When Naina got back to her room, the other two girls did not leave her till she told them where she had gone... and why? All had a hearty laugh when they came to know about alu parantha chor.

Next day being Sunday, the girls got up late, enjoyed their breakfast in the dining hall and got back to the room to catch up on all the lost time. Swati had brought two dresses for Naina... a red long dress with a wide belt and a blue one, reaching just a little below the knees, with a multicoloured shirt to go with it. Naina was elated, though a little unsure about the blue one as she had never worn anything this short.

"Ab zyaada nakhre mat kar Naina, " Preeti snubbed her protests, "Tu to maze se pehen sakti hai... yahan konsa taiji tujhe dekhe aayengi... mujhe to roz unki chatra chaya mein hi rehna padta hai... zara sa pair ka angootha bhi dikh gaya to kahengi 'O bai Bela, tune bohot dheel de rakhi hai ladkiyon ko, kaisi besharmi kar rahi hai ye Preeti, dekh lena ek din sabka muh kala karwayegi, ab hum to bade hain, apna farz nibhana hai to keh rahe hai, tumhaari ladkiyon ke lakshan kuch theek nahi hain' ".

Swati and Naina laughed so hard at Preeti's  perfect act that their stomach hurt. Preeti joined them and the morning hours passed joking and laughing. After lunch, Preeti announced that Naina needed a haircut and who else but Preeti would give it to her.

Naina readily agreed, as Preeti was very good at cutting and styling hair, she had a knack for it... once in school also she had cut Naina's hair...

Without changing the length much, Preeti cut some layers on the sides, making her hair look more voluminous and bouncy. Leveling at the ends gave a neat look to the overall cut. When open, the style looked very modern but when Naina tied her hair back in a pony, it didn't look much different from earlier.

Rest of the day was gone in remembering school days, visits to law garden for eating chaat and other happy memories.

Sameer had a tough time spending whole of Sunday alone. He missed Naina. He tried to study for some time... to finish the chapters Naina had asked him to do. But even studying was better done when Naina was around. When they were in the library, or even in the ground, he could study for hours without getting bored, if Naina sat next to him. When he could not bear sitting in his room any longer, he went out to their spot. Dusk was setting in and lights were switched on in some of the windows in far away buildings. Most of the hostellers went out on Sundays... to meet some relative, friend or for general roaming around the city. Thus, most of the rooms in both girls and boys hostel were enveloped in darkness.

But he could see the light in the room he liked most. Light colored curtains could not stop the white glow from spilling out in the darkness. He sat looking at the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. As he sat in anticipation, the door to the balcony opened and a figure appeared. Though the distance was a lot and light was failing, he was sure it was Naina. She was wearing something white in colour... hair open, flying slightly in the wind. He quickly hid behind the tree. He didn't want her to know that he was turning into a stalker. Other two girls joined her and they got busy amongst themselves. He could see them laughing... and then again all three of them hugged.

Sameer squeezed his eyes shut and thumped his heart with fisted hand. When he opened them, the girls were still standing, resting their backs to the railing. He watched silently till they started to go back in. Naina was the last to move. As she reached the door, she paused... and looked back directly at the tree.

And then she blew a flying kiss... before going in and closing the door.

Sameer stood transfixed. Shocked was not the right word to describe his state. He was dead. He continued to stare at the closed door till half of his blood had been sucked by the mosquitoes.

Later, in his room, the image of her flying hair as she blew the kiss played havoc with his senses. How will he survive the next day without meeting her... Naina had decided to miss the college on Monday to be with her sister and best friend.

Sitting alone in the class next day was more difficult than Sameer had thought. The empty first bench made him realise the emptiness in his life... when Naina was not around. The minutes ticked by at an extremely slow pace. By evening, Sameer was getting desperate. He still had to wait till next morning to see her. The door to her balcony also didn't open when he waited under the tree,and he came back, dejected. As the light faded away, Sameer stood at the window of his room, hands in pocket... seeing Naina's image in saree yet again.

And he saw two girls carrying a bag, walking towards the main gate... along with Naina. As he watched, her chachaji arrived in a rickshaw and after talking to Naina for sometime, they all left... and Naina walked back alone. He wanted to run and meet her there itself. But it was the entrance area and today not being a rainy day, anyone could walk in or out. Walking or sitting together in college time was ok but meeting her alone like this in open was not right... for her.

Sameer started pacing his room. Preeti and Swati were to leave next day morning but they had left today itself. He hoped all was well. He could not see the expressions of chachaji and other people when they were talking. His restlessness increased by the minute.

Naina cleaned up her room after dropping her visitors. She smiled, putting the cushions in place... how much they loved throwing cushions at each other. She folded the extra mattress she had placed on the floor to accommodate them... and sorted the clothes lying around. Before she left for dinner, she had cleared everything. Giving one satisfied look to the room, she locked it and walked to the dining hall.

Fifteen minutes later,Naina was back. She opened the balcony door and walked out. Opening her hair, she felt the breeze and blushed... thinking about the flying kiss she had blown to the tree yesterday.
" Pata nahi kya ho gaya tha mujhe... ped ko bhi koi flying kiss deta hai?" her palm hit her forehead, "Naina, kab akal aayegi tujhe? "

Still blushing, she came back in, leaving the door open to let the gentle breeze in. She tied her hair in a messy bun and sat down at the study table... working on a new article.

