Throughout the lunch, Sameer was quiet. He felt a pang of guilt for speaking without thinking.

'Oye Sameer.' Pandit nudged him, 'Kahan kho gaya?'

Munna suppressed a smile, 'Lagta hai iska dimaag... aur dil... kahin aur hai.'

Pandit chuckled, 'Ab toh mujhe bhi lag raha hai ki apna bhai asli nakli mein thoda confuse ho raha hai.'

Sameer snapped in irritation at their speculations, 'Agar main Naina se gusse mein baat karta hun toh tum dono mujhpe chadh jaate ho aur agar apni galti manta hun toh alag kahani bana lete ho. Aakhir main karun kya? Honestly, mujhe bura lag raha hai ki maine Param ke saamne aisa bola. Main toh sirf party ki baat kar raha tha. Isliye soch raha hun ki kahin Param bhi Nakul ki tarah Naina ko zyada pareshan na karey, sirf meri baat ki wajah se.'

Pandit narrowed his eyes, 'Woh saala Nakul abhi tak Naina ke peeche laga hai kya? Maine pehle hi kaha tha usey pakad ke koot dete hain.'

Sameer shook his head, 'Uska pair fracture ho gaya tha us din. Abhi toh ghar pe hi baitha hai. Waise uncle ne kaha tha ki woh Nakul ko US bhej denge. Poori baat uske parents ke saamne lane ka mera agenda yehi tha ki usey sahi tareeke se roka jaa sake. Warna dhulai toh main bhi kar sakta tha. Par usse baat badh jaati.'

Nodding his head in understanding, Munna softened his voice, 'Aisa kar, Naina ko clear kar de ki tu party ke liye keh raha tha aur tera irada bas Param ko usse dur rakhne ka tha. Waise sach kahun toh main bhi surprised hun ki Naina ne react kyon nahi kiya. Woh har galat baat pe takkar ka jawaab deti hai. Fir aaj...' He shrugged, 'Anyway, tu apni taraf se usey sab clear kar de. Galatfehmi hone se rishton mein daraar aa sakti hai.'

'Kaisa rishta?' Sameer countered, 'Mera aur Naina ka koi rishta thodi hai.'

Pandit chipped in, 'Dost maan ke hi kar de bhai. Yeh galatfehmi hai na, dosti mein bhi souten ka kaam karti hai.'

'Hmm.' Sameer responded thoughtfully, 'Bata dena chahiye. Kahin is baat ki wajah se woh contract cancel na karde.'

Munna and Pandit exchanged a glance... he had finally started to accept her as a friend.

After lunch, when they went back to office, Naina wasn't around. Munna got to know that she had gone out to meet a client. Sameer did not want to speak to her on the phone about this. He decided to meet her later, and clarify everything. But he himself got busy with some meetings once he reached office. Talking to Naina was put on the back burner for now.

A day later, Naina and Natasha visited a senior lawyer who was known to Natasha's family. He explained that Naina could challenge the will but since the property belonged solely to her father, and he had clearly given it to her brother according to his will, she did not have much in her favour. Unless, she wanted to take the route of deception and say that her father was forced to make such a will. He distinctly mentioned what all was needed to be faked for such a case.

Once they were out of the office, Natasha looked at Naina with uncertainty, 'Kya socha hai ab? Case karna hai?'

With a sigh, Naina looked away, 'Aise cases property ke liye kiye jaate hain Nutty. Mere liye woh ghar koi inheritance nahi hai. Main toh bas itna chahti thi ki bhaiya usey kisi anjaan ke hawale na karein. Lekin, in the end, hai toh woh ek property hi. Agar unhe paison ki zarurat hai toh sell karna hi padega. Shayad main hi zyada emotional ho rahi hun.'

She turned to Natasha and smiled, 'Jaane de. Jab unhe koi issue nahi hai toh mujhe bhi fark nahi padna chahiye.'

Natasha could see the sadness that lurked in her eyes. Whatever Naina might say, but she still had an attachment to the house. Unlike other girls, there was no particular piece of jewellery or maybe a saree or something that she was handed as a remembrance of her mother. Natasha was aware about her family's financial condition in earlier days. The only jewellery that she knew about was a set of bangles which her father had presented to Tina when Anuj got married to her. At that time too, Naina had confessed to her that she was shocked, because no one ever mentioned to her about those bangles. She has so little, and one by one, all of it was being snatched away from her. This made Natasha's heart ache. Naina deserved to belong... she needed a strong anchor, someone who could erase the barrenness of her heart.

