Five-Thirty AM - XLVI

So Happy Together

Wednesday, June 12th.

Noel and Mitul were on their honeymoon in the United Kingdom.

Noel had planned the trip, and asked her if there was anything specific that she wanted to make a stop for. Two things, she’d said. The British Museum, to see the original copy of the ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, by John Keats. And a visit to the Lake District to pay homage to the Romantic poet who died at the age of twenty-six, of tuberculosis!

Turned out, Noel wasn’t the first person she’d been a fan of. She’d been a fan of Keats since High School. Those were tough odds, but he figured he had better chances with her, since he was alive and Keats was very much dead! She didn’t find that very funny. She was a serious fan, so he indulged her.

So they’d spent two days in London before flying out to Liverpool. They had to visit the home of the Beatles, how could they not? Then they would drive through the Lake District and on to Edinburgh in Scotland. They decided to stop where they could, eat where they could. They had no set itineraries.

If they wanted to see the Hadrian Wall, then they’d do it. If they wanted to see the moors, they’d do that, too.

Through it all, they learnt about each other, understanding each other’s little habits and kinks, and adjusting to them. He hated the top being left off the toothpaste. She hated him wearing socks to bed. He was a neat freak, she was a bit of a slob. He found she was grumpy if not fed on time. She found he always preferred to be in the driver’s seat. But in the end, they always made up with love.

As far as Mitul knew, they would be returning from Edinburgh to London, to spend a few days there, before heading back home. They’d stayed at a bed and breakfast the night before. She had finished packing their clothes, while he had gone to fill the car up with petrol. She still said ‘gas’ occasionally, but was getting used to those English terms that she’d forgotten she knew.

They loaded up their bags into the car, and to her immense surprise, instead of heading to the airport, he headed further North.

‘Noel?’ she asked, ‘where are we going now? Aren’t we going back to London?’

‘Nope,’ he shook his head.

‘Then where?’ she asked.

‘You’ll see,’ he said mysteriously. They’d been driving for about two hours through fields and meadows, and what she found out later was Rob Roy country, when she saw the signs posting mileage.

‘Inverness, 50 miles,’ she read. ‘Inverness. Loch Ness.’ She looked at him and went, ‘Oh no! no! no! Noel, you didn’t.’

‘Yes, I did!’ he grinned. ‘What’s a honeymoon without another of those thrown in?’

‘And what have you planned for us there?’ she asked him suspiciously.

‘What do you think?’ he asked.

‘A monster hunting trip, I hope,’ she grinned.

He nodded his head. ‘Yep. We’ll do that tomorrow. Today, we’re just going to sight see in Inverness itself.’

‘I wonder how the tour operators will feel if we tell them we’re cryptid magnets,’ she laughed.

‘I think they’d give us some kind of an award,’ he mused.

‘Or maybe, sponsor us for a trip to the Himalayas, to look for the Yeti,’ she said disgustedly.

They laughed at their own nonsense. Yet each believed in a corner of their hearts, that maybe there were creatures out there that humans had never encountered.

They found their hotel, which was a nice, clean one, and spent the rest of the day, going around Inverness, and a tour through Inverness Castle.

The next day, they woke up early and got up with a sense of anticipation. Who knew what they would see?

Their boat tour didn’t start till around one in the afternoon. So they did a little shopping, had lunch and then left for the tour. It took them half an hour to get to Loch Ness itself, and find the location for their boat tour. The boat was equipped with sonars and underwater cameras that would allow them to see under the surface.

They were struck by the lake’s near dark, almost oily waters. You could barely see under the surface! As the boat began moving, they both couldn’t help but remember the first time that they’d been on a boat together.

Today was nothing like that. A cold wind had sprung up under the overcast sky, turning the waters a little choppy.

As the boat chugged along deeper into the lake, they kept waiting for the sonar pinging to change, letting them know something had been spotted. Noel held her hand, when the boat lurched a couple of times, and he drew her away from the railings towards the interior.

They sat on one of the benches on the deck, away from the rest of the people, in their own little world, gazing at the white wake the boat left behind.

‘You know, when you look at a day like this, and you look at the lake, you can almost fool yourself into thinking something lurks beneath it,’ he said in low tones.

‘I know, there’s a strange feeling in the air,’ she answered in an equally low voice, looking around her. The wooded areas along the shore looked sinister almost. Fort Urquhart in the distance a brooding presence.

‘Same as when we saw the Pogayen,’ he looked at her. ‘Why do you think we keep seeing them, Mitul?’

‘I don’t know. And I don’t know if we’ll see anything today either. I mean,’ she waved her hand around, indicating the boats making their tours, the thumping from the engines, the chatter of people around them. ‘If you were an animal, would you come out when there’s so much disturbance?’

‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘But you didn’t answer my question.’

‘Noel, I feel like these creatures are,’ she searched for the words, coming up empty. ‘They wanted to tell us something. I think we heard them.’

He raised his eyebrows, what?’

‘I feel like they wanted to tell us how we feel about each other. Every time we felt them or heard them or saw them, something happened with US.’ She shrugged her shoulders.

‘And now?’ he asked, her theory hare-brained as it was, made perfect sense to him.

‘And now, we’ve heard them, so there’s no need for them to help us,’ she finished.

‘That sounds weird,’ she said when he stayed silent. ‘Weird and lame.’

‘No,’ he wrapped his arms around her, ‘it doesn’t. I don’t think we need Nessie any more.’ They smiled at each other. Lost in each other’s eyes. They were the only people left on the upper deck, Noel leaned in and kissed her, a succulently tender kiss, as he closed his eyes. She felt him, as always down to the tips of her toes. She wrapped her arms around him while the boat made its way further into the dark waters of Loch Ness.

They returned to the pier a little earlier than expected, the bad weather prompting all boats to return to their docks.

The rest of the afternoon, they spent in bed.

As night fell over Inverness, the sudden storm passed, although the clouds still hung cold and grey over the Loch. The black surface of the water was almost still with no ripples breaking it. Fort Urquhart loomed like a black shadow in the dark night. Fishes plopped out of the water now and then. A team of Nessie hunters set up monitors along the shore, just in case Nessie decided to show up. But all remained quiet and calm. The next morning the team came back to check their monitors. Nothing had been captured. Nothing could be captured. Loch Ness wasn’t willing to give up its secrets so easily. Nessie refused to come out and play.

***** 

Saturday, June 29th.

Noel and Mitul had returned to India, and were now comfortably settled in Noel’s flat. As promised, Joyce was the only one who had a professional photographer at the wedding, and even though there were no standard portraits of the bride and groom, the unguarded moments caught by the photographer more than made up for it.

Exactly one week after Mitul’s wedding, Myna had received a more than generous offer to join RR. She had gleefully accepted it, for the first time feeling that sense of achievement that comes with acknowledgement of work well done.

However, the catch was that Myna would have to participate in some workshops in Delhi for a couple of weeks. She still had a week left to go. Which brings us to Dev and his current state of angst.

First of all, she’d thrown that challenge in his face - the whole special moment thing. Secondly, she was out of town, he hadn’t seen her in days and it bothered the hell out of him. So here he was, sitting on the couch at Noel and Mitul’s place, grumbling about being on his own.

The three of them were racking their heads to come up with a clever, innovative way for him to propose. Each idea was discarded as being too cheesy or too overdone or too whatever. Nothing was perfect.

‘Mitul,’ he finally asked her. ‘I know you said, that Noel’s proposal was perfect. Why was it perfect? What made it perfect?’

She thought for a moment, as she reached out a hand to her husband. It still gave her a weird feeling, to call Noel her husband. But she focused on Dev’s question and tried to answer it as best she could.

‘What made it perfect was that he did it from his heart. The moment felt right and he went for it. Sunrise - five-thirty in the morning is special to us. So for him to propose at exactly that time, was perfect. What he had to say, was perfect. I didn’t need him to give me hearts and flowers and candy. I only wanted his heart and he gave it to me,’ she explained, looking up at Noel as she leaned on him. They smiled at each other.

Dev sighed. He thought back to his first meeting with her. They’d fought so many times until finally they’d given up fighting their feelings for each other. She deserved a perfect wedding, but first there had to be the perfect proposal.

Mitul got up to go check on dinner. Weekends they usually gave Shomu off, so she was in charge of the kitchen.

Noel looked at Dev and said, ‘you’re really serious about this, huh?’

Dev nodded. ‘I have to sweep her off her feet,’ he said.

‘What does she like?’ Noel asked.

‘She’s got traditional values,’ he replied.

