Always and Forever
Part - 45: Before The Ring

The evening air was unnaturally still, no birds chirped, there was a palpable aura of heat in the surroundings. Munna and Pandit stood near the park gates, shuffling their feet and looking around as if waiting for someone. In few minutes Swati walked up to them, and together the trio set off towards the direction of Nirmal Jyoti society. Shefali was waiting for them at the corner of the society entrance, and smiled as soon as she saw them.

Swati asked, “iss tarah yahan kyun bulaya?”

Munna also added in a puzzled tone, “haan… aur hume kyun?”

Shefali smiled, “aree… Naina aur Sameer ki shaadi ke sangeet me kuch dance nahi karna kya? Rukha-sukha sangeet lagega.”

Pandit frowned, “karenge hi na… hamare yaar ki shaadi me dance toh banta hi hai.”

Shefali asked, “practice ke bina kaise karoge? Ya tum log alag aur hum log alag karne wale hai? Sab dosto ka saath me ek dance hona chahiye na.”

Swati smiled, “haan hona toh chahiye. Par practice ki jagah kahan hai? Mere gharwale ijazat nahi denge.”

“Mere ghar me bhi abhi Swati ko nahi le jaa sakta”, Munna sighed, “warna baad me shaadi ki baat karenge tab baate banegi.”

Pandit clapped his hands, “aree toh tension kya hai… mere ghar pe karlo.”

“Nahi”, Swati objected, “Jijaji tumhare ghar pe kabhi bhi aa sakte hai. Unhone dekh liya toh surprise nahi rahega dance.”

Shefali smiled, “isiliye toh tum sabko yahan bulaya hai maine. Do din mere hotel room me practice kar sakte hai aur phir parso se society wala ghar khali ho jayega kyunki mehmaan saare lodge me rukenge. Toh wahan practice kar lenge.”

Everyone liked the idea, but Pandit had a question, “par Preeti ko kaise bulayenge? Naina ko pata chal gaya toh…”

Swati immediately suggested, “Chachiji ko bata denge. Woh maan jayegi, aur kuch bahana banane me madad bhi karegi.”

Munna grinned, “toh phir Rohan ko bhi bula lenge dance me.”

Pandit frowned, “saare jodi me naachoge toh main kiske saath naachunga.”

“Mere saath”, Shefali immediately offered. Pandit’s eyes widened in surprise, his mouthing falling open in a big O, and everyone laughed at his condition.

On the other hand in Agarwal house Naina waited for the night to fall, so she could talk to Sameer, and know if it would be possible for them to meet. Preeti kept noting down something in a notepad, mumbling all the time. Puzzled, Naina looked at her sister and queried, “tu kya kar rahi hai kabse? Itne dhyan se toh padhai bhi nahi karti thi.”

Preeti giggled, “padhai me kya dhyan deneka… main toh gaa… uhh… mera matlab teri shaadi ka kuch list bana rahi hun.”

Naina tilted her head, “meri shaadi ka konsa list?”

Preeti shrugged, “yahi ke tere jaane ke baad teri konsi konsi cheeze meri… Jaise ke, tu mujhe kabhi bhi almari ke pink hangar use nahi karne deti thi… par ab main kar sakti hun. Phir tera woh tota jo bahar latak raha hai, woh bhi mera.”

“Bilkul nahi”, Naina countered, “hangar chahe lele… par tota mera hai. Sameer ne diya tha woh.”

Preeti scowled, “haan par woh toh saalo pehle diya tha na… sorry bolne ke liye. Ab tujhe kya kaam uska?”

Naina walked out to the balcony, tapping the parrot, which immediately yipped “sorry… sorry”, making her smile. She said, “kya pata shaadi ke baad kabhi sorry bolna pade hume ek dusre se toh yahi tota zariyaa ban jaaye. Waise bhi… Sameer ki di hui har cheez mere paas rahegi.”

Preeti rolled her eyes, “tujh jaisa pagal maine aaj tak nahi dekha… matlab… saalo purane joote bhi khazaane ki tarah sambhalke rakhe hue hai tijori me kyunki Sameer ne chuaa tha.”

Naina chuckled, “sirf chuaa nahi… churaya tha… Aur do baar apne haatho se mujhe wapas diya tha.”

Just then the phone rang, and Naina rushed outside but to her dismay some of her family was still in the living room, and that also included Taiji who picked up the phone. After a moment, she scowled and held out the receiver, “neva! Yeh le Preeti tera phone hai… itni raat ko bhi tere baal katvane ki dukaan se phone aata hai.”

Puzzled Preeti took the phone, and listened to the voice of a girl in surprise. However, soon the speaker changed and a boy muttered some timing and told her that he loved her. Preeti smiled, and said, “jee Mrs. Mehta… Thank you.”

Bela enquired about the call and Preeti lied, “meri ek client ka hairstyle kiya tha na maine aaj toh unka phone tha yeh batane ke liye ke party me sabne bahot tareef kari.”

As they went inside the room, Naina opened her mouth to ask, but before she could Preeti locked the door and said, “aaj 12 baje… chhat pe… Rohan aur Jijaji dono aa rahe hai.”

Naina immediately brightened up and hugged her sister tight, then said, “hum na… woh chocolates le jayenge jo Arjun bhaiya laaye the.”

Preeti teased, “kyun? Kyun? Jijaji ko chocolate wali kiss karni hai?”

Naina laughed, “haan kar sakti hun…”

As night fell the girls tiptoed up to the terrace little after mid-night, and each of them were pulled in a hug. While Naina nestled against the arms that surrounded her, Preeti struggled in surprise and punched the intruder’s stomach. Rohan’s breath whooshed from his lungs with an ‘oof’ sound, and Sameer immediately asked, “Rohan… kya hua?”

Preeti gasped, covering her mouth in horror, “oh no… Rohan… I am sorry… main darr gai tumne aise khincha toh.”

Naina disentangled herself from Sameer’s arms, “Preeti kya kiya tune?”

Rohan rubbed his tummy, “kuch nahi bhabhi… Preeti ke pyaar karneka tareeka thoda alag hai. Main theek hun, tension mat lo.”

Sameer chuckled and grabbed Naina’s hand, pulling her to him again, “chodo inn dono ko… Hum thodi der udhar bethte hai.”

As they walked off in another direction, Rohan gently touched Preeti’s hand and asked, “ab pakad sakta hun? Ya phirse punch khana padega?”

Preeti grinned and eagerly hugged him, stealing his breath, “sorry… tumne aise kabhi kiya nahi hai na pehle.”

Rohan hugged her back, sighing, “pyaar me bahot kuch pehli baar hota hai.”

“Pata hai thoda bahot ab”, Preeti whispered, making Rohan wonder what did she know.

Few feet away Sameer sat down on the floor, spreading his legs, and tugged Naina to sit in between so that he could hold her properly. She immediately leaned on his chest, and whispered, “kaise ho?”

He cupped her face, tilting her head back, “ek kiss ke baad shayad theek ho jau.”

She smiled and obliged, sinking her fingers in his hair, and opening her mouth to him. He tasted her lips, and then lifted his head a bit, licking his own lips, “ummm… chocolate?” She chuckled, “haan.”

His heart tripped for a moment, and he queried, “abhi toh bahot jaldi hai na? Matlab… periods ki date toh shaadi ke baad hogi.”

She grinned, “yeh periods wali chocolate nahi hai. Preeti ne chocolate kiss ka idea diya isiliye hai.”

“Ooohh”, Sameer muttered, “par actual chocolate wali kiss ke liye toh abhi chocolate honi chahiye.”

Naina fumbled inside her night dress pocket for a few seconds and pulled out one chocolate, “woh bhi hai.”

His brows raised in appreciation, “wow… itni taiyari ek kiss ki.”

She hummed as he unwrapped the small chocolate and held it up to her mouth. Puzzled she asked, “kaatu?”

He chuckled, “nahi… sirf pakdo hothon se.”

She obeyed him, and felt a twinge of surprise when his mouth moved against hers tracing her lips and the other end of the chocolate. Her body trembled. The darkness made it impossible for her to see his features, but her hands skimmed his hair, his face, and shoulders. His arms wrapped around her possessively, as he feasted on her mouth. The chocolate melted in the heat of their kiss, the sweetness flooding her mouth along with his taste as his tongue dipped inside. She whimpered, responding in kind, grazing his upper lip with her teeth, feeling thrilled when his fingers clenched on her body. He parted from her, drawing in a gulp of breath, and panted, “chocolate bahot tasty tha.”

Naina bit her lip, and teased, “Arjun bhaiya laaye hai.”

He coughed, surprised for a moment, but then countered, “achcha hua… mujhe maara tha na mera ‘I love you’ card dekhke… ab usika laaya hua chocolate tumhe kiss karneke kaam aaya.”

Her gaze softened and she touched his throat recalling that her brother had tried to strangle him, “bahot maara tha na.”

He caught her hand, lifting it to his mouth and dropped a kiss on her fingers, “haan… par maine bhi uski taang tod di thi na… hisaab barabar.”

She chuckled, understanding perfectly that he didn’t really mean what he said, even at that time all those years ago he had never wanted to hurt Arjun. Snuggling in his arms, she hummed, and then asked, “aaj kab tak ho?”

He sighed, “zyada der nahi… peechli baar Mr. Somani ne dekh liya tha mujhe ghar wapas aate hue. Aur mummy ne kasam li mujhse ke main tumse mila toh nahi… Shukkar hai uss din sach me nahi mile the, bas tumko dekha tha neeche se. Aaj wapas risk nahi lena.”

“Ab thode hi din bache hai”, she pacified.

He rested his chin on her head, “jaanta hun… par paanch din me bhi ek baar toh phirse mil sakta hun na.” His hands moved on her waist and he growled, “ek toh yeh chaand bhi aaj badalo ke peeche chup gaya hai… dikh bhi nahi raha theek se ke tumne kya pehna hai.”

