Hola Amigos!
I really need to change my OS schedules because weekends seem to be busier than weekdays - workwise.
Anyway - Here is the next OS - late once again, I know! Hope you like it. Let me know what you think.
Happy reading.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Arre, Akshu beta, why are you still awake?” Swarna, who had beenon her way up to give Manishi his nightly meds, halted, her forehead creasing in worry. Honestly, she didn’t know about Manishji but her BP was bound to goup before the wedding was done. There were so many things to be done that she had to make a to-do list of the to-do list Kairav had made for her and set alarmsin case she forgot anything.
“Tomorrow is your haldi and the muhurat is for early morning. Beta, please go. Get somesleep.” But it was not an appeal. It was an order.
Akshara, who was settled on the long couch with her phone in her hand, bobbed her head.“Just two minutes badi mamma. I’m on my way.”
Swarna, not trusting Akshara, called out to Kairav. “Kairav, make sure she is in her bed in 5 minutes,beta!” Just then her phone alarm buzzed. She glanced at it. “Oh! Right! Need tocall Manjari ji right away to confirm the haldi timings,” she went up the steps,already connecting the call to Manjari.
Kairav looked at his sister’s pouty face indulgently. “What happened? Your Abhi hasn’t called?”
“No bhaiya, it’s not about Abhi!”
Kairav came and sat beside his sister, patting her cheek affectionately. “Then? What happened that’s brought on this sulky face?”
“See bhaiya,” she showed her phone screen and the Insta page displayed on it. “I had posted mine and Abhi’s pictures and announced my wedding date to my college friends.”
“OoooKkkk…so is no one coming? Is that why…?”
“No! They first wanted to know if it’s love marriage or arranged.I said love. Now see, the discussion has all gone off the tangent and turned into a gender fight. Why should only a guy propose? Why is it wrong for the girl to expect some romance from the guy?” With a huff she threw her phone aside. “I wanted to tell them so many things, ask them who and all are coming for my Sangeet and…”
Kairav laughed and hugged his sister. “Arre, don’t worry. Wait till tomorrow morning, everyone will calm down and then invite them over. Vanshis taking care of all the guests’ accommodations. They can come for the sangeet and stay on till the wedding comfortably. OK?” Akshu nodded happily. “Waise, ifyou ask me, it doesn’t matter who proposes first. Who doesn’t like to feelspecial, right? Gender doesn’t come into it these days.”
Akshara nodded thoughtfully, her mind going back to the firstTilak, subsequent heartbreak, her last-minute confession on the day her Abhi was supposed to get married to Aru, him asking her if she would marry him on that very day… Was that a proposal? Yes, it was. In a way. Though not the romantic kind. Of course, they were going to get married in a couple of days,so it didn’t even matter now, did it? Did it?
“Akshu, I can practically see the wheels turning in your head. Tukya sochrahi hain?” Kairav asked as if he was almost afraid to know the answer.
“Bhaiya! I need your help.” She blurted.
~~~~~~~~~~~
It was almost 3 in the night when Abhi’s phone buzzed. Excitement had kept him awake almost till midnight and now this! Groaning out loud, heglanced at the caller id. His sleep vanished like it’d never been. “Hello, Akshu? Kya hua? Sab teek? Why are you calling me at this time?” He rattled off the questions.
“Abhi, I need to meet you. Right now! Please, Abhi! It’s urgent.”
More than the words, it’s the edge of panic he detected in hervoice that got him practically jumping out of the bed. “Shhh! Relax! Tell me what happened. Why are you…”
“I can’t tell you over the phone. Tum buss aajao mere ghar. I’ll be waiting.” And the call got disconnected.
Abhi pulled a loose-fitting white t-shirt over his black tracks, grabbed his keys and strode out of his room as quietly as he could. Neil, who had woken up for a glass of water saw his brother tiptoeing away and chuckled to himself. Then as if unable to hold back, he went in the direction of Anisha’s room to share the tidbit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Abhi’s bike screeched to a half in front of the Goenka house. Badepapa had gone all out in decorating the house for the upcoming wedding. Every corner of the exterior was lit up with colourful lights. Some flew across the wall in a string and some hung from the top floor, ending near the entrance invarious colorful bunches. And despite the hour, they were all still bright and flickering, as if they too were eager for the upcoming wedding. But it looked like everyone in the house were asleep. Frowning, he took his phone.
“Abhimanyu!”
Abhi looked up at Kairav’s whispered voice. Kairav had opened themain gate just a creak and was gesturing him to come inside quietly. What the hell! Placing his helmet on the handlebar, he went in. “Kairav, kya hua? Akshu called up and said…”
Kairav gave an exhausted, helpless grin and gestured Abhi towardsa ladder. “Go on. Just remember, you only have an hour before people here start waking up.” When Abhi still looked confused, Kairav gently pushed him towards the ladder, trying to shut his mind off the fact that his sister and this guywere going to be alone together in one room with no supervision or chaperoning. Well, yeah, they were going to get married in a couple of days but still…Shit! Kairav! Don’t go there! You’re just helping a pair of love birds. Akshu! Honestly, the things she makes him do!
