Posted:
Hello All,
I am back with OS # 9. Thank you again for the overwhelming responses to the earlier one. I honestly did not think it would gain so much acceptance.😊
So, disclaimer for this one. This is NOT the story I wanted to write. This was just going to be a small part of it, but once I started writing, my thoughts wandered and this one ended up being long enough to warrant its own OS. The events in this story are set in continuation to the last OS. So, if any of you havent read OS # 8, please do.
There isn't a lot of romance in this one, and there isn't a theme either (sorry).😒
The song to go with this one is Baawra Mann Dekhne chala Ek Sapnafrom Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi
Ishita couldnt focus on her work that day. She had been confused for a few days now. After a period of playful togetherness, some kind of awkwardness had creeped into their relationship. She had tried to recollect the exact moment when things had changed, but couldn't put a finger on it. It wasn't that Raman had changed and gone back to the mean man he was a couple of months ago. He was still caring, gentle and friendly, but the intimacy seemed missing. Awkward, that was the only word she could use to describe his demeanor at that point. She had been quite busy the previous weekend. Mihika's parents had been in town, and they had decided to perform a couple of Tamil rituals in the temple and home to formalise the engagement with Mihir. She had been quite worried about her uncle and aunt's first meeting with Mihir that Saturday, but everything went so well. They had gone to Mihir's flat so Chitti and Chittappa could see the place Mihika would soon call home. They had been pleasantly surprised with the order and cleanliness of that place. In spite of the short notice Mihir was given of their visit, everything looked spic and span. It was difficult for them to believe that a bachelor, that too a Punjabi one, could have been so 'proper'. Of course Ishita had called Mihir earlier and told him she could come to help him early in the morning, but he had declined politely. Ishita was proud of him. There were times when she thought of him as her own brother, and she imagined that if she had a brother, he would be exactly like Mihir. That was why, irrespective of Trisha, she had believed in Mihir's love for her cousin. She had been mad at him, of course, but she was also overwhelmed by his loyalty to the Bhalla family, especially Raman. The meeting between the prospective in-laws had gone well. Only later, Mihir told her that Raman had helped him. "I should have known" she had thought then.
On the previous Saturday morning, she'd woken up in her old bed at the Iyer home, and had been disoriented for a minute. She had missed Raman's presence. When she gathered her thoughts, she'd woken up Ruhi and taken her home for breakfast and getting ready for the day ahead. When she went into their room, Raman was nowhere to be seen. He'd told her that he had the whole weekend off, so she was surprised he wasnt around. She wanted to text him, but her phone wasnt turned on. For some strange reason, the battery had drained. She plugged the charger in, and went on with her work. An hour later when she had showered, and Ruhi was dressed up too, she checked her phone. There weren't any texts from him. She wanted to ask Mummyji, but wasnt sure what her reaction would be. She was still getting used to her sweet and sour relationship with her mother in law. So, she did the sly thing of planting the question in her daughter's head. A few minutes after they had gone into the kitchen to make breakfast, Ruhi innocently asked her grandmother about Raman's whereabouts. Ishita was so keen on listening to the answer, that she didn't realise the milk was boiling over. "Aiyyo" she said, as she quickly turned the burner off, and started wiping the spilt milk. In all that clumsiness, she hadn't heard what Toshiji said. So she had to find a moment with her daughter alone and then learn the answer.
She had been disappointed to know that no one knew where exactly he was. He'd apparently woken up early and left saying he had some important work to complete, and would be back late in the afternoon, so they could all leave together to go to Mihir's apartment. Ishita was used to him disappearing for work, but that day, it wasn't about his absence. It was about him not calling her or leaving a message for her. They hadn't had a chance to speak the previous evening, what with the prying eyes of her family on them. She had to talk to him and make sure things were OK between them, considering how much anticipation had built up about that weekend. She had texted him later, only to receive a reply saying he was busy and would come pick them up around 5:00 PM. After the hustle bustle of that weekend, things had gone back to normal. But she missed the sweet whispers and touches. She wasn't sure if he had changed his mind, or if he was mad at her for some reason. She didn't ask due to the fear of knowing the truth. The ringing phone shook her out of her thoughts about the past few days. The receptionist told her that the next patient was already in. Ishita wore her coat, and prayed she would not mess up the poor guy's teeth while thinking of Raman.
