Only Mine
Chapter 23: The Broken Shell

The temperatures had started to soar in the small city of Ahmedabad, the number of people on roads dwindling as more and more people preferred to stay indoors in the summer heat. The auto sped to the road to Maheshwari bungalow, and Naina covered her mouth with the saree pallu to gain some respite from heat. Beside her, Arjun kept grumbling about the waste of time, and how much work he had to finish even if he didn’t exactly had a job. Naina rolled her eyes at this rant, and said, “why don’t you leave? Go wherever you have to go… Finish whatever work you have. I can manage myself.”

Arjun scoffed, “ya right… so that you go home and tell everyone how I ditched you, and they can scold me.”

She smirked, “I have never been the complaining kind and… nor the betraying kind.”

He glared at her, but she wasn’t the least bit affected by it. Finally, as the auto reached the white mansion, Arjun asked the driver to stop a bit away from the main gate. Naina paid the money, and got down. He followed, looked here and there as if contemplating something, and then said, “I will be here at 5pm to pick you up. Make sure you don’t waste my time.”

She didn’t bother to reply as she watched her brother leave for his so-called important work, and then sighed. Who would have thought that her brother would turn out to be so rude and spineless? Shaking her head to get rid of her brother’s thoughts, she quickly adjusted her saree once, took out a small mirror from her purse to check her lipstick and hair, then took a deep breath and walked inside the big open gates.

Her first sight was of Sameer and she started to smile, but paused as she saw him kicking the tyre of the parked car repeatedly in anger. She immediately quickened her pace, and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back, “Sameer… Stop it! You will hurt yourself… What happened?”

He panted for breath, his eyes red with anger, his fists clenched, but he stopped when she asked him to. It had been so long since he had been so angry. The busy life in Mumbai, Naina presence alongside him, and his love for her had calmed him down… But today the suppressed anger had surged again, as hot as lava. He didn’t know what to tell her, how to tell her, he just wanted to destroy something. She asked once again, but before he could say anything, the wooden doors opened, and Nanu stepped out.

Nanu glanced at the couple, and then requested, “Sameer please come inside. This can’t be resolved with anger.”

Naina looked at the elderly man’s tensed face and queried, “what happened Nanu?”

Nanu sighed, “Vishakha is here with her husband, and her son, Rohan.”

“That’s it?” Sameer fumed, “that’s all you are going to tell her? Oh c’mon Nanu… She should know the entire thing before she meets Mummy. Naina’s first visit to her home… And…”

Naina gently squeezed his arm, “what’s the matter? Isn’t it good that she is here? I mean… she must have come to bless you for our roka.”

Sameer let out a sarcastic laughter, and looked at his grandfather again, “you are going to tell her? Or shall I?”

Nanu knew he would have to talk to Naina, but he had no idea how to phrase the situation delicately. He was just trying to form a polite statement, when Sameer took the matter in his own hand, and told her, “my mother doesn’t agree to our wedding Naina… She thinks you do not meet the standards to be a Maheshwari bride. She thinks you are not perfect for her less than perfect son.”

Naina’s mouth fell open in shock at what she heard, and also at how Sameer conveyed it. He hadn’t tried to be sensitive and explain her, but had rather chosen to state the harsh reality directly. Nanu tried to hush him, and pacify her, “it is not like that Naina… Vishakha is just upset…”

“About the fact that I am her son”, Sameer finished the statement.

“Sameer”, Nanu placed a hand of his grandson’s shoulder trying to calm him, “this matter won’t be resolved like this. You need to calm down and talk to her.”

Sameer shrugged off his grandfather’s hand, “I don’t want to talk to her.”

Naina had felt a twinge of pain on hearing Sameer’s words. She knew he didn’t say that to her, it was his mother who had said it… But still… Yet she knew in her heart that Sameer would never think like that for her. He wanted her in his life, he cared for her, he treasured her. And right now the situation demanded that she keep aside her hurt and calm Sameer down… Even Nanu was not able to do it, she just hoped she could. And so she shifted her hold from his arm, to his palm, gripping it like she usually did. He looked down at their hands, and then at her face. She inched a bit closer, “let’s go inside. I want to meet my would-be-mother-in-law.”

“But…”, he started to object.

However, she interrupted, “I know… you told me very clearly that she doesn’t like me. But you do, right? You want to marry me, right?”

Sameer nodded, “yes… I do. And I don’t care what my mother thinks about you.”

She smiled, “then there is no need to be angry. Let’s go inside, and you don’t have to argue with her. Just give me what I had asked for.”

His brows furrowed as he tried to recall what Naina had asked from him. He looked into her eyes as if searching for the answer; the hypnotic effect was still there, the color of her eyes pulled him. And from the shimmering depths of his memory he recalled the conversation in taxi.

You don’t have to buy me a thing, just be there when I need you.

He understood now, she just wanted him beside her while she met his mother. He could do that. Anyways, the impending visit and the meeting couldn’t be avoided. But if his mother tried to insult Naina he wouldn’t allow that. He gave a short nod to her, and she smiled once more, the curve of her lips cooling down his anger a bit.

Vishakha was pacing in the living when they went inside; a man and a boy were seated on the sofa. Naina left Sameer’s hand, pulled the pallu on her head, and bent to take Vishakha’s blessings who didn’t step back like in movies, but she also didn’t bless her.

Naina straightened, joined her palms and greeted, “Namaste… I am so happy to meet you. Perhaps you don’t remember, but last time when I was here, you were also visiting then.”

“I remember”, Vishakha replied, “your father had come to beg for a college admission for your brother. Isn’t that right?”

Nanu tried to step into the conversation, “Vishakha…”

“It is”, Naina interrupted, “my father did come here to meet Nanu to request for his reference. Unfortunately some colleges still give a lot of weightage to references as compared to merit.”

Vishakha quirked a brow, “I suppose… you got admission through a similar reference, that’s why you know so much.”

Naina smiled, “no madam. I have scholarship based on merit, which is why I shifted to Mumbai to study.”

“Which is where you trapped my son”, Vishakha replied sarcastically.

