Rama looked on in surprise as Naina reached for another roti. What is wrong with this girl? Last two days she was barely touching her meals and now it's as if she is making up for all those meals!

Feeling her mother's gaze on her, Naina looked at her with a questioning gaze "What??" Rama just shook her head and headed inside muttering "It's good to see your appetite returning..." Slightly startled, Naina realised that she had just helped herself to a third roti and was still ravenous. Just one phone call lasting under two minutes and her appetite had come back!

As she absentmindedly chewed on the roti and Tinda sabji, she mulled on the phone call from couple of hours back.

* * *

Post his estimated time of landing in London, Naina had spent most of the late afternoon in the living room in the vicinity of the phone, her eyes tracing the excruciatingly slow progress of the hands of the clock. After all, certain promises had been exchanged the previous day, when he had called before leaving Ahmedabad!

"You will definitely call me after you reach?" she had asked lowering her voice as Nani was sitting on the sofa watching the local news on the telly. "Naina, didn't I say so just a minute back?!" Sameer had rolled his eyes at the other end. "Promise??" she had almost whispered. He had replied flippantly "Cross my heart and hope to-" "Please don't say that!" her voice had trembled along with the hand cradling the phone receiver.

Realising that he had thoughtlessly provoked her fear of loss, he had spoken after taking a long breath "Promise, I will call after reaching home. But remember it will take few hours to get home after landing." She had immediately questioned "One? Two? Three? How many is few??"

"Let me think..." He had taken a few moments and then replied, "Two hours, seventeen minutes and six seconds." Naina had sounded confounded "What??" He had smirked at the other end "Won't you be counting down every second?" Realising that he was teasing her, she had replied grumpily "Like I have nothing better to do!"

And then she had done exactly that! Counted every second till he called three hours, two minutes and thirty seconds later after his flight's landing time.

She answered the call even before the second ring sounded "Hello??" He had sounded tired "Hey, I just reached home." "Is everything okay? It took you much longer to call?" She questioned right away.

He gulped some more water from the glass in his other hand and then replied "Yeah, all good. The immigration just took ages! Couple of flights had landed just ahead of us. And then Piccadilly was running a little slow today." "Who was running slow? Was that the coolie?" Naina was confused. He was equally confused "Coolie?? What?" Then making the connection, he smiled "Piccadilly is the Underground train line from the Heathrow to London..."

She asked sounding concerned "Why didn't you take a Cab?" He shook his head "Cause the cab would have charged me ten times more and taken twice the time." 

"You must be exhausted though... did you get any sleep on the flight?" Naina asked worried. He pressed his eyes lightly as he replied "I managed to nap for a couple of hours. It's okay, I will get some rest over the weekend."

He then added quickly "Naina, I will buy a phone card when I head out for the groceries later today and call you properly tomorrow, okay?" The call had ended post some hasty goodbyes.

Setting the phone down, Sameer's eyes wandered over the flat. The silence, which he usually enjoyed, suddenly felt rather unsettling after the constant hustle and bustle of the past couple of weeks.

Filling the Kettle with fresh water he switched it on. Then he carried his luggage into the spare bedroom to be unpacked later.

The two-bedroom flat was sparsely furnished with just the essentials. He had decided to seek Deepika's help to spruce it up a bit after returning from this India trip, considering that he had been planning to stay put in London. But now those plans would have to be put on hold once again.

Going through his almost bare pantry, Sameer pulled out a carton of long-life milk and an unopened box of cereal. Fixing himself a cup of instant coffee and a bowl of cereal for lunch, he settled down at the four-sitter dining table for his quick-fix lunch. After the elaborate, overindulgent recent meals, the simple fare felt comforting.

As he ate, he flipped through the unopened mail that had gathered in his absence. Having finished his meal, Sameer glanced at the watch as he finished washing his mug and bowl. After barely catching any sleep the previous night, he decided to sleep for a couple of hours and then head out grab the groceries in the evening.

The flat had nicely warmed up since he turned on the heating after his arrival. As he lay in his bed pulling the duvet over him, waiting for sleep to arrive, his mind drifted to the conversation with his parents the day before.

* * *

After his visit to Naina's home, heartened by her reactions, he had approached them at the breakfast table the next morning.

