27th March, 1998

The traffic on the Mumbai roads started getting denser as the office hours came to closing. Though the gentle breeze relieved people from the afternoon heat.

The reception area of the AK Films office was filled with flowers and bouquets. There were congratulatory greeting cards, notes and letters on the reception desk, while the receptionist kept on attending phone calls after every 15 minutes.

Aruna Irani parked her car and entered the office wearing a georgette sky blue saree. Her one side of hair tucked with clip, flaunting a red rose in it, while the rest left open. The flowers and bouquets pleased her again, bringing a bright smile on her lips. Before she maneuvered herself to her cabin on the first floor, she was informed by the receptionist that the newspaper and magazine journalists they had invited were waiting for her bytes. She greeted them with a smile and grabbed a simple chair to sit.

The discussion room in the corner of the passage didn't reflect the cheerful atmosphere of the rest of the office though.

The weekly writers' meeting had turned serious and silent as everyone of them was immersed in thinking.

"Ma'am, hum Kritika aur Kabir ke beech misunderstanding dikha sakte hai...." Yamini, a junior writer at AK Films suggested. "Aur phir Kabir ka accident dikhakar unn dono ke beech ki doori mita denge... 2-3 hafte achchhe se chal sakta hai yeh track..."

Naina swayed side to side on her rolling chair, tapping her pen on the table and thinking about the suggestion. For the long rectangular table with ten chairs, they were a team of five discussing the upcoming track of their show 'Tum Dena Sath Mera' — her leading the meeting from the head of the table.

"Nahi!!" she said, now matching her eyes with Yamini. "Agar misunderstanding hai toh woh apas mein baat karne se hi sulajhni chahiye... apne pati ya patni ko kho jane se darr se nahi... usse galat fehmi par sirf parda dala jaata hai..."

Yamini pursed her lips and only nodded, making a note of something in her notepad.

"Naina ji," Mr. Vinay called for her attention, "abhi Kritika Kabir ki shadi toh ho hi rahi hai... kyun na Kabir ki Maa mein aur Kritika mein thodi anban dikhayi jaaye? Saas-bahu ke beech yeh toh hote hi rehta hai..."

"Ummm... nahi!!" Naina scrunched her nose, as if dissing the idea completely.

"Lekin Naina, Vinay ji ka point galat nahi hai..." Sameer, who was quiet till now, spoke. "Saas bahu ka rishta hota hi aisa hai..."

"Haan lekin ab tak toh hamne dono ke beech sab thik hi dikhaya hai na? Toh ab kyun anban dikhani hai?" Naina countered, turning to Sameer who was sitting in her adjacent chair.

"Lekin hamein show mein thode twists and turns bhi toh dikhane padenege na? Audience ka interest bhi toh bana rehna chahiye..."

"Mai maanti hun show mein twists laane padenge... Wahi discuss karne toh baithe hai na hum? Lekin mujhe samajh nahi aa raha agar unn dono ke beech ab tak sab thik tha, toh usse bigadna kyun hai?"

"Rishtey badalte hai Naina... situations badalti hai... ab tak shadi hui nahi thi, lekin ab ho jayegi... Aur agar hum yeh dikhayenge toh hamara show dekhne wali kitni mahilayein usse relate kar payegi... unhe Kritika ki kahani apni kahani lagegi..."

"Agar darshakon ko apni kahani mehsoos karani hai toh hum kuchh aur bhi toh dikha sakte hai na?"

Sameer shut his eyes, heaving a deep sigh. He didn't understand why Naina was so reluctant with this idea.

Meanwhile, Yamini, Mr. Vinay and Mr. Sujeet— a creative at the production house– remained as spectators to the to-and-fro match going between the husband-wife cum co-writers in front of them.

"This is business Naina!!" Sameer's voice was stern. "Hamein aisi kahaniyan dikhani hi padegi jo har ghar mein hoti ho... logon ko wahi dikhana padega jisse woh relate karte ho... tabhi audience badhti jayegi..."

"Business? Seriously Sameer??" Naina couldn't grimace more at the thought of Sameer. She had her mouth open.

"Yeh kya chal raha hai yahan?" Aruna Irani entered the meeting room with a bang, not having a slightest idea of what was going on in the meeting.

The people turned to her direction, all of them greeting her with smiles and nods.

"Tum log abhi bhi meeting hi kar rahe ho? Ghar nahi jaana kya?" Aruna said, standing in the middle of Sameer and Naina.

"Nahi Ma'am, bass aanewala track discuss kar rahe the..." Naina replied.

"Offoo!!! Sujeet... kya hai yeh? Ab tak kyun meeting chal rahi hai?" She asked, resting her hands on her hips.

Before Mr. Sujeet could come up with an answer, she continued, "woh mujhe nahi pata... arey party 8 baje se shuru ho jayegi... tum logo ko ghar jaake tayyar hoke wapas set par bhi toh pohochna hai na? C'mon!! Hurry up!! yeh meeting-weeting baad mein kar lena..."

She patted Sameer and Naina's shoulders one by one, making them shut everything that was open on the table. With her wide smile, sparkling eyes and sweet yet commanding presence, she forced the meeting to be wrapped up within two minutes and made sure she was the last one to leave the meeting room.

