The next morning, at Sunanda's house.
"Kanike! Oh Kanike! Get up! It's now some time past the Brahma Muhurta. Get up now!", said Shree, struggling to wake her sleeping friend up, constantly tapping her shoulder. She had just taken a bath, water dripping from her freshly washed dark black hair. She had draped a Royal blue cotton Nauvari Saree with a sky-blue border, and looked as fresh as a newly bloomed flower. She looked like she was in the prime of her youth.
"Shree, please Shree! Just some more time.", Kanika murmured in her sleep, turning to the other side, away from Shree.
"Nothing doing, get up now.", Shree started clicking her tongue and pulled Kanika's bed-sheet, amused.
"You're my best friend. Why do you want to be the enemy of my sleep? You are so...." said Kanika, pulling back the bed-sheet. Shree cut her in between
"Precisely why I am waking you up. Your health will go for a toss if you keep sleeping like this", Shree pretended to be annoyed, pulling the bed-sheet again. And as usual the winner of the tug of war with the bed-sheet was Shree. Kanika, woke up, muttering, as Shree pulled her towards the bathroom to get ready.
Kanika, looked around in haze and her eyes fell on Shree. And she gasped so loudly, shocking Shree and Sunanda who had just come into the room.
"What happened Kanika?", asked Sunanda worriedly. And she turned to Shree and held her breath.
Their reactions shocked Shree and she began to wonder if something was on her.
"What happened to both of you? Why are you gaping at me like that? Is there something on me?", she asked, looking at herself.
"You look so lovely, Shree! If you go out to the city in this attire, people would stop doing their work and keep staring at you. If I were a man, I would have immediately asked you to marry me", said Kanika, with Sunanda seconding her opinion, both unable to take their eyes off her.
"You would not stop flattering me even if I asked you right?", Shree was clearly uncomfortable. She hated anyone, constantly telling her how physically attractive she was. She was extremely uncomfortable.
"Why would we stop? You are of course our best friend. And we don't leave any opportunity to praise you", laughed Sunanda, giving Kanika all the bathing items, she required.
"By the way, your attire reminds me of something.", remarked Kanika.
"What?", asked Shree, as she began to get ready, wearing her simple jewellery.
"Your Nauvari's colours were there in Shyam's turban.", Kanika said, smiling to herself.
"Oh yes. The same shades of blue", said Sunanda.
"Shyam's turban? Who is Shyam? And how do I not know him?", asked Shree curiously. She felt that the name was familiar, but could not remember where she had heard of it.
"Shyam is the same person you bumped into last evening.", laughed Kanika
"Oh my! You noticed so much about him. I did not even bother to look at him. I just rubbed my head and walked off. If at all I meet him, you please introduce me to him. I'll apologise for not speaking to him properly", said Shree, embarrassed as she wore the special nose pin of her homeland, popularly known as the Nath and the famous Chandra Bindu on her forehead.
"Yes, we will. But Shree, be careful. He is strikingly handsome. You might fall in love with him", Sunanda playfully winked at Kanika, who giggled.
YOU ARE READING
Krishna!
Historical FictionA young woman falls in love with a man, just by hearing about him. She has never seen him. A young man falls in love with a young woman he sees for the first time, while he knows he is destined to wed someone else. Both of them meet each other and b...