"Dad, I have decided something." He had started. Vishakha and Vivek had shared a look, and then putting down the newspaper in his hand, Vivek had said stiffly "Your Mom has already shared your decision with me." As Sameer looked on a little baffled, Vivek added looking perturbed "Sameer, do you have any idea how you have put us in a difficult position?! What are we supposed to tell the Rathis when they bring up the topic of your and Ishita's relationship after they have been patiently waiting for so long?"

"What relationship?? All my interactions with her have been completely restricted to social occasions or family gatherings which I couldn't possibly have avoided!" Sameer had replied in a huff. Vishakha had muttered "Exactly! And there are going to be even more of these occasions now with them becoming family now. Can you imagine how awkward it's going to get?!"

Sameer blistered "Who cares about things getting a little awkward for some time?! Tell them they are free to find her a 'suitable boy'... because I am not that boy! And she is definitely not the girl for me!"

Vivek addressed his wife angrily "Ask your son if he has already found some Asian girl! I think we are unnecessarily trying to set him up with a good Indian girl!" Then he shook his head "Nilesh bhai has been so keen to invest in that new venture... What should I do if he changes his mind now?" Sameer muttered crossly "Go to a bank... they are there for a reason!"

As Vivek started to stand up muttering "Vishakha, send my tea in the porch..." Sameer interjected "Dad, I wanted to talk to you about something else... I have decided something about Nanu's business after meeting Dinesh the day before." Vivek immediately sank back into his chair.

"I don't think we should get rid of Nanu's business in a rush. Why can't we turn it into another setup supporting our export business?" Vivek shook his head "It's not feasible Sameer, that product is not fit for the western market. Neither the designs nor the quality."

"That doesn't mean we can't alter it!" Sameer spoke at length about the potential he could see in how the existing setup could be changed to some extent to support the export model, similar to what he had been doing with establishing the other partnerships in the Asian markets.

Vivek listened intently evaluating Sameer's business case, while Vishakha's thoughts drifted back to the repercussions of Sameer's refusal of Ishita's proposal.

"Dinesh has already made it work for him to a great deal, we just have to take it the next level. So, you can see it's a feasible solution, right?" Sameer asked his stepfather expectantly. Vivek nodded with a faraway calculating look in his eyes "I suppose it can work, but it will need a fair bit of effort and time... Do you think Dinesh will be willing to take on this enterprise for us?"

Sameer suddenly felt slightly nervous about the big step he was about to take. Would it bring him what he was really hoping for? Would he and Naina be able to leave their past behind and pave a new way for the future? There are no guarantees mate... but how will we know unless we try?

The memory of the joy and relief on her face when he has told her that he was moving to be closer to her, gave him the necessary impetus.

Breathing deeply, he cleared his throat "I don't plan to leave it to Dinesh. Of course, we will need his assistance, but I will be leading the project." As his parent's brow creased with slight confusion, he explained "I have decided to move to Ahmedabad for some time."

"Move?? But why?! Sameer, you have just moved back to London a couple of months back..." Vishakha was first to object. She went on "You had promised me that you would stay there now! I am fed-up of your constant travels!" Then she looked at him pointedly "You are doing this to stay away from Ishita? You don't want to face the uneasiness with the Rathis??"

Sameer frowned "Why does everything have to come down to Ishita?! Please Mom, I am not running away from the Rathis or her." His mother looked unconvinced "Then why beta? We had decided to dispose of the business here... It's not your responsibility."

He bit on his lower lip thoughtfully "It's not about responsibilities... I want to do it for myself. Nanu put a lot of hard work into building the business. And I know, somewhere, he hoped that I would someday want to take the reins. I want to give it a chance before we take the final decision." He knew he was twisting the truth to suit his agenda, but he had a feeling that Nanu would have approved of his real intentions too.

"Are you seriously considering it?" Vivek questioned intently. When Sameer nodded in acceptance, Vivek went quiet for a few seconds. Noting that her husband was already set to get swayed by the promise of another business venture, Vishakha tried another ruse "Sameer, I don't think this is the time for you to leave London. Beta you moved back for Deepu. Your being around is good for her! I think this will upset her."

He smiled slightly "Mom, don't worry about her... she is already doing much better. Also, now when she starts the new job, it will be a great change for her. And trust me, Deepu will be okay with my move."

Vishakha narrowed her eyes "You already discussed this with her, haven't you?" Sameer fidgeted slightly "I have... talked it over with her and Ollie... just wanted to run the idea past them..."

