Only Mine
Chapter 33: Changed Relationships

On a cool Saturday morning in the end of October, Sameer stretched his hand to turn off the alarm clock, and yawned. As he breathed in and out, he realized that a weight on his chest was stopping him from inhaling deeper, and he glanced down to see the girl cuddling up to him. A smile curved his lips, and he wrapped his arms around her body, squeezing her tight. She made a contented purring sound, and rubbed her cheek on his bare chest.

“Naina”, he softly called out.

She hummed, “what happened?”

“Time to get up babe”, he whispered, sliding his hand beneath her satin night wear top to stroke her back.

She purred once more, and then in just a few seconds almost climbed up to sleep on top of him. A chuckle rumbled in his chest, and he pushed aside her hair with his other hand to so that he could see her face. She smiled a bit, and warned sleepily, “if you keep stroking like that I am never getting up.”

He skimmed a fingertip down her soft plump cheek, “cat…”

She blinked her eyes open and lifted her head slightly to look at him, “is that my new name?”

“Maybe”, he crooned, “cats always like to be stroked… just like you do…”

She squirmed up a bit so that she could reach to kiss his cheek, “if you are the one stroking me then I am absolutely okay to be a cat…”

He sighed at her soft kisses on his face, “and if you keep kissing me like this we will end up making out again, and probably PB will hear us when she wakes up.”

She pouted, “just one kiss?”

“Sure”, he grinned, lifting his hand to cup her face when suddenly she slipped away from him, causing him to indignantly speak up, “hey! Where are you going?”

She rushed to the bathroom, replying over her shoulder, “no kiss before brush…”

He sat up on the bed, moving his hand through his hair, and grumbled, “once we get married I am locking the bathroom door every night, so that in morning, you won’t even think of leaving me like this after talking about kiss.”

There was spitting and water sound from inside, and she opened the door a bit to reply, “you only want a kiss in morning even after marriage? How sad…!”

“You devil”, he spat, sliding off the bed, “wait right there…” She laughed, closing the door quickly… He thumped his palm on it, “open up right now…”

Her voice came from right behind the door, letting him know that she was leaning on it, “promise me that you won’t kiss before you brush…”

“Naina”, he warned…

She pleaded, “please…”

He huffed, “fine… but then I get two kisses… not one…”

“Deal”, she chirped, unlocking the door and holding out his brush for him.

He shook his head, “you are nuts…”

She grinned, “come soon… I am waiting…”

Couple of minutes later when he sauntered outside, she indeed was waiting for him… Sprawled on the bed… Dressed in that pink satin night top and shorts, he so loved to see her in… A smile curved her lips, and she fluttered her lashes at him… He leaned down to cover her feet with his palms, and then parted her legs, climbing up to sit on his knees in the space he made. His warm broad palms made their way up her shins to her thighs, and he bent lower onto her… Her eyes sparkled and the smile never left her face as she leaned back on the bed, her hands moved caress his bare chest, coming to rest on his strong shoulders…

“You know”, he rasped, “it feels as if we are going to make love.”

If he had thought she would shy away, he was totally wrong. Instead her smile widened, “I don’t think I would be waiting so patiently if we were about to make love… I would probably attack you in the bathroom…”

He closed his eyes for a brief second, and groaned, “God help me with his woman…”

She laughed, “God isn’t going to help you kiss me Sameer… you have to do it yourself.”

“Shut up”, he reprimanded, glaring at her.

She immediately countered, “make me…”

And he did… Dipping his head he captured her mouth in a deep kiss that made her arch up, whimper and then clutch onto his hair. He felt her body tighten beneath him, and then in just few seconds she became as pliant as if her bones had dissolved into liquid. His hands stroked up her body, massaging the bare skin of her belly, lifting the satin up to reveal her breasts to his long fingers. He cupped and kneaded just like he had done last night, and reveled in every shiver coursing through her soft body, in every whimper that she couldn’t stop from escaping her mouth. Trailing small kisses from the corner of her mouth to her ear, and then down her neck, he rolled her puckered nipples between his thumb and forefinger… She gasped, moaned, and then like the little minx she was, she turned her head and sank her teeth on his shoulder. He hissed, immediately repaying her in kind by closing his mouth over her succulent right bud and suckling hard.

“Yes…”, she moaned in agreement, scraping her nails down his back in encouragement.

