"Kya... kya kaha tumne?" Naina stared at Sana.

She looked back innocently.

"Sana, baby, kya bola abhi? Fir se bolo... ek baar bolo." Naina urged.

Sana blinked, keeping mum.

Naina wondered if she had actually spoken the word or it was her own imagination. She coaxed her daughter several times but the word did not come out again.

It wasn't easy to put Sana to sleep. She wasn't a cry baby usually but today, she kept rolling on the bed and sitting up, sobbing repeatedly. When Naina couldn't put her to sleep in spite of all efforts, she made her lie on her stomach. Whether it was due to tiredness or her mother's warmth, but Sana finally slept on Naina's tummy, her head nestled under her mother's chin. Around midnight, Naina was able to turn to her side and make Sana sleep comfortably on the bed, but kept her close.

The phone started to ring in the morning before her alarm could go off. She quickly picked it up, glancing at her sleeping daughter.

"Good morning, jaan." Sameer's throaty voice made her heartbeat stop for a moment... it felt like he was right next to her.

"Good morning bhi nahi bologi? Mere paas sirf ek dupatta tha fir bhi usme tumko mehsoos karte hue kisi tarah raat bita li aur ab itne pyar se good morning bol raha hun. Tumhare paas toh mera poora cupboard tha na." His teasings were not effected by distance.

"Good morning." She smiled.

"Hayee Naina, kaash tumhe dekh paata. Subah jab tum uthti ho toh itni masoom aur khili hui lagti ho ki dil karta hai..." He purposely did not say further, knowing that she would be red by now.

"Ab sharmati hi rahogi ya kuch bologi bhi. Kuch baat adhoori chod di thi kal raat tumne. Usse poora karna hai... yaad hai na?" He smirked.

She shut her eyes. Even from this distance, he could make her knees go weak.

"Naina... tum ho na?" He asked uncertainly, not able to hear her breathing.

"Hmmm." She whispered.

He smiled in relief, "Jaan, dil toh kar raha hai abhi udd ke aa jaun tumhare aur Sana ke paas. Sana mujhe yaad karti hai?"

"Bohot. Kal usne itna miss kiya tumhe ki badi mushkil se sulaya maine. Ro rahi thi tumhe yaad karke." Naina gave a fond look to her daughter who now slept peacefully.

Sameer sighed, "Mujhe bhi uske bina bilkul achha nahi lag raha. Main jaldi aa jaata par aaj poore din ki meeting hai. Ek lunch se pehle aur doosri shaam ko. Isliye raat ki flight hi le sakta hun."

"Koi baat nahi, Sameer. Bas aaj ka din hi toh hai. Kal subah hum dono besabri se tumhara intezar karenge." Naina comforted him.

She contemplated whether to mention about Sana's first word  to him, then decided against it. Sameer would be hugely disappointed if he came to know he missed it. She didn't want him to go for the meeting holding it to be the reason for him missing out on such a significant milestone, more so because it was him that Sana chose to call out first. But there was also a nagging doubt at the back of her head... she herself wasn't so sure whether Sana had actually spoken the word.

"Sana theek toh hai na?" Sameer's concerned voice brought her out of the confused thoughts.

"Ha... haan. Sana bilkul theek hai. Bas miss kar rahi hai tumhe." She assured him.

"Main bhi bohot miss kar raha hun... Sana ko aur tumhe. Kaash tum dono bhi yahan hote toh kitna achha hota." He wistfully glanced outside at the beautiful city.

To bring him out of the melancholy, Naina blew a noisy, hard kiss into the phone.

His eyes closed in the sensation, rejecting the view outside. He brought the dupatta in hand to his face and whispered, "Ek aur."

She sent him another blissful kiss before speaking, "Meeting ke liye All the Best. Agar kisi bhi baat pe zara bhi gussa aaye toh Sana ko yaad kar lena. Uska muskurata chehra aankhon mein aate hi dimaag shaant ho jayega."

"Naina, tum yeh baar baar gusse ki baat kyon karti ho? Main kahan gussa karta hun?" He frowned at her reminder.

"Haan, haan, tumhe toh gusse ka G bhi nahi aata. Bilkul nahi karte lekin galti se aa jaaye toh khyal rakhna. Theek hai?" She teased.

