"Nice place" Madhu appreciated as she looked around the posh restaurant.
"You used to come here? Often?" Madhu asked as she didn't know about this place before. For the first time she was coming to the grand restaurant as it was situated at the outskirts.
"I used to bring my girlfriends here." Rk said dryly as he leaned back.
Madhu's good mood went sour immediately knowing the fact that he had brought her to the place where he used to bring his GFs.
"You didn't get any other place to take me?" Madhu asked softly, masking her fury.
"Why? You didn't like this place?" Rk asked in wonder.
"No. Its good. Excuse me." She said & stood up.
"Where are you going?" Rk asked with a frown.
"Um... Restroom. I won't be long." She said & turned on her heel.
"Madhu! Calm down. Don't behave like a bitch with your irrational jealousy & spoil the moment." Madhu chided herself looking at the mirror in the restroom.
"Take a calm cleansing breathe." She told to herself holding her hands up & took in a deep breathe.
Then adjusting her appearance she walked back with a smile but it faded the moment she saw a girl sitting beside her husband & talking to him so familiarly.
Madhu stood by the table & glared at the girl hoping she would leave her husband's side so that she can sit beside him.
Rk looked up at Madhu & gestured her to sit on the opposite chair. Madhu gritted her teeth wanting to give her husband a hard kick but managed to fake a smile.
"Madhu, this is Ria. My friend. And Ria, my wife Madhubala." Rk gave them the intro.
Madhu gave her a customary nod & look down at her fingers, brooding.
"Rk, we should catch up sometime later. I need to talk to you in private." Ria said to Rk holding his hand making Madhu fume more.
"Sure, Ria."
"Okay bye then" Ria smiled at Rk & nodded at Madhu.
"She works with you?" Madhu asked Rk once Ria had left.
"No. you place the order." He passed the menu card to her.
"You both are friends for too long? Is she your school or college mate?" Madhu probed him.
"She was my neighbor when I lived with my parents."
"Oh!" She said & looked down at the menu card but her mind was racing something else.
"What?" Rk asked seeing her silently burning holes in the menu card with her eyes.
"Is she your ex-girlfriend?"
"Yeah!"
"Why you didn't tell me that before?"
"What's there to tell?"
"That you are still in touch with her?"
"Of course we are still friends."
"Why you two broke up?" Madhu asked curiously.
Rk sighed in irritation.
"I didn't spend time with her like other boyfriends so we had a fight & we parted our ways."
"It's not only me the poor soul, then. Someone else even had faced his unromantic nature." Madhu thoughts with a smirk.
"What?"
"I thought you behave this way only with me but now I realized its a manufacturing defect." Madhu chuckled humorously.
"Behave which way?"
"Like an Akdoo. Arrogant & Angry young man" She commented, animatedly.
He just shook his head but he didn't deny the fact that he was arrogant.
"So back to the topic again. When you two broke up?"
"Years back."
"Exactly when?"
"Why are you irritating me with your questionnaire?"
"Sorry. You don't have to tell me."
"6 years back."
"That long? But she still remembers you?"
"She still resides next to my parents house. When I go there I talk with her. We are friends now."
"She didn't get married yet?"
"No!"
"Why?"
"How the hell I know why she didn't get married yet?" Rk shouted losing his patience.
"Don't shout at me." Madhu retorted & looked around to see few couples staring at them.
Getting embarrassed she said in whispered angry tone. "Its my mistake to come out with you. I am going home." She burst out from that place not even waiting for him.
Near the parking lot she waited for her husband to join her. She kept looking at the direction of the hotel for her husband to show up but he didn't, making her wonder what was taking him long. May be busy with his other Ex-GFs! Madhu thought biting her nails. She wished she had the car key so that she could abandon her husband here & go home... But unfortunate to her & fortunate to her husband, he had the car key & he also brought her way too longer from the city so that she couldn't find any taxi or go by walking.
"Hello!" a boy walked to her & started whistling.
"Stop making that sound, you asshole!" Madhu screamed angrily.
"Oh Sexy! Why so hot hun? Have some chilled beer, baby" that boy offered her & Madhu took the beer tin & threw it back at the boy and the beer splashed on his face.
"Go away before I kill you." Madhu said gritting her teeth & from back she felt a hand on her waist.
Closing her eyes in burning rage, she fists her fingers to a ball & swiftly turned around to punch the guy who dared to touch her.
