Sameer had a hard time trying to convince Munna and Pandit. They were not ready to let him to go... the thought of their brother dealing with all the pain was too much for them. Of course, Sameer never told them about the conversation between Vishakha and dadi that he had overheard. The reason he gave them was that he could not live in the big house alone, without nanu. Both Munna and Pandit offered him to come and stay with them, in their house... "why I have to leave such precious people" Sameer's throat choked. Well, he was doing it for their own good... as dadi said... he was unlucky for everyone whom he loved. "Nanu, main kisika pyaar nahin banunga... kisiko apni zindagi mein nahi aane dunga... koi mera saathi nahi banega... mujhe haq nahi hai kisiki jaan se khelne ka... mujhe maaf kar dijiye nanu... par main saari zindagi akele rahunga" Sameer had made a promise to himself.

Getting admission in the prestigious Mumbai college was not that difficult... his being the captain of school cricket team secured him a seat through sports quota.

He applied for the hostel and shifted to Mumbai a week before college session started. He did not show any warmth towards other boys staying in the hostel, slowly letting people believe that he had some attitude problem. In college also, he kept himself aloof.

And on the second day, he saw Naina.

She had taken admission in the same college.

Sameer could not believe his eyes. "Saari duniya chor ke aapko ek Naina hi mili thi mere sath yahan college mein padne ke liye, bhagwanji", he had complained to the highest power. He kept himself away from her, not even being visible to her. And then, in the second week of college, she had fainted. Right in front of his eyes. He had just stepped in the corridor, walking hurriedly to the room where his lecture was to be held when he saw her walking out of the classroom. Before he could look for a place to hide, she swayed... and slumped to the floor... as if in slow motion. He stood frozen... as everyone else rushed to her. All efforts to bring her back to consciousness were turning out to be futile when he became aware of his surroundings. Without a word, he stepped forward and picked her frail form in his arms, walking swiftly to the medical room. Once there, making sure that the doctor had checked her and there was no major harm done, he silently slipped out of the room... going to his solitary corner.

And then he could not stop his tears. Naina... the girl he wanted to protect... by running away from her... was nearest to him than any known person... and his proximity had started causing problems for her. How true were dadi's words. He could not let this happen... he could not let Naina suffer. He shut his eyes tight.

Next day, seeing her in canteen, he had tried to avoid her by walking past her but she had called out to him. Just to make the conversation minimal, he had not given her a chance to speak... but could not stop himself from showing his concern... to some extent.

He remembered when he had joined PVKM in Ahmedabad. He was sad to be in a different section than his friends Munna and Pandit. Whenever he had a few minutes in between the periods, at break time or at games time, he would rush to their classroom. They were his first true friends. While being in the hostel before coming here, he had no one who actually cared about him... as a person. His hostel friends were with him for money.

Munna Pandit were different. They didn't care about anything but him... his comfort, his happiness, his company. He genuinely smiled with them, rather laughed... with his eyes... through his heart. Something he had not done in a long, long, long time.

Walking into their classroom daily made him aware of a pair of eyes that remained glued to him as long as he was there. He could feel her gaze whenever he was in her vicinity. Sameer did not pay much attention initially. His handsome looks and weighty surname had always ensured plenty of female attention... always. But he hated women. They were selfish. His mother had abandoned him without any qualms when he was just four years old. Even after that, she hardly ever paid any heed to his emotions or needs. He had no place for any woman in his life. His nanu was his world. And then God had sent Munna Pandit. He thought the time for his tears to dry up had come.

But this girl... Naina Agarwal was her name, he came to know from his friends... she just blew up his resolve. Her ordinary looks and demure personality did not make her noticeable in the first few glances... but her soft voice, warm behavior, habit of going to any extent to help others slowly started melting him. He observed how she treated the children from junior wing and how they worshipped her, how she helped everyone in studies, how she quietly listened to the harsh and cruel words of her father who was the librarian in their school and hated his daughter, it appeared. Teachers usually were fond of her, she being the school topper since many years, which meant that most of the responsibilities of maintaining discipline in school were given to her. This resulted in lots of teasing. But she was never affected by the names she was called or the way she was teased.

