Only Mine Chapter 31: Lonavala Diaries

If chaos had any personification it would be the situation at PB’s home that morning, as everyone rushed around. The carefully planned trip by Naina seemed to be not so perfect as it had started raining since sometime before dawn… Revathi worried about traffic and kept telling sordid tales of dark grey storms and roadblocks. Nanu worried about the drive… Munna and Pandit kept repacking stuff based on the new weather… Raincoats were missing which caused them all to panic… Sameer kept asking about details about the trip, the stay, the plan… He had no clue how to manage. And in all these the one person that was missing was Naina… probably still sleeping blissfully…

PB was wondering what to do about breakfast, and if she should pack any snacks for the journey. Why hadn’t she asked Naina this last night? Spotting the boys, she called out, “Sameer… can you please go wake up Naina? I don’t know what’s taking her so long.”

He nodded, glad that he was asked to do so, because he also was itching to go to her… How can she sleep so late on the day of trip…? Thunder rumbled outside and just then a hurricane seemed to clatter down the stairs, and jumped on him… Soft arms looped around his neck and a sweet chiming voice squealed, “Happy Birthday Sameer…!”

He quickly held her around the waist, holding her up… Her dangling feet hit his legs, and for a moment he was amused about their height difference, about how she hung onto him, so confident that he wouldn’t let her fall. “Naina”, he couldn’t help but smile, “thanks honey… And good morning…”

She unlocked her arms and slipped down on her feet, “good morning… sorry I had dozed off.”

PB snorted, “ya… dozing since last night, I guess.”

Naina looked around the living room, bit surprised to see Nanu, Munna, Pandit, PB and Revathi… She bit her lips, blushing slightly, “uh… sorry… I forgot everyone was here.”

Nanu laughed, “seems like you only remembered Sameer.”

Naina nodded, still flushed recalling how she had jumped on him. Sameer chuckled, “stop teasing her… why are you so late? I thought you would be excited…”

“I am”, she clarified, “and I am not late… I just dozed off 30 minutes back… In the meantime you all have woken up.”

Munna was puzzled, “you had woken up before us?”

She nodded, “of course… It’s raining… How can anyone think I would be sleeping?”

Sameer knew she was right… She loved rains so much that she would have surely woken up to watch. Glancing around at everyone she asked, “why are you all so glum?”

“It’s raining”, Sameer replied.

She was perplexed, “so?”

Nanu said, “beta… how will we drive all the way?”

“There will be traffic”, Revathi added, “you will be stuck.”

Pandit fumed, “the rains just spoilt our plan.”

Munna grumbled, “we don’t even have raincoat.”

PB was bit frustrated, “and I don’t know what to take for the trip… should we take snacks? And what about breakfast?”

“And you didn’t tell me or any of us even a single detail about the plan”, Sameer lightly scolded, “we don’t know anything about where we are staying or even when to leave.”

Naina smiled at the complains she heard, “aww… that’s why I was up early… I knew you all would be like this…”

Sameer crossed his arms, “what do you mean?”

She mimicked his pose, “let’s see… Sameer Maheshwari – you don’t know about the plans because it is meant to be a surprise for you. Naturally you don’t know… So stop grumbling about it.” Looking at the other people she continued, “Nanu, Munna, Pandit – there is nothing to complain about the weather. Why were we going to Lonavala? To enjoy the monsoon… So why complain that it has started to rain? Do you have any idea how pleasant it is to drive on the roads to Lonavala in this weather? No, right? So just enjoy…” She turned to scowl at the cook, “Revathi… stop scaring people about traffic and roadblocks… go prepare aloo paratha for breakfast. And make tea, less sugar for Nanu.” She walked over to sit on the sofa, crossing her legs in a childlike pose, “sit down all of you… don’t you want to listen to the plan?”

Everyone quickly scurried over to sit on the sofa and chairs, eager to know. Her face radiated excitement and confidence as she started to speak, “Since PB’s car cannot fit all of us, I have already rented out a big car. Tata Sumo… It arrived this morning at 5am, and is right now parked outside. I had woken up already to speak to the man who delivered it, and have taken care of the papers and payment. We have reservations in Lonavala at Cloud 9 Hills Resort, a separate cottage with three bedrooms and a small kitchenette with bare necessities. This means we can cook some stuff as per our wish, and of course the resort has its own restaurant and room service facilities. I already called up the resort this morning to confirm about the weather and road condition, and till now everything is fine… We will take the highway, there will be some traffic until we are out of Mumbai, but after that the roads should be clear, since it’s not a public holiday. Munna, Pandit, Sameer and I can take turns in driving as we all have license. As for snacks, PB, there’s no need for you to pack anything… I had already packed before – snacks and some other stuff – and kept the bag in the car this morning. Same for raincoats – I anticipated we all would need it, so I had bought them and also got some waterproof bags… They are in the car. All you need to do is get your clothes and essentials, which I guess is already packed. So, get ready, let’s have breakfast and then we can leave…”

Everyone stared at her in astonishment… Even Sameer was surprised at the level of detail she had paid attention to, and how much she had done without letting anyone know. Nanu managed to ask, “since when are you planning this? And when exactly did you wake up?”

She grinned, “I was planning this from the time I was planning Sameer’s birthday… And I woke up as soon as it started to rain, I guess around 4am…”

“Unbelievable”, Munna muttered, “is she always like this?”

Sameer’s voice reflected his pride as he said, “yes… she is always a good planner… I have seen that over the summer vacation when we did our assignment. She is… amazing.”

Pandit rubbed his hands, “now it sounds like a vacation… How long will it take to reach?”

“2 hours”, Naina informed, “since it is raining, it might take a little longer… if it keeps drizzling like this we can take a short detour to visit Kune Falls before reaching our resort.”

