That’s The One Chapter 2: The Bond of Years

It was a restless day for both… Sameer wondered if she would be okay with the idea of dating properly, in a romantic way… It was high time, he thought… He adored her innocence, but she can’t remain innocent all the time… Someday he would marry her… But even before that he wanted some normal romantic time with her. It wasn’t a crime to have such expectations, was it? She knew him since they were kids, and obviously she has loved him since a very long time now… It is just a matter of changing the tracks a bit… He had no doubt that she loved him, probably that’s why he had never hesitated in-front of her. They shared such a great bond since childhood, that it had never crossed his mind that any of them could choose someone else… The first time he had been aware that a girl and boy can be more than just friends in his teenage years, his eyes had instinctively found Naina… It had been a bit of a task for him… She was innocent, but he had started to be more and more aware. And it had been up to him to preserve the essence of their relationship… Hence even during his teenage when boys have their own private adventures, he had always been open to Naina about where he was going, who he was spending time with, and also about his feelings… When he had received his first dating proposal, she had known it… When some girl had tucked a rose in his bag, he had not hidden it from her… When he had got his mobile, he had taught her how to use it and given her the freedom… Since the time they had been ten, and he had started to lock his door while sleeping, she had a duplicate key so that she could enter… It was the inherent trust that he had tried to retain, but he had soon found out two things – one, he didn’t really mind sharing everything with her at all; two, she didn’t need all these things because the trust she had on him went deeper than anyone could guess.

When they were in first year, he had received about three dating proposals in a month… Each time he had refused… But the last one he refused, Monali, had taken it too much to heart, because one no hadn’t been enough for her… Finally one day she had asked him if he kept saying no because of Naina. He had rolled his eyes and replied, “well… obviously…”

Next day when he had been sitting with others outside after classes, suddenly Munna had spotted something peeping out of his bag. It was something red… He had casually opened the bag to check and had been stumped to see red roses, a big red card, and a box of chocolates. At first everyone had thought that it was some girl again who had kept it for him. But when they had pulled out the stuff and checked, everyone had gasped in shock on seeing that they were addressed to Monali from him… Everyone except Naina, that is… He had looked at her, bit afraid of her reaction, but she had read the card and chuckled, “bechari… date ke liye gifts kharidne ke liye bhi use apne hi paise kharch karne pade.”

He had blinked, “tumhe pata hai ke yeh maine nahi…”

“Haan”, she had stated even before he could finish asking, “yeh handwriting tumhari bilkul nahi hai… Bhale hi sab capital me likha ho par mujhe pata chalta hai… aur upar se yeh shayari… Grihshobha se churaai hui hai… Tum likhke toh original likhte…”

He had laughed out, pleased at how well she knew him… She grabbed the box of chocolates, “I guess we can share this… baaki ka jo tumhe karna ho…”

He grabbed the chocolates back, “nahi… tumhe agar chocolates khani hai toh chalo main dilaata hun… Kisi aur ki kharidi hui khaane ki zaroorat nahi hai tumhe…”

“Mujhe ice-cream khana hai”, she demanded.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, “as you wish… chalo…”

They had dumped the supposed gifts in a dustbin, and left from there. On the way Sameer told her that Monali had done this to create misunderstanding between them… She had leaned on his shoulder as he drove the bike through the traffic, and calmly replied, “as if that can happen…”

Sameer grinned recalling how they had shared ice-cream that evening, and the next day when they had seen Monali in the college, Naina had looped her hand around his arm and thanked him in a loud sweet voice for the ice-cream treat last evening… Since then Monali hadn’t troubled him… And whenever some other girl had asked him out he had gently denied, but had never been worried about what Naina would think. He sighed, shifting his focus back on the assignment, because he knew that if she had promised to not give an answer to him unless he completed the assignment, she would seriously do so… His Naina was stubborn only sometimes, and it was always for the right reasons… And he knew that, so he always bowed down graciously on those occasions. At other times, she would have no qualms is listening to whatever he asked her to do… Be it when he asked her to come out of hiding in childhood, or prodded her to eat more, or asked her to learn cycling when she was 10, or when he strictly asked her not to talk to one of their classmates named Rohit in college. She didn’t know, but he had understood, that Rohit had been flirting with her under the pretext of asking help in study related matters, and had been planning to ask her out… And so he had asked Naina to not talk to him, but hadn’t been able to give her a reason, still she had listened to him… Next time when Rohit had asked her to teach him in a free lecture, she had politely refused saying she needed to spend time with her friends, and if he needed her notes then he could take it from anyone as most of the students used her notes. Rohit hadn’t been happy about it and had spent the entire break time that day glaring at Sameer, and he had smirked, looping his arm around Naina’s shoulder, proudly marking his territory.

In another part of the city, Vishakha had an amazing time choosing some latest trendy outfits for Naina and Preeti, while Bela kept gasping for one reason or another. It was slightly unbelievable and extremely amazing how Bela and Vishakha had bonded over the years. Bela was not much educated, conventional in many ways, though she did give enough freedom to her daughters and tried to keep an open mind in most matters… On the other hand Vishakha was educated, street smart and even supported in family business… But still these two ladies together had raised Preeti, Naina and Sameer; each of them considering all three to be their children, and contributing in their own way. If Bela was the driving force behind them knowing about mythology, traditions and family values; Vishakha was the driving force behind all of them being socially adept, confident, and a firm believer in equality.

At the same time, they strongly supported each other, and sometimes also opposed each other… For instance, when Bela had decided to teach Naina and Preeti cooking, Vishakha had asked to teach Sameer as well… Bela had been shocked at that saying why would a boy need to learn… Vishakha had calmly explained why would the girls need to learn cycling then… Simply because it is an essential skill, and no one has seen the future… And also men should learn to appreciate the time women spend in kitchen just to cook something for them daily or when they demand something special… That conversation had been overheard by Anand and Alok, and a Sunday after that both the women had been surprised when the men, including Nanu, had donned the chef’s hat and cooked dal-rice-roti-sabji for them… The roti was burnt, the rice mushy, the dal slightly undercooked, and the sabji extra spicy, but still the women were extremely happy… Since then it had become an alternate Sunday tradition for the men to cook, and over the years the men had improved and learned a lot.

