The afternoon sun shone bright, people hustling along the busy platform, and porters negotiating the wares. A cold-drink vendor was already trying to make some sales, making clinking sound on the bottles in order to tempt the people. However, the passengers in the compartment only burrowed further in their sweaters and tightened their shawls around them, shuddering at the thought of having cold-drink in December. A short whistle sounded from the train and all the vendors skedaddled, eager to get down before it started moving.
Naina craned her neck, trying to look through the iron-barred window to spot the engine further ahead, however she could only see the long line of coaches. Sameer smiled at her sight, her face literally exuded the excitement she was feeling.
A classroom with white walls, and a boy of about ten sat on the bench scribbling something in a notebook while tears ran down his face.
Sameer shuddered out of the memory as Naina touched his hand, and he turned to look at her. She grinned, “finally train chal padi. Hum jaa rahe hai Sameer.”
Her enthusiasm was infectious. He grinned back at her, “haan. Tum khush ho na?”
She nodded, but then frowned, “aisa kyun puch rahe ho? Tum khush nahi ho? Mera matlab… mujhe pata hai tum Nainital me rehte the, par iss baar toh mere saath jaa rahe ho. Farq hai na?”
He thought about it for a moment, before smiling, “haan farq hai. Bahot bada farq hai.”
The train slowly glided out of the platform, with random people waving at the passengers from the platform. It picked up pace, and the girls squealed with happiness. Similar sounds could be heard from several seats in their compartments, and JBR’s voice floated, “aisa lag raha hai jaise chidiyakhane me aa gaya hun.”
“JBR”, principal madam admonished.
JBR laughed consciously, “hehe… bad joke.”
Preeti chattered non-stop, and Kamya fished out the magazine that she had found with details of Nainital. It was a year old at least, and she said that she borrowed it from her friend. The picture of the pristine lake brought back memories of the Mt. Abu boating day. Kamya even compared some of the mountains, until Preeti was irritated, “yaar, tum log bandh karo na. Main nahi thi Mt. Abu me, aur jee mat jalao mera.”
Pandit chuckled, “ab usme hamari kya galti. Mt. Abu tha hi itna yaadgaar. Kyun Sameer?”
Isne tumse I love you bulvane ki shart lagai thi.
Sameer… Haan ya Naa.
“Bahot yaadgaar tha”, Naina’s voice broke through the mist of memory, and he found her looking at him. She smiled, and her eyes conveyed that she understood, “mujhe meri zindagi ki sabse badi khushi wahan mil gai.”
He smiled, wondering how she understood what was happening inside him every time. But he was glad that she did. Somethings could not be conveyed in words, and he was lucky that he need not spell out everything for Naina. And he was amazed by her ability to hold onto the positive memories of the trip. He had hurt her so much on that trip, yet she held on to the thought that he was her biggest happiness. What had he done to deserve her, he wondered. Whatever it was, he would ensure to hold on to her for the rest of his life.
Encouraged by her words, he slowly started participating in the conversations, telling them about places to visit in Nainital. Naina observed how his eyes shone when he described the weather, but all his suggested places included markets, eateries and of course the lake. She frowned, wondering if he had never visited the mountains that Nainital was so famous for. No, that’s not possible. Of course he must have been there; after all he had spent so many years there. But then why didn’t he talk about them? She decided to ask him when they were alone.
After just an hour or so, Pandit started saying that he was hungry, and Munna joined him too. Sameer laughed, “aree itni jaldi kya hai. Agla station aane do, kuch leke aayenge khane ko.”
Naina intervened, “nahi. Madam ne mana kiya hai na train se utarneko.”
He frowned, “aree lekin… train se utarenge nahi toh khana kaise milega.”
Preeti laughed, “fikar mat karo jijaji. Mummy ne na itna khana diya hai ke hum sab do din tak khate rahenge.”
And so came out the homemade alu-parathas, puri-sabji, mathri, much to the boys’ delight. Kamya and Hema had also brought several things to eat. Sameer bought bottles of water from a vendor for all of them. Time passed in conversation, until Hema proposed to play cards. Sameer stilled, nervously glancing at Naina and then at the nodding heads of other girls. Cards? How could they play cards? And why was Hema proposing such a thing?
