'Sheh', Bauji said calmly, moving his bishop one square diagonally left. My king, in the corner-most right square of the first rank, was in danger. The entire first rank was empty, except for the king and the queen. Half of my pieces had already been captured. Some pieces stood on the second rank but at a distance from the king, watching over for unanticipated trouble. And nearest to the king was only a pawn, guarding him on the front.
I was stroking my chin, evaluating my next move. I moved my knight in front of the king, blocking the bishop's way. And out of nowhere, Bauji moved his rook right into my first rank, capturing my queen and leaving my king no way out. 'Sheh aur maat !', he declared triumphantly.
'Ye toh koi baat nahi hui Bauji !', I complained. 'Aap jaante boojhte mere saath chess khelte hai, taaki mujhe haraakar aap apni jeet ki khushi mana sakein !'
'Nahi puttar !', he said dearly. 'Mainu to intezaar hai ki tu mainu kab haraaega!'
'Jo ki kabhi ho hi nahi sakta!', I said with a humph. Bauji burst out laughing.
'Waise puttar terese behtar shatranj to Amrit puttar khelti hai !'
'Acha !', I asked looking at him eagerly.
'Haan pehle usnu nahi aata tha chess khelna, par main sikha raha hoon usnu', he said with a proud smile. 'Aur ek tu hai ! Inne saal ho gaye tainu mere naal shatranj khelte hue, par abhi bhi ulajh jaata hai !'
'Bauji ! Main to thehra kaccha khilaadi. Aap kisi din Mukund ke saath kheliyega shatranj. Tab main dekhta hoon ki kiski jeet hoti hai !', I said boastfully.
'O puttar rehne de. Haan maana tera yaar bada changa khilaadi hai, par vo bhi aajtak mainu hara nahi saka!', he said perking up his moustache.
'Dekhiye! Aur aap chahte hai ki main aapko harau ! Aise toh sirf usi din hoga, jis din aapka dhyaan khel par bilkul nahi ho.'
'Fir bhi intezaar to mainu rahega ki mera puttar kisi din ek vadhiya si shatranj di baazi mein mainu haraaye!'
'Koshish karunga', I said with a bright smile though it was too far-fetched.

'Umeed chhod dijiye Randheer. Aapse nahi ho paayega!', said Vashma, who was sitting on a chair, some distance away.
Startled, I asked, 'Aap kab aayi ?'
'Main to pichhle ek ghante se yahi baithi hoon, par aap dono itne mashgool the apne khel mein ki aapko pata hi nahi chala!'
'In dono ke saath har baar aisa hi hota hai !', Mummyji said, coming down the stairs. 'Aas paas kya ho raha hai, iski khabar hi nahi rehti inhe jab shatranj bichhaate hain.'
'Aisa nahi hai', I and Bauji said together promptly.
'Gawaah saamne hai !', Mummyji said with a shrug, pointing towards Vashma.
I and Bauji looked at each other with a guilty smile.
'Waise Chachaji, aap aaj daftar nahi gaye ?', Vashma asked.
'Puttar main bas nikal hi raha tha ki Niket ka phone aa gaya daftar ton. Jo vyaapaari mainu milne aane waale si vo nahi aa payenge, te main sochia ajj thodi der naal daftar jaavaanga. Bas abhi niklunga.'
'Hmm', she said thoughtfully and then she turned to me, 'Aur aapne mujhe kyun bulaya tha ?'
'Ek behad khaas kaam hai aapse !', I said with a twinkle in my eyes.

***

My bedroom was a dream, set in white and caramel.
On entering, there was the door to the balcony, on the immediate left, and further the left wall was decorated with half-a-dozen family photographs. Amrit's was still to be added to the lot. Though I had already put up her individual photograph, we didn't have a picture together yet.
Even pictures with Uday, Vashma, Mukund, Radhaji and Kabir were pending. The gallery wall had a couple of steel gold wall lamps. Two brown armchairs were placed against it.
The wall opposite to the door had two sets of white, glass windows with a brown mantle cabinet set in between. A beautiful landscape painting hung above it. White sheer curtains on the windows, looked elegant against the caramel wall.
This was the outer part of the room.

