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He closed the door behind him and almost immediately smudged the red teeka on his forehead out of irritation. She had long entered the room saying she was tired and wanted to take care of all the jewellery she was wearing and thus the kids had excused her.. however, Karan and Dimpy had held him back and were teasing him endlessly about the marriage and how he never saw it coming and that they could not believe this was happening and were the happiest people on the planet.
Nachiket was tired of smiling all the time and partaking in everyone's jokes. Only Ashaben and Ragini knew the truth behind this marriage. Marriage, he thought to himself and smirked.. what a sad excuse this was to bring some happiness back in his daughter's life.. he and Ragini could barely stand each other and everyone thought this was a marriage! He bent his neck sideways until he heard a satisfactory crack and then went on to gently massage it as he sat on the foot of the bed and started undoing the sherwani jacket.. the red embroidered jacket slowly sagging down his shoulders as he smoothed his hands over the golden shirt he wore inside..
As he folded the jacket away and was about to get started on the shirt, he grew conscious of the room, about the company he was expecting. Ragini was in the bathroom. They were married! His mind panicked immediately. He was definitely not ready for this... ready to share his life again, ready to give space to someone else, ready to share a room, ready to share his privacy of being and thought... looking away restlessly, he wished she would come out of the washroom quickly so he could change and go to sleep as soon as possible.
Just then, he heard the bathroom door unlocking and Ragini stepped out in a pink night gown. He'd never seen her in that colour. He mentally whacked himself for thinking that way and averted her gaze as she walked towards the bed slowly. She was avoiding him too, and turned towards the cupboard, putting things back in place and arranging it for the day to come. He stood with his jacket in his hands awkwardly, waiting for her to turn around. What he was waiting for, he did not know... but one thing he did know was Ragini was a OCD freak about cleanliness and tidiness and he did not want to be the victim of a mini outrage when she saw his jacket lying around... but what was he supposed to do? He didn't even have a cupboard of his own in this damn room. He willed himself to be patient and stood in the room like a lost puppy, praying Ragini would notice...
And notice she did.. the man infuriated her.. was Nachiket a small child? Standing there like that with his clothes in his hand? What was he expecting me to do, she thought.. she glared at him but he was lost in a world of his own. If this is one of our games, Nachiket. I am least interested! The moment she thought that, she went over and literally snatched the jacket from his hands and kept it in the cupboard.. he was zapped out of his dreams and almost protested when Ragini held the door ajar to show him that she had cleared half the space for him.. her expressions said he would have to make do until they got a separate cupboard for his stuff. Nachiket just rolled his eyes and grumpily walked to the washroom. Ragini rolled his eyes when he walked away too.. he was not carrying a change of clothes.
You're impossible, Ragini...
Your'e impossible, Nachiket..
Ragini decided to be as civil as possible about it and tried hard to remember what side of the bed Nachiket liked to sleep on.. she was trying to be considerate.. she did not want another fight. Not tonight at least. She was emotionally and physically exhausted by this charade already. She wondered how she would carry forward this 'marriage' for another day. The man infuriated her! Finally deciding on the left side, she lay down on her sides, making sure there was enough and more space for Nachiket to sleep without any problem. She had already taken out an extra blanket and kept it at his side of the bed. She tried to think about tomorrow but she could not .. this was one of those days where she could not believe her life... before she knew it, she was fast asleep.
Inside the bathroom, Nachiket was mentally whacking himself for being so foolish and not carrying his night clothes with him.. he had already stripped and taken off his wedding wear and was in no mood to wear it again and go outside to get his clothes. Fumbling around in the small cabinet he managed to find a small towel - something Ragini would use and gingerly wrapped it around his wet body (he'd just taken a bath) and tiptoed outside. The light was on! Shit, he thought, she was awake! She would not spare me of her taunts on how forgetful and silly I am... he wondered and willed himself to walk to his packed suitcase in the room and retrieve his stuff as soon as he could..
His ears grew warm as he neared the bed and he realised he was blushing... why was this happening to him? What would happen if Ragini saw him in this state? He just wished he would be able to handle himself and the situation.. reaching the toot of the bed, he tried to tiptoe to the suitcase at the side and then finally realised Ragini was asleep. He heaved a sigh of relief and then frowned at her. She had forgotten to switch off the light and was a light sleeper.. he was sure she would wake up when he switched the lights off..
Grabbing his night wear in his hand, he decided to take the risk and went over towards the lamp and was arrested by the sight before him. There she lay sleeping, with the faintest smile on her face. A single strand of hair was sliding down her nose and resting on her chin. Her body heaved slowly and the mehndi on her hand made him smile too. She was a divine sight for him.. something he could never deny.. he hated the person she had become now.. but he could never hate this.. this .. this Ragini.. his Ragini..
He smiled and gently moved the strand of hair to the side, giving himself the beautiful view of her entire face. Her lips were so inviting.. if he could only touch them and tell her she still rules his body and mind.. the mangalsutra around her neck was something he could not believe.. they were bound to each other all over again.. he yearned to move his finger over her delicate collar bone, and then down to her hands that wore the chooda. He marvelled at her patience for sticking to all customs nevertheless and then fondly looked for a sign of being married on his own body ... he was disappointed to find nothing that could show he was married. In her sleep, Ragini moved to grab the hand that was resting on her neck and hugged the hand, pulling Nachiket closer.
He was taken aback by her gesture but then realised she was still dreaming... Nachiket, the word escaped her mouth.. Ragini.. he responded without thinking.. and caressed her cheek as he allowed himself the luxury of quickly kissing her forehead..
Her eyes shot open and Nachiket immediately turned off the lamp shuffling to the other end of the bed. He could hear her shift to one side from the other for a long time, proof of her restlessness... while he had taken to staring at the wall above them.. the dancing patterns of light from the traffic on the road below doing nothing to calm his wild mind.
In the morning,
Ragini was surrounded by mental discomfort when she tried to wake up. What on Earth had happened the night before? How much of it was a dream and how was much of it was real? Had Nachiket really kissed me? What was he doing so close to me? Why did he suddenly switch off the lamp and rush away without saying anything? The thought angered her immediately and she turned to his side for a sight she didn't remember when she'd seen...
Nachiket was curled up in a foetal position.. almost hugging his legs as he burrowed into himself and tried to derive warmth from his own body. He seemed at peace, so content. Ragini lost track of everything she was thinking when she saw him. If only she could tell him she hated the man he had become... but she could never hate this.. this.. her Nachiket.
Silly man, she smiled, as she looked at the blanket that lay some distance away from his feet. Leaning over, she grabbed the blanket and put it over him from behind him on the bed. Reflexively, he snuggled into the blanket and ended up trapping her hand in his hug as he relaxed and then drifted off in his sleep again.. Ragini's arm was trapped in his embrace and she didn't know what to do. Nachiket slept like a log, so no danger of him waking up she thanked God.. pressing her face against his broad arm, she sighed at the sight of his face.. serene, calm and still irresistible. She gave into the embrace and hugged him from behind.. sighing against the warmth of his back through the blanket and letting her trapped hand reach for his chest and stroke it before reaching his cleft chin and running a finger over it admiringly.. her beautiful husband, she thought and panicked!
Husband? She was not ready for that! And she gently withdrew her hand from his embrace.. stealing a last glance at him as she rushed to the kitchen to check on breakfast.
THE END.
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