Part 113: Treasures...
"I swear Maan...if I get caught in the closet with you one more time...I'm locking you here forever. I just don't understand your fascination with closets and broom cupboards" She struggled to free herself from his crushing hold on her waist and get to the door.
He ignored her comment and nibbled at her neck. When her threats didn't work, she decided to give up on it and turn the tables around by giving a shout to Daadima for help. It was a better cover any day than to be discovered by them while she was stuck with him, engaged in a private moment.
"Daa..." He closed her mouth with his palm and shoved her against the wall.
"Ok...listen. I wasn't holding you here to..." He thought of saying rape, and then caught his slip in time knowing how traumatizing the word was for her "...you know what...I wouldn't be forced to do this, had it not been for those kids sleeping on our bed" At that she couldn't help the chuckle that pushed its way out of her lips. His desperation was peaking like a shaken soda can.
"So there is this 'Movie at The Park' night at Central Park...They are doing it as part of the Safe NY campaign to show people that the attacks haven't changed anything in our lives. I got us two tickets" He took two rolls of paper and unfolded it to fan her face.
"Get sheets, throw in some pillows, don't mind eatables and then we should be ready to go" He took her fisted hand from her side and kissed it one finger at a time to loosen her grip. It always did wonders to her nerves, just as it was doing now.
"I'm not sure Maan...The guests haven't left yet and it's already 4.30 PM..." Her voice was coming in a soothing whisper and that told him the kiss had done the trick. "I don't want to leave Naini and Daadima stuck with the cleanup, in case the help don't do a good job at it"
"I don't believe this...you are denying me for one night of love in the park?"
"What love?...You said it's a Movie night? We are talking about Central Park right?" She looked scared and yet curious. The play of words on his part had been intentional, and he gave her a sly smile.
"What difference does it make?"
"It does Maan...It makes all the difference"
"Common Geet" He sighed exasperated "Our home has turned into a hotel. I don't know how long it's been since it's just the two of us someplace alone...the last being our honeymoon"
She contemplated for a while. His demands were well articulated for one thing and it bowled her over to his side, in no time. "Ok...I'm going to call for additional help from the agency, pay them extra if need be...Happy?" She still sounded sulky, as if she was doing him a favor. But of course the gleam in her betrayed her to him, right then.
"That's more like it"
"But remember...it's a movie night...not whatever you are dreaming it to be" She pushed his hands from her waist and splayed her palms on her sides, looking every bit the lady version of Gengis Khan; although a cuter one at that. The thought brought another wave of bone-tickling laughter and she took that as a failed attempt at conveying she was dead serious.
She fisted her hand into his kurta collar and cornered him; something fell from the overhead storage and hit his good shoulder. She zeroed her eyes on him and ground out her words. His words went up in surrender.
"You better listen to me Maan...I'm so tired of turning red in the cheeks, that it's actually beginning to hurt there...I'm not getting embarrassed anymore in front of anyone Samjhe Aap?"
He slowly covered her fists with his hands and took them down. "Let me take care of that luv" He said, still keeping his calm, despite her outburst. Opening his mouth a little wider than usual, he settled them over her cheek bone, doing those things, she'd exactly warned him about doing in public. However, they were anything but mortifying inside the dark closet as she steeped in sensations that trickled from where his lips suckled on her cheeks...melting her in his arms.
It would be a wonder if any of the remedies he was giving her, would help if she ever knew that Daadima and Naini had been listening in, up until a minute ago and had winked at each other, before they had parted ways.
***
"Remind me again...Why we are doing this?" Naini thrust the pillow and blanked in his hands, as he stood with a puppy dog face outside his own apartment. Naini was up in his face, while Daadima, Meera and Geet were right behind her.
"Because Bhaiya...we have all worked too hard for the last few days that we deserve a night of ladies fun" Naini had assumed the unofficial head of Ladies Kitty party committee and it had been her job to get the men out of the house. Rishabh had run out with a flick of her eyes, although it hadn't been the case with her argumentative brother who just about countered everything she'd said in the last ten minutes.
