Section II: Darjeeling Diaries 

Part 7: The First Kiss

Friday, 23rd July, 1993

It was the month of July- the month of monsoon, and rains were expected every now and then. Darjeeling was really a lover's paradise, Sameer and Naina felt. While there, they often went out for evening walks to enjoy the cool breeze and the slight drizzles. The lush greenery of the Himalayas would be soaking wet in the monsoon rain and it was a sight to behold.

It was the concluding evening of the literature festival. They had to board their train the next morning. It had been an exciting event- an enjoyable experience for them both. Apart from having delivered excellent speeches, they had thoroughly enjoyed romancing in the rain-drenched Queen of Hills. The final evening too as usual, Sameer and Naina had decided to walk back to their hostels.

Sameer had donned a black blazer with a white shirt and black trousers. He had also put on the maroon tie that Naina had gifted him on his eighteenth birthday. Today morning as he was getting late, as usual he found it difficult to put on his tie. He always had some help, either from his mother, or from hostel friends, or from Munna-Pandit, or from Nanu. He came out of his room, fumbling with the tie, when a pair of hands with slender fingers, adorned with a bright red nail polish, took hold of the tie from his hands. Sameer instantly looked up at the breathtakingly beautiful young woman, clad in the red sari that he'd chosen for her during her sister's wedding. It was as if he forgot to breathe for a while. That simple printed silk sari, with the short sleeved blouse contrasted with her fair, supple skin. Her straight, long hair seemed to be dancing with the morning breeze and would often touch Sameer's cheeks, while Naina tried to fix his tie. He noticed that Naina was also wearing a bright red lipstick today. And then Sameer drifted off to a dreamland altogether, where she was in his arms, being passionately kissed by him.

Naina being a simple girl, was hardly into make-up and Sameer never minded that at all. He loved her for who she was and liked to see her the way she was comfortable. He really appreciated her simplicity. Well, though she did look hot when she lined her eyes with kajal. He'd told her he loved her eyes the best. And when Naina had asked why, he had replied cheekily, "kyunki inme dekhte hi, main tum mein kho jata hun."

Since that day, Naina had made it a habit to put kajal every morning for Sameer. And then there were times, like today, when the simple Naina would transform into a siren, and then Sameer will be bowled over all again by her beauty.

She was looking taller than usual today, Sameer observed and as he spotted the heels, he smiled. He remembered the first time Naina had worn heels for their date in Mt. Abu- yeah the mandir date. How innocent they both had been then! But now Naina could carry those three inches with perfection!

As Naina moved a lock of her hair behind her ear, Sameer exclaimed, "Naina, yeh to wahi jhumke hain na-"

"- jo tumne mujhe Mt. Abu me diye the," she finished, both the sentence and fixing his tie.

Sameer blushed and looked down at the tie lovingly and then back at her beaming face. He noticed that she'd worn her usual watch on one hand, and the other had a couple of matching bangles. He grabbed her hand on instinct and pulled her closer to him. His fingers moved over her gracile arm and caressed her red and golden bangles, while his eyes were fixed onto Naina's.

"Kitni sureeli aawaaz hai tumhari choodiyon ki," said he as he closed his eyes and kissed the clinking bangles.

Naina lowered her eyes bashfully. Sameer looked at her again and then placed her hand on his chest, "dekho mera dil kaise tezi se dhak dhak kar raha hai. Agar mujhe abhi heart attack aa gaya na to kasoor tumhara hoga. Itni hot dikhogi to ye dil bechara kya karega? Kaise rokega khud ko?".

"Tum bhi na Sameer, ekdum flirt ho," Naina replied shyly as she gave him a playful jab on his chest.

"Jaisa bhi hoon, bas tumhara hoon," he said softly and then added suddenly, "arey, meri bhi tareef kar do. Ladkiyaan aaj bhi marti hain mujhpe,"as he combed his hands through his silky locks.

