Sanjana

I decided to put aside my laptop. I was trying to complete my application form for a masters degree in India, preferably in Mumbai. The same city that Harshit was in. The application was left half done because my stupid head was stuck at my cute,sweet and adorable man!

Uff, Harshit! This man was going to be death of me. I loved him more than anything and for a really long time now. I was very well aware for equally long time that I would need to put in a lot of hard work to make him realize and reciprocate my feelings.

Despite being the very likeable and pretty girl of my every class, I had fallen for Harshit who lived miles away from me. Maybe that's how destiny worked!

Moving here in Dubai was the hardest for me in my family. Mom had her own issues while settling in but she had some family and they helped us all. Dad was more than happy to have a high paying job and a better position at work. For my older brother as well, it was sort of easy - he had already completed high school when we moved. So, he was excited to be in a new country and enter college here.

For me, changing schools at the tender age of twelve and adapting to a completely new environment was very rough. From being ignored in the school as a new girl to learning a new language, everything was tough to say the least. Learning Arabic was necessary as it was a mandatory course at school. But more than that, the course for my grade was at a reasonably advanced level.

Therefore, I had to work really hard to be at par with my class children. I did it with determination in my head that I was more than the girl who could get bullied at school easily. I would think to myself that I need to shine through the grades in school in order to warm to other children in my class. And one day, I succeeded at it. I got good grades in my class work and made a lot of friends. I even joined a dance class with some of the school friends. That helped a lot with warming up to the new environment overall.

I would initially miss my old school, my friends and my school van partner, Harshit. He was adorable even as a boy and whenever we played together with other children of our residential community, him and I ended up on the same team.

Slowly and steadily, I had found comfort in exchanging emails with him. They were just forwards at the beginning and then developed into quick hi/hello emails where we found it very fancy to send emails. We would meet every year during my summer vacation when we were in India to meet our relatives. My cousins, Harshit and I would enjoy sneaking out on hot summer days to get a kulfi or two each.

I realized my feelings for him one summer when I was still a teenager and brushed it off for a long time thinking its just infatuation and nothing more than that. Harshit and I would share a lot with each other specially after his mother passed away suddenly. He was grieving and honestly I was affected by Harshit's trauma over aunty's loss. Aunty was a very gentle soul and I vividly remember playing in her lap and complaining to her about her youngest son when he troubled me.

I still remember the younger Shivani Didi. She was the eldest in her home and our building too. She was really sweet and would give always give out candies to me and Harshit when we played together.

Younger Shiv Bhaiyya on the other hand was a very stern and equally naughty older brother that I was scared of. In fact, till date I remember he had slapped Harshit once for being mischievous and I was so terrified at the sight that I had started crying immediately. I had run back home to my mother who had calmed me down. After the incident, I started staying away from Shiv Bhaiyya as much as possible.

I was, however very well aware that he had grown up to be a very humble man and had married a beautiful woman named Shikha. The marriage had ended and I fully knew the details of it. Now, he was married to Anjali Bhabhi who I had spoken to few days back.

Harshit had grown into a very mature and hardworking person. He was academically ahead of his class always and was ambitious about his family business. To add, he had grown up into an extremely handsome boyish-man. His face was still pretty boyish to me.

I, on the other hand, had grown up into a confident, peppy and bubbly girl as per my parents and friends. However, deep down I always aspired to calm and composed person that Harshit had grown into.

My thoughts were interrupted by Harshit's phone incoming on my laptop. I had hooked up my phone to my laptop. I directly received the video call on my laptop.

"Did you complete the application? I can review the statement of purpose." Came his voice. I could only see his face. He had his headphones on and was trying to do something.

"Arey, no hi, no how are you? You are directly asking about my application?" I retorted.

"What? I was in the gym when I saw your message that you need me to look at the statement once before you hit submit which is why I am calling you from the locker room. Send it to me. I will take a look when I reach home." Oh, so he was in the locker. He was at yet another gym session.

"No, I am not done yet. This is taking time." I replied looking at him trying to possibly get his clothes out of the locker.

"Sanju, you have been at it for a couple days now. What is the real issue?" He asked fully focusing on the call now. He had sat down on the bench with his phone held up in hand. I could see his toned up biceps as he wore a sleeveless gym shirt. I actually wanted to sit and stare at his toned arms and even touch them. My thoughts were broken by Harshit.

"Sanju! What is going on?" He had a very concerned look on.

"Nothing, I am just thinking about something and I lost focus. I will complete it tomorrow." I lied. He was the reason I was so unfocused about everything. Ever since, my parents were back from Mumbai after the rishta talks, all I could do was sit and think about him and our life together as a couple.

"Sanju! I am going to drive back home. I need to figure out dinner for me and Papa first. Send me all that you have written so far. Please tell me you have written something! " I knew Bhaiyya and Bhabhi were out of town for the weekend which meant Harshit and Uncle were managing the meals themselves.

"Hmmm. I have written a small portion of it. Like just the introduction and a little more." I replied sheepishly.

"I am switching to audio call." He said. By now, Harshit had walked out of the gym.

"Ok." I replied.

I opened up my phone gallery and started to look at the last pictures of me and Harshit together. My cousin Alisha had managed to click a few pictures of just us at the airport as I was flying back home to Dubai and Harshit had come to see me off. It was a lot of effort to convince my aunt and uncle to only have Alisha come to see me off at the airport. In reality, Harshit had called me early in the morning that day reciprocating my feelings and had also said he wished to have some private time before I left. I had to then slide it to Alisha who knew my little situation and had agreed to help us.

