They had been waiting to meet since a week now and both had become equally anxious, although Atharva voiced it out more. She didn’t know how to respond and said, “Good night Atharva,” and couldn’t resist adding, “Dream of me.” He dreamily said, “You bet.” The lovebirds spent a sleepless night and couldn’t wait for the next day.
To be continued ….
Shruti reached Mumbai by mid day and headed towards Breach Candy, her mama’s home. She was very fond of them and had practically spent her childhood years there. They were really sweet, especially her mami who had tolerated her tantrums and fulfilled all her wishes. They had a lavish flat right opposite the Breach Candy garden that boasted of a splendid view of the seashore. Shruti felt completely at home here.
She was given a warm welcome and rushed in to meet her nani. But was moved to tears… it was not easy for her to see her beloved nani completely bed ridden. She touched her feet to take her blessings when ba (Nani) inquired about Atharva. Before Shruti could reply, Saroj mami came in and said, “Ba… we are calling him tomorrow for lunch. Give them your blessings then.”
They left her to rest as she was getting feeble. She had already texted Atharva when she reached Mumbai and he had very lovingly messaged, “Welcome home.” Her aunt asked her to call him up and invited him for lunch on Saturday which he accepted.
Shruti had a tête-à-tête with her aunt for a long time, filling in all the details. They spent the evening exploring the elite shops at Nepean sea road, that housed the best outlets for fabrics and Shruti’s eyes shone with excitement. She was as happy as a clam as she had got what she wanted and couldn’t wait to get started.
Atharva, on the other hand, had been slogging himself, as he wanted to anyhow return by Friday night and spend the weekend with Shruti. They didn’t talk much on Friday night as Atharva had been driving back and reached home very late. Shruti was a little disappointed but then perked up thinking about the weekend.
Atharva had a leisurely morning, catching up on his sleep and just relaxing. Shruti had to restrain herself from messaging him as she knew that he needed his rest. Just thinking about him caused a stir, for more reasons than she would admit to herself. She finally had a big broad smile on her face when she did receive a ‘Good morning’ message from him at 10 a.m. She called him up and said, “Hope you had a good sleep. Okay… Listen, please remember to shave.” He replied, “Nope… not today… aaj Saturday hai na.. will do so tomorrow.” Shruti was yet to accept all these norms… it was beyond her to understand the logic but she knew it was pointless arguing with him. She simply shrugged and talked in general, insisting him to be on time.
Shruti was behaving like an excited teenager eager to meet her boyfriend, but come to think of it, this was better than that. They had liberty to be with each other and need not worry about anything. The doorbell rang and she literally sprinted across the living room to open it. It took all her senses to remind her that there were people surrounding them. She simply wished a moment of solitude so that she can hug him tight but no such luck here. He looked as if he had lost a bit of weight, owing to the long working hours. She was dressed to kill that day, in a flowing red Kurti with a yellow bottom. He had an equally tough time restricting himself.
Shruti realised that he was holding an ornately packed box of sweets and offered to take it from him. Atharva didn’t miss a beat and deliberately touched her hands from beneath while passing it. She smirked at his move and stepped aside to let him in. He took blessings of ba, mama and mami and got involved in business talks with mama. In a while, her cousins, Shweta and Rashmi also joined in. Both her cousins had fun pulling her leg and telling Atharva all they could about her childhood and they had a good light hearted conversation.
The lunch was a lavish affair, as the youngest son in law had been invited and they left no stone unturned, with a number of delicacies and savouries served. He thoroughly enjoyed the royal treatment and duly praised mami for all her efforts. Amidst talks and discussions, it was almost 2 hours by the time they were done, when Atharva sought their permission to take a leave. Ba gave him a gold coin as a token which he politely refused to accept, saying it was getting too much. But then of course, they didn't agree and he had no choice.
Shruti stuffed some last minute things lying around and packed her bags. They all bid farewell with promises to meet up sometime soon and departed in his SUV. They had barely begun their journey, when Shruti mentioned, “Snowman’s ice cream! Yummm… I am too stuffed at present otherwise would have definitely loved to relish their chocolate chip sundae..” Atharva steered the car towards left to park and got down saying, “Hold on.”