Another instance was when the kids faced a tough situation in school as the craft project they were working on went missing from the school activity room… All three of them were frantic, they complained to the teachers but no one could find it. The main pain point was that it was almost 80% done, and such a big model for science could hardly be recreated when there were only two days left for the exhibition. Vishakha had suggested talking to the principal and asking for grace marks as the children were not at fault, and also to interrogate each and every student to know who had done such an act. Anand, Alok and Nanu had almost been in agreement to this on seeing their kids’ downcast expressions, but Bela was the only one who had voiced out that it was not such a good idea. Her argument had been that it was definite that one or more than one student had stolen the project, but everyone wasn’t involved… Asking the teachers to interrogate everyone would almost mean like accusing them of theft and it wouldn’t go down well with their parents. She had urged them to think how they would have felt it their kids were called to principal’s cabin and interrogated about stealing something. Plus, this would also cause stress on the students and it wasn’t fair when they had such a big exhibition in two days. A thirteen year old Sameer had asked sadly as to what about their project… Bela had made all three of them sit with tall glasses of chocolate milk and asked them to think of an easy and impactful concept in science that can be done in two days… She had explained to them that Principal would give them grace marks if parents complained and requested, but was it enough for them? She had asked if they didn’t want to secure marks based on their capability… This had made Naina pipe up that science was so complicated, how can anything be created in two days. Bela had smiled and said that she wasn’t much educated, but hadn’t the kids once told her that there was lot of science inside her kitchen as well, in how she cooked, or how she preserved pickles with salt. The kids had looked at each other, and then had held a conference in the garden, finally coming up with the idea to showcase how they had been making compost for the last two years, and using it instead of chemical fertilizers in their garden. The process would highlight what is needed to make compost, and why, e.g. the vegetable and fruit waste provided nitrogen, while the dry branches and dead leaves provided carbon, and also how using compost enriched soil and reduced methane emissions. The elders were extremely proud of the kids and helped them as much as they could morally, enabling them to finish their project in two days. Meanwhile, they also did talk to the principal about what had happened, and requested to let the kids submit a different project. On the day of exhibition Sameer had asked wasn’t it unfair to let whoever stole their project go unpunished, and Bela had replied saying karma comes back to everyone. The kids hadn’t understood much, but had trusted Bela’s advice, and by the time the exhibition ended another group was caught as culprits by one of the teachers… Someone spilled a bit of water by mistake on that group’s project, and that washed away the black paint from the base, revealing Sameer, Naina and Preeti’s initials written in permanent marker over the cardboard. The kids were thrilled with both the thieves being caught and their project winning second position in the exhibition, and had truly understood that the scriptures Bela made them listen to did have some life changing lessons.

Vishakha held up a blush pink flowy dress that would fall just below knees, it had a square neckline and cap sleeves… Naina instantly fell in love with it, and demanded, “mummy yeh wala main lungi.”

Preeti scrunched her nose, “phirse pink! Tere cupboard me itne pink hai ke dusre koi colors dikhte hi nahi hai…”

“Mujhe pasand hai”, Naina pouted.

Preeti checked out a floral powder blue dress, and muttered, “sab pata hai kisko kya pasand hai…”

As both Preeti and Naina went to try on the selected tops and dresses, Bela looked around the shop, and sighed, “pata nahi yeh ladkiya saree kab pehnegi… Bas ek baar 12^th ke farewell me pehna tha, woh bhi hume pehnaake dena pada tha.”

Vishakha patted her shoulder, “koi baat nahi… college khatam hote-hote seekh jayenge sab kuch… Aur phir aisa zaroori thodi na hai ke shaadi ke baad saree hi pehenna hai…”

Bela shook his head, “Naina ke baare me aisa bole toh samajh me bhi aata hai… Lekin Preeti… Uske liye jab ladka dhundenge toh pata nahi kya hoga.”

Vishakha chuckled, “mujhe toh yeh tension hai ke Preeti ke liye koi ladka dhunenge kaise… Sameer pata nahi kitne tests lega…”

Bela laughed out, “bhagwan jhuth na bulaye, yeh toh socha hi nahi maine… Bechara ladka… Dulha banne ke sapne leke aayega par ladki ke maa-baap se zyada dost ke sawaalo ka jawaab dena padega.”

Suddenly Vishakha exclaimed, “aree main toh batana hi bhul gai… aaj pata nahi kyun breakfast karte time Naina bahot sharma rahi thi… pura chehra laal ho rakha tha…”

Bela beamed, “sach? Aapko lagta hai ke Sameer aur Naina ki kuch baat hui hogi?”

“Ho sakta hai”, Vishakha mused, “Naina ektak dekhe bhi jaa rahi thi Sameer ko…”

Bela joined her hands, praying to God, “kaash aisa hi ho… yeh dono humse baat karle apni shaadi ki…”

Vishakha grinned, “aapko itni jaldi hai…”

“Naina 20 ki hone wali hai ab”, Bela replied, “chalo hum toh intezaar kar bhi lenge… lekin agar samaj se ya jaan-pehchaan se koi rishte aane lage toh sochiye zara Sameer kya karega…”

Vishakha pondered over this and stated with a grin, “uski doll ke paas aane wale ka muh tod dega…”

“Aur shayad haath-paav bhi”, Bela added in amusement. Both the ladies started laughing; just then the girls came out, puzzled at the scene before them.

Naina queried, “mummy… Chachi… kya hua? Itna kyun has rahe hai?”

Vishakha covered up, “uh… tum logo ki bachpan ki baate yaad kar rahe the… Kapde theek hai?”

Naina nodded, showing the ones she chose… Preeti also shortlisted her selection… All of them had lunch together, and then did a bit more shopping for home. Finally, it was 6pm by the time they reached home… And Naina grabbed her bags, rushing off to Sameer’s room like always to show him what she had bought.

Sameer had heard the car’s honk, and had woken up from his nap, waiting for her to rush in… Sure enough she did so in few minutes… As she closed and locked the door, Sameer quirked a brow, “lock? Iraade kya hai?”

She narrowed her eyes on seeing him on bed, “agar main tumhe maaru toh neeche se koi bachane naa aa sake isiliye…”

He chuckled, “I don’t think aisa hoga… Agar tum mujhe maarogi bhi toh bhi sab tumhara saath denge…”

She shrugged, “tum so rahe the? Assignment ka kya hua?”

He gestured towards the table, “tumhe lagta hai main hamari dates risk me daalunga?”

“Check karke batati hun”, she said, keeping the bags on the floor beside the bed.

He instructed, “pehle thoda fresh ho jao… Naa assignment kahin bhaaga jaa raha hai, aur naa hi main… Aur jawaab ke bina tumhe bhaagne nahi dunga main…”

She rolled her eyes, and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Ten minutes later she was at his desk, checking his assignment. It took her twenty minutes to look through the file, and satisfied she walked up to him, sitting on the bed, “nice… mujhe laga nahi tha ke ek din me kar loge… I thought, aaj raat hum dono jaagne wale hai…”

He grabbed her hand, pulling her to his chest, “doll… ab agar tumhare saath raate jagunga toh wajah kuch aur hogi.”

“Gaadi bahot jaldi zyada speed nahi pakad rahi”, she teased, her eyes sparkling, her hands on his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her, “itne saalo se break laga-laga ke chala raha tha na toh ab break bigad gaya… isiliye speed toh pakdegi hi… sawaal toh yeh hai ke tum iss speed me chalti gaadi me mere saath rahogi ya kud jaogi…”

She squirmed a bit, trying to get up, and he commanded, “Naina… aisai raho…” She frowned, “par aise kaise… bethke baat karte hai na…”

He sighed, “do you have any idea about dating and romance?”

She pouted, “of course… main books padhti hun.”

He rolled his eyes, and then suddenly flipped, placing her on the bed, looming over her… She gasped, clutching onto his shoulders… He leaned until there was just an inch between their noses, and asked, “toh phir toh tumhe pata hoga na ke main kya kar raha hun…?”

She blinked, unknown new sensations racing along her body… It wasn’t that he had never been this close to her… He had hugged her… She was used to sitting behind him on bike… But this was still so new… Never had they been like this on bed… “Bataona”, he persisted.

Her eyes moved over his features, the familiar line of his jaw, his glittering eyes, the hair falling on his forehead… One her hand, subconsciously cupped his jaw, trailing over the stubble… He closed his eyes, dragging in a deep breath at her exploring touch… She slowly asked, “Sameer… subah jab tumne bola dating ka toh mujhe laga hum akele bahar jayenge… Hug karenge… Shayad tum mujhe haath pe ya gaal pe kiss karo… Par yeh…”

He opened his eyes to gaze into hers, and slowly sat up, “sorry… shayad thoda jaldi hai yeh sab…”

She also sat up, her brows furrowing in confusion, and straightaway asked, “main toh puch rahi thi ke tum kya kar rahe the… French kiss?”

