Sameer stopped after the 60th push-up, panting heavily as he lay flat on his stomach. The dust on the floor was blown with his exhale, a few drops of his sweat forming a pattern on the ground. Today, he had pushed himself more than the regular days. He took extra rounds of the park, did more repetitions of some exercise and now performed extra push-ups. His body was still getting used to the heavy exercise after a long hiatus he had taken.

Yet, this workout was nothing compared to what he did last night.

Ahhh... it was sheer madness!!

What had Naina done yesterday? She had almost transformed him into a beast, something unrecognizable to himself too. She had pushed him to the threshold, on the edge of his patience and desire too.

Her mood swings were quite visible to him in the past few days, indicating the date of her periods. Yet, he was only waiting and waiting and waiting... so that he didn't have to search for excuses to run away from Naina's advancements. However, she had caught him off guard last night, asking very skillfully about his schedule today when he was unprepared. He had blurted about the day off and next minute found Naina sitting on him.

He would have loved that sight so much otherwise.... okay, he absolutely loved it yesterday too. But she was making it too difficult for him, difficult to resist and say no. Especially when he had wanted it as much as she did.

There was no fault of hers in demanding lovemaking. Three week gap was huge again. But he was helpless.... he was bound by his fears and complexes. He was surrounded by shame and hesitation.

The way their night transpired yesterday was an alarm for danger. They hadn't used the condom... and it was him who had insisted on it. When he had switched their positions, he was torn between stopping it right there or taking it to the next level. But...

What if something like that night happens again?

Naina had provoked his sexual need and his mind was filled with the what ifs again. But he couldn't ignore both their needs and came up with a middle ground.

The way it ended was heavenly and blissful though. When he collapsed on her and pecked her lips, he recognized they both were glistening with sweat. He so wanted to have a shower after that, he so wanted to take Naina with him. But.... again but...

Sameer stood up in a haste, the memories of last night were destroying his control of not crushing Naina into his arms. Picking up the water bottle, he took one sip and poured the remaining water on his face, subsequently wetting his hair and t-shirt. Walking back home was unavoidable now.

"Kitni der laga di?" Was the first thing Sameer heard as he entered the house.

Naina was peeping from the kitchen with her hands on her hips. Damnn!!! What to do with her cute expressions!!! Sameer was bemused.

She had twisted her hair up and clipped it with a clucher, letting them fall back again. The two hair locks from either temple were drawn out as usual, playing with her cheeks and causing an urge to his long fingers to tuck them behind. For an odd reason, she was wearing an apron, making the curve of her waist more evident and avoiding the need of the dupatta as well.

Sameer's gaze wandered in the living room as he sauntered in, noticing the absence of the third person in the house. "Papa nahi aaye abhi tak?" He asked.

His heartbeat paced when Naina took her apron off and strolled towards him, locking her hands behind and wearing a devilish smile on her lips. "Nahi," she replied with a smirk.

"Naina!!!" Sameer held her raising hands that she wished to wrap around his neck, "mai poora paseena paseena hun abhi...."

"Aaaa... Mujhe chalta hai sab," she grumbled like a kid, making faces that Sameer couldn't resist, and then placing her hands firmly around his neck.

If Sameer was expert in finding excuses, then so was Naina in cutting them off.

She was expecting him to flirt back by looping her in his arms tightly. After all she was providing him a nice view of her cleavage as her breasts crushed on his chest. She wouldn't mind turning into a seductress wife in their living room if her husband continued to throw silly excuses.

Pulling Sameer down a little, her thumb now grazed on his stubble. His hands remaining idle on his sides aggravated her and her resolve to break his resolve became more firm. What she couldn't see was the way he had tightened his fists, she could only see his ocean deep eyes that held so much in it.

"Kitna intezaar karwaate ho tum aajkal? tumhe mera khayal nahi aata?" Naina voiced, her face carrying a slight frown and her voice a sweet complaint.

When Sameer felt her thumb now on his lips, he deduced the statement wasn't only for him being late today. It meant more.

"Naina... papa—"

"Shshshshsh...." She put her finger on his lips, trailing her other hand down his shoulder, clasping his palm in hers and placing it on her lower back. "Tumhari biwi itne romantic mood mein hai Sameer Maheshwari aur tum—"

She left it incomplete, now completely focused on his lips as she tiptoed. Achieving the desired angle with her neck, she kept on inching closer.

"Nainaa.... Bahot paseena hai yaarrr..." Sameer used his hands to push Naina away from him, holding her at an arm's distance, "mai na nahake aata hu..." he said, leaving for the bathroom after checking the door once again and sighing.

****

Nirmalaji entered the main gate of Sea Queen Society, with a bronze pooja thaal in her hand. Today, she curtailed her visit to the Mata rani mandir to hardly 30 minutes, which usually is stretched upto one hour. She wasn't really mentally present there, in fact, she was always lost in some or the other thoughts this week.

Mrs. Kulkarni from B wing flashed a smile to her as she passed by and Nirmalaji returned the gesture with a smile. She had to. She has always been. She had imbibed this habit in her. She was very young when she realized that if you need to get your work done from someone, then you have to smile and talk sweetly.

It has been becoming difficult for her lately— to put on a facade of a smiling face. Because inside, she was freaking out.

"Shubham beta, tu yahan ke kar raha hai?" She asked, smiling, as she spotted Shubham near the garden.

"Maa, mai Shashank ka intezaar kar raha hu... hum dono bahar ja rahe hai..." Shubham replied, sporting a subtle smile.

"Itne subah-subah?" Nirmalaji frowned, "aaj Ravivaar hai toh aaram kar lete beta... subah ki chai bhi aaj tanne hi banayi hai..."

"Nahi, isme aaram ki kya baat hai, maa? Ravivaar ke din hi toh mujhe office ke alava dusre kaam karne ka mauka milta hai... Aur jaldi kahan? Sadhe-aath ho gaye hai..."

