On the way back, Naina felt a lot better. Nakul did not seem as intimidating in his house as he was when he suddenly appeared in front of her earlier. Being coddled by his mom and reprimanded by his dad, he looked like an unruly brat, not an obsessive maniac who had been persistently chasing her. Though she felt it was mean of her, but she was glad he was hurt. He deserved that.

What actually surprised her was that Sameer was the one who had incapacitated him, even in Nakul's own house, in front of his parents. Sameer did not look like the strong, muscular guy who could get into such fights. He appeared more like a stylish and polished wealthy person who would have other people at his beck and call, who would never lift a finger for anything. Though he was a snobbish moron most of the times, she was thankful for his conduct today. One thought crossed her mind suddenly... how did he appear at the office building? Munna had left long back, and she was sure Sameer would be aware of that. Then why was he there at such a late hour?

Finding her lost in her thoughts, Sameer wondered if she was still worried and somewhat scared. When he found her earlier, she looked petrified. But after reaching her house, she had relaxed a bit. When he had suggested to go to Nakul's house, he wasn't sure she would be willing to face him again right after such an ordeal. Naina had surprised him by agreeing to accompany him. And she had responded remarkably well to Nakul's formidable stance, even with his parents around.

Probably there was nothing to worry about, at least for tonight. Nakul was not just drunk, he had been injured too. Sameer had seen the way he was holding his leg. His foot was definitely sprained, if not fractured. Also, after Batra uncle's assurance, Sameer had been relieved greatly. Yet, he was a little uneasy at the thought of Naina being alone at home for the night. If he was this bothered, wasn't she anxious about staying alone?

At the same moment, they looked at each other, giving voice to their scepticism.

'Tum office kyon aaye the?' She queried.

'Tumhe akele rehne mein dar nahi lagta?' He questioned.

Their words clashed with each other.

There was a moment of silence, then the cycle was repeated, as they shot the same question, at the same time.

Irritated, Sameer followed it with a frowning comment immediately, 'Pehle woh batao jo maine pucha hai.'

She stated matter of factly, 'Akele kahan rehti hun, Nutty hai toh mere sath.'

'Aaj nahi hai. Itna kuch hone ke baad tum raat bhar akele reh logi ghar mein?' He enquired again.

Naina shrugged, 'Haan. Mujhe aadat hai. Nutty aksar jaati rehti hai. Kabhi kabhi teen chaar din ke liye bhi jaati hai. I'm used to it. Waise bhi, ghar tak aana kisi ke liye aasan nahi hai. Complex ke andar aane ke liye main gate pe permission leni padti hai. Uske baad building ke guard ke paas details register hote hain. Hamara security system kaafi achha hai.'

'Maine toh ek baar bhi main gate pe permission nahi li. Mujhe kisi ne roka bhi nahi.' Sameer remembered his previous visit, and earlier today as well. He had just walked in, without being stopped. Maybe it was his majestic personality or unmistakable distinguished aura because of which the guards did not dare to ask him anything, forget about stopping him.

His illusion was shattered by Naina in next moment, 'Tum mere saath the isliye nahi roka. Building ke register mein tumhari details maine khud de di thi, jisse tum bina baat ke argument na karo. Mujhe tamasha nahi chahiye tha.'

First she completely crushed his impression, and now blamed him as if he was the one who created a scene every time.

Fuming, he shot back, 'Main tamasha karta hun? Khud ko dekha hai tumne?'

The words had tumbled out of Naina, unintentionally. After Sameer had been such a support, she did not intend to start another squabble with him.

'I'm sorry.' She lowered her eyes, 'Mera woh matlab nahi tha. Lekin maine galat tareeke se kaha uske liye sorry.'

Yet again, she left him speechless with her prompt apology. He shot a quick glance at her, suspecting her to be mocking him. But her face showed no sign of sarcasm. Suddenly, she turned to look at him. Sameer quickly shifted his gaze to the road, flushed at being caught eyeing her.

Naina didn't seem to notice. Her voice was normal when she repeated her question, 'Ab tum batao, tum office mein kaise aaye? Munna se milne aaye the kya?'

Sameer pursed his lips. He could have lied easily, accepting that he wasn't aware Munna was at home, and he had thought of picking him up since it was raining. But he was already burdened with a plethora of lies, he didn't want to add to the list.

Taking a deep breath, he kept his eyes on the road as he said, 'Mujhe Munna se pata chala ki tum ab tak office mein ho. Maine call bhi kiya tha lekin tumne uthaya nahi. Mujhe intuition hone lagi ki Nakul shayad tum tak aane ki koshish karega. Munna ne bataya baarish mein cabs milna bhi mushkil hota hai. Mujhe laga... Nakul is baat ka fayda uthane aa sakta hai.'