He had retained his Salman Khan hairstyle just because Naina loved it. "Mr. Maheshwari.., aap to hamesha hi handsome lagte hain- aur is suit me to kaatil lag rahe hain. Toh ladkiyaan marengi to acha hai na, kyunki tumhare saath jeene ka haq sirf mujhe hai," Naina replied, as she pulled him closer to her by his tie, flirting back with him.

Sameer grinned at her cheesy line, and pulled her into a soft warm hug. And then, "Shall we?" he asked as he held out his arm and led the way. Naina put her arm around his as they went to attend the final day of the literature festival.

The last day had been full of surprise games, quizzes, and interactive sessions, and had finally concluded with the award giving ceremony. Naina and Sameer were both awarded tokens for being the best youth speakers in their respective domains. The award ceremony led way to the evening concluding ball. Much to Naina's indignation, many girls came to ask Sameer for a dance. "

Dekh lo tumhare Sameer ka charm," he muttered.

"Kuch bhi?"snapped Naina.

"Jalan ho rahi hai?" he asked naughtily.

"Jalan? Aur mujhe? Kabhi nahi!" said Naina coldly.

"Acha, toh yeh baat hai?" Sameer cocked his brows.

At that moment, another pretty girl strode up to him and asked, "hey handsome, care for a dance?"

Sameer smiled at her, "why not dear?" he said, stressing the last word, as he looked at his girlfriend's stunned expression out of the corner of his eye. Much to Naina's annoyance, he took the girl's hand and went upto the dance floor, grinning at Naina all the while.

His eyes gestured, "no?"as if asking if she was still not jealous. Naina was livid now. She looked away. There was a fire burning in Naina's heart as she saw Sameer dancing with the girl on the stage. He wasn't touching her, yet she felt like poking the ends of her heels in her face. How dare she ask her Sameer for a dance? And this idiot! She knew he was putting up this charade just to make her accept that she was jealous.

About ten minutes later, it was Sameer's turn to get miffed as a fair, handsome young man, walked over to Naina and started chatting with her. Naina was speaking to the Mr. Khanna they'd made acquaintance with on the first day of the festival. He had been impressed with Naina's speech the day before, Mr. Khanna explained to her. And then, he asked Naina if she would like to dance with him. Sameer stopped in his tracks as he stared in horror as the man held out his hand for Naina to take.

"Wasn't he that blah-blah-blah eminent personality in the field of literature, that successful young novelist who'd won many prestigious awards at a young age?" Sameer thought frowning.

He didn't hear the voice of the pretty girl dancing besides him. And then Naina raised her eyebrows at Sameer, and her lips curled into a wicked smile.

"Tit-for-tat Maheshwari!" she mused. Naina fluttered her eyelids at the handsome man in front of her and replied sweetly, "My pleasure Ajit!" and put her hands in his. Sameer's heart stopped beating- his Naina's hand in some other man's hand!

Ajit Khanna pulled her from her seat and they came onto the dance floor while Sameer stood frozen to the spot, horrified to see his girl dancing merrily with another man. Naina was thoroughly enjoying seeing Sameer, sulking right in the middle of the dance floor, jealous to the core. And then that Mr. Khanna tried to put his arm around Naina's waist. Naina suddenly felt uncomfortable and Sameer could take it no more. He strode over to them immediately and pulled Naina by her arm in anger, away from that man and back into his arms. Ajit just stared nonplussed as Sameer glowered at him. Sameer then looked back at Naina and heaved a sigh of relief, as he pulled her into a tight hug. They didn't say anything but just stood there for a while, encased in each other's arms. After a few minutes, when Sameer felt reassured that his Naina was back with him, he put his hands to his ears in his trademark sorry, and then put out his hand and asked if he could get a dance with her. Naina smiled as she put her hands in his and said, "all my life darling!" Sameer pulled her into a close embrace again as they started swaying to the music. Naina's hands moved to his shoulders, while Sameer's engulfed her slender waist. They moved in tandem on the floor in each other's arms, eyes locked onto the other. Then at cue, Naina rested her head on his chest, and Sameer hugged her. If Naina and he would have been alone that time, Sameer would have kissed her square right then. And if Naina started on her "shaadi ke baad rant," he would have taken her to a temple and married her right then. This was how scared he'd felt seeing her with another man. The slow dance paved way to the latest groovy, Bollywood tracks and the couple thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

