Sameer mere paas aa raha tha aur main dekhe jaari thi. Aaj bhi jab uss baare mein sochti hoon toh sharam aati hai, kaise dekh rahi thi Main usse. Jaise ek bacha kisi khilone ko dekhta hai. Kya soch raha hoga woh mere baare mein uss waqt? Sameer aaya aur meri kitaabein uthaane mein help karne laga, main koi guddi jaise chup chaap dekh rahi thi.

"Err.... Thank You.." I don't know how but I managed to say something, which was much needed to break the awkward silence. "Mention not." Sameer said and I smiled. He smiled back and I didn't wanted this conversation to end. Anyhow I managed to say some more words. "Kaisa laga tumhe Hamara school?" School kaisa laga? Yeh tha mera pehla Sawaal, school ki kisko padhi thi, mujhe toh yeh jaanna tha ki Main Kaisi lagi.

"Acha hi hai, Maine isse behtar school dekhe hai par Munna Pandit jaise dost iss school mein hai aur isliye hi main yahan hoon." Sameer answered and I looked on. I was going to say something when "Naina!" Haan, it was Taiyaab Ali Pyaar Ka Dushman a.k.a Papa. "Tu kya kar rahi hai iss ladke ke saath? Ghar kyun nahi gayi Abhi tak?" And Papa started with his daily dose of tantrums. "Woh...Papa... yeh kitaabein lene aayi thi." Papa peeped to see the books and recognized them. "Theek hai, theek hai. Ghar chal ab." He said and I followed him. While I was going, I turned to see Sameer, and he was standing there, I smiled at him and mouthed thank you to which he smiled. Haayee, aisa lagra tha abhi gir jaungi uski smile dekhke, bilkul hero wali smile thi. Aajka pura din ussi smile ke peeche jaane wala Tha, Mera. Aur yeh haal sirf ek din mein hogaya Tha. Aage kya hone wala Tha, iski kisko khabar thi?

I reached home and found everyone at our home. Pooja Didi was jumping in excitement and seeing her face, I almost got the hint what the commotion was about. Pooja Didi Ka Rishta! "O Bai, badi behen ka yahan rishte Ki Baat hori hai aur chota behen, matargashti karte huye aari hai. Kahan reh gayi thi Tu,Preeti toh kabse aagayi hai."

"Taiji, woh Papa ki kuch kitaabein laane mein waqt hogaya." I replied and looked down. "O Bai, bhatiji ka yahan rishta hora hai aur Tau apni kitabon mein hi rehta hai. Iss ghar ka kya hoga hamare jaane ke baad!" Aur Taiji ka tape recorder shuru. Maine Bela Chachi ki taraf dekha aur unhone andar jaane ka ishaara kar diya. Jaise hi andar gayi, Pooja Didi ne mujhe pakad liya aur unke hone wale pati ke baare mein batana shuru kar diya. That look on Preeti's face, she was gonna sleep anytime. She was hearing Pooja Didi from a long time, and was tired to hear but Pooja Didi was never tired of telling the same thing again and again. "Pata hai, Naina. Jo mujhe dekhne aane wale haina, unka naam Varun hai, bilkul Rishi Kapoor dikhte hai woh." That excitement on Pooja Didi's face while telling us about her to be fiancé/ husband reminded me of my Salman Khan. Mera Sameer♥️.

"Poojaaa, Nainaaa, Preetiii Bachiyon jaldi aao." Bela Chachi called us out, and started instructing us for tomorrow, The D-Day when Varun and his family were coming to see Pooja Didi. Humari family jaisi bhi thi, ladhti thi, jhagadthi thi, par aise maukon pe sab ek dusre ka saath dete the. For me, it was Family over Everything.
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"Sameer! Kahan hai yaar Tu." Munna called as he and Pandit entered home. "Kya changu mangu, kahan chale aare ho." My Nanu aka Mr Jaiprakash Maheshwari asked them. "Arre, Nana ji. Aaj Sameer ka Pehla din tha hamare school mein." Munna said while Nanu smiled. "Bhai ka kya tashan tha, ladkiyan mari jaari thi, Baat karne ke liye." Pandit said and Nanu playfully slapped him. "Yeh Sab karne Sameer nahi jaata hai school, padhai Kaisi huyi, Yeh batao." Nanu said and I entered. "Padhai bhi bahot achi huyi Nanu. Ekdum first class." Maine kaha aur Nanu meri taraf aaye. "Sameer, tere upar ab ek zimmedari hai, mere vishwaas ko sahi saabit karne ki. Isse puri lagan se nibhana,beta." Nanu gave a pat on my shoulder and left while I smiled and nodded to him. Yahi ek aise insaan the jinhone mujhse umeed ki thi, inki umeedon ko kaise tod sakta tha, Main.

"Aur Sameer ab bata, kaisa laga school, school ki ladkiyan." Pandit asked as he jumped on my bed while Munna grinned. "Yaar, sach kahun toh Sab behenji types hai, but ab kar bhi kya sakte hai, Hindi medium school haina."

"Haan yaar , tune toh isse Ache school dekhe hai. Par saari ladkiyan waisi nahi hai yaar." Munna said and Pandit winked to me, I immediately understood he was talking about his frock wali Pandit about whom Pandit had already told me. "Haan, Munna, sahi keh raha hai Tu, saari waisi nahi hai, Swati thi na jo, bahot achi lagi mujhe. Soch raha hoon usse baat karun."  Maine sharmaate sharmaate kaha, taaki Munna ko aag lage, aur aag aisi lagi ki bichaare ka rang hi peela padh gaya darr ke maare.

"S..w..a..t...i...?" Munna, bichara aise darr raha tha, jaise Main Swati se shaadi karne ki baat kar raha hoon. Wahan, Pandit apne muh pe haath rakh ke baitha tha, usse hasi bardaasht nahi hori thi aur yahan mujhe Munna ki haalat. Maine Pandit ko ishaara kiya, aur Pandit Zor se has diya, wahan Munna bichara samajh nahi paa raha Tha ki ho kya raha hai."

"Tujhe, teri frock wali Pandit mubarak ho. Mujhe usme koi interest nahi hai, woh toh tere saath thodi masti karni thi isliye. Pandit ne mujhe Subah ko hi bata diya tha, teri frock wali Pandit ke baare mein. Sameer Maheshwari kabhi bhi dost ke pyaar ki taraf nahi dekhta." I said and kept hand on Munna's shoulder and smiled while Munna hugged me and later Pandit joined the hug. For me, it was Friends above Everything.