Preeti woke up when she heard Shubham doing something in their cupboard, with his back to her. Looking at the wall-clock she discerned that it was quite early for him to wake up. He generally wakes up after her, so that she can get her own time in the bathroom but he seems to have different plans today. He ought to have a different plan today.

After a blissful last night, she wished to sleep more, engulfing herself in his arms. She was a bit sore, but today being the working day there wasn't any possibility for it to turn out to be special, so she had to get up.

"Aap kya kar rahe hai?" Preeti asked, balancing herself on her elbow and peering at Shubham through the dim light.

Shubham got startled with the voice and turned hastily, hiding his hands on his back. "Mai... mai... kuchh nahi..." he fumbled while answering.

He shut the cupboard with his hands, supporting it with his hips and strolled towards her, "mai tumhe uthana nahi chahta tha..." he gently said.

Sitting in front of her, Shubham held Preeti's hands in his. He eyed her adoringly, finding himself lost in her deep eyes. She looked absolutely beautiful as her messy hair locks fell on her shoulders, and he couldn't believe she had just woken up from a peaceful and deep sleep. He himself wanted to spend his entire morning holding her close to him, by crushing her into the tightest hug, but he needed to hide the envelope before Preeti could find it while making his office bag.

Preeti looked back at Shubham's love filled eyes. She felt absolute warmth and gentleness in his handhold and his soft smile gave her an unknown satisfaction. Yesternight, when she was combing her hair before going to bed, Shubham came up behind her and looked at her through the mirror of the dressing table. When she parted her hair into three parts to make a braid, she realized that he was actually staring at her for long, because he had stopped her from making them.

"Phir baal ulajh jate hai Shubhamji..." she had sweetly complained.

"Ulajhne do..." he had replied in a daze.

"Kya?"

"Mmm... mera matlab... rehne do na aisehi... achchhe lag rahe hai..."

She was so pleased to hear that compliment from her husband. Since her college was over, Bela had made a compulsion for her to always tie her hair, saying she wouldn't be selected by the families of the prospective grooms they were looking for her. Preeti, though, just wanted to fly away to Mumbai and that's why she had agreed to all the terms and conditions put by Bela for her. Little did she know that after getting married to Shubham, she would have to keep her hair braided, wear a saree and draw the pallu over her head all the time, and forget about the freedom she had dreamt of... forget about the skirts, the bushirts and the pants with suspenders she used to wear in college.

But she had accepted everyone in Shubham's family with all her heart. And not just the family members but all the culture, traditions and their way of living too.

Though yesterday, the gesture from Shubham asking her to keep her hair open had touched her. It wasn't that Shubham hadn't seen her long and open hair. But the way he had said it, she knew that he meant much more than those few words. Something he wanted her to perceive by herself.

"Shubhamjiiㅡ"

"Preetiii.... Ruko..." Shubham cut her off from speaking further, his eyes containing a sparkle and slight hurry in his body language. He got up from his place and tiptoed out of his bedroom; peeping out from the door to see if anyone was awake and then disappeared.

Preeti wondered what was in his mind now. First the cupboard and now what's outside of their bedroom? This man was still a surprise for her even all this while.

She waited patiently and ran her fingers through her hair to fix her disheveled look. Though alertness took over her when Shubham sauntered back in, hiding his hands behind again.

As he took his place in front of her again, he forwarded his hands to her and whispered, "shadi ki pehli saalgirah mubarak ho Preeti..."

Preeti gasped and looked unbelievably at his hands; it had two dairy milk chocolates and a beautiful red rose tied in a red lace.

She smiled heartily, accepting the present for her and chirped excitedly, "happy anniversary Shubhamji..." with her bright smile on.

Untying the knot, she took one dairy milk; tearing its wrapper, she broke one piece and fed it to Shubham. Shubham too then repeated the act, but feeding her bigger piece as he knew her love for the chocolates. Seeing her devouring the chocolate, he smiled and leaned closer to her. Preeti watched him carefully, predicting his act in her mind and as she had guessed, he tucked her hair behind and kissed her forehead.

"I love you Preeti...." Shubham said as he rested his forehead on hers.

Preeti heaved and blushed while looking away. She mentally chuckled at the role reversal that happened between them. It was usually her who would profess her love for him using the three magical words and Shubham was the one who would turn scarlet and feel shy. He must have said 'I Love You' to Preeti for hardly 4-5 times in the entire one year and she never really pushed him for it.

But today he said it bluntly, without fumbling, without taking pauses, as if he says it on a daily basis.

She loved this change!

