"Khana khaya?" was the first question Naina asked Sameer, their hands were still very much linked.

"Haan, set par hi khaya..." Sameer answered with a smile, "sab ke saath milke..." deliberately stressing on the last line.

On his second day of the shoot, when Naina had asked him if he had his meals properly, he had informed her that he ate his food in his make-up room. Naina had scolded him that he should eat with his co-artists, whoever were available, and not alone.

"Good boy," Naina remarked with a grin.

"Tumne?"

Naina shook her head more than necessary, like a kid. Sameer had told her on the first day itself that given he would be coming home quite late, neither her nor Papa should wait for him for their meals.

"Mai fresh hoke aata hu thik hai?" Sameer said and left for the bathroom not before leaving a loving kiss on Naina's cheeks.

After freshening up, Sameer went straight back to Naina in the living room, who was casually sitting on the couch sideways. He sat facing her, copying her pose of folding one leg under another and propping head on the palm as her hand rested on the backrest.

"Kaisa tha aaj ka din?" Naina asked, grinning widely like a happy child.

Sameer explained his day in detail, telling every small part of it with zeal and excitement. He then also summed up how his overall shooting experience of the five days was. Naina saw how exuberantly he was sharing about the story of the show, about his character, the environment on the set, how he gelled with some of his co-artists and how he got a compliment when he finished his part of the show and took their leave.

Naina was very proud of her husband. Everything she was listening to about the television industry from Sameer, she had come to an opinion that the television industry was better organized and value-driven than the film industry. She hadn't personally known any of the industry closely, but whatever experience Sameer had shared during his film auditions, it failed to create a good image in Naina's perception compared to the television ones.

Something struck in her mind and she gasped, "arey... cheque to diya hi nahi tumne... bhagwanji ke paas rakh deti hu..."

"Ummm...." Sameer adjusted in his seat, "Naina, cheque nahi mila..."

"Kyu?" Naina frowned.

"Woh... yaha tv serials me 90 din ka payment cycle hai..." Sameer informed, "isme show ke pehle telecast ke 90 din baad payment milta hai production house se..."

"Haww... yeh kya baat hui..." Naina was agape, "kam se kam ek mahine baad toh dete... yeh toh free me kaam karne jaisa hua na..."

"Hmmm... lekin mujhe pata chala yaha aisehi kaam chalta hai..." Sameer shrugged. "Toh..." both his voice and eyes dropped down, "khali haath hi wapas aana pada..."

Naina sensed the disappointment in his voice. No, tonight wasn't the right time for that. She cursed herself mentally for bringing up the topic.

"Arey koi baat nahi na..." Naina shifted a bit closer to him, changing her tone to cheerful. "Sameer... itne dino baad hum aise akele hai ghar me... toh..."

"Toh?" He quickly interrupted her. His face bore mischief as he lifted his one brow.

"Toh na hum poori raat baatein karenge... sirf achchhi wali..." Naina proposed excitedly, her eyes twinkled.

"Poori raat baatein?" Sameer asked surprisingly. He thought his wife would certainly have a different idea than this. A flashback of their anniversary here in Mumbai took over his mind where neither the talk happened nor....

"Haan toh aur kya karenge?" Naina asked innocently.

Sameer facepalmed himself right in front of Naina. But then his gaze fell on the sofa cover and he recognized that they were from the new bunch of covers. He casually looked around in the living room and fathomed that not just the sofa covers, but cushion covers, tea-table cloth, the bedsheet on the mattress on the trunk and oh my god, even curtains were changed. There was a new cover on the fridge, tv set and cordless stand too. These were the sets which were reserved only for the festivals, but it made him immensely happy to know that his birthday wasn't any different than a festival for Naina.

He always knew it though... a girl who got dressed up in her special dress on occasion of his birthday, told a hundred lies at home so that she could fulfill his wish to cut the cake only in her presence, left behind her discomfort of being the only girl in the party.... And all this when he was burning in his revenge, while she was full of her love for him... he always knew what his birthday meant to her...

"Toh phir..." Sameer scooted even closer to her, catching her hand, he voiced, "Preeti se jo tumne apne yeh khubsoorat baal katwaye hai, yeh sirf raatbhar baatein karne ke liye?" His voice turned husky at the end.

Naina couldn't match his darting eyes as he pulled her closer with the hold. "Woh... maine..." Her words died down before they found a place on her tongue, because Sameer put a gentle but long kiss on her cheek. She only heaved.

His lips then travelled to her forehead, leaving a soft kiss there again and then moved to her other cheek. Tucking her hair locks behind, he moved closer and whispered in her ear, "bahot sundar lag rahi ho tum..."

Naina reddened on his compliment. His lips so close to her face and slightly brushing her jaw and cheeks was way too alluring for her. With a mere space of an inch in between, Sameer's lips were now utterly close to Naina's ones, she could feel his warm breaths and his palm slowly tracing up her arm.

Naina drew back slowly, increasing the gap between them, "mm... mai toh bhool hi gayi... paani toh diya hi nahi maine tumhe... pyaas lagi hogi na?" she murmured and walked to the kitchen.

While Naina was pouring water in a steel glass from a jar, she felt Sameer's arms looping around her stomach. She figured that he was standing so close to her because she felt every part of his body in contact with her back side.

Shifting Naina's hair a little, Sameer kissed on the exposed skin on Naina's shoulder and the jar in her hand banged slightly on the platform. He found Naina stiffening a bit and hence he caressed her arms with his palms, calming her from the effect.

His wife always melted like a candle under his burning lips...

Continuing his kisses on her nape, Sameer witnessed goosebumps erupting all over there and it somehow provided him immense satisfaction. He let her dupatta fall down from her body and directed his lips to her neck. His wet kisses were weakening Naina's knees, her senses and her rationale. She perceived if this continued for one more minute then her plan would go in vain.

