Bengal, Chatterjee House

Saudamini cupped her hand over her eyes, her forehead creasing. 

She angled her head, her ears buzzing with humming sounds of her husband, as if he was responding to someone. 

"Yes, of course!" And it was followed by a light chortle.

Who was he talking to this early in the morning? 

Her eyes fluttered open as she yawned, finding herself tucked inside the quilt and laid upon a pillow comfortably. She rubbed her eyes slowly, which were still puffy and red due to previous night. A sigh escaped her lips, as she sat up gradually, only find her saree rummaged and dismantled, loosely wrapped around her shoulder.

And she felt a deep flutter inside her stomach—

How he had kissed her all over, his warm lips feathering her lips, her cheek, soothing her with his amorous touches—

Her heart quickened its pace, as she recalled everything, sending a rush of shiver down her spine. 

It was not that they had not been intimate before, they had, they had passionate nights before, but last night....

Last night felt different. 

She didn't knew why, but it just did. 

The way—the way he was, he was feathering his lips all over her, desperately, yet not out of desire, for once, for once—he seemed to bring out something deep within her, something which had laid within her buried since long. His lips didn't desire that night, it caressed. It soothed, it blissed. 

What was that even? 

That evoked a plethora of vehemence with it's lucidity? 

Last night, she had felt something; something which was different. Something, which she had never felt before, not even with Satyakaam. She sucked in a deep breath, her cheeks turning a shade of bright crimson at just the thought of it, a trail of goosebumps appearing over her as she slowly began to adjust her saree properly. 

They had kissed before, made love before, yet why was this—

She slowly peered at Anirban, who was at the opposite side of the bed, talking on the telephone with a light smile on his lips. He was just half sitting on the table where the device of was, humming on the line, and the smile bloomed into a grin as he held the receiver properly and chuckled, "It's daily here, Maa!"

Maa?

Was it her mother? 

She blinked for a while, covering her bosom properly with her saree as Anirban's gaze inadvertently fell over her. She raised her brows at him, and he held the receiver at a distance from his ear, and cupped the end of it, 'It's your mother!' He mouthed, and went back talking.

Finally! 

Saudamini almost leaped from her bed, a relieved smile spreading on her face. It had been three days she had last spoken to her, and yesterday night's rain had temporarily shut the lines. She strode towards him, peering at him expectantly, fidgeting with her fingers. 

It seemed that he had too woken up from sleep. His hairs were still messy and a few fell on his forehead, as he brushed them back, he still had the little drawl in his voice due to the drowsiness. 

And her heart skipped a beat, watching him smile again. It was so damn contagious, anyone could fall into the trap of his innocent face and smile.

Yet, innocent and Anirban could never fit together. And she could claim it without a second thought. 

The light zephyrs from the open window carried the scent of the rain, swishing with his hairs every now and then. And he, unbothered, flicked his fingers again and again, tilting his head and talking. Not innocent, she knew, but so....

"Yes, yes, she's awake," Anirban's gaze fleeted over to her for a moment, who flinched for a while. Was she, was she gawking at him? 

"Yeah, yeah sure!" 

She blinked twice, pushing her hairs behind her ears on both sides, looking away for a moment. 

God! 

"Speak to your mother," He raised his brows at her, with a lopsided smile, handing her over the telephone. She bit her lower lip, daring not to meet her eyes with him as she held the receiver against her ear, grasping her breath, "Hello?" 

"Mini? How are you doing?" 

Saudamini's lips kicked off into a little smile, hearing her voice, "I, I am doing fine..." She mumbled her eyes flickering to Anirban involuntarily, watching him look at her for a while and then stole his gaze away, trying to withhold the smile on his lips. 

.

.

.

Anirban strode out of the wooden dressing enclosure, adjusting a designer brown coat over his shoulders. The cream shirt fitted him effortlessly, paired with the black strap pants. He stood in front of the mirror with his half wet hair, buttoning up his coat. 

The faint of chime anklets made him raise his gaze back towards the mirror, and his fingers slowed down on his buttons. 

Saudamini was standing behind him, half facing the mirror and drying her long, damp hairs with a towel. Her tresses were pulled back to one side, she flipped them after a while, rubbing the cloth over it, gazing outside the window. The crimson saree that hugged her curves effortless, glittered at intervals as sunlight fell upon the golden borders that ran from the edge of her drape. 

The way she carried red—did she even know how breathtaking she appeared? 

He inhaled a deep breath, his lips curving up in a lopsided smile. 

The way she lay down, with her eyes closed last night, without a word. Just breathing silently, as he kissed her all the while. Her initial restrain that was softened by him; he didn't know why, but somewhere his heart fluttered at it, making it feel something which he had never felt before. 

There was something, something different; amidst all the vulnerability. 

 He had been attracted to women before, had thoughts about them too. But Saudamini was making him feel, was what he had never imagined feeling before. 

