Chapter 10
Sunshine it was indeed for Nupur, not only for that morning, but for many mornings to come. She was showered with love by Shilpa, and Mayank was more of a friend to her than a husband. Their relationship had progressed from concern to comfort. Now she didn't hesitate to take his name, moreover, she even didn't hesitate to fight with him when required, and as always, Shilpa would be on her side.
"Maa, yeh galat hai!! Aap hamesha uski side leti ho!!" Mayank stood in front of the dining table with his hands on hips and glaring at Nupur who was giggling profusely standing beside Shilpa. The tiny water droplets that trickled down Mayank's disheveled hair were proving that he has again woken up to an unwanted shower on bed.
"Maa, inhone khud kaha tha 8:00 baje uthane ko.." Nupur pouted but he didn't let her complete. "uthane ko kaha tha, nehlaane ko nahi" he barked, only to see the two women in his life bursting into a hearty laugh. He shook his head in distress and frustration "I don't believe this, maa aap'"
"Mayank tu kyun time waste kar raha hai?" He turned around to see a laughing Arav enter the hall "tu jaanta hai naa, maa ki favourite list mein tu third no. pe aata hai, to phir tu kyun time waste kar raha hai??"
"Achcha??" Mayank replied in an irritating tone "aur 1st aur 2nd no. pe kaun hai?"
"1st Nupur, aur 2nd main!!" Arav cheekily replied while making himself comfortable on the dining chair. Nupur giggled looking at the increasing frown on Mayank's face while Shilpa tried hard to suppress her laugh. "Achcha achcha, ab bahut ho gaya, subah subah mere bte ko tang karne lage dono!!" She passed a mock glare to the two, but Mayank was well aware of her "bas Maa, aap toh rehne hi do" he grumbled and promptly stomped upstairs.
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Mayank came out of the washroom and smiled seeing his clothes arranged perfectly on the bed. How she always knows which shirt I would want to wear today, he wondered, and her thoughts took him back to the incident that happened a while back. His smile became wider as he brushed his fingers over the shirt that lay before him. He picked it up and held it on him in front of the mirror, and that is when he saw a figure quickly disappear behind the curtains.
Nupur froze at the door as the sight met her eyes. He was standing with his back facing her. Little drops of water trickled down his chiseled bare torso, and disappeared in the white towel that was wrapped beneath his waist. She gulped taking in his demeanor, her feet betraying her completely. She clutched the curtain tightly as she saw him pick up the shirt and smile. He went in front of the mirror and looked straight to her, that is when she seemed to get back her strength and leapt away with a fumble.
Mayank chuckled at her innocence and shook his head, putting on the shirt he looked in the mirror again. Lets have some fun, what say Mogambo? He winked at himself and called out loud "NUPURR!!"
She was still standing behind the curtains, her heart pounding against her ribcage in an attempt to break it down. What the hell Nupur!! Kya kar rahi thi tum?? Her breath became faster with every passing minute as the image repeated in her mind, but it came to a halt as the baritone ringed in her ears "NUPURR!! Meri coffee upar le ana please!!"
She bit her lip looking at the coffee mug in her hands. She had actually come for this purpose only, because she knew that he would want his coffee in the room as he had work to do. She gathered herself and put her foot forward to step in, but suddenly stopped realizing something. "M.. Mayank?? Mm..main.. andar aa jaaon?" she asked in a shaky voice.
"Arey?? Itni jaldi aa gayi?" He removed the curtains hastily and she closed her eyes. He chuckled silently again, but immediately straightened his face "yahin thi kya??"
She looked up to see him fully dressed, she sighed in relief and nodded in affirmation, and suddenly nodded negative "wo main.. matlab.. mujhe laga ki aapko coffee room mein chahiye hogi.. isliye bas lekar aa rahi thi.." she spoke looking everywhere except at him.
"Achcha!! Are u sure?? I thought maine tumhe dekha abhi'" He paused for a moment "'curtains ke peeche" his eyes were smiling in mischief. She so wished she could dig a hole in the ground and bury her face in it, "haan.. wo.. main.. wo.. "
She was startled with the sudden loud roaring laughter, one that she had never heard from him before. Downstairs, Arav was just about to bite in the toast, but it almost fell off his hand hearing that enormous sound, "lo, Mogambo is back!!" He rolled his eyes towards Shilpa who was laughing hysterically.
