Part 27:
Nupur was in a hurry and that was an understatement for now. Suddenly this morning, she had decided to be this super-woman that she thought she could apparently be or atleast try to be one.
One, she wanted to get ready for her office. Two, she wanted to take over the kitchen course with the help of Shilpa Sharma for the breakfast as well as all of their lunch tiffins. And, three, she wanted to arrange things for Mayank, like his clothes, wallet, watch etc which she had presumed he would need in the morning.
Mayank watched Nupur amused. She was such a riot of a woman. Here he complained to her of er carelessness and here she was - trying her bestto mnage all in one go, as if the world was relying on her for the morning to start.
Suddenly, he saw, after he had come out of bath, that Nupur had kept his white shirt and black trouser on the bed.
He looked at it and as Nupur was passing by he held her wrist and she stopped dead in her tracks. It wasn't fair on her senses that he was standing there with just a towel draped around him and the way water dripped from his face had lined it all along.
She skipped just some, innumerable, beats and looked at him nervously with hr throat going dry enough for no particular reason, but dry enough so that her gasping, "Kya?" came out arely as a whisper.
Mayank could only laugh at her reaction while assuming what se must be thinking and for him, it felt pleasant this once. But alas, he had to break the spell while he indicated the shirt kept by her on the bed.
In her haphazardly fast manner today, while keeping the shirt for him by one hand, she remembered, she had some trails of dry turmeric powder in her other hand because she was directly there from the kitchen. She must have touched the whirt shirt with her other hand.
She bit her lips and sighed. The spell was broken in a dis-appointing manner for her and Mayank chuckled at her reaction. It was like someone who had been winning the world by her every single act has been stopped in mid-track to show a tangle of events created by her. She was super-cute in making different kinds of faces, always a new one and all evidently the one to remember.
He looked at her laughing but not at all with a teasing hint in it at all today, as she had tried to search for. It was rather a sight to watch, for he looked, rather sweet to her with that soft laughter of his, needless to say a handsome one. Whatever was happening to her senses? Black magic, Huh?
Mayank was about to pick up his shirt when Nupur stopped him saying, "Mayank!!! Wet mat karo use…warna rang nahi chootega…"
Mayank just watched, whatever she did - she quickly got her hand out of his grip, thank you very much, for that was important for her own sanity and picking up the shirt, she started patting over it as if dusting it and said, "Woh main….sorry…tumhari shirt kharab ho gayi…main daag nikal dungi…please doosri shirt le lo Mayank"
Mayank was bemused at her hesitancy. He just plainly replied, "Tumhi ne yeh shirt di thi….tum isse wapas bhi le sakti ho…no problems, agar daag nab hi nikle toh bhi…" He was completely cool with the fact that he may now get anything and everything of her choice for him, now that she was his wife. How would it matter if she had spoilt her own gift? She was his gift! He smiled at that thought which Nupur couldn't exactly judge the reason for. Oh, she gave it up concluding, that her husband had all the wrong reasons for smiling at her always. But before she could ask about it she realized, ahh, He Remembered!!!
A smile automatically graced her lips which only made Mayank glad to have it when he said, "Waise Nupur, main yeh sab khud kar leta hoon….mujhe dependant ona pasand nahi hai….toh tumhe itna kuch karne ki zaroorat nahi hai…"
Nupur's smile vanished all of a sudden. This wasn't a work she was doing for him. It was a way to connect their routine for her. Anyways, she never felt that she had ever done anything special for him. Can't she do anything at all for him, whether important or unimportant? He was always around her to help her. She wanted to be something to him too!!! Though this had turned out a bad try today, but hey, it wouldn't be always that, she wanted to proimise.
Nupur, however, replied retortingly, "Haan…iss par kuch gir gaya iska matlab yeh nahi ki roz aisa hoga….kaha naa maine sorry!"
Mayank couldn't help smiling at her answer, the way she said that sorry in anger had him in awe. He replied back, "That's fine Nupur….par maine bhi toh kaha naa ki main dependant nahi banna chahta…"
Nupur declared and walked off, "Cupboard se doosri shirt le lo Mayank….meri rakhhi hui shirt pehenne se tumhara wajan ghat nahi jaayega Mayank….aur nahi tum weak aur irresponsible ho jaoge…..aur jahan tak dependant hone ki baat hai…toh agar tum mujh par thoda dependant ho bhi jaoge toh mujhe achcha lagega…" Nupur had managed all that in anger, she wasn't sure if she could have said this to Mayank in a sweet tone and he wouldn't have argued back or dismissed it all the way. Her firmness had helped.
