Only Mine Chapter 27: The Perfect Moment

The grey clouds lightened a bit to let the warm glow of evening seep into the surroundings, the rain dwindled down to a gentle drizzle; kids played in the puddles, some of them jumping in the water, while some tried to float paper boats. Sameer drove his bike slowly, mindful of the puddles and traffic, very well knowing that Mumbai rains were as notorious as they were famous. If he had been alone then he might have tried to reach home as soon as possible, but now Naina was with him, resting her head on his back trusting him in every sense. While driving he even wondered if he should think of investing in a second-hand car, after all if they went out on dates in monsoon then drenching every time wouldn’t be good for their health.

A smile curved his lips as he recalled how she had made him sneak out of college to enjoy the first rains, how she had jumped in his arms, how she had taken a bite out of the corn from the place where his lips had touched, how she had finally voiced that she liked falling in his arms. It wasn’t a love confession exactly but it was a step towards it. Similarly they hadn’t kissed yet, but by eating the corn like that, by reciprocating his gesture, she had definitely conveyed that the actual kiss wasn’t far from her mind.

By the time they reached his college, the campus was empty and it had stopped raining, though the sky was still overcast. Together they went inside to collect the bags they had stowed in sports room. He checked the time and proposed, “let me call Chirag from the PCO and then I can drop you home first.”

“No”, she immediately countered, “you will be late for office. There’s no need to do that. I will take a taxi.”

“But it is raining”, he argued.

She nodded, “that’s why I will take taxi and not train. Don’t worry… this isn’t my first monsoon in Mumbai. I will be fine and call you as soon as I reach home…”

He frowned, “I don’t like this… I want to drop you home.”

She reached up to ruffle his hair, “some other time handsome. For now… I am more worried about you.”

Puzzled, he queried, “why about me?”

She clucked her tongue, “because your clothes are wet. I just wanted to go out in rains with you… So silly of me to not even think that you have to go to office as well. It isn’t good…”

“Relax”, he interrupted, “I have a spare shirt in office, will wear that…”

She smiled in relief for a moment, but then soon her gaze dropped down, and she frowned, “and pants…?”

He chuckled, “I don’t have pants in office… but it’s okay… it can’t catch cold.”

She rolled her eyes, “shut up… you very well know what I mean… but we can’t do anything now… don’t sit in-front of AC… have hot tea… and finish your work as soon as possible.”

He nodded at her list of instructions, “yes honey… now come here…” Looping an arm around her waist, he pulled her to him. She didn’t object, her hands coming up to rest on his chest, and he looked down in her eyes, “I was thinking… uh… how about if I buy a car… not new… second-hand… that won’t be so expensive, right?”

She looked confused, “why do you want to buy a car here? Are you planning to stay here even after college is over and we are married?”

The question made him pause in his thoughts, and after a moment he queried, “if I decide that what will you do?”

She once again rolled her eyes, “what’s wrong with you? Is that even a question?”

“It is”, he firmly replied, “if I decide to stay here for, let’s say, one more year then that would mean we would be already married… And I will still be doing a job, so we won’t be able to afford a bigger house or…”

She placed a hand over his mouth, “the city, the size of the house, car, bike, restaurants… nothing… not a single thing matters to me as long as we are together. So if you decide to stay here for one more year, then Omkar Tower will be my home too, just as it is now too… Because my home is where you are…”

He dragged in a deep breath, amazed at her thought process and acceptance. She wasn’t even averse to stay in that tiny flat or spend a year with just his meagre earnings. If this wasn’t love he didn’t know what the definition would… My home is where you are… That line… that single line screamed how much she loved him. Unable to resist, he dipped down and kissed her cheek, murmuring, “what have I done to have you in my life?”

She pretended to think for a moment, “let’s see… umm… as far as I remember you splashed muddy water on my cycle.”

He laughed out, “that’s right honey… anyways… my reason for asking about the car was that we will go out on dates… and now that monsoon is here for at least three months, we can’t always get wet whenever we go out… You know how Mumbai rains can be… there’s literally no warning.”

“And that’s the beauty of it”, she countered, “you don’t need to buy a car. All we need is bit of planning…”

He tilted his head in confusion, “what planning?”

She suggested, “I need to keep some of my clothes at your place, and you need to keep some of your clothes at my place… And in office, you need to keep one full set of spare clothes. So we can change if we are wet… Also, we need new bags with water-proof lining, I think we will have a new stock from PB’s club, I will check and let you know… Also, we need rain-coats… I am sure you have it because you travelled on bike before, but I need to get one. That’s it…”

He blinked, his mind stuck at her first statement, and he clarified, “you want to keep your clothes at my home? You mean… you will stay?”

She smiled, “I can’t stay the night ass… not yet… I just meant that if we get drenched on a date, then we can change at either my place or yours wherever we go after that… Or if you have to go to office, like today, then you can change there properly too if you have full set of clothes, and not just a shirt.”

“I see…”, he mumbled, “for a minute, I thought…”

She grinned, “we will get there too… in some time…”

He shook his head, “no pressure… my mind just… wanders…”

She giggled, “I can understand… I faced that situation today…”

His eyes lit up, “you did? When? How? What did you think?”

She stuck her tongue out, “censored information… you are not eligible to know those thoughts yet… now go, else you will be late.”

He grumbled about the lack of kiss, and now the apparent lack of information as well, making her laugh. Still, he waited until she got a taxi, and reminded her to call him as soon as she reached home. As soon as he reached office, Chirag teased him about all his clothes being wet even though it wasn’t raining at that moment. He somehow managed to avoid all questions, and started his work. Even though he had changed his shirt, he still felt cold, the wet jeans were extremely uncomfortable, and he thought that Naina’s idea of keeping a full set of spare clothes was a good one.

By the time he reached home, it had again started drizzling, and he rushed inside to save his books. Dumping the bag on sofa, he quickly changed into a set of tracks and t-shirt, grabbed a towel and vigorously rubbed his head. He sniffed, hoping that he wouldn’t catch cold, and sauntered inside the kitchen to make some coffee. The rain stated to fall in earnest once more, and he stood watching it, near the balcony door, while sipping his coffee. His stomach grumbled in a moment, and he nearly groaned aloud at the thought of cooking. Opening the refrigerator he took out a packet of bread, thinking that it was a night of bachelor style bread-omlette once more, because even though he could now cook several more dishes, he wasn’t feeling inclined to put in all the efforts. As he picked up two eggs from the rack, the door-bell rang, and he wondered who it was at this time.