Raman wasn't having any luck with his concentration either. He had been cursing the day he'd installed WhatsApp on his phone. He had been acutely embarassed by the incident the previous Friday. He had threatened Mihika to delete everything from Ishita's phone, and when that didn't work, he'd appealed to the mature Vandita. They had finally conceded, and even promised that they wouldn't mention anything to Ishita. He wasn't sure about that, and that was the main reason he was avoiding Ishita since. He knew his wife well enough to know that she would keep the knowledge of that incident to herself, if she did know about it. She wouldn't try and aggravate his embarassment, not about that sensitive subject. But that meant he would never find out if she knew. When he had got back home from the storage room, he couldnt go to sleep, and the only thoughts that had come to his mind were "what will she think of me? She'd think I am a love-sick puppy wanting attention from her. That I was so silly that I couldn't even spend a couple of nights without her" He was ashamed of himself only because he thought she would be ashamed of him too. It wasnt his pride, it was just his heart telling him that may be she wouldn't respect him any more. He had flicked through all the channels on TV for a few hours, and at around 7:00 AM, he'd showered and left to go to Mihir's home. He wasn't sure if Mihir would even be prepared to receive such important guests in the evening, it was his duty to make sure his younger brother was ready.
Surprisingly, Mihir's apartment hadn't needed much help from Raman. The place was clean, but the kitchen wasn't well-stocked. Most of the times Mihir was at the Bhalla home or Iyer home for dinner. So other than the obligatory milk, cornflakes and a few packets of Maggi, he had nothing much in his kitchen. The food would be ordered from a nice restaurant, but they would still need other items like tableware, cutlery and something to drink. Raman sruveyed the place, made a list, and chuckled when he had finished it. He was not an organized man. He had been successful in business only on account of his overactive brain, and blinding drive to succeed. He had never sat down and 'documented' any strategy. One of the best things about his thought process was that he was dynamic and flexible, both in the right proportions. And there he was, sitting in Mihir's flat, preparing a list of groceries and sundries to receive a bunch of his in-laws for dinner. She had made him like this, and he never even realised the change until then. Through her loud bhashans and patronizing sweet talks, she had mellowed him down. At the same time, she had been careful enough not to take the spunk out of him. It was funny, he thought "She's trying to get me to be more in control, and I am trying to get her to lose it. Some day, the twain shall meet". While he was with Mihir, buying everything he'd need that evening, he had checked his phone numerous times. Some times to text her, and the other times to check if she had texted him. When she eventually did text him, he had curtly replied that he was busy. She hadn't called him back. Some times he wished she didn't give him that much space, and she'd be a nag, like all wives were.
Once all the functions and meetings of that weekend were over, and Mihika's parents had gone back, Ishita was back in their home. But he was too embarassed to approach her in an intimate fashion. He'd spoken to her as a friend would, as they had been, a few weeks ago, before the kiss. He was thinking how he could correct the situation, or at least find out if it had to be corrected, when he got an email. It was an invite from one of his college friends who had asked him to join his 10th wedding anniversary celebrations on Saturday. His invite obviously had a Plus one included, so he had to talk to Ishita. He was secretly happy for this excuse to speak to her, but dreaded the conversation. He had learnt not to text her about important things any more, so he had to talk to her in person. When they both got home that night, Raman waited for Ruhi to fall asleep. When Ishita was about to turn off the lights, he stopped her. He had to see her face when he spoke to her. He had to find out if she knew, and if she was ashamed of him.
"Ek minute Ishita. Woh kucch baat karni thi"
Ishita's heart skipped a beat. He had waited for Ruhi to fall asleep, so she thought it had to be about something delicate. "Kya hua", she asked softly.
"Mere college ka ek friend hai Sameer. Uski 10th wedding anniversary hai Saturday ko. Usne invite bheja hai aaj. Jaayenge kya?" he asked, masking his fear.
"Sure Raman. Chalenge na, aise kyon pooch rahe ho aap?" she was worried when she heard the uncertainty in his voice.
"Nahi kuch nahin. I thought, maybe you had any plans with Mihika" he had said that lightly, but the tone ended up being accusatory.
Thats when she thought maybe he was angry at her about the previous weekend. It all came back to her then, may be she should have come back and slept on their bed. She had to correct it, she thought. "Sorry about the last weekend Raman, is weekend aisa koi plan nahin hai. and even if anything comes up, I'll say we have already planned something, OK?"
