Bihaan stood there, with Thapki looking back at him, her mind abashed. Her mouth was pursed, but slightly open, and her eyes were fixed, as if looking at something behind his head. He called her, "Thapki?", she looked at him for a moment, and threw a glance towards the window once more, and set her gaze intently towards him again. His eyebrows creased, he looked at her frazzled face, and asked, "All okay?" She slightly nodded flaccidly.
Of course she's not, he thought. He walked to the front, and eyed her with a rueful glint, under his breath, he swore at himself. "Let's go Thapki", he said nimbly, taking her hand and tugging her gently off the sofa to go to their bedroom, upstairs.
"Bihaan, I think Thapki should stay in Dadimaa's room, you know, it'll be tiring for her to go up the stairs, and then come down again, if she needs to.", reasoned Suman, pointing towards Dadimaa's bedroom at the far end of the living room, down the passage at the left. Casting Suman an exasperated look, Bihaan ruggedly swayed his arms around Thapki, and picked her up. Leaving a puzzled Suman behind, he lurched forward to the staircase, "Why can't anyone in this house keep their ideas to themselves?", he seethed in a low tone, his teeth clenched. Frowning at his rant, "She was only trying to help...", Thapki refuted, gripping his shoulder securely, as he took the stairs. "Help? Nonsense!", he grunted. She wore a dopey expression, not understanding why the sudden fit of anger was blowing him off.
Their faces were so close, that they touched somewhat. His shaky breath, which exuded from climbing while carrying her in his arms, fanned over her eyelashes. She stared deep in his eyes, and felt like she was falling into a deep pool of chocolate, a hot one. They were narrowed, and a spark of fury smoldered in them. His tantrum seemed too ridiculous for her to argue any further, especially at this point, when her head spinned faster than a helicopter's blade.
Reaching their closed bedroom door, he barged opened it with his back, walking over to the bed, he carefully laid her down. She grimaced as her head throbbed harder, and pressed her fingers to the sides of her temples. "I'll get you some medicine", he saw her in immense pain, and quickly digged in the dresser drawers to find some pills for her. Rummaging through her stuff, he had cluttered all the drawers out of place, dropping some of her accessories on the floor. He almost smacked away anything which came his way; fighting with a of box of hair pins, striking down all the nail paints standing in a basket, scattering her vibrant glass bangles off its rack - he still didn't find those pills!
He turned around to ask her about them, when he found Thapki standing right behind him, with her hands on her hips. Looking down at the mess he just made, and up at her, he rubbed the back of his neck, his face flushed with embarrassment. "Those pills...", he couldn't even finish. She was glaring furiously at him. She took a step ahead, opened the second drawer, and pulled out a small box that had many pills. She removed its lid still glowering at him, and fished for the one she needed. Pushing out a tablet from the strip, she tossed it in the box, and put it away, shoving the drawer shut, banging it on purpose. Bihaan stood there, quietly watching her movements. She popped the pill inside her mouth, reached for the water bottle kept on her night stand, and gulped it down.
It was evident; it was a bad day for Bihaan. First, he had played that cheap prank on Thapki, which made her sick, and now he had dared to ruin her precious, neat organization. He was mad at himself for scaring her. A stab of regret washed over her as he saw her weak back stance facing him. He took a step forward, and stopped right there, when two glass bangles crinkled under his slippers. They had crunched up like colorful confetti, ready to be sprinkled on a cupcake. Without looking up, he glanced at her with the corner of his eyes. That clinking sound made her to pause, water bottle still in hand, she turned around to have a better look at another destruction that had just come about. "Bihaan, what...?" a woozy feeling stopped her to say what she wanted to. Holding her head, she kept the bottle aside, and slumped down onto the bed, resting her head onto the headboard behind. Her eyes were lightly closed, when he sat beside her on the edge of the bed. The slight bouncing of it had her eyes wide opened in a second. Tonight, any minute movement, a teeny-weeny sound had her mind racing with alarm.
Yes, she had not been feeling well even before watching the movie, and the whole text message fiasco had severed her migraine attack. But what is he irked about, she thought, confused. Their gazes met, but her heavy eyelids a fraction too slow to blink, her irises too moored, like looking away into something invisible. It was as if her brain was suffering whooping short circuit, and was struggling to compute, and gauge. Bihaan moved in her line of sight, touching her cheek with his palm. "I'm so sorry, Thapki." He apologized gravely. Her head tilted up, looking straight at him, her eyes sliding into focus, her lips formed a pensive grin.
