There must be at least twenty people in the room Sameer was sitting in. It was the set of a living room of a house. When he counted, he found that fifteen of them were the crew members, some of them were camera technicians, some lightmen, some assistant directors, some hair and makeup artists, spot boys and others. And then there was one director, one cinematographer and two other artists.

Instructions were given constantly to some or the other person. All the big equipment was being arranged and settled, while the director and the cinematographer were discussing the camera angles. He had a script in his hand, which he had learnt by now. He was given a make-up room that was shared by three other artists. He hadn't seen any of them on the television, so he figured they too must be newcomers just like him. They preferred to stay in the room till the call time but Sameer chose to be on the set after his lines were done.

After all, it was his first day of the shoot of a tv serial and he was supremely excited.

In the morning, he stood in front of the wall fixed mirror after bathing, drying his wet hair with the towel. He had resumed his jogging and exercise a few days back and he had seen that happiness reflecting on Naina's face.

He threw the towel on the table and saw Naina approaching towards him. Had it been any other day, Naina would have surely scolded him for the act, but today he was getting a royal treatment from her. She stood behind him and wrapping her arms around his flat stomach, she kissed his shoulder blades. He saw a mixt of joy and a slight disappointment on her face through the mirror, and he knew the reason behind it.

He smiled at her, "ready Madam?"

"Nahi," a cute reply came from Naina, followed by tightening her hold on him.

He tittered at her cuteness, "kyu? Office nahi jaana?"

"Nahiii..." She pouted. "Yeh kya tareeka hai matlab... aaj tumhare shoot ka pehla din hai, aur ghar se bahar pehle mai jaa rahi hu... yeh kaunsa 2 baje ka call time hota hai?"

Sameer laughed again, "Arey, bataya toh tha tumhe shifts ke baare me... Ek subah 7 se 2 baje tak hoti hai aur dusri 2 se 9 baje tak..."

Naina only twisted her mouth and Sameer turned to her. He had seen her all excited and jumping in joy and humming songs gleefully since he had broken the news of his selection. Her chirpy mood itself had worked as a fuel for him that vanished most of the gloom on his face. But when he revealed his call time, her excitement had dropped slightly given that she wouldn't witness him leave for the shoot, to feed him dahi-cheeni right before he left and to give him the loving kiss as per his demand.

He pulled her to himself by grabbing her waist. "Ab muskuraogi bhi nahi?"

Naina chuckled and dropped her fake anger, "aise kaise nahi muskuraungi? Aaj toh bahot khush hu mai... all the best hero..." She kissed his cheeks one by one.

Sameer returned the smile to her but then pursed his lips and turned his gaze down. He snorted, "Kaha film ka hero banne ke sapne dekhe the humne Naina... phir serial ka hero... aur aaj ek chhotasa role kar raha hu mai..."

Naina sighed, "Sameer, aaj chhota role karne se tum aage jakar hero nahi ban paoge, yeh kaha likha hai? Tum bass iss mauke ka poora fayda uthao..."

"Faayda? Matlab?"

"Sameer, hum aisa maankar chalte hai ki acting class me tumne jo sikha woh sirf tayyari thi... ek tarah se demo tha woh.. Lekin aaj waha tumhe practically sab dekhne ko milega... toh chaaro taraf se jo bhi aayega, saara knowledge bator lo... kisi bhi prakar ka gyaan nuksaan-karak thodi na hota hai..."

Sameer chortled at her statement, tightening his hold around her waist, he uttered, "tumhe pata hai? Tum abhi bilkul apne papa ki beti lag rahi ho..." and put sloppy and hard kisses on her cheeks, accumulating her laughter in his soul so that he could survive the rest of the day without her.

Sameer smiled inwardly, recollecting his morning with Naina. He had always liked to observe people and various situations, but what Naina suggested made sense to him. Till now, he would observe his surroundings only for his own entertainment, but Naina was right that there can't be any better source of knowing this industry closer than the set of the show itself.

And rather than sitting in the make-up room doing nothing and just waiting for the call, he would prefer gaining knowledge anytime.

He got up from his chair and ambled along the set, pretending as if he was roaming just casually, but observing each and every minute detail. This setup was quite different from the ones in the two commercials he did. And this is when he perceived what Piyush Sir had told him.

