Library Love
Chapter 1: Wish for Love

Sixteen year old Naina Agarwal had the same routine in her life… Go to school at 8am, have her tiffin at 12pm, return home at 3pm, have some snacks, start doing homework at 4pm, watch little bit of TV at 6pm, help Chachiji in cooking, and then have dinner at 9pm. After dinner, she would again study, or read some book. There had been very little variation in this routine since last many years, and still she was happy. She didn’t feel bored; there was freshness in this monotonous routine, especially owing to her family which consisted of a range of different characters, all with their own unique quirks.

Her Chachaji was her favorite, the most calm and sensible one in the family; Chachiji was loving, caring and gullible; Pooja didi was beautiful, somewhat annoying, and could only think of her marriage; her father couldn’t care less about anything in this world apart from his son and his respect; her brother, Arjun, was an intelligent but shy person who didn’t have the guts to argue about anything; Prateek was the youngest and had been termed as Pralay because of his tendency to act as catalyst for chaos; Taiji was an orthodox lady who cared about family in her own way but also had a sharp tongue; and finally there was the eldest person in the house, her Tauji, who made all the rules and decisions in Agarwal family. Everyone was different, and Naina loved each one of them, but the person closest to her heart was her cousin, her sister, her partner in crime, Preeti. She was happy in her life… in her own world… with a few dreams in her eyes and a smile on her face.

However since last couple of days strange things started to happen to her… She would feel a gust of wind blow across her face, it was like a familiar sensation, like someone she knew very well was around her but when she turned to look there was no one. She saw a boy in school canteen, felt a strange pull towards him, but couldn’t see his face. When she used Pooja didi’s dupatta, it got stuck on a door and was torn, according to Taiji it was given to a boy by her as an act of love. She had kept a straight face and sighed internally, wishing for a moment it was true, it would be a good adventure. In school, Sanjay Tebriwal wrote a love letter to her, which naturally her family found because of Pralay and she had to tie rakhi to him in-front of whole school. She also managed to spot a boy in girl’s bathroom, which made Swati, her best friend, declare that it was her Prem. She still laughed to herself, thinking if finding Prem was so easy then every girl would have one. Anyways, all these struggles with boys over the last few days made her decide that she would totally refrain from boys and love…

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But as they say, nothing can stop your destiny. Her fate was also written, and that fateful morning, she almost collided with a boy in the school corridor. There was barely an inch between them as they twirled on the spot to avoid crashing into each other. His hair was long and lifted in the air as he twirled, his eyes held surprise, his lips parted, and he was so tall that she had to tilt her head back to look at him. He was… perfect. She only had time to breath once, before she lost her heart forever to the unknown boy in front of her. What did it matter who was he? She didn’t even know his name, yet started to join her fate with his. He turned to look twice at her before he left, running off, and she helplessly followed because she had to be where he was. She remained oblivious to the smile on her face as she stared at him, not even wondering why he was fighting, but her heart started to beat fast on his sight. There wasn’t a butterfly in sight, but there were thousands of them flittering inside her. He didn’t even look at her as he walked past, but still she turned to him like a sunflower in the direction of sun. Her pristine white shoes sloshed through a muddy puddle as she walked after him, but who cared, her heart was already marked by him.

In a daze she walked inside her classroom, and started to write Kabir’s doha on the board, totally unaware of how she spilled her heart out in-front of the whole class. Naina Agarwal was in love, and so she wrote about love. It was only when Swati poked her and asked her why she had written that particular doha did she realize how she was behaving. As Shanti madam came inside the classroom, Naina determinedly pushed all thoughts of the random boy to the back of her mind. God knows who he was… She might never even see him again… How can she lose her focus on maths because of him? No… no… Books were far better than boys. Shanti madam gave them a problem to solve, a challenge, her favorite. It was only a matter of seconds and she was engrossed in the sum, the unknown boy forgotten for now. She didn’t notice when someone walked inside, nor did she hear any new voices but she bubbled with happiness as she found out the answer to the sum, and stood up, excitedly exclaiming, “mujhe mil gaya jawab.”

And there… right in-front of her eyes was the answer to her life. The boy she had fallen in love with. Good lord… he was in her class. How would she ever focus on maths again? As Shanti madam introduced him to the class, she just kept staring at him, her heartbeats erratic, her eyes filled with love. He didn’t notice her, and it didn’t surprise her. She was like that… faded into the background most of the time, but definitely noticeable when someone wanted to tease. And just as he took his seat, Pandit did the onus of bring her to notice of the entire class, but saying, “madam… zindagi me guide mile na mile, Naina toh mil jayegi na.”

