Thank you all my readers... I am overwhelmed with your love, support and appreciation. I'll definitely continue with the same pattern... two updates a day. I, myself, cannot stop taking this story forward... Thank you again. Love you all.

The room looked like it was a war zone... every surface was covered with clothes. Naina sat frustrated in one corner. She had held almost all dresses against herself and checked in the mirror. They were okay... but she didn't want okay... she wanted a great dress. Sameer was so handsome... and he dressed so well, making him look stylish... and she was neither beautiful nor stylish. How would Sameer feel when people laughed at him that he was with such a behenji... no, for his sake, she had to dress well. She badly needed Preeti today... to help her decide what to wear tomorrow morning... she was going with Sameer... on his bike. Naina was lost in dreams again... amidst the chaos she had created.

Forcing herself to come back... she picked up a blue suit lying near her... no, it won't do... she had to wear something special... something different.

And her eyes fell on the new dresses that Swati got for her. The blue one was short... sitting on a bike in that could be uncomfortable... the red one looked perfect. Naina decided upon the red dress. Her mind made up, she relaxed and got up to put back the clothes in her wooden cupboard. She slept peacefully... catching on the sleep of previous night and drifting into the dreams of next day.

Sameer's room had witnessed the hurricane too. Shirts and t-shirts lay strewn over the bed and chair... he was was not sure which colour would Naina like...

"Itne din se saath hain aur mujhe uska favourite colour tak nahi pata... na hi uska favourite khana pata hai jaise use mera alu parantha maloom hai... kuch bhi to nahi pata mujhe uske baare mein, " He sat down heavily on the bed at this realisation,  promising himself that now he'll try to ask more about her when they talk and find out everything... soon.

After several tries, he decided upon a sky blue shirt, with a star pattern on the front. Satisfied, Sameer also drifted off to sleep, dreaming about Naina sitting behind him on the bike.

He was out early next morning, cleaning the bike and checking if everything was perfect... he didn't want any hindrance in their date... he blushed thinking whether it could be called a date... not really, but it was no less for him. He was accompanying Naina for some work... for a date, he had to ask her out.  And a thought struck him...

So what if Naina had some work and he was just taking her there... after she finishes, he could convert it into a date... and he started planning... super excited at the idea.

Naina walked out a few minutes past nine. Sameer forgot to breathe at the sight...  the dress fitted her beautifully, the wide belt making her waist look tiny, the fall ending few inches above her ankles, boat neck and full sleeves highlighted her curves and the red colour gave a permanent blush to her face. Her hair were tied up in a pony, as always. She walked daintily up to him and said with a tilt of her head, "Chalein?"

Sameer gulped... and nodded. She handed him the address written on a chit. A red wave passed through his eyes, recognising the location but he controlled himself and placed the chit in his pocket... ready to start the day.

He sat on the bike and removed it from the stand. Looking back at Naina, he indicated her to sit, with a slight tilt of his head.

Till now, Naina was too excited to go with him on the bike... when the moment was here, she panicked. It had not occurred to her how close she would be to him, on the narrow seat of the bike. She glanced at him, and gave a nervous smile. Stepping ahead, she placed one foot on the footrest and her hand automatically flew towards his shoulder for support... but she stopped herself in the nick of time. Holding the metal rail at the back of the seat, she somehow perched on the seat and held onto the metal bar to support her, painfully aware of it digging into her back, as she sat at a considerable distance from him... as much as she could manage. Sameer frowned at the distance... not being able to feel any touch on his back... but decided to remain quiet, so as not to make her uncomfortable. He started the bike and drove slow, avoiding any potholes or stones, going extremely slow on the speedbreakers, trying not to give any jerk to his girl. They reached the place in about twenty minutes. Sameer parked the bike under the office building.

He turned to Naina, "Tum jao, main yahan wait karta hun... saath aana shayad theek na lage... yeh log Principal ma'am ko jaante hain. "

Naina nodded and entered the building, pressing the lift button for the office on the fifth floor.