"Whoa!" Rk blocked her fist fingers & saved his face from earning her punch.
Madhu sighed in relief but her eyes were still blazing.
"Get inside the car." Rk ordered, his eyes glaring at that boy.
"This is my husband. Rishab Kundra. Assistant Commissioner of Police. Now, Come on touch me" Madhu shouted standing in front of Rk with her hands on her hips.
"I didn't touch or mean to touch you... I was just teasing you & just offered you chilled beer to cool you down, Sister" that boy said very sweetly & then saluted Rk
"Sister? Didn't you call me 'Sexy', you moron?" Madhu asked.
"Sorry, sister. Sorry, Sir"
"What's your name? Which area? What are you doing?" Rk fired a series of question so that he can keep a check on him.
"Sunny. I live nearby only... RM colony. I am first year engineering student."
"Student huh?" Rk asked & slapped his cheek. "At this age beer?" Rk slapped him again.
"Sorry, Sorry sir."
"This little boy called me 'Sexy'... how dare he? Give him one more slap." Madhu ordered her husband. "Sister, that's a compliment." the boy said sweetly hoping Madhu will mellow down.
"Who are you to compliment me? My husband will do that job. Won't you?" Madhu asked Rk.
Rk ached his brow in surprise & smirked at Madhu.
"Sorry, Sir. I will never tease your wife."
"Never tease any girl. Then you will find yourself in lockup. Now go home." Rk warned the boy & let him go.
"You shouldn't have let him go so easily." Madhu muttered in disapproval.
"Forget it." Rk squeezed Madhu's hand before letting it go.
"What took you so long?" Madhu asked him when he zoomed the car out from the parking area.
"I was settling the bill."
"What? We didn't eat anything?"
"I ordered starter when you went to restroom."
"Oh! You ate it?"
"Nope. I left it there but paid the money for it."
"Why? You could have packed it right?" Madhu scolded him & in reply he gave her a look & then he turned on the music player.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" Rk asked glancing at Madhu.
"For storming out. I got jealous... seeing you with your Ex" Madhu admitted the fact.
"It's okay." Rk shrugged. Madhu smiled at him
"I was mad at you for shouting but then I realized even I shouted back at you & spoiled our dinner." Madhu said in a contrite tone.
"I know you were mad at me with the way you turned ready to punch me when I placed my hand on your hip."
"Sorry, I thought it was some other guy. I didn't know it was you."
"You can't even recognize your husband's touch."
"You are accusing me as if we were in touchy touchy relationship & I failed to recognize your touch in spite of being touched by you numerous times?" Madhu asked irately.
"True! You have quite strong arms. If I didn't block your fist, I am sure my teeth would have broken or you would have cut my jaw."
"Gee, thanks." Madhu blushed.
"But you should keep your fist tight. Like this..." He showed tightly bunching his left hand. "... Then only your finger bones will not break and also the punch will be hard."
"Will you teach me kick boxing?" Madhu asked excitedly.
"Sure but once I start my training you should not back off. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Rishab?"
"What?" He asked looking straight at the road.
"I'm hungry" Madhu asked rubbing her tummy. Rk smirked as he had expected this line from her much earlier.
"Who asked you to walk out of the hotel?"
"That girl put of my mood." she grumbled.
"Guess there is no good hotel in this highway."
"Who asked you to take me to the hotel far away from the city?"
Rk just rolled his eyes at her constant cribbing.
"Um... there. We could eat there!"
"There? In that road side dhaba?" Rk asked & started laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"You said you won't come with me if I take you to a dhaba! But see, where you are now?" Rk asked pressing his lips to control his laughter.
"You look good when you laugh.
"Hey hello, I do laugh & smile. Don't give me the effect that I have some dreadful past that I lost my smile."
"Then why you smile rarely & this is the first time I am seeing you laugh... a carefree laugh in this three days."
"I'm not a loon like you to laugh always." he said so sweetly, giving her a mocking smile.
"Er.. husband, I am too hungry so I will argue with you later. Now come." She said & jumped out of the hotel.
"Bhaiya, 2 butter naan, put extra butter on it, paneer butter masala & a huge tumbler of lassi." Madhu made her order to the hotel guy.
"2 Rotis & chic..." Rk stopped realizing he was with Madhu so he changed from ordering chicken curry & said "Gobi gravy."
"Anything to drink, Sir?"
