Shashank pulled a chair for himself near the left side of the bed. Her side of the bed. As he sat on the chair, staring at his empty bed, his mind automatically played the beautiful memories that he had made with her on that bed.
Being her teddy every night while sleeping may haven't been too comfortable for him in the initial days but he was sure that right now - he was more fond of being her teddy than she was, of making him her teddy.
I miss you, Apurva. Even though I just met you… I miss you. He grabbed her pillow that he still wondered why she did not pack when she was leaving. It was her favorite pillow as far as he remembered.
He spent a couple of minutes letting himself relive the best moments that he had lived with her before he vowed to himself to convince her of his love no matter what it would take him to.
He had just one chance. Just one chance. He had promised her that if he couldn't convince her, he would never trouble her. It was a do or die situation for him now and he wasn't going to let their relationship die.
Shashank Kanitkar had never failed an exam, rather he had topped every single one that he had taken.
I wouldn't fail, Apurva. Neither would I fail nor would I let our relationship fail. This… is my promise to you.
*
The next day evening
"Tomorrow morning. 4 a.m. I'll wait outside your house for you!"
What the heck? 4 in the morning? Khadoos has lost it. She banged the phone on the bed after reading his message. I shouldn’t have given him a chance in the first place. Khadoos kuthla! How am I supposed to wake up at 4? Already it takes me hours to fall asleep without him.
She fell utterly silent and still at the last thought that crossed her mind.
Already it takes me hours to fall asleep without him. She had never told him that her sleeping struggles had started when she failed to deal with the abandonment that her mother had gifted her.
Though she had eventually made herself seek peace in her teddy, the comfort that her teddy brought to her all these years was very different from the one that her Khadoos teddy brought to her.
Her teddy brought her a sense of security and safety but she always knew that it was all in her head. If at all something happened, it was not possible for her teddy to get up and rush to her aid.
But ever since she had gotten her new teddy… the Dadhiwala Khadoos Teddy… things had changed.
Minutes. She would fall asleep in minutes in his arms. How? She never pondered over the same but if she were to figure out why, she would come to the conclusion that it was because this teddy left her with no worries in her head. Absolutely none.
Her heart had come to understand that if there would be a flash of lightning - her teddy would wake up and hold her closer or if at all, the lightning couldn't wake him up but only her, she knew that she could cling to him and he would wrap his hand around her and pull her in his warmth even when asleep.
The very fact that her heart had come to trust that her teddy would protect her from every devil and demon was the fact that relaxed her almost instantly and magically in his arms every night, making her fall asleep faster than she had ever fallen asleep in her life before she got her this teddy.
4 a.m. She glanced at his message for yet another time, sighing to herself.
*
"I hate you, Khadoos. I hate you so much," she murmured with her chattering teeth as she stepped out of her house.
The heavy rainfall in the night had made the air a bit too chilly. Out of all the days, he just had to pick that day and that time. Ugh, Khadoos is just so…. Khadoos. She groaned in frustration, rubbing her arms with her palms to fight the cold as she closed the door behind her.
She pulled her jacket closer before she turned to see if he had arrived. The moment she turned, she caught him patiently waiting aside. She had almost smiled to see his face early in the morning but the moment her gaze fell behind him, the smile was replaced by a frown.
A bicycle? What was he doing there with a bicycle? Whose bicycle was it in the first place? She narrowed her gaze at the bicycle first before it landed back on him.
Without letting her feet take the effort to walk up to him, he quickly took off the bicycle stand and covered the distance between them. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” He greeted with a small smile, stopping right in front of her.
She forced a tight-lipped smile. “Of course. You called me at 4 in the morning despite knowing that I don’t wake up before 12. Of course. Of course, I slept well.”
Ouch. He ruffled his hair, mouthing an apology with a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Shall we leave?”
“Sure but let me make it clear that I am going nowhere on that bicycle.”
He watched her for a moment in silence, letting his gaze follow hers. He looked at the bicycle that she was glaring at, making him wonder what his poor bicycle had done to earn that glare from his otherwise loving wife.
"Why not?" He put the bicycle back on its stand and stepped closer to her. "What did my poor cycle do to receive such a painful punishment?"
His dramatic question earned him a deadly glare, making him pull himself a step back, afraid that he might just get strangled.
"I will fall…"
Her feeble voice was barely audible but his ears were too attentive to miss. She pursed her lips in a pout, muttering something to herself under her breath.
The sight broke his lips into a small smile as he went down the memory lane, recalling her small childhood accident that she had shared about.