He opened the door, vaguely thinking that it must be some neighbor, but was surprised to see PB’s driver. The man handed over a bag, saying that Naina had sent food for him. Astonished, he accepted the bag, thanking the man. As soon as the driver left, he closed the door and placed the bag on coffee table. Opening it he saw a 4-tier tiffin box, and two additional boxes on side, plus an envelope. He took out the envelope and read the note inside, “the tiffin box with red cover has aloo parathas for breakfast. Keep it in fridge and heat it in morning before eating.”

He grinned, taking out all the boxes, and followed her instruction of keeping the parathas in fridge first. The rest of the tiffin contained dal, rice, roti generously smeared with ghee and chole. The extra box on side contained salad. Delighted at this treat, he turned on the TV, grabbed a plate from kitchen and started to eat the unexpected dinner. The food was still hot indicating that Naina had packed it immediately after cooking or heating up. It was just the thing he needed after the cold evening. That night he talked with her on phone, and thanked her for the surprise. She teased, “that’s the least I could do in compensation…”

He frowned, “compensation of…?”

“Of not divulging all the censored information”, she informed.

He groaned, “Naina… I want to sleep… Why did you have to remind me that you were having improper thoughts about me? Have some mercy… How can I sleep now when all I can think of is to what extent you went in your thoughts?”

There was a silence for almost a minute, and then she asked, “how far did you go in your imagination?”

He didn’t hesitate even for a second before informing, “all the way…”

She bit her lip, and queried again, “before our roka or after?”

He chuckled, “honey… only actions can be restricted or bound by the societal norms… thoughts don’t have any consequences, usually.”

She mused, “hmmm… so even before roka you had such thoughts…”

“Yes, I did”, he accepted honestly, “I won’t lie to you… Boys have different thought process. We notice things about girls more often than girls can even think of. But all of that is usually just an automatic reaction not a conscious thought process. If you think that I didn’t notice things about you when we were in school, then you are mistaken…”

She gasped, “in school? Umm… on that day in rain?”

He had no idea if he was doing the right thing in sharing all these with her, but still he continued honestly, “yes that day too… it was much… uh… sharper that day. Like an urge to hug you, to touch you… but even before that I had noticed your looks… I have already told you about seeing your legs… The number of times you fell in my arms, I had felt your softness and smell, and it intrigued me.”

Her cheeks flushed, “I never knew…”

“Of course you didn’t”, he replied, “because I never expressed. Like I said… we think… but it’s not necessary that we always want to think or that we act upon it. When I came to Mumbai I didn’t want to think about you, but I had no control…”

Her voice was low and soft, “can I ask you something…? If you don’t mind…”

He smiled, “I know what you want to ask… About Sanjana, Nidhi and Priya… right?”

She stayed silent for a long minute before whispering, “yes…”

“They were good looking”, he answered, “and that was the criteria when I asked them out… But when I was with them all I could do was compare them with you… I didn’t understand why I was doing that at that time, but I didn’t feel an ounce of attraction for them…”

She smiled, and then teased, “and the girl whose poster you have in your room in Ahmedabad?”

He laughed, “you noticed… aah… Julia Roberts has no competition honey…”

She scowled, her tone bit sharp, “then, I guess, you should call her honey…”

“No, I call her sweetheart”, he promptly answered.

“You…”, she fumbled for the right word, “you complete ass… bye…”

“Naina…”, he tried to speak, but the phone disconnected. He laughed softly, shaking his head, and then sighed anticipating that he would have to spend the full day tomorrow to appease her. Maybe some flowers would help… As he opened his blanket, ready to sleep, the phone rang again. He picked it up, wondering who it could be, “Hello…”

“Today I had thoughts of touching you… Kissing you while you were shirtless…”, Naina said, shocking him, “and yeah… I saw the whole visual in my imagination… so if you were shirtless… then, that means, I was…”

He gaped, stammering, “N…Nai…Naina…” However once more the phone disconnected, leaving him stumped and wondering if he had heard what he had heard. She had thought of touching him… How? His face, his body… where did she want to touch? He remembered how she had trailed her finger on his jaw and told him that she felt like touching him. Was it then? And kissing…? Naina had imagined the visual of kissing him…? And that too when he was shirtless? And what did that last line mean? Was she implying that even she wasn’t wearing her top? His hand trembled as he picked up the phone, and dialed her number, waiting for her to pick… But she didn’t… He tried one more time, and then cursed, “the little devil… she did this on purpose… Dammit…” He tossed and turned on bed for many hours that night, sleep far from his eyes, his mind racing with thoughts of what Naina had said and imagined. Just before 3am, when he finally managed to doze off, he mumbled in sleep, “I am not going to leave you…”

Next morning Naina waited anxiously at the door of the general compartment, looking out to find Sameer, but he was nowhere to be seen. Had he forgotten that it was the day for traveling by train? They had decided that Sameer would take his bike on the days when Naina was not supposed to go to his home, so that if they wanted to spend some time in evening after his office it would be easy. But on days when she would be going to his home after college, they had aligned on taking the train. That way the expense of petrol would also be within budget. Today they were supposed to take the train to college, and as soon as his station arrived, Naina had gotten down from the ladies compartment and moved to the general compartment, the same coach they always were in. But Sameer was nowhere to be seen… The train whistled, and started to roll slowly… She panicked, stretching up on toes to look… A group of people ran towards the train and rushed inside, she shuddered, trying to press herself near the partition to avoid touching any of them. A burly man stepped on, panting, his face sweaty from the effort it took to run and jump on the moving train, and he stood right in-front of Naina. She tried to shrink back, finding herself enclosed from all sides with no chance to go out… She hated it… The man in-front of her moved a bit, removing his bag from his shoulder and the strap brushed against her arm. She gasped, taking one more step back, and suddenly the train rocked, causing her to stumble because she wasn’t holding onto anything. She tried to grab on the railing in-front, hoping to find one place that wasn’t covered with other hands… But before she could, her hand was held in a firm grip, and another hand slid around her waist, pulling her back to a familiar solid wall of chest. She closed her eyes in instant relief, and a deep voice whispered in her ear, “hi honey…”

She turned to look at him, scowling, “where were you? Don’t you know that I don’t…”

“Shsh”, he smiled, “everyone’s listening… I was here the entire time, right behind you… But I don’t know why you were looking outside. I kept waiting for you to see me…”

Her brows furrowed, “you were here?” He nodded, and she glared at him, “that means you scared me on purpose… you made me believe that you didn’t come… you knew I would panic on seeing so many people…”

He smirked, “it’s not my fault that I didn’t get much sleep last night. If I had slept well, then I would up on time, and reached here on time as well… But… what to do?”

