Sameer signalled another attendant, and picked up a glass from his tray. They were seated at one of the tables, a few plates placed of different eats in front of them. He eyed Naina, who was keenly looking at the dance floor. The polished, reflective surface of the floor was gleaming under the soft illumination of strategically placed spotlights. A live band was playing lively music, and some people were dancing to the melody. Sameer noticed how Naina tapped her feet with the music, even swayed a little as the band changed the tune. He recalled she had been giving dance lessons to Anaya, along with other people. He himself wasn't a bad dancer.

'Would you like to dance?' His question made Naina look at him with a jerk.

'Nahi nahi.' She sat upright, facing away from the dance floor, 'Main toh aise hi dekh rahi thi. Music is nice.'

Emptying his glass, Sameer got to his feet, and held out his hand, 'Toh chalo. Ek dance karna toh party ka rule hota hai.'

It had been a while since Naina had taken to the floor. The music was calling out to her. In fact, she had been thinking that had Natasha been here, it would have been so much fun to be on the dance floor by now. Her eyes stayed on Sameer's face for a moment, before going to his extended palm. She had never danced with a man before. She and Natasha would sometimes pretend for fun, dancing as a couple. However, the few times she had been out to a party, she had only danced in a group. But then, whatever she had been doing in last few weeks wasn't her normal life either. Why not make an exception in this too. After all, dance was one thing that always made her happy.

With a smile, she placed her hand in Sameer's palm and stood up, nodding slightly. He gripped her hand firmly, and led her to the elevated area, set beneath a canopy of twinkling fairy lights that cast a magical glow around. The music at the moment called for freestyle dancing, and they both easily grooved to it, keeping some distance between them. As the band transitioned to more upbeat numbers, the energy on the dance floor grew and the guests responded with enthusiasm, their moves becoming more spirited and joyful. Naina swirled once, laughing with abandon, the elegant fabric of her saree flowing with the movement. Her eyes glittered with the reflection of the twinkling lights from the canopy... or was it the spark of her exuberance? Sameer wasn't sure, but he thought this was the happiest he had seen her. It was like... she felt alive.

When the beats changed, the people around moved closer. Sameer gently pulled her close, his hand resting lightly on her waist. Naina placed her free hand on his shoulder but did not look at him. They started to sway to the soft music effortlessly. As the band weaved a beautiful romantic tune, Sameer could not move his gaze away from Naina's face while she looked at others. With each step, his senses heightened to everything... the way her hand felt in his, the light touch of her fingers on his shoulder, the soft rustle of her saree as they moved together, the scent that had become a constant presence in his life. Something strange started to stir in his heart, which he couldn't decipher. He just wanted this serene moment to last forever. He wanted to see this lightness in her eyes, this spring in her step and this tranquility between them.

The music again changed to a peppy melody suddenly, and Naina pulled back her hand, swaying with a different energy. He rolled his now empty palm into a fist, but matched her step, wishing to take her hand again. As if the Gods were waiting to grant his wish, Naina held out her hand. He quickly closed his palm over it, but before he could pull her towards himself, Naina lifted their joined hands over her head and swirled a few times. He was not prepared for this move. Her action caused him to go a bit off balance, making his hold loose.

Naina lost her balance too, and staggered behind, only to bump into something hard. Two strong hands came to rest on her upper arms, keeping her steady, also keeping her where she was, against the chest of that person.

'I'm sorry.' Naina mumbled, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she straightened up.

'Not at all.' The baritone voice was too close to her ear, 'It was a pleasure.'

Before she could respond, Sameer was at her side. With more force than needed, he pulled her to himself, making the man take back his hands from her. Naina looked up at Sameer sharply, expecting a reprimand on her manners, or the lack of them... but what she saw was a much stronger burning in his eyes.

'Tum theek ho?' He asked, his voice edged with concern.

Naina's smile was faint as she nodded. His grip on her arm turned gentle as he looked between her and the man she had bumped into.

'She's with you?' The man said, his voice husky as he directed an intense look at Naina.

