11th Dec 1998

Sameer woke up with a dull headache. Noting that it was still early, he decided that he could easily sleep in for a couple more hours. After a quick visit to the toilet, he swallowed an aspirin with a glass of water, and returned to bed.

As he adjusted the pillows and the sheets covering him, his eyes landed on the canopy of his four-poster bed. His eyes blinked open and shut a few times, while he waited for sleep to come back. The memories of that morning when he had woken up in her bed played in his mind, almost like a dreamlike sequence.

Naina tried to pull away, but he only tightened his embrace. She shook him sounding shy "Sameer, wake up. I have to get up too. I must leave with Shambhu kaka soon." He muttered sleepily "Naina, it's too early." He was right, it was still dark. She was apologetic "I am sorry It's six already, I have to meet him at six-thirty. We must reach there by eight! Please, go to your room and sleep for as long as you want. Nanaji said he wants to take it easy today, right?" 

He pouted "This is so unfair! First you barely let me sleep all night, and now you are kicking me out of your room at dawn?" Seeing his eyes lingering on the swell of her breasts peeking over the sheets, she pulled the sheet to her chin and responded sounding scandalised "I kept you awake?! You are the one who kept on..." her voice trailed off not sure of what to say, as she blushed.

Fondly gazing at her, he teased "What exactly is the point of pulling the sheets to cover yourself more? You do realise that it's me with you under the sheets too?" As if to make a point his fingers traced a path from her belly to her bosom. She turned a deep red and tried to turn to the other side. He nuzzled against her ear and teased some more "Well, as a punishment for keeping me awake last night, I will be keeping you awake tonight! So better catch some sleep on your tour during the day."

She sat up still clinging to the sheets and fumbled around till she found the robe tangled in the sheets at the foot of the bed. Pulling it on, she turned back to him "Sameer, I have to grab a quick shower too. Wake up!" He muttered "You carry on. Don't worry, I will leave soon. I will have to get dressed before heading out." She reminded him "Don't forget to check that you have the keys to your room, before you pull my door."

He nodded, but before she left the bed, he pulled her closer and pecked her lips "Come back soon. I will be waiting." She replied with pick cheeks and a fluttering heart "I will try to be back as soon as possible. Promise!"

Sameer woke up with a start. She said she will be back soon... He glanced around the room disoriented, till he realised that this was 1998 and he was here for Rohan's wedding.

As he lay in bed, recalling Naina spending god-knows-how-much time with Deepika the night before, his mood turned sour. And it stayed with him, as he got through the morning rituals and headed down for a slightly late breakfast. So, she has time to sit chatting with Deepika over wine but is too busy for me?! For all I care, you can go to hell Naina! You don't have to avoid me anymore because I won't be chasing you! Ms Busy Bee... Like I have nothing better to do!

He strolled into the breakfast area, dressed in a pair of well-fitted, dark-grey jeans and a pale-grey t-shirt and he spotted Deepika. Oliver, Kabir and, to his annoyance, Ishita were seated at the same table. Ishita immediately waved him over.

As Sameer settled at their table with a plate full of Aloo Parathas heaped with butter and his coffee, Ishita remarked pointing at her bowl of cornflakes "Sammy, how can you have such a greasy breakfast?! It's not healthy." Sameer fake smiled "I am trying to maintain my figure!" Noting her confused expression, he went on "You see, the muscles and other bits...required for hard work, they need more than just some cornflakes!" As Ishita tried to figure out what to make of his comment, Kabir smirked and Deepika rolled her eyes at Sameer. Olive, choosing to ignore the passive aggressive behaviour of his brother-in-law, offered his wife a taste of his mango juice.

Sameer's eyes lit up briefly on noticing Naina entering the breakfast lounge and heading in their direction. She was once again draped in the red bandhej saree. Then recalling his earlier resolve, he focused all his attention on his food. Even when she greeted them all with a "Good Morning. I hope you all slept well." Sameer resolutely stayed silent, as others at his table returned her greeting.

