That’s The One
Chapter 1: Shameel and Naina

The light of dawn filtered through the curtains, the nascent rays falling on the boy sleeping on the bed sprawled on his stomach, his hands beside his head. As the light shone on his face, he scrunched his nose, mumbling something, and turned the other way, the veins on his forearms bulging at the slight pressure, the muscles on his back shifting… It was a Sunday morning, and Sameer Maheshwari had plans to sleep till late, at least until 8am… However, plans were made to fail usually in his universe, particularly because it consisted of his extremely adorable and sometimes highly annoying, very personal hurricane.

Thirty minutes later, his plans of sleeping were foiled by a series of loud thumps on the door, and a voice which he usually found to be very sweet, except early in mornings when it disturbed his sleep. “Sameer”, the voice called out loudly, and repeatedly, interspersed with the thumps on door.

He tossed around on bed, grabbing a pillow to shut his ears, and growled, “go away Naina… sone do mujhe…”

She thumped once more, whining, “Sameer utho na… dekho… 7 baj gaye subah ke…”

“Toh jaake apne bhagwaanji ka sir khao”, he replied in an irked tone, “meri neend kharab mat karo…”

He could almost visualize her pouting outside the door, and as he opened his eyes, squinting at the light, he mentally cursed her for making him feel so soft in heart. He knew that she won’t go away… It was only a matter of time that she would persuade him to get up… But still he tried to close his eyes once more… A minute later, she threatened from outside, “tum uth rahe ho ya main darwaza kholke andar aa jau? Chaabi hamesha saath hi hoti hai mere paas… yaad hai na?”

He jerked upright on bed, looking here and there for his discarded t-shirt, and yelled, “nahi… are you mad? Maine shirt nahi pehni…”

Outside the door she rolled her eyes, “bol toh aise rahe ho jaise maine kabhi tumhe bina shirt ke dekha nahi… Bachpan se dekh rahi hun… Kapdo se toh maano janmo-janam se allergy hai… And I am sure, tumne sirf t-shirt nahi, balki tracks bhi nahi pehne honge…”

Sameer had just pulled on his t-shirt and was about to get up from bed, when he paused upon hearing her words… He looked down at himself, and cursed aloud, sending her into spurts of giggles… Glancing around, he spotted the tracks on the chair, and grabbed it, slipping into it… Still cursing under his breath, he opened the bedroom door, and scowled at her, “kisi din main tumhara murder kar dunga… kamsekam Sunday ko toh sone diya karo yaar.”

She ruffled his already messy hair, totally unconcerned about the death threat, “good morning to you too grumpy…” He yawned, watching her sashay in his room and closed the door again… She grabbed the AC remote turning it off, “tum Antarctica kyun shift nahi ho jaate? Barfile maahol me sone ki aadat hai toh… Woh bhi bina kapdo ke…”

“Shut up”, he grumbled, “Boxers pehenta hun main… Aur agar Antartica chala gaya toh tum kiska sir khaogi…”

She flashed a grin bright enough to hurt his sleepy eyes, “point hai… tumhare bina mera time pass kaise hoga…”

“Amazing”, he muttered, “5 saal ki umar se jaanti hai mereko… And still I get categorized as time pass.”

She laughed, grabbing his hand, and pulled him down to sit, “you know what I meant… tumhare bina mera waqt nahi guzarta…”

He tapped her forehead, “achcha? Aur woh Mayank ka kya…”

She narrowed her eyes, “pehle tum batao… Sonia ka kya… yeh tumhe good morning message kyun bhej rahi hai?”

He blinked at his mobile that she was holding up, frowning as he mused, “isko number kisne diya…” Yawning once more, he suggested, “delete kardo… And block if you want… Main nahane jaa raha hun…”

She chuckled at his complete disregard of the girls in college who were ready to throw themselves on him at a snap of his fingers… Mischief sparkled in her eyes as she opened the message which read – Good Morning Sameer… ~Sonia Mehra. Biting her lip she called on the number and instantly the girl picked up, almost squealing, “oh my God Sameeerrr… You called…”

Naina huffed in irritation, “no, he didn’t… I did… And it’s not Sameeerrrrr… It’s Sameer.”

Sonia pulled back the phone from her ear, frowning, “who’s this?”

Naina scoffed, “jis ladke pe line maarti ho uske baare me itni information bhi nahi hai… Sameer ke bedroom me aur kaun ho sakta hai mere alawa… It’s Naina here…”

Sonia gasped, “tum…! Tum uske bedroom me kya kar rahi ho…”

Naina pretended to think, “uh… let me see…” Just then Sameer hollered from bathroom, “Naina… mere towel dena… aur koi t-shirt bhi do choose karke…” She grinned, “ah… ab pata chal gaya…?”

“You bitch”, Sonia snapped and disconnected the phone.

Naina deleted the message but didn’t block the number, trusting Sameer to never pay any attention to any girl. She got up to get the towel and clothes he asked for, and passed them on to him. Few minutes later he had strolled out of the bathroom dressed in the blue collared t-shirt she had chosen, and a towel around his hips. On seeing her still sitting on his bed, he frowned, “bahar jao… mujhe jeans pehenna hai…”

She teased, “main aankhen bandh kar leti hun…”

“Don’t start inviting trouble”, he warned, “kisi din meri neeyat badal gai na toh tumhe chupne ki jagah nahi milegi.”

