Goodbyes are always difficult. Naina wanted to stay back under the tree... but Sameer did not let her do so.

"Nahi Naina, yahan andhere mein akele nahi ruko... mujhe tumhari chinta lagi rahegi... please, room mein jao jisse main bhi aaram se jaa sakun." He had literally pushed her towards the passage.

As she sat in her room now, she wondered how far Sameer must have gone from her... she hated the train that was taking him away at the very moment when she wanted him here... with her.

Wiping the tears, she braced herself for a long sleepless night... a night that would last for three days.

Sleep was away from Sameer as well. Sitting in the train, his head resting on the window, he looked out into the darkness, with sparse twinkling of light bulbs somewhere far... maybe someone else was awake too, missing the ones they loved... a tear escaped his eye.

This was the longest he would be away from her... without even speaking on phone. Calling her hostel would be too risky... he pursed his lips at the thought.

When they were in school, in spite of knowing his feelings for her, he had not seen her for three months... after they had appeared for the exams. In fact, she had not come to school to check her result either... chachaji had gone. He desperately wanted to see her at that time... she was in his heart.

But now... she was his heart, mind, body, soul... everywhere. A day without her would be his worst nightmare.

He braced himself for a nightmare... that would last for three days.

Ahmedabad station was sleepy at the early morning hour... till the train chugged in. It sprang to life in no time... coolies running along the slowing down coaches, vendors calling out in shrill voices to find customers for their wares, mainly food items and newspaper, curious eyes of those who had come to pick up their relatives searching through the open windows...

Amidst all this, Sameer stepped down on the platform as the train screeched to a halt... feeling lonely in the crowd.

He walked out to board a rickshaw. This time there would be no one to greet him at home either. Munna Pandit, who always stayed with him during vacations, would be busy with their college. They won't be aware of his arrival.

The bungalow stood in complete magnificence, gleaming in the first rays of the sun. He walked in with heavy steps.

Ramdhari greeted him at the door, taking the suitcase, "Namaste Sameer bhaiya... munshiji ne bataya tha aap aayenge... humne nashta bana diya hai... aap naha ke taiyar ho jaiye... nau baje aap ko lene aayenge munshiji."

Sameer gave him a small smile and went to his room.

The sight that greeted him was shocking.

Pandit lay sprawled on the bed as Munna walked out of the bathroom, rubbing his wet hair.

"Aa gaya bhai, chal jaldi se naha le... ek baar yeh Pandit ghus gaya bathroom mein toh intezaar hi karta rahega." He casually looked at Sameer, gesturing towards the bathroom.

His mouth open, Sameer looked from one to another...

Suddenly, Pandit jumped from the bed and both rushed to him, enveloping him in a bone crushing hug.

Sameer grinned and hugged them back. They had made him feel at home instantly.

"Saalon, tum mujhe teen din bhi akela nahi rehne doge?" He showed fake irritation.

"Tch", Pandit made a clicking sound with his tongue.

"Bhai tu teen din ke liye aaye ya teen mahine ke liye, hum toh yahin milenge", Munna gave a wide grin, stepping back.

Pandit still held onto his friend's shoulder, "Ab toh tujhe tabhi akela chodenge jab bhabhi iss ghar mein aa jayegi."

Sameer blushed.

"Waise Munna, bhabhi ke aane ke baad bhi toh reh sakte hain... humein toh Sameer ke saath hi rehna hai... itna bada ghar hai... bhabhi kisi bhi kamre mein reh sakti hai... bhabhi ko toh ghar hi sambhalna hai na", Pandit stealthily walked away from Sameer as he teased.

Munna looked at Pandit, then at Sameer with a cheeky smile.

Sameer stared wide eyed at Pandit for a moment and then ran behind him, chasing him around the room as Munna laughed.

He was home.

Three of them were ready at nine. Munna Pandit left for college as Sameer accompanied munshiji to the factory.

The day was long and hectic for him. Seeing the huge machines, he was nervous initially. But Naina's smiling face in his mind made all the apprehensions melt away.

Once the German technicians started explaining about the machines, it was easier for him to understand their working. They didn't look as menacing after he operated them successfully along with the foreigners.

During the day, he met people working in the factory... they all had very high regards for nanu and gave him the same status and respect, showing their eagerness to see him take over the working here.

Sameer was overwhelmed... he had visited the factory on very few occasions with nanu and only twice since nanu's death... still everyone gave him full respect.

He wanted to tell Naina about his day... all that he had done... the sense of achievement did not feel complete without her around.

He sighed, "Aa jaati na tum... main chupa ke rakhta tumhe... tumhare ghar walon ko pata bhi nahi chalne deta."

The tiredness of whole day, sleeplessness of last night and a light hearted banter with his friends made him fall asleep.

Naina had a long and tough day... everything seemed empty, colourless... sad. She attended the first lecture... it was of no use... she could not hear a single word. Sonali tried her best to drag her into conversation but Naina could not pay attention to anything. Finally, she gave up and went back to her room, missing all lectures for the day.

The moment she entered, the dam broke. She had controlled herself in front of everyone with great difficulty... but now, within the confinement of her room, she could let her sadness pour out.

"Sameer, tumhare bina ek din bhi itna adhura lag raha hai... aur do din kaise niklenge", she wondered.

After a few minutes, she got up.