***

It was almost ten in the night when Sameer and Naina left the party and made to go back to their rooms. The night had turned a bit cold. The weather was slightly misty, with the dark clouds gurgling overhead giving signs of imminent rain. Seeing Naina shivering slightly, Sameer promptly took off his blazer and placed it on her shoulders. Both of them were reminded of that night in Mt. Abu, where Sameer had put his blazer over her shoulders for the first time. That was the first night they'd spent in each other's arms and the night they'd confessed their feelings for each other. Sameer knew now, that when he had said 'I Love You' to Naina that night, he'd meant it as much as he did now. He'd fallen in love with her much before the bet had ended. Sameer loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt slightly, and rolling up the sleeves, he took Naina's hand as they ambled over the picturesque path.

"Kitni romantic jagah hai na yeh," Sameer exclaimed breathing in the serene surroundings.

Naina nodded her head softly and smiled.

"Honeymoon ke liye perfect hai, haina?" Sameer turned to her.

"Sameer!" Naina colored instantly.

"Arey ek baat keh raha hoon, generally. Hum bhi to kahin na kahin jayenge na honeymoon par? Soch raha hun hum kahan jayein? Aise hi pahadon par, ya seaside- what do you prefer?"

Naina got flustered and lowered her eyes, "Kuch bhi mat bolo Sameer."

"Kya kuch bhi? Kahin to jayenge na? Shaadi ke baad to sab jaate hain," he explained, defending himself.

"Ab shaadi ke baad bhi na tum mujhe mandiron me mat ghumati rehna theek hai," he added, worried that if Naina had her way, they would spend more time in temples than in their bedroom post marriage.

"Arey main serious hoon, shaadi to karogi na mujhse?" he asked, when Naina remained mum.

"Aur kisse karungi? Tumhe hi jhelna hai mujhe," she responded promptly.

"Shukar hai! Varna mujhe to laga kahin tumhara dil us party wale badsurat bande pe to nahi aa gaya," he quipped in, only to receive a punch on his shoulders.

"Badsurat nahi tha, bada khubsurat tha wo- ekdum Aamir Khan type. Lekin mera dil to bahot pehle Ahemdabad ke Salman Khan pe aa gaya tha na," she winked playfully.

"Toh fir madam, batao kahan jayenge? Mera to na pahadon me man lag gaya hai. Tumhe pata hai Naina mujhe bachpan se hi pahad bahot pasand hain- yeh bheegti raatein, yeh hariyali, yeh thandi thandi hawayein, yeh sard mausam- ekdum Nainital ki yaad aa gayi kasam se. Bahot romantic hai ye jagah," he spoke dreamily.

"Acha, Nainital ki yaad aa gayi ya us chudail ki, jiske haath me haath daalkar ghooma karte the," Naina exclaimed saracastically, her temper rising suddenly.

Even after so many years, even after completely trusting Sameer, she had not yet been able to come to terms with the fact that Sameer had been involved with another girl before her. The fact that he'd held hands with her and hugged her and even kissed her on her cheeks, still enraged her. And it wasn't that Sameer did not understand her emotions. He had tried many times to explain to Naina that it had only been a casual affair, which had hardly lasted two months. At that time, he'd just wanted to show-off to his friends that he had a girlfriend. She was pretty and had proposed him and he kind of had a crush on her too. But, he always said- he had never loved her. The only woman he had ever loved apart from his mother, was Naina. And this would be the case, till their daughter was born, he would often tease Naina. Naina would then shy away and hit him playfully and forget about his past in a jiffy.

