Each floor of the office building had a small open projection near the stairs. It had about four feet of cemented parapet and another six feet of glass enclosure for safety purpose, but the area was open from above, filling the place with both sunlight and fresh air.

That is where Sameer saw Naina while walking to his room after the meeting. With her back towards the office, she was talking on phone. A smile appeared on his face, in spite of the gloom around his heart because of losing the hope of having her as his assistant... even if the hope was only for a few seconds.

"Pagal hun kya main?" He muttered to himself, wondering why he was smiling when he was sad.

Naina turned to her side, and the mellifluous voice reached him, shocking him, "Haan hai, tu hi hai. Ab pata chal gaya na... toh main ab jaun?"

He gaped at her.

After a silence of two seconds, she smiled, "Shaam ko bataungi. Ab mujhe kaam karne de. Bye."

Sameer quickly moved behind the pillar of stairway, watching her as she crossed him with a loving smile on her face, moving her thumb on the screen as she checked what seemed like some pictures. Her smile was very different from the ones she gave to him, or even to Rohan. It was an affectionate smile, indulgent and caring.

Back in his room, Sameer kept thinking about the softness in her features when she was looking at the phone. He recalled their first day meeting on the terrace, when she was on the phone like this. Her face had the same tenderness when she had turned... for a moment, until she saw him.

"Family mein se koi hoga. Uss din bhi Naina ne kaha tha personal call hai. Aur kise karegi... friends ke saath thodi timepass karegi office hours mein. Haan, family mein se hi koi hoga." He assured himself.

After going back to his room, first thing that Sameer did was open the laptop to see the employees list on their company's site. These details could be accessed only by a few selected people, he being one of them. Typing Naina's name by touching the same keys that she had touched some time back filled him up with a shivering feeling of closeness... as if he had taken one step towards her. He closed his eyes for a moment, before taking his attention back to the screen.

There were three Nainas on the list... but only one Naina Agarwal. Her entire education was from Agra, he could see. School, college, management Institute... all were well known, prestigious establishments. She had topped the school but her college grades were not exceptional, though they weren't bad. She had again topped the Management course, earning a gold medal. Nothing was mentioned about her family. But then, family details were not registered for anyone. However, address was... which in this case, showed a blank square, with just one word... Pending. She hadn't yet updated the HR department about her Delhi address. Usually, for the employees who were from other cities, permanent address was always their home city. But Naina had not provided that either. One thing that elated him though was her date of birth. He knew she was 23 but there was a different felicity in knowing her birthday. Another information that brought a radiant smile on his face was the small tick against her relationship status... she was single. Though she was too young to be married, and he had not fretted over this possibility till now, getting this fear out of the way was indeed a relief.

"Kaash uss din nanu ko Rohan ke liye nahi apne liye Naina ko bulane ko kaha hota. Uski awaaz sunke mujhe uska chehra dekhne ka mann hua tha tabhi samajh jaana chahiye tha." Sameer mumbled wistfully, then was stunned by the direction of his thoughts, "Kya samajhna tha? Yeh sab kya ho raha hai mujhe? Naina ke alava kuch soch kyon nahi paa raha? Ek week hone ko aaya, lekin ek second ke liye bhi usko apne dimaag se nikal nahi paya... what is happening to me!"

Naina smiled as she thought of Ayush's excitement over the stars that he got on his homework page. The moment he sat in the bus, he had made the call to tell her how his teacher appreciated him in front of the whole class.

"Naina, ma'am ne kaha main bohot smart hun... aur good boy hun." He wanted to narrate the entire school day to her on phone, jumping in joy at the open praise he had received.

"Very good Ayush. Hum shaam ko yeh baat karenge. Ab mujhe office ka kaam karna hai na... toh mujhe jaana padega." She said gently.

"Tum khush nahi hui yeh sunke?" Ayush said in a sad voice.

Naina quickly changed her tone to exuberant one, "Main sirf khush nahi bohot proud hun. Ab mera Ayush hai hi itna achha toh teri ma'am kaise praise nahi karengi?"

He was delighted, "Haina! Main best hun na?"

"Haan hai, tu hi hai. Ab pata chal gaya na... toh main ab jaun?" She had smiled at his self appreciation.

"Toh batao, kaise celebrate karenge?" He looked forward to a treat.

"Shaam ko bataungi. Ab mujhe kaam karne de. Bye." She ended the call.

With a shake of her head, she exclaimed before getting back to work, "Ayush bohot smart hai. Bilkul mujh pe gaya hai."

Vedika, who was crossing her cabin at that moment, came in when she saw the wide smile on her face.

"Kaun gaya hai tujhpe jo itna khush ho rahi hai?" She heard Naina's remark.

