Only Mine
Chapter 26: Monsoon Calling

The sky was a blazing blue, the bright sun a celebration of yellow; the dried grass nodding in the summer breeze, insects buzzing around the majestic red poppies. A group of three huffed up a steep set of stone stairs, wiping their sweat, pausing at regular interval, guzzling water.

“Remind me again”, Sameer grunted, “why are you putting us through this torture of climbing 200 feet on a summer afternoon?”

Naina sat on one step, close to the poppies, “because it is part of our assignment.”

Chirag also plonked down and helpfully reminded, “it wasn’t… you added it. Are you taking some revenge on Sameer?”

Sameer gasped, “oh my God… she is… the ghost prank… this is the revenge, right? You plan to murder me in my own sweat.”

Naina chuckled, “it is 5:30pm… there isn’t that much heat as a proper afternoon. And no this isn’t revenge… my plans are bit more classy than just using a remote-controlled toy.”

Sameer looked at Chirag, “she is just still sour about how much she was scared that night on train. She thought it was a ghostly creature that would kill us as soon as we get up from our seats.”

“Shut up”, Naina rebuked, “or else I will drink this lemonade all by myself.”

Both the men immediately stopped teasing her. After a refreshing drink of lemonade they stood up to leave once more, but Sameer stayed a little behind. It was the last week of summer, and they were on a trip to Gilbert Hill at Naina’s insistence. Both him and Chirag had been really enthusiastic about it, until they had got to know that it meant climbing up 200 feet via steps cut out of stone. They had objected, sincerely, but Chirag had given in first on seeing Naina’s sad pout.

Over the course of summer, Chirag had bonded with Naina, and liked to tell everyone that she was his little sister. And the three had spent the days scouting locations, clicking pictures, eating, talking to random people on the streets. It had helped a bit that Naina had already written about a few places like Crawford Market, Juhu Beach, Fashion Street… But still after the revisit she kept of revising her writing. For any new places, she usually spent the evenings, or a part of the day in car, or the Sundays to write, with Sameer trying to help her, the best he could. Most often it would just end up with him trying for romance opportunities, and attempts of starting kiss conversation. Mr. Dubey had finalized the Marine Drive piece to be published first, and it had received a couple of appreciation letters from their readers. While Chirag and Sameer had been worried with the low number of response, Naina’s eyes had lit up on seeing those letters.

Over a Saturday meeting, Aarti had tried to point out that not many readers were liking what they were publishing, and Sameer had been about to reply back, but before he could Chirag had reminded her that her personal had not received a single response in the first month, while Naina’s column already had 2-3 letters in the first time itself. Thankfully Mr. Dubey had not even considered the letters a parameter, his exact words being, “these appreciation notes are junk. I won’t decide to publish or not publish based on that. If there are some genuine complains then bring them on the table for me.”

On a personal front, Naina still spent a lot of time at his home, but now it was mostly in evening because the whole day they were in office. Most of the days they would cook together, or she would cook while he stood watching her, but on days when she wanted to write he would cook. PB had given some written recipes to them; and one day when Naina was too busy in finishing her article, Sameer dared to attempt making a yellow vegetable pulao with a side dish of paneer after referring from it, just to surprise her. And she declared it to be the world’s best pulao after tasting it, making him raise his collar in pride.

This was the last week of their summer assignment, and the final few places left were covered. Naina had yet to write an article on Dhobi Ghat, Banaganga, Sassoon Docks and of course the last one would be Gilbert Hill. Sameer was really looking forward to spend the last weekend together, not working on any assignment. He would like to have some lazy moments at home, and also go for a movie maybe… He definitely didn’t want to do anymore sightseeing. Maybe they could spend some time…

“Sameer”, Naina hollered, pulling him out of his thoughts. He glanced up, realizing they had reached the top, and that he had lingered quite far behind, and jogged up as fast as possible. She wiped her face with a tissue, “what were you doing down there?”

“Nothing”, he replied, taking a tissue himself, “I was just taking my own time to climb up.”

Ensuring that Chirag was still busy at the other side clicking some pictures, Naina teased, “do you really get tired so soon? If so… you need to work on your stamina Mr. Maheshwari.”

He smirked, “don’t worry… I remember you don’t like it slow.”

She tilted her head, “yeah… I won’t like it too quick either.”

He laughed out at her demand, “right… you won’t even kiss me but you have to talk about making love as if that’s exactly the next thing that we are going to do.”

She shook her head, “no… the next thing we are going to do is go inside the temple and pray.”

He crumpled the used tissues and stuffed then in a small compartment of his bag, “I am not sure how can God help me in making you kiss me. Still… If you say, I will pray… What are you going to pray for?”

“Rains”, she informed with a wide smile, before turning back to leave.

“She is so strange…”, he murmured to no one in particular, watching Naina sit on the short flight of temple stairs and pull out a scarf. Lately she had been talking about rains so much that he couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her mind. He knew she loved rains, but… keeping track of the days on a calendar, and checking the forecast every day was a bit too much… wasn’t it?

He walked over to her and asked, “what’s with the scarf?”

She shrugged, “nothing… I am wearing jeans, that’s why? Chachiji always used to tell me to wear salwar-kameez whenever we go to temple.”

He rolled his eyes, “doesn’t make any sense, but I won’t question given it is your family…”

She smiled, “c’mon… let’s go.” They trooped inside the temple, which was mercifully empty, and was cooler than the outsides. Soon they were seated on the floor and Chirag queried, “Naina… seriously… why are we here? There is no dearth of temples in India… that’s the reason we eliminated all pilgrimage places from our list. Then why are we here?”

“Because Naina wants to pray for rains in every temple in Mumbai”, Sameer teased.

She smacked his arm, and then explained, “it’s not the temple… the reason we came here is the hill itself. Don’t you think it is interesting that in the middle of Andheri we have 200 feet tall hill with a sheer drop-off? It’s not accessible by car, it’s not modernized… it’s just here since the last 66 million years while urbanization and civilization slowly spread around it.”

Chirag scratched his head, “this place is that old? I just knew that this has been declared some kind of National Park.”

Sameer nodded, “yes… in 1952. But I never really thought why it is here… in the middle of the city.”

