Part 5:
It had been two weeks now since Raavi hurt her ankle. Luckily for her, the injury wasn’t as bad and she was now almost fully healed and was able to walk properly. In these two weeks, she was pampered a lot, not only by her own family but by the Pandya family as well. She basked in the attention she was receiving, of course. But a certain someone, whose attention she craved the most, had only come to see her twice.
She pouted when her thoughts strayed to him and planted themselves in his memories. The first time he had come to see her after her injury was actually four days later. She felt restless when he hadn’t visited her knowing about her twisted ankle. Gloomy thoughts surrounded her as she expected the worst. When he had finally come, her maasima had created a ruckus, being adamant on not letting him visit her niece. Shiva had then threatened to cut off her arms and feed them to the pigeons which instantly made her run away in fear. It was a bit extreme but everyone knew that was the only way to handle her, considering how she wasn’t ready to part with the kangans which had become an eyesore.
He had come to visit her again two days after alongside Gaumbi and Dhara. She was a bit disappointed he hadn’t come alone and what further dampened her mood was that he was leaving for some work in a neighboring city. It would take him about three days to finish up all the work. Raavi felt like throwing a tantrum, but she knew this was out of her hands.
Now, she was finally back to her health and she was flittering about in her room, wondering why he hadn’t bothered to see her after returning to Somnath. It had been two days already. Raavi paced from one side of her room to the other before settling down on her desk and opening her diary with a pen in her hands.
She drew a devilish face and gave him two hearts as eyes, printing a signature smirk on his face, before continuing with her writing.
Mujhe nahi pata uss bhootnath ke dimaag mein kya chal raha hai. Isske baare mein sochte sochte main pagal hojaungi. Itna toh maine observe kar hi liya hai ki woh meri kitni care karta hai. Usse meri kitni chinta rehti hai, jealous bhi hota hai agar koi aur ladka aankh utha kar meri taraf dekhta hai. Uss din jab woh mujhse milne aaya tha, ussne apne haath mein ek sundar sa bouquet pakda tha. Kitna cute lag raha tha mera kaddu Pandya...haayye. Lekin ussne mujhse phirse jhoot bola, kehne lag gaya ki Dhara di ne flowers bheji hai. Ek kaam bhi dhang se nahi karta. Kuch toh hai jo usse hamesha do kadam peecche chalne par majboor kar deta hai...lekin agar woh mujhse baat nahi karega toh hum aage kaise badhenge? Ab woh khud hi jaane usski ulti khopdi kaise kaam karti hai, main kya koi antaryami hoon jo mujhe pata chal jayega? Ek main hoon jo usski ek jhalak dekhne ke liye taras jaati hoon, aur ek woh hai jo khud ko mujhse dur rakhne mein laga rehta hai. Par ab aur nahi. Abhi tak main usske peeche bhaagti hui aayi hoon, lekin ab thoda mehnat usse bhi karna padega. Issliye main usse milne nahi jaungi! Bilkul bhi nahi jaungi, agar mujhe apna haath, pair bandhwa kar rakhna pade, main woh bhi karungi. Thoda difficult hoga mujhe usse dur rehna, pann sab kaam main thodi na kar sakti hoon? Uss bhootnath ko bhi thoda initiative lena padega. Dekhte hai mujhe dekhe bina kitne dinn tak reh payega.
Raavi grinned to herself, hoping her plan would come to fruition soon. There was only so much she could do to keep herself in check before she went running to him much like before.
*****
Shiva worked tirelessly at the store, trying to distract himself from thinking about Raavi. However, it felt like such a Herculean task. There were plenty of things that he was confident about doing. But this one seemed like a challenge, an unreachable one. He sighed as he remembered the adorable expression on her face when he had handed her the bouquet in haste when he met her. He had cursed himself for going so soft on her and had instead told her it was from his bhabhi, telling her to get well soon.
