This is not proofread. Please bear with any mistakes :)
Fifteen-year-old Shiva was hiding from a fourteen-year-old Raavi on the terrace behind a wall of construction items. He had heard that maami ki behen ki beti’s voice and made a run for it. These days she seemed to be more irritating than usual. This might be due to the fact that she was being a chipkali in the truest sense for the past couple of weeks. Every time she saw him, she would make it a mission of hers to stay by his side. He had a hard time shrugging her off because for one, she wouldn’t listen to him. No number of threats made her persistent self, walk away from him.
Now, whenever he sees her, he either excuses himself from the situation at hand with some made up spur-in-the-moment blubbering or he checks out by speeding off in the opposite direction. Today, he ran away as soon as her cheerful voice hit his ears.
“Hey Somnath, main aapke aage haath jodta hoon. Uss bala ko mujhse dur rakhiye please. Aur saha nahi jata. Jitna bhi usse dur bhagun, woh utna zyada chipakne ki koshish karti hai. Phir jab saath hoti hai toh apne bak bak se dimaag ka dahi kar deti hai. Filter naam ka cheez toh uss ladki ke muh mein hai hi nahi. Jab dekho bas pakati rehti hai apne mohalle wale gossip se. Mujhe usske inn bewakoof baaton mein koi dilchaspi nahi hai. Please, usse Dev ke paas bhejo na. Kehne ko to Dev ke naam ki jaap karti hai pan padi rehti toh mere hi saath hai. Kya aafat aakar padh gayi hai mere sar.”
Shiva was fully immersed in pleading his case to the Almighty when he heard her voice from the stairs. He stilled and held his breath.
“Shiva! Shiva! Tu yahan hai kya? Maine dekha tujhe bhaagte hue. Aisa koi karta hai kya? Pata hai main aaj nayi nayi gossip lekar aayi hoon. Humare school ki jo Riya hai na, usske baare mein. Chal bahar nikal. Bahot baatein karni hai.” Raavi spoke out loud in a sing-song voice.
Raavi knew Shiva was annoyed with her presence yet she basked in the fact that she could get the most extreme reactions out of him. That’s how they had always been. She poked him and he reacted. She enjoyed it while he sulked. It was habitual now. Now, how could she get rid of her everyday routine just because this bhoothnath got agitated with anything and everything to do with her?
She saw some of the construction items move and grinned. “Bingo!” She silently thought as she moved towards the wall of items behind which Shiva was probably hiding. She slowly approached and peeked from the side. True to her detective senses, she saw Shiva sitting there with a scowl on his face.
“Dhoondh liya na! Hide and seek mein mujhse behtar koi nahi hai. Mujhse chhupne ki himmat kisi mein nahi.” With that, she grabbed his arm and pulled him out from around it. She continued pulling, but Shiva pushed his feet on the ground with all his might, stopping her in her tracks.
“Aye maami ki behen ki beti. Haath chodh. Yeh kya roz naye naye drame laga rakhe hai? Kisi aur ka dimaag jakar kha na. Poore Somnath mein sirf tujhe mera bheja hi mila the khaane ke liye? Jab dekho chapad chapad karti rehti hai. Itna dimaag agar apne padhai mein lagati na, toh apne maths test mein fail nahi hoti.”
Raavi gasped when she heard him talk about her math test. “Aye bhoothnath. Main fail nahi hui thi...bas thode kam marks aaye the. Lekin main agle baar top kar ke dikhaungi. Tu dekh lena!”
Shiva smirked at her defense. “Top kaise karegi jab saara din dusron ke baare mein gossip karti rehti hai? Tujhe toh main ab sikhaunga. Abhi uss maami ko tere marks ke baare mein batata hoon.”
“Shiva!! Tu aisa kuch nahi karega. Dekh. Kitna masoom sa chehra hai mera. Tu phir bhi mujhe punishment dilayega maasima se?” Raavi pouted, widening her eyes in an adorable manner to melt the bhooton ka raja in front of her. If her maasi caught wind of her marks, she would be in major trouble.
