Zaroorat Chapter 2: Haq

Sameer froze in shock, unable to believe that he had heard the voice correctly… No… It was impossible. He must have been imagining it. Still, just to make sure he turned to see… He was sure that he would find an empty space. However, his eyes widened on seeing the girl standing just inside the door of his room, nervously wringing her hands… How was it possible? His heart thudded at her sight, but he quickly controlled his bubbling happiness, and turned away, “tum jao yahan se… mujhe tumse koi baat nahi karni.”

Naina pleaded, “please ek baar meri baat toh sunlo.”

He closed his eyes, and determinedly replied, “nahi… tumne apne pyaar se mujhe sameta aur phir wapas tod diya… Ab main tumko mauka nahi dunga apne zakhmo ko kuredne ka…  Tum jao apne perfect family ke paas, aur apne naye rishte banao… Main akela hi theek hun… Khud ko sambhal lunga Nanu ke sapno ke liye.”

She tried once more, “Sameer… please…”

But he shook his head, adamant, determined to not give in, and ruthlessly said, “please jao yahan se… mujhe yaqeen hai ke thode din me main tumse pyaar karna bandh kar dunga.”

Finally he heard her sigh, “theek hai… agar tum yahi chahte ho toh yahi sahi.”

Sameer opened his eyes, exhaling through his mouth, and almost moved away from the window, afraid that he would fall weak if he saw her. But then he stopped… He wanted, needed, wished for just one last glimpse of the girl he would forever love. He saw her step out in rain, and cursed, “bewakuf ladki… chaata toh hamesha college ke thele me leke ghumti hai… istemaal kyun nahi kar rahi.”

Was she trying to make him worry for her? Well he won’t let her succeed… He tried to turn away once more, but again stopped… Wait… What was that in her hand? A polybag? And why was she carrying her purse instead of college bag? Didn’t she come from college? And why is she alone? Why didn’t Preeti and Swati come along with her? Why didn’t Munna and Pandit inform him anything from college? She was walking so slowly, pulling her legs sluggishly instead of a proper gait, as if she didn’t have any energy to walk. Something didn’t feel right… He didn’t want to think about her, worry for her, but he couldn’t stop himself… Dammit…

He cursed aloud once more and then rushed downstairs to stop her. As he ran out of the house without bothering about an umbrella, he saw her trying to hail an auto… He reached her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her back inside the big open gates. She gasped in surprise, staggering and turned to look at him. To his utter confusion she didn’t say anything, just kept blinking at him stupidly as if she couldn’t comprehend who was standing before her. And then his blood boiled as she saw a small red cut on the corner of her lip, and the bruises on her cheek as if someone had hit her… He gripped her shoulders, rasping hoarsely, “kisne kiya yeh?”

She didn’t reply, just swayed a bit, still blinking her eyes. He shook her, speaking through gritted teeth, “Naina kisne kiya yeh? Batao mujhe…”

She sucked in a shuddering breath, whispered his name, and then her eyes closed, her body turned limp as she collapsed on his chest. “Naina…”, he screamed, holding her to him, patting her cheek gently, “Naina… utho…”

The anger turned to shock and immense worry… What had happened to her? What had happened with her? Had she come to him for help? Oh God… He had just turned her away without even a proper glance. How could he have not spotted those marks on her skin? He had always thought of Naina being happy in her own world while he suffered with his broken heart… But it didn’t seem like she had had a good time. What should he do now? Gently he removed the purse from her arm, and picked up the polybag she had dropped… Holding both this things in one hand, he somehow managed to pick Naina up in his arms, and then walked towards the house… The thunder roared as if rejoicing, lightning flashed through the dark skies illuminating the surroundings, and the rain water fell from his hair on her face, as he carried her in his arms, over the threshold of his home.

He placed her on the sofa, not carrying a bit that her wet clothes would soak the sofa as well. Extremely worried, he kept stroking her forehead, patting her cheek, rubbing her hands, trying to wake her up… But she lay there completely unresponsive. He also brought some water and sprinkled it on her face, but then thought if she didn’t wake up in the downpour outside then what would a few drops of water do. He was so worried that he couldn’t think straight, plus he realized that the wet clothes would only worsen the situation. Should he change? No… How could he even change her clothes? He should call someone… Who can help? Doctor… He should call a doctor immediately.