Her thoughts seemed to follow him everywhere. He couldn’t eat without remembering how she had made him food on multiple occasions and even fed him in some instances. He couldn’t sleep without remembering how they had spent a night together during which she had snuggled up against him, providing him warmth and security. He couldn’t work without remembering how she had always buzzed around him like a bee ever since they were little. Whenever he would be working, she would make her presence known to him in an effort to spite him. The past few months had been different though. She fluttered around him like a butterfly, asking him for attention in one way or another. He had resisted. He had tried to. But the mammoth of feelings he had been developing only kept piling until his realization struck him from within the deepest pits of his iron-clad heart. He remembered how her face was filled with so much love and hope when he was taking care of her after she had sprained her ankle. She looked at him with a type of adoration he hadn’t seen before and it made his own feelings intensify. Yet his inner fear still lingered.
He raked his hands over his face before glancing at the clock. It was 1 pm yet there was no sign of her. In fact, there had been no sign of her at the store for two weeks now. She was injured but he had found out from Anita that she was walking around normally now. So why had she not come to see him? She usually couldn’t keep herself away for even a few minutes. What had happened for her to not come over and do what she does best: annoy him. He had come back to Somnath three days ago and thought of visiting her but he had controlled himself. He had thought she would come to him once she was better. He groaned out of frustration, making some of his customers give him a strange look.
Shiva somehow managed to work through the rest of the day and once he reached home around 9 pm, he had his food quickly before heading to bed. He thought if he was asleep, at least her thoughts would stop haunting him. Oh, how wrong he was. That could only happen if sleep came to him. Instead, he laid awake and tossed and turned before giving up on sleeping. He found his feet leading him outside and eventually, he stood in front of her room.
He told himself to walk away but his feet wouldn’t let him. She was still awake. He could see the lights turned on in her room. He slowly climbed up the pipe and jumped down onto the balcony attached to her room. Thankfully, her window was open. He walked into the room and looked around for her, but didn’t find her. He heard the tap running in her bathroom and figured she was in there.
When Raavi came out of the bathroom, to say she was shocked was an understatement. She had hoped Shiva would come to meet her of his own will, but she didn’t expect him to give in so soon.
“Shiva! Tu yahan?” Raavi couldn’t help it when her mouth curved upwards, producing a vibrant smile, one which took Shiva’s breath away.
Combined with her smile, and the two-piece night suit she wore, Shiva considered himself a goner. Her bottoms were short, giving him a nice view of her legs, making him gulp deeply before he looked away.
“Ab kuch bolega bhi ya phir statue bann kar khada rahega?” Raavi teased, walking towards him.
Shiva didn’t know how to answer. He fumbled for an answer within his brain but came up with nothing. Darn it! When it was time for his brain to come to his aid, it decided to leave him high and dry.
Raavi stopped right in front of him and lifted her finger to lightly caress his cheeks. “Jawab nahi hai tere paas?”
Shiva sucked in a breath at her touch and he finally snapped. He grabbed her wrist with his own and pulled her into him. Their eyes locked and shared a battle within their depths.
“Ae chipkali, tere tevar kuch theek nahi lag rahe mujhe. Kuch zyada hi udd rahi hai na tu? Tera par kaatne ka time aagaya hai. Main bas yeh check karne aaya tha ki tera pair theek hua ya nahin.” Shiva lied through his teeth.
“Accha toh tujhe yahin time mila tha aane ke liye? Time dekha bhi hai tune ya nahin? Sadhe gyarah baje hue hai. Iss waqt toh tu usually kharrate lete hue sota hai nahi? Aaj meri itni fikar hui tujhe ki tu itni raat ko mere kamre mein choro ki tarah ghuss aaya?” Raavi reveled in the pleasure of making him squirm as she saw a bead of sweat break out on his forehead. She casually swiped it with her finger and pushed her finger in front of his eyes.
“Paseena kyun chhut raha hai? Tu mujhse jhoot bol raha hai issliye, haina?”
“Raavi dekh, bakwaas mat kar. Main ja raha hoon. Teri ye uth patang baatein sunne ke liye main nahi aaya...”
