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"Be the reason people still believe in kind hearts, authentic vibes and warm souls................."
An unavoidable vocal yawn escaped from Shaurya's mouth as he ascended the stairs to reach his room.
It was nearly around half past five in the morning, and understandably all family members were still locked in their respective rooms. Alhough, Shaurya could see the door of his grandmother's room wide open. And he could clearly hear her soft murmuring voice. She must have been busy chanting some Indian epic verses written in the form of classical Sanskrit poetry. He didn't wish to bother her like always and continued climbing up the open stairway.
He adjusted his specs as he stared at the transom window over the door of his room. The window indicated him that the lights of his room were on, just as always.
In recent 20 days, he literally had a little control over his own time. His nights used to get invested working under the lights of the operating rooms. Neurosurgical procedures can be very demanding at times, requiring long hours of focused attention on a very small region of the brain or spine, often using a microscope. And he had to develop the capacity to stay focused on a tiny area for many hours without distraction.
He was still in a training phase to become technically capable of performing highly complex surgical procedures. He was under a extensive training path since last three weeks. He was involved in an audit too. He had to assist his mentors in the operating rooms in performing multiple surgeries in a single day or shift.
The door of his room was ajar. On entering, he ran his gaze all around. Few books and other stationery items were all stacked on one edge of his desk. But unlike the other days, he didn't find her sitting and hitting her head into those books. However, he did find the bed devoid of bedsheet.
Keeping his belongings at their correct places, he inched towards the washroom's shut door. He could hear the sound of shower running inside. He kind of knew that she never really took baths so early in the morning unless it used to be her that time of the month. At then, he came to understand why she was sounding low, the previous night over the phone call and where was the missing sheet of the bed.
He remembered the previous two times when she had accidentally caused the night-time stains on the sheets, and woke up feeling frustrated and hell embarrassed in front of him. She acted awkward, she avoided his eyes and him for sometime as if the concept of menorrhea was alien for him. Like his medical degree was just namesake. Of course he was theoretically aware of that process but at then he remained mum and didn't bother her. Cause he didn't want to violate her privacy, if she was sceptic in talking about on that matter, he respected that. But at times, he couldn't help wondering about the magnitude of her cramps, did it discomfort her or was it bearable for her.
Amidst all those thoughts, he called out to her whilst giving two repeated knocks on the door
"Manjiri, are you done?"
"Allow me two minutes, I'm almost done."
Hearing her he inwardly sighed turning around. Collecting a fresh bedsheet from the cupboard, he skilfully tucked it's loose ends around the corners of the mattress. He didn't want anything to cause her any kind of discomfort, therefore he did that. He just wanted to try keeping her at rest so that she could feel ok, at least for a while.
Soon the door clicked open, he looked at her as she came out wearing a maroon long sleeved top and capri pants.
"Immediately put on a cardigan or something, it's chilly out there today."
Despite the dull pain in her lower abdomen, Manjiri found herself smiling at his concern when he walked past her inside the washroom. It had been more than three weeks since her college classes had started and his work too got intense. They hardly had spent any time together in last so many days, courtesy to her 9 to 4 continuous classes and his 8 to 6 night shifts. But at then, she was little at ease as from the coming Monday his work timings were again shifting back to the usual timings.
"Where's my towel? Did you put it for laundry yet again?"
Shaurya kind of frowned as he took hold of his toothbrush. But abruptly his gaze stopped at the huge, frameless oval mirror hanging in front of him.
Due to the usage of geyser, the mirror had turned hazy. The fogginess didn't hold his attention, but there was something else what made his lips to curl up a little.
'Good Morning, Dr Sahab!!! (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)' - The scribbled letters over the haze on the mirror greeted him. He lazily smiled as he sensed her entering the washroom.
"Here, take it."
She spoke as she extended a fresh towel towards him. Turning around instead of clutching the towel, he clutched her wrist.
"Morning, missus of Dr Sahab!"