"Mai bhi..." She said smiling, using his regular words to her 'I Love you', just to tease him.

***

On the other side of the Sea Queen Society, in J wing, the Maheshwari couple had also woken up, but totally not in the mood to get up. Sameer had taken two pillows to rest his head on so that he was a bit elevated, while Naina had laid her head on his shoulder, drawing circles on Sameer's bare chest.

"Aaj jogging ke liye mat jao na... kal raat ko bhari barish hui hai..." Naina sounded cute. Her index finger was playing through Sameer's hair on his chest.

"Hmmm... thik hai..." Sameer said while raking his hair and pulling her closer with another hand on her shoulder.

"Haww, itne jaldi maan gaye?"

"Ummm... mera bhi mann nahi kar raha hai jaane ka..." Sameer pursed his lips.

"Kyu?" Looking at him, Naina asked.

"Tumhare sath jo exercise karta hu na raat ko, kabhi kabhi wahi kafi lagta hai mujhe..." Sameer remarked playfully.

Naina giggled and said, "achchha ji... toh Mr. Sameer Maheshwari itne jaldi thak jaate hai?"

Sameer looked at her through the corner of his eyes. She had a mischief in her eyes and he loved to see it. "Batau tumhe kitni der me thakta hu mai? Phir bolna nahi ki maine bataya nahi..."

Naina recognized the small threat in Sameer's voice and she was instantly remembered of the soreness she still had in between her legs and thighs from last night.

She slapped on his chest, making Sameer burst into laughter.

"Aaj 12 tarikh hai na?" Sameer asked as he put his hand behind his head.

"Hmmm..." Naina responded, supporting her chin with her fist so that she could look at Sameer. "Ek saal ho gaya Preeti aur Shubham jiju ke shadi ko... hai na?"

Sameer nodded and smiled inwardly upon remembering something.

"Hass kyu rahe ho aise?" Naina queried.

Sameer pursed his lips and shook his head in no.

"Batao naa..." Naina insisted.

"Kal... woh kone wale chemist ki dukaan me mile the Shubhamji..." Sameer shared the bare minimum.

"Chemist ke yaha kyu? Kisi ki tabiyat kharab hai unke ghar me?" came the innocent question from Naina.

"Tch... nahi Naina... kyu aaye honge waha?" he said suggestively.

"Mujhe kya pata kyu aaye honge?" Naina was a little irked.

Sameer frowned and looked at her. How can such a smart girl like her be so slow at times? Didn't she really get what he implied?

But he knew that Naina could never master understanding hidden meanings and innuendos. He chuckled and revealed, "condoms lene aaye the..."

Naina gasped heavily with the information. Her cheeks turned red as she blushed. Knowing that there would be no response from Naina, Sameer continued, "Mai pehle se hi khada tha... woh aaye aur mujhe dekha unhone... aur kuchh bol hi nahi paaye... bass idhar udhar dekh rahe the," and he laughed remembering the moment again, as how Shubham kept on looking away from Sameer and how he fumbled when the attendant asked him what he wanted.

Naina rolled her eyes but then she was stunned, discerning something.

"Sameer tum jiju ke saamne 10 packet le aaye?" She sat up while folding her legs on either side and balanced herself on her hand. "Hey bhagwan, thodi toh sharam kar lete." She smacked her forehead.

"Isme sharam ki kya baat hai? Aur woh bhi wahi toh lene aaye the..."

"Tumhe kaise pata?" She narrowed her eyes, giving him an interrogative look.

"Uhhh... tum nahi samjhogi... mardowali baat hai..."

Naina passed a pointed glance at him, scrunching her nose, she showed her disapproval of his statement. But then went back to her place in his arms when he pulled her. "Kitne besharam ho tum Sameer," she didn't forget leaving a remark.

"Arey... apni biwi se pyaar karna galat baat thodi hai... aur hamara stock khatm karne me tumhara bhi utna hi hath hai..."

This time, Naina smiled widely and hid her face in Sameer's chest.

After a moment of quietude, Sameer spoke again, "ek sach baat kahu?" After Naina's nod, he continued, "jab Shubhamji ko dekha tha unke shadi ke dauraan, tab laga tha bahot strict honge. Bahot boring honge... poore waqt economics ke language me hi toh baat karte the... waise woh toh abhibhi karte hai, lekin ab thoda kam ho gaya hai."

They both smiled after recalling how Shubham had sent his first letter to Preeti with all the economic terms.

"Jaanti ho Naina, Shubhamji aur unke parivaar walon ko dekhkar mujhe laga tha Preeti aur unko saal-bhar me hi bachcha ho jayega..."

