Shruti was excited to meet Atharva after so long. Post Diwali, they had been so busy that it had been impossible to spare even a day. Atharva had been equally impatient to meet her. It was like an oasis in the desert for him, away from all the worries, finding solace in her company. She had worked herself in a frenzy so as to be able to give the final touches to her trousseau. Gosh! She couldn’t believe it! It was already December end…

They had shared their dreams over the calls that continued well into the night. Atharva though had been taken aback initially at her capacity to talk non stop, was more used to it now. In fact, he used to look forward to it, as it would divert his mind from his work pressure. At last, it was Shruti who finally came down as she had to get done with the trial of her wedding attires.

The longing to be together had taken over all their senses, the messages and calls not satiating their need to be with each other. The minute they were together, they just looked into the other’s eyes that spoke volumes, without uttering a single word. And for the first time, Atharva let down his guard in public.. well almost, by holding her hand tight and conveying his feelings fo her in his own way. Shruti was more than glad that they had been able to put away the little disruption that had come out of nowhere. She shrugged, chiding herself for steering her thoughts in that direction again. No two people are same, in fact, Shruti and Atharva had completely opposite dispositions. But then, that was one of the reasons they had complimented each other so well.

To be continued….

While they were on their way towards the car, she received a call on her mobile. She looked at Atharva and said, “It’s Minishbhai.” She greeted him with a “Hello.”
The excitement in the voice at the other end was evident when the reply came, “Hello bhabhi? Have you reached Mumbai? Have to tell you about something important.”
She looked at Atharva for any clues but he was blank. She queried, “Oh? And what is so important? I am curious!”
Minish had a smile on his face when he said, “Need to show you something bhabhi. Will tell you then.”
Shruti looked at Atharva with mischief in her eyes. He raised his eyebrows to inquire what was it but she simply shrugged and answered, “Err.. I am more than intrigued Minishbhai. See you soon.”
They disconnected and Shruti somehow had a gut feeling as to what was so ‘important’, whereas Atharva had no inkling. She gave him a ‘I-told-you-so’ look and he chuckled, “You are hell bent on proving yourself!”

Shruti was brooding about it and was in her own thoughts. Little did she realise that they had reached Intercontinental at Marine Drive. She forgot about everything as they spent the evening in the most beautiful way. Atharva had proven his point about his perception of Valentine’s Day and Shruti was in no condition to argue about it, especially after their intimacy in the car.

Her cheeks turned beet root red as Atharva touched his shoulder and winced, deliberately exaggerating, “Aahhh! That was quite something Shru…”
She obviously fumbled, “Don’t be mean, okay? I didn’t do it deliberately. You should have stayed in your limits you know.”
Atharva bit his lip, goading her, “Achha? Kya kiya maine?”
She blurted, “You shouldn’t have touched me THERE.”
He smirked, knowing very well she would never be able to say the word and provoked further, “Where did I touch? Can you please help me recollect? Coz all I can remember is a wild tigress pouncing on me with her sharp claws.”
She glared at him, “Atharva, you better…” Before she could complete her sentence, his mobile beeped. The screen flashed MINISH CALLING.

Atharva picked up the call and was talking, while Shruti remembered about the conversation she had in the evening. On the other hand, Atharva ended the call saying, “Ya Minish, we shall be there in 20 mins.”

Shruti was back to her inquisitive self and said with a lot of exuberance, “Atharva… kitne ki bet lagi? It’s about a gal… am telling you, I could judge from his gestures. But you have always turned a blind eye.”
He said cheekily, “Okay, let’s see. If you win, you get a kiss, and if I win, I get a long, passionate one.”
She banged her head saying, “God! This guy can’t think anything except THAT.”
He gave a deep chuckle, “Believe me, I am very virtuous. Nowadays, couples go way beyond.”
She grimaced, “Don’t bluff. And anyways, I don’t want to talk about it. You will see soon, I had been right all along.”

Within some time, they reached home. Minish was in the living room itself, pacing impatiently. The house seemed to be quiet and everyone seemed to have retired to their rooms. By then, Atharva was equally curious to know what was the matter. Shruti scrutinised Minish as a mix of emotions displayed on his face; anxiety, impatience, excitement all rolled into one.

After basic preliminaries, Shruti couldn’t contain herself any longer and questioned, “Minishbhai, what did you want to show? I believe it’s something important.”
Minish nodded, but didn’t reply straightaway. He walked towards his bedroom and instead, asked, “Have you seen your engagement album?” He looked from Shruti to Atharva, pointing out towards the album kept on the bed.
Both replied in unison, “Yes of course.” Atharva had this questioning look on his face, but Shruti narrowed her eyes, trying to connect the dots.