“Tu? Aur masoom? Yeh pehli baar tune ek accha joke maara hai.” Shiva claimed as he continued. “Ek shart par nahi bataunga. Agar tu mujhe akela chhod de. Gossip karna hai toh kar, par mujhse dur rehke kar. Agar kisi ka dimaag khana hi hai, toh Dev ka kha. Lekin mujhe baksh de!”
Raavi frowned hearing Dev’s name. “Dev ka kyun? Tu hi toh mujhse kehta tha ki main usska peecha chhod doon.”
“Maine bola aur tune chhod diya?” Shiva questioned.
Raavi didn’t know how to answer. She wasn’t sure of her own answer. She still thought of Dev highly, but somehow it wasn’t him she craved attention from. However, just to spite Shiva, she decided to lie. “Main usska peecha kabhi nahi chhodne wali.”
“Toh phir sahi hai. Usska dimaag jakar kha.” Shiva walked off angrily.
Raavi glowered at his retreating figure. He made things so complicated for her.
*****
A couple of weeks later, Raavi merrily entered Pandya Niwas after school, skipping over to her Dhari di. She hugged her eagerly and looked around, trying to be inconspicuous.
“Kise dhoondh rahi hai? Dev ko?” Dhara asked.
“Wohh....haan. Dev ko hi dhoondh rahi hoon. Woh hai ghar pe?” Raavi lied instantaneously.
“Woh nahi hai. Kuch doston ke saath bahar gaya hai. Lekin woh nahi hai toh kya hua? Main toh hoon. Tu baith. Tujhe main garam garam pakode lakar deti hoon. Abhi hi banaya hai maine.” Dhara lovingly patted Raavi’s cheeks.
Raavi continued to search for someone with her eyes when Krish joined her.
“Kya hua Raavi? Tu ab kise dhoondh rahi hai?” Krish asked.
“Kuch nahi..bas soch rahi thi ki Shiva nahi dikh raha...”
“Oh. Tujhe usse jhagda karna hai kya?” Krish teased, earning him a slight glare.
“Yeh Krish toh kisi kaam ka nahi. Dhara di se hi poochna padega.” Raavi huffed internally.
Raavi ate some of the pakodas Dhara brought for her and finally blurted out what she had been meaning to say. “Dhara di, Shiva kahan hai? Dikh nahi raha? Aapko pata hai uss bhoothnath ne aaj kisi se school mein jhagda kiya tha. Aur phir uss ladke ne Shiva ko dhakka maara tha jisse usse chot lagi thi. Shiva toh usse maarne ke liye lapka bhi tha par main ne usse rok liya. Varna woh phirse trouble mein phas jata principle ke saath.”
Raavi chided herself for spilling the beans. Shiva will definitely not be happy with her.
“Kya? Shiva ka jhagda hua? Ussne mujhe toh nahi bataya.” Dhara asked in concern.
“Di, aap tension mat lo. Maine sab sambhal liya tha. Ab bas aap usse kuch batana mat please kyunki woh mujhse phir ladayi karega.”
“Issmein nayi baat kaunsi hai? Tum dono toh hamesha waise hi jhagadhte phirte ho.” Krish chortled.
Dhara smiled at Krish’s remark while Raavi ignored him. “Waise woh hai kahan? Aapne bataya nahi?”
“Woh toh Gaumbi ke saath dukaa-” Just as Dhara said the name of the store, Raavi uttered a quick goodbye before running off.
“Arreh! Raavi! Meri baat toh puri sunn le.” Dhara trailed off, shaking her head. “Iss ladki ka main kya karoon? Wahan gayi hai, kahin isse chot na lag jaye.”
“Bhabi, waise toh yeh Raavi aati hai yahan Dev ke bahane, lekin dhoondti toh Shiva ko hi hai. Kuch gadbad hai kya?” Krish asked receiving a dismissive stare from Dhara.
*****
Raavi ran all the way to the store to see Shiva. She wanted to check up on his wound. It wasn’t anything serious but she couldn’t help but be worried. She saw him from afar and called out his name. He didn’t hear her. How could he when the Pandya store was being worked on by construction workers? Gaumbi had decided to expand the dimensions of the store so that they could bring in more goods to sell.
