Only Mine
Chapter 35: Healing the Bruised Heart

New Year, as celebrated in Gujarat on the day after Diwali, began with an argument in Agarwal house… Over plates of fafda-jalebi, Taiji was announcing her opinion about how Naina shouldn’t be allowed to step out of the house since her wedding was fixed. Tauji was supporting his wife, while Chachaji and Chachiji were trying to put forth their views saying that Maheshwari family didn’t mind about all these stuff. Rakesh was busy in gobbling his share of food, just like his son Arjun, both of them not at all concerned about the decisions being taken about their daughter and sister respectively. PB sat on a chair near the window, mentally berating herself for deciding to spend more than a few days in Ahmedabad… They should have just left for Mumbai today… How could anyone live in this house if all these people did was argue and holler over everything?

Undaunted by everything happening in the living room, Naina was tying her hair in a high ponytail, pleased with her overall look. Preeti sat on the bed watching her sister, and sighed aloud. Naina asked, “what happened?”

Preeti looked irritated, “can’t you hear what’s happening outside? And here you are getting ready to go out with Sameer…”

Naina chuckled, “as if I am going to let them stop me… But anyways, today it isn’t just me who is going outside… It’s you and PB as well… We all are going out… Rohan and Deepika will also join.”

Preeti cheered up considerably, “really?”

Naina nodded, “yes… We had promised PB that we will take her sightseeing in Ahmedabad, and also taste all the local delicacies.”

“Amazing”, Preeti jumped up, “let me get dressed.”

Naina strolled outside, amid all the discussions, and ignoring everyone she went to PB, frowning at the dish full of fafda-jalebi in-front of her, “PB… why are you eating this?”

PB glanced up, and smiled, “I didn’t…”

“Good”, Naina replied, “go get ready… we are going out…”

PB also cheered up just like Preeti had, “we are?”

Naina smiled, helping her get up from the chair, “yes we are… It’s time for you to visit Ahmedabad. Preeti is also getting ready… Wear something comfortable, we will be out for full day.”

After PB left, Taiji queried harshly as to where she thought she was going. Naina shrugged, not replying to the question, instead walked into the kitchen, and started chopping up vegetables. She had brought a packet of daliya from Mumbai, knowing very well that it wasn’t used in Agarwal household at all. She quickly set the pressure cooker on gas, added a bit of ghee, some cumin and carom seeds letting it splutter and then added the chopped vegetables. A light amount of spices went it, and then a cup of washed daliya. Adding water to the mixture she covered the cooker, letting it cook. On another gas she also set some tea to simmer. By the time four whistles were done, PB and Preeti both were ready. In order to cool off the cooker fast, Naina held it under the tap for few minutes, and then let the pressure out… Serving the hot daliya in three dishes, and pouring out the tea in cups, she set everything on the table, and called PB and Preeti to eat.

PB smiled at the sight, “where did you get daliya here?”

“I brought it from Mumbai”, Naina informed, “festival is over… Now back to normal food.”

PB pouted like a child, “but when we go out…”

Naina chuckled, “of course we will eat… Do you think Sameer will stay without eating? But… Not much…”

PB happily agreed to the arrangement, and sat down, gratefully pulling the dish of daliya to her. Naina sat beside her with her own dish… Preeti loved fafda-jalebi, but today she decided to give company to her sister and bua-dadi instead. The rest of the household was puzzled for several reasons… First they hadn’t noticed that Phulla Bua had not eaten what was served… Second they had never seen Naina handling things in the kitchen along so proficiently as if she was adept to cooking everyday… Third they knew that both Naina and Preeti loved fafda-jalebi, but today none of them touched it.

Bela noticed her husband looked hurt, because he had brought the snacks keeping the girls in consideration, and so she spoke up, “what is this? Why did you cook Naina? Your Chachaji brought jalebi and fafda because you love it.”

Naina looked at Bela, and calmly replied, “in between all these discussions about what I should be doing and not doing, perhaps you forgot that PB has diabetes and high blood pressure. She shouldn’t be eating fafda-jalebi first thing in morning.”

Bela and Taiji decidedly looked ashamed at having truly forgotten about this. Anand softly observed, “so you cooked… so fast… how? You never did it before…”

Naina flashed a lopsided smile, that was nowhere pleasant, “didn’t I tell you before? I learned a lot of things after being thrown out of the place I used to call home…”

The atmosphere was suddenly tense; Preeti stopped eating looking between her sister and her family, she knew Naina was not so much angry on her parents, but the hurt she had felt was still fresh which made her speak like this. Anand bowed his head down… Bela struggled to speak up, but Taiji took offence immediately commenting that the act she had done deserved much harsher punishment than just being sent off to Mumbai. PB started to interfere, but Naina placed a hand over her arm, “don’t bother… finish your food.”

