Mahil :
Kuhoo poured freshly brewed coffee in four cups, as I walked towards Kitchen. There was something about her cooking at my place, something so intimate. I didn't know if she found it as significant as I did but when my arms circled around her belly in a back hug, awaiting reciprocation, she attempted to free herself saying, "Mahil! What're you doing?"
"Nothing. I thought we had unfinished business," Running my fingers through her hair, I turned those voluminous silky strands on one side, inhaling her sweet sandalwood scent mixed with my musky one. She smelt like me. Good lord, why did it make my heart swell with pride?
Kuhoo jumped at her place as I settled for the sinful arc between her neck and shoulder. My warm breaths touched that cold skin melting the strong resolve of this bewitching woman and her back collided against me. Her escalated breaths, rhythmic movements of the bouncy chest intoxicated me further. I placed a sensuous kiss on side of her neck and the way she moaned my name, I lost last ounce of sanity, "Mahil."
I placed another kiss just beneath her earlobe making back of her head land on my chest. Tracing the lines of her collarbone, I was about to make her turn to be able to see the beautiful flush of those jovial cheeks when she stepped out of my embrace, "I'm getting late for the hospital."
"Can't you stay?" I tried to hold her again. But she didn't let me, rather shifted a little farther getting a tray for cups.
"Did you talk to Adi?" She asked arranging the hot cups meticulously.
Adi. Mention of that name spoiled my mood. Not my fault though, what kind of man would be happy to see his woman's ex-boyfriend at their doorstep? Cherry on the cake, he turned out to be my brother. I wanted to spend more time with Kuhoo, but this man stepped in right after our first kiss. I didn't get to see the blush of her cheeks or color of her swollen lips. Guess, who was responsible?
"He wants to take me to our home in India. That's not happening. I don't even know who he is," I rolled my eyes making a bad face.
"You should." She whispered making my head shoot at her in surprise. "I have known Adi for years, Mahil. There were many things I liked about him. But quality that I admired the most was his infinite love for his family. So, I think you should at least -"
Raising an arm, signaling her to stop, I shook my head, "This is unbelievable. You want me to leave when we are about to begin our -"
I took a pause hearing someone's footsteps approaching the kitchen. She moved away creating some distance between us.
"Is everything alright?" Jyotiraditya asked standing at the entrance glancing at my woman. The nerve of this man, he had the audacity to meet her eyes. Kuhoo looked at him for a moment and then stared the floor shrinking at her place.
Did he not realize he was making her awkward?
Mental note 1: Find a suitable dagger to dig out his ebony dark eyes.
"Yeah, I was just leaving. Or else I'll be late for my work," She picked up the tray and made her way to living room. Giving the bastard a death glare I sprinted behind Kuhoo. He stood at same place consternated for a long moment before following us.
Placing the tray on a table close to couch, she trailed off to the door. I scurried behind her, "You don't have to leave. I'm not going anywhere with this pretentious bastard. Who wears an Armani on a normal day anyways?"
"Adi is rich," She uttered.
"So, what? We all are. We earn well for ourselves," I muttered irked.
Kuhoo shook her head, "You don't understand. He is filthy rich. Rich to the point -"
Taking a seat on the couch, he cleared his throat. And with that ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Jyotiraditya Bhardwaj interrupted us, again. "Kuhoo, now that you've prepared four cups of coffee. Might as well have it and then proceed towards your work. Why to waste it?"
That stopped her. Amazing, I was begging her to not leave but she didn't pay heed. He just asked once, she agreed readily and went back towards the sofa, picking a cup, sipping the coffee.
"What's your reporting time?" He asked while drinking from his mug.
"Uh, it's nine. But I usually keep a spare time of fifteen minutes. Just to clear off backlog due to traffic or other things," She blew some air on the surface of hot brown liquid as steams were coming out of it endlessly.
"Typical Kuhoo," He scoffed a chuckle, "I could drop you on the way, if you want."
Fucking unbelievable.
Somebody light up a firecracker to celebrate this reunion.
"No thanks. I've a car," She glared making him cough.
"Are you fine, boss?" Pranit asked to which he nodded.
"How long are you going to stand there, Mahil?" She raised an eyebrow. I sighed. So, she didn't forget me due to his presence.
