Hello guys. Here is another story for you all to enjoy. This is a continuation to my other story Race you there.' But can be appreciated individually too. Hope to guys liked it.
Beyond the Beach and Between a Bed
After barely escaping the clutches of the arrogant old man who owned the swing set, Twinkle come up with the idea of building a sand castle. Honestly she was a five-year old trapped in the body of a twenty two year old. And Kunj thought that that would be annoying to him, but it was surprisingly not. In fact it was somewhat refreshing this childishness of hers. It was contagious too, because soon he finds the subconscious weight of responsibilities off his shoulders and his fingers in the sand, starting to mold the beginning of a castle.
Twinkle finds an empty bottle of vodka by the beach and re-purposes to carry water from the sea to moisten the sand. The hem of her once pristine gown is now muddy and wet but that's the last of her worries. Her entire concentration instead is focused on erecting the first wall of the castle. Her manicured fingers dig deep into the sand and those gentle palms of her hand shape the crumbling blonde grains. Kunj realizes he was never good at sand sculpturing. At best he could pile up a mountain of sand, stick a straw on the top and call it his masterpiece. So settles for replenishing the vodka cum water bottle and imitating his wife.
The beach was yet blissfully empty, something Kunj was thankful for because imagine the sight they put up for others. Two well grown people, sitting in the sand and making castles. The wind blows a gentle drift every now and then, enough for Twinkle to realize that her hair style is not practical for the activity at hand. So, she stops her shaping, doesn't even dust the sand off her fingers and grabs all her hair in a hand and knots it up in a rough low bun.
"Oi, Kunj, tum kar kya rahe ho?" he notices that all he had done was dig a hole in the sand and nothing else. "Castle ke liye swimming pool khodh rahe ho kya?"
He fails to answer miserably. What's the matter with him? He hasn't come up with a single witty remark to answer Twinkle back the whole night. This Goan weather has rusted his mind probably.
Her brows dip in confusion and then raises in realization. "Tumne kabhi sand castle nahi banaya hai na?"
"Nahi-aisa kuch nahi hai-"
And there she goes again; turning those pink lips up in a smirk and raise one brow in challenge.
He admits defeat. "Haan, theek hai, mujhe sand castle bana nanahi aata." She purses her lips this time into a straight line, trying her best to hide her amusement but the spark in her eyes are a dead give-away.
"So cute, Kunj." She says and raises her arm which has been completely swallowed by his jacket sleeve and pinches his cheek. Kunj can't bring himself to mind. They continue building a modest sand castle. It was wobbly in a few places but it was beautiful nonetheless. Twinkle had to give Kunj a step by step guide to build their fort but the end result and the fun they had was definitely worth it. She even made Kunj take a picture of the fort on his mobile.
"Chalo, hotel chalet hai. Bahut raat ho gayi hai." Twinkle says after a while of staring at their masterpiece.
He looks around him and then at his watch. Its midnight.
"KUNJ!!" he hears Twinkle scream and for a teeny tiny second his blood freezes over. He panics for a moment to long before he catches a glimpse of his wife, safe and sound and in complete awe. "Kunj, Look! Kunj!"
He allows himself a minute to calm down from the sudden heart attack before turning his attention back at her. Yeh ladki mujhe ek din heart attack se hi maar degi'
He reaches her by the shore and turn his gaze to follow her hand, that clearly pointing out to one of the most beautiful view he has ever been fortunate to see. The moon, was low by the horizon, seemingly kissing the sea and spilling its light like pearls on the surface of the water.
"Gorgeous." That's all there is to describe it.
They stand for a while more, basking in the beauty that they seldom have chance to appreciate. Twinkle has now taken to dipping her feet in the ocean and tracing idle circles with the, creating a hypnotic ripple effect. She reaches down with the her hand this time and Kunj knows her well enough to know that there is no possible way that this little act of hers is not going to end in trouble. Either for him or her or the poor people around.
He was right. Because as soon as her hand skims the water, she is cupping a palm full of it and splashing it on him. He opens his mouth in retaliation and is greeted with a mouthful of salty water. Oh this is war, Mrs, Twinkle Sarna.
