Chapter 18

 

EPISODE – 30

 

"Naina... Naina open the door." Navin was shouting outside Naina's room constantly banging the door. But she was not opening it. Neetika and Rajveer stood beside him.

"Woh nahin kholegi yaar. Tu jaanta hai use. Ek kaam kar abhi ke liye use akela chod de... Subah baat karte hain." Rajveer suggested.

"Lekin yaar..." Navin wasn't too sure if he should do that.

"I think Raj is right." Netika intervened.

"Fine then...I hope subah yeh is tarah se behave na kare."

 

Three of them left the corridor and returned to their rooms. None of them had a difficulty figuring out it was Alekh on the other side. In a way it made Navin happy to see two of them drifting apart but he could not see Naina upset.

 

Next morning they again tried to talk to Naina. They knocked on door and this time in around five minutes the door finally opened. Naina was standing in front of them. Her eyes half closed and she was sleepy. Tears had dried down on her cheek and her eyes looked swollen. She had been crying till late.

 

"What?" Her voice sounded husky... partly because she was sleepy and partly because crying had choked her throat.

"Shukar hai tune darwaza to khola." Navin said as he entered inside the room. Neetika and Rajveer followed him inside.

 

"Are you okay?" Neetika asked.

"Yes." Naina replied rubbing her eyes.

"Shakal dekh ke to nahin lag raha!" Rajveer commented.

"Maine bola na I am fine." Naina was feeling a bit irritable.

 

"Alright you are fine... to kya ab tu yeh bataaegi ki hua kya hai." Navin was also equally irritable.

"Kya hua hai... Kuch bhi to nahin!" Saying this Naina again crashed on her bed. She had a bad headache. She pulled her hairs in a bun and rubbed her forehead.

 

Three of them stood still staring at her continuously.

"Can you all please stop staring?" Naina commanded.

"Of course... only if you tell us ki hua kya hai." Rajveer said.

"As if you don't kno ki mera aur Alekh ka jhagda hua hai."

"Haan pata hai... lekin kyun hua yeh nahin pata." Navin looked at her questioningly.

"Is it the reshuffling issue ya tumhara sudden disappearance without a proper leave." Rajveer asked her.

 

"Reshuffling? What is all that?" Navin exclaimed.

"Kuch nahin... Boss mera 7 am slot change karna chahte hain. Isi baat pe hamari argument ho gayi aur main Alekh ko unofficially inform karke mussourie chali aayi."

"So that's the problem."

"Nahin."

"Iske baad bhi kuch hai."

"Haan hai!" She shouted. "Problem yeh hai ki he is an INSECURE IDIOT."

"Yeh to mujhe bhi pata hai ki he is an idiot." Navin murmured under his breath.

"I can hear that."

"Naina come directly to the point now... Problem kya hai?"

"Problem yeh hai ki usko lagta hai ki...ki...." She stopped. She was hesitant to continue.

"Ki... what?"

"Ki main use two time kar rahi hoon and I feel nothing for him."

"What?" Neetika exclaimed.

 

"Wait a minute. Two time... so who according to him is that second man in your life." Navin asked after a long pause but Naina remained quiet.

"Naina speak up!" Navin was loosing his patience.

She stared back at him furiously for a while before she answered in a barely audible voice.

"Raj."

"What?" Rajveer was shocked.

"Haan use lagta hai ki main tumhare liye kuch special feel karti hoon... And that too just because main tumhare saath Mussourie gayi thi and now we are here together in Goa.  And he believes that liking in our case is mutual."

"That's insane... Yeh...." Rajveer could not complete. A smirk on Navin's face stopped him from that.

"Now what's with you?" He asked Navin.

"Yaar mujhe yeh Alekh shuru se hi idiot lagta tha but I guess he has got some brains."

"What's so brainy about him?" Naina fumed.

 

"Do mahine lage to lage... But even he can see that after this."

"See what?" Rajveer asked.

"Yehi ki..."

