Nainital had never looked so beautiful to him. Sameer was still reeling from the magic of his first kiss… and a couple of more kisses after that since he had not been able to keep his lips away from Naina’s for more than five minutes at a stretch. He soaked in the wonder of how quickly Naina’s innocent mouth had warmed to his kisses. She had not stopped him even once, no matter whatever moments they shared after today, he would never ever forget this day when he had confessed the deepest, darkest secrets of his heart in-front of her and had been plagued with fear of abandonment, and she had instead just accepted him as he was. A satisfied sigh escaped him as he held her hand, while the cycle-rickshaw slowly but steadily crawled along the long stretch of road to their lodge.
After she had given her the approval for buying things for her, he had kissed her some more and then whisked her away quickly lest she again changed her mind about shopping. He had bought her a pair of blue jeans, size 26 – he had confidently asked the shopkeeper. Naina had turned to him with narrowed eyes and questioned, “tumko kaise pata?”
He had smirked and confessed, “college me dekha tha, fresher’s party ke time tumne likhke diya tha na.”
Her eyes had rounded in shock, “besharam… woh darjee ke liye tha.”
He had folded his arms, grumpily eyeing her, “anjaan darjee dekh sakta hai tumhara har maap, aur main nahi?” She had no answer to that question, instead her cheeks had flamed.
A soft black leather jacket had caught his eye and he deemed it to be perfect for Naina, he had also bought a red top with white floral design on it, and a pair of warmest shoes he could find. She had been slightly overwhelmed with the total price, but a look at his excited face had helped her to stop fretting. It was the first time for her that someone was so enthusiastic about buying something for her. Sameer had not even taken a glance at anything for himself, he had been totally engrossed in selecting things for Naina, and she had just stood admiring him. As they had stepped outside the shop, he had spotted a small stall for accessories and had immediately pulled her over. Amused she had stood facing him while he held up different earrings near her face to see which one would suit her. He had bought many, and bargained equally well, and when the lady at the stall had commented to Naina that her husband indeed loved her a lot, she had flushed while Sameer had raised his collar in pride.
When they were sipping cups of hot coffee, someone had called out Sameer’s name. He had been surprised as after all these years he didn’t expect someone from his acquaintances to be present here. A tall, fair, lanky boy had strode up to them and grinned at Sameer, “pehchana nahi? Main Aryan.”
Recognition had flashed on Sameer’s face, and he had hugged the boy, both of them thumping each other on their backs in a way that Naina supposed was a boy’s thing. Sameer had then introduced Naina unabashedly as his girlfriend to that boy, and in turn introduced Aryan as a student who was one year junior to him in Nainital school. They had talked for some time, and then Sameer had asked Naina to wait for a moment, and took Aryan aside to discuss something. When she had asked Sameer later on, he had winked at her and said, “bata dunga meri jaan… itni bhi kya jaldi hai.” Again she had had no response to him apart from blushing.
The cycle rickshaw stopped in-front of the lodge, and Sameer helped Naina down, paid the man and then grabbed the bags. He checked his watch and realized that the time limit given by JBR was almost over; it meant whoever had gone outside would return soon including their friends. He handed over the bags to Naina outside their room, “tum jaake thoda rest karlo. Sab log aate hi honge, uske baad wapas milte hai.” She nodded and went inside, freshened up and again sat on the window ledge reminiscing the way they had kissed. It was soo… fabulous. It was not that she had not imagined it happening before, she had… and had thought maybe she wouldn’t like it. After all, how can anyone like someone else slobbering over their mouth? It had to be gross… Yet they showed it in movies as if it was the epitome of romance, and then in books… Sigh… when she had chosen a specific romance novel from their college library she had not thought it would increase her inquisitiveness about intimacy. And then there had been Sameer, always around her, and demanding kisses, first on cheek and then on his lips… The way he would tug on his lower lip slightly as if tempting her to taste and feel, she would feel flushed and didn’t know how to react. Today too when she had given him permission to kiss her, she had a fleeting doubt in her mind as to what if she didn’t like it… But… wow… there had not been even a second when she had felt like pulling back. The gentle brush of his lips had increased her curiosity to feel more, to know more… and then the away he had slowly kissed her, every rational though in her brain had taken a leave, and she had only been focused on what he was doing to her. When she had felt his tongue stroking hers, it had jolted her, not with disgust but with an unknown feeling of needing more… wanting more of him… Maybe he had somehow felt her need, and understood it, because the next moment he had pulled her to him, clasped her skull in his large palm and tilted her head to deepen the kiss to an extent that made her forget to breathe. So well… she had discovered that she liked kissing Sameer… a lot.
