LRL: My Cadet FINISHED on page 41 - Page 24

hey great going

replying after a long time dear

sorry for that not well at all

down with viral fever

great update pl continue soon

Hi everyone, thanks for your lovely comments, and I hope that you get better soon, Yogini!

Chapter 43:

Naina had been in a state of excitement for the past few weeks, ever since she had heard the news.

Finally, after six long months, Raj had been given leave.

She was disappointed that Alekh and Yudi wouldn't be coming along with him, but at least this way she didn't have to decide who she would be spending her time with. He would be arriving on Friday evening to spend the weekend before flying back on Monday morning. Naina was disappointed that it was for such a short time, but she knew he couldn't afford to be away from his soldiers for long. And Raj had promised that next time he would get leave after another three months rather than six.

Meanwhile, Naina had been driving Pooja and Neelu absolutely crazy with her behaviour. She was constantly fixing up things around the house, moving them to different places and cleaning things that weren't even dirty. A day before he was due to arrive, Pooja sighed in frustration as Naina adjusted a vase on the table for the hundredth time that week.

"Naina, just give it a rest!" Pooja had to stop herself from yelling at her friend, "I know you're excited about your Veer coming, but really and truly, there's no need to trouble that vase so much before he does!"

Casting one last anxious look at the vase, Naina left it alone and came to sit on the couch beside Pooja and Neelu.

"I'm sorry guys," she told them, "I know I've been a pain to live with for the last week, but I just want everything to be perfect when he arrives."

"Naina, trust me," Neelu said to her in a reassuring tone, "The moment he arrives he'll be so busy looking at you that he won't have time to notice our house at all."

Naina blushed at this, her heartbeats quickened just thinking about him, a strange warmth spread through her body when she imagined seeing him again, her whole skin tingled at the thought of his touch. She was so on edge that she could barely sit still. Whenever she tried to sit down she would get up again, needing to find something else to do to keep herself busy. She wondered if Raj was this affected as well, whether he was just as eager to see her, just as distracted from his work.

She didn't know how right she was, and that hundreds of miles away in Ladakh, Raj lay sleepless in his bed, unable to get her thoughts out of his head.

**

Class ended at 3pm and Naina had been planning to rush home to start cooking for that evening, since Raj was expected to arrive at about 5pm. He was going to have dinner with all of them, since Neelu and Pooja wanted to see him as well. Naina knew that they would have the rest of the weekend to themselves, so she didn't mind sharing him with her friends for one evening.

All day long she had barely managed to concentrate on her studies, the only reason she didn't give up was because she knew Raj would've been disappointed with her if she did. As soon as the bell struck three and the class was dismissed, Naina rushed outside, barely waiting for Pooja she was so excited. It was only when she had run down the steps of her college to the pavement outside that she skidded to a stop, her heart hammering against her chest, barely able to believe the sight in front of her.

There, looking as handsome as ever, and wearing his dress uniform, stood Raj, leaning against the hood of a jeep. Naina's breath caught in her throat, she lost all power of speech and stood frozen as she stared at him, so solid and real in front of her. She had waited for this moment for six months now, had imagined it, prayed for it, but nothing could have really prepared her for the sudden rush of happiness when she finally saw him face to face.

It was then that Raj looked up from examining his watch, and the smile that spread over his face was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.

Unable to control herself any longer, Naina ran towards him, throwing her arms around him with such force that Raj was forced to step back slightly, in order to brace himself. Grabbing Naina around the waist while her arms were around his neck, he picked her up and swung her around in the air, crushing her tightly to himself. Naina didn't care about the fact that they were on a public footpath and that half of her fellow students and some of the teachers as well had stopped to watch what was going on. All she cared about was that Raj was in front of her, real and not a dream. She wanted to kiss him right then, and would've too if some of the naughtier girls in her class hadn't broken into cries of 'oooooohhhhh', always ready to tease somebody.

Naina blushed as Raj put her down, running his hand through his hair in quite an embarrassed way.

"Oy, missed calls, put yourselves on silent mode!" Pooja lectured them angrily, "My Zaara hasn't seen her Veer for six months, let them have their personal talk time!"

Shrugging, the girls from the class quickly moved off, having learnt quite early on that it wasn't a good idea to mess with Pooja.

Although he had now put her down, Raj kept a tight grip on Naina's hand, almost as if to reassure himself that she really was there.

"You're early," she told him, "We thought you would arrive at five."

"I managed to get an earlier flight," Raj replied, "I thought I would surprise you by turning up to meet you."

All Naina can do is gaze at him, drinking him up with her eyes. She is broken out of her daze by Pooja's small cough in the background.

"Naina, I think I'm going to go to the library to do some extra study." She told her, "Why don't you take Rajveer Sir home now and I'll be there around five?"

Naina looked at her friend gratefully, knowing that Pooja was just trying to give them some time alone together.

"Are you sure?" Raj asked her, looking a little uncomfortable and embarrassed. As much as he wanted the time alone with Naina, he felt bad about turning Pooja out of her own home.

"Yes I am," Pooja said, trying to hide a smile, "I need as much study time as I can get, these books are so difficult." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and headed back to the library.

Reluctantly letting go of Naina's hand, Raj motioned for her to get into the jeep. Both of them had so many things to say to each other that they had no idea at all where to begin. The silence was a comfortable one, but there was a type of tension in the air, both of them aware of the fact that they were about to be alone together for the first time in months.

Naina gave Raj directions to reach their apartment, which thankfully wasn't too far away from the college, since the amount of time he spent looking at her rather than at the road was sure to cause an accident.

As soon as Naina opened the door and let him inside, she began explaining nervously that she hoped he liked the place and that she hadn't been able to clean it properly yet since she had thought that he was coming at five.