"Ki Naina aur main... Abey Naina teri behen hai... Behave like a brother. Uske liye protective hone ki jagah tu use hook up karne ke chakkar mein hai... and that too with your own best friend!"

"No... With her best friend. And I am not trying to hook you guys up. Main wohi keh raha hoon jo I can feel for last... can you believe it... more than 5 years."

"What? You are loosing it Navin... Niti yaar samjha ise."

"Yeh kya samjahyegi... mujhe to phir bhi 3 din lage the isko to ek din mein samajh aa gaya tha."

 

Rajveer gave up. He knew there is no point explaining them anything. They apparently had made up their mind.

 

"Ho gaya aap logon ka?" Naina asked after all of them were quiet.

"Haan." Rajveer said crossly.

"Good! Mujhe laga tha you'll help me. Lekin meri problem solve karne ki jagah aapne meri problem badha di hai so now thank you very much. And now... Please get out!"

"Teri problem ka ek hi solution hai. Forget Alekh. He's not worth it."

"OUT!!!!!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

 

********

 

Couple of hours later, Rajveer saw Naina sitting all alone near the pool side of the hotel.

"Still upset?" He joined her.

"You don't expect me to feel at the top of the world."

"That was a bad shock.... Navin ka dimaag kharaab ho gaya hai."

"Hota hai... hota hai... Jab insaan dil se zyada sochne lagta hai na to dimag begins to malfunction."

"What kind of logic is that?"

"Bade kamaal ka logic hai. It helped me take a decision."

"What decision?"

"Yehi ki Bhaiyya was right."

"What?"

"Arrey nahin... Not about you! Alekh!"

"Kya kiya hai tumne?" He looked skeptical.

"Kuch khaas nahin... Bas usko sms kiya hai ki main raat ki flight se Delhi aa rahi hoon."

"Okay... but ismein Navin ka kya contribution hai?"

"Ufff... Didn't you get me? Maine usko call nahin kiya...sirf ek message kiya hai aur woh bhi absolutely impersonal. Bhaiyya was right... I should forget Alekh. Meri life se aadhi tension khatam ho jaayegi."

"Are you sure about it?"

"Positive."

"But baaki ki aadhi problem ka kya?"

 

She turned and gazed at him for a while.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Soch rahi hoon."

"Kya?"

"Yehi ki tum dekhne mein achche khaase ho... Actually you are quite good looking. You are sweet and most of all... My best friend."

"Naina... Tumhare iraade mujhe kuch theek nahin lag rahe." He cut her in between.

Her eyes lit up with mischief. She was upto something. A big grin spread over her face.

"Tum mere Boy Friend banoge?"

"WHAT??" It was the last thing he could expect her to say. Her behavior was weird and intentions... Only two people knew about that... Either herself or GOD!

"Areey chill! Asli nahin nakli. Bhaiyya ko yeh prove karne ke liye ki zaroori nahin hai ki best friends best life partners bhi bane. Aur mujhe Alekh ko bhi jealous karna hai."

"Bad idea Naina. Absolutely not happening."

"To tum kya chahte ho... Bhaiyya aur Niti bhi hamari tarah jaa ke humein bina bateyein hamari wedding fix kar aayein. You know they were not kidding."

"Exactly... it's not a joke!"

"Aur main bhi serious hoon."

"But..."

"Dont be a spoilsport."

"Naina... It's a bad idea. Kuch gadbad ho gayi to."

"Gadbad? You mean to say ki agar humein sach mein pyaar ho gaya to? Koi problem nahin hai... Hum nakli affair ke baad asli shaadi kar lenge. Aur waise bhi mera aur Alekh ka break up to ab koi nahin rok sakta. To humein to shaadi karni hi thi na...Jaisa ki kal humnein decide kiya tha."

"That's not funny."

"Isliye to main keh rahi hoon... Seriously... Ki mera saath do. Okay it's decided... we are doing it. Abhi dosti khatam aur romance chalu!"