As if Sameer heard her thoughts, he turned her to face himself. Their eyes met and Naina found Sameer's pupils dilating just by the way he was looking at her. He was surely losing it and so was her.

"Chahe bhari barish me hi khada kar do tum mujhe,

Yeh pyaas toh ab tabhi bujhegi jab tumhare narm honth mere hontho par honge...."

He rendered, stroking her lips with his thumb.

His shayari left Naina speechless for a moment. His eyes had darkened and she saw him moistening his lips as he bent down towards her.

"Sameer... thodi der ke liye ruk jaye?" She proposed innocently.

Sameer stopped again just an inch away from her and sighed. He closed his eyes and for a moment he remembered Naina during their Ahmedabad days where she would feel scared of their proximity. But when he looked in her eyes, he didn't find an ounce of fear.

Of course!! It was certainly different than what he thought...

There wasn't any kind of naivety in her body language like she used to have in the earlier days of their marriage. Her eyes bore love for him and if he wasn't mistaking then it had the equal desire for him.

He wondered how many more shades would he find in her beautiful black eyes as everytime he found himself lost in her eyes, it was a different pool of emotions her eyes sported.

Sometimes she would be so shy, blushing hard that she wouldn't even make eye-contact with him. While the other times, she was his passionate seductress, who would exert complete dominance on him. At times, she would be a timid girl, holding his hand tightly; while at times she would be this confident girl making her way in the crowd.

Probably this was the reason why Sameer had fallen so deeply in love with her. It was her adaptability with the circumstances, her wisdom while dealing with tough situations, her sanity and rational thinking while making a decision and her standing as a pillar of support for him; his personal motivator, his biggest fan, his cheer girl, his wife...

His wife...

Could he have asked for anything better than this?

But he didn't understand the reason behind her asking for some more time. They were only the two at home after so long and only he knew how badly he refrained himself from lifting her in his arms and taking her straight to their bedroom.

Hold on... Is she waiting till 12 at midnight?

Woww... That was really surprising for Sameer.

Well, wishing someone on their birthday at midnight was a western culture. Before marriage, Naina used to call early in the morning, and wish him while witnessing the rising sun from her balcony. Last year in Krishna Kaustubhi, it was him who had set a surprise for her at night. He had expected she would repeat it for his birthday, but then she had taken him to the terrace garden at dawn and kissed him with the sunrise taking place behind them. But tonight, she seemed to have accepted that small change too in her life.

If she can loosen her strong beliefs of years only for him, then he can surely wait for her surprise a little more...

He smiled warmly looking at her expectant eyes. He bent towards her further and Naina could see her plan going wasted. But then he deviated from her shoulder and extended his hand behind her, towards the platform. As she peered, she perceived that he did all the drama to take the glass of water she had filled it for him.

He drank the water utterly slowly, taking one sip at a time and keeping his gaze straight onto her, as if telling her that he was quenching the thirst of only his body... his soul was still very much parched...

And a shiver passed through her spine only with the thought of the way he is going to quench his thirsty soul...

"Boliye Madam," Sameer said as they took their previous positions again on the couch. He placed a cushion on his lap. "Kya baatein karni hai aapko?"

"Ummm... maine kuchh likha hai tumhare liye..." Naina uttered sweetly. "Kk... kavita likhi hai..." She didn't know why she was feeling the hesitation.

"Kavita? Kya baat hai..." Sameer passed her an appreciative look. "Toh sunao."

"Ek minute..." Naina quickly rushed to the bedroom and ran back to him within a minute, now with her diary in her hand.

She adjusted herself facing him, tucking her hair behind her ear and riffling the pages of her diary.

A nervous smile took place on her lips when she braced herself to read the poem aloud for Sameer.

दो सूरजमुखी थे बाग में, हस्ते चहकते खिलखिलाते

सूरज पर था अपार प्रेम उनका, उसी की राह पर दिन अपना बिताते।

शुरुवात करते दिन की पूरब से, खत्म पश्चिम पर,

न कभी किसी और को देखे, चलते रहते अपने पथ पर।

लेकिन एक दिन आकाश में बादल घिर आए,

काले, घने, गरजते और डरावने,

सूरजमुखी उदास बन, लगने लगे मुरझाने।

फिर देखा उन्होंने एक दूसरे को, पाया अपना एक हमदर्द,

बतियाने बैठे दिनभर, सूरज के गम में अपने दुःख दर्द।

एक सूरजमुखी चहक उठा, कहा क्यों हम इतने दुःखी,

क्या एक दूसरे का साथ नही हैं हमारे लिए काफी?

क्या हुआ अगर आकाश स्वच्छ नही, क्या हुआ गर सूरज की नहीं है मौजूदगी?

क्या हुआ अगर बादल घिर आए, और कठिन बने जिंदगी?

आओ एक दूसरे के सूरज बने हम,

और पकड़े एक दूसरे का हाथ,

मैं तुम्हारा पूरब बनू, तुम मेरी पश्चिम,

एक ही तो रास्ता है हमारा, और एक ही हमारी मंजिल।

Sameer's eyes sparkled with love and appreciation for her. He shifted towards her and engulfed her in a tight hug, both beaming in happiness in the embrace. He then held both her hands in his and kissed her forehead. "Bahot achchhi likhi hai yeh kavita..." He complimented as he looked at her.

Naina's lips widened in a big smile. She lowered her eyes as she blushed, turning into her ten year old self in school, who got praised after delivering a speech.

