RaYa Snapshots

Narazgi

"AAAAAA....hoof, hooff, hoooff..."

"Kya hua?!" Concern took over Priya's face, all her anger vaporising into thin air as she stood up from the bed and hurriedly walked towards her husband.

"Button," Ram showed her a white button with puppy eyes, "Toot gaya."

Priya stared at him in disbelief and then rolled her eyes, "Iske liye itni awaaz?"

"Woh...umm..."

He had nothing better to say.

All he knew was that his wife was upset with him- no wait, she was angry at him- and he absolutely hated it.

She was giving him the silent treatment which he could not bear anymore, and so executed the first idea that came to mind.

"Oh no!" he let out dramatically just as she was about to walk away, pretending to be talking to himself, "Ab yeh shirt phenk ni padegi. Kitni pasand thi mujhe..."

"Kyun? Phenkni kyun padegi?"

"Button..." he repeated, his voice trailing off.

"Utaar ke rakh dijiye. Main laga dungi," she curtly stated, turning around to go sit on her side of the bed again.

"Woh...ac-actually...main l-late ho rha hoon..."

"Aaj Sunday hai," she reminded him.

When he did not reply, she glanced up and found him avoiding her gaze.

"Aaj bhi meetings?" her brows knitted close together in concern as well as frustration.

Her question was met with silence again, and she clenched her jaw tight.

With a huff, she stood up from the bed.

"Kariye, jo karna hai kariye," she grumbled as she fetched her sewing kit.

"Poore din kaam, kaam, kaam," she continued, speaking more to herself than to him, now holding the button in its place over his shirt, "Roz late aana hai. Health ka khayaal toh bilkul nahi rakhna. Aur ab Sunday ko bhi meetings. Biwi hi pagal hai naa, jo itni fiqr karti rehti hai!"

"Ayy! Meri biwi ko pagal mat bolo!"

Priya snapped her eyes up at him, and he decided it was best to stay silent.

"Ek project hi toh hai. Koi pahad toot jayega kya agar time se khatam nahi hua toh? Tabiyat ki bilkul nahi padi."

Priya kept mumbling, but a smile was playing on Ram's lips.

Not only was his wife showing concern for him, but she was standing so close, and he wanted to cherish ever second of it.

Unable to resist himself further, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her towards himself, closing the remaining gap between them.

"Mr. Kapoor!" she shot him a glare.

But it did not work.

He simply raised his hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Ram," he corrected her.

She huffed again, and went back to focusing on sewing the button, while he resumed admiring her.

He held in his breath when she bent forward to cut the thread off with her teeth, her nose almost touching his chest.

The proximity, the familiar intimacy of the moment- it all made his heart race.

"Ab chorhiye mujhe," he heard her as she tried to wriggle out of his hold, but he just tightened his grip further.

She looked at him in anger, her nostrils flaring. He had irritated her enough these past few days, and her patience was wearing thin.

"Ek hi meeting hai. Teen ghante mein waapis aa jaunga."

"Jo karna hai kariye. Mujhe kyun bata rhe hain? Aakhir hoon hi kaun main?"

"Ghar aa kar rest karunga. Phir saath mein lunch karenge. Aur phir dobara rest."

Priya visibly calmed down a little listening to him.

"Aur phir shaam mein, main aur meri biwi date pe jayenge."

A small blush crept up Priya's neck, spreading to her cheeks. She bit the inside of her lip to suppress a smile.

But he noticed it.

In the two years of being married to her, if he had learned any new skill, it was to catch even her smallest smile.

"Agar aapko lagta hai ki yeh sab karne se aapki biwi maan jayegi-" she began, trying her best to maintain her frown.

"Toh sahi lagta hai," he completed her sentence, nuzzling into her neck.

Priya stood still with a pout, debating whether to give in or to continue being angry with him.

But just like her husband, even she could not stay away from him for long. Neither could she stay mad at him for long.

With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers running through his curls. He relaxed in her embrace immediately, feeling all his tiredness melt away.

She knew he was exhausted. He had been working on a project with a foreign investor, which was now in its final stages and needed his constant supervision. And because of it, for the past four days consecutively, he had been coming home after midnight- the reason behind her anger.

Priya gently pulled back and looked into her husband's eyes.

Both of them remained silent for a while before she spoke,

"Ram, aapki health aapki first priority honi chahiye. Agar aap khud ka khayal nahi rakhenge, toh iss sab kaam ka kya faida?"

"I know, Priya," he nodded, understanding her worry, "I promise, bass yeh hafta aur, and then it'll all be back to normal."

Priya made a face, her skepticism evident. The thought of him following this unhealthy routine for another week did not sit well with her.

"Yeh project khatam ho jaaye, uske baad achhe se rest karunga. Proper waala."

She considered his words for a moment, still unsure.

"Vacation par chalenge. Ek maheene ki. No kaam," he proposed.

A smile finally broke out on her lips.

She nodded and got to her toes to place a kiss on his forehead.

"Theek hai. Ab jaiye, apni meeting khatam karke aaiye," she spoke, wiping her lipgloss from his skin with her thumb, "Aur yaad rakhna, teen ghante se zyada lage to mujhse bura koi nahi hoga."

Ram chuckled at her threat, but then gulped, knowing it was not a hollow one. She could really put him in a miserable state.

"Okay, masterni," he leaned in, kissing her forehead as well, "Promise, teen ghante mein aa jaunga."

She gave him a satisfied smile, and he finally released her from his grip.

"I love you," he spoke, lightly pulling her cheek.

"Okay," she replied with a shrug, crossing her arms and looking away.

Observing Ram from the corner of her eye, she found him standing with a sad pout, which made her throw her head back and let out a laugh.

"I love you too," she took a step forward and pulled both his cheeks, earning a wide grin from him.

"Jaaiye," she nudged him a little toward the door when he kept on staring at her with a smile.

Nodding, he grabbed his coat and headed out, feeling much lighter than before.

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