8. This Ship Is Starting To Sail
A/N: Hi guys, welcome to another dollop of Raghav and Himani. I am not quite sure how many chapters will this book strike out totally, yet. I am hoping for a best of twenty to twenty five chapters considering each and every update is long enough. But this chapter might be a shorter one—I thought Himani should have some fun, before actually deflating her balloon, *grins devilishly*
This chapter is dedicated to @Tanuja84 , Please make sure you check out her profile for a handful of finely woven stories, guys. She's amazing.
And we have hit a little over one hundred votes, yay! Celebration!
Please do not expect the story to be filled with suspenses or unforeseen twists—you will not find conundrums here—it's a lighthearted story with a very few serious chapters. And this chapter is because (I love telling you people the reason behind each and every scene, please listen patiently. *puppy eyes*) I want Himani to act on her urge of comforting Raghav.
This chapter, however, might not live it up to the mark. Please bear with me. I will edit it in the future. Though, it's a mediocre chapter, I still have spent a decent time and energy spinning it, so please do not forget to let me know what do you think about it in the comments.
Rant over, Enjoy!
***
Raghav's phone buzzed.
For the third time in the two hours, after he'd started from the show venue that night.
Meena had called first, when he was still at the hall and was just about to wind up the disagreement there—after having known about it from Khushi, to check up on Raghav. When she'd hung up with Khushi, she juggled with her phone to speed-dial him, while sitting up for their turn outside the doctor's room, for her father's routine check-up—it was squarely why she was not able to go to his show that night.
Khushi had texted, next, asking if he wanted to talk; if he needed help, right after he had come back to his room.
Now, flashing on the screen was Rahul.
Raghav picked his phone up, laying on his back and an arm tucked under his head. With a disapproving glare he answered the call, not pausing or letting the person on the other side, talk. "Time's past one in the midnight, there. Why have you not slept yet?" He queried matter-of-factly, his eyes closed shut attempting to dismiss the rousing needling sensation behind his eyes; and rubbing his temple gently, massaging away the splitting ache.
He never spoke like that—like he was in the middle of a deliberate contemplation—but it bared itself out in his voice, at this moment.
"We were talking to Samhitha and Suresh uncle," Rahul's voice sounded in the background, as if he was in an arm's length from the phone. "We came to know what happened from them, and wanted to check on you," Suhasini's voice, daintier than ever, came out; relatively close-by.
Raghav sighed. "I am okay."
Rahul sought, softly, too. "Sam said you protested you wouldn't perform tonight."
"I did, I was blocked out by anger. Probably, Sam got upset by seeing me that way," Raghav murmured, fluttering his eyes open, and looking fixedly at the ceiling. "I should go, talk to Sam and Suresh uncle tomorrow morning," he added consciously. He must do it, and ferret out some alternative approach for their project.
"We know it's difficult to not think about it, but give your brain some break, don't tire it out—" Rahul's voice was interrupted by Suhasini, "Perhaps, you already have done that. Just close your eyes, and try to go to sleep. We will see what we can do about it in the morning?" Suhasini's suggestion seemed impassable momentarily.
With his swarthy brows tight and furrowed in pain, and somewhere behind his eyes, pain wringing him; and sense of wanting to throw up gathering in its strength slowly from the bottom of his stomach—he did not know if falling asleep, putting other stuff behind was doable.
There was another longish, tuckered out,, loud sigh from Raghav. "Okay guys," he said, his tone sharpened than before, "Good night, Suha. Dei, naan nalla thaan irukken, nee poi thoongu po (I think I am better right now, go to sleep man.)"
Hanging up the call, and setting his phone aside Raghav rolled back to his spot, holding his temple flanks with both of his hands, giving it a squeeze. His world was spinning in every possible direction, his pretty filled stomach threatened to heave with nausea, behind his temple was this throbbing pain getting belligerent in its match.
Raghav has had headaches before when he was in after effect; or when he had sleepless nights.