Deepika conducted the introductions "Naina, this is my husband Oliver. And Ollie, this is Naina." Ollie offered his hand "Very pleased to meet you! Sorry, I should have introduced myself last night, but..." As Ollie's voice trailed off, Naina warmly smiled at him "Deepika spoke a lot about you yesterday. And before you ask, let me assure you, it was all good!" Ollie chuckled and put his arm around Deepika "Believe me, that's a big relief!"

Naina turned to Deepika, "I just wanted to check with you if we are still good to proceed with the visit to the temples as discussed yesterday." While Deepika confirmed that plan, Guptaji approached their table too, and Naina shared "Guptaji is taking another group to the Dam and surrounding area, if any of you would like to join."

Sameer seethed, Oh! Alternatives are being offered to avoid me even more! Guptaji immediately started selling his trip "It is a natural marvel not to be missed! Acres of pristine greenery. And lots of birds both local and migratory to be spotted. I highly recommend it for all nature and bird-watching enthusiasts!" Sameer's internal rant continued, Well, I just want to watch the Indian Myna, even if she is a pesky pest!

Kabir started "That sounds nice, I suppose we could" Sameer cut him off "Kabir and I will be joining the group for the temple visit. I have already visited the dam last time." Not eager to spend more than the necessary time around him, Naina asked softly "Maybe you have already visited the Durga temple and Jain temple we are planning to cover this morning too?"

For the first time since she had arrived at their table, he turned to look at her directly and asked curtly "Don't people frequently revisit the same place of worship? Something wrong with that??" Gulping nervously, she muttered "Of course not. I will make sure that the bus is ready in half-an-hour."

As Guptaji and Naina walked away, Deepika questioned her brother "Bhai, what was that?! Why were you so rude to her? She was just sharing her opinion." Standing up, he responded "Well, I don't think it's her call to make, which place I should visit or revisit! Excuse me, I have to talk to mom. I will see you all later."

Watching his friend walk away, Kabir muttered sounding puzzled "What's crawled up his arse?!" Ishita announced "Deepu, I will join your group today. I am bored of chatting with all those aunts and uncles! Sanju anyway has some appointment with her beautician this morning."

* * *

One of the guests had handed a cassette to the driver and Britney Spears was crooning her new hit single.

My loneliness is killing me (and I)
I must confess I still believe (still believe)
When I'm not with you I lose my mind
Give me a sign
Hit me, baby, one more time

Naina was occupying the single seat in the first row of the bus. The other two seats in her row, on the other side of the aisle, were occupied by two of his aunts. Initially the ladies had some questions for her, but then went on to gossip about some relatives who were not around at the moment.

As they had left Dasi Mahal behind, Naina had stood up and shared some information about the temples they were heading to, the expected time of arrival and so on. He was sitting halfway through the bus with his friend, who Naina assumed was called Kabir. Though he was donning dark sunglasses, she could still feel the heat of his gaze. Deepika and Ollie were in the row behind him, while Ishita was occupying the seat across the aisle from Sameer.

The bus halted at the foot of the hill on which the Durga temple was situated and everyone climbed down. Naina pointed out where the devotees could buy the pooja thalis if they wished to. She flicked through Kalpana's notes that had been handed to her by Asmita and shared some historical details about the temple and the relevance of the deity to the royals of Sudhagadh. After a small climb, they entered the courtyard where she pointed out relevant architectural facts to her group, and then advised them to head inside to offer their prayers.

Ollie was the one more fascinated with photography this time around. Sameer clicked some photos of his sister and her husband as per their request. As they posed for him, Sameer noted with relief that Deepika seemed much happier than she had been in the recent times.

On handing the camera back to Ollie he noticed Kabir chatting with Naina. He waited till they approached him. He was irritated to see that Kabir was conversing with her in his accented Hindi, while she was smiling at him looking pleased. I am sure she appreciates how he is so in touch with his roots and his mother tongue!

