Part 9

Dedicated to the aatma of the paper-stealing incident! Hope you all like it!

Naina heard everything that Sameer said but her fuzzy brain couldn't form a coherent thought. She was not sure what to believe, whether that that transpired right infront of her eyes or that she was led to believe or what Sameer said just some moments ago. Her heart wanted to trust Sameer. Somehow she still wanted to believe that the guy who had showed so much care & concern could not turn on her for a silly bet. But Sameer himself had confessed about the bet and why he had befriended her initially, although now he truly loved her. How could he have lied so much through his teeth, giving her all those promises and making commitments for several lifetimes. All this just for a bet? (Flashbacks of their temple date & vows. How she had seen only love for her in his eyes, not an ounce of hatred or betrayal). Was it just to extract revenge? So that he could break her heart & satisfy his ego and gloat infront of her father & brother that he was Sameer Maheshwari and absolutely nobody should dare to mess with him. Suddenly something struck her and she recollected how & why everything had started. Yes, her father never missed an opportunity to insult the Ameerzada and call him names like baalon ki dukaan & ameer nana ke bigdail nati, but what really triggered the entire episode was the paper stealing blame on him as Sameer himself said that he lost all patience when he was called a thief and his mom, & moreover, his Nanu, were insulted and humiliated. Naina realized that even after a thorough investigation, the culprit was not identified and although people had stopped blaming him evidently, he wasn't acquitted completely.

Swati shook Naina who was lost in thoughts and was trying to assimilate the occurrences of the recent past.

Swati: Naina, kya soch rahi hai? She could not fathom the forlorn look in Naina's eyes. She shook her again. Naina...Naina!!! Finally, she managed to break through Naina's coma-like state. Naina, kuch bol na...

Naina: Swati, yeh sab kya ho gaya...kahi mujhse koi galati toh nahi hui? She was not able to decide whether she was mistaken in judging Sameer or she herself was responsible for this blunder!

Swati: Dekh Naina, jitna mein Sameer ko jaan payi hoon, usse toh yahi lagta hai ki usse galati ho gayi aur use iss baat ka ehsaas bhi hai aur lagta hai ki tera dil dukhane ke liye pachta raha hai. Yeh bhi toh soch ki agar woh sach mein maafi nahi chahta aur tujhse shaadiwala pyar nahi karta, toh shart ke liye daav pe lagaye apne Salman Khan wale baal kyon katwa leta; aur soch, woh tujhse puri baat chupa bhi toh sakta tha! Dekh Naina, main teri dost hoon aur tera achcha hi chahungi, iss liye mujhe lagta hai ki chahe Sameer se galati huyi hai, par tere liye uska pyar shaadiwala hai! Tujhe use ek mauka dena chahiye! Par fir bhi, tu jo bhi faisla karegi, main hamesha tere saath hoon!

In the other room, Munna: Bhai Sameer, itna tension mat le, abhi Naina ko jhatka laga hai, use thoda waqt de, woh theek ho jaayegi! Tu ne use pura sach bata diya hai, woh tujhpe zaroor bharosa karegi.

Pandit: Haan yaar, hum hai na tere saath... nahi maanegi tou manayenge bhi aur manvayenge bhi...

Sameer was angry, confused, heartbroken, guilty, but still determined...didn't say a word. The flashbacks of the morning events haunted him. Naina's hurt expressions, shattered heart, lifeless eyes... how would that ever leave him in peace... No... he knew Naina had a golden heart and even though she might find it in herself to forgive him, he would never be able to forget those eyes accusing him of betrayal! There was nothing he could do at the moment. Though he wanted to go to her, calm her, & soothe her fears, it was rather proper to leave her in the care of her best friend & not add to her sorrows by presenting himself infront of her. He too needed to get a grip on his emotions before he could be there as a rock to silently support her, however she might react. Since he couldn't control the damage on time, now he had to sought out his next step to obtain forgiveness & bring back that smile on her face that he loved, craved & was so much used to seeing all the time.

He remembered an incident in school when Naina parked the cycle & walked past him, lost in thoughts, head hung low, & a sad expression on the face, which indicated to him that she had a morning dose of either her Taiji or Rakesh sir. But the moment he called out her name, she looked at him with a 100Watt smile that reached her eyes; he could tell that she was so happy seeing him after a bad morning, all worries forgotten. How he longed to bring back that smile... yes, he promised himself, he will bring back those days, Naina would be back & this time completely his. With these thoughts, he just walked out of the room without uttering a word.

Pandit: Arre Sa...trying to call out & follow him, but Munna held him back.

Munna: Ruk ja Pandit, use thodi der akela chod de...jo hua hai, use pachana padega taaki aage stithi sudhar sake.

Few moments later, a disheveled Naina walked through the door with Swati in tow, who was a self-appointed bodyguard!

