Just before he was to start from home, Sameer texted Naina "Are you ready?'

Within two seconds, he received the reply 'Yes I am.'

It was an exchange of three words between them... but it was symbolic to such an extent that he kept staring at the screen of his phone for a long time. Was she really in agreement... could his dream be a hint... should he take another step towards her, as nanu had said?

Naina had just stepped down the stairs when Bhalla aunty opened her door and sauntered out.

"Office jaa rahi hai, puttar?" She asked with an affectionate smile.

"Jee aunty." Naina replied nervously. One thing she didn't want was Bhalla aunty seeing her going with Sameer... and that is exactly what was happening.

"Driver ko bol deti hun tujhe chod aayega. Abhi free khada hai. Teri car toh Friday se office mein hai na." Aunty presumed her to be booking a cab as Naina read Sameer's message flashing on her screen

'I'm here.'

She looked up to find his car arriving right in front of the gate.

Aunty noticed it too, and her smile got wider, "Oh achha, Sameer lene aaya hai. Main bhool hi gayi thi. Very good. Main toh kehti hun roz saath hi jaaya karo. Jitna time saath mein bitao utna achha hai."

Giving a slight nod, Naina walked out of the gate. To add to her discomfort, aunty treaded ahead, and stopped her from shutting it. She stood watching as Naina opened the door of passenger side which was facing her. Seeing aunty, Sameer leaned to wish her.

"Good morning, beta. Main toh Naina se keh rahi thi roz hi saath jaaya karo. Pata hai office mein saath hote ho par wahan toh sab hote hain na. Car mein faayda tumhara hi hai." She winked at Naina, making her go red at the implication.

Sameer couldn't hear the last two lines as his phone started to ring. Presuming it to be a direction to reduce pollution, he nodded, after cutting the promotional call, "Haan aunty, faayda toh hai."

Naina's turned beetroot, while aunty snickered, and left after shutting the gate.

"Aao na, Naina. What are you waiting for?" Sameer was perplexed when she didn't move.

Unable to look at him, she slowly slid in the seat next to him, wondering how he could be so naïve to not understand what aunty meant.

"All well? Kya hua tumhe?" Sameer was amazed to see the colour on her face.

Naina gave a quick glance to the closed gate... she could see aunty through the gaps in design, even if she wasn't facing them.

"I'm fine. Let's go." She fastened her seatbelt and sat straight, looking ahead.

Seeing her sitting so close, with flaming cheeks, Sameer felt the warmth on his face too as the images from his dream flooded his mind. Before his lovesick heart made him do something that could land him in trouble, Sameer started the car.

Both were trapped in their own reeling emotions and chaotic thoughts, their eyes fixed on the road, till Naina blurted, "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Sameer jolted out of the scene playing in his mind, furrowing his brows.

"Woh aunty ne... unhone jo kaha faayda and all... uske liye." She fumbled.

"Uske liye sorry ki kya baat hai. In a way she's right." Sameer eased, making Naina give him a shocked look which he couldn't see as he maneuvered the car in heavy morning traffic, "Itna traffic aur pollution hai. Car pooling se faayda toh hota hi hai."

"Car pooling?" Naina was baffled.

"Haan car pooling. Aunty ne hi kaha tha na abhi ki ek hi car mein jaane se faayda hoga. I agree with her." Sameer stated nonchalantly.

"Aunty alag faayde ki baat..." Naina bit her tongue, having blurted out too much. Had she stayed quiet, he would have remained in the impression he had formed. She hoped he hadn't heard her either, as he had missed out aunty's remark.

But Sameer had.

And he could very well decipher the meaning now, making his heart jump at the prospect.

After a silence of few minutes, he cleared his throat, mustering courage to speak, "Uh Naina, humne aunty ko bola hai ki hum married... I mean, jo hamara relation hai usmein... what I mean is, aunty ko shaq na ho isliye thoda pretence toh karna padega."

She swallowed.

He gave a quick look to her from the corner of his eye, emboldened by the absence of immediate refusal, "We need to increase our interaction. Weekends pe hum log... main, tum aur Ayush... bahar jaa sakte hain. We can go to office together more often."

"Aapko itna sab karna zaruri nahi hai. Meri wajah se pehle hi aap phans gaye hain. I don't want to trouble you any more. Agar aunty kuch kahengi toh main bol dungi aap zyada time spare nahi kar paate, family ke saath rehna hota hai." She said, looking down at her locked hands in her lap.

