The morning of the bidai, both the Bride and Groom woke up tried and sleepy, having been up for a large part of the night. But were up and running within few minutes of waking up, not that they had any choice.

For Sameer of course not much had to be done, other than the usual morning activities. Also, breakfast was a simpler affair for him that day consisting of a couple of bananas along with his coffee, as he was informed that he was required to fast before the pooja. This was new, keeping a fast and him?! The rest of the family though enjoyed a filling breakfast of aloo parathans with curd and achar. When he tried to sneak some out of the kitchen, Ramdhari gave him an annoyed look and threatened to tell on him. He threw some line at Ramdhari about how it was not a matter of hunger but one of personal belief and choice, but none the less headed for a shower without eating anything else.

Naina woke up amidst much more chaos. The electricity in their area was cut off due to some tree falling on one of the electricity poles in the vicinity. Bela and Beena were busy tackling the challenge of heating water for everyone's baths on the stove along with cooking breakfast. Naina obviously got higher priority today and was rushed off to have a proper bath and wash her hair before the girls from the parlour arrived. Once the beauticians arrived, they were very disappointed with the lack of proper lighting in there and after a few frantic discussions and phone calls, Naina and Preeti accompanied by those girls headed to Swati's home to get ready.

As per the beauticians, Naina was the least fussy bride they had ever worked with. She just sat there letting them get on with their work, with very few demands. The only thing she had asked for was for them to keep her make-up very light and as natural as possible. Preeti and Swati had decided that she should tie her hair up in a sort of bun, which the hairstylist agreed would suit her.

Preeti knew Naina's heart was no longer in this activity, but she was more bent on ensuring that Sameer should terribly regret his stupid decision to cause her sister so much heart-ache and hence set out to ensure that her sister looked absolutely stunning. Naina who was not in a state of mind to discuss her real situation with anyone else had forbid Preeti from sharing anything with Swati. She could not bear the looks of pity that she would otherwise have to endure.

Swati hence continuing to be her usual self, said in a teasing tone once Naina was almost ready "Naina, yaar tu toh aaj bahoot sundar lag rahi hai! Dekh lena, Jijaji toh aaj raat tujhe sone hi nahi denge." Seeing the look of shock mixed with distress on Naina's face, Preeti retorted "Neend toh uski udaani hai... Samajhta kya hai khud ko?!" Swati was confused "Kya bol rahi hai yaar?" Preeti now covered "Mera matlab hai... agar Sameer ko lagta hai ke sirf woh koi bahoot bada hero hai, toh hum usse dekha denge ki humari Naina bhi kuch kum nahi hai." Swati now laughed winking "Yaar dono mein se kisiki bhi neend udad jaaye... jagna toh dono ko padega!"

Preeti and Swati also got some make-up done while they were there. A little past half-eight, Chachaji arrived at Swati's to pick up the girls. The Agarwal family did not believe in being fashionably or unfashionably late, especially for occasions like this. Much to Nanaji's relief the whole family was assembled at the factory at the decided time, well in time for the pooja to start.

Sameer had been standing with Munna and Pandit, when she arrived. As Naina stepped out of the car draped in a dark magenta silk heavily embroidered with zari and wearing the heavy gold set gifted by her saas the day before, a lot of eyes were drawn to her. The hair tied in a fancy bun had tiny golden studs stuck in them. She looked absolutely stunning, just the way Preeti had wanted her to. Pandit blurted "Yaar, Naina kya solid lag rahi hai aaj!" When Sameer threw an irritated glance at him, he tried to soothe things by saying "Aare, mera matlab hai, Bhabhi aaj toh bahoot hi sundar aur sushil lag rahi hai..." Sameer reluctantly admitted to himself, Waise such mooch lag toh solid hi rahi hai.

