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Chapter 13
Shiv stared at the blue laptop screen, for what seemed like hours. He thoughtfully tapped his pen and recalled the intense kiss he had just shared with his wife. What it had been about, he honestly had no idea. He had come home that day with the intention of pacifying and wooing his estranged and angry wife but kissing her or enjoying it so much had not been a part of his plan.
That day after the attic incident, when he had looked upon his daughter's pleading face, Shiv had made a pact with himself to fix his marital relation for the sake of his children and family. He had also realized that the prospect of mending his marriage excited him as well.
He had found himself growing quite fond of his arresting wife. She was a unique blend of girlish mischief and womanly charms. There was an air of innocence and naivety about her that inspired feelings of protectiveness in him. The passion she ignited in him was a feat even Ipshita had rarely achieved. Her dusky skin, pouting lips, those mesmerizing dark eyes, the gentle touch, and the errant strand of hair, the dimpled smile, just the thought of her and her soft, feminine beauty was enough to turn him on. "Forgive me…" he said looking up at the moonlit night sky, "I hope you understand. I tried to fight it, love, but I am so tired of fighting…I can't fight anymore."
That night at dinner, Vivan and the rest of the family had noticed a slight change in the couple's behavior. Shiv seemed happier and more jovial, he was whistling on his way to the table. Gauri looked less sad and more demure and shy, like a blushing bride should.
Aaliya very slyly switched her seat with her dad's, so that he was now sitting next to his wife. Gauri shook her head at her daughter's antics and turned to give Aaliya a look, when she noticed her smiling husband wink conspiratorially at his daughter. Gauri frowned and silently took her seat.
As soon as she was seated, she felt a warm, rough hand cover hers below the table. Gauri looked at her husband, her eyes silently asking him what he wanted. But Shiv appeared not to notice her look and continued his chatter with his dad across the table. Gauri tried to wiggle her hand free as Raghu kaka placed the food on the table. "I have to serve the food," she whispered urgently in her husband's ears. Everyone at the table noticed the gesture and giggled at what they thought was a display of affection. Shiv ignored his wife's pleas and continued his gentle caress of her hand.
"Gauri beta, aren't you going to serve the food to the kids?" an incredulous Nikhila asked Gauri.
"Umm…Badi ma…." Gauri struggled with words
Shiv came to her rescue and said, "Ma actually Gauri kind of sprained her right hand so….would you mind serving the kids today please?" Nikhila gave Gauri a curious look and then with a smile she turned to the kids.
Dinner was delicious as usual but the best part of it was the gajar ka halwa. Shiv gobbled it up with relish and at the end he exclaimed, "Raghu kaka where are your hands? I am dying to kiss them for making such a divine concoction."
Raghu Kaka chuckled as he began clearing away the dishes, "It's not my hand you should be kissing Shiv beta. Bahu rani made the halwa today."
Shiv turned to his wife and bringing up their entwined hands from below the table, he kissed her long, soft fingers saying, "Thank you, my beautiful magician."
Nikhila watched the exchange with a smile and commented, "Ah so that's the sprain that was preventing you from serving the food huh?" The entire table burst into laughter and a blushing Gauri quickly excused herself.
Later that night just as Gauri was getting ready for bed, an anxious Vivan knocked on her door, "Boudi I was wondering if I move that couch in your room to my room."
"Why do you need the couch?"
"A friend of mine had a fight with his parents and he needs a place to crash while he cools off tonight. Please boudi!"
"I guess…" Gauri replied sans enthusiasm.
Vivan and his friend quickly shifted the couch out of the room, leaving a distraught Gauri behind. Shiv chose to enter the room at that very moment and unfortunately he wound up at the receiving end of his wife's frustration, "What do you think I am huh? A hussy? A tramp? You can just seduce me with your kisses and caresses? If all you want is a physical relationship without any emotional binds then you have come to the wrong girl!" Gauri ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Shiv had known that winning his wife would be a challenge and he was ready for it but still her words shook him and he stepped out to clear his head.
Once Gauri's tears had run dry, she came back out to an empty bedroom. Instead of pacifying and soothing his wife, her husband had abandoned her. This frustrated her more. She contemplated throwing things around to ease her anger but settled for moving the furniture around instead.