"But trust me Naini...the last thing Yash needs on the night of his wedding...especially without his bride, is us two tagging along" He shot a pitiful look at Rishabh and Yash, who indeed mirrored his own feelings and still yet had acceded defeat a long time ago.
"Bhaiya...this is not a negotiation. We are keeping Meera company for the night and you men can decide whatever that is you want to do. Topic closed"
Daadima had told everyone that the mahurat for the suhaag raat wasn't until the next night and hence they had decided a night of fun was the best way to go about handling chronically frustrated newlywed couples. But what her Grandson and daughter-in-law didn't know wouldn't hurt them and that was Daadima and Naini giving each other a hi-five as they had passed each other in the hallway.
"Oh! don't end up going to Vegas please...anything but that. And no drinking beyond two rounds and no candies...if you know what I mean" Naini waved her index finger in animation up and down against their faces and snapped her head.
"Uh! Geet thinks it's a bad idea..." Geet blinked, hearing Maan drag her into the coup he was staging and Daadima broke into a smile. The poor thing was pulling all strings against one woman who was ravenously inclined in making sure her brother understood what it meant to get to their better half, when the world was dead against it.
She put her hands on her hip and tapped her foot in still silence that echoed at the entryway. Maan drew on a resigned sigh and retreated to the elevator.
"That's what I thought too..." Naini gave a vain smile and closed the doors down.
***
Geet rolled on her bed...alone. She'd told the woman she had a terrible headache and had come back to her bedroom. However, the lie still didn't help her out of the predicament and it was too late by the time she realized she had herself in a tougher spot by saying so. There was no way, she could face them now and let them know she would rather spend the night with her husband and that fake pounding headache was only a reason to get away from them. Hey! Babaji...She had a frown on her face, given how badly she wanted to go to Central Park. Peeking out the window, she that was it was a clear night and a crescent moon hung out with thousand sparkly stars. It was far beyond perfect and if only she could be out there spotting Polaris with him...She smiled as it occurred to her, he never got tired of helping her way with the stars, even when they both knew she could find it perfectly well without his guidance. Just as she sat, reminiscing their good times in the dim light of the room, her phone rang.
"Meet me at the elevator...If you don't make it tonight...I might even combust into flames" He sounded grouchy.
"Oh! Babaji...Subh subh boloiye Maan..." She retorted, getting to her feet. "Calm down...I will somehow come out" She put the phone down and ran to get a bag ready for their secret night out, without the knowledge that Naini had just crossed her door.
***
Geet craned her neck out of the bedroom and looked both ways, before she set foot into the hallway. Everything was drenched in darkness of the night and she strode towards the main door where Maan was waiting for her. She couldn't hear giggles or chatter coming from Daadima's room from the far end of the hallway, but it also didn't give her much to suspect something was wrong.
She unbolted the door and was about the open the door a crack, when the lights went on in the living room, although not before Maan had stepped in.
Geet dropped the bag and closed her face with her hands. Maan winced. Obviously, it didn't take them long to figure out they had been tricked into desperation to be caught in the setting they had artfully schemed for them.
"Dear God...What can I do with two grandkids who have sneaking, written all over their blood" Daadima walked forward with her hands folded, rolling her eyes and posing a devious smile on her face.
Something took his gaze to the clock and he saw that they were running late. It gave him enough anxiety to confront them.
"Daadima this is unfair...I have never resorted to such means, besides today"
Naini choose to defend Daadima "Yeah! You want me to remind you about the time you were down with fever and cough. Geet comes over for the weekend and because you are sick, I ask her to sleep in the room with Daadima...And what do you know, the next day, she is down with fever too" She sauntered to reach Daadima's side and gave him a haughty look. Rishabh and Yash joined them, tapping Maan's good shoulder one after another. Oddly he couldn't bring himself to believe that the men had been in on it all the while. "You too Brutus" He scowled.
He didn't understand why they were hell bent on proving he was just as normal as other men were and if they expected him to come out with it he wanted to tell them that they were certainly wasting time.
"Daadima...You are..." He started only to be cut off by Naini again.
"And this one time..."