“So this is your revenge”, she ascertained.

He clucked his tongue, “oh honey… this is just the beginning…”

She couldn’t really explain the thrill that coursed down her spine at that statement. It had been so long since they had played this friendly revenge game… Her lips curved in a sly smile, “how long were you up?”

“Till 3am”, he responded.

She pressed her lips, “hmm… okay… fair enough… I will wait for more…”

He pulled her closer subtly, making sure she could feel the pressure of every finger of his on her waist, “shouldn’t that be you will give more?”

Her eyebrow arched, “would you have it as a compensation of staying awake rather than a special moment?”

His eyes narrowed for half a minute, and when the train whistled to signal arrival of their station, he informed, “you called me at 12am… so be ready… one payback for every hour until 3am, and add one to that for your smart-ass question.”

She laughed as they descended at the station, “okay… so one payback done with your train stunt… that means three left. Is one of them a rubber snake or a caterpillar?”

He chuckled, “no chance honey… I know you better than that now.”

As they walked towards their college, she pulled out a flat tiffin box, and handed it over to him, “fried rice… I made it this morning… keep it for lunch.”

He gladly accepted it, thinking that tonight he could help her cook dinner, since she had already sent paratha for breakfast yesterday, and now she had cooked lunch as well. And so he asked, “what do you want for dinner? We can make it together or if you want we can go out…”

She thought for a moment and said, “I need to buy vegetables today, so will do that while going back. Chaaya is going to pick me from your place as she needs my help for some shopping. I will be back by 6:30, before you come back and then maybe we can prepare something quick for dinner. I don’t feel like eating out.”

He agreed, and slid an arm around her shoulder for the rest of the way to her college. It was new… Usually he would just hold hands, but she didn’t object, rather smiled up at him. Soon they reached her college, he waved at her friends, blew her a kiss and then sauntered off. Naina went inside, however as soon as the first class started, she got to know of his second payback. She just put her hand in her bag to take a book out, and something pressed, letting out a loud croak, exactly like a frog. She yelped loudly, gingerly peeked inside the bag to find a toy, and immediately knew it was Sameer. The professor however thought it we her bright idea to disturb the class, and so she had to stand outside for the entire lecture.

Just before second lecture, Bikram asked, “are you okay? What was that?”

“That was my would-be-husband”, Naina informed, “I am getting paybacks today. This was the second one…”

Chaaya was puzzled, “a toy was a payback? And for what?”

Naina chuckled, “just something personal… and ya… he warned me that he knew me better now… In school he tried once to scare me with a rubber snake and an actual caterpillar, but at that time he didn’t know that I wasn’t afraid about those things… But now, recently, he knew that I was squeamish about frogs… Those green, slimy fat toads are just… eww… And he knew I would scream on hearing a frog’s croak from my bag…”

Gurdeep frowned, “snake, caterpillar, frogs… are you both sure you are getting married… I mean this is like kindergarten kids.”

Naina laughed, “that’s what makes him special.”

At her break time she ordered a cup of coffee wondering why she didn’t even feel the least bit angry on his prank… He knew she loathed frogs and still he used it, or the sound, for the prank… But all she could think of was how he remembered such a minute detail about her. She kept smiling while sipping her coffee, and Chaaya commented, “if I have ever seen a face of person deeply in love, that has to be you…”

Naina looked up surprised, “what? What are you talking about…?”

Chaaya shrugged, “if someone played a prank like that on me, I would be mad as hell… but look at you… you are smiling… as if you are happy he did that…”

“Ya”, Naina tried to explain, “I am happy he remembered this small thing about me… and, you know… this isn’t really a very big prank… I mean, he has punched holes in my umbrella, covered my cycle in plastic wrap, stuck chewing gum in my hair unknowingly, and cracked an egg on my head in anger… So this is really nothing…”

Chaaya was shocked, “oh my God… I can’t even begin to imagine what you guys will do after getting married.”

Naina laughed out, and then lowered her voice to reply, “probably burn all the bedsheets…”

Chaaya snickered, “yeah… that you will do… he is so hot…”

“Excuse me…”, Naina indignantly objected, “what about me?”

Chaaya pointed at Gurdeep and Bikram who were just entering the canteen, “ask them… I am perfectly straight.”

Naina pretended to think for a moment, “naah… I wouldn’t want Sameer to punch them…”

The girls were still giggling at their conversation, when the boys joined them. The boys asked the reason, but the girls just kept on laughing.

As college ended, she saw she was little early, and decided to walk towards his college. A vendor by the road was selling flowers, so she got one just on impulse. To her delight it started drizzling, she opened her umbrella, walking on the side of road lost in her thoughts. Love… Now people had started to see the obvious love on her face and yet she hadn’t said anything to Sameer. She had no idea how to tell and when to tell… And then there was the ever compelling debate in her mind, kiss first or confession first.

A deep voice from near her asked, “is that for me?”

She jerked, and gasped, “Sameer… stop scaring me like this…”

He put on an innocent expression, “it isn’t my fault… I am here, right next to you and still you don’t see me…”

“I was lost…”, she confessed, “and yes… this is for you.”

He accepted the red rose, bit surprised, “wow… I never saw a girl giving flowers to a boy before… but then, I guess I should have expected the unexpected from you… after all I still have the soft toy you won for me.”

She chuckled, “let’s go… did you eat?”

