Raavi smiled cheerily as she walked over to Pandya Niwas. With an extra bounce in her step, she reached her destination in no time. When she saw the face of her one and only supposed arch-nemesis, she beamed and hopped over to him.
“Shivaaaaa!” She exclaimed merrily.
He groaned when he heard her chirpy voice. “Kya bholenaath? Ek dinn bhi nahi katta iss aafat ko dekhe bina.” He mumbled sleepily, looking up at her from his cot, on which he had just laid down to take a nap.
“Kya hai maami ki behen ki beti? Tu mera sar khaaye bina nahi reh sakti?”
“Arreh, itna kyun gussa horahe ho? Main toh tere liye hi aayi hoon...mera matlab main tum teeno bhaiyyon ke liye aayi hoon. Aaj Dhara di, Gaumbi, aur Suman kaki nahi hai ghar par haina, issliye maine socha ki main tum logon ke liye khaana bana doon.” Raavi smiled sweetly. Today, only the brothers would be home as the elders of the family had gone to a relative’s place in a neighboring city. She thought she would take full advantage of this situation by showing Shiva who’s the boss. After all, this was her future home.
“Ae chipkali. Tu apne harkaton se baaz nahi aane wali haan? Kitni baar tujhe bola hai teri meherbani nahi chahiye. Bhabhi nahi hai toh kya? Hum apna bandobast kar lenge. Khaana bahar se mangwa lenge. Ab tu chal, nikal yahan se.” Shiva spoke in an irritated tone.
“Kuch zyada akad nahi raha tu? Waise toh ghar ka khaana khaye bagair tera pet nahi bharta aur aaj tere jaisa bhootnath bahar ke khaane se kaam chala lega? Ghar mein tandaav kar baithta hai jab tujhe tere desi khaane nahi milte. Bada aaya mujhe bolne wala. Chalo theek hai, tu agar kaam chala bhi le aaj ke liye, main apne pyaare se future devar, Krish ko aise bhuka nahi rehne doongi. Aur dev ko bhi nahi.” Raavi blushed when she spoke her last words.
“Dev ghar par nahi hai. Toh usse impress karne ki naubat nahi aane wali. Accha hua woh nahi hai. Tujhse chhutkara milega mujhe. Tu ab phut le yahan se isse pehle main tera haath pakad kar tujhe bahar phenk doon.” Shiva’s voice rose in its tone.
“How rude! I don’t care Dev hai ya nahi. Main khaana bana rahi hoon and that’s final. Maine Dhara di ko bata bhi diya hai ki unki aaj ki duty main puri kar doongi! Ab na mujhe bhook lag rahi hai aur mera pet toh tere bahar ke khaane se bharne se raha. So main chali kitchen mein. Agar ek sade hue kaddu ko bhook lage, toh usse kitchen ka raasta pata hai.” Raavi walked off in style after showing Shiva her tongue, while he glared at her back.
“Khud ke ghar se toh yeh maharaani kabhi kha kar aati hi nahi. Issko bas humare ghar pe aakar tapakna hota hai aur humara rashan khatam karna hota hai. Dinosaur kahinki. Ab toh mujhe poora vishwas hai ki yeh yahan sirf thoosne ke liye aati hai.” Shiva grumbled before burying his face in his pillow.
About an hour later, Krish came home to the smell of pure desi food due to which his mouth started watering.
“Arreh wah! Kya khushboo hai. Mere pet mein toh chuhe daudne lag gaye hai bhook ke maare!” He was about to run off to the kitchen when Shiva held him back by his shoulders.
“Aye gadhede, kahan dauda ja raha hai?”
“Bhai kitchen mein aur kahan! Kya mast khushboo aarahi hai. Mujhse handle nahi horaha, Aaj toh breakfast aur lunch dono bahar ke hi the toh mujhe toh kuch chatpata chahiye ab.” Krish sighed dreamily, glancing towards the kitchen.
