Chapter 9

ananya.2

@ananya.2

Part 8

Raavi woke up finding Shiva sitting beside her. He was sleeping while sitting. She held his hand and shook him awake. Shiva quickly touched her cheek to check her temperature. She realised she was sweaty because of the medicine and she blushed but he didn’t care. He put the thermometer in her mouth for confirmation, and relaxed when he saw she didn’t have fever anymore. Raavi was surprised to realise that he stayed up with her the entire night. It was unexpected of Shiva but he turned out to be a sweetheart. 

“Tune sachhi mera khyaal rakha?” Raavi asked.

“Nahi nahi. Woh toh pados waali Kaanta kaki aake baithi thi tere saath puri raat.” 

Raavi pouted cutely. She wanted to get out of this lehenga and take a bath. Shiva held Raavi as she got up. She was still feeling weak. He helped her get her clothes out of the cupboard took her to the bathroom. Raavi almost thought he’d help her take a bath too but he left. She took a shower by herself and then joined the family for breakfast.

“Tu ab thik hai Raavi?” Dhara asked. 

“Haa Dhara di main bilkul thik hu.” Raavi smiled. 

“Nahi. Tu ab 2-3 din koi kaam nahi karegi. Bas rest legi. Main aur Rishita sab sambhal lenge.” Dhara said and Rishita frowned at her luck. 

“Sirf main hi upset hu.” Krish said. “Jab bhabhi behosh hui mujhe laga good news milne wala hai but mere chachu banne ka sapna toot gaya!”

Raavi turned a bright shade of red and Shiva quickly hit Krish on the head.

“Shiva aur Raavi denge good news?” Rishita started laughing but Dev looked at her crossly and she stopped. 

“Main bhul hi gayi thi. Kal Gaumbi tere photos frame karwake le aaya tha.” Dhara said. She handed Raavi the bag with the photo frames. 

Raavi couldn’t wait. She ran back to her room and hung it on the wall. It was perfect! Their room was now all set up. She squealed in excitement. Hearing which Shiva came to see what the matter was. He was stunned to see the photographs. They all brought so many memories. But what struck him was Raavi in tears in their wedding photograph. She was smiling in all the pictures, except that one. It pained him to see her crying. Why did she have to put up this one out of everything? He only wanted to see her smile. 

“Kya hua? Tujhe pasand nahi aaya?” Raavi asked, reading his facial expressions. 

“Tune humari shaadi wala photo kyu dala hai?” Shiva asked. 

“Because yeh humara shaadi wala kamra hai. Aur shaadi wale kamre mein shaadi ki pictures hona compulsory hai Shiva.” Raavi said. “Aur mujhe achhi lagi yeh waali. Bilkul shaadi waali feeling aa rahi hai isse.”

Shiva chucked. “Yeh shaadi waali feeling kya hoti hai?”

“Dekh na tu mere gale mein mangalsutra baandh raha hai. Kitna pati pati feeling aa raha hai yeh dekhke.”

Shiva laughed. He couldn’t stop laughing after hearing that. Raavi was crazy. He looked at the picture again. If she liked it then it was fine. Raavi was amused to see him laugh like that. It was beautiful. He should laugh more often, she thought. She took a step closer to him in impulse and he froze. They were too close. His heart started beating loudly. This chipkali didn’t even have any idea what she was doing to him. Raavi touched his face gently, but suddenly she realised what she was doing and pulled back. She looked away in embarrassment. 

“Woh….woh sangeet waali picture achhi aayi tha na teri. Woh waali laga deti.” Shiva said. 

“Nahi. Sangeet Dev ke saath hui thi. Shaadi ke pehle waale saare functions Dev ke saath hue the. Woh picture main humare kamre mein nahi daal sakti. Yaha sirf tu aur main. Kisi aur ki jagah nahi hai yaha.”

Shiva’s couldn’t stop the smile which crept up on his face. Chipkali was really making an effort and she was making him feel weird things. He didn’t know what to do with those feelings just yet. Nor did he want to rush her with his feelings. She clearly wasn’t in the same place as him. He touched her arm and led her to the bed. 

