Chapter 9

Oh my god guys I am soooo sorry, and thank you Zuman, for pointing out to me that I never posted the 7th chapter!!! I have no idea how that happened. So uh, please go back a page and read the seventh chapter which is now there.

Chapter 8:


Chapter 8:

The next day was Navin, Tanu and Raj's last day in Nainital. They would be catching a bus just before lunch in order to get back to KMA on time since their training would be starting again early the next day.

Naina made sure to wake up early, setting her alarm and as she emerged from the bathroom drying her hair, she found Raj sneaking out of Navin's room. Quietly they both made their way to the kitchen, and Naina was relieved to find that her parents weren't awake yet.

"How'd it go?" she asked him. "Did Navin make any comments last night?"

"No," Raj told her, "But I could tell that he was dying to, it must have been really hard for him not to."

Naina grinned at this, just imagining Navin trying to stop himself from saying something, believing that it would give his plan away.

"So what are we putting into action for today?" she asked him.

"More of the same as yesterday," Raj told her, "Nothing too obvious, just enough to keep them guessing. Oh, one thing, try to hug me when we say goodbye at the bus stop."

"Of course," Naina shrugged, "I probably would've done that anyway even if we didn't have this plan."

"Okay, but just try and make the hug…"

"What? Romantic? Filmy? Full of love and longing?" As she spoke, Naina held out her arms, demonstrating various hugging styles along with full facial expressions.

Raj couldn't help bursting into laughter, which caused Naina to start giggling too.

"Naina, you're too much." He told her, still shaking with laughter.

"What's too much?" Navin asked, coming around the corner yawning.

Both of them immediately stopped laughing, nervous that he might have heard them discussing the plan. "Nothing, Navin, Naina was just joking." Raj told him.

"So what was the joke? Let me hear it too?" Both of them relaxed when they saw by the look on Navin's face that he obviously felt he'd walked in on something between them.

"Sorry Bhaiyya, you just had to be here at the time." Naina informed him, "It won't be funny if I say it again." Then getting up from the kitchen table, she went to begin making chai.

"I'll go take a shower," Raj announced and walked out of the room.

"Be quick or your chai will go cold!" Naina called after him, Raj just vaguely waved a hand over his head to indicate he'd be back on time.

"Raj, where are you going? I was going to take a shower!" Navin called after him. There was no reply except the shutting of the bathroom door.

Twenty minutes later they all sat around the kitchen table, showered, dressed, and with mugs of steaming hot chai.

"I can't believe this is your last day here." Naina announced glumly. "Couldn't you have stayed at least until the afternoon?"

"Then we wouldn't have arrived back at KMA until nearly at lights out or even afterwards," Navin told her, "Try to understand, Naina, we would be far too tired for our drill tomorrow."

Naina grumbled slightly, but she did understand why they were leaving so early. "You know that today is the day for brothers and sisters in Diwali," she told him, "And I'm going to have my brother for only half the day."

Navin couldn't help thinking that today was the day when brothers went to visit their married sisters. If everything worked out well then maybe next Diwali he would be visiting Naina at Raj's house on this day.

"Don't worry," he told her with a grin, "I got you a present, just make sure that you do my tikka properly for me."

Naina wasn't just pretending to be upset, she really did love her brother an awful lot and she hadn't been able to spend much time with him this holiday due to both his plans and theirs.

"Now smile," Navin told her, "I want to see you happy on our last morning together."

Naina gave him a bright smile then, cheering herself up and they all ate their breakfast fairly happily.

Mrs Ahluwalia had already started cooking, preparing some food for the travellers to take with them on the bus. The young people decided that before it was time for the bus they might as well go for one last walk around Nainital.

They strolled around slowly, and despite the plan, Naina tried to keep close to both Navin and Tanu for most of the time, knowing that she would miss them once they were gone. It was only following a nod from Raj when they were heading back to the house that they began to lag slightly behind the others, walking more slowly. She fell back into step with him, letting the others go on ahead.

