Words Count - 2938

Attached Song - Where we started?
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[Surfraaz Mehta]

She slapped me hard!

"You are really an idiot." She hugged me hard, standing up on her knees.

"Who disappears like this for three months, You Duffer?" She screamed at me.

"See, I am back for you." I engulfed her in my arms and she rested her body on lap, her legs dangling down the bed on my both sides.

Softly pressing my lips on her hair for a few seconds, I patted her back gently. I gripped her waist in both my palms to place her on the bed again. In the process, her knee brushed against my inner thigh lightly, that excited me to an extreme extent. My hold on her waist was tightening more.

To quickly shut my shooting up excitement, I handled her in my arms and made her lay on the fluffy mattress, still sealing my eyes.

"Neha" I gasped as my palm came in contact with her bare waist and a shudder ran through her, under me. Suddenly, the room temperature felt like going up unbelievably.

"Did I land on Sahara Desert by mistake?" I wondered in my mind.

Removing the blanket from my body, I covered her. That was when I saw her properly. She was wearing my blue shirt and the long, loose fitted sleeves folded neatly around her slim wrist. The first two buttons were undone, giving me a clear view of the initial partition of her chest.

My lips felt dry in an instant, rotating my tongue on my lips, I was going down when a cute voice halted me.

"It's just 5:30 am, Sleep here." Saying this, she showed me a cute pout, which melted me like butter on a heated pan. I slept beside her again.

Her hand glided over my chest smoothly and stayed just above my heart, as if counting it's rythym. Her face was deep buried in my chest, when I heard her muffled mumbling.

"Why didn't you kiss me till now?" I vaguely heard. I held her chin up and looked at her with a raised brow. Showing me her tongue, she hovered over me and slept snuggling to me, sleeping on my chest.

I felt a feathery kiss on my exposed neck and grabbed her waist tighter as it tickled me a bit.

Wrong move, Neha!, I mumbled under my ragged breath. My patience was getting thinner and thinner.

Climbing over her, I clutched her both wrists above her head. I could feel her racing heartbeats too. That was the point, I officially lost it.

Inhaling a deep breath, I touched her cheeks with my lips ever so gently blowing some air, near her ears. She was just giggling under me. I traced the outline of her neck with the tip of my nose. Kissing the junction of her neck and chest, I slept on her, crushing her with my weight.

"You still didn't kiss me." She struggled under me.

"I won't, Poco loco.", I mumbled to her as an answer. Her face turned gloomy and she pushed me away. I rested my head on my hand with the support of my elbow to see her.

"Where are your going, Neha?" I yelled behind her.

Following her like a love sick puppy, I was about to step inside the room she entered, when the door slammed close and hurt my nose.

My poor red nose!

Gently patting and caressing my petty nose, I knocked on the door but no one intended to open, so I thought to help myself.

Taking a round of the house, I stood infront of the house pillar. I can't thank my Dad enough for this best suggestion ever.

"Dad, why are you not eating ?" Both Viraj and I asked our sulking Dad spontaneously and then, spared each other a look.

We both were not that close, just roommates, who stayed under a roof.

Making a crying face, he replied, "I want my wife to cook for me and feed me. Or else, I am not eating anything."

Viraj and I shared a look and jumped off the chair we were sitting, while laughing.

"Dad, you are hilarious."

"Dad, you are behaving as if Maa always fed you food like a baby." We said and rolled down again.

"Yes, I am her first baby. Don't you dare laugh at me. I told Smita, 'Let's not make babies' now. See such useless kids I have, who sent my Smita to her maternal house." He sulked even more.

"Dad, now stop all this drama." We screamed clutching our stomach and wiping our tears.

"You will understand my pain when your wife's brother will stand as a wall between you and your wife." He whined even more. We were biting our lips not to laugh once again, but failed miserably.

"Okay, Dad. Command your children, how can they be useful to you." We both bowed down as if he was Napolean Bonarparte, and we were his comrades.

"Let's climb the pillar." We three climbed on it and reached on Maa's room safely. We both were doing our respective work sitting on the balcony, giving the seemingly newly wedded couple, their privacy.

He heard a commotion outside and leaving me inside, my Dad and brother climbed down.

A sharp kick landed on my butt. When I saw the person, I yelled, "I'm not a thief, I am your nephew. My Maa's favourite son."

He looked sorry and I could hear loud laughters of my father and brother downstairs. But, as soon a glare from my maternal uncle landed on my Dad, he stood up straight and looked everywhere except Maa.

