Naina woke up early with the shrill ring of alarm.
"Offo, yeh aadhi raat ko kyon alarm laga diya?" Sameer mumbled, turning towards her, resting his hand heavily on her waist.
She quickly switched it off.
"Tum hamesha kaise uthte the... alarm se itne pareshan ho jaate ho." She muttered under her breath.
"Tum saath ho toh kyon uthna hai... bas aise hi mere paas soyi raho." He tightened his arm on her waist, bringing her against himself, nestling in her neck.
She smiled... he did not miss anything... however low her voice was... in fact, he could even hear what was in her mind...
"Uh... Sameer... humein jaana hai na... toh uthne do mujhe... tum thodi der aur so sakte ho." She whispered in his ear.
He opened one eye, "Thodi der se bhi toh jaa sakte hain... raat mein nikalna kyon zaroori hai."
"Raat nahi hai, baba, subah ke paanch baj rahe hain... dekho bahar din nikalne laga hai." She pointed towards the balcony.
"Pata nahi, mujhe toh sirf chaand nazar aa raha hai." He dropped a kiss on her cheek, going back to hide his face in her hair.
Heavy lidded eyes, gruff voice, ruffled hair, warmth from his bare chest seeping into her, brushing of his nose against her neck, the quick kiss... everything was making every cell of her body crave to remain in the cocoon of his embrace... why they had to go anywhere when the best place was here... in his arms.
The sound of movement outside the door made her realise that their friends were up too. She looked back at his face... he hadn't shaved yesterday. The darkness on his jaw had increased enough to raise her heartbeat. She cupped his face, kissing his chin, then brushed her lips against his. His lips curled into a satiated smile.
"Jaane do please, nahi toh late ho jaayenge." She said in a soft low voice.
"Itne se nahi hoga... jaana hai toh thoda aur." He didn't relent.
"Sameer, abhi nahi... Lonavala jaake... pakka." She wriggled, pushing at his hands around her.
"Promise?" He opened his eyes.
She nodded.
"Wahan thode se nahi hoga... woh offer abhi khatam ho gaya... wahan jaake bohot saara... theek hai?" His voice was clearer.
She laughed, "Haan baba, theek hai... jitna bologe."
He squeezed her tight, giving a wide smile, all traces of sleep vanishing from his eyes. With another kiss on her cheek, he rolled to the side, setting her free to go.
All she wanted was to go back to him, hide in his arms, rub her face against his delectable stubble, stay enveloped in his musky scent...
With a sigh, she got up.
Fifteen minutes later, when she came out after her bath, he was sitting up in bed, holding a pillow tightly, lost in thoughts.
"Sameer, jao naha lo... mera ho gaya." She called out.
He placed the pillow back and got up... a sly smile on his face.
"Kya hua?" Naina questioned, seeing him smile.
He shook his head, going to the washroom.
With a knowing wave of her head, she got back to getting ready... whatever he had been thinking will come to her sooner or later... more sooner than later, since it was him.
They were ready in less than half an hour. Naina had packed a change of clothes for them in a small bag, in case they decided to stay for the night.
