Naina p.o.v.
Naina woke up to find Karan deep in sleep. She was still wearing his jacket and swimsuit. A blush crept onto her face seeing his bare muscles. She traced some patterns on his chest and admired him. She was lucky that fate had given her Karan. He was a dream husband that every women would die for. Of course he was good looking, she never doubted that since the first day she saw him. But what always caught her attention was his even bigger heart. Some would say that people turn cold after a long time of separation but he was complete opposite. Although he had spent time away from friends and family due to his childhood sickness, there was never a moment where he blamed or hated them as a reason for him being sick for so long.
Looking at him sleeping like an angel, she couldn't help but smile. Karan was no longer the very shy, restricted sole he once was. He was free now. Free to express what he loves and desires. She was proud of herself. She had made him realise the true him. More then anything she longed to be with him forever. She watched his chest rise and fall slowly with the breathing and placed her palm on his chest. I just want a place in your heart Karan, a place of love and warmth just for me. Please never let anyone come into it. Just you and me forever. She smiled. The clock was ticking and it was time for her to sneak out. She wiggled herself off to change.
Unfortunately, for her she was now beginning to run out of decent stuff to wear and today's ensemble was a bit too short. Karan noticed too when she had stepped out. But he had given her confidence that he loved her heart not her looks and she didn't need to worry about anything else.Today's schedule was a bit different. After having talked to her di in what seemed like ages, and updating on each other's fun endeavours, pulling each other's legs, She and Karan were heading down to the court where certain games were being played for couples. Karan was insistent that they attend it. Meghnal didn't want to be a part of the competition and they had gone off on a boat ride to enjoy the afternoon. They sat down at a table just in time for the start.
The host began telling rules about how there will be certain mini games being played and in the end they would select the winner of best couple. Naina's worries went back to their performance in the best couple competition. As if having read her mind, Karan gripped her hand and gave it a squeeze of comfort. The first round was a couple race, where the men had to lift their partners in their arms and reach the finish line. Naina braced herself for a fall, but it never came. Karan had swiftly glided her up in his arms and had carried her off hurriedly towards the finish line. She was surprised but not shocked, after all her husband was a handsome hunk.
The second round was a bit more tricky, Naina was quite worried if this was going to work. While the men sat in a different room and waited. The women had to each pour their cologne in a bowl which the men could smell when it was their turn and identify which was theirs. Pouring her cologne in the bowl, Naina had her heart in her mouth. Would Karan be able to guess this, she thought. To her surprise when it was Karan's turn, he sniffed each perfume and stopped directly at her one. As he slipped back next to her in line, she asked, tumne Kaise pehichaana? He smiled making her heart jump. Tumhaara khusboo kahin bhi pehchaan loonga mein.
Karan p.o.v.
He wanted to prove himself today. The last time he had participated in a competiton of this sort, he had no idea about Naina but now things were different. After yesterday's incident, he wanted to show her how much she meant to him. He breathed her in his every breath. He couldn't imagine even a day without her in his arms. Old or young, he wanted to be his forever. So far the two rounds have gone great. The third round was even more harder. The ladies had been given a large set of shoes, of which they had to choose a design and size that fit. Naina had already made her choice and was now eagerly tilting her head watching him as he was going through each pair. He tried to remember all the times he had actually seen her foot, which was quite difficult as she always wore long shalwar or dresses. Finally he came to a shoe which seemed to resemble something he had seen before.
The scene played in his head. It was the day she had gotten an allergic reaction on her hand. She had gotten herself treated and nicely placed her feet out for him to see. He visualised that shoe now and saw the one in his hand was quite similar. He looked at the sizes now and tried to remember the first time Naina had walked into his house making those red footprints after the wedding that every bride does. He chose the shoe and turned around walking straight to Naina. She looked up with tears in her eyes as he slowly helped her put it on. A perfect fit, the whole crowd cheered. The two other top competitors giving them cold glares.
Having been chosen to the next round, Karan could see that Naina had become even more nervous during the lunch break. She had barely eaten but then he couldn't complain as he couldn't eat either. Both worried of the next rounds ahead, While the beginning round tested general compatibility and how much the men knew the ladies, the next set of rounds was more about how much the ladies knew of the men. Naina was sweating now and thin beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. Karan slowly took out his handkerchief and wiped it off. Tension mat lena, mujhe tumse zyada koi nahi jaanta. She smiled. His heart gave out a little flutter. The men were told to make a juice of their choice while the ladies waited in a separate room. The ladies then had to taste and identify which juice was made by their husband.