“Apna sapna apne jeb mein daal aur bahar se khaana order kar. Hum uss chipkali ke haath ka banaya hua kuch bhi nahi khayenge.” Shiva glared at his brother.
“Ohhhh. Kitchen mein Raavi hai? Issliye toh main soch raha tha ki bhabhi toh hai nahi toh aisa khaana kaun bana raha hai? Kuch bhi ho, main toh wahi khaunga! Meri baat maan le, apni dushmani ko side rakh, aur tu bhi kha le. Khaane par gussa nahi nikaalte mere bhai!” Krish chattered excitedly.
“Bilkul sahi bola tune Krish! Chal aaja. Khaana bann gaya hai. Tu aur main saath mein baith kar kha lenge. Waise bhi der hogayi hai, saat baj gaye. Main toh bhook se mari ja rahi hoon. Iss bhootnath ko apne haal par chodh de. Bada naak wala hai.” Raavi gave Shiva a scowl while beckoning Krish over.
Krish washed his hands before setting the table. He and Raavi sat down to eat while Shiva glowered at the two of them.
“Shiva, mere khaane par nazar daalna band kar! Agar bhook lagi hai, toh aaja. I promise main kuch nahi kahungi.” Raavi looked over to where he was sitting, her eyes softening a bit. No matter how much they fought, she didn’t want him to starve. He looked away in disdain while she pouted.
“Krish, apne iss sade hue bhai ko khila de na. Varna yeh humme yeh look de de kar bhasm kar dega.” Raavi whispered.
“Isska toh roz ka hai yeh. Jab bhi tu aas paas hoti hai toh yeh aise hi behave karta hai.” Krish said nonchalantly, too engrossed in his food to care.
After they were done cleaning up, Raavi placed a couple of parathas on a plate with some gobhi ki sabzi and took it over to Shiva. She tried to hand him the plate only to receive a threatening look from his side. She sighed and left the plate beside him. “Dekh, mera gussa khaane pe mat nikal. Aise ann ka niradar nahi karte. Agar tu nahi khaya, toh main abhi Dhara di ko call kar ke bataungi ki toh kuch zyada attitude dikha raha hai. Tu chahta hai ke main unnhe unki ghar se dur ek day-off par tang karun?” Raavi smirked, knowing fully well that using her Dhara di as a trump card always worked in her favor.
“Ae chipkali, khabardar jo bhabhi ko call kiya. Main...main kha raha hoon.” Shiva mumbled, taking a bite. Raavi continued to stare at him with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Ab ghoorna band kar! Aur zyada channe ke jhaad par mat chadna. Main yeh sirf bhabhi ke liye kar raha hoon. Taaki unnhe tu disturb na kare.” Shiva mentally screamed a “Wtf” in his mind. Even his brain wasn’t ready to accept that excuse. But he was glad that chipkali decided to mention his bhabhi. At least he didn’t have to starve now. He was absolutely ravenous and the thought of having outside food made him want to puke. He shuddered at the horrific imagery before focusing on his heavenly food.
*****
It was around 8 pm when Krish, Shiva, and Raavi settled around the tv. Since it was a Saturday night, Krish wanted to watch a movie. Raavi clapped her hands excitedly, suggesting various movie names to him. Shiva scoffed at her choices and threatened Krish to walk away if he put on a movie she recommended.
“Hum The Ring dekhenge!” Krish spoke after listening to Shiva and Raavi bicker for fifteen minutes straight.
“The Ring?! Wowww! Sunne mein hi kitna romantic hai. I bet iss movie ka naam hero kaise propose karta hai usse juda hua hai! I’m sooo excited!” Raavi squealed.
Shiva looked at her in surprise before he doubled over in laughter. Was she really that clueless? Does she not know classic horror? Oh right, she doesn’t. She hates it. He chuckled evilly.
Raavi stared at Shiva with an undecipherable emotion before sending Krish a questioning gaze.
