Sun ducked down behind the buildings and under the fence, refracting golden hour through the alleys, he was gone with one last tiny blaze of warmth and light on the horizon.the sun sets, the twilight is coming. The sky is completely dark, and the moon rises slowly with innocent imagination.

Preeti just made her baby sleep in the crib, when Naina came in from the balcony.

Naina: yes sir, I'll be there in 2 days.(pause) Sure sir, I'll send the file right away. Have a good night sir!

Disconnecting the phone Naina sat on the bed. Preeti nodded her head in disbelief and said.

Preeti: Chutti ke din bhi kaam?? Subah se kitni baar phone aa chuke hai. Aisa kya kaam hai jo tujhe hi handle karna hai?

Naina: Ek nhi hazar kaam hai aise. Aur aisa hoga hi na, ekdum se chutti extend kar li. Upar se wapis kuch hafto mein chutti leni hai shaadi ke liye toh phir kaam toh karna padega na.

Preeti(sighing): kya yaar, atleast kal toh time hai na tujhe??

Naina: ab kis liye??

Preeti: shopping obviously.

Naina: aaj toh ho gayi na, ab aur kiski karni hai?

Preeti: Madam ji sabse bade event ki shopping hui nhi hai ab tak.

Naina(confusingly) : sab rasmo ki toh ho gayi na preeti. Mehendi, sangeet, haldi, shaadi. Ab aur kis cheez ki honi hai??

Preeti: madam ji, suhagraat pe kya lehenge pehen ke baithegi??

As the words left preeti's mouth, Naina was dumbfounded. She was all shocked and embarrassed at the statement preeti made.

Naina: kuch bhi kya bol rahi hai. Chup baith.

Naina said and returned back to her phone.

Preeti: Arre sach hi toh bol rahi hu. Aur please ha tu ab sharmana band kar. Main behen hu teri. Aur meri shaadi mein ki thi na humne lingerie shopping. Toh ab tere liye bhi karni hai.

Naina: lekin zaroorat thodi hai.

Preeti: Are you serious? Teri shaadi hone wali hai Naina. Ab toh aise mat kar yaar. Ab chup chap kal mere saath chal lingerie shopping ke liye.

Naina: aur fir ghar pe kya batayenge?

Preeti: bol denge ki daily use ke liye kuch cheeze chahiye isiliye jaa rahe hai.

Naina: aur fir wapis aayenge tab kya dikhayenge unhe?

Preeti: kuch cheeze le lenge na fir sabko dikhane ke liye.

Naina sighed and then hummed in acceptance.

Preeti: waise tu lingerie bhi dikha sakti hai. Woh bhi daily use ho sakta hai.

Preeti teased her and laughed out loud. Naina was again tongue tied. She took the pillow next to her and started hitting preeti but lightly. The sisters bickered for a while and then slept off.

***************************
Meanwhile

Dressed in a black jeans, denim jacket and white plain t shirt, our hero was looking handsome as always and was entering a club. He walked in with a mask on so that no one recognizes him. As he joins in the crowd he hears his name called.

"Sameer!! "

Sameer turns and sees his best friend Kabir sitting near the bar and waving his hand towards him. Sameer walks to his friend and hugs him.

Kabir: kaisa hai mere bhai?

Sameer: mast lekin bohot zyada exhausted.

Sameer said giving a tired look.

Kabir: toh thodi drink pee le. Maine scotch ek bol di hai already.

Sameer: Nahi nahi, main drink nhi karne wala. I'll take a normal juice or coke.

Sameer ordered his drink and the friends started talking.

Kabir: Waise tu Naina ko gift kya karne wala hai?

Sameer: gift??

Kabir: ha, shaadi ke baad gift toh dena padta hai bhai. Warna no entry in the room, nor in the bed.

Sameer: hey bhagwan! Ab iske baare mein bhi socho.

Kabir: Sochna kya hai, aisa kuch de jo bohot special ho. Sirf tere aur uske beech.

