Title is the song 'Afreen Afreen' from Coke studio season 9

After an early dinner at one of the hotels, Sameer drove back home with Naina. Parking the car inside the gate, he asked her to go in while he went around to check whether all side doors and other entrances was locked. Since it was the first time he was doing so in this property, it took him longer than expected. Satisfied after his inspection, he sprinted up the stairs.

Naina was not in the room, which was dimly lit. His gaze fell on the silhouette in the balcony. He smiled. Naina and her love for the moon and starry sky should make him jealous... but it didn't. When he took her in his arms, or kissed her, in presence of her celestial favourites, it gave him a strange power over them... as if he was showing them that he was much closer to her. Invigorated at the thought, he reached the door. With the direction of breeze, her soothing fragrance hit him even before he reached her. Inhaling deeply, he stealthily walked till he was behind her.

He had expected her to be looking up, at the sky, but her lowered head indicated that her gaze was directed to the valley. Before he could take another step to reach her, she stepped back, and leaned on his chest.

"Tumhe bina dekhe kaise pata main tumhare peeche hun?" He couldn't deny that he was taken by surprise at the ease with which she let herself fall back, confident that her weight would be supported by his form.

Her soft voice indicated that she was smiling, "Tumhe mehsoos karne ke liye aankhon ki zarurat nahi hai mujhe... dil kaafi hai."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder, "Mujhe pata nahi tha meri biwi itni romantic hai."

"Achha? Kuch ghante pehle toh mujhe dry biwi keh rahe the." She chuckled.

He tilted his head and placed a light kiss near her ear, "Dry toh tum bilkul nahi ho. Kabhi thi hi nahi. Pehli mulakat mein hi seedha mere dil pe attack kiya tha, woh bhi chocolate se."

"Lekin woh tshirt toh tumne phenk di thi na." Her voice was teasing.

"Hmm." He sighed, "Asar sirf tshirt pe nahi, dil pe hua tha. Bas tabhi se..."

"Tabhi se kya?" She looked back at him, when he didn't complete his sentence.

His voice turned husky, "Tabhi se meetha bohot pasand hai." And his lips met hers, in a lazy, lingering kiss.

Right there, in that Mall, his heart had succumbed to then unknown girl. It took him some time to recognise his feelings, but there was no denying that she had entered his life.

After the slow kiss, she smiled contentedly, placing her hands over his, "Yeh jagah kitni sundar hai."

"Mujhe laga tum shayad chaand taaron se baat kar rahi ho." He peered up at the clear sky.

Naina glanced up once before pointing at the valley, "Aasmaan ke taare nahi, aaj main zameen pe utre hue taaron ko dekh rahi hun."

Sameer looked where she indicated. The town glimmered beneath them, like a reflection of starry sky... but brighter. Amidst the dark surroundings, nothing but city lights were visible, presenting a show of twinkling stars in competition to one above.

"Aisa lagta hai aasmaan ka ek tukda yahan aake gir gaya hai. Yeh aisa taaron ka sheher hai jahan hum jaa sakte hain, inn taaron ko chu sakte hain, unhe apne chaaron taraf mehsoos kar sakte hain." She mumbled dreamily, then sighed, "Bas inke paas chaand nahi hai."

Sameer had seen this view innumerable times. He had found it beautiful, but today, with Naina's words, he found a new aesthetic imparted to what lay before his eyes. It did look like a part of the sky... minus the moon that gleamed up above.

"Main bhi pata nahi kya kya imagine karti hun." She pressed her forehead suddenly.

He straightened, and made her turn. There was a sheepish smile on her face. He cupped her face, "Wait here."

Before she could ask anything, he took a step back, and fished out his phone from pocket. Adjusting the camera higher to capture the shot from height, he clicked a picture of Naina, with the valley of stars in background.

With a proud smile, he showed her the result, "Whatever you imagine... is real. Ab inn taaron ke paas chaand bhi hai."

Naina stared at his phone in awe. It did appear that she was somewhere amongst the stars. The moon bit was exaggerated though... she chuckled, "Kuch bhi bolte ho."

