Only Mine Chapter 24: Commitment of Love

The evening sun made surroundings glow golden; the twittering of birds interrupted with honks from vehicles; children could be seen playing in the park, footpath, society compound, relishing the feel of summer vacation. A roadside sugarcane juice stall tempted people to stop and have a drink, and Sameer parked the car nearby.

Naina frowned, “we will be late.”

“Not much”, he countered with a pleading smile, “just one glass… please…” When she still seemed a bit reluctant, he added, “I got bitten by an ant… have some mercy.”

She laughed out, “the ant was tiny.”

“Ok then”, he suggested, “consider it a need for my kiss-less condition.”

She tilted her head, “what happened to butter?”

He shrugged, “that was before… after your demand today I would need to eat everything I crave for to deal with it.”

“I see”, she chortled, “well… I can’t say no then… can I?”

He grinned, pumping his fist in triumph, making her laugh out more. They got out of the car and he ordered one glass of sugarcane juice without ice. After adding the spice mixture to it, he inserted two straws in the glass, and they sipped at it. As soon as they finished he ordered one more glass, and the vendor shook his head, thinking how couples often did crazy things like this.

By the time they reached home it was almost 6pm, and they were faced with a restless irritated Arjun. As soon as he saw Naina, he reprimanded, “where the heck were you? Didn’t I tell you that I would be here by 5pm?”

Sameer’s eyes narrowed, and his voice was laced with hint of threat, “she was with me… I think that should be enough.”

Arjun glanced at Sameer, and it seemed as if he wanted to say something, but then just pressed his lips and gave a short nod. Nanu was sitting on the couch, and seemed not so happy with the situation. Vishakha and Mr. Somani were also nearby, and both of them looked on with curious expressions at Arjun and Naina. Rohan was standing near the kitchen entrance, and was trying to signal something with his hands, but Sameer rolled his eyes and ignored him.

Arjun addressed his sister, “let’s go… I am getting late.”

Naina nodded, “just a minute… let me say bye.” She went to Nanu, ignoring her brother’s impatient cluck, and took his blessings once more.

Nanu smiled at her, “I wish we could meet again before you both have to leave.”

“I will try”, she assured, “and you also need to come to Mumbai at least once. I know you didn’t visit because Sameer lives alone, and you didn’t want to put any pressure on him, but now I am there.”

Vishakha suddenly chimed in, “you would be living with him?”

Naina looked puzzled at this, “why would I live with him before our wedding? I just meant that I am there to take care of Nanu when he visits.”

Nanu shook his head, and said, “I will definitely try to visit once. After all I also have to meet your… umm… PB?”

She chuckled, “yes… she would be thrilled.” Next she went to seek Vishakha’s blessings even though she knew it was useless. And just as she had expected she didn’t get any response. She waved at Rohan once, and then turned to Sameer, “umm… bye…”

He frowned, “why are you saying bye to me? I am coming to drop you home.”

She blinked, “but… bhaiya…”

“He can sit on the back seat”, he replied, “it’s a car, not bike.”

She was almost tempted to giggle at this, but on seeing her brother’s scowl she controlled herself. The journey to Nirmal Jyoti Society wasn’t fun because there was literally no conversation. Arjun seemed determined to keep staring out of the window, and Sameer didn’t entertain him with any formalities. Naina sighed, wondering why her brother was so unhappy with everything.

The car stopped in-front of the society gate and Arjun got down without a word of thanks. Naina shook her head in dejection, and looked at Sameer, “I am sorry… He is just not himself since he broke up with Shefali, and it seems he is still not happy with me.”

Sameer placed his hand over hers, “you don’t need to apologize for someone else’s foolishness. And you also don’t need to listen to his useless rebuke.”

She smiled, “it is just a couple of days more. I don’t want to create unnecessary friction at home.”

He was about to reply when Arjun knocked on her side of window, and she jerked in surprise. “I could punch him right now”, he muttered, his eyes flashing with rage at the interruption.

“Don’t…”, she rubbed his arm, “don’t spoil your mood. It was a very nice evening, so just remember that… And I will call you tonight.”

He smiled, “okay honey. I will wait.”

“Bye”, she stroked his neck briefly where the ant had bit, “don’t sulk at dinner…”

He watched her leave, and sighed, starting the car again, a small smile curving his lips as he remembered how she had understood his pain today despite his stupidity and her demand for the kiss. God… He just wanted to slide his fingers in her hair, cup her face, tell her how much he loved her and then kiss her. Just… kiss her. How could he get her to feel the need? She understood that he wanted it. But why didn’t she? There was no doubt that she liked him a lot, she was attracted too, and she didn’t mind kiss-talk… Then why was there still an objection to kiss? Did she have any perfect moment in mind? Ya… That was possible. Just like he kept thinking that his love confession has to be special maybe she thought that the moment of their first kiss should be special. Could it really be that? Or was she still reluctant? He couldn’t decipher from her words or actions, but he had a feeling of assurance in his heart since she had at least demanded that he kiss her hands today. And my God… What an experience that was! Maybe it was better that Naina hadn’t yet agreed to a proper kiss… If just kissing her hand could make his heartbeat race like that then who knows if he had kissed her lips then maybe he would have fainted right there.

He reached home, still lost in thoughts of kissing Naina, and was interrupted by Rohan who seemed too much interested in talking to him. He bounded up the stairs, and closed the door of his room on Rohan’s face after muttering, “I don’t want to talk to you.”

Not caring a bit about what anyone would think of his behavior he spent the time until 9pm in his room, and then reluctantly went downstairs to have dinner with others. Nanu tried to keep the conversation at the table neutral, talking about his company, and thankfully neither his mother nor Mr. Somani created a scene. After dinner he was about to escape inside his room once more, but Rohan grabbed his arm just outside his room. He threw an irritated glare at the boy and jerked his arm free. He was about to close the door again, but Rohan’s words made him stop.

Rohan just stood there with a worried expression and pleaded, “please bhai… this is about bhabhi.”

Sameer froze, his hand clenching on the door, “what about her? She is mine…”

Rohan was puzzled, “huh? What?”

Idiot Sameer… Why are you still being insecure? If Naina got to know this time she would definitely kick you. Plus… Rohan had called her bhabhi.

Sameer shook his head, “never mind… what do you want to say about her?”

Rohan gingerly asked, “can I come in? I don’t want mummy to hear…”

Sameer’s brows furrowed as he thought it over, but he wasn’t ready to let this boy enter his room. “No”, he refused, “let’s go up to the terrace.” Rohan shrugged, stepping aside to let Sameer come out. Both the boys went up the stairs, and Sameer closed the door so that no one interrupted them, and asked, “What is it?”

Rohan fidgeted, shuffling his foot, glancing here and there. Sameer rolled his eyes with impatience, “c’mon… out with it… I don’t have all night.”

“Just a minute”, Rohan requested, “I have never done this.”

“You are not proposing a girl”, Sameer scoffed.

Rohan glanced up, his eyes wide, “uh… I don’t think I could ever do that…”

Sameer quirked a brow, “don’t worry… every girl doesn’t slap.”

“Slap?” Rohan’s eyes seemed to widen even more, “did you… I mean… did someone slap you?”

Sameer almost smiled, but caught himself; he was surprised at his own reaction. What the hell was he doing? Chit-chatting with his step-brother? He needed to get the hell out of here… Naina could call any time. Putting up the best glare he could, he asked, “is that why you brought me up here?”

