by Varsha Dixit
‘Then I hope the heat is still on!’ Aditya ragged, pulling Nandini closer.
‘I am not going to be your dish-on-the-side!’ Nandini voiced, struggling valiantly in the partial embrace.
Aditya’s eyes narrowed at the phrase. ‘Who have you been talking to?’ Nandini continued her vigorous struggle, heaving back and forth.
‘Then, how about being the main course and the dessert?’ Aditya quietly suggested.
‘Yeah right and what happens to Gayatri?’
Aditya’s next words blew her away. ‘I don’t think Gayatri would like to marry a man, who is so obsessively in love with someone else!’
Nandini gaped at him, open-mouthed. Amused, Aditya closed her mouth; his fingers lingered over Nandini’s lips.
‘Are you trying to say that... you and me... that you love …?’ Nandini sputtered, not able to complete the sentence.
‘Yes Nandini, I am still crazily in love with you, and that’s the reason I shall never ever leave you alone,’ Aditya replied, exhaling.
‘What about the past?’ Nandini whispered gazing at him, her heart in her eyes.
‘The past is behind us. All I know is that for me, there can be no present or future without you, only you, Nandini, no one else. ’
Nandini swallowed fiercely. She clamped her bottom lip, as her eyes became laden with heavy tears. Her face contorted, as she tried reining the intense emotions slamming into her.
Aditya brought his other hand up to gently touch her cheek, and then caress the quivering full lower lip. ‘Sweetheart, please say something? Anything... please?’ he implored on tenterhooks.
‘Thank you!’ Nandini sobbed, tears dripping down her chin.
A heart-melting smile, creased Aditya’s face. He bent his head, kissing the path left by her tears and whispered, ‘You’re so welcome darling! Though that was not the reaction—’
Nandini put a hand over his mouth. ‘Aditya Sarin, I love you totally, unconditionally... aaj, kal, parso! I love you, love you, love you!’ She flung herself at him, openly bawling. Her head dug his chest as she literally clawed and climbed him, overcome by liberty to show her emotions.
Aditya lifted Nandini off her feet, hugging her tight. For a few seconds, their heartbeats heard each other. ‘Hey sweetheart, don’t cry love... shsh!’ huskily he comforted, nuzzling Nandini’s neck and face.
‘I love you so much Aditya,’ Nandini breathed, as Aditya wiped her eyes, ‘that I can even take your hate.’
‘Nandini, there is no hate for you and there never was. It was stupid of me to think that is what it was. All my actions were driven by hurt that the one I loved didn’t love me,’ Aditya voiced, gazing remorsefully in her eyes.
Nandini opened her mouth, but Aditya’s finger on her lips stopped her. ‘Till I realised that all that matters, is being with you, winning you back. I have more than enough love for both of us. I will spend every moment of my life making you happy, if that is what it takes to be with you.’
‘All I want and need is for you to love me and always keep me really, really, close to you. I have been told without you I become a zombie,’ Nandini said, ecstatic.
‘Done! To save mankind I shall always be stuck to your side and it doesn’t hurt that I can’t see beyond you.’ Grinning, Aditya caressed Nandini’s face and hair.
‘You must really love me; I saw you didn’t even flinch on seeing my sneakers,’ Nandini teased. Content, she linked her arms around his neck.
‘Love can be blinding. I’ll take you even with sneakers,’ Aditya groaned in mock despair.
‘You do plan on kissing me eventually, right?’ Nandini goaded brazenly, basking in the joy of being in Aditya’s arms, for the right reasons.
‘I knew you were in this for my body!’ Aditya claimed, instantly covering her lips with his. The pain of the past simply melted away as their mouths collided and meshed. The primary need to touch, in seconds, altered to raging desire.
Aditya feverishly ran his hands all over Nandini, remembering and relishing the feel of her soft skin. Nandini on her tiptoes, pressed deeper against Aditya’s muscled strength, greedy and giving.
A few minutes later, a loud, ‘halleluiah!’ broke them apart.
38
Pyar Mein Twist
U tterly dishevelled and breathless, they glanced at the door. Nandini red-faced, Aditya miffed.
Sneha stood there; an ear-splitting grin on her face, and a paper in the hand. ‘I guess, this excessive spit exchanging means you two are back together.’