That films, television, advertisements and theatre, all being the modes of entertainment were still different from one another. The environment on the sets of his commercials was always of rush and haste. Of course! They were given hardly 2-3 hours to finish the shoot. And why would one need more than that for one minute advertisement?

While here on the tv serial set, everyone was at ease. He had learnt that the complete schedule of all the thirteen episodes, one episode being 25 minutes long, was about 40-45 days, at various locations. He was the part of only two episodes and was still called for almost five days. So that there's no rush; every person involved in the project, whether it's actors or behind the camera crew, gets enough time to give their best and finalize things with precision.

He observed how the assistant directors were coordinating everything, almost working as mediators for the director and rest of the crew. When he looked up at the ceiling, he found two technicians adjusting the big metal truss where multiple lights were hanging. Reason why the audience hardly gets to see the ceiling in a serial. So this was the prime source of light in closed rooms, and how it balances the make-up and costume of the actor and makes him/her look good on the screen. He recalled how the light arrangement on his recent ad shoot of suitings was so different from this one. Right! That was still photography.

He stood close to the director and cinematographer and tried to overhear their conversation. They were discussing camera angles and how they were going to shoot. Sameer got to know that the upcoming scene was divided into three. One master shot, with all the actors included, individual close-up shots and the over the shoulder shots. Okay, this much he already knew from the burger commercial.

What was new to him was when they talked about shot division, like the shot distance, shot duration, how and when the camera will pan, on which actor's face and how steadily the camera dolly will move.

When the other two artists were called for the scene, Sameer paid complete attention towards the ongoing process. He liked their performance in the scene and how they were quite comfortable. He liked how the director was giving the deserved time to every scene, seeking the best from the actors and okaying the scene only when he was satisfied.

After an hour or so, a short break was called and Sameer was informed that it was going to be his scene next with two other co-artists. He sat in a corner fully concentrated, recollecting his lines once again and getting into the character. When all the involved artists were called by the director for the brief, Sameer stood there nervous.

Shittt!!!! He wasn't nervous during the commercial shoot. Then what was it making him nervous now?

Hold on Sameer Maheshwari.... You need to focus...

He warned himself.

After rehearsing the blocking and dialogues with his co-artists on the spot, the director announced that the next take would be shot and Sameer's heartbeat took the speed.

He exhaled through mouth multiple times. The set environment was quite friendly. So he knew that even if he erred anywhere, there wouldn't be much issue. He should relax himself first before giving the shot in nervousness.

And as obvious as it could be, he remembered Naina's laughter in the morning, the shine in her eyes when she fed him dahi-cheeni, her cute face when she left for the office reluctantly. It was Naina's presence in his memory, in his heart and soul that infused positivity and confidence in him. Her love was enough to vanish his anxiety.

"Okay silence...."

The director announced on the mic and there was utter silence in the room. Final touch-up was done and the actors took their positions and postures. Sameer shut his eyes just for a moment and then opened.

He was ready for his first ever shot for a television show, with passion and zeal to work in this industry and make a name for himself like others. The clap-board covered his face and a final sigh left his mouth when he heardㅡ

"Action...."

****

It was a lazy Sunday morning and the Maheshwari couple was sleeping entangled in one another, their arms loosely holding their partner. It was Sameer who woke up first from the deep slumber, squinting and blinking his eyes, he tried to look through the room. The alarm clock displayed the time as 6:15am, but he only sighed and by pulling Naina more into him, he kissed her forehead.

He wasn't willing to leave her; the feeling of her soft and tiny body embraced into his, the warmth oozed from her was something he wanted to rejoice for some time more.

His last Sunday had passed in visiting the production house for the paperwork, to discuss the remuneration and other contact based rules and regulations. There he was told to make an artist card for himself by registering under Cine Artists Association. He had no idea about the association but after speaking to some of the members in the production house, he realized that it was necessary and had its own benefits. The procedure to gather information about registering as an artist and visiting the related office occupied his next two days, before his shoot started on Wednesday.

During his shoot days, his and Naina's timings were totally conflicting. While Naina would leave in the morning, he would leave much later given his afternoon shift for all the days. Even yesterday, being Naina's halfday, he couldn't meet her because he needed to leave by 1 o'clock and Naina returned of course after that.