"Coke"
"Yummy!!" Madhu said after gulping a huge slug of lassi. "Wanna taste?" Madhu asked offering her lassi glass.
Rk shook his head in no with a fond smile playing on his face as he wiped the excess lassi with his thumb which was spread over Madhu's upper mouth like a mustache.
"Just try it. You will love it." Madhu insisted him to try the lassi.
"Okay!" Rk took a sip from the glass & made a face.
"You didn't like it?"
"Nope. It's too sweet."
"Oh yeah! Sweetness & you will never go together." Madhu teased.
Then they were served with their meal. Rk was quietly having his food while Madhu kept blabbering while she ate. He just listened to her patiently admiring the way she talked, animatedly.
"Why you are so silent?" Madhu asked getting tired of talking non stop.
"You didn't let me talk." Rk said with a smile.
"Doh!"
"Okay, tell me about your job?" He asked.
"Job? Seriously?" She sighed. What else can she expect from this professional freak?
"Well, 'Sakal' has a publishing house & a News channel. There are more than 300 jobs in my grade... so we work on rotation. For every 3-6 months our job description changes. When I joined I was actually in publishing as assistant editor, then shifted to several roles & now I am acting as news reporter."
"Asst. Editor to news reporter? Don't you feel your grade has decreased?"
"May be... but I find this job thrilling & active... you know lots of personal interviews, news briefs, gathering news & information... I don't like sitting in office & editing the news before publishing."
"Cool. You want anything else?" Rk asked.
"Nope."
After washing their hands & settling the bill they got back to their car.
"I liked the food" Madhu said, satisfied.
"Hmm."
"We should go out & spend time like this more."
"Hmm."
"Are you going back to your silent mode or gonna answer me in monosyllables?"
"I'm not much of a talkative guy, Madhu."
"So dull you are"
"You talk for my share too." he suggested. Sighing, Madhu turned on the in-car music set & kept the volume in loud. A moment later Rk turned the volume down.
"You don't like too much noise?"
"Apart from gun firing sound I don't like any other sounds." his reply made Madhu chuckle. She was actually getting to know a lot about her husband's likings & disliking & it wasn't hard for her to remember as it was exact opposite to her taste.
"What's your thought about babies?" Madhu asked out of blue & started biting her lower lip. Rk glanced at her & shrugged non committal.
"What does that mean?"
"I haven't thought much about babies."
"You want or you don't want."
"I don't know. It's up to you." He shrugged again.
"Bullshit!"
"What?"
"Give me a serious reply, Rishab."
"I'm serious only, Madhu... if you want we can have or if you don't want then we won't... because you are going to carry the baby. So it's obviously your call."
"I want a baby"
"Cool! We will have then."
"But not so soon. May be after a year or two."
"Your wish!"
"But by any chance we go careless & I get conceived we will have the child. I support anti-abortion" Madhu warned him.
"I can't believe I am talking about babies with you when I haven't touched you for once but we are already married for three days." Rk said running his fingers through his hair.
"That's quite a long sentence I have heard coming out from your mouth." Madhu said excitedly. Rk rolled his eyes.
"A baby boy, I want" Madhu said clasping her hands.
"Pray to God! I have no control in deciding the gender."
"I will make him join the army." Madhu said, weaving dreams for her non-existing child.
"That's not your call. Our child will decide what he wanna become."
"Yeah right! But I wish he joins army."
"Why not police?"
"You are there in police."
"So?"
"I like army more. I wished to join but my parents didn't let me." Madhu said sadly.
"On a second thought, I like girl baby. I can dress her up cutely like a doll."
"Make your mind, Madhu. Boy or girl?"
"What you prefer?"
"I don't mind."
"Then we will have two kids, okay?"
"Can you manage?"
"Only if you could support me?" Madhu said looking at him.
"Okay" He said with a gentle smile though he wasn't sure about managing two kids as they both will be working parents so they won't get much time to spend with their kids so he preferred to have one child than too many.
"You have such beautiful smile, Rishab & I like you more this way."
"I wonder when girls started giving compliments to guys?" Rk smirked.
"I'm just stating the fact."
"We are here." Rk parked the car in the parking lot & walked around her side & opened the door for her.
"Thank you. Um... thanks for the dinner too. I had a great time." Madhu smiled & kissed his cheek.
"My pleasure." He kissed her temple & drawing her closer to his arm, he walked her to the elevator.
... To be continued!!!
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