He had actually gone out the entire day to fetch her sister for her and had brought her in, in a tall, wrapped box, never minding the consequences, never thinking what Dadaji and Swamini Bua might think. All just for her. Not to mention making her that jam and bread "cake" in the middle of the night. He was so sweet too, with his tender kisses and hesitant touches...she blushed, remembering the events that had transpired the night before, a night of rainfall and flames, heat and cold. And now he had just gifted her a necklace and was holding her in his arms, simply content to have her with him in that moment.
His hands shifted around her slightly before pulling her into his lap. She hid her face in his neck, but he spoke, "Did you like your birthday presents?"
She nodded, smiling into his chest, "Bahaut. Thank you, Virenji. I can't believe you did all this for me."
"I'm sorry for scaring you," he sounded slightly troubled, "When I got home you were crying...I didn't mean to worry you-"
At this she looked up, "You did scare me. And then Virat told us about the gunshot and the man who tried to kill you, how could I not be worried? You didn't have to go to Rishikesh for Manvi, at least not by yourself-"
He stopped her onslaught of reprimands by cupping her face in his hands, "If I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have seen that happy sparkle in your eyes, that look on your face as though you had lost something very precious to you and just got it back. Hai naa?"
She nodded slightly, her smile returning. It was impossible to be upset with him, not when he did so much for her, even at his own risk. "Still, I don't want you going out by yourself other than to work. And always keep your phone charged too."
It was his turn to smile, at her sweet wifely commands and the concern she showed over his welfare. He twined his hands around her lower back, letting his arm rest on her leg gently, "I promise I'll keep it charged, theek hai?"
"And please be careful. I don't want you to-" before she could finish her sentence, he placed a finger on her lips, "I just got married to the most beautiful woman in the world. There is no way I am going to take any chances with my life when I have you with me."
That happy sparkle in her eyes when she saw Manvi was back again. But this time it was for him. He suddenly realized his finger was still on her lips and he removed it slowly, her lips parting in the process and drawing his attention to them. When he looked back at her eyes, he realized she was looking at his mouth too, shyly and uncertainly. Their first kiss was fresh in his mind, made evocative by her proximity and all he could think of was the taste of her, of raindrops and sweetness.
She too was remembering that kiss in the rough hay by the warmth of the fire. She had never felt anything like that before. Many times had she wondered what it would feel like to kiss him and now she knew. She knew the feeling of his breath whispering lightly along her lips, the gentle press of his mouth against hers, the discovery of a lovely, unfamiliar taste. And yet, was it really unfamiliar, when it was all him?
Never before had he held her so closely, never before had he swept her up in his arms and leaned his weight slightly against her body, never before had he touched anyone, kissed anyone in such a way as he did to her. And he had been longing for that since the day of their wedding, no, really, he had wanted to do that the moment he realized he was in love with her. But never had that been acceptable until now.
The slide of his nose against hers and the brush of their eyelashes proved too much in that moment and she pulled away, looking down. He tilted her chin back up, and whispered teasingly, "Don't you want another birthday gift?"
She smiled, "I think my other gifts perfectly sufficed, my cup of happiness is already at its brim."
He chuckled, "I would prefer it overflowed." At this, they looked at each other's lips once more, both knowing that if they leaned any closer, then there would really be an overflowing of emotions, unrestrained and free. But, he stopped himself and looked back up at Jeevika seriously. Last night had made him realize something. He wanted to go slowly with her, wanted them to get to know each other properly, all each other's little quirks and hidden talents. Before he could take that step towards physical intimacy, he wanted them to be emotionally intimate and attuned as well.
"Jeevika, I am not going to make you do anything you don't want to do yet."
She opened her mouth to reply, looking slightly confused, but he shook his head, "I love the feel of you in my arms and kissing you is heavenly, but I want to be able to gradually progress our relationship...and our first time...I want it to be without the presence of anyone else, not in an abandoned hut or by accident. I want it to be perfect. For you. And I want you to be comfortable enough with me by then, I want us both to be so uninhibited that there is no hesitancy, no fear. Is that okay?" he'd stumbled over his words as this was not a subject that had ever been breached between them and he'd been unsure of how she might react.
She got emotional hearing his words. The fact that he wanted to wait, wanted to make sure she was comfortable, proved testimony to how much he loved and respected her. She hugged him again and whispered, "Thank you, Virenji."
His fingers ran through her hair and he placed a kiss at the top of her head. "I look forward to getting to know you better, Mrs. Vadhera," he teased, making her blush, before pulling her face back up.
His thumbs brushed her cheekbones and he asked her very quietly, "Can I kiss you?" Because it truly mattered to him whether she wanted him to or not.
She nodded, it was an almost imperceptible tilt of her head, but he'd caught it nonetheless and smiled. Slowly, because he'd promised her he would, he kissed her temple, then along her cheek and lingered at the corner of her lips. Her eyes had closed and her lips had parted, but he wasn't going to kiss her, not yet.
She opened her eyes to see him waiting and she realized what he wanted, he wanted her to initiate the kiss, he wanted her to set back her reservation. So, she moved her head slightly, just enough to allow the slide of her nose against his and the brush of their eyelashes once more and that single, sparking touch of her lips against his.
The kiss they shared was not the first, soft one that soon turned to a more heated, passionate embrace. This one was sweet and gentle and long, full of possibilities and wonder, something that would find its way into her dreams at night and cause her to smile in her sleep. They were both smiling now, smiling as they pulled away and smiling as he tucked her under the covers and laid down next to her, the warmth of his body against hers and his arm curled protectively around her waist. "Happy birthday," he whispered in her ear one last time, before sleep overtook them and dreams chased their way through their minds, dreams of kisses, caresses and more.
And they smiled as they slept, as they dreamed of each other.
CID
Cricket