To the right was the inner bedchamber. It had a gorgeous, curtained, canopy bed. A tiny, white, round end table was placed to its right, with a pretty flower vase. High up, slightly to the right of the bed, was a delicate chandelier. Against the right wall was the white, french vanity and a brown armoire beside it

The entire left wall of the inner chamber was a wide set of white full-length canted, French windows, projecting outward from the main wall. They had white curtains and an extremely soft bed adjacent to it. This alcove was the coziest spot and my favourite too! A tall, white, shade lamp stood beside.
Besides being elegant, this room was so warm and welcoming!

'Hmm toh !', Vashma asked looking around.
'Toh baat ye hai ki... main chahta hoon ye kamra Amrit ki pasand se sajaaya jaye. Ye kamra ab unka bhi hoga to unhe apna sa lagna bhi chaahiye na. Par main ye bhi nahi chahta ki unhe ye baat pehle pata chale. Aur aapse behtar unhe kaun jaanta hai !'. She beamed. 'Kya aap isme meri madad karengi ?'
'Haan haan zaroor! Ye bhi koi poochhne waali baat hai ?!', she replied excitedly.
'Toh pehle aap ye bataiye ki Amrit ko filhal ye kamra kaisa lagta hai ? Unki kabhi aapse is baare mein baat hui ho ? Kuch jo vo yahan badalna chahti ho ? Kuch bhi ?'
Vashma shrugged.
'Iska main kya matlab samjhu ?', I asked crossing my arms.
'Iska matlab ye ki usne ye kamra dekha ho tab vo iske baare baat karegi na!'
'Ji ?!'
'Ji ! Amrit iss kamre mein kabhi nahi aayi hai ! Uska mann hi nahi maana. Kehti hai vyaah ke baad hi aayegi, aapke saath.'
I looked at her dumbfounded.
Vashma continued, 'Chachiji-Chachaji se toh rozana hi milne aati thi yahaan. Par kabhi is kamre mein nahi aayi vo. Jaane kya tha uske mann mein.'
Amrit never failed to amaze me.
'Bade awwal darje ki diwaani hai meri saheli!  Abhi ek hafte pehle tak savere uthte hi uska sabse pehla kaam hota tha letterbox check karna. Usse pehle koi kaam nahi! Yoon toh maayoos ho jaati thi usmein koi chitthi na paake, par humaare saamne apni maayusi jataati nahi thi.'
Thinking about my forlorn Amrit pained me so much! How I wished I could have returned to her sooner or maybe we would never have been seperated!
'Aapko pata hai jis din uski pehli kahaani chhapne waali thi na akhbaar mein uske pehle din bichaari poore samay ek hi ratt lagaaye baithi thi 'Randheer kitthe hain! Vo hote to sabse pehle ohnu hi kahaani padhan layi deti. Kisinu haath bhi nahi lagaane deti usto pehle. Vo kinne khush honge! Ohne ta merese bhi zyaada intezaar kita is din da!' Poore din baawri si ghoom rahi thi! Aap uske saath na the par apni kahaani ke zariye hi aapko kahin se dhoond nikaalna chaahti thi - un aakhri lafzon se'
A dream which both of us had waited to turn into reality - first when we were apart and then when we were together, that dream had become a reality. I can just imagine the happiness on her face as well as the void in her heart - when I wasn't there to share that experience with her. But the fact that she had done it all herself made this reality even more special for me!
'Aap jaanti hai mujhe to jail se nikalne ek din pehle pata chala ki Amrit kahaaniyan likhne lagi hai. Jab maine vo kahaani suni, jaana ki vo Amrit ne likhi hai to meri khushi to jaise thikaana hi nahi tha! Main bayaan bhi nahi kar sakta ki us waqt kaisa laga tha mujhe!
Mujhe Dilli bulwaane ki taiyaari to zaroor Mukund ne hi karwaayi hogi. Aur vo Amrit ke lafz hi the jinke wajah se main unhe dhoond paaya.'
'Iska matlab Amrit ki tarqeeb kaam aayi!', she said happily.
'Ji!'

