Chapter 62 : Romance
Ruhaani was multi-tasking in the kitchen. On one stove she had mounted a milk pan to make tea. On another, she was heating the tawa for making the savoury French toasts. On the third, she was heating milk for the kids. Her hands were occupied in beating the eggs.
The doctor had prescribed rest for Dai Jaan. She had to avoid standing for a few days until her inflammation subsided. As a result, Ruhaani had to take care of everything in the kitchen that required standing.
"Good morning!" Aadarsh greeted upon entering the kitchen. He was surprised to find her already up and about, unlike the previous day.
"Good morning," Ruhaani said, not bothering to look up as she opened the packet of bread. She was late. She didn't know how Dai Jaan managed to make three different beverages, two to four options for breakfast, for the spoilt Sehgal siblings and lunch for their lunch boxes. She was really a superhuman and Ruhaani wasn't even one fourth of that.
"Where's Sarika?" He asked referring to the house-help, looking around the kitchen.
"Day off." Ruhaani answered, hurriedly walking to the counter behind and reaching for the cabinet to get two cups out. In that brief moment, the milk boiled over and escaped the confines of the pan. She hurried back to switch off the gas but was a moment too late. "Ugh!" she groaned.
Aadarsh watched her, and observed all the work around the kitchen she had had get done, wondering how he could help her. He quietly walked out of the kitchen. He looked at Abhi and Ashvi who were chatting with each other.
"Abhi, Ashvi," he said and they both looked at him.
"Ruhaani is alone in the kitchen. Don't you think it's basic manners to help her out?"
"Bhai, I can't function without coffee." Abhi muttered, as he had his arms folded on the table and rested his chin on top of them.
"Then make yourself that damn coffee." Aadarsh remarked.
"Jeez, what crawled up your..." Abhi paused as his brother gave him a really piercing glare, daring him to complete that and see what the consequence would be.
"And you both think, you're capable of functioning independently?" Aadarsh muttered. "Abhi, come on get up, go make coffee. Ashvi, go cut fruits for yourself." He ordered.
Abhi and Ashvi exchanged looks. It was unusual for Aadarsh to get into household stuff and be concerned with who did what in the house or in the kitchen. All these years, he never gave a damn.
"Now," his voice thundered, and they scrambled out of their chairs.
Aadarsh turned around and entered the kitchen himself. He walked up to the kitchen to find Ruhaani cleaning the stove where the milk had spilled. He stood beside her. She looked up at him. "Two minutes, I will..."
"I will take care of this," he said, as she moved to pick up the milk pan with the tea.
"Half cup for you?" He asked picking up the sieve, taking up the responsibility of the tea.
"Yes," she said looking at him surprised. It was just strange that he knew she never filled the cup full for herself, it was always half cup of tea for her. She wondered how he knew.
"Bhabhs, where's the coffee powder that we put into this machine?" Abhi's voice made her turn around to find him standing at the corner table, at the other end of their spacious kitchen, where the coffee machine and kettle were placed.
"Uh, I will make it for you." She offered immediately, placing down the bread in her hand on the cutting board.
Aadarsh held her hand, "don't treat him like a kid, he's an adult. Right Abhi?" He asked, turning to look across the room.
Abhi rolled his eyes, "Damn right, big brother!"
"The powder is in the cabinet below," she answered Abhi's query and turned to Aadarsh with reprimanding eyes. Off late he was being rude and inconsiderate towards Abhi and Ashvi. Just like once upon a time he used to be with her.
He simply held the cup of tea for her. "Your tea..."
She took the cup from his hand, stepping close to him. Aadarsh's gaze distractedly looked at her face. "What..." she began to whisper to him, but another voice interrupted her.
"Bhabhs, where's the kiwi?"
Ruhaani turned to find Ashvi standing before the open fridge, her gaze scanning the contents. "I have kept all three fruits out, for them to warm up a bit."
Ashvi turned around, shutting the door of the refrigerator and Ruhaani pointed to the kitchen island where one apple, one kiwi and few grapes were kept on a big steel plate.
Aadarsh stared at the fruits and then slowly moved his gaze back to his wife. Why did she have to be so damn thoughtful all the time?
"Cool!" Ashvi smiled at her and then gave her eldest brother an eye-roll and a mocking smile, as she took a plate and knife and walked over to the kitchen island.
Ruhaani quickly turned back to Aadarsh. It was apparent from the way the other two gave looks to Aadarsh, that the latter had said something to them.
"Sit, have your tea. We'll make breakfast together, after." He said, picking the other cup of tea. He wondered why she hadn't protested about all the work she had to do all by herself on the second day of her period. It was unlike her to put up with something unfair. Then he recollected how she had prepared the entire dinner last weekend. Of course, this was one of her many ways of caring.
