Chapter : Change Of Heart

Aadarsh entered the kitchen promptly as the clock struck five. He hadn't gotten a chance to be with Ruhaani alone again.

After their kiss, she had left to help Pari change. She had returned to the room but had gone straight to the closet, paying no heed to him whatsoever.

She had additionally slid the closet door shut. All ideas he had about sauntering into the closet had met an end there. Her words repeating like a troublesome warning in his head.

We should take some time.

What did she even mean by that? It was coming to be four months to their marriage.

He could tell she wanted to cross the line too. The line from where there was no going back.

If the situation earlier in the day— when she was on his desk, in his arms—had been a little more favourable, he was sure they would have moved to the next base.

So naturally, her words bothered him and he paid them more heed than anything since the past few hours.

She had left him so damn hard. It had taken quite some effort to imagine her and help himself, in the bathroom later.

He no longer wanted her. He needed her, for his own sanity. She was like that delicious lip-smacking fritter, you could never settle for one, you wanted the whole damn plate for yourself.

In the past, he would have done whatever it took to quell this feeling. However, that was no longer the case.

He wanted to embrace all the maddening desires they felt for each other. He wanted a normal marriage too. He wanted things to work out between them. He wanted to be that somebody she always wanted but never got.

"Busy?" He said walking up to her in the kitchen. She was all alone, preparing the customary evening tea for everyone.

Ruhaani could feel him breathe down her neck, quite literally. She felt his heat on the nape of her neck. Her gaze flitted towards his hand that rested on the counter. She could tell by the warmth that engulfed her, that there was hardly a few inches between his chest and her back.

"Yes," she breathed, trying to focus on the boiling tea.

"Hmm," he hummed, his gaze lowering to her neck. He wondered how she'd react if he let his tongue graze the curve of her shoulder to her neck.

"Can you pass the cups from the cabinet behind? The right most cabinet. The new cups, the ones with golden lining." She said nervously.

He slowly stepped away from her reluctantly and turned around to the cabinet they kept the cups in.

Ruhaani inhaled a sharp breath. What was happening to her? Why was her mind full of so many inappropriate thoughts and imaginations?

Aadarsh returned to her side with two cups. He placed them on the counter by the stove. She stepped aside, to give him the space.

"Three more," she said slowly meeting his gaze. He nodded and went back, letting her suck in another breath. She quickly poured tea into the two cups through a sieve. She laid them on a tray along with some biscuits by the time he returned with three more cups of the same kind.

She held the tray up, towards him. "Badi Bua is sitting out on the steps." She gazed towards the open door that led to the backyard.

"Tea is for you and her. You should talk." She said, calming her heart. The scorching kiss the had shared earlier had definitely played a number on her. She could barely look at him without the reminiscing that moment.

Aadarsh sighed defeated. He needed to address his relationship with her more than any other.

"Somewhere, she's still hurting. You need to heal it with your words and actions. Go." She encouraged him.

He gazed at the other cups. "Phupha Ji?"

"He's playing chess with Nirvaan. I will take his tea to him."

He nodded. His hand raised up to the tray. He intentionally caressed her hand before holding the tray. She looked at him, slightly taken back by the purposeful gesture. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Thanks!" He whispered, taking charge of the tray. He walked away, leaving Ruhaani with a heart that hammered hard against her ribs.

The tea boiled over, the sound catching her attention. "Damn it." She mumbled growing annoyed. Dai Jaan would have a chance to tell her about her lack of attention in the kitchen yet again, if she saw the milk pan.

***

Aadarsh made his way to the steps leading down to the backyard, where his aunt was seated by herself. Upon hearing his footsteps, she glanced up in his direction.

"Arey, Aadarsh! Should have called me inside. Why did you bother to bring it here?" She said surprised.

He settled on the step beside her, placing the small tray between them. "Isn't it quite hot to be outside?"

"It's a bit breezy today, so I don't mind."

Aadarsh smiled, as she took one cup. He took the small bowl of biscuits and rusks, that Ruhaani had placed on the tray. He extended it towards her. His aunt smiled and picked one. He followed the suit and took his cup.

