Sangeet function was arranged in the backyard of Sameer's house. It was the time Naina first got to see that portion of the bungalow. She had no idea the house was this huge. A rectangular swimming pool, which was gleaming with clear water, was surrounded by lush green lawns. All around, there were beautiful plants, ornamental bushes, vibrant blooms including different coloured roses. The garden was decorated with white lilies draped on wooden frames and twinkling lights on all surfaces. Seating arrangement of round tables, covered in gold satin fabric and chairs wrapped in white satin gave the place an ethereal ambience. A stage was set at far end, with the backdrop of white flowing fabric.

Natasha nudged Naina, 'Kitna elegant taste hai na inka. Kuch bhi over nahi lag raha. It's beautiful.'

Naina was impressed too, 'Pakka Anu ne karwaya hai. Uski choice sach mein classy hai. Waise aunty bhi kam nahi par Anu ki baat alag hai.'

'Aur hamari?' A voice from behind made both of them turn around.

Tarun, along with his wife, Paridhi, and all other friends whom Naina had met at Tarun's wedding were standing together. But the person who has spoken was Nitin, who always tried to be friendly with Natasha.

'Hi guys. Hey Pari. Tum log toh aajkal milte hi nahi. What's up? Shaadi ho gayi toh baaki sabko bhool gaye?' Natasha teased her friends before she went on to hug them one by one, pleased to see them.

Pari quirked up her brows, smiling at Naina and her, 'Hum bhool gaye ya tu humein kuch batana bhool gayi? This was real surprise Natasha. Jab mujhe Tarun ne kaha toh I was like... Naina? Woh kahan mili Sameer se... how come humein do saal mein ek baar bhi doubt tak nahi hua. You guys are something. Kaise chhupa ke rakha sabse?'

Naina decided to simply smile back in answer. There was nothing to say.

Abir, Tripti and all other friends, except Saumya, congratulated Naina.

'Hey Sameer. Kahan ghoom raha hai tu. Come here.' Tarun called out as he noticed Sameer coming out of the house.

Sameer saw them too, and quickly walked to his group of friends. Only when he reached them did he notice Naina and Natasha with them.

'Oh... hi.' He hesitated for a moment, then smiled.

Naina acknowledged his smile pleasantly.

Natasha appreciated Sameer's off white bandgala, which lent him a royal look, 'Wow Sameer, you look great.'

Saumya threw an evaluating glance at Naina, 'Lekin Naina ke saath match nahi ho rahe. She's wearing too many colours... thoda loud combination hai. Don't you think? Aise colours classy nahi lagte.'

Natasha smiled with fake sweetness, 'Naina ko classy lagne ke liye colours pe depend hone ki zarurat nahi hai. She always looks graceful. Aur aaj ka outfit, yeh Sameer ki choice hai.'

Saumya's brows shot up, 'What? Ho hi nahi sakta. Sameer toh hamesha se elegant look pasand karta hai. He can't choose this.'

'I did.' Sameer declared confidently, 'Naina ke liye mujhe isse better outfit koi laga hi nahi. Jo meri life ko itna colourful banane aa rahi hai uspe main saare rang dekhna chahta hun.'

Natasha grinned, 'So now you get it? Kehte hain na, dulhan wohi jo piya man bhaaye.'

Nitin rested his elbow on Sameer's shoulder, appreciatively looking at Natasha's black lehenga, 'Choice toh meri bhi kamaal ki hai. Aaj tum bhi kam nahi lag rahi Natasha. Tumhe kaise pata black mera favourite colour hai?'

She scrunched her nose, 'Cut it Nitin. Yeh tactics mujhpe nahi chalne wali.'

Tarun laughed, rubbing Nitin's back, 'Beta, sudhar jaa. We all know that Natasha ko sirf aur sirf pilot chal sakta hai. Ya toh training le le ya kahin aur try maar.'

