Always and Forever
Part - 7 : Blossoming Relationships

The evening was typical of greyish winter, a truck had punctured in the middle of the road causing a traffic jam, and cars and two-wheelers were honking equally loudly, street hawkers were taking advantage of the chaos and pestering people to purchase their wares. However, going back to his office, seated in the plush back-seat of his car, Sameer Maheshwari didn’t notice any the surrounding happenings. Thankfully he had been exhausted in office itself, and in no mood to drive, so he had come with the driver, else he would have probably crashed his car in some pole right now. He was in no frame of mind to pay attention to the tedious task of driving. How could he? Did Naina really give him a flying kiss? He shivered, yes, she had. He had been wondering about the reason of her naughty smile and then she had stumped him with the kiss. He hadn’t even noticed that he had collided with Taiji and the sound of the vase crashing to pieces also hadn’t registered in his mind. He had just stood there gaping at Naina, who had been struggling to control her laughter on seeing his reaction and Taiji’s constant wails.

Chachiji had rushed over to soothe Taiji and his trance had finally broken when Taiji had dismally uttered, “Bholuram kahan dekhke chal rahe ho?” He had regained enough sense to apologize, and then Naina had rescued him. He didn’t exactly remember what she had said to Taiji because he had been busy staring at her, but soon she had waved him off on his way with a smile and “I will call you later.” A knock on the window brought him out of his reverie, and he saw a boy selling roses. Just to avoid constant annoyance, he slid down the glass and bought one red rose, paying him extra. He leaned back comfortably, stroking the soft petals, remembering how she had felt all soft and feminine in his arms. Her unique smell and warmth had teased him, making him want to do much more than hold her. And then she had fed him with her own hands, he smiled recalling her surprised gasp when he had licked her fingers. He licked his lips, as if the taste of her still lingered and he sought it. Soon, very soon, he would find out how her lips taste, he promised himself. But what exactly had prompted her to give the flying kiss? Naina never dared to do anything like that. Yet, he remembered, she had returned his flirty wink during their Roka. And now the flying kiss. Does this mean Naina understands more than he thinks she does? Is she aware of the relationship between a man and woman? No, she can’t be. He was somehow sure Chachiji wouldn’t be explaining such stuff to her, and Taiji, he laughed softly, Taiji would probably tell her all this intimacy is bad even after marriage. No, her family is out of question, which means even Preeti. Then who could tell her such stuff? Swati? He knew she is filmy, but films cannot teach everything. Umm, did Munna and Swati…, he trailed even in his thoughts. Then shuddered. No no, he is not going on those lines even in his thoughts. With firm determination he brought his thoughts back to Naina, pondering on the comfort level he had witnessed in her.

As the car started to move again, weaving through the traffic, he frowned, listing out points in his mind. She had touched his hair and hadn’t blushed. That could be because she had done it before at their home too, and also maybe when he was sleeping. They had hugged, and she hadn’t blushed, that was intriguing. Did she felt it was natural for them to hug? If so, then why hadn’t she initiated it before? But then again, she had blushed when he had asked her to feed him. Dammit, he wasn’t getting anywhere with this. His eyes narrowed as he thought, maybe he should do something to find out how much she knows. Also, wasn’t the flying kiss more like an invitation to reciprocate? This thought pleased him, he smiled wide in anticipation, humming to himself.

On the other hand, at Agarwal house, Naina was giggling by herself in her room, thinking about how Sameer had reacted to her kiss. She hadn’t planned it. It was just an impulse. But Taiji had borne the brunt of her actions, well, she didn’t really regret it. Preeti entered and stood staring in surprise at her giggling sister. “Paagal ho gai hai kya?”, she asked cautiously. Naina looked up at her confused face and started laughing.

On hearing her laughter Bela came in, “ab tak has rahi hai tu”, she said trying to control her own laughter, then turned to Preeti, “Sameer ne bhabhiji ka mehenga wala fuldaan tod diya, isiliye has rahi hai yeh”, she managed to inform before starting to laugh herself.

Preeti’s eyes sparkled as she seated herself next to Naina, “Kya? Jijaji aaye the? Aur firse Taiji ka nuksaan kar diya?”