But this headache, the one he had thrumming and rumbling inside his head as if it was its own, permitted territory, right now was unaccustomed one—he had brought it upon himself by ceding to all the wrath and fury—and it only made him wonder, now; how'd he managed to accomplish completing his show, and drive home safe, until he had reached home and his bed, with so much furor spuming in him, oppressively.
It was quite harrowing to brook his thoughts over the headache.
He had been a part of Haasyam since his college days, and had known every division and appendage of it, ever since. When he commenced his stand-up comedy shows, it did not leave him a mark in an instance. It took more than a year for him to get to the little of recognition he had followed through now—after the first couple failed shows, his third show gained him quite a handful of college-going audience, which just gradually circulated into the people of other age groups,too, who were fond of decent humour—and he'd never say, it'd come effortlessly to his way.
He had always had this unwavering trust in the people inside Haasyam, albeit there was a profound, subtle clash coming about finespun, amongst the comics who performed within their circle—in conscious of it, Raghav had never minded any of them and he had never thought of them as his rivals. However they performed, what he spoke on-stage and how he conversed and connected to his audience seemed like part he wanted to focus on, even when he failed in his initial shows. He knew comparing himself with other comics wasn't going to help him, anyday.
He was not close-friends with any of them, but he wasn't in competition with them either—at least, in his own mind. They never affected him, but when it did, today, all of it had an effect of blitzing outpour from a turbulent, splitting cloud. It was too much to handle, for Raghav was not someone who really concerned oneself at a situation like this ever before. Today's happening brought out everything that he was not.
When his phone chimed again that night, Raghav was on his stomach, very widely awake to pick the phone up within two rings. Rolling to his back, he answered the call and put it up to ears. "Raghav, how are you?" Samhitha said, her voice sleepy.
Raghav sat up, tossing the covers off, still squeezing his temple with one of his hands. "The room's spinning, there's a muscle in my right cheek that keeps twitching harmonious to the throbbing of my head, there's this badgering pain in my eyes blinding my vision," he kept mumbling, despite hearing Samhitha chuckle softly, "—and I still am very much alive, so I am okay, I guess."
Samhitha yawned from the other side, her voice smiling, "Can we meet for a cup of coffee?"
Raghav took the phone off his ear to check time, dubious at her question. "Are you kidding? Time is four-thirty in the morning, and you want to go have coffee. You're crazier than me Samhitha!"
"Oh, yes, we are. Now, get your bum to Saravana Bhavan in R.K salai in fifteen minutes, they're open from four in the morning." Raghav smiled despite his pain, at the spontaneity in the composed, male voice he heard next to it. Now that Suresh Uncle was in the scene, there was no flipside to this coin, he had to get his bum out of the bed, right away.
"Uncle, why have you not slept too?" he asked, fishing for his wallet from the shelf next to his bed.
"Raghav, Appa has a conference from tomorrow in Lucknow. He is about to catch his flight by ten in the morning, and also doesn't want to miss the discussion with us, tomorrow. So, he wants to talk now," Samhitha elicited, as Raghav got ready to leave the house in his trousers and tee-shirt, with sleepless eyes and wretched face.
"Don't drive when you're having a migraine, young man. Take a gentle stroll down the road to the restaurant," Suresh Uncle had said his voice thick with warning, before hanging up. Raghav scrambled to the door, downing his wallet in the trousers' pocket, and closed the door without making a thud. Making his way through the main door, in the same way, he ambled to the gate.
He had reached the restaurant in ten minutes with his fast-paced strides. Chennai skies were lit mediocrely in mid-night blue, and very weak wisps of sunlight were starting to crack through. The streets weren't assiduously buzzing with people, and busses and trucks and auto-rickshaws.
They weren't blank either—there were people who came for their morning exercise, walking briskly, waving their hands along the border of the roads; there were newspaper vendors segregating and packing the leaves of papers in their respective cycles. Raghav stretched his hands as he wandered into the road that led to the length of main road.
He spotted Samhitha's car parked right in the front of the parking lot, as he jogged from the other side of the road smoothly.
