As per the dashboard clock in her car it was 8:11 PM, but with another thirty minutes to sunset it was still bright outside. And compared to the subzero temperatures of winters, the 12 degrees made it a pleasantly warm evening.

The latest hits of some boy-band were streaming on the radio, but Preeti was far too lost in her thoughts for the lyrics to register.

She had spent the last hour and half in a coffee shop with her friend Jade. Strangely, though only eight weeks old, Jade's friendship had become a big part of her life. Apart from the fact that they had known each other for only few weeks, there was also the matter of Jade being about a decade older than Preeti. But if one keeps their heart open, friendships can be found the most unusual places and ways.

On a Friday little over two months back, a colleague Bob, who she usually only exchanged a perfunctory smile or greeting with, other than requesting some documents on behalf of her boss, approached her near the hot drinks area.

Clearing his throat, he started "Hi, looking forward to the weekend?" Preeti had smiled "Yes! Looks like its going to be nice sunny one."

She had expected him to moving away saying something like 'Have a good one', but he instead asked "So, any plans for the weekend? Meeting any friends?"

She shrugged "Apart from sleeping in till late, no plans. I am thinking of heading to the mall for some shopping and then hit the park for some time." Then enquired, as etiquette demanded "What about you? Doing anything nice?"

"If you don't have any plans, would you like to get together for dinner tomorrow?"

First her eyes wandered around not sure if he was still talking to her, and then widened in surprise. Is he asking me out?!

Though she couldn't put a pin on it, she guessed him to be in his late thirties. What makes him think I would like to date a man who looks like he could be twice my age?!

Not wanting to make things awkward between them, Preeti used the response that she tended to use in certain situation "Actually, I have a boyfriend..."

"Oh! Would he like to join us too? The more the merrier, aye?" Bob did not bat an eyelid.

Not having expected this counter offer, Preeti fumbled "He isn't here... I mean, back home I have a boyfriend."

Finally, as it dawned on Bob what she had made of his invite, he hastily elaborated "My girlfriend Jade is very fascinated with India. It's culture, history, ideologies... basically everything. But she has never been to India. I think, she will be very pleased to make your acquaintance and hear about your experiences and perspectives."

Far too relieved by his admission, Preeti rambled "Oh! That's so lovely. So sweet of you to invite me. Not that I have lived in India much... but of course I will be happy to answer any questions."

Very delighted, Bob beamed "How about we meet at that Indian restaurant 'Taste of Lahore' on Main street at half past six tomorrow? Jade loves their food."

Till she actually spotted a lady sitting next to Bob, the following evening in the restaurant, a part of Preeti was doubtful if Bob truly had a fiancée or if he was going to show up alone.

Jade turned out to be a friendly woman in her mid-thirties with a wide smile which often exposed her overbite, shoulder length chestnut brown hair and deep green eyes, which she had probably been named after. She was a dietician working at their county hospital. And who, as Preeti soon discovered, was more than just fascinated with India.

Few years ago, when she was going through some emotional upheaval, a colleague had recommended that she try meditation and lent her few books by Osho. Amongst the pages of that book, Jade felt like she had stumbled upon a spiritual goldmine.

To Jade's bafflement, Preeti was completely oblivious of this enigma called 'Osho'. 

Preeti had come prepared to talk about festivals, gods and goddesses, variety of cuisines, but who was Osho?! 

Well, apparently he was someone very big in the world of his followers.

Over a tasty meal of Naans, Saag-Paneer and Chole – Jade animatedly shared her wealth of information with Preeti. Books she had read, type of meditation practices that she had discovered via Osho's teachings, his ideology which differed from traditional religions and many other things. At one point, her eyes moistened as she lamented how he had already passed on even before she discovered his teachings.

Jade also had many questions for Preeti about life in India and her family back there. Preeti tried to quench her curiosity by sharing memories of the couple of trips, and the India that she had come to know through her letters with Naina and Pandit.

Though Preeti did not feel any overwhelming connection to Osho that evening, she was extremely charmed with Jade and more meetings over dinner or coffees ensued. Over the weeks, the woman started enjoying each other's company. Parts of their journeys and dreams for the future were shared.

