"Naina Agarwal!" Sameer's voice was more of a command now, as he desperately tried to make Naina stop. But Naina was seething with anger. She continued to walk on rapidly as Sameer tried to catch up with her. "Naina...hum baakiyon se door ja rahe hain!" he shouted again, but to no avail. Sameer knew he'd signed up for trouble. The problem was he didn't know how! Finally, he sprinted and came right besides her. "Naina! Ruko toh! Kabse bula raha hun!" Sameer panted as he placed his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to stop her. Naina looked at him, her eyes breathing fire as she jerked herself free from his hold. "Mujhe kahin nahi jaana...tum kyun aa rahe ho piche...jao yahaan se!" she snapped. "Nahi jaunga tumhe chod ke...chalo wapis...bus nikal jayegi! Naina! Naina!" But his request fell on deaf ears. Sameer gave one last look at the bus in the distance, knowing it might start soon. And then at Naina, hell-bent on going the other way! "Girls! They are impossible!" Sameer shrugged to himself irritatedly as he ran behind Naina again. If they were going to miss the bus, he better be besides her.
After a while, Sameer again cornered Naina against a tree. "Ruko abhi! Bolo kya hua hai?" he enquired. Naina looked the other way, her hands crossed in her front. Sameer rolled his eyes. This girl could be as stubborn as her father and he hardly ever liked it when she reminded him of his to-be sasur. Over their 3 years of togetherness, Sameer had seen multiple shades of Naina's character. And needless to say, this one wasn't especially his favourite. But then he also knew how to tackle her when she was in a mood to bite. His lips broke into a seductive smile, as he looked at her intently, and tuck a lone strand of hair behind her ear. The sudden touch unsettled Naina. Satisfied, Sameer now traced his fingers against her cheek and lowered his face to kiss it. But sensing his intentions, Naina immediately slipped under from his hold. She wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily. She stood a few inches away, her focus apparently on the nails of her fingers, while she waited for Sameer's apology.
"It's not going to be easy this time," thought Sameer, "zyada hi naraaz hai!" He ambled over to her meaningfully and wrapped his arms around her from the back, and nuzzled his face against her neck. He sure knew the sweet spots of women. Naina didn't respond to his touch- at least apparently. Though she made no attempt to move away from him, she continued to remain interested in her hands. Sameer grabbed the hand she was eyeing and kissed it. "Jaanta hun...bahot khoobsurat hain tumhare haath...par kitna dekhogi inhe....ek nazar is deewane ko bhi to dekh lo...," he uttered flirtatiously. Naina again shrugged him off. "Jaanu...darling!' he called her. And then, "sama hai suhaana suhaana...nashe mein jahaan hain...kisi ko kisi ki khabar hi kahaan hai...," Sameer started singing much to her irritation. Sameer again went behind her and asked now as softly as he could, "kya hua jaanu? Dekho kitna acha mausam ho raha hai...hum dono akele hain...wo bhi Manali ke khoobsurat hill station mein! Aur tum aise naraaz...dekho bus bhi nikal gayi...chaho to abhi bhi bus pakad sakte hain...raat hone se pehle!" "Mujhe nahi pakadni bus vus! Tum jao," Naina replied tartly. "Aise kaise jaun apni Nainu ko chod ke...?" Sameer replied sweetly. "Chalo thoda ghum ke aate hain!" he said and without waiting for a response, grabbed her hand and led her towards the market area.
Dusk turned to twilight, when Sameer realized there was no hope left of catching up with their class today. He better find an accommodation to spend the night now. Sameer dragged Naina along with him to every hotel they went, but seeing the young couple, most of the hotel owners denied accommodation to them, sensing they were unmarried. Naina's aloofness didn't help matters anyhow. By now, Sameer was also getting irriated. After many failed attempts, the owner of a small inn relented, and gave them the only room available. Sameer thanked him heartily as he took the keys. Before Naina could start arguing again, he held her hand and ushered her inside the room.
Naina and Sameer forgot their fight as they looked at the room in astonishment. "What was this place? They call this a room?" Naina blurted out. There was a dilapidated bed in a corner of the room, covered with not so clean sheets. An aged wooden table was propped against the window, which had a glass pane or two cracked. As Sameer tried to turn on the bedside lamps, he found only one was working. Thankfully the washrooms were comparatively clean and in working order. The weird thing was, heaps of dried hay were piled into a corner of the room, covered by a tattered bedsheet. "Ye room hai ya tabela!" Sameer spoke helplessly as he propped himself onto the bed. "Tum jao apne room mein...mujhe tumse baat nahi karni!" Naina said, regaining her angry stance. "Wo actually kya hai na Naina madam....room ek hi hai...aur chahe aap gussa ho merese...par adjust kar lo yaar ek raat...ab bus bhi tumhari wajah se hi to miss huyi hai na...," Sameer replied coolly, not in a mood to placate her anymore. The thought of sharing a room with Sameer, all alone made Naina go pink in the cheeks. For the first time since evening, she was regretting that they'd missed the college picnic bus.