"Sameer, maine na, kal ka poora plan soch liya hai..." Naina chirped excitedly and started counting on her fingers, "hum na Papa aane ke thodi der baad bahar niklenge aur sabse pehle Siddhivinayak mandir jayenge darshan karne... phir Maratha Mandir me DDLJ dekhenge... phir kisi achchhese restaurant me khana khayenge... Phir sham ko Gateway of India dekhne jayenge... aur waha par na..." she swayed in excitement in her seat, "aise ek dusre ka hath pakadkar photos khichwayenge... aur phir samay raha toh Girgaon chowpatty bhi dekh lenge aurー"

"Aur wapas aake Papa se pet bhar gaaliyan kha lenge, hai na?" Sameer mocked her.

Naina's excitement dropped down and her shoulders slumped. She twisted her mouth and mumbled, "har baar nahi daat'te Papa..." She immediately defended her father.

Sameer chuckled, "Naina, tumhe pata hai yeh saari jagah cover karte-karte kitna time chala jayega... kitna kharcha bhi hoga..." he then frowned for a moment and asked, "aur hello madam, tumhara office nahi hai kal?"

Naina grinned, "nahi... kal maine chhutti li hai... maine toh pehle hi din Sir ko bol diya tha... ki 12 tarikh ko mere pati ka jamandin hai... chhutti deni hai toh do, warna yeh articleship apne paas hi rakho... haainnn...." Naina rendered in an absolute filmy manner, mimicking Mr. Bachchan's style.

"Achchha?" 

"Haan," Naina nodded and continued, "aur kharcha nahi hoga jyada... local se jayenge, aur local se hi aayー"

"Local se nahi jaa rahe hai hum," Sameer scowled as his eyes darted at hers. He sounded stern.

"Tch... kuchh nahi hoga na Sameer."

"Maine kaha na Naina, hum local se nahi jaa rahe toh nahi ja rahe..."

Naina facepalmed herself. How to deal with his stubbornness?

She crawled to climb on Sameer's lap, making space for herself as Sameer looked at her astonishingly.

Caressing his cheek softly, Naina voiced, "Sameer, tum please apna yeh local ka darr dimaag se nikal do... hame kuchh nahi hoga... hum sahi-salamat jayenge aur wapas aayenge." Naina tried to convey her point as lovingly as possible.

Sameer averted his gaze from her. He hadn't shared his nightmare with her, nor was he going to do it in the near future. And that being still a recent and fresh memory in his mind, he wasn't ready to take any risk at all.

"Naina, ab tum chahe meri goad me aake baitho, ya mere sar pe... hum local se nahi ja rahe..." He asserted, looking straight into her eyes.

Naina rolled her eyes, "kitne unromantic ho na tum..." she said, going back to her position on the couch and crossing her arms on her chest.

"Ab isme romanticism kaha hai?"

"Kyun? Tumhe nahi lagta?" Naina countered, "train ke darwaze par khade rehkar, hath me hath daalkar poore shaher ko apne aankho ke saamne se guzarte hue dekhna... iss shaher ki bheed me ek apnapan mehsoos karna... hamare sath safar karnewale logo ko ek-sath dekhna aur unke zindagi ki kya kahani rahi hogi iske baare me milkar sochna, baatein karna... yeh sab romantic nahi hai?"

Damn, his wife was so good when it comes to playing with words.

An unknown smile covered Sameer's lips but he withheld it back with great effort. He was in a dilemma whether to give in to Naina's proposal or not.

"Ummm... sochunga mai..." He gave the half-baked answer.

Naina had thought he would accord by the time, but he still looked confused about it. She couldn't understand why he was so adamant on not travelling by local together. She turned and sat straight, leaning back on the backrest. She tried to show she was upset, just in case Sameer agrees with her.

Sameer sniggered at her cute stance, she couldn't even fake displeasure properly.

"Achchha suno..." He voiced.

"Kya hai?"

"Kal dinbhar ki toh poori planning kar li tumne... aaj raat ki nahi ki?" Sameer asked her teasingly and it resulted in Naina's face tinting into crimson color.

Her gaze at him softened as she turned, "mai... tumhare liye kuchh lekar aayi hu..." she revealed. A glance at the wall-clock told her that it was the time.

"Toh dikhao..." Sameer's eyes gleamed.

Naina rushed to the bedroom again and came back with a paperbag in her hand. She took a box out of it and passed it to Sameer in childlike excitement.

Sameer looked at the box in a gift wrapper, he certainly wasn't expecting this. That shining paper, that ribbon tied across it, that sticker flaunting in Hindi, 'mere pyare Sameer'; he was taken back to golden days of gifts and wishes on birthdays.

"Kholo," Naina broke his happily lost state.

Sameer unfastened the ribbon and the giftwrap curiously. As he opened the box, he found a  white royal linen shirt from a reputed brand. He watched agape at the shirt; feeling its soft fabric with his thumb, he smiled.

"Woww... linen ki shirt?" Surprise was clearly evident in his voice. He didn't remember wearing a linen shirt after they left Ahmedabad.

"Mujhe pata hai tumhe Mumbai ki humidity pareshan karti hai... lekin iss shirt me tumhe koi problem nahi hogi..." 

Sameer unfolded the shirt completely. It was a modern design with full sleeves and appeared perfect fit for him. "Tumhe pata hai, Nanu hamesha sirf cotton, linen aur silk ke kapde hi pehente the..." he shared casually, "itna bada processing house tha unka, lekin unhone kabhibhi synthetic kapde nahi pehne... kehte the hamare desh ke mausam ke liye synthetic kapde bane hi nahi hai."

Naina smiled warmly upon Nanaji's mention.

"Waise... mai bhi kuchh lekar aaya hu tumhare liye..." Sameer said.

He too drew out a polythene bag from his leather one. "Aur mai chahta hun, tum bhi isse abhi pehno..." he softly said.

It was clear to Naina that it was a dress for her as she accepted the bag. It wasn't gift-wrapped of course, but the cover of the box gave her a queer feeling. Her eyes turned wide and her mouth open when the silver satin shone inside the box.

