Khusi checked her watch for the umpteenth time, agitation nipping her insides. It was 11 pm and Bhaskar hadn't return from the college. Sighing out, she eyed the decoration.
The curtains bedecked with rice lights and scented candles lit on the tiny table on their cozy balcony. She had spread out blankets and pillows on another corner to make a cozy makeshift bed. The wall hangings on the grill were hiding them from the outside world.
A perfect date night Khusi had planned for their 10 month anniversary. It was a bit petulant, for them to celebrate 10 months of togetherness, like two randy teenagers who were crazy in love. But she wanted to do something special for Bhaskar.
He wasn't much romantic so she had to do the romantic stuff. But Bhaskar cared about Khusi, and she was happy with it. Like every other women, she had wishes for a man who would shower love on her every chance he got and pamper her to no ends. But the reality wasn't a fairy tale.
She was satisfied that Bhaskar was decent enough. He cared about her, helped her in almost every household work, never pressurized her for sex, listened to her problems and had perfect solutions. He was logical, and whenever Khusi had freaked out about querulous problems, that weren't even there in the first place, he had calmed her down and gave her reasonable solutions.
Like that one time when Khusi had went on a short trip at Yercaud with her colleagues, for 3 days. She had forgotten to take her medicines and was crying over the call, how she might not return in a healthy condition, when Bhaskar had calmed her down. He made a list of the elements of each medicine and sent it to her. She had went to the medicine store and got the exact pills she needed, just with different names.
She adored Bhaskar's practical minded nature.
The bell rang and she sighed, quickly jumping to her feet. Opening the door, her gaze stilled at Bhaskar who tettered inside, massaging the bridge of his nose.
"Everything okay?" Khusi asked, taking his bag from Bhaskar. He propped down on the couch in the living room, his head leaned back and eyes closed.
"Tiring day," he murmered, rubbing his face. Khusi poured him a glass of water and he gulped it down voraciously.
"Can you please serve the dinner. I will change and come." Bhaskar stood up, making his way towards their room when Khusi leaped infront of her. The room was decorated with fairy lights and rose petals, a cake waiting for them. But given the circumstances Khusi didn't want him to know.
"Wait. I will take out your clothes. Why don't you get fresh in the other room?" she suggested, passing a wry smile. Bhaskar's eyes narrowed at her weird statement.
"I would rather take comfort in the ambiance of our room." Without waiting for Khusi to reply, he prowled inside the room only to stop dead on his track, his eyebrows puckering, Khusi running behind him.
"Bhaskar ... "
"What the hell is all this Khusi?" he exhaled an exasperated sigh, massaging his forehead.
"Um, it's our 10 month anniversary so I planned to give you a surprise," she mumbled nervously eying the room and Bhaskar.
"Clean all this shit, right now. And what the hell is 10 month anniversary!? Anniversary means one year. We are not teenagers. Grow up."
Tears sprang into Khusi's eyes at Bhaskar harsh words. It was a bit immature from her side, but not even acknowledging her efforts was unexpected from him.
She quickly cleaned the room, served Bhaskar dinner, and went to sleep without having any food.
*******
It had been 5 days since that incident and Khusi had been ignoring Bhaskar. It wasn't like he was dying to talk to her too. Both had been busy with their life, one deliberately, another unwittingly.
Bhaskar knew he had overreacted that night, frustrated at what had happened at his college that day. Khusi hadn't really given him a chance to apologize too.
That Saturday, Bhaskar came home early from college after taking permission from the Dean. Khusi had her day off on Saturdays as she taught in a central government school but Bhaskar was a professor in a private college, so he had to work on Saturdays too.
Khusi was sitting in their balcony, wearing a chiffon kurti and posing for a picture, which was getting clicked on the phone clamped on a tripod, when Bhaskar knocked on the balcony door. She was so engrossed in her task that she didn't hear him entering the apartment.
"Hey." Bhaskar smiled.
"Hey." Khusi didn't show any enthusiasm at his sight and took out her phone from the tripod, going through the clicked pictures. None of them were looking good which was frustrating Khusi to no end. She wanted to post something on IG and the golden hour was the best time to take pictures.
"Can I?" Bhaskar asked, sitting on his hauches infront of her, asking for her phone.
"No. It's childish." Khusi pushed herself on her feet and grabbed the tripod when Bhaskar grasped her elbow and pulled her into him.
"Let me, please." His words were just above a whisper, breathing over Khusi's lips. She pushed him away but handed over her phone to him.
For an hour Bhaskar sat there and clicked Khusi's pictures from different angles, instructing her how to keep her hand, how much to move her face and eyes, and how to let her hair fall over her shoulders.
At the end, the pictures turned out pretty good. A small smile grazed Khusi's lips as she went on through her phone looking at her pictures. She was happy inward that Bhaskar was taking initiative to talk to her, but was still upset.
While editing her pictures, the delicious aroma of chicken bharta hit her nose. She drifted greedily and looked up slightly. Bhaskar was arranging the food on the table as it was his turn that day. Her stomach growled lowly so she ambled towards the dining table.
"Masala kulcha and chicken bharta. Your favorite," Bhaskar chided and a genuine smile crawled up Khusi's lips.
"Thanks." She sat to have her dinner. Amdist having her food, Bhaskar gently grasped her left hand when her movements halted.
"I am sorry for that day Khusi. I shouldn't have been so harsh. Forgive me?" he held one of his ear with the other hand and Khusi bit the insides of her cheek to stop a chuckle. He looked cute.
Bhaskar grinned after seeing her smile after so many days. Their house had been mundane ever since Khusi stopped smiling. But now, it look radiant.
"That's not alright. But I will forgive you with time, if you promise to never speak to me in that tone," she whispered, resuming to eat.
"Promise." Bhaskar held out his pinky and this time Khusi legit chuckled.
They were lying on the bed, Khusi resting on Bhaskar's chest, her arms around him and his fingers massaging Khusi's hair, when he decided to bring up the topic, that had been pestering him for the last few days.
"I was thinking about starting my own coaching classes. What do you think?" She looked up from his chest, as his statement.
Coaching classes? Was everything okay at the collage?
"If you want to then you should. But why?" Khusi asked, running her fingers down his chest.
"The authorities have decided not to increase any professor's salary for the next 3 years. That could lead us to lot of troubles with the rising prices in India. Some students have been pestering me to tutor them privately from a long time. That could give us extra money." So that's why Bhaskar was agitated last week. Understanding spread on Khusi's face. She sat up and cupped his face, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"You can start whenever you seem fit. Use the guestroom, maybe?" she suggested.
Bhaskar smiled at her and rolled them over, pressing Khusi to the bed and attacked her lips.
Khusi could only smile in delight.
*******
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