"Phir?",
she asks, puzzled, what else can he refer to?
Taking his seat in front of her, Rajveer takes a deep breath, and looks towards her. A smile creeps on his lips, as he finds, her state of confusion, very adorable. He resists himself from pressing her puffed cheeks.
Lowering his eyes, a measure to resist his innate desires, he dares to tell her,
"Tumhe main wahan firse tabhi le jaunga, agar tum har roz lights out hone ke baad mujhse milne aao!"
(Fast Rajveer-Naina tune begins)
Having said that, he looks up at her, to know her reaction.
Utterly surprised on listening to his condition, Naina looks towards his, with her eyes slightly wider than normal. This brings a smile on Rajveer's face, he arches an eyebrow, daring her to protest!
"Main apse... aise... raat ko... kaise... nahi... main ye nahi kar sakti! Kisi ne dekh liya to?",
she says. Her words coming out in an uneven way, as she loses her sense for some moments on listening to his demand! Can he really be serious about this?
Sighing, looking at her, he mirrors her manner of speaking,
"Main tumhe... aise... raat ko... kaise... nahi... main ye nahi kar sakta! Kisi ne dekh liya to?",
he says acting to be worried about the world!
Naina narrows her eyes on him. Her this gesture makes Rajveer to laugh.
Sighing, she asks, hesitatingly
"Aap mujhse kyun milna chahte hain aise?"
Smiling, he asks back,
"Tum mere saath firse kyun jaana chahti ho aise?",
and raises a brow.
(Rajveer-Naina fast tune begins)
Their lips stretch into smiles. Both of them know the reason why she is asking him to take her to Point 1857, again and also why he wants to meet her, alone! So what's the need of asking?
Sighing, he looks away from her for fraction of seconds to gain his composure.
"To tai raha, tum mere conditions purey karogi; main tumhari khwahish puri karunga",
he puts forward his condition.
Naina continues staring him, with a little smile on her face.
(Rajveer-Naina slow tune begins)
As Rajveer notices her looking at him, that way, he doesn't disappoint her by ending the eye contact.
"Aap mere samne conditions rakh rahe hain?",
she asks him slowly, acting to be innocent. Never ending the eye contact, with the pinch of smile intact.
He plays along, creasing his brows, he puts on his face, the gesture that shows that he didn't understand what is she pointing towards!
"Matlab? 'Cadet' Singh...",
he deliberately asks her, fully aware about what she is pointing towards.
"Main to kayi baar apke samne conditions rakhta hun. Akhir main apka...",
he trails off, prolonging the period of her wait, to listen to his words. He enjoys it, her getting vulnerable, with each passing moment. Her getting impatient to listen to what he wants to say. Of course, of course he won't let her lose her control, he'll be there to guide her. But sometimes a man can dream! Although he is a tough soldier, but right now it is not Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat, it is rather Rajveer talking!
Rajveer enjoys noticing how suddenly her face turns serious. How her cheeks glow. They must be emitting heat at a great degree, he imagines. How it must feel if he tries to sooth it; if he tries to touch it, he imagines.
"Aap mere... kya?",
she dares to ask him.
(Fast Rajveer-Naina tune begins)
A slow smile stretches on his lips, as he looks towards her.
"Anyways...",
saying so he ends the eye contact and relaxes.
"Tumhari sari classes theek ja rhi hai?",
he asks.
"Haan. Wohi purana routine, Major Nayyer ka humein difficult task dena aur humara ussey complete karna. Lekin fir bhi Major Nayyer ka apne nature se opposite na ja kar, humein as usual koi bhi chote se faltu reason ke liye punish karna",
she sighs, after completing the line almost in one breath. Then she looks towards him.
To her surprise he wasn't looking angry, pissed off or anything. He was rather smiling. This took Naina by surprise.
"Aap hans kyun rahe hain?",
she asks.
Smiling, he says,
"Kabhi-kabhi main sochta hun, tum gussa jab hoti ho to tum kitni energetic ho jati ho suddenly".
Then eyeing her, he utters under his breath,
"Agar kisi se pyar karne lagi to to uss bechare ka kya hoga pata nahi!"