When Shiv came back into the room, he was greeted by silence and darkness. He figured his wife was probably asleep and as silently as possible, he changed into his night clothes and headed towards the bed. He smiled when he remembered how his devious brother had offered to get that blasted couch out of his room and marriage. Shiv headed toward what he remembered to be the direction of his bed and turned to sit on it. Instead of the soft mattress of the bed, however, Shiv's bottom came in contact with the cold, hard floor of his room.
Shiv let out a curse, waking his sleeping wife up. "Who's there?" she exclaimed switching on her bedside lamp.
"Your husband!" came the grumpy reply.
"Why are you on the floor?"
A frustrated Shiv turned to his wife and said, "Because this is where I had last seen my bed."
"Oh! Yah I moved it."
"I can see that. May I ask why?"
"Well it was either that or breaking things. I thought moving furniture would be less dramatic."
"Well next time, I would appreciate a little warning ahead of time."
"Well next time I would appreciate you not driving me crazy" Gauri replied mimicking his tone.
Shiv let out an exasperated sigh. This, he supposed, was her childish mischief he had romanticized as being endearing. So much for that.
Gauri watched her husband approach the bed and immediately asked, "What are you doing?"
"Going to sleep Gauri. That's what people do at midnight."
"Yah but we had agreed that I sleep on the bed and you on the couch."
"Gauri do you see a couch in the room?" Shiv replied patiently
"You don't have to sound so condescending I know that you were behind Vivan moving the couch, so I think you should go sleep on it in his room."
Ignoring her ridiculous argument, Shiv calmly sat at the edge of his bed and began taking his socks off, "This is my room Gauri. I refuse to sleep anywhere else but here. And no I will not sleep on the cold floor and I don't recommend you do either. Now goodnight."
"Fine!" Gauri exclaimed. She used the spare blanket in their closet and set up a temporary barrier in the middle of the bed. "Do not cross it or I swear you will regret it!"
Shiv suppressed a grin and said, "Now that you have used up my blanket to make this barrier, I guess you and I will just have to share yours."
Shiv stared at the blue laptop screen, for what seemed like hours. He thoughtfully tapped his pen and recalled the intense kiss he had just shared with his wife. What it had been about, he honestly had no idea. He had come home that day with the intention of pacifying and wooing his estranged and angry wife but kissing her or enjoying it so much had not been a part of his plan.
That day after the attic incident, when he had looked upon his daughter's pleading face, Shiv had made a pact with himself to fix his marital relation for the sake of his children and family. He had also realized that the prospect of mending his marriage excited him as well.
He had found himself growing quite fond of his arresting wife. She was a unique blend of girlish mischief and womanly charms. There was an air of innocence and naivety about her that inspired feelings of protectiveness in him. The passion she ignited in him was a feat even Ipshita had rarely achieved. Her dusky skin, pouting lips, those mesmerizing dark eyes, the gentle touch, and the errant strand of hair, the dimpled smile, just the thought of her and her soft, feminine beauty was enough to turn him on. "Forgive me…" he said looking up at the moonlit night sky, "I hope you understand. I tried to fight it, love, but I am so tired of fighting…I can't fight anymore."
That night at dinner, Vivan and the rest of the family had noticed a slight change in the couple's behavior. Shiv seemed happier and more jovial, he was whistling on his way to the table. Gauri looked less sad and more demure and shy, like a blushing bride should.
Aaliya very slyly switched her seat with her dad's, so that he was now sitting next to his wife. Gauri shook her head at her daughter's antics and turned to give Aaliya a look, when she noticed her smiling husband wink conspiratorially at his daughter. Gauri frowned and silently took her seat.
As soon as she was seated, she felt a warm, rough hand cover hers below the table. Gauri looked at her husband, her eyes silently asking him what he wanted. But Shiv appeared not to notice her look and continued his chatter with his dad across the table. Gauri tried to wiggle her hand free as Raghu kaka placed the food on the table. "I have to serve the food," she whispered urgently in her husband's ears. Everyone at the table noticed the gesture and giggled at what they thought was a display of affection. Shiv ignored his wife's pleas and continued his gentle caress of her hand.
