A Love called Myra: Raj and Meera

Chapter 18

Raj

                It took a long time to finish the editing. Tomorrow we're working all day. Shooting from morning to night. We have to pull a  night scene too. The show's ratings are going good but we have to make do with what the fans want. I walked into our hotel room at about 2 in the morning with my laptop in one hand and some sweets for my sweetie. She was sleeping so peacefully. It brought me some internal peace to see her like that. I was exhausted. I laid down beside her and she stirred a bit, her arms moving across my chest to lay on it as she nestled her head in the crook of my shoulder, half her body on top of me before going back to her light breathing. Her complexion was clear, her nails newly polished and her lips in a pout. The smell of vanilla coming from her hair was incredible. Looks like someone spent her day at the spa today. I fell asleep soon in the scent of vanilla with an arm around her, the other behind my head. I woke up to a beeping sound about six hours later and the movement of Meera who was sprawled on top of me. She was slow at first but had quickly jumped giving me an apologetic shrug. I pulled her back down. "Chodu mujhe! Kya horai tumne?(Let go of me! What's gotten into you?)" I let her go and she's sitting on the bed. "What time did you come?" I told her that she doesn't need to worry about how much I slept because I had enough sleep . I had to head to today's shoot location in another hour which gave me enough time for breakfast. She insisted on coming with me down to the location. Today she wore some jeans with a nice white coloured sweater which I knew would soon get dirty. She's such a messy eater. After breakfast, I already saw a small juice stain on her sleeve.

During our shoot, she just observed everything happening sitting on a chair behind me, absorbing every detail. We all took a bit of a break because we were able to finish shooting early. I answered a few calls before I found her. She was in the costume stuff in one of the jeeps. She was talking to one of the actresses. I asked her if I can steal Meera away for a minute. "What do you want Raj?" I took a step closer to her. "Raj?" "I need something refreshing." Her eyes grew a little bit bigger, her eye lashes swiping her cheeks as she blinked. I asked her "Do you want to get a lassi?" I heard her exhale and then she hooked her arm in mine, "Of course!" There was a shop nearby. We brought back a huge tray of different smoothies for the team.

                After that, the day flew by and we stopped again for lunch. Meera said she felt a bit tired and I wanted to go back to the hotel with her but I couldn't. She went back alone. I went back late and saw her fast asleep in a short nightie that stopped at her thighs and a pair of nice undies underneath. As soon as I got into bed, she nestled right into me. This wasn't the first time or anything. She's done this almost every night. In the beginning, she had hugged a pillow which I found normal. One night, it was about three weeks ago, I decided to pull out what she held. I wonder what's so special about it.  She turned over, her arms searching for something to hold and as soon as her hand groped my arm, she moved in closer and hugged me in her sleep and continued to stay in that position. I knew she knew that I knew but she doesn't mind anymore. I think our relationship is actually getting somewhere. So for a whole week, we would both go to our shooting spot, she'd leave me in the afternoon after we've had dinner and I'd finish my work and come back and she'd nestle right into me.

Friday and Saturday are our days off. The Saturday was Meera's birthday. We all decided to do something on the Saturday and Jahnavi is supposed to get her to come with some excuse. Meera doesn't know about this arrangement but I told her that on Friday that I have to go to some interview and there'll be shooting in the afternoon. She said it's fine, she wanted to take the day off and check out a few stores nearby anyway with one of the actresses who plays a minor role but won't be in an upcoming episode. I was totally fine with it but it looks like her plans will get changed.