He withdrew a little from their hug and gazed at Naina adoringly. There was so much serenity on her face, as if she was at peace in the moment. He chuckled to himself thinking after how many days he got to enjoy this peaceful morning with her.

Their everyday hustle did not even permit soothing and unworried mornings!!

He extended the soft kisses on her eyes, her little cute nose and her accessible cheek, but refraining himself from kissing on her lips. Because then... he may not stop....

Naina stirred in her sleep, rubbing her face on Sameer's shirt but then slowly opening her eyes, noticing there was enough light in the room.

"Good morning, beautiful!" Sameer greeted her with a smile, feeling her soft cheek with his thumb.

Naina breathed out, hiding her blush, "good morning, handsome!" She wished in her throaty voice. "Kitne baje?" she asked.

"chhe bees."

She gasped heavily, widening her eyes and sitting up with a jerk, "Sameer... der ho gayi..." Her face bore the panic.

Sameer grimaced and held her wrist, "Sunday hai meri maa... yaha aao..."

Pulling her, he made her lay on her back and caged her in his arms, leaning his body on her and sinking his face in her hair. Naina heaved, loosening her body and relaxing. Sameer's arm on her bosom and his leg on hers had restrained her from moving anyway.

"Uthte hai na phir bhi..." she poked his arm.

"Bilkul nahi... na aaj jogging hai na office... ek ghanta bilkul bhi nahi hilna yaha se..." Sameer warned her in a hoarse voice.

"Ek ghanta? Pagal ho gaye ho kya?"

"Kya yaar Naina..." Sameer sulked. He shifted and pulled her more to him so that she laid on her side, and dragged her leg on his, "ek toh tum mujhe milti nahi ho dinbhar... subah sadhe aath baje jati ho toh sham ke sadhe chhe baje aati ho..."

"Haan toh tum kaunsa mil rahe ho mujhe?" Naina too complained sweetly, snuggling her face in the crook of his neck, "Dopahar ke ek baje jate ho, toh raat ko sadhe das ke pehle nahi laut'te."

"Haan toh ho gaya na... aaj akhri din hai shoot ka..."

"Hmmmm... sirf das minutes thik hai?" Naina stated and spanned her hand on Sameer's back.

"Hmmmmm..." Sameer hummed, fixing his stubble in Naina's hair.

They didn't really sleep after that. They just didn't want to get up at the moment.

All they wanted was to spend some more time in each other's embrace... to feel each other's warm breaths on their skin... to feel each other's soft touch on their body...

Even this small delay was a heavenly bliss for them...

***

Naina and Sameer were working in the kitchen, preparing lunch together. Rakesh had offered help to Naina and insisted Sameer to relax and save his energy for the shoot, but Sameer denied it politely, saying he didn't have much work on the set today. The real reason being that he didn't want to leave Naina's side even for a second. Reluctantly, Rakesh switched on the television and engaged himself in the news.

The cordless ring echoed in the house and Sameer rushed to pick up the call while wiping his hands on a cloth.

"Ae ruko!!" Rakesh voiced from the sofa, muting the television.

Sameer halted on his track and turned, he had found the tone of his father-in-law to be alarming.

"Kabse dekh raha hu, jab bhi phone aata hai bhage chale aate ho..." Rakesh reproached him.

Sameer pursed his lips and stood fixed to his place. His attention was more towards the ringing phone.

"Ruko, mai dekhta hu..." Rakesh picked the phone but then peered at Sameer, who was unmoved from his place, "Yaha kyu khade ho? Jao, andar jao."

Sameer pouted and walked back to the kitchen like an obedient child and Naina, who observed all this from the doorway, sniggered at the funny scenario.

"Hello," Rakesh sounded stiff.

"Rakesh..." An elderly voice came from the other side and Rakesh's lips curved into a smile.

"Phulla bua... Jai Shree Krishna Bua ji..."

"Jeeta reh... arey Rakesh, maine tujhe kisi kaam se phone kiya hai..." Phulla Bua sounded casual.

"Boliye na bua ji..."

