Raavi was following Shiva. He would leave every afternoon at 4, and no one knew where he went. Raavi wouldn't find him at home, or at the store during this time. So where did he go? So one fine day, she started following him from the morning itself. He left for the store in the morning, then he came back home for lunch that day. At around 3:30, he left his house. Raavi followed him in an auto. He stopped somewhere and got off his bike.
Raavi got off the auto and started following him on foot. She followed him for a couple of miles. He wouldn't stop walking and Raavi didn't wear shoes which were made for walking. Her feet started hurting after a while so she bent down to adjust her shoes. When she was ready to follow him again, he was no where to be seen. Raavi looked around but no sign of Shiva.
She was lost. Raavi didn't know where she was. It was getting dark and she was stranded in an empty road. Her eyes started filling with tears as she realised that she was lost. She turned back and started walking the opposite way, but she lost her way. Where was Shiva? Raavi took out her phone and was about to dial his number, when someone snatched her phone away.
"Lagta hai baby kho gayi." A goon like man said.
"Chal, hum tujhe ghar chor dete hai."
Raavi felt her heart thudding. Tears were already flowing out of her eyes. She tried to walk away ignoring them, but this guy caught her hand. Suddenly, Shiva came out of nowhere and started beating these men. They ran away quickly.
Raavi started crying loudly and flung herself in Shiva's arms. He held her tightly, and apologised for everything that had happened. He knew she had been following him and he took a detour to trouble her. He held onto her until she stopped crying then he dropped her home.
Raavi suddenly woke up with a loud cry. She realised she had been crying. This memory often caused her bad dreams and this was just one such night. Shiva woke up with a start, hearing Raavi crying.
"Raavi? Kya hua?" He asked.
Raavi was unable to speak. Strong emotions gripped her heart. She had just felt the intense fear she had felt that day. Shiva moved closer to her and Raavi held his hand. He realised something was wrong so he moved his pillow to the other side to be near her.
"Kya hua?" He asked again.
Raavi snuggled into his chest and put her arms around him. He simply held her until she stopped crying.
"Bura sapna dekha?" Shiva asked, when she had somewhat calmed down.
"Haa." Raavi replied.
"Ae gadheri, sapne dekhkar kaun roya hai. Main hu na idhar."
"Teri wajah se hi ro rahi hu. Uss din jab tu chhup gaya tha jab main tujhe follow kar rahi thi aur gundo ne mujhe pakad liya tha." Raavi said.
Shiva was seriously guilty about that. He just wanted to teach maami ki behen ki beti a lesson for following him, but he didn't expect the goons to be there. Raavi snuggled closer to Shiva and fell asleep again. She felt safe in his arms.
***
When Raavi woke up the next morning, she found herself in her bhootnath's arms. She was almost lying on top of him, and he was holding her close tightly. Raavi blushed. It was so intimate. She had never been so close to anyone else. She not only felt safe, but she felt her heart racing. Raavi didn't even want to get up.
Shiva stirred a little bit. Raavi quickly shut her eyes. His hands roamed all over her back and Raavi felt amazing. Involuntarily, she snuggled in a little closer and clutched his vest. Shiva stopped immediately. Raavi was disappointed, she wanted him to continue whatever he was doing. Was he awake? She lifted her head to check, and he was awake, staring right back at her.
They kept staring at one another for a moment. Neither of them wanted to move. Raavi clutched on his vest a tighter. Shiva touched her shoulder and Raavi waited in anticipation, but he just moved her aside and got up. She pouted in anger.
"Shiva!" She called out. "Itni jaldi kyu uth gaya? Wapas aake so jaa."
Shiva was shocked. They didn't usually invite each other back to the bed. They were the kind of people who threw each other off the bed.
"Subah ki fresh air health ke liye achhi hoti hai." Shiva tried to think of some nonsense.
Raavi knew he was speaking utter nonsense so she pulled him back to the bed. Shiva was shocked, but Raavi just gave a smile and snuggled against his chest once more.
"Itna chipak kyu rahi hai?" Shiva asked.
"Mera mann."
"Agar chipakna hai toh jaake uss maami se chipak." Shiva said.
"Maasi se kyu chipku? Shaadi tujhse ki hai toh tujhse hi chipkungi na gadhere." Raavi said. "Waise bhi tu kaafi comfy hai."
Shiva couldn't believe it. Not only was this girl snuggling against him, she also called him comfy like a teddy bear. He was Shiva Pandya, not someone's teddy bear. He tried to free himself but she held him tighter.
"Ae chipku chipkali!"
"Tujhe mujhe jo bulana hai bula Shiva. Par ab tu mera pati hai toh tujhse chipakne ha pura haq hain mujhe. Agar tujhe koi problem ho toh main Dhara di ko bulati hu. Woh tujhe samjha degi."
Shiva stopped struggling after she gave him the bhabhi threat. "Pati nahi bhi tha, tab bhi chipku chipkali hi thi tu."
"Tu bhi chipku bhootnath tha." Raavi giggled, as she thought of the countless times he pulled her closer or pushed her the against the wall. But one particular incident came to her mind.
Raavi hadn't visited Pandya house in three days now and the reason for that was she was extremely sick. She got a fever due to her final semester exam stress. Maasi and Anita di were hounding her about getting good marks in this one. On top of that, she got her periods. It was her second day today, and she was clutching her stomach in pain and lying on the bed.
Shiva came to her room just out of nowhere. Raavi thought she must be delusional because of her pain. She asked this imaginary Shiva to come close to her and hold her. He sat on the bed next to her and took her hand. Raavi gasped. He was real!
"Itne dino tak sarr khane nahi aayi toh socha dekh leta hu tu zinda hai bhi ki nahi." Shiva said.
"Fever aur periods." Raavi pouted and hugged him.
"Medicine li tune?" He asked.
She nodded.
"Chal phir so jaa." He said.
"Padhai bhi toh karni hai." She again pouted.
"Ae maami ki behen ki beti, yeh kaunsa ek din mein tu padhke Einstein ban jayegi? Abhi bandh kar aur so ja." Shiva took her books away and kept them on the shelf.
"Idhar aa." She called him and gave him the hot water bag.
Shiva pressed it against her lower stomach and she leaned back against the pillow. That day they didn't fight even once. He later got up and applied cold compression to her head, and she insisted on keeping her head on his lap. He didn't protest.
Raavi suddenly gasped, getting up from the bed. She hasn't even thought of Dev once while she was sick and she wouldn't have dreamed of Dev coming there to take care of her. It was Shiva! Shiva was the one to be there for her all along. She had always felt safe with him. He was her comfort pillow. She had never been in love with Dev. Heck, she didn't even like Dev all that much. It was always Shiva. She had been in love with him her entire life!
"Ae gadheri, kya hua?"
Raavi started jumping on the bed in joy and Shiva got down. This maami ki behen ki beti was surely possessed. Even the lunatics in mental asylums were less crazy than her. He left the room to find a place where he could be in peace.