The way back home for Sameer and Naina was filled with silence due to the increasing traffic and the irritability that came with it.

Naina entered the house through the open door, almost throwing her feet out of her sandals.

"Business? Mujhe yaqeen nahi ho raha hai tumne ise business kaha, Sameer??" She spat as soon as she walked in the living room.

Sameer stood there shutting his eyes, rubbing his neck that had slight pain in it.

"Haan toh kuchh galat kaha kya?" He remarked, "yeh business hi hai Naina... isise tumhe aur mujhe paise mil rahe hai..."

Naina couldn't blink her eyes at his response. She kept staring at him, her breathing occurring at irregular speeds.

A cloud formed in her eyes. A cloud of doubt!

Did she make any mistake while listening to him?

Did she fail at conveying what she was implying?

"Mujhe laga nahi tha 6-8 mahinon mein tumhari soch itni badal jayegi..." Naina said, calming her voice, "Mera woh Sameer kaha gaya jo kehta tha mai tumhari soch aur shabdon ko har jagah pohchana chahta hun... mera woh Sameer kaha gaya jo kehta tha iss samaaj ko tumhare jaise soch rakhnewali lekhika ki zaroorat hai..."

She sighed, seeing Sameer not moving from his place... nor from his opinion...

"Aur aaj tumne meri kahani ko, mehez ek business bana ke rakh diya?"

"Yeh industry aise hi chalti hai Naina... Aur Aruna Ma'am ad revenues ki baat tumse nahi mujhse karti hai... woh bhi ek production house chala rahi hai... Aur agar woh achchhe returns expect kar rahe hai toh isme galat kya hai?"

"Arey aa gaye tum dono??" Rakesh sauntered into the house, "mai bass yahi gaya tha 2 minute Gadkari sahab ke ghar..."

He joined them in the hall, dismissing the tension in the environment with his ear to ear smile.

"Achchha tum dono ko party mein jaane mein kitna samay hai abhi?" He asked, switching his gaze from his daughter and son-in-law in an expectation of a quick answer.

"Ek-dedh ghanta hai Papa..." Naina replied, seeing Sameer not interested in answering. "Mai aapke liye khana bana deti hu..." she unpinned her dupatta from her shoulder.

"Nahi, mai wahi batane wala tha... mera khana aaj Gadkari sahab ke ghar par hai... unhone hi bola hai... toh tum uski chinta mat karna..." he informed and checked his wrist watch as if calculating something mentally.

"Sameer, mujhe gadi ki chabi do..." He forwarded his hand towards Sameer. "Mai aata hun thodi der mein..."

"Kuchh kaam hai Papa?" Sameer asked out of curiosity, drawing the keychain out of his pocket and handing it to Rakesh, not waiting for his answer.

"Haan, bass gadi ko ek baar check karake aata hun... hawa, petrol, oil... lamba safar rahega na tumhara?"

"Lamba safar?" Naina asked, scrunching her face.

And Sameer mentally facepalmed himself, squeezing his eyes.

"Haan mera matlab... woh..." seeing Sameer's reaction, Rakesh fumbled, looking at Sameer for help. Sameer has completely averted his gaze. "Lamba safar matlab... set tak ka... party set par hi hai na..."

Naina studied her father, who looked caught off guard but she didn't know off what.

"Thik hai mai aata hun..." And Rakesh dashed out of the house as quickly as possible.

***

Rakesh unlocked the door of the car and sat in his Maruti Suzuki Esteem. Adjusting his seat, he pulled the seatbelt, and the car was out of the main gate of the Sea Queen Society within a minute.

Maneuvering through the gullies of Andheri West, he stopped the car in front of a sweet mart first. He should have done it in the morning itself, but he had completely forgotten about it due to his library schedule.

He bought half kg Rasmalai for home and two kgs of malai pedha for society, with the prepared mindset that Naina and Sameer would surely scold him. But he didn't find any other way to show how proud he was of them.

So proud that his lips couldn't widen more into a smile and his eyes couldn't shine more due to his happiness.

Getting back into the car, he drove further, looking for that specific garage he assumed to be nearby.

He leaned back while driving, relaxed, feeling a cushion at his back. His palms glided smoothly on the steering wheel, his feet playing the game of A-B-C— accelerator, brake and clutch. He simply loved driving.

In January, Anand had received a letter from the bank, informing about Sameer's FD getting matured in a week. Sameer had completely forgotten about it, but Naina too wasn't aware of the maturity date. With the big amount Sameer was supposed to get as it was from his Krishna Kaustubhi deal, both Anand and Rakesh had tried to convince him to simply reinvest the money.

But Sameer was adamant. He was adamant on using some money from it to add some convenience in their lives. He was against the idea of going through the daily struggles and keeping the hefty amount in the bank.

The discussions took place in J101 in those two days, with Sameer proposing to purchase literally every electrical and electronic item he possibly could and Naina and Rakesh rejecting them straightaway. The items ranging from VCD player, microwave oven, washing machine, new TV and stereo system, Air Conditioner, and whatnot.