“Tu ab aaram kar.” He told her.  

Raavi caught his arm. “Tu ja raha hai dukan?” She asked with a sad face. 

“Nahi. Main yahi hu.” 

Raavi smiled and laid down. Shiva covered her with a blanket and she slowly drifted off to sleep while Shiva kept looking.  

***

Sanjana had come in to meet Raavi with her favourite dahi balle. They sat in their room talking and eating, just like old times. Sanjana loved what she’d done with the room. It looked so much better than the last time she’d seen it. Raavi had successfully transformed it from a storeroom to a marital bedroom. Sanjana was proud of her best friend. 

“Aur bata sab kaisa chal raha hai.” Sanjana asked. 

“Sanjana, tujhe believe nahi hoga… Mujhe bukhar aaya tha aur Shiva kal puri raat mere paas baitha tha. Usne meri care ki! Can you believe it?”

“Isme badi baat kya hai? Woh toh teri bachpan se care karta tha.” Sanjana said. When she saw the confusion in Raavi’s face, she sighed. “Yaad hai jab tu sports class mein gir gayi thi aur tera shoulder dislocate ho gaya tha? Tune chilla chilla ke Shiva ko bulayi phir use pakad ke roti rahi. Phir woh tujhe infirmary le gaya… Aur abhi kuch din pehle tera haath kata tha toh usi ne bandage kiya tha.”

Raavi thought he had turned sweet after their marriage but she had completely forgotten that he had always been this sweet. Even when they had gone on their school picnic and she got sick, Shiva took care of her. How did she never notice this before? Her bhootnaath Shiva, who always fought with her, was always the person who took care of her too. 

“Maine kabhi dhyaan nahi diya…”

“Achha yeh toh bata tum dono ke beech sab kaisa chal raha hai.” Sanjana asked.

“Sab kuch perfect chal raha hai. Hum dono ne apne rishte ko leke baat ki thi. Humne promise kiya hai ki iss rishte ko chance denge. I think hum finally friends ban rahe hai Sanjana. Woh mujhe movie dikhane bhi le gaya, aur woh ab mujhse thik se baat bhi karta hai.”

Sanjana had a facepalm moment. “Raavi, darling, tum dono ko best friends wala club nahi kholna hai. Tum dono shaadishuda ho. Use BFF nahi pati bana apna. Saari zindagi bitani hai uske saath. Kuch socha hai uss baare mein? Film dekhke, baatein karke nahi katne wali life.”

“Toh aur kya chahiye?” Raavi asked. 

“Chhe mahine mein log pressurise karna start kar denge bachhe ke liye. Par woh bhi chod. Bachhe not important. But what about hormones?”

“Hormones?” Raavi blushed. 

“Obviously Raavi. Physical needs. Uske aur tere. Tum dono ke.”

Raavi blushed even harder.  “Maine kal use bina shirt ke dekha Sanjana. Tu believe nahi karegi kitna hot hai. Aise toh kaddu bana ghumta hai par bina shirt ke… hayye!”

Sanjana looked at Raavi for a moment and burst out laughing. “Pure Somnath ko pata hai tera pati kitna hot hai. Tujhe kal pata chala?”

Raavi looked at Sanjana shocked. How could this be? He was a bhootnath, kiraane ki dukan. How was he hot? And how come everyone knew it but her? Raavi remembered Sanjana saying he was hot but she didn’t give any heed to that. She thought she was teasing him by saying that, because she knew they were enemies. 

“Tujhe kya lagta hai Pandya store mein itni bhir kyu hoti hai? Sab ration paani khareedne jate hai? Idiot. Sab waha Shiva ko taadne jaate hai. Apni Jasmine, din mein 2-3 baar jaati hai. Use timings bhi yaha ho rakhe hai ki Shiva kab truck se cheezein unload karta hai.”

“Kyu? Unload karne se kya hai?” Raavi asked. 