"Kuchh aisa dikhega..." Sameer forwarded her the catalog poster of the model wearing the same dress.

But Naina didn't need it to confirm it as she had already figured it out by just one look at it. After all, she had watched 'Maine Pyaar Kiya' more than five times now.

Yes, it was the same dress Prem had gifted to Suman on her birthday. Wait!! Sameer had the same poster as in the film.

What? How did he manage all this? How did he get the exact same dress and the same poster as in the film?

Sameer giggled seeing Naina's flabbergasted state.

"Isse... abhi... pehenna hai?" Naina stuttered. Sameer only nodded. He didn't have one percent hesitation in stating it, unlike Prem in the film. "Sameer, tum pagal ho gaye ho? Mai kaiseー"

"Birthday kiska hai?" Sameer asked.

"Tumhara..." Naina pouted.

"Toh kiski wish poori hogi?"

Naina gave up easily. She was witnessing the childlike Sameer after so long.

"Achchha ab jao, aur isse pehenkar aao..." Sameer got up and pulled Naina along with him.

"Lekin Sameer..."

"Lekin wekin kuchh nahi... tum bedroom me jakar change karo, mai bathroom me karta hu... ab jao..." He almost pushed her.

"Naina..." Sameer called her when she was close to the passage to the bedroom. She turned to look at him, balancing the box and the poster in her hand. "Woh Bhagyashree ki tarah golden kapde me lapet kar mat aana."

This made Naina burst into laughter so hard. "Pagal," she commented and left for the bedroom, leaving a grinning Sameer behind.

Sameer stood facing towards the window, looking outside. The Sea Queen Society was sleeping peacefully, except a few houses in the wings. There was a crescent moon in the sky and a pleasant breeze made the environment serene.

He heard a clink of glasses and he turned to find Naina standing near the fridge. She had dipped her hand in a cotton bag and was looking for something.

...and oh my goodness!! As she had bent down a little, her long hair fell freely on her front, covering her bare shoulders. Her buttery arms were completely exposed, the neckline was sitting perfectly on her bust, prompting a cleavage due to the swell of her breasts. The silver colored satin had clung to her curves like a second like and for a moment he wished if he could transform into that dress and wrap her with himself. The bottomline of the dress finished quite above her knees, almost tight on her thighs, leaving her slender and shapely legs for his view.

Woww!! Can there be any better creation of god than his wife?

His heartbeat had taken a speed, seeing Naina looking so gorgeous at the moment. His lips went dry; his blood and the heat started flowing in the south, setting his system in disorder.

Control Sameer... Control!!! His subconscious warned him.

His hand landed on the slider of the window in a daze and he pushed it to close the window. He wanted privacy... a complete seclusion from the outside world.

Hearing the sound of the sliding window pane, Naina looked up, and finding Sameer gawking at her, she hid the cotton bag behind.

But before she could utter something, her eyes wandered on him. He had changed into the shirt gifted by her; it was complementing nicely with the black trouser he was already wearing. He had buttoned but only the bottom two, leaving the top three buttons open, boasting of his muscular chest and the hair patch on its center. The rolled over sleeves showed her his forearms, no, his veins... something she was fascinated about.

Her husband looked breathtakingly handsome...

As her eyes roamed up, they lingered for a moment on his throat, on his darkened jaw, his plum lips and then his dark eyes.

When their eyes finally met, the world stopped for them for a moment. Seeing each other in their gifted clothes gave them great satisfaction. Without disclosing about it, they both knew it was purchased from their print ad earning.

The desire for each other filled in their eyes and they consoled themselves to wait... just a little more...

"Ummm... tum... kitchen me jao 2 minute..." Naina said as she came out of daze first.

Sameer frowned first, but then he looked at her hands behind. Maybe she has something in her mind...

"Nahi ruko ruko..." He stepped towards the kitchen but was stopped again, "kitchen me nahi..." Naina said hastily.

Sameer chuckled, "toh bedroom me jau?"

"Nahi... bedroom me bhi nahi..." Naina's eyes widened.

This time Sameer laughed, "toh kya bathroom me jau? ya balcony me?"

Naina sighed, "nahi... achchha... yahi par ruko... par aankhen band rakhna thik hai?"

"Okay." Sameer smiled genuinely and while resting on the window frame, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

Naina took some small colorful glass lanterns from the bag, with flat candles that could be kept inside it, and started placing the lanterns one by one in the living room, two on the refrigerator, two on the tea-table, one on television set, one on the antic wooden shelf and one beside the idol of lord Krishna, and some more here and there.

Sameer had thrown her plan out of the window by telling her to wear that dress. She was wearing such a dress for the first time and it consumed a lot of time of her. So she needed to work fast. She rushed into the bedroom and returned with already blown up balloons in her hand and threw them on the floor. She had taken Preeti's help to blow them. Thankfully none of them burst while Sameer and her were talking.

Lighting a candle, she checked on Sameer if he was watching and... well, he was watching her all the while with an adorable smile on his face.

She made a cute face, mumbling, "tum bhi na... mera poora plan kharab kar diya tumne..." and igniting the candles inside the lamps one by one, "socha tha tum jab tak change karoge, tab tak mai yeh sab kar lungi... lekin nahi... tumhe toh maza aata hai na mujhe pareshan karne me..."

Sameer chuckled at her innocence. He was watching her as she lit the lamps and her face illuminated with the reflection. He contemplated if her face radiated brighter or the lamp.

Definitely Naina's divine face...

A vague thought crossed his mind as how undersized and compact their house was... There was no extra room for a guest, forget guest, there was no special room even for Papa... He was still sleeping in the living room by shifting the furniture every night. There wasn't much space for anything extra, all their furniture had consumed the maximum capacity in the rooms.

