Navin gets up from his seat and kisses her forhead. "Chal bas kar ab. Jyada senti mat kar. Jab baki ki ladkiyaan dekhegi ke Captain Navin ro raha hain toh kya image reh jayegi meri unki saamne." Navin winks at her. She hits him playfully on his chest.
"Toh kaha hain mera gift?" Naina asks him again.
Navin hands over one packet to her and places his hand on her one shoulder so that he could hug her half. "Meri pyari behna, ye meri taraf se tere liye. Yeh tum tab pehnna jab tum Zindagi ka sabse khoobsoorat safar kisike saath shuru karna chahogi. Tab main samajh jaunga ke meri chhoti badi ho gayi hain. Main jahan bhi rahoonga tumhare saath rahoonga." Naina hugs Navin.
~~~~~
Naina wipes her tears. "Kya jaisa bhaiya ne kaha tha waisa main wo safar shuru karna chahti hun? Kya woh pal mere zindagi mein aa gaya hain?"
She decides something. Picking up that dress from bed she gets ready for the most beautiful evening in her life.
-----
Rajveer parks his jeep with a jerk outside at entrance gate of KMA and gets out of it. He checks his watch. It shows exact 7pm. He is not late. He told her to report him at 19 00 hours.
"Kya Naina aayegi?" Rajveer asks to no one specifically but then he swabs that thought.
He bends down in jeep and brigs out some file when Naina is reaching to him while setting her hairs last time from KMA's entrance gate. Meanwhile he again bends in jeep to check another file, at that very moment he senses presence of Naina and he turns out with jerk to look back to assure himself that he is right. Naina is there, standing in front of him. She gives him one bright smile. He controls himself and behaves like he doesn't remember anything. "Yes, Cadet Singh?" asks Captain Rajveer, mentor of Cadet Naina Singh, giving her a big questioning look.
"YES?" Naina is in no nonsense mood. So she asks him with little annoyance and says frankly, "What sir? Aapne mujhe nineteen hundread hours pe report karne ko bola tha toh main yahan aa gayi." He again checks his watch. It is showing still same time with some extra seconds. His mind is not ready to believe that she actually comes there.
"Aur aap chahte the ki main ek different outfit mein aayu toh... ye dekhiye." She motions him to look at her dress through her eyes. Naina has a triumphing smile on her face. Her expressions state that she completed all his conditions and now he has to fulfill his promise. He has no way to escape now.
With her that sentence, Rajveer observes her from up to down. She is wearing a simple white chudidar dress with silver shiny dots which graced with little embroidered dupatta. The silver long earrings are adding extra charm in her beauty. That small bindi on her forehead just goes perfectly with her girly beauty. She has not taken any extra efforts on her makeup. She put just little makeup with light lipstick. Her eyes are looking more attractive thanks to the kajal and eye liner which she perfectly put in her eyes. She sets her hairs free without any pony tail or anything, how he always likes. It is like a dream to him. Today, she got ready for him. He never thought that any girl could take this much efforts on her attire and beauty only for him. She is looking exactly how he wishes. How he always wants. Her cadet's uniform always hides her beauty but in that attire also she is world's most beautiful girl for him. For whom, he falls long back. He smiles genuinely at her.
"Ab toh main Point 1857 chal sakti hun na?" Naina asks him. For one second, he looks at her on her that questions and then hit her forehead lightly with the file which he has holding in his hand. Then he again looks at her. She is smiling at him. A small smile is playing on his lips also, a satisfactory smile for her stubborn behaviour. He surprised, that in reality, she has completed all his conditions. It is time after sunset when moon with his stars are showering his light on his love birds. Her dress and her beauty are adding a magic in that atmosphere.
Naina smiles at her wholeheartedly. "Bilkul chal sakti ho." Finally he says these words and turns back to bend in jeep to place that file back there when Naina asks him, "Sir, hum jeep se jayenge ya... kaise?" she throws her shoulders. He again smiles at her. This smile is little different from previous one. Once again all the control of situation is in his hand which some seconds ago was in hers.
"Naina point 1857 ki ye last condition hain." Turning half he comes 3 steps ahead and places his hand on jeep's upper part and again starts with his last but important condition. It is his last try to convince her for cancel her plan to visit at point 1857 so that he could avoid what he may has to face in way emotionally. Despite of all, if she doesn't change her mind, then this condition will prove profitable for him. So, at both ends, he is in advantage.
"Wahan par.." he points out towards hills. Naina looks at that direction. He takes his finger back while continuing to his condition, "...sirf paidal jaya ja sakta hain. Sirf paidal." He repeats his words. Naina crosses him and comes forward. She tries to see through that small flank of heap in front of them, which supposed to be their journey road for today. He observes her confused face from behind. "Ahhn... bina binoculars ke nahin dekh paogi." He tries to solve her problem by saying that there is no answer. Walking from right to left behind of her he continues, "Janti ho, point 1857 sirf door hi nahin balki KMA ki sabse unchi pahadi hain." He changes his gaze from heap to Naina, observing her each and every expressions, he repeats his words again and gives emphasis on each word, "SABSE UNCHI PAHADI." She is listening to him carefully with confusion on her face. She has a new challenge in front of her.
Walking again towards jeep he says, "Raasta thoda mushkil jaroor hain, unchai bhi thodi jyada jaroor hain..." he places his hand on jeep and looks at her innocently, "Lekin... chalega.. nahin cadet?" Mentor Rajveer is taking test of his protge.
Naina turns to look at him. Determination is evident on her face. She smiles looking at him. She understands very well what he is trying to do. She knows that he wants to shoot two shot in one bullet. He is a best shooter of Indian army and it is highly impossible that he could lose his shot. She realizes that with his one shot he is trying to avoid this visit and other shot is to examine her, to check her determination. But she is also Naina, his protge. She will neither call off their visit nor fail him as her mentor.
"Unchai jeetni bhi ho sir, lekin mere iradon se unchi nahin hain." She says determinedly. First he smiles to himself. He is not at all surprised with her those words but feels immense proud. He is expecting similar answer from her. Smilingly he turns to look at her. She smiles back. She bends her neck little towards left and gives him winning smile.
At last he accepts his defeat. There is no escape chance to him. So he asks, "Tum nahin manogi?" She gets surprise with his those words. So her doubt was right. He was avoiding it. "Aur waise bhi sir, rasta jitna lamba ho utna acha hain. Utna jyada waqt milega... HUMEIN." She emphases last word. "Haan, wo toh..." He was going to express what his heart wants. What she said is the reason why this condition is so important for him. But he controls himself and asks her, "Kya matlab?"
Naina knows what she just has spoken. But still she reacts innocently, "mera matlab, rasta kitna bhi kathin kyun naa ho sir, aap toh hain na mere saath... HUMESHA?" he stares at her. She smiles at him and asks, "Chalein?" He continues to stare her for some seconds with small smile, "Chalo." Raising eyebrows replies Rajveer. For one second he glances at the direction of point 1857 and then turns to look at Naina. But Naina is happily looking at that direction where her life would get a new turn.
*******
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