Sauntering towards them, I paused wondering where to sit. Kuhoo had taken the single sofa. Unexpected guests were sitting on three-seater, with Pranit in a corner and Adi in middle, leaving me only one place which was beside my newly found oh-so-dear brother.
Grinning devilishly, I landed myself on the bouncy cushion applying excessive force and drops of hot brown liquid from his own cup spilled on his lavish clothes.
"What the fuck, man?" He glared at me like an angry owl. Yes, it suited him best. Owl with huge ebony black eyes that I needed to take out.
"I didn't do anything," I mumbled innocently.
"You did it deliberately. The thought of doing this sleazy deed was all over your face. Now, look what you've done," He barked placing the cup aside, attempting to clean the expensive clothe with a handkerchief.
"Oh please, who even wears an Armani in a household?" I shrugged the shoulders.
"Then what should I do? Walk around in my boxers?" He snarled.
Kuhoo coughed placing her empty cup on the table in an attempt to make us aware of her presence, "I think there's a lot for you two to catch up. Act like mature adults. To find a way out of this, you guys need to talk."
"So do we. We got a lot to catch up as well," He mumbled meeting her eyes and making an undecipherable emotion appear on her face.
Mental note 2: Test the dagger on his untamed tongue before going for eyes.
Standing abruptly, she cleared the throat completely ignoring his words, "I'll get going. Sit back and sort out your differences. You both are a family."
Giving me a final look of don't-you-dare-fight-with-him, she left. When did I do that? I was a simple, non-violent man, except for a few people hurting this woman who had my heart.
If I could throw him out of my house, I would. But the fact that blood running in his veins was somewhere same as that of mine stopped me. How did I even get myself into this mess?
Leaving everything that I build here in this city on my own, I was not going to a completely unknown place for a family that I didn't know existed. Could dear mother mean this when she used say that LA was not my fate? But wasn't it about the woman I would fall for?
We both sat in living room. No words were exchanged. I didn't know where to start and he probably wondered whether to start or not. Once in a while, he would get a call and leave for the balcony or attend it in front of me. Just like Kuhoo, he seemed a busy man. Wasn't he a doctor? Were his patients calling him when he was out of the country? But his phone conversations had a touch of business meetings, the way he talked and others listened made it look like he was the one in authority.
In the afternoon, Adi walked to kitchen. Opening the fridge, he shouted, "Don't you have anything to eat other than bread and biscuits? In my hurry to meet you, I didn't have a breakfast."
"Make yourself something. I'm not hungry yet," I replied from living room.
"I don't know how to cook," He ducked his head from the kitchen door and I gave him a surprised look. On normal days, I would cook for a guest or Kuhoo of course but for her ex-boyfriend who was my brother and an ass-. No, I most certainly wouldn't.
"Then order something," I answered with a bored expression.
"I don't know from where to order, Einstein," His reply was immediate.
Einstein. Did Kuhoo get this habit from him?
"There is a thing called internet," I pressed my lips in a straight line staring at him with a dull look.
Rubbing his fingers on the forehead, he took out an iphone from the pocket and huffed blowing some air, "Address?"
"Where's your assistant?" I asked.
"He's getting our luggage from the hotel." He said taking a seat, "Address of this place?"
Running a hand through my hair, I sighed. If he was going to irk me about everything, I might as well cook for him. "Sphagetti or rice?"
"Sorry?" He frowned.
"What would you prefer for lunch Sphagetti or rice?" I felt agitated due to his continuous questioning. He stared at me, opening and closing his mouth. As if he had seen a ghost.
"You know how to cook?" He uttered surprised. I nodded. Then he pointed at himself with a finger unsure, "And you are willing to make something for me?"
"The least I can do for a man who came to another country searching for me," I said without meeting his eyes in a no nonsense tone, although it secretly felt nice to know somebody was willing to go to such lengths for me.
"Don't bother. Should I ask Pranit to get us food or some meat or Chicken on the way?" He suggested when I was about to get up.
I smiled awkwardly, "I'm vegetarian. Because my mother was a one."
"Oh. I didn't know bua was a vegetarian. Nobody told me about it," He followed me as I went to kitchen.
"Does everyone in your family eat meat?" I asked washing the rice in a vessel under running tap water while he simply stood beside me.
"They do. We are a Brahmin family but nobody minds eating meat. Dadi never had it till the time she was alive. I guess Kalindi bua took after her," He murmured as I added rice to an electric cooker.