“Ummm Raavi. Yeh koi rom-com movie nahi hai. Abhi tune suna na ki Shiva aise picturein nahi dekhta toh issliye hum yeh horror movie dekhenge. Isske naam par mat jao. Yeh ek classic horror film hai.” Krish spoke hesitantly, knowing how much she hates scary movies.
“Kyaaaaaa?!!!” Raavi yelled out loud. “This is not fair Krish. Horror sab ka pasand ka nahi hota aur mera toh bilkul bhi nahi. Iss bhoothnath ke khatir main kyun adjust karoon?” Raavi whined.
“Tu sahi keh rahi hai. Tujhe adjust nahi karna chahiye. Issliye tu abhi ke abhi dafa hoja. Hum phir yeh aaram se dekhenge. Tu bhi khush, hum bhi khush. Waise bhi, tujh jaisi darpok chipkali ko aisa movie hazam nahi hoga. Tujh mein woh baat hi nahi. Acting sherni jaise karti hai, par hai toh tu chuhiya.” Shiva looked at her dead in the eyes, smugness overtaking his features.
Raavi gulped deeply at his words. He was right. She couldn’t deny it. But that doesn’t mean she would admit it to him. Refusing to lose to him, she put on a brave face and went and sat right beside him. She told Krish to start the movie which caused him to look at her surprised. She looked over to Shiva who seemed unfazed but as soon as he noticed her staring his way, he raised his brows in return.
“Who’s the smug one now?” She thought as she narrowed her eyes at him before looking away.
Shiva smirked at her reaction. He got up to dim the lights for added effect. He got back to his spot and rubbed his hands in elation. He couldn’t wait to hear her scream.
Seven minutes into the movie and Raavi was already squirming in her seat. She wanted to look away so badly. She cursed herself for stupidly giving into Shiva’s silent challenge. One look at his face right now, and she knew he was enjoying himself way too much, that too at her expense. She started chanting the Hanuman Chalisa inside her head as she stared at the screen in front of her. Her heartbeat quickened and she shifted closer to Shiva, unknowingly.
Shiva felt her move closer to him and nudged her shoulder to keep her away. It didn’t work as her body had gone rigid with fear. She clung onto him tighter, wrapping her arms around his upper arm.
Krish had already fallen asleep on his spot, leaving the two of them alone in watching the movie.
Shiva looked at the screen with a bored expression. Nothing was happening yet Raavi was busy piercing her nails into his skin.
“Aye gadhedi. Yeh kya chudailon ki tarah naakhun gada rahi hai?” Shiva spoke, exasperated with her, and tried to shrug off her hands.
Raavi shook her head but loosened her grip a little, still wielding an iron grip over his arm. She watched the rest of the movie by peeking in between the fingers which weren’t holding onto Shiva. When things got too much bear, she hid her face on his shoulder, refusing to look up.
“Darpok kahinki.” Shiva muttered, receiving a light slap from her in return.
“Dekh chipkali, yeh climax scene hai. Isse toh dekhna hi padega. Movie bas end hone wala hai.” Shiva uttered in amusement, pushing her face away from him, and making her face the screen.
As soon as Raavi looked at the screen, her eyes widened in fear. When she saw the ghostly girl climbing out of a well and then crawling out of the screen, she shrieked and jumped into Shiva’s lap, losing all of her courage and sense in the process. She nuzzled her face into his chest, terrified by what she saw.
Shiva looked at her with an unreadable expression at first. “Yeh chipkali toh sach much ki chipkali bann gayi...” He snickered at her but when she let out a whimper, his demeanor softened a bit. He wrapped his arm around her. He gave her an awkward pat on the back, not knowing what else to do.
“Movie khatam hogayi hai. Aye chipkali, muh utha kar dekh. Kuch nahi hai screen pe. Ab yeh chuhiya wala roop chhod aur mujh par se uth. Dinosaur jitna wazan ho gaya hai tera!” Shiva exclaimed.
