"Yeh kia keh dia Ratan ne?"
She looked at her husband, who was rolling on the floor,exhilarated by one of his cheeky jokes yet again. Diya neither found his joke funny, nor did she laugh once with him over his "joking demand "and her own reaction to it. He had burst into laughter because of the look of absolute panic on her face...but it was not panic that she had felt. She had felt as if her heart had stopped beating altogether!! Yes, she was shell shocked to hear that even in a joking way, he was thinking of her to kiss him.
Kiss him... It was true that he was her friend...her best friend actually. She had trusted him with her life...and they had shared an amazing camaraderie in the past couple of days.
Ratan had finally stood up from the floor, but laughter still threatened to erupt at any moment. Seeing Diya's serious face, with great difficulty,he managed to get a hold of his mirth and came to stand next to her. Still smiling, he gently laid his hands on her slender shoulders,and said,
"Diya aapko pata hai, wahan London mien larkay larkiyan khulay aam kiss aur hug kerte thay. Koi roak toak nahi thy...mager aap hain asli Bhaarti naari...sati savitri... aap tou sirf usi ko kiss kerein gy jis se aap ko pyar ho ga." Then he shook his head at her innocence and naivete, and still smiling, he left for the bathroom.
Diya sat still... "Aap tou sirf usi ko kiss kerien gy jis se aap ko pyar ho ga!"..he had said. Although he had laughed it off, but the mere statement had affected Diya in a very strange way. He had been joking all along, and Diya's heart had started beating again, but her heartbeats were still erratic. She could not understand why his silly joke had affected her like that.
"Pyar... Kia hum kabhi kisi aur se pyar ker paayein ge? Kia hum Abhay saa ke dhokay ke baad pyar ke baray mien iss terha soch paayein ge?" She asked herself. In all these days of her marriage to Ratan, she had not thought about this thing. In fact, she had just accepted her marriage and had moved on to fulfill her duties as the Thaakurani sa of this mehel, as his kaakimasa used to tell her. She had tried hard to make this marriage work, but Ratan's way of thinking was totally different. He had realized that he could not remain bound to a namesake relationship with her...and he had been upfront and told her straightforwardly that he didn't want to continue this charade of marriage. In fact, they were about to be separated when Arpita and Abhay filed a lawsuit against her and when no one else was there to help her, even she herself didn't have enough proofs to bail herself out, surprisingly, Ratan had stood up for her. He went to such an extent that he fought her case and won her freedom, victory and dignity back for her. He had been her champion and she was greatly obliged and humbled by the level of trust and affection he had shown towards her. She had started loving to spend time with him...and lately she had started loving to take care of his small needs,like feeding him food, taking care of his sleep, taking care of his things...and the list was endless. She had spent the last twelve years of her life obsessing about the security and life of this one guy...and without even realizing, her obsession had turned into a habit...and now it was like he was more important than anything or anyone else, not because she felt any duty or obligation towards him, but because she had started feeling connected to him. A connection, that was strong and on a very intrinsic, very deep level. She had never felt this close or this attached to anyone else in her life. Even Abhay, with whom she once was romantically involved, she never felt this way as she had started feeling for Ratan. Her feelings had started changing and she had not even realized that! All she was thinking was her duty as a wife to Daata Hukum of Surajgarh and how to keep him protected and safe...and happy as much as she could...but she had never thought of herself as the WIFE of Ratan...a WIFE who should be LOVING,besides just being caring and all...
"Loving Ratan... Yeh hum kia sochay jaa rahay hain? Humien yaad rakhna chahiye ke Ratan humse shadi nahi rakhna chahte.. Ratan ko iss rishtay mien ghutan hoty hai...woh hum se azadi chahte hain..." She thought dejectedly.
"Lekin Kaakimasa ne kaha tha ke humien unko yeh shadi torrnay se rokna hoga...Mager yeh hum kaise kerein...humare pas koi wajeh bhi tou nahi hai.."
The thought of breaking her marriage with Ratan was breaking her heart into a million pieces.
"Hum unki khushi ke liye kuch bhi ker sakte hain...mager unse alag hone ka soch ker humien itni taklif kyun ho rahy hai?" she thought, her mind reeling with the multiple thoughts...and the constant fight between her mind and her heart. She had moved to stand at the window sill. Her gaze was on the stars in the night sky while her heart and mind kept battling about what Ratan wanted ...and what she herself wanted. She kept thinking about Ratan's kiss joke and how it had touched some strings in the core of her soul.
