The silence of the night was broken by a faint sound of a car door closing. The street was completely deserted. It was fifteen minutes to midnight.
Sameer reached Naina's society with Munna Pandit. The wooden ladder that Arjun had placed before going home after dropping Preeti was lying against the wall, hidden from the view of passerbys.
With the help of his friends, Sameer got the ladder in place... right under her balcony. With his friends holding it secure, he climbed up. Once he was inside, he waved at them. Without a sound, they placed the ladder back and walked to the parked car. They had four hours to sleep. Sameer would wait for them at four in the morning.
The door was half ajar. Naina liked to keep it open at night... he had come to know from experience at the hostel.
He entered the room. There was no lamp... just the faint light of streetlight. It was enough for him to make out the silhouette of things. He waited a few seconds, recalling the placement of furniture from his visit last year... and walked to the small carton kept with the pile of cardboard boxes that had come from Mumbai.
With hardly any sound, he did everything that he wanted. Then he bent down to pull out the box from under the bed. Opening it, he took out the white and pink round cake and placed it on the glass tray that was in the carton. One lit candle in the center and he was ready to wish his beautiful wife on her most important day... at the stroke of twelve.
But before that, he had to do something very important. He pulled out a black cloth strip from his pocket... and tied it around her eyes. She stirred slightly, when he took it under the side which rested on her arm... then settled back.
"Happy birthday darling." He whispered in her ear, lips brushing against it... leaning on her sleeping form.
Naina was sleeping on her side, with a hand under her cheek. In her dream, she could see him... she could feel him... she could hear him...
With a soft sigh, she turned on her back... and smelt him.
She tried to open her eyes... but something stopped them... she could feel more darkness around her... and she could feel his breath falling on her face. A surprised sound was muffled against his mouth as he pressed her shoulders into the pillow, kissing gently.
"Happy birthday darling." He repeated the wish, lifting his face but not making any effort to move away.
She blinked, still not able to believe he was here... in her room... wishing her on her birthday... or was she still dreaming... after all it was still dark.
"Sameer tum... " Her words were cut short as he bent again, taking her mouth more fiercely this time.
She was lost... lost in the sensation that filled her up... lost in the musky scent that surrounded her... lost in the pressure of his hands on her...
He was here.
And she parted her mouth... kissing him back... all thoughts about how, when, why taking a back seat.
He slipped his hands behind her once he felt she was over the shock... arching her up to fit against his half lying form. He held her head at the angle he could get best access... exploring her back and waist with the other.
Her hands went up to thread his hair, fisting their silky softness as her stomach clenched with his heated kiss. He left her mouth and started to shower her face with small kisses, going to the soft skin behind the ear. She let out a soft whimper, stiffening as he took her ear between his teeth.
"Kya hua?" He immediately lifted his head, knowing that it was a sound of pain.
"Kuch nahi." She lied.