Usually she would have ignored, or rolled her eyes, but today even that tease made her smile because it made him smile. When Shanti madam asked her to help Sameer with the list of books she felt as if she was floating in heaven. That day was lucky… very lucky… because she was designated as the discipline monitor in-front of the entire class. Pandit once again whispered something to Sameer, maybe another joke on her, but again she didn’t mind, because he looked at her while smiling and she felt as if the smile was for her. While the other girls in class were fawning over him, trying to look for a way to talk to him, she didn’t try anything at all. By now she was sure that she loved him, and she was also sure that this was going to be a one-sided love story. And even if she did put in efforts to talk to him, or make him pay attention to her, he would also tease her, just like the other students. So it was better to let him be a dream even if it was an unfulfilled one.

However what she had termed as a good day, turned into a potential problem as she was called to the principal’s office, along with Sameer. She smiled the entire way, still following him, her eyes fixed on his profile. When she noticed his open shoelaces she picked up courage and stopped him, “phite…”

He glanced at her with a frown, “what is phite?”

She racked her brain for English term, and then said, “lace…”

“Oh”, he smiled making her heart skip beats, and then bent to tied them up. A wishing feather flew in from somewhere, landing on her shoulder, and she picked it up, asking for the only wish in her heart… Sameer… And to her surprise, as if the incident was recorded straight from a romantic novel, the feather she had wished on landed on Sameer’s hand. She waited with bated breath to see what he would do, and when he picked it up and asked for a wish, she fell a little more in love with him. He was so handsome… so perfect… what could he wish for? Was it peace? Was it love? Was it friendship? She sighed as she continued to walk behind him to the principal’s cabin, thinking if only he knew that she was there right behind him, ready to offer whatever he needed.

In the principal’s cabin Naina stood by the side, watching the scene with furrowed brows as Pankaj and his friend blamed Sameer of hitting them.

“No sir yeh sach nahi hai”, Sameer tried to clarify.

Pankaj’s friend interrupted, “nahi sir… sach me… hum toh chup-chap basketball khel rahe the sir. Ise thodi si ball kya lagi, isne hume aake maarna shuru kar diya.”

Sameer once again tried, “sir yeh sab jo bhi bol rahe hai sahi nahi hai.” However his voice was overridden by Pankaj and his friend’s arguments, until Principal sir asked them to be quiet, “shaant ho jaiye.” Then he addressed Sameer, “dekho Sameer… tum iss school ke liye naye ho. Tumhe yahan ke anushaasan ka andaaza nahi hai. Aakhri mauka deta hun, sach sach bata do. Agar jhooth bolte paaye gaye toh main tumhara admission radd kar dunga.”

Naina stood shocked, frightened. No… no… How could it be? Sameer had just joined. He couldn’t leave… not like this. He had to stay here. In that moment she also prayed to God willing him to help Sameer.

Once again Sameer tried to assure, “sir aap mera yaqeen kijiye…”

And once more he was interrupted by Pankaj, “sir hamare paas iske kartoot ka ek gawah hai.”

Principal sir quickly asked, “gawah? Kaun hai gawah?”

And to everyone’s surprise Pankaj took Naina’s name. He asked her, “Naina… tumne dekha tha na yeh kaise daud raha the mere peeche mujhe maarne ke liye. Bolo…”

Naina stood there in dilemma, not able to reply to Pankaj, and she noticed how Sameer also turned to look at her. The situation was worsened, by Principal sir, as he put all the responsibility on her, “Naina… sach aur jhooth ka faisla aaj tumhare haath me hai. Discipline monitor honeke naate aaj tum sach bologi.”

Naina held her breath, feeling there couldn’t be more drama than this in her life ever. On one hand there was the burden of responsibility on her chest, and on the other hand there was the fluttering of her heart. On one hand there was the duty of being a discipline monitor, and on the other hand there was her poor heart which softened for Sameer. The dilemma was strong and it worsened with the constant stare from Sameer. Was he expecting anything of her? Why would he? And what should she do? The reminiscence of the oath she had taken just a few hours back was overlapped by the newly found feelings of love. The moral ambiguity was making her feel faint… She kept staring from Sameer to principal, wondering what she should do… She had never lied in-front of teachers, they had been taught from childhood that teachers were form of God, and you don’t just lie n-front of them. It was a crime. But Sameer… God, his stare pierced her…

But then, he slowly looked away, as if he was convinced that she would tell he was guilty. She wanted to reach out to comfort him, but held herself still. Soch Naina. She commanded herself and closed her eyes, the entire scenario from morning playing in-front of her eyes, and the accusations on Sameer too. Wait a minute… She had seen Pankaj and Sameer… Pankaj’s friend, Ravi, was not there… That was it… she just needed to put forth the truth objectively, that was the only way to help Sameer.

