Chapter 61

Chapter 60

"Come in."

He didn't dare stray from his work this morning, not even when the knock on the door came. He knew that it would take but the slightest excuse to stop, which was something he could no longer afford. It was natural therefore that his visitor should be the one person who would prove to be the biggest hindrance to his completing his task.

"You are up early again I see."

 She nodded while taking in the scene before her. "So today is the day."

"Ji."

Naomi nodded again, accepting that they had no choice, and entered his bedroom. She then walked past him towards the wardrobe seemingly to assist in the effort. She returned with her hands full, and stood beside the bed.

"Do you have a preference as to which suitcase these should go in, Rajeev?"

He indicated the larger of the two cases and observed as she placed the clothes she held in it, before going again to the closet.

"I can't help but note that my packing to leave doesn't induce the same level of dread that yours did."

Her back to him, Naomi smiled remorsefully; she would always regret causing his suffering when she had decided that she would leave Banaras.  She reached again into the closet, before answering him. "Obviously you are the better of the two us. At least your leaving is for a good reason and not one taken without consideration for others' feelings." Her hands were filled again when she turned back to face him. "Plus, unlike you, I have the advantage of knowing that this is only temporary, and that in a matter of weeks we will be together again when you become my husband."

 

Her husband, he smiled, loving the sound of that. In fact the only words that could be sweeter were its counterpart - his wife, he thought. And like that, all concentration for his work completely left him, leaving him frozen in place, just staring at Naomi as she continued the packing.

"You meant to say in 37 days, right?"

"Hmm?"

"You meant to say that it will be 37 days until we marry. That has a more finite sound to it. It's not as vague as the unspecific number of weeks you describe. I guess it just sounds better to me; a much more achievable goal to reach. "

She smiled. "Thirty seven days it is then."

He rejoined her efforts and together they made light work of the chore. When finally the room was stripped bare of his belongings they each zipped the case they had worked on, before Rajeev placed them on the floor alongside the one he had packed prior to her arrival.

Only then did Naomi's emotions betray her as her eyes became suspiciously bright. She tried to blink her tears away, but before she knew it, Rajeev was by her side, cupping her face and wiping the moisture from her face.

"Just 37 days sweetheart."

She nodded. "I know, and I understand that it's for the best." She mustered up a brave smile. "We can finally conduct this courtship as we should have from the beginning. Besides, we are both going to be so busy anyway between your hockey competition, and my helping Rachna prepare for the symposium, not to mention planning the wedding." She pouted and tapped him on the chest, "Which, by the way Mr. Agarwal, I fully expect you to participate in, thik hai? You shouldn't just presume to think to show up the day of," she teased before noticing his pained expression. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, but kept frowning, still stuck on her comment on how their relationship should have proceeded. "Do you have regrets about us, Naomi?"

"You foolish man would I be marrying you if I harbored any regrets?"

"But you wish that our relationship had progressed differently?"

She shook her head vehemently, understanding exactly what he was asking and quickly sought to reassure him. "No, never...  I love you Rajeev, and I know whatever has happened was meant to. I can't deny though that everything happened so quickly; that it became so intense a lot faster than I could have ever imagined. In fact , to say we've had a whirlwind romance would probably be the understatement of the year. And even though none of this detracts from the fact that we were meant for each other, it has been a wild ride to say the least. I guess what I'm trying to say is that us being apart will at least give each the chance to get back on an even keel. " Shying away from his piercing gaze, she whispered, "I can't say that I won't appreciate the chance to catch my breath from this gamut of emotions, but no, Rajeev I would never, ever change a thing about us." She glanced back up at him, her voice full of steadfast love, "You are the man that destiny meant for me, and I could never regret a thing we've shared."

 

Neither would he, and as far as the rest, Rajeev had to admit she had a point. That his life partner could be his complete opposite was astounding enough and all they had gone through... He shook his head in disbelief. Yes, she was truly the other half of his soul and he knew that he would be lost without her. However to be given the chance to regroup and let life settle down for a bit wouldn't be a bad thing either. After all in 37 days his biggest adventure yet would begin; a lifetime with his very own Pari.

 

"Will you have time for breakfast with us this morning, Rajeev?"

He nodded smiling at her, "Definitely. Since I don't know when I will next spend time with my very early riser, I made sure..." he paused when Naomi reached for his mobile, deftly pushing the keys, before handing it back to him.

"Well, I can't guarantee when we will next be able to share an early breakfast between now and then, but I can definitely confirm that I will be available on this date."