His mouth fell open in shock, and it was a minute before he could ask, “what?”

“Oh, tumhe nahi pata”, she mumbled, “actually French kiss me ladka-ladki…”

“Doll wait”, he hastily interrupted… Dear God… Was she just going to explain French kiss to him? Gathering his breath back, he asked, “tumhe French kiss pata hai?”

She nodded proudly… Baffled he queried, “kaise?”

“Bataya toh”, she replied, piqued, “books me padha…”

He combed his hand through his hair, “I know tum books padhti ho… par main bhi padhta hun… Aisi konsi books hai jisme se tumne French kiss seekha?”

She grinned, “wahi books jo tum nahi padhte… Romance novels…”

He frowned, “you mean… woh stupid si orange, pink, red covers wali book jo tum library se leti thi? Usme yeh sab hota hai?”

She nodded, looking pleased as punch, “kaha tha maine ke padh lo… dekha… ab mujhe French kiss aati hai aur tumhe nahi aati…”

He gaped at her, wondering how could she know about kiss and still be so innocent while talking about it. Maybe she mistook something else for French kiss… Wanting to test his theory, he asked, “French kiss kahan hoti hai?” He touched her forehead with his finger and then her cheek, asking each time, “yahan… ya yahan?”

She face palmed, “hey bhagwaan… tumhe toh kuch bhi nahi aata… Sameer, French kiss lips pe hoti hai…”

He coughed, rubbing his chest to remove the sudden block in his heart which had almost stopped beating at her answer… She knew… She truly knew… Still in a daze he asked, “agar tumhe pata hai toh tum abhi thodi der pehle aisa puch kyun rahi thi ke main kya kar raha hun?”

She huffed, “ohoo… itna bhi nahi pata tumhe… French kiss date ke end me hoti hai… hum kahan date pe gaye ab tak…”

He opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to find an apt response to her logical argument. She didn’t seem to mind his inability to answer, or his lack of knowledge about kiss timings… Leaning on his arm, she played with the sleeve of his t-shirt, “ab batao… kab aur kahan?”

He was puzzled for a moment before realizing that she was asking about their date, and that made him smile… After thinking a bit, he suggested, “uh… Saturday… Lunch aur phir Rajshri Cinema me movie…”

She drew back looking displeased, “seriously?”

He scratched his head, “pasand nahi aaya… umm… how about Parimal Garden? Wahan woh pond bhi hai na jahan tum ducks ko bread khilaati ho… You love that place, haina?”

She looked heavenwards, and complained, “bhagwaanji… mujhe toh bachpan se lagta tha ke Shameel bahot smart hai par yeh toh ek number ka budhdhu nikla…”

“Sameer”, he automatically corrected.

She stuck her tongue out, and repeated firmly, “Shameel…”

Irritated, he reached out to grab her, “Naina… tum…” But she squealed, jumping off the bed to escape from his hold. He followed her and before she could open the bedroom door, he grabbed her hands, pinning her to the door, plastering his body to her back… She froze, panting slightly… He rubbed her wrists, “tumse kaha hai na ke mera naam theek se liya karo… phir bhi tum bachpan ki tarah bolke mujhe irritate karti ho…”

She smiled, “achcha lagta hai… tumhe pareshan karna bhi… aur jab tum mujhe pakadne mere peeche bhaagte ho tab bhi…”

He nuzzled her hair, breathing in the floral fragrance of her shampoo, “aur jab pakad leta hun tab?”

Her breath hitched, “aaj tak toh hamesha sazaa dete hai… kabhi meri aadhi chocolate le lete the, kabhi mujhse halwa banvaate the, aur kabhi mujhe bachpan ki tarah do choti bandhne ko kehte the… aaj kya karoge?”

His nose dipped in the curve of her neck, “kuch manguga toh dogi?”

“Kuch bhi”, she acquiesced without any fear.

He turned her to face him, gazed into her eyes for a moment, and then tapped a finger on his cheek, “ek kiss… yahan…”

She gasped softly… Ever since they were children, he had kissed her hair… When they had grown up, he still kept kissing her head, a gesture of affection from him… And she had lapped up the affection he showered. But she had never kissed him, except that one time on her 14^th birthday when Sameer had bought a fuschia-gold shaded frock for her from his saved pocket money and the money he had received upon winning the man-of-the-match trophy. She had been so overwhelmed when he had proudly gifted her the frock asking her to wear it that day for the evening celebrations, that she had flung her arms around his neck and placed a loud smacking kiss on his cheek. He had seemed extremely pleased with her gesture…

He waited patiently as she kept observing him… She seemed to be thinking a lot, and he wondered if she was going to say no… But to his delight she slowly lifted and brushed a tender kiss on his left cheek… He closed his eyes at the feeling, his heart thumping… Her hand stroked his jaw up and down, as if she was feeling the texture, and then he was overjoyed as she kissed him again, this time lingering for almost a minute.

She hid her face against his chest, asking softly, “happy?”

He grinned, looping his arms around her and walking back to the bed… As soon as his the back of his legs touched the bed, he fell back, still holding her… She clutched onto his t-shirt as they fell, and he tightened his arms around her, humming in pleasure, “bahot zyada… thank you doll… kitne saalo baad wapas kiss mili…”

She smiled, her cheeks tinging a bit with color, “maine kabhi socha nahi ke tumhe bhi… I mean… tum hamesha mujhe kiss karte the par…”

He chuckled as she trailed off, “I know… main kai baar sochta tha ke tum kab mujhe palatke kiss karogi… finally aaj maang hi liya…”

“Sorry”, she mumbled.

He grabbed a bunch of her long silky strands in his fist, lifting them to let them fall slowly, watching the evening light filter through them… “Uski koi zaroorat nahi hai”, he assured, “main bas chahta tha ke ab tum samjho… Hum sirf bachpan ke dost nahi hai doll… There’s more… much more… Bhale hi humne kuch bola na ho, par mujhe pata hai tum samajhti ho… haina?”

She nodded against his chest, “haan…”

Satisfied, he kept playing with her hair, “good… toh? Date ke baare me kya socha? Mere ideas toh tumhe pasand nahi aaye lagta hai… although I don’t know why…”

She lifted her head, frowning once more, “seriously? Sameer… hum dates pe jaaneka plan kar rahe hai… agar parimal garden ya Rajshri cinema hi jayenge toh date kaise hua…? Date toh perfect hona chahiye na…”

He was puzzled, “hum saath honge toh perfect hoga na…”

She clucked her tongue, “nahi… tum na romance novel padhna shuru karo, sach me… dekho… first date pe hamesha ladka ladki ko pick karne aata hai apni car me… Uske liye phool laata hai… Phir woh dono ekdum khoobsurat si jagah pe jaate hai jahan sab kuch bilkul perfect hota hai… Dono baate karte hai… Dance karte hai… Phir ladka kuch gift deta hai ladki ko… Aur sabse end me ladki ko ghar drop karta hai, tab car me kiss karta hai…”

He scoffed, “Naina… yeh sab sirf books me hota hai… ya shayad movies me… tum mere pados me rehti ho… pick karne alag se kaise aaunga? Aur phool launga toh tum ghar pe kya bologi? And hamari first kiss car me chahti ho tum?”

