After he had gobbled up the pancakes and his milkshake, Ayush jumped off the chair, and came to Naina.

"Abhi mera cartoon?" He placed his hands on her leg, smiling with a mouth smeared with chocolate sauce and froth of the shake.

"Buddhu, muh kaun saaf karega?" She pinched his nose.

He wrapped his arms around her neck and placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek, grinning, "Naina karegi."

Instead of getting annoyed, she ruffled his hair, and stood up, holding his hand, "Chal, ab dono ko saaf karna padega." Looking back at Sameer, she raised her index finger, "Excuse me for just one minute, Sameer sir. Ayush ka TV time hai. Main bas abhi aayi."

He simply nodded, his hands pressed hard together and eyes stuck on the brown and white mark on her cheek.

"Naina ke sir, aap jaana nahi. Main TV dekh ke aapko apni colour book dikhaunga. Aaj maine new drawing banayi hai." Saying this, Ayush pulled his hand from Naina's grip, and ran to his room, screaming, "Main first aunga."

Naina sprinted after him, "Ruk jaa, t-shirt phir se geeli kar lega. Main clean karti hun... ruk Ayush."

Sameer touched his cheek the moment he was alone... what if the sticky mark was on his face. He shuddered. But Naina didn't seem to mind. How? She was so clean herself, still these marks didn't bother her when it came to Ayush. He was still wondering when she came back. Faint sound of TV from the other room meant Ayush would not be coming out for some time. His eyes drifted to Naina's cheek... it was smooth and clean.

"Th... thank you, Sameer sir, apne Ayush ke liye socha. Main bohot darr gayi thi. Smita ma'am ne pehle hi kaha tha late nahi hona chahiye. Maine Bhalla aunty ko phone kiya jab mera phone theek hua lekin servant ne bataya aunty uncle bahar gaye hue hain. Unka naam aur photograph maine daycare mein di hui hai, bas number nahi diya... unko pareshan nahi karna chahti." Naina looked gratefully at him, sitting down on the adjacent sofa.

His mind registered what she was saying, and he realised the events and tension of the day.

"Subah mera number aur details dena wahan pe. Maine kaha tha na kal hi... agar de diya hota toh aaj tension nahi hoti." Sameer said firmly, then placed the mug on the table to take out his wallet from the pocket, drawing out a passport size photograph of himself.

"Ye lo. Yeh bhi de dena. Put me as Ayush's guardian. Naina, he's too small. Uske liye risk mat lo. Please, meri baat maan lo." He placed the picture on the table.

Without looking at it, Naina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Maine aaj bhej di thi aapki picture, Smita ma'am ko... aapka number bhi add karne ko bol diya tha."

"Meri picture? Tumhare paas thi?" Sameer was astonished.

Naina glanced at him quickly before lowering her eyes, "Aapke insta account se."

A wave of delight spread in his veins... she had opened his account to check his posts.

"Actually photograph ke bina woh log Ayush ko aapke saath aane nahi dete, isliye. I'm... I'm sorry." She provided with urgency.

"It's okay, Naina." He said in a smooth voice, leaning to put his wallet on the table, "Insta account dekhna koi galti nahi hai. Maine bhi dekha hai tumhara."

Her eyes shot up.

Sameer realised his folly, and took a quick sip of coffee, pushing his mind to come up with something fast, "Yeh batao, aaj time ka mismanagement kaise ho gaya? You are not the type to be careless about it. Aur phone... phone ko kya hua?"

Naina rubbed her temple, sighing, "Aaj ka din bohot weird tha. Shuru se hi sab gadbad hota gaya."

"You... you are fine na? Tumhe toh kuch nahi hua?" Sameer gave her a concerned look.

Naina shook her head, "Mujhe nahi, par mere saath sab ulta pulta hua aaj. Maheshwari sir ne kaha tha main customer banke jaun. Shuru ke kuch shops theek the, maine achhe se unke outfits scan kiye. Lekin uske baad jis shop mein gayi wahan phans gayi."

Sameer sat up stiff, "Phans gayi? Kisi ne pareshan kiya kya tumko? Why didn't you call me? Konsi shop thi? Mujhe naam batao, I'll see to it... how dare they..."

Naina raised her palm, pressing her lips, "Mujhe kisi ne jaanbujh ke pareshan nahi kiya, sir. It was just a misunderstanding, and an accident."

"Accident?" His eyes roamed over her from head to toe, to check if she was hurt somewhere.

"Not that type of accident." Naina said in a softer voice.

