"Sameer.... Thik se karo na..." She instructed him, a little irked.

"Arey, thik se hi toh kar raha hun... ab khamakha gussa mat karo Naina..." he couldn't get the reason behind her upset mood.

"Ummm... Sorry... bass isliye keh rahi thi ke kabhi kabhi chiknai rah jati hai bartan pe... " She immediately softened.

The one month taken by the leaky roof was like a big lesson for Sameer. He had come to the fact that he had become way too gone case to distance himself from Naina now. He just can't live without her. Period! He had made a pact to himself, to stick with Naina everywhere and not to leave her alone for a single moment. Doesn't matter what the society thinks of him. So he had started helping Naina in each of their daily chores. Be it then washing clothes, cleaning the used utensils, ironing the clothes and chopping the vegetables. He had also understood that Naina needed time to study. So helping her would anyway take away the burden from her and she could be free earlier than usual.

While doing the utensils, as they would generally do it after the dinner, Naina would scrub it with soap and he would rinse it with normal water, wipe them and arrange it in the rack. They would talk endlessly and always have so much fun. But she had been in a different zone since almost a week now, since they had returned from his commercial shoot. Not all the time, but sometimes she would just get pissed with small things and then feel sorry about it the very next moment. And she was not even on her periods. So What was it after all?  He couldn't pinpoint exactly what, but something was bothering her. But he chose to give her some time.

"Achchha... koi baat nahi... hum kaha the waise?" He tried to resume their conversation.

"Sofe pe..." she replied innocently.

"Kya?" He flicked his brows and his mind drifted to imagining him and Naina on a sofa doing......

"Matlab, sofa set lene ki baat kar rahe the na..." she cut his reverie.

"Ohh... haan..." His voice changed. "Toh ek sofa set lete hai, ek tea table, aur hamare room ke liye bhi ek study table chahiye na... aur dressing table, hall ke liye ek bed..." he was counting the items one by one.

"Sameeeerrr.... Rukooo..." she stopped him from continuing. "Sameer, tumhare aur mere milakar sirf tees hazar rupaye hi bante hai. Aur humne pehle hi tay kiya hai na saare paise kharch nahi karenge. Toh itna samaan thodi na aayega kam paiso me?" She stated the logical part.

"Naina, inn sab cheezon ki zaroorat hai hame. Koi bahar ka aaya toh hum unhe baithne ko tak nahi bol sakte. Aur papa ko zameen pe sulana mujhe achchha nahi lagta." Well, he stated the facts.

"Haan, toh sofa le rahe hai na uske liye. Lekin abhi bed aur dressing table ki zaroorat nahi hai Sameer." She passed him last pieces of glasses to rinse.

"Mujhe papa ke liye kuchh lena hai.... Unko kuchh mere taraf se dena hai mujhe Naina..." He demanded like a child.

Naina could see the attachment building between the two men. One who was her life, and one who gave her life. Before she could agree or disagree to it, they heard the main door opening and they both turned.

Rakesh hollered while coming in, "Nainaa... aa gaya mai. Paani rakh dena yahan bass... so raha hun ab mai seedhe..." He said while sitting down on the mattress.

"Ji papa... laayi..." Naina responded.

Sameer bent down towards Naina and spoke in a low volume, "aajkal papa roz raat ko bahar jaate hai tehelne... kahi inka chakkar-wakkar toh nahi chal raha bahar?" He laughed on his own statement.

"Sameer... tum bhi na..." She filled her palm with water and threw at him.

"Aaaahhh..." Sameer shrieked, squeezing his eyes shut.

Ohh god! The soap water got into his eyes. Naina panicked. She washed her hands, wiping his eyes with a cleaned one now, "Sorry sorry sorry..." she said.

"Kya hua Sameer?" Rakesh could only hear his shriek. So he asked in concern.

"Papaji, dekho na Naina mujhe tang kar rahi hai." He complained, looking at Naina with one squinted eye.