"Sameer..." Naina warned him to not comment anything personal about them.

"Naina humne jyadatar toh yahi hote hue dekha hai na... khas karke arranged marriage me... Aur Preeti ne Shubhamji ko shadi ke sirf 4 mahine pahle dekha tha..." Sameer tried to express why he said something like that. "Lekin yeh jaankar achchha laga ki Shubhamji ne Preeti aur unke rishte ko waqt diya hai... ek dusre ko samajhne ke liye, jaan'ne ke liye... Woh sach me achchhe insaan hai."

A smile crept on Naina's lips listening to Sameer's opinion about her favorite Jiju. She remembered how they had discussed about Shubham after returning from Preeti's roka. Sameer had said that the family looked very orthodox and how everything in their family was in control of Nirmalaji. And the way Preeti was a smart, talkative and witty girl, the way she loved films and the fashion industry, he was worried that Preeti would remain as a typical daughter-in-law in their house.

Naina turned on her stomach and propped up on her elbows. She said gently, "Preeti bata rahi thi Shubhamji me kafi badlaav aaya hai 2-3 mahino se... achchha badlaav..."

"Matlab?"

"Matlab... aisa nahi hai ki kuchh galat ho raha tha unke rishte me... lekin woh ab Preeti ke taraf pehle se jyada dhyan dene lage hai... usko samajhne ki koshish kar rahe hai..."

"Arey wah!! Sunkar achchha laga..." Sameer exclaimed. "Lekin khudme kuchh badlaav laane me aur Preeti ke liye sach-mooch kuchh karne me fark hai Naina..."

"Woh bhi hoga Sameer... waqt ke sath... unki bhi toh kuchh kathinaiyaan hongi... unke liye bhi yeh sab mushkil hoga..." She asserted and Sameer nodded. "aur mujhe lagta hai, unke iss badlaav ke pichhe kahi na kahi tum ho..." She added.

"Mai? Maine kya kiya hai?" Sameer shrugged.

"Pata nahi... lekin mera dil keh raha hai..." Naina had a bright smile on her face, a smile that reflected sheer pride about her husband.

"Yaa shayad... iske pichhe tumhari kahani bhi ho sakti hai..." Sameer suggested, raising his brows.

Naina pondered over her story being the reason for this positive change in Shubham. She couldn't even think of targeting Preeti-Shubham's relationship through a magazine. It was mostly meant for the society, for the people around. But she felt pleased about the fact that if Shubham had really read her story, then instead of getting offended with it, he had taken it positively. He is really a good man at heart.

Her wandering thoughts were broken by a pull on her arms. As she looked, Sameer pulled her towards him, making her lie more on his chest. She adjusted herself, hurling one of her legs on him to almost climb on him.

Looking back at his face, what she found was the most beautiful sight to behold. He was observing all her little struggles of adjusting herself, her climbing on him as she held his midriff for support. He was staring at her with all the love he had, a pleasant smile on his lips boasting of how much he cherishes watching every moment of hers, how much he adores her. His narrowed eyes showed how much he respects her and how much he is proud of her.

She rubbed her thumb on his stubble, confused as whether she should look at his eyes that are making her feel shy, or at his lips that's making her forget everything and just attack them. "Aise kya dekh rahe ho?" she mumbled, melting under his hot gaze.

"I love you, Nainaaa!!!!" Sameer whispered, tucking her hair behind. Those were the same three magical words Sameer might have said to her innumerable times. But whenever Naina heard them, it felt all anew and it stirred something in her entire system every time. She heaved deeply, causing her breasts to crush on Sameer's chest more; the small movement arousing her with her nipples stiffening.

The next moment, before she could reciprocate the love for him, Sameer caught her lips in a kiss. She took it as their morning kiss but soon she realized it wasn't. He prolonged it by keeping their lips tangled to each other's, dragging his hand to her bottom and bringing her on top of him with no efforts at all.

Naina reciprocated fervently. She blushed during the kiss as the moments from their last night made a reappearance in her memory. It was raining heavily at night, turning the environment cozy and romantic for the Maheshwari couple. Sameer was very playful with the foreplay yesterday and she absolutely loved it. The way he had kissed every part of her body, she had wished for a moment to turn into a thousand years. ...she had wished for the night to never end.... he had definitely cast some magic spells on her, turning her into a wild witch.

And now since she was on top, she thought of repaying him the same.

Moving her lips away, she put kisses all over his throat and neck, casually licking and nibbling in between. Sameer dipped his hands under her top to get the feel of her skin and he kept stroking her waist while being soaked in the pleasure provided by his seductress.

