Sooo longgg 😆
Here you go folks, the most awaited 'E' of the season 😆
Not proof read :P
*****
E For Elaichi Vali Chai
"Aaliya aaj movie ke liye aa rai hai?" Ragini asked, trying to persuade her ever introvert friend.
"Nai. Yaar." Aliya said, chewing the backend of her pencil, concentrating on the math problem in front of her.
"Aaj nai, kabhi aur."
"That us what you said the last time! And the time before that." Exclaimed Ragini, exasperated with her besties behaviour.
"And my answer probably won't change the next time you ask me." Said Aaliya, smiling slightly.
"Dude. Don't be a part pooper yaar. Zain would be up for it anytime! I bet he said yes the minute Aakash asked him."
Aaliya rolled her eyes. "Yeah. And it doesn't help that he has an IQ of a buffoon!" She said, slightly riled up as she always is when someone mentions Zain.
"And what has his going to a movie affect my choices Ragini?! I do not care that he is going to a movie. I dont want to come. End of story!"
"You know" Ragini said in a low voice.
"You and him,both keep claiming up and down that you people don't like each other and stay together for the sake of your family. It might have been true in the beggining, but now, I think it is bull. But yet, you both should have been kidnapped and bound together and thrown in a room. Then only you can spend time together." She stood up voilently, making the canteen chair topple.
"Oh. And negative and negative equals positive." She said, pointing to a mistake on the paper which was cramped with figures. "I think you should clear the basics before electing Math as your major." She said sweetly as she walked away.
Aaliya sighed as she watched her friend walk away. She was right though. On all accounts. Zain and Aaliya lived together in a two BHK in Mumbai, courtesy of his father. To the world, they might look like a young newly wed couple. But only a couple handful of people knew that they live more like roomates than couples who should be exploring their relationships. And that they consider their marriage a sham. A mistake. A relationship based on conditions that was set forward by their respective parents.
But somehow during the hustle bustle of Mumbai, of leaving the toilet seats down or having wet towels strewn across the bathroom, she started warming up to him.
But as soon as she noticed her affections towards Zain, she became equally scared. For they both had made it clear that their relationship wouldn't be more than passing the salt on a dinner table.
She groaned as she finally noticed the mistake Ragini pointed at the top of the page. She crumpled the paper and set to redo the question again.
She will have to apologise to Ragini. That girl tried hard to include Aaliya in everything, but it must have been frustrating to her when the object of intrest itself did not co-operate.
Atleast in Math, you get to start again if you make mistakes. She wished her life would give her that option.
*****
She sighed as she slumped down on the cold metal seat,her umbrella still open. The rain was pouring in hard and the shelter the bus stop was providing her from the wet and cold felt very little.
The bus, as always is a custom for buses in Mumbai on a rainy day, was late for a whopping 30 minutes. Her feet ached, she was shivering and the books in her backpack was not helping matters either. She prayed hard that the books wouldn't get wet. The librarian would have a field day out of it.
The movie Ragini offered was starting to look good right now. Atleast she would have been dry if not warm. Her phone rang. She flicked it open and retroted with a crude hello.
"Wow. So much love!"
"What do you want Zain?" Aaliya asked, rolling her eyes.
"Well, excuse me for asking where my roommate was when it is raining cats and dogs out there."
"Well, your roommate is currently not in a good condition for the bus haven't arrived in like forever."
"Well, roomy who is not in a good condition, just hail a cab."
"I would if I could" she clicked her tongue imapatiently. "But I can't cause I am unable to see one!"
There was a pause on the other side of the phone.
"Where are you right now" She was taken aback at the worry in his voice.
"The busstop opposite my college."
"Wait there. I am coming."
"No you are not!" She retroted furiously when she heard a click on the other side. "He did not just hang up on me!" She muttered as she pushed her phone back into her pocket.
*****
Zain's POV.