"—enakku tea ma.. Idho vandhutaan paaru, ivanukku enna venumnu ketukko.. (A cup of tea for me, child. See, he is here, ask him too," said Doctor Suresh, beckoning his hand at Raghav, who was just entering the humble restaurant, and then to the table where the father-daughter duo was stalled. He was a tall man scurrying through his early sixties, father of two women—Samhitha was the elder one.
Samhitha shot out an examining glare at Raghav, from the corner of her eyes, "Avanukku Kaapi thaan, idha kekkanumaa? (He needs Coffee, there's no doubt in it.)" she said, dismissing her father's suggestion and walking away from them to place their order.
Raghav had a meek smile on his lips, "Enna Uncle DOB lendhe neenga tea thaana? (Are you used to tea from your date of birth, Uncle?)" he mumbled playfully, earning a chuckle and a slight pat on his shoulder from the old man. When their orders were ready, Raghav helped Samhitha to maneuver the cups to their table as the restaurant offered self-service in the mornings.
Despite their compulsion of taking a ride with them to home, Raghav chose to walk, when they'd wrapped up their discussion in a couple of hours, and the sunlight had started barging in relatively larger tokens.
"Samhitha, get the car out. I will join you shortly," Suresh voiced, flinging the car's keys at his daughter, an inscrutable expression swimming in his eyes, as Raghav had noticed.
She caught the keys deftly, muttering, "Okay Appa."
Suresh brought his arm around Raghav's shoulder to wrap it up, gregariously, "I will let you know once I come back from Lucknow, Raghav." His voice low but tenacious, he stated, when they'd started walking to the entrance of the hotel. "I have something to share with you in private," he continued, with the stern, subtle gaze his eyes had narrowed into. Raghav took his eyes away from Suresh's for a fleeting second at the statement and swivelled them back at his, as he assured. "Sure, uncle."
Mythraeyi was supposed be here at ten, what would she probably do now with time not even eight in the morning, Himani thought as she apprehended the screech of the gates from downstairs. She popped her head out from the first floor's balcony to take a look at the gate. Raghav was marching in from the gate, in his half-trousers and yesterday's black tee-shirt, keeping his face stoic.
"Hey," She called him, looking down at his face that was deprived of his everlasting smile, and in some deep contemplation, but still nice to be seen.
Raghav discovered Himani peeping out from the first floor's patio. "Hi, what are you doing there?" he chuckled, pausing in his tracks. And almost balked, when she brought her arm around to show the broomstick in her hand, as she laughed. "I am just trying to clean a little before Mythu and the kids come. I thought you were sleeping in, didn't know you were out," She came out with it.
Raghav scrunched his eyes at Himani, as if craning his head up at her was becoming hard for him. "Could you please come down to talk," he mumbled lowering his head, and closing his eyes shut. He pointed his finger drawing a line in air, signalling the distance between them, "This is giving me floaters." He clutched his head both of his hands.
Himani dropped the broomstick and puttered around lifting her wrap-around skirt, carefully, to breeze down the spiralling staircase.
They were now seated in the couch, Himani limiting herself in an intact distance from him. "How are you feeling now?" She'd probbed, her voice soft and kind.
Raghav rubbed his sleepless, sunken eyes. "Honestly, I don't know." He had no idea how many times he'd repeat the same answer to everyone who'd been treating him like a miserable teenager from yesterday. He had his trust on people broken, and the shards of it were sprawled everywhere over his heart and mind, giving pins and needles to him.
Himani folded a leg, and steered herself in his direction as of to look at him more intently.
He was quietly leaning at the backrest, his eyes closed, and his hand at his temple trying to pinch the pain out of it. "Who asked you to wake up so early and go out?" She reprimanded, looking at him sharply.
He was still veered on the couch, but had his eyes open at her, "When did I go to sleep to wake up?"
She needed a long haul of fresh breath to handle his cheerless face. This was not what one should get out of making a hall full of people laugh like crazy—this was not what he deserved—he did not do that to get himself broken at it.
The world needed more of what he did, for it was already brimming with what he was going through right now.
Himani gulped the trouble choking in her throat, to bring her voice out.
"Do you want to talk about it, Raghav?" She offered genuinely, lifting her bushy lashes to him.
