Flashback is in Italics to avoid confusion.

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The death anniversary of Nikita and Sharad came,bringing the same heaviness and knots in Naina's heart as it had been years after years. There was certain uneasiness though it was bright sunny day, the air felt nauseating though it was tranquil breeze that was occasional in chilly hill station. As mechanical as it could have been, she completed her chores, called up several times the priest of temple to check on arrangements, sent a text to Nirupama and scowled over Sameer and Nisha who still lay in their dreamlands. Sameer was not surprised to find Naina all gloom, behaving in the most bizarre way and he knew she was trying to shut herself from the bitterest memories.She was raising defences,fighting with herself not to leak trickle of tear drop. Chachaji and Chachiji had returned in a hurry for something Taiji told bitterly over phone. In a day they left and she could not bid them a proper farewell. She didn't know why the exact day no matter what brought a thick blanket of gloom to the house ,sadness over her face and helplessness in her bones.

"Tum ro sakti ho ab." Sameer held her steady,taking away the cellphone from her, bringing her the pin to hold the pleats in place. She looked at him. For a second she searched his face, to see if he was merciful enough to handle her. For next fragment of second, she thought she was punishing him with her own mess and the next second she was weeping bitterly,soaking his shirt. He held her tight, caged tenderly in his arms ironically wishing that she finds freedom.

Nisha knew the drill yet she was bit inquisitive to know why her mother had puffed and red eyes.Rishav pointing out how his mother was literally clinging to her mother , and not letting him to ask any questions. Was there any secret involved ?

Nisha yawned as she shared the bench with Rishav, both watching their parents busy with rituals,occasionally shedding tears.What took Nisha by surprise is Sameer wiping his eyes. "Rishav! Mummy ro rahi Nanu aur Nani jaldi gaye isliye. Papa kyun anshun baha rahe?"

Rishav craned his eyes to check Nisha's fact ,suddenly remembering a fact."Arey aaj India –Australia match hai na..Uncle ka miss ho jaayega isliye." He also felt sad now that he remembered the exciting match he could have watched instead of sitting bored. He wanted to play Hide and Seek with Nisha behind the temple's pillars,but Nirupama has dtrictly prohibited from having any fun,any running around the temple.That's not how disciplined, good children behaved,so as he had been told.

"Nisha! Rishav! Idhar aao. " Sameer's voice made them jump from the nap they were taking.Rishav had huddled over Nisha, and both had slept over bench,thankfully not toppling on to the floor. Both waddled sleepily to Sameer , rubbing eyes to keep off the drowsiness.

Sameer asked them to open their mouths to feed them the prasad .Nisha knew every year ,no matter what she would be fed this particular thing ( sometimes forcibly). There was no point in arguing or throwing stantrum.She opened her mouth wide and a mouthful of sweet tasting morsel filled her mouth. Rishav was intrigued however.

"Uncle! Iss baar bhi cake nahin kat raha ? Bhagwan ji ka happy birthday hai na?"

Sameer smiled at the reasoning and thought of a quick reply." Tumhein cake,pizza ..yeh sab pasand hai na? Waise hi Bhagwan ji ka yeh favourite hai.Isliye birthday pe yehi banate hein." Rishav threw a glance at the temple, thinking how even this is considered something that's eaten on birthdays but he followed Nisha and digested his portions.

"Hello Avik! Bhaiya ne Paris ke tickets book karne ke liye bole hein na tumhein?" Namrata asked Avik, quickly going through her planner.

"Haan. I am glad.Sir trusts me so much.Dekhna Namrata! Iss baar koi galti mein hone na dunga.I will make him proud of me."

Namrata giggled at the air of confidence Avik held. She knew how badly Avik wanted to be in best books of her Sameer Bhaiya and it was no secret. "Acha! Impress kar rahe.. Taaki baad mein unhi ke behen se shaadi ke liye haath maang sako?" She asked , blushing herself on other side of phone.

"Haan aise hi samajh lo. Scholarship Holders ke strategy kuch alag hi hote hein." Avik replied, pulling out his non- existent collar of T-shirt.

"Oh hello..Itna na apni muh miyan mithu bano.Main yeh batane ke liye call kit hi ki .." Namrata was interrupted."Ki tum aaj free ho aur Manoj Sir Swati Bhabhi ke saath Mumbai gaye hein.Toh iska matlab hum tum.." Avik trailed in a suggestive tone. He loved how Namrata ended up tongue tied with his teasings. He really enjoyed seeing how her cheeks turned into pink charcoals and shyness sipped into her chocolate hued eyes.