Naina slid down a bit, now sitting on his groin, rubbing herself on his hardened length in the process and earning a moan from Sameer. His moaning gave her satisfaction... satisfaction of a sweet revenge she took from him for turning her into a moaning mess last night, giving tough competition to the noise of the heavy downpour.

Now she focussed on his broad chest and looked at it hungrily.

Can she do it this time?

She questioned herself and dipped down to seek its answer. Starting from his collarbones, she dropped wet kisses passionately, resulting in Sameer's palms finding her breasts under the top. With the kind of momentum she had taken, she was quite confident that she would surely do this today which was in her mind for a long time.

But when she reached his left nipple, when her eyes got fixed on to the mole, her courage took a backseat again. She wanted to bite the mole hard, capturing it in her teeth as Sameer does to her every time.

A moment of debate, her mind jumping between yes and no, and her heart decided to go against her mind, leaving again a soft kiss on his nipple like every other time.

Why Naina?? When would you be able to do that?

One day for sure...

Oblivious to her thoughts, Sameer pulled her up to face him again. He mumbled gazing straight into her eyes, "naya packet khol du? Ab toh stock ki kami bhi nahi hai...." and winked.

Naina just giggled and for an answer, she didn't choose words. Instead, she moved down from him further, now sitting on his knees. Her eyes met with Sameer's and he actually wondered what his lioness was up to now. He saw a lopsided smile taking place on her lips, her slender fingers tugging at the hem of his pants and the next second, his pants were dragged down.

****

Sameer buttoned the cufflinks of his shirt while looking at himself in the wall-fixed mirror. Naina stood behind him, all set in her orange dress. She placed her hands on her waist when she saw Sameer setting his hair for the third time. "Chalein Mr. Maheshwari? Der ho jayegi..." She said while passing a tired and sarcastics glance.

Sameer pulled his tucked in green shirt a bit, adjusting it, he said, "ha baba... bass ho gaya... " but took his hairbrush to comb his hair for the fourth time now.

Naina rolled her eyes in her head, slapping her forehead. She thought of trying it again, sounding utterly sweet, "Maheshwari ji, aaj ke karyakram ke vishesh atithi hum dono nahi... woh dono hai... toh itna sajne-sawarne ki zaroorat nahi hai... "

"Arey, aise thodi hota hai... " Sameer furrowed his brows looking at Naina, "karyakram ke vishesh atithi chahe koi bhi ho, sabse khoobsurat jodi toh hamari hi dikhne wali hai... "

Naina giggled at his obsession of becoming the most desirable couple of Sea Queen Society. If Sameer wished for it, then he would have made sure they are the most desirable couple of Mumbai also.

She eyed him. He had a cheeky smile on his face, admiring himself and her through the mirror. "Chalo... " he turned swiftly, pecking on her lips before she knew it, and left the bedroom taking her along with him. They got down the stairs and waited in front of the J wing.

This morning, Shubham had called and Naina had received it, finding Sameer next to her within a minute who was keen to know who the caller was. Shubham invited them both for lunch, requesting Naina to keep it a secret from Preeti till afternoon. What surprised both Sameer and Naina was that the invitation was for lunch in a restaurant. After checking on the schedules, the three of them agreed to the time of 2pm in the afternoon.

As they waited while chatting, Naina casually glanced towards the C wing entrance and her eyes remained fixed on what she saw. Needless to say, it took only one moment for Sameer to follow her gaze and then following her reaction of a great surprise too.

They saw Shubham standing out of the C wing entrance, waiting and looking inside for, of course, Preeti. Shubham was wearing a casual shirt and jeans, something they had never seen him wearing. The next moment Preeti stepped out to join Shubham, and the Maheshwari couple gasped together. Was it for real? They questioned themselves. Preeti was wearing a cotton-silk off-white colored checked saree with red border and a matching red blouse.

Sameer regained quickly and smiled, but noticing his wife having a big open mouth, he nudged her shoulder, bringing her back out of the shock.

It was a shock though... As Naina had seen her dearest Preeti in open hair after almost a year. Preeti was looking absolutely gorgeous with her center-partitioned, long and open hair. Seeing Preeti's wavy hair locks at their ends, Naina figured that the hair-stylist Preeti had worked on herself today. Sameer's nudge shut her agape mouth, but her heart filled with joy. She was very much aware how much her extra filmy sister loves to flaunt her hair. And today, she finally got to do that.

