Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai - Childhood Sweethearts

Part 5

Hey All 

Sorry for the delay. I couldn't update during the weekend. 

I am trying to longer chapters. Keyword: Trying. This part is longer that the last few chapters and hopefully you all like it. 

Also another thing, do you all prefer the title being Part  1,2,3 etc or do you want an actual title for each chapter? 

Part - 5 

Preeti then started, "Are you three troubling my sister? I have heard of you three, stay away from her. Saying this, she pulled Naina and started walking out. Naina said, "Preeti, wait, wait, they didn't trouble me."

Preeti said "Naina, I have heard about those three, you shouldn't talk to them. "

Naina reasoned, "Only heard right?. They stayed with me during break and even shared their snacks with me. They are actually nice, you should talk to them and then you will also realize."

"But, Naina" started Preeti;

"Please, Preeti for me." asked Naina

"Ok, we will have lunch with them for today." Naina immediately beamed but Preeti wasn't finished, " Only for today and then let's see but if you three try anything, then you will meet the real Preeti Agarwal." Preeti warned Samundit who had followed the girls to the corridor.

Samundit nodded and Sameer was secretly pleased to see Preeti's concern for Naina and also Moti's insistence to talk to them.

They went to the garden in the school instead of the canteen. Naina, Preeti and Mundit opened their tiffin.

Preeti exclaimed, "Arre, Naina look Aloo Paratha; Mummy must have specially made it since today is your first day."

Naina smiled and then saw that Mundit was splitting their lunch with Sameer. "Didn't you get your lunch today? asked Naina."

"Sameer usually eats from the canteen but since we are here today, we are splitting the lunch with him." replied Munna.

Naina was going to ask why Sameer doesn't get lunch from home. She has always been told that eating out isn't good but before she could she noticed a sad look on Sameer's face. Trying to cheer him, she took one of the two Parathas from her lunch, kept it on the lid and passed it to Sameer.

Somehow, Sameer couldn't accept it. "It's ok, Moti; I will eat from Mundit's boxes.

Naina asked, "Don't you like Aloo Paratha?"

"I do, it's my favorite." replied Sameer.

"Then, take it "

" But..."

" Sameer, eat." said Naina, looking at him.

This was the first time, she uttered his name. So without thinking, he accepted it and started eating the Paratha slowly.

Mundit watched the interaction and couldn't believe that he accepted it, Sameer normally doesn't accept anything from anyone apart from them.

Sameer couldn't believe Naina was this nice. Yesterday, she had offered him a brand new teddy bear and today she was splitting her lunch. Normally, people immediately questioned him on why he doesn't get lunch and all that but she didn't do any of that, she just simply offered her food and when she uttered his name so softly, he couldn't resist but just accept.

The Same Day's Evening - Agarwal's house

Preeti and Naina had got back home half an hour back and now they were sitting together trying to do that day's homework.

Naina said, "See, I told you, Preeti. Sameer and Mundit are nice. They aren't bad."

Preeti had noticed that Naina seemed a little more cheerful after the first day of school than this past week. She was hesitant in the afternoon since she had heard that those three were the most troublesome in their year but from what she noticed they were just mischievous mainly Mundit but even she is considered as naughty so she was ok with them.

She agreed "Ok, Behen, yes they are nice but you don't think we can become friends with them or something right? Bcoz if Tauji and Taiji gets to know about this, they will throw you out of the house and your Papa, do you think he will be ok with this? And even in our school, mostly girls and boys stay separate. Once some boy called asking for Pooja Didi and mummy and Papa had gone out, it was Taiji answered and later both Tauji and Taiji gave this huge gyaan about how girls from our family shouldn't talk to boys and all that."

Naina had not thought about any of this. Her grandparents have never forbidden her from talking to any boys but being a shy girl, she barely did interact with the boys in her school back home. However, she had played with some of Arjun Bhaiya's friends whenever she had gone to the park with him.

She explained the same to Preeti and they wondered if it was allowed because it was Arjun Bhaiya's friends and it was in his presence.Both of them didn't know what to do, For Naina, Samundit were the only ones who had stayed back in class and talked to her hence they are her first friends here especially Sameer and she wanted to continue that and for Preeti, she had more fun with the boys today than she has had with most of her classmates so even she didn't want to give up.

As they both sat lost in thought, Chachaji walked past and noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"

Preeti replied, "We are just thinking how to solve this maths problem, Papa."

"Acha, show me which one." said Chachaaji with a hidden smile.

Both Naina and Preeti looked at the desk and then noticed that their books were still closed.

"Now, tell me what is actually wrong." said Chachaji

Naina kept mum, she wasn't sure if she could tell Chachaji about Sameer and others but Preeti without hesitation started, "Papa, today Naina made some friends at school and both of us had lunch with them only today."

"Arre, wah, you made friends on the first day itself, that's good."

"But there is just only one problem." continued Preeti. "They are boys."

Chachaji asked, "Boys, which boys?"

Preeti started to answer but Chachaji put up a hand, " Naina, you tell"

Chachaji wanted Naina to be comfortable around him, even though she is his brother's daughter and was living with his eldest brother, he wanted her to be able to come to him for anything.

Naina started, " Cha... cha ji, in my class there are three boys, they were the ones who talked to me first but they seem to be nice and good only, is it wrong to be friends with them?"

Chachaji said, "Hmmm, Naina you study in a class with boys only right, both here and in Surat?

Naina nodded.

"And sometimes, during class, you might have to talk to them right?"

Naina again nodded.

"Then, why do you think you can't be friends with them?"

"But, Papa, Tauji and Taiji had told that we shouldn't talk to any boys."

Preeti explained about the call Pooja Didi had got and the lecture following that.

Chachaji was already aware of the call. The boy who had called wasn't Pooja's friend and Pooja had not known who it was.

So he patiently explained that being friends with boys from school who they have known for a while isn't wrong but if the boys troubled them or did something they didn't like, he was to be informed of it.

Preeti and Naina were happy that they could be friends with the boys and agreed when Chachaji asked them to concentrate on their homework. 

Anand Agarwal knew and understood that in a co-education system, friendship between the opposite genders wasn't wrong and he even supported such it though he knew most in his family would disapprove however he was also a father of 3 daughters and wanted to ensure that his girls were cautious of whom they befriend.

So he decided to also meet the boys  who his daughters wanted to become friends with when he drops them to school.