‘Traditional? Myna?’ quizzically.

‘Very,’ firmly.

‘Didn’t you guys?’ hesitantly.

‘No.’ Shyly.

‘In six months? Never?’ incredulously.

‘Nope,’ strongly. Pause ‘And you?’ curiously.

‘Christmas,’ blushingly.

‘Whoa!’ admiringly.

Pause.

‘So now what?’ questioningly.

‘Something that she can’t say no to,’ thoughtfully.

‘And neither can her mother,’ said Mitul, rejoining them.

Dev looked at her strangely. ‘I know what she can never say no to.’

‘What d’you mean?’ both Noel and Mitul were intrigued.

****** 

A week later on Friday, Myna arrived back in Mumbai. As she entered the Imani house, she was greeted by Kamini, who came in bustling and said, ‘Myna, we’re all going to Pune, tomorrow, so keep some clothes packed. The flight is at 7:30 in the morning.’

‘Why? What happened?’ she asked, alarmed.

‘I don’t know, but your parents have asked for you to come immediately,’ said her aunt.

‘You don’t know?’ she murmured. ‘Let me call Ma and see.’

She called her mother immediately, and Kuntala picked up the phone. ‘Ma. what’s going on? Why do we have to go to Pune so suddenly?’

‘I can’t talk over the phone. Just come down tomorrow with your Badi-Ma and Bade-baba, and then we’ll talk,’ her mother disconnected. It sounded ominous. Were they going to stop her taking this job with RR now? Did her mother want to drag her back to Pune. And Dev. Oh no! She thought, as she lugged her bags into her room.

She dialed him as soon as she closed the door to her room. To her disappointment his phone was turned off. All week, he’d told her how much he was missing her, and now when she needed to connect with him, his phone was off! Really? Just as she was coming back to town? It’s not like he didn’t know the flight details, she thought. And why hadn’t he picked her up at the airport either? You’d think a boyfriend would do things like that! But then again, how many girls are blessed with a boyfriend that is so contrary?

With that thought, she finished packing for the weekend, before going down again. Later that night, she finally got through and he answered. Only to tell her that he’d been in the air and that’s why his phone had been turned off, and that he was out of town. So she told him about her trip to Pune. He told her, he missed her and that was it.

The next day Myna, her Badi-Ma and Bade-Baba arrived in Pune. Her mother was in a tizzy, hugging her and telling her how much she’d missed her. Strangely enough, she’d missed her mother, too, so she hugged her right back, feeling the tears welling in her eyes.

‘Ma, what’s going on?’ she finally asked, when they were all seated.

‘Myna,’ her mother said. ‘How long are you going to wait for Dev?’

‘Why’re you asking me this, Ma?’ she asked, feeling a sudden feeling of dread inside her.

‘You’re getting older, Myna. And your maasi has found this really nice boy. They’re coming today to see you,’ Kuntala said.

‘What?!’ Myna shot up from her seat. ‘Ma, you know that Dev and I-’

‘I know that Dev and you have been seeing each other for the past six months. But it’s high time he does something about it. And if he doesn’t, then I have to do something about MY daughter’s future,’ she said sternly.

‘I’m not marrying any Tom, Dick and Harry you present to me, Ma,’ said Myna. ‘I’ve already told you this, and I’m telling you again,’ she almost stomped her foot at that.

‘Myna, calm down,’ said Kamini. ‘Since things are this far gone, let’s get today over with, and then we’ll see, okay?’ she pleaded to her irate sister-in-law.

‘The request has come from their family. Now go get changed and come,’ Kuntala told her daughter. ‘And wear a sari or a salwar kameez,’ she added as a parting shot to her daughter’s departing back.

She tried Dev’s number once more while she was dressing and it went to voicemail. Disappointed, she got ready to meet whoever-it-was from wherever-it-was. She already knew what her answer would be.

When Myna was finally called down to meet the family, she walked into the room, little expecting to see what she did.

Dev’s parents sat there, with Dev beside them. He wore a white churidar kurta and looked up at her with a smile. Noel and Mitul sat with them. As Dev’s friends, they now represented the prospective groom’s family. Her eyes were almost popping out of her head to see everybody sitting calmly talking and drinking tea and eating samosas as if they did this on a daily basis!

Kuntala looked up at her and said, ‘come, Myna, join us.’ She sat down inelegantly with a thump. Dev had a smirk on his face as though he knew exactly what she was thinking.

He’d felt bad doing this to her, but it had taken a lot of planning and running around to get this done. And now he could enjoy the fruits of all that careful thought.

‘Aunty,’ said Dev, ‘can I talk to Myna in private?’

‘Of course, of course, it’s not like you two don’t know each other!’ said Kuntala. ‘Go, Myna, take him to your room.’

She headed out the door, still in a daze, without looking to see if he was following her. He entered her room and shut the door.

She stood there for a moment quietly and then turned on him, eyes flashing. ‘What the hell, Dev? What the hell is that?’ She pushed at his chest, catching him by surprise.

His back slammed against the door, the knob digging into his back excruciatingly painfully. ‘Aah!’ he cried out, shutting his eyes against the pain. His hand going instinctively to the pain point.

‘Dev?’ she cried out alarmed. ‘Dev, oh my God! I’m so sorry, so sorry, Dev.’ She pulled him forward, turning him around, and lifting up his kurta to see a dark blue bruise forming just above his butt. She rubbed it lightly, blowing on it. In between, she murmured, ‘I’m so sorry.’ She helped him sit on the bed, and insisted he take off his kurta while she got some sort of balm to put on it.

He lay on his stomach as she rubbed the balm in. A big bruise had already started to form on the site. Dev winced every time she rubbed her fingers over it. He waited until she waa done applying the balm, before getting up and putting on his kurta. The icy-heat from the balm was reducing the pain quickly.

‘You know, Myna,’ he said head bent, buttoning up the garment. ‘We came in here to talk. Because I need to tell you something.’ It was as if those few moments on her bed had given him a clarity that he hadn’t had in the last few weeks.

‘I wanted everything to be perfect for you. I know how much you value certain things, and you’ve never given me cause to believe otherwise. Which is why in six months, we never actually did.. anything which would compromise with you and your beliefs.

‘I asked my parents to ask for your hand in marriage,’ he lifted his eyes to look at her. ‘But I needed to know if you wanted to marry me or not, in the first place. Whether you can see me as the last man in your life, and the first. I know I’ve thought of you that way for a long time. You’re the first woman I ever fell in love with. I’ve been in love with you since I saw you. But I want us to move forward. I want us to have a life together. But only if you want it too,’ he finished, his head still bent as he stood in front of her.

She stood there, drinking in his words. How long she’d waited for him to say it. And here she was, when she needed to open her mouth, she was completely speechless. He sighed and moved to the door, when she said, ‘Wait!’

She came and stood in front of him, and said, ‘I do!’ A smile broke across his face, as he gathered her into his arms, hugging her close.

‘Let’s go and tell the parents,’ he said, wincing as he turned around. He put an arm around her, she put her arm around his waist, and slowly the two of them went into the parlor to give every body their news.

Myna had finally agreed to marry Dev.

********* THE END ************

Five-Thirty AM - XLV

The Party Continues

Naval twirled Pakhi around as they moved to the beat of the salsa. Both were natural dancers, and loved to dance with each other. He pulled her close, and with his hands on her waist asked her what she was thinking of.

She had had a distracted look on her face all evening and it worried him.

She looked up at him, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief and said, ‘nothing that I can’t tell you about tonight.’

‘Tell me,’ he urged, drawing her close to his chest, swaying at half the beat.

‘I was thinking,’ she drawled.

‘What about?’ he asked patiently.

‘I think I would like an October wedding, maybe,’ she narrowed her eyes, looking up at him, to check his reaction.

He stopped. Standing still right there in the middle of the dance floor. Looking at her hopefully. For so long he’d waited patiently to hear those words from her. Now that she’d finally said it, a slow smile spread on his face.

‘Are you sure?’ he asked, moving again the music.

She laid her head on his shoulder, facing him and said, ‘very sure. I’ve been sure for a while. But now, it seems like the perfect time. I’m ready to have my own family.’ Teardrops glittered on her lashes. He swooped down, and placed his lips on her eyes.

She swallowed and looked up at him. ‘Can we have babies right away?’ she asked.

He laughed low and incredulously, ‘babies? Just how many do you want?’

‘At least three,’ she whispered. ‘I want a full house, Naval.’

‘You really are sure about this, aren’t you?’ he asked.

She nodded, tucking her face into his neck.