He suddenly felt bad for making her feel guilty. He then said "Its OK. It wasn't under your control anyway. By the way, just in case you are worrying, Shagun won't be there. Sameer hated her, I am sure she won't be invited." Once he had said that, he saw the look on her face, she was smiling. "No Raman, I am not worried about that anymore" His heart soared then.
He then decided he would show her the time of her life at the party. They were going out alone for the first time after they'd found some intimacy. Gone were the days when they were forced to put up a front of couplehood, because now they felt like a real couple. "Grand declarations of love can wait", he thought. This is what mattered, togetherness. He also thought the party would provide him a perfect opportunity to talk to her and find out if she knew about the incident in the storage room.
The party was a grand affair, it was held in a function hall of a 5 star resort, that usually housed film parties and fashion shows. When Ishita had asked him about the dress code, he'd just told her to wear whatever she liked. That exchange had left her a bit disappointed, she felt as if he wasn't as interested in her as he was a couple of weeks ago. She decided to be brave and give it her best anyway. She wasn't going to let him slip away into solitude, not after the combined effort it had taken them to get to their current state.
When she'd asked him about the dress code, Raman was already distracted. He had just realised where the party was. It was in the same place that he had taken her to the filmy party, where she had danced so sensuously with that movie actor. He couldn't believe the twists fate had planned for him every time he decided to get close to his wife. When she repeated the question, he wanted to say that she could wear whatever she was comfortable in, and that she looked beautiful in anything. He just ended up saying "whatever you like"
When Raman saw her before they left for the party, he wasn't prepared for her beauty.He never was nowadays. Every time she appeared in front of him, irrespective of her attire, her demeanor, her state of mind, she had the power to leave him open-jawed. That expression of his was turning out to be his default one. There were only so many folders and phones he could bite on. He chided himself mentally "Come on Raman, you are old enough to hide your feelings, and control your urges. Learn to be more respectful" His own reprimand wasn't strong enough, however.
Ishita had decided to take Mihika's help to decide what to wear for the party. They had finally decided to go traditionally modern. Ishita wore a two-toned Kanjivaram saree. The saree iself was plain, but it had small squares woven in with the gold zari on the border and the pallu. She had chosen blue and green as the two tones, deliberately, to see if her husband would pick up any clues. She wore simple accessories, a large pendant set in sapphire and diamonds, and small dangling diamond earrings. She went out on a limb and decided to style her hair wavy, only at the ends. She got ready at the Iyers, because it was more convenient for Mihika to help her, and her Amma had tears in her eyes when she saw Ishita dressed up. Mrs Iyer couldn't recollect the last time her younger daughter was so happy. She looked radiant and content with her life. Any mistakes the Punjabis had made, any food they ate, anything they drank was excusable, she thought "as long as my Ishoo always stays this happy"
When Romi and Mihir saw Ishita enter the Bhalla home, she heard a whistle. Before she could slap Romi, he said "Bhabhi, wasnt me this time, it was Mihir". That is when she blushed and ran into their room to see if Raman was ready.
They both stood looking at each other. To break the spell he said "Ek saree pehenne mein do ghante lagte hain tumko? chalo... der ho jaayegi". She was amused at the contrasting emotions in his eyes and his words. She just said "Haan, 3 piece suit pehenne mein aapko do ghante se jyaada lage waise, joote abhi bhi missing hain". He cursed and wore his shoes as quickly as he could, and they left.
Barely had they entered the party, and they had become the centre of attention. Raman's friends did not know what to be more amazed at. The change in him: from a nerdy, mousy guy to a confidently handsome man, or the fact that he had found a wife who was simplistically beautiful. The host, Sameer, was the happiest, he had seen the failings in Shagun the day he had met her. In fact, his hatred for Shagun had kept him away from his friend Raman too. After a few minutes of talking to Ishita, Sameer knew his friend couldn't have chosen better. Her outward beauty was just a teaser of her personality. She seemed genuine, warm and kind. She seemed very interested in knowing Raman's past, and how he was during his college days. She did not seem bitter at all, about her husband's past. Ishita had also galdly shown him Ruhi's pictures on her phone. He dragged Raman from another conversation and bluntly told him what he thought. "Raman, you've hit the jackpot, my friend. You've been married only for a few months, and I can already see the faint reminder of my happy-go-lucky friend from all those years ago. OK I am going to go say hello to the other guests now. But Raman, don't let this one go!" he said joining Raman and Ishita's hands together.
