Heyy guyssss...

I'm back to this story after like so freaking loonnngggg... I hope you missed this one...

Sorry for keeping you all waiting, but finally the new chapter is here. I hope you remember where we were in the last chapter. If not, read the previous one to get the connectivity.

Okay no more rambling.... Here you go.... Lonngg update ahead.

Happy Reading.

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Sameer entered the house through the open door by 7:30 in the morning, carrying things in both his hands. He headed straight to the kitchen and placed the two tender coconuts with two straws in his hand on the kitchen platform, which were bound together by a wire like thread. On his small route to the kitchen, he didn't see the other two people, Naina and Papa; nor did he hear them. But he guessed one of them might be in the balcony, as he just anticipated someone to be there when he had glanced towards it. He walked to the balcony.

"Papa..." He called Rakesh who was reading the newspaper standing in the balcony. "Naariyal pani laya hai aap dono ke liye... pee lena..." He informed.

"Haan... thodi der me peeta hu..." Rakesh replied while showing the cup of tea in his hand. He was engrossed in reading the news.

Thinking of not disturbing Papa much, Sameer went to the bedroom, looking for Naina. Given the time, he thought she must be back from the bathing.

"Nainaa..." He called her name while sauntering in the room. He didn't find his wife there either. She wasn't in the bathroom too, he had checked it on his way.

Where was she? He frowned. He should have straightaway asked Papa about it. He took a step directed to the passage, when his eyes fell on a note on the door of the almirah.

He strolled to the almirah with a curious gaze, and read the note.

'Pehle naha lo. Uske baad hi mujhe dhundhne ki koshish karna.'

A warm smile covered Sameer's lips. His wife keeps establishing the fact again and again that she's so intelligent. It doesn't need much effort to know that the first person Sameer wants to see after returning from jogging or audition, is Naina. In this one month of his jogging, he has often run directly to her and scared her or hugged her from the back or blew a kiss in the air for her. It was of course never so easy due to Papa's presence, but he loved to sneak the chance whenever it was possible. Sometimes he would find her returning from bathing, getting ready in front of the mirror in their room, while her wet hair wrapped in the towel. He would never think for a moment to embrace her from behind, to kiss on her neck and inhale her scent, both her own feminine scent and the fragrance of her soap, till his heart is full with it. Naina too would smile to the fullest, always wanting to reciprocate with a peck on his lips or a kiss on cheeks. But he would restrain her, stating he was still sweaty, and ultimately cursing himself for his impatience and annoying Naina for not letting her kiss him.

A chuckle escaped from Sameer's mouth as he picked the note from the almirah in his hand. Naina seemed to have found a solution to this at least for today. Kissing the beautiful handwriting on that note, Sameer collected his clothes from the cupboard and left to have a bath. He was out after 15 minutes but Naina was still nowhere to be seen. He was becoming restless now to see her. He went to the balcony again.

"Papa... Naina kaha hai?" He sounded a bit desperate.

Rakesh hadn't moved an inch from his place, the only difference being he had kept the cup on the parapet wall, and was still very much busy reading. He scrunched his nose due to the disturbance. "Tum kya chhote bachche ho kya? Jaise hi bahar se aate ho sabse pehle Naina chahiye rehti hai tumhe??" He remarked.

Sameer gaped at Rakesh. There wasn't even one percent lie in the statement but he blushed hearing it from Papa. He felt a little embarrassed. Closing his mouth, he regained himself. "Bataiye na Papa... bahar gayi hai kya kahi woh?" He lowered his voice as well as the desperation in it.

"Bahar nahi gayi hai... woh... Gadkari behenji aayi thi kisi kaam se... aur phir Naina ko bhi apne sath leke gayi unke ghar..." Rakesh finally let Sameer feel relieved.

"Ohhh..." was the only reaction Sameer could produce.

Sameer paced in the living room waiting for Naina for 10 minutes. He badly wanted to see her, to surround her in his hug, but it seems like she had also signed for testing his patience. Papa was finally done with his newspaper and had taken his monthly expense diary, today being 1st of June and Sameer knew he couldn't question Papa anymore in between his hisaab-kitaab.

8:15am in the clock and Sameer gave up his patience. He decided to check for Naina himself in the Gadkari house. He entered their house hesitantly and to his relief, the first person he met was Aditya, who had just come out of the kitchen with a cup of tea.

"Aditya... Naina hai kya tere ghar pe?" Sameer came straight to the point.

"Arey Sameer... aa na... haan Naina andar ke kholi me hai..." Aditya shared the information with a smile, pointing towards a room.

Sameer just smiled. He was a bit awkward to walk into someone's house beyond their living room, certainly not the bedroom.

Aditya came closer to Sameer and whispered, "achchha sunn na... aaj ek open audition ki lead mili hai... time hai thoda jaane ko... chalte hai saath me..."

"Aaa... Aditya... aaj mai nahi aa paunga... tu akele chala ja.." Sameer replied, his eyes still on the passage to the bedrooms.

"Kyu?" Aditya queried.

"Aa... kaam hai kuchh..." Sameer fumbled. "Naina ko bula sakta hai bahar?" His desperation rose again.

Aditya chuckled. "Arey... tu mil hi le na... jaa andar..." Aditya patted Sameer's shoulder, focusing on his tea.

Sameer swallowed nervously and started walking to the passage. How can he go to someone's bedroom? And what is Naina doing here after all? He anticipated her to be mostly in the kitchen, maybe to help with something. What is she doing in other rooms at this time of the morning?

Sameer crossed the passage and he saw Gadkari aunty and Sejal coming out of a room, talking animatedly.

"Aa... aunty... Naina hai kya?" He was feeling utterly embarrassed asking the same question to every person. Papa's remark had done most of the work for it.

Gauri aunty and Sejal looked at Sameer and smiled. "Arey waa!!! Timing tar faar chhan ahe tuza..." Gauri aunty commented and laughed looking at Sejal.

Sameer frowned. He could only understand that Gauri Aunty was probably praising his timing in Marathi. He had gradually started understanding Marathi a little.

He just smiled. Again. He still hadn't got his answer.

"Sameer... Naina andar hi hai... jao na tum..." Sejal gave him the much needed comfort.

Both the ladies left and Sameer took his route to the bedroom. What was so suspenseful about it? What has his timing had to do with it? And what is Naina doing alone in the room now? He couldn't get anything.

He peeped through the door of the room and surveyed from right to left, to find his Naina. He stepped inside and found Naina at the leftmost corner, in front of a dressing table. He finally breathed heavily seeing his beloved wife but instantly stopped in his way, standing there dumbfounded... or rather mesmerized...

Sensing Sameer behind, Naina turned to him. She had a wide smile on her lips, but a heavy blush on her cheeks, as if painted in almost crimson red color.