The next statement from Naina shocked him to core. She extended her hand to take the stack of cards, and confidently said, “laao main phentti hun.”
Hema willingly gave it to her. Munna and Hema spread a shawl, which was secured at the ends by Preeti, Kamya, Naina and Pandit. Sameer sat between Naina and Munna, looking around as if he was in a daze. He watched almost with an expression of horror as Naina confidently shuffled cards, and distributed them. How was it possible? Was he dreaming? Yes, that must be it. He pinched himself, and a hiss escaped while he rubbed the spot.
Naina looked up at him, surprised and confused, “kya hua?”
He cleared his throat, not sure how to put forth his confusion. So he just asked, “t…tum…tumhe taash khelna aata hai?”
She nodded, “haan bilkul. Usme konsi badi baat hai. Tumko nahi aata kya?”
He stared at her as if she had sprouted horns suddenly, “umm… haan… par… woh… mujhe nahi pata tha ke tum bhi… mera matlab… tum…tumhare paas paise hai?”
She stared perplexed, “Sameer… hum taash khelne ki baat kar rahe hai, kharidneki nahi. Tumhe paise kyun chahiye?”
Nervously swallowing he looked away from her eyes, at the passing scenery outside, “taash khelne ke liye toh paise lagte hai na.”
Her laughter surprised him, and pulled his eyes back to her face. She lifted her hand and ruffled his hair, “tumse kisne kaha ke taash khelne ke liye paise lagte hai. Woh toh jua hua. Hum toh bas maze ke liye khel rahe hai.”
Did she just ruffle his hair? He lifted his own hand, automatically combing his fingers through the strands, noticing how her eyes followed the movement. His mouth curved in a frown, “matlab… hum aise bhi khel sakte hai.”
She nodded. He looked around as everyone was giggling at his question. Munna and Pandit however, had probably guessed where his question stemmed from, and nodded reassuringly.
“Kuch baat hai kya?”, Naina asked softly.
He looked into her eyes. Would she understand if he confessed? Not knowing what to say now, he nodded in negative, “fir kabhi…”
She let it go; understanding that there was something, but he was not yet ready to talk about it. They started to play, and slowly Sameer got a hang of the game. And surprisingly he even enjoyed it. He didn’t feel like he was doing something wrong, cheating Naina, or defying the morals inculcated by Nanu. He didn’t get the feeling of self-loathing. Instead his eyes kept jerking towards how Naina laughed and enjoyed the game. How she secretly tried to peek into his cards. How when he was lost in thinking which card to play, she grabbed his hand on the seat making him forget his move, and he ended up losing. JBR ventured in, and he too participated in a couple of games with them.
As the others wrapped up the game, he recalled how he had misinterpreted that cards could only be played with money. Even when he had been alone in his room in Delhi, he had taken out money to keep with the cards. He had hidden everything so that his mother or Rohan wouldn’t see. This was new. This was not bad; this was something in which even elders participated. As a peaceful smile curved his lips, he realized that Naina had unknowingly ridden him off a burden. But the whole of it would be gone, when he would tell her everything. He just hoped that she won’t stay angry too long.
The windows were locked and secured after they crossed the Abu road junction, since they were all starting to feel cold. The junction again prompted discussions about Mt. Abu much to Preeti’s irritation, so she tried to divert the attention by mentioning food again.
Naina looked at her sister in surprise, “tu kabse itni bhukkad ban gai?”
Preeti stuck out her tongue, “jabse Sameer mere jijaji bane.”
Sameer laughed fondly, “main pantry car me puchke aata hun. Kuch na kuch toh bechne aayenge hi shayad.”
Munna and Pandit also accompanied him, and the girls were left alone discussing what they wanted to do in Nainital. Kamya explained how she wanted to buy some winter clothes, as it was getting pretty cold in Ahmedabad too, and Nainital would have a good collection of winter dresses and tops. Preeti said she wanted to try all the different varieties of food, including the new dish “momo” as suggested by Sameer. Hema dreamily voiced that a lot of film shooting happened in Nainital, maybe they would get to meet a film star.
