As Sameer manoeuvred through the heavy traffic of weekday evening in Delhi, he cursed for the umpteenth time. Today was not the day to let his driver be on leave. But then, he wasn't aware his grandfather would drop such a bomb on him all of a sudden. Ever since their talk in the afternoon, he wanted to speak to his friend, Manoj, or Munna, as he was fondly called by everyone. Munna had suggested to meet at Connaught Place after work, and now Sameer was having a harrowing time looking for parking. Last two parking lots were full. The attendant had casually waved to move ahead along the circular road when he honked, adding fuel to his raging mind.

Muttering under his breath, Sameer slowed down behind a car at the third parking area entry, 'Agar yaha bhi jagah nahi mili toh aaj Munna ki khair nahi. Claridges ya Imperial mein jaane ki bajay yahan dhakke kha raha hun. Aur kisne kaha tha poori Dilli ko aaj hi CP aane ke liye. Ghar pe nahi baith sakte ek shaam. Jise dekho muh utha ke idhar hi chala aa raha hai. Saari parking full karke rakhi hain.'

Poor Munna was saved, at least momentarily, when the car ahead made way inside and Sameer found a vacant place just as he entered the vast parking area.

'Shukar hai restaurant parking ke ekdum saamne hai.' He locked his car, glancing at the flashing neon sign of the famous Chinese joint.

Running his fingers through his long silky locks, he briskly walked towards the restaurant, checking his phone for new mails. Just as he reached the entrance, a figure darted outside, bumped against his shoulder, and rushed across the pavement to the other side.

'Hey!' He screamed, bending down to pick the phone that fell from his hand.

When he looked behind, it was a girl, who did not even have the decency to stop and apologise. She hastily walked towards the parked cars.

'Sorry bolne ki manners bhi nahi hoti logon mein.' Turning his phone to look for any damages, which thankfully were not there, Sameer entered the restaurant.

Munna was seated at a corner table, his head lowered. As Sameer approached him, he noticed Munna had his laptop open and was reading something on screen, his brows furrowed.

Sameer settled on the opposite chair, 'Tujhe kya hua? Increment mil gaya kya jo extra kaam kar raha hai?'

Munna looked up, startled, 'Arey yaar tu kab aaya? Mujhe pata hi nahi chala.'

Shutting his laptop, he quickly pushed it aside and smiled at Sameer, 'Achha ye bata baat kya hai? Tere chehre pe barah kyon baje hain?'

Sameer rubbed his forehead, 'Yaar Munna dadaji ne aisa bomb phoda hai ki tu sunega toh tere bhi tote udd jayenge.'

Munna narrowed his eyes, a teasing smile on his face, 'Bomb? Dadaji shaadi kar rahe hain kya?'

'Haan.' Sameer scrunched his eyes shut and pressed his temples with his fists.

'Kyaa?' Munna screamed, his eyes rounded to the max.

Without looking up, Sameer uttered in a dejected voice, 'Woh bhi kuch hi mahino mein.'

'Da... Dadaji shaadi... iss umr mein... lekin kyon... kaise... kiske saath?' Munna tried to imagine the old man he had always regarded as his own grandfather dressed like a groom, sitting on a horseback in sherwani, his face covered with floral strings of sehra. The image made him gulp hard.

Sameer looked at him, 'Keh rahe the woh jaldi hi ladki dhoond lenge.'

'Hey Bhagwan, ladki? Ladki se shaadi karenge?' Munna was dumfounded.

It was Sameer's turn to be shocked, 'Kya bewakoof jaisi baat kar raha hai? Ladki se nahi to kya ladke se hogi meri shaadi?'

'Mera matlab... shaadi karni hai toh koi apni umr ki... dadi type...' Suddenly Sameer's words registered in Munna's brain and his eyes popped out, 'Teri shaadi? Lekin shaadi toh dadaji kar rahe hain.'

'Tu pagal hai kya?' Sameer looked at him irritatedly, 'Dadaji ki umr hai shaadi karne ki?'

Huffing as if he ran a marathon, Munna wiped his sweaty face in confusion, 'Yaar Sameer jo baat hai seedhe se bata de. Aise gol mol mat kar. Heart fail ho jaati abhi.'

Sameer explained the situation to him. His grandfather wanted him to get married before he turned thirty next year. He narrated the exact words.