Blushing at her own thoughts, she buried her face in her hands, and just then she heard a knock. Swati and Preeti had come in, and as Kamya excitedly rattled off the day’s excursions, Preeti raised her eyebrows to enquire about Naina’s day and she grinned at her sister. The remaining evening again passed in-front of campfire, and Preeti suggested dumb charades game that reminded Naina of how Sameer had tricked her by giving “Love Love Love” as a movie name. She watched him sitting, dressed in his blue t-shirt with a jacket slung over his arms as he didn’t feel the need of it in-front of the fire. He caught her staring at him, and winked, making her blush. The girls’ team kept of winning because Naina was just too good with guessing movie names. Finally, Naina was nominated for acting, and immediately Munna and Pandit screamed Sameer’s name from boys’ team. He stood up, smirking as he approached her and thought to tease her this time too. She looked at him, slight apprehension visible on her face because she understood that he was again thinking of some movie that would perhaps embarrass her. God… How to stop him? She didn’t want to again fluster and fail, and so she tried to control her reaction as he leaned towards her. On an impulsive moment, she closed her eyes and leaned sideways towards him as soon as he leaned down, in a way that her ear touched his lips, and that had the impact she wished for… Even though a fluttering sensation raced through her body, she felt gratified on hearing his sharp breath and opened her eyes to glance at him through the corners of her eyes. He seemed dazed, lost somewhere, and he had still not given the movie name to her.
She smirked, “Sameer… naam bolo movie ka.”
He blinked, shaking his head as if to clear it, and muttered the first name that came to his mind, “aashiqui.”
She almost laughed aloud, this was easy… and looking at his condition she felt courage seep into her veins as she grabbed his wrist to stop him. He frowned in confusion, and automatically turned towards her again. Tugging his jacket from his arms, she turned once to look at Preeti and Kamya, and gestured that the movie name was one word… and then… she flicked open his jacket, swirled it behind herself, and raised it slowly over her head. His eyes widened as he understood what she was doing, and waited with bated breath for the moment when the jacket would cover both their heads… but even before it could cover her head totally, Preeti screamed, “mujhe pata hai!! Aashiqui…!!”
Naina laughed turning towards her sister, “yes!” She handed over the jacket to Sameer, who still looked too dazed to do anything other than accepting it back. After they took their places, he kept staring at her, wondering how she got so much courage to pull of this stunt in-front of so many people. Naina looked at him, and tilted her head, biting her lower lip, and shrugged slightly, winking at him. He sucked in a breath at her action, and something heated his eyes which caused Naina to shiver even though they sat on different sides of the campfire. He held her gaze and slowly tapped his lips with his finger indicating the retribution of her act.
Another few minutes later, the girls’ team won and the boys were given the punishment of serving breakfast to everyone the next morning. As everyone dispersed, Sameer caught up to Naina, and held her back. “Sameer… kya”, she started to object, but he pulled her away to the backyard and held her against the wall. She gulped, trying to keep her bravado intact as he leaned towards her. He stopped an inch away from her face, and whispered, “woh kya tha?”
She lowered her gaze, staring at his throat instead of his eyes, and mumbled, “kuch bhi toh nahi…”
He tightened his hold on her waist, making her gasp, “mujhe samajh aaya ke tum kya kar rahi thi.”
She pushed him in vain, and indignantly folded her arms, “toh aur kya karti… tum firse pichli baar ki tarah koi ajeeb si movie dete… aur… aur… main firse sharma jaati.”
