Anandi looked away in embarrassment while Shiv still held the gaze; mesmerized by her ethereal beauty. He couldn't think of anyone else who remotely resembled her. She was one of a kind; simple, yet intricate. Calm, yet confident. From the surface she was a typical country girl - serene and artistic. Yet there was so much more to her. Something that made her appear like a cipher to him. A cipher he desperately desired to decipher.😳
"Here you go collector sahab" Shiv snapped back to his senses as uncle offered him a glass of flavored whiskey. "This will keep you warm" uncle smiled, sipping on his extra icy version of the same drink. Shiv took the glass from uncle but hesitated as he felt Anandi eyeing him. He had understood she wouldn't really like him going ahead and thus kept the glass down realizing her aversion. Later he had his share of hard time convincing uncle about how he didn't like to booze on rainy days.😆😆 Aunty giggled to herself as she saw her mischievous husband chide the innocent collector sahab for being a spoil sport and declared a time out only when she finished enjoying the cute discussion. Anandi had stepped out of the common room earlier only when aunty had handed her a few sheets and blankets to arrange the bed in the guest's room for her and Shiv. Finally aunty ordered uncle to leave collector sahab alone on the pretext that he had a bad cold and needed some rest. She informed Shiv that she had arranged the dinner for them in the room itself and they should freely call her if they needed anything else.
Thanking aunty for her kind gesture, Shiv entered the room he and Anandi had to share together for at least the next few hours. The room was medium sized but perfectly lit...neither too bright nor to dim; giving it a soothing ambient effect. An exotic aroma filled the air of the room that felt more like a mixture of Anandi's mild perfume and the fragrance of a few scented candles that glimmered in the background. As Shiv moved in further, he saw her arranging the plates on a small table. With her hair still damp from the rain shower, she just resembled the Anandi he had always imagined arranging the breakfast table for him every morning post marriage. He was stirred at the sight.☺️ For a moment he just felt like giving himself in her arms and squeeze out all he had within him into that embrace. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to hear and much more to feel. He just wished to hold her forever and never let go. Shiv blushed a shade of red as the thoughts flowed in and continued to stare at her fondly making her feel self-conscious.
"Itni jaldi aa gaye aap?" Anandi took a step forward, trying to appear as normal as possible.
"woh actually..." Shiv cleared his throat "maine uncle ko mana kar diya..."
Anandi evaluated his answer for a moment, and then turned her attention back to the dinner table. She suddenly felt warmed realizing the reason he didn't indulge. It was strange how easily he could understand her. Unlike Jagiya, who always misjudged her intentions. As soon as the realization dawned on her she saw all the flashbacks of Jagiya's betrayal coming back to her. How he threw away her gift in disgust, insulted her in front of his friends, blamed her for the death of his unborn child and all the unending pains he had given her. She felt astounded at the fact that how different Jagiya and Shiv were. As different as chalk and cheese.
"Mujhe kuch kehna tha" both Anandi and shiv spoke together;
"pehle tum" Shiv asked Anandi to go ahead.
"woh bas" Anandi stumbled "Bas thankyou kehna chahti thi"
"Thankyou? par kisliye?"
"bas yun hi...mujhe samajhne ke liye"😳
Shiv smiled as her words sank in. Doing even the slightest of the bits to make her feel better and heal her bruised self-confidence was like a pure bliss for Shiv. Doing something like that felt so fulfilling and beautiful to him.
"ab aap kahiye kya kah rahe the"
"Woh actually Anandi main ye kehna chahta tha kay'"
"kay...??"she felt nervous at the intense look he gave her.
"Kay mujhe bahut bhook lagi hai...kya hum pls kha sakte hain?"
"oh" Anandi exclaimed "mujhe laga ki...I mean han hum ofcourse kha sakte hain...aap baithiye main darwaza band karke aati hoon" Anandi excused herself to avoid the embarrassment.
