SUMMARY:
Maan reminisces his first Christmas with Geet as a married couple and how his life changed when the clock struck twelve.
THE CHRISTMAS GIFT
We had just celebrated our first wedding anniversary and Christmas was fast approaching. Geet was buzzing with energy when I arrived from the office, and I couldnt help but smile like the lovesick husband I am when I saw her bossing my stuffy butler around. It was really funny to see the perpetually dignified Nakul come out of his way to indulge her every whim, unflinching even when she ordered him to haul some rather dusty and mysterious cardboard boxes into the study.
Nakul has been a member of the Khurana staff for over twenty years now, and I cant remember ever seeing a spot of dust on his immaculate uniform except that December. That Christmas seemed to be a time of firsts for the whole Khurana household.
"Hello, sunshine", I said with a laugh in my voice, as I left my briefcase on the piano and leant forward to press a warm kiss on her mouth. "Whats all this hustle and bustle about"? I asked, cocking an eyebrow and walking to my desk, which was now completely covered with boxes of every size and shape. I started to remove a lid to have a peek inside when she said the words that hadnt been heard in the mansion for seventeen years.
"Ive asked Nakul to help me carry up the boxes with the Christmas decorations. Theyve been collecting dust in the basement", she murmured with a hint of hesitation, looking at me with her expressive brown eyes. "Ive been thinking... Its our first Christmas as a married couple and daadi not here(daadima's gone to visit Vicky in America) and... er... I know that youre not used to this but... Could you... "? she stammered adoringly, and I knew what she intended to say but couldnt articulate, too afraid to hurt my feelings. And I was suddenly overwhelmed by something I hadnt experienced since the time my mum was alive- I felt cherished and loved. I locked my eyes with hers and wondered what I had done to deserve her and why, after all wed been through, she had chosen me over the one person whose names no longer mentioned between us.
"Would you like me to help you pick a Christmas tree"? I volunteered and saw her let out the breath she had been holding.
"Would you"? she asked with a hopeful smile.
"You know Id do anything to see you happy, geet" I whispered, incapable of resisting the urge to tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
She leant on my hand and, pressing a kiss on my palm, she raised her eyes to meet mine and asked me, "Would you help me decorate the tree too, Maan?"
"Theek hai", I said, softly.
"Thank you", came geets muffled voice as she snaked her arms around my waist and pressed her face against my waistcot.
I wanted to say something to her; tell her that she had nothing to thank me for, that I was the one for ever grateful to her for accepting me in her life, but words failed me. Emotions were too raw, and I just hugged her back and buried my nose in her rose-scented hair in an attempt to communicate with my body what I couldnt put in words.
Going through the process of choosing the perfect tree for our first Christmas together as a married couple was bittersweet. I saw her enthusiasm as she tried to make me participate in the decisions.
"Maan...", said geet with a hint of concern, and I kicked myself for letting her see how much this was affecting me," Aap theek ho? "
"Are you sure you dont mind... ?" she started to ask and I cut her off with a kiss before she could see the moisture in my eyes.
"Its not what you think", I said, ending the kiss reluctantly.
She thought my melancholy was due to memories of my mum, but I couldnt bring myself to tell her the scene reminded me too much of all those other times when happiness had been cruelly snatched away from me, all those times I thought Id live happily for ever after to find myself alone and broken-hearted.
Next day we bought a huge tree.
As I set the tree in the stand which nakul had conjured up, Geet rummaged through the boxes looking for the new 200 lights she had bought from the shop.
"Well, the trees in place. What shall I do now?" I asked, turning around and surprising a tender look in her eyes which made my heart flutter.
"You could start with the lights now", she responded warmly, handing me the box. Ill go for the stepping stool, she added, walking to the door.
"Ill fetch it, Why dont you stay and untangle these?" I suggested, giving her back the box.
Climbing up the step stool I began the painstaking process of attaching the blinking lights string by string, making sure they were evenly distributed and practically invisible. Its a task which takes time and thought, and thats something Im very good at.
Once the lights were up, geet took over and made me climb down. She stepped up on the stool and I began to pass her the ornaments for her to hang.
"I wish daadima and Vicky were here", she murmured as she grabbed the colourful glass ornaments with careful hands. "I miss them so much. "
"Don't worry..this is our 1st Christmas together..i think we deserve to celebrate it alone," I said with arrogance, passing her the star.
"Uff kitna ucha hain", she whined, climbing up to the top wrung, and I steadied her by reaching out and holding her by her hips.