"I didn't know that Ruhaani made you do household chores," she jested.

Aadarsh smiled shaking his head.

"Thank you, Aadarsh, for being here. I know you had important meetings... you didn't really have to come back early for me. Work is important for you and I understand. I am just getting an year older, we don't need to celebrate that." She chuckled dryly.

"You're important too, Bua. And it's not celebrating you turning an year older, it's celebrating you, your place in each of our lives and your journey so far."

His aunt smiled warmly at him, tears glistening in her eyes. She had expected Rohan to surprise her by a visit on her fiftieth birthday. Her practical part knew it was stupid to keep such expectations. He was literally an ocean away. However, having Aadarsh come early and all of them throw a surprise party for her was a genuine heartfelt gesture, that had worked like a charm on the damage caused by her expectations out of her son.

"I am sorry, for whatever happened at Holi. I...I really didn't mean it."

"I know baccha. And you have apologized and I have forgiven." She said in an attempt to dismiss his guilt.

"But ...not forgotten, right?" He said slowly.

He saw the smile rapidly fade away. Ruhaani was right. Given the big heart his Bua had she had made peace but somewhere deep down it still hurt...his words still hurt. The implication of his words still hurt.

Just loving someone is not enough; you need to express it, to let them know it and feel it.

He could heard Ruhaani's voice loud and clear. Somehow his brain was learning how to grasp on to her words, especially those filled with wisdom.

"Bua, I know I don't say it often enough, but I don't know what our life would be if it wasn't for you and Phupha Ji. You have always been our support system and it means everything to us. We can never express how thankful we really are." He said softly.

A few tears trickled down his aunt's eyes. She placed her half empty cup down and held his left hand in both hers. "You...you all are my kids just as much as Rohan is. We are a family, beta. You don't have to thank us, Aadi. I know I can always count on you and I hope you know that I will always be here for you."

He nodded, fighting his tears. It had been years since he had had a heart-to-heart with his Bua. He always ran the other way from it. He hated being vulnerable and weak before anyone. It was easier if she also thought that he had it all in place. He didn't want to burden her more than they already had.

However, he was gradually coming to the realization that bottling up had not been a good idea. Being vulnerable before Ruhaani had given him a passage to vent out all that hurt him.

The last time he had had cried before his aunt was when the situation with his father had gone out of hand. The night when his father had ended up slapping him so hard in a fit of alcohol fuelled rage that he had fallen to the floor hurting his eyebrow. A scar from that night still hid beneath the hair of his brow.

His mother would have never forgiven his father for that, just like he never did.

She gently rubbed his back, looking away. Like she understood he didn't want to be seen crying. He looked the other away too. The guilt from the words he had said to her was slowly coming back more forcefully. Ruhaani had been so damn accurate.

I have never seen Badi Bua, so upset. She was almost heart broken. ...She thought this house was as much hers as yours. Something she'll never again assume.

"I am really sorry, Bua." He apologized again, hoping it would lighten the guilt. Even if it was something said in anger, it was not right. He felt ashamed.

"Arey," she sighed, rubbing his back. "Bas Kar!" She gently patted his back. "My tea is going to get cold, now."

He smiled, blinking and then wiping the tear off the edge of his left eye.

"So, how is it being a father?" She asked, changing the topic.

"Oddly satisfying!"

His auntie smiled. "Pari, is a lovely child."

"That she is."

"Mukti and Nirvaan don't feel left out, do they?"

"No, no. They don't." He answered, finishing his tea.

"Hmm, pay attention. Sometimes small things go a long away."

"Don't worry, Bua. Ruhaani takes special care to make sure no one feels left out." He said appreciatively.

The older woman smiled, glancing at him. "That she does. Frankly, I was a little unsure when you chose her."

"But she was among the list of profile you sent."

"Yes, she was. Just reading this about her, had me believing she would ffitwell in the family. If I remember correctly, her height also was good to match yours. She was among the tallest."

Aadarsh chuckled. "Height, seriously?"

She smiled, nodding. "One of the many things. You're happy in you marriage, right?"

He nodded, "I am." He said thoughtfully and then slowly added, "More than I thought I would be."