He smiled. ‘Okay.’

‘Just okay?’ she looked up again.

‘Whatever you want. I can never say no to you, you know that.’ He said lovingly, tenderly.

‘I know,’ she whispered. He kissed her cheek before taking her hand and drawing her away from the crowds.

*******

The cake was finally wheeled out and amidst whistles and cheers, Noel and Mitul cut through the cake, feeding each other, and taking time to lick each other’s fingers clean, despite all the suggestive comments flying around them. Then there was more dancing, a buffet quaking under the weight of food, and a pair of twins who were up to no good, aided and abetted by a new friend.

Piya and Jiya had been delighted to meet Mitzy. She were somewhere in between them, not as mischievous as Piya but not so quiet as Jiya either. She had a husband who obviously adored her, and who she in turn, loved to bits. She was also closer in age to them, and so the girls bonded easily, over ice cream.

‘So are they having the whole Suhaag-Raat thing or no?’ asked Mitzy. This obvious blend of Hindu-Christian customs was a little confusing to her. Since Mitzy herself was half-American by birth, she’d been brought up with Hindu customs, but was very familiar with Christian customs too.

‘I believe so,’ Piya said. ‘We should probably go ask Shelley and see what they’ve done. We did mention that it was our custom.’

‘And are you’ll going to steal his shoes?’ Mitzy asked.

‘Really, Mitzy, can you see Noel taking off his shoes?’ Jiya asked. ‘Not a chance.’

‘He’s taken off that cummerband though. Must have been bothering him,’ Piya added.

‘Rishik was refusing to wear a sherwani for our wedding. I think he would have preferred to have been in a suit for the second one, too.’

‘Second one?’ Piya asked.

‘Yes,’ she nodded. ‘We had two weddings,’ Mitzy dug her spoon into her bowl. ‘One in the US, which was a civil wedding, and then one here in India, because his family wanted us to have the whole traditional thing. Mitul did a smart job. She did an all-in-one!’ she exclaimed, plopping the spoon into her mouth.

The other two laughed with her.

‘So how about, we give Noel a little taste of Jeeju-Saali relationship?’ asked Piya, watching Noel and Mitul sitting close, their heads together as he held her hand.

‘I’m game,’ said Jiya.

Mitzy looked from one face to another, and grinned. ‘I’m game, too. After all, I’m like his bhabi. It’s my right.’

The three of them went inside to check on the preparations for the Suhaag Raat. The room had indeed been decorated beautifully by Shelley and Pakhi. The bed was flower strewn. The candles were, as yet unlit. But otherwise the room was ready for the newly weds.

*****

The guests had all left, except for the Rathods. Mitzy had entrenched herself firmly into the Figueiredo clan, so Rishik had perforce to stay back.

It was time for Mitul to throw the bouquet, before she was led inside for her suhaag raat. She stood at the top of the steps leading into the house, and looked at the sea of faces in front of her. Taking note of where Pakhi was, she decided to aim her bouquet at her. Myna stood a little to the side, taking in the scene.

Kuntala had asked Kamini what this “ritual” meant. When Kamini explained that the girl who got the bouquet would be the one getting married next, she hurried over, making her way to stand right behind Myna.

Mitul turned around and amidst chanting of ‘Three!... Two! ... ONE!!’ She threw the bouquet over to where she knew Pakhi was standing.

In the mad scramble to get to the bouquet, Myna felt someone shove her forward. She stumbled forward, trying to stay on her feet, before she fell flat on her face. She put her hands out to hold on to something, and the bouquet landed in her hands! At the same time, two strong arms grab her around the waist, preventing her from falling. They held on to her dead weight, and then pulled her upright, her back hitting a hard chest. She knew who it was without even turning her head.

Kuntala was almost beside herself with joy! She’d shoved Myna at exactly the right moment and she had stumbled forward. Not only had she caught the bouquet, Dev had also saved her from falling! Thanks to the Goddess! She’d done it right! Now nothing would stop them from getting married. Of course, she’d been overjoyed when she’d heard that they were dating. But then, he didn’t seem to want to propose to her daughter. So her justification for the shove, was a push in the right direction.

Everyone crowded around Myna, teasing her, till her cheeks resembled the strawberry color of the lehenga she had worn.

Only one voice filtered through. As he bent his head to help her stand, he murmured in her ear, ‘that’s cheating, you know.’ He’d put her on her feet and disappeared. After a few moments, she followed Mitul and her entourage of Shelley, the twins, Pakhi and Mitzy into the house.

As she walked in, a strong hand came out and pulled her away from the group moving towards Noel’s room. He dragged her upstairs, not stopping till he came to the terrace door, opened it and stepped outside. Then he shut the door on the outside world.

*****

They settled Mitul on the bed, arranging her lehenga so it spread in a circle around her. They lit the candles in the room and threw some more flower petals around her. Finally they declared her ready for Noel. They left and shut the door.

Outside, Piya quickly explained her plan to Shelley and Pakhi. Noel had carried money with him, having seen and even acted in these kinds of scenes so he wouldn’t be unprepared. Shelley called Naveen and said, ‘Okay. You can send Noel in.’

Five minutes later, Noel strode down the corridor. He’d already untied his bow tie and the ends hung from his collar, his tuxedo was unbuttoned, and a few of the pearl buttons of his shirt were also opened. In short, he was ready for bed. He came to a halt in front of his room. A group of women stood in front of the door, including Mitzy.

‘See, Noel, you can’t go in there right now,’ started Piya.

He shook his head. ‘Piya, you know me better than that. Name a figure,’ he said.

She pretended to think for a minute and came up with one. He nodded his head thoughtfully. ‘Okay,’ he said, taking out a bundle of notes from his jacket pocket and handing it over. ‘I think that’ll more than cover you. Now if I may please go and see my wife?’

‘Sure,’ said Piya stepping aside, after plucking the bundle out of his hand.

As he put his hand on the door knob, Jiya said, ‘by the way, Jeeju. You know that we’ve had this wedding with a mix of cultural traditions.’

He looked at her, trying to understand what she was getting at, completely missing the snickers from the rest of the group, who tried hard to keep a straight face.

‘Noel, our custom is that after the ... ah ... wedding night ..’ she stopped helplessly looking up at him. She looked at the others, as if for help.

‘What she means to say, Noel, is that in the Imani tradition, after the wedding night, the next morning the sheets are examined by the elders. Just to check, you know, if the marriage was consummated or not,’ Shelley explained with a concerned look on her face.

‘But mostly to prove that the bride was you know, untouched, before,’ Mitzy elaborated, nodding her head seriously.

‘What?!’ Noel raked his hands through his hair. Mitul had never mentioned any such thing to him. In fact, if he remembered right, she hadn’t even ... He looked at Jiya with something like panic in his throat, his heartbeat accelerating. ‘Jiya, is this true?’

She nodded solemnly.

‘But that shouldn’t worry you, should it, Noel?’ said Shelley laying a comforting arm on his shoulder, smiling at him.

‘No. No.’ Good Lord! Now what? He’d have to go talk to Mitul. His face was ashen. He took a deep breath, all thoughts of a night spent making love to Mitul driven completely out of his mind.

‘In that case, Noel, shouldn’t you be going inside? After all, your bride is waiting for you,’ said Pakhi.

Wait a minute! he thought. They all suspected, if not knew that Mitul and he had been intimate, so why this now?

‘Uh-uh,’ he said firmly. ‘You guys are pulling my leg.’

‘Noel, why would we do that?’ asked - of all people - Jiya. He looked at her, her solemn eyes, and then she drove the stake in. ‘Maasi-Mausa don’t know,’ she dropped her voice.

‘What?!’ Noel was really panicking now. He swallowed.

‘Go on in, Noel, and talk it over with Mitul. I’m sure she’s aware of this,’ Pakhi opened the door and shoved him inside, shutting the door behind him.

Half way down the hall they split the money, cackling with glee at Noel’s expressions, when Piya looked around. ‘Where did Myna go? I thought she was coming with us?’

***** 

Myna was on the terrace. She was irate. With Dev. Who stood looking at her with a smug smirk on his face.

‘Cheating?’ she asked him, arms akimbo. Well, one arm that is, the other still held on to the bouquet. ‘What d’you mean cheating?’

‘You grabbed the bouquet. You ran for it,’ he said.

‘I didn’t! Someone pushed me,’ she protested. ‘I was falling. You saw that.’

He went on as if she hadn’t spoken at all. ‘Myna, If you wanted to be the next bride, you could’ve told me. I totally understand. We’d have gone and got married,’ he said mildly, arms folded across his chest.