Preeti and Shubham walked towards Sameer and Naina, both of them smiling. Preeti tucked her hair behind her ear, having a slight glance at her 6ft. tall husband and then looking down, blushing profusely thinking of the kind of day she has been experiencing since this morning.

After the chocolates and the rose in the morning, Preeti had taken it as 'the gift' for their anniversary. She never had much expectations from Shubham when it came to celebrations and gifts. Well, she knew the reason behind it. She was just happy that a person like Shubham was the most important part of her life, as her husband. When she had returned from bathing, she was overjoyed to see that Shubham had arranged a coffee date for them at 6 o'clock in the morning, with a red rose again in a small flower pot on the glass table and two chairs for them.

After taking the blessings together from Nirmalaji and Dadi Sa, Shubham had left for the office at his regular time. But increasing the surprise number count to three, Preeti found a chit on their cupboard in Shubham's handwriting.

'आज का दिन अभी ख़त्म नहीं हुआ है...'

She smiled merrily and twirled in the room in happiness, witnessing her husband taking so much effort to make their day special.

Preeti got the proof that the day wasn't over yet when she opened the door for Shubham at 1:15 in the afternoon. She didn't know that Shubham would be coming home for lunch. Is that why he refused to take the lunchbox?

Soon she got to know that he had taken a half-day off and that they would be going out for lunch.

She was bewildered as she said, "Hum khana khane bahar ja rahe hai? Lekin Mummyji ko..."

"Maa ko pehle hi bata diya tha maine... woh raazi bhi ho gayi hai... aur raat ka khana toh hum sab sath me khayenge na..." Shubham squashed her worry within a second.

"Shubhamji... mai aapke liye kuchh layi hu..." Preeti stated, her voice contained a mixt of hesitation and hope. She handed him a paper bag and as Shubham dipped his hand in it, he smiled genuinely after finding a blue checked casual shirt and jeans for him. "Aap apne liye kabhi kuchh nahi lete Shubhamji... Mai jaanti hu papa ke jaane ke baad se aapne apna janamdin bhi nahi manaya hai... lekin aaj meri taraf se aapke liye yeh tohfa... aap pehenenge na?" Her brows raised and so did her hopes.

"Bilkul pehnunga..." Shubham agreed happily.

Preeti sighed but then waited there anticipating his question about where she got the money from to buy this. She had already prepared the answer too. But the question didn't come. Rather he said, "maine bhi tumhare liye kuchh liya hai..."

One more surprise?

He gifted her a rectangular box, which she had easily guessed would be a new Saree for her. What gave company to the saree in the box was its matching red blouse, but already stitched and of her perfect fitting. Upon examining the texture and the pattern of the saree carefully, she perceived that it was one of the sarees she had liked during their shopping on the day of Akshay Trittiya and Shubham had dismissed it saying it was expensive.

How did he remember that saree? And when did he plan all this?

Words didn't fall from her mouth and all she could do was jump in happiness and hug him. Shubham smiled and hugged her back. After withdrawing, he patted her cheek and went to freshen up, carrying his gift to the bathroom and leaving still astonished Preeti behind.

When Shubham came out, he saw Preeti decked in the gifted saree and blouse, standing in front of the mirror while pinning the pleats on her shoulder and looking breathtakingly beautiful. He stood behind her and their gazes fell on each other. As they exchanged cheeky smiles, Shubham shifted his gaze on her braid and opened the rubber band at the end. Stalling Preeti with his hands, who tried to turn and ask him about his deeds, he slowly detangled the braid, letting her hair open completely. "Baal khule hi rehne do aaj...." He mumbled as he leaned closer to her.

"aur... Naina aur Sameer bhi aa rahe hai hamare sath..." Shubham added while smiling, looking at her now widened eyes and agape mouth. "Tum thik se tayyar ho jao, mai bahar intezaar karta hun..." Kissing her temple softly, Shubham left for the living room, knowing that Preeti might need some time to process all these shockers thrown at her one by one.

Preeti and Shubham walked towards Sameer and Naina, who acknowledged them with a smile. Preeti was blushing constantly. She still had the images of astounded Nirmalaji, delighted Dadi Sa and grinning Tanvi running in her mind. But behind these varied emotions of these ladies, Preeti had somewhere found acceptance about the change she was carrying with her today.... Her open hair... and no doubt this was done by her husband.

As they neared the Maheshwari couple, Naina heaved a happy sigh and rushed to Preeti to grab her in a bone-crushing hug. "Happy Anniversary!!!" Naina squealed, swaying with Preeti in the hug.

