Naina had become accustomed to the sight of Sameer in bed when she woke up in the morning. He would go for his exercise on some days, while on others, he would just sleep in. It gave her a serene feeling to see him sleeping. The innocence on his face was so much in contrast to the flirting, romantic side of him that made her heart skip its beat several times during the day. Or night.

Her fingers went to touch the spot on her forehead where he had kissed last night. He had done the same thing once before too. But that time, she had taken it to be a part of their act, even though there had been no audience at that time. Now, even in front of others, his every touch felt different. whether it was a simple side hug, or an affectionate kiss that he dropped on her head, it did strange things to her... made her heart beat like crazy, her hands go clammy, her legs turn into jelly... and when his fingers lingered on her skin, tracing her arm, brushing against her hand, they left a trail of goosebumps she could never hide.

The acknowledgement of her feelings and assuring herself that Sameer felt the same was one thing, but this subtle shift in their dynamics made her acutely aware of their reality. She couldn't see him in the same light anymore, just the person she had to pretend to love. Because now, he was her husband, in real. Such everyday moments, somehow brought that fact crashing down with a clarity that made her pulse race. Also, it made her feel inexplicably special.

This morning, after finishing her bath, when she stepped out of the closet, she found him leaning at the door that led to the terrace. Sameer was aware that first thing Naina did was to put out her towel on the clothes stand outside. He stood leaning casually near the door, his arms crossed, and his gaze fixed solely on her. There was something in the way he looked at her that made her pause, sending a ripple of awareness down her spine.

Recovering quickly, she offered a small, tentative smile and murmured softly, 'Good morning.'

His lips curved into a crooked smile as he uncrossed his arms and straightened, 'Kal raat tumne agree kiya tha ki humein saath chalna hai. Remember?'

Naina's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink as she thought about the kiss again. The feel of his lips had stayed on her forehead all night. Even after the bath, the sensation refused to fade.

He took a few steps to get closer, his eyes sparkling with the knowledge of what was going on in her mind. His voice turned low, 'Abhi se shuru karte hain. Match my step. Kal goodnight kiss maine di thi, aaj goodmorning kiss ki turn tumhari hai.'

And he leaned, tapping at his cheek.

For a moment, Naina was stunned by his unabashed demand. Her gaze flew to his finger, that rested on his cheek that was shadowed with an overnight growth. Her throat went dry and she immediately lowered her eyes, her fingers tightening on the towel she was holding.

'No problem.' Sameer straightened, but before she could take a breath of relief, he took a step ahead, his voice serious, 'Yeh bhi main hi de deta hun.'

Naina's head shot up in a flash. Being closer than before, she could see his eyes, clearly shining with a teasing glint, and warmth. The slight, playful tilt of his mouth sent a swarm of butterflies fluttering in her belly. The kiss last night had been sudden, in the dimly lit room. But now, with bright daylight pouring in, she could see his every expression, every movement of those dark eyes as they lazily flickered to her cheek, and then dropped to her lips. Her heart did a wild somersault. Did he mean... that kiss?

Their kiss in the rain danced in her mind. From the moment their lips had touched, her whole world had changed. It felt like her entire life she hadn't been taking full breaths. Then suddenly, she had learned how to breathe... only when he had managed to take her breath away with one kiss. It was liberating, exhilarating and it was a revelation. Till then, she had no idea that she was supposed to respond to such a kiss. Not that she was ignorant like girls from previous generations, but biology doesn't include such details. Only now, after watching some of the movies from Natasha's list, and after knowing what a real kiss meant, she was enlightened about what she was expected to do. At present, her mind was a jumbled mess of anxious thoughts. She wasn't sure about...

Before her thoughts got more tangled, Sameer leaned in. The towel slipped from Naina's hand, landing on the floor between them. Her eyes were almost shut in anticipation when the warmth of his breath moved from her face, through her cheeks and brushed against her ear.

And then, her eyes shot open as she heard his raspy whisper, 'Yeh kiss tum par udhaar raha. Tab tak, jab tak tum mujhe mera kiss nahi deti.'

