The morning was the gloomiest for Sameer. Outside light seemed to be mocking the darkness that had suddenly descended on him. He turned to look at the sleeping form of his wife. She was curled up like a child, knees folded against her belly. Holding a pillow in her arms, she was sleeping with her face hidden in it.

His hands itched to feel her... his arms wanted to be filled with her warmth... his heart ached to beat against her... he longed to drown himself in the hair that lay spilled on the bed... he needed to be assured of belongingness...

He wanted to be important in her life.

He stretched his arm, to touch her... but pulled it back. Khurana's words flashed like lightening in his mind. He had never felt so agitated as he did yesterday. What Khurana said had hurt him immensely.

*Flashback*

"Aap aisa kaise kar sakte hain, Mr Maheshwari?" Khurana had roared when Sameer placed the file in front of him.

"Yeh aapka kiya hua hai, Mr Khurana... maine kaha tha aapse ki hum market mein apna naam nahi kharab karna chahte isliye aap order time pe aur zaroorat ke hisaab se poora karna... lekin aapne dono hi baatein nazarandaaz kar di." Sameer said calmly.

"Aap naye hain iss kaam mein... hum log saalon se kar rahe hain... itna upar neeche ho jaata hai time ka... usse koi farq nahi padta... uski wajah se order cancel nahi hote... zaroor aapne kaha hoga unse cancel karne ko." Khurana retorted.

Sameer folded his arms, "Aur main aisa kyon karunga? Apne buyer ko apni company ka order cancel karne ki salaah kyon dunga?"

"Yeh toh aap hi jaane... naya naya business chala rahe hain, kya pata kya karenge." Khurana shrugged.

Sameer gritted his teeth but before he could say anything, Munshiji gave a stern look to Khurana.

"Agar aapko pata na ho toh chup rahiye, Khurana ji... Sameer sir pichle teen saal se factory ke saare decisions ka hissa hain... bade sahab ki seekh ke kaaran jitna yeh door rehke kar rahe the utna toh kuch log saara din yahan bita ke bhi nahi kar paaye iss business ke liye." Munshiji's voice was low but authoritative.

"Toh ab kya hua? Ab office mein baith ke bhi yeh order cancel hone se kyon nahi rok paaye?" Khurana smirked.

Sameer took a deep breath to control the rage boiling in him.

"Yeh order toh nahi rok paaya lekin aage se aisa nahi hone dunga, Mr Khurana... khair, abhi jo yeh nuksaan hua hai isse aap bhi partner ki haisiyat se bhugtenge toh shayad agli baar aap bhi yaad rakhenge." He said with a sarcastic smile.

Khurana gave a bewildered look to Sameer, "Main kyon utaunga yeh nuksaan?"

"Kyonki aap partner hain, mera aur aapka hissa barabar hoga na... toh aadha aadha nuksaan uthayenge... munshiji, meri aur Khurana ji ki salary aadhi kar dijiye jab tak yeh paisa wasool na ho jaaye." Sameer said with a somber face.

"Kya bakwaas hai yeh? Main kyon bharunga? Meri company thodi hai, mere bhai ki hai." Khurana stood up from his chair, infuriated.

"Lekin partnership toh aapke sign pe hui hai na... aapne hi accept kiya tha ki har faayde nuksaan mein aap barabar ke bhagidaar hain." Munshiji pushed the agreement file in front of him.

Khurana glared at the file, then looked up at Sameer, his eyes blazing, "Toh yeh sab aapne jaan boojh ke kiya."

Sameer straightened in his chair, "Supply ke rules wahi the jo saalon se iss company mein hain, order maine dilwa diya, kaam aapko poora karna tha... jisme saari galtiyan aapne ki... toh maine kya kiya, Mr Khurana? Agar aap time pe correct order bhijwa dete toh aaj yeh naubat hi nahi aati."

"Chaar din mein aapko sab pata chal gaya ki kya karna hota hai... humare experience ki koi keemat nahi kyonki hamare baap dada ka business nahi hai? Aap school mein padhte the tab se yahan kaam karta hun aur bade Maheshwariji ne kabhi koi shikayat nahi ki. Lekin ab toh mahaul hi alag hai... aap khud toh aaye hi, apni wife ko bhi le aaye... unki kya qualification hai? Sirf isliye ki woh aapke parivaar ki hain toh yahan ki maalkin ban gayi? Hum sabse sawaal karne ka haq mil gaya? Waah, mere bhai ki company se itni taklif hai aapko lekin khud office ko ghar bana rahe hain uska kuch nahi." Khurana threw the jibe at Sameer to provoke him.

