Petrichor to his Heart

2.18

RR MANSION

One of her brows twitched followed by a low gasp her lips made, something was happening, the sound came from nearby, and her sleeping body was responding to the peaceful vibes that the environment was creating.

"eh..." Pallavi hugged Raghav tight but when did her husband turn so soft. Her nose scrunched up trying to make out her surroundings without opening her eyes and just when she realized it was Raghav's pillow she was hugging the nagaswaram's frequency alerted her followed by the beats she heard only when...Her eyes opened to a past memory and then a few more such memories followed... Raghav was performing Bharatnatyam.

A glimpse of the digital on the wall told her it was ten minutes past 9, the white and blue shaded curtains were fluttering with the morning air and it was strange how she felt fresh even when she was able to sleep barely for two or three hours. All these nights when he was away she was not able to sleep properly despite all those long sleep hours, but just his presence last night cured all her illnesses. Rubbing her eyes of the remnants of sleep her fingers touched the lips and she was notified how they needed a layer of moisturization, she was reminded about the assault they went through this morning. Collecting her hair and tying them in a loose ponytail she grabbed her gown slip and mumbled a little prayer to Lord Ganesha for everything.

She would have been busy smiling feeling something new inside her, on the current events of the morning and the aftermath until the Mrindangam's beats alerted her about something she didn't want to miss at any costs. Unlike her, this was a side of Raghav he kept to himself and she loved staring stealthily just like she had done the first time, before their marriage.

She almost ran again but then stopped her ever-ready Adidas-ready feet to walk slowly, and splashed some cold water on her face. she barely made it to his personal space and after reaching the door she joined her hands to the idol of Shiva in Natrajan to which Raghav was kneeling offering a Pranam; She had missed the first few moments where the dancer pays a small tribute to his teachers and also tells the Gods how grateful he is for all the blessings he has been bestowed with.

The beats resumed and this time they were not slow, she could feel the vibrations hitting her from the other side of the door, His stoic eyes moved to and fro along with the different mudras his long fingers made. The flute's melodious tune she was familiar with disappeared into a powerful rage the fast chord of Veena's created in no time and as if a certain kind of angst started coming out, Raghav's moves turned chaotic.

As a classical dancer herself, she always felt a stiffness in his expressions, a kind of boundary his body made between his heart and his movements. This was not something he enjoyed, this was something he paid a lot of respect and as an observant person, Pallavi knew that he locked himself inside only when he needed a talk with his Gods and of course to his MOTHER.

The symphony created was enchanting her to his hidden side when the sole of his feet and then toes tapped the ground in beautiful synchrony with his palms which opened, closed, sometimes in front of his torso sometimes in front of his chest along with little gaps where his arms balanced themselves in the lotus mudra.

The winds fluttered the curtains that touched her bare arms but it didn't make her lose her concentration and as the music turned fast she bated her breath for the circles he was going to make.

But to her surprise today he didn't circle around the area but balanced his feet to his spot and his arms outstretched and his neck moved... the arms changed mudras with the beats and she realized, Today it was not the angst he was trying to end his performance with, his ending moves symbolized hope, and for the first time during his dance sessions, she witnessed a small smile on his face that was usually devoid in all his offerings she had witnessed till now. The end of his offering was always accompanied by rounding an imaginary circle and he finally started to take rounds with his hands making sharp movements.