He stuck the rose in his bag, took the umbrella from her hand, and slid his other hand around her waist, holding her close, “yes I did… it was delicious. Did you enjoy?”

“The frog croak was very realistic”, she informed, “you made me stand out for one full lecture.”

He smirked, “good… are you angry?”

She smiled up at him, “if I was then I wouldn’t have bought the flower for you.”

He shrugged, “how would I know? It could have been a gift to stop the next payback.”

“It’s not”, she assured, “I am waiting…”

They walked in silence for some time but as they reached the station he suggested, “come with me to the office… meet Chirag… let’s have some tea… the stall in-front of my office has wonderful ginger tea, I am sure you will like it.”

She liked the idea, “but won’t you be late?”

“There’s not much work today”, he stated, “just an article to proof-read, and I need to select some photographs for our next issue. We are going to publish your Gilbert Hill piece…”

The train arrived and they immediately boarded. Holding onto his arm, she said, “you remember you were trying to click a picture of flowers with the sunset in background.” He nodded, and she continued, “check how that one turned out. When you were clicking it I thought it would be a good one…”

“I will”, he assured.

At the office gates, the watchman informed them that Chirag had stepped out for some time. Sameer asked him to inform Chirag to come at the tea stall when he arrived, and then took Naina along. She curiously looked around the stall, and smiled, linking her fingers with Sameer’s. The vendor greeted Sameer, and said he would prepare his order, but Naina intervened, “make a full glass today, not cutting…”

Sameer glanced at her in confusion, “you want to drink more tea?”

She shook her head, “no… I want to drink half…”

The vendor suddenly gasped, “you… I know you…”

Sameer’s confusion increased, “how?”

Naina informed, “I have been here before… in first monsoon after shifting to Mumbai… the day it rained for the first time. On my way back from college I stopped here for a cup of tea, and ordered a full glass…”

“But left half of it”, the vendor informed, “when I asked she said it was for someone else.” Sameer looked at her, his eyes shining with affection, because he understood that she had left it for him. The vendor continued his tale with gusto, “do you know madam… I was going to throw away the tea you left… Just then, Sameer bhaiya came and ordered a tea as usual, but instead of the glass I gave, he picked up your leftover tea and drank it. I tried to tell him, but he left without listening.”

Naina blinked in surprise, and Sameer queried in bewilderment, “that day I drank the tea she had left?”

The vendor nodded, “yes… I remember clearly because I thought madam was… uh… mad…”

Sameer gaped at what he heard, and Naina laughed after a moment, “yes, I guess I was…”

As the vendor passed on a full glass of tea, Sameer muttered in wonder, “you left it for me… and I drank it… How…”

“Fate”, she murmured, passing on the glass to him, “it was fate… I was missing you so much that day that day… I guess God found a way to keep us connected.”

He looked at the drizzle outside, “ya… I was missing you too… that’s why I was not paying attention on the tea or any conversation. Well… we didn’t get to know anything for sure about the rose at Marine Drive, but at least, thanks to Viru, we know about the tea.”

She nodded, sipping the tea. Suddenly he sighed, and placed something in her hand. She looked at the object, “lemon… why did you bring lemon?”

“To add in your tea”, he informed, “that’s why I was ordering two cutting… And I thought Chirag could distract you while I add this in your glass.”

She chuckled, “I was going to ask for another glass… you could have…”

He shook his head, “no… I don’t want to spoil this moment with a prank… I am glad we came to have tea here.”

“Me too”, she smiled, “I guess I found my favorite tea-stall in Mumbai.”

He flashed a brilliant grin at her, and soon Chirag came in, excited to meet Naina again. They all ordered some more tea, chatted for fifteen minutes and then finally Naina hailed a taxi to leave.

By the time Sameer finished his work it was already 6pm as Aarti had added on one more article to his proof reading list. It had started to rain in earnest, so he had to take a cab to go home, plus he was extremely hungry and it took more time than usual to reach home because of traffic. However, his mood brightened on seeing Naina standing at the door, anxiously looking out to check if he was coming upstairs. He grinned, thundering up the last set of stairs and grabbed her, lifting her in a hug. She squealed, “Sameer… put me down… someone will see…”

“It’s raining”, he informed, “everyone’s inside, and so should we…”

He walked inside, still holding her, and shut the door close with his leg. Setting her down, he kept a firm hold on her with one hand, and locked the door with his other hand. She chuckled, wrapping her arms around him, “you don’t have to hold me so tight to hug me… I am not going anywhere.”

He smiled, enclosing her completely in his arms, and dipped his head to her hair, “I am not holding you tight… I just need a tight hug…”

She obliged, plastering herself fully to him, her hands clutching onto the shirt at his back, “why are you so late?”

“Traffic”, he mumbled, “why is your hair smelling so good today? It’s different…”

She drew back her head to beam up at him, “really? I have started using a floral shampoo… The parlor I go to recommended this because I have long hair.”

He hummed, “do I get a kiss? Or I have to quench my thirst with water?”

She chuckled, pulling back, “water for now… go freshen up, I will make tea.”

“I am hungry”, he pouted, “please take out some snacks as well.”

She nodded, “don’t worry… I knew you would be hungry. Go on…”

He quickly freshened up and changed, by the time he came back to the living room, she had already laid out some snacks on table, and was pouring tea in cups inside kitchen. He helped himself to a glass of water, and asked, “need some help?”

She smiled, “no… you go eat… I will bring tea.”

He walked out to the living room, turned on the TV at low volume, and picked up the dish of what looked like a roti roll. She came with the two cups, he smiled at her, took a generous bite of the roll and moaned in delight, “wow… what’s this?”

She chuckled, “I don’t know… maybe you can call it roll. I just wanted to serve some light snack so that you can still eat dinner. So I made some filling out of corn and paneer, like I make for sandwich, but instead of bread I put in on a roti, rolled it, and then toasted it on tava.”

“It’s yummy”, he declared, “bite?”

She took a small bite and then said she didn’t want more, else won’t be able to eat dinner. He polished off the remaining roll, and licked his fingers, “what are we cooking?”

“I made dal, rice and paratha already”, she informed, “there’s some paneer yet, and some bits of vegetables that I emptied out to keep the ones I bought today. So, we can use those and make a mixed vegetable dish. Is that okay?”