"Well then, I guess God made us make the right choices. Keep her happy, Aadarsh. She's a giver, and people like her tend to run dry if their cup isn't filled. You fill her cup and she'll make sure this family thrives."

He slowly absorbed the words. It made sense. Ruhaani always gave. Her words from last night came back to his mind about not having anyone.

"She reminds me of your mother," Badi Bua sad slowly, glancing at him cautiously with every word.

"I know. I have felt it too." He admitted. It suddenly felt liberating to talk about it to someone. Someone who understood. Someone he could share with freely.

"Your mother and her obsession for her family. Gosh! I still remember being so shocked when she was so happy about having a third child. Two mischievous boys didn't deter her at all."

Aadarsh smiled, "we weren't that bad."

"Oh, please!" His Bua dismissed his statement. "I still remember you both mixed dye in your father's shampoo."

"It was Holi." He shrugged.

"See! This is what I mean. Only she could find both of you boys adorable."

Aadarsh smiled, reminiscing fond memories of his mother.

"Oh, talking about you both, what is up between you and Abhi? Fought over something again."

A bitter taste filled Aadarsh's mouth. He had said some really nasty words in a fit of anger to his brother as well. Another damage he had to repair.

"Yeah, I will fix it."

"You better do, Aadarsh. He seemed way too off today. You know, you mean his world."

"Now, that's exaggeration!" He remarked.

"No it is not. The boy looks up at you like you're all he wants to be, like you're all he sees. He loves you Aadarsh. And I can't see my Abhi with his ridiculously depressed face. Forgive him for whatever stupidity he did and bring back his smile, please, for me."

Guilt sparked an uneasy sensation inside him. "I will Bua. I will." He said.

***

"Tea time," Ruhaani announced, entering the TV room. Dai Jaan was teaching Pari how to play ludo while Mukti was the opponent. Phupha Ji had seemingly already lost the game of chess to Nirvaan.

"Ruhaani, your boy is a real genius." Phupha Ji said as she handed him a cup with the saucer.

Nirvaan glanced at her with spark in his eyes and a gentle smile.

"Oh he is!" She said settling on the sofa beside the boy after placing the tray on the table. She took him in her lap and kissed his cheek. The boy made a face and climbed out of her lap.

He had come to accepting her gestures of expressing her affection in private. But the moment they had an audience he would run the other way.

"Come on, kids, let's go have milkshake," Dai Jaan announced when Ruhaani told her that she had placed their glasses on the dining table.

Nirvaan dashed out of the room first. Ruhaani was sure, he'd reach first to analyse all three glasses and take the one with most amount of the delicious chocolate milkshake. Had it been any other flavour, he would have gone for the one among the three glasses that had the least in comparison.

Dai Jaan picked up a cup of tea from the tray and followed the girls out. Just before turning, she glanced at Ruhaani. "Are you sure, you're cooking dinner all by yourself tonight?"

"Yes!"

"Okay!" Dai Jaan remarked with a kind smile. As soon as she was out, she sighed. "May God be with you Ruhaani. We need that."

"Where's my better half?" Phupha Ji enquired.

"In the backyard, with Aadarsh." Ruhaani replied with a grin at the way he addressed his wife.

"Oh. Anything I should be worried about?" He asked taking a sip of the aromatic ginger tea.

She smiled, shaking her head in a negative. "so did you let Nirvaan win?"

"No dear! I can't stand chess. It's such a boring game. But that boy won fair and square. Takes after his father."

Ruhaani's smile dimmed a bit. "He does?" She asked hesitantly. The Sehgals never spoke of their parents randomly, like in general conversation. Abhi did once in a while, more than any of them, but it was very limited.

"Yes. Kamlesh loved chess. In fact, he's the one who taught Aadarsh. Your husband was just as good as Nirvaan when he was roughly the same age, perhaps a few years older than Nirvaan." The man said thoughtfully. "father and son used to have chess tournaments at home. Once their game went on until very late, into midnight. Both refusing to give up. Drove Bhabhi mad with their obsession."

Ruhaani smiled fondly.