He moved to her other breast, lost in her smell, her taste, the feel of her body… She felt him settle more firmly onto her, his hips finding their masculine position between her legs, and she cradled his weight as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Her thighs tightened around his, and her body undulated beneath him in the primitive knowledge that came from instinct. He heard her keening plead of his name, and quickly reached up for another kiss… His lips molded against hers, the deep sure strokes sending her brain into overdrive… Slowly, gently he softened the kiss, and whispered against her lips, “we have to stop babe…”

She nibbled on his lower lip, “wish we didn’t have to…”

“I know”, he murmured, pecking the corners of her mouth and then kissing her sharp little nose. Straightening her top, he rolled over to the side, gathering her to him. She cuddled in his arms, trying to calm her racing heart, her mind still abuzz from his actions.

Few minutes later, she probed, “I thought we were just going to kiss.”

He groaned, “don’t blame me… you tempted me.”

“I loved it”, she graciously accepted, “anyways… now we won’t get a chance for so many days.”

He tightened his hold on her, “I know… but we will meet… And I want to take you out on a couple of dates.”

She asked incredulously, “what? Have you even thought of my family’s reaction?”

His tone was full of sarcasm as he countered, “do you think I want to?”

She chuckled, “c’mon… let me get up… else we will be late.”

He yawned, loosening his arms to let her slide away and get up, “I will also go get ready.”

She watched him wear his shirt and walk out of her room, and then closed the door before going for her bath. Today they were leaving for Ahmedabad… Yesterday morning, she had picked up Sameer in their car, as it was decided that he would get his luggage and stay at PB’s house for the night because they had to leave early. She had dropped him off to college, and then again at his office later on. In evening he had taken a cab to PB’s home, and together they had a light dinner of roti-sabji and sprouts salad. Naturally he had sneaked into Naina’s room for the night, and any guilt he had felt thinking of PB downstairs had evaporated in thin air when he had seen Naina walk out of the bathroom in that hot blush pink shorts and top.

Sameer dressed up in black jeans and a checkered red-blue shirt that was gifted by Naina earlier. His mind was still pre-occupied with the romance they had shared the night before and in morning… It was becoming so difficult to control. His body reacted so desperately to her that he felt a burning need to claim her, to make love to her… But still somehow he managed to control every time, thinking that there was still time. Just because Naina was bold that didn’t mean that she would be open to such things so soon… And also, somewhere deep inside his heart, he also felt that right now was not the time. Just like the kiss had happened on its own, just like they had progressed at the correct time, surely they would know when it was time to take that last step…

Naina slipped into blue jeans and a yellow floral top with square neckline, pairing it with bronze earrings and a sleek wrist watch. She pinned few strands of hair at the back, but then let the mass loose, figuring she could just tie in a loose ponytail later if she felt like it… Anyways, Sameer loved to see her in open hair. This particular trip was a mixture of excitement and apprehension both… She wasn’t particularly overjoyed at the thought of meeting her family, but she still wanted to make this trip as it would mark a beginning of her and Sameer’s future. Having PB with her was a relief… And she was determined to not be upset on this trip; she wanted to make the most of her time there. That’s why she had planned out where to take PB in Ahmedabad, maybe Sameer and Nanu could join too. Plus she wanted to have a friends’ get-together as well…

By the time it was 6:30am, Naina and Sameer walked downstairs with their bags, and found PB already at the table sipping on her tea. She looked up at them at smiled, “good morning… did you sleep well?”

Sameer grinned, “absolutely…”

To his surprise Naina blushed a little, and excused herself, “I will check on the snacks for the journey…”

PB raised her brows and commented, “it is so rare to see Naina blush… What did you do last night?”

Sameer had just taken a sip of water, and choked on it making PB laugh. Naina rushed out of the kitchen, worried on hearing him cough, and immediately came up to him. Rubbing his back, she stared at PB in shock, “why are you laughing? He is choking…”

PB tried to control her laughter, “your fiancé is choking because I asked what he did to make you blush.”

Naina gasped, glancing down at Sameer who had his eyes closed… She shook her head, and retorted, “I wasn’t blushing… I was just thinking…”

PB queried, “thinking what?”

Naina sat down next to Sameer, and started to calmly pour out tea, “thinking if Ahmedabad will have some good kiss-proof lipstick or should I wait until I return to Mumbai to buy a new one…”

Sameer made a sound like a small squeak, not meeting PB’s eyes… But PB heartily laughed out and suggested, “buy it from Ahmedabad… and show it to your Taiji…”

Naina chuckled, and exclaimed, “oh bai! She will throw me out of the house again…”

Sameer who had been red with embarrassment till now, suddenly clenched his fist recalling the tale Naina had told him… His jaw locked, eyes turning dark in anger, and his entire body became stiff. Beside him, Naina almost felt the rage pouring out of his body, and sighed, placing a hand on his arm, “calm down Sameer… I was just joking…”

He gritted out, “it’s not a joke… I had no control on what happened in past, but now if someone even raises a finger on you they will have to go through me…”

