The buzz of alarm made Naina lazily reach out to shut it. She did not move for a few minutes then slowly, she dragged herself to a sitting position unwillingly. Her whole body protested, her limbs ached, her back was stiff but it was time to leave the bed. Forcibly she slipped her legs off the bed and got up. If only she had been in her apartment, she would have slept for another two three hours at least. Checking the time on her phone, she squeezed her eyes shut, cursing her fate to be getting up at 6:30 on a weekend. But then, this was not the only aspect that needed to be cursed about her fate. Shaking her head to rid it of negative thoughts, she took a deep breath and staggered through the room to go to the washroom when the other side of bed registered to her.

It was unoccupied. The comforter was neatly folded and laid at the bottom, the sheet was stretched and plain. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the couch. There was no one. Last night slowly came to her mind, also the note he had put on the mirror. Did he actually mean it? She peered towards the closet. Door was shut and so was the light inside. She went ahead and opened the door a bit to check the washroom. He wasn't inside either.

Letting out a long breath, which was partly in relief, partly in joy and partly in surprise, she sauntered back to the bed. If Sameer really was not in the room, and would not be back soon, she might as well catch some more sleep. The bed never felt so warm and comfortable when she slipped back under the quilt. Within minutes, sleep had engulfed her exhausted body and mind.

When Sameer came down after his bath, he was relieved to see Naina looking fresh. Mohan placed a glass of protein shake in front of him while others were served paranthas. Sameer was tempted as he looked at the casserole of steaming paranthas, but he could not give up on the very first day. It wasn't easy though, especially when his sister decided to go all praises for the paranthas today.

'Kya baat hai Mohan.' She licked her finger, 'Cook ko bolna aaj ke paranthe bohot mazedaar hain. Koi special alu hain kya?'

Ambika rolled her eyes at her, 'Anu. Chup karke nahi kha sakti?'

She fluttered her lashes in innocence, 'Kyon mummy? Kisi ne achha kaam kiya hai toh tareef karni chahiye na. Papa, aap batao. Aap hi kehte ho ki praises mein kanjoosi kabhi nahi karni chahiye. Dil khol ke tareef karne se kaam karne wale ko bhi achha lagta hai aur khud ko bhi.'

Girish raised his brows, a deliberate smile on his lips, 'Haan mera bachha bilkul kehta hun. Lekin yeh bhi kehta hun ki khate waqt kam bola kar. Agar pet dard hua toh mere paas mat aana rote hue.'

Anaya twisted her mouth, murmuring, 'Apni marzi se nahi kha rahe. Kisi ne mana thodi kiya hai. Inke liye kya hum bhi alu paranthe khane chor dein?'

They all were aware what alu paranthas meant to Sameer.

Surprising everyone, Sameer smiled at her, 'Anu, tujhe pet dard nahi hoga. Don't worry. Aur mummy, aap tension mat lo. Aap log jo khana chahte ho khao. Mujhe koi problem nahi hai. Main aaj paranthon ka sacrifice kar raha hun lekin apna future secure kar raha hun.'

Dadaji raised a quizzical brow, 'Hain? Yeh kaisa investment plan hai yaar? Tera bhi cholesterol badh gaya hai kya?'

Dadaji had been on a fat free diet since a week, when his reports showed an alarming rise in his cholesterol.

Sameer glanced at Naina. She had her eyes stuck to her plate.

He smiled shyly, 'Cholesterol nahi dadaji, mera pyar badh gaya hai. Naina se kuch din dur rehke mujhe ahsaas hua ki uske bina ab main ek din bhi nahi reh sakta. Isliye khud ko fit rakhkar uske saath ek happy long life bitana chahta hun. Health, diet, exercise... sab pe dhyan dena zaruri hai.'

Dadaji let out an appreciative laugh, 'Waah beta. Dil khush kar diya.'

While Dadaji said a few more things about how he was happy to see him progressing as a good husband, Sameer could not take his eyes off his wife. Naina had gone still at his declaration. But what had entranced him was a shade of pink on her cheeks. Did she blush at what he said? Her eyes stayed focussed on her plate for a while, then lifted to look at dadaji. A hint of smile curled the corner of her lips before she shifted her gaze to Anaya who was grinning. The moment their eyes met, she winked. Naina smiled back. Sameer waited, but her gaze did not turn to him.

