ANUGAAMINI- The Boundaries

60. Gorgonized

Sunlight poured over the bodies sitting still in each other's embrace, waking Manini up. Dharam was still by her holding her close. For that very moment, she thought she got everything - the view she would want to wake to every morning.

"Dharam it's morning..."

"Good morning....", he wished sleepily.

"We slept at your terrace....", she looked around nearly surprised and felt the hard floor beneath herself. But this was the best sleep she has gotten in weeks it seems.

"Raat me aise baithe baithe kam aankh lag gayi... Realise hi ni hua....", he rubbed his eyes.

She smiled in return and they walked down the stairs. Priyal was up, brushing her teeth.

"I need to leave...", Manini said seeing Priyal and realising that she slept at the terrace with Dharam and Priyal might not have liked it.

"It's Saturday... You can stay longer you don't have early morning classes... Breakfast ke baad chali jaaiyega....", Dharam insisted.

"I want to but I don't have my stuff here and I need to brush before my breath goes worse...", she had just completed the sentence when Dharam slipped a fresh toothbrush her way and himself joined Priyal in brushing. They both looked at Manini who was soon there too. The faces were washed and Priyal took Manini's brush and set it in the holder along with hers and Dharam's.

"Thank-", Manini tried thanking but Priyal didn't want to be acknowledged for that and she cut her short. "Are you okay??"

"Me? Yeah yeah I am okay... Perfect..."

"Good for you!!". She looked at her belly for a while. "Are you actually pregnant your stomach looks pretty much flat... I heard it gets big... like swollen, doesn't it?....", she asked.

Manini rolled her eyes as the list of her questions had started again.

"What if you're lying to dad that you're pregnant so you could marry him as your plan to kidnap me backfired....", she folded her hands.

"Priyal!!", Dharam squeezed his eyes narrower.

Manini sighed. "Are we doing this again!!??"

"You don't look pregnant -"

"Because it's barely two month's foetus... It doesn't show so early...", she explained in a high pitched voice.

"Don't use that tone on me! It's still my house not yours!!", Priyal frowned.

"I wish I had kidnapped you that day!!", Manini annoyed.

"See!! You have got those killer instincts that's what they show in Byomkesh Bakhshi!!", Priyal nudged Dharam. "You still sure about this woman being in our house!!"

"You put her toothbrush in our holder, you tell!!", Dharam patted her head and headed to the kitchen to save himself from the two women of his life.

"So... Ms. Detective!?"

"You don't love your ex-husband at all by any chance......?"

"Oh god!! I..... Don't....", she said not knowing why is she even replying at all.

"You teach at the college....."

"Ye-"

"What will you tell your students when your belly will start to show up? Trust me kids my age will just.... Mess your head up!!"

"I can feel one of them doing that to me right now...", she said looking at her.

"Will you take Maternity leave for long months? What after childbirth... Who would look after it full day if you're both at work and you didn't get married to papa by then.... Don't expect it from me okay!! I can't even take care of myself.....", she shrugged and walked away.