“It’s not”, Naina smiled, “this hill and a lot many like this were formed in an era that we don’t even think of now. Mesozoic era or you can call it the era of reptiles… In that era several volcanic eruptions formed such structures of lava sediments, most of which eroded over the years, or were blasted apart in the name of development. This one stood strong… And that is why I wouldn’t say it is in the middle of the city, but rather it’s fair to say that the city grew around it.” She pulled out a magazine and a book, “see these… I got them from the library. It has tourist locations in Maharashtra, but nowhere does it mention this hill. That’s why I thought that we could do a piece on it… People should know how rare this hill is. Do you know the only two other formation like this is in The US? One in Wyoming and one in California… And both of them are listed as their national heritage sights. But for us, in India, this hill still stands ignored, lost somewhere in the urban jungle. And not to mention… this hill provides a beautiful view of the city around and the sunset… I want to see that moment… It would be like pausing in time for a few minutes when I am still in an era from past but I can see the future laid out in-front of my eyes, beneath me… A city unaware that it is being guarded by such a magnificent force of nature… A rustic carved masterpiece that no man can ever create.”

Sameer stared at her, astonished at the depth of her thoughts. Even though he had read every single piece she had written, he still felt awed at how she could combine facts with emotions and give a twist of her own perspective that transformed an ordinary landscape into something so spectacular that everyone would want to see it with her eyes. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that she really was born to write… Her words had that unique ability to create a painting out of alphabets, take the reader on a journey, make them forget the hardships of life and believe that goodness, kindness, beauty and love still existed in this world.

Chirag whistled in appreciation, jerking him out of his trance, “I have to say… we are really lucky that you are engaged to this handsome fool… Otherwise this assignment was a certified failure.”

Sameer grinned, “you couldn’t stop from adding handsome…”

Chirag rolled his eyes, “yeah… some pea-brained idiots are blessed with a face that can get them any girl they want…”

“Turns out, I only want one girl”, Sameer replied, winking at Naina.

She smiled, shaking her head, “c’mon… the sun would set soon… we should get some good snaps of the city in the last golden light…”

Chirag and Sameer both clicked pictures of the panoramic view of Mumbai city around them, while Naina just stood there, a bit far from the edge, admiring the scene below. As the sun slowly started to set over the far away horizon, bathing the sky into a spectrum of colors, she moved her eyes away from the view and looked at the man she loved. He was crouched on the ground, focusing his camera on some flowers, probably trying to get them against the background of the sky. Chirag noticed the way she was staring, and nudged Sameer, “listen… I am on the other side… Need some different shots. And you don’t need to get any more shots of flowers or sky; your focus needs to be somewhere else.”

Sameer stood up puzzled, watching Chirag leave, and then shrugged starting to adjust his camera for the next click. But just then, he felt as if he was being watched, as if he was subject of someone’s laser focused attention, and turned to find Naina gazing at him with a smile on her face. He smirked, finally understanding what Chirag meant, and sauntered over to her, “hey honey… I thought you wanted to see the sky and city… what was it that you said? Ah yes… pause in time…”

She chuckled, “yeah… I would definitely like to pause in time… with you.”

“Sounds like a plan”, he murmured, wrapping his arms around her from behind, holding her back to his chest, as they both watched the red rim of the sun disappear, the gentle swirls of pink and orange blended into the blue and purple, leaving the sky only with its deepest shades. He took a deep breath; the smell of her shampoo mixed with the evening breeze that seemed to be clear up here on the hill, and dropped a kiss on the side of her head. His heart seemed to fill with some emotion, and as he looked at the sky above them and city yonder, he felt that this place was perfect maybe… this moment, right here, paused in time like she said. He swallowed once, and turned her to face him, feeling the need to look in her big brown eyes, as he softly said, “Naina… you know… I… uh… I think this place is absolutely stunning… And you were right, it does feel like being stranded in the past… uh, I meant that in a good way… can’t think of any other word…”

Her brows drew in confusion, “are you nervous about something? What happened?”

He made a hushing sound, “I want to say something… will you shut up and listen for once, and not ask a thousand questions?”

She chuckled, “I think I can do that…”

“Good”, he exhaled, “uh… so I was saying… that this place is perfect… and it’s beautiful just like you… dammit… I didn’t mean to compare you to a hill… I just… Oh God… What’s wrong with me?” He closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts, and then gazed at her once more, “okay… one more try… Naina, you have always intrigued me… even in school with your oily pigtails, and complete lack of fashion sense, I had thought of you to be more interesting than any girl I ever met… And don’t… don’t think I am criticizing you… I liked it… I really did… okay, maybe not so much at first… but then on the day of the first match, I smelled you hair…”

She immediately interrupted, “you did what?”

“Naina”, he groaned, “I asked you to shut up… Now I have to start all over again…” But before he could do so, he was once again interrupted; this time by Chirag, “hey… I left you two here to have some romantic moments… not to quarrel…”

Naina glanced away from Sameer, “we aren’t arguing… Sameer just wants to say something…”

“Oooohhh”, Chirag grinned, “will I get to capture a proposal scene on mountain top? Are you going down on your knees?”

Sameer drew back, dragging his hand through his hair in frustration, “never mind… it’s gone…”

Chirag queried in confusion, “what’s gone?”

“The perfect moment”, Naina replied with a smile, looking at Sameer, and then assured, “don’t worry… we will have our very own perfect moment soon.”

Sameer smiled, “you sure about that?”

She looked back at the horizon; the greyish shade of the clouds almost looked like a promise of early monsoon, “yes… I am sure…”

The trio had dinner together, and Naina promised to submit the articles in coming week. The car needed to be dropped at the office, and that’s why Sameer had started to bring his bike to work, so it would be easier to drop Naina off in evening. As soon as Chirag left, ensuring that the car was locked and secured, Sameer proposed, “would you like to go on a drive? I know it was a long day, but still…”

Naina grinned, “only if you promise me an ice-cream treat on the beach.”

“Done”, he smiled, gesturing her to sit. She straddled behind him, and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his back. As he drove out of the office gates, he chuckled, “are you planning to fall asleep?”

“No…”, she smiled, watching the lights pass by in a blurry speed, “tonight I somehow don’t feel like sleeping.”

They reached the beach within thirty minutes, and while Naina called up PB from a phone booth, Sameer bought ice-creams for them. Soon they were walking on the beach, sharing their ice-cream as usual, and he asked, “PB is okay? What time limit she gave?”

