Part 2:
Raavi woke up breathing heavily the next morning, the vivid dream she was having just seconds before freshly engrained in her mind. Her dream had left her with a pounding heart, rosy cheeks, and clammy hands. Her skin felt warm to the touch when she lifted her hands to cover her blazing cheeks. It had all felt so insanely real, she was left questioning her own reality. She could still feel the lingering effects of his touch. She blushed profusely before slowly looking beside her. There laid her husband in all his glory. She was glad he hadn't witnessed her in her current state. She would be left looking like a stuttering mess in front of him.
The dream was for her to appreciate and for no one else to ever find out. Raavi let out a sigh and left the thoughts of her dream locked within the confines of her memory. Her gaze then found purchase in settling upon Shiva's sleeping form, a smile immediately gracing her face. His hair had grown slightly, making it messily cover his forehead. She almost wanted to reach out and brush it out of the way so that it wouldn't fall upon his eyes. Almost, being the keyword as she exercised self-restraint upon herself. Soon enough, her gaze lowered and fixated upon his long eyelashes which complimented his eyes all too well. The way they would flutter like wings in the sky while his eyes were open caused her heart to do somersaults. But he didn't have to know that. As she glanced lower, the little indented scar on his nose grabbed her attention. She chuckled thinking about how well it suited him. Her gunda. His tightly chiseled jaw covered by his scruffy beard came next and let she out a grateful sigh, knowing that this man was all hers. While her eyes were on their little trip across his face, she noticed the little mole on the side of his neck. It looked oh so beautiful, and it was as if it was made just to enhance his features. Feeling herself being pulled into a trance, her fingers reached out to gently trace the mole but she swiftly pulled them back when she regained her hold on them.
This was the vision she wanted to wake up to every day. A feeling of warmth and security washed over her and she clutched onto her mangalsutra instinctually. The feeling was surreal and she knew she would treasure it for the rest of her life. As if on cue, her phone alarm rang, letting her know it was time to step out of her safe haven and face the world. The thought made her groan inwardly.
Ab agar mujhe uthna hoga, toh iss bhootnath ko bhi uthna padega. Raavi smiled to herself, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes. She grabbed the ends of her hair and formed a mini brush with them. Scooting closer to Shiva, she wiggled her made-up brush across his cheeks first, loving the scrunch of his nose that followed soon after. She slowly made her way across his forehead and giggled softly as a frown took its place upon his lip. With a feather-light touch, she ran her tresses across his eyes and his hands swung out to swat hers away, yet his eyes remained closed. Hmmm. She wanted to see those chocolate orbs of his. So she moved further to the side and used her locks to slightly wiggle them over his ears and that's when his eyes snapped open, a sleepy glare shone in them.
Raavi's eyes widened and she squealed, trying her best to move farther away from him but Shiva had her wrist in a vice-like grip already. He was quick.
"S-Shiva, chhodh! Mujhe jaana hai." Raavi pleaded.
"Kyun? Abhi kuch der pehle toh tujhe nahi jaana tha? Uss se pehle toh tu mujhe tang karne mein lagi thi. Kya re chipkali? Yeh subah subah kaunsi manhoos aadat laga li hai?" Shiva asked in a throaty voice.
"Woh....main tujhe jaga rahi thi. Subah hogayi hai na?" Raavi chuckled, looking at him sheepishly.
"Teri subah hogayi hai. Meri nahi. Sab pata hai mujhe tere iss khopdi mein kya chalta rehta hai." Shiva dismissed her blatant lie.
"Sab pata hai toh pooch kyun raha tha?" Raavi rolled her eyes.
Observing her sassy attitude, Shiva pulled her closer to him by her wrist, making her fall over his chest in the process. Raavi grabbed onto his shoulder for support as her other arm stayed captive to the bhoonath. The very strong bhootnath. She slowly lifted her head to look at Shiva and was blown away by the dark pool of his eyes whirring with an array of emotions. Her hand instantly fisted the edge of his vest and his eyes lowered to glance at that action. The air around them thickened and Raavi gulped deeply, not able to look away from those dark orbs of his.
"Yeh kaunsa tareeka apnaya hai tune mujhe jagane ke liye?" Shiva broke the silence, clearing his throat.
Raavi's lips curved upwards at the question and when Shiva released her wrist from his grip, she used it to pick up her hair and flaunt it in his face. "Ek movie mein dekha tha maine, socha aaj khud aazma ke bhi dekh loon."
Shiva scoffed at her and her antics. "Yeh hindi filmon ne na, zindagi barbaad kar di hai."
Raavi giggled and got up from their bed. "Abhi toh picture baaki hai. Tu dekh, main aur kya kya karti hoon."
"Ae chipkali!" Shiva got up after her, trying to grab her again but she was fast and moved out of his grasp quickly.
"Khabardar tune kuch ulta seedha kiya!" Shiva warned.
