As Sameer entered the venue, Anaya came running to him, 'Kahan the aap bhai? Main kabse aapko phone kar rahi thi.'

Sameer checked his phone. The battery had died, and he had failed to notice, his mind preoccupied with Nakul.

'Phone charge karna padega.' He waved it in front of his sister, looking around, 'Kya kaam tha? Kisi ne pucha kya mere liye?'

'Bohot logon ne.' Anaya huffed, 'Aap gaye kahan the? Bata ke toh jaate. Mummy ka bhi call aaya tha. Aapko call karne ka try kar rahi thi par aapka phone off tha. She was worried.'

'Main...' He hesitated for a moment, then said, '...Naina ko drop karne gaya tha.'

'Oh.' Anaya softened instantly, 'Naina chali gayi? Mujhe bye bhi nahi bola. Itni jaldi kyon gayi? Abhi toh phere bhi khatm nahi hue.'

Sameer spotted Nakul at that very moment. Hastily, he patted Anaya's shoulder, looking in Nakul's direction, 'Tu pheron mein baith main abhi aata hun.'

Anaya followed his gaze, and stated, 'Nakul aapke aane se do minute pehle aapke liye puch raha tha.'

Sameer's steps halted. He looked at her with a frown on his face, 'Kya kaha usne?'

Shrugging, she informed, 'General questions... aap kya kar rahe ho aajkal, life mein kya chal raha hai, shaadi ka plan etc.'

'Tune kya kaha?' Sameer asked.

With a wide smile, Anaya declared, 'Bata diya, ki aajkal aapke Naina sirf apni Naina par tike rehte hain.'

A sense of relief spread in Sameer's heart. It was good to let this news reach Nakul through as many sources as possible.

'Bhai.' Anaya nudged him out of his thoughts, a teasing glint in her eyes, 'Aap dono ka jhagda khatam ho gaya na? I feel ho gaya.'

In all that had happened, it had slipped from his mind that his sister had formed her own assumptions after discovering them in the room earlier.

'Main Naina se baat kar raha tha.' He turned defensive immediately.

'Of course.' Anaya winked, 'Baatein kar sakte ho, bas ladai mat kiya karo.'

'Anu.' He uttered in frustration, 'Tera dimag galat direction mein jaa raha hai.'

'Pehle tha. Ab sahi hua hai.' She flicked her brows before directing him, 'Achha ab chalo. Nitin aur Vaibhav kabse aapko dhund rahe hain.'

And she dragged him to the group of friends who were huddled together near the bar, enjoying drinks.

Abir offered a glass to Sameer the moment he saw him, 'Aa gaya hamara Ashiq number one. Hum sab teri love story celebrate kar rahe hain aur tu hai ki apni Laila ko ghar bhej diya.'

Without offering any explanation about Naina, Sameer declined the drink, 'Mujhe drive karna hai.'

Nitin smiled, 'Bahane mat bana. Girlfriend bol ke gayi hogi, ki mere peeche se out mat hona isliye bhai sahab avoid kar rahe hain.'

There was no way he could get away from their constant teasing so Sameer decided to play along. Also, it was a chance to hammer the notion in Nakul's mind who would be somewhere close by, he was sure.

He looked around, on the pretext of feeling shy, 'Naina cares about me, isliye manaa karti hai.'

'Ooohhh.' A loud cheer made people around them divert their attention to the group. Nakul was definitely one of them.

Sameer's smile got wider, and his voice went up a few notches, 'Me and Naina... hum dono bohot pyar karte hain ek dusre se.'

Tripti sighed dreamily, 'Tum dono saath mein ekdum perfect lagte ho. Made for each other. Bas ab jaldi se shaadi kar lo.'

Anaya's excitement surged up, 'Woh bhi hone wali hai. Very soon. Tum log ready raho.'

Their talks continued, centered around Sameer and his new love story... at least new for them, or so they thought. Oblivious to all this, Sameer was most pleased about the look of frustration and disappointment on Nakul's face. He was sure Nakul was aware that Sameer had seen him in front of Naina's house. That explained his reason to distance himself from the group even when they all were drinking... something that Nakul was addicted to. And after witnessing the show that Sameer had put up, Nakul wouldn't dare to join the group when he was there. It appeared that the issue was taken care of. He breathed out in relief, both for Nakul's distance and for the fact that he had overheard Naina and Natasha earlier.

Few hours back, he was talking, or rather listening, to an old man, a friend of his grandfather, but his ears were focussed on the conversation between Naina and Natasha after the latter had mentioned Nakul's name. In fact, his gaze had darted to the man in question, who had also looked in the direction of the girls discreetly. Sameer was sure he had heard his name too. Few minutes later, he managed to excuse himself from the old man and searched for Naina. He wanted to offer to drop her home. It was quite late, and after knowing about Nakul's interest, there was a nagging concern in his mind about her safety.

