Posted:
Hello All
This is the second post in the OS tagathon... Isha (Indian_Isha) came up with this idea of starting a story and tagging another writer at the end, so they could continue from where the previous writer left off. The idea is brilliant, unless of course, you are the one tagged. 😭 A lot of pressure, I tell ya. Its a struggle to pick up where someone's vision ends and carry on as if nothing has changed. So please forgive me, this one is not upto the mark.
Since the stories are supposed to be in continuation, please read the first one if you haven't already
Here is the link: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/ye-hai-mohabbatein/4044319/ishra-os-tagathon-chahun-main-ya-na
The song I was listening to, while I wrote this one is "Sham bhi Koi" from Aisha
***
It was one of those awkward moments. LIke when 2 thieves are in a dark room, looking for the same thing to steal, and then the lights are turned on. Both of them could not look away, and they couldnt continue staring either. The urge to tease and taunt the other person disappeared in the their own shame of getting caught. Both Ishita and Raman were praying that the spell would be broken, but neither of them were brave enough to do it. Ishita wanted to slap herself for being so juvenile and doodling his name on a piece of paper, as if she was a school girl day-dreaming about her first crush.
Raman, on the other hand thought that he had messed it up royally. When he had seen his name written so beautifully, he had felt a surge of happiness, so much so that he thought he had suddenly grown taller. He had planned on teasing her, to confirm his doubts. She was smart, but if he was right, her face would tell him the truth and give him all the confirmation he needed. He obviously hadn't planned blurting out his own truth. The woman was cunning enough to turn the tables on him now.
Unknown to the both of them, Mihir had heard their latest exchange of words. He had followed Ishita when she ran up to Raman's office. He chuckled and thought "If I didn't have respect for them, I would just go slap them silly. How can 2 smart people not figure this out? They both had pride, but that shouldn't come in the way of expressing their feelings. I am seeing bhai like this after a long time, and from what I heard from Mihika, Ishita Bhabhi is also returning to her old chirpy self. If only there was a way I take the blind-fold off their hearts..." With new-found confidence and ideas in his head, he tip-toed back to his office and called Mihika quietly.
Ishita's phone rang in a few minutes. She fumbled in her purse, but the device eluded her. As soon as the phone stopped ringing, Raman's phone started buzzing. His phone was thankfully in his hands, so it was a lot easier. He answered it without leaving her eyes, and scowled "Kya hai?"
"Jiju, its me, Mihika. Sorry disturb kiya kya? Gusse mein lag rahe ho. Sorry, woh main Akka ko try kar rahi thi, but unhone phone uthaaya nahin. I thought maybe I will try you. Hai kya akka aap ke saath?" Mihika said suppressing the smile from her voice.
"Haan, meri maa. thoda slow speed mein bola karo. Ruko, deta hoon Ishita ko phone" he handed her phone to her. The phone promptly fell down when their hands touched. It wasnt static, it was electricity of some other kind. Mercifully, it fell on the cushioned chair. So she lifted it, and asked him with her eyes.
"Aur koun hoga, junior madrasan hai. Tumne apna phone uthaane mein der kar di, so she called me." He was relieved, he went and sat on his chair, grateful to Mihika for the first time in his life. He tried to understand the barage of Tamil words that came out of his wife's mouth, but couldn't. His Tamil training hadn't gone that far. He made a mental note to talk to Subramanian to teach him a few common words. He had to be able to figure out in the future, if his wife ever talked about him.
"Wait, let me ask him" Ishita said, and covered the mic of the phone, and looked at him. "Mihika ko long drive pe jaane ka man hai, she is is asking if we could join her. She said we can eat outside tonight. Waise bhi, aapki wajah se dinner plans to barbaad ho hi gaye hain"
He smiled and asked "last line bhi Mihika ne bola, ya tumhaari creativity thi ?" She bit her lip and said, "Mihika is waiting for an answer Raman"
"OK fine, ask her to come here from her office and we'll leave together" he said curtly.
Both were disappointed. They had wanted to spend the evening together alone. With Mihir and Mihika with them, it would have been just another evening with the family. But they couldn't say anything out loud, not even to each other.
At the same time, Mihir entered his cabin. "Bhai woh Mihika bol rahi thi ki drive pe jaana hai, and she asked me to call you guys too. But I told her..." Raman didn't let him finish. "Arre Mihir, Ishita just spoke to her now. We said we'll go. We'll take my car OK?"
