Love Letter Part II
Summary: As much as she doesn't want to, Raavi's current goal is to get a love letter from Shiva Pandya.
Notes: So I realized that I never really defined their ages in this story. Shiva is 17 and Raavi is 16, putting them in Inter 2nd and Inter 1st years respectively.
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Raavi sighed for what was perhaps the umpteenth time as she stirred the onions that were frying on the stove. Anita cautiously watched Raavi before glancing down at the onions that seemed to be becoming worse for wear. "Raavi!" Anita pushed Raavi to the side and took the ladle from her hands. She immediately lowered the flame and added the tomatoes. As the tomatoes were cooking she turned to Raavi with a glare, "What are you even thinking about, Raavi?"
Raavi glanced at the tomatoes frying in the pot and sighed.
In the beginning, she was very sure she could convince Shiva. In fact, yesterday, she had gone to the Pandya house with that mission in mind. Just to build some more confidence (because when she dealt with hot-headed Shiva, she needed all the confidence she could get), she went into Dhara Di's room to pick out one of Shiva's shirts from the almirah. She wore his shirt and practiced the conversation she would have with him. Whenever she needed to fill in Shiva's lines, she would turn to the mirror and observe herself, while dressed in his shirt, and say Shiva's lines with a deeper voice.
She thought that would be great practice in itself but then Shiva came home. He literally saw her for two seconds, and he immediately threw her out of the house, not even giving her the time she needed to speak. And then at school today, he largely avoided her or shot his typical glares in her direction. Miheeka's smug smirk was too much for Raavi to handle.
"Raavi!" Anita flicked Raavi's forehead.
Raavi huffed as she rubbed the area tenderly. She glanced at Anita with a frown.
Anita Di is a woman, too. She should know, right? How to impress a guy... I know her marriage was stopped, and she hasn't gotten married since... but she's a woman...
Raavi nodded with new resolve, "Anita Di!" Anita glanced at her with mild concern. Raavi reached for her hands, "How do you impress a guy?"
Anita's eyes widened as she took a step back, "Raavi?" she turned to make sure her Fuyi wasn't around to hear this. Turning back to Raavi, she reached for Raavi's ear and pinched it, "You're lucky you told me and not Fui! She would murder you if she knew you were more interested in boys than your studies." Anita's fingers trembled as she thought about the blow out that would happen in their house. Especially since she knew exactly who it was Raavi wanted to impress. They've lived such peaceful, calm lives as of late...
Raavi rolled her eyes, "Anita Di," she sighed. "It's not what you're thinking," knowing full well that she was thinking this certain boy was Dev. If only things were that simple... Her Dev would be so easy to convince. He already loved her. He probably had enough love letters hidden away for her. Unfortunately, that Miheeka had to suggest a man who had a heart harder than a rock. "I wanted to impress some other...," as she was thinking about what she would say, Anita already began to make assumptions.
"So you're thinking about another boy?" at first, she seemed even more troubled, but after a second, she nodded her head, "Yes, maybe that's good if you forget Dev. Who is this new boy-,"
"Shiva Pandya," Raavi answered, including the last name so Anita wouldn't confuse him with someone other Shiva in Somnath. Not like there were any other memorable Shivas in Somnath...
Anita's eyes widened as she placed her hand over her heart, "Raavi?" she asked incredulously. She bit the bottom of her lip and shook her head, "Nevermind, you should go back to loving Dev. Dev is a much better option than Shiva. Fui would not be happy... at all."
"Anita Di," Raavi put her arms around Anita's shoulders. "It's nothing like you think. Just tell me what I need to do to impress a guy," she pursued her lips as she tried to think about possible ways she could impress Shiva. But the more she thought about it, the more she hit the wall. Nothing could impress the boy. Unless she dressed as Dhara... but even then, he would kick her out of the house. In fact, he might feel even more offended if he saw her dressing up like Dhara.
"You could cook for him, Raavi beta."
Raavi turned around with joy. It could be an idea that works. That rock hard man liked to eat. Every time during lunch hour, she would see his box and be surprised. Out of all four Pandya boys, Shiva most certainly ate the most amount of food. She didn't even think there was a food he hated. In fact, one time, he ate so much chole at Kanti Aunty's function that she needed to fight so he could get more food (and that man was still so ungrateful)
"Will it work?" she mumbled as she tapped her finger on her chin. She thought back to all the foods that she saw Shiva enjoying and couldn't pin point a personal favorite.
She felt a gentle rub on her head and glanced up, seeing her Mausa-Pa. He was smiling down at her, "If you cook with your heart, it'll always work."