Sameer's emotional words were all it took for them to break the ice one more time. They didn't let go of the handhold. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief and then started laughing. She then said "I am sorry Raman, I should have made some excuse and come back home last weekend. It was unfair to you, and I can understand why you are miffed with me"
"WHAT?" he said, dumbfounded "You thought I am mad at you? Why would I be? We have all our life left to sleep on the same bed Ishita. It was just a matter of a couple of days, and you were right across the hall from me. Why would I be mad at you? When your chitti asked you to stay?"
"Oh, then why have you been so aloof since then Raman?" she asked, now really confused.
"If I ask you something, will you answer honestly? Promise?" he pleaded.
"Yes of course Raman. Why would I lie to you about anything?"
"Did Mihika and Vandita tell you anything about the last weekend?" he asked, still unsure of himself.
"No, did something happen?" she asked and felt his grip on her hand tighter.
It took Raman a lot of courage to admit to his wife about his embarassing plight. She had silently listened to him, smiling and laughing at times, but never mocking him. When it was all over, she asked him "So Raman, now that you have the opportunity, and the correct woman in front of you, may I ask what you wanted to say that night?"
Ishita couldn't hear if he even replied. In a split second, her hand was yanked from his when a woman hugged Raman very exuberantly and said "Raman, darling, how long has it been? and I cannot believe my eyes. I had seen your pictures and interviews, but boy, aren't you a dish to look at? and I must say you look hot in black."
Ishita looked at Raman's face, he seemed as surprised as her, but he was smiling genuinely. When what looked like a infinitely long hug finished, the woman turned around and looked at Ishita.
Ishita had to admit, anyone would smile at that face; the woman had the most beautiful big eyes, high cheekbones and a beautiful nose. Her body shape was to die for, and it looked like even a pair of track pants would look fabulous on her. And when the woman smiled, the dentist in Ishita saw the most beautiful and naturally pearly teeth.
The woman extended her hand and warmly introduced herself "Hi, you must be Mrs Raman Bhalla? I am Sonali Kotnis. So pleased to meet you finally!"
"The very essence of romance is uncertainty." - Oscar Wilde
*** So what do you all think??? Do you want me to start with something different, or try and continue this story in the next OS? Please let me know.
I am back with OS # 9. Thank you again for the overwhelming responses to the earlier one. I honestly did not think it would gain so much acceptance.😊
So, disclaimer for this one. This is NOT the story I wanted to write. This was just going to be a small part of it, but once I started writing, my thoughts wandered and this one ended up being long enough to warrant its own OS. The events in this story are set in continuation to the last OS. So, if any of you havent read OS # 8, please do.
There isn't a lot of romance in this one, and there isn't a theme either (sorry).😒
The song to go with this one is Baawra Mann Dekhne chala Ek Sapnafrom Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi
Ishita couldnt focus on her work that day. She had been confused for a few days now. After a period of playful togetherness, some kind of awkwardness had creeped into their relationship. She had tried to recollect the exact moment when things had changed, but couldn't put a finger on it. It wasn't that Raman had changed and gone back to the mean man he was a couple of months ago. He was still caring, gentle and friendly, but the intimacy seemed missing. Awkward, that was the only word she could use to describe his demeanor at that point. She had been quite busy the previous weekend. Mihika's parents had been in town, and they had decided to perform a couple of Tamil rituals in the temple and home to formalise the engagement with Mihir. She had been quite worried about her uncle and aunt's first meeting with Mihir that Saturday, but everything went so well. They had gone to Mihir's flat so Chitti and Chittappa could see the place Mihika would soon call home. They had been pleasantly surprised with the order and cleanliness of that place. In spite of the short notice Mihir was given of their visit, everything looked spic and span. It was difficult for them to believe that a bachelor, that too a Punjabi one, could have been so 'proper'. Of course Ishita had called Mihir earlier and told him she could come to help him early in the morning, but he had declined politely. Ishita was proud of him. There were times when she thought of him as her own brother, and she imagined that if she had a brother, he would be exactly like Mihir. That was why, irrespective of Trisha, she had believed in Mihir's love for her cousin. She had been mad at him, of course, but she was also overwhelmed by his loyalty to the Bhalla family, especially Raman. The meeting between the prospective in-laws had gone well. Only later, Mihir told her that Raman had helped him. "I should have known" she had thought then.
