It was around 11am when Naina opened her eyes. Her head was hurting really bad. As she tried to get up, she realized that she was completely undressed. Surprise had hardly dawned over her, when she felt someone's hand resting over her bare stomach. She turned to her side to see Sameer, sleeping peacefully besides her, again completely clotheless. Naina was horrified. This has to be a dream. "No...no....," she tried to get up and in the process, Sameer's hand got displaced. His sleep was broken by this and he rubbed his eyes. His shock was similar to the one Naina had got just a minute back. He saw Naina pulling the blanket up to cover herself, her eyes full of terror. Sameer and Naina looked about and saw their clothes strewn on the floor. All the memories of last night came gushing back to both of them.

Sameer propped himself up, taking his share of the blanket and gulped. Their eyes met again. "Kyaaa...kyaaa.....hum....," Naina could hardly mouth it out. Sameer could only lower his eyes and nod. It was wrong, Naina's brain told her. You have not lived upto your family's values. You are a depraved girl. How dare you sleep with a boy? Didn't you say all this was correct only after marriage? And here you've become dirty! Rotten! Naina's eyes erupted in tears as she slapped her palm to her head in remorse. Sameer wanted to comfort her. He raised his hand towards her shoulder, but thought the better of it. "I'm sorry...," he managed to utter. But it had no effect on Naina. If possible, it only made her cry harder. He suddenly felt extremely angry. He knew it was a big deal for Naina. Sleeping with her was a big deal for him too! But the way she was acting as if he had polluted her, angered him. He couldn't comprehend if Naina was upset because she had slept with a boy or because she had slept with him. He'd only tried to console her last night, when he lost control. Sameer Maheshwari lost control for a girl! Had it been any other girl, she would have felt lucky to have spent the night with him. And Sameer would have snubbed her off. But here the scenario was completely reversed. He somehow wanted Naina to say, "whatever happened wasn't that bad...that she'd enjoyed it...". "Stop thinking all this Sameer...," he commanded his mind, his arrogant demeanour back in full swing.

Sameer took a sheet lying nearby and covered himself with it as he got up. He slowly moved to the other corner of the room, and looked away, as he lit a cigarette, waiting for Naina to dress up. Naina took the cue, covered herself with the blanket as much as she could and carefully gathered her clothes, and then crept towards the bathroom. Sameer heard her sobs through the bathroom door the entire 15 minutes she spent inside, and he felt a mixture of sadness, helplessness and irritation.

Naina came out of the bathroom, fully clothed, her eyes blood-shot and her expression one of regret and pain as she moved towards the door. "Abhi nahi....koi dekh lega...,"Sameer stopped her as she turned the doorknob. Naina stopped, realizing that he was right. She quietly came back and sat down on the same bed which had witnessed their steamy spectacle last night, her eyes lowered to the floor. She could not even manage to look at Sameer or meet his eye. At this moment, she was finding it difficult to absorb all that had happened between them last night. Her mind was still muddy from all the drinking and she was not in a position to think straight as of now. She just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, away from him, so that she could sit and ponder or cry or whatever, back when she was alone. After all, this damage could not be undone.

Sameer was still draped in only that sheet and was now sitting on the couch, his feet propped up on the table in front of him. This was probably his third cigarette, Naina guessed, judging by the smoke in the room and the stubs in the cigarette bowl. How could he be so cool about all this, Naina did not have the capacity to think. So Naina waited on the bed, her eyes set on the floor, fidgeting with her fingers in anxiousness.

After many minutes of silence, Sameer finally turned to look at her. Angst was evident on her face. That somehow sent a surge of anger back into his veins. She detested sleeping with him! She did not like what happened that night! Why did he have to sleep with her? As it is, things were not good between them and now they've become worse. Would her father get to know? Sameer shuddered at the thought. Hate him or not, Sameer was scared of her librarian father, more than he would have liked to admit. That man is going to skin me alive if he finds out that I slept with his daughter. Huh! So what! She's lucky she got me the first time. Girls would die for a night with me. And here this behenji is acting as if the world is falling apart. No, though she's no longer a behenji. Sameer again sized her up. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the body he'd seen, caressed, admired and kissed so closely. She was good- he had to admit it. But then, he realized where his mind was taking him again.

He cleared his throat, brought a good dose of impertinence back in his voice as he said, "Ye baat hum dono ke beech hi rehni chahiye...bhul jao aisa kuch bhi hua tha...kabhi kabhi Sameer Maheshwari ka bhi dimag kharab ho jata hai...". Perhaps he was angry at himself for losing control last night. And then, a tense silence lingered in the air between them. After about 2 more cigarattes, Sameer looked at his watch and finally dressed up, but not before flexing his muscles for display in front of her maliciously. Naina turned away, not in a mood to be reminded of how she'd stroked and kissed those muscles just the night before.

Sameer peeped out of his room and once he made sure everyone had gone out for lunch, he secretly escorted her out of his hostel, back to her own accommodation. "By the way....tumhara figure itna bura bhi nahi hai...," he sneered trying to make her uncomfortable again, and then sped off on his bike. Naina was livid. How could she have been so foolish to let him take advantage of her! How did she fall in his trap? He was a bad guy! He did not care for her- he only wanted to sleep with her! It was not new for him to trap girls and lure them to his bed. She made a soon-to-be-unsuccessful resolve to ignore him from then on. But a raging fire once lit is hard to quench. It usually burns an entire forest before it dies down.