It was after breakfast, when Sameer was about to go back to his room that Ambika called out to him, 'Sameer, aaj tu aur Naina kahin bahar ghum aao. Movie dekho, lunch karo. Tum log weekends par ek din apne liye rakha karo. Baaki sabse milna julna dusre din ho jayega. Poora hafta toh office mein nikal jaata hai. Naina, jao beta, enjoy karo.'

Sameer jumped at the idea, though he wasn't sure what he would do once they left the house. Definitely Naina would not like to spend the day with him. But if he...

Before he could come up with some plan, Naina quashed his hopes, 'Aaj nahi mummy. Mujhe abhi bhi thodi tiredness hai. Aaj main bas aap sabke saath ghar pe rehna chahti hun. Aapne kaha tha na kabhi kabhi chutti wale din aap lunch banate ho. Aaj main bhi aapki help karungi.'

Girish looped an arm around her shoulder and said lovingly, 'Arey beta agar tired ho toh full rest karo. Lunch fir kabhi bana lena. You know what, aaj tumhe kuch kaam nahi karna chahiye. Balki aaj koi lunch banega hi nahi. Hum order karenge. Serve karna aur lunch ke baad ka kaam bhi main aur Sameer karenge. Aaj sab ladies ka rest day. Tum logon ko jo chahiye humein kehna. Aur lunch ke saath ek badhiya si movie. Kya kehti hai Anu?'

'Great idea papa.' Anaya was thrilled at the suggestion, 'Movie meri choice ki aur lunch... woh bhi meri choice ka.'

Girish chidded her playfully, 'Chup kar. Ab tu akeli beti nahi hai iss ghar ki. Aaj ka lunch Naina ki choice ka.'

'Nahi papa.' Naina quickly denied, 'Mujhe nahi pata aap sabko kya pasand hai. Main kaise...'

'We'll do it together.' Sameer pitched in, seeing it as a good opportunity, 'Hum dono milkar menu plan kar lenge. Right papa?'

'Right my son.' Girish gave him a thumbs up then patted Naina's cheek, 'Waise tum jo bhi decide karogi humein achha hi lagega. Tumne dekha hi hai hum sab kitne petu hain. Ab tum bhi hamari tarah ban jao. Bohot kam khati ho. Aisa karna, apni choice ki saari dishes mangwana aaj.'

While Naina nodded at him with a smile, Sameer had to struggle really hard not to look at Naina. If she again decided to convey something with a glare, he won't be able to go against it. And in front of his family, he wouldn't be able to take back the offer either. To save himself from the dilemma, it was best not to catch her sight. Yet, he patted himself on the back mentally, for grabbing a chance to be with her.

Little later, Ambika was in dadaji's room, giving his medicines when Anaya walked in.

She flicked her brows at both elders, 'Kya lagta hai aap logon ko? Kya chal raha hai?'

Ambika flashed a wide smile, 'Jo chal raha hai bohot achha hai. Chalne de.'

Dadaji was of the same opinion, 'Mujhe toh lagta hai daal gal rahi hai. Hamare sahabzaade alag tevar mein dikhne lage hain.'

Ambika nodded, 'Haan papa. Jab Naina yahan nahi thi toh ek din main living room mein phone par kuch dekh rahi thi. Sameer mere paas aakar baith gaya, zameen par. Meri goud mein sar rakhkar chupchap saamne dekhta raha. Maine pucha kya hua toh kuch nahi bola.'

Anaya was surprised, 'Aise toh bhai tab baithte they jab school mein koi galti karte they.'

Ambika waved a hand to dismiss her point, 'Galti nahi par jab bhi usey kuch bura lagta tha. Uss din shayad usey apna akelapan disturb kar raha tha. Maine pucha Naina ko miss kar raha hai toh usne kaha bohot miss kar raha hun. Maine samjhaya bhi ki beta uski dost bimar hai, hafte do hafte toh lagenge hi Naina ko wapas aane mein.'

