It was only after the project presentation that Sameer and Naina finally got some time to themselves- time to think about what had happened last night, that is- apart from the project work. They both were sitting togther as usual, but neither could muster the courage to look at the other.

Sameer was feeling immensely guilty. He knew he should not have made out with a girl like Naina again. It was all his fault. The first time, they'd both been drunk. But that wasn't the case last night right? He could have just completed the project, sipped his coffee and gone back to his hostel. But no, he had to come close to her. He had to untie her hair, hug her- why? What had entered inside him to do such foolish things? And what in the world was wrong with Naina? She was a simple, righteous girl. How could she not slap him, scold him and tell him off? That is the way things should be! That is the way things were considered normal- by Sameer, by Naina and by the rest of the society. And that kiss in the morning- what did she mean by that? She should not have kissed him like that. No. The kiss had unsettled Sameer more than the plethora of events last night. Naina had been cool, calm and composed- hardly jittery when she'd brought her lips to his. As if all this was normal between them! Was it normal? Who was he to her that she'd exposed herself like this to him- that too when she was fully in her senses. Sameer knew his charm- the charm he'd always boasted about, the charm which could impress any girl in his vicinity; was working. And for the first time in life, he found himself hoping it wasn't.

Naina on the other hand was extremely scared and extremely regretful. She wanted to shake herself and remind her that she was Naina Agarwal- the girl who everyone looked upto. The girl who never did anything wrong in her life. And yet here, she'd repeated her mistake. She'd slept with Sameer again. And today, she couldn't convince herself that it wasn't either her or Sameer's fault. They were not drunk last night. No, she knew she was finding it hard to stay away from him and deep down, she'd been longing for him from the past few months. But what about Sameer? He had numerous women with whom he could, and he did sleep! Naina was one among them. What was she expecting last night? That he would tell her that he loves her? And that he would marry her? Sameer had hardly uttered a single word to her since the morning. Yet, instead of being angry at him, she'd kissed him, had sat down on his bike and was back to sitting besides him in class. Naina felt that Sameer had a certain hypnotic effect on her. Whenever he looked into her eyes, she forgot who she was and became the wild woman that made love to him. Her morals, her judgements all faltered in those moments their eyes locked. And then it was only Sameer who mattered. She wanted to live every moment that she had with him. After all, who knows? He might leave her one day.

As soon as the lectures ended, Sameer sprang up from his place and without even half a glance at Naina, left the class. He couldn't bear being around her anymore. He felt afraid- what if he just kisses her again? Naina looked on at him, heartbroken. He'd indeed left her! And so soon! Slowly, she watched the rest of the class empty through teary eyes, before she slowly packed her things and made her way back to her room.

Neither Naina nor Sameer had any appetite for lunch or for dinner that day. Naina came back to her room and as she closed the door, she drifted over to the mirror plastered onto her steel almirah. The Naina that stared back at her was completely different. She was a stranger. Her reflection revealed a pair of melancholic eyes, set into a tired face. Her usually chirpy self was nowhere to be seen. The twinkle in her eyes that was there till this morning, did not exist anymore. The lips which would usually curl up into a smile, were drooping helplessly at the sides. Naina could not figure out if the reason behind her gloom was her actions of the night before or the mere absence of Sameer.

As she wiped her face with her palms, she decided she needed a shower. She made her way into the bathroom and slowly undressed herself, her eyes now staring at the dismal reflection in the bathroom mirror. Naina stepped under the shower and turned on the tap. And then as the cold water spurted over her, her eyes widened. Naina gasped, as if awakened from a strange dream, from a stupor. Her eyes squinted at the showerhead as she saw the water drenching her, washing away her sins and the love of last night- the remnants of his touch on her. The tears that streamed out of her eyes, mingled with the jet spray as she felt her body go numb under the water. She couldn't take it anymore. She held onto the taps for support and wept. Her wails ricocheted off the bathroom walls- as if they were determined to entrap her secret within the enclosure- to not let anyone get the wind of it, especially Sameer. She was irresponsibly in love with him. Love with a man, no girl should ever fall for. A man who had the potential to destroy hers and his own life completely. Yet she pined for him. Yearned for him to come to her right then and wrap her in his arms and console her.

Love is a malady and love is also the remedy- the lines she'd jotted down last night as part of the project to explain the state of mind of Romeo, now made complete sense. If she wanted to be cured of her want for him, she needed him and the more she needed him, the more her ailment intensified. There was no way out except to have him. Infact, she wanted no way out except to have him, have Sameer- for life.

