Hi All! Happy Weekend.The next week I will be busy due to certain professional commitments.So the updates will be not regular.Thank you so much all for supporting and loving this story.:)

Here goes the update.

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The landline went up in shrills and Piku picked up the phone, cursing the caller to call at around midnight's time.

"HelloKoun hai?Itni adhi raat ko phone kyun kiya?'' Piku asked none too coolly.

"Piku!Sameer ko phone de.Main Munna bol raha hun''.Munna spoke and Piku knew it was urgent.

"Saheb so gaye hein.Mujhe bata dijiye mein unko bata dunga.Piku offered the proposal.

"KYA?Itni jaldi so gaya?Uska tabiyat to thik hai?'' Munna asked as it was only 10.50 on clock.

"Wo..Bhabhi ke saath thoda jhagda ho gaya tha unka sham ko.Toh uske baad hi khana khake so gaye hein.Aap mujhe bata do.Mein yaad karke bata dunga.''Piku informed while Munna's face scrounged in disgust.Sameer definitely had few answers to give back for the questions taking shape in Munna's mind.

"Uska mobile off hai.Isliye landline pe phone kiya.Acha sun!Use bata main call kiya tha aur kal 10.30 baje uska flight booked hai Delhi ke liye.3.15 ko meeting hai.Urgent.Yaad raha na tujhe?'' Munna asked while Piku hummed in response.

The train was passing through stations, one after another ,picking up passengers in twos or crowds,breaking the gurgling din with interludes of hullabaloo.

Preeti lifted the window glass and drew in the cool air.In harmony with the jolly moon ,a broad smile bloomed on her face.Finally she was going to start her professional career.A career which would give wings to her creativity and limelight to her years of struggle.

"Aap Preeti Madam ho? FTII Pune ke liye?'' A lanky,old man asked Preeti as she got down from her compartment.She definitely was not expecting any one to receive her at the station in the midnight hours.

"Haan.Aap wahan naukri karte hein?'' Preeti asked as she gestured against the old man not to pick up her heavy suitcase.

"Mera naam Shilpat Rao Gokhle hai.Main chaprashi hun.Aap ko lene Sir ne bheja hai.Aap ab chaliye guest house mein.Sab bandobast ho gaya hai. ''The man said and Preeti felt really grateful for the sweet surprise.

"Kaka!Yahan Gujarat ka koi naukri karta hai kya?'' Preeti asked as they boarded the taxi to the guest house.

"Gujrat ka kaafi saare hein.Hum to Dean ke office mein kam karte hein.Baaki saare lectures ke bare mein pata nahin.Ek Sir hein jo Ahmedabad ke hein par bilkul Bombay mein pale bade lagte hein.Aap Gujrat ke ho? ''He asked while Preeti nodded trying to scan who could work in this institute from Ahmedabad.But also Ahmedabad was no more a small town.It was growing and also she had been away from home so many years keeping herself busy in internships and learning her craft.

She could detail out the geography of Kerala and Karnataka better than Gujarat's Ahmedabad.Naina had left for Shimla on that fateful night never to return again.Preeti sighed how still she kept looking at the photos of baby Nisha in her arms which they had clicked in Nikita's house.She wondered if Naina would still be the broken self or would have evolved to a stronger girl..How Nisha would have grown up? If Nisha knew somebody called Preeti existed in this world and once was so close to her Naina Mausi.

So many thoughts jammed her head and she jerked back only after a shrill sound.The taxi came into a rumbling halt and the sign board of Guest House came into her sight.

"Madam ji!Aapka kamra yahi hai.Kuch bhi jaroorat ho to yahan ke chowkidaar se baat kar lijiyega.Aur yeh letter apko dene ke liye Sir ne kaha hai.Raat jyada ho gayi hai aur mujhe quarter bhi jana hai.To main chalta hun.Subah milte hein.Waise aap nashte mein kya lengi?Chai ya Coffee?'' Shilpat Rao asked before leaving.

"Coffee.Usme chini mat dalna.Mujhe kadwa hi acha lagta hai.'' Preeti instructed and he left closing the door.