"They used to be a beautiful family. We went for so many vacations together. Kashmir, Gujarat, Orissa, West Bengal, Rajasthan. So many places we've seen together. The kids were all little. I am talking of the time when Ashvi was not born. So our three boys. And us three couples."

"Three couples?" Ruhaani looked at him for more information.

"Shelly and her husband, they were together back then."

She nodded, sipping her tea.

He let out a heavy sigh. "Those were good times."

Ruhaani maintained a small smile on her face.

"Anyways, coming to the present. Ruhaani, you are happy here, no? These Sehgal kids don't trouble you, do they? If they do, you can always come stay with us."

Ruhaani's smile grew back. "No. Not much."

"Not much." He repeated. "Now that's an interesting choice of words. Let me guess the most troublesome amongst the five... Aadarsh!"

Ruhaani chuckled. "How did you know?"

"It's a universal problem, kiddo. Women always find their husband the most troublesome."

"Gosh, look at you. Shamelessly filling the poor girl's ears." They heard Badi Bua's voice and turned to her as she entered the TV area. "Why's the television switched on, if no one is watching?" She remarked switching it off.

"Ruhaani, you didn't give him sweet tea did you?" She further said, turning to her.

Ruhaani glanced at Phupha Ji who had specially requested her to make the tea sweet because he didn't get anything sweet back at home because of his diabetes. He subtly shook his head to tell her to not let her know.

"No," Ruhaani muttered. "The tea wasn't." She said, framing her words such that she wasn't lying. "I will go check on the kids." She added, when Bua looked at her suspiciously. She turned around to find Aadarsh leaning by the partition observing them.

He smirked as she walked towards him, a hint of mockery in his expression. "You can't lie to save yourself, can you?" He muttered, trailing after her. His arm swinging forward, his hand reaching out to hers. Startled at the contact, she turned to face him.

"What?" She asked.

He looked over her shoulder, towards the dining table. Dai Jaan was explaining something to the kids. "We should talk."

"Sure. Not now." She said pulling her hand back from his hold. She turned to the front and marched to the kitchen. Perplexed Aadarsh watched her retreating figure. She was avoiding him! Why?

He walked up to he table when Mukti called him. "Can you clip my hair back?" She requested, iratley as her hair that Ruhaani had neatly pulled back and clipped, floated over her face. He stood behind the chair, using his fingers to comb her hair before clipping them back into place.

"Did you hear the news?" Dai Jaan asked looking at him.

"What news?" He asked.

"Ruhaani's making the dinner, all by herself. She said she's going to do it without help from me or your Bua."

He slowly fixated his gaze on Dai Jaan. "And you let her?"

"She said she wanted to like any other daughter-in-law cooks for her family. Her words not mine. She's taken up a challenge to cook just fine without our help."

Aadarsh sighed. Where did she get such stupid ideas from?

"I will go talk to her." He volunteered and made his way to the kitchen. She was gathering all the vegetables she needed on the counter.

"Preparing for dinner, already?" He asked walking to the kitchen island.

"Yes. I asked Dai Jaan to take a break."

"Where is your sous-chef?"

"You mean your brother?" She asked, returning to the fridge to grab some capsicums.

"Yeah." Aadarsh replied.

"He's gone out. It's Mithoon's farewell party. He's going to Carnegie Mellon University for his masters."

Aadarsh looked surprised. "His school friend Mithoon? I didn't know he was still in touch with him. Never told me about it."

"You need to have an interest in someone's life to know details like that. You only keep ignoring him and lecturing him at other times. I am surprised you even know his best friend's name."

Aadarsh's jaw tightened and he walked around the island towards her. "Why do you always take his side?"

"I am not taking sides, Mister Sehgal. I am simply stating facts. You said some really nasty words to him last night."

Aadarsh was once again surprised. "You heard them?"

Ruhaani's hands which were working on peeling the garlic cloves paused and she looked up at him. She nodded.

Aadarsh turned to the side releasing a breath. How much had she heard? What had she taken back from his spat with Abhi?

"You shouldn't have."

"Yeah. Wasn't really elated." She muttered turning away.

"Ruhaani," he called to her slowly.

"What do you want Aadarsh?" She said getting irked. "I have work to get done."

