Naina sat on the bed feeling rather lost in her hastily put together bridal wear. So much was the same, yet everything felt completely different. She looked at the finery adorning her and wondered what she was expected to do with it now. She had been sitting there awaiting some instructions for a while, waiting for the discussions or arguments going on in the outside room to finish. At the moment, she was too mentally and emotionally exhausted to care about the outcome. All she wanted to do was curl-up into a ball in her familiar night clothes and escape from the what-now and what-ifs crowding her mind. But she wasn't sure if it was okay to wash the Alta on her hands or the Sindoor in the parting of her hair. And so, she waited some more. Well it could have been worse... at least she was in her own bed, she thought trying to rally her spirits.

While the rituals were in progress, one of the self-appointed mediators had raised the question of Bidai, again leaving the families flummoxed. Some more consultations with family priests had resulted in the decision that Naina would go back to her family home for now and the families could later decide on an appropriate date for the Bidai.

Bela was extremely relived that she would get some time to shop and prepare properly for the occasion, while Taiji started mentally calculating the upcoming unexpected expenses. Rakesh had been unusually quiet as he probably didn't know what to complain about for the time being. Or maybe he had already started dreaming of finally getting his own cabin in the school, considering he was going to be so closely related to the Trustee of the school.

Once the rituals had been completed, both the families had said some awkward goodbyes making plans to meet up again the following day and headed in two different directions.

Naina hardly heard a word of what was spoken in the car on the way back. To be fair not much was spoken anyway. Everyone was too stunned by the happenings of the day and lost in their own thoughts. It was a completely different thing though once they got home. Loud frantic phone calls were made to important relatives like Phulla bua, Naina's mama-mami and few others. It would have been hard to guess the nature of the news just from the tone and pitch of the conversation. Once the immediate family was informed, the Agarwal men went off to their respective rooms to freshen up. Bela of her own accord offered to make some Elaiji Chai for Taiji's anticipated headache, eagerly desiring a few minutes of peace and quiet in her kitchen.

The girls had retired to their room. Preeti had changed into her home clothes, while Naina sat fidgeting with her saree pallu. At length she spoke "Preeti, mujhe toh kuch samajh nahi aa raha hai... yeh sab kya ho gaya... " Preeti the ever-optimistic girl tried to put her at ease "Aare, tu aaisi bujhi bujhi kyu hai? Tujhe to aaj bahoot khush hona chahiye. Shaadi hui hai teri! Behen mujhe toh bikul yakeen hi nahi ho raha hai... tu Jaiprakashji ki bahu bunni hai! Itne bar unhe school mein koi na koi function mein chief guest bunne dekha tha... wah Naina... ab toh tere kya khoob thaat honge!"

And then she continued with a dreamy look "Haye... Jijaji toh bahoot hi handsome hai... ekdum hero hai. Bahoot lucky hai tu!" Naina felt like her mind had gone blank... she couldn't recall his face. All she could remember was a pair of eyes that she had briefly felt drawn to while she was sitting on the ground post that collision, and a hand holding her own during the wedding rituals. No wait... there was more... she remembered thinking that she must tell Swati that there had indeed been a Salman Khan at the wedding when he had reached out to help her get up as she sat there in a heap on the ground. But she couldn't remember his exact features now.

Just then Bela called Preeti out to help with cooking some dinner. During the day everyone had lost their appetite and did not get a chance to taste the much looked forward to wedding feast prepared by the cooks from Baroda. Some mixed vegetable khichadi with papad and achaar was on the menu for the night, but Bela decided to quickly add some suzi ka halwa to mark the sweet beginning of the next phase of Naina's life. Chachaji had briefly popped into Naina's bedroom, just to check if she was alright and pat her head reassuringly.

The elders of the Agarwal household had reconvened for further discussions in the living room. Tauji started "Ha toh Rakesh aur Anand, theek se sooch lo kal Maheshwariji se kya baat karni hai. Maine unnse kaha hai ke hum teeno kal subhe sade-dus baaje unke ghar poohoch jaayenge. Ghar bhi dekh lenge..." Taiji added "Dekhiye, saari len-den ki baat bhi khul ke karke aayiye. Bade log hai... mangi bhi badi badi hi hongi." Rakesh interjected "Len-den?! Ab kaisa len-den? Shaadi toh ho gayi hai... yeh sab baate toh shaadi se pehele hoti hai. Aur waise bhi main iss pratha ke bikul virudh hu. Jamai kharidne ka koi shauk nahi hai mujhe."