He chuckled, “mujhe tumhara tareeka zyada achcha laga. She looked up at him, and he smiled, “par ab sazaa toh milegi.”
“Haare tum ho… sazaa kal puri karni hogi tumhe”, she supplied.
He shrugged, “woh alag hai… main toh personal sazaa ki baat kar raha hun.” When she didn’t reply, he whispered, “mujhe good night kiss chahiye.”
Her eyes widened, and she stammered, “muj…mujhe neend aa rahi hai.”
He raised one hand sifting through the soft strands of her hair, “kiss de do… aur jaake so jao. Waise bhi kal jaldi uthna hai tumhe.”
She enquired, “kyun?”
“Kahin le jaana hai tumko. 5am ko taiyar rehna, jeans aur jacket pehenna”, he informed, “ab meri kiss.”
She let her eyes roam over his features, and before he could understand anything, she had kissed his cheek and wrenched away from his arms, racing back towards the rooms. He watched her flee, and slowly banged his head on the wall, murmuring to himself, “gaal pe?”
As he drifted off to sleep that night, he didn’t think of his unfulfilled good night kiss demand, but rather the way she had melted against him every time he had reached for her. Next morning, he woke up extremely early, excited to execute his plan, and dressed in jeans, shirt and jacket. Stuffing his camera and wallet inside his pocket he sauntered outside to check once on the arrangement. Sharp at 5am he was outside Naina’s room, and found her outside closing the door to her room silently. He stepped behind her and hugged her, “good morning.” She turned and smiled, wishing him back, and he looked at her dressed in the clothes and shoes purchased yesterday, and nodded in satisfaction.
“Idhar aao”, he pulled her to him, and closed her eyes with his palms.
She made a surprised sound, “Sameer… kya kar rahe ho?”
He slowly guided her outside, “surprise hai.”
When he finally let her open her eyes she gasped at the sight in-front of her – a bike stood there with two helmets on the seat. She excitedly turned towards him and asked how he managed this. He chuckled, and told her that he had borrowed it from his friend who they had met yesterday in market. He helped her with the helmet, then wore the other one himself, slung his long leg over the bike, and kick-started it. Smiling, he gestured her to sit behind him, and she bit her lip for a moment contemplating something. His brows furrowed in confusion as he failed to understand what she was thinking, but before he could ask she had made up her mind and swiftly sat behind him straddling the seat. His heart gave a loud thud, and then beat in a heavy rhythm as he understood what she must have been thinking… This was the first time Naina was sitting behind him like this… usually she would sit facing the side, and softly place her hand on his shoulder. He was still lost when he heard her hesitantly speak up, “woh… yahan pe raaste dhalaan waale hai na… toh maine socha…”
He interrupted, “haan… thik kiya tumne. Chale?”
“Haan”, she agreed and held his shoulders.
He didn’t accelerate more, rather enjoyed the cold air whipping around them, and the feeling of Naina behind him. The rearview mirror gave him a glimpse of her face; even through the glass of helmet he could see her smile as he looked at the surroundings. Then she did something that she had done on their first bike ride, she spread her arms wide and laughed. Joy surged through his veins as he understood how happy she was. A steep slope came in the way, and without any hesitation, Naina inched closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and held on. He drew in a deep breath, and met her eyes through the mirror; she grinned and tightened her arms even further, plastering herself to his back completely. After that even when the road evened out she didn’t let go of him, and he held on her hand guiding it to his chest over his heart to let her feel his rapid heartbeats that conveyed his happiness to her without any words.
He drove up the twisted roads to Naina peak, and parked his bike. She disembarked and stretched, removed her helmet. He had just removed his helmet, when he saw Naina pulling off the rubber-band from her hair and shaking the silky mass loose. He swallowed, forgetting the surroundings and reached out to sink his fingers in her hair and using the hold to pull her to him. She gasped in surprise, and his eyes glittered as she watched the faint dawn lighting up her face enough for him to see the heightened color of her cheeks. Trying to control his raging impulses, he dipped his head and kissed her cheek, whispering in her ears, “tumko andaaza bhi nahi hai ke tum mera kya haal karti ho.”