Sameer had turned into a child in those days, listing out his demands and then getting upset for not having them. It was Naina who was finally able to pacify him, stating they needed to add something that would really solve a problem for their daily struggle.

And he came up with the idea. A Car!!

It had taken them a whole day again when the topic of the debate shifted between a car or a bike. Rakesh and Naina were Team Bike— something they could go to the office by, saving them from the daily 'bus aur local ke dhakke' as Naina had said. Sameer was Team Car. Well, the only member in his team. He wanted to have something for commuting, but for the whole family.

And this was when Rakesh understood where that came from.

When Vishakha had visited in September last year, they all had a nice time in a restaurant and then they had taken a casual stroll on the beach.

The most frequent question they had faced that day was, how to go from one place to another. And Sameer being Sameer booked a taxi every time.

Rakesh could very much see the restlessness and embarrassment on Sameer's face while asking every kaali-peeli taxi driver and getting rejected by them. Sameer had denied going by two auto-rickshaws from the society itself. He had wanted to spend his every second with his mother, but at the same time, he wanted Naina and Papa beside him too.

He wanted his whole family together.

So when he literally pleaded to get a car, Rakesh couldn't say no to him.

Rakesh then visited Ahmedabad for two days, completing the procedure and transferring the whole amount to Naina and Sameer's Mumbai account.

Keeping some money, the rest was invested again. And in the third week of February, they welcomed this golden colored Esteem in their family. Though it was a second hand car, it was only a year old as its previous owner was shifting to the USA permanently.

Parking the car in the space of the garage, Rakesh called for the young boy, named Sanju.

"Beta, gaadi ke sab poorze ekdum achchhi tarah se dekh le..." he instructed, "brakes, engine, battery... bass thoda jaldi..." he passed an innocent smile to Sanju, citing his urgency.

Though it had been a month to this car, they all didn't get the chance to do proper servicing. And Rakesh couldn't ignore the fact that it was still a second hand one.

The boy started with his service, and Rakesh beamed at the way the golden color of the car shined under the light of the garage.

He still remembered that day when Sameer drove this car into the main gate of the society. Naina, Preeti and Shubham accompanied him in the lobby of the J wing, as they waited for the car while jumping on their feet.

That first tilak on the car, that Swastik drawn on it, that coconut broken, and the sweets fed to each other. While Rakesh was in a daze of happiness all this while, he was overwhelmed with the surge of emotions when he was made to sit on the driver's seat. He must have wiped the tears many times that night, before letting their way on his cheeks.

He had a long talk with Arjun on the phone the day before, when he informed him that they were getting a car.

"Aapka sapna aakhirkar poora ho hi gaya, Papa!!" Arjun had said, taking a long pause before he continued, "woh sapna jo meri galtiyon ke wajah se tut gaya..."

A long silence had prevailed on the call again, both father and son lost in the past.

"Lekin aapke beti ne aur damaad ne woh poora kar diya..." he continued, "aur mujhe bahot garv hai Naina aur Sameer par, Papa!!!"

Rakesh had only smiled at the other end, feeling the same pride about Naina and Sameer. "Ek pita ke liye uske saare bachche ek samaan hi hote hai Arjun..." he had said, "ek car dilane se jyada mujhe iss baat ki khushi hai ki tum teeno apne apne kaam mein pragati kar rahe ho... aur sabse badi baat, tum teeno khush ho..."

"Aapne mere bheje hue paise abhi tak use nahi kiya na, Papa?" Arjun's voice has lowered, a hurt reflecting in it. He had added some amount later too, but he knew it was all unused.

"Yeh tujhe kisne bataya?"

"Bass!! Mai janta hun... aur lagta hai shayad aap unhe kabhi use bhi nahi karenge..."

A pang of guilt had hit Rakesh listening to his son's dejected voice. "Apne aap ko aparadhi thahrana band karo Arjun..." he stated calmly, "maine tujhe maaf kar diya hai... aur mai chahta hun ab tum bhi apne aap ko maaf kar do...

"Aur rahi baat tere bheje hue paison ki," Rakesh's tone has changed, "toh woh mere bete ke paise hai... unpar mera poora adhikar hai... toh unhe kaise aur kaha kharch karna hai, yeh mai tay karunga..."

After they started their relationship all over on Rakesh's 50th birthday, there were more such moments when they both laughed from their heart, and this was one of them.

Two weeks ago, when Arjun informed him that he was going to become a grandfather, dadaji, Rakesh had decided where and how he would be using that money.

He was going to use it for Arjun's child!!

"Sirjiii... sab badhiya hai ekdum!!!" Sanju hollered, bringing Rakesh back to present.

"Haan, sab badhiya hai..." Rakesh answered, unfazed and unaware.

"Hein?? Apun zindagi ki baat nahi karrela hai... car ki baat karrela hai... sab badhiya hai car mein..." he said in his tapori language.

Rakesh couldn't help but spurt a laughter from his mouth. "Haan, lekin jeevan mein bhi sab badhiya hi hai..." he said, drawing a crisp note of hundred rupees from his wallet and handing it to the boy.

His eyes stayed on his late wife's black and white photo in the wallet.

