Dear Reader,
Please read till the end. There is something interesting at the end of the chapter under the Announcements section. Happy Reading!
Silver baubles, dangly stars, fairy lights decorated the evergreen tree and the smell of freshly baked cookies filled the atmosphere around Shree's apartment. It was Christmas Eve morning.
Shree was busy mixing butter and sugar together to make the third batch of cookies when the doorbell rings. Olivera and Nick were busy wrapping the cookies. She wipes her hand and runs to answer the door.
"Hey!" Madhav waves at her enthusiastically. He gives Shree a vibrant bouquet of red and yellow tulips. "I checked out of that hotel, just as you asked me to. So, for the rest of my trip I will be here in this -mmm, what's that divine smell?"
He walks into the apartment with a big suitcase in his hand. Madhav had gone back to London the evening after finding Shree in Lewisham. He spent the whole night packing his belongings. He checked out of the hotel and returned back to her on the eve of Christmas. Just as he promised.
"I was hoping you'd return in the afternoon." She says holding the bouquet in her hands.
"Nah. I couldn't stay away from you and my kannamma for that long. I checked out immediately after sunrise. Oh, guess what? I got my wallet and passport back. The local police said they caught the thief who stole from me." He says as he walks in. "Also, I brought a really cute reindeer antler headband for Madhu. Hey Olive! Is that Nick? Good to see you again mate!"
"You look so cheerful." Shree says amused as he goes into her room.
"I'm going to be staying here with you and Madhu for the next 144 hours." He says lying on the bed. "Six whole days"
"So, are you leaving after six days?" Shree asks sitting next to him.
"I can't stay here for long, chellam." He says sitting up. "I need to go back to India. I've stayed away from work for a long time. I'll really miss you and Madhu."
"Promise me that you'll message me every day." She says.
"Promise, but please unblock me from social media and save my number " He says and Shree chuckles. "I'll call you on Skype on the weekend. We can chat throughout the weekend- I mean if you have time."
"I'll be looking forward for your video call." She whispers with a smile.
"Wonderful." He adds. "Also, I have been working on your financial statements. I'm almost done. Just give me an hour and some cookies- I'll finish it off."
"Wow that was fast." Shree says surprised.
"That's me, baby." He says as he opens his suitcase to get his laptop. "Also, I need a dinner date in return for this favour. You know, like two good friends."
"You want to take me out for dinner?" He nods. "I don't think it's going to be easy with Madhu-"
"How about a dinner date here?" He says looking at her. "We can dress up. I'll cook something nice and we can eat it in the dining room."
"That sounds nice." She says. "Also, Olivera is going to spend Christmas at Nick's so we have the place all to ourselves. She'll be leaving in the evening."
"That's great! Also, I got you a really nice dress." He says as he looks into his suitcase. He pulls out a bag with the words 'ALEXANDER MCQUEEN' embossed on it. "Merry Christmas."
"OMG Alexander McQueen is the brand-" She says surprised.
"The brand that the Duchess of Cambridge wears regularly." He finishes. Shree opens the bag to find a gorgeous embossed mid-length dress in red with a flared skirt and no sleeves. She runs her fingers on the rayon-viscose blended fabric. "I would really happy if you wore this tonight."
"This is amazing." She says in awe. She looks at him and sees him smiling brightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I-I-I-I got you something too. I was hoping to give it to you after midnight, but I guess this is the best time."
She opens the cupboard and pulls out a white bag and gives it to him. "Merry Christmas to you."
He opens the bag to find a dark blue flannel shirt with white plaids and white buttons.
"I love it." He says as he looks at her.
* * * * *
It was almost 10PM. After she had fed Madhu, she proceeded to have a long soothing bath. She changed into the dress that Madhav brought for her. Shree hums softly as she brushes her hair. The dress fit her perfectly, even with the postpartum stomach and her widened hips.
She opened the Carte D'Or ice-cream container that rest on her vanity. She pushed the earrings inside the container until she found the small and simple silver hoop earrings that she brought at faculty fundraiser.
She looks at the simple vanity in the corner of her room to find a box that didn't belong to her. She opens the box to find a simple and plain heart shaped pendant necklace. She smiles as she picks it and clips it around her neck.
She opens the small drawers of her vanity to find the bright pink lipstick she had. She pushes the little boxes and the bottles of perfumes as she looks for it. She stops as she finds a small colorful rounded jeweled box in a far corner of her drawer. She takes it and wipes the dust with her fingers. As she opens the box, she finds her mangalsutra. She remembers how she took it off her neck many months ago, locked it away in that box, which lay in the dark corner of her drawer, collecting dust.
Memories of the auspicious mahurat when Madhav tied it on her neck comes flooding to her mind. She could still remember every little detail.
