"Rahul, ek baat karni hai tujhse." Sameer said as they walked out of the canteen.

Naina and Sonali were a little ahead, not within hearing distance.

"Bol na, kya baat hai... itna kya soch raha hai." Rahul said lightly.

Sameer hesitated, "Teri thodi help chahiye thi."

Rahul stopped to look at him, "Sameer, mujhse kehne mein kyon darr raha hai... bol na jo bhi hai."

"Tujhe Naina ke papa ke baare mein toh bataya hi hai... maine chachaji se baat ki thi... unka bhi manna hai ki agar hum yahan rahenge hi nahi toh zyada theek rahega... waise toh chachaji unse baat karne ki koshish karenge par Rakesh sir kaafi tedhe hain... kehna mushkil hai ki woh manenge ya nahi... ho sakta hai ki woh zabardasti aa jaaye yahan aur college mein tamasha karein... main nahi chahta Naina ko unki wajah se koi dukh pohoche." Sameer mentioned his concern.

"Kaise hain Naina ke papa, yaar... koi padha likha insaan apni beti ke liye aisa kaise soch sakta hai... bata main teri kya help kar sakta hun." Rahul was still in shock about her father's decision.

"Kya hum agle hafte tere ghar reh sakte hain? Bas kuch dino ke liye...  maine chachaji se permission le li hai... unhone kaha ki Rakesh sir na mile mujhse aur Naina se toh hi theek hoga..." Sameer put forth what he had discussed with chachaji.

"Ismein puchne wali kya baat hai, Sameer... tujhe itna bhi bharosa nahi hai kya apne bhai pe jo aise puch raha hai... main toh kehta hun jab tak college ke exams nahi khatam hote tum dono hamare saath hi raho... chod do hostel... wahin se Ahmedabad jaana." Rahul warmly invited him to stay.

Sameer was reminded of the same thing he had mentioned to Naina when they had gone for the new year party.

"Tu ek baar Sonali se baat kar lena... agar usse koi problem nahi hai toh main Naina se puch lunga." Sameer didn't want to put him in any difficult situation.

"Sonali ke liye toh Naina ek behen se bhi aage hai... uska bas chale toh woh Naina ko hamesha ke liye apne ghar mein rakh le... uske mana karne ka sawal hi nahi uthta... tum dono befikr hoke aao... humein bohot achha lagega." Rahul was confident about Sonali's answer.

"Thanks Rahul, tune meri bohot badi problem khatam kar di... " He was relieved.

"Gadha hai tu agar iss problem se pareshan tha... aur thanks bolne ki sazaa yeh hai ki do samose aur khilane padenge." Rahul grinned.

"Theek hai yaar, tu jitne chahe samose khaa le... saath mein mangola bhi pee lena." Sameer was elated.

"Sameer, tum log kya baatein karne mein lage ho... aao na library jaana hai." Naina called out.

"Tum log chalo, hum abhi aate hain... mujhe Sameer se kuch kaam hai." Rahul said.

Sonali and Naina gave a puzzled look to the boys, then decided to tackle with them individually later.

"Sameer, agar Naina ke papa ne yahan baaki logon ke saamne kuch bola toh... matlab tumne kisi ko bataya nahi hai... agar unhone sabke saamne shaadi ki baat khol di toh?" Rahul voiced his doubt.

"Iss baat ke darr se hi yahan se nikalna chahte hain... jab unhe pata chalega ki hum dono mein se koi hostel mein hai hi nahi toh apna gussa kis pe nikalenge... par yahan rahe toh zaroor shor machayenge." Sameer pursed his lips.

"Aise kab tak darega yaar, iska koi na koi pakka intezam karna hoga." Rahul looked seriously at him.

Sameer gave a deep look to Rahul, "Mujhe darr sirf Naina ke liye hai, Rahul... warna main kisi se nahi darta... aur abhi exams se ekdum pehle kuch hone se woh bohot distrub ho jayegi... ek baar hum wapas chalein jaayein fir dekhta hun kaise koi Naina ko pareshan karne ki himmat karta hai... chahe uske papa ho ya uski taiji... Naina ab meri biwi hai aur uske saath koi galat harkat main bardaasht nahi kar sakta... uske papa se abhi na milne ka faisla sirf exams ki wajah se liya hai."

They joined their wives in the library a little later.

"Ho gayi tumhari meeting khatam? Mujhe laga aaj padhai na karne ka yeh bahana nikala hai." Sonali looked angrily at Rahul.

"Bahana kyon karunga, jaan... main toh kabse tumhare paas aana chahta tha... yeh Sameer hi rok ke baat kar raha tha mujhse." Rahul said softly as he settled next to her.

"Oye, maine kab roka?" Sameer frowned.

"Rehne do Sameer... mujhe pata hai yeh jhooth bol raha hai." Sonali said with a grim expression.

