Abhi was sitting on a chair while she was arranging the food she had prepared for both of them.
"Why is he looking at me in this way?" She thinks.
Abhi was looking at her continuously. He was paying attention to every movement of hers.
"You eat first. I have some work at the kitchen..." She says.
Abhi "No Ticklee, you know I don't eat alone. I only eat with Dadi."
"Oh...." She replied.
"Don't act as if you don't know. You have seen me eating together with Dadi. I have seen you staring at me when Dadi and I eat together...." He said.
She shrieked "I wasn't staring at you. I was admiring you!"
Abhi "Admiring how I eat?" He asked.
"No....admiring how you sometimes feed Dadi....." She says pleasantly.
Abhi "Lovely...."
"Lovely?" She asks looking at him.
Abhi eating the food she prepared said "This is lovely...."
"Thank you!" She replied and smiled widely.
Abhi "It's good that you cook well too."
"Why? How does it matters to you?" She asks curiously.
Abhi "Your husband is lucky na. He can have your caring service and delicious food."
She never says anything and starts to eat in silence.
Abhi too continues to eat and take glances at her when eating.
"You sleep inside my room. I can sleep in the couch outside." She said.
Abhi "Why? Why can't we sleep in the same room? Are you scared of me?"
"It won't be right and you will be more comfortable on bed." She replied.
Abhi "We can have a pillow border if you don't mind."
"I am not that sleepy tonight." She says.
"This Ticklee won't listen to me! Let me play with her in my way!" He thinks.
Abhi "I am also not sleepy......" He says looking at her.
She takes their plates and goes into the kitchen.
"What is he up to? His look itself is wrong. How to handle him?" She wonders when he comes with the rest of the dishes.
Abhi "Why don't we watch a movie together?" He asks.
She jerked hearing his voice as he had silently came in.
"You are here?" She asks.
Abhi placing the dishes in the wash basin said "Yes I am here to place all this."
"I am going to read a book." She replies.
Abhi "Story book? Ok then read aloud a story to me!"
"How can she do that? All her story books are romantic stories and have intimidating scenes described." She wonders how to avoid this now.
Abhi innocently "Please....I will listen to it like a child. Won't interrupt you with questions too!"
"We shall watch movie itself." She said.
Abhi "No! Story telling please....."
"I am telling right, we will watch movie! Don't make me angry!" She says loudly making him look shocked.
Abhi "Will you shout like this if a person ask you politely? You are very bad Ticklee! You made me feel bad!"
He says and walks out of the kitchen with a sad face.
"Oh no....I have raised my voice in front of him. I should have told him gently. He didn't know why I didn't want to read aloud." She worries.
She left the kitchen to see him and he was sitting on the sofa by hugging his bag.
"How cute he looks when he is upset." She admires him.
"Baggie, you see Ticklee shouted at me. I wanted to hear a story from her.... Is that wrong Baggie?" He asks lookling at his bag.
She chuckles seeing how cute he looks by talking to his bag.
"Baggie, you know even Dadi never shout at me in night. This Ticklee shout at me for no reason." He says sounding upset.
" I am so sorry Tickler...." She says by standing in front of him.
"Baggie, ask her to go away." He says.
"So you won't talk to your Ticklee?" She asks worriedly.
Abhi " Baggie, ask her to tell a story and I will talk to her."
"Okay I will tell a story but not from book!" She says.
Abhi exclaims "Yay!!! Ok faster tell now!"
He asks her to sit beside him and tell the story.
"Okay this is a true story and it might not be that interesting...." She warns him.
"True stories are interesting. You just tell. I don't need warnings from you." He replied.
She smiles in response and narrates the story.
"So there was a girl from a small town, who went to college and studied. She was studying well and her parents were also very happy about it. She wanted to serve the poor and needy. Her parents were feeling proud of her thoughts. Then one day, the family faced an obstacle." She said having a pause.
"What obstacle was that?" He asked looking curious.
"She had to get married a man of an older age." She says in a low tone.
"Why? What happened Ticklee?" He asks in shocked.
"They were a lower middle class family so couldn't afford the expensive college fees. Yes there was scholarship for her to cover her fees but it was not 100%. The scholarship only covered 20% of her fees." She said
"For that she had to marry a older age man? This is ridiculous." He said
"Ridiculous but it was the reality and she had no choice other than marrying him." She said sadly.
"what happened next?" He asked.