Dadaji leaned back in his chair, a look of contentment on his face, 'Bas Ambika, samajh lo hamara kaam ho gaya. Sameer ka Naina ko itna miss karna, Naina ka jaldi laut aana, aur ab jis tarah ki baatein Sameer kar raha hai, har baat pe chidta nahi, gussa aane wali baat pe bhi shaant rehta hai... yeh sab ek hi baat ki taraf ishara kar rahe hain.'

Anaya had made an observation which she stated, 'Changes toh hain dadaji par pata nahi kyon mujhe bhabhi thodi chup lagti hain. Bhai ki baaton par zyada react bhi nahi karti.'

Ambika pointed out immediately, 'Hesitation ho sakti hai. Uske liye bhi sab naya hai. Anu, woh hum sabko abhi janne lagi hai. Apni feelings itna khul ke express kaise karegi? Thoda time lagega usey.'

Dadaji agreed with her. They all were overjoyed with the fact that the distance between Sameer and Naina seemed to be reducing.

At the same moment, the distance of one cushion between them in the living room was bothering Sameer too much. Naina was seated on the sofa, looking into her phone when he decided to sit with her on the pretext of planning lunch order. He had almost planted himself right next to her when she hastily transferred the cushion from her lap to empty space next to her. Sameer had no option but to take the seat next to the cushion.

But he was not deterred. Opening the app on his phone, he leaned to show it to her, 'Isme se dekh kar batao tumhe kaunse joint ka khana pasand hai.'

She was about to tell him to order whatever he wanted but when she thought of how Girish had asked her with so much affection, she couldn't shirk off the responsibility. However, she did not touch his phone. Rather opened the same app in hers and started to scroll. Silently, Sameer pulled back his hand but his eyes were glued to her screen.

When a popular name appeared, he pointed out excitedly, 'Yahan se paneer order kar sakte hain. Tumhe pasand hai na.'

'Nahi.' Naina gave one word reply.

He was adamant, 'Main jaanta hun tumhe pasand hai. Natasha ne kaha tha ek baar. Mujhe yaad hai.'

She did not say anything but did not pause to order either. From the corner of his eye, Sameer noticed his mom coming to the room from behind. He promptly picked the cushion, putting it aside and shifted next to Naina.

Before she could say something, he whispered, 'Mummy hain peeche. Unke saamne hum beech mein lakshman rekha banakar nahi baith sakte.'

Next thirty minutes were pure bliss for Sameer. His shoulder brushed against hers several times as he pointed at one place after another. Thankfully, Naina did not show much restraint and allowed him to help as they together ordered different dishes, even though she chose the opposite of what he suggested.

Once, when he insisted on getting chaat items for Ambika from a well known place, she denied, 'Yahan se nahi. Yahan ki chaat bohot teekhi hoti hai. Mummy ko acidity ho jayegi. Unke liye acidity, indigestion theek nahi hai. Chaat Haldiram se mangwa lete hain.'

The smile on Sameer's face could have lit up the room. For a moment, it felt real... as real as he wanted. Her normal tone, her concern for his mom, her acceptance of his help... Sameer wanted to take her in his arms right away. But for now, he had to make do with the intoxicating fragrance that filled his senses, the warmth of closeness that surrounded him, the soft sound of her breath, the view of her face so close to him yet out of his reach. Oblivious to his thoughts, her eyes were on screen when she suddenly pressed her lower lip under her teeth, tapping her chin with one finger. Then took the finger between her teeth. His heart jumped in his chest. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. His fingers itched to pull her finger and trace the lip that looked so plump and inviting.

'Theek hai na dadaji ke liye?' She suddenly turned her head to him.

Naina had been asking something but he was lost in her, and missed out on the question. Only when her head jerked in his direction did he realise how close their faces were, merely inches apart. The distance, or the lack of it, had taken Naina by surprise too, because she was frozen in the moment, just like him. The air between them became their own, shared by just the two of them where they could feel each other's breath. Sameer could see the dark brown ring of her eyes, bordering the caramel of her eyeballs. Were her eyes always this enchanting? They were pulling him in, provoking him to unravel the mystery that lay in a flicker of emotion that appeared before Naina looked away as abruptly as she had turned to him, leaning a little to the other side.

