Chapter 11 - Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These [Tej, Purvi, Arjun] Part One
Flat 502 - London - (Week 2) Friday - 8:30 p.m. GMT
Purvi had come home to Tej who was trying to cook dinner. Purvi laughed at the smoking pots and jumped in to help her before they set off the smoke alarms. Tej was trying to make palak paneer herself as she was missing home and Archana's cooking.
Purvi was in a good mood after her talk with Karan and she came over and gave Tej a hug. "I'll make it for you Tej. I know you are missing aai - me too but remember they have those tickets that K.D. gave me so we'll have to convince her and baba to come up as soon as they get everything settled with the house."
"Yes, before I starve to death. " Tej laughed. "Not that your cooking isn't great Purvi, but it doesn't have her touch, you know?"
"I know." Purvi smiled at her sister. How great it felt for Purvi to say that. She finally had the family she always dreamed of.
Purvi and Tej put some music on while they made their dinner - dancing and laughing as the time went by. They took their meals and sat out on the balcony. They ate dinner as they watched as the lives of so many buzz past them on the bridge and in the water.
"To tell you the truth, Purvi, I'm really liking this job." Tej said between mouthfuls. "Who knew working would be so much fun! I think I might want to pursue this career a bit more."
"Tej, that's wonderful! You can anything you set your mind to. You are a very smart girl and you have so much potential. I'm very proud of you."
Tej beamed at Purvi's praise. She never had this kind of supportive relationship with Ovi and she was really moved. Purvi was such a great person. She was thoughtful, loving and caring - all of the things Tej found missing from her life before and now was not willing to live without. She wanted to be just like her!
"We have to go out exploring tomorrow Purvi. There's so much to see and do here. I have to take you to my favorite places." Tej bounced up and down excitedly. She was glad she could show Purvi this exciting new world.
"Ok sweetie, we'll go tomorrow but right now I'm kinda tired. I'm heading up to bed." Purvi yawned.
"Ok. Me too."
They both did a quick clean up and went off to their respective rooms.
"Good night Purvi."
"Good night Tej."
Flat 502 - London - (Week 2) Friday - 11:00 p.m. GMT
Purvi came out of the shower and slipped into her warm, yellow nightdress. 'I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts.' She sang while she danced in front of the mirror. The awful song she heard earlier while she and Tej were making dinner was unfortunately stuck in repeat in her head.
Her eyes fell on her lotus flower locket sitting on her vanity and all thoughts of Right Said Fred completely vanished. She remembered what Karan had told her earlier about Laurie, 'She told me whenever I needed her to just hold on to it and think of her and we would be connected. She said that when two people were so in love that nothing separated them. Not time, not space, not jello.'
An intriguing thought crossed Purvi's mind. 'I wonder if that's really true?' She picked up the locket and felt that familiar ache bloom in her chest. The ache that had been there since the last time she saw Arjun.
'Oh Arjun. You big, dumb, foolish, marvelous man! I really want to hate you but I just can't' Purvi thought dolefully.
She took the locket with her and walked out into her bedroom. She opened her balcony doors and invited the gentle breezes in. They obliged and playfully danced with the sheer white curtains that surrounded the doors.
The clouds were rolling in - a sign of the rains to come - but she had developed a liking for this kind of weather and welcomed the change in atmosphere.
Purvi settled into the chaise and draped a chenille throw over her. 'Let's see if this works.' She brought the locket up to her heart and opened her mind to him. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with her life line's name on her lips.
'Arjun'
Flat 304 - London - (Week 2) Friday - 11:00 p.m. GMT
Arjun had just come out of the shower and put on his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt when he heard his name.
'Arjun' It was just a whisper but it sounded so clear. 'Ok I really must be tired. I'm hearing things.'
He shook his head and went out to his bedroom. He decided to let some fresh air in to clear the cobwebs in his mind. He opened his balcony doors and settled into his chaise.
'A storm's on its way.' In the past few months, he had developed a liking for them - their intensity and incessant churning. They reminded him of his love for Purvi.
