Sameer-Naina SS- Unanticipated Moves (Part-10 Updated)PG-44 - Page 17

"Naina kahan hai?'' Sameer asked as he saw Swati coming out from the restroom.He had last seen her getting down,looking lost and accompanying Swati to the restroom. He had waited for both of them in Canteen but could not wait long.He knew something was definitely very,very wrong.

"Wo mere saath thi par abhi nahin hai.'' Swati spoke and Sameer noticed a change in Swati's attitude.

"Yaar ye Nagpur ke hawa ne sabko badal diya kya?'' He mused running tense fingers through his hair before thinking of possible places to search for her.

He rummaged through the office,administrative block,library and even the laboratories though she was a Commerce student.

He jumped into the basketball court and looked around.She was not at the seating area.He was preparing himself to jump over the wall when he thought he saw a light blue duppatta from corner of his eye.He jumped back and walked till the ramshackled basket posts.Someone was there and her perfume was similar.

"Naina!'' He excitedly said as he stood before her while she was looking down.He eyes looked swollen, puffed and reddish.

"Sameer...Please mujhe kuch der akele mein rehna hai.Just few minutes alone''.She asked and  hid her face with the handkerchief,''Mujhe bas kuch der.. ''Her voice cracked and her sobs were audible.

"Naina?Kya hua? ''He emphasized;confused.

"Please mujhe akele chod do..Sameer..Please.Mein kuch bhala bura keh dungi.Tum jao yahan se.'' She urged yet sunk her head on his chest.She just sobbed harder and he took her to the cement bench.

"Please Naina.Batao mujhe.What's wrong?Kartik ya Priyank ya Sunaina kisine kuch kaha kya?'' She nodded in negation and he did feel something has hurt her sentiments,badly..cruelly.

"Acha chalo ab mujhe batao jab Pandit ne bakri ko April ke baad kya aata hai pucha to bakri ne kya kaha?''  He asked pulling her the closest.

"Bakri baat nahin karti. ''She said looking at him.

"Bakri ne kaha Mayyy...'' He said with a mischievous smile while she punched him on his chest at the poor joke.

"Easy,'' He assured "Kya hua hai?What's wrong?''

"Taiji,Chachaji,Papa ''She uttered plopping her head in her palms,pulling away from him.''Kya bataungi unko?''

He could not believe sometimes how a bright,intelligent girl like her was born in such a family.Naina Agarwal;the girl who would have answers to all questions remained clueless about what to answer to her own family.Ironic much.

"Khulke bataogi ki hua kya hai?'' He prodded.

"Main competition mein first nahin aa paayi.Main haar gayi.Main nahin kar paayi.Maine sabka bharosha tod diya.''She trailed mumbling and cursing her own self.

"Puri baat bataogi.Competition ka result kya hua? Speller mein position mila?'' He asked as she wiped her tears nodding a NO.

"Aur Crossword mein? '' He asked and this time she nodded a YES bringing him much relief.She had not fared that bad.Though the results didn't matter to him from any angle,it mattered to her ,her damn family..hence it mattered to him by default.

"Kounsa position mila hai? 2^nd ya 3^rd?'' He enquired as she fidgeted with her fingers making the handkerchief fall.

"3^rd. ''She replied and he picked up the handkerchief,dusting it off the dirt.

"Itne bachon mein compete karke tum trophy jeeti ho aur ro aise rahi ho jaise eligible hi nahi hui competition ke liye.Kya Naina? Kabhi kabhi aisa lagta hai main tumhe deserve hi nahin karta.Matlab main failure aur tum topper.Mere pass ek bhi trophy nahin hai aur tumhare ghar mein trophies rakhne ke liye jagah nahin hai..Aur phir bhi tum ro rahi ho.'' He said and lifted his hands up in frustration.

"Main itni bhi achi nahin hun.Sirf tum samajhte ho ki mein topper hun,main sabse achi hun..lekin main nahin hun.Mein padhai mein,dikhne mein sab mein average hi hun. ''She spoke and there he lost all his cool.

He turned around and pulled her face;bringing his face dangerously close to her.His hot breaths fanned her face and his fingers fisted in her open hair.She winced at the tug in her hair while her lips quivered at the sudden proximity.