Glancing at her sister, she repeated the same thing, “eat Preeti… Daliya doesn’t taste good if it is cold.”

Preeti slowly started eating again while Taiji fumed on being ignored so rudely. She kept muttering, repeating the instances of that day, gaining affirmation from her husband several times over what the neighbor had informed. Bela and Anand tried to stop the discussion, but Taiji was relentless in her taunts. Naina swallowed, struggling to retain her control, reign in her anger, not let the hurt show. PB and Preeti quickly finished their food, and said they were ready to leave. Preeti kept the dishes in the kitchen while Naina got her purse from bedroom. Dressed in an elbow-sleeved, printed long blue colored A-line kurti, with white slim pants, beige purse slung on her arm, oxidized earring and sun glasses in between her ringed fingers, Naina looked elegant and completely unbothered. She walked over to the coffee table where the dishes of fafda-jalebi were kept, and picked up four pieces of jalebi, “thanks for bringing this Chachaji.”

She handed over two of those to Preeti, and then slipped on her beige pumps. Taiji once more snapped about her nerve to leave despite being refused. Naina turned and smiled, “who refused? I didn’t hear a thing…”

Tauji asked if her ears were not working that she couldn’t hear them. Once more Naina smiled, “actually… I was referring to PB… Did she refuse? No, right? Her opinion is the only one that matters…”

Munching on the jalebis she walked outside, followed by Preeti and PB, leaving everyone astounded at the daring of the girl who used to be too meek to even make a small sound. After the trio left, Anand rubbed his hands over his face, mumbling, “why did I do such a thing? I should have believed in her… protected her…”

Bela placed a hand over her husband’s shoulder, “the situation was such…”

“It doesn’t matter”, Anand interrupted, “I should have trusted my daughter.”

Tauji pointed out that Naina wasn’t his daughter… Rakesh nodded citing that whatever they did was right, and perhaps not a good enough punishment for her. Arjun added how being sent to Mumbai had only given Naina freedom and not any punishment. Taiji said that they should have gotten her married to someone in village right that moment when they had gotten to know of her affair.

Bela pleaded, “please… Naina’s wedding is already fixed in a very good family. Let’s leave old topics behind now…”

Taiji grumbled, “can’t you see how she has forgotten to respect elders?”

Anand quipped, “she hasn’t… She still respects her elders. It was our fault that we forgot Phulla Bua can’t eat all these things… Naina only gave company to Phulla Bua… If she would have stopped respecting us she wouldn’t have taken the jalebis and thanked me… She has just lost the fear from her heart… And that is because once we sent her away she didn’t have anything left to lose. She had already lost her home, her family, the bonds she had since childhood… And on top of that we chose to believe an outsider over her…”

Rakesh voiced, “there was no reason to believe her…”

Anand countered, “Arjun was seen with Shefali by more than one neighbor… But still we believed Arjun when he said that he didn’t have any affair with Shefali… Then why couldn’t we trust Naina? Just because she is a girl? I know you don’t like her because of what happened to Rama Bhabhi, but I should have stood firm… I had vowed to be a father to her, but I failed in my responsibility… And because of that I lost not just Naina, but Preeti as well…”

Bela sniffed, while Taiji uttered in confusion that Preeti still lived here. Anand nodded, “yes she lives her… but has anyone seen her joking or laughing ever since Naina left? Because of what we did to Naina, Preeti has also stopped being herself… Naina and Preeti were together since they were born, and we separated them so harshly without thinking of the consequences… Today also, without speaking a single word, just by not eating something she loves and instead opting to eat plain daliya with Naina, Preeti showed us that she has and will always trust her sister…”

Tauji declared that he was overthinking, but somehow after that Bela and Anand were not interested in any further discussions and neither the New Year held any charm for them. At some distance from Nirmal Jyoti Society, Naina stopped the car on the side of the road and leaned her head on the steering wheel. Sitting beside her on the passenger seat, Preeti felt helpless… From the back seat PB leaned forward and stroked her back, “don’t worry dear… Karma always has the last say. Each one of them will learn their lesson… Like Anand already is…”

Preeti was stumped, “what happened to Papa?”

PB had a sad smile on her face, “nothing happened to him… but since Naina left, you also stopped being cheerful and lively because you missed your sister. A lot of things that used to happen in that house would have stopped… Today you didn’t eat the jalebi until Naina herself gave it to you, as you wanted to support your sister… I could see it on Anand’s face that he has started to realize how his lack of belief costed him his daughters.”

