Yeh Moh Moh Ke Dhaage - IshRa OS

Author' note -

Yeh Moh Moh Ke Dhaage

"Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably."
William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

His eyes follow her wherever she goes no matter whatever she does and he notices she is lost, angry, hurt and withdrawn, from him, no matter what.

It baffles him as much as it annoys him to be on the receiving end of her quiet fury again.

He tried his best to reach out to her during their dinner out with the family but to no avail. She was cold and distant in the restaurant with him but he is sure no one noticed that. No one saw how he held her hand when she wouldn't look at him or when he tried to initiate a conversation with her, how she purposely deflected him.

He was in half a mind to take her hand and drag her away from everyone there and then itself but held himself back, his family was enjoying after what seemed like ages.

The mix of so many things since the past few days had taken a toll on everyone. His mother was stressed by Romi' infertility coming to the fore, by Rinki' marriage being called off one minute with Nikhil and then her nuptials with Mihir. The revelation that Shagun purposely tried to play with the life of his sister to insult Ishita, to take her place in his life, his family and last but not the least her threat that she would never let Adi be with them has drained everyone in the family.

The last few days were hell for them, tonight though they were enjoying themselves. Bless his little girl and that little tyke Shravu for tonight. With their final exams for the year over, the kids had demanded they be given a treat to a movie and a dinner at a fancy restaurant as promised by their parents and the reminder was just what everyone needed to get out of the flunk.

Romi booked the tickets to a light-hearted comedy that everyone enjoyed. The sweetness of the movie brought along a smile on everyone' faces along with a couple of tears too. He is sure no one else apart from her even noticed he too was shedding a few tears when the credits rolled. Somehow, he could identify with the emotions of the leads, the fact that love came unexpectedly in his life with Ishita couldn't have been anymore similar.

Driving back to their home now he notices his sister, Amma and daughter are asleep on the back seat when he tries to hold her hand to talk to her, when she shirks off his touch and reaches out to fiddle with the music player when the enchanting notes of the song they just heard in the movie come through.

Something gets her to stop there as she looks away from him and lets Papon croon the delightful melody,

Yeh moh moh ke dhaage
Teri ungliyon se ja uljhe
Koi toh toh na laage
Kis tarah girah ye suljhe

Something about the lyrics, tugs at the strings of his heart, making him have a wistful smile despite his sour mood. Music truly is magic, he thinks to himself.

Despite himself, he cannot help but recall the instances of numerous times in this past year he spent with Ishita when the singer croons the next verse.

Tu hoga zara paagal, tune mujhko hai chuna
Tu hoga zara paagal, tune mujhko hai chuna
Kaise tune ankahaa, tune ankahaa sab sunaa
Tu hoga zara paagal, tune mujhko hai chuna

Tu din sa hai, main raat
Aa na dono mill jaayein shaamon ki tarah

She has always known what he wants even before he could ask it of her, the instances where she understood his silence and unflinchingly stood by him flash across his mind. This wonderful woman, he wonders how he ever got so lucky as to find her, have her.

Deciding he would find out what is on her mind rather than fume and pout he turns his head to look at her. What he sees breaks his heart as he notices how Ishita is discreetly wiping away the tears she has in her eyes. He slows down the car and extending his hand grabbed her chin, making her look at him when the tears mingled with the fury, the accusations but mostly pain, so much pain startle him making him release her. She looks at him letting the tears shed freely for a moment or two and finally looked away.

He wants to know what has gotten into her, why is she so upset, so angry with him but most of all he wants to know why is she crying. He wants to take her in his arms and wipe away her tears. Knowing he cannot make a scene with Ruhi, Amma and Simi behind them, he keeps quiet but does not let her shut him out.

He reaches out his hand to hers and holds it, when she tries to free herself he just looks at her and with a gesture of her eyes; points towards their exhausted family members on the backseat making her promptly stop her retaliation.

