"Tum uthe the pehle se?" Naina asked in wonder.

He pursed his lips, raising his brows.

"Toh fir jaane do mujhe." She tried to free her leg.

He turned on his side, engulfing her in his arms, "Subah jaldi isliye uthte hain jisse romance kar sakein."

"Jee nahi... subah jaldi isliye uthte hain jisse padh sakein." Naina said against his cheek.

"Kya yaar Naina, tum toh har waqt bas padhne ko hi bolti ho... yeh nahi ki kabhi kabhar thoda pyar dikha do... abhi abhi toh shaadi hui hai hamari." He made a grumpy face.

"Par abhi abhi hi exams bhi toh hai na, Sameer... shaadi toh ho gayi... ek baar exams bhi ho jaayein toh saari tension khatam... bas uske baad kabhi nhi bolungi padhne ko." She reasoned.

"Pata hai shaadi ke baad kya karna chahiye... kahan jaana chahiye?" He looked into her eyes.

"Kahan?" She questioned.

"Honeymoon pe." He grinned.

Naina coloured deeply, looking away.

"Abhi tum sirf exam dene jaa sakte ho, isliye zyada sapne mat dekho." She stated, turning to move away.

He pulled her with a force, making her fall on his chest, "Sapne dekhne se toh tum mujhe kabhi nahi rok sakti... aur tumhare sapne main saalon se dekh raha hun... ab toh aur bhi zyada dekhne laga hun... honeymoon ke bhi."

She lowered her eyes, having no other escape from his tight embrace, "Ek baar apne ghar le jao, tumhare saare sapne poore karungi."

His eyes turned wide at her words... and then shone with excitement, "Achha... promise?"

"Promise." She blinked in acceptance, looking up.

"Bina sune hi promise kar rahi ho... baad mein mat kehna... meri list bohot lambi hai." He raised one brow.

She placed her palms over each other on his chest, resting her chin on them, "Tum chaho toh aur lambi list bana lo... maine promise kiya hai na... tumhare kuch sapne toh pata hain mujhe... baaki bhi bata dena."

"Abhi bataun?" He eagerly pulled her closer.

Her stomach clenched as his face touched hers, lips brushing unintentionally.

The accidental contact surprised him for a moment, then a mischievous smile spread on his face, "Dekho, bina kuch kare bhi hum nazdeek aa hi jaate hain."

She gave him a shy look.

"Maine sachi kuch nahi kiya tha." He raised one hand that was not holding her.

As she tried to control the smile that threatened to spill out, her eyes stuck on the thick growth on his jaw.

"Sameer, aaj tum shave kar lo." She rubbed her fingers on his chin.

"Kyon, dil bhar gaya tumhara?" He held her hand and rubbed it against his jaw and cheek.

"Nahi, aisa nahi hai... bas woh aaj wapas chalte hain college toh wahan aise theek nahi lagega." She had planned to talk to him last night about going back  but Sameer had driven all thoughts out of her mind the moment he saw her in his t shirt.

"Kya? Wapas? Naina, hum to ek hafte ke liye aaye the na... abhi toh teen din baaki hain... abhi se kyon jaana hai?" He sat up, frowning.

"Hum kisi wajah se aaye the... ab woh wajah hi khatam ho gayi... ab papa ke aane ka koi darr nahi hai toh wapas chale jaana chahiye na... kisi ke ghar aise rehna achha nahi lagta." She got up to sit in front of him.

"Nahi, main nahi jaunga... aur tumhe toh bilkul nahi jaane dunga... Naina, wahan jaake hum fir se alag ho jayenge... sirf shaam ko ek ghante ke liye milogi tum... main nahi reh paunga poora din tumse mile bina." He was already dreading the examination days, and now she wanted to add to those days by leaving early.

"Sameer samjho na, hum kisi aur ko itna pareshan nahi kar sakte." She tried again.