Naina smiled at him, still in awe of his protectiveness. PB’s delicate voice interrupted, “just in case you are forgetting… I will be there too…”

Sameer took a deep breath, and smirked, “maybe we should pull some pranks of the Agarwal family…”

Naina’s mouth fell open in shock, but PB chirped, “that’s a good idea… think of a special one for Beena…”

Revathi served them poha and biscuits, stopping their conversation. Another 30 minutes later they were seated in the car, waving off to a happy Revathi who had been promised two bandhej sarees from Ahmedabad by PB. The weather was pleasant; PB was seated on the back seat along with a bag full of water and snacks. Sameer was driving the first half, with Naina beside him on the passenger seat. Even though it was early they still encountered traffic within the city, and he groaned, “this is why you asked me to drive first, isn’t it?”

Naina chuckled, “you know you are more patient than me…”

“Only in some cases”, he countered.

They crossed all major tollways and reached a relatively bigger highway halt at around 9:30am. It was a proper hotel with the ground floor being a restaurant, which was thankfully open. They used the restrooms and had another round of tea, post which they started the drive again, with Naina driving this time. That was the arrangement they had come up with, 2 hours of drive each so that none of them got extremely tired, and also it was a proper duration to have a restroom break. After crossing Valsad they stopped for a lunch at a kathyawadi restaurant… Sameer took the turn to drive in the afternoon, while PB fell asleep in the back seat. Naina and Sameer kept talking in low voice for some time, but she kept yawning repeatedly.

“Go to sleep”, he instructed, “take rest, else it would be difficult to drive later.”

Couple of hours later, Naina took over while Sameer grabbed a much needed nap. Given they took several breaks, it was 5pm by the time they reached Baroda, and there they decided to stop for tea and stretching out a bit. The evening was pleasant… PB mentioned that she wasn’t hungry enough and took a pack of biscuits from car to have with her tea. Naina and Sameer shared a dish of pakoda along with cups of piping hot tea. She took the final stretch of the drive, and Sameer sat beside her.

Yesterday, PB had been informed by Anand that they had invited Sameer’s grandfather for dinner. Naina had been relieved to hear it, as that would mean she wouldn’t have to leave after dropping off Sameer at his home, but rather she would get to have dinner with him and also meet Nanu properly. All of them had collectively decided to not take their driver along, as Sameer and Naina confirmed that they could drive that distance easily. As the sun set over the horizon, the highway lamps threw a golden glow over the grey roads. Finally at 7:30pm they were in the heart of Ahmedabad city… Sameer looked out of the window at the familiar sights, and smiled in anticipation of the date he had planned for Naina. There were a few things he needed to arrange for that, but once Diwali celebrations were over, he would take her out for the surprise. He knew she would love it…

Naina stopped at a signal, bit lost in the sweet and bitter memories… The prospect of meeting Preeti and Swati excited her, making her recall the amazing years of school. She even remembered the pranks she had played on Sameer, and how their relationship had progressed… It was a beautiful phase. But the recollection of how she had to leave Ahmedabad always left a bitter taste in her mouth… Anger still warred with disappointment inside her at the sight of her hometown, and it made her feel helpless that she was unable to rid her brain of the memories. She took in a deep breath, starting to drive again, giving herself a mental peptalk… This city was her home… And it would be her home after she got married. She needed to be strong and brave enough to face the memories and her family. She wasn’t naïve to think that having her marriage fixed would save her from the taunts of the society… But she was prepared to face that… After all what she did all those years ago was to protect Sameer and Nanu, there was no way she was going to regret that.

Soon she turned into the lane that led to Nirmal Jyoti Society, and sighed aloud, as if in acceptance or dejection. He glanced at her, and reached out to stroke her hair, “you okay?”

She nodded, “yes… it’s just that… the memories always seem fresh whenever I come here…”

“But not all of it is bad”, he gently prodded, “right?”

“Of course”, she smiled, “I am so excited to meet Swati and Preeti… And I told you we should have a get-together… The six of us…”

He smiled back, “yes we will… And this time we have PB with us.” He turned to look at PB in the back seat, and said, “I hope you will be up for some trips around the city.”

PB grinned, “oh yes… And I also want to eat some local delicacies.”

He chuckled, “sure… anything except the dry-fruit pizza at Law Garden.”

The Nirmal Jyoti society still looked the same… The faded exterior, the slightly rusty gates, the two-wheelers parked outside, the nosy neighbors gossiping on verandah. A vegetable vendor had his cart right where Naina needed to park the car, and so she honked. That gained the attention of the vendor, but it also alerted all the people nearby. Anand was just returning with a bag in hand, along with Rakesh, and as soon as they spotted the car they walked faster… The ladies who were buying vegetables or hanging around to gossip were surprised to see Naina get down from the sleek black car… A low murmur started when Sameer stepped out from the passenger side… The boys who were playing cricket near the common ground also stopped to see…

Naina stretched her arms, turning side-to-side, and spotted a blue car, “Nanu is here already.”