Manjiri meekly nodded whilst fighting back a blush. No matter how well she tried to conceal her unease, her heavy eyes and low-spiritedness didn't go unnoticed by Shaurya.
"Take a sick leave and have some rest."
"I can't as I've an important lab assessment today. Moreover, I'm fine..."
He interrupted, not really believing her words
"That I can see."
"No really, I'm ok."
She assured freeing her wrist from his hand. In response he simply shrugged and turned around to wipe the foggy mirror
"Alright if you say! Wear something warm at least otherwise it'll ache more."
She widened her eyes as she heard him say so. Not every girl is willing or complacent in conversing about her lady business or other personal matters to others, and so was she.
Maybe with age and other transitions, someday she would. If not to many but at least to him.
Although, she was amazed to know that even her brief expressions or words were enough for him to notice her bother.
Maybe it was her current situation of being hypersensitive to any stimulus or her intense emotions, that made her eyes glistened with tears as she remembered her grandmother caring for her in the same way.
In specially those days of the month, she used to receive her granny's pampering the most and also not to forget, her special ginger tea which kind of used to sooth her brutal cramps. It actually acted like a live-saving medicine to her. The memories had come rushing back to her with a powerful force.
She wordlessly exited the washroom, not wanting him to notice her tear-stricken face. Soon she got downstairs to fetch something for him to eat, as like always he would prefer snoozing for quite some time soon after freshening up.
In the meantime, she too prepared a cup of tea for the eldest Mohan lady, who was about to get done with her early morning prayers.
Within twenty minutes, she got back to the room with a small tray in her hands. She found him towel-drying his hair whilst sitting on the bed with his eyes shut.
His shut eyes immediately flew open as soon as he sensed her coming and standing closely in between his legs. Before he could lift his eyes upwards in order to meet hers, her hands took hold of the towel.
"You are using mine."
As she mumbled, he tried to clarify
"Mine was already very damped so I picked up this. Now for heaven's sake, don't snatch it back."
Shaurya was well aware of the fact that Manjiri had a thing for her personal belongings whether it would be her blanket, her hairbrush or her towel. And specially towel.
No matter how squeaky clean the other person gets, she won't settle with him/her using it, even on the matter if she isn't using it at then and the other person has picked it up fresh from the cupboard.
"Why would I do that?"
She argued only to get an answer from him.
"Cause you always do."
"Whatever!"
She muttered as she busied her hands in blotting his hair with the towel. In the midst of her actions, her palms abruptly brushed against his forehead which made him groan whilst jumping back a little
"Ahh! Your hands are icy cold."
Manjiri stared back at him forcing her mind to think. Then instantly, she leaned a little to caress his forehead yet again as though instinctively checking if he was beginning to run a temperature.
On the other hand, Shaurya definitely didn't feel his best. He blamed his exhaustion for that.
"My hands aren't but Shaurya, probably you've got an elevated body temperature. Wait a sec."
She rushed towards the shelf to get the thermometer. His gaze followed her as he stated
"It's just warm not feverish warm, so don't worry."
But she didn't listen, in fact right away asked him to use the thermometer against his will.
"See! It's 99.2."
She gasped as she read the temperature flashing on the device's tiny screen. He sighed as he lazily reclined against a cushion
"It's a low grade temperature, no big deal. A paracetamol is enough to mitigate it."
"So first eat something and then have that."
Manjiri instructed as she brought the small tray and placed before him. While he felt badly in need of a lie-down
"Manjiri, I seriously don't feel like having something. Let me just take a nap for a while, I'll be fine I assure."
"No Shaurya, please! Just two bites and then this tablet. I promise I won't disturb you after this..."
She attempted to insist him but all of a sudden his damn phone started ringing out of nowhere. His heavy, closed eyes immediately flew open to receive the call.
In an instant he sat upright, Manjiri noticed that the call was from his senior, Dr Kashyap. As he answered it, she took a defeated sigh.
Soon she noticed him muting the call to ask her to bring a patient named Yati Mishra's reports from his desk. She obediently did what she was told. However, all throughout she was intently searching for different ways of how to make him eat something. Cause she was damn sure that soon after finishing up the call, he would revert snoozing.