His eyebrows rose at the entry she had made; a sunrise breakfast date exactly 38 days from today.  "Perhaps you shouldn't make promises you aren't certain that you will be able to keep, Sweetheart."

She looked confused. "And how could I not keep my promise, Rajeev? If not with you, where exactly will I be the morning after our wedding?"

"Oh I know exactly where you will be; that I'm not disputing, Naomi. I only wonder if breakfast will be highest on your list of priorities that morning." He paused and sent a heated look in her direction, "Or if you even be willing to get out of bed: who knows how you will be feeling at dawn? Perhaps we should consider setting an alarm just in case you find yourself unable to rise after the prior day's celebrations? I for one, am convinced they will last, at least through the night," he teased.

 

She blushed and her mouth formed a perfect O on comprehending the meaning behind his overtly suggestive comment. Who was this taunting man that had replaced her no-nonsense Rajeev, she wondered? Whoever he was, he laughingly responded to her shock by placing his thumb under her chin and gently pushing her mouth closed, before leaning in to steal a soft kiss.

"Come Sweetheart, let's load these cases in the car and then get something to eat."

----------

 

"Why you would be dwelling on they how's of the article is nothing less than madness, Kabir. The fact is that you are one of India's renowned fashion designers. You had to have expected that the story of your involvement in the New York launch would at the very least make headlines in your hometown."

"Aacha, Nanhe , your achievement is one to be celebrated. Instead you are fretting worse than an old woman. Here beta, have the sweet."

"Da..."

Mischievously the older woman placed the confection in her grandson's mouth, as he began to protest, leaving him no alternative to accept it. She then peered over his shoulder towards the staircase, at the young couple whose descent had caught her eye.  She smiled. Even with his hands occupied with the cases he carried, she admired the measures Rajeev took to ensure that Naomi progressed safely down the steps. Her reaction to what she was seeing over their shoulders had both Rachna and Nanhe turning to follow her gaze.  Immediately Kabir moved to relieve Naomi of the case she was carrying, gesturing that she go to join the others. He grimaced when he hear his grandmother speak.

 

"Good Morning beta, come we have something special to share with you this morning."

"Good Morning Daadi. What is it?" Naomi asked before the newspaper was passed on to her.

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Rajeev reached for the last suitcase and stowed it in the car trunk. He then held his hand out to the man who had accompanied his outside.  "Thank you Kabir." He said sincerely.

Kabir countered the firm grip. "It's no problem, I was happy to lend a helping hand."

The coach shook his head. "Nay Kabir thank you for everything.  I would never have imagined that your offer of hospitality could end up being so life changing. I will never forget what you did for me; for us."

He wouldn't hear any of it. "You're wrong Rajeev; you have done a far more wondrous thing, for her and all of those who love her. You gave us back our Pari. It will be hard the Tripathi family to relinquish her, but we know- I know- that she couldn't have found a better life partner than you Rajeev. If anyone is deserving of gratitude, it is you."

Rajeev smiled. "I guess then I should be saying you're most welcome then." Locking the car, he started back to the house.

"Rajeev, before we go back in, there is something I need to forewarn you about..."

--------------

"Come on Kabir, you still can't be upset over the article. It was nothing but complimentary to you." Reaching from the passenger seat, Rachna covered his hand with hers. "I am very proud of you." She swung around to talk to Naomi in the backseat. "And you too, Naomi. You were absolutely stunning; both you and Rajeev."

As if she needed affirmation, Naomi thought, unable to take her eyes off the clipping that she had brought with her. "He is absolutely beautiful, isn't he Rachna?" she sighed.

Seated in the driver's seat Kabir scowled. It was understandable for Naomi to feel this way, with Rajeev being her fiance, but it was the unwanted attention the unwilling male model could definitely expect that would be the issue.  Especially after Kabir's reassurance to the coach of the limited exposure those photos would have back home.

"KT?"

He looked in the rearview mirror and met Naomi's gaze.

"It's okay you know. Rajeev is not as upset as you think he is. And if he gets overwhelmed by the attention, he knows that I am just a phone call away, and at the ready to defend his honor any time of day."

"Hmm I guess that rules out your availability to help me this afternoon then Naomi." Rachna said, jumping into the conversation. She looked at her watch and then back to her friend. "I'll give it thirty minutes - forty five tops before you're needed." She joked.

They broke down in laughter leaving Kabir to shake his head.

"Actually Rachna, I was wondering if I can offer a raincheck on this afternoon. I actually have a few things I need to take care of.  Unfortunately, I think it will eat up most of the time I have until I go over to see Rajeev's mum so we can conference with mummy to get some serious planning under way."

