Only Mine Chapter 22: Meant To Be

The sounds of hollering, and chaos of a junction woke Sameer up, and he yawned, trying to recollect his surroundings. His eyes opened, and landed on the most beautiful sight of his life… His Naina. She was still asleep, sitting in the same position as last night, and he could still feel her hand in his hair. Slowly he sat up, astounded that he had slept through the entire night, and not once had she complained about the position or woken him up.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook, “Naina… wake up honey.”

After a minute or so she stirred, murmuring sleepily, “have we reached?”

“Not yet”, he informed.

She blinked, “then why did you wake me?”

“Because you need to stretch your legs”, he patiently explained, “else it will hurt.” Catching her hand, he gently tugged, “come here.”

She scooted towards him, silently going in his arms as he seemed to want, and placed her head on his shoulder, unfolding her legs and stretching. They had gone numb from the continuous hours of sitting in same position, and she immediately sighed in relief when she extended them. He stroked her hair, holding her close, and whispered, “sleep.”

She tried to wiggle her toes, “when will we reach?”

He adjusted his position, leaning sideways with her in his arms, “two hours more… we have reached Baroda.”

“I want tea”, she demanded, “and cutlet.”

He chuckled, “alright… I will get it in some time. Now sleep.”

She believed him, and so she clutched his shirt, closing her eyes, feeling extremely snug surrounded by the warmth of his body. Soon she fell asleep again, while he sat there with his arms around her, amazed by the way she had cuddled up to him as soon as he had called. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in her. The implicit trust she always placed in him humbled him, and made him want to protect her all the more.

He let her sleep for an hour, which wasn’t a problem at all because she was deeply asleep within 5 minutes of being in his arms. He bought tea and cutlets before waking her up, because he knew she would ask for it as soon as she woke up. However when he finally shook her awake, offering her the food, she frowned and declared, “not before I brush.”

His eyes widened, “you have brought a brush?”

She nodded, pulling a brush and small tube of paste from her purse, “yes… and you need to brush too.”

“I don’t have a brush”, he immediately objected.

That didn’t deter her at all, as she commented while climbing down, “use your finger.”

I would rather use my finger for a different purpose.

He sighed at his thought and dejectedly he followed her, accepting a bit of toothpaste on his finger and started to brush. When they came back, she quickly climbed up again, and once again he followed. Sipping at the tea, she asked, “what happened? Why are you so glum?”

He frowned, “shouldn’t I be? I just saw my dreams of morning lovemaking sessions evaporate in thin air. I can already see it in-front of my eyes… I would try to kiss you and you would push me saying that no chance before brushing.”

She blinked, staring at him for some time, before carefully keeping the small paper cup of tea aside and started to laugh aloud. He kept scowling, determined to make her realize that it wasn’t a laughing matter and he was very serious about it. After few minutes she calmed down, and wiped her eyes, “really Sameer? You thought of this because I wanted to brush before eating breakfast.” He nodded resolutely, and she grinned, “umm… let’s see… how about we brush every night before sleeping? Then maybe I won’t deny a morning round.”

His eyebrow quirked, “maybe?”

She shrugged picking up the tea again, “can’t say for sure without trying.”

Immediately he asked, “when are you going to try?”

“You do remember we are in a train, right”, she delicately asked, “someone will listen.”

He smirked, “you are worried about this now? After already discussing how we can make love in morning?” Surprised, she hesitantly looked around, trying to check if someone was listening to them. He chuckled, “relax honey… we are not louder than the train.”

She gasped, and he frowned, “what?”

“Stop with your double-meaning sentences”, she admonished.

Puzzled he asked, “what was double-meaning in this?”

She bit her lip and then said, “umm… you said we are not louder than train. You… you meant the sounds… during… umm… that…”

“What are you…”, he started to ask, and then trailed off, his eyes widening as he understood. This time he started to laugh, and when she scowled, he winked, “honey… trust me, when I use double-meaning sentences you would know. For now, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that the sound of train will drown our voices.”

“Ohh”, she blushed, focusing on the tea in her hand.

He smiled, amazed at the unique combination of boldness and shyness. Opening a pack of bread cutlet he carefully pulled apart the slices of bread-butter, and placed the cutlet one one slice, pressing it a bit with tissue, and then placed the other slice on it, forming a sandwich. He held it up for her to bite, “here… eat.”

She bit into the cutlet sandwich, then watched him take a bite too, and said, “I wouldn’t have put in so much effort. I would just eat the bread separately and cutlet separately.”

He shrugged, “naturally… all your efforts go into classifying gems by color.”

She laughed, “hey… that’s totally normal.”

He made her take another bite, and then wiped her mouth with his hand, “you, honey, have a very different definition of normal.”

She swallowed the mouthful, and slowly asked, “you think I need to change?”

“No”, he immediately replied, “you don’t have to change for anyone… Classify all the gems you want… we will buy the entire store if you want…”

She grinned and they silently finished both the packs of bread-cutlet, and then bought one more cup of tea to share. The people on the lower berths were still sleeping as it was still considerably early, and so they kept sitting on the upper berth. She leaned on his shoulder, thinking how would she deal with everyone at home, and she needed to talk to Preeti and Swati as well. In another thirty minutes the train slowed down as it started entering the junction at Ahmedabad.  Sameer climbed down, carrying all the trash with him, and then helped Naina down because she was using only one hand as she insisted on carrying the leftover chocolate from last night. When she reached halfway down the ladder, he simply held her waist, plucking her off the metal stair, and gently placed her down. She turned to look at him, her eyes rounded in surprise, and he chuckled, “don’t stare like that, else our first kiss will be here in train.”