PB was already dressed in a comfortable salwar-kameez, something she rarely wore, but with age she had started to find it to be much easier than managing a saree. Ever since Naina had come to live here, she had also encouraged this, and finally she had started to wear it on their weekend trips. Nanu and Sameer were also ready… Munna-Pandit rushed up to change. Within the next twenty minutes, all were ready and the bags were kept in living room. Naina had gone into the kitchen to help Revathi… Sameer sat at the dining table watching her come out with a tray full of tea cups, dressed in blue capri pants paired with a striped white-pink top, she looked angelic. Her hair was up in a ponytail, with fringes loose at the front… Oxidize hoops glinted at her ears and she had skipped any kind of make-up, leaving her face fresh, her baby soft skin glowing with happiness. He stood up to help her as she came closer, and she blessed him with a smile that seemed to light up the grey gloomy sky.

Sameer was dressed in a plain blue oxford shirt with dark grey denims, and sitting beside him Naina couldn’t help but remember the dream she had had. Leaning towards him, she asked in a low voice, “Sameer… do you know how to swim?”

He whispered back, “yes… why?”

“I want to visit waterfalls with you”, she replied, rolling up a paratha and holding it out for him to take a bite. He grinned at the old school-time habit of hers and held her hand, taking a bite of the piping hot paratha, and moaned in delight. Nanu smiled at the sight before him, recalling how these two always used to forget the world around them when they were together. It seemed that hadn’t changed at all, and he was glad to see Naina’s dadi-bua not objecting to this closeness. Sameer had told him that PB, as they called her, was cool; but he wasn’t so sure before coming here… However ever since he had arrived, he had truly seen the unique bond PB shared with Naina, and the way she had accepted Sameer. It made him grateful that Sameer had some elder guidance to look up to in Mumbai.

After breakfast the boys quickly stowed the luggage in the car, and everyone settled inside. PB and Nanu went to the last row so that they would have more space and comfort. Munna-Pandit sat in the middle seats with the bag of snacks between them, their argument being they would be the hungriest ones. Sameer took the wheel while Naina sat on the seat beside him, ready to guide him. She had been to Lonavala couple of times with PB, and had a fair idea about the road, but she still kept the map handy.

The drive was initially frustrating as the traffic seemed too slow to move but once they crossed over to the main highway it was much better just like Naina had mentioned. She pulled out a cassette from the collection she had stowed, and soon soothing music filled the air. Sameer smiled, raising his brow in appreciation at her thoughtfulness. He could see Nanu and PB talking, enjoying the music; even his friends seemed to love the weather and were humming the tune in between their chattering. Naina leaned back on the seat, tilting a bit towards the window and closed her eyes for few moments, just relishing the monsoon air and the rare sprays of rain hitting her face. Seeing her like that brought a serene smile on his lips and he started imagining about them going on long drives after wedding… And that thought brought another fantasy in his brain, where he would park the car in some secluded location and kiss her senseless… What would be her reaction? She was bold enough, but would she like romance outside the confines of their home?

After an hour they stopped at a small highway joint because PB declared that it would feel great to have hot tea in this weather, and naturally Munna and Pandit had to suggest hot pakodas or samosas. Naina was perplexed, “but we just had breakfast…”

Sameer chuckled, “so your hunger pangs are limited to train?”

She nodded, and he grinned, “thank god… I had started to wonder how would we manage in flight when we go for honeymoon.” And that led to several hoots and loud laughter, leaving Naina red faced.

After having tea and piping hot samosas, Naina took the wheel while Sameer sat beside her, eager to see her drive. Whenever they used PB’s car they always had driver, so even though he knew she could drive he hadn’t seen her do that. He leaned towards the window so that no one can see his face from the back seats, and let his eyes stray… She would blow on her hair whenever the strands fell on her face, Her hands were steady on the wheel, her eyes focused on the road. Occasionally he saw her glancing towards the sign boards as if to confirm they were on the correct route. A slim hand moved towards the gear shift, adjusting it… He watched her fist clamp over the stick and gulped, feeling himself stir and harden… The striped top stretched over her breasts making him wonder what she was wearing beneath… Was it another satin like last night? The capri pants were fitting as well, and her legs moved slightly whenever she used the brake or accelerator… She looked petite sitting on the broad seat of Sumo, and he wondered if she looked so delicate to others whenever she was in his arms…

Naina knew he was staring at her… There was no way she could miss that laser focused attention… Her skin tingled, goosebumps erupted on her flesh, and she felt like squirming in her seat… There was nothing innocent about his gaze, it seemed as if he was undressing her, peeling off her clothes one by one, baring her to him… And what shook her to the core was the fact that how much she wanted it to happen… As soon as they started to get closer to Lonavala, her eyes fell on the numerous waterfalls cascading down the mountains, and that took her back to the dream she had had last night. Would she get to fulfill it? How could they even kiss or do more at a waterfall? There would be many people around them… But she so wanted it to happen… Her breath shuddered out of her mouth at the thought of feeling his strong muscular body behind her, his mouth closing over her neck, and his hands roaming over her body.

Getting a grip over her, she stopped near the railway station and asked for directions to their resort. It took them twenty minutes more to reach their destination, and Sameer could only stare in wonder as she skillfully navigated the car through the narrow stretch, not even faltering once or asking him to take over. Even Munna and Pandit seemed to be in awe of the girl whom they had only ever seen riding a pink colored cycle.

The resort was located on the hills, overlooking the lush green valley and the surrounding mountains. The rains had stopped for now, but the weather remained grey. Naina parked the car in-front of the shaded entrance. Handing over the keys to Munna and Pandit so that they can take care of the luggage with the help of the bell-boy, she and Sameer entered inside the reception to check-in. Fifteen minutes later, they were standing in-front of the little cottage that was connected to the main hotel building via a small stone pathway lined on both sides with oleander shrubs flowering in several bright shades. Tall trees dotted along the sprawling gardens where six cottages surrounded the main premises.