"So, Viraj Beta what about Sinha's offer?" He asked in a hurry with animated hand gestures as if he would build a business empire now and there.

That was my and Maa's turn to laugh at him.

As I reached the balcony climbing up the gym room, where she was currently. I saw her seated on the swing, her long light brown tresses bouncing with her to and fro movements.

Her grey loose tee was hanging loosely on her perfectly drawn body, exposing her andomen and a tight pant. With a headphone attached to her ears, she was busy listening music. How can I forget the her college days' hobby!

I too joined her in dancing, swinging my legs with her. The world seemed to fade away and there seemed to be only two of us together, staring and drowning in each other's eyes. I raised my arm and draped my arm around her, plugging one of her earbuds into my ear. My lips brushed against her cheeks, calling for another shudder in her.

"I am angry." She told and tried to walk past me, but I caught her wrist on the right moment and stopped her.

"You only listen to songs when you are confused and angry, I know." I whispered near her neck, softly grazing on her soft flesh.

"Where were you these 3 months ?" Hearing it coming from her mouth, I stiffened. I knew that would come in a day or two, but I had literally no answers to this particular question. I don't want to lie, nor can I say her the truth as it is a confidential matter.

I raised my hand to tangle it with her dark brown locks which were messed up after swinging for long.

Parting her long hairs to the other side, I pecked the meeting point of her earlobe and nape as my arms circled around her waist closing the distance between our bodies.

"I will surely tell you when the right time comes. Just have a little patience, mi ninã." I hushed near her ear and turned her to face me.

Her almond shaped eyes were closed and her lips were parted a bit.

Is this that golden time to kiss her?, My dramatic brain interuppted.

Many thoughts were swirling around my head, making things fuzzy and fazed. I was leaning leisurely towards her to close the gap all together, if that was even possible.

I knew, she too wanted me as much I wanted her. But again, I was really afraid that she would again term everything between us as 'attraction' or 'lust', or maybe in the worst case, she would regret it and would start to ignore me.

I leaned to her face with sealed eyelashes to feel it and drowned myself more to interlink our lips. As soon as my lips brushed against her glossy and soft ones, my breath hitched. I was maddened with the sparks that transpired between us in a jiffy.

My body hairs were excited, as they stood still. I was already hard for her by just a mere contact of her lips. Was she also feeling the same as I did ?

My emotions were on uproar as my hormones were celebrating a feast. My hand fervently travelled upwards, all the way caressing her back that was guarded by the thin grey fabric of the loose tee.

In the process, a gasp left her mouth and her grip on my t-shirt tighened more. That's it, I wanted to kiss her!

Mustering up enough courage, I pushed her to the nearby wall and enclosed her in my arms. My hand rested on her neck as my thumb kept running over the velvety texture of her white skin. I was just a centimetre away, when my cellphone rang and the door was banged at the same time.

Pulling away from her, reluctantly, I immediately stretched my shirt and ran my fingers through my hair gingerly. Slowly I slid the door open to see Viraj was standing there, playing with the platinum band on his ring finger, quite nervously.

"What's the matter?" I asked, as it was quite unusual, seeing a sight of Viraj, being a nervous wreck.

"Uhmm, I don't know what to do." He mumbled, incoherently.

"Okay, but what it is about?" I asked him as Neha stood next to me.

"Sheispregnant." He spoke up in a single breath, making it quite unclear.

"Slow down. Come again, Bhai?"

"Kiara is pregnant!" I was stunned for a moment, hearing him reveal that information. As the words sank in me, I hugged him hard and patted his back.

"Congratulations, brother. I am so happy for you. Why are you so scared about it?" I exclaimed out of sheer surprise and gleam. He smiled in relief.

I have always been fond of kids from my childhood. Now seeing Viraj so happy, I too wanted to have one of my own. Thinking about the same, I glanced at Neha for once. But, seeing the bitterness wrapping her visage, my smile dropped and somehow my hopes crumbled down.

Did she still dreamt of having Viraj in her life?

Shaking my thoughts, I swallowed the lump that was collected in my throat with the thought. Clenching my jaw and fisting my fingers, I trailed down the stairs to the living room.

Spotting my dearest Bhabhi, I hugged her tightly and whispered a congratulations. She just smiled and that was quite unusual for a girl, who always laughs. Just a smile!

"Hey, go and hug your wife. Spare my only wife." Bhai yelled at me, grabbing Bhabhi securely in his arms. We both were fighting when Maa came to the living room, hearing the chaos.

In the next moment, I was down, on the floor and doing 50 sit ups as a punishment.

