"Aare Vishakha... Laado ko zara badam ka dudh pilana! Bahut thaki-thaki lag rahi hai... pata nahi yeh kallage aur padhai kab khatam hogi isski aur zara aaram se ghar bhaithegi... Aur yeh school-kallage walon ko samajh kyu nahi aata ke ladki jaat ke aur bhi bakhede hote hai!" Nirmala grumbled, noting a weary Naina trying to supress a yawn at the dinner table.

Assuming it was probably that time of the month for Naina, and the problems she usually had to deal with around that time, the old lady enquired of her "Kamar mein jyada dard ho raha hai kya?? Mere kamre se woh electric wala garam bag le jaana aur sone se pehele kamar sek lena."

When Naina shook her head in response, "Nahi Dada... kamar thik hai... abhi kuch nahi huya hai.", Nirmala frowned "Aare toh phir tera chehera kyu aaisa murzaya hai?"

"Kuch nahi Dadi... bus kal raat ko thik se soyi nahi woh... issiliye thaki hai." Sameer, who was seated next to her, interjected, as he helped himself to another paratha.

Nirmala's frown deepened "Soyi kyu nahi??"

Naina coloured at the memory of spending most of the night on the terrace with Sameer trying to wrap her head around their new relationship. But is it really new if it is sixteen year old??

Thankfully, Vishakha answered on her behalf "Submission due hoga isska aur kya? Aur usske hotay neend kaha aati hai isse..."

Naina's eyes almost popped when Sameer smirked "Don't worry... aaj se naa... khud sone se pehele, I will make sure ke yeh so gayi hai."

Nirmal nodded approvingly "Haa... dhyan rakha kar laado ka."

Leaning closer to Naina, Sameer whispered "Dhyan toh mere pura hota hai... meri biwi par."

The spoon slipped out of her fingers as blotches of red instantly dyed her cheeks. She wondered if this was going to become a common occurrence now – him constantly emphasizing on their relationship. The previous night too, way past midnight, standing at the door of her bedroom, he had crooned with a happy, silly grin "Goodnight wifey..."

* * *

Couple of days passed, with Naina looking at everything and everyone around her in a new light through multi-coloured lenses. It was a lot to come to terms with.

Especially, with the additional challenge of pretending to be oblivious of the past events in front of the rest of the family. Because, post some debate, Sameer and she had decided to take some time to learn to navigate this new territory by themselves, rather than confronting the elders and then letting them set the pace of their relationship.

To start with, everything related to Sameer appeared rose-tinted. Her heart jubilantly danced at the realisation that his smug smiles, sexy smirks, silky hair – everything was hers to admire. Forever!

Every now and then, her lips would curve into a gigantic smile thinking that there was no fear of another woman ever sitting next to him. That she would never have to empty her chair at the dinner table, or her spot on the sofa, to make way for someone else.

The relief was profound.

One evening, after picking her from the college, Sameer took her to a café where Munna and Pandit were eagerly waiting.

"Namaste Bhabhi!" Pandit greeted her with folded handed hands. Naina's mouth opened in astonishment, when Munna pulled out a chair for her "Bhabhi, baithiye na..."

Whilst she fumbled to return the greeting "Hi... kaise ho tum dono? Bohot dinon se ghar nahi aaye...", tugging the menu from Pandit's hands, Munna forwarded it to Naina "Aaj toh jo Bhabhi chahe wahi order karenge. Boliye kya khane ka mann hai aap ka?"

"Aap.. Bhabhi... aaise kyu baat kar rahe ho Munna??" she enquired nevously.

"Aur kyu na kahe? Humare bhai ki biwi ho! Toh Bhabhi hi aap humari." Pandit shrugged.

"Par... ajeeb nahi lag raha tumhe? Mujhe toh bohot... matlab ekdum woh auntie type feeling aa rahi hai..."

"Bus kardo donon! Darr jayegi bechari." Sameer playfully swatted Munna and Pandit's heads, before settling in the chair next to Naina.

Munna burst into laughter, "Aare koi bhigi billi thodehi hai jo darr jayegi! Humare sher-dil bhai ki biwi hai! Kyu Naina?"

"Aur waise bhi Bhabhi aur Devar ke beech thoda hassi mazak toh banta hi hai!" Pandit rubbed his hands in glee.

Finally relaxing, Naina chuckled "Shayad tum ek baat bhool rahe ho... Billi ko bikul bhi light nahi lena chahiye... woh toh sher ki maussi hoti hai!"

