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She was standing in front of hall of frame gwaking at Naveen 's photo.
Remembering her last few years.
How terrified she was when she had first crossed this gate

Uncertain, alone , intimidated
With no plan or backup ..

"Fresher"?
She heard from behind and a smile crept on her face
She turned to look at him
He walking towards her with a smile and hands inside the pockets...

She grinned back to him.

"Getting nostalgic, are we"?

"It's hard not to"

"Remember how once I caught you in my room behind the curtains
God that was fun"
He mocked and earned a hard look from her..

"And then how I escaped you....
Just imagine an intelligence officer got tackled by a first year cadet."
She mocked back wiping that smirk from his face .

"Yeah whatever"
He got irritated with her win.

"Where are your friends"

"They are all wasted"

"Shalini and abhi are wasted too
And they are having spitting competition
And wanted me to be the judge
So I had to run"

She giggled and he joined her .

"Kitne din ki leave mili hai"
He asked

"8 days"

"Then why are you leaving in the morning
Stay for a day "

She got tensed and took a moment"

"I don't like here in kma
It's overwhelming
Too many memories and too many emotions
Their were good days
But then their were days when I use to feel like end my life"

He got jolted with her word
He knew it was hard for her

So much happened in those two years

"Infact I wanted to leave immediately
Parr Pooja nahi mani
But now she is drunk, making out with Ali somewhere "

"Well if you don't wanna stay here
I can take you somewhere else "

"Kaha "

He was hesitant to offer
Even slapped himself mentally for taking so much liberty.

"My place "
And he immediately regret it
God knows how that sounds.

Naina raised her eyebrows

"Your place?

"Yeah I sort of own a house here in Ambala
It's my native town"

He earned a surprise look from her

"You never told me"

"It never came up
Besides
I haven't lived their in years "

"Kitna door hai"

"15 minutes "

She didn't know how to react
But. Something about this was very appealing

To visit his house
It's such an intimate thing to do....

"Uugh forget it
I don't know why I thought....

"Let's go....
I wana see your house "
Her eyes twinkle as she said that

Making him child like happy ..

"Are you sure
I mean hum resturant bhi ja sakte hai "

"I am fed up of eating out
Home cook food. Will be more appealing"

"Parking mein wait karo main keys leke ata hun"

-----------

She was careful to maintain the distance between as she sat behind his bike
Her hands clutching the back handle

While he was just feeling cold wind on his face
He was feeling light
He had always wished to show her his place one day...

The road was clear and it seemed that it's about to rain
He hadn't planed this but here he is on a bike ride with her
He was blushing inside and then cursing himself for blushing likee a teenager

"Captain shikhawat is harkat ke liye apka court marshal ho jana chahiye"
He scolded himself

While Naina was surprised how happy a bike ride can make her.

______

The house was sufficiently large with a small garden as you walk through the walkway from the main entrance to the house gate.

The walkway was getting hovered with mulberry and neem trees.

The pavement was broken from place to place so he asked her to hold his hands as they walk.
They came to the house gate and she waited as he unlocked the door.

He was unable to comprehend his feelings at this moment.
He had never bought anyone home before
To show them to make them a part of it...

It's such a small gesture
To invite someone in your house
But if you comprehend it
When you invite someone in your house
You welcome them to be a part of it
You bring them in your inner circle

She was taking a look around the house
It was neat and had a character

"It's well kept "

"Yeah I maintain it
Cleaning it twice a month."

They were standing in the drawing room

"The maple antique wooden furniture were handsome

There was a Indoor swing in the middle with loads on both the side
She hurried their and hopped on it giving  a swing to herself with legs....

"I always wanted this at my place
Par bhaiya kabhi lagane nahi dete the
Because unke cricket ka space khatam ho jata...."

"My maa use to love reading there "
He shared

She saw him with a meaningful look
For the first time he was talking about his family
They never talked about him
It was always her problems her issues her stories.

"What was she like"
She wanted to know more and her eagerness to know about the his mother made him smile.

For the first time someone asked him this question.

He came to the swing
Making it stop so that he can sit too

She made  space for him and he sat with one leg up folded and other one still on ground , facing towards her

They were in close proximity
They have been seldom so close

"She was witty and very intellectual
Maths professor in college"

"To teaching apke genes mein hai"
He smile wide

"She was strong head , independent  and very pretty"

Naina was smiling

"She sounds like a wonderful person"
She put both her legs up to turn to him directly
Wrapping her hands around her knees.