As he stood up to place the call, the phone rang, he picked up the receiver and muttered, ‘baad me phone karna.”

But before he could disconnect the call, a loud cry of, “jijaji”,nearly pierced his eardrums. Jerking, he stared at the receiver in shock, and then again placed it on his ear, “Preeti tum? Kahan se bol rahi ho?”

“College se”, Preeti wailed, “Jijaji… please… Naina ko aapki zaroorat hai. Mujhe nahi pata woh kahan hai… Main…”

He interrupted, “Naina mere saath hai.”

Preeti immediately stopped crying, and slight relief was evident in her voice, “us…usne kuch bataya aapko?”

Puzzled he looked back at the unconscious girl on the sofa, the cut near her lips and the bruises on her cheek looked much more prominent now as her skin had paled in the rain, and he felt his heart clench in pain. His voice was strained as he replied, “woh kuch bata nahi rahi hai mujhe… Tum bata do please. Kya hua hai Naina ko?”

“Jijaji woh… ummm…”, Preeti hesitated wondering how to convey.

Sameer was losing his patience, “Preeti… hichkichana bandh karo aur theek se batao… Sab kuch.”

Preeti sighed, “aapse college me ladai hui uske baad Naina khali classroom me bethke bahot royi… Phir pata nahi kya hua, ekdum se uthi aur boli – Sameer ne theek hi kaha tha. Main aur Swati kuch samajh paate usse pehle, woh college se nikal gai. Hum bhi uske peeche gaye… Woh ghar gai, aur… kitchen me Mummy ko jaake keh diya ke woh yeh shaadi nahi kar sakti.”

His eyes widened in surprise, and he had to sit down, “kya? Naina ne shaadi se mana kar diya…”

“Shaadi toh pehle se hi nahi karna chahti thi Jijaji”, Preeti commented and then told him everything from beginning about how they had been suddenly informed about the meeting, how Naina had kept on refusing, how Chachiji had assured that it was just a meeting and not a serious wedding, how Naina had still refused knowing how bad Sameer would feel. Preeti told him about how she had stayed super quiet and bore every tantrum hoping that the boy and his family would find her boring, how she had tried to call him repeatedly, how she was convinced yesterday that something must have happened to Sameer else he would never stay without talking to her, how she had been geared up to go to his home, how Arjun had arrived with the ill-fated news and told Naina that her wishes didn’t matter to anyone.

Sameer clutched his head, “hey bhagwaan… yeh maine kya kar diya. Naina…” He glanced at her still lying unconscious and edged towards the sofa. He touched her feet to check, they were cold, as cold as his heart… Sighing, he stared to rub her feet with one hand, and asked, “aage kya hua Preeti? Chachiji ne maara hai Naina ko?”

“Nahi”, Preeti immediately quipped, “par Naina jab Mummy se yeh baat kar rahi thi tab Taiji ne sunn liya. Aur bakheda khada kar diya… Sabko bula liya… Bade Tauji, Rakesh Tauji, Papa, Arjun bhaiya… Sabne Naina ko bahot daanta, aur pucha ke woh mana kyun kar rahi hai. Naina toh bas papa se ya mummy se akele me baat karna chahti thi, par jab sabne milke shaadi ke liye zor daala toh usne keh diya ke woh kisise pyaar karti hai, aur isi wajah se Sharad se shaadi nahi kar sakti. Papa ne pucha usko ke ladka kaun hai, toh usne pehle ek waada maanga ke sab kuch jaanne ke baad woh usko aapse alag karneki koshish nahi karenge. Papa toh shayad uski baat sunn bhi lete par uske pehle hi Rakesh Tauji ne kaskar ek chaata laga diya. Bas phir toh kya tha… Taiji ne thappado ki ladi laga di, aur boli paap karke itni himmat hai ke hamare saamne zabaan chala rahi hai.”