She smiled, “blue night dress. Aur tumne?”

“Blue t-shirt”, he replied with a smile. Her hand drifted down until she found the hem of his t-shirt and then she slipped her palm inside, “hmmm… t-shirt hi hai.”

He suppressed a sound of need, and exhaled through his mouth, “tum na… aise chooke dekhne ki zarurat thi ke t-shirt hai ke shirt? Maine dekha kya?”

She chuckled, “toh dekhlo… maine kab roka.”

He tightened his hold on her, shuddering as her hand wandered up to his chest, “main dekhne laga toh phir thodi der me Preeti aur Rohan ko awaze aane lagegi… tumhari.”

She blushed, turning her face in his chest, and kissed lightly over his heart. He smiled, knowing he had made her blush, and he loved it that Naina had become so bold yet she would blush sometimes at the simplest statements from him.

They sat there talking for some time, and just when Sameer was thinking he should leave, Naina asked, “Sameer… hum rasmo ke din milenge na? Sagai aur Sangeet toh theek… par mehndi… aur haldi?”

He had it in his plan to see the rituals from distance, but now on hearing her question he asked, “tum kya chahti ho? Tumhari kya ichcha hai?”

She thought for a minute and then lifted up to whisper her wish in his ear. Astonished he stared down at her, and then unable to resist he captured her lips again. The demand she had made seared through him, and he didn’t know how he would make it happen, but it aroused him that she would want that from him. Ever since he had known her, there had always been purity in her love… With time she had exerted her rights and given him the rights… But this… The fact that she would demand from him something he had himself not considered, the fact that she would prioritize him over everyone and everything… It made him feel as if he had attained the secrets of universe, as if he was in the middle of the sea and knew how to control the waves, as if he could play with air on wish, as if he could make it rain if she wanted and make the sun shine if she demanded. He had never even dreamt of this kind of love that he had been blessed with.

Soon it was time for them to leave, and Naina hugged him reluctant to leave, as she whispered, “phir kab aaoge?”

“Jaldi hi aaunga, I promise”, he assured and kissed her softly.

When Naina drew back from him he waited for a moment, and then coughed. She was puzzled by his action and was about to ask if he was okay, but before she could there was another sound of cough, and she understood it was a signal between the brothers. She saw the shadows move, it was Preeti and Rohan, and they also stood up. In another few minutes the brothers had disappeared down the staircase. Naina and Preeti also went down, and carefully locked the door, then went to the balcony of their room. To their surprise, both the men were standing near the PCO and waved as soon as they saw them.

The next morning was a whirlwind in literal sense because Pooja didi landed in Agarwal house with her husband, son, and five bags full of stuff. Everyone greeted her, and Bela asked, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye beta… itne saare thele me kya hai?”

Pooja handed her son over to some lady, and replied, “uff o mummy… mere kapde hai…  ab meri behen ki shaadi me main taiyar nahi houngi toh kaun hoga?”

Preeti teased, “haan haan… saare baraati toh Pooja didi ko hi dekhne aane wale hai. Dulhan ko bhala kaun dekhega.”

Naina also laughed, “didi… aapko pata hai na ke aap kitni bhi sundar lago par aapki wapas se shaadi nahi hogi?”

Pooja twisted her sisters’ ears, “shaitaano… badi zabaan chal rahi hai. Ruko tum dono… achche se maza chakhaungi. Aur Naina tu… Dulhan ko shaant rehna chahiye.”

Naina freed herself and rubbed her ear, “aap konsa shaant rehti thi? Yaad nahi pimple pimple karke kitna udham machaya tha.”

Preeti also pulled back, and laughed, “haan… aur phir hum dono ki parade laga di thi taiyar karte time.”

Taiji intervened, “oh bai! Iss baar toh aur zyada parade lagegi… Iss Naina ko jo taiyar karna padega. Asaan kaam thodi na hai.”

Naina’s smile dimmed a bit, but Pooja spoke up, “ohoo Taiji… hume kya zaroorat chinta karneki… Naina ke toh sasural walo ne hi beauty parlor karwake diya hai.”

Few ladies nodded in appreciation, but Taiji spoke up, “wahi toh… unko bhi pata hai isko sundar dikhne ke liye kitni mehnat karni padegi.”

Bela tried to stop the discussion, “rehne dijiye na bhabhiji… kya aap bhi… shaadi se pehle toh aisa sab mat boliye.”

Taiji grumbled, “neva! Ab sach bolo toh sabko mirchi lagti hai.”

“Sach toh yeh hai ke hamare damadji Naina ko saade kapdo me bhi le jaane ko taiyar hai”, Phulla Bua spoke up from the door as she stepped inside holding on to Anand’s hand. She sat down on the swing and added, “pyaar surat se nahi seerat se ki jaati hai. Upari khoobsurti chaar din ki hoti hai, par duniya me sabse zyada sundar wahi hote hai jinka man sundar hota hai. Par tu kahan samjhegi iss baat ko Beena… teri toh zabaan bhi kadvi aur man bhi.”

Taiji flushed, adjusting her pallu and mumbled something. Phulla Bua cupped her palm behind her ear and asked, “kuch boli kya Beena?”

“Nahi toh Buaji”, Taiji immediately replied.

Phulla Bua smiled, “aur bolna bhi mat. Yahan kisiko nahi sunna teri bakwaas.”

Sometime before noon the parlor ladies arrived causing a flurry of discussions among the present women. While Naina ate an early hasty lunch, few women tried to engage the parlor staff in conversations asking them what all was demanded from sasural. Just then Maya stepped inside and greeted Naina, and upon hearing the questions she was puzzled but replied, “hamare parlor se kya karwana hai kya nahi yeh sab Naina ne tay kiya hai, inke sasural walo ne nahi. Inki saas toh bas inke saath aai thi, ek maa ki tarah.”

Someone queried, “aur aap kaun?”

Maya smiled, “main parlor ki manager… Naina meri khaas client hai isiliye aaj aai hun.”

The simple relatives from village were extremely impressed with this, and Taiji rolled her eyes, wondering if there was anything that she could do to tarnish that perfect image. Once Naina finished eating, she took the parlor people in her room and then asked, “Maya… aap yahan kya kar rahi hai?”

Maya gestured her team to start setting up, “actually… aaj waxing hone wala hai na… aur mujhe yaad tha ke aapko kitna confusion tha iss cheez ko leke, toh main aa gai. Socha agar phirse kuch sawaal hue toh.”

Naina gulped, recalling the discussion about special waxing, and stammered, “w…woh… wala aa..aaj hoga?”

Maya nodded, “par agar aap comfortable nahi ho toh hum wait karenge. Ya phir ab tak aap cancel kar sakte ho.”

Naina bit her lip, the nervousness visible on her face, and looked around as if searching for an escape route. However, as she looked at the desk, she saw the framed picture of Sameer she had started to keep there. She liked to look at that when she sat down to write. A small smile curved her lips, and some of her nervousness eased, “nahi… cancel nahi karna.”

Maya glanced in the direction Naina was looking, and exclaimed, “oh my God… yeh hai aapke hone wale pati… Kitne handsome hai? Kya naam bataya tha aapne… haan… Sameer… haina?”

Naina’s smile widened, “haan… yahi hai mera Sameer.”

Maya beamed, “aap dono ki jodi sabse best lagegi.”

Naina thanked her, admiring the photo that was clicked by Munna on the first day he had gone to office after returning from Delhi. Yes, it was an old picture, but it reflected his determination of fulfilling Nanu’s every dream. Just then one of the parlor ladies offered her a gown and asked her to change, instructing to skip the innerwear as well. She again started feeling nervous. Maya sensed it and assured, “don’t worry… hum kisiko andar nahi aane denge. Aur agar aap chahe toh main bhi bahar jaati hun.”

“Nahi”, Naina immediately objected, “aap… aap yahin rahiye… agar main darr gai toh…”

“Aisa kuch nahi hoga”, Maya said confidently, “aap bas aankhen bandh karke so jaana, aur baaki humpe chod dena.”

As Naina changed inside the bathroom, she noticed that the gown was a button down one from back, and wondered why it was designed like that especially because it was so loose that there was no need to open the buttons. The makeshift table had been set up by the time she stepped out, and from her facial experience she knew she had to lie down on it. Rolling her hair up in a bun she sat on the table and then tilted back. One of the ladies said, “yeh cooling face mask aapke chehre pe laga rahe hai, glow ke liye. Aap relax kariye, waxing me bilkul dard nahi hoga.”

She nodded and closed her eyes, letting them apply the mask. After sometime she felt one of her hands being lifted, someone patted powder down the length, and the smell of hot wax evaded her nostrils. Maya informed her that it was chocolate flavored, for extra smooth skin and painless type. She took a deep breath and tried to relax, as a portion of her hand was covered in wax that was mildly warm, and then a strip was placed on it. She knew the exact moment it would be pulled, and bit her lip from the inside not wanting to scream as she thought it might be embarrassing. However, the pain was indeed less, and there was no burn. The first time she had done waxing it was in a local home-style parlor, and the pain was so much that she felt why would girls want to go through this torture. But this was so much better… Maybe it was experience of the parlor employees or maybe the wax was indeed somewhat magical. In a moment, another lady started to attend to her legs, and her gown was pushed up to the knee. She tried to keep her legs together, mindful of the fact that she wasn’t wearing any underwear. The underarm waxing pained a bit, but it was only for brief seconds and not unbearable. However, her real test came when they started to work on her thighs and she trembled a bit.

“Maya”, she called out in a whisper, squeezing her eyes shut tight.

Few seconds later she felt her hand being gripped, and Maya assured, “relax Naina… hum logo ne yeh pehle bhi kiya hua hai. Aapko sharmane ki zaroorat nahi hai. Yeh normal hai…”

The gown was pushed up more, and someone applied wax on her inner thigh. This time the pull hurt and she hissed. Maya stroked her hair with one hand, still keeping a firm grip on her palm with her other hand. Minutes ticked by and then a lady started to shift her thighs apart, and Naina stiffened, a soft no escaping her lips.