She too plomped herself on the opposite side of the bed. "Tum kahan sone wale ho?" she asked. Sameer looked at her incredulously. "Naina! Sote to bed pe hi hain na!" he replied, rolling his eyes at her . "Tumhare kehne ka matlab hai ki hum shaadi ke pehle ek room mein, ek bed pe so jayein?" Naina was amazed at the gall of Sameer. "Ohh Darling...tum bolo to abhi jaake shaadi kar lete hain...mandir to khule honge na...kaunsi sari pehnogi shaadi mein?" he mocked at her. "Mujhse to seedhe muh baat nahi kar sakte...dusron se khil-khila ke haste rehte ho!" she muttered under her breath as she grabbed a pillow and lay down on her side of the bed.
Sameer was lying at the other end of the bed, his hands crossed behind his head, and his legs jiggling impatiently against each other. And there Naina was pretending to sleep. Sameer checked the time in his wrist watch and realized it was 8.30pm. Naina would be hungry too. He could be angry with her, but he couldn't stop caring about her. "Kya khaogi?" he asked softly. There was no reply. He sighed and turned around. He started caressing her face again, and repeated the question. Sameer understood the silence. "Why did God make people fall in love with girls?" he looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. "Kabhi bolna shuru karti hain to chup hi nahi hoti...aur jab bolne ko kaho to muh pe taala laga leti hain!" he thought.
Finally, he got up and left the room. He returned 20 minutes later with a packet of food. He'd got Chowmein packed for her. It was her favourite. Maybe that would help her relent! Naina had shut her eyes as soon as he entered. Sameer knew she was only feigning her sleep. She too knew that Sameer knew. He came and sat besides her on the bed and caressed her hair, "Nainu tumhara favourite hai chowmein! Kha lo please!" Naina responded with a muffled mmm, and as she took a deep breath or two with her eyes closed. "Overacting ki dukaan," Sameer mused. "Nind aa rahi hai?" he asked again. "Mmmm...," came the same reply. Sameer kept the food parcel on the table besides her and moved over to his side of the bed. As he lay down, he took care not to touch her, and stashed a pillow in between them.
Hungry, tired and sad because of Naina's unprecedented anger, Sameer lay down on the bed, cross-legged, staring at the moon outside the window and stealing glances at Naina in between. "Kya roop tera mastana wala scene ho raha hai...aur ye roothi baithi hai!" Sameer's mind had drifted over to the romance of the night now as visuals from the song flashed across his eyes. The stack of the hay added fuel to his imagination as he fancied Naina wrapped in that red bedsheet like Sharmila, shying away from him, and him kissing her like Rajesh Khanna. Sameer had to stifle his groan and reign in control over his body, as he looked at his angry girlfriend, now apparently in deep slumber.
Post the Mt. Abu trip, this was the first time they were alone in a room at night. The last time she'd cared for him because he was ill. "Idea!" Sameer's face lit up. "Uhhu...uhhu...," he started coughing suddenly. "Uhhu...uhhu...!" He tried to make it as genuine as possible. He turned to look at her. "Aaaa chooo!" he added a dose of sneezing to his bouts of coughing. Naina couldn't help it. "Had he really gotten cold?" she felt worried now. After all, Sameer was very sensitive to cold and cough. And then the cool evening weather of Manali. On top of that, he'd gone out in the night to get some food. He'd left his sweater in the bus, and the room did nothing to make them warm and cozy. "Aa chooo....uhhhu...uhhhu!" Sameer's coughing became extremely loud and uncontrollable. It was then that Naina forgot all about her anger and turned to Sameer, who seeing her move, immediately went into the character of the ill guy.
