PART 11
The beeping sound of the alarm woke Suraj up abruptly. He always hated the sound of it, especially today as it awakens him to attend his court session with Chakor. To him, it is not a serious session but both of them need to be present to give their statements on why they wanted this divorce. If it was the old Suraj Rajvanshi, he would have been very happy to attend it but the current version of Suraj Rajvanshi wanted to avoid it. If he has the authority, he would withdraw this divorce petition but just like Chakor, he too is having a mixed feeling about this marriage. Therefore, this proceedings seemed necessary.
Chakor dressed up and waited for Gauri. She wore a dandelion coloured plain Anarkali suit, the dupatta was let free from her shoulders on both sides, covering her front bodice. "Gauri, how long more will you take? It's almost 8. I need to be there by 9," she yelled. As she was checking herself in the mirror, she saw her empty forehead. She rushed to her room to get the vermillion powder in the wooden box and applied a mark in the parting of her hair just above the forehead. "Better now," she murmured, smiling at herself in the mirror.
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Suraj and Chakor arrived at the family court on time, with Kamal Narayan, Tejaswini, Gauri and their lawyers accompanying them. Suraj gazed at how gorgeous Chakor looked and smiled at her. He was delighted to see her after what seemed to be the longest two days of his life. She mesmerized him with a piercing stare and a forced smile across her cherry lips. Just before entering the courtroom, Suraj approached Chakor, trying to initiate a conversation with her. Chakor was anxiously biting her right index finger's nail; Suraj smirked seeing her innocent gesture, placing his hand on her right forearm and pulled it down.
Suraj : Nervous?
Chakor : (Instantaneously moved her hand away from him and avoided his eyes) No.
Suraj : Relax. I will not say anything that you wouldn't want me to say in there.
Chakor : (Looked directly at him, partially rolling her eyes) And why would you do that?
Suraj : Because I want to make you happy.
Chakor : Although if it means I want to proceed with this divorce?
Suraj : (He gulped, taking a few seconds to get the right words) Yes, but remember, we have six months in between today and the day the divorce gets finalized. I bet you'll change your mind by then. (He smirked at her confidently)
Chakor clasped her fists wanted to say something to break his overly snobbish attitude but they were called in. Both of them went in to record their statements. Since the decision was joint, the First Motion for divorce was granted. Suraj and Chakor were informed to wait for six months before they get legally separated. These six months will serve as a cooling period and in case they have a change of mind, they may withdraw the application within this period and that pleased Suraj as he turned his head towards Chakor, winking at her, much to her discomfort, thus exiting the courtroom.
"You're coming home with me, right?" his eyes sparkled, expecting a positive answer from his wife. Kamal Narayan and Tejaswini looked at each other, getting the idea about what is going on between Suraj and Chakor. "Beta, Pa and I are leaving right now. The haveli doors are always open for both of you. We just hope these six months will bring some positivity into your marriage, but whatever happens, we are always with you," Tejaswini touched Chakor's cheeks and planted a kiss on her forehead. Kamal Narayan patted his son's shoulder and left with his wife. "So, are you coming?" Suraj faced Chakor, this time, he asked her in a soft tone. Seeing Chakor irresponsive, Gauri jumped in, "Yes, boss, she will come home with you." Jerked by her response, "Thanks for answering on my wife's behalf, Ms. Kapoor but aren't you supposed to be in the office right now, doing your job? The one I pay you for?" his stern tone startled both Gauri and Chakor. "Suraj, you can't speak like that to my friend," Chakor interrupted. "Finally you decided to speak?" Suraj simpered at Chakor. Gauri let out a sheepish laugh, "It's okay, Chakor. I am fine. I'm leaving now, boss. I just wanted to give some moral support to my friend. Bye!" she hugged Chakor rapidly, motioned a fake salute to Suraj, rushed back to her car and drove off.
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Throughout the car ride home, Chakor decided not to speak to Suraj, at least till they reach home. After several failed attempts to cheer Chakor up, Suraj plugged in a pendrive to the car's music system and browse through a few songs to choose the right song for the current situation. Chakor watched Suraj from the corner of her eyes, not turning fully towards him. "Aahhh, PERFECT!" he raved and played a familiar tune. What is he trying to do? Chakor wondered. The introductory music played and Suraj glanced at Chakor, "Are you going to continue with this silent treatment?" Chakor shrugged and raised her eyebrows at Suraj, then turned to face the window. "Okay, then!" Suraj mumbled and raised the volume. The song was none other than their favorite song which they danced together a few days back.
"What would I do without your smart mouth?
