Unedited

Part - 17

Madhu sat at the steps and kept looking at the entrance, impatiently. She hadn't seen him here for two weeks in a row. Though they saw each other daily in college, this place was very special to them. This was the place where he called her 'baby girl' for the first time. This was the place where she felt close to him, felt like she belonged to him.

"Shall we leave, Madhu?" Bittuji asked as he came to her after going the around the temple three times.

"Uncle, you leave. I will stay here for somemore time and come home later."

"Then I will also stay with you."

"No! I will take time. You go home." She insisted. She didn't want her uncle to know that she waiting for her professor.

"Alright! I will leave the car here for you?" He held out the car key for her.

"No! You take it. I will catch a cab."

"Okay" With a confused frown, Bittuji left the temple.

Twenty minutes later, she spotted him at a flower shop. He was buying a lotus. Then he climbed up the stairs and walked past her without noticing her.

"Here I was waiting for him for an hour but he didn't spare me a glance at all!" Madhu fumed for a moment but the very next moment she wondered "Did he ignore me or genuinely he didn't see me?"

You were ignoring him in college so he took his chance now.

No! He wouldn't ignore me. He is not me. He is sweet. My sweet professor. I better go and talk to him. I will apologize to him for slapping his brother. I will also tell him I forgive him for hiding the truth from me.

"Hi" Madhu softly said as she went and stood next to him.

Rishab turned to his side to see who said 'hi' to him and then went back to worshipping the lord.

Why didn't he get surprised or happy to see me? So does that me he saw me earlier itself but ignored me deliberately?

Nah! He wouldn't do that to me. He is a nice man. He is busy praying so he didn't say hi. She consoled herself and then patiently waited for him to get done with his prayer so that she could talk with him.

What does he pray to the God? Madhu wondered.

After showing aarti to the God, the priest came to them with the aarti thaali. He offered them the prasad. Rishab graciously accepted it but Madhu refused it by shaking her head. The priest didn't say anything. He just gave back the lotus to Rishab after placing it under God's feet and getting it blessed.

"Why didn't you get it?" Rishab asked in a whisper.

Madhu shrugged.

"Why do you even to come to temple?"

To see you!

Madhu shrugged again.

Shaking his head, he walked away. There is no use in talking with her.

Madhu followed him quietly. Once he was done circling the temple, he went and sat near a pillar. Madhu sat opposite to him and they remained silent for a while.

"You won't talk to me?" Madhu asked cutely breaking the silence.

"Here" Rishab offered her the lotus. Smiling, Madhu took it from him and twirled it with her fingers before smelling it. "I love this flower."

"Good. Now take this." He opened his right fist and showed her his palm in which he had the sacred ash and kumkum.

"You should never refuse God's gift." He admonished her when she kept looking at him with a secret smile on her face.

"You keep it for me" Madhu scooted closer to him and brought her face forward. She looked cute like a kid.

He was about to pinch some sacred ash but changed his mind. Smiling, he pinched some kumkum and placed it right above her black bindhi.

Wish one day I could keep this kumkum on your maang (forehead partition)

Oh no! Where did this thought come from?

Madhu is my student. I shouldn't think about her like this.

"Why were you late, today?" Madhu asked bringing him out of his dangerous thought.

"Were you waiting for me?" Rishab asked cocking his brow.

"No!" She lied. "I just asked because this is not the usual time you come here."

"I had some work so I got late. By the way why didn't you come last week?" Rishab asked. A week before that friday they had their college culturals so neither of them came to the temple but why she didn't come last week? He had waited for two hours for her but still she didn't show up. He went back home dejected thinking she had stopped coming there because she was mad at him and didn't want to see him anywhere outside college.

But today, as soon as he entered the temple, his eyes spotted her. He was overjoyed and to thank God, he had offered him a lotus and now Madhu was holding it.