He cursed as he backed up the car of the parking lot, the wipers did absolutely nothing to clear up the windshield. He prayed his hot headed wife stayed put. He was honestly worried for her. Determined to questiom his sudden fondness for a girl who was otherwise nonexistent except for mealtimes, he drow slowly and carefully, honking at every corner.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he found her soaked to the boot near the bus stop. She stomped out of the shelter without even opening her umbrella.
"Took you long enough!" She huffed as she effevtively managed to get the upholstery wet.
"Well, sorry if I wasn't keen to drive recklessly in this lovely weather." He said sarcastically, earning another glare.
He stifled a groan as he saw the black kurti hugging her perfect curves sinfully. The fact that he had seen her almost naked the other night when she wore those short shorts to bed wasn't helping either.
He knew that his Mamu Ki Bhanji was beautiful. But he did not quite like the realisation that she could be hot too.
"You did not go for the movie?"
"I do not like Shahrukh Khan." He grumbled.
She smiled internally.
"Thank you." She muttered after fifteen minutes of silence.
"Took you long enough!" He replied, making her smile slightly and a backhand to his head.
*****
Aaliya's POV
"I'll go change." She muttered as she headed towards her bedroom.
"Aaliya?" He called.
She turned looking at him questioningly. "Yeah?"
"You want chai?" He looked unsure.
"Sure."
Her heart skipped a beat when he smiled sweetly.
"One elaichi vali chai coming right up!"
Aaliya came out drying her hair. She had a love hate relationship with rains. On one hand, she loved the smell of the earth and freshness the rains bring with them. But on the other hand, she hated it when her socks got wet or heir hair frizzied due to the humidity.
"Hey! We match!"
Aaliya looked at his blue Ed-Hardy shirt and grey sweatpants and at her grey Versace Tee and blue PJ's.
"We do indeed." She smiled at him.
"Verandah mein baithe?" He asked, already moving the cups of chai outside. The rain was still pouring hard and fast and she was immensly grateful of her being inside.. She took out the towel out of her hair, letting it hang limply. She frowned at the frizzed ends.
"Wow. Your hair is so long.." he muttered more to himself than her.
"What?"
"Nothing." He said, shaking his head."Chai?" He offered her one steaming cup of tea.
"Thanks." She replied. The hot cup felt like a warm tropical heaven to her icy cold hands.
"Why, thou art most welcome." He said, making a show of bowing down.
She giggled.
"What?" She said as she caught him staring at her.
"Thou art very pretty whilst thou laughs. I have been admiring thee" He said in a deep voice that made her insides melt like chocolate.
Zain hit himself with a club on his head a million times in his head, cursing his tongue that seemed to have been having a mind of its own in front of Aaliya. Especially in front of Aaliya.
Aaliya blushed.
"Ye is very kind Sir."
His eyes crinkled as he smiled.
"How is the tea?"
"Delicious." She said, sipping rather loudly. "How do you know how to make such excellent tea when you are so inept in cutting up even an onion?"
"Don't underestimate my onion cutting skils miss. One day will come when I would be able to cut it without crying." He tried to look offended.
She laughed.
"And I would marry you if that day ever comes. Wait." She said, holding up a finger. "Been there done that."
They both laughed. "But seriously. How do you make such tasty, chaske vali chai?"
"I lived in an hostel for my graduation na.. and if there is one thing an hosteller knows is how to make coffee and two minutes maggi which doesn't cook in two minutes. I never liked coffee to begin with, so I became a master at making chai. Like how you make that gooey white thingy." He said suddenly, clicking his fingers impatiently.
"Gooey white thingy?" She raised her eyebrow.
And as Zain struggled to find a name to the gooey white thingy, Aliya realised that they did not need to be kidnapped to spend some time together.
"Paysam!" he exclaimed at last. "The south Indian delicacy right? Very tasty. Teach me someday."
"I'll cut you a deal. You teach me how to make ekdum mast Elaichi Vali Chai, I'll teach you how to make Paysam."
"Shake on it?" He said extending an hand.
She chuckled as she 'shook on it.'
No, they did not need to be kidnapped at all. All it took was a rainy day and one 'ekdum mast Elaichi Vali Chai.'
*****
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