He stepped back, the smile lingering on his face while he hooked a finger under her chin to tilt her face up, and looked into her eyes, 'Main wait karunga... Mrs maheshwari.'

He turned and walked away with a casual air. Naina stood frozen, the thundering beats of her heart echoing in her ears. Not just his words or his actions but even the way he addressed her felt way too intimate.

'Uh... Naina.' He called out from the closet, making her spin back on her heel.

With a mischievous wink, he pointed at her towel that was on the floor, 'Isey mat bhool jaana.' And he was gone.

Only when he disappeared from view did she finally release the breath she had been holding. She had no idea Sameer could be such a tease. But what shocked her even more was the tinge of disappointment that she felt now. She drew in a sharp breath, her fingers trembling slightly as she pressed her palms against her cheeks. They felt hot...no, they were burning. The memory of his closeness, the look in his eyes, and the teasing edge to his words played on a loop in her mind. She was flustered, yet the undeniable thrill that his proximity had sparked within her brought a shy smile to her lips.

However, in next few days, Sameer kept his distance when they were alone. He did not attempt any closeness except one night when he lightly pecked her forehead once again. He did not say anything, but the way he looked at her that time left Naina confused. It wasn't a look of passion. His eyes were filled with the kind of protectiveness that she had only seen in Natasha's eyes. It was a look of assurance, as if he wanted to say that he was there for her. But why he needed to convey that? She did not have any apprehensions about him... about them. Wasn't her acceptance obvious in the ways she responded to him?

That night, as she lay in bed, Naina pondered over it some more. Was he taking a step back because she hadn't shown any initiative from her side? Did her hesitation appear like a sign of uncertainty? Her brows furrowed as she thought harder. She wasn't indecisive about him, about them... far from it. But maybe she hadn't done enough to show that. Could it be that Sameer, who had always been the one to take the lead, was now waiting for her to bridge the gap? Was this his way of giving her the space to match his step? The thought made her heart ache, with an urge to set things right. But how?

Next day, she called up Natasha from office, at the latter's lunch hour.

After a chirpy greeting, Natasha gave her a knowing look, 'What's eating you now? Last time tak teri shakl pe 100 watt ka bulb jal raha tha. Aaj woh light fuse kaise ho gayi? Kiska kaam hai?'

Naina shook her head, 'Nautanki dekhne ko nahi ek bohot urgent baat puchne ko call kiya hai maine. Agar do minute serious hokar sunn sakti hai toh bol warna main rakhti hun.'

'Dhamki!!' Natasha narrowed her eyes, 'Iska matlab sach mein mera jawab matter karta hai. Toh bolo jaani, tumhari samasya ka hal hamare paas zarur milega.'

Naina rolled her eyes. It was almost impossible to make Natasha talk without creating drama. Nevertheless, she was the only one who could give her the right advice.

'Nutty,' She began, 'Do you think mujhe Sameer ko apne dil ki baat bata deni chahiye?'

'Of course.' Natasha shrugged, matter of factly, 'Sameer ke liye apni feelings usey nahi toh kya America ke President ko batayegi?' Then her face broke into an excited grin as the meaning of Naina's question registered, 'You mean... Usne kab confess kiya? Kaise kaha? Ghar pe ya kahin bahar le jaakar? How was...'

Naina cut short her chatter by raising a palm then uttered in a low voice, 'Usne nahi kiya. Abhi tak nahi.'

'Oh!' Natasha's face froze for a moment, then she nodded in realisation, 'So you want to say it first. Right?'

Naina plainly looked back at her, in silence.

Natasha thought for another moment, then let out a slow whistle, 'Wow meri jaan, tuney sach mein mujhe surprise kar diya.' With a wink, she grinned, 'Go for it. Jab pyar kiya toh darna kya. Aisa koi rule thori hai ki pehle ladka hi confess karega.'

The weight lifted from Naina's shoulders as a heartfelt smile danced on her lips, 'Haina? Mujhe bhi laga ki jab feelings sachhi hain toh chupana kyon? Kya pata woh mere confession ka hi wait kar raha ho.'

