TwiNj FF: The Storm in our Soul (Chp11 Pg22) 03/09 - Page 13

CHAPTER 9

Kunj has never felt more bliss than in that moment waking up next to Twinkle who was curled up peacefully next to him. He found her adorable, with her arm thrown across this chest and her leg wound across his torso, her mouth ever so slightly open. Sunlight dances into their room through the dainty white curtains, strategically casting its white light on her face. She scrunches up her face adorably. Kunj decides he could kiss her right then and there.

She yawns like a kitten before her eyes open up in narrow slits.

"Good morning Mrs. Sarna." He settles with kissing her on her forehead.

"Hmm, Good morning Mr. Sarna." She snuggles closer to him.

"Toh aaj ka plan kya hai, Mrs. Sarna?"

She doesn't want to admit it, but hearing him call her Mrs. Sarna in that sleep-filled voice of his did things to her tummy. The butterflies just could not be tamed!

"Jo tum kaho." She says sweetly.

"Hayye, Twinkle aise sweetly mat bola kar, mujhe diabetes ho jayega"

She pulls his cheek at that and makes a move towards the bathroom.

He convinces her that they should brush their teeth together. He thought it would be fun and romantic. Plus he did not want to deprive himself of her view for even one second. He couldn't handle it!

It was fun! It wasn't romantic!

Because she challenged him that she could hold more foam in her mouth than him. Well, challenge accepted. And now, both of them had minty green froth dripping down the corner of their lips. Kunj could see Twinkle was close to her limit, she possibly couldn't hold more foam in. It was almost physically impossible with her small mouth. He internally smirked, he was a minute away from winning.

But everything is fair in love and war and stupid challenges at 7 in the morning. Twinkle balances her tooth brush in her mouth and quickly places her long dainty fingers against her husband's waist. The tickling worked. Kunj squirmed, trying to hold the foam in but ultimately breathing got difficult and he just had to spit out!

"Main jeet gayi!" she quipped excitedly, spitting out her foam as well.

"Cheating! Tu ne cheating ki!"

"Kaisi cheating? Kisne kaha ki main tumhe gud-guddi nahi kar sakti?"

He squints her eyes at her, letting her know she would get it.

"Acha who sab chodo! Aaj ka plan kya hai?"

He lets the challenge go for the meanwhile and hums in thought. "Trek pe chale?"

"Haan! Chalo! Hayye Kitna maza aayega! Hum na Dolomites ke top par jayegey aur bahut sari selfies legey, ok?" She says. She doesn't even look at him anymore, instead she walks towards their luggage, grabbing a change of clothes and stuffing them in their backpacks. She pulls out her Dora the Explorer socks and places them next to her sneakers. "Aur na, hum ek cute si jagah par lunch laregey! Kitna amazing hogana!"

She hadn't even realized Kunj was standing by the bathroom door admiring her. There was something in the air, everything just looked beautiful! She looked beautiful.

"Kunj-" she turns to address him directly. "Kya? Mujhe aise kyu dekh rahe ho?" She touches the corner of her lips innocently, certain that there was a bit of toothpaste still there on her face.

He walks up to her in two long strides. He is the one pinching cheeks this time, and he can't help but admit "Yaar, tu bahut cute hai!"

Her cheeks light up in bright scarlet and she drosp her gaze to her feet.

"Hayye, hayye, blush kar gayi!" It earns him a light punch in the chest.

"Kunj tum na bahut naughty ho gaye ho!"

Is this what life after confessions is like? Feather light bickering and scarlet blushes, stolen glances and sinful lip bites. If so, he can live like this for the rest of his life.

Apparently they were so immersed in their little world that they had failed to notice the weather outside until they sat together with Ingrid and James for breakfast. It was raining!

"Oh fish! Kunj ab humara trekking ka kya?" She says with visibly deflated enthusiasm.

Kunj couldn't bear to see the frown on her face. It did things to his heart, made it feel like it was being weighed down by an anchor. He didn't like the feeling.

He tells her that they had no other option but to spend the day in their room. The weather really wasn't favorable for any activity.

