The night breeze in the Sea Queen Society ruffled the leaves of the bushes in the garden slightly, producing soothing whispers as if the bushes talked their hearts out. Some children continued to play even after getting called by their mothers, their game of pakdam pakdai was at its peak. While some of the society members continued to walk in the area amidst the disturbances by the children.

On the other end, near the society office, Vanita and Sahiba were instructing Dhondu about decoration for the Republic Day celebration tomorrow. As the country was celebrating its 50th year of independence, it was Mr. Gadkari who proposed to celebrate the National Day in the society.

Sameer and Aditya sat on a bench, both leaning back and crossing one leg on the other. They found this peaceful time to chat after a long gap. Aditya was occupied in his shoot for the whole month; they did get to see each other on some or the other day but never had a time to sit and relax.

Aditya had a subtle smile on his face as he shared his experience on the sets, covering what all he learnt. His words came in a low and stable manner, but the smile on his face often wavered.

As the silence prevailed in the talk, Sameer asked, "kya baat hai Aditya? Tu khush nahi lag raha hai..." looking at the way Aditya kept toying his fingers.

Aditya strengthened, turning defensive, "nahi nahi... apan toh bahot khush hai... aur... aai-baba bhi ekdum khush hai..." he replied with a chuckle.

Aditya's half-hearted smile struck a thought in Sameer's mind. Naina had told him about the situation at Preeti's home, about how Tanvi was getting pressurized for marriage.

He placed his palm on Aditya's shoulder, "Aditya, kuchh aisa hai jo tu mujhe batana chahta hai?" he hinted.

Naina was right. They can't keep pushing the talk with Tanvi and Aditya as they're pretty sure something is cooking between the later couple. Though Naina and Sameer had decided to hear it directly from them instead of catching them off guard and unprepared.

"Kuchh nahi yaar..." Aditya fixed his gaze on the grass, "bass, thoda tension chal raha hai."

Sameer observed as Aditya kept on shaking his leg. He too must be feeling the pressure from Tanvi. "Tu mujhe bata sakta hai..." Sameer pressed his palm slightly on his shoulder, with an assuring smile on his face.

Aditya raised his eyes from the grass towards his friend. All this time he had spent with Sameer, Sameer never gave him judgemental vibes. He always felt he could trust him regarding anything.

He turned towards Sameer slightly, slightly hesitating, slightly positive. "Sameer yaar..." he started.

"Sameeerrrr....."

Both the men looked at the source of the voice. It was Naina in the balcony. "Munna ka phone hai..." she informed.

Sameer switched his gaze from Naina to Aditya to Naina again. Aditya was probably opening up to him, but he couldn't let Munna wait over the call either.

"Ja Sameer... apan baad mein baat karte hai... " Aditya patted Sameer's knee.

Sameer only nodded with a tight smile before leaving.

It had been a while since Sameer talked to Munna the last time. 'Life' has caught everyone off-guard. Doesn't matter how much you make promises of daily calls, the struggle of keeping up with the speed of life makes one forget the promises.

However, if the friendship is deep and pure, things like distance and time gap fall flat on the ground, affecting none. Sameer and Munna too always caught up from the last time they talked, as if it was just yesterday.

Munna spoke in his energetic tone, transferring all the good vibes and energy back to Sameer. It helped in maintaining a warm smile on Sameer's lips as he walked to the bedroom, listening to Munna's life updates.

A renovation was in progress for Munna's shop, as he was trying to expand it and also wanted to keep it up-to-date with the current time. However, he was facing troubles in managing the expenses as 'mahangai' hadn't let anyone sleep peacefully.

"Khair, mera toh chalta hi rahega..." Munna said, "tu bata yaar... kya chal raha hai? Bhabhi bata rahi thi tune Aruna Iraniji ke sath kaam kiya... kaisa raha anubhav?"

"Achchha tha... kafi kuchh sikhne ko mila wahan pe..."

"Kaisa hai yaar tu?" Munna asked. Even without looking at the other end, Sameer could imagine a caring and affectionate smile on Munna's face.

"Mai? Mai... thik hu," Sameer huffed as he replied.

Munna took a moment to comprehend Sameer's response. "Kya baat hai Sameer? Tu khush nahi lag raha hai."

A known sparkle shone in Sameer's eyes. This was exactly what he asked Aditya some time before. He had enough evidence to reach the question though, Aditya's nervous gazes, his restless demeanor, his pale smile- it told him he was bothered by something.