She took a seat beside him and noted that he just didn't have empty hands, one on the phone and the other holding a report file. He was totally engrossed in the call and the file.
Without thinking much, she tore a piece of Uttapam (thick, spiced veggies stuffed rice pancake) into a bite-size, dipped it in coriander chutney (cold sauce) and took it to Shaurya's mouth. He looked at her and shook his head in negative. To which she warned him with her eyes mouthing 'eat'.
He scanned some numerals printed in the file and wrote some on the other page. And after spelling few things on the phone call, he compliantly took a bite from her hand. He didn't even look at her whilst taking it.
She tore another piece to feed him but this time, he took a big bite, out of the piece. It was unknown if it was done intentionally or not, but when he bit down he sucked on her fingers lightly. A numb feeling instantly engulfed her from inside. She hurriedly retracted her hand on getting alarmed.
Shaurya's line of sight finally left the text written on the file and stopped at her, he offered her a look that seemed to ask, 'Any problem?'.
She shook her head. Could it be she was overthinking. Or maybe he did that on purpose, just to tease her. But his expressions were seemingly serious and focused.
"We both were drowned under the waves of words we weren't saying..............."
_
_
_
"How are you feeling now?"
Manjiri asked Shaurya as soon as she bundled up on the passenger's seat of the car, which was all set to get on it's way back home.
"Didn't you inquire the same on the phone call?
I'm absolutely fine, it was just some tiredness and sleeplessness which induced a little elevated temperature.
I told you before also."
He stated turning around his neck towards her. Taking a pause, he further asked
"What about you?"
"What about me? For your kind information, you had fever not I."
She tried to play dumb. But he too wasn't definitely the one who could be shooed off so quickly
"Do you feel better?"
"Yeah! I'm all right."
Although she looked awfully tired, but still she awkwardly answered him otherwise, making him roll his eyes at her.
As Shaurya pulled the car towards the main road, Manjiri looked at him dismayed. She thought they would wait for Mrs. Dipti Mohan
"Won't we wait for Badi Maa?"
"She's already home."
No sooner he reported her, she started pouring a sudden rain of questions
"What?... When did she leave from college?
And like usual, Dev Bhaiya isn't here to pick me up. All ok?"
"Everything's more than ok. In fact few surprises are awaiting for you at home."
He told whilst peering a glance at her. To which she questioned again. Bafflement evident on her face.
"Really? What surprises?"
"See and hear them yourself..."
He answered, his eyes focused on the road. To which she asked him with a hopeful gaze
"Won't you tell me now?"
"No."
She had already guessed he would answer that.
"What else I could expect from you."
"Pardon?"
He looked at her as he asked. She decided to shut up and wait.
"Nothing!"
Manjiri and Shaurya heard squeals of joy and laughter as soon as they walked inside the hall.
Manjiri was pleasantly surprised to see the entire Nanda family present there altogether.
Placing her bag on the end table, she greeted everyone. As she approached Sameeksha, she was dragged by her towards a side.
Engulfing Manjiri into her trademark bear hug, Sameeksha excitedly spoke
"You took too long, Miru.
Since the time everything got planned, I was dying and presently as well, I'm dying to share each and everything with you."
"What's happening? Tell fast, Sam."
Manjiri smiled and sounded desperate. To which Sameeksha excitedly told her whilst pulling away
"Wait for a while, I just go and bring Dev here. We both wanted to share it to you together."
"But Sam..."
Manjiri attempted to stop Sameeksha as she saw her rushing towards the couch where Dev was seated in between Sameeksha's father and Ved.
For a moment, it was hard for Manjiri to tell that if she was actually watching Dev being so quite, solemn and dignified. Of course he was in between his prospective in-laws, he had to behave decently. She found sheer difficulty in stifling her laughs watching him in that utter serious mode.
Soon she sensed Shaurya walking towards her, maybe now he would prefer telling her of what was going on.