They all sat down on the bed, as Minish quickly turned the pages of the album and stopped on one which had a snap of his gang of friends. At that very instant, the moment flashed in front of Shruti’s eyes when they had all been on the stage and the two girls had come. There was a poignant silence for a minute, as all three were trying to gauge the other’s reaction.

Shruti looked up and peered at Atharva with a triumphant look, but Atharva was flabbergasted. He stared at Minish and finally asked, “What do you want to show us in the snap Minish?”
Minish actually blushed, pointed out the snap and asked candidly, “What do you think about this girl here?”
Before Atharva could fathom, Shruti almost pounced on the album and confirmed excitedly, “This one in the fiery yellow outfit, correct?”
Minish grinned from ear to ear and nodded with a huge smile. Shruti glanced at Atharva’s face and mentioned cautiously, “She is nice. What about her?”
Before Shruti could continue with her interrogation, Atharva questioned, “Minish, I really can’t believe this. Are you actually involved with someone?”
Shruti gaped at him and blurted, “How much more proof do you want?! Learn to go by my instincts, you will never face such problems.” She advised him airily whereas Atharva still looked lost.

He shot a series of questions, “Since how long is it going on? I mean, how come I never got even a whiff of it? Who else is aware?”
Shruti interrupted, “Arey! Wait… first things first. What is her name?”
Minish replied, “Rhea.”
She responded, “Yup right. I couldn’t recall. I mean, I remember you introducing two girls during our engagement but forgot her name.”
Then, facing Atharva she said, “Well, I can’t answer the first one for you. But as far as how come you didn’t come to know, then well, because you cannot think beyond your work. I have been telling you all this time ke kuch chakkar hai, but nahi. Why would you listen to me? It was written all over his face, and it was evident for those who have a keen eye, precisely ME.”
She stopped for a mere second and continued before Atharva could react and said, “I don’t know who else knows, but mummy definitely is aware.”

All this time Minish had been looking at them sheepishly, but the last statement by Shruti absolutely astounded him. He questioned, “How come you are so sure about it bhabhi!?”
Shruti gave him a smug look and said, “Am I right or am I right? I was suspicious since the very first time I had met her, during the engagement. Had mentioned about it to Atharva as well but he conveniently ignored. After that, I started observing you keenly whenever I used to come to stay. You remember when I needed to get my outfit altered to wear for that reception that we had to attend and you had offered to ask your friend? The way you had talked over the phone, that too in front of mummy, and the look you two had exchanged when I had asked you to thank your friend on my behalf, had said it all. In fact, I had told Atharva also about it, but ye suney tab na.”
Minish marvelled at her observation and simply affirmed by nodding his head, whereas Atharva shook his head, as if to clear his mind.

Shruti was unstoppable as she had proved herself correct. “The innumerable calls and talking in a very low tone till late in the night, only made me sure of my conviction. But meri suntaa hi kaun hai yahaa?”
Atharva joined his hands together and pleaded, “Maaf kar de maata. You win, I lose. Bas? Now keep quiet for a few minutes please and let me do the talking.”
Shruti giggled and conceded, “Okay, as you wish. But don’t forget, bet lagiii….” She bit her tongue as she remembered what he had said after that and decided to keep her big mouth shut. Atharva merely grinned, but then looked at his brother for a minute, thinking over how to put up his thoughts.

Finally, Atharva started, “Minish, are you serious about her? I mean, since how long have you been in a relationship?”
Minish defended himself, “Of course I am serious! We have been committed to each other since I was in 10th grade. It’s not a passing phase or an infatuation.”
Shruti’s eyes had gone as big as saucers, as she was in awe. “Since school days? Like, really?! That’s awesome man! How lucky!!”
Atharva glared at her and she said, “Okay Okay, understood. Stop scowling at me. Will zip my mouth.”
He again looked back at Minish and said, “Wait a minute. Rhea is your friend’s cousin, correct?”
Minish nodded, “Yes, Ajay’s sis. She was my classmate since 7th grade.”

Atharva looked at him with concern, “Dekh bhai, the caste creed and all doesn’t bother me and you know that. But have you thought about this possibility that dad may object to Love marriage?”
Minish’s heartbeat quickened at the thought and he beseeched, “I want your support for the same Atharva. Remember how unhappy you were? You couldn’t imagine anyone else as your life partner after just one meeting with bhabhi and had moved heaven and earth, sulked till both the families agreed. So how can I imagine anyone besides Rhea in my life? It’s more than 7 years that we have been together. I cannot even dream of any girl other than her.”

All three of them felt the intensity of the situation, each praying fervently that everything works out in Minish and Rhea’s favour.

Atharva advised, “Let the wedding get over. Then we shall surely talk about it. But be prepared that he won’t give in easily, considering his views regarding Love marriage.”
Minish nodded, his face gloomy. Both the brothers hugged each other, hoping for the best.