In his case, Munna had figured just with a plain answer from him, completely smashing his efforts to sound genuine.

It was the moment Sameer realized how much he missed having Munna and Pandit around him, having someone like them who genuinely wanted to know how he was. He missed his best friends.

To decide whether to open up to Munna or not was a waste of time. He had been miserable this whole week. When Naina had found him distraught last saturday, sitting in the mess of broken objects, he had almost decided to quit acting. Nothing was taking him a step further than where he was, nothing gave him satisfaction of achieving something. Even if he learnt much on the sets of AK films.

Naina's love and pampering brought him back to the scene, her truthful and earnest plea made him promise her he would not think of quitting his dream anymore. That afternoon, the living room of J101 witnessed a married couple transforming into a mother and son again, as Sameer got down to Naina's level, and by resting his head on her lap, he had let his worries subside for the time being.

That didn't stop him from considering the AD offer... it was still messing up with his head.

"Kuchh nahi yaar..." Sameer sighed, "bass... samajh mein nahi aa raha zindagi mein chal kya raha hai..."

"Kyun bhai? Aisa kya ho gaya hai?"

"Pata nahi yaar..." Sameer looked out of the window. "Mai na bass... thak gaya hu... yeh roz-roz ki pareshaniyon se... itna time ho gaya Mumbai aakar Munna, lekin aisa lag raha hai main ek kadam tak aage badha nahi hu... kuchh samajh nahi aa raha hai mai kya karu, kiski sunu, kise mana karu... na aage ka rasta dikhai de raha hai aur na ab koi manzil nazar aa rahi hai jisse dekhkar mai uthkar chal padu... bass... roz khudse ek hi sawaal kar raha hu... ki yeh sab kisliye? Kya milega isse..."

Sameer continued to vent out his piled up emotions to his best friend. His words came out as loud whispers-some controlled, some rushed- voicing his vulnerable state. It came as if he was stuck in a tug-of-war, swinging between not wanting to spoil their talk and speak normally, and shedding every thread of him in front of his best friend.

When Munna finally found the gap to speak, assuming Sameer was done with his ranting, he voiced, "jaanta hai Sameer, bachpan mein jab papa se daant ya maar khakar mai mummy ke paas rota tha, toh woh aksar mujhe ek kahani sunati thi..."

Munna took a long pause, trying to guess whether Sameer was keen to listen to what he wanted to say.

"Sunn raha hu mai..." Sameer mumbled.

Munna smiled at the other end. "Haan toh-" he started his story.

"Ek kisaan apni fasal se bahot pareshan tha. Ek din gusse mein aakar usne bhagwan se kaha ki aapke wajah se meri fasal waste ho rahi hai. Na aap samay par baarish laate ho, na hi sahi samay par dhoop. Woh bhagwan ko kosta raha ki yeh aap ki hi wajah se hai... aap hi zimmedaar ho... yeh... woh...

Ek din bhagwan ne usse kaha, thik hai... tu sambhal... ek saal le, aur tujhe jaisa watawaran chahiye waise tu khud bana...

Kisan khush ho gaya... usne agle ek saal tak jaise uski fasal ki zaroorat thi waise hi kiya. Jitni paani ki zaroorat hai sirf utni baarish, sirf utni hi dhoop... na kam na jyada... sab ekdum perfect...

Ek saal baad jab usne fasal kaatne ko liya, tab usse pata chala kuchh fasal sad chuki thi, kuchh fasal kachchi reh gayi aur kuchh fasal bahar se toh achchhi thi lekin andar se khokli nikli... Uski saari fasal barbaad ho gayi...

Kisaan ne phir se gusse mein bhagwan se puchha, ki meri saari fasal kharab kyun ho gayi? Maine toh usse sab kuchh ekdum perfect diya... paani, dhoop sab kuchh jitni zaroorat hai utna hi diya... toh aisa kyun hua?

Bhagwan ne kaha... nahi... tumne sab kuchh nahi diya...

Kisan ne kaha nahi nahi... maine sab kuchh barabar diya hai...

Tab bhagwan bole, ki beta... tumne apni fasal ko 'sangharsh' nahi diya..."

Munna sighed before continuing, "Sameer, aag mein tapkar hi sona aur bhi khara bann jata hai... aur jab tune Mumbai aane ka faisla liya tha, tab yaad hai tune humse kya kaha tha?"

Sameer cleared his blurry vision with his index finger so that he could see the crescent moon behind the C wing. He clearly remembered what he had said to Munna and Pandit.