_
"You both are kidding me, right?"
Manjiri seemed confused, her hands flew up to her mouth. In response, Dev flippantly shrugged, grinning from ear to ear and winking at Sameeksha
"Come on Miru Bhabhi, you know I never joke."
"These idiots are literally getting married, that too super soon."
Shaking his head and stepping a little away from the trinity of haphazardness, Shaurya muttered looking at his wife.
"Oh my goodness! This is the best news. Congrats!"
Throwing her arms around Sameeksha, Manjiri expressed her joy with sparkling eyes.
"Thank you so much, Miru darling."
Sameeksha replied on breaking the hug. She smiled reflecting the happiness surfacing her heart. Immediately, Dev detached the ladies and uttered dramatically
"What is this behaviour, Bhabhi? Is Sam only getting married and I'm not?"
Manjiri lightly chucked hearing Dev, and before she could hug him, he himself wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Pressing her head against his shoulder, she merrily exclaimed
"Many many congratulations to you too, Bhaiya. I just wish you both have a fun-filled future together."
"Thanks!
Won't you inquire for the wedding date?"
Dev questioned unwrapping his arm. To which Manjiri quizzed both Dev and Sameeksha
"Oh yes! Which date has been fixed?"
"Guess it yourself."
Dev replied grinning. By then, Manjiri was literally done with playing that repeated game of waiting and doing guesswork. She was losing her patience
"Why are you all hell-bent to test my patience today?
Am I not eligible to receive any news straightforwardly?"
Dev and Sameeksha chuckled hearing her whining words whilst Shaurya looked on smiling the three.
On finishing up with his laugh, Dev offered
"Ok we will provide you two hints. To begin with, it's after Shri Bhabhi's due date..."
"Is it 14th Feb?"
Manjiri attempted but only to get interjected by Sameeksha
"Hear out the second hint as well and then answer, the very date holds a great significance in your life."
"In my life?"
Manjiri tried to think harder. Sameeksha smiled and clarified
"Yes in your life.
And let me clarify before only that it's not our birthday."
"Our birthday?"
Shaurya asked confused making others look at him.
Sameeksha uttered to him in a single breath, her words barely having a pause in between them. She appeared highly displeased.
"Yes, our birthday. Miru and I share the same birth date.
And don't you dare give this surprised look, Shaurya Bhai. Cause this is utterly giving me a bad impression of you. It's very wrong in all the ways, whether you forget hers or mine or of both of us altogether."
"I bet he doesn't even know about the exact date of both of your birthday."
Dev joked making the situation more awkward for Shaurya. Of course he remembered the date, but he did actually fail to realize and match the coinciding birth dates.
"No, I do. It's 11th December.
Next Saturday."
"Correct! For a moment I took you as a insensitive guy.
But you're not, you proved me wrong."
Sameeksha patted his shoulder and remarked with a relief. Shaurya too inwardly took a sigh of relief. Having Dev and Sameeksha around could complicate any simple situation within a snap of one's fingers.
"Glad I could do that."
"Miru, despite being given two direct hints you couldn't guess the correct date..."
Sameeksha huffed turning to Manjiri.
"Seemingly it's first of March."
A soft smiled played on Manjiri's lips as she announced. Shaurya grinned too as his gaze met hers.
"Bingo!" Dev squealed and Sameeksha declared with a wide smile, "And that's how we both will not only share the same birthdate but also the same wedding anniversary date from then on."
"You don't realise but you're a happy and safe place for if not many, but surely for a few....................."
_
_
_
"Tickets are confirmed."
Manjiri informed walking inside Ved and Adishri's room. Adishri and Sameeksha who were busy chatting whilst sprawling on the bed, looked at her.
"Yay!"
Sameeksha squealed, excitement evident in her tone. Her parents had offered planning a short trip in front of the entire Mohan family during lunch. Her family members were great devotees of 'Purnagiri Devi' (name of one of Hindu Goddess - Parvati's form, worshipped in Uttarakhand, India). So they wanted the Mohan family too to join them in visiting there.