“Oh ab meri baatein bakwaas hogayi?”
“Hamesha se hi thi.” Shiva retorted.
“Shiva, mujhe baaton mein mat uljha. Sach sach bata, tu yahan kyun aaya? Mujhe toh lagta tha ki tujhe koi farak nahi padhta? Ya phir padhta hai, aur tujhe mujhse dur rehna bardasht nahi hua aur tu-”
“Raavi beta! Tune neeche ki lights band nahi ki kya? Jakar band karde na. Bills kuch zyada hi aarahe hai vaise bhi! Aur nahi badhana.” Prafulla shouted from outside Raavi’s room, cutting her off mid-sentence.
“Ji maasima! Main abhi karti hoon na. Aap jakar aaram se so jayyein.” Raavi answered back, hoping she would leave them alone.
“Tu ruk. Kahin jaana mat. Main lights off karke aati hoon.” Raavi said to Shiva before opening her door slowly. When her maasima was nowhere to be seen, she quickly ran downstairs.
Shiva considered running away in that moment when his eyes landed on her diary. It was open and it looked inviting. He couldn’t help but reach out to it. He knew it was wrong to read someone’s personal diary but he was so curious to know what went on in that chipkali’s head.
He grabbed the diary, hesitantly flipped a page, and started reading it. What he read made his insides flip in surprise. An amused expression overtook his features as he turned another page.
Raavi walked into her room and locked the door hastily but when she turned out, her feet stayed rooted in their spot as she caught sight of Shiva reading her diary. She whisper-yelled. “Shiva! Yeh kya kar raha hai? Tune meri diary padhi? How could you?!”
Shiva turned around and let out a hearty chuckle. “Tune bataya nahi ki tere itne interesting sapne bhi hai? Badi hi tharki chipkali nikli tu.”
Raavi felt anger consume her senses as she marched forward. She had every intention of snatching her diary out of his hands and beating him with it.
Shiva guffawed when Raavi stood in front of him and tried to reach for her diary. He just lifted his hand higher in response.
“Shiva! Diary waapas de! Tujhe nahi pata ki kisi ki personal diary mein aise jhaakna galat hai? It’s an invasion of privacy!” Raavi seethed. With her flaming red cheeks, she continued to jump up and down, trying to get a hold of her diary.
“Jab tujhe sapne dekhne mein koi sharam nahi, toh mujhe bhi padhne mein koi problem nahi.” Shiva replied nonchalantly. His eyes zeroed in on the rosy blush on her adorable cheeks. He was mesmerized by how innocent she seemed yet her dreams told him something different.
If it was possible for one’s cheeks to catch on fire, Raavi’s would probably hold the Guinness world record for it.
“Shiva please. Waapas de na. Tujhe woh nahi padhni chahiye thi. Tune sahi nahi kiya...” Raavi whined.
“Tujhe chahiye toh mujhse chheen kar dikha.” Shiva challenged her as he backed away.
Raavi sprinted straight into him, catching him by surprise. His legs staggered with the force of her body hitting him and he fell backwards onto her bed dragging her with him. Her diary went flying out of his hands but neither of them noticed as they realized their position.
Raavi panted slightly as she laid on top of Shiva. She tried to get back up but she felt him pull her back by wrapping his arms around her. She slowly lifted her eyes to look into his and the sudden desire which unfurled within their depths blew her away.
“Shiva...” She whispered, clutching onto his shoulders.
Shiva suddenly flipped their position making Raavi squeal in astonishment. He was now on top and she was lying beneath him. He was caught in a trance as his eyes observed her chocolatey brown orbs which oozed innocence and purity. The rosiness in her cheeks made him want to graze his beard across them lightly, wondering what her reaction would be. The adorable moles adorning her face tempted him into counting them...with his lips. Her full and tantalizing lips begged him to crash his lips against hers and do sinful things to them.
Shiva’s palms balled up into fists at the wild turn his thoughts were taking. What was he doing? He couldn’t. He shouldn’t.
