“Keep sitting.”
He liked how that tone worked like magic on her. Nilay had never cleaned up. He cooked, but cleanup was all his staff’s. Tonight, though, he didn’t mind. It had been years since he had washed dishes, but now he did, enjoying every moment of it as she kept moaning and waxing poetic about how this was the best khichdi of her life. He preened.
“So what’s this new brief?” She asked.
“New brief?”
“Your song hunt.”
“Oh… yes. The new brief.” He quickly thought, trying to recollect what he had been thinking when he had texted her this excuse for meeting.
“My team, their interns and the entire world, it seems, is hellbent on sending me Spotify populars listed under keywords of rain, monsoon and tip tip barsa paani. Can you lend me your expertise?”
“Of course.” She was right behind him. When he turned, she hip-butted him. “Move, I am back, I’ll do the rest.”
He bodily resisted but she kept pushing, laughing, fighting him off until he let her bounce his hip off. Her victorious little jiggle was beyond cute and he couldn’t help it. Nilay came up behind her and banded his arms around her, clasping them at her waist. She tautened.
“Sorry, I’m sorry…” he started to pull back when she began to laugh.
“Ritu?”
“Hmm?” She was laughing, but the sound was not humorous.
“Are you ok?”
“Yes, yes…” She shook her head. “I did not want to tell you all that yesterday and have you treat me like I am broken or something.”
He stilled.
“I want you to forget what I told you yesterday.”
The hands he had loosened from her waist met again at the front of her belly, clasping together — “You stiffened when I did this. And you say I should not treat you tenderly for that?”
“I didn’t stiffen because of that.”
“Then?”
“My stomach is blown up to twice its size after that meal.”
“So?”
“So?!” She pushed her head down, embarrassed. Her hair covered it on both sides and he used both his hands to push it out of the way and turn her face over her shoulder.
“I have a few things to say about this. Can I have that one honest minute?”
She shrugged, rolling her eyes like it wouldn’t matter one way or another.
Nilay pushed her hands under the water and washed both of theirs together. Then closed the tap, took her hand and pulled her to the hall and out to the deck. The winds were cold and wet. Was it raining? He pushed one hand out and collected tiny droplets.
“Winter rains,” Ritu remarked. “I have a song for your collection. Yeh saazish hai boondon ki…” she hummed. “Wait, let me play it…”
He threw the water on her and she gasped. She began to lean out to collect her own arsenal but he tamped her hands down and turned, locking her in place between his legs as he leaned back on the balustrade.
“It might take more than a minute, so bear with me.”
“Nila…”
“Bear. With. Me.”
