Naina has been in balcony for hours. Staring outside. Wondering about things which all have One name in common.

Naveen.

Never in her wildest dream she had thought her life will be so monotonous. She had no idea she'd be dancing to one tune for so long. Her brain being ruled by one thought...

Get justice for Naveen.

Prove him innocent.

Give him his honour back..

But how! She has nobody to help her. Nobody to direct her. Nobody...

She tiredly comes back to his room which she shares with him. Her feet dropping her weight and she falling victim to gravity.

Suddenly everything becomes so suffocating to her. This room, this house, this city and everything. There is no way out. It seems as if her life has been hacked and ransacked. Everything has been turned upside down and she had no idea of it. Just two years back she had tied rakhee on her brother' wrist and now all of her rakshabandhans will go empty. Jist like that. In a blink. Her everything goes to haywire and she helplessly watches it slipping from her hands.

Tears roll down. Chandra Sir denied help citing the excuse of safety. But does it bother her? She laughs. Chandra Sir has no idea how crazy she can be.

She married a complete stranger for her brother and he pulled out because he was afraid of his safety!

This setback makes her cry even harder because in every posting naveen' case she hears people muttering about her brother behind her back. Some incorrigible jerks are also there who comes up to her and exclaims about her loyalty. It hurts. It hurts badly. She wonders how people and their mind work. A big rich tycoon with so much dirt on his hands is worshipped but her brother who was played wrong all the time is completely boycotted. Nobody will listen for once if he was innocent or not. Not even a right to plead himself. He died with that tag. Alone. And he could not tell anybody that he was innocent. How troubled his soul will be!

She cries loudly. Not caring where she is. It is breaking her more and more. Being alone is not scary but being helpless is horrible. She sees herself daily in mirror. Thousands questions are there. Thousands assumptions are there and then there is a tiny ray of hope which never shines. She wants to curse Sujal for being this impotent. If he was not able to help her he would have said. But that guy channels whole of himself to a person named Kashish. Naina wonders what magic she did on him. Or their love was so out of world marvellous and exotic that Sujal has no spine of standing up now!

She wants help. She needs help. Lying here on this bed waiting for a miracle wont do a thing. She wants her posting at Delhi HQ and Sujal has to listen her. He has to. She makes up her mind and waits for him to return. Though he comes after she sleeps. Moving her he falls besides her.

Morning.

When Naina opens her eyes and finds him there she wants to kick him out of bed. Something human inside her holds her back and she goes to bathroom.

When she returns she is all set to fry his head about her posting cause that was the only reason she married him. This marriage stands until her motive stands. On sujal' side there seems no logical motive. Even if in fury he married her it came out wrong. Cause still he sees Kashish smiling and weeps himself.

She is about to punch him with her questions when her phone goes off. She checks it.

And a tear of joy makes its place.

Finally. Finally! She has a chance.

Her posting at Delhi HQ has been approved.

She feels like hugging Sujal and thanking him but something stops her. It was pure business after all.

*************

A whole week passes by. She doesn't spare this house a second glance. Her eyes open at HQ and shuts when her jeep gets parked in this mansion. Her time is running low. She knows it. A junior officer yesterday openly claimed her of being fraud and lobbying for her posting. Yes the last part was right but the word fraud struck her cords very wrong. Blemishes are hard to wash. She here is burning herself but now and then people grasp her and shake and bombard her with their questions. She feels like an outcast. An alien who is not accepted because her brother died as a traitor. Many times she wonders even if she is able to wash this stain will she ever be able to wash that tongue which sooner or later utter something derogatory? Naveen' death as traitor is a path which'll run parallel her destiny forever. People were, are and perhaps will be treating her like an outsider. Her integrity will always be a subject of questions.

With so many turbulence making their way back in her life Naina many times loses her cool. Some times her sanity is at stake. Complains, problems and wrongs she has a lot to tell. A lot to say bit there is no one she can talk with. Sujal has his own life the way she has.

Life doesn't do justice many times. But sticking to what is right perhaps makes it bit easy to face all the wrath it shows on us.

Naina searches for that one right and her brother' innocence is her that right which keeps her together. Which keeps her sane. Marrying business Tycoon Sujal Grewal is right. Being his puppet is right. Because her brother was right. And it does makes her sleep at night. At least for now.

Every night when she sleeps...Her eyes surely spot Sujal In room. Sometimes next to her..sometimes sitting on that table and doing things. Her mind barely recognizes his presence. The gap so palpable the company so meaningless Perhaps thats what Marrying for business implies. It surely takes you on tour of solitude even when the room is occupied, the bed next to you is occupied,  somebody is breathing next to you but this all is strange to you. You have no friendly feelings for that person yet deep down your heart wants to rejoice the fact that you are married. You have a relation. At least....

Thats How it has been. Conversations lost...and contact breaking more and more day by day..

The tie that binds is hanging loose...

बात करनी मुझे मुश्किल कभी ऐसी तो न थी

जैसी अब है तेरी महफ़िल कभी ऐसी तो न थी

ले गया लूट के कौन आज तेरा सब्र-ओ-क़रार

बेक़रारी तुझे ऐ दिल कभी ऐसी तो न थी

चश्म-ए-क़ातिल मेरी दुश्मन थी हमेशा लेकिन

जैसे अब हो गई क़ातिल कभी ऐसी तो न थी

अक्स-ए-रुख-ए-यार ने किस से है तुझे चमकाया

ताब तुझ में माह-ए-कामिल कभी ऐसी तो न थी

क्या सबब तू जो बिगड़ता है ज़फर से हर बार

खू तेरी हूर-ए-शमाइल कभी ऐसी तो न थी

-Bahadur shah 'Zafar'

Glossary.

Chasm means eyes.

Taab means gleam

Maah-i-kamil means full moon.

Sabab means relation.

Hoor-i-shamail means Excellent beauty.