Dheere Dheere Se

Janeman

After a long time I was visiting my hometown as my cousin from mom's side was getting married. Due to my work I got leave easily but Rishabh could not join us early.

As I packed my bags to attend my cousin's wedding, a bittersweet feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. While I was thrilled to celebrate this joyous occasion with my family, the thought of being away from Rishabh for a few days weighed heavily on my heart.

"Charger?" My husband asked from behind, leaning at the cupboard.

"Hmm!" I hummed for the fourth time. He reminded me everything from my toothbrush to my outfits and everytime I said yes. It felt like he was my parent checking my packing before the school trip.

"Hair pins?"

"Umm hmm"

"Ok. have you taken all matching sets of jwellery?"

"Yes!"

"Great. Umm...sandals?"

"Yep!"

"Hmm.. what's left" he muttered to himself. "Yeah right Those, uh lipsticks, no bams or tints what do you call?"

I turned to Rishabh taking his dimple cheeks in my hand "Yes, Rishabh everything is packed. I've everything I need." I stated, with a Chuckle.

"Well, that's not true. You're Missing a very important thing." He said and I looked around to find what I was missing.

"No.. I've taken every thing." I said with uncertainty.

"You sure you ain't forgetting anything?" He asked again.

"No Rishabh.." I muttered to myself "I've taken enough cash, sare kapde bhi le liye, extra bhi carry Kiya hai charger wagera sab toh liya" and I gave the whole room a look again.

"Yaha waha kya dekh Rahi ho? Tumhare samne ye jo kitmi chiz hai uski baat kar raha hu." Rishabh's serious face made me laugh.

"Well if you're willing to come, we have a blue suitcase, I can pack you in there and take you with me. What say?" I teased him back.

"Arey hum toh apki muthi me bhi kaid ho jayenge, app jara Hume thamb ke toh dekhiye." He pushed my hair strand behind my ear.

"Uff!" I held my hands over his nape bringing us closer "I'm going to miss you." I admitted.

"As you should, offcourse." I smacked him. "Arey! Mara kyu?"

"As I should na! Say it back." I demanded holding his jaw.

"Bossy huh?" He asked and I blinked my eyes dramatically. "Well, I'm going to miss you more." He pecked on my lips.

I plastered on a smile, determined not to let my melancholy dampen the festive atmosphere. "It's just a short trip," I reminded myself, pushing aside the ache of separation.

Arriving at my cousin's house, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of wedding preparations, I couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia for the cozy familiarity of home. The laughter of family members echoed through the halls, filling the air with an infectious energy.

But amidst the festivities, my thoughts kept drifting back to Rishabh – his warm smile, his gentle touch, and the way his presence made even the simplest moments feel special.

Throughout the days of celebrations, Rishabh and I exchanged sporadic texts and brief video calls, each conversation a lifeline in the vast expanse of distance that separated us. We spoke of trivial matters – the food at the wedding, the music, and the laughter that filled the air.

4 days weren't a big deal but this was the longest I had stayed away from Rishabh since the day we got married.

In the evening, as I sat amidst the glittering decorations of the wedding venue, my phone buzzed with a message from Rishabh.

"Hello"
"How's everything going?"
the text read, when I didn't see the message for an hour he messaged again with-
"Woah looks like someone is busy."
"Jutte churane ki planning me busy ho kya?"

I chuckled at his reference trying to remind me of the day we first met.

I couldn't help but smile at his attempt to mask his longing with a casual inquiry. "Ji nahi, mene apni ek behen ke shadi me jutte aur uske devar ka dil dono chura liye. Toh iss baar muzhe jutte churane ki jarurat nahi" I replied.

He saw my message but didn't reply for another minute, and just then his name popped up on my phone.

"Hello?"

"Dil toh chura liya hai waise, wapis karne ka koi irada hai apka? Kyuki yaha hamri dhadkan ruk si gayi hai apke Bina." I laughed at his dramatic tone.

"....Waise khana khaya?" He asked

"Hmm, what about you?"

"Mene bhi. Aur waha kya chal raha hai?"

"Taiyariya toh khatam ho hi nahi Rahi. Sabki bhag daud chal rahi hai. Me baacho ko dance sikha rahi hu, aur Diksha masi hum ladkiyon ko pati ko kabu me kaise rakhte hai woh sikha rahi hai."

"Kya?" He scoffed.

I giggled before speaking "yes, you know what she told me all this during our wedding also and now that Radhika is getting married she's repeating the rules again."

"Umm, so have you been using them on me?"

"Well, I didn't need to, apparently some certain was already in my kabu."

"Janeman hum toh apke kabu me hi hai, lekin apke bina bekabu ho rahe ha uska kya."

"Who are you? That's not how my Rishabh talks! Tell me who are you and what have you done to Rishabh?" I joked.

"Hahah, I haven't done anything to your Rishabh. It's you who did this to him. Tumhari itni aadat hogai hai, uss din I was sleeping alone phir bhi ac tez rakhi thi pata nahi kyu. Subha utha tabhi I was mumbling 'Pari yaar alarm band kar do'. Dekh Rahi ho kya hashaar kiya hai tumne. Pakka ye Diksha masi ki strategy hai na, apne pati ko aaise kabu me karo ki tum na ho tabhi woh tumhare hi bareme soche?"

We laughed again.