"Sab achchha chal raha hai, Rama!!" He whispered, stroking his thumb over the picture, "Mai jaanta hun tum bhi apne bachchon par garv kar rahi hogi..."

***

"Mai na pareshan hun, Preeti!!" Naina vented, her erratic breathing causing her chest to move rapidly. "Samajh hi nahi aa raha hai kya chal raha hai zindagi mein..."

"Hmmm...." Preeti said, continuing her work.

"Aur aaj toh hadd hi kar di usne..." Naina continued her vague rant, "pata nahi woh kabse sochne lag gaya hai yeh sab.."

"Tch... hil mat na Naina!!" Preeti berated, adjusting Naina's hand on her eyebrow and pressing a fresh thread in between her lips.

"Mai samajhti hun ki kaam ka pressure hai, lekin iska matlab yeh nahi hai ki har baar –"

"Tu na bol le pehle..." Preeti stopped altogether, taking a seat on the adjacent parlour chair, "nahi aaj toh tu bol hi le... kyunki teri is chidchidahat mein mera hath galat chal gaya na, toh phirse sadak bann jayegi jaisi college ke time bani thi..."

Naina's shoulders slumped and her lips turned into a pout, "sorrryyyy...." she mumbled, sitting up straight.

After Rakesh had left, Naina had dashed out to the washroom to freshen up. She wanted to complete their discussion, no conflict... or whatever it was. But they had very little time left in hand. Aruna Irani had almost warned them to dress up nicely for the party and look like a 'power couple' in her words. So instead of only freshening up, Naina chose to take a bath and then left for Preeti's parlour to get styled, which was just one floor up from her in J201.

"Ab bata kya baat hai..." Preeti came straight to the point.

Naina rubbed her thumb on the other palm, taking her own time to think. "Pata nahi yaar... bass chidchidahat ho rahi hai... tujhe pata hai? pichhle 2 mahinon mein aisi ek bhi writers' meeting nahi hui hai jahan hamare beech differences nahi hue ho..."

"Haan lekin tumhara kaam hi aisa hai na?"

"Mai maanti hun, lekin..." she sighed, "aajkal aisa ho raha hai ki mai ek kehti hun aur Sameer bilkul usse kuchh ulta kehta hai... hum dono kisi ek mudde par sehmat hi nahi ho paa rahe hai..."

Preeti put the bundle of thread in her hand on the table, and turned to Naina, pulling Naina's chair towards her too. "Naina, agar dono ko har ek baat par sehmat hi hona hai... toh dono ki zaroorat hi kya hai? Ek hi se kaam ho jayega na?"

Naina heaved a deep sigh, "Shayad tu sahi bhi keh rahi hai lekin... pata nahi..."

"Ek baat kahu?" Preeti asked, to which Naina only raised her brows. "Yeh kuchh time se tum dono jo paaglon ki tarah kaam kar rahe ho na? Yeh usi ka asar dikh raha hai mujhe..."

"Haan toh kya kare? Hafte mein char din aata hai show... hamein roz ek episode dena hota hai... roz kuchh na kuchh naya aur alag socho... aur sirf alag nahi, achchha bhi socho..."

Preeti only hummed, having no counter to Naina's statement because she too knew it was the truth.

"Khair, kya pehen rahi hai party mein?" she asked, getting up and picking the bundle again.

"Woh... Sameer ne pichhle janamdin par jo saari di thi na? Woh..."

"Aaye haayeee..." Preeti teased her, making Naina blush. "Fikar mat kar Naina... Mai na aise tayyar karti hu tujhe ki Jijaji poori party mein tujhse hi chipke rahenge..."

Naina laughed after what seemed a long time. She leaned back on the chair and let Preeti resume her work.

"Aaj kal itni chhoti chhoti baaton par gussa ho jati hai woh Munna... ki mai kya hi batau tujhe..." Sameer vented, stretching his legs on the tea-table and raking his hair. "Aur aaj bhi use jhagadna hi tha mujhse..."

"Pehle tu shant ho ja bhai..." Munna voiced from the other side of the call, "aur kya ho kya raha hai yeh? Aur kitne saal aise kutte-billi ke tarah jhagadte rahoge dono? Aur bhai, tera gussa bhi kam nahi hai..."

"Tu mere side hai ya uske side?"

"Tu side-wide chhod... aur mujhe bata hua kya hai... ek toh itne dinon baad tune phone kiya hai, aur phone uthate hi jo tune barasna shuru kiya hai na mere kaan se khoon nikal aayega 2 minute mein..."

Sameer shut his eyes and exhaled through his mouth, calming himself first. He briefly updated Munna about their constant differences upon the storyline of the show, telling him about today's meeting too.

"Maine usse sirf itna kaha tha ki yeh ek business hai aur yeh industry aise hi chalti hai..." Sameer continued, "bass... woh ek hi shabd pakad ke baithi hai kabse aur mujhe pata nahi kya kya sunaye ja rahi hai... ab tu hi bata, maine kuchh galat kaha?"

Munna sniggered on the other side, shaking his head. Relating to the husband-wife relations being the same in every house.