Shubham checked his watch and saw Shashank walking out of the J wing. They waved to each other and Shubham crossed Nirmalaji. She saw him shaking hands with Shashank and then leaving with him.

This is what she was freaking out for... Freaking about losing control from her hand.

Had it been the old days, Shubham would have postponed the plan and stayed at home after her suggestion. He was never out of her words.

It was only Dadisa in the living room as she entered the house. A sound of giggles coming from the bedrooms caught her attention and Nirmalaji banged the plate hard on the dining table.

It was Preeti and Tanvi chattering and laughing as she observed standing in the doorway of Preeti-Shubham's bedroom. Tanvi was sitting on the stool of the dressing table and Preeti stood behind her with a rolling brush and a hairdryer in her hands.

"Tanvi!!!" Nirmalaji almost shouted and the two girls turned. "Yahan ke kar rahi hai tu? Tanne nashta banane—"

"Mummyjiii..." Preeti chirped, adjusting her pallu, "nashta tayyar hai... hum toh aap hi ka intezaar kar rahe the..."

The open mouth of Nirmalaji was shut and the upcoming berating sentences dried in the way. She intended to keep scolding them for not paying attention to the chores, but there was no scope for that either.

"Thik hai... mai saamne hi baithi hu..." she said, her voice carrying an authoritative tone.

She was the head of the house. She has set some rules for the members of it and she was the sole decision maker amongst them. After her husband's demise, she had realized very soon that she needed to take his place, lest her children, who were in their fragile age would have been all over the place.

From a dutiful wife and a protective mother, she had to transform herself into a commanding person, instructing her children what to do and what not to do every now and then. Over the time, she had started liking it when Shubham would cancel his plans of going out with friends because she told not to. She used to like it when Tanvi would gulp her words down when she would glare at her.

She enjoyed it all, she enjoyed being the dominating head of the house. However, she never recognized why. She could never fathom why the men in the house cherished it too and why they didn't like 'change'. Well, her as well.

She never liked 'change'. Neither her husband did and nor did her father and other elders.

"Mummy... Aaiye... Mai nashta laga deti hu..." Tanvi called Nirmalaji from the kitchen.

Lost in a daze, Nirmalaji acquired her seat on the dining table.

"Bhabhi, aap bhi aaiye na... mai mummy aur aapko garam garam dosey paros deti hun..." Tanvi added.

"Mummyji, aapko pata hai?" Preeti said, pulling the chair for herself and sitting, "aaj maine sirf chutney banayi hai... baki aaloo ki subzi aur dosey Tanvi ne hi banaye hai..."

"Preeti beta... tu bhi nashta karegi ke? Shubham toh... bahar gayo hai na beta?" Nirmalaji's face contained a slight frown.

"Mummyji, Shubhamji Shashank bhaiya ke sath kuchh khakar hi aanewale hai..." Preeti wiped the plates with a cloth, "aur unhone khud hi kaha hai ki nashte ke liye unka intezaar na kare..."

Again... she didn't like changes...

According to Nirmalaji's beliefs, Preeti was supposed to wait for Shubham for breakfast. When he would be busy in office due to the year-end workload last year, Preeti used to wait for him till late, serve him food and then have her own when he would be about to finish. She herself had done that for years for her husband, ignoring the acidity problems it would cause to her.

"Mummy... lijiye..." Tanvi served a hot and crispy dosa into Nirmalaji's plate, followed by subzi and chutney she had carried in the hotpots.

Grimacing after the first bite, Nirmalaji looked at Tanvi and her gaze stuck on her. Ditching her regular hairstyle, which is pushing the hair behind with a hairband and tie them in a pony, she had left her hair open. Her hair were separated in a center partition and some curls towards the end gave them a wavy look.

Did she cut some hair too? Most probably. But that was unnoticeable because of the way they were styled. Whatever it was, her daughter looked so pretty.

So this is what Preeti and Tanvi were doing in the bedroom. Her eyes darted to Preeti immediately and she was stunned again. Preeti too had left her hair open under the pallu, which she was keeping lately while going out.

Nirmalaji felt as if something broke inside her and shattered into pieces. She couldn't utter a word, the smiling faces of her daughter and daughter-in-law stopped her from ruining their happiness.

"Achchhe bane hai," she said after a while, looking at both the girls.

The first crack to whatever broke inside her occurred a week ago, when Shubham confronted her about Preeti and Tanvi's wish to work and stood in front of them like a shield.

Were Preeti and Tanvi needed to be protected from her? Did she appear like a danger? She was flabbergasted by Shubham's act.

It made her question herself. It made her question whether the opinions of the members of this house had changed about her. Shubham's words were still fresh in her memory— aap unka saath de ya na de....

Was she constantly opposing them?

Was she becoming a villain of this house?

The discussion that took place among society members during Holi night had been echoing in her mind all this while. She had felt terribly insulted when Rakesh countered her opinions openly in front of everyone.

To be honest, she had expected Shubham to retort. Or at least express the disappointment to Preeti. But none of that sort happened, instead, Shubham stood as a pillar of support for something she was against of.

It dismayed her that Shubham too was blown away by this wind of change called the Maheshwari family, since they entered in their society... and in their life... This family of three members had influenced her family by multitudes, and gradually she noticed how the other families too started favoring them.

But what was Shubham, Preeti and Tanvi's fault here?

Were they being disrespectful to her in any manner? No...

Did their love fade for her? No....

They probably only chose the way of life they wanted to live with... and not how she wanted them to live.

And in this moment, she recognized what it was that she enjoyed all these years...

It's called POWER.

She savoured being powerful all these years. She was soaking in the effect of being in a powerful position. Where everything was happening in her accordance. The fearful respect that came her way polished her pride too, proclaiming her to be the governor of the house.

She fathomed why none of the men in her house nor her liked to see changes in their surroundings. Because 'change' has the capability to uproot even the strongest of power, emerging as a danger to it. A change is rebellious in nature and it can flip the world upside down.