And that is why Twinkle was curled up on the chair by the window, watching the rain drops pebble up the glass. She was nursing a steaming cup of coffee and muttering curses under her breath. The room was immersed in complete silence punctuated by the occasional thunder and Twinkle's curses.

But then soft streams of music started filling the room. At first Twinkle thought that it was her imaginations playing tricks on her but then, as the seconds ticked by the music started getting stronger and she turned to ask Kunj ask if he could hear the same.

Lo and behold, there stood her husband, with a rose in one hand while the other hand was extended towards her in permission. "May I have this dance, M'lady?"

Despite the bad weather and butchered trek plans, Twinkle couldn't help smile. She gracefully placed her hand in her husband's, her smile only getting bigger and bigger as they began to sway.

Dancing in sweatpants and Pajamas has never felt as romantic as it did right then. The fireplace was casting this perfect golden glow that made everything feel like it had a magic touch to it, the persistent pitter-patter of the rain, enveloped the atmosphere in a blanket of calm and the echoing thunder just bought Twinkle closer to him.

They dance until the song ends and another begins and until that ends and a third begins before Twinkle announces that, that was enough dancing for the day.

The read a book, curled up on the bed, together until lunch time. The only reason they notice that it was indeed lunch time was because of their traitorous, grumbling tummies.

They decide to sit by the fireplace in their room after lunch and after Twinkle had had her shower. It was yet relentlessly pouring outside but the silence inside this time was comfier. Twinkle places her head against Kunj's shoulder and lets out a satisfied sigh. Her head fits perfectly against his shoulders. Kunj threads his fingers against the wet strands of her hair, subconsciously massaging her head.

"Mujhe poetry likhni hai." He announces. The room was bathed in darkness save for the crackling fire.

"Toh likho." She smiles.

"Tujhe pe."

Twinkle looked at him at this. He wanted to write her another poem! She hadn't even seen or read the first poem he had dedicated to her but knowing that he wanted to write her another one was warming to know. She was just about to give him the go-ahead' when he makes things more clear.

"Mujhe tujhe par, tujhe pe poetry likhni hai."

Well that changes things, didn't it?

He watches her eyes widen in surprise. But she yet hadn't denied him his request. Instead she lets out a small, hesitant nod. That was all the permission Kunj sought.

He pulls her to face him by the shoulder, his eyes locked on to hers. He can see the gulp of nervousness she take in by the bobbing of her throat. But she doesn't stop him. He places his hands on the hem of the hoodie she was wearing, and slowly-punishingly slowly he raises it off her body, inch by slow, painful inch.

They have done this before. He had written poetry on her bare back and she had painted masterpieces on his and yet this was different. This was new. This was him initiating something more than a poetry on the blank page of her body. This was him reaching to divest her of her silk, cotton and wool and to cover her with words, metaphor and similes. This wasn't about being naked, this was about being covered in love disguised in words.

Once the hoodie was off her body he gently lowers her on the white rug, asking her to turn over before getting up only to grab the marker from her purse. He unsnaps her bra, once he was back and lightly straddles her, marker on the ready.

And despite all the anticipations, her muscles yet flinched under the cold tip of the pen. She shuts her eyes, trying to block out her vulnerability and instead focus on the feel of marker and at least try to decipher the words.

15 minutes in, and this felt almost therapeutic, the cold nib of the marker against her warm flesh, the comfortable weight of his body on hers and the faint cracking of the embers in the pit. She was just starting to completely relax when he pronounces that he was done, and snaps a picture of his art.

"Batao!" She tries, hoping that this time he would actually share his hidden talent, but knowing that he won't.

He surprising does hand her down his mobile. The first thing Twinkle notices was just how beautiful the picture was. The tone of the photo, the colours, the contours of her body against the rug, it was all perfect. She pinches the screen to enlarge the photo, for an easier read. And with each passing word, he stole her breath away.

You can write for hours on hours,
Of all the things that you wish you could be,
But the truth of the matter is simple,
People are not poetry,

And I know that you wish you weren't awkward
That sweet words could roll right off your tongue,
But your time here's too short just to worry,
How each single sentence is strung.
It's okay to be rough round the edges,
To be bruised up and broken and scarred,
But it's not okay to let people tell you,
That it's a reason to change who you are.