They finally called it a day, although sleep was miles away for Minish. He kept thinking about the situation and how he will manage it. Come what may, he will have to anyhow convince his father. Rhea’s family was very decent and quite respected. He lay awake till late in the night and at last drifted into a restless slumber.

Next day was the much awaited day of the year, 31st December. Shruti was pretty excited as they had planned to meet up with Atharva’s friends. She had carefully selected a long emerald green floor length gown which was simple yet elegant. It suited her perfectly and she was happy to see her reflection. It accentuated her curves beautifully. She was almost done when she heard an impatient knock on the door.

Atharva said exasperatedly, “Shruti, at this rate, we might as well celebrate at home.” Just as he was muttering under his breath, she opened the door and he stopped in mid sentence and gawked at her. His eyes undoubtedly spoke volumes, which made her tremble. Just so as to divert his mind, she probed, “What were you mumbling about when I opened the door?”
Atharva took a minute to get back to his senses and responded, “What? Oh ya… I was thinking how many hours will you take when you will have to get ready for the wedding. Mahurat na nikal jaaye.” He couldn’t resist teasing her.

Shruti made a face and reverted, “Very funny. Tujhe badi jaldi hai.”
Atharva stepped near, looked straight into her eyes, and replied in a husky tone, “You have no idea how much Jaanu.”
Shruti’s back touched the wardrobe and she couldn’t escape from him. He held her face, gazed at it and gently kissed on her forehead. She nestled her face into his chest, shut her eyes and enjoyed the precious moment.

Soon after, they left as it was getting late. Krunal was expected to reach any minute. They had booked a table for the 8 of them at an opulent restaurant. All of them had a gala time enjoying the lavish buffet.

The setting was simply splendid. It was an open terrace, with waterfalls cascading at the far end, giving a pleasant backdrop. Exotic flowers adorned the flower beds, whereas ivy creeped up on the walls. By the time they were through with dinner, the breeze had started cooling down quite a bit. Mumbai was enjoying its short lived winter and it was one of those days. Shruti hugged herself as it got a bit breezy. The group had been chatting non stop, bursting into laughter quite often. Most of the jokes were aimed at Atharva and Shruti, teasing them as there were hardly a couple of days left before they got married.

Soft music was being played in the background. Gradually, all the couples started swooning to the melodious numbers. Atharva resisted at first, since he was blessed with two left feet, but then eventually gave in. He took her in a cozy corner, held his beloved in his arms and swayed to the music in slow, simple steps. Shruti felt at home in his arms, as he tightened them just a little bit more, as if to keep her safe. She treasured these small moments more than anything else in the world, knowing well that he will never let anything happen to her. That feeling of belonging was so ethereal, was so dreamlike that she wanted to get lost in those moments forever. Atharva was a man of few words, but his looks and actions spoke for themselves.

Atharva kept a straight face and quipped, “Ms. Brilliant forgot about something all together.”
Shruti stepped back a bit, lifted up her face and creased her brows, trying to understand what was he hinting at. “What are you talking about?”
Atharva said naughtily, “Well, kisine bet lagayi thi, but forgot to claim the prize.”
It dawned on Shruti exactly what was he talking about, hit him lightly on the shoulder and remarked, “Oye! Don’t act too smart, okay? You set the rules to suit yourself. How do you say that… chit bhi meri, pat bhi meri.”
Atharva gave a throaty chuckle and bit his lip. He enjoyed teasing her immensely; didn’t take more than a statement to get her into that mode. He continued, “C’mon… it’s like winning a trophy and refusing to claim it. Who does that?!”
Shruti rolled her eyes and said, “Look at him, chane ke ped par mat chadh. Some male ego you have, calling yourself a trophy.”

Little did they realise, that it was almost midnight. Before they knew, the lights switched off and the entire place was in darkness as there were loud cheers from the crowd, welcoming the new year. As such, they were at a  distance from the rest. It was barely for a minute, but an eternity for the lovebirds. Shruti raised herself on tiptoes and pecked him on his cheeks. Atharva was surprised, though quick to respond. He took advantage of the darkness and stole a kiss that took her breath away. He crushed her into his arms, possessed her lips with an urgency that left her aching for more. Her lips parted voluntarily, the desire to taste each other overshadowing all sane thinking. It made them forget completely that they were surrounded by people.

However, that magical moment didn’t last for long and the lights were back. They pulled apart with a jerk. Thankfully, they hadn’t been noticed as it had been quite dark.
Atharva ran a hand through his hair in frustration for losing control in public. Never ever had he let that happen as he loathed such a display. Shruti could judge his reaction and couldn’t suppress a giggle. She teased, “Atharva the great lost his control in a public place? Unheard of! Happy New Year!”
Before he could respond, she walked away towards the friends and greeted everyone. Atharva shrugged and joined them.

They enjoyed for a while more and decided to head back.

To be continued...

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