"Chal Preeti! So le.Subah 8.30 baje teri zindagi jo shuru hone wali hai. ''Preeti self-talked as she set the alarm and plopped herself on the upholstered bed of guest house.

Drinking her coffee and biting into the metallic tasting sandwich,Preeti adjusted the pleats of the Cotton Silk Saree.Pairing it with the recently brought silver earrings she chose to keep the make up minimal yet planned an attracting hair do.After all she was the hair stylist specialist and a Masters In Screenwriting and Set Designing.

"Madam ji!Aapki auto rickshaw aa gayi hai''.The chowkidar called and Preeti hustled herself out from the room balancing herself on 3 inched sandals.

"Film Institute jaana hai.'' Preeti uttered and made herself comfortable at the back seat. Myriad of emotions came to play as the auto rickshaw freewheeled into the institute gates.Today she was there for joining in one of the prestigious institutes of the country and she had none by her side.Not her filmy mother, a bit-filmy father and completely filmy Naina.Would she have a good company here? Would she be able to handle this job well?Her eyes felt thick with hot tears and also she felt the heavy folder in her hands. One look at the folder and she felt confident to start everything alone.Years of learning,internship and part-time teaching cannot go wrong ..and cannot go in vain.

"Hello Preeti! You are pretty as well like your name''. The Dean complimented as Preeti took the front chair.

"Thank you Sir.May I know Sir when shall I start teaching?'' Preeti asked politely passing the folder.

"Ahh!Your papers look interesting.Authentic works and smart techniques.I am impressed.Well I talked to Mrs.Goel.She was in all praises for you.You better talk to Mr.Nahata about the time table arrangement.You will find him easily in PT'S room. ''He said while Preeti looked a bit surprised.

"Sir!We have PT rooms? Do you mean Gyms?'' Preeti asked to clarify her doubt.

"Hahha..You caught me Pretty Preeti.Ofcourse we don't have PT rooms..the one I am referring is Mr.Pandit's room.Students and teachers fondly call him PT.He never addresses himself with his first name and hence all nicknamed him.A real jovial person.Hope you find a good and amiable company here.All the best.Shilpat!Madam ko PT ke room mein le jao.Aur Nahata se bolna Time Table ki ek copy website mein load karne ke liye.Well..I take leave now.See you soon''.The Dean voiced with a broad smile as he left the room and Preeti could not help but grin as she found the Dean a harmless flirt.

"Madam ji! Aap Nahata Sir se mil lijiye.PT Sir ka ab class chal raha hai.Dopahar ke 1.30 baje Canteen khulegi.Aap wahin lunch kar lijiyega.Shayad apko PT Sir wahin milenge.Iss taraf chaliye.'' Shilpat Rao clarified and Preeti really found him a close relative in strange new world.

"Sir! Dean Sahib ne time table ke bare mein bola hai.Madam nayi hai to unko ek copy de dijiye.Website mein load kar lijiyega.Madam ji! Aap baat karo main chalta hun.''Shilpat rao said and Preeti nodded in approval.

"Nayi hein? Waise iss recruitment mein kaafi ladies aye hein.Ladkiyan film banana lage to hum kya karenge?Zamana kya badal raha hai.Chaliye Madam..aap ka time table yeh raha.Waise kuch classes abhi PT kar raha hai ..I mean Pandit kar raha hai.Aap use puch ke class sort out kar lena.Thik do baje Canteen Table-13 pe mil jayega dosa khate huye. ''Nahata explained and Preeti mentally made a note of facts.

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Sameer threw his tired body over the swivel chair.Sleep took over him but his face had an expression of content .A book lay beside him,on his table,still marking the page where the villain has abducted the daughter demanding nothing from the parents.Sameer's interest had piqued and he had decided to listen to the whole story from the storyteller herself,HIS Naina.

But the sudden travel to Almora,then back to Delhi and the ugly altercation in between had left him in a bad taste.

"Sameer!''Munna called and Sameer jerked hard from the chair.Rubbing his eyes off the sleep he went to washroom to freshen up.