Naina sniffed, sitting back up, “I don’t want to punish them… I just want their words to stop hurting me… How could Taiji rehash the entire thing like that? Doesn’t she have one bit of concern about how I would feel? Don’t they realize that they just chucked me out of my own home by believing a random neighbor? How can they expect that I behave as if everything is normal?”

PB gently assured, “it will be fine… we will leave in few days, and then you will come back here only for your wedding.”

Preeti tried to cheer her up, “yes… bua-dadi is right… and please stop crying, else your eyes will be swollen and jijaji will pull off some nasty pranks on everyone in our family.”

Naina wiped her tears, unable to control a small smile from curving her lips, “jijaji?”

Preeti grinned, “I am teasing Sameer since you guys came here… but I think he has started liking the word – jijaji…”

“Idiot”, Naina chuckled, “let’s go… they must be waiting.”

As soon as Naina turned the car inside the driveway of Maheshwari bungalow, Sameer rushed outside, a wide smile on his face. His sight made Naina smile too… But when she got down, just one look at her face was enough for him to know that something had happened to make her cry. He didn’t greet PB or Preeti, his entire attention focused on Naina as he cupped her cheeks, “what happened?”

She blinked up at him, “I am okay…”

“Don’t lie”, he admonished.

She sighed, “I am not lying… I am okay now…”

He demanded again, “tell me what happened.”

“Later”, she pleaded, “let’s enjoy for now… we can talk about this later… You know I won’t hide anymore.”

Yes, he knew that… He was sure she wouldn’t hide anything that happened from him. And so he gave in with a little sigh and nod… But the sadness on her face hurt his heart, and so he dipped his head and placed a tender lingering kiss on her forehead; that made her smile and close her eyes. PB also smiled on seeing this care and affection, the only thing that had made Naina come out of her self-enforced shell.

Sameer was dressed in jeans and a new blue-grey check shirt they had bought from Mumbai. Naina’s gaze lingered on the two open buttons and her smile widened, “you look good.”

He shrugged, “What’s new in that? I always look good…”

She laughed out at that, “self-obsessed ass…”

“And yet you love me”, he promptly countered, making her laugh more. Preeti also grinned on finally seeing her sister laugh forgetting the incidents from morning. They all trooped inside wishing new year to the family members. Vishakha informed that Deepika won’t be able to join them, as she wasn’t feeling well since morning; she had some cough because of the smoke from firecrackers. And so after a bit of sweets, the five set off with Sameer driving this time, and Rohan sitting next to him on the passenger seat, while Naina, Preeti and PB sat on the back seat.

PB looked out of the glass window, recalling the days when she would tour around with her husband. They both liked to see new places. After she lost her husband, she rarely travelled. It had been only her and Revathi, with a few trips here and there to visit relatives… But after Naina had come to stay, it seemed she had somehow found her lost energy and with her she did some weekend excursions, at first simply attempting to cheer her up, and then genuinely exploring the places around Mumbai. The recollections made her feel bit sad because she realized that this wasn’t going to continue for long now… Naina would be married in few months, and then she would move back to Ahmedabad with Sameer… This meant that she would be once more alone in that big bungalow with Revathi…

Naina looped her hand around PB’s arm, “where are you lost?”

PB smiled, “just thinking where you are taking me? You do realize that I am old, right? Don’t take me trekking or to some fort…”

Sameer laughed from the front seat, “c’mon PB… I find you younger than most in our two families combined.”

PB teased, “then why don’t you marry me, instead of Naina, hero?”

“I would have”, he replied without missing a beat, “but what to do… I happened to meet Naina first in school and was trapped in by her pranks, laughter and big brown hypnotic eyes without knowing that she has a much beautiful younger sister called PB.”

Everyone was bit taken aback at his spontaneous reply, and laughed aloud. PB raised her brow at the girl sitting beside her, and softly asked, “big brown hypnotic eyes?”

Naina blushed, biting her lip, and looked at the rear view mirror only to find Sameer sneaking glances while driving. His eyes were covered with sunglasses, but the smirk on his face was enough for her to know that it was her he was looking at. In thirty minutes they reached the big looming gates of ISKON Temple. It was almost 11am, and there were already many visitors entering the premises. Sameer parked the car in the nearest spot he could find, and then they walked to the temple together, with Naina holding PB’s hand to guide her.

Rohan glanced around at the several people walking in, and asked, “bhai… why have we come to temple? I thought we were going sightseeing…”

“Your bhabi decided the outing plan for today”, Sameer offered, “so complain to her.”

Naina chuckled, “it’s New Year today, so most people who live in Gujarat definitely visit temple today… You know, start the new year with god’s blessing. So, I thought even we can go, and instead of going to a regular temple, I chose ISKON, because this is also one of the famous tourist places in Ahmedabad.”