On the previous Saturday morning, she'd woken up in her old bed at the Iyer home, and had been disoriented for a minute. She had missed Raman's presence. When she gathered her thoughts, she'd woken up Ruhi and taken her home for breakfast and getting ready for the day ahead. When she went into their room, Raman was nowhere to be seen. He'd told her that he had the whole weekend off, so she was surprised he wasnt around. She wanted to text him, but her phone wasnt turned on. For some strange reason, the battery had drained. She plugged the charger in, and went on with her work. An hour later when she had showered, and Ruhi was dressed up too, she checked her phone. There weren't any texts from him. She wanted to ask Mummyji, but wasnt sure what her reaction would be. She was still getting used to her sweet and sour relationship with her mother in law. So, she did the sly thing of planting the question in her daughter's head. A few minutes after they had gone into the kitchen to make breakfast, Ruhi innocently asked her grandmother about Raman's whereabouts. Ishita was so keen on listening to the answer, that she didn't realise the milk was boiling over. "Aiyyo" she said, as she quickly turned the burner off, and started wiping the spilt milk. In all that clumsiness, she hadn't heard what Toshiji said. So she had to find a moment with her daughter alone and then learn the answer.
She had been disappointed to know that no one knew where exactly he was. He'd apparently woken up early and left saying he had some important work to complete, and would be back late in the afternoon, so they could all leave together to go to Mihir's apartment. Ishita was used to him disappearing for work, but that day, it wasn't about his absence. It was about him not calling her or leaving a message for her. They hadn't had a chance to speak the previous evening, what with the prying eyes of her family on them. She had to talk to him and make sure things were OK between them, considering how much anticipation had built up about that weekend. She had texted him later, only to receive a reply saying he was busy and would come pick them up around 5:00 PM. After the hustle bustle of that weekend, things had gone back to normal. But she missed the sweet whispers and touches. She wasn't sure if he had changed his mind, or if he was mad at her for some reason. She didn't ask due to the fear of knowing the truth. The ringing phone shook her out of her thoughts about the past few days. The receptionist told her that the next patient was already in. Ishita wore her coat, and prayed she would not mess up the poor guy's teeth while thinking of Raman.
Raman wasn't having any luck with his concentration either. He had been cursing the day he'd installed WhatsApp on his phone. He had been acutely embarassed by the incident the previous Friday. He had threatened Mihika to delete everything from Ishita's phone, and when that didn't work, he'd appealed to the mature Vandita. They had finally conceded, and even promised that they wouldn't mention anything to Ishita. He wasn't sure about that, and that was the main reason he was avoiding Ishita since. He knew his wife well enough to know that she would keep the knowledge of that incident to herself, if she did know about it. She wouldn't try and aggravate his embarassment, not about that sensitive subject. But that meant he would never find out if she knew. When he had got back home from the storage room, he couldnt go to sleep, and the only thoughts that had come to his mind were "what will she think of me? She'd think I am a love-sick puppy wanting attention from her. That I was so silly that I couldn't even spend a couple of nights without her" He was ashamed of himself only because he thought she would be ashamed of him too. It wasnt his pride, it was just his heart telling him that may be she wouldn't respect him any more. He had flicked through all the channels on TV for a few hours, and at around 7:00 AM, he'd showered and left to go to Mihir's home. He wasn't sure if Mihir would even be prepared to receive such important guests in the evening, it was his duty to make sure his younger brother was ready.
Surprisingly, Mihir's apartment hadn't needed much help from Raman. The place was clean, but the kitchen wasn't well-stocked. Most of the times Mihir was at the Bhalla home or Iyer home for dinner. So other than the obligatory milk, cornflakes and a few packets of Maggi, he had nothing much in his kitchen. The food would be ordered from a nice restaurant, but they would still need other items like tableware, cutlery and something to drink. Raman sruveyed the place, made a list, and chuckled when he had finished it. He was not an organized man. He had been successful in business only on account of his overactive brain, and blinding drive to succeed. He had never sat down and 'documented' any strategy. One of the best things about his thought process was that he was dynamic and flexible, both in the right proportions. And there he was, sitting in Mihir's flat, preparing a list of groceries and sundries to receive a bunch of his in-laws for dinner. She had made him like this, and he never even realised the change until then. Through her loud bhashans and patronizing sweet talks, she had mellowed him down. At the same time, she had been careful enough not to take the spunk out of him. It was funny, he thought "She's trying to get me to be more in control, and I am trying to get her to lose it. Some day, the twain shall meet". While he was with Mihir, buying everything he'd need that evening, he had checked his phone numerous times. Some times to text her, and the other times to check if she had texted him. When she eventually did text him, he had curtly replied that he was busy. She hadn't called him back. Some times he wished she didn't give him that much space, and she'd be a nag, like all wives were.