"Who's Kalindi?" I frowned.
"Your mother. I also found the name weird but papa told me that she was named after our great-grandmother as she was born within a year of her demise. He also said that your mother had been Dadu's favorite. He loved her a lot. It was after her birth that Dadu's business started finally setting in. My father sang praises of his elder sister before telling me that she lived in LA," He narrated.
"An elder sister he didn't come to see even for one last time?" I scoffed.
Tugging at my forearm, he made me face him, "Listen bhai, I'm sorry we were not there. But trust me we didn't know. Just like you. I came to know about it when Dadu had a minor heart attack few weeks earlier. It was all because of me. Please come back to India. I promised - "
"I'm not going anywhere just because you promised an oldie. I don't need you people. I made a life. I've a world of my own. You mean nothing to me. So, stop calling me bhai. Only people I considered as family were my parents and they... They..." My lips quivered. I didn't know why I couldn't breathe.
He engulfed me in a tight hug, for the second time in a day. I wasn't so used to a manly touch. My arms were lying in midair. "I know we were not present when you needed us the most. Get angry all you want. You have a right to. But just come with me once. If you don't like it there, you can always come here."
When I heard about Kuhoo's ex for the first time, I thought he was a ruthless bastard who broke her heart. Rahul told me about him more and I had an opinion that he was a man of perfection like Kuhoo. But as he lay in my arms apologizing to me regarding something that wasn't his fault, just for the sake of a promise he made to his Grandfather; all I saw was an emotional man who loved his family. And it compelled me to reciprocate the hug.
"Boss, I got our luggage. You know what, it's snowing outside, so the pilot said we can't fly tonight but the sky is expected to be clear tomorrow morning," Pranit walked in but stood frozen upon seeing us.
Separating from the hug, I asked him tensely, "Did you not close the door?"
Covering his mouth with back of the palm, he chortled, and muttered in between the laughs, "That sounds so...so... Well, only if you were a woman."
"Gross," I gave him a disgusted look.
Later we had lunch in silence until he decided to be an ice breaker choosing the worst topic possible, "Can I ask you a question?"
Serving myself a spoonful of curry, I simply stared at him, neither refusing nor encouraging but he didn't get the clue and went ahead, "Is something going on between you and Kuhoo?"
Pranit froze, stainless steel spoon in his hand hanging in air as he glanced animatedly between two of us.
Pressing my lips in a thin line, I gave him a sick smile and then glared, "Can I ask you a question?"
He stayed unaffected and filled his mouth with warm food before nodding. Only his assistant noticed the wrath in my eyes as he stopped eating and stared at me rather curiously.
"What exactly happened between you and Kuhoo that lead to the break-up?" I asked making Pranit cough vigorously while the man of question stilled.
Wrath in his orbs matched my ones. Palpable tension between us was like a slow poison mixing with air, spreading all around, piercing the edges of my skin, roaming unleashed in blood, consuming the heart, ultimately culminating in a paroxysmal fit of rage.
"Fuck this shit. I don't care who you are. You don't get to speak between us. Stay in your limits," He stood up abruptly, slapping his palms on the table with a thud.
I let out a humorless chuckle before smirking, "You know what Kuhoo says, that I usually cross boundaries when it comes to her."
Within blink of an eye, he sprinted to my side, his one hand held my collar, pulling me to stand, while other balled in a fist, ready to beat me black and blue. But then he looked into my eyes and something changed. Undecipherable recognition sparkled in his orbs before Adi stepped back, shoulders hung low, "I can't. You have his eyes."
Leaving me dubious, he left in a swift motion. Pranit followed behind. What just happened? He had the strength. If he wanted to he could hit me and start a fight. But Adi didn't. Why?
Rest of the day, I stayed in my room. Both the guests were there in house. Occasional sounds of their cellphones confirmed. Soon, it was evening. I saw Kuhoo's car reaching the apartment from my window. She didn't come to us though. Maybe, she was tired.
Even after two hours when my woman didn't show up, I decided to ring her bell. But when I went to her place, the door was already open.
Of course, the wonderful reunion.
My blood boiled as Adi bent over, holding her palms in his ones muttering something in an inaudible tone, his back facing me. Hesitant, she nodded withdrawing her hands and looked at him with teary eyes. It seemed like they were about to hug which made me turn on the heels but then Kuhoo called my name, "Mahil."