Raavi hesitantly stepped forward, not sure whether she should bother them right now. They seemed to be busy. Despite a warning from her conscience, she decided to meet Shiva anyway. Her entire concentration was on him alone so she didn’t notice when a piece of debris had flown her way, almost hitting her straight in the head. Shiva had noticed just in time and moved her out of the way before she could get hurt.
Raavi looked at the debris in shock before turning her head towards Shiva. He looked furious. She gulped not knowing what his reaction would be. Gaumbi ran over to them and looked at Raavi in concern. He left her with Shiva, but not before making sure she was completely okay.
“Ae gadhedi! Teri akkal kya ghaas charne gayi hai? Tujhe dikh nahi raha ki yahan pe construction horaha hai? Kabhi toh apne dimaag ko use kiya kar. Abhi chot lag jaati toh?” Shiva yelled at her.
“Tu hai na. Tune bacha liya!” Raavi beamed.
“Aur main nahi hota toh? Har waqt main nahi rahunga tujhe apni bewakoofiyon se bachane ke liye. Tera bodyguard nahi hoon main. Aur tu yahan kyun aayi? Phirse mujhe irritate karne ke liye? Apna lecture dena chahti hai ki mujhe school mein ladayi nahi karni chahiye thi? Ya phir tu mujhe blackmail karegi ki tu bhabi ko bata degi?”
“Nahi! Tu har baar mujhe ulta kyun samajhta hai? Tujhe chot lagi thi na toh main bas wahi...”
Shiva cut her off. “Tu usski chinta mat kar. Main khud ka dekh lunga. Ab tu ja yahan se. Ghar chali ja. Aur mujhse dur reh.”
“Shiva...” Raavi started but he had already walked away. She looked at him sadly. Why did he always take things the wrong way?
*****
Two months later, Shiva was sitting around with some of his friends during lunch. They started asking him about Raavi, making him stare at them angrily.
“Shiva, aaj kal Raavi tere aas paas dikh nahi rahi, kuch hua hai kya?”
“Haan Shiva, woh toh tujhse hamesha chipki rehti thi. Ab kya hua?”
Shiva glared at his friends. “Isse tum logon ka kya lena dena hai? Zyada taang adayi na toh...” He showed them his fists making them laugh harder. Shiva was confused. Instead of getting scared, his friends were laughing. What was this blasphemy?
“Arreh. Itna chidh kyun raha hai? Log toh aise tab hi react karte hai jab unke dil mein kuch chal raha hota hai. Ek baat bata Shiva...Raavi kya teri girlfriend hai?”
That was the final straw. Shiva stood up, pushing his chair with so much force, it fell on the floor. “Yeh kya bakwaas kar rahe ho tum sab? Mohalle ki gossip aunties ki tarah bartaav kar rahe ho. Humare beech jo bhi hai, woh humara hai. Tum sab isse dur raho. Ayinda aisi baat kari na toh tum sab ka muh tod dunga! Aur Raavi ka naam toh bilkul bhi apne muh se mat lena ab.”
Shiva walked off angrily, leaving his friends gaping at his back. He was upset with their words, however, one thing which they said stuck to him. Why was that chipkali not around him as much anymore? And why did this bother him so much?
*****
A few days later, Shiva was walking home after school when he saw Raavi with her ‘new’ friends hanging at a park. He hadn’t seen these people around her before. They never let anyone into their circle since they thought they were superior to everyone else. The rest of the kids at their school stayed far away from this group of spoiled brats. What was this chipkali doing with them? What if they did something to her? His eyes hardened when he saw two boys from her friends' circle standing really close to her. She didn’t seem to notice. He scoffed at this. Of course, she wouldn’t notice anything. She’s too much of a tube light to observe the happenings around her. She just happily smiled at anyone with a heartbeat. What’s so funny anyway that she was laughing her heart away? Those guys had probably said something stupid, and this chipkali being the dobi she is, cackled like a chudail. Suddenly, one of the guys moved closer and put his arms around her, clearly leaving her surprised.
Shiva saw her shuffle her feet uncomfortably and glared daggers at the arm around her. If he could, he would beat the guy to a pulp. Shaking his head, he turned around to keep walking but his feet wouldn’t let him. He sighed looking up at the sky, before walking towards the park.
