Pallavi smiled, "Kaash, main apni jeet ka jashn mana sakthi, but I have a meeting today to finalize the looks and plans for the magazine shoot, and the boutique is showcasing the designs starting next week, so I can't."
Raghav's smile faltered, but remembering the previous night, "Teek hai, mere saath lunch par chalo. Tum mujhe, ithna vaqt toh dehi sakthi ho, tera handsome aur charming pati ko?"
Pallavi smiled and raised an eyebrow, "Like a date?"
"Kyun, main tumhe date par nahin lekar ja sakta kya? Koi naya kaanoon hai, kya?" Raghav asked, quizzically.
"No, no, it's not that, I'm just wondering how many other women have seen you flirt this badly on dates." Pallavi laughed, turning to finish cooking.
"You can make fun of my flirting all you want at lunch, Saree ka Dukaan." Raghav said.
Pallavi smiled, "I plan to, Ghamandi Rao, just don't do something stupid like yesterday and waste your day following me around." She raised a finger and laughed at his embarrassed expression.
"I don't understand women. Last night you don't like it when I'm jealous, and now you're clearly egging me on to be jealous. Bhura lag kya, ki meri jalan gaya ho gaya?" Raghav smiled, standing close to Pallavi and silently helping her put the food into serving dishes.
"What? No, of course not. Raghav, you better keep your anger and jealousy in control, varna main tumhe—" Pallavi started.
"Teek hai Saree ka Dukaan. But if you want Jealous Raghav, just ask, main woh Vikku ko accha sa pitai de sakta." Raghav took her wrist and pulled her away from the kitchen counter, their eyes meeting.
"Aisa kuch mat karoge tum," Pallavi said, but silently getting a little rush at the thought that Raghav was this worried about her, "Abhi bhai mujhe pe barosa nahin hai, kya?"
Raghav answered her question immediately, "Mujhe tum par pura barosa hai." He looked into her eyes to make sure she understood he wasn't joking. "But, if you're asking me to trust that Vikram, woh toh mujhse nahi ho payega, and agar woh tumhe pareshaan kartha hai na, toh mujhe bata do. Main usse teek karega."
Pallavi picked up the dishes and headed out of the kitchen, "Aisa kuch nahi hai, you are imagining things."
Raghav watched her walk into the dining room and set the table. He knew he was completely right to trust Pallavi, nothing could shake how he felt about her, how he knew she was the most loyal person in the world. He thought about Vikram, and surprisingly, he wasn't as angry as he had been yesterday, so what if 'Vikku' thought Pallavi was beautiful, Pallavi didn't say 'I love you' to Vikku. She had chosen Raghav, she had brought him that happiness that Raghav had never dreamed he'd be able to have. No one, not even Vikram Singh Rathore, could steal that from him.
When Pallavi arrived at the boutique, Vikram greeted her and they got to work quickly.
After a while, Pallavi looked at her watch, and realized she only had about a half-hour until she had to meet Raghav for lunch. Thinking about a 'date' with her husband, not just her husband, but Raghav Rao, made her smile to herself. Her thoughts fled to this morning, last night, everything was happening so fast, but it felt perfect.
"Are you running late for something, Pallavi?" Vikram asked.
Pallavi smiled, "No no, I have to head to lunch with Raghav, but I have time."
"Arre wah, a spacial day? I'm only asking because you seem like you're in an even better mood than you were in yesterday." Vikram smiled at Pallavi.
She laughed, "Everyone is interested in my smile or mood today, nothing special, just a lunch." She brought her attention back to the magazine layouts they were looking at.
"You're blushing like this is your first date with Raghav." Vikram burst out laughing.
Pallavi blushed harder, "Technically, it's not our first date, but it might be our first time out for lunch where we both—" she was about to say, 'didn't hate each other,' but stopped herself, "where we both aren't so preoccupied with so many things."
Vikram had around a thousand thoughts running through his head, and he was working extremely hard to hide his disappointment and concern from Pallavi. What had Raghav done to win her over? And more importantly, was she actually happy?
He was trying to figure out a way to broach the question with Pallavi, when he heard the door open.
Raghav walked in, and made his way to the back of the boutique where Vikram and Pallavi were working.
Suddenly, and inexplicably, Pallavi felt extremely nervous. More nervous than she had felt on the day she married Raghav, more nervous than she had been the night before last. Watching him walk up to her, his little half smile, his broad shoulders, the way he seemed to be the only man in the world who could pull off having so many buttons of his shirt unbuttoned. She knew that Raghav was handsome, in fact she had accepted this a while back. But she realized her hands felt clammy, and her stomach was doing backflips today for the first time because she found Raghav attractive, oh he was never going to let her live this down if he realized how nervous she was.
