased him that his bride would also pull his cheeks so he better get used to it. Sameer recollected the kisses she showered on his jaw and her confession of how she liked his slight stubble, and smirked, “haan… use mere gaal bahot pasand hai.” Everyone laughed at this goofy confession, and Deepika came up to pull his cheeks. “Ow”, Sameer yelped, “shaitaan… itni zor se kaun khichta hai… Ruko, ab main tumhare gaal khichunga.” Deepika shrieked and ran with Sameer in hot pursuit, leaving the entire household in splits.

That night Sameer got to talk to Naina only for a few minutes at night because her relatives from village woke up in between. He tossed and turned, frustrated, and wished he had made a plan to go there tonight. The next day was extremely busy for Sameer because there was hawan at his home, and he had to sit in it, so naturally he wasn’t allowed to go out of house.

On the other hand a few more relatives arrived at Naina’s home, making the situation complicated because they had booked the lodge from 10^th February onwards. However, these relatives were from their ancestral village and had travelled in advance to help with the preparations.

Naina stood in her room, furiously mixing honey with turmeric and sandalwood, “pura ghar bhara hua hai… jis kone me dekho wahan log. Ek minute phone pe baat nahi hoti.”

Preeti chuckled, “thoda intezaar karle behen… ho jayegi.”

“Kya khaak ho jayegi”, she plonked the bowl down, “tujhe pata hai… yeh log program bana rahe hai ke ghar me jagah nahi hai toh terrace pe soyenge… iska matlab Sameer wahan pe bhi nahi aa sakta.”

Preeti picked up the dumped bowl, “uff… itni chinta mat kar… kuch na kuch jugaad kar lenge jijaji… tu bas apna kaam kar… seedhi-saadhi dulhan ki tarah apne twacha pe dhyan de.” Saying so she applied a bit of mixture on Naina’s cheeks, and then mused, “waise yeh… roz roz itna saara pure sharir pe kyun laganeko dete hai tujhe? Sirf chehra hi kaafi hai na?”

Naina stopped scowling, and looked at her sister in surprise… A second passed and then another, and then she started laughing. Preeti looked on puzzled, “aree tu has kyun rahi hai… aisa kya puch liya maine.”

Naina covered her mouth, trying not to laugh again, and said, “tu naa yeh saare sawaal note karke rakhna… teri shaadi ke baad main iske jawab tujhse mangungi.”

Preeti was still confused and wanted to ask more questions, but before she could so Naina grabbed the bowl from her hand and disappeared inside the bathroom.

As Naina applied the cooling paste all over her body and bathed, Sameer kept fidgeting in the heat of the hawan. It was afternoon already, and he was hungry… But the pandit kept chanting mantras as if he had been paid extra just to elongate the duration of puja. Sameer leaned sideways to his brother, and whispered, “aur kitna chalega yeh?”

Rohan pulled a face, “pata nahi… garmi me pighalne lagenge thodi der me.”

It took another half an hour for the hawan to end, and as soon as it was allowed Sameer scrambled up, holding the neckline of his kurta away from his body, and sighing. Ramdhari hurried forward with a tray holding glasses of cold water, which everyone gratefully accepted. Vishakha passed around some prasad, and was surprised when Sameer just took a little bit of it. She queried, “beta itna sa?”

Sameer huffed, “garmi me haalat kharab ho rahi hai… pehle jaake phirse naha leta hun, phir khaunga.”

Saying so he started to remove his kurta, and Vishakha interrupted quickly, “beta idhar nahi… upar.”

He left the kurta and frowned, “sorry… bhul gaya tha… akele rehta hun toh aise hi shirt nikalne ki aadat hai… par ab toh pure ghar me log ghum rahe hai…”

“Shaadi me aisa hi hota hai”, Vishakha smiled, “jaldi se fresh hoke neeche aa jaana… main khana lagwati hun.”

Sameer rushed upstairs into his room, and locked the door behind him, immediately pulling off the restricting kurta. He flexed his arms and rotated his shoulders, sighing in relief… God… the wedding was happening in February and still he felt so hot… The hawan had increased the temperature in the environment. Just then the phone rang, and his heart skipped a beat… Surprised he stared at it, and whispered, “Naina…”

But how?

He quickly picked it up, “Hello?”

“Hi”, she whispered, “kya kar rahe ho?”

He grinned, “Oh God… Naina… mujhe yaqeen nahi ho raha tumhara phone hai… kaise?”

She chuckled, “Preeti ne jugaad kar diya thodi der… tumhari bahot yaad aa rahi thi. Kal bhi baat nahi hui theek se.”

He rolled his eyes, “haan… tumhare rishtedaar… I hope aaj so jaaye woh log, aur tum chhat pe aa jaana.”

“Sameer”, she sighed, “maine wahi batane ke liye phone kiya tha ke tum mat aana.”

He was shocked, “kya? Kyun? Tum bhi maanne lagi kya woh sab shaadi se pehle naa milne wali baate…”

She quickly explained, “nahi… nahi… aisa kuch bhi nahi hai. Darasal hamare gaanv se kuch log aaj hi aa gaye hai. Aur tum toh jaante ho ke humne lodge dus taareekh se karwaya hai. Toh abhi yeh sab log ghar me hai… Itni bheed ho rakhi hai ghar me… Aur raat ko sabke sone ki jagah nahi hai toh kuch log chhat pe sone wale hai.”

He made a frustrated sound and stomped his foot, “yeh Agarwal khandaan… sab romance ka satyanaash kar dete hai. Ek toh itni mushkil se plan banaya aur sab pe ek chutki me paani fer diya. Aise jaldi kaun aata hai Naina… Dhyan nahi rehta kya ke kahan rahenge… aur sona bhi inko chhat pe hi hai… Main kuch nahi jaanta… Tum unko bolo ke chhat pe nahi, bahar balcony me so jaaye.”

“I am sorry Sameer”, she tried to calm him down, “main samajhti hun… mujhe bhi gussa aa raha hai… par aise kaise unko kuch bol sakti hun.”

He tried to control his irritation, and asked, “toh ab hum kaise milenge?”

“Nahi mil sakte”, she miserably said, “koi raasta nahi dikh raha.”

He closed his eyes, and sat down on the love seat, “Naina… tumko pata hai na ke aaj paanch tareekh hai? Iska matlab hum ab tak ek hafta nahi mil sakte… Sagai 13 tareekh ko hai tabhi milenge officially. Toh itne din kaise rahu main? Tumhe kuch padi hi nahi hai meri… mere zarooraton ki…”

She was a little piqued, “main bhi toh nahi rek sakti na. Tum toh aise bol rahe ho jaise saari galti meri hai… Ek baar bhi mera nahi sochte na. Maine thodi naa kaha tha unn logo ko gaanv se aaneko… Ek toh pure din dus tarah ke ubtan lagao, sabki sau baate suno, gudiya ki tarah bethe raho saj-savar ke, hazar bahane banake phone milta hai thodi der chupke se baat karneko… aur upar se tum bhi koi raasta nikaalne ke jagah mujhe hi daant te raho… Jaao mujhe baat bhi nahi karni tumse… Mil toh sakte nahi hai, toh ab phone bhi nahi hoga…”

Surprised at the sudden outburst, he stammered, “Na…Naina… maine k…kab daanta… main toh bas garmi me pareshan hun, aur mil nahi sakte suna toh thoda bhadak gaya.”

“Garmi lag rahi hai toh kapde utaar do”, she quipped, “mujhpe kyun garmi nikaal rahe ho.”

Still a bit puzzled, he mumbled, “uh… haan… kurta utaar diya hai.”

She snapped, “very good… pyjama bhi utaar do aur phir shower ke neeche khade ho jao… bye.”

