Special Friend Part 3 – Desi Dushman

Tauji was a stickler for rules, traditions, rituals and more rules. All his favorite dialogues included the word “samaj” – Samaj kya bolega, Samaj me rehna hai toh yeh zaroori hai, Samaj me baate banegi, Hamare samaj me dene-lene ka vyavhaar banaye rakhna padta hai, etc. etc…

 

A part of this vyavhaar was him pushing his brother, Rakesh, to reciprocate the invite he had received from his school trusted Jaiprakash Maheshwari. He had strictly ordered, “tumhe bhi unko nyota dena padega. Hamare samaj ke bahot bade aadmi hai Jaiprakashji, unke saath vyavhaar banaye rakhone toh fayde me rahoge. Mithai le jaana achchi wali, aur unse kehna ke woh sah-parivaar hamare ghar aaye. Bhulna mat yeh baat Rakesh.”

 

Rakesh Agarwal who was often termed as Hitler in his school never had been able to gather courage to defy his elder brother. That’s why no matter how reluctant he was, he had extended the invitation to Jaiprakash Maheshwari to visit Agarwal house on the day after Diwali, which was celebrated as new year in Gujarat. Naina had no idea of this as her mind was occupied with her visit to Sameer’s home and her recent determination to learn about makeup and fashion. But even in her absent minded state she did notice that Chachiji kept aside some boiled potatoes, and Chachaji brought rasmalai from a famous shop.

 

It was Preeti who queried at lunch time, “kya baat hai… Kal Diwali thi phir bhi sirf ghar pe bane laddoo khane mile the, aaj rasmalai kyun?”

“Oh bai”, Taiji grumbled, “jo khaneko mila hai chup-chap kha le.”

Anand smiled at his daughter, “shaam ko mehman aa rahe hai isliye laaya hun, toh socha sabke liye le chalu.”

Naina wanted to ask who the guests were, but didn’t dare. Taiji would immediately rebuke her, and so would her father; and she had no interest on hearing how bad her looks and fortune were, or that she was a motherless child. However she didn’t need ask as the next moment Chachiji queried, “bhaisaab… main ghar pe aloo chaat aur paneer pakode bana rahi hun… Saath me aur kuch mangvana hai kya? Kya pasand hai aapke trustee sahab ko?”

Rakesh replied in an irritated tone, “mujhe bhala kaise pata hoga ke woh ameer trustee aur uska nalayak navasa kya khate honge? Theka le rakha hai maine unka… Ya tumhe lagta hai main unke ghar jaake unki chaplusi kar raha tha?”

Tauji issued the first warning, “Rakesh…”

Bela meanwhile mumbled, “main toh bas puch rahi thi taaki khatidaari me koi kami na reh jaaye.”

“Haan toh karo na khatir”, Rakesh snapped, “ghar pe toh paneer ki sabji banate waqt mahine ka hisab nikal aata hai… Dikhte bhi nahi hai itne chote chote tukde karti ho paneer ke… Aur ameer mehman aa rahe hai toh paneer ke pakode ban rahe hai… Ab mahine me gadbad nahi hui? Rasmalai bhi aa gai dekho… Ek hi mila hai hum gareebo ko toh, shanti se khane do. Mujhe koi farq nahi padta woh log kya khate hai kya nahi.”

Tauji banged his glass on the table, “bas karo Rakesh… Shaam ko bhi aisa bartaav karne wale ho toh abhi se bata do. Kinti baar samjhaya tumhe kal ke Jaiprakashji ke bahot naam aur rutba hai hamare samaj me. Aise aadmi hamare ghar aate hai toh hamare liye hi achcha hoga… Samaj me hamari izzat badhegi aur aage chalke kai mauke mil sakte hai sirf unke naam se. Tum bhi toh karke aaye na Arjun ki sifarish unse? Aur ab naak chada rahe ho…”

A subdued Rakesh answered, “mere bete ke liye aur koi toh kuch karega nahi, toh socha mauka mila hai toh baat kar lu. Arjun itna hoshiyar hai, use achche college me dakhila milna hi chahiye. Tabhi toh aage chalke achcha naukri karega. Aur bhaisaab, mujhe Jaiprakashji se koi dikkat nahi hai… Dikkat toh unke uss bigde hue navase se hai. Jab se school me aaya hai tabse naak me dum kar rakha hai… Paper ki chori bhi toh usine kari thi…”

Tauji raised his hand, commanding silence, “chahe jo jaisa bhi ho, aaj woh dono hamare  mehman banke aa rahe hai. Isiliye sab unse achche se pesh aayenge.”

