Na Jaane Kyon...

Khwabon ki khayalon ki udaan hai... jazbon ka ab toh naya bayaan hai

Title is the song 'Rabb ka shukrana' from movie 'Jannat 2'

"Sameer, hum kahan jaa rahe hain?" Naina noticed the different roads.

They had been riding for quite some time, and she had been too riveted in the feel... there was a sense of freedom in letting the wind hit you like this, while the world swept by. It was different than being in a closed car, or for that matter, even in an aircraft. It made you feel like a part of everything around... unlike being enclosed in the metallic safety cocoon. This was her second bike ride in lifetime... but first in true sense. During the first one, she had been hugely awkward and conscious, anxiously hoping that she doesn't fall off the bike, to add to her discomfiture.

Today was different. With her arms wrapped tight around Sameer, she felt no fear. The wind was still cooler, against the warmth that wafted from his body, along with the musky scent that filled her nostrils. It was quite strange that she had not been aware of this strong, overpowering aroma previous time. But then, she was absorbed in her own dilemmas to such extent at that time that she failed to notice anything about him. And now... there was nothing that went unnoticed... from the way his slightly longer than usual hair tickled the back of his neck to the way they fell on his forehead in a wild mess whenever Sameer stopped at a signal, from the way veins on his sinewy forearms protruded when he changed gears to the way his muscles between shoulders clenched when she placed her head there, from the way he adored her through rear view mirror to the way his lips curled up when she purposely brushed her lips over his ear while saying something, from the way his heart pulsated under her palm to the way he drew in a breath when she confessed her love to him yet again.

All this did not let it register to her that they had taken a new direction, and now were in a place that she hadn't seen before.

Sameer tilted his head slightly to answer, "Yeh next surprise hai. You'll know soon."

She watched in wonder. There was a lot of greenery around... some kind of green belt, it seemed. Roads were wide, but not as wide as where they lived. Traffic was lesser too. Soon the structures started to come into view, which were definitely not houses or market complex or anything modern. With old type of architecture, huge black gates and sprawling gardens visible inside, this looked more like a part of some older era. And then she noticed the boards... announcing the identity of these ancient yet beautiful buildings. They were colleges of Delhi University.

Sameer looked over his shoulder, "Maine aur Rohan ne apne college ke teen saal yahan bitaye hain. Preeti, Sanjay, Raghav sab hamare saath the. Aaj yeh jagah itni deserted hai lekin weekdays mein yahan ka crowd dekhne layak hota hai."

"Aaj kyon laaye yahan? Weekday pe aate toh main bhi dekh leti kaisa crowd hai. Delhi University toh bohot famous hai." Naina was actually in awe that so many colleges were in one campus... in such serene surroundings.

"College aur crowd phir kabhi dikhaunga. Aaj kuch aur hai." He grinned, making her more curious.

When Sameer turned into a lane that was much narrow than other roads, she noticed small shops selling food items. More than the place, she was shocked by the person who sprang to attention when they stopped.

With hands on waist, Preeti narrowed her eyes, "Mujhe time pe bula ke khud itne late... raaste mein romance karne ruk gaye the kya?"

Naina gaped at her, "Tum yahan kaise?"

Preeti chuckled, "Achha, tujhe abhi tak bataya nahi. Yeh Sameer bhi na, secrets rakhne mein expert hai. Mujhe agar kal pata hota toh maine pakka bata diya hota pehle hi. Lekin isne aaj subah hi phone kiya."

Naina looked at Sameer. He pointed at a shop around the corner.

It was a chaat shop.

"Shop nahi khareed raha lekin chaat khane toh laa sakta hun na... tumhari doosri pasand." He smiled fondly.