"I love you Naina Agarwal.I LOVE YOU in BIG,BOLD LETTERS.Mujhe tumhari marks,tumhari certificate,tumhari  rank list se koi matlab nahin hai.Main tumhen pyar karta hun.Tumhari acchai se,sadgi se aur sirf tumse.Ab chahe koi aur kahe ya phir tum khud ko bematlab baaton se koso mujhe koi fark nahin padta.Mujhe bas itna pata hai I love you.Mujhse pyar karti ho na? Come on.Answer my question.'' His eyes turned a tinge of red and his fist in her hair grew firmer.She closed her eyes and nodded.

"TELL ME ALOUD.'' He demanded ;relaxing his hold a bit.

"I ...love you...Sameer '' her words came fumbling and tumbling yet with certainty.

He didn't say anything more as she had expected.He kissed her cheek with a firm kiss and hugged her tight.He had missed her and wanted to explore the real her in that moment but then she was  broken and shaken.She needed assurance and perhaps he needed it the most at the moment.

"Chalo.'' He said without meeting her eyes yet intertwining her fingers with his.He helped her jump over the wall and lead her to the canteen.

"Lo aagaye humare hero-heroine.Sameer!Aaj party dega na?Akhir bhabhi ne prize jo jeet ke ayi hai''.Munna exclaimed happily and Sameer nodded posing a grin.

"Tum kya khaogi?'' He asked  and she murmurs 'Cold Drink.'

"Bhaiya!Chaar Samosa aur do bottle Campa Cola.'' He ordered making himself sit  just diagonally opposite to her.He could see a flutter of emotions on her face as Munna and Pandit congratulated ,Preeti teased and Swati whispered.

Few Hours Later

"Suar ke aulad!Chodunga nahin tujhe.'' Priyank's voice reverberated in the Parking space as a badly bitten Kartik lay on the bonnet of his Maruti 800 car.

"Arey saanp bhi tujhse imandaar hoga.Dhokebaaz.''Priyank slapped Kartik and Kartik landed three punches straight in retaliation.

"You traitor!You dog!I will not leave you''. Another boy said as he held on to the collar of Kartik.He tried kicking Kartik in between his legs but missed.Unfortunately for the boy,Kartik did the same and didn't miss.The boy fell hard to the ground and writhed in pain.

"Kutta nahin hun tera.'' Priyank barked as he again flung Kartik on the bonnet and left straightening his collar.Kartik pulled himself off and rolled back his sleeves,looking visibly in slight pain.

Munna and Pandit rushed to pick up the boy who still found it difficult to be straight on feet.Sameer handed him bottle of water fetching it from his car.

"Thank you pals.'' The boy finally smiled ,though taking lots of effort,as he emptied half of the bottle.

"Bhai,tu yeh bata tum log us Kartik ke saath ladh kyun rahe the? ''Munna  asked completely confused how Priyank fought with Kartik.

"Kahin tum teeno ki pyaar ek to nahin hai?'' Pandit asked though he received a sharp nudge from Sameer,asking to keep quiet.

"Oh Please.I already have a girlfriend from Nagaland.I figured out how I lost my study material.I could have been the Crossword Champion smashing all previous records.'' The boy declared and suddenly a cloud of intense grief hovered over his face.

"Tum hindi mein bol nahin sakte?'' Sameer asked as he saw Munna and Pandit looking visibly confused with new words.

"Oh Sorry!Actually  mein New Zealand mein apne grandparents ke saath tha.Bachpan  se.They passed away last year in a flight crash.Isliye mujhe yahan apne Mummy Papa ke pass shift hona pada aur yahin padhna pada.That's the reason mujhe Hindi itni fluently nahin aati.Well I am Ved Kothari.B.A.English Hons.And you chums?'' Ved extended his hand to shake.Sameer shook hands followed by Munna and Pandit.

"Sameer Maheshwari B.Com Accountancy.My brothers Munna and Pandit.Nice to meet you and know about you.So you were in the prestigious BRAINS MEET Team.'' Sameer introduced and Ved looked visibly happy on finding people being nice to him.

"Yes!I was with Naina Agarwal.Naina Agarwal?You know her?She too is of B.Com..I think. ''Ved asked and a faint smile appeared on Sameer's face listening to her name.The mention of her name escalated his interest by 70% in knowing about Ved and why he and Priyank had been thrashing Kartik so badly.