'Lahore mein aapke likhe khaton ka bhale hi jawaab nahi diya ho usne par unhi khaton ne uske dil mein halchal macha di thi!'
Little did she know that these known-yet-unknown pieces of information made my heart skip some beats!
'Itne sahez ke rakhi thi usne aapki ek ek chitthi ye to main hi jaanti hoon. Yahan Dilli mein jis din uski pehli kahaani chhapi thi, us din bas kuch pal ki thodi zyaada khushi dena chahti thi main use - jitni use kahaani chhapne ki thi, usse thodi zyaada!', she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
'Aur iske liye kya kiya aapne ?', I asked eagerly.
'Aapke naam se use ek khat likha!', she said with a mischievous smile. Trust her to come up with ways to cheer up my Amrit!
'Ji ?!'
'Ji ! Mujhe pata hai mere akshar vo pehchaan leti. Aur mujhe aap dono ko tarah shabon se dil jeetna bhi kahan aata hai par fir bhi itna to bharosa hai mujhe khud par ki apni saheli ko thoda khush to main kar hi sakti hoon!' she said with a broad smile. I nodded with a smile too.
'To bas jitni khoobsurati se mujhse ho paaya maine bohot soch soch kar ek bada pyaara sa tareefon bhara khat likhkar letterbox mein daal diya.'
'Fir kya hua ?!'
'Fir roz ki hi tarah umeed baandhe subah subah letterbox khola. Aur usme khat dekhkar to aise uchli vo jaise pata nahi kaunsa heera mil gaya ho use! Pehli baar usme mein koi khat mila tha use! Fir kya tha - turant lifaafa fada usne aur ek hi saans mein poori chitthi padh daali.'
Concerned, I asked, 'Kya fir vo udaas ho gayi?'
'Ji nahi! Uske baad aise kaske aake mere gale lag gayi!'
I looked at her with arched brows.
She explained, 'Ek meethi si muskurahat ke saath usne kaha 'mainu pata hai na ye likhaayi unki hai na hi likhaawat, par fir bhi bada pyaara khat hai! Maine hamesha samhaalkar rakhna hai isse.' Aur us din jab bhi udaas vo hoti, ek baar us khat ko dekhkar halka sa to muskura hi deti!', she said with a triumphant smile.
'Aap aur aapki dost kamaal hai sach mein!'
'Vo toh hum hai!, she said haughtily and beamed. 'Ye sab baatein toh hoti rahengi. Hum kamre ke baare mein baat kar rahe the'
I too nodded with a smile.

'To shuru karte hain !', I said eagerly. 'Farz kijiye ki aap Amrit hain.', I said walking in front of her, my hands clasped in front. 'To aap kis tarah is kamre ko apna banana chaahengi ?'
'Amrit kahegi ki inne khoobsurat aur nafees kamre mein main kya badlaav karu ? Kamra aisa hona chaiye, jo aankhon ko bhaaye na bhaaye, par apni taraf kheeche zaroor. Aur is kamre main to dono hi baat hai !'
'Hmm. Par fir bhi, agar aap bohot dhyaan se soche, kuch toh aisa hoga jo Amrit badalna chaahe ?!'
Vashma looked thoughtfully around and then pointing towards the vanity, she said, 'Vo sheesha ! Iski jagah ek oval sheesha - mere khyaal se Amrit ko zyaada pasand aayega.'
'Samajhiye ho gaya!', I said with a bright smile.'Aur kuch ?'
'Aap bhi sochiye!'
'Hmm', I nodded
We paced around the room, looking at everything closely. Suddenly, we both turned towards each-other and raising our fingers, we exclaimed, 'Jhoola !'.
'Par lagaaenge kahan ?', she asked, running her eyes all around the room.
'Umm... Yahan laga sakte hain, bichaune ki taraf muh kiye hue', I said, standing in the front of the gallery wall, examining the spot.
'Aur ye kursiyan ?'
'Inhe store-room mein bhijwa denge. Waise bhi mujhe kuch khaas pasand nahi thi. Aapko pakka aur kuch nahi soojh raha ?'
'Nahi Randheer ! Ye kamra wakayi bohot sundar hai ! Isme behtari ki koi gunjaish hi nahi hai'
'Haan par yahaan jhula lagne se ismein chaar-chaand lag jayenge, nahi ?!', I said with a delighted smile.
'ji ji bilkul !', she said with a bright smile. 'Chalo yeh kaam to poora hua. Waise agar main aapse poochhu, to aapke liye ek khoobsurat din ka kya matlab hai ?'
'Mere liye ek khoobsurat din ?!', I asked with an amused smile.
'Ji !'
'Umm... sawaal to bada acha. Chaliye iska jawaab zara alag andaaz mein dete hain !', I said with a bright smile! 'Mere layi ik sundar din... hmm... suvere suvere mere pariwaar, matlab tussi saarea de naal kuch changa samae bitawaanga, Amrit naal saara din daftar vich mehnat karaanga , pher chann di roshni vich unha de naal Ballroom pawaanga, te meethi meethi neend so jaawanga !', I said dreamily.