Rohan gasped, shaking his head in negative. He swallowed a bit, and then mumbled, “mumma told bhabhi’s brother that she doesn’t like Naina and doesn’t agree to the wedding.”

“What??” Sameer’s temper spiked, “What did you say? Mummy told Arjun that she doesn’t agree to my and Naina’s wedding?” Rohan took a step back on hearing his brother yell, and nodded. Sameer couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “how? When? Where was Nanu? He had assured he would take care…”

“Nanaji tried”, Rohan assured, “but… someone from factory came to meet him for delivering an urgent file. He was gone for five minutes, maybe… And mummy took the chance to say this. I… I tried to interrupt… But I couldn’t…”

“And why not?” Sameer thundered, “were your lips sealed? Or maybe the truth is you didn’t want to stop it… maybe you felt happy to see my happiness getting ruined… Isn’t that what you have always done?”

Rohan looked shocked at this outburst, and tears pricked his eyes. He stepped back further. Sameer commanded, “don’t you dare step away… answer me. Why did you do this? First you took away my mother, and now you are trying to break my relationship with Naina… Do you feel happy by seeing everyone else sad? Speak up…”

“I didn’t” Rohan said in a low voice, keeping his head down to hide the rapidly escaping tears, “I didn’t take mummy away… Just like you were small at that time, I was also small… What’s my fault in this? I didn’t even know about you until I was in second grade, and since then I always kept asking about you to mummy.”

Sameer stared at the boy in surprise, his words though barely audible made him realize what he had uttered in his anger. Oh God… Before he could think further, Rohan continued, “and today… I tried… I swear I tried to stop mummy from saying those things to Arjun but… I couldn’t… I guess I am not as brave as you. Maybe the boys in college are right, I am a coward.”

Sameer realized Rohan was crying, and he felt shaky at what he had done… He had always been rude to Rohan, but he had never been outrightly harsh… But today seemed to be a day when he was a total failure in keeping his temper in check. Objectively he knew that Rohan was a year younger than him, so he was also very small when his father re-married. Just like he didn’t remember his own father, maybe Rohan didn’t remember his own mother. He would have known Vishakha as his mother always… Unlike him, Rohan hadn’t lived in hostel, or away from his parents, so for him there was no step-mother relationship. He considered Mr. Somani as step-father but Rohan loved Vishakha like his own mother. But still he always blamed him for taking his mother away… And now he had said things he shouldn’t have…

Naina had understood him, and tried to ease his pain… But Rohan was too scared of him… Till date it had given him a weird pleasure to see the frightened reactions he could cause in Rohan and Deepika… But today, on seeing Rohan cry, he didn’t feel any kind of pleasure. Rather he felt disgusted of himself. And what was this about college boys calling him coward? Did he get teased in college? He had never been on the receiving end of teasing until he joined the Mumbai college, but there too he had ignored most of it because he had known that the reasons being used to tease him were something he could turn around in a minute if he wanted to… He could wear stylish clothes to college if he wanted to, he could get a car in Mumbai if he wanted to, he could have a huge sum of money at his disposal if he wanted to… The point for him had been that he had chosen the life in Mumbai, but still he had sometimes felt pressured with the excessive teasing. And then after the breakup with Priya there had been those repeated comments on his masculinity… Everything had irked him, but he had tried to keep a hold on his temper, and then he had found Naina so nothing had mattered. But Rohan… What should he do about him? Or the question was, should he do anything?

Yes.

That was the firm decision in his head, not in his own voice, but Naina’s voice. It seemed as if Naina was prodding him to take the necessary step forward, to do the right thing. Just based on his historical nature, he tried to resist the voice in his head, he tried to turn away. Why should he do it? He had been hurt the most in whatever had happened… Maybe Rohan wasn’t at fault. But still his mother had ignored him for Rohan. Wasn’t that enough for him to hate his step-brother? If Rohan hadn’t been there maybe he would have been able to stay with his mother even after her second wedding. Sometimes people screwed up things just by existing, and Rohan had done the same. So, why should he do anything now?

Because Rohan is the only one who had talked to Naina properly today.

This time the argument was in his own voice. And he cursed his subconscious for being so morally correct all the time. Still he knew that the thought was right. Apart from Nanu, Rohan was the only one today who had behaved properly with Naina. Sameer sighed, dragging his hand over his face, and hoped that the time wouldn’t come when he would regret what he was about to do. He tried to keep his voice gentle, but still couldn’t add any affection to it, as he said, “stop crying… look… It is past 10pm, and Naina might call anytime. Why don’t you… uh… Why don’t you come to my room? We can talk there and that way I won’t miss her call.”

Rohan looked up in surprise, and quickly wiped his tears, “y…your room? But… you never… Are you sure?”

“Yes”, Sameer replied tersely, “but don’t make me think twice about it. Wipe your nose… For God’s sake, don’t you have a handkerchief?”

“I do”, Rohan obediently replied, pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face and nose.

Sameer stared at his face, as if inspecting, and then gave a short nod, gesturing him to follow. They went down the stairs; Sameer looked around to check that no one spotted them and then opened the door of his room to let Rohan enter. Sameer locked the door, still not sure if what he was doing was right or not. He wasn’t really getting any good or bad feeling at that moment, but it was a huge thing to let Rohan enter his sanctuary. Till date only Nanu had been allowed on occasions, and then Naina whom he had neither permitted, nor had she sought permission… But that was Naina… This was Rohan… Before he could decide what to say or do, the phone rang, and he rushed to pick it up.

It was Naina, and he automatically smiled, “hey honey.”

Rohan smiled a bit but when Sameer glared, he quickly turned towards the window as if not seeing would mean, not hearing as well. Ignoring him for the moment, Sameer queried, “are you alright?”

“Yes, I am”, she replied, “why?”

So Arjun hadn’t created a scene after reaching home. Good. He also kept it light, “nothing… just asking because Arjun seemed bit angry.”

Naina smiled, “it’s nothing… He has been angry on everyone since a long time now. Don’t mind him. Did you eat?”

“I did”, he replied, “what about you? Did Chachiji make something yummy for you?”

She laughed, “we had a guest over for dinner. Some distant relative who had heard about my wedding news… So yes, dinner was a good spread. And I learned how to cook a few more items.”

He grinned, happy that she was utilizing her time, and this also meant that when they were back to Mumbai he would surely get to try some new dishes. “I am eager to taste”, he quipped.

She instantly asked, “what?”

He couldn’t immediately understand, “what what?”

She chuckled, “I meant… what are you eager to taste… the food… or…?”

He glanced at Rohan once, knowing he couldn’t flirt openly, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t. Lowering his voice a bit, he asked, “do I have an option for or?”

She blushed, “who knows… I might just consider…”

He sucked in a breath, and once again surreptitiously glanced at Rohan before adjusting himself, “I will wait for that moment.”

“Me too”, she replied softly, and then asked, “did you hear from your office?”

He informed, “yes… The assignment starts from Monday. So maximum we would have to leave by Sunday… Is that okay with you? Or would you like to stay back a few more days?”

“No, I will return with you”, she replied, “this trip has been better than expected, but I don’t want to stay back without you…”

He smiled, “I was hoping you would say that… I know once my assignment starts we won’t be able to meet regularly, but still, I want that train journey back with you.”

Warmth rose inside her, and her heart thudded, “Sameer, I… umm… ah… I want to do some shopping before we leave. Will you come with me?”

“Of course I will”, he readily agreed, “why were you hesitating so much to ask this?”