Rahul gave a frustrating look to Sameer who winked.

However, his mischief vanished the moment he glanced at Naina.

"Ahh." A painful gasp escaped his lips as she pinched his leg.

'Baad mein dekhungi tumhe." She hissed.

The naughty expression was back within a second... he leaned closer, "Dekhogi na, pakka?"

Sameer managed to bring the colour to her face even when she was annoyed.

"Naina, aaj ghar pe padh lenge hum. Abhi chalte hain." Sonali was still miffed though.

"Arre yaar, padh lo na thodi der, nahi toh ghar jaate hi jhagda karogi mujhse." Rahul made an innocent face.

The stare he got could have burnt him.

"Aaj toh mushkil se maanegi... jaana padega... kal milte hain." Rahul quickly got up to follow Sonali who had reached the door already.

Sameer looked back at Naina once they were alone. Her attention was back to books... but he could make out that her mind was not in them.

"Main baad mein bata dunga tumhe... mujhe kuch puchna tha Rahul se... usne haan kardi hai... ab bas tumhari haan ki zaroorat hai." He earnestly looked at her.

Naina was worried, forgetting about her anger, "Aisa kya hai, Sameer? Koi problem hai kya?"

"Shaam ko bata dunga." He assured her.

"Nahi, abhi batao... shaam tak mujhse intezar nahi hoga." Her curiosity was increasing.

"Naina, yahan karne ki baat nahi hai." He said in a low voice.

She chewed on the corner of her lower lip, wondering what it could be.

Studying was not easy, with her mind wavering in one direction and Sameer's mind wavering in another.

He slid his hand around her waist.

"Sameer, library hai." She twisted, whispering.

"Kisi ko dikhai thodi de raha hai... humare table ka yehi faayda hai." He whispered back.

"Fir bhi... hato na... yahan nahi." She tried to loosen his grip from her waist.

"Toh... kahan?" He dug his fingers deeper.

Naina looked around... the library had a few students but most of them seemed to be buried in books.

She stopped struggling to get out of his hold... rested her elbow on the table... placed her chin on clasped hands and looked at him with a slight tilt of head.

Sameer was taken aback at her tempting pose... staring with wide eyes.

And she winked.

His hand on her waist went cold... eyes darting to check the surroundings...

He was shocked even more to see that she had done it in front of quite a few students...

And it filled him with excitement. He winked back, pressing his lower lip under the teeth... pulling her closer.

"Sameer, koi dekh lega." She stiffened.

"Achha... yeh toh shuru karne se pehle sochna tha." His low voice was rough.

The sound of bell made him jump before Naina could say anything.

More students entered the library and their constant movement around the cabinets close to their table forced Sameer to keep distance from her. However, he kept grabbing her hand under the table whenever he could, smiling innocently when she gave him an exasperated look.

She tried to make him pay some attention to the chapter they were doing but it was next to impossible. Finally, she gave up.

"Chalo, wapas jaate hain. Lunch ke baad tum yeh practice kar lena... agar kuch doubt ho toh shaam ko dekh lenge." She gathered her notebooks.

"Shaam ko... pagal dikhta hun tumhe?" His tone left her perplexed.

"Shaam ko apni biwi se padhai ki baat kaun karta hai... woh toh romance ka time hai na." He cleared her confusion.

"Kyon nahi... abhi padhai ke time toh jaise aap sirf padhai hi kar rahe the." Her fake smile made her eyes crinkle.

Sameer gave a quick look around... and pinched her cheek in one swift motion, "Hayee... jab tum aap bolti ho toh koi chui mui si biwi lagti ho... meri Jhansi ki rani nahi... isliye aap mat bola karo... tum hi achha lagta hai."

Naina moved out without waiting for him... her cheeks flaring up at his action in front of other students... her heart fluttering at the thought of being seen by the librarian.

Sameer rushed out, joining her in the corridor, "Arre, bhaag kyon rahi ho... saath chalne bhi nahi dogi kya?"

"Sameer, tum kuch toh socha karo aisa karne se pehle... agar librarian ne dekh liya hota toh?" She fumed, stopping abruptly.

He gave her a deep look, "Kitne librarian se darunga, Naina... ek kaafi nahi hai kya jo ek aur ke naam ki dhamki de rahi ho?"

Her eyes widened at his implication, "Sameer, sach sach batao... papa ko lekar koi baat hui hai kya jo mujhe nahi pata?"

"Nahi Naina, bas jo chachaji ne bataya tha uske baad koi baat nahi hui." His tone was soothing.

Her fears did not go away, "Pata nahi mujhe kyon lag raha hai ki tum Rahul se jo baat kar rahe the uska papa se kuch lena dena hai... Sameer, please bata do na kya hua hai."

