Hello Forumwasis,
The library has always been a very important setting for our show, and so I wanted to capture some small disconnected moments at different stages, where the library was a silent spectator to samaina's progressing romance.
Disclaimer: The timelines mentioned are all on assumed basis, kindly do not pay too much attention to them 😆
So, without further ado, please read and enjoy
Samaina OS-The Library
PVKM Library
March 1990
Naina huffed, annoyed. Brushing off a small lock of hair back from her sweaty forehead, she surveyed the chemistry textbook she had been trying to reach for over 10 minutes now. The infuriating book was unfortunately placed at a high shelf beyond her reach. It was nearly the end of games period, which meant that she would have to go back to her class soon.
The library was quite deserted at the moment, bereft of both students and her father, who was at a staff meeting, and so she could not ask anyone else for help either.
Deciding to give it another shot, she stretched on tiptoes, extending her hand as far as it would go, but to no avail. Naina sighed, just about to give it up as a lost cause, when an odd fluttering feeling bloomed in her stomach. She turned, and exactly at that moment, Sameer Maheshwari entered the library.
Naina was self aware enough to understand exactly what it was that she felt for Sameer, a boy she had known for approximately only a month. At the same time, she was also painfully aware that he probably only thought of her as the school topper and a fellow classmate.
Sameer caught her eye, and approached her aisle. Almost instinctively, she took a step back when he was close enough. Sameer reached out, and pulled out a sports journal directly next to the book she had wanted, and turned to leave.
Before she lost her nerve, Naina said Sameer...
"Woh...woh book..."
"yeh wali?" he asked her, gesturing to the magazine in his hand.
"Nahi..woh chemistry ki textbook nikal ke de sakte ho?'' she asked him.
Sameer casually pulled out the book from the shelf and held it out to her. Hands trembling, she reached out to take the book from him.
"Th...thanks" she managed to stutter. Sameer shrugged, and left.
Euphoric, she clutched the book to her chest and twirled around , unable to tamp down the frantic beating of her heart and the wide smile painting her face. Sameer had helped her for the first time today!
That evening, she raced over to Shefali's house to inform her of this latest development.
Shefali found herself fairly unimpressed by Sameer's casual behaviour. She really did want to support Naina, and thought of her to be one of the most genuinely sweetest people she had ever met. However, she had a feeling that Naina was only setting herself up for heartbreak.
"Naina...koi bhi hota toh book nikal ke deta, toh isse tum yeh nahi maan sakti ho ki who tumhare liye kuch feel karta hai"
"Jaanti hun...par Shefali, main bas khush hoon ki usne meri madad ki."
Looking at Naina's glowing face, Shefali gave up trying to make her understand. Hopefully, her friend's incredibly kind nature and golden heart would catch Sameer's attention anyway.
xxx
PVKM Library
Jan 1991
It was a lovely day- The birds were singing,the sun was shining and a fresh,cool breeze was blowing through the windows.Naina,however was in no mood to enjoy the weather.Her books were open in front of her,but her thoughts were miles away,fixed firmly on the boy who had won her love,friendship & trust(in that order) and had promptly broken all three,all for some stupid bet.As if breaking her heart was not enough,he had also pushed Arjun Bhaiya down the stairs!
'You know that was an accident,Naina' came immediately the entirely unnecessary thought.Her mental voice,for some reason,had started sounding like 'him' too.Moreover,there was absolutely no need to call him home to serve Arjun Bhaiya-There were more than enough people at home for that!
There was no convincing her father for that,however,and she knew it well.Sameer's punishment felt more like a punishment for her instead.
Her musings were interrupted when a familiar voice sounded-"Naina..."
She looked up,and immediately wished she hadn't.
**********************************
"Bhai,chal na canteen chalte hain...khelne ke baad bohot bhook lagi hai" cheered Munna happily.
"Abbe Chenu, do run mein toh out hogaya aur aise bol raha hai jaise tune century maari" ribbed Pandit,snickering.
Sameer ignored their banter,attention caught by the pretty girl visible from the library window,seemingly lost in thought.
"Sameer..." Pandit shook his shoulder.Sameer started,meeting the questioning gaze of his friends.
"Tum log jao canteen,Main thodi der baad aaunga"
"Dekh Sameer,Naina pehle se bohot gusse mein hai,ab teri baat nahi sunegi" said Munna,uncharacteristically serious,nodding towards the window.
Sameer smiled."Tu fikar mat kar...baat karne ki koshish toh kar sakta hun,aur vaise bhi,librarian bhi nahi hai."
Munna & Pandit glanced at each other,and left for the canteen.Sameer walked into the building,making a beeline for the heavy wooden doors marking the library.
Sameer stopped at the threshold,trying to gather up some courage,and walked upto her.
"Naina..." He started.
Naina looked up,meeting his eyes,but was unable to mask the pain in her eyes quickly enough.
"Naina,woh main tumse..."
"Mujhe kaam hai" Naina snapped in clipped tones.She grabbed a couple of books from the table,and stood up.