When they went down to the parking lot, Mihika was already waiting near Raman's car. She gave MIhir a long hug, and then looked over at her Akka and said "Wow Akka, you look hot, no Jiju???" Raman acted as if he hadnt heard. Mihir and Mihia obviously wanted to sit together, so they got into the back seat before any seating arrangements could be discussed. Raman put on his seatbelt, and looked at Mihika through the rear-view mirror and asked "So Miss Daisy, where to then?"
They spent more than an hour driving on the highway, out of Delhi. Slowly the smog gave way to clear skies, and there were twinkling lights both in the skies and on the buildings on the earth. They parked at a spot which gave them a view of the Delhi skyline. Mihir and Mihika were holding each other and swaying to the music coming out of the car stereo. Raman and Ishita, on the other hand were standing away from each other, both with folded arms. The weather was chilly now, and Ishita had started shivering a bit. Raman did the gentlemanly thing and offered her his jacket, and took it without complaining. WHen the jacket changed hands, they didnt go back to their respective spots. They stayed glued next to each other, not touching but feeling the other person's warmth.
Mihika and Mihir saw all this. This evening was not to satisfy Mihika's wish for a long drive, but just to gauge the extent of Raman and Ishita's awkwardness, and to understand how much effort it would take to make the both of them confess their love. The younger couple was sure it was love. All the signs were there, except for the declaration. And to get two bull-headed people to tame and confess would take some sort of manipulation, if not a conspiracy. Mihir had told Mihika everything he had heard and seen in Raman's cabin and before that. They had decided to make Raman and Ishita accept their feelings for each other. Unlike the last time the two had hatched such a plan, this time would be successful. Mihir and Mihika knew, all the signs were indeed there.
After standing around for some time, they decided to find a place to eat. There was a roadside dhaba that happened to catch Mihika's fancy. The owners had lit small bonfires around the tables so the patrons would be comfortable. Mihika and Mihir's public display of affection was getting too much for Raman to handle, so he did the only thing he could. He stared at his wife with angry eyes, and she did the same thing to him. It was as if she was telling him that it was his fault they were stuck here with the newly-engaged couple. As if the embarassment of public hugging wasn't enough, a few hippies started strumming guitars and playing drums. As the songs continued, Raman and Ishita couldn't help but wonder how it would have been to come here alone. They looked at each other with a new kind of understanding. The one that comes when your heart starts speaking louder than the noise around. They didn;t want to acknowledge their feelings, but their eyes were speaking already.
When the music stopped, and the spell broke for the second time that night. They snapped out of their unspoken conversation and looked around. For a moment they were grateful they were in public.
Thats when they heard the shrill pitched voice "HI Meghna, Hi Ashish. How are you guys doing???" It was Mihika greeting a couple of people from another group who had just walked in. It looked like they were old friends of Mihika and Mihir. Raman and Ishita stood up and met the other group. In some time, the younger siblings had left their table and gone with the other group.
Ishita checked her watch, it was close to midnight and she didn;t want to spend any more time away from home. "Raman, if Ruhi wakes up and looks for me, it will be a problem. And we forgot to inform Mummyji also. Its a school night, I need to get up early tomorrow to make sure Ruhi is ready for school. Chalein kya?" She had taken the words out of his mouth. He had a few meetings in the morning, and he desperately wanted to get out of this unknown zone.
When he called over Mihir, he came to their table with Mihika. SHe spoke "Akka, Jiju, these people are friends of ours from some time ago. They are going to spend some more time here and party. They want us to stay too. They are all travelling in 2 cars, so there is a lot of space. They can drive us back home. So you guys leave na, unless of course you guys want to stay and party too?" Raman and Ishita spoke together "No, we just want to get home. woh, Ruhi..."
As they drove back alone, Raman realised, that in their rush to get back home, he had forgotten that it was just the 2 of them in the car now. The drive back was going to feel longer than it really was, and once they got back home, would things be normal again? What was the new normal? "Ishita, waise sahi mein tum acchi lag rahi ho, I hope you retain this style" he said looking at her.
Ishita had closed her eyes and was pretending to sleep. She wasnt ready yet to face anything. She had just begun to really understand her feelings for him. She wasn't prepared for him to reciprocate them. For the first time in her life, she was tongue-tied in front of Raman. She knew it wouldnt be the last. She was slowly getting sucked into a vortex of unknown emotions. All she knew was it was going to be darned sweet.
"..that sanguine expectation of happiness which is happiness itself"
- Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
*** Hope you guys liked it... I know it was set in a different tone than Isha's but thats the best I could do.
Before I forget... I tag Aani (EkPaheli), a writer I admire the most on this forum...
