Raghvi os: wait
Soft sunlight of early morning percolateted through the sheer curtains, hindered the large glass windows and spread in their bedroom, casting illumination over the two sleepy figures. Pallavi upon perceiving the warm rays on her face, moved a little with an intention to reach for her mobile phone, which she had a habit of placing on the side table so as to find it even in her deepest sleep. Bound by her routine she needed to check the time.
While navigating her left hand towards the table , she realised her movement was resisted by something, rather someone. Her half asleep brain could point out the firm structured, muscular and obviously unclothed arm of her somnolent husband which had clawed her petite form, rendered her immovable and rooted on the spot. Some more consciousness aroused into her ànd she found herself precisely accomodated to his body. His face burrowed into the curve of her neck with warm breaths splaying on her cold skin, naked body pasted along her right length , one leg entangled with hers. She turned her head carefully to look at him, not to wake him up sooner. She admired him and smiled at how innocent a stubborn Don can appear when not in his senses!
Well ,they were good friends and not the couple in love. Thats what they had reasoned to each other and to themselves when they had endless arguments over who would occupy the comfortable bed and who would be devoid of peaceful sleep. Amma's order left them with no options but to share one room. At the beginning they would obedient regarding the consented terms and conditions like not to trespass each other's territories marked by invisible borders, No sharing of blankets, no snoring, no gritting and most important no touching. Ac temperature was still a matter of dispute though. But then rules are meant to be created and followed in sober state and hence they would often wake up violating them. Somtimes her pallu loitering over his face, sometimes his head on her shoulders and many more such sights followed by taunts, embarrassing faces, instant apologies and promises of not repeating of actions. But slowly many of their strict rules were relaxed, without seeking their permission. His naked body beside her was not a matter of concern now. With the increased occurrence of these sights, number of apologies and arguments had lessened. What they wouldn't accept was how much they enjoy the intimacy, the warmth and staying in each other's arms. They could face an awkward look but not the awkward turn their relationship possibly take, if confessed.
Since today Pallavi was lucky to witness herself in his arms, she decided to relish the moment and stayed back till he woke up. She cautiously took her mobile and switched off all the five mintues interval alarms she had set the earlier night. Closing her eyes she remained still, conscious and let his warmth seeped into her. While enjoying her little peace, his incoherent words captured her attention. Raghav was mumbling something. Perhaps a dream. Her mischievous ear perked up to catch any clue she could use to tease him in future.
"Tumko bolrha na main...Niharika..yeh wala design try karo..tumpe jyada achha lagega" his words were recognizable this time.
She giggled as she imagined the scene , Raghav holding a necklace and asking her to try. 'Wait! It wasn't her. Who is Niharika?' Her eyes snapped open as she found herself kicked out of her own imagination .
'Any new name he had gifted her?' She gave a quick recall of the names and the respective occasions she was awarded with ' saree ka dukaan, lecture ka dukaan, pichhi ammayi, palls baby, jungli billi, sanki buddhe ka beti... and latest being amma ka chamcha, was two days ago when he discovered her narrating his unlucky moments with amma '
Thats it! Her restless brain ventured into a relentless search. The fact is a feminine name occupying Raghav's dream ramped up her curiosity more than necessary.
As she delved deeper, her thoughts stuck into another cue " An old girlfriend may be?"
'Raghav had shared about his past affairs with her. From the stories of first crush till the last fling and none of them had this name' she recollected stressing and testing her memory.
'A special customer ?' her mind presented a fresh suggestion. 'Naah.. he is not cheesy with customers' another part of her opposed.
As the query twisted into an unsolvable mystery in her mind, her curiosity transformed into jealousy. The emotion she never felt this strong before, neither she had thought Ghamandi Rao would be the source of it. She turned to face him and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. He was still sleeping and smiling in his dream, oblivious to the tornado he had created inside her.
' A new girl friend?' Finally the most suppressed option snatched the spotlight and it appeared logical with every possible explanations she theorised. "He was a human with desires after all. His guilt for his past actions emerged as soft emotions towards her. Basic human nature. That shouldn't be confused with love. That doesn't exclude him from the happiness he deserves. A girl of his standard which in no way she could be the one" gloom spread over her face as she backed her realization with evidence.
"But they had decided to invest time to grow their relationship. May be she is asking too much time and for him waiting longer wasn't worthy." She sighed gathering all her thoughts. Gently moving him away, she stepped out of the bed. At that moment it became impossible to stay back beside him, to wait for him to wake up.