“I noticed”, Sameer replied as he helped PB down.

Just then Anand and Rakesh reached there; both of them immediately knelt to take PB’s blessings. Rakesh eyed the car, while Anand asked in astonishment, “were you driving Naina?”

She nodded, “yes… Sameer and I took turns the whole route.”

“I didn’t know you knew how to drive”, Anand commented.

Naina smiled wryly, “I learned a lot… Chachaji.”

Her father didn’t acknowledge her, and so neither did she say anything. Rather she just ignored him, and went to help Sameer with the bags. Anand offered to help Sameer, but he politely refused, “it’s not much… Naina and I can manage. But, PB will need help to climb the stairs…”

Anand and Rakesh started to guide PB upstairs slowly. Sameer grabbed his and Naina’s suitcase, while she picked up the duffel bags and the handbag of snacks from the backseat. As they walked inside the compound, he asked, “why is everyone staring?”

She shrugged, “probably wondering what a girl like me is doing in a fancy car with a handsome boy like you…”

“Idiots”, he grumbled.

Nanu was waiting outside the house and eagerly greeted all of them… After a respectful bow to PB, he pulled Sameer in a hug… Naina bent to touch his feet, but he stopped her and hugged her instead, declaring how much he missed both of them. She had wide genuine grin on her face which made Sameer relax a bit. Preeti almost skipped up to them, squeezing her sister in a tight hug, and grinned at Sameer, teasingly addressing him as jijaji… Naina and Sameer took blessings from the remaining family members. Taiji couldn’t refrain from commenting on Naina’s outfit, but she calmly replied that it was comfortable for the full day drive. Bela diverted the topic, asking them to freshen up from the long journey. Turn by turn they used the bathroom… Sameer sat in the living room along with Nanu, while PB and Naina changed in comforting home clothes. When he saw Naina walk out in tracks and loose t-shirt, he smiled at her defiant behavior… He knew that even if she had thought of wearing salwar-kameez she must have changed her mind after Taiji’s comment.

Taiji grumbled a bit, but couldn’t say much in-front of PB. A tempting meal of chole, paneer sabji, roti, dal and rice was made, along with gulab-jamun for desert. Nanu started talking about the Diwali festivities… Since only four days were left, he suggested that the youngsters finish all shopping as soon as possible and also that they should hold a proper puja on Diwali morning as that day the wedding date would be fixed. Bela agreed to the idea, and told Naina that she should wear a saree on that day, and generously offered, “you can wear one of mine…”

Sameer found the offer bit odd, as ideally Chachiji should have asked to buy a new one. Preeti suggested what he was thinking, “we can buy a new one.”

Bela commented something about less time to get fall beading and blouse done. Naina smiled, “don’t worry Chachiji… I already have a saree… Sameer gifted it to me as I wanted to wear it on Diwali. And I have got the fall beading and blouse done already.” Glancing at Nanu she said, “in fact Nanu… we have finished all the shopping.”

Sameer added, “yes… Naina knew what all we would need, so we did shopping… actually we got something for everyone.”

Nanu was surprised, “everyone?”

Sameer nodded, “she had her savings from the time she worked on the assignment in my office… and I earn as well… so we thought to get something for everyone.”

There was a moment of silence where most of the people around them looked shocked… Anand had a mixture of surprise and awe on his face, while Nanu simply beamed with pride. Even PB was pleasantly surprised, “you both never told me…”

“That’s because we didn’t buy anything for you”, Naina cheekily replied, “Sameer said you already have too many sarees.”

Sameer gasped but PB laughed out, “do you think only you know Sameer? I also know him… And I know he would never say such things… You are the mischievous one, and he is the calm one…”

Nanu chortled, “calm? Did they never tell you the school time tales? Sameer was so short-tempered and unorganized.”

Sameer shook his head at his grandfather, trying to get him to stop. Naina also realized that the discussion could turn into how they knew each other since school, and that would lead to unnecessary tension. Hence she effectively cut in, “but now he is so organized that he doesn’t even misplace the bottle of salt while cooking… I tell you Nanu, his kitchen shelf is so perfect that I feel scared I would shuffle up some bottles and then he would grab one without seeing and end up with sugar in his noodles or salt in his tea…”

PB chuckled, “just like you added garam masala in tea?”

Naina huffed, “how was I supposed to know that Revathi kept garam masala in the bottle in which Sudha Aunty gave me her tea masala?”