Wiping her face, she steeled herself, "Bas Naina, ab aur nahi rona... Sameer jis kaam ke liye gaya hai uske poore hone ke liye bhagwanji se prarthana kar aur khushi khushi uske aane ka intezaar kar... aise royegi toh teri shakal dekh ke Sameer wapas bhag jayega."

The last thought brought a smile on her face.

She looked into the mirror, staring at her tear stained face, red nose, swollen eyes, "Sameer, sach mein bhaag jaoge kya agar itni buri dikhungi?"

Her own words sounded absurd to her... Sameer had seen her like this, he had seen her covered in sweat, with oily hair, reeling in pain, in weirdest of clothes... he had seen her at her worst... and his eyes always had the same appreciation same love for her.

Naina took a deep breath and tried to think clearly.

"Tum yeh teen din apni kahani ke episodes likhne mein bitana... dher saare likh dena... jisse jab main wapas aaun toh saara time tum mujhe de sako." He had said before going.

Steeling herself, she went out to the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water, washing away the traces of tears.

Back in her room, she picked up the file that contained her story and settled on her desk, armed with a pen and a writing pad.

After working non stop for over two hours, she checked the time to realise that she needed to go for lunch. Though not hungry, she had to keep her promise to him.

Continuing with her work post lunch, she dropped the pen only when the light started to fade.

Naina put away the file, neatly compiling all the written sheets in a folder. Stretching herself, she felt the need for a cup of tea.

With a hot steaming mug in hand, she stepped out in the balcony, wistfully gazing at the faraway tree.
Had Sameer been here, she would have been with him under the huge tree that had seen them grow from almost strangers to friends to soul mates. Like a father figure, it stood saving them from the eyes of the world... protecting the two people who never had the loving hand of a father on their head.

The tree was indeed an important part of their love story.

"Ek din apne bachhon ko yahan layenge aur batayenge ki kaise sahi mayno mein humare pyaar ki shuruaat yahin se hui thi", Naina thought aloud.

Then blushed at her own words, thinking what Sameer would say if he heard her talking like this.

Pressing her forehead with a hand, she squeezed her eyes shut, knowing his reaction.

He would just pull her into his arms, placing a finger under her chin to make her look at him, and say in his deep voice, "Badi jaldi hai tumhe bachhon ki"

Without being around, he had let the butterflies lose in her stomach... she walked back into the room to control the racing heartbeat... even looking at the tree was not a good idea.

After dinner, she laid in bed, thinking about the numerous times Sameer had come to her room through the balcony. Having a room at backside had troubled her in the first few days. She could never see a soul anywhere. And now she was thankful that no one ventured out to this side.

Lost in thoughts, she drifted off to sleep sometime after midnight.

The alarm in the morning rang when she had already been up for almost an hour, sitting in bed hugging her knees.

"Ek din nikal gaya, Sameer... ab sirf do din baaki hain... parson iss samay main tumse milne ke liye taiyar ho rahi hongi." The thought again brought fresh tears to her eyes as she prepared herself for another day without him.

She had decided not to miss any more classes. Sitting through the lecture was not easy... her concentration wavered every few minutes but she forced herself back. At the end, she looked at the blank page in her notebook and sighed. It was no use being in the class.

But she kept up the brave front and attended all of them... till lunch time. After chatting with Sonali, Komal and Nisha for some time, she went to the dining hall for lunch. The rest of the day was spent writing. In the evening, she again went out to the balcony... if not in the ground, at least she could look at it.

The darkness brought some relief as  it brought the end of another day. More than half of her ordeal was over. Just one more day and she would be in his arms.

Naina felt a strange sense of hollowness in her belly at the thought of being close to him. Her entire body, up to the fingertips, felt hot. It was like she was coming up with a fever. Her breathing became faster as she recalled his strong arms around her, his fingers on her waist, his hot breath on her face, his strong, musky smell invading her...

She clutched her stomach with both hands, breathing hard.

Sameer had started the day early as munshiji wanted him to be at the factory by eight. Interacting with more people, Sameer understood the functioning of the department where the new machines would be set up. He eased the fear of the workers who were scared of losing their job after most of the things would be done by these metallic contraptions.

"Aap logon ko koi nikal nahi raha... yeh machine aapka kaam aasan karne ke liye hain... aapki jagah kaam karne ke liye nahi... aap sab logon ko training di jaayegi inko istemaal karne ki... isse aap din bhar mein aur zyada kapda taiyar kar payenge... woh bhi kam mehnat se... isliye aap sab kisi bhi tarah ka darr apne man se nikal dijiye... yeh mere nanu ki factory nahi unka saaya hai mere sar pe... unka aashirvaad hai... aur isme kaam karne wale ek bhi insaan ko dukh pohoncha toh nanu ko dukh hoga... mere liye aap sab mere bade hain jo mujhe hatth pakad ke yeh sab sikhayenge... kya main aashaa kar sakta hun ki aap mera saath denge bilkul waise hi jaise aap nanu ka dete the aur agar main koi galti karunga toh mujhe sambhal lenge?"

He stood with folded hands.

The applause he received was thunderous.

Munshiji was overwhelmed.

Later, in nanu's cabin, he placed a hand on Sameer's head as he stood looking at nanu's picture, "Sameer beta, aaj aapko dekhkar yakeen ho gaya ki ab kuch hi mahino mein aap sab kuch sambhal lenge... aapke nanaji ke bharosa pe aap bilkul khare utrenge."

Sameer smiled, his eyes wet.

He could feel nanu blessing him.