Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part7 Part8 Part9 Red Sari Under the Mistletoe – Christmas Snow (Marriage Chapter III Khalil Gibran)
Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?"
And he answered saying:
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
The aircraft had only been cruising for fifteen minutes but the occupants of the private jet and fallen asleep. Jai looked at Bani, her head nestled against his shoulders, her face now relaxed in deep slumber. It had been a hectic day and even hectic night. AD and Pia's wedding in the morning and then the reception at night, which had carried on into early hours of the morning. Eventually they had managed to get home to get couple of hours of sleep before getting up and getting ready for the trip. Ranveer had been the first one to get up and check up to make sure the jet would be ready for their trip. Then he had called up the resort to confirm the rooms, cars and other necessity was taken care off.
It had been fun shopping for warm clothes. They had hit the mall to buy some warm clothes for their trip to Shimla. The manager at the resort had warned them to come with plenty of warm clothes, including coats. Even masi had resorted eventually and bought herself some wool sweaters and pants.
Jai looked out of the window at the clouds streaming by. Maasi had pressured him last night to make sure that when they returned back from the trip, she would be coming back to the Walia house to make wedding preparations for him and Bani. She berated him for being too lax. "Kitne pyaari ladki hai aur tu kya dekh raha hai, bol dena Bani ko tu shaadi karna chahta hai." He fingered the small jewellery box in his coat pocket. He had asked the jeweler to send over few rings and he had picked out a simple pear cut diamond with rubies.
His arm rested on her soft wool sweater and he lightly ran his hand down her arm to where her hand lay at the side. Linking his fingers he laid his head back listening to the hum of the engine.
The jet landed at the private airfield. The pilot came out and warned them to put coats on as it was cold outside. As the door opened, a gust of fresh cold air swept through the cabin. Two jeep waited to drive them to the resort. They all looked with amazement at the snow covered landscapes, the hills covered with fresh blanket of snow giving a perfect background for the looming evergreens forest. The nippy air stung to their cheeks bringing colour into them. Anu, her eyes sparkling bent and bunched up some snow and cried, "Anyone for a snow fight?"
Jai shaking his head told her to get in the jeep and save the fight for later after they had reached the resort. The short drive brought them to the resort tucked away on a hillside at Kufri. The resort built during the Raj had typical European architechture. The suites of rooms were located in one part of the wing on the top floor. All the rooms had elegant interior with columns, paneling and chrystal chandeliers. The walls covered in warm peach tones with matching furniture and drapery. The large window gave spectacular view of the snow covered hills and cedar forests. Here and there lights twinkled from the remote cottages dotted on the hillside. Inside the rooms were nice and warm as they were centrally heated.
All Anu wanted to do was put on her coat and boots and go outside and play in the snow. Her enthusiasm did not rub off on anyone else and so settled for a short walk before dinner. Bani put on the warm jackets, hat, scarves and gloves and waited while Anu went through a several clothes change before she was ready. The cold hit them like a brick wall as they stepped outside, making them catch their breath. But after a short brisk walking they warmed up and enjoyed crunching snow underfoot. In the falling dusk a serene calmness surrounded them, with an odd sound of a call or someone hurrying along nothing disturbed the air.
When they returned back, everyone was ready to go down to the restaurant to eat. Anu and Bani freshened up quickly and joined them. Jai watched as Bani's skin still glowed pink from the walk and her eyes sparkled as he met her gaze. He liked how she looked in light pink polo and cream pants. Holding her hand Jai led them down to the restaurant. It was filled with patrons, as winter drew people interested in skiing from all over the country.
Dinner was taken leisurely, the talk revolved around AD and Pia's wedding the day before. Ranveer remarked rather cryptically about AD and Pia going to Caribbean for their honeymoon considering they wouldn't be doing much sightseeing. Masi spluttered whilst Anu and Sahil giggled loudly. Jai looked at Bani causing her to blush and Jigyasa pretended to be annoyed and telling Ranveer to watch what he said, to which Ranveer told her matter-of-factly that they were all adults and should have no problem with talking about sex. Sahil choked on his water and Anu burst into loud laughter which caused the others to join in.
Next morning it was almost noon by the time everyone got up and got ready. Jai had been up early as per his routine and hit the gym at the resort. On his return masi, Bani and Jigyasa were up and had ordered breakfast. Bani poured out coffee for him and handed him the cup. Over breakfast they talked about going into Shimla town and having a look around. When Ranveer, Sahil and Anu got up it was almost one. Ranveer decided he wanted to try his hand at skiing and would rather go the skiing centre and take some lessons. Anu and Sahil decided to join him and it was Jai, masi and Jigyasa and Adi making a trip to Shimla. The sun had warmed up the air so it did not chill the bone as much. The town was busy with tourist and locals shopping, sightseeing or just going about their business. The cobbled streets were clean of snow. They visited the Christ Church and St. Michael Cathedral, admiring the stone architecture and stained glass windows. Near the mall they visited the old temple dedicated to Shymala devi, whose name gave the town it's name.
Browsing at shops selling variety of souvenirs from wooden handicrafts, to Himachali shawls, woollen caps and sweaters and Tibetan crafts. Masi purchased couple of colourful shawls as gifts for her friends. A light lunch was taken at one of the many restaurants lining the street. When they returned back to the hotel Ranveer, Anu and Sahil had not returned yet. Masi and Jigyasa decided they wanted to rest and Jai and Bani left them to go and explore the trail around the resort.