Sameer held up the last morsel of roti and paneer from his dish for her to eat, which she accepted, and then said, “you could recognize from the smell of masala, you know…” She mumbled something around the mouthful of food, and he teased, “I am sorry… I haven’t learned to speak alien language yet.”

She poked him in his rib, making him laugh, and he gestured towards the bowl of rice on the table. She served some rice on her own dish, mixed some dal, and took a spoonful to feed him. He accepted it with a smile, pushing his own plate aside, absolutely content to be fed by her. Nanu and PB smiled at this as they were quite used to it by now. Preeti also didn’t find anything odd. But the rest of the Agarwal family was astonished at the comfort level between them…

Tauji was already uneasy at having Naina and Preeti sit for meal along with everyone, but he hadn’t been able to refute when PB asked them to sit. And now the way Sameer and Naina behaved like an already married couple made him uncomfortable. He tried to keep his tone low but strict as he asked Naina if she visited Sameer regularly. To his surprise, the girl who would usually cower before him, simply looked unaffected by his demeanor and nodded, “yes… I go there every alternate day. Sameer is at office till evening, and after that he is very tired to cook properly for himself… So I visit and try to help him as much as I can.”

Anand queried, “but if he is in office how do you visit?”

Naina kept feeding Sameer as she replied, “I have the keys naturally…”

“Oh bai! What will the neighbors think”, Taiji commented, “meeting so frequently before wedding…”

Sameer informed with a grin, “the neighbors know Naina very well… In fact, I was thinking to invite Sudha Aunty for our wedding… And maybe Shruti Aunty too. What do you think Naina?”

She nodded happily, “yes they would love it… And Netra would be overjoyed. Can she sit on your horse?”

He frowned, “what horse?”

She finished the last spoonful of dal-rice, and then took a bowl of gulab-jamun, “when you come with baraat… you will be on a horse, remember?”

His eyes widened, “what? Noo… I will be in a car.”

“Then you are not getting your bride”, she replied calmly, feeding him the sweet.

He chewed, swallowed and grumbled, “you can’t threaten me like that…”

She smiled, wiping a bit of sugar syrup from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, “yes I can…”

He glared at her for a moment, but when her smile widened and she fluttered her lashes at him, he sighed, “fine… horse it is…”

She grinned, feeding him more sweet, and Nanu laughed heartily at the way his grandson simply gave up in-front of his would-be-wife. The conversation then turned to Sameer’s family who would be arriving a day later, and even though the topic of his mom and step-father was like a sore thorn in his life, he graciously accepted it just like he knew Naina was accepting the stay with her family. This time however, the news of Rohan and Deepika’s arrival made him smile, and he asked, “Naina… can we get those garba outfits now? What is it called… yes, chaniya choli… Deepika was really interested in them when she was here last time and saw some pictures.”

She nodded, “yes… we can take her to Navrangpura market. I am sure we will find some there…”

“Perfect”, he smiled in approval.

Nanu knew about the time Rohan had spent in Mumbai, but this warm acceptance from his grandson towards his siblings made him incredibly happy. To the Agarwal family it seemed as if Naina was a part of the Maheshwari family instead of theirs. And the confidence with which she was conducting herself was something they had never witnessed. It looked to them as if the timid girl who had left for Mumbai had transformed completely into someone else, and their glares and comments were not affecting her in any way. The Naina they knew would have never dared to wear tracks and t-shirt in-front of her Tauji and Taiji…

When it was time for Sameer and Nanu to leave, Naina went down with them to see them off. Anand also accompanied them… Nanu hugged Naina once more, and said that he would let them know tomorrow about the puja arrangements. Sameer debated for a brief moment, but then grinned and gave her a quick hug, asking her to take care. To his extreme delight she didn’t reprimand him or felt uncomfortable at the hug, rather she also held on to him as if needing that solace.

Once the blue car disappeared from sight, Anand asked, “do you want some ice-cream?”

She looked surprised for a moment, but then replied, “no… I am fine… Just need to sleep now.”

“It has been so long since your last visit”, Chachaji reminisced, “but you don’t seem happy to be home.”

She took a deep breath, “I think the day you all decided that you have to throw me out of the house I grew up in, this place stopped being my home… Maybe you had my good intentions in your heart Chachaji, and honestly, I am not angry anymore… But I can’t forget those days ever.”

Anand felt a miserable feeling clench his heart, “Naina… my child… you know why we had to take that decision.”