***

Naina and Sameer finally met on Monday in class. After the incident on Saturday night, they both were thankful that there was a break on Sunday, which had helped them get their heads right about what had transpired between them. Naina had mostly confined herself to her room. When her hostel friends had asked her about her whereabouts, she had lied that she had gone over to her Bua Dadi's place after the freshers party, and had just returned.

Naina entered the class, her eyes furtively searching for the person who had robbed her of her virginity. There he was, sitting on his usual bench, and as usual sitting alone. He hardly moved his head, yet Naina knew, that he was also watching her out of the corner of his eyes. At that moment, she heard that familiar voice, "Nainaaa....!" Tibrewal shouted, waving at her happily. Naina grew furious, yet made her composure cold. It was strange that all throughout Sunday, Tibrewal hadn't crossed her mind even once. After all, he was the one who'd triggered whatever happened between her and Sameer that night. But all Naina could think of was Sameer, and Sameer, and Sameer! Naina looked over at Tibrewal coldly, as she came upto his desk. He slid to the other side to make space for her. Naina suddenly turned over to Sameer, sitting on the adjacent bench, and said, without giving it a second thought, "May I...?" Sameer looked up at her in surprise. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, but moved to give her a place to sit as Tibrewal continued to stare at Naina in shock. Sameer felt kind of contended and happy deep down at the way Naina snubbed Tibrewal. At least one good thing came out since the events of last night.

Tibrewal on the other hand was baffled by this sudden change in Naina. She'd ignored him completely and taken a seat besides Sameer- that bratty Sameer whom she used to say she hated. Tibrewal had already had his share of furious glares from Sameer. He couldn't comprehend why the hell had he been throwing murderous looks at him since the moment he'd entered the class. If eyes really did speak a language, Tibrewal would have understood what Sameer's were saying- he wanted to hold his scrawny neck in his hands and twist it around a complete 180 degrees. How dare he hurt Naina! It was because of him that he and Naina were now in such an uncomfortable position.

The lecture started and all three pairs of eyes were seemingly on the board, but Tibrewal was silently watching Naina, while Naina and Sameer were stealing furtive glances at each other. At one moment, Naina and Sameer's arms grazed against the other. The sudden touch flashed the memories of that night in front of their eyes again and sent shivers down both their spines. Finally, they looked at each other fully as their breathing became heavy. The intense eyelock was broken as the professor's voice boomed again and they turned away hesitantly. Sameer and Naina both knew it was no use hiding what they'd felt, yet both pretended as if their night together had never happend. The classes continued. Since that day, Naina always sat next to Sameer and he too, never objected.

After about a week of trying to get her to talk, Tibrewal finally confronted Naina in the canteen. "Main kabse tumse puch raha hun tumhe kya hua hai....tum ho ki bolti hi nahi....," he said. "Nainaaa...I love you....don't you love me....?" he asked, taking her hands in his. Naina immediately removed her hands from his grip and told him coldly, "I guess you shouldn't say that if you had been busy with your tongue down some other girl's throat! And yes, I don't love you...so please get lost and don't try to talk to me again!" responded Naina indignantly. Sameer, who was sitting nearby, chortled, startled by the way Naina had shoved off Tibrewal, and not to say, impressed by her courage. So, this girl could stand up for herself. Interesting! These things were the ones which turned Sameer Maheshwari on. But then he tried to bring his thoughts back from his bedroom to the canteen, where Naina was giving Tibrewal a piece of her mind. He felt delighted, and said out aloud, "Kya hua Tibrewal...maine to pehle hi kaha tha...chewing gum ka asar zyada der tak nahi rehta...". Naina looked over at him and smiled despite herself. "Tu bakwaas band kar...," Tibrewal yelled at Sameer, and turned to Naina, "aur tu...tu samajhati kya hai tu khudko...tu bahot intelligent hai...tu bahot khubsurat hai...arey ehsaan maan mera ki mere jaisa ladka tujhe lift de raha hai...varna teri to aukaad bhi nahi ki koi tujhe puche...". Tibrewal had barely completed his tirade at Naina, when he felt someone pat on his back. "Tibrewal!" Sameer's voice boomed as he turned irritatedly. "Smack....," Tibrewal fell down from the force with which Sameer punched him, straight in the face. Tibrewal howled in pain, clutching his eye, which had been blackened by Sameer's punch. After many days, Sameer finally felt relieved. He flexed his wrist with which he'd hit him and then combed his silky hair with the same hand. And then without even giving a look at him or at Naina, Sameer glided out of the canteen in style.