Ponga continued after a few moments while looking at the trio of girls "Yaar, mujhe na ek baat bilkul samajh nahi aati... yahi ladkiya jo school mein itni sadhisi lagti hai college mein aake itni pataka kaise ban jati hai?!" Munna just laughed at him "Bhai maine toh bahoot pehele se uss Swati ke undar ka pataka pehechan liya tha... isse kehte hai dur dhursti!" He then nudging Pandit added in a teasing tone "Waise Ponga, woh Preeti bhi kuch kum nahi lag rahi hai... baat chaleye teri?" Sameer muttered "Agar sara match-making khatam ho gaye hai toh chale? Nanaji bula rahe hai, shayad unhe kuch chahiye."

Before they headed towards Nanaji, Pandit asked Sameer uncertainly "Yaar, tu such mooch woh guest room wali baat ke baare mein serious hai kya?" Sameer retorted "Issme mazak karne wali koi baat hai kya?" Munna tried to reason with him "Sameer, phir se soch le. Yeh bilkul theek nahi hai yaar. Aisa kaun karta hai?!" Sameer just walked away.

Pandit now said to Munna "Tujhe kya lagta hai? Aisa kab tak chalega?" Munna asked "Kya kab tak chalega? Shaadi? Tujhe lagta hai shaadi nahi chalegi?" Pandit responded "Aare shaadi kyun nahi chalegi?! Main toh isske yeh biwi se dur rehne ke bakwas plan ki baat kar raha hu. Aur woh bhi itni sundar biwi... chance hi nahi hai jyada din chalne ka!" Both looking happy with Ponga's prediction followed their friend.

The next thirty minutes or so were spent introducing the Agarwals to the larger Maheshwari clan. Once the Panditji arrived and got the pooja related setup completed, Sameer and Naina were summoned to start with the actual Pooja. Though Naina tried to avoid looking at him, she did not fail to notice that he was dressed in a dark blue kurta with little work around the collar and beige shalwar. Both sat through the pooja for the next hour and a half or so without addressing each other.

Naina had decided to stay as unemotional as she could and focused on just following the Panditji's instructions. Once again, she did not know what to pray for him and hence only prayed to the Gods to give her enough strength to survive the next few months and then whatever life would bring her way.

Sameer inadvertently sneaked a few glances at her. The dark magenta sprinkled with gold and the heavy gold choker suited her, almost giving her a regal aura. Her blouse today wasn't as modern as the one she had worn the other day, but still with the hair tied up, there was nothing to block the view of what was revealed. Also, things once seen cannot be unseen. What could not be seen today could easily be remembered or imagined, as he discovered.

He felt a strange sense of disquiet, seeing her sitting there looking so exquisite but without a single smile or blush adoring her face. He wasn't sure if it was a mask or if she had really stopped feeling anything.

During the pooja when the Panditji advised that she should just hold her husband's right hand as he performed some of the rituals, she placed her hand on the part of his forearm covered with his sleeve, applying a feather light touch to start with. But as time went on, she found it harder to not actually hold on and slowly he felt the grip tighten and more of her warmth seeping through the cloth.

After the pooja, Vishakha and Nanaji introduced her to a seemingly endless number of people, often remarking how pleased they were with the match and how she was just the type of padhi-leekhi aur phir bhi ekdum sanskari bahu they had wanted for Sameer. Naina kept bending forward to seek the blessings of anyone who seemed to meet the middle-aged and above criteria, just as her Taiji had instructed. Sameer was left with no option but to follow suit. As the couple received blessings ranging from – Sada Suhagan raho, Dudho Nahao Phulo Phalo to Khush raho, Naina wondered why no one was blessing her to emerge victorious in the battle that she was embarking on. All these other blessings seemed irrelevant to her, and probably to him too, in that moment. But one should never underestimate the power of a blessing, especially one given in good faith, and Jaiprakashji had gathered a lot of that over the years.