She pouted, “par saare books me first date aisi hi hoti hai…”

He sighed, “okay… let’s do one thing… first date pe ek ladka apni girlfriend ko le jaata hai na?” She nodded, and he asked, “then why not let it be my responsibility to make it perfect for you?”

Puzzled, she queried, “kaise karoge?”

He smiled fondly at her, “tum 5 saal ki choti si doll thi jo pink frock me jhadiyo ke peeche se mujhe apni badi-badi aankhon se ghoor rahi thi… tabse jaanta hun tumko… tumhari har pasand-napasand jaanta hun… tumhari har wish pata hai mujhe… I am sure ke main tumhare liye ek perfect date toh plan kar hi sakta hun.”

She was still unsure, “lekin books me jo likha hai woh…”

He interrupted, “agar tumhe mera plan pasand nahi aaya toh next time tum jaisa bologi exactly waise hi karenge…”

She rolled her eyes, “par woh toh second date ho jayegi na…”

He racked his brain for an idea, almost panicking that she would insist their first kiss to happen in car, and that’s when it hit him… Dragging a deep breath, he said, “agar tumhe mera plan kiya hua date pasand nahi aata toh main tumhe kiss nahi karunga… Phir toh woh date nahi hogi na? Uske baad jab tumhara wala plan karenge, toh tab kiss kar lenge…”

“Car me”, she gleefully added, “bilkul jaise books me hota hai…”

He nearly scowled at her apparent fascination of kissing in car just because it was like that in books. Determined to never let that scenario turn into reality, he quickly diverted the topic, “achcha… ab batao kya shopping ki?”

Immediately distracted, she sat up, her eyes sparkling as she divulged, “teen tops liye hai – black, yellow aur ek multiple colors wala… Aur do dresses, jisme se ek red hai…”

He asked, “aur dusra?”

She shook her head, “woh wala jis din date pe jayenge uss din dekh lena…”

“Ok fine”, he agreed, “next Sunday final karte hai for date… Main kal tak tumhe plan batata hun.”

She tapped his forehead, “budhdhu… plan kyun bataoge? Surprise hona chahiye na…”

He frowned, “yeh bhi book me padha?”

She nodded, grinning wide… He made a mental note to check out the damn books she read at the first opportunity he got. She showed him everything she had bought except the pink dress which she wanted to be a surprise for their date. Finally Vishakha called them downstairs, and both of them noticed she kept muttering something under her breath. Naina asked, “kya hua mummy?”

Vishakha plonked down a dish of mathri, “tumhari Taiji aai hai.”

Sameer’s eyes widened, “kya? Kab? Kaise?”

“Mujhe bhi nahi pata tha ke aane wali hai”, Naina mused.

Nanu informed, “aaj subah tum log bahar chale gaye uske baad phone aaya tha… Dopahar baad hi aaye hai woh log… Arjun ki shaadi tay ho gai hai…”

Naina smiled, “yeh toh achchi khabar hai…”

Vishakha nodded, “haan… par saath saath buri khabar yeh bhi hai ke tumhari Taiji aaj yahin rehne wali hai…”

Naina gasped, “kya? Aur… Tauji bhi?”

Alok who had come in to sit just a while ago nodded miserably, “haan… Tumhare Tauji aur Arjun dono hai…”

Naina somehow became subdued after that, barely managing to nibble on her favorite mathris. Sameer saw this and took her hand, “hey… don’t worry… itne saal se toh aadat ho gai hai hum sabko… Tum apna shopping yahin rakhke jao mere cupboard me… Udhar le jaogi toh Taiji kud-kud karegi.”

Naina nodded, “haan… bechari Preeti… Kaash usko bhi pehle se pata hota…”

Vishkha chuckled, “pata chal gaya tha… Jaise hi Anand bhaisaab ne darwaza khola aur kaha – aree aa gaye tum sab mandir se… kaisi rahi puja…?”

Sameer chortled, “wow!”

Vishakha also laughed, “Preeti ne saare bags darwaze ke pados me rakh diye… main baad me leke aa gai…”

“Smart”, Naina grinned, “shukkar hai Preeti ne skirt pehna tha…” That’s when she looked down at herself and gasped, “oh no… main kaise jau… maine toh jeans pehna hua hai…”

Sameer immediately prompted, “tumhara salwar-kameez hai mere cupboard me… sports day ke din pehna tha na kyunki hume mandir jaana tha… Par phir college me change kiya aur woh kapde mere bag me hi reh gaye.”

“Thank God”, she sighed in relief, “main abhi change karke aati hun.”

Ever since that first time when the barsi puja was held on Naina’s parents death anniversary, everyone detested Taiji-Tauji’s visits. There had been so much foul argument that year, that it was a surprise the relationship between Naina’s family and Sameer’s family had remained intact… Vishakha had lost her temper when Taiji had kept repeatedly badmouthing Sameer and Naina’s relationship, and had responded saying that Taiji’s thinking was as foul as her tongue. Tauji had been furious at that comment and it had ensued into a full blown argument… Surprisingly though, even though Taiji and Tauji had been firm in saying that neighbors could never be families and they were just interfering, Anand-Bela and Alok-Vishakha had been on one side, stating that they would do whatever was best for the children…

No one had known that Naina had woken up inside the room, and upon hearing her and Sameer’s name repeatedly, she came out to the living room curious enough to know. She had tried to sneak in between Anand and Bela to listen, but Taiji had spotted her soon enough and grabbed her arm, dragging her to the center… Taiji asked her about Sameer, but she stood silent in fear, her wide eyes blinking up at the woman yelling on her… Little Naina had not been able to understand anything, at least not until Taiji raised her hand up… That gesture she understood and tried to step back in fear… Even Bela tried to grab her to save her… Vishakha had also let out an outraged gasp, stepping forward automatically… But it was someone else who managed to reach Naina first… There was a sound of shattering glass which distracted all of them for few seconds, and when Taiji’s hand landed on the child, it wasn’t Naina’s cheek but rather Sameer’s back… Sameer had woken up as soon as Naina had placed his head back on the pillow from her lap, and left his side, and he had followed her out just in time to see Taiji about to hit her… In his haste to reach her, his hand had brushed against the delicate flower vase near the sofa knocking it to the floor, causing the sound. And then unable to think of anything he had wrapped his arms around Naina, hiding her against his chest, shielding her from the blow that had finally landed on his back making him yelp in pain. Bela and Vishakha were instantly by the side of the kids… Bela pulling Sameer out of the way, and Vishakha quickly picked up Naina in her arms. Alok and Anand had moved forward as well, shielding their wives, their face full of disbelief and anger… Nanu had stepped in, clearly and firmly stating that the past year had been rough for both the families in several ways. While Naina had lost her parents, Sameer had to give up his home and move to a new city. The families had found support in each other, happiness in being together in these times, and they would appreciate if such baseless accusations and foul statements were not spoken in their home. Anand had folded his hands in-front of Tauji, saying that he respected him as an elder brother, but requested him to stay out of their kids’ lives. Needless to say that had driven a wedge between the two brothers, which had hurt Anand deeply, but when later, after Tauji-Taiji left, he had seen the red finger marks on Sameer’s back as Bela applied soothing sandalwood paste on it, he had taken a deep breath and made peace with this change. The elders were astonished at the intense protectiveness Sameer had for Naina ever since he had met her, so much so that he didn’t hesitate to come in the way of pain for her… And Naina was no less, because she kept crying and trying to blow air from her mouth the entire time Bela tended to Sameer’s back, it almost seemed as if his pain was hurting her too.

