After a long and tiring session of dance and music, everyone sat down to have dinner.

"Naina, tune change nahi kiya?" Sonali was surprised to see her still wearing the saree.

"Bas aise hi... maine socha aaj toh jaldi khatam ho jayega function toh ghar jaake hi change kar lungi."  Naina did not look at Sameer.

"Par tujhe mushkil nahi ho rahi?" Sonali leaned towards her, speaking in a low voice to ask about the tight blouse.

"Koi baat nahi... bas ab toh jaane wale hi hain." She whispered back.

Sameer, sitting right next to Naina, could hear what was being said. He wondered why it was difficult to wear saree for long... ladies seemed to be wearing it with ease the whole day.

After dinner, Sonali's family left for their house. Sameer touched his ear with a fist to convey to Naina that he would call in the night. She smiled.

At home, Sonali insisted that Naina changed first as she must be extremely uncomfortable by now. In the washroom, Naina rubbed the red rashes on her waist. The tight blouse had made her skin itch.

Sonali helped her to apply ointment to soothe the itching.

"Sorry Naina, yeh saree bhai ki shaadi mein li thi... blouse bhi tabhi ka hai... kabhi dobara pehni nahi isliye pata nahi chala ki itna tight hoga... tere toh kitne nishaan pad gaye hain." Sonali was feeling very bad.

"Koi nahi... subah tak theek ho jayenge, " Naina smiled at her.

"Par tujhe change kar lena chahiye tha na... lekar bhi gayi thi doosra dress... fir kyon nahi kiya?" She paused, "Sameer ne kaha kya?"

Naina nodded hesitantly.

Sonali smirked knowingly, "Pehle hi kaha tha hosh udd jayenge uske... dekha wohi hua na... kaise bechare ka muh khula reh gaya tha tujhe dekhke."

Naina could feel the colour creeping up on her face.

Sonali brought her attention back to Naina's marks, "Kaise theek honge? Ruk main na bhabhi se koi achi wali dawa lekar aati hun."

She quickly ran to her bhabhi's room.

The phone started ringing the moment Sonali stepped out.

Naina rushed to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Naina?" Sameer's voice rang in her ears.

"Hmm," her hand instinctively touched her belly... remembering his face on her skin.

"Miss kar raha hun tumhe," his voice was sad.

She chuckled, "Sameer, abhi toh aayein hain hum log wahan se... abhi se miss karne lage?"

"Haan toh tumhari tarah thodi hun jisse koi parwah hi nahi ki bechare samne wale ka kya haal ho raha hai... aapka yeh majnu toh bas har ghadi aapki hi yaad mein dooba rehta hai madam... aur ek aap hain... mujhpe dhyan hi nahi deti." He complained.

"Naina, yeh le dawa... bhabhi ne kaha hai kal tak bilkul theek ho jayega... aur batana uss Sameer ke bachche ko ki uski wajah se tere kitne nishan pad gaye." Sonali entered the room speaking loudly, checking the instructions on the tube in hand, not looking at Naina who frantically waved her hands for her to be quiet.

Sameer caught every word of Sonali.

"Naina, kya hua? Dawa kis cheez ki le rahi ho? Kya theek hoga kal tak? Tumhari tabiyat kharab hai kya? Aur maine kya kiya? Mujhe kya batana hai? Konse nishaan? Kaise pad gaye?" He barraged her with questions.

Naina hit her forehead with the palm, "Itne sawal, Sameer? Tum majnu se question paper kaise ban gaye?"

He was not amused, "Mujhe batao nahi toh main abhi wahan aa raha hun."

Sonali saw her on phone and said loudly again, "Sameer hai toh usse bata zaroor dena."

Naina joined her palms in front of Sonali, balancing the phone between her face and shoulder.

She smiled and went to the washroom.

Nain stepped out in the balcony.

"Tum bata rahi ho ya main wahan aake khud dekh lun ki tumhe hua kya hai?" His voice was impatient.

"Tumhe kaise dikha sakti hun?" She blurted... squeezing her eyes shut the next moment.

There was a momentary silence on his side...  Naina got scared that he might actually come here. Sameer could do it.

She decided to tell him in as little words as possible.

"Woh mujhe, mujhe kuch nishan pad gaye... unpe dawa lagani hai." She managed in a slightly shaky voice.

"Nishan? Kaise nishan?" Sameer was perplexed.

Suddenly, it dawned upon him, "Sorry Naina, mujhe sochna chahiye tha... tum bohot nazuk ho... maine aaj shave bhi nahi kiya tha... tumhari kamar pe jal raha hoga na?"

Naina turned into a puddle... she could again feel him pressed against her. His mention of the touch brought back every feeling of that moment... as if he was here... again... like in her dream... like the reality of some time back...

"Bohot jal raha hai?" His voice was soft.

"Nahi... wahan bilkul nahi jal raha." She let her hand slip inside the slit of her kurta to feel any abrasion on her waist... there was none.

"Wahan nahi laga? Toh kahan laga hai?" Sameer's shocked voice made her realise her folly.

"Haan bol deti toh kya jaata? Kam as kam Sameer aage toh nahi puchta... ab de jawab," her mind voice got a chance to reprimand her.

"Sameer, mujhe uss blouse se kuch nishan pad gaye hain." She said with great courage, trying hard to make her voice sound normal, making up her mind to end this topic here.

"Kaise?" His question shattered her resolve in a moment.

"Offo, tum har cheez ki zid kyon karte ho? Nahi bata sakti na tumhe... bas ab aage kuch mat bolna." She tried to silence him.