Naina could not believe him. Was he trying to say that he came all the way to help her, only because of a premonition?

Sameer continued, 'Na chahte hue bhi Nakul mere circle ka hissa hai. Uski wajah se agar tumhe... I mean, agar woh tumhe koi takleef dega toh mujhe... mujhe achha nahi lagega.'

He fell silent. There was nothing more to say. He was worried at that time, yes, but he was worried for his own conscience. It was not for Naina. Definitely not. He gritted his teeth in frustration. Now that it was being described, the situation did not paint the right picture. Naina could misread his intentions, she could take his actions to be a sign of his interest in her, or worse, she could see him as her knight in shining armour and start falling for him. A frustration started to bubble within him. He wanted things to be clear at the earliest. Having her in his life, even temporarily, was messy enough. He didn't want to complicate it more than this.

Sameer thought for a while, then cleared his throat to get her attention. She, however, had her gaze fixed on the outside world, staring ahead with a solemn expression.

'Naina.'

'Hmm.' She softly acknowledged, without looking at him.

He could not control his irritation, and snapped, 'Listen, ek baat main clear kar deta hun. Maine jo kiya woh kisi... kisi intention se nahi kiya. Isliye tum iska koi faltu matlab mat nikalna. Don't think... ki isse hamari equation mein koi change aa sakta hai. Hum abhi bhi ek contract ke liye saath hain, aur jaise hi mujhe situation theek lagegi, main ghar pe bata dunga ki hamara break up ho gaya. That will be the end. Remember this.'

Halfway through his monologue, she had turned, with her eyes wide as she stared at him. After stating what he had in mind, Sameer shot her an uncomfortable glance. There was no painful disappointment, as he had expected. Rather, she seemed confused.

'Fir se kyon bata rahe ho?' She said flatly, 'Hamari terms toh shuru se clear hain. Tumhe remind karane ki zarurat nahi hain.'

'Main... mujhe laga...' He faltered, feeling stupid suddenly, '...kahin tum... I mean... main kisi sadak chalti ladki ko bhi isi tarah help karta agar woh aisi situation mein hoti.'

A sarcastic smile bloomed on Naina's face, 'Achha laga sunkar ki tum kuch toh sahi kar sakte ho.'

He gritted his teeth, 'Main sabhi kuch sahi karta hun. Dadaji ne aise hi mujhe itni badi responsibility nahi de rakhi hai. I'm capable and efficient.'

'Oh, usi responsibility ki baat kar rahe ho na jo agle kuch mahinon mein tumse wapas le li jayegi, agar tumhari shaadi nahi hui.' She chuckled.

Sameer cursed the moment when he had told her about this clause. Something that his future depended upon was nothing more than just another excuse for her to make fun of him.

Just then, his phone pinged. He had placed the phone on a holder near the steering, with Google maps for navigation since the rains had forced closure of some roads. Last thing he wanted was to be stuck somewhere with Naina. A small window on the phone screen showed some attachments received from an unknown number. Curious, Sameer flicked his finger to see what had come.

The screen, in full view of both of them, lit up with a picture... of both of them together.

'What the...' Sameer checked himself before he would have uttered the inappropriate word in her presence.

Naina was equally shocked. In the picture, they stood facing each other, with an expression that could be deciphered as anything... but not hatred, which was the only real feeling between them.

The picture was from Tarun and Pari's wedding. She did not know when it was taken, but it looked like they were lost in each other. The background did not give any clarity as it was blurred. It must have been taken when they were outside the hall, talking, or rather bickering.

'Yeh kisne bheji?' She asked.

Sameer swiped the screen to see the other attachment. And there it was. The picture in the iconic movie pose. They both were looking at the camera. And they had a smile on their faces.

Naina was bewildered, 'How did he? Usne humein smile kaise karaya?'

Sameer was shifting his gaze between the road and his phone screen, unable to believe how that ordinary camera person, who looked like a simple photographer, could change the expression completely from real to a fake one.

Frowning, he responded with an outburst, 'Woh idiot ladka jo camera leke hamare sar pe khada tha, yeh usi ne bheja hoga. Pata nahi kabse humpe focus kar raha tha. Usey kya hum koi couple lag rahe the jo aisi filmi pictures le raha tha. Main bataunga Tarun ko. Paise unki shaadi cover karne ke liye hain aur dhyan dusre logon pe tha. Usey payment hi nahi karni chahiye. Upar se mujhe aise bhej raha hai jaise maine maangi thi pictures. Arey mujhe toh pata bhi nahi pehli wali kab click ki.'