"Arey meri jaan, sirf Nainital ki yaad aati hai, kisi aur ki nahi. Haan Kabir ki aati hai thodi- wo to ab Dilli me apne dad ka business sambhalta hai. Par theek hai, Munna, Pandit hain to dost ho ya bhai kisi ki kami nahi mehsoos hoti," he said, reminiscing about the wonderful times he'd spent with his two brothers from another mothers.

"Naina, main na tumhe ek din Nainital leke jaunga. Woh bhi sach mein bahot sundar jagah hai. Wahan mera school bhi dikhaunga, lekin back to the point- pehle ye batao honeymoon pe kahan jayenge- Switzerland? Scotland? France? Italy? Thailand?" he asked, again lost in dreams, now about the honeymoon trip.

"Baap re! Itni door? Wo bhi pardes? Khair tab ki tab dekhenge. Jahan tum ho mere sath, wahi jagah mere liye sabse haseen hai," said Naina softly, and placed her head on Sameer's shoulders. Sameer smiled, kissed her hair and put his arm around her shoulders as they walked.

Suddenly a few drops of water fell on their face. They looked up at the sky and realized it had started drizzling. And seconds later, the rain drops became bigger and heavier. Their rooms were still at a distance and there was nothing but trees and shrubs all around.

"Arey baarish? Mar gaye! Bola tha na tumko chata leke chalte hain," Naina called out anxiously, and both she and Sameer ran for cover under a tree nearby. They stood huddled against each other, Naina's fingers clutched around Sameer's arm as they tried to shield themselves from the rain, but were hardly succeeding at it. What had started as a soft drizzle had intensified into a heavy shower by now.

"Sameer, tumhara jacket, aur meri sari. Is sari ko kuch hua to Bela chachi aur Taiji milke sunane lagenge mujhe-Naina! Ye sari kya tere sasural walon ne di hai jo kharab karke le aayi?" said Naina, imitating Taiji.

Sameer chuckled at this, and put an arm around her, "Keh dena sasural walon ne hi di hai. Kamse kam discount to sasural walon ne hi dilaya tha," he replied as they both laughed remembering how Sameer had posed as a salesman, to get her to buy a sari of his choice.

Naina took off Sameer's blazer from her shoulders, and hung it on the innermost branch of the tree for safe-keeping. Sameer's eyes hovered over to Naina, who was completely soaked in the rain by now. Her long, wet hair was clinging to her face, with water dripping from them. Her jhumkas were glittering, yet the glow was nothing compared to the one on Naina's face. Water had accentuated her already fair skin to an all new level. Sameer heard her bangles clinking as she tried to brush the water from her sari. He could not tear his gaze away from her. Naina felt his eyes on her and looked up. Their eyes met. Tonight his gaze revealed something different. Yes, there was love abound in them, but apart form love, his eyes shone with an unexplained desire, with a strange shyness, with a never-ending admiration. She saw his drenched face with his silky wet hair matted around it. Her eyes traversed down to his neck and to his shirt, which he'd partially unbuttoned just a while back. Naina had a view of his soaking chest by now and felt a strange embarrassment as she found her eyes captivated by his body. Sameer noticed that the way Naina was looking at his wet and now translucent shirt, and his slightly exposed chest. He knew he must be blushing, but more than embarrassment, he felt a strange glee to see Naina eye him this way. Naina saw that Sameer had caught her staring at him and averted her eyes, smiling shyly.

"Pagal," Sameer whispered lovingly to her as Naina looked up. He was eyeing her sari which had become little more revealing in the rain.