Mrs Kaveri Mohan happily agreed on that. So it was decided that except her, Ved, Adishri and Mrs Dipti Mohan; all others would join the Nanda family in their 3 days visit to Poornagiri temple, located on Poornagiri hill.
Since the days decided for the trip were Friday, Saturday and Sunday; Manjiri couldn't make any excuse. So she had agree with all. Nonetheless, she was kind of eager to visit there too as she remembered her grandmother talking about that place quite a few times.
"Miru! Miru, phone. Cow's video."
Manjiri instantly turned around on hearing a three year old's cries. As he approached her, she opened her phone's password and handed that over to him. He displayed his first set of tiny teeth as he started playing an animated video of a nursery rhyme.
"Miru, up."
At next moment, he extended his arms towards her, asking her to pick him up and put him on the bed in between all the ladies. But before she could pick him up, Sameeksha intervened and stopped her. She even took away the phone from that tiny human's hands
"No, she won't give you anything unless you stop calling her Miru.
Neither would she make you sit among us. We people only sit with good boys.
So Vaidik, say Mami."
"No, phone. Give me phone, Bua."
The little guy repeatedly jumped in air to catch the phone, all the while whining loudly. Ignoring his words and act, Sameeksha commanded teaching him some manners.
"First say Chhoti M-A-M-I."
He oscillated his gaze in between Manjiri and Sameeksha with watery eyes. He attempted to utter what he was instructed to
"Chhoti M... Miru."
He was a sight to watch. His eyes were filled with both mischief and unshed tears, his toothy smile made him look more adorable. Manjiri was tempted to take him in her arms while Adishri eyed him stifling her laughs.
However, only Sameeksha appeared unconvinced with his antics. She threatened him in a low but firm tone
"Vaidik is a very bad boy. He doesn't obey his Bua's orders. Now his Bua will never talk to him."
"Vaidik is good?"
Vaidik quizzed in a quivering voice glancing at Manjiri as if asking for her help in convincing his scowling Bua. And by now, his tears had successfully started rolling down his chubby cheeks.
"Yes, Vaidik is the best boy! And you stop troubling him, Sam."
Manjiri fake chided Sameeksha wiping off the tears of that tiny human.
"His parents and grandparents were any less that you too have started spoiling him, Miru.
He's shedding crocodile tears, I'm telling."
Rolling her eyes, Sameeksha started tickling Vaidik as soon as Manjiri picked him up and placed him in between them.
All three ladies laughed with the giggling Vaidik. Soon Manjiri adjusted a cushion behind her back and slipped inside the layer of blanket which were covering Adishri's legs.
Seeing Manjiri reclining, Vaidik too reclined holding her phone and smacking his head against her abdomen making her whimper in pain. Adishri looked at her with concern
"Miru, are you ok?"
"She can't be ok as she's surfing the crimson tide since yester night."
Sameeksha commented as she watched Manjiri making Vaidik recline against her arm and not on her stomach.
"I was in no mood to welcome it. However, it was a surprise visit, which was actually not a surprise, that too in these winters is seriously sucking the soul out of me."
Manjiri explained taking an exhausted sigh. Sameeksha seconded her say
"So true, red waterfall in extreme winters is horrible.
And for me it's horrible in every season. As while it's leaking in the south, my skin in the north always bear the consequences as pimples pop out to give salutation to my every ovulation."
"And I feel like to cry each and every time during this irritating phase."
Manjiri added making Sameeksha agree on that too.
"I too cry a lot. Well, my inner self only gives me a valid reason to cry. In order to give a proper farewell to the eggs which leave my system, I shed my tears consistently."
Adishri chuckled hearing Sameeksha's choice of words and then expressed
"Can't agree more, nonetheless, I'm being blessed in this aspect these days.
It's one of the few comfortable bonuses of pregnancy, you know."
"Lucky you! I envy you in this aspect, Shri Bhabhi."
Sameeksha remarked making Adishri chuckle more.