'Oye hoye hoye hoye hoye ! Tuhaada din te sacchi vadda sundar hoga, te ae andaaz vi vadda pasand aaya mainu !', she said with a pleased smile.
'Ji shukriya!', I said hand over heart. 'Ab vo alag baat hai ki in dino saare din issi tarah beet rahe hai !'
I wish I could smile even harder.
'Meri Amrit ke bhi kuch yahi haal hai !', she said with a teasing smile. How easily I turned pink these days!

***

I was standing hidden behind the corner of a building, right opposite to our office, waiting. Amrit just walked out of the office, looking all around her. A little boy tugged at her dupatta. When she looked down at him, he greeted her with a bunch of dark pink peonies.
She bent down, hands on knees. The boy raised the bouquet with a smile, 'Ye aapke liye!'
'Aur ye bheje kisne hai ?', she asked with a knowing smile.
Very cutely, he said, 'Aapke jaaneman ne!' I shut my eyes and face-palmed in embarrassment. I had asked him to say, 'mangetar'. Where did this come from?! Amrit looked at him half-blushing and half-amused.
'To mere jaaneman hai kahan ?', she asked softly. I looked at her with a surprised smile.
'Vo main aapko nahi bata sakta! Unhone mana kiya tha!'
'Chalo koi baat nahi ! Bohot bohot shukriya!', she said with a dazzling smile. She gently took the flowers, kissed the kid on his forehead and chirpily went back inside. And the child returned to me with a goofy smile.
I knelt down in front of him and handed him a steel tiffin, 'Ye laddu meri mummyji ne banaye hain. Aap poora dibba rakhlo!' He smiled even more brightly.
Further I asked him with furrowed eyebrows , 'Maine to aapko mangetar kehne ko kaha tha na'
'Haan par vo man... mang... ugh! Vo mainu samjh nahi aaya', he said with a frown. 'Aur maine cinema mein dekha tha, phool toh jaaneman ko dete hai na ? Isilye maine wahi keh diya! Kyun maine galat bola ?', he asked adorably.
'Nahi nahi vo...'. Rooh Gulaab! – Amrit was here.

'Tussi itthe ki kar rahe ho ?'. I looked up to find her standing there cross-armed.
'Umm vo main apne paigaam-bardaar ko inaam de raha tha', I said, stroking the back of my neck.
'Hein ?!', the kid exclaimed in confusion, 'Paig... kya ? Mera naam toh Purab hai!'
Amrit started laughing. She said affectionately, 'Haan haan aapka naam Purab hi hai! Aapki maa kahan hai ?'
'Vo to yahan is dukaan mein saaman khareed rahi hain!', he said in a worried tone. 'Main khelte khelte baahar aa gaya. Mujhe daant padegi ! Main jaata hoon !', he said and ran off into the nearest shop.
'Aur aap, andar chaliye!', Amrit said with a surpressed giggle. She grasped my wrist and started walking and I followed meekly behind like a smitten fool (which I certainly am).