She laughed, “PB just asked me to have fun, and to knock on her room’s door twice once I reach home.”

He blinked, “really? So… hypothetically speaking you could stay with me till midnight?”

“I could”, she mused, “but tonight’s not that night…”

Throwing the empty ice-cream cups in a bin, he asked, “so what’s tonight?”

She pointed to a spot on the beach she wanted to go to, and as soon as they reached there, she spread her scarf on the sand, gesturing him to sit. He frowned, “the scarf is too small to sit on.”

She rolled her eyes, “it’s not for sitting on… look…” He watched her lie down on the sand, with her head on the scarf, “it’s protection for hair… now c’mon.”

He tilted his head in appreciation, and lay down beside her, “now what? I don’t think this time is proper for making out on a beach… if you want to do that, I need the beach empty.”

She swatted his arm, “snap out of your one-track mind… and look up… see the moon and stars…”

He did as she asked; smiling at the sight as he recalled that she had expressed her wish to do this. It wasn’t a garden, and neither were they in each other’s arms, but still… it was beautiful. In a couple of minutes he heard her soft voice from beside him, “you know… I always watched the moon from my balcony in Ahmedabad and then in Mumbai… I used to think how unbelievable it was that this one thing was visible to so many people on the earth at the same time… I used to wonder if the moon looked the same from every place or were there some places where it looked different… Then one day in a library in Ahmedabad, I heard a couple of girls talking and one of them said that she had heard in some movie that watching the moon with your lover enhances the beauty of it… I remember thinking how stupid it was… But now…”

He held her hand, “now?”

She smiled, linking their fingers, “now I know it is really different… the time I thought I would never see you again, somehow the thought that maybe you were also watching the moon at the same time as me gave me some hope… It was like, if we can see the moon at the same time, then it wasn’t really impossible for us to meet… The moon and the stars made me believe in miracles, in hope… And tonight, here, just being with you is… magical.” Turning her head to look at him, she asked, “don’t you think so?”

He lifted on his elbow, glancing down at her, “I don’t know about miracles or hope, or seeing the moon at the same time… but… I agree, the moon, the stars, the night, does feel a little more beautiful… and the moonlight dancing in your eyes… that’s my magic.”

She bit her lip, thinking for a moment, before saying, “I might need to revise my opinion about you once more… you are pretty poetic…”

He chuckled, “yeah… sometimes… a bunch of rhyming words thrown together is pretty handy for flirting.”

She kicked his legs, “ass…”

He laughed out, “hey c’mon… we spent the last one month working full time… my flirting skills are so rusty that I haven’t managed to get a kiss yet. And now… from Monday, college starts…”

She brought their linked hand over her stomach, “your flirting skills are just fine… I am sure you can score many more girls in your third year… Especially with those new shirts, I guarantee.”

He frowned, “you bought those shirts to get me new girls? Wow… I thought it was because you thought I would look sexy in them…”

She smirked, “if I want to see the sexy you why would I put a shirt on you?”

He was speechless for almost a minute, gaping at her, and then somehow managed to ask, “are you taking any special summer coaching classes for flirting?”

She laughed, “oh yes… my handsome professor graduated flirting-101 in kindergarten.”

He grinned, “ah… he sounds perfect.”

“That he is”, she agreed, looking in his eyes, the glittering depths captivating her. He too lost track of his thoughts as her unblinking gaze hypnotized him once again. She raised her other hand to touch his cheek, fingers trailing down the stubbled jaw, “I wish we could stay just like this… on this beach… just you and me… and the moon, the sound of waves, the cold breeze.”

He smiled, “I promise… someday I will fulfill this wish of yours. But tonight’s not that night…”

She sat up with a sigh, “ya… use my words on me…”

He chuckled, sitting up as well, and nuzzled her hair, kissing her ear, “c’mon… We need to get you home.”

As they walked back, he asked, “what’s weekend plan?”

“I need to be with PB tomorrow morning”, she informed, “there is some lunch invite at the club… but I will be after that. Is it okay if I come around 2pm?”

He nodded, “of course… I also need to stock up some groceries, and need some notebooks for college.”

“Don’t buy any pickles or papad”, she instructed, “PB buys from some lady who is Revathi’s friends… So she got for you as well. I will bring it over.”

“Yes madam”, he smirked at her instructions as she once more sat behind him and hugged him.

The weekend went by faster than their expectations; Naina arrived at Sameer’s home at 3pm, an hour late than she had judged, and found him asleep on the sofa, probably dozed off while waiting for her. She kissed his forehead, and then freshened up and changed out of the heavy salwar-kameez into comfortable jeans and t-shirt. Going back to the living room, she sat down on the floor near him, and placed her head on his arm, watching him sleep. By the time Sameer woke up, she had dozed off, and he chuckled, stroking her hair. Finally he stood up and lifted her on the sofa, letting her sleep, while he fixed some snacks and tea. They spent the evening at home, watching a movie while sitting on the sofa, and eating whatever snacks they could find. Later in the night they went out on his bike and had dinner at a pav-bhaji stall, ending the meal with ice-cold glasses of fruit-custard, a new specialty gaining popularity in Mumbai. On Sunday, Naina came over to his home immediately after breakfast, and they had a wonderful time talking with Nanu, Munna and Pandit over the phone. Sameer also made sure to call Naina’s family though the conversation there wasn’t as detailed. Lunch was simple khichdi, but for evening Sameer said he wanted to cook eggs for her. Naina agreed, and watched him prepare a meal of bhurji and pav. On a spur of moment, she recollected PB’s words and switched off the lights around the house.

A puzzled Sameer asked, “what are you doing?”

“Take out the cold-drink”, she instructed, “I will set up the table.”

He shook his head, choosing to just dish out the meal rather than ask her again as to what she was up to. She had such strange behavior sometimes, he couldn’t figure out what she would be doing. But when he went out into the living room, his face split in a wide smile on seeing the big fat candles set up on a thick sheet of cardboard on the table. She looked up at him as he placed the dish of bhurji and pav, and smiled, “I just thought… umm… candle light dinner.”

He grinned, “fantastic idea… hang on, I will get the cold-drink.”