“Yes, I know”, she firmly replied, “because everyone, including you, chose to believe the gossip of a nosy neighbor over the girl who had grown up in-front of your eyes.” She paused for another breath, and then continued, “I wasn’t even asked about the truth… I wasn’t even given a chance to speak… Do you know how that feels? How it hurts when you know that you lost everything… the love, the trust, the belief you had in your family…?” Tears brimmed in her eyes as she looked up at the man whom she had always respected and adored more than her father, “no one was bothered about what happens with me. All everyone wanted was to send me away… Protecting the Agarwal family reputation was more important than my life… So… No… I am not happy to have to visit here… Honestly, the only happy feeling I get about this place is meeting Preeti and Swati… And since you asked, this isn’t my home… My home is Sameer… The only reason I am ready to come back and settle in this city is Sameer. Good Night Chachaji…”

As Naina turned and left to go upstairs, Anand’s hands trembled, realizing that somewhere he had failed to be the father he wanted to be for this girl. It made him question his love for her… It made him ask, that had it been Preeti, would he have taken the same decision? Yes, he hadn’t wanted Naina to be married off, and so he had sent her off to Mumbai… Yes, he had wanted Naina’s education to continue, and so he had sent her off to stay with Phulla Bua… But was it fair to her? Had she really been even at fault? Was any of the accusations laid on her true? On her last trip she had mentioned that Sameer and his grandfather knew the entire truth of the incident, because they had asked… Asked… Given a chance to her to explain… And most importantly believed in her… Truly, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Naina was more comfortable with them than she was with the people who were her family. The little girl he had sworn to bring up as his own, had gone too far from him, and the fault wasn’t hers…

Preeti was waiting for her sister in their room, and as soon as Naina reached, she tugged her on bed. It was only then that Preeti noticed the tears, and urgently asked, “what happened?”

“It’s nothing”, Naina assured, “I just talked to Chachaji and I am afraid I wasn’t polite and proper.”

Preeti sighed, “did he ask you something about your clothes? Or your behavior?”

“He asked me why I wasn’t happy to be here”, Naina informed, “this is supposed to be home.”

After few moments of silence, Preeti snorted, “right… forget it… I just hope you get married soon.”

A smile finally curved Naina’s lips and she realized that her sister understood. They spent some time catching up, talking about the school memories and about possible places of get together. And finally fell asleep around midnight…

The next three days were busy with Diwali preparations… Even though Naina didn’t talk much with anyone, she participated wholeheartedly in preparing snacks and sweets. She even sought permission from PB to go to Sameer’s home as they had no one who would make these delicacies for them. When Tauji suggested that they would send sweets and snacks, and there was no need for her to go there, she didn’t respond; rather she just repeated her question to PB implying that she hadn’t asked permission from him. PB smiled and blessed her for her thought, and gave permission to go… Taiji intervened saying she can’t go alone, but PB effectively shut her up by replying that Naina is intelligent enough to not get lost.

Sameer, who had been feeling low because of his mother’s taunts, was overjoyed on seeing Naina at his doorstep. Rohan’s enthusiasm also knew no bounds upon meeting his cool Bhabhi again… And Deepika’s eyes shone in awe as she asked if she had really played all those pranks on Sameer bhaiya and Rohan bhai… When Naina informed about the purpose of her visit, Nanu was touched at her thought… But Vishakha commented that she was there to take her of her family, and maybe Naina should focus on her own family. Naina bent to take her blessings, and replied, “that’s exactly what I am doing… Sameer and Nanu are my family, and so are all of you.”

Vishakha scoffed, “sweet talks won’t give you my approval.”

Sameer came to stand beside Naina, but she held his hand, and gently responded, “I never do things for anyone’s approval… I am doing this because I care… And anyways, isn’t it too much for you to do everything alone? I can help… And you can teach me your recipes… You know, Sameer loves sweets… Maybe you can teach me how to prepare his favorite sweet.”

Vishakha opened her mouth to retort, but then she paused as if thinking something… She looked at his son who was glaring at her, and holding Naina’s hand in a death grip. Then she looked at her father who had a disappointed expression on his face, while Rohan and Deepika seemed to be pleading silently to her. Swallowing hard, she nodded, and said in a low voice, “fine…”

Naina didn’t know why Vishakha didn’t argue with her, but was grateful that there was some amount of acceptance, even if it was only for kitchen work. She blinked at Sameer hoping to calm him down, and he sighed, “are you sure about this?”

She smiled, “I am… don’t worry… why don’t you and Rohan go get all of us some ice-creams? I think two each…”

He quirked a brow, “two each?”

“Yes”, she affirmed, “one for now… and one for after lunch…”

He chuckled, “alright…”

Ramdhari helped both the ladies in kitchen, even Deepika stayed around helping them to get some boxes, or add salt and spices. Vishakha was kneading the dough for methi mathri, while Naina was mixing in kalonji with flour to make plain mathris according to PB’s recipe. Deepika demanded, “mummy, will you also please make besan mathri?”

