Struggling to comprehend the idea that they were married, Naina opened and closed her mouth a few times. Then squinting at him, she asked "Ek minute... mera koi accident hua tha kya?"

"Accident? Matlab??"

"Woh... deekhate hai na TV serials mein, ke accident ho jaane se heroine ki memory chali jaati hai! Sab ghar wale pretend karna shuru kar dete hai. Aur phir hero usse yaad dilane ki koshish karata hai... waisa hi kuch hua hai kya mere sath?? " She shared the product of her overactive imagination.

And though she didn't voice it, glancing at the mattress, she wondered – Hey Bhagwan, kahi meri memory wapas lane ke liye issne koi suhag raat types ka scene toh nahi set kiya hai yaha?!

Her eyes widened in further shock – Waisa bhi kuch huya hoga kya humare beech?? Lagta toh nahi hai... Par woh TV serial wali auratein toh khud ko bache huye thay yeh bhi bhool jaati hai... toh... I guess possible hai??

Oblivious to all her bizarre doubts, he chuckled "Dadi ke sath dramas dekhna band kar do! Na koi accident hua hai ka koi memory loss!"

Still not looking convinced, she muttered "Lagta toh aaise hi. Flask mein dudh hai kya??"

"Dudh kyu peena hai tumhe abhi?? Maine toh coffee banake layi hai... socha thand mein thodi garma garam peeyenge."

Recollecting what he had mentioned, she scowled at him "Sola saal pehele, I was four and you were seven... humari shaadi hona impossible hai Sameer!"

Pulling her towards the mattress, he gently pushed her down "Aao, aaram se baith ke baat karte hai." Sitting next to her, he continued "I don't expect you to remember... in fact mujhe bhi pehele kuch thik se yaad nahi aa raha tha, par phir dheere dheere kuch-kuch yaad aa gaya."

Toh... isse kuch actually pata nahi hai... sirf koi assumption hain?? She blinked "Kya matlab... kuch-kuch yaad aa gaya?? Sameer, tumhe koi galat fehmi huyi hogi... shaadi kaise ho sakti hai humari? Aur kyu hogi?!"

He muttered, with lesser conviction now "Kyu hui... yeh toh pata nahi mujhe... par hui zarur hai. Shayad, tumhare parents ke accident ke baad humari families ko yahi thik laga..."

"Kuch bhi!! Sameer, sirf parents ke na rehene se koi chotte bachon ki shaadi thodehi karwata hai. Aur tab toh meri Dadi bhi toh thi! Aur Dadi ka beemar hona... aur chale jaana yaad hai mujhe. Uss waqt aaisa kuch nahi hua tha!"

But talking about that time, made her wonder, if that was when the elders had considered the notion of a future engagement between them.

Pouring some coffee into the mugs, Sameer handed one to her "Have some."

Recalling the conversation that she had overheard years ago, Naina though that he might have overheard something similar.

"O ho! Shaadi nahi... humare rishtay ki baat hui thi. Maine sunna tha ek baar, Geeta Mami aur unki cousin ko baat karte. Shayad gaon mein kuch relatives ko lagta tha ke tumhara aur mera rishta pakka hua hai. Tumne bhi koi aaisi hi baat sunni hogi! Aur jaise mere maan mein uss waqt woh baat baith gayi thi... waisa hi kuch tumhare sath bhi hua hoga."

He frowned "Tumne kab sunni thi yeh baatein??"

After taking a sip of the coffee, she responded "About six years..."

Sameer exclaimed "Kya! Tumhe itne saal pehele pata chal gaya tha? Toh mujhe bataya kyu nahi? Yaar, main toh aaise hi itne saal uljha raha!"

"Sammy, tum jaante ho unn gaon wali aunties ko... kuch bhi gossip karti rehti hai. Main toh uss waqt chotti thi... toh kuch din unki baat ko seriously le liya, par phir socha ke kitni bina sar-pau ki baatien hain! Dekho tum bhi na please yu hi kissiki baatien believe mat karo."

She hoped she would be able to get him to see some sense soon, cause this notion of them being married was a hundred times more absurd than their families just considering the possibility.

