The curtains were drawn in the bedroom of the Maheshwari's but the widows were kept open. A ceiling fan, a table fan and the night breeze were helping the couple to sustain the heat. Naina was sitting on the mattress while crossing her legs, her back almost glued to the wall. A warm smile had covered her lips as her fingers were drawing patterns on her husband's forehead, applying little pressure. Sameer was lying on his back on his side of the mattress, wearing a dark blue night suit, with his fingers interlocked on his stomach and he had rested his head on the cushion placed on Naina's lap. He had his eyes closed and was feeling relaxed with the head massage by his wife.

"Thoda tel laga du Sameer?" Naina asked softly.

"Nahi..." He replied calmly without opening his eyes.

Naina had not expected such a calm reply from Sameer. She usually used this trick to tease him as whenever she prodded him about oiling his hair, Sameer would turn into a grumpy child and throw tantrums. But she knew why nothing sort of was happening tonight. Sameer had been cheerful for the rest of the time while helping her in preparing for the dinner or during their dish-wash routine, but now since he had been lying quietly with his eyes closed, she knew that he must be thinking about the evening again.

"Tum bhi na Sameer. Kitne nakhre karte ho..." She giggled, still trying not to let him engross into a serious mood again.

Sameer didn't respond. But Naina didn't give up. She tried again, "Sameer, tumhara agla ad shoot 25 tarikh ko hai na? Achchha hi ho gaya. Dekhna abhi aisehi kaam milte rahega tumhe." She massaged on his brows.

Sameer smirked, he said, not bothering to open his eyes, "haan, lekin isme paise kam mil rahe hai Naina. Anil Sir shayad kuchh jyada hi dildaar the jo mujhe pehle ad mein itne paise de rahe the."

Naina stuttered for words hearing his tone, but she didn't let herself sound dull, "haan toh koi baat nahi na. Kaam milne se matlab hai bass. Aur yeh ad dikhne lagega toh aur kaam milega, hai na?"

"Baki kisi audition ka jawab bhi nahi aaya." Sameer voiced.

Naina's shoulders slumped listening to Sameer's responses. She dragged her fingers on his temple on both sides and applied more pressure, "aa jayega Sameer. Bahot jald kuchh na kuchh zaroor hoga dekhna." Her voice was comforting.

Sameer smiled a little listening to her humble attempts to keep him in a good mood. He opened his eyes and looked above at her. She had kept her hair open and he loved how her strands were falling on her shoulders. Her eyes were shining bright with an alluring smile on her lips. She was looking cuter than ever in her baggy white checked night suit.

He raised his hand and hooked it behind her neck and pulled her down a little towards himself. Her Mangalsutra popped out from her top and swayed in the air. Lifting his head a bit, he kissed the pendant and saw her smile widening. A smile he could give his everything for... Leaving his hand from her nape and settling his head on the cushion again, he mumbled, "Naina, mai udaas nahi hu. Tum chinta mat karo." He smiled warmly.

Naina caressed his cheeks with her soft palms and chuckled, "haan pata hai pata hai... nahi ho tum udaas..." She moved her thumbs in a circular pattern on his nose and cheeks. She so loved his pricking stubble. He had shaved just this morning, but given his rapid hair growth, his cheeks and jaw were already covered in a darker shade now. A few moments passed and she asked hesitantly, "Sameer, tum khud ko Jijaji se compare kyun kar rahe the? Kuchh hua hai kya?"

"Nahi toh..." He lied. Lying in her lap had one more benefit that he didn't have to see into her eyes.

She stopped her roaming hands and kept them on his shoulders. "Sameer, mai tumhari aankhon me dekh nahi paa rahi toh kya hua... Mai phir bhi tumhe achchhese jaanti hun. Batao na..." She poked on his shoulder.

Sameer sighed and shook his head. He had no escape route from his wife. He debated mentally whether to open up about it or not, but somewhere he wanted to confess something to Naina too. He said, "Jab Nirmala Aunty Shubhamji ke bare me baat karti hai na Naina, toh ek chamak rehti hai unki aankhon me. Woh hamesha bade garv se kehti hai ki unka beta kaise poore parivaar ke liye paise kamata hai, unka dhyan rakhta hai. Aisa lagta hai, koi mere baare me bhi yeh sab kahe."

