Hi guys, So finally thought of starting off with the sequel to "Love in Mt. Abu". This is the beginning of the story. This story would traverse through their college life and the struggles they face to finally get married. There might be some to and fro from past to present in this story- I've tried to experiment a little with the style of writing here.
Please let me know if it works. Any constructive criticism is welcome.
Would love to read your feedback on this story as well.
If you want to read the prequel to this story, please click on the following link:
Love in Mt. Abu:
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/145119310
The prequel began with the Mt. Abu trip (because that is when I finally sat down to write). So all instances before that can be treated as they were in the show.
And yes about the sequel- I actually came up with the idea of a leap long back and titled it as Sameer sang Naina before Sameer making the wedding card episode or spoilers aired on the show 😳 Just thought of sharing 😳 I felt so happy after watching it on the show too!!
Hope you all like the sequel as well!
PS: Some quotes/ songs have been referenced from the Internet. Having said that, the respective lines belong to the original, rightful owners. No copyright infringement is intended.
~Sameer sang Naina~
SECTION I
1994: 4 Years Later
Part 1: Hero aur Heroine
Tuesday, 13thSeptember, 1994:
It was almost noon, when a snazzybike dashed into the college campus. The tall, slightly lean, young riderparked it in the student's section and disembarked from the bike. Hisbrand-new, expensive sports shoes gleamed in sunlight as his feet touched the ground.As he took off his helmet, his beautiful, shiny locks were let loose. He combedhis hand through his hair and looked into his bike's rear view mirror to setthem. As he was doing this, his eyes fell upon a group of girls ogling at himfrom behind. Sameer smiled, and turned to look at them. He took the shades offto reveal a pair of eyes sparkling with mischief. The girls were oomphhed. HadDilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' been released a year earlier, it would haveseemed as if Raj saamne aa gaya tha! Sameer had transformed from Prem to Raj.He had retained Salman's innocent looks, but had now got hold of Shahrukh'sboyish charm. Sameer chuckled apologetically at the girls and shook his headand fingers in a big NO. The girls were dejected to see that this handsome guywas already taken. Little did they know, he had lost his heart to his Simran,some 4 years back!
Sameer took out his books andheaded straight to class, bike keys spinning in his hand. Whistling, he checkedhis watch and realized he was already quite late and dashed towards the class.Being late for class did not bother him. What bothered him was that he had lostout on those 1 hour and 15 minutes that he could have got to spend with her."May I come in sir? he asked the teacher from the doorway, his eyes on themid-bench in the 3rd row.
"Sameer Maheshwari, kal bhi late,aaj bhi late...kya chal raha hai? exclaimed the literature professor. "Ummmsorry sir, wo bike me kuch problem ho gayi thi toh...ummm..., not taking his eyesoff the girl on that bench. She was now fuming. He could see it in her eyes.More than trying to enter the class, he wanted to go and pacify her anger assoon as possible. "Roz tumhari bike me problem kyun ho jati hai...chalo aaoandar, rapped the piqued professor as he turned to write on the board again.Sameer entered- his eyes on the girl in that bright yellow top, with frills onthe collar and the sleeves, paired with dark blue jeans, her hair let loose,clamped onto her forehead with a matching yellow hair band. So she was wearingthe top he'd gifted her last week, he thought and couldn't help but grin. Shewas looking right back at him and her eyes told him he'd had it today!"Girlfriends are very hard to please, he sighed. He smiled furtively and satdown on the seat next to her. For the past 4 years, he'd been sitting besidesher- on the adjacent bench in school and on the same bench as her since collegebegan.
Naina gave him another piercinglook before returning her focus on the lecture. Sameer started humming slowly,"rooth na jaana, tumse kahun to, maindeewana ban ke rahun to...hmmm hmmm. Naina glowered at him and Sameerimmediately put his hands to his ears. "Sorry, he mouthed. Naina whispered,"aaj bhi late Sameer...tumne subah ki bhi class miss ki... "Tum ho na...meriteacher...vaise bhi tumse acha mujhe koi nahi padha sakta..., Sameer whisperedback. Naina did not answer but flipped the pages of her book loudly. "Vaise naabhi mujhe kuch ladkiyan ghur rahi thi...tum gussa ho to main unse jaake baat karlu...? Sameer muttered slowly. "Nahiii! Koi zarurat nahi...tum mere ho...chup chapbaithe raho idhar aur class me dhyan do..., Naina snapped at him, but not beforeher cheeks turned a shade of pink. Sameer grinned. This was a sure shot way totame her anger- make her jealous! He loved to see her turn possessive for him.He would often tease her intentionally, just to hear her say that he belongs to her.
