He came out of the shower, the bath towel wrapped casually around his waist and threw a glance around the bedroom; correction their bedroom. It felt a little strange but good too. They were off together on their own with a wonderful future to look forward to, full of love, and new experiences and perhaps some ups and downs as well just like today. But they had a lot of support and especially they had each other so nothing would be impossible, he was sure.
He sat on the bed with it's messed up sheets; clear evidence of their fiery all consuming relationship and very much a reason for her being upset today. He tried to fix it up the best he could; it was the least he could do for the sake of her sanity. He chuckled thinking about how she would react if she came back home and found the unmade bed; she would 'blow her top' in the words of Nurse D' Souza, maybe he should leave them undone, it would be a sight to behold.
He found a single pearl drop earring on her nightstand where he had placed it last night while hurriedly undressing her completely disregarding her protests; she had finally surrendered and they had made prolonged and impassioned love as if trying to quench an unslakeable thirst. He hadn't been able to help himself, she had looked so enticing and tempting in her hastily pulled on silk saree of orange and green, she hadn't even done her hair. They had gone over to the K- House directly from the airport on Dadi ma's insistence, who had expressly wished to spend some time with her doctor as she had said; actually she had wanted to make sure that he had been treating her well.
Sorry my darling, I will try to exercise better self control in the future, but it's your fault too, why do you have to look more and more bewitching with each and every passing day? He enquired of her picture which took the pride of place behind the bed; she was looking on as he put the engagement ring on her finger; the night when their relationship had taken a deeper turn. The picture meant a lot to him, he was glad that Palak had chosen to blow it up and frame it; it had been a welcome back gift from her.
She is a very insightful girl Khanak, this sister of yours, now my little sister too! He smiled.. I need to get to know her better, just like you are my brother.
Shaan sighed thinking, as he got dressed in crisp dark navy shirt and white linen slacks; a lot of things to get done, living alone also meant doing everything on your own. But he wasn't afraid of it'.college had honed his survival skills for him.
The pantry needed to be stocked and so did the refrigerator; mom had offered to help and so had Khanak's parents but he had gently refused their offer-. They had chosen to start their new lives on their own, so it might as well be from scratch!
As he waited for his 2nd cup of coffee to brew, he noticed another cup lying in the sink with a tea bag in it. Khanak had sipped from it in a hurry before leaving; he picked it up and saw a faint mark of dark plum on one edge, and gently touched it with his lips,
There darling, I love your cup too, now what will you do about that; smack me?
He also had to figure out the next step in his career, he had relegated it to the backburner till this time, but he couldn't do it anymore. Life was staring him in the face and he had to prove that he was up to the challenge. He powered up his laptop, and took a deep breath, he had to get organized, his secretary was no longer there to do it for him. Perhaps he should get hold of Rahul, he had always understood him as a friend and peer, he may be able to help him figure out how he was going to go about constructing the hospital on one side and get some additional work on the side to keep the hearth going and pay the bills. He would need a list of his old clients first, maybe Sheila could help get it for him, he was glad that Akki had kept her back.
He shook his head; most of all he had to figure out how he would make up to his darling, she was his top priority, everything else was secondary.
He heard a knock on the door;
Who could it be? Don't tell me..mom?
Oh Hello!
There stood the girl he had bumped into twice earlier in the day; she was smiling holding a box in her hand.
Damn! He didn't want any interruptions at this time, but again maybe she was a neighbor and it didn't hurt to be neighborly, and it looked like she had brought something to eat too!
He smiled and opened the door wider and saw her close her eyes for just a sec,was she okay? Come on in!
She walked in looking around, seeming to like what she saw (fortunately Mom had employed some housekeeping services to clean up the apartment while they had been gone,) though the walls were still bare and there were the minimum knick knacks, very utilitarian. He had to get Khanak to put in some personal touches of her choice soon.
And you are?
She didn't answer, so he went up in front of her and extending his hand greeted her with a smile;
Hi I am Shantanu Khandelwal and you are..