He waited for a few moments to let her remark something. But she was just quiet and had resumed his head massage. He continued, "aaj shopping ke waqt tum jab trial room me thi, toh mai dekh raha tha Shubhamji kaise mana kar rahe the Preeti ki pasand ko. Bass isliye kyunki woh mehengi thi. Tab soch raha tha kaisa pati hai yeh, apne Biwi ki pasand ki ek saadi tak nahi kharid sakta. Aur phir laga, kam se kam koi ek baat toh hai, jisme mai Shubhamji se aage hun. Isliye tumhe woh teeno suits lene ke liye zidd kar raha tha... Shayad... bass dikhawe ke liye." He confessed his guilt.

Naina voiced, "Sameer tum..."

"Naina..." He interrupted her. "Mai jaanta hun mujhe aise Shubhamji ko judge nahi karna chahiye tha. Lekin mai aage se aisa bilkul nahi karunga." He looked at her by tilting his head. There wasn't any kind of displeasure on her face but a warm smile had crept on her lips.

She straightened his head with her tiny palms and kept on pressing both her thumbs on his face at some specific points. "Mai woh nahi keh rahi thi. Aise situations me khudko dusro se compare karna swabhavik hai Sameer. Aur iss baat ki khushi hai ki tumne woh accept kar liya. Lekin, tumhe pata hai, tum aisa kuchh mere liye kar rahe ho, jo Shubhamji Preeti ke liye nahi kar paa rahe."

"Kya?" He asked curiously.

She grinned, "tum mujhe mere sapne poore karne ka mauka de rahe ho."

Sameer smiled widely. He grabbed Naina's both hands and pulled them upto his chest, making her face come just above his and her long hair tickling his ears. He said looking into her eyes, "Naina, tumhe kisi baat ke liye mauka denewala ya roknewala mai koi nahi hu. Ye tumhari zindagi hai... aur tumhare sapne hai... iss zindagi ko kaise jeena hai, yeh sirf tumhara faisla hona chahiye... aur mai tumhe kisi cheez ke liye permission nahi de raha hun, bass tumhe batana chahta hu ke mai tumhare sath hu."

Naina breathed deeply listening to this. She was feeling overwhelmed with happiness with the kind of love Sameer was bestowing on her for years. But it wasn't only love, there was so much respect for her in his eyes.

Pulling all her hair to one side, she scrunched her knees up so as to lift his head, wrapped her arms around his face and bent down closer to his face. As the pendant of her Mangalsutra rested on his forehead, he closed his eyes. She nuzzled his face and whispered in his ear, "Sameer, tum mujhse itna pyar karte ho, mere liye itna hi kafi hai... yeh duniya ko saabit ki zaroorat nahi hai..."

His lips turned upward in a gentle smile but the next moment, he felt her soft lips lingering over his. He didn't have to wait for long and her lips were pressed on his in a gentle kiss. It was short but full of love. She loosened her legs down and remarked, "chalo ab so jao achchhe bachche ki taraf."

He nodded just like a child and let his muscles and mind relax. She was right. He didn't have to prove anything to the world. As time will come, everyone will get to know it. Splintering his worries and thoughts, he let the sleep take over him as his magician wife's long fingers were now playing with his hair, doing its magic.

A few minutes of quietude and Naina realized that Sameer was deep asleep now. She slowly lifted his head from her lap and got herself off of the place to settle his head on the cushion on the mattress. Turning the lights off and covering them with a thin quilt, she lied down beside Sameer, facing him.

But she just couldn't sleep. She had admonished Sameer for not thinking too much, but couldn't help herself drowning into evening's happenings. It was literally after so long that she and Preeti had spent this much time together outside of their houses, without any boundaries, without any concerns of cooking or daily chores, without any time limitations. They had so much fun talking nonstop to each other in the bus while sitting on adjacent seats with their husbands but completely not paying any attention to them. They had shared a laugh commenting that their husbands were either going to get so bored looking outside of the window or get angry for not even looking at them. But they were happy to experience nothing of this sort.

