SongOSthon#1 : 24 OSes | Catch up with the ones u hv missed! :) - Page 60

"Damn," he cursed under his breath as he hung up. Romi had called to inform him that there was a rooftop party that night in their society. The entire family was upstairs, at the gathering, and he was to join them there. He banged the car door shut in annoyance as he got into his car. He had only just managed to wrap up all his work, and had planned to spend the entire evening with Ishita. But now he was supposed to attend some anniversary party thrown by some neighbours he didnt even know. As if the last few days hadn't been hellish enough for him!

Ishita had shifted to her mother's place for some days,to which he had relented only because Amma had been unwell. It had been eight days. Eight days of loneliness, resulting in loss of sleep and subsequent temper tantrums. He had missed her like crazy. And now that it was time for her to return, it was going to be his turn to leave. He had been informed of a meeting in Bangalore that he was expected to attend. The discussions could go on for a few days, and it would take him a while to get back. Besides, he was to leave the next morning itself, which gave him only one night to spare.

He wished he could steal his wife away for the evening. He needed some moments alone with Ishita to get through the next few days; he wanted to hear her melodious voice, and to feel her in his arms before he left. So having reached his apartment building, he rushed upstairs, and entered the terrace area to find it bustling with activity. The place was packed with people, and he saw cheerful faces all around him, but his eyes searched the entire crowd only for her..

Ishita looked around for a means of escape. She had been mingling with some of her neighbours at the party, when the extremely chatty Mrs. Sharma had caught hold of her and had started filling her up on all the latest gossip that was doing the rounds in their society. She tried in vain to get away from her, as Mrs. Sharma continued to bore her with her mindless chatter. But since she was not the least bit interested in why Mrs.Gupta spent hours on the phone in the parking lot, while her husband was home asleep, or where Mrs. Kapoor bought all her flashy sarees from, she found her mind drifting.

She thought back to how her amma had fallen ill due to a sudden rise in her blood pressure. The doctor had advised her complete bedrest for a few days and Ishita, who had been worried sick, had rushed to her mother's aid. Mihika had been there, of course, but Ishita had known how difficult it would have been for her to manage everything on her own, and so, had decided to shift with them until her Amma recovered.

But throughout her stay there, she had been edgy and anxious about something she hadn't been able to put a finger on. Initially, she had attributed it to the concern she felt for her mother, but then she had realized that it was being away from HIM that bothered her. She missed him, she missed the comfort he provided by just being there for her whenever she needed him.

"When I get the cast removed from my leg, I'll celebrate by dancing," she had declared to him. "I'll dance so much that..."

"...that we'll probably have to put the cast back on!" he had joked in reply, earning a pout from her at that.

But the day her plaster came off had been the day her mother had taken ill, and she had had no time to rejoice.

She had been surprised to learn that she now needed Raman by her side, to get her through everything in her life. He was her strength, and without him, she felt helpless and incomplete. And although he had only been a few metres apart from her all along, she had felt her heart ache for him in a way that she had never known it could. She had always known that she loved him, so she felt foolish at these new-found realizations, but she could no longer deny the intensity of her love for him, or that she couldn't imagine her life without him in it, even if it was for a single day!

So now, with her mother almost recuperated, she wanted nothing more than to get back home to her husband, to bask in his love as he slept with his arms around her, and the fulfillment that his proximity brought to her. And since Vandita had offered to come over the next day to stay with their mother for a few days, she decided that she need not worry anymore and could move back to her place as soon as Vandita arrived. Just one more night, and she would be with her husband. She couldn't wait to inform him, and the thought jolted her back to the present as she wondered if Raman was back from work, and if he had come upstairs as yet. Her eyes scanned all the faces in the crowd, until they finally came to rest on his.

Her heart skipped a beat as their gazes met and held.

Had she always been this beautiful, or was the moonlight playing tricks on him tonight? He wondered, unable to take his eyes off her.

She quickly excused herself from the talkative lady and began walking towards him, as if in a trance.

"So, Madrassan, I see that you're enjoying yourself here." She heard him say as soon as she approached him, and immediately felt a smile make its way onto her lips.

She loved it when he called her that. Words like "Pagal madrassan" and "Jhaansi ki raani" from him had an effect on her that no endearments would ever have!

She realized that she had been gaping at him with a foolish smile on her face, and immediately composed her features.

"Umm, of course, what's not to enjoy?"

"Really? But it's so boring here!"

