Priya broke the hug slowly and somewhat unwillingly and slowly.
Ram: "Tumne pucha hi nahi ki tumhare liye kya laaya hun...khair...mae hi de deta hun...just a minute " and walked towards the change room and opened one of his strollers and came back: "This is for you".
Priya as usual did not like him buy her gifts but accepted it, nevertheless with a smile. She was taken aback when she unpacked it. She held it open and raised her brows "Ye!! My God...designer night-gown... ye aap mere liye laaye? Aapko lagta hai mae aise gowns pehnungi is umar me? Ram mae apne 20s me nahi hun...bekar hi paise lutaaye hai aap is par..."
Ram: "Baap re! Dont embarass me yaar..ek night gown hi tho hai and jitna mae jaanta hun there is nothing age-inappropriate about it! Display pe tha accha laga tho laaya bas. By the way kuch aur bhi laaya hun but at this night hour i thought this is a perfect gift."
Priya: "Haan I agree with you ye accha tho hai but the loud Red and jazzy looks...aise pehle pehnti thi Ram..but..but please...not..not at this age...boht awkward lagega" and shrugged apologetically.
Ram smiled: "Okay okay darling chill... Mujhe laga aaj bhi aise gown me mere biwi gorgeous lagegi..aur fir aaj hamara mood bhi accha hai tho I thought...anyways...chodo koi baat nahi."
Priya: "Sure? I'm really sorry!"
Ram: "Oh come on sorry kyu? Let me keep it back and come."
Priya smiled and went towards the bed. Ram came back and joined her. He pulled the blanket on both of them and turned off the lights. It was 10:45pm. They slept sideways facing one another.
Ram: "Tumne mujhe miss kiya?"
Priya: "Sach kahu ya jhuut?"
Ram smiled: "Jhuut"
Priya smiled back: "Nahi kiya"
Ram moved closer: "Ye batao..din me zyada miss kiya ya raat ko?"
Priya: "Sach kahu ya jhuut?"
Ram laughed: "Is baar sach"
Priya shied: "Din me zyaada nahi.." and tried to look away.
Ram slowly ran his fingers along her forehead, nose, lips and then caressed her cheeks: "Sacchi?"
Priya closed her eyes and smiled: "Sacchi mucchi"
Ram hugged Priya into his arms, her head against his chest, as he caressed her silken hair luvingly with his fingers. Her face was glowing against the dim golden night lamp nearby. He was looking into her butter eyes, and she into his inviting eyes.
Ram: "Aaj mujhe kuch confess karna hai"
Priya smiled: "hmm...yahi na ki 'Priya tum aaj boht pyaari lag rahi ho, itni khubsurat tho aaj se pehle kabhi nahi lagi thi'...yahi kehna hai na?"
Ram laughed: "Haan"
Priya: "17 years se sun rahi hun ye confession...kuch naya boliye. Waise mujhe bhi kuch confess karna hai"
Ram smiled now: "Jaanta hun...yahi kahoge na ki...Ram aap aaj boht handsome lag rahe hai, hamesha jitna lagte the, us se boht zyaada'...hai na?"
Priya laughed: "Haan"
Ram: "17 years se sun raha hun ye confession...tum bhi kuch naya bolo."
Raya were enjoying the conversation that was going both ways. Just then, Ram's cellphone rang. He did not bother to check who called. The call came in again, once again...and then again..Priya was also in no mood to let her husband move an inch away, now that the couple were cuddled. And now, much to their displeasure, Priya's cellphone started to ring.
Priya: "Oh God itne raat ko...ek minute call dekh lu.."
Ram hesitantly released her and she looked at the fone. Vikram it was.
Vikram: "Hello Priya...sorry to bother you yaar, Ram ne call nahi liye tho..."
Priya: "Its ok bolo Vikram..kya baat hai..all well??"
Vikram smiled: "Haa haa...suno abhi CNBC news channel lagao. Abhi break hai but coming up in the next segment would be a brief on Ram's visit to new york..zarur dekho aap dono. Mae uske baad call karta hun Ram ko. Please ask him to take my call then. Chalo bye."
Priya immediately updated Ram and asked him to tune in to CNBC. He lazily picked the remote that was by his bedside and switched on the TV. Priya lied back on Ram's chest as he sat up. Ram was switching channels and stopped by one of the music channels and looked at Priya.
Priya: "Wow our favorite song...anyway jaldi se news lagayiye...mujhe aapko dekhna hai"
Ram put the remote aside: "NO WAY! News jaaye bhaad me, ab hum ye song dekhenge. Mujhe dekhna hai tho direct yahi dekhlo."Priya was about to protest but he cut-in: "Shhh! Dont disturb."
