Ashi's Birthday Special Update!

Naina woke up at the sound of her alarm.

"11:50 pm? Abhi toh das baje soyi thi." Naina rubbed her eyes and looked around.

"Preeti aur Swati kaha gaye?" She looked at their empty beds and smiled. "Mera birthday hai na, surprise plan kar rahe honge. Abhi mai room ke bahar niklungi aur sab chilayenge SURPRISE. Kitna typical idea hai!"

Naina got out of the bed and slid her feet in her slippers. She knew she would find her friends hidden in a corner somewhere. So, she acted to look for them.

When she reached the living room, she felt an unfamiliar touch on her wrist.

"K...kaun?" She said and the next thing she knew was a knife was placed on her neck.

"Mai Chikna Hatela aur ye mera bhai ... Munna Bhai!" Said a voice behind her.

"M...Munna Bhai? MBBS?" Naina stammered.

"MBBS? Hum B. Com. nahi kar rahe the Pand.."

The man stopped talking and Naina felt as if he gave a muffled yelp in pain.

"Agar apni jaan salamat chahti hai toh jaisa hum kahe waisa kar." Said the man with the knife, Munna Bhai.

Naina nodded and walked out of the house. She was standing just outside Munna's house's threshold when a hand pulled her inside his garden. Sensing the knife away from her neck, she kicked backwards. Her attack wasn't aimed in a specific direction and her leg got strangled with the person's limb and they were on the ground, on all fours.

"Preeti!" Naina heard a concerned voice.

She saw two men wearing monkey caps running in her direction. One of them held a knife in his hand. She turned around and saw Preeti on the floor with her.

"Tu?" Naina had barely managed to ask when one of them, probably Chikna Hatela helped her get up. Rubbing her bruised elbow she got up too and pulled the monkey cap over her kidnapper's face.

"Pandit tu?" Naina shouted.

The kidnapper with the knife removed his monkey cap and Munna Bhai turned out to be just Munna.

Running out of the house, came Manju Aunty, Asha Aunty, Swati and Sameer, who was pushing a cake trolley.

"Chikna Hatela and his Chikni Chameli present Happy Birthday Naina sponsored by Manju and Asha Aunty featuring Sameer Maheshwari." Preeti said in her usual swag filled style.

"Humein bhool gaye?" Munna and Swati complained in unison.

"Tu?" Pandit pointed at Munna. "MBBS? Hum toh B. Com. kar rahe hain Pandit! Saara plan wahi chaupat hona tha."

"Aur tu Swati? Hum na cake nahi banayenge mujhe nahi pasand kuch innovative karte hain." Preeti mimicked Swati.

"Yeh frock wala pandat aur uske bandar ke alag hi kaand hain." Naina said, a little oblivious to Manju Aunty and Asha Aunty's presence.

They gathered around the cake and Naina observed it with strange interest.

"Yeh cake ek taraf lean kar raha hai aur icing bhi thodi hili hui hai. Mera naam bhi bade shaking hand se likha hai." Naina observed the cake.

"Naina beta, aise nahi bolte. Mere hero bhanje ne kitni mehnat se banaya hai!" Manju Aunty said.

Sameer, who had been unusually silent the whole time, now seemed to avoid Naina's gaze. She looked at him with an amused expression.

"Naina. 11:59 ho rahe hai cake kaat." Swati and Munna were done lighting the candles.

Exactly as the clock struck 12. Naina blew the candles and cut the cake.

Cheers of Happy Birthday and the Birthday song rised in the air as the small party began clapping for the birthday girl.

The first bite went to Sameer, who looked drastically relieved after tasting it. Then he took the cake from her hands and made her eat some. He gently put some of the cake on her cheeks, that had rubbed off on his hand. Although she whined like a baby, he could see the happiness reach her eyes.

Naina made everyone eat small bites of the cake. Asha, who still looked sick, tried to act jovial and wished her a fruitful year ahead.

She went inside the house with Manju to get some chips and snacks for the gang.

"Naina, ye le hi bol." Swati kept a tablet in Naina's lap.

"Sona di!!!" Naina chimed.

"Naina. Happy Birthday. I miss you guys so much!!" Sonakshi said from the other side of the screen.

"Aaj toh jhooth mat bolo Sona di." Preeti said.

"Hawww!!" Sona fake gasped like Nisha.

"Aap mere birthday ke agle din Mumbai aa rahe ho. That's not fair Sona di!" Naina complained.

"The plan was made so quickly ki theek se yaha sabko bye bolne ka time hi nahi mila. That's why I'm staying for another day." Sona tried to explain.

"Hume to bina bye bole chale gayi thi aap." Swati started a new complain.

"Accepted. Saare gunah qubool hai and I swear that I'll make up to you guys. Now, Naina enjoy. This day and this year will never come back. Make correct use of it. Bye. I'll see all of you soon." Sonakshi said and the girls bid good bye to her.

Sameer was standing in a corner, alone. Naina walked up to him.

"Yeh kya hai? Mera birthday hai aur ek badii si smile ki jagah tumhare chehre pe ye udasi kya kar rahi hai, bolo? Mera birthday hai toh footage khane ka poora haq mera hai." Naina whined like a 7 year old kid.

"Yeh party ka idea Chikna... I mean Pandit aur Preeti ka tha. Saari decorations, preparations Swati aur Munna ne ki hai. Mai toh shoot ke chakkar mein bhool gaya tha ki tumhara birthday aane wala hai. I am sorry." Sameer held his ear and apologized.

"Haa toh yeh to aur accha hai na, humein ek typical boyfriend-girlfriend wala moment mil gaya. Tum mera b'day bhool gaye, ab mai tum pe chilaungi, tum mujhe mana lena." Naina tried to ease his hesitation. "Sameer, wo cake bahut accha tha. Wo kya kehte hain Master Chef mein? Presentation thodi kharab thi par taste, effort aur emotions ke liye full marks."

Sameer smiled feebly.

"Naina ye jo tum iss baat ko itna lightly le rahi ho, ye mujhe aur guilty feel kara raha hai."

- And then as if an idea struck him. Sameer began his fast blabbering, "Kal tum college bunk kar rahi ho. Mai bhi day off lunga aur hum dono Lonavala picnic par jaayenge, long drive pe. Bas mai, tum aur Lonavala ki vaadiyan. Hum waha waterfall dekhenge, picnic par jaayenge. Mai tumhe ..."

Sameer stopped in the middle of his sentence. Like peace and satisfaction spreads in one's being, he felt warmth and radiance fill every cell of his body because Naina had suddenly wrapped herself around him.

For a second Sameer felt paralyzed with all his overwhelming emotions but then he, too, wrapped his arms securely around her little frame. His chin rested on the top of her head, as she fitted into his body completely. Her ears were stationed just close enough to feel his heart beat. Her head on his chest, his chin on her head, their arms around each other. There couldn't have been a better birthday gift!

As if realising the gravity of her actions, Naina blushed harder than ever and hid her face in his chest. Even before he could stop it, Sameer kissed the top of Naina's forehead.

She looked up, eyes glistening with happy tears and peace, she said, "I love you, Sameer."

"I love you too, Naina."

Their world was complete.

Ok! Now someone tell the CVs, 11 months have passed, they have completed 3 years of their relationship. We need a Samaina hug. We deserve a Samaina hug.

Hum itne bhi manhoos nahi.

All the best wishes in the world combined, gift wrapped and sent to Ashi! She's one of the most down to Earth celebs and the way she is with her fans, friends and family is so heart warming. May she never change yet always grow!

Readers reading after the story has been completed - This part should actually be above the previous chapter but due to some wattpad glitch it comes below it. Sorry!