"Teri dhamkiyaan mujhpe kaam nahi karti." Raavi yelled and made a run for the door before he could catch up to her.
"Kya bholenath, kaisi filmy biwi di hai?" Shiva shook his head and looked up, a ghost of a smile spreading across his lips.
*****
When Shiva headed for breakfast, he found a tray full of cups of tea. He was about to grab one when Raavi stopped him in his tracks.
"Shiva ruk!"
The rest of the family members looked at them briefly before continuing with other breakfast.
"Kya?" Shiva asked.
"Woh maine teri chai alag se rakhi hai. Tu zyada cheeni peeta hai na? Yeh le." Raavi brought out a cup for him and handed it to him before hastily walking towards the kitchen.
"Yeh chipkali kuch ajeeb sa bartaav kar rahi hai..." Shiva thought to himself as he looked at the cup suspiciously.
A few minutes later, Shiva figured out why Raavi ran away. He got up and went after making an excuse to the rest of the family.
"Ae chipkali!" Shiva called out as he entered the kitchen.
Raavi winced at his voice and kept her back turned to him as he cleared out the counter.
"Gadhedi! Meri taraf dekh." Shiva demanded.
Raavi smiled smugly and continued to ignore him.
"Raavi!" Shiva yelled out, this time standing right behind her.
Raavi turned around and looked at him. "Kya hai Shiva? Bol kyun nahi raha?"
"Yeh kya hai?" Shiva asked, pointing at his cup.
"Chai hai." Raavi stated as a matter of factly.
Shiva huffed. "Chai mein itni zyada cheeni kyun thi?"
Raavi feigned innocence. "Shiva, ab teri yaadash chali gayi hai kya? Tu zyada cheeni wali chai peeta hai. Bhool gaya?"
"Tu zyada bann mat! Main do chammach extra cheeni peeta hoon, ek dabba zyada nahi! Aisa lag raha tha jaise tune humare cheeni ka poora ration hi issmein daal diya." Shiva responded.
"Oh. Zyada hogaya? Sorry, mujhe andaza nahi laga shayad." Raavi replied, trying to maintain her innocence as the laughter bubbling up within her threatened to break out.
"Tera yeh natak mere saamne nahi chalega." Shiva narrowed his eyes.
"Accha?! Toh tu kya karega ab? Ladega mujhse? Chillayega?" Raavi provoked, her eyes gauging Shiva's every move and expression.
Shiva noticed Raavi's scrutinizing gaze and mellowed down. Her words from the night he had apologized to her echoed in his ears and he felt the iron grip upon his heart loosening itself. She had no idea what she did to him. Every time he looked into those doe-eyes, he melted a bit more from the inside. Every time she laughed in front of him, he would stare at her mesmerized. There was a time when that very laugh would annoy him, but now, it felt like a musical symphony. He knew she was up to something, and as long as it would make her happy, he would indulge her till the end of time itself. Of course, he wouldn't actually let her know that.
"Nahi. Main yeh chai peeunga." Shiva replied, winking at her, leaving her gaping back at him. He gulped down the tea in no time while Raavi struggled to find her words.
"S-Shiva, yeh kya....?" Raavi began but stopped as he stepped forward and caged her in between his arms and the counter.
Not being able to resist himself, Shiva swiped his index finger across the tip of her cute button nose. He smirked, watching her eyes staring back at him in wonder. Her lips opened and closed as he leaned in closer before whispering. "Ab main dukaan jaraha hoon. Shaam ko milta hoon."
With that, Shiva backed away swiftly and with a few long strides, he was out of the kitchen in no time, leaving a very flabbergasted Raavi behind. It was as if he was never there.
"Y-yeh kya hua?" Raavi wondered out loud, keeping her hand on her erratically pounding heart. "Yeh bhootnath ne toh chauka diya. Lada bhi nahi, chai bhi pee li, aur...aur...woh..." Raavi blushed, thinking back to how he had tapped her nose. It made her smile. She felt a fluttering sensation course through her belly as she resumed her work. She knew she had a long day ahead as she prepared to leave for college soon after. But her encounter with Shiva had etched itself into her mind permanently. The rest of the day, Raavi couldn't stop thinking about Shiva and when she got in trouble during one of the classes she had attended that day, she cursed her bhootnath for being so all-consuming.
*****
A couple of days later, Raavi sat on the jhula in the courtyard as she looked at the front door expectantly. It was almost ten in the night and Shiva still hadn't come home. The rest of the family had gone to sleep and told her to do the same as well. Shiva was going to be late since he had some work left to complete at the store. Despite knowing that, Raavi refused to sleep. She couldn't help her feeble heart from getting worried about him, her bhootnath. Not to mention that she had another plan in queue to annoy him tonight. Just a tad bit.
But more than anything, she was missing him. Today was one of those days when she hadn't been able to visit him at the store and as such, the prolonged waiting was making her feel antsy.
