"Bhabhi, aaram se."
"Bike chalate waqt bhabhi ki yaad nahi aayi?" Dhara was growling in sheer anger, and when she applied the antiseptic directly on his open wounds, Shiva bit his lip because he'd rather bear this pain than listen to Dhara's murderous voice. "Aa su che, Shiva? Taari buddhi ghass khava gai che?"
Gautam and Krish were cringing in both, pain and at Dhara's anger which Shiva was now handling, more worse than the accident it was Dhara's wrath for Shiva to bear.
Shiva pouted, looking at Dhara, "kya bhabhi, aapko toh paata hai, main sirf aapke hath ka khana khaata hu, kuch aur nahi." He tried to lighten the mood, and tilted his head, looking at his sweet sister-in-law, but unlike Gautam and Krish, who chuckled, Dhara only grunted.
"Vaydo na ban," She warned him and he smiled, rubbing the back of his head and this time letting Dhara take care of his wounds. She sat next to him, removing her frustration on him, but Shiva knew this was only because she loved him and was concerned about him. "Tere chakkar mein woh bechari Raavi ka bhi accident hua, woh Anita keh rahi thi ki uski pair mein laggi hai." Dhara addressed the Pandya men, "couldn't you not ride rashly when she was with you? What if something would have happened to the both of you? Huh?"
Shiva lowered his gaze, letting Dhara carry on with her rant and did not correct her because to keep Raavi away from any confrontation or lectures, he had taken the blame himself and had apologised to both, Prafulla and Dhara, first dropping Raavi and then coming home. Raavi was emotionally disturbed, and if he told them that she rode it, she would be more troubled than she was now. Shiva would take all the beatings and the scolding if it meant Raavi was at peace.
For some odd reason, Prafulla did not scream at him, nor did she taunt, or mention her Bhogilal, but took the limping Raavi in her embrace and without any exchange, shut the door on his face. On the other hand, Dhara had yelled on him on behalf of both the families', tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she treated his wounds and was both upset on and for him.
"Sorry bhabhi," Shiva held his ears, puppy eyes at its best as he looked at her, "agli baar nahi hoga. Please?"
Dhara rolled her eyes, being done with the medicines and forwarded the tumeric milk that Gautam had already prepared for him, "Pi le, aur naha lena sone se pehle."
"Nahana zaroori hai?" He asked, but regretted it soon enough when Dhara turned, "zaroori hai." He said, and Krish chuckled at him.
"Gaumbi, Krish," Dhara looked at the two men, who knew not to step on Dhara's nerves, "Khana lag gaya hai, kha lo."
She left, stomping her feet, and while Gautam and Krish left, sympathising with Shiva, he on the other hand, smiled. He looked at his arm where the scratches were more evident and almost looked like a bear claw wound. The cream and antiseptic were burning on his skin and he blew air on it, "ye Maami ki Behen ki Beti ek din marwa degi." He shook his head, taking the turmeric milk glass in his hand. "Ye haldi doodh mein daali hai ya doodh haldi main!" He smelled the yellow milk, "bhabhi bhi kam nahi hai, pata nahi ye dono agar iss ghar mein saath rahenge toh mera toh jeena haram ho jayega." Shiva said, not realising what he said and gulped the milk.
Then it struck him, he almost spit the milk when he realised what he said.
"Dono ghar mein saath kyu rahenge?" He hit his head, calling himself an idiot as he finished the drink. "It's not like I am going to marry that gadhedi, right?"
Right?
He could not answer his own question. Because he was stunned, all this while wondering why he was not able to answer it. It was just a simple yes, of course, and obviously but he said neither of those. Gulping nervously, Shiva ran his hand through his hair.
"Ye tu kya soch raha hai Shiva?" He thought aloud, shaking his head, "gadheda ban gaya hai kya? Woh chipkali aur teri biwi? Iss janam toh kya, saath janamo tak tum dono ka mel nahi."
But he could not ignore the fact that the he did like the sound of it. The couple of days he spent with her, they may seem just like a handful of days but honestly, they felt like an eternity. If he actually pondered over her, their unnamed relationship was of decades if not years, and no matter what, he felt like she will always be a part of him.
He wiped the milky moustache on his actual moustache and smiled, Raavi was playing with his mind and his heart and he knew it. He was dumb enough to demean her for almost the whole of his life, and now when she was to leave him, he was suddenly drawn towards her.
Maybe that is why people only value something when they fear they'd lose it.
Shiva shook his head, whatever he was feeling, could be put on hold. Right now, he had only four so days before Raavi left Somnath to start afresh and he had few days to get her back to her orginal self. He checked the time, it was near to ten, and Raavi never slept early, just like him but also, his maami must have already completed one cycle of her sleep.
Shiva stood on his toes, eyeing the clan in the kitchen and spotted Dhara who was busy with Krish and his college scores. He then looked at Gaumbi who caught his gaze. Shiva pleaded with his eyes and his hands, then pointed at the door and at Dhara and pouted. Gaumbi shook his head, eyes widened and pointing at Dhara with his head, and then at Shiva. To that Shiva blew him a kiss, and winked and ran out of the window, walking his bike till the outside lane so Dhara could not hear him escape and than rode to Prafulla's house.
On reaching her house, he looked at the balcony and while all the rooms had their lights off, Raavi's room had hers on. He parked his bike, and took the stone from aside, wrapping the paper and throwing it across her window, causing a loud noise in response.
But thankfully, no one was bothered, it was a blessing that Raavi's house was the last on the lane and her nighbours were never too nosey. He send another stone straight to her window but Raavi was quick to come out and she looked at him from up, asking what was wrong with the shake of her hand.