 

Naina sat, her eyes fixed on the plate in-front of her, food forgotten, vision unseeing. Sameer was coming here? To her home? Oh God… What if he asked her about those posters she had torn? Had he tried to use his DVD? What should she wear? He had complimented her when she had worn red… Did she have another red dress? What if he tried to talk to her in-front of their family? What if someone got to know how she felt about him?

 

She swung between anticipation and apprehension. Preeti nudged her, “oi… tujhe kya hua? khana kha na.”

Naina shook her head and started to eat again. Her brain kept buzzing and she stopped paying attention to the ensuing conversations. Her father had told everyone that Sameer was a thief. She wanted to speak up, tell everyone that her Sameer was not a thief; rather it was the ever obedient and the perfect son Arjun who had stolen the papers. But her tongue was tied due to the swear her brother had given her. She felt helpless and all she could do was hope that no one brought up the topic this evening.

 

Once lunch was done Bela instructed them to rest, and added, “chaar baje uthke meri madad kar dena tum dono. Paanch baje tak aa jayenge woh log. Aur kuch achche kapde pehen lena.”

Naina blurted, “mere paas aur koi laal rang ke kapde nahi hai.”

Bela was confused, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye beta, roz laal pehenna zaroori thodei na hai. Kal toh Diwali thi aur Laxmi puja karni thi isiliye kaha tha laal pehenne ko. Aaj kuch aur pehen lena.”

 

 

At the other end, Sameer was also informed about the impending visit while having lunch. Given that the DVD had not worked, Sameer had spent a leisurely morning playing cricket with Munna and Pandit, and then had coaxed them to come over for lunch so that they could spend some more time. They had planned to laze around the entire afternoon, play carom, gorge on ice-cream, and watch whatever movie was playing on TV. However, when Nanu declared that they needed to leave by 4:30pm so that they could reach on time at Naina’s home for evening tea and snacks all the three boys choked on their pulao.

Perplexed Nanu asked, “aree kya hua tum logo ko?”

Sameer recovered first, “Naina ke ghar? Par kyun Nanu?”

“Kyun kya hota hai”, Nanu responded, “samaj me aise milna julna toh hota hi rehta hai na. Rakeshji kal nyota deke gaye apne parivaar ke taraf se… Bada zor daala… Isiliye main maan gaya. Kal meri baat maanke woh log yahan aaye the, ab hume bhi toh jaana padega na… Warna unhe bura lag jayega.”

Pandit chortled, “bura? Aur woh bhi Rakesh sir ko? Aree woh to itne kanjoos hai ke aap nahi jaoge to khush ho jayenge ke chai-nashta ke paise bach gaye.”

Nanu admonished gently, “bado ke baare me aisa nahi bolte… Aur Rakeshji tumhare teacher hai.”

Sameer queried, “mera aana zaroori hai kya?”

“Bilkul”, Nanu immediately nodded, “sah parivaar ka nimantran hai. Ab yahan mera parivaar toh tum hi ho.”

Sameer sighed, knowing that his fate was sealed. He continued eating, his mind trying to come up with scenarios of this evening trip. His friends kept throwing gleeful looks at him, and he knew that there would be questions and a lot of teasing once they went up to his room. Just then Nanu asked, “beta tumhe pata hai Naina ko konsi mithai pasand hai?”

“Gulab Jamun”, he instinctively replied, and then coughed, “uh… main… mera matlab… Nanu, mujhe kaise pata hoga Naina ko kya pasand hai. Aap bhi na… Kuch bhi kharid lijiye kya farq padta hai.”

Nanu smiled, adjusting his glasses, “haan… farq toh nahi padta waise… par Gulab Jamun ka idea achcha hai.”

 

 

Sometime later, as soon as Sameer locked the door to his room, Pandit teased, “oye hoye… Gulab Jamun…”

Munna laughed, “apne premika ke liye Gulab Jamun ke saath saath Gulab ka phool bhi le jaana… Ekdum laal laal, jaise abhi tere gaal ho rakhe hai.”