Maya gestured the woman to stop, and spoke to Naina, “it’s okay… hamare paas time hai. Aap jab tak haan nahi bologe koi kuch nahi karega.”

Naina didn’t open her eyes, she was scared, and voiced her dilemma, “mujhe karwana hai… par kaise… Koi aise kaise dekh…”

Maya smiled, quite used to the confusion of first time, and replied in a gentle voice, “aap kabhi doctor ke paas gai hai Naina?”

Perplexed, she nodded. And Maya continued, “aapko sharir me jahan bhi problem hoti hai doctor check karta hai na. Yeh bhi waisa hi hai. Main samajhti hun aapki jhijhak… par hamare liye yeh personal nahi hai. Yeh hamara kaam hai, aur aap pehli ladki nahi ho jinka waxing kiya hai inn logo ne. Jaise… Gynecologist… Woh kitni saari auroto ko roz dekhta hai… female problems, delivery aur naa jaane kitne bimariyo ka ilaaj karta hai. Uske liye uske saamne jo aurat hai woh Naina ya Maya nahi, sirf ek patient hai. Waise hi inke liye bhi aap sirf ek client hai… Bharosa kariye… Yeh na kuch sochenge aur naa kisiko kuch batayenge.”

Naina thought about the context of a doctor and realized that it was right. It wasn’t equal to Sameer seeing her or maybe some family member accidentally seeing her. It was a profession for them. Trying to gain her courage, she asked, “kitna waqt lagega?”

“Zyada nahi”, Maya assured, “bas paanch minute. Uske baad lotion aap khud laga lena toh phir aapko ajeeb nahi lagega.”

Naina nodded, and sighed, “umm… main taiyar hun.”

Maya patted her head, “don’t worry… jo bhi ho mujhe batana.”

Naina tried to focus her thoughts on Sameer, recalling his promises of first night, trying to anticipate his excitement on finding out about the waxing. She almost didn’t notice the warmth of wax but the pain made her exclaim aloud and her hand clenched on Maya’s, who immediately assured her that it would be over soon. Naina bit her lip, repeating in her mind that it was all for Sameer, and that it was going to be okay. Three more tugs and it was done, some cold wet fabric was placed against her that made her sigh in relief. Her face was cleaned, and when she opened her eyes, Maya smiled, “wow… aapse zyada toh main cheekhti hun waxing karwate hue.”

Naina laughed softly, knowing it was lie, but still appreciated her efforts. A lady handed over the bottle of lotion, and asked her to apply it generously to prevent any redness or rashes. She took the bottle and went to the bathroom once again, feeling relieved that the task was over. She cleaned herself with a wet fabric that was given to her, and then applied the soothing lotion feeling surprised at the smooth texture. She had not known that it would feel like this, it was so different. With that came the question in mind that would Sameer even understand the difference? He had touched but never seen… Would he know that she had done something special? Or would he think that it looked like this only? And this was not permanent, so what would she do the next time? Would she have to do it regularly? And was this something that she would have to discuss with Sameer? There were so many questions in her mind and yet she knew that none of them would be answered until their first night, because there was no way she was explaining to Sameer about special waxing before that.

When she came out she was given a skirt to wear too, and she once again felt relived at the prospect of not being naked underneath the gown. Maya explained to her about the bleaching sessions, and she nodded in agreement. Once more she lay down on the table, but this time on her stomach, and as the parlor lady unbuttoned her gown to clean her back, she understood the purpose of this style of gown. She was glad that the waxing was done before this, it gave her time to calm down and stop being nervous. For all her family it was a normal waxing session, but in her thoughts it was a little secret only for Sameer. By the time everything was done it was close to 4pm and Maya wished her luck for her married life. Naina immediately passed on a card to her, inviting her to the wedding. She wasn’t a friend, but still Naina felt she had been extremely supportive of her fears. Maya ecstatically hugged her, and promised to come.

That evening after tea when the ladies were preparing for some rituals to be done the next day, and Chachaji was doing all arrangements for the lodge stay, suddenly Taiji put some plan in motion. She discussed about Megha, a girl in their society who had run away from her own wedding few years back. Bela was puzzled, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye bhabhiji, aap abhi kyun Megha ki baat kar rahe hai? Woh log toh ab yahan rehte bhi nahi hai.”

A woman remarked, “beti aise karam karegi toh sheher chodna hi padega na unko.”

Naina was sitting with Preeti, busy chattering but the conversation shifted her attention and she somehow understood that Taiji was upto something. Puzzled she muttered, “Taiji ab kya karne wale hai?”

Preeti was also confused, “pata nahi… achanak se yeh baate… kahin phirse love marriage ko leke kud-kud toh nahi karenge?”

“Humne toh apni betiyo ko bata diya tha ke aisi ladki se baat bhi naa kare”, Taiji groused, “yeh ishaq-wishaq hamare khandaan me nahi chalta.”

Some other woman took the bait, and commented, “par Naina ka bhi toh prem-vivah ho raha hai.”

“Oh bai”, Taiji gasped, “yeh toh parivaar ko batake kar rahi hai shaadi kamsekam.”

“Par pyaar thodi na batake kiya tha”, another lady pointed out. One more woman queried, “behenji… yeh jo damadji hai yeh toh Pooja ki shaadi me yahi the na… tab se hi chal raha hai kya?”

Naina wanted to get up and move away from the discussion, feeling disgusted that Taiji would still hold so much hate for her. However the next statement from Taiji froze her. Taiji had adjusted her pallu, and conspiratorially added, “nahi nahi… yeh nain-matakka toh usse bhi pehle se chal raha hai. Sakool se dono ke beech me gadbadi thi. Mujhe toh lagta hai damadji uss waqt yahan pe isike liye aaye the. Tabhi toh Rakesh bhaisaab ke bhaga denepe bhi baraat ke saath wapas aa gaye.”

Bela and Preeti looked at Naina immediately, afraid that she would feel hurt, but the only expression visible on her face was despise and anger. She stood up intending to say something, but just then Arjun spoke up, “Taiji aap shayad bhul gai Sameer uss waqt mere liye iss ghar me aaya tha, papa ke wajah se.”

Everyone’s attention shifted to Arjun who had come in the house along with Anand and Rakesh. Taiji paled a little but quickly composed herself, continuing to fan the fire she had lit. Letting out a fake laugh, she said, “neva! Main bhi toh wahi boli… Bahana mil gaya tha damadji ko ghar aaneka.”

This time Rakesh spoke up, “bahana nahi bhabhiji… sazaa… Sameer ko school se sazaa mili thi Arjun ka dhyan rakhneki… kyunki inn dono ki ladai ke wajah Arjun ka paav tut gaya tha.”

Anand added, “haan… aur yahan aake Sameer ne apni mehnat aur achchai se hum sabka dil jeet liya.”

Taiji smiled, “ekdum bholuram hai hamare damadji toh. Sazaa mili thi seva karneki par bade ghar ke ladke itni mehnat kaha kar sake. Beech me hi hamare bechare Arjun ko chodkar bhaag gaya tha ek din toh, aur Rakesh bhaisaab jo gussa hue the na.”

An interested lady queried, “bhaage kyun?”

“Neva! Ab kya batau”, Taiji sighed dramatically, “unki laparwahi ke wajah se hamara Arjun bathroom me gir gaya, toh usko usi haalat me chodke bhaag gaya. Ab kismat ka khel dekho… bhai ko chot pahochane wala ladka hi uski behen se shaadi kar raha hai.”

Once again Naina started to speak up, but this time too she was late. Instead Pooja didi spoke up, “nahi Taiji… Sameer uss din bhaga nahi tha. Meri ijazat leke gaya tha.”

All the family members were puzzled by this. Anand queried, “matlab?”

Pooja glanced at her husband once and then said, “darasal uss din aap log jab bazaar gaye the tab main Varunji ke saath picture dekhne gai thi…” Everyone gasped, and she continued, “par wapas aate hue mujhe Rajshri park ke wahan se koi auto nahi mil raha tha. Tab maine ghar pe phone kiya sochke ke shayad Naina ya Preeti meri madad karde… Par aap log wapas nahi aaye the tab tak. Sameer ko jab maine bataya toh usne bina kuch soche meri madad ki. Woh mujhe park ke wahan lene aaya, aur sahi salamat mujhe ghar chod diya, aur maine usse wadaa liya ke woh kisiko kuch nahi bolega. Phir jab mujhe pata chala ke Sameer ke ghar se jaane ke baad Arjun gir gaya toh meri himmat nahi hui sach bolne ki. Jab papa aur Rakesh Tauji Sameer ke ghar gaye toh mujhe laga ke ab meri harkat sabko pata chal jayegi… par Sameer ne toh saara ilzaam apne pe le liya aur mujhe bacha liya. Mujhe laga tha aise hi didi kehta hai mujhe, par usne toh sach me bhai ka farz nibhaya… Aur yeh sab sirf isiliye kyunki woh Naina ke parivaar ko tab bhi apna maanta tha.”

Tears brimmed in Naina’s eyes on hearing this. All these years she had never known about this incident. She had witnessed her father slapping Sameer in his own house, and at that time he had said that he had left because Nanu was going abroad and he had wanted to meet him. Not once had he let Pooja didi’s name be maligned. She looked at her father and brother, both of whom looked shocked on hearing the events of that day. Rakesh looked at his own hand recalling how he had slapped Sameer in-front of his Nanu, and felt amazed that a 17 year old boy could have had so much resilience. Arjun looked guilty, and shook his head at his own foolishness. Chachaji was also shocked, and queried, “Naina… tumne kabhi yeh baat hume batai kyun nahi.”

