You and I, plus 2 years of marriage!

ALMOST IN Love…

{10}

‘Are you busy?’ asked Dhwani peering into Ahan’s room. He looked up from his book and smiled shaking his head.

‘I am solving some math problems, mom, so I am certainly not busy.’

She smiled weakly and went to sit in front of him on the cot. He bent down and continued doing his assignment.

‘Have you been able to solve all the problems?’

‘Almost… a couple of them seem to be tricky which I have marked for solving later. Maybe tomorrow when uncle comes, I will take his help,’ he said without lifting up his head. Dhwani swallowed the lump in her throat.

‘Actually Anu… I don’t think Jake will be coming back here. He is leaving to Bangalore very soon,’ she said slowly. Ahan stared at her incredulously.

‘What!!?? Really? He said he was going to be here for at least a couple of months. Yesterday, he did not mention anything about leaving the city. What happened suddenly?’

Disappointment and irritation was writ large on his face.

‘I can help you with your assignment as always,’ she said trying to divert his mind but he gravely shook his head.

‘I loved solving math problems with him because he doesn’t help me solve the entire problem in the conventional method. Rather he gives me some clues which I use to solve it on my own. It was fun being with him,’ he rued.

‘He is not coming back, Anu. You better stop looking so dejected. We did have a life even before Jacob came,’ she said sternly. Ahan frowned at his mother’s sudden anger.

‘Mom, is everything alright?’

A sudden gloom cast a shadow on her face.

‘Why are you asking me this question?’

‘I noticed yesterday that you did not speak a single word with uncle. You both were trying to avoid each other. Did you have an argument or something?’

Dhwani averted his eyes but she certainly could not avoid his question.

‘It’s nothing, Anu. Finish your assignment before 8.30. We will have dinner together,’ she said flatly.

‘I am really going to miss him a lot. It was nice to have him here and I enjoyed my time with him. Moreover he has been very affectionate and helpful towards us. I still can’t believe that yesterday could be the last time I ever saw him. Somehow I am hoping that he will come back soon. He will, won’t he?’ he asked with expectation saturating his voice.

‘I don’t think so,’ she muttered and stormed out of the room. Ahan understood that there was indeed something wrong between her and Jacob.

Dhwani quickly climbed the stairs and reached the terrace. She locked the door behind her before curling up in a corner. Uncontrollable tears streamed down her face without even allowing her to breathe. Yet she did not let out a noise and shed those silent tears on that empty terrace.

He is leaving… forever… I want to stop him… I really want to…

Loneliness was mercilessly thrusting a rusted dagger into her heart. She had a maddening urge to scream out his name, but she clapped a hand to her mouth and stifled her cry. Dhwani was drowning in an unfathomable ocean of desperation.

This could be my only chance. What shall I do?

Unable to muster up courage, she let the remaining tears soak her face.

***

Dhwani skipped dinner that night by giving an excuse that she had eaten a heavy lunch. Yet her mother forced her to eat some fruits. Later she retired to her bedroom but sleep was far from entering her eyes. Although she was exhausted, her mind was still alert with pain. Aimlessly she was walking around when her phone started ringing. She looked up at the wall clock with a frown.

11.50pm

The name flashing on the phone screen took her breath away.

Jacob

She picked up the phone with shaky hands and attended the call. There was complete silence for three seconds.

‘Dhwani…’

His voice filled her with warmth on that cold night.

‘Jake…’

She could barely utter his name and once again the tears rolled down her cheeks.

‘How are you?’ he asked softly. She continued shedding tears unable to say anything more.

‘Dhwani! Are you alright? Why are you crying?’

He sounded very worried but she did not speak.

‘Please don’t cry. I can’t tolerate your tears,’ he implored.

‘I am scared,’ she blurted out and immediately disconnected the call. Dhwani slumped on her bed and closed her eyes. He did not call again and she knew it was over between them. Suddenly there was a message notification on her phone after about twenty minutes.

Garden.

She stared at that single-word message from Jacob as if she could not comprehend its simple meaning. Unsure of what to make of it, she started walking out of the room towards the garden. Everyone at home was in deep sleep and she noiselessly sneaked out. Even after entering the garden she could not guess why he had sent her that message. The garden was softly lit up by lights which gave it a silhouetted appearance. Frantically she looked around without any idea of what to look for.

‘Dhwani,’ he called out from behind. She instantly turned around and found him standing under the mango tree. Relief and happiness washed over her and a smile played at the corners of her lips. Jacob took a few steps towards her while drinking in her sleepy appearance.

You look too gorgeous in this funny pair of cotton pyjamas and kurta.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked in a strained voice.

‘You said you were scared, so I came to see you,’ he said casually.

‘This is ridiculous! We shouldn’t be meeting each other like this at midnight.’

‘I don’t see anything wrong with it. Now tell me, why are you scared?’

Dhwani shook her head and looked around to see if there was anyone watching them. She was restless and nervous. Jacob slowly held her hands and stepped closer to her.

‘Why are you scared?’ he repeated. She gently squeezed his hands and looked up at him.

‘I don’t want to lose you,’ she whispered. He bent forward and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She reflexively closed her eyes feeling the ethereal touch of his lips.

‘I am not leaving you, ever.’

Dhwani opened her eyes and they twinkled with life for the first time in years.

‘This is not right, Jake. We should not get into a relationship because it simply won’t work…’ she said in a defeated tone.

‘Who says so?’ he asked defiantly.

‘I am a divorcee and mother of a teenager. You are two years younger than me, Jacob. Neither our families nor this society will approve of our relationship. I don’t want to be selfish enough to jeopardize your life.’