“Chup karo”, Sameer glared at his friends, “premika? Woh bhi woh behenji…? Possible hi nahi hai… Chahe kuch bhi ho jaaye main kabhi usse pyaar kar hi nahi sakta. Yeh sab sirf ek shart hai. Tum dono ko toh sab pata hai…”

Pandit nodded, “haan pata toh hai… lekin ab toh baat Nanaji tak pahonch gai hai. Aur yeh ghar pe milneka silsila bhi shuru ho gaya hai.”

Sameer leaned back on his bed, “koi silsila nahi shuru hua. Bas tyohar ke wajah se aisa hua… Nanu ko bhi vacation me hi uss Hitler se kaam pada. Naa hi unko kaam hota aur naa hi yeh ghar pe jaaneka program. Meri toh samajh me nahi aa raha ke main kya karunga wahan jaake.”

Munna grabbed a pillow on his lap, “karna kya hai… chai-nashta karna… jab koi tujhse koi sawal puche uska jawab dena aur wapas aa jaana.”

Pandit immediately objected, “kya bol raha hai yaar tu… Dekh Sameer… Mauka mila hai toh mauke ka fayda utha. Tujhe shart jeetna haina… Toh soch yeh kitna achcha mauka hai. Kal woh maniben yahan aai thi, toh pakka woh pyaar ke sapne dekh rahi hogi. Tu ekdum hero banke jaa aaj… Aur jaise hi chance mile usse bahar milne ki baat karle.”

“Yeh bilkul sahi sujhaav diya hai Ponga ne”, Munna approved, “badhiya mauka hai… Tere liye chahe sirf ye shart ho, uske liye toh uske sapno ka rajkumar uske ghar aa raha hai. Mauka dekhke chauka maar hi de aaj toh… Keh de ke ab toh ek dusre ka ghar bhi dekh liya hai to baat aage badhate hai… Aur baat aage tabhi badhegi jab tum dono bahar miloge.”

Sameer pondered on his friend’s advice for few minutes and then agreed. He had several times noted the effect he had on her, the dreamy look she would get whenever she looked at him. Just yesterday, she had been jealous of Julia Roberts, and had even acted on her jealousy. His plan to trap her in his love was gaining momentum… Fate was with him… That’s why he had gotten this chance during vacations. It was the perfect opportunity. He would tease her about the posters she had torn and then demand to meet somewhere outside. Surely, she would agree…

 

Sameer checked his reflection multiple times, combing his hair until he was satisfied that every strand looked perfect. He had worn black trousers with a blue-red checked shirt, sprayed his favorite cologne and worn the new watch Nanu had gifted him for Diwali. Foregoing his slippers he opted for polished black shoes, wanting to look absolutely perfect. Nanu gave him an appreciative glance, but thankfully didn’t make any comments about Naina. On their way, they stopped at a famous sweet shop and bought Gulab Jamun and Kesar Barfi. Upon the shopkeeper’s recommendation, a packet of mix namkeen was also added. Finally, just a little after 5pm they reached Nirmal Jyoti Society, and Sameer looked around at the old two wheelers parked outside, which included Rakesh sir’s famous scooter from the era of World War – 1. As they walked inside the compound, he also spotted Naina’s pink cycle. The paint on the walls was peeling off, and there was no lift. Thankfully, their apartment was on the first floor itself.

 

They were welcomed warmly by two men, who he got to know later were Naina’s Tauji and Chachaji. Nanu gestured him to take blessings of all the elders, feeling grateful that his family didn’t have so many people, else he would develop back pain at a young age. A rotund woman in orange printed saree, with ghungat tucked in at the waist, blessed him properly but as soon as he stood up she pinched his cheeks and exclaimed how good he looked. Someone giggled softly and he managed to escape the hold of the woman, rubbing his cheeks, and looked in the direction of the sound to find Naina and Preeti near the corner. He was about to wave a greeting when another woman in blue saree, also with ghungat, exclaimed, “bhagwan jhuth na bulaye, tum dono yahan kyun khadi ho… Jao paani leke aao, aur chai bhi chada do.”

 

The girls escaped, light on feet, and yet Sameer thought he heard the sound of anklets. Maybe Naina was still wearing them. Today she was dressed in a white salwar kameez with light blue print, and once more, her hair was open. He couldn’t see clearly, but wondered if she was wearing blue bangles today. Preeti came out with a tray carrying two glasses of water, placed it on the table and then went inside again.