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out
You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down
What's going on in that beautiful mind"
Sinking in the melody and the lyrics of the song, both of them had recollections of their first date. Chakor closed her eyes as she could still feel the intensity of his hug and their sensual first kiss but she tried to hide her elevated feelings from Suraj. Suraj, on the other hand, felt her lips brushing his and passion rushed through his blood vessels. The emotional state felt so real although it was a sheer recurrence. He thought this song would make her retort to him in some way but Chakor was determined than he anticipated. If you are stubborn, I am more stubborn than you, Chakor, his mind engineered a plan. Focus still maintained on the road but glancing at Chakor every now and then, Suraj started singing along, loud and clear, grabbing her attention.
"I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright
My head's under water
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind"
Chakor faced Suraj, her mouth hung with lips marginally parted and her eyes were as wide as they could expand. She was astonished by what he was doing, silently admiring how hypnotic his voice actually sounded. Seeing her reaction, Suraj snickered but continued to sing.
"Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning"
Just to put a stop to this awkwardly amusing situation, Chakor turned off the music. Suraj instantly turned it on, teasing her and continued to sing. He enjoyed agitating her although deep in his heart he knew that he should be pleasing her to get her to forgive him. Just as the song ended, the duo reached home. All his attempts to make her talk to him failed as of now but he didn't give up. Before opening the main door, Suraj requested Chakor to close her eyes, which she complied without any disagreement. She wanted to see what more Suraj would do to get into her head. She wasn't actually having any worthy thoughts about Suraj until she stepped into their house and opened her eyes. What she saw dumbfounded her.
The living room was not as she saw it a few days back; Suraj has transformed it and he sure did seize Chakor's attention by doing so. The once empty wall above the television cabinet now has a 24x30 white wooden photo frame with their wedding picture neatly placed in it. It was the same picture Chakor had in her office, but a magnified version of it. Delight towed at the corners of her lips as if she could really imagine the day they tied the knot. A single tear rolled down her pink cheek which was noticed by Suraj. "Are you okay, Chakor?" he asked, just to be sure of her emotional state. She wiped the tear off and nodded at Suraj.
Her eyes wandered to see what more he has done. There were quite a few photographs on the cabinet right next to the sofa, comprising of Chakor and Suraj's childhood pictures and several others from their University days. She grabbed one of the photo frames and recalled what actually took place when it was clicked, and her mind automatically brought her back to that particular day. It was the first Holi she celebrated with the Rajvanshis' after her parents passed away. Suraj didn't want to play with the gulal powders, so Chakor sneaked in the colours without his knowledge and applied it all over his face when he was watching 'Tom and Jerry'. That moment was captured by Kamal Narayan in his Konica A4, as he was her partner in crime. She could still hear Tejaswini laughing her heart out in the background; how angry Suraj looked was visible in that picture. All of the sudden, she heard Suraj chuckling as he too was recalling the same memory as her. Shrinking her dark brown eyes, she critically stared at him causing him to shy away.
She placed the photo frame at its original spot, then moved towards the sofa table where a medium-sized vase with magenta coloured tulips was resting. "Tulips are your favourite, especially the ones in magenta, am I right, Chakor?" he followed her and whispered into her left ear. "You see, it's not easy to get these flowers here but I'll make sure you'll get to see ample of it daily, he guaranteed. The windows' blinds, curtains and shades were changed too, replaced with materials from Chakor's favourite colour but luckily they matched the living room perfectly. The vacant wall beside the window was transformed into a wood and leather trellis plant wall, with tiny pots of basil, thyme, oregano, cilantro and citronella. A few pots were left unfilled. "The empty pots are for you to fill in with the ones you like," Suraj explicated, sincerely knowing how much Chakor loves the scent of herbal leaves.
Chakor : How did you pull this out in just two days, Suraj?
Suraj : (He was clearly content with Chakor speaking to him) Well, I had a friend helping me out but tell me, do you like it?
Chakor : (Paused for a few jiffies, observed the living room at one go) Surprisingly...I do.
Suraj was exhilarated with Chakor's response. He inched closer to her, taking her hand into his.
Suraj : I'm glad you like it, Chakor. I want you to like it, especially being here, with me.
Chakor : (Baffled) But, why, Suraj? Don't you think we have wasted enough of our lives with each other? Don't you want to go out there and find your one true love? She might be waiting for you, you know? And here you are, bugging me and ringing the wrong bell.
Chakor teased, much to his pleasure, sneaked her hand out of his grip. Noticing that she might slip away, Suraj gently grabbed her by her hip, cementing her to his torso; a move which stunned her and brought tremors to every inch of her body. "I don't mind ringing the wrong bell if you're on the receiver's side, Chakor," and his words released thousands of teeny tiny butterflies into her belly, which she struggled off immediately. She didn't want the dance floor incident to repeat one more time with Suraj's intentions still being vague. Chakor's confusion was perceptible to Suraj's eyes as he quickly let go of his grip and crept away from her. He moved his right hand to the back of his head stroking his hair, trying to look away from Chakor, in an attempt to hide the feeling of clenched anticipation for her touch. There was a momentary silence in the atmosphere with Chakor attempting to hide her blushed complexion, while Suraj trying to control his impulses on not to do any physical moves with her. Chakor decided to break the silence apprehending how edgy Suraj appeared with her presence.