"Wapas aake bataunga mujhe kya aata hai." His voice turned raspy, making her almost drop the phone.

He could clearly imagine the colour on her cheeks, when she didn't say anything.

"Naina, ek aur." He glanced at his watch, and realised it was time to leave.

She placed the phone over her heart... and he could hear the hammering so close that for a moment it seemed he was actually with her.

Her soft voice lifted his mood instantly, "I Love You, jaan. Hum dono tumhara intezar kar rahe hain. Kal iss waqt hum sab saath honge. Tab tak khyal rakhna mere Sameer ka."

Her deep kiss made him smile. Kissing back, he said a quick goodbye, inhaled the dupatta once again, before placing it back in the suitcase and picked up his jacket to leave for the office of his new clients.

The previous day had been spent in visiting the retail outlets of the firm. Sameer was amazed to see the standard of malls and shopping plazas. The dazzle of open gallerias was like the festive euphoria of Ahmedabad. After a check of the market demand and what kind of fabric was preferred by the company, Sameer was confident that they would be able to produce the required quality and patterns easily. Today, as he entered the office in a tall building, his heart felt light and positive. The talk with Naina in the morning, her thoughtfulness of sending her dupatta, the excitement of finally being able to leave later in the day... it all brought a spring in his step.

Naina tried again in the morning, hoping to hear something from Sana, but it appeared that the word had slipped out of her mouth by mistake. Even after she mentioned Sameer, Sana did not speak up. But she did miss him. When Naina made her sit on the bed after her bath, she crawled up to his pillow and lay her head on it.

"Tumhe papa ki yaad aa rahi hai na... mujhe bhi. Bas aaj ek din, aur kal subah Sana ke papa Sana ke paas honge." Naina laid on the same pillow, facing her.

Sana placed one small palm on her cheek, as if to console her. Overwhelmed at her gesture, Naina drew her to herself, kissing her soft cheek.

Tara mentioned to her later during the day that Sana had been exceptionally quiet. She didn't want any toys, nor she wanted to be carried around. This got Naina worried. If Sana continued like this, she could fall sick. Her heart clenched at the thought that her little baby was missing Sameer so much that she didn't want friends or toys when he wasn't around.

Unexpectedly, Sameer's meeting lasted only one hour. The owner, an old and frail man, told him that his sons were very impressed with the way he was managing the whole business all alone at such a young age. Sameer told them that he was able to do so because of strong support from two people... his wife and a very sincere and balanced person, who had been like a grandfather to him. The old man walked shakily towards Sameer and hugged him. According to him, a person who loved and valued his family was most dedicated and honest businessman and he wanted to work only with such people.

He asked Sameer why he didn't get his family along. On hearing the reason, he gave an invitation to visit their country once the passports were made. Sameer politely accepted the offer.

Old man's next suggestion, however, left him stumped.

"We had planned a meeting in the evening to introduce you to all our production heads, but I don't see the need now. Your swatches appear promising and I have absolute faith in your capability to understand the market and bring out the precise blend that would be suitable for our requirements. I would not like to keep you away from your family any longer. Please accept our offer of an immediate arrangement for your return to your country."

Sameer was hardly able to contain his excitement as he boarded the aircraft around lunchtime, almost ten hours prior to his scheduled departure. Being ahead of India in time, he calculated that he would be home by dinner time. He had once thought of calling Naina from the airport, but dropped the idea. The surprise on her face would be worth seeing.

Naina left the office early, and took Sana to the park. Seeing small children playing in groups, colourful balloons being sold everywhere, assorted toys on display at various counters did pep up the little one. When Naina bought a balloon and tied it to her wrist, she shook her hand vigorously, squealing as the balloon danced with the movement. Relieved to see her cheerful, Naina asked the vendor to put a big bunch in the car, to carry them home. Whatever it took to keep Sana happy till next morning, she was ready to do.

About an hour later, she reached home, and asked Ramdhari to take Sana to the guest bedroom. She wanted her to be in a new setting that did not remind him of Sameer immediately. All the balloons were put on the floor. Sana crawled briskly to catch them but they kept flying away everytime she touched them. After a while, Naina picked up one and gave to her. She wrapped her arms around it, and grinned, finally being able to hold it.

