This was supposed to be a short drabble based on the dupatta scene from today's episode, however, I continued to write more and ended up with something else.
It's not proofread so... :)
Happy Reading!
Shiva looked at Raavi as she hung the clothes in the aangan. She had an aura of power surrounding her which sucked him into a different dimension. He was enchanted by her each and every move and his gaze softened at the care she showed for their family. Realizing that he was staring, he averted his gaze and started walking towards the exit. He needed to leave for work soon.
But he had to pass by Raavi on the way. His heartbeat quickened at the thought. He thought back to the previous night and how she had grabbed his hand and placed it under her cheek in her sleep. The warmth he felt from being near her; from being in contact with her sent shivers up his spine. He couldn't deny he craved her closeness but it's not what she wanted. She had made it clear she wasn't here for him and he had decided to respect her wishes. As he was walking by her silently, she did something unexpected; unexpected in the sense that he didn't expect this version of her to do anything. However, the Raavi he knew before their marriage would certainly do something of this sort to irritate him. She had purposely shaken her wet duppatta in front of him so that the water droplets would splash in his face.
She did it again and by default, he reacted. Shiva coiled the duppatta around his fist and pulled on it, dragging her closer to him. On instinct, his other arm went around her waist and pulled her even closer.
Raavi stared at him dumbfounded. She hadn't expected this proximity to ensue in between them. It's true she shook the wet clothes on purpose. She wanted a reaction out of him. He had been silent, far too silent for her liking. He was calmer than before and while she should have appreciated this, it somehow ended up bothering her. She was tired of their fights and yet at the same time, she craved to go back to their bickering sessions. Oh, the irony. The Shiva she witnessed for the past 24 hours was different. He seemed aloof; he didn't have much of a reaction to anything or anyone for that matter. She wanted to see that old spark of fire within him. So, as if it's the most natural thing to do, she decided on the spot to get him to react.
But now that they were super close, her heart started beating erratically. She fumbled for words and said the one thing which she knew she could get away with.
"Tu mujhse dur reh, Shiva." Raavi stated, albeit half-heartedly but she didn't want to admit it to herself.
Shiva scoffed. "Agar chahti hai na ki main tujhse dur rahun, toh mere raaste mein mat aa." He wasn't stupid. He knew she did it all on purpose but he couldn't figure out why she did that. Wasn't she the one who had been making it clear to him that she was only here for Dhara bhabhi? Why was she provoking him now?
"Paani kyun jhatka mere muh pe?" He asked and saw Raavi struggling to give an answer.
He looked at her floundering form and thought of giving her a taste of her own medicine. Squeezing her waist just a tiny bit, he swirled his thumb over her side in a circle for a few seconds. He watched her close her eyes and cling onto the duppatta tightly. Her lips parted and a sigh left her mouth.
He leaned in closer and brushed his lips against her ear ever so lightly. He whispered, "Agle baar sote hue sher ko mat chhedna. Tujhse jhela nahi jayega."
Before he acted on his instincts, he let go and walked away, not giving her another reaction. She didn't want anything to do with him, that's her choice. And he didn't want to do anything in the heat of the moment which would upset her further. If she was here for Dhara bhabhi, so be it. Gaumbi had already warned them as well. He was going to keep his calm this time around.
Raavi gulped before taking in a few deep breaths. She watched his retreating back and felt her heart twist in pain.
Isn't this what you wanted? You didn't want to fight anymore. You said you're tired. You weren't here for him. You're here for your Dhara di so why is it that Shiva's occupying your mind most of the time? Why is it that you suddenly want him to react to you? Why do you want his attention? Why does it matter whether if he notices you or not? You're getting divorced soon, aren't you? You'll leave after Dhara di's baby is born so why bother with him? Raavi's inner voice taunted and as a result, she felt her eyes well up in frustration.
*****
Later that week, Raavi continued with her provoking actions in hopes of getting something out of Shiva but nothing worked.
She had started off with not giving him tea one morning to purposely not adding sugar to his cup the other morning. She would add more garlic to some of the food to annoy him, and sometimes she would forget to serve him food on purpose. She even tripped him over her foot one day and yet he said not a word. She knew it was childish of her but these things had always irritated him before. She was sure they would work again, however, despite it all, he still remained quiet. All this while, he would deal with her shenanigans calmly. He had given her a glare or two but most days, he didn't react. He would just silently accept her actions.