It seemed like the beginning of a perfect romantic dinner, as he sat near her, picked up a small bit of bhurji-pav, gazed into her eyes… She smiled, parting her lips, eager to taste… He thought he would rub his thumb over her lower lip, show her his need… She thought he would surely do some mischief while feeding her and so she would bite his finger… But before these incredible romantic events could take place there was loud knock on the door, rudely interrupting the moment… The both jerked, the morsel falling from Sameer’s hand, but Naina caught it in her cupped palm.

He frowned, “give me a second… let me see who is it.” Cursing at the bad timing, surprised to see Netra’s mom, and queried, “uh… Sudha aunty… what happened?”

Sudha peered into the house, “that’s what I came to ask… what happened to your lights? Did the fuse blow? Shall I send over Netra’s papa to check?”

Sameer’s face flushed, “nothing’s wrong with the lights.”

Sudha was puzzled, “then why is it so dark?”

He tried to find a plausible excuse, “I just… umm…” But before he could think of something, another lady from the opposite side asked, “Sameer… why is your home so dark? What happened to the lights? Any problem…?”

He had never thought his neighbors would be so interested in the lights at his home… What were they doing? Keeping an eye on the gap below the door, or on the windows… And what should he tell them now? Just then the lights turned on, and Naina came to stand beside him, “it’s okay now aunty… the spark plug was loose. Sameer was just fixing it.”

“Oh thank God”, Sudha replied in relief, “I thought it was the fuse… you know… couple of months back we had this huge problem with the building’s main fuse… The lights would keep turning off and on by themselves. And the voltage fluctuation was so bad that my TV set just sparked and turned off, the damage couldn’t even be repaired, and we had to buy a new TV.”

Naina made a sympathetic face, “I am so sorry… Our TV had also fused once, and we had to buy a new one…”

Sudha nodded, “yes… yes… we also got a new one… Did you see it? I don’t think you noticed when you came over… Come, I will show you…”

“I did”, Naina assured, “when I came to learn the sambar and rasam powder, that’s when I saw. I will come back to see again some other day… It is too late now, and I need to go home… that’s why we were just sitting to eat dinner.”

Sudha immediately stepped back, “oh yes yes… I should also go back and serve dinner… You both go eat…”

Sameer closed the door and sighed, “I guess we are not having candle light dinner.”

Naina chuckled, “not unless you want all your neighbors to come over too.”

“Forget it”, he scowled, blowing the candles off. She sniffed the slightly sharp burnt smell from the trail of smoke emanating from the wick, and then kept the candles aside. He seemed to be disappointed at the failure of their plan, but she cheered him up by declaring that it was the best bhurji she had ever had, and giving a loud kiss on his cheek.

After dinner when he went to drop her home, he queried, “Naina… from tomorrow college starts… so… shall we… I mean…”

She smiled, throwing her arms around his neck, “I will meet you in morning… same way like we used to do last year…”

He sighed, holding her, “I am going to miss the time we spent at home.”

She turned her head, resting her cheek on his shoulder, “I am still going to come home… at least 3 days a week. Now go… drive safe, and call me once when you reach home.”

That night he slept with her promise in his heart. He had chosen to live a different lifestyle when he had come to Mumbai, and then he had fallen in love, something he had never planned. If Naina had wanted he might have changed for her, rely on a more relaxed way of life again, just to be with her, spend time with her, enjoy the days of their relationship. But instead Naina had chosen to support him in his decision, in his journey. She had transformed his life into their life with such finesse that he had now started addressing his home as their home too. She didn’t just make him feel loved; she also made him feel assured that there was someone with him in all the ups and downs of life. He still remembered that the two specific days in the last month.

On one day he had been extremely angry because of his failure to get proper information about places, he was supposed to interview people in Bandra, collect responses to help Naina with bits of people perspective. However, he hadn’t been allowed to enter inside one elite club citing his inappropriate ‘mediocre’ dressing, and at other place where he had been able to go in he had faced snide remarks from the patrons. Naina had gone home early that evening, because restaurants would only open after 7pm, but she had promised to wait for dinner. By the time he had reached home his temper had been so high that he had literally thrown aside his bag. She hadn’t asked him anything, just sat next to him and enveloped him in her arms. He had tried to resist for a moment, but then his tale had slowly come tumbling out and she had recognized the embarrassment in his tone. She had sat on his lap, surprising him, and stroked her fingers in his hair, dropping gentle kisses on his forehead, and explained that life had a way to throw curve balls now and then to test if we were strong enough to stay on the path we had chosen. She had kissed his cheek and told him that he should take all this in stride and next time if he was faced by such a situation he should remember that there was someone in his life who didn’t care if his shirt was old or his shoes had dirt on them by the end of the day, because she knew the real him.

Another day had been when he had been feeling bit under the weather because of the summer heat. The whole day she had ensured that he kept drinking water at regular intervals, stay away from direct sun as much as possible, and eat healthy. He had reluctantly but thankfully sat under a shade while Naina and Chirag had gone out to explore the markets. And when they had returned she had brought watermelon juice for him saying it would keep him hydrated. She had kept on checking repeatedly if he had fever, made him rest in the car, and then in evening too. That night she hadn’t even let him come to drop her home, rather she had asked for the car to pick her up, and had kept water, medicine and some biscuits on his bedside table, ensuring that he was asleep before she left. And next morning she was again at his doorstep even before he had woken up properly.

Such care, such concern, the singular focus she had on him was so alien to him that he was mesmerized every single time. Honestly, what was the need of a love confession when they shared such a bond? Yet, now he couldn’t help but feel the desperate need to say those words to her, and hear it from her… There was no doubt in his mind, but he couldn’t find the perfect moment. What could it be? Just before he fell asleep that night, he heard a distant sound that seemed like thunder… It couldn’t be that, he knew, because it was still too soon. But… the sound gave him an idea. The rains… She loved the rains so much… maybe the perfect moment to confess his feelings would be in monsoon… Just a week or two now, and Mumbai would be graced with beautiful rains… It was in the rains in Ahmedabad that he had felt the flare of attraction for her; it was in the rains last year that he had realized his love for her; and so it only seemed fair that he told her about it in the rains as well… Yes… That would be their perfect moment for sure.

