Sailee stirred in bed, as the soft chirps and gentle sunlight awakened her from her peaceful slumber. She turned around and found Sachin sleeping as peacefully as she did, on the mat on the floor next to her.
Ever since they had come to visit Aaji, it had been nothing but bliss and happiness for them. Everyone greeted her with such love, knowing she was Sachin's wife.
It was all so different from the city, especially from their house. Back home, she'd be the only one doing all the work. But here, she had Shanti Tai who wasn't letting her set a finger down to work, Aaji who treated her like a fragile flower.
And Sachin?
It was as if Sachin was a whole different person away from home.
He told her to take the cot because she wouldn't be used to sleeping on the cold floor of the village. He showed her around the village with a child-like happiness. He massaged her feet in her sleep when he noticed they were too swollen from walking all around the village. He even scolded Shanti Tai when Sailee's face got swollen from cooking over the chulha for the first time.
And he never took credit for anything.
And she let him think that she wasn't aware of all his acts of service, but she noticed. She noticed it all.
There was no stress, anger, blaming her for their sorrows. None at all. It was as if her husband got exchanged at the temple after those rituals.
But somewhere in her heart, she always knew that this version of her husband was the true version of him. Whatever he was back at home was because of the people in his home.
And she enjoyed seeing him like this. Care-free yet caring at the same time, not having to mask his true self. She wished he'd stay the same all the time.
"Aise subah subah mat ghoor mujhe." Sachin mumbled in his sleep, and Sailee snapped out of her thoughts, only to find his eyes still closed.
Sailee didn't say anything, wondering hie she got caught, until he said again, half-asleep, "Bolegi nahi iska yeh matlab nahi ki mai nahi jaanta tu ghoor rahi thi. Janta hu ki tereko handsome pati mila hai, ghoorne ka pura haq hai. Shirt-birt utaar du tere liye?"
Sailee threw a pillow at him, giggling as she woke up for the day and went to take a shower.
Sachin caught the pillow, hugging it as he slept, when a few water droplets sprinkled on his face, disrupting his sleep.
"Ab toh shirt utaarni padegi na?" Her sweet voice giggled, as he cracked his eyes open to see her.
Agaisnt the shining light, she sat in front of him, fresh out of the shower, the saree clinging to her in all the right places, her wet hair dangling around her shoulders as she sprinkled him with water from the same hair, giggling with mischief in her eyes.
Never did Sachin believe that a sight like this would be something he'd ever be lucky to have.
She didn't realise it, but what was innocent teasing to her was what turned Sachin on, and there was only one way to quench that thirst of his.
Which was a boundary he hadn't even set foot in yet.
"Teri toh-" Sachin caught hold of her wrists and swiftly turned them over, pinning her between himself and the floor, as she continued to giggle.
"Bohot ang mein masti chadh rahi hai tereko? He asked her mischievously, and she nodded her head, as his hands creeped to her waist.
"Abhi dikhata hai tereko-" He warned her, his fingers reaching around her waist, as she erupted into fits of laughter.
"Sachin, nahi!" Sailee giggled, as he tickled her, and she squirmed below him, trying to push him off and possibly kick him because he knew she was very ticklish.
And yet he decided to use it against her.
Sachin pinned her wrists above her head with one hand, until it dawned in him, the position they were in. He stared directly into her eyes, their noses touching, an inch's gap between their lips. His gaze wandered down to her lips and back upto her eyes, as the smile slowly disappeared from her face.
Sailee was suddenly hyper-aware of their bodies pressed up against each other, her breath quickening as she was now weirdly ticklish in very different spots of her body.
Her wet hair had managed to stick across her cheek in the process of tackling his tickles. Sachin slowly swiped the hair out from her face, tucking it behind her ear, his glance shifting between her eyes and lips.
His thumb gently swiped across her cheeks, barely grazing over lips and settling there, pits of nervousness settling in their stomachs.
They hadn't ever been this close to each other, and it was making them nervous, because they weren't sure how to proceed with these newfound feelings of attraction.
A loud slam pulled them out of their moment, as a swift 'Aga bai!' made them turn their heads towards the bedroom door, now wide open with Shanta Tai turning around to give them privacy.
Sailee pushed Sachin to the floor and quickly stood up, fixing her saree and joining Shanti Tai, flustered and red in the face, ushering her out and closing their bedroom door behind her, leaving Sachin high and bothered.
"Maine disturb kiya?" Shanti Tai asked, teasingly.
Sailee glared at her, wiggling her nose in disappointment and mumbling "Haa", making a beeline for the kitchen, leaving Shanti snickering behind her.
....