When they had entered the clothing store, she had it clear in her mind to purchase only one suit as Papa said, which she was totally clueless why he wanted her to get a new dress. It was a bit surprising for her because they had gone shopping just a few weeks before and asking to purchase clothes just some weeks later was so unlikely of her father. But she had gleefully agreed to Papa's wish since he was paying for it. And getting something from Papa, that too from his own money, meant so much to her. She had almost decided to buy the Madhuri Dixit pattern dress, when Sameer asked her to buy all the three, which wasn't surprising at all by the way. She didn't see any point in buying three suits, but she couldn't resist Sameer's pleading eyes. She was aware that Sameer had been going through the low mood since a few days for not getting response from some of the auditions he hoped for. But the recent ad shoot call had cheered him up. And if purchasing all the three suits would make him happier, then she would gladly do that too. And also, because she thought it was fitting in her calculation of the budget. But then, it just shouldn't be all about her, Sameer too then has to buy something for him, otherwise she would just put all the suits back. Emotional blackmailing by making small faces wasn't only Sameer's forte. She too could do that. She had laughed hard when Sameer had given her 'happy now?' look after buying the white shirt.

The jewellery shop was much bigger than Naina had expected to be Shubham's family's regular shop. Considering Shubham Jijaji's economic theories and Nirmla Aunty's nature, she thought they would go to a normal shop and not a big two storey showroom. The silver and gold jewelleries on the first floor were just spectacular. She had been watching every item with a bright shine in her eyes when Preeti had literally dragged her to the gold earrings section. How did Preeti know that she wanted to buy earrings for a long time? Well, the answer wasn't so difficult. Both the sisters had almost similar liking for everything and she knew that they both would be settling on earrings in this shopping. Preeti was keeping her so busy with the various options she was showing to her, that she didn't even realize that Sameer wasn't beside her anymore. She wanted to ask him for choosing the earrings or ask him what he would like her to wear but when she had looked for him, she spotted him talking to Shubham Jijaji at the far end at the corner. She was delighted to see the 'saadu-saadu' bonding happening and dropped the idea to call him. It was after several trials of different designs of earrings and heavy debate with Preeti on hers and her own earrings, she was close to finalizing a decent traditional design. It was again after several minutes when she came to know the fact that all the designs they were choosing from were ranging from 6 to 10gms. Maybe Preeti had told the lady about it. It had literally slipped from her mind that she could actually ask for some lighter or less expensive designs and that there is not any compulsion to buy earrings from the same set. But her eyes and mind were fixed on that delicate pair of earrings in her hand too. She had calculated the approximate cost and given an 'okay' for it mentally to herself, when Sameer joined her and revealed that they didn't have enough money to buy that. She had been flabbergasted to know that they had spent so much money only on clothing and now have very limited amount. She had quickly suggested some options but Preeti and Shubham Jiju had listened to her by that time and before she could prepare some points for this newly developed debate situation, she and Sameer were convinced by Preeti and Shubham Jiju by agreeing to their proposal to pay the rest money.

Naina had been blaming herself all the way while returning home for choosing such expensive earrings. She had even said that to Preeti, when they were preparing the tea in the kitchen, that she should have been more careful about it.

She was grateful to Preeti and Shubham, "Thank you Preeti. Especially Jijaji ko. Waise iski zaroorat nahi thi, hum kuchh halka le lete na..."

Preeti had said, "tu bhi na Naina... kya itni si baat lekar baithi hai... aur agar mai tujhe yaad dila du... college ke dinon me Jijaji ne agar tujhe koi kharcha nahi karne diya, toh mujhe bhi toh nahi karne diya... Aur yeh toh uske saamne kuchh bhi nahi hai..." Preeti had a bright smile on her lips and pride in her eyes for her Jijaji.

Naina had rolled her eyes and shook her head. How could she forget that she was talking to the biggest admirer of Sameer? She had smiled and said, "phir bhi Preeti..."