She immediately blinked, and blushed, trying to gather her purse. He pulled out the bags from beneath the seat, and then carried them to the front. Naina followed, instinctively fisting her hand on the fabric of his shirt at his back. He paused, turning his head to look at her, and saw other people queueing up behind her to alight, and immediately understood what made her uneasy. He shifted both the bags to his right hand, and then offered his left hand to her. She held it, and he pulled her in-front of him, gesturing her to move. When the train stopped he left her hand to barricade the door, preventing the horde of potters from entering, and asked her to quickly get down. He jumped down after her, totally ignoring the steps, and caught her hand before the crowd could push her away from him.

She immediately edged as close to him as possible, even gripping his arm with her other hand. He looked down at her, and asked, “are you always this nervous in crowd?”

She nodded, “yes… umm… In Ahmedabad I never really went out alone except school. So when I went to Mumbai, it was a bit… overwhelming. So many people… And PB had insisted that I take her car to college for the first month, but then when I started using local trains at first I didn’t know there were ladies compartment. It was so crowded, and everyone was pushing each other. There was no… privacy. I didn’t like it at all. One day someone spilled tea all over my dress, and I was so upset that I had to go to college like that… Then Chaaya told me about ladies compartment. It was so much better.”

He paused for a bit, changing his hold from her hand to her waist, pulling her even closer, “and still you suggested traveling daily in general compartment with me… why?”

She smiled up at him, “because you were there with me… I wasn’t scared then.”

His heart filled up with love and pride, and once again he felt amazed at the amount of trust she placed in him. Suddenly there were sounds of several people calling their names and they stopped, looking over the crowd. Naina frowned, “who’s calling us?”

Sameer grinned, “it’s them.”

Before she could ask what he was talking about, it seemed a hurricane enveloped them from all sides. She only had fleeting impressions at first – Munna running to Sameer to hug him, Pandit jumping up and down, Swati waving her scarf trying to get attention, Preeti squealing loudly holding her hand. Naina blinked, and suddenly everything came into focus, and she realized that this was real, they all were indeed here. The next moment, a pair of arms extended towards her, but before she could react, someone shifted in-front of her. Peeking around the person, she realized Pandit had been about to hug her in exuberance and Sameer had stepped in-front of her placing a hand on Pandit’s chest. He had a smirk on his face, but his voice was tinged with an aggressive undertone, “not her buddy… she’s mine.”

Munna sniggered, “finally he says so… what happened to ‘it’s only about pranks’?”

Sameer scowled, but Naina giggled, “I guess now we have all the time to play as many pranks as we wish.” Preeti and Swati hugged her, and she too returned the embrace, feeling happy on meeting them after so many months. Drawing back she smiled, “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“It was Munna’s idea”, Swati informed, “anyways they would have to pick up Sameer.”

Sameer looked around, “Nanu didn’t come?”

Pandit shook his head, “no… he said he would meet Naina directly this evening.”

Her eyes widened, “I have to come to meet Nanu today?”

Sameer chuckled, “no… we are coming to meet you and your family today.”

“Oh”, she smiled; the relief visible in her eyes. He cupped her cheek, “you didn’t think I would leave you alone for long… did you?”

Her smile widened as she gazed in his deep glittering eyes, but the moment was interrupted by their friends loudly clearing their throats. The teasing that followed made Naina blush, and suddenly Sameer realized something, he frowned, “Naina… no one came from your home… how did you go last time?”

She replied, “I took an auto.”

His eyes narrowed with anger. Preeti clarified, “actually Papa wanted to come today, but he has an emergency inspection at office. And last year… umm…”

Sameer understood something was wrong, “what is it?”

Naina sighed, “Preeti and Chachaji were coming to pick me up, but Tauji didn’t let them.”

His hands fisted, “and what about Arjun? He also didn’t have guts to come get you… but he could come to pick that random girl.”

Puzzled she queried, “who?”

He shrugged, his mouth twisted in anger, “I don’t know… some girl with long hair… she was dressed in shorts. Last year she came to Ahmedabad the same day as I arrived. I collided with Arjun here, and… ran after him because I thought he came to pick you up.”

Her gaze softened, and she held his hand, gently uncurling his fist and linking their fingers, “that’s Shefali… Arjun bhaiya’s girlfriend… umm… ex-girlfriend.”

“So he came to receive his girlfriend”, he growled, “but didn’t care for his sister.”

“Relax Sameer”, she pacified, “it doesn’t matter.”

“You matter for me”, he countered immediately.

She smiled, “and I know that… see… this time I am not alone. They are all here. You are here, with me. Please calm down.”

He sighed, trying to push aside his anger for now, and said, “let’s go. I will drop you home.”

As they stepped out of the station, Sameer asked, “do you want to eat anything?”

Naina looked at him curiously, “we just had bread-cutlets… why would I eat so much?” He blinked at her, and then finally started to laugh. She grinned, satisfied that her quip to make him laugh had worked. She had literally eaten non-stop since they had boarded the train, except for the time she had slept. He couldn’t stop the occasional chuckle, even after they reached the parking lot.

Swati took their leave, saying she will come to meet Naina later on. And the remaining five people fit in the car. For once, Sameer didn’t even ask to drive, because three people were to sit in the back seat, and that meant he could sit with Naina. Pandit took the wheel with Munna next to him, and Naina sat in between Sameer and Preeti at back. Preeti and Naina kept chattering, Sameer didn’t disturb them; he just held Naina’s hand and looked out at the familiar surroundings of Ahmedabad. When Nirmal Jyoti society arrived, Pandit stopped the car, and Naina looked around, “oh… we are here…”

Preeti quickly got down, but Naina kept sitting, there was no enthusiasm on her face. He cupped her cheek, “look at me honey… don’t worry so much. Will you do something for me?”

