I'm All Yours

by Madhumitha Lakshamanan

  "Does that seem funny to you?"

  "Okay! Let's not spoil our night because of some stupid waiter."

  He still had a stern look on his face.

  "Relax, babe," I said and soon his mood shifted, giving me a sexy smirk.

  He got up from his chair and approached me.

  "Can I have a dance with my lady," he asked, holding his hand out to me. 'My lady.' That endearment sent electric shivers down my spine.

  Dancing and I were poles apart. In fact I can't even take a step properly. I literally fractured my leg from hammering the brake and accelerator pedals in the car. It led to a big accident. I didn't want to remember that, now. But, that was just an example. The list of my sprains and fractures was an unending one.

  I cleared my throat " Gautham.. I can't dance."

  "I remember you dancing at Sonia's party"

  "I did that just to make you jealous," I admitted.

  A playful smile spread across his handsome face. He pulled me up from the chair.

  "Ahh," I yelped due to the unexpected force exerted on the cut on my ankle.

  His expression turned to worry. "You okay?" he asked.

  "It's nothing, I'm fine," I said with a re-assuring smile.

  He seemed to relax after my assurance. "Why did you want to make me jealous?" he asked, pulling me closer to him.

  "Because, you made me jealous," I said, remembering the incident when he left me alone in a room filled with strangers, but he had a wonderful time with pretty ladies in skimpy clothes.

  "I didn't make you jealous, sweetheart, trust me. Women just throw themselves at my feet, I can't help it," he said.

  "And you were enjoy their company," I said, a bit angry.

  "Let's not fight over people who don’t matter," he said, rubbing my back.

  "And remember this, I can always make you dance," he said and within minutes we started dancing slowly to the soft music. Our bodies molded together, like we belonged to each other. His eyes never left mine. We were playing a staring game. But I loved getting lost in his eyes.

  "I can get used to this," he said with a satisfied smile on his face.

  "I can never get used to dancing, like never ever," I said and a shudder ran through my body.

  He chuckled and it was the most wonderful sound in my world.

  "I can get used to that," I said.

  His hands moved from my waist to my leg, rubbing it gently, making my heart beat faster and louder and I was scared if he would hear it.

  His face inched closer to mine, just leaving a gap of a hair's breadth. He looked deep into my eyes, making my knees go weak. I closed my eyes as his lips touched mine. We shared a deep and passionate kiss.

  "I am sorry for everything I did, Shakthi," he said, resting his forehead on mine.

  "It's okay. But, before assuming anything just confirm it with me, once," I said.

  "I will." He pecked on my lips.

  ***

  "I can always give you the best dessert, baby," he said when the new waiter left us with our desserts.

  I felt my cheeks become hot.

  "This is the best dessert, Gautham," I said, relishing the first mouthful of the sizzling brownie. I wanted to irritate him a little, though.

  "I can always show you I can give you the best."

  "Why don't you save it for later," I winked at him.

  When we got home I was so tired that I wanted to hit the bed without changing.

  I lay on the bed and closed my eyes. The bathroom door clicked open and he stood there with his delicious bare chest, toweling his gorgeous wet hair, looking intently at me.

  "What?" I asked.

  He came closer to me and that was when I saw that the hem of my dress had ridden up to my thighs, leaving almost the entire length of my leg bare. I stood, straightening my dress.

  "What are you thinking?" I asked when I saw a mischievous glint in his eyes.

  "Thinking of how you would look without this piece of fabric on you," he said.

  "Why? Don't you like the dress that you bought for me?" I asked, thinking that I was cornering him.

  "Your birthday suit is nowhere near to what I bought, sweetheart," he said, making me blush.

  "You wish!" I said, sticking my tongue out.

  "I do," he said and came towards me as I moved backwards.

  "Gautham, no," I whispered.

  "Yes," he said with a devilish grin.

  "Please," I said and I felt my head lightly hit the wall. I pressed a finger on his naked chest.

  "Am I making you nervous?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

  "Yea.. I mean. No! No, not at all!" I said, nudging him away, grabbing my nightclothes and heading to the bathroom.