Raavi continued to stare up at him expectantly, hoping he wouldn’t shy away. She wished he would close the distance. When she saw him inching away from her, she knew he was distancing himself. His train of thoughts always took him in the opposite direction than what she hoped for. Not wanting him to run away, she grabbed his head with her hands, curling his hairs into her palms before pulling him forward.
Shiva felt fire consume him the moment her lips touched his. He hadn’t expected her to kiss him but now that she had, he felt all of his senses shatter into oblivion. The kiss started off slow as she slowly moved her lips across his. But when a ravenous feeling overtook him, he deepened the kiss with a feral urgency. Their lips moved in perfect sync as his hand wandered to her waist. He softly caressed her over her top before letting it move under her shirt. He gently stroked her soft skin making her gasp in delight. He slowly moved his hands upwards, feeling her chest heave up and down underneath him.
Raavi felt like her whole body was on fire as she writhed under him, with his hands wreaking delicious havoc upon her skin. His lips left hers to take in a breath and soon she felt his lips move across her jaw all the way down to her collarbone, making her arch her back in need. Her hands moved over his broad shoulders and trailed down over his back. She wanted more. She let her hands travel under his vest as she felt his abdomen muscles clench under her touch. He was built like a Greek god and she reveled in the fact that he was all hers.
He nipped at her neck when he felt her hands roam the hard planes of his chest. Trailing wet kisses over the length of her collarbone, he rested his lips on a spot that made her release a few breaths of pleasure. He suckled on that spot, feeling her shivering under him. When a moan escaped her lips, it’s as if a bucket of ice-cold water was splashed over him and he immediately stopped.
Raavi tensed when she felt him stop and looked up at him. Other than their heavy breathing, nothing else could be heard. She cupped his cheeks and turned his face towards her.
“Kya hua Shiva?” Raavi croaked out, desire evident in her voice.
“Humme yeh nahi karna chahiye tha. Yeh galat hai, Raavi.” Shiva spoke in a guttural tone, squeezing his eyes shut. He got off her and sat up in the bed.
“Kyun galat hai?” Raavi asked, sitting upright.
“Tu nahi samjhegi. Tu naadan hai. Tu hamesha apne feelings mein aakar bewakoofiyaan kar baitthi hai. Aur aaj main bhi tere saath ussmein beh gaya. Yeh galat hai...sab galat hai.” Shiva said as he drowned himself within his guilt.
Raavi clasped his hands within hers and gave them a squeeze.
“Shiva, agar tu guilty feel kar raha hai, toh mat kar please. Tujhe jiss bewakoofi ke wajah se yeh galat lag raha hai, ussi bewafooki ke wajah se yeh mujhe utna hi sahi lag raha hai. Ab pyaar karna bewakoofi hai toh wahi sahi.”
Shiva’s head snapped to her side instantly. His heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. “Pyaar...? Tujhe pyaar kab hogaya? Tune toh kaha ki tujhe-” Raavi cut him off by placing her palm on his mouth.
“Mujhe pata hai maine kya kaha aur kyun kahan. Hum isske baare mein kal aaram se baat karenge. Theek hai? Abhi ke liye mujhe bas mera Shiva chahiye.”
Shiva shook his head and got up to leave but she grabbed his hand once again.
“Shiva, ab bas bhi kar. Bahot bhaag liya tune lekin ab tu khudko mujhse dur bilkul bhi nahi karega, samjha? Hum kal sab cheezon ke baare mein baat karenge. Main jaanti hoon tere andar bahot se khayal aate honge aur tu thehra mr-main-sab-kuch-akele-seh-lunga toh sab kuch andar hi andar rakh kar khud ko takleef de raha hoga. Pann ab aur nahi.” Raavi kissed his hand softly, giving him her infamous puppy dog eyes.
“Ruk ja na Shiva. Sirf aaj ke liye.” She pleaded, successfully breaking his resolve.