She smiled, wiping her own eyes, “kyunki Sameer ko ehsaan karke jataneki aadat nahi hai. Unhone toh mujhe bhi nahi bataya tha ke uss din unki koi galti nahi thi. Pooja didi se kiya hua wadaa unhone nibhaya, kisiko kuch nahi bataya. Bas… chup-chap sab sehte rahe.”

Bela sniffed, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye… Naina ne apne liye heera chuna hai… heera… Hum log chahte bhi toh bhi itna achcha damaad nahi dhund paate. Aapko pata hai Sameer hamari Naina se kitna pyaar karta hai…” And so started the tales of Sameer’s goodness which visibly irked Taiji. Naina had a determined glint in her eyes as she stood up, “chal Preeti sabke liye chai banate hai.”

Preeti stood up puzzled, “par tu kitchen me…”

“Main sirf madad karungi”, she interrupted, “chal… Taiji ko elaichi wali chai pasand hai na… wahi banate hai.”

Preeti followed her into the kitchen, extremely confused at the happenings. Setting the water to boil she hissed, “Naina… yeh kya kar rahi hai? Taiji ne jijaji ka naam kharab karneki koshish ki aur tu unhe chai pila rahi hai?”

Naina smirked, “chai bana rahe hai… pila kaun raha hai. Ruk ek min…” Saying so she opened the cabinets and pulled out a new crockery set that she knew Taiji had kept in the kitchen for using when her own relatives arrived. Taking out the delicate china, she said, “isme chai parosenge.”

Taiji sniffed the air, and hollered, “oh bai! Elaichi wali chai… mere liye bhi banana.”

Naina gestured Preeti to reply, and she obeyed, “jee Taiji…”

Frowning in confusion Preeti poured out the tea in the cups, and Naina took the tray, “ab meri baari.” She wandered out with the tray and offered tea to everyone. Bela commented, “beta tune kyun banaya.”

“Maine nahi”, Naina smiled, “Preeti ne banaya. Main bas dene aai.”

When there were only two cups left on tray she moved towards Taiji, a not-so-pleasant smile in place on her lips, and suddenly she tripped. The cups of hot tea fell on Taiji and Naina landed on the floor on all her fours, yelping in pain. Bela dropped her own cup in shock, and quickly got up to help Naina. Preeti also rushed forward kicking another cup in the process. Anand and Rakesh who had just worn shoes to go out again, moved to help Taiji not noticing the fine crockery on floor and two more cups were smashed beneath their shoes. Naina sat up and rubbed her arm, assuring she was not hurt and that the tea had only soaked her dupatta. Taiji meanwhile wailed and Pooja didi brought some cold water and splashed on Taiji’s hands. Naina dipped her handkerchief in water and offered it to Taiji, “sorry Taiji… chatai me paav fas gaya.”

Taiji grumbled about her being blind, and Naina smiled, “aap Sameer ko yaad kar rahe the na shayad isiliye… Woh hamesha aapke kaanch ke bartan todte hai na, aaj unka naam liya toh dekhiye na… phirse tut gaye.”

At this Taiji looked around, noticing the shattered pieces and gasped, “oh bai! Mera naya cup-dish.”

“Dish nahi nikaale”, Naina informed, “sirf cups toote… dishes ab tak hai, aap istemaal kar sakte hai.”

As Taiji continued grumbling about the price of crockery, Naina stood up. Preeti slowly asked, “yeh tune jaan-bujhke kiya na?”

Naina smirked, “haan… khudpe utha har sawaal bardaasht kar lungi, par jab bhi Sameer ke baare me bolenge sazaa toh milegi.”

That night when Sameer called it was way past midnight, and Naina sneaked out in the balcony sitting down to talk. He smiled as soon as she picked up and greeted, “hi sweetheart.”

She scrunched her nose, “main naraaz hun aapse.”

His eyebrow quirked, “aap? Itni raat ko bhi? Kaun sun raha hai tumhari baate? Ullu?”

“Ullu toh tum ho”, she replied promptly.

He chuckled, “jaisa tum kaho… par naraaz kyun ho yeh toh bata do.”

She huffed, “tum jhooth bolte ho. Tum kehte ho ke tum mujhse har baat share karte ho. Par aaj mujhe kuch aisa pata chala jo tumne mujhe nahi bataya.”

He frowned, “aisi konsi baat hai Naina?”

She countered him with a question, “pehle yeh batao ke tumne sach me sab kuch bataya hai mujhe aaj tak?”

Sameer bit his lip, thinking as to what could be the matter. The collar of his t-shirt felt tight suddenly and he stretched it with his fingers, racking his brain as to what it could be that she had got to know. There was only one recent thing that she had no idea of, and he gulped, wondering who had told her about it… Rohan…? Or Deepika? No, Deepika wouldn’t understand these things. But then he recalled that she also read books like Naina, so her brain capacity was beyond his understanding. Debating for a moment, he stammered, “uh… e…ek baat hai.”

Naina was surprised that he could have caught on to what incident she was talking about. Curious she asked, “konsi baat?”

He swallowed, closed his eyes and hastily informed, “mujhe kabhi kabhi raat ko tumhare sapne aate hai toh main neend me pillow ko kiss karta hun.”

There was a silence for a minute and then Naina snorted, covering her mouth to smother her laughter. Sameer sat down on the sofa, pouting on hearing her laughter. She cleared her throat and asked, “pillow? Mere honth aur takiye me koi farq pata nahi chalta?”

He made a whining sound, “Naina… mazak mat udao na… farq pata chalta hai tabhi toh uth jaata hun. Par ab sapne aate hai toh kya karu. Tum toh ho nahi paas me sapno ko sach karne ke liye.”

She blushed, “kuch din aur phir karlena saare sapne sach.” And then she added, “waise main iske baare me baat nahi kar rahi thi, par thanks batane ke liye.”

He frowned, “yahi ek hi toh baat nahi batai thi… Aur kya hai?”

She smiled, “saalo pehle ki baat hai. Pooja didi ke shaadi se pehle jab tum hamare ghar me the.”

He thought back to that time, “par uss time ki toh har baat tumhe pata hai.”

“Uhuh”, she replied, “tumne bahot baar bina wajah maar khai… aur uss din bhi Nanaji ke saamne papa ne tumhe maara yeh kehke ke tum Arjun bhaiya ko akela chodke chale gaye. Aur tumne yeh baat maan li… Bataya kyun nahi sach?”

Cautiously he asked, “kaisa sach?”

She shook her head, “ab tak chupaoge Sameer? Pooja didi ne aaj sabke saamne bata diya ke uss din kya hua tha.”

He gasped, “kya? Kyun? Pooja didi ne mujhse wadaa liya tha…”

“Ke tum kisiko kuch nahi bataoge”, she finished his sentence, “aur tumne itne saal mujhe bhi nahi bataya. Kitne jhoote ilzaam lagne diye khudpe.”

He smiled, “par phir bhi tumne mujhse pyaar kiya. Aur rahi baat uss din ki toh Pooja didi pe ilzaam lagne nahi de sakta tha na… Tumhara parivaar, mera parivaar. Par baad me tumse kabhi iss baare me baat hi nahi hui, toh dimag se bhi nikal gaya. Warna tumse toh main kya hi chupaunga… Achcha yeh baat hui kyun?”

Naina sighed and told him about how Taiji tried to insinuate that he was not the perfect groom and tried to highlight his mistakes in-front of guests. Sameer made a frustrated sound, “yeh Taiji bhi na… ajeeb hai. Pata nahi kab khush hogi. Aur Rakesh sir ne mere paksh me bola? Unki tabiyat toh theek hai na?”

She chuckled, “Papa ko dheere dheere unka damaad pasand aane laga hai. Aur Taiji ki chodo… unka kuch nahi ho sakta.”

He grinned, “Taiji ko pakad ne ka shauk bhi nahi hai… par kuch toh sazaa banti hai.”

“Maine de di”, she informed with a soft laugh, “unpe chai bhi girai aur cups bhi tod diye.”

Sameer exclaimed, “kya??” And then he started laughing imagining Taiji’s expressions. Calming down a bit he queried, “kaise?” She told him of how they had prepared tea, and she had pretended to fall thus spilling the tea on Taiji, and also breaking the cups one by one. He couldn’t help but mutter, “wow… itni himmat kahan se aa gai Naina Agarwal me ke Taiji saamna kar liya?”

She smiled, “Naina Agarwal me nahi thi himmat… Par Mrs. Naina Sameer Maheshwari me hai.”

He dragged in a shaky breath, “I love you.”

“I love you too”, she replied promptly.

They talked for some more time and she told him about the waxing vaguely, and he said he also went to the parlor because of Munna and Pandit. But when she asked what treatments he did, he refused to tell her, rather said that she could see on their first night. Not to be defeated, she replied that he can also see that same night. Needless to say that prompted more questions of him, none of which were answered, and he promised retribution post marriage.

The morning of 10^th February was a busy one in both the houses, as wedding guests started to arrive one by one, and everyone got busy in attending to them and ensuring that all the arrangements were proper. Naina had a body scrub and polish session, while Sameer also had a scrub and hot spa. Meanwhile their friends kept on practicing for the Sangeet ceremony. That evening Naina and Preeti had planned a full night stay for all the girls, which was Shefali’s idea as she mentioned that this was a new trend in big cities and was called bachelorette party. Bela and Anand approved only for Naina’s happiness but also put forth a list of rules which included disturbing no one in the house and no music. After evening tea Naina was ousted from the room, and the remaining girls started to decorate the room. Bela got some homemade snacks like chaat and khaman prepared for them, and Shefali handled the remaining cold-drink, chips and chocolate arrangement.

Sameer had called that night too, but as guests kept popping here and there at both houses talking wasn’t a convenient option. Naina sighed, thinking that she would get a chance tomorrow, but meanwhile she can enjoy whatever her friends had planned. When everyone fell asleep, Naina was given a night dress to change into, and instructed to enter her room straight from the bathroom. Amused Naina obeyed, only to have a balloon pop and confetti fall on her head as the girls cheered. She laughed but hushed them, “shor nahi karna hume.”