Twining his fingers with hers he holds onto her hand for the rest of the way, even when he needs to use the clutch he makes sure her hand is beneath his to do the needed. With the end of the song, they reach their home and she murmurs to awaken Simi and Amma. However before she can carry Ruhi in her arms he notices Romi has arrived behind them and asks his brother to carry his sleeping niece back to home and put her to bed in her own room.

Glaring at him, she stands mum as the rest of the family arrives towards them.

For a split second, he ponders over the idea of hauling her back in the car and driving away. Sure, their families would wonder but she is his wife and he doesn't need to explain it to anyone why he would whisk her away. It would even make her give him an earful and right now even that would be music to his ears he thinks to himself, but just then his mother calls him and hand in hand, they walk towards their home.

On the pretext of opening the door, she makes him let go off her and marches on ahead once the door is unlocked. He can see her eying Ruhi' room and before she can hide away in their daughter' room he acts up,

"Ishita, I have a backache bring that massage oil will you?"

His wife scowls looking at him and before a word could pass between them, his sassy sister speaks up,

"Did I hear massage oil bhai?"

"Yes, I have a backache, what's the problem Simi?"

"Nothing, I have no problem at all bhai." She slyly says and he sees Simi making way towards Ishita, keep a hand over her shoulder and pretend to whisper,

"Ishita, Ruhi doesn't want to wake up early tomorrow since her vacations have begun, so...should I, I start with the preparations for the breakfast early in the morning?"

"If you want to Simi, but why are you asking me that?"

"Nothing much just that well...I thought since you and bhai are having massage sessions tonight, you might wake up late, tired...I mean relaxed by the massages."

Color spreads across Ishita' cheeks at the implications and she runs away leaving his sister and brother laughing before he can gather his wits. Torn between his urge to scold his sister and attend to his wife, he chooses the latter but not before giving a warning to his impertinent sister.

"Simi, you brat..."

"Bhai, scold me later Ishita is already in the room and don't worry I would keep hot aloo paranthas ready for you in the morning, you would be famished after all." His sister retorts with the quirk of an eyebrow making his brother guffaw.

"Stop showing your teeth Romi useless buffoon." He reprimands his brother making him stop instantly and later turns to his sister.

"Simi you...I will see you in the morning."

Turning around, he is walking up the stairs when he hears his siblings laughing at his expense and finds a smile breaking across his face too.

On entering the room though, he is reminded painfully of the tension between his wife and himself, for reasons as of yet unknown to him. He sees she has already kept aside a pair of his nightclothes for him on the bed and one for herself on the couch too.

Unaware of his presence, he notices her standing before the vanity as she struggles to free her hair from an earring that it's got tangled in. Quietly he closes the door behind him and marches on to stand beside her when he finally gains her attention however she chooses to ignore him and thus he steps up to volunteer even when he knows she is angry with him.

"Let me."

"No, go get ready for bed, I will do this myself."

"Ishita."

"I said I don't need your help Raman,"

He sees her struggle more and finally forcefully jerks her hands away from her earrings and takes over.

"Shut up, alright stand still otherwise this may hurt you."

"You don't need to do anything."

"What is your problem Ishita?"

"I have no problem, just leave me alone."

Jerking his hands off she turns around, to walk away from him when he catches hold off her hand and crushes her to himself.

"Raman, let me go."

Instead of answering her, he uses his weight to push her backwards and she realizes she is being pinned against a wall by him when her back collides with it.

"Raman."

"Shut up, just shut up. I have had enough of you this night, I said I will help you and I will so you can either make this easy for both of us or hard for yourself by struggling."

The fury in his eyes coupled with the way he enunciated his words through clenched teeth somehow gets her to stop resisting him and she passively turns her head away to allow him an easy access to the earring that got them in this place.

In a contradiction of himself, his hands gently work on her hair and the earring, while his body stays just as relentless.

She closes her eyes reeling from the softness of his caresses and does not even realize when he finally gets the earring free and throws it on the vanity behind them.