Naina nodded, hiccupping with laughter, and told her how he had broken the ceramic vase. Preeti threw back her head in a loud laughter, and clapped her hands, “yaar maan na padega jijaji ko, jo kaam hum saalo se nai kar paaye woh unhone kar diya”, she sniggered.

Bela wiped her eyes, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaaye, lekin mereko samajh nai aaya ke Sameer ko bhabhiji dikhi kaise nai?”

Preeti chuckled, “haan unko dekhna waise bhi zyada mushkil nai hai. Par kya hai na mummy, jijaji to Naina ko dekh rahe honge.”

Bela laughed on seeing Naina blush, and then left from there to prepare some snacks and tea. Naina hit Preeti with pillow for teasing her and she kept on laughing.

After having tea, Bela went downstairs to buy vegetables, and they sat on the swing shelling peas for dinner, talking about Preeti’s clients when the phone rang. “Jaa, aa gaya tera bulava”, Preeti teased.

Naina chuckled, “yeh mera nai, tera bulava hai”, Preeti looked on confused, so Naina added “jaa utha.”

Preeti shrugged picking up the phone, and on hearing the voice from the other end, she fumbled dropping the receiver, then catching it back before it hit the floor, “Tum!”, she exclaimed. She turned around to see Naina with her hand over her mouth, trying to control her laughter, she narrowed her eyes and drew a finger across her throat threatening her sister. Naina sniggered, picking up the pan of peas and moving herself to the kitchen while Preeti talked.

“Hello, tumne yahan kyun phone kiya hai?”, she asked irritated.

Rohan gulped, “woh… tumse baat karne ke liye.”

Preeti tried to calm herself, “kyun? Mujhse kya baat karni hai?”

This was more difficult than he had expected, “umm… bas aisai. Kaisi ho?”

So, he had called her just like that, Preeti mused, warmth creeping up on her face, “main thik hun”, she replied shortly, then added, “Tum?”, she didn’t want to be rude.

“Main bhi thik hun”, he sighed in relief, “abhi ghar aai?”

She sat down on the sofa, “thodi der pehle”, she informed.

There was a silence as both wondered what to talk next, and neither of them wanted to disconnect. Rohan cleared his throat, “aur?”

She rolled her eyes. Ladka yeh hai ke main. “Aur kya?”, she asked, “tumne phone kiya hai to baat bhi tumhiko karni hogi na.”

“Nai, mujhe to bas tumhari awaaz sunni thi”, he blurted without thinking, then bit his tongue.

Preeti blushed furiously, as silence stretched again, “ah… aaj jijaji aaye the”, she said trying to find some topic.

“Bhai?”, Rohan asked, confused, “par woh to abhi kaafi busy hai na?”

Preeti chuckled, now comfortable since the discussion was on familiar ground, “haan busy to hai, par Naina ko dekhe bina chain kahan unko.”

Rohan laughed and Preeti launched into the tale of how Taiji’s precious vase was broken by Sameer. At the other end he just sat listening to her animated voice, wondering if she always sounded so cheerful.

“Hello… hellooo”, she uttered repeatedly breaking his trance.

“Ah… sorry!”, he exclaimed, “woh mera dhyan kahin aur tha.”

She frowned, “iska matlab meri baat nai suni.”

“Nai nai, suna maine sab”, he pacified, “main to bas soch raha tha ke bhai kitne lucky hai ke bhabhi unke life me aai”, he lied about his thoughts.

“Haan woh to hai”, she smiled, “par mere jijaji bhi kuch kam nai hai.”

He chuckled, “jaanta hun. Mere bhai hai woh”, he paused, “umm… kya main tumko ek-do din baad wapas isi time call kar sakta hun?”

She blushed again, “haan”, then remembered something, “waise tumhe kaise pata ke main ghar pe nai thi?”

He stuttered looking for some excuse, then thought better of it, and confessed that he had been trying to call her since few days, but every time someone else picked up the call, and how Naina had informed him today about when she would be at home.

“S…sorry”, he stammered, “tum bura mat maan na please. Mujhe bas tumse baat karni thi.”

She didn’t know why she felt so good on hearing about his attempts to contact her, “main shaam ko 5:30pm ko ghar aati hun”, she informed him.

He smiled in relief, “thike, to main kal 6pm ko call karunga.”

“Kal hi?”, Preeti asked.

