Hello all. I wrote this based on Shikha's prompt. As this became very long, I decided to post it as two shots. I hope you like it.
...
TS: Almonds and Contentment and Bliss
Chapter One: Almonds
He stood looking at her busily checking her shopping list. She had forgotten something very important and he was waiting for her to exclaim in annoyance and turn to him and shout Why didn't you remind me?', but he was in for a shock.
"Yes, I guess that's everything. Let's go to the billing counter."
"But... But..."
"Yes, Nachiket. Is there anything else you need?"
"No... but aren't we forgetting something important?"
Ragini looked at him with irritation. He had been fidgeting ever since they started their grocery shopping and by experience she knew he badly wanted to ask her something and as usual expected her to know what he wanted. She had often wished that he would stop playing the stupid guess-what's-in-my-mind game, though she had never expressed it to him in words. Right now, all she wished was that she was the one playing the game and he was the one struggling for answers. She was usually very patient with him, but today after 14 hours of continuous work; she was certainly in no mood for this game.
"Nachiket, I checked the list twice and there is nothing missing."
"Oh really... Let ME check"
"Here... You are only wasting my time, Nachiket. Remember, I have to go back to the hospital."
"Well... I still say something's missing."
"Will you please stop talking in riddles and tell me what you want to say?"
"Why do you have to get so irritated?"
"You will too if you are running late and you are delayed because of some stupid riddle."
"Well who is asking you to go to work? Why don't you take leave?"
"That is none of your business... Now tell me what I forgot, quick."
"ALMONDS."
"Almonds? But... none of the kids asked me for that and you hate almonds right? Then for whom?"
"Ragini... It's for YOU. Have you forgotten how much you love almonds?"
...
"Ragini... Come on, it's time to go. How long will you stand here?"
"Nachiket... Aren't we forgetting something important?"
Nachiket looked carefully at his shopping list and looked back at her innocently.
"Umm... No."
"Nachiket... You do this every time."
"What do I do, Jaan?"
"Don't call me Jann."
"Okay, Baby."
"NACHIKET"
"Yes, sweetheart."
"I am not talking to you."
She left him in a huff and walked towards the car park. Nachiket looked at her retreating back and gave smiled. She looked so cute when she was angry. He knew the exact thing to do to soothe her anger. He walked to the nuts section.
As he walked to the parking lot carrying the shopping bags, he saw her leaning against their bike looking angry. He sighed and said to himself softly You have a tough job today, Nachiket.'
"Hi..."
"I said I am not talking to you."
"Really?"
"Yes"
"But you are already talking to me."
"Hmmmph"
"Okay, Okay... No more teasing... Here..."
"ALMONDS... Oh, Nachiket..."
"So am I forgiven now, my Queen?"
"NO"
"NO??? But..."
"You lied to me... You made me think that you forgot what I loved the most."
"Arrey Jaan, did you really think that I actually could forget anything about you?"
"Well... Not exactly... But you need to be punished for teasing me so bad."
"Okay... So, what is my punishment? Please don't say that you won't talk to me or something like that... I can't bear to live a single day without you."
She looked at him looking sadly at her and her heart melted. She did what her heart wanted her to do. She pulled him close to her and kissed him. He was surprised. Ragini was the one who hated any public display of affection and here she was kissing him on the parking lot. Some young boys saw them and whistled. He tried to pull away hearing that but Ragini only pulled him even closer and deepened the kiss. They slowly pulled away for air.
"Well... I MUST say that I LOVED the punishment."
"Shut up, Nachiket."
She playfully gave a punch on his chest and blushed. He smiled at her shy face and pulled her into a hug. As she stood engulfed in his warm hug, she felt contented.
...
She looked down quickly to hide the tears of joy that quickly formed in her eyes. She felt her knees go weak at the thought that he still remembered such a silly thing like what she loved to eat. She tried to speak but her voice came out in a whisper.
"So... You remember..."
"Of course, I remember, Ragini. How can I forget such an important thing? How do you expect me to forget all the time we went for shopping and I got scolded because I purposefully forgot to add Almonds in our shopping list? And the Punish... Err... Ummm... Now before you start scolding me again, I'll run to the nuts section and get a pack of Almonds... How much do you want? Half a kilo or one kilo?"
"NACHIKET... No... uh... I hate almonds."
"But, Ragini... You used to love it so much..."
"Exactly! I USED TO."
"Come on Ragini, you just can't hate something you once loved so much."
"Of course, you can..."
"B..but..."
"Nachiket... Sometimes, we learn to hate something we love for the sake of pseudo-contentment."
"Pseudo-contentment??"
"That is the false feeling that you have EVERYTHING when you actually have NOTHING."
He stood as if rooted on the spot as she moved quickly towards the billing counter thinking what on earth she meant when she said that she had NOTHING? He just couldn't get it. He had always thought that she had managed pretty well on her own. Although he knew from Aarav's never-ending grumbles that she was a little stingy, he had never had stopped to think why. But today was different. As he watched her take out her little purse from the bag and count the money again and again as if to make sure it was all there, a ton of memories flooded his mind and he did what he had not done for a very long time. He tried to understand what she might have gone through without him and what she was going through right now.
......
Udne Ki Aasha