Standing locked between the harshness of the cool wall behind her and his solid warm presence in the front, she is caught in a maelstrom of sensations when she feels his fingers gently tucking away a lock of hair behind her ear. Slowly a finger traces the shell of her ear, gliding towards the column of her neck to finally her collarbones making her breath catch.

Caught off-guard by his sudden actions, she opens her eyes to look at him just as her husband dips his head to place a soft kiss against the edge of her jaw making her gasp and her eyes shut. His lips descend lower as he places soft kisses against the graceful line of her neck and finally reaches the nook of her neck as he nuzzles against it. Involuntarily her arms go around him and her fingers tangle in his hair as his hands go around her waist.

The contradicting sensations of feeling the softness of his lips and the rasp of his stubble on her skin makes her shiver making her tighten her hold on him when he stops and his hands release their hold on her only for them to reach for her thaali. The golden neckpiece is taken off her, tossed on the vanity behind them with precision as she mutely stands on.

Framing her face with his hands, her husband looks at her with so much love and passion, try as she might she cannot summon the anger that she still feels for him. Instead her eyes drift shut swayed by the soothing caress of his thumbs on her cheeks as slowly one of his hands migrates towards her lips and his thumb delineates the shape of her mouth making her gasp.

"Raman."

His name spills from her lips in a throaty voice and he looks at her momentarily with a small smile playing on his lips , the instance so minute she wonders if she might have missed it had she blinked as his lips descend upon hers driving all thoughts out of her mind.

His lips, the way they feel on hers, the way his hands frame her face and slowly go around her even as she too pulls him in closer to herself, the sole focus of her existence now. When his tongue parts her lips, she grants him access to her mouth, she mewls as his teeth capture her bottom lip nipping it slightly.

The growl that escapes his mouth as she twines her tongue with his delights her to no end as she smiles into the kiss, making her husband plunder her mouth even more vigorously. Matching his aggression, she runs her hands along his hair drawing him even closer to her as his hands hold her even more firmly.

Breathless, they pull apart, gasping for air when she notices the smug look on her husband' face.

"What?"

She asks him curiously.

"We should have done this sooner."

He replies cheekily making her blush as she pinches him on the arm.

"Hey!"

He looks at her affronted and she retorts smiling at him,

"Don't pretend to be so affronted, you totally saw that coming besides I didn't pinch you that hard so stop pretending that I did by rubbing your arm."

"Well you weren't the one who got pinched and what is wrong with you? first you stay mad at me all evening, now when we kiss and I am trying to compliment you, you pinch me, you crazy woman."

The words remind her of the patient she attended in the evening and instantly her mood changes evidently, noticed by her husband who sobers too immediately.

"Move aside Raman."

She doesn't even look at him reminded of what she heard today, what she discovered, afraid looking him in the eye would give away how angry she is with him.

"No I won't not unless I know what have I done Ishita."

"Why did you come to help me just now Raman?"

"What?"

"I asked you what made you help me now."

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"Just answer me."

"What kind of a question is that Ishita? Who else am I supposed to help? You are my wife; you were having a problem, if not me who else is supposed to help you in these things?"

"I could have done it by myself."

"I know that, so what if I helped you? Why are you making a mountain out of a molehill huh?"

"If you help me and I merely ask you the reason for it I am making mountains out of molehills, but when you hide things from me how am I supposed to feel Raman?"

His brows furrow as he looks at her questioningly,

"What are you even talking about? You aren't making any sense to me Ishita, you know that right?"

"Okay, I'll be clear...I had a patient visit me today in the clinic. Mohit Malhotra, the name rings a bell for you?"

"Mohit Malhotra? I don't think I know anybody by that name but why and what has that got to do with me?"

"Mohit is the son of your former boss Mr. Malhotra Raman, his 10 year old son. "

The mention of his former boss gets his attention as his ears perk up, but he still doesn't get what has his wife so furious with him.

"What did Malhotra do Ishita; did he say something to you? If he misbehaved I swear I'll..."

She cuts him off before he can finish,

"Mr. Malhotra didn't do anything Raman. He merely came with his son to my clinic because the poor boy was in a lot of pain and he remembered I am a pediatric dentist because you mentioned me to him."