Sameer: special? Tune kya diya tha Priyanka (pinki) bhabhi ko?

Kabir: aye bhai, aise gift batate nhi hai kisiko.

Sameer: kaisa yaar hai tu!! Ab tere dost ko madat bhi nahi karega kya?

Kabir: bhai main tujhe madat kar bhi du, lekin mujhe pata hai jo gift maine diya tha woh tu Naina ko nahi dega.

Sameer: aisa kya diya tha tune!??

Kabir: jaise maine bola, ek cheez jo sirf hamare beech ho. (Whispers) something that I wanted to see her in.

Kabir winks at Sameer and goes back to his drink. Sameer was astounded at his words and was processing them for quite a long time.

Kabir: Toh kya socha kya lega??

Sameer: aaa.... Le lunga kuch toh... Like a pendent or something.

Kabir laughed and said.

Kabir: kaha tha na maine mera suggestion tujhe acha nhi lagega.

Sameer sighed and nodded. Both the friends talked for long and then bid byes, returning home.

**************************

The sky, mid-afternoon, a beautiful canvas graced with sky blues and pure milky whites. The blue in the depths beyond and the smooth, rounded, sugary sweet clouds in the foreground;Stained white wooden porches, green plastic lawn and garden chairs and a yellow butterfly dancing above the steamy urban pavement with an invisible partner to a made up song.

A girl dressed in a simple light blue kurti and white cardigan stood all tensed out side a shop. Another girl joined her and clicked her fingers in front of her.

Preeti: kya hua madam? Idhar hi khadi rahegi kya?

Naina: preeti, yeh nighty wagerah lena zaroori hai kya?? Kisine dekh liya toh!

Preeti: dekha toh dekha. Itna kya hai, teri shaadi hai aur yeh sab nayi nayi shadi hoti hai tab hi hota hai. Baad mein toh itna sajna sawarna nhi hota.

Naina looked at her and then at the shop. The see through glass showed all the mannequins decked up in satin nighties, with different colours and designs. They both entered the shop, and roamed around seeing all the different pairs of clothes.

Naina looked through some long satin nighties, but didn't like any because of the net designs which were too revealing. Just then preeti nudged her.

Preeti: Naina yeh wali dekhna. Isn't this good?

Preeti showed a nighty. Deep red color, with intricate net design on the torso paired with a satin robe, which reached till the knee. Naina looked at it while preeti asked her to try it in the changing room.

Naina: preeti Tu bilkul bhi yaha se hilna mat ha. Main tujhe awaj dungi tab Tu andar aa jana. Main yeh pehen ke bahar nhi aane wali.

Preeti: haha thik hai. Pehle try toh kar.

Naina went in the room and just like a typical indian checked the mirrors by touching her finger. Once she was satisfied with the safety, she changed into the satin cloth. She looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn't deny but she actually looked like a model in the outfit. She caressed the fabric, that hugged her body.

Opening the door just so she could peek out, naina saw her sister typing something on the phone and called out her name and actioned her to come in. Preeti looked at her and then entered the cubicle. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped looking at her innocent sister in the sexy outfit.

Preeti: Naina, maa kasam aaj sach mein lag raha hai ki kaash main ladka hoti.

Naina who was nervous as her sister checked her out, left a relieving sigh and slapped preeti's shoulder for her statement.

Preeti: sach mein sameer ki toh halat bohot kharab hone wali hai.

Preeti laughed out loud making the to be bride blush profusely. Naina then changed into her normal dress, and both the sisters shopped for some more essential lingeries, dresses and accessories. Meanwhile, the whole time naina was hoping that the new outfit would not shock sameer.

**************************
The evening sun cast long shadows on the ground. The slanting rays of the setting sun gave a warm orange tinge to the sky. Sitting in his car Sameer was admiring the sky on his way to Viviana Mall for his business meeting. Lost in his thoughts, He reached the mall and made his way inside towards the food court of the mall. Reaching there he saw a man in a graphic print white t-shirt, curly hair and grey eyes.

