FF~Trespassers Prohibited~#2;Upd.49,50 - 120,121 - Page 23

He lay yet another condition for having soup and that was -- if she fed him with her hands, only then will he have it……..and in his support, he gave an argument that he was very ill and hence very weak. He also made a pitiable face with this demand from him making her giggle…….

She found him too adorable doing this.

She agreed after laying down her own condition that -- in that case they won't kiss for another 3-4 days as he was very ill and weak and weak people should not exert…..they should take rest.

Within a moment, he took the soup bowl from her and declared that he would have it on his own and she sniggered with glee……..she laughed and laughed at the way he stared frowning at her.

Her beautiful laughter spread in the room and he felt as if everything fell into place by itself, making him and his room complete.

After a few moments of troubling him…..she sniffed and pouted and took the bowl from his hand and fed him with her hands.

The first half of the bowl was finished uneventfully and fun-filled, with them joking and talking about lots of things but slowly, his gaze became fixed on a single curl of hair coming to her face as she tried to jerk it away twice by moving her neck and turning her head. Both of her hands were busy as she had the soup bowl and the spoon so she could not remove it with her hands. That curl came down in the front again and again due to air and lay leisurely on her cheeks and swayed between her nose and her cheek. She even blew air between her lips to blow it away but got frustrated when the naughty curl came back.

He enjoyed the way she tried to get rid of this disturbance but she couldn't understand the secret behind his sly smile.

She raised her brows to ask him about what happened….. simultaneously tilting her head once again to remove that silly curl.

He nodded in refusal and slowly raised his hand to take that curl in between his fingers. This unexpected maneuver made her shudder and she became increasingly aware of their proximity……..she was sitting on his bed in his room and they were together at late hours of the night. She lowered her eyelids in nervousness.

He wrapped that curl around his index finger and touched her cheek with back of his 3 fingers. The smooth skin on her cheeks was satin at touch and he felt enthralled at the softness that his fingers met with…..

Even she couldn't decipher the sensations flitting inside her….she was nervous but also liked his touch……she wanted to get up and go out but at the same time she felt like sliding in his arms……she did neither and kept sitting where she was.

Her lowered gaze was fixed to the empty soup bowl and his own intense gaze was fixed on her…..

From the cheek, his fingers moved to her ear and softly touched it while tucking back the curl wrapped in his finger and taking away his hand back to himself abruptly, while he smiled looking at her nervous face.

"Waiting for something?" he asked casually.

She was dazed at the sudden ending of the moment and took a second to absorb what he said. Almost simultaneously, she lifted her gaze and found him smiling with a typical teasing look in his eyes.

"You…………" she fumbled and spoke slowly thinking of next few words……as she tried to re-compose herself while shunning the embarrassment away.

"You?...what?"

"You're a jerk……..really……" She spoke blushing with a subtle smile and got up to go to the kitchen and he held her wrist making her stop back. He was sitting and their hands stretched between them as she stood still with her wrist in his soft yet firm grip.

She didn't expect it and casually whispered, pleading, without looking at him, "Leave me Shaan……...let me go, please."

He narrowed his brows for a typical frown in a naughty manner and smiled leaving her immediately. He left her wrist, brought his hand back to himself and folded it across is chest, observing her carefully, tilting his head to one side.

She was shocked at this demeanour as she had expected a mild tussle between them, with him pulling her back but here she stood with her hand in air and with a major surprise on her face.

She turned back and kept the soup bowl on the side table with a bang. Narrowing her eyes at him, she sat back beside him with a finger pointed towards him and fury on her face.

"Why did you leave me?" she was furious.

"You asked me to leave you….…" he shrugged and spoke casually.

"I say that always…………. but you never leave me."

"I thought that you wanted to go….."

"Oh really? Don't assume things."

"You mean to say that you said it just like that and actually you didn't want me to leave you………..right?"

"Yes, of course…..."

"Gosh ! How impossible you girls are?……you say something and want something else. Now, you didn't want me to leave you then why did you say that I should leave you?"

She shrugged slightly, "Just like that………but I'm really shocked now………I really didn't expect that you will leave so easily……...I think that you don't love me anymore."

"This inference is so ridiculous……" he smirked at that.

"Don't laugh at it………I know you don't love me that much now."

"Khanak, just shut up…..." His husky baritone didn't affect her. She kept sitting in front of him and leaned forwards accusing him. He clearly enjoyed her unreasonable behaviour and tried not to snigger.

"My college friends were right when they gossiped about their boyfriends……..they always said that never let your boyfriend touch you or he will get bored of you soon….