Sameer unlocked the heavy wooden door, and they were welcomed with a pleasant fragrance of frangipani. They stepped inside, leaving their wet muddy shoes near the doorstep, the Victorian style cottage allured them. The wooden flooring gleamed with varnish, the luxurious leather sofa well maintained even in the monsoon weather. Two individual deep-set leather chairs stood on each end of the sofa, a wooden coffee table with carved legs in the center holding an ashtray and a vase full of flowers. The open kitchen was just barely sufficient, but the big dining table was sturdy solid wood with six tall chairs surrounding it. On the right side were two doors leading to the bedrooms, and another door was in-front of them on the opposite wall leading to the third bedroom, just beside the floor-to-ceiling French doors leading to the open backyard.

Before anyone could even open their mouth, Naina ran towards that bedroom and stood blocking the door, claiming, “this one’s mine!”

Sameer crossed his arms, “oh yeah! I thought only I was yours…”

She stuck her tongue out at him causing others to laugh, but then she pleaded, “please… please… see this one overlooks the gardens.”

Everyone teased her a bit, but then ultimately gave up that room to her. PB would stay with her. Sameer and Nanu took the room next to her, while Munna and Pandit took the last room. After freshening up and a quick lunch at the hotel restaurant, they decided to visit a couple of waterfalls while it was still daylight. Naina made a small list of the items they needed to buy from the market.

The Kune Waterfalls was a sight to behold… Dropping from a height of 200 meters, the massive three-tiered waterfall was divided into two sections, offering a vivid contrast of blue, white and green. Sameer brought out his camera to click pictures of the falls, and then made everyone stand at the platform for individual pictures. After he clicked Naina’s photo, Munna took the camera and asked him to join her… He gladly moved to her and stood beside her…

PB teased, “aww… neighbors are getting photo clicked.”

Sameer frowned, “neighbors?”

Nanu nodded, “what else…? Is this how you stand with your would-be-wife?”

Sameer smirked and looped an arm around Naina’s shoulders, “what do you say now?”

PB and Nanu shared a glance and together declared, “close neighbours…”

Naina bit her lip trying to control her chuckle, and Sameer whispered, “I can’t believe our grandparents are teasing us.”

“They are filling in for our parents”, Naina promptly replied, a slight haze of sadness dimming the joy in her eyes.

Sameer blinked, totally forgetting about the photography session, his entire attention centered on the girl who was his life. “Naina”, he turned towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She gasped as he pulled her close, her hands automatically lifting to his chest, and her head tilting back to look in his eyes. “I love you”, he muttered the only statement that could bring her out of all the sadness.

She smiled, making his heartbeats thunder, and her voice was lilting with a sweet chime as she said, “I love you too.”

His lips curved upward in a serene smile, and he slowly dipped to kiss her forehead… She closed her eyes as his lips brushed her skin, feeling peace envelope her. She leaned onto his chest, and he too closed his eyes, tilting his head on hers, placing his cheek on her hair. The lovers forgot the surrounding, but Munna didn’t forget to keep clicking… Pandit gawked at his short-tempered childhood friend, and the girl who loved to play pranks, both of whom had suddenly turned into some romantic characters of Bollywood movies. Nanu also seemed surprised at the kind of bond these two shared… There was so much more depth and understanding between them as compared to the time when they had visited Ahmedabad. Only PB smiled, seemingly unaffected and unfazed, as if she was used to them being like this.

Nanu even asked, “are they usually like this?”

PB nodded, “yes… both of them have found someone to call their own completely after a lot of struggle… Naina belongs only to Sameer and he belongs only to her… I guess, it is natural that they are as essential as breath to each other.”

Nanu felt incredibly happy on hearing this, “Sameer had told me before roka about your and Naina’s relationship… Honestly, I know how difficult it is to be a grandparent as well as a friend, so I hadn’t expected much from you… But I am surprised. Especially when I saw your care and concern for not just Naina, but Sameer too…”

PB understood the feeling… Even she had felt bit skeptical of Mr. Maheshwari’s visit,  but when she had seen how Naina treated him like her own Nanu and also how he cared for her granddaughter, she had been forced to change her views. She smiled, “the only thing I ever wanted was for someone to accept and love Naina for what she is… to understand her true self and cherish her… And Sameer does that… Then how can I not consider him family? Sameer is as special to me as Naina…”

Nanu felt a sense of peace on hearing this as he too wanted the same thing for Sameer; and watched in fascination as Munna and Pandit teased the couple out of their romantic haze. Soon they walked down the viewing platform and drove around to the actual entrance of the waterfall. A short walk led them to one of the several pools created by the cascading water, and they all had a fun time playing in the shallow water. It started to rain again, and they rushed to a nearby shack for some hot tea. Sameer’s eyes glinted in delight on seeing a lady selling bhutta and soon he got 5 roasted ones to eat.

Pandit queried, “isn’t there one less?”

Munna laughed, “obviously because the love birds are going to share.”

As they shared the bhutta, memory of a year ago made them smile. She glanced around once to check that no one was paying much attention to them and whispered, “do you remember?”

“Of course”, he promptly replied.

She grinned, “I was thinking… umm… how about we re-create that memory?”

He chuckled, “I don’t think you are that much naïve anymore.”

“I wasn’t ever”, she declared, “I just hid from you… and you believed that I didn’t understand your gesture.”

He smirked, “are you forgetting that I caught you in action?”

She watched him take a bite of the corn, and then snatched it from his hands, closing her lips over the same place even though there were no kernels there. He gulped watching her lips move in a teasing kissing motion, and her eyes had a naughty sparkle as she asked, “liked the live action?”