Nitin made a sad face, 'Bas ek yehi qualification nahi hai warna meri aur Natasha ki jodi tum sabse zyada dhamakedar hoti.'

Munna and Pandit, who had just arrived, joined them.

Pandit knowingly shook his head as he heard Nitin's words, 'Sorry yaar, dhamakedar kitni bhi ho, apne Sameer aur Naina se zyada nahi ho sakti. Abhi tumne inke dhamake dekhe kahan hain.'

'Kya matlab?' Tarun raised a brow, 'Are we missing something?'

Sameer stomped on Pandit's foot, and walked upto Naina, looping an arm around her shoulder, 'What he means is that hum dono saath mein itne achhe lagte hain ki... ki it's mind-blowing. Kyon Naina?'

She swallowed, giving a hesitant smile, 'Yeh toh baaki sab hi bata sakte hain. Mujhe aadat nahi hai khud ki tareef karne ki.'

Before Sameer could come up with real fireworks, Munna intervened, 'Naina ka matlab hai jab sab log itni praise kar dete hain toh apne muh miyan mitthu kyon banna. Waise Tarun, tum logon ne kaunsa dance prepare kiya hai?'

The conversation changed track, as they all started to discuss their performances. Sameer could not dance so he was only an audience for the night, and this gave Naina the perfect excuse to not put up a performance.

After some more of leg pulling, they all took their seats, with Sameer and Naina seated right in front, together. Initial dances were by friends, which set the tempo of the evening. Natasha and Anaya, who were sitting with Sameer and Naina initially, got up and went away after a while. Only when they stepped on the stage did Naina got to know that they were dancing together. Both began with coordinated steps, surprising her because it was evident that they had choregraphed and practiced it to perfection. With their beautiful outfits, synchronized moves and lively expressions, they mesmerised everyone.

Tere maathe jhumar damke
tere kaano baali chamke
maahi ve
tere haathon kangna khanke
tere pairon payal chanke
maahi ve

Naina smiled as they looked at her and winked

Nainon se bole rabba rabba
man mein dole rabba rabba
amrut ghole rabba rabba
maahi ve

For chorus, Munna and Pandit joined the two girls. Sameer was smiling widely till they reached the next part where Pandit clearly pointed at Naina

O teri aankhne kaali kaali
tera gora gora mukhda hai re
maahi ve
teri rangat jaise sona
tu chaand ka tukda hai re
maahi ve

He shifted slightly in his seat, giving a side glance to Naina and muttered under his breath when he found her enjoying the song, 'Abhi toh keh rahi thi tareef nahi pasand lekin yeh sab sunke kaise daant dikha rahi hai.'

Tere gaal gulaabi rabba rabba
chaal sharaabi rabba rabba
dil ki kharabi rabba
tu soniye

Before he could forcibly push them away, Munna Pandit stepped aside after this verse, but he was shocked to see his mother come ahead for the next one

Barse rangini kaliyaan hain mehki bhini bhini
baaje man mein halke halke shehnaiyan re
jitney hain taare aanchal mein aa gaye saare
dil ne jaise hain li angdaiyan re

Naina could feel the familiar constriction in her throat. It was quite unexpected... that Ambika would dance for her, rather than for Sameer. It filled her heart with warmth once again. This was the reason, the only reason, that she was sitting here tonight.

Sameer, on the other hand, frowned, 'Jab maine kaha tha toh manaa kar diya lekin Naina ke liye dance karne mein mummy ko bhi koi problem nahi hai. Waah, shayad bhool gayi ki shaadi unke bete ki hai beti ki nahi. Ab kya vidai wale steps bhi wohi karengi?'

But it was Natasha who kneeled in front of Naina, lip syncing with the lyrics

Chanda mere chanda tujhe kaise main yeh samjhaun
mujhe lagti hai tu kitni pyari re
khushiyan jitni hain sab dhoondh ke le aaun
teri doli ke sang dun saari re
teri doli ke sang kar dun saari re

He rolled his eyes when Natasha wiped a tear, his mind voice screaming, 'Rona dhona... seriously? Isey toh pataa hai contract marriage hai. Ek saal mein iski... kya bolti hai yeh... jaan or sweetheart or whatever... iske paas aa jayegi. Fir yeh drama kyon?'