"Bhai tere tv serial ki duniya mein kya hota hai yeh mai thodi na jaanta hun," he chuckled as he said, taking a pause to process everything before he continued, "lekin mai itna zaroor jaanta hun ki arts aur commerce ko hum ek hi chashme se nahi dekh sakte..."

Sameer drew back his legs from the tea-table, now focusing more on what Munna was going to say.

"Hum baniye hai Sameer... humne bachpan se yahi sikha hai ki dukan ke galle mein jitne paise hai, utna achchha dukaan chal raha hai... jo sach bhi hai... lekin Naina bhabhi ek sachchi lekhika hai yaar... ek kalakar, ek artist ki tarah hai woh... shayad unko unki likhawat ko sirf paison mein tolna achchha nahi laga hoga..."

Sameer was quiet all the time, replaying each and every word Munna was saying... the words that were banging straight on his heart and brain cells too.

"Tu pehle ek shayar hai, yaar... aur ab ek lekhak bhi..." Munna continued, his voice utterly calm, "tu toh yeh samajh hi sakta hai na?"

Sameer only hummed, falling back on the sofa with a thud, still lost.

"Dekh, ab thik hai?" Preeti stood behind Naina's chair, setting Naina's hair with some last strokes.

"Ek number Preeti!!!" Naina chirped, "yeh hairstyle uss saree pe bahot jachegi..."

"Hmmm... tu dekhna Naina... ekdum tavka lagegi tu..."

Naina slapped Preeti's hand on her shoulder, "yeh kya Mumbai ki bhasha sikh gayi hai tu?"

"Haan hum sabhi thodi thodi sikh gaye hai... tu bhi..."

The sisters laughed, realizing they had become true Mumbaikars in such a short time.

"Achchha, tere woh cards chhap ke aa gaye?" Naina asked.

"Ohh haann... ek minute..." Preeti shuffled through a drawer and drew a bundle of visiting cards. She pushed a bunch of cards in Naina's purse, and voiced, "tujhe jahan dena hai de dena... waise society ki mahilaayein toh aati hi hai... ab thodi thodi bahar ki bhi aane lagi hai..."

"Haan toh aur bhi aane lagegi ab..." Naina said, getting up and checking herself once again in the mirror.

When Preeti was busy wrapping the stuff on the table, Naina dipped her hand in her purse and counted some notes in the purse itself. Keeping her eyes on Preeti, she opened the drawer where Preeti kept her money and gently dropped the notes in it.

"Nainaaaa!!" Preeti almost yelled, catching her pushing the drawer back. "Maine mana kiya hai na–"

And before she could finish, Naina was already out of her parlour.

Preeti opened the drawer and sighed. This girl who just ran out of her parlour like a teenager, had not only put money into her drawer, but also mixed it with the others. Great! Now she couldn't even spot how much she paid.

She took her seat on one of the chairs. It was time to close the parlour, yet she chose to relax for some time. She was genuinely tired from the day.

Having gained a good experience from Tara Jaiswal, Preeti took the decision to start her own parlour. She knew Shubham had been preparing for it, but they still lacked some money to jump into this business. But as if God himself was pushing her towards her dreams, the tenant of their flat J201 decided to move out in November last year.

Instead of looking for a new tenant, Shubham proposed this idea to start her parlour in there, and Voilà... that was the 'falling in love with your husband again' moment for Preeti. Their expense of rent was saved with this and they spent the money on buying equipment. And on her 24th birthday, on 1st January 1998, she started her own parlour.

The business was slow initially... very slow to be honest...

But Preeti was prepared for it. And so did Shubham. They tried on marketing and mouth publicity as much as they could, bringing in business slowly. Preeti was taking economics classes from Shubham and also had long calls with Pandit and Munna, wanting to know how they were doing in their businesses.

Shubham had expressed that they need her parlour to be in a shopping complex or at least in a market area. But this one was not at all less than that.

Nevertheless, Preeti didn't stop dreaming... neither did she stop thanking God for fulfilling her wish in the form of this parlour.

She was happy, yet she had already set a new goal for herself and was working tirelessly for it. Both her and Shubham were contributing equally to her dream.

***

The music system on the set was playing the current movie songs as the party for the 100 episode celebration of the show 'Tum Dena Sath Mera' by the AK Films was going on in full swing.

Aruna Irani had reached the set at sharp 7:30pm, along with some members from the production house in her car, and was looking at every arrangement personally. The actors, the direction team, the crew members– everyone got all dressed up for the party on the set itself and joined the celebration area one by one. The writers, Naina and Sameer, had been around for half an hour now at the party– meeting the actors and the people of other departments enthusiastically, chatting with the different groups together... but hardly talking to each other.

The congratulatory wishes, the chatters, the groups– slowly dispersed, leaving Sameer and Naina to watch each other awkwardly. Naina grabbed a bottle of campa cola from the drinks table and chose a corner to stand and observe the party. With a sip of the soft drink, she settled her eyes on a group of actors of the show who were laughing and clicking pictures with one another.

Pushing his hands in his pockets, Sameer strolled towards Naina and stood slightly behind her. They didn't really converse much at home while getting ready for the party, nor did they try to break the silence in the car on their way to the set. He eyed her from top to bottom for the twentieth time for the night. She was looking breathtakingly gorgeous in his gifted nude beige colored saree.

