**
The day that she handed her assignment in, Naina came back to the academy with a smile on her face, and a slight nervousness. After days she would finally be able to spend some time with him properly, and yet what she had to tell him… she knew he wouldn't be happy.
Coming into the room she found Raj sitting there as if he had been waiting for her, and a huge smile spread across his face at the sight of her.
"Assignment finished?" he asked her, grinning, and Naina nodded with a similar smile on her own face. "Then you finally have some time for me?" he asked teasingly, walking towards her.
"Maybe a little bit," Naina answered in a similar teasing tone, "I might be able to spare about five minutes for you right now."
"Only five minutes?" he asked in disbelief, winding his arms around her, "After having you ignore me for days, I need at the very least five hours."
"Well you had better take them fast," Naina warned him, "I've got something to tell you and I don't think you're going to be happy about it."
"I've got something to tell you too," Raj said, suddenly becoming serious, all the teasing going out of his tone. "I was waiting until your assignment was finished, but now I think I should tell you as soon as possible."
"What is it?" Naina asked him, worried, "Everything is okay, isn't it?"
"We've had some progress in Navin's case," Raj informed her, "Abhi found out from Suriji that Navin had a girlfriend while he was stationed at the academy… we don't know who she was, neither does Suriji. Did Navin ever tell you anything?"
Naina smiles sadly at this, "I was his little sister, he never told me about any of his girlfriends." She informed Raj, "But do you think that this girl…"
"I don't want to rule anything out at the moment," Raj tells her, "Finally after such a long time we've received a new clue, I just hope that it leads to something else soon."
Naina nods, and leaning forward, rests her head against his chest, having become emotional thinking about her brother. Raj wraps his arms around her even tighter, as her hands curl against his chest, he bends down to kiss her hair.
"You wanted to tell me something too, didn't you?" he asks her, and Naina mumbles something into his chest.
"What?" Raj asks her, not having understood a single word of it.
"I said that I have to leave you for a few days," Naina tells him, lifting her head up so that he can hear her.
"What? Why?" Raj asks her, "I thought you said you weren't going to leave me for the rest of your life." He's not sure whether to take her seriously or not.
"Yes, but when I was making romantic promises, I forgot to think about my education." Naina tells him, "We've got a medical camp, in the preparation for the assignment I completely forgot about it, and now I have to leave in two days time and will be away for three."
Raj started frowning, obviously thinking about exactly how much time he would have to spend apart from her. "This isn't fair," he protests, "Who decides to have these medical camps?"
"Raj, everyone has to go on the medical camps," Naina tells him, "I can't refuse, and it will be good for my training."
"And what if I forbid you to go?" Raj suggests hopefully.
Naina starts giggling at this, which is not quite the response he was hoping for.
"What's so funny?" Raj asks her, "Can't I at least try and forbid you from going?"
Naina keeps on giggling, her earlier sadness forgotten, "It's just the idea of you turning into one of those strict type husbands… forbidding his wife from doing something. It was too funny."
"But three days…" Raj protests, "Surely you don't have to go for that long, you can go for less time…"
"I'll be missing you too," Naina assures him, "And I've got the phone you gave me now, you can call me, or sms me… ask Pooja for some tips." She jokes with him.
"Call? Sms?" Raj asks, "Does that really make up for having you here with me?"
He runs his fingers through her hair before bending down to kiss her, cupping her face with both his hands. Naina places her hands on top of his, kissing him back softly.
"Well if you're going to be gone for three days then I think I need to get three days worth of kisses to make up for it beforehand," Raj tells her with a mischievous glint in his eye and teasing him, Naina tried to move away, but he grabbed her hand, pinning it behind her back and bringing her closer to him so that it was impossible for her to get away. Before leaning down to kiss her again, he checked that she wasn't actually alarmed by his move, that she knew he was just playing, seeing the mischievous look still in Naina's eyes, he finally allowed himself to kiss her again, even more passionately this, and Naina brought her spare hand up to rest on his neck, pushing him even closer.
"Ahh!" hearing the shout, they broke apart almost guiltily, turning to see Sherry standing in the doorway with her hand over her eyes, as if trying to shield them. "How many times have I told you two…" she continues saying, still not removing her hand.
