It was night's time but still some children were playing in the garden of the Sea Queen society. Some of the children were already done with their final school exam and some were studying for the upcoming ones. But the longer days and warmer breeze kept their playful mood alive.

The Maheshwari couple had had their dish-wash routine some time back and were now in their room talking about the day. Sameer was sitting on the mattress on his side, with his legs spread and crossed over one another. He had a copy of Kadambini Magazine in his hand, and he was reading something. Naina had rested her head on his lap and she was sleeping parallelly to the wall. She was just playing with the strings of the knot of her night dress and thinking about something deeply.

"Sameer, tumne kaha kyun nahi ki tum hero ke role ke liye aaye ho...." Naina bleated.

Sameer looked at her peeping through the magazine, "bataya na Naina... mai gaya tha unke paas... lekin woh mujhpar hi barasene lage... toh mai kya karta..."

"Lekin aise kaise tumhe dost ka role de diya unhone", Naina whined again.

"Haan toh thik hai na... Ab Salman ki pehli film me bhi toh woh hero ka bhai hi tha. Lekin baad me bann gaya na Hero?" He shrugged.

"Mr. Maheshwari, woh Salman ke pitaji Salim Khan hai na, isliye." Naina rolled her eyes.

"Naina... Hamare Papa ne kabhi Filmon me try kyun nahi kiya? Villain ka role toh aasani se mil jata unhe..." He looked at her to get a stare back from her, but still continued, "Gussa karna kitna achchhese aata hai Papa ko... aur mere liye bhi thoda aasan jo jata..."

"Sameer..." She grabbed the cushion from her lap and whirled it to the back to hit his arm.

Sameer acted as hurt, "Aahhh... Sorry sorry..." He apologized while taking the pillow from her hand and laughed.

She smiled, "Lekin koi kuchh bhi kahe... tum toh ekdum hero material lagte ho Sameer. Yaad hai na, Anant Mahadevan ji aur unke assistant ne kya kaha tha. Tum na Salman, Aamir aur Shah Rukh Khan ka mixture lagte ho."

Sameer sighed and folded the magazine keeping his finger in between, "Naina, agar hum Anant Mahadevan ji aur unke assistant ke baaton par dubara na hi fisle, toh achchha hai."

"Aisa kyun keh rahe ho?" Naina frowned.

"Naina, yahan Mumbai me rehne ke baad itna toh mujhe pata chal chuka hai. Yeh Film industry wale log matlab par bohot chalte hai. Aur shayad uss din bhi, unhone kuchh matlab ke liye hi yeh sab kaha ho... Shayad woh hamara swimming pool use kar rahe the isliye..." Sameer reasoned.

'ya shayad unhe bhi side actor ke liye meri zaroorat pad gayi, isliye...' the line was on the verge of slipping from his mouth, but he refrained himself with a sigh.

"Woh chahe kuchh bhi kahe... Mere liye toh tum Hero hi ho... hero ke dost nahi..." Naina said.

Her voice got him back to their conversation. "Haaaann... lekin isme toh Hero wahi hai na... tumhara Rishabh Malhotra...", he chuckled.

"Sameeeerr..." She was miffed. "Mere toh sirf tum ho. Aur mai toh uske acting ki tareef kar rahi thi. Aur tum ho ki bass chhed rahe ho mujhe kabse..." She twisted her mouth.

Sameer looked at her cute antics. He cupped her jaw into his fingers and thumb, and squeezed her cheeks a little to make a pout of her lips. "Achchha baba, nahi chhed raha." He left her cheeks, rested his hand on her bosom and continued, "Suna hai, woh dono bhai Ahmedabad me hi padhte the... aur ekdum hero types the... tumhe toh pata hoga na..."

"Offoo... Ab St. Xavier's me padhe ladko ko mai kaise jaan sakti hu... mai toh gareeb bechari Hindi medium me padhne wali seedhi-sadhi ladki. Jisko sirf ek buddhu ladka hi pasand aa sakta hai..." She said dramatically, modulating her voice in a typical ablaa heroine mode.

She got up suddenly and sat facing him, "aur Sameer, Hero types to tum bhi the college me. Saari ladkiyaan toh tum pe bhi marti thi." She giggled and winked at him.

He smirked and looked down, his voice lowered, "Haan... lekin sirf college me... yaha aakar asliyat pata chal rahi hai..."