Abhi who had heard that turned around to look at his brother. He was surprised to find them standing so close, looking at each other like the world around them had ceased to exist. An eyebrow lifted up just like one corner of his lips. If it were any other couple he wouldn't be surprised. But it was them! He watched on as Aadarsh ushered her to the kitchen stool, helping her to get on it like she couldn't manage all by herself.
The smirk on his face transformed into a genuine smile. It was now evident that they had evolved from mere family members to something more significant in each other's lives.
Yes, Ruhaani giving him an earful and not understanding him had hurt. He always thought she understood him very well. That was one of the things he really loved about the whole thing. His brother's wife was his best friend.
However, it appeared she understood and cared for his brother more. He couldn't hold grudges, especially not when all he had ever wanted for his brother was someone who would prioritize him, who would love him unconditionally, and who could make him believe in love again.
Ruhaani was all that, perhaps more.
"Ash, is it just me or can you also smell the romance in the air?" Abhi remarked, pressing the button on the machine.
Ashvi giggled, looking up and across the kitchen island. Ruhaani sat on a stool hiding her face behind her cup while Aadarsh stood close beside her with his own cup in hand. While the former clearly was flustered hearing the comment, the latter was as cool as a cucumber as though he had never heard the comment.
"Don't jinx it bro, happens once in a blue moon." Ashvi remarked, with a teasing smile.
"We are right, here!" Aadarsh finally spoke up, slightly irritated. He wasn't the unbearable husband they painted him to be.
"It was my intention, to say it to your face." Ashvi spoke as she peeled the kiwi. "You are probably the least romantic person I know. Right Bhabhs?" she shifted her gaze to her sister-in-law.
"I second that," Abhi said from behind.
Ruhaani kept quiet turning to glance at Aadarsh. Aadarsh eyed her, silently imploring her to take his side and tell them it wasn't true.
"Hey, no eye threatening her to lie for you Bhaiya." Ashvi said, catching the exchanged look between them.
"I think I will focus on cherishing my tea," Ruhaani muttered, making Abhi laugh. She looked at him from above the rim of her cup with eyes filled with amusement and he looked back at her chuckling.
Aadarsh shifted closer to Ruhaani , their arms now pressed against each other's. She immediately turned to him upon feeling that touch, her eyes widening as she realized he had moved so much closer. It slightly quickened her heartbeat . "Aren't you going to say anything? How about the night before the last?"
Ruhaani was taken aback, her grip on the cup tightening momentarily as she placed it on the table. Her eyes narrowed at him, disbelief washing over her. How could he say such a thing, especially in the presence of his siblings? It sounded so crude and personal.
"Bhaiya, stop making her uncomfortable. We don't want to know about any night. Thank you! One was enough to scar me." Abhi spoke immediately.
"What?" Ashvi turned to him, laughing.
Aadarsh and Ruhaani both turned to him, their expressions a mix of disbelief, a touch of embarrassment, and a considerable amount of surprise.
"Arey remember, you both got locked outside, doing whatever it was that you guys were enjoying... And then you guys called me to open the door for you!" Abhi made an attempt to jog their memories.
Ruhaani shook her head, then lowered it, placing her fingertips against her forehead. Embarrassment warmed her cheeks. Abhi would probably never forget that moment. On deeper reflection, she realized she wouldn't either.
"That was Ruhaani's sheer stupidity!" Aadarsh exclaimed at once.
Shocked, Ruhaani turned to him almost instantly. "I didn't know the door would shut," she argued, feeling quite relieved that she hadn't spoken in his favour just a few minutes back.
"Yeah, because you don't use your brain. Why else would I place the brick in between while shutting the damn door?"
Abhi looked on with interest, thoroughly entertained, his coffee forgotten.
"You could have just told me."
"Yeah, because you can't observe and make sense of things."
"No, because you have to act like a ..."
"Timeout!" Abhi declared, sprinting forward to give his sister a hi-five as they both laughed.
"Finally, now we get to say that too!" Ashvi remarked, displaying a wide smile.
Ruhaani and Aadarsh looked at each other and then at the brother sister duo. The realization began to slowly sink in. Their disagreements were typically confined to private spaces, away from the prying eyes of family. Their playful banter was something intimate, a unique facet of their relationship that they cherished and usually kept shielded from the outside world.
They looked back at each other awkwardly, realizing that they had just exposed to their family, what their relationship actually was like.