                On the Friday, I got up as usual, getting up and away from her hold and she began to stir as well. I came back from my shower and she went right in. It was about lunch time. I couldn't wait to surprise her. I don't know if she remembers but her birthday was tomorrow but she's been so caught up with helping out on set I feel like she forgot because she hasn't mentioned it at all. I bought her this gown that she had admired that we were looking at – it was on display at some place near one of the sets. It was a very deep blue and I had bought a pair of diamond earrings years ago that I thought I'd give to my future wife who I thought would've been an actress I was dating at the time but those wouldn't have suited her anyway. These two diamonds look as if they were made for Meera. They were set in a gold and the earrings were not long but were not studs. I had the roses hidden in the desk. The gown and earrings were in the back of my suitcase and right now I wanted to surprise her with a family heirloom. It wasn't much but the oldest son's wife always received a bangle embedded with jewels which has been passed down in my family for a few years and it's usually given on suhaag raat (first night) but as I hadn't remembered it then and as she doesn't remember it at all, I wanted to give it to her now.

 I heard her singing a song as she walked out with her bathrobe. I had pretended to leave earlier too. I was on the walkout balcony hiding behind the curtains. She got her ipod out and started to dance. The music was belting out. So this is what she does when I'm not around. Weirdo. All these days, I had never seen her dance like this. It wasn't even a shuffle left and right. It was full on arms, legs and hips. The beat to this song was fast. Then the song I thought she'd never dance to came on. BELLYDANCING! I had no idea this was her thing. The bathrobe flowed freely around her and she swept to the right pulling the robe up and exposing her bare leg and then rubbing lotion up and down it. The same with the other leg. If only I could rub those legs just once. I saw her pull up the bathrobe a few inches and then the hip shaking began. She then let go and swung it around and it flew off to the side. There she was, jutting her hips around wearing nothing more than underwear and a bra. The whole time, I stood there and gaped from the tiny space of the curtain.

Her hair hung loose and she was in her prime. It has been days since I saw her like this. I just wanted to reach out and press her body right onto mine, so hard. That it would be bone crushing. That song was finished and soon another one started. She got out a shirt of mine standing in front of the mirror. "I'm Raj. Look at me. I'm so sexy and so handsome. I'm all yours my darling. I love you." She turns to the other side, "Aww, I love you too but why don't you kiss me if you do?" She turns back around, "Okay, fine." Her pink lips lightly brush against the mirror and she peers back sighing and putting the shirt off to the side and getting a long skirt and a tank top on before flipping over and calling me. CALLING ME! Thank god I didn't have my phone on me. I had left it in the desk. Oh no! The desk! The roses were in there.  She laid on the bed and heard the phone ringing and then realized I had left it. Thank goodness she didn't go to pick it up.

I had to get off the balcony and into the room without her noticing. I needed some sort of distraction but I didn't have my phone either. I was thinking about what to do after snapping out of my trance and then heard knocking on the door. Not the balcony door but the room's door. It was Jahnavi who needed help from her to fix her dress so she left. She had dressed herself in a shirt before Jahnavi came. Meera was definitely in for something. I finally got to go back in looking at the beat up towel and wondered how I had ever missed this side of Meera. The bangle was in my back pocket as I laid on the bed. She came back about 10 minutes later. In those 10 torturous minutes I could only think about all the things I wanted to do with her. She came back in. "Hey, what are you doing back so early? Wait, you came to get your phone right? Jahnavi said she's going out with Aman. How come you have work today? I want to spend the day with you." "Shh, shh," I walked over to her and said I lied to her. She looked a bit disappointed – "Raj, are you hiding something from me?"

She seemed so worried, as if I would stray away from her, especially after what I've seen. I told her I was and I could tell she was getting worried. I wanted to laugh so hard and I did and she said "Raj, it's not funny, if you have something to say then you need to tell me. Are you seeing someone else?" My laughter could only get bigger and louder. When I finally calmed down after the stern look she gave me, I pulled out the bangle – "I was hiding this, this is for you. Thank you for being my wife." I told her the story behind it, how it's been passed down and she said "Thank you so much, I love it. I couldn't ask for anything more." "You love it? Do you love the man that gave it to you?" Her eyes twinkled as she looked up at me – "More than this bangle, more than anything in the world. I love you." "Then prove it." She looked confused. I remember how she pretended to be me and asking me for a kiss. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" she asked. Her face was inches away from mine. I fought the urge to crush my lips to hers and let her do it willingly. "Prove to me that you love me. Kiss me."