But there was something missing in her look for him to compliment her. Her smile...

She had locked the door of the bedroom to get ready after coming from Preeti's parlour, leaving him alone in the living room waiting. His breath hitched when he saw her in the saree, having no idea she was going to wear it. A smile appeared on his lips and his hands automatically picked the satin green floral shirt Naina had gifted him on his last year's birthday, pairing it with a black jeans.

However, everything was happening in silence between them. The gestures asking if they were ready to leave, the furtive glances at one another as they walked till the car, increasing the volume of the music player in the car to let the other know they were okay with the song choice, and completing each other's sentences at the party here as they talked to the people.

After Naina chugged down half of the campa cola, Sameer forwarded his hand to her, hoping Naina remembers their thing. Naina identified it's Sameer behind her not with his beautiful and long fingers, but his cologne mixed with his own scent. She looked at him, no... stared at him, a match of staring happening between them for a few moments. A roar of laughter from the group broke the competition of the couple and Naina passed him the bottle just like that.

No words were said... no smiles were passed... This time, the campa cola didn't run its magical wand on them.

Naina resumed her observation of the group, Aditya being in the center of it and everyone else around him. They were taking photos with him one by one, some with their own cameras while some were seen requesting others to get them clicked and promising to pay for the copy. It led to a session of group photos too when Aditya called Mihika, the lead actress playing the role of Kritika, and now everyone posed with the on-screen couple.

"Kya soch rahi hai Mrs. Maheshwari?" Sameer asked, finishing his campa cola and keeping it back on the table. The silence was becoming unbearable for him.

Naina smiled, not budging her eyes from the group, "aap bhi toh kuchh soch rahe hai Mr. Maheshwari..." she said, playing with her mangalsutra, not missing that Sameer too was keenly observing the group.

"Toh pehle mujhe batana hai?" his brows furrowed in confusion.

Naina chuckled and only nodded.

"Mai soch raha hun ki koi bhi project zyada ek writer ka hota hai, ek director ka hota hai... ya phir actor ka hota hai? kyunki tareef toh sirf actors ki hi hoti hai..." He sighed, pushing his hands in his pockets again while watching Aditya and other actors.

Having worked on both the sides of cameras now, Sameer was torn within to decide which side he personally favored more. The one that is in front of the camera– the actors? Or the one that is behind the camera– the direction team, the writers, the DOP team, the editors team?

"Hmmmmmm..." Naina heaved a long hmm, finding a valid point in Sameer's question. "Hum sirf kore panno par kuchh dialogues likh kar dete hai Sameer... lekin unme jaan toh yahi log daalte hai... hamare likhe gaye characters ko khada karna, unhe ek chehra dena, sahi waqt par sahi expressions dena... yeh kafi mushkil hai... tumse behtar yeh kaun jaan sakta hai?"

"Haan mai maanta hun..." Sameer shrugged as he said, "lekin ek actor ka apna aisa kya hai isme? Sirf uska chehra? Aur mai yeh nahi keh raha hun ki woh iss tareef ke kaabil nahi hai... of course woh log hai... lekin ek project ke pichhe kaafi aur logon ki mehnat hoti hai jo audience ko bhi pata bhi hoti..."

How he wished if his Naina was getting all the praise that she deserved today for the success of this show. This story was her own brainchild, she had developed all the characters, the basic plot and subplots with all her heart. Of course, he was there with her as a co-writer, but the way she rejected some pathetic suggestions given by the interns or creatives, it required guts.

How he wished this party to be a celebration of Naina– her words, her thought-process, her intelligence. He knew his Naina deserved every bit of it.

Naina pursed her lips and sighed, crossing her arms, she voiced, "ek lekhak ya lekhika ko uske hisse ki tareef, uske talent ki sahi keemat aur kisi bhi project ke success mein sahi contribution– yeh sab milne mein abhi bahot waqt hai Sameer... abhi hamari audience utni samajhdar nahi hai..."

Sameer huffed at the sheer disparity in this industry. A sudden urge rose in his chest to change every wrong thing about this industry, but he was also aware it required maybe years.

"Ab tumhari baari hai..." he mumbled, nudging her, "tum batao tum kya soch rahi thi?"

"Mai..." Naina cleared her throat, "mai kuchh nahi soch rahi thi..."

Sameer gasped, "this is not fair... maine bataya na... batao naaa...." he whined at last, faking it.

"Mai bass soch rahi thi..." Naina took her time to continue, debating with herself whether whatever she was thinking was right or not... "kuchh nahi bass... agar tumne meri baat maani hoti, toh aaj shayad tum hote wahan..." she gestured at the group, raising her eyebrows.

Didn't she dream of exactly this for Sameer? Surrounded by people, the center of the stage, getting praised for his craft and all the love that he deserved. How she wished—

It wasn't about Aditya... no... she knew there couldn't be a better actor to play Kabir than Aditya— the way he had given full justice to the role, she couldn't be more grateful.

However, somewhere in her heart, she wanted Sameer to play the role. She would think of it sometimes– how it would be, how he would have been received and how he would have been loved.

