by Reet Singh
Very clever, stud! Couldn't think of anything smarter than that?
'You'll never believe what's happened,' Tina squeaked. She looked extremely jumpy, glancing over her shoulder as she spoke.
'Try me.' Aalok moved further away from the entrance to his room hoping to draw Tina away too.
'Oh, do put something on! This is most embarrassing.' She pointed to his bare chest.
'Well, if you'd only knocked before barging in like this, I'd have dressed before letting you in.'
'It's desperately urgent. Could you please hurry?' Tina, continuing with her imitation of a frightened duck, darted to peer out of the window, and almost immediately sped back.
'Okay, dammit! I'll get you a shirt!' And before Aalok knew what was what, she had yanked apart the curtains and rushed into his room. Her hissed 'Oh my god!' reverberated through his stunned brain and forced his dazed legs to move.
Before he'd taken a couple of steps, Tina was back. 'How dare you!' she sputtered, her face blotchy and the eyes popping. 'How ... What were you thinking?' She gestured violently back towards his room. 'What's got into Mohini? Has she no sense?'
Aalok reddened - what was the crazy woman on about? Mohini and he were adults. Consenting adults.
'It's none of your business,' he snapped, clenching his fists by his side when all he wanted was to bundle the disapproving shrew out of the annexe.
Had her break up unhinged her? She'd been a perfectly reasonable person when he'd met her before. He'd gone wining and dining with Ritvik and Tina several times and she'd been pleasant company.
'In any case,' he ground out, 'it was nothing - at least, nothing that ...'
'I hardly care,' Tina interrupted, completely reversing her earlier display of morbid curiosity. 'I don't have time for all this.' She gestured at him and rolled her eyes in disgust. Aalok imagined how he must look - a grown man clutching the ends of a towel about his nude self and trying to look suave and in control.
'I have my own problems,' Tina continued, pacing about the anteroom in a rather frantic way. The hunted look was back on her face but it cut no ice with Aalok. He'd had enough of the drama. The towel was rough and itchy and he was dying to get into something more substantial.
'Why don't you go sort out your problems in the comfort of your own room?' he urged. 'I'll ... we'll ... join you as soon as ....'
Tina stopped him mid-sentence. 'I can't,' she muttered. 'He's here. Up at the house. I just about managed to slink away before he saw me and I'm not going back there.'
As Aalok puzzled over her incomprehensible pronouncement, Tina darted into the room next to Aalok's.
'I'll stay here,' she said, and even though a wall separated them, Aalok detected a happy note in her voice. 'I'll stay here until he's gone. This is perfect.'
Aalok's heart sank. It wasn't perfect, not by a long stretch. He didn't want a room mate who was temperamental and fragile. Especially one whose presence precluded a very private conversation that he needed to have with Mohini.
Why wasn't Mohini up and about yet? Surely she couldn't still be asleep? How much had she heard?
§§§
Mohini, in fact, was up and about. She dressed herself even as the cryptic conference proceeded right outside the room.
She'd slept rather soundly until Tina's high-pitched 'Oh my god!' had intruded into her subconsciousness and jerked her awake. Startled by the hissed exclamation, and from finding herself in Aalok's bed, she had paid more attention to the memories flooding her brain than to the conversation between Aalok and Tina - that is, until Aalok said the words - 'It was nothing....'
Uttered spontaneously, perhaps because it mirrored the truth, his careless disavowal pierced through her stupefied brain. As she shot up in bed, clutching the sheet to her breasts, she was faintly offended - then, almost immediately, she felt profoundly silly.
Of course it had been nothing - well, sure, their physical union had enthralled and fulfilled, and had taken her mind off her heartache, but it hadn't meant anything beyond the physical. Not to her, and it shouldn't surprise her if he thought the same way.
'It was nothing...'
The heavy feeling in the region of her chest was probably a muscle she'd pulled during the lively calisthenics of the night before.
It had started with that kiss …
Their kiss had inexplicably paved the way for her to expose her soul to Aalok. The fact that he was a stranger had made it easier for her to share – had emboldened her to venture into a past that continued to haunt her. And after that, she hadn't wanted to be alone.
It hadn't been about him at all - he'd been there with his sexy, solid strength, and she'd taken advantage of the strange chemistry between them to empty her head of painful, confusing thoughts.
To give him credit, he had tried to resist, surprising her, considering that they'd been all over each other in the garden earlier. And now here he was, surprising her again, facing off her ex-almost-sister-in-law and defending her virtue.
As far as Mohini was concerned, there was no cause for Tina to take the high moral ground. She was over-reaching herself, playing outraged mama.
Mohini sighed, pulled up her hair into an untidy topknot, and prepared to go save Aalok from the clutches of a woman who sounded erratic and unstable. After trashing Aalok, she'd begun casting aspersions on Mohini, and now she had changed the subject altogether and was talking about moving into the annexe.
Talk about unpredictable, Tina took the cake. She'd never been like this. Never. She'd been steady as a rock. Simple, sweet, and very amenable. Her misunderstanding with Ritvik seemed to have shaken her to bits. What a transformation! She was brittle and bitter. Judgmental and self-righteous. Quite unrecognizable.