"Aur apke baba"
She asked and saw his face colour changed a bit
He was trying to decide  something
It seems to her
As he took a pause before answering

"My mom was a single parent"

He said and saw her getting serious
He can read the next question on her face

"He left us
When  I was 4 "

"Kyun"
She regret asking it but it was more of an impulse.

"I am sorry you don't  have to answer  that"

"That's fine
I don't even remember him
Bachpan mein ek bar kahi photo dekha tha unka
Phir maa ne wo bhi hata diya
She built this house on her own"

"Then how did she "?
She didn't complete the sentence

"Cancer "

She felt a sharp pain herself
His face was looking so vulnerable as he said that.

"How old were you"?

"17"

"And you had no one with you"?

She asked feeling so worried for 17 year old him

"My Nani was there but two years later she passed  away too ..."

"I moved out for College and then I never  came back here to live....."

"This is the first time I am talking about her in all these years....
Initially it was too painful to even think about her

But cancer had really eaten her alive
She was in hell
All the chemo and radiation
It just sucks the life out of you.

The last two months were so dead painful that when she died
I  just hold her hand and sat beside her and  said to her

"It's ok maa
Koi bat nahi
Ap jao....
I will be ok....
I was just glad that her pain got over
I didn't wanted her to worry about me
I wanted to reassure her that I will make it alone...."

He was looking at the wall straight all the time not realising that her face was drenched in tears.

He saw her and came back from the trance he was
Just rumbling on and on

He wanted to say something but as he saw her , he just knew what she was thinking

"You choose to suffer the loss of your mother in exchange for her peace
Just like ........"
Her voice got choked in her throat and she couldn't breathe .

He immediately gathered himself together and tried to snapped her out of it

"I am sorry Naina i didn't mean to ....
Let me get you water"

He rush to the kitchen and came back with bottle

She took few sips and wiped her tears

He sat on the bean bagg kept in front of the swing

"God I am such a pathetic host...
Pehli bar tumhe Ghar bulaya aur ....."

"Don't say that
You don't know how much this means to me
You were always there for me
I wana be there for you too"

The look he gave her on this
Made her shiver down the spine

The look was something different
There was a suppress smile
Longing
A pull ..

For a moment the veil between them got so thin that they can almost  feel the distance getting covered

His look
Was speaking volume
She was absolutely confuse with this thing she was feeling about him.

A thought cross her mind
An idea of covering this distance and kissing him.

She wanted to kiss him

And she got shocked with her own desire.

While he was trying his best to keep her urges under control
The urge to walk two steps. And push her against the. Swing and and press her hard
Kiss her with all his life and kiss some more and then some more.

To hold. Her and touch her and sniff her

"You wana eat something"
He announced as he got up abruptly wiping his mind with duster of morals

"Yeah food sounds good "
She herself exhale her thoughts out and got down from swing.

They went into the kitchen and he started searching cabinets to browse for food items.

"Poha khaogi"?
He asked and she nodded.

"You want my help"?

"No thanks
I don't trust anyone in my kitchen"
He joked

He need too lighten the air
It had got way to overwhelming few minutes before.

"You cook like pro"
She made a comment as he chopped onion, crackel the cumin seeds and washed poha simultaneously....

"I am working in kitchen since I was twelve
Infact me and maa use to take turns to cook dinner ."

"You are raised by a handsome women no wonder you turned out such a gentleman"

"Come on Nana
It's basic
It's bare minimum "
He replied

"Not in Indian household
Bhaiya ek pani ka glass bhi nahi uthate the ...."

"He was a spoil brat
I agree "

The poha was ready and he filled two plates  and they went towards the dinning table

It was tasty to eat
And she was impressed.

"Can I ask something"
She was uncertain

He raised his eyebrows

"Your father
Apne kabhi unhe track karne ki koshish nahi ki
I mean aren't you curious"

He thought for a while as he finished his food in. Mouth.

"How does it matter
Kya farak padega agar unhe dhundh bhi lun to"?

"You see Naina
When you don't have it at all
You don't miss anything
You don't have anything to compare to.

To have and then to loose it
That is difficult "

She was listening intently

"Bhaiyya ke bad
Main jab bhi logon ko khush dekhti thi
I use to get jealous

It was like , nothing
I use to feel nothing

Mujhe gussa ata tha , kisi ko haste huee dekh kar ...
I use to feel no one deserve to be happy

Jab ap mujhe console bhi karte the
When you use to say that I understand

Mujhe lagta tha how can anyone understand
How can u understand

I was soo wrong..."