He stepped closer to her, and linked his fingers through hers. "I have an idea... say we head out to our own private party, just you and me?"

Her breath hitched, as she felt his hands tighten over hers.

She looked at him with all the love and longing that she felt for him at that moment. She squeezed his hand gently and said, "Raman, I'm sorry. I've come here only for a while. I need to go back down now. Mihika just left to drop Shravu back at akka's, and Amma and Appa might need help. Can we plan something for tomorrow instead? I'll be coming home tomorrow anyway," she added with a smile.

He let out a frustrated sigh.

"Okay, Ishita, when you're done taking care of your parents, then my parents, our kids, my sisters, your sisters, and everyone else in the world, you can come to me. But does it ever occur to you that it might be a bit too late by then?" Ignoring the shocked look on her face, he continued his rant, "I'm leaving for a meeting tomorrow morning. I'll be back only after a week. So I won't be able to meet you until then. But I can see that that won't be a problem for you!"

He let go of her hand with a jerk, turned and left towards the stairs, but he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt at the tears that he had seen pool in her eyes while he had been venting his anger out on her.

Her room was dark, save for the sliver of moonlight that seeped through the translucent curtains that hung over the windows. She looked over at Mihika, who lay beside her, her heavy breathing assuring her that she was fast asleep. She hadn't spoken much to anyone after her tiff with Raman, and had gone straight to bed feigning a headache. But as she lay in bed, unable to sleep, his harsh words echoed in her mind. How could he assume that she didn't care about him? She had been so eager to meet him, but he had stormed off without even looking back at her once. Was he truly leaving the next day? She wept silently, and wondered if he would ever be able to understand the depth of her feelings for him.

She suddenly felt a hand brush against her cheek and opened her eyes in a flash. She sat up, her eyes widening in shock, when she saw Raman sitting beside her on the bed. Before she could find her voice, though, he placed one hand over her mouth, and pointed towards Mihika, signalling her to remain silent. Then tracing his hands along the length of her arms, he pulled her out of the bed and into him, his arms encircling her, holding her close. He buried his face in her hair, and nuzzled her neck to his heart's content, tightening his hold around her.

She broke apart from him after a few moments, and looked at him intently, a riot of emotions raging through her. It broke his heart to see her tear-stained face, so he brought her hand to his lips, and kissing it softly, placed it on his heart and mouthed, "I'm sorry."

She didn't care about the apology. All she knew was that she couldn't bear to part with him again. She leaned into him, and whispered into his ears, "Please don't go Raman. What can I do to stop you from leaving?"

He smiled at her fondly, and placed his forehead against hers. "I have to leave, Ishita, but there is one thing that you could do to make me feel better," he whispered back.

She looked at him questioningly, and he added, "You owe me a dance, remember?"

He pointed towards her foot and she stifled a laugh as she remembered her silly promise to dance when her foot had healed. She tried to refuse, gesturing towards Mihika, but he shrugged off her concerns, and placed his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

He swayed lightly with her, her arms locked around his neck, his gaze on her, steady and unwavering. She followed his lead as he swirled her in his arms, their bodies in sync, and their movements in tune with the rhythm of their heartbeats.

With the moonlight as his guiding light, he twirled her, dipped her, pulled her skillfully, as she let go of herself, surrendering to his gentle yet firm hold on her.

And when she moved into him, her cheeks aglow with a warm flush, her eyes twinkling with mirth, and her face, mere inches away from his, he was unable to resist, and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Her heartbeats raced, as she felt her breath mingle with his, and sighed into his lips, taking in all that she could from these precious moments. He broke apart reluctantly, glancing apprehensively at Mihika's sleeping form. Relieved to see that they hadn't woken her, he turned his attention back to his wife, and embraced her one last time.

"Bye, Madrassan," he whispered, "Say you'll miss me."

"Yes!" She replied, "Every moment of every day."

He smiled and let go of her unwillingly, and walked out of her room, but not before he turned to blow her a kiss before he left.

She slid back on to her bed, and covered her face with her hands, unable to stop the blush from creeping onto her cheeks. She had always thought that being with her Raavan Kumar was the most difficult task of her life. But that's only because she hadn't known what being apart from him felt like, she realized helplessly. And as her pounding heart steadied, and her breathing stabled, she lay down and slipped into a land of dreams; of eternal happiness and undying love.

Lyrics translation : Credit - http://www.realityviews.in/