Isn't that happening??" she spoke in a flow but with a typical, sad, girly expression.

"Are you going to shut up or not?" he warned her again.

"No…………….I won't …….." she fumed challenging him.

He held her wrist once again and slowly exerted a pull to bring her towards him and wrapped his arms around her, "Now, I won't leave you, no matter how much you plead….." he spoke in the huskiest of his tone looking at her face.

She became confused and realized what she had got herself into. Smiling nervously, she tried to get up, "No……you can't be serious."

"I am sweetie………very serious." and with this he kissed her cheek.

She froze and squirmed……forgot everything and found herself trapped in his arms. She tried to move away but failed.

"Leave me Shaan……….let me go." She whispered.

"Just now you said that when you say this………you don't mean it." He grinned and kissed her forehead.

"I keep blabbering, non stop……..nonsense…….let me go." She pleaded using her eyes and eyebrows.

"No way……." He whispered back and slowly kissed her ear lobe followed by her neck.

"Shaan……….don't do it….." she gulped hard.

"Didn't you just say…….that I shouldn't be listening to these pleadings from you?"

"Gosh………I'm such an idiot…..so silly……." she whispered while his hands held her carefully and gently, not hurting her…..not leaving her either.

"Dare if you say something to my girlfriend…...only I can say that…….you silly cat…."

She blushed and ran her fingers in his hair as she waited for him and he bent his neck to explore the corners of her mouth before kissing her passionately.

………………………………………………………………………..

"Do you know how much of self control it takes to stop at just kissing?"

He asked her while she did the dishes in the kitchen and he sat at the slab observing her. She had strictly asked him not to wet his hands and stay away from water so he chose to simply sit near her.

She bit on her lower lip while she blushed hard.

"I know that……..."

"Khanak…………… I want to make love to you."

"What?" She froze where she was and left the dishes immediately at this sentence … …. slowly she turned to look at him with a very confused, strange, worried, nervous expression.

"Not now silly………don't become jumpy………...I just spoke what I felt like..……" he grinned at her expressions and his own stupid quote making her nervous.

She sighed relief and returned to do the dishes.

"By the way………let me tell you that it is normal to think like that."

"I know……don't justify yourself. I would be worried if you didn't think like that, after days of spending time with me…….."

"And years of waiting…….."

"Yup………years of waiting………"

"Don't you feel like that?"

"I don't know………maybe………. sometimes I imagine it, it thrills me……"

He jumped off the slab and came to stand behind her till she became aware of his presence just at a hand's distance. Softly, he whispered from behind her shoulder, "If I ask you to do it?"…..He came closer and put the finger tips of his first 2 fingers of his right hand on her shoulder. He walked the fingers down her shoulder to her arm, forearm and hand, sending shudders to her.

She continued with her work, "You don't have to ask or say anything….all you need to do is 'not stop' when we kiss. Have you noticed how lost I become?……and it has always been 'you' who stopped us...I respect you for that."

"And someday if I lose my self-control, will you stop respecting me?"

"No."

"Do you mean to say……our relationship won't be affected….. right?

She nodded in affirmation.

He slowly turned her to face him with one hand. She left the dishes and dried her hands. As she turned, she almost collided with him as he stood leaning with his other hand on the slab behind her. He observed her as she lifted her lowered lids and looked at his eyes warmly while his eyes wandered on her face gathering expressions of faith and security.

"What? …………….What are you looking at ?" She asked.

"You trust me so much?"

"Did you have any doubts?"

"Not exactly………but never knew that it is to this extent……"

"I have a simple concept. I take it like this – Intimacy, for me, is simply the physical expression of love that you feel for someone………sleeping together is no big deal if there is mutual trust…….personally, speaking for myself, I don't think it is right before marriage……… just because marriage is a valid license that our society gives to physical intimacy……and it is in our culture to respect traditions and our parents. That's it ……. Otherwise, marriage doesn't guarantee love……… and sleeping together before marriage doesn't mean much if the love and trust is mutual and strong……."

"I'm impressed….."

"Talking about us……. we've known each other for years……...we spend everyday, every moment with each other.…..and……… we have been sensible as far as possible till now.and will remain so……….. but if tomorrow, something like that happens, we'll go ahead and get married which we were going to do, in any case."

"If you think like that, when I asked you to stay with me……why were you so adamant against it?"

"The same reason……..the society, culture and parents…….nobody will ever approve of such an arrangement……otherwise, I feel living with someone you love is much better than marrying someone you don't love…….but everyone doesn't think like me……our society especially……..."

"You care for me more than everybody else……" he bent forwards and nuzzled in her hair, "you came here last night though you don't believe in staying together."