Sameer moved quickly to block her way."Naina,ek baar baat toh sunn lo"
"Aur kuch bolne ya sunne ke liye baaki nahi raha" said Naina, brushing past him,but not before seeing the hurt in his gaze.
********************************************
"kyun mujhe akele nahi chod sakta hai woh?''Hot tears sprang up in her eyes even as she practically sprinted from the library.Slowing down,she swallowed,trying to ease the tightness in her throat.
It had been nearly 2 months,and even now the disastrous confession in Mount Abu played in her minds eye each time she saw Sameer.Even now,Naina couldn't decipher the plethora of emotions that assaulted her every time she thought of him.Anger and hurt at Sameer for doing this to her,anger at herself for being such a colossal fool,so easily taken in by his sweet talk.'Friendship-broken,Trust-shattered,love-?...no,she definitely didn't love him anymore,could she?'Fresh tears welled up in her eyes at that thought,the lie so weak,she had no hope of even convincing herself.
''Uski aadat lagani padegi ab...roz Arjun Bhaiya ke liye ghar aayega,ab aur rona nahi,naina'' she thought,wiping her eyes.
"Arre,yahan kyun khadi hai,Naina?"came Swati's voice from behind her.
Startled,Naina turned around.
"Tere aankh itne laal...ro rahi thi kya?"asked Swati,concerned." Kyawoh Sameer ne phir kuch..."
"Nahi nahi...woh bas aankh me kuch gaya...Main library jaake aati hun,ek book bhool gayi".said Naina,smiling weakly,trying to escape her best friend's questioning.
Swati still looked suspicious,but nodded."Thike,main tujhe class me milti hun"
Left without a choice,Naina retraced her steps to the library,heart heavy with her recent epiphany.She could hear raised voices all the way to the corridor.Recognising the voice as that of her fathers,Naina quickened her steps and peeked from the library door.
"Tum jaise bigdail ameerzade ko vidya ka kya mol?Ek toh mere Arjun ki taang tod di,aur aaj yeh?''barked Rakesh Agarwal,brandishing an inkstained book at Sameer's face.
"Sorry sir...galti se hogaya,main book replace kar dunga" said Sameer.
"Aaj toh main principal sir ko batake hi rahunga!Trustee ke pote ho toh kya school property khud ka maal samajh ke rakha hai?"growled Rakesh,striding out of the library,towards the principals office.
Naina ducked behind the door,watching her father leave.She peeked through the door again,only to see a fifth standard student she had seen around, move towards Sameer.
"Sorry bhaiya...meri wajah se aapko kitni daant padi.Main dusra book le aaunga,promise"said the little boy,shamefaced.
Sameer ruffled the kid's hair,smiling."Koi baat nahi,tu chinta mat kar."
"Rakesh sir se bohot darr lagta hai mujhe"said the kid.
"Woh vaise bhi mujhse gussa hain,ab unki daant ki aadat padh gayi...chal ab jaa,tera class ka time nahi hua?"asked Sameer,grinning.
The small boy smiled tentatively,and left.Naina,still hidden, observed Sameer take the seat that she had vacated,and watched him pick up her book,running his fingers over her name.
Naina's heart seemed to have constricted,making it hard for her to breathe.Clenching her fists,she turned and walked off,trying hard not to dissolve into a fresh bout of tears.
xxx
PVKM Library
Dec 1991
Naina sighed,hidden behind a shelf,running her fingers over his words,feeling the impressions in the paper.She could also see the exact spot where he had run out of ink,and had changed to another pen.She giggled,imagining his annoyance.As it is,she saw Sameer everywhere these days-Him sitting in the desk next to her in their classroom,tapping out their secret signal,him leaning against a shelf in the library,distracting her while studying,sitting in a table across her with his friends in the canteen making funny faces at her.There were memories of him in every part of this school.
With a pang,she realised it had almost been a month since she had seen him in person,when he came to Ahemedabad,but left immediately in anger.So much had changed since that fateful farewell when their lives had taken a very unexpected turn.Still,their love was constant,and there was an imprint of him-in her mind,in her heart and soul.
She could feel the warmth of his hands when he held hers,and could almost feel his presence behind her.If she leaned back just a little,she'd be in his arms.With a gasp,she overbalanced,quickly grabbing hold of the shelf before she fell.
She laughed, slapping her forehead for being idiotic enough to daydream in the library of all places.Naina hugged the letter to her chest,before carefully folding it up to put in her bag,and walked out,wondering if Sameer was missing her too.
St.Peterson College Library
Dec 1991
Sameer knew that libraries were supposed to be peaceful,but somehow,the silence in his new school's library felt almost oppressive,without Munna & Pandit making a racket and safari suit yelling at them.He smiled,his thoughts turning to his Naina.She would have loved this library-lots of books,Large,airy French windows letting in the weak winter sunlight,polished hardwood floors and rows of comfortable cushioned chairs.The entire place screamed of plush opulence.Yes,she would definitely like this library.He sighed,missing her almost felt like a physical ache,which is why he had started frequenting the library in the first place,he felt somewhat closer to her.
