"I don't know what to do with them" She sighed and fell back callously on the bed. Maan walked into the room, rolling down the sleeves of his shirt.
"Oh! And I don't know what to do with you" he said with a hardening smile. He just couldn't let go of the torture she had put him under the previous night.
She made a face and with a pleading look, held onto her ears seeking him to forgive her.
"This is all not going to cut it" He said as he lay next to her, folding his arms and avoided looking at her.
"Maan we were talking for 3 hrs on the phone...Since when did you expect iphone battery to last for eternity?...And as for the home phone...you were the one who had cut down on the volume...last time..." She severely reddened now, blushing a deep scarlet "Remember...claiming it would disturb you...I mean US" He turned and smiled at her
"Of course it was of no use then but came to bite me this way eh!" He remarked in a light tone.
"I just didn't expect you to check on me...I was sure you would have gone to bed after our call" She exclaimed.
"Is that so? You should know better" He hauled her by her wrist and pulled her on top of him effortlessly. Holding onto her, as his arm encircled her waist, he playfully nudged on her nose with his.
"Because of you I had to call that Rishabh guy's secretary...It really does seem like the end of days" He slightly tapped her forehead, entirely blaming her for the predicament that was brought upon him.
"Maan...Don't talk about your jeeju like that" She said with a smile running from one end of her face to the other. He was not ready to give up and that he was still miffed over the incident some ages ago. Some men can hardly get closure; perhaps they don't seek them to start with, she thought to herself.
"Naini and Daadima will be staying with you until you come back home for Easter weekend" He said in a hushed whisper. Looking up, as her eyes narrowed, she looked at him curiously, at how he had come to that decision on his own. Easter was another two weeks away. She didn't know what brought the sudden sullen air around. Was it the fact he was good at laying down orders without consult or that she would not see him this close for another good 14 days; she pondered.
"I'm not a kid Maan...please" She sniveled with a long face.
"We are done with this...I can't go through that again. And I'm getting a car for local use here" He declared with ultimatum. She could argue all she wanted, but it would be of no use when it came to Alam pana Maan Singh Khurana, she concluded. Didn't someone ask to pick one's battles and so she let go this time around, thinking she could use the company to get about the city. Of course the fun came at the added cost of losing a tad bit of her freedom from having her Daadi saas around. But then Daadima came from a different class of women that, perhaps it was she who would have to check on the fun levels they could gear up to.
While she mused lying on top of him with fake anger, and wasting their few precious hours they had, he shook her slightly, bringing her back to reality.
"What's wrong with you? You were so desperate to come see me yesterday. Here I'm and you are staring away at me...Mmm" He asked raising his head to nuzzle her first and approached her lips.
She pulled away the same instant for she felt he deserved to be left high and dry that much, when he always took too many things into his hands to be handled in his own accords.
"Yeah? Ok...I ONLY need to take a look at you then" Firmly holding his cheeks, she widened her eyes and looked at him keenly. He broke into a laugh for her face at such proximity, with her eyes bulging out and eyebrows conked up, profusely tickled his funny bone.
"Huh! I'm a joker now?" She rolled onto the other side and turned at once to get away from his side. But he was too quick to extend his arm to grab her. It was her ill luck perhaps, that instead of her hand, he clutched the billowing aanchal that came in the way, tearing it off her body that was pinned to the blouse. Instinctively her hands shielded her chest and the tearing sound registered in her ears. With a cry in her voice she yelled, "Aah! Maan" a dark annoyance flashing her face. She held out her hand to take the tail end of her sari that was still stuck in his hand; his face showing a rude shock, he was still for a bit. Honest to god, he had no interest tearing up her clothes, although if that is what would get them off of her, he really didn't mind at the moment. Despite the momentary transfixion at the smooth expanse of her chest that came into view, he shook out of it soon to compose her.
"It's just a sari...why are you peevish now?" He asked.
"I just liked this sari that's all" she said in a mellow tone. Clutching the length of the sari under her left arm that stuck to her side, she covered herself and examined the torn part.
"You know now that's it's torn and all...I think you should just...you know..." He nodded and grinned at once, like that was supposed to convey his wanton intentions. She was already over the grief of losing a good sari, but then his dismissing the act too soon, further piqued her.
"Oh! Please kuch tho sharam karo aap. I'm not bolting that door mid-day. I have died of embarrassment too many times" she said still nettled and went to get a change of clothes.
"Geet...the options are we are either bolting the door or not...I'm sure they are asleep downstairs" Winking at her he continued as she shot a quick dirty look towards him "Not making love is not an option" He paused to get her attention as she walked away again with her back facing him. Slumping down on the pillow casually, he waited for her. When she didn't turn, he stressed on the high point of the conversation "Soch lo...you are coming home only after TWO WEEKS" He sighed as minutes passed by and he was positive she was already in the process of draping another sari over her.