His eyes then met hers and he felt himself losing control over his senses. He had to move away from her, lest he made a move. Though his eyes were unable to leave her face, Sameer took a few steps back out in the rain, breathing in the freshness instilled in the air around them, and the feelings it had flickered in their hearts yet again. He opened his arms and closed his eyes as he turned his face towards the sky, stretched his arms up and then to his back. A shy smile came onto his lips, imagining things playing out the way he so ardently wanted at the moment. The smile got wider and wider, as the rain soaked him from head to toe.

"Sameer?" called out Naina in surprise, as he opened his eyes to look at her, "Kya kar rahe ho? Bheeg kyun rahe ho? Baarish bahot tez hai- andar aao."

How could he explain to her that he wanted nothing more at the moment than to be close to her. "Control Sameer, control!" He let the water douse his feelings, and tried to shift his mind to the beauty around. He then beamed at her and then twirled in the rain, "baarish to bheegne ke liye hi hoti hai Naina. Tumhe pata to hai na Naina, mujhe baarish kitni pasand hai," he shouted happily.

Once he felt he had reigned in his senses, he gestured her to come out and enjoy the rain with him. Naina saw him giggling as if a small child had gotten the gift of his choice- such was his happiness. She didn't realize when she started beaming at him dreamily, looking at him dancing and calling out to her. He would open his arms as if requesting the rain to keep showering him.

Naina started giggling, and that soft laughter, put him under her spell once again. "Maybe a bit won't hurt? After all, they'd been dating for quite a while now," he mused. He looked back at Naina with the same intensity that she'd seen just a few minutes ago. She saw his eyes traverse over her physique, and a strange, shy smile adorn his lips, as he shook his head bashfully. He then swiftly made his way towards her. And then much to his surprise, he came down on his knees, just the way he had proposed her on her balcony that night.

Sameer held out his hand and spoke in his husky voice, "May I?" Naina was taken in by this sudden request. She glanced at the stormy sky and the heavy downpour for a second, and then her eyes darted back to Sameer with his hand held out for her. The smile on her lips widened. She tucked a few awry strands of hair behind her ear, as she smiled demurely, and gracefully placed her hands in his. Sameer stood up and pulled Naina towards him, now with a slight intensity. His eyes were captivated by hers, as they moved out from the shelter of the tree. Rain showered itself gleefully upon the lovers, its pitter-patter adding to the romance brewing in the two beating hearts. Sameer twirled her around in the rain, cuddled her, and embraced her in his arms as they danced to the tune of the pattering rain and the thundering clouds. They started waltzing and all Sameer could hear were Naina's giggles. And soon, their feets started moving to the latest Bollywood classics their lips were humming. Sameer and Naina laughed, played, sang and danced in the rain, enjoying it to the fullest.

Suddenly, Sameer started crooning the song, "kaate nahi katate din ye raat...kehni thi tumse jo dil ki baat...lo aaj main kehta hoon....I Love You....I Love You...," his hands enacting out the emotions he felt. He pulled her and again twirled with her.

Naina too sang back in a filmy manner, and in the moment, without realizing it, moved sensually like Sridevi. And that did it! The way Naina moved her hands through her long, silky, wet hair; her eyes partly closed; her luscious lips mouthing I Love You, water droplets trickling down her face, down her lips, her long neck raised offering Sameer a trailer of the yet-unseen, her heaving chest, her lopsided pallu revealing a major part of her alluring waist and stomach- a fire ignited inside Sameer. The same fire he'd been trying to keep at bay, since they took shelter under the tree sometime ago, or since today morning when he saw her in the red sari; or probably since the day he fell in love with her. His brain refused to function and his heart screamed to him to pull Naina to him, and to love her like he'd never done till now. Not the chill of the night, nor the heavy rain could quench the inferno raging inside him now. That familiar desire, that familiar thirst was back, multiplied a millionfold tonight. And Sameer was no longer a boy. He was a man now. A man to his wife to-be! Raptured, he saw Naina cavort in the rain, which was not showing any signs of relenting, pretty much like Sameer's passion. Naina's gaze fell upon Sameer frozen at his place, his expression stoic, yet his dark eyes revealing a tornado of emotions inside. Naina too had matured enough to easily decipher what Sameer's gaze meant. A wave of heat crept inside her as she stared at him.