But Neelu had been right, Raj wasn't interested in looking at the apartment, the only thing he seemed to be interested in looking at was Naina. Naina found herself blushing under the intensity of his gaze, the longing and the desire in it.

As Raj took both of her hands in his, slowly turning them over, running his thumbs over her palms in small patterns, Naina shivered.

"I missed you." Naina whispered to him, barely trusting herself to speak. It was all the invitation Raj needed to finally lean down and kiss her. He kissed her as if he had been starving for her for months, waiting for this one moment when they could be together again. As Raj kissed her, he tangled his hands in her hair, bringing her face even closer to his than Naina would have thought possible. Stepping back slightly he leaned his forehead against hers, his arms on her shoulders.

"I missed you too." Raj whispered, causing Naina to giggle slightly.

"I can see that." She told him, and he smiled at her in a way that would've melted her heart if it hadn't been done so long ago.

Raj leaned forward to kiss her again, only to have Naina hold up a hand to stop him.

"What?" he asked her confused, "Too fast?"

"No, not at all." Naina told him reassuringly, "But… the door."

Raj looked across to where she was gesturing to see that in his haste to kiss her, he hadn't even let her close the door on the way in. Laughing, with one hand he reached out to close it, turning the lock as he did so.

"Better?" he asked her.

"Much better." Naina told him, "You know, the neighbours…"

"Yes, we don't want Mr and Mrs Sahni getting calls about what their tenant is doing in their apartment." Raj joked.

"And what am I doing in their apartment?" Naina asked him somewhat flirtatiously, "I don't think that we've done anything yet that the neighbours could complain about."

"Well we can change that very easily." Raj informed her, and reaching down, he scooped her up into his arms, and carrying her down the hall, headed for the rooms there. Stopping in front of one door, he looked at Naina questioningly.

"No, that's Neelu's room." She told him, "Mine is the one on the right."

Swinging her around, he opened the door to the room with one hand, before shutting it with one foot while they were inside. Raj placed Naina on the bed gently and then sat down beside her, examining the room for the first time. There was very little furniture besides a bed, dresser and wardrobe. The most prominent thing in the room were the photos that Naina had everywhere. Some of her and her batchmates and friends, some of her and Raj, and some of Raj by himself. Raj smiled, thinking of his own room in Ladakh and the number of photos that he had displayed there.

Naina was now sitting cross legged on the bed beside him, and he reached out to touch her cheek as she leaned into his touch.

"I really, really, really missed you." He tells her, unable to express properly exactly how much he had longed for her while they'd been apart. "All of the letters and phone calls still couldn't make up for your absence."

"I know," Naina told him, taking his other hand in hers. "I crave just to hear your voice on the phone. When you send me a new picture then I'll spend hours looking at it."

"I know it's hard," he told her, now using his hand to draw patterns on one of her crossed legs, "But it's not forever, when you graduate we'll get married, and be able to be posted together."

Naina nodded, not trusting herself to look at him, she focused on the hand that was on her leg instead. Finally able to find her voice, she whispered the thought that had been in her head for the last six months.

"Do we really have to wait until I finish my studies to get married?" she asked him, still not looking up.

If she had had the courage to look at him then she would've seen the look of pleasant surprise on Raj's face, and the smile that was slowly spreading across it.

"I mean, if we got married now, then you would be eligible for leave more often," Naina explained, "We wouldn't have to wait to see each other for so long, and…" she stopped, unable to finish the sentence as a blush came to her face.

"Naina, look at me" Raj told her, tilting her chin up with one hand, meeting Naina's eyes, he told her very sweetly, "Naina if that's what you really want, then we'll get married tomorrow. I just thought that since your parents…"

"I don't know if they're ever going to agree." Naina told him sadly, "I don't want to waste my whole life waiting for their consent. I want you."

The look on Raj's face changed, his desire for her very easily seen. "Naina," he said her name softly, moving closer to her on the bed. "I have all these good intentions and then whenever I see you, they just melt away."

Naina took a very deep breath before saying her next sentence. "When did I ever tell you that you needed to have good intentions?" she asked him.

Raj's eyebrows raised at this, at the unspoken permission in her sentence. He moved even closer so that the distance between them was now merely centimeters, his leg brushing hers.

"Naina, don't do this to me," he whispered, "You know it's not the right time."

"Then when will it be the right time?" she asked him, "I'm not saying that we should… but there's nothing to stop us, and…"

She's unable to complete her sentence because Raj leans forward over the short distance between them, pressing his lips to her hungrily. The force of his kiss almost takes Naina's breath away, as his hands roam up her back, pressing her to him even more tightly.

Suddenly he broke away from her, breathing hard and barely able to speak. Loosening the cravat around his neck, he pulled it off before turning back to Naina.

"Naina, you had better be sure about this, or else stop me now." He told her, with a hint of desperation in his voice, "Because I'm not sure if I'll be able to stop myself later."

"You don't have to be so good all the time." Naina tells him. "Sometimes you should think about what you want too."

"I want you." He tells her quite simply, "And only you, but Naina…"

He can't finish his sentence because placing her hands around his neck, Naina brings his face forward again to meet hers, kissing him with such sweetness that he thinks he could quite gladly die here and now, without any regrets.

Lowering himself down so that he was now lying beside her, Raj ran his hand down Naina's side and onto her leg, gripping it through the thin cloth of her salwar as he kissed her neck. Reaching up, Naina began to undo the buttons on his shirt, fumbling slightly due to her rush and nervousness. Trying to help her, Raj's hand just gets in the way and they both start laughing nervously. Finally his shirt is undone, and Raj shrugs it off in haste throwing it somewhere behind him without bothering to check where it lands. He kisses Naina again, almost losing all remaining control as she bites his bottom lip lightly. She tugs his singlet out from where it's tucked in his pants, trying to get it off him and failing until Raj raises his arms to help her. The singlet joins the shirt somewhere on the bedroom floor.