"It's fine, I can spend the time on your dress. Perhaps by the time you get back this evening we can sign off on the final design?"

Naomi agreed.

---------

The doctor looked up from where she was entering her notes. "Thik hai Rachna, I'm very happy to hear that haven't been any additional fainting spells; that is definitely a good sign that you are maintaining steady sugar levels. And the nausea has subsided as well?"

"Ji, to both. I'm finding that I'm feeling so much better now."

"Your blood pressure is excellent and your weight gain well within the range we would like." She stood up. "Now I would just like to do a quick check, if you don't mind moving to the examination table."

 

Carefully Kabir assisted Rachna onto the table, and then took a seat in the chair situated beside it.  Holding her hand he watched nervously as the physician prepared to conduct her careful examination.

"Are you experiencing any abdominal pain, Rachna?"

"Nay"

The doctor gently checked Rachna and then nodded in the direction of her patient's husband, who seemed more in need of support than his expectant wife. She smiled. "Rest assured Mr. Tripathi, everything looks to be fine." She turned back to her patient. "I think we are at the stage where we can have our first listen to your little one's heartbeat. Shall we?"

-----

"Oh my God, it's you!"

Naomi looked up from the paperwork she was completing in the waiting room when the young woman approached. She hadn't seen her when they first came to the doctor's office, but it was clear that she worked here, since she was dressed similarly to the nurse who had provided the questionnaire Naomi was completing since it was her first visit.

"It is you right? I mean right here this is you," she exclaimed excitedly, thrusting the newspaper at Naomi.

Perhaps she was just fresh out of school, Naomi thought, since the young woman hadn't mastered the art of tact. But hey everyone was young once Naomi figured, so she let the woman's eagerness wash over her. "Yes" she responded.

"You're a little short to be a real model aren't you?"

"Ha, I am."

"Well no matter, the model you posed with makes up for it. Tall, dark and handsome. He is beyond gorgeous."

"He is. It's too bad he's taken."

"Aren't all the good ones though? I'm so not into the thought of an arranged marriage, but even I wouldn't object to the alliance if my parents brought him home."

"Hmm," Naomi answered noncommittally as she went back to the form she had to complete. Her poor Rajeev, she could just imagine the day he was having. Smiling to herself she continued answering the questions, until suddenly she realized that the answer she had just written stood out like a sore thumb. Mentally she began calculating.

------

Rachna sniffed and wiped at her eyes, while Kabir brought the hand he held to his lips, and placed a kiss on it. His eyes met his wife's and the happiness that Rachna saw in them made her tear up all the more.

"Your baby's heart sounds healthy and strong, Rachna. I do not see anything to be concerned over."

The doctor waited while her patient's husband helped her upright.

"Is there anything you wish to discuss; any concerns you may have?"

She shook her head, "Nay..."

"Actually there is something doctor. We have a very important family wedding in the UK in about six weeks; I just wanted to make sure that it will be safe for Rachna to fly."

It was the first sign of unease she had seen in her patient, obviously this was an extremely important event for her. "I don't see that it will be an issue. In six weeks you will be beginning you second trimester, and since you will have had one more appointment, we will be in a better position to determine at that time. In the meantime I will schedule a scan for two weeks from now, so that we can have the results in hand for your next appointment. While I don't expect to come up against anything that would prevent you from travelling, I would prefer to have the maximum amount of information in front of me."

"That seems fair," Rachna said, although her eyes expressed her concern.

 

Walking down the hall, Kabir held Rachna's hand. "I'm sorry to have alarmed you, but we need to know and to be sure, Love."

"I'll die if I am unable to attend her wedding, KT."

"I'm sure that it won't come to that Rachna, we just need to take all precautions."

 

They met Naomi in the waiting area. Immediately she came to her friend, "Ra what's wrong?"

"Nothing Naomi, actually everything is great. Actually I wish you had been in there. We got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. It was wonderful."

"Oh wow I wish I was there. So everything is fine for sure?" She smiled when Rachna nodded. "Thank God. Your expression scared me for a minute."

"I'm sorry, I was just pondering something."

 

" Miss Naomi, the doctor is ready to see you now."

 Naomi turned in the direction of the nurse and nodded."Okay guys I will see you this evening when I get home."

"Naomi are you sure you don't need me to have the driver available for you this afternoon, so you can run your errands?"

"No thanks KT, I can manage, Bye."

 

The couple watched their friend head in the direction they had just left, and then approached the receptionist desk to schedule their next appointment.