Everyone gathered there that day remarked on the Groom's eligibility, the Bride's good fortune and of course what a beautiful couple they made. Time and again the words Lakshmi-Narayan sa joda hai were uttered by most of the people present there. If the bride appeared a little detached or sometimes had a faraway look on her face, it was only attributed to the nerves expected at the time of the bidai.

Occasionally she smiled when prompted by Preeti, or when some old aunt explicitly said "Aare Bahu zara mushkura ke bhi dekhao! Ha, ab dekho kitni pyari lagti hai. Khush raho." Usually such monologues from his aunts or grandmothers were followed by an envelope or some money being thrust into her hand as the muh-dikhayi.

Some of their friends or associates who had also happened to be at their actual wedding, were greatly sought after by the other guests that day. Everyone wanted to hear the first-hand account of the strange way in which this marriage had come to be. Guruji's following increased by a sizable amount that day, after all who amongst us is not hoping for a miracle of some sort!

There was ample food and both hot and cold drinks being served to all the guests that day. But what it was, did not register with Naina. Her sole focus was to get through this event and day without any emotional outbursts.

Deepika dressed in a pretty pink shalwar kameez ran around feeling very grown-up because her dress had a proper dupatta. Pralay chased her around for some time, and then they found a few other kids to play hide and seek with. Unsupervised access to cold drinks meant all the kids were very high on sugar.

When Pooja and her family were introduced to Sameer by Chachaji, Pooja's husband Varun laughingly introduced Sameer to his son saying "Aur yeh humara Golu hai. Jisski wajah se aap dono ki shaadi hui hai!" Sameer stared at the little angelic looking child thinking, Dikhne mein toh chotasa pyarasa bacha hai, par kissi shaitan se kum nahi hai. And after that, every now and then his eyes would land on the child, apprehensively thinking god knows who is going to be the next victim. The little cupid completely unaware of his accomplishment, was happy to mostly run around or climb up and down some stairs or chairs. But, his aunts Preeti or Swati who were mostly in-charge of keeping an eye on him that day, were extra careful about not bumping into anyone!

After most of the guests had left, it was time for the Agarwal family to take their leave too. Naina's bags and other gifts which had arrived in their car, were now transferred to the Maheshwari's car. Taiji shared some customary last words of wisdom and issued some instructions to Naina. Tauji profusely thanked the Maheshwari's for their hospitality that day and Chachaji joined in with a few words. Rakesh found himself too overwhelmed to say anything, seeing the factory and large number of people who worked there and in-turn for his son-in-law, just smiled at everyone with folded hands.

When the actual goodbyes were being said, as expected Chachiji started sobbing first, followed by Preeti and Swati. Soon Chachaji and Taiji had some tears flowing down their cheeks too. Arjun with misty eyes placed his hand around his sister reassuringly and patted her head a couple of times lovingly.

Strangely Naina remained stoic for the most part. But it was as if though a dam suddenly burst, only when Nanaji very comfortingly said to her Chachiji "Behenji, chinta mat kijiye. Naina ko main apni beti banna ke le ja raha hu." And then she seemed to crumble. Nanaji's words meant to soothe, seared her instead. She was screaming on the inside "Par mujhe toh Bahu banke hi jana tha!"

It is so ironic that these words said so often during every bidai, are pleasing to the receiver only when it is known that they are not truly meant. All new wives and maybe the older ones too, are happier with the scenario where their husband pulls them in an amorous embrace, at the end of the day in the privacy of their bedroom saying "Aare tumhe toh pata hai, Maa toh bus zabaan ki kadwi hai. Tum dhyaan mat dena unki baaton pe. Aur tum janati ho ke main toh tumse kitna pyar karta hu, hai na?"

Seeing her state, Chachiji immediately forgot her own tears and set about trying to calm her down. Vishakha too tried to offer her some comfort, but when that failed, looked to her father for guidance. Nanaji with a heavy heart asked Sameer to bundle her into a car and head home and instructed the others to get going too.