Sameer took a step forward, but Naina immediately placed her hand on his arm, “Sameer and I were acquainted in school. But then we parted ways, and none of us knew that the other is in Mumbai. We only met when Nanu and my family discussed about our wedding, and set up the meeting for us. It took us some time to be sure whether we want this or not, but Sameer and I really like each other, and want to get married. And… you are his mother… The only thing he wants is your blessing.”

Vishakha had hoped that Naina would be nervous and flustered, but now she looked a bit surprised at this calm demeanor. Yet she stated clearly, “maybe Sameer and my father didn’t tell you… I don’t agree to this wedding…”

“Yet”, Naina added firmly with a smile. Vishakha and Mr. Somani both were taken aback by this, but Nanu smiled while Sameer gazed at her face steadily. Naina continued politely but determinedly, “I always used to believe that in a family everyone supports and loves each other, but I have learnt it the hard way that it is not always true… Maybe there is something lacking in me because of which you don’t approve of this relationship, but I hope that just for Sameer’s happiness one day you will understand and accept.”

Vishakha didn’t have any reply to this, and simply turned away, choosing not to look at the girl any more. Nanu started talking but it was all a buzz in Sameer’s ears who felt his anger rising once more at the unexplainable attitude of his mother. He thought that if he stayed there he would blow up like a volcano, and he didn’t want to do that. It was Naina’s first visit and he didn’t want to be the reason to spoil it. His mother had already done everything to make this the worst day, but he wouldn’t… maybe there was still a chance to salvage some moments. Maybe the end wouldn’t turn out to be so bad. So he decided to leave. Trying to control his emotions, he just looked at Naina, ignoring everyone else, “I am in my room… have some work.”

He left from there ignoring whatever anyone said, but as he was halfway up the stairs, a voice stopped him. Rohan… He didn’t turn to look but heard his brother wish, “Hi Naina… I am Rohan…”

He closed his eyes, a strange feeling flashing through him, and his fist clenched harder. Forcing himself to control, he quickly dashed upstairs, entered his room, and leaned his back against the closed door. God… Why? Why now? Why him? The boxing bag dangled in-front of him, tempting him to vent his anger, but he remembered that his boxing gloves were in Mumbai. They were his favorite pair, and he had taken them there. The bag was too heavy to carry, so he had gathered money and bought a new one. But today… today he felt in dire need of boxing. Since so many years that had been the outlet to his anger. A frustrated sound erupted from his throat and he threw a few punches with his bare hands, knowing his fingers would be sore later, yet not caring about it. Pushing the bag aside he wandered inside the bathroom, and stood in-front of the sink staring at his own face. Why did his mother hate him so much? Couldn’t she find just a little bit of love to spare for him? And now… Naina… No, no… He loved Naina, and she loved him. She had promised him that she won’t ever leave him. She had said she was only his. His breathing increased, his body shuddered, his legs felt shaky at the just the thought of separating from Naina. He won’t lose her… He couldn’t lose her… Rohan might have taken his mother from him, but he won’t be able to take Naina away. Never…

Gasping for breath, he turned the tap with trembling fingers and splashed cold water over his face repeatedly. The water soaked his face, his hair, his shirt; it sprayed on the floor, but he didn’t notice. He just needed to breathe… Everything would be alright. Naina was different. Naina was his. She belonged to him. No one would take her away from him… No one… He took gulps of breath, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. Grabbing a towel he wiped his face and hands, and noticed that his shirt was totally soaked. He unbuttoned it, intending to change into a fresh one, but just then he heard the sound of his room’s door opening and shutting again. He closed his eyes, exhaling through his mouth… It must be Nanu or his mother coming to him with more baseless arguments. He couldn’t let them see his anger, his fear, his weakness. No… He would talk calmly and just tell them that he was going to marry Naina, the rest of the world can go to hell.

As he strode out of the bathroom however, he almost screeched to a halt, because it wasn’t Nanu or his mother who had entered his room. It was Naina. She stood a little further from the closed and locked door, staring at him with wide surprised eyes. Usually he would have been fascinated with how big her eyes were, he would have been intrigued by her gaze fixed on him, he would have teased her about kissing her, but today… today all he could feel was the ruthlessly suppressed anger resurfacing. This time it wasn’t wanton and red like lava, but rather it was like an oncoming storm with gathering grey clouds that threatened to tear the sky apart in two. He started to move towards her with purpose, yet in some part of his brain he hoped that Naina would do something to calm this storm before it wrecked their relationship. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he had to channel his hurt somewhere…

Naina stood transfixed, her gaze not on his face, but on the view that was revealed by the open buttons of his shirt. Goodness… She had tried to imagine him once while they had talked on phone after their accidental meeting in theatre. He had teased her about showing her his chest the day he had come to meet PB. But she had never thought she would actually be blessed with the view so soon… Oh wow… He looked so… perfect. She wanted to run her hand through the short hairs she could see… She wanted to feel the muscles that were visible… For a moment she almost wished that she could have seen the same view once in school, because then she would have been able to compare. Did he have hair on his chest then? Or would it have been smooth? Did he shave now? Or he let it as usual? She wanted to place her palm on the pads of pectoral muscles she could see, just to check if her palm could cover the whole thing or not.

While she was totally lost in staring at him, he was completely oblivious of the effect he was having on her. He was like a predator in pursuit, stalking, waiting for a chance to pounce. He was close enough for his breath to ruffle her hair, and that’s when she finally shivered and took a step back. Fear, he thought. But it was passion he was unaware of. For his each step forward, she took a step back. The game continued until her back touched the wall. Trapped, he believed, and raised his hands to trap her more. He didn’t touch her, rather placed his palms on the wall on each side of her head, effectively caging her, and leaned a bit towards her to eliminate the chance of her escape. What he didn’t know was that she had no intention to escape. What he was unaware of that the reactions he was arousing in her was not fear but something more potent, something he had been waiting for her to feel.