'My wife.' Sameer declared in a deep voice, with a hint of threat, or so Naina felt.

The man's expression changed suddenly, to a wide smile, and he extended a hand, 'Hello beautiful lady, main Dinesh Chauhan.'

The man was very well dressed, and good looking. He had an authoritative voice, and an aura of someone who believed he owns the world. Though she found his stare a little uncomfortable, Naina was about to take his extended hand as courtesy but Sameer grabbed it before she could, his voice having a faint edge of anger while his lips curled into a mocking smile, 'Long time Dinesh. Nothing has changed though.'

His hatred for the man was dripping through his body language, but he was trying to keep himself in control because of the place they were in. He did not want to create a scene here.

Dinesh grinned, 'Kya yaar Sameer, tu itne saalon baad mil raha hai aur ab bhi usi attitude mein baat kar raha hai. I don't even remember tu hamare club mein last time kab aaya tha. But I'm glad, you're here...' his eyes moved over to Naina, a different gleam in them, '... with your wife. Shaadi mein invite tak nahi kiya yaar. Purane doston ko bulata toh hum alag hi rang jamatey. But must say, she's...'

A heavy pat landed on Dinesh's shoulder, making his gaze jump from Naina to Sameer, his eyes narrowing into slits.

Before he could say something, Sameer threw him another smile that was completely fake, 'Tu aur teri shikayat karte rehne ki aadat. Kisi nakchadhi girlfriend ki tarah jab dekho complain karta rehta hai. Meri wife ko lagega pata nahi tera mera kya scene hai.'

Dinesh raised a brow, then sneered, rubbing both his palms together as he again turned to Naina, 'Iski baatein sunkar aap kuch galat mat sochna. Mera scene kabhi kisi ke husband ke saath nahi hota.' With a sly smile, he added, 'Haan, kisi ki wife ke saath ho jaaye toh main mind nahi karta.'

Naina could see the way his eyes moved over her. Instantly, she was filled with disgust. She could also sense Sameer's rising anger when he said, 'Kitne husbands se pit chuka hai ab tak?'

Dinesh let out a lewd laugh, 'Teri bhi mazaak karne ki aadat nahi gayi. Anyway, Roop se mila? Kal hi wapas aayi hai. Usey pata chala ki aaj party hai toh khush ho gayi ki purane dost milenge. Tera pata nahi tha mujhe. I thought uncle aane wale hain. Guest list dekhne ka time nahi mila.'

Sameer did not give him any explanation for the rest as he said drily, 'I met Roop. Naina se bhi milwa diya.'

Dinesh's eyes shifted to Naina, but were unable to stay on her face, 'Naina? Toh yeh naam hai aapka. Beautiful name. And you are as beautiful as your name. Lucky Sameer. Kahan se dhoond ke nikala usne aapko? Waise aapki koi sister hai, jo aapki tarah dikhti ho? Agar hai toh main zarur milna chahunga.'

Naina did not bother to mask her annoyance, 'Aur aapko kyon lagta hai ki main apni sister se aapko milwana chahungi?'

'Well why not?' He swayed his hand around, 'I own this place.'

'So?' Naina asked in the same tone.

He narrowed his eyes, finally able to see her hatred, and declared menacingly, 'And I own whatever I take a liking for.'

Sameer lashed out at him in a threatening voice, 'Cut it Dinesh. Don't try to cross your limits.'

Dinesh grinned, stepping back, 'Chill bro. Abhi toh maine kuch kiya hi nahi. Enjoy the evening. You too... Naina.' He walked away, leaving Sameer in a rage.

'Kaise friends hain tumhare.' Naina muttered, disturbed by the dirty gaze of the man.

'Friend nahi hai.' Sameer's voice came out louder than he intended.

'Mujhpe kyon chilla rahe ho?' Naina spat back, fidgeting to get away from his grip on her arm, 'Maine kya kiya hai?'