When Raavi heard him speak, she looked up at him and then glanced down to see what position she had landed herself in. She was comfortably settled in his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck. She blushed and got off of him quickly. She didn’t know why but her heartbeat had increased rapidly at their proximity.
Suddenly, the last of his words registered in her brain and she stared at him in annoyance. “Dinosaur hoga tu aur tera khandaan, main nahi!”
“Tu ma, bhabi, aur Gaumbi ko dinosaur bol rahi hai?” Shiva questioned with furrowed brows.
“Nahi. Main tujhe aur tere bhooton ki sena ko keh rahi hoon, akhir mein tu bhootnath jo thehra.” She replied with her arms crossed in front of her.
Suddenly, Raavi looked at the time and noticed that it was already past ten pm. She hastily grabbed her belongings and walked forward only to stop in her tracks. She let out a scream when she saw the well in the aangan. “Kuwa!! Kuwa!!”
“Ae maami ki behen ki beti, cheekhna band karegi ya phir poore Somnath ko jagane ka irada hai?” Shiva rolled his eyes at her exaggeration. He couldn’t help when his mouth curved upwards.
“Kuwe ko dhaak ke rakh. Kahin ussmein se bhi koi bhootni...” Raavi wondered, terrified.
“Akal kya bazaar mein bech kar aayi hai? Tere alawa iss ghar mein koi bhootni nahi. Jab tak tu yahan rahegi, aur koi bhootni toh entry bhi nahi le sakti.” Shiva slapped his leg as he laughed at her reaction. Watching her horrified expression was better than any experience a movie could offer.
“Mazaak nahi hai yeh! Mujhe darr lag raha hai. Shiva...please mujhe ghar chhod de.” Raavi pleaded.
“Main kyun chhodu? Jiss pair se chal kar aayi hai, ussi se waapas laut ja.”
“Please Shiva.” She whispered. “Teri wajah se hi mujhe yeh film dekhni padhi! Ab toh meri chain aur neend sab ke sab udd gaye hai. Tujhe toh khushi milegi, haina? Lekin kya tu mere liye yeh nahi kar sakta? Raat bhi ho chuki hai...chhod de na. Agar tu nahi maana, toh main yahin pe ruk jaungi.”
“Tu yahan bilkul nahi rukegi. Chal yahan se. Main Dev ko bata kar aata hoon ki woh ghar pe nazar rakhe.” Shiva gave in to her demand at the thought of her staying the night and ruining his sleep.
“Dev kab aaya?”
“Jab tu darpok chuhiya bann kar mujh se chipki hui thi.”
Raavi’s cheeks flamed up at his words and she looked away. Shiva dropped her off and drove away after telling her to have ‘sweet dreams.’ He usually never bothered to end their night with a conversation but he did that today on purpose. That gadheda! Otherwise, he could never wish for a good night’s sleep for her.
That night, Raavi had to sleep with all the lights on in her room.
*****
Two weeks later, Raavi walked into Pandya Niwas to find it deserted. That was strange. Someone had to be home otherwise the door wouldn’t have been open. She received no response when she called out to Dhara, Gaumbi, and Krish.
She gulped when she walked past the well, remembering the terrible movie she was forced to watch. As she walked out of the kitchen after finding nobody in there, she thought she saw a hand on the edge of the well. She shook her head and claimed it to be her imagination. But she soon realized she wasn’t hallucinating when a figure, clad in a white dress climbed out of the well, a full head of hair covering her face.
Raavi screeched in horror and found her legs running towards the exit. She bumped into a hard chest on her way out and realized who it was instantly. She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest, mumbling ‘bhoot bhoot bhoot.’
She felt the chest reverberate and looked up to see a cackling Shiva. He was signaling a thumbs up to someone and she turned around to see Krish in a white dress, chuckling while holding his stomach. She felt anger consume her and she let go of Shiva.