“Damn yes babe”, he rasped.

She quirked her brows, “babe? Didn’t we agree on the nicknames?”

He cleared his throat, “we did… and I would never call you baby… but I do think that the sensuous kitten you turn into sometimes deserves a nickname… just for our innocent bedtime adventures.”

Her face flushed, she bit her lip, her eyes twinkling in happiness; and his breath hitched… Oh what wouldn’t he give to kiss her right in this moment… She was wet and soft, bare of any makeup and to him that was the most gorgeous sight he had ever laid eyes on. His eyes turned dark with desire and he clenched his fists to control himself from grabbing her. She looked away from him, trying to calm her racing heartbeats because she too wanted the exact same thing as him. But as her eyes spotted the waterfalls again, she decided it was the perfect time to demand something from him…

Sliding even closer to him, she asked, “do you have any light colored shirt?”

He was puzzled by the sudden question, but nodded, “a cream linen… remember the one we bought during vacation.”

She grinned, “perfect… wear that tomorrow please.”

He crossed his arms, “any reason?”

Her lower lip jutted out in an adorable pout, and she put on the most innocent wide-eyed expression as she stammered on purpose, “I… actually… I have… uh… a f…fan…a fantasy…”

He almost shrieked, “what!?”

Everyone instantly turned to look at them, and Nanu asked, “what happened?”

Sameer tried to control his expressions, “uh… nothing…”

Pandit persisted, “why did you scream then?”

“Because I told Sameer something”, Naina replied before Sameer could, and he looked at her horrified.

Munna glanced at his friend’s expressions, “what?”

Naina pursed her lips, trying to control her laugh as she gestured to Sameer, “you want to share?”

He wondered what madness had come over her and he quickly shook his head in negative. There was no way they could tell this to others. PB’s eyes moved from Sameer to Naina and back, and she offered, “you don’t have to share if it is personal.”

Sameer sighed in relief, which was short-lived, because Naina countered, “it isn’t that personal… Sameer also asked me this yesterday, and the day before… right?”

He coughed, staring at her in horror… What the hell was she doing? How can she divulge about his fantasy demands? He shook his head, gawking at her, hoping she won’t blurt something… She flashed an innocent smile and announced, “I was just… uh… I was asking Sameer out on a date… He has been asking since last two days but because of the birthday surprise plan I didn’t get time.”

He exhaled in relief… Nanu teased, “seriously Sameer? My grandson is nervous about a date?”

Sameer gaped at his Nanu, “I am not nervous.”

Pandit smirked, “really? Then why weren’t you saying anything?”

“I…”, Sameer stammered, thinking of a way out, “I was just silent because Naina is usually shy to talk about such things to anyone.”

PB clucked her tongue, “liar… my granddaughter is bold and beautiful…”

Sameer’s cheeks reddened, but he glanced at Naina and murmured, “that she is…”

After a short visit to the market, by the time they reached their resort, they all felt tired and hungry. Naina freshened up first and moved to the small kitchen to make tea… Just as she grated ginger, a pair of strong arms looped around her waist, and she smiled on feeling his lips kissing her neck through her damp hair…

“I love the way you smell”, he whispered, “like an exotic flower.”

Her breath hitched, “Sameer… someone will come out of their room and see us…”

He chuckled, moving her hair aside and nipped at her earlobe, “is my bold and beautiful fiancé scared?”

She pouted, “no… but we won’t be able to finish if we start something now.”

His voice was deep and husky as he moved his lips against her ear, “anyways we won’t complete what we start babe… get it?” She did get it… And her entire face flushed… He moved one hand up stealthily, caressing the underside of her breasts, “you look like a red tomato… I want to bite…”

Her heart raced, and she poked him with her elbow, “leave me…”

“Sugar”, he muttered, kissing her cheek…

She blinked, losing focus, “is that my new name?”

His thumb rubbed across her nipple over her top, and she moaned softly… He skimmed his lips up and down the side of her face, “you forgot sugar in tea…”

“Oh”, she mumbled, not really hearing what he said…

A deep chuckle rumbled from his throat, “God… I love you so much…” He moved her aside just as soon as he heard a click of door. Naina had brought homemade tea masala in a small pack, he added that and sugar to the tea and stirred… She just stood beside him, immobile, still under effect of the sensuous spell he had woven… He bumped her shoulder, “you okay?”

She shook her head as if coming out of trance, “what was that?”

He flashed a lopsided grin and winked, “just an appetizer…”

She rolled her eyes and started to pour out the tea, but murmured loud enough for him to hear, “I am really hungry for the main course now…”

His mouth fell open in shock as she saucily winked at him and took the tray out to the living room. It took him a few minutes to recover and he only came back to reality when Munna threw a pack of chips on him. Pandit had taken up the onus to place order with the room service facility, and was happily declaring the numerous items he had ordered.

Sameer frowned, “did you order for the whole resort?”

Pandit grumbled, “no… but you know humans like us need more food… we are not like you, to survive on bread-omlette.”

“When you are cooking by yourself after college and work, even bread-omlette seems like a luxury”, Sameer countered immediately, defending his most reliable busy day meal.

Naina offered support with a smile, “and it is yummy the way he cooks it…”

Pandit held one ear in apology, “sorry… sorry… the power couple here doesn’t understand joke.”