Now both of them sat down to have the dinner as they had not eaten since hours now and felt really hungry. Peaceful silence fell in the room as they quietly munched on their food, keeping just enough distance so they wouldn't accidently brush against each other and make things all the more awkward. Shiv was relishing the delicious gatte ki sabzi when suddenly Anandi choked on the extra spicy chutney making him startled. He hopped from his chair concernedly and began rubbing her back. Anandi's eyes rose in a flash as she felt his warm hands touch her bare back. Her heartbeats began to grow wilder and breaths shorter. She felt her heart sinking as her eyes met his caring gaze. So much concern filled them that she was taken aback. No man of his class had ever cared for her like that. Simply no one. She felt baffled at the depth to which his gesture had affected her; suddenly awakening her to her own hidden crave for someone's care and concern.😳
"tum theek ho" Shiv asked in a concerned voice moving his hands away from her back. "hmm.." Anandi gulped as she studied his worried face. "Wait I have something for you" Shiv told Anandi as he grabbed the blazer he had kept under the fan for drying. He took out a dairy milk from its pocket and gave it to her. "Woh main nandu ke liye laya tha...par dena bhool gaya. Tumhein chocolates pasand hain?"
"Hmm.." Anandi gestured after a pause; trying to recover. "Aur aapko?"
"Saari nahin...I hate those nutty ones. But I love dairy milk"
"Oh" Anandi sighed. "To iska matlab mujhe ye aapke saath share karni padegi" she made a face😒 gradually forgetting the awkwardness.
"Aur nahin to kya...share to karni hi padegi. Aur waise bhi Anandi itni sari chocolate akele khaogi to moti ho jaogi" he teased her in a mischievous tone leaving her open mouthed.
"Kya kaha aapne? Moti aur main? Khud ko dekha hai kabhi...roz halwa...jalebi...kheer aur na jane kya kya khate hain aur mujhe kah rahe hain ki moti ho jaogi! Mote aap ho jayenge agar aise hi khate rahenge to...aur ho jayenge kya ho gaye hain. Huh!"😆
"Main aur mota" Shiv shook his head "Anandi ab tum nahin bachogi" Shiv warned as he ran behind her while she laughed teasing him and hopping from one place to another.
"Shiv main bachpan mein daud mein awwal aati thi...itni asaani se nahin pakad paenge aap mujhe" she giggled while he tried to catch her. They threw pillows at each other; laughing and bantering. "Shiv main sach kah rahi hoon...agar aise hi khate rahe na aap to ek din phooke ki tarah phool jayenge"🤣 Anandi said sticking out her tounge.😛😆
"hun?uh-oh?...Anandi Singh!!...You are gone now" he grabbed her by wrist; pulling her closer. Even though he hadn't applied much force, Anandi's body already clung to his chest; her eyes locked into his. Their lips at perfect level for a smooch. Anandi sighed feeling his warm breaths on her lips. Her wrists were still handcuffed within his hold and eyes trapped by his hypnotic gaze. A few moments passed with the two of them glued to their spot in the same position when suddenly the strong wind broke the window of the room open; bringing them back to reality. Anandi shivered as the cold wind blew in.
"main khidki band kar deta hun" Shiv moved away embarrassed at what he did. Owing to the strong winds it took him more than a few minutes to shut the window tightly; while Anandi looked upon. Once done, he turned around and sneezed twice; snapping her out of the awkwardness of the close moment they just shared.
"Shiv aapko to sardi baith rahi hai" she asserted showing a genuine concern.
"Arey nahin Anandi main theek hoon" he tried to explain sneezing once again.
"mujhe dikh raha hai kitne theek hain aap" She scolded him for being casual "aap bed pe let jaiye main abhi aati hoon" she ordered making him gulp out of shyness.
A few minutes passed with Shiv waiting for Anandi when she returned back with a jar of vaporub she had borrowed from aunty. She moved closer to him and sat by his side on the bed.
"Anandi ye zyaada jalega to nahin na" he made a puppy face seeing her coating her index and middle finger with the milky white vaporub 😆
"Shiv aap itna kyun ghabra rahein hain...bas apni aankhein band keejiye aur sone ki koshish keejiye" she advised rubbing her fingers gently on his forehead.
"par anandi..?"
She glared at him with big eyes.
"achcha baba ok" he closed his eyes feeling her delicate fingers massaging his forehead. Next she applied the vaporub to his nose making him flinch a bit and then on his throat. Finally she moved her hand down; her heart racing. She hesitated whether to go ahead or not but gave away the reluctance realizing about his cold. Taking out some more vaporub from the jar she began to apply it gently on his chiseled chest. His heart fluttered beneath her fingers as she softly moved them across in a circular fashion. A few seconds passed like that when Anandi looked up and found Shiv lost in a peaceful nap. She blushed and smiled feeling his innocence arouse her senses.😳
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Hope you like it guys.Pls forgive the mistakes😳
