FF: Love, Cherish me ~~ Epilogue ~~ - Page 3

Sorry I didn't realise the update has become so long while writing it.

Love Sucks

The hallway across Bihaan's bedroom:

"Thaaapki-Bihaaan, where are you guys going?" Preity bhabi wailed across the hall. She held a broom in one hand and sweep in another. She was looking pained as she came towards them panting. She was sweating and massaging her nape with her sweep held hand, as if she been looking upwards for a long time and it was hurting her neck now. Her pretty, perfect curls were drooping low.

"Maharani wants to have Dahi puchka Bhabi, her slave is taking her there."

"OMG! Thapki, do you mean the new awesome wala shop at Triangular Park? My friends are all raving about it. The food is to die for over there." she squeaked delightfully.

"Haan, Bhabi, I saw the p-pictures too, It looks so yummy, why don't you c-c-come with us?"

Preity bhabi gave her prettiest smile, "Give me two minutes guys, I will just go and freshen up, Bihaan tum fereshta ho. Why can't your brother be more awesome like you?"

"And where the hell are you trying to go Badki?" Suman bhabi came in panting as well. Her situation not very different from Preity bhabi. All dusty and sweaty. Is that cobweb in her hair?

"Chutki, Bihaan devarji is taking Thapki to that awesome chaat shop in Triangular Park I told you about, remember? Thapki asked me to come along. Isn't Bihaan devarji the awesomest pati ever?"Preity bhabi chirped happily.

"Suman Bhabi, why don't you come along too, I will bring out the jeep, wait let me get the keys..." Bihaan turned to leave.

Suman stopped Bihaan, "Nehi devaarji , I can't go, and so can't Badki, we can't leave the house. Dadima has punished us; we have to clean all the cobwebs of the hallways and the veranda. If we don't she will kill us. Ever since Badi Sasuma..." She stopped.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. They all know what Suman was about to say. Preity looked miserable and sighed. "Haan, we can't go", she agreed dejectedly.

"Don't worry Bhabi, we will bring you two food from that shop." Bihaan hated to see his bhabis so sad.

"But it won't be so awesome like having it there because it will become damp and soggy" Preity Bhabi stomped her foot and went away swashing her broom in impotent anger.

Bihaan looked at Thapki. She was looking sad too. Chuk chuk gadi would say she doesn't want to go anymore, Bihaan just knew it. Damn it.

Suman Bhabi saw her friend leave with regrets. Turning to the couple, she said, "Tum log jau and have fun. Don't worry about Badki." Then she pointedly looked at Thapki and said sternly," Don't even think about it, Thapki, go otherwise Badki will feel worse". Even she knew Thapki was about to refuse to go without them.

And so they went.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Dhaba-Taste of authentic Punjabi streetfood, Triangular Square Park:

" Bhaiya please give us one plate dahi p-p-puchka , one papri ch-chaat, one bhel p-p-poori, one plate dahi b-b-bada, one aloo chaat , one d-d-dahi papdi and-------- "

"Oye chuk chuk gadi are you planning to feed the entire nation? Who will eat all these?"

" --- make them extra spicy with l-l-lots of mirchi , filhaal k liye it-it -na hi Bhaiya I will let you know a-a-afterwards if we need something else."

"What about me? " Bihaan wailed. "You know I can't eat Mirchi- what will I eat??"

"Aur haan bhaiya 1 glass lassi and 1 Nimbu paani please. Th-Th-Thank you!"

The bemused waiter left the table. He was not unused to orders like this. Girls went crazy over chaats all the time. He looked over to the adorable cute couple and conveyed his order in the kitchen. Very young couple, looks from a good family too, he silently started judging the young couple. It's just something he did ever since he started his job as a waiter 10 years back. He looked at people and tried to figure out their lives. And he was proud to admit he had become an expert at judging people. He looked at the girl again. No sindoor or mangalsutra, not even earrings or any other ornaments. Not married. Hmm..Dating... Not an ounce of makeup. Interesting...Still, she was the most beautiful girl he had seen apart from his Madhuri off course. The girls's beauty outshines the problem of her stammering...well, almost. He shrugged and went back to his judging the couple... It is true love. This chaat shop was a Mecca for dating and he had seen his fair share of love birds. He knew real love or time pass just looking at couples. He pondered glumly how the definition of love had changed over ages; people had become hard and cynical and love had almost no value especially to the youngsters of this generation.

