At Ashutosh’ wish, the wedding had taken place in the house they intended to make their own after the wedding. Her Nana’s house. Family members were also put up there.
Nidhi read and re-read the note Ashutosh had sent to her in the afternoon as she waited for him in the bedroom on their wedding night.
“Nidhi,
Maine suna hai ki bahut strong ladkiyan bhi shaadi ke waqt ghabra jati hain. Main bas ye batana chahta hoon, ki aaj tumhein apni dulhan bana kar, apne nahin, hamare ghar mein la raha hoon. Isliye ghabrane ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Sirf tum nahin, aaj hum dono mil kar ek naya safar shuru karne waale hain. Aur main chahta hoon, aur meri poori koshish rahegi ki tum is safar ko enjoy karo.
Tumhara
Ashutosh”
She smiled, folded the note and kept it on the table. She looked around at the decorations wedding planners had insisted on putting up. She wondered if they were needed. He had once told her that those parapharnellia were not needed for her to seduce him. She herself was enough. She blushed as she remembered. ‘Make no mistakes Nidhi. Jis din apne man ki karne par aaunga, tumhein bahut sataunga….’
She took a deep breath and tried to calm down her excited nerves. He was taking forever. She would die in anticipation. She went to the window and stood there. The cool breeze was helpful.
She turned around on hearing the sound of the door opening. There he was! She forgot to breathe for a moment. Though he had been in the sherwani the entire evening, and she had herself selected it for him, she was stunned by how handsome he looked in it. He had washed his face and the freshness there added to his charm.
He smiled at her and moved closer. He held her hands and started saying, “Nidhi tum…”
“Ab agar aapne ek baar bhi mujhse ye poochha na ki main comfortable hoon ya nahin, to main yahan se bhaag jaungi.”
Ashutosh was so taken aback that he just stared at her.
“Main bilkul bhi comfortable nahin hoon. Bahut ghabrayi hui hoon main,” she continued, “Lekin I am sure sabhi hote hain. Aap bhi honge.”
Ashutosh burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that he could not speak for a while.
Finally, still between the fits of laughter, he managed to say, “You are right Nidhi. Nobody is comfortable. Aur waise bhi ye itne bhari-bharkam kapdon mein koi kaise comfortable ho sakta hai?”
The expression on her face, made him realize that he had unintentionally said something with a double meaning. He smiled.
“Let’s help you take off the jewelry,” Ashutosh said, his voice becoming husky, “We need you to be comfortable.”
He took his time in taking off her heavy jewelry. Nidhi stood there with bated breath and let him do it. Her heart was pounding. After he was done, he kissed her on her forehead.
“Change kar lo Nidhi. Comfortable rahega,” he said naughtily.
Nidhi smiled shyly and nodded. She opened her suitcase and sighed. She had forgotten the silk night-dress Anji had secretly gifted her. Probably it was in some other suitcase. This one only had her usual cotton pajamas and t-shirts.
“Kya hua Nidhi?”
“Nahin. Kuchh nahin.” She reluctantly took out a pajama and a t-shirt and went to the bathroom.
Ashutosh had also changed into comfortable pajamas and a cotton shirt, by the time she came out after changing and washing her face. He was sitting on the bed with his legs stretched out and back supported by the headboard. He indicated to Nidhi to sit beside him.
Nidhi gingerly climbed on the bed and sat there. Ashutosh also sat up and looked at her smiling. Nidhi looked down and waited for him to say something. But when he didn’t, she had to speak, “Aise kya dekh rahe hain?”
“Yahi ki Noodles ke bina tumhara chehra kaise utra hua sa hai?”
“Ji?”
“Ji.”
“Maine Noodles khana chhod diya hai.”
“Kab se?”
“New year waale din se.”
“Oh!” Ashutosh felt guilty. The imaginations of his insecure mind had forced her to give up on the simple pleasures.
“Chalo. To phir se khana shuru kar dete hain.”
“Ji?”
“Ji. Mujhe bhi bhookh lagi hai.”
“Aap mere saath noodles khayenge?”
“Roz khane ka waada to nahin kar sakta. Lekin aaj in rituals ke beech mujhse dinner theek se nahin khaya gaya. To aaj to khaunga noodles.”
“Abhi hum noodles kaise banayenge?”
“I thought tumhein aata hai banana.”
“Haan. Lekin abhi hum kitchen mein jayenge?”