Naina went silent for a few moments and so did Sameer. They both avoided the eye-contact. Sameer cleared his throat and resumed, "khair... wo sab chhodo... yeh pakdo..." He passed her the magazine. "das hazaar", he added.

Naina looked at the 'Kadambini' magazine in her hand, "kya?" Surprised, she asked.

"Isme teen short stories chhapi hai. Aur teeno ki shabdo ki maryada takreeban 10000 ke aaspas hai. Toh tum bhi utne hi word limit me likhna tumhari kahani... aur haan, 20th April tak submit karna hai hame", he informed.

Naina's eyes widened, "tum ginn rahe the ab tak?"

"Haan bass thoda roughly calculate kiya..." Sameer smiled but his brows furrowed immediately, "lekin yeh Grihshobha me toh kuchh pata hai nahi chal raha hai... sirf ek short story hai aur baki toh bass idhar-udhar ke nuskhe diye hai auraton ke..."

She grinned at his information. She thought he must be casually reading the magazines, but felt pleased to know that he was actually counting the word limit for her to get it easier. But she knew he had diverted the topic, she wanted to ask him something, "Sameer, agar yeh role tumhe mil gaya....."

Before she could complete, Sameer interrupted her, "Naina.. chhodo na wo baat... achchha chalo, ab so jaate hai na... neend aa rahi hai... tum kal se phir kahani likhna... thik hai..." Saying this, Sameer pulled over the quilt and slided down.

Naina sighed and got up to switch off the light. As she joined him beside him, he turned to her and pulled her closer to him. "Good night", wishing her, he kissed her forehead.

"Good night", she wished back and flung her hand on his back.

For their entire conversation, they were smiling at each other. They were laughing, pulling each other's leg and teasing. But inside, they were just consoling each other and themselves too that it was fine to get a side role. That it was okay, if Sameer wasn't the Hero of that film. That it was okay if they needed to wait longer to see their dream getting fulfilled.

***

Naina was studying in the afternoon when Preeti barged in through the open door. "Nainaaaa..." She hollered and stopped after seeing Naina in the living room itself. "Tu padh rahi hai kya?" She made a face while putting her hands on her waist.

Naina looked at her and laughed, "baith toh sahi... keetabein dekhi nahi ke muh banana shuru..."

Preeti chuckled and sat on the sofa while crossing her legs. "Tu padh rahi hogi toh mai baad me aati hu...", she said with a sigh.

"Nahi ruk. Ho hi gaya hai mera..." She said while checking something into her notes. "Tu bata... aaj tere kadam mere yahan kaise?" She teased Preeti.

Preeti kept both her palms on her cheeks, "mai bore ho rahi thi Naina. Tanvi ke final year ke exam shuru ho rahe hai toh woh apni saheli ke ghar padhne gayi hai. Mummyji pata nahi kisi Gupta Aunty ke yaha gayi hai aur Dadiji so rahi hai. Mai akeli hun ghar pe jise koi kaam hi nahi hai..." She gave a lopsided smile and looked down.

Naina closed her notebook and the book and kept it on the tea-table. "Tere ghar ke kaam itne jaldi ho gaye? Abhi 2 hi baje hai..." She was amazed. "Lekin achchha kiya tu yaha aa gayi." Smiling, she added.

"Haan, roz-roz wahi kaam toh hota hai. Toh jaldi nipat jata hai aajkal. Lekin, aaj ghar me tu akeli kaise?" Preeti noticed they were the only two at home.

"Sameer audition ke liye gaya hai. Aur Papa pata bhi bahar gaye hai. Pata nahi 2 din se dopahar ko jaa rahe hai kahi..." Naina shrugged.

Preeti hummed and they both heard a noise of some children running down the stairs while chasing one another.

"Tune darwaza khula kyun rakha tha?" Preeti got up to shut the door.

"Arey, yaha itni umas hai na Mumbai me. Paseena aa raha tha, isliye thoda khulla rakha tha." Naina reasoned and fastened her hair so as to tie in a bun. But as she did one round of the hair for the bun, her hair got caught into the metal strap of her wrist watch.

"Aaahhh..." Naina shrieked as her hair got pulled. Preeti was beside her within seconds to help her and she tried to free her hair from the strap.

As her hair was set free, they both heaved a sigh of relief. "Naina, yeh kya halat banake rakhi hai tune baalon ki? Kitne dry ho gaye hai?" Preeti remarked while sitting again.