When he shifted his gaze to her, she started, "It was a bridal wear shop... I mean, bride and uski sister wagerah ke type ke traditional dresses. Pata nahi kyon unhone khud hi assume kar liya ki main hone wali bride hun. Unhone mujhe ek se ek heavy outfits dikhane shuru kar diye. Main bhi dekhti rahi, unse puchti rahi ki konsa fabric sab log zyada prefer karte hain, embroidery ke liye designer ko kya better lagta hai and other things. They thought I was a finicky bride probably isliye mujhe sabse exclusive pieces dikhane start kar diye. Sir, you'll not believe, itne bade bade suitcases mein sirf ek lehenga hota hai. Koi itna elaborate aur heavy dress kaise pehen sakta hai?" She spread her arms to show the size of suitcase, her eyes widened with genuine surprise at the bridal outfits.

Sameer smiled at her childish expression, "Shaadi mein toh dulhan heavy se heavy lehenge pehenti hai. Tumne dekha hoga na jab koi shaadi attend ki hogi."

Her features turned hard, eyes getting a vacant look again, "Maine koi shaadi attend nahi ki... kisi ki bhi nahi."

Sameer was astonished. How could anyone have not attended any wedding. She must have some relatives, friends, their families and someone definitely would have got married. Weddings were a huge celebration where a big crowd of all known people was always invited. Also, there was a bitterness in her words. He glanced at her hard stare fixed on the floor. Pushing away his curiosity on this issue, he decided to come back to the present incident.

Bringing back a warm smile on his face, he said lightly, "Sach kahun toh mujhe bhi nahi pata tha ek lehenga ek suitcase mein aata hai. Main wahan hota toh tumhari tarah hi shocked ho jaata. Waise accident se tumhara matlab yeh shock tha kya?"

A smile curved her lips, making the weight lift from his heart, "Itna bhi shock nahi laga tha. Unn logon ne mujhe ek rich, prospective customer samajh ke pamper karna start kar diya. Trial ke liye insist karne lage. Maine hesitation dikhayi toh unki shop ki ek salesgirl ko try karwa ke dikhane lage. I tried to get away, by saying ki main next time aungi abhi lunch ke liye jaana hai lekin tabhi unke helper ne bataya ki ice tea aur sandwiches aa gaye hain. Woh log itna insist kar rahe the, aise mein na bolna indecent lagta toh I had no option but to sit there as they showed me piece after piece of lehengas and other dresses."

Sameer could visualise her sitting in the swanky display area of one of the flashy boutique, surrounded by their pushy salespeople. Probably Naina was too simple to know that food wasn't for hospitality but to keep her in their shop... they had taken her to be a prospective, affluent bride. Though Naina didn't understand but he could see it... her stylish designer clothes, glowing skin, radiant face, and exploration of bridal dresses made them target her. He was also aware of the aggressive sales techniques, owing to the massive competition... the place was inundated with designer stores, catering to the needs of brides, for their special day, as well as the trousseau.

Her voice brought him back from the picture in his mind, "That is when the accident happened. Helper ke haath mein tray thi toh usse floor pe rakha suitcase dikha nahi aur uska pair ulajh gaya. Ice tea ka glass mujhpe gir gaya. Phone mere side pe rakha tha woh bhi poora bheeg gaya."

Aghast, Sameer again looked at her clothes. They seemed to be perfect... neither wet, nor stained. He raised his brows in a frown.

"They all were so apologetic. Unhe laga main bohot gussa ho jaungi. Lekin ismein gussa kya karna tha. Uss helper se galti se hua tha. Main immediately wapas aana chahti thi par unhone kaha unki shop mein mere kapde kharab hue hain toh wohi saaf karwake denge. It was like an ego issue for them, that I don't go out of their shop in soiled clothes. Now I needed a dress to wear. I told them to give me the simplest one they had. Lekin wahan kuch simple tha hi nahi. Finally, mujhe ek lehenga pehen ke baithna pada. Phone also stopped working, poora geela ho gaya tha. Unka ek salesman phone theek karaane le gaya. I could do nothing but sit and wait."

"Tum... tumne kisi aur ke phone se call kyon nahi kiya?" Sameer was feeling a dryness in his throat, imagining her in a lehenga.

She gave him a perplexed look, "Call kisko karna tha? Maheshwari sir ne kaha tha market ke baad agar late hua toh seedhe ghar chale jaana. Ayush ko evening mein hi pick karna tha. Aur kaun wait kar raha tha jise phone karke inform karti? Waise maine office mein change kiya tha toh ek baar socha Vedika ko bolun mera office wala dress leke aane ko, lekin saare numbers bhi phone mein the."