Frowning slightly, Pandit countered "Yaar, pehele hi tum donon ke rishtay mein kuch kum complications hai jo tu ab isski maussi bhi banna chahati hai! Dekh abhi sabse pehele yeh tumhara miya-biwi wala rishta theek se set kar lo..."

Sameer nodded "Bilkul patte ki baat kahi hai tune!"

Not used to being commended for his ideas, Pandit looked momentarily surprised and then spoke smiling broadly "Aur iss maamle mein humari jo help lage... 24-7 available hai!"

"Help ki kya jarurat hogi innhe? Gharwalon ne shaadi toh karwa hi di hai! Bus ab jab chahon announce kar do sab ko aur baat khatam. Matlab... tumhari shaadi-shuda zindagi shuru!", Munna carelessly shrugged.

Pandit wondered aloud "Par announcement kaise karoge? Newspaper mein notice chaapwakar... ya radio pe woh rhyming advertisement hote hai... waise?" Looking extremely pleased with this idea, he added with a flourish, " Yaar... kya mast lagega...

Aaj ka din hai khaas...

Kyun ki aa rahe hai pass...

Sameer aur Naina....

Jinka barson ka hai sath!

Din mein char baar, ek week ke liye chalayenge toh samjho pure India ko pata chal jayenga!"

Noting everyone's surprise-cum-worried expressions, he muttered, "Abhi toh sirf draft pesh kiya hai... thoda dimag laga ke acha wala jingle likhenge!"

"O hello! Pure duniya ko humari shaadi se kya matlab hoga? Hume toh sirf close friends aur family ko batana hai. Par, humme koi jaldi nahi hai. Naina aur maine decide kiya hai ke hum aage ke kuch mahine bus secret mein date karenge."

Looking puzzled, Munna asked "Kisse secret?? Woh parents, jinhonne khud tumhari shaadi karwai hai? Aur humme bhi pata hai... Naina, kya tune Swati ko batayi nahi abhi ye baat? Usski reaction ka darr lag raha hai kya tujhe?"

After momentarily dwelling on her long conversation with Swati, post the reveal by Sameer, Naina muttered "Swati ko toh maine immediately next day hi jaake bataya tha. Pehele toh, she was shocked... par phir... she said it made sense."

"Toh phir secret kisse hoga yeh??" Munna was still lost.

Sameer sighed, "Aare, gharwalon ko ke toh nahi pata ke humme pata hai! Bus yeh baat secret hogi."

Pandit was equally lost, "Par... date karoge... matlab kya karoge?? Subhe ki chai se lekar, raat ke khaane tak... movies dekhna... restaurant mein jaana... college se pick-up... sab kuch toh already karte ho!"

Whilst Sameer tried to conjure a response, eyes suddenly twinkling, Pandit answered his own doubts, "Samajh gaya! Ab movie dekhte waqt hath bhi pakdoge... aur bike pe baithte waqt Naina pass-pass baithke kamar mein hath rakhegi... aur raat ko goodnight ke sath-sath-"

As Naina and Sameer turned very pink, promptly placing his hand on Pandit's mouth, Munna exclaimed "Bus kar Ponga! Kabhi toh soch ke bola liya kar!"

For the next thirty minutes or so Naina sipped on her mangola without saying much. Munna tried to keep the conversation flowing, while Sameer glared at Pandit for embarrassing his wife.

On the way back, still feeling very shy from Pandit's remark, Naina made it a point sit as far as possible from Sameer on the bike. And Sameer internally cursed Pandit for his tactless comments!

* * *

But the desires, which had taken root in Sameer's heart for a while, now sprouted vibrant, tender shoots.

His fingers constantly itched to tuck the errant hair behind her ears, or caress the satin of her cheeks and the rosy softness of her plump lips. And how he yearned to slip his arms around her!

His eyes following her, whenever in the same room, wasn't new. But now that gaze singed her cheeks, perpetually painting them crimson.

Much to his disappointment, Naina was suddenly more mindful and cautious about their proximity and tried to maintain a respectable distance between them. Probably, she was unsure of where the new boundaries should be drawn between them for now.

Every night, a hundred wars waged between his heart and head, while covering the distance of less than ten steps from her room to his. His poor heart would feel like it was tied to rock weighing a ton, and being wrenched away.

Yet, the same heart would soar like a falcon the next morning after catching a glimpse of her eyes still slightly swollen with sleep.

One evening when he picked her up from college, he pouted "This is not fair! Main sari good husband wali duties fulfil kar raha hu... without any rewards!"