Naina runs her hands over his bare chest and back for the first time, loving the feel of his hard muscles underneath her hands. Raj leans into her touch, while he kisses her jaw, her neck, her shoulder, pushing the material of her top lower so that he can reach more of her skin.

"Don't you dare rip my kameez." Naina warns him jokingly, "If you try to push it any lower then it's definitely going to break.

"Then help me get it off you." He tells her, completely serious, "Or I'm not going to be responsible for what happens to it."

Raising her back off the bed slightly so that he can slide her top up, Naina shivers as Raj leans down to kiss the soft skin on her waist that is now exposed. He's just about to take the top off her completely when the sound of the front door opening disturbs them both.

"Hey Naina, I hope I'm not too late to help you with the cooking!" Neelu calls out as she enters the house, both Naina and Raj freeze where they are, staring at each other with horrified expressions. They know it's only a matter of time before she comes looking for Naina in her room, and when she opens the door…

Which she does right then. "You know, it was such a busy day at college today, but I was thinking that…"

She stops as she suddenly notices the scene in front of her, Raj half naked and practically on top of Naina, Naina's flushed face and clothes all askew. It's perfectly obvious what she's just walked in on.

"Oh shit." She says, "I'm so sorry, I should've knocked, I just thought that he wasn't coming until five, and now…" she tries for a more normal tone of voice, almost as embarrassed as the both of them are. "So uh, how are you Sir?"

"Neelu you were never my cadet, you don't need to call me Sir." Raj tells her, sitting up straight and disentangling himself from Naina. He looked around the room, trying to work out where his clothes had gone. Finally spotting his singlet he grabbed it and put it on as quickly as possible.

"I'll just uh, go." Neelu tells them, turning around quickly, "I just remembered that there's something really important I have to do at college, and…"

"You don't need to go, Neelu." Raj told her, "We'll just uh, tidy up a little bit and then…"

"Right," Neelu replied, still looking very embarrassed to have disturbed them. "I'll just, go and begin preparing dinner." And then she practically ran from the room.

Naina looked at Raj with an expression that was half apology and half regret.

Raj sighed, "It's a sign, I know it." He told her, "It's telling me that I shouldn't be trying to do anything with you until after marriage."

"No," Naina told him, "It's just bad luck, we should've realized that Neelu would be coming home from college."

"In that case, then next time I'll be taking you to my apartment instead." Raj told her, his voice full of promise.

Naina quickly adjusted her clothing and ran her hands through her hair to straighten it, then glancing back at Raj who was still buttoning up his shirt, she left the room to find Neelu sitting on the couch, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"I'm so sorry, Naina." Neelu told her, sounding as if she truly meant it. "If I had known then I would never have…."

"It's okay, Neelu." Naina reassured her, "It was our fault for not realizing that you might be coming home." Picking up her phone from the bag she had dropped on the sofa earlier, Naina sent a message to Pooja telling her that she could come home now. When Pooja walked in the door fifteen minutes later it was to find Naina and Neelu both in the kitchen working on dinner, and Raj in the loungeroom, reading a magazine while still looking quite embarrassed.

Walking into the kitchen, she looked Neelu up and down, then pulled her aside, taking her into her bedroom. "Oy, unwanted caller." She told her, "Didn't you get my message not to come home?"

"I left my phone at home by accident today." Neelu replied sheepishly, "I swear of all the days…"

"You didn't disturb them did you?" Pooja asked, and at the guilty expression on Neelu's face she exclaimed, "You did, didn't you? I can't believe this!"

"Trust me, I would've preferred not to." Neelu assured her, "It was incredibly embarrassing, and I don't think I'm going to be able to look Rajveer in the eyes ever again."   ;   ;

"I can't believe you!" Pooja said, still very annoyed, "How would you like it if somebody disturbed your talktime with Alekh?"

"Well at least we've had some talktime, whereas these poor things…" Neelu shook her head, "I really do feel bad about it. Do you think we should leave them alone?"

"No, that would probably just make them more embarrassed." Pooja replied, "We'll just have to act normal and then give them some time alone together tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Pooja, I promise that when Ali comes to visit I'll make sure that I don't come home for the whole day." Neelu said sincerely.

Pooja giggled at that, "Ali is such a good boy, I don't think he's got any type of intentions like that before marriage. You probably wouldn't be disturbing us at all."

Neelu suddenly got a mischievous look on her face, "Well that may be true, but when Alekh comes to visit, I'm warning you now…"

"Bas, bas! I don't want to know!" Pooja said, putting her hands over her ears, "What you and Alekh do together is your own business, I'll be staying well away from the house!"

Laughing, the two girls left the room to rejoin Naina in the kitchen, finding that Raj had moved from the couch and was now perched on a bench, watching her cook.

"I wanted to help," he explained, "But she won't let me." Neither Pooja nor Neelu could miss the looks of adoration and affection that Raj was sending in Naina's direction. Evidently Naina had noticed it too, by the way she had started blushing again.

From then on it was more relaxed as Raj seemed determined to put the earlier embarrassment behind them, and enjoy his time here in Delhi. They joked and chatted while the cooking was done, Raj happily telling them about how well both Alekh and Yudi were doing and how they would both be coming for a visit in three weeks time.

While Alekh would be going straight there, Yudi would be stopping off in Ambala first to visit their parents, and, although nobody said it, everybody guessed, to visit Shalini.