“haan, please mana mat karna”, he pleaded gathering courage.

She laughed, “thike”, she agreed, then teased, “par kya baat karni hai soch lena, aur aur mat karna.”

He blushed, “haan okay. Chalo Dadi aa rahi hai, bye.”

“Bye”, she smiled and disconnected.

She sauntered to the kitchen, hand on hips, she glared at Naina, “tune Rohan ko kaha ke woh shaam ko call kare?”

Naina turned to her, smiling, “haan. Ab kya karu, iss maamle me mera experience tujhse aur Rohan se zyada hai.”

Preeti flashed a wide grin and hugged Naina, “thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“Hahaaa”, Naina laughed, hugging her back, “you are welcome.” She narrowed her eyes, “badi khush lag rahi hai? Rohan ne aaj hi pyaar ka izhaar kar diya kya?”, she asked mischievously.

Preeti perched herself on the kitchen counter, “kahan yaar”, she popped some peas in her mouth, “ladka hoke itna sharmata hai.”

Naina chuckled, “kyunki tu ladki hoke kam sharmaati hai.”

Preeti slapped her shoulder, “ched mat mujhe”, she paused then admitted, “kal bhi phone karega woh.”

Naina looked at her sister, but before she could say something Bela entered, ranting about the increasing rates of vegetables. They didn’t get a chance to talk as they had to help Chachiji in kitchen and then Chachaji returned from office, so they sat with him for sometime. Later when Tauji came in to talk to Chachaji, Naina grabbed the chance and pulled Preeti in their room. “Tu Rohan se pyaar karti hai?”, she asked without preliminaries, as they sat on the bed.

Preeti sighed, grabbing a pillow, “pata nahin. Isse pehle ginke teen baar mili hun. Ek baar jab hum log college me the, aur woh wahan jijaji se milne aaya tha. Uske baad do baar jab woh log ghar aaye the teri shaadi ki baat karne. Baat bhi zyada nahi ki, bas hi, hello, kaise ho. Aaj hi to thodi dhang se baat hui.”

Naina knew her sister very well, she had never shown any interest in any boy, not even in college. She had even beat a guy who had tried to give her a rose in college, the poor boy had been trying to save himself until Sameer had interrupted and stopped Preeti. The first time she had seen her sister blush was when they were in third year and Rohan had arrived unannounced at their college to meet Sameer on his birthday. Naina had met Rohan twice before at Sameer’s home, but Preeti hadn’t met him at all. That day was the first for both, and she had noted a spark, even Sameer had observed it. And the astonishing fact was that when Sameer had introduced them Rohan had extended his hand for a handshake, and Preeti had acquiesced instead of hitting him. But she also knew that she had to tread carefully here, even though she was sure that Preeti was in love, it was necessary that they talk. She took her hand, “dekh Preeti… maine to Sameer ki awaaz tak nai suni thi… Hi, hello bhi nahi kaha tha”, she explained, “lekin zaruri nahi ke tere saath bhi waisa hi ho. Par agar kuch bhi mehsus karti hai na uske liye to thoda jaldi pata lagane ki koshish kar.”

“Kyun jaldi?”, Preeti asked confused.

“Kyunki meri shaadi me zyada waqt nai hai”, Naina said, “Taiji abhi se hi tere liye bhi rishta dhund rahi hai. Ek baar meri shaadi ho gai to fir tera number. Mere aur Sameer ke paas bahot waqt tha saath bitaane ke liye aur sab kuch thik se samajhne ke liye. Lekin tujhe itna waqt nai milega.”

Preeti sat frowning, pondering over what Naina said. She knew that Naina was right, she didn’t have much time and Taiji is always ready to get her married off to anyone, she remembered the incident at village when she was just sixteen. But how to know if she was in love? And how would she know if Rohan loved her? She asked the same to Naina.

Naina smiled, “Rohan kya sochta hai uski fikar mat kar abhi. Filhaal tu kya mehsus karti hai woh zaruri hai.” She got up and returned with her story draft, handing it to Preeti.

“yeh kya hai?”, Preeti asked accepting the papers.

“Meri aur Sameer ki love story”, Naina said, “isse padhke aur kuch nahi to pyaar hone pe kaisa mehsus hota hai yeh to tujhe pata chal hi jayega.”