Lips pressed to control the shy smile about to blossom on them, Naina countered "Main peeche baithi toh hu... aur kya reward chahiye tumhe?"

"Subhe rickshawale ke sath bhi peeche baithi thi... uss mein aur mujh mein koi fark nahi hai kya?!"

She cheekily retorted "Bilkul hain... usse paise dene padte hai... aur tumhare sath ride free mein mil jati hai"

"Yaar, itni dur kyun baithi ho?? Biwi ho... toh biwi ki tarha pass bhi toh baitho!" he, finally, voiced his frustration. But she resolutely shook her head, "Nahi Sameer, duniya ki nazaar mein humara aaisa koi rishta nahi hai."

Looking back over his shoulder, he quirked a brow "Are you saying ke akele mein tumhe pass aane se koi objection nahi hoga??"

When all he got in reply was a glare from her, Sameer muttered to himself "Shayad Pandit ka Akashvani ke through shaadi ke announcement ka idea itna bhi bura nahi hai..."

Though she had managed to evade his request on this occasion, Naina knew it was only a matter of time before their dynamics would start changing.

And she awaited the moment of change with equal amounts of anticipation and anxiety.

* * *

The persistent knocking on her door roused Naina out of her slumber. For a few moments she pulled the pillow over her ears reluctant to leave the warmth of her bed, but then sat up with a start and dashed to the door, heart full of dread as to why someone would be waking her up at 6 am. Was Dadi unwell?

But instead found Sameer, still in his blue pyjamas, at the door with a big gift bag in his hand.

"Sab thik hain! Woh bus... Happy Valentines Day!" he smiled sheepishly, noting her scared expression.

As her heartbeats returned to normal, Naina frowned at him "Itne subhe-subhe kaun Valentines Day manata hai? Pagal ho gaye ho kya?!"

"Day toh day hota hai... morning, afternoon, evening... se kya fark padta hai? Mera toh maan ho raha tha ke raat ke baara baje hi utha du tumhe! Anyway, dekho toh sahi kya hai undar."

First she pulled out a soft toy – a black and brown dog. After peering if for a bit, she exclaimed "Yeh toh ekdum Shera jaisa hain!" He smiled nostalgically, "Mujhe bhi dekhte hi usski yaad aayi thi. Tumhara favourite tha na..."

When they were younger, Naina had desperately wanted a dog. Despite a lot of pleading, her wish hadn't been granted as Nirmala had been against having a dog in the house. Hence, when one of their middle-aged neighbours had got a puppy, named Shera, Naina had spent hours at their place playing with the puppy. And where she was, Sameer followed! 

Growing extremely fond of him, both of them had pampered the dog a great deal. In fact they used to spend so much time with him, that people in the neighbourhood often mistook them to be Shera's owner! 

Couple of years back when Shera had passed away of old age, Sameer had been rather sad too, but Naina had been inconsolable for weeks.

Rubbing her cheek against the fluffy toy, she muttered "Thank you so much!"

"You are welcome! Next dekho kya hai."

The next one turned out to be a big bar of her favourite chocolate.

When she pulled out a packet of expensive fine liners, he uttered "Parso Mummy se inke baare mein hi keh rahi thi na?"

There were many little things in the bag – dangly silver earrings, a small clutch, a cassette of some latest hindi pop-hits, a red lipstick since the occasion mandated something red or maybe Sameer just wanted to see her luscious pout painted in red! And few other bits and bobs.

When she muttered in surprise "Itni saari cheeze kyun layi hain tumne?!" he smiled "Sixteen valentines days ke gifts jo pending thay..."

Looking a little embarrassed, she responded "Par maine toh koi gift nahi laya tumhare liye..."

He shrugged "No problem... you can always improvise... kuch meetha de do??"

As she started opening the chocolate bar, he shook his head and pointed at his lips. Realising he was asking for a kiss, she deeply coloured and then ran out of the room muttering she needed to freshen up.

All day, his demand for his meetha played on her mind and various people around her had to shake Naina out of her daydreams.

That evening when Sameer returned from college, he was in a sour mood to start with, as on reaching Naina's college, Neha had informed him that Naina had headed home early due to some family reason. He had assumed this was her way of avoiding a Valentine Day date with him, due to her never-ending fears of 'log kya kahenge?!'

But the sweet aroma that greeted him at home dispelled it. A freshly baked chocolate cake was set on the dining table, where Naina was sipping on some tea accompanied by Vishakha and Nirmala. Savitri had returned to her home couple of days back.