"Arey aaj dopahar ko Prakash aur Rupali ko zaruri kaam se Surat jaana hai... aur woh meri chinta lekar baith gaye ki mai akeli reh jaungi raat bhar... toh maine socha tu aa ja yaha... taaki woh bhi bina tension Surat ja sakte hai... phir kal subah nashta karke aaramse jaa tu..."

"Kal subah? Lekin bua ji... kal toh 12 tarikh hai na?" Rakesh frowned.

"Haan toh 12 tarikh hai toh kya hua?" Phulla bua spoke in her authoritative tone.

"Nahi matlab... Sameer ka janamdin hai na kal bua ji..." Rakesh immediately softened.

"Haan toh kal hai na? Aaj toh aa hi sakta hai tu..."

Rakesh pondered over the proposition for a moment.

"Lekin bua ji... Aaj Sameer ka akhri din hai shoot ka... woh raat ko 10 baje tak aata hai... toh Naina bhi toh akeli rahegi na yaha..." He tried to be polite, knowing that Naina hadn't stayed alone at home till late.

"Rakesh, teri beti ab badi ho gayi hai... aur Preeti bhi hai na waha uske sath..." Phulla bua berated him.

"Ji Bua ji..." Rakesh sighed.

"Toh sham ko 5 baje tak aaja tu mere ghar... Teri manpasand karele ki sabzi banake khilati hu tujhe..." Her voice turned normal again, smiling at the other end of the phone.

"Ji bua ji..." Rakesh repeated and hung up the phone.

When he turned, he found his two curious children wanting to know more about the conversation when they heard Phulla Bua's name. He narrated the situation at Phulla Bua's home and that he needed to go there for tonight. He looked at Naina in concern.

"Koi baat nahi Papa... " Naina assured him with a smile, "aap befikre hokar jaiye... Sameer bhi aa hi jayega 10 baje tak..."

Sameer too nodded in support of Naina, he was still scared of Rakesh's glare at him before the call.

Rakesh sighed while finally agreeing.

The decision wasn't easy for him to make. But for how long would he let Naina be under his or Sameer's wings?

Indeed, his daughter was all grown up now, who was now married, had taken all the responsibilities of the house, and was also going to a job and travelling by bus, local etc. He knew both he and Sameer were protective of her. But it was time Naina should be given the freedom on her own too. This was a secured society, with a good neighbourhood. And Naina had stayed alone in the afternoon when he and Sameer would be out, so what difference would it make if it's night?

Naina's smiling face gave him confidence and he accepted the new change with a smile too.

In the kitchen, Naina and Sameer resumed cooking. Their non-stop chatter had taken a break and they were working in silence. The reason being them trying to hide the blush on their faces from each other. They were on cloud nine after receiving the news.

****

"Achchha thik hai... 15 minutes thik hai?" Preeti said, grinning widely and disconnected the phone.

She rushed to open her cupboard and crouched down, pushing some old bedsheets up in the lower column, she took out a pouch. Opening its zip, Preeti checked if all the items were present in the pouch and she huffed, rolling her eyes. She again had to ask Sejal for the hairdryer. Nevermind.

As she walked in the living room, she noticed everyone was present there. Shubham was reading a magazine on the dining table, Tanvi was watching television, Nirmalaji was making the baati's of cotton for diya and dadisa was taking rest on her corner bed.

Shubham shifted his eyes from the magazine to her. Finding her coming out of the bedroom in a hurry, he raised his brows, asking her the reason. Preeti only blinked her eyes letting him wait for a second. She directed herself towards the couch where Nirmalaji was sitting.

"Mummy ji, mai Naina ke ghar ja rahi hun. Use kuchh kaam hai." Preeti said.

"Preeti beta," Nirmalaji maintained a smile on her face, "ab Ravivaar ka din hai... kahe kisi ko pareshan karna, nahi?"

Preeti chuckled, she knew she needed to use her skillful tactics. "Nahi nahi Mummyji. Woh toh Naina ne hi mujhe bulaya hai. Thodi der me aa jaungi."

"Arey, aiso bhi kya jaroori kaam hai manne bhi toh pata chale..." Nirmalaji uttered so casually, keeping her eyes on her hands that were weaving baati's.

Preeti glanced back at Shubham once, who only blinked in assurance to tell her to go ahead. Spotting the pouch in her hand, he had got what it must be for.

