Sameer never had difficulty sleeping at night. He would drift off almost instantly, sinking into the comfort of his pillow. He had pretended to do the same tonight, after Naina had dressed his wound... and given him a piece of her mind. He waited with his eyes shut, till she went about doing her nightly routine, read for a short while, and then, after glancing at him for a few seconds, slipped under the cover of thin comforter. He waited some more, till he was sure she had fallen asleep. When the silence in the room remained undisturbed for quite sometime, he slowly opened his eyes.

Naina's back was towards him, as always. He wondered if she slept in the same position all through the night, every single time. How was it possible? Well, with Naina, anything could be possible.

He let out a sigh. She had been livid, had shouted at him for getting himself involved in such a situation. Did she not understand that he couldn't just stand by and let those drunk guys talk about her in such a demeaning manner. He had acted on instinct, driven by a need to protect her dignity. The events of the evening replayed in his mind like a relentless loop. How could they use such degrading words for her, how could they leer at her with pure lust in their eyes, how could they have such shameful thoughts, which he could easily read in their eyes when they hungrily ogled at her? He had been filled with a murderous rage. The adrenaline, the surge of protective anger... he hadn't thought about the consequences, only about defending Naina. And in the heat of the moment, it had felt right, justified.

But now, lying in bed, the weight of the whole scenario dawned on him. They were indeed carrying a knife. Naina was probably right, they might have had a gun too. Such brawls were not unheard of. Had they not been off balance because of their intoxicated state, he might not have been able to overpower three of them alone. What then? His mind wandered back to the moment when he had confronted them. How fast one of them had flexed a knife at him. In an instant, the glint of the blade had cut through the dim light of parking area, its sharp edge pointed directly at him. The confrontation had escalated in a heartbeat, the threat of violence very real. His breath stuck in his throat as he realised the danger he had faced. Why did he not think of the risk at that time? True, he could not tolerate their behaviour, but he could have called out for help from club security. The sudden burst of anger... it had blinded him and numbed all rational thoughts.

Because he could not bear their cheap remarks for Naina. It all boiled down to the fact that he had overlooked everything else, only for her. Why?

To protect my wife.

His mind voice stated the obvious. He pursed his lips. Of course, a husband would do so. There was nothing extra to look into his actions. Any husband would do the same for his wife. And as Naina's husband, it was his duty to make sure that she was protected from people like those men, or someone like Dinesh Chauhan. The name again fueled the blaze of anger in him. He hated that man, hated the entire family. None of them had any values, morals or even the basic manners. The only thing they had was money, and they never failed to flaunt it.

Dinesh was the son of Aniket Chauhan, who was an acquaintance of Girish and all other people in their circle. Dinesh was not liked by most of the younger lot, as his habits made them uncomfortable. Some of his deeds in high school had been particularly objectionable, making them keep a distance with him. he had joined college in Delhi, but did not complete his degree. In second year, he went abroad to take care of the hotels his family ran in UK. A few times when he had visited in between, he had riled up the known people again. Sameer had come to know that he had become even more despiteful and evil, in all aspects. It was quite evident from his condescending smirk and demeaning attitude tonight, along with his brazen claims.

And then there was Roop. Sameer could not even bear the sight of her. Yet, he had to be civil with her. Also, he reminded himself, he had to tell Naina about her. It was better to clarify things right away. After meeting her in the party, he had made up his mind to reveal everything about her once they reached home. But things did not go as planned.

He was, to some extent, shocked by Naina's reaction. Her face, twisted in frustration and fear, puzzled him. Her words, filled with a mixture of concern and anger still echoed in his ears. More than annoyed she looked... traumatised? He knew she was angry, that much was clear. Her words had been sharp, her frustration evident. But was it just anger? Or was there something more to it? He wondered if it was merely a reaction to the danger because of the violent escalation of the situation. Had someone known to her, someone close, been hurt in the past in such an incident? Or was the concern solely for his well being? Or it was all a mix, a confusing blend of emotions triggered by the nights events?

Sameer lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, his room cast in shadows by the faint glow of the moonlight seeping through the curtains. Naina had been angry at Dinesh, and furious at him for getting into a fight, but she had not shown any reaction to Roop's presence. No discomfort, no jealousy, not even curiosity. She was indifferent. As if Roop's presence, her admiring gaze, her conspicuous clinging to him did not have any effect on Naina. But then, neither did the sudden pull.

He recalled the brief moment of their proximity when he had grabbed her arm, making her lean over his face. He had clearly seen the concern in her eyes. But nothing else. Unlike the last time, she had no colour on her cheeks, she did not fumble, did not look away. For a moment, he had forgotten about everything, and was lost in cocoon of their small space, created by the curtain of her open hair. In that suspended moment, his heart had stopped its pace as her hair brushed against his face, her scent overpowered the smell of antiseptic, her warmth dulled the pain, the sting of his wound. As he recalled the moment, a flicker of thought sprang up in his mind Or rather, his heart. If her closeness was healing, what if...