She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and said in a clear tone, “sir… maine Sameer aur Pankaj ko ladte hue dekha. Ravi wahan aas paas nahi tha.”

Principal sir nodded, “iska matlab Pankaj ne sach bola… Sameer ne use maara.”

Sameer closed his eyes, anger coursing through his body, and he cursed the girl in his mind, ‘sahi kaha tha Munna ne… Teacher ki chamchi.’

However, in the next moment he heard her voice again, as she spoke up, “nahi sir… maine kaha ke maine Sameer aur Pankaj ko ladte hue dekha. Sameer ne use nahi maara… Baat wahan tak pahonche usse pehle hi Sameer ne khud ko rok liya aur wahan se chala gaya.”

Principal sir was confused, “tum kehna kya chahti ho Naina? Sameer ki koi galti nahi hai?”

Naina glanced once at Sameer, and determinedly continued, “mujhe nahi pata sir. Lekin aap hi sochiye na… Sameer ka aaj pehla din hai school me. Usko toh Pankaj aur Ravi ka naam bhi pata hoga, toh woh bewajah ladai kyun karega. Jhagad toh dono rahe the, toh yaa toh galti dono ki hai, ya kisi ki nahi.”

Sameer stared at her dumbfounded, he hadn’t expected that from her… She had spoken up… Not in his favor but not against him too. In fact she had smartly laid out the truth and possible scenarios just as she was supposed to do… He saw Pankaj glare at her, and smirked, enjoying how the defiant girl had spoiled his plans.

Principal sir thought over the matter, and then concluded, “mere hisaab se Naina theek keh rahi hai. Ravi ki baat saabit nahi hui… Naina ne bataya ke Sameer ne kisiko maara nahi. Pankaj aur Sameer dono jhagad rahe the, iska matlab school ke niyam dono ne tode… Toh sazaa bhi dono ko milegi.”

“Par sir…”, Pankaj tried to object while Sameer smiled.

Principal sir stopped any arguments with a raised hand, “bas… koi kuch nahi bolega ab. Tum dono ki sazaa yeh hai ke library me books ka jo naya stock aaya hai usko subject aur varnamaala, yaane ke alphabet ke hisaab se tum log rakhoge… Aur saath hi saath log book me sab record bhi karoge. Yeh kaam sports period me karna hai tumko…”

Pankaj gasped, “par sir… mera cricket practice.”

“Jab tak sazaa khatam nahi hoti, tab tak tumhara cricket bandh”, Principal sir commanded, “ab jao tum log yahan se, aur aaj se hi shuru kar dena kaam. Main Lochan sir se kahunga woh aa jayenge tum logo pe nazar rakhne.”

Pankaj glared at Naina as he left from there, Sameer gazed at her and gave a short nod. She smiled a bit, letting him leave before following once again to the classroom. She had done it… Sameer would stay in the school, and her responsibility was also fulfilled honestly.

After break, during the sports period, Sameer reluctantly walked away from Munna and Pandit, assuring them that he would try and finish his bit of work as fast as possible. Naina watched him leave and felt sad that it was his first day and he was already being punished, but then consoled herself thinking it was better than being expelled. However, she didn’t feel an urge to enjoy or play as she sat near the playground, watching her friends play, her mind still remained on Sameer. Halfway through the period, someone came to call Naina, saying Lochan Sir has asked for her. Naina’s eyes brightened up because she knew Lochan sir was overseeing the punishment, that meant he would be in library, and she could see Sameer. She quickly rushed inside, and felt her heartbeats skitter when Sameer immediately looked up as she entered.

Calming herself, she stepped inside the library, “sir… aapne mujhe bulaya?”

“Haan Naina”, Lochan sir replied, removing his spectacles, “mujhe staff room me thoda kaam hai, tum please meri jagah yahan rukna… Aur kuch bhi gadbad ho toh mujhe batana.”

She tried to control her happy smile, and nodded, “jee sir.”

As soon as Lochan sir left, Pankaj dumped the book in his hand, and scoffed, “main yeh sada hua kaam nahi karne wala.”