When she heard those words, she couldn't help but feel happier. She perked up and gave her Mausa-Pa a big hug, "Thank you!" she squealed with excitement.
She already knew what she was going to do. Hot-tempered Shiva needed a sweet to cool him down. She was going to make him gulab jamun. It was the first sweet she ever made, and now that she's had years of practice, she knew she made the best gulab jamuns in Somnath. Especially since all the gulab jamuns were gone within the first hour of Kanti Aunty's parties. No other food was as popular.
She hugged Anita and then her Mausa-Pa again before grabbing her bag to run out and go to the Pandya house.
Anita turned to her Fua, "But--,"
He smiled and shook his head, "Let it be, Anita-beta. Shiva is a nice boy."
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Raavi sprinkled the almond shavings over the gulab jamuns she made and took a whiff of her cooking. When she smelt the sweet fragrance, she couldn't help but pat herself on the back. With a laugh, she squealed with happiness, "You did it again, Raavi. The best gulab jamuns right here."
She immediately thought of Shiva's angry face. With a frown, she glanced at her sweet, "He better praise me for this. If he doesn't..." she thought of beating Shiva, but comparing his size to her own, she knew she couldn't hurt him if she tried. She probably would just hurt herself trying...
"Bhabi!"
Raavi stood up straighter as she heard Shiva's voice. Hearing his voice was always strange... especially in the past couple of years. She was so used to hearing his childhood voice. But, of late, his voice was getting deeper and deeper. Just when she thought it couldn't get deeper... Even his beard was more well defined than before.
She gulped and hid behind the pillar. Luckily, Dhara and Suman were willing to play along with her little story, so she didn't have to worry about becoming thrown out of the house today. Unfortunately though, both were occupied trying to fix a water issue upstairs. So, all she had to do was distract Shiva long enough until Suman and Dhara came back.
She noticed Shiva entering. Just like yesterday, he was covered in sweat, his clothes sticking to his body. However, unlike yesterday, she had a much closer up view of him. After classes, he spent almost all of his time in the shop, carrying loads, helping with stocking, and running deliveries. So it comes to no surprise to her that his body would reflect all the hard work he put in.
She flexed her own bicep and frowned as she fingered how flappy it was.
I wonder how much work I need to do to become as strong as Shiva...
"Bhabi, mujhe bhookh--," Shiva's words paused as he turned to the table and saw the gulab jamuns she had prepared. A smile adorned his face as he eagerly walked up to the table. He picked up the bowl and took a deep breath, smelling the gulab jamuns. His smile stretched across his face, and Raavi couldn't help but smile back.
She bit her lower lip as she cautiously glanced up again. When it came to matters related to Shiva, she was always cautious. He was like an electrical wire... and she never knew when he would light up.
Shiva took a seat in his chair and took the first bite of the jamun. Once the sweet reached his mouth, he closed his eyes as a soft smile appeared on his lips. He sat there for a moment, not doing anything but savoring the taste.
A warm flush appeared over Raavi's cheeks. Many people had tried her cooking and praised her, but no one reacted like Shiva, and she couldn't help but declare this to be a personal victory for herself. Even her dushman enjoyed her cooking! She was so glad she was hiding. If he saw her, he would literally spit out the jamuns and insult her cooking.
Shiva immediately took another bite savoring the taste just as he did with the first bite. But this time, there was a sense of urgency. He finished the rest of the sweet within seconds, and when he was finished, he stared at his bowl longingly.
Swallowing, he stood and immediately went to the kitchen. Raavi followed him slowly, making sure to stay out of sight. She noticed him opening many different vessels. When he finally reached the smaller vessel, she couldn't help but smile. Those were where she placed the rest of her gulab jamuns.
Instead of grabbing a few jamuns, Shiva took the entire pot. Sitting back in his seat, he continued to eat the rest of the jamuns, making sure to spare nothing. At the end, he even made sure to lick the syrup so none was left behind.
Shiva glanced at the vessel before glancing up with a grin, "I need to make sure I listen to whatever Dhara-bhabi says, especially after these delicious jamuns. Wah!" he dropped the spoon and leaned back into his seat.
This was all Raavi needed. He already said he would do whatever for his bhabi especially after eating those jamuns. Since she was going to be his bhabi in the future, it was a great chance for her to collect the favor right now!
"You'll really grant any wish?" Raavi rushed out prematurely, exposing herself to Shiva without having any sort of back-up plan in case things go southward.
The smile on Shiva's face quickly disappeared. Instead, it was replaced with a scowl, "Tum?"