Her voice was tinged with worry as she placed a hand on Naina's arm, 'Ek baar koshish toh karke dekh Naina. Bhaiya se baat kar, unhe bata ki tu kya feel karti hai. Agar maan gaye toh theek hai. At least tujhe itna satisfaction toh rahega ki tune try kiya tha. Please, don't accept without one last attempt.'

Naina contemplated if it was worth it. Though she was aware that there wasn't much hope, she didn't want to regret later. Taking Natasha's advice, she called up Anuj. Surprisingly, Anuj asked her to meet him in a restaurant next day. Her heart plummeted... had he already sold the house?

Saturday morning, as Sameer was getting dressed to go out, his thoughts went back to Naina. Today was a good day to meet her. He called up. There was no answer. Frustrated, he decided to call after breakfast. When he did not get any response from her side even after three consecutive attempts in next one hour, his annoyance turned to concern.

Also, what happened at the breakfast table was troubling him.

Dadaji asked him while he was enjoying his alu parantha, 'Naya saal shuru ho gaya hai Sameer, kya socha hai?'

He looked up in confusion, 'Kis baare mein Dadaji?'

'Shaadi ke baare mein.' Dadaji said matter of factly, 'Tere paas zyada waqt nahi bacha hai.'

'Mere birthday mein paanch mahine baaki hain abhi. Usse pehle kar lunga.' He replied, trying to ignore the warning bells in his brain, that reminded him that he needed a girl if he had to get married.

Girish looked at him, his eyebrows knit together, 'Toh kya akhiri din pe karega? Sameer, tere birthday se pehle shaadi ki date ke saath papers ready hone chahiye.'

'Oh!' This was news to Sameer. It was evident that he did not even have five months in hand. How could he find someone in such a short period.

Ambika added fuel to his anguish as she commented in a cheery tone, 'Maine aaj panditji ko ghar bulaya hai. Anu ke naye showroom ke inauguration ki date ke saath saath teri aur Naina ki shaadi ke liye bhi puch lungi.'

The piece of parantha got stuck in Sameer's throat. Coughing loudly, he grabbed a glass of water and downed the whole of it.

Ambika rushed to him to rub his back, her brows furrowed, 'Itna bada ho gaya lekin khana nahi aaya. Alu paranthe dekhte hi aise toot padta hai jaise kabhi khaye hi nahi. Atak gaya na jaldi ke chakkar mein? Beta, kabhi apni mummy ki baat bhi maan liya kar, shaanti se khaya kar. Main toh samjha samjha ke thak gayi. Naina se kahungi ab woh hi tujhe thodi akal de.'

Girish let out an amused smirk, 'Naina ko mat batana isme akal ki itni kami hai. Kahin usne break up kar liya toh.'

Trying to settle the scratchiness in his throat, Sameer responded sharply, 'Break up kyon karegi Naina? Ek baat batao, aap mere papa ho ya Naina ke? Jab bhi baat karte ho uski side lete ho. Aur yeh kya hamesha daraate rehte ho ki break up ho jayega, Naina bhaag jayegi and all. Kyon hoga aisa? Naina mujhe kabhi nahi chodegi, aur na main usey. We know each other very well. Aur hum bohot jaldi shaadi kar lenge.'

Girish raised his brows in appreciation, 'I like your confidence. Dekh raha hun Naina ke saath rehkar tujh mein changes aa gaye hain, for better.'

Dadaji smiled with pride, 'Yehi asar dekhne ke liye shaadi ka clause daala gaya hai. Sameer beta, sach toh yeh hai ki ek aadmi tab tak responsible aur samjhdaar nahi ban sakta jab tak uski life mein ek achhi ladki nahi aati. Tere liye woh ladki Naina hai. Woh bohot samajhdaar aur suljhi hui ladki lagti hai. Tere liye perfect hai, aur hamare parivaar ke liye bhi.'

His family needed no reason to start their songs in Naina's praise. Sameer didn't know what was so great about her which he was not able to see but all of them could, even though they had met her only a couple of times.

'Shukr hai maine mummy ko keh diya tha ki Naina ko roz roz yahan aana uncomfortable lagta hai warna yeh sab uske aise fans ban jaate ki Dadadji will mein se mujhe nikaal ke Naina ko add kar dete.' He muttered under his breath, 'Abhi se lagne laga hai ki main inka beta nahi woh inki beti hai. Jab shaadi ho jayegi toh...'

He halted his pent up frustration, startled at his line of thoughts... he was thinking about when they would be married, not if they get married.

But now, back in his room, he was again worried for her, 'Kahin fir se weekend job toh shuru nahi kar diya? Kar diya toh bata deti na. Ya ek message hi kar de. Missed calls dekh ke isey itna samajh nahi aata ki koi baat karne ki koshish kar raha hai.' He paced his room, irked at her lack of response, till a sudden thought hit him, 'Kahin koi problem toh nahi ho gayi?'