The wishes and pleasantries followed after by Sameer too. Shubham casually asked them, "der toh nahi hui na?"

"Nahi nahi... hum bhi abhi aaye hai..." Sameer answered. "Shubhamji, aap ka office... mera matlab... iss ki kya zaroorat thi?" He added awkwardly.

Shubham smiled, "dar-asal hamare ghar me koi party ka culture nahi hai... salgirah bhi hum sirf bado ke aashirwaad lekar hi manate hai... aur hamare shadi ke waqt maine tum dono ko sirf idhar-udhar bhagte dekha hai... toh aaj shadi ki salgirah ke din socha thoda waqt sath me bita lein..."

Naina and Sameer looked at each other, reminiscing the busy week of Preeti's wedding where they were on their toes for the entire time. Preeti had three married couples at her service, Pooja-Varun, Arjun-Juhi and Naina-Sameer, but them being her favorite, she had kept them involved in everything, right from choosing her wedding outfits to the smallest of thing like which mehendi design she should select.

Shubham booked a taxi for the four of them to a sea-facing restaurant in Juhu. The weather being partly cloudy since morning, it was pleasant and a little breezy. The dining was on the first floor and the couples chose a place near a big glass window, so that the ocean was visible to them. Except Shubham, the rest three were in a state of constant astonishment, looking at the grandeur of the restaurant contrasting to Shubham's economics theories. As they settled on their couches, Preeti opened the menu card first and her eyes widened looking at the prices of the dishes.

She coughed and leaned towards Shubham. She whispered, "Shubhamji, yeh hotel kitna mehenga hai... yaha saari dishes assi ke upar hai..."

"Tum keemat kyu dekh rahi ho... tum sirf apni pasand batao..." Shubham said softly and then looked in the front, "Naina... Sameer... tum dono bhi apni-apni pasand batana..."

Naina and Sameer nodded in synchronization like school going kids. They were feeling the warmth coming from Shubham. He was the eldest of them all, almost five years older than Preeti. ...someone they both admired and had huge respect for after Rakesh Papa. The lifestyle of Mumbai had forced them to become extra mature while dealing with all the hardships of life. But today, when they were with someone elder to them, that too Shubham, they decided to keep their mature self aside for the time being and just enjoy the moment.

After placing the order, Shubham looked for a topic for a conversation and found a common point. He said enthusiastically, "Waise Naina... Sameer... tum teeno toh sath me hi padhe ho college me... toh mujhe bhi batao na tumhare college ke kisse..."

"Shubhamji..." Preeti intervened, she had a wide grin on her face as speaking on her favorite topic, "maine aapko bataya tha na... college me sirf Naina aur Sameer ke hi charche rehte the... ladkiyaan Sameer ke pichhe... Sameer Naina ke pichhe... aur Naina padhai ke pichhe..." She passed a teasing gaze towards both of them.

The Maheshwari couple blushed, coming to know that Preeti seemed to have shared about their college life too.

"Preeti... mujhe pata hai tum mujhe sirf aadhi baatein batati ho... thode tumhare kisse bhi toh pata chalne do mujhe..." Shubham voiced.

This gave Sameer a little confidence and under the table he nudged Naina with his elbow. He blinked his eyes at her, signaling to get into teasing mode.

"Shubhamji..." Sameer joined in the conversation, "Preeti thik keh rahi hai... Preeti itni simple si ladki thi college me, ki usne koi aisi-waisi harkatein ki hi nahi... hai na?"

The bright smile that adorned Preeti's lips listening to Sameer taking her side narrowed at the end, not understanding the intention he was speaking with. He was speaking nice about her, wasn't he?

"Haan.... toh... mai thi simple si ladki college me..." Preeti spoke in her defense, maintaining a small smile, while Shubham was being a keen listener, looking at the changed body language of all the three now.

"Ha ha bilkul..." Naina too joined in, stifling a giggle as much as she can, "Preeti itni seedhi-sadhi ladki thi... ki Dandiya ke waqt hamare junior ko line dene ki koshish toh woh bilkul bhi nahi kar rahi thi... hai na Sameer?" Naina tried to look innocent.

This time Preeti's smile disappeared completely. She knew that it wasn't her sister and jijaji who were speaking, but her kaminey friends from her college.

"Junior ko line dene ki koshish matlab?" Shubham asked, not believing in what was being told to him.

"Nahi Jiju," Naina jumped in to answer, "yeh toh woh junior hi tha jo Preeti pe line maar raha tha... Preeti uske baare me jaan'ne ki koishsh bilkul nahi kar rahi thi... Hai na Preeti?" and she pursed her lips at the end.