‘Excuse me?’ she flared. ‘Married? I need to be asked before I agree to get married!’

‘I see. Does that mean you don’t want to?’ he smirked at her.

‘Of course, I do,’ she stamped her foot. ‘But first you’ve got to ask me,’ she put her nose up in the air.

‘I thought I just did,’ he said, biting his cheek to keep from smiling. She was so cute when she was angry.

‘Huh?’ She looked at him, eyes wide, flashing, cheeks red. Uh-oh, he thought. Danger signals. ‘When did you ask?’

‘Just now. I thought I said,-’

‘I know what you said,’ she was getting madder by the second.

He sighed, looking bored, his eyes amused. ‘So, what is it? Do you want to get married or don’t you?’

‘What kind of a proposal is that anyway?’ she huffed.

‘A good one, I think. We care about each other, we’ve been dating for a while, so it just makes sense to get married now,’ he shrugged.

‘Argh!’ She stomped to the other end of the roof, and stomped back again, at least as much stomping as you can do in a pair of four-inch heels.

‘Dev Karmakar,’ she poked him in the chest with one long finger, much to his amusement. ‘You are THEE most infuriating man I know,’ she gritted, jabbing his chest with each word to make her point.

He grabbed her hand, and yanked her close holding it between them, vaguely thinking about the bruises he’d have on his chest from all that poking.

‘So what do you want?’ he murmured, in a flash changing the mood to one in which a silvery thread of sexual tension pulled them close.

She looked at him, first at those eyes, framed in those long lashes, and then his mouth that could wreak such magic on her!

‘You,’ she whispered, licking her lips.

‘Marry me?’ he asked, still in the same warm voice, his eyes focused on her lips, his mind clouding over with Chanel No.5.

‘No,’ she whispered, leaning into him.

‘Why not?’ his voice was harsh.

She spun away from him, his hand clamped on her wrist, not letting her go.

‘Because I ..’ she stopped. She didn’t want to tell him what she wanted. He had to figure it out by himself. That’s what a man does, she thought. So, she turned back to him and said brightly, breaking the spell.

‘Because I want the whole nine yards for a proposal. A big date. Candles. Flowers. Champagne. The works,’ she waved the bouquet in her hands to denote what she meant by the works.

He pulled her into his chest again. One arm glided around her, as he leant in close to her lips, his palm splayed against the bare skin of her waist.

‘On one condition,’ his lips almost touched hers as he formed the words.

‘What?’ she asked, dazed.

‘You don’t get to say no.’ He dropped a quick kiss on her lips, just giving her a taste, feeling her melting before he pulled away and looked into her darkening eyes. ‘When I ask for your hand, Myna Imani, I won’t take no for an answer.’

He released her, opened the door and walked away.

She had been warned. She wouldn’t know what hit her.

***** 

Noel stumbled into his room. He tore off his jacket still wondering if they were playing some sort of joke on him.

‘Mitul,’ he said hoarsely. He barely noticed how beautiful she looked surrounded by the flowers and the candles, his thoughts clouded by anxiety about the next morning.

She shoved back her dupatta to see Noel pacing the room. ‘What?!’

‘Mitul, we have a problem,’ he sat down next to her, his brows pulled together in a frown.

‘Noel, what is it? Tell me.’ She caught his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her, her own heartbeats starting to race in anxiety.

‘Jiya told me that there’s an Imani tradition for tomorrow morning,’ he began, wondering how best to couch it.

‘What? What tradition?’ she asked bewildered.

‘The ah.. sheets,’ he tried again.

‘Sheets?’ she was even more puzzled by his words.

‘Jiya told me that the elders examine the sheets to see whether the marriage has been consummated or not,’ he said in a rush.

She stared open-mouthed at him and then shoved him hard, so he nearly went sprawling off the bed. To his utter amazement, she burst out laughing. She laughed so hard, tears flowed out of her eyes. She held her stomach doubling up with laughter, until Noel finally got it. He started chuckling, as she calmed down and giggled every now and then.

‘Dear God!’ she said between giggles, ‘you believed the twins? Really Noel, you’ve known them as long as you’ve known me. And they still got you!’

‘Oh! it was a whole group of them,’ he told her. ‘They took money from me and then told me this. Shelley, Pakhi, even Mitzy was there. How could I not think it was authentic?’ he said, still trying not to grin at his own stupidity and naivete for having fallen for a stupid trick.

Once they sobered down, he looked at her, his eyes taking on the narrowed intense look he gave her when he was aroused. She looked down at her hands and blushed. He leaned back against the headboard, holding her wrists, palms up and open.

‘So,’ he looked deeply into the henna on her hands, ‘as far as I remember from films, I’m supposed to find my name on your hands, and the darker the henna, the more your husband loves you, right?’

She nodded, really feeling like a blushing bride now.

He bent his head over her hands, bringing them close to his face, as he searched for his initials. She could feel every puff of breath on her palm as he said, ‘your mehendi is really dark. He looked at her without lifting his head. ‘Your husband really does love you a lot.’ He said huskily.

She smiled, biting her lip, as she went along with his little game. He delicately traced the tip of one finger on her palm, where the letters ‘N’, ‘J’ and ‘F’ were clearly embellished. She shivered at the touch, realizing that Noel was going to do the full suhaag raat thing with her. He wasn’t going to take away any of her rituals. They had the best of both worlds! He bent his head and kissed her palm, right on top of his name.

She put her other hand on his head, her fingers combing through his hair. He looked up at her, before getting out of bed, and turning off all the lights and most of the candles, the only light coming from a small group of candles set on the dresser.

He came back and helped her get off the bed, standing in the middle of the room, holding her hand. ‘I’m supposed to take off your jewelry, right?’ he asked softly.

She nodded her head. He slowly undraped the dupatta from her head, dropping it on the floor. He took off every pin from her hair, letting it swing loose, cascading down her back. He touched the curls lovingly, moving around behind her, slowly untying the knots at the back of her blouse. She felt the blouse come loose as he slowly pushed it off her shoulders. She hadn’t worn a bra underneath, and over her shoulders, he saw her breasts come into view, puckering as the cool air from the air conditioner hit her skin. He stepped back, undoing the buttons on his shirt, before reaching for the ties on her skirt. He tugged them slowly, his breath fanning her skin as she stood there, her breathing accelerating with every brush of his fingers. Her eyes closed, as she felt him tug the skirt off, leaving her standing laden with jewelry and only a skimpy pair of white lace panties covering her.

Noel slowly took off his shirt, moving around to look at her - her long flowing hair, the jewels in her parting, long heavy earrings, the chunky gold necklace, the slim diamond studded waistband, the glittering belly ring, her arms full of bangles, her fingers glittering with jewels. She looked like an ancient sculpture come to life only for him. Her breasts full and proud, the deep dip of her waistline flaring out into her full hips, the concave curve of her stomach, the emphatic dimple of her navel, her hennaed legs ending in a set of heavy silver anklets with bells.

He swallowed hard.

‘Mitul,’ he said, huskily. Moving forward, he gathered her into his arms, reaching to only remove the jewelry from the parting in her hair. He left the rest on. Kicking his shoes off, he picked her up in his arms, one arm under her thighs, the other behind her back. Her head drooped onto his shoulder, her arms clasped around his neck, as he walked to the bed and carefully placed her on it, laying her down against the flower strewn sheets and pillows.

Tonight, he would make love to his personal live sculpture, he thought, as he lowered himself onto her, bringing his lips to hers, as his eyes fluttered closed.

*****

Five-Thirty AM - XLIV

The Wedding ....

Sunday, May 4th.

A small notice appeared in the local newspapers in a small community in Goa. Barely a column wide, the announcement was for the wedding of Noel J. Figueiredo with Mitul. Not many people associated the name with the movie star, Noel James. In fact, not many people knew that his real name was Noel James Figueiredo. But all that would change soon.

As planned, Noel’s movie was due to release in theaters some time in late July. Mitul’s book was also timed to hit the shelves during that same period. While the news of Noel’s engagement had been picked up by the news and gossip channels, pictures of the elusive fiancee were few and far between, with Dev keeping a tight lid on it. Even though both Noel and Mitul would be promoting the movie and the book respectively, the movie’s premier would be the their first public appearance as the new Mr. & Mrs. Noel James Figueiredo.

A name for the book had been finalized. Keeping with the theme of the names of Noel’s filmography, the book was now called ‘Sirf Mohabbat Hai’ - or It’s only Love. The cover picture was one of Noel in Canada - the one that Mitul took of him - a closeup that stamped him as a sexy matinee idol, as seen through the eyes of his wife-to-be.