"Is that what the cold war has been about between you two?!" her mother's instinct had picked up that something was a little amiss between the brother and sister these last few days and now it seemed to add up. "Cold war? Nothing like that Mom." he tried to squash her doubts. Vishakha scoffed "Do you think I haven't noticed how she has been turning her nose in the air every time you talk to her these days?! Beta it means she is upset."

Sameer chuckled slightly thinking how hard it was to sneak anything past his mother. His gaze softened "Mom, don't worry. It was just some - sibling war. And it's all sorted now."

Vishakha's shoulders slumped in defeat "Just promise me that you are not doing this because of Ish... I mean, because of some girl!" 

Sameer flushed a little wondering how to make that promise, and then responded, "I promise you, it's not because of Ishita!" On the inside he was thinking in frustration, I hope this was the last time I had to hear that name!

Vivek had been lost in thoughts of the new business proposition for the past few minutes. He spoke as he rose from the chair "Sameer, come to the porch after you finish breakfast. We should discuss this some more before formally approaching Dinesh."

* * *

Most Sunday evenings bring with them a melancholy feeling, and this one was not different for Naina. In fact, it was even worse! She was returning to work the next day after a break of ten days. Though bored at times, she had overall enjoyed the little break from work. It had a been long overdue. And then, there had been so much happening in her life these past few days!

It was another hour till dinner time. Her Maa and Nani wear visiting some neighbour who was currently recuperating from a knee replacement surgery. Naina was half-heartedly flipping through a magazine, every now and again glancing at the phone a little irately willing it to ring. He hasn't been there for even a day and I am already the last thing on his mind! Yesterday he didn't talk for even two minutes! And what is the need for this phone card?? I have heard of greeting cards, post cards, invitation cards, ration cards... but a phone card? Is he going to make notes on some cards every time we talk?? Or is he going to prepare some cue cards for our conversations?!

She was so lost in trying to figure the mystery of the phone card that she nearly jumped out of her seat when the phone did ring!

His "Hello??" was greeted with a slightly grumpy "Where were you? I was afraid that Maa and Nani will be back before you called!"

"Oh... so you were eagerly waiting for some private conversation! Do you have something special to tell me?" He responded in a teasing tone. She frowned a little "Nothing special... but I thought you would call earlier..." even as she said it, she started wondering what had led her to expect his call earlier in the day. Maybe it was just wishful thinking.

Sameer muttered "I am feeling very jet lagged. Yesterday I ended up sleeping for a long time during the day and then was up till late. Had to stock some groceries and few other essentials today, so had gone out to grab some lunch and then shop. The shops open at midday on Sundays."

Shops open at midday on Sundays?! But isn't that the day people are free to go shopping?? Naina fleetingly pondered on this peculiar practice followed in London, before he asked, "How are you feeling now?" She piped "Much better! In fact, I am resuming work from tomorrow."

He frowned at the other end "Why are you rushing back? I don't think being back in the field so soon is a good idea! You really should let the shoulder heal properly. Believe me, in the long run, it's better that way!"

His concern acted as the soothing balm her harrowed heart had been yearning for a long time. Naina replied a tiny smile tugging on her lips, "Asmita ma'am has said she will allocate me to desk duties for the next few weeks till I am ready to return to tour duties again. She wants me to focus on training some new recruits for now. It will be mostly overseeing and assisting them. And I can change my work hours to avoid the rush hours too." 

When he uncertainly started "Are you sure? It still seems too soon-", she rushed to add "Sameer, I am getting bored at home... I am not used to sitting around like this."

Then eager to change the subject, she asked him "So, what did you buy?" He started sharing "Milk, bread, biscuits, some fruits and vegetables... eggs and some sliced chicken for sandwiches." "You eat non-veg?!" she asked sounding startled. Worried if this was going to be a deal-breaker, he mumbled "Sometimes... But I eat only eggs and chicken. No beef at all! Mom has always been very particular about that."

Still surprised, she muttered a tiny "Oh... okay..." Then she probed tentatively, "Do you really like it?" He wondered for a moment if he should make it sound like it was all about convenience and then replied "Naina, it's hard to be completely vegetarian here. Not impossible... but growing up here, I found it easier to adapt. But to answer your question, I do enjoy it now."

She nervously pulled on the telephone wire for a bit, before deciding to move on from that particular topic, "So, who cooks for you? Does a maid come in everyday?" He chuckled in response "Everyday maid? My dear, things are very different here! I am not some billionaire. I cook for myself."

