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Hellooo People... After the amazing response to "My Cranky Baby Boy", I am back with a sequel to it, on public demand.
I'd like to thank you all for the amazing response... You can read the first part here: My Cranky Baby Boy in case you haven't read it yet.
Without further delay, here's the second part. i hope you like it, since I have written it after a lot of struggle to overcome my writer's block.
Any comment/ criticism would matter a lot and help to write better 😳
My Cranky Baby Boy - 2
Omkara groaned for the eighth time in ten minutes, and Gauri rolled her eyes while sitting next to him. She always knew her husband was an overgrown baby, but today, after eight years of marriage, was yet another manifestation of this supreme truth. As if she wasn't troubled enough that her six year old boy, Som Omkara Singh Oberoi, was answering the first written exam of his life, and was totally a nervous wreck about it. And Omkara had found the perfect time to come down with a fever. Yes, Gauri actually blamed Omkara for the fever because, despite her warnings about not getting drenched in the rain last night, Omkara's insisted on re-living the filmy moment of the cheesy film he and Gauri watched that evening. And somehow, a simple shiver and sneeze led to the fever. Annika and Bhavya had been kind enough to offer to handle Som and the exam tensions until Omkara was fit and fine. And much to everyone's chagrin, Shivaay, better known as Calculator-Singh-Oberoi had stepped in to teach him Math, though Gauri knew that Som was in, not just good, but the best hands. But at least someone had offered to help to reduce her stress!
Omkara groaned again, drawing Gauri's attention, this time holding her hand under the heavy quilt. Yes, quilt. Because Omkara had began shivering with the fever and cold. This man had reduced the temperature of the air conditioner to eighteen degrees, and had buried himself under the heavy quilt. Gauri had offered to turn the air conditioner off, which he denied saying that he needed the room to be cool. How this man of profound words sometimes came up with the weirdest logic she wouldn't know!
"S... so... c... co... cold..." she heard him mutter under the quilt, as she felt him hold her palm against his cheek. "Omkara ji, let me increase the temperature at least?" She felt him shake his head in a no. "I had told you not to get drenched in the rain. Aap meri baat kahan sunte hain?" she muttered angrily. She saw him peeping out under the blanket, just the pair of two deep brown eyes, looking at her in a pleading manner, "I'm s... sick now, and you... you yell at... me... Is this... how you tr... treat someone who is... is sick?" She frowned, almost pulling her hand away from his grip, but he held onto her tighter. "Haan toh? You brought this upon yourself, deliberately! Now, what do you want me to do? Pamper you?" she said in a sarcastic tone. Her jaw hung open when she saw him nod in a yes.
"Stay with me here, don't go..." he whispered, and no matter how angry she was, her heart melted when he made that cutesy puppy face at her. Darn, where had he learnt that? That was supposed to be the trick up her sleeve, whenever she wanted him to do something. Omkara had been a quick learner, using her own tactic on her. If things weren't worse, there were times when even Som did that to both his parents, getting them to agree to his demands. She frowned, "Fine. But you'll have to go to sleep now." He nodded and immediately closed his eyes, still holding her palm against his cheek. She smiled; right now, her husband was a total baby, behaving as if he was smaller than Som. She shook her head and leaned against the bed post, gently closing her eyes.
Gauri woke up, sweating and suffocating, and as her eyes fluttered open, she realised she was, somehow, under the quilt. Her husband had his hand wrapped tightly over her waist, his leg carelessly thrown across her thighs, and his head rested against her chest. She did not even have moving space. She wriggled a little, only to have him mutter something inaudible and incomprehensible in annoyance for disturbing his sleep with the unwelcomed movements. "Omkara ji..." she whispered trying to wake him up and move away, when she couldn't bear the heat from his feverish body. "Gauri... mat jao..." he whispered in a soft plea, and she would have stayed if she wasn't feeling so warm.
"Nahi, i want to move. I feel like I'm on fire..." she said in a harsh whisper. Despite the fever, he managed to open an eye and give her that mischievous smirk, "Really? My wife gets turned on when..." "NO!" She almost screamed, and then said angrily, "I'm feeling very hot!"