Namrata masked her shyness with fake anger." O Mr. Majnu! Ho gaya apka? Kabhi toh serious ho jao thoda.Suno! Bhaiya ki hotel booking mein karungi.Tum baaki trip ka karlo." She stated her point, the reason she had called Avik at first place.

"Jaise aap farmaye Mallika –e –alam.Aapka hokum sar akhon par."

" Hey Ram! Itna cheesy. Acha suno mujhe kaam hai. Don't call me until I text you." Namrata spoke in finality before rummaging through the paper work and personal work she had to complete. Absence of both Sameer and Munna from institute has made her feel more burden, more stressed as their substitutes were clueless like lost children.

" Nakchadi P.A." Avik teased and laughed. Namrata scowled before disconnecting the call.

"Shut up.Bye."

Her next call was to the travel agency.Hotel bookings were itself a headache and this booking was not any regular booking."Yes! Euro Tours. How can we help you?" An almost auto tuned voice flowed from other side.

"I need a booking at Shangri La in Paris. And make a booking for Honeymoon suite. I will text you the details." Namrata's voice was completely formal. Sometimes she herself got confused at the way she transited from non-formal to formal attitudes. Not that she was complaining, but sometimes she felt herself not being real, something she hated in other people who tried to show off and fake.

" Sir! Yeh aapke ticket vouchers for all major sightseeing. 2 adults and one kid. Isko bas redeem karke entrance tickets lene hein at respective places." The travel agent , somewhat under 25 , placed the vouchers infront of Avik.Avik scanned them , putting aside the bitter coffee he had been served, termed as Espresso, which he believed didn't taste any way better then over brewed coffee he sometimes ends up making.

"Haan bhai. Unko pata hai aur mujhe bhi. Yeh rakh tere paise." He pulled out the cash and exited quickly trying to get a better beverage to lift his evening mood.

" Bhaiya! Passports aaj ya kal mein aa jayenge. Wo aap Avik se le lena.Tickets book hogaye hein. Hotel bhi.Ab bas packing kar lo." Namrata excitedly spoke as Sameer called her up to ask the progress.

"Thanks yaar. Tu aur Avik ne bahut madad ki.Munna ko pareshan bhi na karna pada."

Namrata frowned."Ab aap ne hum dono ke liye kitna kuch karte ho.Hum Thank you bolte hein kya." She quickly added, " Yeh formalities na wo board room ke liye rakhiye.Jaldi aa jaaiye. Nisha ko dekhne ka bada mann kar raha." She was truly missing her movie partner Nisha. It was different experience with Nisha who used to ask random questions and danced to every song that played throughout the movie, until all the dancing tired her out.

It was a regular day in Institute yet another stressful day for Namrata. She sat in her cabin,typing a mail, with Avik sitting in an adjacent chair , juggling a paper weight absent mindedly. " Namu! Tumne acha kiya time pe hotel booking kar li. Pata hai koi fest hai Effiel tower ke pass and hotels ki availability ek dum nil ho gayi hai.Sach mein advanced preparation always helps ..be it life or exams." Avik sighed , looking at nothing in particular.

Namrata spared him a glance and mocked. "Oho..Baba Avikananda ki Jai Ho.Kya pravachan sunaye hein." She loved how Avik sometimes got philosophical and would look extremely pissed off with the endearment she calls him with then. Namrata secretly loved a pissed off Avik. He looked extremely hot and she would never confess this to him.

"I am serious yaar. " Avik sat upright in his chair, demeanour a bit rigid. "Aur mein decide kar liya hai ki Maa aur Baba dono ko humare baare mein bata dunga. Taaki internship ke period khatam hote hi hum shaadi kar sakein. I can't wait no more." He grunted internally thinking of days or months they have to wait to legally belong to each other. He knew his parents would not raise any opposition but he had little positive expectations from his close relatives. However this part was secret to him only. He didn't want Namrata to learn this and panic.

"Sachi? I can't believe.You are the best." Namrata jumped from her seat in surprise and engulfed Avik in a surprise hug. Her day could not have gotten any happier .She concluded mentally.

"You have to believe my dearest cutie P.A. sahiba." Avik pecked her cheek , hoping he himself believe that he can do this. Then his eyes landed upon the folder he had carried along with him, which laid at a hand's distance from him now.

