Kabhi to nazar milao

Shock

As the first rays of sun filtered to her room through the thin curtains,  Naina got up and prepared tea.  While organising her books and notebooks for the day, suddenly she was reminded of the lonely figure in the ground.  She rushed out to check.  No one was visible.

"Pagal hai kya Naina,  koi raat bhar thodi yahan baithega." She chided herself. 

After getting ready,  as she combed her hair,  previous day's canteen incident came back to her...  her oily hair and old fashioned clothes were making her stand out...  no wonder other people were making fun of her. On an impulse she did not oil her hair...  but tied them up in a pony. Looking at her reflection,  she realised nothing could be done about the outfits. All her suits were similar style... she did have some long skirts but the tops were again of her taiji's choice. She and Preeti never got a chance to buy something stylish or pretty.  She sighed and picked up her bag and moved out,  locking the room.

Nisha was the first one Naina met as she stepped in the college, "Hi Naina,  pata hai kya... hamari freshers party hogi... dus din baad...  kitna maza aayega na." She excitedly hugged Naina. 

"Freshers party? " Naina felt a tinge of nervousness. 

Nisha chirped, "Haan yaar, soch, kitna maza aayega... party dresses pehnenge... dance karenge... shayad boys ke saath bhi dance karne ka mauka mil jaaye."

Seeing Nisha lost in her dreamland,  Naina looked around and noticed that all students were happily discussing about the upcoming event... everyone seemed to be over enthusiastic.  But she was in a dilemma.

Parties were not something she and Preeti got permission for... ever.  The only party she ever attended was the farewell of class XII...  that too because it was in the afternoon and her father was also present amongst the staff. The girls were all dressed in sarees and boys in suits.

And again his face flashed in front of her...  how incredibly handsome he looked in his blue suit and white shirt... she stole glances at him whole afternoon. When Kamya asked him for a dance, Naina had stopped breathing for a moment...  but thankfully he refused... without showing any disrespect. She was still lost in his thoughts when Sonali and Komal joined them, chatting animatedly and they all moved to their classroom.

Later, when the lecture was over,  Sonali nudged Naina, "Sun, tu party me kya pehnegi? Main to naya dress lungi...  waise to abhi mummy ne do naye dress banwaye the par ye mauka haath se kyon jaane dun?"

Naina gave her a small smile, "Main party mein nahi aa sakti...  mujhe ghar se permission nahi milegi."

Sonali gave her a shocked look, "Permission kyon leni hai...  tu toh hostel mein rehti hai...  ghar pe kuch kehna zaroori thori hai."

Naina's eyes widened, "Bina bataye kaise jaa sakti hun kahin?"

Sonali slapped her forehead.

Shifting closer to Naina, she tried to convince her, "Dekh tu toh yahan akeli hai... unhe kaise pata chalega ki tu party me jaa rahi hai?  Sab kuch batana zaroori nahin hota...  aur freshers party to har college me hoti hai... isme kuch galat thori hai... bas achche kapde pehnke aao, khao, piyo,  thori masti,  thora dance, kuch competitions aur phir Mr and Miss Fresher select honge...  kya pata tu Miss Fresher bhi ban jaaye."

Naina gave a shocked look to her, "Miss Fresher aur main? Pagal hai kya... meri shakal aur mere kapde dekhkar toh shayad mujhe party mein entry bhi na de."

Sonia smiled at her innocence, "Naina, tu bhi na... thora sa apna look change karegi toh dekhna...  saare ladke tujhe hi dance ke liye puchenge."

Her wink earned her an angry stare from Naina. 

But she continued, "Sach mein... ab aaj tune baalon mein tel nahi lagaya toh kitni different lag rahi hai... tere baal itne sunder aur lambe hain to kabhi khule bhi chora kar... aur kuch naye dresses lete hain tere liye... shopping chalegi?"

Naina felt embarrassed at her friend's open praises for her... but she knew that changing her style is not something she could do as easily as Sonali made it sound. 

Her family sent her money but she had asked for a very meagre amount, just enough to cover her hostel expenditure... she had her meals only in the mess and tried to avoid any expenditure in the canteen. She did not want to put any extra financial pressure on chachaji.  Her father had washed off his hands completely from her requirements, saying that sending her to Mumbai was Anand's decision.  Phulla bua gave her some money but Naina wanted to save that so she could ask even lesser amount from her chachaji next month. So,  shopping was totally out. 

"Main yeh sab kya soch rahi hun...  main aisi hi rahungi...  kapre badalne se koi khud thori badal jaata hai. Main to padaku behenji hi thik hun." Naina reprimanded herself.

"Sonali, party aur shopping ke baare mein baad me sochenge,  abhi to books nikal... lecture ka time ho gaya hai." She shook Sonali and straightened herself.

After the class,  everyone went to the canteen,  discussing about the upcoming event,  while Naina gathered her books and walked to the library. She sat down and opened her notes but somehow she was not able to concentrate. With a deep sigh, she got up and went to the fiction section. A vast world of words wooed her and Naina got lost in checking out one novel after the other. By the time she realised that the next class was due in no time,  she had selected five novels...  all love stories.  She quickly got them issued in her name and hurried for her lecture, hiding the books in her bag.

The excitement level of students had not subsided... it was raised to another level when their teacher announced that she won't be taking any class till the party and students could devote this time to preparations. To avoid participating in any more discussions, Naina silently moved out to the garden area. She settled on a solitary bench in a far corner and took out one of the novels... losing herself in the imaginary world of love.

A sudden sound of screeching bikes brought her back to the surroundings. Glancing at her watch, she realised she had been sitting there for almost two hours.  She had missed the lunch hour in the mess as well. Groaning at the thought, she got up thinking that again she'll have to survive on black tea till dinner time. The noise from the parking area caught her attention and she moved a few steps to get a clear view of what the guys were up to.

There were four bikes with three boys each and it appeared that they were into some kind of competition. Bikes were surrounded by a group of many others who were cheering the riders. The boy riding the first bike turned his face a bit to talk to his two friends seated behind and Naina froze.

It was him.

She had come all the way to Mumbai to run away from him, to rid herself of the pain she felt on seeing him, to maybe fall out of love with him... and he was right in front of her,  in her college.

Naina could not breathe.

It was Sameer.