𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴

• 6 •

It was nearly evening time. There was still hustle and bustle of nurses and helpers running here and there, keeping in charge of all the requirements of the patients. Unswayed by this, there was a stillness among all four of them. They were uncertain about the future, especially Naina & Sameer. But all that mattered for Sameer was his Nanu's wish. His words were still ringing in their minds.

"Sameer, meri aakhri khwahish yahi hai ki tu Naina se shaadi karle.".

He knew he wasn't left with any choice other than complying with Nanu.

When he had told Munna-Pandit about Nanu's wish, they had been stunned. They had asked about this immediate decision, but Sameer & Naina didn't have an answer because they were still trying to ponder over it.

Naina knew that she was going to have a huge responsibility on her shoulders. She was a self-reliant woman, she didn't need anyone to look for her. She wasn't always like this. She too had dreams like those of an ordinary girl, she too wanted to be loved, to find her prince charming, to have a happy family, but, some vicious events of the past had snatched all those dreams away from her. Deep down, she still wanted that, but she had kept those feelings buried in the deepest corner of her heart and she didn't even want them to resurface any time soon.

Sameer asked Pandit to contact Mr Bhadoria, their lawyer, to make all the necessary arrangements and ask about the requirements regarding the marriage the next day. He wanted to finish this off as soon as possible due to uncertainty about Nanu's health. Munna had also gone with Pandit to accompany him.

The rest of the day went in a blur. Sameer spent most of the time besides Nanu keeping in check on him while he was asleep. Naina had nothing to do so she kept waiting outside the room and still prayed for him if there were any chances of his recovery. Sameer didn't attempt to talk to her about the marriage since he was sceptical about what to say.

Munna & Pandit had come back and told them that the time of marriage had been fixed at 4:00 pm the next day and they just have to sign the application form along with some necessary documents. Sameer and Naina both agreed to the same.

The nurse asked Sameer to leave the room since the patient needed to rest. He came outside and his gaze fell on Naina standing a bit far drinking water from the water cooler. He asked Munna to drop her home since it was quite late and it wasn't safe for her to go alone. Munna complied and asked Naina to come along with him. Naina peeked at Nanu one more time and took their leave. While going past Sameer, their eyes met for a moment but she was quick enough to avert her eyes.

After 25 minutes drive, Munna stopped the car in front of the apartment in which she lived. She was about to open the door when Munna stopped her, "Naina..."
Naina halted, "Yes sir..."
He said, "Kal shaadi hai tum dono ki...Main nahi jaanta Nanu ne kya sochke yeh decision liya hai, par, itna zarur jaanta hun ki unhone jo bhi kiya hoga bahut soch samajhkar kiya hoga..." He paused for a moment and then continued, "Pata nahi main yeh tumse kab bol paunga. Sameer bohot pyar karta hai apne Nanu se. Woh sirf yeh sab apne Nanu ki khushi ke liye kar raha hai. Itna kehna chahunga ki Nanu ke jaane ke baad Sameer ko sambhalna mushkil hoga. Woh tut jayega. Uski zimmedari humare upar hai. Hume usey sambhalna hoga. Main tumhe personally nahi jaanta aur naa hi Sameer. Woh in sab ke liye bilkul ready nahi hai. Isey mera uske liye pyaar kaho yaa fir possessiveness par main aisa kuch bhi nahi hone de sakta jisse usey kisi bhi tareeke ki pareshani ho. I hope you understand what I mean to say..."
She silently nodded.

She clearly understood what he meant to say. He was indirectly indicating her not to expect much from this marriage. As if she was going to. At that moment, Naina saw a true friend who was being distressed about his broken best friend. The signs of worry on his face proved how much he cared about Sameer and would never let anything happen to him. It wasn't like Naina was ready to accept this marriage, but she wasn't ready to ignore it either-even if she wanted to. Only time could tell what was written in the fate of this untimely marriage.