~~~~~~~~~
Abhi reached the top of the ladder and jumped on the other side.It was an open terrace with nothing but one room. There was light inside, butit was pretty dim to make out anything much. He pushed at the door, and it opened noiselessly. He stood at the entrance, stunned. Like he had entered another world. Or living a dream. With dazed eyes, his fingers glided over the thin white cloth Occupying majority of the room, stood a white colored tent. He found the opening and stepped inside, his mind immediately taking him back to the dream he had had when the hope of ever having Akshara in his life was coming crashing down. How did she know? He wondered, quickly blinking away the emotion that was filling up his eyes. How did his Akshu know? How did she…
His thoughts…everything including his breath hit a pause as he saw his Akshu, also dressed in white, although she was wearing a white t-shirt with tiny pink hearts strewn over it and a pink PJ to go with it, step into the tent from the other side.
“Akshu!” His voice echoed the love in his heart.
Akshara’s smile that had been full of eager anticipation, turned into a wide, grin full of boundless joy. Oh, she was so glad she was going to do this. For her Abhi. And for herself too.
“Abhi! No, stand right there!” she instructed, when he was about to take the two steps that would bring him into her arms. He halted. And waited, still dazed. As if he wasn’t sure he was awake or dreaming. As if he was afraid to blink in case the vision before him disappeared. As if he wanted to grab her, pick her up and…
Willing her blush to die down, she spoke. “Abhi, so much has happened.We met, we fell in love, we almost got together, got separated and got together again. We fought for our love, we won. In a couple of days, we’d be bound together forever. In all ways possible.” Abhi nodded, his lips stretching into the smile that his heart and his eyes were echoing. Oh how she loved to see him this happy. Without any tension marring his forehead or shadows in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “But you know, today I realized there’s something we’ve missed out on and I want to do it.” On that note, she went down in front of him, on one knee and extended her palm that held a ring box. Abhi, who hadbeen about to step ahead and pull her up, froze.
“Abhi, to the rest of the world, you’re Dr Abhimanyu Birla. Famous cardiac surgeon of the Birla family. But for me, you are Abhi. MY Abhi. I love you with all my heart. You’re the most important part of me. The most precious part. Will you marry me, Abhi?”
On that note, she popped open the ring box that held a plastic teddy bear ring. His breath released in a rough exhalation as his eyes began to lose the battle with his emotions.
Akshara looked sheepish. “I know it’s not the real ring, but I got this thought close to midnight and I didn’t have time to…”
With a rough groan, he swooped in, picked her up and twirled her in the air before pulling her tight into his arms. So tight she couldn’t take a deep breath. But she didn’t care as her fingers dug into his hair and held on. “Is that a yes?” she asked impishly.
Abhi loosened his arms just a little so he can look the most precious person in his world and nodded, chuckled, nodded again. “Yes. I will marry you. Because I simply can’t imagine my life without my Akshu in it.”
After another hug and a twirl, they reluctantly let go of each other’s arms. Chuckling, she got the plastic ring out of the box and presented it to him. He shook his head in amusement but nevertheless extended his right hand. She made a face as the size was nowhere close to his ring finger before sliding it on his pinky.
They stretched out on the floor, side by side, with one of his arms supporting and cushioning her neck and watched the decorative lights that reflected from the room’s glass windows onto the makeshift tent.
“Tumhe pata hain? I had dreamt of something like this once. You and me inside this white cloud,” his fingers reached up, gliding over the sheer-white material. “And this ring…” he tilted his head towards her.
“When we were to select the rings for you and Aru…I…” Akshu’svoice faltered.
“Me too!” Abhi blinked in surprise.
Both remained silent as they fought off the memories of those dark days and torment-filled nights. Akshu shook herself out of it. “But see, now we’rehere. Re-making our dreams and reliving them in a beautiful way. Haina? Ab sab achha hogaya na?”
Abhi nodded and hugged her. Both sat up. “Sab accha hogaya aur kal toh humari haldi bhi hain!”
Akshu giggled. “Kal nahi. Aaj! Subah honeko aayi hain! And you know, badi mamma was telling me that the haldi is first applied on you first and then it comes to me.”
Abhi nodded, his smile full of joy and contentment. “It would’ve been more fun if I actually got to apply the haldi on you and you on me,” he added mischievously. Akshara teased him by poking her tongue out and giggled. “Arre yaar seriously! Think about it na!”
Akshu nodded thoughtfully. “Ruko. Abhi aati hoon.” She stepped outof the tent and returned almost immediately this time with a painting pallet in her hand. She dropped down until she was once again sitting cross-legged in front of him. “This is the room where Kairav bhaiya comes to do his painting.”