"Tune kaha tha ki-"

"mai thakna chahta hu..." Sameer completed his sentence, "mai bhi dukh jhelna chahta hu, yeh taqleef lena chahta hu..." he tried hard to not let the lump in his throat affect his speech.

Munna smiled at the other end. "Sameer mai teri koi jhoothi tareef nahi kar raha hu, lekin hum sabko pata hai tujhme woh baat hai... aur tu kuchh na kuchh bada zaroor kar dikhayega..."

Sameer chuckled, "itna bharosa hai mujhpe?"

"Haan... bilkul hai..." Munna replied in his casual tone.

It happens often when the people around you believe in you more than you yourself. They have this immense faith in you. Do they have this belief in you only because they love you? Or they see or know something about you that you aren't aware of? A question is raised for the debate in your mind.

Confidence is that non-tangible thing that can raise you high or put you down. Sameer had been in the low-confidence phase quite a few times after coming to Mumbai. He was never like this before. But the hardships of life allow you to experience many such things for the first time.

However, Sameer always had someone or the other to show that much required trust in him. That he can win in life, and win big. And he had definitely won big in life when it came to the people in his life.

They loved him so much.

****

It was a chirpy morning on Republic Day. The society people were gathered in the ground for the celebration. The main gate and the entrances of the wings were decorated in the Tricolor with the balloons and crepe paper, the floors bedecked with beautiful rangoli's and small to medium banners flaunting 'प्रजासत्ताक दिन 1997' on it.

Rakesh and Mr. Gadkari took the responsibility of distributing the small paper-made flags to everyone, telling them, especially children, the importance of how we should respect the flag and not let it touch the ground. Sahiba and Shibani arranged the sweets and chocolates on the table that were supposed to be distributed after the celebration. Aditya and Shubham folded the flag and raised it on the top-with Vanita supervising them, while Jatin and Rohit from D wing played patriotic songs on the stereo.

Sameer was a little bit cranky since the morning. It was Sunday today and that meant one holiday of Naina eaten up, also eating his chance to spend time with her. After coming down, people's excitement about today helped him alter his mood. The songs, the small flags, the overall patriotic atmosphere brought a smile on his face ultimately.

Mr. S. D. Kulkarni, a senior advocate from B wing unfurled the flag, and everyone sang the national anthem. A two minute speech by Mr. Kulkarni on how they should celebrate the 50th year of Independence, and people were dispersed to have their sweets and chocolates. It took no time for them to cluster into groups afterwards.

Vanita-Jatin and their daughter joined the Gadkari family to have a casual chat as their kids had returned from the school celebration.

"Ajoba," Jia, Vanita's daughter, called for Mr. Gadkari's attention. Since Sejal's son Amey called him 'ajoba' in Marathi, she too used the same reference. "Jab hum 15 August wale din school gaye the, tab hamara tiranga neeche se upar gaya tha. Lekin aaj woh upar hi tha. Aisa kyun?" she put forth her observation.

Jatin supported her, "haan yeh aksar maine bhi dekha hai... lekin kabhi pata nahi chala aisa kyun hota hai?"

Mr. Gadkari smiled pleasantly at the innocent but curious question of Jia. "Woh isliye beta," he locked his hands behind and said, "ki jab 1947 mein hamein pehli baar swatantrata mili, tab humne angrezon ka jhanda neeche utarkar apna tiranga lehraya. Isliye 15 August ko hum apna tiranga neeche se upar le jate hai."

Mrs. Gadkari nodded in agreement with a smile, while Sejal, Vanita and Jatin listened keenly.

"Lekin jab 1950 mein hamara sanvidhan bana," he continued, "tab hum pehle se hi swatantra the. Isliye aaj ke din hamara tiranga pehle se hi upar rehta hai. Aur hum sirf usse fehraate hai. Samajh gaye beta?"

"Ji Ajoba..." Jia grinned wide with new knowledge she had acquired. She passed a known smile at Amey and they nodded, as if they both got the answer to their question.

Soon the clusters of families turned into clusters of men and women, and the society people took the benefit of a holiday the most. Senior ladies like Mrs. Gadkari, Nirmalaji, Dadisa, and two more women sat on the benches, discussing the 'homely affairs'. Senior men took rounds of the political discussions, casually passing remarks on the careers of Shri. Manohar Joshi as Maharashtra CM and Shri. Deve Gowda as India's Prime Minister. While children were playing hide & seek basking in the pleasant sunlight of morning.

