.✧• Drabble 2 •✧.
[Scene inspiration - Gajra scene]
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The winds blew across the playground, the leaves rustling under the weight of the wind, children running around in glee as they chased each other and fought for the slides and swings, some finding solace on the dewy grass and litter of puppies by the trees.
"Shiva, please utaar mujhe!"
"Arre Mami ki behen ki beti, itna kya darr rahi hai, ek haath chod aur dusra rod pakad na!"
"Nahi mai gir jaaungi, Shiva! Mujhe chot lag jaayegi!"
7 year-old Raavi hung on the monkey bars, frantically calling out for Shiva, while he tried to motivate her to finish the monkey bars. She had only moved one step ahead, and refused to grab the next rod, in fear of falling down.
"Chipkali, rod se chipak jaa aur fatafat aage jaa!" Shiva stood underneath where she hung from, his hands held out above him to catch her if she falls.
"Utaar na mujhe, bhoothnath!" Raavi whined, losing the grip on one of her hands.
"Dekh, darpok mat bann aur- oof!"
Shiva toppled to the ground, with Raavi on top of him, groaning from the sudden contact with the very stony, pebbled floor of the playground.
"Uth mere upar se. Moti." He grumbled, nudging her arms.
"Hatt rahi hoon na. Pareshaan mat kar." Raavi wriggled her nose, as Shiva scoffed, muttering 'pareshaan toh tune kar rakha hai, heroine waale nakhre hai iske bas.'
"Maine kaha tha mujhe pakad. Gadheda." Raavi muttered, getting off him and dusting her elbows and knees.
"Maine bhi kaha tha, aage badh. Sunti hai tu kabhi? Thoda toh bahadur bann. Gadhedi." Shiva pushed her, stretching his back and she stomped off to play at the merry-go-round.
Raavi patiently waited in line, while the first 5 kids took their turns on the merry-go-round, the seats being different animals.
Just as her turn came and she was about to climb on, a hard shove threw her off balance, sending her tumbling to the ground.
"Chal, baju hatt. Mujhe baithna hai." The school bully, Raj, announced as he sat on one of the seats, his 4 friends following him.
"Aye!" Raavi yelled, dusting her t shirt and pant, "Ye galat hai! Mai line mein khadi thi!"
"Aur maine line tod di. Kya kar legi?" He said haughtily, shoving her again.
"Aur ek baar dhakka lagaya toh-" She showed her fists like Shiva always did, remembering his words from a few minutes back, to be brave.
"Toh kya? Apne mummy se jaake complain kar degi? Arre, mai toh bhul gaya, " Raj laughed, jumping off the merry-go-round, "tere mummy papa toh hai hi nahi, kise jaake karegi complain!"
Raavi's heart dropped to the ground, as she watched Raj high-five his friends and climb back on the merry-go-round. Suddenly, she didn't want to be brave anymore, it didn't feel like it was worth it. They were only fighting about the seat, he shouldn't have gone so far.
Emptiness settling in her chest, tears pooling in her eyes, she took a few steps back, crashing into someone she knew all too well.
"Aye chipkali, kabse aawaz laga raha hoon!" Shiva said, stumbling and balancing himself before he lost footing, "Aankhein hai ki button, dekh ke-"
He stopped midway, watching Raavi run away from his sight before he could process what was happening.
"-nahi chal sakti. Arre, isko kya hua?" He wondered out loud, confused at her behaviour; this was the first time she had done this, and he couldn't understand why.
"Kuch nahi. Phuski hai, zara si baat pe rona aa gaya usko." Raj chided, and Shiva glared at him for that comment.
"Accha, aisa kya? Kya bola tune usko?" Shiva crossed his arms, the anger reflecting off his face, which seemed to intimidate Raj, since the only person he truly was afraid of, was Shiva Pandya. So intimidated, that he was fearful of the reaction Shiva would give had he been told what he just told Raavi.
"Agar mujhe pata chala, ki tum logo ne usse kuch bola hai, toh muh tod ke rakh dunga sabka." He threatened Raj and his friends, resulting in them scampering away from the merry-go-round.