Before anyone could get emotional, Munna and Pandit jumped around them again, bringing along other friends as well, and they together started dancing with zeal to the chorus

Tu jo aayi sajke
mehndi rajke chal bhajke oh soniye
dil kitno ka khaye dhacke oh soniye
jind maahi ve soni soni aaja maahi ve

Dadaji came over to Naina and made her join the dance as well, along with Sameer, after telling him to be careful. For a few minutes, they all grooved to the peppy beats, till the song ended. It was decided that they would first have dinner and then hit the dance floor again.

Naina excused herself and went inside the house. She needed to fix her dress that felt a bit loose after the dance. She was aware of the washroom next to the living room. Just as she opened the door and stepped out of it a few minutes later, the whole house plunged into darkness. Naina stumbled to a stop. Even the outside light was gone, she could tell from the total lack of any visibility through the doors. She waited patiently... till there was a sound of something being dropped, somewhere close.

'Mohan?' She called out hesitantly.

There was no reply. Naina searched for her phone, only to realise that she had left it where she was sitting. She flailed her hands in dark, hoping to get support of a wall or some furniture. Nothing touched her hands. Carefully, she took a step forward. Still nothing came within her grasp. Just then, she heard some slithering sound. Widening her eyes, she tried to look through the blanket of darkness. Again, it felt like something slithered very close to her. Fear gripped her heart. Could there be a snake? She was terrified of reptiles. In her entire life, she had never seen a real snake. She was not keen to break that record.

'Koi hai?' She called out, a little louder this time.

There was some scampering nearby, followed by a voice, 'Naina, tum andar ho?'

'Sam... Sameer.' Her shaky voice resonated in the room, 'Yahan kuch hai.'

Being well aware of the layout of the room, Sameer could easily discern that she was near the washroom. He quickly walked towards her, while trying to explain, 'Bahar ki extra lights ki wajah se shayad power trip ho gayi hai. Mohan dekh raha hai. Darne ki koi baat nahi. Aao, main tumhe bahar le chalta hoon. Wahan itna andhera nahin hai.'

He had just finished speaking when his fingers brushed against something, probably her arm. Before he could confirm it was her, Naina grabbed his wrist. Next moment, he felt her crash against his chest. The force made him stumble backwards. Naina's arms went around him in a tight grip. He was taken aback.

'Naina?' He struggled to bring out his phone, but she was glued to him so tight that he could not reach his pocket.

A muffled voice reached his ears, 'Maine kuch ajeeb si awaaz suni. Yahan... yahan snakes toh nahi hain?'

He could not help the laugh that erupted at her terrified state, 'Snake? Yahan? Are you crazy? No way. Kya tum snakes ke bahane se mujhe... mujhe jaan se maarne ki koshish kar rahi ho?'

She felt the rumble of his chest as he laughed. Embarrassed, she dropped her hands to the side but did not move away. He might laugh, but what if there was a real snake around them? What else could be the source of the sound? Or was it her imagination? To confirm her doubt, the sound echoed in the room again.

Scared, she clutched his blazer, jumping closer to him, 'Suna? Kuch... kuch hai yahan.'

Her movement made him stumble again. To balance, his one arm wrapped around her, while he caught hold of a chair with the other. Naina stood still in Sameer's half embrace, her mind and ears alert for more sound. But he was very well aware of his arm resting on her bare back where the neckline plunged, with just her hair between the contact with her skin that felt warm where his wrist touched her. He was also aware of how she was enveloped in the circle of his arm... and for some strange reason, he wanted to wrap his other arm around her soft form... to see how well she fitted in his arms.

He could even feel her breath against his neck when Naina whispered, 'Tumhara phone kahan hai?'