Sameer clenched his fist, his gaze fixed on the bruises on Naina’s cheek, the vision blurred as his eyes shimmered with tears. Preeti continued, “haalaat itne bigad gaye the ke Naina ne aapka naam hi nahi liya… Chup-chap sab sunti rahi aur thappad khati rahi. Aur phir… Taiji ne Naina ko ghar se bahar nikaal diya yeh kehke ke bhuki-pyaasi ek raat bahar rahegi toh uske haseen sapne khatam ho jayenge.”

He sat up straight, “kya? Aise kaise usko ghar se nikaal sakte hai? Kal poori raat barish hui thi… Chachaji ne roka kyun nahi?”

Preeti sobbed, “papa ne bahot roka par bade Tauji aur Rakesh Tauji iss faisle ke paksh me the. Baarish ho rahi thi toh balcony me toh reh nahi sakti thi Naina, isiliye poori raat darwaze ke saath satke bethi rahi. Main, papa aur mummy baar baar dekhne jaa rahe the, binti kar rahe the usko andar laane ki, par unn logo ne hamari ek nahi suni. Subah ko jab Naina se wapas pucha ke shaadi ke baare me toh usne wahi jawab diya ke woh yeh shaadi nahi kar sakti kyunki woh kisise pyaar karti hai. Taiji toh usko wahin bahar bithake rakhte, aur hume kuch samajh me nahi aa raha tha… Isiliye maine uske liye ek jodi kapda, aur thode paise le liye yeh sochke woh college me kapde badal legi aur main uske liye kuch khana bhi kharid lungi. Lekin jaise hi hum society se bahar nikle Naina ne apna college ka thela mujhe thama diya, aur chota wala purse aur kapde ki theli leke boli ke woh aapse milne aapke ghar jayegi, kyunki usko yaqeen hai ke aaj aap bhi college nahi gaye. Main subah se aap dono ka intezaar kar rahi hun, par jab aap log aaye nahi toh main darr gai ke kahin Naina ko kuch hua toh nahi.”

Sameer closed his eyes, sniffing, struggling to gain composure and stood up once again, “achcha kiya mujhe sab bata diya. Ab sab kuch mujhpe chod do.”

“Par Jijaji”, Preeti replied urgently, “chaar ghante me college khatam ho jayega, phir main kya bolungi ghar pe…”

He looked at the sofa to see Naina stirring at bit, and a determined expression crossed his face, “keh dena sabse ke jab usko ghar se nikaal hi diya hai toh ab woh bhi wapas nahi aayegi.”

Preeti chocked on a scream, “kya?? Jijaji…”

He didn’t think he needed to hear anything more, and so he disconnected the phone, and went up next to Naina, softly calling her, “Naina… utho… please…”

She could hear a soft voice calling her, it tugged at her heart, and she felt the darkness dissolve slowly. She touched her forehead, blinking her eyes open, and looked at the surroundings with a puzzled frown. Where was she? And then she spotted Sameer sitting on his knees on the floor next to her. His sight made her recall that she had come to meet him, to apologize to him, but he had sent her away… She quickly tried to sit up, and he immediately helped her, confusing her even more. Wasn’t he angry anymore? Still she tried to apologize, “Sameer mujhe…”

But before she could finish her sentence, he pulled her in his arms, holding her tight, and muttered, “I am sorry Naina… Please mujhe maaf kardo. Maine tumhari baat nahi suni, tumhe aise jaane ko bol diya… I am so sorry ke maine tumhare pyaar pe shaq kiya.”

Her head still felt heavy, the dizziness persistent, “kya bol rahe ho tum? Meri kuch samajh me nahi aa raha…”

He turned his face, burying his nose in her wet hair, “Preeti ne mujhe sab bata diya… Ravivaar aur kal ki baate.”

She pulled back from him, and looked away, her voice subdued, “maine bahot koshish ki sabko samjhaneki… Par kisine nahi suna… Mujhe nahi samajh aa raha ke ab main kya karu…”

He cupped her face to make her look at him, and blurted, “mujhse shaadi karlo.”

She gasped in shock, “kya? Pagal ho gaye ho kya tum?”

He frowned, “kyun? Wapas jaake uss Sharad se shaadi karni hai?”