******

Noel opened the door to find Mitul standing there. He’d just finished reading the draft of the biography which Dev had sent him that day. His eyes were still red and he was sombre. Going back to those days usually hit him hard. So, to see her when he was feeling low, was really good. She came inside and he followed her to the living room. She had barely put her stuff down, when he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

Seating her on the bed, he crawled into it and pulled her close, hugging her for comfort.

‘Noel,’ she was alarmed. ‘What’s going on? Please tell me?’ She clung to his shoulders.

He took a deep breath, before looking into her face. ‘Just read through the biography. So,’ he swallowed, his husky voice turning huskier still. ‘Just felt a bit low.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she held his face in her palms. ‘Sorry I put you through so much.’ She pressed her lips to his, asking him to let her in, and he did. For a long moment, they just tasted each other, not feeling the need to take it any further.

Finally, he drew back and sighed, his thumb rubbing hypnotically on her shoulder bone. ‘You know, Mitul, I needed that. I needed to find my way to you in my life. And I had to go through all of that so I could become an actor and you could finally find me. Cause you did. If you hadn’t been chasing me for months with your idea, if you had given up once on me, we’d never have been together,’ he husked.

She nodded. Perhaps the first time she’d seen him on screen, she’d realized how important he was to her, without quite knowing why.

‘But you know something?’ he continued, smirking at her. She raised an eye brow at him. Puzzled.

‘The story is not complete,’ he said. She sat up with a jerk.

‘What?! Noel James Figueiredo - how many more skeletons do you have in your closet?’ She asked in horror.

‘Actually,’ he thought for a moment, shook his head and then said, ‘no. None.’

‘Then?’

‘You, me - our story isn’t there,’ he said. ‘Our Love Story.’

She stared at him. ‘You want me to put our story in there? Really?’

He looked at her annoyed face, and kissed her beautiful pouty mouth. ‘No, I want the name of the book to be, ‘Sirf Mohabbat Hai’. Because if anybody asks me, what next? I want to tell them, sirf mohabbat hai. From now on in my life, it’s only love. You, me, our love, for always.’ His eyes telling her that this was a promise he was going to keep.

She held his face in her hands and whispered, ‘Noel James Figueiredo, why’m I the writer and you the actor? It should’ve been the other way around.’

They both laughed at that, before finding new ways to show how they loved each other. That was also the day Noel began thinking of how he was going to ask her to spend the rest of her life with him.

*****

Mitul had a fitting for her wedding dress today. Thankfully, it was at home.

When Rishik had heard about Noel’s engagement, he’d told Noel that all of Mitul’s and his wardrobe for the different rituals, as well as the wedding itself, would be RR designs. He wouldn’t have it any other way. This was his and Mitzy’s wedding gift to them. Both Noel and Mitul had been touched by the gesture.

However, Myna had a little surprise for them. She took Mitul aside and said, ‘Mitul Di, can I say something?’

‘Sure, Myna,’ Mitul was wondering why Myna was looking so hesitant.

‘Mitul Di, I know RR designs is giving you all the wedding outfits. But, I wanted to show you something. Will you look at it?’ She still seemed reluctant to spit out what was on her mind.

‘Of course, Myna,’ Mitul said.

Myna handed her a design. It was a lehenga designed like a wedding dress. The flaring skirt was paneled and intricately embroidered. The choli was fitted like the top of a wedding gown, leaving a hint of waist showing. The dupatta had been repurposed as a veil, and it too, was heavily embroidered. The colors were white with red and gold accents. Mitul couldn’t believe her eyes. It was beautiful!

‘It’s gorgeous, Myna. But, wouldn’t you like to keep this design for yourself?’ she asked.

‘Mitul Di, it’s just my way of saying thank you to you. For helping me find myself and Dev,’ for the two were now dating, much to Kuntala’s pleasure and pride. ‘This is from us,’ she blushed.

Mitul hugged her, tears in her eyes and said, ‘I would absolutely love to wear this! Its perfect!’

Since they would be marrying in a church, she’d been worrying about how she would carry off a gown. But this was the perfect solution!

And so Rishik had been informed that the one dress the bride had already chosen was the wedding dress itself. He very graciously bowed down to that, mainly because Mitzy drilled it into his head that a girl has the right to choose that ONE dress, because it is HER day.

To which he’d replied with mock astonishment, ‘why didn’t you tell me this before? I would never have designed your wedding outfits myself!’

His wife gave a sweet smile, knocked his head and replied, ‘silly. How could I choose any one else’s design? The only wedding dress I ever wanted to wear HAD to be designed by you.’

He shook his head, not quite getting her logic, but understanding his wife was still beyond him, he’d come to that realization long ago.. So he did the only thing he could. Kissed her hard and said, ‘thank you for that!’

*****

Saturday, June 1st. 5:25 p.m.

It wasn’t the wedding of the year. Neither Noel and Mitul wanted it that way. It was to be a wedding of the hearts, and two families that would now be united with the union of their children. The reception would be held later at the Figueiredo’s house. All the pre-wedding rituals had been performed according to Hindu rituals. But the actual marriage ceremony itself would be Catholic.

Noel stood at the altar, dressed in a pale grey-green tuxedo. The cummerbund was a deeper shade more green than grey, bringing out the green in his eyes. The pristine white pleated shirt had tiny pearl buttons, and was topped with a dark bow-tie. A white orchid buttonhole sat in his lapel.

Beside him stood Dev, his best man, dressed in a dark grey tuxedo, with a white shirt and a pale grey bow tie.

The altar had been decorated like a gazebo, with white flowers all over. Each of the pews had been decorated with the same white roses and white silk ribbons.

The massive front door of the church swung open, as the majestic strains of ‘Here comes the bride’ rang through the church. Everyone stood up, and Noel turned around to look at his bride.

First Naveen and Shelley walked in arm-in-arm, followed by Naval and Pakhi. Myna followed, flanked by the twins holding her hands, each proudly carrying a little heart shaped red satin cushion on which rested a ring tied to it with thin white satin ribbons. They walked to the altar, the men moving over to Noel’s side, while the women stood on the other.

Finally, the bride walked in, one hand looped in her father’s arm, the other holding a bouquet that dripped white lilies and red roses. Her face was covered with the heavy veil, but she kept her head high as she walked slowly down the flower-petal strewn aisle.

At the altar, her father put her hand in Noel’s, stepping back, giving his daughter away to the man who would promise to love, honor and cherish her all his life.

Noel had been mesmerized as Mitul walked down the aisle. In keeping with tradition, he hadn’t seen the wedding dress before, and he was amazed at just how beautiful it was. He could barely see her face through the embroidery on the dupatta. But he could see the glint of diamonds on her belly ring, which peeked through the bottom of her choli. He kept his grin hidden from the rest of the world.

As the clock read 5:30 p.m., the padre began the ceremony. ‘Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today...’

As the they repeated their vows, their voices low but strong, many in the room wiped their eyes. As they gazed into each others eyes, holding onto each other’s hands, all that witnessed them, knew this was a love that would last a lifetime. And when they finally said, ‘I do!’, the whole congregation knew they did mean each and every single vow they’d taken that day.

Noel slipped the simple gold band onto her finger, he looked into her eyes, and swallowed. He could feel her hand trembling and he squeezed it just a little to let her know. This journey that they were starting here today, was going to be a lifetime’s journey. She smiled up at him then, glowing as she placed the ring on his finger in turn. He would wear it proudly from this day forward, her mark on him.

They finally left the church to the strains of ‘The Wedding March’, confetti and rice, and the pealing bells rang out the good news. The bride and groom glowed, holding hands and smiling, and definitely not paying heed to the cries of 'Kiss! Kiss!!'

*****

The reception was everything that Goans are known for. Dancing, music, food, fun and more fun. The champagne flowed freely. The bride and groom danced. The best man danced with the maid of honor, who happened to be his girlfriend. The two ushers danced with their wife/girlfriend.

Rishik however, refused to dance with his wife - for two reasons. Rishik hated to make a spectacle of himself, so he refused to dance as a rule. Secondly, he didn’t want his wife to exert herself, despite her assertion that she was perfectly fit, as attested by her glowing looks; and that at three months, she could do with a little dancing. So they moved around, mingling with the family, while she mentally mumbled all the dire things she would do to him when they were alone.

Rishik had also seen something that caught his eye, and he needed more information. So he finally pulled Pakhi aside and asked her, ‘who designed the wedding lehenga?’