Exactly five minutes later, Shiva walked in through the door and managed to lock it up without causing too much of a racket. While he was walking across the aangan, his eyes finally landed on Raavi, who was looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes and a smile adorning the curve of her lips. He felt a smile of his own threatening to break out. After an exhausting day, seeing her face worked much like serotonin for him. He felt calmer and happier. She was eveything he needed at the end of the day.
"Tu abhi tak soyi nahi?" Shiva asked.
"Tere bina kaise so jaun?! Upar se tu itni der raat tak bahar rahega, toh mujhe teri fikar hogi, nahi?" Raavi blurted out, losing herself in her emotions momentarily. When it finally registered in her brain that she had just let him in on some of her most inner thoughts, her cheeks flamed ablaze and she instantly looked away.
Shiva cleared his throat before speaking. "Tujhe meri fikar hoti hai?" Shiva teased. This was too good of an opportunity to let go. He watched the flush of red spread across the expanse of her neck and almost chuckled out loud.
Hearing his question, Raavi felt like she would burst up into flames. However, his tone didn't go unnoticed to her. So she mustered up all of her courage and looked back up at him, and straight into his eyes. How dare that bhootnath tease her?! She took a confident step towards him and reveled at the sight of him looking visibly perplexed.
Shiva was taken aback by her confidence, not that he particularly minded it. He watched entranced as she stepped up to him and poked at his chest with her index finger.
"Ae bhootnath. Ek baat na apne yeh bandar waale kaanon ko khol kar acche se sunn le, teri fikar agar mujhe nahi hogi toh kya padosi ki biwi ko hogi? Fikar sirf tujhe nahi karni aati hai, mujhe bhi aati hai. Aur ab tere jaise sarphire bhootnath ka koi bharosa bhi nahi, pata nahi kab kaunsi bewakoofi kar baithe. Issliye main tera intezaar kar rahi thi, aur saath mein ghar ki rakhwaali bhi kar rahi thi." Raavi stated proudly, adding the last part at the end moment. It wouldn't hurt to boast a little bit. She applauded herself for her quick-witted response.
Shiva shook his head at her exaggeration in amusement, but her admitting to caring for him took precedence over everything else. Ek hi taali se fikar ka izhaar bhi kar diya aur meri baja bhi di. Meri chipkali. Shiva mulled over internally, smitten by the antics she put forth.
"Ae chipkali, yeh safed jhooth na kisi aur ko sunana. Yeh kaisi rakhwali ki baat kar rahi thi tu? Tujhse toh humare kamre mein akele soya bhi nahi jata." Shiva retorted. He shot her a smug look as her nostrils flared up in defiance. Cute.
"Gadhedha. Bhootnath. Hamesha apni baat upar rakhni hoti hai na?" Raavi chimed in.
"Baat yeh hai na chipkali ki main tujhe bahot acche se jaanta hoon. Bachpan se tu mere dimaag ka dahi karti hui aayi hai, tere ek ek nas se waakef hoon main." Shiva declared.
Raavi pouted in response, but her heart thudded loudly against its ribcage at his answer. She was enthralled and elated.
"Tere dimaag ka dahi nahi, shuddikaran karti thi main." Raavi gave him a cheeky reply, feeling laughter bubbling up from within when he shot her a look of disbelief followed by a scoff.
"Sapne acchi dekhti hai tu." Shiva countered, and with the mention of dreams, her thoughts flew back to the one she had had recently. She blinked rapidly trying to clear her head.
Shiva clicked his fingers in front of her, snapping her out of the brief interlude she had just had.
"Kahan kho gayi?"
"Kahin bhi toh nahi!" Raavi replied a little too quickly. Shiva watched her curiously.
"Ab tu ja aur jaldi se naha kar aa. Main tab tak tera khaana nikaal deti hoon. Ladai hum baad mein aaram se kar lenge." Raavi offered. Her mind was still hammering his previous words back into her being for a virtual reenactment. And her giddiness reflected in her voice. He made her happy.
"Yeh sab karne ki zarurat nahi hai. Tu ja soja. Main khud bhi yeh sab kar sakta hoon." Shiva denied gently.
"Nahi!" Raavi whispered-yelled, careful not to wake Krish up.
Shiva observed her reaction with an arising suspicion. She was too quick to say no.
"Tu thak gaya hoga, na. Toh issliye main bol rahi hoon ki main kar deti hoon. Ja na." Raavi smiled sweetly.
Shiva wasn't convinced by her sweet talk but nonetheless, he reluctantly agreed and left as Raavi hopped over to the kitchen.
*****
AN: Apologies for the late update! I got stuck. There will be another part, which will be the last one I believe. I am again very iffy about this one, but I had to end it somewhere because I kept rewriting it again and again.
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Part 3:
Edited by blissfulcanyon - 3 years ago
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