Sameer's gaze scanned Naina from bottom to top. She was wearing a yellow Maharashtrian style silk saree, with heavy work on its border. She had donned a red coloured blouse with it, which he figured was matching to one of her sarees in their wardrobe, but it still complemented the saree. Her delicate hands decked with green glass bangles with one golden bangle in between in each set. As his eyes roamed up and got locked on her face, he forgot breathing for a moment. Her deep black eyes were sporting the kajal so confidently, the crescent moon bindi on her forehead represented the traditional Maharashtrian culture, her tiny nose wearing the cultural nose-ring, nath as they call it, and the recently purchased pair of golden earrings flaunting in her ears. She had tied her hair again in a traditional juda, with a few bangs of hair falling on her forehead and cheek, and a subtle necklace gave company to her mangalsutra. She was looking nothing less than a goddess, epitome of beauty and simplicity.

Edit Credit: Prac_02 (Thankuu Prachi)

"Kaisi lag rahi hu mai?"

Naina's chirpy voice fell on Sameer's ears. His heart debated whether to remain focused on her beautiful face or to pay attention to her sweet voice. A snap of fingers in front of his eyes and he had to give up his reverie.

Sameer took a long stride to reach his wife, who was looking drop dead gorgeous in that traditional attire. Grabbing both her hands in his, he heard the clink of glass bangles and directed his eyes to her face again. They lingered on her lips, which were glossy either due to light shade lipstick or lipgloss. Had he not been aware of the place they were at, nothing could have stopped him from pushing her on the wall and kissing like a madman. But fortunately or unfortunately, he was very much aware of it. Her brows raised in a question and he felt the necessity to answer.

A laughter spurt from Sameer. "Kya hai yeh sab?" He asked astonishingly.

Naina made a small face. "Yeh kya baat hui? Batao na kaisi lag rahi hu?" She repeated the question.

Sameer smiled at her. She knew her effect on him to a great extent, but was still behaving completely ignorant. "Bahot sundar lag rahi ho... ekdum Madhuri Dixit..." He complimented.

"Hato..." She blushed, keeping her eyes on their hands and giving it a slight push.

Sameer's face joined his wife's one in blushing. "Ab bataogi bhi... subah subah mujhe maarne ka plan kyun banaya aaj?"

Naina got startled, freeing one of her hands quickly from their hold, she placed it on his mouth. "Sameer tum pagal ho kya? Kuchh bhi bolte ho... aur aaj hi ke din..." She admonished him, leaving the last sentence incomplete.

Sameer frowned, "aaj ke din matlab? Kya hai aaj?"

Naina's eyes shone, she chirped excitedly, "arey... woh aaj na.. wat-pornima hai... jaise hamare yaha karwachauth hota hai na... waise hi Maharashtra me suhagan aurtein wat-pornima manati hai... pati ki sehat ke liye... aur woh prarthana karti hai ki yahi pati har janam me mile... Gauri aunty aayi thi thodi der pehle, rui lene... tab unhone bataya... toh maine bhi rakh liya vrat... ise wat-savitri kehte hai... aur abhi hame pooja ke liye bhi jaana hai..." She finished all at once.

It took some moments for Sameer to process the whole new information. But something struck him. "pati ki sehat ke liye... matlab... kya isme bhi fast karna padta hai??" He flicked his brow.

Naina bit her lip and just nodded, not matching her eyes with him.

"Naina yaar... mai tumhe phir se koi fast-wast nahi karne dunga ab... saal me ek baar karti ho na, wahi bahot hai..." Sameer sulked.

Naina squeezed her eyes shut, crunching her face. She was sure this was going to happen. She was thinking of keeping it a secret from Sameer as much as possible, but he had caught on instantly.

"Sameer suno toh..." Naina tried to convince him, but before she could, they heard a knock on the door.

They turned to find out the person and Sejal stepped in.

"Timing..." She mumbled. Both Naina and Sameer frowned on her statement. She looked at Sameer, "woh... aai keh rahi thi na tumhare timing ke baare me... yeh lo..." She forwarded her right hand towards Sameer, with a grin on her face.

The couple looked at her hand to find a mogre ka gajra. "Pehna do apni Naina ko..." She added.

Sameer picked the gajra with a smile. He recognized that both Sejal Bhabhi and Gauri aunty were too decked in traditional green sarees that he didn't catch at first.

"Sejal Bhabhi..." Sameer stopped Sejal from leaving. "Yeh fast rakhna zaroori hai kya? Pati ki sehat ke liye patni kyun poora din bhookhi rahe?" His tone was serious.

Sejal smiled at Sameer's concern for Naina. Only seven months of the stay of this young couple in their society, but most of the married couples had learnt a new definition of love and companionship through these two. They had witnessed the couple's love for each other through small-small gestures, not necessarily huge promises.

"Nahi, poora din bhookhi rehne ki zaroorat nahi hai... tum phal, doodh aur kandmool kha sakti ho Naina..." Sejal enlightened the couple.

"Kaunsa mool?" Sameer whispered in Naina's ear.

"Root vegetables Sameer." Naina muttered.

Sejal giggled at the small exchange of words between the husband-wife. "Tum jaldi tayyar ho jao, hum 10 minutes me nikalte hai... thik hai..." Sejal addressed Naina and left the room.

Sameer turned to look at Naina. The happiness of keeping this vrat was reflecting in her eyes. "Mai bhi rakh raha hu yeh fast tumhare sath..." He declared.

Naina's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to protest.

"Shshshshhshs..." She was stalled and turned to the mirror by Sameer. Encircling the gajra around her bun, he tied the knot of the threads. "Karwachauth ke time bhi toh rakha hi tha na... toh aaj bhi rakhunga..." He reasoned while looking at her into the mirror.

Naina heaved a deep breath. It was impossible to convince Sameer otherwise. He never shied away from doing things for Naina, that mostly women are supposed to do. She believed he is the true believer of gender equality and a true representative of the same too. Where it's not only about allowing women to do things that men can do, but also letting men do the things that women do, leading himself as an example. Whether it is mopping the house, cooking, washing dishes and clothes or now observing a fast with his wife. He may not say it on the face, but she knew that he didn't keep the fast just to accompany her, but he followed these rituals with all his faith, praying for his wife's better health and long life.

How did she become so lucky to have him as her man??

"Lucky tum nahi, mai hu..." She felt his palms on her shoulders and his low and husky voice rumbling in her left ear.

Naina looked at their reflection in the mirror. Did he read her gratitude filled eyes? He is anyway an expert in reading her. But his eyes were fixed only on her now and within a moment, he turned her towards him. His eyes reflected pure love, but she also discerned a lot of respect and pride for her in that gaze. He leaned forward, lessening the distance further.

"Sameer..." She whispered, seeing him coming closer. She shut her eyes in fear but felt his soft lips on her forehead instead, a featherlite kiss but full of love. Opening her eyes, she relaxed. They kept adoring each other but Sejal's hollar broke their eyelock.

"Tayyar ho gayi na Naina? Chalo, nikalna hai..." Sejal called from the passage.

"Aayi Bhabhi..." Naina responded.

"Kahan ja rahe ho?" Sameer asked curiously.