Your hair doesn't always sit neatly,
The way a poem sits so neatly in lines,
And sometimes you might feel like a word,
That nobody has learnt to define.

You might not be a star that lights darkness,
Or a bird that can teach us to soar,
But it's okay not to know what you're doing,
Since your feelings don't have all rhyme
Though a poem once complete is eternal,
You have the freedom to change over time,
You're much more than can ever be written,
There is no title to say, " This Is Me",
You can't be trapped in the lines of a notebook,
Because people are not poetry.

She has tears rolling down her cheeks by the time she finishes and now she is looking at him with earnest gratitude despite his messed up rhyme scheme. She scrambles to sit up and pulls him in a hug. Her heartbeat against his chest lets him know all that she never could say. And for that he is ever grateful.

She breaks the hug only to look him in the eye and mumble a sincere Thank you, with tears still rolling down her cheeks.

"I think I am going to kiss you." He says in return and before his brain could actually register his own words. There was no way he could help himself anymore, not with those pouty lips of hers and certainly not with those eyes, that albeit were welling with tears, were over-brimming with love and admiration.

She nods yet again.

He places on hand along her jaw, making sure that she was really ready for this, before pulling himself closer to her. Their lips were mere centimeters apart, he could practically taste the cinnamon-y breath of hers, and he could feel her lashes flutter against his cheeks. And finally they meet...

Its feels like kissing honey-her lips soft and viscous. He tilts his head and feels her doing the same to get better access. Her hands clenches the fabric of his shirt by the chest, while the other hands anchors itself on his back. He hands finds home in her hair, subtly pushing her closer to him.

And he they are falling back against the rug but damn them if they break the kiss. It's almost like consuming oxygen, he couldn't deprive his body of it-couldn't deprive it of Twinkle. It's close to a minute when the need for real, elemental oxygen makes itself known to them. They break apart, heaving, blushing, smiling.

"Wow" he lets her know.

She hides her blush behind her hands.

"Hayye tera blush! Maar dala!" He takes her hands in hers and moves it away from her face, instead bringing his lips closer and placing a kiss on the very corner of her lips. Her faces breaks out in a wide smile that is soon reflected on Kunj's face too.

"Tere hoato se acha aur kuch nahi ho sakta." He tells her honestly.

She pulls him closer but the collar of his shirt and seals therir lips together once again, just to hide her obvious blush. It more needy this time, its little nibbles and roaming hands. Its back-arching and breath taking. It cathartic and dirty. Just like they like it.

And they wanted more. They badly wanted more. They were ready for more...

But then his phone rings. The magic is broken

TO BE CONTINUED...

Firstly, I got to give due credit to Erin Hanson for the poetry I borrowed. The poetry is titled People are not poetry. Guys if you have the time, go read her poetry. They are amazing.

Secondly I would like to thank you all for your patience. This chapter was long overdue, I know!

And lastly as always, thanks you for all your lovely comments and encouragements!😃

Originally posted by: crazyfan9_sanju

awesome update ..😃

hihi...cheater twinkle ha?!...i loved the way u showed the progress in the character ...how it started and now ...how it is...there is nothing rushed anywhere...and that's what i love abt this ff...

and...i need to say again...u are a brilliant writer 😊

...i loved that brushing part...lol...

Hello lovelies. Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy

Also a big, big thanks to all those to commented and liked the previous chapter. Your encouraging words are greatly appreciated.

CHAPTER 10.

The air that was so far so soft and tickling is suddenly too thick to breath. The fire that was toasty was now burning, scorching. The white plush rug underneath suddenly was itchy and dusty.

"Humme wapas Amritsar jaana hoga." Kunj says to Twinkle after calming his mother down on the other side of the phone. Twinkle suddenly has this urge to run, far away. But then, "Papa ko palpitation attack aaya hai." And she knows she couldn't run.