Her eyes lowered and so did the natural gleam on her face. The next moment, she felt her shoulder surrounded by an arm, of course Sameer's arm, and she was pulled sideways to his chest.

"Hum iske baare mein baat kar chuke hai na?" Sameer said, his voice carrying the soft and gentle caresses that soothed Naina's dull face, forcing her lips to turn upwards.

She gazed deeply in his eyes, his smile making her smile, because she found no regret in his eyes about the decision he took.

"Pata hai... bass kabhi kabhi lagta hai..." she confessed.

"Oh Laila Majnuuuu...."

A loud holler fell on their ears and the deep eyelock that was happening after almost hours broke. They jolted apart, looking at the source of the voice.

"Yahan aao dono," Aditya laughed at their troubled stances, "photos khichane hai..."

The duo walked to the group and Aditya pulled them in the center, standing next to him, and passing his camera to his colleague. Aditya and Mihika posed with Sameer and Naina, and the camera reel getting expended soon. Sameer passed his camera too, and they clicked photos with all the actors.

They all were soon called for the cake-cutting, and everyone surrounded the round table having a big cake on it. Aditya and Mihika stood in the center with Aruna Irani on Mihika's right. Aditya looked for the Maheshwari couple, who were standing much behind, and called them to join him.

"Yeh show pehle tumhara hai...." Aditya voiced when he pulled Sameer next to him, with Naina glued to Sameer. "Aur phir hamara hai..." he finished, audible enough to be heard by the people around them.

The cutting knife was held by six people– Aruna Irani, Mihika and Adita, Sameer and Naina, and the director of the show. The cheers, claps and hooting followed as the cake was cut into pieces. Sameer and Naina shared a glance with each other amidst the celebration, smiling as if they got the answer to Sameer's question. That it was a complete Team Work. And that they were certainly not ignored by the people they were surrounded by.

After the cake cutting and feeding one another, the dances, the games, the food, it was time to leave. Aruna Irani was personally seeing off everyone and so she walked towards her co-writers of the show.

"Naina... Sameer... mai tah-e-dil se tum dono ko thank you kehti hu... show wakai bahot achchha chal raha hai... sab log bahot pyaar de rahe hai... aur yeh tum dono ke brilliant writing ka nateeja hai..." she expressed.

"Kya ma'am aap bhi," Sameer chuckled, "aap toh sharminda kar rahi hai..."

"Bilkul nahi... give the credit where it is due..." Aruna stated, confidence oozing through her personality. "Waise Naina, hum chahte hai hum ek aur show tumhare saath banaye... filhaal toh use kafi time hai, lekin mai chahungi tum iss baare mein zaroor socho..." She looked at Naina expectantly.

"Ji ma'am..." Naina agreed with a small smile, not really having anything to say.

"Good..." Aruna patted her shoulder, "chalo phir... enjoy your holidays... uske baad milte hai... hmm?"

"Holidays?" Naina scrunched her nose, "sirf kal ki chhutti hai na Gudhipadwa ki?"

Aruna frowned and looked at Sameer, who was shaking his head and pleading through his eyes. "Abb... haan... woh, holdiDAY hi kehna tha mujhe... enjoy your holiday..." Wishing them again, she left, sighing at the end.

She must have acted off-screen after a long time.

***

It was well past 12 at midnight when Naina and Sameer reached home. Tiptoeing in the house and making sure they don't wake Papa up, they strolled in the bedroom. The first thing Naina did was take off the heavy earrings, followed by tying her hair in a loose bun.

She was turned and pulled onto Sameer's chest in a jiffy, the move startling her. Sameer looped his arms on her back, making her stand on her toes and leaving no gap for air to pass between them.

"Sorry..." he mumbled.

"Kisliye..." frowning, she asked.

"Mujhe meeting mein tumse aise baat nahi karni chahiye thi..." he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "Mai jaanta hun mera ise business kehna tumhe achchha nahi laga... phir bhi mai tumse sunna chahta hun..."

Naina eased her grip on his shoulders that she had held for support in a state of shock. She got down on her feet, taking deep breaths and stroking her palm on his heart.

"Sameer, mai tumhari baat bhi samajhti hun... aur haan, business bhi zaroori hai... agar woh hamari kahani produce kar rahe hai, toh hamare taraf bhi uski accountability aati hai...

"Lekin mai ek lekhika hun... mujhe hamare show se kitna ad revenue mil raha hai yeh janne se jyada iss baat mein interest hai ki hamari kahani se kitne badlaav aaye... ki hamari kahani ne kitne dilon ko chhua..."

And Sameer wasn't surprised to hear this at all. 

"Tumhe pata hai bataur lekhika meri sabse badi haar kis baat mein hogi?"

Sameer raised his brows, urging her to continue.

"Meri sabse badi haar tab hogi jab sirf business ko dhyan mein rakhkar mujhe meri kahani mein aise badlaav karne padenge jisme mai khud vishwas nahi rakhti... jo meri soch nahi hai... uss din mere andar ki lekhika haar jayegi..."

"Jaise Vinayji ne bataya ki hum saas-bahu ke beech tension dikha sakte hai?"

