That’s The One
Chapter 3: College Special

A knock on the door disturbed his sleep, and he opened his mouth to instruct Naina to leave, but a movement on his chest stopped him… Glancing down he saw Naina sleeping in his arms like a perfectly content kitten, her head on his chest, her arm and leg flung on him as if pinning him down on the bed. It took him a minute to reconcile that this wasn’t a dream… It was real… He was sleeping in Naina’s bed, with her almost wrapped around him, and it was late enough to have the sunlight filter in through the curtains… And, most importantly, there was someone knocking on the door… He nearly freaked out, but realized soon that any sound he made would only attract trouble. Gently he pried himself away from Naina, which immediately earned a sound of protest from her… He whispered close to her ear, “doll… wake up…”

She hummed, trying to clutch him again, but he grabbed her hand, lightly stroking, “utho Naina… subah ho gai…”

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, and she yawned… Blinking at him she started to take his name, but just then there was another knock on the door, followed by a low but still audible voice, “Naina… bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye beta… uthja…”

Her eyes widened and she quickly sat up, whispering, “Chachi…”

He nodded, and gestured outside, “aaj meri aankh nahi khuli… tum Chachi ko bolo ke uth gai ho… Uske baad main jaunga…”

She nodded, and called out, “haan Chachi… Main uth gai… Nahake neeche aati hun…”

“Bhagwaan ka shukar hai”, Chachi mumbled, “jaldi karna beta… subah ka nashta karke bade bhaisaab aur bhabhiji nikalne wala hai…”

“Jee Chachi”, Naina replied, “bas 10-15 minute dijiye…”

Sameer heaved a sigh of relief as Chachi went away, and then whispered, “good morning doll…”

She smiled, “good morning…” Then she glanced out of the window, “hey bhagwaan… kaise jaoge abhi…”

“Itna bhi late nahi hua”, he assured, “6:30am ho raha hai… Main nikalta hun abhi… Taiji ke jaaneke baad milta hun.” She nodded, her eyes clouded with worry… He smiled, cupped her face and dropped a kiss on her forehead. As he checked the surroundings outside, and then climbed down the ladder, she kept waiting at the window. He hid the ladder back in the shed, and then crossed over the low boundary wall. She sighed in relief, waving at him and then quickly went to take a bath.

When she went downstairs she heard Taiji grumbling about how one night of hunger would have set her mind in order. Bela made a frustrated expression, asking Naina to come help with frying the puris. She obeyed, preferring not to talk at all… It was just a matter of few hours. After a hearty breakfast of puri-sabji, Tauji declared that they need to leave as it was going to be a long trip by road to Nadiad. Naina took their blessings while silently praying that they encounter several potholes on their journey back… Taiji couldn’t help but express sympathy once more over an orphan’s future, and advise Anand-Bela to get her married soon to whoever they can find.

Once they left, Naina and Preeti got ready swiftly, and rushed out on hearing Sameer’s bike’s honk. Since they had started to go to college, Sameer would take Naina on his bike, while Munna and Pandit who came in Pandit’s car with their driver would pick up Preeti. No one thought anything of this arrangement because Sameer loved his bike, and if he was going on bike it was a no-brainer that Naina would go with him.

The week seemed usual; the unit tests were going by without any problem. Naina kept teasing Sameer in between about their date, saying that she won’t kiss if the date wasn’t perfect. One thing that Sameer noticed was that Sonia Mehra was extremely pissed, and kept throwing angry glares at him. For a couple of days he didn’t really understand what the matter was… It was only on the third day, after the test, when Munna teased how Sameer had no privacy when it came to Naina, that he recalled the message from Sonia. He asked Naina if she had done anything, like maybe reply something to Sonia. To his surprise, she giggled so hard that it reminded him of her childhood days, exactly like she would giggle after accomplishing some mischief. He took hold of her shoulder, and asked in a firm voice, “kya kiya tumne?”

