Serendipity

46

"Anuj, we haven't had a celebration in quite a while, yes?" Anupama hesitatingly mentioned to Anuj over breakfast.

The transition from Anuj ji to Anuj had been rather endearing. Each time Anuj thought about it, he smirked. Each time Anupama thought about it, she blushed. It was the same day she'd surprised him with a visit to his office.

"Anu, what's my name?" He'd asked her, while they were lounging on the sofa after their lunch.

"Anuj ji," she casually replied, focusing on clearing the coffee table of the food remnants.

"Anu," he inched closer as his voice turned sultry. She momentarily stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him. His intense gaze unnerved her. And so, to avoid it, she began to stare at a random painting on the wall.

"Anu," he inched closer again.

"Annn...uuu..jjjj..jjjiiii...," she stammered, "you must have a lot of work. I will get going."

As she got up to leave, Anuj closed the distance and placed his hands firmly on hers, preventing her from getting up. "What's my name Anu?"

She was shivering. Her face was red hot. Her breathing had turned shallow. Her eyes were closed. Was it anticipation or need? Perhaps a bit of both.

Anuj leaned in close enough that she could feel his breath near her ear and whispered, "Anu, what is my name?"

"Anuj," she whispered back, his proximity making her feel butterflies in her stomach.

"Good girl," he whispered, and then kissed her cheek as a reward. Not satisfied with that token gesture, Anu turned her head to kiss him, her tongue darting out and teasing his lips to part. Anuj sighed and obliged, finishing what Anupama had started with panache. As she'd dared to lift her eyes and look at him, he'd winked and then hugged her.

Anupama herself was surprised at her boldness but Anuj had unleashed the wanton in her by teaching her to not be ashamed of things that she liked. With him, she felt safe enough to genuinely express herself. That was his gift to her. He had helped acquaint Anupama with herself. And for that, she would be eternally grateful to him.

If GK had noticed the change in how Anupama addressed Anuj, he hadn't mentioned it. The two continued their clandestine affair, enjoying the late-night jaunts and stolen moments. But Anupama had begun to want more. She wanted Anuj. She wanted to give herself to Anuj. She wanted the two of them to spend the rest of their lives with each other. The intensity of her feelings was this man surprised her. She'd been married once, and she'd never felt anything remote to what she was currently feeling for Vanraj. And that worried her. Because now she didn't know how to define 26 years of her life.

Anupama had also grown closer to GK. From spending time with him to accompanying him on his errands, Anupama had found a funny, kind, and wise father figure in GK. She now understood Anuj's emotions towards the man. Truth be told, she echoed them.

During one of their conversations, GK had casually mentioned that Anuj's birthday was two weeks from now. He'd also told her that he particularly didn't like celebrating it. Anuj preferred to work on that day, and GK on his behalf always fed kids at a local orphanage. Right at that moment, Anupama decided that she would celebrate his birthday. The first of many, she hoped and smiled.

Biting into his toast, the newspaper in his other hand, Anuj hmmed. It had been a month since their lives had synced. Anupama had taken over the complete running of the household. Mohan, Madhav, and Sheela adored her.

Even Anuj and GK seemed more relaxed with her around. Anuj had started working less, he'd started laughing more. Theirs was already a family. A happy one at that. GK, it seemed was still blissfully unaware of the change in their relationship status. Or so the two believed.