Hey guys, here's presenting another fragment of my romantic imagination! Hope you all like it! đ
-----â-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standing in front of the mirror, Shiva felt awkward. The person staring back at him was not at all familiar. He didn't know what had prompted him to do all this but he wasn't going to stop now. He wanted to be worthy of Raavi's love; he wanted her to be proud when she stood next to him. Raavi had stopped fighting with him; in fact she very rarely spoke to him these days as she devoted her entire time to his family. Why hadn't he seen how selfless she was? He thought when Rishita came in and smiled!
"Wow! Mujhe nahi pata tha ke mera yeh kadve karele jaisa devar itana handsome hai?" Rishita said.
Shiva felt embarrassed and said, "Bhabhi yeh thoda zyaada nahi ho gaya?"
Rishita frowned and replied," Chup! Itani acchi jeans, yeh white shirt, aur blue blazer mein tu kitana hot lag raha hai tujhe pata hai? Aaj toh Somnath ki saari ladkiyaan bas dekhti reh jaaegi!"
Seeing Shiva unsure she teasingly added, "Aur teri waali toh paagal hi ho jaaegi!"
As awkward and embarrassed as he was with this change, Raavi's mention filled his heart with excitement. Rishita walked up to him and adjusted the collar and inspected his freshly cut hair. He took one last look in the mirror and walked out of the room with Rishita.
Raavi was in the kitchen when Rishita came down with Shiva and called her. She came out to the living area and stopped as soon as she saw Shiva. She took the sight of him head-to-toe and couldn't think how to react. Her Gunda was looking really handsome today but she couldn't admire the look for long as her mind and heart started asking questions about the sudden change.
But before she could ask him what was wrong with him, Rishita said, "Accha lag raha hai na Shiva? Usse koi nayi style try karni thi toh maine yeh suggest kiya!"
Shiva looked at her expecting her to be mesmerized and happy but something in the way she looked at him spread dread in his heart.
Seeing the awkward silence, Rishita tried breaking the ice by jokingly saying, "Aaj toh Somnaath ki saari ladkiyan hamaare Shiva ke peeche paagal ho jaaegi!"
Raavi felt like she was just slapped as Rishita's statement reminded her of Suman's search for a new bride for Shiva and brought her to the verge of tears! Seeing her hurt, Shiva felt like someone just punched him in the gut! He instinctively reached out to Raavi but she stepped back at once. Shiva's heart broke into a million pieces as he realized the stupidity of this whole situation.
"Mein kapde badal ke aata hu!" He said and started walking away.
Rishita stopped him and asked, "Aree? Kyun? Itana accha lag raha hai. Raavi ko bataane toh de ke tu kitana handsome lag raha hai? Hai na Raavi?"
Now Raavi was MAD! Looking deep into Shiva's eyes, she said, "Mujhse kyun puch rahi ho? Somnaath ki ladkiyaan bataaegi ke Shiva kaisa lag raha hai! After all, aage jaake un mein se hi kisi ek ka decision important hoga na!?"
Rishita didn't understand what Raavi was talking about so she said, "Yeh kya bol rahi hai Raavi tu? Dekh Shiva ne bola nahi but I know ke usne tujhe impress karne ke liya yeh naya style try kiya hai! Bata na, hot lag raha hai na Shiva?"
Shiva wanted to silence Rishita! On the other hand, Raavi felt a stab piercing her heart hearing this. She hated herself for making Shiva feel like he wasn't good enough just the way he was! Though she didn't like his clothes & outer appearance at first, she had come to notice that underneath that, he was a gem of a person and now seeing him so changed, she wanted to scream at him and tell him that she loved him just the way he was.
Just then Rishita got a call and she walked away! Alone, Shiva and Raavi kept glancing at each other with embarrassment, guilt, and anger! As guilty as she felt, Raavi was furious at Shiva for not having any confidence in himself and not knowing his own worth! Shiva didn't know what to do or what to say! He looked at Raavi and wondered what exactly she wanted from him. He was willing to change himself entirely but it didn't seem enough for her!