Munna swatted his friend on his head, making everyone laugh. Nanu knew that Sameer cooked sometimes, but still when he had seen him in the kitchen some time back stirring tea, he had been surprised at the sight. It started to rain again by the time dinner arrived and Naina quickly opened the French doors to let the full effect in… The smell of wet mud, the cool wind mixing with the air from the ceiling fan, the brief flashes of lightning, the rumbling thunder – all of it made a joyous atmosphere for dinner. According to Sameer it was also the perfect weather for romance, he wished he could have some time alone with Naina, but he knew they couldn’t… PB was in her room, and Nanu in his… There was no way he would make out with her in kitchen or living room, where anyone could walk in… He watched her laugh over something Munna said, and sighed, shifting on the chair to adjust himself…

Wasn’t there any storeroom nearby?

He chuckled at his own random thought… Naina glanced at him wistfully… The cottage was too beautiful, but in her opinion, too open. If only there was a spare room, or someplace she could meet Sameer secretly. After dinner, they all sat down to watch a movie, the tiredness of the day caught up and slowly they started to drop off. PB was the first to leave, followed by Nanu… Munna yawned and stood up, dragging Pandit along with him… Naina kept watching the movie with a small smile, waiting… And in less than five minutes Sameer was lying flat on the sofa with his head on her lap, demanding her attention… She grinned, combing her fingers through the silky strands, “how do you have such amazing hair?”

He laughed, “even my body is amazing… care to give some attention?”

“I want to”, she replied earnestly, “but… now is not the time, and here is not the place.”

He sighed, “you are right… I was wishing there was some storeroom here.”

She giggled, “I can’t believe that instead of thinking of pranks to play on each other we are thinking of places to make-out with each other.”

He smirked, “I guess… we grew up…”

“No”, she firmly replied, “we just fell in love… troubling each other took a back-seat in-front of wanting each other… you know… sometimes I think that all those pranks in school was also a way we devised to see each other, talk to each other…”

He most definitely agreed, “absolutely… I couldn’t stay one day without seeing you… I probably never told you, the summer vacations after 11^th when you went away to your village without telling me, I was so upset… And I missed you so much but couldn’t understand why playing prank on you was important… I did crazy things – called up at your place every two days to check if you had returned, driving up to your society to see if I can spot you at your balcony…”

“Hold on”, she interrupted, “how could you call me? I shared my number with you much later… on the day of fair…”

He bit his lip, and looked up at her sheepishly, “uhhhmm… I… uh… I had asked Pandit to find out your number way before that… I just needed to have it with me…”

Her eyes sparkled, “seriously?”

He nodded, “are you angry?”

“Of course not”, she happily assured, “I just never thought some guy would do such things for me… it’s crazy… you are way beyond anything I dreamt of as a life-partner…”

He turned sideways to place a kiss on her belly, “and you are something I never expected to have in my life…” She tilted her head curiously, and he smiled, “my peace… my happiness…”

She bent to place a kiss on his head, making his breath catch as inadvertently his face brushed against her breasts… He gulped, “do you have any idea how much I want you right now?”

“Maybe as much as I want you”, she offered in a soft voice laced with longing.

He closed his eyes, groaning, “damn… you are not helping Naina…”

She stroked his chest, trying to calm him, “listen… umm… about what I was telling you near the waterfall…”

His eyes lit up with interest recalling the conversation, “ah yes… my innocent stammering fiancé… tell me you f..fa…fan…fantasy.”

She laughed softly at how he imitated her, “we are going to Zenith Watefalls tomorrow…”

He was puzzled, “so? I am asking about your fantasy Naina…”

“I am coming there”, she assured, “so… this waterfall has tiers… PB and Nanu would be able to walk up to maybe the second tier… we all can spend time there… but then… I want us to hike up to the 4^th or 5^th tier… is that okay with you?

He still didn’t get it, but nodded, “sure… though those two monkeys will surely complain about the workout…”

She slapped his shoulder lightly, “my silly idiot… we have to ditch those two monkeys as well.”

He quirked a brow, “and why would we do that?”

She smiled, “so that we can fulfill my fantasy… I dreamt of it and I want it to happen…”

He grabbed her hand, kissing the inside of her palm, “tell me what it is…”

She dipped lower, letting her hair fall around his face like a curtain, stared into his melting chocolate eyes and whispered, “waterfall romance… I want you to kiss me while we stand beneath a waterfall… and that is why I asked you wear the cream shirt… it would get transparent in water…”

He blinked, drawing in a breath, and spoke around the lump in his throat, “that seems like a fascinating fantasy… what would you wear?”

“I have a white top”, she smirked, “totally opaque when dry… but you can imagine how it would be when it is wet…”

He gulped, “uh… yeah…”

She bit her lip, mischief dancing in her eyes, “and about what could be beneath the white top… I can give you options… pink, red, black, purple, blue…”

“Damn babe”, he rasped, “you have so many colors?”

She chuckled, “yes… last time when I went shopping with Chaaya I saw a green one… but it wasn’t available in my size…”

He just focused on breathing in and out as his heartbeats thundered… He tried to imagine the scenario she was presenting… “Red”, he demanded, “you would look so hot…”

She stroked his hair, “Sameer…” He hummed, and she demanded, “I need a kiss… proper one…”

He sat up and turned to her, “what if someone comes?”