"Woh... bargad ke ped ki pooja karni hai. Wahi jaa rahe hai..." Naina informed him and left the bedroom of Gadkari house.

Naina met Sejal in their living room, followed by Sameer. Sejal told her that she has arranged most of the items for Naina that are required for pooja, but she still needed to get some basic things like pooja thali, diya, a bundle of thread, and a small sized kalash.

Naina nodded in agreement and rushed to her house to collect all the said items. Sameer saw all the preparations done by Gadkari ladies and casually asked, "Sejal Bhabhi... aap log kaise jaa rahe ho?"

"Auto se jayenge Sameer... Aai aur mai hamesha aise hi jaate hai..." Sejal casually replied.

Sameer thought for a moment about something and dragged Aditya to a corner, who was annoyed by the chaos of the ladies in the house, "Aditya... teri help chahiye yaar..."

Aditya lifted his brows and Sameer discussed in a low voice what he was intending to do. Aditya pondered for a moment and picked his cordless to dial a number. After two minutes, he signaled with a thumbs up and Sameer grinned in happiness. 

Sameer ran to his house to find Naina gathering the required items in the kitchen and Papa reading a book. He made a trip to the bedroom to get a few items that he wanted and then went to Naina in the kitchen.

"Naina... mai bhi aa raha hu tumhare sath..." Sameer voiced.

Naina turned to her left to see him, "Sameer... tumhe auditions me jaana hoga na?"

Sameer smiled and answered looking straight into her eyes, "aaj koi audition nahi Naina... aaj ka din sirf tumhare sath... aur tumhare liye..."

Naina couldn't utter a word or even move her eyes off him. There was so much genuineness he was speaking with, as if he wanted to celebrate this day with her, cherish each moment with her. He is generally like this, but today, she felt there was so much more to it. She couldn't resist his soft voice, which had a request and a command at the same time. He had already declared that he wasn't going for any audition today but he still wanted to know if she was okay with it.

"Thik hai..." She agreed with a blink.

The grin on Sameer's face widened, "mai neeche intezaar kar raha hu... tumhara ho jaye tab aa jana..." He said and ran to go out.

Rakesh peeked his head out of the book seeing Sameer running. "Arey ruko ruko ek minute..." He commanded. Sameer stopped near the door and Naina too joined in the room. "Yeh kya chal raha hai tum dono ka? Kab se dekh raha hu bass idhar se udhar bhag rahe ho... kya ho raha hai yaha mujhe koi batayega?" He was piqued.

Naina looked at Sameer once and took the lead, "Papa... mai woh wat-savitri ka vrat rakh rahi hu aaj, Gauri aunty aur Sejal Bhabhi ke sath... toh usi ke pooja ke liye jaa rahi hu aur Sameer bhi sath me aa raha hai... aate hi aapke liye nashta bana dungi... aadhe-poune ghante me aa jayenge hum..." she completed with assurance.

"Haan, matlab ek-dedh ghante me..." Sameer corrected her, not looking at Papa at all.

Rakesh looked at his children one by one and smiled unknowingly. "Thik hai", he said and saw Sameer blushing and running out.

Naina collected the rest of the commodities and stocked all of them in a cotton bag so that it's easy to carry. She added some oil into the already lit diya in front of Lord Krishna and joined her hands in prayer. Taking Papa's leave, she left with the Gadkari ladies within 5 minutes. She informed them midway that Sameer was joining them too and they were planning to book two autos.

As the three women, decked in beautiful Maharashtrian attire, got down in the lobby of J wing, Naina's eyes looked for Sameer. He had said he'll wait downstairs for her. They walked ahead out of the wing and headed to the main gate, when they spotted Sameer at a distance.

Naina saw her husband and the sight caught her breath for a moment. Sameer was leaning on a bike while crossing his arms, his hair constantly getting ruffled by the humid June air, a shadow of a day-old stubble on his jaw and the black sunglasses he had worn adding more charm into his magnetic and enchanting personality. She didn't notice that he had changed into his black jeans when he had come to the kitchen, keeping the shirt the same as the blue one with white vertical stripes. The combination had outshined other colors just because Sameer had worn it, she mused. As she continued to stare at him unabashedly, she thought there was still the glimpse of the boyish charm in him she fell in love with six years ago. But today, he was a complete man there. A man with a well-built physique and a golden heart; a man who wants to spend every moment of his life only with her; a man who collapses on her, feeling satiated at night. HER MAN!! As she was walking closer to him, she felt this irresistible pull towards him, an urge to push him on the wall in the corner and kiss him insanely. And with this wild thought in her mind, she saw his smile widening. That alluring smile on his face wasn't less than seduction, as if he was doing it all on purpose, seeking revenge from her for making him feel the same some time before.

The women stopped near Sameer, who was waiting for them near Dhondu's table. "Chalein?" Naina asked him, after taking the much needed deep breath.

Sameer took off his sunglasses, "Aaj ki aap ki sawari yeh hai Madam." Sameer gestured to the bike. "Gauri aunty, aapko koi problem nahi na Naina mere sath bike par aayi toh?" He asked.

"Nahi nahi... tumhari biwi hai... tum jaise chaho waise le jao..." Gauri aunty replied with a chuckle. "Tumhe jagah pata hai?"

"Mai aapke auto ko follow kar lunga..." Sameer said.

Naina was blushing all the time without uttering a word. She was touched by Sameer's gesture of accompanying her to the place, because whatever Gauri aunty had shared with her about this vrat, she deduced that husbands are actually not needed in this. But Sameer was still coming with her, skipping his auditions today. She accompanied the Gadkari ladies till outside the gate and waited till they got an auto. Thankfully they got one quickly. Sameer rode the bike upto Naina and stopped, grinning at her, he gestured her to sit.

"Bike kiski hai?" Naina crossed her arms, faking anger on her face.

"Rohit naam ka banda hai. Yahi D wing me rehta hai, uski hai. Aditya ne arrange karke di." Sameer genuinely replied. "Ab chalein Madam? Gussa toh tumhe mujhpar aa nahi raha, waha auto aage nikal jayega."

Naina dropped her pretense immediately listening to his tone. She giggled and went on to sit on the bike.

"Ek minute." Sameer stopped her.

"Kya hai?" She asked.

Sameer took out another set of sunglasses hooked on his jeans and handed it over to Naina. Naina accepted it gleefully and took her position on the bike, wearing the glasses as a confident woman. Sameer followed the auto by keeping some distance and both took a deep breath of contentment.

There was tranquility between Sameer and Naina. A peaceful silence. They both were reminiscing the old days of their bike rides, right from the first bike ride in the first year of college till the latest ones after their wedding. Bike ride was something very intimate between them, something very private, something which only they shared. They had gone to movies, they had gone to markets, they had gone to Sabarmati ghats, they had gone for dates. This bike ride was a part of their blissful moments together. Where they were not bounded by the stares directed towards them, where they were not restrained by the four walls of red-rose restaurant or classrooms. Riding on the bike together gave them a sense of freedom in their college days and also a hint of how their life was going to be in future as Husband-Wife. Today, they were living each of those moments all over again.