“Sure”, he agreed, “I will chop everything.”

There was a peace in his heart as they cooked the vegetable together. She was also stirring something on the other gas, which he had thought to be dal at first, but then he had seen her pour milk into it, and he had queried. She told him that it was something like corn upma, a recipe from Chachiji, and that he should eat it for breakfast next day. As she turned off the gas for upma, and covered the vegetable to let it simmer, he wrapped his amrs around her waist from behind, and nuzzled the side of her temple.

She smiled, “what happened?”

“I am getting used to all this”, he confessed, “cooking and eating together, coming home to you… I don’t know how will I wait to get married until college ends, and you are saying that you don’t want to get married in summer, so that means even after college ends I will have to wait for few more months.”

She turned in his arms, “the couple of months will pass in wedding preparations.”

He wasn’t convinced, but changed the topic and instead asked, “when are we going on our next date?”

She thought for a moment, and said, “how about Saturday? College will end early. I can meet you at your office in evening and then we can go for a movie.”

“Sounds good”, he agreed, “come bit early… we will go for 6-9 show, and I will book corner seats.”

She stirred the vegetable once more, “why corner seat?”

He shrugged, “I have been made to sit on corner seat once unwillingly… the day I met you at the theatre… but now I want to sit there with the girl I really wish to be with.”

The statement made her think of the incident with Danny last year, and she shuddered at the memory. Along with that, another thought that accompanied was that Sameer had also sat on corner seat with Ms. Sparkly Ass… Did that mean…? He said he was there unwillingly, but still… Weren’t corner seats booked by couple for a specific purpose?

He placed his hand on her shoulders, “we can book regular seats as well… The center ones will have better view of the screen.”

She took a minute to check the vegetable, garnished it with chopped coriander, and then covered the pan, turning off the gas. “Do you want salad?” She queried.

He understood that she needed some time, “sure… anyways we aren’t kissing… so I can eat onions.” She chuckled, pulling out an onion and a tomato for salad.

Mid-way through dinner, while he was paying rapt attention to the news on TV, she looked at him, thinking over the movie proposal. She hadn’t really expected to recall the incident with Danny, but it was the first thing that had come to her mind when he had mentioned corner seats. It wasn’t anything prominent, but the reminder of being touched without will had made her feel repulsive. But it was amazing how he had immediately understood the situation and said that they need not book corner seats. Looking at his profile now, she recalled not how Danny’s touch had felt unwanted, but how Sameer had been there for her, saving her, protecting her. He had punched Danny, held her hand and safely taken her out, he had been worried… She felt the fear in her heart slowly dissipate until just the assurance of his care was there. “I think the view of screen won’t be bad even from corner seats”, she stated without any formality.

He immediately looked at her in surprise and hope, “are you sure?”

“Yes”, she assured, “I am not scared… you are there with me.”

He gazed into her eyes, and muttered, “maybe I should have skipped the onions.”

She smiled, and stood up, picking the empty dishes, “who knows… maybe next time I won’t cut onions for salad.”

He washed his hands, thinking about his next payback. However as soon as he filled his mouth with water, he thought back to what she said, and frowned… The next moment his eyes widened and he spat out the water, rushing out to her. She was cleaning the dishes, he went up behind her, grabbed her hands making the dish fall back in the sink with a clatter.

She gasped, “Sameer… what are you…”

He turned the tap on, cleaning her hands, “leave the dishes… tell me… did you mean it?”

She kept her eyes lowered, “mean what?”

“That you will kiss me next time”, he queried, “that’s what you meant… didn’t you?”

She bit her lip, and lifted her shoulder slightly in a shrug, “I don’t know… is that what you understood?”

He tightened his hold on her, and turned, pushing her against the wall, “don’t play games with me…” The feel of his body pressing on her back made her breath hitch. His voice was hoarse in her ear, “I have wanted you since a long time now…”

“And I have made you wait”, she smiled, teasing him.

He had given her a warning couple of years ago, in-front of her school gates, and now he repeated it, “you remember what I had taught you… play with fire and you shall get burned Naina…”

She made a little scoffing sound, “you didn’t teach me anything Sameer Maheshwari… I played with fire willingly that time… and… even now…”

Keeping her pinned to the wall with his body, he moved her hair aside, “then get ready to be burned…”

She swallowed hard on feeling his breath at her neck, “is it payback time?”

He didn’t reply in words, rather just dipped his head, letting his lips touch the side of her face. Her lips parted on a shaky breath, her eyes fluttered shut, and when his mouth trailed to her neck she sighed in pleasure. His hands were clasping hers, but now they spanned her waist, his fingers rubbing and toying with the hem of her top. Would he touch? She wondered… Hoped… Waited… His nose nuzzled the line of her top at her shoulder, pushing it aside a bit, and his mouth closed over her skin on a gentle suction. She gasped, quivering in his hold, and melted… Her head fell on his shoulder, her body lax, only held up by his support. He turned her to face him, cupped her face with one hand, and kissed her forehead… Her hands fisted on his shirt as his lips skimmed to her cheeks, brushing petal soft kisses down her face, until he reached the corner of her mouth… He was so dangerously close to her lips… She didn’t know what to do… She could only wait… In some corner of her brain, where logical thought process was still going on, she thought that today was the day because she had pushed him too far with her teasing…

Instead of feeling his lips, in a moment however, she heard his strained voice, “you know right, that I can kiss you right now…”

It took her a minute to respond, but she nodded. “Good”, he murmured, and left her, taking a step back from her. Her eyes opened slowly, clouded with confusion and disappointment. He smirked, “that’s it… that’s the look I wanted to see.” She kept looking at him bewildered. He answered her unasked question, “now you will think for the whole night about what happened and what didn’t happen…”

The statement clicked in her brain, and she narrowed her eyes, sudden anger flaring inside her. Acting swiftly she picked up the kitchen towel, swatting him across the face with it, “you… how dare you…”

He deflected her attack, laughing, “hey… you did this to me yesterday… why are you angry now?”