"Kyon... tum ho na mera chaand... aur main tumhara." He gathered her in his arms again.

She hummed against his chest, "You are amazing."

He wrapped his arms tighter, pleased with the compliment, "Achha? Sirf bol ke batane se nahi chalega. You have to show it."

When she didn't answer, he dipped his head to the side, placing a finger under her chin to make her look up. Even in the moonlight, the colour on her cheeks was unmistakable. She was a pack of surprises... blushing at the smallest hint, or taking the lead like she did in the afternoon. He was enjoying discovering every little part of this new Naina.

She looked into his eyes. "Yahan nahi bata sakti. Andar chalein?"

His heart jumped at the contrast between her burning eyes and coloured face.

Once inside the room, he pulled her for a kiss, unleashing his passion. She returned it with the same fervour. As if their bodies were listening to the same mind, they started to move towards the bed, without breaking the kiss. When they reached it, he turned, falling on his back, with her on top. She ignited him in a way he didn't know was possible.

"I never imagined I'll be this crazy for someone." He realised his thoughts had spilled out only when he saw the glint in her eyes.

"Whatever you imagine... is real." She whispered, before pressing her demanding lips to his.

The stars outside twinkled, while they floated in their own galaxy, revelling in their world of stars.

Naina woke up in his arms the next morning. She smiled, looking at his peaceful face. It was so different from last night. But then, so was she. He brought out a part she had no clue even existed within her. She became a different version of herself when she looked into his yearning eyes. She bit her lip as she thought about previous afternoon... and night. He did bring out some new colours of her. She marvelled how she felt both when she was with him... the fire, and the serenity.

With a smile, she reached for the tshirt lying beside him. The movement made him open his eyes slowly.

"Good morning sweetheart." His gruff, sleepy voice made her shiver against him.

"Good... morning." She managed a smile.

He watched her, blinking lazily, then gave a lopsided smirk, "Aise sharmati ho toh mujhe doubt hota hai ki kal... woh sab sirf mera sapna tha."

She lowered her eyes for a moment. When she looked back at him, a similar smirk curled her lips, "Aise sapne dekhte ho tum?"

"Isse bhi zyada." He whispered, nuzzling his face in her neck.

She was certain he could feel the goosebumps that erupted, both at his words and his touch.

"Uhh Sameer, mujhe... mujhe uthna hai." She stuttered.

"Kyon?" He breathed on her ear, "Office thodi jaana hai."

"Lekin ghumne toh jaana hai na." She countered, hitching her shoulder to stop him from making her weak.

"Naina, hum apne honeymoon pe aaye hain, sightseeing ke liye nahi." He groaned.

She smiled at his whining, "Wapas jaake sab puchenge kahan kahan gaye toh kya bologe? Kuch pictures honi chahiye na sabko dikhane ke liye."

Lifting his face, he pouted at her, "Yahan bhi tum pehle baaki sabka sochogi?"

"Mujhe bhi dil hai, ghumne ka." She fluttered her lashes.

"Hayee. Ab aise bologi toh manaa bhi nahi kar sakta." He looked at her fondly, "Okay madam, as you say. Aaj poora din Kasauli darshan."

"Thank you." She gave a hard kiss on his jaw and sprinted off the bed, before he could catch her to return the kiss.

After she was dressed up for the day, Naina pulled the curtains apart. Their terrace didn't face the rising sun, but she could see bright sunlight on the mountains faraway. The ice appeared to be melting, with the heated glow of sun... and it made the view even more breathtaking than the snow covered peaks they had seen last evening. It was so similar to her life, where the warmth of Sameer's love, and glow of his passion had melted the ice inside her, making her beautiful in her own eyes. It felt so good to be in love... with him.

"Mere baare mein soch rahi ho?" He came to stand next to her.

"Nahi." She said with a straight face, "Gabbar Singh ke baare mein."

His head jerked to look at her, baffled.

Unable to hold any longer, the giggles spurted out as she sprinted towards the door. It took Sameer a few seconds to understand, and then he dashed after her.

"Tum mujhe itna tease karogi Naina maine socha nahi tha." He caught her in the living room, taking her in his arms.