Natasha chuckled, 'I'm sure. Tere muh se woh teen words sunte hi pata nahi Sameer ka kya haal hoga.'

A small seed of suspicion tugged at Naina's heart. She swallowed, giving a hesitant look to her friend, 'You really feel he loves me? Kahin...'

Natasha glared at her in disbelief. Then she shook her head and stated in a firm voice, 'Yeh teri Nutty ki guarantee hai baby. Maine yeh chehra dhoop mein tan nahi kiya hai. Pyar ki garmi ko pehchanne mein khud ko jalaya hai. Isliye mujhse bada expert tujhe aasani se nahi milega. Aur meri expert aankhen Sameer ke pyar ko parakh chuki hain.'

She looked around quickly before adding, 'To be honest, agar tumhari love story stock market hoti na toh main saare shares khareed leti, agar cricket match hoti toh apne poore bank balance ki bet laga deti, aur kahin mafia hoti toh main apna gang tumhe de deti...'

'Shut up Nutty.' Laughing at her exaggeration, Naina crushed all her doubts, 'Flight aur airport wale comparison tak fir bhi tolerable tha, par underworld ka panga na hi le toh better hoga.'

Natasha grinned, 'Jaaneman, pange pe nahi bhavnaon pe concentrate karo. This is to convince you ki main kitni shiddat se iss love story mein believe karti hun.'

'Believe main bhi karti hun.' The smile on Naina's face conveyed her confidence, 'Sameer ne ab tak jo bhi kiya hai, jo kaha hai, uske baat believe na krne ka reason bhi toh nahi hai.'

'Fir bhi us idiot ne woh teen words hi nahi kahe jo sabse important hain. He needs to tell you.' Natasha groaned dramatically, smashing her fist into her palm and scrunching her nose, 'Waise mujhse bhi ab wait nahi ho raha Naina.'

'Tujhse wait nahi ho raha?' Naina tilted her head, giving her an amused look.

Natasha huffed, her tone indignant, 'Haan toh? Yeh ladka kitna slow hai yaar. Tuney bataa diya ki teri taraf se haan hai fir bhi kuch kar hi nahi raha.'

'Slow hai?' Naina chuckled, unable to resist teasing her, 'Tujhe kisne kaha?' Only when she noticed the sudden change in Natasha's expression did the unintentional admission registered.

Narrowing her eyes, Natasha smirked mischievously, 'Achha? Toh bata zara aisa kya kiya hai usne jiske liye slow ki category se exemption mil gaya.'

Naina's cheeks heated up at the question, and she looked away, biting her lip.

Natasha rubbed her hands together, a sly grin gracing her lips, 'Hmmm. Matlab kuch aisa hai jo batane ki jagah madam blush kar rahi hai. Bas yehi dekhna tha mujhe.' She clapped triumphantly before continuing with exaggerated enthusiasm, 'Jaa Naina jaa, jee le apni love story ki beginning. Sameer ke proposal ka intezaar karne ki jagah usey kas ke jhappiyan pappiyan de aur 'I love You' keh de.'

'Nuttyyy!' Naina hissed, her eyes widening in horror as she glanced toward the door. Though she had the earbuds in, her face felt like it was on fire at the thought of someone hearing all this. She was certain that if anyone walked in now, they could see the deep flush spreading across her cheeks.

Sameer could not come to pick her that evening. On her way back home, she decided to speak to him later at night. But Sameer, along with Girish, was caught up in a meeting with a team of overseas clients. Naina got to know from Ambika that the two of them would be having dinner with the clients and would return late. When Naina checked her phone, Sameer had sent a text to her too, explaining the same.

Changing into her night suit after dinner, she sighed as she looked into the mirror, 'Is it an omen? Itne dinon mein aaj pehli baar Sameer ko itna late hua hai. Woh bhi unplanned. Kyon? Aaj hi kyon?'

Pushing her uneasiness aside, she decided to just wait for him and then take a call.