He remembered the time when she had lied to her father to save him from his wrath. Sameer had accidentally broken the light of librarian's scooter. Munna Pandit were sure of a catastrophe striking them soon. They decided to take a chance and ask Naina for help. And she had helped. She had lied for him... maybe first time in her life... that too in front of her own hitler father.

He was sure that she liked him but was surprised that she never spoke to him, never confronted him, never tried to share her feelings. He had half expected her to come up to him sometime... at least at the time of their farewell... but she had been a silent admirer throughout. But he had no doubt about the love that shone for him in her eyes... though he made sure that Naina never caught him looking at her.

He could not exactly point out the time when he fell in love with her... but by the time the realisation struck him,he had hopelessly and completely fallen for Naina. The thought gave a sparkle to his eyes. He had decided to talk to her when they started college.

Sameer had been successful in not letting anyone know of his feelings. But his nanu had guessed. He had once asked Sameer if he had made a special friend who was the reason of his genuine smile. Sameer was shocked initially. But did not reveal anything. He, however, decided that he would bring Naina to meet nanu once he had confessed his feelings to her in college. He wanted to surprise nanu.

And then his world had come crashing down. He lost everything... his nanu, his friends, his house, his city... and his Naina.

Or so he thought.

Arriving in Mumbai and walking towards the hostel brought back the memories of Nainital. The life he had run away from...today he had chosen the same life out of his own will. He smiled sadly and braced himself to spend a lifetime of loneliness.

Till he saw her.

" Naina... oh Naina... why? " Sameer held his head in his hands.

More he tried to hide, more the destiny was making him move in her direction.

To make the matters worse,she had started to change. She was no more the ordinary looking simple girl of school. Though she still wore shapeless, dull, old fashioned clothes but her charm could not be hidden behind them. Her hair were no more oiled and tied in pigtails but softly cascaded down her back in a long pony. He remembered how breathtakingly beautiful she looked on the day of fresher's party. And he could see the affect she was having on other boys. She had left the silky mane open... first time he saw their lushness. And her dance had taken his breath away... he was watching her, hiding behind a pillar. She had been in dance competitions in school but that day she danced with such passion and fluidity that his resolve to stay away was on the verge of breaking. Probably that was the reason for him to change the song at the last moment. He had planned to sing 'mera jeevan kora kagaz kora hi reh gaya'. He couldn't understand what made him sing 'hothon se choo lo tum'.

To calm himself down, he had stepped out and sat on his bike in the parking. He had been there for a while when he saw Naina coming out... he sank further to avoid being seen. And then Neeraj followed her.
Sameer could not stop himself when he saw what the boy was trying to do... and he stepped in. Naina's shock was evident from her frozen state. After sending her inside, he had dealt with Neeraj... the way he deserved. Sameer could have killed him for hurting Naina... but sense prevailed and he let him go. But not before teaching him a lesson.

He rushed in to check on her. Seeing her bare face and red tinge on the tip of nose, he knew she had cried. How much he wanted to comfort her... And when the results were announced, he wanted to stand beside her. But Naina stood between her friends and he was on the other side of Principal.

Later, as expected, she shied away from everyone, moving to the corner. He again gave in to the temptation and checked on her. His blood boiled seeing the bruises on her slender, delicate wrist. The red blue marks stood out starkly on her white wrists. He had to clench his fists to stop his hands from touching her. "I cannot soothe the pain but at least I can make her eat better than the meagre sandwich that she has in her plate"

Sameer was happy to see that she had eaten what he got for her.

He didn't go in front of her again but did not lose her sight till she had entered her hostel wing.

But next morning, when he was least expecting to see her, she walked in the library... straightaway coming to the secluded seat near the window.

And her eagerness to talk to him shocked him some more.

But her question startled him... he had taken care not to exhibit his feelings to anyone but he didn't think that Naina was under the impression that he was unaware of her existence in school. He tried to play the same card back on her.

And then she had asked about nanu. Clearly, she was not aware of his nanu's demise. And he was in no position to break the news to her. So he just walked away... to hide his tears yet again.