He compared this house with Krishna Kaustubhi Bungalow. Okay, that would be an unfair comparison... But even the Agarwal house at Nirmal Jyoti Society was bigger than this.

What if Naina wanted to do much more than this? But she couldn't do it given the limited space and absence of a private terrace and garden for them?

His smile dwindled with all the notions and his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Kya hua?" Naina's sweet voice made him look up. She was standing right in front of him.

He smiled, a tight smile though and shook his head in no. Her bright smile helped him vanish the thoughts faster.

"Yahi khade raho thik hai?" One more warning from Naina and Sameer acceded to her demand.

He saw Naina taking something out of the refrigerator and rushing to the kitchen. By the time he was lost in the thoughts, Naina had lit all the small lanterns, arranged a vertical wooden stand in the center and placed one lantern on it too.

She came out with the cake and a knife in hand, and by placing it on the stand, she pulled him nearer.

The smile reappeared on Sameer's face seeing the cake. It was a simple chocolate cake made at home by Naina herself. She had used the icing only on its border and some zigzag patterns of chocolate syrup on it.

"Ummm... woh thode se waqt me bahot kuchh karna tha na, toh itna hi ho paya..." Naina confessed, seeing Sameer staring at the cake.

He looked at her and smiled, "yeh bhi bahot achchha bana hai, Naina. Tumne itne pyar se jo banaye hai mere liye."

Naina grinned and pointed the knife between them, "toh cake cur karein Mr. Maheshwari?"

Sameer looked at the clock and it was just one minute to 12. "Not bad Mrs. Maheshwari..." He appreciated her for the timing.

Naina sprinted to turn the lights off, illuminating the room in the colorful lights from the lanterns. The bright light from the kitchen mixed with the dim lighting of the living room gave them sufficient brightness. She then forwarded the knife towards him to cut the cake and instead, he just wrapped his hand around hers and pulled her closer to him by holding her waist. They cut the cake together into the V while Naina sang the 'happy birthday to you' song in a typical childish tone. Sameer was happily smiling looking at Naina's excitement.

Naina took a piece of cake and extended her hand to feed it to Sameer. But he stalled her hand and by turning it towards her, he let eat the cake first. Naina was pleased to see his cute gesture, but she had no clue that she was mistaken. When she bit off only a small part of the cake, Sameer almost stormed on her lips and gobbled the remaining cake, brushing their lips in the process.

A jolt of current passed through Naina's system with her husband's act. She looked at him amazed only to find Sameer amused and then winking at her.

"Wish...." Sameer whispered.

"Huhh?" Naina was still lost.

"Wish nahi karogi?"

"Oh haan," Naina finally gained her sanity. Looping her hands on his nape, she tiptoed and clung herself to his torso. "Happy Birthday Sameer... tumhe duniya ki saari khushiyaan mile... tumhe bahot bahot kaamyabi mile aur tum hamesha swasth aur khush raho... bhagwanji se yahi prarthana hai meri..."

Sameer smiled, "agar tum sath ho Naina, toh aur kya chahiye..." he voiced.

"Woh toh mai hu hi... hamesha..." She shrugged.

"Achchha?"

"Haannn..."

Sameer beamed with joy witnessing her cuteness but his system sent him the signals of how close his wife was to him. His gaze slowly travelled downwards, from her glowing face, to her throat, and to the exposed collarbone. He stroked the beads of her mangalsutra and the diamond pendant. There was something he was wishing to act on since he saw her in this dress. And he finally pushed her hair to her back, baring her shoulders completely to him now.

Naina heaved deeply as Sameer's fingers brushed on her shoulder, her collarbone and then to the neckline of the dress, which actually was the swell of her breast. The way he had held her tightly from her lower back, her breasts had just bulged more.

"Dance karein?" Sameer proposed, his voice was hoarse though.

Naina happily nodded and Sameer dashed towards the antique wooden rack. Shuffling through the cassettes, he inserted one into the taperecorder. After a little bit of forward and rewind game, the cassette was set to play.

The music played and Naina sniggered, later bursting into laughter while keeping her palm on her mouth. "Itni planning baapree!!! Mera Sameer toh bada filmy ho chuka hai..." She exclaimed.

"Ek filmy ladki se itna pyaar jo karta hun... filmy toh hona hi tha..." Sameer shrugged and joined Naina, after shifting the wooden table in a corner.

The tunes of the song 'mere rang me rangne wali' started resounding in the room. The Maheshwari couple started the dance hand in hand first, the other hand on their partner's shoulder and waist,, and rocking side to side along with the rhythm.

"Mere sawalonn kaaaaa... jawaab dooo...." Sameer sang along aloud, making Naina turn into all smiles and laughter, her jaw was now aching after laughing constantly but her heart couldn't get fuller seeing Sameer back into his elements.

"Jawab chahiye bhaiii..." Sameer prodded.

"Kyaa?" she asked, still managing to stifle her laughter.

"Arey? Kuchh puchha na maine abhi? Toh jawab do..."

Naina giggled again, "Haan toh hoon na mai pari... pariyon ki raani..." she answered, rejoicing as he twirled her once, but then her face softened and so did her voice, "lekin sirf tumhari kahani ki..."

They slowed down swaying, their eyes pierced straight into each other's. Naina roved her hand on Sameer's chest and stopped it near his heart, "mai sirf tumhari kahani ki pari hu, Sameer..." she emphasized again.

Sameer whirled her and this time pulled her back to his chest, clutching her tightly on her belly and tracing her arm from shoulder to fingers with the other one. Without breaking the momentum, he taught her a few couple dancing moves and being a quick learner, she matched with his steps soon.

But the environment had turned denser by now, the air had become warmer, the laughter had subsided and instead strong holds, passionate gazes and intense dance steps had taken place.