Slowly, some semblance returned to him. He fished out the phone from his pocket, and holding it next to her face, he flicked the light on.

That was when Sameer properly saw her. Because of Saumya, he had earlier noticed that she was in a bright multicolored lehenga. But he did not pay attention to anything else. Now that his eyes roved over her form, he observed how the pink of her dupatta lent a glow to her skin, making it luminous. She was wearing some traditional jewellery that looked rather nice on her. Just like the song, she had maathe ka jhoomar, kaano ki baali, haathon ka kangna... did she have pairon mein payal too? The fists that rested on his chest were dark with mehendi pattern, which his mom and sister were praising when she had arrived. She did have the appearance of those actresses who gave coy smiles when such songs were played for them in movies. Her face was flawless, which indeed surprised him. Did Naina hire a makeup artist for all functions?

Suddenly, the room came aglow with lights. Naina's head jerked to look around them on the floor. When she did not see anything like what she was suspecting, she breathed in relief. But again, the same sound fell in her ears. When her gaze moved to the direction of sound, she realised it was the jute blinds on the windows, which dragged against the floor because of the wind, making the sound that had scared her.

She let out an exhale, 'Thank God. Mujhe laga...' Only when she turned her face towards him did it hit her that she was flushed against Sameer's chest, holding his blazer in a firm grip, while his arm was draped on her back.

'Uh... sorry.' Flustered, Naina moved away from him.

Just then, a loud roar of claps, followed by giggles and whistles startled them, making her fall back on him.

'Waah waah kya scene hai.' Nitin clapped the loudest.

Naina moved away, straightening her hair while Sameer quietly put the phone back in his pocket.

Pandit was wide eyed, 'Sameer? Bhai, yeh kya...'

Tarun did not mince his words, 'Toh isliye lights off karwayi thi tune. Very good.'

Naina looked at Sameer, 'Lights tumne off karwayi?'

'Nahi. Main kyon...' Sameer felt his ears heat up, 'Tu pagal hai kya Tarun? Mujhe lights off karwane ki kya zarurat hai?'

Anaya started to laugh, 'Of course Tarun, bhai ko kisika dar hai kya jo aise kaam karenge. Light trip ho gayi thi, overload ki wajah se.'

As they all went out, still in a teasing mode, Pandit whispered to Sameer, 'Tera hriday parivartan ho gaya kya? Jaise tu usey dekh raha tha mujhe laga kahin tujhe Naina se pyar toh nahi ho gaya?'

'Pagal thodi hun jo saari duniya ki ladkiyan chor ke isse pyar karunga. Kuch bhi sochta hai tu.' Sameer snapped, irritated at his assumption.

On Dadaji's insistence, the program was wrapped up by midnight, as he wanted everyone to be rested for the next day.

When Naina got up in the morning, she felt a bit nervous but was prepared to face the challenge. She was getting married... for real. Natasha had eased her panic whenever she felt jittery in last few days. She did not want to fall in the trap of more apprehensions again. It would be better to play normal.

'Nutty, chal aaj main breakfast aur lunch banati hun tere liye.' She twisted her hair into a bun and entered the kitchen, while Natasha was busy typing on her phone.

She looked up instantly, 'No way. Tu apni packing complete kar. Leave the rest to me.'

Naina stopped and smiled, 'No baby. Aaj tu meri saari baat manegi. It's mandatory. Kal se kar lena jo tujhe karna hai. But today, it's my way... not your 'No way'.' Naina imitated her words in the tone she had uttered.

Natasha pursed her lips, and lowered her eyes.

'Arey yaar ab itni si baat pe muh mat sujaa.' Naina walked to her, 'I just want to do it for you. Honestly Nutty, yeh tera hi support hai jo main itna bada kadam uthane jaa rahi hun. Pata nahi yeh sab kitna sahi hai par mujhe darr nahi lag raha. All thanks to you. Kyonki mujhe pataa hai that you are always with me.'

