The Best of Things
(Ragya, Swasan) Fan Fiction Series +16
By Bubble
Chapter 55
Lakshya stared down at the sleeping Ragini and wondered what to do. On the one hand, what a pity to disturb someone who was asleep. But on the other hand, she had just come in and couldn't have fallen asleep so deeply after all.
He compromised by being as noisy as he could depositing his slippers and got into bed with a disruptive bounce. Ragini stirred and turned sleepily.
"Hi! Kahaan the aap?" she murmured. Hah, she was awake!
"Downstairs," he replied.
He settled down, trailed a finger down her back and reached for her. She moved closer readily enough, receiving him in her arms as his lips made little nibbling exploratory forays in the region of her neck and the swell of her bosom. He moved to her lips and took them in a full kiss.
If Ragini had been less tired and sleepy, she would not have said it but exhausted as she was, she pushed him away and puckered her lips at the new taste. "What's that!?" she asked grimacing and wiping her hand across her mouth distastefully.
"What?" he asked and then explained, "I just smoked a couple of beedis."
"Yuck, Laksh! Cigarettes are bad enough... it's like tasting ash, but beedis are just too foul," she pouted and pushed him away. "Sorry, I'm going to sleep. Humein bohut neend aa rahi hai!"
DAMN! Lakshya glared at Ragini's back. She'd gone right back to sleep. Annoyed and grumpy, he pounded his pillow into shape and fumed an hour into the night.
+++
The next morning, Ragini was contrite and tried to cajole Lakshya out of the miffed mood he'd fallen into. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him with open mouthed sweetness, and although he kissed her back for a moment, he remembered his grievance, prised her hands away and left for work.
She remonstrated with him that evening. "Aap naraaz kyun ho rahe hain, Laksh? I didn't mean it - I was just tired, that's all!"
He was still huffy. "If you don't enjoy kissing me, Ragini, you don't have to!"
"But I didn't say that - and you know I didn't mean that!" she protested but he wouldn't relent then or the whole of the next day.
His unforgiving bad mood seemed to continue, but Ragini was really dismayed two days later, when he snapped at her at the breakfast table in front of everyone. She'd been serving him sabzi and inadvertently gave him more than he needed - and that was hardly reason for him to growl at her like that! Everyone turned to look at the pair of them in surprise and tears stung her eyes - she put the dish down and ran up to their room.
Ragini began to feel very bad that day. Why was he being so bad tempered? It was very unlike him. She had been tactless, she knew that. Had she hurt his male pride so badly that he was lashing out still?
Then a worm of a doubt crept in. Had she been just a mission, a project to him? 'The Redemption of Ragini!' And now that she had herself taken up the responsibility to transform and redeem herself, had he lost interest in her? What was going to happen to them now? She hugged her knees and cried a little over her dreadful fears.
+++
At office, Sanskaar walked in to Lakshya's room and settled in a chair. Lakshya got off the phone and quirked an eyebrow, "Come to have a coffee with me, bhai?"
"Yes, that too. Plus I want to know why your assistant is gulping down antacids and clutching her forehead, why your team is whispering about what a terror you're being and why you yelled at Ragini in front of the whole family this morning," said Sanskaar flipping through a random magazine lying on the table.
Lakshya looked a little shame-faced. "I'll make it up to the team. And I'll apologise to Ragini," he muttered.
He picked up the phone. "Rekhaji, can you send in two cappuccinos, please? And tell Raghav that I still want the update but he can give it to me at 11 tomorrow morning."
He turned to look at his brother. Sanskaar raised his brow. "Ok, nice. But baat kya hai?"
In response, Lakshya slouched deeper in his chair and looked grumpy.
"Arrre! Bol!" Sanskaar kicked him under the table.