“Kyon nahin? Hamara ghar hai. Hum jahan chahe ja sakte hain.”
“Haan. Lekin sab log hain abhi yahan par. Koi dekh lega to?”
“Koi nahin dekhega. Sab thak kar so chuke hain. Chalo ab.”
Nidhi was amused to see Ashutosh taking out two packets of noodles from the cupboard. He had actually planned this! He, then, dragged Nidhi to the kitchen. Everyone did look asleep. Nidhi started boiling the water.
“Nidhi Bibiji. Dr. Ashutosh? Aap log yahan kya kar rahe hain? Kuchh chahiye tha to hamein bata diya hota,” Chhote Sarkar startled Nidhi and she went red in face. She looked at Ashutosh, but before either of them could say anything, Chhote Sarkar noticed the noddles.
“Aap phir se noodles banae lag gayin? Laiye hum bana dete hain.”
“Na… Nahin Chhote Sarkar. Aap to jaante hain ki main hamesha khud banati hoon.”
“Theek hai. Jaisa aap kahein,” he made to leave.
“Chhote Sarkar,” Nidhi called him and said sheepishly, “Kissi ko bataiyega nahin.”
He grinned, “Ye bhi koi kahne waali baat hai. Itne saalon tak nahin bataya to ab kyon batayenge.”
“Thank you!”
“Kamre mein le chalein?” Nidhi asked Ashutosh after the noodles were ready.
“Haan. Chalo.”
—
“Waise aapko pata hai. Kal koi khana banane ki rasm hone waali hai. Agar Dadi Bua ko pata chala ki maine aise raat mein ghus kar already kuchh bana liya hai aur woh bhi noodles, aur aapko khila bhi diya to woh to scandalize ho kar suicide kar lengi.”
Ashutosh laughed, “Waise mujhe ye personal rasm zyada pasand aayi.”
“Aapko kuchh banana aata hai Dr. Ashutosh?”
“Excuse me? Aap mujhse kuchh kah rahi hain?”
“Ji?”
“Mujhe to aisa laga ki aapne apne boss se, senior se kuchh kaha.”
“Aapka joke zyada complicated ho gaya. Mujhe samajh mein nahin aa raha.”
Ashutosh kept his noodle bowl aside and also took Nidhi’s away from her, “Dr. Nidhi. Main abhi ek bahut hi personal kaam mein busy hoon. To main apne subordinates se baat karne ke mood mein bilkul nahin hoon.” He made her stand up and led her to the bed, “Main nayi nayi wife apna ek purana waada poora nahin kar rahi hai. To mujhe usse nibatna hai.”
Nidhi blushed. She realized what he was referring to. She felt Ashutosh holding her waist and his hands slipping under her t-shirt. He started caressing her back. He started gently, but it soon became rough, urgent and demanding. Nidhi grabbed his collar to support herself, closed her eyes and let herself drown in the sensations his touch was evoking. She had felt attracted to him for so long. If he had not drawn a boundary for their physical relationship till now, she would never have been the one to do it. And finally when he was so close, what she was feeling was beyond any dreams she has had. She would have no recollection later of when he made her lie on the bed and undressed both of them. He kissed, caressed and explored her entire body. Soon she was writhing under him on the bed.
“Please,” she hissed. The urgency and desperation in her voice was not lost on Ashutosh.
“Tum jaanti ho ki main kis baat ka intezaar kar raha hoon,” he told her in no uncertain terms, while continuing to inflict the sweet torture on her and on himself.
She bit her lip and finally got herself to say it, “Please Ashutosh!!”
That was it! He had heard her calling his name once earlier and had almost lost his control. Today, there was no need to control. Both their needs were too urgent.
It took him a while to catch his breath. Then he propped up on his hand and looked at Nidhi. She was also panting. Her eyes were closed and there was a slight smile on her lips. He bent down and kissed her on her forehead. She opened her eyes, then suddenly felt very shy and hid her face in his shoulder. Ashutosh found this childlike shyness, extremely endearing. He put his arms around her and lied back on the bed.
He spoke after a while, “Nidhi?”
“Hmm?”
“Kya soch rahi ho?”
“Aap khush hain na?”
Ashutosh pushed her back a little so that he could look into her eyes.
“Main bahut khush hoon Nidhi. And you know it. Still… I love you.”
Oh! The three magical words. Nidhi physically felt the effect on her body as he uttered those words. In reaction she hugged him tight.
—
To be continued