***

It was about six in the evening. My share of articles had been edited. In about half-an-hour or so, we editors would sit down together to finalise the articles to be finally printed and following this we'd plan out the paper.

I arranged the papers in neat pile and put them aside when Amrit entered my cabin. 'Aapke ke paas abhi thoda waqt hai na?', she asked sweetly.
'Ji ji kahiye!', I said turning towards her and keeping my hands on table.
'Yamuna kinaare chale ?!', she asked with a bright smile.
'Ji ?!'
'Ghat itthe nede hi hai! Sooraj vi doobne waala hai! Bas paanch minute da raasta hai. Assi zyaada samay vi nahi lavaange. Aive aaive jayenge aur taive taive wapas aa jayenge !', she babbled.
'Aur aapko aisa kyun lagta hai ki main mana karunga ?' , I asked in a matter-of-factly tone.

She clapped her hands once and jumped slightly with a big smile, but then straightened, somewhat embarrassed.
I walked over with a smile and opened the glass door, 'Chalein !?'
She nodded sheepishly and we made our way out of the office.

We stepped down the wide stairs of the Yamuna Ghat. The sun had not yet set. The sky had a faint yellow glow to it. We could see tiny specks of some white birds settled in the water, far away. The Ghat was rather secluded. Some boats were moored at the Ghat and some were floating on the whimsical waters of Yamuna.
We proceeded towards one and hired it. I stepped on board and stretched out my hand for Amrit. As she took it, I gently pulled her onto the boat. For an unnecessary second, I did not release her hand and when I did, she did not let go. A chilly breeze blew past us. Why did everything just come to a standstill whenever I looked into her eyes?!
The mallah had started rowing the boat. After a while we realized that we need to sit down as well.
Somewhere midstream, the mallah stopped rowing and stood-up with a filled jute bag in his hand.
'Janaab, ye kya hai ?', I asked him in surprise.
'Aap yahan naye aaye hai?', he asked. I nodded.
'Ye humaare mehmaanon ke liye hai !', he said with a smile.
'Ji ?!'
'Aap bas dekhte jaiye!',he replied, widening that smile. Amrit too smiled. The mallah took a fistful of what looked like grains from the bag and flung them out in the air. And as I looked on, those tiny white specks seemed coming towards us. They were seagulls! Hundreds and hundreds of them circling and swooping around us, excitedly flapping there wings, hovering over our boat. The scene was so spectacular! 'Bohot door se aate hain ye panchhi', the maajhi said. He offered us the grains. We too fed them. It was a spectacular scene! The birds stayed until the bags were empty and then flew away.
'Chaliye aaj ka kota poora hua', the mallah continued. 'Bas kuch do-chaar din aur, fir ye apne desh laut jaayenge. Ab toh aktoobar mein dikhenge dobaara!'