“I did it because you said Julia Roberts was better than me”, she almost yelled, and then stopped in mid-strike, her eyes wide at she had uttered. He was also surprised to hear it. Mortified, she dropped the towel, and tried to escape. He quickly grabbed her hand, and pulled her to him, “hey… I didn’t know you felt bad last night… I am sorry…”

She turned her face away from him, “I… I should go… it’s late…”

“I will drop you back”, he assured, “just relax… I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She sighed, “I am not hurt… I know she is a heroine and truly… cannot be compared… but…”

He smiled, cupping her face to look in her eyes, “Naina… if Julia Roberts comes in-front of me dressed in one of those short dresses she is wearing in those posters, and you come to me with your oily pigtails and school uniform, I will still choose you…” She gazed in his eyes, and he continued in a soft voice, “don’t you get it… I will choose you over everyone, every single time… There is no comparison or competition… You are mine, only mine…”

She relaxed in his arms, placing her head on his chest, feeling treasured at his words and the way his arms tightened around her. Cocooned in his warmth, she dared to ask, “then why didn’t you kiss today?”

He stroked her hair, “because… first, I don’t want our first kiss to be a form of prank, payback or revenge… second, you haven’t said yes, and you haven’t asked… third, you fed me onions today, and I haven’t brushed yet.”

She chuckled, drawing back a bit, “in school I wouldn’t have thought that someday you would have such clarity of thoughts…”

“Someone helped set me straight”, he winked, “someone who pushed me to be better all the time.”

Her eyes fell on the ticking clock, and she sighed, “I really have to go.”

“I know”, he murmured, “c’mon… it has stopped raining.” He still grabbed his raincoat, because Mumbai rains weren’t to be trusted. However, that night it didn’t rain again.

The next two days went by as usual but Sameer was lost in the thoughts of Naina’s insecurity. He couldn’t fathom that he had made her feel even a little bit inferior with his casual remark. Naina always came across so confident and sometimes bold. Even in school when she didn’t really have any fashion sense, she carried herself with her confidence. He had never thought that she would feel like that… What could he do to make her feel better? He had to make her realize that she was the only one he ever wanted and desired… As for those Julia Roberts poster, he would personally destroy them the next time he went to Ahmedabad. But for now… He needed to tell her that he loved her. No more delay in that… They were going for a movie on Saturday, so that day was out of question… Sunday… Yes, he could arrange for a candle light dinner at a restaurant, invite her, give her flowers, some gift, and then tell her that he loved her. Yes! Just like in movies… She would love it…

Meanwhile Naina was also feeling mortified at herself for expressing that she had played that little game because she had not liked his praise for Julia Roberts. What must he be thinking about her? But at the same time, she had felt really happy when he had told her that he would choose even her oily haired version over every other girl. She remembered how he would be insecure sometimes about his earnings, his dressing, and each time she had assured him… This shouldn’t be there in their relationship… They both knew that they wanted each other, and also understood that they loved each other… It was just about saying it aloud… If that happened then there would be no insecurities between them… Anyways, she kept feeling that it was time… And there will be no right time, until they made it right. So, she decided that she would tell him about her feelings soon… Maybe on Saturday? No… Not at the movie theatre… Sunday then… maybe at his home… She could wear something special for him… Tell him how much she liked him even in school, and then she could hug him and tell him that she loved him. Keep it simple, he would love it…

Saturday dawned and both Sameer and Naina made plans for next day. All they needed to do was convince the other for their plan. Naina dressed up in jeans and pink top, recalling how much Sameer liked this color, and thought it would be easier to convince him. He put on the new black shirt that they had bought together during the vacations, hoping it would lure her into saying yes for his plan. Naturally he was taking his bike today, and picked her up at the railway station. None of them paid much attention in classes that day, and Sameer was sure he didn’t do anything productive in office. Sharp at 5:15pm, the phone on his desk rang, and the watchman informed that Naina had arrived. He stuffed his things inside his bag, and rushed outside to find her standing at the gates.

He kick-started his bike and drove up to her, “ready?”

She smiled, quickly sitting behind him, and held his shoulders, “yes…”

“Hold properly”, he requested. She chuckled, “I will… drive a bit.” He obeyed, and as soon as they took the turn that would block them from view of the watchman, she slipped her arms around his waist. He grinned, looking forward to the corner seat experience. They reached the theatre in 20minutes, and stood in the queue for tickets.

“I was so shocked to see you here that day”, he murmured.

She smiled, “I thought I was dreaming.”

The man at the counter asked for their preference, and Sameer requested for corner seats. Naina was looking at the people nearby, but as he opened his wallet to pay, her attention was diverted towards it, and something caught her attention. A small pink packet was sticking out from the side compartment, where usually cards were kept… However, this didn’t look like card. What was it? She opened her mouth to ask… But just then, Sameer also spotted the packet, he cursed under his breath softly and pushed it inside once more.

It took Naina a couple of minutes, but as he took the tickets and then guided her inside the main movie hall, realization dawned on her that the packet she had spotted was a condom. Had it not been for a recent experience at a chemist where a man had accidentally dropped the box he had bought, she probably wouldn’t have understood what it was, at least not without the main box. But the main question was that why was Sameer carrying condom in his wallet?

They reached their seats, and Sameer asked if she needed anything. She shook her head in negative, staring at the screen, but her mind was occupied. Why did he have the condom? They hadn’t even kissed yet, not confessed love… so technically there was no need for a condom yet, right? Today they would be late… The movie would end at 9pm, and it might be 11pm by the time they had dinner and he dropped her home… It would be the first time she would be out so late with him… Did he plan this on purpose? This movie plan, sitting on corner seats, and the stunt he pulled yesterday to make her want more… Was it all linked? Was that how he was planning to spend tonight with her? But how could he… No, if he had something like that in mind then he would have asked her… Wait a minute… Hadn’t he confessed recently that he had gone “all the way” with her in his dreams or thoughts? Yes, he had… So, maybe he did want it… But why would he plan it like this? And why didn’t he talk to her? She rubbed her forehead, unable to comprehend the situation.

Sameer noticed her action, and asked, “hey… are you okay? Need something?”

She shook her head, “no… I am fine…”

He smiled, “it’s a nice movie… can I… um… Can I hold your hand?”