"Pallavi" Raghav called, "Hum chalein? Ya tum dono ko aur kaam hai? Main interar kar saktha hun."
Pallavi found her voice, "Haan, I'm ready, just let me go to the washroom really quick." She blushed a little as Raghav smiled wider upon hearing that she was ready.
As Pallavi left, Raghav decided he would take his wife's advice and leave his anger and jealousy at home, but it didn't seem like Vikram was up to the task.
"So, it looks like the plans for the boutique and magazine shoot are going well?" Raghav asked, trying to feign interest.
"Yes, definitely. Though, I am more interested in how your acting lessons are going, Raghav." Vikram responded coldly.
"Excuse me?" Raghav asked, trying very hard to control his anger by keeping it bottled up in his fist.
"It seems you've found the perfect lines for your role as 'Perfect Husband,' do tell me, where did you learn how to act so well?" Vikram asked, he smirked. He himself didn't know why he was confronting Raghav over this, he had told himself that though he was attracted to Pallavi, he wouldn't interfere in her relationship the way another man had interfered between him and his wife. But Pallavi was too special, she was too important to him now to let a man like Raghav Rao destroy her.
Raghav opened his clenched fist, and smiled, walking closer to Vikram, "Bhai, yeh koi reality show nahi hain. "Pallavi Kaun Chunegi?" nahin hai, ardhamaindha? Pallavi is my wife, I am her husband. That's it."
"If that was the whole story I would let it go, but need I remind you Raghav, that I've worked in this industry for just as long as you have, so I am well aware of your real face. So if you hurt Pallavi—"
Raghav interrupted him, laughing and then slapping his hand on Vikram's shoulder, hard, "Your concern for my wife, while touching, is misplaced. Tum uska dost hai, toh main kuch nahin bolega, lekin tumko uska dost hi banna hai, usse zyaada kuch nahin. Okay?"
Vikram grabbed Raghav's hand and threw it off his shoulder, "Listen, you two-bit diamond huckster, I have no idea how you've convinced Pallavi that you're a decent human being. In fact, I still don't know why she agreed to marry a kameena like you, but mujhe dosti mat sikao. Agar tum—"
Raghav interrupted again, "This morning Pallavi told me to drop my jealousy." He looked at Vikram and nodded, "Yes, I'll admit, I was jealous. But you know how I know that I am a good man? How I know I deserve my wife's time and love? Because yesterday when I thought she wasn't happy with me, I told her she could leave, even though it almost tore me apart. Pallavi wants me in her life, and I want to make her my whole life. So, you, and your concern, should be focused on making sure my wife's designs are represented well. If you can't do that, I'll have to convince Pallavi that she doesn't need you or your brand. She'll probably refuse to take my help to start on her own, but then again Pallavi doesn't need help from people like you or 'two-bit diamond hucksters' like myself."
Raghav noticed Pallavi leaving the washroom and backed up swiftly from Vikram, "I'm really excited to see the boutique when Pallavi's designs are on display, I'm assuming you all are doing a runway event before the actual opening?" Raghav's voice was casual, and Vikram immediately realized Pallavi must be within earshot.
"We are! I'm very excited, I've never actually been to a fashion show, so I have no idea what to expect." Pallavi came back to the table, "I just hope none of the models have any sort of issues with the sarees? I mean I can always be ready to help backstage I guess.."
Vikram laughed, "These women are professionals, I'm sure they'll be fine." He clenched his jaw when he noticed that Pallavi's eyes were on Raghav.
"I hope so, so Raghav, chalein? I'm sure you have work after lunch anyway." Pallavi started to walk to the front.
Raghav called after her, not caring if Vikram was listening or not, "Very funny, do you think I would be that stupid as to set up a date for my wife and then make plans to go to work right after? I don't plan on being murdered any time soon."
Pallavi laughed, and then blushed as Raghav took her hand and pushed open the door. "Raghav, tum mujhe itna bhuri samajthe ho? Not fair."
"Sorry, sorry, he pulled one of his ear lobes with his free hand, I forgot, Pallavi Rao is perfect, a goddess incarnate." He grinned at her.
She laughed, and then looked seriously at him, trying to hide her smile (but badly), "That's better, and don't you forget it."