Heyyya guys!!
SIYA
I chopped the coriander and garnishing it cleanly over the Dum-Aloo I made, I served it out in bowls.
"Kunal."
Calling Arjun was a risk for now. What was I meant to call him infront of family? I felt it rude to call him Arjun infront of everyone as I observed no one calling out their husband by their names.
"Ji Bhabhi!" He came running inside the kitchen.
A good thing! When someone calls you , wouldn't it be sure that they must be waiting for you. Anyone at his place would have took his time in raising himself from their place as slow as an elephant does in unfloding his large heavy legs from the position, stabilising them on land and getting up.
"Food."
He washed his hands in the sink after calling his mother for food.
"This are your tickets, Mummy." Arjun sat over his chair after passing the tickets to Maa.
Arjun stayed at home today to drop Maa and Kunal at station in the afternoon. I served a plate for him, keeping it on the dining table. Our dinibg table only occupies three chairs so I waited for them to eat.
"Siya." Arjun placed a chair beside the table for me and pointed towards it. I nodded, coming with my plate.
"Siya, give more to Kunal."
Kunal smiled up at me as I advanced myself towards him with the chapatis.
All of them retired with their plates towards kitchen and washing their hands sprawled themselves on the sofa while Arjun made his place on the chair beside the dining table and I washed the dishes listening to them chatter about their relatives.
"What we got to do with it, Mummy? Let them do anything." Arjun said disappointedly.
"Hey Bhagwan, If it would be Inaaya here, atleast she would have took my side in all the gossips. You boys are just waste." Mom whined while Arjun rolled his eyes.
"Please Mummy, that's just waste of time, exaggerating each of the things that relatives did." Arjun clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"Aur time bachakar toh tumhe Taj Mahal banwa lena hai." Mom argued back and Arjun sighed turning his chair away from her.
That's his nature. If he thinks it happen that way then it happens that way. Nobody gets to change his opinion. That's good in a way that he can't be easily manipulated, but another way, anyone isn't mad to tell you something,they would be having their own point in that.
But, it's lovely either way for me.
I love how he scrunches his nose up sitting away from the person who advices him. I turned around to look at him sitting on the chair with his elbows rested on the table and his face cradled in his palm, face having a deep frown.
Wiping the slabs after a while, I turned off the lights of hall as I saw Kunal taking his nap on the couch.
I entered inside the room to listen to Maa and Arjun bickering.
"Mummy yaar, band karo ise."
Maa had recently got a new habit of scrolling YouTube Shorts over her time. Looking at her getting so engaged in the people dancing on those cheap Bolywood music all day, I could already predict her getting specs on her eyes.
"Yeh lo." I passed Arjun the list of grocery I needed. He could bring them while coming back from the station. He cleanly folded them keeping it in his pockets.
"What is Kunal doing?"
"Sleeping." I turned back to answer before continuing towards the kitchen. I packed the pickle my Mom sent for Maa in a jar and wrapping a clean butter paper around it, I kept it beside their bag.
I looked at Arjun standing inside the room. I waved my hands in front of him calling him out in the kitchen to which he nodded following me.
"You were going to talk with Maa about it, right? Kab karoge?" I asked impatiently after standing beside him in the corner.
"I.. I... I will look into it later, Siya. After Holi ends. It will disturb her mood now. And if she denies in hurry now, we won't get time to persuade her too."
I whined.
"Siya, abhi nahi. After Holi. Maximum two days." He pointed towards his two fingers.
I nodded, frowing at him.
"Pakka." He tried to assure me.
"Ok."
We came out from the kitchen as Maa called us out again.
"Ticket rakh li na, Kunal." She chastised him.
"You kept it." Kunal answered before mom checked the tickets in the bag again.
After getting blessed for a 'Sushil grahasthi' by her , I came out to see them out till gates. Kunal bent to touch my legs before sitting behind Arjun. He shifted some more to make some place for Maa.
"Are Siya." I turned my head aside as our neighbour called out.
She came towards us and greeted Maa before turning towads Arjun.
"Wait for few minutes, your uncle will drop Kunal. You won't be able to adjust with the luggage."
I nodded smiling at her.
Kunal stood up from his seat before letting Mom sit.
"Say Thankyou to Uncle." I whispered to Kunal to which he smiled awkwardly and nodded. I chuckled.
Soon, Uncle came out with his scooty which Kunal drove bidding me bye.
"Andar aaiye na Aunty." I insisted her inside.
"Wait, I will bring you the gujiyas we made yesterday."
"You made?"
"Yes, Maa helped."
I served her the gujiyas and our coversations switched from mother-in-laws to her old days to our childhood until we heard the voice of Arjun's bike.
"Okay, I should be going now."