"I believe in 'you'……… I can't leave you alone when you are unwell, just because other people don't approve of it."

"You know what I love about us……..we can talk about anything under the sun."

She played with his hair running her fingers between them, "and speak anything without caring what the other will think…..."

"Hmm……..you are right……"he whispered nuzzling near her ear, "Sweetheart……"

"Hmm……"

"I think, it's high time we tell our parents that we are ready to take our relationship to the next level." He spoke raising himself and looking at her eyes.

Each and every pore……every cell in her body did a jig when she imagined getting married to him………..to the man she had loved more than anything else…….the man she had loved since she was a teenager……….the man who knocked into every dream of hers… …..about whom she thought of, when fantasizing love stories………. and wanted to spend each waking moment with him………...sleep every night with him………. wake up in the mornings with him and wanted to share everything she had with him…..

She lowered her head to rest her forehead on his chest, blushing enormously. He took his hand to touch the back of her head affectionately.

"Are you all set to marry me ?"

"Yes…….……what about you?" she whispered from her hiding space.

"I'm dying to..."

……………………………………………………………………...

It was 4.00 am in the morning.

Khanak woke up and sat on the couch where she was sleeping. Slowly, she stepped out and searched for her slippers in the dark moving her feet on the cold ground.

Not making any sound, she smoothly walked towards the bed where Shantanu was sleeping on the side where the side table had her picture framed and a small lamp placed immediately behind it.

She warmed her palms by rubbing them with each other so that she doesn't startle him with her cold hands. After checking on her own cheek that her hands were warm enough, she bent down and slowly placed a hand on his cheek first and then on his forehead. The fever was still present and it made her really nervous.

She kneeled down beside him and took his warm hand in her own. Not knowing exactly what to do, as she did not want to disturb his sleep, she just lay her head on the bed and settled on the floor to sit with legs folded.

She kept sitting there for an hour thinking about him and how he had always been there whether or not she had needed him. And he had been so careless about his own health. She cursed herself for not taking him to a clinic in the evening itself and felt responsible for the increase in his fever.

Tears escaped her eyes when she looked at him and dreaded the worsening of his condition.

I hope he recovers soon ! I just can't see him like this…….don't worry Khanak, it's a simple viral fever….it will come down in max. 3 days……no need to worry so much !

After a few minutes of self talk, she consoled herself that it was just a viral fever and would come down after a day or two of medication.

She still had his hand in her own which she clutched tightly. He was about to turn sides when he felt little tear droplets on his hand and woke up to hear her sob.

Slowly turning to face her, he pulled his hand which was gripped tightly in her hand and took her hand to his cheek and slightly stroked her hand on his cheek.

Softly, he whispered, "I know you are worried……….but crying won't help. Don't worry, I'm fine."

She wiped her tears not wanting to worry him for her and kneeled again. Taking her other hand in his hair and moving her fingers in his hair caressing his forehead, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Much better…."

"Do you want to have something?...eat something….."

"No……I have severe headache."

"It will come down." and she pressed his forehead with her palms, slowly raising herself to sit beside his pillow.

On an impulse, he lifted his head and put it in her lap. She kept pressing his forehead and he closed his eyes. In a few moments he was asleep again. He appeared tired and stressed and she sat for a long time with his head in her lap.

At about 7.00 am, she picked up her phone and messaged Samir to come to Shaan's apartment. Samir reached there within half an hour and by the time Shaan woke up, they were ready to take him to the doctor.

The physician in the nearby polyclinic prescribed him antipyretics, antibiotics and a few other medications and by lunch, Shantanu's fever had come down but he still felt weak and tired.

They were back to his home and Khanak cooked food for Samir and herself and 'khichri' for Shaan. Shaan made a really sorry face on looking at his share of meal but finally ate it after loads of cajoling from Khanak.

All three of them sat together in his room for a long time talking about their office and lots of other things that were common to them and now Shaan was feeling much better. He reclined on his bed while she sat beside him.

"Khanak, I hope you are staying back….…." Samir asked. He was sitting on the couch.

Khanak looked at Shaan and blinked very slowly as if using her eyes to assure him that she will be there with him.

"Of course !" she said softly, still looking at Shaan, "at least for another 2 days, till he recovers."

"Even if you want to stay beyond that, I don't mind it……" Shaan spoke flirtatiously.

"We'll think about that………again…….." she murmured while moving her eyebrows mysteriously and tilting her head affectionately.

"Hey, you two……don't forget that I am still sitting here….." Samir chided them indulgingly.