She blushed, unsure about what he meant, and looked around, “yeh kahan aaye hai hum?”
“Naina peak”, he informed, leaving her hair, but keeping a hold on her waist as he guided her away from the bike towards a rocky outcrop, “yahan se sunrise achche se dikhega.”
She beamed at him, “bilkul jaise humne Mt. Abu me dekha tha!”
He smiled, and they sat down on the rock to watch the horizon lighten with pink, yellow and orange over the distant mountains, while the dark blue ocean of night started to evaporate. The crimson outline of the rising sun bathed the surroundings in a rosy glow, and Sameer’s eyes moved from the sky to the girl next to him as he found himself unable to decide which sight was more appealing. He nudged her, and when she looked at him, he asked, “meri good morning kiss?”
She blushed, a crimson hue akin to the sky, and shook her head, turning towards the sunrise again. He lifted a finger and traced her cheek, as if trying to pick up the tint from her skin, “kal raat ko bhi bina kiss kiye bhaag gai thi. Aaj nahi chodunga tumhe.”
Perplexed, she glanced at him again, “diya toh tha kal kiss.”
He rolled his eyes, “gaal pe kon good night kiss deta hai Naina?”
“Toh tumne thodi na kaha tha ke kahan chahiye”, she huffed in indignation.
He smirked, grabbing her hand, “toh abhi bata deta hun na ke kahan chahiye.” Saying so he lifted her hand to his mouth, and used her finger to tap his lips.
She watched is helpless fascination at her own finger which he was now using to trace his lower lip, “par… par yahan kaise. Hum bahar hai.”
He kissed her finger, and trailed to her palm, “kal bhi toh bahar the. Waise bhi yahan room kahan se lau main.”
Her eyes narrowed, “tum… tum mera mazak uda rahe ho. Main jaa rahi hun yahan se.” She stood up and started to walk away, but had hardly taken a step when a strong hand grabbed her wrist. Sameer reared up, and pulled her back to him, with force enough to knock the breath out of her lungs as she back crashed against his chest. He wrapped both arms around her, securing her in his strong hold, and she immediately recalled every single time she had been in this position with him on this trip. The first accidental hug in the train; and then on the hilltop when she had wanted to be held but he had distanced himself owing to prying eyes; this morning outside her room which she had found to be such a natural loving gesture; but now… this time the way he held her, not letting her distance herself, this hold declared his possessiveness. He was exerting his right over her, his arms like bands of steel around her, and she slowly relaxed against him, giving in to his unspoken demand. He nuzzled her hair taking in the fragrance of her shampoo, her temple with its baby-fine hair, her cheek that was till tinged with faint blush, and the he used one hand to push aside her hair and dipped his head to kiss the sensitive skin just beneath her ear.
She gasped and clutched the wrist on his one hand that still rested on her stomach. He placed soft kisses on the shell of her ear, and pried her hand away from his wrist, straightening her palm out. His fingers traced her wrist, her long slim fingers, and then he pulled out a costume ring from his pocket. As he slid the small ring on her finger, he heard her gasp of surprise. Dropping another kiss on her ear, he whispered, “tension mat lo, nakli hai. Par sirf ek saal ke liye, fir main hi asli wala pehnaunga.”
Tears threatened to fill her eyes, and she struggled between an overwhelming desire to cry and laugh both, but even more than that there was something that she wanted to do. She wanted to give him what he asked. Yes, she felt shy. But, with him she could do it… she could let it go and just be herself. Before her mind could create any objections, she swiftly turned in his arms and slammed her lips on his.
To say that he was shocked would be an understatement. His eyes rounded in surprise, and he staggered at her sudden enthusiastic hug. Teetering back on his heels, he held her tight, and tried to balance them both, his brain still reeling from the fact that Naina was trying to kiss him.