The trail was well marked and the path easy to follow as the snow was compacted by high usage. The cedars loomed tall over the path and sunlight shimmered in through the boughs. Jai and Bani walked in companionable silence for a while, until they stopped at a small clearing, from here they could see over the valleys. It was breathtakingly beautiful; the snow carpeted the land for miles, the evergreens, the craggy rocks and small villages dotting it. Bani awed by the sight, "It's just as beautiful as those scenes you see in the movie done in Switzerland. Never thought there would be so much snow here in Shimla."
Bani ran her hand through the snow on the bushes, picked some between her gloved fingers and sprinkled it to the ground. Jai picked up snow and threw it at her, covering her hat and face with the white stuff. The flakes melted on her skin, making her skin feel cold. Bani suddenly bent down and grabbed a handful in both her hands and squeezed it and threw the snowball at Jai who saw it coming and ducked. What ensued was a few minutes of Bani trying to get Jai back by throwing snowballs at him. She managed to catch him couple of time, but missed most as Jai dodged her attempts. Eventually a little breathless Bani stopped to rest to find a snowball thrown by Jai land splat on her face. irked at Jai for throwing the snowball while she wasn't looking, Bani tried to catch him but slipped and fell on the snow. Jai rushed and knelt down to where she was lying. Jai pulled her up into sitting position, "Sorry, didn't mean the snowball to hit your face."
Bani picked up handful of snow and laughingly smothered it on his face. As he tried to stop her from doing it again he pushed her down on to the snow and pinned her and growled, "No more Bani, my face feels cold." Bani trying to get her arm free, "Fine I promise not to do it again, now can I get up."
Instead of letting her go Jai brought his face close to her and licked at drops of water formed by the melting snow on her cheek and lips. The touch of his lips sent sparks across her skin, her heart lurched and she closed her eyes as Jai kissed her hard on the lips. Automatically her arms wrapped around his neck pressing his head down. When he pulled back and gazed in her eyes which seemed to be dazed. She curled her hands in his hair and pressing his face down again whispered huskily, "I love you Jai."
All coherent thoughts flew out of Jai's head as the three little words replayed in his mind, his heart beat rapidly as he felt a rush of desire sweep through him. Throwing his gloves aside, his hand fumbled under her jacket and polo to reach her bare midriff. He felt her quiver for a moment as his hands caressed the warm skin. Her gloved fingers tried digging into his shoulders as his mouth tormented hers and his moved up and rested on the curve of her breast. She shuddered and moaned as his fingers traced the edge of lacy bra. Jai felt Bani go limp under him and he broke the kiss and looked at her. Bani saw a self-satisfied smile on his face as he took in her flushed face and darkened eyes. Sudden realization of what had just taken place made her push at him and roll away. As she lay facing away from him, Jai felt a twinge of guilt overcome him. He gently pulled her to face him and then looking tenderly in her eyes, he traced his finger down her face, "Ban I love...I don't think I can keep myself away from you much longer. I need you Bani....I want to kiss you senseless...make love to you all night long. Marry me Bani!" His hand reached into his pocket and he pulled out the small box with the ring and held it out to her, "I wasn't planning to propose to you like this but I have..." Bani opened the box and looked at the gleaming diamond and ruby ring. Holding the box back to him, she removed her glove from her hand and held it out to him. Jai slipped the ring on the ring on her finger and pressed sweet kiss on her lip and whispered, "I love you Bani."
Jai pulled her up and wrapping his arms around her said, "Well we better go back and tell masi the good news. She has been bugging for days to ask you to marry me."
Masi and Jigyasa were delighted with the news. Jigyasa decided they had to celebrate the engagement and went on the phone trying to arrange a special dinner for them. When Anu, Ranveer and Sahil came back, tired from the outdoor pursuits more congratulations followed. Anu screaming at Jai, "Now I can finally call her mami." She hugged Bani and said, "Now I can't wait for the wedding. What do you say masi we get them married here in Shimla. What can be more romantic then the snow, mountains and a beautiful site."
Of course Anu's word had the three women, masi, Jigyasa and Anu start discussing how to plan the wedding while an amused Jai looked at Bani, who sat with a stunned look on her face.
The little room which had been set up for their celebrations. The staff had decorated the room with flowers and candles. Jai popped open the champagne and Anu made a toast to the happy couple. Anu pointed up the ceiling to Jai. A mistletoe had been hung up conveniently where Jai and Bani were standing and with a giggle Anu said, "Mamaji you know what you have to do if you stand under the mistletoe.'
Jai obliged her by sweeping Bani in her arms and planting a hard kiss on her. She looked very sexy in the black sari Jigyasa had gifted her. Anu had insisted on her wearing that, even thought Bani felt uncomfortable with the amount exposure the tiny blouse made. A lot of laughing, drinking and eating the delicious food prepared at Jigyasa's request by the resort chef. Anu even had them all dancing to some of her favourite songs. It was quiet late when they all sneaked out of the room leaving Jai and Bani dancing to a slow song. It wasn't until the song finished that Jai realized they were all alone. Trust Anu to think of everything.
Jai titled Bani's face up and asked, "Are you happy with wedding masi has planned? You can speak up if you don't like it."
Bani shook her head, "No it's great. I can't think of anything better than getting married in the temple at Shimla. It will be a wonderful memory, don't you think so."
Jai nuzzled her neck and lavished kisses on her face whilst whispering, "I don't care where we get married as long as it's soon. I can't wait for tomorrow to begin."
THE END
I hope you guys liked the last update. An early Christmas pressie for you all. Thanks to all the vocal and non-vocal readers of this ff. Wish you all good things for the Year 2008.
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