‘That was designed by Mitul’s cousin, Myna,’ she pointed out Myna, who was dancing with her head on Dev’s shoulder.

‘Dev’s girlfriend?’ Pakhi nodded. ‘She’s good. Did you know she was a designer?’ he asked.

‘Yes, I did,’ said Pakhi. ‘She’s working for a small boutique firm in Mumbai right now, as a junior designer, though.’

Rishik raised an eyebrow. What a waste, he thought! The girl was clearly talented. That perfect mix of Indian and Western was something that he always looked for. The wedding dress had nailed it to a T. He waited until Dev and Myna were leaving the floor, when he walked up to them. Mitzy, he checked, was deeply engrossed with some of the women folk, making friends quickly, as she always did.

‘Hey, Dev,’ Rishik held out a hand.

‘Rishik, good to see you. Glad you could make it,’ he responded, shaking hands. He didn’t really know Rishik very well, so he was a little surprised to be waylaid by him. Remembering his manners, he turned to Myna and said, ‘Myna. This is Rishik Rathod, Naval’s friend.’

Her eyes widened as she heard the name. She had known that he would be at the wedding! Being in the same industry, she’d obviously heard a lot about him, but hadn’t expected him to come up and talk to them.

‘Rishik, this is my girlfriend, Myna Imani,’ Dev continued with the introductions, as Rishik held out his hand.

She shook it and said, ‘so honored to meet you, Mr. Rathod. Big fan of your work.’

‘Thank you,’ he replied, smiling a little. ‘Pakhi tells me you designed the wedding dress?’ he asked coming straight to the point.

‘Yes, yes, I did,’ Myna said, feeling a little anxious. After all, Mitul had picked her design over his!

Rishik nodded. ‘I could do with some new designers at the Mumbai design office we’re opening up. Pity you’re working with another firm, right now.’

She looked at him, intimidated by his arrogant demeanor, especially now that she was in the category of a fan.

Dev was listening to the conversation with interest. It was apparent that Rishik had chosen to be introduced to Myna because he had designs on her designs. This was just the bait. But he wasn’t going to step in until Myna needed it.

‘I’m sorry?’ Myna asked. From somewhere she got her spine back, lifted her chin and said, ‘did you want to ask me something, or is it your habit to beat around the bush?’

Dev hid a grin, silently applauding her. He didn’t think Myna was going to need his help with Rishik. She was more than capable of holding her own. Especially with a man known for his direct, honest approach. He knew it would win brownie points with Rishik. And he was right.

Rishik smirked. ‘I would like you to come work for RR designs as a full-fledged designer, not just a junior one, as I believe you are now. The choice of course, is yours,’ he added as an afterthought.

He waited for a reply, while Myna stared at him. Like that? She had an offer with RR Designs just like that? 'I'll think about it,' she said, finally.

‘Good,’ said Rishik. ‘We’ll be in touch with you.’ With that, he strode away, happy to have some more good come out of this trip.

Myna stared at his retreating back and said, ‘Huh?’

Dev smiled, put an arm around her waist and said, ‘it means you have a job offer, from RR designs.’

‘But how’s he going to get in touch with me? He didn’t even ask me for my details,’ she looked affronted.

Dev smirked, much the way Rishik had. ‘He’s got the means to find out everything about you, my love. And right now, he’s probably on the phone, talking to his EA.’ She looked at him questioningly. ‘Executive Assistant,’ he elaborated, ‘asking him to make up the offer letter, and mail it to you.’

Which was exactly what Rishik was doing, until he spotted his wife glaring at him, as she made her way through the crowd.

‘You!’ she hissed coming to a stop in front of him. ‘D’you have to work even at a wedding? I know who you’re on the phone with.’

‘Babe, I just found a new designer. I had to get to her before anyone else did. That’s all!’

‘Really? You’re thinking about getting a new designer while we’re at a wedding? Wait till we get back to the hotel,’ she fumed.

‘Why? What’re you gonna do?’ he asked as he looped an arm around her, leading her into a slow, seductive dance on the floor, smiling into her eyes.

‘Nothing,’ she said, tilting her head to look up into his face with stormy eyes. ‘Absolutely nothing. I will do nothing to you.’

He raised his eyebrows at that. ‘Are you telling me? Or challenging me? Because if you’re challenging me,’ he brought his mouth down close to her ear, and whispered, ‘I WILL take you up on it. And we’ll be doing a lot more than nothing!’ he promised her, smiling as he took in the blush on her cheeks, her anger completely annihilated by his words.

*******

Five-Thirty AM - Chat with EA

The Evil Authoress Says 

Thank you....

To all of you, my darling readers - who patiently and sometimes not so patiently sat through this story. It was a labour of love and I am so glad you came on this journey of love with Noel and Mitul and me.

To Ritzy - my eagle-eyed editor/proof reader and my Slave Driver, who kept me on track with timelines and bloopers, and my English. Never mind the constant reminders about TRPs! It is she who provided some of the whackiest ideas that I’ve included in the story. And also one of the best ideas - the spoof on Aman Mathur. What would I do without you?

To Ruby - for her invaluable input as to the workings of the film/TV industry. She provided me terminology that I never knew existed, and which made this story so much more real.

To my GG - Payal - for your continuous support during the writing process and for giving me some of the best one-liners ever! But mostly, every time I wrote a line of seduction/love making, I wanted to make it perfect for my GG - so that she would love it. So all those HOT scenes are dedicated to you! (Really can’t tell you what GG stands for, you’ll have to ask her!)

To my friend who made it possible for me to speak with a person that I’m a huge fan of, and who ultimately inspired this story. I’m not taking her name here, or she would be inundated with requests to arrange to meet/talk with him - but you know who you are, gal!

To Mr. Barun Sobti - were it not for this man, this story would never have happened. Why, you ask? Read my Post-it Notes below and you will know.

Post-it Notes of the Evil Authoress

The Five-Thirty AM Call

The call that starts the story, is based on a true incident. 

A friend of mine was visiting Mumbai, and had an appointment with Barun Sobti. She asked Barun (aka Arnav SIngh Raizada in Iss Pyaar ko Kyaa Naam Doon?) to call me, as I’m a fan. I was woken up at 5:30 am, only to hear him say ‘Good Morning, Madhu’ in that husky voice of his. It was one of the most surreal moments in my life; and the germ of an idea for this story sparked in my mind. Evidently, he’d expressed concern to my friend, when he’d heard that I was in Canada, knowing it would be too early for me! How sweet is that? He chuckled and said he understood why I was gasping for breath, while I was still trying to get my addled brain together, and apologized for being completely incoherent. Believe me, if I could do it over again, I’d have a lot of other things to say to him.

Rishik/Mitzy

Rishik and Mitzy’s love story is documented in Walk the Line. A story that started out as fanfic based on IPKKND, but stands on its own as a story. It is the first story in the trilogy, of which Five-Thirty AM is the second. I had to change the names to make WTL a stand alone story.

Naval/Pakhi

Naval and Pakhi’s story forms the third story in this trilogy, which is called Shadows and Ripples. I will be starting on that soon, and hope that you, my dear readers, will join me there as well. 

MG Films

A completely fictional Production House. It’s name is a tribute to my band of gals - The Mental Gurlz. You know who you are!

Adventure Sports

I’ve taken a little creative license here. Typically, an actor under contract for a movie or series cannot participate in any activity that might endanger his life - and that includes adventure sports. However, some of the fun in this story is because of their love for adventure, and how it builds their growing trust in each other. So a little creative license has been taken here.

Noel’s body of work.

The names of these series/Films is based on the names of Beatles songs, as I am a die-hard Beatles fan. For me, they’re the ultimate band! Bas, bol diya!

Noel has four films/series that he has worked on. Noel’s life has also four distinct phases. Each of the series/films that he does has been given a name that is associated with a particular phase in Noel’s life. These are as follows:

His life phases (His Body of Work)

• Army - (Serial) A Day in the Life - Ek Din Zindagi Ka
• Addiction & Overdose - (Serial) Long and Winding Road - Woh Meelon ki Doori ... Woh Lamba Raasta
• Casting Couch - (Movie) - Words of Love - Mohabbat ki Baatein
• Mitul - (Movie - ongoing) - It’s only Love - Sirf Mohabbat Hai

Aman Mathur

A character from the TV series Iss Pyaar ko Kya Naam doon? who was always heard but never seen. He was omnipresent and the source of frustration for many fans as he broke up Arnav/Khushi’s romantic moments with unfailing regularity. I had to kill him off - just to satisfy my ire against him. Yes, his best role was as the Invisible Man.