"Acha! Haan. Main jo dene aaya tha wo dena bhul hi gaya. Yeh rahe passports with visa. Sir kal aa rahein na?"

"Haan. Nisha bhi aa rahi. Bahut masti karenge iss baar. Tum bhi ghar pe aana. Saath mein maze karenge.Bhaiya ya Bhabhi bhi na honge rok tok ke liye.Wo apne Honeymoon mein aur hum apna Mastimoon mein." Namrata squealed in exuberant excitement. Her smiles twinkling her eyes.

However, Namrata failed to see how the color has faded from Avik's face. "Ek second.. Sir Honeymoon pe Paris jaa rahe? Matlab Paris..Honeymoon pe?" He deadpanned.

Namrata whined." Avik! I don't like such poor jokes you know. Mein kitni seriously khush hoon aur tum ..." She threw an upset glare before resuming her work on desktop.

"I am serious Namrata. Nisha ,Sir aur Bhabhi teeno jaa rahein na.Yeh dekho Passports." Avik quickly pulled out the passports and certificate of Minor for Nisha. Namrata felt her head swirl, a nervous bile arising in her stomach."Margayi..Solid margayi. Avik! Kya karun mein ab?" She gulped hard, as she scanned the documents, hoping she wasn't wrong in her assessment.

"Mein Honeymoon suite book kar li.Mujhe laga..Nisha ..nahin jaa rahi.Hey ram! Ab kya karun? Kaise bataun Bhaiya ko." A cry of despair filled the cabin. Avik gasped at the new information."Namu! Isliye boli mujhe ki hotel booking khud karogi? Tumhare saath saath main bhi pitunga." He quickly imagined all possible scenarios in head. But the wrecked state of Namrata urged him to calm down and take care of her. She literally was having a mental breakdown.

"Acha chalo.Pareshan mat ho. Sir ko sachai bata denge kal. He will definitely find a way." He ran his caressing fingers through her open hair, which somewhat breezed calmness into her. She pondered for a while then."Avik! Hum ab koi room like extra type book na kar sakte? Taaki they can use both." She looked upto him, vehemently wishing to see a nod from him.

Avik scratched his head hard but nothing helped.He knew no way was left except confessing to Sameer."Idea acha hai but Sir ko pata chalega na.Unki Credit card hai. Aur hotel mein availability bhi honi chahiye na." He reasoned out only to hear, a whined response "Shit! I messed up real bad."

"Papa! Pappaa!"

Sameer groggily opened his eyes, trying to snuggle into the warm blanket more.But he can't ignore the calls from the princess of his non-existing empire."Hmmm..Good Morning Beta.Let's sleep a bit more." He pulled Nisha by her wrist and cuddled her into his embrace.

Nisha wriggled out, shaking Sameer ."Papa! 7 baj gaye hein aur Mumma abhi tak so rahi hai.Main jaga dun Mumma ko?" She was wide awake and Sameer knew it would be a hard task to put her to sleep again.How can he explain Nisha that he was not really a morning person like her and her mother. He loved his morning sleeps more. His mind even wandered to the school days when Naina had asked him to meet near Rajshri Park at morning 6. The following saga of temple visit and getting smacked by ' gaumata' still brought amused smiles to him.

Nisha grumbled making a face and Sameer was jolted into reality.Nisha began to scamper away from his hold to wake up Naina only to be held back by Sameer with force.. Naina was having a bad cold and he had fed her medicine before Naina had literally pushed him out of their room so that he doesnot end up sick like her.He had preferred sleeping on Nisha's single bed than ending up with back ache from sleeping on couch.

"Nahin.Mumma ki tabiyat thik nahin hai. Let her sleep also.Tum mere pass aajao."

"Par Papa! Bhukh lag rahi. Main to brush bhi kar li.Yeh dekho.Eee." Nisha displayed her teeth as wide as possible. Sameer pulled Nisha back to his chest ,dropping a soft kiss on her forehead."Wow! Meri Nisha to apni Mummy se bhi punctual hai. Bhukh ka kuch to karna padega.Hum bahar canteen mein jaa sakte hein." He suggested earning a nod of agreement from Nisha only to see the existing smile turn into frown.

"Par Papa! Hum chale jayenge to Mumma kya khayegi? Aur Mumma kehti hai ki jab tabiyat thik nah o ghar ka khana chahiye.Isse ifection bhi nahin hoga." Nisha rambled trying to remember the exact vocabulary and tone Naina had used on her ocassionally. Sameer however caught the misspelt word. He knew Nisha was learning new vocabulary and timely correction will help a lot."Ifection nahin Infection. Baat to sahi karti hai Mummy.Ab kya karein?"