He was laughing like a devil, she looked at him with a mixed expression of surprise, shock, astonishment and embarrassment. Her slight dusky cheeks were turning into deeper shades of pink with each passing moment. He stopped laughing seeing at her flustered face, but it still left traces on him. Bending a little towards her, he flicked her nose, "its okay Mrs. Sharma, apne husband ko check out karna allowed hai" he winked leaving her totally red. She shoved the coffee mug in his hand and ran away, only to hear him laugh again behind her.
Nupur ran down the stairs frantically, "Maa I'm going to college." Shilpa was startled with the sudden development "arey itni jaldi?? Aur wo bhi akele??" Arav looked at her with a questioning gaze, but she ignored "wo mujhe library mein kuch kaam hai, main chalti hoon" and dashed away even before anyone could react. "Isse kya hua??" Arav shrugged at Shilpa as she muttered the question, "mugambo ne hi kuch kiya hoga" he bluntly concluded and diverted his attention back to the toast he was trying to eat.
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It was quite late when Mayank came back from office. His day was very hectic, and he had not had even a minute for himself to relax. He was very tired, he felt like someone had put an enormous amount of weight on his eyelids. He dragged his legs into the dining-hall and poured a glass of water for himself, when a ray of light caught his eye. He looked up to locate its source, it was indeed coming from his room. He glanced at his watch, it showed 1:30 a.m. "Why is Nupur awake till now?" He tried to recall if he had forgotten to inform his two ladies that he would be late, but then he remembered otherwise, "I had even sent the driver to pick her up from college." He made up his mind to scold her for this act and headed upstairs.
"NUP..." his voice refused to go further as the sight met his eyes. The heavy weights seemed to disappear in thin air, and the tiredness had vanished. He saw her, her head lying on the study table, a pen entwined in her fingers. Pages of Philip Kotler* tossed and turned with the air, in a failed attempt to touch her face, and the study-lamp glowed in admiration.
He stepped closer to her and bent near her face. She looked like an angel descended from the heavens. A tiny strand of hair fluttered in happiness, disturbing the serenity of the moment. He frowned and gently tucked it behind her ears. She stirred a bit feeling his touch, and opened her eyes, her lips gently curved up seeing the smile on his face.
She took a moment to realize his presence, and then hurriedly tried to get up "uh!! wo!! Aap...mm..." her eyes fell on the clock "aap abhi aaye ho??" He nodded in affirmation and retreated towards the washroom. She still sat on the chair rubbing her eyes "aapne khana khaya??" He nodded again and disappeared into the washroom without looking back at her. "Inko kya hua??" She mumbled under her breath and got up.
He locked the washroom door behind him and looked in the mirror. He felt as if his reflection was glaring at him. He splashed water on his face to blur that image, but it didn't go. He was confused, he didn't know what he felt, or rather, he didn't want to accept what he felt. He took off his shirt and turned on the shower, hoping the cold water to give him some peace.
She was setting up the pillows when he came out (yes, the pillow-wall still prevailed, sigh!!) He passed a glance at her and chose to ignore, but she didn't "kya baat hai??" Her blunt yet concerned voice knocked his ears, but he plainly said "kuch bhi toh nahi"
"Toh phir aap itne chup kyun hai?"
"Kuch nahi hai Nupur!!" He tried saying in a convincing tone, but his wife knew him just enough to fall for it, she continued giving him that questioning look. He sighed moving a finger on his temple, "main bahut thak gaya hoon Nupur" and sat on the bed. "Main aapka sar dabadoon?" He looked up towards her concerned face and nodded again. She swiftly moved to the bed and gestured him to sit on the floor, which he silently obeyed.
He could feel her soft touch on his forehead, his world swayed within them, while his mind fought a fierce battle with his heart.
- Kya soch rahe ho Mayank?? Kya phir se dil todne ka irada hai??
- Kya matlab??
- Matlab tum phirse wohi galti karne jaa rahe ho jo tum ek baar pehle bhi kar chuke ho'
- Kaunsi galti??
- Tumhe nahi pata??
- Par aisa kuch nahi hai...
- Achcha?? Toh abhi thodi der pehle kya soch rahe the??
- Mujhe nahi pata...
- Yeh galti phir mat karo Mayank, pachtaaoge..
- Par wo meri patni hai..
- Kya sirf yeh wajah kaafi hai??
His mind kept on pounding, he didn't know which side to take. He closed his eyes in an attempt to shut the voice inside and tried to only feel the soft touch of the fingers that ran on his forehead. He didn't know when peace took over and carried him off to the world of dreams.
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That's it for today😳 hope you liked it😳...
do comment/criticize
❤️❤️❤️
~jiya~
P.S. *Philip Kotler is a Management guru whose books come as a part of MBA course
Edited by jiya_angel - 14 years ago
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