"Areyy... pata hai itne kharab ho gaye hai na... aur dumohey bhi ho gaye hai... Lekin padhai ke chalte dhyan hi nahi de paati mai..." Naina unclasped the wrist watch and kept it on the table.

"Mai nahi rahungi na, toh tera kuchh nahi hone wala hai behen..." Preeti got up to stand beside Naina and grabbed some of her hair strands to examine. She noticed that her hair was too dry and had splitants. They lacked lustre and smoothness.

"Yeh kyaaa haal bana ke rakha hai Naina..." Preeti admonished Naina.

Naina looked at Preeti and made an innocent face. She just smiled at her sister sheepishly.

Preeti could only chuckle at this. She kept both her hands on Naina's shoulder and said, "hmmm... iska kuchh karna padega behen... ummmm...", she thought for sometime.

"Ghar me shehad hai?", she asked. Naina nodded.

"Amla powder, reetha aur shikakaai hai?" Naina nodded again.

"Ummm... kela hai?" Preeti asked again.

Naina was confused at the number of items she was asking for. "Preeeetiiiiiii.... Yeh kya kya puchh rahi hai? Aur yeh khane hai kya?"

"Tu chup kar. Aur yeh sab cheezein de mujhe..." Preeti ordered her and entered the kitchen.

Following her, Naina muttered, "pata nahi kya karigiri dikhane wali hai..."

They both entered the kitchen and Naina started taking out things one by one. Preeti peeled two bananas and mashed them in a bowl. She then opened the lid of the Honey bottle and poured two spoons of honey into it. Taking a spoonful of amla powder, Preeti mixed all to form a paste. Naina was bewildered to see Preeti doing something like this. It looked more like a food recipe to her and she couldn't help but scrunch her nose as she knew that it would be applied to her hair.

When Preeti was done with mixing, she took Naina to the living room again and made her sit on the sofa chair. She stood behind her and passed the bowl to Naina to hold it for her. She grabbed a towel from the washbasin and kept it on Naina's shoulders so as to avoid the sticky paste falling. She then parted Naina's hair into sections with her little finger and took a few locks of her hair in her hand. Taking some paste with her fingers, Preeti started applying it on Naina's hair from roots to the tips.

Naina finally spoke nervously, "Preetiii... yeh tu kya kar rahi hai? Mere shadi ka perming wala kaand bhul gayi kya? Sameer kitna naaraz ho gaya tha? Aur agar phirse kuchh ho gaya na mere baalon ko, toh mai chhodungi nahi tujhe... kyunki Sameer mujhe nahi chhodega." She made a small face.

Preeti rolled her eyes, "Nainaaa.... Shadi wale din maine hi tujhe bachaya tha woh judaa bana ke. Aur agar us din tu mujhse hi karwati na hairstyle, toh wo perming wala kaand bhi nahi hua hota. Khair... tu tension mat le, isse tere baal ekdum reshmi ho jayenge." She flicked her brows.

Preeti applied the paste all over Naina's hair and tied them into a bun. She washed her hands and took back her seat on the sofa. Naina was sitting on the sofa chair, had folded her legs and had rested her cheeks on a fisted hand. She looked so tensed.

"Tension mat le behen. Mai hun na..." Preeti patted Naina's shoulder.

Naina smiled at her assurance. "Mai hu na...", She mimicked her and chuckled, "Preeti... iss naam ki na koi picture banni chahiye... jiski heroine tu hogi... aur phir tu aise kahegi... 'arey, tension kyun lena... Mai hun na...'" She raised an imaginary collar and both sisters laughed.

"Tu hi likh de mere liye koi aisi kahani Naina... Waise bhi, apna pasandeeda kaam toh mai kar nahi sakti... yahi kar lungi.. aur... tujhe toh bachpan se hi toh kahaniyon ka shauk raha hai...", Preeti suggested.

Naina's eyes twinkled listening to this and she suddenly screamed, "Preetiiiiiii.... Mai toh tujhe batana hi bhool gayi..." Saying this, she literally jumped from her seat and ran to the bedroom. Preeti actually jerked with her sister's sudden moves and wondered what is coming ahead.

Naina came back running again with a diary in her hand. She sat on the couch beside Preeti with the same enthusiasm. "Preeti, tujhe pata hai... main na kahani likh rahi hu... aur hum unhe Hindi Patrikayein ke liye bhejne wale hai... Sameer ne kaha mujhe likhna dubara shuru kar dena chahiye..." She spoke animatedly.

