Chapter 5: Picnic it is...
Naina p.o.v.
Naina felt rejuvenated this morning. Her heart, health all back to normal. It must have been the sleep, she thought. She had slept hugging him, how could she? She chided herself. It was the pills, she said to herself. You just wanted some comfort so you grabbed onto him. She was still laughing when she felt his presence behind her. She looked up to see herself in the mirror. Karan slowly approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulders. They fit perfectly like a piece of puzzle.
He had changed into a fresh pair of clothes after finding a note on their front door this morning. Kunal had left a sticky that they were going for a family picnic. Seems like the arrangements were done in the middle of the night and so both of them were blank about it. Dadaji wanted to make some sort of special announcement and had wanted a little setting to do so, he had written. So now here in his arms, all dressed for the outing, their eyes met in the mirror. Bohot khubsoorat lag rahi ho, he complimented, she was wearing what was in her terms a normal suit, simple, green and floral shalwar. She blushed and looked down. Waise, is morning ko kuch aur special banane ke liye, kuch milega? He asked. He turned her round in his arms, keeping a firm hold on her so she couldn't run. She slowly closed her eyes as the distance between them decreased.
Suddenly, Meghna walked in, Naina, woh mein, she stopped mid sentence seeing them jump apart from each other. Blushing, sorry she said, who bus sab neeche wait kar rahe the toh mein bulane ayi. Naina tum dono ready ho na? She asked. Waise ready toh lag hi rahe ho, trip ke liye aur romance ke liye bhi. She pulled, laughed and ran off before Naina could give her a stare. Karan laughed too unable to control himself. Chalo he said finally, taking Nainas hand in one hand and their bag in another and walked down the stairs.
The cars had been arranged in a way that all the young gang could go together while the older ones could go separately. Dadaji had invited Shardha and Vishal on the trip too. Since Vishal had a major part in curing Karan, dadaji had a soft spot for him and felt he should come along. So here they were trying to climb into the mini van. The couples each took a seat allowing Vishal and Kyathi to fit into the last seat. The van had a nice soothing music playing in the background. Karan still held Naina's hand in his. He kept staring and she blushed into the window. Romance was in the air. He kept brushing her hair aside so he could see her face properly.
Karan p.o.v.
He helped Naina climb down the bus and looked around at what was a serene picnic spot. Surrounded by trees and perched nicely on top of a mountain with a wonderful view, he could hear Naina gasp. Kunal bhai had chosen the optimal location. Or in his words the perfect place for romance. They all were lead to a place where the mat was perfectly laid on the floor. One by one they started sitting around the area. They waited for dadaji to give out the big news. His eyes flickering from Naina who was sitting next to him and giggling away with her di to his grandpa.
Dadaji looked happy so it must be a nice announcement, he thought. Meine aaj aap sabko is liye bulaya tha kyunki mujhe aap sab se kuch kehna hai, he started. Meine socha ki bohot dino baad hamari ghar mein khushiyan aayin hain, toh bachon ko bhi isse celebrate karna chahiye. Toh mein chahtha hoon, ki humare dono pothon aur unke daram patniyan kahin goom aayen. Jab se shadi hui hai, who sab kahin bahar hi nahi gaye. Toh kal woh Shimla jayenge aur kuch dino ruk kar aayenge. Everyone nodded but Karans eyes were on Naina. She blushed a lot. He smiled. Honeymoon period, he thought. He had seen it and heard it in so many films. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that he would get to spend one with the love of his life.
Time passed and the women had set up lunch. After eating, it was a time for everyone to go walking and enjoy the fresh air. So Karan had taken the first opportunity and dragged Naina away into the trees. Karan yeah tum kya kar rahe ho, sab hame doondenge, she argued helpless. But he didn't really listen, he had wanted to talk to her alone for so long, his patience was running out. She was leaning her back onto the tree now. His hands wrapped at her side. Their noses touching, just taking in their breathing. He slowly pulled away, and put his finger under her chin and pulled her head up so their eyes met.
Toh kal hum honeymoon ke liye jayenge, he said grimacing. Her cheeks flushed. Wahan bohot kuch karna bhi toh hai. He could feel her heart beats rising slowly. He decreased the distance between them once more. Par ham yahan rehearsal toh kar sakthe hain. She struggled trying to free herself away. But he kept firm. His brothers dialogues were working. Kunal had helped him so much lately in learning how to wow the wives. He'd learnt all the possible romantic lines and gestures just as he had been taught and now he would get a chance to put it to good use. She shied away, her hair covering her face. He slowly brushed the hair aside and planted a kiss on her forehead. She shuddered. He pulled her into a close hug. He felt good to have her near him. She was his safety. His strength. His everything. At that moment, everything felt right.
Book Talk
Cricket