Well, it was time for Mohini to take charge in her role of hostess. Squaring her shoulders, and not without some trepidation, she parted the curtains and cleared her throat.
'Aalok,' she said, trying not to let his bronze skin and muscled torso remind her of anything. 'You could ... ' and she gestured to the room she had just vacated. Aalok nodded, quirked an eyebrow at her, but did not leave.
His gaze tangled with hers and she thought she saw a question in his eyes. She ignored it by turning towards Tina. It was too soon for soul searching, and she was glad when he disappeared into his room.
Tina had a sullen twist to her lips. 'He's arrived,' she snarled, without preamble. 'Your precious brother. You told him, didn't you? That I was here? I asked you not to, but you ...'
Her accusations fell on stunned ears. 'Ritvik?' Mohini held out a hand. 'I didn't tell him anything.' She tried to keep her tone reasonable. 'How could I? You'd thrown away his phone, hadn't you?'
'Oh!' Tina stilled. 'Then how ...?'
'What did you say to him? What did he have to say for himself?'
'We didn’t meet. I fled. Thank god for the fruit trees all over this ruddy place. He didn't see me and I'm bloody well not going back to the main house.'
Mohini winced at the imprecations. 'I see. But I wonder how he got in – probably hopped across Chachaji’s terrace, because I didn't hear the gate.'
'Obviously, you didn't!' Tina sneered. 'You were too busy ... '
The sound of leaves crunching underfoot caused the sneer to be wiped off her face and pure terror took its place.
When a man's low voice called out to Aalok and asked if he could come in, Tina blanched and darted into the inside room. But not before she'd given Mohini a compelling look.
She scampered out again in seconds and grabbed hold of her backpack, dragging it after her and nearly tripping in her panic to hide from her estranged fiancé.
Mohini shook her head in resignation and called out to Ritvik. 'Come on in,' she said, in as cheerful a voice as she could muster. She had three seconds to figure out what version of the truth - and how much of it - she could safely tell her brother.
Nine
'Arre Mohini? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Amritsar?'
> Mohini sighed, then went over the whole sorry scenario again for the benefit of her brother. About how she'd gone all the way to Dhariwal to catch the bus - but her supplier, Ram Swarup, had rung up - mercifully before she’d hopped on the noisy contraption - to say that her fabric supplies were delayed, that the embroidery threads were the wrong color, and that he had conjunctivitis.
Ritvik seemed to be paying attention, but he periodically shut his eyes as though fighting sleep. He had shuffled over to sit cross-legged on a colorful rug that graced the center of the anteroom - to the critical eyes of a loving sister he looked as if a truck had rammed into him, and had then driven over him to finish the job.
His clothes were crumpled and in complete disarray. A blue button-down shirt struggled to stay buttoned, and tried without luck to match a bedraggled pair of puce trousers. Mohini winced at the shoes - brown suede, the laces clumsily tied. This wasn't the dapper brother she loved. His hair looked in desperate need of shampoo and a comb, and the handsome face was haggard.
Mohini could tell he desperately missed Tina, but the quelling look Tina had given her before she dived out of sight effectively sealed Mohini's lips. She completed her story, even though her brother was distracted, and then asked, 'How come you've decided to visit? I wasn't expecting you.'
'I know, I ... wait, I came to the annexe hoping to find my friend, Aalok, and instead, I find you. Where's Aalok? His car is out at the back, but...'
Mohini was saved the trouble of responding by the appearance of the man in question. Aalok looked sparkling fresh in a white tee and navy shorts. 'What happened to you, man?' he asked Ritvik. 'You look like death warmed up.'
'I feel like death… It's Tina. She's disappeared and I can't find her. Her parents have no idea. I've looked in all the usual places, but ...' He shook his head, and Mohini's teeth clenched painfully in an effort to keep Tina's secret.
This man, she thought to herself, couldn't have cheated on Tina.
'You came here!’ she exclaimed, wondering if he had a suspicion about Tina’s whereabouts. ‘How come?’
‘I came here,’ Ritvik murmured. ‘because this is my place. I’ve always been able to think clearly when I’m here. There’s something about Tejopur, Moni, that calms me down.’
Mohini knew what he meant. She’d done the same thing, hadn’t she? Running to Tejopur was becoming a family tradition.
’Bhai,' she urged, 'tell me everything.'
It was the perfect time and the perfect place for Ritvik to clear the air. Tina, from her vantage point in the next room, would get to know the facts first-hand and that would be the end of their misery.
Mohini crossed her fingers behind her back and prayed that Ritvik would be able to explain away the presence of the naked woman.
'Ritvik?' she reminded, speaking softly so as not to appear pushy. She needed him to come clean so that his crazy, suspicious fiancée could clear him of all charges.
Aalok, apparently blind to her clever ploy, bunged a spanner into the works by interjecting at that point, 'It can wait. Come on, man, let's get you straightened up first.'
Mohini shot him a black look but he didn't notice. Instead, he offered Ritvik a hand and pulled him to his feet. 'You can tell us the details after you've freshened up and eaten. I’m guessing you've been driving all night?'