But Sameer resolutely shook his head "Mujhe koi misunderstanding nahi hui hai! I am sure."

After sipping on his coffee, with a faraway look, he shared " Pata hai Naina, mujhe peechale kuch saalon se na har waqt tumhe dekh kar aaisa lagta tha ke, kuch toh hai jo mujhe maalum hona chahiye... par yaad nahi aa raha hai. Tumhe leke possessive toh main bachpan se hi tha. Par phir ek baar – tumhe yaad hai? School mein kissi function mein tum bilkul dulhan jaise tayar hoke gayi thi??"

Perplexed, she muttered "Woh... humne ek baar celebrating Indian diversity ke liye dress up kiya tha tab?? Par uss waqt toh main seventh standard mein thi... nahi! eighth mein thi... kyu ki uss waqt Mrs Shinde humari class teacher thi..."

"Haa, uss waqt, sirf iss khayal se ke kissi din tum kissi aur ke sath chali jaogi waise dulhan baan kar... main bata nahi sakta mujhe itna ghussa aaya tha! But then I realised, more than angry... I was feeling so repulsed and anxious at the idea. Dil keh raha tha ke tum sirf meri ho! Maan toh kar raha tha ke yeh baat main sab ko chilla chilla ke batau!"

"At the same time it felt so strange to have such thoughts. Naina, usske baad wale holidays mein main cricket camp gaya tha. Socha tha... kuch waqt tumse dur rahunga toh shayad woh saare feelings kum ho jayenge."

Naina listened with bated breath, realising that was the same time she had developed a crush on him.

His seemingly weird behaviour of the past, started making sense, as Sameer continued – "Par aaisa hua nahi. Bohot miss kiya tha maine tumhe! And I realised my feelings for you were not at all platonic. Usske baad har waqt ek ajeeb si beechaini lagi rehti thi! Yaar, jab school... aur phir college mein baaki ladake, ladkiyon ke baare mein baatein karte thay... unnhe kyon achi lagti hai batate thay... toh samajh nahi aata tha ke share karu ya nahi? Kabhi sochta thay ke tumhe batana chahiye... par phir darr lagta tha ke agar tumhe mere feelings wrong lage aur tumne mujhse baat karna band kar diya toh?"

"Naina, bohot mushkil se mainne khud ko samjhaya tha ke humare beech kuch ho nahi sakta. Mujhe laga tha, over time, I will get over you and probably start liking some other girl in college. But it never happened. Aur jab bhi mein zara bhi kissi ladki se doston badhane ki koshish karta tha... ek toh, mujhe khud ko hi bohot ajeeb feel hota tha... jaise main kuch bohot galat kar raha hu,
aur uppar se Rohan bhaiya se bohoot lecture milte thay!"

Laughing briefly at the memory, he shared "Aaisa lagata tha, jaise donon Rohan bhaiya aur Monty bhaiya ne mission bana liya tha ke meri kissi bhi ladki se koi geheri friendship ho hi nahi!"

His gaze softening, he added "I guess... they were just trying to protect me... I mean us, from some unnecessary complication."

For some time, Naina marvelled over the length and steadfastness of his feelings for her.

But that still did not make his claim of them being married any less bizarre. In fact it made it seem more a matter of wishful thinking.

Eyes trained on the almost half-moon, which was being revealed a little bit more with every passing second as the clouds slowly drifted away, she too unveiled some of her heart "Sammy, tum akele confused nahi thay. Tumhe leke main bhi uljhi hui thi. Samajh hi nahi aata tha ke jab hum donon wahi purane log hain, toh itne saare naye ehsaas kaha se aa gaye?! Jaha mere friends itni excitement ke sath... sharma sharma ke apna crush share karte thay... I too felt like my feelings were wrong and they should be kept hidden, never allowed to see the light of the day!"

Though he had suspected it all along, hearing her confess that her heart too had harboured the same storm, a wave of jubilance surged within his.