So yeah, he did notice Madhu when she was standing at the top most step and beaming at him but simply to piss her off and also to pay back for ignoring him in college, he walked past her deliberately ignoring her.

"How did you know I wasn't here last week? Were you waiting for me?" She asked feeling happy.

"No! I just didn't see you at the usual time you would come here with your uncle so I thought you didn't come. By the way, where is your uncle?"

"You were right. I didn't come last week" she said pouting.

"Why?"

"I had periods." She said feeling awkward.

"Oh" so it's not because she didn't want to see me? *phew*

"Bittu uncle might have come early and you would have missed to see him."

"Hmm. So he left early today as well?"

Madhu nodded her head.

"But you didn't go with him?"

Madhu shook her head pressing her lips to prevent her smile. He is going to catch me!

"Why, Madhubala?"

She simply blushed.

"Ahaan!" He grinned. She was waiting for him. Yahoo! He got the answer from her blush.

"Shall we go home?" Rishab asked after some time.

"Sure"

"Where is your car?" He asked when she followed him to where he had parked his bike.

"I asked Bittu uncle to take the car..."

"Oh"

"I will take an auto?" She asked.

"If it's okay with you I will give you a ride."

"You will?" Madhu's eyes widen in excitement. She would love nothing more than a bike ride with her professor.

"Hop on!" He said putting his shades on.

Holding Rishab's shoulders, Madhu placed her left leg on the foot rest and threw her right leg to the other side and sat comfortably on his bike. Then she took her hands off his shoulder and placed them on her lap.

"Hold me!" He said before starting the bike. She obliged and held his shoulders again tightly.

Rishab looked at Madhu through the mirror and smiled seeing her trying hard to tame her loose hair. Finally giving up, she wrapped her hands around his waist and pressed her cheek against his back so that her hair won't fall on her face and disturb her.

Rishab was bit disappointed as he couldn't see her cute antics anymore as her face was hidden behind his back but more happy as she was hugging him.

Their sweet moment was disturbed when Madhu's phone started ringing. She broke the hug and answered the call.

"Hey, Sikky" Madhu said excitedly.

Fuck him! Rishab cursed mentally.

"We are starting today? I thought tomorrow... Oh... Okay... I am with your brother only. Yeah, yeah, we met at the temple. Yeah. No. I will come now. See ya. Bye." Madhu hung up and moved closer to Rishab so that she could talk to him. All Rishab had to do was turn his head to his left a bit to get a cheek kiss but he didn't do that. He looked straight at the road ahead but his heart started slamming hard against his chest as her close proximity affected him.

"Take me to your home." Madhu informed him.

"Oh, but why?"

"I thought Sikky had already talked to you about tutoring me?"

"Yes, he did."

"Then?"

"You are coming for tuition now?" He asked surprised. "You don't have your books. And you haven't informed your uncle."

"I will use Sikky's books and I will text Bittu uncle now." She said as she quickly typed a message to Bittuji. She had already talk to him about this tuition thing and he was very happy that finally she was taking her studies seriously. "Do you have any personal work? If so then we can have this special class someother day. You can just drop me at my home."

"No, I am free actually."

"Okay. Daily at what time should I come to your place?"

"Hmm... Are you planning to come daily?" Rishab asked feeling happy to see her daily at his home after college.

"Yeah but then it will be hectic for your, right?" Daily taking tuition for me after college? He won't get time for relaxation, right? No, I shouldn't bother him much. "How about you take special classes for 3 days a week? Say Monday, Wednesday and Friday? Just for 2 hours? 6 to 8 in the evening?"

"Hmm.. And on weekends some extra hours of class." Rishab suggested.

"Weekends too?" Madhu asked shocked. "Who will study on weekends?"

"You will. You are lagging in studies. You need to put some extra effort if you want to clear all the papers."

"Hmm... Okay, Professor." She agreed as it had been so long since she had touched her subject books. She felt so rusty.