"Haan, I have connected the phone to my car's bluetooth. Now tell me Sanju, what have you been thinking about?" His voice bought me back to reality.

"You." I giggled on the phone.

"What?" He asked. He was clearly talking while driving as his voice was a little pitched which usually happened when he spoke over bluetooth.

"Yes. I have been thinking about you and I can't focus." I sighed.

"Sanju. Come on, you are not a twenty year old. Focus and complete that application." He must definitely be blushing like a little teenage girl. He blushed a lot and I was clearly the more bold one in our relationship.

"I can't." I giggled once more. "Why can't our roka be now? I want to be with you already."

"Sanjana. I want that as well. But, complete your application first, you will miss out on the deadline. Besides, I really want you in Mumbai." I sighed. He was right. I had to get my application together in a way that I could already book a ticket to Mumbai and live right across from him.

"Sanju!" He called out and bought me back to reality.

"Haan."

"Yaar, don't loose focus when you are talking to me. " He sounded annoyed now.

"Yes, sorry."

"Sanju!" My mother called out this time and she sounded annoyed too.

"Harshit, Mumma is calling. Drive home safely and call me when you are free to talk."

"Ok, send me the statement of purpose without forgetting and focus, Sanju. We are going to be married so we will be together in some time."

I hummed and we finally disconnected the call.

"Sanju, come beta. We have to go to the market beta and find gifts for your roka ceremony."

"Coming Mumma. I'll be there in ten minutes." I had completely forgotten about our shopping trip. It was still evening here and I had promised myself that I would complete the application and go out with Mumma in the evening.

I quickly pulled out a nice kurta and paired it with black tights and headed to the restroom to change. Uff, I had to first email Harshit. He will be very upset otherwise.

*********

Shiv

I stepped out of shower and saw Anjali pouring hot water into a coffee mug from the electric kettle provided in the hotel room. We had reached the hotel a little before midnight.

It was still pretty dark outside and I checked the time. Sure enough, it was just 3:30 AM.

Anjali and I had just been intimate. Infact, we had done it a couple of times. She had already freshened up for a good nights sleep before me. I walked over to her and wrapped my hands around her slender waist from behind.

I could smell her flowery shower gel on her neck. "Warm water ! Thik ho na? Jyada pareshan kar diya kya maine ?

She appeared all flushed and shook her head. The reality was we had been intimate after a long time today. Last few weeks had been rough on both of us.

Anjali tore open a green tea dip bag and dunked it in the coffee mug. "Kaho na?"

She continued to dunk and shook her head once again. I smiled and kissed her neck to which she giggled.

"You look absolutely gorgeous with this after s*x glow."

This time she moaned my name and shut her eyes tightly. "You know you can talk to me instead of moaning my name in a voice that makes me want you again."

She bought her hand to my hands that was knotted on her stomach and gestured me to loosen my hold. I loosened my hold and she turned to face me. I had slowly started to read her deep black eyes. Her cheeks were all pink, flushed at my earlier comment. Her lips curved into a smile,

"Thik hun main. Aap bahot pareshan hote hain mere liye."

Her hands rested on my shoulders. Winking, I smiled, "Acha? Tumhare liye pareshan hona mera haq hai."

She hummed and I leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Congratulations on your promotion again. This weekend is to celebrate you and your hard work."

Her eyes were closed and she mumbled thank you resting on my chest. She had received a verbal confirmation that her promotion was indeed going through and starting next month she would be working as a senior engineer at a higher pay. She had squealed on the phone informing me about the promotion.

In fact, the bump in salary was big, so big that we had some financial planning to do after we returned from this weekend trip.

"I am taking a sip from your green tea. It smells nice." She hummed against my chest as we stood in each others embrace. I unwrapped one arm and lifted the tea cup to take a sip.

We moved to the bed and I handed Anjali the tea cup. I put my head in her lap as she sat cross legged sipping her tea.

I smiled as she was taking slow sips and it somehow reminded me of our first kiss.

"Ji, kya dekh rahe hain?" She stopped to look at me.

"Aapke honthon ko." I responded stroking her cheek with the back of my palm.

She blushed and looked away from me. I grabbed her hand that was on my chest and pulled it close to me and kissed them very tenderly.

I started drawing lazy patterns on her hand as she continued to sip her green tea.

"Shiv, aapko nind nahi aa rahi?" Anjali asked very carefully. I could understand, she was sleepy and I had definitely tired her out.

I got up from her lap and scooted very close to her. Her expressions changed and I could feel the change in body language as our bodies touched. I loved how her body would react at my slightest touch as it was wanting more. It reflected very well on her innocent face too. I gave her a teasing smile, "Sleep. I am not very sleepy but I can't give you what your body wants from me again."

Wide eyed she gasped and responded, "I didn't.. I mean, I don't.. Shiv! Stop teasing me." She smacked my arm and I roared with laughter.

I switched off the room lights and spooned her from behind on the large bed, "I am not going to let you out of this room this weekend."

*******

Small one ! I was back in hospital last week. Getting better and was missing ShivAnjali. Therefore, decided to pen something for them.

Do let me know how Sanjana is coming across.