"Offo Naina..." Preeti had interrupted her, "itni kaunsi badi baat ho gayi. Aur Jijaji tere liye mehenge aur bhari zewar kharidte hi honge na... Aaj sirf thode paise kam pad gaye... bass..."

Preeti had said it so casually, but it had hit Naina hard. How the time had changed! They weren't the same rich couple staying in the big white bungalow and would spend money buying heavy necklaces. It was almost a turn around in their life in every aspect, when Mamaji had come with the split proposal. Hardly a few people knew how much that business split had actually cost to Sameer and Preeti was certainly not amongst them. So she couldn't be blamed if she didn't know they were living a simple life.

Though it wasn't much difficult for Naina to get back to the thrifty life, it was tough for Sameer to adjust himself in this middle class setting. And his outburst in the evening was just another proof of how life had been unfair to Sameer, where there was a time when he never would think twice before spending money, but now he has to check his wallet everytime and ask himself if he really needed to buy a particular thing. There were so many excuses like 'achchha nahi lag raha', 'pasand nahi aaya', 'yeh branded nahi hai', 'yeh jaldi kharab ho jayega' behind all the dropped ideas of buying new watches, jeans, shirts, jackets, and shoes for him... And she knew it. There was no scope for him to complain if a weird drunkard man is sitting beside him in a bus, he still has to travel only by bus and locals. There were no stored bottles or crates of thrill and goldspot now in the fridge. There was no luxury of watching every released movie in the theatre. The option of renting a VCR was too discarded off by Papa. There were no frequent couple dates or even family dinners in restaurants. There would always be a check on telephone and electricity bills. There was no travelling to a destination for some vacation or a one day picnic. All their lives in Mumbai were tied to 'look for work', 'study', and 'manage expenses' for Sameer, Naina and Papa respectively.

Gone were the days when Sameer would bring Mamaji's car and they would roam on the busiest streets of Ahmedabad, just to devour on Ice gola to beat the heat. Gone were the days when they would just dash through the narrow spaces of roads on his bike to get to the Sabarmati riverfront and spend hours there. This city, Mumbai, has the most crowded roads and places. The buses and local trains here have almost all the population of India in it. Though this city has a big ocean, its noisy waves, who hold the capability of snatching one's support from under his feet, cannot be compared to the feeling of dipping their legs into the tranquil water of Sabarmati. The chaos and concerns and turmoil they had at the beaches here in Mumbai couldn't level up to the peaceful and carefree moments they had spent at the Sabarmati ghats while holding each other's hands. And suddenly she started missing their life in Ahmedabad. It was much easier, untroubled and cheerful. It was full of friends and family members, who were a constant support to them. The only good thing they had in Mumbai, as per her, was Preeti- her savior. And she had again proved her name today.

Tears rolled down through her glistened eyes and wetted her pillow. She looked at Sameer. There were still some creases on his forehead even in his sleep. She wiped her tears and sniffed. Unclasping his hands on his stomach, she climbed upon him just like a child. She straddled his midriff, dug her hands under him and buried her head in the crook of his neck by settling herself completely on top of him. He hummed in relief as if waiting only for her touch. Resting his cheek on her head, he circled his hands around her back and the couple fell asleep, peacefully now.

****

Naina was preparing for the lunch in the kitchen while Rakesh was pacing in the hall and fanning himself with the handkerchief in his hand and wiping the sweat in between.

"Arey kab aayega ye Sameer? Itna samay lagta hai kya 2 coolers kharidne me?" Rakesh chided while looking at the clock.

Naina peeped through the kitchen to look at her restless father, "aa jayega Papa. Aur aap baar-baar ghadi kyun dekh rahe hai? Kya hua?"

Rakesh stopped mid-way, "aaa... kuchh nahi..." He said and went to the balcony to check on Sameer.

Naina had prepared the sabzi and rotis and now put the pressure cooker with Daal-Chawal on the gas. She washed her hands and came into the living room while wiping them on a cloth, when the telephone rang.

She answered the cordless casually, "Hellooo..."

No response was heard from the other side. She furrowed her brows and spoke again, "hellloooooooo... kaun?"