When she stepped out of the lift half an hour later, she found Sameer talking to two boys... they looked like some ruffians. Although they were not fighting or arguing but it did appear to her that they were trying to pressurise Sameer for something. Naina decided to wait in the lobby of the building till the two boys went away. Then she walked out. Sameer looked at her and smiled, though she could see pain in his eyes. She did not question him about anything and quietly sat behind as they drove out of the building. After a ride of five minutes, Sameer stopped in front of a restaurant. Naina stepped down and looked at him in confusion as Sameer parked the bike.

"Yahan kyon rok di... kuch kaam hai tumhe? "

"Haan", his eyes were back to their normal love filled form, " aaj hum pehli baar ek saath bahar aayein hain... main tumhare saath kuch achchi yaadein banana chahta hun... jisse jab bhi hum iss din ko yaad karein to hamein dher saari khushi mile".

Saying this, he pulled out a rose from his pocket and forwarded it to her, " Toh Miss Naina Agarwal, kya aap iss bekar, bigde hue aur gusse wale ladke ke saath ek date pe chalengi? "

Naina blushed at the mention of a date... she had never thought she would ever be going on one, let alone going with Sameer.

He coughed to bring her back.

Naina accepted the rose, giving him a lopsided smile, "Toh Mr Sameer Maheshwari... jis ladke ke saath aap mujhe date pe jaane ko keh rahe hain... uske saath to main kahin nahi jaungi"

His smile faded.

"Lekin aap leke chalna chahein toh chal sakti hun... woh kya hai na, mujhe toh yahan koi bekaar, bigda hua aur gusse wala ladka nazar aa nahi raha... bas ek pyara sa, budhu sa, bhola sa ladka dikh raha hai. " Naina continued, with a twinkle in her eye.

Sameer grinned... it was more than he had expected.

"Toh chalein? " He pointed towards the restaurant.

"Chalenge... lekin yahan nahi. "

Naina confused him again.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Hum Juhu beach chalte hain, please",  she pouted.

Sameer gave her a look of surprise. She was actually demanding something from him... with a pout.

He quickly started his bike. Naina settled behind him. As they hit the road, Sameer realised that reaching Juhu beach will take at least an hour... and if he drove as slow as he was doing now, it could take half an hour extra.

" Umm... Naina... tum please thoda sambhal kar baithna... bike thodi tez chalani padegi... nahi toh hamein juhu beach pohochne mein bohot der ho jaayegi... tum comfortable toh ho na... agar tum chaho to hum bike yahan chod ke rickshaw le lenge", Sameer spoke to her looking at her reflection in the rear view mirror.

Naina's heart went out to the concern he showed.

"Main theek se pakad lungi, Sameer, rickshaw ki zaroorat nahi hai, " Her answer made him happy.

As long as the bike moved on the smooth road, all was well, but when they turned in a smaller lane, the ride became jerky. Sameer was making every effort to swerve the bike at any sign of damage on the road. Naina was having a tough time balancing herself. Suddenly, as Sameer drove over what looked like a small puddle of water, the bike lurched, as it was a pothole... and Naina, without realising, held Sameer's arms. He stopped the bike instantly. Both were motionless... but Naina did not remove her hands from his biceps.

"Sorry, mujhe laga nahi tha itna gehra gadhdha hoga", Sameer was apologetic... but inside... his heart was dancing.

" Mujhe pata hai tumhari galti nahi hai... ab main dhyaan rakhungi... chalein? " Naina said in a low voice.

He started the bike and Naina slowly shifted a little towards him... placing her hands on his shoulders.

Though her bag was still placed between them, Sameer could feel her... very slightly... and her firm hold on his shoulders was making it even more difficult for him to drive. They reached Juhu beach in silence.