"Yes!I know.She is my classmate.''Sameer said with a straightface not wanting to give away his secret.Munna and Pandit chose to keep mum whispering to each other "Ek vilayati angrez dusre desi angrez se baat kar raha hai.''

"She won the Crossword.I am feeling damn jealous of her.I could have defeated her also if not for that bas***d Kartik.'' Sameer was amazed at the audacity of the boy using such cuss words openly and also telling infront of him how he could have defeated his Naina.Well little did the boy knows he was talking to boyfriend of his competitor Naina Agarwal.

"Arey bhai!Yeh to bata uss Kartik ne kiya kya hai?'' Munna asked from behind.

"He was my room mate and I lost my study material along with the leaflet of instructions for the competition.Don't you guys see the connection?Excuse Me.''Ved asked and left as his driver was at the gate.

"Kya bak raha tha New Zealand ka vilayati angrez? ''Pandit asked Sameer as Sameer got inside the car and started the ignition.He was lost in some deep thoughts.

"Aye Ponga Pandit !Tujhse kuch nahin hoga.Arey apni bhabhi ki tariff kar raha tha wo.'' Munna said triumphantly raising his collar;proud that he could understand the fluent English Ved ranted.

"Tariff nahin kar raha tha.Jalan ho raha tha usko meri Naina se.Par mujhe yeh nahin samajh aa raha hai ki uska study material gayab Kartik ne kyun kiya?Aisa lagta hai Kartik aur iss ladke ka dur dur tak koi rishta nahin hai.Par...Aur wo Priyank to uska sage bhai jaisa hai..

Phir Kartik aisa kya kiya ki baat mar-pit tak aa gayi? '' Sameer sounded thoughtful and felt the Sherlock Holmes in him stir.

"Arey chori karna aur competition mein jeetna ..us Kartik ka bachpan ka dos lagta hai.''Pandit argued reasonably.

"Baat to tera sahi hai lekin Kartik to Crossword mein tha hi nahin.Ved ko Naina ke saath compete karna tha.Kartik ko iss bechare ke study material churake kya milega? ''Sameer questioned and none had answers.

"Bhai!Mein sach bata raha hun kuch to bahut bada jhol hai yahan.Mera frock wala Pandat gusse mein hai,Bhabhi bhi kuch thik nahin dikh rahi thi,wo Priyank Kartik ke upar toot pada hai aur yeh vilayat angrez  ka saman chori ho gaya hai.Yeh dimag bhi kaam nahin kar raha hai asli time pe''.Munna  cursed and Pandit tried to use his maximum wit to solve the puzzle.

"Main Naina se baat karunga''.Sameer said and drove out as the Bahadur at the gate whistled to vacate the Parking space soon.

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"Naina!Mujhe lagta hai  Brains Meet mein kuch jhol huya hai.'' Sameer said,dead serious.

"Please us competition ko bhul jao.''She said as she sipped some water and made her way to the balcony.

"Nahin,tumhare saath kuch ajeeb hua ?''He persisted "Kuch bhi,chota sa?''

"Nahin,mujhe yaad nahin hai.''She said smiling.''Tum pyar bhari baatein karne ke mood mein aise faltu ki baat kyun karte ho?''

"Wo..main investigation kar raha hun. ''He said,proudly.

"Ohho...Gopichand Jasoos ke baad Sameer Jasoos''.She teased and laughed.

"Haan Ahmedavad ka Sameer Jasoos''.He said and both laughed.Then he got a bit serious and repeated the same question.

"Naina!Please yaad karo kuch ajeeb sa,chota sa kuch bhi..hua tha kya?''

"Kuch nahin hua tha. ''She said,now a bit irritated.''Mein apni competition ke liye late ho gayi thi bas.Isliye time pe paper compete nahin kar payi.''

Her words increased his suspicion.She,the very punctual,disciplined Naina Agarwal ,did n't reach on time?

"Tum kyun nahin pahunch paayi?Matlab kisine tumhein rok liya ya phir kuch problem ho gayi thi kya? ''He asked trying to figure out what actually went wrong.

"Tum na agar ek labz aur uss competition ke bare me bola ya pucha main phone kaat dungi.Jaise uss din freshers ke waqt mere kaate the na tum usi tarah.Phir karte rehna phone''. She voiced,irritated and frustrated.

