AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wrote this piece about six years ago, back when i was seventeen, so, don't expect it to even be good, cuz I'd say I was quite naive at that time. Still, it was nice yet again to find something from bygone days and to share it with others. Happy reading, hope you people like it :)
Moonlit sky, a slight breeze, stars looking down upon them, wondering what they were doing so late, up there, alone.
“Adi…?”
“Hmm…?”
“You know, come to think of it, I’ve finally started to enjoy staying up late with you.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes… kind of.”
Mischief hidden in her mellow voice, fingers ruffling through his hair.
“You know Mary, try as you might, you will always remain a copycat.”
Pretence of mock, a slight giggle, and a warm, familiar tug on his hair in the calm of the night.
“What’s my being a copycat got to do with this romantic night? Oh you are so, so unromantic, duffer.”
“I told you before I love to stay up late and look at the stars. Now look what you are doing, you ruined my privacy, and do you really have to lie up here beside me like this?”
“Why? Do the stars say they are jealous of me now?”
“Jealous? Of you??? Oh seriously girl, who are you kidding?”
Another tug, her fingers trace the edge of his neck to his collarbone, sending a deep tremor through his frail, yet tough body.
“So you’re down to your dirty tricks are you?”
“Dirty tricks? What? What did I do?”
Fake innocence poured into the soft little whine, a tender brush of his palm on her rich lips.
“Eyyy Adi… Aise tou na karo na…”
Another tug, a slight gasp escaping her lips, words untold.
“Why? What happened? Can’t take the heat?”
“Oh shut up you, you’re such an egomaniac, you know”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, you can’t stand being teased, you’ve always got to square it somehow, don’t you?”
“Who said I was squaring it off? I’m just making way for a debt; you can tease me later.”
Calm happiness flowing through his throat in a low, soft gurgle of laughter.
“What… what do you actually have in mind mister?”
“What do you think you can handle young lady?”
Time seems to have stopped under the pregnant silence that follows; he can feel her getting tense beside him. Looking up at the sky, he can feel her breathing getting shallower.
“So, have you made up your mind yet? Or should I just go on till I can?”
He mocks her with pure wit in his tone.
“Adi… dekho koi aa jaye ga.”
A flick of her eyes towards the distant door to the terrace, shrouded in darkness, like the gate to a holy temple.
“So what? I’m lying on the terrace with you, looking up at the stars, what could someone possibly think we’re doing? Oh come on we’re so innocent, right?”
“Damn right you are, mister. I know how innocent you are and how far you can go. Dekho koi aa jaye ga aur phir agar kisi nay dekh liya na tou daant bhi paray gi. Ammi nay manaa bhi kiya tha keh raat ko zyada der na jaagna, par tumhain tou samajh nahi ati na, kar lo apni munn maani, dekh lena mujhay bhi marwaao gay apnay saath tum. Hud hoti hai bachpanay ki, ab tou baray ho jao.”
“You know Mary, I think I didn’t marry you, I have rather been adopted by you.”
Another soft hit on his chest, her gentle hands making it feel more like an affectionate caress.
“Tum kabhi nahi sudhro gay. Sharam tou nahi ati na, bahir aa kar late gaye ho, zyada masti charh rahi thi tou andar hi rehtay, bay-hoodgi dikhani hoti hai tou mujhay bahir kyun latay ho?”
“Iss liay k ghar k andar bhi tum meray liay wohi ho jo ghar k bahir ho…”
“And what would that be, mister you’re-the-one-for-me?”
“My so, so, so se…”
A hurried slap on his shoulder, the vivid blush on her cheeks clearly visible even in the faint glow of the night. A fake attempt of escape, made unsuccessful by the grip of his hand on her wrists.
“Sharam kar lo kuch, kisi nay sun liya tou?”
Nowhere to run, buries her face in his chest and giggles.
“Oh yeah, I forgot, kisi nay sun liya tou? Haye Allah main tou murr jaoon gi haye haye. Khud kya kar rahi ho ab? Ab koi dekh lay ga tou kuch nahi hoga?”
She squirms in amusement as he imitates the pitch of her voice and tickles her.
“Adi… choro badtameez pitwao gay mujhay ammi say, khud tou unn kay chaheetay laadlay ho, kyun mujhay ghar bhijwanay par tulay ho…”
She eases back onto her elbows on the mattress and watches in humorous amazement as he stands up and mimics an emotional hero out of a movie.