Raghav gave out an exhausted sigh. "It was a big show, you know?" he uttered, his eyes aimlessly fixed on the blank screen of the TV, opposite to him.
"I am listening, go on." Himani said gently, not taking her eyes off his.
Raghav took his gaze over to her sooty, black eyes, "It was a big show," he said again, regret flickering across his face, he sank his face in the cup of his palms, with his elbows planted on his knees. "Can't believe I was going to fuck it up in wrath." His words were almost like depressed blow of air, with no trace of voice in it.
Himani couldn't hold her hands to herself watching him rave at his suffering. She touched his stiffened shoulder blade lightly, willing it extended him tiny, little comfort. And as if it did, Raghav's voice came out instantly, the effort he had to put to bring words around had lessened, evidently.
He looked up from his hands, his eyes with marks of red in them."Been doing shows in cafes, and studios for long time now, Himani. But having such a hall full of audience—yesterday was the first time."
Himani's heart clenched painfully at his confession. And right at the moment, she felt grateful to herself, for having found out about it before Raghav announced anything in fury; and to Khushi; for having coerced him into doing the show, anyway.
"Samhitha is my sister-in-law, Suhasini's elder sister," Raghav rolled out. "I accompanied her to one of the foster cares outside the city, once. She avails herself at it, once in a month to provide a free mental-health check up to homeless people there." His tone had recovered from the one that sagged when he was just beginning, but he was not in usual self.
Himani did not open her mouth, but just kept looking at him the way she did—with never-failing intent, she realised it was the only way she'd looked at him ever since the beginning.
"The sight was very disturbing. They were all so good, and normal like us yet had a heartbreaking story confined within them. A few of them were people disowned by their own family in spite of their mental illness. A few of them had witnessed suicides in person, and were struggling with it neverendingly." He paused there, as he needed to. Himani didn't know she needed it too, to process what he was explaining, until he did it.
One glance at her, and she blinked encouraging him to continue, "When Samhitha said she was providing them their routine check-ups and medicines, I thought I could share it off, at least by bearing the expenses of medicines she prescribed them—however, I can manage my expenditure without the money I made out of my shows. Never thought people from Haasyam would do this to me." He sounded dry, and completely down in dumps.
Himani took in a sharp inhale at his last sentence. "What have you decided about it, Raghav?" She asked with very little curiosity and a lot of concern.
Raghav sighed out loud. "I don't know, Himani," he mumbled, holding his nape. "Suresh uncle and Samhitha wanted to meet me, and they were as widely awake as I was, so they called me out to join them for coffee."
"Oh."
"We haven't decided anything about proceeding legally. But I won't perform for Haasyam ever after this." Himani knew it shortly right after she'd had heard the story from Khushi, last night—so, it did not astonish her, anyway.
A littlest of smile peeked out of her lips at her own, fresh semi-declaration, as she said it aloud. "So, you could be performing independently, hereafter?"
Raghav laughed at her brow-raised apprehension, noting down the thrill in her face. "I could be. But not any time soon, I need some time."
"Take your time, but just don't stop, okay?"
"What makes you think I'd stop it," he asked shaking his head as if he was amused at her thought.
Himani broke it down to him, "See, I am no one to judge, but with a few stand-up comedy videos I have watched on youtube, I'd say, their jokes are either too elite to relate to, or too artificial and fabricated, or too crass and vulgar," she enlightened him looking into the glory of his brown eyes, "I mean, I don't think anyone can take their parents to their shows and go back home to not being grounded," she said sincerely, making him chuckle at it. What she opined seemed to gush from her heart.
"But yours wasn't like any of theirs. I could see, not only young adults, but so many middle-aged people laugh out at it," She apprised watching his mien slacken gradually at her words. Her lips curled into a half of a smile, she continued, "Although, they were all a little silly and goofy like you, they were genuine."
Raghav nodded his head at her, not at all getting her cue—she just said he was a genuine person.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" After staying calm for five minutes, he had asked it, when Himani was about to get up from the sofa and resume her work.