"Woh... Naina ko thode baal katane the... toh usne mujhe bula liya..." Preeti divulged the reason, she was still facing towards Nirmalaji's back.

"Hein?" Nirmalaji looked at Preeti in surprise, adjusting her overhead pallu, "tu kahe jaegi uske baat katwane?"

Preeti sat on the couch in front of Nirmalaji, "Mummyjii... abhi kuchh din pehle jaise dadisa ke baat kaate the maine, waise hi Naina ke kaatne hai..."

"Lekin beta, ammaji toh ghar ki hi hai na, woh thari dadi saas lage hai..." Nirmalaji reasoned.

"Haan toh Naina bhi toh meri behen hi hai na," Preeti said without being disrespectful, to which Nirmalaji had no answer. She added, "Mummyji, aapne mujhe ghar ke kaamo me itna trained karwa diya hai na, ki dekhiye, mere saare kaam ho gaye hai. Dopahar ki chai bhi ho gayi hai. Aur sham ke nashte ke time tak mai aa bhi jaungi. Phir garma garam kuchh bana dungi."

"Nahi nahi Preeti," Shubham intervened, "kuchh naya banane ki zaroorat nahi hai. Woh subah ka dosa ke batter hai na, toh wahi bana dena phirse. Woh kyu waste karna?"

Preeti and Tanvi sniggered in unison upon Shubham's comment.

Preeti continued her mission, "Aur mummyji, aap hi kehti hai na, ki Naina aur Sameer ko thode kharche kam karne chahiye... toh dekhiye... agar aaj mai Naina ki madad kar deti hu, toh uska parlour ka kharcha bach jayega na... toh ek tarah se hamara parivaar unki madad kar raha hai, yahi sabko dikhega, hai na..."

"Achchha? Aiso hai?" Nirmalaji had a wavering smile on her lips. "Lekin beta, thara yeh baal kaatna mhare ko katehi pasand na hai..."

"Offo Maa," this time Shubham barged in firmly, standing behind Preeti, "kitne sawaal karogi usse? Itni der tak woh jaake wapas bhi aa gayi hoti."

"Haan Ma, jaane do na Bhabhi ko..." Tanvi too joined, "aur agar aap teeno ko kisi cheez ki zaroorat hai toh mai hu na ghar par hi..."

Nirmalaji turned conscious, thinking if her children perceived that she was opposing too much, she chuckled, "haan haan... manne kab mana kiya..." looking at Preeti she voiced, "bass, jaldi aa jana haan beta..."

A victory smile appeared on Preeti's face which didn't go missing from Shubham's eyes. "Thank you Mummyji," Preeti beamed in joy and got up to leave.

Her eyes matched with Shubham for a second and she knew she wasn't mistaking that she saw pride in it. He secretly showed her thumbs-up, letting her know she did a great job.

He went back to the dining table to resume his reading after Preeti left. It felt so nice to him to team up with Preeti in changing the mindset of his mother without hurting her. They had the time till Diwali but only he knew it was so less to bring a change in the beliefs that were rooted in their family and also in the society for years. But Preeti and him had taken a step towards it together and there was no option to look back now.

They divided their target into small goals as per Shubham's theory. The first one was to bring into light of Nirmala that Preeti has enough leisure time for herself in the afternoon. He couldn't thank his stars when he got to know that the class timings of the soon to be opening Andheri branch of VLCC was designed as per the homemakers' convenience only, i.e. in the afternoon. So it was easy for the two to convince Nirmalaji for step one.

And when she was okay with the fact that Preeti doesn't compromise on her daily chores, they were ready to bring in the next step, i.e. her stepping out of the house.

In this time, there had been a significant change in the dynamics between Preeti and him and Shubham couldn't be happier than he was.

****

Naina was casually flipping the pages of a magazine, sitting on the couch with one leg folded and her head supported by her palm with the help of the backrest. She didn't succeed in reading a single word from it till now. All the letters and words, which by the way were quite a favorite of hers, didn't get along with her today. So while her hand was busy in ruffling the pages, her mind was very much occupied in building the imaginative castles of various romantic scenarios with Sameer.

A flick of the latch caught her attention and she looked at the door. Her eyes, her mind, her soul, the blood flowing in her veins and each and every particle of her body got attuned to the door, to observe the sight they all were waiting for, for more than nine hours now, her Sameer.

