Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2 OS

The Ritual

"Puchhun ya nahi?"

"Puch leta hu. Zyada se zyada mana kar degi aur kya?"

"Sirf mana nahi karegi Ram, achi khasi daant bhi maregi."

"Yaar, main itna darta kyu hun Priya se?"

"Masterni hai meri biwi. Dar to lagega hi na. Upar se poverty, capitalism, corruption, global warming saari duniya ka bojh liye phirti hai."

Ram murmured to no one in the room. He talked to himself to come on a conclusion. A question was on his mind. The question was supposed to be asked to his wife.

Ram being Ram was scared of Priya's reaction. The slowly and steadily growing proximity between them was causing him the confusion.

Ram didn't know whether Priya would like the idea or not. He had been pondering the thought way too much for 2 days now.

He had decided to talk to Priya tonight over their coffee date after dinner. The date had become a kind of ritual for both of them.

Priya would bring two cups of coffee every night and they would share the details of their day with eachother while sipping the coffee.

Ram had grown fonder of this ritual gradually. He loved spending time with Priya more than everything he did in the day. His favourite time of the day. He waited every night for Priya to come and hand him a cup of coffee which she made by herself every time.

This wasn't planned. Neither of them suggested it nor they talked about continuing it.

One night Priya randomly came with two cups of coffee and handed him one. They walked towards the balcony and spent the next hour there chatting.

On the other hand, Priya every night made this ritual possible because she too waited for this time of the night.

Ram being the charmer had caught her senses to calm them down and show her the world differently. Their conversations brought peace to her.

One desire was growing commonly on both sides. The desire of knowing each other better. To dig deeper into each other's mind and soul. To erase the pain of the brutal past they both had faced in their lives before meeting each other.

As Ram was talking to himself Priya entered the room with a tray carrying two cups of coffee.

Ram looked at the entrance and a soft smile played on his lips. As if he was waiting for her and she did the exact thing he was expecting. Though he was still confused about asking her the question or not yet he couldn't resist smiling as she appeared in his sight.

Priya looked at him as she kept the tray on the table near him. She slightly smiled back at him and handed him one of the cups.

Recieving the cup Ram got up from his seat. Ram followed Priya as she walked towards the balcony.

Priya entered the balcony looking up at the open sky feeling the cool breeze of the famous monsoon of Mumbai.

Ram stared at her admiring her features. Fir those few moments he forgot about his confusion. One look at her and his nerves would come back to their place calming down their effects.

First few moments were spent in silence. Ram looked at her and the cup of coffee in his hand back and forth multiple times.

He tried to articulate his thoughts well before putting them in front of Priya. After few minutes, he took a deep breath and started the conversation.

"Kaisa raha aaj ka din?" Ram started casually.

"Theek tha. Bahut classes thi aaj islie ghar aate aate headache hone laga tha." Priya answered still staring at the sky while sipping her coffee.