***

That evening Sameer found Naina sitting under a tree, trying to read. Sameer approached her and propped himself against the tree. "Tibrewal ko bada acha jhaada...mujhe to laga tha tum Meena Kumari ho jaogi uske dhokhe ki wajah se...," said Sameer. Naina looked up at him, "thanks...," she managed to utter. "Thanks kyun...wo maine tumhare liye nahi apne liye kiya tha...," Sameer waved it off. "Apne liye?" asked Naina, puzzled. "Haan...wo...wo chodo...mujhe wo pasand nahi hai...Aur vaise bhi wo andha hai jo use lagta hai ki koi ladka tumhe nahi puchega...matlab main bhi toh...," his voice trailed off as he realized what he'd said. Tears had clouded Naina's eyes again and were already streaming down her cheeks. He knew she hadn't got over with the happenings of that night.

Sameer slumped down under the tree besides her. The two stayed silent for a while, and then Sameer finally fished something out of his pocket. He turned to Naina hesitantly as he held his hand out in front of her. His eyes lowered as Naina turned. She saw him holding a bright red button in his hand. She immediately flushed with embarrassment. It was the button of her red, satin top that had come off during their night together. Naina had searched for it a lot in her room, but had finally given up on it. Sameer broke the silence as he slowly spoke, "Ye...us din bed pe safai karte time mila tha...himmat nahi ho rahi thi dene ki...," he couldn't complete, but he gestured Naina to take it. Naina could not meet his eyes. She snatched the button from his hand and put it in her purse instantly.

They again went silent, feeling uncomfortable knowing what all had transpired between them. It had been totally unexpected, and neither of them were able to get over the fact that they'd slept with each other. Sameer and Naina- the two opposite poles of the Earth! It was again Sameer who spoke. His tone was humble and apologetic. "Dekho jo bhi hua...wo galat tha....main manta hun apni galti...us din bahot pi li thi maine...aur tumhe bhi chad gayi thi...maine bahot roka bhi tha khudko...," he started explaining. "Nashe me thi....yaadasht nahi gayi thi meri...," Naina interrupted. "Yaad hai mujhe ki kaise tumne mujhe sambhala tha...meri ulti saaf ki thi....mujhe apne haathon se brush karaya tha...aur aur...maine hi tumhe roka tha...door jane se....," Naina admitted. Sameer was taken aback. He couldn't say anything, but continued to stare at her for a while. Naina's eyes met his and he noticed guilt in them. The duo went mum again. Sameer pulled out a cigarette from his bag and began to smoke, looking ahead, lost in deep thought. "Nashe mein thi...yaadasht nahi gayi thi...maine hi tumhe door jaane se roka tha...," her words were ringing in his ears as he tried to make sense of it. She'd known what was going to happen. Yet she'd allowed it to happen! She too wanted it to happen?

As he was smoking, his eyes suddenly fell upon Naina, who was looking at him disapprovingly. And then suddenly, Naina snatched the cigarette from his hands. She hesitantly put it to her mouth and tried to inhale. Sameer looked at her incredulously again, "ye ladki to pagal ho gayi hai!" "Kya kar rahi ho!" he shouted at her, and tried to snatch the cigarette from her hands. But Naina moved away as she took in a puff. And immediately started coughing hard. Sameer's face had an "I told you so" expression as he stretched his hand out for her to give back the cigarette. Naina looked at his face and quietly handed it back to him. "Bahot gandi hai...kaise pi lete ho tum?" she said. "Gandi hai isiliye peeta hun...par tum mat piya karo samjhi!" he replied. "Kyun? Ab saare gande kaam to kar hi liye....yahi bachi thi!" Naina replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. Sameer looked at her guility. If only he had managed to retain control that night, Naina would not have been burdened with regret. He knew how conservative her family was.

Naina's voice broke his chain of thoughts. "Sameer...tum ye sab cigarette, sharab, ladkiyaan...ye sab kyun... aisa kya hua hai tumhari zindagi me jo tum sudharna hi nahi chahte....," she exclaimed. Sameer was again stunned at her direct words. "Tumhe kya karna hai...meri life hai....meri marzi...," he muttered, the angry young man back in full swing. "Us din bhi tumhe koi zarurat nahi thi mujhe ghar tak chodne ki....wo chewing gum ne to ek baar pucha bhi nahi...tum kyun aaye....tumhe kyun meri fikr huyi? Haan uske baad jo bhi hua, uske liye shayad main zindagi bhar khud ko maaf kabhi nahi kar paaungi....par itna to samajh chuki hun, tum utne bure nahi ho jitna dikhaate ho!" Naina concluded. Naina was being kind to him after all that had happened? Why? She had sensed his care towards her? Sameer felt greatly uneasy at the ease at which Naina was beginning to decode him. After another uncomfortable silence, Sameer asked, "ek baat puchun...agar hum sach me ek relationship me hote toh....toh kya wo jo hua wo sahi hota....". There was a long pause. "Nahi...fir bhi sahi nahi hota," Naina shook her head and responded with a weak smile. She got up to leave, "Vaise ek baat kahun...hum dono kabhi kisi relationship me ho nahi sakte...! Aur haan us raat tumne mujhe jaise sambhala tha...to sirf us help ke ke liye...thank you!" she said and walked away. Sameer kept staring at her leaving form, and he knew, that whatever happened Saturday night could not be done away with so easily. Something had started between them- lust or love, he didn't know at that moment.