And she discerned what it was that shattered into pieces a while ago. It was her ego and pride that came along with power.

Her children had subtly shown her that they have chosen to live on their own terms. They showed her through maturity that they might own their mistakes too if anything goes wrong, but for that, they would have to walk a certain path and commit mistakes too.

In these seven years of timespan, where she relished being this powerful person, she had forgotten to consider her children as an individual entity. She had forgotten they had the right to make decisions on their own and question her decision at times too.

The power had grown so much on her that she had forgotten to be the loving mother she used to be long ago....

"Aapne bataya kyu nahi subzi mein namak kam tha?" Preeti said, joining Nirmalaji on the sofa.

"Isme batana ke hai beta?" Nirmalaji cleared her throat before uttering, wiping a lone tear in her eyes furtively, "hota hai kabhi kabhi..." she smiled, keeping the newspaper in her hand back on the tea-table. She hadn't read a single word.

Preeti noticed Nirmalaji not making eye-contact. She sighed deeply and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, "Mummyji, aap abhibhi mujhse naraaz hai na?" she asked.

"Naraaz? Kahe?"

"Mere job ke wajah se..." Preeti shared.

Both her and Shubham had informed Nirmalaji about her job at the parlour starting from tomorrow. They had had a 'sit and talk' conversation and Nirmalaji had also agreed at the end of it. But Preeti figured it was a half-hearted yes. Because they had informed her about it and not asked her.

She hadn't liked it when Preeti went for the hairstyling assignment referred by Sameer on a television show set. She assumed it to be good to be away from this industry as much as possible. But Preeti's assignment, even if it was for one day, triggered her. But when Preeti handed her her per-day payment and touched her feet, Nirmalaji was speechless.

'Ghar ki badi hone ke naate yeh haq aapka hai mummyji... yeh lijiye... meri pehli kamayi...'

Preeti had said. For the first time ever, it wasn't the money that brought a smile on Nirmalaji's face, rather it was the sheer respect in Preeti's eyes for her.

"Ab kis baat ki naraazgi beta? Tanne jo faisla lena tha, woh toh tu le chuki hai na... aur mhari manzoori bhi toh di manne..."

"Aisa nahi hai Mummyji... aap ko bhi pata hai ki mai aapka dil dukhakar koi bhi kaam nahi karna chahti... Woh khushi hi kya jo kisi ki naraazgi se guzarkar mili ho..."

Nirmalaji glanced at Preeti and her lips curved in a smile instinctively. When Preeti and Anand had visited their mediator's house for the rishta talk, she had found Preeti childish and naive. Jhalli as she had perfectly described after they had left. But she had found a sincerity in Preeti's eyes, she had spotted a purity in Preeti's smile. She was certain her decision wouldn't go wrong when she okayed it. And it didn't.

When Nirmalaji gave permission for the parlour course to Preeti, it was Naina's article that had moved her. An article questioning if the women only were responsible for women's slavery. There was so much depth and so much thought put into that article, that Nirmalaji couldn't help asking the question herself too.

But as cruel as the human mind could be, it forgot so easily too that she had taken that decision as a woman, and not as Preeti's mother-in-law.

"Jaanti hai Preeti?" Nirmalaji crossed her legs on the couch, "bachpan se manne yahi sikhayo gayo hai ki ladkiyaan sirf dusron ki seva karne ke liye aur ek khandaan ka vansh aage badhane ke liye hi janm leti hai... Mhari nani ne mhari maa ko yahi sikhaya tha... aur mhari maa ne mhare ko... uhnone barso tak wahi kiya aur beta maine bhi ab tak wahi karne ki koshish ki hai..."

Preeti smiled gently as she was having a very much personal talk with her mother-in-law for the first time. She kept listening as Nirmalaji spoke, staring at the wall across them.

"Beta, yeh jo paramparaayein apni peedhiyon ki soch mein itni gehrayi tak basi hai na, ki kisi bhi beti mein apni maa se yeh puchhne ki kabhi himmat na ki, ki aisa kyun... yeh himmat na mhari maa mein thi aur na hi mhare mein hai..." she lowered her eyes, playing with the fabric of her cotton saree.

Observing silence for a while, Preeti perceived Nirmalaji's dilemma. She was probably torn between following the old-age customs or dare to go against them.

"Mummyji, aapko pata hai Mummy mujhe bachpan mein ek baat bataya karti thi...." Preeti grabbed Nirmalaji's attention, "ki meri nani ne unke zindagi mein bahot dukh sahe the... unki shayad poori umra rasoighar mein dusron ko khana khilane mein hi guzar gayi..."

Nirmalaji turned towards Preeti, she was eager to listen after finding it much relatable.

"Unki mummy ne, matlab meri parnani ne unko sanskaron ke sath-sath yahi dukh-dard, kathinaiyaan, aur wahi soch viraasat mein di... jo baad mein meri naani ne mummy ko diye... isliye mummy ka bachpan bhi kuchh khas nahi guzra... lekin Rama taiji ke jaane ke baad jab Naina ki zimmedari mummy-papa par aa gayi, tab ek din mummy ne papa se puchha... ki woh teen-teen betiyon ko kaise sambhal payegi... unhe woh sari khushiyaan kaise de payegi jo woh dena chahti hai...

"Tab papa ne mummy ko samjhaya tha ki zaroori nahi hai jo saalon se chalta aaya ho, usse waise hi aage badhaya jaaye... kabhi kabhi aapko waqt ki nazakat dekhte hue usme kuchh badlaav bhi karne padte hai... aur kabhi kabhi uss kadi(कड़ी) ko poori tarah todna bhi padta hai...

"Jaanti hai mummyji? Uss din se lekar aaj tak, mummy hum teeno behnon ki dost bankar rahi hai... unhone hamein woh bachpan dena chaha jo unhe nahi mila tha... unhone hamein woh aazadi di, jo unhe nahi mili thi... shayad isi ko waqt ke sath chalna kehte hai, hai na?"