  Shakthi! Relax! It's just the close proximity that is making you nervous! After taking a few deep breaths, I felt tranquil and changed.

  I opened the door and I saw him arranging my pillows. I was excited to sleep on this bed, but with the sexual tension thick, it made me a little anxious.

  When he saw me coming, he moved to his side of the bed and lay on it.

  "Join me?" he asked. I went and slept on the bed, tucking myself under the duvet.

  "Not so far from me," he said, pulling me into his arms and I ended up laying my head on his naked chest. I could hear his heartbeat and I made small circles with my finger on his naked torso.

  "I will never hurt you again, Shakthi!"

  "What is done is done. It is our past now. Just let it go."

  "I know! Let's begin our lives with a fresh start," he said, kissing my hair.

  "Hopefully," I said, kissing his chest.

  ***

  The bright, Sunday sun shone through the curtains making it too hard for me to open my eyes.

  "You look beautiful." Gautham’s head was propped up on his elbow.

  My cheeks turned hot.

  "Even more beautiful," he whispered, which made me sprint to the bathroom.

  I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair looked like a bird's nest, dark circles clearly visible under my eyes and he said that I was beautiful! This man needs to get his eyes checked.

  After my usual morning routine, I came out and that was when I heard a little girl's laughter coming from the hall.

  I walked and I saw Gautham etickling the five year old Ria, his niece. She was similar to her mom, Sri.

  "Hey cutie pie," I sang and kissed her on her cute cheek while Gautham kept tickling her.

  She smiled and threw herself into my arms like she was trying to escape from Gautham's tickles.

  "Easy there, baby!!" I said, hugging her to my chest.

  "Sri has some work. She wants us to babysit her till the evening," he said, going to fetch the mug of coffee.

  "Do you have toffees?" Ria asked with a cute smile and a twinkle in her eyes.

  "No toffees, Ria! Your mom will beat the shit out of me." Gautham sipped on his coffee.

  Immediately Ria's smile faded and she looked like she was about to cry.

  "Gautham! Stop being so rude! She is just a little girl!" I said, moving to the fridge to take the packet of gummy bears that I had stored.

  The house came alive. After putting some toffees into a bowl, I took it and went to the hall.

  Gautham was doing push-ups and Ria was sitting on his shoulders, clapping and encouraging him to do more.

  Gautham never did his exercise at home. But, just at the request of this little girl, he did it happily. He looked really delighted, like nothing else in the world mattered to him except to do more of these push-ups for this adorable girl. He really seemed to love children.

  "More moooreee, uncle Gautham!" she said, clapping her tiny little hands.

  But, the moment she saw me with the bowl of toffees in my hand, she got down from his shoulders and ran to me.

  I kneeled and handed the bowl to her. She kissed me on my cheek. "That will be the last set of toffees," Gautham warned. She remained oblivious to him and she sang some school rhyme of her's
and settled in front of the TV, watching Tellytubbies, eating her gummy bears.

  "What do you think our baby will look like?" he asked.

  "Wh..What?" I asked, checking if I had heard him correctly.

  "What will our child look like?" he asked.

  I blushed.

  "I want her to look like you and be like you," he said, quickly pecking me on my lips. He disappeared into the bedroom.

  That was a lot to take. He wants a baby! He wants a girl! I stood there, blushing like an idiot.

  Gautham soon left me and Ria in the house to complete his work. I wondered what he was up to! He had resigned. So, what was his next step going to be?

  ***

  I was baking a cake for Ria and just when I had set the oven, the doorbell rang.

  I walked to the front door and opened it. There stood a woman in her mid-twenties. Her brown hair was in a messy pony tail. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She looked like she was just recovering from some disease or something.

  "Has uncle Gautham come?" Ria asked from the hall.

  "No, dear! It's not your uncle," I answered Ria.

  "Has Gautham gone somewhere?" the girl asked.

  "Excuse me, but who are you?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. She seemed to know him.

  "His girlfriend."

