“Nidhi. Sabke saamne to hansi-mazaak zyada ho jaata hai. Isliye main tumse akele mein baat karna chahti thi.”

“Ji?”

“Bas ye kahna chahti thi ki main samajhti hoon ki in saari complications ka, Nandu ke decisions – bold, but immature – chahe shaadi ka ho, chahe suicide ka – in sabki wajah se jisne sabse zyada problems face kiye hain, woh tum ho. Siddhi ko tumne sambhaal liya, lekin tumhein khud ko sambhaalne waala koi nahin tha… Aur ye sab nahin hua hota agar Nandu ki family, meaning hum log – mere husband aur father-in-law – supportive hote. Unfortunately she was stuck with her decisions. Ek baar – bas ek baar- baat ki thi usne mujhse… Woh wapas nahin aa sakti thi… I had told her ki bachche hone ke baad cheezein better ho jayengi… Obviously that was a wrong advice. I just wish ki uske paas wapas aane ka mauka hota… Aaj main tumse maafi maangne ke alaawa kuchh kar nahin sakti…”

“Mrs. Singhal,” Nidhi had figured out that she liked the woman, despite her past failings and weaknesses, “Mujhe nahin lagta ki aapko doosron ki galtiyon ke liye khud ko zimmedaar samajhna chahiye. Mummy-Papa ke suicide ko lekar mere man mein bahut bitterness thi. Lekin uske liye kissi aur ko blame kar ke, kissi aur ke liye bhi bitterness paalne ka kya fayda hai? Aur waise bhi,” she added with some humour, “Agar Mummy mere paida hone ke pahle wapas chali jaati to bhale hi unke aur bachche hote, biologically speaking main to paida nahin ho sakti thi.”

Priya chuckled at that. Then Nidhi added seriously, “Aur past jo bhi tha – tab maine socha kai baar ki kyon hamein paida kiya unhone, lekin aaj main khush hoon apni life se. Siddhi ko kuchh samay ke liye mujhe sambhaalna pada tha, lekin aaj woh mera sabse bada support hai. Dr. Ashutosh aur Rahul – well main kya bataun… Unke pyaar ki wajah se meri zindagi mein past problems ke liye jagah hi nahin bachi hai.”

“Bahut chhoti ho tum mujhse, but I am proud to say Nidhi that you are an inspiration. You are independent like your mother, but also mature, which she wasn’t. You are the inspiration that Nandu could not become.”

“Thanks Mrs. Singhal…”

“Auntie? Mami? Something like that?”

Nidhi smiled warmly, “All right. Mami?”

“God bless you,” she tip-toed and kissed Nidhi on her forehead.

“Ye kya hai?” something had fallen off from Priya’s clutch and Nidhi bent down to pick it up.

“Oh! Ye mujhe de do,” Priya hastily took it back from her.

Nidhi looked at her curiously, though did not ask anything. Priya noticed it and decided to answer the question Nidhi did not ask, “Nandu ki ek purani photo thi mere paas.”

Nidhi took it and had a look, “Ye to ekdum Siddhi ki photo lag rahi hai.”

“Haan. Tab woh Siddhi ki umra ki hi rahi hogi, ya shayad thodi badi. Main laayi thi tumhein dene ke liye. Lekin phir mujhe laga ki…”

Nidhi thought for a moment, then said with a smile, “Aap Siddhi ko de dijiye. She would like it.” And she felt happy after that. She could now tell Ashutosh that she had moved on from the past – truly. And it did not bother her!

—

“Tum Siddhi ko kitna bhi daantne ka natak kar lo, use farq padta nahin hai. Tumhari taang kheenchne se baaz nahin aati hai woh?” Ashutosh and Nidhi were in Ashutosh’ room at night, relaxing on the bed.

“Aapki tarah woh bhi jaanti hai ki woh meri kamzori hai. Main use kuchh kah nahin sakti aur woh mujhse kuchh bhi karwa leti hai.”

“Meri tarah? To main bhi tumhari kamzori hoon?”

“As if aapko pata nahin hai.”

“To iska matlab hai ki… tum mujhe kuchh kah nahin sakti aur main tumse kuchh bhi karwa sakta hoon?” he snuggled up closer to her.

The meaningful smirk on his face was impossible to miss. “Aap kya karwana chahte hain mujhse?”

“Tum mujhe rok thode hi na sakti ho?”

“Dr. Ashutosh…”

“Shh… Ek minute,” he opened the drawer on the side-table and took out a silk scarf. “Aankhein band karo, and no cheating…”

“Aap kya kar rahe hain?”

“Aankhein band Nidhi…”

She sighed and closed her eyes. Ashutosh tied the scarf around her eyes. She waited for his next move, but nothing happened for several seconds. She became restless.

“Dr. Ashutosh…” she called his name and tried to reach him with her hands. Ashutosh smirked again, sitting on the bed just outside her reach. But she could not see him smirking this time.

