Aye Mere Humsafar |SamAina

05| hawa ka jhonka

IT had hardly been two minutes into the next chapter and Preeti could not bear the struggle of studying it for another hour. Watching her sister making notes and going through the book gravely, contrary to her own state, infuriated her further. Not being able to control anymore, she burst out. "Aur kitna padhegi? I can't do this anymore!"

Naina rolled her eyes at her and continued analyzing the characters, gaining her a jerk from Preeti. "Itni padhai nahi hoti na mujhse yaar! Uth ja na ab!"

She crossed her arms across her chest and chided her sister. "Sirf teen hi toh chapters huye hai. Aur tujhe abhi se masti sujh raha hai! Do hafte baad tests shuru hone wale hai pata haina? Abhi nahi padhegi toh--"

Before she could complete, Preeti grumbled. "Do hafte! Bohot hote time hai yaar! Mujhse nahi hoga yeh!" She turned back her head, grimacing at Naina.

"Thik hai, as you wish. But I'm studying always", Naina responded with a sardonic smile.

Preeti turned to see her absorbed in books all again and made her go dizzy. She muttered under her breath, "Tujhe toh main padhati hoon!" Determined, she tiptoed her way towars the cassette player kept beside their bed on the nightstand.

Checking on her sister once again, she put the newly brought cassette from her classmate, Hema in the player and switched it on. The soothing melody of a song gradually started fading in.

dil deewana
bin sajna ke
maane naa..
yeh pagla hai
samjha ne se
samjhe na

And that did the magic. Naina finally looked up from her textbooks and began humming to herself the song faintly.

dhak dhak bole
it ut dole
bin raina..
yeh pagla hai
samjhane ne se
samjhene naa..

Preeti winked at her and pulled Naina for a small dance while the latter shook her head at her antics and laughed. "Chal sojaate hai na yaar. Aaj ke liye bas bohot ho gayi padhai", Preeti managed to utter between her yawns.

"Tu jaa, main kuch der baad aati hoon."

Scowling, she laid down on the bed not before chanting a "Jai, Naina Devi ki Jai!" and gradually sleep took over her. Naina saw her sister sleeping with a smile and turned her attention back to her books. After two hours of writing down the notes, she looked up at the wall clock and stretched her head, which ached after hours of being in the same position. Naina ambled her way to the balcony and saw all the shops and telephone booths shut. Her eyes went to the Maine Pyaar Kiya poster, painted about a month ago, glimmering under the street lights. A smile crept up on her lips reminiscing the day when the film was just released at the theaters and Preeti could not control her excitement to watch it. Naina, although wanted too, could not request her Chachaji for fulfilling such a wish. At last, somehow her sister convinced her father that if they went for the movie, she would get a seventy percent in the next exam.

Winds blew away her loose strands of hair tied in a messy ponytail, and she closed her eyes feeling the tranquility of the moment. Little did she know what strom awaited her the next day which was going to change her life forever.

~♡~

Sameer looked at the mirror, combing his hair for the umpteenth time. He smiled unknowingly thinking of her. He searched for her that day in the school but to no avail. Since then he had been growing eager to see her, even it was just a glimpse of her. It was quite implausible of the rough and tough Sameer Maheshwari to long so much for a girl, whom he hasn't even met yet. Girls were always after him in Nainital but he cared less. They never interested him with their animatic talks and repeated batting of eyelashes. But this girl in the picture had something different from all the others he had met before, which he is unable to pinpoint. Those hazel shaped eyes, he wanted to know more of them. More of her.

Sameer's chain of thoughts came to an end when Munna-Pandit hollered and hugged him tightly, happiness beaming in their eyes. "Chal bete, taiyaar?"

Applying the brake, Sameer's bike came to a halt. Taking a glance at the board outside reading Pragati Vidya Ka Mandir, he parked it at beside a cycle with a pink hue marking the end of the rows of cycles and shoved the key into his pockets. The creaking of the old, iron railings of the gate, sight of children playing Stapoo and a gust of wind fanning his cheek welcomed him.

He was turned around to call Munna but both his friends ran towards the premises of the school building, calling him to chase them. "Pakad ke dikha!" Sameer helped a chuckle before running after them towards the corridor.

Naina picked out some books on Classic Literature from the shelves and sat down on a chair in the Library and began making notes on her copy. Halfway through her notes, she suddenly sensed an excited Preeti gasping for breath along with Swati. "Naina, yaar, tujhe pata hai..", Preeti began but was immediately cut off by her sister. "Nahi!"

"Arre yaar, sun toh! There's this new boy in school, bohot handsome hai, bilkul Salman Khan jaisa! Humare hi class mein hai, uss Munna ka rishtedaar hai!" Swati beamed with admiring eyes as Preeti vehemently nodded her head.

"Aur naam bhi kitna badhiya wala hai! Sameer!"

Sameer. Naina whispered and the name felt so warm and strangely familiar on her lips. Immediately she shook her head out of the odd sensation as the two girls kept blabbering about him.

"Sameer? Matlab hawa ka jhonka?" Naina was least interested in the guy but somewhere she wanted to know more about him.

"Tu na bas word meanings hi dhundhti reh!" Swati chided her best friend.

"Yaar kitna haseen banda hai! Haaye!" Preeti kept her hand on the left side of her chest dreamily.

"Toh main jaake aarti ki thal le aaun uske liye!" Naina replied with a sarcastic tone and rolling eyes. "Aur woh hawa ka jhonka, woh badalta rahega. Kya ek begaane ladke ke peeche padh gaye!"

Preeti and Swati exchanged knowing glances and heaved in sigh. "Tu kya jaane inn begaane ladkon mein mazaa, jab tak tere palle hai padhai naam ki sazaa." Preeti teased and broke into laughter.

"Jee nahi! Yeh saza nahi, maza hai mere liye!" Naina protested.

"Leave me now you too, I need to complete my notes." She declared and picked up her pen again as her two friends-cum-sisters chatted about the begaana ladka.

Taking a look at her watch after five minutes, Naina headed out with books clutched on her chest. She was so lost in memorizing her notes while walking through the corridor that she was taken by surprise when suddenly a boy about her age came running towards her. Both raised their hands and turned sideways but ended up twirling around. Books and bags laid forgotten on the floor, time came to a standstill and for the first time ever, Naina Agarwal studied someone's eyes instead of books. For the first time ever, she felt as if she was swept off her feet, something akin to what she saw in movies. While Sameer's heart did a somersault seeing the girl from the picture right in front of him. The similar familiarity which he had felt that day at the Chai Shop was back. Lost in each other, they were both captivated by an unknown desire to know each other which pulled them into another set of twirls. The intimacy the moment exuded without even touching each other was ineffable.

The peon rang the bell declaring it was time for classes and the end of their twirl. Naina snapped out of the trance, picked up her books and muttered a faint "sorry" before leaving an overwhelmed Sameer amidst students running towards their respective classes, with a racing heart. Little did she know, the hawa ka jhonka was here in her life to take it in a new direction after she 'almost collided' with him.

A/N: So that was Sameer and Naina's first meet! What do you think of their moment? And any idea what's going to happen next? Thanks again for bearing with my late updates.