Vishakha smiled, “sure beta…”

Naina queried, “what else do you like to eat?”

“Loads of stuff”, Deepika replied enthusiastically, “but the best food in the whole world is mummy’s special masala rice with cucumber raita.”

Naina glanced at the smiling Vishakha, and asked, “does Sameer also like it?”

Vishakha enquired, “don’t you know the preferences of the man you are going to marry?”

“I know”, Naina softly replied, “but he hasn’t stayed for a long time with you… That’s why I wanted to know what are the dishes that you cook and he loves to eat…”

Vishakha rubbed oil over the kneaded dough, “his favorite used to be aloo paratha when he was young…”

Naina chuckled, “he still loves it… You know, he stole the first aloo paratha I ever cooked…”

Vishakha gasped, “he stole? Why would he do that?”

“To play a prank on me”, Naina supplied, “he filled my empty tiffin box with bits of paper and a big fat green caterpillar.”

“Ewww”, Deepika and Vishakha both recoiled at that information making Naina laugh. Vishakha asked, “aren’t you afraid?”

Naina shook her head, “no… I grew up with two brothers… Boys always use caterpillars or earthworms to scare girls so I taught myself to not be scared of them… But they are still extremely disgusting.”

Vishakha probed, “were you friends with him in school?”

Naina shrugged, keeping the vessel of dough aside, “not exactly… we loved to play pranks on each other… and we did have some kind of connection… I don’t know how to explain… there was no discomfort between us, and we were always honest with each other. But we didn’t define the relationship…”

Nanu called out for Deepika and she left… Vishaka further asked, “so, you didn’t love him then?”

Naina smiled, “maybe I did… when I think back now I realize there has always been something… He was always different, but I never realized it… In fact… I didn’t realize it even after we met in Mumbai. I just knew I was incredibly happy to meet him again, to be able to talk to him again… The first time I saw him in Mumbai, I noticed he had lost weight, and looked tired… I was so worried because I remembered he had told me in school that he wanted to move out of Ahmedabad for few years… I kept thinking if he was staying in hostel, and how he was managing because he hated it so much… I didn’t want to get married, but when the prospect was about getting married to Sameer, somehow the idea held a lot of appeal for me… And slowly I realized that everything I felt could only be called love.”

Vishakha was silent for a moment as she set a large kadhai with oil, “I still don’t like you much…”

Naina started rolling out the mathris, “I know… I am just trying to understand why…”

“Because you are not something I visualized as a wife for my son”, Vishakha mentioned.

Naina folded a couple of mathris in triangle shape, dropping them in the hot oil, “what did you think for Sameer’s life partner?”

“Someone really beautiful”, Vishakha replied, “a girl from a rich and respected family, someone who could match his status. He isn’t going to live in Mumbai all his life, he is going to be a big businessman. And you won’t look good beside him… He is so handsome… And you are just average…”

Naina wasn’t daunted, “I thought all these things too… I always knew I never fared well in the looks department… Sameer had always been so handsome… For me, he was our trustee’s grandson… Rich, handsome, considered to be eligible bachelor, and I thought of him to be a complete spoiled brat who would always be complaining to his parents and be pampered by them…” Glancing once at Vishakha she continued, “can you imagine my surprise when I got to know that he didn’t have parents to run and complain to? And that his image of rich and privileged was just that… An image…? I got to know he lived with his Nanu, not with his parents… I got to know that he has a heart of gold behind his tough exterior… I got to know that a kid with yearning for attention and affection is hidden behind his short temper… I got to know that he is not perfect, but he accepts his flaws with grace and is ready to work on them… I got to know that he is extremely handsome, but he is still just a boy who just wanted a family whom he could love and who would love him without any conditions… I got to know that once someone matters to him he could do anything for them… I got to know that he is a man of his word, once he makes a promise, he never breaks it… I got to know that he will protect me, no matter what… Tell me, how could I not love him? And as for my looks, Sameer never got lured towards charms and beauty, but rather towards genuine care and affection… I might not be beautiful for you or anyone else, but for him I am the most beautiful girl in this world… And that’s all I want… I don’t want to be what the world considers perfect; I just want to be perfect for him.”

After this Vishakha seemed to be lost in thoughts… Naina also didn’t say anything else, wondering if she had overstepped some line. Ten minutes later Sameer came inside the kitchen, followed by Rohan, Nanu and Deepika, all of whom were holding a cup of ice-cream. He handed over a cup of vanilla ice-cream to his mother, and kept one another cup aside, stuffing the remaining in freezer. Grinning at her, he removed the cover of the cup, and lifted a spoonful to feed her… She looked at him with a silent question in her eyes, and he sighed, “yes, I have given one to Mr. Somani as well… Actually I sent Rohan to give it to him… And one to Ramdhari too… Now will you eat?”