“Naina tujhe kya karna hai?”, Kamya asked.
Naina smiled, “mujhe… mujhe Sameer ka school dekhna hai, uska hostel, woh kahan ghumne jaata tha woh saari jagah dekhni hai.”
“Yeh lo”, Preeti sat back with a grin, “iska toh din bhi Sameer se shuru hota hai aur shaam bhi uspe hi dhalti hai. Behen meri, thoda hamare saath bhi ghum lena.”
Kamya chuckled, “aree nahi… isko kahan hamare liye time milega. Yeh to Sameer ke saath Nainital ke vaadiyo me, thande thande mausam me, haatho me haath daale ghumegi.”
As the girls kept teasing her, Naina suddenly recalled a similar line which Sameer had declared in-front of Munna and Pandit when they were enroute to Mt. Abu. He had claimed that he roamed around hand-in-hand with a girl in Nainital. At that time she had ignored it, but had sometimes wondered about who she was, how she was. Was she pretty? Had Sameer felt anything for her? Did he still remember her?
They boys came back after twenty minutes, and Sameer was surprised to see Naina lost in thoughts. He sat down next to her, and tapped her hand. “Kya soch rahi ho?”, he asked when she looked at him.
She shook her head, “kuch khaas nahi. Khane ka kuch mila?”
He nodded, “haan thodi der me aa rahe hai bechne. Biryani hai, aur paratha sabji. Tum kya logi?”
“Mera bahot zyada kuch khane ko man nahi hai. Soch rahi hun ghar se laaya hua nashta hi kha lu”, she informed.
He looked alarmed, and checked her forehead, “tum thik toh ho na? Tabiyat kharab lag rahi hai kya?”
She smiled at his concern, “main thik hun. Bas dopahar ko zyada kha liya tha shayad. Aur fir bethe hi toh hai, kuch kaam thodi na kiya ke bhuk lage.”
Sameer grinned, “mujhe toh train me hamesha bhuk lag jaati hai. Aisa lagta hai jo kuch bhi aaye, woh kharidke khata rahu.”
She laughed, “bhukkad.”
“Jo bhi hun, tumhara hun”, he smirked, making her laugh again.
The pantry staff came to sell the food after another fifteen minutes, and everyone bought something to eat. Sameer got a plate of biryani, and insisted that Naina should share with him. When she said no, he held up a spoonful to her mouth and persisted, “thoda sa.”
She accepted, making him smile, and he left the spoon indicating that it was her turn now to feed him. Blushing at his demand, she shyly acquiesced, while their friends coughed and giggled. Soon it was time to sleep, and the boys put up the berths. Naina said that she wanted to sleep on the lower berth, so Sameer also chose the same on the opposite side. Kamya had the seat on lower side berth, but Pandit graciously offered to exchange, so that she could sleep with the others.
Lights were turned off, and JBR made a round to ensure that no student was up to some mischief. Naina turned on her side, looking at Sameer, and he did the same. They didn’t talk, but none of them missed the fact that this was the third night they were spending in each other’s company. The first time they had spent time chatting around the campfire and watching sunrise, the second time Naina had forced him to spend the night in her room when he had been locked out from his room, and now this was the third. His heart thudded, even though there was so much distance between the berths, she was still close enough that he could see her eyes shining, the gentle glow of corridor light highlighting the curve of her cheeks. If they both extended their hands, they could twine their fingers. He didn’t know how much time they both spent just like that, looking at each other, until their eyes drifted shut.
Once during the night he woke up, when he heard the sound of bangles, and it didn’t even take him a second to know that it was Naina. He lifted himself up on his elbow and whispered, “kahan jaa rahi ho?”
She gasped in surprise, turning to look at him, “umm… woh bathroom.”
He nodded, sitting up, “main bhi aata hun.”
“Nahi…”, she started to say, but he interrupted, “Naina, kaafi raat ho rahi hai. Akele mat jao. Main chalta hun, bahar khada rahunga.”