He quickly searched for Natasha's number and placed a call to her.

'Mr Sameer Maheshwari.' Natasha's chirpy voice was a sign that Naina was in no trouble.

She continued, 'Aaj Naina ki jagah mera number kaise mila liya? Mujhse bhi koi galti ho gayi kya?'

Sameer immediately regretted his decision to speak to her. Her exuberance was a little too much for him.

Trying to sound calm, he stated, 'Main tumhe disturb nahi karna chahta tha par Naina phone nahi utha rahi. Kuch important kaam tha usse. Can I talk to her?'

'Naina toh ghar pe nahi hai.' Natasha informed.

When no details seemed to be coming, Sameer probed, 'Kahan gayi hai? Kab tak ayegi?'

Natasha chuckled, 'Aapko lagta nahi aap ek fake boyfriend ke hisaab se kuch zyada hi involve ho rahe hain Mr Maheshwari?'

Sameer gritted his teeth. As if Munna Pandit were not enough to point this out that now this chatterbox of a girl had to do the same.

He took a deep breath before speaking hesitantly, 'I don't know tumhe Naina ne bataya ya nahi... kuch din pehle Nakul...'

'Mujhe pata hai.' Natasha interrupted him in a strong voice, 'Nakul ke baare mein, Param ke baare mein aur baaki sab jo Naina ki life mein hota hai uske baare mein bhi. Naina aur mere beech koi secrets nahi hain. We know everything about each other.'

Sameer rolled his eyes, 'Fine. Isliye puch raha hun kyonki mujhe Param pe bhi khaas bharosa nahi hai. Lekin Naina jab dekho usse baat karti rehti hai. Nakul toh shayad ab nahi ayega lekin Naina ko Param se bhi distance maintain karna chahiye.'

'Okay. Main bata dungi usey.' Natasha replied, 'Waise aap fikr mat kijiye, woh Param, Nakul ya kisi aur mein interested nahi hai. Is waqt woh ek zaruri kaam se gayi hai isliye phone silent pe hoga.'

'Aisa kya zaruri kaam hai chutti ke din jo ek message bhi nahi bhej sakti.' Sameer wanted to ask but kept his questions to himself. The call did not bring any answers, however, it succeeded in adding to his agitation. To heighten it further, Munna texted that he had to go out with his mom, so he wouldn't be meeting Sameer for the day. Pandit was already away from town. His parents and Dadaji had gone out too, visiting a relative in Gurgaon. Anaya was busy with preparations for a new store that was to open in an upscale mall.

Throwing his phone on the bed, Sameer walked out to the balcony, 'Sabko ek hi din apne kaam yaad aate hain. Ab main kya karun, akele ghar pe baith ke bore houn?'

Winter sun in the balcony warmed him up to some extent. It was a perfect day to spend outdoors. If everyone was enjoying, why should he sit at home and brood. He wasn't a kid, he was capable of going out on his own. He could enjoy his own company.

Rushing back to the room, he grabbed his phone and sprinted down the stairs, informing the servant that he wouldn't be having lunch at home. Once in his car, he checked the eateries that offered outdoor seating. Enjoying a cocktail along with some great food in an open air place seemed to be a good idea.

The restaurant he selected was at a place where he rarely needed to go. It was on the other side of the city, but was rated quite high for such ambience. Sameer shrugged and ventured out. He had the whole day. Distance didn't matter.

Naina reached the place on time, only to receive a text from Anuj that he would be a bit late. She had come all the way from afar, to be here on time, and he was late even though he lived barely ten minutes away. She had offered to come to the house, but Anuj stated some excuses, asking her to come down to a nearby joint.

She could not give up the chance to take a look at the house and had initially walked upto the society, gazing up at the balcony and windows of her house. The curtains were different, her plants were gone, the paint on walls was new. Yet, there was a sense of instant familiarity as her wistful eyes scanned the area. As a child, she had played on these pavements and in nearby park, she had cycled in these lanes, fallen and scraped her knees and elbows, dirtied her clothes in mud, indulged in fights as well as celebrations with other kids... had a childhood which wasn't perfect at home but outside, it was not far from normal. Blinking away the memories, she went back to the restaurant.

After reading the message from Anuj, she was about to slip back the phone in her bag when she noticed two missed calls from Sameer. She was in no mood to indulge in any kind of conversation, forget about any banter. No, she won't call back. In the notifications too, there was a text from him. She didn't open that either.