Nirmalaji could only nod as she kept pondering on what Preeti shared with her. She had thrown all the tantrums of being a groom's mother in Shubham's wedding, she always believed that young ones should always respect the elders. But today, her samdhan Bela had earned a profound respect in her heart, despite being much younger to her.

Probably Preeti was right. Sometimes, breaking the chain is necessary than continuing the trauma gifted by your elders or previous generations.

She smiled awkwardly, "kitni ajeeb baat hai na beta... jab mai badi hokar iss nateeje par pohchi thi ki maa-pitaji sahi the, tab mhare bachche saamne aakar keh rahe the ki mai galat hu... yeh baat toh hai ki har kisi ko aap ek hi taraazu* mein tol nahi sakte... aur shayad mai galat bhi thi... kyunki aadmi ki tarah iss ghar ko chalane ke chakkar mein, mai apne hi andar ki Maa ko bhul gayi... aur yeh bhi, ki mai bhi toh ek mahila hi hun..."

As she took a deep breath, an incident from the day before yesterday flashed in her mind. It was when Shubham had returned home late and Preeti was speaking animatedly with him, as how she suggested Naina to incorporate 'women helping women' in her story. And how it gave her happiness when Naina accorded to her.

Her passing to the kitchen that time and overhearing the conversation wasn't just a coincidence. It was destined and she realized it why.

"Thik hai," Nirmalaji sighed, "mai poori koshish karungi uss kadi(कड़ी) ko todne ki..."

"Ji... matlab?" Perplexed, Preeti asked.

"Matlab, tu kar thara kaam poori lagan se... bass beta, kuchh bhi aisa mat karna jisse hamare parivaar ki izzat par koi aanch aaye..."

Preeti's eyes and mouth widened, a big grin took place on her lips and she gasped. She couldn't stop the flow of emotions and hurled herself to Nirmalaji, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and hugging her mother-in-law sideways.

"Nahi aayegi mummyji.... I promise..." Her voice contained excitement and happiness as she finally got permission from Nirmalaji without any grudges.

She was going to the parlour tomorrow without carrying the burden of upsetting anyone from her family.

She took one step towards her dreams again...

****

Sameer came out from the bathroom ruffling his wet hair, annoyed. Naina seemed to have taken his clothes from the bathroom bars when he was using the toilet. So he had to come out only in a towel around his waist, with briefs underneath. This girl had sworn on testing his patience, he snorted.

He dashed to the bedroom, opening the almirah hastily, only to find it locked. What the hell? He couldn't even wear another pair now.

"Naina!!!" he yelled, trying to open the almirah again and failing again.

"Kya hai?" Naina peeked from the doorway, hiding partially behind it.

"Mere kapde kahan hai?" he blasted at her.

"Honge yahi kahi..." Naina shrugged, tapping her nails on the doorframe.

"Naina... mai mazak ke mood mein bilkul bhi nahi hu... chabi do mujhe almari ki..."

Naina adorned a lopsided smile as if a vixen, roaming her intense gaze on her husband's bare torso. His broad chest had started appearing more chiselled, his abdomen flatter than before, the rivulets of water dripping from his wet hair now settling in the patch of hair on his chest and that alluring mole close to his nipple.

"Ghoorna band karo Naina...."

Naina raised her eyes to her husband, who had rested his hands on his waist and was avoiding eye-contact. She likes it when her husband becomes a grumpy cat. He wasn't really angry angry.

"Nahi, pehle tum batao tumhe kya hua hai..." she countered.

"Kuchh nahi..." he said, his voice low.

"Toh phir mujhse door kyun bhag rahe ho?"

Sameer glanced at her, she knew all the tactics of how to modulate her voice to get an answer from him. "Mujhe kuchh toh pehenne ke liye do Naina... ya aisehi ghoomu dinbhar... nanga..."

A giggle spurt from Naina, "mujhe koi problem nahi hai... waise, tumhare kapde aur almari ki chabi... yahi hai hamare ghar mein... dhoondh sako toh dhoondh lo..."

Sameer snorted at her, "hamara ghar?" he mumbled, looking away.

Naina still heard it and frowned, she knew something was there for sure. "Ya phirr..." She grabbed Sameer's attention, "tum batao kya baat hai, aur mai tumhe yeh de dungi..." walking in the bedroom, she showed a piece of fabric that she was hiding.

Sameer recognized it was only the pants. So she was on for a game now. He shook his head unbelievably.

"Sameer nahi..." Naina warned him when she saw him marching towards her, with full determination in his walk to get the pants back.

And she ran to the living room, with Sameer chasing her, walking fast. The chase game continued for a while, with Naina dodging Sameer with the help of the couches.

"Naina, pant do mujhe..." Sameer ordered.

"Nahi, pehle tum mujhe batao kal raat tumne mujhse jhooth kyun bola?" Naina questioned, using the sofa as the barrier between them.

"Kaunsa jhooth?"

"Yahi ki stock khatm ho gaya hai? Teen packets pade hai almari mein..."

Sameer paused in his spot, his mouth agape. He didn't expect to get caught with his lie the next morning itself.

"Tumhare periods aa gaye?"

"Nahi... aur yeh mere sawaal ka jawab nahi hai..."

Shittt!!! What if Naina stimulates him for lovemaking again tonight? The color of his face had drained.

"Kya hua hai, Sameer? Mujhse jhooth bol rahe ho... baatein chhupa rahe ho..."

He lowered his eyes. To be or not to be... To tell her or not... Sameer debated for a moment, her pleading eyes melting him, but instead went for the third option of fetching the pants first. Naina became alert again and when she tried to run towards the bedroom, Sameer made a quick movement and seized hold of her close to the fridge.

