Virika OS: The Sweetest Music

Both Viren and Jeevika were thrilled that Virat and Manvi had made it into the singing competition. However, Jeevika was slightly concerned about how the competitive atmosphere would affect their married life. Viren soon put her doubts at ease, but couldn't resist teasing her, comparing Virat's childhood musical training, to Manvi's lack thereof. He loved bringing that smile to her lips.

He grabbed the nearest pillow and tossed it at her playfully and Jeevika hit him back with one of her own, laughing. He quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him, arms wrapped tightly around her, "Mrs. Vadhera, if you wanted to fight with your pati, then why worry about Virat and Manvi?"

She struggled, a smile in her voice, as she teased him, "If I fight with you, it's no problem."

"No problem?" he found that sensitive spot in her ribs and tickled her mercilessly, laughing as she broke into uncontrollable giggles. The sound of her laughter was music of its own. "Are you sure? Are you sure fighting with your pati is a good idea?"

She broke out of his hold, but he continued tickling her, as she fell back into the bed and he hovered over her. She gave up, gasping for breath, "No."

He finally relented, smirking smugly, "I thought not."

Not to be outdone, once she'd sufficiently recovered, she calmly replied, "I never said it was a good idea. I only said it wasn't a problem because even if we fought, I would win."

He looked down at her incredulously and poked her ribs, "You'd win?"

She reached forward and kissed his cheek. Startled at the gentle press of her lips on his cheek, the arm he'd used to prop himself up over her wavered and she managed to push him off, where he rolled over on the bed on his back. She sat up and laughed, "See? I win." Not if he could help it.

He reached to grab her but she managed to move in time and threw a pillow at his face, rising from the bed. He chased after her, around the room, she ducked every time, laughing in such a way that made him even more determined, until finally when she'd climbed back up on the bed, he grabbed her ankle, pulled hard and entrapped her beneath him once more.

They were both flushed-cheeked, breathing hard, still shaking from soft laughter, but that laughter soon subsided when they'd become more aware of their current positions. That blush on Jeevika's cheeks was no longer from the exertion of running, neither was the thudding rate of Viren's heartbeat that she could feel at his chest, pressed against hers. The room was silent, but they weren't; there was the accompaniment of deep breaths, the drummed beat of their hearts, rising in a quicker, louder pace with each stretched out second that they were locked in each other's gazes. She felt the weight of his gaze travel from her eyes to her lips, the look in his eyes made her feel like he was kissing her already. "I think," he murmured, lifting his eyes back to hers in an achingly slow fashion, "I won."

She lowered her eyes and he knew he really did. "Virenji, chodiye naa," her shyness overcame her.

"How can I? I haven't gotten my jurmana..."

"Virenji, you have work tomorrow."

"I do," he touched his nose to hers.

"You have to wake up early."

He wound a strand of her hair beneath his fingers, "That's right."

"We should go to sleep."

"We really should," he agreed, his breath a sigh against her lips, belying his words. They both knew he'd won.

A knock came at the door and both of them tensed. "Di?" Manvi's voice came outside. Viren quickly got up, but then almost immediately fell back, causing Jeevika to gasp. Their legs had gotten impossibly tangled in the sheets. "Di, are you there?" Manvi asked, more insistently.

Jeevika called back, her voice slightly higher than normal, "Haan, Mannu, I'm coming," then whispered to Viren, "Virenji, get up!"

"I can't!" he whispered back, helplessly, "The sheets are stuck!"

She tried moving her own legs and found that she too was trapped.

"Di?"

Viren answered this time, "Ek minute, Manvi."

"Oho," Virat's mocking tone made them both cringe, "It looks like Bhai aur Bhabhi were a little busy before we interrupted them, Manvi."

Manvi laughed, "Never knock on the closed doors of the bedroom of a married couple."

Jeevika blushed furiously.

Viren said to Jeevika, "Wait, let me roll you over."

"What?"

"The sheets are trapped under you," he said, exasperatedly and shifted her so she was above him.

"We can come back later, if you want," Virat called out.

"If we come back later, we'd only interrupt them again," Manvi pointed out.

Jeevika managed to untangle herself and got up, allowing Viren to straighten himself out as well, before going to open the door.

"Wait!" Jeevika hissed.

"Kya?"

Holding the end of her dupatta, she wiped his cheek where the strawberry pink smudge of her lip-gloss had shined like an unwanted beacon. He patted her mussed hair back hurriedly and retied the loosening knot of the belt of her robe before he finally opened the door.

"It's about time," Virat cocked an eyebrow at his brother's dishevelled appearance, looking him up and down. Manvi did the same to a mortified Jeevika.

Viren cleared his throat, "Was there a reason why you came to see us, dear brother of mine?" he ended his query with a cutting edge in his tone.

"Only to see your lovely face," Virat said innocently, "Manvi and I missed our siblings, you see. We find that we don't get to see you enough and especially since we're leaving for our honeymoon tomorrow, we thought we'd come by to spend some time," he threw an arm over Viren's shoulders.

Viren thought frankly to himself that he got quite enough time to spend with his mischievous younger brother.

Manvi gave her sister and brother-in-law an evil grin, "Evidently, you were both spending a lot of time together."

Jeevika hid her face in her hands.

"They have no time for us," Virat said with a melodramatic sigh, "We're not wanted here. It's a good thing we're leaving tomorrow."

"Haan, then Di aur Jiju can have some more alone time together," Manvi winked wickedly.

Viren thought he had quite enough of their suggestive banter. "And the two of you can practice your singing on your honeymoon."

"Our singing?" Manvi repeated, confused.

"You know, the pitch of your voices, the low tones, the high tones. You need to know all that for your big singing competition, don't you?"

"Yes..." the two of them looked at him uncomprehendingly.

Viren smirked, "Well, you'll have had a lot of practice with how high and low your voices can go, come tomorrow night." And with that cheeky response, he shut the door in their indignant, embarrassed faces.

"Virenji!" Jeevika cringed.

"Kya? They were making fun of us, weren't they?"

She simply had nothing to say. "Anyway," he moved closer to her, lowering his voice significantly, "It's true, isn't it?"

If it was possible for her to blush any harder, she would spontaneously combust at that moment.

"They might be the singers in the family," he whispered against her ear, picking her up in his arms, "But I don't think there's any sound more beautiful than the sounds I compel you to make." And there wasn't, not for him at least. For what music could be sweeter to his ears than the rich timbre of his name on her lips that was evoked by his kisses, his touches?

And when she did say his name, in that low lilting cadence, it undid him completely.

The husky baritone of his own voice, calling out her name, lit her on fire.

But, they burned together, in exquisite harmony, rising, peaking, falling.

What music could possibly be sweeter?