Naina stared fixedly at a point, at something new she had noticed… Was that a mole? Yep… A small black mole just above his left nipple. Was it from birth? Did he know that it was drawing her attention? The need to touch, to feel, to trace those muscles with her fingers was overwhelming her. And after a brief debate, she decided to give in… In a trance, she lifted her hand to touch him…

But he didn’t notice this action, and instead furiously muttered, “so… had a nice long chat with Mr. Perfect?”

Her hand paused in mid-air, and she looked up finally in his eyes, only to realize that he was still angry. She frowned, “who?”

Sameer smirked sarcastically, “my ever perfect brother of course. Rohan… My mother’s perfect son, the perfect student, the perfect boy for any girl… Maybe my mother thinks that you are not perfect for me because I don’t deserve you. Maybe she thinks you are perfect for her perfect little obedient son.”

Naina gaped at him, her mouth falling open at his statement. So, that was what was going through his brain? He wasn’t romancing her, or teasing her… He was angry on her. And for what? Because she had talked to his brother? How dare he? Did he ever think before speaking? Her eyes flashed with rage, and she stomped his foot… hard.

He yelped in pain, jumping on one leg, but she didn’t relent. Grabbing his collar, she pulled him back to her, shocking him to silence, and thundered, “yes… why not… You marry Preeti and I can marry your brother… How does that sound?”

He grabbed her waist roughly, seething in anger, and hissed, “how dare you? How can you even think I would be interested in Preeti?”

Not the least bit afraid of his anger, she snapped, “just like how you can think I will be interested in Rohan.”

He glared at her, his chest surging up and down in rage, “I heard him… He was talking to you… And… He called you Naina… as if… as if you were his friend.”

She tried to push him away from her body, “you know what… I did a mistake by stomping your foot… I should have kicked you… you remember where, right?”

His eyes narrowed as he recalled the last time she had been so furious on him… That was in school when he had dared to hint that she was talking with him because he was rich and handsome. She had not only put an immediate stop to his tirade, but had let him know clearly that if he felt like that about her then that was the end of them. And when he had tried to stop her, she had smashed his feet, threatened to kick his… well… kick him at the most sensitive spot, and she had made him apologize repeatedly. He gulped now, immediately taking several steps back from her, and even through the haze of his anger he realized that the shell she had encased herself in had broken… This girl standing in-front of him with her eyes flashing with rage, who had no fear of his anger, who was giving him tit-for-tat was his old Naina… This was the Naina he had fallen in love with. And that realization shot through him like a burst of happiness which dimmed his anger by several degrees. But the disappointment and hurt was still there…

He stared at her for some, and then confessed his fear, “I won’t be surprised if my mother thinks like that… I have never stood up to her expectations.”

Naina was surprised to hear this, and searched his face. Trying to push aside her anger, she focused on what had happened since she had arrived. All the things that were spoken, everything he had said… She knew Sameer… He never meant to hurt her in any way. Yes, he had an unruly tongue that was often faster than his brain. But that was nothing new, she knew about it since school. But today… He had been so angry. His actions, his words everything had reflected his anger… and… his pain.

She thinks you are not perfect for her less than perfect son.

Vishakha is just upset… at the fact that I am her son.

My mother’s perfect son.

Maybe my mother thinks that you are not perfect for me because I don’t deserve you.

All these statements just conveyed his disappointment and hurt at not being the son his mother wanted. And he thought like this because that was what had been drilled into his head since childhood. He thought he was not perfect because that was what he had been told repeatedly. A burden… That’s what he had called himself earlier. That’s what he thought he was in his mother’s life. And today she had witnessed how sharp his mother could be… If she hadn’t been forewarned about her disapproval even she would have been hurt. After all she did understand how words can hurt, especially if they are spoken by someone close to us. It wasn’t Sameer’s anger that she was facing right now… It was his hurt, his pain that he had experienced at the hands of his mother. And she now understood that her anger was not something that would soothe this hurt, but she could… A deep shuddering breath left her lungs as she finally accepted to herself that only she could heal his hurt because she loved him. Yes! She loved Sameer Maheshwari. Oh my! This was huge… And yet she knew that this was no time to celebrate this acceptance. Right now she had a semi naked, frustrated, hurt man to deal with… And so she sighed, moved forward, held his hand and pulled him to her. He flinched for a moment as if he thought she was again going to smash his foot or kick him. But then he stood still as she slipped her hands around his waist and hugged him.

Blinking in surprise he stared down at her head resting on his chest, felt her heart beat against his belly, and wondered what she was up to. She sighed, her breath tickling the hairs on his chest, and explained, “I don’t know about what your mother thinks, and maybe I don’t care just yet. And yes Rohan called me Naina… but then he switched immediately to bhabhi, which maybe you didn’t hear.”

He slowly lifted his hands to hug her back, and frowned, “he did?”

“Yes”, she whispered, and he sighed in relief. Closing his eyes he just let himself feel the bliss of holding her, and then after a moment, he said, “I am sorry.”

She tightened her hold a bit more, “I should really stomp your other foot too for even having such thoughts, but I am sorry too… I didn’t realize that you were hurt and that’s why you were angry.”

Finally a smile appeared on his face… She understood. His Naina understood him. Hadn’t he always known that Naina was only one apart from Nanu who understood him without him having to say anything? She knew him… She always knew him. It took him a few minutes more to realize that her face was pressed to his chest… his bare chest. And her hands… Good God… Her hands were also beneath his shirt, on his bare back. How had that happened? Elation erupted inside his heart, but he quickly curbed it, thinking that maybe she had been so distracted by his anger that she hadn’t noticed.

Now if you tell her, she will jump away from you.

The temptation to keep quiet and enjoy the sensations was too prominent, but he knew it was not right. So he reluctantly said, “ummm… Naina… My shirt is open.”

Incredibly enough, she chuckled, “I know… I have been staring.”

Surprised at what he heard, he drew back at arm’s length from her and squawked, “what?”

She laughed, “if you come in-front of me like this then what else do you expect me to do? Close my eyes like those Bollywood heroines?”

He blinked, trying to soak in the fact that Naina didn’t mind looking at his bare chest, and muttered, “I didn’t know what to expect… I didn’t plan.”

“Naturally”, she rolled her eyes, and indicated herself, “and here I did all this just to make you happy.”