And then she realised something else. Looking at him with a frown she said, "You've turned off the AC and switched off the fan! Oopar se, you've thrown the quilt on both of us!" He shrugged, saying, "Oh that! I was feeling cold..." and he hugged her as he closed his droopy eyes, not bothered about his hair sticking to her sweaty skin. "Enough!" she said, and successfully managed to wriggle out of his hold. He groaned, missing the softness of her body. He realised he had said that out loud when she threw a pillow at him, saying, "Then keep hugging this!" With that, she flew out of the bed. He heard her run to the washroom to wash her face, and then heard her mumbling something in annoyance on her way outside the room. Omkara smiled sleepily; how he loved her, especially when she was mad at him over something silly! She looked like a cute, angry minion. Well, his minion. With that thought leading to several others, he drifted back to sleep.
***
"Papaa!" He heard his son call out to him from somewhere far away. Each time he called out, his voice kept getting stronger and louder. It was then that Omkara felt himself waking up, and opened his eyes to find his son sitting next to him, looking at him with wide eyes, and a toothy grin. Omkara's lips curved upward into a soft smile; at times he found himself looking into his little boy's eyes and wondering how similar they were to Gauri's. He sat up, and ruffled Som's hair, who quickly sat on his Papa's lap and hugged him. Placing a sloppy kiss on his cheek, Som said, "Get well soon, Papa!" Omkara couldn't help but grin; "Aapko Papa ki itni fikar hai, mera baccha?" he asked him in an adorable tone. Som nodded in a yes, and hugged his Papa tight, resting his tiny head on his Super-Papa's chest, while Om simply leaned his cheek against the top of his boy's head.
"Som?" Gauri said in a warning tone, standing at the door watching the two most important boys of her life, cuddling in an embrace. Although she wanted for this moment to continue, and then mentally click a picture and frame it in her mind, she also knew that it was more important for Som to stay away from Om, so he does not catch his fever.
"Humne aapse kya kaha tha, Som?" she asked, as she placed the tray of soup on the side table. Som looked up at her with a pout. Ugh, those puppy eyes! With a small voice, he said, "Ke mujhe Papa se door rehna hai, kyunki mujhe unka fever nahi aana chahiye..." Om heard that and quickly pulled away from him. As much as he loved to cuddle his baby, he would never ever want him to go through something because of him. Gauri stood with her hands on her hips, staring at Som, "Kuch aur bhi kaha tha humne aapse!" Som scrunched his nose trying to recall, and Omkara couldn't help but smile looking at this carbon-copy of Gauri. "Ke main padhai karoon..." Som said in a defeated tone when Gauri's stare turned into a glare. "Go... else aapko bhi,, Papa ke saath paalakh ka soup pila doongi..." she said, and Som scrambled out of the room, fearing the thought of having to drink that awfully-tasting soup, more than facing the wrath of his Mumma of not completing his revision for the exam.
Gauri looked at Omkara, who already made a face at the mention of paalakh soup. Oh, he loved his wife's cooking, but his hatred for paalakh was greater than that love. And Som hated it too. So wasn't it justified that paalakh was a bunch of disgustingly tasting leaves? Or as Som once said, "Cows eat grass, so why do we eat paalakh? It is cow's food!" Gauri's furious glare at Som, and at Omkara for laughing, back then, had been the end of the discussion, after which both of them had quietly albeit grudgingly eaten the paalakh curry.
"Omkara ji, you have to drink this!" she said, already knowing that he was contemplating on reasons to avoid drinking the bitter green soup. "Magar, Gauri..." "Koi bahaana nahi chalega. Chup chap pi jiliye" she ordered. He gave her a small smile; he would never admit, but he loved it when she treated him like he was a child. "Muskurana bandh kijiye, aur soup pi jiye. Chaliye..." she said, placing the tray in front of him.
"Apne haaton se pilao na?" he said. Gauri chuckled and shook her head, "Aise nakhre toh Som bhi nahi karta..." Omkara pouted, "But I have fever. Beemaar hoon main! Mujhe tum beemaari mein aise treat karogi?" Dont fall for that puppy eyes, don't look at the cutesy pout! She sighed, knowing she could never resist that. Sitting in front of him, she fed him the soup, all the while narrowing her eyes, as he made faces in disgust while swallowing the soup.