Fixated on each other for a while, Sameer started moving towards her. She felt rooted to the spot, her eyes locked onto his, and her heartbeat increasing with every step he took towards her. Sameer was breathing heavily by the time he was almost face to face with Naina. The duo stood there, unable to tear their gaze away, the rain adding to their simmering passions. Finally, Sameer broke the trance as he moved his hand up towards Naina's cheeks and pushed a lone strand of hair away from her face. Naina twitched at his touch, and her eyes closed. This proximity was new to them. They were soaking wet in the rain, they had tired themselves dancing with each other tonight and were dressed to impress the other. They both let out sighs as the rain drummed hard on the grass around them. Naina quivered as he stroked her cheeks again, this time with a little more force, her breathing dancing to the tune of his heaving chest. Sameer unconsciously moved still closer. Their bodies were almost touching, their eyes were glued onto each other's. Sameer's now see-through white shirt was having a never before impact on Naina. She found herself overcome with an urge to pull him further close to her. And Sameer, well he was already having a hard time trying to tame his wild thoughts, and controlling his uncontrollable passion. It was as if both were trying to decide whether to go ahead or not. But in matters of the mind and the heart, the heart almost always wins. The eyes conveyed the desire of the beating hearts to the other. Naina's hands moved over to Sameer's collar as Sameer looked down in surprise. Without taking her eyes off him, she pulled his collar to bring him closer to her. He waited, as if his eyes were asking, "pakka...?" His eyes displayed his yearning for her, yet she saw a restraint that he'd forced upon himself. He would never do any such thing without her permission. Naina was awed. This has to be it. Her hands tightened upon his collar once again as she tugged his face closer to hers and her eyes closed. Sameer did not waste a single second. He couldn't, even if he'd wanted to. He leaned in towards her and clasped her face in his hand. Before he could realize, his lips had touched Naina's- for the first time, and the touch of velvet jerked them both out of this world. Both heaved at the intensity of this new emotion. And then there was no looking back.

As their lips moved about each other, relishing the forbidden taste, their hold on each other tightened. Naina's hands moved from Sameer's collar to his nape, caressing him fondly, her fingers strumming in his silky hair. Sameer was kissing Naina- kissing her like he had in his dreams- uncountable number of times. He was kissing her like this was the end of the world. The two lovers were ensconsced in each other's arms as their lips caressed the other's. Their mouths parted, letting out soft moans and their heads moved and turned to taste every bit of those till-a-few-moments-back, untasted lips. Naina's hands flew back into Sameer's wet hair. Umm, it felt so nice. This was the first time she was touching him like this. While one hand caressed his hair, the other was exploring the back of his wet shirt, tingling his skin underneath. Sameer's hands had snaked around Naina's exposed waist, caressing her there, while the water droplets on her waist cried for mercy from the fire igniting inside of her. It was a surprise that water did not evaporate from the heat they emitted. Sameer yanked her closer towards himself, into a tighter enclose and she responded with the same fervour. He moved his hand upto her nape and then got lost in the entwines of her thick, wet hair. They were basking in the ethereal feeling of being kissed- kissed by the one they ardently loved. The desires they had held inside themselves from the past three years all came to the fore as Naina and Sameer drowned themselves in the melody of their first kiss.