Preeti grinned, “ek baar ki permission le li thi… ab nahi karenge.”

Naina looked around the room in surprise, the entire place was decorated with ribbons and a banner on the wall said “Naina-Sameer ki Shaadi”, some candles were stuck here and there not lighted yet, and the bed… Goodness… The bed was covered with flower petals. Curious she asked, “yeh kya hai?”

“Sab batayenge”, Swati said, “pehle thode games toh khel le.”

Naina aksed, “kaise games?”

Shefali said, “yeh bottle hum sabke beech me ghumayenge, aur jiski taraf aake rukega usko hum jo bhi sawaal puche usko sach bolna padega. Sirf ek sawaal, par jawaab sach hona chahiye.”

Preeti added, “aur haan… jo bhi baate yahan aaj hogi woh iss room se bahar nahi jayegi.”

Swati nodded, “haan… yeh hamara pyjama party secret.”

Shefali made a disgruntled sound, “pyjama party nahi… bachelorette.”

Outside the room, in the balcony, someone froze on hearing the last word… bachelorette. Naina was having a bachelorette party?

Sameer Maheshwari had dropped in the balcony at the exact time to hear that word and now he stood stunned wondering what he had landed into and what should he do. Cautiously he peeped inside just to check the atmosphere, and saw all the girls dressed in normal night dresses, just like they would for sleeping. He exhaled in relief; thank God it wasn’t a wacky kind of bachelorette with party outfits. But what should he do now? It didn’t look like this party would end anytime soon. When he had been unable to talk to her on phone, he had decided on spur of moment to go to her room. Preeti could be dealt with, in fact she would be glad to give them some privacy, but he had not at all expected to be met with such a situation. Should he go back?

While he stood there debating what to do, he felt a tap on his shoulder and nearly screamed. Covering his mouth he turned to see Pandit standing there, and furiously whispered, “tu yahan kya kar raha hai?”

Pandit scowled, “kitni der ho gai signal nai de raha ke sab theek hai ke nahi… hume tension ho gai.”

Sameer slapped his forehead, recalling that he had said he would give his friends a signal to let them know it was safe to enter and they should wait somewhere. He sighed, “yaar… galat time pe aaye hai… yahan toh party chal rahi hai.”

Pandit raised his eyebrows, “wow… bhabhi party karti hai? Kya chal raha hai?”

Both the boys peeped inside to witness the beginning of the game, and the bottle stopped on Shefali. Preeti asked, “tu jab modeling karti hai toh aaj tak koi model pasand aaya hai?”

Shefali grinned, “haan ek tha… Kabir… Super sexy… Par baad me pata chala uski toh shaadi tay ho chuki thi. Toh baat kuch aage nahi badhi.”

Pandit’s eyes widened, and he rubbed his hands in glee, “super… yeh game toh dekhna banta hai. Main baki dono ko bhi upar bulata hun.”

Sameer caught his arm, “tu pagal hai kya? Hum yeh kaise dekh sakte hai?”

“Waise hi jaise movie dekhte hai”, Pandit stated, “sach sach bol… tujhe sunna nahi hai ke teri saaliya Naina se kya sawaal puchegi?”

Sameer bit his lip, trying to curb his excitement at the prospect, but failed miserably. His face split in a grin and he nodded, “haan… par agar kuch bhi gadbad lage toh hum sab turant neeche utar jayenge.”

“Pakka”, Pandit promised, and then signaled Munna and Rohan to come up. By the time they did, and Pandit explained the situation to them, Preeti and Swati had also answered one question each which they had missed. And now it was Naina’s turn. The four boys glued themselves beneath the window, and waited eagerly.

Shefali asked the question, “tujhe Sameer ne sabse pehle kahan kiss kiya?”

Outside Sameer’s heart thumped. Naina grinned cheekily, “ghar pe.”

Shefali smacked her, “seedhe seedhe bol aur sach bol… itni bhi masoom nahi hai tu ke sawaal samajh naa aaye.”

Sameer smiled recalling their phone conversation where he had stated home when she had asked where he wanted to kiss her. Naina chuckled, “okay okay… batati hun… Haath pe kiss kiya tha.”

Swati and Preeti groaned, and Shefali muttered, “boring… ek sawaal waste ho gaya.”

The next time bottle stopped on Preeti and Rohan held his breath. Swati asked, “tune Rohan ko propose kiya ya Rohan ne tujhe?”

Preeti laughed, “Rohan pehla aisa insaan hai jiske saamne meri bolti bandh ho jaati hai. Toh… usine pehle bola tha. Mt. Abu me…”

The confession was followed by a lot of awws and tickling. Outside Rohan grinned and Sameer thumped his back lightly. When Shefali’s turn came Naina asked, “tu Ahmedabad me zyada khush thi ya Mumbai me?”

Swati jeered as to such boring questions shouldn’t be asked. Shefali honestly replied, “dono jagah achchi hai… Mumbai mere sapno ke liye sahi hai, par aaj bhi koi puchta hai ghar kahan hai toh muh se Ahmedabad nikalta hai.”

When the bottle stopped on Swati, Preeti asked, “Naina toh jijaji ko kiss kar chuki… Tu Munna ko shaadi se pehle kiss karegi ya baad me? Aur haan… asli wala kiss… haath pe yaa gaal pe nahi.”

Swati blushed furiously while outside Munna shook a bit, waiting with bated breath to hear her answer. It took a few minutes, but finally Swati covered her face behind her hands and confessed, “jaisa woh chahega… Mujhe koi problem nahi hai.”

Munna fell on the floor in shock and the three boys immediately caught him, helping him to stand up again. He couldn’t believe what he had heard. Swati was okay with a kiss… When had that happened? And how?

Once more the bottle was twirled and it stopped on Naina. Preeti immediately piped up, “iss baar sochke theek se puchte hai warna yeh badi tezz hai jawaab taalne me.”

Sameer held his breath waiting eagerly for the question. Finally after a few minutes Shefali asked, “Sameer tujhe kaise kiss karta hai? Matlab jab milte ho tab turant ya wait karta hai chance ka? Tujhe kaisa lagta hai jab woh tujhe kiss karta hai? Aur tune aaj tak saamne se use kiss kiya hai?”

Naina frowned, “sirf ek sawaal puchna tha.”

Swati pleaded, “Naina… batana yaar… Aur haan yeh sawaal bhi proper wali kiss ka hai… Zyada smart mat banna.”

Preeti and Shefali also added in their requests, and outside the window Sameer fidgeted as his friends and brother stared at him. He wondered what Naina would say. They had kissed so many times and each time it had been special for him, and he was sure it was the same for her. But how would she define that in words? How would she tell them when he kissed her and how?

Naina stood up from the bed, and went to her desk, picking up the photograph of Sameer she kept there. She thought of how to explain, what to say, there could be no definition, no standard explanation. Whenever they kissed she felt so many things that it was impossible to point out each one of them. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and started to speak softly, “Sameer ne itne saal intezaar kiya hai aur aaj bhi karta hai agar main chahu toh. Usne hamesha meri ichcha aur meri marzi ka dhyan rakha hai. Roka ke baad dheere dheere sab samjhaya par kabhi zor nahi daala. Koi waqt tay nahi hota ke hum kab kiss karenge, bas ho jaata hai… Yeh bhi tay nahi hota ke kaun shuruwat karega. Aur main kaise batau ke kaisa lagta hai… Jab bhi movies me dekhti thi toh sochti thi pata nahi kaise karte hai. Par ab… Main kisi movie ya kisi hero se tulna nahi kar sakti.” The girls on the bed and the boys outside, everyone listened attentively, and Sameer wondered for a moment if he should send the other boys down, after all Naina was about to describe an extremely personal thing. But then he had a thought that if the other girls could listen then why not the boys. He was still thinking what to do when he heard Naina continue. With a smile on her face, she closed her eyes and spoke, “Jab bhi hum kiss karte hai ek saath bahot kuch mehsoos hota hai… jaise pehla pyaar hone pe dil zoro se dhadakta hai… jaise baarish ke mausam me thandi hawa chalti hai… jaise lambi sardi ke baad dhoop khilti hai… jaise samandar me zoro ka toofan aata hai… jaise unche jhoole se ekdum se neeche aate hai… jaise apne pyaar ko aankhon ke saamne dekhke waqt tham sa jaata hai… jaise titli pehli baar apne koya se nikalti hai… jaise subah ki pehli kiran ke saath phool khilta hai… jaise hum ek hi paheli ke do tukde ho jo bane hi hai judne ke liye.” Opening her eyes, she twirled with the photograph, a small happy laughter spurting from her, “jab main uske baaho me qaid hoti hun tab sabse zyada azaad hoti hun… Sameer sirf mera pyaar nahi, meri duniya hai, mera ghar hai.”

There was silence in the room as she hugged his photograph, and swayed side to side as if she was dancing to some tune that only she could hear. Sameer tilted his head, staring at her, his eyes shining with adoration. Her words kept ringing in his ears… How beautifully she had explained the multitude of sensations when they kissed. And the way she said that she felt complete freedom only when she was captive in his arms made him feel as if he was the luckiest man in this universe. How long had he waited for her to be comfortable with him… How hard he had tried to show her the pleasant side of intimacy… How careful he had been while explaining to her about the primal nature of their relationship… And today… today she had said it aloud that they belonged together like pieces of puzzle, they completed each other, that he was her home… He dragged in a breath, trying to control the urge to go in and kiss her at this very moment. God… His woman was not at all shy of telling the world that she belonged to him in every way. He closed his eyes, and swore to spend every moment of his life loving her with every fibre in his body… There would be no one in his life who would be more important than Naina, not even himself.