Once all the functions and meetings of that weekend were over, and Mihika's parents had gone back, Ishita was back in their home. But he was too embarassed to approach her in an intimate fashion. He'd spoken to her as a friend would, as they had been, a few weeks ago, before the kiss. He was thinking how he could correct the situation, or at least find out if it had to be corrected, when he got an email. It was an invite from one of his college friends who had asked him to join his 10th wedding anniversary celebrations on Saturday. His invite obviously had a Plus one included, so he had to talk to Ishita. He was secretly happy for this excuse to speak to her, but dreaded the conversation. He had learnt not to text her about important things any more, so he had to talk to her in person. When they both got home that night, Raman waited for Ruhi to fall asleep. When Ishita was about to turn off the lights, he stopped her. He had to see her face when he spoke to her. He had to find out if she knew, and if she was ashamed of him.
"Ek minute Ishita. Woh kucch baat karni thi"
Ishita's heart skipped a beat. He had waited for Ruhi to fall asleep, so she thought it had to be about something delicate. "Kya hua", she asked softly.
"Mere college ka ek friend hai Sameer. Uski 10th wedding anniversary hai Saturday ko. Usne invite bheja hai aaj. Jaayenge kya?" he asked, masking his fear.
"Sure Raman. Chalenge na, aise kyon pooch rahe ho aap?" she was worried when she heard the uncertainty in his voice.
"Nahi kuch nahin. I thought, maybe you had any plans with Mihika" he had said that lightly, but the tone ended up being accusatory.
Thats when she thought maybe he was angry at her about the previous weekend. It all came back to her then, may be she should have come back and slept on their bed. She had to correct it, she thought. "Sorry about the last weekend Raman, is weekend aisa koi plan nahin hai. and even if anything comes up, I'll say we have already planned something, OK?"
He suddenly felt bad for making her feel guilty. He then said "Its OK. It wasn't under your control anyway. By the way, just in case you are worrying, Shagun won't be there. Sameer hated her, I am sure she won't be invited." Once he had said that, he saw the look on her face, she was smiling. "No Raman, I am not worried about that anymore" His heart soared then.
He then decided he would show her the time of her life at the party. They were going out alone for the first time after they'd found some intimacy. Gone were the days when they were forced to put up a front of couplehood, because now they felt like a real couple. "Grand declarations of love can wait", he thought. This is what mattered, togetherness. He also thought the party would provide him a perfect opportunity to talk to her and find out if she knew about the incident in the storage room.
The party was a grand affair, it was held in a function hall of a 5 star resort, that usually housed film parties and fashion shows. When Ishita had asked him about the dress code, he'd just told her to wear whatever she liked. That exchange had left her a bit disappointed, she felt as if he wasn't as interested in her as he was a couple of weeks ago. She decided to be brave and give it her best anyway. She wasn't going to let him slip away into solitude, not after the combined effort it had taken them to get to their current state.
When she'd asked him about the dress code, Raman was already distracted. He had just realised where the party was. It was in the same place that he had taken her to the filmy party, where she had danced so sensuously with that movie actor. He couldn't believe the twists fate had planned for him every time he decided to get close to his wife. When she repeated the question, he wanted to say that she could wear whatever she was comfortable in, and that she looked beautiful in anything. He just ended up saying "whatever you like"
When Raman saw her before they left for the party, he wasn't prepared for her beauty.He never was nowadays. Every time she appeared in front of him, irrespective of her attire, her demeanor, her state of mind, she had the power to leave him open-jawed. That expression of his was turning out to be his default one. There were only so many folders and phones he could bite on. He chided himself mentally "Come on Raman, you are old enough to hide your feelings, and control your urges. Learn to be more respectful" His own reprimand wasn't strong enough, however.