“Tum dono?! Yeh tum logon ka plan tha? How could you? Shiva se toh yahi umeed thi lekin Krish? Tujhse yeh maine expect nahi kiya tha. Maine tujhe uss roz kitna accha dinner khilaya aur tune mujhe yeh sila diya! Tu ruk, abhi main batati hoon tujhe!” Raavi screamed as she took off her slippers and ran after Krish. He dodged her slippers and locked himself in Gaumbi and Dhara’s room while Raavi groaned in frustration. She directed her fury towards Shiva and chased after him. She had to get one of them.
Shiva ran away laughing, making her go in circles after him as they ran around the well.
“Ae chipkali, issmein meri kya galati ki tu itni acchi target hai darane ke liye?” He egged her on, still running away.
“Tune uss roz dekha tha ki main kitni dari hui thi lekin phir bhi tune yeh mazak kiya?! Tujhe pata hai main do hafte se acche se soyi nahi hoon? Ab toh main tujhse badla liye bina yahan se nahi jaungi! Ruk ja bhoothnath, kab tak bhagega?” Raavi followed him into the storeroom but stopped when she heard the door shut. She looked behind her to see Shiva locking the door from inside.
“Yeh kya kar raha hai?” She asked, suddenly feeling quite nervous.
“Tujhe badla lena hai na? Toh main bas teri help kar raha hoon.” Shiva said while walking forward.
“Main toh bas ainvayi keh rahi thi...humme chalna chahiye.” Raavi spoke as she walked backwards, contradicting her thoughts, and feeling her back hit the wall.
“Shiva...” She whispered when he caged her in between his arms and the wall. She had been in this position before too so why did it suddenly feel different than all those times? Why was her heart racing faster than usual? Why did she actually want to stay within the confines of his strong arms?
“Chal. Le apna badla. Main tere saamne khada hoon. Kar jo karna hai.” Shiva challenged her in a husky voice, making her senses go into overdrive.
“Main...mujhe woh...tu-tu...mujhe nahi lena badla. Chhod na.” Raavi spoke timidly, unable to look him in the eye.
"Kyun...? Kuch der pehle toh bahot badi bahadur bann rahi thi? Ab kya hua?" He leaned forward and whispered in her ear.
Raavi shivered when his breath tickled her ear. She felt something akin to heat pooling up within her belly. She gulped deeply. "K-k-kuch nahi. M-mera mood nahi hai ab. Mujhe jaana hai.." She pleaded yet her body betrayed her words as it pushed closer to him.
"Toh jao na? Maine kahan roka hai tujhe?" He spoke in an incredibly hoarse voice, one which made her feel things she had never experienced before.
Before she could reply, she heard a low chuckle from him and felt him break away from her. Looking up, she saw him smirking. “Bann gayi na ullu? Maanna padega. Tujhse jo entertainment mujhe milti hai, usski barabari koi aur kar hi nahi sakta.”
“Tu phirse mazak kar raha tha?...Yeh kaisa mazaak hai?!” Raavi walked forward, furious with him for playing with her emotions.
“Ab jaane bhi de. Tere bas ki baat nahi hai mujhse nipatne ki. Hamesha tu haarti hui aayi hai aur aaj bhi haaregi.” Shiva spoke with confidence.
Raavi fumed internally. How dare he say that? How dare he declare himself the winner? How dare he not initiate something...anything? Anything further than their usual proximity? Wait, what? Her thoughts took a wild turn, surprising her a little...just a little. What was she hoping for? As she stared at the challenging look in his eyes, she lost herself within him. She grabbed his collar and pulled him forward in a daze. Her lips touched his and all else was forgotten.
Shiva grinned victoriously the moment her lips met his. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he deepened the kiss, hearing a moan escape her lips. She was finally his.
*****
Yeah...so. I hope you enjoyed that, whatever it was :) Random inspiration hit me after I watched The Ring again for the nth time 😆 I hope you all caught the reference, if not, watch the movie, it's not that scary 😛
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