Chapter 3:

As Naina led Raj to Navin's room, he found himself examining the girl in front of him. He had liked her as soon as he had seen her, she had a type of carefree happiness and lack of self consciousness that appealed to him. Raj couldn't stand the type of girls who would be too shy in front of boys, refusing to speak. It didn't hurt either that Navin's sister was especially pretty, even wearing a simple salwar kurta with her hair done up in a pony tail.

When they arrived at the room, Naina gestured him inside and showed him where to put his bag.

"So would you like anything?" she asked him, "Some chai or coffee? You must be tired after your trip."

"That's okay," Raj replied, "I don't want to put you to any trouble, I'll wait until Navin and Tanu are ready."

Naina rolled her eyes, "Then you'll probably be waiting awhile. In case you haven't noticed, Navin has gone into the guest room with her and I doubt they'll be coming out for awhile."

Raj raised his eyebrows at Naina, unable to believe that she would talk like that about her brother.

Naina laughed at his expression, "I didn't mean it like that!" she told him, "They're probably talking about Ma's and my reactions, Tanisha looked a bit nervous when she arrived."

Raj was impressed at how much Naina had noticed, "Alright, well I'll have some chai as long as you're having one as well."

"Of course," Naina told him, "It would be rude of me not to keep you company!"

He followed Naina to the kitchen, passing by her mother on the way.

"Beti, I've just got to go and buy some things for dinner tonight, I'll be back soon." Mrs Ahluwalia told her. "Raj Beta, make yourself at home and ask Naina for anything you need."

"Thanks Auntyji." Raj told her, and Mrs Ahluwalia left the house.

After offering to help and being refused, Raj sat at the kitchen table while Naina prepared some chai, making enough for it to be reheated when Navin and Tanu finally decided to exit the guest bedroom.

"So you're my brother's roomie too, aren't you?" she asked him as she stirred the pot.

"Yeah, we've been together since day one at KMA," Raj told her, "That's probably why we've gotten so close."

"Navin talks about you a lot on the phone." Naina told him, turning around with a smile. "I almost feel like I know all of his friends at KMA I've heard so much about them. Of course until today I'd only met Alekh, but I know there's also Yudi, Shalini, Abhimanyu, Nandini, Ali and Pooja."

"It's amazing that you remembered everybody's names." Raj tells her, "We're a big gang, but we manage to get up to an awful lot of masti and shararat."

When Naina had made the chai she brought two mugs over, handed one to Raj and then sat down with the other. The next few minutes were spent discussing the various pranks that Raj, Navin and their friends got up to at KMA and the numerous detentions they'd had to do because of them.

"So Navin says that you're studying a business." Raj said, they'd been talking about him for so long that he thought it was time he found out a little bit more about Naina.

"Yes, I've got one year left." Naina said, "And then after that I'd like to do my MBA."

As they continued drinking their tea, Naina told him about her studies and her friends, and Raj found himself laughing at her stories about her own pranks at college.

They were both laughing about one particular story when Navin and Tanisha walked into the room, Raj caught them giving each other a knowing look out of the corner of his eye. He frowned slightly, he knew that look, it meant that the two of them were up to something.

"Well you two seem to be getting along well!" Navin announced cheerfully, a little too cheerfully for Raj's liking.

"Well what else could we do with you two shut up together in the guest room." Naina told him teasingly, "It's very kind of you love birds to join us, I was just waiting for you to come out so I could begin making some pakoras."

"Pakoras!" Navin announced gleefully, "Naina, have I ever told you that you're the best sister in the world?"

"Well yes, but there's nothing to stop you telling me again!" Naina joked.

Tanisha tried to offer to help with the cooking but Naina firmly refused. "There's no need to try and impress me," she teased Tanisha, "It's the first time you've come to our house and you're here as a guest. After you and Navin have gotten married, I'll sit back and relax and let you do everything!"

Tanisha blushed at Naina's last comment, which had obviously been her aim by the small grin on her face.

As Naina prepared and fried up the pakoras, the four of them continued chatting and laughing, both Tanisha and Raj felt like they had known Raj much longer than just today. When the pakoras were done and they were all sitting around the table eating them with chai, Naina insisted on telling Tanisha the most embarrassing stories from Navin's childhood.

It was only three in the afternoon by this stage, and after taking the plates to the sink, Naina made an announcement. "Well Bhaiyya, as today is the first day of Diwali, don't you think we should all go out shopping?"

"And by shopping, I guess you mean that I should buy you something to wear, right?"

"Of course! You're much more intelligent than I could've guessed!" Naina joked with him, "After those delicious pakoras I just made you, don't you think I deserve something? And I'll need a bribe if you want me to give you and Tanu any opportunities to romance over the next few days!"

As soon as Mrs Ahluwalia had arrived home with the groceries, the four of them set out for an afternoon of shopping, and Naina managed to convince Navin to buy her a new salwar kameez and some chappals, while she bought him a new set of jeans and a shirt. The brother sister duo then disappeared for awhile before arriving back with another small bag, refusing to say what it contained.

Navin also tried to buy Tanisha a new outfit, but being a very independent girl she refused, telling him that she would buy one herself and also buying a pretty salwar kameez outfit. After much insistence from everybody else, Raj also bought himself a new pair of jeans and a shirt.


"Hmmm, these jeans are all very well for normal occasions, but don't you think you should have something traditional for Diwali?" Naina asked them in a very disapproving tone of voice, which Raj struggled not to laugh at.

"Accha, mere Ma! " Navin said, frustrated "We'll go and buy something traditional too," at least half an hour more was spent buying them some kurta pyjama before Naina was finally satisfied and announced that they could all go home.

By the time they arrived back with all of their shopping Mr Ahluwalia was already home from work, so he was introduced to Tanisha, who touched his feet. Behind her father's back, Naina gave Navin a thumbs up sign as if to say 'Well done Bhaiyya'.

After dinner they sat in the lounge room with Navin and Naina's parents, who were interested in getting to know Tanu better. While they chatted away, Naina met Raj's eyes and smiled at him, wanting to show her happiness that everything was going so well. Raj found himself smiling back, and thinking that Naina looked even more beautiful when she smiled. He stopped looking at her hurriedly, turning his attention back to Navin, Tanu and Mr and Mrs Ahluwalia, and spotted Navin watching him with a satisfied expression on his face. Navin's expression quickly changed when he realised Raj was looking at him.

This had been the second time today that Raj had seen that expression on Navin's face, and he still couldn't help feeling that Navin was planning something. He knew his friend too well to doubt otherwise.

Raj was tempted to ask his friend what he was up to, but he didn't get a chance because Navin fell asleep almost as soon as they went to bed.

Thinking that he was probably just imagining things, Raj decided to go to sleep as well. They would all be getting up early in the morning and had a long day ahead of them.