‘Yes we are!’ squealed Nandini, not budging an inch... not that she could! Aditya possessively held her to his side. He sat on the desk pulling Nandini into him. Both of them faced Sneha.
‘Come in Sneha. I owe you big for the tip,’ Aditya said.
‘What did she do?’ Nandini asked.
‘Sneha discreetly revealed your plan of resigning today,’ Aditya said, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose.
‘Oh, you did not!’ Nandini responded, put out. Just like men, true love did not stop for directions. Happy conclusions were only do minute kaa raasta away !
‘I did no such thing like your boyfriend is suggesting. I think his PA eavesdropped on a very private conversation.’ Sneha feigned indignation, but spoiled the effect by a last minute smirk.
A cheeky smile erupted on Nandini’s face. How wonderful the word, ‘boyfriend’ sounded.
Whatever anyone was about to say was lost, as Nandini’s cell buzzed loudly. She retrieved it from the crocheted case, slung around her wrist. ‘It’s Mugs! I have to take this one! Let go!’ With some effort, she tugged herself from Aditya’s arms.
‘Keep it short!’ Aditya called out, tenderly, watching Nandini as she walked over to the other side of the room. He curtailed the urge to do cartwheels.
‘So everything is sorted, out in open?’ Sneha quizzed, stopping next to Aditya. She inserted the paper in the file; Nandini had just placed in the tray.
‘Yup apologies made, explanations given.’
‘Good! Nandi has suffered enough in the last few years... without you. It broke my heart to see her go through all that, for no fault of hers,’ Sneha conversed.
A sharp man, Aditya knew this to be an opportune moment to keep quiet and just murmur an all encompassing, ‘Hmmm!’
‘Nandini probably told you that she didn’t even have the cell switched on, when you overheard her speak, all the crap about you and your family’s Benjamin Franklins,’ Sneha continued her chatter.
‘Really?’ Aditya rejoined, appearing appropriately amused and incredulous.
‘A man of your intelligence should have dug deeper. How could you ever believe Nandi to be a money grabbing tramp?’ Sneha quizzed, casually. The person in discussion blabbered animatedly on her cell. The two things, women tend to grossly underestimate – their mouths and then their friend’s mouth.
‘I guess at that time...’ Aditya cleared his throat, not sure what to say.
‘I can imagine, your head at that time was probably messed up by your father’s untimely death,’ Sneha sympathetically clucked. ‘Had anyone else asked Nandini to break off her relationship with you, she would have probably fed that person, piece by piece to the sharks. But how could she refuse your mother – her Badi Maa... whom she never would say no to.’ Sneha carelessly slipped the big cat out!
Aditya, recoiled, as if `kicked in the gut. He straightened, shock written large over his face. Sneha gasped; reflexively she clasped a hand over her mouth. ‘You didn’t know! What have I done? Aditya please forget what you heard right now! Puhlease Aditya! Nandini will kill me !’ Sneha moaned.
Aditya’s mouth worked but no words came out.
‘What are you guys talking about?’ Nandini asked, coming towards them.
Swiftly, Aditya schooled his expression. Grabbing Nandini’s arm, he barked, ‘Let’s go!’
‘Where?’ Nandini asked, nervously, feeling some of his tension.
Feverishly, Aditya cupped Nandi
ni’s face. ‘Home, sweetheart home!’ he murmured, planting a soft kiss on her lips.
Nandini chilled, ‘Okay!’
‘We have to break the news to mom!’ Aditya declared, his eyes veiled.
Sneha grimaced. ‘Lag gaayi lanka!’ she croaked, under her breath. ‘Nandi, please remember how long we have been friends!’ she called out, as Aditya hauled Nandini out of the office.
Laughing, Nandini asked, ‘What does Sneh mean by that?’
‘She knows that now your days and nights are completely booked,’ Aditya said, possessively. He stopped to caress her face.
‘Everybody will see... we’re still in office.’ Nandini moved away.
‘Let them! The sooner the better! You and I have waited for each other, far too long.’
‘Awww!’ Simone gushed, amazed at the difference in her boss. Now content, his face seemed to have shed years, love for the girl on his side, shining all over him.
Aditya glanced at Simone, who became self-conscious. ‘You are most definitely getting the raise he promised you,’ Nandini said, impudently.
‘Coz you deserve every bit and also because Nandini said so,’ Aditya agreed preoccupied. Instead of taking the elevator, he abruptly tugged Nandini towards the fire exit. Bemused, she let him.