She took hold of his hand, and stood up walking towards the open French doors. It was drizzling, the ground all wet except for the few inches near the door that was covered with an overhead shade. The right side had a glass window that was now covered in a curtain as PB slept in the room. She turned towards the left side and stood leaning on the wall, pulling him closer to her… She left his hand and reached up to grab his collar, tugging him more onto her, and lifted her head up… He smiled, grabbing her waist with one hand, and placing his other hand on the wall next to her head to balance them as he leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss…

She sighed at the soft touches as he suckled on her lips one by one… His tongue flicked her upper lip, traced the plump curve of her lower lip, and then she felt his teeth nipping at the fullness. Her heartbeat picked up as his fingers spanned on the side of her body, moving up and down as if he was restless for her feel. She grabbed one hand of his, and guided it beneath her loose top, exhilarated at the shudder that raced down his spine. Goosebumps erupted on her flesh and she looped her arms around his neck, eliminating the minimal gap between their bodies. With a low hungry growl he deepened the kiss, taking her mouth, stealing her breath, swallowing the little whimper that escaped from her. His tongue stroked the depth of her mouth, familiarizing again with the already known taste… She curled her fingers in his hair, surprised at the intensity with which he took her, and she gave back to him just as fervently. In a surprising move, she lifted one leg, sliding it up his shins and hooking it at the back of his knee, pulling him closer still… His lower body angled and she felt his hard length rubbing just at her navel… It brought to her mind pictures that made heat pool inside her, her heart pumped at an uncontrollable speed, and she wrenched her mouth away from him to drag in a much needed breath. His mouth, deprived of her lips, immediately moved to nibble at the side of her neck… His one hand curled over her breast beneath her top, while she felt his other hand tugging her top down from her shoulders… He dropped a kiss on the strap of her bra and then his teeth sank on her flesh earning a hiss from her… He pulled her soft skin with his teeth, suckling on it, feeling her nails dig at his nape… After a minute he licked the spot, dropping quick kisses to soothe the burn, and then lifted his head to look in her eyes, proudly declaring, “I have marked you as mine… tomorrow I am going to see that spot beneath the waterfall…”

She leaned her head back on the wall, her eyes closed, her breath shallow, her leg slowly sliding down his… He looked at her disheveled state; hair mussed up, top sliding down one shoulder showing the skin colored bra, her heaving chest; it seemed as if he had done so much more than just kissing her… “Maybe we should go inside”, he croaked, “if I keep looking at you, then I might just take you against this wall… And I really don’t want our first time to be like this…”

Her eyes snapped open at his statement, her poor heart that had just started to calm down started to thunder again… She swallowed, speechless for a moment, and then asked, “really?”

He nodded… She queried, “so… you are okay to do it before wedding?”

His eyebrow quirked, “aren’t you? Remember… it was you who proposed it…”

“I… I know”, she stammered, “I just didn’t expect you to say it like that… usually you never do…”

He chuckled, “maybe you are transferring some of your attitude into me while kissing.”

She looked thoughtful as she muttered, “maybe… otherwise how can I be speechless.”

He grinned, combing his fingers through her hair to smooth them out, and kissed her forhead, “go sleep rabbit… otherwise this tiger will eat you up tonight…”

Her eyes widened and she blushed furiously, before scurrying to her bedroom as light feet and fast as a rabbit running from the predatory tiger.

That night was extremely difficult for Naina as his words kept ringing in her ears, and her body seemed to be on fire as she kept imagining what “eat you up” could include… Well… If the way he suckled on her breasts was any indication, then she was sure she would die if he did that to her whole body… But, oh how she wanted it to happen… She wouldn’t jump into bed with him immediately, but the idea of making love started to sound more and more appealing, especially now that Sameer was openly confessing his desires. How did he even get the idea of taking her against the wall? Just because they kissed in that position? Or was it another of his fantasy?

The morning wasn’t any better. From the moment she came out from the room, dressed in a fitted black track pant and white top, she felt his heated gaze resting on her like a constant laser beam. It affected her, because she was used to Sameer gazing at her with love, but this heightened passion in his dark eyes was so new that it made her feel shivery. They had breakfast at a nearby restaurant that was popular for Maharashtrian traditional delicacies… Sameer loved kanda-poha, but even while relishing the food his eyes kept straying to Naina who was sitting opposite him, eating a dish of sabudana khichdi.

Smirking at her, he queried, “won’t you share?”

She looked up surprised, “uh… sure?”

Nanu suddenly asked, “did you both argue? I am seeing you are not talking much since morning…”

Sameer smiled, “no Nanu… why would we argue? I think Naina is thinking of some prank… or maybe…” Fixing his gaze on her, he finished, “dreaming about waterfall…”

Naina hiccupped, clapping a hand over her mouth… PB immediately rubbed her back, “what happened?”

“I… I think I ate a chilli”, Naina whispered.

Sameer took a spoonful of poha, holding it at her lips, until she opened her mouth and accepted… He playfully teased, “rabbits can never eat spicy food.”

Pandit laughed, “rabbit? Isn’t that the soft toy she had won for you at the school fair?”

Sameer nodded, and Munna promptly queried, “then what are you… a tiger?”

“Yes, I am”, Sameer replied, not moving his gaze from her, “isn’t that right Naina?”

She hiccupped again, and suddenly stood up, “I am done… I will go get some water…”

Sameer bit his lip to control his laughter, and pulled Naina’s half-finished plate. Nanu was puzzled, “won’t she eat?”

“She isn’t coming back”, Sameer replied confidently, confusing the others. True to his word, Naina didn’t come back to the table at all. When Nanu asked later on, she randomly replied that she was talking to the locals about places to visit. Sameer shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips, as he drove to the Zenith Waterfalls.

Reaching a narrow concrete road, Sameer saw the way blocked by cars and glanced at Naina in confusion. She nodded, “we need to park here… it will take 15 minutes to reach the lower level of waterfall.”

The boys grabbed the backpacks in which towels, raincoats and some snacks were packed. They didn’t bother about the raincoats now, even though it was raining, because anyways they would get wet. Sameer noticed Naina put on a skin-fitting thin black jacket, and zip up till just below her neck. PB asked before he could, “why are you wearing a jacket?”

Naina smiled, “I wanted to try this on… remember, this is the gym jacket you brought last year from the club sale.”

PB nodded, “yes… but why now?”

Naina shrugged, “when will I get such cool weather in Mumbai…?”