"Why are you snapping?"

"Why am I..." She muttered, shaking her head in disbelief, trying to peel the stubborn peels of the garlic.

"Say it out."

She placed the knife down and turned completely to him. "Before marriage, I clearly asked you if your family likes me. Why didn't you tell me then that Abhis doesn't?"

"What difference would it make? It was my choice to make not his. I know my brother. I know when he's being stupid, I know when he's making a fair point. It was stupidity on his part to judge you before knowing you."

She stared at him.

Aadarsh exhaled a deep breath. He took two steps to stand closer to her. "Yes, there was a time, when Abhi wasn't exactly happy about the idea of me choosing to marry you. It's because he's stupid and meddlesome."

"It's because he cares for you," Ruhaani corrected him softly.

"And that," he admitted hesitantly.

"You stretched it a bit far yesterday, Aadarsh. He was simply looking out for you. You were very rude."

"I understand. And I will fix it, once he's back. Okay?"

"Okay." She nodded turning herself to the counter again.

"Was this the reason why you're avoiding me?" He asked impatiently.

She turned her head to look at him with disbelief. "When did I avoid you?" She asked puzzled. Had he lost his marbles? They had been kissing each other without a care for the world a few hours ago and he said she was avoiding him!

"Since the kiss." He muttered, irritated in the way she looked at him like she was not guilty at all.

She looked past him towards the kitchen's doorway and then back at him. "I am not ignoring you." She said softly, still unable to believe the man.

"Really?" He asked baffled.

"Really!"

"So, if I kiss you right now, you won't be upset."

Ruhaani blinked twice, overthrown by his words. She was torn between wanting that mouth on hers again and her sane part which reminded her they were in the kitchen. Also, thay they were going too fast in their relationship.

"See..." he muttered, reading the indecisiveness on her face.

"We are in the kitchen, for God's sake." She said annoyed at his tone. "I have had enough embarrassment for today." She gritted.

A small smile made it to Aadarsh's face. "So, we are good?"

"Yes, go away before that changes. I have work to get done." She remarked with irritation, as her face flushed.

"So your just being shy..." he murmured, teasing her further, completely enjoying it.

Ruhaani raised the knife towards his neck. "You're tempting me to cause you some physical harm, right now."

Aadarsh's gaze dropped to the knife. He leaned forward taking his neck closer to the knife. She instinctively pulled her hand back. Her startled gaze meeting his challenging one. "It's only fair, you tempt me all the time." He mumbled, lowering his gaze to her lips.

He inched closer, triggering all alarms in Ruhaani's brain. She immediately took two steps away. As much as she would have liked to indulge in this stupid chatter and allow him access to herself, she needed to focus on the dinner.

"I really need to prepare a good dinner. So disappear!" She murmured. A part of her told her she was making the wrong choice. That she would miss out on something really good.

"Dinner, of course." He mumbled, getting a grip on himself. Something was awfully wrong with him. He was craving for her company, for her time, for her mouth, for her body. He was slipping, losing control on himself and making a complete fool out of himself.

"Why do you want to impress Bua and Phupha Ji? And out of everything, you chose cooking to do it?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

"Be a little realistic, Ruhaani. One, you don't have to impress them...and..."

Ruhaani didn't allow him to complete. "I am not looking to impress, okay? I just want to ..." She struggled to find the right words. "...make them happy."

Aadarsh analysed her with a steady gaze. "They're already happy."

"I know. But doing something special for them, going out of your way for someone, makes them happy. Besides I know my culinary skills are quite a joke in the family. I ..." She paused realizing she was sharing too much. However she wanted to. This was something Abhi really loved to joke about so he never understood.

"You want to prove them wrong," he completed for her, gently.

She shrugged. "I can at least try with all my heart. It's the effort that counts."

One corner of his lips lifted. "Fair enough. But Ruhaani, doing it all by yourself, is a bit idealistic. You'll need help. Let Dai Jaan help."

She shook her head. "Nope. She improves everything I do and then let's me take credit. I don't want that. Anyways, you're wasting a lot of my time, so please..."

"Allow me to assist," he offered spontaneously.

