|| PART 20 ||
As I look into the mirror in our bedroom, I feel like I have gone back in time, about three years - I am wearing a dazzling silver silk saree with a sleeveless well-cut blouse - it looks perfectly fitted and flatters what little curves I have. My hair falls in soft loose waves around my face, spilling over my shoulders and a little beyond. I tuck one side behind my ears revealing my long diamond drop earrings that I haven't adorned in ages. I kept my make-up to a minimum with just an eyeliner, mascara and a pale pink lipstick - a natural look. Looking at the much younger and stunning version of me, I smile with satisfaction.
"Maaanvi!!!" I hear Virat call for me. He is pissed that we were late.
I frown looking at the mirror.
Well, I am pissed at you too Virat!!!
Are you really? My conscious frowns back at me with her hands on her hips. I roll my eyes at her and ask her to mind her own business but I know she does have a point.
I can never stay angry at Virat!
He asked me to get ready and has been reading a bed-time story to the kids, can he get any more adorable? I decide I am going to forget the whole thing - mainly because my kids are safe and happy and they will be so, as long as Virat is with them.
I walk into the kid's room. He is sitting on a chair facing Ria's bed and reading something to her, Nikki has already fallen asleep beside her. "Papa can you buy me a magic wand tomorrow?" she asks him nicely.
"Sure sweetheart, can I use it to make you fall asleep?" Virat asks her.
"Duuuh! My wand will not work for youuu!" she hits her forehead with her tiny palm.
"Ohh, it will not?" Virat fakes genuine interest. Me and Liz look at each other and smile at her silliness.
"Mommma!!..." Ria's face lights up and this catches Virat's attention. He turns towards me. "...you look like an angel" Ria exclaims.
Virat is looking at me and it is a look filled with awe. I give a shy smile and walk to them as he breaks his gaze and turns to Ria.
"Shhh!" he signals her. He gets up passing her story book to Liz. He carefully takes Nikki in his arms and puts him on his upper bunk and kisses his forehead.
I walk upto Ria and sit beside her. "Baby, close your eyes and count till thousand and you will fall asleep. Me and papa will be back in a few hours, we will see you in the morning. Is that okay?" I ask her.
She nods her head. "Where are you going?" she asks.
"Ria, go to sleep. Enough of questions for today." Virat scolds her. I close her eyes with my hand and kiss her forehead. "Sleep baby. Good night."
"Good night mamma." She doesn't open her eyes.
"Let's go, Manvi" Virat signals and I walk to the door.
"Go to sleep and don't wake up Nikki. Kapish?" Virat kisses her.
"Cah-piiish!" she giggles without opening her eyes.
I stand there, by the door staring at Virat. God! Why do you have to make him so good-looking. He is in black suit with a bow-tie. He looks dashing, sophisticated and devastatingly handsome. He walks out gazing at me lovingly. He smiles and closes the door to the room.
***
"Manvi!" he kisses my cheek. "You look breath-taking!!" I hear him sigh and he is looking at me with wonder. My face flushes like a stop-light as he doesn't take his eyes off me.
Is there any feeling more thrilling than being appreciated by the love of your life? I feel so pretty - like a teenager who is going to a high school prom. It is weird that I feel this excited. I kind of know why though - it's because we both haven't gone out to something like this in such a long time, that too alone.
"You look pretty striking yourself." I tell him. "Chale ab?" I tilt my head and look at him.
He doesn't move, I feel his eyes penetrating through me "I was thinking..maybe we should stay in, spend some quality time together, watch a movie or something." he says pulling me into his arms.
"Virat, come let's go, before you do something stupid" I drag him out.
"Should we? really?" He pouts stopping me.
"Jaaan?"
"ummm.." he pulls me back in an embrace. Man! I love crazily-in-love-and-smitten Virat. He is so endearing. He traces my face with his fingers slowly, looking at me lovingly, marveling each and every inch of it. It sends me to another world and it feels so amazing. I close my eyes and feel him, feel his warm breath caressing my face, he is leaning in towards my lips.
His phone beeps. "Ughhh!" he starts cursing.
"The sooner we leave, the sooner we come back." I tell him.
He thinks about it, looked like he was waging an internal war with himself. After a few seconds he yields "Alright, we will be there for fifteen minutes exactly and then you are all mine." He warns me.
I nod. He leads me out talking to someone on the phone. I follow him silently. Blanco was ready with a limousine in the drive-way. Like a perfect gentleman, Virat opens the door for me and shows me in with his hand. I smile at his chivalry. He knows I like these small little things. Virat settles beside me and immediately takes my hand. Taylor and Randy are sitting in the front and almost immediately, we are on the move.
"No, I don't want anymore excuses on this. If you cannot do it by tomorrow..ok..its your last chance..very well...do it." He hangs up and stows his phone away moving closer to me.
"Virat!?" I look towards Blanco and Randy.
"They cannot see us or hear us." Virat replies my unanswered question.
"Did the kids give you a hard time?" I ask, trying to change tracks.
"Kids!!????!!!" he exclaims.
"Yes Virat! Our kids..."
"Shhh!!!!!" he closes my mouth with his finger
"For the rest of the night, it's only me and my gorgeous wife, having a good time. Capish?" he asks me.
"Cah-piiish." I imitate Ria from earlier with a straight face.
"You had to do that, didn't you?" He shakes his head. I smile. "Manvi, she is just like you, full of life, full of love. So creative. The girl never stops to amaze me."
"Umm..and Nikki is just like you - sensitive, loving, over bearing and over protective."
"Really?" he smiles shyly. I haven't seen that smile of his in a while. It is so damn attractive.