“Naina…”, he started to pacify her, but the phone disconnected. He stared at the receiver for sometime, and then muttered, “garmi toh mujhe lag rahi hai… yeh kyun itni garam ho rakhi hai.”

He dialed her number, hoping she would pick up, but someone else did and he sighed wondering why was Naina so angry suddenly. Lost in thoughts he shucked his pyjama as she had instructed, and stepped inside the shower, trying to figure out what was troubling her.

Main bhi toh nahi reh sakti na.

Pure din me dus tarah ke ubtan lagao.

Gudiya ki tarah bethe raho saj-savar ke.

Why was she applying all those different types of ubtan? Maybe her family wanted her to, especially Taiji… And he knew Naina hated sitting like a display doll all dressed up… She must be frustrated with everything, plus there was no scope now for them to meet. Naturally she was irritated.

Garmi lag rahi hai toh kapde utaar do.

He chuckled as he recalled that line… His Naina was instructing him to remove clothes. As he turned off the shower knob and wiped himself, he realized that the frustration was not all just because they cannot meet, but it was also the kind of frustration he was feeling… Sexual frustration… She was not oblivious of her own needs but was ignorant on how to attend to it. And since he was not there with her, there was no respite… Of course he hadn’t been able to give her that respite yet, but though their meetings spurred their needs, it also calmed them down somewhat. The fact that they could kiss each other and touch each other made them eager and also calm them with hope of sometime soon. Well… now that he understood, he knew he couldn’t do anything about the sexual frustration as of now, but maybe he could do something about the mental frustration.

At the other end, Naina sat on the bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, and she rocked herself, her face flushed as she recalled how she had snapped after his comment on his needs. Zarooratein… Dammit… How to tell him that she felt the same things… For so many years she had been ignorant and unaware but now she couldn’t deny herself… And she had no idea how to resolve the things she felt.

Kurta utaar diya hai.

Just that simple sentence had made her imaginations race as the image of his naked torso had immediately popped up in her mind. Well… that was not new since she had imagined him like that a lot of time ever since the first time she had seen him like that… But what disturbed her was the image of herself crawling all over him, fully intending to taste every inch of his bare skin. Dear God… What was happening to her? Was it normal? First that dream… and then this… How could she imagine such things with wide open eyes? Was this what people termed as fantasy? Was she fantasizing about Sameer?

If she was… then what next… was she supposed to feel so much irritation? What could she do if her body tingled craving his touch? What could she do if her breasts felt heavy? What could she do if her stomach clenched as if he had kissed her body? She didn’t have any answer to those questions… And she also didn’t know how to explain all this to Sameer… Maybe… Maybe her books would have some answer. She had packed up most of the books, afraid that someone would see them, but she had kept two of them hidden in her cupboard. She quickly got up and locked the door of her room, and pulled out one of the novels from its hiding place, eagerly flipping through the pages.

That evening a big bouquet arrived at Agarwal house, raising curiosity of the guests, and Naina blushed immediately realizing it was from Sameer. Taiji gasped, “oh bai! Phir se gulaab.”

Phulla-Bua scoffed, “kyun Beena… tu toh aise chaunk rahi hai jaise phool nahi kaante bhej diye ho kisine.”

Anand took it from the delivery man, and smiled, “Naina ke liye hai… Sameer ke taraf se. Kuch likha bhi hai…”

The women giggled, and Naina blushed even more. Preeti took the note from her father to read, and grinned, “haaye itna romantic note.” Naina shook her head, gesturing her to not read it in-front of everyone. But everyone kept requesting, and so finally Preeti read what Sameer had written, ‘tumhari muskurahat inn phoolon se bhi zyada khoobsurat hai… I love you Naina.’

Naina hid her face in her hands and several other women also blushed at this blatant declaration of love. Taiji heaved with jealousy and anger, as she commented, “oh bai! Aashiqui ka pradarshan hai… Parivaar ka kuch lihaaz hai bhi ke nahi.”

Phulla-Bua snapped, “tu chup kar Beena… ishq me aashiqui hi hoti hai… tu bhala kya samjhegi, itna shakkar thusti hai phir bhi zabaan kadvi ke kadvi.”

Taiji subdued as everyone laughed, and kept looking at Naina who had a wide smile on her face as she admired the flowers.

As night fell, Naina kept pacing inside her room, wondering if there would be any scope of talking to Sameer. There were people sleeping in the hall, on the terrace, an additional girl from village was sleeping in their room. There was no way to talk, and also no way he could come to meet. Balcony was risky and terrace was out of question… Time ticked by and she sat down with her book, still restless… When the clock ticked midnight, she dozed off while sitting, and was suddenly woken up by two honks.

Sameer… She sat up straight and rushed out to the balcony. There was no one on the road. But she had heard the signal… Had she been dreaming? She saw the watchman pass by, tapping the road with his stick, and a couple of dogs sat at the end of pavement looking here and there as if they had been disturbed by someone. When the watchman disappeared out of sight, three forms emerged from the darkness of a nearby lane. Her smile widened as her heart thumped with recognition… All she could see was a shadow, but she knew it was him. Two of the dark forms walked away in opposite directions, and she understood that they were Munna and Pandit who had probably gone to keep watch. In just another minute, Sameer walked up to the PCO booth where she could see him because of the street lamp, and waved at her.

She exhaled in relief, waving back at him. He held one ear in apology, and it took her some time to realize that he was apologizing for the small tiff they had this afternoon. She smiled and held her own ears making him grin, and he blew her a kiss. Naina glanced back into the room once, and then looked back at him telling him in gesture that she was going to come down. However, he immediately raised his hand, stalling her, and shook his head. She frowned, but he shook his head once again, firmly denying the idea. She knew it was risky, but still wanted to throw caution at winds just to meet him, but controlled herself and stood there, obeying him. He leaned against the PCO booth, his usual gesture since so many years, and she clutched onto the balcony railing, as they both stared at each other.

An hour later there was a strange hooting noise, and Sameer straightened glancing down the direction the sound had come from. He looked up at her, and gestured to the time, trying to say that he would have to go, and then signaled that he would call her tomorrow. She nodded, and blew him a kiss. He grinned, and even though she couldn’t see she knew his eyes were shining, as he tilted his head and returned her the kiss. They looked at each other for another minute, and then he turned, dissolving in the darkness of the lane again. She couldn’t see Munna or Pandit, and assumed that they must have taken a different route to meet Sameer. After few minutes she thought she heard a bike start, and then there was the sound of two honks in distance, and she smiled understanding that they had left. Going back into the room, she slipped under the blanket, feeling much better now and soon dozed off.

The next morning Sameer woke up to the sounds of songs, but they weren’t melodious film songs, rather they were loud and almost tuneless, and it sounded so harsh that he was tempted to plug in his ears. He checked the time and saw it was 8am, much later than his usual time, but then he had slept extremely late last night too. Holding a hand to his head he opened the door of his room, and then immediately shut it, “bhagwaan… yeh kya ho raha hai? Kaun gala faad raha hai?”

Mr. Somani was walking down the corridor and spotted the half open door with Sameer standing in the opening clutching his head. His eyes narrowed and he asked, “subah subah sar pakad ke kyun rahe ho? Kahin sharab toh nahi peekar aaye kal raat ko.”

Sameer opened his eyes, stiffening a bit, “main sharab nahi peeta. Kal raat ko main office ka kaam kar raha tha, toh der ho gai, isiliye thoda sar-dard hai.”

Mr. Somani raised his eyebrows, “raat ko 2:30 baje toh ghar wapas aaye ho, aisa kaunsa kaam tha office ka jo beech raat me karna pada?”