She nodded, slipping on her belles. They slowly made their way towards the toilets near the gate, his body a warm presence behind her. He stood near the gate, leaning on the wall near the sink, while she went inside. On their way back, she suddenly stumbled over a stray slipper, and he tried to hold her. She also tried to find balance by holding onto the metal stairs leading to the upper berth, and missed his hand; instead she suddenly felt his hand wound around her waist.
She froze, and so did he, both unsure of how it happened. He had tried to hold her hand, but… A minute passed, and another, he could feel the gentle movement of her belly as she breathed, and he was sure he could smell her shampoo too. She trembled slightly, feeling his warmth surround her, and as their bodies swayed with the movement of the train, the minimal gap between their bodies diminished for a few seconds, sending sparks down her spine. If they stood for some more time like this, she was sure her legs would give away and she would lean on his chest. Oh, wouldn’t that feel wonderful? However, before she could even blush at her thoughts, Sameer pulled back, and held her other hand, “chalo yahan se.”
She followed his tug, and soon they reached their seats. Sameer didn’t know what to say, his mind and body racing as he tried to straighten the sheet he had been using as a cover.
“Sameer”, she whispered, and he paused swallowing a sudden hard lump in his throat. She continued softly, “thodi der bethoge.”
He turned to see her sitting on the edge of her seat, her head bent at an awkward angle as it touched the middle berth. Taking a deep breath, he sat next to her, wondering if she was going to lecture him to not repeat such a thing, and to stay away during the trip. After all, Chachaji had himself mentioned about their hadd, and Naina would consider such proximity as breaking his trust.
“I am sorry”, he blurted before she could speak, “tum girne wali thi toh main bas… main toh tumhara haath pakadne jaa raha tha, par pata nahi kaise…” He nervously dragged his fingers through his hair, however before he could lower his hand; she caught it, and linked their fingers. Surprised, he looked at her to find her smiling.
“Mujhe pata hai”, she blinked in assurance. His breath caught as she leaned towards him, and placed her head on his shoulder.
“Naina…”, he whispered hoarsely, unsure of what was happening.
She left his fingers, but looped her hands around his arm and held on, “kya hum iss baar bhi ek baar saath me suryoday dekh sakte hai?”
His heart started to beat violently at the proximity, and her question. Was she asking him out? She wanted to go alone with him? Wow. He had thought about it, prepared a whole list of excuses and pointers to placate her into spending time with him alone on the trip. He had feared that just like in college, she would want to always stay in group. But no. She had stumped him with her question, and he felt if someone had suddenly injected a euphoric potion in his body.
He tilted his own head, letting his cheek touch her hair, “tum kahogi toh roz hum saath me suryoday dekhenge.”
He heard her slight chuckle, before she turned her head, leaning more comfortably onto him. He didn’t know what had come over her. Was it because she was still sleepy? Or was it because she felt comfortable? Slightly unsure of her reaction, he tried to gently free his arm, surprised when she let go easily. He pulled back, and lifted his arm behind while she waited, gazing into his eyes. Slowly… praying under his breath he wrapped that arm around her shoulders, and gently pushed her. Her eyes lowered, and she smiled softly, but readily came closer again, placing her head on his chest. It should have been uncomfortable, but he hardly felt any trouble as he slid lower in the seat, and leaned back on the partition, still holding onto her.
“I love you”, he whispered, his heart thumping with joy. She nuzzled closer, “I love you too.” After around ten minutes or so, he heard some shuffling nearby, and understood that someone else must have woken up. Reluctantly he left her, asking her to sleep, and went to the opposite berth. They again spent some time staring at each other, this time aware that they had indeed come closer than ever. Slowly, they both fell asleep with a smile on their lips.
Few minutes, or few hours later, he didn’t know which, but he was being shaken awake, and he grumbled.
“Sameer utho na”, Naina’s voice fell on his ears, and he immediately opened his eyes. When he saw her near him, he automatically lifted his hand to cup her face, “Kya hua? Tum thik toh ho na?”
She smiled, gently rubbing her cheek on his hand, “Good Morning. Dekho na bahar kitna achcha nazara hai. Please uthke betho na mere saath.”
He chuckled at her enthusiasm, and got up, “kitne baj rahe hai?”