"Then what's the problem?"

His wife closes her eyes and tears escape them as she fiercely tries to reign in herself, through clenched teeth she speaks up her next words finally that give him a sock in the gut.

"Where are you working now Raman?"

The way she trembles, the way her eyes brim with tears let him know, she knows, she knows he is working for Ashok and suddenly everything falls into place. Her anger, her pain; the reason she has been acting the way she has been through the evening.

God, of all the ways for her to find out the truth, this had to be the worst! Malhotra, the swine, he abuses the man mentally.

"Answer me Raman."

"Ishita look..."

"Do you know what it felt like Raman? Do you know how much it hurt for me to know the truth from an outsider, an outsider Raman! Raman...every time , every time people say these...these awful things about our marriage I somehow don't let them affect me, but for how long am I supposed to just ignore and take things in my stride? How long do you expect me to do that?"

"Ishita, please I didn't mean for things to happen this way. Look I can explain."

"I don't want explanations Raman I want the truth. I want to know why, why did you not share it with me that you...you have to work for that ...that horrible man, that Ashok of all people in this world."

"Ishita..."

"Were you ever going to mention it to me? Let me know it in passing or just because you thought I should know, you know as your wife Raman, maybe remember I have that much right at least to know where my husband works and for whom?"

"I didn't want to hurt you Ishita; I didn't which is why I hid the truth from you."

"But I found the truth nonetheless Raman and it did hurt me. Do you know how humiliating it was for me to stand there and hear my husband is working again for the man who hurt him years ago and that I have no idea about anything? When Shagun spoke those things about us, I couldn't stop myself from slapping her Raman because she doesn't get to question us. What we have, no one can comment on that. However, when random people let me know things I should be aware of, it hurts Raman. It makes me feel like we have made no progress, that we are still the same people who were forced to wed each other, not the people we are now, not this couple that we had become or I thought we did."

"Ishita...I am sorry, I am really so sorry."

He makes an earnest apology not knowing what else he is supposed to do.

When he tries to hold her by the shoulder, she wards his hands off herself but grabs his lapels in the next instant.

"Why? Why did you agree Raman? What made you do it? I told you we would get through this right. Didn't you have any faith in me, in us?"

"I trust you more than anyone, you know that." He quietly surrenders to her.

"If you did, you wouldn't have hid these things from me. Raman...do you know when you made that excuse of a friend in trouble, you shared your problem with me, it made me feel so happy. I was so glad my husband trusts me enough to share his troubles with me. It was just among the two of us and I felt like I have earned your trust now. That you have let me in, but when I learn things like these it just shakes everything I started assuming about us."

"Ishita please, don't say that. You know it is not true."

"Just the thought that you have been working for that man, that man who loves to humiliate you every chance he gets it makes me so angry Raman. To think I never used to be this person before, someone so capable of anger and right now all I want to do is throw things around and just make a mess of this place, but since it would wake everyone up I am quiet."

The words make him smile though infuriating her as she hits him hardly on his shoulder,

"Is this a joke to you?"

"No."

"Then what are you laughing at?"

"I am not laughing at you Ishita...I am just happy."

"Happy? Have you lost your mind Raman?"

"Not yet my dear wife I assure you."

Shaking her head she leaves his collar and tries to push him away when he gathers her hands in his and in a surprising move kisses them raising them to his mouth and smiles at her as he does so.

"I am happy Ishita."

His voice sincere, his eyes solemn make her realize he is not jesting with her making her frustrated.

"What is there to be happy about this Raman? Do you like it that I am so angry with you?"

"Yes."

"You have lost your mind; there can be no other explanation."

"But there is one."

"What pray tell me?"

"I have never had anyone upset with me, angry with me because she is concerned about me. How else am I supposed to react after knowing this?"

The words take her off guard and she doesn't know whether she wants to pull him in a tight hug or get more upset with him because he is making it hard for her to stay angry when he says things like that.

"Don't try to act cute with me Raman and let go off me."