How much they had missed this bike ride!!!

It took them hardly 10 minutes to reach an open ground, where they spotted a huge banyan tree at a distance. Sameer parked the bike a few meters away from the auto as the ladies descended from it and told the auto-driver to wait. Mrs. Gadkari and Sejal approached Naina and Sameer, and the couple greeted them with a smile. The three women then started arranging their pooja thali, by taking various items from the cotton bags. They had carried some stuff for Naina too, so those were given to her. Sameer held the thali for Naina as she was arranging the items one by one as instructed by Gauri aunty; Gadkari ladies helping each other. Soon the thali was bedecked with a diya, some flowers, turmeric powder and red vermilion powder, a dry coconut, some fruits, a small garland made of cotton, a bundle of thread and the kalash with water filled in it, as they had carried water in a bottle.

Meanwhile Gadkari ladies were just admiring Sameer and Naina's interaction. They had seen the glint in his eyes while arranging every item neatly in the thali, they had seen him stealing glances at Naina and adore her lovingly, they heard him asking questions about what are they going to do with all this and then saw Naina glaring at him and silencing him. They had soon learnt that Sameer wasn't only driving Naina to the place, but he was actively participating in every small thing involved in this pooja.

All of them then walked to the banyan tree, which already looked covered in white thread on its trunk. Sameer handed the thali to Naina, as the ladies climbed the cemented platform and joined the other 4 ladies there. Sameer retreated back to some distance and kept on observing the whole pooja. Gauri Aunty was instructing the rituals to Naina and Naina was following it as an obedient child. They crouched on their knees and put the tilak of haldi and kumkum to the roots of the tree, repeating the same on their own forehead. Then the flowers were offered to the roots followed by the small garland made of only cotton. Fruits were offered next and then aarti was performed with the diya. All the ladies stood on their feet and they did one parikrama by offering the kalash water to the roots of the tree. At the end, they tied one end of the thread to the already existing threads and held the bundle in the right hand.

"Naina, abhi hame saat parikrama karni hai. Aur parikrama ke samay pati ki achchhi sehet, lambi umar aur pragati ke liye bhagwaan se prarthana karna, thik hai?" Mrs. Gadkari directed.

Naina nodded in yes with a wide smile and looked in the direction of Sameer through the corner of her eyes. His eyes were fixed only on her and she blushed heavily. All of them started the parikrama by enveloping the big tree trunk in the white thread. Naina was almost feeling like a new bride at the moment. Learning a new culture, keeping vrat for Sameer, praying for his health and happiness, it always gave her satisfaction. While doing the parikrama to the holy banyan tree, she wished for the fulfillment of Sameer's dreams, his success and achievement and their togetherness. She knew how hard he was trying for the auditions and even if Sameer never confessed it to her, she was aware that this was indeed breaking him from inside. And she just prayed for his struggling phase to get over soon.

Seven parikrama were completed and the women broke the other end of the thread to tie a knot. They joined their hands together in gratitude to the tree and picked their respective thali to leave. Sameer smiled the moment he saw Naina coming to him, followed by Gauri Aunty and Sejal behind her; but he also noticed some appeaciative gazes at him from the other ladies. Some were smiling, looking at him while some were talking to each other, which he knew was only about him. He gazed at Naina again and saw her balancing the thali in one hand and lifting up her saree a little with the other one, so that she could descend down the three stairs. He immediately walked to her and took the thali from her hand, giving her his hand for support to get down. Naina heartily smiled at his gesture again.

They all started walking to the bike carrying their thali's in their hands and Sameer asked, "Gauri aunty, yeh saari ladies mujhe aise kyun ghoor rahi hai?" Though he was used to the fact of girls staring at him, he felt a bit awkward experiencing the same through the middle aged women, some even of the age of his mother.

Mrs. Gadkari and Sejal looked at each other and smiled. Sejal chuckled, "arey, tame chinta karaso nahi... achchhi nazar se hi dekh rahi hai tumhe..."

Sameer and Naina frowned, they didn't fathom. "Matlab?" They both exclaimed simultaneously.

As they reached near his bike, Mrs. Gadkari voiced, "matlab... tum shayad pehle pati ho, jo yahan apni patni ke saath aaye ho... hum yahan kaafi saalon se aa rahe hai... kafi mahilaayein aati hai yahan pooja karne... lekin kisi ke pati ab tak sath nahi aaye... hamare bhi nahi..." She laughed at the last statement.

Naina's chest surged with pride for her husband. He was indeed one of a kind.

"Lekin... aana chahiye na... unhi ke liye toh vrat rakhti hai na patni..." Sameer indeed felt bad hearing that none of the ladies were accompanied by their husbands.

"Haan aana toh chahiye..." Mrs. Gadkari exclaimed. "Lekin hum sabko dosh bhi toh nahi de sakte... ghar aur office ki zimmedariyon me woh bhi toh uljhe rehte hai... lekin patni ke liye itna toh karna hi chahiye, hai na Naina?" She looked at Naina teasingly.

Naina blushed, looking at the ground but Sameer got into thinking for a moment. How Gauri Aunty wasn't blaming all the men straightaway for not accompanying their wives! He discerned that this answer was coming after years of married life, where she must have seen her husband compromising on simple things like spending time with wife, due to the responsibilities. This was something he and Naina hadn't reached yet. He nodded to the answer, but he had more in his mind and he decided to ask.

Turning to the women, he leaned on his bike, "lekin Aunty, mai toh kehta hun inn sab ki zaroorat hi kya hai? Yeh aise din bhar upwas karna, aise ped ki pooja karna... aur yeh sab karne me patni ka kya faayda hai?"

Naina softly held his arm, indicating him not to ask such questions. But Mrs. Gadkari wasn't bothered about it, she was rather happy with questions coming from a husband who loves his wife immensely.

"Yeh jo hamare reeti-riwaz hote hai na Sameer, jinko hum parampara ka naam dekar sadiyon tak chalate aate hai, unke pichhe hamesha kuchh na kuchh vigyan hota hai..." Mrs. Gadkari started explaining the reason behind the ritual. Sameer-Naina and Sejal too were keenly listening to her. "Maine Naina ko ek kahani batayi thi jab hum usse tayyar kar rahe the. Aisa kehte hai ki Savitri ne apne pati Satyawan ke pran sakshat Yamraj se maang kar wapas laaye the, isi ped ke neeche. Ab yeh kahani toh saalon se sab batate aaye hai, lekin agar ise dusri nazar se dekha jaaye toh... tumhe pata hai saare ped-paudho me sabse jyada oxygen kaunsa ped deta hai? Yeh Bargad ka ped. Iss ped ke wajah se hawa hamesha shuddh rehti hai... Toh agar iss ped ke neeche thoda samay bitaya jaaye, toh sehat toh achchhi hi rahegi na?? Aur phir issi bargad ke ped ki pooja kar ke hum hamare paryavaran ko dhanyawad kehte hai..."