College started as usual next day, Naina met Sameer on the train, and this time he looped his arm around her waist, holding her close to him without any hesitation. On his first day in college, Sameer received a proposal for a date from one of the junior girls… Her name was Aparna, and he politely refused saying he was already in a relationship. But just then he heard a group of girls snickering behind him, and turned to see Nidhi and Priya who commented about how they had no idea that girls these preferred a pauper with no manliness. Sameer felt irked at these comments and wanted to reply back but refrained from doing so as he had never been disrespectful to girls.

Naina received a grand welcome from her friends who wanted every detail of the summer vacation dates, and Bikram also confessed of dating a girl from the girl’s hostel who studied in a different college. The four friends had a lovely time and even went out to enjoy a meal of sandwiches and milkshake during the break. She also got a chickoo milkshake packed, and somehow convinced the canteen staff of her college to keep it in the fridge until the end of the day. That afternoon when she met Sameer again, she offered him the milkshake which he accepted with a thankful grin. He had eaten a vada-pav, but that hadn’t really filled his stomach. Naina’s term in office had ended, and so she handed over one article to him, asking to let his boss know that she would submit the remaining three within this week.

The week continued at a normal pace with Naina being at his home after college on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He spent the Saturday evening at PB’s place, enjoying a movie and full meal. They couldn’t meet on Sunday because PB had some guests over, and Sameer spent the day to clean up some stuff at home, re-arrange his cupboard because somehow it always became messy. He found a small notebook in the cupboard, and took it out to check since he didn’t remember keeping it there. To his surprise he found a clean ledger kind of notes of his household spending, with bracketed notes in red at some places where Naina had commented. He laughed on seeing the note against capsicum citing “Sameer picks it out of noodles, no use buying on every trip. Buy once a month.” Well… that was true… He liked capsicum in salads or when it was stuffed, but in noodles he somehow didn’t like the sharp taste, but since he had learnt cooking noodles along with capsicum he still prepared it that way and then would pick them aside. He saw other entries where she had added some stuff in his household shopping list, things like Dettol or air freshener which didn’t really ever occur to him, and removed others like dry snacks, papad and pickles since now these were brought by her. Also, given Naina had been here most of the summer, he hadn’t really eaten much of dry snacks. On days they were at home, he had proper lunch, and when they were working outside either she had gotten tiffin from home or they had lunch outside together. It seemed as if he was already living a married life…

Next week also seemed to be business as usual, but two days later, on Wednesday, Naina said she wouldn’t be able to meet him in morning as she was bringing PB’s car to college because she had to be at the club later on. She said she would pick him from college in afternoon for office, and he agreed to it. During break time that day he saw Prem in their college compound, and wondered why he was here as he had already graduated. However, his popularity hadn’t seemed to lessen as girls still flocked around him. Prem saw Sameer too, and smirked, “hey there… still trying to be the college hero?”

Sameer shook his head, “nah… not interested. Excuse me… I am busy.”

“Oh yes”, Prem mocked, “poor guy has to work part-time to survive in Mumbai… You know, you should think of leaving from here… A city like Mumbai is not for losers like you… Pennyless and gutless and haunted by tales of mocking ex-girlfriends.”

Sameer rolled his eyes, “thanks for the advice… I will keep that in mind.”

Prem and the gang surrounding him hooted and jeered as Sameer walked away. His bench mate Tarun patted his shoulder, “ignore them… they aren’t worth spoiling your mood.”

Sameer smiled, “I don’t care what they say… I know the truth, and so does Naina.” Tarun was the only person in his college whom he had informed about his roka, and now he added with a smile, “hey… you know what… Naina is going to come here today to pick me up after college. Would you like to meet her?”

“Of course”, Tarun grinned, “I would love to meet bhabhi… And you should get those two bit…”

Sameer interrupted with a warning, “Tarun… no…”

Tarun let out a frustrated sound, “gah… okay… those two spoiled girls Nidhi and Priya… get them to meet Naina… And then they would shut up.”

Sameer chuckled, “I really wouldn’t do that…”

Tarun queried, “why? Are you worried they would hurt Naina with their taunts?”

“Quite the opposite in fact”, Sameer replied with a smirk, “if Naina hears what they say about me then she would tear them to shreds… Trust me… If Naina decides to get even with them there’s no person in this world who would be able to save them.”

Tarun’s eyes rounded in appreciation, “wow… then please let her meet them…” Sameer shook his head, walking away with Tarun following him, still pleading.

Later in afternoon, a sleek black car stopped in front of Jai Hind College, and Naina stepped out dressed in a blush pink, double flair, short sleeved dress with a fitted bodice. The belt around her waist was of the same shade and fabric as the dress, and was tied behind her back in a silken bow.  The v-neck drew attention to her throat, and her hair was open. She had put on minimal make-up, and crystal knots glittered on her ears, the ensemble complete with a silver watch at her wrist and beige strappy sandals. She peered inside the college gates, looking around for Sameer as she was sure he would be waiting, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. She checked the time and realized that she was a few minutes early and classes hadn’t ended yet, so she decided to wait in the car. But before she could walk back, someone called her, “hey… hi…”

She turned to see a boy dressed in jeans and printed t-shirt, that she could easily recognize as branded, and a jacket slung over his arm. His hair was wavy and bit long as per the current trend, and a stylish leather watch gleamed at his wrist. She had no idea who he was, and so she didn’t respond to his greeting. He walked over to her, and flashed a wide smile, “hi… new student? College is about to end for today.”

“I don’t study here”, she replied, “I am just waiting for someone.”

He took a step closer, almost crowding her, “my name is Prem… I used to study here… graduated just last year.”

Naina didn’t step back in fear, but neither did she acknowledge him though after hearing his name she immediately recalled Sameer telling her about him, the college hero. He wasn’t deterred by her lack of response, “hello… what are you thinking? I said my name is Prem… Prem Malik. My grandfather is a trustee of this college, and my dad is a film producer. Perhaps you would have heard of him… Tejpal Malik. He is going to launch me as a hero soon…”

She nodded, “yes… I have heard about him.”

He smiled, and blatantly asked, “what’s your name?”