Every time she listened to Jade excitedly talk about the new book she was reading, or the documentary she had watched about India, Preeti found herself marvelling at Jade's attachment to a land she had never visited.

Then that morning, looking crestfallen, Bob had shared with Preeti that Jade had broken up with him the evening before, and declared that she had decided to move to India and spend some time in the Osho Ashram in Poona. He had then implored her to talk some sense into his ex-girlfriend, as he found the idea of her travelling alone to India rather scary.

But when Preeti met Jade for coffee after work, she could see the older woman had made up her mind. Noting how thrilled she was at the prospect of experiencing India, Preeti didn't even try to dissuade her. She only extracted a promise for staying in touch, and 

It seemed serendipitous that the moment Preeti opened her apartment door, her eyes landed on Rohan's wedding invite. The longing for her cousin and friends hit her with an staggering force. And she found herself wondering – what was really tying her to this place? The money she earned was helping her live an independent life, but it was something that she could manage anywhere else too.

Earlier in the coffee shop, Jade had giggled "Preeti! You should join me. It will be so much fun embarking on this adventure together! And you can spend time with your family back there."

Though in that moment, Preeti had just laughed it off, she found herself dwelling on the idea over the coming days. Till she finally decided to take a leap of faith!

* * *

Sameer stood at the window of his room, overlooking the rear of the house.

Few parrots were nosily squawking on the mango tree, planted by his grandfather about two decades ago, which was currently laden with fruit. Their backyard was filled with an assortment of trees – along with the mango, there were two lemons, one papaya, one pomegranate, one sitaphal. All round the year, at least a couple of trees would produce food that drew the birds and bees. Even the huge jackfruit tree, which for some reason had never borne any fruit, provided shelter to many.

Another time, the antic of the parrots outside his window would have been delightful, but at the moment only impatience seized him. Munna was supposed to pick him up at half-five, and it was almost six now. With another glare at the clock, Sameer headed downstairs.

But the silence only further flared his irritation. Yet again, Naina was out with his mother for some wedding related shopping. Since her exams had finished a week back, he had been counting down to the day he would be done with his too. But now he felt like he had been the only one. For the past two days, even after his exams were over, Naina had been out on consecutive shopping expeditions with his mother. And when they were home, she was busy either helping Vishakha pack the shopping or make more shopping lists!

With just ten days left, the whole house was in a constant state of disarray. The coffee table in the lounge was permanently piled with stacks of invitations either to be posted or hand delivered.

Picking up a dozen or so, that he planned to distribute that evening, Sameer stuffed them in a plastic bag. As his tummy rumbled, he considered eating something, but then decided against it knowing that at least at a few places he would be forced to partake of some food and beverages. Luckily, Munna soon honked and, after briefly peeking into Dadi's room, he rushed outside.

As he jumped astride Munna's bike, he grumbled "Kitni der laga di yaar! Iss rate se hi agar cards distribute karte rahe na toh... aadhe logon ko shaadi ke invite ki jagah... Rohan bhaiya ke bacche ke namkaran ke invites dene padenge!"

Munna chuckled "Tension kyu le raha hai? Hazar mein se sau- do-sau log na bhi aaye toh Rohan bhaiya ko patta nahi chalega! Unko toh sirh Payal Bhabhi ke aane se matlab hoga..."

When Sameer just glared in reply, Munna teasingly wiggled his eyebrow "Acha tu bata... tere reception mein hazar log aana jyada important hoga? Ya bus akeli Naina ka honeymoon pe aana??"

As expected by Munna, instantly forgetting all irritation, Sameer blushed "Obviously honeymoon pe Naina..."

As the bike accelerated, Munna asked over his shoulder "Toh phir kya plan hain ab tum donon kya? Ab toh donon ka college bhi khatam ho gaya."

Looking pensive, Sameer confessed what had been troubling him for the past few weeks "Ha yaar Munna...pata nahi Mummy-Papa kya soch rahe hai... mujhe toh laga tha... ab Rohan bhaiya ki shaadi se pehele... humse humare baare mein bhi kuch baat karenge. Par koi kuch bol hi nahi raha hai!"