"I am not trying anything and I am certainly never letting go off you. Madrasan have you forgotten already, I prayed to your Muruga to keep us together in this lifetime and the next seven too, even carried you though you are so heavy."

The dig on her weight does it, the brownie points her husband was scoring, the way his words were melting her heart all tossed aside as he makes her jaw drop with his cheek. She hits him with her joined hands when he releases her hands and cages her in between the wall and himself making it impossible for her to escape.

"I didn't ask you to carry me and now I want to leave so move Raman."

"But I wanted to carry you and I will move only if you give me something I want."

"Raman, don't try to change the topic and distract me."

"I am not."

"You are, don't lie to me."

Sighing heavily he looks at her and sees his wife is not amused by his antics,

"What else could I have done Ishita? I knew if you learned Ashok offered me the job you would have asked me to not accept it and we needed funds immediately. You know it will take time for Malhotra to settle my dues, in fact, he will delay things on purpose and right now, all my investments have blocked the cash flow. With Rinki getting married we needed money and I got Ashok to pay me a hefty amount in advance."

"We would have managed Raman. I could have dissolved my FD' for this marriage if the need had arisen, sold off some gold I have but you working for Ashok, I cannot even tolerate the thought of it."

"Don't you ever, ever say that again Ishita, get it."

"Why Raman this is my family too and if in a time of crisis I can help you out by my savings or what I have what's wrong with it?"

"Because I wouldn't be able to face myself if I couldn't provide for all of you and Ishita, you being there for me... it's all I want."

"You can't even stand to see me in pain for a few minutes and I am just supposed to sit back and let Ashok insult you day in and out. In fact not even think about it now that I know of it right. That's what you are trying to tell me?"

"See I told you, angry with me because you are worried about me."

"Am I supposed to find this funny or romantic Raman? Because I can't and don't."

"You are supposed to love me like this, that's all."

"And what are you supposed to do?"

"Let you love me." He says with a smile before adding,

"Or else be prepared to get beaten by you, hard as I may try to run from you."

The memory of stopping him from leaving her springs to her mind with his words and she cannot help but retort even as she suppresses a smile,

"What else am I supposed to do when my stupid husband thinks he should leave me though he loves me?"

"You really have a very foolish husband don't you?"

"Tell me about it."

"I mean it's understandable that a man would want to flee from his abusive, fighter-cock of a wife but to think it's possible, what an absolutely foolish notion to have isn't it?"

"You are an incorrigible man do you know that?"

"I know and yet you love me."

"I didn't have a choice."

"You do realize we just affirmed we love each other and yet we didn't say the words don't you."

"Do you think I don't know that?"

"Then say it. Say the words Ishita."

"I will but you have to quit working for Ashok."

"Ishita."

To say her proposal shocks him would be an understatement.

"I can't bear it if you work for that man Raman and you know if I have learned of this pretty soon everyone will."

"You won't..."

He cuts her off but she doesn't let him finish,

"Do you really think I would go ahead and rat you out Raman? If I can find it out today the others can do so too and if Ashok himself plays some dirty trick to do that, how would they feel Raman?"

He wants to argue with her but knows it's futile not because he is aware she won't give up but because he sees reason in what she says and agrees with it.

"Fine, I will. But I would still have to work for another two weeks for him."

"Why Raman, why can't you quit immediately?"

"I signed on a contract Ishita. I have to abide by the clauses and it clearly states I can quit after a month if I have some problem but not before that, a month is not up yet. Two more weeks and I will quit I promise."

"Fine."

She says the word but her mood is still off and so he leans into her placing his hands on her shoulders,

"If I remember correctly madam we made a deal."

"We did? I don't remember that."

"Liar."

"I made no promises about an exchange as far as I can remember only that I will say those words, which I will, once you say them first."

Narrowing his eyes at her, he has to admit his wife bested him.

"You are a cheater."

"I would call myself wise husband; I learned the ropes of the business from the best."

"Fine, I can wait to hear that you love me."

