She is sitting idly in mess. Her mind gloomy. For people of her age or this academy she might seem as an emotional girl who has given so much importance to her brother and family. But only she knows what those people mean to her. What Naveen did for her....what her parents do everyday...it cant be explained. her dead brother deserved at least her one day. for one day she is allowed to mourn for him....miss him...do something for him even if it wont make a huge difference. but irony she is in the system without any power. she has to follow the so called rules that dictate her life. rules that allows no emotion. rules that ask you be strong as iron....

perhaps that's why people break them. for who can go emotionless as a rock when a soft heart throbs every second! 

she starts drawing sketches in her book aimlessly when an orderly gives her a note.

"meet me before lights out"

Said the note which has been sent to her by him....
She wondered what's this about. why would rajveer sir want to meet her that too before lights out. what is so important that it cant wait for a day. if another day it could have stirred a tornado in her but tonight its nothing. her heart already somber. nevertheless she decides to meet him. perhaps his company would make her more alive..a little bit more jovial. these walls had done nothing but to add her agony..whole day. finally his company even for few minutes would be able to make her feel homey, secure and familiar. moreover, he is the only one who has cared for naveen in this academy. she gets up to leave. 

"Do Dil mil rahe hain
Magar chupke chupke...."

She saw towards the source of voice.... Alekh was singing the most romantic song with a deadpan face....

She gave him a look and he gave her a smirk

"Kiska note hai"
He asked pretending that he doesn't care much .... Just asking anyway

"Sir ka ..
He wants to see me... "
She gave an honest reply. she looks at him while replying. his eyes shines with honesty and care. she knows by now that It's alekh.
He will not judge

"There is mud baked on your uniform
Change before you go...."
He suggested and left with his typical style....

Naina shrugged off the idea. 
She is not going back to the hostel all the way and then come back again. this all seem very tiresome. she is no mood of changing. whats the need.

But as she left the mess she realized she even smells funny...
She definitely doesn't want to smell funny while with him...

Not that he is going to sniff her still.... It won't hurt to look decent and not smell at all....

She took a turn towards her hostel.

______

He opened the door to get her in...with a warm welcome smile
Something churns inside her belly
Every time he smiles at her like that. looking at his face she realizes her decision of coming here was not wrong at all. she has started feeling as if she is back in nainital. a strange kind of comfort washes over her. her body relaxing and her eyes showing her emotions raw. she gives him a soft smile.

"Sorry I am late sir"
She said as she inspected the room set just perfect.

"It's ok
We still have 20 mins for lights out
That will be more than enough."

He gesture her to sit on the sofa as he went behind the counter
And came out with a fresh baked cake in his hand....

Naina was definitely amused

"I know it was yesterday.
But I am sure Naveen  won't mind if we celebrate his belated birthday."

He placed the cake on the coffee table
A simple chocolate cake....

"Sorry mujhe icing karna nahi ati...
And I don't have candles ....
But lets just pretend that it's Naveen 's birthday cake "

She was spellbound
It was such a simple gesture yet it spoke volume. she knows right there naveen had a very good friend. he could not have done anything and she had no issue. but he decided to do something. something that nobody could do....

"I don't know what to say...
You didn't have to do this
I mean
Thank you so much ....
It's so nice..."

"I am just sorry that you didn't get the leave...
And Naveen was really a drama queen
He use to love making a fuss on his birthday"
He comments

And she chuckled in agreement. 

"Bhaiyya mere birthday pe bhi khud ka favorite flavor late the...."
She added. 

"White forest"
They both said together and ended up giggling some more...

They cut the cake and raised the piece to toast on naveen....

"To Naveen"

A few more minutes they ate the cake and exchange few stories on naveen. Some funny some not so funny. stories don't come in packing and labels. they come in heap. a lot of them..in different colors like rainbow and clouds. sometimes dark..sometimes peachy. sometimes it wont even matter what color they are of. but they sure make life colorful. 

"you know sir..jab main chhoti thi naveen bhaiya used to bring his friends over on my birthday. his friends were rowdies. wo sara decoration kharab kar dete the. sare balloons, birthday slash, confetti..yaha tak ki props bhi. When I used to start crying then wo sabko ek ek kar ke bhagate. i used to cry so much. but back then I was too young to realize how much important those people were. i had not many friends. but naveen bhaiya never let me have lonely birthdays.

aur jab unka birthday tha....i couldnt even...."

her voice gets stuck. eyes suddenly teary and rajveer offers her his shoulder.

"naveen had a very different way of loving. i know. but naina....we all know what was more important for him. uske liye birthday celebration se jyada tumhari khushi important thi..he would never have liked seeing you cry on his birthday. i know he preferred making you cry himself but not like this..."

this earns him a crying giggle.

"he..he was a cheater. baba had gotten me a beautiful lunchbox on his birthday. unko spiderman toy diya tha but he still took my lunchbox away. i kept crying but he didnt budge. haar kar baba ko naya lunch box lana pada."

"i know him. bahut macho banta tha but secretly he loved all those disney cartoons. not that I am judging buti know he loved cute things.'' rajveer smiles remebering him. naina closes her eyes. naveen' attempts of teasing her and all those moments when he was fighting with her flahs in front of her. naveen her brother very well knew how to make life more lively. those days when she was sad he had left everything just to make her happy. it was not mandatory for him to do his duty but he did all of them...because he loved her. he loves her...and he will love her no matter where he is. she wipes her eyes.

she takes a deep breath. then she realizes how close she has come to rajveer sir. their heartbeats are almost matching. for a second she feels like jumping away but then neither he reacts nor she makes any attempt of going away. 

''its five minutes to light out. i think you'd go.'' he speaks after few moments. she understands the hidden message. the anxiety they would feel if after dark they are here. its not scandalous but cautious. she silently removes herself from him and nods. looking into his eyes...thanking him from the bottom of her heart...she can swear she never felt this secure with any man before. what rajveer sir can do with a plain chocolate cake no one can do with a diamond ring and a huge castle. 

"wait! take this cake with you and share it." He packs the cake for Naina to take and share it with his friends...

She leaves with a heart warming smile and box of cake. 

while passing through corridor in hurry her heart wonders what her emotions were when she had passed from here just few minutes ago. but right now she can bet its nothing but a serene calm she is feeling. yes...she is not happy. she misses naveen but it is not as sad as before. its been said rightly...that company matters and family too.

______

Written by mona
A huge and enormous thanks