Different silhouettes were getting formed on the walls of the house, that looked tangled into one another for most of the time. The distance between them seemed to have reduced and they were portraying not two distant figures but a single united one.

'Donon taraf benaam si uljhan, Jaise milein ho dulha-dulhan,

Donon ki aisi haalat kyun hai, Aakhir itni mohabbat kyun hai...'

The lyrics played and their hands started roaming on one another's body. It was unfathomable for both but the tune of the saxophone in between was just fueling the sexual tension between them.

Contrary to the lyrics of the stanza, there was no uljhan, there was nothing in between them that CAN'T be named.

What was happening between them was named as desire... strong sexual desire for the other one...

Their foreheads touched, their breaths quickened and though it was totally unplanned, but right at the moment when Prem and Suman kissed on the glassdoor, Sameer and Naina's lips met.

The song ended soon and it being the last song of the side, the cassette stopped too.

But the Maheshwari couple's kiss had just begun...

Their kiss started in a slow pace, by licking the remnants of the cake from lips, devouring the taste of chocolate mixed with each other's sweet nectar of the mouth. Although, they didn't take much time to convert into a fervent one. This part of their kiss signified the interlude of two hours since the time Sameer returned home; the desperation was very much evident through the way they sucked each other's tongues. The kiss denoted their awareness of the fact that they were only the two in this entire house and there was no disturbance at all till morning.

Their lungs demanded oxygen but their brains didn't give in, instead it kept on releasing the needy hormones in their bodies, it kept on directing the blood and heat to their lower parts, taking the situation out of their control.

Sameer finally broke the kiss and directed his assault to Naina's neck and shoulder. The way he licked and nibbled her soft skin, it caused havoc in Naina's body. She pushed him slightly, creating a gap in between and finally letting them both breathe properly. Sameer stood neutral, watching her breathing heavily.

Does she have anything else in her mind?

Oh yes, she had...!!

She clasped his black waist belt and pulled him with it towards the couch.

Woww, that was a truly sensuous and arousing move by Naina... Sameer mused.

She made him sit on the center of the sofa, while Sameer continued to look at her stupefied. His bewilderment surged when he saw Naina straddling his thighs and then sitting on his lap, with a witty smile on her lips. Her dress stretched on her thighs and it raised up, exposing more of her skin. She placed her hands on his shoulders and raised her brows in a question, as if she really needed to know if he liked it or not.

Sameer chuckled. Woww!! It was one of his fantasies to make-out on the couch in the same position as this.

They had talked about it in Krishna Kaustubhi, but none of them could happen due to obvious reasons. But she hadn't forgotten it, she had kept it in her mind since then. He couldn't be happier.

Naina ran her fingers casually through Sameer's hair, brushing through it softly near his temple and voiced, "Mai jaanti hu hamara ghar chhota hai... aur yeh sofa bhi ittu sa hi hai... lekin phir bhi hum ispar bahot kuchh kar sakte hai..." she whispered the last line close to his ear.

Does she attend any courses of reading his mind? How does she manage that every time?

He was getting surprises and shocks all the while since he had come home.

"Jaise?" He whispered back, the effect of her warm breaths was slowly growing on him.

"Jaise...."

Naina preferred to show him than tell as she kissed his forehead softly. The kisses trailed downwards to his eyes, his nose, his jaw and then to his lips. The kiss on his lips though wasn't soft and gentle at all. It was intense and passionate right from the beginning. Sameer held her nape and responded fervidly, turning her head to deepen the kiss; while his other hand drifted towards her bottom to pull her closer and closer.

A new game of dominance had started between them, to see who dominated the kiss more, to see who was more desperate and needy. Their hands fumbled on the clothes every time but then they exhibited little care too, remembering that it was the gift.

While the heated kiss was still being on, Naina unbuttoned his shirt completely and bared his broad chest for her wandering hands. She drew back for a while, giving the pleasure of watching her husband's muscular chest to her eyes. Her palms figured the planes of his chest beneath them, her fingers lingered on the patch of hair and then travelled down to his flat abdomen. She so loved to touch his abs everytime.

Meanwhile Sameer was only observing her reaction as she watched his chest. He saw pure lust in her eyes. It wasn't new to him, to her, but everytime they indulged in the foreplay, they discovered a new angle of intimacy. They were still fascinated by each other's body.

Giving up to an irresistible urge, Sameer started kissing Naina's throat, coming down to her collarbone and her cleavage. He held her with both his hands on her back and continued to savor her with his wet lips, tongue and teeth.

When he had nibbled on her neck and shoulder, he was careful because that could have been seen. But the view down was only for him. His soft kisses had soon turned into rough bites on the bare part of her chest, not to leave any mark there intentionally, but because he had genuinely no control left on his senses.

Sameer's sensuous assault was muddling Naina into the pool of pleasure. Taking the support of his shoulder, she tried to remain steady, giving him his time but she was losing it too. She subconsciously started rocking in the back and forth movements, rubbing her lower body on his erection, giving them both pleasurable feels with it. The consequence of it was quite inevitable as their movements turned clumsy along with the moans they produced.

Naina was the first one to regain some stability of mind. Her body had been producing the fluid down there and she knew it might be risky for now.

She cannot let the wetness in her core ruin the beautiful dress just because

"Ruk kyun gayi?" Sameer asked while panting.

Naina waited till her breathing evened and looked at Sameer. She saw the need in his eyes.

Getting off of him, she pulled Sameer with her and strolled towards the bedroom. The way Naina led Sameer, the kind of confidence she had in her walk, those shining eyes, that seductive smile, Sameer comprehended how far they had come in this journey of discovering physical love, right from their honeymoon till now.

The bedroom was dimly lit with the help of the night bulb and the colorful lanterns again, but containing bigger candles in it, so that they last longer. Of course, his wife was smart no doubt. There were new curtains there too, heart sized balloons, an aroma of flowers wafting in the room and new bedsheet on the mattress.