The concern in her eyes and her moves was just the same. Whenever he acted as hurt to get her attention, she reached in seconds to sooth his worries. She never doubted whether he was just acting or really hurt, even though she fell prey to his tricks again and again. Seeing him in a state of pain was something impossible for her. That one small incident in Mt. Abu when she ignored his pain had made Sameer believe that he's not loved by anyone. And that was probably the last thing she would think of. She loved Sameer and wanted to be one of the few people in his life, who loved him the most. It was a silly thing to punish herself for not understanding his pain. But... She was just sixteen...!! She was learning what love is, she was learning how you feel when you deeply love someone, how you wish to spend time with that special person, how you care so much for that one person and how you just cannot see that one in pain. She was just learning. She was just exploring the varied range of emotions she was going through those days. Keeping her palm over the flame of a candle that night, she had decided that she would be the person for Sameer's happiness, Sameer's success. She had resolved to make his life the most beautiful. And in their relationship of four years before the marriage, she fell in love with a complete man, who had made her life beautiful. She was indebted to him for coming into her life. And now she had reached a stage where she couldn't even tolerate a small scratch on him.

"Kya kar rahe ho tum dono? Bachche ho kya abhibhi?" Rakesh shouted again while making his bedding.

But it went unheard as the couple standing near the kitchen sink was lost in their own world. Naina was wiping his eyes with her thumb and blowing over it. And Sameer... well, he was just getting pampered. The thing he loved the most. Unknown to both of them, they had stepped closer, Sameer had wrapped his arms around her waist and she had kept her one hand on his shoulder to get some leverage to his height.

"Arey mai deewaron se baat nahi kar raha Naina-Sameer..." The voice came again from the living room and they both separated.

"Aa...Aayi Papa..." Naina stuttered. 

She moved back to get some water for Rakesh but Sameer held her wrist and stopped her. "Papa ko paani mai de dunga. Tum jao, mai yeh sab band karke aata hun", he said.

She agreed with a gentle smile on her face, happy for her husband for of course some known reasons.

"Good night papa. Paani Sameer la dega." She wished her father and left for the room.

Sameer completed his task within 5 minutes. He filled a jar of water and stepped in the hall only to see Rakesh almost into deep sleep by now. He kept the jar and a glass near his mattress without making a noise and went to switch off the lights, but paused for a moment as he saw Rakesh's chappals near the door. They looked old. Something flashed in his mind and a wide grin blessed his face. He switched the lights off and walked to his room hurriedly to share this with Naina.

The next morning, it was time for Sameer to leave for the class. Only a few days of the class were left now and he was happy that he wouldn't have to constraint himself for auditions due to time limitations. He stepped down hurriedly checking time, Aditya should be waiting for him outside the gate. Even though they were immediate neighbors, Aditya would meet Sameer directly at the class, to avoid the speculations by his father. But sometimes when the situation permitted, he would inform Sameer and then the duo would go together. Sameer was also accompanied by Rakesh Papa many times, even though he had requested him not to. He just couldn't understand why Rakesh Papa wanted to be with him.

He just stepped out of the wing and was stopped by a voice.

"Jijaji..." Preeti spotted him while coming out from her wing.

He turned to his right, "Preeti... hi..." He greeted her with a wide smile.

Preeti walked to him and folded her arms, "nahi matlab yeh kya hai? Kya samjhu mai isse? Mai na aapse bohot gussa hun Jijaji." She looked displeased.

Sameer didn't get the reason for her anger. What had he done now? That too with Preeti?

"Mai samjha nahi Preeti... Kya baat hai..." He was perplexed.

"Yeh sahi hai Jijaji... Matlab aapka chhat thik ho gaya toh ab aap kyun aayenga na hamare ghar? Ab kaun Preeti? Hai na..." She continued being upset.

Aaahh... She is angry for this. He smiled, "aisi baat nahi hai Preeti. Mai bass thoda busy tha. Sorry..." He apologized genuinely, though knowing that she was just kidding.

Preeti dropped the bearing of her fake anger. "Jijuu... aap toh serious ho gaye... mai toh aisehi mazak kar rahi thi..." She tried to ease him.

Sameer put his hands in his pockets, "Haan pata hai... Lekin Preeti... Thank you so much... ekdum dil se... tumne sach me mera bohot dhyan rakha wahan." He was truly touched by Preeti's gesture in that one month he stayed there. "Mujhe pata hai tumhe shayad bohot kuchh sunna pada hoga hamari wajah se." He added.