"Sameer!" she started massaging his back, trying to soothe his coughing. "Aaah....! The feel of her hand....he should start coughing often," he chuckled to himself. He tried to move away from her as he continued to cough and sneeze. "Sameer tumhe sardi ho gayi...oh no...main dawai leke aati hun...tumne kuch khaya bhi nai...kyun thand me ghumte rehte ho!" Naina started fussing around him. "Ab aayi na line pe!" thought Sameer contentedly. "Lo...lo paani piyo thoda...main owner se keh kar thoda garam paani karwati hun...," she said and got up to leave. But she was stopped by his hold on her arm. The coughing had vanished. The sneezing was gone. She realized seconds later that it was a pretence by Sameer to make her talk to him. He was eyeing her with a mischeivous twinkle in his eyes, a knowing smile pasted on his face.
Naina huffed again and tried to free herself from his hold. But Sameer would have none of it now. He pulled her towards himself and she landed on the bed next to him, straight into his arms. The proximity unnerved them both. Naina forgot her temper as she looked up into his eyes, boring into hers intently. His arms had wrapped her up by now and were pulling her closer. Naina blushed as she saw his face inch closer to her. But before he could touch her lips, she moved her face, but this time out of shyness. Sameer smiled. "Finally!" he generously thanked the Almighty. And then he used the time-tested formula of any man in love, or married, or both.
"Nainu! I'm sorry!" he voiced, though he was clueless what he was sorry for. Naina fumbled a little with her hands and then muttered an "it's okay!" Sameer smiled and hugged her tighter. "Par tum promise karo ki tum usse itna has haske baat nahi karoge...aur wo mouth organ bajana zaruri hai kya hamesha...mujhe acha nahi lagta....!" Naina mumbled incoherently. Sameer was racing his mind. "Okay! So Naina was feeling jealous? But because of whom? The mouth organ? Did it remind her of his ex every time?" he contemplated. But Naina's next words clarified his doubts. "Kitni choti- choti skirt pehen ke aati hai wo...kuch sharam lihaaz hai hi nahi...!" she was talking more to herself. "Kamya!" Sameer concluded. He'd been chatting with her in the bus, when she'd complimented him on how well he played the mouth organ. He wasn't doing it on purpose, nor did he mean to offend Naina. But now he understood that Naina had felt envious of Kamya and his undivided attention on her. And that was the reason she'd got down from the bus and moved away without a word to anyone.
Sameer chuckled to himself. He had to admit- he enjoyed Naina being possessive about him. "Tumhe Kamya se ya kisi aur se jalne ki koi zarurat nahi hai jaaneman!" he said as he kissed her palm. "Main sirf aur sirf tumse pyaar karta hun aur main kisi aur ke saath flirt nahi karta! Sacchi!" Sameer reassured her. Naina wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. "I Love You Sameer...main tumhe kisi aur ke saath nahi dekh sakti...!" she mumbled into his chest. "Aye meri jaan....!" he said, as he placed a kiss on her head, and patted her, "I Love You too...aur fir chahe Kamya mini skirt me kitni bhi sexy kyun na lage...main sirf tumhara hi hun...!" He received a playful punch in his chest at his last jibe. He laughed and pulled her closer into a tight hug.
A few minutes later, he spoke, "Nainu! Ek baat bolun?" "Bolo na!" came Naina's reply, while her face remained nuzzled in his chest. "Bahot bhook lag rai hai yaar! Pehle kha lein? Phir puri raat romance kar sakte hain!" he said. Naina looked up at him disbelievingly and grinned. Sameer was definitely a bhukkad! The ambience was perfect for romance, but he couldn't think about it till his stomach groaned. She got up and opened the parcel of Chowmein. She offered him the first mouthful, while Sameer fed her the next bite.
After he felt satiated, his mind started craving for romance with Naina again. He looked at her slyly as his hands grabbed hers, "ab pet bhar gaya...lekin dil bharna baaki hai...ab toh romance kar sakte hain jaanu!" "Chup karo! Jao jaake so jao! Kal subah bus nahi pakadni kya...varna hum Manali me hi reh jayenge!" Naina exclaimed. "Wow! Wo to best hoga!" Sameer voiced happily as his mind plunged into romantic dreams about it.
"Haan haan...kyun nahi...aur fir mere papa ko pata chala ki main tumhare saath Manali mein hun...wo bhi akele mein....to baaki to tum samajhdaar ho hi!" Naina replied sarcastically. Sameer smile faltered, "yaar itni romantic situation hai...ekdum filmy...Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahi types (he was careful not to take the roop tera mastana reference or else Naina would have run away from there) aur tumhe abhi bhi wo Safari Suit soojh raha hai!" Naina raised her eyebrows at him, "Safari suit?" Sameer bit his tongue, "matlab tumhare param pujya pitaji...aur mere hone wale sasurji!" Naina laughed as she saw Sameer sulking in a corner. And then suddenly, she moved forward and planted a soft kiss on his cheeks. Sameer's mood lightened up immediately. Before Naina could move away, he had her back in his arms and resumed his intention of trying to kiss her lips.