She bit her lip, “just like that… Preeti is here… We will talk tomorrow.”

He shook his head, “you seem bit lost. Take good rest… Bye honey…”

“Bye”, she murmured, “don’t argue with anyone.”

Naina stared at the phone mortified as she disconnected the call… Goodness… She had been about to tell him that she loved him… Like this? Over the phone? What an idiot she was… Thank God she had covered it up with shopping idea. Else he would have pestered her to know what she had on mind… Oh my God… She loved Sameer Maheshwari… How had this happened? Since when?

Well… of course you love him… Else why would you agree to marry him?

That was the thing… Wasn’t it? She hadn’t even taken time to analyze what she felt for him… She had just… gone with the flow? That wasn’t true… She had tried to think but every time failed to come up with a proper explanation. Like the diligent student she had always been, she sat down on her desk and took out a notebook, starting to jot down points.

She liked him… Yes.
She wanted to spend time with him… Yes.

She cared for him… Very much.

She would worry about him… Yes. Often.

She liked it when he noticed her, praised her, liked food cooked by her… Yes.

She didn’t feel awkward when he touched her… Yes.

Each of these points was glaring evidence of the fact that she had felt something extremely prominent for Sameer since school. But she had never realized it, or she should say she had never tried to pay any attention to these things. If she had, then maybe just like their friends, she would have also realized that she loved Sameer. Then what had changed now? Or rather since they met again…?

Well… First of all she had missed Sameer too much when he hadn’t been around.

When she had seen him again that day at theatre there had been not even a little bit of awkwardness… She had argued with him, relied on him, worried for him.

She had been distressed when she had lost his phone number, the only means of getting in touch with him.

She had been totally devastated when asked to meet someone apart from Sameer for marriage.

And while she had always acknowledged that he was handsome, this re-meet at the café had made her realize that she was attracted to him as well… Oh yes! She was so much attracted to him that everything inside her started to melt even if he just smiled.

All these days she had tried to keep a handle on her thoughts about him, on her sudden yearning for him… But today when she had seen him in open shirt, she had been almost unable to control herself. It was as if the day she had met him at the theatre had started a slow burn of desire inside her, and the flame had kept on burning brighter and hotter with each meeting. She had yearned for so many things that sometimes she had been scared of her own reaction to him. Several questions had remained unanswered… Why did she never object when he touched her? Why did his arms felt safe? Why did she want to touch him without any reason? Why did his heartbeats against her ear felt so familiar? Why the thought of kissing him didn’t repulse her? Why did his teasing make her flush? Why did she have tantalizing thoughts about him? Why just imagining him shirtless caused a fluttering in her belly? There had been these and several more questions inside her head but she hadn’t been able to bring them all together to that one answer… She had tried to control her feelings, her urges, her emotions for him while at the same time taking steps forward in their relationship because it felt right… Everything with him felt right… And that had been the driving force behind hugging him, agreeing for the marriage without a single objection, even willingly accepting the proposal of roka… She hadn’t known about love, but she had known that no one else had made her feel the way Sameer did… Yet, the unanswered questions had bothered her… Today his anger, his pain, his insecurity, his need of assurance, his vulnerability, his craving for affection had made her realize that it was only her who could give him all of that… And more than that, she had understood that she was ready to give him all of that and more… This meant she loved him. Oh yes, she loved him… And finally she had answers to all her question… She felt all those emotions, yearning, craving, sensations because she loved him… Only he could create those numerous feelings inside her, because somewhere in all these years he had managed to steal her heart without her knowledge.

And now it brought her to another question… Did he love her? Or was it just attraction? But even as this question popped up in her mind, there was an immediate answer too… Yes, he loved her. He hadn’t said the exact words but he had proved it several times…

The way he had looked for her in all the colleges on Mumbai… It was not an easy feat especially given his schedule, but still he had done it, because he hadn’t been able to rest until he found her.

He had thought she had left him alone, that she hadn’t talked to him on purpose when he had called, but still he had tried to reach out to apologize… He had kept her photo on his bedside table for more than a year now.

He had said that she… and only she made his heartbeats race…

He had claimed that she was only his, and he was only hers…

He wanted her; she knew that… she had felt that… she had witnessed the desire in his eyes and the effect on his body. And yet he had been so respectful of her wishes, her boundaries even after she had stopped objecting in words.

And then just yesterday, the sure and confident Sameer Maheshwari, who, she thought, if he tried could actually land up with any girl on this planet, was genuinely insecure about her, and scared of losing her.

If this wasn’t love, then she didn’t know what was… She could wait for the words, but she knew for certain that he loved her. So now what? What was the next step? Confess about love? Or kiss? Well… she can decide on the order later on, the bigger question right now was when and how to do either of those. Not here… Not in Ahmedabad… that she was sure of… Maybe when they return to Mumbai… On one of their dates maybe… How would it be? Would she tell him that she loved him just like that? Or should she think of any special things like flowers and candle-light? She couldn’t think of the perfect scenario… And so her thoughts shifted to kissing… How would she do that? Maybe Sameer would be teasing her about kissing as usual, and she would… umm… she could just kiss him then. Just that thought brought a huge smile on her face… Well, if she kissed him like that without any warning, he might just faint… Wouldn’t that be a spectacular first kiss?

While she was lost in thoughts of kissing, Sameer on the other hand was faced with the difficult task of talking to his step-brother. He was just thankful that Naina was alright. Sitting on his desk chair, he queried, “when mummy said all those things, what did Arjun say?”

Rohan seemed to be puzzled as he replied, “that’s what was strange… he didn’t argue or ask anything at all. He just nodded and said that he had somewhat expected that.”

Every cell in Sameer’s body shifted to alert mode, and his eyes were stormy, “did he say why?”

“N…No”, Rohan stammered, afraid of the anger in his brother’s eyes, “he didn’t say… And no one asked because Nanaji came back.”

Sameer leaned back on his chair, closing his eyes, exhaling in relief, and muttered, “sit down Rohan… I am not going to throw you out of the window.”

Rohan gingerly sat on the bed, “you are angry.”

“Yes”, Sameer replied in a clipped tone, “but not on you. I am pissed at the situation, at mummy, at Arjun… And I am not so good in dealing with these situations. Naina helps me… She calms me down… But without her… I feel lost.”

Encouraged by the long reply, and also by the fact that Sameer still had his eyes closed, he queried, “why didn’t you tell bhabhi? Is she alright?”

Sameer nodded, “yes, she is fine. Arjun didn’t say anything on reaching home, but I don’t trust him… And I didn’t tell Naina because there are some problems in her family at the moment.”

“It looked as if bhabhi’s brother didn’t like her”, Rohan suggested, “how can a brother not care for his sister?”

Sameer scoffed, “maybe just how a mother doesn’t care about her son.”

There was a stretched heavy silence in the room, and then Rohan softly apologized, “I am sorry bhai…”

Sameer’s eyes snapped open, and Rohan immediately recoiled a bit, clutching onto a pillow. Sameer frowned on seeing this, “stop behaving as if I am going to beat you up… Are you really this scared of me?”

Rohan swallowed, looked here and there, and then gave a short nod. Sameer stared at him, wondering that why he was not feeling happy on seeing the fear anymore.

Dammit Naina… What have you done to me? Why am I going all soft and thoughtful?

