Standing underneath the shower she closed her eyes and let the warm water soothe the tiredness of her body..
The day has been a hectic one for her...after all today, she has celebrated her very first holi as an Oberoi bahu ...there were so many works to be done..she attended the guests, helped the servants, ran behind Anika bhaujai to apply colors on her face and even did tapoori dance with her Rudy bhaiya..and now, standing under the shower, she could feel that her whole body is aching..
Closing her eyes, she remembered the days she has spent in Bareilly, playing holi with her best friends, her bachha party..they used to apply color on each other, eat laddoos, finish several glasses of lassi..she even used to hide behind the Shankar ji's mandir with the young girls of her neighbourhood, just to have the taste of bhaang, gingerly..she still remember the day when her mother took her class for having bhaang and dancing with the children like an unencumbered teenager..her lips curved into a smile as those moments started flashing before ger eyes..
She has realized that her life has been changed..she's not the same small town girl anymore..she's now the wife of a renowned artist..she's a daughter in law of an aristocratic family..she herself is a mature woman now, who has a big family of her own to handle...
She was rubbing her skin unconsciously which was more like scratching to remove the faint stains of colors from her body while thinking about all the changes of her..he entered the bathroom and snaked his arms around her exposed belly..her expression softened in a moment and she leaned into his hard chest closing her eyes..he smiled and nuzzled behind her ears..she moaned and his hands started wandering down to her arms..
"What happened..?", he asked while scouring her skin..
"Nothing..", she sighed.."But I'm so tired, Omkara..", she breathe out, her eyes still closed..
"It's obvious to get tired after the long session of running, dancing and applying colors, baby..", he chuckled..
"Not so funny..", she pouted..
"Hmm..", he said not trying to laugh, listening to his chiraiyya's childlike voice..but his expression changed in a moment looking at the scratches on her skin which she has gifted herself.."Who told you to play with colors..?? Look what you've done to your skin..", he said strictly, rubbing her skin with his thumb..
"I love colors, Om..", she said turning to face him.."You know it was my first holi with our family..and I really enjoyed..", she said and her eyes twinkled with excitement..
Omkara looked at the woman who was looking at him with childlike excitement..she never fail to surprise him..it's miraculous how every time her eyes manage to express her inner feelings..he couldn't but smile..
Scouring the colors from her cheek, he asked, "Okay..but how can it be your first holi with my family, Ri..?? Even last year you were here.."
He could see her expression changing with his words..suddenly all the excitement turned into disappointment..
"Kya hua, Gauri..??", he asked her worried..
She looked down to avoid the eye contact with him..she knows that he's already guilty for leaving her alone..for not treating her as his wife..for not giving her the place she deserved in his life..and today, when they're carrying all the love in their heart for each other, she doesn't want to make him remember about those days...she has been with him for more than a year now..there was a time when she stayed with him and his family disguised as Chulbul..she got the chance to know him by staying his side..but she was deprived of the rights of being a wife, of being a daughter in law..she wasn't allowed to celebrate with him...but she could never complain..he didn't know that she was his wife..his family had no idea about her..and she herself never expected to be loved by him, by his family...and she's thankful to her Shankar ji for whatever she has today...
Omkara made her look at him.."Say it, Gauri..I know there's something bothering you..", he said caressing her cheek..
She looked at him.."Woh hum...", she stopped before continuing in a barely audible tone, "That time I wasn't living in your house as your wife..I was disguised as Chulbul.."
As her words made their way to his mind, he closed her eyes feeling guilty... and she could see him cursing himself..
"Omm..!!", she called for him and he looked into her eyes..
"I'm sorry, Gauri..", he said hiding his face in the crook of her neck..
"Ssshhh..!!", she rubbed his back trying to calm him down.."Hum saath hain, Omkara..we are together..we love each other and we've promised each other a lifetime to spend together..don't think about anything that makes our moments bitter..those days are gone...", she said while he hugged her tightly not wanting to let her go..she wrapped her arms around his waist and murmured, "My husband is being a baby..and now I've to handle a chotu Kara.."
He giggled and raised his face from the flex of her neck to look at her..she was staring him with puppy eyes..he kissed her nose and said, "If you try to be all this cute, I don't think I'll be able to let you rest tonight.." He winked and his eyes gleamed mischievously..
Gauri's mouth shaped in a perfect O watching her husband flirting..he smiled at her and turned her back towards him..she rested her head on his shoulder while he helped her to wash away the colors from her body...
"Now your husband is going to give a you a pleasing message and all your tiredness will vanish..", he said wrapping the towel on her body..
And I just realized that shower thing is fun to work on.. 😆