Over the years Tauji-Taiji’s visits were restricted to just the barsi puja, but whenever they came there seemed to be no peace around the house. Taiji never tried to hit Naina again, but she would stop her from meeting Sameer… If he went to her home, he wouldn’t be allowed past the living room. Since it would only be a matter of couple of days, the families had decided not to make a huge deal out of it. But, Sameer knew Naina would be extremely sad and cry every time she sat in the puja and saw her parent’s photo… And so a year later after the first barsi, when he wasn’t allowed to meet her, he had found a way to sneak into her room through the window. He had spent that night with her – himself, Naina and Preeti sleeping together on the bed. Next morning, Bela had seen him asleep, and quickly informed Vishakha… A sleepy mumbling boy was passed on from the room, out of the window by Bela to Vishakha… Nanu and Alok had seen the scene with amusement, and Nanu had commented, “Sameer ko toh abhi se chupke ladkiyo ke kamre me ghusna aata hai… bada hoga tab dhyan rakhna padega.”

Since that year to now, that had become a norm… As the kids grew both the families added one more floor to their home, making it a duplex in order to have more rooms. Sameer was given a separate room upstairs once he was ten… Next door, Bela and Anand remained in their original room downstairs, and the other bedroom was emptied for guests, while the girls were moved to one of the bedroom upstairs, and the other room on that floor was converted into a kind of study plus play room. But once Naina and Preeti were thirteen, both the rooms upstairs were modified, and they were allowed to have separate rooms of their own, which had thrilled the girls as they could decorate them as per their wish… But even then the tradition of him sneaking in Naina’s room on that night every year hadn’t stopped. However, since the age of ten, he would sleep on the couch in the room, while the girls slept on bed… And after Naina had her own room, he still slept on the couch… She just calmed down and slept well if he was nearby, and their parents never stopped them. Though they weren’t sure if their parents still knew, because since many years now he would leave her room before dawn so that no one would notice… No one ever talked about it, and neither did anyone question them.

The sound of clinking bangles made him turn, and he saw Naina coming down the stairs while adjusting her dupatta… She flicked her open hair back, keeping the sheer blue dupatta on her shoulder properly, and he sucked in a deep breath… She looked stunning… And it made him feel happy and possessive knowing that she had changed in his room, and the clothes she was wearing earlier were now stashed on some chair or in his cupboard… She smiled at him, and then looked at Vishakha, “mummy… main chalti hun… Zyada late karungi toh Taiji kud-kud karegi.”

Vishakha scowled, “haan… agar zyada bak-bak kare toh wapas aa jaana khidki se nikalke.”

“Nahi”, Sameer immediately piped up, “kya mummy… Naina ka room bhi meri tarah upar hai… Khidki se nikalke kaise aayegi woh…”

Vishakha thought for a moment, “hmmm… theek hai… tum akele mat aana… Sameer ke mobile pe miss-call de dena, woh lene aa jayega.”

Naina chuckled, “okay mummy…”

After she left, Sameer helped Vishakha clear the table, while Alok and Nanu started talking about office work. In the kitchen, Sameer peeked out of the window at the house next door, and sighed.

Vishakha noticed this and asked, “kya hua beta? Naina abhi-abhi toh gai hai… Itni fikar mat karo.”

Sameer grumbled, “it’s not that mummy… Aaj Sunday hai… Mujhe laga hum shaam ko kahin bahar jaa sakte hai thodi der… Naina ko pani-puri bhi khana tha…”

Vishakha teased, “tum kuch zyada hi time bitaane lage ho Naina ke saath… ek kaam kyun nahi karte… usko hamesha ke liye yahan le aao.”

Unlike her expectation, Sameer didn’t fumble or pretend not to understand, instead he leaned his hip against the countertop, folding his arms, “there’s still some time… college toh khatam hone do.”

Vishakha’s face lit up, “sach? Tum Naina se shaadi karne wale ho?”

“Of course mummy”, he responded calmly, “I mean… it is obvious right… Naina ke alawa aur kisse shaadi karunga.”

“Yeh kitni khushi ki baat hai”, she chirped, “main abhi jaake Papa aur Alok ko batati hun… Aur Belaji ko bhi…”

He grabbed his mother’s shoulder, “mummy… calm down… please… abhi se halla nahi machana… Maine aapko bataya kyunki aapne pucha… Lekin maine kaha na, abhi waqt hai… Pehle main Naina se toh theek se baat kar lu.”

Vishakha looked concerned, “tumne usse baat nahi ki? Agar woh mana kar de toh…”

Sameer chuckled, “that’s not going to happen… Naina bhi mujhse hi shaadi karna chahti hai… It’s just that… hum bachpan se saath rahe hai… saath me time spend kiya hai… it was normal, lekin kabhi ek couple ki tarah time spend nahi kiya… Main chahta hun ke usse shaadi ki baat karu usse pehle hum dono thoda time ek couple ki tarah bitaaye…”

Vishakha was puzzled, “you mean… dating?” He nodded, and she further queried, “lekin uski kya zaroorat hai? Tum dono toh itna comfortable ho ek dusre ke saath… matlab… aaj hi dekh lo… Naina change karne tumhare room me gai…”

“Kyunki woh usko apna haq maanti hai”, he replied, “kyunki uske man me Sameer uska hai, aur woh Sameer ki doll hai… Par main usko ehsaas dilana chahta hun ke ek couple ka time sirf pani-puri khane jaana ya kabhi kabhi shopping karna nahi hota… There are so many aspects to this relationship…”

Vishakha thought about this for a moment, and then asked in a worried tone, “beta agar tumhara matlab romance hai toh… shaadi se pehle yeh sab…”

“Mummy”, he interrupted, “do you really need to explain this to me? Aapko aisa nahi lagta ke Naina ko sabse zyada itne saalo se maine hi protect kiya hai… Aap hi socho na… Naina college me hai, phir bhi uski innocence ab tak ek teenager jaisi hai… Jab woh 5 saal ki thi, aur Nanu ne mujhe kaha tha ke tumne usko dhunda hai toh tum hi uska dhyan rakho, tabse main wahi kar raha hun… Phir aap aaj itni fikar kyun kar rahi hai?”

Vishakha smiled, cupping her son’s face, “bhul gai thi thodi der ke liye ke tumne bachpan se hi kitne achche se apni doll ki zimmedari uthaayi hai.” He grinned… She sighed, “okay fine… main kisise kuch nahi bolungi… But promise me ke tum log zyada der nahi karoge… At least hume bata dena…”

He rolled his eyes, “naturally… I am sure aap logo ko shopping karne ke liye hi 6 months chahiye honge…”

Vishakha quirked a brow, “sirf 6 months? Nahi nahi… Pura ek saal…”

He scoffed, his eyes sparkling with mischief, “as if main ek saal wait karunga Naina ke haan bolne ke baad… You will have to decide ke aapko shaadi pehle chahiye ya dadi banne ki khabar…”

Vishakha let out a shocked gasp at his audacity and picked up a spatula to hit him, but he laughed and dashed out of range… She still managed to throw a potato hitting him square on his back, and grinned, shaking her head at the nerve of her son.

At the house next door, Naina and Preeti helped prepare dinner, rolling their eyes on listening to the continuous rants from the living room. Bela chopped cucumbers so hard that the knife made clacking sound against the wooden chopping board at every cut… Naina chuckled, “rehne dijiye Chachi… main kar leti hun…”

“Bada aaye card dene”, Bela muttered, handing over the knife, “asliyat me toh batane aaye hai ke ladki ka khandaan kitna ameer hai aur dahej me kitna kuch de sakte hai…”

Preeti whispered, “Juhi ke parivaar wale dahej de rahe hai?”