"Why? I'm not the only woman availing for this bonus."
After a thoughtful silence, Sameeksha shared
"You people know, as soon as Dev and I would achieve an appropriate emotional and job stability, we would prefer having kids at the earliest."
"What do you mean?"
To answer Manjiri's confusion, Sameeksha tried to explain
"I mean our plan is little different, by the time we would be thirty or something, we literally want to get done having a kid or two so that after finishing up our parent game, we could still be somewhat young and enjoy our time with ourselves and our family with this same zeal."
Taking a pause, she continued speaking
"In all we want to structure our future really well and different, so that we could extensively be there for each other in our 40s and 50s in spite of busy playing the mundane parent-games."
"Strategic and impressive foreplaning! I must say, Sam.
So is this what you both used to device in your late night phone calls. So advanced!
What else you people have planned?"
Adishri teased making Sameeksha fall short of words.
"Nothing as such, Bhabhi."
As Sameeksha finished, Adishri pulled her hand to make her sit close to her. She exclaimed caressing her cheek
"Look at this, our Sam is blushing, such a rare sight to witness. Wishing you fulfilment of your every dream."
"Oh my, I think the baby just kicked."
All of a sudden, Adishri sang out in utter surprise and joy whilst placing her hand on her almost round baby belly.
"Really, Dii?"
Manjiri instantly bounced up with a pleasant surprise. Scooting closer and caressing it, she began speaking to the baby bump, "Baby, do it once more." Sameeksha too pleaded, "Yes baby, please kick to congratulate me."
But the baby didn't show any movement. Vaidik didn't quite understand what was up with the ladies around him, so he ignored and resumed watching his favourite animated videos while the ladies around him kept on talking to the baby bump until the baby kicked again.
"Oh my God! I just go and call Ved Bhai."
Sameeksha muttered rushing out of the room. Soon four of the Mohan Cousins entered the room with excited wide smiles. And that's how the room got immersed into immense happiness and memorable delight.
"Vaidik, you know the little baby has started kicking and you're still busy wrecking your eyesight on this."
Shreya gently scolded her son taking away the phone from his hands. Vaidik intently looked around in search of the baby his mother was talking about
"Baby?... Where is little baby, Mumma?"
"It's in there."
Shreya replied passing Manjiri's phone back to her and pointing her finger towards Adishri's tummy. Vaidik's little hands flew up to his mouth as he came near Adishri and got seated in Ved's lap.
"Badi Mami, did you eat a little baby?"
"Hell no, baby is just hiding from you." Ved chuckled telling Vaidik. Adishri smiled and added, "Yes Vaidik, talk to him, he'll surely respond to you."
"Baby! You hear me? Come out, don't hide."
Pressing his little hands and ear upon the baby bump, Vaidik innocently talked to the baby. While rest of the people watched the scene in front of them in awe.
_
_
_
"The past beats inside me like a second heart...................."
"How much of your work is still left?"
Manjiri asked closing the wardrobe after getting done with the rearrangement of few of her woollens. She had to get all of her necessary belongings at one place soon, so that she won't have to panic when she'll pack her bag the next week for the trip.
"Just few mails are to be sent."
Shaurya replied, shuffling few things on his desk to give proper space to his laptop.
"But you should take some rest."
She instructed walking up to his desk. He tilted his head, his gaze catching a glimpse of her.
He was hell tired of hearing her unasked concerns time and again, since morning. Still he tried to answer her in a decent way.
"I'll."
After nearly half an hour later, Shaurya finally got done with his tasks for the day. He was at ease with the fact that his night shifts would no longer disrupt the precious bond of his night sleeps and his super comfy bed, at least for a month or so.
As he plugged his phone to the charger connected to the switch by the side table of his side of the bed, he noticed Manjiri standing in front of the mirror. She was so lost in the framework of her mind that she failed to realize that she was braiding and unbraiding her few strands of hair over and over again.