"Tum aur Ayush bhi toh meri family ho." Sameer immediately realised what he had said, and continued, "Matlab, aunty uncle ke saamne."

Naina had taken his declaration to be a role play only. He didn't get any surprised reaction from her... which both relieved him and disappointed him at the same time.

"You don't worry. Main handle kar lungi." She answered in reassurance, which he didn't want.

"Iss jhoot ko maine aage badhaya hai, Naina. I can't leave you alone to face it." The flow of conversation seemed to be making way for him to take the next step.

After twisting her fingers for a while, she said in a low voice, "Mujhe apni har ladayi khud ladna seekhna padega. Aap hamesha meri help karne nahi aa sakte. Mujhe akele rehna hai toh har situation ko face karna aana chahiye. Papa kehte the main strong tabhi ban sakti hun jab main khud ko itna mazboot kar lun ki duniya ke kuch bhi kehne se mujh par koi farq na pade. Logon ki parwah karna kaafi hadd tak chod diya hai maine. Bas aunty uncle ke saath... unhone itna pyar diya ki ek emotional attachment ho gayi. Agar unhe kuch months mein Canada nahi jaana hota toh main unke saamne sab sach bata deti. Aapko inn sab mein involve nahi hona padta. Lekin jaanti hun ki unka dil toot jayega agar unhe mere jhoot ka pata chalaa, isliye chup hun. Shayad iss ek galat baat ko chupane ke liye kuch aur jhoot bhi bolne pade. Par maine faisla kiya hai, unke jaate hi main kahin aur shift ho jaungi. Kitni bhi mushkil aaye, iss baar sach bolke hi naya ghar lungi. Itne saare bojh nahi utha sakti main."

Sameer was disconcerted by this sudden change in her handling of the situation. He got the glimpse of same indifferent Naina, unlike the one who was slowly melting in front of him since last two days. But before he could say anything, they reached the office. There was a fine drizzle of rain as they got out of the car. The distance from parking to the building entrance wasn't much, but it still was enough to make the drops get stuck in their hair. As they waited in front of the lift, Sameer raked his fingers through the hair that had spilled down on his forehead with the weight of water droplets. When they entered the lift, Naina's eyes once drifted towards him, and her mouth fell open. The door closed with just the two of them inside.

"Kya hua?" Sameer gave her a questioning look, seeing the horrified expression on her face.

"Yeh... yeh kaise... apne haath dikhaiye." She didn't know how to tell him that his forehead had black stains.

Sameer splayed his palms. His gasp resonated in the small elevator. Two fingertips were covered with black soot. "What the hell! How is it possible... maine toh kuch touch hi nahi kiya." He was appalled.

Naina pondered for a second, then gave the only plausible cause, "Shayad lift ke button pe kisi ne kale haath laga diye."

As Sameer gawked at his dirty hand, it dawned on him that Naina had reacted seeing his face. His voice filled with disgust as he pointed at his face, raising his brows at her. She gave a hesitant nod, touching her own forehead.

"Damn." Sameer turned towards the lift buttons and scanned them. There was no mark inside. Probably the one outside on the ground floor was the culprit. Without another thought, he pressed the button with bold red letters on it saying 'STOP'. Lift stopped with a jerk.

"What are you doing?" Naina held the metal bar on the side to keep herself from falling, confounded at his action.

"Mujhe yeh nishan saaf karne padenge. I can't step out on the office floor with black marks on my face, Naina. Yeh... yeh gandgi leke kaise kisi ke saamne jaunga." He was frantic, hastily searching for handkerchief in his right pocket with left hand... and not being successful at it.

"Ek minute." Naina opened her bag, fished out a tissue and offered to him.

Almost snatching it from her, Sameer started to rub at his entire face.

"Nahi, sab jagah nahi. Sirf forehead pe nishaan hain." Naina reminded him. With a 'Oh' leaving his mouth, he started to rub vigourously in the center of his forehead.

"Yahan nahi yahan." Naina placed a finger on her own forehead, showing him the exact place.

Sameer rubbed over the left eyebrow when she again shook her head, "Left nahi right side."

He startled her by lifting her hand and placing the tissue on her palm, "Lo karo."

"Main?"

"Haan please. I can't tolerate it any more. Please Naina." He pleaded.

Her eyes flew to his forehead. The mark was half hidden under his hair. "Aapke baal... unhe... unhe hatana padega." She stuttered.