How could she, when Kunj heavily plopped down on the bed, his hands running through his hands in helplessness. She firmly plants her feet on the ground desperately trying to ignore her brain telling her to run out of the room, to run away and places a hand on his shoulder. "Kunj." Her voice breaks terribly. Heart over mind. Heart over mind. Heart over mind.

Heart over mind.

Love over self.

"Kunj. Tum ghabrao mat Daddy-ji ko kuch nahi hoga, huh? We have to be strong na?" She pushes his hands away from his face and places her own against his cheeks. Her eyes lock onto his. They convey comfort and reassurances and hopefully everything he needs. Kunj chokes on a sob, his hands automatically seek hers and he buries his face in her chest, trying to hide the tears.

"Twinkle mujhe bahut dar lag raha hai. Papa ko kuch-"

"Shh, kuch nahi hoga." She pulls him away from her and wipes the tears that she was sure were blurring his vision. "Tumhe mujhe par bharosa hai na?" she waits for his nod. "Toh bas, main keh rahi hoon na, Daddy-ji ko kuch nahi hoga."

"Mujhe tickets book karni hogi. Jenny ko office se-" Kunj starts off but Twinkle places a hand across his jaw and silences him with a look.

"Kunj. Kunj, relax. Tickets main book kar deti hoon. Yaha se Tuscany tak aur waha se Amritsar tak" She knows he was in no condition to talk to anyone. She could hardly manage to make out his mumbling words, how could the operator? "Tum tab tak humara samaan pack kardo." She tasks him with an easy job while she arranges the seats with the airline company.

The airlines were very accommodating and the seats were booked with ease. Getting railway tickets out of Dolomites however was another task. She couldn't book the train tickets over phone and she couldn't leave Kunj alone while she ran to fetch the tickets. She couldn't take him with her either.

She paces the length of their room deciding what to do, while Kunj numbly fold his sweaters. His folded sweaters are absent-mindedly put in her duffel bag, and then he proceeds to place their dirty shoes over the clean clothes. She knows she couldn't leave him alone now. She stops thinking about the train tickets for a while and walks over to him. She pushes him down to sit by the shoulders and places a glass of water in his shivering hands. "Kunj. Relax, Relax"

His hands prove too shaky to be of proper use, Twinkle has to guide the glass of water to his lips. A little stream of water trickle down the corner of his lips. His eyes are hazily fixed on the window. It breaks Twinkle's heart to see him like this. And her own mind is close to shutting down but she doesn't allow it to. She knows she had to be the strong one for now. She has to pick up the pieces and glue them back. It was her turn. She wipes the water droplets from his lips and the tears from his eyes. She is sure that he doesn't realize that she had made him lie back down on the bed.

"Kunj, tum yahi rukho okay? Main bas do minute mein aati hoon. Okay? Okay." She doesn't know why she asks him to wait. He wasn't in any condition to understand nor was he in any condition to get up and leave anywhere. But she still says it, for her comfort. She pulls up the duvet up to his chin and places a kiss on his forehead before racing down the passage to James and Ingrid.

She knocks on their door thrice, checks her watch twice before the couple open the door. And James looks so fatherly that Twinkle breaks down and begs him to help her. James utterly startled by her behavior yells out to Ingrid. They carry her inside their room. Twinkle's Italian is so gibberish at the point that they give her a sip of Brandy just to calm her nerves down. Well, it worked. Because she hiccups twice before muttering in faltering Italian that her husband and her need train tickets to Tuscany urgently, that she would have run up to the train station on her own but she can't leave her husband alone. He was in worse condition than her. And she grabs hold of James arm, looks up at him earnestly and begs him to help her. James kneels down on the ground in front of her chair and promises her that he would get her the earliest tickets out.

So while James grabs his umbrella to go to the train station, Twinkle wipes the tears from her eyes, takes a deep breath and composes herself up again to face Kunj. She has to be strong for him, for herself and for both of them. She politely denies Ingrid's offer to help her pack, she couldn't let anyone see just how broken Kunj was at the moment and runs back to her room.

Kunj, thankfully has drifted off to an uneasy slumber. She runs a gentle hand through his hair, making sure that he was indeed asleep before getting up to pack their luggage again. She picks up their clothes, roughly folds them and shoves them into their respective bags. That being done she searches the room for any other items she might have forgotten. Their camera, laptop and chargers are shoved in last along with the extra pair of shoes.

