Shapath ani pratigya naahi
"He is fine!!! Hum aapko KEH rahe hain na?" Neel was impatient and upset Suvi wanted to can the Goa trip
"Wo chota hei Neel" Suvi said clearly
"He is. But he is not going to get whatever he wants" Neel was adamant
"Abhi sab both naya hei nei?" Suvi clarified
"Humey yoon lag raha hai, ki agar humne aaj unki baat maan le, to woh yeh samajh lenge ki hamesha unki baat maan li jaayegi" Neel spoke furiously
"Aise nei Neel... Neel" she begged
"pehli larai aur woh bhi ek din ke andar" he laughed out loud
She smiled as her heart raced... this was all new
"Arey aap chaunk gayin? Shaadi aadhi larai hei. saare vachan sanskrit mein yahi baat batati hain" he laughed heartily
Her heart sang with joy at his simple sense of humor
Rutwik never fought with her
The scum that he was
He was afraid if he ever did then the cat wud come out of the bag
They WALKED HAND IN HAND outside the society that night.
Suvi at first couldnt believe herself it was happening to her
Everyone ate in a circle on the Worli living room's floor.
The food was simple, pao bhaji, kulfi falooda and ice cream
"Mast bana hey" Suvi declared shyly biting into a spicy green pepper
"Kitna mirchi khayiyega?" Neel muttered
"ye to kuch mirchi nahi hey baba" she exclaimed joyously, in her element after tasting the food so familiar to her
"Hamey aapko rules samjhane padenge" he whispered
She turned red, looking around self consciously
Aabha's kids sat with Aadhya in a triangle giggling about something
Aabha was quiet and looked tired
Saksham, Mamaji and Mamiji talked family politics
Pushkar and his wife mumbled occasionally
Amma looked weak but happy
"Mere ko Hindi seekhne ka hey nei?" she asked Neel for clarification
"Woh beshaq aap nahi seekhen, par raat ko mirchi ekdum mana hai" he chuckled softly
She turned a deeper shade of red
The walls were barren, the artefacts were gone from the wall cabinetry
It was a different apartment...
It rained and stopped and rained back up again...
Now when they were walking it was breezy and moist
The best time in Mumbai
The tree leaves shook sending a spray of water now and then...
the traffic was sparse.
Autowalas smoked beedis with the tarp up, relieved they got a break from the weather gods
Street hawkers conducted brisk business, frying eggs on giant skillets
Suvi was wearing a pink chikan suit that appeared like purple under the halogen street lights
The dupatta was a dark pink and purple tie dye in silk
She couldnt believe it was even her walking, she frequently checked her right hand (he held her left) to make sure it was indeed her.
The women that walked with their spouses, looked curiously at her/them, as they do in India when they spot newlyweds
Neel wore his side open white chikan kurta and chudidar
He seemed to dress more tradionally than men in the 30s did in india these days
Cars honked and splattered water all over, they jumped from sidewalk to sidewalk avoiding the spray
"Yaha raat ko chalna mushkil hai" he was frustrated
His phone beeped
He looked at it fishing it out from his pocket
He paused and typed for a few minutes
"Amma ko neend nahi aati agar hum sair par nikalte hain to. Usually hum unke soney ka intezaar karte phir nikalte the' Neel inadvertently shared info about his nightly routine with Nupur
Suvi nodded agreeing
"Mumbai daraawna hei nei" she said
"Nahi Amma samajhti hain unka beta bahut mashhoor hain" Neel laughed at himself
"Isi raaste chalte the dono?" Suvi asked
Neel clenched her hand
"I am sorry pata nahi kaise nikal gaya" he apologized
"neel its OK... mei jaanti hei nei?" she smiled
"U probably dont want to hear about it the first time you walk with me" he said sadly
"Mere ko walk karne ka khushi hei" she smiled secretly. "Mei Delhi mei balcony se raat ku" she stopped
"Dilli ki garmi bhi shandaar hai" he agreed amused
"Kitna time chalte the dono?" she asked
He squeezed her hand again...
"Neel agar mere ko jaan ne ka nei tha to mei nahi poochti thi" she said quietly
"so there is no anger?" he asked surprised, looking at her face
"Kyon?" Suvi asked shocked
"U know... I was married to her" Neel reminded
"Par Nupur ne mere waaste kuch galat nahi kara nei?" she said simply
He looked sad when she mentioned Nupur's name
It was her turn to squeeze his fingers
"Mere ko sun ne ka hei Neel. kuch tension nei karne ka" she said softly
"Aapse humne is liye shaadi nei ki, ki hum aapka fayda uthaakar " "umm... I shud be using you for emotional healing" he said angrily
"aise karne ke jaisa mere ku maloom nahi chal raha hey" she said
"Aaj aap chahkar poochh rahin hain" "Kal anjaane mein hamare mooh se koi baat aapko chubh gayi to?" he was afraid
"Koi promise karke shaadi to nei kiya hei na?" she asked
There was no vow never to mention Rutwik or Nupur again
Nope...
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