Sameer was bored as Nanu talked with the other men, thanking Rakesh Sir for the invite. Suddenly a man in white kurta, Naina’s Tauji, asked about other family members. Nanu told them of his family in Delhi, without divulging many details. Sometime later, the women joined the girls in the kitchen, and then dishes loaded with delicious looking snacks were brought in. Nanu exclaimed at the sight and added a formal, “itna sab karneki kya zaroorat thi.”

The cheek-assaulter, or as he got to know, Naina’s Taiji, adjusted the pallu, “oh bai! Zyada kuch kahan hai… Sab chakhne chakhane ke jitna hi hai.”

Sameer wondered what ‘oh bai’ was but refrained from asking, afraid of his cheeks being violated again. Rather he chose to devote himself to devouring a plate of aloo chaat, and piping hot paneer pakodas. As he munched on a particular crispy bit, Naina came in with a tray of tea, which she placed on the table and started handing over cups to everyone. He noticed that she wasn’t wearing matching blue bangles today, but rather oxidize ones, and her earrings were also oxidize jhumkis that glinted in the light when she moved. Her bindi was blue and today she wasn’t wearing any lipstick, her lips a natural pink shade. Nanu graced her with a big smile, exclaiming how happy he was that she could visit their home, and wished she would come over again. Sameer noticed that her Tauji and Taiji seemed slightly shocked at this, and he wondered why. Perhaps they didn’t expect Nanu to be on good terms with her, after all, he was the trustee of the school she studied in. Finally, she picked up another cup and offered it to him with a small smile.

Bit stunned at the way the sunlight from the window reflected in her eyes that made golden flecks visible in the brown he had noticed the day before, he blurted in a low tone, “main sirf coffee peeta hun.”

Her smile turned into a small frown as she replied, “sasural nahi hai yeh ab tak… itni farmaishe mat karo. Chup-chap se chai peeyo.”

Gaping at her, unable to believe what he heard, he automatically lifted a hand to accept the cup. Her eyes tracked her as she moved away, and he slowly lifted the cup to his lips. The flavor of ginger and mint and something mildly spiced burst on his tongue, and subtle sweetness followed as he sipped on the concoction. It wasn’t bad… Was the process of making tea different everywhere? The tea at his hostel in Nainital was horrible and so he had stuck to coffee… Ramdhari’s tea was only slightly better and even Nanu complained several days about it. But this… this was so much better than whatever he had drunk earlier.

 

Nanu also sipped and made a satisfied humming sound, “waah… kya chai banai hai… Naina beta, tumne banaya yeh?”

Naina smiled and nodded, “jee sir… aapne kal kaha tha na aap kam shakkar lete hai toh mujhe yaad tha.”

Nanu beamed, “shakkar bilkul theek hai, par baki sab… adrak, pudina aur masale… ekdum perfect… mazaa aa gaya. Ab toh lagta hai baar baar yahan aana padega tumhare haath ki chai peene.”

Taiji happily proclaimed, “bilkul bilkul… aapka hi ghar hai… Aur Naina bitiya ko toh humne bachpan se hi sab kaam me nipun bana diya hai. Woh kya haina… Bin maa ki bachchi hai… Ghar ke kaam achche se aayenge toh hi koi achcha ladka milega shaadi ke liye…”

 

Naina had been smiling happily on hearing Nanu’s praise, but her face fell when Taiji talked about her mother. Sameer was also bit shocked as he had no idea that Naina’s mother had passed away. Probably that was why Rakesh sir was so prickly all the time. Nanu diverted the topic quickly to business, probably because he had also noticed Naina’s expresions. He started fidgeting a bit, bored with the business discussions, and he also wanted a chance to talk to Naina.

 

Thankfully, within few minutes Bela asked Arjun to take Sameer inside, and also instructed the girls to go to their room. Sameer stood up, not really wanting to spend any time with Arjun, but also wanting to escape the elder’s discussion. As he followed Arjun into his room on the right, he noticed the girls entering a room on the opposite side, and tried to peek in. To his luck there was sound like a low whistle and Arjun immediately rushed out of his room and went to the balcony at the far end. Sameer noticed a girl on the other balcony and wondered if she was Arjun’s girlfriend. Shrugging, he sauntered into the girls’ room, and greeted, “hi.”

Naina gasped, “tum yahan kya kar rahe ho? Tumhe toh Arjun bhaiya ke saath jaana tha.”

Sameer shrugged, “Arjun ko toh main janta bhi hai… tum dono at least meri classmates ho. Waise bhi Arjun kisi ladki ko dekhne balcony me chala gaya.”