I tried to walk away but she stepped in, stopping me, "Mahil, why are you leaving like that?"
"What should I do then?" I asked challengingly.
"Go with him." She said with finality.
"What? Ridiculous." I scorned rolling the eyes.
"I mean it. Go with him," She whispered. Tears were still there in those velvet black orbs.
"Unfathomable. Just talk sense woman," I threw my hands in air exasperatedly before shaking her shoulders, "You know what, now I understand why you guys didn't work. You both are emotional wrecks without the minutest idea of how the world actually works."
"How dare you?" The angry ex-boyfriend got up from his seat.
Kuhoo sighed frustrated, "Adi, please leave."
He frowned, "What? No. This is between me and him. He's mindlessly bringing the topic of us for no reason. I won't let him -"
"Adi. I. Said. Leave." She roared, eyes blazing at me. The ex-boyfriend sighed and left, giving a final glance between both of us.
She closed the door before turning to me, "What is wrong with you? Why are you acting so pricy? I warned not to fight with him, didn't I?"
"I said I'm not going anywhere. So, I'm not going anywhere." It came out a harsher than I thought.
"Why? Because you've crossed boundaries with me?" She snarled dangerously.
"What?" I ridiculed.
"No, tell me. Do you only respect me when I'm drunk, within the four walls of your house? Where is that respect when you're talking about me to others? Or did you lose all your brain cells out of anger? What did you tell him about us?" Her palms pushed robustly against my chest making me take a step back.
I blinked confounded. What was she talking about? Oh, Adi and the fight. "I said that but I meant -"
Kuhoo fisted my shirt looking at me disgustedly, "How could you? Now, Adi thinks that we - "
What he thought wasn't my fault. Why was she getting worked up with me for it? So, before she could complete it, I yelled, "Are you angry because I said it or are you angry because your ex-boyfriend thinks that you slept with me?"
Thud.
Everything went silent after that. Skin of my left cheek burnt, fingers automatically touched the place where her palm landed with a force seconds back. My skin was warm due to her slap. There was no mirror but the way it pained I knew it turned crimson.
I was about to scream a reply but then I saw her. Intensity of my pain due to a slap was nothing in front of the red in her eyes. I could see the world collapsing and demons facing the earth or even angels losing but not her. Never her. At least not because of me.
She had held the same palm with support of other one, eyes on the floor, nose red and ever so proud shoulders dipping low. Holding her chin, I demanded, "Kuhoo, look into my eyes."
Without any restraint she followed my command and I asked, "Do you really think, out of all the people, I could say something disrespectful about you? Do you think my mouth would utter anything remotely disparaging regarding you and I wouldn't stop this tongue? You know that I -"
I didn't get to complete because she hauled a painful cry crashing on floor. The way tears rolled out of her eyes vigorously, one after another, I didn't waste a second to pull her in a hug. Oh lord, what did I do? How did I end up hurting her in the worst way possible?
"I know you would never disrespect me like this. And I didn't slap you because I care about what Adi thinks. But because..." She gulped a hard lump formed in the throat as her voice came out hoarse, "Because I didn't want to be accused of something that I never did, once again," She coughed in between the cries, "I didn't want people to judge my character one more time when I'm not at fault. I know you wouldn't say something like this Mahil. But the world is such a pathetic place. It's so pathetic. I... I..."
She breathed heavily due to lack of oxygen and my heart broke listening to the agony in her voice. Sniffling, she tried to speak further, "I... I explained everything... But they didn't... They... It was a bad..."
"Ssshhh... You don't have to talk about it if it pains this much," Pulling apart, I placed a finger on her quivering lips, shushing the heart broken sobs leaving out of them which were nothing but a lethal acid to my heart. Although, the soul wrenching cries had stopped, but a few inaudible whimpers still remained. Rubbing the skin of her shoulders, I said, "It's okay. Please, calm down."
Gulping another lump, she looked into my eyes in between the whimpers, "I really didn't mean to slap you."
Without breaking the eye contact, I picked her right palm which had been courageous enough to give me a punishment for hurting her feelings a while back by landing on my left cheek. Staring at our hands for a moment, my eyes went back to her ones. Raising our hands further, I brought the flat of her palm close to my lips glancing at it endearingly, placing a soft kiss in between the heart line and the life line, "Does it hurt, my love?"