She laughed as she stood up, and on her way to the door, she stopped in-front of him… Lifting her hand she closed the buttons on his t-shirt, and looked in his eyes, “tumse chupke jaungi bhi kahan… bachpan se jab bhi chupti thi, sirf tum hi toh mujhe dhund paate the…”

He smiled, reaching up to move back her hair behind her ear, “yeh top achcha lag raha hai tumpe…”

“I know”, she grinned, “main kitchen me hun mummy ke saath… jaldi aao…”

Sameer locked the door behind her, the smile still intact on his lips… The pink top she was wearing today was a gift from him, something he had bought for her on their last college trip to Udaipur. He tugged on his black jeans, reminiscing how much he loved to see her in pink right from the first time ever he had seen her…

He still remembered it perfectly… It was the 4^th of February, 1990… The weather was pleasant, and he was excited about moving to Nanu’s home along with his parents. He didn’t know it clearly at that time, but now he knew that his father had faced severe losses in business and had to sell of his existing office… Wanting to start anew, they had decided to accept Nanu’s invitation and move to Ahmedabad as there was no one in his father’s family. He was 6 years old, and dressed in his favorite blue jeans overalls with white and blue striped t-shirt. As the car had reached Nanu’s home, and his mother had opened the door, he had quickly hopped down… The front lawn was just like he remembered, but Nanu hadn’t been there to welcome him with a chocolate and lift him in his arms like he did on every visit… Instead he saw Nanu with another man, looking around the house next door.

His mother held his hand, and they walked over… Nanu smiled at him, leaning to hug him… From the snippets of conversation he heard, he understood that these people were looking for some girl named Naina… He scowled at first, thinking how all girls were a trouble just like his neighbor in Delhi, Amrita, who always broke his toys. But then he heard Nanu telling that he was worried because Naina had lost her parents just a week back in an accident and her own injuries hadn’t healed yet. Once more he hadn’t understood the enormity of the situation properly at that young age, but his parents had been immediately concerned and sympathetic of the unknown girl… His mother sniffed saying they would also help, and his father agreed.

He had looked up at his Nanu and asked, “main bhi dhundu… hide-and-seek khel rahi hai woh?”

Nanu had smiled kindly, “haan beta… lekin usko chot lagi hai toh abhi use aise khelna nahi chahiye… isiliye agar tumko mile toh hume turant batana…”

“Okay”, he had nodded, “main jaldi dhund lunga usko.” Together the whole group had spanned around the society, each one calling out for her. He didn’t know who this little girl was but he was getting tired and hungry, and so he asked his mother if he could go to sit on the swing in Nanu’s lawn. His mother had agreed, and handed over a chocolate bar to him… Happy with the reward, he had run up to the swing, temporarily forgetting about the girl as he munched on the chocolate. Few minutes later, he had heard a sniff and then another… Looking around he had tried to find the source of the sound… Jumping down from the swing, he went to look at the bushes the lined the perimeter of the lawn and was shocked to see a tiny little girl crouched behind some white jasmine shrubs. She was wearing a pink frock, her hair was tied in two ponytails that were totally messy and had leaves sticking on them, her hands and legs sported several bandages, and a big fat gauze was stuck on one side of her forehead as well, her eyes looked enormous and were filled with tears as she looked up at him, her lips pouting and quivering as she sniffed… He hated Amrita with all his little heart, but this tiny girl looked like a delicate cute doll even when she was crying… And he felt bad on seeing the bandages as he knew that it meant she was hurt… Maybe she fell down, he mused…

Parting the bushes he stepped up to her, and asked, “tum Naina ho?”

She nodded, whimpering in pain. He had pulled out leaf from her hair, “Mera naam Sameer hai… sab tumhe dhund rahe hai… Mere Nanu bhi…”

She cried even more, “mujhe mummy-papa ke paas jaana hai.”

He looked around hoping to see someone whom he could call just like Nanu had instructed, but everyone was far away from them. He sighed wondering who her mother-father were, but gently coaxed, “tum bahar aa jao…”

She shook her head, “mummy chahiye…”

He propped his hands on his hips in irritation, “dekho… zidd mat karo… tum jaanti ho main kitni dur se aaya hun… bhuk lagi hai… Aur tumhari wajah se khana bhi nahi mil raha mujhe… sab tumhe dhund rahe aur tum idhar chupke bethi ho…”

Her lower lip jutted out even more and fresh tears leaked out of her eyes, and she mumbled, “shollie…”

He hadn’t known why his heart suddenly seemed to melt, and he sat down next to her, offering his half-eaten chocolate to her, “yeh khao…” She hesitated a bit, but then took the chocolate from his hand, and he scrunched his nose, pulling more leaves and sticks out of her hair, and then brushed down her hands and legs, wiping off the dirt, “tumko kisine sikhaya nahi ke chot lagi ho tab mitti me nahi khelte?” She stayed silent, nibbling on the chocolate, her wide unblinking gaze fixed on him. Taking out a blue handkerchief from his overall pocket, he wiped the tears from her face, “ab rona bandh karo… chalo jhule pe bethenge.”