The trance was broken.

Sameer cleared his throat, 'Main... main dekh raha tha tum kya order kar rahi ho dadaji ke liye. It's... it's perfect.'

He had no idea what Naina had selected, but he knew she would do a much better job than him. He had purposely offered suggestions which were not aligned with the choices of his family, and Naina had gently turned them down, choosing the things that they prefered. She had observed well, and had been right in all her choices.

It was evident from the elated expressions of everyone later that lunch was a success. The movie Anaya chose to play was Rab ne bana di jodi .

Sameer was surprised that the movie was much relatable to his present situation. He wondered if Anaya had some superpower to read his mind. How could she do this every time. When they had just got married, she played the one which was about a fake marriage and now this. Did Naina also feel the same? It did not appear so. She seemed to be enjoying the movie, sitting with Anaya, and laughing heartily at every funny scene. The movie had plenty of them, along with some wonderful emotional ones. He could not help stealing glances at her as the scenes unfolded where Suri was trying his best to keep his wife happy, while she silently performed all her duties but wasn't warming up to him. If only Naina had a liking for a particular type, he would have transformed himself and become Raj for her. Should he ask Natasha for help?

Till Anaya exclaimed the same, 'How sweet of Suri. Taani ke liye Raj ban gaya.'

Naina shrugged in disapproval, 'Nakli hamesha nakli hi rehta hai. Raj bankar impress karne se kya hoga? Taani ko zindagi toh Suri ke saath kaatni hai na.'

Sameer pursed his lips. Naina had rejected his idea even before it formed properly in his mind.

After the movie and lunch were done, since Girish had decided it would be a free day for the women of the house, all three were asked to leave the clearing up to men. It wasn't much work though, because Mohan helped them. On his way back to the room, Sameer realised his phone was about to die down. He sprinted up the steps.

When he got to the room, Naina was not there. She might be with Anaya. They were in a some discussion after the movie. Sameer started to look for his charger when he noticed Naina's phone on the table. He looked back at the closet. Probably she was in the washroom. The charger was lying under his laptop that he had carelessly placed on the table in the morning. Sameer was plugging his phone to it when the screen of Naina's phone lit up.

It was a text from Natasha which displayed on the screen, 'Guess what meri jaan. Academy mein kisi ne tujhe click kiya tha. Your picture is here on our weekly captures Board. Dekh zara kitniiiiii hottttt lag rahi hai.'

A picture popped up on screen immediately after the text. Naina, in a short skirt, very short, and a shapely, classy top, stared back at him. His eyes almost fell off the sockets. But his mind worked even faster. He grabbed his phone and clicked before the screen went blank again. It did, the moment that alluring picture of Naina appeared on his screen. Sighing in relief, he looked at his phone. There was no way he could have seen this shot ever. It was just a stroke of good luck that he happened to be here when Natasha had sent the picture. Now, he couldn't stop looking at it. She looked stunningly good. The face, the eyes, the open hair... his throat felt dry as he noticed the sliver of skin visible on her waist, her long legs, the pout on her lips. Natasha was right. Naina looked smoking hot in the picture. Hearing some sound, he quickly switched off his phone and put it aside before turning.

Naina walked out of the closet, holding a small towel in hand. She looked frustrated, or tired, or sad... or perhaps a bit of everything. He was perplexed. She was fine just a few minutes back. Without a look in his direction, Naina sat on the bed. Sameer noticed her flinch for a second, then close her eyes and release a breath through puffed cheeks. Pulling open the drawer, she started to search for something. She must have found it because she shut the drawer when suddenly her gaze moved upward and landed on him. It was then that he realised he had been staring at her all this while. Tearing his eyes from her, he quickly stepped away, going to the closet area. On purpose, he left the door open just a crack. Naina reached for the bottle she kept at her bedside, placed something in her mouth then took a gulp of water. After putting away the bottle, she leaned against the backrest and wiped her face and neck.

'Medicine?' Sameer mumbled anxiously, 'Kya hua Naina ko? Medicine kyon kha rahi hai? Abhi neeche toh theek thi.'