Tauji answered "Rakesh tum apne yeh saare aadarsh apne bete Arjun ki shaadi mein yaad rakhna. Dekho hume apni tarraf se iss maamle mein samajhdari se hi kaam lena padega. Bahoot bade ghar mein hua hai Naina ka rishta, ab biradari mein unke naam ka maan toh rakhna padega." Rakesh again started "Main apni beti ka rishta leke nahi gaya tha unke pass..." Taiji retorted "Agar unka bus chalta toh wo bhi aapki beti se rishta nahi karte. Baat karte hai... aare bhagwan ne ghar baithe baithe itna achaa rishta bhej diya hai... par inhe toh koi kadar hi nahi. Aur ek baat samajh lijiye, abhi sirf shaadi hui hai. Aaise hi koi isse bida karke nahi le jaayega. Dahej toh dena hi padega."

Anand addressed Rakesh "Bhaisahab, Bhabhiji bilkul theek keh rahi hai. Chahe kisi bhi halat mein ho, par itna achaa rishta hua hai. Aur humne kabhi bhi Naina ko khali haath toh sasural bhejne ka nahi soocha tha. Ab bus thoda jyada karna pad jayega..." Turning to Tauji he continued "Waise main unnse ek baat jarur karna chahunga... Naina ki padhayi chalu rahe... akhir uska final year hai." Rakesh retorted "Padhayi?! Aare usne kaunsa Gujrath ka chief minister banna hai? Main toh kehta hu, ab Bidai hone tak usse ghar ke kaam karna seekha do. Wahi kaam aayega kal sasural jaane par." For once Taiji wholeheartedly agreed with Rakesh and started shouting instructions to Bela who was in the kitchen regarding the list of dishes to teach Naina.

And so Naina now sat in her wedding attire in her childhood bed, waiting for the debate outside to subside.

A little while later Bela after conferring with Taiji advised Naina to bathe and change into her usual clothes but leave the Sindoor in her maang as it was. As Naina looked at herself in the old and slightly damaged mirror in the bathroom, she stared at that little smudge of sindoor and pondered on how it had changed her life in ways she could barely begin to comprehend.

She couldn't understand why she hadn't taken the opportunity to say no when his Nanaji had asked her. What had possessed her to accept with this relationship? Was it because she was not used to ever saying no to her elders? Or was it because his unexpected kindness had shown her a glimpse of a future, where she and her opinions could matter?

After eating some khichadi and a few morsels of the halwa in the bedroom with Preeti for company, Naina retired to her bed for the night. She briefly wondered just how many more nights she would spend in this room now. She looked at Preeti next to her and felt a little scared thinking soon there would be a stranger lying next to her. She still couldn't remember anything but his eyes... Surprisingly she drifted off to sleep much earlier than expected, maybe it was her subconscious trying to avoid any further analysis.

Sameer had barely spoken two sentences since they left the wedding venue. While in the car, Nanaji had tried to make some small talk... say some reassuring things... but he had not responded in the least and finally his grandfather had given up deciding to give him some space.

As soon as they got home Sameer had headed to his room upstairs and locked himself in there. The first thing he did was bathe and try to rinse off the sense of unease that seemed to have crawled into every pore of his skin. He then tried boxing the punchbag in his room hoping to get rid of the expected anger simmering inside him. But nothing helped.

Finally, he just crawled into bed feeling completely numb. No matter how he tried he couldn't comprehend that he was married. He had a wife? No that didn't make any sense. He couldn't even remember the girl's face. All that he could remember was her hand had felt very warm in his during the rituals. Maybe it was the fire nearby heating things around or maybe it was just that he had been experiencing cold hands along with cold feet in that moment.