Her eyes sparkled as she responded, “kuch khaas nahi… bas usko phone kiya… Aur jab usne khushi me tumhara naam liya, ‘Sameeerrr’, tab maine usko bola ke main bol rahi hun…”

His eyes narrowed, “bas sirf itna?”

She gleefully shook her head, “usne puch ke main tumhare bedroom me kya kar rahi hun… Aur tabhi…” She giggled again in mirth, and continued, “tabhi tumne bathroom me se chillake apna towel aur t-shirt maanga…”

He gaped at her… Their friends also chortled in mirth… He shook his head, “Naina… tumhe pata hai woh kya soch rahi hogi?”

She shrugged, “yahi ke main tumhar bedroom me thi poori raat.”

He was stumped, “do you even know what that means? Mera matlab…”

She poked his chest, “tumhe koi problem hai Sonia hamare baare me aisa soche toh?”

He cupped her cheek, “tum jaanti ho ke mujhe koi problem nahi hai… par tum… college me baat faili toh koi tumhare baare kuch galat soch sakta hai…”

She smiled up at him, absolute trust shining in her eyes, “sirf soch hi sakenge… bolega koi nahi, kyunki tum kisiko bolne doge nahi… Aur waise bhi, koi kuch soche ya bole usse hume kya… Jab hamari shaadi hogi tab sab chup ho jayenge.”

He froze for an entire minute, and then gasped, “kya kaha? Shaadi…?”

Her smile turned to a scowl, “haan shaadi… itna chaunk kyun rahe ho? Tum kya mujhe date pe le jaoge aur shaadi kisi aur se karoge? Aur uss din toh room bol rahe the ke shaadi tak wait karoge lov… ummm… ummm….”

Her statement remained unfinished as he clapped a hand over her mouth… Looking around he saw their friends listening on with interest to their conversation and cursed. Unable to think of any other way, he asked in a low voice, “mere saath chalo… chup chap…” Still keeping her mouth closed with his hand, he bodily guided her towards the sports room… Maybe she was surprised, because she obeyed him without any objection for some time… But as soon as they entered the grounds, she started to squirm, trying to free herself. He made a frustrated sound, left her mouth, but swiftly picked her up in his arms. That rendered her speechless once more… He moved inside the sports room, shut the door with his leg, pressed the knob to lock it, and then dumped her on her feet… She staggered backwards, crashing lightly on the wall, and he moved fast, locking her wrists near her head, and pressing his body to hers… His voice was deep, husky and irritated, as he asked, “are you mad?”

She shivered, not at all frightened of his frustrated tone, or the proximity, but rather intrigued at what she could feel… It was so similar to that other day, when he had almost pinned her to the bed, but still, this was different… Now she knew what he wanted, what he wished, and his entire body pressed along hers seemed to burn her skin through her clothes. He furiously asked, “tum bolne se pehle sochti ho? Filter hai ke nahi dimag me? Kisike bhi saamne kuch bhi bologi…”

“Sameer”, she whispered, her eyes drifting from his chest to his throat and up to his face.

He growled, “kya Sameer? Poore college me announce karna hai kya ke hum dono saath me so rahe the tumhare room me? Tumhe samajh me nahi aata ke main chup-chupke kyun nikal jaata hun tumhare room se? Kyun kisike saamne tumhe hug ya kiss nahi karta?”

As he kept pelting questions after questions, she realized that he was not just frustrated, but truly angry… Her lower lip wobbled, tears started to fill her eyes, her unblinking gaze fixed on him… He trailed off, noticing the big eyes, that he was so fond of, fill will tears… A drop rolled down her smooth cheek, and he cursed… Leaving her hands, he cupped her face, wiping the tears from her eyes, “doll… shsh… I am sorry… please rona bandh karo…” She sniffed, shaking her head to remove his hands from her face, and then hugged him, hiding her face against his chest. He hugged her, stroking her hair, “I am so sorry sweetheart…”