Naina mischievously smiled at him "Meetha khaane ka maan hain na tumhara... issiliye college se jaldi aakar tumhara favourite cake banaya hai! Thanda ho jaye toh icing karti hu."

He smirked "Waise toh kuch aur meethe ka maan hai... par chalu abhi ke liye cake se hi kaam chala lunga."

Nirmala tutted "Aare toh pehele thik se bata deta kya maan tha... bechari ne itni mehnat se cake banaya... jab tujhe kuch aur chahiye tha!"

"Cake bhi toh itna pasand hai tujhe! Toh aaj kya khaana tha?" Vishakha wanted to know.

Not able to hide her bashfulness, Naina quickly headed to the kitchen muttering "Baitho... tumhari coffee banati hu."

Following her, Sameer teased "Bata du sab ko kiss meethe ka maan hai??"

Not meeting his gaze, she muttered "Besharam toh tum pehele se hi ho... Par itne ho yeh nahi patta tha mujhe!"

Chuckling he grabbed a bottle of water and exited the kitchen.

That night as Sameer stood in her doorway wishing her a goodnight, Naina grimaced pointing at the wall behind him. Thinking she had probably seen a lizard, Sameer half turned to investigate. But instead of spotting an mini-beasts, felt her soft lips graze his cheek and heard an even softer "Happy Valentines Day!", before she hastened to close the door.

For the next minute both stood silently on either side of the door, with the blood in their veins gushing with new life.

Valentine Day had indeed been extra sweet for them both!

And their newly budding, secret romance wasn't limited to Valentines Day. In the days and weeks following too, the couple basked in the warmth of stolen, shy smiles, intense eye-locks and fleeting hand-holds.

* * *

But most human brains are addicted to drama and cannot stay idle for long.

Though everything between her and Sameer felt resolved, Naina started experiencing a different disquiet. Because once the surge of joy of being assured of his love and companionship ebbed, her mind was filled with many what ifs.

What if – instead of developing feelings for each other, they had fallen for someone else?

Clearly, they had never been free to choose their life partner. So, would they have been forced to give up on any dreams of their own to uphold a vow they had not even really made to each other?

What if – Sameer had not grown up to be a loving, caring man with integrity?

Would it have been expected that she accept it as her fate and put up with a man not worthy of her love?

What if – even as two good individuals, not in love with anyone else, they hadn't been compatible?

Also, the question of why this step had been deemed necessary troubled her heart. If she was to believe that Kaka-baba had truly considered her father like a brother, why had she not been welcomed into the family just as a niece or a daughter?

The couple of times she voiced these doubts in front of Sameer, he just shrugged them away. He found her what-ifs pointless, considering none of them have come true. But Naina couldn't easily move on from them.

And though she didn't voice them to him, another set of doubts started creeping in.

In the past, she had experienced limitless gratitude for the love, and everything else, showered upon her by the Maheshwari family. Even now, she didn't doubt their love for her. She knew it was the real thing, not pretence on anyone's behalf. But now, she started questioning the motivation behind it.

Just how much of it was for just Naina? Naina Agarwal, not Naina Sameer Maheshwari.

Jiss pal se maine iss ghar mein pehela kadam rakha hai... main toh hamasha inn sab ke liye Sameer ki biwi aur iss ghar ki peheli bahu hi hu.

Sirf Naina toh kabhi yaha thi hi nahi.

Toh phir yeh sara laad-pyar mere liye hai? Ya Sameer ki biwi ke hisse ka hai?

If she was suddenly struggling to decide who was the girl staring back at her from the mirror, it must have been the same all along for the rest of the family too. Who did they see when they looked at her?

Growing up, she had felt so treasured! But now she wasn't sure what was her worth as just Naina.

One day as she was rummaging through her jewellery, she picked up a pair of gold earring shaped like little bunches of grapes. Nirmala had bought them for her to mark a special occasion. It had been the time when she had started mensurating. Nirmala had taken her to the jewellers and asked her to select something as per her liking. The unusual earrings had caught Naina's eye, compared to the traditional bigger jhumka's Dadi had seemed to like. After some initial nudging, smiling indulgently, Nirmala had given in.

At that time, she had been rather confounded wondering what was the big deal about it. Didn't all girls go through the same changes at some point or the other? Most of her classmates were going through puberty. So, why had Dadi thought it an occasion warranting such an expensive gift?

When she had remarked about it to Swati, her friend had pouted "Naina, kitni lucky hai yaar tu! Humare yeha toh bus mummy ne mujhe tikka lagaya aur khaane mein halwa banaya tha. Tujhe to sone ke earrings mile hai! Kitna pretty design hai!"