Both father and daughter thought hard, occasionally scratching chins and head ,meeting each others confused eyes.

"Idea! Hum breakfast banale aur Mumma uthegi to khush ho jaayegi.Phir hum dono ko kissy bhi milega." Nisha jumped from Sameer's lap with excitement.

"My Nisha is such a genius I never knew. Done phir." They did a high-five before barging to kitchen. Nisha opened the cabinets of kitchen pulling some recipe books Naina followed to cook something new on special occasions or brighten her moods.Sameer went through few recipes, that were bookmarked or highlighted with markers.Naina was such a sincere padhaku here even, Sameer chuckled.

"Nisha! Kya banayein? Iska toh adha ingredients fridge mein nahin hai." Sameer let a frustrated sigh , quickly observing the fridge for umpteenth time. He was sure, he could not cook something without following the instructions.While sharing the dormitory before with Munna during college and struggling days, it was Munna who used to cook decently for them.Only thing he knew how to make was Maggie (human's bestest and most useful invention)or a cup of coffee and tea. He groaned looking at the containers of kitchen shelf,not knowing what exactly to feed his hungry daughter as of now.

"Papa! Aloo paratha banayein? Aloo bhi hai aur yahan aata bhi. Aur Mumma ke liye Chai bhi." Nisha asked hoping that may be that was only thing his father might be knowing how to make since both of them loved eating so much.The ingredients were simple and most importantly available.

"Aloo Paratha?" Sameer asked,slightly unsure of how to arrive at the final product,he so delightfully ravished.But he is The Sameer Maheshwari who knows that there is no winning without challenges.He will do it.He will hopefully do it right."Acha fine. Wohi banate hein."

Sameer rolled out the parathas which took shapes not mentioned in Geometry chapter of Mathematics book.They were of any shape but not circles.The trick of rolling them into triangles backfired and they turned into something close to cone shape and some other shape he never saw before. He groaned internally yet continued.Nisha sat on the kitchen counter , with only job to form roundels from dough.She looked at the pile of parathas which were more square than round ."Papa! Hehhee... Yeh paratha toh square ban raha.Mumma aise round round banati hai." She tried showing her father how the round paratha tossed in the round bottomed frying pan.

"Koi baat nahin beta..Size jaisa bhi ho taste waisa aayega. Pet bharna chahiye na." Sameer acknowledged the rumble in his stomach.He contemplated if it was wise decision not to order breakfast from outside. "Toh phir aap kyun kehte ho ki har kaam per..fect hone tak karna chahiye. Avik Bhaiya bata rahe the ki aap kitna gussa karte ho agar koi guitar sahi se na bajaya toh. Aap round round banao."

"Acha meri Maa! Galti ho gayi. Let me try one more time."

"Nisha! Kya kar rahi? Garam hai na tawa.Jala to nahin na?" Sameer flinched seeing Nisha's finger turning red, as she toyed with the hot paratha on pan.

"Papa! Paratha jal raha hai." He mentally smacked him for not learning one two breakfast recipes. Now he had a hungry stomach from all hard work of rolling and filling, a hungry child sitting with slightly blistered finger.Not only tha,even a messy kitchen with flour scattered all over. He turned off the flame and rested against the wall, dejected and disappointed with the series of events.

Nisha hopped from the counter. Setting her dishevelled frock, she crouched near Sameer. Trying to wrap her short arms around him, she slowly said; "Papa! Aap jaise bhi banaoge mein kha lungi. Aap sad mat ho." Sameer looked at her and he feared his eyes would water.How did he even get that lucky to have this understanding little bundle in his life? When life has been that cruel to give him a mother who never cared to understand him ever. This was not the time to be emotional, it was time to make breakfast."Nahin beta! Jiske pass Nisha ho wo sad kaise ho sakta hai. Hum phirse banate hein." He kissed her cheeks and Nisha kissed back, realising how her kisses and hugs brought smiles to her both parents.

"Ab mujhe pata hai.Ismein dudh daalke ubalna hai." Nisha now stood on a low-tool, assisting Sameer with making tea. Sameer smiled and complimented. "Great. My Nisha is gonna be a great Chef one day."

"Naina!"