Sameer was not to be silenced easily, "Yaar Naina, yeh blouse kitni badi musibat cheez hoti hai... ek ne teen saalon se meri neend udayi hui hai aur ek ne aaj tumhe pareshan kar diya... agar itna mushkil hai yeh saree aur blouse pehenna toh sab itne khush hoke kyon pehennte hain?"

Naina didn't know what to say... his reference to the green blouse brought a fresh wave of red to her face.

"Tumhe bhi aaj bata dena chahiye tha mujhe... pata hota ki tumhe taklif ho rahi hai toh main khud tumhe change karne ko bol deta... bataya kyon nahi? Kyon dard sehti rahi?" He sounded upset.

"Kaise kehti... tum chahte the mujhe uss saree mein dekhna... toh kaise tumhare dil ki baat nahi sunti... aur yeh dard kuch nahi hai uss khushi ke aage jo tumhari aankhon mein dekhi maine." She silenced him.

Sameer was amazed. She had borne all the pain for him. It was true that he would love to see her in a saree but he could not let Naina suffer.

"Tum rehne hi dena... shaadi ke baad yeh saari pehenne  ki koi zaroorat nahi hai." He declared in a heavy voice.

Naina's heart went out to him. She knew how much he was waiting for her to wear the green saree... and how much he wanted her to wear them once they were married... but he was keeping her comfort before his wants.

"Saree pehenne mein koi pareshani nahi hoti Sameer... bas agar theek se fit na ho toh taklif hoti hai." She explained.

"Oh... toh aage se try karke saree khareedna... jo tumhe fit aaye." He nodded in understanding.

Naina giggled, "Arre budhu, fit saree ka nahi blouse ka hota hai."

He was first to go quiet... Naina took some time to read his silence.

And both stood holding onto the phone... not knowing what to say next.

"Bye Sameer," she decided to end it before she blurted out something else.

"Uhh... suno," he stopped her.

"Hmm," she halted.

"Agar tumhe yaad na ho toh mujhe bol dena... main tailor ko tumhara naap likh ke de dunga lekin aage se fitting ki wajah se koi taklif mat uthana."

She disconnected... ears burning at his words... he still remembered her measurements.

Naina waited for some time to stabilize her breathing before walking back in.

Sonali was checking something in her cupboard. She looked back as she heard some sound.

"Aa gayi tu... tera Sameer toh reh hi nahi paata tere bina... yaar tum log college mein kya karte the? Matlab classes ke baad kahi milte bhi nahi the... tum toh bahar bhi kabhi kabhi hi jaate the? Tab tere hero ka kaam kaise chalta tha? Yahan toh usko har minute Naina ka chehra ya Naina ki awaaz... ya fir, jaisa Rahul batata hai, Naina ki baatein," Sonali forgot what she was looking for in the cupboard and stood with her hands on waist, demanding answers.

Naina groaned and fell on the bed.

Sonali was with her in an instant, "Kya hua? Zyada dard ho raha hai? La main yeh wali dawa laga deti hun... bhabhi ne kaha hai yeh subah tak saare nishaan aur jalan theek kar degi."

"Dard se nahi... sawaalon se pareshan ho gayi hun... udhar woh Sameer kuch kuch puche ja raha tha aur ab tu shuru ho gayi." Naina was exhausted.

"Kya puch raha hai Sameer jo tu itni pareshan hai?" Sonali nudged her.

"Yehi ki kaise laga, kahan laga, aage se aisa mat pehenna." She mimicked him.

"Aaye haye... toh tu bhi usse sawal puch leti ki kaisa pehnu?" Sonali got a chance to  tease her.

"Uske paas toh saare jawab hain." Naina muttered under her breath... but Sonali heard it.

She tickled Naina, "Bata na, kya kaha usne, bata na please."

Naina got up and went to the cupboard. She came back with the bag of lehenga.

Sonali was left with her jaw hanging as Naina opened the bag and spread out the lehenga along with the blouse on the bed.

She picked up the blouse, "Yeh Sameer tere liye laya hai?"

Naina told her the incident of Ahmedabad which led him buying the lehenga for her.

Sonali rolled on the bed, holding her stomach, laughing till tears were falling freely from her eyes.

"Kaash main uss time Sameer ko dekh paati... bechara... kuen mein bhi phenk dete toh uska saara paani  bhi pee jaata tab to." She burst into a fresh bout of giggles.

Naina narrowed her eyes towards her.

"Achha baba, aapke Sameer ji ke liye kuch nahi bolungi...  par tu yeh lehenga pehen le na kal." Sonali suggested.

Naina picked up the blouse in front of her eyes,"Yeh dekha hai... aisa pehen ke sabke samne kaise jaa sakti hun?"

Sonali took the blouse and kept it aside, "Sun, iske dupatte ki setting Mala didi kar dengi... jaise mere wale ki mehendi wale din ki thi... aur baal khule chod dena... set karwa lena... fir kuch nahi dikhega."

Little bit of more convincing made Naina agree to her suggestion. She comprehended that if she doesn't wear it now, there would never be a chance. Wearing such a thing in Ahmedabad in front of taiji would let all hell break loose. And if she keeps it for after marriage, she had doubts that they would go to any such place where she could easily wear something backless even as his wife. Sameer himself would not let her, the amount of jealousy he had...

Sonali was happy at her decision, "Kal toh aur bhi mazaa aane wala hai... Naina, pata nahi tumhari love story mein kya jaadu hai... mujhe apni shaadi se zyaada bekarari Sameer ka reaction dekhne ki hai."

Naina gave a wide eyed look to her, "Apni shaadi ke liye hi khush ho tu, nahi toh Rahul kahega ki humne aake uski shaadi ke rang mein bhang daal diya."

They both laughed. Sonali applied the new ointment on Naina before sleeping.

Both girls drifted off to sleep with the dreams of next day.