"Malhotra ka sign mil gaya? ''Sameer asked wiping his hands and gesturing Munna to take the other seat.

"Malhotra ka kaam to tamam ho gaya..matlab khatam ho gaya.Ab teri bari.Kuch puch na tha tujhe.'' Munna said and Sameer asked to continue.

"Tu Naina se jhagda kiya tha?'' Munna asked straight.

"Haan..wo thoda sa ho gaya tha.Samajh nahin rahi hai baat ko.''.Sameer spoke in despair as her tear struck face came into his mind.

"Aur tu bada samajhdar nikla.Yahan ane se pehle use milke aaya hai?'' Munna asked and Sameer nodded in negation.

"Bahut acha.Phone bhi nahin kiya abhi tak.Ek bachi hai saath mein uski,tujhse jhagda hua hai,kitna pareshan hogi wo bechari.Abhi use baat kar.Main office se ata hun.'' Munna thrusted the mobile and left.

"THE NUMBER YOU ARE TRYING TO CALL IS OUT OF RANGE OR SWITCHED OFF ''The auto response voice went on for few more minutes as Sameer tried Naina's number.

The landline at Rishav's home went on and Rishav quickly answered the call.

"Hello.Ghar mein Mummy aur Papa nahin hein.'' Rishav's voice flowed through the receiver much to satisfaction of Sameer.He felt a strong sense of bonding with Rishav even.The boy was an exact copy of his early childhood..naughty and jovial.

"Rishav!Main Sameer Uncle bol raha hun.Nisha ke ghar mein koi nahin hai kya? ''He asked and Rishav peeped to check something.

"Aunty ghar mein nahin hein.Nisha humare ghar mein hein.'' Rishav informed while Nisha trotted into the room.

"Nisha ko phone do jara.Use baat karni thi.'' Sameer asked while Rishav gestured Nisha to hold the phone.

"Uncle hein?Mujhe unse baat nahin karni.''Nisha spoke all goofed and Rishav gestured again because Sameer asked again to lend her the phone.

"Ye Moti! Phone pakad aur Uncle se baat kar.Nakhre mat nikal.'' Rishav finally mouthed and pressed the phone into Nisha's palm.

"Helloo...''Nisha sang into the receiver and a broad smile appeared on Sameer's face.

"Nisha! Mumma kahan hai?Naraz ho mujhse?'' Sameer asked and knew an upset Naina would have not gone well with Nisha.

"Mumma batake nahin gayi hai.Haan apse gussa hun.Aap mujhe mile bina kyun chale gaye?Chocolates bhi nahin laaye.Mumma ko bhi rulaya.Kitna ro rahi thi.Aap bahut bure ho.Aapse baat nahin karni mujhe.''Nisha complained and Sameer was shocked to hear that Nisha had seen it all.

"Haan bahut bura hun.Lekin meri Nisha aise mujhse naraz rahe mujhe acha nahin lag raha.Iss baar pakka milke aaunga.Chocolates bhi leke jaunga''.Sameer promised and Nisha seemed convinced a bit.

"Promise?Aur haan Mumma ko hug aur kiss bhi kar lena.Mein jab bhi roti hun Rishav mujhe hug karta hai,kiss bhi kar leta hai aur main use.Aap Mumma ki best friend ho na to aise apne best friend ko kabhi rulate nahin hein. ''Nisha said and Sameer smiled wide.Nisha was definitely mature for her age kids.Hug and kiss..Nisha's version of innocence was no where in his mind.He still reeled from the image of her sleeping in that red saree.

"Haan galti ho gayi hai.Mein Sorry bol dunga jab jaunga.Mumma ka khayal rakhna.''Sameer asked and was about to hang off.

"Aap kab aaoge?'' Nisha's voice stopped him mid way and he immediately checked for the desk calendar.

"Saturday ko.Usse pehle thoda kaam hai na.'' Sameer informed and Nisha calculated the days.3 days more till she meets him.