She did not address Sameer though, and nor did he. As they reached the stairs leading to the inner sanctum, Naina settled on one of the steps and pulling out a bottle of water from her bag, started drinking from it. Sameer looked at her befuddled. Is she not coming inside? And where is her pooja thali?

Not able to control himself, he took a step back in her direction "Naina, aren't you coming in?" As she wordlessly shook her head in negation, he looked perplexed "Why not? You always pray at every temple!" She replied looking a little flustered "Now I don't." As he was about to ask her 'why not?', Ishita called out from the top of the stairs "Sammy, is everything okay? Let's go." When he resumed his climb up the stairs, Naina was thinking irked, Sammy?? What sort of name is that? Sounds more like she is calling a dog than a man. Oh, but then, that suits him perfectly!

As Sameer stood paying obeisance to the goddess, instead of feeling any peace, the disquiet in his heart grew. Why is she not inside praying?

On exiting the inner sanctum, he sat on the temple steps. Though surrounded by the chatter around him, Sameer's thoughts were years away.

The conversation that he had with Nanaji about religions in that very spot, during that last trip, had stayed with him. It had played a big part in his perceptions and observations, as he travelled throughout Asia and other corners of the globe. He had often remembered his Nanu's words as he stood admiring the temples in Bali, the pagodas in Thailand or the mosques in Turkey.

Along with his grandfather's words, the image of Naina bent in front of the deity in this very temple with utmost devotion would flash across his mind too. That moment, like so many others shared with her, was saved close to his heart.

Her absence in the inner sanctum today, confounded him. How had she lost her connection with God? What happened to her faith? Where did she lose it?

Naina was waiting by the bus when all the passengers exited the temple premises. Looking at her intently from a distance, Kabir remarked to Sameer "I talked to her earlier. She is a sweet girl." His inner alpha rose as he glared at Kabir "So??". Oblivious of Sameer's feelings, his friend went on "I can't understand, why you snapped at her earlier today." Sameer muttered "I was annoyed about something." Kabir sounded surprised "At her?!" Without meeting his eyes, Sameer made an excuse "No, not at her. In fact, give me a minute. Let me go apologise to her."

She watched him approaching her with a mix of anger and apprehension. His scathing tone from the morning was still ringing in her ears. She wanted to scream at him – What gives you the right to be mad at me?!

"I am sorry about this morning." He uttered as soon as he stopped close to her. "I shouldn't have spoken to you that way." When she didn't reply, he added "It was rude of me. Deepika and Kabir, both, have pointed it out to me." She retorted "Why do you need others to point out the obvious to you?!"

Taking a deep breath to control his irritation, he spoke again "Naina, even if they don't, you know exactly what is bothering me. Why are you making this so bloody difficult?!" She looked at him disbelief clearly reflecting on her face "I am making things difficult?? And, I have no idea about what's bothering you!"

Ishita called from where she was standing with some of the guests "Sammy! Come join us for a group photo." Clenching his jaws and his hands fisted, he climbed into the bus, without looking back in Ishita's direction.

The visit to the Jain temple was uneventful, from Sameer and Naina's perspective. The other guests were enthralled by the craftmanship and the size of the structure.

As she strolled through it alone, the garden looked a little different to what Naina remembered from the previous visit. Sameer caught her repeatedly casting glances in the direction of the spot where, years back, Shambhu had clicked a photo of her with him and Nanaji. So, she remembers it too.

* * *

They were boarding the bus for the journey back to Dasi Mahal, when Deepika approached Naina. "Hey, can you join me at the back? Ollie would like to sit at the front to capture parts of the journey on his video camera. And we can chat for a bit!" she finished with an expectant look. Naina obliged with a smile and headed to the seat previously occupied by Oliver.