Finally, I am back to professor! Rishab sighed in relief.

Soon they reached Rishab's house. It wasn't as big as Madhu's but it was nice and situated in a decent locality. Madhu liked it just by looking at the outer part. She jumped off his bike and went to open the gate so that he could park his bike inside the compound. Once he entered in, she closed the gate and started to walk toward the house when she found a basket ball at the side. She picked it and threw the ball into the basket like a pro.

"Wow! You play?" Rishab asked impressed by her shot.

Madhu shrugged. Whenever mood strikes, she would practice basket ball in her college court. It was her pastime as she didn't have much friends to spend time with.

"Come" he held her hand and took her into his house.

Once she stepped in, he turned to her side and whispered "Welcome home" surprising both her and himself. He said it as if she was his new bride entering into his house for the first time.

She shyly smiled at him and looked around. It was a cozy little home, not at all cramped with too many furniture and show pieces. Only very few necessary things were placed in right places.

"I like your home. It's cute and neat." She said smiling.

"All thanks to my mother for maintaining it dust free." He was glad she liked it.

"Where is your mother?"

"She must be in the kitchen. I will go get her. You please sit."

"Sure. Thank you, professor."

"Rishab. Call me Rishab." He hoped at least in his home she would call him by his name.

"Um... I won't feel comfortable calling you by your name, professor."

Sighing he said alright and walked toward the kitchen to find his mother.

Madhu sat on the sofa and looked at the blank TV screen for few seconds before shifting her gaze to the photo hung on the wall. It was a family pic with Radha in the middle and her sons on either side.

"Madhu, you came?" Sikky rushed into his house carrying two packets of milk in his hand. He had gone to the nearby shop to get it. Madhu stood up and hugged him.

"Thank you for arranging this"

"Come on yaar, you are my friend. I will do anything for you. It's just nothing. But still if you want to thank then thank my brother. He is going to teach you, not me."

"Yeah, right" she hugged him again and that's when Rishab came out of the kitchen along with his mother.

"Mom, meet my friend Madhu" Sikky broke the hug but still had his hand draped around her shoulders. "Madhu, my maa."

Idiot! I wanted to introduce them to each other! Rishab scowled at Sikky for always coming in his way.

"Hi aunty" Madhu nervously waved her hand at Radha not knowing whatelse to do. Hug her?

"Hi Madhu. I have heard a lot about you from my sons. I am glad to meet you today." Radha stepped forward and took Madhu in her arms for a hug.

"Don't believe a word they say if it is something negative about me, aunty. I am a good girl."

"I know. I know. You are a sweet girl. I can see it." Radha lovingly caressed Madhu's cheeks. Sometimes she wished she had a daughter and now seeing Madhu, she felt like she got one. "You are beautiful, Madhu"

So beautiful! Rishab agreed with his mother.

"Thank you, aunty" Madhu smiled innocently showing her teeth.

God! I am going crazy for her innocence.

"You guys go start studying. I will bring some tea and snacks shortly." Radha said and went back to the kitchen.

"Sikky, go get your accounts book. I will take Madhu to the terrace." He ordered him and taking Madhu's hand, he lead her to the terrace.

"Is this your bedroom?" Madhu asked pointing to the room Sikky had just ran into. She didn't get to peek in as Rishab kept walking past it.

"Yes. My brother and I share a room." The house had only two bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a small living room, a laundary room and a medium sided furnished kitchen. 

"Oh" she assumed the room opposite to their bedroom was their mother's. "Where will he sleep when you get married?" Madhu asked curiously. Rishab turned and gave her a look. He had never thought about it before. "Maybe in my maa's room."

"Oh. Where will your mom sleep when Sikky gets married?"

"He is not going to get married for the next 6 or 7 years." So I don't have to worry about that right now! Maybe by then we will be in a better financial position to buy a new house with 3 bedrooms.

"Oh. So does that mean you are going to get married soon?" Madhu asked biting her nails. She didn't like that idea. 