"Raavi mein.." he started speaking but she angrily walked to where the clothes were drying and took their clothes to their room.
Now Shiva was pissed, too as he followed her to their room where she stood in front of their open cupboard looking at his old shirt! She looked at it longingly and remembered their moments together at the haveli just a couple months ago! Lost in those beautiful moments, she smelled his shirt in her hand, and longed to go back to that wonderful time when they were close; when, despite the fights, they shared a space comfortably and had each other's backs. Shiva saw her and slammed the door shut! Raavi got startled with the loud thud and looked at him. He walked to her and snatched his shirt from her hand.
Shiva grabbed her hand and pulled her close and said, "Kya chahti hai tu? Teri nautanki kabhi khatam nahi hoti na? Pehle tujhe mein, mere kapde jaahil-gawaar lagte the aur aaj jab maine inhe badal diya, khud ko badal diya toh tu yeh ... " He pointed at his shirt and stopped! He was so furious and hurt and confused that his mind spiraled out of control! He let go of her hand and turned away!
Raavi had enough! She pulled him back, folded her hands, and angrily said, "Thank you! Itani meherbaani karne ke liye!"
Shiva stood there staring at her in disbelief! She saw the hurt in his eyes and it hurt her, too, but she didn't care any more! She wanted these fights to end! She was tired of this never ending cycle of pain that they kept inflicting on each other!
She said, "Mein jaanti hu ke ek pati hone ke naate tu meri izzat nahi karta par kamse kam insaaniyat ke naate hi sahi mujhe itana toh neeche mat gira yeh jata ke ki meri feelings tere kapdon ke saath badal jaaegi?!" Tears started rolling down her eyes.
"Itani sasti nahi hai meri feelings! Itani buri nahi hu mein!" She pleaded and dejected, she leaned between the open doors of their cupboard.
Shiva choked seeing Raavi so dejected! The Raavi he knew was so full of life. She was playful & a non-stop chatterbox. She laughed at the silliest of things & always found a reason to smile. But this Raavi was so quiet all the time. She didn't crack jokes or smile wholeheartedly. He hated this! He wanted to see his Chipkali lively, loud, and happy. He walked up to her and stood really close. Raavi didn't move or look up. Shiva put a finger under her chin and lifted her face a little, making her look at him! The purity in her eyes mesmerized him! He knew he lost!! His heart didn't belong to him anymore. He couldn't fight with her! He wanted to drown in those eyes! He wanted to make her his own; he wanted to be hers!
Raavi stood still as Shiva stood an inch away! Standing between the cupboard and Shiva, she didn't try to push him away; she didn't want to push him away! The closeness felt so peaceful to her that she wanted to close the remaining distance and be his! Forever! She looked deep into his eyes! The same eyes that always had unexplained anger in them for her, were lost in her now. Without thinking, she touched his face gently. She saw him close his eyes as she took a small step towards him!
Shiva felt the touch of Raavi's soft fingers and it suddenly calmed his out of control heart! Her touch soothed his aching heart and he wanted to savor every stroke of her fingers. She came closer as he closed his eyes, gave in, and leaned in. Raavi leaned in, too, and rested her head on his and gave herself to this wonderful, annoying, man!
Shiva could smell a beautiful flowery fragrance coming off of her. She was so gentle & delicate that he wanted to protect her from the harsh world. He put his hands on her waist as she wrapped one arm around his neck. She was so close now as she caressed his face with the other hand!
Raavi could feel his heartbeat! She knew he was hers and she wanted to be his so she closed the remains distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. She felt his relief as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back! And just like that, she was home! Shiva felt her arms tightening around him and he tightened his arms around her. He didn't want anyone to come between them, not even air, as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Raavi felt his embrace. She could feel his longing for her and realized that regardless of everything he had said, he loved her to the core. She ran her fingers through his hair and stroked his back. She hid her face in the crook of his neck, too, and got lost in him!
The world stood still for a long time. Shiva loosened his arms around her but she didn't want to let go of him. He gently pushed her a little, just a little, as he didn't want to move away from her either.
Next: Broken & Beautiful II
Current Affairs