He recalled Nanu’s words… Someone who would change everything… And then he remembered he had thought that Naina was someone for whom he was ready to change everything. Well… Looked like he was standing on the threshold of the first big change… He was starting to realize that all these years he had behaved like a jerk with Rohan. He couldn’t start being friendly all of a sudden, but maybe he could start with apologizing for today. And so he sighed, licked his lips, and then mumbled, “I am sorry for what I said today.”

Rohan’s eyes widened in surprise as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. After half a minute he squeaked, “what?”

Sameer replied in a pestered tone, “don’t make me repeat it… I just said that I am sorry for what I said today.”

Rohan still gaped at him for a whole minute before saying, “you don’t have to apologize. You were right, I should have done something to stop mummy.”

Sameer rolled his eyes, “and why would you do that? It’s not like I have ever behaved properly with you… Look… I… I know I am wrong in blaming you for mummy’s behavior. But whenever I saw you with her, I felt bad… I felt jealous of you… You received her hugs while I was only scolded. She worried about you but kept accusing me of being spoiled. She pampered you and neglected me. All the time I was compared with you for behavior, marks, attitude, and God knows what else.” His voice broke a bit as he continued, “you got everything from her that I should have got… I don’t blame you for wanting a mother in your life, but you tell me… what would you have done if you were in my place?”

Rohan kept looking at the boy he had always considered as his brother even though there was literally no proper relationship between them. He saw how Sameer’s shoulders were slumped, his throat moving as if he was trying to control his emotions, and the way his hands fidgeted at the chair’s handle-bars. He didn’t know what had changed today, or why Sameer was talking to him all of a sudden, but the apology in his eyes was sincere. And so he stated the truth of what he felt, “I would have behaved the same as you did… maybe worse… because you are brave and I am not. I would have thrown tantrums for attention, misbehaved with you for taking my place in my mother’s life, and would have been always insecure of you. I would have never had the courage to accept my own flaws and apologize like you did just now…”

Sameer blinked in surprise, and then blurted, “don’t lie to make me feel good.”

“I am not lying”, Rohan declared, “do you remember your first cricket match in your school team? You were in 7^th grade at that time, and I was in 6^th… Mummy came to Ahmedabad with Papa for some work, and she had promised you that she would attend your match. But exactly on that day I fell so sick that I had to be hospitalized and Dadi called them back to Delhi. And mummy never got to see you play…”

Sameer remembered this incident clearly… He had been so angry that day when his mother had left. Disappointment had clouded his brain, heart and his performance, and he had been stumped-out on the first ball. It had almost led the coach to decide to drop him from the team, until Nanu had explained why he had not been able to perform, and convinced the coach to give him another chance in next match. He nodded, “yes, I do remember that…”

Rohan had a look of regret as he confessed, “I did that on purpose… I am allergic to peanuts, and I ate a handful of them without telling anyone so that I fell sick… Mummy had been gone for a week, and a day before your match she had called me up and told me how excited she was for your match. I started to think that if she saw you play and you were good then she would start liking you more than me. I didn’t play cricket or any sports for that matter; all I had was my books… I was a nerd and you were cool even at that age. I felt insecure… jealous… nervous.”

Sameer stared at him in shock, feeling the rage bubble up inside him… His hands clenched on the chair, his eyes darkening, and he nearly stood up from the chair. But just at that moment he saw Rohan slide back on the bed once more, away from him, and he paused… Closing his eyes, he dragged a deep breath and chanted that it was way back in the past and didn’t matter now… This wasn’t about his mother anymore… This was about him and Rohan… He could beat the boy black and blue, and yet achieve nothing except more hatred from his mother. He couldn’t be so rash anymore… He had chosen a path in his life, and Naina was there alongside him, and so he needed to be mature and responsible in the way he dealt with situations… After a moment, when he felt a bit calm, he opened his eyes, and said, “it doesn’t matter what you did at that time. Maybe you made her choose… But it was her who made the choice. I know she must have been worried about you, but if she had wanted she could have managed both. While Mr. Somani booked the tickets, she could have just talked to me once about her reason for leaving. I would have been mad but at least not disheartened.”

Rohan was astonished at the calm demeanor, “since when did you start being so… Nanaji type…?”

Sameer’s brow furrowed, “Nanaji type?”

Rohan nodded, “yes… calm, sensible, forgiving and responsible… You actually controlled your anger and thought before replying to me. I have never seen you do that before.”

This brought a smile on Sameer’s face. If he was being compared with Nanu, then he was sure he was doing the right thing. With the smile constant on his face, he replied, “I guess… I changed ever since I fell in love with Naina.”

“Wow”, Rohan muttered, his eyes round in wonder. And then he continued, “I am sorry bhai… Truly… I considered you as my brother and yet I was sometimes jealous and insecure. Whenever I met you I just saw this really good-looking, smart, confident, cool boy that I could never be… And I wanted you to be with me, yet not the favorite son of my mother. It took me a lot of time to realize that you weren’t a threat to mummy’s love for me, but rather you deserved it just as much as I did, maybe more.”

Sameer acknowledged this honesty… and that thing Rohan kept calling him… Bhai… Did he always do that? How had he not noticed it before? He even asked, “why are you calling me bhai all of a sudden?”

Rohan frowned, “what do you mean all of a sudden? I always called you that… And Deepika calls you bhaiya.”

Sameer tilted his head, “she does? I have never noticed… Hmmm… Guess I was so absorbed in my anger that I never paid attention.” Rohan stayed silent, not knowing what to reply. And Sameer also didn’t need a reply. He just sat back and replayed the whole conversation in his mind. It seemed the insecurity and jealousy had been on both sides… There had been some amount of understanding from Rohan, but on the other hand he had always stayed in his own world… Rohan had tried to share his world with him, but he had wanted his mother in his world without any sharing. He didn’t really have any hopes from his mother, but he could maybe at least acknowledge the efforts of his step-brother… He didn’t think there could be a close brotherly bond between them… It was too late… But at least they could be civil to each other and there could be respect between them. Glancing at Rohan he said, “I don’t think you are still crazy enough to put your life at risk by eating peanuts just for mummy’s attention. And I am not competing for her attention now either… I have Naina in my life, and I am extremely happy. I am sorry I said those things earlier today, but all of that was just my anger… There is no excuse for that, but I hope you will forget it… So… shall we call it truce?”

Rohan asked in a puzzled tone, “a truce? Were we fighting?”

Sameer chuckled, “yes… a silent fight over the years… so… what do you say?”

Rohan seemed thoughtful, “does this mean that from now onwards whenever I call you bhai you will answer?”

“I will try”, Sameer replied with a dry smile, “but if your nose is leaking, I won’t…”

Rohan chuckled, “I will always keep my handkerchief handy then…”

Sameer smiled, wondering if he should ask about the teasing at his college, but then discarded thinking it was normal and he would get over it soon. But he did add one thing which he felt, “by the way Rohan… I don’t think you are a coward. Despite my obvious hatred you considered me your brother and tried to maintain the non-existent relationship. After knowing Naina, I have understood that it takes a special amount of courage to care for and respect relationships even when the people involved have hurt you a lot.”

Rohan processed what he heard, and then grinned, “Thanks bhai.” Having nothing more to talk at the moment, Rohan wished good night and left from the room. Sameer stood near the window, wanting some time to organize his thoughts. So many things had happened today… But the thing that stood out for him was the way Naina had demanded the kisses from him… This was what he had wanted. For her to be confident enough to know what she wanted and ask it of him… This was one more proof that the shell had finally broken. A thrill coursed up his spine as he wondered what new surprises he would get in coming days. With dreams of pleasant days ahead, he fell asleep.