They visited the main temple, bowing together to lord Krishna, and then lined up to get the bowls of prasad which they had while walking around the surrounding gardens. “It is so well maintained”, PB commented sitting on a bench.

Naina sat down on the grass, “yes, they have a full time trust… the members look after everything. And of course they also have temples around the world.”

Sameer sat beside her, nipping tidbits from her bowl, “thank God it’s not that hot yet today.”

Preeti sat on the bench, while Rohan joined his bhai-bhabhi on the grass. PB asked, “what was that garden you told me about Naina? Where you and Sameer went on your last trip…?”

“Law Garden”, answered Naina, “but that’s worth in evening.”

The ever hungry Preeti queried, “where will we have lunch? Something special on the menu…?”

“We will have Gujarati thali”, Sameer informed, “but before that we are going to see Jhulta Minara.”

After clicking some pictures they were on their way again; it took them 30 minutes to reach their destination. The Sidi Bashir mosque was dated to 1452, and nearly destroyed in 1753 during the war between the Marathas and the Khan of Gujarat Sultanate. All that remained post war were the two minarets and the arched central gateway connecting them. It was a mystery how shaking one minaret resulted in the other one shaking as well, but the passageway remained unaffected. Time slots were fixed to demonstrate this phenomenon for the public, and thankfully they reached just in time for the latest one. Apart from the mysterious spectacle, the architecture of the three storeyed minarets was also worth seeing. The intricate carvings and the circular balconies on each storey, all spoke of the marvelous vision and skill people in those times possessed.

For lunch, Sameer drove them to a restaurant called Pakwan Dining Hall, which incredibly was one of the oldest restaurants in Ahmedabad, and was said to have started the Thali culture. And once their orders of five thalis arrived they could see why it was so popular that even an entire crossroad was named as Pakwan in honor of this place. Several types of papad from khichla to sabudana to the humble fryums were served with assorted spicy and sweet chutneys. The thali itself was a delight for every foodie, containing all the well-known Gujarati items like dhokla, khandvi, muthiya, fafda, khaman, dry samosa and kachori in starters; undhiyu, kathol, alu-tuver, okra, sweet-sour Gujarati dal, white kadhi, rice, roti, puri and biscuit bhakri in the main course; accompanied by salad, fried chillies, kheer, gulab-jamun and jeera chaas. The happiness that sparkled on Sameer and Rohan’s face made Naina laugh softly, and she asked, “are you guys only going to stare?”

Sameer stuck his tongue out at her, “you take care of your dish, else who knows… I might finish first and then sneak from your thali.”

Naina broke a piece of khaman, dipping it in the green chutney and held it up for him, “I already know you would do that…” He happily accepted the food from her hands, and then devoted himself to depleting the large platter in-front of him. Both PB and Naina were unable to finish some portions of their food which Preeti and Sameer gladly finished. Rohan even though eager could manage his own thali, and exclaimed, “oh God… I can’t move anymore…”

Sameer chuckled, “you don’t have to… we are going to a showroom now… For shopping…”

Preeti was excited, “wow! Are you both going to buy things for wedding?”

Naina rolled her eyes, “there’s still time for wedding shopping… we just want to buy a few traditional clothes, and a chaniya-choli for Deepika.”

It was an exciting visit to the shops and showrooms along CG Road and Navrangpura. Rohan even though initially complained about having to walk from one shop to another, slowly was caught up in the bubbling anticipation of choosing clothes. He loved the bandhej printed kurtas and decided to buy a couple for himself. PB bought couple of dress materials for both Naina and Preeti… From the opulent showroom Asopalav in CG Road they even found a chaniya-choli for Deepika… Now that both Naina and PB had seen her, they could estimate the size easily. There weren’t a lot of options available since Navratri was already gone, but still they found a beautiful multicolored one that everyone loved. In a shop in Navrangpura, Naina was checking out a fiery orange shaded bandhej kurta for Sameer. It had some small mirror work near the collar and she thought it would suit him perfectly… She looked around for him, and found him staring at the display of sarees with utmost attention. Walking over to him she patted his arm, “what’s up?”

He looked at her with a hesitant questioning gaze, “umm… I know you don’t wear much sarees in Mumbai… But… If I buy some, will you wear? I mean… Not the heavy ones for any occasion; I probably can’t afford much of that… Just simple ones…”

She quirked a brow, “why can’t you just say that you want to see me in saree?”

He clarified, “not just in a saree… but a saree that I can buy… The one we got for Diwali was a one-time thing… at least until I start handling business here… then I can probably buy anything I wish…”

She smiled, “is there anything you liked?”

