Gowrigaatha - A love story [Completed](The story of Gowri)

15. Assurances

Slightly mature

Though it was a cool morning, sweat was all over Gowri and Vasudev's face as they were making love to each other. Finally Vasudev kissed her and looked deeply into her eyes searching. Gowri did not understand why her heart fluttered when he did that. They were sleeping with each other for the past two months, though each time felt like the first for them; scary, exhilarating and romantic, though they never confessed this to each other.

Even when not in bed, the all time serious Vasudev would do things that made her breathless. When Sarasamma's back was turned to them, he would grab Gowri by her waist or kiss her. She quickly learnt never to go into the study if she valued her sanity, for a few times she did, she ended up on his table begging for mercy from his wicked actions. Even being alone at home with him meant getting pinned against any wall or the bed at random occasions for him to have his way. He was intense, almost to the point of being animalistic which drew her crazy. Gowri had started to wonder if she was going to get pregnant again. But Vasudev was careful, he wanted to make sure that Ashok was well taken care of before he had any siblings.

Though her heart fluttered whenever he showed physical intimacy with her, it was his actions towards Ashok that melted her heart. She felt her heart bursting when she would see him patting Ashok to sleep while strolling in the courtyard at night. Or when he fed him or played with him, cooked for her, or bathed Ashok. What she felt for him was so familiar, yet so alien since it was directed towards Vasudev. Was she falling for him? Was she in love with him? She slowly became sure of that when she missed him or when he smiled at her. But what did he feel towards her? He was so primal in his intimacy towards her, was it just his need or lust? How she wished he loved her. The thought that she might be in love with him but that he only felt lust for her was troubling, could she ask him for his love?

"Is it too much to ask a man who has placed the entire world at my feet?" thought Gowri. She was sitting on the bed, her eyes troubled by her heart.

Vasudev entered the bedroom after a bath wearing just a mundu and toweling his hair ready to get dressed for work. But seeing the worried woman on the bed, he sat down next to her and asked, "I have been noticing it for a few days. What is troubling you?"

Gowri lifted her eyes and locked them onto him. After a moment of silence she said, "Can you love me?"

"Again? If you want me to, but I will be late to go to the shop", he said glancing at the pillow.

"Not that love," she said and put a finger over his heart and said, "I want this".

Vasudev's eyes traveled from the tip of her finger that was resting on his chest to her eyes, how can she not know how fast his heart was beating when she said that. "You want my heart?"

"Yes", she said without batting her eyes. There was the disarming honesty that Anand had said. A smile almost curled the ends of Vasudev's lips.

"What will I get in return?" he asked her.

"You want something in return?" she asked him.

"My heart is pretty important to me. And you are always hell-bent on compensating for anything I do for you. So tell me, what do I get out of it?" he asked.

"You will be getting mine", she said.

Vasudev lowered himself and his lips brushed against hers and he said, "Are you sure, because I won't be returning it back".

Gowri pulled back with a stunned look in her eyes, he didn't mean it, did he?

He clutched both her hands against his chest and said, "Its yours already, you just did not notice".

The meaning of the words hit her and her eyes were filled with tears of joy, it was such a simple declaration that it went straight to her heart. For Vasudev to say that, it meant that it was the bare truth, she owned his heart, just as he told her.

"Since when?" she asked in tears.

"The day I saw a girl in a red skirt and yellow davani, looking irritated at an old man who dared to stop her", he replied.

"That was the first day we met", whispered Gowri in wonder.

"Yes" replied Vasudev.

"Since then?"

"Since then."

"So when Anand told you that I was his girlfriend...." she said.

"It broke my heart", he whispered back.

They looked at each other with a new sense of togetherness.

"Since when for you?" he asked her.

"The day you lifted Ashok from the crib and kissed him", she replied.

"The day he was born?" he asked her in amazement.

"I named him Ashok because you took away both our sorrows, he was born without any grief. From that day, there was no one else", she said. And they hugged each other. Wherever the world was heading, that moment that corner of the world was complete.

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I know its kind of a short chapter, but I wanted to focus on this simple feeling!!!!

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Photo by Pablo Heimplatz (Unsplash)