"Achchha?" Shubham remarked, looking at Preeti through the corner of his eyes. He could easily perceive the meaning behind Naina's questioning gaze to Preeti. His posture stiffened.

"Haan," Sameer took the cue before Preeti could interrupt, "aur kisi ke bike ke pichhe baithne ke sapne bhi Preeti ne bilkul nahi dekhe... hai na Preeti?"

Preeti's eyeballs almost threatened to jump out now. This was her and Naina's late night bedroom talk. How does Sameer know about it?

Ufffff... this Romeo-Juliet can't even keep a secret from each other.

Does he know it was Kartik?

Preeti slapped her forehead in embarrassment. Her favorite jijaji too wasn't in her team today.

"Achchha? Preeti ko kisi ke bike ke pichhe bhi baithna tha?" Shubham couldn't help but sound sarcastic. He never knew that Preeti may fancy bike rides. Until now, he had hardly ridden a bike, that too of his friends. He tried hard to keep a smile on his face, but failed.

And on the other side of the table, Naina and Sameer hid their mouths behind the palms, looking everywhere but at Preeti and Shubham. They weren't fools to lose this great opportunity of teasing Preeti in front of Shubham.

Preeti hid her face from Shubham on the pretext of rubbing her temple, and muttered, "tum dono thodi der chup ho jaoge?"

Controlling to laugh hard, Naina cleared her throat, "Waise jiju aapko pata hai?"

"Nahi nahi... mujhe kaha kuchh pata hoga..." Shubham cut her in, "Preeti toh mujhe kuchh batati hi nahi hai..."

A laughter spurt from Sameer's mouth witnessing Shubham burning in jealousy, but he managed to suppress it while coughing.

"Lekin Preeti ne aapko Poonawala ke baare me toh bataya hoga na?" Naina added all the namak-mirch-masala in her way of storytelling.

Preeti gasped and glared at Naina not to continue, but her warning was royally ignored by her sister.

"Ab yeh Pune se kaun aa gaya?" Shubham asked annoyingly, knowing this was probably a third guy, different from the previous two.

"Pune se nahi aaya koi..." Naina revealed while giggling, "Poonawala... hamare college ke drama teacher..."

"Tch... Naina... yeh Poonawala kya hota hai," Sameer said dramatically, "kaho Farzaannn Poonawala...." He enunciated, stressing on the 'z' deliberately.

"Ohh haan.... Farzaaannnn...." Naina propped up her chin on her hand on the table, "Preeti aisehi kho jaati thi unka naam lete hi..."

Ohh God!! This was beyond embarrassment for Preeti now. She couldn't do much about it as she was sitting close to the wall, beside the window. Opposite to her was Sameer and Naina was sitting to his right. In other cases, she would have pinched Naina hard, or kicked her feet from under the table to shut her up. But she was helpless here as Naina was far from her reach given the big table in between.

Naina continued, "Poonawala ke liye Preeti mujhse jhagadti bhi thi... aur yeh toh unke liye mann hi mann me gaane bhi gaa chuki hai..."

"Gaane?" Shubham asked astonishingly.

"Haan," Naina had taken this tease game to the fifth gear now, "mujhe pata hai uske dil me konsa gaana bajta tha... mujhseeee mohobbat ka izhaar karta.... Kaash koi ladka mujhe pyaar karta..." She sang in the tune winking at Preeti, who was now slumped more in the sofa with a grimace and hiding her face from Shubham with her palm.

"Arey wah!! Preeti college ke professor ke liye gaane bhi gaati thi?" Shubham chuckled, fake, looking away from Preeti.

"Shubhamji... aap thik hai na?" Sameer tried to fuel the fire Naina had lit.

"Haan mai thik hu..." Shubham shrugged as he said firmly, "mai kyu jalne laga... mai bilkul thik hu..."

Listening to this, Naina and Sameer suppressed the laughter that was building up, as Shubham had unintentionally confessed that he was getting jealous.

"Offo Shubhamji..." Preeti pulled Shubham towards her with his arm, "woh dono sirf meri taang khinch rahe hai..."

"Haan lekin sach bol rahe hai na Preeti...." Shubham gave her a pointed look.

Preeti glared at her sister and jiju and received only stifled giggles in the response.

Before she could speak further, a manly hand on Shubham's shoulder stopped them all.

"Shubham Sir... glad to see you here..." A man in his 50's greeted Shubham and Shubham stood up out of respect.

