She could smell it before they saw it, the salty air hinting at the blue-gray water stretching out as far as the eye could see. The rhythm of the waves called out to her battered heart like an old friend. She closed her eyes for a moment, the tightness in her chest easing just a bit.
When she opened them again she found him watching her intently, his eyes making no apologies as they drank in the soft smile on her lips.
The significance of the sea at that moment was not lost on her; it was where he went to remember her, years and miles apart, it was what she shunned in order to forget him. And yet here they were, together once more, to celebrate the day they had been joined for not only the rest of this lifetime but the next, and the next...
They were content to stroll in silence, shoulders brushing, the breeze pleasantly cool as it greeted them off the water. She looked down at one point and couldn't recall when his hand had slid into hers. The sun blazed in the distance, painting the sky a fiery orange before beginning its dip into the horizon.
He stopped to lean against the low wall, pulling her aside with him. At the look in his eyes, her heart fluttered and she found herself half hopeful and half afraid of what he might do next.
Instead he placed a small box in her hand, wrapped elegantly in gold with white ribbon. Her mind raced with the possibilities of what it might contain.
"Nachiket, I - I don't have anything for you. And especially now, with our finances, you shouldn't - "
"I should," he interrupted her gently. And pulled her closer. "All these years, I should have." At her hesitation, he asked, "Won't you open it?"
She could not deny him, not when his eyes pleaded with her so. Her fingers shook slightly as they pulled on the ribbon and paper. And as she slowly opened the jewelry box her breath caught at the delicate pendant nestled inside, the swirl of diamonds glittering like a wave in the moonlight.
"It reminded me of you," he said softly.
She gazed up at him with tears in her eyes. "I love it," she said, and watched the joy bloom across his face. "But..."
"But?" The question was warm and patient.
"It's too much, Nachiket."
He wore a pained look as he stared out into the distance. "I didn't...I mean to say, I've had it for a while."
And behind those words she could imagine him stopping one day as it caught his eye, perhaps passing it over the first time but not the second. And then he was buying it, knowing all the while that it was for someone who would never receive it, whose face he hadn't seen in years. Yet the box remained, all those days and all those nights, waiting, waiting, just like them...
"Nachiket." He dragged his gaze back to her. "Forget dinner...let's go home."
Maybe it was the breathy quality to her words, but his eyes darkened and she felt as if he was looking straight through her. "Are you sure?" His voice was low.
Her fingers danced up the inside of his wrist. "Yes. Take me home."
--
At the door, her hands trembled as she tried to fit the key into the large padlock. She could feel him hovering behind her, his eyes liquid like chocolate, sliding over the exposed skin of her neck, her back. Ragini huffed in frustration and suddenly his hand was at her elbow, traveling torturously down until it covered hers. The key found its way in and turned.
Somehow over her pounding pulse she heard the door click shut behind them. She moved towards their room, confident that he would not be far behind.
And he wasn't, pulling her back towards him as they entered, his beard scratching the sensitive skin of her neck, his hands taking their rightful place as they spanned her waist. "Ragini," he murmured behind her ear. The sound skittered down her spine and she closed her eyes, feeling herself ache for the heat of his mouth.
He read her sigh and started down the smooth line of her throat, lips going back for seconds and thirds as he pleased. She turned in his arms as he traveled lower, and her fingers fumbled with the pin at her shoulder until his hand steadied hers.
"Wait...I want to unwrap my gift."
She blushed hotly at his words but allowed him to do just that, her skin on fire as he slowly, meticulously greeted each once familiar curve with his hands and soon his kisses. She had often wondered what he would think of her now, after all these years, but there was no room for doubt with the rapture on his face.
She soon found the courage to return the favor, her eyes eager to feast on just him as her hands traveled the planes of his body, muscles quivering under her touch. He stopped her hands at his buckle, though she was sure she would find him ready, the unsteady pulse she had tasted under his jaw telling her all she needed to know. She looked up at him, questioning.
"One last thing," he exhaled, and reached into his pocket.
She brushed her fingers against the elegant curve of the pendant as he fastened the necklace around her throat.
Nachiket stopped for a moment, and though she should have felt uncomfortable under his scrutiny, Ragini met his gaze head-on.
"I used to dream about this...about you, just like this." He brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face.
"Just like this?"
"Well, maybe a little closer."
She drew herself to him and smiled against his jaw. "Better?"
"Much better."
She tilted her mouth towards his. "Happy Anniversary."
"Happy Anniversary," he answered.
And when he kissed her, it was as if time had stopped for them after all.
THE END
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Thanks for reading ❤️
Anupamaa
Kumkum Bhagya