Sameer and Naina were pleasantly surprised to see a logical and scientific reason behind this ritual. They had never looked at things this way. A smile appeared on their faces.

Mrs. Gadkari continued, "aur agar upwas ke baare me puchho toh... hum aajkal kitni atpati cheezein khate hai... masaledar, tel me latpat sabziyaan, bahar ka hotel ka khana... kitna kuchh khate hai jo hamare sharir ko nuksaan pachuchata hai... toh upwas karne se ek din hamare pet ko thoda aaram milta hai... aur phir hamare sharir me jo kuch bhi boori cheezein jagah bana leti hai, usse saaf karne me bhi madad ho jati hai... isliye upwas me hum sirf saatvik khana khate hai..."

The Maheshwari couple was awestruck by the latest knowledge they were enlightened with. Till some time before, if Sameer was observing the fast for Naina with all the faith, then now he was truly convinced with the scientific reasons behind all this. He soon realized how all the rituals must have some or the other reason behind them, which probably their generation doesn't know.

"Thank you Gauri Aunty... apne reeti-riwazon ko humne iss pehlu se kabhi nahi dekha..." Sameer genuinely thanked Mrs. Gadkari. He was feeling so positive today.

Gadkari ladies returned a warm smile. "Chalein kya? Der ho rahi hai..." Sejal said.

"Aa... aap log aage chaliye, hum thodi der baad aate hai..." Sameer uttered before Naina could agree to Sejal.

A surprise took over Naina's face but she didn't object. Maybe Sameer wanted to spend more time at this place. The place was indeed beautiful and the morning time gave a pleasant vibe. Gadkari women left soon bidding byes to the Maheshwari couple and Naina turned to Sameer, seeing him smiling.

She crossed her arms and raised her brows in a question, "Kya chal raha hai Mr. Maheshwari ke dimaag me? Ghar nahi jaana kya? Papa intezaar kar rahe honge."

Sameer kept the thali in his hand in between the handles of the bike, balancing it on the headlight. He mumbled, "Bass thodi der Naina."

He then held both her hands in his, caressing the back of her palms with his thumbs, he cherished their togetherness for a moment. The green bangles in her hands, her mangalsutra, the vermilion powder just below her bindi, he knew all these signified that the woman is married, that she belongs to a man. But he was feeling a sense of pride that the man she belonged to was him. He had often questioned himself as to what did Naina really see in him, to fall in love with him. And today, he felt the same.

"Naina, aisa kya dekha tumne mujhme, jo mujhse itna pyaar karti ho?" He asked.

Naina's brows furrowed, Sameer was in a different mood altogether since he had returned from jogging. She could have easily said his handsome looks or his charming personality, as she would always say. But today, she saw an earnestness in his eyes and voice. She thought of answering truthfully.

"Sameer, yeh jo tumhara dil hai na..." Naina replied, "yeh bilkul samandar jaisa hai... gehraai tak ehsasaad se bhara hua... aur iss samandar jaise dil me, sabke liye bahot saara pyar bhara pada hua hai... tumhare zindagi me jo bhi aata hai, tum unki zindagi me khushiyaan bhar dete ho Sameer... aur yahi tumhari baat hai jiski wajah se mai tumse itna pyaar karti hu..."

Sameer's eyes glistened, but he tried to hold himself and took a deep breath.

"Aur tumne mujhme kya dekha?" Naina asked animatedly.

"Kuchh nahi..." He shrugged, replying nonchalantly. Naina pouted her lips, she thought Sameer would answer her truthfully, just as she did. Sameer read her face immediately and smiled. "Haan Naina... jab bhi mai tumhe dekhta hu na, tum dikhayi hi nahi deti mujhe... tumhare aar-paar dekhta hu mai..." He caressed her cheek with his hand and added, "itni pardarshee ho tum... itni saaf dil..."

Naina's condition was no different than Sameer's a moment ago. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she cleared the corner of her eyes with index finger. Why is he so determined today to make her experience every emotion? He was definitely up to something.

A few moments passed in quietude, both Naina and Sameer were soaking in each other's love. "Aaj kuchh alag hi mood me lag rahe ho Mr. Maheshwari..." Naina teased him.

Sameer heaved in delight, he said, "Naina, mai tumhe bata nahi sakta aaj mai kitna khush hu... kyuki aaj... tumne apne sapno ki taraf ek kadam aur badhaya hai."

"Matlab?" Intrigued, Naina asked.

"Ek minute." Sameer freed their hands and opened his shirt's third button.

Naina gasped heavily, widening her eyes. She saw him opening the fourth button now and she stammered, "Saa... Sameer... kya kar rahe ho?"

"Tch... Naina... aankhen band karo apni..." Sameer admonished her.

Naina's eyes rounded further, not able to comprehend what this man was about to do in this open ground. But needless to say, her instincts trusted him the most and she squeezed her eyes shut. Sameer dipped his hand inside his shirt and took out something, buttoning his shirt again. Naina could hear riffling of some pages and she wondered if they had carried something like that with them.

"Ab aankhen kholo apni..."

Naina heard a sweet command by her husband and she slowly opened her eyes. Sameer was holding an open magazine with both his hands in front of his chest. The text part was facing her and she speculated what it must be. Her eyes raised up to Sameer's and the smile on his face widened.

"'Badlaav ki Pehli Dastak'... Kadambini Patrika ki ek Laghukatha... Lekhika, Mrs. Naina Sameer Maheshwari..."

Sameer enunciated. He felt overwhelmed with emotions while pronouncing his name after hers.

Naina directed her eyes to the magazine once and then again to Sameer. The shine in his eyes affirmed her that it was true what she was thinking. A glint covered her eyes and she gasped, keeping her palms on her mouth. "Meri kahani Sameer??" She wanted to hear it from him.

"Haan Naina... tumhari kahani..." He asserted.

"Sammmeeeeeerrrr...." Naina almost screamed in exhilaration and jumped forward to hug Sameer tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Sameer mentally thanked the bike for the support behind him, otherwise they would have surely fallen flat on the ground with this impromptu hug. But he is always more than happy to receive Naina in his arms. He hugged her back instantly with the magazine in one hand and a wide grin on his face. His arms wrapped around the tiny figure of his wife, his chin resting on her shoulders and he slightly lifted Naina from the ground, symbolizing a leap towards her dreams.

"I'm proud of you Mrs. Maheshwari..." Sameer whispered on her shoulders and kissed the bare skin there.

Naina felt a jolt of electricity running down her spine with the rasp of Sameer's stubble on the bare skin near her neck, followed by a soft kiss. Loosening her hold, she got down to her feet. She looked around in the ground to see if anyone saw them embracing into each other's arms, but thankfully, they were the only two in that big ground. It looked like all the women performed the pooja early in the morning itself.

"Koi nahi hai baba..." Sameer chortled.