"Daadima...If there is anyone who is sneaky as hell it has to be Naini...She is the queen of it all"
"Bhaiya..." Naini protested, with a tired hand on her belly.
"Accept it baby we all know you are..." Rishabh chimed in.
"You betraying..." She struggled to find a fitting decent cuss and gave up eventually "I only did it because you told me to do so..." Just like that she softened as Rishabh held her cozily. Daadima's attention snapped for the shortest span cast a look at the couple and he had gotten exactly the opportunity he was waiting for.
"I'm sorry...but looks like I have to kidnap my own wife" He took her hand in his and tugged her along as he broke into a run towards the elevator "Why don't we continue this discussion over breakfast tomorrow?" He shouted, turning backwards and disappeared into the elevator with his wife to everyone's mirth.
***
"Babaji...Don't tell me they are going to show that kiss" She leaned back with a hand over her mouth, to fall in line with his shoulder.
They were spread out far from where the other movie crowd was sprawled for the night show. He'd written off a heavy check to the organizers to camp out high on a grass mound, where they had plenty privacy from the circular arrangement of trees there. The sound quality was poor, but they cared not so much for the movie itself as they did for the cause while also getting some alone time had been their objective. Maan hadn't yet strained his neck to peek at the screen, while Geet occasionally did so just to amuse herself.
"Why? Does it still bother you?" He asked lacing his fingers in her hair.
"No...there are small kids there" She smiled at him and turned over to raise herself on her elbows. If only there was a way in the world, he could make her stop caring for others... And the thought had him sighing at end.
She played with his hand resting on his stomach and ran her fingers upwards to his lips.
"So where is Polaris...remind me again" She asked, guiltily hoping he would deny helping her this time. He jerked her back to have her lay on his chest and held her finger up to the skies. She made a few mistakes intentionally and reeled in the warmth that was pooling in her belly with the way he was talking her though. Cozy was what it was, once she nuzzled closed to his body and heard his heart beat in rhythm as that of hers. It made her come alive with a consciousness that blended with his. Somehow they were suddenly growing more astute to each other's thoughts and instincts. Or perhaps, it had happened because the image of the other they'd imposed on their minds had dissolved away with acceptance; that they simply saw each other as they were without superimposing their expectations on the other's actions. In a way, at that precise moment, they were speaking without words; thanking the universe for the life force that had made the moment possible. 'Life' in the worldly sense had come to mean something entirely different to them since the days that had followed that attack and it was only fair they made time to 'live' it.
"What's eating gilbert grape?" He asked when she didn't speak for a long time.
Ignoring his question, she looked down at him drawing herself closer to give him a kiss. Much later, she continued stoking the tip of his ear with her thumb and fore finger.
It was a terrible tickle she gave him doing that "Geet...stop it..." He jammed her hands into his clasps and restrained her. As her hands remained shackled, she tipped her head forward and nibbled at his ear lobe. How terribly sorry he felt for her?
"We have to do something to that mouth of yours..." He got up to pin her down and caught her lower lip in a teasing bite. She yelped and heard another yip in response. Her forehead creased and it sure wasn't him, when he was peering down at her with a devilish smile.
"Did you hear that?" She got up as he moved to sit aside.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, falling back on his pillow.
She stayed absolutely still twisting her head around to listen in for the lone cry and then she heard a shuffle which jerked her about where she was seated.
"Oh! god...I think there is something there..." Maan got up, resting on his elbows again to look in the direction she was pointing at. But when everything was as they were expected, he went back to lying down and dismissed her concerns.
"You are imagini..." Before he could finish his sentence, he heard the same whimper that she had heard before. He got to his feet instantly and carefully approached the bushes with a flash light. He flashed it a couple of times all over and when he couldn't find anything from the standing position, he hunkered down to look under. Geet was right behind him, wary of the possibilities that might attack them.
Maan directed the light down at the lower branches and as they came to the end of the bush they saw something moving there. It looked brown and black and...white...while at the same time Geet's eyes filled with amazement at the tiny bundle that was cuddled there with a very wet mouth.
"Hey! there...little guy" She marched past Maan and grabbed the small abandoned puppy.