That seemed to satisfy PB, but not Sameer because he saw that Naina wasn’t meeting PB’s eyes when she was replying… And so he held her hand, dragging her behind from the group, and demanded, “tell the truth…”

She rolled her eyes, tapping his forehead with her knuckles, “where did you leave your brain? If I don’t wear the jacket my top will get wet… Do you want my top to get wet in-front of everyone?”

He gulped, “no… The red is only for my eyes.”

“Right”, she smirked, “so… shall we?”

He held her hand once more, and together they walked down the narrow wet road. A gently rushing stream lay in between… Sameer took some photographs of the surrounding greenery, of the mossy rocks, of Naina kneeling to dip her hand in the gurgling water… They waded across the water, getting their legs and sandals wet, and then it took them five more minutes over a rocky path to reach their destination. Given it was the weekend, the shallow pool was full of people which made PB wrinkle her nose.

“We should go up to the second level”, Naina suggested, “it is not much walk… maybe ten minutes… Can you make it PB, Nanu?”

They nodded, and slowly made their way up the slightly elevated pathway… There were people at that level too, but much less, and they decided to stop there. The waterfall was beautiful, and the water in the pool deliciously cool… After spending some time there, the four youngsters decided to move further up, while PB and Nanu sat on the rocks watching families enjoy. Munna and Pandit stopped at level four… Naina bit her lip, wondering how to move away from them… But it was Sameer who told them simply that he wanted to spend some time with Naina and so they were going up… To her surprise his friends didn’t mind at all, rather sent them on with hoots and whistles.

Naina was silent the entire way, puzzling Sameer who asked, “are you nervous?”

She was surprised, “why would I be?”

He shook his head, “you are never so quite… that’s why I asked…”

“I don’t know”, she replied as if she was musing on her own, “I feel different…”

Reaching the fifth level, Sameer dropped his bag on a wide rock, and Naina shed her jacket… He pulled her down to sit for some time, “different?”

She nodded, staring at the cascading water, “content… happy… and mature…”

He frowned, “the first two I understand, because I feel the same with you… what’s mature? You were mature even when we were in school…”

She smiled, “was I? My family never thought so, even though they never really saw my mischief… I like songs and movies and that was enough for Taiji to keep telling me how childish I was…”

He didn’t like the slight sadness in her eyes, “why are you thinking of them?”

She shook her head, “I didn’t mean to… When I said I was feeling mature, I meant I didn’t feel the need to constantly blabber, tease you or do some mischief… There was companionship in our silence… You know, the kind of silence that doesn’t feel suffocating…”

He looped an arm around her shoulder, “yes… I understand… do you know when I went home in last summer vacations; there was one night I was sitting in the garden on the swing… At that moment I had a sudden thought or vision of us sitting on the same swing together… you in my arms, as we silently watch the stars…”

“That’s… beautiful”, she earnestly replied, her eyes sparkling, “I guess after marriage there will be many moments when we won’t feel the need to speak…”

His eyes immediately twinkled with mischief, “of course… just like speaking on bed isn’t allowed.”

She laughed, the melodious sound making his breath hitch in his chest. His voice was bit strained as he gestured to the pool, “shall we go inside?”

She looked around, “we will climb up that ledge to stand beneath the fall… then we can come back to the pool… is that okay?”

He nodded, “yes… let’s go…”

Standing up, he removed his wallet and watch, keeping it in the bag. Naina was shimmying beside him, he turned frowning to see what she was up to, and his mouth fell open on seeing her remove her tracks.

“What…”, he whispered, unable to complete the question.

She grinned, tugging the pants down, revealing swim shorts covering till her thigh… He sighed in relief, closing his eyes for a moment, placing his hand on his heart. She walked up to him, speaking mischievously, “don’t think you are getting to see me like that so soon… this rabbit won’t fall in your trap that easily.”

He snorted, “ah… suddenly the tiny rabbit is brave in-front of tiger…”

She scrunched her nose, “that’s the rabbit’s specialty… curiosity and courage…”

“I see”, he smirked, “let’s see how much courage you have…” Saying so he dipped, grabbed her waist, picking her up on his shoulders and patted lightly on her bottom… She had lost her voice on his sudden move, but the pat on her backside made her squeal, and she hit her fists on his back, “let me down you ass…”

He chuckled, “nope babe… enjoy the view while you can…”

She tried to get a hold on his track pant… Hanging upside down like this wasn’t something she had ever experienced. Thank God she hadn’t had much breakfast… Craning her neck to the side, she asked, “what view?”

“Your ass’s ass… what else”, he replied nonchalantly, rendering her speechless once more.

Reaching the last bit of the ledge, he gently placed her on her feet, and held her steady… The way further could be slippery and he didn’t want the risk of falling while carrying her. He held her arm, “are you okay?”

She nodded, “yes…”, and then frowned, “how could you lift me like that? Do I look like a potato sack?”

He grinned, scanning her up and down, “more like a single potato…”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and he waited for her comeback, but was instead surprised to see a teasing smile bloom on her lips. She turned away from him, and walked the short distance to the waterfall… Standing beneath the fall, she turned towards him and smirked, “tell me now how do I look…”

He swallowed, ogling at her as the water turned her top totally transparent… The fabric clung to her curves like second skin… And beneath the notorious sheer top was the gleaming wet satin red bra… She lifted her hand to push her hair out of her face, and stretched her neck backwards giving him a glimpse of the tempting line of her throat… Standing there beneath the waterfall, the red satin molded around her breasts, the curve of her body dipping at her waist and flaring out at the hips, her legs covered in the blue tight shorts leaving her shins and feet bare, she looked temptation personified… A siren that had emerged from the mystical waterfall to shatter his control… His body already stiff, his breathing shallow, he started walking towards her, his heart panting like a love-sick puppy at the sensuous smile curving her lips…

As he reached her, she asked once more, “how do I look?”