Nakul had been quite notorious for being a playboy in school, and loved to add names to his list of conquests. Once, when a girl had slapped him in front of some of his friends, he swore to take revenge. Few days later, Sameer got to know from a common friend that Nakul had tried to molest her in the gym. The girl was luckily saved because of cleaning staff who had come to clean the place. Nakul was suspended from regular classes after that. He was only seen at the time of examination later. Girl's parents had refused to lodge a police complaint, citing that it would bring a bad name to their daughter, while Nakul would get away easily, being a minor at that time.

This had only made him more presumptuous, and he had continued with his uninhibited behaviour even in college. Though they were not in the same college, Sameer would get to know all about him through someone or the other as they all were a part of the same circle. Their direct interactions, however, had become very less.

When Sameer got to know that Naina had rejected his proposal, he knew Nakul would definitely be planning something.

He caught sight of Natasha and rushed towards her, 'Naina kahan hain, Natasha?'

Her brows went up, 'Apna role zyada seriously nahi le rahe tum?'

He could see why these two were such close friends. They had the same irritating demeanor.

Holding back his anger, he asked, 'Kuch kaam hai usse. Where is she?'

'She's gone.' Natasha replied, 'Ghar chali gayi.'

'Kaise?' Sameer felt a wave of panic begin in the pit of his stomach as he couldn't see Nakul anywhere either.

But Natasha's answer lessened it momentarily, 'Cab se aur kaise.'

However, the respite turned into anxiety again when Abir mentioned that he had seen Nakul driving out in some kind of hurry. Sameer instantly knew what he was upto. An unsettling fear seized his heart. And he had gone after Nakul. When his car wasn't visible anywhere, he had called Naina.

Now, it did look like their acting had served the purpose.

*****

Naina was getting ready for office when Natasha reached home next morning.

'Good morning.' Naina welcomed her in a pleasant voice.

'Good night.' She replied wearily, walking into the room after kicking off her heels.

Chuckling, Naina followed her, 'Battery khatam?'

'Aur nahi toh kya.' Natasha yawned, 'Twenty hours se jaag rahi hun. Kahan hai mera bed.'

Naina held her shoulders, and in a stern voice, stopped her from plopping on the inviting bed, 'Pehle makeup remove kar, yeh sab taam jhaam utaar aur kapde change kar. Aise nahi so sakti.'

'Yaar Naina.' Natasha whined, 'Ek din makeup ke saath sone se kuch nahi hota.'

'No way.' Naina was firm, 'Bathroom mei jaa rahi hai ya main le jaakar tujhe shower ke neeche bitha dun?'

'Ugghh.' She peeled off her dupatta and threw it on the bed, pulling roughly at the jewellery and accessories, 'Sach kahun toh tum dono nakli nahi asli couple banne layak ho. Aise order dete ho jaise main tum dono ki ghulam hun.'

'Kya bol rahi hai?' Naina was perplexed, 'Kiski ghulam?'

'Teri aur tere us Sameer Maheshwari ki.' Natasha banged the washroom door shut.

Naina's brows furrowed, 'Kya matlab? Usne tujhse kuch kaha kya?'

From inside, Natasha hollered, 'Kaha nahi, order diya...' she then mimicked in a heavy, urgent voice, '...Naina kahan hai? Ghar kaise gayi, kab gayi, kiske saath gayi...'

'What? Usne tujhse yeh sab pucha?' Naina had her ears glued to the door.

She knew why Sameer had asked but she was still unsure why he was so concerned. Maybe, Nakul was from his group of known people and he felt responsible.

Natasha's voice broke her thoughts, 'Kisi possessive boyfriend ke jaise baat kar raha tha. Aur uske baad gayab ho gaya. Uski behen ne mujhse pucha ki tum dono ko kahin dekha hai kya. Maine maze lene ke liye keh diya tum dono pata nahi kahan gayab ho.' She laughed mischievously, 'Teri nakli nanad ko lag raha hoga tum dono mauke ka poora fayda utha rahe ho.'

'Pagal hai kya! Aise kyon bola?' Naina recalled what impression Anaya had formed earlier.

The door opened with a jerk, making her lose her balance and fall on Natasha.

'Oho meri jaan.' Natasha held her arm to steady her, her tiredness replaced by mischief, 'Khud pe control rakho. Yeh girna padna... falling in love hai kya?'

'Shutup yaar Nutty,' Naina straightened, and snapped in frustration, 'Pata nahi kal se kya tamasha chal raha hai, upar se tu faltu ki baatein kar ke mera dimaag kharab kar rahi hai.'

'Tamasha?' Natasha asked curiously, 'Kuch hua hai kya?'

Naina told her all about the incident in the room at the venue, then about Nakul and Sameer's visit.