Munshiji placed a placating hand on Sameer's leg, stopping him from reacting the way Khurana wanted. Though he stopped himself from showing it, the blaze in his eyes left no doubt about his fury.

"Agar aap ab tak nahi jaante hain, Khurana ji, toh bata dun ki ma'am poore state ki topper hain... unke dedication aur mehnat ka muqabla karna mushkil hai zyadatar logon ke liye... unki jo achievements hain unhe ginwane lage toh raat ho jayegi... behtar hoga ki aap apni aur apne bhai ki company ki galtiyon pe dhyan de jisse aapko iss baar ki tarah fir se nuksaan na uthana pade." Munshiji picked up the order file, shoving it towards Khurana.

"Itni kaabil hain ma'am toh abhi kahan hain? Jab yahan itni mushkil aayi hai toh woh ghar pe aaram kar rahi hain? Yeh kaisa dedication hai? Ya fir ghar ki company ho toh jab chahe aaiye kaam pe jab chahe chutti mana lijiye? Hum log hafte ke che din subah se shaam tak jo karte hain woh mehnat nahi hai lekin yeh log ghar pe baith ke bhi mehenti kehlate hain... waah!" Khurana mocked Sameer again.

"Naina ko kuch zaroori kaam tha." Sameer hissed through clenched teeth.

"Wohi toh main bhi keh raha hun, Mr Maheshwari... mujhe bhi kuch zaroori kaam tha isliye order thoda late hua." Khurana gave an evil smile.

Munshiji pressed on Sameer's leg to calm him. Closing his eyes for a few moments, Sameer thought about nanu. He had never been agitated or annoyed whenever Sameer saw him talking to his employees. Having spent six months in the office, he had realised that a difficult situation presented itself every other day... that means nanu had a way of dealing with it... by staying composed and placid.

He gave an assuring blink to Munshiji before getting up and walking to the door to open it. Outside, the hall was filled with other employees who glanced at the room once and went back to their work again. Walking back, he slowly took off his watch and placed it on the table.

"Aisa kyon nahi karte, Mr Khurana, aap woh zaroori kaam hi kar lijiye... aap aur aapka bhai shayad kahin aur mehnat karke kamyaab ho saken... yahan toh mujhe koi umeed lagti nahi hai." His voice was soft as he stood in front of Khurana.

"Aap mujhe nikalne ki dhamki de rahe hain?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Main salaah de raha hun." Sameer smiled.

Khurana's face turned red at this mockery. He let out his wrath on the table, swiping his hand over its expanse. The files came crashing to the floor, papers flying in all directions.

"Aap mujhe nikaal nahi sakte... rule hai yeh." He growled, taking a step towards Sameer.

Munshiji stood up, fearing a physical assault. Without looking in his direction, Sameer held out a hand to stall him.

"Main maalik hun... kabhi bhi rule badal sakta hun... aur maine abhi badal diya." He said in a dangerously low voice.

Khurana took to the bait, attacking Sameer with a blow to his stomach.

However, Sameer held his hand before the fist could land on him... as he was prepared for it.

The staff was already near the door, hearing heated voice from boss's room. The failed attempt to harm the owner was witnessed by a number of people.

"Munshiji, sabke saamne mujhe maarne ki koshish karne ke liye toh Mr Khurana ko terminate kiya jaa sakta hai na?" Sameer asked in a flat voice, still holding his hand in a tight grip.

Munshiji picked up the phone to connect it, nodding, "Jee sir, apne maalik pe haat uthana aur inn documents ko nuksaan pohochana uss list mein hai jo bade sahab ne banwayi thi... main abhi inka termination letter banwata hun."

Sameer glared at Khurana, "Aur partnership bhi khatam... uss contract mein bhi saaf saaf likha hai ki agar kisi partner ne doosre ko physical harm pohochane ki koshish ki toh yeh contract ussi waqt khatm maana jayega... aur aaj itne saare logon ke saamne tumne mujhe maarne ki koshish ki."

The letter was brought in no time, and Sameer and Munshiji signed it, handing it to a fuming Khurana.

"Ek baat yaad rakhna, koi kaam karo toh usse apni priority bana ke karna... imandaari se... doosron ko dhoka dene ki koshish mein kabhi kabhi dhoka khud ke saath ho jaata hai." Sameer said in a low voice, as he handed over the letter.

"Aaj aap mujhe nikaal rahe hain, Mr Maheshwari lekin woh din door nahi jab aapko ahsaas hoga ki madam ke liye bhi ye company priority nahi hai... unke paas aur bhi zaroori kaam hain aapke aur iss company ke alava." Khurana said bitterly before leaving the room.