Munna quickly fetched a car and Pandit got in the front passenger seat next to him. As Sameer slid in the back seat next to her, he watched helplessly for a bit, his heart contracting in anguish as she whimpered her face turned away from him, apparently looking outside the window. And then he placed his hand over one of the tightly fisted hands laying in her lap. When she tried to pull her hand away, he strengthened his hold. After a minute or so, when she realised that he had no intention of letting go, slowly the taunt muscles in her arm relaxed. They sat through the rest of the drive home in relative silence, the frequency of her sobs reducing slowly, as his thumb gently rubbed against the side of her palm.

When they reached home, the couple had to wait in the car till the Aarti thali was fetched and Vishakha's Kaki stepped forward to welcome the new Mrs Maheshwari home. After the newly weds offered their prayers to the Gods in the little mandir in the kitchen and Naniji's photo, they were seated in the lounge surrounded by the extended family who had accompanied them.

Poonam who was married to Vishakha's kaka's grandson Devang, brought out a deep vessel filled with coloured water for the usual game played in most Indian houses after bringing the new bahu home. Sameer and Naina had to put their hands in together to try and find a treasure in there. Naina and Sameer both half-heartedly put their hands in the pot and moved it around just slightly. Poonam's father-in-law Kamlesh Mama teased "Aare hath pakadna hai toh theek se pakdo, yeh kya pani mein itni der se kar rahe ho." Following a few more such comments, Sameer quickly found whatever was in the pot and pulled out his hand announcing himself the winner.

Poonam and other women started teasing Naina how letting your husband win from the first day was not a good start. Deepika not happy to see her Bhabhi losing declared "Woh toh Bhabhi ko boys ke sath khelna boring lagta hai, issiliye har gayi, hai na Bhabhi?" Devang now boisterously patting Sameer's back exclaimed "Par ab toh tumhare Sameer bhaiya ke sath khelna hi padega!" This led to a round of laughs and giggles from the people assembled there. Deepika not ready to leave her Bhabhi's side, who was looking extremely uncomfortable countered "Kyun khelna padega?! Agar unhe acha nahi lagta toh nahi khelegi." Another cousin now responded laughing "Kyun ki ab Sameer bhaiya akele akele khel ke bore ho gaye hai. Ab toh tumhari Bhabhi ke sath hi khelenge!"

Sameer didn't know where to look and what to say. Noting that Munna and Pandit did not join this ribbing, Nanaji understood that they knew where things stood, and this further heightened his anxiety.

Vishakha now deciding that enough had been said on the subject, called for Ramdhari and started asking who wanted tea or coffee. Few minutes later, Ramdhari served everyone some freshly brewed cups of tea and coffee. The conversation now flowed around various topics, everyone trying to catch-up with what was happening in each other's life.

Poonam and few other younger women in the family sat down around Naina and tried to get to know her a little better and introduced themselves. Naina mostly nodded, their names and exact relationships barely registering.

When Sameer found himself alone with his two besties, he voiced what had been bothering him "Yaar, woh Naina toh bahoot jyada ro rahi thi... mujhe toh kuch samajh hi nahi aaya kya kahu." Munna tried to explain "Aare, sari ladkiya bidai ke waqt roti hai. Asaan thode hi hota hoga apna ghar chod ke jana." Sameer said again "Mujhe nahi lagta usne apne gharwalon ko kuch bola hai... warna aise kyun bhej dete usse... Woh log toh sab khush lag rahe thay. Bataya kyun nahi hoga yaar?" Munna and Pandit did not have any answer to his question. Pandit recalling something said "Par maine jab Preeti se khana kaisa laga poocha toh bada ajeeb sa muh banake chali gayi... shayad usse kuch pata hai..." Munna now added "Dekh, iss waqt woh already bahoot dukhi hai, ab tu aur kuch ulta seedha mat bolna usse, samjha?" Sameer mumbled "Main aur kya bolunga? Mujhe jo bolna tha, woh toh maine already bol diya hai. Mujhe toh bus koi galatfaimi nahi chahiye thi."