Shiva could feel multiple emotions racing across his entire being but there was one thing he knew for sure now. As he stared into Raavi’s eyes, he knew he could never run away from her. Not anymore. And even if he tried, she would ground him back to her. He took in her angelic features before sitting back down beside her. She was too beautiful for her own good.
He pulled out his phone and saw her pout beside him.
“Tere bagal mein itni khoobsurat ladki baithi hai aur tu apne phone ko taad raha hai. What’s wrong with you, Shiva?” Raavi huffed in annoyance.
“Gadhedi, alarm laga raha hoon taaki main time se uth kar Dhara bhabhi ke jaagne se pehle ghar pahoch jaun.”
“Oh wow. Chalo at least tera dimaag kabhi toh tujhe sahara de deta hai. Varna tu jo mujhe pareshaan karta hai apne inn harkaton se, aisa lagta hai ki tere matar jaise dimaag ko koi 2 rupees mein bhi na khareedein.”
“Tujhe agar meri beizzati karni hai toh main chala jaata hoon.” Shiva scowled.
Raavi giggled in response. “Mazaak tha! Aur tujhe toh main jaane nahi dungi.” She replied, nestling further into his side.
Shiva’s eyes caught the photo frame on her bedside table and he plucked it into his hands. “Yeh picture? Tujhe yahi photo mili thi frame karne ke liye?” Shiva stared at the picture in distaste as he saw the state of his hair, no thanks to the chipkali sitting beside him.
“Kyun? Acchi nahi lagi? Waise agar tu mere saath photos khichwane ke liye taiyyar hota, toh yeh naubat nahi aati. Lekin tu toh hamesha mujhe dara dhamka kar bhaga deta hai. Yaad hai tune last time mujhe chaaku se dhamakaya tha?”
“Woh chaaku nakli tha.” Shiva said in a sullen manner.
“Shiva, ek baat puchu? Mujhe aaj tak yeh samajh mein nahi aaya ki tune mujhe uss waqt kuch bola kyun nahi? Maine tere baal ka jo haal kiya tha na, mujhe toh abhi bhi hasi aati hai. Main abhi tak hairaan hoon ki tune apne gusse mein aakar badla kyun nahi liya? Chillaya bhi nahi? Mere baare mein complain bhi nahi kiya? Kyun?” Raavi questioned.
“Sach batau toh mujhe bura lag raha tha.” Shiva answered, averting his gaze.
“Bura? Kis baat ka?”
“Ki maine tere baal kaat diye. Lekin maine jaan bhuj kar nahi kiya tha. Sach mein galati se haath slip hogaya. Ab hum ladhte bhi itne shiddat se the ki kuch aur nazar hi nahi aata tha aur hum apne hosh kho baitthe the. Toh jab tune mere baalon ka antim sanskar kar diya, mujhe laga ki tune apna badla le liya. Mere aankhon mein hum barabar hogaye.”
Raavi looked at him startled. She never knew he held such consideration for her back then. Her heart bloomed with love and she hugged him tightly. Shiva wrapped her up within his arms as well, letting her provide him with the warmth he sought. “Tu toh bahot hi sweet nikla bhootnath.” This earned her a scoff from his side.
Raavi yawned sleepily which broke them out of their hug.
“Soja chipkali.” Shiva whispered.
“Tu bhi aaja.” Raavi laid down and patted the space beside her. They turned onto their sides and Raavi felt a tranquil feeling settle deep down within her. She knew that the next day would hold a new beginning for their relationship. She smiled and snuggled into his chest, letting her palm rest upon his chest. His familiar woodsy amber scent made her feel at home.
Shiva wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her closer. Kissing the top of her head, he finally felt sleep wash over him. For the first time in weeks, he slept peacefully.
*****
I know, I know. This was shorter than the rest of the chapters I have posted. Tbh I was contemplating whether to post this right now or not, but it was already written so why not? Plus, if I wrote what I have in mind next, then it would get too long. 😆 So the next part will be the last! I will get to work on that soon.
Hopefully, you all enjoyed this one!
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