'Dekh Sameer beta, ye condition hamare khandaan mein mere pitaji ne shuru ki thi. Mere tauji shaadi karne se inkaar karte rahe aur pachees saal ke hote hi achanak sab kuch chod ke ek ashram mein rehne chale gaye. Mere dadaji ko tab heart attack aa gaya tha. Woh toh pitaji ne bees saal ki umr se hi saara business sambhal liya warna aaj tu yeh aish ki zindagi nahi jee raha hota. Mere dadaji ne toh aisa bistar pakda ki kabhi uth hi nahi paaye. Tabse bas yehi niyam bana diya ki sahi umr mein shaadi karne par hi business ka hissa milega. Shaadi se zindagi ka purpose mil jaata haj aur insaan ko disha mil jaati hai. Maine fir bhi tujhe tees saal tak ka time diya hai aur office join karne se manaa nahi kiya lekin tera naam hamari will mein abhi nahi aa sakta. Meri shaadi chaubees saal mein aur tere baap ki chhabees mein ho gayi thi. Aajkal ka zamana alag hai isliye main abhi tak chup tha ki shayad tu khud kisi se milwa de humein. Par main aur intezaar nahi karunga. Tujhpe koi zor zabardasti nahi hai. Agar tujhe apni pasand se shaadi karni hai toh hum sabko ladki se milne mein koi aitraaz nahi hai. Lekin mujhe lagta nahi teri zindagi mein aisi khaas dost hai. Ek saal hai tere paas. Tu nahi dhoond paaya toh meri pasand se arranged marriage hi akhiri option hai. Lekin tere agle janmdin se pehle teri shaadi har haal mein honi hai.'

Munna quietly listened to the whole story. It was indeed a serious issue, especially for his best friend Sameer who was dead against arranged marriage.

He took a sip of water before speaking, 'Ab kya karega? Teri theory mein fit hone wali ladki abhi tak nahi mili, agle ek saal mein kaise mil jayegai? Bhai tujhe toh dadaji ke saath hi ladki dekhne jaana padega.'

'Bilkul nahi Munna, main aise kaise shaadi kar lunga?' Sameer whined, 'Bina pyar kiye.'

Munna took a deep breath, 'Ab tu fir se shuru mat ho jaana. Saalon se sun raha hun tere ideas.'

Sameer was a hopeless romantic at heart and believed in love at first sight.

He had the same dreamy look in his eyes again, 'Idea nahi, ye meri love story ka theme hai. Pyar toh wohi hota hai jo pehli nazar mein ho jaaye. Jise mere liye banaya gaya hai usse pehli baar dekhte hi mere dil mein ghantiyan bajne lagengi, saansen ruk jayengi, waqt tham jayega aur us ek lamhe mein mujhe pata chal jayega ki woh ladki mera janmon ka pyar hai.'

Munna rolled his eyes, 'Karan Johar ya Farah Khan ki film ke liye kahani achhi hai lekin abhi hum asli zindagi ki baat kar rahe hain. Wapas aaja. Aaj tak jo ghanti nahi baji ek saal mein bajne ki bhi koi guarantee nahi hai.'

Sameer let out an exasperated breath, 'Mujhe nahi pata. Lekin yeh pakka hai ki main arranged marriage toh bilkul nahi kar sakta. Kisi ko bina jaane, bina pyar kiye uske saath rehna... mujhse nahi hoga.'

'Toh kya karega?' Munna asked in an irritated voice, 'Tu bhi ghar se bhaag ke sanyas le lega?'

Sameer looked at him dumbly, 'Sanyas ke alawa koi option nahi hai kya? Yaar Munna, abhi toh mujhe woh mili tak nahi hai, abhi se kaise... meri future love story ka kya hoga?'

Knowing that Sameer could go on and on about this dream of his if he was not stopped, Munna hastily forwarded his hand, 'Tu mujhe woh papers dikha jo tu keh raha tha Dadaji ne diye hain. Main Sagar se puchta hun kuch ho sakta hai kya.'

Munna's cousin Sagar was a well known lawyer.

Sameer looked around frowning, 'Lagta hai papers car mein hi reh gaye. Teri wajah se hua yeh. Itni crowded jagah pe kyon milna tha? Office ke baad aaram se Imperial ke bar mein baith sakte the.'

Munna explained tiredly, 'Tujhe pata hai na Riddhima pichle hafte se office nahi aa rahi. Uski shaadi hone wali hai isliye usne Bangalore ki branch mein switch kar liya. Assistant ke bina mere upar itna load hai ki puch mat. Agar tu nahi bulata toh main dus baje tak bhi nahi nikal paata office se. Abhi bhi shayad wapis wahin jaunga.'

'Oh!' Sameer felt guilty, 'Sorry yaar mujhe nahi pata tha tujhpe itna pressure hai. Chal chod hum iss baare mein baad mein baat kar lenge. Tu abhi apna kaam kar.'