He squeezed shut his eyes to put an end to his wild imagination. It was ridiculous to go in that direction. There could be no such moments for them. No way. But then, why did he feel this uncontrollable pull whenever the distance between them reduced? Why he liked such moments, and waited for them? Why?

For the simple reason that he had started finding her attractive. He merely recognised that she was beautiful and charming... nothing more, nothing less. His mind presented the logic that it was infatuation, a fleeting emotion that would go away once she was gone. At present, living in the same room with her was making his hormones go on an overdrive. It was simple biology. There was nothing deeper to explore, his mind voice convinced him.

It was normal to feel attracted to a person of physical appeal, when staying together in a confined space, and pretending to be in love in front of others.

But the same biology was not working on Naina.

Letting out a sigh, he turned onto his side, trying to find a comfortable position, but the incredulous thoughts followed him. The conflict gnawed at him, making it impossible to find peace. At last, he threw off the covers and sat up, rubbing his face with his hands. He needed to clear his mind. Rising from the bed, he walked to the glass door and looked out into the night. The quietude of the hour, soft light of the moon creating silhouette on the terrace, swaying of plants in the slight breeze... the calm outside gradually eased the chaos within him.

Just as he turned, his gaze fell on Naina. From here, he could see her face. Though her eyes were closed, there was a slight frown on her brows. He was not sure she was tensed because of tonight or the same issue was troubling her that had been on her mind from the time he had left for Mumbai. While awake, she did not let any emotion flicker on her face. He had sensed some turbulence in her mind only when he observed her spending time on the terrace at night, alone. If she could hide her turmoil, she could hide other feelings too.

With a shake of his head, he walked back to his side of the bed, drawing a big cross over his thoughts. There was no point swinging on this madness, that he himself was unable to understand or explain.

The last he checked his phone for time, it was three a.m.

*****

Sameer had barely closed his eyes when he was woken up by a gentle patting on his arm, followed by Naina's voice, calling out his name in a low voice.

'Huh? Kya hua?' He squinted, his eyes groggy with sleep.

'Tumhari tabiyat toh theek hai na?' She asked softly, 'Itni der tak kyon soye ho?'

'Der tak?' He mumbled, trying to focus on her face which seemed hazy, 'Abhi abhi toh soya tha.'

Naina placed the phone right in front of his eyes, 'Nau baj rahe hain. Aaj chutti hai isliye maine pehle nahi uthaya. Lekin breakfast ke liye toh jaana padega na.'

It took him a few seconds to grasp what she was saying. Then he blankly gaped at the phone screen. The time was 9:11 a.m. Slowly, it dawned on him that it was morning. Since he had been up till very late, it felt like he hadn't slept at all. Dragging himself, he tried to sit up, stretching at the same time. A sharp twinge of pain shot through his neck.

'Ahh.' He pressed his hand against the side of neck. The feel of adhesive plaster reminded him of all the incidents one after the other.

Hearing his cry of pain, Naina perched on the edge of the bed and peered at his neck closely, 'Dikhao. Bleed toh nahi kar raha?'

He withdrew his hand and looked at it. Then shook his head, 'Nahi. Yaad nahi raha isliye twist kar liya tha toh pain hua. Waise theek hai.' He said, slightly moving his neck in both directions.

Naina delicately enclosed her fingers around his wrist, making him look sharply at her.

'Hmm. Fever nahi hai. Good.' She left it as suddenly as she had taken it, and stood up, moving away from the bed, 'Mujhe ab bhi lagta hai ek baar doctor ko consult kar lena chahiye.'

Sameer looked at her pointedly, 'Naina, I need to talk to you. Tum yahin rukna. It's very important, isliye please meri baat suney bina neeche mat jaana. I won't take long.'

As promised, he was out of the washroom shortly. Naina was in the room, bent over her laptop. She looked up as she heard his footsteps.

'Tumne bandage ko geela kar diya?' Her eyes widened, 'Agar infection ho gaya toh? Isiliye bol rahi hun doctor ko dikha do.'

'Kuch nahi hai.' Sameer rubbed his hair with the towel before tossing it in the basket behind him, 'Bandage change kar lunga. Doctor ne bhi ointment laga ke dressing hi toh karni hai. What else?'

Before he could roughly pull at the plaster, Naina grabbed his arm and made him sit on the chair, her tone sarcastic, 'Of course. Ab tumhe Dr Sameer Maheshwari bulana shuru kar deti hun. Tumhe toh sab pata hai. Har chot ka ilaaj jaante ho. Haina?'