The next time she had visited Savitri Nani, she had been gifted a heavily embroidered green shalwar-kameez and some pearl kangans, which Naina had been only too pleased to receive.

But now, she questioned, had all those gifts been just an expression of joy or relief at the assurance of that one day in the future she would be able to contribute towards the next generation of the Maheshwari family.

Few weeks later, when Vivek sat down with her to cover the latest income from her farms and investments, instead of the usual appreciation, her mind wondered if her Kaka-baba had indeed been as selfless as she had always assumed him to be. For everything that belonged to her, didn't it belong to Sameer's wife and in return to Sameer?

Every time her Mumma urged her to eats nuts and dry-fruits, or chided her for the black circles around her eyes, or insisted on oiling her parched hair, a small part of Naina wondered if all this concern was for Vishakha's bacha or Sameer's wife?

Slowly but surely, many cracks started appearing in her perception of her perfect life. And Naina started questioning her identity.

One night, abruptly looking up from her assignment, she asked Sameer, who sprawled on her bed was reading some textbook "Sammy, agar tum mujhe kahi bahar milte... toh kya phir bhi mujhse pyar karte?"

Misunderstanding her question, he instantly expressed his keenness "Yaar, yeh bhi koi poochne wali baat hai? Ghar ke andar, bahar, chatt pe, garden mein... main toh har jagah hi pyar ke liye tayar hota hu! Tum hi ho... jo har waqt dur-dur rehti ho... band karo woh assignment aur thodi der pass aake baitho!"

"O ho! Mera matlab hai, agar main iss ghar mein na rehti... hum ek dusre ko bachpan se na jaante.. aur ab, as adults, milte toh kya tumhe main pasand aati ?"

Rolling his eyes, he replied "Naina, ab yeh kaisa sawal hai? Chahe kabhi bhi milte... pyar toh hona hi tha... jaise abhi hua hai."

She frowned "How can you be sure? Abhi toh iss liye hua hai kyu ki mujhe uss Dulhan wali saari me dekh kar tumhe kuch mehsoos hone laga tha... but that was because of a buried memory. A memory of an event that neither of us had any say in!"

"Yaar, tum phir shuru ho gayi! Chodo na uss baat ko. Haa, hui hai humari shaadi bina humare consent ke... par ab jab hum pyar karte hai ek dusre se toh phir kya fark padta hai? Just let it go!" he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Yahi toh keh rahi hu... kya humme sach much pyar hua hai? Ya sirf aaisa lagta hai kyu ki saalon se gharwale humme ek dusre ki taraf push karte rahe hai? Agar Mamiji ki baatein sunn kar mera tumhe dekhne ka nazariya na badal jaata toh?"

She couldn't brush her doubts away.

"Sammy, barso se Dadi tumhe baar-baar kehti hai ke tumhe mere saare laad uthane chahiye! Mujhe humesha samjhati hai ye kaise mujhe tumhare moods sambhalne chahiye. Aur tumhare saare kaam karne chahiye!"

He exclaimed sounding frustrated "Toh mat kiya karo! Main apne kadpe khud almari mein rakh sakta hu!"

She countered "That is not the point! And you know it. Main toh yeh pooch rahi hu ke how can we be sure that – jo hum ek dusre ke liye mehsus karte hai yeh sach much pyar hai? Aur aaisa pyar - jo bus ho gaya ho jata hai. Kissike seekhane se hua na ho!"

Feeling cornered, he stood up and left her room in a huff "I don't know what you want me to say! You know there is no clear answer to these questions, and yet you are stuck on them!"

Naina flinched slightly hearing his door bang and hoped it wouldn't disturb Vivek and Vishakha.

She knew some of her doubts and fears were baseless. But she was convinced that some of them were very much valid.

For a part of her was very scared of what would happen if Sameer ever met another woman and realised that what he had felt for her for all these years was just the result of conditioning by his family. That what he felt for her was the type of love that one feels for their family, just because they had grown up together. Whereas the love that poets write ballads about - that love was something entirely different!

* * *

(Hi Everyone,

Sorry about the long wait, but I have been absolutely swapped with work and other family stuff. Hope you enjoyed this part. Do share your thoughts.

I haven't had much time to edit this part, and am publishing it to get something out quickly. So please highlight if you find any errors and I will fix them.

And a very happy YUDKBH day to all of you!!

Take care.

Much love, May)