Munna got up, 'Abey mera pressure main dekh lunga. Abhi car se papers le aate hain. Fir ek ek drink... zyada nahi kyonki tujhe drive karna hai.'

With a smile, Sameer got up too. Munna was a friend he could always depend upon. He was very proud of his choice in this aspect. Both Munna and Pandit had been with him from first standard in school. Their bond was stronger than that of brothers. Pandit was out of town for his business meeting else he would have been here as well, though he would have only given some foolish idea to deal with this situation. Being a part of each others happy and tough times was the unspoken rule of their friendship.

As they approached the parking area, they noticed a girl leaning against Sameer's car. With her back towards them, her head was lowered as she spoke into the phone. Dressed in a simple cotton kurta with leggings, she had a wide dupatta casually hung around her shoulders. With her hair tied up in a messy bun, she looked like any regular girl working at base levels in offices around CP.

'Ek ek din bhaari lagne laga hai yaar. Ab chup rehna mushkil hota jaa raha hai.' Her voice was agitated, 'Inko kya lagta hai, job dekar inhone humein khareed liya? Kuch bhi bolenge, kuch bhi karenge humein accept karna hoga?'

Spitting out the angry words she banged her fist on the hood of the car. Sameer was about to confront her but Munna stopped him and gestured to stay still.

The girl was quiet for a few seconds as she listened to the person on the other end, then let out a sigh, 'Bas isiliye sab jhel rahi hun. Jaise hi kisi doosri job ka confirmation hoga iss Thakkar ke muh pe resignation de ke marungi. Lekin tab tak chup hi rehna padega. Wapas Anuj bhaiya ke paas toh jaa nahi sakti.'

She seemed to compose herself as she straightened up, 'Thanks yaar. Aur chinta mat kar. Woh kitna bhi force kare main drink nahi karungi. Ab jaati hun. Washroom ka bahana bana ke nikli thi. Kahin tharki ladies washroom tak na pohonch jaaye.'

After listening for a while, she said lightly, 'Handle kar lungi. Tujhse baat karke gussa shaant ho gaya.'

As she turned she noticed two guys staring at her, and her frown reappeared, 'Kya hai? Kuch kaam nahi hai jo khade hokar ghoor rahe ho?'

Munna immediately lowered his eyes, 'Sorry. Hum aapko nahi...'

Before he could say more, Sameer answered in same rough tone as her, 'Aapke hatne ka intezar kar rahe hain. Kya ab aap yahan se hilengi?'

The girl looked at him in anger, 'Main hilu ya nahi aapko kya matlab? Nahi jaati. Kya karoge?'

Sameer was losing his temper, 'Dekho yeh car...'

'Meri hai.' The girl confidently placed her arm on the car, 'Apni car ke andar baithu ya bahar khadi rahu, aapko matlab?'

Seeing the heated exchange, Munna quickly stepped forward and said politely, 'Actually yeh car... yeh car hamari hai.'

The girl did not even bat an eyelid. With the same tough face, she moved away, 'Toh pehle kehna chahiye tha. Mujhe kaise pata hoga. Naam thodi likha hai.'

As she started to walk back, Munna called out, 'Ek minute madam. I'm sorry aapki baatein thodi bohot kaanon mein pad gayi thi. Aapko shayad job ki zarurat hai. Aap apna profile...'

She snapped before he could finish, 'Kyon? Aap kya yahan job bantne ka kaam karte ho?'

Munna tried to explain, 'Please madam ek minute sun lijiye. Shayad aap apne job se ya apne saath kaam karne walon se... mera matlab, aap comfortable nahi hain. Main Astro Advertising Agency mein kaam karta hun. Mera naam Manoj Rastogi hai. Aap LinkedIn pe check karke mujhe contact kar sakti hain.'

She gave him a dense suspicious look, then walked away without replying.

Sameer stepped ahead, holding the file which he had taken out from the car, 'Us badtameez ladki ke muh kyon lag raha tha?'

Munna took the file and smiled, 'Badtameez nahi hai. Uska gussa samajh sakta hun.'

Sameer huffed, 'Gussa nahi attitude dikha rahi thi. Jaise koi maharani ho.'

'Attitude se zyada defence tha. Uske experience ne shayad yehi sikhaya hai.' Munna said thoughtfully.

'Jo bhi hai. Tu usko chod aur yeh papers le. Sagar se puchna kuch ho sakta hai kya.' Sameer handed the file to him.

When they both went back to the restaurant, Munna's eyes inadvertently searched for the girl as he had seen her entering the same place. He found her seated at the far end, opposite a man of about fifty years who was saying something with an impish smile. The girl fidgeted and picked her bag to leave probably but he quickly picked up his phone and started to talk to someone, waving at her to remain seated.