She nodded, “yes…”

“I want to eat fruit custard again”, he demanded, “will you make it for me today?”

She smiled, “I will… come soon, okay?”

He assured, “as soon as I can… promise.”

Chachiji welcomed Naina with a hug, while Taiji taunted about bad luck entering the house again. A couple of neighbors smiled at her, while a few others glared, some even asked if her wedding rumor was true or is it broken. Preeti pulled her inside, “ignore them… you tell me and mummy… how is Sameer? Where all did you go for dates in Mumbai? Are you happy?”

Chachiji and Preeti looked so eager that Naina chuckled, “yes… I am very happy with him. He is… perfect. And I will tell you about our dates, but for now… let me bath and then I need to go the market because this evening he wants to eat fruit custard.”

Chachiji asked what should they cook, and Naina’s mind flashed back to his list of favorite food. She smiled, “let’s make chole-puri… I will help too.”

Meanwhile in the car, as Sameer sat bit lost in his thoughts, Munna asked, “why did you ask her to cook? She must be tired from the overnight journey.”

Sameer sighed, “she won’t take rest anyways… she was very tensed. She doesn’t like being here. That’s why I asked her to cook, so that she stays busy for me and ignores everything else.”

Pandit queried, “what’s wrong with her family? All those discussion about Arjun… and why would her Tauji stop anyone from coming to pick her up?”

“Her family and neighbors think Naina had an affair”, Sameer stated as a matter of fact, “she was seen with a boy, and that’s why she was sent to Mumbai.”

His friends gasped and Pandit scoffed “what? That’s impossible… Naina always loved you… who was the boy she was seen with?”

Sameer smiled at his friends’ conviction about Naina loving him, and confessed, “the boy was me.”

He told them about the incidents of their last meeting in Ahmedabad, and then how all misunderstandings cleared between them. Munna asked, “did you propose her?”

He chuckled, “not yet… she needs some time to heal. But I need your help…”

“We are here”, Munna immediately assured, “just tell us what you want.”

“Ideas and information”, Sameer stated, “I want to keep Naina happy on this trip, so need ideas for the whole week. And when I am not there with her, I want information that no one is troubling her.”

Pandit grinned, “consider it done… information is my department.”

“And I will get ideas for you”, Munna offered.

Soon the car reached the sprawling white bungalow, and an elderly man immediately opened the doors, stepping out with a wide smile. “Nanu”, Sameer muttered and was out of the car as soon as it stopped. He rushed to Nanu and hugged him, “I missed you.”

Nanu chuckled, thumping his grandson’s back, and then withdrew, blinking to hide his happy tears, as she scoffed, “liar… I am sure you didn’t miss even a little after having Naina with you.”

Sameer grinned, “I did… Naina doesn’t bless me or play suave tricks like getting me to meet the girl I love without letting me know I am meeting her.”

Nanu laughed heartily, “glad you understood that it is not just you who can play pranks.”

They trooped inside and after he freshened up Nanu showed him the gifts they were supposed to take to Naina’s home. Ramdhari had prepared a full three course meal for lunch, and after that when his friends left, he had a discussion with Nanu about the events that had happened with Naina.

Nanu was shocked, “goodness… I had no idea of all this. If I did I wouldn’t have hidden her location from you at all. I am so sorry.”

“Please don’t apologize Nanu”, Sameer immediately said, “but tell me… why did you not tell me directly even after you knew from Munna-Pandit that I was looking for Naina?”

Nanu sighed, “you remember the school fest? I had used my contacts to get your school and her school together. Because I had seen a spark between you both, I thought that if you get to spend more time with each other you would realize your feelings earlier. But it all went haywire, and you were hurt, even she was hurt… So when the chance in Mumbai came, I didn’t want to intervene directly. I just prayed that you both meet before I can talk about your marriage. That’s why I kept giving you hints about her college… But, if I had known about the incident then…”

Sameer asked, “you would have told me where to find her?” Nanu nodded, and he queried, “why?”

Nanu smiled, “because it wouldn’t have mattered if you had accepted your feelings or not… I knew you would still go to her because you cared about her.”

“I was a fool”, Sameer mused, “if I had understood in school how much she meant to me then maybe she wouldn’t have had to go through all that…”

Nanu placed a hand on his shoulder, “Sameer… you know the worst thing people do is keep blaming themselves for events that weren’t even within their control. What happened then cannot be changed now, but you can make sure that she gets over that incident. You have found a treasure, so treat her like that… Just be with her, I am sure that’s all she needs.”

“Thanks Nanu”, he smiled, “when can we go to her place? I am bit concerned about the behavior of her family…”

“It’s still too early”, Nanu replied, “we can go there at 5pm. Until then… why don’t you call to check if everything is fine?”

Sameer grinned, “good idea”, and immediately stood up to call her.

The phone call was however brief, because Naina said that the custard will burn. He chuckled, glad that his trick worked. At around 4:30pm, Sameer was ready in proper formal clothes, once again wearing a blue shirt because Naina had told him he looked good in that color. Nanu noticed the change in his dressing, and smiled. By the time it was 5:10pm they were at the threshold of Nirmal Jyoti Society. And he looked up to find Naina in the balcony, dressed in an orange-green salwar kameez, waiting for him. Amazed he grinned up at her, and she smiled, her eyes lighting up as she waved at him.

Tauji and Chachaji welcomed them inside, and Chachiji immediately served water. Then Naina came along with Preeti holding a tray of tea, and Sameer recalled scenes from movie where the groom’s family comes to see the prospective bride. She greeted Nanu and took his blessings, then offered him the cup of tea. When she handed over tea to Sameer, he made sure to brush his fingers on her hand and winked at her. She smiled, trying to be shy instead of familiar, and sat down next to Preeti.