Naina and Preeti were stuck together like glue since they met, they were rejoicing their school memories of celebrating these national events. Sameer slipped his hands in his pockets as he observed them from a distance, his lips drawn in a subtle smile. He would have liked to be in place of Preeti, but he contained the urge, preferring to observe Naina smiling and laughing.

Not standing in the hearing capacity, Sameer could still figure that Naina was praising Preeti's salwar suit for the third or fourth time. There must be some joke cracked by Preeti in response and Naina burst into laughter, swatting Preeti's arm.

"Jab bhi milti hai aisa lagta hai barso baad mili hai... hai na?"

Sameer craned his neck to find Shubham joining him. He greeted him with a nod, also agreeing to Shubham's statement.

"Tumhara show kal se telecast ho raha hai na?" Shubham asked him.

"Ji. Lekin mere scenes kuchh episodes ke baad aanewale hai." Sameer stated humbly. It was his first show he shot for in August last year.

"Koi baat nahi... Preeti ne bataya tha show ka topic achchha hai... toh dekh hi sakte hai..."

Shubham shrugged.

"Shubhamji, mujhe aapse kuchh puchhna tha..." Sameer asked after a while.

"Haan, puchho na..."

"Kya koi CA ki articleship beech mein chhod sakta hai?"

Shubham frowned instantly, startled by the question. "Becch mein chhod sakte hai matlab? Naina..." He didn't need to solve a puzzle to fathom that it must be for Naina.

"Nahi nahi... mai toh bass yunhi puchh raha tha..." Sameer covered quickly. Whom he was fooling even?

Shubham watched Sameer as he waited for the answer in hope. He wondered if it was Naina who wanted the answer or Sameer himself. But Naina would have already known the answer to this and this kind of question coming from Sameer was hard to believe. A man like Sameer would never sabotage his wife's career or progress.

There was something else which Shubham had just a little idea of.

"Ummm... articleship chhodne ki zaroorat nahi hai..." Shubham voiced, "break le sakte hai..."

"Break matlab?"

"Official leave. Kafi firms articles ko pariksha ki tayyari ke liye ya phir koi aur vyaktigat karan ke liye leaves deti hai... jaise Naina ki firm." He stressed on the last line.

Sameer pursed his lips and nodded. He got what he needed, at least there was some strong point with which he could convince Naina.

"Sameer, kuchh aisa hai jisme mai tumhari madad kar sakta hu?" Shubham asked genuinely.

Sameer's eyes sparkled and his lips widened. After missing Munna and Pandit terribly last night, he was reminded again that he had some genuine people here too to share things.

"Abhi nahi, lekin zaroorat padne par sabse pehle aap hi ke paas aunga, Shubhamji!!" he said.

Shubham reciprocated with a smile and patted Sameer's arm in a brotherly way.

"Kya baatein ho rahi hai saadu-saadu ke beech?" Preeti's voice was heard and they looked in the front to see Naina and Preeti walking towards them.

"Mai toh tumhare baarein mein Sameer se puchh raha tha," Shubham jumped in with a quick answer. "Aur Sameer ne bataya tum college mein bhi itne hi boore jokes karti thi."

Sameer and Preeti gasped with Shubham's sudden bomb-drop while Naina let out a giggle.

"Hawww... Jijajiiii..." Preeti exclaimed, keeping her hands on her waist, "aap aise kaise bol sakte hai..."

Sameer found himself in trouble. He looked at Naina pleadingly but she only shrugged, keeping her palm on her mouth.

"Dekho na," Shubham intervened again, "aur isne yeh bhi kaha ki tumhare jokes par koi hasta nahi tha... sivaay Naina ke..." making a poker face.

Now it was Naina who gasped and Sameer burst into laughter. He never considered Shubham to be the one who made the whole group laugh. It was Munna who would do that. Shubham always appeared to be a sincere boy in a group who would spend more time in the classroom just to avoid any expenses in the college canteen.

Nirmalaji called for Shubham and Preeti and the couple had to leave to check what it was. Preeti still made a cranky face to Shubham, to which Shubham held her hand while walking.

"Dekho, woh jo cadbury mili hai na, usse poori mat kha jana... ek hum aadhi karke khayenge, aur ek fridge mein rakh denge, thik hai?"

Naina and Samer laughed as they could still hear Shubham's words.

