Soft morning light had given a golden hue to the terrace when Naina opened her eyes. The thick fluffy blanket was a good cover against the cold. Though the room wasn't really chilled because of the heater placed in a niche in the wall which looked like a fireplace, she liked the coziness of blanket. Also, the comfort of her husband's arms.

With her head on his shoulder, he had his arms around her, keeping her close to him. In fact, she was lying half on his chest. Even in this weather, he hadn't worn a tshirt.

"Tum saath ho toh thand kaise lag sakti hai." He had murmured against her neck when she had insisted.

Her shy gaze went to his face. The relaxed features and a hint of smile on his lips filled her up with elation. When she had forced him to come here, she wasn't sure if it would be a good idea. Rather, a small thought gnawed at the back of her mind that this could turn out to be a misadventure. Sameer might get reminded of things that had disturbed him, which were lying buried in his memories till now... what if he descended into the same abyss again, what if the pain resurfaced, what if all got undone...

But seeing him the previous day, her fears were laid to rest to a great extent. He had been quite like his usual self... teasing her, holding her, creating chances to get his way... most of all, happy about everything.

She wished this feeling stayed with him throughout their trip... the entire trip... these two days in Nainital, and the next few days in Delhi. With a long exhale, she wondered how to bring up that topic. His strong reaction earlier had put her in a dilemma but his acceptance of this place had again given her some hopes.

"Yaadon ke saare dard mit jaane do, Sameer... mushkil hai, par main tumhara haath tham ke tumhare saath chalungi." She lifted her head to place a kiss over his heart that hummed right under her ear.

He stirred, tightening his hold on her. She raised her eyes to him.

"Good morning." His gruff voice and heavy lidded eyes made her heart jump wildly.

"Good morning." She lowered her eyes.

"Ab inn do shabdon mein aisa kya hai jo tum fir se laal ho gayi?" His sudden upward pull brought her face right in front of him.

Her eyes went to his messed up hair covering his forehead, and drifted down slowly, taking in the drowsy eyes, slight smirk on his lips, and thick stubble that made his jaw darker than the rest of his face. Her fingers unintentionally rubbed against his chin and her breath quickened.

He raised one brow, pressing his lower lip under his teeth.

"Uhh... Sameer, bohot der ho gayi... chalo utho." She flushed at her action, avoiding his eyes while trying to get up.

"Kis baat ke liye der ho gayi, jaan... hum toh chutti pe hain... jo tumhara dil chahe kar sakti ho." His hand travelled up her back, threading through her hair.

"Uthna toh hai na... bahar bhi toh jaana hai." She tried to hold onto some sanity, closing her eyes to the fluttering he was evoking by drawing small circles on her lower back.

"Itni subah kahan jaogi? Sabse khoobsurat jagah yehi hai... meri nazron ke saamne." He whispered in a husky voice.

"Nau... nau baj gaye, Sameer." She gulped as his nose brushed against hers.

And suddenly she was upright in the bed, pulled along with him, "Kya? Nau baj gaye? Itni der ho gayi? Naina, dus minute... dus minute mein taiyar ho jao... bas ek jacket aur muffler le lo... night suit ke upar hi."

He threw the blanket and bolted to the washroom, leaving her confused on the bed, staring after him.

A second after he entered, his head bobbed out of the open door, "Baithi kyon ho? Jaldi se mere kapde bhi nikalo... bas ek t-shirt aur jacket... fatafat Naina, late ho gaye hum."

"Aise kaise? Bina nahaye kahan..." She found her voice.

"Arre hum ek ghante mein aa jayenge... tab naha lena... abhi time nahi hai aur na zaroorat." His frantic voice floated out.

When  she went in to brush and get ready, Sameer called up the reception for a cab immediately. Within next five minutes, they were on the road.

"Bata toh do kahan jaa rahe hain." She tugged at his arm, wondering what brought a fond smile on his face.

"Thoda sabr karo... pata chal jayega." He took her hand in his, stroking it with his thumb.

Naina noticed that they were going uphill. The shops were soon left behind, bringing the same view of tall trees on one side and grassy hills on the other. After a drive of about fifteen minutes, they passed a majestic, sprawling building, visible far away from the road through a massive wrought iron gate. All around the structure was neat, well maintained ground. She couldn't see more after they crossed the gate because of high walls surrounding it.

"Yeh kya hai, Sameer?" She dipped her head to check the board on top of the high gate.

He turned her face ahead before she could see, pointing towards a small, roadside shack, "Yeh dekho, yeh hai woh jagah."

She was perplexed as he asked the driver to stop way before the stall, taking her hand and walking to what looked like a tea shop on roadside.

It was.

Just a tea shop. A very old man sat in front of an empty stove, counting the coins which probably were his previous day's income, because Naina couldn't see any soul around the shop.

"Namaste baba." Sameer greeted the old man.