She brushed away the fact that she'd heard disgust in his voice. Shiva was always disgusted with her, so this was nothing new for her to handle. But, what she was excited about was the fact that she had a strong possibility of walking away with a love letter from Shiva.
A true man wouldn't eat food and NOT repay the favor. Shiva owed her.
She marched up to Shiva with a silly grin on her face. Once she received the love letter from Shiva, she toss the letter into that dumb Miheeka's face. Heh... even getting a letter from Shiva Pandya is easy, especially since she is Somnath's most beautiful.
Shiva's glared deepened as she stepped closer to him, "Tum yaahan kya kar rahi ho?" Only the table separated them.
Raavi held her hand out with a big grin, "Love letter please!"
Shiva's brow raised, but before he could say anything, Raavi pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, becoming shy all of a sudden, "Dekh Shiva, I don't want to ruin your creative potential, but it would be perfectly acceptable if you could write, 'Raavi, Somnath's--no the world's most beautiful girl!' or," her eyes glittered, "if you could say, 'My future bhabi who is the bestest and most beautiful.' I'll accept either or," she had a shy smile again, "both if you must."
Shiva stared at her in deadpan. When it seemed like she stopped, he snorted, "Katam hogaya?"
The excitement in her died down a little bit. Trust Shiva to be a complete kill joy. She was about to shake her head, but then she suddenly realized, "Oh, and if you could even add how I make you the happiest person ever. That would really be great. We really need to make this letter be as dramatic as possible!"
The more dramatic, the more the smirk on Miheeka's face would be wiped off.
"Oh?" Shiva cocked his head to the side as he observed Raavi, "And should I also speak to your intelligence?"
Raavi gasped with happiness. Her Mausa-Pa was truly right. Food made with love truly does melt even the hardest. Why didn't I force feed Shiva sooner? He might have already allowed me to be with Dev at this point.
"If you can, that would be perfect!" Raavi exclaimed. She could already imagine the compliments Shiva would write for her in the letter. He was being extra cooperative today, and she was loving every moment.
Shiva nodded his head as he placed his hands on the table and leaned towards her, "Of course, and I'll be descriptive as well. I'll be sure to include how there's a combination of dust, sand, and trash in your head that even an industry grade vacuum won't help clean."
She couldn't help snort. Maybe she was being a little delusional thinking Shiva would've magically changed overnight. She shook her head and took a deep breath. Don't give up Raavi, you CAN do it. You CAN get a love letter from Shiva.
She went around the table and used all the force she could to drag Shiva's chair. She managed to drag him about a foot from the table. Coming around, she stood in front of him. If Shiva wasn't going to give her the letter, well, she'll just up her annoying tactics. And if he still refused to, she'll just have to blackmail him.
"Shiva," she said softly and cutely. This was the type of voice that always worked on her Maasi-Ma and Mausa-Pa. She leaned down, her long hair brushed his fingertips, "You're a real man aren't you?"
Shiva's eyes narrowed as he raised a brow.
Raavi patted his belly, "You ate my jamuns." When he opened his mouth, Raavi quickly used her hands to cover his lips, "No Shiva, you can't just spit out my jamuns like that. You've already digested 90% of it." She stood up and frowned, "Just be a real man and give me a love letter."
After waiting for a full second, Shiva stood up to his full height, "Ey chipkali, dimaag karab hogoya? Love letter?" his eyes rolled over her with disgust. "You really think you're some Jhansi Ki Rani wishing for a Kohinoor diamond?"
Raavi shook her head, "I'll admit. I'm not some Kohinoor diamond," she grabbed his arm and latched on to him. "I'm Raavi, sirf Raavi. Teri aanewala bhabi." Shiva shook her off and rolled his eyes. He glanced at the empty bowl and Raavi immediately rushed to stand in front of him, "Okay, okay fine. If you don't want to write me a love letter, then write me an appreciation letter." When he didn't seem convinced, she frowned and pointed to the empty bowl, "You devoured my jamuns and made sure no one else ate them!"
Shiva took a step closer to her and leaned down, "Yeah, because I can't have you going around poisoning all of Somnath, chudail."
Anger flared in Raavi as she took a step closer to him. Even though he was a bit taller, she was pretty tall herself, maybe coming at just a half an inch shorter. She used her index finger to jab Shiva's shoulder, "I'll have you know all of Somnath is obsessed with my cooking. Every time I make gulab jamuns for Kanta Aunty's party they are finished within an hour!"
