PART FORTY-NINE:
Raj was sitting on a couch lost in his thoughts...
He didnt even realise when Naina entered the room.
Naina looked at him. He was sitting, resting his elbows on his knees and bent over to rest his chin on his entwined hands. His face showed rage, pain, grief and helplessness.
Naina tiptoed and sat on a chair in front of him. She was staring at him continuously. Finally, after what seemed as eternity, he sighed as if lost and shook his head. As he looked in front, he was startled and collapsed on the couch with his eyes wide and hands on his heart.
" NAINA !!! " , he said astonished.
" Kyun? Aapne pehchana nahi?", she asked innocently, " Aur yeh kya reaction tha...aap toh aisa behave kar rahe ho jaise koi bhoot dekh liya ho!"
She said checking her face, as if everythings okay or not.
" Shut up! Aisa koi karta hai kya? Abhi mujhe heart attack aajata! ", he said scolding, " Aise mat daraya karo...!"
" What?? Main darawni hoon?? Theek hai..toh main chali jaati hoon yahase.", she said angrily.
" Arey meri maa ruko! ", he said grabbing her hand, " mera matlab tha, tum achanak se mere saamne aagayi toh main...you know i was kinda startled."
" What?" , she laughed , " Main peechle aadhe ghante se aapke saamne baithi huyi hoon. Par aap pata nahi kaha khoye huye the? Aisa kya soch rahe the aap?"
" Kuch nahin...", he said and turned his face away, lest she would know he was lying.
" Theek hai, mat batao. Aaj ke baad main bhi aapko apni koi problem nahi bataungi.", she said annoyingly.
" Yeh kya baat huyi?" , he turned to her immediately.
" Yeh bilkul sahi baat huyi! Main hi aapko har waqt apne problems se pareshaan karti rehti hoon, Jabki aap mujhe apni problems share karne layak bhi nahi samajhte." , she said sadly.
" Aisi baat nahi hai Nia...", he said sitting on the couch and burrying his head in his hands, " Par main..."
She sat besides him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She waited for a while, but he didnt move. Finally, she made him look at her.
" Tell me..." , she simply said, looking deep into his eyes, trying to gauge what's going on in his mind.
He took a deep breath and, " Naina, main ab aur bhi behtar samajh raha hoon, uss waqt tumhe kaise laga hoga, jab tumhe pata chala ki maine Naveen ko..."
She put her hand on his mouth, " Maine aapse kitni baar kaha hai ki aap...huh! leave it! Tell me what's really bothering you.."
He removed her hand from his mouth and held it gently.
" Nia, maine Lala Gehlot ko apne pitah ki jagah maana, apna mentor, apna idol maana aur ussi ne...he...bloody traitor ! Ussine Naveen ko phasaya, tumhe maarne ki koshish ki aur mujhe...jisse woh apna beta kehta tha..."
Naina sensed his grip on her hand tightening, and so was his turmoil increasing.
" Mujhe maarne ki kitni koshish ki usne !"
He smirked, " Jaanti ho, KMA mein aaj tak jitni baar bhi mujhe maarne ki koshish huyi hai woh Lalaji ki wajahse.."
He was teary.
" He raised me, inculcated patriotism in me...how much I used to respect him. Aaj samajh aa raha hai, issmein bhi unhone apna long term benifit hi socha. Ab samajh raha hoon, Naveen aur Abhi ko chodke unhone mujhe kyun chuna! I was an orphan..! haah! Aur main...I'm such a fool..I didnt suspect him, even for a second !"
" Issmein aapki koi galati nahi hai...aap kyun apne aap ko takliff de rahe ho?"
" Nia main... I promise you, i won't spare him! He'll have to pay for his deeds...but..", He said with certain helplessness, " Pata nahi Main tumhe kaise samjhau..ki.."
She smiled. She has not missed him unknowingly using the word ' Lalaji' instead of Lala.