Maa kept counting the numbers of sit ups I did, while the three in the room were laughing like idiots.Unsympathetic fools !

As I sighed after she counted 50, my ear was pulled by Maa, making me to release a screeching scream with agony.

"Explanation?" She raised her brows.

"Maa, leave my ear, please. I can't say you the reason. You know something more important?" I tried to divert the topic and it kind of worked.

"You are going to become a grandmother soon. " I squealed and circled her in my arms, gripped her merrily. Her eyes had misted by now, her face screamed the extent of happiness, she was experiencing.

"Neha is pregnant?" She asked expectantly, resulting me and Neha to cough out loudly.

"No Maa, Bhabhi is pregnant." I spoke loudly.

She hugged Kiara and Bhai, my eyes too teared up seeing them so happy. That was when, I figured out Neha was missing.

Excusing myself from there, I found our room door slightly open, upon entering inside I saw it was vacant. Reaching the balcony, I saw her sitting alone. Ear phones plugged into her ear and a wire along with the ear bud of a side, hanging down on the bench carelessly.

Taking a close look on the screen of her phone, I felt my heart sinking to the depths of pain. My eyes were heavy with the tears, ready to rain. I cursed myself yet again, for weaving our future family together, yet again.

She was so busy adoring her engagement picture with Viraj, so longingly that, she didn't even trace my presence for once. Slithering outside, I sighed as soon as I reached the terrace.

Will something ever bloom between us? Why can't I understand her well?

Slowly, my eyes shut close wondering over the uncertainty, into oblivion.

×  ×

As gentle breeze tossed my hair, and the faint smell of the blooming flowers of the Japanese flowering Quince greeted my nose. The purple and saffron reddened sky was indeed a delight to my eyes to be sighted first thing in the morning.

It's been a week, I have started sleeping here at night again. Soon enough, a week passed with the least sum of conversations, we have ever had.

I had decided that day, that this time, it will be her, who would approach me to carry us to the next level, not the other way around.

Though, I missed sleeping and waking up beside her, with her head pressed against my chest, still some things are really better, while admired from afar. And, that was her for me.

My ears vibrated with the continuous ringing of my phone, kept aside the pillow. Who the hell calls anyone before 5:00 am?

I received the call, without checking the caller ID. Soon, a loud scream made me to flinch back.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEETHEART, MY LOVE, MY LIFELINE, MY BABY, MY JAAN."

A smile rooted itself on my visage, hearing my three girls shouting over the phone. These three grew so fast, and see, how grown up they are now.

"I LOVE YOU THREE SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MY LIFELINES." I replied back, wiping away the tears from the nook of my eyes. Chatting for a while on the video call, I descended down to the ground floor, seeing the text from the first one, who wished me. My childhood best friend.

Bhabhi wished me with a smile and pushed a Gulaab Jamun inside my mouth. Bhai stood there admiring the scene and then passed on some papers to me after wishing me.

I couldn't believe, he gave me the papers of the plot of land, that I wanted to make my own hospital. Grinning at him, I wrapped my arms around him and he gave me a pat on my shoulder.

"I know, you can do it. I believe in your potentials. Trust me, I am so proud of you. " He said smiling all the while, his eyes glistening with honesty.

"We are proud of you." I heard Maa say, this was all I wanted in my life. To make them proud. Bhai, Bhabhi, and Maa, joined us in a family hug. This was the best birthday, I have ever had in my entire life.

Dad, I miss you!

We all sat on the dining table quickly as the whole house was bustling with the fragrance of my favourite delicacies. I was waiting for the certain someone to wish me too. I was really excited on what she was going to gift me today.

I saw Neha, travelling down in a beautiful bottle green coloured saree and it quite complimented with my white shirt and grey pants.

She smiled at everyone and sat down next to Maa, straight to me. Only today, I wanted her to sit beside me and treat me as a friend, if not a husband. Seeing no moves from her side, I served myself and started eating with a little dejected heart. Still, I knew she would wish me soon.

But, how much of a fool was I?

She too began to eat and in the middle of the breakfast, she finally asked, "Maa, you made the breakfast. Is there something special today?"

I could hear the cracking sound of my tiny hope, that was illuminated till now, but extinguished at this point. I signalled everyone not to inform her.

Quickly finishing my plate, I stood up to leave for the hospital.

"There's nothing special today, Neha." I mumbled, audible enough for her to hear as I left the table.

Though, I never expected her to wish me, still I was hurt. Maybe, I still had  expectations from her.

It's a fact, expectations lead to excruciating pain.

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