Naina felt a warm whisper against her ears.She tried to push off the voice as a fragment of dream.The antibiotic was doing its job. She heard her name repeated again and thus she realised she was not dreaming. Like a purring kitten, she stretched , pain ricocheting through her spine. Without opening her eyes, she searched for the alarm clock and then her eyes popped open.

"Kya..9 AM"

"Sameer! Tumne mujhe uthaya kyun nahin?" Naina threw the warm blanket literally and took to feet.She never expected or wished to sleep that late when she had chores of responsibility to fulfil.She felt a bit dizzy yet assured Sameer, who returned back to the bed sson."Hey bhagwan! Yeh tablet bhi na.Nisha ko bhuk lag rahi hogi..Tumhe bhi..20 minute do.."

Sameer stopped her from getting up and taking the house in full blown mode. She was always worked up and Sameer knew she needed to tone down a bit.Needed rest and needed lots of pampering."Sssh! Calm down.Tabiyat kaisa hai? Better?" He asked, checking for temperature on her forehead.

"Haan.Par Sameer! Hum baad mein ..breakfast.." Naina was clearly worried and slightly confused.Why the hell Sameer was so relaxed when they all were starving without food.

"Breakfast humne bana liya hai Mumma.Aap brush karke aa jao." Nisha ran to Naina, when Sameer gestured her to come inside the room with the plate of Aloo Parathas.

More than shocked or surprised Naina was overwhelmed. She had not lived a morning like this in years together. Her trail of thoughts broke as she tasted the burst of flavours in her mouth from the food.

"Umm..Tasty."

"Naina! Wo adhe se jyada jala hua hai." Sameer looked up with a surprise from his own plate."Toh! Tum bhi kha lete ho na jab kabhi mein namak dalna bhul jaati hun ya jyada teekha bana leti hun. Yeh to bahut ache hein." She took another bite and soon polished off her portion from plate.

"You are being generous." Sameer grinned before bringing the hot cups of tea.

"Mumma! Aap thik ho abhi?" Nisha asked as she scampered on Naina, trying to imitate her mother on checking fever from forehead.

Naina caught hold of Nisha and kissed her on nose."Haan.Bilkul fit.Aur hoti bhi kaise nahin. I have the best daughter and husband in world." Her eyes had the happy tears. Emotions overwhelming her each being.

"I have best Mumma Papa" Nisha declared jumping on the bed, like declaring to whole of world.

"I have bestest blessing in world" Sameer's heart whispered as he pulled Nisha and Naina into tight hugs. A perfect Kodak Family Moment.

"Excuse Me! Are you Naina Agarwal ?Zoology Major DU?" Naina startled with the voice and designation.She turned back to look at the person and tried to remember the familiar face.

"Haan..Professor Taneja?"

"Naina! I am so glad to have met you my child.This gentleman...?" The professor soon hugged Naina and eyed the man , who stood holding a cute kid.

"Sameer Maheshwari." Sameer extended his hand for a handshake and moved closer to Naina. The professor finally got the cue. Naina didn't know that she would so unexpectedly meet her long lost teacher from university , that to in airport. She didn't know what to say. Before realising she had blurted." How are you doing Ma'am? I am sorry I didn't respond to your calls."

"Don't be my child. I know the reasons. Sushmita informed me. That was once in life time opportunity and I didn't want you to miss it. Cruel Times!"

" I am really sorry.I could not leave her." Naina looked a bit remorseful, somewhat mirroring the emotion on Taneja's face. Taneja looked at Nisha, being rewarded with Nisha's bunny like smile.However Sameer felt disoriented from the conversation.He did not get a point what they were talking about, but knew something that involved Nisha and was surely about the worst days.

" It was not your fault.Stop punishing yourself for that. Answer me just this.Do you regret that?" Taneja's consoling hand reached Naina's shoulder. Naina stiffened a bit with the question but she knew the answer.Just like years back.

"No."

Mrs. Taneja hummed with satisfaction."That's it. Well Sameer! I don't know you but would expect that you keep a tab and not let her miss any opportunity in path to her dreams. She wanted to be a research scholar if she has not mentioned you this." Sameer looked surprised a bit with the new found information. He nodded and assured the professor and felt thankful for her belief in him.

"Keep in touch Naina! And here is this a small gift for your little bunny.She is really a cute kid." She pulled out a chocolate bar and handed to Naina. Squishing Nisha's cheeks softly, Naina saw her professor mingling in crowd.

