Aye Mere Humsafar |SamAina

04| khushiyon ka naya raah

AS soon as Sameer entered the confines of the white mansion, he could feel the weight of an eerie silence in the air seeing his Nanu with creased lines on his forehead as he rested on the armchair. Sameer's footsteps made him conscious and he looked up at him with what the former could decipher as anger and hurt. He saw this coming. He had to face this sometime or the other. Taking a deep sigh, he went to sit beside Jayprakashji.

The two of them stayed silent for a while.

"Vishakha ka call aaya tha mujhe. Bohot gussi hai tujhse woh."

Before Sameer could form an answer, Nanu asked him. "Beta, tune mujhe bataya kyun nahi?"

Sameer spoke with a thick voice, "Nanu, I was about to tell you. But...", he trailed off looking down at the ground with tears blurring his eyes.

"Lekin kya, beta?"

"Lekin Nanu, main darr gaya tha. Darr gaya tha ki kahin yeh sab janne ke baad bhi agar aapne mujhe firse hostel bhej diya toh? Ya shayad aap mujhe apne ghar se hi nikal do toh?" A lone tear escaped his eye as he continued, "Nanu, wahan mujhe bohot akela mehsoos hota tha. Sab matlab se dosti karte the. Kisiko meri parwah nahi thi. Ek, ek ghootan si mehsoos hota tha wahan mujhe."

Without a word, Nanu engulfed him in a hug as Sameer continued sobbing silently. He parted from the hug for a while and asked him, "Nanu, aap mujhe nikaloge toh nahi na?"

With a small smile, Jayprakashji lightly slapped his shoulders replying, "Pagal! Aisa soch bhi kaise sakta hai? Mera sab kuch toh hai hu, beta."

A smile made its way on Sameer's lips as he hugged him again. "Mere pyaare Nanu!" And he chuckled at his small grandson.

~♡~

The next morning, Jayprakash Maheshwari looked up from the newspaper he was reading and called his grandson who was strumming his guitar.

"Beta, now you have to take admission in a school. Aise bina padhai ke toh zyaada din nahi chalega, barkhurdar!"

"Kya Nanu, phirse padhai padhai ". Sameer made faces as his Nanu broke into laughter.

Jayprakashji called his most trusted secretary, Munshiji and asked him to show the English Medium schools in Ahmedabad to Sameer.

Just as he was about to go out with Munshiji, Munna and Pandit arrived. "Kahan jaa raha hai bhai?"

Sameer told them about his admission and before he finished, Pandit exclaimed, "Arre toh humara school dekh lena phir!"

Munna nodded silently though he knew that he wouldn't shift to a Hindi medium school like theirs. On the contrary, Sameer's mind went back to the braided girl with books clutched near her chest and he welcomed the idea wholeheartedly. He weighed the pros and cons looking at Munna and Pandit. Their genuineness was something Sameer never received back in his hostel in Nanital.

Nanu straight away denied upsetting Munna-Pandit, but Sameer tried to convince him. "Nanu, waise bhi toh inn dus saalon mein maine English bohot seekh liya. Waise bhi meri Hindi toh weak hi rahi hai humesha. Please Nanu, main yahin pe padhunga." He looked at his Nanu with solemn eyes.

Jayprakashji looked at their hopeful eyes anticipating for a positive reply. He smiled and nodded.

Loud laughter and hollering echoed across the walls of the Maheshwari mansion.

Munna-Pandit was bust showing every nooks and corners of their school to Sameer after he arrived with Munshiji, whose eyes were searching for her. It was as if every brick of Pragati Vidya Ka Mandir carried their memories in bits and pieces. Now Sameer knew whenever they talked of their school, they became so lost and their eyes shine with just its mention. He, on the other hand, found it difficult to remember if he had any memories in Nainital. The frown on his face was immediately replaced when he reached the Canteen. The aroma of different types of delicacies reached his nose as the students chattered and enjoyed themselves. He watched people bargaining and buying Campa Colas, Samosas, Pav and so on. In those days, happiness could he bought with a trivial amount of money.

Munna-Pandit introduced Sameer to their friends and they all played a round of Antakshari knowing Sameer was a fine singer. He gave Munna a twenty rupees note and asked him to bring cold drinks and Samosas for each one of them.

Just then he noticed an open tiffin box with his favorite Aloo ke Paranthe. He immediately reached out for it and gobbled the entire parantha. He licked his fingers off tasting it. It was easily the best thing every he had eaten.

Munna and Pandit pulled him by his wrist and went around showing the library where Munna had many memories with his frock wala Pandit. As they heard the bell ring, they sadly bid goodbye to Sameer. He gave them an understanding smile and looked around. He was never a fan of books. They scared the life out of him. His eyes went to a copy of the famous Romeo Juliet which was not kept properly. People in his previous school used to talk about it a lot. Maybe someone had kept it in a hurry. He picked it out and read the summary on the other side of the cover. A sarcastic chuckle smile escaped his lips and he went down to pen down his thoughts on the last page and kept the book back on the shelf. His heart warmed with all the love showered by Munna Pandit but still he felt something amiss. He still couldn't find that girl.

~♡~

Naina rushed to the Canteen realizing the recess was about to get over in a few minutes. She reached the table only to find her best friend, Swati and Preeti chatting about Maine Pyaar Kiya with Kamya and her tiffin box full of her favourite Aloo ke Paranthe, empty! She glared at Swati who furrowed her eyebrows. "Mere tiffin tune khaaye hain na?"

Swati was quick to defend herself. "Arre main bhala kyun khaungi? Woh roz ka tinde khaane ka koi shauq nahi chadha hai mujhe."

"Aaj Aloo ke Paranthe bane the!" Naina grieved in remorse. 

How would she know that the one who stole all her possessions was on his way to steal her heart too?

A/N: Sorry for being an outcast for so many days. I had loads of projects to complete and my exams are going on now. But how could I leave my fav couple on Valentine's Day?:p I'll try to update regularly from March. Thanks for staying by! <3