And that was when he really looked… properly. Oh man… She was wearing a saree… A blue saree. And this was different from yesterday’s one. That one had been heavy embroidered one with quarter-sleeve blouse. But this one was slightly sheer material, enabling him to get a glimpse of her curves, and the blouse was short sleeved one.

Amazed he asked, “you wore this for me?”

She nodded, “I know you liked it yesterday. I noticed…”

“Wow”, he mumbled, his glittering eyes raking over each dip and curve of her body. Taking her hand in his, he looked at the simple bracelet, “no bangles.”

She pouted, “I didn’t have matching ones.”

He bit his lip, thinking for half a minute, before saying, “uh… I have…”

Perplexed she queried, “what? How?”

He looked away from her, softly admitting, “I had bought them for you when we went to buy the things for our roka. But Nanu bought so many things and all of it was so beautiful and expensive, that I felt embarrassed to gift you glass bangles.”

She smiled, “show me…”

He walked over to the bed, and sat down. Opening the bedside cabinet, he pulled out a box, and removed the cardboard cover to show her. The box held three sets – red, blue and multicolored – each set with a dozen bangles. He spoke up once more, “I have seen you in red and blue salwar-kameez so I got those colors for you. And I really liked these multicolored ones but I am not sure if they would match with dress or saree.”

She sat down next to him, and took out the blue bangles from the box. Unwrapping the plastic cover from them, she handed those over to him once again. He was puzzle by her actions. But then she removed her pearl bracelet and held out her hands to him, gesturing with her eyes, and he understood she wanted him to make her wear the bangles. Keeping the box aside, he held her hand, and gently slipped each bangle on her wrist. When he was done, she grinned, and lifted her hand, shaking her wrists to make the bangles clink.

He smiled and asked, “you really like them?”

“Yes”, she said, closing the box after keeping her bracelet inside.

He touched the bangles on her hand, “but they are not much.”

She held his hand, trying to explain, “men always think that women will be happy with money, gifts, jewelry, luxury. But the woman in your life just wants your time, effort, honesty, loyalty and your smile. And sometimes… just sometimes I want to be the priority in your life.”

He sucked in a breath and lifted his other hand to smooth her hair away from her face, “I don’t know what to say.”

Her small hands framed his face, thumbs rubbing his jaw, and she pulled him down, touching his forehead to hers, “don’t say anything… I don’t need words. Just don’t ever think that you are not perfect for me. I don’t care what anyone thinks about us. You, and only you are my Mr. Perfect… Is that clear?” His eyes misted over as he nodded, and she continued, “Sameer… we really shouldn’t have to prove our feelings to each other. I think we know and understand each other way better to do that.”

Overwhelmed with love, he slid one hand beneath her hair, cupping her skull, and angling her had a bit more in a way that their lips were close… so close that she could feel his breath on her lips. She waited… thinking that the moment had come. Now he would kiss her. She would give him what he wanted. She closed her eyes, waiting, her heart thudding with tepid anticipation. But all he did was rub his nose with hers, once, twice, thrice… and then he withdrew.

Puzzled she quickly grabbed his shirt, not letting him go, and whispered, “Sameer… Why?”

She heard his soft command, “open your eyes Naina.” When she obeyed, he smiled, “you just said… we shouldn’t have to prove our feelings. Just because I was stupid enough to feel insecure you don’t have to agree for a kiss. I know my Naina… The day she is ready to kiss me, she won’t wait for me to make a move. She won’t just accept, she would demand… Can you demand from me today?”

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. There was only silence, and her hands clenched on his shirt as tears filled her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her to him, holding her tight. After sometime she asked, “am I making you wait too much?”

“Yes”, he replied without reservation, “but I don’t mind waiting for you. It just gives me time…”

She tilted her head back to look at him, “time?”

He smirked, “yes… time to plan how I will get you to make up for all this time of waiting after you say yes. Trust me honey… I will have more demands than you.”

She laughed and stood up, “we will see about that. For now let’s go downstairs… Nanu had asked me to bring you for lunch. And I know you don’t want to… but don’t worry. I am there with you.”

He smiled, “okay… let me change my shirt… or… would you like to stay back and stare some more?”

She bit her lip, leaning down to his level, and whispered in his ear, “I will stare and do much more on the day I remove your shirt myself.” His eyes widened on hearing this… She pulled back, straightened, winked and then blew him a flying kiss before sashaying out of his room, while he just sat there with his eyes wide and jaws hanging open.

When he finally managed to gather his wits, he looked down at himself and had a much needed mental conversation, ‘stay down buddy… she didn’t mean today.’ Then he changed into a black shirt and went downstairs to find her in the kitchen helping Ramdhari to bring out the food. Nanu kept trying to tell her to sit, and simultaneously throw meaningful glances at his daughter who remained unaffected. Sameer shook his head, and took the casserole from her hands, “you sit… I will do it.”

She smiled, “no… you sit. I don’t mind…”

“But you shouldn’t”, he countered.

She frowned, “you had told me I can help from next time in your home.”

He agreed, “yes I did… but that was in Mumbai…”

Her eyebrow quirked, “and this isn’t your home?”

Defeated, he smiled, “fine… I will sit. Let’s go Nanu, she is very stubborn.”

She grinned cheekily at him, and he nearly stopped breathing, it was the same carefree exuberant smile that she used to bestow on him in school. He bit his lip, tilting his head, enjoying his sassy, smart-mouth, bold Naina, who now had streaks of maturity and sensuousness mixed in her.

“You are staring”, Nanu whispered in his ear.

He chuckled, “I know… she is back… my Naina.”

Nanu’s brow furrowed at this, and he looked from Sameer to Naina, before nodding and stopped worrying. He was starting to feel that both of them were quite capable of handling any situation before them. The confidence with which Naina had talked with Viskhakha today had surprised him, and then she had done the unthinkable… None of them had expected Sameer to come down for lunch. It was his usual way… to be in the sanctuary of his room and vent out alone, and no one was allowed to disturb him in that condition. But he had let Naina breach that border of his room and his thoughts… And somehow he was calm and smiling.