Which crashed, when she added, "Shayad, woh umra hi aaisi hoti hai... dil kuch naye tarike se dhadakna seekh leta hai. Sameer, mushkil se hi sahi par main ne maan se woh saari baate dheere-dheere mitta di. Aakhir jiss gaon jaana hi nahi hai, waha ka... ticket sath leke kyu ghoomna?? Dekho tum bhi na... apne dil se yeh saari baatein mitta do. Sab ke liye yahi achaa hoga."

A shadow of annoyance flickered in his eyes at her misuse of the phrase, but he swallowed the censure about to fly out of his mouth.

After staying silent for close to a minute, Sameer spoke "Nahi Naina, na main kuch mitta sakta hu aur na tum... I mean it, humari shaadi ho chuki hai. Aur main yeah baat aaise hi nahi kar raha hu."

Reaching to bring out a book from behind one of the pillows, he opened it and pulled out some photos, "I knew you would need to see these to believe me."

There were six black and white photos, slightly yellowed.

Naina realised they were of some pooja or hawan in the Raipur kuldevi temple. Other than the Maheshwari household, her Parvati Dadi, Rekha bua and Ajit uncle were present at the pooja too. The glaring absence of her parents in the photos, and the grim expression of the elders, though donning silks, indicated the pooja had occurred during the months following her parents demise.

Peering intently, Naina noted that she seemed to be about three or four, but it was hard to tell considering she was donning a ghagra-choli and had an odhani wrapped around. Her hair had been scrunched into a single pony which was decorated with a string of flowers. Her arms were filled with some oversized bangles. Over all, she resembled an over-dressed doll. A bigger version of the doll that she was clutching in the photos.

In four of the photos – Naina was sitting in Vishakha's lap, who seemed to be praying to the holy fire, while a sulky looking Sameer sat next to his mother. In one of them Vivek seemed to be pointing at the guruji conducting the pooja and instructing Sameer to do something. Probably to listen the guruji. In all four, Naina seemed to be more engrossed in playing with the doll in her hands than the happenings around her.

The fifth photo was of all the family members together - some standing, some sitting on a bench in the temple. Naina was sitting in Parvati Dadi's lap, while Sameer stood next to her.

And the sixth photo had Sameer and Naina sitting between Jaiprakash and Nirmala Maheshwari.

"Kissi pooja ke photos lag rahe hai..." she muttered uncertainly.

"Pooja nahi, humari shaadi ke hai."

She first tsked "Shaadi kaha ho rahi hai?! Phere ya varmala types thodehi kuch ho raha hai... bus hum Mumma ke sath koi pooja kar rahe hai..." then added sounding perplexed "Par itne chotte bachon se pooja bhi kyu karwa rahe thay? Waise, kaha mile tumhe yeh photos? Pehele kabhi dekhe nahi hain purane albums mein."

Leaning his head back against the parapet wall, Sameer groaned "Yaar! Tum sunn kyu nahi rahi ho? Humari shaadi ke hi hai. Phere... varmala ya sindoor lagane ke kyu nahi nikale pata nahi... I found them hidden in that black suitcase of Papa's important documents."

Eyes narrowing, she demanded "Tumne Kaka-baba ki woh bag kyu kholi? Sameer, you know he doesn't like anyone touching it!"

"Rohan bhaiya ke registered marriage ke liye kuch documents chahiye thay. Jab unnke room mein nahi mille, toh I thought Papa ke important documents wale bag mein honge. Issiliye khola tha. Rohan bhaiya ke documents toh nahi... par yeh photos mille. Pata chal gaya ke humme bag ko haat lagana allowed kyu nahi tha itne saal!" he scoffed in reply.

Guessing she was about to present another argument about the photos, he stated "Naina, main jab Papa ke sath gaon gaya tha tab mainne Bua Dadi se poocha tha. Dekho photos mein woh bhi hai. She confirmed ke humari shaadi such-mooch huyi hai!"

She uttered surprised "Par yaha gharwalon ko poochna chodkar tum Bua dadi ko kyu poochne gaye thay?!"

After a moment of hesitation, he replied "Itne saalon se jinhonein hum se yeh chupaya hai... I didn't trust them to easily share the truth even now. But I needed to know that it wasn't all in my head. Aur main jaanta hu Bua dadi mujhse kabhi jhoot nahi bol sakti! And she proved me right."