The packing didn't take more than fifteen minutes and Twinkle had triple checked all the items but she was restless and she was about to check it for the fourth time again, when someone knocks at her door. She runs the little distance and opens the door. There James stood, with a small sad smile laying on his chapped lips, holding out two tickets to Tuscany out for her. Relief washes over in waves, and it leaves her utterly overwhelmed. She hugs him and then grabs his hand to place a small kiss there. She hopes her actions let him know what her words couldn't. She was grateful to them. She was indebted to them. James tells her that it was the least he could do, but he understands Twinkle's need to let him know just how appreciative she was of them. He manages to change the topic by bringing her attention to the time of the train's arrival. He also tells her that he had a car arranged to take them up to the station, knowing that they were in state to walk there. Twinkle thanks him again.

Twinkle sits down by the window. The rain had reduced, it was just a little pitter-patter now. 5 hours. They would catch the train in 5 five hours, reach Tuscany in another 5 hours. She could then have to pack the remaining of their belongings there and rush them to the airport. James will drop them to the airport in 4 hours. Okay! Okay, she could do this! She looks over at Kunj and the little creases of worry lining his forehead. She prays that everything turns out to be okay.

She glances at her watch. It was 9 at night. She knows that their landlord back at Tuscany mustn't be sleeping. And even if he was, the matter at hand took precedence. She dials his number saved on her phone. Her foot impatiently taps an unknown rhythm on the carpet as he waits for him to pick up the call.

She narrates the whole incident to him. She doesn't cry this time, though. The landlord agrees to keep the villa on hold for five months, given that they pay the monthly rent on time. She quickly agrees to the condition. The day the five months are up, he will put the villa on rent again. She desperately wishes that it doesn't come to that, but she agrees. It was the only thing she could do at the moment.

She paces the length of their small room several times. The minute hand on the clock that just a few hours ago was racing by was now ticking at an agonizing pace. She looks over at Kunj, he was yet sleeping. She checks the room for any leftover belongings for the fifth time.

She runs her hand through his shaggy hair, "Kunj. Kunj Utho, train ka time ho gaya hai."

His eyes open up in narrow slits, hazed with confusion. "Kya?"

"Train ka time ho raha hai."

The words bring back everything in a harsh wave. "Papa!" he exclaims, getting up.

"Relax Kunj. Relax..."

She places his clothes on the bed while Kunj freshens up in the bathroom. She had already gotten ready half an hour before waking him up. She starting going through the list of things she would be required to do in Tuscany again. She had already gone down to Ingrid and James and cleared all their payment. Ingrid was unwilling about it but then a little insistence and they lovely pair agreed. Though offering her a twenty percentage discount. Twinkle however left them a tip worth the twenty percent. James chuckled at her wit and intelligence. It did bring a little on Twinkle's face despite the dire situation.

Kunj fumbles with the button of his shirts, his eye too blurry. And Twinkle has to place her own hands above his and guide him.

James as promised, knocks at their door at 3.50am. Twinkle attends to him, while Kunj ties the laces to his shoes with difficulty. James help carry their luggage to the awaiting car along with Kunj.

The train journey was the exact opposite of what it was 3 days ago. Little smiles and shy looks, absent. That tyndall sunlight, absent. It was frowns and empty stares, harsh white fluorescent lights and nothing else.

Tuscany and bleak were two words Twinkle didn't think she's associate with each other. But bleak was exactly what Tuscany felt like right then. She stops by Hilda's store, asking her to help them pack their belongings.

Hilda asked questions after questions, it broke her old fragile heart to see the young couple in such despair. She allowed herself into their little kitchen and cooked them a modest breakfast while Twinkle and Kunj packed. Kunj was more functional this time around, and he followed Twinkle's instructions well. He pulled out the suitcases from the store room, and began folding the remaining clothes while Twinkle was printing their tickets when in came Hilda ushering them to the dining table. It did wonders-the hearty breakfast. Energized, they completed the remaining tasks within two hours.