Natasha's first reaction was disbelief, 'Nakul iss type ka hai? Mujhe kabhi laga hi nahi. Waise honestly, main usey zyada jaanti nahi. Tarun ka friend hai isliye ek baar uski birthday party pe mila tha. Fir ek din sabke saath yahan aaya tha jab hum log trip plan kar rahe the. Uske baad se hi hamesha aane laga. Pata nahi...'

Suddenly her eyes widened as she remembered, 'Naina, usne teri photo dekhkar tere baare mein pucha tha mujhse.'

'Kaunsi photo?' Naina questioned in alarm.

Natasha pointed at the large frame in their room. It was a collage of both of them, of their various moments together. They had given all sorts of poses... funny, weird, crazy, pouty. One was from a spa where they were wrapped in towels, their faces covered in masks.

Turning to her, Naina fumed, 'Yeh pictures kisi ko dikhane ki hain kya? Bahar kyon leke gayi tu?'

'Main nahi leke gayi yaar. Pari ne washroom use kiya tha. Usne dekhi toh poora frame hi uthakar living room mein le gayi, sabko dikhane ke liye. Main toh coffee bana rahi thi. Jab tak maine realise kiya sab dekh chuke the.' Natasha defended herself.

Naina pursed her lips. After that trip, she had been to a few of their get togethers with Natasha where she regularly ran into Nakul. But it was only on the day he proposed that she got to know of his interest. Unlike Param, she had never felt any such vibes from him. Maybe because he was a seasoned player, as per Sameer.

'Shayad Sameer sahi keh raha tha.' She breathed out, 'Nakul mujhe stalk karta tha.'

Natasha was overwhelmed with guilt, 'Sorry Naina. I had no idea he was such a person. Woh zyada bolta bhi nahi hai isliye realise hi nahi kiya ki uske intentions kya hain. I'm so sorry.'

With a smile, Naina pinched her cheek, 'Don't be silly. Teri kya galti hai isme.'

After narrowing her eyes, as if pondering over it, Natasha's face broke into a grin, 'Right, meri kya galti. Waise galti Sameer ki bhi nahi hai. Kal toh usne itna achha kaam kiya. I'm impressed yaar. Itni fikr hai usey teri... kahin usey tujhse pyar wyar toh nahi ho gaya?'

Rolling her eyes, Naina started to put things in her bag, 'Aa gayi teri sui wapas usi track pe. Tu na, so hi jaa. Tere system ko rest ki zarurat hai.'

Natasha turned solemn, 'Nahi seriously, it was a good gesture on his part. Warna usey kya padi thi. Kisi ladki ke respect ka khyal rakhne wale ladke best hote hain. Woh dil ke bure ho hi nahi sakte.'

'Good night sweetheart.' Picking her bag, Naina flashed her a fake smile, 'Isse pehle ki tujhe hi Sameer se pyar ho jaaye, tu so jaa.'

'Na na.' Natasha shook her head, 'Usey maine tere liye chod diya.'

Already near the door, Naina turned to growl at her, 'Mujhe nahi chahiye.'

And she was gone.

Pulling the quilt over herself, Natasha murmured, 'Tum toh kaafi sudhre hue nikle Maheshwari ji. Not bad. Naina na sahi par main toh impress ho gayi.'

And she fell into a calm repose, her lips curled into a smile.

*****

Sameer was with Munna Pandit next evening, telling them about the events of previous day.

Pandit narrowed his eyes, 'Aisa ghatiya banda tera dost kaise hai?'

'Dost nahi hai ab.' Sameer clarified, 'Lekin families ke purane relations hain toh har gathering mein mil jaatein hain sab. Woh Tarun se thoda close hai, baaki koi usse zyada baat nahi karta.'

Munna nodded in understanding, 'Jhelna padta hai. Lekin Sameer, woh Naina ko pareshan toh nahi karega na? Tu usse direct baat kyon nahi kar leta? Ho sakta hai usey tere aur Naina ke baare mein pata hi na ho.'

Sameer had told them everything, except the false kissing show that he had asked Naina to be a part of. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to share it even with his closest friends.

'I'm sure usey pata hai.' He stated, 'Waise maine Naina ko bata diya hai ki agar Nakul uske aas paas bhi fatke toh mujhe call kar le.'

Pandit huffed in anger, 'Hum teeno milke apne tareeke se samjha dete hain us Nakul ko ki yahan Mahabharat karne ka socha bhi toh itna kootenge ki na uth payega na baith payega. Naam Nakul hai aur kaam Dushasan wale karta hai saala.'

Munna raised a palm to pacify him, 'Zarurat padi toh baad mein dekhenge. Abhi Sameer ko apne tareeke se handle karne de.'

'Haan yaar tum rehne do. Main sambhal lunga.' Sameer declared with confidence.