Her eyes filled with tears and she stood up, turning away from him. He sighed, standing up too, and moved to her, hugging her from behind, “sorry Naina… Par tumhe khone ke darr me main ajeeb sa ho gaya tha… mujhe pata hai maine bahot kuch galat bola tumhe, aur main poori zindagi tumse maafi maagne ko taiyar hun… main kya karu… bachpan se aisa hi hun… jab dil pe chot lagti hai toh dhong kar leta hun ke main paththar ka bana hun, aur saamne utni hi kadvi baate bolta hun…”

He tightened his hold a bit, and continued, “Sunday ko Munna aur Pandit aaye the… Hum teeno ne poora din bahar bitaya. Isiliye mujhe pata hi nahi chala ke tumne phone kiya tha. Aur raat ko hum peene me lag gaye. Achcha ek baat batao… Kal tumne dhyan diya tha ke main kya pehenke college aaya tha?”

She was extremely puzzled by this question, but obediently replied, “haan… mera favorite blue t-shirt aur white jacket.”

He smiled a bit, “haan… kal main sirf gulaab nahi laaya tha Naina… Sunday ka din aise bitaana aur raat ko peena, sabke peeche wajah thi. Hum log khushi mana rahe the… Kyunki maine socha tha ke kal ke din main tumko college se bahar le jaunga, date pe… aur tumhe shaadi ke liye propose karunga. Hum teeno ravivaar ko anguthi bhi kharidke laaye the… aur isiliye raat ko pee rahe the. Maine socha ke tum haan bol dogi toh main Mummy ko yahan bulaunga hamari shaadi ki baat tumhare gharwalo se karne ke liye… Par ek toh sharab ke wajah se sar bhari ho rakha tha, aur jaise hi college me ghusa kuch students tumhare roke ki baat kar rahe the… Phir jab tumhare muh se bhi apne naam ke jagah Sharad ka naam suna toh aisa laga jaise maine sab kuch kho diya…”

She turned to him, her eyes glistening with tears, “main Sharad se baat karke use samjhana chahti thi ke woh iss shaadi ke liye mana kar de… Aur koi wajah nahi thi usse baat karne ki. Mujhe toh uski shakal tak yaad nahi hai, dekha hi nahi maine use… Aur usne mujhe kis nazro se dekha mujhe nahi pata, kyunki har ek pal main sirf tumhare baare me soch rahi thi.”

He smiled, and pushed back a few wet tendrils from her face. She sniffed once, and asked, “Sameer… tum sach me anguthi…” But she trailed off on a loud sneeze.

Immediately he drew back at arm’s length, “tum toh shaadi se pehle hi pati pe cheenk rahi ho… Hamari baate hoti rahegi… tum jao pehle kapde badlo warna tabiyat aur bigad jayegi.”

She still stood there, unsure what to do. This was his home… How could she change clothes here? It would be so awkward… But he was also right… She would fall sick in wet clothes. At the same time she noticed Sameer was also totally drenched, and the sofa was wet too. She sighed, giving in and moved to pick up the polybag with her clothes.

He stopped her, “rehne do… woh kapde bhi geele hai. Aao mere saath upar…”

She followed him upstairs, puzzled as to where he was taking her, but paused as they entered his room. Why were they here? He opened his cupboard, pulled out some clothes, and then turned to her, frowning on seeing her still standing at the door, “tum wahan kyun khadi ho? Andar aao… Yeh lo kapde.”

She walked inside slowly, her eyes fixed on the grey tracks and round-neck light blue t-shirt in his hand, and said, “yeh… yeh mujhe nahi aayenge.”

He smirked, “tum itni bhi moti nahi ho ke mere kapde tumhe chote pade… Jao bathroom me change karlo.”

She blinked at him, not even raising any objection when he teased her, and simply took the clothes from his hand and walked towards the bathroom. “Naina”, he stopped her for a moment, and picked up the bottle of water he kept beside his bed, “thoda paani pee lo, warna phirse chakkar aa jayega.” She still seemed to be at a loss, so he opened the cap and held the bottle to her lips, making her drink, his heart aching at how docilely she was obeying him. She still hadn’t smiled… Not even responded to his teasing… Why didn’t he listen to her yesterday? Then he could have stood by her when she talked to her family… He had wanted her to take a stand for herself, for them, but honestly he had never expected her to face the storm alone. He had thought they would both be together at each stage of this… But just because he had been foolish enough to not even hear to a single word from her, she had taken up the whole responsibility on herself… And then when she had come to him, he had turned her away.