Her heart felt fuzzy at it as she halted in her track, "Anything," Himani murmured, giving a slight shrug, "You can ask me anything." She beamed at him.
Raghav flashed back a grin, eminent enough to flutter her heart. "Can I have a cup of coffee, if you don't mind?" His eyes narrowed soliciting, he asked.
She was offering him her heart; and this guy was asking for coffee over it.
"Seriyaana coffee paithyam! (Number one coffee freak!)" she grumbled to herself, before she turned aside from him, as she muttered, "No."
Raghav sulked at it, "What? Why?"
"You had a sleepless night, and had your morning dose of coffee and want one more coffee again?" She said, a big scowl taking up her face, as if it was wholly for the sake of his second coffee alone.
"I know," he suspired, running a hand over his tired face, "But, please, ara tumbleraavadhu thaayen, (Please grant me at least half tumbler of coffee.)"
"Ozhi! (Get lost!)"
"Does that mean I am getting it?"
"Wait for fifteen minutes, I need to prepare fresh decoction."
***
Khushi dialled his numbers, as she sank into the couch. She had just woken up, and the first thought that hit her was about Raghav's well-being.
She wanted make sure he'd recouped from his rattled demeanor, he had hauled all over himself last night.
The call was answered in two rings. Khushi started cheerfully, "Raghav, How are—"
Raghav's voice abrupt and haste stricken, cut her off, "Hey, Khushi. I am making coffee with Himani. My decoction is dripping in the coffee filter, gotta look after it. I will call you back later, bye," he darted without any breathing space, and disconnected the call leaving Khushi wide-mouthed.
She sucked in a sharp breath as she removed the phone from her ears, and sat blinking at the screen incredulously, taking his words in. He just hung-up on her—his best friend—for the sake of making coffee with Himani, did he just do that?
Khushi blinked, blinked and blinked, staring at her phone's display with her brows knotting together, until Dev's hand tapped her shoulder.
"What had happened?"
"Dev," Khushi called out, tipping her chin to his face.
He ruffled her hair, tenderly, "What's wrong Khushi?"
"This guy just hung up on me rudely, because he was making coffee with her," she screamed, raising to her heels and scooting to his side. Dev raised an eyebrow at it, asking her a so what.
Khushi resumed her screaming, "Dev, he cut my call for a girl—" she yelled excitedly.
"I don't get you, what's there in it?"
"This ship is starting to sail, Dev," Khushi responded happily screaming, her fists balled tightly with all her excitement unleashing, "I can't believe this is happening so soon."
Dev laughed at his goofball wife. "Khushi, stop getting so excited. They're just making coffee together—"
"—and they're going to make babies together, someday, mark my words, ACP," Khushi let out her voice still shrill, making Dev facepalm.
"Meena needs to learn about it ASAP!"
Texts between Meena and Khushi:
Meena
Meena
Meena
Aii, Khushi. What happened?
Raghav just cut my call stating he is making coffee with Himani.
What? Really? :O
Meena, you bugger. You helped him with Himani's house hoping for something like this to happen, didn't you?
Aiyo, chi! No!
Something is going to happen in Raghav's life, anytime sooner ;)
How're you telling this?
Did you notice he had not mentioned about any other girl ever since he shifted to Himani's. It's only Himani all the time.
:O Fair point.
And, you should've seen Himani's face when she came to me saying Raghav being angry before his show yesterday. Poor girl, she was so troubled.
This is too much for me to take in early in the morning.
Finally, something good is happening in his life.
Is it though?
Ai, come on. They both like each-other—it's mutual.
Tbh, From all that you say, I am convinced to think likewise, too.
Yaaasssss. Let's just sit back and enjoy what happens :')
Raghav's in trouble ;)
A/N:
So, what do you guys think?
Himani is teaching Raghav how to make coffee, LOL.
Quite a lot Tamizh dialogues in this chapter, but pardon me, please. It just sounds original that way. I've tried my best to translate them.
And what do you think about Suresh Uncle and Samhitha.
Cast for Suresh Uncle could be Prakash Raj, here's a picture of him.
Please do tell me what do you think about this shortie chapter in the comments.