Mayank was left back with a smile and look at her as she left. She was a sweet-heart, if he didn't know it already.
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Nupur was talking on the phone, in the evening after returning from her work which she was only too happy to resume back after her marriage just as she had wished. All thanks to Mayank, for handling it for her in such a way.
Mayank overheard her loud voice of happily talking to her Bauji, she sounded overwhelmed and he felt the need to have a look at excitement as well as her chirpy voice which was mixed with some longing too. He needed to have a look at her and we went ahead with his wish.
But as he entered the room, Nupur was still smiling wide but as she saw him, she did away with the tiny beads of tears that had graced her eyes to depict her mixed emotions at the moment.
She looked up at him smiling and relieved, announced to the phone, "Bauji…ek second…Mayank yahin hai…aap ussi se baat kar lijiye!...Ek second haan…"
He saw Nupur getting up from the edge of the bed and walk upto him and keeping a hand on the receiver, she whispered to him slowly and a bit confidentially,"Mayank….Bauji hain…unse baat kar lo naa….achche se baat karna haan…tumhe nahi pata ki wo tumse baat kar ke kitna khush hote hain…tumhe bahut pasand karte hain" then remembering that her Bauji was waiting, she quickly again added, "Aur haan thoda smile kar ke baat karoge toh awaaz mein bhi mithaas ghul jayegi…theek hai…" and passed over the phone to Mayank. She had said it all so slowly and quickly that it amazed Mayank, more than the other fact that she had requested Mayank to talk nicely to her Bauji. Hadn't he done that earlier too, talked nicely to him? Ofcourse, he would, always.
He liked him too. Whenever he saw that contented smile on Bauji's face when looking at Mayank, he was assured that his Dad must have had that smile and proud too, for him, if he were alive now, that is. As if her Bauji certified him with his smile. However, Nupur was so overwhelmed that she missed out how Mayank was looking at her smiling and amused.
Nupur was moving away smiling when she realized Mayank holding her wrist and holding her back as he talked to Bauji with much more enthusiasm than Nupur had expected he could manage. Well, she felt only happier.
He looked Nupur in the eye, while he still looked as if all his concentration was on the phone conversation, but he smudged the tiny tear at the corner of Nupur's eyes and side hugging her, he held her close to him.
Nupur was shocked for one and strangely happy for another. She waited close to him until he talked to Bauji for a few good minutes, feeling lots of emotions running through her at the moment.
She felt pride for her Bauji's and her choice for him and also at him for being so cordial to her Bauji. Feeling her much more like a part of his life now. Feeling caught up again with tears as an excuse t be close to him - damn, why does it always have to be tear, fear and stuff!!!
Feeling comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time to share his space with him, feeling much more vulnerable than Mayank could assess, what he did to her, feeling the return of those mushy feeling that Mayank had been successful in bringing to her whether far or close, in various ways. And also, still missing her Bauji, a lot!
As she stole glances at Mayank while he talked to her Bauji, Mayank looked closely again and again, if she was alright. She wondered what made hi m so considerate, her or his own mannerisms.
By the time Mayank greeted a good-bye and pressed the receiver to Nupur's ears for her to follow suit too, she was not completely sure of how to convey her complex emotions to him at present and as soon as he dis-connected the cell, he saw her in his arms, not holding him but trying to shut herself up in him, completely and in a way, it amazed Mayank a lot. Her head was thrusted in his chest and she had been resting herself on him completely.
He had waited for her to do that, not completely emotional though. But to his dismay, as he hugged her back, this time Nupur felt a sharp shiver run down her spine, much more than the earlier times he had hugged her, whatever was happening to her? She broke apart looking at him.
Mayank was perplexed at her reation. She was so much more reluctant than he must have assumed. She looked flustered completely.
She looked up in his eyes and looked down immediately, not knowing why she had done what she had done. Embarassed she was, firstly at suddenly hugging him and then moving away almost as suddenly.
Mayank looked at her, he understood her a bit, about her escaping ways. He wouldn't press on it. She was sensitive, by the looks of it.