Sameer was seated on the edge of one side, with Rohan next to him and then Mr. Somani. Nanu sat at the smaller side, the position usually reserved for head of family. The chair opposite to Sameer was empty for Naina, and Vishakha sat in-front of Rohan. Naina finally sat down after she brought the salad, and Ramdhari started to serve everyone. Sameer looked around the table, the situation displeasing him a bit… How would he share food with Naina if she was not next to him? He recalled how Naina had fed him on the day of fair… that was such an amazing experience. He totally loved it when she pampered him like that, even though at that time he hadn’t exactly considered it pampering. But now he wanted to experience that once more.

He frowned, trying to think of a way, and then just as Ramdhari was about to serve Naina, he impulsively grabbed the hot utensil of dal and screamed. “Sameer”, Naina was next to him in a flash, holding his hand to check where it had burnt. Nanu and Vishakha also asked if he was okay. Naina blew on his hand and instructed Ramdhari to get some water. A big bowl of iced water was placed on the table and he dipped his hand as instructed. On seeing Naina’s worried face, he said, “I am fine… It will be okay. Go sit…”

She reluctantly moved to her chair as Sameer asked Ramdhari to take away the bowl. Soon everyone started eating but Naina kept noticing how Sameer attempted to tear the chapatti but wasn’t able to because it hurt his fingers. She shook her head and then dipped a bit of chapati in sabji from her own dish and held it up for him to eat. He stared at her for a moment, as did everyone else, and then he smiled, eating the food from her hand. She knew everyone must be looking at her, but she didn’t look at anyone except Sameer as she kept feeding him and herself alternatively. When Ramdhari was serving more food, Rohan leaned a bit towards Sameer and whispered, “neat trick.”

Sameer didn’t acknowledge him, but covered his face to hide his smile. Finally when Naina was feeding him dal-rice with spoon, Vishakha asked, “is there no one in your family?”

Naina frowned, “of course there is.”

Vishakha queried, “then why did you come alone? No one thought it necessary to come with you.”

Sameer scowled recalling that someone was indeed supposed to come along with Naina. What had happened? Had they left her alone once more? Naina smiled, “Arjun bhaiya came with me, but he had some urgent work to attend to, and so I asked him to go and not worry about me. He will come to pick me up in evening, and will meet all of you.”

There was silence after this for some time, and when Naina again lifted her hand to feed him, Sameer flicked her bangles with his finger making them clink. She smiled at his apparent fascination with her bangles. She would have to make a point of buying more, she thought.

Vishakha threw a disapproving glare at the scene, and probed, “you were wearing a bracelet when you came. Where did the bangles come from?”

Naina replied with a soft smile, “they are a gift from Sameer.”

“Glass bangles”, Vishakha observed critically, “what is wrong with you Sameer? If you wanted to buy gift, you should have thought of something better. Something that would match our status… If you really want to marry this girl then you could have got gold bangles.”

Sameer stiffened at the taunt about how he didn’t meet his mother’s expectations once more, and also the dig that glass bangles weren’t a worthy gift for the girl he was about to marry. Naina however smiled and replied politely, “I think they are a lovely gift. Sameer gave them to me because he loves to hear the clinking sound whenever I move my hand.”

“That is a silly reason”, Vishakha countered.

Naina chuckled, “maybe for you… but you have to agree that it is also cute and loving. Doesn’t every woman want a husband who pays attention to such small things about her?” Vishakha looked extremely surprised at this. Naina fed Sameer another morsel of food and continued, “also… Sameer bought this with the money he has earned himself. How many college students can do that? And so I love this gift even more.”

Sameer gazed at her admiringly, extremely astonished at how she replied to his mother. It might form a defiant image for her, but still she was not stepping back in defending him. How did he land up with her in his life again? Oh yeah… because he splashed muddy water on her cycle. The thought amused him so much that he started giggling.

Rohan asked, “why are you laughing?”

Usually Sameer never replied to Rohan, but today he did, and said, “I just recalled the first time I met Naina.”

Rohan excitedly asked, “really? How did you meet? Was it romantic?”

Sameer chortled, “yeah… very romantic… I splashed muddy water on her cycle, and didn’t help her clean it… And she took revenge by sneaking inside my school and slashing the tyres of my bike.”

Naina laughed at this, but Vishakha and Mr. Somani looked shocked at this information. Maybe because they were worried about how Naina was not the usual shy and obedient type of daughter-in-law. Nanu also laughed along, and then queried, “was the greased pants your prank too?”

Naina’s eyes shone as she nodded, and told him how Sameer had played several tricks on her and so she had again did the onus of pranking him. Nanu and Rohan laughed at this tale, but Sameer noticed how she left out the information about her teacher hitting her because of him. After lunch, Vishakha and Mr. Somani disappeared in their room. Nanu wanted to talk to Naina and so he took her upstairs to the study room. Sameer loitered around downstairs, harassing Ramdhari and worrying about Naina while Rohan watched him amused.

Nanu immediately apologized to Naina, “I am sorry beta. Sameer told me everything that had happened here before you left, but I had no idea. I knew which college you were studying in in Mumbai, and if I knew about what you had faced I would have let Sameer know about it.”

Naina was extremely puzzled about all this, and so she interrupted, “Nanu… please. First of all you shouldn’t apologize. And… I have no idea what you are talking about. How would you know which college I study in?”

Nanu sighed and told her the entire tale of how he had liked her that day in temple, how he had found out that she and Sameer knew each other, how he had noticed that Sameer always shared with her, how he had observed the spark between them and had gotten the two schools together, and then the whole Mumbai debacle and how he had finally fixed their wedding.

She sat back amazed at the tale pondering how this story had progressed with so many characters. Basically everyone around them knew that they loved each other, except they themselves. Had they been so obvious? How did they never realize themselves?

Nanu’s voice broke in her thoughts, “are you angry with me?”

Naina smiled, “no Nanu… I am not. Why would I be? Sameer and I are very lucky to have someone like you in our lives, who had faith on us and our feelings even when we ourselves never realized it. Sameer is the biggest happiness I have found in my life, and maybe it would have taken much long for us to realize and meet if you hadn’t come up with this wedding discussion. I don’t have any complains, and I am sure neither does Sameer.”