"And I've also told you to learn to knock!" Raj tells her, sounding a little annoyed in an effort to cover up his embarrassment. He feels like a teenager, having been caught by his little sister while kissing his girlfriend. "Can't we get any privacy?" he asks a bit plaintively, "I haven't even been able to talk to Naina properly for the last week."
"Well you're not the only one," Sherry tells him, advancing inside with one hand in front of her, and the other still over her eyes, "Naina might be your wife, but she's my Bhabhie, and even I've missed spending time with her."
"Sherry, you can take your hand off your eyes now," Naina tells her, sounding amused to see the girl trying not to bang into the furniture.
"Really, what did you think? That we were continuing to do something while you were standing there?" Raj asks her with a frown.
"Well with you two… you never know." Sherry tells him, finally taking her hand off her eyes, "Why don't you just hurry up and go for a honeymoon, then perhaps I won't have to be so scared of walking in on you."
"Or you could learn to knock…"
"Or you could learn to lock your door…"
Naina sighed at the behaviour of the two of them, thinking that it was as if they'd both reverted back to childhood.
"Alright, that's enough…" she tells them, "Actually Sherry, I was just telling Raj that I have to go on a medical camp for three days, I leave on Monday."
"Oh…" Sherry said, "But you'll be back after that, right? I mean… Bhaiyya and I will both be missing you."
Naina smiled at this, and crossed over to give Sherry an impulsive hug, "Well at least for those three days you won't have to worry about knocking." She teases her.
"Oh no, I'll definitely be knocking from now on," Sherry says, "No matter how cute a pair you are, no girl wants to have to see her brother kissing anyone." She shuddered at the thought.
Naina laughs at this, "I'm sure I would've reacted in the same way if I'd ever walked in on Navin and any of his girlfriends…" Reminded of what she had just found out, she suddenly became quiet. She would ask her mother… perhaps Navin would've confided something to her that he wouldn't have told his little sister.
"Well now that I've received the shock of my life, I'll leave you two alone." Sherry tells them, "But please, if you're in a romantic mood, then do think about locking the door in case you end up giving somebody a heart attack."
Giving Naina another small hug and grinning mischievously at Raj she wandered out of the room again, shutting the door firmly behind her. Raj waited approximately five seconds, and then crossing quickly to the door he turned the lock.
"I'm not taking any chances this time," he informed Naina, who was watching him with an amused expression, "There's no guarantee that it won't happen again."
She laughs, and when he crosses back over towards her, she's ready for him, tugging the front of his shirt to bring him closer. Without waiting for any more encouragement, Raj picks her up in his arms, carrying her to the bedroom and putting her on the bed. He can see a slight nervousness enter Naina's eyes but no fear, and he smiles reassuringly, as if to let her know that all he really does have planned is to get his three days' quota of kissing.
Understanding his reassurance, Naina relaxes, even pulling him to her, and Raj gladly obliges, slipping his hands behind her back, he presses her to him, kissing first her cheeks, then her neck, and finally her lips. Naina snakes her hands around his back, hugging him to her tightly, and for once, Raj allows his hands to roam up and down her back before one finally settles on her hip, pressing it tightly. Pushing her kurti up slightly, he splays his fingers across her skin, feeling the warmth of it, the softness. Naina shudders slightly, and Raj tightens his grip on her, kissing her even harder as her back arches towards him slightly. With the way she's responding it's difficult to stop himself but he eventually breaks the kiss, settling her in his arms comfortably and resting his face in the crook of her neck.
"Why did you stop?" she ask him almost shyly.
"Have I ever told you that I like hugging you almost as much as I like kissing you?" Raj asks her, still not raising his head from where it rests, "So I thought I should get my three days worth of that as well."
Smiling at his sweetness, Naina runs her fingers through his hair softly, one thought in her mind as she tries to work out how she should phrase it. Finally, finding the courage, she speaks up.
"So when are you taking me for a honeymoon?" she asks, and even though he tries not to react too much, she can feel Raj's grip around her waist tighten, his body momentarily become tense and then relax.