"Tumne kabhi bataya nahin." Sameer asked as they boarded the flight to Delhi.He realised that he had still so much to know about her except Sudip and Vikram.Naina buckled her seatbelt, voicing quietly."Main khud bhul gayi thi."

"Naina! Main manta hun ki Nisha tumhari top priority hai lekin tum apne baare mein soch sakti ho ab."

Naina winced a bit.She didn't know why she felt she was over that phase of being a student again. She didn't want her past to come in any way and she was content.It would be great if Sameer understands the same, at soonest."Sameer! Main khush hun. Mujhe nahin karna abhi koi research.Waise bhi novels ke liye bahut kar rahi."

"Fine. Aage chalke kabhi bhi lage ki you are ready to move ahead.. I would always be there. That's a promise." Sameer decided not to pester much yet make his thoughts clear. For present, he focused on going through newspapers that the airline offered.Naina looked out of the window, memories rushing to her, flooding her vision.

Flashback

Naina! Tu yeh Scholarship chod rahi hai? Tu pagal hai behen?" Sushmita asked ,her eyes round and large as saucepans.The entire department knew Naina would be going to pursue her research in prestigious International university

" Han hun mein pagal.Tujhe to khush hona chahiye. Mein nahin jaa rahi toh tu pakka jaa rahi.Mere baad tu hi toh top scorer hai." Naina stated as matter of fact while concentrating to fill the feeding bottle of Nisha with warm milk.Nisha , somewhat barely one year and some months ;was trying to crawl around, her eyes fascinated by the red coloured sketchpen rolling on floor.

Naina closed the lid of bottle, cleaning the bit of split milk. She seemed confused." Main manti hun Naina ki yeh mera bhi sapna tha. Lekin yaar mujhe lag raha yeh scholarship se mujhe khushi kam ghutan jyada hogi.Aisa lag raha main kuch najayas fayda utha li hun." Sushmita truthfully stated. It was not about scholarship but about their friendship too.She was there with Naina, seeing snippets of how she was literally multi tasking.It was too much for a girl who just stepped into her 20s.

Naina pulled out the sketch pen from Nisha's mouth. Nisha whinned, trying to reach Naina,to get back the pen.When she failed, her lips puckered and slightly trembled.The lulling silence of room was broken by the ear hurting scream. Naina sighed, bringing Nisha to her lap, trying to quieten her.There was flailing of tiny hands and legs. Nothing worked.The musical rattles or wooden cart, nothing could pacify. Naina pulled Nisha to her chest, rocking her lightly, gently patting her back, singing some incoherent lullaby.After what it seemed past one hour,Naina pushed her books from the bed, making space for sleepy Nisha.Nisha heaved when she tucked a blanket on her and put pillows round to prevent her from falling off,for the little time she would be with Sushmita.

"Tu dekh rahi hai na sabkuch.Nisha choti hai Sushmita.Bahut choti aur mujhe nahin pata mein kya kar rahi hun. Parenting ki books rat li hun par phir bhi pata nahin kya kehkar chup karun usse.. Exam ke liye notes padhun ya waqt pe dawai khilaun. Mujhe kuch samajh nahin aa raha." Naina ranted and broke down.She was clueless.Raising a child required so much patience and she was one who got irritated within minutes if a mathematics sum didn't work out.Legalities, police station,repeating the same thing,facing stares of judgemental people,and juggling the life of student of excellent calibre and scared parent.She had this hunch many times. She had lost everyone she had come to love at any point in life.Perhaps she loved her mother and she didn't have the opportunity to remember her face, she loved Sameer and he went away like gone with the wind,and then Nikita and Sharad.. within a blink they left her stranded. She feared destruction that came with her love.She feared if anything happens to Chachaji Chachiji or Preeti..She would not survive and Nisha perhaps was the one who had all strings of her heart beats.Without Nisha she would not think of existing.

"Nisha ko ..adoption ..ke liye nahin de sakti?" Sushmita asked ,gulping hard,mincing words.She had expected Naina to make her understand something or straight away get angry.But she didn't expect the after.Naina hastily tore an unruled paper and rushed her pen on it."Yeh le.Yeh application Ma'am ko de dena. Nisha se badhke mere liye kuch nahi,koi nahin.Main khud bhi nahin. Tujhe metro bhi pakadna hoga.Good night."

Sushmita had understood. She had left quietly waving a bye and mouthing "Take Care" wish.The landline had gone on unanswered shrills for next days.Naina knew it was her professor calling.She knew Mrs.Taneja would convince her , confuse her and might shake her determined decision. Everytime the call had died unanswered, Naina had brought her knees together,crouched and had mumbled "Ma'am! I am sorry."

