Prem Vivah

• Phulla Bhua •

Prashant was quietly driving while giving a tough time to Sameer who was sitting on the back side with Sarita on right and Naina on left. Nishikant preferred the front seat as he wanted to guide his son where to take the car, and both of them weren't leaving any chance to stare at the young boy, who felt uncomfortable with their heated gaze.

"Naina?" Sameer lightly tapped on his fiance's wrist, trying to draw her attention

"What?" Naina asked him in a low voice.

"Yeh tumhare dear father aur brother kabse mujhe rear mirror se dekh rahe hai," Sameer informed her in a meek tone which unfortunately was heard by Sarita. She couldn't help but cough a little to alert the young boy that his voice was audible to her.

Sameer glanced back at his future mother-in-law, and Sarita avoided any eye contact with the young guy. Naina rolled her eyes in response and said - "Don't look at them."

"Aise kaise chalega, meri anxiety badha rahe hai yeh log," Sameer told his woman with a puppy face, and surreptitiously eyed Prashant who hardened his look while driving the car as if he noticed his gaze on him.

"Yeh pehno tum." Naina unzipped her bag and took out a cucumber eye pack.

"Yeh kya hai?" Sameer asked her while holding the icy-icy thing in his colossal hand.

"Kakdi ka eye relief mask hai, ise apne aankon pe rakho...it will make you feel relaxed." Naina shared a piece of information with her man, and Sameer found this useful for the current situation. He quickly put the gel mask over his eyes and comfortably rested his head against the leather gray headrest, and Sarita laughed a little.

They reached Bandra Terminus in the afternoon, and Naina was trying to hold Sameer's hand while crossing the platform, but he, being a shy guy, was maintaining distance between their hands. She shook her head in utter annoyance and quickened her pace to show him how aggressive she was at his unromantic gesture. Sameer helplessly stared at his angry bird with disbelief on his face and tried to match the long and hurried steps these people were taking to meet the special woman.

Finally, people began to unload from the train with heavy luggage and plastic bags carried on their shoulders, and Naina was searching for a specific lady. She curiously peered at the traffic-jam gate, continuously biting her lower lip, and paced around the flat platform with hands on either side of the waist. Sameer was itching his thick eyebrow while yawning in boredom, and Prashant glared at his soon-to-be JI-JA-JI with exasperation. Sameer quickly stood straight, head erected as if he was standing in the queue of the military, and soon he saw his woman beaming at the grey-haired lady, rushing to hug her.

Sameer recognized the smiling woman to be his future Sasur Ji's aunt, and there was an extremely heavy and live-elephant laggardly walking behind the lady. He twisted his lips in confusion while trying to recollect if Naina mentioned anything about this woman, and soon realization slapped him as he remembered that this lady, draped in a banarsi orange saree carrying the weightage of bags on her shoulders while hyperventilating was the grey-haired woman's daughter-in-law. He quickly rushed to touch their feet as a good and cultured boy, and the aged lady scrutinized him dubiously at first, making him and Naina feel nervous at her unwelcoming attitude. 

"Kya hua?" Naina asked her father's aunt in a soft voice.

"Toh yeh hai woh Sameer?" The grey-haired lady stridently asked the young girl standing next to her.

"Jjji," Naina uttered, in a meek tone.

Prashant thought that his father's aunt didn't find Sameer good enough for a precious diamond like Naina, and hence he spoke amusingly - "Haan, I know aapko laga hoga ki ekdum koi suit me ladka aayega but..."