Naina didn’t say anything and let him leave. Sameer looked at her for a moment and then continued to do his work. He had debated for a while if he should leave too, but then Nanu had always taught him to fulfill his responsibilities. This was a punishment, but still it was his duty… and besides if he also left and no work was done then Naina might be in trouble, and he didn’t want that. After all, just by smartly putting forth the truth, she had saved him from being expelled. Nanu was the trustee of this school; it would have been so embarrassing if his own grandson was expelled on the first day of joining. No… He couldn’t take such a risk. But he did hope the dull work would expedite, or at least something would happen to make it more interesting. And as if his prayers were being answered, Munna and Pandit appeared at the door of the library. He grinned at them, and they waved at him, starting to step inside, but suddenly Naina spoke, “ruko… tum dono yahan kya kar rahe ho?”

Munna scowled, “hum Sameer ki madad karne aaye hai… hamara dost hai woh.”

She countered, “jaanti hun tumhara dost hai… par yeh sazaa sirf use mili hai… tum dono ko nahi. Jao yahan se.”

“Nahi jayenge”, Pandit argued, “Sameer ka pehla din hai aur usko bewajah sazaa mili hai. Kamsekam hum uski sazaa me uska saath toh de sakte hai na. Hum bhi dekhte hai hume kaun rokta hai.”

Naina folded her arms, her voice stern, “agar tum log andar aaye toh main Lochan sir aur Principal sir dono ko bata dungi. Phir Sameer ki sazaa aur zyada badh jayegi. Tum log yahi chahte ho toh andar aana, warna jao yahan se.”

Both the boys stopped in shock, not clear what to do, how to deal with the situation. They knew Naina was teacher’s pet, and if she complained then the teachers would believe her every word. They didn’t want Sameer to be in more trouble because of them. Perplexed they looked at Sameer, and saw him glaring at Naina. However, he controlled his anger, and told them, “Munna… Pandit… Tum log jao yahan se. Main kar lunga yeh kaam, phir baad me milta hun.”

The boys sighed and left from there, each of them throwing an angry glare at Naina, and muttering names that they used to tease her. She let out a breath of relief as they left, and Sameer narrowed his eyes, her stance making him realize that she had been tough in-front of his friends but at the same time she had been nervous from inside or maybe scared. It made him feel good… How unsporting she was… What would have happened if she had let his friends come inside? At least he would have had some proper company and maybe a bit of fun too… Plus there were literally too many books to arrange and code. He sighed, picking up another book, checking the name, entering it in register, and then placing it on the proper shelf. A boring routine…

The next moment however, he was surprised when Naina knelt to pick up a couple of books, quickly did the entry in register and started keeping them in shelves. He looked at her in surprise, and couldn’t help but ask, “mere dosto ko andar aane nahi diya, help nahi karne diya… toh ab khud kyun kar rahi ho?”

She paused for a bit, quickly taking in his surprised angry expressions, and then continued arranging. As he too picked up a book, she said, “main unhe andar nahi aane de sakti thi… Lochan sir ko ya Principal sir ko kisi bhi tarah se pata chal jaata toh tum teeno ko sazaa milti. Isiliye maine unhe roka… Ek toh waise hi tumhare school ke pehle din pe hi tumhe sazaa mili hai, upar se agar tumhari madad karne ke chakkar me tumhare dosto ko bhi sazaa milti toh kya tumhe achcha lagta?”

His eyes widened in surprise as he heard her reason, and realized she was right. It would have grated on his nerves if Munna and Pandit had been punished for helping him. He sighed and shook his head, “nahi achcha lagta… Par tum meri madad kar rahi ho toh tumhe problem nahi hogi?”

A small smile curved her lips as she inserted a biology book in its place, “mujhe pata hai mujhe kab rukna hai.”

He didn’t understand her meaning, until ten minutes later when she quickly dumped a chemistry book back in the carton, picked up a random story book from a shelf, and sat down to read… or rather pretend to read. He was about to ask what she was up to when a man dressed in deep-grey safari suit entered the library, and glared at him for no reason. On seeing Naina there, he asked in a loud voice, “Naina… tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?”

She acted surprised as she closed the book, and then stood up, not looking directly at the man, “sir… mujhe Lochan sir ne kaha tha yahan bethneko jab tak period khatam na ho.”

The man seemed to be in mood to scold, but just then the bell rang, and Naina picked up the register they were using for entry, and left from there. Sameer also glanced around once at the remaining books, and then left, wondering why the man kept glaring at him. For God’s sake he had just been serving his punishment, not romancing Naina in library. And just that thought made him chuckle… As he sauntered back to the classroom, he kept grinning at the absurd thought of romancing Naina that had sprung in his head. Naina… Good God… The teacher’s pet… How could he even romance someone like her?