Trying… was the key word here. He supposed she was truly trying to kiss and not just nip and lick. Whatever it was, it was well… different. Thinking of making it easier for her, he slid one arm under her bottom and lifted her, aligning their bodies. She squirmed, making things difficult for him, and her hands around his neck tightened as she feared she would fall. All this time, her naive desperate attempts to somehow kiss him continued, and maybe she too realized that she was not succeeding in doing anything apart from making his mouth really wet. He was just about to guide her, when she nipped sharply on his lower lip making him hiss and wrench his mouth away.
A protesting sound escaped her mouth, and he tried to control her frantic movements, “Naina… dheere…”
She almost stilled, staring at him with her pretty big whiskey brown eyes. God. How can her eyes be so beautiful? Someone really gave her the perfect name in childhood. Lost in his thoughts it took him sometime to notice that she was coming out from her own daze, and realizing what she had done, or had tried to do. Her face flushed, and she moved her gaze away from him. She struggled slightly to escape, but he was not going to have any of it. So he tightened his hold, and gently called out, “Naina…”
A moment later she looked back at him, and he commanded, “paas aao.” She hesitated, but he coaxed, “socho mat zyada… kiss me.”
Gathering her courage, she tried again, this time pressing her lips softly to his. And he hummed, angling his own head to make things easier for her. Slowly, gently, he molded her generous mouth, teaching her how to apply pressure. He tasted her lower lip, and waited until she did the same to him, still a bit hesitant. He didn’t know how long he stood there, taking her through the initial steps of kissing, keeping himself under control. Finally, when he felt her tremble in his arms, and her fingers threaded in his hair, he licked the seams of her lips, and when she immediately did the same to him, he did a mental dance of triumph. As soon as he felt her trace his lips again, he opened his mouth, allowing her entrance. She gasped in surprise, and he caught the sound in his mouth, deepening the kiss second by second, until their lips burned, until their bodies reached a feverish pitch, until their breaths mingled and lost, until they forgot everything except each other.
Parting for breath, he gently let her slid down against his body, and bent with her as her arms were still around his neck. His hands trailed possessively over her back, then cupped her face, and he fused their lips again, feeling exhilarated when she immediately reciprocated. She was like the sun of his life, spreading the gift of light and warmth in his being; her actions bold and free, awakening his desires, inspiring devotion, and igniting a fire that held the promise to burn him to ashes. The primal yearning he felt for her threatened to spread through every vein in his body, mould him into something new, make him reach for her in ways he had never done before. He tried to keep his hands in check, but his mouth had other ideas as he peppered urgent kisses on her face, tilted her head back to trail her throat. When his teeth under her ear, she moaned, her fists tightening in his hair. The sound cut through his haze, and he realized that perhaps he was being a bit too quick for her. His chest surging with hard breaths, he hugged her to him, and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
She too tried to control her erratic breathing, and slowly as the minutes ticked by her pleasure was replaced with mortification upon her recollection of her frantic attempts at kissing him. Oh God… What was she doing? It was so glaringly obvious that she had no idea of what she was doing, and what must he have thought of her. Had she literally jumped on him? And bit him too? God, if only she could escape somehow, vanish like the night that had blended into the dawn.
He felt her stiffen in his arms, and understood what she must be thinking or feeling, so he stroked her back, and assured, “it’s okay Naina. Main bas thoda chaunk gaya tha pehle, par mujhe bahot achcha laga.”
She pulled back from him, her expressions incredulous, “achcha? Mujhe bhi nahi pata main kya kar rahi thi… ya kya karneki koshish kar rahi thi.”
He smiled, not letting her go further than an arm’s length, “shayad kiss karne ki koshish kar rahi thi… aur main toh sach me khush hun ke tumko kiss karna nahi aata. Iska matlab jaanti ho?”
She shook her head in negative, and he chuckled, “iska matlab main tumko sikha sakta hun… kiss karna bhi, aur uske aage bhi…”
He could see the embarrassment fading as she realized that he was serious, and her expressions turned thoughtful as she pondered over his words. However, he was completely unprepared for the bomb she dropped. Eyes narrowed, she looked at him, and asked, “mera pehla kiss tha, toh tumhara bhi toh pehla kiss hi hoga… fir tumhe kaise aata hai kiss karna?”
He bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes darting around the landscape as he contemplated how to answer, and somehow mutters, “umm… ladko ko yeh sab pata hota hai.”
She scoffed, “haan haan… tum ladko ki toh koi special school hai jahan yeh sab sikhaya jaata hai. Sidhe sidhe bolo kahan se pata hai?”
He stammered, “boo..books”; and she again shut him up, “tumhara aur kitaabo ka dur dur tak koi lena dena nahi hai.”
Finally exasperated, he replied, “movies me dekhke sikha.”
She frowned, “jhooth… movies main bhi dekhti hun. Usme se kuch pata nahi chalta.”
He was taken aback by her immediate response, and suspiciously asked, “par tum toh aankhen bandh kar leti ho na?”
She blushed, and tried not to reply, but he kept on pestering, so she muttered, “woh toh pehle ki baat hai.”
Perplexed he asked, “pehle matlab? Bachpan me?”
“Nahi… Tumse milne se pehle”, she blurted, and then immediately looked away trying to control her expressions and inwardly praying to God that he wouldn’t catch on to what she meant.
He was initially surprised, trying to digest the fact that his innocent girlfriend closely watched kissing scenes in attempt to learn, but then her next statement zinged across his brain, and his fingers tightened on her waist, “kya kaha tumne? Tum mujhse milneke baad kissing scenes dekhne lagi?”
Her face flushed to a deep shade of crimson as she cursed herself thinking why she was unable to control her mouth in-front of him. She didn’t know what to reply or how to answer, so she kept her lips tightly sealed lest she again blurted something inordinate. He smiled on seeing her condition, and decided to let go of the topic, anyways her spontaneous confession had thankfully diverted the topic from how he knew how to kiss. Gently he pulled her back in his arms and hugged her, holding her until she relaxed again, and wrapped her arms around him.
Few moments later, she softly asked, spilling out her insecurity, “Sameer… tumne sach me kisi aur tarike se sikha hai na? Mera matlab… yeh tumhara bhi pehla…”
He smiled as she trailed off, and then drew back a little, cupping her face in one had he tilted her head up to look into her eyes, “Naina… meri life ka pehla aur aakhri pyaar tum hi ho, toh fir pehla kiss bhi toh tumhare saath hi hoga na. Rahi baat tumhare uss sawal ki, toh main koshish karunga ke shaadi ke baad iska jawab de saku… par filhaal ke liye, haan kal ka kiss meri life ka bhi pehla kiss tha.”
A soft smile bloomed on her face, and she hugged him again, relieved. The sun rose higher, scattering golden light, illuminating each corner. Birds chirped melodiously, and the dew drops started to fizzle on the dark green leaves. The two lovers parted reluctantly, wishing for time to still as emotions flowed, and contentment seeped deeper in their being as they held hands promising forever.
Sameer remembered the camera in his pocket, and pulled it out knowing it would brighten up her mood. And it did. They clicked several pictures of the mountains, of each other, and of them together. He even dared to take one picture where he hugged her from behind, placing his chin on her shoulder, and he was sure that Naina would have a wide-eyed look in that photo. They walked back to the bike, and there too he clicked some pics. Somehow, seeing Naina in those tight fitted jeans, the leather jacket, open hair, and straddling the bike had a very profound impact on his senses and body, and he took fleeting moments to compose himself when Naina wasn’t looking at him. In one photo, he set the camera on auto-mode and went to sit on the bike sideways, splaying his legs and pulling Naina between them… she looked up at him automatically, and he smiled down at her just as the shutter clicked.
On their way back, Naina hugged him again, the serenity of the morning and his warmth lulling her almost to sleep, and he drove as slow as possible to make sure he didn’t disturb her. He made sure to wake her up a little distance away from the lodge, and she moved away from him. It was almost time for breakfast by the time they had reached back, and so they directly went inside the hall. Their friends saw them approach; Munna and Pandit’s mouth fell open on seeing Naina walk in wearing jeans and leather jacket. Sameer smirked at first, but then noticed a few other boys eyeing Naina as well, and the smirk turned into a scowl.