Despite her racing mind the question made her smile, and she obliged, making him happy. By the interval also, she hadn’t been able to make sense of the situation. Could Sameer really plan something like this? If yes, then what should she do? And if he didn’t plan anything like that with her, then that would mean… God… That would mean he was involved with someone else. Her mind immediately refuted that idea… No, it wasn’t possible. Sameer would never do something like that… He loved her… He had told her that he would choose her over everyone else…

Sameer observed that she wasn’t even enjoying her snack and cold-drink; neither was she paying much attention to the movie. He tentatively asked her if he could put his arm around her, and once again she accepted resting against his shoulder. But, something was not quite right. What had gone wrong? Wait… Did she… Goodness… Did she spot the condom in his wallet? If yes, did she understand what it was? What did she think? And how could she even recognize what it was? No… maybe there was something else that was bothering her. He would talk to her over dinner. However, after that even he couldn’t pay any attention to the movie.

As the movie ended, they stood in the queue moving out slowly. Soft murmurs and loud comments in the crowd, both told them that it was raining heavily outside. It took them more than ten minutes to come out of the movie hall, because people weren’t moving out of the theatre as it was raining. Sameer could see the heavy downpour, and a lone television near the snacks counter flashed warning of more rain. The situation didn’t look good. He contemplated what they should do, they still had to eat dinner, but given the situation it would be wise to not eat outside. If he went to drop Naina home, then it would be late for him to come back and rain will worsen. There was no way he was going to let Naina go alone in this situation. He sighed, thinking that it was advisable to go to PB’s place, and then if the rain worsened, he could just stay there. He turned to Naina to tell her this, but just then thunder clapped loudly, lightning flashed so bright that the entire view outside was visible to the people inside. The roads had already started to be waterlogged, and it would only keep getting worse. PB’s home was considerably far from here, while his was just ten minutes on normal days, so today it might take 20 minutes or even 30 minutes. But still it was better than spending hours outside in this rain…

His lips curved in a worried frown, “Naina… let’s go to my home… the situation is very bad, we can’t take the risk to drive to PB’s house or anywhere else to eat right now.”

Though Naina logically understood what he proposed, but still the statement made her jerk, and her mind which had deflected from her worry because of the rains, now again jumped back to the condom she had seen in his wallet. He was asking her to come to his home… The situation outside would mean she would be stuck there for hours probably, with no means to go home… Was this what he wanted? Had the weather just supported his plans? What should she do now?

He held her hand, linking their fingers, his entire focus at the rains outside, his face still a picture of concern. Suddenly, she didn’t want to resist… Somehow she believed that even if he had lovemaking in his mind then he would talk, he would ask… There was no way Sameer would do anything that she didn’t want. He had assured her that with words time and again… He had waited, and was still waiting for her to say yes for just a kiss. He had understood yesterday how scared she had been when he had mentioned corner seats yesterday. And even after her agreement, today he had asked her at every step if he could hold her hand, or if she was okay with him holding her. Wasn’t that a clear indication that he always had noble intentions? And she always felt safe with him…

“Naina…”, his voice broke into her thoughts, “where are you lost?”

She looked up at him, “uh… nothing… let’s go…”

He held her close, guiding her through the crowd, “don’t worry… we will be safe.”

“Sameer… wait”, she said, “give me your wallet… I have brought polybag for my purse, so will keep it in that as well. Else, all money will be wet.”

He nodded, handing it over to her, and noticed her hesitation in holding it. But then, she quickly dumped it inside her purse, and wrapped the entire thing in a big polybag. They walked out in the rain, him holding her hand safe, and soon they reached his bike. It took him a couple of kicks to start it, and she quickly sat behind him, holding him tight, stuffing the purse between them to keep it safe. He drove carefully but as quickly as he could, still it took them more than 30 minutes to reach home. He gave her the key, “go on… I will park this and come.” She grabbed the keys and rushed inside. As she unlocked the door, Sameer thundered up behind her, “the thunder is so loud…”

He turned on the lights, removed his shoes, and then asked her to come inside the bedroom. Pulling out some clothes, and a towel he handed them to her, “go change… we are totally wet.”

She took the clothes from him, and went inside the bathroom, still bit lost in her thoughts. As she wiped herself down, she realized that she couldn’t wear any of her clothes, not even her innerwear… So basically one more step eliminated for him.

Just then there was a knock on the door, “Naina… I am going to the kitchen. You can lock the bedroom door, and I have kept hairdryer on the dresser. Dry your hair… and… uh… if you need to dry anything else.”

She frowned wondering what he meant. As she folded his tracks to fit her legs, her eyes fell on her wet panties, and she let out an ‘oh’ of realization. Quickly stepping out of the door, she used the hair dryer to first dry her hair, and then partially dry her panty. By the time she stepped out he was in the kitchen, chopping something, and tea was simmering on gas. He smiled at her, “did you hang your clothes? Mumbai weather can be so unpredictable… I mean, there was nothing on the news in morning, and look at the sky now… It seems as if it won’t stop raining for days…”

She felt her patience snap, and anxiety made her ask, “what are you doing? Why did you bring me here?”

He glanced at her with confusion, “uhh…. I brought you here because it is raining… and I am making tea for the same reason.”

She snapped, “then why do you have a condom in your wallet. That’s not going to protect us from rain… is it?”

He blinked, and the knife dropped from his hand, “w…what?”

“Condom”, she folded her arms, “why have you bought it? What do you want?”

He was silent for a few minutes, realization sinking in as he finally understood what she had thought on seeing the condom… And if he was honest it did hurt him a bit that she would assume something like this… Did she think he brought her here so that they could have sex? After all this time, and everything they had shared, this was the impression she had of him…

She saw the expression in his eyes change, and started to say, “Sameer…”

He raised his hand to stop her from speaking, and clarified, “there’s not just one condom in my wallet… there are three… Tarun’s cousin is getting married, and we are hosting a bachelor’s for him on Monday evening. We are going to play a prank on him – add the condoms in the balloon overhead, and pop it when he cuts the cake… We are all contributing three each, and Tarun is going to collect them from me tomorrow morning, so I bought them today during office break time. I hid them carefully, didn’t think you would spot them… and I guessed that even if you did you wouldn’t understand what they are… But… turns out I was wrong…”

She relaxed visibly at the explanation, but at the same time also turned red in mortification at her thoughts. He inched closer to her, his eyes gleaming, “tell me something Naina… how did you know what it was? Have you ever… with someone…”

She gasped in outrage, “no… do you realize what are you asking? How could you…”

“How could you?” He interrupted, “that’s what I should ask… I just implied that you had been with someone else, and you are angry… How should I be feeling Naina? After all this time, you assumed that I brought you here to have sex with you? Just because you saw a condom in my wallet… That’s what you thought, didn’t you? Or did you think that there was someone else in my life… maybe just a casual sexual relationship on the side while I wait for you to be ready to kiss me.”