He looked up, and his wrinkled face eased into a smile, "Namaste beta, bade din baad aaye... kaise ho... sab theek hai na?"

Then his gaze fell on Naina and he narrowed his eyes, "Aaj saath mein kaise?"

It was Naina's turn to be shocked.

But Sameer did not show any surprise as he smiled at him.

The creases on old man's face turned more dense as his smile became wider, "Achha, aaj Father ne dono hostel walo ko saath mein jaane ki anumati de di... badhiya hai... baitho, deta hun."

Sameer pulled Naina on the narrow wooden bench placed in the sun.

"Yeh kya bol rahe hain? Tumhe kaise jaante hain? Aur mujhe..." She whispered in his ear, still amazed at the familiarity shown by the old man.

"Humein student samajh rahe hain... girls aur boys ko ek saath aane ki permission kam hi milti hai na isliye hairaan the." He explained.

Naina was still confused, "Tumhe kaise jaante hain?"

Sameer let out a long exhale, watching him light the stove and slowly pour water in a pan.

"Poore Nainital mein ek yehi the jinke paas baith ke mujhe sukoon milta tha... inki yeh choti si dukaan saalon se yahan hai... hostel ke students ko chai pilate hain, butter jam ke sandwich ke saath... bas itna hi milta hai inki dukaan mein lekin fir bhi hostel se sab aate hain yahan... inhe zyada kuch yaad nahi rehta isliye har kisi ko dekh ke bolte hain ki bade dinon baad aaye ho." His smiled affectionately.

Naina queried, "Matlab tumhara hostel yahin kahin hai?"

He shot back a look at her, then pointed at high walls of the structure they had passed on their way. Her eyes followed his direction... and widened as she recalled the majestic, colonial edifice she had noticed. Only now did she realise that its walls stretched till this point.

"Abhi yahan koi nahi hai... iss time classes hain kya?" She asked.

Shaking his head, Sameer looked away, "Abhi chuttiyan hongi, Diwali ki... sab ghar chale jaate hain."

"Tum Diwali pe kahan jaate the? Mummy ke paas ya nanu ke?" She leaned to look at him.

He lowered his head, pressing the toe of his shoe into the grass, "Pehle mummy ke paas hi jaata tha... fir kuch saal kahin nahi gaya... nanu ko pata chala toh uske baad woh mujhe lene aa gaye aur mai Ahmedabad gaya ek Diwali pe... agli wali tak toh maine hostel chod hi diya tha."

Shifting closer to him, she placed a hand on his leg, "Tumne Dilli jaana kyon choda? Rohan ki wajah se?"

He was silent. Those days still brought a painful lump to his throat.

"Bolo Sameer, keh dene se dil halka ho jaata hai... main jaanti hun yeh baatein tumne aaj tak apni zubaan pe nahi aane di hongi... lekin aaj main sunna chahti hun... please batao mujhe." Her voice was both soft and firm.

He swallowed, wondering how she could correctly guess that he had never uttered a word about all this to anyone.

He sought her hand before speaking, "Rohan se zyada problem nahi thi... bas shuru mein uske saath thode jhagde hue the uske baad woh kabhi mujhe tang nahi karta tha... mujhe khelne ko bulata tha, apni cheezen share karna chahta tha, yahan tak ki dadi ki di hui cheezen bhi chupakar kamre mein laata tha aur mujhe deta tha... par mujhe woh bilkul pasand nahi tha... main toh baat bhi nahi karna chahta tha usse... kyonki har waqt baaki sab uske saath mera muqabla karte the, woh kitna intelligent hai, kitne number laata hai, first aata hai... mujhe itna gussa aata tha ki maine padhna hi chod diya... first toh aa nahi sakta tha toh kisliye koshish karni thi, bas class mein jo padha uski wajah se paas ho jaata tha."

"Toh tumne mummy ke paas jaana kyon choda?" Naina asked again.

He took a deep breath, "Dadi... woh mujhe bilkul pasand nahi karti thi... mehmaano ke saamne aane se mana kar deti thi, bas har waqt apne room mein jaane ko bolti thi... diwali ki pooja mein bhi mummy ko mana kar diya ki mujhe na bulaye, na sabke saath patakhe chalane deti thi."

"Mummy ne... matlab kya kabhi mummy unko kuch..." She didn't know how to frame her question.

He understood what she was trying to say, "Mummy kuch nahi bolti thi, kabhi nahi... bas mujhe samjhati thi... aur Rohan se jhagadta toh daanti bhi mujhe hi thi... fir Deepika aa gayi, aur mummy ne jaise mujhe dekhna bhi band kar diya... time hi nahi tha unke paas, bas Rohan ka school, uski padhai, uska kha na, uske kapde aur Deepika ka khyal rakhna... main kabhi kuch kehta bhi toh bol deti 'Sameer, tum bade ho na'... Naina, main Rohan se sirf do mahine bada hun."

She pressed his hand, rubbing his arm.