"Sameer!" Naina blushed again, "kya kar rahe ho...tum bhi na!" "Arey kiss karne ki koshish kar raha hun tumhe aur kya....ab 3 saal se relation mein hain hum...ek kiss to banti hai na...upar se dekho...sama hamare first kiss ke liye perfect hai!" Sameer exclaimed eagerly. "Kuch bhi!" Naina could only mumble. "Matlab tumhe mujhe kiss nahi karna?" his hold on her loosened. "Nahi!" Naina's eyes widened in surprise. "Nahi?" Sameer questioned again, alarmed at her reply. "Matlab nahi...nahi karna nahi...matlab karna hai...," Naina tried to phrase the sentence. "Karna hai?" Sameer reiterated again, now enjoying Naina's confusion. "Matlab...nahi karna aisa nahi hai...par abhi to hum chote hain na...!" she tried to explain. "Chote hain? Naina hum 18 saal ke hain! Tum to kaanoni tareeke se shaadi bhi kar sakti ho!" Sameer told her exasperatedly. "Par sirf mujhse!" he added hurriedly. "Shaadi ka is kiss se kya lena dena?" Naina blurted. Sameer looked at her in disbelief. He hadn't gotten into discussions of closer intimacy with her as yet. He believed in Naina being comfortable with him first. But for a while, he'd assumed that Naina was comfortable enough for a lip to lip kiss.
Naina got up and looked at him staring at her amusedly. She raised her eyebrows again, "kya?" Sameer carefully crossed his arms against his chest and spoke, loud and clear, "tumhe sach mein lagta hai kiss ka shaadi se koi lena-dena nahi hai?" Naina fumbled. She knew she must be blushing hard now. Pooja's didi's short explanation about her first night rang through her ears, "aur fir unhone mujhe kiss kar diya!" "Kahaan pe?" she remembered Preeti asking her. Pooja didi abashedly moved her hands to her lips. "Uhmmmm?" Sameer cleared his throat to halt her chain of thoughts. "So?" she could see his eyes ask. Naina decided not to speak anything and turned about, blushing in hues of deep crimson.
Sameer got up and took her hands in his own. His eyes gleamed with pure, innocent love as he looked at her. He bent down and kissed the back of her hands. "Chinta mat karo...hum kiss tabhi karenge jab tum comfortable ho...chahe wo shaadi ke baad hi ho...aur haan madam...shaadi ke baad aur bhi bahot kuch hota hai... lekin wo sab baad ki baat hai...," he winked at her. Naina looked at him in a mixture of disbelief, "kiss se zyada kya hoga?" she found herself wondering. At that moment, Sameer extended his hand towards her and asked, "abhi ke liye is khoobsurat chandni raat mein kya aap mere saath waqt bitana chahengi?" he asked. Naina was touched. She nodded her head slightly, as she kept her hands in his. "How had she got so lucky to have the love of a man like him?" She smiled as they moved towards the window.
Naina settled herself on the battered chair. Sameer propped himself onto the table and opened the window to let the slightly chilly breeze in. It made them shiver slightly, but then a misty, breezy night was all they wanted, in addition to each others' company. They laughed, chatted, reminisced about their childhoods, exchanged their recent stories and poems, talked at length about the beauty of Himachal, and delved into memories of their past in school till the dawn broke. Together, they stood at the window and saw the crimson-orange hues of the morning sunlight creep in through the sky. Sameer hugged her tight as they saw the sun rise and eyed each other happily. "Kitni kamaal ki beeti na ye raat!" Sameer asked her. Naina nodded, "hai toh!" "Sochta hun aaj firse Kamya se flirt karta hun taaki tum firse rooth jao...aur firse humein aisa mauka mile!" he winked at her. "Tumhe na khidki se niche fek dungi main agar uske aas pass bhi mandraye toh samjhe!" Naina slammed in retort. "Arey arey...gir jaunga...mazak kar raha tha...sirf tumse flirt karunga!" he sniggered.
Their eyes locked again and Sameer pushed a strand of hair away from her face. Naina was overcome with emotion. She knew she'd overreacted yesterday and felt blessed that Sameer hadn't left her alone despite her behavior. On impulse, she wrapped her arms around him and said, "I Love You Sameer! And I'm sorry...kal gussa hone ke liye!" Sameer beamed at her innocent words. He too encased her in his arms and caressed her hair. "I Love You too Jaan!" he muttered as he kissed her hair.