Ishita addressed Kabir pouting "Can we swap seats now? I am bored of just listening to music. I want to talk to Sammy." Kabir stood up graciously, but not before whispering to Sameer "And the fun begins! Enjoy buddy."

As Kabir swapped seats, he winked catching Deepika's eye, and she in turn rolled her eyes. Seeing that Naina had observed this exchange, Deepika smiled at her looking a little embarrassed. She spoke in a low voice "I know I shouldn't, and it's a little mean of me. But sometimes I just can't help it!"

Seeing Naina's puzzled look, she elaborated "If it were just up to my parents, they would be most happy to announce Bhai's engagement to her during this wedding itself." Dazed, Naina listened as Deepika went on to explain how Ishita was Sanjana's younger uncle's daughter and both the families was very keen to get her married to Sameer. With Rohan and Sanjana already getting married, the elders felt it made good sense from the business perspective too.

Naina managed to ask in a voice that sounded alien, even to her ears, "What does he want? Does he love her?" Deepika shook her head "No, he doesn't love her. If he did, they would have already been married! But mom is trying to convince Bhai."

Taking a small pause, Deepika carried on, more like she was thinking aloud "Ishita is alright. I know she has had a crush on him for a while now. She will try her best, but I am not sure that it will be enough to keep them happy together. Though he tries hard to hide it, Bhai often tends to get irritated with her, very quickly! And that's not a good start."

This last statement helped soothe some of her anxiety. But before Naina could rejoice, Deepika said "Actually, the problem doesn't lie with her. I am sure, he will behave similarly with any other girl that we try to set him up with." Further lowering her voice, she shared "I think, he never quite got over his girlfriend from the university days."

As though she was mulling over it, she went on "It's weird, but seeing them together back then, I never realised that Bhai was so serious about Isabella. They seemed to get along fine, but I just didn't think either of them expected it to last beyond university. Maybe he didn't realise what he felt for her while they were together. She moved back to Spain soon after, and then Bhai moved to Malaysia after his graduation. I can't understand why they never tried to just give it another chance. Maybe they could have worked it out."

Not now. Not now. Not now. Naina kept commanding her tears. Once she was sure that they wouldn't make an appearance anytime soon, she remarked flatly "Izzy must have been very pretty, right?" Deepika looked at her appearing confused for a few seconds and asked "Why did you call her Izzy? I mean, that's what most of her friends and Bhai called her.... But how did you know?" Knowing she had committed another goof up, Naina winced inside, but shrugged her shoulders "I don't know. Isn't it the nickname usually used?"

Deepika nodded and continued "I suppose she was pretty. She was a nice girl, a little too two-dimensional, but she could be funny at times. One time, she had come to stay with us for a few days over a long weekend. Bhai had obviously introduced her to mom and dad as 'just a friend', but I don't think anybody bought it! It being my teenage years, I was of course busy with my friends! But we did have some fun together."

Come to stay with them? How? Had he not said that it hadn't been anything serious?! She asked in a dull voice "How long did they date for?" Deepika casually answered "About a year and a half for so..." Naina sat eerily quiet for the remainder of the journey.

Deepika kept deliberating on the likelihood of Sameer agreeing to the match with Ishita for a bit, and then shut up thinking she must be boring Naina to no end with her family's dramas. How silly of me! Why would she care about Bhai's love life?

Naina thought despairingly, First Izzy, and now Ishita... Looks like he has a thing for girls with names starting with 'I'. Well, at least that leaves me with just one letter to hate.

* * *

Once back at Dasi Mahal, Naina had fled to her room pleading a headache. She sat there struggling to make sense of what Deepika had revealed.

Sameer hadn't shared the truth with her, that he had been with Izzy for so long. She wondered wretchedly that if he considered a relationship of a year and half as nothing serious, then how could she have been anything to him? Probably nothing more than a just blip on his radar.