Ever since childhood, Sameer always protected her, sheltered her… He had temper, but it was for others… He never scolded her… He would rebuke her in a friendly way, explain things to her, and ask her to do or not do something… But it was so rare of him to scold her, that she was never able to bear it even for a minute. Whenever he scolded her somehow she felt that the only person in the world who was hers had turned his back on her… She hiccupped, clutching onto him, and mumbled, “I am sorry… maine kuch bhi nahi socha tha…”

“It’s okay doll”, he assured, “please rona bandh karo… tum jaanti ho na tumhari aankho me aansu nahi dekh sakta main…”

She nodded against his chest, rubbing her face on his shirt to wipe the tears which made him chuckle. He drew back to look in her eyes, and then softly kissed her hair, making her smile at the familiar gesture. “Jitne mote mote aansu tapak rahe the, itna toh gussa bhi nahi hua tha main”, he teased.

She pouted, “tum mujhpe gussa karte ho toh lagta hai sab rooth gaye hai mujhse…”

He was perplexed, “sab? Mere gussa karne se sab kaise rooth sakte hai?”

She shrugged, simply stating, “tum hi toh sab ho… bachpan se…”

He dragged in a shaky breath, sliding his hand in her hair, cradling the back of her head, “tumhare dimag aur muh ke beech me sach me koi filter nahi hai… aisi baate karti rahi toh hamari first kiss yahan college ke sports room me hogi…”

She smiled as if he had given her a compliment… He groaned, leaning to kiss her cheek, trailing along her jaw… Using the hold on her hair, he tilted her head back and his mouth skimmed down her throat. She gasped, her throat moving up and down, her breathing increased… His other hand spanned her waist, fingers moving restlessly, and he pinned her more firmly to the wall. “Sameer”, she breathed, wounding her arms around his neck… He kissed the side of her face, moving from her temple, to her closed eyes, to her ears, and down her neck once more… His hand in her hair trailed down her nape, finding the single button of her kurti at her back, and slipped it open… His nose nuzzled the fabric of her top aside, seeking skin to kiss… She didn’t object as he kissed her shoulder, didn’t even mind when his hand at her waist dipped inside her black kurti and stroked the bare skin there… Suddenly he made a sound that almost sounded like a low growl, and his teeth captured the flesh at her shoulder, suckling it in his mouth. She hissed, rising up on tip-toe, her hands fisting in his hair… He placed open mouthed kisses at the spot he had bit, and lifted his head to whisper possessively in her ear, “mine…”

“Yes”, she replied instantly having no doubts about that fact… She was his… Right from the time he had crouched down beside her in the mud, wiped her tears, and given her his half-eaten chocolate… She loved him so much always, but now there was a strong layer of desire added to it… His hard body pressed against hers, made her want to touch and explore. She wanted the kiss he had been talking so often about. Her hand moved down to the collar of his shirt, and after only a slight hesitation she dipped his fingers inside and touched the warm skin beneath silky hair. And as she did this, she recalled last Sunday when she had known that he wouldn’t have worn the t-shirt and tracks to bed, but it was at this moment that she realized that she hadn’t really seen him without a shirt since quite some years now.

Drawing back a bit, she looked up at him, confusion clouding her eyes, “Sameer…” He hummed, still busy in nuzzling her hair… She queried, “jaise tum mujhe parivaar ke saamne hug ya kiss nahi karte the… waise hi mere saamne bina shirt ke aana bhi bandh kar diya tha?”

He glanced down at her in surprise, and then smiled, “so finally you noticed… Sunday ko toh aise bol rahi thi jaise maano mujhe roz dekhti ho bina kapdo ke.”

Her cheeks flushed, “main… uh… abhi dhyan aaya ekdum se…”

He queried, “kyun?”