He forwarded the Kadambini magazine to Naina and himself enjoyed her elated state while reading her name in the magazine. He was seeing her smiling like this after so long. It was after all a winning smile and they hadn't experienced such a moment together since months. The destiny was indeed being tough on them, and seeing Naina taking a step towards her dream, was a relief. He knew that the journey wouldn't be that easy; this was just her first story that was published on a public platform, something bigger than her achievements in school and college. But even a small step ahead mattered now, and as Naina had said, he was prepared to face every struggle on their way as an ordinary couple. He felt blessed to have her as his wife, and he wanted to thank god for this.

"Naina, Gauri aunty keh rahi thi na, ki parikrama karte samay patni pati ko saat janmon ke liye maangti hai..." Naina looked up at him smiling, and nodded. "Toh phir tum akele hi kyu yeh demand karogi? Mai bhi karunga." He pouted.

Naina frowned on not getting its meaning, but before she could ask him about it, she saw Sameer lifting the pooja thali from the bike's handle. The next moment, he caught her hand in his and walked with her to the Banyan tree again.

Taking off his shoes, Sameer made Naina stand near the tree and himself climbed the stairs to the cement platform. Naina was watching him astonishingly, completely spellbound with his actions. He was going to perform the same pooja for her. Sameer crouched on his knees, keeping the thali on the floor and managed through whatever little was left for him in it. Remembering how Naina had done it earlier, he started with the tilak first, then some flowers and performed the aarti with the diya. Getting up, he repeated one parikrama with the kalash water and then seven with the bundle of thread. He was peering at Naina in between, who had glistened eyes all the time. Breaking the thread from its end after the last parikrama, he knotted it to the trunk while praying for Naina's health, success and their togetherness. Naina's gaze hadn't moved from him even a bit.

The return journey to home was again filled with tranquility, this time both dreaming of more such moments of happiness and success together. The cotton bag that carried the magazine and only a few pooja items now was placed on the petrol tank of the bike in the front. Taking its advantage, Naina wrapped her hands around Sameer's stomach and rested her head on his shoulder blades. Sameer couldn't thank Aditya and that guy Rohit, who gave him such a blissful memory with his wife.

The Maheshwari couple entered the house while talking to each other animatedly. They saw Rakesh sitting on the sofa and reading a book, when he looked up at them. Taking her footwear off quickly, Naina uttered, "Papa, mai aapke liye nashta bana deti hu jaldi se... aap ko bhook lagi hogi na..." She almost rushed to the kitchen, while Sameer acquired a seat on the single sofa near the trunk.

"Naina... rook..." Rakesh stopped her. "Woh... maine bana liya hai... koi baat nahi..."

"Sorry Papa... woh... hum jaldi hi aane wale the..." Naina said, standing at the entrance of the kitchen. She felt guilty that Papa had to cook breakfast. "Aapne kar liya phir nashta?"

"Nahi." Rakesh replied. "Upwas tera hai lekin Sameer toh khayega na?"

It was time to feel mortified for both Sameer and Naina now. Rakesh was waiting for Sameer so that they both could eat together but Sameer couldn't eat either.

Sameer voiced, "Papa... mai bhi nahi khaunga aaj..." He gestured to Naina to reveal about his fast to Papa.

Naina cleared her throat. "Papa, Sameer bhi mere sath upwas kar raha hai."

Rakesh opened his mouth to ask about the necessity of it, but he refrained himself. This was another layer of Sameer he was getting introduced to; doing a ritual together, even if it is meant only for the women. He agreed silently with a nod. Naina brought a dish of poha for Rakesh, which he had cooked for breakfast. Rakesh asked her whether they both wouldn't eat anything for the whole day, to which Naina answered that they would eat only fruits, root vegetables and milk. As Rakesh was devouring poha, Sameer signaled Naina through his eyes, to tell Papa about her story in the magazine and Naina blinked in assurance. They had decided on the way back that Naina herself would tell her achievement to her father. Rakesh caught them talking through their eyes again, but this time he thought of waiting. He was confident that he had given enough space to his children that they would open up themselves to speak about something. So he just focussed on eating.

Once Naina kept Rakesh's empty plate in the kitchen sink, she returned with the magazine and stood behind the single sofa chair. "Papa... aapko kuchh dikhana tha," she said. When Rakesh prompted her to continue, she opened the magazine where she had kept her finger in between. Forwarding it to her father, she voiced, "Papa... meri kahani chhap ke aayi hai... kadambini me..." She kept her tone subtle.

Rakesh who was sitting a bit relaxed, leaning back, straightened. His face borne the mix of expressions of surprise and happiness, but he certainly couldn't find any words to express it. The first story of his daughter was published in a renowned magazine. He had seen her achievements during her school and college; the certificates of debate competitions, Essay writing competitions, a prize money of ten rupees for quiz competition, her trophy of Dance competition, her Discipline monitor badge; he had seen everything. But he could never appreciate her at that time, as he always considered them worthless in his daughter's life. He thought it would add no value to her; that his daughter would be examined at how good she is with the household chores. But he was wrong. He had soon realized that his daughter possessed a lot of talent and integrity, that there was much more in his daughter apart from the good academic grades. And it was the love of literature, just like him. After many years, the more he started knowing about his own daughter, he found out that Naina was just like him, but with progressive thoughts. He was so proud of his daughter. And now with this story, it was one more feather added to her cap. Something bigger than the small circles of school and college.

He took the magazine in his hand and looked at Naina, who was gazing at him with hopeful eyes and a warm smile. He had instantly figured that she was waiting for his reaction to the story. But how could he even utter any word? His vocal cords were choked, his heart was heavy, filled with pride for her. He had somehow restrained his eyes from getting moist, as that would be the most evident proof of his state right now. So he averted his gaze to the magazine and read the title.

'Badlaav ki Pehli Dastak'

Hasn't the same happened with him? The change that is transpiring him into a better human being, which is still in progress, only because of his daughter. He cleared his throat and pronounced aloud, "Badlaav ki Pehli Dastak... achchha sheershak hai..." He passed a smile to Naina and Naina's eyes brightened even more. Sameer was a mere spectator to this scene.

But before Naina could see his reaction to the story, Rakesh suddenly closed the magazine and kept it on the tea-table. Sliding on the edge of his seat, he uttered, "Naina, tum dono toh phalahaar hi karoge na din bhar... aur ghar me utne phal hai nahi... toh mai bazaar me jaake kuchh phal aur kuchh aur cheezein lekar aata hu..." He stood up without waiting for Naina's response and strolled to the kitchen to get a cotton bag.

"Yeh naariyal pani rakha hai yaha Naina... pee lena..." Rakesh instructed through the kitchen, trying to sound normal.

Rakesh checked his pockets for money and advanced near the door to wear his chappals. He turned to the living room once and saw his daughter sitting with a fallen face, looking down. She was just playing with the pallu of her saree. One look at Sameer and he knew his son-in-law would handle her. "Naina," he called her and Naina looked at him with a barely managed smile. "Achchhi lag rahi hai iss saadi me," he genuinely complimented her and left the house.