She was in tears once again....

"It's human nature Naina
After maa I went through it too
I use to feel so envious with my friends
I stopped going their home
Because their parents use to be extra kind to me
And that usse to remind me that I don't have one....

Once in college
I saw one of my friend getting down from. His mom's car and her mother ruffled his hairs..... Just like my maa use to do to me

I don't know what it kicked inside me and later that afternoon during football  match i purposely picked a fight with him...
I thrashed him so bad that I was suspended...""

She was perplexed to hear that

"Don't blame yourself too. Much
When we loose someone it takes time to synchronise your life again without that person in it
And because  it's happening for the first time we don't know how to regulate our emotions
We suppress them
And then it gets channel into anger , rage"

She nodded in agreement....
She was overwhelmed and about to cry again when he sensed that and immediately tried to change the mood

"Ab bohot hui heavy talk
Now we are gonna say only stupid  and irrelevant things"

She grinned and he match her grin

"Like what "?

"Do you like gossip"
He asked with evil grin

"I love gossip"
She said excitingly arching towards him a bit

"I think brigadier chandok is seeing his old college girlfriend "

Her mouth goot open with aww

"Seriously
Wahi jise huda dhundh ke laya tha "

He giggled and nodded yes....

"I once caught him sneaking her out of his room early morning"

"Shut up"
He kept her hand on his arm

"I even have a bite on major bhargav"
He said in a deep voice

"What about him"

"He got demoted in his last operation "

"Karma is a bitch"
She was feeling joy like never before

"You bet it is"

--------

It was somewhere around midnight when she opened her eyes from the heavy sleep
She looked around to register where she is

She found her self on sofa tucked in a comforter
Oh yes she was at his place

They were talking on sofa with coffee and she fell asleep

She searched for him and saw him sleeping against diwan on floor
Half resting on floor.

She got down with her comforter and got settled down beside him
Covering him as well with comforter and resting her head on his arms went back to sleep

It was 7 am when he got up and felt something against him
He saw her curled up sleeping sound

This is a scene straight from his dream.
He wasn't sure how to react
The fact that they spend a night together at his house
And there will be no scandal after this.

It was just an innocent night

How he wish someday that this can become normal and regular for him.

He free himself from her and got up to make tea.....

After 10 mins

"Naina utho.....
I need to take you back"

He called her and she opened her eyes with great difficulty

She got up as if it's a usual morning

She took the tea cup from his hand and started working on it ....

------

They came back by 8 am and he parked the bike ...

"Thank you for the lovely evening
And thanks for the poha
And for the talk..."

"Subah ki chai ke liye thanks nahi bologi"
He mocked and she chhukkle....

"I will leave after breakfast "
She informed him

"See you in the mess"
He bid her bye.

In the mess everyone was hungover and exhausted
Only she was chirping like a morning bird.

"Tu kyun itni khush hai"
Aalekh snorted

"Maina kaha khush hun "
She defends

"Tell that to your face"
Ud comment

And Naina realised that she was grinning a lot without any reason

"Where were you last night"
Pooja asked holding her forehead with her hand as it was drumming

"You never came back to the room"

Now all the heads on the table were on her

"Yeah I. Kind of pushed off with Rajveer sir...
He offered me to show his place"

"His place"?
Ud asked

"Yeah he owns a house here ....
He cooked dinner and it got late and we kind off dozed off there only"

She narrated

And now everyone's eyes were wide open

But no one said anything

"Sir ka yaha ek ghar bhi hai
Ap waha gayi
Sir ne apke liye khana banaya"

Ali summed up for everyone

"Yeah I mean it wasn't planned"

"Sir Never invited us "
Ud got offended turning the table in opposite direction, so that the focus gets off from her .
It's a sensitive thing to discuss
And he doesn't wana do anything that mess their rhythm.

"Tere ko kyun bulaynge
Sasural to Naina ka hai"

Alekh murmured in Pooja 's ears and she puffed a laugh .

Naina got up to get herself tea and aalekh turned toward huda to see his reaction on all of this .

"Tereko kya hua "

Huda who was all serious looked at alekh and said...

"I can't believe that man"
He remarked

And alekh got tensed, the last thing he want is huda's jealousy getting surface again.

"Last India Australia worldcup match mein jab kma was on power cut
He could have taken us home".

He rumbles and alekh took a sigh of relief.

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