But she isn’t so bad… She saved you from being expelled… She has got brains.

And that was the illogical part of his brain speaking. It often did… and it always contradicted the rational part of his brain. He was giving too much credit to Naina… She had just done her duty… told the truth… What was so smart about it?

Ya… well… she did speak up the truth in a way that you didn’t look bad.

He whistled a tune ignoring the useless thought, and soon he had forgotten about her as he met his friends and they joked about. But as soon as he stepped inside the classroom, his gaze seemed to automatically zero in on Naina, who was sitting adjacent to his bench, and animatedly chatting with the girl next to her, maybe her friend. Suddenly she laughed on something, and he subconsciously smiled hearing that sound. Few students shuffled, and Naina turned to look, her gaze colliding with Sameer’s… She seemed to be surprised, and then softly smiled, lowering her gaze in shyness. He wondered what was the matter, when Munna nudged him, “oye… tu muskura kyun raha hai itna uss maniben ko dekhke?”

Puzzled, Sameer touched his own face… Smiling? Goodness… He had really been smiling at her… Why would he do such a thing? Had he gone mad? The remaining two lectures he strictly avoided looking in her direction, even though her soft voice as she spoke to her friend often lured him. He somehow managed not to see, but he overheard everything they talked. He gathered that her friend’s name was Swati, and she kept mentioning someone called Preeti too. The girls sitting behind her were Kamya and Hema, and both of them often asked Naina about studies, but didn’t seem to share a good personal equation with her. In between two lectures, when they had five minutes, he heard Swati ask, “tu sports period me kahan chali gai thi?”

“Library me”, Naina replied, filling ink in her pen.

Swati smiled, and poked her, “ooohh… Sameer ke saath?”

Sameer had been partially focusing on the girl’s conversation, and partially on what his friends were saying. But upon hearing his name he stiffened. Was Naina spreading some rumors about him? After all she had been alone with him in library… He waited to hear what she would reply. And soon he heard Naina’s voice, “chup kar… mujhe Lochan sir ne bulaya tha yeh dekhne ke liye ke woh dono apni sazaa theek se puri kare. Main discipline monitor jo hun.”

Swati rolled her eyes, “haan haan… ek toh pehle hi topper honeki badnaami, ab upar se discipline monitor. Mujhe toh lagta hai thode din me sab log koi aur naya naam nikalenge tere liye… Aur waise bhi… meri hi galti hai jo maine socha ke tu Sameer ko dekhegi… Teri nazre toh kitaabo pe se hati nahi hogi, aur woh bhi bhala tujhe kyun dekhega.”

Sameer had relaxed on hearing Naina’s reply, but now Swati’s taunt made him curious again. Yes, Naina had been occupied in books, but she had also paid attention to him, talked to him. And what did Swati mean by that last sentence?

Probably Naina hadn’t also understood, because he heard her low voice as she hesitantly asked, “kyun nahi dekhega?”

Swati chirped, “aree… matlab… tu waisi wali ladki nahi hai na jisko ladke dekhe ya jisse baat karne ki koshish kare… Waise bhi tu kahan aur Sameer kahan… Woh toh bilkul Mayapuri magazine ke front page ka hero lagta hai… Toh tu uske baare me sochegi toh tere liye woh kahawat sach ho jayegi – yeh muh aur masoor ki daal.”

Sameer sat surprised at what he heard. Wasn’t Swati her friend? Then how could she say such a thing? Cautiously he glanced at Naina once, who seemed to be lost in thoughts. She was a simple, studious girl who was not much blessed with looks. Her hair was oily, and she didn’t put much effort in looking good. But her eyes were nice and big… He thought they were her best feature. And she was smart… Ok, well… He had refuted his irrational thoughts but now he agreed that she had indeed smartly turned the situation in Principal’s office today. As she capped her pen, and cleaned the spilled ink from her desk, he thought she was at least much more tolerable than those girls in Nainital who didn’t know anything more than fashion.

That day when Nanu asked him how was school; he smiled wide and replied that it was extremely interesting. When Nanu said that Principal sir had informed him about the punishment, Sameer shrugged honestly confessing why he fought, and added how the supposed teacher’s pet Naina had smartly saved him. As Sameer left to change, Nanu gazed at his retreating back, wondering who this Naina was who had made such an impression on his grandson because this was the first time in all these years that Sameer had talked of a girl.

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