Preeti excitedly stood up to talk to her sister, while Sameer sat down beside Pandit who whispered, “wow yaar… Naina kamaal lag rahi hai.”
Irked, Sameer smacked his head, “muh bandh kar apna. Bhabhi hai teri.”
Pandit flinched, “oh haan… sorry.”
The boys had punishment to serve, so each one of them reluctantly stood up to get plates for the girls. Probably the only boy who did it happily and was totally unaffected was Sameer as he was getting a plate for his Naina. He ambled over to her with two dishes piled with poha and dhokla, and slid into the chair beside her. She accepted her dish, and asked, “tumhe dekhke aisa kyun lag raha hai ke tumko sazaa me bhi mazaa aa raha hai?”
He chuckled and leaned closer, “apni hone wali biwi ke liye breakfast laa raha hun, isme kaisi sazaa. Tumhare liye toh yeh zindagibhar karne ko taiyar hun.”
She blushed, biting her lip and enquired, “idhar kyun bethe ho? Munna aur Pandit ke saath nahi bethoge?”
He frowned, “jis tarah tumko aaj dusre ladke ghur rahe hai, main yahin thik hun. Kamsekam sabko yaad toh rahega ke tum sirf meri ho.”
She laughed, shaking her head at his grumpy pout, and reached up to ruffle his hair, making him grin back at her.
The remaining two days in Nainital passed leisurely with the whole group of friends enjoying together. There was more mountain excursions, boating, shopping, eating, and they even went to watch a movie together. Principal had organized a trip to church and adjoining orphanage, and they spent half a day amidst the children, forgetting that they were teenage college students as they jumped in puddles, made clay toys, zoomed down the slides, or swung on the swing to dizzying heights. Sameer even took his friends to his school one evening, and this time he didn’t hesitate for a single moment to step inside as all his fears and pain had vanished. On one trip to the market, the boys lost track of the girls and searched frantically only to finally find them at a small restaurant, gaining impromptu lessons from the lady owner on how to cook momos. Sameer was angry and reprimanded Naina for disappearing from his sight, until she held her ears and promised to cook momos for him sometime soon enough after reaching back home. Munna and Pandit got used to see their Bhabhi sashaying around in jeans and jacket, and declared that Sameer and Naina indeed looked like Mr. and Mrs. Maheshwari with matching leather jackets, and teased if this outfit would be included in their wedding too. Sameer smacked both of them, but the teasing continued until Naina dumped jug full of cold water over them in the dining hall.
Finally, it was time for them to return, and Naina again dressed up in a simple salwar kameez this time a red one with green dupatta. She used some of the accessories that Sameer had bought for her, and it made him incredibly happy. She had also decided to not leave any of the clothes behind, since each one of them was precious as it depicted Sameer’s right over her. So, she packed them making a mental note to properly hide them as soon as she reached home. As for the shoes… she meticulously sliced a large chunk of sole from her golden belles, and then stuck it back using fevicol; which ensured that they could not be used for rigorous walking or hiking, thus giving her an excuse of buying new shoes. She planned on saying that the money was borrowed from her friends, and decided that if Chachaji gave her money to return back to her friends she would take it and donate it to some temple. This marked the end of the golden belles as they were useless now, plus she was wearing them on train which meant they would be worse for wear, and would need to be dumped by the time she reached Ahmedabad. Taiji might scold her for buying shoes as they can’t be used in college with salwar-kameer or skirts, but she was ready to listen to a thousand reproaches if it meant she could keep Sameer’s gift with her.
