Love Schmove
Madhubala gazed at herself through the ornate mirror as she brushed her hair to silky smooth finesse. Here she was decking up for her superstar husband as she fasted for his long life, while he didn't even care to show her some courtesy. He had very unceremoniously thrown her out 'of his vanity van and his sight' earlier today when he'd learnt that she was fasting for his long life. So what if their marriage had not occurred in the most ideal of circumstances and what did it matter that they'd taken only half the marriage vows required to complete the sanctimonious relationship 'which he'd been quick to point out with heart chafing politeness in an effort to remind her of the true nature of their relationship. What mattered to her was what they felt for each other. What she felt for him. She hadn't in the worst of her nightmares or the best of her dreams imagined falling in love with her arrogant superstar husband, never mind so soon. But fall in love she had. Not that she would let him have an advantage over her due to that knowledge. In fact, till she had her way, he would never know she loved him. And if Mr. Superstar thought that he could get away with anything he wished just because she had softened up a bit towards him and was fasting for him, he had a think coming. If he was Rishabh Kundra, she was Madhubala Rishabh Kundra. "Nothing makes things easy for you, Mr. Rishabh Kundra, not even the fact that I love you," she smirked.
"WHAT?!"
She spun around to see the Greek God of Bollywood, heartthrob of millions, the arrogant superstar, RK, her husband looking grumpy and angry. From the looks of him she knew that today had been one of those long days at the shoot when his highness, the Superstar RK, decided that they would work extra long shifts, and apparently, if he'd had his way today, he would've refrained from uttering the two words that brought relief to all and sundry at the studio 'pack-up.
"What what?" she questioned in reply.
"What did you just say when I walked in?" he asked narrowing his eyes as his brows knit in consternation.
"The very same thing that you heard," she replied coolly.
"You gotta be kidding me!" he drawled, half mocking.
"I know," she sighed. "I wish I was, but unfortunately, I'm not."
"You. Love. Me?" He gave a sarcastic laugh.
"Was I speaking in Latin? Greek? Or Arabic, perhaps?"
"Hindi."
"Well, then. You got me."
"No wonder you've been moony-eyed and goofy-faced for the past two days. And to think that I thought you mature enough to not talk crap," he muttered as he rolled his eyes.
"So I am," she retorted.
"Mature?" he mocked.
"You doubt?" she challenged.
"Didn't until very recently, however, now I do," he replied. "This love schmove business is for the immature."
She stalked up to him, anger in her poise and fire in her eyes and said, "Did I come running in your arms professing my undying love?"
"No."
He stood unmoved by her closeness and undaunted by her anger, ever the charmingly enigmatic and arrogantly confident man that she had known.
"Did I ask you to love me?"
"No."
She inched closer, "Did I tell you that my heart races when you're around?"
"No."
She took another step closer, "Did I tell you that I want to see your haughty face morning and night?"
"No."
With the next step that she took, her face was inches from his as she said through gritted teeth, "Did I tell you that I can't live without you?"
"No."
She took another step and RK was forced to lean back. "You have your answer. I did not tell you that I love you and nor did I ask you to love me back. If I love you, that is my problem. Not yours. Do. You. Understand?" She said through gritted teeth jabbing a finger at his chest with each word that she punctuated, and he was forced to lean back, as her face kept inching closer, to the extent that he was at the risk of losing his balance and falling on the bed beyond.
He snaked his arm around her waist for balance and said in a taunting, husky voice, "Careful, Wife. One more step closer and it might be too late to step back. You might only find it leading to the realization of your new-found fantasies." He winked gesturing to the wide bed and knew with the flash of fire that he saw in her eyes that she was irked. No blushing maiden, his wife. He couldn't help the subtle smile dancing around his lips. She pulled back and turned away while he succumbed to gravity and fell on the bed.
"So that is why the vrat," he drawled smirking satisfactorily as he lay with his head cushioned in his arms and Madhu went around fixing the contents of her puja thaal.
"What vrat?" she asked innocently confused as she looked at him.
"The karwachauth vrat, Wife. The one that you have so generously and lovingly kept for the longevity of my life," he replied, his voice edged with the ever present sarcasm in his tone.
"Said who?" she queried.
It was RK's turn to be irked now. "You ain't fasting for me?"
"Na-uh," she shrugged.
RK sat up, "But you were unwell this morning and you refused to eat anything that was offered to you."