After some time, someone proposed fetching Pav Bhaji for an early dinner, before they all headed home. Munna and Pandit headed out as they knew the area and best eating places around. The groom who obviously couldn't leave in this situation, stayed back home and tried to mingle with his cousins and uncles.

Steaming Pav bhaji and hot jalebis that arrived about 45 mins later, were consumed with much gusto by most of the people present there, only Sameer, Naina and Nanaji found it hard to eat much. Finally, about 9 pm the guests started saying their goodbyes. It was decided that Vishakha's Kaki that is Kamlesh mama's mother, would stay back for another day or so. Her husband who had been Nanaji's first cousin had passed away a couple of years back, and it was deemed only appropriate that some elderly women should be around to help Vishakha settle in her Bahu.

It was close to 10 pm by the time the last of the guests including Munna and Pandit left. Vishakha now turned to Naina and said "Chalo beta, tum bahoot thak gayi hogi. Maine tumhari bags kamre mein rakhwa di hain." She then turned to Sameer and said "Aare tum kyun baithe ho? Tum bhi chalo..." Bobby patted his back awkwardly and said in a low voice "Aur zara sambhal ke..." Sameer feeling completely at a loss as to how to respond to this, followed his mother silently.

Nanaji looked at their retreating back praying for a miracle. He had hoped to talk to Naina today after they brought her home, but with so many guests around it had not been possible. Also, seeing her looking so broken during the actual bidai, had left him feeling very shaken and unsure of what he could say to her in this moment, that could possibly ease her pain. But he would talk to her tomorrow, he decided.

As they exited the lounge, Naina started turning in the direction leading to the guest room. Vishakha pulled her in the other direction smiling "Aare beta, tum toh aayi ho na yaha pehele. Sameer ke kamra ke liye sidiya toh iss taraf se hai." Naina uttered confused "par mujhe toh uss taraf..." Sameer interrupted her "Mummy, woh shayad raat ke waqt kabhi aayi nahi hai, issiliye confuse ho gayi." He then gesturing to her to follow him said a little tentatively "Naina, iss taraf uppar chalo..."

Naina's heart almost stopped, and then started racing like never before. Uppar chalo... kya matlab uppar chalo? Aur kyun? She stared blankly as Sameer started climbing the stairs. Vishakha gently nudged her from behind, thinking she was probably feeling shy "Naina chalo beta..." She followed him with a hammering heart, up the stairs and to his room, with his mother gently guiding her forward.

The thought of an elaborately decorated room or bed waiting for them, almost made her dizzy. Luckily when they entered the room, it looked almost like it always it, with just a few rose petals scattered on the bed. Vishakha now said "Naina, woh dekho tumhari bags uss taraf rakhi hai. Bathroom toh yahi iss taraf kamre mein lag ke hi hai. Tumhe kuch aur lagega toh nahi na?" Not really expecting Naina to respond she turned to her son "Beta, isse kuch bhi chahiye toh mujhe bula lena." After a slight awkward pause, she added "Sameer tum dudh nahi peete ho toh maine rakhwaya nahi hai, par agar kaho toh coffee bhejwa du?" When he declined the offer, she patted him on his shoulder and wished them both "Goodnight".

Sameer closed the door after his mom left the room and turned towards her. She stood by the foot of his bed looking both lost and scared. He took a deep breath and said "Tumhe kaunsa bag chahiye batado, main sofay pe rakh deta hu." Naina couldn't understand why she was in his room and not the guest room. Did it mean he had changed his mind? Finally gathering some courage, she squeaked "Mujhe toh laga tha ke guest room mein hi rehna hai... toh yaha kyun?" He replied feeling a little flustered "Woh abhi toh teen char din Mummy woh log guest room mein hai. Nanaji nahi chahate ke humare beech jo bhi tai hua hai kissi aur ko pata chale, Mummy ko bhi nahi. Toh, jab tak woh log chale nahi jate, tumhe yahi rehna hoga."