As conversations picked up, Tauji initiated the topic of wedding, and Nanu quickly said that the timing should be Sameer and Naina’s decision. Tauji threw a condescending glare at Naina, and then said that such matters should be decided by family. Sameer frowned, but Nanu smiled, addressing the girl whom everyone in her family seemed to ignore, “Naina… I know that this wedding proposal hasn’t been exactly the conventional way, since you and Sameer both live in Mumbai. Before we discuss any further, I wanted to ask, do you like Sameer? Do you want to marry him?”

A part of Naina’s family sat tensed at this unexpected turn of events, while Naina also looked surprised at the question. Sameer observed her astonishment at being offered a choice, a chance to decide, and wondered how many times her wishes had been squashed by her family that she had stopped expecting altogether. After a minute Naina slowly nodded, “yes I like him very much… and I… umm… I accept the wedding.”

Sameer grinned at her, wanting to pick her up in his arms and twirl around with happiness. Nanu gently prodded further, “and when would you like to marry?”

This time Naina was in a dilemma as to how to reply, and helpless she looked at Sameer. He loved this, and blinked his eyes in assurance, speaking up on behalf of her, “we had a discussion about this… Since we are in college, and still have over a year to go, we want to wait. Both of us are ready to get married after we graduate.”

Chachaji smiled at this, but Tauji voiced that it was too late probably. Nanu immediately mentioned that he agreed with the couple’s decision, and then once again addressed Naina, “do you know since when I wanted you to be in Sameer’s life?”

Naina looked up surprised, “no sir…”

Nanu chuckled, “so I am still sir?” Her cheeks flushed with color, but Nanu pacified, “it’s alright… take your time. Anyways… remember the time we met at temple?”

She nodded, “yes… We collided.”

“That’s right”, Nanu grinned, “that’s the first time I thought a girl like you would be perfect for Sameer. And when you came home with your father and brother, I knew I was right… You were perfect.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief, and to Sameer’s extreme delight her entire family was shocked to silence. Nanu continued, “if you don’t mind… I would like to give you shagun since you accepted the wedding proposal. It’s not engagement, just a commitment between our families.”

Sameer had no idea of this, and glanced at his grandfather. Thinking that Naina will not like this, and they hadn’t even talked about it, he started to object, “Nanu is this necessary? We just agreed…”

“I don’t mind”, Naina’s soft voice interrupted him. Sameer’s head whipped around to look at Naina, who was looking at him, her gaze soft and happy just like it had been at Jimmy’s café. He sucked in a breath, his heart starting to thump hard, “are you sure?”

She nodded, “yes… we have chosen each other already, so I don’t mind.” He smiled, understanding the meaning behind her words. Even though the ritual Nanu talked about was a commitment between families, what she meant was that they had already committed to each other and so this ritual was not a problem at all.

“Wonderful”, Nanu exclaimed, “let’s do this day after tomorrow then. It is an auspicious day, and this would give us time for arrangements too.”

For a change, even Tauji looked happy with this arrangement, maybe because he thought of this as a confirmation of alliance. Just before dinner, Naina went to the balcony for some time and Sameer followed. Standing beside her, he asked, “are you okay?”

She smiled, “of course. I hope you don’t mind I said yes.”

He grinned, “are you mad? I would have been okay even if you had agreed to marry me today itself.”

She chuckled, and teased, “that much desperation for kiss?”

“Yes”, he smirked, “definitely… but not just kiss… I want more.”

She faked a surprised gasp, “haww… your demands are increasing.”

“I have told you”, he leaned forward, “you make me want things.” She bit her lip, blushing. He took her hand, intrigued by the bangles, and played with them.

Naina watched him, amused and asked, “what are you doing?”

“I like your bangles…”, he mused, “still remember the time when you fell in my arms at my home… you were wearing bangles. Red ones… And they hit my chest… I swear I felt the impact even in my dreams that night… The feel, the clinking sound…”

Her eyes rounded in surprise, “you were affected at that time?”

He chuckled, “I was always affected by you… Your eyes held that power. Hypnotic… that’s what I used to call them.”

She stared at him for some time, and then murmured, “you shouldn’t say such things to me.”

Frowning, he asked, “why?”

“It makes me want to kiss you”, she blurted.

His eyes darkened intoxicatingly, and he edged closer, “Naina… I…”

“Naina!” A holler from the kitchen interrupted their conversation, and he cursed. She threw him an apologetic look before rushing inside. He gripped the balcony railing, his body tensed… Dammit… Had he just been about to tell her that he loved her? This way…? Here…?

You need to control Sameer… It has to be at the right time and perfect for her.

How would he know when was the perfect time? Well… for a start at least they have to be alone. And second, his Naina has to be herself again. She was so close… just a few more layers. Already the belief that he was hers had given her a confidence to speak up what she wanted. He loved how she hadn’t hesitated is saying yes to the ritual today. He also loved how she had relied on him to voice their decision in front of elders. In a totally unplanned way, just by looking at him in that critical moment today, she had shown her family that her decisions were no longer in just their power. He knew she didn’t realize it yet… but the shell she had encased herself into had just experienced a major crack. And her resilience and spirit of life turned him on… He looked down at himself, amused at his own condition. Well… everything about her turned him on.

Couldn’t you have given me such strong hints in school?

Naina’s voice asking, “Sameer what are you doing?”, made him look up, and his face flushed at the thought of being caught while having a mental conversation with his own body part. However, thankfully Naina hadn’t realized what he had been up to. She looked genuinely puzzled as she asked, “why are you still outside? Don’t you want to eat?”