"You've never apologized for anything you do when you're mad, Bihaan. Its okay, really. I'll re-arrange everything in the morning." she reassured him. "By the way, are you being sorry for those bangles? If you are, then it's weird. You've never been sorry for that expensive pocket mirror, you had once thwacked at the wall, it was my favorite.", she frowned jestingly. "Its just a migraine Bihaan, not like I'm dying...", she tried teasing him, and with a jerk, he placed his index finger on her lips. "Shut up! Don't you dare...", he was frustrated at her for saying that, and couldn't stand a thought of losing her, not even a joke about it. He moved closer to her, almost whispering, "I'm sorry for scaring you. Those messages, I... err... I sent them to you", he confessed, a little faltering.
He looked into her face closely, searching for fury, which came to her seldom. To his surprise, the corners of her mouth lift up into a smile. His baffled expression had her smile widen into a sparkling grin, her eyes creasing at the corner. "What?" He did not know what was so funny. She was now laughing, feeling absolutely delirious. In between gasping, she said, "I...I k- knew it." "You what...? But, I saw you were hell scared, and you even fainted?", he was totally losing it.
"Bihaan, you think only you can pull pranks?" She tried controlling her insane giggles.
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Hey! 😃
Okay, firstly, I'm extremely sorry to the ones who had requested me to update this FS as SOON as possible. I couldn't have possibly written it sooner than this, so I hope you guys understand, and forgive me.
The last part is finally here, and I hope, (so many hopes LOL) 😆you guys like this part, and it somehow makes it up for being late 😭
Just to add, this part is a bit mature, again only a BIT 😆Nothing extraordinary or explicit, just something more than I had written earlier.
So, I wouldn't shoo away anyone. Besides, I don't think there are twelve year olds in this forum. Even if there are, and want to read on, just go ahead beta 🤣 You certainly know more stuff than I did at that age. 😆
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He stood up in a flash, bombshell disbelief vivid on his face. "Is this even real?! Thapki... how could you... I..." He didn't know what to say, he had been too worried after she had fainted, knowing eminently it was because of him. She was still laughing, looking at him all caught up in his own spoof. "Huh? You tried to suck the very life out of me, and when I do a little fainting drama, you go all, How could you Thapki.' Gajab." She chewed out on him nonchalantly, mimicking a catchphrase that was solely his. He was still looking down at her, his mouth pressed together; he still couldn't find any humor in what she said. Seeing his deadpan expression, she sobered up, a small smile still playing at her lips.
Before she could say anything, he turned around without looking at her, and went to the closet to take his night suit, rushing in the bathroom to change. Her hair was splayed on her back in a mess, sitting upright on the bed she gathered, and threw them over her shoulder, at the front. Biting her nail, she thought about him being mad at her. "Serves him right." she muttered to herself, and spread out the bed covers to get in them. Just when she was about to hit her head on the pillow, he came out of the bathroom, and walked over to flick the lights off, not even glancing at her once.
Thapki saw him coming over to the dresser to pick his phone. She quickly got out of bed, and stopped him, blocking his way from going back, "It was only a joke, just like yours was" Moving her aside, he tried getting away, but she grabbed his hand, and said "Bihaan, you're acting childish." She was getting a little irritated over his behavior. "Childish? Thapki, I was awfully worried about you. Fine, I played a prank, but it didn't hurt you. To me, it did." With that, he pushed her hand away from his, and moved past her. "I don't see how it hurt you. I had only pretended to faint, and it's not a big deal. I'm not fussing over your stupid prank, then why are you not taking mine?" She chided at his back facing to her.
Turning back, in an icy tone, he said, "You don't understand, Thapki. You just don't." "Is there really something to understand, Bihaan?" She argued, now completely losing her temper. "Why did you do it?" He asked her sternly. "And why did you do it?" She had her eyebrows raised, hands folded at the front, she demanded an answer. "I was just pla-" She snapped at him, "Oh, cut the crap Bihaan! See, this is your problem, you don't find wrong in anything you do, when someone else does it, it hurts you, straight." She had her voice raised, her eyes wide with rage, bawling at him.