"Nahi matlab kya zaroorat hai woh sab dikhane ki?" Naina freed herself from his hold, the topic getting on her nerves again. She paced in the small space, her brows knitted and her hands on her hips.

Sameer only laughed, knowing that he had awakened Naina Devi in her, intentionally. He really wanted to know what was her reasoning behind her not agreeing to it, the discussion which was never completed in the meeting.

"Lekin problem kya hai isme? Matlab, Preeti ke ghar toh roz hi aisa hota tha..." Sameer countered, trying to get a reaction from her.

Naina dashed to him and swatted on his arm hard. "Yahi... yahi problem hai... ki aaj har dusre ghar mein hamein yahi dekhne milta hai... Sameer, hamein yeh jo mauka mila hai na... ise hamein samaaj ko aage badhane ke kaam mein laana chahiye... na ki usse pichhe dhakelne mein...

"jitna hum mahilaon ko kitchen mein dikhayenge, utna woh kitchen mein hi uljhi rahegi... utni unki zindagi kitchen mein hi seemit rahegi... kyunki unke pasandeeda show ki herione bhi toh wahi kar rahi hai... toh woh prerna kisse legi? Aur agar aaj hum aise progressive shows likhenge na, tabhi woh aage bhi bante rahenge..."

Sameer's eyes twinkled as he took a stride to cover the distance between them, pride and respect for his wife filling his heart. He was again bowled over by Naina's thinking, her vision, her virtues and values.

"Abhi hamein producers ke sath thoda bahot adjust karna hi padega Naina," Sameer voiced, seeing Naina's lips falling down. "Lekin I promise," he whispered, taking her hand and enclosing it with both of his palms, "jis din mere haath mein sab hoga na... saare faisle, poori authority... uss din se main tumhe kisi bhi baat par compromise karne nahi doonga... mai tumhare andar ke lekhika ko kabhi haarne nahi doonga Naina..."

Naina's eyes pooled with happiness, her lips taking the upward turn as her heart surged with pride and respect for her husband. She caressed his cheek, feeling the rasp of his stubble. Since he had no burden of auditions on his shoulder, his shaving routine had relaxed much.

"Kya hai?" Sameer asked amused, when her thumb travelled on his lips.

A giggle left her mouth, "matlab jab tum producer banoge tab na?" she asked.

"Haan toh usme kya hai... bann jaunga na..."

This time Naina laughed whole-heartedly, squeezing his cheeks in her fingers and wobbling his face.

"Thik hai... woh hum baad mein dekh lenge... lekin abhi tum meri agle track ke baare mein sochne mein madad karoge..." she almost commanded, taking out her bangles and unpinning her pallu.

"Nahi... bilkul nahi..." Sameer announced, "with your due permission madam, mai agle 3-4 din tak koi kaam nahi karne wala... aur sirf mai hi nahi... tum bhi nahi karogi..."

"3-4 din? Pagal ho gaye ho kya?" Naina's eyes widened, "itne din office se kais—"

Seeing Sameer holding a laugh and blushing, something struck her.

"Ek minute... tumne kuchh toh kiya hai jo mujhe pata nahi hai, hai na?"

Sameer released the giggle he had stifled, he pulled Naina closer to him with her arm, "Naina... tumhe nahi lagta hum itne mahinon se jo non-stop kaam kar rahe hai, uske wajah se ek writer's block mein ja rahe hai? Mai khud toh mehsoos kar hi raha hun, lekin mai tumhe bhi dekh raha hun... hamein ek break ki zaroorat hai... iss routine se, iss kahani se... iss shaher se..."

"Iss shaher se?" Naina furrowed her brows, "Sameer tum kya soch rahe ho—"

"Shshshshshsh...." He hushed her, placing his index finger on her lips. It was as if the moment was paused, everything became still and quiet.

"Hum ghumne jaa rahe hai..." he revealed, making Naina gasp.

"Kahan?" She asked, skipping all the unnecessary questions and arguments, as she was in the daze of the moment.

Sameer leaned towards her, closer to her lips and seeing her stiffen, but then bypassing it, he moved close to her ear, whispering something.

The hair on Naina's nape stood erect just due to his husky voice and the slight touch of his lips on her ear. But the words he whispered made the heat and blood travel all around her body and especially to her cheeks, turning them into crimson red.

Sameer enjoyed the state Naina had submerged into, wishing to see the exact same reaction from her.

He waited for a few moments to let Naina meet her eyes with him, to see the happiness and excitement in her eyes.

When they met again, he mumbled, "pack your bags Mrs. Maheshwari!!!" winking at her.

********

A slightly longer chapter, but I didn't want to split it in two. So thanks in advance for reading it till here.

How was the chapter guys? Do let me know?

How do you feel seeing the WRITER side of Naina and Sameer? We didn't really get to see much of that in the show.

What do you feel about Naina's opinions about writing and it as a business? do you agree with what she said?

Excited for Samaina's vacation? Where are they going?😀

Well, while I'm utterly grateful to all those who are voting and commenting regularly here, many other regular ones have stopped voting and commenting.

I don't know if I'm boring you all with my story, but it's quite demoralizing. Well, only a few chapters left now, so bear with me till then and do support. Pretty please.

Love, Mugs ♥️