Raavi saw Shiva walking towards her and her eyes instantly brightened. “Shiva! Tu? Yahan kya kar raha hai?”
“Mujhe tujhse kuch baat karni hai.” Shiva stated and wedged himself in between the guy Raavi was stood next to, removing his arm from around her in the process. He stood beside her maintaining a protective stance, shooting glares towards the guys. His murderous looks didn’t go unnoticed. Raavi waved a quick goodbye to her friends before taking off with Shiva in tow.
“Tu unn logon ke saath kyun ghum rahi thi? Tujhe pata hai na sab log acche nahi hote. Sabse aise khee khee karke baat karna chhod de. Aur unn ladkon se toh dur hi rehna. Unnke lakshan theek nahi lag rahe.” Shiva stated as a matter of fact.
Raavi looked up at him in surprise. For once, this bhoothnath was giving her a lecture instead of it being the other way around. She smiled a little before concealing it.
“Tujhe kyun itni chinta horahi hai? Main jo chahe kar sakti hoon, jisse chahe baat kar sakti hoon. Issmein teri kya problem hai? Main apne dost khud chun sakti hoon. Apni rai batane ki zarurat nahi hai tujhe.” Raavi replied, trying to ignite a fiery reaction from him.
“Ae maami ki behen ki beti. Bahot akad rahi hai na? Jab inn logon ke wajah se tu kisi musibat mein padegi na, tab mere paas rote hue mat aana. Bhalaai ka toh zamana hi na raha aaj kal. Tu na ja apne unn doston ke paas. Main chala apne raaste.”
“Arre dobi, yeh kya kar diya? Usse bhagana thodi tha. Usske saath saath hi jaana tha.” Raavi internally berated herself.
“Arreh Shiva ruk na. Main toh aise hi bol rahi thi...tu bata. Tu kyun itna aag babula ho raha hai? I know yeh toh tera ek personality trait hai pan phir bhi, mere naye doston ke saath ghumne mein tujhe kyun itni jalan horahi hai?” Raavi grinned as she grasped his wrist in her hands.
“Jalan? Mujhe? Never. Yeh betuki baatein apne anar ke daane jaise dimaag se nikal de. Mujhe koi farak nahi padhta.” Shiva spoke a little too defensively. The words he said meant something else, but the tone in which he spoke told a different story.
“Theek hai. Phir main wapas chali jaati hoon. Woh jo mere bagal mein khada tha na usska naam Paras hai aur ussne mujhe invite kia the ek movie dekhne ke liye, toh main ussi ke saath chali jaungi.” Raavi spoke in a deliberate tone, trying to gauge Shiva’s reaction. He broke.
Shiva whipped his head towards her faster than the speed of lightning. He grabbed her arm and dragged her along with him. “Kahin nahi jayegi tu. Mera bas chalta toh tujhe musibat ke muh pe hi chhod deta par bhabi aisa nahi chahegi. Agar unhe pata chal gaya ki maine tujhe unn ladkon ke saath jaane diya toh woh mujhe kaccha chaba jaayengi.” He continued speaking in his defense, not paying attention to how Raavi never asked for a justification.
Raavi smirked in victory at his words. Of course, he would be using his bhabi as an excuse but she knew better. She could sense when he was lying. His voice would get a bit more pitchy than usual. Generally, this bhoothnath was always composed, even in his anger. But his nervousness gave his tell away indefinitely.
Raavi thought back to the day when Shiva had told her to stay away from him. She would never pay heed to any of his warnings but something about his tone had hurt her that day. She had decided to distance herself as well when it finally clicked within her. Maybe, Shiva himself didn’t know what he wanted. Maybe he enjoyed her company all along. She decided to test out this theory by slowly straying away from him and mingling with other groups of kids at school. She had been doing this for the past couple of weeks when she finally saw her chance to strike today. She saw him walking back home and joined her ‘friends’ for an after-school hangout at the park. She had cringed when Paras had put his arms around her but she had no doubt that Shiva would come to her rescue once he noticed. Somehow, Shiva had managed to play right into her hands, confirming her thoughts in the process.