Preeti's eyes shone with happiness. "Sachhi... tune likhna phir se shuru kar diya? Nainaaaa..." She leaned forward and hugged Naina. Naina too couldn't control grinning in happiness.

"Lekin yeh sab achanak se kaise hua? Mujhe pata hai tu school tak to likhti thi kuchh kuchh. Lekin baad me toh... matlab... lekin ab kaise?" Preeti couldn't even frame a proper sentence due to the excitement.

"Sameer ke wajah se..." Naina replied with a wide smile on her lips. She narrated briefly how a few days before Sameer had suddenly asked her about her aspirations and dreams, how she confessed about it and how then Sameer suggested some ways for it.

Preeti was elated to hear this. "Waah Naina... Jijaji toh mere hai ki kamaal ke...", said Preeti, giving a jerk to her neck. "Aur... mai khush hu tere liye... kyunki tu woh kar paa rahi hai, jisse tujhe khushi milti hai..." She kept her palm on Naina's hand.

They chatted for a few minutes more and Preeti noticed that it was time to wash Naina's hair-pack. She mixed the sheekakai and reetha into a bowl and asked Naina to make hot water into a vessel.

"Preeti, mai shampoo se dho lungi na... Jaldi ho jayega...", Naina said.

"Nahi Naina, yeh shampoo-wampoo me kuchh nahi rakha... tu yahi istemaal kiya kar... Baal hamesha achchhe rahenge..." Preeti assured her.

When Naina came back from washing her hair, Preeti made her sit in front of the mirror in the bedroom. Showing her something in her hand, Preeti said while looking at Naina in the mirror, "tu bass ab mera jaado dekh Naina... Jijaji toh dang reh jaayenge... yaad hai, college me GS banne ke baad tune kaise entry li thi... aur Jijaji kaise ghoor rahe the tujhe? Haayeeee....."

Naina nudged her elbow backwards to hit Preeti but still blushed so hard. Both the sisters laughed hard remembering astounded Sameer that day and hoping for the replay of that reaction, Naina smiled gleefully and signaled Preeti to continue.

***

Sameer returned from the audition by 5pm. He put his bag on the trunk and looked for his love, Naina. "Nainaaa..." he called her and sat on the sofa chair.

"Aayi Sameer..." He heard her voice. Resting his head back, he just raked his hair and closed his eyes.

It had been a few days since Sameer's second round audition for the film and there hadn't been any response for it until today. It had taken six days to get the response for the first audition, so he had been hoping to get a call from the production house anytime soon. But somehow, he was a bit pessimistic about him getting selected for a side role. He had told this to Naina too the other day, that it was a two Hero film and felt that the role he was selected for, must be just an insignificant character. What had surprised him the most was that even Naina was apprehensive about his role and wished for him to actually not get selected. They both had just laughed at their synchronized thoughts but felt guilty about it too. They knew Sameer wasn't a star who could be given a choice of what kinds of roles he would want to play or he could take a decision whether he should do a role or not. They were aware that he has to accept whatever comes his way, whether it's a print ad, a TV commercial or even if it's a meaningless side character in a film. So concealing both their inner wish to see Sameer as a Hero in a film, they kept hoping for that call.

Yesterday, when Rakesh had said that there was a call for Sameer, he had just looked at the Lord Krishna idol with mixed feelings. What if the call was to inform that he was rejected? Doesn't matter. He was prepared for it. But what if the call was to offer him the role? He didn't have any option but say 'yes' to it and do a 'Hero ka dost' in his first film. But it was an audition call for a commercial and he mentally thanked God for delaying that call.

Today's audition was a good one. Auditions conducted for commercials were always simple, he believed. Lesser people, few lines to say and less time consuming. But the travel in busses and locals still exhausted him and he was still not used to travelling in the crowd. He hoped for good for this commercial.

"Paani..." He heard her sweet voice and opened his eyes.

He saw a beautiful smile on Naina's face which faded all his day's fatigue. He accepted the glass looking at her and noticed something different. He furrowed his brows trying to figure out what it was. He emptied the glass and saw a mischievous smile on her face as she pursed her lips.

"Audition kaisa tha?" Naina asked him.

"Achchha tha." He gave the glass back to her. Missing the loud voice in the home, Sameer looked around and asked, "Papa kaha hai?"