Sameer pressed his lip under the teeth... she had no idea someone was frantic for her.

Naina continued with a smirk, "Aapko pata hai, maine unke saare promotional videos dekh liye. Kuch tha hi nahi karne ko. They have a waiting room, jahan comfortable seats hain, aur ek bada screen. Lekin ek faayda hua. Itni der baat karne se unki store assistant se information bohot mil gayi, jo mera main purpose tha. Pehle mujhe laga tha aaj ka din waste ho gaya, par uss ladki ne itna kuch bataya jo shayad mujhe saari shops mein jaake bhi pata nahi chalta."

"Lekin tumhe wahan se nikalne mein late kaise ho gaya?" Sameer queried.

Naina furrowed her brows, "Phone aane mein dress se bhi zyada time lag gaya, sir. Usmein poora paani chala gaya tha. Open karke clean karna pada, sticky ho gaya tha iced tea se. Meri dress toh unhone de di thi ekdam saaf aur dry karke, bas phone ne delay karwa diya."

Sameer clenched his teeth, "Main kal hi wahan jaake unke owner se complaint karta hun. Yeh kya tareeka..."

Naina didn't let him finish, "They were already very embarrassed. Maine kitna kaha lekin phone repair ke paise bhi nahi liye, na dress cleaning ke. In fact, uss helper ko itna daant rahe the. I had to stop them. Balki jab unhone pucha ki woh aur kya kar sakte hain mere liye, I told them ki ab iss helper ko kuch na kahe."

Sameer felt a tinge of jealousy spring up inside him, for her concern towards an unknown guy, till she said the next sentence, "I was feeling bad for her."

"Oh! Achha kiya. Uss bichari se galti se hi toh hua." His smile was wider than required.

"Wohi na. Actually yeh bhi ek reason tha unki baat manke wahin rukne ka... nahi toh shop ke owner ka gussa uss choti ladki ko jhelna padta. Thankfully, shop ke koi kapde kharab nahi hue. Sab kuch mujh pe aur mere phone pe hi gira." Naina chuckled.

Sameer gazed at her fondly, happy to see her talk to him so freely.

Her eyes suddenly landed on him, making him conscious of his gaze, and he lowered his head, raking his fingers through the hair while she carried on, "Itna sab hone ke baad bhi time pe aa jaati, lekin jaise hi market se nikle, jam laga hua tha. Adha ghanta ek hi jagah khade rahe. Raju ji ne bataya kabhi kabhi aisa ho jaata hai jab koi accident ho ya police checking ho."

"Haan, ek accident hua tha. Main bhi jam mein atak gaya tha. Yahan aane mein thoda late ho gaya." Sameer informed her.

She smiled at him, "Still I'm thankful, Sameer sir. Maine aapko bola tak nahi tha phir bhi aap khud Ayush ko lene aa gaye."

"Agar tumhara message nahi aata toh uski Smita ma'am mujhe Ayush ko ghar laane hi nahi deti." He said with a hint of grudge.

Naina wrenched her fingers, "Sorry sir, I didn't know... I mean kal jab apne kaha... mujhe pata nahi tha aap serious hain."

"Main bohot serious hun, Naina." His voice was deep, his gaze fixated on her lowered eyes.

Her head jerked up.

Sameer quickly turned to look in the direction of Ayush's room, "Abhi Ayush bohot chota hai. Uska khyal rakhna ek badi responsibility hai. Main usmein sirf thodi help karna chahta hun... as a friend. Jaanta hun tum itni capable ho ki sab sambhal sakti ho, jaise ab tak kar rahi thi... lekin ab main hun... tumhara, aur Ayush ka dost banke rehna chahta hun. He's too innocent. Main uspe koi harm aate hue nahi dekh sakta."

When he looked back at her, the softness in her eyes took him by surprise. For the first time, he saw appreciation in them... for him. She always looked at him with respect, but the warmth he was seeing today made his pulse speed up. He felt himself drowning in the caramel pools, which appeared less dark today. He would have happily sat there, frozen in the moment, if a warning bell hadn't nagged his brain. Naina was getting a little comfortable with him, she was trusting him. He shouldn't lose control and make her put up the guards again.

It was the last thing he wanted to do, nonetheless, Sameer turned his gaze away, breaking their eyelock. Naina blinked, suddenly aware of what she was doing.

"Uhh, sir, aap kuch lenge? I can fix up a snack or something." She offered, realising that he had been here for quite some time.