But why was the mattress positioned differently than normal? Sameer frowned looking at it. There was a substantial gap between the wall and the edge of the mattress. Generally, they lean back on the wall when not sleeping. So, what must be the reason?

He didn't need to think much about it as Naina pushed him on the same wall. She was in a totally different zone, her eyes were scanning Sameer's chest and abs hungrily.

What a fine piece of work God has done while creating him!!!

The thought crossed her mind for the nth time. Even though Sameer's physique had always been fit and attractive, since the time he had started jogging and added workout, he was looking more chiseled and toned.

It was payback time for her now!!

Sameer's throat and Adam's apple was the starting point of Naina's kisses. When she felt like kissing, she kissed... when she felt like licking, she licked... and when she felt like nibbling, she instead bit... bit hard...

Sameer banged his head on the wall twice in between, given the kind of avatar Naina had bewitched. But neither him nor her was bothered about it. He enjoyed Naina's sweet revenge on him.

Naina's hands and lips worked simultaneously on Sameer's torso. First her hand would discover a place on his chest and then her lips would follow it. When her palm brushed with his left nipple and the mole on it, she paused for a moment.

The same dilemma again... to be or not to be... whether to bite here or not...

It shouldn't be a big deal, right? It should be just like how she kissed on his shoulder or clavicle. But for some reason, it was.

"C'mon Naina..." Sameer whispered and Naina raised her eyes at him.

He had a glint of mischief and naughtiness in his eyes. Did he know about her secret wish?

A lopsided smile took place on his face and he nodded, as if just answering to her unspoken question.

Naina smirked at his response and the next moment her teeth closed sharply on his nipple, licking the mole with her tongue and then scraping it.

"Urrgghhh..." Sameer groaned hard, squeezing his eyes shut and slamming his head on the wall again.

"Meri sherniiii..." he chuckled as he opened his eyes.

Naina carried a conceited smile looking at his state and felt proud of herself. She finally did it. But she wasn't done yet with exploring his torso. Continuing the kisses on his right nipple, she bit that too and slowly moved downwards.

Till this point, Sameer had exercised a great control on himself. But not anymore. He couldn't get harder than this and he needed to take this to the next level now. He wanted her badly. Now.

"Shhitttt!!" He cursed heavily when Naina surrounded her palm on his hardened length over the pants and squeezed it. It throbbed under her skin as she massaged it and an unprecedented energy blew up within him. His need to consume her surged high.

Clutching her on the arms, Sameer twirled them in less than a second, pinning Naina on the wall now. He smashed his lips on hers, nibbling her lower lips and entering her mouth. As their tongues played with each other, their hands struggled with the clothes again. While Naina tried to unbuckle his black belt, Sameer slowly pushed her dress up her thighs. His fingers stroked the soft creamy skin as they roved up, and after a point, they stopped.

Sameer withdrew from the frenzied kiss and stared at Naina unbelievably. He confirmed with his fingers again and his lips turned upwards in a small smile.

He bent towards her and whispered something in her ear.

As he moved back, Naina peered at him and murmured, "zaroorat hai?"

He snorted with a chuckle and shook his head in negation. He couldn't believe his wife.

Distancing from her, he held the seam of the shirt to take it off when Naina stopped him, "isse rehne do na..."

Acceding to her wish, he quickly doffed his trouser and boxer together and dashed towards Naina to pull her closer.

"Condom!" she reminded him.

"Shit!" The curse again and Sameer opened the almirah. He took a box from a drawer and waved it to Naina, "aaj yeh poora box khatm karna hai."

His eyes were enough to tell her what he meant and Naina's breath hitched for a moment. He had taken a new box, which had... three condoms...

Her body was turning heavier with the desire and her core damper...

It didn't take him much time to sheath himself with the device and get back to Naina. Gliding her dress up till her waist, Sameer pulled her leg to fix it on his hips. He checked her readiness with his long fingers and they both gasped audibly. She was so ready for him. As he slowly entered her, a satisfactory moan left both their mouths and their lips engaged again in a kiss.

With the wall as the support for Naina's back, Sameer hooked her another leg on his lower back, and Naina locked her feet on his hips. Sameer kept the thrusts slow and steady first, taking his time for each one, yet keeping them deep and strong. They would sometimes indulge in a kiss, sometimes kissing their partner's neck and shoulder, sometimes pulling each other's hair to deepen the kiss and sometimes just stare lustfully in one another's eyes.

The more the tempo of his thrusts became, the higher the wildness of their kisses soared, the deeper their nails dug into one another's body and the harder Naina was pushed on the wall. They kissed again to muffle their moans but at times they enjoyed actually screaming each other's name given that there was no limitation to it today.

Sameer kept grinding faster and deeper now, his precise strokes inside her body provided Naina a great pleasure. She craned at her left and finally looked at their reflection in the mirror of the almirah... something she was avoiding since they entered the bedroom.

She saw a clear depiction of carnal hunger as their half naked bodies moved in synchronization. It was utterly primitive, coming straight out of the bodily pleasure a man and a woman shared between them.

Following her gaze, Sameer too looked in the mirror and he found it more and more arousing. They were dressed in silver and white, only in their gifted clothes. What satisfied him more was the pleasure painted all over Naina's face. It looked clearer and more beautiful in the mirror than what he could see with his naked eyes. Ahhh... he wished they were fully naked at this moment.

The last few strokes as his thrusts accelerated at maximum speed, sharp needy strokes and they both climaxed together while moaning their names in ecstasy, resting their foreheads on each other's and grabbing one another for support.

Seeing the smirk on Sameer's face when he placed Naina down, she knew there was much more to come...