Sameer broke for a moment, and Naina could see his eyes intoxicated by now. He grabbed Naina's hand and pulled her over to a tree near them. He thrust her softly against the tree as he eyed her again, his chest heaving with anxiety. Naina lowered her eyes in embarrassment. Sameer put a finger under her chin and made her look up again into his eyes. Their wet bodies touched again. Their fingers locked with each other's as the kiss resumed. Sameer could feel Naina's hold on his palms tighten, and he responded by clenching her fist harder. And then Sameer got a surprise as Naina suddenly turned around while kissing and thrusted Sameer against the tree. This was a surprise for Sameer, but a surprise he gladly accepted. Naina groped his face and his shoulders, as if trying to take in the most of him. Sameer enjoyed this dominance from his lover and his fingers caressing her hair, responded by pushing her head towards him. His hands moved up her back, over her deep-cut blouse, over the outline of what she had hid beneath. Sameer moaned and felt her shiver with his touch, as he moved on to stroke her bare back. He had a hard time, controlling his fingers not to unhook her blouse or to explore her skin beneath it. Not once, did either of them even open their eyes, so lost were they in this blissful feeling.

And then, after what seemed like an eternity, they finally broke apart. Sameer and Naina gulped in breaths of air as they looked at each other and their numbed lips and heaved. Naina's lipstick was smudged now. And then sense prevailed again. Naina realized what had just happened in the heat of the moment and she looked down demurely, a hesitant smile adorning her lips. It was difficult to judge if her sari was redder or her cheeks. She did not mind being kissed by Sameer at all. Infact, she had waited for ages to be kissed by him, like this- the way he had snogged her in her dreams innumerable times. But she was surprised to see the intensity with which she'd reacted. She had never known she was capable of that. Sameer too felt a little embarrassed at this sudden intimacy between them and what more it could have surely led to, but he couldn't help but smile at how beautiful their first kiss had been. Naina looked up chastely into Sameer's eyes, whose bashful grin made her feel comfortable. And when Sameer was about to throw himself at her again, Naina quickly ducked and chuckled, "tut tut!" He giggled as he pulled her into his arms under the very tree which had been witness to another of their firsts.

As the rain continued to hammer down, Sameer stole another long, soft kiss under the tree, before he took out his jacket and Naina's purse from the tree branch. As they were about to leave, Sameer asked, "Naina, tumhare pass ye red lipstick hai?"

"Kyun? Tumhe ab lipstick lagani hai kya?" she teased.

"Wo to ab main tumhare hothon se bhi laga sakta hoon na?" he teased back, the naughty glint back in his eyes again. He then slid his fingers on his lips and pointed out to her, the red tinge on them. Naina became abashed and looked down smilingly.

"Hai kya?" he asked again, pleased to see the effect he had on Naina. She couldn't speak but opened her bag and took the lipstick out and gave it to him. Sameer opened the lipstick and eyed her mysteriously.

"Sorry, main jaanta hun ideally tumhe ye sab shaadi ke baad karna tha, lekin 2-5 minute pehle ho gaya," Naina looked at him in a puzzled manner. Sameer beamed at her and raised his hand to put the lipstick in the parting of her wet hair. He had filled her maang with sindoor. Naina was dumb-founded at this. She stared at him. How did he-? Her hand moved over to the parting in her hair. And then she smiled and blushed and thrust herself into his arms.

"Sameer," she said as she hugged him, "I Love You Sameer!" There were tears of happiness in her eyes. "I Love You too Naina, and will love you forever," Sameer replied, "maine to tumhari maang me sindoor bhar diya, bas duniya ke saamne ye rasam karni hai."

He then embraced her tightly, "tum chinta mat karo- hum aage se dhyan me rakhenge ki hum isse aage na badhein."

Naina felt grateful to God for blessing her with a guy like Sameer. "Lekin sirf honeymoon tak," he added naughtily as Naina hit him playfully.

"Aur destination ke bare mein sochna shuru kar do, zyada time nahi hai- bas college khatam hone ki der hai," he winked at her, and Naina blushed.

The lovers walked back to their hostel, enjoying the downpour which had brought them here to take a step further in their love story. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------So, was it romantic? Do share your thoughts on this first of Samaina. One more part to go for the Darjeeling Diaries, and we'll come back to the marriage story.