When he paused to take a breath, he caught Naina staring at him strangely.

'Ab tumhe kya hua? Yeh photos dekh ke tumhe gussa nahi aa raha?' He scoffed, his indignation rising at her lack of reaction to the pictures.

His torrent was met with an indifference, as she casually shrugged, 'Picture hi toh hai. Delete kar do. Ismein itna uchalne ki kya zarurat hai.'

Sameer narrowed his eyes, 'Tumhe bilkul bura nahi laga?'

Again, she stated in a detached tone, 'Mujhe koi fark nahi padta. Aise toh har event pe pata nahi kitni pictures click hoti hongi. Kaun track rakhega. Woh toh main abhi tumhare saath hun isliye maine dekh li warna tum mujhe dikhate kya? Mujhe pata hi nahi hota ki aisi koi photo exist bhi karti hai.'

Sameer barely hummed. He had expected her to be more annoyed than him. But her cold response was irksome. He chewed his lip as he turned the lane towards her apartment, worried about the way she was behaving.

The car came to a halt in front of the gate. It had been a long day for Naina, with several unexpected happenings. But she was glad the way it ended. Because of Sameer, she was not only saved from an unpleasant situation, but it also seemed that Nakul would be out of her way, if he left the country, as his father hinted. She was grateful to Sameer for all this. And she had no qualms conveying the same to him.

She turned to look at him, a smile adorning her face. Sameer was already looking at her, with the same high handed derision that was in his attitude during their initial encounters. She couldn't understand the reason for his sudden change of mood. Maybe he was rattled by the pictures. Putting aside her assumptions, she broadened her smile and opened her mouth to thank him for whatever he had done for her.

But before any words could come out of her mouth, Sameer's dry and cynical tone cut through the silence in the car, 'Listen Naina, tum kisi galatfehmi mein mat rehna. Jaisa maine pehle kaha, hum dono ke beech mein is contract ke alava kuch nahi ho sakta. Agar tumhare mann mein koi feelings aane lagi hain toh unhe yahin rok do. Kal ko yeh mat expect karna ki tum mujhe like karne lagi ho toh mujhe bhi tumse pyar ho sakta hai. Kyonki aisa kabhi nahi hoga. isliye abhi se khud pe control rakho toh better rahega.'

Naina's eyes widened with each of his sentence. And by the end, she felt a flare of anger rush through her, the raw accusation stinging her pride. What kind of illusion did he live in!

Keeping a forceful control on her temper, she questioned, her eyes burning into his, 'Kya main puch sakti hun tumhe aisa kyon laga ki main tumhe like karti hun?'

'Nahi karti toh pictures dekh ke itni khush nahi hoti. Tumhe bilkul gussa nahi aaya. Kyon? Kyonki tumhe pictures pasand aayi. Iska toh ek hi reason ho sakta hai, ki tumhe hum dono ko ek saath dekhkar achha laga. Par mujhe nahi laga. Let me be clear about it.' He pointed out, his voice laced with exasperation.

Naina held his gaze, her own flaming with defiance and anger, 'Tum khud ko koi hero ya Delhi ka most eligible bachelor samajhte hoge par main tumhe inmein se kuch nahi maanti. Rahi baat tumhe like karne ki, toh aisa tum hone hi nahi doge, kisi ke bhi saath. Tum itne irritating ho ki tumhe like karna toh dur tumhe bardasht karna bhi mushkil hai. Main kar rahi hun, kyonki mere liye yeh ek part time job hai, jisse mujhe extra income ho rahi hai. Warna Sameer Maheshwari, main tumhare dus kilometer ke radius mein pair bhi nahi rakhna chahungi. Keep that in mind.'

He was taken aback, blurting without thinking, 'Toh tum baar baar mujhe smile karke kyon dekh rahi ho?'

The intensity of her anger was palpable in the space between them as she snapped in a bitter voice, 'Tumhe thank you kehne ke liye. Tumne aaj mere liye jo bhi kiya uske liye thanks kehna chahti thi, bina jhagda kiye. Lekin tumhe normalcy hazm nahi hoti. Fine. Mujhe bhi shouk nahi hai tumhare saath meethi meethi baatein karne ka. Aur haan, dubara kabhi aisi behudaa baat apne dimaag mein bhi mat laana ki main tumhe...' She rolled her eyes in disgust, '...No way. Never.'

She turned and opened the door with a jerk, then stopped to look back, and retorted in an icy tone, 'Thank You... aaj ke liye. Kisi sadak chalte insaan ne madad ki hoti toh usey bhi yehi bolti.'

And she was gone.

Next update on Sunday