When Naina turned towards Sameer, their eyes locked. The song 'mere desh ki dharti' didn't fall on their ears. It was rather a calm and rhythmic music that provided solace to their souls. Well, it was just their heartbeats that only they could hear... rather feel...

Sameer's pupils dilated as his smile widened and Naina got the chance to dive deep into the world of his heart, where his feelings belonged, where she belonged. He hadn't brought the topic of her articleship and CA studies again. She had found herself in the rare occasion where she was forced to choose between her heart and mind. She never preferred to choose between those two, she always wanted to manage both, balance things out. She wanted to be the superwoman.

But Sameer's statement had crushed that wish of hers. Being a superwoman wasn't a necessity nor should it be. A woman doesn't need to tire herself out by working 18 hours a day, spoil her physical and mental health behind it and call herself a superwoman.

Sameer was right. She had the 'choice' to not be the superwoman. But for the situation they were in, she chose to be the one.

"Kya baat kar rahe the jiju se?" Naina quirked her brows.

"Bataya toh unhone," Sameer joked. When Naina didn't seem convinced, he uttered, "aisehi baba... hum saadu-saadu baat nahi kar sakte?"

Naina twisted her mouth and Sameer pulled her towards him inadvertently. Naina hit his arm playfully, casually looking around the society, she said, "aaj hamare lovebirds nazar nahi aa rahe hai..."

"Hai toh..." Sameer said it as a matter of fact, "Aditya stereo par gaane chala raha hai aur Tanvi Shibani ke sath baatein kar rahi hai," pointing towards the mentioned people.

"Woh toh dekha maine... lekin aaj koi isharebazi nahi, ek-dusre ko dekhke hasna nahi..."

"Achchha?" Sameer peered carefully at Aditya and Tanvi. "Isharebaazi ho rahi hai... lekin gusse wali... dekho..."

Naina followed his gaze and the two spent a good two minutes observing the silent 'fight' happening between Aditya and Tanvi just with their eyes. They were passing deadly stares to one another.

"Inka jhagda hua hai kya?" Naina remarked.

"Haan lagta toh aisehi hai... waise bhi kal Aditya bata raha tha kuchh tension chal raha hai.... Pakka Tanvi ne isse kiya hoga..."

"Haww... Tanvi hi kyun?" Naina nudged him.

"Toh aur kaun? Shadi ke liye bichare Aditya ko pareshan kar rahi hogi..."

Naina gasped and turned towards Sameer. "Ladkiyon par shadi ka jo pressure hota hai na woh tum ladke kabhi samajh nahi paoge..."

"Arey? Mujhpar kyun phatt rahi ho tum? Maine kya kiya?"

"Tum baat hi aisi karte ho Sameer..."

"Achchha okay okay... sorry... kaan pakadkar..." he pinched his earlobes with his fingers, requesting a cute apology to Naina through his deep eyes, flushed cheeks and soft lips.

His sweet gesture earned a quick chuckle from Naina, making her draw his hand down.

"Tumne Preeti se baat ki iss baarein mein?" Sameer queried.

"Mauka toh tha aaj, lekin mai pehle Tanvi se khud baat karna chahti hu..."

"Hmm... yeh bhi thik hai... Mai bhi koshish karta hu Aditya se baat karne ki."

Naina nodded. Her eyes casually roamed on his shirt and stopped at his pocket, which was slightly worn out. She ran her thumb over the seam of the pocket.

"Naye shirts le lo na, Sameer..."

"Uggghhhh..." Sameer grimaced, covering his pocket, "tum na wapas mat shuru ho jao..."

"Wapas matlab? tumhe naye shirts ki zaroorat hai."

"Itne kharab bhi nahi hue hai... yeh ek-do mahine aur chal sakte hai..."

Naina rolled eyes and she sighed in defeat. He wasn't going to listen to her.

"Tum kyun meri baat kabhi sunte nahi?" she urged.

"Tum sunti ho?"

And it struck Naina. He was going to a different tangent.

"Ummm tumhe yaad hai?" she chirped, "shadi ke shuruwat ke dinon mein tum kaise mujhe middle class hone ke taane maarte the... ab tum bhi waise hi ho gaye ho mister."

"Haan... kabhi socha nahi tha yeh mai khud ke liye bolunga..." he slipped his hands in his pants' pockets again, looking at the ground, "lekin ho toh gaya hu mai middle class."

"Oye mister," Naina's hands were on her waist, "Middle class koi gaali nahi hai... yeh toh ek kala hai... ek zindagi jeene ka tareeka..."