Sorry Aani... Isha started this 😃 Dont hate just me😊
This is the second post in the OS tagathon... Isha (Indian_Isha) came up with this idea of starting a story and tagging another writer at the end, so they could continue from where the previous writer left off. The idea is brilliant, unless of course, you are the one tagged. 😭 A lot of pressure, I tell ya. Its a struggle to pick up where someone's vision ends and carry on as if nothing has changed. So please forgive me, this one is not upto the mark.
Since the stories are supposed to be in continuation, please read the first one if you haven't already
Here is the link: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/ye-hai-mohabbatein/4044319/ishra-os-tagathon-chahun-main-ya-na
The song I was listening to, while I wrote this one is "Sham bhi Koi" from Aisha
***
It was one of those awkward moments. LIke when 2 thieves are in a dark room, looking for the same thing to steal, and then the lights are turned on. Both of them could not look away, and they couldnt continue staring either. The urge to tease and taunt the other person disappeared in the their own shame of getting caught. Both Ishita and Raman were praying that the spell would be broken, but neither of them were brave enough to do it. Ishita wanted to slap herself for being so juvenile and doodling his name on a piece of paper, as if she was a school girl day-dreaming about her first crush.
Raman, on the other hand thought that he had messed it up royally. When he had seen his name written so beautifully, he had felt a surge of happiness, so much so that he thought he had suddenly grown taller. He had planned on teasing her, to confirm his doubts. She was smart, but if he was right, her face would tell him the truth and give him all the confirmation he needed. He obviously hadn't planned blurting out his own truth. The woman was cunning enough to turn the tables on him now.
Unknown to the both of them, Mihir had heard their latest exchange of words. He had followed Ishita when she ran up to Raman's office. He chuckled and thought "If I didn't have respect for them, I would just go slap them silly. How can 2 smart people not figure this out? They both had pride, but that shouldn't come in the way of expressing their feelings. I am seeing bhai like this after a long time, and from what I heard from Mihika, Ishita Bhabhi is also returning to her old chirpy self. If only there was a way I take the blind-fold off their hearts..." With new-found confidence and ideas in his head, he tip-toed back to his office and called Mihika quietly.
Ishita's phone rang in a few minutes. She fumbled in her purse, but the device eluded her. As soon as the phone stopped ringing, Raman's phone started buzzing. His phone was thankfully in his hands, so it was a lot easier. He answered it without leaving her eyes, and scowled "Kya hai?"
"Jiju, its me, Mihika. Sorry disturb kiya kya? Gusse mein lag rahe ho. Sorry, woh main Akka ko try kar rahi thi, but unhone phone uthaaya nahin. I thought maybe I will try you. Hai kya akka aap ke saath?" Mihika said suppressing the smile from her voice.
"Haan, meri maa. thoda slow speed mein bola karo. Ruko, deta hoon Ishita ko phone" he handed her phone to her. The phone promptly fell down when their hands touched. It wasnt static, it was electricity of some other kind. Mercifully, it fell on the cushioned chair. So she lifted it, and asked him with her eyes.
"Aur koun hoga, junior madrasan hai. Tumne apna phone uthaane mein der kar di, so she called me." He was relieved, he went and sat on his chair, grateful to Mihika for the first time in his life. He tried to understand the barage of Tamil words that came out of his wife's mouth, but couldn't. His Tamil training hadn't gone that far. He made a mental note to talk to Subramanian to teach him a few common words. He had to be able to figure out in the future, if his wife ever talked about him.
"Wait, let me ask him" Ishita said, and covered the mic of the phone, and looked at him. "Mihika ko long drive pe jaane ka man hai, she is is asking if we could join her. She said we can eat outside tonight. Waise bhi, aapki wajah se dinner plans to barbaad ho hi gaye hain"
He smiled and asked "last line bhi Mihika ne bola, ya tumhaari creativity thi ?" She bit her lip and said, "Mihika is waiting for an answer Raman"
"OK fine, ask her to come here from her office and we'll leave together" he said curtly.
Both were disappointed. They had wanted to spend the evening together alone. With Mihir and Mihika with them, it would have been just another evening with the family. But they couldn't say anything out loud, not even to each other.
At the same time, Mihir entered his cabin. "Bhai woh Mihika bol rahi thi ki drive pe jaana hai, and she asked me to call you guys too. But I told her..." Raman didn't let him finish. "Arre Mihir, Ishita just spoke to her now. We said we'll go. We'll take my car OK?"
When they went down to the parking lot, Mihika was already waiting near Raman's car. She gave MIhir a long hug, and then looked over at her Akka and said "Wow Akka, you look hot, no Jiju???" Raman acted as if he hadnt heard. Mihir and Mihia obviously wanted to sit together, so they got into the back seat before any seating arrangements could be discussed. Raman put on his seatbelt, and looked at Mihika through the rear-view mirror and asked "So Miss Daisy, where to then?"