***

The next two days, Sameer did not come to any of the lectures nor was seen on the campus by anyone. Naina did try asking his friends casually about him, but got an answer that he hardly ventured out of his room and that they didn't know what he was upto. By now, Naina knew whatever had transpired between them that night had not gone down well with Sameer. He initiated it, but she didn't fight back. Does he know that I love him? What has gone into me- that I've become ready to bare my skin, my soul to him- only to him? Is my love for him becoming madness? But then, what if he loves me too? Why would he feel the need to come close to me if he doesn't? Lust? A small voice inside her head warned, but the dominance of her heart ignored it. Maybe he's falling for me? Or maybe if we spend more time together, he would surely fall in love with me. But no, he was Sameer! He could never fall in love- especially not with her. They were too different to be together! Naina spent her time in her room thinking morosely on these conflicting lines, while listening to her choiciest collection of sad songs on the radio.

Sameer on the other hand spent most of those two days, lying flat on his bed, dressed in his worst- a worn-out white vest, paired with shabby grey pyjamas, listening to the creaking of the ceiling fan as it tried to shower him with some cool air, some respite from the sweltering heat of Bombay. But to no avail. It was not the humidity of the city- the heat which was bothering him. It was the heat of that night- the night he'd touched her again and felt himself burn with passion- with desire untamed. And the warmth of that touch of her lips that morning. That had been something else. That kiss did not speak of passion- it did not speak of lust. That kiss conveyed care- an understanding- a strengthening of the connection that he was now beginning to feel with her- with Naina.

His eyes darted over to the mini bar he'd set up in the corner of his room. He got up from his bed and loitered over to the bar. Alcohol may help clear his thoughts. He rummaged through the bottles and brought out a sealed bottle of Whiskey to the fore. He blew the dust that had settled over it. Come to think of it, he hadn't been drinking regularly these days. Initially, he was busy with the project work with Naina, and that in turn, had allowed little leisure time for his own self. He poured himself a generous amount of Whiskey, made a drink, and sat down sipping it, in an effort to calm down his senses. He lit up a cigarette as well, as if it would give him an insight into why he'd gone closer to her that night. But the Whiskey in the bottle depleted slowly, cigarettes upon cigarettes were consumed, and yet instead of clearing, Sameer's confusion became as pronounced as the smoke prevalent in the room now. All he could discern was, that he should not have done that to her. And that, she should not have let him do it.

Finally, after about spending a major chunk of the two days locked in his room, Sameer had come to the conclusion that he needs to stay away from Naina. There is absolutely no need for them to talk, to interact or to work together. Like every guy on earth, Sameer felt he'd come up with the most sensible, most practical and most reasonable plan, which was bound to work. Only that it never did. Why? Because like every man on earth, he'd failed to account for the emotions of the woman involved.

***

The next day, Naina's spirits lifted when she saw Sameer enter the class. She could talk now. She could explain. Could she? Could she talk about all that? Did she even have a justification for what she did with him- apart from the fact she was madly in love? Or would he want to explain his actions? But Naina needn't have bothered. Because Sameer strolled over to the other side, as if he'd never seen her. He ignored their usual bench and instead sat by one besides the window- on the exact opposite corner of the room. The classes began, but not for one moment, Naina's eyes agreed to leave Sameer. Clouded with tears- they waited expectantly for a return glance, but it never came.

Sameer was conscious of those pair of eyes on him. He knew she hadn't looked away even for a second. Damn this woman! Why does she have to make things so complicated? Sameer controlled himself not to look at her face when he saw the latecomer Siddharth enter, and hurriedly scramble onto the seat besides Naina. Something inside Sameer stirred again at having some other guy that close to her. The pangs of jealousy came back. Though Siddharth was fully committed to the love of his life, and who thankfully was not Naina- Sameer couldn't help but regret his decision of giving up his seat besides her today.

Another person who noticed this brimming tension was Tibrewal. He saw how Sameer and Naina were sitting poles apart today. He derived some sadistic pleasure seeing them having had a quarrel. "Ab aaya oont pahad ke niche," thought Tibrewal, "bada aaya boyfriend banne wala...gadha samjha hai...huh!"

The bell rang and everyone rushed outside. "Tu rootha to main ro dungi sanam...kya ho gayaaaa... breakup mera..." Tibrewal hummed, unusually loudly, proud of his lyrical addition to the song as he packed his bag to move out of the class. Both Sameer and Naina knew who it was meant for. It was at that moment that Sameer's eyes found Naina's and he realized that she'd been crying a lot. Her eyes were red and swollen. Naina and Sameer remained sitting like that for a while, looking at each other, not able to understand what to say to the other. A sorry? Well, that night was not a mistake by either one of them. It was a mutual folly. Sameer averted his eyes, reaffirming to himself that starting a conversation with Naina would not be a good idea. And then, he just got up and made to leave.

As she saw his figure leave the corridor, Naina thrust her head down on bench as tears rushed out of her eyes once again. She just could not stand to see Sameer going far from her.