Sameer’s heart thumped hard. Dammit… He had been spotted. What should he do now? He was just about to make a vague excuse and tell his step-father that he should not interrupt in his personal life when suddenly there was another voice from near the staircase, “Sameer.” He turned to see his mother standing there with a shocked expression and nearly groaned. Even after all these years Mr. Somani was still upto his antics, still trying to make him look bad in-front of his mother.

Vishakha came forward, “tum raat ko 2:30 baje kahan se aa rahe the?”

Sameer shuffled his foot, “woh mummy… main… thoda kaam tha Munna aur Pandit ke saath.”

“Jhooth bol rahe ho”, Vishakha reprimanded, “tum Naina se milne gaye the na? Laakh mana karneke baad bhi tum apni harkato se baaz nahi aaoge.”

He shook his head, “nahi mummy… main sach me Munna aur Pandit ke saath tha. Din me toh aap bahar nikalne nahi de rahe ho, toh raat ko gaya tha… Dosto ke saath kuch waqt bitana tha.”

Vishakha narrowed her eyes, looking from her husband to her son, and wondered if she was falsely reprimanding her son once again by believing her husband. But, Sameer hadn’t refuted that he had come in that late. She took his hand, and placed it on her head, “kha meri kasam ke tu Naina ne nahi mila.”

Sameer bit his lip, thinking back to the events of last night, and then smiled, “main Naina se nahi mila. Ghar se 12:30 baje gaya tha, bahar Munna aur Pandit se mila, aur 2:30 baje wapas aaya…”

Vishakha relaxed, smiling, and held her son’s hand, “thank you beta.” Then she left from there. Mr. Somani also moved forward to follow, but Sameer stopped him, “Mr. Somani… Hamare rishte me sirf tension kam hua hai… koi khaas rishta bana nahi hai. Aapko parivaar ka hissa maanta hun kyunki aap meri mummy, mere bhai aur meri behen se jude hue hai…. Uske alawa mere personal life me aapka koi haq nahi hai. Wapas mere aur mummy ke beech kadwahat laane ki koshish mat karna.”

Glancing back once to make sure his wife was out of hearing range, Mr. Somani sighed, “mera rishta bhi tumse Vishakha, Rohan aur Deepika ke wajah se hai. Shaadi ke baad tumse bichadneka dukh dekha tha maine Vishakha ke aankhon me… aur uske baad kai baar wahi dukh dekha, kaafi baar meri wajah se. Kuch mahino se uski aankhon me asli khushi dekh raha hun, aur woh main cheen nahi sakta… Tum yaqeen karo ya na karo, main nahi jaanta tha ke Vishakha ne meri baat suni. Agar use batana hota toh kal raat ko hi bata deta jab tum ghar wapas aaye the. Par umeed karta hum tumne apni maa ki jhoothi kasam nahi khai…”

Sameer raised his hand to stall him, “bas… main mummy ki jhoothi kasam kabhi nahi kha sakta.”

Mr. Somani stared at him for sometime and then nodded, leaving from there. Sameer started to close the door again, but was stopped by Rohan’s voice, “bhai…”

Sameer smiled, “good morning…”

“Good morning bhai”, Rohan looked worried, “umm… main aapse baat kar sakta hun?”

Sameer nodded, gesturing him to come inside, “andar aa jao.”

As the door closed, Rohan immediately asked, “bhai aapne mummy ki kasam khai… par aap toh bhabhi se milne gaye the na.”

Sameer crossed his arms, “maine jhoothi kasam nahi khai. Haan, Naina ke society ke wahan gaya tha, par usse mila nahi. Main society ke saamne jo telephone booth hai wahan khada tha, aur Naina apne ghar ke balcony me thi… Humne baat tak nahi ki, phone pe bhi nahi. Iska matlab… maine usko dekha, usse mila nahi.”

Rohan sighed, exhaling in relief, and hugged his brother, “sorry bhai… main darr gaya tha.”

Sameer patted his brother’s back, “tension mat lo… Naina mere liye sabse zyada zaroori hai, lekin iska matlab yeh nahi ke baki logo ko bhul jau. Tum sab mera parivaar ho.”

Rohan pulled back and grinned, and started to say something, but just then the loud songs started again. Sameer immediately clutched his head, “uff… yeh kya hai? Kyun chilla rahe hai yeh sab log?”

Rohan chuckled, “chilla nahi rahe bhai… gaa rahe hai. Aaj mangal geet hai, aur kuch toh papad-mangodi banane ki baat kar rahe the.”

Sameer groaned, “iska matlab yeh pura din chalega?”

Rohan shrugged, “pata nahi… aap naha lo… main aapka chai-nashta kamre me le aata hun.”

“Thanks”, Sameer nodded, “apna aur Deepika ka bhi leke aa jaana… saath me karte hai.”

“Good idea”, Rohan smiled and left from the room.

On the other hand preparations for similar rituals were happening at Agarwal house too. Bela instructed Naina to stay in her room, and Preeti queried, “kyun mummy? Hum bhi toh madad kar sakte hai na.”

“Nahi beta”, Bela smiled, “yeh rasam sirf suhaagane karti hai. Isiliye tum dono kamre me raho.”

Naina eagerly asked, “chachiji… main Swati aur Shefali ko bula lu please… Bahar nahi jaane mil raha toh bore ho gai main… Roz to rasmo ke wajah se sajke bethe rehna padta hai, agar aaj kuch nahi karna toh hum ladkiya sab saath me thoda waqt bita sakte hai.”

Bela thought for a moment, and then approved, “haan theek hai… par koi shaitaani nahi.” Preeti happily went to call both the girls asking them to come over, and also asked them to bring snacks and cold-drinks.

As Naina happily dressed up in normal clothes for the day, at the other end Rohan and Deepika came inside Sameer’s room armed with dishes of poha and matar kachori. Ramdhari followed with cups of tea, and then left from there. The three siblings sat on the mattress on the floor, gobbling up breakfast and chattering non-stop.

Deepika chirped, “bhabhi aayegi na toh main saara din unke saath rahungi.”

Sameer pulled her nose, “Naina mere liye aa rahi hai… mere saath rahegi. Tum beech me mat aana.”

Yelping a bit, Deepika swatted her brother’s hand, “bhabhi ko bata dungi ke aap mujhe pareshan karte ho.”

“Bata dena”, Sameer chuckled. Rohan noticed how his brother kept rubbing his forehead often, and asked, “ab tak sar-dard hai?”

Sameer nodded, “haan… aur yeh gaana chalega tab tak rahega. Uske baad shayad theek ho.”

Deepika tilted her head, and offered, “main sar daba du?”

Sameer blinked at his sister, “huh? Kya?”

“Sar daba du?” Deepika asked again, “mummy ko headache hota hai tab bhi main hi karke deti hun.”

Sameer looked at Rohan with curiosity, and he nodded, “haan bhai… mera sar bhi daba deti thi mere exams ke waqt.”

Till now only Naina had offered him this kind of relief, he only associated such gestures with her. But now his sister was doing the same thing and her hopeful shining eyes made it difficult for him to refuse. “Umm… okay”, Sameer agreed still a bit hesitant.

Deepika grinned and sat cross legged, patting her lap, “idhar aao…”

A soft smile curved his lips as he shifted and lay down on his sister’s lap. She smoothed the hair back from his forehead, making Sameer blink at the sudden sensation. Naina… it was always Naina who did these things… And he always felt so much peace and relief. This was different… Deepika’s touch was different, her fingers much smaller, her method was different, but still there was the same kind of peace. It was love… He realized. His sister loved him and that’s why he felt the same peace and relief this time too.

Deepika softly asked, “achcha lag raha hai bhaiya?”