As they walked towards the beach, the beautiful sight took their breath away. The ocean was vast, the waves glimmering in the sun, and the soft sand looked like melted gold. They took off their shoes, holding them in their hands, Sameer rolled up his jeans and they stepped in the waves crashing on the shore... the frothy water cooling their feet instantly. They played in water for a long time, jumping in the approaching waves, trying to balance as the sand slipped away from under their feet when the water receded, splashing water at each other... it was a joyful afternoon. When they got tired and hungry, they sat at one of the small counters on the beach and ordered pao bhaji. Naina relished hers with extra lime while Sameer asked for extra butter. They ate to their heart's content.

"Sameer, chalo na paani poori khate hain", Naina excitedly pointed towards another stall.

" Naina, abhi to itni saari pao bhaaji khai hai tumne! " Sameer was surprised.

"Toh... paani poori ke liye pet mein nahi dil mein jagah hoti hai", she showed fake anger.

Sameer followed her and watched as she happily gobbled two plates of spicy paani poori. He refused when she offered him, saying he found it too spicy.

" Bhaiya, ek mithi dena", Naina got one specially made for him and extended her hand to his mouth, holding the  sweet poori.

He gave her a stunned look.

"Jaldi muh kholo, "

And he opened his mouth. Naina placed it in his mouth delicately, asking next instant how it was.

Sameer had no idea how it tasted. He was lost in Naina and her actions.

Next, she dragged him for ice gola... crushed ice served with flavoured syrup. She chose rose flavour and Sameer asked for kala khatta. They sucked onto ice, and the syrup colored their lips and tongue. Seeing his deep purple lips, Naina had a hearty laugh, though he could just stare at her dark pink ones.

The brightness in Naina's eyes and her laughter, straight from the heart, filled Sameer with so much of happiness and satisfaction that he felt a wetness in his eyes.

Naina, on the other hand, was feeling a new sense of freedom... she felt she could actually breathe,
she spread her hands wide, tilted her head backward and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

As the sun drifted lower, the horizon turned orange... Naina and Sameer sat on the sand, lost in the beauty of nature as slowly the glowing ball dissolved in water, spreading its colour on the waves.

While walking back to the parking area, Naina saw another stall and screamed, "Sameer,  ice cream... chalo khate hain".

Sameer wondered where all this food vanished in her slight frame.
Naina ordered chocolate while Sameer took butterscotch.

They stood near the bike, enjoying their ice cream.

"Tumhe chocolate bohot pasand hai? " Sameer asked her, seeing the delight with which she was enjoying the treat.

"Haan, bohot... mera favourite hai... pata nahi log aur koi flavour kaise khate hain... best to chocolate hi hota hai",  she exclaimed.

Suddenly, Sameer bent forward, caught her hand holding the wooden spoon full of ice cream and devoured it.

Naina stood shocked at his action.

He smiled and continued eating from his cup.

As Naina did not move for a few seconds, he raised his eyes in question.

" Kya hua?  Tumhe nahi khani to mujhe dedo... sach mein bohot tasty hai".

"Tum... tumne... tumne meri ice cream kaise khayi? " Naina was still not out of shock.

Sameer dipped his own spoon in her cup and ate another mouthful.

"Aise." He said innocently.

"Par tum toh jhootha nahi khate? " Naina was still dazed.

"Tumhara jhootha kha sakta hun", he said softly, leaning towards her, making her turn red.

They finished the rest of their ice cream in silence, Sameer not taking his eyes off her and Naina not looking up from her cup even once.

When they started back, Naina placed her hands on his shoulders without hesitation, also sitting closer, her arm resting on his back.
Sameer felt a sense of elation. He was overwhelmed with the trust Naina showed in him.

It was already dark when they reached the college. They walked back together after Sameer parked his bike.

When they reached the point where they had to part ways to go to their building, both stopped, as if on cue.

" Sameer, thank you, mera aaj ka din bohot achcha tha... tumne sach mein isse mere liye khaas bana diya", Naina looked at him lovingly.

"Din to tumne mera special banaya hai Naina, mere saath date pe chal ke... main bata nahi sakta mujhe kitni khushi di hai aaj tumne... Thank you, " Sameer said with a contended smile.

They looked into each other's eyes and saw their own face, shining bright...