Preeti turned over the pages, “yaar… itna saara padhna padega?”, she whined.

Naina sighed, “tera kuch nai ho sakta”, she took the papers back, “jaane de, ab Rohan se keh dungi ke kisi aur ko dhundle woh.”

“Naiii”, Preeti snatched the papers from her hands, “main padhti hun na.”

“Hahaaa”, Naina laughed, “ab aai na line pe.”

Preeti scowled, she was not used to being teased, usually she would tease Naina, but now the tables had turned. A naughty gleam entered her eyes, “achcha sunn… isme tere aur jijaji ke waise wale kisse bhi hai kya”, she made kissing sounds and winked at Naina.

“Preeti ki bachchi”, she hit her with pillow, “ek to main teri kahani set kar rahi hun aur tu mujhe ched rahi hai.”

“Ow!”, Preeti yelled trying to fend her off, “maar mat na… main to bas soch rahi thi ke bina kiss ke kaisi love story.”

Naina stopped, panting for breath, then thought for a moment before confessing, “aaj maine Sameer ko flying kiss diya.”

“KYA??!!”, Preeti exclaimed loudly only to be shushed by her sister. “Kya?”, she asked again, lowering her voice, “kab? Aur jijaji ne kya kiya?”

Naina giggled, “tabhi to Sameer ko Taiji nai dikhi aur vase tod diya.”

Preeti was silent for a moment, then both of them started laughing rolling on the bed. Few minutes later they quietened, and Preeti turned towards her sister propping herself on one elbow, “achcha idea hai, jijaji jab bhi yahan aaye na tu aisa kuch karti rehna. Taiji ki saari cheeze tod denge woh.”

Naina grinned, trying hard not to laugh again, “sunn, yeh baat Swati ko mat batana please.”

Preeti nodded understanding her sister’s shyness, “thike, lekin tu bhi mere aur Rohan ke baare me kuch nai batayegi kisiko.”

Naina agreed, “done! Bas Sameer ko bataungi, woh help kar sakta hai hamari.”

“Woh kaise?”, Preeti queried.

“Baato baato me Rohan ki feelings pata laga sakta hai”, Naina said, “aur kabhi zarurat padi to Rohan ko yahan bhi bula sakta hai.”

Preeti thought about it, weighing the teasing from her jijaji versus the consequences of not knowing what Rohan felt about her, then agreed to let Sameer know.

The clock struck 8pm and a man dressed in blue suit waited at the restaurant table, jiggling his leg impatiently. A bunch of red roses laid on the table and golden candles burned bright. He was nervous, more than when he had confessed his love. A soothing, sweet fragrance of jasmine drifted in the air, and he smiled, turning to see his beloved weave her way towards him. She was dressed in a royal blue salwar-kameez, and he grinned thinking they were colour coordinated. He didn’t know since when he had started to observe such things. Well, people can be foolish in love. He stood up as the woman came near, “aye pandat, aaj bada sundar lag raha hai”, he said in his old-time tone. Swati laughed, seating opposite him, “Munna, tum kabhi nahi sudharne wale.”

Munna grinned, gifting her the roses, “tumhare liye.”

She beamed with happiness, “wow! Mere liye bouquet leke aaye ho. Candle light dinner… umm… iraada kya hai Manoj saab”, she said dramatically.

He nervously adjusted his sleeves, “eh, tu Manoj mat bula pandat, bada ajeeb lagta hai.”

“Hahaa”, she laughed, “thike nai bulaungi. Par yeh to batao aaj yeh sab kisliye?”

He patted his pant pocket for the umpteenth time, “kisliye matlab? Ab main tumhe dinner pe nai le jaa sakta kya?”

She smiled, covering his hand with her own, “dinner pe kya, kahin bhi le jaa sakte ho. Waise thank you, flowers bahot khubsurat hai.”

“Par tumse kam”, he said staring at her, and holding her hand.

She blushed, “achcha ab sirf tareef karte rahoge ya khana bhi khilaoge”, she teased, “maine to shaam ko nashta bhi nai kiya excitement me.”

He laughed, signalling for the waiter, and they placed their order. Swati looked around, there were very few people seated, and their booth was at the far end, almost secluded. She was not nervous, but she looked at Munna who looked a little tensed. “Kaam bahot hai na abhi?”, she enquired.