It was past one in the night when the sound of door made Naina jolt up. She had dozed off while reading the book. Sameer walked in, holding his blazer, his tie loosened and sleeves rolled upto his elbows.

Tossing the blazer on the chair he asked in a voice that was like a forced whisper, 'Tum ab tak kyon jaag rahi ho?'

Naina checked the time, 'Aaj bohot late ho gaya tumhe.'

'Haan yaar.' He took off his watch, then put the phone for charging, 'Clients ki early morning flight thi isliye unhe toh sona nahi tha. Airport ke liye nikalne ke time tak khaana pina hi chalta raha. We had no option but to sit with them.'

It was then that Naina detected a slight slur in his speech. He had been drinking. But not as much as last time. His gait was a bit affected too, she noticed, when he walked into the closet to get changed.

With a tired exhale, Sameer crashed on the bed five minutes later. Switching off the lamp, he murmured in a groggy voice, 'Tum bhi so jao Naina. It's late. Sorry, meri wajah se tumhe disturb ho gaya.'

She watched as he pulled the pillow in his arms, resting his head at one end and drifted off into sleep almost instantly. The faint crease on his forehead and the way his brows nearly met in the center showed the traces of tension that still invaded his mind. A wave of tenderness washed over Naina as she realised how exhausted he must have been. The events of the day had clearly taken their toll. Without a second thought, she leaned forward and gently brushed away the hair from his forehead. The frown was more visible now. With feather like strokes, she traced the lines. It just took a few moments for his face to relax, then a faint smile curved the edge of his lips.

For her, his presence, his touch always felt like an anchor. It was gratifying to see that her touch soothed him too. As her fingertips hovered over him, her heart swelled up with affection. On an impulse, she shifted ahead, leaned next to him and placed a feather light kiss on his forehead.

Sameer took a deep inhale, tightening his hold on the pillow, and nuzzled his face in its warmth. The movement made Naina pull away instinctively, for the fear of waking him up. That night, however, she could not turn her back to him. The next morning, as she stirred awake, first thing she felt was the weight on her wrist. Sameer's hand was wrapped around it, his hold loose but firm. Her lips curled into a soft smile. Every day, she would see his hand placed in the space between them. Today, it had reached her. She made up her mind to speak to him in the evening if nothing unexpected happened all day.

The day went smooth. She reached home on time. So did Sameer, though he couldn't go to her office to pick her up. Once they had freshened up, she mustered courage, and faced him.

'Sameer, mujhe tumse kuch kehna hai.'

He held her hands and directed her to the chair. Then pulled another one to sit in front of her and looked intently at her, 'Pehle mujhe tumse kuch puchna hai. Iske liye main aur wait nahi kar sakta. Because there's no time.'

Naina gave him a perplexed look.

He grinned, 'Kal tumhara birthday hai Naina. Ek special din hai.' His voice turned soft, 'Mere saath yeh tumhara first birthday hai. Tell me, tumhe apne birthday par kya karna pasand hai? Kaise celebrate karna achha lagta hai?'

The question was unexpected, taking Naina by surprise. She thought for a while, then shrugged with an air of indifference, 'Birthday is no big deal for me. Yeh din bhi baaki sab dinon jaisa hi toh hai. Jab school mein they toh Nutty mere liye chocolate le aati thi, college mein aaye toh cake laane lagi. Mujhe kahin bahar jakar celebrate karna pasand nahi hai aur mere ghar ya uske ghar par kuch kar nahi sakte they. Isliye birthday ke naam par koi plan kabhi bana hi nahi. Lekin pichle do saal...' She pursed her lips, '... pichle do birthdays, bilkul different they mere liye.'

She fell silent, her gaze drifting briefly before she noticed the unspoken question in Sameer's eyes. With a small sigh, she added, 'Do saal pehle... tab papa hospital mein they. Maine Nutty ko kuch bhi laane se manaa kar diya tha. Waise bhi papa aur bhaiya ko zyadatar mera birthday yaad nahi rehta tha.'