"Achchha?"

"Haan toh..." Naina jerked her neck. "Jahan har cheez mein mol-bhav karna hamara adhikar hota hai... jahan ghar ki mahila chawal ke dibbe mein 500-500 ki notes chhupakar rakhti hai jo contingency mein kaam aate hai... jahan aap vastuon ka upabhog bhi soch-samajhkar karte ho... taki woh lambi chale... jahan koi vastu phenkne ke bajay hum usse repair karna thik samajhte hai... jahan har chhoti-badi cheez aas-pados waalon se share ki jaati hai... isse sirf vastu nahi, log bhi jud jaate hain..."

"Okay masterni ji..." Sameer commented, "toh iss theory ke hisab se yeh shirts mai aur 6-7 mahine chala sakta hoon..."

Naina gasped and swatted him, "jyada na smart banne ki zaroorat nahi hai... mai khud hi kharid lungi tumhare liye.... Huhh...." She turned away from him, crossing her arms.

"O ladte-jhagadte Laila-majnuuu...." Preeti hollered from the garden, "yahan aaiyeee..." and laughed. Shubham and her were now standing in a group of couples.

Sameer casually glanced at Aditya and Tanvi, and found them completely flushed. Their faces resembled fear and relief at the same time. Ohh, they thought someone caught them red-handed. Nevermind, that day wasn't far.

He only sniggered at them.

*****

Kissing on the cheeks of grumpy Sameer, Naina adjusted her dupatta and picked her purse from the tea-table. She had already promised to Preeti about meeting her today and Sameer started throwing tantrums at the last minute. Naina was quick to make a deal out of it. He let her go out now and she would reward him with something special in the night. Sameer had to let go of her.

Naina met Preeti and Tanvi in the society ground and the three girls left for an outing. A panipuri stall was the first stop with all the three up-votes. With only teekha paani being served, the girls devoured the pani-puri till their eyes watered and their mouths burnt. Nevertheless, a second round was called by them again.

"Naina yaar, kya kamaal ki kahani likhi hai tune..." Preeti said, wiping her hands with a handkerchief as she waited for the sukhi papdi.

"Thank you," Naina smiled wide as she accepted the compliment.

"Ummm... maine bhi padhi..." Tanvi joined the conversation, "sach mein bahot achchha likha hai aapne."

Naina thanked her with an ear-to-ear smile.

The week had passed swiftly and it was already the 1st day of February. It was the third time Naina's short story was published in the fortnightly magazine. An addition to her happiness was that she was getting paid for it.

When she had visited the newspaper office to submit this story, Mrs. Sulekha Sharma shared how they got good response for the past two editions of the magazines. It was afterall a cumulative effort. A magazine doesn't run on a single person's story. However, Mrs. Sulekha didn't shy away from sharing the credit with Naina. It wasn't just a verbal compliment, rather she increased Naina's fees to Rs.120/- per story herself.

'Creative writing ek mushkil kaam hai... iske pichhe kya mehnat lagti hai yeh mai samajh sakti hu...'

She had said, and Naina couldn't smile brighter.

The group then turned to the street shopping, looking for earrings, bangles, hairbelts, hair-clips, bindi and anklets. The shopping was intended majorly for Tanvi, as Nirmalaji wanted to get new accessories for her before the 'rishtey' started coming to their home. Naina and Preeti too then purchased the required stuff for themselves.

After purchasing three shirts for Sameer and two t-shirts for Rakesh papa, the girls walked towards the Ladieswear section of a shop. They selected three salwar suits of Tanvi's choice and sent her to the trial room.

"Kya baat hai Preeti," Naina nudged Preeti, "ghar ki bahu hone ke naate kitni zimmedariyan nibhane lag gayi hai na tu..." she teased her.

"Poochh mat behen... mummyji na haath dhokar pichhe padi hai Tanvi ke... aur uske chalte hum sab ki parade lag rahi hai..." Preeti grabbed a stool to sit and sighed. Naina got one too.

"Tanvi ne kuchh baat ki tujhse?" Naina tried to sound casual.

"Kis baarein mein?"

"Nahi mera matlab..." Naina licked her dry lips, "usne bataya woh kyun abhi shadi ke liye tayyar nahi hai?"

"Kuchh hota batane layak toh batayegi na..."

Naina sighed. She has to talk to Tanvi now. "Khair, woh chhod... tera class kaisa chal raha hai?"

"Achchha chal raha hai." Preeti shrugged.