Jacob let go of her hands and held her face tenderly.

‘Dhwani, I know that it is going to be difficult for both of us to face the obstacles coming in the way of our relationship. But I made this decision only after thinking deeply about all these hurdles. You don’t have to worry about any of these challenges because I am confident that we are going to lead a happy life forever. Society is going to criticize us no matter what we do, so I simply don’t care about others. All I want is for you to acknowledge your feelings for me. Do you love me?’

‘Will you continue to love me no matter how insane I am?’

‘Forever,’ he said passionately and once again kissed her forehead.

‘I love you…’ she said after a prolonged silence. Jacob let out a long drawn breath in pleasure and smiled at her.

‘This is all I ever wanted in life. I love you.’

He pulled her into a tight embrace but she was too surprised to react. He chuckled softly.

‘You can hug me too, I won’t mind,’ he teased her. Dhwani instantly relaxed and giggled at his words. She wrapped her arms around him and they stood that way for a few minutes. Slowly Jacob freed her from his embrace and once again held her face. He bent forward, but she instantly placed her hand on his chest and stopped him.

‘Are you going to kiss me?’ she asked dubiously.

‘Yes.’

‘No!’ she protested.

‘Well, I can’t take no for an answer from you,’ he said mischievously and moved forward. He pinned down her hand and kissed her soft lips. She protested for a few moments but could no longer hold onto her stance when he was being so brazenly passionate. Later she was kissing him back in that lovely garden. After a few moments they broke the kiss and gazed into each other’s eyes. It was probably the most romantic moment in the universe at that instant.

‘I love you,’ they whispered into the air filled with the fragrance of love.

***

‘Any good news? You look very happy today,’ commented Dhwani’s father seeing her smile while reading the newspaper at the dining table. She looked up with a surprised expression.

‘Nothing, pa,’ she said trying to suppress the smile.

Stop smiling like an idiot!

No amount of admonition could help her from involuntarily smiling ever since she had confessed her love to Jacob. She checked her phone for messages and there was one from him.

I love you.

Good morning, darling J

Although she was brimming with excitement, she casually glanced up at her father and smiled sheepishly when he was not looking at her.

I love you. Good morning, sweetheart J

She received a reply even before she could place the phone back on the table.

I want to see you, right now.

Her eyes widened reading the message.

I am yet to eat my breakfast. I will leave home after an hour. Maybe on the way to office, we can meet up J

Not happening! I wanna see you. NOW!

Dhwani shook her head widening her smile.

How?

Come to the window facing your driveway.

Her heartbeat began to pick speed while she stood up casually without making any abrupt movements. She went to the window still holding the newspaper in her hand. Certain that her father was not looking in her direction, she peered out of the window. There he was! Dressed in formal shirt and a pair of jeans, he was standing next to a car parked on the road. He grinned and waved at her.

Oh my God!

She quietly waved at him just for a second and mirrored his grin.

Please leave before anyone sees you here.

Alright. I am going on location hunting for the day. Evening 7.30 at Ibaco.

Okay J

I love you :* :* :*

I love you too J :*

Jacob blew her a kiss and got into the car. Once again he waved at her and drove away. Dhwani was blushing when she turned and walked back to her place at the table. She had already begun counting minutes for 7.30pm.

***

‘Don’t you think it is too early?’ asked Dhwani sceptically. Jacob sipped his cold coffee and shook his head. He scooped the ice-cream with a spoon and held it to her mouth. She slightly bent forward and relished the chocolate ice-cream.

‘I don’t want to hide it from him any longer. He deserves to know about us, darling.’

‘It’s only been a week, Jake. Maybe we should take some more time. All this seems too fast and it’s yet to sink in.’

Jacob gave her a carefree laugh and reached out to hold her hand.

‘I can understand, Dhwani. This is how you feel initially. As days pass, you will realize that you are indeed in love. It may seem too early for you, but I made this decision long ago. Now that you are mine, I want to declare it to the world as soon as possible. I want everyone to know that I am in love with an amazing woman like you,’ he said grinning.

‘I am nervous about how Anu will react to this. Moreover my parents are not going to accept it easily. Let us not reveal it for a few more days,’ she said apprehensively. He gently squeezed her hand and kissed it.

‘Darling, sooner or later everyone is going to know about our relationship. For how long do you think you can hide it? Moreover, I want marry you as soon as possible. That will be possible only after we disclose our secret. We should start by telling Ahan.’

‘Alright, I will tell him this weekend,’ she said letting out a sigh.

‘I am telling him, not you! By the way, I have already sent him a message last evening on Facebook that I will be picking him up from extra classes today,’ said Jacob coolly sipping his coffee. Dhwani stared at him incredulously.

‘How can you do this? You didn’t even mention a word about it to me!’ she complained slightly irritated. Contrastingly, her mind felt relieved.

‘Why would I? I was certain that you wouldn’t agree.’

‘Obviously! This is simply not happening, Jake.’

‘I know what I am doing, Dhwani. You don’t have to get worked up about it. Your happiness is my responsibility now, and I will do everything I can to keep your worries away. Trust me, I can handle this,’ he said gazing into her eyes. She couldn’t help but trust him because honesty and love glowed in every word that he spoke.

‘I love you,’ she said softly. He smiled at her and looked at his watch. Quickly he stood up while she frowned at him.

‘I love you too, darling. I don’t want to be late to pick up my son. See you later.’

He bent forward and kissed her forehead before making a move. She watched him with affection and disbelief as he strode out of the coffee shop.

You called my Anu your son! I am so damn lucky. I love you…

                                       To be continued...