"Aap jaldi aa jayeiga.Byeee.'' Nisha spoke and hung off.

Sameer looked at the book he was reading days back and picked up it to continue reading.

"Sameer! ''Munna s voice brought him out of the book's page .He looked up from the book's page to find Munna holding out an envelope.

"Photos aa gaye hein tere shaadi ke.Kya mast photos nikle hein.''Munna excitedly said as Sameer went through the photos.The photo where Nisha sits between him and Naina catches his eyes.The two lovely girls of his life.Nisha's smile was infectious.Though his whole conscience was filled with guilt for his impulsiveness he culd not help but smile seeing the complete picture.Him-Nisha-Naina.

"Waise Sameer baat hui Naina se?'' Munna asked as he flipped through the photos again.

"Naina se to nahin ho paya,Nisha ke saath hua.Main Saturday jaa raha hun unke pas.Tu job hi meetings hein kal aur parso ke andar line up kar le''.Munna nodded and an idea hit his mind.

"Aye Sameer!Mere dimag mein ek dharti phad idea aya hai.Apna Pandat bol rahi thi shopping karne jane ke liye.Tu bhi Naina aur Nisha ke liye kuch kharid lena.Nanaji aur Piku ke liye bhi.Sab ka gussa thanda bhi ho jayega.Kal dopahar ko wo tender wali meeting rakh leta hun.Sham ko chalenge.Kya khayal hai tera?'' Munna asked as he saw Sameer keenly looking at the photos.

"Idea bahut acha hai.Chal ab kuch khake ate hein.''Sameer offered and both got up to leave only to meet Avik in the hallway.

"Sir!Wo scholarship mera ho jayega na?Malhotra Sir ne apni bhi do recommendations diye hein..''Avik trailed as he saw a shift in gaze of Sameer.The gaze was not tender and definitely not a cool one.

"Khud pe bharosa nahin hai ya apne kabiliayt pea b bhi shaq hai?'' Sameer asked and Avik immediately knew he had asked the wrong question at the hour.

"Munna chal.. ''Sameer called while Avik held a stoic gaze.

"Arey tu fikr mat kar.Tu apna Topper hai.5 logon ko milne wala hai.Tujhe to mil hi jayega.Malhotra ne do recommend kiya hai.Baaki 3 mein tera to chance hai.''Munna said and Avik touched his feet.

"Aye!Mere Kishore Kumar..Aa gale lag jaa. ''Avik crushed Munna in a hug and felt a great burden lift off his shoulders.Munna Sir was definitely everyone's saviour when Sameer 'Dean' Maheshwari lost his cool.

"Mumma!Uncle ne phone kiya tha.''Nisha informed as Naina tidied her study table.Too many papers made her lose the important ones too.

"Acha..Baat ki unse?'' Naina asked and Nisha nodded.

"To Papa se baat ho gayi teri.Mere bare mein puch rahe the kya?'' Naina asked searching for some bunch of papers.

"Haan.Puch rahe the.Main boli aap ghar pe nahin ho.Wo Saturday ko aayenge to apko Sorry bolenge.''Nisha informed while Naina smiled at her daughter's attempts for the patch up.

"Acha chal ab so jaa.Rao Uncle anewaale hein.Mujhe sote huye der ho jaayegi.Aa idhar aa.'' Naina asked as she set the bed and adjusted the pillows.

"So jaa.Main ati hun.Good Night''.Naina kissed her forehead and switched off the bedroom lights.

"Uncle ko batana padega Mumma bhi unke bare mein puch rahi thi'' Nisha self talked and a memory wave hit her.

...Papa se baat ho gayi teri...

"Mumma ne Uncle ko Papa bola..Iska matlab Rishav sahi tha.Kal Mumma se puch lungi..Sameer Uncle Papa hein..Papa bulaungi to gussa karenge agar..chocolate nahin laaye to..Mein unhe 'Uncle Papa' bula lungi.Nahin..Mumma ko puch lungi.'' Nisha decided and fell into a peaceful slumber.