Sameer hummed, and closed his eyes, continuing to talk with Deepika and Rohan. But slowly, and he didn’t know when, he fell asleep. He was unaware when Rohan left to keep the used cups and dishes downstairs. He had no idea when Deepika piled up pillows to her side, and started reading her story book, while her one had still moved over his head. He didn’t wake up even when his mother came in to check on him as she was worried that he didn’t come downstairs, and was pleasantly surprised to see him asleep on Deepika’s lap. Rohan came back upstairs, also armed with a book of his own, to keep Deepika company. Vishakha smiled on seeing her three children, amazed at how neither Deepika nor Rohan were ready to leave the room even though Sameer was asleep. Probably they also understood that Sameer had been alone too much and too long, and so he deserved all the love he was getting. She closed the door of the room softly, wiping a stray tear, mentally thanking Naina for bringing her family together.

Swati and Shefali on the other hand had managed to earn quite a number of glares as they had thundered inside laughing loudly over some joke. Taiji had questioned them about their arrival and was prepared to make them leave, especially because Shefali was of another caste. But naturally, Phulla-Bua overrode her objection and invited the two girls inside. And now the four girls were cossetted inside the room, munching on snacks, sipping cold-drinks, and chattering about the wedding and the dances they would do on Sangeet. After another hour or so, a lady came in with a bowl and handed it over to Naina saying Bela had given it.

Naina sighed, keeping the bowl aside, “roz roz yeh lagao. Pareshan ho gai hun.”

Shefali teased, “aree… aise pareshan hogi toh kaise chalega… Ab toh yeh sab karna padega… First night ki taiyari jo hai.” Naina blushed, while Preeti and Swati looked puzzled. Shefali bumped Naina’s shoulder with hers, “aur tu na… shaadi ke baad bhi yeh roz karna…”

Naina bit her lip, “achcha… uske baad kyun?”

Shefali grinned, leaning forward, and said in a low voice, “kyunki Sameer school me hi jis tarah tujhe dekhta tha na usise mujhe pata chal gaya ke sirf ek raat me uska kuch nahi hone wala. Toh woh roz tujhe dekhega toh yeh… ubtan zaruri hai…”

Naina squeezed her eyes shut, her cheeks flooding with color, and she hid her face in her hands biting her lip hard to control the blooming smile. Preeti queried in a puzzled tone, “tu bol kya rahi hai Shefali? Ek raat me kya nahi hoga? Aur jijaji toh ab bhi Naina ko dekhte hai…”

Swati added, “haan… school se dekh rahe hai… toh abhi ubtan lagane se konsa farq pad jayega.”

Naina looked up, unable to stop the chuckle that escaped her lips, and wondered what to say. But before she could decide Shefali interrupted, “ab tak jo dekha woh alag… shaadi ki first night se toh pura dekhega na.”

“Pura?” Both Preeti and Swati quizzed with a frown.

Naina caught Shefali’s arms, “bas kar… inko nahi pata kuch bhi.”

Shefali grinned, her eyes shining with enthusiasm, “iska matlab tujhe sab pata hai? Kaise?”

Naina stammered, “na…nahi… uh… uh… me…mera mat…matlab…”

“uh… uh… uh…”, Shefali laughed and gleefully rubbed her hands, “kitna haklayegi? Oh my God… seedhi-saadi padhaku Naina ko shaadi ke baad ka sab pata hai… Jaldi bata kaise hua yeh sab? Jijaji ne samjhaya… ya bataya?”

Naina hushed her friend, “shsh… kitna excite ho rahi hai… dheere bol. Bahar koi sunn lega toh aafat aa jayegi.”

But at that moment Preeti and Swati started asking several questions… “shaadi ke baad ka sab… iska matlab?”; “kya hota hai shaadi ke baad?”; “Naina… ghunghat uthane ke baad kya hota hai yeh tujhe pata hai?”

Naina closed her eyes, groaning inwardly, and tried to handle the situation, “kuch nahi hai… tum dono yeh sab baato pe dhyan mat do.”

Preeti glared at her and asked, “tune bataya tha ke kiss ke aage bhi bahot kuch hota hai… kya hota hai?”

Swati also persisted, “Shefali kya bol rahi hai… pura dekhenge ka kya matlab? Aur roz raat ko kya hoga?”

“Kuch nahi hoga”, Naina lied, “woh aisai mujhe ched rahi hai.”

Shefali didn’t help the situation, rather said, “Naina… inko bhi toh pata chalega na ek din. Inki bhi shaadi hogi.”

“Jab hogi tab hogi”, Naina replied irked, “abhi kuch batane ki zaroorat nahi hai kisiko.”

“Aree par Naina”, Shefali countered, “problem kya hai inko abhi pata chala toh.”

Naina’s frustration boiled over and she blurted, “tu pagal hai kya? Aise kaise inko bata sakte hai ke shaadi ke baad Sameer mujhe kaise dekhega… Dono ke hosh udd jayenge jab pata chalega ke pati-patni ke beech kuch nahi chupta.”

Shefali’s eyes widened, and she raised her eyebrows, smiling. Preeti’s shaky voice asking, “kuch nahi chupta?”, made Naina realize what she had blurted.

Swati gulped and asked, “matlab… yeh ubtan… sharir pe… shaadi ke baad Jijaji dekhenge isiliye hai?”

Naina closed her eyes, and muttered something inaudible. Shefali however grinned and replied, “haan… yahi matlab hai… shaadi ki first night ko Sameer hamari Naina ko pura ka pura dekhega…” Twirling Naina’s dupatta in her hand, she added, “bina kisi parde ke.”

There was momentary silence in the room and then both Swati and Preeti erupted, “cheeeee…!!”

Preeti almost looked like she would puke, “yeh kyun karna hai shaadi ke baad?”

Swati clutched her dupatta as if someone was stealing it from her now, “haan… yeh sab jhooth hai… koi bhala apne kapde kyun utaarega.”

“Aree… khud thodi na…”, Shefali started, but Naina clapped a hand over her mouth. Furiously glaring at her friend, Naina instructed, “bas… bahot ho gaya. Aise nahi. Mujhe pata hai yeh sab shaadi ke pehle se maloom hona achcha hai… Par iss tareeke se nahi. Sirf kya hota hai yeh zaroori nahi, kyun hota hai yeh bhi zaroori hai. Rishte ki ehmiyat ko bhulaake sirf sharirik baat pe dhyan dena sahi nahi hai.”

Shefali calmed down, and apologized, “sorry Naina… main thoda zyada excite ho gai thi. Ab kuch nahi bolungi.”

Preeti and Swati were still staring almost scared out of their wits. Shefali now felt guilty of saying things like this to them. Naina tried to calm herself and explained, “sorry… main aise ekdum se bol gai. Tum dono gharbrao mat.”

Preeti tried to clarify, “matlab yeh sab sach hai? Tu mazak nahi kar rahi thi.”

For a moment Naina was tempted to pretend that it was a joke, but then recalling how carefully Sameer had explained to her the changes in their relationship, she decided against lying. Nodding her head, she explained, “haan yeh sach hai. Koi mazak nahi. Lekin… kuch bhi sochne se pehle meri baat suno. Tum dono ko toh pata hi hai ke ek waqt tha jab main bhi kiss ke baare me sunke chee bolti thi.” They both nodded, and Naina continued, “aur yeh bhi pata hai ke main Sameer ko kiss kar chuki hun. Aur… woh anubhav kisi bhi tarah se chee nahi hai. Theek waise hi… pati-patni ya ladka-ladki ke rishte me bahot saare padav hote hai… Haath pakadna, gale milna, kiss karna… Yeh sab shuruwat hai. Yeh rishta bharose se banta hai… Ek dusre ke ho jaane se banta hai… Har tareeke se. Jis tarah tum apna dil usko de dete ho iss bharose ke saath ke woh ise kabhi nahi todega. Theek waise hi khudko bhi uske hawale kar dena padta hai. Aur isme sirf ladki sab kuch nahi deti, ladka bhi utna hi bharosa karta hai.”