Naina's reverie broke when she felt a tug on her dress.She saw Sameer leafing through the children's magazines they had brought before boarding the flight. "Mumma! Tum bhi sunogi Birbal ne Akbar ko kya kaha iss kahani mein?" Nisha asked with expectant eyes.She was eager to share the story with her parents,that being her favourite story.

"Zaroor! Toh kya kaha chatur Birbal ne ?." Naina asked, leaning forward and kissing the sun of her universe, the polaris of her night like life.

"Batayi!" Avik asked as he saw Namrata, sitting with a frown, doodling absentmindedly.

"Nahin. Kya bolun kuch samajh na aaya."

"May the God save us before the Queen." Avik sighed dramatically and was rewarded with Namrata's playful slap. It was not a big deal but not small deal since it centered Nisha somewhat.

***************

"Si'l vous plait Monseiur " The French Receptionist asked Sameer , while Sameer grunted at his inability to understand a single syllable. He waited for the receptionist who understood English as he had been informed by another fellow tourist.

"Mr. Maheshwari! Welcome to Shangri La.Pardon me for treating you late. Hope our arrangements give you the best honeymooning memory." The English speaking receptionist, a man with blonde hair and quite a gym-fit physique greeted displaying his warming smiles. Sameer threw a second shocked glare at the man, whose name he learnt as George Martin. Why the hell was he assigned some room which was Honeymoon suite.

"Look Mr. George! We should have a normal suit. We have a kid with us.You guys are surely confusing the bookings. Can you cross check please." Sameer insisted. There ought to be some big fat confusion.

George tried putting his professional etiquette of smiling at guests , no matter what , and began explaining."There are not many Indians staying here Sir.We have been paid 200 Euros extra to make special arrangements that includes some fine dining and spa services. It seems you are not aware of the booking.It was done by..Nam..Madam Namrata". Naina joined Sameer and listened to whole explanation.There was no confusion or mistake from the hotel's side. She decided to give a try. Negotiations and Bargaining was something she had learnt well from Chachiji.

" Can't we like shift to a normal suit? We have our kid with us."

"Sorry Ma'am! We accept cancellations prior to 48 hours only.Strict rules you know. About this pretty baby you need not to worry.We have kids room and attendants in case you want to explore something and not carry her along." George enthusiastically showed Naina the way and failed to see the displeasure on her face. She didn't meed to even check out some xyz room for kids or anything.Even if she goes to grave now, she would take Nisha along with her.

" Thanks for the information. We will figure out. " Her words came curt and clipped.

" E ladki har jagah ka ticket 3 book karke hotel ka honeymoon suit kyun book kar rahi thi.Dhyan kahan rehta hai aaj kal iski!" Sameer ranted as they stepped into the elevator. Their room was in 8th floor, and the hotel people believed that floor gave best view of Effiel Tower in the City of romance, as Paris is fondly famous for.

"Sameer! Shant ho jao.Kuch galat fehmi ho gayi hai shayad." Naina tried calming Sameer, putting defense for Namrata. Poor girl, she perhaps misjudged the information.

"Galat fehmi! Tum defend mat karo. Galti toh ki hai usne.Doubt tha toh puch sakti thi mujhse." Sameer went up in another temper, her hands itching to dial the numbers and give a piece of his jet lagged brain to Namrata. He even partly blamed all Bollywood sappy romantic movies for hyping Namrata's over imagining brain.

"Baaki ka arrangements Avik ne kiya hai.Namrata sirf hotel ka ki hai. Same date and time pe bookings huyein hein. Tum shayad sahi se bataya nahin hoga." Naina remarked as the elevator dinged and they stepped out to their floor.

"Haan akhir toh galti mera hai na." Sameer scowled.Naina averted her attention to Nisha, who was perched on her shoulders, all affected of jet lag.

"Mumma! Papa! Staaap. Mujhe neend.. aa rahi." She screamed before shutting her eyes. Naina signalled Sameer to not make any noise and both quietly made way to their suite.

Naina walked into the suite and gasped hard. The suite looked extremely exotic.There was trail of pink and red rose petals that led the way from main door till the bedroom. On a square –shaped coffee table , a bottle of champagne chilled in a silver bucket.A pair of tongs and two champagne flutes also adorned the table.There was a beautiful looking chocolate cake with strawberries carefully place on it,which caused Naina's stomach growl.