She turned him towards her and held both his hands.
" RV, I can understand what you are going through. Jab bhi aap Lala Gehlot ke baarein mein sochte hai, you go through a turmoil. Aap achchi tarah samajhte hai ki woh ek traitor hai, par kahi na kahi woh Lalaji aapki aankho ke saamne aajate hai, jo aapke mentor the, aapke idol...aapke godfather the."
Raj looked at her surprised. ' How come she understood?' , he thought.
He bent his head on their joined hands and sobbed, " Nia, believe me...I'm not weak. I'll do everything to punish him...par samajh nahi aata in sab ke bawajood bhi kyun woh cheeze aaj bhi aankho ke saamne aarahi hai. I know I'm wrong...mujhe uss baaremein sochna hi nahi chahiye..."
" One sec RV ", she cut in, " Aapko kisne kaha ki aap galat ho?aapka unke baarein mein woh sochna obvious hai...afterall he supported you when you needed it. He supported your living, help you achieve your goal, though with ulterior motives. So, it's okay. Agar aapke man mein Gehlot ke saath bitaaye kuch achche pal aate bhi hai, toh it's not a crime!"
" Nia, but how am I supposed to concentrate on my mission like that?"
" Very simple! jis Lalaji ne aapko support kiya, jo aapke Mentor the, Godfather the, aap unke khilaaf thodehi na lad rahe ho. Woh aapke dil main safe hai, yaad bankar. Hum jis Lala ke against lad rahe hai, woh ek traitor hai, deshdrohi !! Think sir, kya ek traitor aapka mentor ban ne layak bhi hai? Kya woh aapka Godfather ho sakta hai?"
Raj shook his head.
" Nahi na? ", she said, " And thus you are not acting ungrateful to the person who helped you to be the person today."
Raj shook his head smiling widely, " You know I'm such a fool! Bekaar mein kabse pareshaan hota raha, jabki mere problem ka itna simple solution tha tumhare paas!"
" So, you see my dear, kabhi kabhi apni problems bhi share kar leni
chahiye.", she said smiling back, happy that finally he smiled.
" Hmm...", he said turning silent suddenly.
" Kya hua?"
" Kuch nahi...kabhi kabhi tumhara trust dekhkar darr lagta hai. pata nahi main iss layak hoon bhi ya nahi...", he looked at her, " Darr lagta hai Nia, agar main iss mission mein kamyaab nahi hua toh..."
" Pehli baat, don't insult my judgement...", she said smiling mischeivously , " Agar main aap pe trust karti hoon,toh...ofcourse you are worth it !"
He laughed.
" Aur aap iss mission mein jaroor successful honge! Aisa mera aap pe vishwaas hai, RV."
She held his hand squeezing slightly.
" So just believe in yourself...", she said looking straight into his eyes, " coz, I believe in you, Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat !"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A month or so later...
No sooner did Naina entered ( as usual without knocking...) than he started,
" Nia, Yeh main kya sun raha hoon?"
She was confused...
" Kya???"
" Ab Zyada bholi banne ki koshish mat karo...atleast mere saamne toh nahi."
She was startled at his stern expression.
' Yeh aaj itna gussa kyun hai mujhpe? Maine toh kuch bhi nahin kiya...Naahi koi rule toda...aur vrat ke baare mein toh sirf Pooja ko pata hai...phir?'
" Kya hua? aise chup kyu khadi ho ab? Tumhe ab tak toh yeh baat samajh me aajaani chahiye thi ki tumhari koi baat mujhse kabhi nahi chupti."
"Ma..matlab?" , Now she was unsure whether he knows about it or not.
" Matlab yeh,ki tum mujhse kya chupa rahi ho?"
" Kuch bhi toh nahi..."
" Theek hai ", He sighed loudly and then picking up a pastry from the table,said sweetly, " Ahh..yeh maine specially tumhare liye order ki hai...khao na."