Inside the room Shefali sighed, “wow Naina… yeh sab sunke toh sach me saari movies aur Mumbai ke models pheeke lag rahe hai. Aisa lag raha hai ke kaash mujhe bhi Sameer jaisa hi koi mile zindagi me.”

Swati smiled, “shukkar hai jijaji ne Naina ko samjhaya aur isne humko warna hum bhi chee-chee hi karte rehte the.”

Preeti chuckled, “haan… aur aaj yeh sab sunke toh mujhe bhi kiss karneki ichcha ho rahi hai.”

Outside the window Rohan slipped, his legs suddenly unsteady, and Pandit gripped him quickly. Sameer wondered what all Naina had explained to her friends… Suddenly all the girls seemed to be extremely confident. Naina stopped swaying and opened her eyes… Keeping the photograph back at its place, she smiled, “Rohan aur Munna ko batana padega tum dono ke iraade… Aakhir devar hai mere.”

Shefali laughed, “haan bata de… dono uchalne lagenge.”

The girls blushed, and Naina laughed too, “ho gaya game ya aur kuch sawaal hai?”

Preeti chirped, “nahi… sawaal-jawaab khatam… ab kuch aur hoga.”

Naine quirked a brow, “kya?”

Swati chimed in, “teri suhaagraat…!”

Outside the window Sameer covered his mouth, controlling his surprised gasp in the nick of time. The remaining three boys looked at each other confused. Suhaagraat? What the hell they were talking about?

Naina blinked in surprise, her gaze shifting to the bed, “ohh… toh isiliye bed sajaya hai? Par… ek problem hai.”

Preeti looked around, “kya problem?”

“Sameer toh hai hi nahi”, Naina explained with a sly grin.

Swati gasped, “haww… besharam… Jijaji hote toh kya kar leti?”

Naina smirked, “jo karti woh tum thodi na dekhte.”

As the girls giggled in mirth, the boys sat stunned. Pandit was the first to recover, “yeh ladkiyo ko ho kya gaya hai?”

Munna whispered in amazement, “yeh hamari sipahi me itni himmat kahan se aa gai hai?”

“Bhai se”, Rohan murmured proudly, “he is the best.”

Sameer smiled, “woh sab toh theek hai par ab yeh toli kya karne wali hai.”

As they peeped inside once again, they saw that Naina was now seated on the bed with a dupatta over her head. Sameer understood that she was sitting in the general posture waiting for her husband for Suhagraat. Next instant the boys almost laughed on seeing Shefali step out of the bathroom wearing a loose shirt over her night dress and a cap on her head instead of a sehra. Swati and Preeti were standing at the corner, throwing flowers over Shefali as she walked slowly to the bed. Sameer shook his head, thinking that his style was much better than Shefali. However, he kept watching eagerly at this special version of suhagraat.

Naina tried to control her giggles as she sat on the bed with her knees folded up, and the dupatta covering her face. When Shefali came out of the bathroom and walked towards her, she almost gave up the pretense. She didn’t look like Sameer at all, neither did she walk like him, Naina thought. Sameer ambled as if he had all the time in the world and yet was fast enough to reach her on time. He walked as if he was a predator who had cited his prey and was deciding when to pounce. He walked with purpose and yet there was certain looseness in his limbs that made him look fluid and flexible. When he walked towards her, her heart skipped beats… Shefali didn’t have that effect on her naturally.

Shefali sat down on the bed, and said in a low voice, “hi jaan…” Naina bit her lip, and didn’t reply. Shefali slowly lifted her ghungat, “aaj toh tum chaand se bhi zyada khoobsurat lag rahi ho.”

Naina closed her eyes, stifling her giggle on hearing the cheesy line. Shefali tried her best to stay in character, and stroked Naina’s cheek, “tumhare gaal kitne soft hai… jee kar raha hai…” Naina’s eyes widened as Shefali leaned closer and outside Sameer also nearly stood up, but before he could do anything Preeti piped up, “Shefali… dudh reh gaya.”

A small chortle spurted out of Naina. Shefali picked up the glass of water from bedside table, drained it in one go, and smacked her lips, “ab main taiyar hun.” Sameer was horrified at the enactment and maybe so was Naina, because she started laughing and said, “bas karo please… Sameer aise bilkul nahi chalta…” She flicked the cap from Shefali’s head, “suhagraat pe bed pe sehra lagake kaun aata hai… Aur yeh phool, itne atrangi phool lagaoge toh yeh dulhan toh bhaag jayegi… Aree romantic raat hai… sirf gulaab hone chahiye.”

Pandit whispered, “bhai note karle… bed sajane me kaam aayega.”

Naina continued, “aur haan… Sameer mujhe jaan nahi bulayega, aise ajeeb se dialogues kabhi nahi maarega, aur naa hi woh dudh piyega.”

Swati slapped her forehead, “uff-o… iss dulhan ke toh bade nakhre hai. Aage bhi bata de… Tera pyaara Sameer kya karega?”

Naina giggled, “main kyun batau… natak tumne plan kiya hai toh karo… main toh bas galtiya bataungi.”

Shefali kept a finger on Naina’s lips, and tried to look serious, “shsh… kitna bolti ho tum… aaj ki raat kuch bolne ke liye nahi hoti. Sirf pyaar karne ke liye hoti hai.” Sameer watched with horror and shock as Shefali held Naina around the shoulders and tilted her back on bed. What were they doing? Stop… Stop… He mentally screamed. He couldn’t see them now, but Shefali once again spoke up, “Naina… tum itni sundar lag rahi ho ke mujhse aur intezaar nahi hoga.”

Naina started laughing again as she pushed Shefali away, and sat up, “hey bhagwaan… Sameer aisa sab nahi bolega.”

Irked Shefali also sat up and queried, “toh kya bolega Sameer?”

Before Naina could reply there was sound from the balcony door, a clear deep voice spoke, “main kahunga ke aaj meri nazre tumpe se hatna nahi chahti.”

Naina and Shefali gasped, while Swati let out a small scream. Preeti immediately clasped a hand over her friend’s mouth. All the girls stared in shock at Sameer standing near the threshold, his big frame looming in the doorway and his glittering gaze fixed on Naina. He stepped inside, inching towards the bed, and kept his voice low, “main kahunga ke main kitna lucky hun ke tum mere life me ho. Main kahunga ke maine tumse zyada khoobsurat dulhan aaj tak nahi dekhi. Main kahunga ke main apni poori zindagi sirf tumse pyaar karne me bitaa sakta hun.”

His legs touched the edge of the bed and Naina smiled up at him, her eyes shining with love as she muttered, “Sameer…”

He smiled, standing there, waiting for her to come out of the trance. Preeti and Swati came near the bed, and Preeti said, “jijaji… aa…aap yahan…”

Naina blinked, shaking her head, and snapping back to reality. Her eyes widened, and she stood up on her knees on the bed, “Sameer… tum… tum yahan kya kar rahe ho? Aur balcony me chade?”

He nodded, “tumse milna tha.”

“Milna tha toh aise hi aa gaye”, Naina huffed, “bina kuch soche… kabse bahar khade ho? Aur… ek minute… akele toh aaoge nahi tum… saath me kaun hai?”

He gulped, biting his lip, and sheepishly confessed, “Rohan, Munna aur Pandit.”

The remaining girls gasped once more as the trio stood up and appeared near the balcony door. Shefali piped up, “tum sab log bahar khade khade jasoosi kar rahe the?”

Sameer frowned, “tum meri Naina ke saath suhagraat mana rahi thi toh main kya karta.”

Naina slid down from the bed, her gaze pinned on the boys, and she made sure to let her anger show. All the four boys shuffled their foot, and looked down at the floor like kindergarten kids caught while doing mischief. Hands on hips, she scolded, “tum log samajhte kya ho apne aap ko? Jo man ho woh karoge? Aise kaise bina bataye aa gaye? Aur balcony me khade hoke humpe nazar rakh rahe the? Kabse khade ho…?”

No one answered, Sameer knew that Naina was angry but she would soon calm down as he had seen the happiness in her eyes. But Preeti came forward and added in threatening, “Rohan… Naina kuch puch rahi hai.”

Rohan immediately cowered, “woh… woh… bottle wali game se.”

Swati gasped, “iska matlab shuruwat se yahin ho. Sharam nahi aati tum logo ko.”

Munna looked up pleadingly, “ae pandat… maaf karde na.”

“Bilkul nahi”, Shefali said in a strict tone, “sazaa toh milegi. Stunts karneka bada shauk hai na tum logo ko… toh chalo kaan pakadke uthak-bethak karo.”

The boys looked surprised at this and looked from one girl to another, but all of them nodded decisively agreeing to the punishment. Pandit tried to protest, but Sameer stopped him, “rehne de… galti ki hai toh inki sazaa bhi maan lete hai.”

“Tum logo ke pyaar me main befizul ka pees raha hun”, Pandit grumbled, holding his ears and starting to do sit-ups like others.

Sameer kept his gaze fixed on Naina all the time as Shefali counted the sit-ups. After twenty, he swayed a little and immediately saw Naina’s breath hitch in concern. He smiled at her, assuring that he was alright, and continued. However, after five more, Naina walked up to him, and extended her hand, “bas karo.”

Sameer looked up at her with a smile, and held her hand to stand up. She tugged him out of the line, and the remaining three boys also stopped. Swati immediately rebuked, “ruk kyun gaye? Chalu rakho…”

“Par bhai toh…”, Rohan started to say, but Preeti reprimanded, “jijaji ko Naina ne roka… Tumko humne roka kya? Nahi na…? Toh chalo lage raho, warna phirse ek se ginti shuru karenege.”

Sameer shifted behind Naina, embracing her in his arms, and leaned to place his chin on her shoulder as he stared at his friends still serving the punishment. Munna panted, “yeh… achcha… hai… Plan Sameer ka aur sabse kam sazaa usko… Hum toh sirf pehra dene aaye the.”