Naina looked up at him and this time, Sameer found it difficult to decipher the look in her eyes. Before he could fathom it, Naina had softly pulled his face closer to hers and pressed her lips onto his. Sameer shivered in the sensation, and he was sure it had nothing to do with the cold outside. Naina's breathing quickened as she understood ecstasy to a whole new level. Sameer's hold on her tightened as he yanked her face closer as his lips caressed hers. And from there, Sameer took control, teaching Naina how to kiss and express their love. The lovers enjoyed their first step of intimacy for quite a few seconds. They must've spent a whole minute relishing in the essence of what was their first kiss, when they broke apart. Naina couldn't face him and her eyes darted to the floor, her cheeks painted pink with embarrassment. Sameer too felt shy as it was the first time he and Naina had gotten this close, and also because Naina had willingly initiated the kiss. He put a finger underneath her chin and made her look into his eyes.
"You okay?" he asked, concerned if Naina felt uncomfortable. Naina nodded slightly. "Koi zabardasti nahi hai yeh okay?" Sameer tried to soothe her. "Zabardasti nahi kiya...laga karna chahiye to kiya!" Naina spoke demurely. "Acha?" Sameer asked, "Toh kaisa laga?" Naina blushed even more. "Tum batao...!" she could only say. "Mujhe to bahot acha laga...tum to achi kisser ho Naina...zyaada sikhana nahi padega tumhein!" he complimented her, partly genuinely, partly naughtily. "Kuch bhi...mujhe nahi aata yeh sab...," Naina fumbled for words. "Arey main keh raha hun na...matlab ab tak ki saari ladkiyon mein tum best ho!" Sameer teased. "Kya?" Naina forgot all about her shyness. "Tumne mujhse pehle kitni ladkiyon ko kiss kiya hai? Hey Ram! Yeh kya! Zarur us Nainital wali ko kiya hoga...aur wo us din jo tumhe college mein ghur rahi thi...use bhi....," Naina was unstoppable in her rant. "Arey mazaak kar raha tha yaar! Kisi ladki ko nai kiya! Mera bhi yeh first kiss hi hai!" Sameer tried to placate her. "Tum jhoot bol rahe ho! Pakka! Tabhi to muh se nikla ki achi kisser ho...varna tumhe kaise pata kya acha hai ya bura!" Naina muttered, her anger showing signs of a resurgence.
"Oye nahi kiya yaar...tumse jhoot kyun bolunga! Kisi ko nai kiya! Aur baaki wo hum ladkon ko pata rehta hai ki kaunsa kiss acha hota hai...," he blurted out. "Acha Bhagwaan ne tum ladkon ko kuch special akal di hai kya...jo kare bina sab pata rehta hai?" Naina wasn't convinced at all. "Wo...wo hum ladkon ka secret hai...," It was Sameer who fumbled for words now. How could he explain to his innocent Naina about his sources of information! Munna, Pandit, Himmat and Sameer had made sure the boys thing never reached the ears of any girl- within or outside of their group. "Chodo tum yeh sab...kabhi baad mein bataunga! Sach mein tumhe hi first time kiss kiya hai jaanu...tumhari kasam!" Sameer spoke earnestly. It was then that Naina finally believed him. Sameer, in an attempt to assuage the situation, grabbed her again and planted another long kiss on her lips. Naina was initially taken aback, but then she cherished it along with Sameer. "Yeh wala dusra tha...!" Sameer panted as he broke apart. "Teesra bhi kar sakte hain vaise tum chaho toh!" Sameer winked as he plopped down from the table. "Chup karo...bus pakadni hai ki nai," Naina laughed. Sameer nodded in a 'yes' as she looked at him, and then immediately started shaking his head in a 'no'. "Kaash ye bus baar baar miss ho!" he mused as Naina went into the bathroom to freshen up.
That evening, Sameer and Naina reached the place where their college friends were staying. When asked where they'd been, Sameer conveniently lied that they'd gone to visit one of his relatives, staying nearby Manali. They'd been eager to meet Naina ever since Nanu had told them about her. And then to avoid any further cross questioning, he'd immediately changed the topic by asking everyone to prep up for a campfire. While the rest of their classmates were busy collecting firewood and chatting with each other, Sameer's eyes found Naina's and he blew her a kiss. Naina bit her tongue as she smiled at him shyly. The only spectator of this secretive romance was none other than Kamya.