Maybe just some... What did they call it? Yes, a mere rebound. And here I have been treating that time with him as the centre of my existence. But, why did he lie to me? A little voice mocked, Why do you think?! Only to get into your bed, what else?

Naina sat in shock, as more and more of her illusions seemed to be ripping into shreds. That he still recognised her, seemed like a miracle!

After her previous night's resampling of alcohol, she no longer had even that culprit to blame for that night. Deepika's words kept ringing in her ears - It was all you and him! Somewhere she had always tried to blame her inebriated state for so easily succumbing to her desires that night. But, knowing she had never been drunk to start with, it just left her with one culprit 'them'. More her, than him. Because maybe, it had been nothing out of the ordinary for him.

Suddenly the most terrible doubt entered her head, Had he been thinking of Izzy while he was with her that night? But her heart stoutly refused to consider this possibility, Stop that!!! Don't you remember him calling you his Harinakshi again and again? He was with you when he was with you! It just hadn't made her relevant enough in his life.

At some point, another bizarre thought surfaced. Throughout this separation, first when she was just in shock over his leaving, then worrying how to share the news of the pregnancy and later just heartbroken over her loss, time and again her heart had called out to him.

As she coaxed, beseeched, and threatened him, all just in her thoughts of course, she had always visualised him in London. But Deepika had mentioned that he had gone to Malaysia after finishing his masters.

Did that mean, she had been facing the wrong direction all the time? Didn't the Muslims always face the direction of Kaaba in Mecca while praying? Was it to ensure that the devotee's voice reaches Allah? She wasn't sure about their religious ideologies, but was suddenly gripped by an absurd dismay, that she hadn't reached Sameer's heart as she had been sending her love to the wrong place.

Naina stop this madness! What does it matter? If he was still pining for Izzy, his heart was never listening for you. She tried to reign in her wayward thoughts and torments. And you prayed to God too. If the supreme omnipresent being did not hear your prayers, how was a man sitting thousands of miles away, supposed to hear your heart screaming for him?

Minutes and then hours slipped by. The tears ceased. And yet, she sat curled into herself, trying to retrain her heart to live with these new truths.

The loud knocks on her door had a startled Naina rushing to open it. Guptaji stood there. He first asked a little concerned "Are you okay? No one has seen you since you returned from the tour to the temples!" When she replied "I had a headache. Just decided to rest a little.", he retorted sounding peeved "It's been over two hours now! Take an aspirin if you have a headache and get back to work. Radhika wants you to help run the lantern making workshop with the kids. It's starting in fifteen minutes." She assured him that she would get there right away and quickly freshened up.

* * *

A teatime crafts session featuring 'Lantern Making' had been organised for the younger kids. Naina, along with some other staff, spent an hour with about twenty-five kids ranging from four to twelve.

Paper lanterns in various styles and shapes were attempted. Some looked like they had survived a hurricane, while others sparkled with copious amounts of glitter. But every lantern was praised abundantly, and its maker assured that it would be used as part of the decorations for that evening's event. The children muttered a 'thank you' as instructed by the parent or grandparent collecting them and ran off.

Afterwards, Naina and her colleagues spent close to another hour scrubbing the glue and glitter off the tables, collecting all the discarded pieces of paper, and putting away the unused material.

Guptaji stopped by a couple of time on the pretext of checking if they needed any drinks or just wanting to praise all the artists at work. Naina did not miss his real agenda though. He was checking up on her. She was extremely disappointed in herself, that after so many years of hard work, her work ethic was now being questioned. It's all because of him, and his propensity to upset me!

* * *

Naina stood on the lawn, which was being decorated for the event later that evening. She and Vibha had just finished hanging the lanterns made by the kids in very prominent places.

A huge board displaying a poster announcing the event in big bold italics as 'Cocktail Night' was placed near the main entrance to that area. The poster also displayed the image of a man and a woman dressed in western formals in a ballroom dance pose.

