I’ll be there for you

oh nakhrewaali

@oh_nakhrewaali

 #12: I’ll be there for you

Ram walked into the bakery after a long tiring day, glad to find there was no one there. It was almost closing time, and he was there to pick up Priya, though he wasn't sure if she would be ready to leave with him.

"Ram, come in. Priya is in the kitchen." Meera smiled at her son-in-law.

"I came to pick her up, but I am not sure if she's ready to go."

"Try convincing her. I don’t need her here, but you know Priya. She always insists on doing far more than needed," Meera said with a sigh. It was adorable to see Ram consider Priya's feelings and how much he cared for her.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked Priya as he entered the kitchen, faking nonchalance and ignoring how his heart skipped a bit when he looked at her.

"Oh, just cleaning. I was baking biscuits for Saransh and just finished with them. Do you want to try some? I can make some tea, too."

"Why are you being so nice to me? Are you ok?" he asked suspiciously.

"Am I not nice to you usually?"

"No, you usually behave as if you are hell-bent on punching someone, and that someone is always me," he said to mess with her. He hated how much he loved teasing her with his inane comments.

She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.

"See, this is what I mean, you always…" Priya stuffed a biscuit in Ram's mouth to get him to stop talking. He coughed, and then his eyes went wide.

"This is so freaking good! You should make more of this."

She gave him a tight smile and went back to cleaning.

"Hey, you know what, I watched a video on Instagram where a couple had a cooking competition. We should do that, just that instead of cooking, we should bake biscuits," he said after a long pause.

"What?"

"Oh, come on, it will be fun. Meera Ma can be the judge. Perhaps she will like mine more than yours!" 

She rolled her eyes.

"You really think you can compete with me with your non-existent baking skills?” 

“Hey, hey, hey! I’ll have you know I’m getting better and better. Don’t forget Cookieburra is my invention! And what about those cookies I baked for you? Don’t forget you lost that bet and got drunk on a sip of Cabernet!”

Priya huffed. “Yeah I’m still not sure you didn’t cheat that time!”

And then she added hurriedly when a wounded look formed on his face. “Besides, using Meera Maa to get me to do stuff isn't going to work anymore. Find something new to try to manipulate me."

He wrung his hands and posed dramatically, as if he was begging infronther.

"Please, please, Priya, please!" He made a puppy face and started hopping. Priya looked at him in shock.

"Oh my God, stop it! Are you mad?"

"Yes, mad in love with you," he replied in a sultry tone and winked. 

Priya felt her heart lurch, and then quickly reminded herself he was still teasing. She shook her head and turned back to the chore at hand, but she sense it before the tension even came.She looked at her husband after a few seconds to see that his face was clouded and his brow was furrowed as if in pain. 

"Mr. Kapoor, what is it? Are you ok?" she asked in a concerned tone and stepped closer to him. He sighed and looked at his feet.

"I had a tiring day at the office, and I don't know, but I am just feeling anxious and on edge. I just want to keep myself occupied doing something mundane. Like a baking competition. To take my mind off things," he replied after a long silence.

She reached out and held his hands.

"I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" she asked, her voice soothing and comforting.

He shrugged and rested his head on her shoulder. She ran her hand through his hair.

"Maybe we can bake together," she said after a few seconds. 

Ram looked at her excitedly, nodding his head.

"We'll make Nutella Hand Pies, I have been trying this recipe, and I love it. Let me grab the ingredients, and we can get started," she said and went up to the storage shelf.

Ram looked at Priya and wondered what he had done to deserve her. He had been feeling anxious since that morning, and no one had noticed, and he didn't blame them. Usually people needed verbal cues to know something was up with him. But Priya? She had figured it out in a few seconds. He knew he wasn’t this easy to read, so she must know him really well. The thought was as comforting as it was exciting.

His reverie broke when she came in, her arms filled with Nutella jars and some oranges.

"Can you grab the eggs and the puff pastry from the refrigerator? I need to grate the oranges," she said, and he nodded.

He returned with the ingredients, and she passed him a bowl.

"Whisk the eggs in the water." Ram looked at Priya in confusion.

"How do I do that?" he asked, half scared for his life. She only shook her head and smiled. She took the bowl from him and began to whisk and he watched, completely enraptured at how briskly and efficiently she was doing it, like it was a fine art she had mastered.

"I'll do the oranges," he offered, and she nodded.

"When you are done, preheat the oven to 400°," she said and stopped, looking at him questioningly as if unsure of his ability to do this simple task.

"I know how to preheat. I am not that much of an idiot," he scoffed, but there was no malice in his voice.

The two worked in comfortable silence, and when they finished their respective jobs, Priya cut the puff pastries into squares and told him to place the Nutella on it. She then sprinkled the orange zest and brushed the edges with the egg mixture. Then they folded the pastries into triangles.

"At least these won't go out of shape and we won’t have to invent a new name for them," she said with a smirk. Ram stuck out his tongue at her but chuckled.

Once the pastries were done in the oven, she sprinkled some more orange zest, sugar, and Nutella on them.

"We did it!" she beamed at him like a kid, but he did not mirror her excitement. Instead, he looked serious.

"Thank you," he said and squeezed her hand.

"Mr. Kapoor, I am your wife. But more than that, I’m your friend. I am here for you, whenever you need me," she said and smiled at him.

A friend! It was then realized how much he valued Priya’s presence in his life. As a wife and as a friend.

Tears brimmed in his eyes, and Priya's heart broke. She had never seen him like this, and she suddenly realized how similar they were. They both hid behind their facades to mask their pain. She also knew that he would be there for her too when she needed him. As her husband and as her friend.