Bela nodded, “haan… keh rahe the nayi wali gaadi bhi denge… sona-chandi, bartan-kapda toh alag…”

Naina kept the cucumbers aside and started chopping tomatoes, “mujhe toh samajh nahi aata yeh dahej dene-lene ka riwaaj hi kyun hota hai… Matlab ladki apna ghar-parivaar chodke jaaye upar se paise bhi de ladkewalo ko… Aur ladke ka parivaar bhi kaisa hota hai jo paise lene ko maan jaate hai… Bahu mil rahi hai woh kam hai kya? Aisa lagta hai jaise maano rishta nahi business deal kar rahe ho… Main toh kabhi…”

“Oh bai”, the shrill harsh voice interrupted, “dekho toh zara iss ladki ko… Kehna kya chahti hai tu… Main aur Arjun ke papa galat kaam kar rahe hai?”

Tauji and Anand had also come up on hearing the sudden loud voice… Naina and Preeti stood still, wary of the situation… Bela tried to calm the waters, “aree nahi bhabhiji… Naina toh bas…”

But Taiji interjected harshly, “ab bolo bhala… Bete ko itna padaya-likhaya, laad-pyaar se bada kiya… Aisa ladka milne se toh ladkiwalo ke bhaag khul gaye… Toh agar woh log do paise kharcha karte hai apne damad ko khush karne me toh kya bura karte hai… Aur tu kya beech me bol rahi hai… Teri shaadi hogi bhi ke nahi kise pata… Aisi jali hui kundli leke toh paida hui ke maa-baap ko hi kha gai, aur ab mere bete pe ungli utha rahi hai…”

Bela gasped on hearing the accusation… Anand immediately opposed, “bhabhji yeh kya bol rahi hai aap…”

“Theek hi toh keh rahi hai”, Tauji stated in furious tone, “ghar ki ladkiyo ko beech me bolna nahi chahiye… Pata nahi kaise sanskaar diye hai Anand tumne aur tumhari patni ne… Kaha tha humne ke dur rakho ise pados ke ladke se… Par bado ki baat sunna kise hai… Ab dekho kaisi ho gai hai…”

Taiji spewed in disgust, “anaath hai tu… anaath… neva! Yaad rakhna yeh baat hamesha… Aur main toh kehti hun jahan jaisa ladka mile uske gale isko baandhke haath dho lo… Kab tak iska bojh uthaate rahoge…”

Naina’s lips wobbled, her eyes spilling over, and she ran out of the kitchen, upstairs to her room and locked herself in… Downstairs, Taiji adjusted her pallu and raised her voice a bit as she said, “oh bai… sach bolo toh mirchi lagti hai…”

Naina didn’t come down for dinner neither did she open the door, not even after Bela tried to persuade her. On the other hand Sameer kept fidgeting at his own home, because he felt something was off… Was Naina alright? He wanted to rush next door and see her, but couldn’t do that because if he went there Taiji would immediately raise objections… He had no doubt that Chacha-Chachi would be on his side like always, but he didn’t want to be a reason for a family argument, especially when the reason they were visiting was a happy one… But he wasn’t able to rest…

Vishakha saw him pacing the living room, and called out, “Sameer… kya kar rahe ho? Khana kha lo chalo…”

Sameer stopped his continuous march, but frowned, “man nahi ho raha mummy… aap ek baar Naina ko phone karke dekho na wahan sab theek hai ke nahi…”

“Sab theek hi hoga beta”, Vishakha tried to assure. But he shook his head, “nahi… kuch toh problem hai…”

Just then the other men came downstairs, and Alok asked, “kya hua?”

Vishakha informed, “Sameer ko lag raha hai ke Naina ke wahan kuch problem hui hai…”

“Toh phone karke dekh lo”, Nanu offered.

Vishakha bit her lips, “par kaise… agar wahan uski Taiji ne phirse kuch hungama kiya toh…”

“Phone karte hai”, Sameer suggested, “agar Taiji ya Tauji me se koi uthayega toh rakh denge… Baaki kisine uthaya toh bolenge naam mat lo bas itna bata do sab theek hai ke nahi… Aur agar Preeti ya Naina uthaati hai toh maamla set hai…”

Everyone else agreed… Sameer picked up the cordless, dialed the number and kept it on speaker for everyone to hear. Maybe luck was on their side, because Preeti picked up the phone, and greeted, “hello…”

Sameer grinned, “hi… main hun… naam mat lena…”

She had just started to say, “Sa…”, but immediately changed it to, “Suman! Tune iss waqt kyun phone kiya?”

Sameer shook his head at the improvisation of his name, “Naina theek hai? Mujhe laga jaise kuch problem hui hai…”

There was a moment of silence, and then Preeti said, “haan haan… tune bilkul sahi socha… aisa hi hua hai college me… kal tak assignment deni hai, pata nahi kaise khatam hoga itna kaam…”

Sameer had started to feel relief on hearing haan, but that immediately changed into concern upon hearing the next few lines… It basically meant that his feeling was right, and that it would be difficult to spend time till tomorrow… He urgently asked, “kya hua? Naina hai? Baat karwao na…”

Preeti sighed, “nahi… Naina free nahi hai abhi… darasal… uh… woh kamre me assignment pura kar rahi hai… itna busy ho gai ke ab tak khana khane bhi nahi aai…”

“Naina ne khana nahi khaya”, he muttered in shock, “iss Taiji ki toh main…” Dragging in a deep breath, he queried, “darwaza locked hai?”

“Haan”, Preeti responded, “chal… ab main bhi rakhti hun… tu apna assignment dhyan se pura kar… main bas khana khaake phir bethungi karne… Bye…”

Sameer disconnected, and stood there thinking for some time. Vishakha, Alok and Nanu were also worried… Just then Sameer said, “mummy… aap mera aur Naina ka khana tiffin me daal do na… main uske saath kha lunga…”

As Vishakha rushed off to pack food, Alok asked in a puzzled tone, “par beta… tum miloge kaise usse?”

“Uske kamre me”, Sameer informed non-chalantly, “khidki se chala jaunga…”

Nanu quizzed, “par uska room toh upar hai…”

Sameer shrugged, “garden shed me seedhi hai… wahi use kar lunga hamesha ki tarah.”

Alok and Nanu looked at each other as Sameer went into the kitchen to see if food was packed or not. Alok softly mused, “hamesha ki tarah?”

Nanu rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “matlab yeh abhi bhi jaata hai chup-chupke?”

Five minutes later Sameer left, and the three of them watched from the kitchen window as Sameer stealthily brought out the long ladder, and set it up carefully against the wall. There was no hesitation in his body language, as if he had been doing this regularly. He slid open the glass window, kept the tiffin inside and then climbed in himself…

Vishakha sighed in relief, and went back to serve food as if it was absolutely normal. Alok gaped at his wife, and managed to say, “tumhara beta seedhi se chadke ek ladki ke kamre me ghusa…”

“Hamara beta”, Vishakha corrected, “aur kisi bhi ladki ke kamre me nahi… Naina ke kamre me gaya hai, jaise bachpan se jaata hai… Aur aap itna kyun chaunk rahe hai? Aapko toh khush hona chahiye…”

Alok queried, “khush kyun?”