She didn’t know what made her obey him, but she stood up slowly, and he helped her out of the bushes, and then made her sit on the swing, sitting beside her as they waited for others to come. Ten minutes later, few people came back from their search, and Sameer called out, “Nanu…”

Almost all of them turned to look, and a woman shrieked, rushing up fast to them and picked up the girl in her arms. She kept crying and scolding her at the same time… His mother came up to them, and asked, “Sameer beta… yeh kahan mili tumhe?”

He pointed to the bushes, “udhar…” Showing the dirty handkerchief he added, “maine mitti saaf kardi aur bola hai usko ke wapas mitti me naa khele… Aur meri aadhi chocolate bhi di usko…”

His mother smiled, leaning down to kiss his head, “good boy…”

Just then Naina piped up, “chachi… Shameel ko bhuk lagi hai.”

Sameer corrected, “Shameel nahi Sameer…”

She frowned, as if confused, “wahi toh bola… Shameel…”

The elders laughed, everyone relived that she was alright. His mother tried to take Naina in her arms, but the little girl resisted. Sameer informed, “usko apne mummy ke paas jaana hai.”

Everyone became silent suddenly, and Nanu sighed, “Anand… tum aur Bela Naina ko andar le jao… Patti badalni padegi shayad…”

The group slowly dispersed… Sameer kept turning to look at Naina as he followed his mother inside… Naina kept her head on her chachi’s shoulder, and smiled toothily on seeing the round mud-mark on Sameer’s backside…

That evening as they sat in the living room of Nanu’s home, the elders had been talking about someone called Rakesh and Rama. Sameer was drinking his milk, but his attention had been caught when Nanu had mentioned how difficult it was to explain to Naina that her parents had gone away forever. He had questioned innocently, “woh log kyun chale gaye? Naina kitna ro rahi thi aaj…”

His mother had gently explained to him that Naina’s parents were no longer here; that they had gone to God, and they would never come back. He had been horrified, and asked, “woh roye toh bhi nahi?” His mother shook her head… He pouted, slipping into his mother’s lap, clinging onto her, “par woh phirse kahin chup gai toh?”

Nanu patted his head, “tabhi toh hum sabko milke uska dhyan rakhna hai… ab tum yahan ho toh tum bhi help karoge na?”

He had nodded, and proudly declared, “maine hi toh usko dhunda… toh main hi dhyan rakhunga uska…” Looking at his mother, he asked, “mummy, abhi jau Naina se milne…?”

His mother nodded, “main bhi chalti hun…”

Nanu and his father also accompanied them next door… Anand and Bela welcomed them. Nanu introduced Vishakha, Alok and Sameer… As they sat on the sofa, the elders started to talk but Sameer fidgeted because he couldn’t see the girl, and so he asked, “Naina kahan hai?”

Bela blinked in surprise but at a nod from Nanu, she said, “andar hai beta… Preeti ke saath…”

He jumped off from the sofa, walking inside as if it was his own house much to the amusement of the elders… Peering in through the open door, he saw two girls playing with few dolls… This time Naina was wearing a blue frock and her hair was open… He walked in… Preeti looked curiously at him, but Naina smiled, “Shameel… kheloge?”

He looked at the doll, “main doll se nahi khelta…”

She pouted, “kitni pyaari hai yeh… Iska naam Radha hai…”

“Main bat aur ball se khelta hun”, he informed, “tum khelogi?”

She nodded, “Pleeti bhi khelegi…”

He grinned, “Pleeti nahi Preeti… Aur main Sameer…”

“Shameel”, she resolutely repeated, making him laugh.

Soon all three of them were chattering away… Bela came to check on them in between amazed at how easily the two girls had gelled with him. When she told this to the others, Nanu said that maybe Sameer’s company would bring Naina out of her grief… Meeting him was a change from her daily routine, and with time this could lead to her thinking less of her parents. Everyone agreed to this and prayed that Naina would heal soon… Sometime later the kids’ conversation turned to food, and Sameer declared that he loved eating halwa… Preeti said that she liked when her mother made gulab-jamun… Naina chirped that she loved kheer, and her mother would make it every Sunday… As soon as she said this, her eyes started to fill with tears and she started to look around, trying to find her parents.

She asked them, “mummy kahan hai…”

Sameer hit his forehead, and quickly pushed the dolls in-front of her trying to distract her. But her little body started to shake with sobs. Unable to think of anything he tried to explain that her parents had gone to God, but that made her cry even more. Acting on impulse, he grabbed her hand, and said, “mere saath chalo…”

She followed him outside to the living room, still crying and the elders immediately stood up. Going up to his mother, he pulled Naina to stand in-front of her, “yeh lo… tumhari mummy God ke paas chali gai na toh tum meri mummy ko mummy bolo… Yeh bhi har Sunday tumhe kheer banake khilayegi… haina mummy?”

Vishakha unable to fathom anything simply nodded. Sameer grinned, stroking Naina’s hair, “ab toh khush?”