"Abhi toh bazaar gaye hai..." Naina replied.

"Abhi toh matlab?" Sameer frowned.

"Matlab pehle bhi kahi bahar gaye the. Aur ab kuchh saman laane gaye hai bazaar se." Naina stated.

She didn't know if Sameer heard her answering as she saw him staring at her. Stifling her laughter, she said, "tum fresh ho ke aa jao, mai chai banati hu", and left for the kitchen keeping her dupatta on her mouth.

Sameer got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up. As he was washing his face, he was constantly thinking about something different he noticed in Naina. She had not changed her dress as she was wearing the same yellow-green chudidaar-kurta as morning. She had not applied any makeup as she had already told him that she doesn't like to wear makeup daily. He smiled thinking how simple his wife was. Had she changed her earrings or something? He got back to thinking as he wiped his face with a towel. But, he could spot the same silver colored Jhumka's from the morning. And even the sets of silver metal bangles were just the same. He stepped out of the bathroom, stood in front of the wash-basin and took a comb to do his hair. Did she change the partition of her hair? No, it was the usual one.

Wait a minute. Her hair.

Yes. Her hair looked unlike the other days. They were styled differently. He was now curious to find out if he had guessed it correct. He put the comb back and headed to the kitchen to see his Naina. He leaned on the entrance of the kitchen and folded his hands. Naina was making the tea for the two of them. He looked carefully at her back and smiled. Yes, it had found it.

He walked to her and hugged her from back, startling her. She looked at him and smiled.

"Tum parlour gayi thi?" He queried, nuzzling into her shining hair.

Naina felt a ticklish sensation on her neck with his nose. Before she could answer, she felt his lips kissing softly on her neck. And she exhaled while savouring his touch.

"Nahi toh..." She replied while controlling her emotions.

He turned her to him and looked at her adoringly. There were few locks of hair falling on her cheeks. He tucked them behind her ear and felt them smooth. "Ab isme chhupane wali kya baat hai?" His voice turned husky and low. He stepped closer to her leaving no gap between them and looked deep into her eyes.

"Huhh?" She could only utter looking at his towering figure.

They heard a sound of hissing from somewhere, and before Naina could perceive the source of it, she saw Sameer turning off the knob of the boiling tea. She looked back at him, he hadn't shifted his gaze anywhere else apart from her face.

He smiled seeing his effect on her even after so many years of their relationship. He stepped back a little, giving her a chance to breathe. "Bohot achchhi lag rahi ho. Haircut karwaya na tumne?" He asked.

Naina blinked her eyes and blushed to his compliment. "Haircut karwaya hai, lekin kahi gayi nahi thi."

"Toh?" He frowned. He took some strands of her hair from her shoulder into his palm and rubbed his thumb over it. "Itne silky kaise ho gaye?"

"Yeh sab Preeti ka kamal hai mister. Usine kar ke diya sab." Naina flicked her brows.

"Kya? Haircut bhi? Yeh toh bada kamaal kar diya hai saali-sahiba ne..." Sameer was genuinely surprised to know that Naina had got a parlour-like treatment at home. But he remembered the first day of Naina as a General Secretary in the college and how Preeti had done her haircut. He could never forget the way he was smitten by Naina who was walking as a Queen and looked absolutely gorgeous that day. "Preeti toh expert lag rahi hai isme. Use apna parlour shuru kar dena chahiye, hai na..." He leaned on the countertop.

She turned and took two cups for the tea. "Haan, karna toh woh yahi chahti hai... Pata hai, use bachpan se hi inn sab cheezon ka bohot shauk hai... aur woh khudpe kam, dusro pe jyada try karti hai..." She laughed while pouring the tea into cups.

"Toh? Problem kya hai?" He asked.

She looked down. "Nirmala Aunty ko pasand nahi hai unke ghar ki bahu kaam kare."

Sameer noticed the change in her expressions and voice. And before letting her drown in a serious mood, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. She gasped with the sudden move and felt him locking his hands on her back.

Sameer leaned towards her, "mai na kal hi Preeti se keh dunga. Woh jitni bhi utpatang cheezein try karna chahti hai na, sab meri Biwi par kare. Itna khubsurat nazara agar roz dekhne ko milega, toh mujhe toh pagal hona bhi manzoor hai." He winked.

"Achchha?" She wrapped her hands around his neck. "Toh mai roz khubsurat nahi dikhti?" She raised her brows.