"Ekda padli mhanun pratyek veli padshil asa nasta, Apurva!"
"Te mala kahi mahiti nahi. Mi cycle var basnar nahi… bas! Mala parat padaycha nahi aahe. Mi cycle var basnar nahi."
"Jar mi mhanalo ki agadi kahihi zala tari mi tula padu denar nahi tar? Vishwas karu shakshil mazyavar?"
"No. Never!"
"Tuza ajibatach vishwas urla nahi aahe ka mazyavar?
"Mala vicharlya peksha swatala vichar!"
He sighed, slightly bending his head before he extended his hand toward her. Wordlessly. And patiently waited for hers to slip in it.
She gave in when minutes passed and his hand still waited for hers. "Pan mi mage basnar nahi. Magchya mage mi padli tar? Tula kalnar hi nahi. Tu jashil nighun ani -"
His index finger gently touched her lips, shushing her in the middle. "Mi tula ektila sodun kadhihi kuthehi janar nahi, Apurva! Kadhihi… kuthehi!"
What has gotten into this man? Ha Khadoos ch aahe ki koni dusra? She stared at him till he took his finger off her lips.
He got on the bicycle, pulling her to sit in front of him. She quietly obliged, letting him securely lock her between his arms as their journey to the destination that she was unaware of began.
"We could have done this… this whatever that we're going to do now in the afternoon also, no? Why now?"
"You'll know!" That was all that he said.
"You'll know," she mimicked him, dropping her on the cycle for a moment in frustration.
Before her head could fall on the handle, he placed his hands in between her head and the handle. "Lagel! ( Careful! )
She raised her head from his hand for a fraction of a second before banging it on his hand again. "Stop! Stop, I said."
He pulled the brake, asking her what it was.
"Tu Khadoos nahi aahe, Khadoos," she accused, turning her head to look at him.
"Haan? Mhanje?"
"Mhanje tu Khadoos nahi aahe. Tu… tu tyacha duplicate aahe! Ho… tu duplicate ch aahe!" She concluded, telling her own self instead of him.
He could only shake his head, watching her self-talk and resume their journey. "Mi Khadoos ch aahe aani mi Khadoos ch rahnar. Shishta cha Khadoos! Pan Khadoos… kadhi kadhi tyachya Shishta saathi premal hi houch shakto ki. Hmm?"
She rolled her eyes, still somewhere sure that he was her Khadoos's duplicate. The sudden overdose of sweetness from Khadoos wasn't digestible at all. Nonetheless, she chose to ignore him and quietly enjoy the serene beauty of the early morning.
"Apurva… ek - ek minute utartes ka?" he asked, stopping the bicycle.
"Ka?"
"Bas ek minute. Utar na please," he urged.
She stepped down, folding her hands to chest as she turned her face away from him.
He stayed on the bicycle and pushed his hand in his pocket as he pulled a blindfold out. Holding her wrist, he pulled her toward himself.
She had no idea what he was upto as her back faced him and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing that she was intrigued.
It wasn't until he tied the blindfold over her eyes that she screamed.
"KHADOOOOS!"
"Aga halu…" He held her hands that desperately tried to reach the knot of the blindfold to take it off.
"He kaay… kaay chal-lay tuza? Kadh he aadhi mazya dolyavarun? Are disat nahi aahe mala kahi!" She wriggled in his hold, getting too uncomfortable in the darkness before her eyes to stand still.
"Thamb na, please. Fakt thoda vel." He earnestly tried to convince her.
"Nahi. Nahi ha, Khadoos… ajibat nahi. Bas khup zala tuza. 4 wajta uth. Cycle var bas aani aata he? Jamnar nahi!" She put her foot down, refusing to entertain his any new demands.
"Apurva, aik na maza, please. One last time?"
Ugh. Just ugh. She clenched her fists, gritting her teeth before nodding. "Kashi basu mi aata? Dolyavar bandhlay na tu he?"
Her sarcastic taunt made him chuckle. "Mi aahe na? Ye." He made her sit on the bicycle and quickly made his way toward their destination.
*
"We've reached,'' he informed, bringing their bicycle ride to a halt.
She almost instantly jumped down, and almost slipped in the process. Had it not been his hand that grabbed her arm in the nick of time, she would have been on the ground by then.
*
Unedited. Haven't proofread. There can be a whole lot of lame errors. Ignore for the time being.
Edited by IAdoreYou - 3 years ago
Anupamaa
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