He pulled her to his chest, holding her firmly on her lower back and trying to snatch the pants, which she was hiding back. The struggle was real for Sameer as Naina seemed to have suddenly gained strength.

She was so stubborn.

A look into her eyes and he got this was exactly what she wanted. Now and a while ago too. His movements faltered. Her soft and petite body plastered to him weakened his senses and willpower too. He wanted her to stay in his arms for the entire day, but that wasn't possible.

"Tumhe kya laga," he uttered as he tried to distract himself, "yeh hamara Krishna Kaustubhi bungalow hai? Jo tum bhaagti rahogi aur mai pakadta rahunga?"

That statement hit Naina, he had said something similar a few days ago too. Her grip on the piece of cloth in her hand loosened and Sameer took the opportunity to snatch the pants. His path was blocked by her when he attempted to go back to the bedroom, so he had to wear the pants right there in front of her acceding to her piercing gaze, throwing the towel on the sofa.

Naina's shoulder slumped seeing him all cranky. Picking up the towel, she unlocked Sameer's folded hands first, wiping his wet hair and messing them even more just to satisfy her whim. She let him take the necessary breaths to calm down from whatever was disturbing him. It wasn't about her, Naina fathomed.

While on the other hand, Sameer let her dry his hair with the towel, heaving deeply but continuing to hold a slight frown on his face. He was feeling guilty for lying to her and then getting caught. But he had no option last night.

"Sameer, Krishna Kaustubhi ab hamara ghar nahi hai..." Naina voiced softly, wiping his shoulders and chest, "woh ab kisi aur ka hai... Aur Hamara ghar toh yeh hai na? Chhotasa... pyarasa..."

"Yeh bhi koi ghar hai Naina?" He snapped, retreating a step away from her. She need not remind him that Krishna Kaustubhi wasn't their home anymore. He had so many emotions attached to it. "Yeh hamare ghar jaisa thoda bhi lagta hai tumhe? Isme toh ek private bathroom tak nahi hai hamare liye..." He muttered the last sentence.

Startled with his sudden outburst, Naina flinched. But his last sentence astonished her more.

"Bathroom?" She scrunched her nose, "bathroom kyun chahiye tumhe? Hum teen logon ke liye ek bathroom kafi nahi hai?"

Sameer rubbed his forehead, he had blurted what he wasn't supposed to. "Tchh... tum nahi samjhogi..." he averred his eyes, locking his hands again. "Aur shirt do mujhe..."

"Nahi, pehle tum mujhe poori baat batao..." Naina realized she should try to listen to him first, instead of crossing him. He uses words like 'tum nahi samjhogi' only if something is related to only men.

"Idhar dekho," she made him turn to her, cradling his face in her palms, "kuchh hua hai kya? Please batao na mujhe... hum milkar usse suljhane ki koshish karenge..."

Sameer witnessed the earnestness in her eyes and voice. That assurance in her words that he always seeks for, something which comforts him no matter how chaotic his mind is. The warmth oozing from her palms relaxed his nerves, his paced heartbeat slowly getting down to its normal as one of it travelled down and settled on his heart.

He opened and shut his mouth, delaying this embarrassing conversation with his wife. "Woh..." he licked his lips, playing with fabric on her shoulder, "kuchh din pehle mai raat ko bathroom ja raha tha, toh... pp... Papa wahi se guzar rahe the..."

Naina's face contorted, "haan toh?" she shrugged.

"Tch... raat ko Naina..." Sameer emphasized, "jab mai... condom phenkne ja raha tha..." he massaged his nape, his voice was almost inaudible.

Naina gasped with the information and looked away. If she felt this embarrassed only by knowing about it, then how must Sameer be feeling that night? "Papa... ne... dekha tumhe?"

"Pata nahi yaarr..." he shut his eyes in annoyance, sitting on the armrest of the sofa chair, "uss pal ke baare mein soch soch ke na ajeeb sa lagne laga hai mujhe... yahi sochte rehta hun ke agar unhone kuchh dekha hoga toh kya soch rahe honge..."

Sameer remembered that moment vividly. It was the night before his joining date in AK films. He had stepped out of the bedroom in a towel to discard the condom, but froze seeing Rakesh papa close to the bathroom. He was closing the door, his head low and looked like he was lost in thinking. Sameer made it quick to retreat back in the bedroom and hide himself behind the door. His mouth was utterly dry by that time and he kept watching Rakesh sauntering back to the living room. He wasn't sure if his father-in-law saw him in that half-naked state. It was only when Naina questioned him why he was still there, he mustered the courage and went out.

"Toh isliye tum Papa se nazrein churate ghum rahe ho?"

Sameer raised his eyes. "Tumhe kaise pata?"

"Papa bol rahe the mujhe... Ki Sameer aajkal thik se baat nahi karta, nazrein nahi milata..."

"Haan toh aur kya karu? Uss din yahan sofe par bhi toh pakda tha hame... Aur tumhara kya hai... tum toh bhag jati ho... unki nazron ka saamna mujhe karna padta hai..."

Naina sniggered, remembering that moment.

"Haso mat Naina...." Sameer groused.

Naina couldn't help but wobble his cheeks, irritating him more. Pushing Sameer aside, she bent forward and Sameer was shocked to see her taking out his vest from behind a cushion. She had indeed hidden his clothes.

"Tumhe pata hai Sameer?" she said, unfolding the vest. When Sameer tried to take it from her, she drew back her hand, telling him through her eyes to sit quietly. "Papa jab hamari shadi ke rasmo mein shamil hue, woh sirf principal sir ke kehne par nahi hue..."

Slipping the vest through his neck, she held it in the air for his hands. "Uss din unhone sirf apne beti ko hi nahi balki damaad ko bhi poori dil se apnaya tha..." She smiled.