Chakor : Did you change the living room deco only or you have something else to show me?
Suraj : Well... only the living room for now, but we can do the rest together since we'll be seeing each other often now. I will no longer confine myself to my reading room or have a night out with my friends.
Chakor : (A partial smile peaked at her lips) We'll see about that. Anyways, I want to get to my room right now. See you later.
Just as she was moving away, Suraj grabbed her wrist, indicating her to stop.
Suraj : Chakor...
Chakor : Yes, Suraj...
Suraj : Thank you for talking to me after all that I did to you. (He laced his fingers with hers) I know it is not easy to be in your shoes, but I am sincerely very sorry for all the miserable days I gave you. Please forgive me. (He placed her right palm on his heart)
Chakor : (She paused to think of better words to not hurt his feelings) It is not easy for me to forgive you this fast, Suraj, but I'll try. I don't know what is going to happen in the next few months but I do want to know where this will lead us. It's better if we keep a distance from each other just to avoid feeding our physical necessities.
Her response cracked Suraj up as he released her fingers from his grip.
Suraj: Physical necessities? What is that? I don't get it. (He pretended not to know what Chakor was talking about. He raised his eyebrows at her, signaling that he is expecting an answer from her)
Chakor : Well... (she hesitantly spoke)... What I mean is we should slow down on... erm...
Suraj: On what, Chakor?
He glanced at her sharply, his eyes looking as dreamy as ever. Chakor knew she could not withstand his charm any longer; after all, he is 'The Suraj Rajvanshi', the heart-throb of many lasses during their University days; even many of their female office staff admire him and get fanatic about him when he talks to them. Keep your cool, Chakor, her mind reminded. Suraj was wreathed in smiles because Chakor was giving multiple expressions to his question but no verbal answer was audible. He snapped his thumb and middle finger together to make a sound that would awaken Chakor from her dream world.
Chakor : (Flipping her eyelids) Ermm... Sorry, what were you asking?
Suraj: It's okay, Chakor. I get your point. Mark my words: I will not do anything to you without your consent. So, let's take it that we are not here as husband and wife. Let's start off as friends. Who knows, Suraj Rajvanshi as a friend might surprise you.
He leaned forward to her, extending his right hand for a handshake. Chakor's instincts validated his honesty. She confidently wrapped up his hand into a firm shake that lasted for a few seconds, with both of them looking deep into each other's eyes before Suraj breaks it off.
Suraj : Okay then. I think both of us can take a day off today and resume to work tomorrow. What say you?
Chakor : If you say so, boss. (She tittered)
Suraj : Boss?
Chakor : Haa haaan...
Suraj : (Her cute voice sounded ecstatic to his ears which he ignored after a while) Before you get some rest, I have something to show you.
Chakor tilted her head, motioned what it is; Suraj reached out to her hand and led her to the kitchen. She managed to pull out a smile full of wonders with what she saw on the kitchen counter. She trudged in gleefully, clutching her hands in front reeking with eagerness and amusement. A chocolate cake was present on the counter with words written in pink coloured cream which says 'Welcome home, Mrs. Rajvanshi'. Suraj closely observed Chakor's facial expressions which did change after seeing the wordings.
Chakor : What's all this, Suraj? Mrs. Rajvanshi? Are you addressing me with that title now?
Suraj : (Suraj took out a matchbox from the lower drawer of the kitchen cabinet, placed a tiny candle on top of the cake and lit it up) As a matter of fact, YOU ARE MRS. RAJVANSHI, (Stylishly blowing the flame off the matchstick) and this cake is like a small celebration to welcome you into our home.
He held the cake in front her and signaled with his eyes, asking her to blow the candle. Understanding his genuine intention, she closed her eyes to make a wish. Suraj looked over, admiring the glow of her face above the candlelight before she slowly blew it. He placed the cake back onto the counter.
Chakor : But Suraj, I am not new to this house. This celebration is unnecessary.
Suraj : Well, you are 50% correct and 50% incorrect.
Chakor : How is that so?
Suraj : Correct that you have been living in this house almost for three years but incorrect because you weren't living as Mrs. Rajvanshi. We had our barriers that I wish to break this time around (he bent his knees to meet his eyes with hers) and I will make sure you'll get nothing but pleasure from my side (he winked as he gently slid in a sharp knife into Chakor's right palm causing her to jerk a little).
Chakor : (His actions were clearly having an impact on Chakor but she fought hard to hide it from his naked eyes) Are you flirting with me, Mr. Rajvanshi?
Suraj : Not at all, Mrs. Rajvanshi. I was just stating the facts (he teased her with a little quick wink once again). Now, please cut the cake. I'm kind of hungry here.