Ishita had decided to take Mihika's help to decide what to wear for the party. They had finally decided to go traditionally modern. Ishita wore a two-toned Kanjivaram saree. The saree iself was plain, but it had small squares woven in with the gold zari on the border and the pallu. She had chosen blue and green as the two tones, deliberately, to see if her husband would pick up any clues. She wore simple accessories, a large pendant set in sapphire and diamonds, and small dangling diamond earrings. She went out on a limb and decided to style her hair wavy, only at the ends. She got ready at the Iyers, because it was more convenient for Mihika to help her, and her Amma had tears in her eyes when she saw Ishita dressed up. Mrs Iyer couldn't recollect the last time her younger daughter was so happy. She looked radiant and content with her life. Any mistakes the Punjabis had made, any food they ate, anything they drank was excusable, she thought "as long as my Ishoo always stays this happy"
When Romi and Mihir saw Ishita enter the Bhalla home, she heard a whistle. Before she could slap Romi, he said "Bhabhi, wasnt me this time, it was Mihir". That is when she blushed and ran into their room to see if Raman was ready.
They both stood looking at each other. To break the spell he said "Ek saree pehenne mein do ghante lagte hain tumko? chalo... der ho jaayegi". She was amused at the contrasting emotions in his eyes and his words. She just said "Haan, 3 piece suit pehenne mein aapko do ghante se jyaada lage waise, joote abhi bhi missing hain". He cursed and wore his shoes as quickly as he could, and they left.
Barely had they entered the party, and they had become the centre of attention. Raman's friends did not know what to be more amazed at. The change in him: from a nerdy, mousy guy to a confidently handsome man, or the fact that he had found a wife who was simplistically beautiful. The host, Sameer, was the happiest, he had seen the failings in Shagun the day he had met her. In fact, his hatred for Shagun had kept him away from his friend Raman too. After a few minutes of talking to Ishita, Sameer knew his friend couldn't have chosen better. Her outward beauty was just a teaser of her personality. She seemed genuine, warm and kind. She seemed very interested in knowing Raman's past, and how he was during his college days. She did not seem bitter at all, about her husband's past. Ishita had also galdly shown him Ruhi's pictures on her phone. He dragged Raman from another conversation and bluntly told him what he thought. "Raman, you've hit the jackpot, my friend. You've been married only for a few months, and I can already see the faint reminder of my happy-go-lucky friend from all those years ago. OK I am going to go say hello to the other guests now. But Raman, don't let this one go!" he said joining Raman and Ishita's hands together.
Sameer's emotional words were all it took for them to break the ice one more time. They didn't let go of the handhold. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief and then started laughing. She then said "I am sorry Raman, I should have made some excuse and come back home last weekend. It was unfair to you, and I can understand why you are miffed with me"
"WHAT?" he said, dumbfounded "You thought I am mad at you? Why would I be? We have all our life left to sleep on the same bed Ishita. It was just a matter of a couple of days, and you were right across the hall from me. Why would I be mad at you? When your chitti asked you to stay?"
"Oh, then why have you been so aloof since then Raman?" she asked, now really confused.
"If I ask you something, will you answer honestly? Promise?" he pleaded.
"Yes of course Raman. Why would I lie to you about anything?"
"Did Mihika and Vandita tell you anything about the last weekend?" he asked, still unsure of himself.
"No, did something happen?" she asked and felt his grip on her hand tighter.
It took Raman a lot of courage to admit to his wife about his embarassing plight. She had silently listened to him, smiling and laughing at times, but never mocking him. When it was all over, she asked him "So Raman, now that you have the opportunity, and the correct woman in front of you, may I ask what you wanted to say that night?"
Ishita couldn't hear if he even replied. In a split second, her hand was yanked from his when a woman hugged Raman very exuberantly and said "Raman, darling, how long has it been? and I cannot believe my eyes. I had seen your pictures and interviews, but boy, aren't you a dish to look at? and I must say you look hot in black."
Ishita looked at Raman's face, he seemed as surprised as her, but he was smiling genuinely. When what looked like a infinitely long hug finished, the woman turned around and looked at Ishita.
Ishita had to admit, anyone would smile at that face; the woman had the most beautiful big eyes, high cheekbones and a beautiful nose. Her body shape was to die for, and it looked like even a pair of track pants would look fabulous on her. And when the woman smiled, the dentist in Ishita saw the most beautiful and naturally pearly teeth.
The woman extended her hand and warmly introduced herself "Hi, you must be Mrs Raman Bhalla? I am Sonali Kotnis. So pleased to meet you finally!"
"The very essence of romance is uncertainty." - Oscar Wilde
*** So what do you all think??? Do you want me to start with something different, or try and continue this story in the next OS? Please let me know.
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