The ring of phone made him jump. It was Naina's phone. The sound made her look around herself. When she realised it was away from hand's reach, on the table, she frowned and let out a curse. When she clutched the side of her belly as she moved to get up, Sameer slid the door and swiftly walked out. He picked the phone and brought it over, holding out for her. Naina shot him a dry look, then lifted her hand to take the phone. Her fingers had barely touched it when the phone slipped from Sameer's hand.

'Oh sorry!' He managed to hold it with other hand, saving it from falling. But, in the confusion, his fingers circled around Naina's wrist, earning a glare from her.

'Sorry!' He gasped, apologising again as he quickly pulled back before placing the phone beside her and walk out of the room.

He paused near the door, talking to himself, 'Fever toh nahi hai. Par medicine li hai. Headache ho raha hai kya?'

Inside, Naina answered the phone. He could hear her talking to someone. She was explaining something about procuring the right kind of props. Work call. When he went back to the room after getting a bottle of water from the kitchen, Naina had her eyes shut, her head resting against the bed. Her arms were crossed over her belly. Sameer wondered if she had an upset stomach.

The thought made him uneasy, 'Oh no! Kahin lunch se Naina ka pet kharab toh nahi ho gaya?'

But then it occurred to him that no one at home had any problem. So it couldn't be the food. What else could be causing her pain? He wondered if he should ask his mom or sister to find out. Of course he could not. It would be so odd.

He went back in. Pulling the chair, he took a seat at the table and opened his laptop. He wanted to be in the room to keep an eye on her. What if she felt sick or needed some help. She would never ask herself. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at her every few minutes. Naina's eyes were shut as she rested her head against the headboard. But she wasn't asleep. From time to time, her arms, that were crossed against her belly, moved to press at one place or the other.

A little later, Sameer got up to go to the washroom. When he was coming back, his eyes landed on something in the dustbin just outside the washroom. Under the paper towel, a very small part of a bright coloured plastic wrapper was visible. He instantly knew what it was. Once, in Munna's office, when they were running a campaign on this brand of sanitary pads, he had seen the packets so many times that he could recognise that strange colour easily.

So Naina was on her periods. And she was in pain.

She was still sitting up with her eyes shut when he silently stepped out of the room.

The phone was kept next to her when Natasha called.

Naina took the video call and groaned, 'Nutty, abhi baat nahi kar sakti. I'm dying of this pain.'

The smile on Natasha's face was instantly replaced with concern, 'Fir se late hai kya? Itna pain tabhi hota hai jab tu late ho jaati hai. Supplements band kar diye?

'Haan yaar.' Naina said in a pained voice, 'Mujhe dates ka dhyan hi nahi raha. Kuch din se supplements bhi nahi liye.'

Frustration was clear on Natasha's face but this was not the time to reprimand Naina for her negligence so she told her to take a painkiller and rest before she disconnected. Around the time of Diwali last year, they both had been to an NGO where they wanted to donate blood. Naina got to know that her haemoglobin level was quite low so it was dangerous for her to do so. She had visited a doctor after that and was prescribed some supplements. She had taken them diligently for two months, mainly because Natasha reminded her but after she had left, it slipped Naina's mind most of the days. The pain this time was quite intense. The fatigue and tiredness she had been feeling since yesterday was not because of travel as she had presumed. It was the intimation of this episode. She had started to feel the discomfort in her tummy towards the end of the movie. Thankfully, there was one last pad remaining in the packet.

When she searched for the usual medicine, it was not in her drawer. She had to take a normal Paracetamol for now. But it did nothing to ease the cramps that shot through her lower body every few minutes. She needed to order the pads and the medicine but she had no energy to go down and take the delivery when it arrived. Maybe she would feel better by evening then she could order.

Few minutes later, Naina got up with great difficulty and hobbled towards the washroom. She managed to go inside but when she came out, the room around her started to swim. She placed a hand on the wall to steady herself. But when her legs could not hold her any longer, she collapsed against the wall.

Next update on Wednesday or Thursday... will try for Wednesday but not sure 🫣