Next day, 1:17 am
Ragini twisted and tossed on the train berth. She just hated sleeping in trains; the constant motion just wasn't conducive to a good night's sleep. Well, today it wasn't as much of the train as it was Nachiket. Oh, how she longed to be with him, his arm around her back, her head on his chest, love twinkling between them.
Before he came back into her life, she could fall asleep with the help of these fantasies, dreaming that he was carrying her into their room on their honeymoon again, loving her into the morning. But now that he was back with her, her dreams weren't enough. She wanted more. She wanted her Nachiket, right there beside her.
Ragini sat up and reached for her bag that she had placed under her seat. After fumbling around for a minute, she finally found it and pulled it out. She brought it up on her lap and opened it up, trying to find her water bottle. The very first thing she saw when she opened the bag was a small stack of paper plates. Ragini stared at the plates for a second, remembering Nachiket. How he had brought her dinner, their romantic escapade, their beautiful talks, his wink...
A coy smile crept onto Ragini's face as she remembered that wink, that last clue that he wasn't done with her just yet. She grabbed her phone and looked at the time. 1:21 am. Nachiket has a habit of going to bed very late, so maybe...no, how could I? We aren't married anymore...but... Ragini decided to go to check on the kids. That way, I can check if Nachiket is awake, and it would be a valid excuse if...she blushed, thinking of what the kids would say if they happened to be awake.
Composing herself and placing her bag back under her seat, she crept slowly towards his coupe. Taking a deep breath, Ragini moved the curtain just a tiny bit and peeked inside. She could see Suhani and Aarav fast asleep. Opening the curtain a bit more and moving inside the small room, she found a sleeping Agam too. She let out a deep sigh of relief. The coast is clear.
Ragini looked up at Nachiket, who had headphones in his ears and had his eyes closed. Ragini turned around and drew the curtain closed again, blushing at her newfound confidence. When she turned around, Nachiket had opened his eyes and was looking at her with a smile. Finally, she came! he thought, pulling the headphones from his ears.
"Woh...main bacho ko dekhne..." Ragini started, looking at the kids for any signs of stirring or other motions that would suggest that they were waking up.
"Jhoot math bolo, mujhe pata hai tum kyun aaye ho," Nachiket said with a wink. "Aur tension math lo, bache so gaye hai. Upar aa jao tum." Ragini looked away with a blush, and looked once more at the kids to make sure that they were actually asleep before climbing up onto the top berth. Nachiket beckoned her towards him and she sat by his side, Nachiket against the wall and Ragini beside him, their legs dangling off of the edge of the berth.
"Tum kya kar rahe the?" Ragini volunteered, as she adjusted her sari. "Kuch nai, tumhara intazar kar raha tha," Nachiket said, nodding his head towards her. Ragini smiled at first, but then rolled her eyes at his corny line. Nachiket grinned at her, but inwardly he wanted her to rest. He could see her eyes drooping and he knew the real reason why she was here.
"Tum ab tak kyun nai soi? Bahut thak gayi thi na?" Nachiket asked, brushing a lock of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. She blushed and smiled back at him. Their gazes locked and Ragini's tired eyes finally found solace in his.
"Pata nai kyun, bahut koshish ki thi par neend nai aa rahi thi," Ragini responded, shrugging and looking away. "Aaj konsi podcast sun rahe the?" she said, motioning to his phone.
"You know for a change, gaana sun raha tha," Nachiket replied, knowing how much she loved music. Ragini's eyes lit up and her face glowed--she looked like a radiant beauty, her tiredness completely washed away, like a rose that had just experienced its first rainfall after blossoming. "Aa jao, tum bhi suno," he said, smiling at her renewed energy and knowing that this would be the best medicine for her exhausted mind.
Nachiket twisted and Ragini moved accordingly; they were now sitting such that their legs extended down the length of the bed. The berth wasn't made for two, so Ragini was leaning heavily on Nachiket. He wrapped his arm around her to make room, and she let her head rest on his shoulder. He handed her one of the two headphones and pulled up a song from his romantic Hindi playlist.
As the first bars of the song began to play, Ragini looked up at Nachiket. He remembered..., she thought, falling in love with him all over again. This was the same song that he played for her when they were travelling by train just after they had gotten married. She wasn't able to sleep due to the train's irregular motion and he had soothed her nerves with this same song. She wanted to say something, but her heavy eyelids closed before she could make out the words.
Tujhe dekh dekh sona...
Ragini didn't have to say anything for him to understand. He felt it in the way her muscles relaxed, the way a cute smile formed on her face, the way she snuggled up to him for warmth. He squeezed her closer to him and enjoyed the moment, closing his eyes.
Tujhe dekh dekh sona,
Tujhe dekh kar hain jagna
Nachiket opened his eyes slowly and gazed at his sleeping love. How he would love to spend every moment of his life like this, with her curled up in his arms.
Maine yeh zindagani
Sang tere bitaani
Tujhmein basi hain meri jaan, haaye
He planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Nachiket," Ragini whispered lovingly in her sleep. She was his life, his everything. He couldn't fathom how he had ever been able to spend a day without her.
Jiya dhadak dhadak,
Jiya dhadak dhadak,
Jiya dhadak dhadak, jaayen
Jiya dhadak dhadak,
Jiya dhadak dhadak,
Jiya dhadak dhadak, jaayen
The train moved on, cutting through the countryside as the two slept, watching dreams as sweet as honey.
Next morning, 8:07 am
Ragini stirred in her sleep. She felt something beating steadily under her hand and a comforting weight on her hip. As she blinked her eyes open slowly, Ragini couldn't understand where she was.
"Good morning, maharani ji!" said a warm voice. Ragini lifted her head up and met his eyes and he smiled back at her. He had clearly been awake for a while, his eyes bright and beaming.
"Time kya hai, Nachiket?" Ragini asked sleepily, yawning as she reached for his wrist to read the time on his watch. "8:09" screamed the numbers in a dark grey. Ragini's eyes widened and she sat bolt upright.
Nachiket was surprised and sat up straight, pulling his legs back under him. "Kya hua, Ragini?!" he asked, worried like hell.
"Nachiket! It's 8 in the morning! Sab log uth jayenge aur main yaha, tumhare saath--" Ragini stopped and blushed, remembering the events of the previous night. She moved towards the edge of the berth then turned towards him and added, "Bache uth gaye aur hum dono ko iss tarah dekhenge toh kya sochenge?!"
"Kuch nai sochenge--yaad hai uss din, jab hum farmhouse pe the aur light chali gayi thi? Aur hum log sab breakfast karne bahar gaye the? Uss din bache hum dono ko ek doosre ke paas kaise dhaka de rahe the, yaad hai tumhe?" Nachiket said, grinning at her flustered expression. "Bache ko koi sharam nai hai!" he laughed.
Ragini made it down the ladder and moved so Nachiket could see her. "Hmm, akhir bache kis ke hai?!" she said, giggling. Ragini stepped out of the coupe and drew the curtain closed behind her, ready to clean up everyone's things (and her blush, of course) before their stop arrived.
Nachiket leaned against the side of the train. Last night was too short, he thought to himself. The night may be over, but the day is still young; let's what what magic you'll work today, Mr. Nachiket Khanna.
She was his and he was hers. And it would remain this way forever.
THE END
Author's Note: The song Jiya Dhadak Dhadak was released in 2005 (after NeiRa separated). If that really bugs you, let me know and I'll change it.
Anupamaa
CID