He moved towards the table.
Sameer- Kartik!!

Kartik- Sameer! Hello, nice to meet you!

Sameer-Nice to meet you too!

Kartik introduced the person beside him as the writer of the film .Shaking their hands they settled down on their seats and ordering something to drink they came to the topic of the meeting.

Kartik-I really wanted to work with you from a long time and finally abhi jaake chance mila hai.

Sameer smiled hearing this waiting for kartik to continue his talk.

Kartik- Filhal toh dusre projects already scheduled ho chuke hai. Par mere paas ek bohot acchi story hai.

Sameer nodded his head and asked the writer Himanshu Sharma to narrate the story to Sameer. From the beginning, detailing some scenes, climax , till the ending of the script ; he narrated how the movie would go and Sameer attentively heard the details and was impressed by his skills. Appreciating the writer Sameer accepted to work on this movie. Kartik and Himanshu were happy to hear that and continued their discussion.

Kartik- Sameer, while shooting i won't be there on the sets, kyuki main sirf produce karunga yeh movie. We have our director Aditya Dhar.

Sameer- Okayyy

Kartik- Aur mujhe ek new face introduce karana hai so uske auditions main khud hi lunga, kyuki main abhi 1-2 mahine hu Mumbai main. Mene auditions bhi ek do din main hi schedule kiye hai, so once i get a good face, hum uska tumhare saath bhi ek baar screen audition le lenge, then I'll let you know about that and we'll finalize our heroine.

Sameer-Okay Done... Mujhe story bohot pasand aayi. Himanshu tumne bohot accha kaam kiya hai.. I love my character...Aur Kartik actually mere kuch personal events hai starting from next week for a month. So shooting hum 1-1and a half month ke baad hi chalu karenge. Baki ka I am okay with the other things.

Kartik-Ya ya okay. Voh sab and payment etc hum contract sign karte waqt dekh lenge. I just want you to be in my movie, kyuki you are the one jiski demand abhi bohot hai by public as well as directors and producers and jaise ki mene kaha tha mujhe bohot time se tumhare saath kaam karna tha.

Sameer-Dont worry, i liked the script alott toh yeh movie toh main hi kar rha hu. I won't decline this offer.

After some conversations about the contract, the movie and the dates they bid goodbyes and left to their own destinations.

********************************

After his meeting with Kartik, Sameer headed to shop a gift for Naina. He made his way towards the Diamond Jewellery shop "CaratLane" on the 2nd floor of the mall.

The shop with marble flooring, white led lights in the ceiling; simple to heavy and varieties of jewellery on display all over the shop. As Sameer entered one of the saleswomen reached him.

Saleswomen-Good evening Sir! How can i help you?

Sameer-I would like to see some dainty bracelets or pendants.

Saleswomen-Yaa sure. This way.
Saying this she lead him towards the counter and started showing him trays full of various diamond bracelets first. Sameer observed each one but none could catch his attention. Then she started showing pendants some were too heavy and some were too simple.

While skimming his eyes through them, One pendant- Silver chain, holographic pink purple tear drop shape silver bordered; imagining Naina wearing the pendant looking more beautiful and gorgeous than ever, made his eyes sparkle with joy. He pointed towards the pendant and said.

Sameer-Please pack this one. I would like to buy this pendant.

Saleswomen-Okay Sir.

Smiling towards him she started packing the pendant and made her way towards the cash counter. Sameer thanking them paid the bill and moved out of the shop. Dwelling on Kabir's word Sameer marched towards a shop but then stopped at the door of the shop.

He stared at the name of the shop in silver bold letters"VICTORIA'S SECRET" fighting with his insides whether he should go inside or no. Mustering up some courage, he spoke to himself.

Sameer- Ek lambi se saas le aur andar chala Jaa. Breath in- breath out.

He took a a deep breath and pushed the door open with his closed eyes.As he entered preparing himself for 2 seconds to see- colourful, designs and net cladded nighties with some of their other best selling products. Opening his eyes, skimmed his eyes through the shop and a small part of his mind was cursing Kabir for the idea but then he moved towards one of the counters.