He grabbed Purvi's pen from the little table next to him. It had truly become a life line for him. Anytime he missed her, he would reach for the pen as if it was his tether to her. 'Who am I kidding?' He scoffed at himself, 'Anytime? Try more like every second of every day.'
Sometimes the feelings were so overwhelming he had to excuse himself from meetings just to catch his breath. He needed to fix this fast. He needed her here. He needed Purvi.
He put one hand behind his head and the other on his chest to hold the pen in place over his heart. He closed his eyes and thought of his love. He quickly drifted off to sleep with her name on his lips.
'Purvi'
Flat 304 - London - (Week 2) Friday - 11:15 p.m. GMT
A power nap was exactly what he needed for him to recharge and get back to work. Arjun had never felt so relaxed or blissful in all his life. He felt a light breeze blow over him and was about to get up to close the balcony doors when he felt something cover him. Cover him?
And then he felt it again - that feeling of pure bliss as if he were bathed in sunshine. With his eyes still closed he lay still as if to capture that feeling and just then - Arjun felt a hand tenderly stroking his hair.
He tensed up for a second because he knew there was no one else in the room with him when he went to sleep. The hand continued to stroke his hair but he felt no distress - only peace.
"Are you going to keep pretending that you're asleep? I know you're awake, you little trickster!"
That voice?!?
Purvi?!?
Arjun's eyes snapped open and he looked around. He was outside?!? During the day time?!?
'What the heck is going on? How did I get here?' his mind whirled. The sky was a cerulean blue that reminded him of the ocean and was dotted with white puffy clouds that seemed to be performing choreographed numbers at the behest of the maestro wind. Sunshine infused life into everything and gave the place an almost ethereal glow.
Beautiful, luscious green rolling hills surrounded them and wild flowers were scattered about the landscape like fragrant, hidden treasures. He was laying down on a picnic blanket under shady tree on a hillside.
He wore a white t-shirt and khaki cargo pants that came down to his knees. His feet were bare and his chest was covered with a white shawl. He inhaled the scent from the shawl and knew without a doubt it was her - his Purvi.
Purvi was on a make shift cushion that was long enough to protect her back and legs from the elements. She was sitting with bare feet, cross legged in a lotus position, with her back against the tree.
She wore a sleeveless top the color of French marigolds and white capri pants. Her hair was loose and she wore no make-up, only lip gloss. She was exquisite.
His head was in her lap and she was stroking his hair while playing with her iPad. His head was in her lap?!? 'Is this really happening' He must have died and gone to heaven! He didn't want to move or blink.
Purvi put down her iPad and leaned over him. "Hello sunshine! Welcome to the world of the living!"
'My God she looked beautiful - even upside down.' Arjun mused.
"Purvi?" He asked hesitantly.
"Yes, who else did you expect? Ovi?" Purvi made a face at him.
He looked fear stricken for a few seconds until he realized that she didn't look pained at all. In fact, she looked happy. Purvi was happy? Did that mean that she knew he broke things off with Ovi and was ready to move forward with him in life?
Before he could ask anything she said. "There's no Ovi here. It's just you and me." She smiled at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "And I've been trying to figure out which picture of your handsome, sleeping mug I wanted to post on Twitter. C'mon, help me choose one."
'Ok, I know I must be dreaming!' He had never heard Purvi so outspoken in his life! Or call him handsome for that matter!
Purvi put her iPad on his chest and thumbed through the pictures she had taken of him while he was sleeping. He disliked them all! His hair was sticking up in every which direction and he looked like a four year old!
"None of them!" he laughed.
'My God,' Purvi thought 'He has such a wonderful laugh. This is what I'm missing in my life.'
"No, you have to pick one. I like this one."
She pointed to the current photo of him snuggled on his right side in her lap. Purvi was cooing over the picture and he didn't care if he looked he stuck his hand in an electric socket, if this picture made his woman happy then it was the one!
'His woman' - yes, he liked the sound of that! Very much!
"I like your mouth and that little mole above your lips on the left side is just..." Purvi muttered in a small voice. She froze and looked down at him. 'Oh crap! Did I just say that out loud?' She turned beet red.