Skyrim

Its a video game that my nephew had been playing when I started this story. The incredible graphics - especially of dragons, inspired some of the scenery here - those of the Canadian North. Skyrim is the story of a one-man dragon slayer. Another mythological creature that only exists in imagination and mythology. Dev is the dragon slayer. He has been with Noel from the start and helped him ‘slay’ his ‘Dragons’ - the dark incidents of his past. And helped Noel win his princess as well.

Cryptids:

The cryptids in the story offer a layer of symbolism that I never intentionally started out with, but ended up with anyway.

A cryptid is an animal that supposedly exists but people have never found evidence of. Yet people have recounted experiences with these alleged beings. You can look up the information about each one of them on the web.

Each one makes its presence felt at a very special moment in their journey to love. Noel is the believer, therefore he feels it first. But soon, Mitul joins him. She starts believing in it. The cryptids become the milestones in their journey together. The Pogayen is the catalyst to Noel’s proposal, in case you didn’t get it.

The cryptids are like love. Every person who says they have fallen in love, experiences it differently. It’s never the same for two people. Yet people believe in it, swear by it, will give their lives for it and will live their lives for it. Some search for it all their lives and never find it. Some never go looking for it, and it hits them in the face.

It’s a question of belief.

OYE!! Where are you going? I still have more up my sleeve. 

Five-Thirty AM is not over!!

Five-Thirty AM - XLIII

Noel woke up suddenly as he always did. Mitul was fast asleep in his arms. He checked the time.

‘Mitul,’ he shook her shoulder. ‘Wake up, babe!’ he said, urgently.

‘Lemme sleep, Noel,’ she growled.

‘Come on, wake up, Mitul, I’ve got something to show you,’ he insisted.

‘What?’ she grumbled.

He smiled at her annoyed face as she blinked open her eyes.

‘I’ve seen it before,’ she whined.

‘No, you haven’t!’ he retorted. ‘Come on, be a good girl, get up.’

He got out of bed, and dressed quickly in warm ups, watching her as she crawled out of bed.

‘Chop! Chop! Mitul, hurry up. Or we’ll miss it,’ he urged her.

‘Miss what?’ she turned around.

‘Go!’ He pushed her into the bathroom.

Five minutes later, he led her out of the cabin to the little garden, she followed, still yawning. Dawn was breaking spectacularly over the hills. Rolling clouds reflected the glorious red and pinks and golds of the sun, that was still not up. Clouds hung over the hills to the West. And in the East the mountains loomed large and dark, shadowed by the rising sun.

Noel had brought a blanket with him, and he wrapped it round both of them, pulling her into his arms, so she faced away from him. He had his arms around her, and his chin resting on her head, facing the east as they waited for the sun to rise. The colors lightened, the gold deepened and just as suddenly, the sun peeped over the hills, he checked the time again. Perfect.

He looked down for a moment, as he saw her face, golden in the morning light. All his carefully prepared words were forgotten as he began to speak, from his heart to hers.

‘I know it’s only five-thirty in the morning, and it’s really early, but I wanted to share this sunrise with you. Just like I want to share every single moment of the rest of our lives together from this point on.’

He dropped the blanket as he spoke, and as the sun kept climbing up slowly, he went down on one knee, right there on the sparkling, dew covered grass. Mitul stared at him, wide eyed, heart hammering, pulses racing. She was wrapped in the golden glow of the sun, her hair ruffled in the morning breeze, the flush of sleep still on her face. She looked like the Earth Goddess that he always thought of her as, as he knelt at her feet. He held her left hand in his, feeling nervous, but by the trembling in her fingers, he understood. She knew.

‘Will you marry me, Mitul Imani? and share all your mornings and evenings, and days and nights with me?’

He held out his palm. On it nestled a ring, the diamonds and rubies capturing the first rays of the sun, fracturing the light and casting a thousand rainbows into her eyes.

Mitul stood there stock still. She gazed down at him, as he held the ring out, looking up uncertainly at her, his face anxious for her answer, his green eyes filled with hope, yet intense with love. ‘Yes,’ she replied in that deep five-thirty a.m. voice that he’d come to love. ‘Yes, I will,’ she smiled, tears in her eyes, glittering like the jewels he slid onto her finger.

He stood up, raising her hand to his lips. ‘I love you, Mitul. No matter how many times I say it, it won’t be enough.’

‘I love you, too, Noel,’ she threw herself into his arms, locking hers behind his head, as he lifted her off the ground, and kissed her with all his love pouring into it.

The sun rose fully before them, casting a golden glow on a new day for Noel and Mitul.

*****

Later, much later, sated from love making for the moment, they were in bed, Noel playing with her navel ring, as she lay with her head on his shoulder.

‘So you planned it all?’ she asked.

‘Not really. I mean, I did plan to ask you over the Christmas break, since everyone would be together, but I wasn’t sure about the perfect setting,’ he explained.

She admired the ring on her finger and said, ‘normally girls get like the special date, you know.’ She looked at him under her eyelashes, a smirk on her face.

Immediately he looked worried. ‘Are you disappointed? That I didn’t take you somewhere special, and,’ he stopped as her fingers rested lightly on his lips. He kissed them instead.

She rolled over and lay on her stomach, looking into his face.

‘It was perfect,’ she said. ‘I didn’t need a big splashy date or anything. I just needed you,’ she teared up as she said that. ‘The setting couldn’t be more perfect. It’s us,’ she assured him.

He wiped the tears from her cheeks. ‘Babe, no more tears, okay?’

‘They’re happy tears,’ she gave a watery smile.

‘Still hurts me,’ he said.

She traced the phoenix on his chest. ‘When I started on this, I didn’t even dream I would end up here,’ she kissed it.

He brought his hand up and drew her face to his chest, her lips resting on his heart. ‘You ended up here,’ she felt each vibration of his words through her lips.

She looked at the ring again, ‘this is your grandmother’s ring? It’s beautiful,’ she sighed.

He nodded. ‘She left it to me, as I am the youngest in the family.’

‘The baby of the family,’ she teased.

‘And you,’ he kissed her, ‘are the baby’s baby.’ They were lost in their kisses for a while, and then he drew away. ‘Although, since I’m the brat in the family, I get what I want, always.’

‘That time is over, my friend,’ she laughed.

He pulled the sheet away so he could look at her fully. Top to bottom, the curves and valleys of her body, enhanced by the diamond navel ring, the diamonds on her finger, one leg bent at the knee, the silver anklet glinting on her ankle, her proud breasts tipping erect under his gaze.

He narrowed his eyes, ‘wanna bet?’ He swiftly rolled on top of her to let her feel what he wanted right then. Her eyes opened wide, before his mouth came down hard on hers.

‘I always get what I want,’ he growled cockily, before he slid inside her again.

*****

They returned to Goa two days before New Year’s. They hadn’t told the family anything, although Noel had actually picked up the ring when they had been in Goa the last time. By the time they got to Noel’s home, it was late afternoon. Everyone, including Dev’s parents, had congregated at the Figueiredo’s and were sitting on the rooftop, chatting and enjoying themselves.

The two of them were greeted with loud, ‘Here they are!’s and ‘Finally!’s by everybody as they made their appearance. Maria sent down for coffee and cake. Noel held Mitul’s hand tightly. Thank God, they would have to do this only once. They didn’t doubt that the families would be happy, but still, it was nerve wracking to stand up and announce to everybody that they had decided to do the deed - get married, I mean!

He pulled up two wicker tabourets for them to sit on. She sat on one; he brought over two mugs of coffee, handing her one before he sat down on the other tabouret.

‘So how was Munnar?’ asked Myna. She sat on one of the wicker chairs, while Dev sat on a slightly lower stool at her feet.

‘It was good, very peaceful. We saw Nilgiri and some sort of leopard, I guess,’ Noel answered.

‘Wow! A leopard! Did you get a picture?’

‘No, it moved too fast for me,’ said Mitul. She shifted on the stool, wondering why no one had commented on the ring on her finger. It was starting to feel really heavy now.

‘What else did you do? Apart from going to the jungle, of course.’

‘Did you go to one of the tea gardens there? The Nilgiri tea gardens are also very popular, aren’t they?’

‘We did go to one of the tea-gardens, and we’ve brought some tea for you as well,’ Noel promised.

Finally, he could take it no longer it and blurted out.

‘And then I asked Mitul to marry me and she said yes,’ all in one breath.

There was utter silence for a moment, and then utter pandemonium, as every one jumped up to congratulate the two. They were hugged and kissed. The ring was admired by one and all.