The second they stepped in the stairway, Aditya pulled Nandini in his arms. ‘Forgive me Nandini; forgive me for the crap I pulled on you in the past few weeks.’
‘It’s okay Adi! Believe me all that is long forgotten,’ Nandini reassured.
‘How can you forgive me so easily ? How I blackmailed and terrified you—’
Nandini burst in peals of laughter.
‘What’s so funny?’ Aditya asked, her laugh, as always elevating and arousing .
‘You silly, egocentric man! I am only terrified of bad karma, the weighing scale and Behl Aunty, and you are neither of the three,’ Nandini caressing Aditya’s face, corrected.
On seeing Aditya’s disbelieving expression, she continued, ‘I always knew that you would never harm Namit Dada and secondly, I could have gotten my hands on that document any time I wanted.’
‘Thank you for that vote of confidence but getting your hands on that document was next to impossible,’ Aditya replied.
‘Yeah sure! All I had to do, is say one word to Badi Maa or AB... and believe me sir, you would have handed that paper to me, on your knees.’ Nandini poked her tongue at him.
‘Hmmm... well maybe you are right!’ Aditya conceded, smiling sheepishly.
Sobering, Nandini confessed, ‘I am pathetic. Even when you fumed and frothed, at least you were close to me. So I let—’
Whatever she was about to say was lost as Aditya rushed her down the stairs. He thought Nandini did not catch the wetness in his eyes. Throughout their drive home, Aditya growled, repeatedly, ‘I love you Nandini.’
For the first, few times Nandini made the appropriate response – sighs, shy smiles and lingering kisses on Aditya’s cheeks, only – as she was against driving under intoxication.
Finally Nandini retorted, ‘Please shut up, and let me enjoy the Lamborghini!’
Aditya, like a broken record persisted.
39
Mother India
N early half an hour or so later, the sports car pulled in the Sarin driveway.
Nandini turned to open the door but it seemed stuck. She tugged hard and Aditya yelped, ‘What are you doing? You’ll hurt, I mean, break it.’
‘I’ll hurt it?’ Nandini shook her head. ‘It’s a car made of metal, with thousands of gizmos and weird stuff. It doesn’t feel a thing.’
‘It’s not just a car Nandini, it’s...’ Aditya searched for the word, ‘it’s perfect, untainted, utopian magnificence. You don’t treat something like that lightly.’
‘You lost me after “it’s”,’ Nandini mocked.
‘Our first argument is not going to be about this.’ Getting out, Aditya walked over and swung the door open for her.
‘My wedding gift to you will be an old, beat up ambassador,’ Aditya teased .
Nandini couldn’t help but look away, smiling bashfully. Aditya leaned in to kiss her.
However, she stopped him. ‘Gayatri. Rather than see it, she should hear it... from you! Be gentle with her,’ Nandini said. Her eyes clouded, she knew the pain of seeing the one you love with someone else.
Sighing, Aditya responded, ‘Try not to be so damn sweet and I’ll try not to be so damn horny.’ He planted a quick kiss somewhere between her lips and chin.
‘Oh my goddd!’ Seema’s voice made them turn around.
‘Hi Bhabhi!’ Nandini greeted, embarrassed.
‘Hi Seems! How are you and your paltan?’ Aditya asked, not the least bit discomfited.
Seema’s mouth worked but no words came out.
‘Do something Aditya, or her water’ll break!’ Nandini hastened.
‘What is going on? You and Nandini...’ Seema trailed off, shaking her head and gesturing.
Aditya hastened over to Seema and put his arm around her. ‘Yes, me and Nandini. We’ve loved each other for the last four years or so.’
‘Then Gayatri! What about her?’ Seema asked.
‘Ask Nandini, it’s her fault. She screwed it all up,’ Aditya, grinning, passed the buck.
‘Shut up Adi! It’s a long story Bhabhi—’
‘Aditya, Adi you are back. Where did you go beta?’ Vibha asked standing at the door of the house. At the sound of Aditya’s voice, she, Shruti and Gayatri, had rushed outside.
Looking at Vibha, Aditya’s face lost its good humour. ‘I need to talk to all of you. Let’s go inside,’ Aditya gestured at Seema and Nandini .