The forced smile turned into a genuine smile on Naina's face and Sameer chuckled seeing all the melodrama happening between the filmy baap-beti again. Knowing the reason behind Sameer's laughter, Naina glared at him and went to the kitchen. She came back with the tender coconut in her hand and a straw, "tumhara naariyal kaha hai?" she sweetly asked.

"Mai peekar hi aaya tha," Sameer said. "Naina, idhar aao."

Naina casually walked towards him and Sameer caught her free hand in his; with a little tug on her wrist, he pulled Naina and made her land on his lap.

Naina gasped heavily with the sudden action, "Sameer kya kar rahe ho? Papa bass abhi bahar gaye hai." She tried to balance with the coconut in hand.

"Haan toh itne jaldi wapas thodi na aayenge," Sameer grinned, and by placing his right hand under her knees, he turned her slightly to set her legs on the right arm of the sofa chair, so that she's comfortable on his lap.

Naina finally gave up her resistance and relaxed, enveloped in the protective and strong arms of her husband.

"Muh kyun utra hua hai Madam ka? Papa ke wajah se?" Sameer quirked his brows.

Naina twisted her mouth, "Papa bhi na... abhi hi jaana tha kya bazaar me... kahani padhne ke baad bhi toh jaa sakte the..." she sulked.

Sameer giggled seeing Naina's cute face. He knew his wife was craving those few words of praise from her father. "Naina... mujhe laga tha tum apne Papa ko achchhe se jaanti ho... lekin lagta hai mai galat tha..." He teased her.

"Tum kehna kya chahte ho mister?" Naina said, narrowing her eyes. "Aur tum toh aise bol rahe ho jaise tum bahot jaante ho Papa ko."

Sameer laughed and tightened his hold on her, "kitna jaanta hun yeh toh pata nahi... lekin jaha tak mujhe pata hai, Papa tumhari kahani akele me padhenge... shanti se... tumhare shabdon ko ek-ek karke mann lagakar padhenge..." He shared what he figured from Papa's body language and expressions some time ago. "Aur abhi jo bazaar me gaye hai na Papa... aate waqt sath me mithai bhi lekar aayenge."

Naina's face glowed in exhilaration. "Sachchi?" She asked with a childlike innocence.

"Muchchi," He blew a kiss in the air. "Chalo, ab naariyal paani piyo..."

Naina was drinking the coconut water in zest, swaying her legs in the air like a kid, still sitting very much on Sameer's lap. Of course, Mr. Maheshwari hadn't left his hold on her. She asked him to take a few sips, and then he merrily drank it from her straw, looking straight into her eyes playfully. The empty coconut was laid on the table some time later, but the endless talk of the couple didn't stop. Naina's chatter was on and Sameer was listening to it with full attention. She told him that the saree she was wearing is called as 'paithani', which has a design of peacock on its pallu and Mrs. Gadkari chose it from her own collection; she narrated how Mrs. Gadkari helped her to drape the saree properly and decked her with ornaments; she shared how Sejal gave her extra 'nath', the nose-ring to her and also the decent necklace; and then how both Gadkari women were happy to see her in the complete Maharashtrian getup.

Sameer was humming in between as a response, he adored the sight of happy her. He listened to everything attentively that Naina shared with him, but then he was constantly getting distracted by their proximity, the fragrance of mogra from her gajra infusing in his system, his gorgeous wife sitting in his lap and the fact of them being alone at the home. When he recognized that Naina had taken a pause for some time, he considered it to be the best opportunity. He roamed his index finger on her cheek, tucking the curled lock of hair behind her ear, then dragging his finger slowly to her earrings and then touched it on the curve of her neck and shoulder, making Naina heave in pleasure with closed eyes. He pulled her more towards him and kissed on her temple; a soft one. Naina couldn't speak after that, as Sameer had suddenly turned the environment into a romantic one now. Sameer continued the trail of soft kisses on her cheek, on her jaw and on the crook of her neck, to which Naina flinched, feeling ticklish. Sameer smirked after getting the desired reaction, he knew it was her soft spot.

"Naina... tum bahot khubsurat lag rahi ho aaj..." His voice had turned deep now. "Kya kiya jaaye iss khubsurati ke sath?" His lips turned into a lopsided smile.

Naina finally lifted her eyes and looked at Sameer. His eyes had turned darker, desire appearing in them. For a moment, her eyes traveled to his lips and his stubble. It didn't take her much time to fathom that the desire they both were feeling, was certainly not good for them at the moment. But she didn't protest; instead she let Sameer turn her shoulders so that her back was partially exposed to him. She was wearing one of the blouses that Sameer had designed for her in Ahmedabad, and when it was 'Designer' Sameer for Naina, it meant deep necks, on both the sides. Sameer roved his fingers on her exposed back now, drawing patterns there and Naina shuddered again. She felt the static running down her veins when his fingers were replaced by his lips on her back and she moaned, "Sameeerrrr...." His name came out almost as a whisper.

Sameer turned her to himself again and hooked his index finger under the seam of the blouse on her shoulder. He pulled it to expose more skin of hers, and was about to kiss the spot, when they heard a hollar.

"Naaaaiinnnnaaaaaa...."

Both Naina and Sameer jerked with the voice and Naina jumped from Sameer's lap, fixing her disheveled blouse and saree. Sameer exhaled heavily with an open mouth and hid his face with his fist, keeping his elbow on his knee.

Preeti barged in through the open door and stopped after entering the living room, seeing Naina right in the front. "Tune mujhe bataya kyu nahi ki tu wat-savitri ka vrat rakh rahi hai... mai bhi rakh leti..." She kept her hands on her waist, not exactly noticing the situation in the room.

Naina was still traumatized that it took her some time to comprehend what Preeti had said. "Ohhh... woh... haan..." She fumbled, "arey woh sab kuchh itne jaldi me ho gaya... toh tujhe batana hi reh gaya..." She finally managed to answer. Her heartbeats were still racing fast though.

Preeti dropped her hands down, "Woh toh mujhe Sejal ne aate-aate bataya ki tu bhi gayi thi unke sath... warna tu toh woh bhi nahi batati mujhe..." She almost accused Naina for hiding it from her. "Waise tu itni sehmi-sehmi kyu khadi hai?" She enquired.

"Mm... maii... nahi toh..." Naina spoke nervously, moving the bang on her forehead behind. She felt she was caught off guard.

"Preeti..." Sameer peeped from behind Naina, "yeh jo tumhari aadat hai na... jorse aawaz lagake andar aane ki..." Naina immediately turned and passed a death stare to him before he finished the sentence. Sameer looked her and continued with a smile, "bahot achchhi hai... hame pehle hi pata chal jata hai tum aa rahi ho..." He laughed.