Munna nodded "Agar Rohan bhaiya ki shaadi ke sath-sath tumhari bhi shaadi official kar dete toh acha hota... ek hi reception mein char khursiya laga dete. Ab Bhaiya-Bhabhi pata nahi kab wapas aayenge... uske bina toh tumhara koi function hone se raha, nahi?"

* * *

Few hours later, Sameer found himself drinking rum, munching on salted peanuts and potato wafers with some classmates. Earlier when, he had stopped by his friend, Abhi's, place to deliver the wedding invite, Abhi had informed him that some of the outstation students were meeting later that night as they were all soon leaving Ahmedabad for good, now that the course was over. Though he hadn't been particularly close to most of them, having interacted with them on a daily basis for the last two years, he had welcomed the opportunity to bid them farewell.

The night had started with the intention to have just a couple of beers, but then as happens in such instances, someone brought out a bottle of whiskey and then another some rum. Soon, everyone had lost track of who was drinking what and how much. Many laughs, aspirations, plans were shared. Some teasing ensued, most of which was directed at Amrit, who after couple of drinks had blurted how he was looking forward to getting married and settling down.

After Amrit was interrogated at length on the qualities he wanted in his wife, other shared their wish-list. The merits of love versus arranged marriage were weighed too.

Abhi chuckled "In conclusion, hum sab chahate hai ke hum apne life-partner se kuch aaise mile... jaise kissi kahani ke hero-heroine milte hai! Sab ko ek anokhi love story chahiye... par koi bhi Romeo and Juliet, Laila-Majnu, ya Heer-Ranjha ke nakshe kadam pe chalna nahi chahata. Yaha sabke apne partner ko leke itne saare criteria hai... mano kissi job ke liye candidate selection chal raha hai. Phir pyar ka jaddu... ya dil ki dastan ka toh koi scope hi nahi hai bhai!"

* * *

There were piles of sarees, dress materials and bedsheets spread around. And now the shopkeeper was emptying a huge crate full of bags on top on them. Naina was struggling to make some sense of why he was mixing all the wares. Her confusion grew tenfold, as it registered that the bags closely resembled the ones she had designed as the return gifts. But how did the shopkeeper get hold of her designs? She had placed the order for production with Zaffar chacha. So, how did the bags end up here?? And why did the bags have bells attached on them? Surely she hadn't asked for them... As she picked up some of the bags, the bells started making a ruckus and all other shoppers started glaring at her. Though she hastily put down the bags, the bells continued tinkling.

Suddenly she sat up with a start. Only to find herself in her bed, rather than some shop.

Har waqt itna shopping... ke ab toh mujhe uske ajeeb-ajeeb sapne aane lage hai! She grimaced and was about to lay down, when the jingling of bells resumed. Only these weren't attached to any bags, but rather hanging by her bedroom window.

O.. toh akhir shaam ka bhula, aadhi raat ko ghar laut hi aaya hai.

Rushing to the window, she called out in a hushed tone "Aa rahi hu baba!"

Few years ago, after Vishakha had nagged how his late night returns from study sessions with friends were disturbing everyone's sleep, Naina had suggested this workaround. A small cluster of ghungroo, which had been lying buried in some drawer, had been hung inside her window with a long string attached to them. Since then, whenever Sameer returned after most of the household was asleep, he pulled on the string, ensuring only Naina was roused.

Opening the main door, she enquired sleepily "Ho gayi tumhari party?"

He nodded and then glancing towards the dining area asked "Naina, dinner bacha hain kya?"

"Dinner?? Abhi toh kha-pee ke aa rahe ho na?!" she expressed her surprise. Stepping closer, she sniffed "Waise bohot toh nahi piya na?"

Looking sheepish, he admitted "Bohot toh nahi... par thoda ho hi gaya. Yaar, par khane ko kuch tha nahi... sirf drinks hi thay. Aur baad mein kuch log bhurji-pav khaane chale gaye, toh main ghar aa gaya. Kuch bhi nahi hai kya??"