"Oh for godsakes Virat, he punched a kid coz he ate his sister's cookie."
"..and your daughter wanted a magic wand to turn Rob into a spider. Where do you think she gets these ideas? Huh?"
I laugh loudly hearing to this. "She wanted to do what???" I collapse on his chest laughing. After I am done, I look up to him, he is looking at me with a sweet smile.
"We cannot not-talk about our kids, can we?" he asks.
"I guess not." I stay like that without moving, listening to his heart-beat and enjoying the silence between us. He was skimming the back of my hand with his thumb softly. His touch was sending these delicious tingles through my body, I close my eyes.
"Viraaat?"
"Yaaa?"
"Please be careful in whatever you do. I worry about you a lot - when you are not around."
My statement unsettles him. I hear him take a deep breath."What's wrong baby? I forgot to ask you, you called me so many times at work. Is something bothering you?"
"No. It's just that, you are my everything - you are the center of my universe and I just cannot live without you." I fight back my emotions. I wanted to tell him how much he means to me. I don't tell him enough.
"That's very sweet!" he looks at me surprised.
"That's very true!" I reply.
He doesn't take his eyes off me. I blush awkwardly.
"Well, since we are saying things, I don't think I have told you this in a long time, but it is so much more true now - You.Make.My Life.So.Beautiful. I am a heartless and ugly man without you Manvi." he says with passion oozing off his eyes.
Now, I look at him surprised. I am locked in his gaze and he slowly leans in towards my lips - I part my lips and close my eyes in anticipation - to feel his soft yet firm lips, moving against mine, sending a kind of peace and solace through my worrying heart and over-worked brain. I feel like we are just going to make it, its all going to be fine, coz Virat is my life and there is no way I can lead my life without him now.
It has to be okay. Nothing can happen to my love.
Blanco pulls into the driveway of the party and a Valet opens Virat's door. Virat breaks our kiss and smiles. "Lets smile and pose for fifteen minutes, then we are out of here. Okay?"
I nod. I take his hand and step outside. We are walking on a red carpet and it was leading through a lawn into a huge ballroom, where I see scores of well-dressed people chatting and sipping champagne - New York's rich and famous I am sure. The atmosphere was amazingly pretty, there were small little lighted paper laterns lit on either sides of the walk-way and it was a bright and starry night.
Blanco and Randy were following us behind. Virat has his arm around my waist protectively and I held on to his arm loosely. There were a steady stream of people coming in, and we were soon stopped by a couple of photographers for a picture. Virat nods at them and he pulls me close as we quickly pose for them.
"Whats the occasion Virat?"
"Oh it is routine Manvi. Every year Vadhera global and three other big shot firms in the city hold a huge charity gala. There is lots of activity and all the money collected goes towards charity - educating kids in poor countries. It is a good thing to do and it gives us great publicity."
Inside the ballroom there was a big dance floor which was red in color and had two crystal carved swan statues at the entrance. Virat leads me further inside where all the guests were collecting before a huge stage. There were formally arranged round tables in front of the stage and a band performing classical music on it. There were playing a really beautiful piece.
"Virat, this is so big and I don't know anyone anymore." I tell him looking around nervously.
"You know me!" He looks down at me and a big smile lights his face.
"Viraaat!!! Maaanvi?? Is this really her? Manvi? Oh my god! How long has it been???" a tall blonde girl in a pink satin gown comes and throws her hands around me. I immediately recognize her, its cherry, Virat's cousin, by a really long family relation but I was close with her. She is about my age and her husband used to work with Virat.
"Cherryyy?" I reflect her excitement and hug her. Virat is rolling his eyes at me. He always thought she took too much of my time and is very imposing.
"Virat? You didn't tell me Manvi is back??" she punched his shoulder and threw her hands around him too. Virat hugs her back while looking at me widening his eyes.
"All well with you?" he asks her, pulling her apart from himself.
"Oh, so formal." She punches him again. Virat huffs. I must give the girl her due, nobody gets away punching Virat, nevertheless twice. Virat not killing her in this very instant means he is fond of her. She grabs me away from him "Where were you all these days, I need to tell you so many things, and by the way you look totally gorgeous..."
And so she introduces me to her friends, my eyes search for Virat, he is standing with a few people, looking at me with a desolated expression and simultaneously giving a thoroughly bored expression to the guy who was blabbering non-stop in front of him.
"Manvi, will you help me with the auction." Cherry asks me.
"Sure, what do you want me to do?" I ask.
"Oh its nothing, you just have to stand on the stage with nine other beautiful ladies. There will be an auction for the first dance of the evening with all the ten ladies. All the money will be used for charity."
Oh!
"Uh, Cherry, I don't think that it is good idea, that's not going to go well with Virat and we were not planning to stay the whole time. We have a really early morning tomorrow."
"Oh puhlease! I will handle him. It is for a good cause, come on I need one last person. Pleaaase and Virat will win for sure anyways." She makes a cute puppy face.
I think about it for a minute. "Okay." I agree unwillingly. It is for charity! Ofcourse I should help! I try to convince myself.
"Manvi!" Virat comes to me and extends his hand "Hey, remember me? I need to introduce you to some people. Come with me." he takes me along as Cherry shakes her head.
Hey folks! sorry for the short update, I know it is a half-assed job but this is the best I could come up in the given time. I will try to finish this in a couple of days and then send pm's to everyone then. Thanks for waiting and being patient. Please do leave your feedback. Thanks! Luv ~Anu❤️
Edited by bluebolt - 12 years ago
Shiv Shakti
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