I and Amrit seated ourselves on two wooden planks opposite each other. The sun had set and the sky was now shaded in hues of pink and purple. The view rendered Delhi lush and misty. Sitting here, who would believe, we were presently in one of the biggest cities of the country.
'Hindustan ka dil hai Dilli, par is Dilli ka dil to Yamuna hai!', Amrit said with a pleased smile. 'Iske bina Dilli hi kya!'
'Haan Amrit! Shehar ki chehel-pehel to jaane kahan chhod aaye hum! Yeh dhalti hui shaam, ye khoobsurat samaa,ye dhund, ye parsukoon Yamuna, aap aur main!', I said dreamily. 'Aisa lag raha kisi pahaadi ilaake mein pohonch gaya hoon main!'
'Tussi toh Mummyji-Bauji de naal kayi vaari gaye hai na pahadon pe ?!', she asked eagerly.
'Ji! Hum har saal jaate the chhuttiyaan manaane! Nainital, Darjeeling, Musoorie, Austria, Switzerland, Birmingham! Har saal koi nayi jagah! Aur aap sab?'
'Main to Lahore se baahar hi nahi gayi kade. Haan do-chaar baar Amritsar gaye si. Uske alawa jo aayi to seedha Dilli, vo bhi basne. Bauji ko kabhi pasand nahi tha ghumna firna!'
'Oh ji hum sab chalenge na ghoomne!', I said, holding both her hands, 'Amrit safar karne ka na ek alag hi maza hota hai! Vo bhi pahaadon mein! Aise lagta hai ki aap...aap ho hi nahi! Bas barf hai, khulli hawa hai, aur ek... ek nasha sa hai!'
'Jaisa sangeet mein hota hai ?', she asked with a sparkle in her eyes.
I looked at her, a bit taken aback. 'Haan!', I said with a delighted smile. 'Is baat par toh kabhi dhyaan hi nahi diya maine!'
'Bilkul aisa hi asar mujhpar sangeet ka hota hai! Jaise main kho hi deti hoon khud ko! Aapko pata hai Randheer ! Mainu toh mann karta hai duniya mein jitney vaadya hai, sab seekhu! Baansuri, Sitar, Veena, Piano, Violin sabkuch!', she said with a different yearning in her voice.
'Aap samjhiye abhi toh humaari zindagi shuru hi hui hai! Aapko jo jo karna hai sab kijiyega, sabkuch kijiyega, kuch agar aap bhool gayi, toh main yaad dila dunga!', I said with a chuckle.
She looked down and smiled gently.
'Waise aapne dhyaan diya hum kahan hai is waqt?', she asked
'Umm... ithlaati-balkaati, manchali si Yamuna ke beech-o-beech?!', I said with an amused smile.
'Haan par usme chhavi to Bhagwaan Radha-Krishn ki hai na! Yamuna toh preet ka aaina hai! Isme to pyaar behta hai!', she said with a lovable smile. 'Aur main itthe apne pyaar ke kol baithi hoon, ae aapahi kinni pyaari gal hai na !'
I just tilted my head and looked at her with a gratified smile.

Kitne gehre halke... shaam ke rang hai chhalke...
parvat se yoon utre baadal, jaise aanchal dhalke ...

Kitne gehre halke... shaam ke rang hai chhalke...
parvat se yoon utre baadal, jaise aanchal dhalke...

aur iss pal mein koi nahi hai
bas ek main hoon... bas ek tum ho...

kuch na kaho... kuch bhi na kaho
kya kehna hai ... kya sunna hai
samay ka ye pal... tham sa gaya hai
aur iss pal mein koi nahi hai
bas ek main hoon... bas ek tum ho...

kuch na kaho... kuch bhi na kaho

Suddenly Amrit tugged my hand to look at my watch. 'Saadhe chhae bajne ko aaye! Editors sab meeting room mein jaane hi waale honge ! Chalo chalo ! Saanu jaana chahida hai.', she turned towards the boatman. 'Maajhi bhaiya, aap ghat ki taraf le lijiye!'
'Ji beta!' he replied and steered the boat around.

We reached the Ghat. I carefully climbed out of the boat. While stepping on the edge of the boat, Amrit tripped over the edge of her dupatta and was about to fall back. I slid my arm around her waist and pulled her into me. Instinctively she hooked her arm around my neck.

Tapish ye pyaar ki hai
badan kyun jal raha hai
mera dil baawra hai
mujhe hi chhal raha hai

kabhi tu chhu raha hai
kabhi tu gungunaaye
samajh kuch bhi na aaye
Kyun utthe Dil chhod aaye ?

Who cared whatever was going on around us?! We were lost – utterly lost.
And out of nowhere, Amrit gently leaned in and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. I gaped at her, stunned. I was completely flushed! She withdrew with lowered eyes, perfectly pink herself. My heart was racing. After a few moments of awkwardly looking here and there, we made our way towards office.
We were walking down at a snail's pace. She was looking at the other direction, her eyes probably shut in embarrassment. Should I say something ?! I couldn't – I was tongue-tied. Looking at her, I slightly bumped my left fist on the other palm with a sigh. I was completely red.
As I sensed she was about to turn, I looked in the other direction.