He grinned, “of course I do… Got to stuff myself with custard.”

She laughed, “there’s more to stuff yourself with… c’mon.”

As he took seat, he was truly surprised to see the spread of his favorite food on the table. She smiled at the joy on his face, and started serving him, making Nanu raise an appreciative eyebrow at the scene. That night they talked over phone for few minutes, and Naina briefed him that because of the roka arrangement there was some peace in her family.

Next day was a crucial one, as all the arrangements for roka had to be done. Everyone was rushing around trying to ensure that the necessities were addressed. Taiji had spent the entire morning until breakfast berating Naina on how inappropriate her dressing style was for a woman who was about to get married. Chachiji made her apply some haldi-chandan paste on her face, saying such things were essential now. Swati came over, which was a respite in the madness, and Naina spent most of the afternoon recounting her dates with Sameer.

On the other hand at Maheshwari residence, things weren’t looking so good as Nanu was stumped on what to arrange and what not to. He had called up Vishakha in hopes of help but that had also not worked since her mother was essentially in total dark about the marriage discussions.

Sameer gaped at his grandfather, “you didn’t tell her?”

“I did tell her that I had chosen a girl for you”, Nanu confirmed, “but she rejected Naina.”

Sameer frowned, “on what grounds?”

Nanu shrugged, “she is not of our status.”

Sameer’s eyes narrowed, his hands fisting, “is that the only thing she has to say? Nothing is never up to her standards. Not me… not the girl I love… Maybe it would be better if she stayed away from this wedding.”

Nanu placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him, “there is still time. I am sure Vishakha will come around once she meets Naina.”

Sameer didn’t reply to this as he didn’t want to hope for anything, and neither did he think it would do any good. He was so angry that he wanted to break things, but instead took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. His mother was a complication that might never resolve, but right now his focus had to be on Naina. She had agreed for this ritual, taken the step to have an official seal on their relationship, and it was his duty to see to it that everything went well and she was happy. Suddenly he had a brainwave, and he snapped his fingers, “I know what to do… Let’s ask PB.”

Nanu was puzzled, “who is PB?”

“Phulla Bua-Dadi”, Sameer grinned, “Naina stays with her in Mumbai. She is… cool. I am sure she will happily help.”

It was a tempting offer, but Nanu hesitated, “what if she tells Naina’s family? That won’t look good.”

Sameer immediately assured, “she won’t… Her only concern is Naina’s happiness. You should have seen how bitter she was when she thought Naina’s Tauji found this match, but when I told her it was all your plan she was ecstatic.”

Nanu was amused to hear all this, and finally after a little deliberation he agreed to talk to PB. And… he had to agree… Sameer was right. Not for one moment did she think it odd that they were asking for advice from her, nor did she bring in any discussions about family. All she thought was of Naina and Sameer. Her only regret was that she couldn’t be present for the ceremony, but Nanu assured that he would come to Mumbai soon and do a similar ritual in-front of her, after all he just needed excuses now to meet Naina.

As per PB’s instruction the grandfather-grandson duo set out along with Munna and Pandit to buy the necessary stuff for Naina, which included some difficult things like saree and jewelry as well. The ethnic wear shop stumped them… Why were there so many choices and styles even in saree? Shouldn’t it be simple? Buy a 6-yard long cloth with some design on it… How difficult could it be? But damn… the shopkeepers just kept asking or offering several different complicated names. Nanu’s experience with textiles helped him a bit and he asked for silk saree. But even within silk there was choice to be made for banarasi, kanjeevaram, baluchari, etc… And there was color… Sameer asked for pink color confidently, but when the options arrived he blinked… Why were there so many shades? He was utterly confused, but then chose a similar shade as to what she had worn at the fair… The shopkeeper said it was rose pink… He didn’t know, but when he closed his eyes trying to imagine Naina, he felt that this would look gorgeous on her. But then Nanu was like the saree for a would-be bride should be heavier… And his friends started squabbling about how it was not shiny enough. Pandit even modeled a few holding them across his shoulder and trying to walk like a girl to show off the designs. This made quite a few customers giggle, but that didn’t dissuade his friends as Munna also got into the spirit and pulled up the pallu of one saree on Pandit’s head saying he was the perfect bride.

Sameer clutched the chosen pink saree to himself, “but I like this one…” When the other three started to make him understand, he fumed, “I am getting this one… if you all like other sarees then buy it. I am not giving up this one.”

It seemed like a good idea… And so they spent more than two hours at that shop trying to find the perfect saree, arguing with each other in the process, and finally Nanu, Munna and Pandit each one had chosen a saree of their own liking.

The next difficult item on list was jewelry, and once again they had to struggle with too many designs to choose from. Finally Nanu mentioned the occasion, and the choices were narrowed down by the salesperson. Within the remaining ten options, Sameer chose the one that looked most delicate, not because of cost… but because Naina was so tiny that he felt any bigger designs wouldn’t suit on her frame. Naina was made for elegance and class, not flashy outrageous stuff. Here too when Nanu started to voice out if it was too light, Sameer frowned, “do you really want to buy four of this stuff too?”

Nanu chuckled, “no… If we do that her family will classify us as mad or snobbish.”

With the essential things in kitty, they went to buy other stuff required for shagun, like envelope to give money, coconut, and a silver coin. While they were having evening snacks in a small restaurant, Sameer spotted a shop and excused himself. Nanu had bought several stuff for their roka, but he wanted to give something to Naina too. He just hoped she would like it… Armed with all their shopping the group went back home, and Ramdhari informed them that Naina had called. Sameer was immediately tensed, thinking that he had forgotten about her family in all these arrangements. Praying that she wasn’t in some trouble, he quickly called her up. Chachiji picked up the call, and after preliminary greeting he asked for Naina.