All thought escaped Arjun's head like air being let out of a balloon. Arjun blinked and blinked again. 'Did she just say what I think she said? Oh boy, if this is a dream I never want to wake up!'
Arjun cleared his throat and switched tactics. "You know, many women have told me the same thing. That they liked my mouth." He smirked up at Purvi. He saw the fire flash in her eyes for a quick second. 'Yes! She gets jealous! I knew it!'
Purvi reached over and plucked a grape from the container sitting next to her. "Well, it looks like we have that in common. Vinay told me the same thing about my mouth too." She said nonchalantly and popped the grape into her mouth.
Arjun saw red! Vinay? Told Purvi he liked her mouth? Grrr! He was going to hurt him and hurt him badly! He rose up off Purvi's lap into a sitting position and turned to face her. "When did he say that?" Arjun said in a very calm, cold, deadly voice.
'So he get's jealous too! He's so cute when he's jealous' Purvi smiled. "Easy killer. Didn't like that too much, huh? Well I suggest you watch what comes out of your mouth!"
Arjun laughed a full belly laugh. She read him like a book! His Purvi! How he missed her like this! Arjun took her hands in his and kissed it.
"You are an amazing woman, Purvi Deshmukh, you know that? You always know when to put me in my place."
"I know." She wiggled her eyebrows and smirked at him.
"Let's listen to some music while we enjoy this beautiful scenery, shall we? Can you pull up your playlist?"
"Sure." Arjun reached over to her iPad and accessed his music library. His favorite songs started to play in the background setting the soundtrack to this fantasy he was currently in.
"Are you hungry? I've got grapes, bread, cheese, peaches? The peaches are my favorite."
"Peaches it is." He was glad to be learning about her favorite things. He committed every word, every gesture and every smile to memory - just in case.
She grabbed a peach and a small knife from the picnic basket.
"Here. Let me."
Arjun took the items from Purvi's hands. He carved out a small slice of fruit and held it out to Purvi. She went to take it with her hand but he shook his head. He brought it up to her lips and she opened her mouth to take a bite.
'Watch this Arjun' Purvi thought wickedly. As she took a small bite of the peach slice her eyes closed in delicious rapture. She opened her eyes and took another bite. Same reaction. And another bite.
Arjun's mouth went dry. 'Wha? Who?' His brain could not comprehend this magical creature in front of him. She looked like Purvi but his Purvi was never this bold or uninhibited around him.
He was in shock. He felt such pleasure watching her enjoy something he had fed her with his own hands.
He was going to buy her a truck load of peaches!
She snapped her fingers in front of his face loving the effect she had on him. "Hello? Anyone home?" She had taken the peach and knife from his hands and was now offering him a slice of the succulent fruit.
He was too shocked to answer. He accepted the offering she fed him like an obedient child. 'She's feeding me? I've died and gone to heaven!'
"Are you ok?" She asked with concern on her face. This was the face he knew best. The one she wore when she cared for others. One of his many favorites of hers.
"Ahem. Yes. I was just wondering. You seem so..."
"Different?" she laughed.
"I can think of a few other words but yes, different. What am I missing here?"
"Nothing, You aren't missing anything. Can't I enjoy spending a little quality time with mere jaan?"
Arjun's mouth opened and closed like a fish.
Purvi laughed again. This time - a slow, sultry laugh.
She moved closer to him and said, "It's just you and me here. No one else. This is how it should have been all along."
'Is she flirting with me?' Arjun could hardly believe his ears or eyes. His heart quickened its pace.
'That's right you are putty in my hands' Purvi pursed her lips.
Arjun was in shock. He had never seen Purvi so confident in herself and it was making him crazy.
'Checkmate'
She gave him a little shove and he fell right over. She got up and ran with bare feet into the sunshine.
"You seem to be having a little trouble focusing, Mr. Kirloskar, so I thought I'd help you clear your mind." Purvi said with another laugh. She had such a bubbly laugh. It was like music to his ears. 'How could I have missed that about her?'
Arjun was dazed for a full thirty seconds. "Alright, Miss Purvi. That's it! You're gonna get it!" Arjun got up off the blanket and bolted after her.
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