Sameer thought for a moment, then turned to her, "Yaad hai kal ek aur baat kahi thi maine? Uske liye bhi 100% serious hun. Punishment."

"Punishment?" She repeated.

"Yes Miss Naina Agarwal. Punishment. Kal deal break na karne ki warning di thi maine... aur aaj tumne pata nahi kitni baar sorry aur thank you bol diya. So... it's payback time now." His eyes twinkled with mischief, washing away the tension that had crept up between them with the eyelock.

"Okay. Kya punishment hai?" She smiled.

"Tumhari punishment hai ki tumhe mujhe kitchen mein kuch banana sikhana padega." He flicked his brows, giving a lopsided smile.

Naina was astounded, "Aap khana kyon banayenge? I mean, aapko kya zarurat hai seekhne ki?"

"Ayush se pata chala ki tumhare ghar mein sab khana bana lete the. Toh maine socha thoda bohot toh mujhe bhi aana chahiye. Pehle kabhi khyal hi nahi aaya, lekin aaj jab Ayush ne poocha toh maine realise kiya ki kitna zaruri hai. So now, you have to teach me." He shrugged.

"Sir, aapko Ayush ki silly baaton ki wajah se yeh sab karne ki zarurat nahi hai. Woh toh bachha hai, kuch bhi bol deta hai. I'm sorry on his behalf. You really don't have to, Sameer sir." Naina hoped he hadn't taken it the wrong way.

Sameer raised four fingers, "Chaar. Ab tumne chaar baar yeh forbidden words bole. Toh tumhe chaar dishes sikhani padegi. Chalo ek toh coffee ho gayi... the first one. Bache teen. Let's do it this way, ek Ayush ki favourite, ek meri... aur ek tumhari. Done?"

She gave him a bewildered look.

"You don't have an option, Naina. Yeh punishment tumne earn ki hai. I'm sorry, par main thoda strict type ka hun... a punishment is a punishment." He stood up, shoving his hands in pocket.

"Oh! Then you've earned it too. Aapne bhi abhi sorry kaha." Naina stood up too, crossing her arms as she looked at him.

"What? Oh no! Ab toh tumhe bhi mujhe koi punishment deni padegi." He widened his eyes dramatically, "Well, main apni baat ka pakka hun. Bolo, what can I do for you?"

"It's okay, sir. Main aise hi keh rahi thi. You don't have to do anything." She replied with a polite smile.

He narrowed his eyes, as if in deep thought, then turned towards her, "Chalo tum punishment udhaar rakh lo. Phir kabhi interest ke saath de dena. Lekin main chote dil ka hun, madam. Mujhe yeh udhaari nahi chalegi. Main manne wala nahi hun. Chalo, coffee se start karte hain."

"Lekin coffee toh abhi pi hai... phir se kaise piyenge?" Naina pointed at their mugs.

He looked at the side table, then nodded, "Baat bhi sahi hai. Koi nahi, coffee kal sikha dena, aaj kuch aur. List bana lete hain. Batao, Ayush ki favourite dish kya hai?"

"Cheesy pasta, with mushrooms." Naina's eyes twinkled as she recalled how he relished the dish whenever she made it.

"Aur tumhari?" He asked softly.

"Alu parantha." She blurted, still lost in Ayush.

Sameer stared at her in disbelief, "Alu parantha? Woh toh mera bhi favourite hai."

Naina came to her senses, "Na... nahi favourite nahi, I just like it. Mera favourite toh... umm... boiled alu hai."

Sameer scrunched his nose, "Boiled alu? Mujhe alu itna pasand hai... sab type ka khaya hai lekin yeh dish kabhi nahi suni? Kya hota hai?"

Stifling a smile, she flicked her brows, "Bohot mushkil recipe hai."

Sameer gave her a determined look, "Jab teacher achha ho toh kuch mushkil nahi hota. I'm ready. Let's start right away."

Raising her hands in resignation, she walked to the kitchen. Sameer removed his tie and took off the blazer. After folding both items  neatly and placing them on the sofa, he followed her to the kitchen. Once inside, he opened the cuffs of his white shirt, and rolled his sleeves. His heart jumped when Naina looked at him, and her gaze drifted down to his chest... but his happiness was short lived.

"Aapki yeh white shirt kharab ho gayi toh? Kitchen mein kuch gir sakta hai, koi daag lag sakta hai." Her eyes showed concern, not the effect he wanted to see.

"Mere paas abhi kuch aur nahi hai." He pursed his lips.