Both M & P were confused...why was Naina here? Was she out to kill the trio & extract her revenge? Out of his own volition, Munna's eyes darted to Swati who only responded with a death glare! Munna immediately averted his eyes, thinking that until everything was sorted between Sameer & Naina, he had lost his frockwala Pandat...if she could ever forgive him for being a participant in this disaster...

Pandit: Naina, tum yahan?

It had taken great courage for her to gather herself, bring herself to his room to try & sort out the matter. She was still unsure about a lot of things, but talking to Sameer at this point was of utmost priority! She thought she owed him some truths!

Naina: woh...woh mujhe Sameer se baat karni thi.

Munna didn't know if he should be elated that Naina took the first step for a patch-up, whether it was even that or worry that Sameer was in some serious trouble and Naina would sought to her old ways by complaining to teachers & principal about everything.

Munna: Sameer yahan nahi hai, thodi der pehle kahin chala gaya...Naina's disappointment was evident.

Pandit: Tum ek kaam karo, apne room mein jao. Hum use dhoondh kar laate hai.

Now that she had mustered the much needed courage, Naina decided that could not step back.
Declining MP's offer, "Nahi nahi, uski zaroorat nahi hai, mujhe pataa hai woh kahan ja sakta hai, main khud use dhoondh loongi".

She turned around to leave when Swati called out: Naina, tu kahan ja rahi hai, Hume thodi der mein nikalna hai, tu ne toh ab tak saaman bhi pack nahi kiya aur waise bhi main tujhe kahi akele nahi jane doongi!

Munna: Arre Pandat, addressing Swati, tu fikr kyon kar raha, hum jaayenge na Naina ke saath.

Swati boomed at him: Tum dono durr rehna Naina se, agar meri Naina ke aas paas bhi dikhe, toh tumhare bhi baal kaat doongi!

MP fell silent immediately.
Naina: Swati, tu please mera saaman pack karde... main aati hoon thodi der mein.

Swati: Par Naina... Naina stopped her by taking her hand in hers. "Apni dost pe bharosa rakh, itni kamzor nahi hai ki ek thokar se toot kar bikhar jaaye. Tu chinta mat kar, bus nikalne se pehle aa jaoongi". Swati sighed but nodded & affirmed that she would always support her best friend!

Instinctively Naina knew that if Sameer was not in the hostel with MP, he would be at the cliff where the turn of events occurred a few hours ago. She walked upwards on the cliff & spotted him from afar. His back was turned to her but his posture and bowed head conveyed his regret and that he wasn't the least bit happy about the current situation. As much as she wanted to turn around and run from the situation, her righteous upbringing & values instilled a confidence that she owed him this. She stealthily walked up to his back and hesitantly called out his name. Although completely unexpected, Sameer too felt her presence & turned around at the same time...he could still feel that emotional connection & was glad that all was not lost yet! He wanted to say something & searched her eyes but couldn't understand what Naina's heart mirrored in those black oceans... he just waited with all the guilt and apology in his eyes, hoping she would understand & give him one more chance.

Naina: Sameer...
Sameer: Naina... Both wanted to say a great deal to each other but finding the right words to convey the heartfelt emotions was a Herculean task.

Sameer tried again: Naina... main...
Naina put up her hand and halted him midway, ignoring the guilt-felt apology in his eyes. Before she lost her confidence, she had to take this step.

Naina: Ab tum kuch nahi bologe. Tumhe jo kuch karna tha ya kehna tha, tumhe kar liya, keh liya aur maine sun liya. Ab main bolungi aur tum sunoge... Yeh sach hai Sameer ki aaj jo bhi hua, uss wajah se mujhe bahut dukh hua hai. Main pehle din se tumhe pasand karti thi, tumhe pehli baar dekhne se bhi pehle! She recalled her incidents of feeling an unusual but pleasant feeling of a presence around her. Later he had confessed that he was the chewing gum guy because of whom Naina had to cut her hair and endure Taiji's taunts and Bela chachi's beatings. Also, later Munna had once inadvertently spilled that if Ahmedabad, even accidentally hurt you, healed the pain. That was when Sameer had hurt himself while opening a cola bottle, which was miraculously healed with a dupatta make-shift bandage, due to which, Naina's character was assassinated by Taiji again. Later again she had come to know from Sameer himself that since he was bored sitting at home, came to visit his brother-cum-friend Munna in school. He was the same flamboyant guy who gave her the same feeling and whom Naina had heard singing and incurred another slap from Taiji for trying to deduce the meaning of the song by asking around.

"Tumhe jaanne aur pehchanne se pehle hi shayad maine dil se tumhe apna special friend maan liya tha".