They ate their dinner while still chatting about all of their friends, and what had been going on since they had last seen each other. Raj was able to tell them a lot more about the situation at the border than he could've in calls or letters. Luckily it was quiet at the moment, with no trouble expected in the near future, but they still needed to be alert.

It was quite late by the time they finished dinner, and after much insistence, Raj was allowed to help them wash up. It was then with some reluctance that Raj announced he should head back to his own apartment and that he would see them in the morning.

"You don't have to go, you know." Naina told him hopefully, "You've got your bag in the car, you could always stay the night here."

"Yes Sir, you could sleep on the couch!" Pooja told him helpfully, knowing how important it was to Naina to spend as much time with him as possible.

"You could even sleep in the bedroom, we wouldn't mind." Neelu announced, before suddenly realizing exactly how embarrassing that statement was when Pooja kicked her in the leg.

"Thanks guys, but I had better go." Raj told them, with one last look of regret at Naina, "I don't want to start your neighbours talking."

"There's no problem with the neighbours, Sir!" Pooja told him, "I doubt they even noticed that you arrived, and if they ask then we'll tell them you're my older brother."

Raj allowed himself to be convinced to stay the night, but insisted that he would be sleeping on the couch. Bringing him a pillow and a blanket, Naina waited until the other girls had gone to their rooms before kissing him goodnight sweetly and heading to her own room. Shifting on the couch until he was comfortable, Raj was very aware of the fact that Naina was only one room away, but he realized that now was definitely not the time. Tired from the journey, he went to sleep quickly, not even noticing when Naina crept out of her room quietly to sit on the floor looking at him.

The moment that Pooja got up in the morning and came out to the lounge room she had to stifle a laugh, then she knocked quietly on Neelu's door to tell her to come out and see. There, Raj and Naina lay together asleep on the couch, one of his arms draped over her, his head buried in her neck.

Quietly the two girls left the lounge room, heading back to their own rooms.

This time they would make sure that Naina and Raj weren't disturbed at all.

u have united them in a perfect way....seriously 😊 😊 ...it cudnt have been better....right amount of excitement , passion , love , care....everything... 😳 😳

this has to be ur best part ever written....and long one too!! 😊 😊

i luvd the scene where naina ran into his arms...!!!perfect...the same is in movie 'guru'...i liked it then n there only....

uff neelu... 😡 😡 ..seriously that ws embarassing one for trio 😆

thnx fr the loooooong part....update soon...they still ha a day off wid them... 😉 😉

excellent part yaar.....just wished that neelu had not disturbed them........plz continue soonnnnnnnnnnn 😛

hey too good dear

sorry forlate reply

not well dear down with fever dear

pl continue soon

I absolutely agree with you liquidfantasy.

Thanks for all the comments guys, especially your very long one, liquidfantasy!! I hope you feel better soon, Yogini!! Sorry this wasn't up sooner, the internet was down at the place I go to last night!

Chapter 44:


For the third time in his life, Raj experienced the heavenly feeling of waking up with Naina in his arms. He thought that if there was a feeling that he loved the most in the world, it was surely this, her soft body cradled against his, her silky hair brushing against his face. Awake, but not quite ready to get up yet and abandon this feeling, Raj pulled Naina even more closely against him, marveling at the way the curves of her body fit so perfectly against his. Naina made a small noise that sounded like contentment. Raj tried to remember how she'd ended up there in the first place, but he only had a faint memory from the night before of Naina climbing onto the couch, taking his arm and draping it over her while he was still half asleep.

Despite the immense amount of desire he felt for her, he had decided that Neelu's intrusion the night before had been a sign. Despite the length of time he had known Naina and even the amount of time they had officially been in a relationship, they had never really had the chance to date properly. He knew that Naina hadn't had a relationship before this, and he wanted her first, and hopefully only, experience to be memorable. They had a whole lifetime ahead of them, there was no need to rush anything. As hard as it would be to have a proper relationship when he was hundreds of miles away most of the time, he could at least try his best to let her be a normal girl for awhile with a normal boyfriend.

Leaning over, he planted a kiss on her cheek, and then another on her temple close to her eye. Naina grumbled slightly, obviously not wanting to get up anytime soon.

"Come on, Naina, wake up." He whispered in her ear, and Naina slowly opened her eyes, blinking into his face due to the sunlight now streaming through the window.

"Good morning," she whispered sleepily, "When did you wake up?"

"About five minutes ago, sleepy head, when did you join me last night?"

"I'm not sure," Naina admitted, "I woke up in the night and wondered why I was sleeping alone when you were just in the next room."

Raj desperately wants to kiss her after this comment, but he's afraid that it might lead to a repeat of yesterday with one of her friends walking in on them. Instead he sits up, helping Naina to do so as well, although she starts leaning against his shoulder instead.

"I haven't slept properly for days," she explains, "I was so excited about you coming to visit."

Raj strokes her hair as she leans against his shoulder, before placing a kiss on the top of her head. "You really can't imagine how much I miss you when I'm not with you." He tells her.

"If it's anything like how much I miss you, then I think I can." Naina replies.

"So shall we get ready then?" Raj asks her.

"For what?" Naina asks him, suddenly excited at the thought that he has something planned.

"You'll see," Raj promises her.

**

After showering and dressing, they sit down to have their breakfast with Pooja and Neelu have now decided that it's safe to come out of their rooms. As Naina takes the dishes into the kitchen, Raj uses the opportunity to speak to them.

"Uh, I want to ask a favour from both of you, you especially Neelu."

"What is it, Rajveer?" Neelu asks him, instantly curious.

"Well it's about yesterday, and what you saw… could you promise me that under no circumstances will you ever tell Alekh about it?"