The next day was totally a surprise for Naina… As she ate breakfast, she received a call from Sameer, and he queried, “when are we meeting for shopping?”

Naina choked on her mouthful of upma, as she had totally forgotten the excuse she had given for hiding the fact that she was about to confess her love to him. Goodness… What should she say now?

On hearing her cough, he asked, concerned, “Naina… what happened honey? Are you okay?”

“Yes”, she managed to say, swallowing the morsel, and then took a glass of water, sipping on it, as she continued, “I am fine… I just…”

What are you doing Naina? You can’t say you had forgotten the shopping trip. He would ask a thousand questions.

And so she lied, “umm… I bit into a chili.”

He chuckled, “what are you eating?”

“Upma”, she informed.

He hummed, “did you cook?”

She drained all the water from the glass, “no… Chachiji did…”

“Okay”, he smiled, “so when are we meeting?”

Glancing at the clock she did some quick calculations, “how about an hour from now?”

“Sounds good”, he agreed, “I will be there to pick you up. Umm… Naina listen… I had got something for your home… I mean for Chachiji and Chachaji, but I forgot to give it to them. Would they mind if I bring the things over today?”

She slapped her forehead, “oh no… this reminds me that I had also got something for Nanu, but forgot to bring it when I came yesterday.”

He chuckled, “looks like we are on the same boat then… I will bring my gifts along, and you can give it to Nanu tomorrow when he comes to drop us off.”

Naina agreed, “okay… see you soon.”

As soon as she disconnected, she quickly went inside her room, grabbed a notebook, and started to list down what all they can buy. Not much… There was no need for clothes, though she did wish to buy a bandhej dupatta for her new dress. Some snacks maybe that they didn’t get in Mumbai; it would be good to get some munchies for her friends. What more? She closed her eyes, leaning back on the bed, and a vision of Sameer’s apartment popped up in her mind. And suddenly she knew what to buy…

Sameer came to pick her up at the discussed time… And to his utmost surprise he found Pandit standing near the society gate. Puzzled he walked up to his friend, “what are you doing here?”

“I had called up at your home”, Pandit informed, “Rohan said you would come over here. Listen… Remember you had asked me to keep an eye on Naina… I mean… Bhabhi… Her family members just left to go somewhere, fifteen minutes back, and Naina was alone. But then Arjun returned… I don’t know why. I went to call you up since you had mentioned that even Arjun is not on good terms with her anymore.”

“Good that you did”, Sameer mumbled, “let me go and see…”

He bounded upstairs, reaching the doorstep in time to hear Arjun say, “will you tell everyone at home or should I do it?”

Naina seemed to argue, “what do you want to tell? I already know that Sameer’s mother has some objections to this wedding, but that is none of your business.”

“Aren’t you ashamed at all?” Arjun reprimanded, “first you go ahead and have a disgusting love affair while still in school, and now you have the guts to argue with me…”

Naina wasn’t perturbed, “affair? Really bhaiya? You are concerned about my love affair but have no guilt of what you did with Shefali…? She loved you… She told me herself in her letters. Do you have any idea how much you hurt her? You don’t… You are always just concerned about what happens to your marks, your college, your job, your life… Always scared of papa, and only thinking of yourself… All your life, have you ever thought of someone apart from yourself?”

Arjun raised his hand, “how dare you speak like that…?”

Naina closed her eyes, flinching but the expected blow never landed on her cheek… Rather she felt a small gust of air, a familiar smell of cologne, and some fabric brushed against her hand. She opened her eyes, and saw Sameer standing in-front of her, and her brother was on the floor, looking disoriented. She gasped, clutching onto his t-shirt, “Sameer…”

“Don’t worry”, he assured, “I haven’t hit him like I wanted to… just pushed him down.”

She blinked in surprise, holding on tight, “I didn’t…” Before she could finish, Arjun stood up, and scowled at Sameer, “what the hell are you doing here?”

Sameer’s eyes flashed, “I don’t like your tone… and neither your behavior… Don’t ever think of hurting Naina, otherwise next time I won’t stop myself from hitting you.”

Arjun scoffed, “haa! If you had any idea about my sister then you wouldn’t say these things to me.”

Naina came to stand beside Sameer, still holding onto his t-shirt, astonished at her brother. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing… Was he really thinking to tell about her alleged affair with the intention to break her relationship with Sameer? How and when did her brother become so… spiteful?

Sameer narrowed his eyes, “and what is it that you could tell me about my Naina?”

Arjun seemed to debate for a moment, but then looked at his sister and his eyes flashed as he divulged, “Naina had an affair in school… Our neighbor saw her with a boy after 12^th exams.”

This time Sameer punched him… The movement was so sudden that neither Naina nor Arjun could anticipate it. Naina gasped in shock on seeing her brother fall, and then up at Sameer who was still livid with rage.

Arjun grabbed on to the sofa to sit up, shaking his head, rubbing his jaw. Sameer removed Naina’s hand from his t-shirt and then walked up to Arjun, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up, “what did you say? Your neighbor saw Naina with some boy… right? And that was enough for you to believe that she had an affair? You were there with her in school… weren’t you? Didn’t you know her even a little bit? Didn’t you ever pay attention to her?”

Arjun made a surprised, frightened sound, trying to free himself, but Sameer’s grip was tight as he almost shook the other boy, and thundered, “when others accused her did you think of asking her once? Did you try to understand what she was going through? Tell me… is everyone blind in your family? On that day Naina was hurt… you idiot! Couldn’t you see that her knees were hurt? She was limping… A brother is supposed to protect his sister, and here you are trying to break her alliance…”

Disgusted to the core, Sameer left Arjun, and stepped back before he did more damage to him. Arjun stumbled a bit, trying to balance himself, and seemed to think about what he heard, and then asked, “how do you know?”

Naina once again clutched onto Sameer, holding his arm, “Sameer… please…”

Sameer ignored Arjun for the moment, and turned to Naina, softly asking, “what are you afraid of? Don’t you trust me?”

“I do”, she whispered, “but my family… what if they… they… refuse for the wedding?”

He gazed at her intently, “if anyone tries to do that, would you let them?”

“Sameer…”, she muttered, her eyes wide… He asked again, “would you let them Naina?”

She looked into his glittering eyes that seemed to demand something from her; it wasn’t love or assurance or understanding that he was asking for in this moment, he was asking for commitment… A commitment which spanned beyond a mutual promise of lovers, beyond family’s acceptance, beyond the convention of society… He was demanding a promise that she would stand by him willingly, even if her family wouldn’t approve, and if needed she would fight her family for him… for love. The love that existed between them, which they shared, and yet hadn’t confessed. Could she do that? Would she do that? As she gazed into his eyes, trying to read his thoughts, it was his heart that pulled her in…

I could never marry anyone except you because you make my heartbeats race…

Sameer was the kind of person who, if loved, would love with every fiber of his being… And he loved her… There was no doubt about that. He was like a storm that nobody could contain or control, but a little bit of affection and understanding could turn that storm into a gentle breeze. Her love had done that to him… He had given her that power. Even in school she had known that no one could possess him unless he wanted to, and she had even said so to that girl in his school… And he had wanted to be possessed by her… Just her… He took great pride in saying that he was hers, and there was an equal amount of possessiveness when he said she was his. Another thing she had known was that not every girl could handle Sameer Maheshwari’s love… His emotions bordered on devotion and selflessness… It wasn’t for some fickle-hearted girl who would never understand the depth and range of his feelings, and ultimately be incapable of handling his love and end up hurting herself and him. When Sameer Maheshwari loved he made that person the center of his universe. No matter wherever he ventured, he would never be away, and he would never give someone else priority, not even himself. This was the courage that she needed to show today, because if she faltered, then Sameer would still love her, but her love would fall short in her own eyes… And so she took a deep breath, softly declaring, “no… I won’t let them pull us apart… not my family, not your family, not anyone in this whole word can separate us. You are mine… Only mine.”