"Pata hona chahiye tha. Boiled alu bhool gaye." She raised one brow, still in the same playful mood.

He rolled his eyes, "Kaise bhool sakta hun. Tumhari wajah se sab itna hanse the mujhpe."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "Aww. Lekin maine sabko nahi bataya. Woh galti tumhari thi."

"Galti kisi ki bhi ho, punishment tumhe hi milegi." He leaned, eyeing her lips.

"Isse punishment kehte hain?" She asked in a raspy voice.

"You love it... right!" He grinned... and her heart did a somersault at his boyish handsomeness.

Before they could continue, the sound of doorbell reverberated in the house.

"Ab kaun aa gaya?" Sameer frowned, looking at the door.

Naina chuckled, "Woh aaya hoga na... Kaanji. Jise tumne kal itni baar bola tha subah time pe aane ko."

He gritted his teeth, "Dopahar ko aane ko bolna chahiye tha."

Kaanji had the same wide smile pasted on his face as he brought in a woman, who did not lift her head, "Namsate bhaiya ji, namaste bhabhi ji. Yeh Bhoori, hamari biwi."

Naina smiled, "Namaste. Aap dono kahan rehte ho?"

"Peeche wali pahadi pe jo gaon hai na hum wahan rehte hain." Kaanji pointed behind him.

"Oh, itni door se aate ho. Aisa karna, kal se late aana. Hum chaabi rakh ke bahar chale jayenge, tum dopeher ko aake kaam kar lena. Theek hai?" She said warmly.

Kaanji was more than happy. So was Sameer.

After Bhoori prepared breakfast, they had a quick bite and left for the day, telling Kaanji to leave the keys at a hidden spot outside. Naina instructed Bhoori to prepare a simple dinner and leave it in the refrigerator.

They started their excursion from Mall Road, which was divided into two parts, Lower and Upper mall. Since they had seen the lower one partly, they decided to explore the Upper mall today. It was an enchanting walk of over two kilometres, surrounded with splendid scenic views and historical buildings. It is considered to be a posh area, situated on a height above the main town. The picturesque view of hills and valleys from the road makes it one of the most popular walkway.

"Hum jab bhi kisi hill station pe jaate the, main sochti thi yeh log kitne lucky hain jinka yahin pe ghar hai. Tab khyal bhi nahi aaya ki ek din pahadon mein hamara bhi ek ghar hoga." Naina stated dreamily, as they walked on the curvy road, their fingers entwined.

"Jabse mujhe tumhari iss pasand ke baare mein pata chala, maine plan kar liya." He recalled when she had once mentioned.

"Ek baar kaha aur tumne yaad kar liya?" She wondered.

"Mere dil mein tumhari har baat apne aap hi reh jaati hai, yaad rakhna nahi padta." He dipped his head to the side, "Aur sirf do hi toh pasand batayi hain tumne aaj tak... ab chaat ki dukaan toh khareedni nahi thi, isliye yeh ghar le liya."

She wanted to kiss him then and there. Her casual mention had been so important to him.

Flicking the tip of his nose with her finger, she grinned, "Ghaate ka sauda kar liya Mr Maheshwari... chaat ki dukaan sasti padti."

"Marwari hun madam. Sirf apna faayda sochta hun. Chaat ki dukaan pe ghante do ghante ki khushi milti... yahan toh tumhare saare din aur raat mere hain." He winked.

She hit his chest playfully, and ran ahead, with him at her heels.

They went to the Lower Mall later. The colourful shops offered everything... from clothes to beautiful antics, from locally made jams and relishes to carved wooden items. They strolled on the street, choosing some trinkets for everyone at home. For lunch, they went to the famous Kasauli Club, which is a prestigious century old establishment. Though it belongs to British era, when it was owned by the Army, the club now is managed by civilians, and attracts the elite from not only Kasauli, but nearby towns too. It being a clear day, Chandigarh city could also be viewed from its lawns.

After a sumptuous lunch, Sameer and Naina visited some churches and temples, since those were amongst the popular tourist attractions. It was sunset time when they headed back home.

Next update tomorrow evening