" Aap ko kaise pata?", Naina said...finally surrendering.
" Maine kaha naa? tumhari koi baat,kabhi bhi mujhse nahi chup sakti!"
" Pooji ki bachchi! Zaroor usne koi gadbad ki hogi.", Naina muttered.
Raj laughed.
" Ab usse bura bhala kehne se kya faaida? Infact, i want to thank her. Warna mujhe toh kuch pata nahi chalta."
" Pata toh chal hi jaata na...aapke bina thode hi vrat kholti main..."
He gave her a look and said sternly,
" Tum yeh bevakoofi nahi kar rahi ho...maine lunch order kiya hai...chup chap khalo."
" KYUNnn?" , She whined like a kid.
" Woh issliye Cadet Naina Ah' Singh,kyunki tumhari strenous training,classes...nahi,koi zaroorat nahi hai yeh vrat brat rakhne ki."
" Par drills, classes ka vrat se kya relation?"
" Are you insane?Your trainings are becoming harder and harder day by day,and tum isstarah bina kuch khaaye peeye...Jaha tak maine suna hai paani tak allowed nahi hai!"
" RV, agar kal ko hum front pe ho aur hame khaana ya paani na mile toh kya hum ladna chod denge?Nahi naa? Toh fir? aur waise bhi mujhe kuch nahi hoga."
" Nia we are not having any arguement over this.I said this is final !!! tum koi vrat nahi rakhogi! Aur agar tum nahi maani toh main tumhe zabardasti kuch khila doonga!"
" Par kyun? It's my first Karwachauth. Aap aisa kyun kar rahe ho?"
Raj now understood ki Naina pe Zor zabardasti kaam nahi aayegi.
Agar usne order kiya bhi hai,toh woh uske bilkul opposite hi karegi.
Usse bas pyaar se samjhaya jaa sakta hai...
" Dekho Nia, its all superstition. Aisa kuch nahi hota hai..."
" It's not superstion, it's my belief !"
" Listen Naina...", But before he could continue,
" Maine toh socha tha ki aap kabhi mujhe woh cheez karne se nahi rok sakte jisse mujhe khushi milti hai..." , Naina said sadly.
Rajveer was touched.
He cupped her face looking affectionately at her ," Tum naa...apne dosto ke saath reh rehke full on Nautanki banti jaa rahi ho."
She just smiled.
" Pleaaase RV !"
" Nia tum mere liye...iss tarah din bhar...bhookhi pyaasi..."
" Shshhh" , he was silenced by her finger on his lips...
" If anybody's husband is worth fasting for, then it's mine. Aap keliye yeh karne me mujhe bahot khushi milegi..."
Raj was overwhelmed...He just hugged her tight, promising her mentally that he will make her first karwachauth very very special for her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They were driving for last half an hour...and now Naina was getting highly impatient.
Rajveer had ordered her to be at the back gate at 1600 hrs,sharp !!
Previously he wasnt ready to divulge anything regarding reporting there, but on making puppy face, starved for food, Naina managed to get out atleast this information that there was a surprise for her.
For the rest of the day she was super-excited!
She was bang on time at the meeting point, and had asked Raj every 5 min since they started, about the place where they were supposed to go, but Raj didnt budge.
" RV !! ", Naina screamed out of patience now, " Ek toh bhookh ke maare meri haalat waise hi kharab hai aur aap ho ki mujhe bata bhi nahi rahe ho ki hum ja kaha rahe hai ! Agar aapne ab mujhe nahi bataya na, toh I swear, main issi waqt jeep se kudd jaungi ! "
Raj laughed out loud and while she gave him an annoyed look, kissed on her cheek.
" Jaan...surprise ka matlab bhi samajhti ho??"
" Huh !! Nahi batana hai na, theek hai then...bye bye !"