Ratan had emerged from the bathroom and saw her standing and gazing out, her shoulder perched to the wall beside, her face slightly lifted and her gaze fixated on the night outside. She looked desolate, but the moonlight falling on her face and the light from the lamps in their room illuminating her beautiful hair made her profile look ethereal... she was an absolute picture of beauty and grace...She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that he was back in the room, and while her gaze was fixed somewhere else, his gaze had been fixated on her only. He knew that she had not found his joke funny. Remembering her reaction, a smile came on his lips and he quietly moved to stand behind her. Then as if he was touching a divine creation, he touched her hair. The mere brush of his finger, the warmth emitting from his body and his proximity brought Diya out of her thoughts with a jolt. Without even turning back, she knew he was smiling, but his nearness and the way he was playing with her hair fluttered her heartbeats and made them go crazy. She wanted to close her eyes and lean back into him...at that moment she wanted him to hold her from behind...Her body was reacting to his closeness in a very strange manner,as it had never ever reacted to any man before. Any man before was a far fetched thing, she hadn't ever felt this way with Ratan also. They had come close many times before. They had shared hugs,held hands and had even slept close to each other...but this tingling sensation that was running along her spine at that moment was something new...something dangerous... She didn't know what was supposed to be done, for all she knew was that whatever she was feeling, he was not feeling an ounce of it... Her feelings were not reciprocated in the same way...and she knew that. "This is all temporary...our marriage is about to end...he does not feel this way for me..." These thoughts dampened her spirits, and then she heard him say quietly,
"Kia soch rahy hain Diya?"
She shook her head to shrug off the thoughts and the attraction she felt towards him, and then carefully turned around to face him. She knew he was standing very close,and any jerky movement would have brought them into immediate contact, and she knew she couldn't bear to touch him at that moment... she knew she would do something very stupid if they touched...so to spare herself from the embarrassment and from Ratan's laughter, she decided to maintain a safe distance from him.
He was looking into her eyes intently, as if he was trying to read her thoughts. She shook her head again and managed to bring a smile on her lips, and said,
"Kuch nahi Ratan...bass hum soch rahay thay ke humari zindagy bhi kia se kia hogai.. Pehle hum aapki pehredaar thay...aaj aap humare pehredaar bann gaye. Aap ne jis terha hum per vishwas kia...jis terha humara saath dia...hum woh kabhi bhi nahi bhoolien ge."
He smiled tenderly and said, "Diya, aap ne apni life ke baara saal mery aur mery sari property ki hifaazat ke liye qurbaan kiye hain. Mien aapke liye itna sa nahi ker sakta tha kia?"
She smiled and they kept looking in each others' eyes for a few moments. Then Ratan said,
"Buht raat hogai hai Diya, chalien, sou jana chahiye."
Diya nodded and Ratan moved out of her way,towards his couch,while she went towards her bed. Ratan went under the sheets and bid her goodnight; he let the exhausted slumber take him under its wings.
Diya looked towards him and thought, "Meri wajeh se itnay din se Ratan sahi se sou bhi nahi paa rahay thay. Aj finally inko aram se sonay ka moqa mila hai."Then she recalled the incidents of that day and felt a new surge of anger towards Abhay, who had tried to beat Ratan and caused him to suffer so many injuries. The thought of his wounds instantly reminded her that he had forgotten to apply the antiseptic and anti inflammatory ointment on his wounds,that the doctor of Kesar Mehal had prescribed for him.
"Oh God, Ratan tou sou gaye hain. Aur dawa bhi nahi lagai.."she worried.
"Lagta hai humien hi lagana hogy. Ratan tou gehri neend mien hain."
With this decision made, she swiftly took the ointment from the dressing table and quietly went near his couch. He was fast asleep, so she very stealthily kneeled beside his couch and with great care, took a dab of ointment and rubbed it on the wounds near his right eye. The wounds on his forehead were covered by a bandage, but the exposed wounds near his eye,on his cheek bone and near his lower lip looked deep and she winced at the thought of how painful they must be. She tried to keep her touch as light as possible, and flinching on the thought that he would feel pain, she rubbed some more ointment on the cheek wounds. Then she moved her finger towards the wound near his lip. As she dabbed some ointment on that wound, Ratan pouted in his sleep. His reaction was probably because of pain that he must have felt. Diya stilled her hand for a bit. Ratan had thrusted his lower lip forward...as if a small kid does when hes angry or about to cry. This brought a smile on Diya's lips and she waited till Ratan's breathing became deep again. She then looked at the wound and her eyes fell on his lips. This was the first time she was seeing him from such a close vantage point. Suddenly the fact that she was so close to him...merely a few inches apart, hit her...but this time, instead of moving back to maintain some distance, she remained where she was... Her eyes were glued on his full mouth...she was entranced in that moment and sight. His lips were calling for her...beckoning her touch. She tentatively brought the finger laden with the ointment on his wound and started rubbing it off very slowly, very carefully. She suddenly realized that some ointment had smeared onto his lip also, so without thinking, she brought her thumb downward and rubbed it lightly on his lip to remove that smear. Her heart was beating painfully in her chest now...as if she was doing some sort of physical exertion.. And her mind refused to listen to any logic that she had been trying to ingrain in it...Her thumb had developed its own control...and without thinking, it kept rubbing very lightly on his lip.