"Woh damaad jise ab woh dheere dheere samajhne lage hai..." she continued, now sliding the vest down from his midriff. "jaise unhe pata hai unke damaad ko ghar lautne ke baad sabse pehle mai chahiye hoti hu... jaise unhe pata hai tum mere bina nahi reh sakte... jaise unhe pata hai unka damaad kitna romantic hai aur usse khullam khulla romance karna kitna pasand hai, chahe woh balcony ho, hall ho..."

"Arey yaarrr..." Embarrassed, Sameer shut his eyes again, trying to get up from the armrest.

"Achchha sorry sorryyyyy...." Naina laughed, pushing him down to sit. Sameer twisted his mouth, to which she laughed hard before subsiding.

"Sameer, hum dono pati-patni hai... aur Papa jaante hai tum sabke saamne apna pyaar jatane se kabhi nahi katrate... jo aaj bhi dusre mard apni patni ke liye kar nahi paate... aur shayad woh yeh sweekar bhi kar chuke hai... toh thik hai na..."

How true Naina was!! Sameer thought. Something that he assumed to be very trivial, to be expressive about your love to your wife in front of everyone, was still unthinkable for the men in this society.

"Aur rahi baat uss raat ki, toh..."

"Toh?" Eager to listen to her opinion, Sameer asked.

"Toh Papa ko dekhkar lagta toh nahi hai ki unhone kuchh dekha hoga... kyunki agar aisa hota toh tumse jyada Papa sharmate ghumte ghar mein... toh Mr. Maheshwari, aap uss baat ko bhool jaiye..." She held his chin, giving it a slight jiggle.

Sameer took a deep breath, resting his hands on either side. Maybe she was right... maybe he was catastrophizing the situation. He nodded, but in a daze.

Naina narrowed her eyes, she knew the problem was only half solved. And this was only the surface of his behaviour. The core was definitely something else.

She lifted his face up, "waise... tum jo yeh kudkud kumar bane ho, iski wajah kuchh aur hai na?" she asked, "koi aur baat bhi hai jo tumhe pareshan kar rahi hai?"

Sameer sighed with an awkward chuckle. She always somehow gets to know what's going on deep down within him.

He got up from his place, standing in the middle of the living room and observing every nook and corner.

"Naina, tumhe yeh ghar chhota nahi lagta?" he began, turning to her, "yahan na hame koi privacy milti hai... na hi koi sukoon se baithne ki jagah hai... Papa ko roz raat ko kitni pareshani hoti hai bister banane mein aur char log jyada ke aa jaaye toh aadhe logon ko baithne tak ki jagah nahi milti... aur yeh balcony bhi bass naam ki hi hai, jahan hum sirf kapde sukha sakte hai aur kuchh nahi... iss trunk ko pata nahi owner kab le jayega, aur furniture?? woh toh hai hi nahi kuchh iss ghar mein... isse ghar kehne ka mann bhi kaise karta hai tumhara... kam se kam ek extra kamra toh hona chahiye tha yaarrr..."

A small smile took place on Naina's face seeing him finally venting everything. Barring his hostel days, Sameer had always lived in big houses. May it be Nanaji's big mansion, Somani's house in Delhi or their own Krishna Kaustubhi bungalow in Ahmedabad. And it wasn't about his status, it was just a habit of living in spacious houses.

After coming to Mumbai, he had adapted to every small thing, including this small house. But the inconvenience he faced due to the small area wasn't something he was habitual of. So it was natural for this side of Sameer to come out sometimes. His struggles of Mumbai life were indeed much more difficult and different than hers and Papa's.

So this was the reason why he was complaining of having a small house in their recent conversations.

Pushing him by holding his shoulders, Naina made Sameer sit on the trunk. She went to the kitchen and returned within a few seconds with his shirt in her hand. Sameer only chuckled at the sharpness of his wife. She was really up for a treasure hunt game in this house.

"Tumhe ek maze ki baat batau??" Naina started, positioning the shirt's sleeve for his hand, "Maine na parso hi Javed Akhtar Sahab ka ek sher padha...

'Sab ka khushi se faasla ek kadam hai...

har ghar mein bass ek hi kamra kam hai...'"

Sameer was only producing surprised chuckles since Naina had bewitched a teacher mode. It was like a dose he needs after every few days. His smile widened, his admiring gaze steady on her as he shoved the other hand into the shirt's sleeve. Of course she didn't read this quote like the day before yesterday.

"Sameer, hum bada ghar zaroor banayenge... lekin iss baar apni mehnat par..." she said, buttoning his shirt from top.

Sameer didn't miss how she used the word 'iss baar'.

"Kab Naina? Yeh intezaar toh khatm hi nahi ho raha hai?"

"Hmmm... yeh toh waqt hi batayega..." she shrugged, "shayad bhagwanji bhi yahi chahte hai... ki hum kathinaiyon ka saamna kare, saamne aayi pareshaniyon se ladhe aur sabse pehle ek achchhe insaan bane... taaki jis din hum kamyabi ke shikhar par honge, tab hamein waqt aur paise, dono ki ahamiyat pata ho..."

Closing the last button, she adjusted his collar, stroking her hand on the fabric close to his heart.

"Aur tumne yeh kaise soch liya ki ghar sirf jyada kamro aur furniture se banta hai?" She picked the extra comb from the nearby wooden showcase.

Holding Sameer's jaw with her left hand and using her observation of watching Sameer all these years, Naina started styling his hair. "Ek ghar un char deewaron mein rehnewale logon se banta hai... ek ghar wahan goonjti hui hasi-thitholi se banta hai... wahan ke logon mein base apnepan se, unhone aapas mein baate hue sukh-dukh, ladaiyan, ruthna-manana... inn sab baaton se banta hai ek ghar...

"Aur mujhe toh iss ghar mein woh har khushi mili hai... kyunki meri khushi tumse aur papa se judi hai... iss ghar ki deewaron se nahi..."

Naina raked her fingers from Sameer's hair as a last stroke, admiring how perfectly she had set his hair. She loved to pamper him whenever they got this chance, though it got rarely and only in the confined walls of their bedroom. Yet, she had no complaints about it.