Saleswomen-Hello Sir! How can i help you??

Sameer- Actually mujhe....ahh mujhe kuch nightwear dekhna hai...aapni fiancé ke liye.

Saleswomen(nodding her head)-Okay sir...nightwear main kya dekhna pasand karenge sir? Nightdresses? Nightgowns? Ya lace nighties??

Sameer was a bit hesitant at first but then decided to give it a try.

Sameer-ummm....Kya aap lace nighties dikha sakti hai...

Saleswomen-Yaa sure sir.

She started showing him various coloured, styled, different types-net or robe. Sameer carefully observed each one and separated some too revealing nighties aside. Keeping in mind that his girl should not feel uncomfortable he selected some nighties from which he would buy one. There was a red and a black one , both not too reveling yet not so sweet. Seeing his red tainted cheeks anyone could tell that he was shy, our shy baby was imagining his Naina in these nighties and thinking which one would suit her more. Keeping some tangy thoughts aside. He decided the which one to buy.

Sameer-I would like to buy......The black one.

Saleswomen-Sure sir..I'll pack this.

Nodding to her Sameer once again gazed towards the black nightie. Black satin material with black lace towards the end of the nightie that would go till mid-thighs, straps attached to the lace cladded cups covering the chest area with small black bows on both sides. He was sure Naina would look electrifying beautiful in it.

Once done with payment and collecting the bag he finally left the mall. Collecting his clothes from the boutique he steered his car towards the road to his home.

***********************

"Ding dong"

The bell rang as a lady walked towards the entrance to open the door.

Lady: aaiye devarji!!

The lady dramatically said.

Sameer(dramatically) : Dhanyawaad bhabhiji.

Both Swati and Sameer chuckled. As she saw a half dozen of bags in his hands she exclaimed.

Swati: Arre waah!! Aaj badi shopping kar aaye hai aap.

Sameer: shopping nhi, boutique se saare kapde le aaya. Usme hi itna time lag gaya.

Swati: Ab kya kare, aap hai hi aise ki sabko aapka time chahiye.

Swati teased passing a glass of water to Sameer. Gulping it, he too teased her.

Sameer: Wahi toh problem hai, sab logo ke wajah se main apne iss khoobsurat bhabhi time hi nhi de paa raha.

Swatii: Acha ji.

Swati smacked his shoulder, as both of them laughed out loud. Dadi came out of the room and saw the duo having their time.

Dadi: chalo bhai, bhabhi-devar ki masti khatam ho gayi ho toh khana kha le??

Swati: ji Dadi, bas ye aa rahe hai. 5-10 minute mein baithte hai.

Dadi: thik hai. Sameer ja tu fresh ho ja aur yeh tere saare bags bhi le ja.

Sameer: ji.

Sameer picked up his stuff and walked towards his room when he remembered something.

Sameer: aa.. Bhabhi aap jara andar aayengi? Mujhe kuch baat karni hai.

Swati: ha chalo.

They both entered his room. Sameer kept the bags on the bed and searching in some of them, he fished out a box. Opening it he showed it to Swati and asked.

Sameer: yeh kaisa hai??

Swati: Oh my god!! This is so beautiful. Kiske liye hai yeh? Naina ke liye?

Sameer hummed and nodded.

Swati: usse bohot pasand aayega. This is so good.

Sameer: pakka na?

Swati: ha ha pakka. Yeh hai hi itna sundar. Sabko pasand aayega.

Sameer grinned and thanked her for affirming his choice as he was tensed about how the gift was.

Swati then got up, and was going to go exit but then suddenly stopped at the door and slowly said.

Swati: Waise devarji, mujhe yeh nhi pata tha ki aapke boutique ka naam Victoria's Secret hai.

Suppressing her laugh she sprinted out leaving a dumbfounded Sameer.

Word count: 2780

Love,
Shambhavi and Hemangi ❤