“Good evening Ms.Joshi” he greeted and her dull face lit up instantly.
Taking her bag and groceries from her, he ushered her in.
Delighted to see the dining table setup beautifully, she asked “ye sab aapne banaya?”
“of course, maine banaya, arey tumne abhi mujhe theek se jaana hi kahan hai Anu” he bragged and bending slightly in a suggestive manner he winked and said “waise mai aur bhi bohot kuch kar sakta hoon”
Though he made her laugh in that moment, he could tell that there was something on her mind that was bothering her but she didn't want to take away the fun from their blissful moment.
“Anu, kuch hua hai kya?” he asked
“nahi toh, bas thoda thak gayi hoon, woh dance video ki tayyari kar rahi thi na isliye” she replied but he wasnt convinced and assumed something must have happened at Shah house but didn't prod her much and left the conversation for later.
“jao jaldi se fresh ho jao, aaj hamara pehla candle light dinner hai” he said pushing her into the room and she nervously smiled thinking of their beautiful life ahead of them and whisoered “Kanhaji dhyaan rakhjo”
***********
Lighting the candle, he waited at the dinner table and there she was looking beautiful with her hair down, this time in a pink saree.
He pulled the chair out and served her dinner like a humble host and she couldn’t praise him enough for his hospitality.
“thank you iss sunder se surprise ke liye “ she said and he replied with “agar tum mere liye itna accha Valentine’s surprise plan kar sakti ho toh mai tumhare liye ek chota sa dinner nahi kar sakta? aur thank you toh mujhe kehna chahiye for making it so special”
Staring at her proud moist eyes he felt like pulling her into a bear hug to comfort her from what was nagging her inside and she knew he could see through her...
”chai piyenge?” she asked picking the empty dishes when he stopped her and asked her to go rest while he made tea but she refused and helped him clear up.
She sat next to him on the couch, closer than ever before and it made him slightly uneasy but he let the feeling settle and reminded himself that they were now in a relationship and seeking emotional as well as physical intimacy in each other was quite natural.
Staring into the nothingness, Anu sipped on her tea when he asked
“Anu Vanraj ya Baa ne kuch kaha?”
“huh...haan woh shadi...” she stopped midway when she realised she’d been dazing and thinking out loud.
“Anu..shadi.... abhi? ..” though he had an inkling, her mentioning it made him awkward.
Putting away her cup, Anu reached for his hand and locked her fingers with his. Resting her head on his shoulder she said “Anuj, mai jaanti hoon aur maine keh bhi diya hai Baa se ke hum shadi tab karenge jab hum chahenge, na ke kisi aur ke liye”
“accha? I’m impressed” he said proudly and the next moment when she lightly cuddled up to him, with a shaky hand he took the liberty to brush away the loose strands of her from her face and gently tucked them behind her ear.
The immense solace they found in each other was new but felt familiar and the growing compassion was filling their hearts with every passing moment. She felt safe around him and he felt protected in her presence.
“Anu...koi aur baat hai toh mujhe batao, kuch aur bhi hua hai kya?” he asked but got no reply and when he turned his head slightly to check, she had fallen asleep,
Adoring her innocence, he lightly pressed his lips on her hair and grabbed the cushion to rest her head on it...covering her with a quilt, he sat on the chair next to the couch until she feel deep into sleep and left when she look settled.
**************
Finding herself on the couch the next morning, Anu wondered when she had dozed off and when he would have left. She smiled thinking of the last time they spent the night together on the couch of his cabin, but this morning felt different, like it brought a new beginning for them.
Rushing out of the shower, with hair still damp, she quickly prepped breakfast for two and messaged him to check if he was awake and he replied to say he hadn't slept all night.
Curious to know why, she marched out to fetch him when he bumped into her at the door.
‘she looks breathtaking’ he thought and awkwardly looked away to hide his face that spoke his heart that was slowly betraying him.
“kya hua Anuj? aap nazre kyu chura rahe hai?” she asked and he said
“kuch nahi, bas tumse poochna tha ke...”
“kya poochna tha, puchiye?”she asked again
“sach mein pooch loon?” he teased her more
“haan” she said perplexed with his mischievous gesture
“yehi ki..” he inched closer
“yehi ki kya?” her voice crackled with the closeness
“ki tumhe mai gale laga sakta hoon?”
*************
hope you liked this random one, just felt like it 😊
Jhanak
6