She sat down on the bed, her knees not able to support the heaviness in her heart. How easily he said humare beech jo bhi tai hua hai... They had not agreed to anything together. All the decisions had been one sided. But she had to brush aside these thoughts, at least for now. Sameer watched a number of emotions fleeting across her face. She looked so disappointed at the thought of sharing the room with him for the next few days. She has a very transparent face, like she was completely guileless in the art of hiding things, he thought. He spoke again softly "Sorry, woh tumhe yeh sab batane ka chance nahi mila. Nanaji ne mujhe kal raat hi bola. Aur main na nahi keh saka." When she still looked worried, he tried to reassure "Bus teen char din ki hi baat hai... Aur waise humare yaha koi jyada mehman nahi aate. Toh aisa baar baar nahi hoga."

Naina nodded and when he asked again which bag she wanted, she struggled to remember for a moment what was where. Chachiji's words from the morning echoed dimly, Aaj toh bus tujhe yeh Hara wala kholna padega. She pointed at the green one, which he then left on the sofa for her for easy access. When she opened the bag, there was a plastic bag on the top with things she would need for the evening. Preeti had packed it with instructions on how to use the cotton balls to remove the makeup, some face wash, a new bath towel and the pink nightie. Naina realised that in the morning chaos, she had forgotten to sneak her usual night clothes in the bag. Also, thinking she would be in the guest room, she had not dwelt on it much. She now looked at the contents of that plastic bag uncertainly but deciding that sleeping in the saree she was wearing was hardly an option, headed to the bathroom to change.

After casting a quick glance around the bathroom, she realised it was the type where you had a separate shower cubicle and a western type toilet at the other end. There was a fairly big mirror over the washbasin. The floor was covered in big light grey titles, all the walls in smaller light blue titles and the ceiling a simple white. Everything looked very clean and tidy.

She quickly unwrapped the saree and just dressed in the petticoat and blouse proceeded with removing the jewellery and the three dozen pins stuck in her hair to ensure that the hairstyle looked perfect all day. This took a considerable amount of time. Combing the hair while it still had so much hairspray in it was another challenge. By the time this was accomplished, she was feeling too drained to follow the rest of the instructions issued by Preeti. She just splashed some cold water on her face and wiped it quickly.

With a lot of uneasiness, she finally changed into the pink nightie. Had the circumstances been different, she would have taken a lot of time to admire the colour and design, the soft sensual feel of the fabric and how it made her look so feminine and soft and inviting. But, right now she was more worried about what he might think seeing her in this. Would he think she was deliberately wearing this to allure him? God no! She desperately wished that there had been no lacy bits. That really made it look so... she couldn't find the right word for it, probably because sexy was not a word used very commonly back then.

Sameer had tried standing by the window, sitting at his desk, just walking around the room, growing increasingly restless as he waited for her to emerge from the bathroom. He looked at the clock again, it was close to 11pm. She had been in there for about 45 minutes now. Wasn't that too long to just change before bedtime? It wasn't like she was getting ready to go to a party! Does she always take that long in the bathroom? Maybe he should have gone in first, he wouldn't have needed more than five minutes... okay maybe ten minutes.

He looked at the bed apprehensively. He had quickly removed the rose petals the moment she entered the bathroom. That must have been Deepika's handiwork... the girl watched too many movies, he thought a little grumpily. There was only one big new blanket left on the bed, probably by his mother. Well, it wasn't that cold anyway... he would let her have it. The bed which had always seemed like a good-sized double bed, now looked a little too narrow. He couldn't recall a single instance when he had last shared his bed with someone. He wasn't used to this. What if he accidently flung an arm in her direction or even worse over her in his sleep?! Would she think it was intentional? He considered placing some pillows in the middle to create a sort of a barrier, but there were only two pillows and he really couldn't sleep without a pillow.