He smiled, the storm in his eyes calming down, and he turned to Arjun, “the boy who was seen with Naina that day was me… She collided with my bike, and fell down… She was hurt… I came with her, drove along her cycle, to make sure that she reached home safe because she had refused my help. If you had the least bit of concern for your sister, then you might have noticed her pain… But you can’t… because you don’t have the courage and compassion your sister possesses. You loved a girl and left her alone to protect yourself, and then you go around blaming the world for your own failure. Naina stood strong and silent to protect the boy she cared for as a friend, accepted whatever turn life threw her way and pushed through the hardships to become what she is today… A beautiful, confident, compassionate woman who has the spine to do what is right and the heart to forgive and love… You stand nowhere in-front of her Arjun… Go crib to whoever you want to; do whatever you want… none of us cares. Naina has said in-front of you that she would be with me in every situation, and unlike you I have the guts to hold her hand throughout the storm, because I know that my life is nothing without her in it.”

Arjun was stumped as he looked from her sister to Sameer… He didn’t know what to do now… His head was spinning a bit, and his jaw hurt… Puzzled, at a loss of words, he turned and walked out of the house. Naina closed her eyes, shuddered, and then sighed as Sameer wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. “I am sorry honey… I was bit late”, he murmured.

She gripped him tight, “you were right on time. Thank you…”

He queried, “where is your family?”

“They just stepped out to go to temple”, she informed, “I didn’t go because you were coming over… I said we will wait for them to return.”

He nodded and withdrew a bit, “are you ready?”

“Yes”, she adjusted her hair, “just need a minute more. I was wearing these when Arjun bhaiya came back.”

He glanced at the bunch of red bangles near the TV and grinned. It was same bangles he had gifted, and now he noticed that she was wearing the same red salwar-kameez as she had worn on her first trip to his home… The time she had fallen in his arms, and he had noticed how incredibly soft and appealing her body was. Still smiling, he picked up the bangles, and held her hand, sliding them one-by-one on her wrist. Soon there were sounds of shuffling feet outside, and he pulled back from her. Chachaji and Chachiji entered along with Preeti, and he immediately greeted everyone. Chachiji chided Naina for not even serving water, and then hustled along to the kitchen to get some. Chachaji asked about Nanu, and did some small talk. When Chachiji came back with water, he picked up the bag that he had kept near the TV table when he had come in and handed it over, explaining that he had bought them thinking he would give it when they met for first time, but had forgotten. Chachiji accepted it after a bit of hesitation, and then blessed him. He glanced at Naina, “shall we go?” She nodded, and they both left, waving a bye at Preeti.

Once in the car, Naina immediately asked, “can we just come back a bit late… Like early evening or so…?”

He chuckled, “yes of course… Anyways we are leaving tomorrow. Its not that much time left.”

“They… tire me out”, she confessed, “I don’t like being on guard even in my own home. People relax and have fun at home, but I am always alert, ready to protect myself from any taunts or unwanted comments that they might just sneak in between some conversations. It’s not something I like.”

He stroked his knuckles, over her cheek as he drove, “I can understand.” And he meant it… He really could understand, because that was exactly how he felt whenever his mother was visiting. He knew how taxing it could be mentally to never be able to relax at home, the level of frustration because someone else was disturbing your sanctuary of peace. Given what he had witnessed from Arjun today, he was not surprised that Naina didn’t like coming to Ahmedabad much. Trying to divert her mind, he asked, “what do you want to buy?”

She directed him towards Navrangpura area, and he thought she wanted to buy clothes, but to his surprise the first shop she took him to was a home décor one, and asked for bedsheets to be shown. He queried, “why are you buying bedsheets?”

“For your apartment”, she responded casually, and asked the sales person to get some in darker shades.

He caught her hand, and turned her to him, “why?”

She had thought he wouldn’t like it, or assume she was doing a favor, which is why she had been avoiding meeting his eyes, but instead here he was asking her the reason. She smiled, “I noticed you use light shade, and that is also bit worn out. So, I thought it would be good to get some new ones.”

“I am okay with using old sheets”, he suggested.

“I am not”, she replied just as promptly, “now that we are together, I will be coming to your home more often. Especially this summer when you have your assignment… I would like an extra set of keys as well, so that I can enter your flat even when you are not there.”

He stared at her without blinking, “and why would you want to enter my flat when I am not there?”

She smiled, linking her arm with his, and tugged him down, “because I don’t want you to compromise with bread-omlette or sandwich for dinner… because I want to spend time with you… because I think of it as my home too, so I want to add my touch to it… because some days I would like to sit in your arms on the bed or the sofa and watch a movie, or just talk.”

A deep glitter sparked in the depth of his eyes, happiness mixed with contentment, and his lips curved in a lopsided smile, “you know right… having you in my arms on the bed might mean that none of us see the movie.”

She smiled, “no problem… the sound of TV will be for neighbors then.”

His eyes widened, and his breathing increased visibly, “do you have any idea what you are saying?”

“Of course”, she replied amiably, leaving his hand, and turned towards the approaching salesman. For the next fifteen minutes or so, she was focused on buying bedsheets while his eyes were trained on her face. She was suddenly so… comfortable. She didn’t shy away yesterday when he talked about kiss, and today she didn’t blush on his suggestive comment. What was happening?

She however didn’t give him time to contemplate much as she skipped from counter to counter buying some cushion cover, a few towels, and a tall something of which he had no idea. When he asked why are they buying these things here and not in Mumbai, she said, “because it would be more expensive there, and anyways they get stuff from here and sell there. So we got to make smart decisions.”

He liked the fact that she was so involved in their relationship that she was thinking of spending more time with him, and planning about it too. He noticed how she didn’t even ask for money to pay for the stuff they bought, but immediate next moment she demanded lunch from him citing that it was late. He took her to a nearby hotel for lunch, and then she said that she wanted to buy a bandhej dupatta. At the shop however, she chose two, one red and another purple; this time he said he would pay and she didn’t object to it, making him extremely happy. They also went to buy some sweets and snacks for her friends in Mumbai, and he got some too for his neighbors. She demanded to go to the temple, and he agreed, climbing up the long set of stairs for the third time in his life. He had come here with Nanu when he had been seven and just shifted to Ahmedabad, then once before leaving for Mumbai again with Nanu, and now this time with Naina. But while the earlier two times he hadn’t gone inside the main temple, this time Naina just held his hand and took him along without giving him a chance to object. He watched her pray, standing awkwardly beside her. She opened her eyes, looking at him with a frown, and gestured him to pray. He started to tell her that he didn’t pray, but she had closed her eyes again… Watching her diligently he tried to copy her posture, but when he looked at the idol he realized he didn’t know how to pray, so he just closed his eyes and thanked God for bringing Naina in his life.