Sameer rolled his eyes. "Naina, tum kabhi kabhi typical biwiyon jaisi baatein kyun karti ho?"

She just chuckled. He loosened his grip just a little, "khair, tumhari kahani poori hui ke nahi. Pata hai na, kal-parso tak hame post karna hai."

"Haan ho gayi hai lagbhag." Her eyes twinkled suddenly. "Sameer, maine na Preeti ko bhi dikhayi kahani. Use bhi bohot pasand aayi. Keh rahi thi, meri kahani ki behne ekdum hum dono jaisi hai. Jab mujhe zaroorat padti hai toh woh mere sath khadi rehti hai, aur usko zaroorat padti hai toh mai....."

Her words died down suddenly. Her eyes lost their shine and her smile diminished. She looked at Sameer who had raised his eyebrows in a question.

"Kya hua? Ruk kyun gayi?" Sameer asked, perplexed.

A realisation dawned upon her, and Naina freed herself from Sameer's arm and ran to their bedroom.

"Nainaaaaa..." Sameer was in completely puzzled state. What had suddenly happened to Naina? He was baffled and he too followed her in the bedroom.

Naina rushed to her room and looked for her diary. It was there on the study table. She grabbed it hurriedly and riffled through its pages to find her story. As she opened it, she started reading her own story. As her gaze shifted through words and lines and paragraphs, she gulped a few lumps in her throat. Sameer stood at the doorstep, looking at Naina going through her story. What he couldn't see was the tears pooled in her eyes and the rush of emotions in her mind.

Naina recollected today's Preeti's body-language properly again. Preeti had said that she could finish her chores early as it's the same repetitive work. She remembered her saying that she was bored sitting idle at home and having nothing to do. When they had come to Mumbai, Naina was astonished to see Preeti busy all the day doing something or the other told by her mother-in-law. Naina was often helped by Sameer in her chores, but she knew that Preeti did it all alone. But over the time, Preeti too had become expert in managing all the things at home and found some time for herself. But she could not utilize the time for some creativity, rather she had to just sit and watch TV with her mother-in-law and Dadiji. Naina remembered her saying that she can't do her 'pasandeeda kaam' even if she has some leisure time at home. And Naina knew what that was for Preeti. To work in her own parlour. She had discussed it with Preeti that she should take Shubhamji in her favour to convince Nirmala Aunty, but they knew how tough it was.

She glanced back at her story. She thought she had written a tale of two sisters who supported each other through their thick and thin. But going through it carefully again, she noticed that it was mostly about one sister supporting the other. And now she knew why.

Wasn't it just the same in her and Preeti's case?

May it be her crying in the second standard in the school when someone had pushed her down while playing and Preeti had pulled the pigtail of that girl. May it be Preeti hugging her and consoling her whenever Taiji taunted her as 'bin Maa ki bachchi' and she missed her mother. When Naina didn't have enough money to purchase a notebook, it was Preeti who gave her the extra penny for it. When Naina was teased by the boys in the school, then Preeti was there to blast at them.

And what about those innumerable incidents when Sameer entered Naina's life?

From keeping an eye on the passer-by whenever Naina and Sameer met to giving her money to call Sameer in Delhi. From making posters for Naina in the GS elections in the college to getting beaten by Taiji when they both had eloped. From saving Naina from dress malfunction in college Navratri function to selling sarees and dresses in Naina-Sameer's boutique exhibition. From hiding all her letters and secrets to helping her in cleaning her house after the wedding. Getting her hands waxed to accompany Naina, keeping elders busy in the match so that Naina can go for a bike ride with Sameer, making new stories with Naina here in Mumbai to hide their marital status, Preeti was there every single time for Naina. She just didn't call herself Hanumanji for namesake, but she truly kept her word.

A small tear fell on the Diary and Naina couldn't see anything with those watery eyes. She heaved a deep breath. What had she done for Preeti in all those years? They shared a room from childhood, did all the fun which real siblings would have, got beaten together by elders at many instances. But was there any such moment when Preeti was miserable and Naina had stood by her? There might be hardly such incidents. Probably because Preeti was always a stronger one between the two. Or she was capable of dealing with her problems by herself. Naina smirked with teary eyes, thinking how strong people are often taken for granted even if they are in difficult situations. People around them assume that they will solve their woes by themselves but they forget that even stronger people need support. Sometimes just in the form of a gentle touch on their head to tell them 'Don't worry, everything will be fine'. Sometimes by just holding their hands and giving a nod to them to proceed. Or sometimes just in the form of some soothing words like 'tu tension mat le, mai hu na.'