I nodded seeing her till the gate, where Arjun was parking his bike. I helped him in picking up the groceries till the hall.
He laid himself on the couch while I sat on the floor next to it checking the groceries.
"Arjun, this shampoo... I asked for other one."
He tilted his face a little looking towards the bottle before laying back.
"I gave him the list. His workers packed it all."
"But you were standing there, right? You could have stopped him."
"Anyways, it has a free conditioner along. What's the problem!" He shrugged his shoulders.
"Free ke chakkar mei kuch bhi le lenge kya! I am sure, he would not have been able to sell this product for months, so he cleared it's stock. That's..."
He turned towards me lifting his fingers to his lips. I stopped before he laid back again.
Main toh bolungi!
I supported my chin on the sofa angling my mouth towarfs his ears.
"That's so unfair with the customers who do not notice. This four-eyed shopkeeper, looting people to sell his local items. I specifically described the shampoo's name on that list. 'Dove, -------..."
"Siya." He groaned.
"Ab kya faida bolne ka. We won't go to his shop next time." I ended.
"Poora bolkar hi maani." I heard him muttering to which I scoffed slapping his shoulders and stood up from my place.
◉‿◉
"No, Ashwin. Do not buy another one. One small space would have been okay for now."
"But Siya, see the image I sent you. It's just beside the space we bought few days back. I was fascinated by this too, but then the contractor wasn't ready to vacant. He did it this soon, it would have been some miracle for us."
"Ashwin, we aren't even working and it would be on really so small levels for almost an years after we start. It was already a three-room space, now adding more doesn't settle with me." I explained.
"But more than half of our team agrees."
"They aren't the one to handle the expenses."
"Wait, I have something to tell you."
"Hopefully, it's you coming."
"Not now. In a week or so."
"Call me few days prior. I will book for your tickets.
"Okay."
"I will call you in a while." I kept the phone aside as I saw Arjun coming with a cup of tea towards me on the couch.
"What happened?" He asked keeping two cups of tea on the table ahead.
"Nothing." I smiled towards him which he returned pointing towards the tea.
Good that he isn't involving himself in my work. I don't want him to. It would be good if we just be each other's home rather than home minister.
"Tomorrow, my colleagues will be coming to wish me Holi. We could possibly need some cold-drinks and snacks." He said.
"Will their wives come along?"
"Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders leaving me in a confusion to get more types of sweets or not.
"Then bring more packets of snacks in the evening. Ones that can't be prepared at home." He nodded.
My phone snoozed, sticking between my thigh and the armrest of sofa. I picked it up to see Karthika calling.
ARJUN
She picked up her phone as it snoozed.
"Hello."
"Yes, I talked with him."
"What's there to become gloomy?"
"If I am not present there, won't I get a equal say?" I heard her getting angry.
Laying on my back with my legs towards her, I waited for her to hang up the call. She huffed after ending the call.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
I shrugged as she had no mood to detail me everything about her matter. Only thing I could conclude from her frown is that someone isn't listening to her when she is so sure of herself on being correct.
Obviously she won't pester her decision on someone, unless she is sure. She never does. But sometimes it doesn't help. She should speak up for herself.
"Tumhe koi bolne nahi de raha kya?"
She narrowed her eyes at me, hitting the cushion on my leg.
"Arey tum idhar aao." Wounding my arms around her form, I pulled her on myself and made space for her on our large couch. Not large enough but easy for two people.
"Arjun." She whined holding her hip before trying to sit straight again. I held her back and laid her down.
"It's been many days." My voice turned slow at the end.
"What?" She giggled holding my hand which reached the neck of her blouse.
"It's been many days we talked. Why did you laugh?" I raised my eyebrows.
I freed one of my hand from hold. Curving my forefingers along her whole neck, I let it slide at her back.
"That's how you talk?" She held my hand again keeping them between us.
"Siya." I said sternly as she dug her nail on my palm.
"You wanted to talk. Speak up. I am listening."
"You are already giving me hard time, Siya. Do not exagerrate." I whined to which she laughed out.
"Okay." She looked with indifference controlling that smile.
"Siya." I cried out and she laughed out merrily curving her long arms around my neck letting me in to do those small ministrations on her neck with my teeths.
I raised up my hands to remove the pins tucked under the shoulder of her blouse.
What followed was a wild form of life.
Leading us to an over-enthusiastic mode as my speed turned heavenly intense.
I laid her on the bed at the corner. I can't risk myself more on that couch, where I had to stop myself from falling on the floor between sex by holding up the armrest.
Turning the lights off, I looked down towards the bed where her small eyes made an attempt to look intense as she narrowed them tiredly.
Chuckling, I followed her lead after walking to the bed.
That's enough maybe!
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