She wiped her mouth, and at his gesture she went inside the bathroom to change. He sighed, thinking how to make her feel better, and changed his own clothes outside quickly. She hadn’t even responded properly to his comment about the wedding proposal. Would she have any objection? But first, keeping everything aside, he needed to feed her something… She looked so weak and he couldn’t forget how she had fainted in his arms. He dumped his wet clothes, and then knocked on the bathroom door, “Naina… main neeche jaa raha hun. Tum kapde badalke neeche aa jaana.”

She replied softly, “theek hai.” Satisfied he went downstairs, and she finally came out of the bathroom ten minutes later. Clutching the wet clothes in her hand she looked around the room, feeling flustered at the situation. What should she do with her wet clothes? Naturally she cannot just hang them anywhere to dry. She spied a polybag lying around on the table, and grabbed it, stuffing her wet clothes inside. She felt extremely awkward at being here like this… Add to that she was wearing his clothes. It felt weird because they were oversized, she almost had to roll the tracks in half, and the biggest complication was that all her clothes were wet, which meant she wasn’t wearing anything inside. God… She can’t go downstairs in front of him like this. But what could she do? Looking here and there, she spotted his white jacket hanging behind the door on a hook. She thought that it would cover her up a bit, and so she grabbed it, pulling it on. However, even after several attempts she couldn’t close the zip.

Meanwhile in the kitchen Sameer was struggling with the task of preparing some food for her. She hadn’t eaten since last night… He wasn’t sure about her lunch yesterday too. And he could relate because he himself had not eaten anything since their quarrel in college yesterday. With Naina out of his life somehow everything had lost its charm. He cursed himself for giving a holiday to Ramdhari today. Knowing that tea was totally out of his league, he tried to make coffee, thinking that it was simple as he just needed to boil the milk, add coffee, sugar and stir. He set a saucepan with milk on gas which he had finally managed to light after several attempts, and then took out every bit of snacks he could find in the kitchen. As he dumped two packets of chips on the counter, he heard her soft voice from behind, “tum kya kar rahe ho?”

He turned his head to reply, “coffee bana raha hun”, and then did a double take, his gaze raking over her from head-to-toe. Her hair was still wet making him want to smell those strands again; her skin looked even paler if possible and the sight of the bruises kept his anger simmering; she was wearing his clothes, the t-shirt falling to mid-thighs and the tracks were folded so much he wondered how it even stayed in place at her waist. But why was she wearing the jacket? He was just about to ask when he noticed how her cheeks flushed, she didn’t meet his gaze and kept trying to tug the open seams of jacket together. He almost smiled as he suddenly realized why she was wearing the jacket.

Wanting to make her smile, he teased, “Naina… jacket utaar do… iss t-shirt pe suit nahi kar raha.”

The color on her cheeks heightened, “uhh… nahi… thand hai.”

He chuckled, but before he could reply to her, the milk boiled over, spilling on the gas with a sizzle. He quickly tried to turn off the gas but some of the hot milk dropped over his fingers making him yelp. Naina immediately forgot every apprehension, and rushed to him, “Sameer… dhyan kahan hai tumhara? Hato yahan se…” She turned the gas off, and sighed, “kuch banane ki zaroorat nahi hai… mujhe bhuk nahi hai. Tum thande paani me haath dho lo pehle.”

He turned the tap on and held his hand under the water, and frowned, “mujhe Preeti ne bataya ke tumne kal raat ko kuch nahi khaya… Aur mujhe pata hai dopahar ko bhi nahi khaya hoga.”

“Mujhe bhuk nahi hai”, she repeated, clutching the jacket back.

He shook his hand to get rid of excess water, and then slowly walked up to her. Before she could gauge what he was up to, he grabbed the hem of the jacket she was wearing.