When she came to the line, he urgently asked, “Naina… what happened? Are you alright?”

“Yes, I am alright”, she replied puzzled, “why?”

He heaved a sigh of relief, “Ramdhari mentioned you had called… I was worried.”

She smiled, “it’s nothing serious. I just wanted to know what you are wearing tomorrow. What color…”

He was perplexed, “why? Do you want me to wear any specific color?”

“No”, she replied, lowering her voice, “I… umm… I wanted to color coordinate. If you are wearing neutral color like cream or beige, I can wear any dark shade. But if you are wearing any specific color, then I didn’t want my dress to clash with it.”

He blinked a couple of times trying to get his head around the fact that Naina was so involved in all these. “Wow”, he muttered, “I didn’t think… it’s almost like we are getting married.”

She frowned, “Sameer… roka means we are getting married.”

He grinned, “I know honey… I meant all this is giving me marriage type feels right now.”

She chuckled, “I never thought a man could be this eager to get married…”

He shrugged, “I have stopped being surprised at the things I feel when it is about you… Such things have never happened before and will never happen again… It’s only with you.”

Her heart pattered wildly at his words… God… How can he say such big things so easily and with utmost sincerity? “I never thought someone would say such words to me”, she confessed softly, “it’s like a dream…”

“I am real enough”, he replied, “want me to come over and elaborate… maybe with a practical demonstration.”

She laughed, “no don’t… We don’t have butter at home, and I am not going to kiss you today.”

“Spoil sport”, he chuckled, “let the roka happen… I swear I will kiss you soon and check what you have learnt from watching the kissing scene on repeat in Raja Hindustani.”

This made her laugh once again as she recalled their conversation near the pond. However, soon her family trooped in, and she calmed down, “everyone’s here… quickly tell me the color.”

He glanced at the kurta-pyjama set Nanu had kept ready and said, “it’s cream color… darker shade.”

“Perfect”, she replied, “see you tomorrow. Bye.”

Before he could ask what was she going to wear, she disconnected, and he sighed thinking that now he would have to wait until he saw her.

Next day was even more hectic, as Chachiji fluttered around and Taiji waddled, trying to ensure all arrangements were done. Breakfast was hurried, and then Naina was sent inside to get ready. Preeti helped her dress up in a red-green bandhej saree with heavy embroidered border. The blouse had three-quarter sleeves, something she didn’t like, but since everything was done in such haste she hadn’t objected to anything. PB called to check on her, and inconspicuously asked if she had applied the kiss-proof lipstick. Naina laughed, wondering if Sameer had taken PB in his gang, as she too kept talking about kiss. Or was she being too naïve? As she sat down letting Preeti style her hair, she couldn’t help but wonder… Should she have kissed Sameer already? It’s not like she didn’t want to… It was almost impossible not to think about it when Sameer kept mentioning about it every time they met or talked. And it was not just today… Somehow he had been fixated on kiss since school time. Was she making him wait too much?

Lost in thoughts, she absentmindedly asked, “Preeti… if you had a boyfriend when would you kiss him?”

Preeti was so surprised that her hand slipped and Naina’s hair tugged painfully as it was entangled in the comb she was using. “Ow”, Naina yelped, and Preeti immediately took charge again. Removing the comb, she asked, “you want to kiss Sameer? Or have you done it already?”

Naina blushed, “I haven’t yet… He keeps talking about it, but I know he won’t do anything unless I want it too. I was… just… thinking… if I was being unreasonable by making him wait.”

Preeti was silent for many minutes as she focused on styling her hair. Rolling a thick strand of hair she pinned it to the side, and said, “I don’t think there is any such rule as to when to kiss… I guess you would feel it. Just like you finally felt that you want to get married to him. But, I would say that when you feel it, don’t hesitate. Don’t let societal standards define you.”

Naina frowned, “when have I let society define me?”

“Ever since you left for Mumbai”, Preeti replied immediately, tucking the final pin, “maybe you were so hurt by what happened that you chose to be what others want you to be. Even though you looked much prettier than before with all the latest clothes and makeup, you had lost your spark… I can now see some of it whenever you are with Sameer. That’s why I am saying… just listen to your heart… not to others.”

Naina was lost in thoughts… Had she really lost her spark? Then why did Sameer like her still? Did he think this version was better than old one? No… He had said he liked her from school time but didn’t understand… And he liked her now too… He won’t lie to her… that much she was sure. Plus she had felt the evidence of his want for her, and also he had reminded her of times during school time when he had felt for her… like the bangle conversation that day. But then… was it okay if she was no longer her older self?

She didn’t get time to contemplate much on the topic, as Swati came by soon. In another thirty minutes car horn beeped downstairs and Naina stood up, “he is here.”

“Wait”, Preeti stopped her, “don’t go out… let him come inside and then we will all get to see his reaction when he sees you.”

Naina was puzzled, “why? Will it be special?”

Swati rolled her eyes, “this girl is seriously clueless. Come here.” She pulled Naina in-front of the mirror, “stand here… and see… aren’t you looking special?”