He nodded, pointing to the couple of sarees that he had asked the salesman to bring out, “these two… everyone wears red or green in bandhej… but I think this baby pink will look gorgeous on you…” Lifting another one he said, “and this one… it’s so different… dark blue and light blue mixed… do you like it?”

“Yes”, she replied honestly, “I love both… which one you want to buy for me?”

His eyes sparkled with eagerness, “both… it’s not that expensive…” Both of the sarees were simple bandhej, with an inch of floral embroidered border.

Just as she was about to agree to him, PB called her out, and held up a beautiful designer silk bandhej in purple shade, with a thick gotapatti border, “I am buying this one for you.”

Sameer’s face fell and he turned to keep the sarees back on the counter, but Naina grabbed his arm, addressing PB, “it’s okay PB… Sameer already bought two sarees for me… No need for more.”

PB smiled amiably, not even asking any question, and kept the saree back. Sameer glanced away, “that was a prettier one…”

Naina shrugged, “who said so?” She picked up the two sarees he had chosen, “will you not kiss me if I wear these?”

Sameer’s eyes widened and he looked around to check if the salesman was listening in, but thankfully there was no one around. Meeting her gaze, he smiled, “forget kiss… I will probably eat you up the day you wear these…”

She grinned, “see… that’s exactly what I want… these are perfect…”

He looped one arm around her, his eyes expressing both gratitude and love, “I don’t know how you do it… how every time you make me feel as if only I can give you what you wish for… even when I know that some things I do or buy are probably not up to the mark but you still make me feel as if they are perfect…”

“They are perfect”, she affirmed, “because it’s you who do those things or buy those stuff for me… Haven’t I told you before how proud I am of you? There’s nothing that’s not up to the mark, if you choose it with love, thought and care… And you do it every time… That’s why every time everything is perfect…” Narrowing her eyes she continued, “and the next time you dare to feel low because of your chosen lifestyle, I will… I will stomp your foot and kick you…”

“Where it hurts the most”, he finished with a wide grin, and then threw his head back roaring with laughter. She watched him with a smile on her face, entranced by his carefree laughter that was a first since they came to Ahmedabad. She knew the dynamics of his relationship with his mother made him wary of being his own self, and she hoped that slowly things would change on that front for him. From her family, she had no hope left… And with that recollection her smile dimmed.

He gently stroked his knuckles on her cheek, and her gaze fluttered back to him… He had noticed how the smile had fallen and how her eyes had clouded with something akin to disappointment… Softly he asked, “what happened?”

She shook her head, “nothing… look… I chose this kurta for you… do you like it?”

He took the orange kurta from her hand, “yes… but I have never worn orange before… what if I look like a popsicle?”
She let her eyes roam over his body from head to toe and then back up to his glittering eyes, and her voice lowered to almost a sultry whisper, “then I guess I will just have to find places to suck on…”

He drew in a shaky breath, his hands clenched on the kurta, and he gulped once before managing to croak, “we are definitely buying this…” She grinned as he tried to surreptitiously adjust himself, using her to hide himself from plain view. “Stop that”, he lightly admonished on seeing her amused expressions.

Almost instantly she responded, “make me…”

He groaned, turning her away from him, and bodily marched her to where the others were still looking at clothes. It was 4:30pm by the time they finished all the shopping… Naina asked PB once if she was tired or still okay to stay out till dinner. “Let’s follow the plan”, PB smiled.

Their next destination was Victoria Garden; on the way they stopped at a small roadside restaurant to have tea and the famous bun maska of Ahmedabad. By the time they reached the garden it was 5:30pm, the perfect time of the winter days when the heat of afternoon had totally receded, and the sky was turning golden-orange. Victoria Garden was built during the British era… It was lush green escape from the city, though not as famous or crowded like Parimal Garden. That was one of the reasons Naina had chosen this place… The peace that was here could not be found in Parimal Garden… The whole park was extremely well-maintained, with varieties of flowers turning the air fragrant, soft green grass ideal for walking bare feet, and fountains that lighted up when it turned dark adding to the overall beauty of the surroundings.

Birds chirped returning to their nests as dusk started to settle in, PB found a bench to sit on near one of the fountains. Rohan wandered off to click some pictures… Preeti sat with PB chattering about Mumbai. Sameer held Naina’s hand, asking her in gesture if she would walk with him. She smiled, keeping her purse with Preeti, and they walked off down a pathway lined with flowering plants. He didn’t say anything, just kept holding her hand as they walked, and she knew it was time… time to tell him about morning… And so she did… She detailed out everything that had happened since the time the entire family had started the discussions. When she came to the bit where Taiji was rehashing the events from years ago, her voice broke a bit, and he squeezed her hand slightly. Anger was simmering like a slow burning coal inside him… How dare they…?? How dare they hurt her like this? How could her own family do such a thing? Once she was done, he stopped near a tree, leaning back against the bark, and cupped her face, “tell me what you want? What should I do? If you want we can go back to Mumbai tomorrow… I am sure PB won’t mind… We can have our date there… There’s no need for you to tolerate that kind of shit one minute longer.”

