MaAn- The Night that followed !!

3. Actions speak louder than words!

Anupamaa, trying hard to not do anything that might give him any hint, felt so relieved when they finally reached his building... Took the stairs as if elevator didn't exist... Standing in front of the closed apartment door... Anuj scratched his head and very gently said...

- Anupamaa darwaaza kholna hai...

- Haan to kholiye ne... Maine aapke ghar ki chaabhi churaayi hai..??

- Okay I repeat... ANUPAMAA... MUJHE DARWAAZA KHOLNA HAI...

-HAAAA TO KHOLIYE NE maine kaun sa aapka haath pakda hai....

-Pakda to hai...

-Huh...??

Anuj looks down at their hands.... He had loosened his grip but Anupamaa's hands seemed to have concretized...

*Bilkul mannn nahi tha Anuj ke haathon ko chhorne ka... Par haaye- haaye ye mazbooriii...*

-Ohh... vo... umm...vo....main... vo... main... SURI....Suri Suri Suri...

Anuj smiled and after she ended her suri puraan... Bringing his lips close to her ears, so close that she could feel his breath and the calmness it carried, getting lost for a moment in her dangling locks, that blocked the view of her black earrings, he wanted to see every inch of her face which is as beautiful as her inner self... He could smell the cologne she wore, see the shade of her lipstick and kajal, the knots of the bun braid and everything but then getting back to the reality, whispered, "BAS SURIII BULWA LO INSE..."

Anupamaa looked at him awestruck...
USS DIN MAINE YE MANN ME BOLA THA YA INKE MUH PAR... KAHIN MUH PAR HI TO NAHI BOL DIYA THA... ANOOOPAMAA!!! TU NE EKDUM PAAGAL CHHOKRI CHHEE.... KAHI YE VO... SWEETY VO KYA KEHTI HAII.... CO.... CO-IN...CO..IN..CIDANCE.... CO IN CI DEN CE to NAHII HAII.... YA PHIR SACH ME BOLA THA MAINE...

While Anupamaa's mind was struggling hard to think if she said those words in reality or not, Anuj's lips were still close to her ears and she could hear him breathe. The air he inhaled, created a vaccum around her and the air forced out touched her calmly... Looking at her he wondered what that utter silence on her face was....

*Usme to randomly hi bol diya tha yaar us bechaare ko iss baat ki bhanak bhi nhi thi ki Anupmaa apne khayaali pulaao pakaane me usse bhi chaar kadam aagey hai...*

But whatever it was... He didn't wanna disturb it but when it became irresistible for him... He very smoothly and cautiously blew.... Blew her dangling locks... His breath touched her ears adorned with beautiful black beads... And that breath made her shiver and she gasped through her partly pursed lips.... !!! She felt a sudden sensation of closeness... and compatibility... and LOVE... and everything that she never felt before...

When Anupamaa froze with that gasp, he took a step back...

*Normal ladkiyan yahan pighal jaati hain...par ye ANUPAMAA ha... ye jam jaati hai*

Anuj entered the key in its hole... Turned the knob... And gestured her to step in...

She got in...
When Anupamaa had moved a few steps further... Anuj held the door... Stood there, as it is, for a moment... As if wanting Anupamaa to turn and look for him... She stood there like a statue in bronze... He didn't wanna miss even a second of viewing her, so very gently without turning back, he latched the door cautious against making any noise that might break her reverie... Waited a moment more... Moved ahead and finally stood in front of her... Looking at her...

*What was he trying to do...? Trying to read her eyes...??? Nah...vo nazrein uthaaye tab dekhe na Anuj...*

He called out her name.... ANUPAMAA... She felt as if nobody taking her name ever made it sound so eternal... As if she wanted him to keep saying her name, till the very word loses its significance the way this world loses when she is with him...
She raised her brows... looked at him aur phir...?? NAZREIN chura li...

Anuj bent down a little... Trying to look whatever part of her JHUKI NAZREIN he could get to see... He wanted to read her eyes but the code to her eyes was hard to crackk...

*Anuj aise jhuk ke ghus ghus ke jhaank raha tha bechaari ko ki vo nazrein bhi nhi mila paa rahi thi usse*

Maybe him making her realize about her holding his hands was getting embarrassing for her... Well, that's what he thought... MR. BHOLURAM... He took a step back...

- It's okay... Anupamaa...

She looked up and her face was burning red....

- What's this redness on your face for...??

-Huh....??? (Trying to decipher this code, she looked befuddled)

-Tumhe kya garmi lag ri hai...?? Tumhara poora chehra ekdum laal ho gaya hai...??

*She was preparing herself for some question else but this one came out of syllabus...!!!*

- Naiii... naii... naii to... aisa kuch...aisa kuch nahi haii.... Vo bas jara thakaan ho gyi he ne...to ...to ..vo ..bas voi...

- Sachh...??

- Haan...

- Jhooth !!!

- Kyaa..??

- (pauses momentarily) Kuch nahii... I think....

- Mujhe jaa kar thoda araam kar lena chahiyee... Subah uthoongii... to aese ekdum phresh phresh feel karoongi....

She was in a hurrryy to leave.... To get him out of her sight... She was falling for him every moment, every second, every minute and every moment more than the preceding moment... Were she to face him for a moment more... She wouldn't utter a word but still express what she's been hiding for so long in search of a perfect moment!!! She didn't have the slightest idea of what she could have done had she stayed there a little longer than that...

She could have done anything but said her heart out... she must've confessed in gestures rather than words... ONLY ANUPAMAA KNOWSS...

What could she have possibly done...? Does she have a romantic side too...?

How far could she go in love...? Is she okay with this notion of romanticism of love...? What more could she do in his love...?