“Kyunki mujhe dekhne ka man hua”, she pouted, “par yaad aaya ke kaafi saal ho gaye…”

He laughed out at her declaration… Honestly, he had never seen a girl with so much innocence mixed with a heavy dose of disarming boldness… He felt like even if he hadn’t known her since childhood he would have still fallen for her only… There was no one like her… Smiling in joy, he responded, “first date ke baad kisi din… filhaal bahar chalte hai warna baki sab sochenge pata nahi hum kya kar rahe hai…”

The last day of the unit tests, Friday, turned out to be bit more adventurous, as while walking down the corridor he was suddenly pulled into an empty classroom. To his shock it was Sonia, and she huffed, “it’s so difficult to get you alone… jab dekho tab woh Naina chipki rehti hai tumse…”

He pulled his hand out of her hold, “what the hell… aise khincha kyun mujhe…?”

“Tumse baat karni thi”, she replied with a smile, “maine tumhe message kiya tha peechle Sunday… Lekin pata nahi Naina tumhare room me kya kar rahi thi… usne mujhe tumhare phone se call kiya aur ulti seedhi baate kehne lagi.”

He crossed his arms, “really? Kya kaha usne?”

She gleefully replied, “usne mujhe dhamki di ke main tumpe nazar naa daalu kyunki tum uski property ho… Aur kaha ke agar maine tumhe dobara message kiya toh woh college me ye baat faila degi ke mera kisike saath affair hai…”

He arched a brow, “achcha?”

She nodded enthusiastically, “haan… I am sure usne tumhe bataya bhi nahi hoga mere message ke baare me… Such a bit…”

“Careful there”, he interrupted sternly, all playfulness gone from his posture, “Naina ke baare me ulta-seedha bolne ki sochna bhi mat… I trust her more that anyone in this world… Usko bachpan se jaanta hun main… Naina ko games khelna nahi aata… Agar mujhe pata nahi bhi hota tumhare message ke baare me toh bhi main nahi maanta ke Naina ne tumhe dhamki di…”

She stammered, “Sa…Sameer… Kya…”

He didn’t let her finish, “main yeh kehna chahta hun ke mujhe pata tha tumhare message ke baare me… And guess what, I didn’t bother to pay attention… Naina ne hi mujhe message dikhaya tha, aur maine usse kaha tha ke message delete karke tumhara number block kar de… But I think she didn’t block kyunki maine dekha kal raat ko bhi tumne message kiya tha.”

She was shocked, “tum mere messages padh rahe ho par reply nahi kar rahe?”

He asked back, “kyun karu? Boyfriend hun? Main toh tumhara friend bhi nahi hun… Aur naa hi maine tumhe apna number diya tha… Mujhe samajh aa raha hai tum yeh messages kyun kar rahi ho, but let me be honest Sonia… Mujhe Naina ke alawa aur kisi ladki me koi interest nahi hai…”

Sonia remained silent for a long moment, and Sameer turned back to leave… But just then, she spoke up, “tumhe Naina ki bahot fikar rehti hai na? Bachpan ki friend hai… Tumhe usme interest bhi hai… Kaisa hoga agar college me pata chal jaaye ke woh tumhare bedroom me thi subah-subah… Log soch sakte hai ke woh saari raat wahi thi… Aur, kal bhi toh tum usko apni baaho me uthaake sports room me le gaye the… Imagine, iska kya matlab nikaal sakte hai sab…”

His hands balled up in fists, his eyes narrowed in anger, “don’t you dare hurt her…”

“Ab yeh toh tumpe depend karta hai na”, she stated with a smirk, “mere saath date pe chalo… actually… pure college ke saamne mujhe date ke liye propose karo… And your little innocent Naina will be safe… Warna…”

Sameer took a step towards her, rage pulsing in his veins like fire… He had no idea what he would have to her at that moment, if the classroom door hadn’t been flung open by a panting Pandit, who informed in between gasps about Naina needing him.

He didn’t need to hear anything else as he forgot all about Sonia and her threat, and rushed behind Pandit who took him to the canteen. There in the center amid a crowd of students, Naina was standing flanked by Preeti and Munna, both of whom seemed to be berating someone. He couldn’t see exactly who it was, but he quickly went up behind Naina and held her shoulders. She turned to look at him, and sighed in relief, “Sameer… woh… Mayank…”

At the mention of the name, his gaze moved from her to the boy whom he couldn’t see before, and he asked, “kya kiya isne?”