She extended the paint palette that had red and yellow on it. With a grin, she dipped her right thumb in the red paint and did his tika. He dipped his thumb, every pore in him so tempted to slide it on her maang. Resisting the urge, he forced himself to apply a small tika on her forehead that resembled a bindi. As if realizing where his thoughts had taken him, her cheeks turned a dark shade of pink. Setting the palette aside on the floor, she dipped four fingersof both palms in the yellow color, shifted until she was on her knees and leanedin, sliding both her palms over his cheeks.
Abhi closed his eyes at the first touch of her fingers on his cheeks and when he opened them, the fire burning in there, singed her, melting her insides. Her fingers slipped from his cheeks, glided over his white t-shirt,marking it yellow before settling back on her thighs. Eyes growing heavy withher known-unknown desires, unable to hold his gaze, her eyes lowered as she waited. With the silence was rife with thudding hearts and swirling desires, he smeared his fingers with the same yellow.
“Akshu!”
Nothing else. Just her name in that rough deep baritone that was part plea, part command. She didn’t have the strength or the will to resist that call. Akshu shivered as her body responded to that voice. Her eyes met his. His fingers held a slight tremor at the force with which he was trying to restrain himself. She was filled with painful longing that she didn’t even try to hide from him. But those eyes of his! They told her he was just as completely vulnerable to her, to the feelings driving him towards her. He didn’t slide his fingers over her cheeks. He cupped her face in his palms, coloring her cheeks and sides of her neck yellow.
“Mere naam ki haldi,” he muttered, groaned, drawing his thumbs over her chin and neck, coloring it part red, part yellow. He watched her eyes drift shut, her neck arch back in an innocent, yet blatant invitation and the hair-thin controlof his snapped. He drew her wrists up and placed her hands around his neck, then bent his head even as he locked his arms around her and drew her up tight against him. His mouth covered hers, and her eager response seared him. She melted against him with no thought of resistance, nothing except a soft sound of pleasure low in her throat. They rolled on the floor, their feverish hands gripping and sliding over each other, bodies twisting feverishly against each other…
“Akshara!”
He threw his head back, her name rolling out as a prayer as he fought to control for some semblance of control. He didn’t want to stop. Oh hell no! But Kairav had said one hour. He was pretty damn sure it had been more than an hour since he’d come up. Holding her tight in his arms, he forced her and himself to complete, utter stillness.
“Breathe!” he whispered. His own breath shuddering out at her painful exhale.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anisha, Neil, Parth and Shefali darted glances at each other. Everyone was awake and ready. Arrangements for haldi were on full swing. The groom was yet to turn up. Of course, the elders didn’t know that he was missing in the first place.
“Shefali, beta, ja, Abhi ko bulaake la!” Manjari instructed Shefali. “Muhurat ka time horaha hain!”
“J-ji chachi.” She looked at Anisha as if asking, what do we do now.
“W-woh maa, bro toh jogging keliye gaye hain!” Neil blurted in a moment of inspiration.
“H-haan! Even I saw him leave with his jogging shoes on,” Parth tacked on.
Mahima looked aghast. “Jogging? Aaj ke din?”
Anand shook his head in exasperation.Harsh looked skeptical. “Yeh ladka jogging keliye nahi gaya hain! Madam ka pallu pakadne gaya hoga,” he muttered to himself.
Anisha checked her phone and gave a thumbs up to the other three. “Aajayega! Aap log tension mat lo,” all four ofthem chorused.
“Aur yeh chaaron uss pallu par parda daal rahe hain,” Harsh concluded in the same low tone. Soon enough, they all heard the vroom of Abhi’s bike as it screeched to a halt. “But you guys said he went for a jog?” he looked at the guilty gang.
“H-haan!” Anisha defended. “He went to the nearby ground on the bike and jogged there.” The other three nodded like three bobble-heads. Neil was the first one to notice that his bro looked like he’s played holi but only with yellow color. The hand-printed kind of holi. If the senior gang saw him like this…! He gestured Shefali and Anisha to do something.
“Chachi, I just remembered something.Aap ne kaha Kanha ji ko bhok chadana haina? Woh actually mein bhool gayi…”Shefali tried to look guilty.
That effectively diverted Manjari and Mahima’s attention as they rushed towards the kitchen and pooja room. Parth asked about what was happening at Birla hospital. Anand and Harsh looked taken aback at the sudden interest but began sharing the expansion plans. Parth signaled Neil to hurry up. Neil ran and hustled Abhi upstairs to his room.
“Bro, I won’t ask anything. I don’t even want to know. Just get ready for another round of haldi. A more…family type wala!” Chuckling, he dodged Abhi’s mock punch and ran downstairs.
Abhi carefully removed the teddy bearring from his little finger, kissed it and locked it in his wardrobe shelf.
Wo ho…Din shagna da chadheyaAao sakhiyon ni vehra sajeya
Haan…Mera sajna mileya Sajna milan vadhaiyan
Ni sajan doli leke auna Ni mera sajna
Dholna ve, Dholna ve RanjhanMahi dholna
Dholna ve, dholna ve Heer jogni dholna
Dholna ve dholna Tu mera naseeba dholna
Dholna ve dholna Main jugni teri dholna
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Avatar and Signatures Shop
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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