He slid one hand around her nape, cradling her head, and ravished her lips letting her know without words how exactly she looked. She was stunned by the intensity of his kiss… Her hands flailed for a moment, before she managed to grab onto him… Hot… That’s what his skin felt like… She had no idea how he could be burning like this even when they were drenched in water… And what was he doing with his tongue? Oh God… She moaned, shuddering as he sucked her tongue into his mouth, stealing her breath… Every bit of energy drained from her and she collapsed on his chest. A low growl rumbled in his chest as his strong arm looped around her waist, hauling her onto him, pushing their bodies against a crevice of the rocky mountain wall, hiding them behind the thick curtain of waterfall. She felt a tug on her hair, and obeyed the command tilting her head back, gasping for breath as he left her lips after a final hard nip at the corner. She licked her lips, soothing the burn, and moaned aloud as his mouth roamed down her throat, placing heated open-mouthed kisses.

“Sameer”, she whimpered, her nails digging on his shoulders.

He mumbled some curse, pushing her top aside, seeking more skin to feast on… The mark from last night had turned purple, and he suckled on the same tender spot, enjoying the way she shuddered in his arms. His hands roamed on her body, cupping her breasts, finding the puckered nipples to rub… One hand moved beneath her top, exploring the smooth skin of her belly before pushing his thumb against her navel… She jerked, feeling a burning sensation between her legs, and bit her lip, “oh God…”

“That’s for me to do”, he rasped, freeing her lip from her teeth and kissing her again.

She gave in once more, plaint to his touch, but then a thought niggled in her brain, that this was supposed to be her fantasy. And so she pushed him away slightly, confusing him, enraging him…

“Naina”, he growled, trying to return to her mouth.

But she placed her hands on his chest, “wait… this is my fantasy… I need to see you…”

He halted at her words, the desperation in his eyes, turning to a low smoldering fire, and his lips curved in a smirk… He took measured steps back from her, standing beneath the water again, letting her see what she wanted… She straightened from the wall, her eyes taking in the sight of his wet form… His hair came down to his forehead, his lips a shade of red from their kisses, water slid over the perfect jawline, dripping down his chin… His shirt was transparent enough to let him see the color of his skin, the fabric molding to his body leaving the angles and planes of his muscles visible for her eyes… The two open buttons revealed a little bit of fair skin, but she wasn’t satisfied, and so she demanded, “open one more button of your shirt…”

His eyebrow quirked in surprise as he obeyed her, and felt gratified on seeing her gaze riveted on his chest… Breathing hard, he asked, “shall I open more?”

“No”, she softly replied, “I will…”

And with that she finally managed to leave him speechless as she walked up to him and placed her palms on his chest, slowly undoing one more button and parting the seams of his wet shirt… Her nails scraped his skin, and he groaned… His eyes nearly rolled back in pleasure as she leaned forward and soothed the sting from her nails with her tongue… He gripped her waist to steady himself against the onslaught of pleasure as he felt her open all the buttons and then push the shirt down his arms… Her fingers brushed against his nipples, followed by her lips which closed in a hot suction over his flesh making him hiss and groan… She curved her palm, raking her red-polished nails down the center of his chest and abdomen to the line of his track pants, skimming back-and-forth along the edge in a seductive motion. His entire body throbbed, his erection straining to be in some place more welcoming than his pants… He fisted his hand in her wet hair as she nipped at his chest, as if she was feasting… His little rabbit was playing havoc with his control, and unable to tolerate more, he turned her away from him…

Looping an arm around her waist, he pulled her back to his chest, and with his other hand he moved aside her hair, dipping to nibble on her neck again… “Perfect”, she moaned, “just like I dreamt…”

So this was her exact fantasy… Wrapping his other hand around her, he smiled against her skin, “is there anything I can do to make it more perfect?”

“Just tell me that you love me”, she requested.

He nibbled on her earlobe, and whispered, “I love you so much Naina…”

She shivered as his breath fell on her ear, “I love you too Sameer…”

Dropping a kiss on her cheek, he asked, “do you trust me?”

“Yes”, she promptly replied.

“Then hold on”, he mumbled, tightening his hold on her, and walked back a couple of steps, suddenly falling into the oblivion with her. She gasped, holding onto his arms… The journey of few feet ended in seconds and they fell into the deep pool with a loud splash… She clutched onto him, as he swam upwards until their heads were out of water…

She sputtered and choked, moving out of his hold. Turning to him, she removed her hair from her face, shrieking, “are you mad?”

He shook his head, letting the water droplets fall, and laughed aloud in exhilaration. Her frustration flew away as she stared at him mesmerized, he shrugged the shirt back on his shoulders, and grinned at her… The boyish carefree smile on his face stole her heart all over again, and she felt that the trip was finally successful and he was enjoying without worrying about studies, business, job or money… He was just being Sameer – The teenager she had met in school… He swam closer to her, cupped her face with one hand, and kissed her softly, expressing his joy… She placed a palm over his chest, feeling his thundering heartbeats that communicated his thrill and excitement.

“Thank you”, he whispered, pulling back from her, “after so long I felt such… I mean… I didn’t think of anything beyond this moment… that hasn’t happened in a long time.”

She smiled, “anything to see this smile on your face.”

He swam along with her to the edge, grabbed her waist and lifted her to sit on a rock. Standing between her legs, he looked up at her, “then you just have to be with me always…”

She cupped his face, leaning down to kiss his forehead, and promised, “I will be… always and forever…” And then sealed the promise with a kiss on his lips, her heart sighing in peace when he smiled against her lips, as the waterfall thundered down behind them, and the rays of sun peeked from behind the clouds, turning the drizzling rain-drops into golden diamonds…