After feeding her the usual dinner of mashed cereals and vegetables, Naina took her back to their room. Ramdhari brought a few balloons along, putting them on the bed.

Though Sana looked around for Sameer again, she wasn't as forlorn as earlier. The distraction had helped her to some extent. Naina wished it was this easy for grown ups too.

"Abhi tum so jao. Jab uthogi tab tak doll ke papa bhi aa jayenge. Aur kal chutti hai toh meri beti saara din apne papa ke saath khel sakti hai. Hai na?" While changing her clothes for the night, Naina talked to her in a soothing voice.

"Kauna aayega kal? Papa. Bolo pa... pa." She tried again, but Sana just kept staring at her blankly.

Naina rolled her eyes, "Sab bachhe pehle mumma bolte hain. Ek toh tumne papa bola, aur usko bhi dubara bolne mein itne nakhre kar rahi ho. Bilkul apne papa pe hi gayi ho. Bas dono ko mujhe satana aata hai."

When Sana still did not give any reaction, Naina leaned on the bed on her elbows, coming down to her level, and raised her brows, speaking in an unsure voice, "Kal sach mein bola tha na? Ya mujhe dhoka hua?"

Sana blinked hard, the wink that she had learnt from her father. Naina's eyes flew wide. Sana let out a throaty cry and wound her small, chubby arms around Naina's neck. Taking her bundle of mischief in her arms, Naina rocked her as Sana held the feeding bottle, sipping from it, her eyelids getting heavier.

Less sleep the previous night, extra activity of running after the balloons and the anguish of missing her father made her fall asleep much sooner than her bedtime.

After putting her in bed and raising the wooden frame to keep her safe, Naina went out to the living room. She had asked Ramdhari to have his food and go off to sleep. He was staying in the house while Sameer was away. For now, he had retired to the room at the backside of the house.

Kitchen was vacant. Her dinner was kept in a plate, covered with another one. She didn't feel hungry. The house seemed eerily quiet. She had become so used to Sameer and Sana's voices all around her that now, when both were not here, she felt empty... a void inside her seemed to suck away all her strength. She pressed her fingers against her temple.

After having a glass of water, she walked out into the living room.

Sameer sat on the sofa, smiling at her. A gasp escaped her lips. How had he come? Her eyes flew to the main door. It was locked. She looked back at him... the chair lay as lonely as before. She slapped her forehead. Sameer hadn't yet called. That meant he still hadn't boarded the aircraft from Singapore.

With a dejected sigh, she opened the door and stepped out into the garden. Pleasant wind brought the fragrance of flowers that were planted in the garden. It was a moonless night.

She smiled wryly as she stared at the sky. Just like her, it appeared dark and glum. When she looked down, Sameer stood right in front of her, making her eyes go wide again.

"Sam... Sameer tum..." She extended her hand to touch him... and he vanished.

She pressed her forehead, cursing herself. Without him, even her sanity seemed to leave her.

The sound of wrought iron gate made her look up. And again, Sameer walked in. A smile lit up his face when he saw her waiting outside.

Naina did not smile back, not ready to fall for the illusion again.

He put the suitcase down and walked slowly towards her.

"Kitna pagal karoge, Sameer! Har jagah tum dikhte ho... ab toh tumhari khusbhu bhi mehsoos hone lagi hai. Main nahi reh paa rahi hun tumhare bina. Please jaldi aa jao." She turned to her side, murmuring to herself as she felt his musky scent fill her up.

For a second, Sameer was stunned when she turned away, without smiling back... but her words made him realise that she was thinking him to be her imagination.

In one long stride, he reached her. She almost stumbled when his arms went around her as he roughly turned her towards him, and placed his craving lips on her soft ones which had parted in shock. Her wide eyes gaped into his hooded ones as her gasp got drowned somewhere in his hungry mouth.

As the reality hit her, Naina sank in his arms, closing her eyes. Her hands went up from his chest to lock behind his neck, clutching the hair ends.

He kept pressing her into himself more and more, trying to fill in the emptiness of two days.

It was a kiss of hunger, but also a kiss of solace, of comfort, of relief.

They were finally home.

Next update tomorrow evening