She wouldn't be able to lie if someone end up asking her that if Sameeksha's foreplaning had invited an unsettling feeling within her. Of course she was really happy for her and Dev, but after hearing about their future plans, few aspects made her ponder about her own life.
She somehow had learned to live a life without any goals. From past few months, she was just allowing her to go with the flow and not think about anything but her past.
She remembered being very scared of failures in life. But now she didn't even think about them, getting scared from them was a far-far thing. She believed one can only fail if he or she don't get to where he or she wanted to go. But if one don't have any particular destination in mind, then there could be no failure. And nor any winning, perhaps!
She was even clueless about Shaurya's plans. She wondered what all expectations did he have from him, his life... Also from her and their relation? What are his future goals? Did they include her?
It was already hard for her to bring herself to accept that she was no longer Manjiri Rao, but Manjiri Mohan. Then how could she even think about the series of events that should follow a marriage.
Those things surely began brewing endless anxious thoughts within her.
Her chain of worries dissipated a little when she realized Shaurya standing right behind her with a questioning gaze.
But before he could ask her on anything which might push her into extreme awkwardness, she herself took an opportunity to quiz him
"How long will your training phase be?"
"Until I'll be responsibly able to handle major surgeries all alone.
But why did you ask that?"
Shaurya questioned her whilst maintaining their constant eye lock, through their reflections in the mirror.
To which she instantly took off her eyes from him and drawled
"Nothing! Just like that."
He took a shallow sigh on hearing her. At one moment Manjiri found him staring at her and in next moment, she felt his arms snaking around her from behind.
Flicking her forehead with his forefinger, he inquired glancing at her through the mirror
"What is the world inside this? Will you ever allow me to go in there and see?"
"There's nothing."
Manjiri hurriedly replied making his eyes sparkle with amusement.
"Means you agree that this place is empty."
Manjiri chose to not react to his sarcastic comment. But a few seconds later, she gathered some courage to ask him finally
"Umm... Shaurya!"
"Hmm."
"What are your life goals?...
I mean you must have foreplaned on few aspects, right?"
"Right."
"What are they?"
She instinctively asked him.
Giving her a thoughtful gaze, he commenced articulating
"My basic goal is to maintain a work-life balance consciously. Attain financial stability as early as possible.
And also to prioritize you and your career on the same pedestal as mine..."
"My career?"
She intervened, widening her eyes in astonishment.
"Yes, you wanted to enrol in PhD program, right?"
He took a slight pause and then interlacing fingers with her, he added aligning his chin on her shoulder
"So now my primary goal is to see you earn that degree and become an Assistant Professor or whatever you wish to."
Manjiri couldn't remember the last time when somebody had put up hopes in her with respect to her desires. Up till then, every person just hoped her to go with others' desires.
For a moment she felt, she finally had someone who would give significance to her desires and aspirations, in the same way he gives to his own.
She meekly raised their entwined hands and took them near her mouth. Pecking the back of his hand, she hugged their hands.
Her action was brisk, over in a couple of seconds, but it felt weirdly intimate in a way that made his stomach dip and heart flutter. He tensed every muscle in his body to stop himself from leaning down and go on with everything he wanted to do.
He pressed his face against the back of her neck and sucked down a gulp of cold air to stop himself from burning up inside.
He slowly trailed their interwoven fingertips over his head to his jaw and then to her ear, jaw, cheek and at last finally resting at the seams of her lips. He rubbed his fingers over there, allowing her to swallow a gasp.
She felt cold air against the column of her neck, but only for a moment before his warm, wet mouth enveloped it. And thus making her aimlessly glance their reflections in the mirror with a sudden yet intense sweet shock. His each lazy lick and unhurried greeting of his ope6 mouth in all possible corner of her neck, shoulder, cheek and jaw invited a mind-numbing thrill within her. She effortlessly got soaked in his every touch.
She was all flushed and shivering which made him grin against his skin. He glided up to ear. Nuzzling in there something he did there with his tongue which earned a low giggle from her reflexively.
He instantly pulled back a little on hearing that, which made their eyes met through the mirror.
