Mr Kapoor walked towards Naina later in the party, "Naina ji, ab thoda change kar do script mein... Mayank ko kahin bahar bhej do... yeh ab kaafi din shooting pe nahi aa payega."

"Mr Kapoor, bada bura lag raha hai bechare ke liye... aur aapka bhi nuksaan hoga ab uski shooting ruk jayegi toh." Sameer made a sad face.

"Arre nahi Sameer ji, hum baaki ke scene shoot karenge... aur Naina ji usko kahin bhijwa dengi jahan se sirf chithi likhi jaa sake... phone call wali jagah bhi mat bhejna usse." He looked at Naina, "Awaaz toh dub karni padegi na uske liye... aur iski toh ab bolte hue bhi hawa nikal jaayegi."

He burst out in laughter, making others around him also join in.

"Waise mujhe toh bada maza aaya... aisa gubbara banke udne laga tha kuch mahino se... girte hi saari hekdi hawa ho gayi... ab dekho kab wapas aa payega nakli daant ke saath... main khushi khushi uska track hold pe daal dunga... kal ki news se sabko pata chal jayega ki uske saath yeh haadsa hua hai toh viewers bhi uske na hone se pareshan nahi honge... pata nahi iss jaise ghatiya insaan ke itne fans kyon hain?" He scrunched his nose.

Sameer found it to be right moment, "Kapoor sahab, aisa bhi kya hai ki aap sab log mil ke iske khilaaf nahi bol sakte... ladkiyon ke saath iss tarah ka bartaav kaise bardaasht karte hain aap log... kya apne show ko chalaane ke liye zaroori hai ki aap doosre logon ki beizzati hote hue dekhen? Maine dekha yahan koi usse pasand nahi karta... toh agar aap sab log haath mila lein aur usse apne show ka hissa na banaye toh usko apne aap hi sabak mil jaayega."

Mr Kapoor glanced at his friends who were involved with some or the other show, he looked back at Sameer.

With a deep breath, he placed one hand on Sameer's shoulder, "Aisa nahi hai ki hum sab yeh nahi chahte... pehle Mayank aisa nahi tha... uski acting toh number one hai hi, uska dimag bhi thikane pe tha... lekin pichle do saalon mein usse itne award mile aur itne show aa gaye ki achanak mili shohrat uske sar chadh gayi... woh har kisi ko apna naukar samajhne lag gaya... ab jinhone usko pehle se hi sign kar rakha hai woh kya kar sakte hain... lekin ab paani sar ke upar jaane laga tha... hum sab kuch dino se soch hi rahe the ki isko kaise nikala jaaye... aaj iski kismat khud hi saath chod gayi."

Naina stifled a smile.

The initial shock of Mayank's accident slowly faded, giving way to everyone joking about it... he was still the talk of the party, but people now sniggered about how he truly got what he deserved.

When finally Naina and Sameer left the party, they were happy with all the praises Naina received and a few offers to write new shows. She had her hands full now... and it exhilarated her. She could spend more for the project on little girls...

When they reached home, it was close to midnight. Sonali had given the keys to them earlier, knowing that they would get late.

Quietly, Naina opened the main door. They entered, locking it behind them and walked to their rooms softly, so as not to wake up Rahul and Sonali.

Sameer put the latch in their room and turned... and was thrown against the door... as Naina hurled herself in his arms.

"Naina, kya ho gaya? Tum toh theek thi abhi tak... achanak kya hua?" He was taken aback, stroking her hair as he wound his arm around her.

"I Love You, Sameer."

A soft, satiated smile spread on his face... he could never get enough of her confession... she could say it hundred times a day, each day of their life... each time would still give him the same jump of heart, same quickening of breath, same racing of pulse...

"I Love You too sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head.

Her hold got tighter. She wanted to tell him how proud she was of whatever he did today, and the way he did it... discreetly... not even the person effected could realise it was him behind the mishap...

She was overwhelmed... this Sameer belonged to her... this Sameer, who had been wronged all his life but could not see any injustice being done to others, even if he did not know them... this Sameer, who was always standing for the honour of women... this Sameer, who pricked the inflated self conceited ego of a big star... this Sameer, who would be by her side always, understanding every pain without being told...

"Tum duniya ke sabse achhe pati ho." She mumbled against his chest.

His eyes lit up, "Arre waah... aaj ek ke baad ek medal mil rahe hain... meri jaan aaj mujhpe zyaada hi meherbaan hai shayad."

"Tum inn medals se kahin zyada ke haqdaar ho, Sameer... tum mujhse meri jaan bhi mangoge toh main khushi se de dungi." Her eyes pooled up.

He crushed her against his chest, "Tumhari jaan toh main hi hun... itna achha mauka diya hai maangne ka toh main kuch aur maang sakta hun na."

She looked up, cupped his face and pecked his lips, "Tumhare liye kuch bhi... kya chahiye tumhe?"

His big palms settled on her tiny waist, fingers locked behind her, "Naina, tum mil gayi ho toh sab kuch mil gaya hai... kuch bacha hi nahi maangne ko... bas yehi kehna hai ki mujhe zyada intezar mat karwana... tumhare bina ek ek din mere liye pahad jaisa hoga... yeh shaadi main bhi chahta tha lekin ab jab yeh samay aa gaya hai toh darr lag raha hai... kahin hum zyaada ki umeed toh nahi kar rahe? Aisa na ho ki bhagwan humse naraz ho jaaye... do mauke milne ke baad bhi hum apni kismat ko aazmana chahte hain... agar iss baar kismat ne saath nahi diya toh?"

She shuddered at his apprehensions, "Aisa mat kaho, Sameer... humein koi alag nahi kar sakta... hamari khushiyaan sirf hamari hain... kisi ki chalaki inhe humse nahi cheen sakti... humein ek doosre pe bharosa hai toh hum zaroor apne sapne ko poora kar paayenge."