Raavi was getting frustrated with him. She wanted him to talk. She was starting to realize that while she did come back for her Dhara di, a part of her was excited for the fact that she'd be around Shiva again; that she would get to speak with him; that she would get to experience the exhilaration which only he could provide to her. While she had told him the opposite the other day, her heart felt quite differently.
Today, she walked into their room with a determination to set things right. She first stole all of his pillows and locked them in the cupboard. She then hid his mattress and made herself comfortable on the bed. It had been a while since she had laid on it and the feeling felt surprisingly foreign. She had been sleeping in the aangan for the past week and Shiva had been sleeping on the floor despite having the bed all to himself. She didn't understand his actions.
She took the only other pillow she had and put it on his side of the bed before turning around when she heard his footsteps.
Shiva was shocked when he walked into the room only to find Raavi sleeping on their bed. What had happened for her to be back in here? She had been adamant about her decision to not sleep in here a few days back. He decided to leave her be and went around only to find his mattress and pillows missing. He looked up and saw Raavi's eyes closed but her mouth was betraying her when it slightly curved upward.
"Toh yeh sab iss chipkali ne kiya hai. Hafte bhar se tang kar rahi hai lekin abhi bhi isska pet nahi bhara. Chahati kya hai?" Shiva muttered under his breath.
"Ae chipkali. Uth. Mujhe pata hai tu soyi nahi hai. Yeh mere gadde aur takiye ke saath tune kya kiya?" Shiva asked.
Raavi got up and smiled. There was no use in pretending to sleep. "Takiya toh yahi hai." She patted the spot beside him.
So she was playing this game with him now but he wouldn't give in. Instead of questioning her, he went over to his side, picked up the pillow, and was about to walk away when Raavi grabbed his wrist.
"Arreh kahan ja rahe ho? Sona hai toh yahan soja. Aaangan mein jaane ki zarurat nahi hai."
Shiva shrugged off her hand and walked towards the door. Raavi got up and quickly ran to the door, blocking the exit. She locked the door and turned around to face him. She stared back at him and challenged him with her eyes.
"Tu aisa kyun kar raha hai, Shiva? Kitni koshish ki maine ki tu koi toh reaction de lekin tu gussa toh chodh, dhang se ek baat bhi nahi karta." Raavi whispered sadly.
"Toh tu yeh sab jaan bhuj kar kar rahi thi? Mujhe pata tha, lekin tu aisa kyun kar rahi thi? Mere react karne na karne se tujhe itni dikkat kyun horahi hai? Tu toh sirf bhabhi ke liye waapas aayi hai na?" Shiva asked accusingly.
"Aayi thi Dhara di ke liye lekin tera yeh bartaav mujhe nahi pasand. Tere saath hi pali badi hoon. Mujhe itne shaant wale Shiva ki aadat nahi hai. Tujhse jhagadne ki aadat hai; teri taang keechne ki aadat hai; ek dusre se roothne ki aadat aur bina manaye sab kuch theek bhi hojane ki..." Raavi mumbled.
"Aur iss information se main kya karun?" Shiva probed further.
"Jo main chahti hoon woh tu karega nahi. Bas main itna jaanti hoon ki aaj main tujhe bahar nahi jaane dungi. Tu yahi soyega." To solidify her stance, she hesitantly reached out and put her arms around his neck.
"Kis haq se tu mujhe yahan rok rahi hai? Kuch din pehle kisi ne mujhe kaha tha ki woh yahan mere saath ek kamre mein nahi soyegi kyunki humara talaq hone wala hai."
"Toh talaq abhi tak hua nahi hai. Hum abhi bhi pati patni hai." Raavi answered.
"Bas kuch aur dinon ke liye." Shiva retorted before getting out of her hold and sidestepping her.
This only angered Raavi further and she grabbed the neckline of his vest and pulled him closer. "Bas tu yahi karta rahe. Mudde ki baat ko ignore kar. Bike jala. Gusse mein ulta seedha bol. Aur kuch karne layak hi nahi hai tu. Agar hota toh apna yeh jo gussa hai usska sahi istemaal karta."