Chakor : Ermmm.. Mind if I ask what cake is this?
Suraj : It's a black forest cake.
Chakor : Is it vegan? (she asked with doubts)
Suraj gave it a thought for a few seconds and shook his head indicating that it's not.
Chakor : Wow, really, Suraj? A man who knows how to please me in terms of living room decor could not comprehend that I'm vegan? Ever wondered why Ma used to cook two different dishes for me and you? (Sarcasm was running free in Chakor's inquiries)
Suraj knew she is vegan but in the midst of preparing all these, that detail slipped out his mind. He knew he has some serious damage control to do. The next things he did was totally unexpected by Chakor.
Suraj : I do know that you're vegan but this cake is not for you to eat.
His mind is cooking up something, Chakor's mind voice uttered. She played along. "Oh, really?" she said while her right index finger started drawing circles on the kitchen counter right next to the cake. Suraj nodded thrice agreeing that the cake is not for her to consume.
Chakor : Then, what's the cake for?
Suraj took the knife, sliced the cake into a few chunks, took one in his hand, and screamed, "Cake smashing!!!!" He smeared the cake all over her face and laughed out loud seeing her all covered in lumps of it. Some of the cream were on her hair and her dress; her beautiful Anarkali suit had drips of the dark chocolate cream. Chakor used both her index fingers to wipe up the heavy cream from her eyes, with Suraj still burst into deep loud hearty laughter.
Pachak!!! a smooth warm slimy stuff hit Suraj on the face which stopped his laughter. Chakor stood grinning at the other end of the counter still having two more large chunks of the cake aiming at him. "Oh, so, you're targeting me now?" Suraj wiped the cake from his eyesight with his kerchief, before another chunk hit his face. This time, Chakor couldn't hold her laughter any longer and burst into tears while doing so. "Jungli billi! I am not going to let you go," Suraj screamed and started chasing Chakor. "Catch me if you can," she teased as she started running around the rectangularly shaped kitchen counter. The sprinter and the striker ran round and round while throwing the leftover cake pieces at each other, screaming and laughing, messing up the kitchen. Suraj had been the one with a lot of cake smearing on him compared to Chakor because she dodged well. His naughty mind got an idea. He instinctively stepped onto the counter, grabbed Chakor right before she slipped away and pulled her up with him. He pushed her down, her back facing the upper part of the counter and rolled on top of her, but he made sure he wasn't pinning her hard. His sudden movement startled Chakor but she liked the adrenalin rush he was giving her. All of his was on all of her and that triggered a sensual sensation that Chakor has never experienced before.
"You can't mess with Suraj Rajvanshi and leave without getting punished," he said, confidently cocky. He smudged the excess cream on Chakor's face, leaving out her eyes because he wanted to gaze into it when he makes his next move. She was determined to push him away but her body and mind are no longer connected. She wanted him to continue and he understood it. He gradually removed her dupatta, extended his index finger, and used it to trace a trail along the neckline of her dress. As his warm, wet fingers touched her bare skin, she felt her upper body parts harden as they reached out to him, begging him not to stop. He responded by tasting the cream on her neck; light kisses filled with passion. He looked up to see Chakor in a very vulnerable state and he stopped. He didn't want to take advantage of her fragile heart as it is still too early to get into physical intercourse although she is his wife. Still plastered on top of her, Suraj brushed aside her hair, "Chakor, are you okay?" his words pierced her brains like someone is waking her up from a very sweet dream. "Kiss me, Suraj," was all she said and that was all he needed to listen, then pressed soft kisses on her neck, cheeks, before moving on to her lips.
He kissed her gently on the lips and she responded by slipping her arms back around his neck and kissing him passionately. His tongue delved her mouth and hers probed his and soon things began to really heat up. Just then, the doorbell rang but they ignored it. Suraj continued to please her through his erotic kisses but the doorbell was continuously pressed and that got into his nerves. "I'll be right back," he whispered, leaving soft kisses on Chakor's eyelids, got down from the kitchen counter and disappeared towards the living room. Chakor raised her upper body to an upward position, her brain trying to grasp what just took place between them. How could you let this happen again, Chakor?! Shameless woman, you told him to kiss you! Now, how will you face him again? Arghhh!!! She was cursing herself as she stepped down the counter, thinking about how to escape from her handsome husband when he gets back to her.
She took sheets of tissues to wipe off the cream from her face when she heard two people arguing pretty loud. "Suraj's voice is capable of being heard but who is he quarreling with?" she wondered and made her way to the main door.
Something to ponder:
Who is the black sheep that came in between Suraj and Chakor's romantic moment?
Should they take it slow or this pace is just right?
*****END OF PART 11*****
PART 12: UPDATED ON PAGE 31 ❤️
Edited by malarmia - 7 years ago
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