Amused, he looked at her as she grumbled while bringing out the first aid box, cutting another piece of bandage to fit the wound perfectly and spraying antiseptic on a gauze. Narrowing her eyes, she looked at his neck, her voice turning soft, 'Main yeh bandage hataungi toh thoda pain hoga. Okay? Please hilna mat.'

He stayed still. She was too gentle, slowly taking off the sticky white piece. All he felt was the brush of her fingertips against his skin. It made his heart flutter. He sat unmoving, waiting for her to finish because he could not talk while she was this close to him. Naina wiped the wound, telling him it would be much better if a doctor looked at it, but applying ointment nonetheless, before covering it with the gauze and plaster.

When she moved away to put back the box at its designated place, Sameer felt the first sting of pain. He ignored it, and got up too.

Leaning against the table, he crossed his arms and said in a low voice, 'Kal party mein jo mili thi... Roop... Roopali... usey college time se jaanta hun.'

Her brows went up in surprise as she turned, 'It's fine. Maine uske baare mein kahan pucha?'

'Par mujhe batana hai.' He insisted, 'I want you to know. Roop aur Dinesh, unke baare mein tumhe pata hona chahiye.'

Naina crossed her arms too, her face devoid of any expression, 'Agar tum explanation de rahe ho toh... it's not needed. Na tumhare past se mera koi lena dena hai na future se. Ek saal ke liye hum saath hain iska matlab yeh nahi ki abse pehle aur abke baad ki life se related kuch bhi batana tumhe zaruri hai. Tum pehle kiske saath they, ya aage kiske saath rehna chahtey ho...'

'Main kabhi Roop ke saath nahi tha.' He snapped, 'Never. I hate her.'

Naina stayed silent. The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable. She had observed as much that he disliked the touches of that girl, but the way Roop had confidently stepped into his personal space, maybe there was more to the story than met the eyes.

When she did not ask, but stayed at the same spot, her eyes fixed on him, Sameer started, 'Roop mujhse ek saal senior thi, aur Dinesh se do saal. Hamari fresher's party mein pehli baar maine dekha tha usey. Fresher's ko task diye jaate hain na, mujhe task mila usey propose karne ka.' He added quickly, 'Just for fun, of course. Maine... maine roses ke saath, knees pe baith ke usey propose kiya. She accepted my flowers. Mujhe laga maine task complete kar liya isliye sab seeti baja rahey hain. Baad mein pata chala ki Roop college ki sabse popular ladki thi. Uske boyfriend har mahine badaltey they. Aur uska latest target main ban gaya. Usne faila diya ki mera proposal... woh sach tha. Roop bhi aksar canteen mein ya bahar ruk kar mujhse baat karne lagi. Woh senior thi ilsiye rude nahi ho sakta tha. Kuch dino baad hi usne mujhe coffee date ke liye pucha.'

He glanced at Naina's face. There was no hint of any emotion.

He continued, 'I refused. Mujhe usme koi interest nahi tha. Lekin mera inkaar uske liye ego ka issue ban gaya. Ab meri kya galti hai ki usne apne poore group aur college ke doosre students ke saamne mujhse sawaal kiya. Obviously maine bhi sabke saamne hi manaa kar diya. Munna Pandit ne tabhi bola tha ki yeh ladki zarur koi panga karegi. Aur wohi hua. Kuch hi dinon mein college mein yeh baat spread ho gayi ki Roop ne mujhe reject kar diya kyonki mera character theek nahi hai.'

The shock on Naina's face gave him some solace... at least she was listening. And the disbelief gave him an odd satisfaction... she did not doubt his character.

With more confidence, he continued, 'Kuch din tak iss rumour ne mujhe effect kiya lekin Munna Pandit ka support, aur kuch dusre friends ke efforts ki wajah se jaldi hi yeh baat dab gayi. Jab hum second year mein gaye, Dinesh ne bhi hamara college join kar liya. Roop aur Dinesh, they are quite like each other. Ek mahine mein hi... they were together. Dinesh uske liye pagal tha lekin Roop...' Sameer looked out of the glass door in disgust, '...uska plan kuch aur tha.'

He told Naina how she used Dinesh to call Sameer to sports room one afternoon and tried to get her way with him. When he refused, she raised a cry, saying that he was the one who lured her here and was trying to take advantage of her.

Naina's mouth fell open. Though she had seen several people trying dirtiest of tricks to get what they want, she could not comprehend someone like Sameer had fallen prey to such a thing. When she searched his face, the colour of embarrassment was much more than the fury in his eyes. He did not deserve this.

'Tum...' She was at loss for words, '...tumhare saath aisa kaise kar sakte hain woh?'

Sameer shrugged, a wry smile on his lips, 'They did. Roop ka samajh aata hai lekin Dinesh... usey hum bachpan se jaante they. Achha dost nahi tha lekin families ki dosti toh thi. Woh khud Roop ke liye pagal tha isliye bina soche samjhe mujhpe itna bada allegation lagane mein Roop ka saath diya.'

