Happy Reading

A night, million stars, two tea cups and one stranger.

"Mera naam Sameer Maheshwari hai."

"Toh?"

Naina remembered her last night's adventure and smiled. How could it be possible that one chance encounter with a random person made her feel ... a little different than she did earlier.

"Sameer Maheshwari." Naina whispered to herself.

"Naina?" Preeti knocked on their bedroom's door. "Taiyaar hui ki nahi?"

Her eyes fell on the saree, jewellery and a small make up kit lying on her bed.

"Naina?"

She heard another knock. This time it was her best friend since childhood, Swati.

"Nahi ... Bas 2-2 ... Uhh ... 5 minute." Naina replied.

"Kya kar rahi hai?" She began reprimanding herself in the mirror.

"Ab mai haa nahi karne wali."

Why did she even say that? What was that euphoria she felt while sipping tea and talking to Sameer? Why did she feel so drawn to him or why did she even sympathise with his wounds in a way she hadn't with anyone else's? His personality was so calming that all the anxiety she felt before for her exam results seemed to vanish. She felt a certain soothing energy inside her that was making her wait for the future, patiently.

"Naina?" She heard SwaPree's collective knocks and rushed to change.

The Agarwal household was full of hustle and bustle. Tauji Taiji and their son Pralay was also present at the event. Sweets and snacks with bottles of cold drinks were ready to be savoured by the much anticipated guests.

"Ek baar apne badon se mashwara kar lena chahiye tha, Anand. Wo log Maheshwari hain. Isse accha ladka hum dhundh dete apni biradri me." Tauji said, trying hard to hide his annoyance on the biggest name in Ahemdabad being interested in a simple CA's daughter.

"Bhai sahab, rishta wahi Maheshwari lekar aaye the mai nahi. Agar mai chirag lekar bhi dhundhne jaunga na toh isse accha rishta mujhe nahi milega. Maheshwari ji Naina ke sapno ko-" Anand tried to explain his point of view to his brother but he was cut in between.

"Kya Naina ki zindagi ke liye faisla lene ka haq akele tumhara tha?" Tauji asked.

"Naina MERI beti hai aur haan, rishta tay hoga ya nahi ye Naina ka faisla hoga. Aakhri faisla maine liya hi nahi hai."

"Theek hai fir."

Tauji walked away, sat on the dining table and began gulping glasses of water.

Meanwhile, the door to Naina's room opened.

"Finally!" Swati chimed.

Naina stepped out. She looked nothing short of a princess. In her blue sari and open hair, Naina looked straight like she had descended from heaven.

Anand caught Naina's attention and took her out in the balcony for a while.

"Naina, kal tum bahut gusse me thi aur humari baat nahi ho payi. Beta, samjho. Ladka, uske gharwale bahut acche hai. Wo tumhari padhai ke liye koi problem nahi khadi karenge . Ek baar is ladke ko mauka do agar tumhe nahi pasand aaya toh hum mana kar denge." Anand said.

Sameer's advise to go back home and give her parents and this alliance one chance began echoing in Naina's ears.

"I'm sorry Papa. Kal na maine aapki baat suni aur aapse bahut badtameezi se baat ki. Aap mujhe maaf kar denge na?" Naina's kohl lined eyes were filled with tears.

Anand hugged her and reassured her of his protection. Naina apologized again.

"Ladke ka naam? photo? pata? kuch jan-na hai?" Anand asked.

Naina looked a little confused for what to reply. She was about to open her mouth when the door bell rang.

"Aa gaye! Aa gaye!"

Bela and Taiji got into action.

Naina couldn't answer. She was ready to give one chance to the prospective groom but some part of her was sure that no one could capture her thoughts the way Sameer did the previous night.

The groom's family arrived. It consisted of an elderly man, a middle aged couple along with a freshly married one.

"Ladka kaha hai?" Preeti nudged Naina.

"Mujhe kya pata." She replied, feeling frustrated with all of her new set of feelings.

Just when those words left her mouth. A well built man crossed the threshold of her house. He bent down to touch the elders' feet and when he finally looked up Naina got transfixed - once again, like she had been before.

The guy whom Anand had chosen for Naina was none other than Sameer Maheshwari himself.

Sameer caught her staring at him.

He winked and her cheeks turned scarlet even before she could understand why.

"TUM?"

The words left her mouth instantly but she wasn't the only one pointing and shouting TUM. Munna, Swati, Pandit and Preeti too had expressed their shock on seeing each other at the same place.

Everyone present looked at the set of the six of them with confused expressions. Taiji's antenna of suspicion began rotating in full 360 degrees.

"Oh bai!"

But Nanu intervened and said, "Anand ji! Baithayenge nahi? Badi garmi me aaye hain."

"Haan! Haan! Baithiye na. Bela, pani." Anand made everyone sit while his wife served them water.

Swati brought a tray full of Samosa.

"Chatni?" Pandit asked at the first sight of his favourite snack.

"Ye rahi." Preeti came out of the kitchen with a tray of small bowls filled with chatni and a fake, wide smile.

While Swati took out two Samosas per plate, Preeti began arranging a bowl of chatni in each.

The elders had engaged themselves in small talk but Sameer's eyes were waiting to see that one face again that had captivated his thoughts for days now.

"Teekha! Teekha!"

His head jerked in the direction of the noise.

"Teekha toh bilkul nahi hai, Pandit beta." Mamiji told him but apparently Pandit had found something unbearably spicy that the others hadn't.

"Eh Ponga, itna teekha bhi bardasht nahi hua." Munna laughed.