" Hang on Nia !! ", Raj said , " Jab maine tumse kaha ki vrat mat rakhna,toh kya tumne meri baat maani? Nahi na?? toh fir ! Yeh meri zidd hai...samajh gayi ! "
" Par RV ...", Naina whined..
" NO means NO !!! "
Naina finally leaned back on the seat, knowing very well that Raj too had a point !!
In another 5 mins, they reached a small bunglow in the outskirts of Ambala...
Raj looked at Naina, who was looking at him questioningly.
" Hum yaha kyun aaye hai? Yeh bunglow hai kiska?"
He simply smiled and got down...coming to her side, he took her hand and with bow said, " Please..." asking her to get down and accompany him inside.
Raj fished out a bunch of keys and opened the gate with one of them.
Naina and Raj entered the gate and walked through the garden...
Garden wasnt completely developed, many new plantations were seen...
but the by the look of it, it was seeming to be beautifully planned.
Naina was getting more and more curious by the passing second.
She stood in front of the bunglow along with Raj, holding hands.
In the evening sun, the bunglow formed a beautiful sight as if it was on the canvas, with mountains in the background...chirpy birds returning to their abode...
Naina stood there unmoved, when Raj nudged her...
" Chalein?", he asked...seemingly pleased at her reaction after coming here.
He led her to the door and Naina got biggest shock of her life !!!
She was stunned looking at the Name plate and stared alternately at Raj and the name plate, open-mouthed !!
The bunglow beared a beautiful name plate at the door, displaying,
" Mrs. Naina Rajveer Singh Shekhawat "
" RV...yeh...", she didnt know what to say," Kab..kya..i mean.."
" Yaha se guzarte huye meri nazar ek baar iss bungalow par padi...aur pata nahi kyun...mujhe yeh apnasa laga...i decided to buy it...aur ek maze ki baat batau? Jiss din hamari shaadi huyi...ussi din mere broker ne yaha yeh deal finalise ki..!! and I knew...this is meant to be our house."
" Fir itne din mujhe bataya kyun nahi?"
He shrugged..
" Shayad Main wait kar raha tha...kisi special occasion ka.."
She smiled, " Anyways...I'm too happy to be annoyed with you for keeping me away from my home for this long."
He kissed her forehead and whispered, " Ghar tumhara intezaar kar raha hai Nia...chalein?? "
She tried to smile, stopping the tears daring to fall and finally gave him a biggest smile...and nodded.
Raj smiled and open the door...
" Ruko ! ", he stopped her as she was entering.
He brought a tile laden with wet cement and placed in front of her.
" I want to keep this memory of your first step in our house, forever with me."
Tears shone in her eyes.
She held his hand and made him stand beside her again.
" Maine kaha tha na RV...ki main aapke bagair ek kadam bhi nahi chal sakti? ", she said smiling at him meaningfully.
Raj held her hand tightly, stopping the rush of tender emotions at her loving gesture.
Together...hand in hand...Raj put his left foot on the tile, while Naina put the right one...and thus entered their abode of happiness...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He took her hand and handed her the keys...
" Yeh lo...sambhalo apne ghar ki keys...aaj se mere saath saath yeh ghar bhi tumhari responsibility hai."
Tears fell on her cheeks...
" RV...", Naina said overwhelmed only to be stopped by Raj's finger on her lips...
Kuch na kaho, kuch bhi na kaho
Kuch na kaho, kuch bhi na kaho
She again tried to speak, but he pulled her closer with a jerk,holding her by her waist...
Kya kehna hai, kya sunna hai
Mujhko pata hai, tumko pata hai
He nuzzled her nose,kissing at it's tip..
Samay ka yeh pal tham sa gaya hai
She put her hands around his neck lovingly.
Aur is pal mein koi nahin hai
They shook their heads lightly together ...
She jabbed a finger at his chest while Raj looked at it...
Bas ek main hoon, bas ek tum ho
He stroked her chin...as she gave him a bashful smile.
