Chamkili Ch-19

                                 'Chamkili' 

                                           Ch-19

                                            Together

Water boiled atop both the stoves and she bustled around the kitchen getting things ready. She poured milk into one of the tumblers and opened the container for coffee, inhaling the aroma before adding a spoon of it to another tumbler. She then added some tea, followed by three spoons of sugar to the boiling milk and water. She had taken off today; it wasn’t like KaLa would shut down if she didn’t show-up one day. Her husband, however, didn’t have the same luxury; AR might actually shut down if he wasn’t there. She had just turned the gas off, when she heard his car stop in the premises. Oh nothing even remotely filmy was going on here. He had called her a while back to inform that he was leaving work and would be home soon, it was as simple as that.

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The door opened to a deathly quiet living-room. Regardless of the difficulty that he was having admitting this to even himself, he missed the days when he was greeted by his women dancing to some ridiculously catchy bollywood number.

He was still trying to remember the song when she hugged him from behind and then took the bag from his hand.

“Why don’t you head to the room and I’ll follow. The coffee is ready.”

He kissed her cheeks before doing exactly what she had asked.

She was thinking about the events of the day as she headed to her room. It had been almost a week since her Jiji had received the medical reports and it was like they were all stuck in some weird time-loop where nothing ever changed. Where days flew by and yet time had stopped crawling.

Nani was trying to be strong and yet the vulnerability and despair in her glassy eyes gave her away. Dadi and Mami had also stuck to their routine of taunting Payal at every opportunity they got. Anjali supported Payal and yet that hardly helped. Anjali had been uncharacteristically phased and was seldom even in the house, something that had not escaped Khushi’s notice.

Just then she heard some sound coming from the kitchen and peeked in to find Payal pouring a glass of water. Aakash ji must have come home. Probably now her Jiji could shed a few tears in the privacy of her room, with Aakash ji right there to hold her. She needed that.

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Her eyes searched him the moment she entered their room. But then she heard the shower running and busied herself with setting the patio-furniture and the beverages beside the pool. She herself settled on one of the chairs, quietly waiting for him. Soon he joined her there. A set of black track-pants riding low on his hips and a wet towel around his neck comprised his entire attire for the evening. She poured the coffee for him and tea for herself and with that, they shared their day together.

She told him about Payal and Nani and Mami and Dadi and Aakash and he patiently listened, offering his own comments or asking a question every now-and-then. He then talked about his day, about the meetings and projects and problems and she chimed in between, with her own two bits, telling him about her own work issues and the project she was working at and the client who hadn’t got back to them yet and asking questions when she didn’t understand certain things. Their conversations now rarely held the urgency of ill-fated lovers, stealing a moment in time. Instead, now they seemed to have the composure, calm and contentment of two souls who shared their lives together, and were pretty sure they would for a very long time.

A bead of water trickled from his head to his shoulder and was then lost in the towel. Tracing its path with her eyes, she couldn’t hold back and got up, moving behind him. Taking the towel from his shoulder, she started drying his hair herself, while the two constantly talked about random stuff.
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She was lying stiffly on her side of the bed, consciously trying to regulate her breathing, to hold back her sobs that threatened to breakthrough any moment now. She knew he wasn’t sleeping either and was hoping against hope that maybe tonight he’d reach out to her… that maybe tonight he’d hold her in him arms and let her sob through the night… that maybe he’d cry with her and let her hold him when he did so… And yet she knew her maybes would remain maybes… until the point when she wouldn’t even be left with maybes… The man she had fallen in love with all those months ago, was lost somewhere along the way…

Payal closed her eyes and promised herself that she’d try harder tomorrow… try harder on giving-up…

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She could hear the constant humm the AC and yet she felt warm… wrapped up in his arms, the cold could no longer get to her. She thanked her Devi Maiya in her heart. Snuggling in the nook of his neck, she wondered how long had it been since she had had to talk to her Devi Maiya? Too long probably… and with a content smile she fell in a deep slumber…

AN: Aren't we just super excited to see our favourite jodi again??? I have been screaming and smiling since last week when I first got to know of it... Dreams do come true :)

PS: Do let me know what you thought of this update.

Love 
Srija