It was almost 4pm now, and she asked to go to Law Garden. He took her there, knowing very well that she was just avoiding going home. They did bit more shopping, ate some pani-puri as the stalls started opening, and then as the heat of the sun receded a bit, they walked hand-in-hand on the grass. Sameer stared at the plants, the flittering butterflies, the flowers, and wondered that it was the first time he wasn’t restless here. This park had been his smoking haunt, and he never lingered for more time than that… All he was concerned about in Law Garden was the food. But today, he was actually enjoying the stroll; there was some peace in just being like this. After a moment, he left her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to his side and walked that way.

“Do you remember we had met here once? You were smoking”, she mused.

“Yes”, he replied, “and you classified me as bad boy.”

She shrugged, “I didn’t like seeing you smoke, even though based on Kamya’s information I already knew that you had that habit… and you were the one who went ahead and warned me about bad boys that evening.”

He frowned, “did you even understand my meaning? Or just smoking made me bad?”

She looked up at him, puzzled, “was there some other meaning? I thought you were referring to the boys who came here to smoke, like you did.”

He rolled his eyes, “enough with the smoking taunts… okay? I left it, and you know about it… After that afternoon when I threw away the cigarettes and promised you I won’t smoke, I never touched another cigarette. Even though in college many boys smoke, and at my office too, but I always refused if offered.”

She smiled, “I know… I never thought you would break your promise. I was just teasing you.”

He tickled her waist a bit, making her giggle, and then said, “anyways… that evening, here in the garden, when I warned you about bad boys I meant the boys who roam here after sunset looking for opportunities to harass unsuspecting girls.”

Her eyes rounded in shock, “that happens here? Oh God… I had no idea… I didn’t mean you would do anything like that Sameer… you could never do that.”

He smiled, his heart at ease on having his long time doubt clarified, “thanks… that day I felt really bad when you said that…”

“I am sorry”, she apologized, and after a moment added, “the sun will set soon… should we leave?”

“If you want to”, he replied, “but if you want to roam a bit more, I don’t mind… no one will bother you when I am here.”

She paused near a tree, holding his hand to stop him too, and then hugged him tight… It was a brief hug, as if she couldn’t stop herself and he grinned. They sat on a bench for some time, and as the sky started to darken, she sighed, “I guess we should leave now. It’s our last evening here… Spend some time with your friends.”

“I will”, he said, “and you just focus on packing… don’t mind anything anyone says, and if there is some problem, give me a call.” He hesitated for a moment, “Naina… listen… if by chance there is some major problem and you are not able to call me… although I hope your brother keeps his mouth shut… but if something happens, or someone tries to hit you again, just put on a red dupatta or something and come outside to the balcony.”

She tilted her head, “what use would that be?”

“Pandit will know that there is some problem”, he informed, “I will ask him to watch out for red.”

She was puzzled, “Pandit?”

He nodded, his cheeks coloring a bit, “I… ummm… I was so worried about you that when we came to Ahmedabad I had asked Pandit to keep an eye on your home, and inform me if anything happened. Today morning also he had called me to tell me that Arjun had returned alone, but by then I was already on my way… When I reached he was near the society gate, and told me that you were alone with Arjun.”

She was surprised, “but… but I have been out so many times in this week… I never saw him.”

He shrugged, “neither did I when we left your home today… but I am sure he was there somewhere. He does things which I don’t understand often… He somehow always has all the information I need. The only one time he failed was when I had asked him to find you, and he couldn’t tell me that you were in Mumbai.” She still looked extremely surprised, and so he added, “please don’t be angry… I didn’t ask him to watch you, but rather it was more for your family. I don’t trust them yet.”

She smiled a bit, “it’s okay… I understand your concern. And I guess I will be a bit more relaxed tonight on knowing that I could reach out to you anytime.”

He lifted her hand, brushing a soft kiss on the back of her palm, “I could climb up to your balcony at midnight.”

She laughed, pulling him out of the park, “sure… do such stunts in Mumbai… not here.”

He dropped her back at home, still bit astonished at how she was not saying no to anything, and was so comfortable all of a sudden after their roka. She asked about the train timing before leaving, and he said, “Munshiji had told me he would get the tickets for us… so let me check and I will call you.”

The remaining evening was thankfully calm with no sudden storm in any of the houses. Vishakha was occupied in her own packing because they were also leaving next day. Munshiji had got the tickets and to Sameer’s surprise they were of first class AC coach, and he immediately objected citing he couldn’t afford this. But Nanu explained, “I know you probably wouldn’t buy this… but this time take it… We got this because Naina is traveling with you… she is your would-be-wife and after your roka this is the first time you both are traveling like this. Consider it my wish for Naina…”

On hearing this Sameer graciously accepted, and also called up Naina to inform about the timings. He did half of his packing, until Rohan knocked on the door of his room, armed with a movie cassette and asked if he would like to watch. He was about to refuse, when Rohan said, with a sly smile, “its Julia Roberts’ movie… Pretty Woman.”

Sameer’s eyes lit up, and he laughed, understanding that Rohan had noticed the posters yesterday, and invited him in. He had not expected it at all, but it was fun to spend a couple of hours watching movie with Rohan, who surprisingly was not watching this movie for the first time.

Meanwhile at Agarwal house, the elders sat together after dinner, and Taiji cited how odd it looked for a girl to remain unmarried for so long after her roka. Tauji and Rakesh agreed, saying they needed to get this done quickly, if word got out about Naina’s past then they might lose this alliance. Chachaji tried to mention that whatever happened was many years ago, there was no need to worry, and anyways no one knew what the truth was because Naina never said anything. Chachiji also added that she trusted Naina, and was sure all those things their neighbor had said were fake, just rumors. Taiji scoffed that there was no smoke without fire, and they would be better off to get rid of the burden soon, else the Maheshwaris were bound to break off this wedding.

Naina and Preeti had come out to dump some empty snack packets, and overheard the conversation. For a moment, Naina’s hands went cold on hearing the discussion and comments, but then she remembered her promise to Sameer, and his assurance that he would be here anytime she needed him. That gave her courage, and throwing the packets she was carrying in a bin, she walked out followed by Preeti. Everyone immediately looked at the girls, and Chachaji stood up to go to Naina, knowing she must have been hurt if she had heard.

Naina however raised her hand to stop him, and said in a clear confident voice, “I heard what you all were saying about my wedding. Like Nanu said, Sameer and I have decided to get married once we finish college. And you don’t need to worry about them breaking off this alliance… Sameer is not someone who would commit to a girl and then leave her alone. Also, there is nothing about me that Sameer doesn’t know.”

Her family was clearly surprised on hearing this. Chachaji delicately asked, “everything?”

She nodded, “yes… I can see you all are worried about my so-called affair about which our kind neighbor informed you… the incident about which none of you ever asked me the reality. But please don’t worry… Sameer knows the entire truth, and so does Nanu. None of them are going to call off this wedding.”

Everyone was clearly in a state of shock on hearing this. Naina felt a surge of satisfaction at having them stunned to silence, and further informed, “I am leaving tomorrow with Sameer to go back to Mumbai… My train is at 8pm. Sameer and Nanu will come to pick me up at 6:30pm…” Chachiji scrambled up on hearing this, unable to believe it was already one week, and soon started to list out the things she should take back, most of which was snacks.

That night Naina slept peacefully, somehow extremely relaxed on having stated her mind in front of her family, and she could do that because of Sameer. Just before falling asleep she thought she would have to give a special thanks to him for this.