"The reason I am never going for an arranged marriage," Abhi remarked, placing his arm on his sister's shoulder. "There are more arguments than dates, you know," Abhi paused and turned to look at his brother in the eye, "coffee dates, dinner dates, ice-cream dates, movie dates."
Aadarsh gave his brother a look that said—shut up, I know what you're doing, I don't need your unsolicited advice.
"And I am never going for an Indian man," Ashvi mumbled softly, so that only Abhi could hear. Abhi held back his chuckle. Ever since Ashvi's Paris trip had been approved, she would never stop debating about how European men were better then Indian men.
"What did you say?" Aadarsh asked eyeing his sister.
She looked up, "I said, bro take your hulk arm off my shoulder," she said pushing Abhi's arm off her shoulder. Showing him her wide eyes, subtly telling to not say anything.
Abhi picked up a piece of the peel and placed it on his sister's head and strode back to the coffee machine.
"Eww, you nincompoop!" She yelled, taking the peel off her head.
That's when Ruhaani noticed the thickness of the peels. Ashvi was literally wasting a lot of the fruit, a very expensive fruit to say the least.
"Uh, Ashvi," she said and the girl immediately looked up at her.
"The peels should be thinner."
"I am trying," she argued.
Ruhaani quickly got off the stool, finishing the last bit of her tea. She quickly walked around the island to her. She took the fruit from her hand and showed her how to hold the peeler so that she didn't exert much pressure and peeled smoothly.
Aadarsh sipped on his tea, watching them. Ruhaani's kindness and patience were what made her more beautiful. She hadn't taken a bath, she was still in her navy blue pyjamas and t-shirt that had a big yellow star printed on it, her hair was not even combed, just rolled and tied up. He still found her just as attractive as he had found when she had worn that pretty dress to night club, or that red dress to the dentist or that golden saree.
He experienced an overwhelming sense of frustration as he grappled with the inability to eloquently translate his feelings to words and write that damned letter. He had started off writing last night but had discarded that piece. The idea was great, but to actually implement it was hard.
He felt an arm around his shoulder and simultaneously Abhi's voice floated into his ears, "staring won't miraculously make you a romantic." Abhi had traversed the kitchen, holding his coffee cup, to stand beside him.
Hearing his comment Ashvi giggled while Ruhaani raised her gaze up to look at him, the heat on her cheeks intensifying. She would never admit that she low-key felt nice. To have Aadarsh teased for watching her felt...special.
My wife, my eyes, what's your issue? Aadarsh wanted to say, yet chose to withhold the words. He didn't want to simply stretch the matter. He turned around picking his empty cup and hers and walked away to the sink.
True is his words, Aadarsh had assisted her in making and serving the breakfast. Not just give Abhi and Ashvi had helped with tiny tasks too. For a change they all sat around the kitchen island for breakfast.
Minutes after finishing breakfast, Ruhaani rushed to the room. She was yet to take a bath and get ready for the day. Abhi had very thoughtfully offered to drop her to office. An offer, Ruhaani had very quickly accepted. She had no mood to drive all the way to her workplace today. It was a bit of a route digress for Abhi, but nothing he couldn't handle.
***
Later that evening after returning from work, Aadarsh sat in his room, at the desk. He did have some better luck this time around. He had written two chunky paragraphs. He tried his best to sound like a romantic lover than a sarcastic husband through his words. He realized it was almost inevitable to be cordial and nice.
Ruhaani and his relationship was all about bantering, sarcastic comments and teasing remarks. He couldn't possibly write lines like— you're the peanut butter to my jelly and the stars in my sky.
Stupid internet to even suggest that!
Now that he re-read what he had written so far, he realized that it was not him. Admitted, he had taken a little bit of help from the internet to write down nice things. But it didn't sound like something that was coming from him. He felt like he was cheating at this. This letter wouldn't have the desired effect, it would only make her laugh and mock him.
No. This needed to be romantic, heartfelt and honest. Frustrated he slammed his right hand on the paper. He had to do better than this. Period.
"Wow, that's some frustration," he heard a remark, in the very familiar voice of his wife. His eyes hurriedly moved to the source of the sound.
"Oh, you had plans to come home? I thought you were pulling an all-nighter." He taunted. She was unusually late. Not that he was looking forward to see or her anything.
Or maybe he was.
"That would be a nightmare!" she remarked dashing towards the closet, after dropping her bag on the bed, probably making her way to the bathroom.
It gave Aadarsh ample of time to shred the paper and throw the remains in the waste bin.
Minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, looking a little more refreshed. She finally turned her attention to him. "So, you were home early again?" she asked tying up her hair in a loose knot.