Pooja almost burst out laughing as soon as Raj said it. "Really, Sir, you're scared of one of your ex-cadets?"

"Oh believe me, Pooja." Raj told her, "I'm not scared for my sake, I'm scared for his. I don't want Alekh to have to be tried for attacking one of his senior officers."

**

Shortly after this, Raj and Naina left the house, each dressed in casual clothes, Raj in jeans, a button up shirt and jacket, and Naina in simple pants and a top, similar to what she would wear in her academy days.

"So where are we going today?" she asked him, unable to stop herself from smiling when he reached over to hold her hand as they walked towards the jeep.

"Well Naina, today we're going to go on a proper date." He told her, "We've never actually had one of those."

Naina realized that he was right, after everything they'd been through together, and how far their relationship had progressed, they never had actually been out together as a couple. Even at Ali and Pooja's engagement they had been pretending that they hadn't come together in front of Brigadier Chandook. Naina couldn't believe how girly and excited she felt by his announcement, it would be nice to pretend that they were just a normal couple for awhile with no problems other than those that other normal couples had.

Raj couldn't miss the wide grin on Naina's face, and he squeezed her hand before letting go to get in the jeep. "So where to first?" Naina asked him, Raj just smiled.

For the rest of the day they were literally inseparable, never letting go of each others' hands except when absolutely necessary. Even when Raj let go of her hand it was usually to put his arm around her shoulders or waist instead. They strolled around Connaught Place, Naina having to refuse every time Raj spotted something that he would like to buy her, but still by lunch time they both had a collection of bags which were mainly presents for each other. Naina had insisted on buying Raj a new watch and having it engraved with a message from her. He was pleased by the gift, knowing that this way he would be reminded of her every single time he checked the time. She had also bought him various shirts, while he had bought her a variety of outfits, and some sets of earrings as well as some bangles. That was the best part of the shopping experience, being able to slip bangles onto Naina's wrist in order to see if they fit and how they looked.

Finally when their shopping was done, they stopped for lunch, sitting together in a booth at the back of a quiet restaurant, where they could happily romance with nobody to disturb them, offering each other bites of the food and nudging each others' feet.

It was in the afternoon that they went to see some of Delhi's tourist attractions. It didn't matter that Raj had already seen them before, as had Naina, with the other by their side, both of them saw the scenes through new eyes. It was then that Raj got the idea of where to take Naina the next day, pleased with himself for thinking of it.

They watched the sunset together at Jantar Mantar, Naina's head leaning on his shoulder, holding hands. They didn't need to speak at that moment, they just enjoyed each others' company. Afterwards, they headed home quickly to change as Raj had told Naina that they would both need to be in formal wear for the dinner that night.

As soon as they got home she began to worry what to wear, throwing outfit after outfit on the bed before she finally chose a long blue dress with straps and a full skirt. She came out to find Raj looking even more dashing, having changed his pants and shirt to look more formal, along with one of his best jackets.

"Shall we go?" he asked her with a smile, offering her his arm, as behind his back Neelu and Pooja both made thumbs up signs to Naina.

The rest of the evening passed like a dream, as he took her for dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in the city before they danced to the live jazz band. Leaning her head on his shoulder as she swayed in his arms, Naina couldn't help thinking how perfect this day had been.

It had been worth waiting more than a year to finally be able to spend time with Raj properly.

He dropped her back to her apartment quite late at about 11pm, and was about to go when Naina stopped him.

"You know you don't have to go." She told him hopefully, "I'm sure the girls wouldn't mind if you stayed over again."

"I think that twice in two days is probably pushing our luck," he told her, "I really don't want to get you into trouble with your neighbours and Mr and Mrs Sahni."

"You're Pooja's brother, remember?" she told him, "And it's not as if Yudi, Alekh and even Ali won't be staying here when they come to visit."

Cursing himself for being so easily convinced, Raj allowed her to lead him inside, where Neelu and Pooja were still awake and watching television.

"Hey you two are back earlier than we expected," Pooja told them, "We thought that you would be gone another couple of hours at least."

"Or not be back at all…" Neelu whispered so that only Pooja could hear it, earning herself an elbow in the ribs.

"Well we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow, so I didn't want to get Naina home too late." Raj told them, looking as if he wanted to say something else but wasn't sure how.

"Are you staying here tonight, Sir?" Pooja asked him innocently, "You know I really think you should, after all, why go home to an empty apartment when you can stay here with us?"

"Uh thanks, Pooja." He told her, "I was just…"

"Going to accept our offer and stay the night!" Neelu cut in quickly before he could say anything else, "But on one condition! Rather than sleeping on the couch, you'll go and stay in Naina's room."

Both Raj and Naina suddenly turned red, remembering exactly what Neelu had walked in on in the morning.

Neelu just rolled her eyes, "There's no need to be so embarrassed about it," she told them, "And if Alekh has any objections then he's a hypocrite."

At the continued look of embarrassment and discomfort on their faces, Neelu thought that she'd better explain herself further. "I'm not telling you two to go and do anything together!" she burst out, leading to relieved sighs from both Raj and Naina, "Just go and sleep in the same room. At least that way you won't both wake up all cramped from trying to fit on the couch."

"Neelu, just shut up now and let's go to bed." Pooja told her, practically dragging Neelu away before she managed to say anything to embarrass them even further. "Good night, Naina! Good night, Sir!"

"Good night, Pooja." Raj called out as she continued to go down the hallway quickly, taking Neelu to her room. Naina struggled not to laugh, no matter how embarrassing her friends could be at times, there was never a dull moment while they were around. Looking at Raj shyly, she had a slight motion with her head. "I'll just go and change." She told him, disappearing into the bedroom and shutting the door while she changed into her nightware. Raj also went into the bathroom in order to put his pajamas on.