She doesn't miss his words. She narrows her eyes on him and asks,
"Kya? Kya kaha apne?"
Hiding his smile, he acts innocent and says,
"Maine... kahan? Maine kya kaha?"
After staring him for sometime, her eyes asking him to stop being so innocent, she suddenly gets an idea of teasing him back! What has gotten into her? How can she behave child like? Where is the mature Naina Singh Ahluwalia? How can she fail? But this failure of the mature and stubborn Naina is a victory for Rajveer! He wants her to become carefree. To act like a girl of her age should actually be like - bubbly, doing crazy things, enjoying with friends, spending time with her lover - if any!
'Saiyaan... Naino ki bhasha samjhe na... Naino ki bhasha samjhe na... samjhe na!'
"Haan... I guess aap theek keh rhe hain. Maine to ye kabhi socha hi nahi?",
says Naina, acting to be thinking.
This certainly drags Rajveer's attention. Creasing his brows, he asks,
"Kya? Kya nahi socha?"
"Agar main kisi se pyar karne lagi to kya hoga?"
(Rajveer-Naina fast tune begins as they stare each other. Naina with a wicked smile on her face. Rajveer, tensed, his brows creased)
Lowering his eyes, fidgeting with his fingers, giving silently to himself all the courage, he brings himself to ask,
"Kya tum... mera matlab...",
he looks back towards her, staring her for some seconds, he clears voice and continues asking,
"Actually P..ooja... Pooja keh rahi thi...",
he tries hard to calm down his accelerating heart beat. Naina tilts her head a little to the left, gauging his reactions throughout, with a smile on her face, blush on her cheeks. She asks in a low voice, almost like a whisper,
"Kya keh rahi thi Pooja?"
(Slow Rajveer-Naina guitar tune begins)
Slowly, he looks towards her, into her eyes. The gaze, succeeds in warming up her cheeks. The smile starts vanishing gradually. Her breath hitches. This is of course not the first time, but again today she lets herself to admire his beauty. His eyes which attract her to him the most, she notices them. How gradually they are turning dark! This is not the Captain Rajveer she knows! This is someone else. She dares to think this is Rajveer, her Rajveer!
"Kya tum Huda se...??",
he finds it difficult to complete his question out of hesitation.
Naina doesn't fail to understand his incomplete question!
(Fast Rajveer-Naina tune begins)
Although understanding his unuttered words perfectly, but Naina shows herself oblivious to his question. Her demeanour does change a little, but she regains her normal self in fraction of seconds, not ready to give him the satisfaction of having completed his work without much effort here. No, if he had the guts to even think the idiotic possibility; then he must show the courage to ask her directly.
Showcasing herself oblivious to his question, Naina creases her brows as if curious to know what he wants to say. As if she doesn't know already, she asks and dares him to reply, with the expression of hers,
"Kya main Huda se... kya?"
Rajveer looks into her eyes, all serious. Naina completely pissed off by now doesn't hesitate to stare back. This time she is confident that she is not at fault, so why to shy?
But when was she ever at fault, when it comes to about Rajveer? Is admiring, liking, loving someone is wrong?
"I mean... I know mujhey koi haq nahi hai but just...",
Rajveer hesitates to complete his question. But Naina being Naina waits patiently for him to ask her!
"Bataiye Sir kya kehna chahte hain aap?",
she asks him boldly.
Rajveer very slowly, afraid that he might hurt her feelings by asking her the question. But anyhow he manages to ask her,
"Kya tum Huda se pyaar...",
he stares her throughout, gauging her reaction. He notices how she furrows her brows, that indicates that he disappointed her by asking the question. Or may be it is too personal a question for him to ask her. Hell can someone tell him that if she was comfortable in going to POINT 1857 with him; rather she would love to visit again there, then how can she dare to share such bond as he is pointing towards with someone else?
(Fast Rajveer-Naina tune begins)
Getting up immediately, Naina stares him, disappointment visible on her face.
Still sitting at his place Rajveer looks up towards Naina. His cheeks start heating up under her constant angry gaze! Knowing that he has committed a mistake, he waits silently for her to punish him. He was totally at her mercy.
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