Shiva glared at her, and once he finished, he scoffed, "Of course they would be done in an hour. Everyone's curious to see how a chipkali can cook." He fingered a strand of her hair, gently picking it up and watching it fall after dropping it. He glanced back up at her and muttered, "You would be perfect for an exhibition or Zoo. I can already imagine it," he took a step back to announce, "Introducing the Chipkali who is delusional into thinking she's a human," he turned back to glare at her.
Bewakoof Shiva. Raavi's hands clenched into fists. If he wasn't going to be nice and give the letter himself, she'll just have to blackmail him. She immediately pushed him and ran to where he usually slept. There has to be some sort of diary here! She tossed the bedsheets and even picked up the pillow, patting it down to figure out whether there was any large, hard object hidden in it.
"Ey chipkali, kya kar rahi ho?" Shiva marched over to Raavi to stop whatever nonsense she was up to.
Raavi pushed him away as she took the pillow out of the pillow cover. She frowned as she picked up the mattress, "Why don't you have a diary?" She really needed to know all the secrets hidden away in Shiva's brain. The more secrets she knew, the more of an upper hand she'll have in the future. Love letter? Who cared about that? With Shiva's secrets, she can aim for the stars.
Shiva probably realized what she was doing because he quickly went up to her and grabbed her wrist, "Ey chipkali. Teri dimaag mein busa bhara hain par nahin meri dimaag." He dragged here away from his bed. "You might have a fish brain to need a diary, but I don't. I actually remember everything in my life."
Raavi's eyes widened when she realized he was dragging her out of the house. She grabbed onto a pillar and began to whine, "Shiva, Shiva, Shiva!" She really needed to look into going to the gym soon. Shiva's strength was growing, and if she didn't even maintain the smallest fitness, he'll truly be able to blow her away like a speck of dust.
When Shiva release his grip, Raavi hugged the pillar and glared at him, "You brute!" She swallowed as she watched him come closer. She was normally used to Shiva's anger and didn't think much of it. She didn't even care if he threw her out of the house, as she was usually more happy she was able to strike Shiva's nerves than anything else. But today, she couldn't leave without that letter. It would destroy her ego knowing Miheeka of all girls was the most beautiful.
If Shiva thought she was a chipkali, then Miheeka certainly deserved the title of makdee... especially with her creepy looks.
"I do so much for you!" her glare deepened, "I know so much about you! In fact, I know everything about you!" her grip loosened. "But instead of thanking me, you act like an angry pisaach!"
Shiva cocked his head to the side as his eyes rolled over her. She bit her lip wondering just what it was that he was thinking. Definitely not good thoughts. In all her life, Shiva only taunted her or tried to push her away. Even now, he probably was looking for ways on how best to kick her out since his original plan did not work out.
"You know so much about me?" Shiva crossed his arms as the anger cooled on his face. Though he wasn't pleasant by any means (especially with that smug smirk of his), it was much better than the anger... "Tell me, chipkali, tell me all that you know about me."
Raavi gulped nervously. In all honesty, she didn't really know that much about him. He was always angry and sometimes scary. The only woman he ever smiled at apart from his mother was his Dhara bhabi. He liked food... she knew that much at least. But she couldn't pinpoint a specific food since he ate it all. Oh, and everytime before exams, he would take out his tiffin box and begin munching on the snacks that his bhabi packed for him.... but those were all things anyone could say.
"I... uh... what do you want to know?" she bought herself some extra time as she thought back to all the things she knew about him. Most of them seemed very superficial like how his favorite sport was field hockey instead of cricket like most other boys. Or how he always liked maths compared to any other subject. Or how he goes to the school rooftop to eat his lunch. But none of those facts were personal.
"My shirt size," Shiva smirked. "Tell me my shirt size, and I think I'll be able to write you this letter."
Raavi's eyes widened with happiness. His shirt size? And that's it? I didn't even need to make the jamuns?!? She tapped on the pillar as she thought about what his shirt size could be. Glancing over at him, her eyes ran along his torso with frustration. She knew female clothing sizes very well. Especially since she always has to stay up to date with her fashion styles... but she had no clue on men's fashion. Her Maasi-Ma bought everything for her Mausa-Pa.
Her hands clenched into fists. If she said the wrong size, Shiva wouldn't even give her another chance. He would straight up kick her out of the house and at that point, she totally deserved it. She glanced up and bit her lip. Dhara Di, why couldn't you come down and force this stinky man to write me my letter?
She glanced at Shiva's shirt and immediately had an idea. She rushed over to him with a grin, startling him to take a step backwards. It doesn't matter if she didn't know his shirt size... she would just pull on his shirt until she saw the tag with the size. And that's exactly what she did. Before he could realize what it was that she was doing, she pulled on his shirt and reached for the collar.