"Aap mery fees mujhe kiss ker ke dein..." His joking demand echoed in her mind... This time there was no logic...no reasoning to what she did next. She slowly brought her lips near his face...and kissed lightly on the wound near his eye. As if she wanted it to heal fast...or she wanted to take away his pain...she then kissed the wound on his cheek...and then she moved towards his lip wound. When she placed her lips carefully on his wound there, her lips inadvertently came in contact with his lower lip too. She put a feather light kiss on his wound, and then as if her mind was numb, she put her lips on his lips. The feel of his full lips against her mouth was beyond anything that she had felt ever. Afraid of her own actions and thoughts, she quickly moved her face away from his and looked at him. He was still fast asleep. She thanked her lucky stars that with her actions,she didn't wake him up. She quickly got up and went towards her bed with all haste. She was about to slide in between the sheets when she heard his voice,
"Diya..."
Her heart lurched and she turned towards him.
"Jee Ratan?" She tried to compose herself.
"Aap soyin nahi abh tak?" He asked. He was already sitting up.
Seeing him getting up, she quickly said,
"Bass hum sonay hi lagay thay... aap bhi sou jayein Ratan."
But Ratan had gotten up from his couch. He came towards her and stood in front of her, with his arms crossed and a very serious expression on his face.
"Kia hua Ratan, aise kyun dekh rahay hain?" Diya asked, totally confused that why he had woken up and now was standing on her head.
"Mien apna ointment lagana bhool gaya tha. Kia aap mujhe mera ointment de dien gy?" He asked.
Diya took a sigh of relief that he hadn't caught her in that weak moment. Without thinking, she said,
"Arey Ratan, aap fikar na kerein. Humne apke zakhmon per marham laga dia tha."
Suddenly Ratan moved closer; she backed a little, but he engaged his arm with her waist and brought her into immediate contact with his body. Diya's heart started fluttering; she looked incredulously at him. He brought his free hand near her face...and then his thumb touched her lip.
"Diya, ointment tou mujhe lagana tha...aapke lip per mera ointment kia ker raha hai?" He asked her in all seriousness.
Diya's eyes widened and she turned beetroot. She could'nt believe that she had been caught red handed...that too by a sleeping Ratan...or thats what she had thought...But apparently he was not asleep and at that moment was not even showing any sign of being sleepy,by the way.
She gulped hard, her breathing got irregular, her chest started heaving up and down. She didn't know what to say or how to reply Ratan's question...
Ratan rubbed the smear of ointment from her lip, but his thumb was still caressing it lightly... and his gaze was intensely glued to Diya's eyes. Suddenly he bit his lower lip to control the smile that was forming on seeing Diya in such a haggard state. He moved his lips closer to hers, looked into her frantic eyes, and said teasingly,
"Mujhe tou aaj pata chala ke ointment laganay ka aik tareeqa yeh bhi hota hai! Accha tareeqa hai Diya...I like it..."
Diya was dumbstruck. She saw the mischief in his eyes, and tried to find her voice by mumbling,
"Woh Ratan...woh hum..."
His smiling mouth inched further closer to hers...and he said,
"Kia socha tha Diya aap ne? Ke mujhe pata nahi chalay ga... mery life ka sab se golden moment aayega...mery Diya mere itne qareeb hongy aur mujhe pata hi nahi chalay ga?"
Diya was at a loss of words...Her heart soared uncertainly.
"Humara qareeb aana Ratan ke liye itna special hai kia?" She thought in a daze...all her senses coming alive and registering his words and his closeness.
"Ratan..." she started to say something, but her sentence was cut when Ratan's lips came down on hers to shut her up from her mindless mumbles. He touched her lips with his lips just like she had done...He felt her luscious plump lips and also felt the way she had gone completely still in his arms. Understanding her innocence, the smile never leaving his mouth, he moved his lips away from hers and brought her forehead to touch his temple... His hand that was on her lips earlier moved to her nape...imprisoning her face in that position, and his thumb started caressing her nape and the side of her face. The amount of sensations his touch was invoking made her mind heady. She had closed her eyes involuntarily...and had left herself on the mercy of his ministrations. THIS was the level of trust she had on him now...
He remembered clearly how she used to react adversely on the mere mention of physical touch ...which was his theory of love...And now, it was Diya who had come so close to him...who had actually kissed him, albeit she had done it when she thought that he was asleep...but still he knew that she had come a long way to this point...and now after her initial shock at being caught, she hadn't rebuked or refuted the tiny advances he had made in reciprocation. A wave of tenderness washed over him , for the still and shocked girl who was trusting him and was not running away from him..who was flushed with the shyness she felt towards him in that moment and whose eyes were shut, but whose long lashes were flickering ; he did the only thing his heart told him to do in that moment. He put his lips tenderly on her one eye...and then on her other eye... and then crushed her into a tight hug...
"Diya,promise kerein ke abh se roaz mujhe yeh ointment aap hi lagayein gy..aur aise hi lagayein gy!"
He teased her.. Her eyes fluttered open at his new demand...a shy smile formed on her lips, and she hid her scarlet face in his chest.
She could think about the future of their marriage later...but she would be damned to let go of the beautiful moment they both were sharing together...now... she thought contentedly and clutched Ratan's back in a tight embrace.
She had made up her mind...she was not letting him go away from her ever...and that was settled! šš
Arjun