Sameer shut his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself but did not remove his hand. When he looked back at her, his eyes were filled with concern, 'Stay away from him. Woh achha aadmi nahi hai.'

Naina's gaze softened. She had fathomed this much about Dinesh too. She nodded, then uttered in a low voice, 'Sorry.'

Sameer rolled his eyes, 'Ab ismein sorry ki kya baat hai? Tumhari kya galti hai? Tum jaan ke toh usse nahi takrayi na?'

Naina shook her head, 'Sorry usse takrane ke liye nahi, tumpe chillane ke liye bola.'

Sameer's anger faded as fast as it had come. He finally left her arm, running a hand through his hair smugly, 'Then it's okay.'

'Waise chillaye tum bhi they. Sorry tumhe bhi bolna chahiye. Aur main tumhari wajah se hi girne wali thi, uske liye bhi bol sakte ho.' She crossed her arms, with a challenging look in her eyes.

When he did not come forth with the expected apology, a faint smirk played on her lips, 'Galti bhi tum karo aur sorry bhi nahi bologe? Kitna mushkil word hai na? Not possible for you.'

She turned and walked away from the edge of the dance floor where they were standing till now. Sameer watched how graceful and enticing she looked. In the gentle breeze, her hair swayed with each step, giving a glimpse of the smooth, wide expanse of her bare back. The saree was draped so perfectly that it highlighted her form in each movement. The curve of her back teased him as the pallu shifted with the slight gush of wind from a fan hidden behind a floral arrangement. The way a few tendrils framed her long neck and shoulders, the way her skin glimmered in the soft light, the way her back curved when she turned... it all captured his attention like nothing else. Watching her like this filled him with a deep sense of awe... how did she become this alluring? Next second, he frowned as he realised how he had been staring at her unabashed. The thought made him shudder. Why was he getting such uncontrollable desires looking at a girl? Wasn't he behaving like Dinesh, the guy he despised the most?

Sameer looked around at other women. Some were in Indian attire, some in western and some wore a mix of both. Quite a few were wearing outfits that matched the style of red carpet events of Hollywood. Some dresses revealed much more than was considered acceptable in Indian society. Not even a single female in this large gathering made him feel what he was feeling for Naina. The skin show was not what was appealing to him. It was this one particular girl... the one who was technically his wife, yet wasn't someone for whom he should harbour such unholy feelings.

He picked another drink from the bar, gulping it down before going after Naina. After the encounter with Dinesh, he did not want to leave her alone. In next one hour, he finished socialising, had met everyone who was known, and had made a few new contacts as well. When he asked Naina about dinner, she refused, saying that she was full because of a few snacks they had in between. He himself was not keen to stay longer.

They approached the valet, and asked for the car. It was quite a few minutes and their car hadn't been brought yet so he asked the security guy at the counter who called up the person, listened intently for a moment, then said apologetically, 'Sorry for the delay sir. Someone has parked their car right behind yours. Hum abhi sort out karke aapki car le ayenge.'

'Aise kaise park kar diya?' Sameer frowned, 'Hum kab tak wait karenge? Aapke paas uss car ki keys hain na? Yahan sabki parking aapke boys hi toh karte hain.'

The manager explained in a courteous voice, 'Party guests ki parking humne ki hai sir lekin kuch dusre log aa gaye hain. Hamara ladka samjah raha hai ki aaj club private party ke liye booked hai lekin who maan nahi rahey.'

'Don't worry. Main dekh leta hun.' Sameer smiled at him in understanding. The manager tried to assure him that they'll handle but Sameer patted him on the shoulder and said it was no problem. He asked Naina to wait there and walked towards the comparatively darker parking area. Few meters ahead, a group of three guys stood with a parking attendant, arguing loudly.

'Excuse me!' Sameer intervened.

One of them looked at Sameer, from head to toe, and flicked his brow, 'Tu manager hai yahan ka? Bol apne ladke ko ki hamari gaadi lagaye.'

The attendant quickly moved towards Sameer, horrified, and addressesd the guy, 'Yeh hamare guest hain, manager nahi.'