Sameer entered the house and his eyes first travelled towards the couch to see the most wanted and the most favorite sight of the world for him.

The rest of the things like taking his shoes and socks off, removing his bag from his shoulder and throwing it on the trunk along with the keys happened in the daze. He was not in a position to figure out how all that took place as his black orbs, his senses, his soul, the frantically flowing hormones and each and every cell that his physical body constituted were solely focused on the person standing near the couch, his Naina.

A warm smile covered Sameer's lips as he strolled little by little towards her. Naina was in the same dress as the afternoon when he left, but of my god, how breathtakingly beautiful she was looking at this moment!!

She was the epitome of gorgeousness!!!

He instantly recognized that she had certainly done something to her hair. And his smile widened knowing that the stylist Preeti has again done a great job in experimenting with his wife's hair.

He felt it like an eternity experiencing such a serene and tranquil moment with her. Where there was no hustle and bustle of life, no worry of tomorrow, nor the chaos of the present. He finally got Naina's time all for himself, undivided and undisturbed.

Naina kept staring at Sameer who was walking towards her... as if he was a King of a dynasty who had come to win over a Princess, and take her back with him as his Queen.

She heaved in sheer contentment. The aura and charisma that Sameer always carried in himself was back after so many days.

The days before the commencement of Sameer's shooting were kind of tough for him, but they were equally tough for her too. He had questioned her a thousand times if there would come a call from the production house to tell him that he wouldn't do the role anymore or that he had been replaced.

He had lost his confidence much before and it used to reflect in his thoughts, in his body language, in his smile and in his eyes. It was breaking her too from inside to see her Sameer this vulnerable.

But at this moment, she found her real Sameer walking towards her. The charm of his personality was finally back, the natural luster of his eyes and his cutest smile made space again on his handsome face.

Sameer told her the stories of the set in the last four days, he shared about his colleagues and his character, and Naina deduced that he was genuinely happy to perform a good role even if it would be only for two episodes in the show.

Bypassing the tea-table, Naina too walked towards her husband without breaking eye-contact. She didn't notice any ounce of tiredness on his face. He must have really had a good time on set though being his last day there today. He looked fresh and rejuvenated even at 10:15 at night.

As they stood in front of one another, with the gap of just one foot in between, they continued their stare game. Their eyes radiated pure love, letting their partner bask in it. There was transmission of only positive energy through their bodies, embodied with their favorite fragrance of white musk perfume and mogra itra.

Time had almost stopped for them; the clock wasn't ticking anymore. The world had stilled and if any kind of sound that could be heard in the room was of their heart that was beating a little bit faster than usual; pumping more blood and sending it to their limbs, to their significant organs, to the brains, to the lungs; so that they could feel they were alive and not meeting each other in paradise.

Well, it felt like a paradise though...

When they had first entered this house, they had felt it very small; inefficient as per their needs. But as the time passed by, it had become their small abode where they built their sweet little family with Papa. So even if it had small rooms and compact furniture, it wasn't less than a paradise for them.

They held each other's hands and entwined their fingers. For an unknown reason, they both laughed. Laughed hard...

Tonight was going to be long night for them...!!!

**********

Hello peeps, kaisa laga yeh chapter??? Do let me know.

Tell me how excited are you for Sameer's birthday?? I am excited for sure.

Okay, this is in reference with last chapter, I hope you all understood Sameer's interpretation of his nightmare, right? Coz I didn't see the comments specifically mentioning it.

In his dream, he saw that he stumbles and falls while Naina had already boarded the train. And just for him, she tries to jump down. He connects the dots to the recent happenings like her interviews, her selection in firms and the appreciation letter, while he was still struggling to get a role. And that's why he demands the promise from her to not turn back just for him, if she goes ahead of him in her career journey.

Also, just to clarify that all their beach conversation was regarding their career journey only. There's no question of leaving each other as husband-wife. 

I had asked this before, but still asking it again. Do you see a pattern when Sameer auditions for films and when he auditions for serial?

Okay, enough of rambling.

I feel so good while reading your comments and feedback. So keep them coming more and more.

and do vote pllllzzzzz.

Love. ❣️