Naina frowned. She held Preeti's chin and turned her face from side to side, as if examining something.

"Kya hai? Kya dekh rahi hai?" Preeti was annoyed.

"Claas ke baarein mein baat karte samay tere chehre par jo khushi rehti hai na... usse dhoondh rahi hu..." Naina responded.

Preeti's shoulders slumped, "khush toh hu main... lekin aisa lag raha hai koi time bomb laga hua hai... jo 15 din baad mere class khatm hote hi phatt jayega..."

"Aur woh time bomb ka naam hai teri saas, hai na?"

"Haan." Preeti snorted.

Meanwhile Tanvi came out of the trail room to show her dress. Preeti and Naina passed their comments and she went to try the second one.

"Yaar Naina..." Preeti continued, "tune woh article likha tha na? 'Kya mahilayein hi mahilaon ke dasyatva ka karan hoti hai'. Mai uske baarein mein aaj bhi sochti hu... aur lagta hai shayad wahi sahi hai. Jaise mummyji ko hi dekh le. Woh dil ki boori nahi hai, lekin khud ek mahila hokar bhi mera ghar ke bahar jana, mera kaam karna, paise kamana... yeh sab unko aaj bhi pasand nahi hai."

"Lekin kuchh badlaav toh aa rahe hai na?" Naina tried to cheer her up looking at her sad tone.

"Haan aa rahe hai... lekin... ek badlaav aate hi mujhe dusre badlaav ke liye jung ladni padti hai... phirse wahi baatein, wahi sadiyon purani soch... inn sabka saamna karna padta hai..."

Naina smiled and clasped Preeti's hand in hers, "Kranti ek din mein nahi aati Preeti. Iss soch ki jadein(जड़ें) jitni gehri aur majboot hain, utna hi waqt lagega unko ukhadne mein..."

Preeti passed a tired smile, "mai ek simple si ladki hu Naina... mujhe nahi laani koi kranti."

"Woh toh tu jab ek kaamyab hair-stylist bann jayegi, toh apne aap aa hi jayegi..."

Preeti watched the way Naina's eyes glittered. She wasn't raising a question, she was making a statement. "Itna bharosa hai mujhpe?" she asked, with a little glint in her eyes.

"Haan toh?" Naina only shrugged. "Chal, tere liye bhi suits dekhte hai," she added, patting Preeti's shoulder.

When Tanvi and Preeti mutually selected two suits for Tanvi, Naina forcefully sent Preeti to the trial room to try the two she had liked. Tanvi smiled at Naina as the awkwardness was presumed to occur.

"Tanvi, mujhe tumse kuchh baat karni thi..." Naina had the topic though.

"Ji, kahiye na." Tanvi turned to her.

"Tum ghar par tumhare aur Aditya ke baarein mein kab bata rahi ho?"

Tanvi's breath hitched upon Naina's direct question. Shock reflected on her face was an understatement. She shook her head in negation, ready to decline whatever Naina said.

"Tumhe apne pyar ko jhuthlane ki zaroorat nahi hai Tanvi... mai sab jaanti hu..." The words came as peaceful music from Naina.

Another attack!! This time, Tanvi peered at the trial room. Fear taking over her in no seconds.

"Preeti ko ab tak pata nahi hai..." Naina resolved her dilemma immediately. "Aur mai chahti hu tum khud Preeti aur jiju se Aditya ke baare mein baat karo. Jald se jald."

"Main kya bataungi unko?" Tanvi finally managed to speak. "Hamare rishtey ke liye koi tayyar nahi hoga... hamein nahi samjhega koi bhi..."

"Lekin unse baat chhupakar rakhna unka bharosa todne jaise hoga Tanvi... Tum aur Aditya shayad ek-dusre ko kafi saalon se jaante ho... Isliye agar tum sath dikhte bhi toh koi shaq nahi karega... yeh wahi bharosa hai jiske tootne par Preeti aur Jiju ko bahot taqleef hogi..."

Tanvi heaved deep breaths and leaned on the wall near the trial room. Naina placed her palm on Tanvi's arm gently, showing her she was there to listen. "Waise tumpar shadi ka itna pressure hai... tum bata kyu nahi rahi ho Aditya ke baarein mein?"

Tanvi fidgeted with her dupatta, but her breath slowly became normal. She somehow found a sense of trust in Naina. As they say, you become more comfortable in sharing with a stranger than someone close to you. Naina wasn't a complete stranger for Tanvi, but she could provide a much needed third person's point of view on her own situation. Besides, she had heard from Preeti that Naina-Sameer too had a tough time in their love story.

