Serendipity

65

Anuj sat at the dining table eating his dinner. While his right hand performed the task of eating, his left fiddled with the magnets.

Anu and GK sat there, mutely observing him. He'd walked in just as the Hasmukh and Leela were making their way out. And Anupama and GK had honestly answered all his questions. Ever since Anuj had been strangely quiet, the only indication that he was angry was the speed with which he twirled his magnets.

After dinner, he walked into his room and shut the door.

"Kaka," Anu asked worriedly. "Is everything okay?"

GK sighed. This was the one thing he didn't like about Anuj. Whenever Anuj was extremely angry or hurt, he shut himself off from the world. GK almost wished Anuj would react. It would allow him to present a different point of view to Anuj. Sadly, that wish so far had remained unfulfilled.

"It will be, beta," he told Anupama. "Ever since his parent's death, Anuj has always internalized his emotions. He'll be okay by morning."

Patting her head, GK made his way to his room. Anu looked at the yellow light outlining Anuj's bedroom door and then walked into her room. If Anuj wanted to be left alone, she would let him be.

*****

It was nearly 2 am when a parched Anupama got up for a drink of water. Finding the water bottle on her nightstand empty, she walked out of her room to notice that the yellow outline on Anuj Kapadia's bedroom door was still there. He hadn't slept. She shook her head and walked to the kitchen to grab herself a bottle of water and made her way back to her room.

As she lay on her bed, sleep evaded her. While one part of her mind was blank, owing to the emotional roller-coaster she'd just experienced as the result of the Hasmukh and Leela Shah's surprise visit, another part of her mind wanted to know what was it that had upset Anuj so much.

Finally, unable to stay quiet and away from him any longer, she got up from her bed, walked up to Anuj's door, and knocked.

Once. Twice.

"Anuj," she whispered. More knocking.

"Anuj," the voice was louder. Banging. More banging.

"Open the door or else I'll go get Kaka."

The trick worked. She heard a click. The door opened. Behind it stood a very stoic Anuj.

*****

It didn't matter that the world couldn't see his pain. Anupama could. And that was enough for her. Pushing the door, she walked into his room till she reached the bed, dragging him along with her. She then sat on the bed and tugged at his hand, forcing him to fall. She adjusted her position and brought his head on her lap.

As she threaded her hands through his hair, he began to relax.

He took his specs off, placing his forearm on his forehead, one of the end tips pinched between his thumb and index finger.

Anu pushed his hand aside and gently ran her fingers across his forehead, slowly massaging the creases away.

He shivered and she smiled. He was beginning to relax. She continued to thread her hands through his hair, massage his forehead, and slowly moved her deft fingers to his shoulders.

"Anu..." Anuj mumbled drowsily.

"Hmmmm..." She continued her ministrations, her fingers spreading warmth and comfort wherever they touched.

"Stop."

"Why?"

"Stop, Anu."

"Shhh...Don't say anything. Just keep your eyes closed." She brought her fingers back to his forehead, massaging his face by pinching around his eyebrows, pinching the bridge of his nose, and moving her fingers around his temples in concentric circles.

Her chaste touch was evoking a different sort of physical response in Anuj, one he didn't want to deal with at the moment.

"Anu...", he held her hand to stop her.

"What?"

"Stop."

"Why?"

"Because Anu, although I try to be a good man, I'm still a man."

His innuendo wasn't lost. She blushed at that and pushed him off her lap. He chuckled. No one would believe that she'd been married for 26 years. She was still so innocent.

He stretched his hands and moved his neck left to right to relieve himself of the remaining stress.

"Thank you," he told Anu as she got up to make her way back to her room.

She turned and smiled, and then asked: "Why were you upset?"

He grew serious at that but instead of shutting her out gave her an honest response.

"No one is allowed to walk into my house and get away with talking to my wife like that."

She blushed some more at that. And meekly said: "But...we're not yet married."

He walked towards her, lithe and purposeful, one step at a time. And Anu's breath hitched. As he inched closer, she began to hyperventilate. In her attempt to put some distance between them, she took a few steps back only to finally collide against the wall.

He came and stood in front of her, his nose touching hers. She could feel his breath on her skin. Placing his hands on both sides of her face, he whispered: "Darling, we were married 26 years back. We're only going to legalize it now."

He then bent forward and placed a kiss on her cheek.

Anu looked at him with tears of love in her eyes, her hand caressing her cheek where he'd just kissed. She then placed her arms around him and hugged him. They stood like that for quite sometime before Anuj gently released her from his hold.

"Go get some sleep."

She shook her head.

"Anu, you have a long day ahead. Go sleep for at least a couple of hours."

She shook her head again.

"What happened?"

"You too have a long day. And I know if I leave, you'll go back to your work. It's the Australia office that's working right now, isn't it?"

Anuj sighed. "What do you want? I'm not sleepy."

She simply held his hand and dragged him to the bed and made him lay down. She then proceeded to lay down next to him and place her head near his heart. He hugged her shoulder with his free hand. And blissfully, the two drifted off to sleep.