That girl was indeed something he had never imagined to cross paths with ever.

A feisty, headstrong girl, with a tongue that slashed like sword. Never giving in easily, and someone who could make his nerves put to flame with her demeanour. He had been a foolish taking her as someone to be a docile and shy girl that day. 

It was true. It was her bewitching beauty that had drew him in, for he felt she was what he was desiring for all these years. The desire to surpass all his suitors, be the one that would fit in her thoughts, woo and sweep her away like a Prince would do with a Princess. For none was able to captivate him like she did, and he was determined to have her as his. 

And when she finally agreed, he felt that he had won her at last. 

He desired her, and she desired him back. Hitting with each other instantly like a streak of lightning. Each time they made love, he felt like having the time of his life with her. 

Only till the time they were intimate.

Their kisses paved into fierce and passionate desires, they touched each other only to end up in a swive. 

But he didn't knew now why, why all this was so.....

He could feel that there was something, something that she was hiding within her. Deep. The more he looked into her eyes, the more he could feel there was something that was yearning to be surfaced, but was getting abstracted everytime. 

There was a strange restrain within her, even if she didn't want to show it, it became evident. Appearing lost at times. As if she was searching for something, yet ended up finding nothing.

The more he tried to avoid it, yet those subtle things seem to perturb him at times. 

But last night, it was as if the lost boat had been drifted into an hollering ocean. Unrestrained. 

The way she wept clutching him, bursting into tears.....he had not expected it at all. It was as if what she had been piling up within herself had suddenly exploded. The headstrong feisty girl of him, found herself in a mess. 

And he didn't knew why, for a moment he had lost himself. 

Tears in her eyes, wasn't something he was expecting. 

Or rather....tears in her eyes were the last thing he wanted to see. 

He didn't know, he just didn't know why he felt that way, he just couldn't hold himself anymore. For he realized that this headstrong, feisty girl wasn't born, but made into. Her eyes which swirled with resilience, had an aura of softness that divulged at times. The way she pretended that nothing affected her, the way she appeared mature as if she had seen the world; the way she held herself like she wouldn't let anyone, anyone break her; yet when he kissed her, touched her, there was this innate softness he had always felt that was threatening to erupt but hidden as soon as it got over. 

But last night, she didn't let that resilience overrule her softness. 

And he was about to feel....what he had never felt before. 

He felt different. She felt different. 

But a difference, that only nudged the thread of closeness. 

And he wanted to feel this, feel this softness again, which was missing since long. 

He drew out of his thoughts, finding the latter pausing for a while, to stare back at the mirror. He could see how her gaze trailed from herself to him, as she blinked in slight confusion.

"Are, are you going somewhere?" She straightened herself up, her voice ending in a whisper. 

And he couldn't help but feel a little flushed. He had seen the slight edginess within her that morning, perhaps, after last night.....and surprisingly, he too couldn't help but feel it too. The intimacy they shared was so out of the blue, that his heart mercilessly skipped a bit whenever he thought so. 

The way she was staring at him, while he was talking on the phone—he had felt her gaze filled with the surprise, the edginess yet that mellowness, even without looking at her. 

And his stomach did a weird flip like never before. 

"Yeah, that—I have a meeting with the British officers regarding the business and all that," He mumbled, picking up the comb and pressing it through his slick hairs, feeling a bit edgy again. 

Ridiculous how that girl would make him feel the extremes at times. 

"Oh," He heard her mouth after a while, nodding. 

"Hmm." He hummed, biting his lower lip as he kept on peering at her, "I will be a bit busy today, and perhaps I need to stay back at Subho's to discuss regarding the business plans, you know." 

"Oh, okay."

"Yeah, just have your lunch and dinner at time." He added immediately, giving her an uptight look. Saudamini blinked at him through the mirror, as if she had not expected it. She looked away for a while, adjusting the saree over her shoulder properly. 

Anirban crossed his brows for a while, pursing his lip; why did everything seem so dodgy all off a sudden? 

He licked his lips, putting the comb down after setting his hair, while the latter peered at him at intervals. 

"Ani?" She went on after a while, making him look at her with a raised brow, "Hmm?" 

"That," She bit the corner of her lip, keeping aside the towel, and walking over to the dressing table, adjusting her hairs behind her ears, "That, a bit of Payesh was left yesterday, I had kept it aside for you—you can have them before leaving—if, if you want to."  She looked at him for a while in a brief manner, trying to form a little, edgy smile on her lips.

Anirban side eyed her through the mirror for a while, a half smile trying to threaten on his lips as he clipped the wrist watch on his left wrist. 

But he couldn't help when he saw the later turn away, and he could at once claim that he had seen a hint of crimson on her cheeks. 

★★★★★★★★★

A/N

They are choo koot 🙈🙈🙈🙈

Signing off for today!

Nushkie