"Whenever you like," he tells her, "Just tell me when and…"
"We have three days off college in two week's time." She tells him, "Along with the weekend that would be five days, if you're able to get leave then…"
Raj kisses her shoulder softly, and then lifting her head, looks her directly in the eye. "Are you sure?" he asks her, "Because there's no hurry…"
"No," Naina tells him, confident now, but still blushing slightly, "I'm sure."
And trying very hard not to grin, Raj gets up from the bed, straightens his clothes and heads towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Naina asks him, slightly confused.
"To ask Brigadier Chandook for some leave," Raj informs her, "The sooner I do so, the more likely I am to get it." And with a shy grin in her direction, he leaves the room.
Sitting on the bed, Naina smiles, trying to stop herself from blushing. She knows that Raj has been waiting for a sign from her, and finally today, she has given it. Because while she may be a little nervous, she is well and truly ready to take their relationship to the next step.
She loves him, and she trusts him. Nothing could be more right.
**
Pooja has been unusually quiet all day, so quiet in fact that Yudi is starting to get worried that something has happened to her.
"Just leave her be," Aalekh advises him, "If she's talking less then maybe she's thinking more."
Finally, around dinner time, she makes an announcement to all of them, although anybody watching closely could see very easily that she is watching one person's reactions in particular.
"From today nobody is to send me any sms's about Rohit." She tells them, "I'm deleting him from my phone's memory and I don't need my inbox filled with any more junk mail from now on. Naina and Sherry are right, why trust somebody who has cut your call and gone out of network in the past?" Having announced this she glances at Ali as if to check what his reaction is, trying not to look pleased when she sees a small smile coming to his face which he tries to hide.
"Bole to… well done, Punjaben." Aalekh tells him, "Today for the first time you've done something sensible. Just don't change your mind if he ever comes back."
Ali starts to look worried at this, but Pooja just laughs. "If he ever comes back, then the only thing he'll be getting from me is a slap or a whack from my hockey stick." She tells them, and Huda cheers her.
"That's spoken like a true Punjaben." He tells her, and the rest of them agree, slapping her on the back. Ali is the only one who is quiet, but the tiny smile on his face is obvious to everyone.
"Now's your chance," Huda whispers to him, putting an arm around Ali's shoulders, "Go and tell her how you feel before she finds someone else."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ali tells him, shrugging off Huda's arm, "And it would be better if you didn't suggest things like this in future."
Huda rolls his eyes and Aalekh and Yudi exchange knowing glances. Even with this much progress, it's very obvious that it's going to take a long time for these two to ever get their act together.
**
It is the next day when Abhi spots Sherry in the hallway, but rather than stopping to talk to him as she usually does, she gives him a brief smile and tries to walk past, just as she has ever since he talked to her at the lake.
"Stop, Cadet Sherry." He tells her, and reluctantly she turns around. "You're avoiding me for some reason, aren't you?" he asks.
"No Sir, not at all." She tells him, "I was just…" and trails off. "Fine, yes." She tells him, crossing her arms over her chest as if challenging him to ask her why.
Abhi sighs, having already guessed it.
"Sherry I know you don't want to talk about what's happened in the past, and I respect that. I'm not going to ask you again." He tells her, "If you want to tell me then I'm here to listen, if you don't, then I'm not going to force you to, you don't need to avoid me."
Slowly, she uncrosses her arms, looking at him thoughtfully, "Fine, no more avoiding." Sherry tells him, "Then what am I supposed to talk to you about? The latest gossip among the cadets about Suriji and Lolitaji? Huda's latest plan to make me fall desperately in love with him?" She rolled her eyes at the last statement.
Abhi shrugged, "It's your choice." He tells her, just glad to see that she doesn't look upset for once, "How about music? You've been doing well in my class, I was wondering if you've had any training before now."
"Well like most daughters of rich fathers, I learnt music when I was small." Sherry admits, "But I don't much like most classical music, I prefer rock music."
"Well what have you been listening to lately?" he asks as they continue walking down the hallways together, happy that at least she's opening up about something if not her past.