After hearing this Swati stopped Munna much to his relief. Rohan looked at Preeti pleadingly, and very soon she too stopped him. Pandit huffed and complained, “yaar… tum sabki girlfriends ne toh tumhe rok liya… main kiski taraf dekhu?”

“Mujhe dekho”, Shefali supplied.

Pandit excitedly asked, “iska matlab tum meri girlfriend?”

Shefali narrowed her eyes, “zyada bologe toh 50 ka 500 ho jayega.”

Pandit panted, shutting his mouth, and had started to sweat by the time the count reached 40. At a pleading nod from Naina, Shefali finally stopped him. Sameer smiled, turning his head to whisper in Naina’s ear, “thanks Sweetheart…”

Naina disentangled herself from his arms and turned to glare at him, “sazaa nahi di iska matlab yeh nahi ke gussa nahi hun. Pipe se chadke balcony pe aaneki kya zarurat thi? Phone karke chhat pe bula sakte the na… Aur hamari baate chup-chupke kyun sunn rahe the.”

Sameer caught her hand, pulling her to him, “tum bhi toh hamare secrets apne saheliyo ko bata rahi thi. Mujhe nahi pata tha ke tum mujhe kiss karke sabko batati bhi ho ke kaisa lagta hai.” Her face flushed with mortification and she looked away. He hooked his finger under her chin, making her look at him, and whispered, “mujhe bhi wahi sab lagta hai jo tumne kaha. Aur haan… main pipe se chadke nahi aaya… hum seedi laaye hai.”

Naina’s eyes widened, “hey bhagwaan… seedi… kisine dekh liya toh aafat aa jayegi. Abhi jao aur usko upar lo… balcony me chupa do.” The boys nodded, and immediately went to collect the wooden ladder and hid it safely partially in the room and partial in balcony.

As they all trooped back inside, Rohan looked at Preeti with hope-filled eyes, “matlab hum log yahan ruk sakte hai?”

Naina sighed, “haan… par… karoge kya yahan pe? Yeh toh hum log sirf thodi masti kar rahe the… Koi sach ki party thodi na hai. Aur shor toh bilkul nahi kar sakte.”

Preeti pouted, “aur khana bhi adhe se zyada ghar ka hai. Bahar se bas thode chips aur cold-drink laa paaye hum.”

Sameer glanced at Naina, “main toh bas tumse milne aaya tha, aur kuch nahi chahiye mujhe. But please… wapas jaaneko mat bolo.”

Shefali laughed, “Naina ka bachelorette alag hi hai… isme uska dulha bhi shaamil hai. Chalo koi nai… bas sambhalke zara, awaaz bahar tak nahi jaani chahiye.”

Preeti and Swati tiptoed to the kitchen to get the cold-drinks and food. Sameer sat on the bed leaning near the heabboard and pulled Naina beside him, holding her close. She blushed again but didn’t move away. Munna sat on the other edge of bed, while Rohan and Pandit sat down on a mat on the floor. Shefali was shuffling through a bag and pulled out a couple of stuff, the purpose of which no one understood, and also wrote something in a notebook.

The door was locked once more as Preeti and Swati came back, and placed all the food down. Preeti said in a low voice, “zyada dishes aur chamche nahi laa paaye, warna shaq ho jayega.”

“Koi baat nahi, hum share kar lenge”, Sameer suggested, “waise bhi jhootha khane se pyaar badhta hai.”

Pandit looked gleefully at Shefali who rolled her eyes, and brought out something from a polybag, handing it over to Naina.

“Yeh kya hai?” Naina asked as she accepted the silky fabric. Undoing it she discovered it was a sash, with Bride-to-be written on it with glitter.

Shefali shrugged, “sorry Sameer… mere paas sirf dulhan wala hai.”

He grinned, “koi baat nahi… Naina, pehno na isko, dekhna hai.” She obliged, looping the sash over her head and placing it carefully across her body, lifting a bit to adjust. Sameer helped her adjust from her back, and muttered, “wow… kaash aaj hum camera leke aaye hote.”

They had some of the chaat with Sameer and Naina sharing from the same dish, while the other two couples followed suit. Pandit offered his spoon to Shefali but she smiled and pulled out a spoon from her purse. Dismayed he asked, “purse me chamach leke kaun ghumta hai yaar?”

“Main”, Shefali grinned and picked up some aloo tikki to eat.

Later on Shefali pulled out her notebook and said, “waise toh yeh game maine sirf hum ladkiyon ke liye socha tha, par ab tum sab log bhi ho toh thoda change karte hai. Mere paas kuch sawaal hai dulha-dulhan ke baare me. Lekin ladke sirf Naina ke baare me puche gaye sawaal ka jawaab denge, aur Sameer ke baare me puche gaye sawaal ka jawaab ladkiya degi. Dekhte hai… saaliya apne jijaji ko kitna jaanti hai, aur devar apne bhabhi ko.”

Everyone excitedly teamed up, while Sameer still sat with Naina in his hold, sneaking opportunities to nuzzle her hair and neck. The questions ranged from as simple as favorite color and food to complicated ones like bride and groom’s first date location. The girls were quick to answer, but Munna and Pandit were not far behind. Finally the scores reached at an equal point, and Shefali asked to the girls, “Sameer ka aaj tak ka sabse khaas tohfa kya tha Naina ke liye?”

Preeti piped up, “mujhe pata hai… Naina ke khoye hue joote jo aaj tak Naina ne sambhal ke rakha hai.”

Naina rolled her eyes, “sambhalke toh shampoo ki bottle aur chocolate ka wrapper bhi rakha hai.”

“Toh phir… Jijaji ne jo apne haatho se banaya tha woh shaadi ka card?” Swati attempted.

Shefali shook her head, and asked Naina to reveal the answer. She smiled, and said, “chewing gum… sabse pehla tohfa jahan se hamari kahani shuru hui thi.”

Amazed at her reply Sameer laughed. Shefali grinned, “toh girls ko koi extra point nahi mila. Ab ladko ki baari… Naina ne aaj tak Sameer ko sabse best tohfa konsa diya hai? Mere paas bhi iska jawaab nahi hai, toh koi aur guess kare usse pehle jijaji aap please apna jawaab Naina ko dheere se bata dijiye.”

Sameer didn’t have to think even for a second before he whispered his answer in her ears. Munna replied first, “Naina khud.” She shook her head. Pandit said, “safari suit ke thappado se chutkara.” She laughed but once again shook her head, and asked, “Rohan tum try karna chahte ho?”

Rohan nodded, and hesitantly spoke up, “umm… mere khayal se bhabhi ka sabse best tohfa wahi hai jo bhai ke paas kabhi nahi tha, aur unhone anjaane me kaafi saal pehle maanga tha… Main, Tum, Pyaar, Parivaar.”

Naina blinked in surprise and looked up at Sameer who also seemed to be astonished. Shefali softly asked, “sahi hai?” The couple smiled and nodded, making the boys dance in merriment, while Preeti and Swati pouted. Naina giggled, and Sameer took the chance to kiss her nape. It tickled her, and she laughed, tilting her head to escape his touch, “Sameer… nai…”

Preeti cleared her throat, “jijaji… thoda control.”

Sameer stuck his tongue out at his saali, “tum log aankhen bandh karlo. Hamari shaadi honewali hai matlab pura permit hai.”

Naina hit him lightly on his arm, “shsh… kuch bhi bolte ho. Waqt dekho zara, wapas nahi jaana tumhe?”

Swati pleaded, “ek last game bacha hai… uske baad chale jayenga na yeh log.”

Munna queried, “kaisa game hai?”

Shefali smiled, “couple dance.” All the boys immediately agreed. Naina rolled her eyes, “couple dance kaise? Hume toh pata hi nahi tha ke yeh log aayenge.”

“Haan toh?” Shefali frowned, “maine single dance ko couple dance kar diya… Rules wahi rahenge aur mazaa zyada aayega. Par usse pehle ek chotu sa test hai hamare jijaji ke liye.”

Sameer quirked his brow, “kaisa test?”

Shefali pulled out a blindfold, “yahan chaar ladkiya hai… Naina ke saath dance karne se pehle usko pehchaan na padega… bandh aankhon se aur bina chooye. Warna aap jisko chunenge uske saath aap dance karenge, aur Naina kisi aur ke saath.”

Naina sat up straight, “yeh kya bol rahi hai tu Shefali… Main kisi aur ke saath dance nahi karungi.”

Sameer smirked, and straightened, holding Naina’s shoulders, “ghabrao mat… tum mere saath hi dance karogi.” She turned to look at him and his eyes glittered intently; she saw the determination in them and realized he already had some plan in mind. “Bharosa karo”, he whispered, and she smiled, nodding in agreement.

Sameer slipped off the bed, and stood up so that Shefali could tie the blindfold on his eyes. The four girls stood in a queue, and then quickly shuffled so that there was no way for Sameer to guess Naina’s location. Munna guided him up to the girls, and Sameer stood silent as if he was contemplating something. Naina stood beside Swati at the end of the queue, far from Sameer and wondered how would he even guess where she was. It was impossible to do so. Sameer wandered down the queue slowly, stopping often and leaning a bit, puzzling everyone as to what he was doing. Finally he reached Naina, and leaned… His body stiffened a bit as if responding to her, and he smiled, leaning a bit more. She drew in a breath and exhaled, trying to stop herself from touching him. He was so close, and she noticed the parted collar of his shirt, a sight that always tempted her. Suddenly, he grabbed her, and grinned, “mil gai meri Naina.”

She gasped in surprise, clutching onto his shirt, at a loss of words. Everyone else was also surprised not able to understand how he did it. “Naina”, he muttered, and she smiled, lifting up on her toes to undo his blindfold. He blinked his eyes open, and smiled wide on seeing her so close, and drew her in a crushing hug which made her squeal.

Pandit asked, “bhai kaise guess kiya ke yahi bhabhi hai?”