When did I say so?

"Why do you want to know all that?"

"Just asking." She shrugged as they reached the terrace. "Wow! You have a terrace garden?"

"My maa saw a youtube channel on organic farming and got inspired by it and started growing organic vegetables on terrace."

"That's so nice." She smiled seeing all the cute little potted plants of various vegetables and flowers placed on the sides of the wall.

At the mid of the terrace, a board was placed on a stand and three chairs were put in front of it.

"Nice set up"

"You find everything nice in my house!" He stated.

"Yeah" she smiled genuinely liking his place. "My house is fancy and all but it lacks the homely atmosphere." She said sadly remembering her parents.

"Your place is good too. You maintain it well." He appreciated her.

"I don't clean it. Servants do it. I just cook in my home. I don't let anyone in my kitchen."

"Oh"

"I never liked anyone's cooking apart from my mother's. When she left me, Bittu uncle tried his hand at it but he failed..." Madhu shivered thinking what a crappy cook he was. "...so I started cooking."

"You must be very young then."

"Thirteen" she smiled.

Started cooking at thirteen? Poor girl!

"Oh! No wonder you cook damn well."

"Thank you" she blushed. After that they didn't have anything to say so Rishab turned to clean the board.

"What took you so long?" Madhu asked Sikky when he joined them after several minutes.

"I was searching for this book and then mom asked me to bring these items up here" he said placing a stool in front of them and a water bottle.

"Shall we start?"

"Yes" Madhu and Sikky said at once.

"Not before having your tea and snacks." Radha said carrying a tray containing tea cups and snacks. She placed the tray on the stool and took a tea cup and gave it to Madhu.

"Thanks, aunty" she said and sipped it. "Nice" she smiled. "I like ginger tea"

"Thought you would like it." Radha smiled proudly for guessing her taste rightly.

"You sit here, maa" Rishab gave his chair to his mother to sit. He grabbed a tea cup and drank it by standing.

"Here, eat this." Radha put a plate full of potato rings forward.

"Mashed potato rings?" She took one and popped it in her mouth. "Wow! It's crispy." She took another ring and dipped it in ketchup this time and ate it. "Very nice, aunty but you could have added some oregano and finely chopped garlic. They would have given a different flavour"

"There is no oregano at home and I forgot to add garlic. You see I saw this recipe on youtube and tried it for the first time..."

"It came out really well for the first time, aunty. I love it."

"Thank you, Madhu. These two never bothers to appreciate my cooking."

"Oh no! That's too bad." She shook her head looking at Sikky and Rishab. They looked down feeling guilty.

"This tomato ketchup, I think you bought it from the stores but it can be easily made at home, aunty."

"I dont know how to make it." Radha said sadly.

"I will teach you one day, aunty."

"Sure, Madhu." Radha sounded so excited. "Maybe we should start a youtube channel."

"Maybe we will, one day." Madhu winked at her.

"If you are quite done with your chit-chatting, we will start our class." Rishab said getting bored of their cooking talk.

"Yes, sure, you guys study. I don't want to disturb you. I will go downstairs."

Once Radha left, Rishab started the class and Madhu copied down the problems he worked it on the board. Since Sikky had already studied the first few chapters, he silently ate the snacks and played games on his phone making Rishab wish he would just leave them alone and go down.

One and half hours later, Rishab had completed two chapters and he was so pleased that Madhu didn't lose interest or get distracted at all. She was very attentive and even asked him smart questions. He liked that.

"That's all for today." He announced.

"Thank you, professor" Madhu said and gave him a hug taking him by surprise.

Sikky smiled at them and offered to drop her back home as he thought his brother would be tired.

"Sure" Madhu agreed to go with him.

Rishab wanted to kick his brother for offering her a ride and Madhu for accepting it.

... To be continued!

Please do leave your comments and encourage me.

Thank you.