Naina blinked up at Vishakha, who smiled kindly at her… Preeti who had followed them out also stared up at the elders. Bela and Anand stood dumbstruck at the situation… Nanu also couldn’t believe that Sameer had just proposed sharing his own mother with Naina… After several minutes, Naina sniffed, tugging on Sameer’s hand, and he immediately bent a little to reach her level… She whispered in his ear, “aul stolies…?”

Sameer assured, “stories bhi sunati hai…”

She thought for another minute, and then smiled, revealing the two missing front teeth, “okay…”

Once more the elders didn’t know how to react, but Sameer kept stroking Naina’s hair, and informed his mother unabashedly, “maine doll ko bola ke aap har Sunday kheer banaogi aur usko stories bhi sunaogi.”

Vishakha was amused, “doll?”

Sameer nodded, “Naina bilkul doll jaisi lagti hai… Delhi me woh badi dukaan me dekhi thi na humne… aapne kaha tha cute doll hai…”

Naina looked extremely pleased at being called a doll and started to giggle… The sound of her laughter after one whole week made her family and Nanu sigh in relief… It indeed seemed as if Nanu was right… Sameer did seem capable of healing her…

Weeks went by and slowly everyone started to see visible changes in Naina… Sameer became her constant companion, always coming to look for her as soon as he woke up, and sometime even taking an afternoon nap in her room. Naina played with Preeti, laughed and talked with her Chacha-Chachi, but if she wanted anything or was afraid of anything she would only confide in Sameer… Like he had instructed, Naina started addressing Vishakha as mummy… Even after Anand and Bela legally adopted her, they still remained chacha-chachi for her, but Vishakha was mummy, and Alok was papa because Sameer called him like that… Sameer’s Nanu also became her Nanu… And no one had the heart to refuse her to address them like that… Vishakha and Alok were quite taken in by the little girl, and were always ready to cheer her up whenever she became sad. Whenever Alok and Nanu brought something for Sameer, they would also get the same for Naina and Preeti, be it a simple chocolate or a new toy.

Sameer was amazed to know that Naina was 5 years old… Given she looked so small and her lisp while speaking his name he had thought she was smaller. When he asked his mother about it, Vishakha was surprised that her son had noted such things at such a young age. She explained that Naina had lost few teeth in the accident in which her parents passed away, and that was why she was unable to pronounce few alphabets like R. He was worried at first but then his concern eased when Vishakha explained that this was not permanent… She would get new teeth, and then she would be able to pronounce his name clearly. That news made him happy, and he started to wonder how long it would be before she could take his name properly.

When it was time for the new term to begin, Nanu suggested getting admission for all the kids in the same school, as all three of them were going to start grade 1. On the day admission was confirmed in St. Kabir School, both the families had dinner together. It was arranged to have the meal at Nanu’s place, Bela would cook few items and Vishakha would cook few items. What surprised everyone was how Sameer made sure that Naina sat beside him for the meal, and also kept prodding her eat more. Bela laughed and commented that Sameer was more proficient in making Naina eat than she was… When the dessert was served, Naina peeked into her bowl and then carefully picked up several spoonful of it, transferring it to Sameer’s bowl… She made a perfect picture of concentration with her eyes narrowed, her tongue sticking out from the corner of her mouth… Sameer leaned on the table with support of his elbow watching her with a small smile on his lips… Vishakha asked, “Naina beta… tum apni katori me se Sameer ki katori me kyun daal rahi ho?”

Naina looked up at her with wide eyes, and said, “kyunki Shameel ko halwa pasand hai…”

Alok was amazed, “tumhe nahi pasand?”

She nodded, “pasand hai… pal Shameel ka favolite hai…”

Sameer laughed, and to everyone’s surprise, leaned and planted a kiss on Naina’s silky black hair… She giggled as if rewarded… He grabbed his and her bowls, slipped off the chair, and declared, “hum garden me halwa khayenge… chalo doll…”

Naina immediately jumped down, following him… Very soon Preeti also sought permission to go out, and followed the other two with her bowl. The adults kept looking at each other in astonishment, and Nanu suddenly commented, “samajh nahi aata ke hum sab Naina ka dhyan rakh rahe hai, ya Sameer akela hi yeh kaam kar raha hai…”

School started in the month of July, and Alok went to drop all three kids in morning of the first day. That day was difficult because a lot of children made fun of Naina’s lisp, and even though she tried her best not to cry her lips kept wobbling. Sameer kept trying to cheer her up, even made her sit next to him, asking her not to pay attention to anyone else. During the break time, Naina went to the bathroom and then disappeared… Sameer and Preeti panicked as they tried to look for her everywhere. In his haste to find her, Sameer collided with another boy, somehow pushing him down… He immediately apologized, and offered his hand to him… His friend came rushing to help, and yelled on Sameer, “dhakka kyun maara mere dost ko?”