"Aapki dawaai..." she said, after he had finished the entire bowl, for which he even got an appreciation of being a good chirota from his tiny wife. "Yeh soup kya dawaai se kam thi? Mujhe nahi leni dawaai!" he said in annoyance, and Gauri only shook her head, "Omkara ji, kabhi kabhi humein lagta hai ke hamare ek nahi, do bacche hain... Ek Som, aur doosre aap. Aise bacchon jaise zidd karte hain aap!" She handed him a glass of water and made him have his medicine.
"Mera sarr dard kar raha hai..." he whined in a few seconds when she was about to leave. "Omkara ji, aap chup chaap soyenge toh thik ho jayenge. Humein baaki ka kaam bhi dekhna hai!" she said and turned to go, but he held her hand. "Tum thoda sa massage karo na?" he asked. In the meantime, Rudra walked in, and watching Omkara holding Gauri's hand like a whiny four year old, he grinned. "Kya bhabhi, aapke Omkie Shomkie aapko phir se pareshan toh nahi kar rahe hain?" Omkara frowned at that. "Omkie Shomkie" was a name that was supposed to last only till he went to third standard. His buamaa kept calling him that even in front of Som, whom she affectionately called as "Somuuu", making him scrunch his nose for ruining his beautiful name.
Gauri nodded in a big yes, and then smiled, "Accha hua aap aa gaye, Rudy bhaiyya. Aapke paas thoda sa free time hoga?" Both, Rudra and Omkara wondered why she was asking that. Rudy nodded, "Of course, bhabhi. Aap ke liye toh kabhi bhi free hoon. Boliya, kya kaam tha?" Gauri smiled, freeing her hand from Omkara's clasp. "Woh... Omkara ji ke sarr mein dard ho raha hai. Toh agar aap zyada busy nahi hain, toh unke sarr mein thodi champi karenge?" Omkara frowned. Rudy cracked his knuckles with a grin, "Of course bhabhi, aap jayiye; main hoon na, mere bhai ka khayaal rakhne ke liye..." Gauri walked with a victorious grin, and Omkara could only stare at her retreating figure. "Chal O, aaj main aapko head massage deta hoon!" Rudy said with a silly grin. "Mujhe nahi chahiye koi massage; tu ja yahan se..." Omkara replied, and threw the blanket over his head, leaving Rudy gaping at his sleeping form.
It was late in the evening, when Gauri returned to the dark room. Omkara had just woken up, looking confused and disoriented about the time. He squinted his eyes when Gauri turned the lights on as he adjusted his sight to the brightness in the room. "Kaisa lag raha hai, ab?" she asked, standing next to him, as she wiped the thin film of sweat on his forehead. "How long have I been sleeping?" he asked in a croaky voice, and she smiled, "Poore paanch ghante soye hain aap!" Omkara's eyes widened. How did he manage to sleep for so long!
He felt her hand touch his forehead, his cheek and then his neck. "Seems like the fever has gone down..." she said, relieved. A small amount of guilt appeared on his face, and she frowned when noticing the change of his expression. "Kya hua?" she asked, running her hand over his hair. He held her hand in his, and kissed her palm. "I trouble you so much, right? And still you don't complain nor lose patience? I remember when I had to handle Som for a day, he and I ended up fighting that we didn't talk properly for three hours, except when he had to use the bathroom and didn't know to untie his pyjamas..."
She chuckled at the memory. It had happened two years back when she had to go with Annika to watch Sahil's annual day program. When she had come back, she had heard her four year old kid complain angrily as to how Papa made him cry so much, while Omkara frowned about Som using a permanent marker to write on the walls. And that was just one episode of it.
Gauri smiled at her husband. "I don't complain, because I love you, Omkara ji..." She sat next to him, cupping his face. His pout right now looked so adorable, that she brushed her nose against his, earning a tiny smile from him. "Aur humein aapse pyaar karne ke liye kisi wajah ki zaroorat nahi hai. Hum aapse prem karte hain, kyunki hum aapse prem karte hain. Bass. Koi wajah nahi, koi safaai nahi..." He bent his head as she kissed his forehead, and she grinned when she felt him leaning towards her. He rested his cheek against the crook of her neck, and sighed against her neck. She patted his head, in a soft rhythm, and smiled when his hands wrapped around her waist.