He refused to listen to her protests and came back in 5 mins. She shook her head and commented, “You don’t listen at all… do you?” He dismissed, “I firmly believe that ice cream has a separate compartment in our stomach… can easily fit in. Anyways, we are sharing… so shouldn’t be a problem.” Shruti grinned and wryly commented, “An enthusiastic foodie’s logic.”
They relished the ice cream more as being fed by your beloved increases the pleasure manifold. Once done, they zoomed ahead. Shruti again brought up the issue of sleeping alone when Atharva mentioned, “At least for this visit, the problem is solved. Shankar is traveling… so you can accompany bhabhi in her room.”
Shruti was relieved to hear that, although it would definitely come up in the future when she comes back. She casually discussed with him about her plans and he let her know about the progress of his work. He said, “The second lot of machines are expected in about 10 days.. hopefully would be easier and quicker this time.”
It was the end of July. It was as if the rains had gone on a short vacation and returned with all vigour. It started pouring incessantly and the streets were flooded within no time. Atharva was carefully manoeuvring the car through the rains. It took them more than an hour to reach home. In spite of having an umbrella, it was no use and both got lil wet while trying to get down. He took just one bag that she would need immediately and rushed towards the elevator. He advised, “Better change your clothes once you reach.” She couldn’t resist, “You always have a bag full of advices, don’t you?” He bit his lip, “I have a bag full of ideas as well, how about implementing a few?”
Shruti waited for the lift to stop and almost ran inside the house. He chuckled and shook his head. She took the blessings of her in laws and greeted Preksha. Both Atharva and Shruti declined to have anything as they were quite full. Mr Shah got a call from his close friend, and they decided to pay him a visit. Preksha chatted to her for sometime and said, “Hope you don’t mind having masala rice for tonight as Isha is not well and I need to take her to the doctor right away.” She murmured, “Oh Okay… it’s really not a problem .. don’t worry.” She helped her in the kitchen as much as she could, and Preksha left taking Isha to the paediatric.
Atharva had behaved very courteously till then, but as soon as they left, she suddenly saw a shift in his mood. It was as if, the family had all left on cue and they had the house to themselves, at least for a while. Shruti felt nervous as hell, when Atharva came and sat beside her. He purposely wrapped his arm around her waist, when she instinctively tried to yank away, feeling those same sensations taking over. But this time, Atharva held her firmly, whispering in her ears, “I love it that you are sensitive over there, but better be prepared for many more sensations. I had promised myself not to lose control… but you make me go insane enough to forget those promises.” He cupped her face in his hands and made her look up, “I can feel the anxiety in you Shru.. it’s just that you don’t exhibit.” Saying so, he gently kissed her forehead and hugged her tight. She relented and let herself feel the bliss of his embrace at last.
They couldn’t hug tight enough, nothing could compensate for the time that they had stayed apart. They both walked towards their room, intending to savour the precious moments.
Their hands were having a will of their own, exploring and worshiping with a lot of urgency. He gently brushed his cheek with hers, and she let out a moan. It was more than she could bear, when he mumbled throatily, “See? The stubble is not so bad.” She was in no condition to protest and took the initiative to steal a kiss that she had been yearning for since so long. He was pleased that she couldn’t hold back and was just as desperate.
He let her open up, smiling at the thought that she was a good learner. They spent a considerable time kissing each other, when Atharva moved his face to kiss the nape of her neck. She was in for another series of fireworks as never in her life had she imagined that a kiss over there could electrify her body so. She involuntarily held his back tight, her long nails digging in deep.
She ran her hands through his hair and shut her eyes tight. His needs spiralled like a rocket at her response and he needed to feel her, desperately. While still nibbling, his hands wandered down, lightly brushing them across her bosom. She felt as if a storm rose beneath her skin. When he ran a fingertip over the peak, she actually trembled, pleading him to stop. They were running along the edge of fantasies, learning the hidden truths yet to be revealed and revelled in the feel of each curve.
to be continued...
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