She bit her lip, her eyes watering as she realized how she had hurt him, “I… the thought did come to my mind, but I knew you wouldn’t do that… and if you thought of me, then you would ask…”

He gripped her arms in a tight hold, pulling her up on her toes, “I am not cheating on you…”

“I know”, she promptly replied, “it was just a fleeting thought which I instantly rejected… I just saw the condom and couldn’t stop thinking…”

“Then you should have asked”, he seethed, “why do you have to assume things? Can’t you simply ask? Haven’t I always told you everything you wanted to know? The first time I saw you in Mumbai, you were with that pink punk… did I assume anything? Didn’t I ask you if you were on a date with him?”

She held his shoulders, looking into his eyes, “I am sorry… I don’t know what made me think like this…”

He dragged in a deep breath, and asked in a rough tone, “do you trust me?”

“Yes”, she replied immediately and honestly.

“Then stop feeling insecure”, he commanded, “and ask…”

She stared at him for a moment, and then gingerly asked, “have you ever… umm… used a condom?”

“No”, he answered, but then suddenly smirked, “but you do know right, that condom isn’t necessary for having sex?”

Her cheeks turned pink, “then… have you ever… with someone?”

He gentled his hold on her, “no… never…”

She breathed in relief, “umm… kissed someone?”

He queried, “where?”

She frowned, “what where? How does location matter?”

He explained, “where as in… there are many places on a woman’s body to kiss… what do you want to know?”

Trying not to think where all he could kiss her, she asked, “anywhere?”

He smiled, “yes…”

Her face fell, “who? Nidhi? Priya? Sanjana?”

On seeing her expression, he pinched her nose, “you forgot to add Naina… I have only kissed you and you know where I have kissed…”

She blushed, “so… you never… your girlfriends…?”

He shook his head, making her smile…  But then he frowned, “uh… one time I accidentally kissed Nidhi on her cheek… I didn’t want to… She cheated because I didn’t pay attention to her. She tricked me into turning my head, and leaned forward at the same time, making it look as if I kissed her… That’s when I broke up with her…”

She didn’t comment on that information for now, but asked, “and on lips…?”

He stepped even closer, towering over her, his eyes glittering, “I am still waiting…” His gaze dropped to her lips, waiting, hoping… But after a minute when she didn’t say anything, he sighed and started to step back… However, he couldn’t… Her hands were fisted on his t-shirt… He looked at her face… Her lips quivered once, and then she whispered, “kiss me…”

Happiness zinged inside him, still he asked, “are you sure…?”

She held his gaze, “yes… I want you to kiss me…”

“It will always be me”, he roughly declared, “only me.” Shivers shot through her spine at his voice, and she responded, “and you will always be mine… only mine…”

He cupped her face, his eyes roving over her face, his thumbs tracing her cheekbones. The moment was here… finally the moment was here… He brushed gentle kisses on her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks, drawing out the moment. Thunder rumbled outside, lighting flashed, and he pressed his lips to hers. They both shuddered, heat searing through their body at the first brush of lips against soft lips. His body responded instantly, his hands trailing down her sides to hold her waist, pulling her tight against him. A tiny little sound escaped her mouth… He tried to draw back a bit, wanting to ask her if she was okay. But she made another sound, this time of protest, and her hands smoothed over his chest and shoulders, to sink in his hair, as she reached up on tip-toe, trying to inch closer even though there was literally no gap between them. He groaned, it seemed as if she really wanted a proper kiss.

Good. So did he…

“Open up”, he murmured against her lips.

She opened her eyes to look at him in confusion. He smiled, guessing she didn’t understand, and gently cupped her chin, using his thumb to tug her lower lip down, and kissed her again. She whimpered, her eyes fluttering shut at the pleasure as he tasted her lips… His head tilted to the side, applying more pressure, parting her lips… And in just another moment, he took full control of the kiss, drawing her tight against him, capturing her mouth. He brushed her lips lightly with his, teasing the seams with the tip of his tongue, nipping at her lower lip, then claiming her mouth in a deep no-holds-barred kiss, taking her tongue with his, sucking it into his mouth. She gave a little whimper, melting against him in a way that was utterly feminine, every inch of her soft body molding to his, her lips parting to give him the access he demanded.

Naina moaned into his mouth, kissing him back with equal fervor, meeting the strokes of his tongue with her own, her fingers curled in his hair holding him close, learning quickly the skill he taught. His deep groan thrilled her, the way his hands clenched on her body aroused her even more, and when he shuddered she felt powerful. She drew a hand down to his chest, feeling the rapid erratic beats of his heart, and drew back in astonishment… This… This right here was the perfect moment, when his heartbeats matched hers… She panted for breath, her eyes still glazed at the feeling of the most perfect first kiss… She tried to gather her breath to confess, but he beat her to it…

Holding her close, he dipped his head to touch her forehead, and said, “I love you Naina…”

Her heart gave a loud thump as if it was about to jump out of her ribcage… She smiled, her eyes filling up with tears of happiness, as she found herself lost in the chocolaty pools of his eyes. He rubbed her back, waiting, but as few seconds passed, he frowned, and demanded, “say it…”

She laughed softly, but honestly confessed, “I love you too Sameer…”

An elated grin split his face, and he hugged her tight. She burrowed against his chest, feeling so extremely happy and content in that moment that she wanted the time to stop. However after a minute, she mumbled, “Sameer…”

He hummed, “yes honey.”

She drew back her head to look at him, “turn off the gas for tea, else it will burn… and kiss me again…” He laughed out, excited at her demand, and immediately obeyed.