Nanaji had known that Sameer would take some time understanding and accepting his decision but seeing him so distant and lost was still very painful. He understood that life hadn't been fair to the poor boy but hoped that this unexpected event would mark the beginning of a happier phase of his life. After all, sometimes all one can do it hope. There was another difficult task he knew he couldn't put off for any longer. The boy's mother his daughter Vishakha had to be notified of the event. He dialed the Delhi number.

Vishakha's step-son Rohan picked up the phone. Nanaji started "Aare Rohan, kaise ho beta? Main Ahmedabad se Nanaji baat kar raha hu." Rohan replied "Namaste Nanaji. Main bilkul accha hu. Aap ki tabiyat theek hai? Mummy bata rahi thi kuch din pehele aap ko bahoot khaasi hui thi..." Nanaji assured him that he was all well now and asked for Vishakha.

As she came on the phone, Nanaji started "Vishakh, beta tumse bahoot jaruri baat karne hai. Wo aaj kuch bahoot hi ajeeb si baat hui hai... Wo Sameer ki... " Vishakha sounding scared interrupted "Kya hua Papa? Sameer theek toh hai na? Kahi phirse bike se... " Nanaji stopped her "Aare nahi.. koi accident nahi hua. Wo... actually, uski shaadi ho gayi aaj."

Vishakha went completely silent for a few moments. Nanaji said "Beta tum ho na phone pe?"" She replied "Ji, par main kuch samjhi nahi... kya aapne kaha usne shaadi kar li? Aaise kaise? Bhag ke shaadi karli?! Hey bhagwan... ek bar humse theek se baat toh kar leta. Kya karu main iss ladke ka?" Nanaji tried to explain "Nahi beta ussne koi bhag-vaag ke shaadi nahi ki hai..." She was now even more perplexed "Kya matlab bhag ke shaadi nahi ki hai? Toh phir shaadi kaise ho gayi? Aur ladki kaun hai? Aap jaante thay kya unke relationship ke baare main?"

Understandably she had a lot of questions and concerns. He tried to present the facts as well as he could, trying to make some sense of the situation. He tried to reassure her that the girl came from a good family and was educated. Vishakha found it even harder to comprehend that the wedding had happened in this manner and not because her son loved some girl.

She protested "Par Papa, aapne yeh rishta kabool hi kyu kiya? Aap toh kabhi aaise kisi ke pressure mein aanewale logo mein se nahi thay. Aur ab aage kya hoga? Sameer ko aap aur main bahoot acche se jaante hai. Wo kitna adiyal hai... ussne nahi accept kiya uss ladki ko toh hum kya karenge?!" Her father replied "Beta ab jo hona tha wo toh ho gaya... sahi ya galat toh waqt hi batayega. Bus prarthana karo ke sab theek ho jaye. Kal wo log aage ki baat karne aayenge. Tumhe kya lagta hai?"

After discussing the situation some more and considering various options they finished the phone call with Vishakha saying that she would talk the matter over with Sameer's stepfather Mr Somani and call back.

Upstairs the newly wedded groom was still lying in bed contemplating on this sudden upheaval in his life. Just when he seemed to have found some stability and sense of peace... this last year in Ahmedabad had been the first time he had felt a sense of happy belonging. Post his father's demise and mother's remarriage he had ended up in a hostel in Nainital when he was about 8 years old where he spent the next 10 years till he completed his 12th. All those years his mother had put the demands of her new family ahead of his needs.

Initially he had been quite traumatized by these changes, but eventually adjusted to hostel life, learning to live with other boys coming from similar situations. But, he never forgave his mother for depriving him of the affection that was rightly-fully his.

When it came time to start college, his mother and her husband whom Sameer had always refused to address and accept as his father decided that Sameer should now live with them in Delhi. As Sameer's stepbrother Rohan and half-sister Deepika were now grown up, there was finally some space for him in his mother's life.

After moving to Delhi, Sameer struggled to get along with Rohan having always resented him for taking away his mom from him. Mr Somani had come to accept his stepson over the years understanding that he was not a threat to the attention that Vishakha lavished on his kids, but Sameer had always been wary of him and maintained as much distance as possible.

Vishakha had tried to pick-up her mothering where she had left it almost a decade ago. But, by then it was too late for genuine warmth and bonds to blossom. Also, Vishakha's mother-in-law was not an easy person to get along with and she tried her best to make Sameer feel like an outsider in that household.