She blinked her eyes to clear her view and tears rolled down her cheeks. This was immediately noticed by the man who was leaning on the doorstep with folded hands and was waiting for his wife to respond to something. Sameer immediately straightened and walked slowly towards Naina.

Naina looked up to see herself in the wall-fixed mirror. How many times have Preeti done her make-over like this? All her hair-styles in Pooja Didi's wedding and her own wedding, well except the Wedding Day itself, were done by Preeti. She remembered the secret hair-cut when a chewing gum had stuck into her hair. And today too, when she trimmed her hair in style to get rid of the splitants. The way Sameer was adoring her on every such occasion and she received compliments, it was all thanks to Preeti. Preeti was her savior in true manner, always helping her with a beautiful smile on her face. But if she's not mistaking, then Preeti was a little upset today. Probably she had come here to share her feelings but got involved in something which gave her happiness ultimately. Naina realized that she had failed badly to read Preeti's upset mood today. She gazed at her diary and gripped all the pages she had written her story on in her fingers.

"Nainaa... Kya hua?" Sameer called her with a sense of foreboding.

And before he could get a reply, he saw Naina tearing all the pages of her story. "Yeh kya kar rahi ho?" Sameer's eyes widened in disbelief. He further saw her keeping the diary on the table, crumpling the pages and throw it on the floor.

"Tum pagal ho gayi ho Naina? Apni kahani kyun phaad di tumne?" Holding her with her shoulders, he raised his voice. They were supposed to post it in 2-3 days if there was a chance of it getting featured in May edition of the magazines. And to his dismay, she has torn the whole nicely written story.

"Haan toh sahi toh kiya hai. Galat hi toh likha hua tha sab." She said with a heavy voice.

Sameer calmed down. "Naina, achanak se kya ho gaya tumhe? Aur itni achchhi kahani likhi thi tumne. Maine padhi hai. Isme kya galat hai?" He queried.

"Sab galat hai." She yelled as new tears formed in her eyes.

Sameer needed to understand what was going on in her mind. She was in such a cheerful mood a while ago and something happened suddenly that made her this upset. "Naina... tum baitho yaha pe..." He made her sit on the cane stool near the window and knelt down in front of her. He caressed her cheek with his palm, "kya baat hai Naina? Mujhe batao na please..." He was now getting scared seeing her tears.

Naina sniffed, "Sameer, mai na bahot buri hu. Mai na... mai... mai bahot swarthi ho gayi hun... sirf apne baare me sochti hun mai..." And she sobbed once.

Sameer cupped her face and wiped her tears with his thumbs. "Naina, yeh kya keh rahi ho tum? Tum aur swarthi... Naina..."

"Nahi, mai hun Sameer. Tabhi toh Preeti ka udaas chehra mai padh nahi paayi." She interrupted him and continued with a broken voice. "Pata hai Sameer, ek lekhak ke liye uski pehli kahani jyadatar uski neeji zindagi se judi hui hoti hai. Maine bhi socha tha ki meri kahani me dono behne ek-dusre ki taakad banengi, mushkil waqt me ek-dusre ka sahara banegi. Lekin meri asal zindagi me toh aisa kuchh bhi nahi hai."

Sameer was listening to her intently. She continued, "Sameer, asal zindagi me toh sirf Preeti ne hi mujhe har mushkilon se bachaya hai. Meri Hanumaan bankar mera sath diya hai. Lekin mai... mai uske liye kuchh nahi kar paayi Sameer. Na hi kabhi use himmat di, na kabhi uska sahara bani, na hi kabhi uska hausla badhaya... mai kuchh nahi kar paayi Sameer... mai... kuchh..." Tears couldn't stop flowing through her eyes and she started sobbing.

"Shshshshshh... Naina shant ho jao..." Sameer pulled her to him, making her head rest on his shoulder and rubbed her back. "Shshshsh... Naina... aise rote nahi..." Naina finally let out all her tears and she cried holding his shirt. Sameer kept rubbing her back and her arm till she calmed down. When he felt her sobs subdued, he made her face him. Ticking her smooth hair behind her ear, he asked in concern, "Naina, Preeti thik hai na... kuchh hua hai kya? Mujhe please thik se batao."

