All of a sudden, the phone gave a shrill ring, and Sameer picked up the receiver immediately, "Naina...kahaan ho tum...main kabse dhund raha hun tumhe...," Sameer started, worried, with tears streaming down his cheeks again.
"Naina? Sameer, Naina nahi Nana!" Sameer's thoughts were broken by Munna's panicky voice. "M..Munna?" Sameer barely uttered, trying to comprehend the situation. "Kahan tha tu...subah se tujhe phone kar rahe hain main, Pandat, Ramdhari...lekin tera koi ata pata hi nahi hai...!" Munna sounded livid, but perturbed at the same time. "Wo main...Munna...main Naina ko...!" Sameer tried to explain. "Naina ko chod Sameer... Nanu aaj subah bathroom mein phisal gaye hain...unke sar par bahot gehri chot lagi hai...body mein do serious fracture bhi huye hain...doctor ne kaha hai ki unki halat gambhir hai...sar ki chot wo bhi aise budhape mein," Munna blurted, trying to fight the tears from his voice.
Colour drained from Sameer's face and his brain became muzzled with fear, "N..Nanu serious hain?" "Sameer...Mausi aur uncle pahunchne wale hain...tu bhi aaja...main aur Pandat sab dekh rahe hain...tu fikr mat kar...," Munna continued. The words were lost on Sameer. "Sameer...Sameer...tu sun raha hai?" Munna was shouting through the telephone, but Sameer stood still, the receiver dangling from his hand, his eyes unfocussed on the wall in front of him. This couldn't be happening. This was the worst day of his life. Naina...Nanu..no...this is a dream...a bad dream...a nightmare!
His chain of thoughts was intruded upon by the peon's voice, "Sameer bhaiya? Kya hua hai?" Raju seemed concerned. Sameer looked at him with those dazed eyes again, unable to speak. It was as if his voice was stuck somewhere inside his throat and was unable to come out, no matter how hard he tried. Raju shook him by his shoulders, and Sameer seemed to jerk back into the present. "Kiska phone tha?" the peon enquired again. Sameer saw the receiver in his hand. So it was all real. It wasn't a nightmare. None of this was. With his heart hammering, he held the receiver back to his ear, perhaps to speak to Munna, but all he heard was the shrill dialtone of an ended connection. As he replaced the receiver, he felt trepidation stream into his body. He was losing control now. He needed to think- to get to his Nanu, but his feet were stuck onto the floor.
Raju saw Sameer's white face and understood something was really off. He hurried out to get some help- a doctor perhaps, when he heard some chattering voices at the end of the corridor. "Sudhir bhaiya...Rahul bhaiya...wo Sameer bhaiya ko kuch hua hai...shayad kuch buri khabar hai...!" Raju panted and the next minute, Sudhir and Rahul were on his heels. They both entered the warden's room and found Sameer trembling, sweat trickling down his forehead.
"Sameer!" They both rushed over to his side and rubbed his back and arms. "Kya hua...bata?
Sudhir prompted. He looked at them both glassy eyed, and finally let out, "Nnn...mere Nanaji...serious hain...Nai..na...Nanu...," Sameer choked through his words. "Sameer...relax...tere parents hain wahan?" Sameer realized he'd nodded to Rahul, "raste mein hain". "Kuch nahi hoga tere Nanaji ko...tu ruk...hum hain na...! Le paani pi!" Rahul offered Sameer some water, which he gulped down reluctantly. "Tu chinta kyun kar raha hai Sameer...tu jaldi nikal Ahemdabad...bolega to hum chalte hain tere saath...!" Sudhir reassured him.
Sameer gazed out of the window of his room one last time. The skies were still dark, roaring with thunder, pouring out in sheets. Like they themselves were crying for him. A queer sense of foreboding hit Sameer and his heart thundered against his rib cage. Where was Naina? How was Nanu? The two people he loved most in his life had disappeared or threatened to go, on the very same day. He shook as he grabbed the window sill to support himself, while he wept uncontrollably. He felt the familiar patting and consoling of Sudhir's hands on his back, while Rahul was busy packing his essentials and clothes for him. Who would've imagined that these two would help him when he needed someone by his side- the same Rahul he hadn't spoken to in over a year! The same Sudhir who turned from a friend to a mere acquaintance because he'd chosen not to leave Rahul's side.
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Expectedly Unexpected: A SamAina FF
FanfictionSameer is a flamboyant, rich and supposedly spoilt brat. Naina is the quintessential good girl. The story is set in the 90s. But what if the same story had a twist? What if the characters acted as we'd never expected them to? What if school was just...