Naina p.o.v.
Naina entered the arena curiously, she looked at the five glasses on the table and realised that there were two orange juices. She recalled back to the moment when Karan and jiju had made juice for their mum. She knew he must have made the same one. Besides it was one of the few things he could possibly make. Now looking at the glasses, she tasted both, trying to keep her concentration to the maximum and remembering back to how his one was. She picked the right one and was applauded by the audience.
It was now way past into the evening and the next task was being announced. The next round was even more tricky. The men had all submitted their watches which were now placed in boxes. Naina was very confused. Karan never wore watches. It was only recently when he began working that he began to wear them. Even then she hadn't given much attention to what he was wearing. Now looking at the watches before her, Naina felt a lump form in her throat. What if she would lose this game and they got out? It would all be her fault. No she wouldn't give up. She would do this for her love. She picked up each watch and tried to trace something that would give her a feel of him but she got nothing.
When she got to the final watch, she heard a tick tick noise. Some moments played back in her head once more. It was the day she had fainted on the bed when he hadn't called. Karan had helped her, made her food, fed her. In the silence of the room, was a small ticking, from his watch. Naina's heart jumped with joy. Yahi hai, she said loud and clear. Skipping down the steps, she hurried to Karan, who gave her a quick high five.
The host finally announced that the fight for the final prize would be between them and another couple who had been playing all their rounds in an equally strong way. The final round would be a picture round. Karan jumped at that. This time, it was Naina who willed him on. Hum yeah kar sakthe hain Karan. He nodded. A newly found confidence building in arms and eyes. Both Karan and Naina had to play in this game but separately. They were each given a puzzle that when put together would form a picture of their partner. As the time started, Naina was very happy. She was always known for being good at puzzles. This puzzle wasn't easy though, each piece was a cube and all six sides had different noses, eyes etc.. so you had to decide how your partners facial features looked from memory and try and put it together. she carefully started to work on her picture.
Karan p.o.v.
Karan started panicking. This was so difficult. All the noses and all were too confusing for him. He closed his eyes and thought of what Naina would say to him. Be strong. Tum yeah kar sakthe ho. He took a deep breath and slowly imagined her in his mind. Now his picture finally started to come together. As the time came to an end, both couples were assembled on stage. Aur yeah competition jeethe hain, Karan and Naina. A huge roar erupted in the crowd. Karan's heart leaped with joy. His first victory. He had always lost but with Naina at his side,he would never lose again. He would learn to win. Learn to fight. Holding her hand tight in his they accepted a small winners trophy and package. But the gifts and tokens did not matter as much as happiness of proving to each other how much they were meant to be.
As they headed to their room after the complimentary dinner, hand in hand with her head leaned against his chest, Karan stopped suddenly. Naina tum room jao mein aata hoon, he said. Par kyun, tum kahan jaa rahe ho, she asked. But he didn't reply, he quickly brushed off to one of the hits in the distance. Sorry Naina he thought to himself, but yeah mujhe tumhare liye karma hoga. Agar tumhe batata tum mana karthi. And with that he turned the knob and carried off into the room.
Naina p.o.v.
It had been a while since Karan had gone off. Tears came to her. What was so important that he didn't even want to tell her about it. She started to sob. A slight turn of the knob snapped her out. She turned around to see Karan hurrying in. Karan she said as she ran to him. She stood shell shocked seeing the front of his shirt lined with small droplets of blood. All the rage and sadness vanished in an instance and panic took over her. Karan Kya hua, she said as she pushed him into the sofa. She slowly unbuttoned and took off his shirt to see the damage.
Her hands numbed. Her heart beating faster now. There on his chest, nicely above his heart was a word. A word that made her heart ache. Naina. Her name. He had tatooed her name. She tried to say something but the words wouldn't come. She hugged him tightly and felt his arms come round her hips. Tumne jagah manga tah na, he asked. Realisation dawned over Naina. He must have listened to her talking to him in the morning. More tears flooded. As he wiped them away. Mere dil mein tumhare siwa kisi aur ke liye jagah nahi hai, he said. As the moonlight shone and illuminated their faces, both their hearts beated in the silence, Love makes life beautiful.