  Chapter 42-Coming in Terms with Reality

  Shakthi's POV

  "Excuse me, but who are you?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. She seemed to know him.

  "His girlfriend."

  "Oh, please! Stop this nonsense already!" I said.

  She laughed with a strong sarcastic edge. "Poor, Shakthi! I really pity your condition! But, be ready for the divorce!"

  None of Gautham's friends knew that we were married. How does she know my name?

  "Gautham is my husband! He will never divorce me," I said.

  "What do you think, if you're married to him, he is yours? You trapped my boyfriend who wasn't even interested in marrying a slutty gold digger like you!"

  "I didn't trap him! Our marriage was arranged! But, now it looks like you're here to trap him!"

  "I am not here to trap him! He is already mine and will be mine!" She sneered.

  "Ha! Go and tell your stories to someone who is jobless!"

  "I knew that you won't believe me! That is why I brought you a present!" she said, grabbing her phone and tapped it for a few minutes.

  She handed me her phone and it contained a selfie of Gautham and her in some beach and Gautham was kissing her on her cheek while she had clicked it. Gautham looked like he was really in love and this girl was indeed pretty in this picture.

  "He has many pictures like that with other women! That doesn't make every single woman who clicks a picture with him, his girlfriend," I said.

  "Maybe a good hard blow will bring some sense into you! Which husband on his wedding night, would call and talk to another girl saying that he loves her and not his wife?"

  I felt the blood drain from my face.

  I remember how he rushed his 'I love you' when he saw me coming from the restroom. It all started to add up.

  "Made any sense, dumb head?" she asked.

  "Just leave!" I was about to close the door.

  "Not so soon!" she said, stopping the door with her hand. I felt like giving her a good punch on her crooked nose.

  "What now?"

  She took a paper and scribbled something on it. "Hand this over to Gautham." She forced the paper into my hand and left.

  I closed the door with a loud bang, in frustration and I read the paper.

  'Your wife was not that pleased to meet me. Call me soon-love, Natasha.'

  I have heard her name somewhere. Yeah, once when Gautham and I went on a lunch date, she had called him up and he couldn't answer the call in front of me that he had to go out.

  I stuck the note on fridge, for him to come and have a look. I slid down, leaning my head on the fridge and pulling my knees to my chest.

  I really didn't want to make any assumptions before confronting him. But, my brain already started to work overtime, Things were just getting better between us and she had to appear now?

  During our lunch date, I remembered asking him about his girlfriend and he got really furious. He couldn't be faking it all, could he?

  I tried not to feel bad, because somewhere I felt that Gautham wouldn't do such an injustice to me.

  Does this have any connection with Gautham's disappearance for those few weeks? Those weeks, I would never forget of what I had to go through!

  My head throbbed! My brain was a barrage of questions. Jealousy got the better of me! That girl did look beautiful and a part of me felt guilty for this arranged marriage that he was forced into.

  I know that I must trust Gautham and I shouldn't make any ridiculous assumptions before talking to him ,but what Natasha showed me didn't help!

  "Aunt Shakthiiii" Ria screamed, tapping my shoulder. "You are cryinggg?" she said, making an 'O' with her pink lips and that made me laugh.

  Her tiny fingers wiped my rolling tears. "Did uncle Gautham do anything to you?" she asked.

  "No, sweetheart! It's nothing! Come here!" I pulled her into my arms, kissing her chubby cheeks and she kissed mine back. She lightened my mood in a minute and I just couldn't wait to have a baby like her!

  I didn't even know if my marriage was going to last and here I was thinking about having babies!

  I stood up and set Ria on her feet.

  "Is the cake ready???" she asked, following me.

  "Just a minute Ria," I said and I rushed to the oven. The delicious aroma filled the air. I pulled the mouthwatering chocolate cake from the oven. In no time we dug into it without saving a single piece for Gautham or Sri to taste.

  Leaving her to watch TV, I had a hot shower and wore another pair of fresh sweatpants and a tank top. I ran a brush through my hair removing the tangles and put it up in a messy bun.