Still struggling to accept his hypothesis, she frowned "Sammy... Bua dadi ki tabiyat kitni kharab hai sab jaante hai. She can barely recognise people around her... past-present... its all mixed up in her head."

"Ha, mixed up zarur hai, par unhe jo yaad hai, bilkul thik se yaad hai! She was clearly able to recall our wedding and the time we brought you over, kaise tum pura rasta Mummy ki godd mein baithi rahi aur kaise main shuru-shuru mein iss baat ko lekar naraaz tha. She even reminisced about how apparently the usual family Panditji was away travelling that day and they had to bring in the Pandit from the neighbouring village. Not only that - tumhare Ajit uncle shaadi ke baad khana khaaye bina hi chaale gaye thay! Yaar, itne details Bua Dadi khud manufacture nahi kar sakti!"

Whilst Naina was mulling on his words, finding their photo with just his grandparents, he added "Shayad baaki saare photos mein itna clearly dikh nahi raha hai... par iss mein tumhara necklace dekho."

The colour completely drained off Naina's face, as she recognised the necklace and recalled a conversation associated it from a couple of weeks back.

* * *

It was the day before Rohan headed back to the US.

When Payal dropped by, Nirmala had brought out her jewellery box and pulling out a heavy gold set, she showed it to Payal "Yeh dekho, yeh wala main tumhe shaadi mein chadhane wali hu. Abhi iss liye dikha rahi hu taaki jab tumhari baaki jwellery shopping karo toh aaise hi style ka kuch aur mat banwana, thik hai?"

"Wow Dadi! Yeh toh bohot pretty hai! Ekdum traditional design hai..." Payal gushed over the beautifully made ornaments.

Nirmala smiled "Ab kaha aaisi karigari dekhne ko milti hai. Yeh gehene toh meri saas ne meri shaadi ke waqt banwaye thay! Chalo, tumhe ache lage na... mujhe babut khushi hogi tumhe pehene dekh kar. Itne saalon se bade armaanon ke sath sambhal ke rakhe hai!"

After assuring Dadi that she absolutely loved it, Payal picked up another set from the collection.

It hadn't been as heavy as the one Nirmala had planned for her, but was embellished with some pearls. Admiring it, she turned to Naina "Waise yeh wala bhi bohot sundar hai! Thoda nazuuk hai toh shayad asaani se jyada functions mein pehen sakte hai, nahi?" When Naina nodded "Ha Bhabhi... aap thik keh rahi ho... yeh wala toh jaan-pehechaan walon ki receptions mein bhi pehen sakate ho..."

As the young woman started holding it against each other's neck to see how it looked, Nirmala firmly stated "Yeh wala mere Sameer ki biwi ka hai! Payal beta, tumhe woh wala jyada bhari lag raha hai toh ek aur bhi hai..." opening another pooch, she laid out another for Payal to deliberate on.

Turning towards her devar who was sitting on the sofa flipping through some channels, Payal teased "Toh devarji... kab la rahe ho humari devarani? Dekh lijiye... yeha toh Dadi ne uska set bhi book kar diya hai."

Sauntering over, Sameer thoughtfully studied the necklace for a bit, before smirking "Jaisa Dadi ke meri biwi ka set book kiya hai... waise hi biwi bhi book kar degi. Main kyu kuch karu?"

Payal's eyebrows shot up "Acha toh iska matlab hai tum Dadi ki pasand se shaadi karoge? Khud ki pasand se nahi?" He countered "Kyu, meri aur Dadi hi pasand ek bhi toh ho sakti hai, nahi?"

Enjoying this banter with her new brother-in-law, Payal grinned "Dadi, aap na isske liye ekdum koi gaon ki gori type ladki dhundna! Jo ekdum ghungat mein rahe aur mote-mote payal pehenke har waqt isske peeche peeche ghume!"

Sameer cheekily replied "Dadi, please aap Bhabhi ki baaton pe dhayan mat dijiye. Dhundhiye toh aap hi... par ghungat ki jaga ladki smart... jeans pehene wali ho.. aur payal ki jagah stylish high heels sandals ho..."