She paused, took a deep breath and continued, 'Aur last year, uss din mera tharki boss mujhe client se milne ke bahane ek restaurant mein le gaya, jahan woh mujhe drink karne ke liye force karne laga.' She cringed in annoyance at the memory, but then her face softened, a fond smile tugging at her lips, 'Par main woh kyon yaad kar rahi hun. Mera din toh Nutty ke saath special bana tha. Woh subah flight par gayi hui thi lekin shaam tak wapas aa gayi, mere liye surprise lekar. Cake aur wine.'

Sameer's thoughts churned as he listened to Naina's recollection. Why did her words feel as though they were pulling at something familiar from his memory?

Unaware of his thoughts, Naina continued, her tone filled with excitement, 'Tab maine first time wine pi. Suna bohot tha lekin kuch aisa feel nahi hua. Still, we had a good time.'

Sameer was unable to let go of what she had mentioned earlier. His jaw tightened, a mix of protectiveness and anger bubbling within him. His fists clenched at his sides, his tone sharper than he intended, 'Tumhara woh ghatiya boss kitni baar bahar lekar jaata tha tumhe? Uski aadat pata hote hue bhi tum kyon jaati thi?'

Naina's eyes snapped to his, with a hard glare, 'Client meeting ke liye tum apne kisi employee se naa sunoge toh kya reaction hoga tumhara? Aur haan, uss din pehli baar gayi thi. Uske baad toh maine job hi chor di.'

The haze started to get clear in Sameer's mind when the memory of one particular day surfaced. His eyes widened slightly as he pieced it together, and in a tone laced with disbelief, he asked, 'Naina, tumhe yaad hai jab main aur Munna tumse pehli baar miley they? Us din tum apne usi boss ke saath CP ke ek Chinese restaurant mein gayi thi na. Kya usi din ki baat kar rahi ho?'

Naina froze, the shock evident on her face. Her mind reeled back to that day, and realization dawned on her. It was indeed the same day... her birthday... the evening when she had met Sameer for the first time. Her heart skipped at the coincidence. Was it destiny? She did not have much faith in things like fate and destiny though.

A vibrant smile spread on Sameer's face, 'Iska matlab, kal sirf tumhara birthday hi nahi, hamari pehli mulakat ki anniversary bhi hai.'

Naina couldn't suppress a teasing smirk, 'Ya fir pehle jhagde ki.' She chuckled, 'Uss din tumhari arrogance par bohot gussa aaya tha lekin baad mein jab tumse do chaar mulakatein aur hui tab pata chala woh toh tumhara softer version tha.'

Embarrassed, Sameer rubbed the back of his neck, lowering his eyes. He wanted to tell her that it wasn't arrogance that had caused him to act that way but sheer ignorance... his inability to understand the pull he had felt toward her right from their very first meeting. It had taken him far too long to make sense of his feelings, and in that delay, he had made mistakes he deeply regretted now. But that was the past, and he was determined to leave it behind.

He pulled his chair closer, his voice low and full of earnest emotion, 'Main try karunga ki tumhare dil se jhagde ki yaadon ko nikal kar khoobsurat lamhon ke liye jagah bana sakun.' His thumb brushed lightly over the back of her hand as if silently reassuring her of his intentions.

Naina could feel the sincerity in his words. Yet, she was unable to respond immediately.

'Main jaanta hoon ki galtiyan hui hain.' Sameer continued, sensing her hesitation, 'Lekin ab unn galtiyon ke baare mein baat karke main aur time waste nahi karna chahta Naina. Humein ek zindagi saath mein bitani hai, aur woh zindagi khushiyon se bhari hogi jiski shuruat itne pyare din se hui hai. Isiliye tumhara birthday mere liye bohot special hai, kyonki uss din tum sirf duniya mein hi nahi aayi, balki meri zindagi mein bhi aayi ho.'

Naina blinked rapidly, her heart swelling at his words. No one had ever promised her anything so profound before. She could see the truth in his eyes and hear it in his voice. Who needed those precise words when his every statement, every action showed how much he wanted her in his life, how eager he was to build a relationship that would be forever. A feeling of warmth spread through her, melting away every other thought, every other need.

Next update on Sunday