********
Contrary to her appearance in the mirror where she reflected calm and composed, her mind was battling the chaos of incessant queries. Sitting in front of the mirror her hand was carelessly running the comb along the length of hair of one side for past fifteen minutes, not knowing the other side of tangled hair begging for equal attention. It was when she didn't realise Raghav entered the room right after his shower to share the mirror space. He stood behind her and glanced at her reflection.
"Good Morning saree ka dukaan" His greetings fetched her into the present where unlike her imagination no sexy girl was romancing with her husband.
"Good morning " she replied faintly as she watched him slipping into his brown sweatshirt.
Pulling the sleevess few inches above the wrist, he fastened his watch on his left. He then shifted to his hair. He ran his fingers through the locks and glimpsed himself an admiration look in the mirror before lifting his comb from the table. All this while he was humming a telugu song. Even if she didn't understand the words she could point out it was a happy song. Her eyes fixed to his actions, she studied it all. Every bit of it. He looked cheerful. Not that he was an eternal grumpy person but this kind of jollity was a rare sight. Atleast to her.
"Tum aaj office aise jaoge? Casuals mein" she questioned, watching him applying the comb through the mirror.
" haa ..wo aaj ek outdoor shoot hai latest collection ka ...location pe jaa rha..toh socha casuals mein jau" he tossed the comb back to the table and walked away behind her.
"Aaj bahar garmi bhi bahut hai to socha yehi pehen loon for a change..comfortable bhi rahega" he added as he sat on the edge of their bed, a few walks away behind her, still engaged in the frame of the mirror.
" lie...lie ...lie !" A voice screamed in her mind.
"Handsome lag rhe ho." what he perceived as a compliment, was her fear which flowed out of her mouth.
" Thankyou Pallavi" He replied surprised. It wasn't something usual. When it comes to him, praises had to be prized out of her mouth.
" Bahut khush lag rhe ho aaj?" She could no longer contain the curiosity but tried not to sound like one.
"Haa wo kal main ek bahut achha deal crack kiya.. It was a dream come true" he began unfolding his shoelaces to wear them hence didnot meet her eyes.
Unsatisfied she asked further " Aur?"
"Aur..umm" he paused " aaj bahut achha din hai...mausam bhi achha hai" he put on his shoes and began tying back the laces.
"Aur..?" She probed further. Her tone no more soft and one eyebrow lifted in suspicion.
"Aur...." another eyebrow joined scrutinizing his movements.
he searched for a bigger reason as her tone suggested he acquired some festive mood today which he hadn't noticed till now " amma ..kirti ..tum..hum sath hai ek ghar mein..mera sapna poora ho gya"
"Aurr?" Came an impatient voice between gritted tooth. She turned to face him physically.
He lifed up his head to face her and then he realised something was not right. Her endless 'aur' wasn't literal but a puzzle to solve but he decided to answer it " tumko Deshmukh family ne apna liya...maine challenge poora kiya..ab tum kolhapur nhi jayega" he hoped the reason would suffice. His eyebrows jiggled for an approval.
"Aur Niharika?" She prompted tired of waiting for the answer she was seeking.
"Arey haa Niharika " he squealed in joy as if he also had discovered the reason for all the previous 'aur' " we found the perfect model for our latest collection"
"Tumko kon bataya? " he asked surprised but did not wait for her to say " Farhad bataya hoga. Tumko pata hai hum kabse ek perfect model ki talaash mein the. Farhaad dhundh ke laya ...I was very impressed with her work" he finished narrating his happiness.
A momentary relief surged into her to know about Niharika not being the girlfriend but vanished even at greater speed to see the excitement in him. Was he just impressed by her talent or something else had attracted him. Her well carved body. Her vibrant personality. Her cheeky voice. And the jealousy exacerbated.
She stood up on her feet and turned to face the mirror. She examined herself in the reflection. Adjusting her saree a little she asked "Wo Khubsoorat hai?"
"Haa.. bahut beautiful hai...she is the kind of beauty we were looking for"
"Aur Main?" Her words clearly reflected the tinge of comparison.
"Tum?" He asked . Little ridges of confusion waved on his forehead.
" aur main nhi hoon beautiful?" She turned furiously, her voice louder.
" Maine aisa kab bola?" He baffled at this sudden transition of not only the direction of conversation but also her tone.
"Toh tumhare sapne mein wo kya kar rhi thi?" She blurted.
His expressions went motionless except few blinks which were sufficient to hint he was still alive.