She thought she heard a soft thud... from outside. She quickly got up to see but before she could reach outside, from behind the door,  a hand closed over her mouth. Her breath got stuck in her throat as Sameer walked in swiftly from the balcony and closed the door behind him. She kept looking at him with big round eyes for a few moments till she realised that his hand was still over her mouth. She indicated with her eyes. Sameer kept looking at her, without blinking.

"Umm", she uttered.

He raised his eyebrows in question.

Again she indicated with her eyes towards his hand... all the time keeping her own hands on her waist. She could have easily pulled his hand away but she didn't, waiting for him to remove it on his own.

Sameer saw the movement of her eyes and instantly pulled back his hand, as if he had realised at this very moment where it was.

" Sorry, woh tum chilla na do isliye...," He gave a sheepish look.

Naina kept staring at him with a stern look, hands on waist.

She looked ethereal... dressed in a white chikan suit, her hair tied messily in a bun, few lose tendrils falling on her neck and cheeks... and she was not wearing her dupatta which lay on the bed beside him... Sameer gulped, as he noticed that the neckline of her kurta was deeper than anything she had worn in college.

Naina had not realised her state till now... she scowled at him, "Yeh kya tha? Yahan kyon aaye tum... aur kaise? Kisi ne dekh liya to pata bhi hai kya hoga? Aur agar Preeti aur Swati hote yahan to... " she suddenly stopped her barrage of questions and stood in shock as Sameer turned  and started moving towards the bed.

"Sa.. Sa.. Sameer... tum... ky... kya... ", before she could complete her sentence, Sameer bent and picked up her dupatta and extended his hand behind, towards her... without looking at her.

It was then Naina realised that she had forgotten how she was dressed. She snatched the dupatta from his hand and covered herself properly.

When Sameer turned around few moments later, she was standing with downcast eyes, beetroot red.

" Mujhe pata tha Preeti aur Swati chale gaye... Maine jaate dekha unhe... isiliye aaya tha... main tumhe dekhne ke liye kal subah tak nahi ruk sakta tha, Naina",  he took a few steps towards her and Naina hastily stepped back. She collided with the table and almost lost her balance. Sameer instantly extended his hand to support her but she controlled herself. Now she stood holding the back of the chair, still looking at some spot on the floor.

"Kuch bologi nahi? " Sameer prodded.

Naina didn't move or speak.

"Theek hai... agar tumhe itna bura laga to main wapas chala jaata hun", Sameer said in a disappointed voice.

" Nahi mujhe bura nahi laga", Naina blurted out and bit her tongue at the same moment, "Matlab tum aaye to achcha nahi hai... matlab bura nahi hai... matlab aise aaye to bura hai... matlab... Offfooo",  she slapped her forehead and sat down on the chair, still clasping her forehead.

Sameer leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, enjoying her confusion.

" To main ruku ya jaun? " He tried to make it easier for her.

Finally, Naina took a long breath and looked up at him. It was a mistake. Dressed in a white T-shirt and black jeans, he again managed to stun her... the dark shadow on his jaw was more pronounced and his hair were a little disheveled... Naina's breath hitched.

Sameer could see the effect he was having on her. His arms ached to wrap around her.

He closed his eyes to calm himself... when he opened them a while later, Naina had also shut her eyes.

"Naina, main jaanta hun hamein ek dusre se bohot kuch kehna hai... humne aaj tak jo baatein ki hai un sab se alag... kuch aisa jo hamare dil mein to hai par zubaan pe nahi aa pa raha... "

Naina could feel the hair at the back of her neck stand... and butterflies erupting in her stomach... she was glad she was sitting... her legs would not have supported her had she been standing.

Sameer slowly stepped ahead and kneeled in front of her. He picked up one delicate hand from her lap and held it firmly, not shifting his eyes from her face even for a second.

"I Love You, Naina"

Naina's heart jumped to her mouth... the butterflies in her stomach multiplied many folds... her breathing became erratic... lips quivered... eyes squeezed tighter... goosebumps erupted all over... the streak of crimson that had started when he held her hand, covered her entire face... the hand he was holding turned ice cold...

Sameer kept looking at her but Naina could not open her eyes and look into his. She could feel him sitting in front of her, feel his warmth on her hand... but she was unable to muster courage to see him.

Slowly, Sameer got up, placed her hand back in her lap and stepped back. He knew Naina needed time. He didn't want to rush her. He did not doubt her for a second but knew that her family values and upbringing stop her from speaking out her heart...

When she couldn't feel his touch... and did not hear any sound, Naina opened her eyes... only to see Sameer standing next to the balcony door. Her heart lurched again... but she couldn't close her eyes now.

He smiled at her.

"Neend khul gayi madam ki  to main jaun?", Sameer tried to bring some normalcy back.

Naina just managed to nod.

He stepped out and flung his leg over the grill.

" Sambhal ke... gir mat jana", Naina was visibly scared.

Sameer looked back at her and gave an assuring smile, "Bohot sambhal ke jaunga... ye jaan ab kisi khaas ke liye jo hai"... he brought more colour to her already flaming cheeks.

As he stepped on the pipe, through which he had come, the hand on the grill slipped... and Naina held it.

She looked down at him, under her balcony, holding hands, confessing his love... and she was reminded of the play of Romeo Juliet in school... how she had wished Sameer could be her Romeo... and today he was. A smile played on her lips.

Sameer looked at her with eyes full of love, " Intezaar rahega... tumhare jawaab ka... " and stepped down slowly, walking back to his hostel wing, as Naina kept looking at his retreating figure.