She could see both Navin and Tanu glance back over their shoulders, but neither said anything. A sure sign that they were happy Raj and Naina appeared to be trying to get some time alone. There were many things that Raj wanted to say, but in the end they walked mainly in silence. He realised that he would miss Naina once they were gone, in less than five days she had become an important part of his life. He was glad that they had the plan for fooling Navin and Tanu, because at least then they would still be in contact.

"Are you okay?" Raj finally asked Naina, "I know you must be feeling bad that Navin is going back again so quickly."

Naina nodded, "It's not just Navin, I can't believe that in less than five full days I feel like I know both you and Tanu so incredibly well. I really am going to miss all three of you."

"Well if it makes you feel better, I'm fairly sure that all three of us will be missing you as well," Raj reassured her, "You know Navin talks about you a lot at the academy, he's always so proud of everything you do. But he'll never show any of the male cadets your photo, I think he's just a bit too much of an over protective older brother."

Naina laughed at this, "He can't be too protective if he set this whole thing up."

Raj gave her a very wry look, "Well that's different isn't it, he's planning to get us married." The two of them laughed at this, and continued walking towards the house.

"That gives me an idea though," Naina told Raj suddenly, "What if I give you a photo of myself and you leave it somewhere where Navin will find it. That should make this whole thing a bit more fun."

Raj thought for a moment, "It's a good idea, but I think it's a bit early for it at the moment. I'll let you know when I think it's the right time and you can mail me one."

Naina nodded, "As it is, you've been taking a few photos of all of us while you're here. Just make sure that you gaze longingly at any that have me in them a few times a week."

Raj laughed, leaned over and ruffled Naina's hair affectionately, "You're really getting the hang of this." He told her, "We'll make you into a master strategist in no time at all."

Arriving back at the house, it was almost time for all of them to leave for the bus station. Naina and Navin's mother was already sniffing slightly, upset to be parting with her son again.

"Oh come on, Ma." Navin told her. "No crying." And gave his mother a comforting hug.

"Alright, come on Bhaiyya, it's time to do your tikka and get my present." Naina announced, trying not to sound quite so pleased about the present part as she actually was.

They do the ritual quickly before Navin hands Naina a small packet, "Don't open it until I'm gone." He tells her warningly.

"Thanks Bhaiyya!" Naina says happily and hugs him warmly, then feeling very mischievous she asks quite innocently, "Raj, should I do you a tikka too?"

The looks of panic on both Navin and Tanu's faces is one of the funniest things she's seen in her entire life. Before Raj can reply, Navin quickly cuts in. "Really Naina, I think yesterday's was enough. Don't try to get any more presents out of Raj." And he quickly tried to lead his friend away from there.

Raj grinned at Naina over his shoulder, she really was becoming quite brilliant at this.

Ten minutes later after Navin and Naina's mother had loaded them up with food for the journey, water bottles and enough sweets to feed the whole of KMA, they all said farewell to Mr and Mrs Ahluwalia. Navin and Tanu both touched their feet together, with Raj following their action afterwards. Then the Ahluwalias hugged both Navin and Tanu, before patting Raj on the back in a friendly way as well.

"We were so happy to have you all here with us for Diwali," Mrs Ahluwalia told them, "Please do come and visit again next holiday as well."

It was almost time for their bus by this stage, so they all piled into a taxi along with Naina headed for the bus station. She had insisted on accompanying them that far, and nobody had refused, all for their own reasons.

When they had stepped out of the taxi and Navin had paid him, Naina did start to get a little upset. She loved it when Navin came to visit but parting with him in the end was always difficult. This time it would be extra hard as she also had to say goodbye to Raj and Tanu , both of whom she'd grown to like a great deal.

"I can't believe you're going already!" she told all three of them, "When am I going to see you again?" Remembering their mission, she made sure that she glanced at Raj while she said this.

"Well we won't get holidays again for awhile, sis, but you're definitely coming to the Republic Day celebrations aren't you?"

Naina nodded, "You know that I wouldn't miss it for the world, Bhaiyya." And besides, just think, her and Raj together again at the academy, Naina's mind was already working fast, thinking of plans to trick her brother…

Raj was obviously also thinking exactly the same thing because he had a particularly sneaky look on his face as if he was planning already.