“Haan, lekin ab kaafi kam bacha hai”, he said, “isiliye aaj Sameer ko bhi bhabhi se milne bhej diya, bechara do din se sar pakad ke betha tha thakan ke maare.”

She looked at the perfectly pressed suit, neat white shirt open at the collar, the black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, and compared the man to the cherubic boy he had been in school. Undying, devoted, selfless love, that was what he had taught her. She recalled how she had rebuked him so many times in school and every single time he had come back to her as if nothing affected him and he kept on loving her. Finally, she had surrendered to his love in college, how could she not. What else would a woman want in her partner? Every day since then she had learned a new dimension of his love and understood the depth of his feelings. He might have joked around but his love was deep, so deep, that she felt glad she hadn’t understood it in school, else she might have ended up hurting him by her childishness.

Munna snapped his fingers in-front of her, “aise kya dekh rahi ho kabse?”

She smiled, “soch rahi hun ke aaj kitne handsome lag rahe ho tum.”

He blushed at the praise. He couldn’t believe his luck sometimes, the girl he had loved since so many years, was with him, and she loved him too. As far as he could remember, for him, love equated with Swati. He had been completely taken in by her bright smile and fiery black eyes. When she had reciprocated his love confession in college, he had felt as if he was at the highest point of happiness he could ever reach. But each day with her since then, his happiness had multiplied. They had their regular dose of quarrels, but then he loved to pacify her, and she also had unique ways to melt him. Once when he had been extremely angry on her, she had just hugged him out of fear, because never before had she heard him raise his voice. She had been afraid of him, yet she had sought security in his arms only. His anger had vanished in thin air.

They talked about his work, and daily life, reminisced memories of their school and college over the meal. When they finished eating there was no one else in the restaurant apart from them. He reached across the table and patted her hand, she smiled at him, but was then confused when he stood up. “Munna kya…”, she started only to stare in surprise as he knelt before her on one knee. He looked into her mesmerizing eyes, “Swati, mujhe thik se yaad bhi nahi hai ke maine kabse tumse pyaar kiya hai, bas itna pata hai ke tumhe dekhte hi soch liya tha ke meri puri zindagi tumhare hi naam kar dunga. Hamesha sochta hun ke tumse aur zyada pyaar nai kar sakta, par fir agle din thoda aur pyaar ho jaata hai tumse”, he took out the blue velvet box, “main apni puri zindagi har roz tumse thoda aur zyada pyaar karna chahta hun. Kya tum apne bandar ko yeh mauka dogi? Mujhse shaadi karogi?”

Her eyes glistened with tears, “par… par hamare gharwale?”, she stammered.

“Tum maan gai to fir hum dono milke sabko mana lenge”, he assured, “waise bhi main tumhare alawa kisi aur se shaadi karneki soch bhi nai sakta”, then frowned, “aur tumhe bhi nai karne dunga kisi aur se shaadi.”

She choked on a laugh, tears now spilling over, “par pehle mere bandar ki tarah to bol.”

He grinned, “aye pandat, shaadi karega mujhse?”, he drawled.

She flung her arms around him, burying her face against his neck, “haan… yes, yes, yes!”

He laughed out, hugging her back, cherishing the most precious treasure in his life. He drew back, then took out the delicate gold ring set with a flower made of tiny diamonds and held out his hand seeking permission. She grinned, giving her hand in his, and he slid on the ring, bonding them in a new relationship. The restaurant staff clapped, making her blush, and then brought out a small cake with their names written on it. She looked at him in confusion, “ab haan bola to celebrate karna to banta hai na”, he explained.

“Aur agar main naa kehti to?”, she teased.

He chuckled, “to fir tum yahi cake mere muh pe maar deti”, he winked at her making her laugh out loud.

Dinner was a merry event that night at the Agarwal house, the broken vase being a major topic of discussion, Chachaji choked on his food hearing about it. On the other hand, at Maheshwari residence, Sameer ate dinner alone while watching a movie. Later as he stood by the window waiting for the time to pass so he could talk to Naina, his phone rang, and he rushed to pick it up.

“Hello Naina”, he said eagerly.

Naina smiled, “pata chal hi gaya ke main hun.”

“Itne saalo se hamesha to pata chal jaata hai hum dono ko”, he sat on the chair, “aaj jaldi?”