"I bought a CD of Salman Ahmed on the weekend…" Sherry tells him, "And then I hid it, thinking that if Major Nair found out he'd get me kicked out of the academy for listening to a Pakistani singer."
She crosses her arms again as if daring Abhimanyu to tell her she shouldn't be listening to that type of music.
He just laughs, "Well Major Nair probably would have that view, but I never have. As soldiers it's not our job to hate anybody in another country. While we should always be prepared for war, at the same time we should be working towards peace. We should never want to have any enmity with anyone, and music can be a powerful way to increase friendship between countries."
"Well thank god you think that way," Sherry tells him, "Just make sure you don't tell Major Nair, otherwise I'm worried that my CD collection might be in danger from misguided patriotism."
"So will you lend me the CD?" Abhi asks her, "I don't have it and I wouldn't mind listening to it."
"Sure," Sherry tells him, "I didn't know that you would like that type of music."
"Well I may be in the army, but I've never approved of war or violence…" Abhi starts telling her, "And you know I still remember how impressed I was with both Junoon and Euphoria for starting a new call for friendship…"
They continue their conversation as they walk down the corridor, Sherry for once talking animatedly without any reservations about her favourite singers and her own views on music. Abhi can't help but smile as he watches her, because finally she reminds him of the girl he met at their graduation, happy and enthusiastic about life.
Along with Raj and Naina, he will do his best to bring that girl back.
**
Raj drops Naina to the bus which will take them to the medical camp, his reluctance to let her go obvious.
"Relax," she tells him with a smile, "I'll be home in three days, and in the meantime you can call me as often as you want…" she suddenly decides it might be best to rephrase that, "Okay… maybe as often as you want when I'm not actually on duty."
"But I'm going to miss you terribly," he tells her, "I'm so used to having you with me now, I've become a bit co-dependent."
Naina laughs at this, and touches his face gently, wanting to do more but knowing they're in full view of her classmates.
"And how do you think I'll be able to cope without you?" she asks him, "For the next three days I'll be surrounded by girls who all want to ask me about my gorgeous husband."
Raj grinned at this, and before she could stop him, he leaned over and kissed her briefly.
"Well there's one more thing for them to talk about." He told her mischievously and Naina climbed out of the jeep, trying to hide a grin at his behaviour.
Despite her protests, Raj carries her bag to the bus, handing it to the person putting them away before he turns and hugs her to him tightly.
Naina hugs him back, knowing that she's going to be teased about this once she boards the bus but not caring.
"Make sure you eat properly while I'm gone," she tells him, "And go to sleep on time, and look after your health and…"
Raj grins at her, and Naina suddenly stops, realising how she must be sounding.
"Don't worry," Raj replies, "I'll do all those things. You look after yourself too, and send me an sms to let me know you've arrived safely."
Naina nods, and then impulsively stands on tip toe to kiss his cheek, before hugging him one last time and getting into the bus.
Raj waits until the bus is out of sight before he leaves, driving back to the academy. He's informed that Brigadier Chandook wants to see him, and goes to his office.
"Captain Rajveer, your leave has been granted." BC tells him, "Just make sure that you arrive back at the academy on time afterwards."
"Thank you very much, Sir!" Raj tells him enthusiastically before calming himself, "I mean, it's greatly appreciated."
BC nods in reply, and Raj leaves the office, heading towards a class with the second year students, and running into Sherry on the way.
What surprises him, is that she seems to be humming a tune under her breath.
"Has Bhabhie left for her camp?" she asks Raj, and he nods. "Make sure you let me know that she's arrived safely." Sherry tells him and Raj realises that for once, she seems a bit more relaxed, a bit happier.
"Of course I will," he tells her, "If you like you can talk to her on the phone tonight when I call."
"That would be good," Sherry tells him with a small smile, and begins to walk off, humming the same tune.
Watching her go, Raj smiles, he doesn't know why it is that she suddenly seems happier, but he's glad that she is.
Despite the fact that he will only see Naina again after three days, Raj suddenly feels that it's not such a bad day. First his request for leave has been granted, and now he's seen his sister look happy after such a long time.
Unable to resist, Raj begins to hum as well.
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