Kuch na kaho, kuch bhi na kaho
Naina was happily following Raj, who was showing her around the house.
Marvelling at the beauty of the place, they reached the terrace...
Setting sun was giving away a breath-taking view from amongst the mountains...
Kitne gehre halke, shyaam ke rang hai chhalke
Naina stood spell bound when Raj hugged her from behind and kissed on her neck...
She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but her dupatta slipped of in the attempt,to be carried away by the breeze blowing away to its glory...
Parvat se yun utre baadal jaise aanchal dhalke
Naina ran behind her duppatta...
Naina was having hardtime catching it, while at the same time managing her open hair...
Kitne gehre halke, shyaam ke rang hai chhalke
Raj smiled at the adorable sight and followed her...
Parvat se yun utre baadal jaise aanchal dhalke
He lifted her up, twirling around...the dupatta wound around her face and then slowly descended her down and the dupatta fell on top of their heads,covering both of them...
Aur is pal mein koi nahin hai
Bas ek main hoon, bas ek tum ho
She nodded childishly...
She gave a quick peck on his cheek and ran away before he could react...
He was left behind...smiling at her antics...
Kuch na kaho, kuch bhi na kaho
The night fell..and finally moon appeared...Naina performed the rituals...
Somehow, Raj had taken care of necessary things with the help of Shalini.
Naina was shocked as Raj held a glass of glucose drink to feed her instead of water.
" Yeh kya hai RV? paani kaha hai?"
" Arey paani baad mein pee lena...subah se bhookhi pyaasi ho...tumhari
sugar low hojayegi..."
Naina laughed out aloud..and hit his head lovingly muttering " paagal.."
She took the glass of water and signalled him to come forward first...
" Arey tum mujhe kyun? Vrat toh tumne kiya hai..."
" Haan...I know maine vrat kiya hai...but somehow I also that, ki jabse aapko pata chala hai ki maine vrat rakha hai, aapne bhi kuch khaya piya nahi hoga...", She smiled as he tried to avert his eyes, " aur haan...hum glucose drink pikar nahi..paani se hi vrat kholenge, alright?"
He laughed and nodded.
Both feed each other some sweet and rushed to the coffee table in the hall as she was super hungry !!
The hall...which right now just had two bean sofas,a bean bag and a coffee table...
The house was modestly decorated...with not much furniture and all...Raj had made an attempt to decorate it...
" But anyways...it's your responsibility after all...", he said, " to decorate this house according to your taste."
Naina nodded happily and said, " And RV...maine toh ghar ka naam bhi soch liya hai..."
" i'm waiting..."
" We'll call it ' The BLISS'...", said she, " Kaisa laga?"
" Perfect !! "
And luck you may call it...The current went off...paving the way for a candle light dinner..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some time later...
Raj called up and confirmed with Shalini if everything was okay at the academy and was Naina's absence being properly covered up.
Shalini wondered where exactly Raj had taken Naina...
" I've taken her to The Bliss..."
" Bliss?"
" Yeah Bliss...Phir kabhi bataunga..."
Shalini smiled.
" Ohk Captain! have fun !"
He disconnected the call and looked for Naina.
She was standing in the balcony...with her eyes closed...allowing the cool breeze to hit her face...her hairs swaying...caressing her face...
Raj was staring at her from the doorway. She was looking like an angel. Yeah...An angel which has brightened his life with her magical presence and filled it with happiness.
He came to stand beside her and placed his hand on hers.
She looked at him and smiled, but he was gazing her lovingly.
She waved in front of him...
" hello...!!! RV...kaha kho gaye?Aise kya dekh rahe ho"
" Kuch nahin.",he looked away embarassed of being caught staring at her,
" Nia... tumhe gift pasand aaya?"
" Bahot...isse pyaara tohfa aaj tak kisine mujhe nahi diya...mera apna ghar...HUMARA ghar RV !! " , she said dreamily.
