Sameer sat holding Naina in the crook of his arm, till he felt her breathing even out and her knees, that she had been clutching, sliding down on his ribs.

He got up slowly, careful not to wake her up, and put her head on the pillow, making her lie down, straightening the legs a bit. Then he pulled the sheet lying at the foot of the bed, over her... up to the shoulders.

She looked beautiful... and he realised this was the first time he was seeing her sleeping. Her hair were tied loosely in a knot at the top of her head, long lashes rested on smooth cheeks, nose was a bit red due to crying...

He stopped himself from going further... fighting the urge to kiss her.

Giving her one last look, he walked out into the balcony and climbed down, going back to his room.

When Naina stepped out of her hostel wing in the morning, Sameer stood smiling, waiting for her.

She walked upto him.

"Abhi kaisa lag raha hai? Dard ho raha hai? " He was concerned.

She smiled back, "Aaj zyaada nahi hai... itna bardaasht ho jaata hai... Thank you... main kal din bhar tumhe bohot miss kar rahi thi... zyaada rona isliye aa raha tha ki tumse mil nahi paayi thi."

"Madam, aapke liye kuch bhi", Sameer bent a little and offered her a chocolate.

Her eyes lit up, " Chocolate!!!  Subah subah kahan se laaye? "

He raised his collars, "Aap abhi janti hi kahan hai ki banda kya kya kar sakta hai",  and leaning again, he whispered, " Kabhi mauka do toh dikhata hun."

She playfully hit his arm, "Chalo."

He made a face, "Tumne kaha tha chocolate khake daantogi, marogi nahi."

He got another smack on the arm, and she started moving to the classroom. He ran behind.

Sonali asked her why she had missed lectures the previous day and Naina told her. She asked if she could get anything for her from home and Naina refused, thanking her, touched by the gesture.

Later, they came to know that the cricket team has to start practicing for longer hours from now on since the inter college tournament was not far.

The boys were excited.

Naina looked at Sameer... he was discussing something with Rahul, a serious expression on both their faces.

In the evening, Naina reached the spot before Sameer and waited, thinking about how he had comforted her last night.  Not in her wildest dream could she have imagined such a conversation with him. But he had made it easy for her... erasing her fears and soothing the pain. She did not even come to know when he had left... she had fallen asleep in his arms... and he, like a gentleman, had put her in bed and left.

Naina was overwhelmed at his concern... she was the luckiest girl in the world... she thanked her bhagwanji for sending him.

And she remembered the night before, right here... under this tree.
His touch had turned her blood into molten lava... her insides had burned... her fingers craved for his feel.

She rested her back against the tree and inhaled deeply, her face flushing.

"Naina, phir se takleef ho rahi hai?" His voice, laced with worry, reached her.

She opened her eyes and shook her head, extending her hand towards him, gesturing to sit.

He held the hand she offered and sat next to her.

Naina shifted closer and rested her head on his arm, "Sameer, tum bohot pyaare ho... pata nahi meri kismat itni achchi kaise ho gayi ki mujhe tum mile... aur mujhse itna pyaar kiya... "

Her voice choked.

Sameer pressed her hand to comfort her... he could understand her flow of emotions.

After lunch, he had gone to the library... looking for something to learn more about this problem of girls.

Checking out various books, he could finally lay his hands on one which explained why it happened and how it affected a girl. The pains, the physical discomfort, irritability, unnecessary crying, overflowing emotions... he read with interest.

He was well prepared to handle her now.

"Naina, tumne chocolate khayi?" He gently asked her.

She nodded.

He took out one more from his pocket and forwarded it to her.

Naina grinned and readily accepted it, opening the wrapper. She broke one cube and held it to his mouth.

Smiling, Sameer ate it. She ate the next one herself. When she offered him another, he refused.

"Yeh sirf tumhare liye."

Naina finished the whole of it.

She remembered something and turned to him, "Sameer, suno... tumne bataya nahi ki subah subah tum yeh chocolate kahan se laaye... aage kabhi mujhe leni hogi toh pata hona chahiye na."

Sameer looked at her and could not control his laughter.

"Kya hua... Aise hans kyon rahe ho?" Naina suddenly felt conscious.

"Tumhare chehre ne tumse zyaada chocolate khayi hai", he pointed at her face.

She touched her mouth to realise that it was smeared with chocolate.

She quickly tried to clean with her fingers... as she didn't have a bag here, she didn't have a hanky either.

Sameer noticed her unsuccessful attempts and fished out his handkerchief from the pocket. He extended it to Naina... she brought her hand forward to hold it and Sameer pulled it back... himself moving closer to her.

She sat like a statue as he wiped her mouth with his handkerchief.

Sameer took his own sweet time... cleaning the corners of her mouth... lightly grazing the upper lip with the fabric... putting more pressure on the lower lip, dragging it down as he cleaned...  running the cloth again on both lips together.

Her eyes were fixed on him while his eyes did not move even once from her lips. He continued to rub the soft fabric over her lips.

" Umm... shayad ho gaya", Naina uttered in a soft voice.

"Abhi nahi... thoda time aur lagega",  he went on... only a thin layer of cloth between his finger and her lips.

Naina, placing a hand on his chest, pushed him back, blushing slightly,
" Hato. "

He grinned and looked at the handkerchiefs in his hand... then folded it carefully and kept in his pocket.