His eyes were downcast upon hearing this, his being filled with guilt that how she gave him a special place even before the cascade of events begun. "

"Fir jab rakhi wale din ke baad tumne bhi mujhse dosti ka haath badhaya toh mujhe yakeen ho gaya ki tum bhi mujhe apni special friend maante ho! Fir humne yahan jo waqt ek saath beetaya, ek dusre se jo kuch bhi kaha, mujhe lagne laga ki...her lips quivering...ki yeh...stammering slightly... she couldn't meet his eyes anymore, ki yeh shaadiwala pyar hai".

His eyes whipped up to hers in a flash but Naina's gaze was averted downwards & even though he willed her to look at him to convey that her judgment wasn't misplaced, he could sense the resistance.

Naina: Par shayad sab kuch waisa nahi tha jaisa main soch rahi thi. He started to say something but Naina's resolve stopped him again!

"Nahi Sameer...ab tum meri puri baat suno. Mujhe abhi bhi lagta hai ki tum galat ho par kahi na kahi iss galati ki wajah main bhi hoon. Mujhe shuru se pataa tha ki tumhari ameeri ki wajah se Papa tumhe pasand nahin karte kyon ki hamare school mein tumhari shuruat bhi galatiyon se hui thi. Maine bhi tumhari galatiyon ke peeche ka sach jane bina hi tumhe kayi baar kasoorvar maan liya, yeh meri galati thi. Par meri sabse badi galati yeh thi ki jab sach mein sach bolne ka waqt aaya toh main peeche hath gayi, pyar aur parivaar mein se parivaar ko chuna, bawajood iske ki parivaar galat tha!"

Sameer whipped a confused expression but didn't question her & waited for her to continue.

Naina pulled in a deep breath and finally confessed the biggest truth ever that she had known all along & hid to save her brother's skin & father's pride, which she now realized had finally managed to create a havoc in her life and she couldn't share it with anyone, neither Preeti and not even Swati.

Naina steeled herself for whatever wrath she would have to face and she blurted out, "exam paper ki chori tumne nahi Arjun Bhaiya ne ki thi!"

Sameer couldn't believe his ears, cricket champion, head boy, topper Arjun, Naina's brother was a paper thief! How could it even be possible?

Finally, she gathered the courage to look at him and read his eyes; there was a confused but blank expression. Neither did he question her, nor seemed to be judgmental, nor accused her! She recalled that when she had told him that she knew that he was not the thief, he had still not questioned her as to how she knew and why she believed him. It had been enough for him that she trusted him and had befriended him. But then, may be that was already due to the planned revenge... Well, now she had to complete what was started. So, she went on to narrate how she learnt about the truth & how Arjun had coaxed her into silence for the sake of Papa.

Naina: Mujhe aaj samaj aa raha hai ki uss waqt mujhe Bhaiya ki baaton mein nahi ana chahiye tha aur sach ko chupana nahi chahiye tha par aaj tumhara sach jaanne ka haq hai, isiliye apni galati sudharne ke liye, Bhaiya se kiya wada tod diya. Kahi na kahi Papa aur Bhaiya ke saath saath main bhi tumhari shart ki wajah ban gayi. Par galati ki sazaa toh kabhi na kabhi milti hi hai, toh tumhare shartwale pyar ko main apni sazaa maan leti hoon aur tumhe iss boj se aazad karti hoon ki tumne mere saath bura kiya. Ab tumhari jhootha pyar jatane ki galati ki sazaa yeh hai ki ab se hum dost nahi hai. Aaj ke baad hum sirf classmates rahenge, dost nahi aur special dost toh bilkul nahi.

She could see the hurt in Sameer's eyes, the desolation and immediate loneliness that surrounded his being; he was grief-stricken but may be that was how this relation had to end.

He could also hear her sadness-laced fragile voice & knew she was bordering on the verge of breakdown. A second later, her hands moved upwards towards the neck to remove the chain Sameer had placed there yesterday with so much love & haq.

Sameer realized immediately what she was up to and immediately voiced out: Ruko Naina, use mat nikalna. Tumhe mere baarein mein jo sochna samajhna hai woh theek hai, par mere dil mein tumhare liye jo feelings hai woh bilkul sachchi hai. Kal maine tumse Mandir mein jo kuch bhi kaha, woh dil se tha aur meri zindagi ka sabse serious faisla. Aur woh chain Nanaji ka mujhpar bharosa aur aashirwad hai.

Naina: Ab main ise nahi pehen sakti.

Sameer: Thik hai, main tumhe force nahi kar sakta, par wapas bhi nahi le sakta, toh tum use utarkar khayi mein fenk do!

Naina was bewildered that how could he even think of something like this for something with an emotional value! Little did she know that Sameer had already started testing the waters as to how far and how deep he would have to swim before their love could emerge strong. After pondering for a few minutes, Naina decided against her wishes to leave the chain where it was as there was no way she could disrespect an elder, well Nanaji meant more than that but she immediately squashed the thought & walked away.

Sameer smirked behind her back... all was not lost yet!