"Abhi aap jaldi se uthiye, fresh ho jayiye... hum aapke liye soup leke aate hain..." His eyes widened and he pulled away. "Phir se paalakh ka soup toh nahi hai na?" She giggled and shook her head, when she saw the visible relief on his face. "Karele ka soup hai..." and she laughed when he stuck his tongue out and made that nauseated face.
That night, Omkara lay alone in his bed for quite some time. Gauri had been with Som, making sure he was prepared for the next day. He smiled to himself; she had given him a home, a family, a life worth living. She had pulled him out of darkness, and filled it with her love; she had given him two most precious gifts; herself, and then, Som. He could not imagine how life would've been if it weren't for her. And honestly, he did not want to imagine it as well. He was more than content with life the way it was.
Gauri entered the room with a glass of lukewarm water for him. "No ice water for you till your cold and fever goes away." She said in a tone that warned him not to disagree with her. He didn't dare to. After changing into her night clothes, she settled next to him in bed, and turned the lights off. He hugged her, his hands around her waist, his legs on top of hers and his head against her chest. Taking her hand in his, he drew faint circles in the middle of her palm. "Som so gaya?" he asked in a soft voice, and she nodded. "Waise bahut zidd karne laga hai aaj kal. Hamesha koi na koi masti karta rehta hai..." She turned to face him, and he raised his head to look at her. "Aapko pata hai, usne sham ko Papaji ke zaroori papers pe drawing kiya; aur phir Maaji ke kamre mein jaake, usne..." "Gauri, baccha hai woh... Omkara said interrupting her, running his thumb on her cheek, and surprisingly it calmed her down in mere seconds.
A minute later, she hugged him, hiding her face in his chest, with their hands and legs entangled. "Tired?" he asked, nuzzling his nose against her hair. She hummed and sighed when she felt his fingers drawing circles on her back. "By the way, thank you..." he said, and she looked at him in question. "For bearing all my tantrums..." he said sheepishly. She bit the insides of her cheeks to refrain from smiling and said, "Ab shaadi ki hai, toh nibhani padegi na? As though I have an option but to bear your tantrums..." He grinned, looking at her trying to hold that smile, "Well, true that! You have no option!" he said and shrugged his shoulders. "Look at you," she said with a small frown, "You are not even sorry for acting like a child..." He mirrored her expression, "Why should I be sorry. If I cannot behave like a child around my wife, then around whom should I behave like one? The neighbours?"
Gauri narrowed her eyes, "You shouldn't be behaving like a child at all; not with others, not with me, either." Omkara was about to retort, when he realised something and grinned. "So, Mrs. Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi..." he said, fiddling with the strap of her dress, "You want me to stop acting like a kid and behave like a complete adult, right?" Her eyes widened when he tugged at the knot and pulled the sleeve down to her elbow. "Omkara ji, I've to wake up early tomorrow..." she said in a soft voice. He hummed as he bent down to kiss the nape of her neck. "Omkara ji, please..." she whispered, weakly, as his hands began to roam over her body, re-learning each and every inch of her curves. "Omkara ji..." "You talk too much" he said urgently and pressed his lips against hers.
Just when he felt her deepening the kiss, he pulled away with a smirk, "But you're right, Gauri. You need to wake up early and..." "Get back here..." she growled as she pulled him by his collar, closer against her own aroused body, and he chuckled before she kissed him. "You. Don't. Get. To. Start. Something. And. Leave. It. Half. Way." She said between the several kisses she peppered on his whole face. He pulled away with a grin, as she tugged at the edge of his kurta while he slipped her dress off of her, "That was payback for calling me a child..." She smirked, "That, you will always be... My cranky little baby boy..."
"Well, I wouldn't say 'Little', though" he said, pressing himself against her, making her aware of how hot he was, right now, for her. Her eyes widened at the hidden meaning of his words, "Aap kitne besharam hain, Omkara ji..." He chuckled at she laughed, as he bent his lips to kiss her, and that was the last they spoke anything comprehensible that night.
***
The End.
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Anupamaa
