MaAn Love

Shaadi Mubarak (Part 2) - Color Me Deep

(Writer's note: This story contains explicit sexual content not suitable for anyone below 18.This piece is the second part in the MaAn Shaadi series. Next part will be up next weekend)

07:30AM, 13th Feb 2022
SHAH RESIDENCE

Staring intensely into her eyes, like he always does, Anuj whispers "Bol du?", his face so close to hers she could feel his minty breath on her dewy skin. Anu replies, leaning forward "Haan!" Anuj toys with a lock of her hair, "Bol du?" "Haan Anuj haan!" Anu exclaims half frustrated half overcome with the desire to kiss him. Anuj tilts his head to the side and comes close to her ears and whispers.... No yells "Mummmmyyyyyy"

"Mummmmyyyy... uth jayiye!" Kinjal's voice jolts Anu awake. Her eyes take in every beam of sunshine entering her room. Kinjal looks at her concerned "Mummy sorry aap bahut gehri neend me the shayad... bahut der se bula rahi thi tho ab thoda zor se bula diya. Sorry mummy. Aap theek ho?" She places one hand on Anu's shoulder as Anu sits up, gathering her loose disheveled hair to one side. As Anu moves her hair away from her neck, Kinjal freezes; her eyes wide and her mouth agape she stares at Anu. "Mummy! Aapke... yeh... aap..." Kinjal blushes, unsure of how to proceed. Confused, Anu walks to the mirror and stops, staring. Right above her collar bone there were two very distinct angry purple bruises with reddish brown spotting staring back at her in the mirror. She gingerly moves her fingers over the bruises and winces when they sting at her touch. "Kinjal! Lagta hai koi allergy ho gayi hai! Doctor ko bulaye?" Anu asks whirling and facing Kinjal who was still frozen... and still very very red in the face. Kinjal had realised all of a sudden that her poor mother in law had no clue what the bruises were. Struggling to find the right words she wondered how mummy would react when she realises her daughter in law now knew that her step father in law had more than just colored her mother in law's hands yesterday... two days before their wedding. "Mummy aap shant ho jaiye. Yeh allergy nahi hai. Mein abhi aati hoon." Kinjal is about to leave but pauses, turns around and adds "Aur mummy, aap room me hi rahiye. Kisise kuch mat kahiye."

*********************

A few minutes, that felt like hours to Anu pass by and Kinjal returns, her makeup bag and a spoon in her hand, a determined look on her face. "Mummy aap yahan baith jaiye", she says indicating to a chair she had pulled up in front of the mirror. Anu sits down, still confused and completely clueless. Kinjal presses the spoon against the bruise lightly. The chilled metal shocks Anu and she winces looking up at Kinjal. "Kinjal beta yeh spoon itni thandi kyun hai aur iske saath tum yeh kya kar rahi ho?" Kinjal ignores Anu and looks at the bruise not satisfied with the result of this home remedy. Chewing on her lower lip, deep in thought, she stares at the bruises determined to put off explaining the situation to her mom in law. But a persistent Anu now grabs Kinjal's hand and demands "Kinjal abhi batao yeh kya hai?" Sighing, Kinjal replies "Mummy isko hickey kehte hai." Anu stammers "hi..hi..hickey? Par yeh yahan kaise?" Before she could stop herself, Kinjal says "Yeh aap aur Anuj ji hi jaane" just as Anu spots something else and asks... or rather wonders out loud, her eyes squinting at her reflection "Oh Maadi Re! Yahan daant ke nisha-" and stops as Kinjal's words just sink in. As she remembers how her mehendi night had ended she blushes a deep shade of red slowly looking at Kinjal who is now determined to look down at the crack on the floor tile. Kinjal, trying hard to push away vivid images of her step father in law biting her mom in law's neck in a moment of passion, feels Anu's eyes on her. Giving herself a good shake and letting out a long breath Kinjal picks up the orange color corrector and starts dabbing it on the bruise, using her blender to blend it in.

A heavy silence falls around them as Kinjal continues to work away on the bruises. Suddenly Anu hears a small squeak, breaking the silence and looks up at her daughter in law. Kinjal's shoulders were shaking as she was doing her best to muffle her laugh. Looking at Kinjal, Anu felt a wave of laughter take over her as well. This was silly! They were both adults here and she had promised to be Kinjal's friend... not a parent. Relieved to see Anu laugh, Kinjal remarks, "Mummyyy, aap toh bahut modern nikhle." "Chup!" Anu exclaims laughing. As Kinjal steps back to take a look at the expertly covered area, she remembers why she had come to call on Anu in the first place. "Mummy!!! Mein bhool gayi! Anuj ji ke yahan Pithi ke rasam shuru ho gaye hai... Baa ne aapko jalti tayar hone ko kahan hai." As she says this, Anu and Kinjal hear the familiar continuous ringing of a bicycle bell. They look back at each other and sigh - Mukku had arrived with the haldi.