She held onto his forearms, “did I do okay? I didn’t let them see it hurt… I replied back to them… I fought… I didn’t fall weak…”

“Oh honey”, he soothingly voiced, “you were fabulous… so so brave… I can’t even imagine what it takes to listen to such vile things and still stay in control… I would probably burn the house down… And I still want to do that to them for hurting you…”

His words soothed him, the edge in his voice when he said the last line made her feel there was someone who would be ready to fight for her, someone who could feel her pain… And for now that was enough for her… She leaned on his chest, and he lightly draped his arm around her, mindful of the fact that they were outside. He asked once more, “do you want to go back?”

“I do”, she replied, “but I don’t want to run… Let’s stay the two more days as planned…”

He played with her ponytail, “are you sure? It’s bhai dooj tomorrow…”

She took a deep breath, “doesn’t matter… I am not celebrating…”

“Not even Pralay?” He asked.

She scoffed, “as if Taiji would want my shadow on her precious son.” He mumbled some curse, the sound rumbling from his chest, and she chuckled. In a moment she reminded, “you will have to buy some gift from Law Garden for tomorrow.”

Sameer was puzzled, “babe… bhai dooj is for brothers and sisters… why would I give gift to you? I mean, I can… but not for bhai dooj.”

She hit his arm lightly, thinking he was joking, “ass… you know I am saying for Deepika.” He stiffened so instantly that she realized he wasn’t joking, and drew back to look at him. Scanning his face in the last light of twilight, she observed, “you forgot…”

He swallowed, and confessed, “there was nothing to forget… it would be the first time…”

Her gaze softened, and her voice was gentle, “you will like it…”

He didn’t know anything about bhai dooj; no knowledge of rituals… Gulping back the dread, he hesitantly asked, “do you think… she will… uh… she will do it?”

“I am sure she will”, she assured, “don’t be afraid… you see, even mummy is now on slightly good terms with you. I am sure she will guide Deepika… And I am sure, all these years Deepika must have waited to celebrate bhai dooj and rakshabandhan with her eldest brother.”

This made his ask again, “I have been a bad brother to Rohan and Deepika… Haven’t I?”

She sighed, “sometimes we get a chance to have every relationship we can dream of and yet end up falling short in other’s eyes… but sometimes we don’t even get the chance to form a relationship and yet we have people who wait for us and respect the fact that maybe the right time hasn’t come.”

He frowned, taking some time to understand what she was saying… It was about her and him… She had had a big family, supposedly wholesome relationships in which she had trusted, but yet she had fallen short for no fault of hers in her father’s eyes, and then she had lost all those relationships just because of a misconception, once more no fault of hers. While in his case, he had never gotten the chance to live in a family, and yet there have been Rohan and Deepika who had waited for him, held up the other end of the bond, and accepted him promptly as soon as he was ready to give it a shot. “No one waited for you”, he noted sympathetically.

She smiled, “that’s not true… you waited for me… loved me even when I was not there with you physically… and even after we met again, you waited for me to be completely ready to accept my own feelings.”

He took her hand in his, lifting it up and playing with her fingers, “so… I am okay?”

“Yes you are”, she stated, “you are more than okay… you have not been a bad brother… it’s just that the time hadn’t come for you to be a brother to them… But now the time is here, so just be there for them…”

He dropped a gentle kiss on her fingers, “thanks honey…”

Something fluttered in her stomach, like every time it did, whenever he called her honey… It just felt so intimate… His voice seemed to caress her skin… Inadvertently she inched closer, her eyes drifting to his lips… She tugged her hand back from his, instead holding onto his shoulders… He automatically held her waist as she stretched up on her toes, aiming for his lips… But before she could kiss him, he turned his face away, using his hold on her to push her back a bit… Perplexed at his action she frowned, and he reminded, “we are outside Naina… In a park…”

She looked around with wide eyes, but said in a low voice, “no one is here…”

“I know honey”, he smoothed his hands up her arms, “but didn’t I tell you before on our first date… I would never take my girlfriend to a public place to kiss her…”

She smiled, “can I get a hug at least?”