She smiled, accepting the cold ice-cream. He himself also ate from the same cup… Vishakha frowned, “there’s more in freezer, right? Why are you eating from her cup? Just take one more…”

Sameer shrugged, “what’s the point…? I would leave half of mine for her, and she would do the same for me… So it is better to eat from one cup since we always share…”

Vishakha was puzzled, “I don’t understand.”

Naina informed, “Sameer and I got into a habit of sharing food while we worked together during our school fest… After we moved to Mumbai and lost touch, we were still in the habit of leaving half of our food for the other… For the food, we slowly learned to manage with smaller portions, but none of us could eat ice-cream without sharing…”

“So we stopped eating ice-cream”, he continued, feeding her another spoonful, and then wiping the corner of her mouth with his thumb. Suddenly he chuckled, “thank God Nanu made me meet Naina for wedding prospect, else both of us would have never had another cup of ice-cream ever in life.”

Naina laughed, “now you go finish it… I am done.”

Slowly everyone left the kitchen… Sameer stood beside her until his ice-cream finished, and then threw the cup, “it smells delicious. Can I taste?”

“When we eat lunch”, she replied, “you just had ice-cream.”

“Okay”, he graciously accepted, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and then leaned to mutter in a low voice, “did I tell you that you are looking gorgeous in this dress? I love pink on you…”

She shivered slightly, a blush tinging her cheeks as she knew that even though he spoke in low voice, Vishakha would have certainly heard him. He skimmed a fingertip on her cheek as if picking of the color, and then left from there. After a moment Vishakha asked, “what is Sameer’s favorite sweet?”

Naina looked up, wondering if she was taking some kind of test, but the genuine expectant expression on Vishakha’s face made her ask, “you don’t know?”

Vishakha looked away, “I always used to make suji halwa at home… But that was Rohan’s favorite… When Sameer used to visit, I didn’t prepare anything different…”

Naina fried some more mathris, saddened at the thought of how Sameer must have felt when his own mother never prepared things he loved to eat. She slowly informed, “he doesn’t eat suji halwa that much… only if it is prepared for prasad… He loves gulab-jamun, fruit custard, gajar halwa, kheer, and sevaiyan… I have also made badam halwa for him sometimes and he had liked it, but not more than gajar halwa. And he is absolutely mad about fruit custard…”

Vishakha asked, “so, shall we keep fruit custard on menu for Diwali?” Naina’s head snapped up in surprise; Vishakha shrugged, “papa told me that we will have the puja at your home, and you would be coming here in evening for the celebrations… maybe along with your sister and brother.”

Naina nodded, “fruit custard sounds perfect… he would love it.”

Vishakha bit her lip, glanced around and then queried, “will you give me your recipe?”

“Yes… yes, I will”, Naina replied with a smile, her eyes suddenly moist.

Vishakha smiled back, “do you know how to make Rangoli?”

And so conversation kept flowing as they slowly got to know each other… Ramdhari reminded them about lunch, asking what they can make. Vishakha suggested khichdi, but Naina requested her to make masala rice which Deepika was praising. When they all sat down to eat the simple meal, Sameer instantly praised the taste, and asked, “you never made this in Mumbai? Hiding recipes from me?”

Naina smiled, “I didn’t cook it… Your mummy made it.”

Sameer was taken by surprise for a moment, but nodded at his mother, who couldn’t stop the smile from curving her lips. Deepika and Rohan kept the atmosphere lively throughout the meal. That day, it was almost 7pm when Naina was finally ready to leave… After lunch they had also prepared besan laddoo and gujiya… Sameer looked at her concerned as she yawned, “will you be able to drive? Let me come along…”

She smiled, “no no… how will you come back then? I will manage…”

“I will take auto”, he countered.

Vishakha suggested in between, “Rohan can go along with the other car… Then you can come back easily.”

Nanu agreed to the idea… And so Sameer drove her home that evening, stopping briefly to meet PB and everyone else. The next day was the day before Diwali, and everyone in both Agarwal house and Maheshwari mansion was busy in finishing the decorations. Gifts were packed to be given off next day, boxes of sweets and snacks were also packed… Tauji brought packs of assorted dry-fruits… Naina and Sameer could only talk on phone that day… In evening, Anand took along Rakesh and Arjun to buy all the ingredients required for puja. Everyone was excited about the day of Diwali, especially Sameer and Naina… They couldn’t wait to know the date they would be tied in the bond of forever, and as they slept that night, all they could dream of was being with each other throughout their life…