Shiva turned back around to look for Raavi, but she was no where in sight. He had told Mami that he'll bring her back along with him, and it was almost time for them to leave.
Walking at the edge of the playground for a better view, he squinted his eyes to catch a glimpse of her, wondering where she disappeared, when he heard a ruffle from the bush behind him.
Shiva stepped into the space, and found his chipkali; sitting on the ground, her legs crisscrossed and tucked under her, staring at the stones in front of her while she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"Tu yaha baithi hai? Mai tujhe dhundh raha tha sab jagah." Shiva said, standing in front of her.
"Mat dhundh." Raavi said glumly, looking away.
Shiva sighed, holding her by her arms, making her stand up. "Dekh, koi bhi aata jaata insaan tujhe kuch bhi bolke chala jaaye, toh tu aise royegi kya? Aisa bhi kya bol diya usne?"
"Mere mazaak udaya usne kyunki mere mummy papa nahi hai." She cried, silently shedding more tears and looking at her feet.
Shiva looked at Raavi, his anger and irritation dissipating. He didn't know what it felt like to live in a world without his parents, he was lucky enough to have them both. But Raavi, unfortunately, wasn't. Which is why he always found her at his house, fluttering around Suman and Darshan, very explainably the apple of their eyes, and she loved the attention they gave her, something she had always craved for.
Yes, she had Mami and Mama, but he could see it in her behaviour that she always felt more comfortable at Pandya Niwas, especially around his father, because he spoiled her like she was his own daughter.
"Dekh chipkali." Shiva said, tapping her shoulder, "Tu aise sab logo ke baat pe dhyaan mat de. Samjhi? Woh sirf jalta hai kyunki tu MERI best friend hai, uski nahi."
"Sacchi?" Raavi asked innocently, looking at Shiva, her eyelashes dampened with tears.
"Aur nahi toh kya? Chal ab, aansu poch!" He pointed at her eyes, and she wiped them immediately, but was still not convinced, her mood still off, the words of that boy ringing in her ears.
Shiva took one look at her face, and knew she was still sad since she hadn't yet resumed her favourite hobby of eating his head.
So he dragged her out of the bushes and asked her to wait there, running off and returning 5 minutes later with something enclosed in his palms.
Before he could open his enclosed palms, Raavi shrieked and jumped back, staring at his palms, "Tu... Tu kahi se cockraoch uthake laaya hai na! Door rakh!"
"Nahi-"
"TERE HAATH MEIN CHIPKALI HAI?! DOOR HATT MUJHSE SHIVA!" Raavi shooed him away with his hands, making him roll his eyes.
"Abe dhakkan!" Shiva said loudly, catching her attention, "koi cockraoch-chipkali nahi laaya hu. Dekh toh!"
Raavi peeked over, and he opened his palms to reveal many periwinkles in the colours of the sky, sun, moon and evening sunset.
"Arre! Kitna khoobsurat hai!" Raavi's eyes glinted in joy, with a smile that hadn't yet reached her ears, as she took the flowers from Shiva's hands into her own.
"Le. Tujhe bohot pasand hai na ye rang-birangi phool. Toh le aaya." Shiva said, handing the flowers over to her. "Ab toh mood theek kar le!"
Raavi looked at flowers, touching each and every flower in beautiful colours, loving the colours in her hands right now.
"Shiva, ye meri choti mein laga de! Haath mein leke ghumungi, toh kharab ho jaayenge. Laga!" She turned around and showed him her braided hair, and Shiva grumbled in refusal, but gave in eventually, sticking the flowers in the gaps of her hair.
Raavi turned around, checking the braid with one hand, "Kaisi lag rahi hu? Ekdum phoolon ki rani ki tarah, na?"
"Ekdum phoolkumari lag rahi hai." Shiva replied earnestly.
Her smile finally reached all the way upto her ears, hearing the praise 'phoolkumari' from that sadela kaddu's mouth, and all Shiva wished was for her smile to remain the same.
And for his fist to meet certain bully people's teeth and nose.
°°°°
Shiva filled her partition with the colour of their love, the red sindoor that bound them together for eternity, her eyes downcast, a certain shyness spreading from her eyes to her cheeks, which were painted the same colour as her sindoor.