Naina looked at her own reflection, and blinked… Oh God… She knew she was wearing a saree today but she had totally forgotten that this would be the first time Sameer would see her like this. The heavy saree, the pallu on her head, the traditional jewelry – it all made her look so different… so feminine… She lifter her hand to adjust her bindi, and her bangles clinked reminding her how Sameer had said he liked it. Well… maybe Preeti was right. The reaction would be worth…

Sameer and Nanu were welcomed jovially, offered sweets and water. Chachiji immediately started to prepare tea. After a bit of general conversation, Tauji mentioned that it is time for the ritual. Sameer sat down on a low wooden chowki, trying to precariously balance himself, and his friends grinned happily showing him thumbs-up. The chowki kept wobbling a bit, and he tried to adjust, taking support of his hands, so that it was stable, but just then there was a sound of bangles and he looked up to see Naina coming outside with Preeti and Swati. His heart skipped beats, mouth fell open, and his hand slipped from the chowki which promptly toppled to one side and he slid to the floor, still cross-legged. Naina pressed her lips, trying to control her grin, but Preeti and Swati openly giggled. Munna and Pandit came to help him sit properly while he still kept gawking at Naina, who very gracefully sat down next to him on another chowki.

Still in a trance, he commented, “wow… you look beautiful.”

She blushed, looking away from him, and the sound of laughter from around them made him realize that he had blurted the compliment rather loudly. He fidgeted a bit, and then promptly blushed himself, making everyone laugh more.

As Chachiji and Taiji started to arrange the things on the floor in-front of them, Naina slowly whispered, “you are looking handsome yourself.”

He grinned, “does that mean I get a k…” He trailed off when she gestured him to shut up, and then she pointed out the people around. He nodded, mentally smacking himself, wondering how he could forget everyone around them.

Soon the ritual started, and Chachaji, Naina’s father, and Tauji did his tilak, and placed a shirt-pant material, silver coin, a watch and some money along with a coconut in his lap. He looked at each of the faces, smiling a bit at Chachaji, but his expressions remained stoic for her father and Tauji. Then Nanu did Naina’s tilak with Chachiji guiding him on what to do. He blessed her, smiling wide, his eyes glistening with happy tears. Naina looked up at him, she thought he wanted to say something, but maybe couldn’t because of all the people present there. So she held his hand, and whispered, “thank you Nanu… We will talk soon.”

His and Sameer’s eyes widened on hearing what Naina addressed him as, and then they both grinned looking at each other. When Munna pulled out the sarees, so that Nanu could give them to Naina, everyone looked on in confusion. Finally Taiji questioned the quantity, and Nanu sheepishly replied that they couldn’t agree on one choice so they bought four, one choice for each one of them. Naina chuckled as she accepted, somehow finding it too cute and significant, that all of them chose a saree for her, rather than compromising on one single option. The jewelry raised quite a few eyebrows in her home, as they understood that it must be extremely expensive.

Post the ritual when lunch was being served, he hoped he would get some time alone with Naina. But her family kept her occupied in kitchen. However, finally she was asked to serve lunch to him and Nanu. When she walked up to them with the dishes in each hand, he noticed her graceful walk, and his heart skipped beats as he was blessed with a glimpse of her bare waist. Oh dear… he groaned inwardly, reaching down to adjust himself. She placed the dishes in-front of them and then walked back to get something more, and Sameer immediately bit his lip, tilting his head for a better view. However, his staring session was interrupted when Nanu nudged him with his elbow and whispered, “stop staring.”

He frowned, “what? She is mine… so I can at least look.”

Nanu controlled his smile, “yes, you can… but not like this.”

Naina came back soon with more items, and he fidgeted in his chair, trying to find a more comfortable position. To his extreme frustration Nanu once again elbowed him, furiously whispering, “Sameer… behave.”

He whispered back, the exasperation evident in his tone, “I didn’t do anything… The pyjama is tight.”

Nanu rolled his eyes, “yes… I know why it is tight.”

Sameer had just taken a sip of water and choked on hearing this, his face red, as he blinked back tears, staring at his grandfather. Naina was immediately by his side, rubbing his back, enquiring, “are you alright?”

He tore his eyes away from Nanu and looked at her, “umm… yes… I am fine.” Not satisfied with his answer, she kept rubbing his back until he stopped coughing. As he relaxed slowly, she smiled, “eat… it’s your favorite.”

He glanced down and saw the indeed all his favorite dishes like paneer, pulao, kadhi were prepared. And for sweet dish there was gulab-jamun and some kind of barfi. He devoted himself to the spread, still bit lost reminiscing the view he had seen… and just out of habit, he left half of the food, which he only noticed when Chachiji asked him if he didn’t like the food. He looked down at his dish, and frowned, but immediately assured that he had loved it; however he didn’t know how to explain the remaining food. Last time when they had come here, he had carefully and consciously finished every morsel, knowing it would look odd if he left food for Naina. But today… he had been so lost that he had done what he was habituated with. Helplessly he looked at Naina, hoping she could help him, and she smiled, coming up to them… Hesitantly, she spoke up, “umm… Chachiji… this is for me.”

When Bela queried further, at a meaningful glance from Naina, Swati immediately said, “actually… we had discussed how auspicious it is if would-be bride and groom eat from the same dish. So Naina must have told Sameer.”

Naina nodded, blushing a bit, hoping everyone would believe the explanation. And they did… Taiji even added how it was wife’s duty to do so. Sameer nearly rolled his eyes at this, as he stood up, and Naina took his dish inside the kitchen. After a hearty meal, the elders sat talking about several topics, Tauji even briefing about his work. Sameer and Naina went inside her room along with their friends. He eagerly looked around taking in the room she used to stay in… It was different and much smaller than her place in Mumbai, but she could see her touch here too. The books she had kept, the cassettes, and the story book she had bought on the train while coming here was kept on the desk, along with a chocolate.

Glancing at the bed, he grinned, “the soft toy is missing.”

She pouted, “I know… I forgot to bring it.”

He leaned towards her, “have trouble sleeping? Maybe I can help…”

She blushed, and their friends coughed. Preeti chirped, “hello… hello… remember we are here.”

“Interruptions”, Sameer muttered, and looped an arm around Naina’s shoulder as he sat on the bed beside her.