Suddenly he heard the door open and turned around to see her stepping out. She was wearing a pink night gown, the elaborate hairstyle was gone and her hair was just open, there was a big plastic bag in her left hand with probably the saree and jewellery. Strangely she had a towel draped around her shoulders and was holding on to it with her right hand. She did not look in his direction and proceeded to the sofa and stared placing things in her bag. He too now headed to the bathroom armed with his track bottom and a t-shirt.

As soon as he closed the door, Naina let out a sign of relief. She quickly closed the bag and looked around the room, the towel still wrapped around her. The bed had two pillows and just one big blanket on it. There was just one big cupboard in the room, she tentatively opened it to check for any extra bedsheets or blankets, but it was only filled with his clothes. Deciding that sharing the bed was out of question, she picked up her suitcase from the sofa and put it once again against the wall. The sofa was quite tiny, but she felt it would have to do. She could hardly leave him without a blanket, and so she just grabbed a pillow and quickly bundled up in the sofa. She did not want any further conversation with him.

Sameer emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later. At a quick first glance, he failed to notice her. He looked at the empty bed and the seemingly empty room in surprise. Had she gone to his mom saying she wanted to sleep in the guestroom, he wondered incredulously? But one look at the door confirmed that it was still locked on the inside. He looked around the room again, this time taking a little more time. He eyes now landed on the petite bundled up form in the sofa. She was lying in it on her side all scrunched up, the towel still around her and a pillow covering her face and part of her upper body. He looked on nervously. Maybe he should have explicitly offered her the complete bed... but there was no way, he could fit in that sofa. He uttered a tentative "Naina..." But she did not respond. Not knowing what else to do, he turned off the lights and headed to the bed.

Naina relaxed a bit once he turned off the light and got into the bed. A few unwanted tears slipped out of the corner of her eyes. Three-four days and nights of being in the same room as him... it was going to be so hard. They were no where close to each other, and still just knowing that they were alone in a room gave the situation such a feeling of intimacy. How would she know if he has fallen asleep? Did he snore? She had once heard Pooja Didi complaining to Chachiji that Varun jijaji snored a lot. Well, she hoped he snored too, at least then she would know if he was awake or asleep.

He tossed and turned, trying to pick any noise coming from her direction. Did he just hear her turn a bit? So, she was still awake, right? Of course, she is still awake you moron! How could she possibly fall asleep so easily, in this situation and on that wooden sofa?! It must be so bloody uncomfortable. Had she at least put something on it before lying on it? He should have checked before turning off the lights. His wristwatch beeped indicating it was midnight.

Eventually both fell asleep, partially from being exhausted from the events of the day and partially due to the sleepless night spent by both the night before.

Sameer woke up startled. He wasn't sure what exactly woke him, but he was fairly certain that there had been a loud noise, like something had fallen. Fallen?! He quickly switched on the lamp on his side table and looked in her direction. There she was, sitting on the floor, looking a little dazed. One look at the clock as he leapt out of bed established it was a little after 3 am.

As he knelt close to her, he noticed she had one hand pressed to her forehead. He asked sounding very worried "Kya ho gaya?" She mumbled feeling a little disoriented "Woh... main shayad gir gayi..." He muttered "Iss mein shayad kya hai? Zameen pe aadhi raat ko koi shaukiya toh nahi baitha hai na!" Seeing she was still holding her head, he asked a little softly "Aur sar kyun pakda hai? Lag gayi kya? Dikhyo mujhe..."