Naina's brow creased "Humne toh subhe ka hi khatam kiya... market se aate aate late ho gaya tha.", after pondering for a few moments, she asked "Maggi bana du?"

He first smiled fondly "Main bana lete hu... par tum sath baitho... please?? Kitne dinon se tumse aaram se baat hi nahi huyi hai.", then pouted "Yaar, mujhe toh laga tha ke tum raha dekh rahi hogi ke mere exams kab khatam honge... par tumhara toh shopping hi khatam nahi hota!"

"O ho... shopping ka toh poocho hi mat! Ab toh mujhe shopping ke nightmares aane lage hai!"

Sameer laughed heartily as she recounted her dream and how it had ended with ringing of bells on bags.

Even though he had just asked for her company, she insisted on chopping a tomato and few leaves of spinach to add to the noodles in an attempt to make it healthier meal.

Adding a pinch of garam masala at the end, he offered her a spoonful "Ab try karo! Dekh lena, aaj ke baad, without my secret ingredient noodles mein mazaa hi nai aayege."

After enjoying the spicy delicacy, while Naina shared the highlights of her shopping trip earlier in the day, they headed upstairs. Standing in the doorway, he asked "Bohot neend aa rahi hai??"

Understanding the hopeful, yearning in his eyes, she shook her head though her eyelids had grown very heavy.

As Naina got comfortable under her sheets, sitting on the edge of her bed, Sameer shared "Pata hai, abhi waha party mein shaadi ki baaten ho rahi thi... about the future... unn sab ki apprehensions ke baare mein sunkar mujhe toh lag raha tha ke main kitna khus kismat hu yaar! Na koi uncertainty... na koi darr. Sab kuch kitna simple aur straightforward hai. I am genuinely excited about joining Papa's business. And I know he will support my ideas. Pyar hua toh uss ladki se jo already meri biwi hai! Aur woh bhi gharwalon ke pasand ki. No dramas. At all!"

Leaning towards her, he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb "Mann toh kar raha tha waha sab ko kahu mere jaisi love story tumhari kissi ki ho hi nahi sakti. Aur na itni cute biwi! Nainu, I really am the luckiest guy in the world. Manta hu... compared to Rohan bhaiya jo itni duniya ghoom rahe hai, shayad meri duniya bohot chotti si hai. But I feel like I am on top of the world!"

Softly kissing his knuckles pressed against her cheek, she whispered "Lucky toh main bhi bohot hu..."

His lips trembled slightly as a wave of desire surged within to taste her soft lips which were currently caressing his hand.

As it peaked, it first morphed into desperation, and then into angst at the realisation that yet again, he would have to withdraw to his own bed without quenching his parched lips and soul.

For how long was he supposed to live in this state of limbo? Forced to stay away from his wife!

The unease that he had shared with Munna earlier in the evening resurfaced, and he abruptly withdrew his hand.

Bewildered by his reaction, she asked tentatively "Kya hua? Suddenly aisi shakal kyu bana li?"

After staying silent for the longest moment, he responded "Thoda confused hu... samajh nahi aa raha hain ke Papa-Mummy se humari shaadi ka topic kaise cheddu. Yaar, woh log toh kuch keh nahi rahe hai... patta nahi kaunse muhurrat ki taak mein baithe hai! Humari exams khatam ho gayi... fifteen days mein toh Rohan bhaiya ki shaadi bhi ho jayegi, aur uske do hafte baad Bhaiya-Bhabhi US bhi chale jayenge. Yaar, humari married life kab shuru hogi?!"

"Shayad Rohan bhaiya ke aane ka intezaar kar rahe honge... ya phir unki shaadi ke baad ka socha hoga..." she muttered uncertainly.

He sulked "Mujhe toh Munna ka idea hi acha laga... Rohan bhaiya ki phero wali shaadi se pehele humari register karwa dete, toh chaaron ka reception ek sath hi ho jaata. Yaar, ab agar Rohan bhaiya dedh-do saal wapas nahi aa paye toh tab tak hamari gaddi toh atki rahegi na!"

"Dedh-do saal kyu... woh aayenge na next year... shayad tab..." her words trailed off.