Irritated to hear the talks of finding Sameer a wife, Naina pouted "Dadi! That's not fair... aap saari pretty jewellery inn donon ki wives ko hi de rahi ho!"

Sameer promptly addressed Nirmala "Koi baat nahi Dadi... yeh set aap Naina ko dedo... mujhe sirf aapke pasand ki biwi de dena!"

Payal giggled "Lagta hai tumhe such mooch bohot jaldi ho rahi hain ab shaadi ki! Agar Dadi na dhunde toh main aur Rohan dhundenge ladki tumhare liye, okay?" Rohan chuckled "Ha... kyu nahi... dekhte hai humme dhudhne ka chance milta hai kya."

"Main na isski shaadi mein woh dance karungi - Devar dulha bana, sar pe sehra saja...Bhabhi badhkar aaj balaiyan leti hai..." Payal started planning.

While the bantering between Payal, Rohan and Sameer, continued in the background, Nirmala urged Naina "Haar theek se pehen ke dikha toh sahi..." and when she happily obliged, the old woman called out "Aare Vishakha... dekh toh kitna jach raha hai ab Laado par! Nazar utar dena aaj isski."

* * *

Sameer nudged her shoulder "Kaha kho gayi??" Jerking her thoughts to the present, Naina whispered "Yeh toh wahi haar hai photo mein jo Dadi uss din keh rahi thi ke..."

He emphatically nodded "Sameer ki biwi ka hai! Kyuki Dadi ne already tumhe yeh haar pehnaya tha humari shaadi mein, samjhi? "

Her finger holding the photo trembled. Running her tongue over her very dry lips, Naina tried to come terms with what was now starting to seem more fact than his fantasy.

They could really be married!

Relieved to see that she was finally starting to seriously contemplate the idea, Sameer decided to present all the supporting evidence, to further strengthen his case.

"Naina, even before I had talked to Bua dadi about this, mujhe already kuch baatein yaad aa rahi thi. Jab tum nayi-nayi humare sath rehene aayi thi... ek baar school mein kuch hua tha. Teacher ne hum donon ko data tha aur Mummy-Papa ko bulaya tha. Mujhe clearly yaad nahi par usske baad... for some time the boys in my class used to tease me calling me 'patidev'. Phir ek baar Rohan bhaiya aur Monty bhaiya ne unn sabko bohot daraya tha... tab jaake unka chedna band hua tha. I think... maine shayad school mein kisiko shaadi ke baare mein kuch bataya hoga..."

Eyes widened, she blurted "Matlab Rohan bhaiya ko sab pata hoga?!"

"Ha... woh bhi hai photos mein... aur woh toh baade thay... unlike us, old enough to understand ke kya ho raha hai. I think, issiliye, he has always made it a point to ensure that neither of us ever gets romantically involved with someone else." Sameer thoughtfully nibbled on his lower lip.

Because we were never free to make that choice. Realisation dawned on Naina. Brushing aside that thought, she demanded "Agar tum Bua dadi ki baaton se convinced thay toh mujhe ab tak kyu nahi bataya thay?"

Deeply inhaling the cool quite of the night, he answered "I guess, a part of me was scared about your reaction. Ek toh main nahi chahata tha ke Rohan bhaiya ke sagai ke waqt ghar mein koi issue ho... And more importantly, kuch der ke liye main maan bhar ke tumhe, aur humare future ke sweet dreams, bina kissi darr ke dekhna chahata tha."

Gently pulling her nose, he smiled "My wifey!" and then added with twinkling eyes "Dadi ke pasand ki!"

Bhagwanji... mujhe darr laga rehta tha ke future mein koi isski wife bun ke aayegi... par yaha toh isski already wife hai... woh bhi main! Aur mujhe pata bhi nahi?!

"Aur kaun kaun jaanta hoga yeh baat?", she wondered aloud.

When he started "I am sure, Nani, Vikas mama aur Geeta mami ko toh pata hi hoga." She tsked "Of course! Par woh toh humari immediate family mein hi hai... unhe aur photo mein ke logon ko chodkar aur kisse pata hoga?"