Though Nupur had wanted their closeness in all aspects, when today she came across it, she didn't know how to handle it, though she had been the one who had initiated it. She realized she may need to understand herself too, in these aspects, along with Mayank. She wanted to be close still but yet it was difficult on her. The way he was being her strength and giving her some too, a while ago, she was left speechless when she looked in his eyes and she felt herself looking in her own heart. In all, she was as restless being close, as she was now being away.
Feeling a sudden need to say something, trying to explain, she opened her mouth and closed it again, when again she opened her mouth and saw Mayank holding her hand and ushering her to the couch where he made her sit down and himself sat down on his knees, in front of her, looking in her eyes. Nupur felt her heart hopping beats, while looking in his smiling and confident eyes. She was lost for a moment.
Never knowing she would react this way, trying to aloof herself from Mayank, she felt quilty, only a bit. She heard him talk on the topic that she had overpowered with her nervousness right now but still it was running inside her, trying to make this moment weak for her. He had said, "Nupur, tum jab chaho…apne Bauji se jaa kar mil sakti ho…unhe miss karke tumhe chupaane ki koi zaroorat nahi hai.."
She repeated his words in a question, "Kabhi bhi?"
He repeated the same, smiling in assurance, "Kabhi bhi!" and then added as an afterthought to change her mood, "Haan, par upset hue bina…aur bina do baar soche aur pooche…tum jab chahe unse milne jaa sakti ho…umm, well waise toh tum do baar sochti nahi ho generally, toh I am sure kit um aisa hi karogi!"
Nupur instead of getting annoyed at him this time, she giggled between her freshly formed tears. She was grateful at the moment, overwhelmed, thankful and her eyes spelled all that to him too.
After her giggle settled down, she took his hands in hers and said, "Thanks Mayank! Thank you so much!"
Mayank didn't say a 'welcome'. He hated formalities and even more he didn't want Nupur to go in that mode with him now.
He smiled and replied back, "Par ek problem hai…"
Nupur looked down at him confused, "Kya?"
Mayank said acting serious, "Tumhe office se chuttiyaan phir se leni hogi…yaad hai naa…ki pichli baar kitni problematic ho gayi thi chuttiyaan tumhare liye….so iss 'Kabhi bhi..' ke liye….terms and conditions apply"
Nupur giggled again and felt like punching him on shoulder and ended up pressing one of his fingers in her hand. She couldn't believe he was joking with her and they had for the first time shared a good humour in between them. She didn't realize when her nails had digge in his fingers and he had to yell instinctively, "Ouch! Nupur…Baap re, tum toh dangerous ho"
Nupur frowned guiltily and getting all worked up all of a sudden she said, "Sorry…sorry….main woh…mujhe laga ki…"
Mayank asked promptly, enjoying her tensed expression in this matter and also relieved that she was out of her deep emotions, "Kya laga?"
Nupur looked down and said as if some student is accepting a mistake to some teacher, "Mujhe laga ki woh mera haath hai"
Mayank stood up laughing and asked immediately, "Why would you do that to your hand ever….tum toh khud ke liye bhi dangerous ho Nupur" Nupur glared and he quitened only a bit, though he chuckled at her.
He later realized that she was trying to press his hands for some reason, though he didn't have now much opportunity to get back to that topic again.
He also noticed, her face glowed and it had colour to it, all the right colours that made her look as pretty as she did right now.
Mayank concluded, however, by saying, "Okay, okay…" as his laughted came to a halt and he added with much genuinity and softly, "I just meant ki jab bhi tumhe Bauji ki yaad aaye ya milne ka mann ho, toh tum zaroor jaana. You are lucky to have him " He wished he had the same opportunity with his father, whom he missed almost as much. He added, "Aur main bhi lucky hoon ki he likes me and makes me proud of myself…aur haan, tumhe request karne ki bhi zaroorat nahi hai Nupur….main unhe bahut respect karta hoon aur tumhe unke towards kabhi bhi dis-appoint nahi karunga…okay?"
He looked down in the eys of his wife, sitting dazed and smiled when she smiled and nodded.
He went away just as casually as he had come in.
Nupur was left with a question for her this once, was she an outspoken girl or he was the reserved one, generally. What made her react opposite to him and he reacted accordingly too, because as it turned out recently, it was he who had been handling everything and her too, too well. She hadn't moved much of a muscle in all this, had she?
And also, he was soon becoming someone else for her. Someone, so important a person, that when he had walked out away from her just now, it had pained her just a bit, brought a smile to her face at same time and made her miss the moment that she had just lived with him, only a few seconds ago.
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