He had a warm smile throughout the ceremony and each time he looked at her, she'd blush. Her heart was leaping within her chest as the love of her life reached forth to get it when the priest offered it to him. Madhav was leaning closer than required as he tied it around her neck. She still could smell his spicy after shave and how his breath fell against her face.
Shree smiles as she closes it and keeps the box in the drawer; this time in a middle of the drawer.
She applies the lipstick and after one final look in the mirror, she walks into the living room.
The dining table was set for two. He had dimmed the lights. The only source of light was from the brilliantly decorated Christmas tree and the beautiful red candles that were lit on the table. Mistletoes were hanging from the ceiling- something Nick and Olivera attached as an excuse to snog each other without a proper reason. 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' by Mariah Carey was playing on loop.
Shree could see him move about in the kitchen. She softly peeped into the kitchen. Madhav was wearing the shirt she got for him. He was in the kitchen cooking something for both of them to eat.
"He's more handsome in this than I had expected." She says to herself and he turns to her.
"Hey, I'm almost done with the sambhar- OH MY MATA you look divine." He says in admiration. "I knew you'd look beautiful in this dress, but wow-"
"Thank you for the compliment and the necklace." She says smiling.
"Didn't you get my other gift?" He asks lifting an eyebrow at her. "I kept something for you on the couch."
Shree turned quickly and hurried towards the couch. On top of the couch was a very big bouquet of pink tulips.
"What's with you and the tulips, honestly?" She asks as she picks it up. He smiles from the kitchen as he gives the sambhar a final stir. "I love them, Madhav."
Madhav made Shree's favourite masala dhosai with vegetable sambhar for dinner. They ate quietly, exchanging glances and commenting on the food. She saw adoration in Madhav's eyes every time she glanced at him.
After dinner they sat on the couch together chatting.
"Sivaji and I had a lot of chits hidden inside our socks." Madhav says. "Anu was too modest to cheat. She'd rather fail than attempt to cheat at an exam. Such a Granger."
Shree chuckles.
"Have you ever cheated during an exam?" He asks looking at her eagerly.
"Actually Ahaana, Nabha and I had a hard time with 10th Science. We went to the exam hall with a lot of cleverly hidden chits."
"You had it inside your pockets, right?" Madhav asks teasingly.
"That was Ahaana." Shree corrected him laughing. "Nabha and I had it hidden somewhere really hard to look. Somewhere they wouldn't even think of."
"You hid it inside your brassiere." Madhav concludes and Shree shakes her head. "That was Nabha. I had it hidden--inside my underwear."
"Ewww, Shree!" Madhav exclaims partly astonished. "That's crazy, but also very risky."
"I'm an expert at taking risks." She proudly says.
He snorts. "Did you know? In our first year, someone sold Anu a potted plant. She was growing it in her guest house. She didn't know about the species. But Sivaji and I were quick in identifying the species. Cannabis sativa indica-"
"Marijuana?"
"Yeah. She was unsettled when she found out." Madhav says. "So, Sivaji and I took it with us to the boys hostel. We actually planned to dispose it, but we realized we could make so much money out of it. We did. We delivered marijuana anonymously to fellow hostellers. We earned more than 20 grand each month."
"Whoa! The CEO of Ramakrishna Group of Companies was involved in a drug cartel?"
"Not proud of it, but we put that money to good use." Madhav clarifies. "I enrolled myself into the CA course. Anu and Sivaji saved that money to spend a full week at a Goa Resort."
"That's so daring but imagine what would have happened if you three got caught."
"We were so close to getting caught." He says and Shree gasps. "I'll tell you all about it another day."
"We should write a book about your adventures as an anonymous drug dealer. You can be India's lite version of Pablo Escobar." She says and he laughs.
"His wife said he had a naughty smile and looked at her so romantically. He was said to be a very passionate lover; a humanitarian." He says looking at the Christmas tree. He looks back at Shree. "He also loved his wife and his daughter. He burnt two million US dollars to keep them warm on a very cold winter night."
"Two million?" Shree asks surprised and he gets up. He changes the song that was being played. A new song had started, one by Meghan Trainor, one that Shree had listened to so many times she had it memorized. He smiles that charming smile of his and walks towards her.
"After he tossed the crisp notes into the flaming fire, he walked to his wife with that charming smile." Madhav leant closer, extending his hand towards her. "She was blushing for their daughter was watching, but Pablo did not care. He extended his hand and asked- may I have a dance with this beautiful lady?"
"Are you asking me, Mr. Ramakrishna?" She asks puzzled.
"Yes, Ms. Prasad. May I have a dance with you?" He whispers and she gives him her hand. She rests her other hand on his arm, feeling the muscular bicep through the flannel shirt.