Nanu took a breath of relief and then put forth another question that worried him, “Sameer told me you don’t like coming to Ahmedabad. I… I was just wondering what are your thoughts about it. I mean… after your wedding…”

“We will stay in Ahmedabad”, she immediately assured.

Nanu couldn’t help but immediately query, “really? But… you…”

Naina tried to explain, “I know my family is still sour about my alleged affair, and I don’t know if some of those relationships will ever mend… But this city is home. My home, Sameer’s home. And I know Sameer is living in Mumbai to learn, to grow… He wants to be capable of handling the responsibility you want to give him. I cannot even think of keeping him away from you, from his future. And to be honest, as long as I am with Sameer it doesn’t really matter what part of the world I am in.”

A wide smile bloomed on Nanu’s face at this, and he blessed her, “I always wished that someone would come in Sameer’s life who would truly understand him, who would look past his exterior and see the real him, someone who would make him realize that he need not be perfect… someone who would love him so much that he would forget every pain in his life. When I met you somehow I just felt that it would be you… my wish was fulfilled.”

Naina smiled, blushing a bit, “ever since I met Sameer all my wishes have fulfilled.”

They talked a bit more with Nanu querying about Sameer’s lifestyle in Mumbai and Naina assuring him that she would also take care of him. Then she asked, “Nanu… if you don’t mind, can I go out with Sameer for some time? There’s a place we used to visit when we were in school, and now we are here together again, I just want to go to that place again.”

Nanu immediately gave his permission, and said he would take care of Arjun whenever he came to pick her up. When they went outside Sameer was at the dining table, gobbling up ice-cream from a big bowl, while Rohan was sedately eating the same from a much smaller bowl. Naina saw that Sameer’s mouth was smeared with the chocolate ice-cream, and chuckled. When he looked up at her, she wiped his mouth with her hand gently, “you didn’t find a bowl bigger than this?”

He grinned, “I was waiting for you… see I left your half.”

She looked into the bowl to check, and saw enough ice-cream to last her for three times at least. Shaking her head, she took the bowl from him, “I will burst if I eat this much, and so will you. I will just taste from this, okay? And then you can eat it later, but not at one go… Divide it in at least two times.”

He pressed his lips and nodded obediently. She smiled, “now go… wash your hands and mouth. We are going out.”

His eyes lit up with excitement, “we are? Where?”

“To our special place”, she informed surprising him. As she helped herself to a spoonful of ice-cream and then went to keep the bowl inside, he almost felt like dancing in delight. He rushed up the stairs to freshen up, all the while grinning because she had termed his special place as theirs. Yes… Everything was theirs now. And what an idea! He should have thought of taking her there, but instead she had now asked for it. He quickly washed his face and wiped, and then started to leave the room, but paused.

The bracelet.

He should take the bracelet along and keep it back where he had found it. But what would he tell Naina? The truth, he decided. Anyways there was nothing to hide, and Naina was intelligent enough to understand. And so he swiftly pocketed the bracelet, and then went downstairs. Taking the keys of car from Nanu, he escorted her outside, and opened the door for her. The drive was a short one; he took the road via her school, and stopped outside the gates.

Staring at the locked metal gates, he mused, “you remember… I ate your cooked food for the first time here, I tried to pacify your after our quarrel here, and our game of pranks re-started here… right at these gates.”

She laughed, “yes… I remember… but our game of pranks re-started in Law Garden, not here.”

He frowned, “what do you mean? We never played any pranks there… we just met once accidentally.”

“There is no need to lie now”, she rebuked, “you stuck chewing-gum in my hair that evening… And I had to cut my hair… That is why I snipped off all the wires in your bike.”

He gaped at her, “chewing gum? I didn’t… I would never…” He trailed off as a sudden scene flashed in his mind, and he cursed, “oh shit… that’s where it went.”

She looked at him in confusion, “what are you mumbling?”

He turned towards her, and caught her hand, “Naina… I swear I didn’t do it…”

She frowned, “Sameer I didn’t know who had done it… but then I heard you tell your friends that your chewing gum fell.”

“Yes”, he exclaimed, “that’s exactly what had happened. It fell… I tripped on a stone, and the gum spat out of my mouth. I tried to look for it because I was worried it would be stuck to someone’s shoes but I couldn’t find it. I had no idea it went in your hair… Trust me Naina, I would never do that…”

She digested this information, and then chuckled, “so that means I had almost destroyed your bike for no reason.”

He sighed, sliding his hand in her hair, and pulling her close. Touching his forehead to hers, he said, “I am glad you did that… else we would have never re-started playing pranks. And by the way… before Law Garden incident happened, I had seen you here on this road one day. You were going in the direction of my school on your cycle with Preeti, and you rang your bell twice. I thought it was for me, but you never noticed me as you went by. I was so angry at how you completely ignored me, and so I had honked twice to gain your attention.”

“I am sorry”, she closed her eyes and whispered, “I never ignored you on purpose.”

He smiled and muttered, “I am sorry too… I love your hair Naina… And I had noticed it when you cut it but never asked.” They stayed like that for some time each of them reminiscing the past, and he suddenly queried, “Naina… did you ever notice I had inscribed an S beside your initial on your desk?”

She opened her eyes, smiling at him, “of course I did. I guess you did it to provoke me and let me know who had played those first pranks on me.”

He too opened his eyes and straightened, “yes… but if you had seen it then why didn’t you scratch it off?”

“I didn’t see it that day”, she confessed, “I noticed during the time we were not speaking to each other. I wanted to erase it, but Preeti and Swati challenged to let it be… And then slowly somehow looking at that N and S together stopped bothering me. It became… natural.”

He glanced at the school building once more, “do you think it’s still there?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know… does it matter if our names are together on a desk or not?”

He chuckled, “I guess not. They will be together on our wedding card.”

She smiled, blushing and tucked her open hair behind her ear, “shall we go?”