"Ohho Jijuu... aapko yeh sab sochne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Jab tak mai yahan hun, aapko aur Naina ko koi takleef nahi hone dungi..." She said widening her smile.

How are these two sisters so selfless? He always wondered. There is Naina. Who had fought with her family, got beaten by them just to get married to him. She didn't ask questions like 'where would they live', when Sameer had left Mamaji's house. She put her CA studies on hold and worked with him to run the boutique. Sameer was always her priority and she had happily agreed to leave her loved ones, her city behind and come with him to Mumbai, just for him. She never bothered when she got to know that they will be staying in such a small rented house here in Mumbai. And here is Preeti. Who was with them in their thick and thin. Right from their love story, to their marriage to now in Mumbai. She helped them in every possible way. She was one of the partners in hiding their marriage in front of society. She gifted a pager to Sameer from her savings so that her sister shouldn't face obstacles while reaching out to her Jiju. She didn't think about the consequences and the wrath of her Mother-in-Law as it was a monetary gift. She had taken so much care of Sameer's routine and his basic requirements when he stayed there. Whether it was providing him the bed-tea, or sometimes preparing his favorite breakfast and insisting him to have it there, stealing the cordless for him when he wanted to talk to Naina, or sometimes she would just be there and ask if he needed something. He was thankful to her genuinely.

"Woh to mai jaanta hun..." he nodded. Before they could talk further, they heard Aditya's voice calling him from outside the gate. Sameer checked his watch and took his leave from Preeti.

Naina heard a doorbell ring and she opened the door. "Preeti... tu... iss waqt?" She was surprised to see Preeti at her doorstep at this odd time.

"Pehle andar toh aane de behen..." Preeti pushed Naina and walked in.

Naina closed the door and glanced at the wall clock. "Kya baat hai... Aaj teri saas ne tujhe aisehi khula chhod diya?" She teased her.

Preeti joined her in laughing, "haan... Tanvi college gayi hai, dadiji ko maine TV laga ke de diya aur Mummyji Gauri aunty ke sath Mandir gayi hai. Toh maine socha yeh mauka kaise gava du... toh bass... aa gayi mai..." She chuckled and sat on the trunk.

"Bilkul sahi kiya. Hum dono hi hai waise ghar pe. Papa bill bharne gaye hai..." She winked at her and they shared a hi-five. "Chai piyegi?" Naina offered her.

"Haan haan... Muft ki chai ko mai kabhi na nahi kehti..." She moved back and sat comfortably resting her back on the wall.

The two sisters chatted about various things excitedly, relishing the tea and biscuits even at the odd time of the day. True that married women would hardly get a chance to live for themselves. They would hardly get their self time. The whole day would be busy in doing all the household chores, taking care of husband and in-laws, preparing food for breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner. In all this time, they could hardly look at themselves in the mirror. Self-care was an alien thing to them and taking some time out for their hobbies was compared with being lethargic and not interested in their marital duties. Whether guests are at home, someone at home is sick or even they themselves are sick for that matter, they would always be in the kitchen, ready to serve people on their toes. But that surely wasn't an issue. It wasn't about being a housewife and spending the whole day in the kitchen, but more about giving freedom to women about their choices. It was about asking their opinions about something. It was about valuing and respecting their sacrifices, their compromises, their efforts. It was asking about their dreams. Though Naina was lucky to get a life-partner like Sameer, who had given her complete freedom; Preeti was the one who had had a mother-in-law with strong principles and wanted everyone at their home to abide by her rules. But Preeti had never complained about this. She had accepted all this as a part of her life and was happy being married to a man like Shubham, a kind-hearted guy, who may not oppose his mother for anything, but would never stop supporting Preeti in every situation.

"Preeti... tune baat ki Jijaji se... tere parlor ke course ke baare mein?" Naina asked Preeti while taking her last sip of the tea.

Preeti averted her gaze. "Umm... nahi ki ab tak... karti hu na...", she replied.

"Kab karegi Preeti? Tune kaha tha tu ab tak kar legi baat..." Naina expressed her concern.