Preeti chortled, “yeh Shefali bhi na… Kisi din marwayegi Arjun bhaiya ko. Bas ek Pralay dekhle unhe, phir do minute bhi lagenge Tauji ko pata chalne me.”

Sameer tilted his head, “Pralay?”

“Taiji ja beta”, Naina informed, “8 saal ka hai. Uska naam Prateek hai, lekin hamesh koi na koi musibat khadi kar deta hai sabke liye isiliye hum use ghar pe Pralay bulate hai.”

Preeti suddenly stood up from the bed, “main zara kitchen me chakkar lagake aati hun… Aloo chaat bacha ho to le aau. Tum bhi khaoge na Sameer?”

He smiled, “aloo ko main mana nahi kar sakta.”

Preeti grinned, “yeh hui na baat… seekh isse kuch Naina.” Saying this she disappeared from the room.

Naina shook her head, “daant khilwayegi Taiji se yeh aloo khane ke chakkar me.”

Sameer walked a little bit more inside, “tumhe aloo pasand nahi?”

She scrunched her nose, “pav bhaji me ya samose me kha leti hun… lekin chaat me ya sabji me achche nahi lagte…”

He smirked, “achche nahi lagte ya aisa sochti ho ke aloo khane se moti ho jaogi.”

She scoffed, “uss hisab se toh tumhe ab tak fulke gubbara ho jaana chahiye tha. Ek pura plate aloo kha gaye aur ab wapas Preeti ko haan bol diya.”

He flashed a wide smile and flicked his hair with his hand, “main chahe kitne bhi aloo khau hamesh aisa handsome hi dikhunga.”

Naina laughed, and his eyes sparkled in delight at the sound. Moving his gaze away from hers, he looked at the room. Floral bedsheets, cream curtains, decorative hangings on each side of the window, a pink teddy on bed between two pillows. There was a table with a single chair, a desk lamp and a stack of books. On the shelf near it, there was a tape recorder and multiple stacks of cassetes, and thinks she really loves to listen to music, as even he didn’t have these many cassetes.

Her voice interrupted his thoughts, “kya dekh rahe ho?”

He glanced at her, “kyun? Sirf tum mera room dekh sakti ho? Mujhe bhi toh jaane ka haq haina tumhare baare me.”

A faint blush tinted her cheeks and her eyes lowered. Smirking at the effect he had on her, he resumed his perusal of the room. There was a grey metal cupboard the front of which was covered with a curtain that seemed to be fashioned out of a bedsheet or a saree. He walked towards the cupboard, intending to step out to the balcony where he could see several potted plants. But before he could, he spotted a poster on the wall next to the cupboard… Probably hidden from the family’s view. It was Salman and Bhagyashree, the cover poster of Maine Pyaar Kiya movie, with a bare hairy chested Salman and a demure Bhagyashree draped around his legs. He ignored the heroine; as pretty as she was, she didn’t hold his attention. Instead, his eyes moved to Salman… The famous hero stood tall, his legs splayed, body bent slightly as he held onto the heroine’s head… The posture managed to spectacularly display his sculpted abs, his pectoral muscles, and the astonishing amount of hair on his body. If he was honest to himself, he liked the movie and also all the songs in this movie, but the vision of Salman’s bare chest made him feel as if all the chaat and pakoda was coming up to his throat. Why was this poster here?

Before he could puzzle further, Naina’s voice interrupted him once again as she informed, “yeh mera aur Preeti ka kamra hai. Pehle Pooja Didi bhi rehti thi, par jabse unki shaadi hui hai tabse sirf hum dono rehte hai.”

A new thought sprouted in his head as he turned to look at her sitting on the bed, “tumhara matlab hai itne se bed pe tum teeno sote the?” She nodded and he asked, “kaise?”

She chuckled, “jaise sote hai waise… aadat ho gai thi bachpan se.”

He nodded towards the teddy bear, “yeh teddy tumhara hai?”

She smiled, “haan… peechle saal mele me jeeta tha ring fek ke.” Her pink lips curved in a pout, the he felt was adorable, “mujhe toh bada wala chahiye tha par…”

“Main jeet ke laa dunga”, the declaration bubbled up from somwhere inside him without much conscious control.

Her eyes widened, and he mentally smacked himself, repeating in his mind that he was doing all this just for bet. Debating for another moment, he aksed, “aur yeh poster… yeh toh pakka Preeti ka hoga, haina?”