"So you assumed I was fasting? For you?" she asked incredulously. "Interesting."
He narrowed his eyes, "Stop talking in riddles, Wife, and answer me. Why did you not say so then?"
"Did you give me a chance to explain, Husband? I wasn't eating because I was unwell."
"Then why the mehendi and elaborate dress up?" he asked.
"It's all part of the charade, dear husband. The patiwrata-patni, aadarsh-bahu charade," she smiled conspiratorially. "I need to reinforce Mummyji's belief in my selfless character. From 'can't live with you' to 'can't live without you' is a long, endless journey. Not so easily undertaken, Husband."
To her disappointment, he seemed unaffected by her words as he hit a hand to his chest in relief, closed his eyes and hit the bed again saying, "Ah! Thank God for that, Wife. I apologize for my behavior this morning. For a moment I thought that you'd gone all sugary sweet on me. And that I can't handle as excess sugar is not good for the system."
From the corner of his eyes he saw her eyes crinkle with anger and she retorted, "So now that we've established that I'm not fasting for you, can I get going? I've a lot of work to be done."
"With pleasure, Wife. With pleasure," he smiled with his eyes closed. Curbing the urge to throw something at Mr. Arrogant to wipe that satisfied smirk off his face, Madhu took her puja thaal and sneaked a photo of her husband from the nightstand before she walked out.
***
Madhu headed to the garden on the terrace with the puja thaal in her hand. Mom-in-law dearest had suddenly turned unforgiving and had no interest in believing that her until-now-perfect bahu was truly innocent and had no hand in the near death experience that her son had survived, and there was no love lost between Dipali and her so there was no reason for her to join the others for the puja before breaking the karwachauth vrat. And since her hubby dearest was content to know that she wasn't fasting for him, he wouldn't be joining her either, thus her first karwachauth was going to be a lonely one, after all. Fighting the haze of blackness trying to envelop her mind, she sat on the swing in the garden.
As she sat gazing at the stars waiting for the moon to grace the skies with its presence, her thoughts drifted back to her husband and she couldn't help but smile. She looked at the photo that she'd carried along. He was fiercely possessive of her and didn't hesitate to display his protective, caring streak when it came to her, yet when she tried to reciprocate the care or show her gratitude or devotion to him, he was quick to point out that they were married only for names sake as they had not taken all the vows that marked a marriage complete and thus he was her half-husband or fake husband, as he liked to call himself, and so she was not required to do what a wife was expected to do for her husband. He was a complicated man and she'd believed him to be an egotistical, heartless, arrogant person who basked too much in the glory of his success. But with everyday that she'd spent with him, she'd learnt that there was more to him than the heartless arrogance that he loved to wear on his sleeve. In retrospect, it was only part of the facade that he wore to defend himself from any vulnerability that threatened to affect him. But she'd always wondered the reason for that defensive facade until that day when he had bared his heart to her and she'd found her heart reaching out to him. That day she'd known that he held her in a respect and admiration so deep that he wouldn't even admit it to himself. She knew that she possessed a place in his heart that he wouldn't dare to willingly offer anyone. She knew he knew, but he wouldn't admit. Not even to himself. She didn't blame him for his dismal disregard of her feelings. He hadn't exactly had the best of experiences where feelings were concerned. However, she was confident that she could reinforce his belief in feelings. Some day. Soon. "Until then, Husband, I'm satisfied with whatever little I have of you. Whatever little of yourself you've willingly given to me."
The moon had emanated from beyond the clouds and was spilling its silvery charm over the dark night, turning it magically romantic. Her face lit up as she saw galaxy's pampered prince gaze down at her lovingly from the skies. She looked at the photo of her husband in her hand and with a smile brightening her face she said, "Time to complete the vrat, husband."
RK stood in the doorway to the terrace leaning lazily against the doorframe, mesmerized by the sight before his eyes. His eyes took in the sight of Wife gazing at his photo, adoration dripping from her eyes. He saw her sway a little before she managed to place herself on the swing. She was stubborn and there was no other way to it. Her stubbornness, her wit and her devil-may-care attitude had drawn him to her from the day he'd set his sights on her but he'd be damned if he let her know that. More often than not, he saw himself mirrored in her and as Bittuji would love to call it, she was a female version of 'his chief' aka RK himself. While other girls saw his arrogance and hauteur as part of his sex appeal and were eager to please him by words and deeds, she was one who didn't hesitate to speak her mind on his face and also to act on her thoughts. The sound of her slaps still resonated in his ears when he thought about that day at the studio when she'd decided to physically vent out her frustration with him. Fearless, brave and well, also a little stupid. But her stupidity had been cause for them to be together, though the togetherness hadn't exactly been in the most conventional of forms, but land up together they had.