Sameer controlled his anger, curtly speaking as he looked at the three of them, 'Tumne suna na ki aaj club mein private event hai. Tumhare paas invitation nahi hai. Isliye aaj tumhe entry nahi mil sakti. Yahan jhagda karne se koi fayda nahi hai. Apna aur baaki logon ka time waste karne ki jagah kahin aur chale jao.'

Naina had been waiting for more than ten minutes when the sound of commotion reached her ears. Same moment, a harried attendant came running from the direction Sameer had ventured to, and announced to the manager, 'Sir, wahan fight ho rahi hai. Please bouncers ko bulaiye.'

Everyone sprang into action at once. The manager issued stiff directions into his walkie talkie while a few other attendants ran to the spot. Naina followed them hurriedly, hoping Sameer had nothing to do with the fight.

The sight in front dispelled her hopes. Sameer was the one who was holding a guy by his collar, and thrashing his face with fists. His blazer lay discarded on the pavement, his shirt had some smudges of black, a cut was visible on the back of his hand. One man was lying near a parked car, unmoving. Another stood near him, holding a handkerchief to his nose, which was apparently bleeding.

Horrified, Naina ran towards him, 'Sameer, what are you doing? Stop it. Hato yahan se.'

His hand froze, and he looked at Naina, his eyes blazing with such fury that Naina stopped in her tracks. He hissed at her, 'Go away. Main aa raha hun. Jao yahan se. Abhi.'

His stress on last word left her rooted to the spot. By then, two tall and burly men had arrived. They swiftly dragged the man under Sameer's clutch, and made him sit on the pavement. Another person removed the haphazardly parked car, clearing the way for Sameer's car to be taken out. An attendant brought a box of first aid, and offered to help Sameer with his wounds. Only then Naina noticed the gash on the side of his neck, which was bleeding.

'Oh my God!' She exclaimed, and dashed to him.

He raised one hand, slightly shaking his head. Before Naina could say anything, he told the attendant that he didn't need the first aid, grabbed the keys from the one who had brought his car and gestured to Naina to get in as he himself took the driver's seat.

Once they were out of the gate, Naina leaned towards him, 'Tumhari chot se khoon beh raha hai. You need dressing.' Her eyes moved to his hand, which was also had little specks of blood oozing out.

'Please listen to me.' She insisted, 'Kisi doctor ke paas chalo pehle. Tumhe infection ho sakta hai.'

'I'm fine.' His voice was much softer, in contrast to the disdain in his eyes, and flare of his nostrils.

There were a few moments of silence, which were broken by Naina's hesitant voice, 'Aur kahin bhi lagi hai? Are you hurt?'

'Nahi.' Sameer replied, his eyes on the road, 'Kuch nahi hua.'

'Kuch kaise nahi hua?' She got irritated at his attempt to appear unaffected when she could clearly see the stain of blood forming on the collar of his shirt. It needed attention.

'Sameer, ya toh tum abhi ke abhi doctor ke paas chalo warna main papa ko call karke unhe batane lagi hun.' She warned, taking her phone out.

'Don't be silly Naina.' He snapped, 'Itna kuch nahi hai. Chota sa cut hai bas. Ghar jaake ointment laga lunga. Issue banana ki zarurat nahi hai. Aur haan, ghar pe kisi ko kuch mat kehna. Got it?'

'Itna darte ho toh jhagda kyon karte ho?' She shot back.

'Darne ki baat nahi hai. Papa mummy ko bekaar ki tension hogi. Main nahi chahta Dadaji ko lagey ki maine party mein misbehave kiya. Party ka iss jhagde se koi lena dena nahi hai. Na club mein kisi ko iske baare mein pata chalega. Baat yahin pe khatm ho gayi.' The constraint in his voice made her go quiet till they reached home. There was no point arguing with him when he was not ready to understand anything.