Sameer was about to sway his hair back with left hand when Naina noticed the soot on his index finger. She held his wrist, stopping him from touching his forehead, "Left hand pe bhi lag gaya."

"Oh shit!" His forehead creased, his eyes fixed at his palms.

Seeing his condition, and knowing about his paranoia, Naina drew in a deep breath, and lifted her toes. Though she was wearing heels, Sameer was much taller for her. With one hand, she pushed his hair back, holding them over his head, and started to gently dab at the mark.

The obsession which was maddening Sameer till now, suddenly took a back seat. All his senses collected on top of his head, where Naina's fingers rested between his hair. She had lifted her face, her eyes were focussed on his forehead, and her lower lip was pressed under her teeth.

The image from his dream was right in front of him.

Sameer forgot to breathe.

The interiors of small elevator were under the risk of fogging up with his heated breath. The way his heart pounded against his chest, he was sure Naina could hear it in the silence that prevailed. He could feel sweat beads forming on his body. Just the two of them, confined in such a small place, standing inches away from each other... his thoughts started to go haywire.

"Wait." All of a sudden, Naina moved away, leaving him bereft of the fragrance that seemed to be his only oxygen, and warmth that seemed a necessity to feel alive.

He waited breathlessly as she fished out a small bottle of water from her bag, along with her handkerchief, sprinkled a few drops on it, and reached him again. This time, Sameer leaned a little. Naina took a quick step back, alarmed.

"Tumhe... tumhe toes pe nahi khada hona padega." He offered the explanation.

Her shoulders relaxed and she moved ahead, again weaving her fingers through his hair to take them out of the way. Sameer wanted to close his eyes as an ecstatic wave coursed through his veins. But he didn't want to lose the moment of observing her from this close either. If her touch, even through the hanky, was burning him... the view of her slightly parted lips, a faint frown between the brows, and quick breathing was pushing him to live his dream. He clenched his hands into fists to stop them from circling her waist, forgetting all about the black marks on his fingers.

"Done." Naina announced, leaving his hair which fell back on his forehead instantly.

"Ab aap fingers ka bhi..." Her gaze went to his hands, and her eyes widened.

Sameer opened his fists, to find his palms stained too. He gave a helpless look to her. Naina forwarded the damp handkerchief. Taking it from her, Sameer started to rub it on his hands. But the stain had spread considerably.

"Yeh wash karne se hi nikalega. Aap room mein jaa ke wash kar sakte hain." She suggested.

"Par main apna door kaise kholunga? Aur washroom ka... aur tap?" He couldn't touch anything with such hands.

"I'll help you." She said after contemplating for a while. All she had to do was turn the knob of his cabin, then the washroom, and turn on the tap for him.

"Woh blue button... usse lift phir se start ho jayegi." Sameer pointed at the button at the bottom of panel.

Lift started with a jerk. Since Sameer wasn't holding onto anything, he lurched. Immediately, Naina's hands left the metal rail and closed around his arm, to stabilise him.

"Thanks." Sameer mumbled, rattled again by her touch.

As the lift moved up the floors, another thought hit him. They had stopped it for good five minutes. He was sure there would be a crowd in front of the door when it opened at their floor... and it would appear improper for only him and Naina to step out. His room wasn't far from there. Those who'll see her coming to his room could easily misinterpret.

"Press 11. Fast." He pointed at the panel.

Naina did as she was told, and gave him a questioning look, "Humein toh 14th floor pe jaana hai. Why 11? Iss floor pe kisi aur ka office hai."

"Umm... lift se apne office walon ke saamne bahar ayenge toh... it was stuck for a long time. Main nahi chahta koi bhi tumhe galat samjhe." He said softly.

Naina lowered her eyes. She knew exactly what he meant. When they stepped out of the lift on eleventh floor, there was just one person, as it was the office of an online trading company which had less staff coming regularly.

"Bhai sahab, yeh Miraa Communications ka office issi floor pe hai?" Sameer asked with a confused look to the surroundings.

"Nahi ji, woh toh ek floor neeche hai. Aapko wapas jaan padega." The man gladly informed him.

"Oh. Hum log aaj hi join karne aaye hain isliye pata nahi tha. Thank you, bhai sahab." Sameer smiled pleasantly at him before turning to Naina, "Aaiye ma'm, ek hi floor hai, hum stairs se chale jaate hain."

The man quickly pointed at the end of the passage, "Wahan hain stairs."

Smiling at him with a nod, Sameer followed Naina to the stairs.