There was again a silence at the other end. She gasped after a few moments as the realisation dawned upon her. Her smile widened, "ohhooo... Sameer ki secret admirer ho na tum?" She was in a playful mood.

As expected, there wasn't any response again. But despite just disconnecting the call, she continued, "kya baat hai... aaj bade dinon baad phone aaya hai... lekin Sameer toh ghar par nahi hai..." She sniggered.

She waited for some moments to see if the phone gets disconnected with this information. But it didn't. So she carried on with her one-sided conversation, "waise, tum baat kyun nahi karti ho? Sirf aawaz sunni rehti kya tumhe? Aur... tumne Sameer ko kaha dekha tha pehli baar? Aur... tumhe pata hai na ki woh shadishuda hai?" She tried to stifle her laughter.

This information should be enough for the caller to keep it down, but it was still on. Naina was surprised at the courage of the caller, who despite knowing that Sameer is married, hadn't given up.

"Naina... kisse baat kar rahi hai?" Rakesh appeared from her behind.

Naina placed her hand on the cordless' microphone and whispered, "Papa, woh blank call hai. Sameer ke liye", and she laughed.

Rakesh frowned, "blank call? Phir Se aane lag gaye?"

Naina just nodded. Rakesh saw that the call is still on and he scolded her, "Naina, tera dimaag thik hai ki nahi? Tu yeh blank call wale insaan se baatein kar rahi hai? Yeh khatarnaak saabit ho sakta hai..." He became a little worried at the end.

"Tch... nahi Papa... hame ab tak ke koi nuksaan toh ho nahi hua na..." She reasoned.

Rakesh took the receiver from her hand, "woh kuchh bhi ho... lekin yeh blank call pe baat karne ki zaroorat nahi hai...", he admonished her and disconnected the call. "Aage se phir se aaye toh seedhe rakh dena phone... gappe ladane ki zaroorat nahi hai..." he warned.

"Umm... ji Papa..." Naina pursed her lips and went back to the kitchen controlling her giggle. Papa was right. Talking to a stranger may result as dangerous for them, but somehow she didn't find any harm coming from the other end of the call. Maybe it was a kind of vibe she felt from the other end.

Sameer reached home at the knock of 12 noon, with two men carrying a dismantled desert cooler. He guided them to the balcony and instructed them to assemble it near the window.

As Naina and Rakesh came from the kitchen, Rakesh frowned, "yeh kya... sirf ek hi cooler lekar aaye? 2 ki baat hui thi na?"

Sameer looked away for a second, "haan... woh... matlab... hamare room me zaroorat nahi hai cooler ki..." He deliberately avoided eye contact with Naina.

Naina narrowed her eyes and looked carefully at him. And she understood why Smaeer was asking her since 2-3 days, if this Mumbai heat was really unbearable for her. Well, it was okay for her because she was fine with the ceiling fan and the breeze from the window. She knew that her father certainly can't sustain heat and this humidity was adding to his miseries with lots of sweating. She had said she was fine with anything and Sameer seemed to have made a decision with that. So Mr. Maheshwari was trying to save money by not buying two desert coolers. Sameer felt her gaze on him and he looked at her through the corner of his eyes, only to smile sheepishly. But in return, he received a chuckle from her and he relaxed. He looked utterly cute in that brown t-shirt and blue baggy jeans, she thought.

"Zaroorat nahi hai matlab?" Rakesh's voice broke the eyelock of the couple. "Kyun bhai tumhe garmi nahi hoti kya... mere toh paseene hi nahi rook rahe..."

Sameer voiced, "nahi Papa... hum thik hai... bass aap shanti se so jaye, hamare liye itna hi kaafi hai... hai na Naina?" He looked at his wife and winked.

Naina's eyes widened as she heavily gasped after getting his mischief behind the wink. She almost coughed to hide the blush on her cheeks and the embarrassment of getting caught by Sameer or even Papa.

Glaring at Sameer, she cleared her throat, "haan... Papa... abhi ke liye ek hi thik hai... woh... hamari khidki se achchhi hawa bhi aati hai... aur... aur pankhe toh hai hi... "

Shaking his head in disbelief, Rakesh walked to the balcony to instruct the men how to assemble the cooler properly.