Naina looked up at her new coworker, and smiled sheepishly, "Main bas aise hi khud ko chadha rahi thi, aur kuch nahi."

Vedika chuckled, "Tu bata kiski taraf se karni hai, hum sab milke teri full on tareef kar denge."

Naina told her about Ayush, his excitement about his praise in the school and the proud feeling that she experienced when she heard it. If Vedika felt that there was too much of age gap between Naina and her brother, she didn't say so.

When the gang met at lunchtime, others were also keen to know about him. Dhruv had joined office two days back, and his affable personality had put Naina at ease instantly.

She told all four of them about the tragic death of her parents and stated the same as the reason for moving to Delhi, which wasn't completely untrue.

"Hum ghar mein rehte ya kahin bahar jaate, har jagah se judi koi yaad thi papa mumma ki. Mere aur Ayush ke liye bohot painful tha. Woh toh ab bhi yehi samajhta hai ki hamare parents ek din bhagwan ke ghar se wapas aa jayenge. Isliye maine socha ki agar jagah aur mahaul change hoga toh usse, aur mujhe bhi, shayad thoda better lage." She avoided mentioning about her relatives or bitter experiences with her neighbours.

Dhruv was empathetic, "I can understand, Naina. Meri di ki engagement hui hai aur mujhe abhi se soch ke darr lagta hai ki unki shaadi ke baad main unko kitna miss karunga. Tumhare liye toh... tum dono bohot strong ho, khaaskar tum, kyonki Ayush toh abhi kuch samajh hi nahi paaya hai."

Naina swallowed the pain that restricted her throat before flashing a wide smile, "Okay. Tum log dost ban gaye ho isliye maine bata diya, lekin ab no sad talks. Aur main theek hun, please mujhe baar baar puchna mat. Maine khud ko sambhalna seekh liya hai. Ab main aur Ayush khush hain apni duniya mein. So please, no extra sympathy or trying to help. Kuch zarurat hogi toh main as a friend khud keh dungi. Done?"

They all were stunned by her resilience. But they decided not to bring up the topic about her past again.

Naina felt lighter after telling them about herself. They were a buoyant group of youngsters who had started their professional life in recent years, and all of them were quite supportive till now. She felt comfortable in their company, getting the warmth of friendship after a long time.

Sameer tried his best to keep his mind occupied with the work at hand. But when the time was closer to his lunch hour, though he wasn't hungry, a possibility of getting a glimpse of Naina made him rush down to the cafe before time. A flash of yellow caught his eye the moment lift door opened. She was seated in a group. The easy camaraderie she shared with them made him a little jealous.

"Sabke saath hans ke hi baat karti hai, sirf mere saath itni formal hai." Standing in the passage outside the cafe, he brooded.

The group finished their coffee and pushed back the chairs, ready to leave. Sameer switched on his phone and entered, looking down at the screen.

"Hello Sameer." The voice made him glance up. Dhruv worked with Rohan but Sameer had also interacted with him often when he needed specific details about the stock.

"Hey Dhruv. How are you? Hope the function went well." Sameer smiled brightly at him, observing the others from the corner of his eye as they moved out towards the lift.

"Everything was great. Thanks a lot for your help." Dhruv said.

Sameer furrowed his brows, "C'mon. Itni badi baat bhi nahi hai ki tum baar baar thank you bolo. Just forget it."

Dhruv smiled politely, "Aapko shaadi pe aana padega. Parents toh engagement wale din bhi insist kar rahe the ki main aapko call karun aur puchun but it didn't feel correct to disturb you."

Sameer placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry. Agar busy nahi hota toh pakka aata. I'll try my best to come for the wedding."

Dhruv thanked him again and left. Sameer noticed that others were waiting for him in the passage. But the face his eyes searched for could not be seen as she stood with her back to him.

"Kya baat hai, Dhruv, Sameer ke saath badi dosti ho gayi hai teri." Farhan commented as they entered their office.

"Dosti kahan yaar, woh toh unko shaadi mein aane ke liye keh raha tha. Engagement pe aa nahi paaye lekin shaadi mein aane ko maan gaye." Dhruv explained.

Naina decided to ask her friends about the confusion in her mind, "Yeh sab ek hi family ke hai na... toh koi Maheshwari koi Somani... yeh kaise?"

"Dekho, Senior Maheshwari sir ke daamad hain Vivek Somani jo hamare boss hain... aur Rohan Sameer unke bete hain." Farhan stated.

Naina was still perplexed, "Toh phir Sameer sir bhi toh Somani hue... lekin aaj unhone kaha woh Maheshwari hain."

"Haan yaar, yeh ek jhol humein bhi samajh nahi aaya." Farhan shrugged.