Raavi grinned and took a bold step. She had never done this before but gave it a go anyway. She shrugged her wrist out of Shiva’s grip before intertwining their hands. Shiva looked at her like she was crazy as he frantically looked around to see if anyone had noticed their hands. He tried to escape from her grip while Raavi shot him a glare.
“Ae bhoothnath, sunn. Agar haath pakadna hi hai toh acche se pakad na. Yeh wrist pakadne ka main kya matlab samjhun?”
“Mujhe koi haath waath nahi pakadna. Ae chipkali, haath chod mera.” Shiva countered.
“Nahi.” Raavi reaffirmed and continued on their walk, with a sulking Shiva beside her.
Lucky for Shiva, he had a jacket with him which he draped over their intertwined hands before glumly walking forward. He felt embarrassed with the chipkali’s handholding shenanigan. Yet somehow, his heart had started beating a mile a minute. He wondered what the hell was wrong with him? Why was he suddenly behaving like a buffoon?
Neither of them knew this was only the beginning of their journey.
*****
**** Ten years later ****
Raavi woke up startled from the shrill ringing off her alarm. She groaned in exhaustion, wanting a few more minutes of sleep. She reached out to turn off the alarm and then turned around to the other side. Her hands automatically reached out to the space beside her. All she felt was coldness seeping into her hands. Her eyes shot open as she observed the sight before her. Why was his side empty?
She called out to him but didn’t receive a response. A pout formed on her lips when her eyes didn’t get to feast upon her handsome husband. She got up begrudgingly and walked to the bathroom to have a shower. After getting ready quickly, she headed out to the kitchen where she spotted Dhara.
“Goodmorning Dhara di!” Raavi uttered as she started helping her out in the kitchen.
Dhara noticed the usual chirpiness missing from her voice and looked up in concern. “Kya hua Raavi? Tera chehra itna utra utra kyun hai?”
“Kuch nahi. Woh...woh bhootnath hai na! Pata nahi subah subah kidhar chala gaya. Mujhe bataya bhi nahi. Aisa koi karta hai kya?” Raavi gritted out in annoyance.
Dhara chuckled at Raavi’s words before letting her know where Shiva had gone. “Tu chinta mat kar. Shiva Gaumbi ke saath hi subah subah nikal gaya. Uska koi kasoor nahi hai. Gaumbi ko actually last minute mein do do vendors ne bula liya. Kuch samaan check karne the aur ek naya contract bhi sign karna tha. Issi ke wajah se ussne Shiva ko bhi apne saath le liya. Do-teen dinon ka kaam hai, aur usske baad dono ghar aajayenge.”
The only words that registered in Raavi’s mind were ‘do-teen dinn.’
“Do-teen dinn?” Raavi whispered, her mood taking an impossibly gloomy turn.
“Pareshan mat ho baccha. Main jaanti hoon tu apne Shiva ko miss kar rahi hai. Usse phone pe baat kar lena, theek hai? I’m sure woh bhi tujhse baat karne ke liye mara ja raha hoga.” Dhara smiled and patted Raavi’s cheeks.
“Aise mar raha hota baat karne ke liye toh mujhe bina bataye nahi jata.” Raavi muttered to herself as she cut some vegetables.
Dhara and Raavi continued to finish up all the work in the kitchen after which Rishita joined them and started to clean the rest of the house.
It was around lunchtime when Raavi got to settle down and she instantly reached for her phone. She walked up to the terrace to catch some fresh air as she dialed her bhoothnath’s number.
He didn’t pick up on the first try. She called again. No answer yet again. She tried again, thinking third time’s a charm. No answer. Raavi almost threw away her phone in frustration when her phone screen lit up. She let it ring for a few seconds to make him wait. "Ha! Take that bhoothnath! Serves you right." She applauded herself before finally picking up.
“Kya hai?” Came an answer from the other side, making her agitated once again.
“Kya hai? Kya matlab kya hai?! Biwi se aise baat karte hai? Thoda hello, hi, kaisi ho? Dhyaan rakh rahi ho apna? Khaana khaya? Yeh sab bhi pooch lete. Sahi naam diya hai tujhe maine...Kaddu Pandya. Tu ek number ka sadu akdu kaddu hai!” Raavi chastised Shiva, blurting anything and everything that came to her mind.
