As Jai struggled to dry Bani's hair, she kept warbling the same old Hindi song…..and amused Jai a lot! "Bani, please seedhi leti raho, mein kaise tumhare baalon ko dry karoon?" commented Jai as he held Bani gently but firmly with one arm and dried her hair with the other hand. "Mr. Walia….aapko pata hai, jab mein chotti thi aur baarish mein bheeg kar ghar aati thi, toh Ma, towel se mere baalon ko sukhathi the…." Bani said, half asleep, but very clearly. Jai stopped for a moment and involuntarily his eyes moistened as he looked at the fragile and petite figure huddled on the bed, in a semi-conscious condition! Jai kept quiet and finished drying her hair and wondered how to get Bani change her wet clothes as the Central Air-conditioning in the room was making her shiver already.
As he decided to go out and check if Rano is around, Bani jerked him out of the blue by his hand and he almost fell on top of her but with as a quick reaction he put both his hands in either side of Bani's shoulders and kept himself from falling right over her and remarked in a shocked manner, "BANI….BANI…Yeh kya kar rahi ho, mein tum par gir jaata toh? Ab meri gardan chodo Bani, mujhe sprain ho jaayega….Bani, are you listening?" Bani opened her eyes and smiled in a lost manner and replied back, "Mr. Walia…mujhe aapka yeh cologne bahut accha lagta hai…aapko pata hai, aap jab kamre mein nahin bhi hote, toh bhi aapki khusbu ko mein mehsoos kar sakti hoon."
Jai was embarrassed yet pleased as he struggled to let go of himself by Bani, but she had held him very tightly across his neck and he was almost breathing down on her. "Very nice, thank you for the compliment Bani. Mein tumhein woh cologne tumhare birthday par gift kar doonga. Ab aap mujhe chodengi? Please…" said a bemused Jai in his typical sarcastic manner, but Bani was unrelenting and replied back, "Mujhe cologne nahin chahiye apne Birthday par….mein aapko bataoon ki mujhe kya chahiye?" asked Bani, smiling and rambling. Jai continued staring at Bani, from the awkward position he was in and almost whispered into her ears, "Please rehno do….agar tum nein bata diya ki tumhein kya chahiye, toh shayad ab mein apne par kaboo nahin kar paooga…Tum please mujhe chod do, and seriously my neck is straining Bani."
Bani loosened her grip on Jai and as her hands slid down his shoulders slowly, Jai couldn't help taking in the faint smell of Cardamom mingled with Cool Water from Davidoff (which he had gifted only yesterday to Bani) that intoxicated his senses and he kept staring at Bani and thought to himself how beautiful she looked, drenched in water, her face clear of any artificial make-up and only a red bindi to adorn her perfect Indian face. "Tum bahut khoobsurat ho Bani….have I ever told you that before?" whispered Jai slowly as he kept staring at Bani, who was trying hard not to shut her eyes but wasn't able to focus very clearly on Jai.
As Jai took a deep sigh and very determinedly tried to pull himself up letting go of his hands, all of a sudden, Bani suddenly pulled him back to herself again, shocking him and this time Jai's face hit Bani's with a gentle thud and Bani giggled like a teenager and then suddenly in a change of tone said gently, quietly & in all seriousness said, "Can I kiss you Mr. Walia?" Jai did not know what hit him more, the edge of Bani's petite nose or what he just heard from his wife. "WHAT? Kya kaha tumnein?" Bani smiled and as she repeated, "Kya mein aapko sirf ek baar kiss kar sakti hoon? Please…." Jai did not know whether to laugh or to cry or to just faint out of embarrassment or to just grab her and give her a peck on her lips…..he just kept quiet as Bani continued, "Yahi mera Birthday gift hoga, Mr. Walia…."
Jai just kept staring at Bani and went under an emotional turmoil as he thought, "No…No…No…Jai, this is so wrong, she is not even aware what she is talking about….but then, don't people always say the truth when they are drunk…No, I can't take advantage of the situation, she is so innocent….But what harm can just one Kiss do? But it might not just stop at the Kiss….or maybe I should just let her Kiss me once and then spend the night in the Study….." Jai looked very disgruntled & anguished as he underwent his mental struggle and then with a final determination thought, "No…This is wrong, I can't do this to Bani…She is not conscious and has no idea what she is blurting. Let me just go and find Rano and she can spend the night with Bani here…"
Jai pulled himself away from Bani, with a heavy heart as she kept looking at him with a wistful look in her eyes and he said, "Sone ki koshish karo Bani…mein Rano ko dhoond kar laat hoon…aur please phir se baarish mein jaakar naachna mat shuru kar dena…Pneumonia ho jaaega." Jai laughed gently as he patted Bani affectionately on his head and got up to proceed out of his room.