To his surprise Naina laughed aloud, “nahi nahi… Preeti toh Aamir ki deewani hai… Salman khan ke liye pagal toh main hun.

 

He felt something rise up his chest and throat like an acidic reflux… probably the tea… He was not used to having tea, surely that’s why the burn… acidity… yes, for sure acidity… Wanting to reconfirm he asked, “toh yeh poster yahan tumne lagaya?”

She nodded, her eyes dreamy, “haan… jabse Maine Pyaar Kiya dekhi hai tabse mera favorite hai… aur Salman… hayee… kitna handsome hai… ekdum romantic…”

He scowled at the poster, not seeing how she could find that dude handsome when he, Sameer Maheshwari, was standing in-front of her… And romantic? Wasn’t he romantic? He had sat on the table in canteen and managed to invite her for his b’day party, that too in-front of half the school, for god’s sake… He had taken risk upon his life to come beneath her balcony just to give her a gift, that too with a handwritten note… He had called her at night and made her listen to romantic songs… He had given her chocolate and was now planning to ask her on a date… Wasn’t that romantic enough for her? Should he up the quotient? But how… she wouldn’t even let him hold hands… He glared at the poster once more as if Salman was competing with him for Naina’s attention… What was it that attracted her to this man? Just the fact that he was a film hero and technically unattainable for her? Or maybe the biceps and abs that were visible? Or was it… was it all that hair on his body? Eww… surely not… But what if… He glanced down at himself, the parted collar of his shirt didn’t reveal any hair… Why didn’t he have hair on his chest yet? He didn’t even have a beard yet… He couldn’t let a bit of hair divert Naina’s attention, could he? But maybe he should ask first before concluding anything…

He asked; the distaste evident in his tone, “tumhe itne saare baal pasand hai?”

Her eyes still had that dreamy haze, her gaze moving up to his head, “haan… mujhe toh baal bahot pasand hai…”

He very nearly puked, and had to grab onto the cupboard to steady himself… How could she? Dammit… He couldn’t let her go… uhh… He meant, he couldn’t lose the bet just for a handful of hair… “Naina”, he started to rebuke her for being so frivolous, but then paused, on seeing her gaze fixed on his face… Was she talking about Salman? Or him? Her eyes… Where was she looking? Puzzled he combed a hand through his hair out of habit, and she sighed dreamily… Oh… The burn in his chest soothed a bit… She was talking about his hair… Thank God… She probably hadn’t even understood that he had been talking about chest hair and not the hair on head… She was so naïve and innocent. Thank God it was clarified…

Just then, Preeti walked in with a pakoda in hand, grumbling about the absence of aloo chaat in kitchen and informed that his Nanu was calling for him. He bade a hasty goodbye to the girls, signalling to Naina that he would call her later, and carefully strolled outside… He folded his hands wishing bye to the full Agarwal family, and sighed in relief of escaping Taiji with his cheeks unscathed. As he opened the car door dowstairs, he glanced up by chance, and smiled on seeing her standing at the balcony… For him… The smile widened at this thought, and stayed on his lips as the car towards Maheshwari bungalow. But just as he neared his own home, he felt the burn in his chest again… The sight of the poster disturbed him, it had managed to unsettle the image he had of an oblivious studious Naina. He thought about he only got time in school to get her attention… But that damn poster was hanging in her room 24*7… She studied in-front of it, sang in-front of it… probably danced too… And… And… His eyes widened in horrific realization that Naina probably changed her clothes at least twice a day in-front of it… God Dammit… He had to do something… He wished he had taken the chance and torn that poster, just like she had torn the Julia Roberts posters… But he couldn’t go back there… He had to get Naina to remove it… Could he ask her? No… He couldn’t… He was Sameer Maheshwari – He didn’t ask; he just got things done… Surely if not the hair, then the abs and biceps were what attracted Naina to Salman… Maybe it was time to pay more attention to his exercise regime, see if he could find a gym to join, and he should definitely increase his boxing time… He hummed, pleased at the thought of defeating Salman Khan in this contest for Naina’s affections… Naina was so simple, she didn’t need a film hero in her life, a local hero from her school should be enough. He was way more better than Salman for her. Definitely, Naina would soon remove that poster herself… He would get it done… After all, he needed to win the bet… Yes, all was for bet and he was determined not to lose Naina to some abominable desi dushman…