"Acha baba Sorry.Chalo mood badal diya.Ab sirf romantic baatein.Phir kab baith rahi ho mere bike pe?'' He asked and her shy smile was back.

"Sameer!Aaj akhbar mein 'sehar bhraman' ke bare mein padhi.Ek jagah hai 'Parimal Garden'.Ambawadi mein hai.Hum wahan chalen?'' She asked a bit apprehensive because girls of her age were romancing in movie theatres and here she was asking him to go to some garden.

"Main pehli baar sun raha hun yeh garden ke naam.Shayad Poonam Bhabhi ko pata hoga.Kab jaana hai?Date decide ki hai?'' He asked and looked for his desk calendar.

"Umm..Agle hafte shanivar ko match hai.Toh hum aaram se jaa bhi sakte hein aur garden mein ghoom bhi sakte hein.Pata hai wahan ek bahut hi khubsurat sa kamal phool ki talab bhi hai.''She spoke excited and he felt happy for the fact that she was happy and it seemed that things were not that bad at the end.

"Thik hai shanivar ko taiyar rehna.Main wahi Law Garden ke pass aa jaunga.''He informed and she hummed back in response.

"Sameer!Thank you.Mujhe sambhal ne ke liye.'' She spoke,her voice heavy with emotions.

"Dosti ka ek usool hai madam..Baaki tum janti ho.Waise Naina mere prize ka kya hua?Brains Meet khatam bhi ho gaya aur mera prize mujhe mila bhi nahin.''He sounded as if he really had not received his coveted prize,after labouring hard enough.

"Shuru ho gayi na tumhari..Sameer Jasoos.'' She said and he smiled wide.All his attempts are to bring a smile on her face.That's it.

"Acha sunoo..Lagta hai Pooja Didi uth gayi hai.Main phone rakhti hoon.Bye.''She whispered and cut the phone.He was upset for he wanted to talk to her more.He had missed talking to her for a week.But he also knew this was not possible at her place,where a joint family operated.

Next Day at College

Sameer stood outside JBR's room as his roll number was yet to be called.He didn't realise when Swati had changed her place and someone else was standing in place of her.

He tried writing his course name  on the assignment paper but the fountain pen didn't work.He shook the pen and whipped it.The ink of pen blotched on the person standing behind him.He realised his folly and turned around for an apology.

"Sorry..sorry. ''He said and realised Sunaina was standing behind him.She had a dreamy look in her eyes and she had not realised how her white crop top had distinct blue ink patches on it.

Sameer eyed her suspiciously.The girl had been acting weird since the moment he had seen her getting down from the bus.She even looked lost in classes.He didn't care about her but weird mannerisms do get noticed easily.Now even she looked lost in her own parallel universe and was blushing.

"Yeh ladki ko kahin Nagpur mein pagal kutte ne to nahin kaat diya.'' Sameer mumbled and decided for another round of apology.

"Sunaina!SUNAINA! ''Sameer called and Sunaina jerked from her reverie.

"Haan..Haan Sameer.Tumhara khatam ho gaya.JBR bula liye mere roll no?'' She asked getting frantic.

"Nahin ab to mere aage ke do roll no chal rahi hai.I am Sorry wo ink galti se gir gaya tumhari dress pe.'' Sameer said a bit regretfully and Sunaina smiled wide.

"Koi baat nahin.Laundry mein de dungi.Yeh rang to utar jayega lekin pyar ka rang ka kya? ''She asked again drifting to some la la la land.

"Hein?Pyar ka rang?'' He asked as she seemed to be newly-in-love.Whole college knew she was Kartik's girlfriend well except teachers ofcourse but she didn't seem like the Sunaina he was accustomed to seeing in months.

"Tum nahin samjhoge.Kyunki tumne kabhi kisise pyar hi nahin kiya.Yeh pyar ka rang ek baar chadta hai na din pe din gehra hotahi jaata hai.''She said and closed her eyes,still a shy smile playing on her lips.

"Hmm..Maine to kabhi pyar kiya hi nahin.'' He murmured and smiled,his eyes travelling towards Naina who was animatedly conversing with Munna,Pandit,Preeti and Kamya.

 (To Be Continued)

P.S.:Thank you for reading.Would love to read all your feedback.😳