Her gaze slowly took in the sight of him. He wore a white button-down shirt, with the top two buttons left open. The full length sleeves had been rolled up to the elbows. His usually set hair was all messed up like he had been running his hand through them in frustration.
"You're home unusually late," he remarked looking at the digital clock on the side wall, instead of answering her question.
"Yeah, had a very unproductive and exhausting day at office." She sighed, walking over to his desk.
"Hmm, might have started the day, the wrong way." He said getting off the chair, walking around to her. "Maybe if you asked me to drop you to office instead of Abhi, it would have been a good day. I have been told, I am sort of a lucky charm."
Ruhaani's face softened as a smile gently lifted the corner of her lips, looking up at him as he came to stand before her. An insane urge to hug him washed over her.
She liked him more now. Perhaps even loved him more. There had been a very subtle yet significant shift in their relationship. Their marriage finally felt like one. The dynamics of their relationship were shifting, evolving into something deeper.
"Your office and my office are in totally opposite directions from our home. For Abhi, it was a little bit deflection from his usual route. I was just being practical." She explained. She had learned to not jump into conclusions with her husband's words.
But this was flirting, was it not?
He was definitely not meaning that he wanted to take the pains of driving through thick traffic to another part of the city, quite away from his office just to drop her, was he?
He gazed at her. She was right. Her reasoning was very valid. Yet, he found himself feeling stubbornly annoyed. She could have at the very least asked him or told him. He got to know Abhi was dropping her to office only when they left the house.
"Aadarsh," she said softly.
He blinked, coming out of his thoughts.
"Where are the kids?" she asked, mindlessly running her right hand against the surface of the desk.
"Keeping Dai Jaan occupied." He spoke, lowering his gaze to her hand momentarily, before looking back at her.
Ruhaani chuckled, "you mean Dai Jaan is keeping them occupied?"
"At this point I think it's the former. It's a task to make sure she rests." Aadarsh sighed. "I told the kids to make sure she's in bed. They're taking that seriously."
Ruhaani smiled. His gaze remained on her.
"Did you manage to get the tickets for Saturday's fashion show for Ashvi?" She asked trying to diffuse the building tension between them. Every damn time they were in close vicinity of each other, an undeniable tension came into existence.
He took two steps back, opened the top draw of his desk and brought out two passes. He smiled, waving it before her.
Her eyes lit up, instantly. "So, we are actually going to attend a fashion show where celebrities walk the ramp wearing celebrity designer clothes?" Ruhaani remarked, the excitement seeping into her words, as she stepped forward to take the passes from his hand but he pulled his hand behind.
"Ugh, the catch is... I got only two passes."
"Oh," the shine in her eyes disappeared. A slow disappointment came over her. She quickly smiled pushing that away, "that's alright. Abhi can go with Ashvi."
He leaned forward, with a playful smile on his lips. His face aligned with hers, "I was just... messing with you. I have four. We are going too!"
Ruhaani instantly narrowed her eyes at him. Her hand tried to snatch the passes from his hand but he stepped away dodging. She quickly stepped forward, trying to snatch it from him.
"What's this behaviour Ruhaani? Ask with a please and I will give them to you." He stepped back, moving away from her hyper movements.
An agitated Ruhaani, held his forearm that was stretched upwards in one hand and her other tried to get to his hand. "Give it here, and let me see."
Aadarsh chuckled at her antics, dodging back. "Fine take it," he said, "just don't act like a hooligan."
She stepped back. He slowly lowered the passes towards her. But as soon as she was about to get them, in a flash he moved back his hand going up again. A playful grin mischievously played on his lips.
"Aadarsh," she yelled, charging towards him. His back finally hit the wall and he had nowhere to go. Ruhaani got on her toes, almost about to snatch it from his hand.
He bit his lower lip and curled his arms swiftly around her. She gasped at the sudden action that led her to be closer to him. Her chest collided with his. Her gaze slowly met his as she tilted her head up, her hands gently settling on his strong upper arms.
Her gaze drifted down to his lips. The sight of his lips, flooded her brain with the memory of their last kiss. The one after which he hadn't kissed her again. Something that been messing with her mind, it was like those magic candles cake shops sold, she was just trying to put it off but the flame would come back to bother her again.
Aadarsh gently touched her cheek using the back of his fingers. It felt so right to have her in his arms, to have her so close to himself. To think, he had been trying to runaway from this woman, from his feelings for this woman so long.
She's on her period, his brain reminded her before he did something absolutely reckless or something that led to something absolutely reckless.
His gaze drifted to her ears. He tried to distract himself from the not so innocent thoughts crossing his mind. For a change she wore small studs. A tiny heart shaped stud. His thumb gently caressed the earring.
"Is there a problem?" she asked softly.