“6 baj gaye”, she replied, “hum pahonchne wale hai na?”
He yawned, stretching, “nahi. 7:30am ko pahonchenge.” He glanced at her berth, recalling how they had sat there last night, and smiled. A creak in his neck also reminded him of the uneasy position he had been in, “wahan aur bethunga na toh meri gardan akad jayegi.”
She pouted, “par hum dono ki seats me aisa hi hoga. Toh ab?”
He winked, and stood up, going over to Pandit who was asleep on the side lower berth. He shook him awake, asked him to sleep on his seat, and Pandit muttered something ambling over with half-open eyes and sprawled on the empty berth.
Naina giggled, and went over to sit in-front of Sameer, pulling her legs up on the seat, “umm… yeh zyada achcha hai.”
He tilted his head, “mujhe toh kal raat bhi achcha hi laga tha.”
She blushed, and asked him if he was not going to brush his teeth. He looked at her incredulously, “tumne kiya kya?”
“Haan kabse”, she announced proudly, “jao na tum bhi karlo. Uske baad chai peete hai.”
He shook his head, taking his toothbrush and paste to the sink, wondering when was the last time he had woken up at 6am and brushed. Oh wait. He had done that so many times, and every time it was for her. “Sach me doodhwale ki beti hai”, he murmured, before starting to vigorously brush his teeth.
When he came back, she was leaning on the seat, her dupatta wrapped around her head to protect her ears from wind, and she was humming to herself. He forgot every complaint he had about waking up so early, and sat down in-front of her. Something happened to his body and heart, when she turned to look at him and smiled. God. How could she look so beautiful? He just wanted to pull her in his arms and never let go. Her eyes lowered, and a delicate pink tinged her cheeks, as if she had read his desire in his eyes. He kept eyeing her blushing face, feeling extraordinarily pleased to see the effect he had on her.
When a vendor came to sell tea, he got two cups, and offered her one. She smiled, holding it with her dupatta, and warming her other hand on the steam rising from the piping hot drink. The companionable silence, along with the speedily passing sceneries, lent a peace to his heart. She dragged her eyes away from the window, and watched his face – his eyes slightly narrowed as the wind hit his face, his long silky locks fluttering haywire, his face tilted at a proud angle as if he was cherishing the cold air and also challenging it. He lifted the cup to take a sip of the warm tea, and an errant drop rested on his lower lip which was quickly licked. The action caused a sudden clenching sensation in the pit of her stomach. She had felt the same thing yesterday night, leaning on his chest. How wonderful it had felt. She had imagined many times about how it would have felt to be in his arms, but nothing could have compared to the real thing that happened last night. His arm around her had been warm and strong, she had been able to hear his heartbeats, and she had felt as if she could spend hours and hours like that. The only yearning she had felt was to hug him back, and feel his other arm around her too, but she had been much too aware of the people around them, and the possibility of someone waking up. Would this trip give such an opportunity to her? Her eyes sparkled as she saw Sameer stretching again, the t-shirt pulling taut over his chest through his partially open jacket. Perfect. He was perfect. And she knew that if he knew that she wanted to hug him, he would make it happen for sure. The only problem was how to convey this to him.
A few other students woke up, disrupting their silent moments. Soon, JBR and principal madam also started to wake others up, as they would reach soon, and some people would need time to go to the bathroom and brush their teeth. Their journey was not over yet, they had a long impending bus ride. Soon, New Delhi station arrived, and Sameer tensed all over.
Naina noticed, “Sameer… kya baat hai? Ghar se koi aane wala hai kya?”
He shook his head, “mujhe nahi lagta. Mamaji ne bataya toh tha, par abhi toh kaafi jaldi hai subah ko, Rohan ke classes honge toh koi nahi aayega.”
She squeezed his hand in reassurance. He looked more tensed than sad, as if he was afraid to expect anything that might not come true. Just for his sake, she hoped someone had truly come over to meet him. Sameer helped her with the luggage, and they stood in a group waiting for further instructions, while JBR checked and counted each student.
Suddenly a voice floated amid the crowd, “Sameer…”
Naina swiftly turned to look, trying to spot who was calling, and tugged on Sameer’s hand, “suno, koi bula raha hai tumhe.”