The pain and terror in her eyes made his heart wrench, "Naina, vishwas karo... main kuch galat nahi hone dunga... aur Rahul se jo kaha woh main shaam ko bata dunga."

"Pakka?" She raised her brows.

"Bilkul pakka, meri jaan." His soft voice was full of love.

Naina paced her room thinking about her father's reaction to the news of her marriage. More than anything, it would mean an end to his dream of getting a secured place for Arjun bhaiya... at least that is what he would think.

And depriving Arjun bhaiya of something at the cost of her happiness would make the volcano of his anger spurt uncontrollable lava. She trembled at the prospect of being in front of him when that happened.

"Aaj Sameer ko bolungi raat ko jaake chachaji ko phone karle ek baar... agar unhone papa se baat ki hogi toh pata chalega ki unka kya plan hai." She decided.

Sameer found her waiting when he reached the spot.

"Aaj tum jaldi aa gayi?" He beamed, though surprised.

"Mujhse kamre mein ruka nahi jaa raha tha, Sameer... bohot bechaini ho rahi thi." She stood up to face him.

He immediately pulled her into his arms, "Sach? Mujhe bhi ho rahi thi... tumhare bina raha nahi jaata... tumse door ek ek pal kaatna mushkil hota hai."

His throaty voice and tight hold made Naina realise that they were talking about different things. But for now, she let herself drown in the warmth and comfort of his strong arms around her.

"Oh Naina, ab tumhare dupatte se kaam nhi chalta... tumhari zaroorat hai... mujhe poori ki poori Naina chahiye." He mumbled against her hair, getting lost in her fragrance.

In answer, she wound her arms tighter, placing her palms flat on his back, going up on her toes to fit her face in the crook of his neck.

Her warm breath fanned his ear, making the skin tingle with pleasure... dipping his head, he kissed her shoulder, the relief of having her close visible on his face.

"Sameer, mujhe kuch baat karni hai." She moved her head back to look at him after a few minutes.

He smiled down, raising his brows in question.

"Pehle tum batao jo tumhe batana hai... ya puchna hai... jo tumne library mein kaha tha." She reminded him.

He instantly knew what she was talking about. The time had come to tell her about his conversation with chachaji.

"Naina, sabse pehle jaan lo ki chachaji se maine yeh saari baat kar li hai aur unhe bhi lagta hai ki mera faisla theek hai... shayad tumhe itna theek na lage par humare liye abhi yehi sahi rahega." He held her shoulders.

Naina had no clue what he was talking about. She waited patiently.

"Uss din tumhe garden mein itna pareshan dekh ke main samajh gaya ki tumhare papa ke faisle ne tumhe kitna dard diya hai jisse tum sabse chupane ki koshish kar rahi ho. Unko school mein maine kabhi tumse pyaar se baat karte nahi dekha. Aur iss faisle ko jaan kar itna samajh gaya hun ki unhe tumhari khushiyon ki koi parwah nahi hai... par tum ab bhi kahin na kahin unke baare mein sochti ho... darti ho unse... isliye shayad unke saamne apne dil ki baat na keh pao... Naina, aisa nahin hai ki main tumhare papa ke aage apne iss rishte ke baare mein bata nahin sakta ya mujhe kisi baat ka darr hai... lekin yeh sab yahan hostel mein ho yeh mujhe manzoor nahi hai... main Ahmedabad mein tumhare ghar aake sabke saamne tumhara haath pakad ke bata dunga ki tumse kitna pyar karta hun aur ab tum meri biwi ho... lekin tab tak humein thodi samajhdari se kaam lena hoga." He gave her the background.

The confusion on Naina's face increased even more.

He took a deep breath, "Humein yahan unki nazaron se bachna hoga... agar unke saamne gaye... tum ya main... toh yahan sabko pata chal sakta hai... isliye chachaji ne meri iss baat ko sehmati de di ki hum dono ek hafte ke liye Rahul ke ghar jaa ke rahein... jisse agar Rakesh sir chachaji ki baat na maane aur yahan aa bhi jaayein toh humse na mil sake."

Naina kept looking at him without blinking.

He could understand her dilemma, "Main jaanta hun tum sochogi ki agar kahi bahar rehna hai toh Phulla bua ke ghar kyon nahi... par wahan toh tumhare papa sabse pehle dhundenge humein... unki baaton se tumhe takleef ho ya unke kuch karne se tum disturb ho jao yeh main nahi hone dunga... isliye hum kal hi Rahul ke ghar chalenge... kal Saturday hai aur abse koi classes bhi nahi hain... hum wahin rehkar padhenge... exam ke time wapas aa jayenge... ab batao, chalogi mere saath?"

The few minutes of silence that prevailed made his heartbeat stop... what if Naina was not comfortable to stay with him like this... she still had some fears about the level of their proximity.

He gulped... staring at her blank expression.

There is a new ff by a dear friend @saumyaa11
Please do check it out.