"Par woh pareshan ho hi kahan rahe hain? Rahul ne khud kaha mujhse yahin rehne ko... usne toh pichli baar hi keh diya tha... tab toh hamari shaadi bhi nahi hui thi... aur tumse bhi Sonali ne kaha na exams ke baad yahin aane ko... tumne maan bhi liya... toh yeh teen din aur reh lenge toh kya ho jayega, Naina... yahan tumhare saath reh ke main zyada achhe se padh paata hun... hostel mein toh har kitaab mein bas tum dikhti ho... har pal bas tumse milne ke liye betaab rehta hun... yahan tum saamne ho toh ek sukoon hai... aur aaram se jitna tum chaho utna padh sakta hun." He desperately tried to make her stay.

Naina twisted her fingers... she didn't want to unnecessary trouble her friends... the thought of staying away from Sameer in the hostel was heart wrenching for her as well but they had to go through this even tougher examination once they went back to Ahmedabad. She had no idea how long it would take to make her stubborn family members accept their relationship.

He shifted near her, holding her face in his palms, "Please, mujhse meri Naina ko mat cheeno... mujhe nahi jaana abhi wahan... abhi abhi toh hum kareeb aaye hain Naina, aur tum yeh judaai dena chahti ho... main nahi reh paunga... main har samay tumhari balcony ke neeche khada rahunga... aur roz raat ko tumhare kamre mein aa jaunga... fir mat kehna ki main padh nahi raha."

She had no doubt that he would do exactly what he was saying... and that would not let both of them pay any attention to studying.

She took a deep breath, "Achha theek hai... lekin teen din mein chalna padega... exams ke time tum aisa kuch nahi karoge aur chup chap apne kamre mein padhai karoge... promise?"

He nodded happily, leaning towards her. She placed a finger on his lips, "Ab jao aur jaa ke naha lo."

"Pehle tum." He dropped a kiss on her finger.

Smiling, Naina pulled down her hand, "Kyon, tumhe abhi aur sona hai?"

He shook his head, "Tumhari khusbu jo bikhar jaati hai na bathroom mein, lagta hai tum mere saath ho."

Her eyes widened at his implication, cheeks flaring up instantly... the images conjuring up in her mind made her shut her eyes... that, however, did not stop the suddenly overactive brain.

He leaned closer, whispering in her ear, "Aise hi sapne mujhe bhi aate hain."

Her eyes flew open... she stared at him, mortified... how did he know what was going on in her mind?

He gave a crooked smile, placing his index finger on her heart, "Iss dil ke saath saath iss dimaag mein bhi dekh sakta hun," his finger moved to her temple, "sab pata chal jaata hai mujhe jo tum sochti ho."

She turned to run away. He pulled her back. The jerk made him fall back on the bed as she landed over him, but managed to balance herself with her hand on one side, the other one still in his hold. Her hair, that were tied losely like every other night, came undone... falling on his face as it cascaded down her shoulder.

The curtain of her silky hair on his face reminded him of the day in college long back when he had laid in her lap and she had applied ointment on his forehead... her hair had been falling on his face in a similar manner and he had wanted to run his fingers through them, pull her down to feel those luscious lips on his own... and he could not do anything.

The restrictions of those days were gone now.

He threaded his fingers through the soft mass of silk, bringing them near his nose to inhale the lavender smell that always intoxicated him... closing his eyes as the magic worked again.

When Naina slowly pulled away her hand from his, he was too lost in her hair to realise... only when the scented curtain moved away did he know that she was not near him anymore.

His eyes shot open... to see her standing near the bathroom door... a wide grin on her face as she waved a thumb at him, raising her brows.

Before he could get up, she was inside and the door closed.

He picked up the pillow and rolled over on the bed, clutching it tight against his chest, "Hayee Naina, tum toh jaan le logi meri."