He remembered the last time he'd seen her-when he had flown to Ahemedabad,the love,the sheer relief in her eyes had blown him away.There were so many things he could have said,so many things he could have done,but no.He had to act like a prize fool and let his anger get the better of him.Naina had understood his feelings somehow,even though she hadn't understood the exact nature of his anger.Even now,he couldn't exactly articulate the rage that had overtaken him that day-it had been a culmination of a lot of things,his frustration at Dadi's underhanded schemes ,annoyance that his mother had not been able to understand him,being away for so long from his best friends,from her.And poor Naina had borne the brunt of his anger.
He'll make up for his behaviour the next time he sees her.Sameer smiled,as a pleasant breeze wafted inside.Breathing deeply,he gathered his books and bag and set off for home.After all,he had a letter to write,a letter to the most infuriating,stubborn and lovely girl he had ever known.
xxx
VJN Library
Jun 1994
There was a faint thrum of excitement in the air,and outside of Naina's fourth floor window,she could hear a cheerful cacophony of the inter collegiate music festival going on in the playground.Reaching out for the window latch,she shut the window,immediately muffling out the sounds from outside.Technically,being the GS,Naina was required to be down at the grounds too,overseeing the festival.However,the principal had been extremely impressed by all her arrangements,and had magnanimously granted her an hour of free time citing the fact that she had worked very hard for the past month or so,and deserved a little break.
Naina seized the opportunity to escape into the library for some peace and quiet and to get a little bit of studying done.
Wandering down the deserted Law aisle,she scanned titles,trying to the find the reference book JBR had recommended just a couple of days ago.She did succeed in finding it,but as luck would have it,the book was placed at an inconvenient corner of a much higher shelf.
Naina groaned.'Why does this always happen to me? I feel like half my life is wasted trying to reach these books'
She looked around,no one to ask for help.Well,on the bright side,atleast no one would see her make a fool of herself.She took a deep breath,psyching herself up.Stretching on her toes,she reached out,barely managing to even scratch the spine of the book with the very tip of her nails.
Five more minutes of stretching,and she could feel her muscles burn uncomfortably.
Ok Naina,you have to be smart about this' she thought grimly.The library did have a ladder,but it was the most pathetic,rickety piece of wood to ever take the shape of a ladder,and she had no interest whatsoever in climbing that and breaking an ankle,or worse,her head.
Which left her with one option,swallow whatever dignity she had left and jump for the book.Naina scowled at the book,when a warm arm snaked around her waist,pulling her into a half embrace against a very familiar broad chest.At the same time,his other hand reached out,and pulled the book off the shelf.
Naina smiled,a familiar sense of peace spreading through her heart.
********************************************
Sameer had spent part of the morning busy with arrangements,and the other part searching for his missing girlfriend.When he finally found her,it was to the hilarious sight of her scowling fiercely at a high shelf.He grinned,an abrupt feeling of dj vu overtaking him.
He moved silently behind her,and reached for the book she wanted.Naina relaxed in his hold,and turned to smile up at him.
"Tum kab aaye?"
"Jab tum who book ko aise dekh rahi thi jaise usne tumse zyada marks score kiye exams mein" Sameer ribbed,knowing how competitive his girlfriend could get.
Naina smacked his arm lightly,and held her hand out." book do"
Sameer,however,smirked and held the book high above her reach. "quid pro quo,madam.Economics nahi padhti ho kya?" he asked her,grinning mischieviously.
"Sameer,pareshan mat karo na...book de do na"
"har cheez ki ek keemat hoti hai,GS Saahiba" said Sameer cheerfully." pehlee price,phir book"
"Acha baba, thik hai.Kya chahiye tumhe?"Naina asked resigned,knowing that Sameer was given to mischief.
"Tumhe nahi pata?"Sameer asked in a low voice,eyes moving down to her lips,and then further down to her neckline.He moved his arms,trapping her against the shelf.
Naina felt something fluttering low in her belly,as well as heat rising in her cheeks.She was usually comfortable around Sameer,but sometimes,his proximity took her by surprise.Her dress had a v neck,and she definitely caught his appreciative glance before his eyes flitted back up to her face.He did not have to voice out what he wanted,she could read it easily in his eyes.
Naina stepped closer to him,heart racing,lost in his warm brown eyes.Sameer removed his hand from the shelf,and lightly brushed an errant lock of hair behind her ear,marvelling as she blushed darker.Cupping her cheek lightly,he guided her closer.Eyes still locked on his,Naina turned her head slightly to brush her lips softly against his palm.
Sameer sighed,eyes closing.In a quick move,Naina tugged the book from his relaxed hold,and ducked under his arm,running away,still giggling.
"Dhokebaaz!"Sameer called out after her,stunned.At her answering giggle,he grinned,and set out in pursuit of his girlfriend,intending to make her pay for this.
xxx
I would love to hear your thoughts,also,please let me know which drabble is your favourite😳
comment:
p_commentcount