Pallavi walked in the house late in the evening, starving. Amma and Keerthi had decided to go over to one of Amma's friend's house for dinner, because they met at the showroom, and Amma was sure she could get her friend to buy 10 more saris. Pallavi laughed thinking about Amma promising Pallavi, "you haven't seen a real salesperson until you've seen me, Pallu beta. Main toh aag lagungi."
As she walked in the door, taking off her shoes, she felt like something was wrong. All the lights were off, but Raghav never really sleeps that early. And more importantly, he basically keeps the lights on in the house well until he's asleep and has the workers turn them off. Probably because something traumatic happened in his childhood, Pallavi thinks, remembering the couple of times she awoke in the middle of the night to his bad dreams.
She walked to the bar and the ping pong table, his usual place in the house. There he was, asleep on a chair, his head on the bar, clearly he had had too many drinks.
Should I help him, Pallavi thinks, he can't sleep here, let me wake him up and get him to walk to the bedroom.
She taps him, calls him by his name, she taps him harder.
Raghav wakes up with a start, "Oh, you. I thought you had decided to go back to your old house? What are you doing here?"
"Raghav, tumne aaj kuch zaada hi pee le, na? Come on, let's go upstairs, get up."
"Why will I go up with you, I hate you. Right? Just like you said. Don't get sad, don't get mad. Don't give me a lecture. I hate you. I HATE YOU PALLAVI DESHMUKH. No wait. I HATE YOU PALLAVI RAO."
"Raghav, calm down. What are you talking about?"
"Today, what you said. You didn't say anything when your Saanki Baap asked you to come back to his house, and then, you said." Raghav tripped, and Pallavi barely could catch him.
She was able to drag him to the stairs, but he was climbing the stairs very slowly, Raghav Rao style Pallavi guessed. Drunk Raghav Rao Style, two steps up, one step back.
As she tried to get him up the steps, he ran back down. And grabbed the sari and jewelry box from the ping pong table.
"How can you say I hate you? How dare you?"
"Raghav, calm down."
"I dressed up for your showroom opening. I brought these gifts, I was trying to apologize, and instead you accepted those stupid Assmukhs' apology..."
"Raghav, it wasn't like that. I just, I can't fight with Baba anymore, he was there for me when Mandaar—"
"You're not Pallavi Deshmukh anymore, you are The Pallavi Raghav Rao."
Raghav pushed her to a chair and got on his knees.
"Raghav get up, what are you doing?"
"I brought this sari for you, you know, you made it, and I stole it. I'm sorry, but you should remake it all over again, I only want your saris in my shop."
"Raghav, this—" Pallavi took out the sari from the bag, she went quiet.
"And this, I made this years ago. But I knew if I ever sold it or gave it to someone, it would be someone who made me feel the way I felt when I designed it. When I put the diamonds on it myself."
He opened the box, and took out the bracelet.
"Raqhav, you didn't have to do this, why are you—"
He grabbed her wrist and put it on her.
"See, only someone else can clasp it, it's a bracelet made for two that way, not just one."
Pallavi's heart did a leap when his fingers stroked her wrist, her eyes started to fill with tears. What was happening? She couldn't handle this Raghav, she can't understand him like this. She needs Gamandi Raghav Rao, who doesn't leave a chance to insult her or yell at her.
"You know, even if you think I hate you, you can keep this bracelet, but you can't take it off..." he wagged his finger smiling. He stood up and pulled Pallavi to her feet close to him, "you can't take it off unless I take it off for you. Sure you could ask someone else...I guess. But I think..."
"Raghav," Pallavi composed herself, staring at the bracelet and then at Raghav.
"No, Baby, Shona, Jaanu. Woh hai meri pyaari nicknames, right Pallavi Rao?"
"Raghav, let's go upstairs."
"Not until you call me by my nicknames."
"Raghav."
"Nooooo."
"Gamandi Rao."
"Nahin Yaar."
"Fine. Baby. Shona, Jaanu. Hum upar chalein?"
Raghav laughed and followed Pallavi up the stairs.
Pallavi sits Raghav on the bed, and he lays down, but before Pallavi can turn around to go to the washroom to change her sari, Raghav pulls her arm again, Pallavi falls on top of him.
"Aaj ke baad, tum kabhi nahin...KABHI nahin woh deshmukh ghar jayegi. Yeh teri ghar hai. Ardhamaindha? Sorry. Samazla?"
"Teek hai, raghav. Now go to sleep."
She pulled herself off him, that scent of sandalwood, whiskey, and musk overpowering her now. What did Raghav just say? What will he remember tomorrow?
She changed, and when she came back into the bedroom, Raghav was fast asleep. She climbed into bed, this time, just a little bit closer to Raghav than she used to sleep.