She put aside the basket of potatoes, "Aisa karte hain yeh punishment bhi udhaar kar lete hain. Phir kabhi jab aap ayenge toh koi ghar ki t-shirt saath le aaiye, jispe daag lag bhi jaaye toh chalega."

"Mujhe kisi cheez pe daag nahi chalta. I cannot tolerate stains." His voice came out harsh.

Naina stared at him for a few seconds, then uttered in a low voice, "Kitchen mein daag lagte hi hain. It cannot be avoided."

Feeling bad about his retort, Sameer tried to make amendments, "Main woh pehen leta hun... mummy pehenti hain agar woh kitchen mein kuch karti hain toh... kya hota hai... haan, apron... apron hai kya tumhare paas?"

Opening a drawer, Naina brought out a checkered apron in red and white, "Yeh hai. Chalega?"

"Daudega." Sameer grabbed it, grinning.

She went to the sink, to wash the potatoes. When she turned a few moments later, he was still turning the long fabric in his hands,  confusion writ large on his face.

She cleared her throat. He looked up. She pointed at the loop, and gestured to wear it as a garland. Sameer followed her direction, and the apron dangled from his neck. She then pointed at the strings, turned her back to him, and indicated to take them around the waist, to tie at the back. He did as shown, and looped the strings together, making the long fabric cover him from neck to mid thighs.

"Okay, ab yeh dekhiye alu. Wash karke inhe cooker mein daalna hai. Thoda paani, phir cooker band karke gas pe rakh dijiye. Two whistles and it's done." She placed the cooker on the gas.

"Tum whistle karti ho?" He asked in wonder.

"Main? Main kyon..." It took her a minute to realise that he had no idea what a cooker whistle meant, and she burst out laughing.

Sameer watched in fascination as her eyes glistened, while the kitchen filled with the most beautiful sound he wanted to cherish forever.

"Sir... whistle main nahi, cooker dega. Usmein pressure se khana banta hai isliye whistle aati hai." She explained after she controlled her laughter, few minutes later.

He wasn't least bit embarrassed about his lack of knowledge... in fact he wanted to be naive in front of her, so he could hear her unrestrained laughter again.

"Yeh dekhiye, ab maine cooker band karke gas pe rakh diya. Bas thodi der mein whistle aayegi," she smirked again, looking at him, "cooker ki. Ho gaya."

"Bas ho gaya? Itna hi?" His eyes rounded at the simplicity of the process.

She shrugged.

"Tumne kaha tha mushkil recipe hai. Ismein kya mushkil tha?" He gave her a perplexed look.

She pursed her lips, "I was joking."

His face eased into a smile.

Taking off the apron was as complicated as wearing it. When he took one hand back, to search for the string, his fingers caught one end, and he pulled it... only to realise that it was the wrong end. The pull resulted in a fixed knot, and he wasn't able to open it, even after trying for several minutes. Naina came out of Ayush's room after checking on him, to find Sameer struggling with the apron strings, his forehead covered with sweat.

"Yeh... yeh tight ho gaya. Khul nahi raha." He gulped, when a slight sound of her footsteps made him look in her direction.

"Aapne ek side se pull kiya isliye gaanth pad gayi hai. Usse baar baar mat khinchiye, aur tight ho jayegi. Doosra string khinchiye." Naina peered behind him.

Sameer searched for the other end, but the same one landed again in his grip, and the pull made the knot more tight.

"Ek minute, aap rukiye main kholti hun." She went to the kitchen, leaving him shocked.

His breath got stuck in the throat as she came and stood behind him. Though there was no touch, only the strings brushed against his shirt, the fact that she was standing so close to him made him shudder.

"Sir, aap move mat kijiye. Knife lag jayega." Her comment slowly cleared his mind.

"Knife? What are you doing with the knife?" He stilled.

"Knife ki tip se hi knot khulegi. Bohot tight hai." She replied casually.

He wanted to turn and snatch the knife from her... what if she hurt herself. But any movement from his side could also cause her harm. He stood like a statue, not even breathing, till he felt the two ends fall to his sides.

"Tum knife se kyon kar rahi thi? Lag jaati toh?" He turned, more shocked to see the sharp knife in her hand.

"I was careful, sir. I wouldn't have hurt you." She said matter of factly, going back to the kitchen.

Sameer didn't know how to tell her that he wasn't talking about him getting hurt, but her. She didn't seem to be affected at all by the proximity, moving around in the kitchen normally. He wondered how long it would take for him to crack the wall that sometimes seemed easy to break, but at others, felt like a solid, tough impediment on the way to her heart.

Next update on Friday