"Lo beta, tum dono ka nashta." Old man's voice brought them back to the reason for which they were here.

Getting up quickly, Sameer took both plates from him and placed them on the bench between him and Naina.

"Ab baaki sab chodo aur yeh chai sandwich khao, inki mithaas ke aage sab kuch pheeka pad jaata hai." He gave a bright smile though she could see the shadows of their conversation in his eyes.

He took a big bite and closed his eyes in delight, chewing slowly.

Naina bit into her sandwich. Her mouth instantly filled with the sweetness of fruit jam and warm, savoury taste of lots of butter. It was a common combination but probably the local jam or the proportion did the trick, but sandwich was simply the best she had ever eaten.

"Saath mein chai piyo... isse aise hi khate hain." He urged, taking a sip of tea from his glass.

The thick, steaming tea was extra sweet but it gelled well with the sandwich.

"Pata hai, Naina, baba ke paas hamesha dus barah students baithe hi rehte hain... seniors ko din mein kabhi bhi jaana allowed hota hai na... par akhir ke teen saal main bhi bohot aata tha, eighth standard se bahar jaane ke liye ghar walon ki permission ki zaroorat nahi hoti thi... jab bhi yahan aata, baba muskura ke har baar ek hi baat kehte 'bade dino baad aaye'... aur mujhe lagta koi toh hai jisse mera intezar rehta hai... yeh toh do saal baad pata chala ki woh sabko yehi kehte hain." He waved his head at his misunderstanding, but was still smiling.

"Tumhe pehchan liya inhone? Itne boodhe lag rahe hain yeh toh." She glanced at the stall.

Sameer laughed, "Yeh kisi ko nahi pehchante... bas har kisi ko student samjhte hain... kitne bachhe iss baat ka fayda utha ke paise nahi dete ki baad mein de denge aur baba ko baad mein yaad nahi rehta... isliye main hamesha zyada paise deta hun, keh ke ki pehle ke baaki hain... warna woh kisi se paison ki madad nahi lete, iss umr mein bhi roz apni dukaan kholte hain aur teen baje tak baithte hain... sab kehte the ki baba hamesha se itne hi boodhe hain... maine bhi aisa hi dekha hai unhe shuru se... aur ab che saal baad aaya hun toh bhi koi farq nahi... bilkul pehle jaise... kuch bachhe toh kehte the baba bhoot hain... hum pachaas saal baad bhi aayenge toh yahin milenge... aise hi." He leaned towards her, speaking in a secretive voice.

"Chup raho, aisa kuch nahi hai... aur main bhoot voot se nahi darti." She laughed at his attempt to scare her.

"Achha ji, college mein jab mujhe bhoot samjha tha tab toh darr gayi thi." His teasing glint was back.

She looked at him intently, "Agar pata hota itna handsome bhoot hai toh nahi darti."

His eyes sparkled at the praise, "Yahan aake kuch zyada tareef nahi kar rahi tum?"

"Tum ho hi tareef ke kabil... sach Sameer, mujhe bohot achha laga ki tum mujhe yahan laaye... pehle kabhi iss jagah ka ziqr nahi kiya tha tumne aur ab achanak yeh choti si dukaan yaad aa gayi aur tumne apni yahan ki ek khushnuma yaad mere saath baanti." She looked at him tenderly.

He dipped his head to the side, "Tumhare saath hota hun toh khush rehna chahta hun... isliye wohi sab yaad aata hai jo chehre pe muskaan la sake."

After they finished, he gave a hundred rupee note to the old man who started to look for balance in his cash box.

"Baba, pehle ke bhi baaki the." Sameer pointed at the note, sparing him the effort of searching.

"Achha pehle ka bhi hai... theek hai... dono mann laga ke padhai karna." Taking back the money, he gave a warm smile, waving at them before getting busy in the coins again.

Hand in hand, they started to walk back to the cab. Naina had seen only two cars pass from the road in the entire time they were here.

"Yeh sirf tumhare hostel ka raasta hai kya?" She asked casually.

"Yeh sarak pahadi pe aur upar jaati hai... wahan kuch ghar hain aur ek office hai forest department ka." He looked back at the winding road.

"Kya hum... matlab kya tum mujhe... mujhe hostel dikha sakte ho?" She stopped, turning to him.

"Woh bas ek building hai, Naina, uska kya dekhna hai." He shrugged.

"Main dekhna chahti hun... please." She urged.

He looked at the walls, as if he could see through them, "Khali hai abhi toh, par fir bhi aise nahi jaa sakte, permission leni padti hai."

"Oh, toh kya..." She wanted to visit the home of his entire childhood at any cost.

"Der ho rahi hai, chalo chalte hain... humein aaj boating karni hai aur ghoomna bhi hai." He tugged her along, walking to the parked car.

This time, when they crossed the gates, Naina looked at the building with different eyes.

Next update tomorrow evening