“Naina Agarwal”, she replied, “now if you will excuse me… I will go wait in my car…”

He side-stepped, blocking her way, “oh c’mon… we have just started talking… your driver can wait for whoever you came to meet… why don’t we go somewhere else in my car?” She looked at the brand new silver car he pointed at, and saw a gang of girls and couple of boys. He continued, “some place which is as classy as you are… we could have lunch together…”

She quirked her brow, “aren’t you bit fast? And your girlfriends are waiting for you…”

He smirked, assured that she was impressed, “I figured a girl as hot as you shouldn’t be alone for long. And as for the girls over there… as soon as I saw you I lost all interest in every other girl…”

Her eyes shifted from Prem to the students exiting the building behind him, and she smiled on spotting someone running towards them. Glancing back at him, she whispered, “good luck.”

He was puzzled, “what? Why are you wishing me luck?” She didn’t reply, and before he could ask again, someone had grabbed the round neck of his t-shirt from behind, and dragged him back. He lifted his hands, trying to loosen the neckline pressing on his throat, while at the same time struggling to free himself from his assailant’s grip.

Naina tried to control her smile as she instructed, “leave him Sameer… his face is turning redder than a baboon’s bottom.”

Sameer blinked at her, astounded by the comparison, and loosened the hold a bit, but didn’t leave him, “did he trouble you? What was he saying?”

Naina walked up to him, and gently pried his hand away from the struggling boy, “no… he didn’t trouble me… do you think I would be bothered by him? He was just trying his non-existent charms for a chance…”

Sameer narrowed his eyes, his fists clenching, “he was flirting with you… I will break…”

“There’s no need”, she interrupted, “calm down… look at me.” As she tried to distract Sameer and calm his temper, Prem held on to the gates, gasping for air. His friends or the gang with him had come over by then, and was now supporting him, asking him if he was okay. After a minute, ignoring the girls fawning over him, Prem pointed at Sameer and asked her, “you know him? This… this boy…”

Naina turned to look at him, the expression in her eyes suddenly unreadable, “yes…  I know him very well, and I am here for him.”

A few girls sniggered and Naina felt Sameer stiffen beside her. Prem scoffed, “you would go out with him…? This boy who is dressed like a homeless… Do you know he cannot even afford to take girls out for a coffee? And even if he does manage to gather the money and guts to do that one time, the girls end up dumping him because he isn’t man enough…”

Naina interrupted, “speak one more word and I will ensure that that fancy car of yours never reaches back your home… Plus I will tell Sameer all the lines you used just now to flirt and then God save you from his punches… Let’s just say after he is done your face will only qualify for being launched as a villain… And also your grandfather, Mr. Udayvir Malik, will hear from me about how you tried to harass me at a public location…”

Prem visibly paled, “you… you know my grandfather.”

Naina smirked, “yes… and as far as I know him, he wouldn’t really appreciate you throwing around your weight in college using his name… I wonder what he would say about your behavior… Shall I ask him today? He would be at the Mumbai club charity lunch meet today, right?”

“No…”, Prem pleaded, “don’t tell him… please… he would… you don’t know…”

Sameer and most of the other students around them were surprised to see Prem almost stammering out of fear. Naina shook her head, “maybe you need to man up before commenting on someone else… Next time, keep that attitude in check or I will do that for you… and yeah… you really need a better pick up line.” Dismissing him, she held Sameer’s hand, and smiled, “shall we go? You will be late for office otherwise…”

“Yes”, he nodded, “uh… I wanted you to meet my friend… Tarun…” A boy stepped up near them, his expressions almost full of awe, as she said, “hi…”

Naina grinned, “hi Tarun… I have heard about you of course… are you going home? Shall I drop you? I mean… Sameer is already bit late, and I also need to be at the club…”

Tarun nodded, “yes… yes… uh my home is near Sameer’s office, so you can drop me there…”

“Cool… let’s go… you can sit in-front Tarun”, she stated and tugged Sameer along ignoring everyone else.

Once in the car, Tarun let out a whistle of appreciation, “my God… you literally slayed Prem’s existence… I have never seen him so scared in the last two years. But what would you have done to his car?”

“I didn’t think much”, she mused, “but surely I could have come up with some good ideas…”

Sameer chuckled, “yes… that is for sure…” Then he turned towards her, his eyes somber once more, “Naina… honey… tell me honestly… what did he do?”

She held his hand, “nothing much Sameer… he just tried flirting a bit… introducing himself as a soon to be launched hero… using his father’s name, grandfather’s status as trustee, and his car to impress… And yes, he called me hot…”

Sameer’s eyes narrowed, “I should have punched him.”

Naina mocked a shocked gasp, “why…? You don’t think I look hot?”

Tarun coughed, grinning at his friend in the mirror. Sameer relaxed a bit, and smiled, “you are looking incredibly hot honey… but that’s not for anyone else to tell.”

“I ignored what he said”, she calmly replied, “why don’t you tell me?”

Before he could say anything, Tarun interrupted, “hello… I am here…”

Sameer queried, “why did you give him a lift?”

Naina laughed, “because he is your friend… and I haven’t ever met him before.” She talked for some time to Tarun, all the while being interrupted with Sameer’s expert comments. As they reached his office, Naina also stepped down for a minute, waving bye to Tarun who walked away into the next lane. She handed over a tiffin-box to Sameer, “your lunch… I asked the driver to bring it from home.”

He looped an arm, around her, pulling her sideways to him, “thanks honey… and yes… you are looking hot… the frock is sexy and makes me want to kiss you… everywhere.”

She blushed, but said, “then maybe I will keep this safe for some time in future…”

“That’s a great idea”, he muttered, dropping a kiss on her head.

She smiled, drawing back from him, conscious about the watchman, “go now… and eat before you start work. I will call you in evening.”

Few days later, when mid-June knocked on their door, Naina suddenly glanced out of the window from her class… She felt as if she heard a distant rumble, her heartbeat picked up pace, and she felt a tingle in her pores. There was an electrifying sensation in the air, something she only felt in two scenarios – first whenever Sameer was around her, and second whenever it was about to rain. Sameer wasn’t here; he was in his college… So did that mean… Was it going to rain?