Vishakha’s eyes sparkled as she teased, “aap bhi toh aise hi seedhi lagake mere kamre me aate the sagai ke baad mujhse milne…”

Nanu gasped, “kya!?”

Alok fumbled, “Vishakha… kya… kya bol rahi ho…”

Nanu placed a hand over his son-in-law’s shoulder, “tum shaadi se pehle meri beti ke kamre me aate the?”

Vishakha rubbed her palms in glee, “oh kitne dino se yeh scene dekhna chahti thi… ek minute please… Aap dono lade usse pehle main thoda popcorn le aati hun…”

Nanu and Alok looked at her retreating back… “Popcorn”, Alok repeated in shock… Nanu shook his head, “popcorn chodo… pehle yeh batao tum kaise ghuste the kamre me…”

Alok pleaded, “papa… saalo pehle ki baat hai… chodiye na…”

Nanu narrowed his eyes, “nahi… sab batao mujhe… abhi…”

Vishakha came back with a bowl full of popcorn, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, watching her husband narrate his mischiefs with his head bowed, while her father listened on in astonishment.

Next door, in an upstairs room, Naina gasped on hearing the window slide open… She watched, only slightly surprised that Sameer was entering her room… But as soon as he stood firm on the floor, and closed the window, she almost flew in his arms. He held her, rubbing her back, his heart wrenching at the way she was crying… He cursed Taiji in his mind… On every visit she would find some opportunity to make Naina cry. Trying to keep his voice low and soothing, he asked, “tum ro kyun rahi ho doll? Itne saalo se sunn rahi ho unki baate… ignore kar do…”

She hiccupped, “aaj kuch aur boli Taiji…”

He made her sit on the bed, and sat beside her, “shsh… chup ho jao pehle… Aur theek se batao aisa toh kya boli Taiji.”

It took her few moments to string her speech together, but then she told him about how Taiji had blamed her for her parents’ death, and also adviced that Chacha-Chachi should get her married to some random man just to get rid of her. His blood boiled on hearing the harsh words… He couldn’t understand why Taiji had such venom in her for Naina… All he wanted right now was to go downstairs and blast Taiji for hurting his Naina, but he couldn’t do that… Naina needed him right now… And so he hugged her tight, rocking her gently, “tumhe lagta hai aisa kuch hoga…? Chacha-Chachi tumse kitna pyaar karte hai… Hum sab tumse kitna pyaar karte hai… Aur uncle-aunty, woh dono bhi tumse bahot pyaar karte the Naina… Taiji ki toh aadat hai bak-bak kanreki…”

She sniffed, “par har baar mere mummy-papa ke baare me hi kyun?”

“Doll…”, he crooned, “maine bachpan me tumhe kya kaha tha… kahan hai tumhare mummy-papa?”

She answered obediently, “God ke paas…”

He stroked her hair, “correct… aur unki jagah yahan tumhare mummy-papa kaun hai?”

“Jo tumhare mummy-papa hai wahi mere”, she replied.

He dropped a gentle kiss on the side of her head, “toh phir tum roti kyun ho… agli baar Taiji kuch aisa bole toh unko milwa dena apne mummy-papa se…”

She calmed down a bit, nuzzling into his chest, and he kept rocking her… After few minutes he teased, “ab bachpan ki tarah so mat jaana…”

A small chuckle spurted out of her, and she chided, “haan… bachpan me toh tum bethe rehte the mujhe baaho me leke, ab kahan itna stamina hoga…”

He drew back and bit, and quirked his brow, “doll… stamina tak naa hi jao toh achcha hai… waqt aane pe apna stamina achche se dikhaunga.”

She stuck her tongue out, and sniffed, “ummm… mummy ne chole banaye hai lagta hai…”

He slapped his hand on his forehead, “hey bhagwaan… boyfriend ke saath bed pe bethi hai lekin cologne ke jagah chole ki khusboo aa rahi hai ise…”

She laughed, “bhuke pet romance nahi hota janaab…”

“Achcha”, he drawled, “toh phir pehle khana khila du phir romance karunga.”

She quickly washed her face while he opened the tiffin box on her desk, and fed her with his own hands. After the first morsel, she also tore off a bit of puri and held it up for him to eat. It wasn’t a surprise that she knew that he hadn’t eaten. Together they finished their dinner, and Sameer used his mobile to make a call to Vishakha to let her know that they had eaten…

Downstairs, Bela cleaned the kitchen, wringing her hands and muttering under her breath. Taiji had refused to let food be sent upstairs for Naina, citing that such tantrums shouldn’t be tolerated. Only when Preeti had sat down docilely to eat, had Bela and Anand relaxed… They knew that Preeti wouldn’t eat until she knew that Naina was alright. They had no idea what had happened but the phone call had calmed Preeti… Bela plonked down the casserole, and Preeti, who came in with the glasses, hushed her, “mummy dheere… kitni awaaz kar rahi ho…”

Bela grumbled, “toh aur kya karu… Saal me do din ke liye aati hai lekin aise hukum chalati hai maano unka ghar ho… Bechari meri bachchi… Kitna rulaya usko… ab kya kar rahi hai pata nahi… kahin bhuke pet na so jaaye…”

Preeti glanced around once to ensure that no one was eavesdropping, and then said, “aapko lagta hai Naina ro rahi hoti ab tak toh main khana kha leti?” Bela shook her head, and Preeti smiled, “jo Suman ka phone aaya tha khane se pehle, woh darasal Sameer tha… Usko pata nahi kaise ehsaas ho gaya tha ke kuch problem hai… Isiliye usne phone kiya aur maine baato-baato me bata diya ke Naina ne khana nahi khaya… Ab tak toh Sameer ne kisi tarah usko chup karwake khana bhi khila diya hoga…”

Bela sighed in relief, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye… yeh bada achcha kaam kiya tune… Chal ab… hum bhi so jaate hai…”

Meanwhile in the room, Naina and Sameer were talking in low voices about their college… It was the week of unit tests, and Naina was worried about Munna and Pandit’s performance. Sameer assured her that they had studied so it would be alright. “Tum unki fikar chodo”, he grumbled, “tumne kaha tha bhuke pet romance nahi hota… ab toh pet bhar gaya na…”

She chuckled, “kiss toh date pe karenge toh abhi kaise romance hoga…”

“Tumhari romance novels phenk do tum”, he chided, “sirf French kiss thodi na hota hai romance ka definition.”

She gasped, “hawww… meri books ke baare me ulta-seedha mat bolo… usme bahot romance hota hai…”

He tilted back on the bed, “achcha… toh batao zara kya kya hota hai…”

She thought for few seconds and proposed, “hero gift laata hai heroine ke liye…”

“Paise se pyaar jatana romance nahi hota”, he promptly countered.

Naina scowled because she did truly agree to that logic… After a bit more thought she said, “dance karte hai… slow music pe…”

He shrugged, “we can… par tumhari pyaari Taiji aa jayegi oh bai chillate hue…”

She made a frustrated sound and kept proposing ideas, each of which were discarded by him with irrefutable arguments.

“Long drive pe jaate hai.”

“Raat ko nikal nahi sakte hum.”

“Flowers dete hai ek dusre ko.”

“Abhi kahan se layenge?”

“Saath me cook karte hai… peeche se hero hug karta hai jab heroine kuch bana rahi hoti hai.”

“Sure… toh chale kitchen me?”