Sameer apologized again, “I am sorry… dhakka nahi maara… galti se lag gaya… Main Naina ko dhund raha hun…”

The boy who had fallen down dusted his hands and chuckled, “kaun…? Wahi jisko theek se bolna tak nahi aata…”

Instant anger made Sameer clench his fists, and he threatened “chup… warna iss baar sach me dhakka de dunga…”

Preeti tugged on Sameer’s shirt, “chalo jaldi dhundte hai… warna phirse apni mummy ko yaad karke royegi…”

One of the two boys laughed, “itni hi mummy ki yaad aati hai toh chali jaaye unke paas… school kyun aai…”

Sameer grabbed the boy’s collar, and pushed him back, somehow trying to control his anger. He turned to Preeti, “chalo yahan se.” But Preeti stood her ground, and her voice broke, “Naina ke mummy-papa nahi hai… Bhagwan ke paas chale gaye…”

The two boys became silent… Sameer swallowed, “chodo inko… Naina ko dhundo…”

“Ruko”, one of the boys called out… When Sameer and Preeti looked at them, he stepped forward, “we are sorry… hume nahi pata tha…”

The other boy nodded, “haan… mera naam Munna aur yeh Pandit… hum bhi help karte hai Naina ko dhundne me…”

Sameer looked at one from another, and then nodded, “theek hai… mile toh awaaz lagana… mera naam Sameer hai… aur yeh Preeti…”

The four of them scouted the school compound, and finally after fifteen minutes, Pandit hollered for Sameer… He came rushing over and Pandit pointed, “udhar hai… cupboard me… Maine bulaya par aa nahi rahi…”

Preeti and Munna also came running to the spot, panting with exertion. Sameer sat on his knees near the cupboard door, “Naina… main hun… please bahar aa jao.”

He heard a sniff from inside, and then she said in tearful voice, “mujhe school nahi aana… sab mazaak ulaate hai…”

Gently prying the door open he saw her crouched on the lower shelf, hiding her face between her hands. He touched her shoulder, “mere paas bhi nahi aaogi doll?”

She peeked a bit from between her fingers, but on seeing Munna and Pandit she gasped, “yeh log totli bolenge.”

Sameer slowly tugged her hand, “bahar aao… I promise yeh log kuch nahi bolenge… yeh dono dost ban gaye mere.” She tried to resist, but he said, “dekho agar tum bahar nahi aai toh mujhe andar aana padega… phir mera sir takra gaya toh mujhe chot lag jayegi.”

Her head tilted as she looked up at the shelf above her, and then at Sameer who seemed to be definitely tall enough to reach that. Pouting she inched forward to come out and extended her other hand to him as well. Sighing in relief, he pulled her out, tugging her straight in his arms, holding her tight. “Shameel”, she mumbled, tucking her face under his chin.

“It’s okay doll”, he tried to assure her, “aaj first day hai na… dheere-dheere sab mazak udaana bandh kar denge.”

Pandit spoke up, “sorry Naina…” Munna also apologized… When she looked at them, they held their ears, doing sit-ups, and she giggled at the sight. Sameer smiled on seeing her laugh, he wiped her tears and kissed her hair, “ab se koi kuch bhi bole toh rona mat… mujhe batana.”

Naina was perfectly normal after that, and after they all reached home Sameer let his mother know about what happened in school. Everyone took a bit extra care that evening trying to keep Naina happy… But she seemed to be perfectly content in coloring pictures… Slowly things settled down in school too… Naina learned to ignore the teasing, starting to remain happy in her own small world… Munna and Pandit became really good friends of Sameer, and like him they were also fiercely protective of Naina… Preeti also by default fell in their protection circle… The five of them became almost inseparable in school… But no one, absolutely no one, except Sameer, was allowed to call Naina doll… Once when Nanu had addressed her as doll, she had scowled fiercely, and Sameer had declared, “yeh sirf meri doll hai…” On weekends if Naina was not in sight, the elders knew to hunt for Sameer because she would be tagging along wherever he was… Once Bela had come to look for her, and she and Vishakha had found her sleeping in Sameer’s room on the bed along with him, her new small teddy bear between them. If by any chance Naina was reminded of something about her parents and she became upset, only Sameer managed to calm her down, and if she again hid somewhere, only he somehow found her. Over the months, it seemed as if he had memorized all her hiding places, and the patterns she followed, and based on what he knew of the event that upset her he would scan a couple of places and find her soon enough, and then coax her out of her melancholy.

Months rolled and soon February dawned… Anand and Bela started to arrange for the barsi puja being done. Everyone knew this had to be done, but at the same time they were concerned about Naina… This event also brought in a visit from Anand’s elder brother and his wife whom Naina and Preeti addressed as Tauji and Taiji. Sameer stood with his mother one Saturday evening, watching a strict-looking man dressed in dhoti-kurta, and a portly woman dressed in a printed floral saree arrive at the house next door. They were accompanied by a young teenage boy, whom Sameer knew as Arjun, their son, from what he had heard.

Vishakha and Alok went along with Sameer and Nanu to meet the new arrivals, and like always Sameer immediately asked, “doll kahan hai?”

“Oh bai”, Beena exclaimed, “ladka hoke gudiya se khelta hai aapka beta?”