The course that their relationship had taken was what worked for him and he had no reason to complain. He had done love, he had done trust, he had done faith and with all three, he'd fallen flat on his face. Since then, he'd vowed never to do any of that again. He'd promised never to make himself vulnerable to anything or anyone ever again. And then came Madhu and with her, it had been hate from day one and he realized nothing worked as good as that for him. Because then, the whole equation changed. There was no hope, no expectations, nothing attached. It was revenge, plain and simple. And it was RK being himself. While treading down the path of hatred and revenge, he never had to stop and think twice. He could be himself, and she'd come to accept him the way he was and in some twisted sort of a way, also found a way to justify his actions. Not that she let that make life any easier. She was a fighter, and every day with her was'fun. She gave back as good as she got and that added spice to life. She was not meek and timid, easily subdued. She was fierce and fearless. The care, the concern for each other, came naturally, without any pretense or explanation. It was just their way of doing what they liked. And for the first time in his life, RK had found his match, and that made life worth living.
When he'd heard her say she was in love with him, for a moment he'd felt the earth give way under his feet. He was decidedly mad and ready to howl with rage. But then her explanation had made it all seem ridiculous and absurd. And he knew better than to dismiss her judgement. She was right. He had chanced upon the truth when he'd walked in on her and the exasperation on her face had clearly shown that she'd had no intention of sharing her feelings with him.
It suited him fine. She could call it whatever she liked, as long as she did not act like the people he'd loved, he didn't care. He knew what he felt and that suited him fine as well. Love was ridiculously expensive for the mind and soul and as he'd promised himself, he would never do that again. With anyone. Ever. Not even Madhu. If he did what he liked, for her, he had no right to stop her from doing what she liked, for him.
He saw her drape the pallu of her saree on her head and lift the sieve to look at the moon through. As she turned around, sieve in hand, to look at his photo, she froze mid stance as she saw him standing in doorway of the terrace. The myriad of emotions and colours that he saw dance on her face in the split second before she masked it gave him an unexplained joy. He took a couple of steps and before she could blink, he was standing within inches of her.
"All part of the charade, eh?" His husky voice laced with sarcasm lit the spark in her and she taunted, "Here to witness the charade, are we?" She did the aarti and applied tika to his forehead.
"Look who's afraid of an audience," he replied as he picked up the glass of water from her thaal and made her drink from it before picking up a sweetmeat and feeding it to her.
"The wife of a Superstar would put him to shame if she feared the audience."
He smiled, the mocking sarcastic smile which she had come to love, and fished out something from his pocket. The diamonds dangled before her eyes and she raised an elegant brow. He stepped closer still and pulled the silky curtain of her hair across a shoulder as he clasped the necklace around her neck and whispered in her ear, "All part of the charade, Wife. All part of the charade." An unabashed smile broke out across her face as she rested her forehead against his shoulder and said, "Well, thank you, husband. This will do."
He grinned beyond her back as he asked, "But you still love me?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Damn!"
Her smile turned into a grin at that.
"Nothing I say or do will change your mind?"
"Tsk. But you could always try. However, I doubt you''ll succeed," she teased.
"And you won't make me love you?" he queried.
"Rishabh," she laughed, "How can one ever make another love them?
Ignoring the sound of his name lovingly rolling off her tongue, he said, "Answer my question, Wife."
"Of course, not."
"Then, I guess, I can live with that."
Her tinkling laughter rang through the night and his arms went around her of their own accord, holding her close as he would his most prized possession.
Because I know you already do, dear husband. Though you'll never admit it, I can live with it as long as we're together. For feeling and expressing by actions is more important than saying out loud. You will always love me, just like I will you and that is enough to last me for all the tomorrows to come.
*****
I know that this one came late, but well, like they say, better late than never. Hope you enjoyed it! If you liked my first work on RishBala and want me to write some more on them, use the comment option and let me know what you think of this one. 😉
Cheers,
T
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Kumkum Bhagya