Dhruv smacked his back lightly, "Chod na, humein kya karna hai. They all are so good to us. Humein bas issi mein khush rehna chahiye. Unki family dynamics ko samajhne ki zarurat nahi hai."

Vedika looked at Sanya with tongue in cheek, "Agar koi interested ho unki family ko samajhne mein... unko janne mein... unke saath..."

Sanya swatted her arm, making a face.

Dhruv winked at her, "Tu abhi tak Sameer ke liye pagal hai? Yaar Sanya, ek saal se upar ho gaya, ab tak itna toh pata chal hi jaana chahiye tha tujhe ki woh kisi ki taraf aankh utha ke bhi nahi dekhte. Sameer ke liye kaam hi unki girlfriend hai. Balki Rohan ko kitni baar suna hai maine unko chidate hue."

Sanya crossed her arms and gave him a determined look, "Mere liye itna kaafi hai ki unki abhi tak koi girlfriend nahi hai. Matlab chance abhi bhi hai. Rahi dekhne ki baat, toh woh bhi main hi kar leti hun... jab bhi saamne aate hain unse nazar hat ti hi nahi. Unse handsome ladka maine aaj tak nahi dekha, unki aankhen, unke baal, unka style..."

"Bas, bas Sanya, ab poora analysis karne baithe toh office hours khatam ho jayenge. Tu aur tera pagalpan unke liye." Vedika stopped her from going on.

Sanya looked at her with dreamy eyes, "Agar tere paas Abhimanyu nahi hota na toh tujhe bhi nazar aata woh kitne special hain."

Farhan tapped his forehead, "Mere paas toh nahi hai Abhimanyu... phir bhi mujhe itna special kuch nahi nazar aaya."

Sanya gave him a fiery look, "Thank God!"

They laughed after she stomped off to her desk.

Vedika looked at Naina, "Sanya pehle din se fida hai Sameer pe. Harmless infatuation hai waise toh par usse tease karne mein bada mazaa aata hai. Aur yeh Farhan toh itne pange leta hai. Farhan, bata rahi hun, kisi din pit jaoge Sanya se."

Farhan looked in her direction with soft eyes, "She's too sweet to do that."

Naina thought about the conversation when she went back to her room. It was so easy to work here as compared to her previous office. She didn't enjoy it at that time too but now that she had something to compare with, the two offices were distinct in all aspects. She never felt secured working with her seniors there, nor did she feel comfortable with her peers. The respect, the assurance of safety that seemed to be given by every person... be it the owner or other employees... was the world she actually dreamt of. In Agra, another thing that made her stand out was her dressing sense. Though she followed the dress code, her wardrobe was essentially western. And she was always judged for that.

"Sach mein sab kuch badalne laga hai." The relief was evident in her optimistic voice.

Sameer didn't get to see her at the end of the day. The video conference with his buyers started much later than anticipated, and continued till seven in the evening. He had sent a message to Rohan and nanu that they need not wait for him. By the time he was free, almost the entire office was empty. Sameer picked up his things and entered the lift, cursing the scenarios that did not let him see Naina on his way home.

He took off his blazer and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt before getting into the car. Since he was alone, he switched on FM. The peppy voice of RJ Raunak filled the silence in the car

Kabhi socha hai aapne ki aap kya soch rahe hain? Soch ke dekhiye. Kya koi hai jisne aapke khyaalon mein ghar bana liya hai... kya koi yaad aaya... ya yeh yaad aaya ki aap usko bhoole hi nahi the! Jee haan, aaj zara apne dil se guftgu kijiye...

kya aapki raatein jaagte hue kat ti hain
kya subah sabse pehla khyal kisi ek ka aata hai
kya aap hamesha ussi ko sochte hain
kya aap har pal usse apni nazron ke saamne rakhna chahte hain
kya aap uski ek jhalak, ek awaaz, ek muskurahat ke liye bechain ho jaate hain

Agar aapko laga ki yeh saari baatein aapke liye hi kahi gayi hain toh hamara agla gaana batayega ki aapko kya hua hai

Sameer could relate to every single word... he hadn't slept properly for last one week, his first thought everyday was whether he would be able to see Naina, she had not left his mind even for a moment, his eyes searched for her everywhere in office, and yes, he was going crazy for her to look at him and talk to him...

Na jaane mere dil ko kya ho gaya
Abhi toh yahin tha abhi kho gaya
Na jaane mere dil ko kya ho gaya
Abhi toh yahin tha abhi kho gaya

Ho gaya hai tujhko toh pyar sajna
Lakh karle tu inkaar sajna
Dildaar sajna
Hai yeh pyar sajna

Sameer steered the car to the side of the road, stopping as the words sank in slowly. The realisation finally hit him.

He had fallen in love... with Naina.

Next update on Wednesday