Swati curiously asked, “par yeh … rishta… iske liye kapde kyun…”

“Kuch sawalo ke jawaab main nahi de sakti”, Naina replied, “jaise mujhe yeh sab Chachiji nahi samjha paai thi… Main bhi tumhe shabdo me nahi samjha paungi. Bas itna yaad rakho ke jaise maine kaha tha ke Sameer ne jab mujhe kiss kiya usme kuch galat nahi tha, woh ek ichcha hoti hai, chah hoti hai… Aisi ichcha ke hum jisse pyaar karte hai usko choo sake, uspe haq jata sake. Jab Sameer mujhe choota hai toh mujhe achcha lagta hai aur yeh haq Sameer ke alawa kisi aur ka nahi ho sakta. Waise hi tum log bhi kisi na kisiko yeh haq doge… dekhne ka… choone ka… pyaar karne ka.”

Preeti took a deep breath and asked, “aur yeh tujhe jijaji ne samjhaya?” Naina nodded, and Preeti further asked, “kaise samjhaya?”

Naina smiled, “yeh bhi main tumhe nahi bata sakti, kyunki kuch baate sirf mere aur Sameer ke beech ki hai. Hamari private personal zindagi.”

Swati queried, “aur yeh sab… jo bhi hai… tujhe achcha lagta hai? Darr nahi lagta? Ganda nahi lagta?”

“Bilkul bhi nahi”, Naina assured, “abhi sochke tumhe ganda lagega… main samajhti hun… mujhe bhi ganda lagta tha pehle, samajh me bhi nahi aata tha, aur darr bhi lagta tha… lekin jab waqt aur insaan dono sahi honge na toh sab kuch sahi lagega.”

Swati and Preeti looked at each other for some time, and then finally nodded. Naina smiled, lunging forward to hug them both, “tension mat lo… mujhe yaqeen hai tum dono ke rishte bhi mere rishte jaisa hi khoobsurat hoga… bahot bahot khushiyon wala.”

Shefali piped up from the side, “yaar koi mujhe bhi gale laga lo…” The three girls giggled and pulled her into the hug. Just then Bela entered and commented, “bhagwan jhuth na bulaye… itna pyaar kyun aa raha hai ek dusre pe? Aur Naina… tune ab tak ubtan nahi lagaya? Kaise samjhau tujhe ke yeh sab zaroori hai shaadi me.”

Naina chuckled, taking the bowl and slipped off the bed, “jaanti hun zaroori hai… abhi laga leti hoon.”

As Naina went inside the bathroom with towel and spare set of clothes, Bela straightened few things in the room, and muttered, “jaanti hun toh asie bol rahi hai jaise sab pata ho. Bhagwaan hi madad kare damadji ki… isko toh kitaabo ke alawa aur kuch samajh nahi aata.”

The remaining three girls looked at each other and giggled. Bela glared at them, “khi-khi karna bandh karo… Aur yeh sab kachra phenko. Naina ka ho jaaye phir sab log khana kha lena.”

That afternoon Sameer enjoyed a rare lunch of paneer and aloo paratha, because his mother was still busy in making mangodis. His headache was gone, and he had promised Deepika to watch Cinderella movie in afternoon with her, naturally with Rohan tagging along, and Munna-Pandit were also coming down. He smiled to himself, wondering what Naina would say on knowing about the movie. He sighed, hoping there was some way he could talk to her tonight, if not then he would be at the PCO booth again for sure.

Naina had a lunch of paratha-sabji, and then played carom with Shefali, Preeti and Swati. Some time later Swati asked, “achcha… tu jijaji se mil paai?”

Naina rolled her eyes, “sirf ek baar… Kal raat ko aaya tha par kamre me woh gaanv ki Anju aur terrace pe bhi log the toh baat nahi ho paai. Mil bhi nahi paai.”

Preeti curiously asked, “kal kab aaye the jijaji? Aur pata kaise nahi chala?”

“Bahar khada tha”, Naina informed, “PCO booth ke wahan pe… 12:30 baje aaya tha aur pura ek ghanta khada raha.”

Shefali was surprised, “wow… sach me? Toh tu neeche chali jaati.”

Naina sighed, “main toh taiyar thi jaaneko… Par Sameer ne rok liya. Risky hai thoda… Kaash itne log nahi hote ghar me toh mil paate.”

Swati looked back at the door, through which loud conversations drifted, “yeh sab ghar pe kyun reh rahe hai? Tum logo ne lodge karwai hai na.”

Preeti pitched in, “haan… par dus tareekh se hai. Ab itne din aur kahan rahenge.”

“Hamara ghar saaf karwa deti hun main”, Shefali offered. Naina looked at her friend in surprise. Shefali smiled, “haan… hum toh waise bhi hotel me ruk rahe hai, aur ghar rent pe dete hai lekin abhi koi hai nahi kiraaydaar… Toh saaf karva dungi bas… Sab log wahan chale jayenge.”

Gleeful hope spurted in Naina’s heart, “idea toh achcha hai… par Chachaji ko manana padega.”

Preeti’s eyes gleamed, “sochte hai kuch… Kal puri raat woh Anju mujhe laat maarti rahi hai… Aisa chalta raha toh dus tareekh tak main langdi ho jaungi.”

Points were discussed and it was decided to convince Chachiji first and then Phulla-Bua, because they were easy targets. And so to everyone’s surprise, the four girls came outside to sit with everyone. When Bela asked, Naina said, “chachiji hum bana nahi sakte, dekh toh sakte hai na.”

Sitting beside her mother, Preeti started her part, “mummy kal se toh shaadi ke saare tohfe pack karne hai na?”

Bela nodded, “haan beta… Naina ke sasural jaane wala har cheez ekdum sundar dikhna chahiye.”

Shefali mused, “par aunty… yahan kaise karenge yeh sab? Jagah kahan hai?”

Naina added, “aur kal se toh mere sasural walo ne jo parlor book karwaya hai woh log bhi aayenge na.”

Bela looked around at the crowd in her home and frowned, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye, baat toh teri sahi hai. Idhar kaise karenge?”

A lady spoke up, “koi baat nahi behenji… Hum sab log agle do-teen din Beena behenji ke wahan reh lenge.”

“Oh bai”, Taiji gasped, “mere ghar pe kyun? Wahan thodi na shaadi hai.”

“Ab Naina aapki bhi toh beti hai”, Mamiji commented.

Taiji composed herself, adjusting her pallu, “haan haan… woh toh hai. Par… kya hai na… Parlay babu ke papa sheher ke itne bade waqil hai na… Toh unka kaam zyada rehta hai. Aise me ghar me bheed hogi toh dikkat hogi unhe. Isilye toh lodge book karvaya tha.”

“Par bhabhiji lodge toh dus tareekh se milega”, Bela observed.

Taiji thought that she was doomed now. Just then Shefali snapped her fingers, “idea… Mera ghar toh khali pada hai. Toh wahan sab reh lenge raat ko. Aur din me yahan packing kar lenge.”

“Neva! Yahi baaki reh gaya hai”, Taiji scoffed, “dusre dharam ke ghar me hamare mehmaan nahi rukenge.”

Shefali smiled, “Taiji… ghar ka dharm thodi na hota hai. Aur phir Pooja ki shaadi me bhi mere ghar pe mehmaan ruke the. Jab main kiraydaar rakhti hun tab thodi na dharm dekhke rakhti hun. Ground floor pe ghar hai… bada hai. Sabko baar-baar upar-neeche bhi nahi karna padega. Aur pura ghar khali hai toh inn sabka samaan aa jayega wahan pe. Furniture bhi hai, toh kisiko chhat pe bhi nahi sona padega.”