Kunj uses all his weight and jumps into the water which drenches Twinkle thoroughly. In his humble defense he hadn't thought that he could create a splash as big as he did. He braced himself for the scream that he knew was soon to come, but Surprise, surprise out came her euphonious laugh again. It makes Kunj wonder, not for the first time, if she had something to drink at the ball that is causing her to act like this. Naah, this isn't tipsy Twinkle. No this is the carefree Twinkle he had never truly got to see. Her child-like innocence was being trampled in the soil ever since their marriage. He just hopes that conditions in both their families improve enough, so that he gets to see this side of Twinkle more often.
"Okay, okay bas! Chalo, ab sach mein Hotel chalte hai." He initiates this time. He grabs her hand and led her away.
The hotel wasn't that far from the beach but Twinkle yet insisting on playing a game to pass time, as they walked. They agreed on a simpler version of Truth and Dare'. The game was called Twenty Questions'. Each got to ask the other 20 questions, which they had to answer truthfully. They even implemented a pass' for when they didn't want to answer a question.
"Okay, main first." Twinkle called dibs. She pursed her lips in thought. "Tumhara sab se bada phobia"
"Pass"
"Arey! Yeh toh kuch emotional question bhi nahi hai. Kunj tumhe yeh answer karna hi padhega"
He considers skipping the question again but he knows Twinkle will keep on pestering him if he doesn't answer. Time to swallow your pride, Kunj beta'.
"Kya kaha?" She asks leaning towards him a bit more, to catch his answer. "Mujhe Spiders se dar lagta hai."
Despite her best efforts, a chuckle escapes her lips and she rushes to cover it up. Common decency tells her to tell him about her stupid phobia too, so she does. "Mujhe lightning se dar lagta hai" she says quickly to get the matter over with. "Okay tumhari baari."
"Okay, Tu ne ab tak sabse illegal act kya kiya hai?" He was hoping toget some saucy answer but alas
"Maine apne 16th birthday par Mamu ke pocket se Cigarrete chura kar piya." She answered proudly. "First time and last time."
They play along and are to their 15th question when they arrive at their room. They stop the game on mutual understanding. On a not-so-mutual understanding Twinkle takes the first shower.
By the time Kunj has had his shower. It's 1.30am. He thought Twinkle might be in bed by the time but no, there she was, the Siyapa Queen, standing by the window overlooking the hotel's Swimming Pool
"Tu ab tak Soi nahi?"
The tension is back on her face, her shoulders are slumped with fear. Kunj wishes there was something he could do to erase that look from her face permanently.
"Kunj, tum mere liye ek favour karogay?" she steps forward with certainty but everything else in her body language and words are uncertain. "Tum aaj bed pe hi sogay, mere saath?" The way she asks the question is devastating pure and innocent. Her eyes lock on to the floor and she refuses to meet his gaze. "Hum beech mein pillow barrier bhi bana de ge, bas tum aaj mere saath bed pe sojao. Mujhe bahut dar lag raha hai."
"Twinkle," he cups her face into his hands and makes her look at him. "Dar ne ki koi baat nahi hai. Main hoon na tere saath."
"Haan, phir bhi Kunj. Please-"
He agrees, quickly enough; Anything to put her at ease.
So they awkwardly climb into bed. Twinkle places a pillow or two to make the barrier as promised and lies down on the right side of bed. She pulls the quilt over her body and turn to face Kunj. Kunj on the other hand lies on the left side, above the covers on his back. He wasn't exactly sure what his feelings were on sharing a bed but he decides these circumstances are just temporary. But in the deepest corners on his bottomless heart Kunj would be delighted to share something with Twinkle-even a bed.
Fifteen minutes in, and Kunj thinks Twinkle might be asleep by now. He was about to turn towards her , to catcha last glimpse of her face before falling into a deep slumber, when Twinkle extends her hand towards the left and grabs a hold of his hand. He is stunned for a second and then turns to see her looking at him, with honest, unadulterated appreciation in her eyes. She gives him the smallest shy smile possible. She parts her lips to vocalize her sentiment but somehow the words are lost in a yawn which Kunj found unbelievably cute, before falling asleep. Kunj falls asleep soon after too.
They might not be sure about where their relationship stands at this point. But they were sure about one thing. That that night was the best night of their lives. It also was the most peaceful sleep that they ever had. And though none of them want to agree but sharing a bed wasn't perhaps a bad idea.
And if they wake up in the morning, with their arms tightly wrapped around each other then none of them mention it and both of them hide their smile.
THE END.Hope you guys liked this story. Please comment and let me know. Also, Thank you so much for reading.
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