And Sameer was frozen to the spot.

Was he becoming a second choice in Naina's life? Would she also drift away like his mom? Would he again be pushed into the shell of loneliness? Was this his fate?

The way she had banged down the phone reminded him of several times when as a child, he wanted to share something with Vishakha and she left the conversation midway, running towards a background voice of a crying Deepika or demanding Rohan, leaving him with a sad ringtone of a disconnected phone.

Would he lose out again?

*Flashback ends *

He looked at Naina with painful eyes. She was the only one he had... but was he the only one for her? Was he not her priority anymore?

With a deep sigh, he pulled the quilt from near her feet, covering her before leaving the bed.

"Sameer." Naina got up with a start.

The room was again devoid of his presence.

She threw aside the quilt immediately, running towards the washroom. The sound of running shower confirmed he was inside.

Tying her hair in a bun, she quickly laid out his clothes on the bed, before rushing to the kitchen, thinking that she would be back in a while to talk to him.

For a moment, Sameer felt a sense of relief, seeing the clothes. Next minute, his anger was back. She had not waited for him... she could have stayed in the room for him, shown her love, shown her care...

When Naina was done making alu paranthas, she instructed Ramdhari about the lunch and left the kitchen in a hurry to reach back their room.

The ring of phone stopped her.

"Hello Naina." Preeti's sounded distressed.

"Preeti, kya hua? Chachiji theek hain na?" She was concerned.

"Mummy theek hain lekin mujhe dawa nahi yaad aa rahi kaise deni hai... papa ne jaldi mein bataya tha aur maine likha bhi nahi... sun, tujhe yaad hai kya? Papa ko phone kiya tha par unhone uthaya nahi... shayad abhi raaste mein hi hain." Preeti said in a nervous voice.

Naina explained the dosage and frequency of all the medicines, along with the meal requirements.

"Main office jaa rahi hun, agar kuch zaroorat ho toh mujhe wahin phone kar lena." She soothed Preeti's edginess.

Putting back the phone, she darted to the room, colliding with Sameer at the door.

"Sameer, woh mujhe... " She started.

"Tumhe lagi toh nahi?" He held her shoulders.

Shaking her head, she said breathlessly, "Main theek hun, bas abhi taiyar hoti hun... aane waali thi par Preeti ka phone aa gaya isliye late ho gayi."

His hands left her shoulders, fisting as he moved them to his sides.

"Main driver bhej dunga office pohoch ke, woh chachaji ke ghar chod dega tumhe... mujhe jaldi jaana hai." His tone was dry again.

"Sameer, baat toh suno, woh Preeti... " She held his hand, beginning to tell him that Preeti had come back and she would be going to office with him.

He jerked his hand from her hold, turning to look at her with fierce eyes, "Samajh nahi aata kya tumhe? Mujhe der ho rahi hai office ke liye... mere paas time nahi hai tumse baat karne ka... aur shayad tumhare paas bhi nahi hai... mere liye."

She stood rooted to the spot, eyes widened at his bitter words, watching him leave the house, without responding to Ramdhari's call for breakfast.

The eyes that had forgotten to blink, filled up with tears which they were unable to contain, letting them slip down her cheeks. The lump in her throat grew more painful with each passing second.

She couldn't understand the reason for his resentment... she had gone to help chachiji, whom Sameer loved a lot, then why was he so irked... why did he behave the way he did, last night and now again?

When his breakfast was laid on the table, Sameer was shocked to see the alu paranthas.

"Yeh kahan se laye ho?" He asked the peon.

"Aapke ghar se aaya hai, abhi driver gaya tha na... wohi laaya hai." He stated.

It was definitely made by her. So she had time to make alu paranthas but not to talk to him... as if her role in his life was only to provide food... even Ramdhari could do that. But he ate the four paranthas, feeling hungry as he hadn't eaten anything after pao bhaji yesterday.

The problem of Khurana was taken care of but some paperwork was required for dealing with the clients who had cancelled the order. After staying busy for about two hours, he was finally done with everything. Leaning back in his chair, his mind was again filled with her.

"Kyon Naina, kyon... tumne bhi mujhe apni life mein zaroori nahi samjha... mujhe laga tha tum mujhe sabse zyada pyar karti ho." He mumbled, rubbing his forehead.

As his eyes fell to the drawer, he was reminded of nanu's diary. He was unsure about searching for answers in it, but gave up in the end, pulling it out.

Sameer beta, yeh diary hamesha tujhe kuch sikhayegi lekin har baar woh seekh teri ussi samasya ka hal de payegi jiska jawab tu dhoond raha hai, aisa zaroori nahi hai.