The girls looked at each other with small smiles, as they could see everyone thinking through the proposal. One of the ladies commented, “waise… unke ghutno me dard hota hai seediya chadte hue.”

“Haan”, another lady said, “aur meri to kamar akad gai chhat pe soke.”

Preeti helpfully added, “aur Dadi-Bua ko akele sone ki aadat hai par kal toh unke kamre me bhi log the.”

Bela said, “theek hai… toh main ek baar Preeti ke papa se baat karke dekhti hun. Woh Shefali se kiraay ki baat kar lenge.”

Shefali chuckled, “kya aunty aap bhi… meri sabse achchi saheli ki shaadi hai. Agar mere paas bunglow hota na toh Naina ki shaadi ke liye woh bhi de deti, toh yeh toh sirf 3BHK hai. Mujhe koi kiraya nahi chahiye, bas aap apne haatho ki bani dal-bati aur churma khila dena mujhe.”

Phulla-Bua laughed, “Naina… tere kismat me saare chatore hai, saheliya bhi aur pati bhi… Chalo tay hua… aaj yeh rasam ki toh ab basi-kaam me haath nahi daalenge… isiliye aaj ki raat guzaar lo, phir subah ghar saaf karwa lenge phir saare mehmaan wahi rahenge.”

Swati queried, “dadi-bua baasi kaam matlab.”

Phulla-Bua explained, “jhadu-pocha ko baasi-kaam kehte hai. Aaj bhagwaan ki puja karke humne yeh rasam ki na, toh isiliye ab koi baasi-kaam nahi kar sakte.”

Naina bit the inside of her lip, her heart dancing with joy… just one more night, and then she would be free to talk to Sameer once more, maybe even meet him.

That night when Sameer called, Preeti talked to him and then pretending as if it was some college friend called for Naina to talk. It wasn’t much, but still better than nothing. Naina wanted to share the news with him, tell him that the house would be empty again, but couldn’t do that. But she did manage to increase his curiosity and desperation by telling him about the parlor treatment that would begin from next day.

Next morning was a busy one because the cleaning started early and thankfully the house wasn’t so dirty even though it had been empty since a month. Chachaji arranged for additional drinking water containers, and whatever else was needed. The parlor ladies arrived at 11am, and when Naina asked they said that today they would do her hair massage and treatment, and also apply a cooling mask for on her body. Naina didn’t mind the hair stuff, but the body mask made her roll her eyes recalling the several sessions of ubtan application she had gone through. And she laughed outright, when one lady commented that her skin was already glowing.

On the other side at Maheshwari bungalow Sameer was pacing in his room, questions about parlor treatment racing in his head. He had known that Naina had gone with this mother to book the sessions, and he cursed himself for not enquiring the details from her.

Bewakoof… Itne din the beech me… Ek baar puch leta toh Naina bata deti. Ab sochta reh ke kya special karwa rahi hai woh shaadi ke liye.

Just then Munna and Pandit came over along with Rohan, screaming surprise! Sameer jerked, turning to glare at his friends, “kya hai? kyun chilla rahe ho?”

Pandit asked, “aree tujhe kya hua? Hume dekhke khush hona chahiye… Tujhe company dene aaye hai.”

Sameer scowled, and Munna chuckled, “yeh roop dekha hua hai maine. Sameer aise har baat pe tabhi bhadakta hai jab uski bhabhi se theek se baat na hui ho.”

Rohan agreed, “haan… mil bhi nahi paa rahe aur baat bhi nahi ho rahi.”

Sameer threw a punch at the boxing bag he had hung this morning for working out, “aur upar se Naina bhi mujhe pareshan karti hai… kal bata diya ke aaj se parlor wale aayenge par yeh nahi bataya ke karwane kya wali hai.”

The three boys laughed at his condition and he threw a few more punches trying to vent out. Pandit grabbed the boxing bag, “bhai mere… yeh punch maarne se kuch nahi hoga. Agar tujhe janna hai ke bhabhi iss waqt kaisa mehsoos kar rahi hai toh tujhe bhi parlor jaana padega.”

Sameer crossed his arms, “Naina parlor me nahi hai… Uske ghar pe parlor wale aaye hue hai. Toh main parlor jaake kya karunga.”

Munna slapped his forehead, “yaar tujhe bhabhi ko dekhne parlor jaaneko nahi bol rahe hum log. Hum keh rahe hai ke agar dulhan apne twacha ka itna dhyan rakh rahi hai, toh dulhe ko bhi rakhna chahiye.”

Rohan helpfully added, “haan bhai… aapko hair massage aur facial karwana chahiye. Aur manicure-pedicure bhi.”

Sameer frowned, “mere baalo ko koi haath nahi lagayega. Aur yeh parlor-warlor ladkiya jaati hai, ladke nahi.”

“Bhai konse zamane me jee raha hai”, Pandit chuckled, “aaj kal toh dulhe bhi sab kuch karwate hai. Aur tu toh hai hi hero, toh tujhe bhi thoda dhyan dena padega na.”

Sameer denied firmly and his friends tried to coax. Finally Rohan said, “bhai… suno na… aap parlor jaoge toh ghar se bahar nikal sakte ho, woh bhi mummy ke permission se. Phir hum na… Bhabhi ke liye shopping karke unko bhijwayenge… Unka mood bhi aapke bina kharab hoga, toh aapke gifts dekhke khush ho jayegi.”

That made Sameer smile, and after thinking for few minutes more he agreed. Vishakha was surprised with the plan but after taking a promise that they wouldn’t meet Naina she allowed them to go. Dadi made a parting comment to Sameer, instructing him to cut his hair, and he blessed her with a fake smile, “haan kyun nahi… Aapko toh haircut ki zaroorat nahi padti toh mere baal hi dikhte hai aapko.”

“Sameer”, Vishakha said in a warning tone, the boys cheekily grinned and ran away from there.

Once outside, Sameer denied visiting parlor again, saying they would just buy gifts. But the remaining three boys forcefully took him to the parlor, and handed him over to a man called Viren. Sameer was like a cornered tiger, growling and snapping, “mujhe kuch nahi karwana. Aur mere baalo ko haath lagaya na toh haath tod dunga.”

Munna tried to calm him, “yaar itna natak kyun kar raha hai. Yeh bahot achcha parlor hai.”

“Haan”, Pandit persuaded, “aur yeh tere baal nahi katenge… bas massage karenge.”

Sameer shook his head resolutely, “nahi… mere baalo pe tel sirf Naina lagayegi, aur koi nahi.”

Viren frowned, “par hamare parlor me toh koi Naina nahi hai.”

Sameer glared at the man, and Rohan jumped in, “Naina meri honewali bhabhi hai… bhai ki honewali biwi.”

“Ohh”, Viren smiled, “shaadi ki baat hai. Kya bhaisaab aap bhi… Aapko yeh sab karwane me itna gussa aa raha hai, par aapse zayda waqt toh aapki dulhan ko lag raha hoga. Pata hai unko kya kya karwana padta hai…”

Sameer stilled, his senses alert, and he cautiously asked, “aapko pata hai dulhan ko kya kya karwana padta hai?” The man nodded, and he demanded, “kya?”

Viren smiled, “pehle bethiye… shaving karte karte batata hun.”

To the surprise of the three boys Sameer immediately sat down; Viren gestured them to wait outside in the lobby, and they left. He tied a cloth around Sameer’s neck, and vigourously mixed the shaving cream. As he applied the cream and started shaving, he said, “dulhan bhi hair treatments karwati hai… massage, steam, mask… taaki unke baal sundar dikhe.”

Sameer smiled, thinking, ‘uske baal toh waise hi bahot sundar hai.”