And Raj adored her more and more as she said "Humara Ghar" ...
She took his hand in hers...
" RV...aapne mujhe hamari nayee zindagi ki buniyaad di hai !! Isse pyaara gift aur kya ho sakta hai?"
Raj kept looking at her...adoring her more and more...
Naina felt shy...she removed her hand from his grip, trying to move away, when he pulled her closer with a jerk,leading her to collide against his chest.
Naina closed her eyes in his embrace and Raj could hear her heart beating erractic...
Sulgi sulgi saansein, baheki baheki dhadkan
He held in front to look at her to his heart's content. The look in his eyes melt her heart and she hid her face in his chest to hide her blush...he smiled and wrapped his arms around her...
They slowly slipped against the balcony railings to sit on the floor,still in each other's arms...while his intent gaze causing her stomach to do somersaults...
He pulled her face closer and She closed her eyes...
Maheke maheke shyaam ke saaye, pighle pighle tan mann
He gazed at his beautiful wife...
WIFE... That one word fills his heart with immense happiness and content.
Naina smiled as he held her face tenderly...
" Nia..."
She shivered as she heard him call her... She cannot understand why her heart beats so fast whenever he calls her, whenever he looks at her...
Sulgi sulgi saansein, baheki baheki dhadkan
That intent look...which makes her stomach churn inside everytime...
She blushed and closed her eyes more tightly.
Maheke maheke shyaam ke saaye, pighle pighle tan mann
He brushed his lips on her cheeks and began showering her face with feather light kisses, while she surrendered herself to her love and holding him closer to herself.
Aur is pal mein koi nahin hai
Bas ek main hoon, bas ek tum ho
Finally he kissed softly on her eyes and she slowly opened them... still feeling shy but looked straight in his eyes...
Kuch na kaho, kuch bhi na kaho
And as he looked into hers, he found nothing but Love.
And the unquestioning trust that those beautiful eyes held for him, made him overwhelmed.
Kya kehna hai, kya sunna hai
His eyes didn't leave hers instead he came closer to her.
Heart was racing... his hand touched the back of her neck,which sent chills through her, woke her entire body.
Slowly he drew her to his lips...
Mujhko pata hai, tumko pata hai
Samay ka yeh pal tham sa gaya hai
Their first kiss... so soft... slow... so warm and inviting... she didn't want to stop. With his other hand she could feel his fingers through her hair, their kiss lasted an eternity...
It felt so right ... so magical...
Aur is pal mein koi nahin hai
Bas ek main hoon, bas ek tum ho
The blush that covered her cheeks deepened some more and he smiled as he leaned his forehead against hers...
" I love you.", she whispered.
He smiled and kissed her lips softly,briefly, before crushing her to him.
" I love you too.", he whispered in her ear, as the soulmates found solace in each other's arms forgetting everything around them...
Kuch na kaho, kuch bhi na kaho
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a long time Naina opened her eyes.
She found herself in his arms and his arms wrapped tightly around her. She smiled dreamily and closed her eyes again...and then suddenly opened them. She looked at the time...
" RV...RV utho..", She tried to separate herself from his embrace but he had held her tightly.
" RV...dekho bahot der hogayi hai..."
" Kya hua Nia? Kyun chilla rahi ho?"
" Main chilla rahi hoon? Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat aapne time dekha hai? "
" Nia...jab tum istarah mera pura naam leti ho na...toh mann karta hai...", he said coming closer, but she put her hand to stop him.
" RV...It's 10.30 !! Hame academy waapis bhi toh jaana hai...agar uss muchchad ne pakad liya na toh phir..."
" Main hoon na !!"
She smiled..." Haan...par ab chalein?"
" Aaj jaane ki zid na karo.." , he began singing.
She laughed and almost dragged him out of the house to the jeep.
When he started the jeep,
" one sec RV!"
He smiled at her adoringly and they left for Academy...
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13