He nodded and started the car again, driving the short distance to the small woods and parked on the side. “Hang on”, he stopped her when she started to open the door herself. Puzzled she stopped; he quickly got out, walked over and opened the door for her, extending his hand to her. Surprised she held his hand, and descended. Closing the door, she queried, “what was this?”

He grinned, “husband duties…”

She laughed, giving his hand a gentle squeeze and they started to walk into the woods, down the familiar path. The shimmering water of the pond was visible just a short distance away, and Naina increased her pace eager to reach, but Sameer stopped near a cluster of bushes. Feeling the tug on her hand, she turned back, and asked, “Sameer… why did you stop? Let’s go.”

He took out a small clump of paper from his pocket, “Naina… I… I need to keep this here.”

Puzzled, she moved beside him, “what’s this?”

“A bracelet”, he confessed, “I found this here just before I left for Mumbai.” He told her the entire tale of how he had found the golden bracelet, and kept it with him thinking it was pretty, and then he had thought it was lucky. He chuckled, “you know… it has these small stars hanging from it, and I named them starts of destiny. I have no idea why I was so attached to it… Somehow it gave me peace. It was strange… I cannot explain it. But now… it feels like cheating to keep it. I am yours… only yours… and this bracelet belongs to some girl whom I don’t know. I cannot keep it with me anymore, but I couldn’t throw it just anywhere, so I brought it here with me thinking I will just keep it back where I had found it.”

Naina stared from the bushes to him, shock written all over her face, and along with that was an expression of utmost disbelief. He glanced at her, and hastily said, “please Naina… don’t be angry with me. I really don’t know who this belongs to… maybe I shouldn’t have taken it in the first place, but I don’t know why I did…”

She touched the paper cautiously, “can I see it?”

He nodded, and unwrapped the paper revealing the bracelet for her to see. He held it up and a small smile curved his lips, “I won’t lie to you… I still like it. But now I can’t keep it.”

She flicked one gold star, and then held his hand, covering the bracelet, “I guess you can keep it Sameer.”

Hope flickered in his eyes, but then he resolutely shook his head, “no… it is cheating. I cannot… I should not find peace in anything that isn’t connected to you.”

She tilted her head, her eyes shining with love, left his hand, “this is connected to me… just like you call it stars of destiny, I used to call it my lucky charm. Chachaji had gifted this to me on my 15^th birthday… When I came here before leaving for Mumbai, my hand got tangled in this bush, and I lost my bracelet. I didn’t see it then because it was getting dark and also I was not in a proper frame of mind. But I had hoped it would have reached someone who needed it.”

Sameer’s fingers went lax in surprise and the bracelet almost dropped to the ground. But he quickly knelt and caught it his palm. Straightening up, he stared at her, “this… this is your bracelet?”

She nodded, “yes… so you can keep it.”

Clutching the bracelet in his fist, he walked with her to the pond, still in a state of surprise. They sat down beneath their usual tree, and she asked, “what are you thinking?”

“Meant to be”, he whispered, “I am thinking about your words… It is so unbelievable that you had lost your bracelet here, and I found it… That time when we had thought none of us mattered to the other, this bracelet kept our destiny connected. You were right Naina… we were always meant to be.”

She leaned on his shoulder, “aren’t you getting too serious all of a sudden Mr. Maheshwari?”

He looked down with his brows furrowed, “what do you mean?”

She lifted her eyes to look at his face, “all this destiny talks… we are here… at our special place. What happened to all those teasing and mischief? I don’t want to marry such a serious person.”

He curved an arm around her waist, and pulled her closer, “so… my mischief turns you on?”

Her eyes widened, “Sameer… wh…”

Lifting his other hand, he touched her lips, and the fingers of his hand around her waist rubbed the soft skin there. She quivered, her eyes glazing over. Elated at this effect he whispered, “you know right, you are looking hot today?”

She swallowed, “I am?”

“Oh yes”, he whispered, “so hot that I want to eat you up… just wondering where shall I start?” His rubbed his thumb over her lips, “here?” Then he stroked her waist, “or here?”

She gasped, suddenly straightening, and tried to get up to escape. She had triggered him but she had forgotten he wasn’t the school boy who had no right on her… But rather he was her would-be husband. He caught her hand, stopping her escape, the bangles rubbing with each other because of his tight hold and her attempts to free herself. Gently, he wrapped the delicate bracelet around her wrist, and locked it. She looked back in surprise, “what are you doing?”

“Returning your lucky charm to you”, he replied, “I don’t have to keep it with me anymore.”

She queried, “why not?”

He cupped her face with one hand, “because my luck, my peace, my everything is you. When you came in my life all those years ago, I never expected anything. But now… everything I need is right in-front of me.”

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and he smiled, “I want something today… will you give me?”

She nodded without even querying what it was. She didn’t know what he would ask for, but a man who would refrain from a kiss even after her agreement would never ask her for something she wouldn’t be ready to give. Lifting her right hand, he stroked the back of her palm, and then very slowly dipped his head, placing the softest kiss ever on the bracelet. The feel on his lips on her skin, made her shiver. He picked up her left hand, and turned it over, stroking the inside of her palm for a moment, and then placed a kiss there too, as he whispered, “I am sorry.”

Her voice seemed breathy even to her own ears when she asked, “for what?”

He kept his eyes glued to her palm, “my first prank on you… that drawing of your school principal. Your teacher hit you because of that.”

She pulled her hand back, and cupped his jaw, tilting his head to meet his eyes, “how did you know?”

“I was there”, he told her, “outside the window. I wanted to see you being punished… But trust me Naina, I had no idea that in your school teachers would hit girls like that. In our school the maximum punishment girls would get was detention. I wanted to see you frustrated when you were made to sit alone in classroom… But…” He squeezed his eyes shut as if the memory still troubled him, “I saw your teacher hit you with that wooden scale. I saw how even your father didn’t defend you. I saw how you tried to stop your tears. I am sorry… I am so sorry… I wanted to come inside and confess, but your principal and that other teacher saved you. I wanted to apologize that day but my pride stopped me.”

