𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴

• 15 •

Could someone have one in their life who would protect them from every cruel and negative thing? Could someone really be so caring that he'll come running to his love whenever she would need him? Does someone like this exist for real?

Her trance broke as she saw Smriti shaking her hand close to her face and smirked, "Oh madam, abhi se Sameer sir ke khayalo mein kho gayi aap toh..."

"N-Nahi, aisa nahi hai." Intending to change the subject, she asked, "Smriti, tumhe yahan aas paas mein koi achha sa Saree Showroom pata hai kya?" Smriti shrugged, "Haan, Bohot hain. Tum batao, what's the occasion?"

Naina bit her lower lip and answered, "Woh ek anniversary party mein jaana hai. I don't have any idea kya pehenu. Tum help kar sakti ho kya meri?"

"Arey yeh bhi koi puchhne ki baat hai! Of course I would help you. Ek kaam karte hain, office ke baad chalte hain. Kuchh badiya khaa-peeke aayenge." She pumped her fist in the air out of excitement. Naina shook her head and chuckled seeing her child-like behavior. But it didn't bother her since she truly had found a good friend in her.

******

It was quite late when she came back home. Three hours of continuous scrambling in different shops just to find the perfect dress had left her exhausted. But she couldn't deny the fact that Smriti's company had proven to be worth it. She was impressed by her knowledge of differentiating between the fabrics and checking out their quality, looking for the best. Her bargaining skills were on-point due to which she was able to get the best clothing and that too at a very reasonable rate. No wonder why she had chosen the sales department.

Belonging to a high-profile family, Smriti was aware of those glitzy parties and the way people would dress, especially the ladies. There wasn't any particular kind of dress code for these parties. One needed to be dressed in a way that would underline their personality and decency. Naina had decided to go for a saree, the reason being it was the safest option and also, she would have to dress as a newly-married woman. Even then, she was confused over the type of Saree she should purchase which would fit into the occasion since she was completely blank in that area. She had even debated with herself into asking Sameer about it but backed off. They still didn't have that level of comfort between them.

To her rescue, Smriti had come and made her opt for an elegant and not-so-flashy Saree. She had also got some cotton and Khadi Sarees, as daily-wear for work. The showroom had this facility to do the alterations in the blouse-piece hand-in-hand if needed any, saving her much time. Being a Financial Accountant had always paid her enough to meet her expenses so that she didn't have to rely on anyone else. But that was until she got married, now, it was adding more to her setback with rising outlays. Keeping in mind to do something about it, she had paid for her stuff and left the shop.

Placing all the bags on one of the sofa chairs, she stepped towards the kitchen to have some water. Feeling hungry, she checked on the pre-cooked food kept in the casserole and found it to be in a relatively lesser amount than normal days as if someone had already eaten half of it. This only meant one thing, Sameer was already home.

Not having much work to do, Sameer had returned home earlier than usual and to his surprise, had found the house too silent and empty making him infer that Naina still wasn't home. It wasn't different as compared to other days when she would be at home before him, somehow he had felt it today. He had just stepped out of the bathroom after having a refreshing shower when he heard the main gate being shut, and involuntarily his gaze shifted towards the wall clock, 9:30 pm.

'Itni late tak kya karne gayi thi?' 'Woh bhi akele?' He wondered as he didn't have any clue about it but found it too awkward to ask. He let it be and walked over his study table to go through the new proposal from a prominent Fashion based company that wanted to collaborate with them for their next workshop. Unlike last time, he didn't want to let anything go wrong. This proposal was a ray of sunshine to recuperate the company's fallen off reputation. He sat on the chair and began his work. After an hour or so, he called it night.