"Jai…I love you." Jai stood frozen near the door and for a moment he didn't know whether he was dreaming or what he just heard was reality. Jai slowly turned back to see Bani still lying on the bed, turned slightly to his side and for a moment, Jai could swear that Bani was completely conscious and very much aware of what she was saying. Jai kept standing still as he and Bani looked at one another…..Jai slowly inched his way towards Bani from his side of the Bed and placed himself besides her and very softly untangled the strewn bits of hair on her forehead and kept looking at Bani with all the love and passion that he had submerged in his heart for so many days. Bani did not have to jerk him towards him this time, as she gently held him by his shoulders and as if in a trance, Jai closed his eyes and again the faint and mesmerizing smell of Cardamom and Cool Water filled his senses as he closed near Bani…
"A very good morning darling." Bani was suffering from a splitting headache as she tried to shield herself from the blinding rays of the morning Sun which hit her eyes, making her head spin. As Bani covered her eyes from the filtering light in the room, she turned to see Jai entered the room with two steaming cups of Coffee looking extremely cheerful and jovial. Bani did not reply back but just kept staring at Jai who happily perched himself near Bani and almost forced one Cup in her hand as she continued to stare at him dazed. Jai had a very romantic look in his eyes as he smiled impishly and coming very near to a scandalized Bani whispered softly into her ears, "Ab kaisa lag raha hai, Honey?"
Bani almost spilled the Coffee and jerked herself back as she wondered if Mr. Walia has had his Gin and Vodka in the morning itself. "Mr. Walia…aap kaisi baatein kar rahein hai?" said Bani half scared and moving away from Jai who had by then, held Bani by her shoulders and was extremely near to her face and again in the same seductive tone continued, "Arre Bani tumhein kya hogaya? Mujh se itna door kyon jaa rahi ho? Kal raat ko to….."
Bani placed the cup of Coffee on the bed and suddenly all that transpired last night in the restaurant hit her senses as she looked terrified and looked at Jai, who was all mushy and lovey-dovey, "Kal raat ko? Kal raat ko kya hua Mr. Walia? Aur yeh, mere kapde…meine toh saadi pehni thi?" Jai again smiled shyly and helped the Cup of Coffee in Bani's hands again as he said sweetly, "Ab Kal raat ki baat mat poocho Bani…..kahan se shuru karoon…..Aur yeh kapde, tumhein KUCH BHI YAAD NAHIN." Jai asked looking a little hurt and very innocently.
Bani was now desperate with anxiety and fear and as she smarted under tears forming in her eyes, shivered and looked at Jai and said, "Please mujhe bataiye Mr. Walia, kal raat ko kya hua…." Jai now looked geniunly bewildered and replied back with the same innocence, "Ab….mein kya bataoon tumhein Bani….vahi hua jo ek pati aur patni ke beech hota hai….tum nein galti se meri Vodka ko paani samajh kar pi liya tha aur phir bahut mushkil se mein tumhein ghar laaya….aur hum dono baarish mein bheeg gaye….aur phir, tumnein mujhe se poocha ki kya tum mujhe kiss kar sakti ho…mein tumhein samajhane ki bahut koshishi ki, magar Vodka ka asar kuch zyada hi sar chad kar bol raha tha….aur phir mein bhi apne aap ko nahin rok saka….."
Bani kept the cup of Coffee back on the bed and broke down crying like a child as Jai held her again and very concernedly asked her, "Kya hua Bani? Ro kyon rahi ho? Arre, toh kya hua agar hamare beech ke saari dooriyan mit gayi toh? Tum meri patni ho, humnein bakayda shaadi ki hai….Tum ro kyon rahi ho?"
Bani shrugged off Jai and looked back at him tearfully and said between her sobs, "Mujhe bhi pata hai ki mein aapki Patni hoon aur humnein shaadi ki hai, magar kya shaadi ka matlab sirf yahi hota hai…..mein nahin chahti thi ki aisa ho….is tarah se ho….Aapne mujhe roka kyon nahin, Mr. Walia." Bani continued sobbing restlessly as she could not attempt to digest what Jai had just told her and covering her hands with her palms kept crying.
"Didi, aapki tabiyat ab kaisi hai?" Bani looked up tearfully and saw Rano entering the room with Tony in tow carrying some Vodka with him, surprising Bani a lot. Jai had by then climbed out of the bed and was going through some files on his Study Table. "Didi, kal aap bilkul behoshi ki haalat mein thi aur poori tarah bheegi hui, Mr. Walia ne mujhe aakar jagaya aur phir badi mushkil se meine aapke kapde change kiye….Aapko yaad bhi hai, ki mein aapke saath poori raat yahan thi….Mr. Walia ko kal ki raat Study mein bitani padi."
As Jai very seriously went through his file work, Tony placed the Vodka Bottle on the Table and Jai in a mock serious tone announced to him, "Tony, aaj se Bani Madam ko roz subah Chai ke jagah Vodka serve honi chahiye….Aajkal inke yahi shaq hain, right Bani?"
As a bewildered Rano and Tony stared at Jai, Bani blushed crimson and burst out laughing as Jai also joined her in laughing out loud….
Hope you guys liked the short story, no great guns, but I wanted to pen something silly and funny to cheer you all up...I hope my effort went that way!😃
Lots of Love to all of you here,
MT
PS: The first and second part of the Fan-Fic are linked below for your reference!
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/kasamh-se/299682/fan-fic-is-raat-ki-subah-nahin (Part 1)
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/kasamh-se/300457/fan-fic-2-is-raat-ki-subah-nahin-upd (Part 2)
Jhanak
Udne Ki Aasha