"So any clue what she may be up to this afternoon?"

"I think so KT; I will be really interested to see if I'm right though.  I'll let you know later."

 

"Oh my God, you're here too!"

They stopped short at the high-strung young woman manning the desk.

"You're the designer. Did you know your model was here as well? The only one missing is him," the young woman said pointing to Rajeev in the newspaper. "That's too bad , I would have so loved to have met him."

KT looked at Rachna, a look of horror on his face. Meanwhile Rachna stood biting the inside of her lip to keep from laughing.

"Is it true that he's taken?"

"Oh very much so I'm afraid." Rachna answered

"The good ones always are," The young woman lamented. "Thik hai, let's see what we have here."  She reviewed Rachna's chart and in a surprisingly professional way scheduled all of Rachna's upcoming tests and appointment.

------------

 Later that night, Naomi walked Rajeev to the door and stood there with him.

"This is definitely different."

"Hmm, but it's nice in a way too don't you think, Rajeev?"

"Right now it's very nice, but going home to an empty flat may be another story."

"Well you can always invite Vihaan over for a sleep over," she teased. "But if it gets really lonely you can telephone me and we can talk until you go off to sleep if you wish."

He had had his fair share of Vihaan and his taunts over the newspaper article today, so he knew which option he would go for. "I may take you up on that, Naomi."  He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Good Night Sweetheart."

 

"Come in Rachna."

Her friend didn't even bother to express surprise that Naomi knew it was her knocking on the bedroom door.  The two women smiled at each other, before Naomi answered the unasked question.

"I'm okay Ra, but thank you for checking. I knew you would."

"And how is he? It was pretty hard to gauge this evening."

"You mean aside running the gauntlet at SVC, with everyone wanting to know about his secret modelling career?  I would say he's none the worse for wear. He can cope with it." She looked at her watch calculating how long it would be until he called.

"Are you aiming for a 10:00 PM call Naomi?"

"I'm not sure if it will be at ten, but there will definitely be one."

"So may I make an educated guess, Naomi?"

"Go for it Rachna; we will see how good you are."

Thik hai, if I was the betting sort I would say that you took care of the grocery shopping; you've made up the bedroom and have the bathroom ready with towels and everything else he may need. Maybe a few magazines on the coffee table" She looked over to Naomi's dresser and noticed the new addition. "I also expect that at some point today you met up with Mohit, and now there is a copy of that photo placed somewhere near to him, perhaps his bedside table."

"Very good Rachna, but you forgot the flowers: a beautiful bouquet of my favorites, which naturally will have him thinking of me."

"I seriously doubt that would ever be a concern, but it is a very nice touch. I'm sure he will love all of it."

"I hope so."

"So how was your doctor's appointment, did you get everything sorted?"

"Um..almost."

"What does that mean Naomi, nothing's wrong right?"

 Before she could respond, her mobile began ringing. Rachna saw her face light up and bade her friend good night before leaving her to attend the call.

 

As soon as Rachna left, Naomi answered, holding the phone in the crook of her neck, while she rolled up her sleeve and removed the plaster from her arm where her blood had been taken. It was probably nothing, but to be on the safe side the doctor had insisted on running the test.

-----------

Kabir looked at the newspaper article one last time before placing it aside. It landed with Rajeev and Naomi's photo face up, and finally he realized what was prickling him about the article. The coverage was fine, the text not exposing anything out of the ordinary and the pictures from the launch were great as well. It was the picture of the couple that was wrong. Instead of a copy of the final product, one of the images that had been on display at the launch, the picture printed in the paper was of the shoot itself. On closer examination he swore he could pick out things that would not have normally been captured, unless the picture had been snapped from a distance. He picked up his phone and called seeking a second opinion.

 

As if he knew the reason for the call, Mohit jumped right into the heart of the matter.

"Hey KT congratulations on the article; some really great stuff has been written there. Who do you think was scoping out the photo-shoot though?"

" I thought that perhaps I was imagining things, but now that you have confirmed my suspicions that is exactly the question I had, Mohit."

"I thought to get Naomi's view on it when she stopped by earlier, but got caught up discussing her upcoming nuptials. I actually recommended a couple of photographers in the UK, since I have been designated a guest.  I can't tell you how good it is to see her back to herself."

"I couldn't agree more, Mohit. So you didn't mention anything to her about the article, her photo specifically?"

"Nay KT."

"Well in case the two of you meet up again, could you not bring it up?"

"Is something wrong, KT?"

crtkelly2016-05-20 18:05:02