“Ey larki, meri ma ko yuun na bol warna main rona shuroo ho jaoon ga.”
“Oh come on now my little baby, don’t cry…”
Smile on her lips as she leans over and touches his hand.
“And what do you think babies generally do, my lady?”
Watching down on her, seeing her cheeks glow a bright red.
“Chup badtameez, sharam tou nahi ati na.”
Another gentle slap at the back of his hand.
“Ab tumharay sath sharmayen gay jaan-e-mann tou flirt hamsaai sai karayn gay kya?”
“Kar kay tou dekho, main tumhain batati hoon phir…”
Phony anger, just a hint of a giggle.
“Kya batati hoon? Kay babies kya kartay hain?”
His hands resting on her waist as he slightly bends over her.
“Bako mut… badtameez… jahil… jangli... duur hato, sharam nahi ati?”
“Why, what happened? USSSSSS wakt tou koi sharam nahi aa rahi thi tumhain.”
He watches in pure amusement as she squirms in front of him at those words.
“Do you really have to bring that up right now?”
He knows he is not far from making her tug at his hair again.
“Why? Would you prefer I don’t talk about it, just do it?”
A glimmer of bashfulness upon her smooth features.
“Mujhay uss wakt kuch samajh nahi aa raha tha, tum tou ho hi jangli, warna main do lagaa deti tumhain lug pataa jata.”
Another laugh emanating from his throat, and she pushes her face back into his chest.
“Haan haan ab tou sara ka sara ilzaam mujh par daal do, khud mari jaa rahi thi aur bol aise rahi hai jaise mujh par ehsaan kiya ho. Apna pataa nahi hota mujhay bolnay chaliin hain.”
“Acha choro na, kya lay kar beth gaye ho… talk about something else, just sit close and talk to me.”
A smile across his lips, complementing his broad face; the flow of his mane in the breeze like the flutter of a goddess’s cape, making him look unbelievably magnificent in the dim radiance.
“You know, before I met you, I seriously wasn’t interested in girls. Don’t know, it just wasn’t something appealing to my taste, whenever I heard guys talking about their girlfriends and stuff. Now I’m not being humble, but, well you could rather perceive me as a nerdy spoilsport.”
A chuckle at himself, upon the memories of the past, as in retrospect, he sees himself stuck to his books while others of his group went to hang out with the girls.
“God made you that way, for me, so that you don’t look at any girl before me, or after me.”
Proud she is, and he can feel it. But what fun, if ragging be taken out of it.
“Oh come on, now don’t give me that soul mates bullshit…”
“Why, don’t you believe in that?”
Surprised as she is, she can tell by the look in his eyes that he is enjoying every moment of teasing her.
“Well it looks really nice and romantic, but there is not enough time for coincidences in my life, thank you very much.”
“So, Mister Adi Agha, you mean to tell me that we getting married is not a coincidence?”
“I really don’t know what you’ve got in your mind Mary. Coincidence? How could it be coincidence that I am to marry you? Well tell me something, what happened last night, was that chance too…?”
Mischief upon mischief, God, I would give everything to be here forever.
“uhhh……”
“Yes…? Cat got your tongue missy?”
“Well no, that was not coincidence, that was just because you are jangli… badtameez bhookay nadeeday aur tum pagal ho. Tumhain apnay ooper thora bohut control hai bhi ya nahi? Ammi sai poochoon gi, kahan sai lai thiin tumhain, hoga koi Kenya ka jungle, khud lagtay bhi tou ho, Tarzan ki nasal kay. Badtameez ab tumharay samnay kya kar sakti hoon main, apnay aap ko dekho aur mujhay dekho, aik tou larki kay sath zabardasti kartay ho, ooper say poochtay ho kya coincidence tha? Sharam tou nahi ati na, ab daant kyun nikaal rahay ho bandaron ki tarhaa…”
Embarrassed by his wit, the jibe at the time still swirling in her mind, vivid like the bright colours of the day, she feels hot even in the cool night.
“Okay, okay I won’t tease you, well, not now at least. I was wondering what I should call you, I mean, like, a nickname or something.”
“You already call me Mary na?”