"Mujhe waqt nahi mil raha Naina... saara din ghar ke kamo me nikal jata hai... aur phir raat tak baat dimag se hi nikal jaati hai..." Preeti reasoned.

"Toh kar na jaldi... Preeti, tu kab tak aise chori chhupe dusron ka haircut karwati rahegi?" Naina asked her while taking the tray in the kitchen.

Preeti too followed her, "tujhe nahi pata Naina... lekin mujhe yeh baat bohot soch samajhkar bolni padegi. Shubhamji se aaram se iss par baat karna hi thik rahega." She placed her palm on the kitchen platform and continued, "tu lucky hai Naina, ki tu apna CA banne ka sapna poora kar paa rahi hai. Yeh jaante hue bhi ki CA banne ke liye kitna padhna padta hai, Jijaji ne tujhe kabhi kisi baat ke liye nahi toka... maine dekha hai unhe tumhare kam me hath batate hue." She put her hand on Naina's shoulder affectionately, feeling so proud of her Jijaji.

Naina's face fell pale after hearing her statement. She pondered on it for a moment, "haan sahi keh rahi hai tu...", not sure herself on what she has exactly agreed upon.

In the evening, Sameer returned from the class earlier. As they had planned this morning, they were going to visit some furniture shops. They were confused if they should go for customized furniture, which would take time to prepare or buy ready made ones from the shop. After a discussion with Rakesh Papa, they decided to buy some ready made furniture, which were urgent and place an order for some.

The three left for the Andheri bus stop as they had planned. Sameer wanted Rakesh's opinions too in their choices, so he insisted him to come with them.

Rakesh had even asked them about the need for him to be present, "arey lekin mujhe kyun le jaa rahe ho sath me? Tum jo bhi lekar aaoge, mujhe pasand hi aayega."

Sameer pleaded again, "Papaji chaliye na. Aapki pasand ka sofa set lete hai. Aur aap achche se mol-bhav bhi kar lenge toh kharcha bhi kam hoga na."

Rakesh looked at his son-in-law's face, who was requesting for the third time now, "mujhe nahi pata Sameer kya achchha lagega kya nahi... Kabhi mere pasand se kuchh liya hi nahi gaya ghar me... Sab bhaisahab hi lekar aate the... bade the na ghar ke..." He tried to decline, now with a heavy heart.

Sameer and Naina shared a glance with each other, Sameer still didn't give up, "haan lekin yahan aap bade hai. Toh yeh maan aapka hai Papaji. Mumbai ki hamari pehli kamai par haq aapka hi hai." Sameer smiled.

"Haan Papa, chaliye na." Naina added.

Overwhelmed by the elderly respect given to him by his children, Rakesh had finally agreed to go with them.

They visited some nearby furniture shops in Andheri. They finalized a two seater sofa and two single sofa chairs with intricate designs, made of Sagwan wood. They also selected a rectangular shaped tea table from the same set. They noticed some sets of bamboo cane in the same shop. So they purchased two cane stools for their bedroom.

The accessories like seaters, cushions and covers were also purchased from another shop, but all the cushions were strictly serving for the sofa sets and not for their bedroom. There they didn't even need the extra one. Some other things like more storage cans and cutlery sets for kitchen stuff, one more mirror for the bedroom which can be fixed on a wall and curtains contributed to their shopping.

They roamed in almost every corner of Andheri market. Sometimes they walked, sometimes hired an auto rickshaw. By taking a small break in between, they satiated their hunger with some delicious chat items in a food corner. It almost felt like a small family outing.

The furniture items were supposed to be delivered by tomorrow morning. They had exceeded their pre-planned budget but the things they purchased were necessary too. When they returned home, they should've felt tired but actually no one was. They all were so happy today. But Sameer was extra cheerful that Rakesh papa was happily agreeing to everything he had asked for.

And probably that's why when Naina joined him to bed with a book in her hand, he simply snatched it from her, kept it aside without uttering any word and just pulled her onto him for a deep kiss, a kiss of satisfaction after achieving a small feat on their own. As he rolled over her without breaking the kiss and pinned her to the mattress, they finally gave up to the love, passion and longing for each other.

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