Viren wiped his face with wet towel, and started applying the base for facial, “aur phir woh bhi facial karwayengi… shayad do baar ho jayega shaadi tak. Ek baar herbal aur ek baar special glow ke liye.”

Naina ka chehra toh waise hi bahot chamakta hai.

Viren asked, “hair trim kardu thoda… ekdum thoda sa, aur massage kar deta hun.” Lost in thoughts Sameer nodded. Viren smiled, and continued explaining, “manicure-pedicure bhi karwate hai… shaadi ke jode se matching nail polish lagayenge. Aur phir body ke treatments.”

Curious Sameer queried, “body?”

“Boliye mat”, Viren instructed, “mask khichega. Haan body treatments karwate hai… waxing, bleach, scrub, polish… Sab kuch taaki shaadi ki first night ke liye body ekdum glow kare.”

Aur kitna glow karegi Naina? Waise hi itni saaf skin hai… aisa naa ho andhere me chamakne lage.

Viren added, “aur haan… yeh sab toh sirf parlor hai… gharwale toh alag karwate hai sab. Kuch mahine pehle meri behen ki shaadi hui thi. Maa roz usko ubtan laganeko bolti hi… haldi, chandan, shehed wala… Aur nahane ke paani me roz gulaab-jal daalneka.” He set the scalp treatment machine in place, and informed, “shehed toh khaas karke zyada lagate hai… Kehte hai usse thakan nahi dikhti sharir pe.”

Iska matlab… main Naina ko kiss karunga toh shehed jaisa taste aayega?

Sameer was so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed the haircut, massage and hair-mask application. He didn’t even feel the stretch of the facial mask as he sat there trying to figure out the impact of all the treatments on Naina. The most puzzling question for him was if Naina would suddenly start tasting like honey. And why would she do so many things? She knew that he liked and loved her just as she was… But still it had been her who had chosen what treatments to do. Was she really going to do all this? Why? He kept on thinking… and finally deduced that she wanted to make it special. They always termed that night as a special night… And she was doing everything she could to make it even more special. Wow… His wife was really excited about their first night.

Later on as Viren removed the face mask, and massaged serum on his face, Sameer wondered if Naina expected him to do these treatments. Maybe not… But there was no harm in it. He sat through silently as Viren shampooed his hair, and then styled it, asking, “kaisa laga?”

Sameer combed his fingers through his hair, “achcha hai… Thank you… Aur sorry main pehle bahot chida hua tha.”

Viren laughed, “koi baat nahi… hamare paas bahot saare nervous dulhe aate hai. Sabko lagta hai yeh parlor jaana ladkiyo ka kaam hai, par ladke bhi apna dhyan rakh hi sakte hai.”

Sameer nodded, standing up and then asked, “umm… aur kuch hota hai kya… matlab… dulhe ke liye.”

Viren smiled, “haan… manicure-pedicure karwa sakte hai aap.”

Sameer immediately queried, “aur meri skin… matlab woh sab jo aap keh rahe hai the… scrub, polish aur kya sab tha.”

“Wow”, Viren nodded appreciatively, “haan haan… ladko ke liye bhi body mask aur steam treatment hota hai. Aapko karwana hai toh kal parso ka appointment book kar dete hai.”

After slight deliberation Sameer booked the appointment for every treatment Viren suggested. His friends and brother were surprised but refrained from making any comemnts. As they drove towards a shop to buy some stuff, Sameer had a foolish grin on his face, as he thought, ‘ab main bhi hamari first night pe tumhari tarah chamkunga Naina.’

That evening in Agarwal house as everyone packed the stuff to be given in Tilak to the groom’s family, the arrival of several baskets caused many surprised gasps. There were chocolates, biscuits, chips and a note saying that it was for everyone. A bouquet of dark pink snapdragons and carnations was for Naina, along with a gift wrapped box which revealed a beautiful purse, and a miss you note. There were several “oohs” and “awws” from the assembled ladies, and Phulla-Bua smiled on seeing Naina’s happy expressions thinking that Sameer wasn’t here in-person but still managed to protect the smile on his would-be wife’s face.

As night fell, Sameer stood near the window, wondering if he should risk a call to Agarwal house. He didn’t know what the situation was there. But even a minute or two would help; he just needed to hear her voice. However, he was worried too, if anyone knew that he had called to talk to her then she would be in trouble. At around 11pm just when he decided to throw caution to the winds and try to call, his phone rang. He stumbled, stubbing his toe as he rushed to pick it up quickly, “Hello… Naina?”

“Hi Sameer”, she smiled, “main darr rahi thi ke tum so na gaye ho.”

He exhaled in relief, “tumhari awaz sune bina toh neend bhi nahi aati. Itni der se khade khade soch raha hun ke call karu ke nahi.”

She checked the surroundings once and crouched near the window, “main bhi tumhe bahot miss kar rahi hun… kaise ho tum?”

“Theek hun”, he quickly replied, “yeh sab chodo… Tum phone kaise kar rahi ho? Koi sunn lega toh.”

She smiled at his concern, “koi nahi hai sunne ke liye. Sabko bhaga diya humne.”

He was puzzled, “kya matlab?”

Naina laughed softly and explained how she had complained in-front of her friends that she wasn’t able meet or talk to him because of the unexpected guests, how Shefali had proposed the idea of making them stay at her house, how they all had planned and made everyone believe that it was for the best of everyone. Sameer’s jaw hung open in surprise, and he queried, “iska matlab… sirf mujhse baat karne ke liye itna sab kuch kiya tumne.”

“Sirf maine nahi”, she corrected, “tumhari saaliyo ne bhi bahot kuch kiya hai.”

He grinned, “thank you bolna padega sabko… Par tum pehle bata deti toh main milne aata na. Abhi aa jau?”

“Nahi”, she quickly said, “aaj sab log zyada thake nahi hai, toh kya pata kisiki neend khul jaaye. Aur pehli raat hai plan ke baad… dekhte hai sab theek rehta hai ke nahi… phir kal aana tum.”

He sighed, “okay… par aaj baat toh kar sakte hai na.”

She looked at the stars outside and said, “bilkul… bolo na.” He opened his mouth to ask about the parlor treatments, but had no idea how to phrase the questions. After half a minute she asked, “kya hua Sameer? Koi problem hai kya?”

He quipped, “tumse mil nahi paa raha yeh sabse badi problem hai.”

She tried to calm him, “yeh problem toh mujhe bhi hai… Tumhe itna saara miss kar rahi hun.”

He asked, “kya miss kar rahi ho?”

“Sab kuch”, she said, “par pehle tum batao… mood kyun kharab hai?”

He sat down, his tone irritated as he said, “ek wajah ho toh batau na… Tumhe dekhna chahta hun, choona chahta hun… aur yahi mere andar problems create kar raha hai. Aisa lag raha hai mera khudpe hi control nahi hai. Bolo… hai koi ilaaj tumhare paas?”

She wondered if he was talking about the same frustration that she was feeling, and after a brief hesitation, slowly said, “umm… maine ek book me padha tha…”

Sameer interrupted her, “oh God Naina… Phirse book nahi…”

“Sunn toh lo”, she snapped, “padhai ki baat nahi kar rahi… romance novel hai. Uss book me padha tha maine… Hero-Heroine shaadi se pehle mil nahi paate toh… umm… phone pe baat karte hai.”

He rolled his eyes, “wow Naina… kya idea hai! Par agar tum bhul rahi ho toh… hum bhi wahi kar rahe hai.”

She clucked her tongue, “aise nahi… romantic baate.”

That piqued his interest, “jaise?”

She bit her lip and said, “hero phone pe heroine se kehta hai ke woh usko kiss karna chahta hai.”

He smiled, “phir?”

She frowned, “pehle tum bolo toh sahi.”

