The Binding String

T H I R T Y - S E V E N

Neil and Mihir remained quite knowing well what Raman trying to say. They have seen the rough phase of their marriages and Raman's aggressive state in those days. Raman is a man of few words and expresses few emotions, not many saw his broken state, it was Mihir who knew most of things and stood with him in every worst. "Main ek baar kho chuka hoon Ishita ko, shayad dobara na kar paaun. With time I have realised she is my weakness, she is beautiful human, a wonderful wife, a companion to cherish with lots of flaws and I won't allow those flaws to ruin our peaceful life anymore." Raman declared in no nonsense tone leaving no space for his friends to argue anymore.

"We're happy and that's what matters my friend. Main, Ishita aur Roohi bohot khush hai ek doosre ke saath aur mujhe meri shaadi main aur koi drama nahi chahiye."

Neil and Mihir nodded their heads with defeat, indeed they're unconvinced with his arguments and they might try to convince him later on but right now it's better to remain quite.

"Vaise bhai, are you in love with bhabhi? I mean all of sudden you started to say you cannot live without her. Pyar ho gaya kya apni biwi se?" (Are you in love with your wife finally?)

The beverage he was eating chocked inside his windpipe as Mihir words poured into his ears. Love a stupid four letter word which he heard often, seen in movies and received as a son and brother but never gave Ishita as a husband neither received as a husband. But what is love exactly? The definition of love keep changing for the man as the age passes; for teenagers the love defines hormonal changes and attraction, for hot blooded young males it's simply about sex but above all this there comes a time when every attraction fades out but only thing remains is the affinity towards one person, the feeling which required no words, the physical appearance stopped affecting anyway, the intimacy doesn't matters but what remained is the magical connection which need no words. When one share such relationship with someone, then the other things stopped matter and what all remains an unfulfilled thirst to stay with that person.

Raman had passed both the phases with Ishita, the teenage attraction remained only when they're dating, the attraction changed into physical lust after their marriage. The sexual attraction in early days of marriage can be named as marriage but later it made him addicted for her. The physical attraction was still alive but the quest to spend time with her added in it, now he wanted to spend longer hours with her sometimes with just holding her hands and other times by resting his head on her lap. The contentment he used to get with physical intimacy then, lies in the kisses they share every night and coffee's they make together in midnight. Now he is ready to overlook everything just for the sake of one person, his wife, Ishita and now he is looking forward for everyday to explore new dimension with her of their disturbed life.

And if this mean love then yes, maybe he is in love.

Raman looked at Mihir and Neil with thief eyes, they're passing him knowing smile like they read his heart and this instantly made Raman uncomfortable and all he manages to avert his eyes away from them.

"Mujhe is situation pe ek gaana yaad aa gaya jo Raman apne college days mein gaata tha." (I have a perfect song on this situation.) Mihir cleared his throat making Neil raise his left brow with excitement and Raman frown.

Jise dhoondhta hoon main har kahi,
(The one who I searched for everywhere)

Woh mili mujhe phir hai kahi,
(The one who I haven't found anywhere)

Mujhe jiske pyar par ho yaki,
(The one's who's love I can trust)

Woh ladki hai yahan.
(Here is that girl)