She smiled very wide and shook his hand with enthusiasm, a sweet smile; I am Anu..short for Anuraadha. I live downstairs with my Dad.. And here is a welcome neighbor gift!..she was slurring her words.
She handed him the box which seemed to contain freshly baked brownies, he could tell by their decadent aroma..
He took them with a big grin: Gosh I love brownies, how very nice of you Anuradha, did you bake them yourself?
She tapped his shoulder making him look up and indicated with a finger on her mouth'You see I cannot hear very well, I have been deaf since birth..but I can read lips; so you need to look at me when you speak, she said in good humor.
Shaan stared at her in shock, he had never really encountered anybody with a disability before and it came as a surprise to him that she looked very normal until she spoke but then too he wouldn't have realized it until she told him.
He repeated what he had said, this time slowly clearly enunciating each and every word.
She smiled and then laughed softly, you don't have to talk like you are to an idiot! I am not retarded you see.
Shaan blushed in embarrassment; he had been doing exactly that; he apologized.
She seemed used to it, for she waved it off as if it was no big deal.
Sorry I have nothing to offer you except black tea or coffee. Just got back yesterday and haven't had time to get my bearings yet.
Don't worry, tea will do fine.
As he put the kettle on the range to boil, he observed that she was exceptionally tall and thin though not awkwardly so, had a pretty pleasant face and manners, and didn't seem to care much about her appearance, dressed simply in a long plain frock.
So what do you do besides bake delicious things.
Actually I am a Sioux chef at the Trattoria but some day I dream of owning a restaurant myself! She declared with the happy enthusiasm of a child.
Wow a gourmet! So when can we come over for dinner? He enquired with a laugh as he checked his laptop for any signs of activity from Rahul.
We?
Uh huh..yes. So you thought I live in this place on my own? No such luck, he laughed again, sorry my mistake it came out wrong. Actually I share this place with my wife of barely 2 months, Khanak, Dr Khanak Agarwal. Here she is;
He pulled up Khanak's picture on his cell and showed it to Anuradha who initially appeared somewhat upset and disappointed but after staring at the pic for what seemed forever, handed it back with a wide grin;
She is very beautiful and kind, you are very lucky to have her as your wife Shaatanu!
She is indeed the most beautiful girl in the world and lovelier as a person but how can you tell? He was amazed at this girl's perception.
By her eyes, they tell me that she possesses a clear conscience and that her heart is pure!
Shantanu smiled and nodded, he had heard about people with disabilities being exceptionally intuitive.
After a few more minutes of chit chat Anuradha took her leave saying that she had to go to her restaurant which always remained open, no matter what disaster may strike.
A girl has to earn her keep, or so my father says! Her laugh was warm and good natured and made a deep impression on Shaan as he showed her out.
Her shoulders hurt; there was a hammer banging away inside her head wanting to break it open.
Khanak felt miserable, dizzy, nauseated, the bee still buzzed and the patients were not helping either. None of them had cancelled their appointments, rather today seemed to be the day when most of them had decided to pay a visit to the doctor for the first time with their laundry list of aches and pains which she had to sort out and prioritize.
Prioritizing was important as for Mrs Bandhoo ( Dr K's infamous hypochondriac,) was more focused on the extra wrinkles on her forehead than on the level of her blood pressure; Give me some medicine doc because I love my salt.
And there was Mr Macchar ( her name for him, he looked like one,) who despite going on 70 was worried about his chest pain limiting his performance in the bedroom and turned a deaf ear to all her warnings about him dropping dead during the act if he didn't get an angio!
Men! Creatures woven from a single thread! She couldn't help but laugh thinking about Shantanu and winced when she felt a jolt of pain shooting up from the base of her neck.
What she wouldn't give for a cool cocktail of Tiger balm and a masseuse! Oh where are you Shantanu when your wife needs you?