She rubbed his cheek, “hey… look at me…” When he opened his eyes, she smiled, “stop it… you don’t have to be guilty at all. You know… I really appreciated those pranks. I had found someone who could outwit me. Sameer… a lot of things happened in the past that were bigger than that simple wound on my palm. And we have moved forward from all those, so why are you holding onto this one?”

He looked away at the pond, “because it happened due to my stupidity.”

She was tempted to roll her eyes and scold him for being so serious about something so negligible. But she didn’t do that… She knew Sameer. There was some inherent urge inside him to protect her. Like the way he had barricaded her from Sanjay at the fair with his hands… She had thought it was because by then they were friends. But no… it was more. She couldn’t name but it was because of the pull they had between them. Just like she never objected to his touch, he always protected her. They had both done unexplainable things for each other… So scolding him for his nature wasn’t going to help him… But something else might…

Her eyes glittered as she shifted closer to him, lifted a bit and positioned herself on his lap. He jerked in surprise, “Naina… what… what are you doing?”

She lifted her hands, showing him her palms, “it hurts.”

His brows furrowed, “what?”

“My hands hurt”, she pouted, “I need more kisses.”

He sucked in a breath at this demand, and his heart thumped as he held her hand, “on your hands?”

She nodded, her eyes innocently wide, “yes… properly.”

“As you wish honey”, he murmured, and then wrapped his arms around her, tilting her back on the ground. Surprise flashed in her eyes, but she didn’t raise any objection which elated him. Placing her gently on the grass, he lay down next to her, and looked into her eyes that held trust, love, desire and questions. He knew she wondered what he was going to do. Still looking into her eyes, he picked up her hand and slowly kissed each of her fingers. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips skimmed the back and inside of her palm, and when he nibbled the inside of her wrist she let out a soft sigh of his name. He stretched her hand out on the grass, linking their fingers, and knelt, kissing every inch of her exposed hand… He placed soft kisses somewhere, hot open-mouthed kisses somewhere, and found a few spots to nibble on. And all she could do was lie there, her breathing heavy, her body quivering, her sighs turning to low moans. When he reached her shoulder, she had completely surrendered herself to him… There was not a single objection that raised its head inside her. If he wanted their first kiss to be here, then so be it… But when he again rubbed her nose with hers, she knew he wouldn’t kiss her lips, she knew he would stick to her demand. He lifted with the support of his arms, and crossed over her body to lie on the other side. No part of his body touched hers, but she felt every millisecond of those few moments when his body hovered over hers. The warmth allured her, and her body trembled with a new need… Lying on the other side, he repeated the same procedure with her other hand, leaving her breathless, panting, and in need of more. She felt his breath on her cheeks, as he whispered, “did I do well? Or you need more?”

She opened her eyes, only to lose herself in the melting chocolate brown eyes that had always captivated her. Some urgent emotion surged through her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down in a hug, hiding her face against his shoulder. He let out a surprised sound as he collapsed on her, and his entire body stiffened with need immediately. God… this woman. Here he was trying to be gentlemanly and she was hell bent on breaking his control. He held her waist, and rolled over on his back, adjusting her over him. They both lay there like that, each of them calming themselves, getting their breath back. He had always thought of hand kisses as a normal gesture of affection between a boy and girl, nothing special, but kissing Naina’s hands had made him realize that even this much was a monumental step. The happiness he had felt at her demand, the effect he had experienced when he had kissed, the way he had lost his own breath, and the desire to do it again had made him feel what a big step this was in their relationship. She sighed, nuzzling her face against his neck, and he chuckled, “are you going to sleep?”

She swatted his shoulder lightly, but said, “wish I could… but we have to go back.”

Reluctantly he checked his watch and realized she was right, in fact, Arjun might already be there at his home. “Alright”, he muttered, “let’s go.”

He helped her sit up and then sat up himself, watching her adjust her saree. Standing up he brushed his pants to remove any dirt, and then offered his hand to her. When she stood up she also patted her saree and adjusted the waistline a bit. Tilting his head, he stroked a finger at the curve of her waist, “I am going to miss this view in Mumbai.”

She laughed and was about to reply when he suddenly exclaimed, “ouch”, and clapped his hand on the side of his neck. Concerned she asked, “what happened?”

“I don’t know”, he murmured, “something bit me.”

“Let me see”, she said, and parted his collar. He bent a bit so that it was easy for her to see, and she wrinkled her nose, as she picked a dead ant in her fingers and discarded it. “You squished it”, she informed, “one minute.” He watched her walk to the pond, and dip her handkerchief in it, then she came back and wiped his neck with the wet cloth, to clean the area and also provide him some relief from the sting.

After a minute he stopped her ministration, “I am okay. Let’s go now, else we will be late. And this is not Mumbai that PB will allow you to stay out with me.”

She nodded, holding his hand once more, and they walked out of the woods. He started the car, but kept scratching his neck, as it still stung. She chuckled, moving his hand aside, and rubbed her hand over the small red spot, “does it still sting?”

“A little”, he accepted, “I didn’t know an ant can bite like this.”

“Let me see”, she said once again, and inched closer. He thought she would check the spot, or use her wet kerchief again, but he gasped in surprise when her lips brushed gently over the spot as she kissed him. It was so brief and so quick that he wondered if he had just imagined it… He looked at her sitting demurely; her lips pressed as if trying to control a smile, and narrowed his eyes, “did you just… kiss my neck?”

She bit her lip, “no… I just kissed your wound.”

He thought about it for a moment, and then clapped his hand over his mouth, again exclaiming, “ouch.”

Surprised by his immediate mischief, and idea to get a kiss she laughed aloud. He looked at her hopefully, and she leaned forward increasing his heartbeats. Pulling his hand away, she cupped his jaw, and rubbed his lower lip with her thumb, “Mr. Maheshwari… no ant can bite you here. The day your lips have a mark, it will be from me, not from an ant. Do you get it?”

His eyes glittered as he kissed her thumb, “yes honey.”

“Good”, she replied, drawing her hand back, “now drive…” He obeyed her, driving down the road as the sun set behind them, and he hoped that everything was alright at home.