Naina asked sounding astonished "You can cook? Like properly... dal, vegetables??" He shrugged "I can cook simple meals... nothing very elaborate, but few simple curries and pasta. Some days, I just pop a ready to eat meal in the oven. I have been living on my own for a long time now, can't just survive on takeaways and sandwiches, right?" She mumbled "Of course..."

Naina enquired about Deepika and Ollie and a couple of minutes were spent talking about them and the rest of the family.

Sameer shared "Usually, we all get together at Mom's for Christmas and Boxing Day, but this time we are all too tired. So, will skip the celebrations." She asked perplexed "You celebrate Christmas?" and the added as way of explanation "Must be because of Ollie..." He explained how it was a tradition his family had adopted considering it was a very big deal amongst the community they lived in.

"Sameer, are your parents happy with your move?" She asked with a thumping heart. The change in his tone was quite evident "Well, not happy... but they are coming around. Dad is convinced with the business case I have put forward to him. He is a very simple man in that regard! A true businessman. Mom is still a little upset. But I will manage her." Not knowing what else to say, Naina muttered "I really hope they don't stay cross at you for too long."

Suddenly he spoke with an urgency in his voice "Naina, the phone card is about to run out. We will get disconnected any time now... listen, I will call you on Christmas day, okay?" The call was disconnected as they were deciding on the time when he would call. Naina glared at the phone annoyed that she had not been able to say a proper 'bye'. Belatedly, her thoughts again returned to this puzzling phone card. I must ask him about this next time...

For the next few minutes Naina sat dwelling on all the new things she has learnt about him. His world seemed more and more foreign as she got to know him. No maids... Christmas celebrations... and what had he said about some Boxing day? Does he participate in some boxing matches? And he cooks! She chastised herself, Naina, he is much better at cooking than you! Maybe you should start helping Maa more in the kitchen...

Considering she had started working at a very early age, Rama had always refrained from pushing more household duties on Naina. When she was home, Rama tried to pamper her daughter to the extent she could. Whenever Vimla reminded her with the best of intentions that these were important skills for Naina to pick up before entering her in-laws house, Rama would assure her that she would teach her daughter the basics whenever the occasion was imminent.

Sameer sat distractedly tapping the phone card against the sofa's armrest. I should buy these in bulk! It barely lasted for sixteen minutes. He wondered what she was thinking about the 'non-veg' issue. He knew it was deeply frowned upon by his relatives in India. In fact, Vishakha made a point of not divulging to their relatives in general that her children ate chicken. Well, at least she didn't object to it outrightly! Let's wait and watch...

* * *

Once Naina had resumed work, the days had flown by. She would come back completely exhausted and head to bed as soon as dinner was done. Every night she would fall asleep dwelling on her latest conversation.

They had spoken on Christmas and on the Sunday following it. Considering the time difference between the two countries and their individual availability, they had realised that about 4:30-5:00 pm UK time on Sundays suited them best. He would be at home and the older ladies in her house would have retired for the night.

During each phone call both had learnt something new about the other. Some things had brought a smile, some a little intrigue and some slight unease.

Sameer stifled a yawn as he plopped down on the sofa. He had been out with Kabir and a bunch of their friends the previous night ushering in the New Year. They had decided to make it into a sort of bachelor's party for Kabir. The night had been packed with lots of drinking, dancing, and some crazy antics. One guy had lost his wallet which was fortunately recovered from the bartender after a frantic search, another had almost passed out in the toilet from too many shots and yet another had hooked up with some Brazilian chick. It had been the sort of night that the boys would reminisce about for decades to come!

After Kabir returned from India, Sameer had spoken to him at length and revealed his decision to move to India.

Needless to say, Kabir had been rather taken aback. It had seemed a little drastic to him. He had asked "Why aren't you giving it a try from here for a bit... and then if things seem to be panning well, you can consider moving." But his friend knew better "No, it won't be easy. I am afraid it might fizzle out, not because we don't have genuine feelings for each other, but just because of the distance and the hurdles in communication." Desperately needing Kabir to understand him, Sameer had earnestly pressed on "Kabir, I still can't believe I have found her again! I can't let her slip away without knowing that we tired our best."