Next day was busy as Chachiji was occupied in preparing several snacks and packing them for both Sameer and Naina. She kept the girls occupied in kitchen and Naina was surprised to see a bigger bag for Sameer; upon asking Chachiji said that it was because he stayed alone. At the other end, Nanu was looking for Sameer in morning, and Vishakha was searching for Rohan; and they were surprised to see both the boys asleep inside Sameer’s room. Vishakha started to enter inside, but Nanu stopped her, “no… don’t do it… if you can’t enter Sameer’s life then you also shouldn’t enter this room because he doesn’t like it.”

“Rohan is inside”, Vishakha stated.

Nanu shrugged, “who knows… maybe both the sons turned out to be better than their mother.” He knocked on the door, and Sameer stirred, sitting up on the bed. Yawning he rubbed his eyes, “Nanu… Good Morning.”

“Good Morning”, Nanu replied, “it’s time for breakfast… maybe you should wake up Rohan too.”

Sameer turned around to see Rohan sprawled on the side of the bed, and realized they both had fallen asleep while talking about college life. He looked back at Nanu, and saw his mother too, who seemed to bit shocked about the situation. Ignoring her, Sameer replied, “yes… I will… We were up late watching a movie. Give me fifteen minutes… we will meet you downstairs.”

Nanu nodded, and closed the door again. Sameer somehow managed to shake Rohan up, and sent him off to bath in his room, and then himself stood up, ready to go back once more. But first there was the train journey, pity there was no RAC this time.

Vishakha, Mr. Somani and Rohan left after lunch as they had a flight, and to everyone’s surprise Rohan smiled and gave Sameer a quick hug, for which he was not pushed or thrashed. Rather Sameer smiled back, wishing him well. Munna and Pandit arrived in evening, and all of them bundled inside the car to go to Agarwal house, where they were greeted warmly. Sameer was taken aback on seeing the bag of snacks that Chachiji had packed for him, and thanked her, quite touched by the gesture. Also, he was surprised to see Naina dressed in a saree, but soon gleaned from the conversation that it was Taiji’s idea since she knew Nanu was also coming to pick Naina up. After a cup of tea, Naina wished goodbye to Chachaji and Chachiji, hugged Preeti, and then was ready to leave. Sameer took her bag, and escorted her downstairs.

The journey to the station was quick, and as they stood waiting for the train, Naina gave the gift she had brought for Nanu. He was surprised, and said there was no need to do this. She smiled, “I know… but I wanted to. It’s not much, but I think you will like it.”

Nanu opened the wrapping, and the box, pulling out the small marble statue of Ganeshji and lifted it up to his forehead, chanting a quick prayer. He carefully placed it back inside the box, and blessed Naina. Munna and Pandit brought some cold sweet milk for everyone. While Sameer was standing with Naina, exchanging the bottle of milk with her for his turn to drink, a porter suddenly loudly asked for space to move. Sameer tried to quickly move aside, but in his haste he collided with a boy who was carrying some hot samosas in his hand… Some of the samosas fell on the floor, and the chutney was smashed all over Sameer’s shirt.

“Dammit”, he cursed, thinking that a perfectly good shirt was ruined.

The boy apologized, and Sameer assured that it was his fault as well. Munna took the boy along to buy him more samosas in lieu of the spilled ones, and Naina helped Sameer clean his shirt with a handkerchief, but it was no use. Finally he just murmured, “leave it… I will change in the train.”

The train arrived right on time, and Naina was surprised to see that they had tickets of first class. She glanced at Sameer curiously, who gestured towards Nanu, and she nodded in understanding, the silent conversation unnoticed by anyone else. Munna and Pandit helped arrange the bags inside their cabin, final goodbyes were spoken, and then the train started to move with a jerk and a loud whistle.

Naina was pleasantly surprised to see that first class AC coach meant they had their own private cabin… Two comfortable berth seats opposite each other, lots of space, and a sliding door that they could close and lock. “It is so nice”, she commented, checking the mechanism of the folding dinner table.

He closed and locked the door, “yes… convenient.”

She turned to see him opening the buttons of his shirt, and blinked, “what are you doing?”

“Changing”, he smirked, “you can’t expect me to keep wearing this shirt.”

She fidgeted a bit, eyeing him as he undid the last button, and then his chest was bare for her view once more. He started to slide the shirt off his shoulders, and she gasped, “uh… I… I should wait outside.”

As she tried to escape, her foot slipped suddenly, and she would have sprawled on the floor but Sameer caught her around the waist, pulling her to him, and the train helpfully swayed just them making them both sprawl on a berth. She lay on top of him, her hand clutching his shoulders while his arms were wrapped like bands of steel around her waist and back. Her cheeks reddened as she looked at his face, inches away from her, his eyes glittering, lips parted. She squirmed a bit, intending to get up, but paused… Oh God this man! How could he respond to her so swiftly…? She could feel it against her thighs, and was at a loss on how to react. She shifted once more, as if testing to gauge if she was right…

He understood what she was doing, and was pleasantly surprised to know that she understood and also had no objection to what she could feel. However her movements were taxing on his control, and so he murmured hoarsely, “don’t move so much… else we will be in trouble”

“We are on a train”, she countered, “and you…”

He shrugged, “I can’t really control based on locations.”

Her mouth fell open, “you can’t control… period.”

“That’s not true”, he smiled, “I still haven’t kissed you despite wanting it so much.”

She blinked, and blushed promptly, “I don’t think train is a good place for a kiss.”

He sighed, “I agree… so then… where? And when?”

“Sameer”, she whined, getting up to sit properly, “no one plans a kiss. I am sure the right moment will come. Now give me your bag… let’s get a shirt for you.”

He kept murmuring something as he pulled the bag out, and she was sure he was cursing the term right moment under his breath. It made her want to laugh out and also kiss him right then and there, but she did nothing of the sort, as she found a coral shirt from his bag, and then watched with interest as he removed the current shirt, dropped it on the seat, and shrugged into the one she offered. He started to stuff the old shirt in bag, but she stopped him and took it. Pulling out a small bottle of talcum from her purse, she sprinkled some liberally on the stain, and then said, “this will help pull out the oil and moisture… just soak it in soap when you reach home, and then wash it.”

He nodded, and eyed her saree, “are you really going to stay in this the whole night?”

She shook her head, “no… I guess now that we have this cabin I can change too.”

His eyes lit up with mischief, and he bit his lip, “wow… so I get to see…”

She just smiled, pushing his bag beneath the seat, and then pulling hers out, searching for a pair of jeans and top, offering him ample view of her back and waist… She knew he would stare… And when she turned she could see the effect in his eyes. Keeping her clothes aside, she held his hand and stood up, tugging him up too… She gazed up in his eyes, “this color suits you…” He sucked in a breath as her palms flattened on his chest, and then she undid the second button on his shirt, “you should always keep this open.”

The train swayed, they slowly turned on the spot… Naina’s hands moving over his chest and shoulders, and then she leaned forward, embracing him, and his heart thudded… What was she doing? In a trance he stroked her back and waist, dipping his head a bit, intending to kiss her shoulder… But before he could there was a small sound, and then he was pushed back… He stumbled, holding onto the first thing he could find, which was a handle on the side of their cabin door, and watched with surprised eyes as the door of cabin closed, his last view of Naina was her sparkling mischievous eyes and a cheerful giggle. It took him a minute to understand that instead of arguing with him or coaxing him to step out while she changed her clothes; she had pulled off a neat trick on him… He felt a bit angry on being tricked like this, but then immediate next moment a foolish wide grin lit up his face… It was almost a… prank!! His Naina had pranked him after so many years, and now it was his turn….!!