Although he was egregiously fighting for some passionate and intimate time from her, he was a very content man at the moment. It had been a rewarding day overall. First to find Geet in the safety net of their SF home, albeit she had made the night nothing less than an overdramatic, emotion loaded coast-to-coast trip for him. Of course not to forget that instead of a dreadful, lonesome weekend he had planned to spend at the study of his NY penthouse he was playing a sensual chase with her. The biggest shocker of the day being the return of the prodigal son - Rishabh's coming down from SoCal. While some vessels did fly across the room, there was an attempt made from either side to speak, for which he was indeed thankful to the gods. He wondered how they did it without so much as a phone call in the last 1 month. But then again their relationship must have withered many such bad tempests in the last 9 years, giving them plenty of 1 month bouts as time-outs to get used to. And that much he was sure about their relationship, even if he had not been cognizant of any other detail he ought to have rightfully known being Naini's brother. The duration of 30 days equaled eternity according to him. With her in the picture he was a changed man. He always hated those men in shopping malls, who stood in the corner of the store, clutching their wife's purse or a handbag, while the female would thoughtlessly try out endless additions to her wardrobe. Such pansies, he thought. Well he didn't know if he would ever get to that degree of displaying effeminacy, but he sure did secretly worship the ground she walked on. For now there was nothing that could deter his affections for her.
As she came back like that conversation never happened, he noticed she had taken precautions to cover herself more wholly; like an additional shawl over the back was going to dissuade his pursuing.
"Maan...I do not want to discuss about this...no mature couple discuss about this. Two weeks?" She rolled her eyes as he shifted in the bed extending an arm to reach her, but she eluded him and sat in the far corner of the bed picking up a book and added "So what? Didn't we stay away from each other for that same time right after marriage"
"You foolish woman...it's not the same once you taste sin..." He said, trying to pull up close to her, but she held up a firm hand and pried off his hold.
"Ok...it's your decision. Suffer at your own will" He cupped his palms in air, as if to bless her. Now that the remote was being tossed in his other hand, he stretched his feet on the bed steadying himself with the pillow to his back; he switched on the TV with a sulky pout. A dreadful tone thundered the room while the eerie cello's shrill note increased in loudness and intensity to depict horror.
"It's a horror movie?" she asked with a worried look. He caught on to her fears as she peeped out a crack from above the book, gripping the book to her face, like not having a direct view at the screen, somehow would not scare her.
"I...actually" she wavered at first "When no one is in the house I sleep with the lights on" she looked at him with an anxious gaze.
"Nautanki..." he smiled wryly "You keep whopping my ass all the time...sure as hell you can kick deathly daylights out of any ghost"
Her face contorted in anger as she leaned back and took to the novel right away.
She grew uneasy as she heard the ghostly growls closed down on her ears. Well she could press on him to turn off the television, but that would only lead his attention back to her and so she sighed and gasped at every frightening scream and ghastly howl, putting up with the hair-raising sound. A good five minutes ago, she had been stubborn not to be in the vicinity of his taunting self, but as the sinister tone in the film had picked up, she had unconsciously moved up to him. Being merely inches away from him, she once again could not help catch a glimpse of the gory scene with slits for eyes.
"Maan...I'm scared...can you please?..." She pleaded him as she turned grasping her face was at kissing length for him. Yet he refrained and responded to her with vile innocence.
"Oh! Please it's just a movie" He said as he threw his arm around her shoulders and she adjusted closer. While more time passed and the chalky white faces of the spirits got the whole screen space, she dropped the book and buried her head into his neck.
"It's nothing" He said as he brought his arm around her and held her in an embrace. As the crescendo of the background music played up her overarching emotions, he kissed her forehead. She held onto him and stayed that way as he insisted on finishing up the movie. Just as another scary symphony scaled high, she jerked in his arms, as his hands came to rest around her waist.
She didn't now it was really having tasted sin like he had said, or it was just his fervent touch, but her skin caught on fire upon his intense hold. Because it drowned the screams that were being overemphasized by the home theater, she crept in further.
His hand laced on her back and with a will of its own, his nose traced the scent of her nape. They stayed in that amatory cling for a few minutes as his breaths calmed her chilly frightful skin. Her lips rested by the curve of his shoulder and she shoveled her body against his as he took on her cues and reduced the volume. Kissing her passionately he turned inward to catch her lips and when he did, she shriveled under his crush falling back to pull him by his shirt in that abrupt movement. Even three days away from him was really something for the same kisses came upon zealous and feverish on her. As he slithered on top of her to either kiss her neck or face, his heated passion came alive inside her. The gentle caress and a fiery knead on her waist sent tingles up her skin. Despite the fact it haunted her, she smiled as she realized his devilish plans to continue with the movie. Giving in to his lustful ploy, she whispered, "May be you should get that door..." with a coy smile.
He pulled away briefly and gave out a cheeky grin. It had not been a calculated move beyond question, but then the spook on screen had worked in his favor. Those horror movie date stories were time proven and fool proof after all.
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Cricket
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