Pandit raised a quizzical brow, 'Tu toh poora role mein ghus gaya bhai. Ab Naina ko tu sambhalega?'

'Situation ko sambhal lunga.' Sameer gave him a hard look, 'Naina se mujhe koi matlab nahi hai.'

'Haan woh toh dikh hi raha hai.' Munna casually mentioned, stifling a smile.

'Aur kya.' Sameer didn't get his sarcasm, 'Mujhe sirf isliye thoda kharab laga ki Nakul meri jaan pehchan ka hai. Koi random ladka hota toh mujhe kya padi thi Naina ko kuch bhi kehne ki. Nakul ke character aur uski harkaton ke baare mein pata hai isliye... Naina ko careful rehne ke liye bola.'

Pandit patted his shoulder, 'Sahi jaa raha hai. Pange ki pitai aur pyar ki chot mein fark hota hai. Naina ke case mein tujhe hi involve hona chahiye. Sabke saamne usey support aur protect karega tabhi toh tujhe uska boyfriend manenge.'

Sameer straightened his shoulders, a smug expression making way on his face , 'Meri acting perfect hai. Kal ke baad Anu ka shak bhi kaafi hadd tak dur ho gaya hai.'

A knowing smile played on Munna's lips, 'Teri acting aise hi chalti rahi toh Anu kya, humein bhi shak nahi rahega.'

Sameer and Pandit laughed at his joke.

*****

It had been two days since the wedding. Naina had been keeping a keen eye around herself whenever she was out. She had not seen Nakul or his car anywhere in these two days. She had been genuinely scared since that night. Nakul had both, a twisted mind and backing of wealth and parental support. Such people don't bother about consequences of any of their actions. She had decided to call up Sameer instantly if she ever felt Nakul was stalking her again. Handling such a situation on her own wasn't a good idea. Thankfully, the situation hadn't come up till now.

Probably, Sameer was right. He had backed off. It must have been because of what happened... or what he thought happened... between her and Sameer, in front of his eyes.

Naina let out a breath of discomfort at the memory. She had always maintained distance with boys. The occasional hugs with known people were nothing to be thought about. It was just a way of greeting. But with Sameer, the distance had reduced at a speed that she wasn't prepared for. That night, she was too worked up because of sudden realisation about Nakul and his stalking... and had agreed to whatever Sameer said, but now, as she thought about their closeness, she squirmed. How could she let an unknown man touch her like that, that too, in the middle of the night, on an empty street. She must have been out of her mind.

'Lekin iska fayda hua na.' Her mind voice reminded her, 'Agar itna karne se Nakul ke dar se chutkara milta hai toh it's okay. Pehle bhi toh Sameer ne apni family ke saamne hath pakda tha, hug kiya tha.'

Resting her elbows on the table, she covered her face with her hands, muttering to herself, 'Pata nahi is drame ke liye haan bolkar theek kiya ya nahi. Ajeeb si situation ho gayi hai. Office mein bhi sab usey mera boyfriend samajhte hain aur Nutty ke friends bhi. Itne logon ke saamne yeh jhooth kab tak chalega. Kisi din bure phasne wale hain hum dono.'

'Kaun phasne wala hai? Kisi ka murder wurder kar diya kya tumne?' A voice made Naina look up with a jerk.

Param was standing in front of her, amusement brimming in his eyes.

He flicked up his brows, 'Lunch time mein lunch karne ki jagah tum kya budbuda rahi ho?'

With a sheepish smile, she smoothened her hair, 'Kuch nahi. Nutty ke baare mein keh rahi thi. Hum dono... main aur Nutty... kabhi kabhi drink kar lete hain, uske liye keh rahi thi.'

'Kyon, kuch gadbad kar di kya? Drunk calling ya kuch aur?' He asked curiously.

'Arey nahi.' Naina laughed, a little louder than required, 'Aisa kuch nahi. Bas yun hi soch rahi thi, ki health ke liye achha nahi hai.'

Param gave her an incredulous look, 'Kisi ne... manaa kiya kya tumhe? Tumhare boyfriend ne...'

'Of course not.' Naina did not let him finish, 'Woh kyon manaa karega? I mean, woh kuch bhi kyon kahega? It's my life.'

Param nodded, 'Aur kya. Tumhe apne aapko kisi ke liye change nahi karna chahiye.'

'This is not about Sameer, Param.' Naina said with conviction, 'Woh aisa nahi hai.'

Param smiled uneasily, 'Good. Hona bhi nahi chaiye. Umm... lunch ke liye chalein?'

Naina shook her head, 'Mujhe aaj bhook nahi hai. Kaam bhi baaki hai. You go ahead.'

After Param left, she sighed and opened the file she was working on. The report had to be finished by evening and she still had a lot to do.

Next update on Wednesday