By the time break ended and next class was about to start, Naina was sure that today would be the first day of rain. And there was no way she was going to sit in class while Mumbai experienced the first rains of the season. So she gathered her bag, bid a hasty goodbye to her friends, and literally jogged to Sameer’s college, eager to meet him. Their break was over as well, and she debated for just a brief second before going around the back, crawling on her hands and knees, peeking in different classes to find Sameer. Finally after ten minutes, she saw him, immediately recognizing him as he was wearing the light pink striped shirt that they had bought together; and of course there was all that silky sexy hair, and that set of broad shoulders, and his sinewy forearms, and the surprisingly long fingers twirling a pen, and that sharp delicious jawline…

Dammit… Focus Naina… Not the time to think about his body.

She shook her head to get rid of the sudden erotic thoughts, and then took out a spare paper from her bag, tore it in small pieces and rolled each of those pieces into small pellets. Taking careful aim she flung one pellet at him, but instead of hitting him, it landed on his desk and then rolled down to the floor. He didn’t notice… Tongue in teeth, she once more took aim, and threw another pellet this time hitting him on the back of his head. He simply ruffled his hair…

Ass…

Thinking that third time was a charm, she threw another pellet, this time targeting his face… and sure enough, the pellet hit his jaw, and he immediately turned to look. She waved at him, grinning on seeing his eyes widen in surprise. He almost froze, unable to believe what he was seeing. She gestured him to come out, but he just sat there, unresponsive. Frowning with irritation, she threw one more pellet at him, hitting him square on his face. He jerked, exclaiming softly, “ouch…”

She mouthed inaudibly, “come out…”

He nodded, and then stuffed his book in his bag, waiting for an opportunity, and as soon as the teacher turned to write on the board he sneaked out. As soon as he reached near the parking lot, he saw her rushing towards him at full speed; he splayed his legs and opened his arms, just a second before she went air-borne, throwing her arms around his neck, squealing in delight, “it’s going to rain… it’s going to rain…”

He laughed, her elation making him euphoric, and twirled her for a bit, making her giggle. Slowly, he set her down, and teased, “I see you still have the habit of falling in my arms.”

She drew back from him and poked his waist, “c’mon let’s go…”

“We still have classes”, he reminded her.

She rubbed her hands in glee, “let’s bunk.”

He pressed his lips in disapproval, “that’s a very bad thing to do.”

She tilted her head, her lips curving in a pleading pout, and fluttered her lashes at top speed, “I ran all the way here, praying the entire road that it shouldn’t start raining because I wanted to see the first rains with you… And you can’t even bunk a few classes for me.”

He laughed and pulled her cheeks, “stop with your melodrama… I knew what you wanted, that’s why I got my bag… Plus there’s no escaping those lashes.”

She swatted his hand away, and rubbed her cheeks, “ow! What lashes?”

“Never mind”, he muttered, “where do you want to go? And give me your bag… we need to keep these here somewhere else, all books will be drenched.”

Thinking for a minute, he decided to keep the bags inside the sports room, and then they left on his bike. As soon as they were out of the gates, Naina demanded to go to the beach. He frowned, “who goes to the beach in rains?”

“Us”, she simply said, wrapping her arms around his waist, and nuzzling his back. The fragrance of his cologne made her breathe in deep, and feel of his hard body somehow aroused sensations sharper than before. What was happening? She had always been affected by him, but it seemed as if the magnitude was elevated today for some reason… Was it the promise of rains? She had decided to kiss him in the rains, but she hadn’t exactly thought when… But this strange need today was surprising her. She suddenly felt very much aware of how he was built, how his bare chest looked, how flat stomach dipped into a surprisingly deep navel, and the line of downy hair disappearing into his jeans… She recalled the firm pads of pectoral muscles, the mole near his left nipple, and suddenly she wanted to see again, touch and… and taste?

Goodness… What’s happening to you Naina?

She drew back for a moment, astonished at her own desires, and stared at his profile. He was totally focused in driving, navigating his way through the traffic; lost in her own desires she trailed her hand up from his stomach to his chest, and then grazed her fingers along his jaw. He looked at her in the rearview mirror, “what happened?”

“I don’t know”, she smiled, “I feel like touching you.”

His eyes widened, and then he grinned, “feel free… I am all yours.”

She blushed, hiding her face once again against his back, and felt a chuckle rumble in his chest. God… Why was she feeling like this all of a sudden? Before she could contemplate properly, they reached the beach, and he parked his bike. She glanced over at the far eastern sky, nodding her head in approval, “it will rain soon… I am sure.”

He squinted in the same direction, “I don’t see many clouds.”

“It’s okay”, she assured, holding his hand, “I know it will rain… c’mon let’s walk.”

They slipped off their footwear, and started walking on the soft sand, hand-in-hand, both of them recalling the moments of previous monsoon. He confided, “you know… last year when it rained for the first time here, I stood in my balcony just as you had taught me… And I knew that day I missed having you in my life… Before that I kept thinking it was the pranks, the arguments, the equation we shared, but that day I knew it was more… it was you.”

She smiled at him, bit surprised by his confession. When they reached a relatively empty patch of beach, she softly said, “I had stopped taking your name… After coming to Mumbai, I felt that if I don’t take your name then I could forget you, then the pain wouldn’t be so bad… Even in my thoughts I tried to control from recalling your name… But the thing that we try so hard to forget has the tendency to creep up at unexpected times. And last year, in the first rains, I felt half cup of tea at a tea-stall for you… That’s when I knew that I could never forget you. I didn’t hope for any miracles, but I knew that your absence will forever leave a gap in my life.”

He squeezed her hand, “I am here… there’s no gap…”

“I know”, she grinned, looking into his eyes, “Sameer I want to…” Her sentence was interrupted with sudden squeals all around, and she blinked on feeling the cold droplets of water on her face. He also looked up, surprised to see the sky overcast. They had been so engrossed in talking with each other that they hadn’t realized when the clouds had gathered. A lilting laugh drew his attention back to her, and he saw her spreading her hand out to catch the rain drops. It was a gentle drizzle, but not for long… Soon rain started pouring in its earnest, wetting the sand beneath their feet, turning the sea into a mass of grey with white frothy waves… The sky and sea seemed to meet as one, the dark grey force stealing all colors from the landscape, and yet if one looked around they could spot yellowed grass soaking up the cold water, bushes starting to be wiped free of dust and gleaming green once more, an occasional flower shone yellow or red breaking the monotony. People started to scurry under the makeshift tarpaulins of the food stalls.