Natasha pulled Naina in a hug, burying her face in her neck. With a smile, Naina patted her back, 'Aise kya emotional ho rahi hai? Main koi asli wale sasural thodi jaa rahi hun. Asli wala rishta toh bas ek hi hai... tera aur mera.'

When Natasha raised her head, her eyes were filled with tears, 'Sorry Naina. Maine tujhse kuch chupaya hai. I know tujhe pehle batana chahiye tha... lekin... agar tujhe bata deti toh tu yeh shaadi shayad na karti. And I wanted you to do this. Isliye nahi bataya.'

Naina's face turned pale, 'Kya nahi bataya, Nutty? Is everything okay? Tere ghar pe... sab theek hai na? Uncle ya tere bhaiyon ne... fir se kuch kiya hai kya? Nutty, please bataa kya hua. Bhaad mein gayi shaadi waadi. Tell me what is it.'

Natasha shook her head, 'Ghar se related kuch nahi hai. Don't worry.' She gulped, then picked her phone and opened a folder, and handed the phone to Naina, 'Yeh dekh.'

Naina read the mail. Once. Twice. Then third time.

When she looked up, her own eyes were filled with tears, 'Kab jaana hai?'

'Parson raat ko.' Natasha replied.

Naina was silent for a few seconds. When she looked back at her friend, there was a wide smile on her face, though her eyes were damp, 'I'm so happy for you. Good decision. Three months in Singapore. Is training ke liye tu kabse try kar rahi thi. Idiot, yeh baat toh khush hoke batani chahiye thi. Aise muh latka ke kyon yeh news de rahi hai. We need to celebrate this.'

Natasha smiled sadly, 'Main jaana chahti thi... ab bhi chahti hun... but I wish timing aise clash nahi hue hote. Aaj tu shaadi karke jaa rahi hai aur do din baad mujhe jaana hai. Tujhe wahan adjust hone ke liye thoda time lagega. Aise mein main tere paas bhi nahi rahungi. I'm sorry Naina.'

'Shut up.' Naina gripped her arms, 'Sorry bolne wali kya baat hai ismein? Nutty yaar, I'm so proud of you. Is training ke baad tu international flights pe jaaya karegi. Yeh toh promotion hai. Aur tu apna promotion celebrate karne ki jagah aansu baha rahi hai. Arey yeh shaadi toh mere liye cakewalk hai. Jaise chote they tab ghar ghar khelte they na, waise hi bas kuch din wahan rehkar thodi acting karni hai aur fir wapas yahan, tere saath.'

Suddenly, her smile dropped, 'Nutty, tu three monthe ke liye jayegi toh yeh ghar...'

Natasha was again swift in her response, 'Ghar khaali nahi kar rahi. Tujhe pataa hai na last year jab lease renew ki thi toh mummy ne poore saal ka rent mere account mein transfer kar diya tha.' A bitter smile lingered on her face at the memory, 'Woh kabhi support nahi kar paayi mujhe isliye paise dekar apne guilt ko kam karne ki koshish karti rehti hain.' Shrugging, she tried to forget, 'Well, unke paison ka faayda hi hai. December tak ka rent paid hai isliye ghar khaali nahi karna padega. Waise bhi, training ke baad mujhe yahin aana hai.'

'Right.' Naina grinned, 'Just three months. Ismein chupane wali koi baat hi nahi thi. Kab pataa chala tujhe?'

'Last week. Aaj join karne ke liye bola tha institute ne. Lekin maine request karke do din ka deferral le liya.' Natasha felt guilty, 'Mujhe laga tu ghabra jayegi. Kahin shaadi ke liye hi doubts naa aane lage tujhe. Bas isliye nahi bataya.'

'Buddhu.' Naina poked her head, 'Bhool gayi kya, ki humne ek dusre ko kya promise kiya tha. Hum career ke liye ek dusre ko poora support denge. Wish you all the best Nutty meri jaan.'

Next update on Wednesday