"Sameer Maheshwari! he heard theprofessor's voice boom at him as a piece of chalk hit his shoulders. "Ek to tumclass me late aate ho...fir Naina jo dhyan se padh rahi hai...use disturb karteho...ab tum dono ki baatein ho gayi hon to aap log class me dhyaan denge?shouted the professor. Sameer mumbled a sorry to the professor and lowered hiseyes onto his book, whilst Naina became hushed. She still felt bad whenever ateacher scolded her; though with Sameer, she'd become quite used to it. Nainalistened attentively throughout the rest of the class, though she was wellaware of Sameer's eyes back upon her. More than once, she looked at him andwhispered "blackboard udhar hai...udhar dekho. Everytime Sameer smiled and shookhis head in a big NO. His eyes told her that he wanted to look at her- onlyher, and would continue to do so until she yielded. Naina finally blushed,unable to stop herself from smiling slightly. Soon, the bell signalling the endof the lecture rang, and as if jolted into consciousness, Naina remembered heranger again. She almost slapped her palm on her forehead. Sameer's charm madeher forget everything in a jiffy. But then today she mustn't relent! How couldhe do this to her? He didn't call her last night at 12 to wish her on herbirthday. In addition to being extremely mad at him, she was also upset. Healways used to be the first one to wish her. This was the first time sinceshe'd met him that he'd forgotten her birthday.
Before Sameer, Naina's birthdayhad never been a happy memory for either her or her family. Her mother hadhardly held Naina in her arms when she was born, when she'd begun palpitating.And soon, Naina was told, the doctors had rushed inside. Her second pregnancyhad been high risk and the doctors had advised against it. Yet she'd chosen togo ahead with it. And just half an hour into her birth, Naina had lost hermother. The only comfort Naina had was that her mother had held her in her armsat least once. That was the only warmth of motherly love she had got from her, eventhough she did not remember it. Taiji had immediately labelled Naina as anunlucky girl- a curse on the family. As for her father- Naina didn't know ifher being a girl was what disappointed him, or the sorrow of the loss of hiswife at her birth. Whatever it was, Rakesh never showed any care or concerntowards her. Chachaji and chachiji though, accepted Naina like their owndaughter. They always insisted on doing Naina's aarti on her birthday, andchachi always made her favourite, besan ka halwa at home. Naina too had neverliked to celebrate her birthday, because her birth reminded her of the void inher life- the void which even though chachiji tried her best to fill, it stillexisted- the absence of her mother's love. That is till Sameer came into herlife. Sameer knew this history and hence always made sure that the day Nainawas born was as special as the person she was. He would start with a birthdaywish at dot 12, over the phone, or from down her balcony at night; and the nextday, they would go out for a movie or a date. But today, Sameer had missed hisroutine. And somehow, it pinched Naina.
Naina prepped herself and got uphaughtily, ignoring Sameer. Before she could leave, Sameer held her hand andpulled her back down on the desk. "Gusse me tum na aur bhi hot lagti ho, hequipped, accompanied with a wink. Naina's face flushed with colour as shelooked around to make sure no one heard that. "Miss nahi kiya mujhe...sorry najaan! Kal se pakka jaldi aaunga! Sameer tried to mollify her. "Bas itna hikehna tha tumhe? she asked hopefully. "Aur bhi kuch kehna hai na..., " Sameersaid with a twinkle in his eyes. "To kaho na! Naina said impatiently. "I...Love...You!he said and grinned. Though she did blush, for the first time, Naina feltdisappointed at him saying those three magical words. She'd hoped he would pairthem with "A Happy Birthday to you as well. Naina loved Sameer beyond what hecould comprehend- more than she loved her life. He was a gem of a person sheknew. But why was he not wishing her? This was so unlike Sameer. He neverforgot even the tiniest of their moments, any of their anniversaries, any ofthe dates which held even the slightest of special memories for them. IT's soimprobable that Sameer could forget her birthday. Naina decided to wait andwatch.
After they were done with thelectures for the day, Sameer and Naina headed to the canteen for lunch. Sameer wasordering their usual, "do aloo parantha...dheemi aanch pe karare kiye hue..., whenhe noticed a guy strolling over to their table. "Hi Naina, Ravi hesistantlywaved at her. Sameer felt annoyed at the way he was staring at Naina- that too,with a red rose in his hand. Ravi had obviously assessed that Naina's birthday wouldbe a good opportunity to tell her about his feelings. Naina and Sameer alwaysused to be together, had been teased, speculated over, yet they'd neverrevealed the secret that they were a couple, in the college. Sameer and Nainawere not the kind to display their feelings in front of everyone. Moreover,they did not want this fact to reach unwanted ears- like any of Naina's family.So they maintained that they were best friends- only friends. And only sixother people who were the closest to them- Munna, Pandit, Swati, Preeti, Arjunand Shefali, knew about their love story. "Ye...Ye tumhare liye hai Naina...wo wo...,Ravi started. Before he could complete what he wanted to say, Sameer got upfrom his chair and snatched the rose from his hand, "Naina teri didi hai samjhachamanchooze...didi ko koi red rose deta hai? "La de ye rose mujhe...chal futyahaan se...! Naina couldn't help feel amused as she saw Sameer squabbling overwith Ravi in front of her.