Sameer parted from her and smirked, “itne saalo se pyaar karta hun Naina se… guess toh asaan tha.”

Shefali explained the rules of the dance, they were supposed to dance on a bit of paper, and since there would be no music she would hum a tune. As soon as the tune stopped, the paper would be folded in half, and they would dance again. The couple who lasted longer would win. Pandit excitedly held his hand out to Shefali, but she chuckled, “tum akele dance karo… main toh game khila rahi hun na.”

Pandit pouted making everyone laugh. Soon everyone was standing in position; there was a considerable distance between Rohan and Preeti, a little less between Munna and Swati while almost negligible between Sameer and Naina. Shefali hummed a random tune, and the dance started. The first time was easy, but when the paper was folded in half, it became a bit awkward for Rohan and Preeti. By the time the paper was folded the second time, Munna had lifted Swati in his arms making her blush; Sameer had pulled Naina up, aligning their bodies, so that she was standing on his feet as they swayed; and Rohan had given up his cheeks flushing red with color while Preeti giggled at his condition. Once more the paper was folded, this time Munna couldn’t handle Swati properly and one of his feet stepped out of the paper. Sameer had finally lifted Naina in his arms, and was standing on the paper on his toes because the sheet was small while his feet were big. Naina glanced down once, and then up at him, amazed at how he could stand like that even while holding her. Looking into his eyes, she softly asked, “kaise guess kiya ke main hun?”

He smiled, lifting her a bit more, so he could touch his forehead to hers, “tumhare bride-to-be sash me perfume laga hua hai jo main peechle do ghante se soongh raha hun. Chaar kya chaalis ladkiyo me se bhi tumhe dhund nikalta.”

She laughed, angling more to hug him and dropped a quick kiss on the side of his face, which made him stumble and they both fell on the floor. But it didn’t matter because they had already won. Pandit declared that this was one couple who didn’t need to practice for their Sangeet performance. The last of the snacks were finished, the cold-drinks shared, and then the boys carefully slid the ladder down. While Rohan, Munna and Pandit went down turn by turn, with Preeti, Swari and Shefali watching them and holding the ladder; Sameer stayed in the room with Naina, and took the quick opportunity to kiss her lightly. He didn’t deepen the kiss, neither did he linger, mindful of their friends. Hugging her to him he said, “ab do din baad seedhe sagai pe milenge. Apna dhyan rakhna. I love you.”

Naina clutched his shirt, “I love you too. Kal toh raat ko phone pe baat nahi ho payegi par please parso ek baar koshish karenege.”

Sameer agreed and dropped a kiss on her forehead, and then he too was smoothly going down the ladder. The boys carefully collected the wooden ladder and disappeared from the society. The girls waited for sometime, wondering if they would see a car or bikes… But there was nothing. Naina said they must have parked far away. They all trooped inside, cleaned up the room, and then sat down on the bed to chat, each one of them slowly falling asleep.

Following morning truly felt like the the busiest time of the wedding. Both the houses were crawling with guests who despite having accomodations in lodges somehow chose to spend the day crowded inside the four walls. There might have been a considerable gap between the socio-economic status of Agarwals and Maheshwaris, but when the matter came down to wedding guests the behavior was barely distinguishable. The men got hold of chairs and sat on the verandah or outside chattering about every random topic they could think of, while women gathered inside the house picking up topics to gossip that ranged from food in wedding to drawbacks of love marriage.

While at Maheshwari house, Sameer was supposed to be sitting in a small puja and then fed with sweets prepared by the ladies of the house; Naina was in a tough situation as it was the day she was supposed to drink raw ghee. Pooja didi giggled and reminded her that it was compulsory for getting married and she had drank it so quickly. Naina pulled a face, “aapko toh shaadi karneki itni jaldi thi ke ek katori kya pura dabba pee jaate.”

Pooja didi teased, “achcha… toh tujhe Sameer se shaadi karneki koi jaldi nahi hai?”

Caught off guard, Naina bit her lip and blushed, and everyone laughed. Preeti said, “tu bindaas pee jaa… uske baad main tujhe paneer ke pakode khilati hun.”

Naina rolled her eyes, “ghee ke upar tel… waah…”

Despite all the reservations, Naina accepted the bowl immediately when Phulla Bua passed it on. Looking at the liquid in the small steel bowl she thought, ‘chal Naina… Sameer ke liye special wala waxing karwa sakti hai toh yeh bhi kar hi sakti hai.’

Holding her breath she lifted the bowl to her lips and drank the ghee, feeling oiliness coat her mouth and throat. She coughed thinking that the weird naked unprotected feeling that she had to bear whole day after special wax was much more tolerable than this nauseating greasiness in her mouth. Bela quickly offered some honey to her, “yeh le beta… muh ka swaad theek ho jayega.”

Naina sat aside with the bowl, licking some honey slowly, wondering if Sameer was also made to drink ghee. On the other end, Sameer was feeling overstuffed with sweets, and kept saying no to eat but no one was listening and every lady was intent to feed the groom. He groaned, “bas karo… fatt jaunga ab. Itna meetha kyun khila rahe ho?”

Vishakha laughed, “taaki tumhari zabaan meethi rahe shaadi ke baad.”

Even though Sameer understood that his mother meant that he would be polite and soft-spoken to his bride, in his mind he had a personal laugh as he related the sentence to its literal meaning thinking that his tongue would taste sweet to Naina when they would kiss.

That evening was thaap mandana in both the bride and groom’s house. The married women dressed up in traditional attires, highlighting all the symbols of a suhagan like red bangles, bindi, mangalsutra, sindur, payal and beechiya. Wooden chaukis painted white were placed in home on which holy symbols and figures like swastika and goddess Laxmi’s feet were drawn using kumkum and haldi. The women sang songs as per the ritual as they placed earthen pots around the chauki, praying to ward off evil forces and bring in peace. Sameer and Naina watched the whole process at their respective home, both of them thinking that in the next wedding of family, maybe Preeti’s, Naina would also be a part of those married women and participate in the ritual. That night everyone stayed awake, praying, singing, seeking blessings from goddess. And on 12^th Februrary early morning, Naina was instructed to rest a bit as in afternoon there would be another ritual.

By the time everyone had rested and freshened up, it was almost noon, and Chachiji felt grateful to have cooks who would attend to every demand of tea and food. At around 1pm Rohan, Munna and Pandit came along armed with some decorated wicker baskets and handed them over to Chachiji and Phulla Bua. A sealed envelope was passed from Rohan to Preeti, and was hidden inside the room. Naina was curious as to what the baskets contained, and asked, “chachiji isme kya hai?”

Bela smiled, “beta aaj Gharva hai na… toh hum devi parvati ki puja karenge. Yeh Gangaur ka ek prakar hai, jo kunwari ladkiya karti hai, yeh dua maangne ke liye ke unki shaadi jisse ho rahi hai woh achcha pati bane. Phir shaadi ke baad tu Gangaur ka vrat karegi, apne pati ki lambi umar ke liye. Iss puja ke liye tere sasural devi parvati aur tere liye kapde aur gehne aaye hai.”

Opening the basket, Bela handed over a deep orange saree and a delicate gold set to Naina, asking her to get ready. Naina did as instructed, recalling the saree as one of the piece she had bought along with Vishakha, the only one with a traditional blouse. The ritual was simple, the puja and katha took little over an hour, and then everyone had an extremely late lunch. Phulla Bua asked Naina to take ample rest as from tomorrow there would rarely be any free time since it was her sagai.

Naina went inside the room to change and then took out the envelope from her purse where Preeti had hidden it. It was a short note from Sameer saying that he would call her late at night after everyone fell asleep, and then he had written, ‘Naina… Kal finally hamari sagai hai. Itne saal jo sapna humne dekha woh sab sach hoga.’ She smiled feeling the happiness that he was also feeling. She took a nap where all she dreamt was of him, and he was in a similar state. None of them could stop thinking about the next day; they kept pacing with eagerness of a new beginning; wondering what the other was doing.

It was way past midnight by the time Sameer called, but Naina was up, waiting for him. After preliminaries, he gleefully exclaimed, “Naina… sagai… socho zara… kaisa hoga.”

She laughed, “tum saath ho toh khaas hi hoga.”

“Mujhse shaadi ho rahi hai toh main hi saath hounga na”, he countered, “kaisi baate kar rahi ho.”

She smiled, “pata nahi… itni khush hun ke samajh nahi aa raha kya bolu.”

He grinned, completely understanding her condition, “jaanta hun… main bhi pura din kamre me sab idhar se udhar kar raha tha, soch sochke ke tumhare liye sab perfect hona chahiye.”

“Perfect hi hai”, she assured, “achcha suno… puri raat sochte mat rehna. Aaram karna. Warna kal sab bolenge mera dulha thaka hua lag raha hai.”

He chuckled, “tension mat lo… main khushi ke maare itna chamkunga ke sabko sunglasses lagane padenege.”

They talked in low voices for ten more minutes, both of them reconfirming the time of the rituals, and then finally bade goodbye for the night. Sameer picked up the pillow in his arms, grinning at it and spoke, “ab tere din khatam ho rahe hai… teen raate aur beeta le iss bed pe, phir meri Naina aa jayegi.” The pillow didn’t reply, but he squished it to his chest, and toppled over the mattress, falling asleep with a smile.

Naina sat in-front of the dressing table, and lifted her hand to see the gold ring Chachiji had made her wear all these days since the wedding rituals started. Smiling to herself, she removed it and kept it in a box, softly murmuring, “ab iski zaroorat nahi. Kal se jo anghuthi is ungli pe hogi woh zindagi bhar nahi utregi.”

As they both slept with dreams in their eyes, their heart brimming with love, the moon shone bright, indicating that from tomorrow onwards the pages of their life would be written together. It was the night after which their sweet little love story would transform into an eternal love story. It was the last night before the ring that would bind them together always and forever.