Main nahi jaanta aaj teri kya pareshani hai lekin tu pareshan hai itna toh pakka hai. Beta, jab insaan apni zindagi shuru karta hai toh bohot mushkilen aati hain... fir chahe woh business ho ya naye rishte.

Office mein, factory mein sab tarah ke log hain jisme se kuch tera saath denge aur kuch tere khilaaf jayenge... lekin unse haarna nahi. Kamyaab insaan woh hota hai jo har galti se seekhta hai, har burai karne wale se kuch naya jaan paata hai, apni kami ke baare mein... aur usse door kar sakta hai.

Lekin yahan ek mazboot shakshiyat banne ke liye neev ghar se shuru hoti hai, isliye yaad rakhna ki agar ghar mein mahaul khushnuma hai toh yahan ki har pareshani ka hal nikaal sakta hai tu. Aur ghar mein khushi tabhi aati hai jab hum har rishte ka sammaan karte hain, chahe woh koi bhi ho. Mujhe pata hai mera beta kabhi kisi ka dil nahi dukha sakta lekin agar kabhi kisi rishte mein tujhe khinchaav lage toh Naina se pooch lena... rishton ki samajh usse bohot achhi tarah hai.

Woh bachhi bohot se toote rishton ki uljhan ke baad bhi khud ko ekdum suljha hua rakhti hai. Woh tujhe bata degi ki kis rishte ko kaise sambhalna hai. Aur uski baat bina behes kiye hue maan lena... woh tujhse kahin zyada samajhdar hai. Pata hai tu muh bana raha hoga par yehi sach hai.

Beta, Naina toote hue rishton ki aag mein jalkar sona banke nikli hai. Woh rishton ka mahatva sabse zyada samajhti hai aur unhe nibhana bhi jaanti hai... isliye tu zyada hoshiyaar mat samajhna khud ko aur Naina ki baat maan lena.

Office ki koi bhi pareshani ke liye Munshiji ko meri jagah hi samajh. Woh bhi kabhi galat salah nahi denge.

Sameer closed the diary, his mind filled with varied thoughts. Nanu had summed up Naina in such perfect words, in spite of meeting her only a few times. And nanu was always a great judge of people.

"Toh kya main galat hun? Kya sach mein maine hi Naina ko galat samjha hai?" He was perturbed by the clash of his feelings with Nanu's advice.

A knock on the door broke his chain of thoughts.

"Sir, ye aapke tiffin ke saath aaya tha... subah naashte ka packet nikala toh ispe nazar nahi gayi." The peon said in an apologetic voice, handing him a sealed envelope.

Sameer quickly opened the letter while his lunch was being laid out.

Meri hain aankhen
unme chalakta naaz ho tum

Meri hain neenden
unme base khwaab ho tum

Kalam hai mere haathon mein lekin
kahani ke alfaaz ho tum

Aaina jo dekhun
andaaz ho tum

Yeh shaayari hai meri
har lafz ka ahsaas ho tum

Meri jaan ho fir bhi
kyon naraaz ho tum

Mujhse baat karo na, Sameer
Please

His throat choked as he noticed the tear stained paper.

How could he doubt her? Naina, his Naina... whose world revolved around him. She was devastated because of his behaviour.

He dialled the number of Agarwal house, taken aback when Preeti told him that Naina was not there and she was with Bela.

"Lekin usne toh kaha tha woh office jayegi aaj... keh rahi thi kaam zyada hai aur aap pe kaafi bojh hai." Preeti was perplexed.

"Main tumse baad mein baat karta hun." He slammed the phone down, annoyed at himself that he did not listen to her in the morning.

"Yeh khana... main ghar jaa raha hun." He managed to inform a surprised peon before sprinting out to the parking.

"Naina, Naina." He entered, not able to stay without seeing her for another moment.

"Sameer bhaiya? Aap iss... " Ramdhari was confounded to see him home in the afternoon.

"Naina? Naina kahan hai?" He huffed, cutting him impatiently.

"Naina bhabhi toh chat se kapde lene gayi hain." Ramdhari pointed towards the terrace.

Sameer ran towards the stairs, stopping at the bottom as she appeared at the door on top, holding a load of washed clothes.

"Naina." He whispered, his eyes brimming with tears.

A small smile appeared on her ashen face. Then, as he watched in horror, her eyes closed and the pile dropped from her hands.

Naina fell unconscious, tumbling down the stairs. He jumped two stairs at a time to catch her lifeless form, his heart losing its beat.

Next update tomorrow evening