"Usse thoda waqt chahiye..." Tanvi confessed. "Kehta hai abhi toh usne sirf ek hi show shoot kiya hai... lekin iss industry mein pair jamane ke liye waqt toh lagega hi na..."

A minute passed in silence as Preeti came out to show her dress. Both Naina and Tanvi had to plaster a grin on their faces to hide that they were having a serious conversation.

Watching Preeti going inside the trial room again, Tanvi continued, "mai jaanti hu Aditya ke liye Bhabhi turant maan jayengi. Lekin yeh Maharashtriy aur Marwari wali baat? Maa maanegi? Aur Bhaiya? Aap hi bataiye, kaunsa bhai apni behen ka hath aise ladke ke hath mein dena chahega jo abhi tak settled nahi hai? jiska koi job nahi hai, koi income nahi hai?"

An involuntary smile covered Naina's lips. She was exactly in the same place two years ago. When the rounds of discussions took place upon Sameer's career after the business split. The only difference was that she was already married to Sameer. But that didn't change the concern about her future raised by Papa and Chachajii.

"Mai iss waqt Aditya ko ek kaamyab hero banta hua dekhna chahti hu... usse khush dekhna chahti hu... iss sab ke beech mein yeh shadi?" Tanvi sighed, "mai uske upar koi dabaav nahi laana chahti... phir chahe mujhe maa ke roz ke taane hi kyun na sunne pade..."

If Naina had any doubt about Tanvi and Aditya being serious in this relationship, then Tanvi's statement just cleared all of them.

The idea of 'love' is always fascinating. People love being in 'love'. The butterflies this particular phase give them... the attention, that feeling of having someone to look at you, having someone to get dressed-up for... the romantic dates, that excitement of hiding it from the world but still managing to meet. It's that adrenaline rush that people fall for.

But does that love really have depth?

The depth of love paints someone's true character. Whether it has the capacity to go through the hardships, to bear the painful jabs in the attempts of punishing them or sometimes in shaping them up for the betterment. It's that will to fight against all the odds, stand for yourself with dignity and yet not hurt the family.

Tanvi's truthful eyes made Naina invest her time and energy in this budding relationship in the society. She was set to stand for them with all her heart, and with Sameer beside her.

"Tanvi, agar iss waqt Aditya ki koi income nahi hai, toh tum job karo..." Naina raised her brows.

"Mai? Lekin mai kaise job kar sakti hu?" Tanvi asked as if it was obvious.

"Kyun nahi kar sakti? Aur yeh kaha likha hai ki ghar sirf aadmi ki kamai par hi chalta hai? Tum bhi toh commerce graduate ho... tumhe nahi lagta yahi education tumhara aur Aditya ka sansar basane mein kaam aayega?"

"Matlab Aditya auditions ke liye jayega aur mai naukri karne?" Tanvi huffed, "aaj ke samaj mein iss baat ko kaun accept karega?"

"Mai jaanti hu yeh mushkil hai... lekin phir... Kya tum apne pyaar ko haath se aisehi jaane dogi?"

Tanvi was quick to say no. The thought of letting Aditya go from her life scared her to the hilt.

"Apne pyaar ke liye khade ho Tanvi... uske liye thoda sangharsh karo... usse itni aasani se jaane mat do..." She took a pause before continuing, "Marathi-Marwari baat ka tum tension mat lo. Gadkari aunty pehle se hi ek Gujrati bahu apna chuki hai... waise hi woh Marwari bahu ko bhi apna lengi..."

This statement brought a genuine smile on Tanvi's face.

"Aur agar baat Aditya ke settle hone ki hai, toh tum apne job se uske kandhe par jo pressure hai, usse baant hi rahi ho... phir dheere-dheere woh bhi toh kamane lagega, hai na?"

Tanvi laughed and nodded to Naina's words.

"Tum fikr mat karo..." Naina added, "mai aur Sameer tum dono ke sath hain..."

"Aur mai bhi...."

Preeti voiced from behind them, her hands on her waist and her eyes shooting deadly glares at Naina and Tanvi one by one.

*********

Hey peeps, hope you all are doing good.

How was this chapter? please do let me know.

What do you think about Sameer wanting Naina to quit CA? are they ready for it yet?

Any thoughts about Tanvi-Aditya love story? And Naina's suggestion to Tanvi?

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