He looked again and saw the girl smiling and saying something to the boy and the boy scowling at her. The waiter smiled. Yap, that is true love, it is the way they both look at each other. It is in their eyes, the longing and yearning for each other. He finished his verdict of the young couple with satisfaction and moved towards to serve the next set of customers who just came in.

"You can have Nimbu paani, Bi-Bihaan. Stop scowling."

"If you even finish one-third of the food you ordered I will change my name from B for Bihaan Pandey to R for Rampyaare. Do you plan to starve me to death? I don't want to have nimbu paani only."

"Stop being so melodramatic Bi-Bihaan. You know you c-c-can't eat rich foods. Doctor asked you not to and you are still recovering inside. So shut up and s-s-stop being a baby."

Bihaan harrumphed. He took out his phone and viciously started stabbing it; She thinks I am a baby, is she crazy? If only she knew what is going through my mind, If only there were no one around us, I promise I would have shown her how much of a baby I really am. I will start with kissing those maddeningly pinky- pouty lips of hers and keep on kissing her until she becomes breathless. Her mouth will be all red and swollen and...

Bihaan sighed unhappily cutting off his fantasy, whom was he kidding really? He would never conjure up enough courage to kiss her the way he had been wanting to do whether they were alone or amidst thousands of people. And he did have plenty of opportunity. Ever since he was sick and doctor said he had jaundice, he and Thapki had been sharing the bed. Thapki forced him to sleep in the bed and she stayed beside him the whole time he was bedridden. She slept beside him too.

But sharing bed now had become sheer torture for him, now that he had become fit... the way she smelled, the way her small, soft body curled into ball so close to him while she slept her innocent's sleep...her long hair spread across her white pillow ...sometimes it came across to his pillow and at times he could feel her breath on his face...so close... only one word came to his mind ...TORTURE...

However, Thapki hadn't asked him to move out of their bed yet and he had not...well, why would he ever want to move out? Was he crazy to axe his own feet? In fact every night he waited for being tortured by her proximity. He loved being next to her, so close to her, to feel a connection with her and it made all kind of torture worthwhile.

Meanwhile, Thapki was looking skeptically at Bihaan trying to figure out what's bothering him lately while he continued to play that silly game in his mobile. I hate that game so much. Is that game more interesting than me? I am going to delete this dratted game the first chance I get, she promised to herself.

Bihaan was acting really weird since last few days; he was grumpy and frustrated with her more than his usual self and Thapki wondered why? Is he fed up with me already? Does he wants me to leave? Is my stammering beginning to irritate him more than it did before? Maybe he looks at Sheena and compares me to her and finds me lacking....

But if Thapki was honest to herself, she had to admit Bihaan harboured no romantic feelings towards Sheena, she doubted Bihaan even realised Sheena was a girl. At times she felt sorry for the girl because Sheena clearly hero worshipped Bihaan and Bihaan never even notice her as a girl. But still the thought of them together prickled her to no end; the easy camaraderie they shared, the smiles Bihaan bestowed upon that chudail. UGH!!

Thapki fumed silently, Bihaan should only smile at me. I should have sole copyright to all his smiles. Only me. I don't want any girl to see those maddeningly cute dimples which appears everytime he smiles. Gosh! those dimples.. I want to grab his hair , drag him close to me and lick those dimples , then----

"What? Why are you staring at me like that? What have I done now?" Bihaan's inquisition broke Thapki's sinful thoughts and she blushed averting her eyes not answering.

Bihaan looked at her suspiciously, why was she blushing? What was she thinking about that made her blush? Did it have anything to do with Dhru-----BIHAAN STOP IT...JUST DON'T.

Bihaan sighed.

Thapki sighed too.

Each lost in their own turmoil of thoughts they both agreed separately to themselves that love sucked big time.

---------------------------------***************-----------------------------------

Chapter 3- Marital Status

ps. The weird waiter, I have to admit, I wrote his character based on myself. When I went abroad to study, I used to work in an Indian restaurant. I used to look at the people who came to eat and try to figure out their lives from the way they behaved or dressed. I know I am weird. but its just something I used to do.🤔