“Haan”, she too sat comfortably, “aisa laga jaise tum yaad kar rahe ho.”

He smiled, “akele khate khate thak gaya hun”, he admitted, “nai achcha lagta.”

“Samajhti hun”, she soothed, “bas kuch din aur, fir to hum saath me dinner karenge hamesha.”

“Kuch din nai”, he whined, “mahine bolo. Ab tak November hi chal raha hai aur shaadi February me hai.”

She understood his loneliness, “shaadi ki taiyario me waqt beet jayega, pata bhi nahi chalega.”

“Mujhe to ek-ek minute pata lagta hai tumhare bina”, he sighed.

His voice was so miserable that she wanted to go to him right now, “mujhe bhi Sameer”.

He snorted, “jhooth, tumhare paas to puri family hai.”

“Par tum to nai ho na”, she said, “pata hai, hum to aaj khate khate bhi tumhari hi baat kar rahe the.”

“umm-hmm”, he turned Naina’s photo towards him to look at it, “kya baate?”

She chuckled, “tumne Taiji ka nuksaan jo kar diya.”

Sameer laughed softly, “to wajah bhi batai tumne?”

“Nai”, she smiled, “woh sirf Preeti ko bataya.”

“Kya baat hai?”, he was surprised, “tumne saali saahiba ko sab bata diya hamare date se leke ab tak ki baate?”

She slapped her forehead, “uff oo, nai baba, sirf aaj ki baat batai.”

His eyes narrowed as he thought, “pehle wali baate kyun nai?”, he wanted her to explain.

Her heartbeat picked up pace, she understood what he was doing, “ummm… kyunki woh hamare beech ki baat hai sirf.”

“matlab private?”, he asked.

“haan”, she agreed knowing very well what his next question would be.

He smiled, thinking he had her trapped, “achcha… aisa kyun? Pehle to sab bata deti thi tum Swati aur Preeti ko?”

She wanted to play the game, but she was still too new to it, “actually… main pehle batana chahti thi par bata nai paai, samajh nai aaya kyun”, she decided on honesty, “fir jab hum ghar gaye tabse aisa laga ke yeh baate share karne wali nai hai.”

He was touched by her honest confession, “thanks”, he said, “yeh batane ke liye. Aur sahi kaha tumne, kuch baate ab sirf hamare beech me rehni chahiye.”

She looked at the stars through the window, “tumhe pata hai, ab hume ek aur love story likhni padegi.”

“kya matlab?”, he asked confused.

She smiled clutching the shawl tighter around her, “aaj Rohan aur Preeti ne phone pe baat ki finally.”

He laughed, “oh! To bachche bade ho gaye?”

“Haha”, she joined him, “bachche?”

“Aur nai to kya. Chuhe-billi ki tarah khel rahe the kabse”, he snickered, “itne time me to kitni baar baat ho jaati aur love story kahaan pahonch jaati.”

“achcha”, she replied piqued, “bol to aise rahe ho jaise tumhe turant pyaar ho gaya tha mujhse.”

“Lekin jab hua tab bolne me time nai lagaya tumhari tarah”, he clucked.

She sat up straight now, “oye! To kya main pehle din aake tumse keh deti ke Sameer I love you.”

“I love you too sweetheart”, he said, his voice intense. He always felt extremely happy and lucky whenever Naina said that she had fallen in love with him at first sight. The first time she had confessed this to him, he had been stunned to think of how could she love an unknown person so much, and then had regretted not knowing about it and indulging in teasing her, followed by the feeling of being the luckiest and happiest person on earth.

She understood he had made her say what he wanted to hear, “tum”, she stammered, “tum bahot bure ho.”

“Jaisa bhi hun tumhara hun, soch lo”, he teased.

She blushed, “achcha, ab tum so jao. Kitne tired the aaj.”

He smiled, “tired tha. Tumse milke thik ho gaya, sardard bhi gayab ho gaya.”

“Sardard meri wajah se nai, khane aur sone ke wajah se gayab hua hai”, she scolded, “thoda sa bhi dhyan nahi rakhte na apna. Waqt pe kha nai sakte?”

He closed his eyes listening to her admonishment, it always made him feel special, cared for, “dhyan rakhne laga to yeh tumhari pyaar wali daant kaise sununga?”