Gayatri’s boring eyes, literally pushed Nandini, to find the nearest wall and write ten thousand times on it, ‘I am a bad-side-dish.’ ‘Maybe Mom and I should go home. We’ll come back later.’ Nandini beckoned Shruti.
Softly, Aditya said, ‘You move your desirable booty one foot away from me, and you have no one else to blame for whatever happens next.’
Gulping, Nandini jostled with the other women, including one very pregnant, to get first inside the house.
Once all took seats, Aditya turned to Seema, ‘Where’s AB?’
‘In the den. Someone can get him,’ Seema proposed.
‘No need. Aditya, where the heck did you disappear off to, dude?’ AB asked, coming into the family room. He had heard the Reventon; it had called to him.
‘I am very sorry for the way I took off . But I needed some time to myself, to figure out who and what is really important to me,’ Aditya said. His eyes kept straying back to Nandini, who on her part, was ignoring him like expired cosmetics. She nevertheless, did reach out, to grab from the nearby side table, a few miniature Pate a Choux, popularly known as chocolate éclairs... or calories that stick to your thighs.
‘Firstly, I need to talk with Gayatri, alone. Could we go in the library?’ Aditya requested.
Gayatri, a resigned expression on her face, asked. ‘Is our wedding still on?’ Her would-be-could-be fiancée fumbled. Aditya was hoping to give her a more private letdown.
‘It’s okay! You can tell me in front of everyone,’ Gayatri goaded.
Aditya answered with the honesty she deserved. ‘I’m sorry, Gayatri. I am not right for you. I can’t give you the happiness and love— ’
Gayatri raising her hand, drawled. ‘Never mind. So she’s the lucky gal?’ Her tone, like her finger pointing at Nandini, was not polite.
Not expecting the spotlight so early on, Nandini halted her cheek swelling chomping, as everyone looked her way.
AB and Shruti appeared floored, Vibha’s expression swayed wishful and Seema grimaced; a windstorm was whipping in her stomach. ‘Never again will I dare to mix a bowl of broccoli with a seven month pregnancy,’ she muttered to herself.
Aditya replied, mildly, ‘I am the lucky man and yes, Nandini is the only girl... for me !’
‘Oh! Please don’t make me gag!’ Gayatri sneered
.
‘I’m sorry Gayatri. My intention was never to hurt you—’
Gayatri cut Aditya off. ‘And yet you just did.’ She gestured at Aditya and Nandini, ‘That’s the problem with true-blue lovers or whatever your breed is called. By the time you get your act together, you really screw up other people’s happiness. So what am I expected to tell my parents?’
‘That thankfully, Aditya came to his senses, before any real damage could be done. He spared me years of therapy by not dumping me at the altar, in all my designer finery ,’ Seema replied, irked. Aditya’s genuine efforts to seek Gayatri’s forgiveness and ease her hurt and Nandini’s inability to swallow her food had rendered them incapable of defending themselves. Someone had to speak for the ‘do jism ek jaan’.
AB, too, came to the rescue, though much softer than his belligerent and hormone-happy wife, ‘Gayatri, I agree with Seema. It’s best that Aditya and Nandini have figured out things before anything official happened.’
Bitter, Gayatri muttered, ‘All’s well that ends well!’ Aditya returned her look, saddened. Even in these times of hire and fire, for a few, hurting others does not come naturally .
Nandini eyed them sympathetically. ‘Now you don’t go and do anything stupid. The karela ka juice taste, in the suddenly single woman’s mouth, is largely because of the shattered ego rather than a broken heart. After a break up, for some time, it is hard to differentiate between the two,’ Nandini’s conscience scoffed.
Gayatri stood up and so did Aditya. ‘I’ll pack my stuff. Please, arrange for me to leave at the earliest and the most comfortable. Excuse me; I have to make a few calls.’ Gayatri left the living room to take sanctuary in the guest suite.
Immediately, Shruti pounced on Nandini. ‘What on earth is going on? You and Aditya are seeing each other? When did this happen? How come you never told me?’
Haltingly, Nandini spoke, ‘Yes Ma. Aditya and I came rather close. Umm... I don’t mean in the physical way...’ Shruti nearly coughed up a fur ball, Vibha held her hand and AB shifted, uneasily.
Aditya, a wry look on his face, said, ‘Go on, Nandini. Finish what you were saying.... something about your and my physical intimacy.’