Naina glanced at Sameer who was busy exploring the other finer details. There were rows of candles awaiting to be lit. She breathed deeply the scent of roses that hung in air like cloud. Nisha had fallen asleep finally. Sameer carefully laid her on bed, taking care not to disturb the sleep. His darling, bathed in glowing hue of tea lights,looked so pretty.He crouched to take off her sandals and that was the moment Naina joined him.He noticed she had changed into satin nightwears.She lightly blew the baby hair on her forehead and planted an affectionate kiss. Sameer followed and quickly pecked Nisha's cheeks. NIsha slightly mumbled in sleep, her breath soft enough to be barely heard,but assuring and reminding her parents their unspoken promises and responsibilities for her. The questioning and curious glances of people and staff didn't matter.A kid in Honeymoon suite was surely a rarest of rare phenomenon in the resort history.

Sameer shrugged out of his suit jacket, loosening the cuffs.He quickly abandoned the belt and searched for his kit to shave. A soft form engulfed him from behind in a tremendous thrill and surrender. His face broke into a wide grin. "Naina! Yeh pink pehen na zaroori tha?" He turned around and tenderly brushed a strand of hair out her face. "You look so ravishingly sexy and hot." Naina rolled her eyes and blushed shyly. Soon their voices shatter into ragged moans.The way their lips ached, flexed and collided against each other in wild mess.The way their world shrinked into nothing but the building sensation of euphoria. As they broke apart, Naina felt a cataclysmic warmth spread out from her heart, engulfing her. This was bliss and adventure.It was an altogether different scene without Nisha and quite an adventure with Nisha around.

"Rohan! Are you serious?" Amrita huffed, kicking hard her heels, absolutely not caring where they land. Rohan ducked in case Amrita plans to throw at him the hardbound book she was holding.

"Papa ka call hai.Can't ignore."

Amrita flared up and all she wanted was to pull out her hair in frustration. Was Rohan a human atlest and not some robot? "Then kindly explain me Mr. Rohan Somani what the hell I am gonna do in this French city ,lying on a goddamn king size bed ,alone for 4 days." She roared before she flung the book, which fortunately missed Rohan.

"Rita! Tum jante ho yeh agenda mein nahin tha.Achanak se set list mein aa gaya. Ab Papa ka summon call hai toh koi urgency hoga.I will just fly to India and just get back here right before you even miss me." Rohan pulled a depressingly upset Amrita into assuring hug, trying to lull her into her calmer version. He knew how excited she had been since the start and it seemed like stars were not happy on him probably.

Amrita sniffled , pulling herself away from the warm embrace, anger and sadness making pits in her stomach.She sat on the edge of bed, clutching the sheets, tears flowing warily."Miss! Tumhe yaad hai na Rohan hum yeh trip plan isliye kiye thi ki hum iss rishte ko kuch waqt de sake.. Miss karte karte yeh rishta hi miss na ho jaaye ." It felt like some bad omen she could actually visualise from future.

Rohan winced at the words of her. He didn't know what every other husband did to soothe a flared up wife.Amrita was always the one who consoled him,gave him ideas to deal with any mess.But it was now his turn and he thought for a second if only his college or university taught something on these lines, it would have been so useful. However, this was something he had to deal on his own. He made his way to her and clutched her fingers,bringing them to his lips."Rita! Tum janti ho I am not good with words much. Phir bhi will say " I love you and Will miss you"

" Mere dost sahi the ek fattoo se pyar kar li hun." Amrita blushed and wiped away her tears. Rohan was never good at confessions or proposals. Who would believe that it was her who proposed him first because Rohan had fainted with the thought of proposing his own classmate.

"So! Afsos hai?" Rohan asked as he brought his forehead and kissed her on her nose. Amrita shrugged, faking a sigh "Unfortunately!Ittu si bhi nahin."

Naina watched through the glass window of their suite.The Eiffel Tower draped in lights inch by inch.The city of Paris, still awake even after midnight, making her remember countless love stories, dramas and time less tales the city has hosted. She retracted her eyes from the captivating view of outside to insides. Sameer sleeping, holding Nisha, close to his body tenderly. " So perfect" she whispered and continued staring lovingly at the scene on bed.

"So perfect" Vikram laughed as he disconnected the call. ASI Anupam is the batch mate of Sameer Maheshwari.The puzzle fits in.

(To be continued)

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Will love to read all your comments. :)