Munna replied before anyone else could, “Naina ko gulaab de raha tha…”

“Aur date pe aaneko bola”, Preeti added.

Pandit guzzled some water, wiping his mouth and informed, “Naina ne mana kiya toh bhi nahi sunn raha tha… Isiliye main tujhe bulaane aaya.”

Sameer started to step forward, but Naina clutched his shirt, “nahi… ruko… meri baat suno…”

“He asked you out on a date”, Sameer spat, his eyes narrowed, “aur tum mujhe rok rahi ho?”

Naina tried to calm him, “I know… par maine mana kar diya… uske baad woh bas reason puch raha hai mere mana karne ki… uska kehna hai woh isse pehle bhi mere liye rose laaya tha… peechle saal rose day pe… mere desk pe rakha tha… Maina kaha usko ke mujhe koi rose nahi mila aur naa hi mujhe chahiye…”

Sameer growled, “haan laaya tha yeh bhi tumhare liye rose… In fact 5 rose aaye the tumhare liye…”

She was puzzled, “really? Toh kahan gaye? Mujhe toh ek bhi nahi mila…”

He quirked a brow, “as if main tum tak pahonchne dunga kisi aur ke roses…”

She smiled, “I should have guessed…” Turning to the other boy she tried to explain, “Mayank… ab toh tumhe pata chal gaya na… Maine tumhara rose accept nahi kiya tha… Mujh tak pahoncha hi nahi woh rose… Please try to understand… Mujhe date pe nahi jaana…”

Mayank looked disappointed as he looked at Naina holding onto Sameer’s shirt, and his hands on her shoulder. He sighed and backed off with dignity, “theek hai Naina… Jaisi tumhari marzi… But let me know if you ever change your mind.”

Sameer also exhaled in relief… He would have punched the guy if he had bothered Naina, but at least Mayank had a respectable sense of consent, unlike Sonia… He searched the crowd knowing that she would have surely followed him to the canteen, and soon enough found her almost at the front, smirking at him. It was clear that she thought she was victorious, that he threat would make him bow to her wish. He definitely wouldn’t go out with Sonia, nor would be propose her like she wanted, but he also didn’t want anyone to talk bad about Naina… And he knew for certain that Sonia would spread rumors…

As he was lost in thoughts, Mayank came up to them and said, “Sameer… tumse ek baat kehni thi…”

Sameer nodded, “kya hai bolo?”

Mayank glanced once at Naina, “main samajhta hun ke Naina tumhare bachpan ki friend hai isiliye tum usko protect karte ho… Infact sirf tum nahi, Munna aur Pandit bhi… Teeno milke Naina aur Preeti ko hamesha protect karte ho… Lekin, tumhe aisa nahi lagta ke yeh kuch zyada hai?”

Sameer was perplexed, “kya zyada hai?”

“Agar tum date pe jaa sakte ho toh Naina aur Preeti kyun nahi”, Mayank argued, “unko ladko se bachake rakhte ho… unko mile hue roses chupa dete ho… lekin tum khud sab kuch kar sakte ho…”

Sameer blinked in confusion, and opened his mouth to deny, but before he could even utter a word Naina spoke up, “yeh tum kya bol rahe ho Mayank? Sameer kabhi kisike saath date pe nahi gaya aur naa hi kisiko gulaab diya…”

Mayank looked at her in pity, “shayad tumhe pata nahi Naina… lekin Sameer…”