He took a deep breath, “Naina please. Koi nahi aayega. Kabhi nahi aate. Hamesha main akele hi…”
Before he could complete his sentence, the voice sounded again, this time closer, “Sameer… bhai…”
He jerked for a moment at the addressal, and turned to see Rohan weaving his way through the crowd. He never knew when a smile curved his lips, or when his entire stance relaxed, and soon he was enveloped in a warm hug from his brother who, in his mind, had been the cause of his loneliness for all this years.
Sameer hugged him back, “Ro…Rohan tum yahan…”
Rohan pulled back and grinned at his older brother, “aap aane wale the toh main milne kaise nahi aata.”
Sameer still looked stunned, “aur koi bhi aaya hai kya?”
Rohan shook his head, “mummy aane wali thi, par Deepika ke school me aaj PTA meeting hai, toh unko wahan jaana pada. Lekin unhone yeh samaan aur yeh letter bheja hai aapke liye, aur kaha hai jis din aap wapas jaoge uss din woh zarur milne aayenge.”
He took the bag, and peered inside at the several packets of sweets and snacks, and something that looked like a home-cooked tiffin box. Rohan grinned at his brother’s confusion, “aapko alu-parathe pasand hai na, toh mummy ne subah uthke banaye. Sabke liye bhijwaye hai… I mean aapke dosto ke liye bhi.”
Sameer’s heart thudded as he touched the tiffin, afraid that he would start crying. He had no words to say. He hadn’t even expected anyone to come over, all these years he had been left alone to fend for himself. Somewhere in his mind, the hurtful memory of his mother refusing to acknowledge him as her son in Mt. Abu was also playing on loop. But now, not only Rohan had come over, but his mother had cooked his favorite meal for him and assured she would come to meet him.
Rohan looked around curiously at the bunch of people surrounding his brother, “bhai… milvaoge nahi mujhe?”
Sameer smiled on hearing the word ‘bhai’, this was first time he was being addressed like this, and it felt… nice. He wondered why it also suddenly made him feel responsible; a feeling akin to what he had experienced when Deepika had called him Sameer bhaiya. He pointed to his friends, “inn dono se toh tum mil chuke ho, Munna aur Pandit. Yeh hai Kamya, Hema, Preeti aur yeh… Naina.”
Rohan eyes shifted from the girl to his brother, and he noticed the softened expression, the happiness in his eyes, and understanding dawned, “wahi jinke chitthiyo ka aap intezaar karte the.”
Both Naina and Sameer’s eyes widened, and she blushed, while he coughed, “tu…tumhe pata tha?”
Rohan laughed, “main books me ghusa rehta tha iska matlab yeh nahi ke mujhe pata nahi hamare room me kya chalta tha.” He turned to look at Naina, “toh main aapko Naina bulau, ya Naina Bhabhi?”
Preeti laughed out loud at this, and Rohan momentarily froze his eyes on the bubbly girl dressed in a plain yellow salwar-kameez with red sweater. She continued giggling, oblivious to Rohan’s state, “tum na Bhabhi hi bulao. Main bhi tumhare bhaiya ko Jijaji bulati hun. Agar tumko pata nahi toh bata du, main Naina ki behen hun.”
Rohan’s lips curved in a lopsided smile, and he acknowledged her with a slight nod, “thike. Toh fir inko toh Bhabhi hi bulaunga, aapko kya bulau?”
Preeti frowned, “mujhe aur kya bulaoge… Preeti hi bolo. Aur waise bhi hum konsa roz milne wale hai.”
Rohan grinned, not so sure that he wouldn’t meet her again soon. Sameer noticed it, and nudged his brother, who quickly averted his gaze, “umm… chalo na saath me breakfast karte hai. Yahin station ke bahar ek achcha restaurant hai.”
Sameer shook his head, “humko nahi jaane denge Rohan. Principal madam mana kar degi.”
Rohan scowled, and looked at Naina with a pleading expression, “Bhabhi… dekhona.”