They spent more than an hour driving on the highway, out of Delhi. Slowly the smog gave way to clear skies, and there were twinkling lights both in the skies and on the buildings on the earth. They parked at a spot which gave them a view of the Delhi skyline. Mihir and Mihika were holding each other and swaying to the music coming out of the car stereo. Raman and Ishita, on the other hand were standing away from each other, both with folded arms. The weather was chilly now, and Ishita had started shivering a bit. Raman did the gentlemanly thing and offered her his jacket, and took it without complaining. WHen the jacket changed hands, they didnt go back to their respective spots. They stayed glued next to each other, not touching but feeling the other person's warmth.
Mihika and Mihir saw all this. This evening was not to satisfy Mihika's wish for a long drive, but just to gauge the extent of Raman and Ishita's awkwardness, and to understand how much effort it would take to make the both of them confess their love. The younger couple was sure it was love. All the signs were there, except for the declaration. And to get two bull-headed people to tame and confess would take some sort of manipulation, if not a conspiracy. Mihir had told Mihika everything he had heard and seen in Raman's cabin and before that. They had decided to make Raman and Ishita accept their feelings for each other. Unlike the last time the two had hatched such a plan, this time would be successful. Mihir and Mihika knew, all the signs were indeed there.
After standing around for some time, they decided to find a place to eat. There was a roadside dhaba that happened to catch Mihika's fancy. The owners had lit small bonfires around the tables so the patrons would be comfortable. Mihika and Mihir's public display of affection was getting too much for Raman to handle, so he did the only thing he could. He stared at his wife with angry eyes, and she did the same thing to him. It was as if she was telling him that it was his fault they were stuck here with the newly-engaged couple. As if the embarassment of public hugging wasn't enough, a few hippies started strumming guitars and playing drums. As the songs continued, Raman and Ishita couldn't help but wonder how it would have been to come here alone. They looked at each other with a new kind of understanding. The one that comes when your heart starts speaking louder than the noise around. They didn;t want to acknowledge their feelings, but their eyes were speaking already.
When the music stopped, and the spell broke for the second time that night. They snapped out of their unspoken conversation and looked around. For a moment they were grateful they were in public.
Thats when they heard the shrill pitched voice "HI Meghna, Hi Ashish. How are you guys doing???" It was Mihika greeting a couple of people from another group who had just walked in. It looked like they were old friends of Mihika and Mihir. Raman and Ishita stood up and met the other group. In some time, the younger siblings had left their table and gone with the other group.
Ishita checked her watch, it was close to midnight and she didn;t want to spend any more time away from home. "Raman, if Ruhi wakes up and looks for me, it will be a problem. And we forgot to inform Mummyji also. Its a school night, I need to get up early tomorrow to make sure Ruhi is ready for school. Chalein kya?" She had taken the words out of his mouth. He had a few meetings in the morning, and he desperately wanted to get out of this unknown zone.
When he called over Mihir, he came to their table with Mihika. SHe spoke "Akka, Jiju, these people are friends of ours from some time ago. They are going to spend some more time here and party. They want us to stay too. They are all travelling in 2 cars, so there is a lot of space. They can drive us back home. So you guys leave na, unless of course you guys want to stay and party too?" Raman and Ishita spoke together "No, we just want to get home. woh, Ruhi..."
As they drove back alone, Raman realised, that in their rush to get back home, he had forgotten that it was just the 2 of them in the car now. The drive back was going to feel longer than it really was, and once they got back home, would things be normal again? What was the new normal? "Ishita, waise sahi mein tum acchi lag rahi ho, I hope you retain this style" he said looking at her.
Ishita had closed her eyes and was pretending to sleep. She wasnt ready yet to face anything. She had just begun to really understand her feelings for him. She wasn't prepared for him to reciprocate them. For the first time in her life, she was tongue-tied in front of Raman. She knew it wouldnt be the last. She was slowly getting sucked into a vortex of unknown emotions. All she knew was it was going to be darned sweet.
"..that sanguine expectation of happiness which is happiness itself"
- Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
*** Hope you guys liked it... I know it was set in a different tone than Isha's but thats the best I could do.
Before I forget... I tag Aani (EkPaheli), a writer I admire the most on this forum...
Sorry Aani... Isha started this 😃 Dont hate just me😊
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Jaane Anjaane Hum Mile
Tum Se Tum Tak
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Vasudha
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