"Problem?" he asked puzzled, meeting her eyes.
"Yeah. You haven't kissed me again since the weekend."
An amused smile made it to Aadarsh's lips. "You want me to?"
"You don't want to?" she asked impatiently.
"Remember ... I am the least romantic person, right? Such people don't kiss their wives, do they?" he mocked.
A hint of smile made it to Ruhaani's lips. "I didn't agree with her,"
"You didn't bother to correct her either," he taunted.
"It bruised your ego, did it not?" She asked, her sharp bold gaze challenging his.
His forefinger slid beneath her chin slowly, making her gulp involuntarily, and then he roughly pressed it upwards, tilting her chin up. His lips inched closer to her chin. "It didn't bruise, it wounded my ego." Just as his words came to a halt, his lips kissed the corner of her lips.
Ruhaani let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. She was reduced to a putty in his arms.
Aadarsh couldn't hold back the smile, as he admired the look on her face. He let the passes in his other hand slip onto the floor and glided his hand all the way up her spine to her nape. Ruhaani pressed her lips together feeling the firmness of his hand, around the back of her neck.
Aadarsh took his lips closer to her ears, "tell me Ruhaani, do you want me to kiss these lips of yours?" He whispered into her ears, as the pad of his thumb rubbed against her lower lip.
This is pure torture, Ruhaani thought as his hot breath at his ear, sent a wave of desire down her spine.
He closed his eyes as she let out a sound that was somewhat between a gasp and moan.
She's on her periods, just make her feel good, don't even think of moving past a kiss, a voice in his head instructed.
He despised how their timing was never right. With the way they were going, they would probably have to plot, plan, schedule and reserve a time on their calendars to fuck each other.
"Yes," she breathed, slowly gaining her confidence back. They could at the very least kiss. How she wished every woman got at least once in a lifetime opportunity to just magically make her period go away for a day! Hers would have been today.
She had to bring this mad desire to an end, to extinguish this flame that kept her burning.
He used both his hands to hold her face and let his lips land on hers. Slowly he took in her lips between his. His lips opened and closed slowly around hers. Ruhaani pressed her hands against the crook of his neck.
He broke the kiss abruptly, eyeing her like a ravening wolf. He guided her hand away from his neck, down to his chest. His heated gaze collided with her confused one. He quickly glided his fingers along her neck and launched forward, to kiss her again.
His fingers firmly glided across her neck. His thumbs pressing down against her cheeks to keep her head titled. This time he added tongue to the kiss.
Ruhaani moaned into his mouth as he did something really wickedly gratifying with his tongue. Her hands slowly moved, his chest felt, tight and strong beneath her palms. A wave of warmth blazed its way through her body towards her lower half.
She slowly pulled her whimpering wet lips away from his and rested her forehead against his. She had to stop before she lost her sanity. This was only escalating their needs, fuelling a fire that had been long burning. The last thing she would want is to have their first on her period.
No, it would be a disaster.
Aadarsh exhaled sharply. Ruhaani could feel the loud thuds of his heart. It was such a magical little moment. To be so close to his heart. To be so aware of his every heartbeat.
"We shouldn't... kiss again ...right now...right?" He said softly in between heavy breaths.
"Yes," she breathed. "We should... not." She added the last word reluctantly.
Aadarsh's lips curled up, as he sensed the frustration in her sigh. His hands slowly glided down to her back. He pulled her closer into a hug.
Ruhaani let out a sharp breath and then rested her forehead against the base of his neck, left uncovered as the ends of the collar of his shirt parted. She closed her eyes trying not to focus at the hardness pressing against the very end of her abdominal muscles.
He needed her too. That was good. She wasn't alone in this madness. He was right there, with her, burning in the same flame of need.
Slowly, she let her arms slip around him, as her breathing slowly settled back to normal.
A wave of delight washed over Aadarsh and he hugged her a bit tighter. His head turning to kiss her hair. She was hugging him back!
Ruhaani closed her eyes and let herself cherish the moment. Hugging Aadarsh no longer felt foreign. It felt familiar, strangely personal. She had someone she could come back home on a tiring day and hug. Her day had been a really bad one at office but just having Aadarsh, just talking to him, just being with him had turned her day around. He had literally kissed away her exhaustion.
The man whose presence once upon a time tired her now took away all her exhaustion. She held on a little tighter onto him. She didn't want to ever lose this. She wanted this to be just as permanent as her heart.
• — • — •
I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Looking forward to read your thoughts on it.
Next : Monday/Tuesday (Have sudden travel plans, hence the way update!)
Don't forget to vote ☆ on the chapters.
—Anami!♡