"So can I, I know you love me too right?"

"I am not saying that first Ishita."

"Neither am I."

His wife disarms him with a smile and soon pries his hands off her.

"I better get changed and so should you. It's getting late."

"What if I don't want to sleep so soon?

"Why?"

"I want to continue what we started."

"What did we start?"

"Ishita."

"Hmmm..."

Shaking his head, he says nothing and she veers towards the couch to pick up her nightclothes. Soon she is off to the bathroom to change while he takes off his coat, watch, belt and shoes. In a while as she exits the bathroom she sees he too is dressed for bed when her eyes fall on the couch from where her blanket and pillow have disappeared.

The pillow she finds on the bed while the blanket is nowhere in sight.

"Raman where is my blanket and why is my pillow here?"

"I kept your blanket back in the closet as for why your pillow is here? Well two people in love and legally married can share a bed Ishita."

His wife is taken aback at that and he hopes against hope; she doesn't deny what he is asking of her.

Composing herself she slowly walks up to their bed and gets on it, slowly extending her hand towards the blanket on the bed when her husband catches hold off her hand,

"What?"

She wearily asks him.

"I was wondering do you know what the best way is for two people in love to sleep Ishita."

To say the expression deer in the headlights comes to his mind at his wife' reaction wouldn't be wrong. He knows how hurt she was to have Shagun humiliate their marriage the other day and how she must have felt today too and vows to set things right between them but he knows he has to make Ishita comfortable with himself before he takes things to the next level between them and so he gently murmurs looking at her,

"They sleep best in each other' arms Ishita."

With that, he releases his hold on her, stretching out his hand for her.

His wife waits for the span of a few heartbeats before she slowly draws closer to him and keeps her head above his arm as he drapes the blanket over her.

Reaching across with his free hand, he grabs the hand she had placed on her stomach and places it above his heart, making her turn in his embrace.

As they look into each other' eyes, it occurs to him nothing has ever felt this right, this perfect for him.

He softly bids his wife for the night with a smile on his lips in a hushed whisper, making her smile at him, that has him reciprocate to her.

"Good night Ishita."

"Good night Raman."

His tired wife who woke up at the crack of dawn, way earlier than him, to help prepare Ruhi for the last of her exams soon dozes off in his arms and he closes his eyes with a smile on his face.

As she burrows into him, seeking more of his warmth the smile gets broader and he too finds himself being lulled into the enchanted land of dreams, oddly finding the words of the song resonating in his mind as he does so.

Tu din sa hai, main raat
Aa na dono mill jaayein shaamon ki tarah

Yeh moh moh ke dhaage
Teri ungliyon se ja uljhe
Koi toh toh na laage
Kis tarah girah ye suljhe

i am big fan of your stories😛😛...so happy to see your new os..its awesome 👏👏just one request u know holi is coming i would love to read your beautiful os for the upcoming holi sequence😊

Loved it as always !!!! Please PM when u write another one

its been long time since i hv read somethin frm u n this ws SHEER MAGIC lik ALWAYS..!!

so so loved hw u wrote on ishu knwin raman workin for raman n the after effects...awesome usage of song here yaar n i love tht song..!!

truly wonderful os...LOVED it..👏👏👏

love your OSes

Wowww is the word...
I have never read such a brilliant OS ever in my life...
Just PERFECT... Truly a Complete OS...
It has everything...love,agony,pain,fear,care...n just every other emotion...so beautifully penned down...
Just loved it..
To say u r a brilliant writer would be an understatement...
Keep writing more...
Stay blessed...
ISHRA❤️

That was a beautiful OS. It took me a moment to figure out why Ishita was mad at Raman but she was right to be mad at him for hiding the fact that he is working under Ashok. I loved how Raman tried to diffuse the whole thing, be it with his smart lines or by just kissing the wits out of Ishita. It was sweet how Raman actually felt happy that Ishita was mad at him because he could see that she cared. The end part of them sleeping in each other's arms was the perfect end was such a beautiful story.

Beautifully written dear!