'Not driving, no. In fact, I had to take the bus. The last bus as things turned out. And then I was forced to cool my heels in Dhariwal because I couldn’t find a single tonga willing to set out for Tejopur at that hour. Finally, I remembered Tayaji's chap and I ruthlessly woke up the poor fellow, and he very kindly brought me here. Tina had my car keys, so ... anyway, long story.'
While Mohini gnashed her teeth in frustration, the two men walked out together. At the door, Aalok turned to look at her. 'Any chance you could tell me where you store the eggs and milk? Our man needs fortification, and, incidentally, so do I.'
So that is what it was, Mohini fumed - the big man was hungry and didn't care about her grand plan. This might have been their only opportunity to get Tina to hear Ritvik's side of the story. As things stood, Tina refused to have a conversation with Ritvik, preferring to believe the worst of him. What a waste of a golden opportunity!
Mohini was forced to swallow her irritation and accompany the men to the main house. While Ritvik got on with his ablutions, she quickly washed and changed out of her crumpled night gown, then joined Aalok in the kitchen.
To make sure he paid for his insensitivity, she handed Aalok two of the largest onions she could find. Then, as she tackled a dozen eggs, she surreptitiously watched him dice. When he stopped every so often to wipe his eyes on the sleeve of his tee, she was vindicated.
Serves him right!
'Noxious stuff,' he muttered, as he handed her a cupful of perfectly diced onions. Mohini was not a bit abashed. Chalk one up to her. The high from her little victory, however, did not last long because she still didn't have a solution to her brother's problem. Feeling helpless, she hissed at Aalok. 'You should have let Ritvik tell the story right there where Tina could have heard him.'
Aalok met her furious gaze with a bland look. 'No,' he responded. 'I shouldn't have and I'm glad I didn't.'
The tomatoes were chopped to perfection and Mohini grabbed them from him.
'Have a heart!' Aalok continued. 'That woman has made a mountain out of a molehill by refusing to talk things out, and I have no sympathy for her. There's no substitute for communication, but she chose to run ...'
'Uff! Don't you think I know that?' Mohini jabbed at the omelette and it fractured, adding fuel to her angst.
'Look at this mess,' she groaned, then glared at Aalok because, honestly, everything really was his fault - he'd postponed any chance of an early reconciliation between Ritvik and Tina, and by annoying her, he'd ruined the omelette she was making.
His shrug, however, suggested that he took no responsibility for any of the confusion.
Mohini turned off the fire under their now scrambled breakfast, and because Ritvik was still not back, she returned to the vexing problem that had yet to be solved. 'Aalok, do you have any bright ideas? I confess I can't think of anything.'
If she sounded a little aggravated, it didn't look like he'd noticed - he lounged carelessly against the kitchen counter and his detachment irked her some more.
'They'll figure it out,' he said, and then, when she opened her mouth to protest, he walked over and took her hands in his. 'Calm down, little one. Don't overthink things. Let them fix what they broke.'
'Tina's never going to believe anything Ritvik says,' she protested. 'Even if it's the truth. If he says it to her face, she'll imagine he's lying – that it’s just to get her to come back....'
'Hush!' Aalok pulled her closer so that she stood mere inches away. 'It has nothing to do with you.'
He looked right into her eyes, and she got lost for a moment in the dark, warm depths. It was only when he blinked, was she able to look away and collect her thoughts.
His calm wisdom, far from rubbing off on to her, made her respond contrarily. ‘I know that it’s none of my business,’ she declared, ‘and you may call me an interfering old hussy, but my way would have been cleaner and quicker.’
He laughed, then bent to kiss the top of her head. ‘You’re not old, and you’re not a hussy, but you are interfering in your brother’s affairs.’
Mohini stiffened, but the platonic kiss had done its damage. Besides, tiny electric currents were heating up her skin, starting from the tips of the fingers he still held. She wished he would move away because she couldn’t.
A potent pheromone that he exuded - the one she seemed to be breathing in by the kilogram since he was standing so close – was sapping her will. It reminded her of last night.
§§§
A gruff curse at the kitchen door had Mohini whirling about. She freed her hands from Aalok’s and wondered at the annoying rush of heat that warmed her cheeks.
She wasn’t guilty of
anything and yet she felt as if her brother had caught her with her hand in the cookie jar. Absurd.
Why was Ritvik looking so grim?
'Hi! You’re just in time for a big Tejopur breakfast,' she blurted.
Ritvik did not respond to her overtures. He stood stone-still and Mohini had a bad feeling about it.
His lips had thinned and there were dark clouds in his eyes. 'Did you,' he growled, and he wasn't looking at Mohini, 'have your arms around my sister?'
Mohini flinched at the overt menace in her brother’s voice. Aalok, however, was a study in calm affability. ‘Not arms, no, though I was holding her hands,’ he admitted.
Mohini sensed a giggle begin somewhere in her throat, but she clamped down on it with fierce determination. The sight of her brother behaving like a patriarchal guardian would have been funny if he hadn't been so coldly furious.