He obliged immediately, tugging her in his arms and holding her tight for a minute… Then they walked back to the group together, his arm around her waist, securing her to his side. PB looked at them as soon as they reached closer, her eyes lingering on Naina… She wanted to ask if everything was okay, but the calm smile on Naina’s face already told her that she had shared everything with Sameer.

From the garden they went to Law Garden, once more spending some time in shopping. They showed PB the garden, regaling her with tales of how this was the most famous place for youngsters to eat. It was fun to get her to sample all the delicacies, though she ate the least among all of them, but was game enough to try new dishes. Naturally, Law Garden also meant that Sameer wanted to indulge in a bit of shopping for Naina, and that’s how she found herself modeling earrings for him… Of course, at the end bangles were also included… This time he took immense pleasure is sliding each choice of her wrist and checking how it looked and hear the clinking sound before finalizing the purchase. They wrapped up the day licking cones of ice-cream, and naturally Naina and Sameer shared one between them.

A melancholy settled in her heart when she dropped off Sameer at his home, but he gave her a quick hug and whispered something in her ear that made her gaze up at him wide-eyed. He winked at her, bade goodbye to everyone and then walked inside the gates. She drove home in a bit of trance, ignored everyone and sauntered in the room she shared with Preeti. Later on she confided in Preeti about what Sameer had said, and her sister squealed, “Oh God… Wow!”

“Shsh”, Naina hissed, pacing the length of the bedroom, “keep your voice down… I don’t want anyone to know about this… As it is this is madness… What was he thinking?” Her voice level increased as she chided herself, “hell, what was I thinking? I should have stopped him…”

Preeti scoffed, “stop grumbling… I am sure you are extremely happy that Sameer is coming here. You are always happy to see him…”

Naina takes a pause in her pacing, letting her lips curve in a small smile, “of course I am happy to see him, but this… this is too much risk… how will he come? Climb up the pipe? Get a ladder? What if someone sees him? The watchman…? Another nosy neighbor hell bent on spreading rumors…? What if someone in this damn house hears him? What if…”

“Stop”, Preeti interrupted, “you are rambling… Nothing’s going to happen… He is coming here because he understands that you need him after what happened this morning. And since when do you worry about risk? God Naina… You sneaked in his school, during the lunch break to destroy his bike! If that wasn’t risky then this isn’t either… And if some neighbor sees him, just kiss him on the balcony… Give a free show and then elope with him… If you are to be gossiped about anyway then better it is for some real stuff than some midlife-crisis-suffering aunty’s fantasies.”

Naina blinked, a small giggle spurting out of her before she clapped her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound of her laughter. Tears of mirth leaked from the corner of her eyes and Preeti grinned in satisfaction. Plans were made, signals decided, and soon it was 11pm, time for Sameer to come over.

Naina stood at the threshold of her balcony door, craning her neck to see the road, to listen to any sound. Five minutes ago she thought she heard a bike, but then there was nothing… It didn’t make sense anyways… Sameer didn’t have his bike here. She glanced back to check the time, 11:15pm. Maybe he dropped the idea… No, he wouldn’t… Preeti came up beside her, “don’t worry… he will be here soon.”

Naina frowned in confusion, “I don’t know how he will come… If he uses car, his family would know…”

Another ten minutes later they heard little scraping sounds which puzzled them… Was it some dog scraping at the garden below? Or maybe a bat had lost its way on its nightly prowl? Lost in some vague thoughts of vampire stories, Naina nearly screamed when a hand suddenly landed on the parapet. Somehow managing to turn her scream into a soft shriek, understanding flashed through her nerves, and she rushed forward to help Sameer.

As soon as he was over the boundary wall, Naina flung her arms around him, whispering her rebuke, “you idiot… how dare you take such a risk? What would have happened if…”

“Shsh”, he interrupted, wrapping his arms around her, “nothing has happened… I am here… Are we going to stay in balcony full night?”

Preeti giggled as Naina pulled back embarrassed, and they all trudged inside the room. Sameer looked here and there, his voice low as he queried, “everyone’s asleep?”

Preeti nodded, “yes… and I am leaving as well…”

Naina shut the bedroom door after her sister, and her cheeks turned pink as she looked at the man now sitting on her bed. He grinned, “are you going to kiss me or scold me? Or maybe scold me and then kiss me.”

She huffed, “you are way too over confident.”

“Over confident about your affections”, he promptly replied, “always.” Then his eyes glittered in the familiar mischievous way, “plus… it’s not like you can resist my charms.”