Naina smiled, her heart pattering at being addressed like this. It was one thing when Munna and Pandit called her Bhabhi, but Rohan was an entirely different person, closer in terms of official family. She looked around, “main puchke aati hun…”
Just a couple of minutes later, she came back with the permission, and Rohan beamed at her. Sameer was surprised at this immediate bonding. Naina. His Naina, who strictly abided by every word of teachers, had happily gone to take permission, and had even managed to secure it. They went to the restaurant Rohan suggested, and ordered plates of poha, upma and steaming hot idli-chutney, and coffee. They happily chattered with each other, Sameer a little surprised to see Rohan being so open and friendly. Was this the same guy he had to tease with several names to even get him to look up from his book? He never realized it, but suddenly he got the feeling of having his family around him, and his chest constricted until he felt he couldn’t breathe. Naina’s hand caught his under the table, and she applied gentle pressure, as if letting him know that she was there, and she understood. And that was when Sameer knew, and understood that she had gone off to secure that permission for him, so that he could spend time with Rohan and feel the assurance of having his family come over to meet him. His fingers twined with hers, and he returned the pressure, conveying his silent thanks.
After breakfast Rohan took their leave, with a promise to come with his mother when they returned to Ahmedabad. They walked to the bus station, and found everyone seated waiting for their bus to arrive. Rather than relying on public transportation, a special bus had been arranged for all the students. Sameer sat down on a bench and pulled out the letter to read. It wasn’t an elaborate one, but his mother had apologized for not being able to come over to meet, and had asked him to call her when he reached Nainital. She had also instructed him to share all the food with his friends, and to take care of his health. It wasn’t much, but still meant so much to him that he carefully folded the letter and kept it safely in his pocket.
Soon the bus arrived, and they boarded inside after keeping their luggage properly. Without an ounce of hesitation, Sameer sat beside Naina, and opened the window slightly, “iss baar tumko apna window bandh nahi rakhna padega.” She grinned, recalling how on the bus to Mt. Abu she had closed her own window, so that he could have it open.
The long bus ride passed with games of antakshari, accompanied with a warning from Kamya that this time there shouldn’t be any made-up songs. They stopped for lunch at a road-side dhaba, where they ordered rice and dal, and also polished off the parathas sent by Sameer’s mother. Post lunch, there was a lull in the bus, where everyone was feeling too lazy or too tired. Someone took naps, while some read book, a few had plugged in walkman in their ears. Sameer discreetly held her hand, feeling content and happy, and she took a quick look around before leaning on his shoulder again. It seemed to her as if his broad shoulders were made just for her to rest her head on it. He gestured to her when they entered Nainital, and she sat up eagerly looking out at the tall trees, smooth roads, the lake glinting at a distance. The place was beautiful. The bus wound up a short steep road, and Sameer looked away from the patch of woods.
Lena yaar, ek toh banta hai. Ab toh hum bade ho rahe hai.
Naina chirped, pointing to the patch of woods, “kitna khubsurat hai na. Sameer tum uss jagah kabhi gaye ho?”
His lips pressed in a thin line, “haan. Par kuch khaas nahi hai.”
“Kyun?”, she asked perplexed, “itna sundar toh hai. Please mujhe ek baar le chaloge.”
He sighed relenting to her pleading, unsure of how he would face his memories.
They disembarked at their destination, “The Oak Trails Lodge”, and everyone sighed in delight at the beautiful place and scenery. The brick structure supported by wide wooden beams looked magnificent in the late afternoon sun. The gardens sprawled at all sides with flowers and vegetables. The cheerful staff offered them small cups of warm lemon tea, while principal and JBR talked to the manager about their rooms. This time when the rooms were being allotted, Sameer made sure to get the keys of the room right next to hers. Between the seven of them they had three rooms in a row, the first one for Kamya and Hema, the second for Naina and Preeti, and the third for the three boys.
Principal madam instructed them to freshen up and take some rest, and meet at the dinner hall at 7pm. Sameer caught on to her hand before she could enter inside, and asked, “Naina… umm… fresh hone ke baad mere saath walk pe chalogi?” She smiled and nodded happily. He grinned, and went into his room whistling, looking forward to spend a lot of time with Naina.