"Preeti, khadi kya hai? Inko paani lakar de." Taiji ordered her.

Preeti who was enjoying the sight of Pandit with crossed arms till now, nodded at Taiji's words and headed towards the kitchen. She came back with a chilled glass of water.

"Apna paani khud le lo." Preeti said while placing the glass on the table, smirking.

"Meri chatni me mirchi tumne milai thi na?" Pandit tried speaking while his tongue was still burning.

"Koi saboot hai? Nahi na? Toh chup chaap ye paani pi lo aur meri didi ke sharif ho-sakte-devar bankar baithe raho." She said, arms crossed again with full authority.

Pandit bent down to pick the glass.

"Waise ..." Preeti began speaking again. "Ek baar agar khane ke saath mazak ho toh shayad doobara bhi ho sakta hai."

She rubbed the back of her ear and went away, leaving a confused Pandit behind.

He was scared to even pick up that glass now.

"Beta, paani pee lo na." Bela urged.

With shaking hands he picked up the glass and gulped a small sip. It tasted all right. He shot daggers in Preeti's direction but she had taken a revenge and looked like a satisfied lioness after hunt. He drank the rest of the water, swearing inside.

Sameer's mind did get distracted by this little incident but the internal upheaval didn't cease.

"Mai baaki ladkiyon jaisi nahi hu."

He smiled remembering her little adventure.

"She is something." He thought.

Time didn't seem to pass. He was waiting for the part where the probable bride and groom would be left alone. Oh! How fun was it going to be to see her face when she'll realize that she had blurted a lot in front of her probable groom.

In the room, where Sameer would be escorted in some time Naina was pacing back and forth.

So she actually ran away from this alliance, straight to the prospective groom? What a sick co incidence!

"Mera naam Sameer Maheshwari hai."

"Toh?"

"Tum ghadi kha gaye the jo baar baar bajte rehte ho?"

"So much for first impression!" She face palmed.

"Naina, Sameer ko yaha bhejne wale hain." Swati announced.

"Tu kaha jaa rahi hai?"

"Mai? Bahar."

"Yaar Swati, yahi reh jaa na. Mujhe tension ho rahi hai."

"Tu na kehne wali thi na toh fir tension kis baat ki?"

"Haa wo..."

Naina trailed off ...

She heard a knock and Preeti was standing there with Sameer. She was oh, so dead.

Swati saw this as a good opportunity and escaped. She had to find Munna and talk to him. He hadn't contacted her in what felt like ages. She had no clue what was happening to him and she had to talk to him.

Luckily for her, he was standing alone in the balcony and the elders were busy in their own chit chat. It was now or never.

"Munna!" She called.

"Frock wali Pandit! Kaisi hai tu? Aur sab kushal-mangal?" He said trying to put on a fake smile.

"Kaha gayab ho tum? Tumne kaha tha tum apne ghar pe baat karne wale ho. Uske baad tumhara koi ata-pata hi nahi hai? Kuch hua hai kya?"

"Haawobasgharsenikaldiya." He mumbled.

"Kya?"

"Ghar se nikal diya baaki sab theek thaak hai." He looked away rubbing his hair.

"KYA!" Swati let out an involuntary scream.

"Kya? Kya kar rahe ho tum dono?" Pandit gate crashed the scene and tried to handle the situation. "Bhabhi, aap tension mat lo. Hum aaj ka kaam niptane ke baad ye sab theek kar denge."

He pushed Munna from his shoulders, back to the hall.

Running away from the scene might have saved Munna for a while but Sameer and Naina couldn't run away from the situation at hand.

They were sitting face to face on seperate chairs, across a small, glass table with a cold drink in between them. Somehow, Naina's lipstick and the cold drink were pulling Sameer's mind back to the accidental sharing that happened at the Samaj Samelan.

He averted his gaze.

"Toh ..." Naina began

"Toh? Toh kya? Kuch nahi." Sameer said, trying hard to not let the corner of his lips turn up.

Naina shut her eyes and pressed her finger tips. She was fidgeting with her hands. This wasn't going to be simple.

"Dekho Naina, darne wali koi baat nahi hai. Mai tumhare parents ko kuch nahi bataunga."

"Haa theek hai, waise bhi mai darti nahi hu."

She was amazed at how uncontained, uncontrolled her tongue was while talking to him.

"Accha? Kal toh shayad kutton ko dekh ke bhaag rahi thi?"

Naina stared at him wide eyed.

"Tumhe kaise pata?"

"Jyotish vidya, chehre ko dekh ke man ki pustak padh leti hai."

"Zyada filmy dialogue mat maaro."

"Toh theek hai ... Kaam ki baat karte hain. Let's talk about business? Mere baare me tum sab jaan chuki ho aur mujhe tumhare padhne/kaam karne se koi problem nahi hai."

"Tum hote kaun ho problem rakhne ya permission dene wale?"

"Agar haa kar dogi toh shayad husband?"

Naina was caught off guard but she held her guns again and said, "Agar ek husband apni wife ki permission nahi leta kaam karne se pehle toh wife kyu le?"

"Agar husband kaam karne nahi jaayega toh kya karega?"

"Ghar pe baithe."

"Aur kya kare?"

"Jo dil kare."

"Jo dil kare?" His voice had deepened and turned huskier.

Naina nodded, innocently.

Bela and SwaPree knocked on the door. They knew their time had drawn to a close.

SwaPree guided Sameer out while Bela went back to  Naina to say, "Haa bol du?"

Precap - Haa/Naa?

Much love <3