Vishakha smiled, “nahi nahi… Sameer toh Naina ke baare me puch raha hai…”

Bela served tea to everyone, “peeche wale garden me hai beta… Preeti ke saath… dudh pee rahi hai.”

He nodded, waltzing away like usual… If Naina was drinking milk, he knew that Chachi would have kept a glass for him too, so he took it from the kitchen and went out to the backyard. Naina was sipping on the warm milk, and as soon as she spotted him her eyes lit up, “Shameel…”

Arjun was also there, and he frowned, “Shameel? Yeh kaisa naam hai?”

Sameer smiled, “mera naam Sameer hai… Par Naina…”

“Totli hai”, Arjun teased, laughing out.

Sameer scowled, afraid that Naina would be hurt. But she kept on sipping her milk in silence… Preeti stood up in defense of her sister, and chased Arjun around the lawn making Naina and Sameer laugh. Sometime later Anand came to call them in, “bachcho… andar aa jao ab… bahar machchar katenge.”

The children trooped inside… Vishakha smiled at Naina, and she immediately ran over, “mummy… Shameel ne bola aap kal kheel banaoge.”

Vishakha nodded, picking up the girl on her lap, “haan… Sameer ki doll ke liye special wali kheer.”

Beena scowled, “aye ladki… tu mummy kise bula rahi hai… teri maa toh…”

Bela interrupted, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye bhabhiji… rehnde dijiye na… aap log safar se thak gaye honge… araam kijiye andar jaake… Main khana bana leti hun…”

Vishakha also stood up, “haan… aap log araam kijiye… hum chalte hai… Bela behen, main Naina aur Preeti ko le jaati hun, khana khilaake wapas bhej dungi.”

Bela agreed immediately, knowing Vishakha was trying to protect the girls from any untoward discussion. Sameer was overjoyed… Dinner was fun with Naina and Preeti at their home. However, next day from morning, he was not allowed to meet Naina at all… He couldn’t understand why Naina’s Taiji stopped him from going into Naina and Preeti’s room that morning. Chachi tried to request, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. And he was instructed by Naina’s Tauji to go back home… Vishakha heard his angry rants and tried to calm him down, explaining to him that Tauji and Taiji would go away in a couple of days and then once more he would have freedom to meet Naina.

The puja was held that afternoon… Naina saw Sameer sitting next to Vishakha at the end of the room and tried to go there, but Taiji caught her hand making her sit along with Preeti… Naina kept glancing to where he was sitting, pouting and sighing… Soon the panditji started the puja, and that is when Naina finally looked at the photographs.

Sameer had been observing her and knew the exact moment when she noticed the pictures… Even from that distance he could see her little body stiffen… He could only see her side profile, but he somehow understood her reaction, and immediately started to stand up. Vishakha whispered to him, “kya kar rahe ho? Beth jao…”

He shook his head, “Naina rone wali hai… mujhe jaane do mummy…”

Nanu and Alok looked on in astonishment as Sameer tried to go to the front… Meanwhile, just as he had said, Naina did start to cry… Taiji glared at her, and muttered, “neva! Ab isko apni maa yaad aai… kal toh padosi ko mummy bol rahi thi…”

Bela shook her head, trying to take Naina on her lap to calm her down, but she kept squirming. Her sobs escalated, and she whimpered in a broken voice, “mummy… mummy… papa…” Anand also tried to distract her, but nothing seemed to work… The next moment however, Sameer reached to the front, crossing the room full of people, and sat down behind Bela, calmly calling, “doll…”

Naina stilled, peeking around Bela, and suddenly broke free of the hold, quickly crawling to him. He extended his hands, letting her come up close, almost on his lap, and hugged her. She kept sobbing repeating the same question she had asked him a year ago as to where her parents were. Almost everyone in the room stared at him, but he didn’t even notice that as his entire attention was focused on the girl crying in his arms. He clutched her tighter, instinctively starting to rock, and unable to find any proper words he started to narrate a bedtime story Vishakha often told him. To everyone’s surprise, Naina slowly calmed down and fell asleep holding on tight to him… Sameer didn’t move from there, neither did he loosen his hold on her; he just kept sitting there till the entire puja was done. Taiji grumbled about the audacity of children… Bela sighed, coming up to Sameer, and knelt to take Naina from him. But he just tightened his hold, shaking his head, and mumbled, “mummy…”

Vishakha hurried up, and crouched down, stroking Naina’s head… Her own son looked exhausted which was pretty obvious… He wasn’t much older than Naina to hold her like that for such a long time, supporting her weight without any problem. “Alok…”, she called her husband, “zara Sameer ko dekhiye na…” Sameer relinquished her hold on Naina finally as Vishakha picked her up… The little girl’s arms wound around her neck as she nuzzled on her shoulder and muttered in her sleep, “mummy…” Vishakha blinked back tears, wondering how Sameer understood that Naina would need her at that time. Alok rubbed Sameer’s legs, which had gone numb from sitting in the same position for the entire duration of puja, and also carrying Naina’s weight… He picked his son up, stroking his back when Sameer tiredly leaned on his shoulder… Anand told Alok to take him in the children’s room, much to the displeasure of Tauji and Taiji.