“Woh shirt utarta hai na tab.” 

“Par Jasmine toh Dev ko like karti thi. Humesha uske aage peeche ghumti thi.” Raavi said. 

“Because Dev Shiva ka bhai hai… Tujhe kya lagta hai woh tujhse itni nafrat kyu karti hai?” Sanjana asked. 

“Kyuki woh mujhse jealous hai? Main Somnath ki sabse khoobsurat ladki jo thehri.”

“No Raavi! Woh isiliye jealous thi kyuki Shiva uspe dhyaan hi nahi deta. Uski sui humesha se tere upar atki hai.” Sanjana said. “Tu Dev ko jitna popular samajhti thi toh utna bada stud nahi tha. I mean Dev’s nice and all but thoda sa boring hai. Shiva hot bhi hai aur kisi angle se boring bhi nahi hai. Matlab tu na hoti toh main hi use uda leti.”

Raavi pouted at her friend, then glared. “Woh mera hai.”

“Haa baba tera hai. Meri taraf se kuch nahi par kal bhi maine Jasmine ko store pe dekha tha.”

“Kamini!” Raavi shouted. 

Shiva entered their room and found Sanjana and Raavi. He came and sat with them. Raavi glared at him and he was confused why she was suddenly mad at him. 

“Raavi ke bhootnath, teri Raavi ne iss kamre ko kya makeover diya hai!” Sanjana said. 

“Aur kaam bhi toh nahi hai. Bas shopping aur makeup mein saara din uljhi rehti hai.” Shiva said. “Tu bata. Tera college kaisa chal raha hai?”

“Bilkul badhiya. Maine toh isse bhi kaha tha mere saath MA course mein enroll hone par isko shaadi mein zyada interest thi.” Sanjana said. 

Raavi thought she’d take a break from studying and spend two years with Dev. Then she could decide whether or not to study any further, but her plan had flopped. 

“Tu fikr mat kar. Next time main khud iska admission kara dunga.” Shiva said. 

Raavi smiled at him. He could really be the sweetest person sometimes. Sanjana sat with them for sometime and chatted, and then left. She winked at Raavi before leaving, reminding her of their conversation making Raavi blush. Shiva came to the bed and laid down. He hadn’t gotten any sleep so he decided to sleep without having dinner. 

“Shiva sun na!” She pulled him towards her. “Woh Jasmine aati hai kya dukan pe?”

“Haa kyu?”

“Matlab humari shaadi ke baad bhi aati hai woh?” Raavi asked. 

“Kyu? Humari shaadi ke baad koi curfew lag gaya hai uska?”

Raavi glared at Shiva. “Lagna toh chahiye. Woh aayi na aage se toh usse baat mat karna.”

Shiva looked at her in confusion. He decided that she’d gone mental so he turned to his side to try sleeping but Raavi pulled him again.

“Shiva ek kaam karti hu, kal se main tere saath dukaan chalungi.”

“Ae Gadheri! Bakwaas mat kar. Kaam ki jagah se woh. Tujhe jhelu ya kaam karu?”

“Shiva main chalungi final hai.” Raavi said. 

Shiva decided it was no use talking to her. She’d probably get bored and return home in a couple of hours. He went back to sleep but Raavi shook him awake, enraging him this time. 

“Tu kya so raha hai Shiva? Mujhse baat kar na!” 

“Chipkali zyada irritate ki mujhe toh pest control walo ko bula dunga. Kal puri raat teri tension mein so nahi paya aur ab tujhe baatein karni hai? Nahi karni baatein. Bas kuch pal shanti se sona chahta hu. Woh bhi tu mujhe degi nahi. Tere saath jhagra karne ki bhi energy nahi hai mujh mein.” Shiva said. 

“Haa toh so na. Mujhe kya suna raha hai. Sona hai toh jhagra bandh karke so jaa. Good night!” She said, and went out for dinner. 

Shiva screamed into his pillow. What had he gotten himself into getting married to her? We’re all women this crazy or just her? He pulled his blanket and went to sleep.