A sigh came from the other side. “Hogaya tera? Jitne gaaliyaan dene hai, de diye? Ab main aage bolu?” Shiva asked in an amused tone.
“Haan bol.” Raavi replied crossly.
“Mera woh matlab nahi tha jab maine ‘kya hai’ kaha. Hum yahan par bahot busy the. Tera phone baar baar aaraha tha jab main vendors se baat kar raha tha issliye thoda chidh gaya tha.”
“Accha sorry, tujhe disturb karne ke liye. Lekin thoda apne biwi ke baare mein bhi soch liya kar. Tujhe pata hai subah subah main kitni pareshaan hogayi thi. Tabse mera mood bhi ekdam sada hua hai. Tune mujhe bataya kyun nahi ki tu jaraha hai? Main uth jaati na.”
“Tu aise kumbhkaran ki tarah so rahi thi na ki mera mann nahi hua tujhe uthane ka. Kya pata, uthne ke baad kahi tu mujhpar hamla karne lag jaati toh? Phir Gaumbi bhi itne hadbadi mein the ki message karne ka time nahi mila.” Shiva chuckled, while Raavi let her displeasure known to him at being compared to kumbhkaran.
“Ek baat bata, tujhe main dikha nahi issliye tu itni chidi hui mood mein hai na?”
“Bilkul bhi nahi! Tu khud ko kuch zyada bhaav nahi deraha?”
“Kuch zyada bhaav de raha hoon haan? Phir theek hai, main chalta hoon. Tu room mein jakar apne deewar pe chipki hui behenon se baat kar.” Shiva said and cut the phone.
Raavi heard the beeping on the other side and cursed her fate. Now, this bhoothnath was angry at her. Oh, how the tables had turned.
*****
Raavi tossed and turned at night, not being able to sleep. She was so used to his presence that without him, sleep didn’t make itself known to her. She picked up her phone and saw that it was 1 am. She wanted to call him but would he be awake at this time? She considered her options, not wanting to ruin his sleep, especially when he was probably tired from all the work he did during the day.
As Raavi was contemplating her actions, her phone lit up. It was a call from Shiva. She picked it up instantly.
“Tu abhi bhi jaag rahi hai?” Shiva asked.
“Haan. Tu bhi toh jaag raha hai na? Mujhe...neend nahi aarahi.” Raavi whispered.
“Mujhe bhi neend nahi aarahi. Woh kya hai na...mujhe ek chipkali ki baatein sune bagair neend nahi aati. Aadat hogayi hai.”
“Mujhe bhi mere bhoothnath se jhagda kiye bina neend nahi aati!” Raavi stated excitedly before their last conversation popped up in her mind. “Waise Shiva, tu sach mein mujhse gussa hogaya tha dinn mein?” Raavi asked, dreading his answer.
“Pagal hai kya? Hum dono ka toh roz ka hai yeh. Maine phone issliye kaata tha kyunki kaam karne ka samay tha aur log mujhe aise ghoor rahe the jaise main kaam chori kar raha tha.”
“Oh accha.” Raavi giggled. “Mujhe pata hai tu kabhi kaam chori nahi karta. Sabse zyada hardworking hai mera Shiva.”
Raavi could hear the smile in Shiva’s words when he continued speaking to her. She no longer felt restless and a yawn escaped her lips.
“Tujhe neend aarahi hai. Soja. Main kal baat karta hoon tujhse. Goodnight...Raavi.”
Raavi felt her eyes closing and needing to be closer to something of his, she moved over to his side and picked up his pillow. It smelled of his amber and cinnamon scent making her hug it tighter to her chest. She fell asleep, wishing for him to be with her the next night.
*****
The next day passed by slowly. Raavi helped with some work at home before she left for Pandya Store to help out Krish. She missed Shiva a lot and anyone could conclude this from the way the usual shine from her eyes had been missing, how her steps were missing the usual bounce, and from the way her tone was less chirpy than before. Being engaged with work made her evening go by breezily. She hadn’t been able to talk to Shiva the whole day and that put a severe damper on her mood. She retired to her room after dinner and took a shower to calm her nerves. Sitting down on her bed, she stared at her phone screen, wondering when he will call. She grabbed his pillow and laid down. Not long after, sleep overtook her senses and she let her eyes shut in exhaustion.