Her eyes shone with admiration. A thousand emotions swirled in those velvet black orbs as she came forward claiming my lips out of fervent passion. My heart went erratic as her pouty lips sucked onto my thin pink ones. Demand or surrender or both, whatever it was she wanted me to feel it. I did.
My fingers moved from her shoulders, to forearms, to the belly, ultimately sliding inside her top, circling around the skin of her waist drawing patterns. She pulled me more into the kiss letting our tongues meet, running her palms soothingly through my hair. And then it happened. She hiccupped. I tried to break apart but she wasn't willing to. Another hiccup came out deep from her throat but she still didn't let go my lips. I chuckled, "What are you doing?"
Without saying anything she smiled. Holding my chin making me look sideways, Kuhoo pressed a long kiss on the left cheek before another hiccup left her mouth.
"You need water," I chuckled.
"What're you waiting for? Take us to the kitchen," She hiccupped again, signaling me to pick her up.
"Don't you like these free rides too much, now a days?" I smirked holding her in a bridal style and she held my neck for support.
"My hairs are your favorite part of me, right?" She asked. I nodded encouraging her to continue as she admired my shoulders running those slender fingers over them, "Your arms; my favorite place to be."
I couldn't help but peck her lips as a reward. A single peck didn't feel satiating to my spellbound mind, so I pecked her luscious warm lips again and again, while carrying my woman towards the kitchen but then she hiccupped and I this time I couldn't contain my laughter.
I laughed whole-heartedly as she pouted. I made her sit on the Kitchen counter, pouring a glass of water and forwarding it. She drank silently, dangling her legs in air. A thought came to my mind and I chuckled.
"What?" She questioned.
Shaking my head, I cleared the throat. But she raised her eyebrows inquiring further. I shrugged, "The amount of time we have spent in a Kitchen, I won't be surprised if it turns out as our preferred place for -"
She frowned unable to comprehend a thing, making me raise a single eyebrow suggestively, earning a gasp from her, "Gosh Mahil. Gross. And here I thought you believed in things like Kitchen deity."
"I guess I do. But my Goddess is you," I whispered close to her ear.
She gave me a soft push, "Don't expect me to reward you with another kiss for all this buttering."
"I've got all the time in the world to wait for you, mi lady," I bowed to which she laughed shaking the head. But then Kuhoo remembered something. Of course, the magical moment was broken and we were back to the square one.
"If I ask you to do something, will you do it for me?" She questioned.
Kissing the back of her palm, I whispered, "Ask me anything, except for leaving you and going away."
"He wants to take you home, Mahil. There is a family waiting for you," She mumbled.
"Home is where you are, Kuhoo. My heart knows no other home," I took her palm and placed it over my heart for her to listen to its serene beats.
"Your mother must have wanted this," She uttered.
"If she did, she would've told me to go back to India and find them before leaving this world instead of asking me to wait for my woman. It's clear what she wanted," I shared what I contemplated throughout the day.
"And what if that woman, your woman wants you to meet your family?" She asked.
"Not when we're about to begin a new chapter in our lives," I tried to dismiss.
Cupping my cheeks, she mumbled, "Mahil, you've lived alone for a very long time. I don't want to be the one messing your fair chance at having a family, please, don't make me. I anyways am going to India the next month."
"I'll go with you then," I offered.
She clicked her tongue, "Adi told me that your grandfather had a heart attack. He's a great man, an inspiration to millions. I met him once. If he wishes to see you, I think you should go."
"I don't even know that man," I complained like a child.
"He's your loving mother's father. How much more do you need to know for meeting the old man?" She tenderly held my face in between both the palms, staring at me in a way that I couldn't refuse.
"Fine. But you'll reply to my texts," I put forth a non-negotiable condition.
"No. I'll find another man," She chuckled earning a glare from me before continuing, "Another man who knows me so well like you do. Another man who cares for me like you do."
I narrowed my eyes and she added further, "Another man who can read my mind, or who kisses my palms after I slap him, cooks for me, picks me up every now and then as per demands. Another man who makes me this breathless."
That was it. She certainly was testing my patience. And I didn't have any. The idea of going back with Adi, leaving her alone escalated my urgency. So, third time in that day, my lips landed on hers for a long kiss.
Sometime later, I went to Adi telling him about my decision. He immediately asked Pranit to make necessary arrangements for the next morning. Sleep came naturally after such an eventful day.
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