Naina turned to go back to the kitchen, but Sameer caught her wrist and made her turn to him. "Khane me kya banaya hai? Bhook lagi hai."

"Karela..." She twisted her mouth showing fake anger.

Pulling her more to him, he whined, "Naina batao na... Pareshan mat karo..."

She giggled and pinched his nose, "sach me karela banaya hai buddhu...

His shoulders slumped and he stomped his foot in annoyance. "Yeh Papa ke chakkar me na, mujhe karele khane padte hai... aur ab pata chal raha hai ki yeh itna kadwa kyun bolte the pehle..." He made a face and headed to the balcony cursing his father-in-law. "Papaaaa... aapko karela itna pasand kyun hai..." He yelled while on his way.

Naina laughed hard seeing her husband's irritated face, but happy to see no arguments from him. No matter how many complaints they had about their life in Mumbai, it had given her immense time to spend with her father that she had missed in all her twenty one years. She was talking to him more than often, she was getting to know about his own childhood memories and some of her too. And one thing she loved the most was to cook her father's favourite dishes. She had soon come to the fact that she was living with two stubborn men in this house. Both had their own food choices and tastes. Sometimes it would become so difficult to keep them both happy, for which they used to have banters over lunch and dinner, and she felt the need to balance between them. Hence, sometimes the meals would be of Sameer's choice and sometimes Papa's. But both the men didn't falter to show their love for her too. They too would make Naina's favorite breakfast on Sundays and during her periods or they would buy her favourite vegetables from the market without needing to be told.

Rakesh was constantly checking for the time and being restless for something while the cooler was getting assembled. It was finally done and Sameer paid for the men for their wedge when Rakesh hollered, "Nainaa... khana lagao jaldi..."

Sameer frowned for a moment. First he thought Papa was just hungry as he was, but now he was seeing all his anxiety. He joined him on the sofa. "Papa, aapko kahi jaana hai kya? Baar baar ghadi dekh rahe hai..." He asked him.

Rakesh fumbled, "umm... haan woh bahar jana hai..."

"Kaha jana hai?" Sameer queried.

"Bass, kuchh kaam se jana hai... '' Rakesh answered.

Sameer just smiled. Papa never shared the details as where is he going or when he would return. He was totally taking the benefits of being the only elder one in the family.

As the lunch was over, Rakesh hurriedly left to go out. Naina was cleaning the countertop when Sameer joined her to help with the used plates. He kept the plates in the sink, "Papa itne jaldi me kaha gaye hai?"

"Pata nahi... aajkal har 2-3 dinon me dopahar ko kahi bahar jaate hai. Aur 1-2 ghante me wapas aate hai..." Naina replied while cleaning the gas burner.

"Haan maine bhi dekha hai kabhi kabhi... kaha jaa rahe hai sasurji haan?" He said in a teasing tone while pouring water on the plates.

Naina laughed it away and she remembered something. "Waise... uska phone aaya tha..." She said dramatically.

"Kiska?" Perplexed, Sameer asked.

Naina washed her hands and wiped them with a cloth. They both headed to their bedroom and she voiced, "woh... tumhari secret admirer ka...", and she grinned.

It took a few moments to Sameer to comprehend. He rolled his eyes and asserted, "koi secret admirer nahi hai Naina. Kitni baar batau tumhe..."

"Ahahaha... toh hamare ghar me blank calls kyun aayenge?" She scrunched her nose.

As they reached their room, Sameer halted after entering the room while thinking something and Naina walked up to the window and turned to look at him. She raised her brows as she saw some mysterious expressions on Sameer's face.

He asked, "kab aaya tha call waise?"

"Tum bahar gaye the tab..." she leaned back on the frame of the window.

Sameer put his hands in his pockets, "Naina... kahi yeh blank calls Papa ke liye toh nahi aa rahe? Kahi unka sach me koi chakkar toh nahi chal raha hai?"

"Kuchh bhi haan Sameer..." Her voice was a little stiff.