"Thank God, Khanak came here last night……" Shaan said taking her hand in his own.

"You were really lucky…." added Samir, while getting up from the couch to go.

"Samir, stay for dinner." asked Khanak.

"No thanks dear…..……I really don't want to bother you. You take care of him."

"Thanks buddy……for asking her to take care of me. She forgets that part and just cries……"

"No……that's wrong……when did I cry?" she turned to him and protested.

"This morning sweetie……you scared me…." He looked at her, "I've told you before that your crying scares me….."

"Shaan, I have a reputation……don't spoil it in front of Samir." She muttered slowly under her breath, slightly narrowing her eyes.

"Okay…….okay……take it easy, both of you……...I am leaving……..you guys can continue fighting later," said Samir laughing at their sweet little quarrel.

They joined him as he laughed and Khanak was embarrassed.

They were still laughing at the way he said this when Shaan received a call at his Iphone. The phone was kept at the table and was near to Samir and Samir picked the phone to give it to Shaan.

Shaan took it and talked, "Hey, bro……."

"Shaan, how are you?" Akshay spoke casually.

"I'm……..I'm fine……" replied Shaan, wondering if Akshay knew that he was unwell. He looked at Khanak who signaled in a 'no' and told him that she did not speak to Akshay. Shaan was relieved that Akshay was asking this generally.

"Good……and how's your work going on?"

"Everything is fine, bro…….sorry I didn't call for past few days…….was a bit busy."

"I understand……..it's okay. I just called to tell you that mom and dad are coming to Mumbai for a function to attend."

"Mom and dad?? When?" he asked completely shocked.

"They started by the 4.00 pm flight. You know mom…….how she is? She wanted to give you a surprise visit but I thought that it is Saturday and you might be with Khanak so this is an alert message."

"Thanks bro………you are such a life-saver. Yeah, you were right, Khanak is with me."

"I happened to talk to Jai yesterday and it seems he spoke with Khanak. Even, I think Shaan that you should not tell anyone about it right now."

"Bro……I couldn't talk to Jai……what happened? Will anyone tell me? Why are both of you suggesting that we should keep it a secret…….I really don't understand."

Khanak looked at his face while he talked to Akshay and tried to understand the talk from one side of the conversation. She started becoming anxious and clutched his hand which was still holding hers.

Samir sat back on the couch, waiting for the conversation to end and he had realized this much that Shaan's parents were coming to Mumbai and that meant Khanak had to leave.

Shaan was busy on the phone asking Akshay to spill out the details but Akshay was not prepared for this.

"Shaan, you'll get to know everything when you come here but presently, just stay quiet and see to it that mom and dad's visit is pleasant. They will reach Mumbai in the evening and will go the venue directly for the function for which they are coming. They had planned for a surprise visit to your house at night. They'll stay for the night and will come back by the morning flight."

"Alright, don't worry………."

"Take care Shaan…."

"You too……"

He disconnected the call and twitched his lips banging the phone on his palm.

Both Samir and Khanak looked at his face, waiting for him to speak something. When he didn't……..for a few seconds…..Khanak broke the silence, "I think uncle and aunty are coming to Mumbai…….am I right?"

"Yeah…….." he nodded slightly and pressed his lips in frustration.

She understood his frustration and stroked his hand, "You should feel good about it. The best thing you can think about, when you are unwell, is to have your parents around you. I am so happy that aunty will be there with you."

He held her hand firmly and rotated the ring in her finger that he had given her and looked at her face……. she smiled. He didn't speak anything but left a small breath of air.

Samir asked, "What time are they reaching?"

"They started at 4.00 pm……"

"They will take at least 3 hours to reach here." Samir calculated.

"I think I should make a move….." said Khanak slightly worried, but Shaan did not leave her hand.

"They will go directly to some function first and reach her at night…." He voiced his opinion not wanting her to leave.

"But there is every possibility that they come before going for the function. I think we should not take risks."

"Even I think that Khanak is right," said Samir, "I'll stay with you till your parents arrive. Khanak, just be here for a while, I need to pick up some stuff from the market. I'll be back in an hour and then you can go home and relax."

Samir got up and left the room and Khanak went out to see him off. When she came back, Shantanu was in the washroom.

She took out her bag and stuffed her articles in it……slowly, one by one as if it was the toughest task to perform. She tried to be happy and relaxed, hiding her feelings as she didn't want to show it to him that she was upset.

She didn't want to leave him, especially when he had fever. She wanted to sit with him… press his forehead to ward off his headache…… pat his head when he slept peacefully in her lap………make soup for him and coax him to have 'khichri' which he did not like at all……she loved pampering him…..