Sameer also fell asleep almost as soon as Alok put him down on bed… He just took a minute to ensure Naina was there, grabbed her hand and closed his eyes. Vishakha who was sitting next to Naina, felt her heart beat faster, and tears leaked from her eyes at the unexplainable bond the two children shared. She kept sitting there for some time, stroking their heads… Preeti came up with a bowl of fruits and sat on bed, munching… After twenty minutes, Vishakha got up to leave after instructing Preeti not to wake them up. Preeti nodded, yawned, and curled up next to Naina, looping her arm over her sister. Vishakha smiled at the sight… Preeti hugging Naina, and Sameer holding Naina’s hand… If only she could take a picture of this moment, Naina would know for sure how much she is loved and protected.

As the children slept, the guests slowly left, and then there was a full-blown argument outside. Tauji and Taiji didn’t agree to the freedom Naina was being given, according to them a tight leash was needed for an orphan girl. Anand tried to counter that Naina wasn’t an orphan as he and Bela had legally adopted her, but that argument fell on deaf ears. Taiji instead scoffed that it was a waste of money to adopt her since she is running around addressing a neighbor as mother. Vishakha and Alok looked at each other, ideally they would have left given this was a family dispute, but here the topic of concern was Naina whom they considered to be their own… And also quite likely the bond Naina and Sameer shared which still hadn’t been brought up, but surely would be a point of concern. Surely enough, minutes later, Taiji raged, “lakshan toh dekho… poore samaj ke saamne paraye ladke ke baaho me so gai… neva!”

Bela sighed tiredly, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye bhabhiji… kaisi baate kar rahi hai aap? Chote bachche hai… Rama Bhabhi ke jaaneke baad Naina toh hasna tak bhul gai thi… Sameer ne hi uski hasi lautai.”

“Haan bhabhiji”, Anand agreed, “Aap toh Jaiprakashji ko itne saalo se jaante hai… Vishakhaji aur Alokji Naina aur Preeti ko bilkul apni beti ki tarah pyaar karte hai…”

Tauji scoffed, “phir bhi woh ladka hai toh paraya hi na… Kal ko kuch unch neech ho gai toh.”

As the arguments outside continued, Naina woke up perplexed with all the noise… She tried to sit up, but was hampered by a hold on her hand… Checking once she noticed it was Sameer, and automatically a smile curved her lips… Preeti was sleeping on her other side… She carefully pulled her hand back, and then slid back to lean against the headboard… Sitting there, she stroked Sameer’s head with one hand, and Preeti’s head with her other hand. Preeti’s hair was tied in a tight braid, so she didn’t have much scope to play… However, Sameer’s hair was silky, just a little bit long at the front. She gleefully circled her fingers through the strands, messing them up and then setting them right again. He hummed in sleep as if enjoying the attention and inched closer, tucking his head against her legs… She giggled softly continuing to play.

At the sound of her giggle, he opened his eyes slightly and smiled at her. Yawning, he asked, “doll… kya kar rahi ho?”

She fisted her hand on his hair, “kitne achche baal hai… ekdum soft soft… teddy beal jaise…”

He laughed, and lifted his head to lie on her lap, “main tumhare teddy bear se zyada achcha hun…”

She hummed in agreement, sinking both her hands in his hair now that she had more access. He took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes once more, his tiny brain wondering why he would stop his mother from messing his hair, but let Naina do it… Finally he concluded that it was just because she was his doll, and had more freedom than others… The rationalization satisfied him and he drifted into a light doze.

A loud thump on the bedroom door brought him back to the present… He opened the door to find Naina looking at him in confusion, “jeans pehenne me itna time lagta hai?”

He smiled, pulling her in the bedroom once more and closed the door… Making her sit on the bed, he quickly lay down placing his head on her lap, “tumhe yaad hai tum bachpan me mere baalo se khelti thi…”

She had been puzzled by his actions, but now smiled on hearing him… Lifting her hand she combed her fingers through his hair, “haan… teddy bear jaisa soft…”

“Teddy bear se zyada achcha”, he reminded with a grin, looking up at her, “Naina… mere saath date pe chalogi?”

She frowned, “tum yeh puch kyun rahe ho? Hum dono ghumne toh jaate hi hai…”

He clucked his tongued, “waise nahi… I mean… proper girlfriend-boyfriend ki tarah… pani-puri khana, shopping karna, mandir jaana… yeh sab toh hamesha se karte aaye hai… par tumhe nahi lagta ke ab humne thoda different way se time spend karna chahiye… jaise, movies me jaana… dinner karna saath me…”

Naina still didn’t understand, “matlab? Movies bhi toh jaate hai… Last time kitna mazaa aaya tha… sab log saath me… kitni masti ki thi theatre me…”

Frustrated he sat up, “wahi toh samjha raha hun… sab saath me nahi… sirf tum aur main… corner seat… main tumhara haath pakad saku… what say?”

She queried, “sirf mera haath pakadne ke liye tumhe theatre ke corner seat pe kyun bethna hai? Wahan se toh movie bhi theek se nahi dikhegi… center ki seats best hoti hai… aur waise bhi tum toh mera haath mummy-papa ke saamne bhi pakadte ho.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or be pissed at his girlfriend… It seemed he had done an extra amazing job in protecting her innocence since childhood… So much so that she still didn’t understand hints about romance.