Shree blushes as their fingered weaved together. In the semi- darkeness, with the lights that came from the Christmas tree, she noticed Madhav's face start to become a slight shade of pink. He slid his arm across her back, pulling her closer. Madhav felt her warmth radiate through his flannel shirt. He rests his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent. He rested his head comfortably beside hers, and Shree felt like melting into a puddle.
Together they swayed back and forth. Her chest felt like bursting, and she had to keep reminding herself that it was just a dance between two friends, and nothing more. She shut her eyes and lost herself in the moment. The music filled his soul, the feeling of her in his arms, the smell of her hair. She belonged to him, and he belonged to her. The song finishes and a new one starts to play; Christmas Time Is In The Air Again by Mariah Carey.
It was the song that would remember both of them of the Christmas they spent a year ago.
A year ago, he had taken her to Budapest. It was their first ever Christmas together. Crisp white snow in every direction they turned. Ice gently blankets on the sidewalks and streets. Everything looked like an unfinished painting, with all that white, as if it were waiting for the artist to return and resume painting. Shree, was mesmerized, having never experienced winter before. Madhav loved how Shree looked at the snow in awe. He admired how she looks at him with a bright smile, snow on her hair and her nose. She was adamant on wearing his old winter jacket, which was too big for her.
They would spend the whole morning cuddled in bed, exchanging kisses and whispering confessions of love. They enjoyed feeding each other with chocolate and Hungarian wine, kissing each other and giggling like teenagers.
Every evening, they strolled together arm-in-arm around Budapest's Christmas market stalls that sold steamy lángos, raspberry palinka, cinnamon-flecked chimney cakes, souvenirs and local handicrafts.
They sipped on warm creamy cappuccinos in local cafes as they fed each other the delicious flódni cake they brought. They even went ice skating. She kept slipping and Madhav, who was surprisingly very good at it, had to hold her really close. She held on to him as they skated together in the City Park lake which was in front of the Vajdahunyad Castle.
In the night they watched romantic movies, wrapped around in many blankets, fondling, and caressing each other. By the last stroke of midnight, they would be underneath so many piles of blankets sleeping peacefully, their clothes lying on the cold marbled floor. The silence was perfect, to allow only their beating hearts speak. His heartbeat was indeed a lullaby she adored. His breath was flying through her untied hair like a gentle breeze. His hard chest made the most comfortable pillow. She snuggles over him and buries her face in his shoulder, shifting a little like a cat trying to find the best sleeping position.
Her tears fall on his flannel. She looks up and sees Madhav trying to fight the tears that welled up in his eyes. He clears his throat as he notices her eyes on him.
"Blimey, will you look at that?" He asks as he looks up at the ceiling. "We've been standing under the mistletoe!"
She looks at him. Last year Madhav taught her that it was customary to share a kiss if one was standing underneath the mistletoe with another person. Refusing a kiss would result in bad luck.
Shree takes a step closer to him, stands on her toes and holds his face with both her hands. They stood very close, their thighs were brushing against each other's. She smiles at him sweetly, and slowly, gently she placed a kiss onto the corner of his mouth. His hands went to her waist, and he leaned down, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth.
The clock strikes twelve and outside fireworks started to burst.
"Merry Christmas, Chellam." He murmurs.
"Merry Christmas, Madhav." She whispers.
He held her rosy cheek and brought his lips towards hers and closed his eyes passionately. Shree wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. They came closer, as the distance between their lips decreased lightly and then quickly.
He was about to kiss her lips. Shree pulls away from him as she heard Madhushree start to cry.
Shree runs into her room and takes Madhu into her arms. She starts to sway her gently.
"What happened?" Madhav asks as he comes into Shree's bedroom.
"She must have woken up for the sound of the fireworks." Shree says rubbing Madhu's back as her cries started to die down, dying down to sniffles and a runny nose.
Shree walks to the bed and sits, holding Madhu in her lap. Madhav sat beside her and Madhu extends her chubby arms towards him. Shree lets Madhu crawl towards Madhav.
Madhav carries Madhu into his arms, pressing a kiss to her head.
"Are you okay, kannamma?" He asks and Madhu babbles as she puts her fingers into her mouth, looking at her father with her big black eyes. He smiles and turns to look at Shree. Her face was the same shade of red. She was looking at her hands, lost in thought.
He holds her hand and she turns to look at him. inches close to her and presses a slow lingering kiss to her temple.
She smiles and presses a kiss to his cheek.
To be continued...
Glossary
To be added later
Stay in touch! I'll see you soon with Chapter 40!
Keep the votes and the comments flowing!
-What is Madhav trying to say by giving Shree so many tulips? What's so special about tulips?
-What did you like about this chapter?
-Do you miss how close Shree and Madhav used to be?
-Do you secretly wish they kissed?
Announcement
Dear Readers here's that exciting news....
Shree and Madhav have their own Instagram account now! Follow us to get news about chapters and to see what's cooking in their lives!