"Gauri beta, aren't you going to serve the food to the kids?" an incredulous Nikhila asked Gauri.
"Umm…Badi ma…." Gauri struggled with words
Shiv came to her rescue and said, "Ma actually Gauri kind of sprained her right hand so….would you mind serving the kids today please?" Nikhila gave Gauri a curious look and then with a smile she turned to the kids.
Dinner was delicious as usual but the best part of it was the gajar ka halwa. Shiv gobbled it up with relish and at the end he exclaimed, "Raghu kaka where are your hands? I am dying to kiss them for making such a divine concoction."
Raghu Kaka chuckled as he began clearing away the dishes, "It's not my hand you should be kissing Shiv beta. Bahu rani made the halwa today."
Shiv turned to his wife and bringing up their entwined hands from below the table, he kissed her long, soft fingers saying, "Thank you, my beautiful magician."
Nikhila watched the exchange with a smile and commented, "Ah so that's the sprain that was preventing you from serving the food huh?" The entire table burst into laughter and a blushing Gauri quickly excused herself.
Later that night just as Gauri was getting ready for bed, an anxious Vivan knocked on her door, "Boudi I was wondering if I move that couch in your room to my room."
"Why do you need the couch?"
"A friend of mine had a fight with his parents and he needs a place to crash while he cools off tonight. Please boudi!"
"I guess…" Gauri replied sans enthusiasm.
Vivan and his friend quickly shifted the couch out of the room, leaving a distraught Gauri behind. Shiv chose to enter the room at that very moment and unfortunately he wound up at the receiving end of his wife's frustration, "What do you think I am huh? A hussy? A tramp? You can just seduce me with your kisses and caresses? If all you want is a physical relationship without any emotional binds then you have come to the wrong girl!" Gauri ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Shiv had known that winning his wife would be a challenge and he was ready for it but still her words shook him and he stepped out to clear his head.
Once Gauri's tears had run dry, she came back out to an empty bedroom. Instead of pacifying and soothing his wife, her husband had abandoned her. This frustrated her more. She contemplated throwing things around to ease her anger but settled for moving the furniture around instead.
When Shiv came back into the room, he was greeted by silence and darkness. He figured his wife was probably asleep and as silently as possible, he changed into his night clothes and headed towards the bed. He smiled when he remembered how his devious brother had offered to get that blasted couch out of his room and marriage. Shiv headed toward what he remembered to be the direction of his bed and turned to sit on it. Instead of the soft mattress of the bed, however, Shiv's bottom came in contact with the cold, hard floor of his room.
Shiv let out a curse, waking his sleeping wife up. "Who's there?" she exclaimed switching on her bedside lamp.
"Your husband!" came the grumpy reply.
"Why are you on the floor?"
A frustrated Shiv turned to his wife and said, "Because this is where I had last seen my bed."
"Oh! Yah I moved it."
"I can see that. May I ask why?"
"Well it was either that or breaking things. I thought moving furniture would be less dramatic."
"Well next time, I would appreciate a little warning ahead of time."
"Well next time I would appreciate you not driving me crazy" Gauri replied mimicking his tone.
Shiv let out an exasperated sigh. This, he supposed, was her childish mischief he had romanticized as being endearing. So much for that.
Gauri watched her husband approach the bed and immediately asked, "What are you doing?"
"Going to sleep Gauri. That's what people do at midnight."
"Yah but we had agreed that I sleep on the bed and you on the couch."
"Gauri do you see a couch in the room?" Shiv replied patiently
"You don't have to sound so condescending I know that you were behind Vivan moving the couch, so I think you should go sleep on it in his room."
Ignoring her ridiculous argument, Shiv calmly sat at the edge of his bed and began taking his socks off, "This is my room Gauri. I refuse to sleep anywhere else but here. And no I will not sleep on the cold floor and I don't recommend you do either. Now goodnight."
"Fine!" Gauri exclaimed. She used the spare blanket in their closet and set up a temporary barrier in the middle of the bed. "Do not cross it or I swear you will regret it!"
Shiv suppressed a grin and said, "Now that you have used up my blanket to make this barrier, I guess you and I will just have to share yours."
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