Kamini and Maria wiped their tears as they hugged each other. Dev hugged his friend and said, ‘you finally did something right, buddy!’ while thumping Noel’s back. Myna meantime, hugged Mitul and cried a little. The Puris looked on happily, to think they saw that romance start budding in front of their eyes! Pakhi and Shelley hugged Mitul and said, ‘welcome to the family.’

It took a while for all the excitement to die down. Finally, Myna asked the question everyone had been dying to ask. ‘How did he propose, Mitul Di?’

‘Well, he woke me up, very early. Dragged me outside to see the sunrise. Then got down on one knee and asked me,’ she replied, blushing. Noel tightened his fingers on hers, lightly rubbing his thumb along the ring which now defined their relationship.

‘That’s it?’ asked Shelley, scandalized. ‘Noel, you couldn’t think of anything better? Something really romantic?’

Amidst the ‘Yeah, Noel, what were you thinking?’ and the ‘You should have asked us, we’d have told you how to do it!’ Mitul’s voice rang through.

‘It was perfect, Shelley.’ Mitul and Noel looked at each other, knowing she spoke the truth. ‘I couldn’t have asked for anything better,’ she said softly, leaning her head against his shoulder.

He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, and everyone watched in silence as these two finally let their hearts out openly in front of their loved ones, for the first time.

Maria sniffed, as Matthew handed her a kerchief. ‘I guess this calls for a party tomorrow,’ said he.

The others all yelled, ‘YES!’

Dev was surprised to feel Myna’s hand sliding and curling into his. He turned towards her, she was looking at his eyes, and never before had he seen them so eloquent. His heart accelerated. He swallowed, and squeezed her hand back.

******

Dev drove his parents and Myna home. The evening had taken on a slightly detached feeling for him. He felt as if he was caught in slow motion inside a fast moving film. The kind where everything around was a blur, except himself. And Myna. They were caught in the center of it. Ever since he’d seen that look in her eyes, he’d been feeling ... strange. He could see her in the rearview mirror where she sat with his mother. She caught his eyes once in a while, and he could see the exact same expression on her face. She looked like she was lost. He was grateful to Kamini aunty - as he’d begun calling her too - for allowing Myna to stay at their house. Of course, his mother asking Kamini for permission had helped.

Myna felt like she was in a spell. A little of the magic from Noel and Mitul’s lives seemed to have caught her in its web. She felt like she was trapped in those gossamer threads and only Dev could break her free of it. She looked into the mirror and found him looking at her. He smiled at her. She smiled back. He will help me, she thought.

As they went in, Dev said, ‘I’m going to go sit out in the back for a bit. Not quite sleepy, yet.’

His parents nodded and yawning, wished him a good night. Myna followed them upstairs. He watched them go, and then turned to go to the terrace. Only a few lights were turned on in the hall. He poured himself a glass of whiskey with ice, and carried it outside, turning off the lights on his way. The moon shone down full on him, as he sipped his drink slowly, waiting, he didn’t know, for what. Waiting for a long time. Then, he turned his head and looked at the door leading to the terrace.

Myna stood there.

She’d changed out of the skirt she had worn earlier, into a pair of soft white cotton calf-length pajamas, with a printed tee shirt. Her hair was loose, and in the soft moonlight, her skin looked paler than before. She was looking at him wordlessly. Her eyes spoke volumes and he was hearing everything she had to say. He stood up, placing his glass on the table before walking slowly over to her.

Gently he put his arms around her, holding her like she was the most fragile thing he’d ever held. Her arms came up under his, clutching his shoulders, as she laid her head on his chest. His nuzzled into her hair, breathing in the fragrance of Chanel No.5, his eyes closed, savoring this moment. He tightened his arms around her and sighed. At peace.

How long they stood there like that, they didn’t know. He drew back and without letting her go, led her back to the sofa. They sat down facing each other. He brushed away the hair from her face, with both hands, searching her eyes, and finding his answers. He held her face between his big strong hands. Her hands clenched in her lap. Slowly, he brought his lips down on hers, his eyes closing of their own accord.

Myna caught her breath as his lips touched hers. Her hands reached out blindly for something to hold on to, and found the solid strength of his chest under her palms. His lips sucked and nibbled at hers. She nibbled at his lips, and as his tongue slid past their soft barrier, her tongue came forward to slip into his mouth.

His hands held her like they’d been wanting to, went where they were meant to. Her arms coiled around him, as they kissed, the hunger growing in them with each lick of their tongues. He kissed her bottom lip, her cheeks, her jawline, nipping, sucking, soothing each bite he placed on her skin. His stubble grazed along her skin, raising goose bumps on her arms.

She slid her fingers inside his collar, finding the rock hard muscles underneath the taut silky skin. His hands came around her sides, holding onto her petite frame, the thumbs brushing against sides of her breasts. They slid lower, and slipped inside the hem of her shirt, stroking fire along her skin, till they came to the underside of her breasts. She wasn’t wearing a bra! He drew a shuddering breath and drew back, looking at her as she leant back in his arms, her eyes still closed.

Slowly he drew up the tee, and gasped as the alabaster perfection of her came into view. He drew the shirt over her head. She still had her eyes closed.

‘Myna, look at me,’ he whispered, withdrawing just a second to take off his shirt as well.

She opened her heavy lidded eyes, and looked at him. Every single muscle of his body toned to perfection, the moonlight casting shadows and emphasizing the ridges on his chest and abs. He was perfect. She dropped her eyes, looking at him, not touching him, scorching him where she looked, from his chest to his pecs, his tightened nipples to his corded abs, and the deep valleys along his hips, drawing her eyes to his crotch, seeing the undoubted effect she had on him.

He leant forward, one hand behind her, one hand at her waist, as she clutched at his biceps, laying her down gently on the sofa, sliding up to rub his cheeks against her breasts, watching in fascination as the nipples hardened. He wanted her to feel everything now. His mind was clear. The fog, the strange feelings, all dissipated and distilled into this one gorgeous moment in his arms. His mouth closed over one breast, and his tongue found the nub. 

She moaned softly, as he gathered her closer, his chest feeling the rapid rise and fall of her breathing, as skin brushed against skin, and flames shot through them. He slid his hands between them, finding the elastic of her pajamas, moving in, searching for her need.
She felt rough fingers against her, the smoothness of his chest on her stomach, the hardness of his teeth on her breasts, and the moonlight shining down behind her eyelids. She was gasping for breath, the tension coiling inside her. Her arms tightened around his broad shoulders, seeking anchor. She shuddered and almost jumped when she felt his fingers there, in the most private part of her, knowing she was dripping wet. The momentary embarrassment of it left her as she felt his hard length stirring against her thigh. His fingers were dipping into her, playing with her, and as he withdrew from her, she thrust her hips forward, not wanting him to stop touching her the way her was. She bit her lip, stifling a cry as his thumb touched her nub, jerking at the jolt of pleasure that smashed through her. She felt his finger inside her, sliding in, and caught her breath, letting out a shuddering breath as he withdrew. She wanted that again. Her hips told him so, and he complied. His finger slid inside her again, finding nerve endings she didn’t know she had, and then another finger joined the first and she started spiraling.

‘Dev,’ she gasped. ‘I’ve never ... ah!’

‘Sh,’ he whispered. ‘It’s okay. Trust me,’ his lips brushed against hers, as his fingers thrust faster into her. He caught the roiling waves of her climax in his hands and in his mouth. Her back arched like a bow, before she broke, shuddering and clinging to him. He soothed her on the way down, helping her through those tiny tremors. Holding her close till she finally opened her eyes and looked at him sleepily. Finding him smiling tenderly down at her. He brushed her hair back from her face and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

Sitting up, he pulled on his shirt, before helping her with hers. He stood up and picked her up, carrying his precious cargo inside, through the dim moonlight dappled halls and up the stairs, until he came to her bedroom. He lay her down gently in the large four-poster, placing her head on her pillows. As he straightened up, she caught his hand. He laced his fingers with hers and sat down next to her. Leaning over her, he kissed her lightly, running his tongue over her lips for one last taste.

‘Dev,’ she said, in a small voice. ‘Stay with me.’

He looked at her for a moment, and smoothed back her hair. ‘Not tonight, my love,’ he said. ‘You need to sleep.’ He tucked the covers over her, and said, ‘good night,’ before he quietly shut the door behind him.

‘My love. He called me, my love,’ was the last thought in her mind as she fell into an exhausted sleep, a smile still adorning her face.

*****