A long bus journey later when they reached Delhi, Sameer clutched Naina’s hand, his heart thudding with hope. But he need not have worried. This time his mother kept the promise she had made, and was there at the station along with Rohan. Sameer hugged Vishakha, while Rohan excitedly greeted everyone, but trailed off in mid-sentence while greeting Naina with a “Hi Bha…”
When Vishakha enquired, he promptly lied through his teeth that he had forgotten her name. Naina smiled and Sameer introduced her again to Rohan and this time to his mother as well. He introduced others too, but Vishakha noticed how Naina had deserved a special introduction from his son, and the tenderness in his voice was something she had never heard before. At the same time she also noticed Rohan whispering something to another girl named Preeti, who scowled and stuck out her tongue, making Rohan laugh which surprised Vishakha. When they boarded the train again, Vishakha observed her elder son, who quickly pulled Naina out of a porter’s way, and held on to her arm protectively, he even sheltered her with his body, holding on to the side bars of train door to let her climb up without being pushed by other passengers. It reminded Vishakha of her first husband, Sameer’s father, who also used to naturally protect her and hold on to her in crowd. Seeing Sameer do the same thing to a girl brought tears to her eyes. She registered how Naina looked at him with a smile, and he too smiled back at her; Vishakha chuckled, amused that both of them literally had their hearts in their eyes and thought that others around them would be oblivious. Maybe the time had arrived for her to make a trip to Ahmedabad, if Sameer was interested in Naina and she too reciprocated his feelings, then it would be worth to meet her properly. Also, she hadn’t forgotten that Naina was the same girl who had saved her father’s life once, and according to her father had been Sameer’s friend since school despite the initial problems between them. Yes… a trip to Ahmedabad was overdue, and maybe she could take Rohan along too.
In the train, everyone slept soundly through the night, but Naina woke up at midnight. She sat on her seat for some time, and evaluated the mixed feelings in her heart. She was happy to go back home, but was also sad that from tomorrow onwards Sameer would not be with her 24×7. In a few moments, Sameer also woke up, and on seeing her up, he slid beside her wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
She signed, leaning on his shoulder and murmured, “kal se tum hamesha mere saath nahi rahoge. Aur Nainital me tumhare kareeb rehne ki aadat ho gai thi… Ab tum chalte hue mera haath nahi pakdoge, ya achanak se mujhe gale lagake chauka nahi doge, subah ko piche se aake mujhe hug karke good morning nahi bologe, aur hum… hum shayad kiss bhi nahi kar payenge.”
He was surprised by the way she poured her heart out, but he completely understood her. On this trip they had progressed down the path of intimacy, and it was impossible for either of them to backtrack to a platonic relationship. She might think that being in Ahmedabad would restrict them, and it would to a certain extent, but he would be damned if he would let those circumstances stop them from proclaiming their rights on each other. He hugged her closer, and softly assured, “aisa bilkul nahi hoga. Hum din-raat saath nahi hue toh kya hua, college me toh saath honge na…”
“Par…”, she started to argue, but he interrupted, “shsh…”
His voice had a mischievous yet promising undertone as he continued, “socho zara, yeh hamare rishte ka ek naya daur hai. College me chup-chupke aise pal churayenge jahan humne koi naa dekhe. Extra-classes ke bahane date pe jayenge. Hamare college ke second floor pe na khali classrooms hai, main hamesha sochta tha ke kiss karne ki perfect jagah hai woh, ab tumko kabhi kabhi wahan le jaaya karunga. Aur tumko romeo-juliet ka drama yaad hai school wala? Jab kisi din college me koi mauka nahi milega na, tab romeo ki tarah main tumhare balcony me aa jaunga raat ko…”
She listened to his elaborate plans of secret romance with a smile of her face, finding some of them to be totally incredulous, but she knew deep in her heart that if Sameer wanted she will go with him anywhere anytime, because she had understood that there was no classification of right or wrong in love, simply being with the right person was what was needed… and she was with the right person. With peace in her heart, she drifted off to sleep in his arms, and never knew when he made her lie down and covered her with the blanket. She didn’t know when he crouched in-front of her, staring at her face that was illuminated sometimes with the station lights slanting through the tin window. Consciously she didn’t know when he kissed her forehead, whispering that he loved her, but even deep in sleep she probably felt his touch somehow because she made a soft humming sound, smiling slightly and turned towards him. He went back to his own seat, lying down to face her, his vision filled with her beatific serene features until he too drifted off into sleep.
The train rocked, eating up miles swiftly, marking the end of a memorable trip, and hinting towards the beginning of an even more memorable journey of the two souls bonded by love.