“Candle light dinner…”

“Humne abhi khaya… you forgot the candles…”

She chucked a pillow at him in irritation because suddenly all her romance novels felt useless… In dearth of ideas, she blurted, “they make love…”

He immediately pushed the pillow aside and tugged her in his arms, “great idea doll… lekin main shaadi tak rukna prefer karunga.” She gasped as she realized what she had blurted, and blushed, hiding her face in his chest. He chuckled, and gently asked, “tumhare books me lovemaking ke baare me bhi likha hua hai?” She nodded, and he further queried in disbelief, “matlab tumhe sab pata hai?”

She took a moment, but then shook her head in negative, “nahi… thoda thoda samajh me aata hai… baaki kuch itna detail me nahi hai toh pata nahi chalta… Pata nahi kyun ajeeb se words me chupa dete hai… maine kitni baar padha par phir bhi kuch pata nahi chala.”

“Thank God”, he replied fervently, “main soch raha tha ke itne saalo se tumko masoom samajh ke kuch kiya nahi par tum toh chupi rustam nikli… kiss aur lovemaking ki baat karti ho…”

She drew back from his arms and pouted, “tum bas mujhe chedte raho… tumse achcha toh mera Shameel tha… Sirf mujhe doll kehta nahi tha, mujhe bilkul doll ki tarah treat bhi karta tha… Tum sirf mujhe pareshan karte ho…”

He grinned, “Shameel toh peeche reh gaya sweetheart… Sameer chahiye ke nahi bolo…”

She blinked, “sweetheart?”

He held her hand, “hmm… I just felt romance karte hue doll bolunga toh bachpan ki do choti aur badi-badi aankhon wali Naina yaad aa jayegi… Usko toh sirf godi me leke squeeze karne ka man hoga… Usse aage nahi badh paunga.”

She rolled her eyes, “usse aage badhoge bhi kaise? Tumne saare romance ke ideas toh reject kar diye…”

He traced the back of her fingers with his thumb, “sweetheart… sirf romance ek aisa subject hai jahan mujhe books ki zaroorat nahi hai… Aur hume books me se padhke romance nahi karna… Sameer-Naina ka alag romance hoga…”

Curiosity made her promptly ask, “kaise?”

He gestured her to sit beside him, and once she obeyed, he lifted her hand to his lips. His lips traced the back of each of her fingers, moving slowly to the inside of her palm… Her breath hitched… She had to remind herself that it was just a hand-kiss, which is supposed to be an extremely normal gesture of affection according to the books she had read. But no matter what her brain suggested, her heartbeats seemed to be jumping erractically as she watched his lips move to her wrist while his eyes held hers captive all the while… It was so much more than the feelings she got when she read romance novels, this was reality, her reality… Her Sameer…

He tugged her a bit, turning at the same time to inch closer… His eyes roved over her face… the features he had known since forever… He had witnessed her black silky shoulder-length hair grow into long wavy tresses that made him want to sink his hands in them… He had seen how the plump chubbiness of her cheeks had given way to delicate roundness with sharp defined cheekbones… He had seen how her button like nose had transformed into an aristocratic line… He had noted how her pink pouty lips had changed to lush fullness, still just as pink, inviting enough to kiss long and slow… Her eyes though seemed to remain the same… When she was small they looked too big and round on her face, but now, he could only term them as exotic… Almond shaped, clear soft brown, and so deep that he felt he could lose himself in her eyes…

Cradling her skull in one hand, he brought her closer and softly kissed her eyes close. She whimpered softly, clutching fistfuls of his t-shirt… His voice was husky as he asked, “tum theek ho?” She nodded, and he smiled, brushing his lips on her cheeks… He reached the corner of her mouth, and her brows furrowed… She wondered if he was going to kiss her now… But he didn’t… Rather he dropped a peck on her nose and then on her chin… And then he hugged her, burying his head in the crook of her neck, his breath warm on her skin… She sighed, sinking in his arms as naturally as if she was made to fit, her hand moved to his hair, fingers stroking the sensitive scalp…

“I never thought”, she mumbled, “books padhke kabhi socha nahi ke sirf haath pe ya gaal pe kiss karke bhi aisa feel ho sakta hai…”

Wanting to know properly, he asked, “kaisa feel ho raha hai?”

She took some time to string her thoughts and then replied, “dil itna zoro se dhadak raha hai maano kisi race me ho… Aur aisa lag raha hai ke kaash tum naa ruko…”

Her honest confession seared his heart, making him shudder… Possessiveness and love coursed through his body in equal measure and all he wanted in that moment was to make her his forever… He clutched her tighter, knowing in every fiber of his being that Naina was his… He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but also wanted to wait for their date night, for that perfect moment.

“Next Sunday ka intezaar hai”, he growled.

She pouted, turning her head on his shoulder, “thoda jaldi nahi jaa sakte?”

He thought about it, “weekdays pe toh mushkil hoga…”

“Saturday chal sakte hai na”, she proposed, “aaj ki Sunday bhi Taiji ke wajah se cooking tradition nahi hua… Nanu ne promise kiya tha paneer tikka banayenge… Next Sunday date rakhenge toh phirse miss ho jayega Papa, Nanu, Chacha aur tumhare haath ka khana…”

He laughed softly, pulling her back, “maine socha tum hamare date aur first kiss ke liye impatient ho rahi ho… But I should have guessed… Tumhara focus sirf khane pe hai…”

She crossed her arms, “toh usme kya hua? Mujhe achcha lagta hai tum sabke haath ka khana… Especially tumhari banai hui maggi… yummy… pata nahi kyun meri maggi kabhi achchi nahi banti…”

“Incredible”, he muttered, “the way we moved from romance to food… mujhe apna future nazar aa raha hai… room me khana stock karna padega warna beech romance me bologi ke jao jaake maggi banao…”

She looked extremely pleased at the idea, “oh wow… phir tum sirf jeans pehenke kitchen me jaoge… Bina shirt ke… jaisa meri favorite novel me hai…”

He sighed, starting to get extremely frustrated at her books, and changed the topic, “jaane do… raat ho gai kaafi… tum so jao… main wahan sofa pe so jaata hun…”

As he started to get up, she grabbed his hand, stopping him… He waited, perplexed at her blushing cheeks and lowered eyes… She swallowed once, and then softly suggested, “bachpan me toh saath sote the… aur aage bhi… umm… you know what I mean… toh abhi kyun sofa pe jaa rahe ho?”

He blinked in astonishment, “doll… tumhe pata hai tum kya bol rahi ho?”

She nodded, “yahi raho na… mere paas…”

He gulped, hooking a finger beneath her chin to tilt her head back and look in her eyes, ensuring that she wasn’t just teasing him… But all he saw in those deep pools of brown was immense love and trust… Dragging in a shaky breath, he accepted her proposition, even though he knew it would be tough to control, but still wanting to experience the peace of being with her… He lay down on her bed, his gaze fixed on her… She smiled, sleeping beside him, turning to him… He held her hand like he used to do when they were kids, but this time he kissed her palm again… She smiled, linking her fingers with his and brought his hand up to her lips, brushing a light kiss on the back of his palm… He grinned in delight… She closed her eyes, scooting slightly closer, and hummed when he kissed her hair. He hadn’t realized how much he missed this proximity, this comfort of childhood… Slowly they fell asleep, and the land of dreams pulled them closer… His right hand left hers to wrap around her waist, and she ditched her pillow moving to sleep on his extended left arm… The bone deep bliss they both felt made them sigh and cuddle closer, their hearts filling up with joy and anticipation of their upcoming life.