He placed a finger under her chin, lifting her face gently to look at her directly, and she smiled her best smile, before it dwindled and she looked at her feet.
"Meri heroine ka chehra latka hua kyu hai?" Shiva asked softly, and Raavi looked away, her eyes coloured the same as her cheeks, tears prickling her eyes.
"Mere mann se ye baat jaa hi nahi rahi hai, ki mai tere liye-" Raavi choked on her own voice, and felt Shiva's warm palms over her cheeks.
"Aaindaah aisa khayaal aana bhi nahi chahiye, samjhi?" He said, hating that she still felt that way, unaware that she was the best thing to happen to him in a long, long time.
"Par agar tujhe kuch ho gaya toh?" She asked fearfully, a few tear drops dribbling onto his hands.
"Mujhe kuch bhi nahi hoga. Pata hai kyu?" Shiva reasoned, wiping her tears gently without ruining her make up, for which he would get a lecture later if he ruined it, "Kyunki tu meri lucky charm hai, isliye."
Raavi looked at him innocently, as he continued on, "Jabse aayi hai meri zindagi mein, tera ye jungli Shiva pura hua hai. Koi bhi tujhe kuch bhi bolke chala jaayega, aur tu unki baat maanegi, par iss bhoothnath ki nahi?" Shiva asked her, and she nodded her head.
"Tu mere pyaar ke upar unke nafrat ko chunegi? Arre, woh log tujhse utni nafrat bhi nahi kar paaye jitna tu mujhse, aur mai tujhse pyaar, samjhi?" Shiva said, holding her by her shoulders and shaking her a bit.
Raavi nodded her head, unconvinced, when Shiva pulled her closer and dropped his voice to a whisper, tipping her face towards him, "Look at me."
She raised her eyes off the the floor, to look into his marble-black eyes, and she knew right there and then he was going to say something to make her bawl her eyes out.
"I love you."
Her lips wobbled and quivered under the utmost earnesty with which he proclaimed his love for her, everyday, every second of their lives, and like she knew it, she buried herself in his arms sobbing, knowing she had found her entire family, her everything; everything she had ever wanted in her man in front of her.
Raavi mumbled something against his chest, and Shiva chuckled, kissing her head, knowing she had murmured her love for him against his chest while crying like the nautanki she was.
"I know mai tujhse zyaada pyaar karta hoon, par tu mujhe I love you toh dhang se bol hi sakti hai. Kanjoos." He teased, earning a pinch from her, throwing her arms around his neck.
"Tu hoga maha kanjoos. I love you." She murmured, sniffling and wiping her nose. Shiva pulled her back from the hug, and wiped her tears away, smiling at her, nodding his head, warning her not to start with her aansuon ke tanker again.
He reached for the dressing table and unwrapped something from a newspaper: jasmines.
White, tiny jasmines threaded and held together by strings, in a cluster, freshly sewn together.
Raavi looked at his palms, and broke into a wide smile, the happiness radiating off her face by the simplest of things her bhoothnath did for her.
"Gajra laaya hai mere liye?" She beamed, blushing at his many ways of showering his love in her, sometimes physical and sometimes through his gestures.
Shiva nodded, proud of himself and the attempt to make his chudail biwi smile, immediately knowing the follow up statement she would make.
"Laga de mere baalon mein?" Raavi requested, turning around so that he could pin the flowers to her hair.
Shiva grinned, shaking his head at the fact that she never changed, as he pinned the flowers to her hair, adorning her like a newly-wed bride.
His bride. His wife. Always. For all janams hereforth.
Raavi smiled and touched her hair where the flowers rested, and turned around to ask him one thing:
"Kaisi lag rahi hoon?"
Shiva kissed her forehead, entwining their fingers and placing a kiss on her palm, knowing exactly how she looked,
"Ekdum phoolkumari jaisi."
Her smile reached all the way upto her ears, hearing her bhoothnath, now husband, call her 'phoolkumari'.
Just like she did when they were younger.
Shiva wished for her to be his, always and forever; for her smile to remain the same.
Just like he did when they were younger.
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Edited by sillysatchel - 2 years ago
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