As they surveyed the decorations, Vibha remarked her voice tinged with excitement "It's going to be an interesting event. I have never been to a Cocktail Party! On the trip this morning, I heard the women discussing their outfits for the evening. Even the older ones are planning to wear western wear!" Naina smiled politely. She wasn't looking forward to this or any other event around him.

Oblivious to Naina's lack of enthusiasm, Vibha continued "I am planning to wear a white shalwar kameez today. I think white will suit the ambience, right?" Without waiting for any response, she went on pleasantly "What are you wearing? Wear white if you can. We can both be in matching outfits! Kalpana was also planning to wear white today."

Naina smiled at her warmly "I hadn't planned so much. It was such a last-minute thing. Anyways, I don't feel like dressing up." Seeing that Vibha was about to mount some objections, she quickly added "I really had a bad headache earlier today. In fact, Guptaji had to come looking for me earlier about the workshop."

Vibha laughed lightly "Let me guess, he wasn't very pleased about it?!" Seeing Naina's guilty expression, she patted her back "Don't worry about him. You are doing great. But you can't possibly not dress up!" Naina muttered "I don't plan to stick around for long. I will make sure that Radhika notices me for some time and then sneak away. What's the point of dressing up? And who's going to notice anyway?!" Even as she uttered the last sentence, her heart knew that wasn't true.

They waited for a few more minutes till Radhika arrived on the lawn. She gathered all the staff scattered around and approved the arrangements after asking for few small changes. As they all started dispersing, she called out "Make sure all of you are here by 8:15. The guests will start arriving by 8:30."

Glancing at her watch as they walked back, Vibha observed "That gives us just about an hour. Let's gets changed."

The moment the entered the hallway, they ran into Deepika who was carrying a dress on a hanger. She explained smiling "It needed some ironing." And then added warmly "Naina, I will see you later. You two must be in a rush to get ready too. Have fun." Naina just smiled and made to leave, but Vibha spoke impulsively "That's exactly what I am trying to convince her! She should get dressed up and try to have some fun."

A questioning look spread across Deepika's face as she turned to Naina "Are you not planning to join the party?" Naina was quick to assure her "Of course, I will. All the employees must attend. I am just not planning to dress up. I didn't bring anything specific for this occasion. It really doesn't matter."

Recalling Naina's dull face during the bus journey back, Deepika decided she must be in low spirits. Probably due to their conversation of the previous night. Of course, it must have brought up a lot of painful memories!

Deciding on something quickly, Deepika declared to Vibha with a bright smile "Leave her to me! I will make sure she shows up for the party all dressed up and ready to rock!" She started pulling a baffled Naina towards her room. Naina protested in vain for a bit, and then gave in "Ok, I will go and get dressed up! I did bring a pink shalwar kameez, which I suppose will look nice during the evening..."

Deepika immediately vetoed the idea "No way! We are going to find you something absolutely stunning to wear for tonight." Naina sounded extremely confounded "But where? And how?" Deepika laughed "My dear, we had dozens of young women here who have arrived with bags full of clothes. It's not going to be hard at all."

She looked Naina over, with a more discerning eye and then stated "In fact, you can easily borrow one of my dresses. I couldn't decide what I wanted to wear before I packed for the trip, so have brought two more dresses along which can be worn for tonight's function. You can choose whichever you like. But I can see that your feet are smaller than mine, so we will have to borrow some heels for you."

Naina pulled on Deepika's arm "I am not comfortable doing this. It doesn't feel right." The other woman warmly squeezed her hand "Naina, talking to you yesterday, it really helped me. I am feeling much better today than I have in a long time. It will mean a lot to me, to have you out there tonight." She went on with a shaky smile "I think, we both deserve to have some fun tonight. It will be good for us." Agreeing reluctantly, Naina allowed herself to be pulled to Deepika's room.