She gasped, “Sameer…”

“Shshh”, he interrupted, “chup ekdum.” Keeping his gaze fixed on her face, he managed to tuck the ends of the lock of zip together, and then slowly pulled up the zipper. She closed her eyes, holding her breath as she heard the metallic rasp of the zip, and felt the snug cover tighten first over her belly, then her breasts, and then finally just a bit below her neck. Then he gently cupped her face, rubbing his thumb over the bruises on her cheek, “Naina… tumhare saath kal jhagda hua uske baad se maine bhi kuch nahi khaya hai. Thoda chakkar aa raha hai.”

Her eyes snapped open, he could see the immediate concern clouding her gaze, and her voice was much normal as she rebuked him, “tumhara dimag kharab hai kya? Itni der bina khaye kaun rehta hai. Chalo hato yahan se… Main coffee banati hun. Aur yeh kya chips nikaale hai, ghar me aur kuch nahi hai… Bread toh hoga na kamsekam… Hato… main dekhti hun.”

He gladly let himself be pushed away as he watched her shuffle around the kitchen, pulling out a half-finished pack of bread, some butter and jam from the fridge. She somehow managed to find cups, sugar and coffee too, and then devoted herself to the task. He sat on the countertop, beside the gas, and watched her take charge as if she had always lived her. She used a wet cloth to clean the gas, then started making coffee, and a simple meal of bread-butter-jam sandwiches. She also took out some biscuits but stuffed the packet of chips back in the box. He smiled, and teased once more, “mera white jacket tumpe bahot achcha lag raha hai, par isko ganda mat kar dena…”

She threw an irritated glance at him, “chup… neeche utro, chalo. Yeh bread ka dish le jao.”

He obeyed her; gratified that she was at least responding to him and not behaving like a lost doll. When she brought the hot cups of coffee, he made her sit next to him on the dining table, and insisted on feeding her. She still refused, “mujhe sach me bhuk nahi hai… tum khao.”

He kept the sandwich down, “Naina… I am sorry. Kitna gussa karogi mujhpe? I promise main ab se kabhi bhi tumhare pyaar pe shaq nahi karunga, kabhi tumhari baat sune bina gussa nahi karunga… Tum jo bologi mere liye wahi sach hoga.”

She swallowed once, and then looked up at him, her eyes filling with fresh tears, “tumne kaha tum thode din me mujhse pyaar karna bandh kar doge.”

“Gadha hun main”, he replied irked, and wrapped his arm around her, suddenly pulling her in a hug, “Tumko wakai me lagta hai ke main kabhi bhi tumse pyaar karna bandh kar sakta hun? Main toh bas khudko poori tarah tutne se bacha raha tha… Sach toh yeh hai ke main darr raha tha ke main khudko kho dunga, jeene ki saari ummeed kho dunga, akelepan me dum ghut raha tha mera. Tumse pyaar karna bandh kar paata toh khidki pe khade hoke tumhe dekhta nahi rehta… tumhare peeche bhaagke nahi aata. Mujhe please maaf kardo Naina… tum hi socho na… mere din ka har ek minute tumse hi juda hua hai, toh main kitna darr gaya hounga jab mujhe laga ke tum ab meri nahi ho. Shayad mar bhi jaata, par uske baad bhi khudko tumse alag nahi kar paata.”

She couldn’t escape his embrace, but kept her palm over his mouth, still sobbing, “aisi baate mat karo.”

He pulled her hand away from his mouth, and wrapped it around himself, “I love you Naina. Mere paas sach me koi shabd nahi hai tumhe samjhane ke liye ke tumhare bina Sameer sirf ek khokla sharir hai… meri jaan to tumme basti hai. Bachpan se sab log mujhe chodke chale gaye, aur jab aisa laga ke tum bhi chali jaogi toh main pagal sa ho gaya, khudke dil ke dard ke saamne tumhari taklif nazar hi nahi aa rahi thi. Anjaane me tumhe aur dard de diya. I am so sorry Naina…”

Her hands fisted on his shirt at his back, “mujhe bhi maaf kardo please… Tumne sahi kaha tha… Maine hamesha tumko pyaar kiya par har waqt apne parivaar ko tumse zyada ehmiyat di. Yeh samajh nahi paai ke mere zindagi me sabse pehli jagah tumhari honi chahiye. I am sorry ke main Sharad se mili… I am sorry ke mere me gharwalo ko mana karneki himmat nahi thi… I am sorry ke uss waqt gusse me mere muh se nikla ke mujhe Sharad se shaadi kar leni chahiye. Sameer… tumhare alawa main kisi aur ke baare me soch bhi nahi sakti. Meri zaroorat, meri khwahish, meri ummeed sirf tum ho. I love you.”