"I can't see you get hurt, Thapki, especially because of me." He said it out softly, concern in his voice, and eyed the little bandage on her forehead. That was the breaking point of her patience; she gave out a sarcastic laugh, "Really? Bihaan, my fingers get short of counting how many times you've insulted me, belittled me, alone, in front of everyone, you never missed a chance. You say you can't hurt me? Well, can you take all those words back? The ones which shattered my soul, and broke my heart. The things you said to me before Bauji got stabbed. Can you take them back? I was hurt, Bihaan, deeply hurt! That too because of you! How could you see me getting hurt Bihaan, when you just said you can't. Double standards much, eh? You've never said sorry for them, or let alone, you never even felt guilty about them! Because, you don't even know who you are when anger takes over you, Bihaan, but it hurt me, very much. I had still fought for you, with everyone in this family, with the world, and then came to you, when you said you loved me. It was better If I had left you, who would want to come back to you after being insulted so much." Words flew from her mouth that she never thought she'd even think, let alone say out loud. She knew instantly from the look in his eyes that they'd hit their mark.
His face mottled crimson, his eyes popped, his neck strained, as if wanting to hear those words again, if he was mistaken. He stood there, with hard staring eyes that never blinked. Bihaan's eyes were giving a glare, which was freezing Thapki's bones. The argument had unintentionally turned cold, every word over pronounced by her, slicing rather than tumbling through the dry air. She had raked over the subsided burning coals, and there was no logic to bring it all in at this moment. He winced with his face turned away to the rain-washed window, while she stood there, waiting for him to react.
The awkwardness was growing longer than expected, he hadn't said a word, and it was suffocating her. "The truth is bitter, isn't it?" She broke the silence, and continued when there was still no answer from him, "Why aren't you saying anything, Bihaan? You agree to what I said, right?" It was as if she was trying to cover up all the dreadful things she had said, regret dawning over her. "Goddamn, say something! See? This is what I was trying to say, you never want to put up with your mistakes. Fine! I don't want your apology, at least reali..." In a spur of the moment, he scooted towards her, confusing her of what he might do. The next thing she knew, he had slammed his lips to hers, nearly knocking her out. She wanted to pull away, before losing it to him, but couldn't seem to. Her senses were stumped, not allowing for her to think anything else. She hardly had a moment to react further, before he pressed his tongue into the hem of her lips, spreading warmth throughout her body.
He kissed her passionately, with a demand, and her world fell away. It was slow, and comforting; an essence of apology flowed from it, in ways that words could never do, taking away all the grievances she had just made. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled, his other hand drawing her waist closer. Closing her eyes, she gave it in entirely, she moved closer to him, putting her arms around his back.
They broke apart, gasping for air, still embraced in each other's arms, and she hesitantly looked up at him. The swirls of emotions she saw there made her to gasp. Pure desire. "Thapki" Dazed, he whispered slowly, prolonging each letter as if to savor them. She smiled, her heart fluttering at his deep, husky voice. Never before, her name had felt so wonderful to her ears. "I'm really sorry, for whatever I did to hurt you. I've never meant it, ever. You know what gets to me when I am mad" He rested his forehead on hers, and sighing he added, "I saw how some of my germs got into you, just now. I didn't know you'd learn so much..." She smacked him on his chest at his bantering over her outburst, and he grinned. "You provoked me" She indicted him, snuggling closer into his chest. "I did? You started..." She cut him in, "Bihaan, let's not get into a fight again, please?" She mumbled, listening to his heart thudding right under her ear.
They stood there like that, entwined, and what seemed like ages, when Bihaan said, "Look behind you, Thapki." "Ugh! Not again" She replied annoyingly. "Just look" He insisted, and she arched her head to look back. Thapki gazed back at their reflection; the image of the beautiful lovers was mirrored perfectly. She wanted them to stay like that for an eternity, never wanting to come out of his arms. Turning back, she said "Bihaan, I swear I didn't mean to say what I said about leaving you" She blinked briny tears away from her eyes, before they could roll down on her cheek, he kissed a tear which just fell out, stopping it right there. "I know" He whispered, his breathing quickened as did hers. He began nuzzling her neck, dropping delicate kisses along the beneath of her jaw, so faint, they were whispers.
Suddenly, he stopped, something snapped in his mind. Looking down at her, he asked, "If you didn't faint for real, then why did you take that pill?" She giggled at his sudden delving "My head was hurting for real, it's fine now" Giving her a knowing, mousy smile, he remarked, "Good" and led her to their waiting bed.
"Bihaan?"
"Hmm?"
"Why do we have to fight every night? Why can't we just directly get down to business?" She asked him bluntly.
Bihaan gave out a shout of laughter, which had surely woken up everyone in the house, clearly understanding what she meant by "business". She hid her bashful face in her hands, embarrassed at her own, dotty question.
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Cricket
Music Corner
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