Next she felt his hands on her nape. She was startled at first, but welcomed the familiar touch in soon after. He had some game in mind. It was little unnerving to not know what it was, but she was sure she would enjoy it. She expected him to take out her hairband as he usually did, but he let it be, enjoying the access to her nape and shoulders instead. The top of her night dress had buttons in front. He undid couple of them and slid the top slightly off one of her shoulders. It was bare beneath the top. He bent over her shoulder licking and biting it to his heart’s content, while driving her heartbeats up to dangerous rates. He knew by now what her most sensitive parts were and how best to use them to drive her to the edge.

When he moved away this time, she called him more desperately, “Dr. Ashutosh.” He came back after only a few seconds, but it felt like hours to Nidhi. This time his hands came up from behind and undid the remaining buttons of her top, slipping it completely off her body. He then let his hands roam all over her upper body, paying special attention to her breasts. She wanted to touch him back, but was unsure of exactly where he was. Groping around in the air would have been embarrassing. She clenched her fists hard to suppress her urge. And then he disappeared again, leaving her even more frustrated than earlier. She forgot about the embarrassment it would cause and groped around, hoping to find him. “Dr. Ashutosh!” She failed. Not knowing what else to do, she lied down to calm herself. But before her breath could return to normal, she felt him again, this time on top of her completely pinning her down under her weight. If his game was to completely disorient and frustrate her, he was surely winning. But to what purpose? She expressed her protest when he let her lips go after a furiously passionate kiss, “Kya kar rahe hain aap?”

“Intezaar kar raha hoon ki tum mujhe kissi aise naam se bulao ki phir main wapas ja na sakoon.”

“Kya?” her mind was foggy with desire and arousal and whatever he said made no sense.

“Apna challenge yaad hai na?” he whispered in her ear and the busied himself with her neck, while his hands caressed her around her waist – another sensitive part of her body.

“Oh God!” The arousal and realization of what he wanted made her almost cry out.

“God is unlikely to help you,” he whispered again. And then left.

Nidhi hardly had any resistance left in her, but she tried, “This is unfair.”

No reply. He had her! Not only had this man charmed his way into her heart, he had her at practically his mercy in the bed. Outside of it, she could outwit him, but here… Her hormones dumbed her down. And he knew it!! He just had more control than she did. He was exploiting it. She hated it… But then she loved it… What was she thinking when she challenged him? Not this…

Ashutosh was preparing for another round of sweet assult on her, when he heard it. In a low desperate voice. “Ashutosh… Please….”

He had planned to tease her more. Make her say it again and again. But hearing his name from her drove him unexpectedly over the edge. He could not wait and jumped back on the bed. If she said anything after that, he wasn’t in a position to hear or understand.

—

Ashutosh propped up on his elbows to take a good look at her. She was fidgeting as she lied beside him and he wondered if she was uncomfortable about something. When she did not meet his eyes, his suspicions were confirmed.

“Nidhi,” he used his free hand to hold her chin and make her look at him, “Kya baat hai?”

“Ku… Kuchh bhi to nahin.”

He sat up and helped her sit up as well. Then he held her hands, “Nidhi. Somehow hamara rishte ki dynamics aisi hai ki… mujhe tumhein pareshaan karne mein, challenge karne mein mazaa aata hai… Lekin of course, main ye sab usee extent tak karna chahta hoon jahan tak tum bhi ise enjoy karo. Aur agar main kabhi galti se koi limit cross karoon, to tum mujhe bata sakti ho. Aaj zyada ho gaya kya?”

“Aap… Aap bekaar mein pareshaan ho rahe hain…” Nidhi tried to avoid his question.

But Ashutosh was not giving up, “Nidhi. Tumhein yaad mere birthday ka din… Jab maine tumse kaha tha ki tum friends kyon nahin banati, to tumne kaha tha ki hum dost hain.”

She nodded. There wasn’t a single moment in their journey that she didn’t remember.

“To tumhara lover, fiancee ya husband banne se zyada important mere liye tumhara dost bane rahna hai Nidhi. Main nahin chahta ki ye koi bhi aur rishta, hamari dosti ko khatam kar de.”

“Aap aisa kyon kah rahe hain?”

“Shayad tumhare man mein abhi koi aisi baat chal rahi hai jo tum us insaan ke saath share nahin kar sakti jiske saath… you have just had sex. Main chahta hoon ki tum use apne dost ke saath share karo. Let’s compartmentalize, okay?”

“Aap…” Nidhi was surprised at first, then smiled helplessly. She had a magician in her life. There was no other way, he could have understood so much, just from her silence.

“Let us get dressed up and talk,” he said and started gathering the discarded pieces of his clothing. “In a minute,” he said and went to the bathroom to get cleaned and dressed dup.

“Juice piyogi?” he asked after he came out.

She nodded. She could definitely use a glass after the exhausting, even if fulfilling, physical exercise they had been through a few minutes back.
—

To be continued

P. S. Do not expect grand wedding in the next update. That isn’t my specialty. In fact, I am going to completely escape that part and move on to another small track, which will mark the end of the story 🙂