Sameer chuckled, "toh aur kya... hum nahi karte the ek-dusre ko blank calls... hamare toh code words bhi the... waise hi Papa ko aaya hoga call aur woh jaldi-jaldi me chale gaye..." He knew he wasn't talking to his wife right now, it was Rakesh Agarwal's daughter who was in front of him.

Naina stammered, "aaa... nahi... aisa... kuchh nahi hai..." She took a deep breath and countered, "tumhare liye hi aate honge... tum ho na sabke sapno ke Rajkumar..."

"Naina..." He tried to convince her but was interrupted by her.

"Haan haan... sahi toh hai... naam ginaoo saare... Swati, Kamya, Sunaina, woh hamari seniors..." She was counting names on her fingers. "aur tumhe toh college me bhi dusri ladkiyon ke phone aate the, hai na? Jhooth mat bolo..." She pointed her index finger at him.

He rubbed his palm on his nape and pursed his lips before answering, "haan aate the."

She narrowed her eyes at his blunt acceptance, she crossed her arms, "Maine na mere agle kahani ka naam soch liya hai. 'Mera Pati... aur uske pichhe padi ladkiyaan...' He sniggered listening to the title.

"Jyada daant dikhane ki zaroorat nahi hai..." she scowled. "Aur janab ki list waha thodi rukti hai... woh boutique wali ladki yaad hai? Shalini? Woh madam toh bass isliye aati thi kyunki Sameerji bahot achchha naap lete hai..." She mocked the way the girl used to talk. She continued, "aur aapko toh unke measurements bhi yaad ho gaye the... aur sirf Ahmedabad me hi nahi... yaha bhi toh... Shibani hai... woh Tej..."

She clucked her tongue before uttering the word, but it had gone completely unnoticed as Sameer had taken long strides to come to her and pulled her to his chest with a crash. And before Naina could react, he locked his arms around her back tightly and pulled her closer.

"Shshshshhsh...." Sameer hushed her. As she went quiet, he studied her face. Her eyes wide, expressing a little anger. Her nostrils were a bit flared which occurs when she is high on emotions. Her bosom was heaving on his hard chest. He was bewildered whether to continue the tease game or make his lioness calm down. He was aware of his popularity in girls and how some of them were actually so bold to call him and give hints. In Nainital, he used to like this attention, but since Naina had come to his life, he never needed to look at any other girl. But he knew how his Naina was. Though she was always so understanding, humble and caring towards others, there was always a little possessiveness in her for him. And he had always liked it. A flashback of all the girls who tried to woo him and Naina's reactions over them appeared in his mind. So calming her down was the only necessity right now.

He remarked, "Phool Bane Angaarey... Jyoti bani Jwala..."

"kya?" She asked.

"Filmon ke naam hai... tumhe dekhkar yaad aa gaye..." he said nonchalantly.

She gasped and wiggled to free herself from his arms, but all in vain. "Kitna jalogi Mrs. Maheshwari..." He smiled. "Mujhe chahe kitne ladkiyon ke phone aaye ho, mere redial pe toh sirf tumhara hi number tha..." He touched his forehead to hers.

Naina stilled. His mere touch and the soothing words were enough to calm her down. She lowered her eyes, "pata hai..." She gripped the strong muscles of his biceps.

He hooked his finger under her chin and made her look up, "Naina, tum kaho toh hum report kare iske baare me, ya number badal de?" He said as gently as possible.

"Nahi Sameer... rehne do... hame koi nuksaan toh nahi ho raha hai na..." She said in concern of the unknown caller.

A warm smile covered his lips and he kissed her forehead. Naina could never think any bad for someone. Suddenly something struck in his mind. "Waise... Shalini se ek baat yaad aa gayi..."

"Kya?" She questioned.

"Tumne kuchh puchha tha mujhse uss din..." He passed her a lopsided smile.

"Kya?" She repeated.

He bent towards her ear and whispered, his voice turned hoarse, "tumhara naap. Ab bata du?"

Her eyes widened in surprise and she quickly freed herself to run away but her hand got again clutched by the strong hand of her husband and her back was pulled to his muscular chest. He circled his hands on her belly and muttered in her ear, "arey, apne pati se kya sharmana Mrs. Maheshwari? Aur ab tumhe itne baar bahon me liya hai, ki galti ki koi gunjaish hi nahi hai..."