He felt completely disillusioned by these two women and could never connect with them. The only person he had sort of got along with was his then seven year old half-sister Deepika. She was a sweet mischievous kid but given their age difference it was hard for them to share anything other than a bit of fun every now and then. Sameer's interactions with his mother and Rohan's Dadi had marred his ability to understand and trust women in general. He had a few vague memories of a loving doting Naniji who used to keep his favrouite ladoos ready whenever he visited and sneak him little change to go buy the baraf ka gollas that he loved. Unfortunately, Naniji had passed away years ago while he was still very young.

While in college he had made a few friends. The type that you hang out with during free lectures or head to the movies with, because it is expected that certain activities should be done in a pack. He was a handsome lad with an innate sense of style and carried himself with a nonchalance that intrigued most of the girls around him. Certain amount of curiosity which was more than natural for that age and some prompting from his pack had resulted in him dating a couple of girls, well three to be exact.

Though he had found it easy enough to joke around and sometimes even flirt with these girls while in the company of others, he had struggled when it came to one to one interactions with them. He had no clue as to how the female of his species operated or thought. All their overtly affectionate gestures felt fake and their constant need for attention left him feeling drained.

The girls on the other hand found him cold and disengaged and interpreted this as a personal rejection. None of these relationships lasted for more than a few weeks at a time. To cover for the lack of ability to emotionally connect, Sameer had tried kissing the last one. But all it had felt like was a bit of a clumsy attempt at pressing his lips against another's. There had been no sense of longing, no sparks or fluttering of his heart. And things had been further complicated, when post the end of that relationship the girl tried to present him as a heartless bastard only interested in the physical. Thus, he had arrived at the conclusion that the importance of love and relationships was over hyped, and one could easily be much happier without these.

As soon as he graduated, he had moved to Ahmedabad to live with his Nanu. It was agreed that he would complete his masters here and slowly start learning a little bit about the business too as he would be joining and inheriting it. An unexpected deep and loving friendship had blossomed between him and his distant cousin Munna and Munna's childhood friend Pandit, who were pursuing their masters with him. Very quickly the trio become inseparable and Sameer felt a deep sense of belonging for the first time in his life. Seeing him so happy, his Nanu had been extremely pleased and wished he had brought him to Ahmedabad sooner.

But then, there is a time and place for everything. Waqt se pehele kismet se jyada kisiko mila hai na kisiko milega.

Ramdhari announced that dinner was ready, but Sameer bhaiya was not coming down. Nanu headed to his room. Seeing him lying down still looking lost, Nanu sat down on his bed. "Beta, neeche chalke thoda khana kha lo... Tumne subhe se kuch khaya nahi hai." Sameer just shook his head "Sameer, ab toh shaadi ho gayi beta. Hume ab thande dimak se sochna chahiye ke yeh rishta aage kaise badhana hai." Sameer blurted "Mujhe kuch bhi aage nahi badhana hai. Main jaha hu jaisa hu waise hi rehna chahata hu. Aap jaante hai pehli bar main dil se khush hu. Mujhe koi complication nahi chahiye apni life mein. Aap unhe mana kar dijiye."

Nanu was stumped "Mana kar du? Kya matlab mana kar du? Beta wo log kal yeha Naina ke Bidai ki baat karne aa rahe hai." At the mention of her name two startled doe shaped eyes flashed at the back of his mind. But Sameer was not willing to hear him out "Nanu main kuch nahi jaanta. Aap unse jo chahe kahiye par main iss rishte ke liye tayaar nahi hu." Not that he was an awfully dedicated student but right now even the idea of studying appealed to him. "Waise bhi yeh mera final year hai aur main padhai pe hi concentrate karna chahata hu." Nanaji knew him too well to believe that studies had suddenly become so important to him, but he decided to abandon the discussion for the time being.

Some time later Vishakha called back and spoke to her father at length about her conversation with her husband, while Nanaji reported of his own with Sameer. As expected Mr Somani had been quite taken aback too, but surprisingly he had come with some good ideas for how to approach the situation now. Nanaji now felt much better equipped for the next day's conversation.