When he came back he stared at Naina mixture of emotions in his eyes, her hair was now undone and resting on her back, the pajama top that she was wearing had only thin straps, exposing her shoulders.

"I, uh, think I should go back to the lounge room to sleep." Raj told her honestly.

"I trust you," Naina told him, taking his hand and leading him to the bed.

"That's what I'm worried about." Raj told her, "Maybe you shouldn't trust me so much."

Naina just smiled and lay down beside him, pulling his arms around her waist. Raj happily nuzzled her neck and shoulders gently, placing soft kisses there. Without waiting for permission he placed one hand under her top so that in lay on the soft skin of her stomach and then tried to control his breathing, knowing that his heart was beating way too fast.

Slowly they both drifted off to sleep, feeling safe, loved and warm in each others' arms.

**
The fourth time in his life of waking up with Naina and it was still the best feeling that he'd ever experienced, well that is, except for kissing Naina, hugging Naina, Naina's smile… Raj decided to stop making the list before it got way out of hand.

Instead of waking her up, he watched her as she slept, propping himself up on one arm for a better view. She opened her eyes not long after that, obviously having realized that he was looking at her. Smiling happily, Naina pulled him down for a good morning kiss, ruffling his hair with her fingers.

"So what are we doing today?" she asked him sleepily.

"Well I thought that in the morning we might go see a movie," he told her, "And then after lunch it's a surprise."

"I like surprises." Naina told him, "Especially if they're your surprises."

And so that morning they went to see a movie just like a normal couple. Raj was happy when Naina chose to go and see a comedy rather than soppy romantic film. He bought them popcorn and a drink to share, and didn't take his arm from around her shoulders for the whole movie. He still had his arm around her shoulders when they walked towards the jeep.

"So where are we going now?" Naina asked, as they ate their lunch. Raj just smiled mysteriously.

"You'll find out soon enough," he told her, "Just be patient."

Naina made a face at this, obviously not liking the idea of having to be patient for anything. Laughing, Raj paid the bill and led her out of the restaurant, still holding her hand.

It was only when they had turned onto the highway leading out of Delhi, that Naina began to get an idea of where he was taking her.

"Are we going where I think we're going?" she asked him.

"I've heard that it looks the most beautiful at sunset." Raj told her, "Let's see if it's true."

Leaning over from her seat, Naina planted a kiss on his cheek. "This is the best surprise ever." She told him, "I've never been to the Taj Mahal before."

"I went a long time ago." Raj tells her, trying to keep his concentration on the road.

"Not with a girl?" Naina asks him, a little jealously.

Raj just laughs, "No, not with a girl, actually it was with my parents when they were still alive."

Naina just nods, she already knows about the accident that killed his parents when he was a teenager.

"But I've heard that it looks even more beautiful when you see it with somebody you love." He continued, looking across at her with a very affectionate smile.

"Then it should be the most beautiful sight I've ever seen." Naina replied.

They arrived in Agra about one and a half hours before sunset but it took them a long time to negotiate their way around the city and then find parking since it was the high tourist season. So by the time they actually entered the complex of the Taj Mahal, there was only about an hour left until the sun was about to set.

Naina stared at it in amazement, holding on to Raj's arm tightly. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. They strolled around the complex taking in the various sights, before heading over to the actual Taj Mahal for a closer look. Naina was glad that she had chosen to dress traditionally that morning in a beautifully embroidered white churidar kameez.

She smiled with such an innocence that Raj felt he could just gaze at her and keep gazing, without ever getting tired of it. Tugging on his hand, she dragged him around to see various things, exclaiming over everything she discovered. Near the entrance they had their photo taken by one of the men offering to do so, wanting to have something to remember this day by.

Sitting at a distance on the grass with their arms around each other, they watched the sunset as it glinted off the white marble and the inlaid gemstones.

Raj could have said any number of clichd things at that moment, about how he wished he could build a memorial to their love, or how people would remember them in the future, but there was no need to. Instead they sat there in silence, enjoying the moment.

Their love needed no words or promises, it was perfect already.

MINDBLOWING part yaar....raj is so romantic..i wish i can have a boyfriend like that.. 😆 plz conitnue soon...

What guys, only one reply??? I'm so disappointed!!! But thanks Ami! Anyways, I hope that at least you'll all reply to the next one!

Chapter 45:

Since it was already dark by the time they left the Taj Mahal, Raj decided it would be best to drive back to Delhi as soon as possible. After all, Naina had college in the morning and he had a flight in the early afternoon. However when he reached the highway, Raj frowned seeing the massive build up of traffic in front of them. With traffic like this, they would be lucky to reach Delhi before the morning. Asking one of the policeman who was trying to direct traffic, Raj found out that there had been an accident involving several trucks and cars, and that traffic was unlikely to be cleared for several hours at least.

"What do we do now?" he asked Naina, "We could always stay in Agra for the night, but you have class in the morning."

"Raj, I'm currently topping my class," Naina told him, "I don't think that skipping one morning is going to make that much difference. But what about your flight?"

"If we leave early tomorrow then we'll definitely make it back in time for my flight." Raj informed her, "It doesn't leave until 2pm."

"Then maybe we should try to find a hotel." Naina told him, "Otherwise we'll be sitting in the car all night waiting for this traffic to clear."

Turning the car around quickly, Raj headed back towards the city, noticing that many other people were doing the same thing. For the next hour, they searched for a hotel but every single place they went to was full. It was the high tourist season, and many people who had been heading back to Delhi had been stuck in the traffic jam and decided to stay as well.