She frowned, “daant itni pasand hai to chinta mat karo, shaadi ke baad roz daantungi.”

He smirked, “daant lena. Thak gaya sunte sunte to chup karwana aata hai mujhe”, he waited with bated breath for her question.

“Kaise?”, she asked curious.

He pumped his hand in the air in silent celebration, “tumne jo aaj dur se mujhe diya wahi direct de dunga tumhe.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and she inhaled sharply. “kya hua?”, he asked, “samajh aaya na? Ya kaho to abhi aake demo deta hun.”

“Nai”, she blurted, then tried to calm herself, “main samajh gai.”

Okay, so she understood. Now he had to know if she knew how and if she was ready. He stroked her picture, “waise mujhe lagta tha meri Naina bahot seedhi hai. Par tum to kaafi tezz nikli”, he mused, “yeh sab sikha kahan se?”

She opened her mouth, then paused, thinking through his question. She knew how well he could get her to confess stuff or do things. But this time she wasn’t going to fall in his trap. If anything, he had to be the one to fall in her trap.

“kya sab?”, she asked in an innocent voice, “flying kiss to main Preeti ko bhi deti hun, aur Pralay ko bhi.”

He frowned, this wasn’t the answer he was expecting, “Preeti? Pralay?”, he asked, “Naina yeh tumhare bhai-behen hai. Aur main husband.”

“Hone wale”, she said, knowing it would annoy him.

“Tel lene gaya hone wale”, he said frustrated, “tum apne husband ko bhi sirf flying kiss dogi?”

She stifled her laughter, “umm… husband ko…”, she trailed as if thinking, “nai husband ko to direct kiss bhi de sakti hun.”

He sighed in relief, “great!”, he exclaimed, thinking he was back on track, “ab batao kahan kiss karogi?”

“Haath pe”, she said innocently, while stroking the novel in which she had just read a heated kissing scene.

He fisted his own hands in frustration, “haath pe?”, he choked, “sirf haath pe?”

Naina converted her laughter into cough at the nick of time, “haan, ek movie me dekha tha.”

“Aur kuch nai dekha movie me?”, he asked clutching his head, “you know thoda aur bhi dikhate hai movies me.”

She bit her lip, “chee… aise gandi cheezein main nai dekhti.”

He stood up, “Naina…”, faltering in his explanation, “kaise samjhau tumhe?”, he sighed rubbing his head. “Dekho, husband-wife ke beech me sirf haath pe kiss nai hota”, he sat down again.

“Umm… mujhe to aur nai pata”, she said, tears flowing from her eyes as she attempted to control her laughter and act, “hum dono sirf haath pe kiss karenge.”

“KYA!!??”, he shouted, “tum paagal ho gai ho kya Naina? Tum chahti ho main tumko sirf haath pe kiss karu? Shaadi ke baad bhi?”

She turned her face away from the receiver clapping a hand over her mouth, it was tough to control her laughter now, she couldn’t act more, she had to stop this now. With great difficulty she managed to continue, “haan”, she affirmed, “aur tum yeh kiss kiss kya kar rahe ho kabse? Sharam nai aati?”, she acted annoyed, “yahan kisine sunn liya to aafat aa jayegi.”

Dammit. He was on the verge of throwing the phone. He closed his eyes, trying to reign himself, calming his nerves. He had been a fool to let his imagination wander only because Naina had given him a flying kiss. God, she was so innocent. She wanted him to kiss only her hands? Freaking hell! How would he move ahead? Forget making love, he wondered, how much time it would take for him to just kiss her lips. But she was right about one thing, it wasn’t safe for her to talk like this from there.

“Sorry Naina”, he sighed, “maine socha…”, he trailed, “khair jaane do. Thanks, aaj meri help karneke liye.”

She was a little sad to disappoint him like this, “usme kya thanks Sameer. Tum bhi na”, she pacified, “khud samjhate ho hamara room, hamara ghar, aur fir apni biwi ko thanks bolte ho.”

He grinned on hearing ‘hamara’ and ‘biwi’ from her, his dampened spirits lifted again, “ab nai bolunga. Tum exhibition me aaogi na?”

She smiled, understanding he was happy again, “haan of course aaungi. Par ek shart pe.”