  I went and checked on Ria. She was absorbed in what she was watching. I spent the entire day by diverting myself and playing with Ria, but the nagging headache continued in spite of me trying to keep Gautham at the back of my mind. Ria was such a blessing in disguise and I was thankful to this adorable angel.

  I tried calling him and his phone was unreachable.

  It was almost six in the evening and Ria was playing Hangaroo on my iPad and I used the time to make some dinner, incase Sri joined us.

  The doorbell rang.

  "I will get it, aunt Shakthi!!" she said.

  "No! wai-" before I could stop her, I heard her excited voice.

  "Thank youuu, unclee."

  "You like it?" Gautham's deep voice filled the air.

  "I lurrveee eeett," she spoke.

  I turned off the stove to go and catch the scene in the hall, when suddenly I felt his strong arm wrap around my waist and bring me closer to his chest.

  "Hope you didn't miss me much," he spoke softly into my ears, making me shiver.

  All the memories of morning filled my brain. I quickly pulled his arm from me and faced him. He looked shocked and hurt, but I just can't have this conversation now with a child with us.

  "Ria, shall we have our dinner?" I asked, walking to the hall, leaving Gautham.

  "Look what uncle Gautham has got me!! Isn't it cuteee?" she asked, showing the stuffed toy of Winnie the Pooh.

  "Not as cute as you, baby," I said and kissed her on her nose.

  Gautham changed into his Pajama pants and a v neck t-shirt.

  I had my toughest time feeding Ria. She kept running around and playing, refusing to eat.

  "Ria! Come on! I will give you another toffee if you finish your food!" I said, running behind her.

  "She doesn't like dinner," Gautham commented.

  "No! Ria baby loves dinner, right Ria?"

  "Yeaa! I lurvee your pasta," she said and took the plate of pasta from me, settling herself on the couch. I loved every bit of this girl.

  I gave Gautham a -in your face- look
and arranged Ria's hair behind her ears, because she was finding it tough to eat it with the hair in her way.

  Gautham sighed and sat on the couch, slowly picking Ria's tiny body and sitting her on his lap

  "How does it taste?" Gautham asked, looking affectionately at Ria.

  "Yummmm," she said, closing her eyes, raising both her eyebrows and licking her lips.

  Her reaction did earn a hearty laugh from Gautham. I couldn't help but stand there and admire both of them.

  "She does cook well," he said, suddenly looking into my eyes.

  I looked away, not wanting meet his gaze.

  The bell rang. I really hope that it was Sri! I can't wait anymore to have the 'conversation' with Gautham. I ran to the front door and opened it and I was caught off guard with the tight hug that I was pulled into.

  "How are you?" Sri asked, releasing me from the hug.

  "Good and how's your life?" I asked, pulling her into the house and locking the door.

  "Same old," she said, setting her handbag down.

  "So, what work did you have?" I asked. It was weird for her to work on a Sunday. She was a lawyer and her law firm doesn't work on weekends.

  "Nothing important. So tell me, is there any good news?" Did she already expect me to be pregnant? She reminded me of Ankitha!

  “Nothing to tell, just the usual,” I said and walked her towards the kitchen. "Look who we have!" I announced as we reached Gautham and Ria.

  "Mommyyy!" Ria screamed, getting down from Gautham's lap and running to Sri, hugging her waist.

  "Were you a good girl??" she asked.

  "Yes mommy," she said.

  "Aww! She has been on her best behavior, trust me," I said, gently ruffling Ria's hair and she gave me her mesmerizing smile.

  "Is the work done?" Gautham asked Sri and they had a conversation.

  Sri refused dinner saying that her husband would be waiting for her. In spite of having an arranged marriage, they were in so much love even after six years, unlike me and Gautham.

  In the next few minutes she left with Ria, and the silence was torturous.

  Soon Gautham dived into his laptop, typing furiously.

  I was scared to confront him! What if it was all true? I was scared to learn the truth and I was even more scared if I would be able to accept if he said actually had a girlfriend.