A slightly startled Oliver was given ten minutes to change while they went knocking on other doors in search of heels to fit Naina. He was then shooed away by his wife when they returned victorious with a pair of black strappy heels dangling from Naina's hands. Naina cast an apologetic smile in his direction, but he seemed only too pleased to see Deepika in such a good mood.

Deepika had chosen a white outfit covered with lots of sequins for the evening. Naina took one look at the first choice offered to her, which was a low-cut black gown with a slit on one side running all the way down from mid-thigh, and immediately shook her head with a scandalised expression. The second one was a fit and flair in dark blue with tiny capped sleeves and an uneven hem ending at the knees in the front and slightly longer in the back. The inner lining was a midnight blue satin and the top layer was a slightly brighter shade of dark-blue lace.

Naina caressed the lace almost like she was touching some forbidden treasure. Though Deepika was beaming encouragingly at her, she still expressed her doubts "It's too beautiful! I can't wear something like this." Deepika piped "Of course, you can! It will fit you perfectly. Just try it on!"

As Naina stepped out of the bathroom, Deepika clapped her hands in glee "I knew it! You look amazing in it! Here put on the heels and I have called Amba Di over. She is an absolute whiz with curls." Amba arrived with a curling iron and set out to style her hair amid few more objections from Naina. Half an hour later, both Naina and Deepika sat gushing over Amba's skill and their hairstyles for the evening.

Naina couldn't believe that the girl peering back from the mirror was her! Deepika had insisted on doing her make-up. Though she had stuck to keeping it natural overall, she had highlighted the natural beauty of Naina's eyes using eyeliner and some smoky eyeshadow.

As she gingerly touched the sapphire pendant hanging on a delicate gold chain, she bit her lip nervously and muttered "Deepika, this is all too much. Your jewellery too... I can't" Deepika shushed her again "I told you, I picked that pendant in a vintage store. It's not very expensive. And even if it was, you are a grown woman, who I'm sure doesn't go around losing her jewellery! Stop fussing now and help me with the clasp on this bracelet."

A little later, Naina was standing outside Deepika's room waiting for her to lock up, when Radhika happened to be walking by. Initially she politely smiled at Naina, but then her eyes oscillated back widening in recognition "Naina? Is that you?!" Radhika looked at her outfit and hair in confusion, not sure what to make of it. She muttered peevishly "What are you doing here in the wing reserved for guests?! I had asked all of you to be in the lawn by 8:15... It's close to 8:45 now!"

Feeling like a kid caught with her hands in the cookie jar, Naina started nervously "Sorry, I was just about to head there. I did lose track of time but will be on my way now!" Stepping outside the room, Deepika addressed Radhika "Sorry Radhika, I didn't realise I was keeping her from something important. I called her over as I needed her help with something."

Taking in her elegant silver-white gown and the dangling sparkling crystal earring, Radhika waited for Deepika to throw some light on this 'something'. But she instead slipped her arm around Naina's and announced with an extra posh English accent "I must say, all your staff is just brilliant. And Naina is an absolute treasure! I will have no qualms about recommending your services to anyone."

Deepika announced in a high pitch voice, as she dragged Naina away "Oh dear! Mom must be going crazy wondering why I am running so late! Let's go."

Radhika first stood smiling at the praise and promise of referrals, and then perplexed as she watched the two young women walk away hand in hand.

* * *

Deepika exclaimed "Wow! This looks spectacular." Apprehension bubbling in her tummy, Naina walked down the stairs leading to the lawn.

A lot of real lanterns, and some paper one made by the kids earlier that evening, had been hung from poles placed throughout the lawn. Instrumental music was streaming from the loudspeakers. Waiters walked around carrying trays filled with various drinks and canapes. Women of all ages seemed to be gliding around dressed in gowns and frocks, of course several of the older ones were draped in gorgeous silk sarees too. Men – both old and young, stood looking dapper in their suits. And kids were doing what they usually do at gathering like these, running around playing tag or something like that!