Naina couldn't wait, she knew that their futures plans would all be fun to execute, but it couldn't possibly be as enjoyable as if her and Raj were together planning and carrying it out. He was likely to have a much better time for the next few months since he would actually be able to see the responses from Navin and Tanu to their actions. Naina would just have to rely on being told about it on the phone.

Finally it was time to go, and reluctantly the three friends prepared to leave Naina behind. Naina hugged Navin first, and then Tanu, and then watched as they both hurried into the bus, obviously hoping that if left alone together she and Raj might hug each other too, or perhaps (This was Tanu's hope at least) confess their undying love now that they were about to part.

"So this is it then," Naina told him, "I won't see you until January."

"Don't worry, Naina. It's only two months away." Raj told her, "And we've got lots to accomplish before then."

"Exactly!" Naina agreed with him, "We won't let them live in peace! We'll build up all their hopes only to break them!" She wondered if she was sounding a little bit too gleeful at this point.

Inside the bus, Navin and Tanu were both looking out the window at Raj and Naina while trying to pretend they weren't.

"Are they going to hug or not?" Tanu asked impatiently, "We haven't put in all this work for such a lame ending."

"I'm more curious about what it is they're actually talking about…" Navin said, wishing that he knew how to lip read. He had no idea what either of them could be grinning about so much considering that they were about to be separated. He would've liked them to be a bit sadder about it.

Naina tried to avoid looking at the bus window where she just knew Navin and Tanu must be observing them.

"So, uh, shall we hug now?" she asked him uncertainly.

"I think so," Raj told her, "It seems like the right time."

"But should I hug you or should you hug me?" Naina asked him, getting confused. "Which of them would be more romantic?"

Raj considered this question for a moment, "Well I think if I hugged you it would be more romantic, but it might be a little too forward of me. You should hug me instead."

Nodding, Naina stepped forward and put her arms around him, bumping her head against his chin in the process. "Sorry!" she exclaimed, "I don't do this type of thing too often!"

"It's perfectly okay," Raj told her, and put his arms around her, hugging her back. Naina convinced herself that they should keep hugging for awhile longer just to make a nice impression, and of course it didn't hurt that Raj's arms felt quite nice around her and she was quite enjoying the feel of his body against hers….

Okay, that was it, DEFINITELY enough hugging. Sometimes she didn't know where these thoughts came into her head from.

Stepping back reluctantly, she looked up at Raj. "So I guess I'll see you in January." She told him.

"I'll call you to let you know how they're both reacting once we reach KMA." Raj promised.

"Make sure you do that." Naina tells him, then he climbs onto the bus and goes to find his seat which is across the aisle from Navin and Tanisha.

Naina waits until the bus has pulled away and then goes to catch a taxi home. With all of the planning and scheming that is going to be started soon, she had better go and do some of her actual study now while she has the time.

**

Raj settles back into his seat with a smile on his face and pulls out a book to read, pretending not to notice that Navin and Tanu are both observing him closely while they pretend to read magazines. He can't believe what bad actors they both are. He thinks that he and Naina are much better in that department and definitely much subtler, these two seem like they've come straight out of some Ekta Kapoor serial.

"So how did you both like your holiday?" Navin asks, "Was it a good Diwali?"

"Oh it was excellent!" Tanu tells him, "I loved your family so much, Navin, they're all so sweet."

Raj just knows that they must have planned this conversation beforehand. Any moment now Navin will ask him too…

One….

Two…

"What about you, Raj? You don't regret coming with us, do you?"

"Of course not, it was much more fun than Diwali at my house. I think from now on I'll come home with you for all the holidays." Raj joked.

"Sorry if I didn't spend that much time with you," Navin apologised, "I hope you didn't mind getting left with Naina some of the time."

"No, Naina's a great girl!" Raj tells him happily, and then makes himself look embarrassed at how enthusiastic he was, "I mean, we got along really well so it was no problem at all." He continues a little more calmly.

Once again, Raj pretends not to notice the smiles on Navin and Tanu's faces which they both quickly hide. He's going to have to be incredibly careful from here on in to make sure they don't figure out what's going on. It's going to take a lot of planning and scheming, and some brilliant acting.

But with a partner like Naina, why should he be worried?