She groaned and dropped her head on the table, she still had to call up Shaan's mom and her own Mama who had left a message earlier with the secretary. But not now when her throat felt dry like sandpaper and a hot iron when she tried to swallow. Oh no!! She so did not want to get sick!
Ek aur cup kadak adrak wali chai please Vignesh! Khanak requested the peon as he came in to pick her other cups.
Doctor Agarwal what you need is a good solid lunch and not cup after cup of insipid tea!
Khanak moaned, the thought of food made her stomach churn! She placed her fingers on her temples and screwed her eyes shut.
How was your trip, did Mr Dhak Dhak take you around? Nurse D'Souza asked with a fond smile, she looked upon the young doctor as one would her own daughter.
Awful, just awful! Khanak muttered.
What are you saying Doctor..did Mr Shantanu..? her voice trailed off, Nurse D looked scandalized.
What? Khanak blinked and tried to focus on her favorite nurse:
No! Not at all that was not what I meant..it was an amazing trip and he is the most gentle, caring, kind, loving and all the other adjectives that the most wonderful husband in the whole world deserves to have! I couldn't have gotten a better person even if I had him custom built Nurse!
Nurse D smiled reassured, I thought so, my favorite doc only deserves the best and nothing else! She came around and gave a hug to Khanak who hugged her back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~''
Beep! Beep! Beep! ..Chopin's nocturne..
She lifted her head from the desk, her hair a tangled mess, her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth, her throat scratchy and her head; don't even mention it. She had finally fallen asleep after 6pm when the last patient had left after she had made sure he had got his lab work done, and had f/u set up for tomorrow with the Gastroenterologist. He was her old patient who had been ignoring indigestion for ages and finally had come to her saying that he couldn't eat without puking anymore and she was shocked when she saw that he was thin as a rail.
She found her phone blinking an SMS right next to her,,it didn't occur to her to wonder how it had gotten there!
Rise and shine my sleeping beauty its 7pm
Time to go home with your made to order dreamboat!
A smile lifted the corners of her mouth, by some miracle it didn't hurt as much as before; He was back to his tricks;
She ignored him and laid back down.
Beep! Beep! CN again
Oh my Venus! What sin did this poor slave commit?
That he is being treated with such malice?
She laughed and then almost cried out in pain at the effort;
Your sin is that you chose to slight a Goddess, no less!
Shaan:
Oh Goddess of my heart! Listen to my prayers
Have mercy on this poor starving soul
Who hasn't partaken of a single morsel since the dawn of this day!
If I die you'll be the one named!
She:
Fasting every now and then is good for health in general
If I were you I would fast for 7 days straight, then perhaps your mission
Has the slightest hope of bearing fruit!
She drew in a sharp breath when she felt his warm hands pressing with firm pressure into the back of her neck, slowly inch down to her shoulders bringing gradual relief to the pain and fatigue which had tied her muscles up in knots. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her swivel chair sighing with happiness and deeply inhaling his comforting scent. She shivered when his gentle breath tickled her ear sending a delicious tingle down her spine.
Two can play at this game honey
I know you better than you know yourself
We burn in the same flame
We live but for one desire
You cannot survive without me
And I will cease to exist without you
That is the only truth, and everything else is a lie.
A lump formed in her throat when she opened her eyes to find him kneeling down in front of her with a beseeching look in his eyes as he took hold of both her hands and stroking her wrists gently kissed her palms.
Now will you forgive your teddy bear and give him a kiss and a hug or will you make him beg?
I thought teddy bears don't beg, they demand or take by force!
Do they?
He raised his eyebrows in mock surprise as she slid down to kneel in front of him and putting her arms around his neck drew him up to her.
Now will you do it or or..
Or what? He whispered softly, coming closer his eyes sweeping over her beloved face.
Or will you make me cry?! She sniffed her eyes brimming with tears collapsing exhausted in his arms.
My poor little love, this human will not allow that to happen.
He said, gently bundling her up in his arms before kissing her deeply on the lips.
Let this burthal take you home!
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