When her eyes settled on his, she still observed some questions in it. She raised her brows, desiring to clear everything he had in his head.

"Kabhi kabhi lagta hai jab society wale hamare ghar aate hai toh kya sochte honge?" Sameer shared what he had been feeling for a long time.

This thought struck him for the first time on Papa's birthday, when they had invited the society members. Though the celebration and chaos of chatters had overpowered his overthinking, he had desperately wished to have a bigger house that day.

"Sameer, society wale hamare ghar ko usi nazar se dekhenge, jis nazar se hum isse dekhte hai... aur agar tumhe lagta hai koi iss ghar ko dekhke judge kar raha hai, toh unke liye bass woh gaana gaa dena..."

"Kaunsa gaana?" Sameer frowned.

Naina cleared her throat in style, and sang the melodious song by Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh from Papa's favourite movie.

"'Yeh tera ghar, yeh mera ghar....

Kisi ko dekhna ho gar...

Toh pehle aake maang le,

Meri nazar, teri nazar....'"

A surge of pride filled Sameer's heart and he locked Naina in between his legs, releasing the clucher from her hair. This sudden attack was rather a pleasant one for Naina. For the first time after many days, Sameer didn't glance at the door or shy away from holding her close to him in the open.

"Masterni ji, itna sab kaise soojhta hai aapko?" He tucked a long hairlock behind her ear.

"Woh kya hai na, mere pyaare se aur buddhu se pati ke liye banna padta hai kabhi kabhi..."

Sameer grinned wide, he clasped her hand in hand and kissed subtly.

Naina heaved a sigh of relief seeing him calm. But somehow, she didn't find his smile reach his eyes. She felt this need to come with a solution to cheer him up, he seemed really dejected by something.

"Achchha ek kaam karte hai?" She chirped, forcing Sameer to look at her who was playing with her hand.

Sameer only raised his brows.

"Jab tumhare AD ke paise aa jayenge, usme mere articleship ke thode paise jodkar, Papa ke liye ek naya bed kharide hum?"

She comprehended that his rant wasn't completely wrong. But there was one statement that was true and probably hurting Sameer the most. To see Papa shifting the sofas daily to make his bed. He had expressed this before too, how could she miss it?

Sameer's eyes sparkled like anything, giving competition to stars. "Haan Naina, hum yahi karte hai... naya bed lete hai Papa ke liye..." Sameer bounced on his place, the volume of his voice raised by one pitch.

"April ke end mein aa jayenge mere paise... waise lagta toh nahi hai aur paise jodne ki zaroorat padegi... lekin woh hum dekh lenge... aur jahan se humne sofa kharida tha na, wahi par achchhe beds bhi the... aur mai na owner ko phone karnewala hun, ki iss trunk ka jo karna karna hai karo, lekin hame yeh jagah khali chahiye... aur—"

"Haan haan Mr. Maheshwari... sab karenge..." Naina wrapped her hands around his nape, satisfied to finally see his big smile and blushing after feeling his hands too around her waist.

This was the moment. The moment where they both were at peace and wanted to kiss each other. So they leaned closer, slowly.

A sound of a doorbell stopped them from moving further and Sameer almost pushed Naina, jumping down.

"Papaaa...." He ran towards the door, opening it with sheer excitement. "Papa, aapko pata hai—"

"Ek minute bhai..." Rakesh interrupted him, "samne se hato, yeh bahot garam hai..." balancing the aluminium container on his shoulder containing the wheat flour.

"Papa, mai chala jata na... ek minute mujhe dijiye..." Sameer said, taking the container from Rakesh with the help of a napkin.

"Papa, hum na—"

"Kitni bheed thi waha pe," Rakesh cut him in again, cleaning the flour from his t-shirt. "Naina, agli baar se thoda jaldi bataya kar... matlab aise samay barbaad nahi hoga..."

When Sameer returned from the kitchen after keeping the container on the counter, Rakesh recalled he was telling something.

"Bolo, kuchh batana chah rahe the?" He asked, keeping his hands on his hips.

Sameer, whose enthusiasm had faded by that time, jumped again. "Papa, hum na aapke liye bed le rahe hai agle mahine... ab aapko zameen pe sone ki zaroorat nahi hai..."

Naina chuckled seeing Sameer's childlike enthusiasm, as if he was a kid and telling his father about the newly learned magic trick in school.

The boredom and frustration of Rakesh caused by two hours of waiting in the aata chakki vanished with just one statement from Sameer. He was delighted not with the news of getting a new bed, but by seeing the care and affection reflecting through Sameer's excitement.

He pursed his lips in a smile, "thik hai..." he said, patting Sameer's cheek.

A tear of happiness accompanied Naina's grin, seeing the scene in front of her turning a bit filmy. Her father and her husband were behaving out of their usual script.

They both had really come a long way!!!

****

April had jumped into its mid, letting the Mumbai wind carry warmth and humidity. The lives of Naina, Sameer, Rakesh and Preeti were busier than usual in these two weeks.

Rakesh was about to conclude a week-long event in the library, tomorrow being the last day. He had suggested to the management to conduct a Readers' week, promoting reading amongst youth who were forgetting it with the boom of new channels in Television. The management had really liked his idea and they made him in-charge of the event.

He designed the whole schedule of the Readers' week along with two junior librarians. He decided to invite young authors of some of the most-selling books, covering the languages as Marathi, Hindi and English. They invited readers, especially young people between 16-25, to come to the library and read books during the day, followed by the sessions of the authors in the evening.

He was involved in the various activities right from designing posters for marketing to hosting the evening sessions. Naina and Sameer had attended yesterday's session, given Naina's half-day and they hadn't seen Rakesh this happy before in his workplace.