"Itni chocolate khilaoge toh moti ho jaaungi",  Naina said with a pout.

Sameer looked at her cute expression, " Chalega... tumhe baahon mein lene mein aur maza aayega."

She looked at him, horrified... he winked... and she blushed.

He brought out a package from the back of his shirt, "Naina, yeh tumhare liye?"

Her eyes narrowed, "Yeh kya hai? "

"Dekha lo", he handed it to her.

Naina opened to find a hot water bag.

She looked at him in surprise, " Yeh kahan se laaye, aur kyon?"

"Yahan aane se pehle gaya tha bahar... abse tumhe dard ho to garam paani daal ke isse sek kar lena... Maine dekha tumhaare kamre mein garam paani ka kettle hai" he elaborated.

Her eyes were still wide.

"Aur agar mujhe bata dogi toh main aake garam karke de dunga", he offered.

Her eyes watered.

What was this boy?

" Ek baat aur... agar tumhe kuch bhi mangwana ho bahar se... toh mujhe bata dena... matlab kuch bhi", he wasn't sure she understood.

He was right.

Naina gave him a perplexed look, "Bahar se kya mangwana hoga?"

He had read about sanitary napkins too.

"Umm... woh tumko agar napkins chahiye ho... mujhe bata sakti ho... please... main nahi chahta tumhe koi takleef ho", he clarified.

Naina was deeply embarrassed... how could she ever ask him to get sanitary napkins for her... and how could he go to pharmacy and ask for it.

" Nahi... woh maine uss din le liya tha jab hum shopping ke liye gaye the", she hesitantly replied.

"Uss din... uss din toh main tumhare saath tha... Maine toh nahi dekha kab liya",  he tried to remember.

" Jab main apna dress bhool gayi thi shop mein... tum parking mein the aur main lene gayi thi... tab liya tha."

"Ohh! Par phir bhi... aage kabhi bhi zaroorat ho to sochna mat... Naina, mujhse tum kuch bhi keh sakti ho... kuch bhi maang sakti ho...ek pal ke liye bhi ghabrana mat... tumhaari choti se choti zaroorat aur ichha main poori karna chahta hun",  he gazed into her eyes.

She nodded, her throat constricting again.

The happiness Sameer had given her was enormous... she felt her heart was too small to hold it.

Next day, Sameer did not attend the morning lectures. Nor did Rahul and a few more boys who were part of the cricket team.

Sonali came to Naina, " Aaj Sameer nahi aaya?"

Naina shook her head, "Koi kaam tha kya? "

"Nahi, bas aise hi poocha... woh Sameer... aur baaki kuch aur log bhi... roz aate hain aaj nahi aaye toh laga... kuch kaam nahi tha", she did not make much sense.

But Naina understood.

Sonali wanted to know about Rahul.  She was feeling shy to ask directly. Probably Rahul's wait was about to end.

The day seemed too long for Naina... though they never sat together in class, the feel of him sitting behind was enough for her to be happy.

After a long and desperate wait for the evening, she stood looking at the dusk falling in when Sameer came running.

He was panting. Still dressed in his cricket whites, he had come straight from the practice. She could see the edges of his hair wet with sweat, his white t-shirt sticking to his back and sweatbeads shining on his forehead.

He sat some distance away from Naina.

" Woh subah se practice thi toh dhup mein rehne ki wajah se paseene paseene ho raha hun... wapas room pe jaa kar nahane ka time nahi tha toh aise hi aa gaya... lekin paas nahi baithunga... tumhe badbu aayegi",  he explained when he saw her brows furrowed at their increased distance.

Naina smiled and shifted closer.

He looked at her in surprise, "Naina,  main dhool, mitti aur paseene se bhara hua hun."

She swiped her palm on his forehead and wiped off the sweat, "Mere liye tum hamesha achche ho."

With her dupatta, she wiped his neck, pulling up herself a little, to come to the level of his face. Her eyes were on his neck and he stared at her face, as it came even closer when she streched the dupatta to wipe behind his neck.

"Kya kar rahi ho, Naina? Tumhara dupatta ganda ho jaayega." He tried to stop her.

"Ganda nahi, yaadgaar ban jaayega... sambhal ke rakhungi isse... bina dhoye... jaise tumne rakhe honge woh rumal... ek jisse mere chehre se kulfi saaf ki thi aur ek jisse mere hothon se chocolate." She reminded him.

Sameer kept looking at her, dazed, as she dabbed the dupatta on his face.

Her fragrance, emanating from the flimsy dupatta hit him and his senses dulled. Before he could react, the soft feel on his skin and her warm breath on his face was gone.

She offered him a bottle of water which she had brought along today.
He quickly drank more than half of it... realising how parched his throat was.

Feeling better, he handed the bottle back. Naina brought it to her lips and took a large swig, before putting the cap on it... her eyes on Sameer.

She was all out to tease him today... and he was having a tough time holding himself back.

But suddenly she started in an excited tone, "Pata hai aaj kya hua... Sonali shayad Rahul ke baare mein poochna chahti thi par seedhe seedhe nahi bol paayi toh tumhare baare mein poochhne lagi... Sameer kahan hai, class mein kyon nahi aaya wagera...  lagta hai Rahul ko thoda dhyaan dene lagi hai. "

Sameer was also excited at this news. He told her what he and Rahul had discussed in the class and Naina's eyes shone with the prospect.