As we entered the office, we found Preetikaji near my cabin. She came towards us.
'Bahaar thand bohot zyaada hai ?'
'Ji ?!', we asked her together.
'Toh aap dono inne laal kyun ho gaye ho!?', she asked with a giggle. I started looking here and there awkwardly.
'Ji mere kuch lekh adhure reh gaye hai. Main aati hoon', Amrit quickly said and hurried towards the stairs.
'Ji mujhe kagaaz taiyaar karne hai, Main aapse meeting room mein milta hoon', I too said and escaped into my cabin. There I stroked my cheek, smiling to myself. Can't someone even blush openly in this stupid world?!

***

It was past twelve at night. I had called up Mummyji to inform that I'd be late. The next day's edition was yet to go for printing. A piece of news had arrived quite late in the evening, which deferred everything. It would take another hour or so, before we retired for the day. Presently, we sub-editors were proof-reading each other's articles. Soon Chaudhary Sahab would arrive for the final approval.
Shankhu kaka, the night-shift peon came to me in the meeting room. 'Janaab, Amrit bitiya ka phone aaya tha.'
'Ji vo line par hai ?', I asked, getting up.
'Nahi nahi janaab.'
I frowned. 'Kya kaha unhone?'
'Poochh raheen thi ki aap sab ka kaam khatm hua ya nahi. Maine baat karli hai. Unhe keh diya hai ki aapko waqt lagega.'
'Ji shukriya! Par aapne mujhe bulaya kyun nahi ? Agli baar kabhi unka phone aaye to aap mujhe zaroor bula lijiyega', I requested.
'Ji theek hai!', he replied and left. Amrit must be worried.

It was about half-past one when Chaudhary Sahab approved the paper and it was sent to the press.
We bid each other goodbye and took taxis home. It was difficult to find a tanga at this hour.

As I got down from the taxi, out of habit, I looked up towards her balcony. There she was, sleeping against the balcony wall. Main toh aa hi jaata! Inhe yahan baithne ki kya zaroorat thi!

Bauji had told me that Vasant Vihaar was a safe neighbourhood. Hence people didn't bother to lock their doors at night. Good! Should I go and make her sleep on the bed ? I think I should. Amrit sleeping all night in the balcony because of me – no!

I noiselessly opened Prem Nivas's gate and tiptoed upstairs into her room and further into her balcony.
Chaandni ka wajood to jaise sirf unki surat sajaane ke liye tha! Moving forward, I scooped her in my arms. Ek hi waqt par dil mein itna qaraar aur beqaraari thi. As I walked inside, she snuggled into me and locked her arms around. I could feel the heat rising up my face. This bliss came with trouble. However much I wanted stay here all night, just like this, I couldn't. I tried to lay her down gently, but couldn't. She was too comfortably cuddled up in my arms. I looked at her with a satiated sigh. Aaj Bhagwaan kuch zyaada hi meherbaan hai mujhpar!
I decided to stay there awhile. I just had make sure I didn't doze off- that would be a disaster. Well that wouldn't be a tough job – after all I get to hold her this close in my arms and gaze at her half-the-night. Was a better bargain possible? Nope! I carefully seated myself on the bed, leaning against the bedpost. Looking at her, I unwillingly hoped that she would loosen her hold in some time.

shokhiyon mein doobi ye adaayein
chehre se jhalki hui hai...
zulf ki ghani ghani ghataayein
shaan se dhalki hui hai...
lehraata aanchal hai jaise baadal...
baahon mein bhari hai jaise chaandni...
roop ki chaandni...

main agar kahoon yeh dilkashi
hai nahin kahin na hogi kabhi...
taareef ye bhi toh
sach hai kuch bhi nahi...

tumko paaya hai toh jaise khoya hoon...

She was in deep slumber with a content smile, and I was having the time of my life. Koi mere dil ko samhaalo!
After what seemed like a couple of hours, she did loosen her hold. I took the opportunity and got up. As I bent to lay her on the bed, the bedside lamp illuminated her face with a soft golden light. Tez dhadakta hua dil tham sa gaya mera.
I tenderly kissed her forehead. Her smile elongated a teeny-weeny bit. Stealing one last glimpse at her, I left. My heart was just so full!