Preeti frowned. She looked at her jijaji and then again at her sister, who was still standing alarmed. She pursed her lips as she realized something. "Kyun? Yaha kuchh chal raha tha kya?" She commented in her usual teasing tone, folding her arms.

"Nahhiiii..." Naina responded hurriedly, cutting off the topic right there, "Aur tu kya sirf yahi bolne aayi thi yahan?"

Preeti continued their battle mode, "Haan aur nahi toh kya... mai bhi aati na tere sath... ek toh waise hi hame bahot kam waqt milta hai sath me..."

"Ek minute... ek minute..." Sameer intervened as a referee in the cousins' fight. He stood up and picked up the magazine from the table, "tum dono baad me jhagad lena... Preeti, yeh tumhare liye hai," he forwarded it towards Preeti. Accepting it, Preeti looked at it curiously. "Isme... Naina ki kahani chhapi hai..." He softly revealed.

Preeti looked up with a twinkle in her eyes, a wide grin covered her face. She looked at Naina, her dear sister, who was blushing a little.

"Sachchi Naina?" Preeti exclaimed. Naina chuckled and nodded. "Nainnnaaaaaa...." Preeti held Naina with her arms and they both twirled merrily, laughing and screaming in happiness.

Sameer stepped back to save his life from these two sisters, who had consumed almost half of the living room while wheeling. He was worried for himself about getting hit by them badly, he was worried for the television set and the cordless next to it, but he was certainly happy seeing the sisters happy.

The girls stopped and laughed again. "Naina, mai itni khush hu ki mai bata nahi sakti." Preeti expressed her happiness while panting. "Mai abhi jaa ke isse padhti hu..." She declared.

Naina shook her head, but then turned to Sameer. "Papa ke liye?" She mumbled.

Sameer smiled, "Mai 2 copies lekar aaya hu Naina..." He said addressing Preeti, "Preeti... yeh tumhare liye hi hai... hamare paas ek aur hai..."

"Thank you Jijaji..." Preeti chirped and by giving Naina a tight hug, she hurriedly stepped out of the house.

Preeti climbed the stairs of the C wing hurriedly, and entered the house like a hurricane. She finally stopped near the dining table and took some life-saving breaths and a glass of water. After looking around in the house, she confirmed that there are no changes in the house as she left it 15 minutes ago. Shubham had left for office long back, Nirmalaji hadn't returned from Mrs. Gupta's house yet, and Tanvi had immediately left the house after Nirmalaji stating she was going to her friend, as her Summer vacation was going on. It was only Dadiji at home, who was taking rest, and that didn't bother her. She didn't think she would have free time at 11o'clock in the morning.

Preeti still had some time to get back to the preparation of lunch, so she took a plastic chair to the living room balcony and sat there relaxed. Opening the magazine, she looked at the right side of the index, searching for the name 'Naina Maheshwari'. She found it soon and travelled her eyes to its left, to see the title of the story. A smile appeared on her lips and she turned the pages to her short story. As Preeti started reading, each word of her sister's story was savored by her; sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning and sometimes tearing for the tale of two sisters. The story depicted how one sister supported the other one to speak up for herself and pursue her dreams. There were sweet banters, but immense love between the sisters. She soon realized why she had tears in her eyes, why she was feeling so connected to the protagonist Sneha and why she was given an exclusive copy of the magazine by Sameer. It was after all HER story, which of course was retouched as fiction by Naina, so that no one could figure it out. But she knew it. She closed her eyes as she reached the end of the story and her tears fell on the last paragraphs of it.

She was questioning her fate for the first time..... Can she really be the 'Sneha' as Naina envisioned???

(Sneha ke chehre par toh muskaan aa gayi thi, akhir uska sapna jo poora hone ja raha tha... uske zindagi me aaye hue ek chhote se badlaav ki wajah se... Lekin yeh badlaav ki sirf pehli dastak thi, ek chhota sa kadam. Aage kayi aisi chunoutiyaan Sneha ke saamne aane wali thi jo badlaav ki iss neev ko bhi hila sakti thi. Kyunki uske zindagi ke kuchh faisle usne khud, aur sirf apne liye liye the. Sapne dekhna shayad isi ko kehte hai, jisse raat ko neend na aaye. Agar aap iss padav par khade hai, toh phir duniya ki koi bhi taakat, samaaj ki koi bhi paabandiyaan aapko rok nahi sakti. Sneha aaj usi padav par khadi hai.

Lekin aaj bhi kayi aisi mahilaayein hai jinko na jaane kitni bandishon ne bandh kar rakha hai. Yeh bandishein samaaj ki unke prati apekshaon ki hai, yeh bandishein unke ghar-parivaar ke prati unki zimmedariyon ki hai, yeh bandishein unki parwarish ki hai. Aaj ke samay me bhi ek stree ko uska jeevan kaise vyateet karna chahiye, yeh uss ek stree ko chhod kar har koi tay karta hai. Jaise woh umra me badi hoti jaati hai, waise uski zindagi tay karne wale yeh log badalte jaate hai. Pehle maa-baap aur ghar ke bade, phir pati aur sasuraal ke log, aur phir bachche. Ek stree apna saara jeevan sirf dusron ke kehne par aur dusron ke liye hi bitaati hai. Aaj kayi aisi mahilayein hai jo yeh sochti hai ki zindagi aisi hi chalti hai, jahan unka apna astitva dusron ke liye hue faislon par nirbhar karta hai.

Aaj isi soch ko badalne ki zaroorat mehsoos hoti hai. Aur uski shuruwaat hum apne-apne gharon se hi kar sakte hai. Yeh janne ka prayaas karte hai ki hamari ghar ki stree, chahe woh beti ho, bahu ho, patni ho ya behen ho, unse poochhte hai ki unke sapne kya hai, unke armaan kya hai. Kyon na aaj unse baatein kare, sirf unke baare mein. Kyon na unhe puchhe ki woh kaisi hai, woh apna jeevan kaise bitana chahti hai, kya unki apne jeevan ko lekar koi aakankshayeein hai. Chalein, aaj sirf baatein karte hai, aur unke pichhe ek mazboot sahara bankar khade rehte hai. Taaki unko kabhi aapki zaroorat ho, toh woh aapko unke saath hi paaye, unka sapna poora karne ki himaat dene ke liye... Jaise Sneha ke sath, uska parivaar khada hai...)

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 preetidhas also helped me with this beautiful edit. Thank you Preetiiii.

This is a complete Maharashtrian Getup.

Aahhhh... Feeling good to be back to this story. Do you?

Let me know how was this chapter?

I hope you haven't lost the interest in this story.

Also, no-one really asks me but I only thought of clearing one thing. 

Guys, I hope you all are able to visualize all the scenes in the house properly. The house is just the same as it is shown in the Mumbai track of the show. Balcony in my story is there in the living room itself, as we had seen in the Mumbai track promo for the first time. So please imagine the balcony door just beside the window of the living room, and no protective grills there please, just normal parapet wall.

Do Vote, Do comment. Feedbacks and suggestion are always welcomed.

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