Kabhi to nazar milao

Taare

"Sameer... ", Naina tried to move away.

His hands on her waist tightened.

" Aaj tumhara birthday hai toh ek gift mil sakta hai", she tried to sound as normal as she could.

He raised his brows.

She moved her hand towards him.

He held it, slowly bringing it up to his lips, and placed a tight kiss, never taking off his eyes from Naina's face which was getting redder.

When he did not move his lips away from her hand, Naina looked up... and the moment their eyes met, he kissed again.

She pulled her hand away, and went back on the mat,  sitting down with hands around her knees.

Sameer quickly kneeled down next to her, holding one ear "Sorry, tum gussa ho?"

She looked at him with a straight face, then broke into a smile, pulling down his hand, "Nahi hun... lekin ab aur badmaashi nahi".

He nodded like a child and she laughed.

" Pata hai Sameer, aaj tumhe yahan aane mein der kyon hui?"

"Haan, woh Rahul aa gaya tha... aise hi baatein karne... main usse kuch keh nahi paya... bas isiliye", he frowned, thinking about the time wasted in talking to Rahul while Naina waited for him.

She gave him a secretive smile, " Rahul ko maine hi bola tha... tumhe wahan se jaldi na nikalne dene ke liye. "

His eyes grew wide, "Tumne bola tha? Kyon? Usse bata diya iss jagah ke baare mein?"

"Nahi, nahi... usse toh bas yeh pata hai ki maine tumhe kahin bulaya hai... kisi surprise ke liye... main chahti thi hum der tak yahan rukein... andhere mein taare dekhen",  she looked at the sky, which was now glittering with millions of stars.

Sameer followed her gaze, looking at the dark sky, illuminated with the  tiny stars that were so small yet seem to hide the darkness of the sky behind them.

Sameer shifted to rest his back against the tree, still lost in the beauty of the night sky.

Naina looked at the calm expression on his face... and moved closer to him. 

They sat against the tree, she was comfortably settled in the crook of his arm, his hand around her shoulder... both watching the stars.

Back in her room later, Naina prayed for him... his happiness... his success and his dreams coming true.

Realising that the dreams included getting married to her, she coloured.

It was a night of peaceful sleep for Sameer. He had never liked his birthday before today... it was the day he waited for his mother, sitting alone in hostel... and she often forgot to call up also. Only once in the entire ten years of his hostel life did his mother come to meet him on his birthday... that too, because the Principal had called the parents to complain about his unruly behaviour.

She didn't wish him... she forgot it was his birthday. Rather, she had shouted at him... for bringing bad name to his new father's reputation.

Sameer had since then, hated this day. Even when he was with nanu, besides letting him do a little pooja for Sameer in the morning, he never had any celebration or party.

But Naina had broken this shell too... she had brought him out of the darkness... and his life which was like the sky at night, got illuminated with the stars of her small efforts...

" Meri kaali, andheri zindagi tumne apni baaton, apni in choti choti harkaton ke taaron se sajaa di hai... ab mere saare andhere door ho gaye... hamesha ke liye."