The decoration of the tree was gradually becoming a very sensual experience, and I couldnt help but smile what I believe must have been a very smug smile when she stepped down a wrung causing my hands to slip up her hips and touch her bottom.
"Are you enjoying the view, Maan?" she laughed musically.
"Youve got a very sexy body, Mrs Khurana," I smiled, putting one arm around her back and the other under her kneels to sweep her off the stool.
"Are you trying to turn me on, Mr Khurana?" she cocked an eyebrow.
"Youve called me old. Im just trying to make a point here. How am I doing so far?" I murmured, feeling my desire for her grow.
She put her arm around my shoulder as I stood in the middle of the study, holding her in my arms, and then she leant her head forward, pulling mine to meet her lips. She tugged at my lower lip deliciously, and I opened my mouth to let her in.
The kiss we shared turned really passionate all of a sudden, but then she backed her head away, closed her eyes and took a deep breath before fluttering her eyelids open and letting me see her luminous smile.
"If we keep this up, Maan, we wont finish decorating the tree in time for Christmas," she said, giving me a quick peck on the mouth. "Besides, we havent put up the mistletoe yet. "
"In case you dont remember, it was you who made the first move," I said letting her feet drop to the ground and keeping my arms around her waist.
"You started it," she elbowed me.
"I did not", I proclaimed, feigning outrage.
"You swept me off the stool", she said with a smirk.
"Your sinful bodys the one to blame," I whispered in her ear, nuzzling her neck.
"Maan," she moaned, "let me go and I promise Ill make it up to you. "
"Be careful with your promises, Mrs Khurana," I said provocatively.
"If you're a good boy, Mr Khurana, Santa may answer your letter this year", she responded warmly, and I could see a suspicious glazing in her eyes.
I must have looked at her oddly because she suddenly composed and pushed me gently to resume her chore.
"Let me add the tinsel, Maan. Itll just take a couple of minutes. "
The couple of minutes turned into five and then into ten, and I was getting rather impatient. I followed her graceful movements as she carefully placed each glittering metallic strip in place so that both sides hung freely and, when she was done, she stood back a few steps and asked me to turn off the lights of the study to see the tree illuminated.
"How do you like the overall effect?" she queried as I stood in the middle of the room, too overwhelmed by the way the sparkling fire and the tree lights reflected on her now long silky black hair and her delicate white skin. "Maan?"she asked turning a delightful red.
"Ive never seen anything as beautiful in my life," I said throatily, and she surprised me by sprinting toward me and jumping into my arms.
I caught her up and pulled her more closer . She smiled deliciously, and her curves pressed against my already aroused body almost undid me. I rested my forehead on hers and closed my eyes, trying to slow down the pacing of my heart while she traced my features with loving hands.
"Geet", I moaned as she brushed her lips against mine, "theres still no mistletoe. "
"Who needs mistletoe?" she answered, tightening her hold on me. "So...," she nibbled at my earlobe, sending shivers up my spine, "are you going to show me how much you like what you see? "
"You're a little minx," I murmured, cupping her face and meeting her mouth in a searing kiss.
The wait had had an effect on both of us, and our climb to the master bedroom was stalled on several occasions when the kisses and the caresses turned too heated, and I was afraid of tumbling down the stairs with her body still wrapped around mine.
Before Geet, I had never been the cuddling type and, to outward appearances, Im still not. I make sure my mask remains in place for thats the only way I know how to face the hostile world around me. Id always wanted to have someone I could open to, someone I could trust with my heart and she was a dream come true. I had to wait a long time until the scenario was the appropriate one for me to make my move, until we could put all the bitterness and painful history behind us. Still, I strove to keep the walls around my heart up just in case she crushed it, but she didnt. She found her way in, and I found myself trusting her with that part of me which has been the most trampled and hurt.
I looked at her in the aftermath of our passionate lovemaking as she faced away but snuggled very close to me. I wrapped one arm around her and brought our bodies flush, pressing leisurely kisses on her shoulders and the crook of her neck. The gentle caresses soon lulled her to sleep and, as customary, I remained awake for a while, listening to her even breathing and studying her relaxed features. That night she glowed with a particular kind of light and my eyes roamed over each curve, hill and indentation as something stirred inside me, something beautiful but scary at the same time.
The days flew by and soon it was Christmas Eve. Geet and I had been invited to a formal dinner by one of our client.
"You know, geet, we can still make our excuses and stay at home. Mr.Demello will understand," I said, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind as she put on the diamond earrings I had given her for her birthday.