Manjiri begun to grow nervous with the way he was peering at her. Embarrassment heated her cheeks as she found amusement sparkling in his eyes.
He leaned in again and before taking her earlobe in between his teeth and nibbling on it, he whispered
"You're quite a character."
"I did nothing, it just tickled me."
Manjiri timidly reasoned before turning around and surprising him. As they locked their eyes, she attempted to draw her lips forming a slight smile
"Thank you for prioritizing me."
"You don't have to thank."
He shrugged taking her hand in his hand and playing with her fingers.
After a taking a slight pause, she let out what all was swirling inside her mind
"You know you're not only providing me support but also allowing me to use my right to take my own decisions."
"I'm doing nothing great. This is how things should be."
Shaurya had always struggled in accepting compliments. He didn't quite know how to react aptly in those type of situations.
On the other hand, Manjiri tried to blink away whatever was forming in her eyes. Her eyes gleamed with the sheen forming in them. Her mind transported her to somewhere far.
"Things are not always like that.
And perhaps this happens with every woman whether she is old, young, rich or poor.
Of course she has full right to take her own decisions but hardly a few gets that chance. And even if some get it, they take it as if someone has done them a huge favour. Or at times, others obliquely make them feel so.
And those helpless women at then, can't do nothing for it, as their relations with their loved ones are on stake." She paused wiping a hot tear with the back of her hand, which had managed to somehow roll down her cheek. She then added pulling the two parts of her open cardigan close together, "You know expectations and emotional responsibilities are always synonymous to our names."
Shaurya's gaze was intently fixated on her face, all the while when she was bit by bit letting out all of her pented-up frustrated emotions. She was hurt, deeply hurt by the ones whom she considered her own and she still does but the ache she received from her loved ones was still intact within her. Her expectations were injured, even more injured than he had assumed they had be.
"Hey, come here." He made her walk with him towards the bed to make her sit. Once she sat, he seated next to her telling, "Feel no resentment towards bygones. I promise that I'll always make sure that you don't compromise over anything, not even if our relation or I are on stake."
She slightly turn to look at him, sinking in whatever he just spoke. His reassurance was what all she was needing at then. Her inner words found no volume, so she chose to stay quiet and encircle her arms around him.
A comfortable silence lingered in the room as he adjusted her into his arms to shield her from the cold night air with his warm body.
"Silly Head!"
Few minutes later, when she sobered up in his arms, he called out to her making her pull away a little from him to glance at his face
"You're free to reach your preferable skies even if it takes you to step out of this city or county. I assure I'll take care of everything.
Cause I'm a little greedy in here, as I want to be the man behind my woman's success and determinedness.
So you understand, I really want credits afterwards."
He purposely added the last line to gain a soft smile from her, on noticing her being oddly very quiet and still.
She nodded her head and replied him in a soft whisper
"And you know, I don't want to be the woman behind your success. But a woman who will be beside you during your each daily grind, throughout your toilsome struggle and of course also in your every big or small winning to celebrate it together."
His heart swelled up with immense affection for her on hearing those words from her mouth.
In response, Shaurya grinned slightly but wholeheartedly. Shifting and lowering his head until their foreheads touch, he roamed his hands from her arms to her neck.
Matching with his intense gaze, Manjiri refused to blink. Inadvertently, her fingers raised to caress his cheeks on their own accord. Her fingers too tested the soft, thick hair of his stubble which had created umpteen nicks on her cheeks and chin, the last time when they had... Wait, was she prepared for it again?
Soon his mouth lowered to hers, merely a hair's breadth away. Their eyes drooped automatically at then.
But perhaps he was waiting for her, he was wanting to let her make the first move. Just the way he made last time. That was why there was still a room for air in between them.
Manjiri kind of understood Shaurya's hidden intention, so without much ado she slipped her fingers through his hair to curl them around the back of his neck and pulled him to herself, more than he already was, to diminish whatever gap was in between them........................
"A thousand faces around me but I have thousand feelings for just one face....................."
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