Hilda pulls Twinkle in crushing hug as the taxi pulled up the curb. "Stai attento, belle. Stai attento." (Take care dear, take care.). Twinkle promises her that she will and asks Hilda to do the same. "Tienimi nelle vostre preghiere" (Keep me in your prayers)

"Sempre, Hilda." She kisses the old ladies hand and loads the luggae in the car.

Her chest feels heavy all of a sudden. Its the same feeling that one gets when leaving something important behind. That feeling of not knowing when you are going to see a loved one again. And it hurt. She laces her hands with Kunj's hoping to either provide him with comfort or to give him comfort.

.

.

.

Ten hours later and its the dense air of Amritsar she is breathing in instead of the zephyr of Italy. The crystal clear thoughts that she had in Dolomites were now murky. Her fingers fumble over the keypad of her mobile. She had already dialled Hilda's number by accident, then put in the wrong code when dialling Ma's number. She is finally successful in getting the right number. City Hospital' is where the needed to be.

"Kunj meri mummy-ji se baat hogayi hai. Doctor ne kaha hai ki fikar karni ki koi baat nahi hai. Papa-ji ka BP high hogaya tha, uske lie medication prescribe kiye hai. Aur do din ke liye unhe observation ke liye rakha hai, Holter monitotr ke saath."

Kunj hold her hand earnestly "Papa theek toh ho jayege na?"

"Kunj" she extracts her hands from his, favoring them to be places against his jaw. "Ghabrane ki koi bhi baat nahi hai. Sare tests ho chuke hai, sab reports normal hai. Bas unhe apni tabiyat ka thoda aur khayaal rakhna hoga. Bas"

And its the first smile she sees on his face in 24 angonizing hours. He takes her hands in his again. "Thank God! Pata nahi dimaag mein kaise-kasie khayaal aa rahe the."

The black and yellow taxi pulls up to them and they load h thier bags on. The AC inside the car was a pleasant relief from the dense humid air. "Papa se mein kabhi connect nahi kar paya. Kosish ki thi ek baar, ke unhe hug karlo aur keh doon Papa I love you'. Par kabhi himmat nahi hui.

Papa bhi humesha kaam mein busy rehte the. Kabhi mere liye, Ma ke liye time hi nahi nikale. Dekhte dekte time beeta gaya aurr mein bhi bada hogaya."

She doesnt know how to respond to that. What she went through as a child was completely different than what he went thorugh. She never had a father. He had a father in live but was never treated as a son.

They are yet holdng hands, though their eyes are glued on opposite windows. "I hope i am not to late, Twinkle." He tightens his grip.

"You aren't. Papa-ji bilkul theek hai. Aur jab hum Hospital pauchegey na, toh tum seedha unke paas jaakar unhe ek tight sa hug do, aur I love you Papa kaho."

"I love you too." No matter how many times he says it or how he says it, it always manages to take her breath away. Pepsin and HCl in her stomach are replaced by butterflies, and she can faintly hear love songs in the background-which turns out to be the radio in the taxi. But it was magical.

"I love you too, too." The too-too did make him smile.

The car stops in front of City Hospital after a short while, she feels him brace himself for the on-slaught of emotions that would smack him straight up as soon he walked in the doors of the hospital. But despite the tense situation, his eyes clear up. Because he knows he has to be strong now. For his mother, for his father, for his family. And he knows he might falter a bit, he might stumble and fall. But Twinkle will be there to catch him. She wouldnt let him crash and burn. Thats all he needs for know.

Twinkle braces herslef too. She knows she has to keep herself strong now, stronger than Kunj. He needs her this time and no matter how much Usha's word may affect her, she has to keep her strong. She wouldnt allow herself to cry this time. Kunj cant take care of both his father and her. He will have to focus primarily on Papa-ji's health and she wasnt going to distract him with her tears. She was going to be his shoulder to lean on this time.

And so she puts on her armour.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Well guys. How did you like this chapter? I am fairly happy with this one, I think it's time to switch roles. I hope you liked this chapter and the story so far. Please drop down a comment and let me know.