Now, she felt heavy hearted having to leave him like that……though she knew that he would be well taken care of…….after all his mom was coming and no one could take of a person better than his own mom……but still it was not relieving her anxiety.

Lost in her own thoughts she didn't realize that he had come out of the washroom and came to stand near her as she was neatly folding her clothes taking time while thinking.

He came to stand immediately next to her and she realized it only after a while. The moment she sensed his presence, she stiffened as tears had welled in her eyes and she didn't want him to see them. She left her skirt that she was folding on the bed.

"Mom and dad will leave tomorrow morning. Will you come after that?" he asked innocently……so softly…….. that it spread on her heart as a dark chocolate syrup on a cake.

She turned to look at him for a few moments and then returned to pick her skirt but this time, she didn't fold it….. just rolled it in a ball and stuffed inside her bag, "They don't know that you are unwell. Their tickets are for tomorrow morning but I don't think they will go back once they see you like this. No parents can………" she spoke slowly.

"I think you are right……especially mom." He said thinking about it and became worried.

Once again, she turned to face him and came closer keeping his hands on his chest, her throat was choked and she spoke in low voice, "I know that there is nothing to worry about and your parents and Samir will take good care of you but how will I sit relaxed without meeting you? I will be damn worried."

She looked at him with questioning eyes and wondered why she even said that when she had just planned that she won't let him know that she was worried.

He smiled affectionately and raised his hands to set straight the strands of hair that flew over her face. His warm smile and the dimple over it…..coupled with slow blink of his eyelids making his long eyelashes touch his cheeks made her heart feel like a jelly. The uptwist of his soft lips and his warm breath on her face made her want him. She knew that he cared for her more than anything in this world……..more than himself….. he couldn't see her worried.

Though he didn't speak anything, his expressions told her that she need not worry for him and he'll be fine.

"I'll miss you Shaan……." She came still closer and whispered looking at his face.

"And I'll miss your constant chattering….." he whispered back.

"You jerk…." She took her hands from his chest to his shoulders and dig her fingers in his soft T-shirt there, clutching it tightly and tip-toed looking intensely at his lips and kissed him.

He was surprised at this initiative but became too engrossed in her to think more and it turned out to be a deep passionate kiss.

…...…………………………………………….

By the time, Khanak was ready to leave, the effect of drugs had started waning and Shaan was feeling warm again. Khanak gave him his next scheduled dose of medication and became anxious. He sat reclined on his bed and she sat on the same side of the bed, facing him, with worried expressions.

"Shaan………." The desperation was clearly written on her face.

"I'm fine sweetheart……..…don't behave as if I'm on death bed…..….."

"Ssshhh………" she got annoyed and whacked his arm.

"Viral fever takes time…..you don't have to worry so much." He said very calmly.

"I don't want to go." She took his hand in hers and he played with her fingers as always...

running his thumb and index finger along the length of her fingers in form of a loop. Finally, he intertwined his fingers with hers and held her hand tightly. She responded back to this grip.

"Alright………don't go. We'll tell them about us. I am really not bothered………they have to know some day."

She thought for a moment and became sad once again, "If Jai has asked us to keep quiet, he must have thought something about it and now, even Akshay bhaiya is saying the same."

"Khanak, I don't know what is going on there, but I really want to know…….."he spoke worried.

"Ssshhh," she signaled with her finger and smiled, "we'll get time for that. Don't stress yourself right now. Promise me you'll not behave carelessly, as you always do."

"Hmm……..I won't take care……...at all………...better you be here with me….." he spoke like a kid.

"I wish I could," she pressed her fingers to tighten the grip as their hands were still locked together.

The door bell rang.

"It must be Samir….." she said and got up but he did not leave her hand. She smiled at him indulgingly and requested, "Let me go……please."

He smiled back…..his most warm endearing smile, "really? ……or you are just saying like that?"

"Serious-wala 'let me go'………really….."

"No………I have become used to you."

"Shaan………..please. He must be waiting at the door. What will he think about us?"

"Let him think…….let everybody know…...I'm not bothered……. I want to tell everybody……………that I just love you."

She leaned forwards and kissed him on his forehead, "I love you too…….and we'll surely tell everyone…………after some time…..…can I go now?"

"Give me another peck here," he pouted his lips and blinked.

"You have become so greedy…….." she complained but obliged him, "Happy?...now leave my hand……"

He released her from his grip and she swiftly sprinted towards the exit, leaving a whiff of her fragrance behind her which he wanted to save and savor…...for hours !!

…………………………………………………………………………….