"Ey Maami Ki Behen Ki Beti, kya kar rahi ho?" he was pulled on his shirt with equal force, preventing her from achieving her mission.
She frowned and tugged harder. It didn't matter if his shirt broke from all this tug of war. Quite honestly, it might even be beneficial since he needed a major wardrobe upgrade, "Telling you your shirt size," she gritted her teeth. She was so close to the label. Just some more force and she would fully be able to see-,
"I thought you said you knew everything about me!" Shiva's hands became a pale white as he was trying to push her off while best grabbing onto his shirt.
"I do know everything about you!" she hissed. "But after eating all those jamuns, I need to make sure you didn't inflate two extra sizes!" her eyes widened as she saw the size. She immediately let go of his shirt and watched amused as he fell. He glared up at her, and she couldn't help but throw her hair back in success. Leaning down, she whispered, "Large. Your shirt size is large."
Shiva's face turned red with anger.
What a bore... he always has this tomato face of an expression.
"You cheated."
She snorted, "We never set the rules." She turned to him and frowned when she realized his anger wasn't cooling down. Thinking he wouldn't write the letter, she offered, "Should I tell you what your pant size is too?"
Shiva's eyes widened as he inched away from her, "No thank you," he mentioned in deadpan.
"Shiva... Raavi?"
Both of them turned to see Dhara standing there with her eyes wide open.
Raavi marched up to her and grabbed her hand, "Dhara Di! You came just in time. Shiva was bullying me," she turned to Shiva and gave him a nasty stare.
"Bully you?" Shiva stood up with a glare. "What a joke. Who was the one trying to take off my shirt!"
Raavi turned to Shiva with anger, "Well, then next time don't ask me for your shirt size!"
"There are many other ways to find out my shirt size, chudail. I thought almonds would be enough for you, but it seems like even if Saraswati herself came here, she wouldn't be able to fix your brain," he bit out as he stepped closer to her.
"Oh yeah, well it seems like-,"
"Bas!" Dhara stepped in between them before they could do any additional harm to each other. She glanced at each of them, frustrated. She turned to Shiva first, but when she noticed his anger, she simply turned to Raavi, "Didn't you say you were going to be nice to Shiva?"
Before Shiva could respond, Raavi frowned, affronted, "And I was being nice to Shiva. I made him jamuns. He ate the jamuns. Instead of being nice back to me, he's yelling at me and being all angry!" when she noticed Shiva was getting angrier, she hid behind Dhara.
"Shiva!" Dhara said somewhat sternly and playfully. She cupped his cheek and patted his cheek, "Anger doesn't look good on you." He glanced away with a scoff, but whatever anger he had quickly cleared.
Someday... that'll be me! I'll be the one cooling this angry lion down... he'll respect me, call me Somnath's most beautiful, be my slave...
She couldn't help but grin as she thought about Shiva running all her errands and being her personal service boy. Some day, Raavi. Some day it'll be in your future...
"And you," Dhara turned to her as Raavi took a step back. Dhara reached for Raavi's ear, "Must you always try to angry my Shiva?" though the words were serious, Dhara sported an exasperated smile, letting Raavi know there was nothing for her to worry about.
Raavi reached for Dhara's hand with a sheepish grin, "Dhara Di, this time I really wasn't trying to make him angry." She turned to Shiva with narrowed eyes, "I made jamuns for him and asked him to write me a," she caught herself before she said 'love letter.' Though Dhara was nice, Raavi wasn't too sure on what her reaction would be if she found out it was a love letter. Clearing her throat, Raavi continued, "I wanted an appreciation letter... so you know... we could call a truce?"
Dhara's brows came together as she turned to Shiva and back at Raavi. Shiva seemed too angry to respond or refute her words (which was a major relief for her). Raavi's grip on Dhara's hands tightened, "You want us to stop fighting, don't you Dhara Di?" when Dhara nodded her head confused, Raavi pointed to Shiva, "Then make your devar write me that letter."
Before Dhara could respond, Shiva scoffed, "You want me to write that letter right, chipkali?"
Ravvi nodded her head as Shiva grabbed her arm, pulling her close to him, "Fine. Your wish has been fulfilled." He dragged her towards the door as she remained dazed in her thoughts.
Shiva agreed?
Before he could push her out the door, she exclaimed, "Make sure you write about all my positive traits!"
He rolled his eyes and closed the door.
She turned with wide, excited eyes. The most awful man of Somnath was writing her a love letter?!?! She jumped with joy. The title of Somnath's Most Beautiful was already in her hands, and that stupid Miheeka could do nothing about it.
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