Noticing Deepika's arrival, Vishakha moved in her direction. As she approached her daughter, she first happily noticed the merry look on her face, and then looked over the girl at her side with some uncertainty. Vishakha rushed to compliment her daughter "Deepu, you are looking stunning! Didn't I tell you that this gown is simply perfect for you?!"  After basking in her mother's loving admiration for a bit, Deepika beamed drawing her attention to the other young woman "Mom, isn't Naina looking gorgeous?!"

Vishakha smiled at Naina and responded, her eyes lingering over the blue dress worn by her "Of course, you are looking lovely. In fact, I almost didn't recognise you!" Naina nervously returned her smile and felt the need to explain "Thank you ma'am. It's Deepika's dress. She insisted that I borrow it for the evening." Vishakha nodded and turned to Deepika "Your Dadi was asking for you. Go sit with her for some time." Deepika winked at Naina "Go on, have some fun and dazzle some dudes! I will see you in a bit."

Naina watched his mother walk away gracefully. She was donning an ankle length gown made of a shimmering black material and some sparling diamond jewellery.

As soon as she had entered the venue, Naina had tried to spot Sameer, in vain. Of course, most definitely not with the intention of wanting to see his reaction! Just so I know which areas to avoid. She tried to convince herself.

She headed towards the table where a few of her colleagues were gathered. Almost everyone looked at her in astonishment, but Mihir was the first to react "Naina, what have you done?! You are looking so beautiful!" Vibha gushed "Yes Naina, you are looking so pretty! Oh, this dress really suits you!" Even Guptaji forgot about the Malai Tikka in his plate and gaped at her for almost thirty seconds and finally muttered "Nice, very nice." Naina again explained that it was only because of Deepika's insistence. Vibha smiled "I am so glad she insisted!"

An announcement was made that the dance floor would soon open, and the To-Be-Bride and Groom would lead with the first dance. Everyone eagerly drifted closer to the dance area, amid some enthusiastic claps and whistles welcoming the young couple to the floor. An overexcited Mihir nudged Naina towards the dance floor to get a better look at the proceedings.

Some English song that Naina was unfamiliar with played, as Rohan dressed in a tuxedo led a glowing Sanjana to the floor. She was dressed in a deep blood-red satin gown and garnets adorned her neck and ears. But it was the look of bashful love on her face, as she gazed at her handsome partner, that really enhanced her beauty. The adoring look in his eyes clearly showed that the young man was equally madly in love. The couple swayed to the music lost in each other's eyes, as all the other women in the room sighed in longing.

As the song came to an end, the room burst into spontaneous claps and wishes for a happy future for the soon-to-be-weds. And then more and more couples started joining Rohan and Sanjana.

Naina watched fondly, as she saw Oliver pulling Deepika to the dance floor. She mused on how much she had changed over the years. Few years back, she would have probably looked at a couple like theirs with scepticism. Maybe even found the idea of an Indian girl marrying a blue-eyed, white boy nothing short of sacrilegious.

But she had learnt that love cannot be controlled or planned. It just happened and all one could do was deal with its aftermath.

She had once read a quote or someone's thought - saying how instead of falling, we should all aim to rise in love. Though nice enough, it was an unrealistic notion. The action of rising is planned, controlled, deliberate. But love is neither of these. Just like falling, it happens when one least expects it, or is the least prepared for it. It truly shakes the ground beneath your feet and leaves you breathless as you land on your bottom!

And that is still a good outcome. Because it can just as easily suck you into a vortex and pull you down the rabbit hole.

* * *

(Hi All, This is it for today and hope you liked it!

I would have loved to cover the rest of the evening in this update too, but it was getting too long and I need more time to complete it. Just remember, the night is still young and next update will have lots of Samaina interactions in the present!

Hope you are doing well. I am not sure, if I will be able the next update by Friday. But, will post a note closer to that time to let you know when you can expect the update.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.

Lots of love, May)