“Haa!” She rolled her eyes, but walked towards him, stopping an inch away from him, “why did you take so much risk? Anyone could have seen you… You could have fallen… I don’t even know how you got here…”

He interrupted her rant once more, “I came on a bike… Munna’s bike. His father gifted him one when he joined college… I was here, outside your society at 11pm sharp, but the watchman was making his rounds so I didn’t stop… Rather I drove to the next society, parked my bike there and then walked back here, taking care to hide myself in shadows. And I climbed up the pipe to your balcony…” Her eyes widened alarmingly, and he hastened to explain, “it was easy really… there are holds at regular intervals that I could use, and you balcony is on first floor, so not much of a distance. The only tough bit would have been swinging inside, but you helped. So… All good…”

She bit her lip, “and why are you here exactly?”

He reached out to hold her waist, gently pulling her to stand in between his parted legs. His eyes shone with love and affection as he said, “do you really have to ask?”

She leaned closer inadvertently and his arms looped around her waist, his head coming to rest just beneath her breasts, his warm breath tickling her belly through the cotton night dress. Her body relaxed, one hand on his back and the other hand automatically moving through his hair. Peace… She finally had peace again, and she understood why he was here… For her… Because he knew she needed him tonight. It was such an indescribable feeling to have someone who understood her without words and was able to know what she needed even before she could comprehend herself about it.

“I love you Sameer”, she whispered in reverence, in awe, in wonder of his love for her.

He nuzzled his nose against her stomach, “love you too honey…”

They stayed like that for few minutes and then his hand tugged softly, pulling her to sit on his lap. His lips touched the tender skin of her neck, static bursting through her nerves like cracking electricity. Her breath hitched at each nuzzle of his mouth, and the light brushes of his soft warm lips… This… This was what she had missed… The freedom to just be with him… The moments they had stolen in the past few days came with a timestamp. But tonight, there need not be a limit… Of course he would have to leave before dawn, but that was hours away. She buried her nose and lips in his hair, breathing in the fragrance of his shampoo, feeling the silky texture. There was a slight wet sensation as he placed an open mouther kiss against her pulse at her throat, and then she hissed as he nipped the same spot. It was arousing enough to make her shiver, but still gentle enough to not leave any marks that she would have difficulty to hide.

And suddenly there was the all-encompassing need she felt for him… It was not enough… Touching him over the t-shirt was not enough… She tugged at the fabric of his t-shirt, an impatient sound escaping her lips and he chuckled, pulling back briefly from her, quickly pulling off the offending cloth and tossing it over his shoulder. Her lips immediately moved from his hair to his jaw, her hands streaking up and down his chest. His hands dipped beneath her top, fingers rubbing the side of her waist, the underside of her breasts. There was fire, heat and a pulsating of nerves that could only be termed as untamed desire. Brazen with need she cupped his face, tilting her head to lock her lips with his, teasing him with flicks of her tongue, and reveling in the shudder that wracked through his body when her tongue slipped inside his mouth. A small groan reverberated through his chest, one of his hand came up to cradle the back of her neck, while the other remained beneath her top, curving over her breast. The world tilted on its axis as her back met the mattress of her bed, his hard body hovered over hers, the aching familiarity of it like a whispered promised in the dark of the night. He was like an unyielding force arranging her for body for pleasure, deepening the kiss to an extent that she forgot to breathe… Darkness closed in her eyes, her world reducing to the man over her, the overwhelming sensation threatening to drown her… But she didn’t fight… Rather she surrendered, softening beneath him, opening her thighs to cradle his hips, digging her nails on his back to urge him on.

His hips grounded against her, and she arched her back, her body undulating beneath him… The movement seemed to bring him back from the edge… His mouth softened, the intensity of the kiss lowering by fragments, giving her time to drag in air in her overused lungs… His hand stroked her hair, fingers sifting through the long strands, his mouth almost reverent as he peppered kisses over her face, moving to her throat, pausing at her pulse once more. Their heartbeats synced, he sighed against her neck, and even though he was still pressing her to the mattress, in that moment she knew that he wouldn’t go further even though he did want to. Her clothes wouldn’t be shed, his lips won’t be on her breasts, he wouldn’t mutter sexy or curse words, and there would be no loss of control… Not because he didn’t want or she didn’t want, but because tonight was about comfort not about passion. And as he rolled to his side, taking her with him, it made her heart swell with respect for him, and she fell in a little more in love with him… She snuggled into his chest, pressing a kiss over his heart, feeling utterly safe and content in the captivity of his arms.

“Sleep honey… I am here”, the assurance in his midnight voice seeped through her very soul and her eyes fluttered shut, her last coherent realization of his arms tightening a fraction more and his lips pressing a kiss on the top of her head. He lay awake until her breathing evened, and then closed his eyes, wishing he could do something to prevent the sun from rising which would inevitably steal her from him, expose her to the harsh hatred from her family again and he would have to wait once more until the cover of darkness to heal her bruised heart.