"She was married into a family who were behaving violently. She had to bear all their torture and also live a life that was not her wish." She said.
"This is very sad Ticklee.....and did she complete her studies?" He asked.
"Yes she did and by the time she completed, her parents were feeling disgraced of themselves as they had spoilt their daughter's life by making her married into a bad family." She said.
"Oh Ticklee....this is so sad...." He said.
"And her parents died in an accident too." She added.
"What? How bad is this....Why is this girl facing so much of troubles?" He says.
"It's her destiny and among all this, there was only a ray of light that makes her smile." She said.
"What was that?" He asks.
"She listen to songs of a popular musician. It keeps her happy all the time." She says looking happy.
"Oh....so how did her marriage life went?" He asks.
"It ended short too. Her husband and his family all died in a shootout by the police." She says.
Abhi "This much of losses in her life. I feel pity for her Ticklee."
"And now she is living alone in memories of her parents and her favourite musician she loves." She says and was teary eyed.
Abhi looks at her and she tries to look away to hide her tears.
Abhi "Ticklee...." he calls her softly.
"I got to go. Need to clean things in kitchen...." She says and quickly walks to the kitchen.
"She told her story to me. It means her favourite musician is me! My Ticklee had really gone through a lot in her life." He worries thinking of her.
"What have you told? How can you tell your story to him? I shouldn't have told him." She feels it was a mistake of telling about her. She regrets.
She later finishing her work comes out of the kitchen to see him behaving strangely.
"What is he doing?" She wonders as she sees him dancing when there was no music playing.
She asks him to look at her. But he was still dancing with his eyes closed.
What craziness is this? Why is he doing this?
She tried to hold his hand to stop when he jumps in shock.
"Calm down! It's me!" She says.
Abhi "Ticklee, you scared me!"
"I am sorry but can you please tell me why are you dancing without music?" She asked politely.
Abhi "When did I dance?"
"You were dancing with your eyes closed. Like how you perform on stage." She said.
Abhi "Yes I was dancing as I saw you dancing!"
"You saw me dancing? When did this happen?" She asked looking perplexed.
Abhi took out his mobile and showed a video.
It's a video of her dancing on stage like Abhi. She was dressed up like Abhi and dances energetically.
"Where did you get this video from?" She asks looking alarmed.
Abhi "That is none of your business. Enjoy the performance! I have to admit that you dance well too."
"Delete this. This is not good to be seen." She says trying to get his mobile phone.
Abhi stopping the video said, "No way Ticklee. You look very cute in this. I have a copy of this at home too."
"You better delete this....please...." She said pleadingly.
Abhi "No Ticklee, in future I have to show this to your husband."
She frowned looking at him and asked him not to talk to her anymore.
Abhi smirks as she enters her room and locks the door.
"Next I need to find whether you can sing Ticklee! Let me find that out too." He thinks by lying down on the sofa.
In her room,
She thinks it's her destiny to see the video that was taken during her college days. She ponders how did he got that video. Did he know about her even before she told her story?
Next day in the morning, she wakes up to the loud voice of Abhi.
"Why is he shouting like this?" She asks herself by opening the door.
Abhi "Good morning!" He says looking cheerful.
"Morning!" She says and asks why was he shouting just now.
Abhi "I was saying Ailasa...."
"Haan, I heard that too. What is that?"
She asks not knowing the meaning.
Abhi "How can I tell? It is a personal thing."
"Oh...." she says wondering what's personal with saying Ailasa. It sounds like some girl's name to her.
Abhi "I can tell the partial meaning of it if you are curious."
She nods her head as okay. He comes close to her and whispers "Ai means I....La means Love....Sa, I can't tell it as I will only tell my wife! She only must know that."
"Oh...." she says in a low tone.
Abhi "You can guess if you want. I don't think even my wife will know the meaning."
"What if I know it?" She asked.
Abhi "You can be my wife!"
"Huh? Really?" She asks in shock.
Abhi "Why not? You can be if you know."
"You are kidding right? How can you accept me as your wife with this? You have a lot of considerations for your wife." She says remembering about yesterday when he spoke to Dadi.
Abhi "It is true, but knowing what I tell is one of the most important consideration to be my wife."
"I don't know whether to believe him and his words." She thought as he says he is going to take a bath.
Sneek peek to next part:
She tries to call Dadi for help as it is getting difficult to handle Abhi!
Thank you for the support and encouragement to this story.
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