Friendship Can be Love

A Romantic Encounter

"Main Naina ke paas library mein jaata hoon, tab tak tum log thodi planning kar lo". Sameer directed them and left to join her in the library.

"Swati, tu na college ke baad kuch bahana karke Naina ko apne ghar le ja, tab tak mujhe thoda time mil jaayega purane albums dhoondhne ka". Swati agreed to Preeti's plan.

"Hum log bhi pataa karte hai kis peon se time table nikalva sakte hai". Munna Pandit also moved away to fulfill their task.

Sameer came to the library. Instantly his eyes searched for her. She was diligently going through the shelves of accounting books. She smiled when she found what she was looking for and started flipping pages right there near the shelf.

She didn't realize when Sameer had walked behind her and was standing so close to her that she almost collided with him when she turned around. She gasped "Sameer, tum?"

"Haan...bhool gayi, abhi class mein kaha tha na, main aa raha hoon!" He walked stealthily towards her. The proximity unsettled her, her heart raced & unknowingly she backed two steps when her back hit the shelf.

He didn't stop and was co close to her but not touching at all. He placed one hand near her head on the shelf very close that if she turned her head it would rest on his forearm and the other hand on the shelf near her waist, still not touching but if she even moved one muscle, his fingers could graze her waist through the light blue skirt.

Her heartbeat raced so wild that she was afraid the whole library could hear it and that it might rip out of her rib cage any minute. Sameer slowly bent his head and started inching his face close to hers.

She gulped audibly as nervousness took over with the closeness "Sameer...kya kar ho? Hum library mein hai!"

He looked around feigning ignorance, "Hai toh, par library mein hum akele hai".

She only darted her eyes here and there without even moving a single facial muscle "Akele kahan? Itne log hai!"

"Library in-charge staff meeting mein hai. Peons dopahar ki jhapki le rahe hai. Arts students toh kabhi yahan nahi aate aur wahan durr science walon ki naak kitaabon mein ghusi hui hai, unhe apne aas paas ka koi hosh nahi". He bent his head and brought his face closest to her ear and whispered huskily "Commerce ke sirf hum dou yahan hai, toh huye na hum akele". His hot breath on her ears erupted goosebumps all over her skin. She started to fidget with her fingers when she noticed his face inching closer to her cheeks.

She gathered all her courage & placed both her palms on his chest & gave a slight push to create some distance between them which would let her have some coherent thoughts. "Sameer....itne paas mat aaona! Tum jo chah rahe ho wo sirf shaadi ke baad hota hai!" She couldn't meet him in the eye but tried to put some sense into him.

But Sameer wasn't letting her off the hook so easily. "Achca! Tumhe pataa hai mujhe kya chahiye?"

When she just smiled shyly, eyelids at half mast and looking downwards, he continued "Agar sab shaadi ke baad hi karna tha toh fir Delhi mein jo letters bheje the, unpe lipstick ke nishaan kyon banaye the?"

She turned a deep shade of red & he enjoyed teasing her more. "Tumhe kya laga, mujhe pataa nahi chalega? He came back dangerously close to her ear and blew slightly as he noticed her ears turned red hot due to adrenaline rush. So, he continued to whisper & assault her senses. "Tumhe pataa hai, jane kitni baar uss nishan ko apne hothon se lagaya hai....aur tumhe kiss karne ke sapne dekhe hai!"

Naina almost melted into a puddle but he wasn't done yet. Uss din toh car mein baithkar peeche se badi flying kiss de rahi thi... Ab kya hua? Mujhe toh laga ki jab meri Naina hothon ke nishaan bana sakti hai, flying kiss de sakti hai, tohhhhh.....he left the sentence incomplete, smirked, and tilted his head to intensely gaze in her eyes with a cute grin on the face.

Naina's eyelids fluttered, she was a dark shade of beet root & didn't know where to look. She stole a quick half glance at him and looked down again, her fidgety fingers clutched the side of skirt and started crumpling it and in the action her forearm brushed against his that was dangerously close to her waist. They were used to holding hands and side hugs but today the feeling was entirely different. Shivers ran down her spine with the proximity and the slightest touch erupted butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

"Sameer... jaane do mujhe..." she almost pleaded with him "itne p..paas aa..aate ho toh m..mujhe k..kuch h..hone lagta hai!" She confessed with a stammer.

Sameer very well knew the effect he was having on her as the mild rose fragrance exuding off her was wreaking the same havoc on his senses. It was getting very hard for him to control and not give in to his sudden urge of grabbing her right by the waist & crush his lips on her. He wanted to savour the moment & though he wanted to be lost in the feeling of her in his arms... he wouldn't do anything to scare her or make her uncomfortable.

But he enjoyed teasing her and also the feeling that his nearness had on her. "Kya? Bola na Naina, kya hone lagta hai?" He asked again huskily.

She continued to blush profusely & tried to plead again when the bell rang. Sameer was oblivious to everything, so lost he was in her...

"Sameer, class ka time ho gaya hai".

He behaved as if he didn't hear anything.

"Sameer, please jaane do na".

"Haaye...itne pyar se bologi toh....uh huh....fir bhi nahi jane doonga" and he continued his assault on her senses, now slightly scraping his nose to a lone tendril of her hair near the ear.

She could push him but she knew that the slightest touch & definitely she would go up in flames. So, all she could manage was a husky "please...". His eyes bore into hers when her eyes just turned to meet his intense gaze as if he could see her soul.

He smiled his charming grin & finally, relented removing the hand from the shelf that was closest to her waist. She slowly slided out, picked up her bag & started walking towards the door.

Before leaving the library, as if an unknown force pulled her, she stopped, turned back and looked at him with all the love she had for him in her eyes and smiled at him. He leaned with one shoulder on the shelf, crossed his arms and crossed his feet at the ankle, tilted his head to rest it on the shelf hinge and smiled at her with his entire being and an intensity that only she could read.

She turned around and left. He had to follow her to the class but before that he needed to calm down his raging emotions. They had shared a very private moment, and as much as he loved all the four friends, he didn't want any of them getting a wind of it.

He closed his eyes, calmed down & muttered to himself "Nainaaaa....ab tumse duri bardaasht nahi hoti, iss control ke chakkar mein meri jaan hi meri jaan le legi!"