“No… not like that. Something… real nickname-type. Like… ehhhh…. Laddu perhaps.”
He enjoys every bit of it, the innocent joking, an unsaid wish, to live his whole life, right here, right now.
“Laddu…? Yuckieee, yeh bhi koi khanay ki cheez hoti hai, uff itna ganda hota hai, koi aur naam nahi hai kya?”
“Jee nahi, you have to be Laddu now… my Laddu… gol matol si…”
Another wave of the crimson tint on her visage, upon this modest gesture of the love they share. Silence, as few moments pass between them like the alluring caress of the night.
“Uhhh… acha… leave it na, you know, last evening I burned some rice in the kitchen by mistake…”
“Oh, such disgrace! Burn the house!”
“Ufff I’m not kidding, and then I singed one of your shirts too…”
“Shameful! Oh how will we live now!!”
“Tum aise nahi suno gay”
The sudden press of her softness against his lips, his tangible silence and the surprise in his eyes as she bends over him, reflect how unexpected he thought this to be…
“Ab mil gya na jo chahiyay hota hai tumhain jis k liay bhookay nadeeday banay rehtay ho, ab chup kar kay meri baat suno, ammi ko bhi nahi bataya maine, mujhay dar lag raha hai, woh dantain gi mujhay…Adi, kya karoon? Mujhay dar lag raha hai na… suntay kyun nahi ho, oye tumhain hua kya hai?”
She finally notices his eyes still wide open with shock, and a pleasant one at that. Eventually he looks up to her dreamily.
“Wah, bas aise hi karti raha karo, phir ammi sai keh doon ga tumhain bilkul bhi nahi dantain gi, Ey… Mary… zara aik dafa aur karna, I like surprises.”
A neat little slap on his head.
“Han han pata hai mujhay tumhain kitna pasand hai, surprises surprises, meri jaan kha lo surprises huh, tum bus aise hi baktay rehna, koi parwah nahi tumhain meri, bus apna tou pait bharta nahi hai… nadeeda na ho tou…”
“Haye jan-e-mann tum tou bas… dil tor diya haye haye…”
“Ab iss tarha lait kar haye haye na karo utho warna ammi marain gi aa kar samjhay”
“Guess I need to work on some more surprises… remember last one?”
His voice dripping from the blatant mischief that about to come.
“Which one?”
“Someone… sometime ago… chocolate… syrup… balloons… remember?”
A wink, and she blushes ear to ear. This time the slap is harder, followed by two punches on his back, full of humiliation.
“Tumhain pata hai na tum kitnay zaleel jahil aur ganwar, ghatya kism kay admi ho?”
“Jan-e-mann hum tou ap ki soch say bhi zyada kameenay hain abhi ap nay kuch dekha hi nahi hai, agay agay dekho hota hai kya.”
“Adi serious ho jao, dekho abhi agay itna kuch hai… abhi hamaray bachay hon gay, un ko parhana likhana hai, un ki tarbiyat, un ki job, shadi karni hai… itna kuch hai… I want you serious for this…”
“I know Mary… I am serious, I don’t let it show, it doesn’t mean I’m not serious… you don’t have to worry, I’ll take care of everything…”
The soft note of his deep voice, fringed with a little concern, showing every little bit of affection and consideration that he had for what he needed to do in the future. He had always kept his family in mind, had taught himself to see it as his own sole responsibility, and he was indeed very firm in his belief.
Gently surprised, she has not seen this side of him before. Superficially so naïve, so immature, he is indeed very thoughtful and very caring for her, and their future.
A hug, one to show gratitude, unlike a formal thank you, an intimate touch, a symbol of her need of him. He lays there on his back, staring at the stars, with a hand beneath his head like a pillow, and the other wrapped around her slim figure beside him, as she lays her head on his chest. Deep in his thoughts, he is unaware of her falling asleep, warmed by his presence, serene at being close to him. Playing with her beautiful hair spread on his chest like a crown of tribute to their love, he closes his eyes, for they will wake up only in the morning, when the sun beckons them towards another day in a life that is bound together more unyielding than any bond in the world.
The night is silent, but for them, it has written a tale that will stretch farther into the coming years, like a fairy tale that goes on, hung in the air like love from those who have passed on, present there to be sensed by those who know how to love…
