Naina slowly slipped a pillow under Sameer's head. His features were set in a contented softness, giving him a baby face as he slept. Only the dark shadow on his jaw made him look different than a baby. On an impulse, she leaned and kissed him on the chin.
"Bas issi se pyar kar lo tum." He pouted in sleep.
She couldn't help laughing, ruffling his hair before turning to step out of the bed.
His pull was sudden, not giving her a chance to balance... and she landed straight on his chest.
"Sameer... tumhe lagi toh nahi?" She was worried that he might have got hurt by her fall on him.
"Tum mujhe chot thodi pohocha sakti ho." He cupped her face.
"Par lag toh sakti thi na... aise koi kheenchta hai... agar tumhe lagti toh mujhe kaisa lagta socha hai?" She chided him, annoyed now that the worry was gone.
"Subah subah pyar se good morning bolte hain aur tum ho ki mujhe daante ja rahi ho... ek toh pata nahi kab agli subah tumhare saath hogi... upar se..."
His words muffled in her mouth as she captured his lips... stunning him with her fierceness... he could feel her heart thudding against his chest as she shook him with the intensity of her kiss. His hand moved to her hair, tilting the head to change her angle, turning her to the side to kiss her back with the same force... his lips touched the cheek when he moved and the saltiness made him jerk up.
"Naina, tum ro kyon rahi ho?" His heart sank, seeing her tear stained face.
She brought his neck down against her shoulder as fresh tears spilled out, "Sameer, main kal subah tumhare saath nahi hongi."
He felt the lump in his throat too. The day was finally here... the day he had been dreading for so long...
He stroked her hair, "Yeh mushkil din honge, Naina, par inhe jhelna hi padega... socho, agar hum wapas nahi jaayenge toh hamesha ke liye saath kaise honge? Aur tum toh itni himmat wali ho... fir kyon darr rahi ho? Agar tum hi aise karogi toh mera kya hoga?"
She had promised herself the whole night that she wouldn't cry... but a mere mention by him that he wouldn't see her in the mornings anymore made the dam burst.
"Sam... Sameer... tumhe... bohot akela lagega na?" She could not bear the thought of him getting up alone from tomorrow morning.
He squeezed her in his arms, swallowing hard before speaking, "Lagega toh... par mein yeh kehke apne dil ko samjhaunga ki yeh din woh pul(bridge) hain jo tum tak aane ka raasta hain... Naina, manzil tak pohochane ke liye raasta tay karne hi padta hai... kitna bhi pathreela kyon na ho... aur jab main apni manzil ko apni baahon mein lunga toh woh saari mushkilen, woh saari takleefe, woh saare dard... sab bhool jaunga... bas ek baat yaad rahegi... tum, Mrs Maheshwari, ab se apne pati ke paas rahogi... apne ghar mein... hamesha ke liye."
He had managed to show her silver lining to the dark cloud of their coming up days. The thought gave relief to her. The goal would make their struggle worthwhile.
She lifted her head... with her fingers, she started to touch each of his feature... slowly feeling the hair, grazing her thumb over his forehead, lightly touching his eyes as they closed for a moment at her feather touch, rubbing the back of her hand on his rough cheeks to get a raspy sound... her heart skipped several beats... when her eyes reached his lips, she gulped... she would miss the kisses that made her feel beautiful, made her feel alive...
Sameer had been watching her in fascination as she touched his face, trying to preserve each of his feature in her memory... when her gaze got stuck on his lips, his breath quickened.