A brief silence followed, a void of words.

She found herself taken aback by his unexpected willingness to help in the kitchen. Meanwhile, he grappled with his own astonishment at extending the offer. Strangely, an urge to lend her a hand had overtaken him— a determination to stand beside her and not let her face the task she had undertaken alone.

Like she supported him. Especially, like she had been there for him in the past few days.

"Seriously?" she mumbled, struggling to believe that his offer was sincere.

"Yes, tell me where do I start." He asked rolling up the sleeves of the kurta he wore.

"Are you sure? You'll have to take instructions from me and follow them to the T," she said, a touch of amusement in her voice, well aware that he wasn't particularly fond of being given directions.

"Ruhaani, I am trying to be really, really nice. So, now, don't simply rile me up." He muttered with a piercing gaze and then a mocking smile.

"Fine, start with the onions," she said pushing the seven onions towards him. "I need them finely chopped. Are you capable of doing that?" she asked, as she slid the chopping board and knife towards him.

Aadarsh rolled his eyes and set out to work. Ruhaani took a few moments to observe him. He started off just fine. Her gaze drifted to the veins on his arm that became prominent as his muscles flexed as he peeled the onions. She took the other vegetables to the other counter on the opposite wall. She would fail miserably at her task if all she did was gawk at him while he tried to help her.

She stole occasional glances at him. Surprisingly, he was fully engrossed in the task, genuinely committed to it. He had begun chopping the first onion, tears already welling up in his eyes as he battled to keep going. She was nearly convinced he would give up.

Anticipation hung in the air as she waited for that moment. But he didn't. He went on to next one despite the struggle. He rubbed his eyes using the sleeve near his shoulder.

When he didn't give up, she sighed. She couldn't see him trouble himself.

She didn't want to see him struggle unnecessarily. There was a mechanical chopper available that could finely chop any vegetable chunks placed within it. She deliberately hadn't given it to him, wanting to gauge his determination.

Retrieving the large bowl-shaped chopper from one of the cabinets, she returned to where he was standing. She placed it beside the board he was chopping on. He glanced at it surprised and then looked at her.

"Should have told me earlier! I completely forgot we had this." He remarked.

She shrugged, a sly smile gracing her lips.

He gazed at her suspiciously, his eyes narrowed to slits. "You intentionally didn't tell me!"

"Maybe..." She responded, her tone sly and evasive, just as his had been earlier when she was accusing him.

He approached the sink, washed his hands and splashed water on his face. He grabbed a few tissues to dry off. Then, he walked back to her. "You're unbelievably cruel," he mumbled, his frustration evident in his tone.

"Maybe..." She said with a playful smile.

He stepped closer to her. "I would call this flirting."

She rolled her eyes. "I would call it revenge." She replied folding her arms.

He looked at her appalled. "What did I do to you?"

"You live by annoying me all the time. Consider this payback for that. Get back to work," she retorted, walking past him and returning to the other counter.

Aadarsh turned around to the counter and lowered his gaze to the chopper, with a smile. "I am letting this pass, because I am in quite a generous mood today." He finally spoke up, not bothering to look back at her. "And for the record, you're the one always getting to my nerves."

"In your dreams perhaps." She muttered.

"Oh, in my dreams you..." He abruptly shut up, letting that inappropriate comment die before it was heard as Dai Jaan walked in.

Ruhaani turned around, wondering why he suddenly went quiet when she noticed Dai Jaan in the kitchen as well. Badi Bua followed her in with the empty tea cups.

"Oh this is surprising! Is Aadarsh cooking dinner for us today?" Badi Bua asked delighted.

"No. He's my assistant for today." Ruhaani answered, only getting Aadarsh to turn around and glare at her. Mirth danced in her eyes.

"Hmm, you're on the right track, Ruhaani!" Badi Bua chuckled, walking over to the sink.

"I am right here!" Aadarsh said, as he silently reassured Dai Jaan. He discreetly made a gesture of phone. She blinked understanding what he meant.

"Anyways, we are taking the kids to the temple."

"Haven't they spoke to God enough for today?" Aadarsh muttered.