She paused and drew in a longer breath to sustain the upcoming sermon " tum aise hi kisi bhi ladki ke sapne dekh lete ho kya? Aaj sapne mein ayi...kal date pe jaoge..phir uske liye mujhe divorce dedoge...usse shadi kar loge..bachhe honge ...happy family hoga..aur kya kya sochte ho tum?" The concoction of jealousy and anger was oozing out of her each and every word.
Her nostrils flared heavily and her looks calling him deceptive. Silence before the storm prevailed as he took some time to imbibe the whole situation.
He got up from his postion with an urgency. His lips narrowed, eyes wide in anger he walked to her slower than his natural pace.
She knew she had breached the line. Upon realisation her anger dissipated instantly and the terror crept in. She knew she had touched the wrong nerve.
With his progressing steps ,her nervous feet paced backwards. She wanted to disappear or to run away but how long she could hide from him. Timorously ,she determined to face him for once and all but from a unreachable distance .
Pacing back she was resisted with the wooden door of the wardrobe. Her eyes widen in fear as he came closer. Placing his left palm flat on the wooden surface beside her head, he did maintain a generous amount of gap between them but not as much as she had wished for to mark her safety.
His jaw clenched , facial muscles taut and eyebrows inched closer " Toh maine ek sapna dekha aur tum usse poora film bana daala uspe...toh tum aisa sochta hai mere baare mein" he leaned nearer. The heaviness in his voice was as dangerous as a sharp weapon.
She gulped nervously and got squeezed into herself. She wanted to say words in her defence but her tongue as well as her words both betrayed her. She wanted to get crumpled inside the very wardrobe she was pinned to. She mentally chanted some prayers and wished she had not woke up in the morning or had not decided to stay awake in bed.
As he waited for her to open her mouth she shut her eyes and prayed to Bappa for her life.
His phone rang which caused him distracted from her. Placing her plam on her chest, she felt a sigh of relief. Her heartbeat was still racing. She peeked up to meet his eyes as he glanced on the screen. His lips twiched in smirk as he purposely brought the phone nearer to her and pressed on the speaker button.
"Hey Niharika!" He greeted gently. He was still in his previous posture.
The fear crept in her and pulses raised again. She nervously clutched the fabric of her saree.
" Hey Raghav, How are you?" Came a chirpy voice. Probably as similar as she had imagined it to be.
" Im fine. So are you excited for the shoot? " Raghav asked. She was amused at how the eyes and tongue of a same person can behave independent of each other. While his eyes were still staring at her, his voice was so generous and soothing. Had she been on the other side of the phone she never knew what mood he is living in.
"Im excited. I wanted to discuss something "
"Yes tell"
"I was going through all the designs. They were good but Im not a very knowledgeable at designs..so if you could come a little early and pick the desings you want to have in your catalogs...it would be easier for me".
Lowering her gaze Pallavi was listening to their conversation.
" haa ..why not? I was just about to leave"
" ok cool!".
"On a second thought..would you like to meet my gorgeous wife Pallavi?" Raghav suggested.
Her gaze lifted upward at the very mention of her name.
"Why not? Who doesn't want to meet Mrs Rao?" Her voice filled with excitement.
"She has a great knowledge of designs. She could be of great help to us" with this sentence of him, she emerged into guilt.
"That sounds really fun.. I will also chit chat with her in the breaktime...may be we can together pull your legs" she laughed.
With every passing second into the conversation, her guilt enhanced.
"Ok.. see you at the location. Bye!" He hung up.
"Raghav...I...I didn't mean to...' her trembling lips were ceased by his index finger. It was a warning that she had done enough. Had thought enough. Had decided enough. Had spoken enough. Now its his turn to return the favor.
" Take your time and get Ready Mrs Raghav Rao." His pronunciation accentuated precisely while taking the name. He stood straight, away from her.
She nooded silently.
"Come downstairs once you are done. Your husband is waiting for you in the car" with an authoritative voice he instructed and walked to the door.
He turned his head to meet her eyes before he crossed the exit " And will always wait for you till you want...till you are ready" he finished with a tone that required no evidence for the assurance.
"Ardham ayyinda!" And with this he ensured the words got imprinted in her mind. Forever.
Hey all!
Hope you all are safe and healthy.
With this newly budding relationship of Raghvi, a tinge of jealousy can do wonder I guess.
So tried to write something and it turned out into this.
I hope you like it.🤗
Jhanak
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