Frustration dripped from his every word "Yaar, mujhe nahi rukhna saal-do-saal! Solah saal toh already hogaye hai shaadi ko! Main kal hi baat karunga Papa se!"

"Mujhe nahi lagta ke yeh sahi time hai. Dekho, ab Kaka-baba ko Payal Bhabhi aur unki family ko bhi yeh baat thik se samjhani hogi... usske liye Bhaiya ka yeha hona jaruri hai. Aaise hi out of the blue tumhari aur meri shaadi thodehi announce kar sakte hai!"

If there was any logic in Naina's argument, Sameer couldn't see it. But after fifteen minutes of cajoling by his wife, he reluctantly conceded "Naina, sirf tumhare liye main Rohan bhaiya ke aane tak intezaar kar lunga. Unke aane ke dusre din tak agar Papa ne yeh baat nahi ki, toh main aur intezaar bilkul nahi karunga."

"Bilkul... jaisa tum chaho." Nodding, she continued "Goodnight. Ab jao... bohot neend aa rahi hai. Aur ha... kal mujhe Zaffar chacha ke workshop jaana hai purses collect karne... subhe chaloge mere sath?"

While the plan for next day was being finalised, Sameer suddenly realised that she had fallen asleep in the middle of their conversation. Valiantly fighting the urge to close his own eyes, he sat admiring the sweet vision in front of him. Bus do minute aur... phir chala jayunga...

"Sammy, utho!!!" Naina violently shook him awake.

When he asked in a daze "Kya ho gaya??", she glared at his, "Pagal ho gaye ho kya? Yaha kyu so rahe ho?? Apne room mein jaake so jao. Mumma uthne hi wali hogi... Yeh toh acha hua mein bathroom jaane utthi!"

As he staggered back to his bed muttering "Bus aakh lag gayi yaar... aur aisa kya kar liya maine? Sirf so hi toh raha tha.", Naina was grumbling on the inside - Sirf so hi toh raha tha... subhe-subhe Mumma ki daat pad jaati toh phir pata chalta... Aage ka ek hafta meri neend udd jaati!

Many years ago, Vishakha had explained to the kids that regardless of how much they loved each other and cared for each other, certain boundaries should always be maintained. No matter how long they stayed up watching movies or talking, they were not allowed to sleep in each other's bed.

Despite this mandate, on few occasions she had found Sameer in Naina's room in the mornings.

Once, when he was in year 10, Naina had been helping him with some art project that he had procrastinated on till the very last day and then had to stay up for till about 2 am. Both had fallen asleep while taking what was supposed to be a small break.

Another time, when they had squabbled endlessly over something irrelevant but neither had been willing to concede.

The last time had been, about a year back, when Sameer had returned from a ten day trek with some college friends. With a lot of spicy gossip to share, they had stayed up talking well into the night and then fallen asleep.

Every time, Vishakha had given them an earful the following morning reminding them the importance of boundaries.

But last time, Naina had felt like Vishakha had been a little subdued in her interactions with her for the next few days. This has left a much bigger impact than any of the previous lectures. And hence, Naina' concerned reaction at discovering Sameer, half dangling from one edge of her bed that morning.

Nothing worthy of mention happened between Sameer and Naina over the coming days. Sameer started spending some time at his father's office to start familiarizing with the ongoing projects and teams. While she was mostly in the kitchen helping Vishakha fill containers of snacks for the wedding guests scheduled to start arriving soon. Or writing names of wedding invites as per Vivek's instructions. Swati often dropped by to help with the packing of gifts or other preparations. And then there was always some of her personal shopping for the wedding related outfits.

With every passing day Sameer grew more impatient for his own story to take a leap. 

The thing with stories is - they can take a leap, a turn or a twist - all depending on the writers whim.

* * *

(Hi dearies, Hope you all are doing great! Sorry for the loooong hiatus. Finally, I am sort of settled in the new house and writing again.

This was sort of a bridging chapter to what's coming up, so not a lot seemed to have happened but it was necessary. Haven't spent much time on editing, so please let me know if you spot any issues. Hope most of the readers are still planning to continue reading the story!

Take care.

Lots of love, May)