"It's a stray Geet...you might want to be careful...the mom might be nearby" He got to his feet as she brought the dog to him, cradled in her arms. He touched its black satin button nose and it tried to lick his finger and yawned a little after.
"Awh!.." She cooed along with it and smoothed its coat. "I think we should adopt it" She said, looking very much like the puppy in her hand.
"We will think about it..." He said, hugging her shoulder and went back to where they were set up for the night. Geet knew what his diplomatic answers meant at times like these and pushed him until she got the verbal assurance she wanted.
"Ok...if it's going to spoil the carpet, you are taking care of it" She cheerily nodded at his approval and jumped to give him a wet kiss, as if the puppy was rubbing off on her.
She played a while with the pup alone and when it had gone long, she nudged him, before he could fall asleep.
"Yes...exactly the reason why I wasn't ok with getting you that pup"
She appeared curious and slid on the ground to lie down on his chest.
"Now there is another male competing for your attention" He said and she gave him a hearty laugh.
"Somebody is jealous...here" She sang in a tune and lifted her head to give him the millionth kiss of the night.
She lay on his shoulder and drank in the serenity of the place. The crickets chirping and the hoots of occasional night owl added to the beauty of the charming night that dazzled her.
"You know I read some place, that people who adopt pets tend to put off having kids until much later" She said unsure. That caught enough of his attention to jerk him to sit up.
"There are two ways to interpret that stat don't you think? It's also possible that people who are having difficulty having kids adopt a pet first and its perhaps they end up having kids later" He pressed her nose with the tip of his finger in a fond gesture.
She thought for a while and shook her head after seconds.
"Want to go for a walk?" He asked sensing the uneasiness in her.
The pup strolled in front as they got down the mound and moved into the trail. He held her around her back and she tucked herself neatly to his side.
"So you still haven't told me...what is eating gilbert grape?" He said, with one hand in a sling and another over her shoulder.
"Josh called me a few days ago and offered me a position. Apparently Meera told him, I was back" He stopped in his tracks as he heard her queasily tell him that she had a job offer from his company.
"And what have you decided?" She turned and came around to face him.
Meeting his eyes she said "I'm not taking it..."
His face was too difficult for her to read then and a moment later a slow proud smile showed up his on face.
"You are happy right?" She asked and he nodded. Given the attack, offices were still setting up in other new locations and looking for resources to fill the staff they had lost, which gave her the confidence that she would find another position soon enough.
"Are you kidding" He realized they were finally aligned with each other's preferences. He then vaguely remembered them having a discourse on couples working in private organizations versus running companies together. Eventually they both knew, Geet would somehow take part in running their family business and he'd decided then that he would wait until she would get interested in it before he would broach the subject again.
"I knew it..." She exclaimed cheerfully "I'm going to wait for another offer to come through...Or I was thinking..." She hesitated "I could take up some of your work for the India office you manage"
He never spoke at moments such as those. He felt words tainted them and in-turn sought more to express his satisfaction physically. And so he did just that and dragged her into a tight hug.
They stood there, holding each other in their arms in the lone trail, occasionally indulging their lips with a kiss. At times, she cringed as it would draw to a close, while at others she took the matters into her own hands, dragging him into yet another start of a kiss. She wished she could see them like that, sort of an out of body experience which she craved for and not just through a picture that she'd to use more often. It was perfect the way they belonged in each other's arms, she reckoned as every curve and swell fell in place to fit tight as a mold, like they was always an invisible force that circled around them, trying to fuse one with the other. Oh! Dear lord...she thought she was going to cry then, when he let go of her lips and wanted to finish their walk.
They walked for some more time with the pup still falling in step with them and reached the water bank. She let a wistful sigh reminding herself of the day, they come to the exact place and their relationship had spun off in a different direction, leading up to the very day.
"Our place" She said, bending to pick a rock and throw it into the water. He came to stand by her, shoving his free hand inside his jean pocket.
"We have a place now?" He asked taunting her.
"Oh! Maan...give up...I know all about you and I'm not falling for that" She inched in to loop her arm around his.