Finally, deciding to try his luck, Raj stopped the car at a five star hotel, figuring that most people would probably prefer not to stay in such an expensive hotel if they had the choice so there might be some rooms empty.

As he went to walk towards the entrance to ask, Naina stopped him with a hand on his arm, "Raj, we can't afford to stay in a place like this." She whispered.

"Of course we can, Naina." He told her, "It's only for one night and I have enough money."

"But it's…"

"No buts, for the past few years I haven't had anybody to spend my money on, therefore I have quite a bit saved up. And besides," he took her hands as he said this, "I would much rather that you stay somewhere like this than in some very cheap hotel."

Naina tried to protest again but Raj held up a hand to silence her and led her towards the hotel foyer, holding her hand.

"I was wondering if you have any rooms free," he asked the person at the desk, "We got stuck in the traffic jam due to accident and need somewhere to stay for the night."

"You're very lucky, Sir." The clerk told him, "We have only one room left and that's because the occupant cancelled their reservation an hour ago."

Raj looked uncomfortable and was about to tell him that they would go somewhere else, when Naina suddenly spoke.

"We'll take it," she told the clerk, "Thank you very much."

Raj stared at her as if to say 'What are you doing?' But Naina just indicated that she would explain to him once they reached the room.

"We could've found another hotel with two rooms," Raj told her, once they were in the room and the door was closed "We didn't have to accept this one."

"Raj, it's okay," Naina reassured him, "We might have had to search all night for a hotel with two rooms available or we might not have found one at all. This will be fine for us."

Despite the confidence in her voice, Raj couldn't help but notice that she kept adjusting her dupatta nervously. He was very aware of the fact that they were alone together in a hotel room where nobody could disturb them, not friends or house mates or party guests. By the way Naina was avoiding meeting his gaze, he guessed that she must have realized this too.

Noticing that she was wrapping and unwrapping the edge of her dupatta around her fingers again and again, Raj gently took Naina's hand in his and made her sit down on the bed.

"Naina, just because we're alone together in a hotel room, it doesn't mean that anything actually has to happen." He reassured her. "We'll just go to sleep and then tomorrow morning we'll get up early and head back to Delhi. You don't need to be so nervous."

Naina nodded silently, still not looking up. She held on tightly on Raj's hand, and he had the feeling that she was trying to say something but failing. Naina sat like that for awhile, neither speaking nor moving, until finally she looked up to meet Raj's eyes. He was stunned by the expression in them, that along with a nervousness and a shyness there was also desire, desire which he knew was for him.

"But what if…" Naina tries to say it and fails, then tries again, "What if I don't mind if something happens?"

At her words, heat began to build up in Raj's body, suddenly the room was too warm and he felt an urge to loosen his shirt. He thought about his decision yesterday morning that they should wait until they'd had a chance to date properly, he thought about the fact that her parents still hadn't accepted him. And then he thought about how much he really, really wanted Naina, and for how long he'd wanted her.

"Naina," he breathed her name, "Naina, you don't know how much I…"

There was a battle going on inside him, as he tried to choose what was right and wrong in this situation. Raj was struggling with himself, struggling to control his own feelings and to deny what it was that he truly wanted. There were so many reasons why he shouldn't allow himself to do this, why he should wait, but with Naina sitting on the bed in front of him, he really didn't want to pay attention to any of them.

"I've told you before, Raj." She says, only slightly shyly, "You don't need to be so good all the time. We've waited for quite a long time already."

"Naina," he whispers, "Naina…" and he kisses her, long and sweetly, as she entwines her fingers with his and he moves even closer to her on the bed. When Naina's lips part beneath his, he deepens the kiss, holding her hands even tighter in his. Naina's head tilts back under the pressure of his lips, and he places one hand on her neck in order to support her head.

Breaking the kiss reluctantly, he cradles her face between both of his hands. "Naina, any time you're uncomfortable just tell me to stop and I'll stop straight away." He tells her sincerely. Naina nods and the trust in her eyes throws him off balance. In so many ways she is his anchor, his shore. He needs her for his life to make any sense at all.

He has no words to tell her how much he loves her or how much she really means to him. All he can do is to try and show her, so he does. A little shyly, Naina removes her dupatta, placing it to the side. Then slowly, with slightly shaking fingers, she begins to undo the buttons on his shirt.

Raj can't think of any word to say except her name, so he whispers it again, his mouth next to her ear as she slips the shirt off his shoulders. Leaning forward, Naina bends to kiss him once on the neck, and Raj shivers, pulling her closer so that they're barely centimetres apart, bringing his arms to rest at the back of her waist. Naina clings to him, resting her head on his bare shoulder, her hands clutching the his back. She's still shivering slightly but he has no idea whether it's from cold, nervousness or desire, or some strange combination of all three.

Slowly he starts from her jaw, kissing down her neck and across one of her shoulders. He moves his hands so that they're under her kameez, lifting it slightly to expose her bare waist. Raj tilts Naina's head up, searching her eyes for permission before he lifts her top off her completely.

For a moment he is completely speechless, taking in the creamy curves of her body, the swell of her breasts underneath her bra. Raj notices that Naina is looking downwards as if embarrassed and he takes her face in his hands again.

"Naina, have I ever told you that you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen?" Raj asks her.

"This is the third time." Naina tells him with a small smile, momentarily forgetting her nervousness.

Raj looks down at her, still with his hands cupped around her face. "We can stop right now." He tells her, "We don't need to do anything else tonight."

But Naina leans forward and kisses him, pressing herself to him so closely that Raj can feel in minute detail the softness of her skin against the tautness of his muscles. He knows that Naina isn't going to tell him to stop, and he can't help but be grateful. Because it's been difficult to resist her all these months and if he's honest, then there's nothing he wants more in the world right now than to take their relationship to the next step. He aches for her, he burns for her, he feels like he might burst into flames at any moment with the effort of controlling his desire.