His eyes wandered over the droplets of water running down her forehead, her cheek, and her smiling pink lips from where he yearned to sip the first rain. A trail of water ran down in thin rivulets down her throat, disappearing into the V of her maroon top, which now clung to her like a second-skin, highlighting every curve for his eyes. Driven by an uncontrollable impulse, he wrapped his hand around her waist, and pulled her to him. She gasped, her hands coming to rest on his chest, and she looked up at him, shaking her head a bit to get rid of the rain water. He had a small smile on his face as he lifted his other hand, using his fingers to push aside some wet strands of her from her face, recalling that he had done the same thing in the first monsoon of Ahmedabad. The flare of heat he had felt at that time was now burning even hotter, once again mixed with a tenderness, that he had felt to be unknown at that time, but today he knew was called love. Cupping her face, he rubbed his thumb over the curve of her cheek, and muttered, “I had waited to touch you like this in rains…” Tracing his thumb over her quivering lower lip, he confessed, “I had wanted to do this in that first monsoon in Ahmedabad… Curse that car which honked at the wrong moment.”

She shivered in his arms; his touch, his words making her body reach a feverish pitch that she felt the rain water would start to evaporate. His heart thundered under her palm, and her eyes dropped to his chest. The light pink shirt barely left anything to imagination, and yet she felt as if it was restricting her view. She dragged in a deep breath, trying to step closer, even though there was barely any space, and her hips curled instinctively on feeling the evidence of his need against her belly. He was so… hard… everywhere… Keeping her right hand in place over his heart, she let her left hand trail up to his shoulder, feeling astounded that it was broader than her palm… Suddenly she was shaken by a vision of herself straddling his legs, holding onto his shoulders, while he leaned back on his arms as she kissed him…

Overwhelmed at the sudden need wracking through her nerves she flung her arms around him, burrowing in his chest as if seeking refuge. He held her, his hands moving over her back, seeking, possessive, burning and yet soothing… “Naina”, he hoarsely whispered.

She tried to stretch up, her toes sinking in the wet sand, and kissed his chest through the parted collar of his shirt, and murmured, “please… it’s too much… It’s hard to control, and we are outside.”

He wanted to ask if she would come home, but didn’t… He still felt that she needed time… He couldn’t gauge for sure because she sometimes expressed her needs and then sometimes held back… That’s why he controlled himself somehow, and instead suggested, “uhh… let’s go eat something… bhutta… you like it, right?”

She drew back from him, bit puzzled, and nodded. Holding her hand he guided her to a stall, they dropped their shoes, and he ordered a bhutta to share. She stood there, looking out at the sea, lost in thoughts… Why did he suggest eating? Didn’t he want to kiss her anymore? He didn’t even talk about kissing… But then, how long would he just keep talking? She knew his need, felt it every time they were close, and yet he controlled himself, managed to give her the time and space she needed. What should she do? Could she kiss him? Was she ready?

He came to stand beside her, holding the hot bhutta with the help of a few peels, and offered her the first bite. She looked at him, the wet hair sticking to his forehead, dripping water over his face, his chiseled jaw, the strong column of his throat… And yet in that moment it wasn’t the physical attributes that made her feel the need. It was his understanding smile as she took the first small bite out of the corn cob, and the way he gently assured, “don’t think so much… things will happen when the time is right.” That… that very tender consideration made her heart yearn and she knew that yes, she was ready to take that step… She watched him take a healthy bite, and deliberated over the situation. They were outside, their bags in his college, and they couldn’t get them back before the college ended because if someone saw them in this state then someone could complain that Sameer had bunked. If they collected the bags and then went to his home, then he would miss office, and also, she couldn’t forget his inquisitive neighbors who would definitely notice that they had come home drenched. It wasn’t like she had any clothes there, and even if she did, then also it would be a matter of gossip for the people there. And even though she did want to kiss him, she didn’t want their first time to happen outside where anyone could see them.

His voice broke in her thoughts, “hey… eat… what are you thinking so much?”

She took one more bite and chuckled, “I was just thinking that it’s a good thing you wore this shirt today.”

He glanced down at himself, “really? And here I was worrying that it would get dirty if someone splashed mud on the road.”

“It will wash off”, she assured, “what I meant was… the view… is good… especially after the rains… because it is wet.”

His brow quirked in surprise, “ahan… well, see as much as you want… but eat too… I mean, eat the corn…”

She laughed, “wow… thanks for the reminder… I had almost forgotten which one was the food item.”

He grinned at her, and dipped to take a bite, but paused just as he almost sunk his teeth because right at that moment she had also leaned forward… Their eyes met… Their lips separated only by the corn cob… The tension that had just diffused by his blatant flirting surrounded her again… He swallowed, drawing back a bit, without eating… And she too did so, licking her lips, suddenly unsure what to do. He watched her for a moment, and then smirked, turning the cob and with his gaze fixed on her, he took a generous bite from the exact place where she had bit into… Her breath hitched at the gesture, at the deep glitter in his eyes…  Without a word, he handed over the cob to her, and waited… She looked around, and said, “uh… I need some tea. Why don’t you pay first? Then we can go…”

He had thought she would reciprocate his gesture, but was disappointed when she asked to leave instead. He tried to shake off the frustration, thinking that maybe she didn’t understand what his gesture meant… But as he paid the money, he frowned… That didn’t make sense… Naina wasn’t naïve… She was the same girl who had directly told him that they might even make love before wedding. And so he turned to see, right on time to see her biting into the corn, at the place where he had bit into… Her eyes widened on being caught, and she immediately threw the cob in the bin, grabbed her sandals and took off… He grinned, his heart jumping with happiness at her gesture and then he also picked up his shoes and sprinted after her.

The wet sand made it difficult to run, but he finally caught up to her… Dropping his shoes on the sand without a care, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her, twirling her around. She laughed, spreading her arms out, her sandals also dropping nearby, as she felt the cold rain patter upon them. He set her down on her foot, but the squishy sand made her lose her balance as she tried to turn to him, and they both stumbled… He teetered for a bit, and then fell on his back, with her on top of him, his arms around her, and her hands fisted on his shirt…

She looked in his eyes, that moment in the rain making her feel as if it was just the two of them, and she admitted, “I like falling in your arms.”

He smiled, his broad palm, spanning up her back, “and I will hold you… always…”