"Aadarsh don't be so. As it is I am concerned you guys will never develop a spiritual side."

"Each to his own Bua."

"Exactly. So bye bye."

"And I will catch up on some of the latest episodes of the serial I watch." Dai Jaan added. "Ruhaani, let me know if you need any help."

"I will manage Dai Jaan!"

"Yeah well, hopefully you will." Dai Jaan smiled, glancing at Aadarsh. He blinked. Badi Bua caught their exchange and raised a suspicious brow. Dai Jaan held her hand leading her out before Ruhaani got a hint.

"What was that about?" Badi Bua asked.

"Ruhaani wants to prove her cooking. And we all know that doing it single-handedly for so many people is not something she can accomplish at this stage. So Aadarsh is helping her, so that he can take help from me ...to help her as and when needed."

Badi Bua chuckled. Her husband who joined them smiled. "She has our boy wrapped around her tiny finger."

Dai Jaan laughed at that. No one could have Aadarsh wrapped around any finger. The couple looked at her strangely.

"I will make sure the kids are ready to leave." She mumbled, immediately after clearing her throat, to cover up for her folly and immediately walked away.

The idea of Aadarsh being wrapped on Ruhaani's tiny finger was the most ironic remark ever.

***

Ruhaani was pleasantly surprised by Aadarsh's determination to help her. He was with her throughout. He was actually good at tiny cooking tasks like chopping, stirring and the likes.

The menu was a classic spread, typically reserved for special occasions in an Indian household. Kadai paneer gravy, dal tadka, jeera rice, Papad Chaat, raita and fulkas. There was ice cream for dessert.

Ruhaani came to the realization that she would have struggled considerably without a helping hand. Astonishingly, Aadarsh turned out to be quite skilled at providing assistance.

Presently, she drew her eyebrows up waiting for his verdict as he sampled a bit of the gravy she had prepared.

"The salt is more now." He sighed. In the previous two samplings, salt had been low. But this time it was more.

"Ugh," she grunted, adding some more water to dilute it.

He patiently tried it again. "Much better but something is still missing."

She impatiently snatched the spoon out of his hand and poured some gravy from the saddle onto the spoon. He folded his arms against his chest waiting for her to share her thoughts.

"Yeah, something is off."

He gave her the look which shouted, I told you so.

"I followed the recipe perfectly."

"Maybe we should sprinkle some more of the garam masala and wait for it to simmer."

"Hmm, don't complain if you get acidity later." She mumbled following his suggestion.

Minutes after, everything was ready, except the salad and the rotis. While leaving the gravy to simmer, she instructed Aadarsh to slice the cucumber while she prepared the dough.

Aadarsh watched her bring out a roti maker.

"Since when do we have that?"

"Three days. When we went shopping, I bought it." She said proudly. "It makes perfectly circle shaped rotis and hardly takes time." She added.

He saw her roll a ball of dough and placed it between the circular metallic plates of the open-and-shut machine. She slowly brought down the lid. Then raised the lid back up. The ball of dough had flattened into the perfect circle shaped chapati he had ever seen.

He bestowed upon her an impressed smile, his eyes appreciatively locking onto the glimmer in her gaze. It was remarkable how such a minor achievement could light up her entire face.

"Would you like to give it a shot?" she inquired, extending the tiny ball she had rolled from the next portion of dough. She simultaneously retrieved the first one from the machine using her other hand.

He joined in her small delight, not only because he genuinely wanted to give it a try but also because he didn't want to dampen her spirits.

Following her method, he attempted the same approach. However, when he raised the lid, what he saw was a cracked, flattened, disc-shaped rendition of the dough.

A crackle of a laughter made him turn to her.

"You applied too much pressure. You need to apply the right amount of pressure to get it as perfect as mine."

He shook his head, as she gathered the bits off the machine and balled it up again.

"Try," she encouraged.

He did.

And failed. Again.

"This is stupid." He muttered.

"It's not. It's the best investment ever. You're just not being gentle." She said, prepping for another attempt.

This time she placed her hand on his. He blinked thrice at the sensation that shot up his arm all the way to his chest. He turned to her slowly.

"Go on, I will make sure you get it right." She encouraged.