The house was quiet when the entered the hall. They walked up to their room without a word. Not asking any questions, Naina brought the box from the drawer in closet and made him sit on the chair. She first cleaned and tended to the wound on his hand. It wasn't deep, just a scratch. But when she shifted his collar a bit and looked at the cut on his neck, it looked much severe. Sameer winced as she dabbed it with antiseptic. When the blood was wiped off, Naina looked at it closely. It appeared to be made with something sharp.

Her eyes flared with disbelief, 'Yeh... yeh knife se hua hai kya?'

'Nahi.' Sameer was quick to reply, 'Yeh shayad uski watch ya ring se laga hai.'

'Fir toh tumhe tetanus ka shot lena chahiye.' Her voice was fraught with worry, 'Sharp metal ki chot hai...'

'It's okay Naina.' Sameer stopped her before she could issue more instructions, 'Tetanus ka injection liya tha jab accident hua. Abhi required nahi hai. And don't worry, woh knife se attack kar paata ussey pehle hi maine usey behosh kar diya. Drunk tha, ek punch mein...' He gestured a cleen sweep with his hand, '...gone. Baaki dono bhi drunk they. Unhe samajh aata issey pehle maine unhe bhi tackle kar liya.'

Naina stared at him, colour draining from her face. He picked a fight with a group of three people who were drunk, and were holding a knife. They could have been carrying a gun too. She had heard about such brawls in Delhi clubs. People would shoot without a second thought. Some wealthy, spoiled brats thought nothing of a human life. And Sameer had gotten into a fight with such kind of people, without realising what harm they could bring to him... without caring for his life.

She lost her temper, 'Tum pagal ho? Ya andhe ho? Dekha nahi woh teen log they? Zyada superman banne ka shouk hai tumhe? Ya khud ko filmy hero samajhte ho jo ek saath teen teen gundon se lad sakta hai?'

Sameer was oddly satisfied with her anger. To keep his feelings from cropping up again, he looked away, murmuring, 'Bakwaas kar rahe they. Main sun nahi paaya.'

Naina narrowed her eyes, placing her hands on waist, 'Achha? Aisi kya gustakhi kar di tumhari shaan mein? Apne muh se bol rahe the na, bolne dete. Tumhe beech mein kyon kudna tha? Unke kehne se tumhe kyon fark pad raha tha?'

He turned abruptly and snapped, 'Woh tumhare liye...' He paused then added with a hiss, '...ghatiya comments pass kar rahe they.'

Naina was taken aback. She stared at Sameer. She had no idea it all happened because of her. He got into a fight with them... for her. What if something happened to him? What if the knife...

Even the thought made her heart clench with fear. She did not want anyone to go to such lengths for her. She would not be able to bear it.

'Kyon?' Her voice came out as an urgent whisper, 'Mere liye kyon kiya? Kya maine tumhe apna bodyguard banaya hai?'

Sameer clenched his fists to hold on to his patience, 'Bodyguard nahi husband hun tumhara. Its my duty. Agar koi tumhe...'

'I know I know.' She cut him off impatiently, a mix of guilt and fury churning within, 'Tum apne role mein they. Sorry, is natak ki wajah se tumhare designer kapde phat gaye. Sorry, husband ki acting ke chakkar mein tumhe roadside gundon ki tarah jhagda karna pada. Sorry, mere liye tumhe chot ka dard sehna pada. Please, aage se aisa mat karna. Jahan koi dekh na raha ho, wahan iss acting ki zarurat nahi hai.'

Sameer roughly held her arm and pulled her. He was seated on the chair. Because of the sudden pull, Naina stumbled, but saved herself from falling on him by holding onto the edge of the table behind him. The action, however, made her lean over his face, her open hair cascading around them like a curtain, their faces close enough to feel each other's breath.

'Acting nahi thi.' He whispered, 'I care for you. Jo maine kiya, I don't regret it. Ek baar nahi hazaar baar karunga.'

After a pause, he added, 'Kisi ko bhi ek ladki ke saath badtameezi kartey hue nahi dekh sakta. Never.'

Next update on Monday