“Naina…”, Vishakha hollered from downstairs.

She immediately stood up, “aai mummy…” Turning to him, she grabbed his hand, “chalo Sameer… breakfast ready hai…”

He stood up, but tugged her in his arms, and asked, “mummy-papa ke saamne haath pakadta hun kyunki hum bachpan ke dost hai… lekin kabhi unke saamne tumhe aise hug kiya? Bachpan me tumhare sir pe kiss karta tha… ab karta hun unke saamne?”

Her brows furrowed as she tried to recollect… It was true… He hugged her almost daily, but never had he done that in-front of family… When family was around it was always a gentle side hug, or an affectionate pat on her arm… And the kisses… They were so normal for her that she didn’t even register it most of the time… But now as she thought about it, it had been many years since he had done that in-front of people.

He smiled; satisfied that he had at least got her thinking… Hooking a finger under her chin, he tilted her head back to look in her eyes, “socho Naina… main tumhe hug aur kiss kyun karta hun?” Dipping his head he dropped his trademark kiss on her hair, but this time he also gently brushed his lips on her forehead, and on the side of her right eye… “Think about my kisses”, he whispered, brushing his nose with hers, and then left the bedroom to go downstairs.

Naina followed after some time, still lost in the feel of his lips on her skin… That was so new… He had asked her to think why did he hug and kiss her… Well, that was a no-brainer… It didn’t take any expert analysis to know that Sameer loved her… He had always loved her, and she had always loved him… In fact, since the time she had turned 16, whenever anyone talked about marriage with her, she could only visualize Sameer as her groom. And another thing was that she had never been doubtful of Sameer’s attention to her. Ever since they had joined school, it was always the group of five – herself, Sameer, Preeti, Munna and Pandit. And that had continued throughout school and was still the same in college. Sameer’s attention had been on her since she was 5, and that hadn’t wavered. Like many other boys, Sameer never even had a phase where he was repulsed with girly things or didn’t want to talk to girls… She was a part of his day from the time they woke up to the time they slept. Even now when they were in second year of college, there were so many girls who wanted to get his attention, but his singular focus was on her.

Reaching the living room, she sat down at her usual place beside him on the dining table. He smiled at her, placing a paratha on her plate. Her eyes focused on his features that were so familiar to her that she could describe each line even in her sleep. But his lips… She had always seen the shape, loved it when he smiled, felt a thrill when he smirked, but today he had kissed her… Those lips had touched her skin… Her heartbeats picked up again… She kept looking at him thoughtfully, until Vishakha asked, “kya hua Naina… Tum Sameer ko aise ektak kyun dekh rahi ho?”

To everyone’s surprise Naina’s eyes widened as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t and then she blushed… Sameer quirked a brow in amusement, he hadn’t guessed that a simple kiss and few questions would make her react like that. Alok asked, “tabiyat toh theek hai na beta?”

Naina nodded, not meeting anyone’s eyes. Under the table Sameer held her hand, and diverted the topic, “parathe achche bane hai mummy… aaj ka kya plan hai aap logo ka?”

Vishakha immediately chirped, “main toh Naina, Preeti aur Belaji ke saath shopping jaa rahi hun…”

Sameer choked on his paratha, and Naina immediately rubbed his back, offering him water… He took a grateful sip, and then asked, “kya kaha aapne? Shopping?”

Vishakha was perplexed, “haan… tum itna chaunk kyun rahe ho…? Pehli baar thodi na shopping kar rahi hun…”

He shook his head, and turned to fix his gaze on Naina, “tum shopping pe jaane wali thi toh mujhe kyun uthaya? Sunday hai… Main late tak sota… Mujhe laga tumhe kahin jaana hai isiliye mujhe utha rahi ho itni jaldi…”

Naina wiped the drops of water from his mouth with her hand, and frowned, “tum phirse bhul gaye na? Aaj tumhe, Munna aur Pandit ko apna assignment khatam karna hai… Kal submission hai Sameer.”

He groaned, “shit… seriously? Naina… Sunday hai…”

She rolled her eyes, “pehle jab main itni baar bol rahi thi tab tum logo ko karna nahi tha… End tak chodoge toh ab Sunday ko hi karna padega na…”

He grumbled under his breath tearing off a paratha in bits and pieces… She grabbed his hand, lightly reprimanding him for playing with food, and started feeding him herself. He opened his mouth to accept the morsels, his eyes glittering with delight… As everyone focused on their breakfast, leaving the two of them to their antics, being quite used to it for years now, he leaned a bit towards her and asked, “toh…?” She bit her lip and shook her head… He smirked, “aaj shaam tak Naina… Give me the answer warna main jawaab lene tumhare room me aaunga… Waise bhi tumhe pata hai mujhe tumhare kamre me aane se koi nahi rok sakta…”

She gulped at his ultimatum, but whispered back, “agar assignment khatam kiya toh hi milega jawaab… warna tumhe Sonia Mehra mubarak ho…”