The sky above cracked and poured, flooding the village roads. Somwhere, in some corner, kids were making paper boats and racing them down the water stream. Others were jumping in the puddles and rejoicing the monsoon.
Sailee looked outside the window, and a huge smile spread across her face, as she quickly left whatever she was doing and raced outside in the pouring rain.
Sachin called out for Sailee, wondering where she was, until he passed by the entrance and remained rooted to his spot.
There she was, laughing and giggling with the kids in the rain, turning into their shadows, jumping in the puddles and stretching her arms out, facing up towards the pouring rain.
She was drenched, completely drenched within a matter of seconds, and Sachin knew that this naazuk kali wife was going to catch a cold that night, all because of her impulsive decisions.
But he couldn't help and cross his arms across his chest, leaning against the doorframe, just admiring her from afar.
She had a child-like innocence in her eyes, the kind that could never do harm to anyone, the kind that lights up in curiosity, the kind that only knows how to love.
Sailee stopped spinning in the rain, and noticed Sachin looking at her from the entrance.
"Sachin!" She called out, waving for him to come get drenched in the rain. Sachin simply nodded, staying rooted to his spot.
Sailee made a face, and stomped towards him, grabbing his hand and dragging him into the rain, giggling and laughing as she splashed water onto him.
It took him 2 seconds to reciprocate, and he chased her around, collecting water and throwing it on her, laughing the entire time. In that moment, he didn't care about falling sick ; his heart was full, and he felt like he was 7 again, racing down the water stream and fighting with his friends for drowning his paper boat.
Sailee held his hand and spun him around to imaginary music, twirling and dancing in the rain. She held both his hands and spun them both in circles, as they both laughed and enjoyed the peace this monsoon brought them.
Sachin stood glued to his spot, in a trance at this version of his wife. Something in his heart was different today. He felt a kind of peace he had never felt before. All the voices in his head and the racing in heart ceased to exist, as his gaze settled on the prettiest view he had seen:
His wife.
Sachin loved calling her that. He took every grasping moment to make sure the world knew she was his. And she would always be.
His heart warmed up to her, and he was starting to be a different person around her.
A different person for her.
And he did not mind this change. Everyone always said that marriage changes a man for good. Sachin always thought that was a bad thing, and despised marriages.
But being married to Sailee taught him that he could be vulnerable, he could be himself in front of her, in front of the world, and no one would dare to say a thing because he had his shield, his Sailee.
He didn't need alcohol to find peace anymore, because he found his peace in Sailee.
She was his peace. She was his home.
Sachin held her wrist and tugged her towards him. The sudden movement caused her to stumble right into his arms, crashing against his chest.
Sailee looked up, still giggling with a smile settling on her face, as Sachin wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her as close to him as possible.
She tilted her head in question, and he just nodded, smiling softly at her. Sailee's hands settled against his chest, fiddling with the buttons as she gave him her sweetest smile.
A strand of hair was now stuck across her cheek, and Sachin gently swiped at it, his thumb grazing her cheek, his gaze shifting to her lips.
Whether it was the cold wind or his touch that sent shivers down her spine, Sailee did not know, as Sachin cupped her face gently between his palms, inching closer to her, with a look she had seen just that morning.
Sailee grasped his shirt tightly, closing her eyes shut. Her mother had always told her about what a husband and wife did behind closed doors, and she had seen way too many movies to know exactly what Sachin was doing, and it made her nervous.
Sachin tilted his head, moving closer to close the gap between their lips, her soft whisper echoing between them.
"Sachin."
"Hmm?"
"Mujhe yeh sab nahi aata."
His eyes fluttered open, as he pulled back to look at his wife, the sight amusing him.
She looked flustered and red in the face, yet she was nervous as she kept fiddling with his shirt, her eyes sealed shut in anticipation.
He softened at her nervousness, and decided this was not the time or place. The attraction that was building up simply melted into adoration for her.
Sachin couldn't help but chuckle, which caused her to glare at him with puffy cheeks.
"Has rahe ho mujhpe?" She frowned, and Sachin dare say she looked cute as an angry bird.
Sachin just nodded, cupping her face and softly kissing her forehead, letting lips linger for a few seconds before pulling back and gazing at her.
Sailee didn't know if she wanted to blush or wrap herself in his arms in this moment.
So she did both.
Sailee buried herself into his chest shyly, her tiny arms around torso, his chuckle rumbling across as he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her head and kissing her cheek and forehead, the skies pouring their love down on them.
He could take it slow. For her sake.
A tiny sneeze echoed against his chest, and even though he spent the entire night applying cold plasters to his sick wife's forehead, the memory of their first rains together would always be etched in his memory.
.....
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