Finally breaking the kiss, Naina pulls herself back slightly so that she can look into Raj's eyes. With an expression of incredible love on her face, she runs her fingers through his hair, and Raj inclines his head slightly, leaning into her touch.

"We don't need to stop." She tells him finally, her expression completely serious. "Now is exactly the right time."

Leaning back in to kiss her again, Raj can't help but completely agree.

**

Afterwards she lies in his arms with her head resting on his chest, their legs entangled and one of her arms around his waist. One of Raj's arms is around her shoulders, his hand rubbing her back in continuous circles.

"What about Rajasthan?" he asks her.

"For what?" Naina mumbles into his chest sleepily.

"For our honeymoon," Raj tells her, the thought had suddenly come into his head a few moments ago and he wanted to see how she felt about it. "We could go to Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur… Maybe even Pushkar and Jaisalmer if there's time."

Raj isn't sure, but he thinks he can feel her smiling where her face leans against his chest. "I know you'd like Rajasthan," he tells her, "But we can go somewhere else if you prefer."

Naina still hasn't raised her head, but Raj is now quite sure that she's giggling against his chest. Finally she looks up, locking eyes with him by the light of the one lamp they have on in the room.

"Raj, we haven't even gotten married yet and you're already planning the honeymoon." She tells him, "Don't you think that we should tackle the first part first?"

"If you like then we'll go and get married right now," Raj tells her sincerely, "I'm sure there must be a temple here somewhere, we can be officially husband and wife within an hour."

"No," Naina tells him, "I would prefer it if we could get married properly with all of our friends there." He notices that she doesn't mention family and wonders whether she's already given up on her parents.

"Naina, next time I get leave I'll come to your house." Raj promises her, "It's time, I don't think that we should wait any longer. I'll confess everything to your parents and ask them for your hand."

Naina nods, leaning her head back down against her chest again, even she thinks they've waited long enough. She sick of being scared of what her parents will think, she just wants to know once and for all. If they reject her then she's ready for that, but surely they can't stay angry forever.

"It will all be okay." She tells him, "Whatever happens, we'll face it together." Without meaning to, she tightens her grip around his waist. She's made her decision, she made it a long time ago. Now all that remains is to find out what the consequences are.

**

They leave early in the morning for the drive back to Delhi, spending it mainly in silence as each one is still absorbed in thoughts of the night before. Raj can't help but feel a little guilty about breaking his earlier promises, now all he wants to do is to marry Naina as soon as possible. The more time he spends apart from her, the more he realises how hard it is to live without her. They briefing stop in at the apartment so that Naina can change her clothes and grab her books and Raj can put on his uniform then Raj drives her to the college. Stepping out of the car, he walks Naina to the steps where she puts down the books and steps into his arms. Cradling her to him, Raj savours her warmth, knowing that it will be at least three months before he's able to feel it again.

"I'll find out when I'm eligible for leave next," he tells her, "And then we'll talk to your parents."

Naina nods silently, then reaches up to touch his face. "Be safe," she tells him, "Look after yourself." She doesn't trust herself to say anything else, so she just hugs him again, trying not to cry now that he's actually leaving.

Raj smoothes her hair gently, also trying to stop the tears in his eyes from flowing out. "I'll be back before you know it," he promises her, "Just keep concentrating on your studies and don't worry about anything."

He kisses her very briefly and then after one long last hug, walks back to the car where he stands watching her until she's walked to the top of the steps. Naina turns back to the wave and he returns the gesture before she enters the college and Raj drives to the airport.

**

Pooja has been dying all day to ask Naina where she was the night before and why she was so late to college that day, but they're never alone together for a moment until they leave college and return to the apartment. Neelu is already home, and both girls immediately corner her, intending to find out all the gossip.

"So Ms Ahluwalia, where were you last night?" Neelu asked her in a mock serious tone, "Come on and confess everything or I'll make sure that Alekh knows you didn't come home!"

Naina tries to stop herself blushing and glares at Neelu instead, pretending to be angry. "We went to Agra." She tells her, "Raj wanted to take me to see the Taj Mahal and it looks best at sunset."

"Oh does it?" Pooja asked, exchanging a knowing smile with Neelu, "So did you stay at the Taj Mahal for the entire night looking at the stars that you didn't come home?"

"We were going to come home," Naina tells them defensively, "But there was a huge accident on the Delhi-Agra highway and it was impossible to get back. So we were forced to stay in a hotel."

"Ohhhh, you were 'forced' to stay in a hotel?" Neelu asked teasingly.

"Stop it guys," Naina told them, now unable to stop herself from blushing.

Noticing the blush on Naina's face and the way she keeps trying to leave the kitchen where they've got her cornered, Neelu laughs. "Something happened didn't it?" she asks Naina, and then seeing the look of utter embarrassment on Naina's face she claps her hands in delight "Something definitely happened!"

Pooja looks partially shocked and partially pleased, "Naina, you didn't…"

Naina cuts her off before she can say anything else. "We've made a decision." She informs them. "Next time Raj gets leave, we'll be telling my parents the truth. Then we'll be getting married."

"Oh Naina, that's such good news!" Pooja exclaims and both of the girls hug her.

Despite their nosiness, Naina is glad she has them with her. She doesn't know what will happen but one thing is for certain.

She'll need the support of her friends in the days to come.

This was the perfect timing, perfect description, perfect situation and of course, with the perfect couple! Honestly, it wasn't uncomfortable or too... you know... it was just perfect! No more words to be said... except for - I'm dying for the next chapter! =D