Is he the one?

35 ) Hello . . .

S.

S.

S.

It was all roaming in her mind. She glared at Preeti who was sleeping peacefully. She glanced at her palm. It conveyed something to her. Something that disturbed her. Something she could not identify. A pale smile reached her lips. It was his letter. His starting letter. Sameer's. That made her smile yet with a sadness hidden in it. That might be her fate.

Wait.

She got up immediately and rushed towards the washroom. Tomorrow her father would come. If he saw this, he would surely murder Naina.

She placed her palm in the cold water and watched it travelling in the ups and downs of her palm. That's life. Filled with ups and downs. A simple change in Naina's. It was only steeping downwards.

Naina rubbed the letter. It pained, like a stab in her heart. She couldn't even rub away a letter of his. How would she rub him out of her life? She wondered.

Ring. Ring.

She turned off the tap and went out. She picked up the phone.

"Hello . . . " Naina spoke in a low tone carefully not to wake up anyone.

"Hello . . . " Was all she received from the other side. That was enough for her to identify who it was. Her breath was stuck. She was hearing the voice in phone after a long gap. Very long gap.

"Hello . . . " She whispered subconsciously.

"Hello . . . " Was the reply from him. She stood, clutching the phone tightly, as if trying to clutch Sameer and not to let him go from her. She didn't know what to respond. But, she would stand the whole night, hearing the one word from him. His voice. That's all she needed. She slowly went to the balcony. She sighed once she reached and chuckled. This was what she used to do in school days.

She placed the phone in her ear. There was no sound. Maybe he ended the call. The twinkle in her eyes was gone and again, a blank fluid filled it with sadness. She was still holding the phone to her ear, in a hope he would speak. But he didn't. She was about to keep the phone down when she heard his voice in a very low tone than a whisper. No one would have heard it. But she did.

"Naina . . . " He said. He couldn't raise his voice. It was adamant to come out of his throat. He knew, Naina found his voice. How she would not? But she didn't speak. He shouldn't blame her. It was him who called her. He should speak up. But he could not. Guilty was spinning him off. Sameer was the reason for Naina's tears. That was making him mad. He wanted to talk with her. To make sure that she was okay. He called her. Now, he stood helpless like a 2 year old child, struggling to frame words.

"A-are.....you....okay.....?......" He stammered and gulped, wondering if she would lash at him. But her side of response was confusing for him.

"What? Why are you asking this question?" She questioned, as a frown adorned her face. Her voice was clear and not like how he heard.

"U--hhh! That....you...were.....angry...,right?....." He framed a sentence, not in a very good way. He didn't know why he couldn't speak to her.

"When?"

"At Preeti...I heard it. Preeti was talking to me. That's when you yelled at her." He finally told it and sighed in relief that his way of speaking is back a little.

"Oh......." Her voice was low now. "Why are you asking sorry? It's her mistake."

"....Naina....It's me, who asked her to do so........." He confessed and hung his head low. Guilty was clear in his face. Naina could not see it. But she felt it.

She smiled. "It's okay, Sameer."

His eyes shot up. She wasn't angry? Then why she scolded Preeti in such a way?

"Naina, please don't cut your palm. I promise, I won't do this mistake from now. Please, Naina!" He pleaded, as he remembered her telling Preeti that she would cut her palm, right in the place of his letter. It made him restless. He called Preeti a lot of times. There was no response from her side. He was scared to hell and he tried calling Naina. And, she picked it up!

Naina laughed, causing him to be confused. "I said it just to scare Preeti. I won't do such thing." She was overwhelmed at how he cared for her. His voice. That concerned tone. That made her eyes wet. He loved her so much. But she! She made him cry and herself to cry. She felt they were made for each other only in the past. Maybe, they were still.

He sighed, which was heard by her clearly. She smiled slightly which could be considered as a blush too.

"Naina . . . " His voice was filled with hesitation and he bit his lower lip.

"I am . . . " She responded in a low tone with the slight curve of her lips, while her eyes were moist. Only Sameer could do this to Naina. Make her weep in happiness.

"Naina . . . "

"Hmm . . . "

"Will you? . . . "

"Huh?!"

"Will you do it. . . ?" He again left the sentence incomplete.

"Sameer, tell properly."

"Will you leave your hair free tomorrow at Sangeet?" Sameer said finally in one go and sighed.

Naina's voice was stern as she spoke, "Tomorrow? Free hair?" Her voice became soft again and she giggled. "I will do for sure. You feared for this?" She chortled again, heartily. It rang like a bird's chirping in dawn in his ears. He smiled, unknowingly. It sounded like the most melodious song in the world.

"Hello . . . " She voiced as a whisper, seeing no reply from him.

"Hello . . . " He replied mischievously, grinning. Only he knew how much he missed their late night talks. Her being scared. Cute. Those talks about moon. Hey!

"Naina! Do you remember how we used to say that each other's face can be seen in the moon?"

Her eyes popped as she reminisced the moments of them. Them. Being so childish.

"How I will not? I can still see your face in it. You are my moonlight in the darkness of the night, Sameer." Her voice cracked and tears stood stagnate in the corner of her eyes. She spoke whatever came in her mind. That's Naina with Sameer. She never felt hiding anything from him. He made her share everything with him. With an ease. With a comfort. Like, cosy bed made by the mother bird for its small kid.

"Then why did you decide to stay in the darkness, Naina? You don't want the moonlight? You don't want your Sameer?"

Each and every word pressed against Naina like a sword. She shut her eyes. A lone tear rolled down her cheeks. She didn't have any answer to that. She didn't.

"Why Naina? Why?" Sameer tried to keep his voice as soft as possible. He couldn't hold. He wanted his Naina back. No, he needed her back. He knew Naina would not answer. But her silence said her love for him.

Ting. Ting. Ting.

A pale stretch appeared on his lips as he realised, the line was dead, like his little heart without Naina.
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See you guys another day with next part, until then it's bye from Rashi, signing off from here. CHEERS!!!