"Sameer ko phone kar leti hun.''.Naina decided as she waited for the Publisher to arrive.Sipping the late night tea she dialled his number.

"Yeh phone bhi..Network kabhi kaam nahin karta.Acha baad mein kar lungi''. Naina decided as she heard the door bell shriek louder in the dining area.

After an exhaustive two hours of discussion with Mr.Rao,her Publisher she finally retarded to bed.Deciding to call Sameer a few minutes later she herself dozed off,the mobile lying near her drawer.

The call could not be made.

Next Day

In Morning

Sameer came to the institute with a new gusto to wrap up his meeting and go for some shopping.With the position he is holding and at such young age,definitely does not go well with some people.He was contented that he had a family back home with whom he can be himself...no power,no pretences.Only if Naina could shed her guards and let him know every detail he would be able to keep off the prying eyes off his home.

His thoughts broke as he presented himself outside Namrata's cabin.Namrata was supposed to be in his cabin with the notes but she seemed arguing with someone.Sameer decided to move away only to halt hearing the recognized voice.

"Tum us ladki ko kyun laaye?Use asani se Institute ke liye auto ya phir city bus mil hi jaati''.Namrata asked in a miffed tone.

"Bechari akeli thi aur main bhi to institute hi aa raha tha isliye lift de diBechari nayi hai seher mein.Bus Stand pe aise kaise akela chod deta? ''Avik spoke much to displeasure of Namrata.

"Oh!To tum Bus stop se leke aayi ho use.Bus stop pe kyun gaye the tum?''Namrat asked cocking the eyebrows.

"Apni Jeejaji ko chodne''. Avik answered straight.

"Tum tumhare Jeejaji ko chodne Bus stop pe gaye aur mujhe batay bhi nahin.. ''Namrata asked and Avik rolled his eyes along with head.

"Mere Jeejaji ko main chodne gaya to tumhe kyun bataunga? Pagal to nahin hogaye ho? ''Avik asked and Namrata stumped her feet in frustration.

"Tum na..Haan..Pagal ho gayi hun jo tumse kuch umeed kar rahi hun.'' Namrata said in a mellowed tone and started arranging the papers.

"Arey kya umeed kar rahi ho?'' Avik asked as he saw Namrata leaving.

"Tumhara sar.'' Namrata threw the words as she opened the cabin door.

"Arey Namrata! Ruko..Dekhne mein acha hun lekin itna bhi nahin tum mera sar hi le jao..Arey suno to..Nam...rata..''Avik's words stuck in his throat as he met the gaze of his Sameer Sir.

Namrata stood lowering the head and fidgeting with papers while Sameer gave a tip to toe scan of Avik.

"Bhaiya..I mean Sir..mein anewali thi apke cabin mein.''. Namrata tried moderating the sudden heat she felt around.

"Bacha nahin hun mein..Sab samajhta hun.Koi explanation ki zaroorat nahin hai.Bas yeh ladai jhagda institute ke bahar karna.Namrata cabin mein jao aur Munna ko bulao aur tum jao apne riyaaz khatam karo.Scholarship baithe baithe nahin miilta. ''Sameer uttered and left to the cabin as he saw Namrata giving a 'I will not spare you look' to Avik from corner of his eyes.

After few hours

"Chal bhai Meeting to ho gaya.Lunch bhi ho gaya.Main Swati ko call karleta hun.Tujhe to pata hai yeh ladkiyan make up karne mein kitna waqt lagate hein.'' Munna said as he relaxed himself on the cabin recliner.

"Haan tu inform karle.Main thoda yeh chocolates pack karleta hun. ''Sameer said as he pulled out a gift wrapping paper from his desk drawer.

His phone buzzed and Munna excused himself out of the room.

"Bhabhi!Bade Sahib ka tabiyat bigad gaya hai.Aap jaldi aao.'' Piku's voice flowed from the other end and Naina jolted back.

Like the unexpected twist she just gave to her story that morning,by afternoon her own world was reeling under another unpredictable twist.

It never rains but it pours..

(To be Continued.)

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Would love to read all your comments.:)