Aadarsh couldn't focus much. He tried to exert no pressure at all this time. Just gently lowered the lid. Her hand slowly pressed over his. He was distracted by how good it felt. It barely lasted a moment before she pulled his hand up from the handle.

She dropped his hand and lifted the lid. "See," she said smilingly.

He nodded, absorbed in his thoughts. Surprisingly, engaging in these seemingly trivial activities with her brought him a sense of contentment. It had been a while since he had indulged in something unimportant and spontaneous, finding genuine enjoyment in it.

Moreover, he had never spent such an extended period in the kitchen and relished the experience.

It was her company. Had to be.

He could feel his heart beat harder as his gaze drifted to her as she finally plugged the machine in to actually cook the rotis as well.

Gosh, why was he allowing these feelings to stay and dictate his actions?

But there was no way he would deny himself these feel-good feelings. After a long long time, he felt relaxed. He was not planning to give it up, not yet.

"Aadarsh, if you want to take a break... you can. I can manage getting the salad ready." She spoke, glancing at him as he stood motionless, lost somewhere.

"No, let's get this done."

After a while, Ashvi had returned from her Pilates class and offered to help set up the dining table.

"All good?" Dai Jaan whispered , standing beside Aadarsh while Ruhaani had excused herself to he washroom, after the table had been set.

"Taste the gravy," he said hurriedly, keeping his gaze towards the common bathroom. The older woman did as she was told and made a face.

"It's chola masala, that's the problem!" She whisper yelled. Aadarsh had texted her for some help. Although the text just vaguely conveyed that the gravy wasn't tasting as it was supposed to. "Oh my God, I think we might have swapped the lids that have the labels while cooking in the morning. "There's no Garam Masala in this. There's Chole Masala."

"That's not our fault." He said pissed. They had literally wasted so many minutes trying to improve the taste. Poor Ruhaani, she thought she had done something wrong.

"I understand. But this is fine, just tastes different from usual." Dai Jaan said. "She didn't overcook the dal did she?"

"No. It's just a little bit higher on salt. We tried to dilute but it was become watery and not helping." Aadarsh sighed.

"Don't worry we'll all give good feedback." Badi Bua added, looking at Ashvi pointedly.

"Yeah sure. Who cares for honest feedback these days!" Ashvi muttered.

"Ashvi, it's the effort that counts," Aadarsh said to his sister, hurriedly closing the lid so that Ruhaani didn't know it had already been tasted.

"I agree. Poor girl, she's been at it since the evening!" Phupha Ji added.

Aadarsh was about to comment on how he was involved too but he heard the door to the bathroom opened and decided to drop the conversation.

"Pari, Nirvaan, Mukti," Dai Jaan shouted. "Whoever reaches late won't get ice cream today!"

The trio dashed out of the TV room where they had been playing at once.

Aadarsh glanced at Ruhaani as she settled on the chair beside his, sceptically looking at the others after she had filled everyone's plates.

"Hmm, the dal is really good!"

"the gravy is tastier."

"Look at the rotis, they're so perfect," Phupha Ji remarked genuinely impressed.

Ruhaani turned to Aadarsh as the compliments kept pouring. A wide grin made to her face.

He leaned towards her side of the table. "Told you we make a really good team!" Somehow seeing her happy was paying off all his efforts. He'd willingly waste another two and a half hours in the kitchen to see that delight on her face.

"Yeah, I make a pretty good team lead." She replied putting one roti on his plate and then finally another on hers.

"Well, that's up for debate." He muttered.

She shook her head smiling. Always so competitive!

He observed her closely, acutely aware of what this feeling was, the one that was wildly blooming inside him. The one that he was allowing himself to experience...again. After all these years. Despite the massive struggle of attempting to resist it in the many weeks gone by.

It was like sitting on a rollercoaster, terrifying but so damn exhilarating.

It was the very thing he wished to escape, yet also the very thing he yearned to embrace.

• — • — •

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Looking forward to read your thoughts on it.

Next : Friday ( Yes, there's a lot of work planned this coming week)

Don't forget to vote ☆ on the chapters.

—Anami!♡