Unsure about it, he shrugged "Kamlesh kaka ki family mein ke elders ko pata hoga. Dadaji aur Kamlesh kaka ke pitaji kafi close thay... Aur jaise tum keh rahi thi... shayad kuch log samajhte honge ke humara rishta fix hua hai... ya hone wala hai. I am sure Jaggu kaka aur Kashi kaki ko zarur pata hoga. Bua Dadi ne ab tak unhe bata hi diya hoga. Outside the family... I have a strong feeling Monty bhaiya ko pata hai, Rohan bhaiya couldn't have hidden it from him all these years. Based on Payal bhabhi's comments... I don't think he has told her yet."

After a small pause, he confessed "Munna-Pandit ko bhi pata hai. When I found the photos... I just had to talk to them about it. Woh... hum issiliye Anish ki party ke baad raat bhar ghar se bahar rahe thay. Drive pe gaye thay kyunki... I needed to clear my head and decide what to do next."

"Matlab, mujhe chodkar sab ko pata hai!" she started to get up in a huff.

Pulling her back, he tried to explain his behaviour, "I am sorry yaar! But I was really confused. It just didn't feel like the right time to burden you with all this uncertainty. Socho na, agar Bua dadi se mujhe pata chalta ke it really was just some pooja or festival... toh..."

"Toh kya karte tum?" She wanted to know, if he would have still pursued the longing in his heart. Or would he have let it go, choosing to give others and their thoughts more credence than his own feelings. Like she had been set on.

He sighed "Toh... I guess... it would have been a bigger challenge. I would have had to worry about convincing the whole family. And of course you! But thankfully, now we don't have to worry about all that. Our families chose to get us married! Toh unnse objections ka koi sawal hi nahi aata."

"Toh ye baat tumne mujhe sham ko kyu nahi batayi jab mein apne saare darr share kar rahi thi?!" she was frustrated beyond measure at the thought that he had known exactly where all of their family stood on this topic, and had still allowed her to babble on with all those objections.

"Main toh bol raha tha ke meri baat puri nahi hui... par tum toh bus apna Jhaasi ki Rani avatar deekha ke chali gayi!"

She glared at him, "O toh saari galti meri hai? Itne mahinon se tum jo muh mein... gudd jama ke baithe thay?!"

"Yaar, ek to tum please muhaware thik se use kiya karo! Muh mein gudd nahi, dahi jamate hai! Aur pehele jo keh rahi thi.. ticket kyu lekar ghoomna... woh hota hai – jiss gaon jaana nahi, waha ka rasta kyu poochna!"

She huffed in response, "Iss waqt, mujhpe itnaaa... bada bomb gira ke, tumhe mere muhaware correct karna jyada important lag raha hai?! Tumhe pata hai na, jab bhi main nervous hoti hu... aaise hi kuch ulta seedha bol deti hu..."

After mentally kicking his own ass, he started humming "Yeh soch kar maaf kar dena mujhko... meri yeh peheli moohabat hain janam..." and cheekily corrected "actually... meri yeh peheli shaadi hai janam!"

She couldn't help but smile at his antics.

Interlacing the fingers of his left hand with those of her right, he asked "Tum thik ho?? I know it's a lot to grasp... but it's us. We will figure it out, okay?"

Naina couldn't remember when they had first held hands. Had it been during their wedding ceremony? Who had placed her hand in his that day?? But they had definitely done it thousands of times over the years. And yet, in that moment, it felt like the first time.

The proximity felt strangely alien. And exhilarating.

My husband.

Husband??

Husband!!!

The concept was surreal. Even scary. But not undesirable. And definitely not unwished-for.

The stars, moon, candles surrounding them – everything twinkled. And more importantly – Sameer eyes and the shy smile fluttering on Naina's lips.

* * *

(Happy Friday my lovelies,

Hope you enjoyed this part with a crucial and mandatory nighttime conversation between Samaina. Do share your thoughts.

I have been finding it hard to respond to comments due to having a lot going on both work and home front, but am definitely reading them all. Considering votes and comments are the only compensation most writers get here on Wattpad, and which go a long way in keeping writers motivated, please be dildar with them! LOL.

Take care.

Lots of love, May)