He lingered his lips over her right ear and she felt the ticklish feeling on her ear as well as in her stomach. He slowly moved her hair to one side and softly kissed on her nape, erupting goosebumps all over there. Her eyes got squeezed shut, her toes curled on the floor and she felt weak in her knees. He dragged his index finger from one shoulder to another, but excruciatingly slowly. As his finger reached the end, he mumbled, "shoulders thirteen and half inches. Saadhe tera."

She snapped open his eyes. Ohh no... he is actually going to tell the measurements. She was about to turn but he stalled her. He grinned widely and dramatically said, "achchha standard size ke hisab se chalte hai. Fourteen inches."

A blush appeared on Naina's face. She was feeling shy as well as pleasurable with his roaming finger. He kept his palm on her right shoulder, stroked it down upto her wrist, and then interlinked his fingers with hers. "Aa... waise full sleeves chalegi na Madam?" He asked.

Exhaling heavily, she just nodded, looking at him through the corner of her eyes. "Good." He commented, "toh sleeves length hai twenty inches. Bees inch." He emphasized again on the hindi word. "Aur yaha na, do press buttons ya hooks lagana Madam, achchha dikhega."

She smiled at his creative suggestions and waited for his next step. As his hand travelled up again and his finger roamed near her throat, she held her breath. "Kurte ka galaaa..." he said and slid his finger from the side of her neck down to her cleavage. "Thoda deep rakhte hai Madam, thik hai..." He traced the neckline of her yellow suit and voiced, "aath inch... ya nau inch...", tracing his finger inside her top.

"Sameer..." She whispered and her fingers gripped the fabric of his baggy blue jeans above his knees. He stopped immediately, "okay 8 inch." He declared.

He chuckled and spanned his palm across her belly and swiftly turned her to himself in a fraction of seconds. The movement startled her and her hands landed on his chest. She looked at him and saw a mixture of mischief and desire in his eyes. The feeling of his hardness on her belly just confirmed it. He again roved his palm against her back now and stated, "waist, twenty seven, yaane ki Sattaees. Perfect."

"Aur chest..." his voice trailed as his hand moved upward towards her breasts.

She grabbed his hand the very next moment and stopped him, "aaaa... thik hai thik hai... mai samajh gayi... Masterji bade achchhese naap lete hai aajkal." She changed her tone to distract him from his arousal.

He smirked, "yeh Masterji aur bhi bahot se kaam bade achchhese karte hai." Saying this, he immersed his fingers in her dense hair at the back of her head, and dipped to kiss gently on her lips.

A short and gentle kiss, way too contradictory to the level of his arousal. He gave more such short and subtle kisses all over her face and slowly moved to her throat.

"Sameer... tumhara ad shoot hai kal..." She tried to stop him, but lifted herself in her toes, conflicting her own statement.

"Toh?" He asked, continuing to put open mouth kisses on her neck now.

"Toh... toh kuchh nahi..." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She found it such a lame excuse and heard him chuckle.

His one hand roved on her back and his another one cupped her breast and she felt the need to execute the hundred and fiftieth times tried and tested formula. "Papaa... aap itne jaldi aa gaye..." she almost screamed near his ears and he immediately left her turning to look at the door behind.

He scowled at getting defeated by the same trick again and tried to catch her as she was running away. Her hand slipped from his but he somehow caught her dupatta. She held it and asked, "ab kya hai?"

He laughed and said, "pandrah atthhe ek sau bees hote hai. One twenty."

She frowned, "yeh kya tha?"

He walked to her, "uss din yeh bhi puchha tha tumne. Aur Madam, mai jaanta hun meri hindi bahot achchhi hai, lekin tables maine English me padhe the." He shrugged.

She laughed hard. "Right Sir", she teased him.

"Jao jaake padhai karo ab. Bass pati ke sath romance karna rehta hai inko..." He commanded.

He was swatted on his arms by her and he ran to the living room to save his life.

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