"Mr. Singh... Namaste..." Shubham shook hands with the man, "she's my wife Preeti. Aur Preeti, Mr. Singh iss restaurant ke owner hai aur hamare client bhi." Preeti nodded and smiled back in response. "Aur yeh Naina aur Sameer hai... part of my family..." Shubham introduced further.

Mr. Singh stated that he wanted to have a little chat with Shubham and asked him to take something to note down. Shubham took a pocket diary from his wallet, and keeping the wallet on the table itself, he followed Mr. Singh in the lobby of the restaurant.

Seeing Shubham going out of the sight, Preeti narrowed her eyes, slamming her hands on the table, she enunciated, "tum dono meri taang khichna band karoge ab?"

Looking at her state, Naina and Sameer burst into laughter which they had been controlling since long now. They laughed their heart out, holding their stomach, leaning back on the couch and almost tearing up with it.

God!! They hadn't laughed this wholeheartedly since long....

"Arey... aise kaise..." Naina said in between her giggles, "abhi toh unhe Kachru ke baare me bhi batana hai..."

"Naina tu aisa kuchh nahi karegi..."

"Mai aisa karne wali hu..." Naina said while laughing hard again.

"Mai na chhodungi nahi tujhe..." Preeti threatened her.

"Preeti Preeti..." Sameer tried to stop the banter between the sisters, "mai chhodung tabhi toh tum pakdogi na..." he said while wrapping his arms around Naina, interlocking his fingers on her arm and pulling her closer. He couldn't resist the urge to hold her close to him seeing her smiling and laughing so carefreely.

"Sameer kya kar rahe ho...." Naina was startled by Sameer's act.

Preeti wiped the lone tear from her eyes as her laughter subsided. She kept adoring her favorite couple who didn't shy away from expressing their love for each other in public, who were whispering some sweet nothings to each other that was audible only to them.

Her gaze shifted on Shubham's wallet on the table and she was reminded of the order they had placed some ten minutes ago. She had looked at the prices in the menu card and her calculations had told that the bill was almost double than her husband's economics usually permits.

Taking the benefit of Naina-Sameer lost in each other and Shubham still out, she took the wallet under the table and opened it. After counting the notes, she was satisfied. She was about to keep it when a white envelope, which was slightly bigger than the wallet, grabbed her attention. Her curiosity made her pull it out from the wallet.

'प्रिय प्रीति...'

It was for her. She hadn't seen it till yesterday evening because she had taken money from it for groceries. So did Shubham put it in today? He had said that the day wasn't over yet.

She contested whether to wait for it or not.... whether to wait for his surprise or just tease him by knowing it beforehand.

And she chose the latter...

Opening it, she found a colorful paper in it. Okay now she has to check what it is...

She brought out the paper and read the content written in it. In a moment, her relaxed stance changed to alertness, her breath hitched within and her heartbeat went faster.

Preeti didn't know for how long she was staring at the paper when Naina called her, "Preetiiiii... kabse aawaz laga rahi hu... kya padh rahi hai?"

"Hmmm???" was the only response Preeti could produce.

She looked up and saw Shubham approaching them with a smile on his face. "Preeti woh..." he said as he joined her on the couch but paused looking at the paper in Preeti's hand.

Shiitt!! He forgot his wallet on the table....

He looked at Naina and Sameer... who had their brows knitted, as if trying to figure out what had happened... and then he looked at Preeti...

Who now had thousands of questions in her eyes...

******************

Yes, I'm finally back. Good to see you guys here.

This chapter had a sweet farmaish from Priya, which she had done long back. I hope if she's reading this, she likes it.

Baaki let me know how did you find this chapter?

I'm also unravelling Shubham's layers slowly. Some things are needed to happen in an order according to the plot. So the story would sometimes go parallel and sometimes interconnected.

How did you like jealous Shubham?

and what was that in the envelope? any theories?

***

aaanndddd, finally thank you so  much to all of you for going through my catharsis in the prev note and replying to the questions. I'm really really pleased to know that my readers are still interested in my story. Gave me much needed motivation and confidence.

Answers to some replies:

Samaina would never lose the spark in their love. Just that I'm not showing the detailed romance coz of the tough times they are going through.

There are truly hot and sizzling moments planned between them in the upcoming chapters. Since long. You just need to have some patience. 

Preeti-Shubham and Rakesh's story WILL BE there till they reach its planned destination.

And regarding the updates...

well, things are getting better regarding my parents' health. So I'll try to give the updates sooner, but for that YOU HAVE TO SHOWER YOUR VOTES AND COMMENTS.

Next update sooner... pakka...

Love, 

Mugs