“Kaisi shart?”, he inquired.

“Hamari car bhejni padegi tumko”, she grinned.

He laughed, “haan bhejunga hi na woh to. Par suno pink pehenna uss din, hot lagti ho.”

“To fir to nai pehnungi”, she declared.

“Kyun?”, he frowned.

She chuckled, “tum pura time mujhe dekhte rahoge na.”

“Woh to waise bhi dekhunga”, he admitted softly, “tum saamne hoti ho to aur kuch dikhta hi nai hai.”

“Bas haan”, she said, “bahot ho gai romeogiri. Ab tak thode din hai exhibition me, kaam pe dhyan do. Aur ho sake to hamare naye Laila-Majnu ke liye kuch karo.”

He sniggered, “okay meri Juliet. Jaisa tum kaho.”

“Thike, jao ab so jao, bye”, she said.

“Naina suno”, he stopped her, “I love you very much.”

She smiled, “Sameer… I love you, I love you, I love you a lot…!!” She disconnected, and he grinned happily at the receiver. He walked to the spare room, thinking about Naina’s request, it seemed like he should invite his mother and Rohan over for the exhibition, “tabhi yeh Laila-Majnu ki daastaan aage badhegi”, he mused.

That night six people all in different phases of blossoming relationships, cherished the feelings arising in them and dreamt of a future filled with love and happiness.

Rohan turned over in his bed, looking at the clock, Preeti’s jolly voice ringing in his ears. He couldn’t wait to talk to her again. He wished he had gathered the courage to talk to her earlier. He recalled how he had been totally smitten by her the first time itself, she had worn a yellow dress, and looked pretty as a sunflower, when she had laughed, his heart had skipped several beats and he had thought she was cheerful as a sunflower too. Would it be too early to tell her that he loved her? Did she at least like him? How to know what she felt? He drifted off thinking he would talk to his bhai, who had been in love since so many years.

Preeti squinted her eyes, reading through the story Naina had given her. Sleep was far away from her eyes, and she had started to understand that the queasy sensation she felt in her stomach whenever someone talked about Rohan, and the blush that heated her face, were clear indications that she loved him. Also, she was never tongue-tied before a boy, Rohan was the first specimen who had managed to fluster her. She focused ardently on the story written by her sister, trying to equate her feelings with the words, wanting to delve deeper into whatever was causing her heart to flutter thinking about Rohan.

Munna opened his bedside drawer taking out a photo of Swati and reminisced the beautiful moment when she had accepted his proposal. He flailed his arms and legs in excitement, then hugged the photo, thinking about how he would talk to his parents and when he would share this news with his brothers Sameer and Pandit.  That night he slept with a broad smile on his face.

Swati took out the ring she had hidden and slipped it on again, wanting to feel the warmth of her lover, the diamonds gleamed in the dark telling her of how his love would always shine steadily in her life. She grinned, clutching the pillow, blushing in the dark, thinking of how she would tell about it to Naina and Preeti. Her heart soared with joy as she happily prepared herself to be teased, and she drifted off dreaming of happily ever after.

Sameer stared at the ceiling with his arms under his head, thinking of what to do next to make Naina aware of physical intimacy. He had been at the peak of frustration, but her one soothing ‘I love you’ had transferred him to peak of happiness. His Naina might be extremely naive and innocent, but no one in this world loved him as much as she did. He determinedly thought that he would teach her everything, it was him who had chosen not to wander down that path in college, but he was sure his Naina had a sensuous side that was yet unexplored. From their conversation today, it looked like it would take time, but he would wait for her, yes, he could do that. He pulled up the blanket over him, hugging the pillow, wondering when he would have Naina by his side.

Naina curled up on the living room sofa, same place where Sameer had slept that afternoon, snuggling under the same blanket that she had covered him with, drawing in a long breath, she thought she could smell him and feel the warmth of his arms. She opened her novel and removed his photo from between the pages, it was a new picture and he was wearing a black suit in it, “looks like you are thinking about kiss a lot”, she murmured kissing the photo, then looked at the moon outside, “sorry for the act, but I promise I won’t disappoint you when we meet”, she let the whispered words drift in the air hoping the moon would carry them to him. At the other end, the moonlight shone bright on Sameer and he clutched the pillow tighter, smiling in his sleep.