"Yeh sab kyon? He didn't know us." The moment they started to climb up, Naina asked the question that was bubbling inside her.

"Koi reason chahiye tha, stairs use karne ka. Warna yahan sabhi lift se aate jaate hain. Agar hum directly staircase ki taraf aate toh woh aadmi humein shaq ki nazar se dekhta. Ab usne khud hi raasta bata diya." Sameer shrugged.

She was amazed at his foresight.

When they entered the 14th floor, they could see a cluster of people around the lift door at the other end of the pasaage. Naina silently walked to Sameer's cabin and opened the door for him, closing it after he entered. Sameer waited at the washroom door. She opened it, followed him inside and twisted the fancy tap. Sameer stepped away to let her pass.

He was surprised to find her still waiting in his room when he came out.

"Saaf ho gaya?" She glanced at his dry hands.

He spread them for her to see, "Haan. Dekho."

"Good. I'll... I'll go now." She hesitated.

"Kuch kehna hai kya?" He was sure she had something on her mind.

Naina looked up at him directly, "Thank you, Sameer."

The way she uttered his name always set his pulse racing, but presently he had to focus on other thing. "Thank you toh mujhe bolna chahiye. Tum kyon bol rahi ho?" He furrowed his brows.

She bit her lip before speaking, her voice grateful, "Aapne itna kuch socha mere liye jisse mujhe yahan koi galat na samjhe, mere naam pe ungli na uthe. Yeh bohot badi baat hai mere liye. Aapke haath aur maathe ka daag toh saaf ho gaya lekin agar kisi ke naam pe koi daag lag jaaye toh woh saaf hona bohot mushkil hota hai. Aaj aapne bina kahe mujhe kisi awkward situation mein aane se bacha liya. Thank you so much."

"Aisi baat keh ke mujhe useless feel mat karao, please. Of course main tumhe kisi aisi situation mein nahi aane dunga jahan koi tum pe ungli uthaye. Naina, when I say you can trust me, I mean it." Sameer said in a gentle voice.

A smile appeared on her face, "I trust you."

He was still looking at the door after she was gone. This was the same Naina who had once told him that she wouldn't trust anyone. He was aware she trusted him, but she wasn't. Today, her confession was a big step. To accept it in front of him, first she must have admitted it to herself. Sameer smiled as an image formed in his mind... of Naina thinking about him, holding onto a pillow, and smiling.

In her room, Naina sat at the desk, pressing her forehead. She had decided to maintain distance from Sameer, not think about him, not get effected by his proximity... in fact, avoid being in his close diameter. But everything fell flat right from the time he arrived to pick her up in the morning. However much she was trying to hold her heart in a tight fist... they were constantly being pushed towards each other by some unknown force. Everything seemed to have a double meaning. If his reply to Bhalla aunty's suggestive remark and his openness about perfecting the role of her husband had left her perplexed, the incident in the lift still gave her goosebumps. She marvelled at how she managed to touch him, without letting him know what it was doing to her system.

Lifting her hand, she gazed at her fingers. The feel of his silky strands still lingered in them. From where she had got the strength to maintain a straight face when she could feel his piercing eyes on her while she cleared the mark on his forehead, she wasn't sure. But the truth was, she was aware of his every single breath that touched her face. That was the reason it took her so long to clear those small marks. She squeezed shut her eyes, hoping he hadn't come to know how much she had loved to slip her fingers in his hair, or how her stomach twisted in nervousness when he had leaned towards her. What was she thinking... how could she even think... as if... as if... he would have... no, he couldn't have kissed her.

Her eyes flew open at the direction of her thoughts. The realisation made her gasp aloud.

She was falling for him.

Naina Agarwal, who had vowed she would never ever look at any man, who never ever wanted to fall in love, or get married... was falling for Sameer Maheshwari.

"Oh God no! Please don't let this happen. Mujhe zindagi mein aur dard nahi chahiye. Meri zindagi mein kuch badal nahi sakta." Holding her face within her palms, she couldn't control the tears.

Next door, Sameer sat at his desk, smiling fondly at the damp handkerchief in his hand. Even with faint black marks, it seemed to be the most precious thing for him.

"Aaj yeh daag bhi ache lag rahe hain, Naina. Tumhare pyar ne mujhe poori tarah se badal diya hai." He smiled, before lifting the hanky to his lips.

As he placed a gentle kiss on it, Naina searched for the same hanky in her bag, to clean her tear stained face.

Next update on Thursday