“Ek minute”, Naina interrupted, “mujhe nahi pata?” She chuckled, “Main 5 saal ki thi tabse Sameer ko jaanti hun… Jis din hum pehli baar mile the tabse leke aaj tak Sameer ne kabhi mujhse kuch nahi chupaya… Main uske ghar me, uske room me kabhi bhi jaa sakti hun… Woh room lock karta hai, lekin mere paas chaabi deke rakhi hai… Uske cupboard ki chaabi mere paas hai… Woh apna pocket money kahan rakhta hai mujhe pata hai… Uska bank account mujhe pata hai… Usne jabse mobile kharida tabse mujhe bhi sikha diya use karna, aur main kabhi bhi dekh sakti hun bina kisi jhijhak ke… Aaj tak usko jitni ladkiyo ne date pe jaaneke liye pucha usne mujhe bata diya… Aur tum keh rahe ho mujhe nahi pata?” She declared in a crystal clear tone, “Sameer ko mujhse behtar koi nahi jaanta Mayank… Aur ek baat aaj hi clear kar deti hun, Sameer, Munna ya Pandit ne mujhe ya Preeti kabhi kuch karne se nahi roka… Preeti ko ya mujhe koi aitraaz nahi hai inn teeno se, aur hume pura bharosa hai inpe… Mujhe protect karna Sameer ka nature hai, aur mujhe uska yeh nature pasand hai… Munna aur Pandit ko main school se rakhi bandhti hun… Aur Sameer… Uske life me mere alawa naa kabhi koi ladki thi aur naa kabhi koi hogi… Theek waise hi jaise meri life hamesha se sirf Sameer tha, aur hamesha sirf wahi hoga…”

Mayank looked stunned… And so did several other students, while some had the expressions as if they had been expecting this already… Munna and Pandit grinned… Preeti stood silent, but nodded in support. After a couple of minutes Mayank blurted in confusion, “par… phir… woh Sonia… woh toh keh rahi thi ke peechle Sunday ko Sameer use bahar le gaya tha…”

Naina looked at Sonia once, who was glaring at Mayank, and giggled, “seriously? Sonia ne yeh kaha…?” Mayank nodded… Naina shook her head, “well… agar main sachchai bata dungi toh Sonia ko iss college me koi aur date nahi milega… So let it be… Just know that Sameer toh uske messages bhi check nahi karta toh date pe jaana toh bahot dur ki baat hai…”

Sonia stomped her foot, “Sameeerrr…”

Naina clucked her tongue, “Sameeerrr nahi… Sameer… Sikhaya tha na Sunday ko phone pe? Aage aur batau…?”

Sonia looked horrified at the prospect of Naina revealing anything else; she turned and left from there. Naina turned her attention back to Mayank, “dekh liya Sonia ka sach? Aur kuch janna hai…?”

Mayank smiled, “nahi… I can see I never had a chance, right?”

Naina sighed, “I am sorry Mayank… par seriously… mujhpe time waste mat karo… mere liye toh bhagwaanji ne ek lauta piece bhej diya bahot saalo pehle…”

Mayank laughed and nodded, leaving from there… Many other students also scattered as the break ended. Sameer had his gaze fixed on Naina from the time she had started speaking… She didn’t know yet, but she had dispelled his fear of Sonia’s threat… And at the same time she had clearly declared to almost the entire college that she was his, and he was hers… He had thought of such a scene after he had talked to her about marriage… But it seemed he really did not need to wait for the right moments with her, because somehow she was not just totally comfortable but also very direct and clear about their relationship. It hadn’t even taken her a minute to think before setting the record straight about her right on him and his right on her… He kept staring at her adoringly, and when she finally turned to look at him with a broad grin on her face, he couldn’t stop himself from enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug. She squealed at the tight hold, but clutched onto him almost instantly… Munna and Pandit whistled, while Preeti clapped… Sameer sighed, thinking that now it was just a matter of talking to the families… He planned to do it after their date… It shouldn’t be a problem… Everyone knew about them, it’s just that things were not out in the open for everyone to discuss. But it was time… He couldn’t wait much longer, and it dawned on him there was no need to wait… The way Naina had responded to him yesterday, she didn’t need time to get used to romance, so there was no need to take time to get her acquainted with this aspect of their relationship… It was time… Naina would soon be his wife…