He was amused, but decided to entertain her, “Naina… main tumhe kiss karna chahta hun.”

She immediately asked, “kahan?”

He groaned, “kahan kya hota hai Naina? Ghar pe… ya jahan milenge wahan.”

She slapped her own forehead, “hey bhagwaan kis bewakuf insaan se shaadi ho rahi hai meri. Sameer… shaadi ke baad na main tumko yeh saari kitaabe zabardasti padhvaungi. Zara bhi romance nahi aata.”

Surprised he exclaimed, “oh madam… excuse me… kya bola tumne? Mujhe romance nahi aata? Bhul gai tum… maine hi tumhe romance sikhaya.”

Naina countered, “par ab nahi aata tumhe.”

He scowled, “achcha… tumhe itna aata hai toh tum bata do kaise karte hai romance.”

“Theek hai”, she determinedly said, “main hero wala dialogue bolti hun, tum heroine wala bolo.”

He thought for a moment and agreed, “okay… done.”

Naina took a deep breath and said, “Sameer… main tumhe kiss karna chahti hun.”

Even thought he was frustrated with her accusation, he couldn’t help but smile at the dialogue. Clearing his throat he asked, “kahan?”

She bit her lip, “umm… shuruwat tumhare haatho se karungi… jaise tumne kiya tha woh pehli baar.”

Sameer’s eyes widened in surprise, his heart jumped inside his rib-cage, and for the first time in life he felt as if there was something fluttering inside his stomach… Did she just…? Helplessly he slid off the love seat, falling on the floor with a light thud. Immediately her concerned voice sounded in his ears, “Sameer… yeh kaisi awaaz thi? Tum theek ho na.”

He shook his head, rubbing his belly trying to soothe the fluttering, “uhh… ignore karo… aage bolo… kya bol rahi thi.”

She smiled, settling down again, “haath pakadke, ek ek ungli pe kiss karungi… Phir dheere dheere upar jaungi… pehle touch… phir kiss.”

He exhaled a shaky breath, “phir?”

She blushed, but continued, hoping it was having the desired effect on him, “phir tumahre baal… mujhe itne pasand hai na… aur tumhare chehre pe har ek jagah… aankhon pe, naak pe, gaal pe… kaano me gudgudi bhi karungi.”

He shivered, feeling as if she was really tickling his ears. Her voice was low and had a special tone, as she said, “phir tumhare hothon pe… wahan thoda zyada time lagega.”

“Wow”, he breathed, “uske baad?”

She shifted a bit in her seat, not unaffected by what she was doing and imagining, “phir jaise tum mere baal pakadke mere sar ko peeche karte ho na… mere gale pe kiss karneke liye… main bhi wahi karungi.”

He gulped, his throat bobbing up and down as if he could feel her lips there, “aur aage?”

“Hmmmm”, she paused for a moment, and her voice was even lower, “isse aage badhne ke liye toh shirt utaarni padegi… Kaise karu? Kahan se shuru karu? Upar se buttons kholu… ya… neeche se, jaise tumne first time khola tha mere kehne pe.”

Sameer was so surprised that he pulled the receiver away from his ear, blinking at the earpiece as if it was an alien object. What was happening? His Naina… His sweet simple Naina was literally seducing him on phone… And he was utterly helpless in-front of her. She was making him feel what he had hoped to make her feel while showing her about intimacy… But this… this was another level… Something he hadn’t even thought of exploring… Wow… Did her books really teach her all these things? Swallowing slightly, he held the receiver back to his ear, and asked, “decide kiya kuch?”

Naina scrunched her nose, and replied, “naah… mere khayal se tab tak mujhe bahot jaldi hogi… toh upar- neeche sochne ka waqt nahi milega… Shayad shirt ke thode buttons hi tut jaaye jaldi me.”

He sucked in a quick breath and reached down to adjust himself, his legs shifting awkwardly, and his voice was hoarse as he croaked, “Naina… bas… ab ruk jao warna…”

“Warna?” She interrupted, her voice still low, “yahan toh nahi aa sakte… toh… bathroom jaoge?”

He choked, nearly dropping the receiver in shock, and asked, “tum… tumhe pata hai main bathroom me kya karta hun?”

She shrugged, “nahi… lekin tumne uss din ghar pe kaha tha ke ruk jao warna Mt. Abu ki tarah bathroom me bhagna padega.”

Sameer recollected their adventure on the living room couch, and shook his head in wonder… How could she be so bold and so innocent at the same time? She didn’t know what he did, yet knew when and where to use that line to leave him speechless. Well… looked like Naina was right… She had indeed explored a part of intimacy that he had been largely unaware of. Still, he couldn’t let her go without turning the tables. Yes… she had left him with a lot of sensations, but maybe he could return the favor.

“Theek kaha tha tumne”, he suggested, “thoda zyada romance seekh gai ho… par ab mera turn.”

She chuckled, “dialogue bolu?”

He smiled, “uski zaroorat nahi hai… kyunki jab tum mujhe milogi main bolne ka mauka bhi nahi dunga tumhe.”

Her brows furrowed, “matlab?”

A lopsided smirk curved his lips as she swallowed his bait, “matlab… main ab haatho se shuruwat nahi karunga… seedhe hothon se… par haan… mere haath kahin bhi jaa sakte hai.”

She blinked, and stuttered, “k…ka…kahan?”

He bit his lip, “tumhare kaan ke paas jo til hai wahan…”

“Til”, she murmured, puzzled.

His eyes glittered, “haan… chooke dekho zara.” Dazed, she lifted her hand to touch the spot. He continued, “phir tumhare gaal pe… halke se…”, and she touched her own cheek. Smiling wide he mused, “phir… ummm… tumhare honth.”

Her hand trembled a bit as she proceeded to her own lips, but he stopped her, “nahi ruko… hothon pe toh main kiss kar raha hun ab tak… toh wahan kaise choo sakta hun. Thoda niche jaao… gale pe.”

Her fingers traced the path his words framed, from her chin to her throat. He blew into the mouthpiece making her shiver, “gale ke side me dekho… ek jagah hai wahan mujhe tumahri nabz mehsoos hoti hai… ekdum tez jab bhi main tumhe choota hun.”

Her searching fingers found the spot but she didn’t know its pace because her heart was already beating in a staccato rhythm. His voice dropped another decibel as he called her, “Naina…”

“Hmm”, her voice was shaky, making him grin because he could understand the effect.

He kept his voice low and suggestive, “thoda aur neeche jao… mujhe tumhare dil ki dhadkan sunni hai.”

Shivering slightly she followed his instruction, and he asked, “tezz hai na?”

She gulped and nodded, “h…haan…” He put his lips almost on the mouthpiece, knowing it would create a hoarse husky sound, as he drawled, “ab thoda aur neeche.”

He knew she would follow his demand in the daze he had created, and waited for her reaction as she touched herself the way he touched her… Her surprised whimper soon reached his ears as she crooned his name, “Sameer…”

He jerked, shifting the receiver away a bit, and sqeezed his eyes shut, exhaling through his mouth. Damn… In his attempt to arouse her, he had forgotten the impact on his own body. At the other end, Naina also closed her eyes, leaning back on the sofa, her hand falling uselessly to her side because he no longer told her what to do. What had she started? What was he doing? God… as if being away from him wasn’t a torture enough that she had to go ahead and suggest this thing…

His breathing was still labored as he asked, “tum theek ho?”

She clutched the receiver tight, “shayad… pata nahi…”

He sighed, the undertone of need could be heard in his voice as he said, “aaj se aanthve din pe… phir naa hume phone chahiyega aur naa hi hamare beech koi doori hogi.”

She opened her eyes, and declared possessively, “haan… bas aanth din… phir tum mere.”