Sameer couldn't stand any guyeven remotely trying to flirt with her. She loved seeing him get jealous if anyother boy approached her. She recalled the time, when during the first year ofbachelors, a charming young classmate of theirs, Atul, was pursuing her. Atulwould often try to find reasons to talk to Naina, much to Sameer's disgust. Afterevery conversation with him, Naina would have a hard time either trying topacify a smouldering Sameer or to cheer up a sulking Sameer. She remembered onesuch day, when Sameer was walking her back to her home (they decided to go bywalk sometimes just so they could spend some more time together) and he'd beenin a pretty bad mood. Atul had approached her in class and had dared to ask forher notes, that too, in front of Sameer. And Naina's fault was that she hadn'tbeen able to say No' and thought he genuinely needed help with studies. Shehad given him her notes and thus earned Sameer's wrath. "Ghar main chod aaun yawo bhi usi ke sath jayengi aap? he had exclaimed angrily. "Arey maine kyakiya..., she had said. "Haan haan tum to kabhi kuch nahi karti na. Ek main hunjo kisi ladki ko dekhta bhi nahi, aur tum ho ki use has has ke notes de rahithi huh, Sameer snapped in anger. "Arey Sameer...usne bas notes to maangethe...main kya karti...use help chahiye hogi na padhai mein..., she defended herself."Naina yaar, tum kitni bholi ho..., Sameer's anger was turned into exasperationat her innocence. "Wo saala ek number ka padhaku hai...raat-din bas padhta rehtahai...use help-velp nahi chahiye...wo na bas tumpe line maar raha tha..., heexplained. "Bada aaya notes maangne wala...class me bas tumhi notes likhti hokya..., he added in a huff to himself. "Chodo na Sameer...humein kya...? Hum apnamood kyun kharab karein...? Naina had tried to calm him down. "Pata hai Naina,zindagi me pehli baar lag raha hai...kaash ki tumhare wo Hitler papa, Rakesh siryahan hote to aaj is namune ko 4 thappad lagate aur Rakhi bandhwa dete...lekinnahi...thappad khaane ka department to sirf Sameer Maheshwari ke liye khol kerakha hai na unhone, he muttered. Naina giggled and said dramatically, "haayemain mar jaava, lagta hai The Sameer Maheshwari' ko jalan ho rahi hai..."Jalan...kuch bhi..., Sameer tried to brush it off. Naina muttered, "Tut...tut...! Sameerstarted sulking again. "Tum bas usse baat mat karo...mujhe acha nahi lagta..., heput forward his request in a child-like manner. "Haha...sach me jalan ho rahi haitumhe..., Naina laughed. "Haan ho rahi hai bas..., he admitted, sulking sadly. "Areymeri jaan...main teri, tu mera...fir duniya ki kyun karein parwaah..., she'd said asshe had entwined her fingers in his hand tightly. It was then that Sameer hadfinally smiled!
Naina came out of her reveriewhen Sameer clicked his fingers in front of her. Ravi had left the canteendejected. "Ye lo jaaneman...yetumhare liye, Sameer gave the red rose that Ravi had brought to Naina with asmile. The aloo paranthas had come by then. Sameer tore a piece and offered herwith his own hand. Naina took the bite and made Sameer eat as well.
Post lunch, they strolled in thecollege corridors chatting with each other. Naina was still waiting for Sameerto wish her Happy Birthday. Half an hour passed by, but Sameer was lost inanother world. It was already 2 pm- time to go home. Finally, Naina had saidsadly, "wapis chalein? Sameer shook his head and pulled her into an empty corridor,"Ek baar...ho jaye??? Though Naina had become used to such sudden hugs and pullsby Sameer, she couldn't deny they still made her feel as jittery as she hadfelt in his arms the first time he'd embraced her. Naina blushed and said,"tumhara to roz hi ek baar hota hai... Sameer sniggered and looked about. Seeingno one in sight, he looked at her with all the love in his eyes and movedtowards her lips. Naina happily thought, "Ohh! So he's going to wish me with akiss! At that instant, the college bell signaling the end of another lecturechimed and Naina watched in despair as the kiss and the birthday wish- bothwere interrupted. Sameer grinned at the unsuccessful attempt. Well, life wasall about hits and misses!
Section I 1994: 4 Years Later
Part 2 (on Page 10): The Birthday Surprise
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/146842770
Part 3 (on Page 16): Things said and unsaid
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/147075674
Part 4 (on Page 22): Sameer's Memories
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/147260026
Section II Darjeeling Diaries
Part 1 (on Page 28): The First Train Journey
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/147423611
Part 2 (on Page 35): Darjeeling ki Sair
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/147492499
Part 3 (on Page 42): The First Kiss
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/147560590
Part 4 (on Page 49): A Night To Remember
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/147773966
Section III The Secrets are Out
Part 1 (on Page 55): The First Steps
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/148051576
Part 2 (on Page 62): The Other Love Stories
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/148339341
Part 3 (on Page 65): The Somanis
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/148451879
Part 4 (on Page 69): At the Agarwal House
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/148583024
Section IV The Story Unfolds
Part 1 (on Page 76): The Rishta
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/148942126
Part 2 (on Page 84): Fixing One, Breaking Another
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/149305221
Part 3 (on Page 89): The Setback
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/149452496
Part 4 (on Page 95): The Story Untold
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/149582300
Section V The Beginnings of the Struggle
Part 1 (on Page 100): A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/150079055
Part 2 (on Page 107): At your Service!
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