Munna laughed, “really? Maybe you should have listened to us in school.”

“And we are going to keep reminding this to you for your whole life”, Pandit added, “I seriously didn’t think that our friend would be so clueless.”

Sameer groaned, “will you stop it? I know I was a fool…”

“You weren’t”, Naina interrupted. Everyone looked at her, and she continued, “feelings are always complicated, especially when it is for someone who isn’t family. Whatever there was between us… we denied it, didn’t understand it, maybe for some time even lost it… But at the end we found each other, just like it was meant to be… and the feelings are much stronger than before, and it is for forever. So instead of regretting the past, we should choose to celebrate the present.”

He stared at her for some time, totally amazed at what she said, and then could only ask, “can I hug you?”

There was a chorus of “ooohhhhssss” and Naina blushed, nodding in agreement. He felt overjoyed at this freedom to hug in-front of others, and pulled her in his arms. God, the way she fit… It was as if this was meant to be… just like she said.

The afternoon was totally fun-filled as everyone had their own tale to tell of these two years. Pandit proposed a friends’ outing before summer vacations ended, but the girls, except Naina, denied it saying they won’t get permission from home. Sameer promised that he would try to finish his assignment sooner and do another trip to Ahmedabad with Naina if possible. Just before it was time to leave, their friends trooped outside, giving Sameer and Naina some time to talk alone.

As soon as they were alone, Naina hugged him, holding him tight, and murmured, “I am so happy Sameer… this is so new.”

He held her to him, smiling, “I am also extremely happy… and you are looking gorgeous today.”

She drew back a bit, shyly adjusting her hair, “umm… Preeti did the hairstyle.”

He chuckled, “I am talking about the whole package honey… and I totally enjoyed something today.”

Her brows furrowed in confusion, “what?”

His hand trailed down her back, fingers skimming the bare portion of spine beneath the line of her blouse, “the view…” She shuddered at his touch, her hands fisting on his kurta, as she looked up at him. His breathing increased, heart thumping, as he slowly stroked her waist with two fingers, waiting… waiting until she acquiesced totally and he could flatten his palm, touch her fully. Gently, he inched closer; his dark eyes glittering with a desire that made an electric spark shoot up her spine. There was a strange heat inside her belly, a sensation that made her want to touch him, explore him. Her gaze drifted from his intoxicating eyes to his lips, and her fists opened, palms flattening on his chest, feeling his heartbeat thunder beneath. As she felt his breath on her cheek, she wondered if she was ready… she mused what it would feel like…

A knock on the door, made him jerk and pull back, and she also quickly straightened, checking to see her saree was proper. It was Preeti who had come to inform that Nanu was asking for him. Sameer nodded, “just two minutes please.”

Preeti left closing the door once more, and he glanced at Naina to find her blushing. He smiled, flicking her cheek with a finger, “love the color…”

She swatted his hand away, “stop teasing.”

He chuckled, and hugged her again, “have to go honey… will meet you again soon.”

She nuzzled in his chest, “yes… please call me.”

“I will”, he promised, and then sighed dramatically, “I hope there is enough butter at home for dinner.”

She laughed softly, pulling back, “next time when we meet…”

He interrupted ecstatically, “you will kiss me?” She grinned cheekily, “no… I will gift you a full box of butter.”

“Dammit”, he muttered, making her laugh again.

When they went outside, Nanu requested the family to let Naina visit home tomorrow. Tauji agreed after a brief deliberation, but said someone from family will have to accompany her, as girls in their family were not allowed to go out alone after wedding was fixed. Nanu assured that there was no need to worry, and said that anyone can come along, or if they wanted Sameer or he himself would come to pick her up. Chachaji said that they would discuss and then let him know. Sameer and Naina happily looked at each other at this chance to meet again tomorrow, he winked at her, and she smiled lowering her gaze shyly.

Next day it was decided that Arjun would go along with Naina, as he was the only one who need not go to office. After a hearty breakfast, Preeti shuffled through their cupboard, rejecting dresses after dresses, while Naina sat amused. “This one is also not good”, Preeti mumbled throwing aside a yellow dress.

Naina clucked her tongue, “what exactly are you looking for?”

Preeti threw a green salwar-kameez on the bed, “something proper for the occasion.”

“I am just visiting”, Naina countered.

Preeti turned to her with a frown, “you are visiting your in-laws for the first time.”

Naina smiled, “I have been there before.”

“Yes”, Preeti replied, scowling at a pink churidaar, “but you weren’t dating Sameer then.”

Naina sat silent, pondering on her sister’s words, and recalled the effect of the saree on Sameer… The way he had touched her waist, the way he had been almost on the verge of kissing her… Not only that, she had also noticed that he had been aroused again. He didn’t know but she had spotted him adjusting himself while he sat at the dining table. It was an exhilarating feeling to know that she could have such a profound impact on him, that he could feel such a strong desire for her… She had always been told by her family that she was not attractive physically, she had never minded those taunts but they had remained in her mind…  However, with Sameer she had always felt beautiful and desirable.

Her lips curved in a slow sensuous smile as she stood up from the bed, walked over to the cupboard, and moved Preeti aside, “I know just what to wear.”

Preeti asked puzzled, “what?”

Naina rummaged through her clothes and pulled out a blue saree with thin glittering border. “Ooh saree”, Preeti grinned, “nice choice.” Naina smirked, “I know…”

She quickly draped the saree, wearing delicate pearl jewelry with it, a pearl bracelet on one hand and watch on the other hand. She covered her lips with the kiss-proof lipstick, as PB called it, and lined her eyes with kajal. Her eyes shone with delight and power as she thought, ‘get ready Sameer Maheshwari… Naina Agarwal is coming for you.’