"Kya karun is gusse ke saath? Hamesha tujhe isse hurt karta hoon na? Ab toh tujhe khush hona chahiye main tere raaste mein kaanta bann kar nahi khada, tujhse ladta bhi nahi. Tujhe tera parivaar bhi mil gaya na, wahi chahiye tha tujhe? Ab mujhse kya umeed hai teri?"
"Tujhse umeed nahi hogi toh aur kisse hogi? Umeed thi ki tu sab kuch theek kar dega. Hamesha toh tu wahi karta hai na? Toh iss baar kyun nahi? Lekin mujhe tujhe pechanne mein shayad galati hogayi. Tu kuch nahi kar sakta. Tu kayar hai, Shiva. Kayar." Raavi knew her words didn't hold an ounce of truth but she hoped that they would aggravate him enough to give her a reaction.
"Kis haq se tu mujhe kayar bol rahi hai? Tujhe mere halaat ke baare mein kuch bhi nahi pata lekin apna bakwaas tujhe karna hi hai." Shiva gritted in anger.
"Kuch nahi jaanna mujhe. Bahut dekh liya aur sunn bhi liya." Raavi feigned fury and tried to leave when Shiva grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. She crashed against his chest and held onto his shoulders for support. A part of her started getting excited when she saw a fire in his eyes. Raavi tried to wiggle out of his hold to keep up her pretense but he secured her tightly against him.
"Ab meri baari. Kahin nahi jaane dunga tujhe." Shiva stared at her with an intensity that made heat pool up in her belly. He picked her up in his arms and she squealed in surprise.
Shiva dropped her on their bed and climbed on top. He supported himself on his elbows as he hovered over a wide-eyed Raavi.
Seeing her ever-frantic eyes roaming all over his face, their position finally registered in his brain. He had let himself get carried away in his emotions. He squeezed his eyes shut and started to get off her when her arms encircled themselves around his neck.
"Shiva, mat ja." Raavi gently whispered. Her voice was so soft he thought he had begun to imagine things when she spoke again.
"Talaq ki aisi ki taisi. Mujhe nahi chahiye koi talaq. Mujhe bas tu chahiye, mera Shiva. Tujhe kya chahiye? Bata." She looked at him expectantly.
Shiva's heart started pounding against his ribcage and he searched her eyes. For what? Maybe assurance? Certainty? Did she really want this or was she too far gone in her emotions?
"Bol na." She caressed his face softly and hesitantly pecked him on the lips. She pulled back to see his eyes swirling with unsaid emotions.
"Bhaad mein jaye talaq. Mujhe bas tu chahiye Raavi. Puri ki puri, sirf tu jo meri hai aur hamesha meri rahegi." With that, he crashed his lips against hers and lost himself within the sweetness of her mouth. One of his hands cradled her cheeks while the other gripped onto her waist, loving the feel of her against him.
Raavi pulled him closer and weaved her hands through his hair, deepening the kiss as she felt warmth coursing through her veins. Both of them couldn't get enough of each other as they lost themselves within their intense need to get closer; to feel every inch of their skin touching, giving way to an electrifying sensation to travel through their bodies. Both pushed and pulled at each other, their hands never wanting to lose contact with one another.
When the need for oxygen became too dire to ignore, they pulled apart and Shiva leaned his forehead against hers as they breathed heavily.
Not wanting to crush her under his weight anymore, Shiva turned onto his side and pulled Raavi into him. She snuggled closer to him and wrapped her arm around his waist.
"Bahut tang kiya tune mujhe iss hafte. Chunn chunn kar badla lunga." Shiva teased her, a soft tone encompassing his voice.
"Toh maine kahan roka hai tujhe? Le le badla." Raavi replied with a mischievous timbre in her own voice.
"Dekhte hai." Shiva responded in amusement, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. He stroked her hair lovingly while she hummed in satisfaction as she finally got to enjoy the attention she had been craving from him.
She knew they had a lot to talk about but now that they were certain of what they wanted, they would solve all their problems together.
For now, both of them just wanted to bask in the comfort and security of each other's presence.
*****
Hopefully, that wasn't too bad as it wasn't planned. Like I said above, this was supposed to end with Shiva walking away from her just like in the episode but I couldn't help but write more.š
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