Sameer ordered a drink each for them, along with some starters. They got busy discussing Sameer's problem. When they were about to leave later, Munna glanced in the direction of the girl and was shocked to see that the man was discreetly adding something to her juice while she stood a little away, talking on phone.

Munna tugged at Sameer's arm, whispering urgently, 'Tujhe achha nahi lagega lekin yeh kaam karna padega bhai.'

And he dragged Sameer without paying heed to his startled reaction.

The girl had just picked up her glass to sip when Munna loudly exclaimed, 'Arey choti, tu yaha kya kar rahi hai? Itne dinon baad mili. Aur, tera bhai Anuj kaisa hai? Aajkal kahan busy hai jo doston se milne ka time nahi milta.'

She placed the glass back and gaped at him curiously.

Munna then looked at the man, 'Sorry sorry. Aapko dekha nahi. Hello ji, main choti ke bhai ka bachpan ka dost hun. Behen hi samajh lo meri bhi. Bohot maanti hai. Jab bhi kisi mushkil mein ho Anuj ko nahi mujhe phone karti hai ki bhaiya, please help karo. Main dikhne mein nahi lagta par karate mein black belt hun. Aur mera bhai...' He pushed an annoyed Sameer ahead, '...ye sirf karate nahi har tarah ke martial art mein expert hai. Waise aapko kyon bata rahein hain ye sab.'

He laughed loudly, looking back at the girl, 'Aaj hum tere ghar jaane ke liye hi nikle the. Bas yahan se khana pack karane ruk gaye. Aur dekh kya good luck ho gaya ki tu yahin mil gayi.' He then looked at his watch, 'Arey yaar late ho gaya hai. Chal tujhe saath le chalte hain warna tera woh hilter Anuj fir se chillayega ki itni der kyon kar di, abse tera bahar jaana band, wagerah wagerah.'

The girl, who was looking at him all confused, suddenly smiled and stood up, picking her bag, 'Achha hua aap mil gaye Manoj bhaiya. Aaj sach mein late ho gaya.' She pointed at the man who was looking at all of them in daze, 'Sir ke saath ek meeting ke liye yahan aayi thi lekin client kabse kahin traffic jam mein atke hue hain.'

She then looked at her boss, 'Sir, I'm sorry. Aur late nahi kar sakti. Mere bhaiya bohot strict hain. Gussa aa gaya toh job karne se bhi manaa kar sakte hain.'

The man regained his composure and gave a sheepish look, 'Oh achha. Lagta hai client kahin zyada hi phans gaye. Koi baat nahi Naina, tum jao. Hum yeh meeting baad mein rakh lenge.'

Three of them walked out of the restaurant without another word, and continued to walk till they reached Sameer's car.

Munna was the first to speak, 'I'm sorry. Mujhe...'

She immediately cut him, 'Thank you. Aapne mujhe ek unwanted situation se nikaal liya.'

Smiling in relief, Munna said, 'Aapko bura laga toh maafi chahta hun lekin aur koi raasta nahi tha. Aapka boss hai woh aadmi?'

The girl let out a tired breath, 'Unfortunately yes. Meeting ke naam pe lekar aaye the. Lekin mujhe ek ghanta pehle hi samajh aa gaya tha ki meeting veeting kuch nahi hai. Main bina unhe naaraz kiye khisakne ka bahana dhoond rahi thi.'

Munna nodded, 'Aap inke saath thoda careful rehna.'

She lowered her head, 'Andaza hai mujhe. Par...'

Bringing a smile to her face, she looked at Munna, 'By the way, mera naam choti nahi Naina hai... Naina Agarwal. Aapka naam janti hun Manoj Rastogi. Lekin ek baat samajh nahi aayi, aapko kaise pata mere bhai ka naam Anuj hai... ab yeh mat kehna coincidence tha.'

Munna scratched his head, 'Sorry Naina, jab tum yahan phone pe baat kar rahi thi tab sun liya tha. Lekin sachhi, hum dono ka koi irada nahi tha tumhari baatein sunne ka... woh toh apni car se kuch lena tha isliye aaye the.'

Naina smiled gently, wavering her glance between the two of them, 'It's okay. I'm also sorry. Us waqt gusse mein thi isliye aap logon se rudely baat ki.'

Seeing no reaction coming from his still frowning friend, Munna introduced him, 'Yeh mera dost... Sameer Maheshwari.'

Sameer glanced at Naina.

The two nodded at each other curtly.

So this was the beginning of their story... dry and rough
Let's see what next update brings for them... on Thursday

Do checkout the new cover... designed by Preeti di pkambli83