"Maine aapse kitni baar kaha hain, Maan, it's no big deal. I know this is part of your life and Im OK with it," she answered, leaning back.
"Are you sure?" I insisted, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
"Yes, Im sure. Besides..."she added with a sensual voice, pulling me forward by the tie, "we'll still have the rest of the night. "
"Youre tempting me to stay at home, honey," I smiled, meeting her lips in a sweet kiss.
The food and the music were first-rate as usual, but I couldnt wait to be back home to celebrate Christmas with my wife. She has adapted to my world effortlessly and has made so much bearable that part of my life which I hate the most- socialising. Id much rather be in my study sharing a cup of coffee while watching some romantic flick with geet snuggled next to me on the sofa.
It was close to midnight when she stole a glance at me across the ballroom and I decided I had had enough shoptalk to last me until Twelfth Night at least.
"Excuse me," I smirked, cutting off the inane conversation that had been dragging on for far too long, "duty calls. "
"Oh, sure! One cant keep ones lady waiting," answered the middle-aged businessman who had stuck with me like a leech.
"You didnt seem to be having fun," murmured geet when I reached her.
"Your timing was perfect, thanks. Two more minutes and I would have had trouble living up to the Khurana reputation," I whispered next to her ear as she slipped her arm through mine.
"We couldnt allow that to happen, could we?" she smiled conspiratorially.
"Would you do me the honour of a dance?" I asked as the band started to play a slow number and the lights began to dim, getting ready to the twelve oclock chime.
"Ive been waiting for this all night, "she murmured in a raspy voice which she only reserved for me, and I took her onto the dance floor to be joined by the other couples.
Having her soft curves pressed against me as we swayed with the music brought back those intense feelings of the night she had spent in my arms after setting up the tree. Anticipation was killing me. Something she had said that night several weeks before and something- call it an epiphany- I had experienced when I watched her lying naked and sated in my arms made my heart quicken and my chest clench now that midnight was fast approaching. I knew she had had something on her mind all day long, and a sixth sense told me she would say the words when the clock struck twelve. I tried to keep my composure and gradually led her to a lateral archway.
"Maan..", she whispered, looking at me in the eye when the grandfather clock chimed twelve and the fireworks started to crack.
I couldnt let her say it. Not yet. Not amidst all those people. Not something so private, something that would change our lives and my world for ever. I wasnt ready to hear it coming from her lips yet. Everything was just too perfect and I was scared,
"Maan..", she repeated, beaming as she caressed my cheek with a hand," Ive got something to... "
I cut her off in mid-sentence before the words were out of her mouth. I crushed her lips with a kiss so desperate and needy that I heard some guests gasp close to us. There goes the trademark Khurana cool aloofness, I thought.
"Wow!" panted Geet as my mouth left her lips after making sure shed been thoroughly kissed. "Where did that come from?" she sighed blushing
"Mistletoe," I smirked looking up above our heads.
"Had I known this before, I would have insisted on hanging that mistletoe back at the mansion. Maan, mujhe aap se.. "
"I love you..", I whispered throatily into her ear, pressing a kiss on her pulse and letting my left hand graze the side of her abdomen where our child was miraculously growing.
I felt her tremble in my arms when my fingers splayed protectively on her womb, and she raised her emerald eyes to meet mine.
"Merry Christmas, maan," she said, resting her head on my chest and wrapping her arms tightly around me.
"Merry Christmas, baby," I responded with a catch in my voice as I kissed the top of her head.
A year has gone my since that Christmas and not a day passes by when I dont look at our little baby Siya with awe in my eyes. Shes got ten perfect toes and ten perfect fingers that clutch at my shirt whenever I hold her and get lost in those brown eyes which remind me so much of her mothers. I still cant believe how lucky I am, how fortunate we are.
"Hello, daddy, "says geet, wrapping her arms around me from behind.
"Isnt she beautiful? "I smile, caressing the babys cheek with a finger.
"Youre so besotted, Maan," she responds next to my ear.
"You arent jealous, are you? "I ask, remembering all Ive read about new mothers and how they can feel displaced by their babies.
"bilkul bhi nahi," she smiled, letting me see her dimples before pressing a lingering kiss on my lips. "Hey!" she laughs, breaking the kiss and looking down at siya whos pulling at geets long hair. "Hes also mine, you know? "
"Geet," I croak, "thank you. "
"Theres nothing to thank me for, darling she murmurs with glassy eyes. I love you too. "
Ill just say it again all the same. Thank you for the best Christmas present ever
The End
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