Shiva pointed at her and himself and then at the bike and enacted the action of speeding it.
Raavi shook her head, pointing at the sky and then at her wrist, telling him that it was not the time.
To that Shiva narrowed his gaze at her, he pointed at the horn and then covered his ears, warning her that if she did not, he'd press the horn on his bike.
Raavi sighed, but determined, shaking her head, she then pointed at her house and made a sleeping gesture and then an angry face, making Shiva to almost chuckle because she said that her massi was sleeping and if she got up, she'd be mad.
Shiva shrugged, and pointed his fore-finger towards her and then at the horn button but Raavi groaned, and with a roll of her eyes and after switching off the light from her room, she got a hold of her dupatta and stepped down the ladder which Shiva held.
The moment she dropped down from the ladder, she turned and when she did, few drops of water fell on Shiva's face, noticing that her long hair were wet and left open. He opened his eyes quickly, meeting hers, and the scent of her shampoo washed his burning thoughts away, trying to hold on but instead, falling down in her aura. Her light green dupatta playing with wind as she tilted her head, snapping in front of him.
"Shiva?" She said, and her soft voice was enough for him to day dream more. "Ey Bhootnath, tu yaha su kare che?"
Bhoothnath
"Baal baandha kar yaar," Shiva pulled Raavi's hair yet again and she groaned, moving away from him, "tujhe lagta hai ki tu sundar lag rahi hai?" He asked as they made way to a mutual relative's wedding.
The rest of them were walking ahead of them, Dev was also besides the duo who were fighting yet again.
"Sundar hu main, aaj bas thai lag rahi hu." Raavi smirked, making Shiva roll his eyes. He was already irritated that he had to wear a kurta because Dhara insisted and here, this lehenga-Raavi-with-open-hair was infuriating him more than ever. "Hai na Dev? Lag rahi hu na, Deepika?"
Dev smiled, "of course Raavi," He was the sweetest of the clan, so sweet that Shiva thought he would have diabetes staying with Dev and acidity staying with Raavi. "Tu hamesha aachi lagti hai."
"Suna, gawaar." Raavi scoffed and Shiva pulled her hair again, until Dev separated them.
"Bacche nahi ho tum dono," Dev ordered, disliking their tantrums and silly fights, "You both are almost 19 now, and every time you guys fight, I feel like I am a babysitter of two kindergarten kids." He shook his head and walked ahead with Krish and Gaumbi as Raavi and Shiva still kept glaring at each other.
"Dev aacha hai na issliye tujhe accha bula raha hai," Shiva said, eyeing the girl, "lag toh chudail hi rahi hai tu. Jo chipkali banti hai aur meri zindagi mein tapak padti hai." He tried walking faster but Raavi caught up to him.
"tu bhi koi Ranbir Kapoor nahi hai," She pointed her finger at him, "Raat ko bhatakne waala bhoot hai tu, Bhootnath kahi ka."
While they glared at each other, Krish chuckled, "Chudail aur Bhootnath, waah, kya jodi hai." He said but ran when Shiva chased him, while Raavi walked with Dev, shaking her head at Shiva and focusing on Dev.
"Shiva?"
Shiva snapped out of the memory, relaxing on seeing Raavi in front of him, but now remembering how well he could lie because Dev was right.
Raavi hamesha hi acchi lagti hai.
"Chal," He said, putting the helmet on his head, "baith ja."
"Jaa kaha rahe hai?" She asked, softly, but Shiva only started the bike, without any answer. "Shiva my leg is still aching after today's adventure ride."
"Galti kisski thi?" He asked, looking at her.
"Meri," She said, softly, looking down.
"Aur blame kissne liya?"
"Tune,"
"Daant kisse padhi?"
"Fine!" She said, as she readied herself to sit behind, but her leg sprain hurt and she let out a small scream. Shiva forwarded his palm, and she took it, sitting with legs on either side, adjusting her dupatta and holding Shiva's shoulders. "Abh chalega?"
Shiva quickly removed the helmet off his head and placed it on her, startling her, but he rode away before she could react and Raavi smiled, as they passed through the silent lanes. His smell was now very evident in her senses, and her scent was driving him crazy.
"Somnath ki Sair," Shiva said, softly, "dekh le chipkali, ek aakhri baar dekh le pure Somnath ko..."
And they rode through the night, as Shiva passed through their houses, and to the part of the town where they were not known and where they could breathe in comfortably, away from excuses and away from reasonings.
When they reached the temple and as Shiva rode through the river, the cool wind blew across them and Raavi took off the helmet, shaking her head. Her hair soaring like a flag and the scent of fresh air mixed with her flowery essence was working its magic on him and they rode past the wind, against everything that could hold them behind.
Raavi had rested her head on his back, eyeing the dark rivers as they passed by it, the fishermen with their little boats shoring away, the temple behind them, their families far away while they remained through the night.
This felt so good, Raavi smiled, as she took easy breaths, she was going to miss Somnath, and its air and everything with it. She was going to miss her family, Pandya Niwas and this magical atmosphere. She was going to miss hanging around with the Pandya boys, troubling Prafulla and teaming up with Anita dii, she was going to miss Dhara's tasty dishes and Gaumbi's soulful wisdom, and Suman kaki's icy glares with hidden smiles. She was going to miss Kaka who would sneak her chocolates behind Shiva's back from the store, and she was going to miss being the happy carefree soul she was once.
But more importantly, Raavi was going to miss Shiva.
Her bhootnath.
_
A/N
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