Naina wiped the last trace of tears from her cheek, "Preeti parlour ka course karna chahti hai, jisse woh aage jakar apna parlour shuru kar sake. Lekin Nirmala Aunty ko manzoor nahi hai, aur shayad Jijaji unke khilaaf kuchh bol nahi paate. Sameer, aise me mai uske liye kuchh nahi kar paa rahi hu. Mere liye yaha tum ho, Papa hai... lekin woh... shayad woh akeli inn cheezon se lad rahi hai wahan..." She heaved a sigh.

Having stayed in Preeti's house for almost one month and knowing Nirmala ji by now, Sameer knew that it must be difficult for Preeti to convince them for her course. And Naina was right that she couldn't do anything for her dear sister but only be a spectator. But he couldn't see Naina's helplessness.

He leaned forward and caressed Naina's face, "Naina, hum unke neeji mamlon me dakhalandazi toh nahi kar sakte na. Agar Nirmla aunty ko Preeti ka kam karna pasand nahi, toh hum zabardasti toh nahi kar sakte."

She opened her mouth to counter, but he interrupted her, "Lekin tum ek kaam zaroor kar sakti ho."

"Kya?" She asked innocently but eagerly.

He smiled after seeing a ray of hope in her eyes. "Tum unki soch badalne ki koshish toh kar hi sakti ho Naina. Aur tumhare paas ek bahot achchha mauka bhi hai." He pressed her hands gently.

"Kaise?" Intrigued, she asked again.

He got up, picked the diary from the study table and while coming back to her, he just bent down in his knees. Placing the diary in her lap, he said, "apni kahani ke zariye. Naina, tumhe apni soch shabdon ke madhyam se bayan karni thi na?"

Her eyes shone after listening to some familiar words. She wondered how Sameer could render the exact same words as hers? But keeping a mental note of it, she just nodded.

He smiled warmly, "Toh aaj tumhe yeh mauka mil raha hai. Kyuni sirf Nirmala Aunty nahi, hamare aas-paas kayi aise log hai jo aisi soch rakhte hai. Aur tumhare kahaniyon ke zariye shayad tum unn logon ki soch me ek badlaav la paogi. Toh kuchh aisa likho Naina jisse yeh samaaj kuchh sochne par majboor ho jaye. Hum ekkisvi sadi ki aur badh rahe hai aur aaj naye vicharon ki pehel karna bahot zaroori hai. Jo tum kar sakti ho, hai na?"

Naina looked at her husband who had so much depth in his thoughts. Being raised by his Nanu, who was ready to accept a girlfriend of his seventeen year old grandson, she had no doubt that Sameer would be of so progressive mindset.

She looked at the torn pages of her diary. She didn't regret scratching it. But a smile crept on her lips, knowing that nothing can vandalize her thoughts and her writing.

"Sameer... tumhe pata hai tum jaadugar ho?" She expressed.

"Achchha?" He flicked his brows.

"Haan. Kyunki tum jaise sochte ho ab waise hi honewala hai. Aur haan... Meri kahani ke kirdaar wahi rahenge. Bass, kahani thodi badal jaayegi." Naina stated.

"That's like a good girl." Sameer pinched her nose.

Feeling a sense of great relief, Naina flung herself towards Sameer and hugged him. While Sameer, who hadn't sat properly, lost his balance and they both fell on the floor with Sameer lying on his back, and Naina falling on him, still enclosed safely in his arms.

They both laughed whole-heartedly. Naina's smooth hair fell on Sameer's face and he gently shifted them away. They both had an eyelock and soon got lost in it. Sameer kept devouring her beautiful face, her deep eyes and the extreme love for him in it, and of course the new haircut. While Naina was thanking God for the infinite time for sending Sameer in her life. A man she had dreamt of having him as her husband when she was sixteen. A man who had a solution to her each and every misery. A man who loved her than anything and anyone in this world!

Sameer ran his fingers through her hair once again and lifted his head aiming her lips. Naina too inched closer to him, wanting to kiss him badly. Both their lips were about to slam on each other's, when they heard the loud voice.

"Nainaaaa....." Rakesh hollered.

They both got startled due to the voice and Naina jerked to get up from above him and ran. Raking his hair in frustration, Sameer rested his head back on the floor and muttered.

"Hey Bhagwan, kaunsa mahurat dekhke inko meri zindagi me bhej diya aapne...."

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

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