Preeti joined Tara Jaiswal's parlour on 1st April and she learnt much more practical lessons there than during the course. She met different types of ladies coming from different cultures, and heard their gossip. She tolerated the tantrums of high-class women, who would come for hair and make-up before going to kitty parties, and smiled even when they said 'woh pehli hairstyle hi achchhi lag rahi thi' after trying four hairstyles.

The thing she newly learnt through this experience was the definition of beauty among these middle-aged women. None of them were happy with their own body and skin. Their obsession about the fair complexion bothered her and she soon realized that her own reason behind joining this fashion and beauty industry was way too different than the reason of the ladies who would visit parlors for.

Despite all this, she was enjoying her job. She used to cook breakfast and lunch together in the morning and then leave for the parlour. What relieved her was that Tanvi was always there for her to help, easing her tasks. They both were ecstatic as Shubham and Shashank had given a positive nod to Tanvi and Aditya's relationship and in an unofficial meeting between Shubham-Preeti and Tanvi, and Shashank-Sejal and Aditya, they gave the love-birds two month's time to get work before revealing it to their elders.

Sameer was the first point of contact for everything on the serial's set of AK Films. In the first week of April, he was called for a three days recce** for some new locations, which meant he had to travel with the team. Those three days felt like three years to Naina without Sameer in the house, them staying apart without seeing each other for the first time ever since their marriage, and that called for a crazy lovemaking on the day he returned.

Sameer was still hesitant when it came to going to the bathroom to discard the condom, so they came up with the idea of a mini-dustbin in their room which would be exclusively taken care of by Sameer.

It was the last month of Naina's articleship and she was counting on the days when it would be over. Yet, she was anxious about her days post that, because she would be unemployed afterwards. And though it was her own decision to quit, their financial instability would make her question her decision at times.

It was Sunday today and she got down from the auto in front of 'Sea Queen Society' main gate. Her watch told her time to be 6pm, so it would be only 'mai aur meri tanhaai' for her at home.

"Tum kab aaye?" She was surprised to see Sameer at home, who was sprawled on the sofa clutching a cushion in his arms.

"Bass 10 minutes ho gaye..." Sameer replied while straightening on the couch.

She ambled in the house, dropping her bag on the tea-table and going straight into Sameer's arms sitting next to him.

"Kya hua Naina?" Sameer asked in concern, pulling her more towards him.

"Kuchh nahi..." Naina mumbled, tightening her hold on his midriff.

"Tum short story submit karne gayi thi na? Kuchh hua kya waha pe?" he asked, stroking her cheek.

"Nahi..." she drew back, pouting her mouth, "uske baad mai woh producer ke office gayi thi jiske baare mein tum kal bata rahe the..."

When Naina and Sameer completed 25 episodes of the story, Sameer suggested her to start visiting production houses who might accept her story for a show, and today it was Naina's third producer visit in two weeks.

"Kya? Tum jaake bhi aa gayi? Mai sath mein aane wala tha na Naina..." he complained.

"Tum kitni cheezon mein dhyan doge Sameer... aur aaj time tha toh maine socha jaake aa jati hu..."

Sameer snorted. "Khair, kya hua waha pe?"

Naina's lips turned downwards, "reject kiya unhone bhi..." she answered in a feeble voice, crossing her legs.

"Naina mai tumhe pehle din se bol raha hu ki yeh kahani Aruna ma'am ko sunao... woh bilkul samjhegi tum kya kehna chahti ho iss kahani ke zariye..."

"Nahi Sameer... mai kisi ko bhi yeh mehsoos karana nahi chahti ki mai tumhare AD hone ka faayda utha rahi hu..."

"Yaar aisa koi nahi sochega Naina..." Sameer said exasperatedly.

"Woh chhodo, mai chai bana rahi hu..." Naina uttered, leaving for the kitchen.

Annoyed at her stubbornness, Sameer picked the newspaper to divert his mind. Turning the pages, he stopped at the advertisement page featuring shows of the plays and films in Mumbai. He frowned looking at one of the posters, he clearly recognized some faces from it.

"Sameer, tumhara AK Films mein contract extend ho raha hai kya?" Naina asked from the kitchen.

"Ummm... nahi, kuchh baat nahi hui ab tak..."

"Agar tumhara contract extend nahi hota hai, toh tum phirse auditions dena shuru kar dena..."

"Naina, kal chhutti hai na tumhe Ambedkar Jayanti ki?" Sameer enquired.

"Haan, kyun?"

"Kal hum ek picture dekhne ja rahe hai... 3 baje ka show hai..."

Naina didn't pay attention to his whim of watching a movie out of nowhere. She was busy recalling the words of the producer while rejecting her story.

'Koi bhi cinema tabhi successful kehlata hai, jab mahilayein roti hui theatre se bahar nikle... aajkal ki serials ka bhi waise hi hai... heroine ko dukhi dikhao, taaki uska dukh dekhkar ghar ki mahila ko apna dukh yaad aa jaye... aur isme aisa kuchh nahi hai...'

Apparently nobody wanted to see a strong woman, Naina thought. And this was only her third visit, with supposedly many more to come. But she was firm with her concept. She wasn't compromising on any of its aspect, doesn't matter if she needed to break some hard-core beliefs and stereotypes though it.

Someone has to break the chain!!

Welcome to the cruel world of rejections, Naina Maheshwari!!!! She braced herself.

*******

*tarazoo= weighing scale

**recce (रेकी ) = hunting for locations for probable shoot of a film or  serial.

A slightly longer chapter... hope you guys are okay with it.

Some deep conversations there... aah, I really missed in the Mumbai Track.

We've seen Nirmalaji's pov when she gave permission to Preeti for the parlour course. But that was very little. So I felt this need to put more of Her side so that she doesn't finish as an irritating character without any graph in this story. I hope you understood at least a little of her side.

How was the chapter overall?

Where is Naina and Sameer's career leading them to?

How do you find Rakesh and Preeti's progress till date?

Do vote. Do comment. Do share.

Love, Mugs