He was sitting on the chair, looking into some books when she came out fifteen minutes later. She went out to the balcony to hang her towel and clothes. Early morning views always fascinated her... looking down at the street, she could see the school children standing at one side of the street, waiting for their bus. It reminded her of the days of her own school... which had ended just a few years back but the memories seemed to be from some far away time. So much had changed since then. The moment Sameer had stepped into her life... she had included him in her life even in school but he was just a part of her dreams then... the moment he actually became a reality, her life had started to change. All that she wanted started falling in her lap... the writing assignments, the award, the recognition, the show, and now the accolades she was getting with the successful run of the show... he had been the magic wand of her life.

And the biggest magic was the name of Mrs Naina Sameer Maheshwari that was her identity now... he was hers for life... and the sublime love he showered on her took her breath away... his every endearment, every word, every touch made her go through a wave of emotions... her craving for him increased with each passing day...

She gulped, holding onto the circular metal bar of the grill. A light dust storm of last night had left a sheen of dirt on the grill and her hands got covered with them. She looked at the dirty black marks and went in to wash them.

She opened the washroom door, still looking down at her hands and walked in without looking up... almost banging into Sameer.

He stood in front of the basin... his jaw dotted with shaving cream...

"Tum... tumne darwaza lock kyon nahi kiya?" She stepped back, blushing to the roots.

Somehow, this proximity in the closed bathroom seemed too intimate.

"Naina, main sirf shave kar raha hun... naha thodi raha hun... kya fark padta hai?" He was nonchalant.

"Main... main... baad mein aati hun." She turned to leave.

He held her arm, "Arre, tum haath toh saaf kar lo... yeh gande haath leke thodi baithogi bahar."

She gulped... he was right... she should wash her hands.

Walking back to the basin, she turned on the tap, rubbing her trembling hands... aware of his gaze on her in the mirror.

He was behind her next moment... putting away the tube of cream in hand on the basin, he picked up the soap. Bringing his arms around her, he started to apply soap on her hands under running water.

"Agar sabun nahi lagaogi toh saaf kaise honge?" He mumbled against her ear.

She could not look up in the mirror as he slowly rubbed soap all over her hands, cleaning each finger up to the tips... and then started to wash them under water. When he did not leave her for a few minutes, even after no trace of soap was left on her hands or his, she looked up. His eyes had the same dark look, burning her with their intensity.

"Ho gaya... main jaati hun...tum kar lo apna kaam." She lowered her eyes again.

He closed the tap, but did not leave her, "Abhi kaise jaogi... abhi toh hisaab barabar karna hai."

She looked up again, puzzled.

"Maine tumhare kaam mein madad ki ab tum mere kaam mein madad karo." He said in a soft voice.

"Main... main kya karun?" She swallowed hard.

He turned her to face him, bringing her hand to his face. Slowly, he started to rub it on his cheeks and jaw... the cream started to lather under her wet fingers.

She watched in fascination as the entire growth on his face was covered in white in no time.

"Ab isse hata dun ya aur kuch din chubhne dun tumhe?" He asked, eyes boring into hers.

"Chubhta nahi hai." She blurted before she could stop herself.

The glint in his eyes was more pronounced, "Achha, toh kya hota hai?"

"Kuch... kuch nahi." Her lashes masked the brown eyes.

"Aaj shave kar leta hun nahi toh sach mein babaji ban jaunga... fir wapas jaane tak nahi karunga... theek hai?" He asked.

She dipped her head to the side, without looking up.

"Toh?" His question sent shivers down her spine.

"Toh... toh kya?" Her eyes shot up to him.

"Toh karao." He held a razor in front of her, flicking her cheek to put a speck of foam on her face.

She stared at him, dumbfounded.

He turned her again, washing off the lather from her hands... and handed the razor.

All this was too personal, too close for her... the hand holding the razor started to shake. Then, she recalled the last few days when he had taken care of her during her periods... not hesitating even once to help her in whichever way that gave her comfort... he had even pressed her legs...

And the wall of reservations stared to collapse.