"No games Maan...And no touching...I'm here because you promised to spend the night with me...I mean time with me" She amended quickly pulling away, with a firm tone that meant business and he raised a brow at that.
"You're serious" He held her wrist as she got to her feet, although he didn't follow through on his classic tug and pull.
"Damn right I'm. I know all those messages were just to take me to bed and I'm not falling for that" She glowered at him, her face contorted in raw anger. It was only dumb luck that she was still keeping a straight face, when he gaped at her with wonder. This really was his, nave, timid and whom he sometimes thought suffered from excessive blushing, Geet that he was looking at? He was shaken a bit at the choice of her words and perhaps more with the unyielding tone with which she spoke now. Deciding to play along with whatever game she was starting for the night, he assented to her demands mentally. The tiny guilt that lurked in the corner of his being had done a fine job of silencing his counters. His features relaxed and gave out an assuring smile. "Well didn't anyone tell you it's unfair to assume in such matters. I was only hoping you would ask me to take you to bed" She turned wide eyed to him, still standing a few feet away from him, while he managed to suppress his own surprise at how his response had come out.
Didn't he just decide not to look the gift horse in the mouth? Unconsciously his ego was getting the better of him and the slip was making him fully aware of the little devil that was taking over him.
"Yeah! Dream on Maan. Not tonight" She said and slumped back on the couch. He moved close, just as instantly, and landed right next to her, confining her to the small space between him and the arm-rest of the sofa.
"All you have to do is just spill the words, dear" he noticed she was about to get up and leave once again and so he began to hurry to finish the sentence, "And until then you know I'm a man of my word" he said throwing his hand up in surrender.
When he still didn't show any trace of guilt or slipping out an apology to her, by the time she was in the same room with him, she had known that there was little hope for closure that night. And she was certain that the 44 messages were just that: an empty lure to get her out, from behind closed doors. In the short period of time she had been married to him, he had rubbed off, a few of his not-so-fine qualities on her. And now she was beginning to like the taste of command and the sound of cracking whip for whatever period of time he let her indulge in the false impressions that he knowingly gave her at times like these. She felt, he always successfully evaded bringing up any of the misdoings on his part. Even so, she couldn't help admire his knack to make her feel like she was the only immature tyrant of the two, for holding her ground for whatever reason that was. She was unsure if it was his misplaced sense of male ego or just plain old symptom of his inept communication. However, it was clear that it came from years of patronizing and nurturing an exaggerated self-opinion of vanity. With that she concluded the schematics of his persona were nowhere near simple, almost at once wondering what had made him complex to start with.
While she was lost staring at the TV screen, involved in a mental discourse over her husband's complexity, he caught her big toe with his, once again, as if only intending her to shake out of her reverie.
"Where are you?" He shook her by her shoulder, when his playful nudging didn't do the trick.
"Nothing I'm just tired" She said in a small voice, still looking lost as she massaged her temples.
"That
calls for a massage then" Without waiting for her response, he got up and went
around the couch. Standing directly behind her, he kneaded her soft skin by her
nape and shoulder gently with the right amount of pressure. In his head, the
fears he had denied so far were actualizing with time. He noticed she was
falling apart with the distance, phone calls, bickering and the mismatch in
expectations. Seemingly, he felt he was doing everything in his reach to spend
time with her and yet she had made it a point on dwelling upon his reticent
nature. There was a constant ask for more words or more emails or more talking
on the phone...And with all the time he had spent arguing it was not in his
genetic makeup to be a garrulous husband, he had come to a decision to instead
start making changes in him than to attempt to set her expectations right. Only in the verge of pulling out his hair over their hour long fight and upon hearing the vexing news of her postponed travel to NY, he had acted on his impulse to get back at her. There was no justifying his actions and that much he was certain.
But honest to god truth, he knew he loved her dearly and he wished for her to exactly see that for what it was...a feeling beyond words that no coined word could rightly express. In his opinion, it lived to be felt in his touch...kiss and everyday need of her...ranging from the early morning hugs to his succulent tease, going all the way up to his sweet good night kiss. And the real challenge posed its way in the distance that had come in between them, leaving him with empty words, which apparently never did measure up to her needs.
He saw her head go limp to her side and if not mistaken a slow smile was creeping up on her lips, within only a few minutes. Touch therapy baby, he mentally gave himself a hi-five. When he saw her easing up under her hold and not resist his offer, his own nerves went lax with relief. Leaning down on his elbows that rested on the couch, he tipped her head back. Looping his hand around her neck, as she no longer coughed up a protest over his advances, he gave a fleeting kiss on her forehead and quickly lifted his head to observe her reactions. A willing smile erupted on her face, entrancing him to blurt out the very thought in his mind.
"You do know that I love you too much right?" He asked her abruptly.
It had been days or weeks, she didn't know, since she had heard him claim his affections with that sentence, she knew, he felt was an unforgivable cliche. And hearing it from him was definitely saying something to her that moment. Compounding the effect of his words was the inertia that came from his caring touch which was slowly arresting the flux in her mind and body. All her mental calculation had gone up poof, when she had felt his fingers pressure the strain out of her back. Despite the dowsing sense of lightness she felt, there was still enough congruency left in her to make sense of the mischief that was hidden beneath his compelling smile.
And so, instinctively, she whispered back her response. "Yes and I love you more..." She paused and her smile shared the same mischief as his, while she added "But that still doesn't get me to go to bed with you" She gave out in a finality that confirmed he had a long night ahead of him. Nevertheless, he was certain, the ground work, to term it a 'long night' was done.
To be continued...
I think it was time to lay out the conflict that played out between them explicitly. So this was the first and last of it hopefully. THANK YOU all for the wonderful comments. I really really do want to get back to you individually, but I'm unable to at present. Towards the next couple of days for sure. Until then, keep liking and keep posting your thoughts.