Kabhi to nazar milao

Solution

Sameer was restless. He wanted to see her... or at least hear her voice. Pacing in the room, he kept thinking and rejecting ideas one after the other.

Munna Pandit sat quietly on the bed, watching his movements.

In frustration, he landed a fisted hand on the punching bag hanging in the room.

"Bhai, itni der se kamre mein pair ghis raha hai... bahar nikal gaya hota toh ab tak Mumbai pohonchne wala hota." Pandit remarked with a serious face.

Sameer shot him a murderous look, "Dekh Pandit, abhi mazak ke mood mein nahi hun."

"Tera mood toh dikh raha hai humein... par yeh bata na iska ilaaj kya hai?" Munna tried to pacify him.

"Wohi toh samajh nahi aa raha... kya karun... kaise karun... Naina se baat karni hai, yaar... please, kuch socho." His frustration was turning into desperation.

"Kehte hain na pyaar karne wale toh dil ki baat sun lete hain... tu bhi bhabhi se dil hi dil mein baat kar le", Pandit showed off his intelligence again.

Sameer threw a cushion at him, "Munna, isse samjha de, warna saara gussa aaj issi pe nikal jayega."

"Haan, haan, bhai, main samjhata hun, tu shant reh", Munna again tried to calm him down, gesturing at Pandit to remain quiet.

Some things are not meant to happen.

"Tu na aisa kar, Preeti se baat kar le... bhabhi naa sahi bhabhi ki behen sahi", Pandit suggested.

Munna had to hold Sameer to stop him from hitting Pandit.

"Arre bhai, poori baat toh sun le", he gave an ingenious look to his friend.

Naina had been sitting upright in the bed, clutching her pillow. She had just come back after dinner and the gloom had surrounded her again. She was not able to breathe... Sameer had been away for two days and it felt like two lifetimes.

A knock on the door made her jump.

"Tumhare ghar se phone hai", the ayah informed her.

She ran down.

"Naina, kaisi hai behen?" Preeti's voice brought some relief.

"Theek hun, tu bata... ghar pe sab kaise hain?" She asked about chachaji and chachiji.

"Yahan sab theek hai... lekin tera haal toh bura hoga na jijaji ke bina", Preeti asked in a low voice.

Naina was suddenly alert, "Preeti, tujhe kaise pata? Sameer aaya tha kya wahan? Kya kaha usne? Kis kis se mila? Pagal hai poora... kyon gaya abhi se ghar pe? Taiji dekh leti toh", her heart shuddered, "Preeti, taiji ne dekha toh nahi na?"

Preeti waited patiently for the barrage of questions to end.

"Ho gaya?" She asked when Naina was finally quiet.

"Hmm", a meek voice was all she heard.

"Ab sun... jijaji nahi aaye yahan pe... unka phone aaya tha... tujhse baat karni hai... ab directly toh ladke ka phone aa nahi sakta na hostel mein... isliye maine phone kiya... ab main rakhungi aur ek minute baad jijaji ka phone aayega... tu yahin rehna... warden ko keh de phone kat gaya... jisse jab bell baje toh tu hi uthaye... samajh aa gaya ya fir se bataun?" Preeti explained the whole plan to her sister.

Naina could not speak, she just nodded.

"Bol Naina, samajh aaya ki nahi", Preeti's voice made her realise that she could not see her nod.

"Hn... haan... samajh aa gaya", she blurted.

"Chal bye, yahin rehna... aur hum dono baad mein baat karenge", Preeti smiled and disconnected.