In the middle of the night, Raavi felt the bed dip on the other side, waking her up from her slumber. At first, she considered it a hallucination of hers and continued to sleep. But when she felt a heaviness on her waist, she sprung up wide awake. She slowly turned around with the arm still around her.
Raavi’s breath got caught in her throat when she saw a sleeping Shiva beside her. This was some next-level imagination of hers. How could she feel the warmth radiating off of him? How could she smell the freshness of teakwood on him? How could she feel the weight of his arm around her waist? In a daze, she slowly lifted a finger and poked him on his cheek. His eyes opened and Raavi gasped in surprise. He’s real! A bright smile adorned her face when she saw an irritated expression on his face. It was all a façade. She could see the excitement in his eyes.
“Shiva!! Tu? Tu sach mein hai? Tu kab aaya? Tune mujhe bataya kyun nahi? Yeh fair nahi hai! Batana chahiye tha. Tune mujhe call kyun nahi kiya? Main kabse tere ek call ka intezaar kar rahi thi lekin tu toh poora ka poora aagaya. Main na- harruumph.” Raavi was stopped mid chatter when Shiva placed his palm on her mouth.
“Ae chipkali, kabse chapad chapad kiye ja rahi hai. Insaan ko saans lene ka mauka toh de. Aur apne muh ko na kabhi kabhi holiday pe jaane ka mauka dede. At least, chain ki neend toh aayegi.” Shiva commented, keeping a steady hand on her mouth as she struggled. He laughed when her eyes narrowed at him.
Raavi used both of her hands to finally get rid of his palm and instantly started bickering. “Ek toh tu pehle mujhe bata kar nahi aaya. Phir tu mujhe baat karne nahi deraha! Pata hai kitni chup chaap si thi main pichle do din. Ab tu aagaya hai na, toh tere inn kaanon ko meri chapad chapad sunni padegi!”
“Tujhe agar bata diya hota, toh yeh surprise kaise milta? Aur theek hai na, sunn lunga teri baatein. Ab toh teri baaton ke bina din nahi katta.” Shiva responded, holding both of her hands close to his chest. He kissed both of her palms and looked up at her with a softness that was reserved only for her.
“Surprise? Waise...idea accha tha.” Raavi beamed up at him, forgetting all about their previous talks. She was just elated to have him with her. The two days she spent without him were some of the most lifeless days in the entirety of her existence. She never wanted to experience that again.
Raavi stroked his face lovingly when she noticed how he was looking at her. She snuggled closer to Shiva when he let go of her hands. Wrapping her arm around his waist, she let it slowly move up and trace the muscular ridges of his back. She nuzzled her face at the crook of his neck, inhaling his delicious scent which she had come to adore. It was a necessity of her life now.
“Pata hai, maine tujhe kitna miss kiya? Ab please mujhse dur mat jaana. Tere bina ek din bhi bahot mushkil se guzarta hai.” Raavi whispered.
“Maine bhi tujhe bahot miss kiya. Issliye toh kaam jaldi se jaldi nipta kar ghar bhaag aaya. Sirf tere liye. Tujhse dur rehna toh mujhe bhi hazam nahi hota.” Shiva whispered back before placing his lips on her forehead, letting them linger there for a moment. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. With his free hand, he stroked her hair gently. He caught a whiff of her shampoo and smiled, loving the orange blossom scent. It was her signature and it drove him insane. He felt her relax against him, shifting impossibly closer to him. She sighed in contentment, nestling into his chest, and letting the rhythmic beat of his heart lull her to sleep. Shiva felt sleep washing over him as well and closed his eyes, feeling a sort of calmness he hadn’t experienced in two days. He was home now.
*****
Helloo! I hope you all enjoyed this random piece.😆 Their teenage years were loosely inspired by a movie I watched. It's called 'Flipped.' I recommend it 100%! Do watch it if you get the chance. It's a very wholesome and cute movie! It reminded me of ShiVi right off the bat. The characters' personalities are different of course, but the way the FL behaved at first reminded me of Raavi quite a bit!
Cricket
Indian Mythology