Kabir had finally nodded in acceptance "I understand. I will miss you, bro! I was really looking forward to hanging out with you now." Sameer had smirked "Do you seriously believe that Farhana is going to allow you to hang out with your friends during the first few months of your marriage? In fact, think of this as me doing you a favour! I am proactively eliminating a reason for your marital discord!" Kabir had rolled his eyes seeing how Sameer was trying to spin things in his favour.

But the bachelor's night had taken its toll! Sameer had tumbled in his bed during the wee hours of the morning and even after sleeping for most of the day, he was still feeling worn out.

As he dialled the series of numbers, he recalled the uneasy note on which their last call had ended.

"But why haven't you filed for the visa yet? You said it would take 2-3 weeks for the processing, right?" Naina had sounded impatient. He had rolled his eyes "I told you... I am still working on the paperwork!"

She had gone quiet for some time as he tried to talk about something else and then muttered out of the blue "How long does it take to fill an application?! Sameer tell me clearly if you have changed your mind. I know it's a very big thing... and will understand if you are having second thoughts."

He had retorted "Working in the tourism industry, I expected you to understand the complexities of applying for visas! And I am applying for a business visa. These things take time! Dad is getting the bank statements sorted. On top of it, it's the holiday season! Everything is moving slower than usual."

Naina's eyes had suddenly brimmed at the other end. How could she explain to him that her initial euphoria had started fading away? The more she thought about it, the more his move started seeming like a fancy than reality. She had insipidly mumbled a few sentences after that till the call ended.

"Happy New Year!" he greeted her warmly as soon as she answered the phone. He could hear the smile in her voice "Happy New Year to you too!" Sameer let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"How was your celebration last night? Did all your friends show up? Did Kabir have fun? Was the food good?" Her non-stop questionnaire followed. He leaned back in the sofa "It was good... but I am so badly hung over!" 

"I thought you don't drink very often... and that the wedding was an exception." She remarked sounding sarcastic. "It was a Kabir's bachelors party! I could hardly say no..." he tried to find some wiggle room.

Then he quickly asked "So, what did you do last night?" She replied very excitedly "We had a party on the building terrace! Everyone had brought along some food. Maa had made masala mini-idlis. And Kulkarni kaka had got soft drinks for everyone because he got a big promotion!" For the next couple of minutes, Naina shared some titbits of the party. Then she added "We also played some games and antakshari. And I won the trivia quiz and big bar of Cadbury!"

"Wow! That's a great start to the year." he chimed happily. She responded shyly "No... that was a good end to that year. This is a great start of the new year!" "This... as in??" he feigned ignorance. She blushed "You know what I mean... you are not so... buddhu!" He tried to appear clueless "Trust me, I am. Why don't you enlighten this buddhu??"

Her heart was singing a song it had never hummed before.

Naina pouted "Stop pulling my leg!" He chuckled and then teased her more "Naina, this is so not fair! You have started the new year with chocolate... but what about me?" "What about you?? Did you already finish all the chocolates you bought on your last grocery trip?!" she quipped back.

Sameer's voice took on a husky tone "I am in the mood for some other sweet today." She blushed furiously at the other end, but asked in a complaining voice "Are you saying my voice is not sweet enough?" His eyes crinkled with amusement "Not bad Ms Agarwal... Alright then, I will make do with your voice for now. But only for now!" Her blush grew deeper.

A few moments of contented silence followed, with both marvelling at their newfound togetherness.

His eyes wandered to the watch. Just two more minutes to go... He drawled out "Naina, you didn't ask me the question that I am sure you are itching to ask..." Sticking to her earlier resolve to not taint this conversation, she pretended to not follow "What question? I don't have any questions."

Knowing they didn't have much time to lose, Sameer said "I have got an appointment for Thursday with the Indian Embassy for my Visa application." She squealed in delight "Really??!" He reflexively moved his ear away from the receiver and chuckled at her loud "Stop screaming. I can hear you so loudly across the oceans! I am sure Auntie is going to interrogate you after the call."

Her eyes grew moist with joy "So, you are really coming back!" He smirked "Once I decide something, nobody can change my mind!" "We have just another thirty seconds... I will talk to you on Sunday, okay?" he added hearing the message that the credit on the card was about to run out.

Her voice laden with emotions, she said "Sameer, this really is the best start to this year!"

* * *

(Hi Everyone, Hope you enjoyed this chapter which was mostly dedicated to Samaina phone calls! Waiting for your feedback as always :)

Take care all of you and stay safe. 

Lots of love, May)