Veiled Affection: Secrets Of Heart.

Chapter-6.

Radha.

It's been a month since my marriage. All the relatives have gone back to their respective homes, and I’ve resumed my job at school—they didn’t give me more than a month’s leave.

Mama said he would try to give this relationship a chance, but he is treating me as anything but his wife. He takes care of me, attends to my needs, and does everything a husband should—except love me. I’ve stopped expecting and decided to give him time. Maybe time will tell where our lives are headed.

I leave at 8:30 in the morning and come home by five in the evening. It has become a routine to cook for our family of three—my mother-in-law, Mama, and me. My father-in-law passed away a few years ago, so it’s just the three of us.

It was hard losing him.

Gayatri sometimes reaches out, and we have a blast whenever she does, but she’s leaving for Dubai this week with Ramsamy and her kids, Gauthami and her son. She goes there every two years. Her children are still young, and she wants to spend as much time as possible with her husband because once school starts, they won’t be able to visit him often.

I was getting ready in a rush today because I was already late. Yesterday was Sunday, and my mother-in-law and I were watching the newly released movie Rhythm. It was a nice movie, but we stayed up late, and now I’m paying for it. I was eating my idli quickly—more like swallowing it whole—to get to school on time.

It’s within walking distance, and Mythili usually joins me, so the walk doesn’t get boring, but today, she would have already left for school by now.

I choked on my food, coughing vigorously.

"Eat slowly. I’ll take you to school today." A voice came, and I straightened up, still coughing lightly.

He took the newspaper to read since he’d already had his breakfast. I went to our room and grabbed a blue synthetic saree with a black blouse—it’s my mother’s saree. She had barely worn it, but after I started wearing sarees, I took some of her sarees that were still in good condition.

I love wearing sarees; they give me a sense of pride, and they’re the most comfortable attire in this scorching summer heat.

I was braiding my hair when someone cleared their throat. I glanced at the mirror and saw him standing there, arms folded, leaning against the door.

Mama was wearing a brown shirt with blue stripes and a white vetti. He looked really good. I was searching for a pin to secure my jasmine flowers to my hair. As I got ready, he patiently waited, then walked towards me. When I turned to face him, he came very close, stepping into my personal space, which made my breath hitch.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked. He just looked at me, then gently turned me to face the mirror by my shoulders. He picked up the kumkumam chimil (sindoor box) that I had left on the table.

He handed it to me. I gently took it, intending to take a pinch of kumkumam when he suddenly stopped me.

"I’ll do it," he said, applying a small amount on my partition. Some extra powder was left on his hand, and that’s when I remembered. Slowly, I took out my thali from under my saree, and he lightly touched it before I put it back in. I noticed him looking elsewhere. I smiled to myself.

We went downstairs and headed towards his beloved Bullet bike. He had saved so much to buy it, and it was very dear to him. I was the first one to ride with him on it, and now, after five years, I was about to ride it again. It still looked as good as new.

I sat on the back, holding my bag in one hand and resting the other on his shoulder. We reached school in about ten minutes. If I had walked, it would have taken twenty, and I would have missed the start of the school day.