About fifteen minutes later, Anuj walked in hurriedly. Naina gulped. She was seeing her brother after more than six months. He had become leaner. Anuj wasn't very tall, just like their father. But he was good lookin, with a fair complexion and attractive appearance. His dressing style had changed for good after he met Tina. And now, he was sporting some top notch brands, in clothes and accessories. He looked rich.

'Hi bhaiya, kaise ho aap?' Naina uttered when he did not say a single word even after pulling a chair and settling across the table.

Anuj shot a quick glance at her before taking his attention back to his phone, 'Good good. Just a minute, mujhe ek important mail bhejni hai.'

She waited patiently, for another ten minutes.

When Anuj finally finished whatever he was doing, he put away the phone and let out a breath, 'Haan Naina, bol kya baat karni hai. Actually aaj meri ek prospective client ke saath meeting hai isliye zyada time nahi hai. Jaldi baat khatam karte hain fir mujhe presentation pe kaam karna hai.'

Like always, all he cared was for himself. Naina wondered why she was even expecting a change. It was always like this. For Anuj, she was just a person who he would order to prepare his meals or ask to run errands when he was supposedly preparing for IAS. He never asked her about her life or her needs. At times, she felt like he hated her presence. But why? She never had an answer to that. What had she ever done that she had to live a life of a stranger in her own house, being shunned by her brother and ignored by her father? Why couldn't they treat her as family, why couldn't they give her a rightful status, a place amongst them?

Anuj's impatient tap on the table broke her chain of thoughts.

Giving a steely look, she came back to present, 'Aapko ghar nahi bechna chahiye bhaiya.'

Anuj was momentarily taken aback, then leaned on the chair, crossing his arms against his chest, 'Tujhe pata hai na woh ghar mere naam hai. Main usey kabhi bhi sell ya rent out kar sakta hun. Tujhe sirf inform karne ke liye call kiya tha, teri rai maangne ke liye nahi.'

'Jaanti hun.' Naina continued, 'Ab woh ghar aapke naam hai par maine bhi bachpan se usey hi apna ghar maana hai. Agar paison ki zarurat hai toh aap loan le sakte ho. Uski mortgage par aaram se loan mil jayega.'

Anuj narrowed his eyes, 'Mujhe business start karna hai. Uske liye kitna capital chahiye tujhe idea bhi hai? Kisi chote mote loan se mera kaam nahi chalega. Balki is 3 BHK flat ko bech ke bhi main utne paise ikatthe nahi kar paunga jitney abhi chahiye.'

'Toh aap itni badi investment kar hi kyon rahe ho?' Naina reasoned, 'Naya business hamesha risky hota hai. Apna sab kuch uspe laga dena sensible toh nahi hai.'

Anuj countered with a scowl, 'Tujhe bada pata hai business ke baare mein? I know what I'm doing. Tina ke dad ne bola hai ki ismein fail hone ka chance hi nahi hai.'

Naina looked away, swallowing the painful lump in her throat, then, emboldened, met his eyes, 'I don't want you to sell the house. Mere liye... mere liye woh mummy ki nishani hai, unki yaad hai, unse juda hua hai. Please bhaiya, aap sirf us ghar ko rehne do, baaki jo chaho kar lo.'

Anuj let out a bitter laugh, 'Baaki hai hi kya? Tujhe bhi pata hai papa ne saari zindagi kabhi savings nahi ki. Mummy ki wajah se ek ghar khareeda tha, uske baad mummy bhi chali gayi aur papa ka dimaag bhi. Unhone kabhi socha hi nahi ki apne bete ke liye kuch investment karein, property banaye, shares khareede. Mujhe sab kuch khud karna pad raha hai.'

Naina was shocked at his audacity, unable to stay quiet, 'Papa ne jo bhi earn kiya aap pe hi toh kharch kiya. Apke tuitions, coaching, academy, books, forms... time waste na ho isliye kabhi kahin PG dilaya kabhi private cab lagwayi. Aap jaante ho yeh sab kaafi expensive tha.'

'Achha? Aur tera course, woh expensive nahi tha?' Anuj said sharply, 'Tune jab masters karne ka faisla kiya toh socha tha paison ke baare mein?'

'Maine apni fees khud pay ki thi bhaiya.' Naina replied with coldness, 'Masters ki bhi aur course ki bhi.'

She wasn't surprised that Anuj was unaware. He was oblivious of everything around him.

Her voice was strained with suppressed emotions when she repeated, 'Aap bhi apni capital khud arrange karne ki koshish karo. Ghar mat becho.'

'Aur tum kaun hoti ho kehne wali? Ghar toh Anuj ka hai.' Tina's voice floated beside her.

Both Anuj and Naina looked up. Tina was standing close to their table, her eyes spewing hatred as she stared at Naina.

Next update on Friday