******

Sameer stirred in sleep and slowly opened his eyes. It must be dawn, he guessed through the window, still finding it difficult to keep his eyes open. Yes, they had barely slept in the night. But what made him fully awake was Naina entangled in himself like a puzzle.... who was completely naked... and so was he...

His wish right from their first lovemaking in Ahmedabad... to wake up totally naked in the morning in each other's arms.

That seemed to have finally been fulfilled after almost ten months. Naina always persisted in wearing clothes after the lovemaking. In Ahmedabad, it was her shyness that would pop out and here in Mumbai, it was Papa's presence and the need to get going for the day and start with the chores. She had skipped wearing tops at times but never entirely bare.

But it happened today, or say yesterday. The fact that there was no one waiting in the living room for them to start the day, that there was no rush to go to the office or audition, and of course the fact that he had drained out so much of her energy to get up and find the night suit and wear it. All the stars seemed to have suddenly aligned for him.

His hand wandered on her body without his permission, or say he couldn't resist taking advantage of her sleeping form and he brushed his fingers on her smooth buttery skin. He knew he must have left some marks on her breasts unwillingly, so creating a little gap, he tried to sooth the marked spots on her body.

The second round of lovemaking occurred soon after he had returned from the bathroom, this time on the mattress and with its original arrangement. The only piece of cloth they were wearing was discarded soon too. Sameer had almost become a beast, who kissed Naina all over her body... not just kissed, but kissed, nibbled and bit rough and hard. Her breasts, her stomach, her thighs, her back, there must not be any place where his lips hadn't attacked. He just couldn't get enough of her and hence feasted on her like a hungry lion. He had also devoured her down there, teasing her folds with his fingers, lips and tongue, turning Naina into not just a moaning mess but a screaming mess too. But Naina too equally participated in it when she rode him. He couldn't fathom how their lovemaking turned so animalistic.

His moving fingers woke up Naina soon and she smiled at him cutely.

"Happy Birthday Mr. Maheshwari," she wished again and pecked his lips.

Sameer only smiled and returned her kiss with equal love. Naina turned on her back, adjusting the duvet and casually stared at the ceiling. Sameer propped his head on his palm and kept looking at her lovingly.

"Kya?" She asked.

"Kal tumne jo kavita sunayi mujhe... usme ek baat hai jo mujhe achchhi nahi lagi..." Sameer voiced.

"Kaunsi baat?" 

"Naina... mera sooraj, mera chand, meri poori duniya... pehle se hi sirf tum hi ho..." Sameer clarified.

So he got the context behind the poem... Naina mused.

"Mai jaanti hu Sameer...." Naina said, "aur meri bhi toh poori duniya tum hi ho... mera sooraj... mera chand..."

"Toh phir aisa kyun kaha tumme?" He wanted to know what made her write this. He wasn't suspicious about the intention, but just curious.

Naina smiled and replied, "taaki agar phir se gham ke badal ghir aaye... hamare saamne nayi muskilein khadi ho jaye... toh hame yeh kavita yaad dilayegi ki hame ek-dusre ke liye aur ek-dusro ko dekhkar hi aage badhte rehna hai..."

Sameer's eyes sparkled at her thoughtfulness. He was so amazed that Naina had written a poem for him. It wasn't that Naina could write only stories and not poems, but he knew that was not her preferred way of expression. She liked to express everything in detail, and hence when it came to poems, the brief nature of it didn't appeal to her much. Well, only for her... because she had always enjoyed listening to his poems.

She had fulfilled his fantasy of making out on the couch, she fulfilled her own fantasy of biting his mole, she slept naked with him till the morning as he always desired... not just that... she celebrated his birthday at midnight... she wore a short dress just for him...

She had accepted many changes in her life only for him... just because of him... not only because it was his birthday but because she loved him to the extent where all these things fell secondary for her.

Then why can't he adapt a small change in his life for her?

He flattened his palm on her stomach, "suno," he softly said.

"Huhh?"

"Kal sirf Siddhivinayak Mandir hi chalte hai... jab Papa library jayenge..." She opened her mouth to protest, she truly wanted to enjoy the whole day with him, but his next line made her quiet, "baki ka din hum Papa ke sath bitate hai... unhe ghar par akela kyun chhode?"

His heartwarming gesture filled her heart with so many emotions. The two men in her life had gelled with one another quite nicely.

"Aur...." he delayed the next sentence.

"Aur?"

"Local se chalte hai..." He suggested.

"Sachchi?" She said excitedly.

He chuckled and nodded. In a fraction of second, Naina hurled herself on him, and kissed him deeply. He assumed this would be a short kiss but it wasn't. She continued to prolong it, which was enough to arouse them. Her nipples hardened on his chest and her hips wiggled on his length, which was also hardening slowly.

A minute or two of kissing and the third packet of the condom was torn by the couple. It was full of love and respect for one another, hardly possessing any carnal hunger.

They let the pleasure build slowly... as the love and trust between them had grown slowly years ago.

Sameer found the reason for their strong love to be them going to any extent for one another... For thinking of the other person first before self... for always prioritizing the other one's happiness over self.

And he wished their relationship stays this way forever....

*********

(Please check out 'Only For You' Asthetics post this note. :) )

A complete 'Samaina'licious chapter as they say. A long chapter after a loonngg time.

I hope it earns more votes and comments.

I wanted to write a detailed cute Samaina conversation since long. Just cute and regular conversation, nothing heavy in it.

And I seriously don't know if this chapter stood up to your expectations of Naina's surprise for Sameer's birthday. But I wanted it only this way. A simple celebration. I hope you liked it.

I feel this need to remind you people that this book is NOT marked as 'mature', nor do I wish to do so. But still, I've written quite explicitly about the mature scenes. I'm not sure if giving the prior warning works or not, jinko padhna hota hai woh padhte hi hai. But take this chapter as an exception.

Any theories?

Love ❣️