“I love you too”, he sighed, pressing his lips on the side of her head, “please kuch kha lo Naina… Mere liye.”

She drew back from him, and nodded. Lifting a piece of bread, she held it to his lips, “par pehle tum…” He smiled, taking a bite, and then took the bread in his hand, feeding her from the same piece.

They finished the food in silence, and then he hesitantly asked, “Naina… tumne kuch socha maine jo kaha uss baare me? Hamari shaadi ke baare me?”

Mujhse shaadi karlo.

She recalled how simply he had stated those three words… It was magic. A world full of happiness resided in those three words. And she felt the same euphoric feel on recalling these words as she felt whenever he said ‘I love you.’ But reality wasn’t as simple as that. She sighed, “Sameer… hum aise kaise gharwalo se puche bina shaadi kar sakte hai.”

He took her hand in his, and said, “thodi der ke liye hum dono ke gharwalo ko side pe rakho… bhool jao unhe… aisa socho sirf hum dono hai, aur main tumse puch raha hun… Naina, main tumse bahot pyaar karta hun. Kya tum mujhse shaadi karogi?”

Despite all the tension in her head, a smile bloomed on her lips as she heard him say this. She really didn’t have to think about her answer, and so she happily replied, “haan.”

He grinned, picking up her hand, intending to kiss but as on seeing her eyes widen he just rubbed his cheek on the back of her palm. Then he hugged her once again, and asked, “tumne kal sabse pehle Chachiji se baat ki thi… Kya tumhe aisa lag raha tha ke woh tumhari baate samjhegi?”

She fisted her hand on his shirt, “main sabse pehle Chachaji se baat karna chahti thi. Par woh ghar pe nahi the, toh socha Chachiji se hi baat kar leti hun. Par Taiji kab aa gayi pata hi nahi chala. Galti kardi maine… Thoda intezaar kar liya hota toh shayad baad itni bigadti nahi.”

He thought for a moment, and then said, “theek hai… Hum Chachaji se baat karenge. Par usse pehle tumhe ek faisla lena hoga.”

Puzzled she drew back from him, “kaisa faisla?”

He once again held her hand, giving her the assurance of his love, “dekho… Kal jo hua ghar pe tumhare saath, uske baad mujhe nahi lagta ke tumhare gharwalo ko hamara yeh rishta manzoor hoga. Tumhe lagata hai Chachaji baat ko samjhenge, isiliye main unse baat karneko taiyar hun. Par agar aaj unse baat karneke baad bhi maamla suljha nahi toh tum kya karogi? Naina Agarwal banke wahan uss ghar me wapas jaogi? Ya Mrs. Naina Sameer Maheshwari banke yahan mere saath rahogi?”

She stilled in surprise, several questions and debates springing in her head, but words didn’t leave her mouth. Oh God… What was this question? She hadn’t even thought that it would come to this… A choice… He was asking her to choose between her family and him. How could she? Chachaji and Chachiji had taken care of her like their daughter since she was a child. How could she leave them? How could she take a step that would embarrass them in front of others? And what about her father? His pride was everything for him…

This thought however made her pause and frown. Her father was always ready to overlook her for his pride. It had never mattered to him that he had a daughter too… And to protect this pride in school she had thrown Sameer to the wolves. He didn’t love her then, but she did… Then why couldn’t she have tried to save her father’s pride and Sameer both? Instead she had sacrificed Sameer, claimed that he was a thief without even talking to him, and that had led to his mother leaving him. What would have happened to him then if Nanu hadn’t been there? She had prioritized her family over her love… And then, when she had known the actual truth of her own brother, she had just been relieved that Sameer wasn’t a thief. She hadn’t told him about the real truth until much later when she knew he was irrevocably in love with her. She hadn’t tried to clear his name in school… And this made her realize that yesterday even in anger Sameer had stated some true facts. She never had the courage to state her wishes in front of her family, stand up for what she wanted. And she had never given the deserved priority to Sameer. Just yesterday for the first time ever, she had tried to stand up for herself, for their relationship… she had even tried to protect him by not taking his name. And she had done that because he had instigated her with his anger… He had made her listen to her heart and act upon it rather than accept silently whatever was offered. And now, if she lost this courage, if she bent once again to the will of her family, she would lose Sameer forever. She would keep loving him with all her heart, but she would end up destroying herself and him… No she wouldn’t let that happen. Her love was not her weakness, it was her strength.