He pursed his lips, blinking hard to push back the wetness in his eyes, "Naina, promise karo ki hum sirf ek doosre pe hi bharosa karenge... main apne rishte ko kisi aur ke bharose nahi chod sakta."

She threaded her fingers in his hair, "Hum kisiko apne beech nahi aane denge... yeh mera waada hai tumse."

She lifted her heels and fused her lips with his... taking him by surprise, bringing him out of the darkness he had begun to feel... his arms went up her back feeling the soft skin under his fingers. As she deepened the kiss, his craving for her intensified... the smoothness of her bare back not helping to curb the raging fire within him. His hold tightened, one hand going up in her hair as he took control of the kiss, plundering her mouth hard.

She melted against him, surrendering to the demands of his hungry mouth and exploring hands. Nothing mattered anymore... except the fact that she was his wife...

They didn't know how long they stayed without air... when he finally lifted his head, it felt as if he was on the last second of his life, gasping for breath... so was she...

Breathing heavily, they held onto each other for support.

Minutes later, he cupped her face, looking at the half closed eyes... her breathing was fast, making her heaving chest brush repeatedly against his hard muscles. His hands slipped to her throat, feeling the wildly pulsating nerve under his thumb.

That is when it dawned on him.

"Naina, tumhara pendant kahan hai?" He stared at her bare neck.

Her hand flew to her front where the pendant rested. The fingers landed on skin, through the sheer fabric of her saree.

"Sameer, maine toh utara hi nahi... kahan gaya?" She panicked.

"Hum car main baithe tab tak toh tha... maine dekha tha." He recalled.

"Ghar tak bhi tha... jab maine darwaza band kiya tha baahar wala toh meri baaju uski chain mein atak gayi thi... shayad kheench ke nikala toh uska hook dheela ho gaya hoga." She was sure it hadn't fallen outside the house.

"Chalo dekh lete hain kahin baahar toh nahi gir gaya." He suggested.

They silently went out to the living room... searching for it around the main door. They checked the entire passage from the door to their room but could not find anything. Sameer even looked under the furniture, to rule out the possibility of it being kicked by their foot unknowingly. It was nowhere.

They came back to their room, checking around the door inside.

"Naina, kahin bathroom mein toh nahi choda?" He enquired.

She was frantic, "Hum yahan se aage gaye hi kahan, Sameer?"

"Toh kahan jaa sakta hai? Ghar pohoche tab tak tha aur ab kahin nahi hai... aisa kaise ho sakta hai? Tumne utar ke toh nahi rakha tha na?" He looked at the dresser.

"Nahi utara tha... kamre mein aate hi toh... toh... matlab maine abhi utara nahi tha." In her mind, she played the events after entering their room... she had not moved in beyond two steps, catching Sameer at the door itself.

He came closer, holding her by shoulders, "Koi baat nahi, doosra banwa lenge... aur ab toh tumhare liye woh mangal... mangal kya hota hai... woh banwana hai na... toh jaane do isko."

She almost smiled through her wet eyes at his inability to pronounce mangalsutra, but a drop of tear rolled down her cheek, "Sameer, woh pendant mere liye bohot khaas hai... hum dono ka naam ek saath hai usme... pata nahi kyon par darr lag raha hai... kal Ahmedabad jaake sab ka samna karna hai aur aaj humare naam humse kho gaye... yeh bura shagun hai."

He saw the tear fall from her eye, roll down her cheek, slipping on the neck as it vanished into the folds of her pallu.

"Naina," his eyes brightened, "Umm, tumne andar dekha?"

"Andar nahi gaye hum, Sameer, bataya toh abhi." She shook her head in frustration.

"Wahan nahi, andar... matlab andar." He tilted his head to make her understand.

"Kahan andar? Jab maine nikala hi nahi gale se toh andar kahan rakhne jaati?" She was on the verge of bursting into tears.

He could not see her like this anymore. Stepping back, he started to open the buttons of his shirt.

"Sameer, yeh kya kar rahe ho tum... main itni pareshan hun aur tum... "

He placed a finger on her lips, cutting her sentence midway. She widened her eyes as he pulled out one hand from the shirt and then removed his finger to take it off completely.

He then waved his shirt in front of her, "Andar," as his eyes darted to the front of her blouse, stayed there for a second and came back to her face.

Naina realised what he meant, going red at the way he showed it to her. She almost bit her lip but stopped at the last moment, knowing his reaction to it.

"Main... main dekh ke aati hun." She turned to go to the washroom.

He held her hand from behind. This time when she bit her lip, he couldn't see it.

Closing the distance between them, he came to stand right behind her. Naina shivered as she felt his fingers brush against her shoulder, searching for the pin that secured her pallu.

He found it in no time, opening it carefully, so as not to hurt her.

Her hand flew up to keep the pallu on her shoulder as she felt the pin come off the fabric.

"Sam... Sameer, main... main... " Her voice was shaky, not able to go on.

Without a word, he held her wrist, still standing behind her... and brought her hand to the edge of her neckline, not touching her himself. With his other hand, he pulled at the wrist of her hand over the shoulder... and her pallu slipped down... falling to the floor.

She closed her eyes, her breath knocked out of her lungs.

Sameer tugged at her hand over the blouse, whispering in her ear, "Dekho... andar hai ya nahi?"

She stood rooted... not able to react.

His rough voice reached her, "Dekho Naina, nahi toh mujhe..."

She fisted her hand over her chest, as a tremble rocked her body...

With shaking hands, she patted her front... not able to feel anything, she let her fingers dip in the center...

When her fingers emerged, the pendant dangled in her hand.