Priya smiled at him and he grinned at her. They cuddled closer. Within seconds, both were lost in the magic of the very romantic, verrry melodious track from the 1976 classic Balika Badhu. With each line of the song, sparks of love and romance ignited their warm hearts... They would look at each other, then at the song, and then again at each other..with brighter eyes. Not to mention, they clasped each others' hands with these lines of the song..
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Dheere-dheere haule-haule chupke se ab hogaKehte hain ye pyaar jise hum na jaane kab hoga
Bade achhe lagte hainYe mausam, ye baatein, ye uljhan (Aur..)Aur tummm...
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By the time the song ended, romance was in the air...and in their minds. Ram switched off the tv.
Priya: "AC boht high hai. Off karke aati hun."
Ram: "Sure...jaldi aao" and winked at Priya who naughtily threw a pillow at him and left.Priya turned on the lights and went straight into the change room, even as Ram was quietly watching her. About 5 minutes passed. Vikram called on his phone. Just then, Priya came out the change room. Ram could not take his eyes off her. She was now clad in the new, Red, designer night gown he had gifted to her (and she had rejected). Wow, she looked stunning. She walked towards the AC control switch and was adjusting the settings.
Meanwhile Vikram: "Hello...hellooo...Raaam...dekha kya? Kaisa laga?"
Ram's thoughts were on Priya, he managed to answer: "Beautiful, stunning, out of this world!"
Vikram found the answer weird, yet continued: "Oh, mujhe tho itna khaas nahi laga...anyway. Priya ne kya kaha? "
Ram was still lost. He replied: "Abhi tak kuch kaha nahi. Hopefully ab bohy kuch kahegi yaar."
Vikram found it more amusing: "Yaar boht ajeeb sa baat kar rahe ho...khair...tho tumne kya socha yaar ab kya hoga?"
Ram, still a lost man: "Priya pe depend karta hai ki ab kya hoga, even i'm waiting"
By now Priya realized he was blabbering to Vikram. She screamed: "Raamm...ye kya bole jaa rahe hai...Vikram...VIKRAM line pe hai...please talk sensibly."
Ram now realized his loose-talks and fumbled: "mmm...arre haan.. mae bhi...mae bhi wahi soch raha hun kab se ki ab kya hoga yaar...tum na ek kaam karo...kal milo tab tak soch ke bataata hun. ok? Now bye gn" and cut the call abruptly. Vikram and shook his head in disbelief.
Priya got on to the bed and smiled: "Ab khuubsurat lag rahi hun?"
Ram smiled: "Not yet!"
Priya was surprised: "Kyu??"
Ram turned off the lights, drew her closer to him and said: "Ab lag rahe ho khubsurat."
The couple now did not need too many words as the night deepened. Their body language told them how they wanted to spend the next few hours. There was no hesitation, no questions were asked. Seventeen years were long enough for them to understand each others' desires. They were a loving couple and their love showed up in subtle and wild ways. It was their way of keeping their romance as alive as it was, years ago. And at times when a day went bad, they made up during the nights. This night was no exception, when two souls became one in the realest sense.
By day-break, Priya gently released herself from Ram's arms that had closed in on her shoulders. She took a quick shower and came to wake up her husband who by now was holding her pillow close to his chest and snoring.
Priya shook him: "Good morning Ram...uthiye subah ho raha hai."
Ram: "Sone do na yaar"
Priya: "Peehu aa jayegi abhi in another 15 mins..."
Ram: "Ohh haan yaar hamare bacchon ke koi bharosa nahi. Aur Peehu tho hamesha tab hi aati hai jab aana nahi hota hai. Mae abhi shower leke aata hun." and went for a shower.
About 20 minutes later...Priya finished drying her hair in the balcony and came back into the room. Ram came out the changing room and saw her: "Beautiful...aisa lag raha hai jaise the morning sun is walking into the room...fresh, warm and bright!"
Priya smiled as she walked to him: "Aap bhi fresh lag rahe hai patidev."
Ram: "Accha! Ek confession karu?"
Priya: "Mae bhi karu?"
Both of them laughed...it would be the same old complimentary confession they had heard over the years.
Ram: "Thanks Priya, kal raat...boht accha raha."
Priya hugged him and smiled: "Thank you too...mujhe bhi boht accha laga"
Ram: "Sacchi?"
Priya smiled: "Sacchi mucchi"
As luck would have it, Peehu knocked at the door and remarked: "Subah subah hug!" and barged in. Raya broke the hug instantly and spoke to each other lowly in chorus "Not again!!"
To be continued...comments please :)