She drew in a deep breath and replied, “agar aise haalaat aate hai ke mujhe faisla karna pade toh… main yahan rahungi, tumhare saath, tumhari biwi banke.”

The immediate wide grin that flashed on his face made her heartbeats skitter and the shine in his eyes lighted up her world. He hugged her in elation, rocking her side to side, and she hugged him back too, feeling treasured in his warmth. And then suddenly he stood up, and picked her up in his arms as if she was made of feather.

Frightened, she shrieked, “Sameer kya kar rahe ho? Neeche utaaro mujhe… Gir jayenge dono.”

He chuckled, “madam… main itna bhi kamzor nahi hun. Tumhe bahar se andar main hi laaya tha.”

She stilled, her eyes wide, “aise… uthake?”

He rolled his eyes, “aur nahi toh kya… ghaseetke laata?”

Blushing a bit, she stammered, “par… abhi kahan…”

He flashed a lopsided smirk, “upar… hamare bedroom me.”

“Kya…”, she squealed once more, loud enough to make him flinch, and she squirmed to get down from his arms. He lifted her a bit, tightening his hold, and said, “Naina… hilna bandh karo… Mujhe achche se mehsoos ho raha hai ke tumne jacket kyun pehna hai.”

She froze in his arms, staring up at him with big round eyes, her cheeks flooded with color. As he carried her upstairs, she stayed just like a statue in his arms, not even moving an inch. He reached his room, and gently placed her on the bed, her head on pillow, and covered her up with the thin sheet. He turned the fan onn, and then sat beside her, facing her, “thodi der so jao. Sab kuch mujhpe chod do ab… Hum aaj shaam ko hi Chachaji se baat karenge.”

She smiled hesitantly, “Sameer hum… yahan…”

He interrupted, “hum nahi tum… filhaal ke liye sirf tum so rahi ho yahan. Main paas wale kamre me hun. Kuch zaroorat ho toh awaaz lagana.”

“Sameer”, she called out just as he started to stand up.

He glanced back at her, his brows furrowed, “kya hua?”

She smiled, “tumne hi toh kaha… kuch zaroorat ho toh awaaz lagana.”

He was puzzled, “matlab… kya chahiye…”

She took his hand, tugging at it until he was leaning a bit towards her, and looked at his fingers, “yahin pe jala tha na?”

“Naina… kuch nahi hua…”, he started to assure. But she brought his hand up to her lips, and softly kissed the spot. He sucked in a sharp breath, staring at her in amazement. She blushed hard, quickly looking away.

He smiled, his heart beating at a fast pace as he lifted her hand, and was elated when she didn’t stop him. Dipping his head, he gently kissed her hand. She looked back at him as he kissed her palm again, and again, and again… and then she laughed, “bas karo ab…”

He grinned, “I love you.”

“I love you too”, she replied immediately. He adjusted the sheet over her, and watched her for some time, his eyes darkening in silent fury on seeing the marks on her face. He didn’t know if Chachaji would agree to their relationship or not, but one thing was sure, someone would have to give him an answer for what they had done to Naina.

She seemed to understand the change in his mood, because she held his hand, and assured “main theek hun.”

He shook his head, “nahi ho… par ho jaogi. Aaj ke baad se koi aisa nahi kar payega tumhare saath… Haath uthana toh dur, koi tumpe awaaz bhi uthayega na toh uske saamne Sameer khada hoga.”

She kept looking at him in surprised adoration. Hesitating a bit, he brought his own hand to his lips, kissed two fingers and then placed them on the wound on her lips. She clutched the sheet, her lips parting, but her eyes shone with tears and love. He gave her one last smile, asked her to rest, and then went outside ready to take on a new responsibility.