He sat back on a nearby boulder with her beside him.
"Are we done with our queries for the night? If yes then we can head back" He asked bumping her head with his forehead gently.
"I was thinking...maybe we should spend time with each other" She drawled and he guessed what was coming next "...for a couple of years. Just you and me"
He heaved a sigh of relief and looked at her with an acknowledging smile.
"So is that a yes?" She asked and he nodded back, gaining himself a minute long kiss.
"But such things don't always go as planned and I want you to be prepared if incase..." He gazed at her eyes keenly looking for her reaction "you do get pregnant" She nodded shyly for a response and gave him another kiss for being thoughtful of the possibilities that posed them. It didn't surprise her that they breezed through making decisions for the topics that was most difficult to most couples. Lord! They were almost living the cliche...of being just perfect for each other.
They sat there for another half hour talking about aimless subjects, such as Naini's trip back home and their next visit to India and also about their plans for the next two weeks for which period he was off from work.
"I want us to do something we haven't done so far..." She spoke while she rested her head on his shoulder.
He was silent for a while, throwing pebbles at the still waters. And then broke into a knowing smile while he took his phone to call someone.
No one picked up and so he went on to leave a voice message. He sounded ecstatic at best.
"Nadiya darling...This is MK...I need a truckload of your best...I will pick it up in two days, Bill it to the usual card. Call me back once you have the order confirmed" He hung up and gave her his brightest smile.
Her forehead puckered as she heard him refer to another woman with an endearment he had never used for her before. Almost when she was about to prod him on that subject, he addressed her, dragging her back to the trail.
"Before you say anything, you should know she is a 65 year old beauty" That still didn't help with grasping his call and so maintained the stirred look on her face.
"Do you remember the last time we celebrated my birthday, we went to this old breakfast place and you grilled me with a thousand questions?" He asked her waiting to pounce on him any minute, catching his drift.
"Yes" She was still miffed with him. He didn't continue immediately and waited until they got back to the side of the park, they had camped. The movie was still on and they climbed the mound back, with the puppy following them close.
"You asked me for a secret..." That is all he had to give away, he was certain that much and waited for her to scream with realization. He watched her look up in confusion and then her stiffness withered. He expected her to shout and jump up in joy, but instead she halted and threw herself into a hug.
"Really?" She was crying and it puzzled him "You would take me out with you to deliver flowers..."
"Of course...what's wrong with you?" He said, rubbing her back to soothe her down.
She didn't know if he was acting up coolly to show off it wasn't a big deal. But it was something they had never talked about ever since the day and she'd understood that there were parts of his life, he didn't involve others. And here she was being ushered into his next inner circle...It was the single most important proof her relationship with him went beyond his usual barriers he carried with others. This wasn't just an invitation, but another form of acceptance she'd gained. She crushed him to her body even as she ignoring the sound of him wincing.
"Geet...I know exactly what you are going through..." He said and she moved back to wipe the tears off her cheek. They sat down on the ground and he lay down with her atop him, comfortably nestling her head in the crook of his good shoulder.
"What is it?"
"So I met this girl 8 or 9 months ago and she explained to me what the symptoms are like..." This was piquing her interest further and she raised her head to look back at him.
"Seemingly, there are usually tears when it comes to females...and of course the warmth that puddles in your belly...something inexplicable is what she described it as...and that it can only be felt not explained...and she went on and on..."
She was hitting him, with gentle fists.
"Say it...Damn it..." He choked out as he raised his arms to shield himself from her feather light punches. It was the first time he'd wanted her to express her feeling in words. Not that she had ever done it for it was more like she was the only one who did it often. And it was certainly not the same as being asked for it, which had her eyes go moist all over again.
She shifted onto her elbows and dipped her head down to whisper it to him...
"Hot chocolate..." She said sealing that moment with a deepening kiss...as it made its way to be treasures of memories in the making.
-- THE END --
Well that was the 'last' of NY times folks. As I have already clubbed most of the closures I wanted to give in the epilogue into the last few parts, there will be no epilogue.
Edited by 6thElement - 13 years ago
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