He gently pulled away the hand pressed to her head and looked at her forehead intently. There was a tiny cut and a big bump was starting to show up. He asked "Sar kaha takraya tumhara? Zameen pe?" She shook her head and replied "Nahi, woh main jaldi mein uthane lagi zameen se, toh bus sofay ke handle pe hi takraya." He nodded thinking that made sense "Acha ruko main bandaid laga deta hu... thoda zakham hua hai." He quickly came back with a ball of cotton smelling of Dettol and a bandaid. Naina who had always had a big distaste and some fear of stinging medicines tried to brush it off "Isski kya jarurat hai? Yeh toh aise hi kal tak theek ho jayega... ya toh sirf bandaid laga do. Aur tum... mera matlab aap... rehne dijiye... main khud laga lungi."

He ignoring her objections quickly applied the Dettol. She flinching a little, pulled back abruptly. He surprised to see her reaction said "Aare, itna darti ho? Itna toh Deepika bhi nahi darti! Bus ek minute mein jalna band ho jayega. Ab bus hilo mat... lo bandaid bhi lag gaya." As he drew back satisfied with his handiwork of a perfectly applied bandaid, his eyes first widened and then darkened a little. In all the falling and then trying to avoid the dreaded Dettol, the towel around her shoulders had come undone and slipped away. He couldn't take his eyes off her, maybe he didn't really try either.

Naina couldn't understand why had he stopped looking at her head and was now fixedly looking at her shoulder? As her own eyes followed his gaze, realisation hit her. Oh God! The towel... was not in place anymore. She quickly gathered it and pulled it back in place extremely embarrassed. Even after all the lace was completely covered, he was still looking at her a little strangely. What was he thinking?! She started babbling "Sorry... Yeh toh... Chachiji ne diya tha... mujhe samjha hi nahi ke mana kaise karu. Aur mujhe laga ke main toh woh guestroom mein rahungi... toh kya fark padta hai... kuch bhi pehen ke so jau. Aur abhi samaan mein dusre koi sone ke liye kapde bhi nahi hai... sari sadiya hi hai. Please aap kuch galat mat samjhiye... maine jaan bujh ke nahi pehena..."

Hearing her lengthy explanation, he finally regained his senses and now feeling equally embarrassed by his own reaction mumbled "It's okay."

He stood up and waited for her to stand up as well. Taking a long look at the sofa he said "Naina, please tum iss sofay pe mat sona. Bahoot chota hai, warna main hi isspe so jata. Aur dekho baat sirf aaj raat ki nahi hai. Woh log toh Friday ko wapas jayenge, toh tab tak aise nahi so sakte, right? Hum bed mein hi adjust kar lenge."

Seeing her casting apprehensive looks at the bed, it was now his turn to babble a bit "Mujhe adat nahi hai kabhi bed share karne ki... par main puri koshish karunga ke jyada hilu nahi... aur apne apne side pe hi soyenge... chahe toh takiya beech ke rakh dena... waise meri gardann mein toh dard hota hai bina takiye ke sone se... par main phir bhi try karunga. Aur kal main Ramdhari se keh ke extra takiya aur chadar bhi mangwa lunga. Please... tum agar phir se gir gayi toh?!

Naina nodded and quietly picking the pillow that had tumbled to the ground too, walked towards the bed. She asked "Aap kaunsi side pe sote hai?" When he indicated that he slept on the right side, she smiled slightly thinking that used to be her side of the bed too, when she shared it with Preeti.

She placed the pillow on the left side and gingerly got in the bed sticking to the edge as much as possible without actually falling off. He asked "Tumhe blanket nahi chahiye kya?" She thinking that she was already encroaching on his bed, but did not want to leave him without a blanket too, muttered "Nahi mujhe thand nahi lagti... in fact jyada garmi lagti hai.. blanket aap rakh lijiye." She turned her back to him saying "Goodnight..." He turned off the lamp on his side table and after looking at her muted form in his bed for a few seconds, turned his back to her too. He didn't use the blanket either, thinking abhi toh na kar rahi hai, par shayad baad mein thand lagne lage...

Once again both drifted off to sleep, trying to figure out if the other had fallen asleep, only this time one of them was not able to shake off the image of some pink lace and what lay beneath it.