Kaun Apna Kaun Paraya

Part 2

Thank you for the encouraging feedback to the first part of the story. Here's Part 2 of this story! Hope you all like it! :) 

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Rohan was on the phone, "Ahaan...hmmm hmm...theek hai...10 baje....haan...okay".

He hung up suddenly as he saw Sameer enter the drawing room. Sameer was slightly surprised seeing Rohan on the phone, that too this early in the morning.

"Wo dost ko padhana hai aaj subah jaake," Rohan offered an explanation even before Sameer could ask.

Sameer just nodded as he sat down at the table for breakfast. 'Masala Pohe...!' The mere sight of the dish made Sameer nostalgic as he recalled how Naina had taught him how to prepare poha for the first time. She'd still been angry at him that time, yet Sameer remembered those moments fondly. At least, he'd got to spend some time with Naina in private that day.

"Sameer...kya hua? Itne upset kyun ho? Naina ki chitthi late ho gayi hogi....," Rohan consoled his step-brother. Sameer just hung his head in gloom.

"Kya naseeb hai mera yaar...usse itni door aa gaya...mil nahi sakta, phone pe baat nahi kar sakta...aur ab ye Bharatiya Post bhi hamari love story ki villain ban gayi hai!" Sameer exclaimed in frustration.

Rohan patted his shoulder and joked, "chinta mat kar...pehle nashta kha le...Mummy ne banaya hai, Keshav ne nahi!"

Sameer couldn't resist a slight grin at this amidst his disappointment.

Post breakfast, both Sameer and Rohan got ready for school. It was the first day of his new school and Sameer already hated everything about it! He felt like he was a kindergarten kid back again, and he was fighting with his mother, wailing, because he didn't want to go to school. As compared to Pragati Vidya ka Mandir's bright blue and white uniforms, St. Peters had a dull grey and white combination. Sameer longed to go back to his own school, back to Ahemdabad, back into Naina's arms.

"Sameer...chalo...!" Sameer's reverie was broken by Rohan's call.

He sulked as he came down the stairs and sat inside the car with his step-siblings, step-father and his mother. As they drove along, Sameer focused on looking out of the window. Ten minutes into the ride, he spotted a temple on the way.

"Roko, roko, roko...," he shouted urgently to the driver.

"Sameer...kya hua?" Vishakha asked as the car screeched to a halt.

"Mandir!" said Sameer briefly, as he got out of the car in a hurry and rushed over to the temple behind.

"Mandir?" Mr. and Mrs. Somani looked at each other, utterly clueless, while Rohan tried to hide his smile. "How love changes people!" he thought.

Everyone got out of the car to see what Sameer was up to. They followed him to the temple and saw him at the entrance, taking out his shoes before rushing up the stairs. The family too took their shoes out and followed him inside the temple. The sight that greeted them left them amazed and swelled Vishakha's heart with pride. "If only her mother-in-law was here!" she thought.

Sameer had closed his eyes and folded his hands in prayer in front of Lord Shiva. "Hey bhagwanji...aap to bholenath haina...aap to sabki sunte hain...sabke dil ki baat bhi jaante hain...18 din ho gaye hain, Naina ka koi khat nahi aaya...Munna, Pandit, Preeti, Shefali kisi se bhi kuch bhi pata nahi chal paa raha hai...bhagwanji meri Naina theek to hai na...mujhe aapse kuch nahi chahiye...bas aap Naina ka khayal rakhiye, main bas uske chehre pe khushi dekhna chahta hoon...wo khushi jo main kabse dekhne ke liye taras raha hun!" Sameer concluded.