'Fir?' Naina was aghast, 'Aise allegation se bahar aana easy nahi raha hoga. Tumhari college life... kaise woh time nikala tumney?'

Sameer let out a long breath, 'I was lucky. Kuch din pehle hi college mein kai jagah CCTV camera lagaya gaya tha. Shayad Roop aur uske chamchon ko pata nahi tha. Principal ne corridors aur sports room ki footage check ki aur immediately Roop ki complaint reject kar di. In fact, usey rusticate kar diya gaya.'

Naina pressed her cheeks, her eyes wide in wonder, 'Sach mein lucky they tum. Bach gaye.' Then, as if she remembered something, she asked, 'Achha agar usney itna bura kiya tumhare saath toh tum usse baat hi kyon kartey ho? Why do you have to be friendly? Aur Dinesh? Woh ab bhi uske saath hai kya? Par woh dono hi tumhare friends nahi hain toh...?' She trailed off, realising that she was asking way too many personal questions, 'Sorry. Yeh tumhara personal matter hai. I have no right to ask.'

Sameer's expression softened, 'Maine yeh baat shuru hi isliye ki thi kyonki main tumhe sab batana chahta tha. Ismein kuch personal nahi hai. Aur tumhara sawaal, ki main Roop se friendly kyon hun toh woh isliye ki ab woh Dinesh ki family hai aur Chauhan uncle se papa ki purani pehchaan hai. College ke case ke baare mein families ko nahi pata.'

He paused, knowing what Naina must be thinking, then stated in a barely audible voice, 'Roop ab Dinesh ki mom hai... stepmom.'

If Naina was shocked earlier, she was completely flabbergasted now. The revelation left her speechless. Sameer told her how Roop held onto Dinesh after being thrown out of the college. When she got to know about the status of his family, her gold digger instincts sharpened. Very soon she realised that Dinesh was a spoilt, wayward son who was drowning in vices. Aniket Chauhan, his father was a widower, and a very influential man. His wife's early death, his reputation of leading an enjoyable life and his vast hotel empire left no time for his son. When Roop saw the opportunity, she ditched Dinesh without any scruples. Aniket fell for her charms, unaware of her intentions or his son's interest in her. All these years, Roop had managed to mask her scheming mind behind a facade of affection and loyalty. Her manipulation was meticulous, ensuring that she appeared to be the perfect woman... caring, supportive, and loving.

'Aur Dinesh?' Naina's mind was struggling to process the sheer audacity and cold-heartedness of the act, 'Usne kuch nahi kaha?'

The disgust on Sameer's face increased many folds. He hesitated before answering, articulating his words to convey the meaning without having to utter any explicit words, 'Dinesh was happy. Ab Roop uske saath bhi hai, ek hi ghar mein... aur uski taraf se koi commitment bhi nahi hai. He is as free as ever.'

Naina gasped in repugnance. The loathing she felt at this made her nauseous. Could people really be this vile?

Sameer waited for a few minutes, till she could absorb all that he had told her, before adding, 'Dinesh aur Roop ke baare mein kisi ke parents nahi jaante par hamare group mein sabko pata hai. Roop ke shaadi ke decision ke baad Dinesh ne college chor diya aur UK chala gaya. Aniket uncle bhi khush hain. Please tum... tum kisi se iss baare mein baat mat karna.'

Naina inhaled deeply, giving him an incredulous look, 'You know, mujhe bhi yeh sab batane ki zarurat nahi thi.'

Sameer nodded, 'Zarurat na sahi par main tumhare saath share karna chahta tha. Tum inn logon se meri wajah se mili ho. Kal ko agar achanak kahin mulakat ho jaaye, aur koi tumhe mere baare mein bhadkaane ki koshish kare toh tumhe sach baat pata honi chahiye. Main nahi chahta tum mujhe galat samjho. Roop ne jo mere saath college mein kiya woh mere liye bohot painful tha. Main kisi ladki ko...'

Naina did not let him finish, 'Jaanti hun. Tum aisa kabhi kar hi nahi sakte. Agar tum mujhe sach na bhi batate toh bhi main aisi baat pe kabhi yakeen nahi karti. Itna toh main tumhe jaan hi gayi hun.'

Sameer felt as if a big weight had lifted off his shoulders. The constant worry, the gnawing anxiety, the sleepless night, all of it eased up by her expression of faith in him. Now he had to tackle the other issue.

He felt more confident and was breathing easier when he stated, 'Ek aur baat kehni hai Naina.'

Sorry for the long gap 🙏🏻 As an apology, this was a long chapter 😊 Hope you enjoyed it 🩷

Next update on Monday