Chapter 33: chapter 33

SHIVA“Uncle, we have the meeti-” I speak on the phone but as usual Uncle Bala interrupts mid-sentence.“Yes, yeah, I know. I will take care of it. You just stop worrying. Did you send the car to the mechanic? When will it be ready?”“Yes and tomorrow morning,” I reply tossing the sliced fruits into the mixer. I am home early. Very early. Gowri has not yet come home. “Are you cooking?” he asks when I turn on the mixer.“Not exactly. Making juice.”“For whom?”“For me.” “Oh! Come on Shiva. You must give the juice to Gowri. She will be impressed when she comes to find you waiting for her with juice.”“Uncle, I will call you back. I am receiving another call,” I lie. When the line goes blank, I sigh. I hear the front door open and shut. I see Gowri enter the house with her shoulders slumped. She has not yet seen me.“I presume you had a busy day in the office,” I tell from the kitchen.“Oh my God,” she shrieks in fright. I go to the hall and see her clutching her heart. She is shooting daggers at me but I chuckle annoying her. “You scared me,” she tells rubbing her chest to pacify her heart.“Sorry.”“How come you are here but your car is not?”“Is that how you confirm whether I am at home or not?” I ask with a sly grin.She shrugs. I am about to say something but whatever it is dies in my mouth as I take in the big bouquet on the coffee table.WAIT! DID SOMEONE PROPOSE TO HER? HOW DARE HE?Oh, come on, Shiva. You have no right to feel like this. You must feel happy that she will have someone better than you in her life. Someone she deserves. Someone who will give her the chance in love and life. Unlike you.Yes, my mind voice is right. After ten months, we will go our own ways. It would be so much better if Gowri has someone in her life.Yet, I can't stop the green-eyed monster in me. I look at Gowri and she has a guilty look on her face when sees me eyeing the bouquet. Oh God! That only makes me feel horrible. No, if this is a proposal bouquet, then I will be happy for her. “That is quite a big bouquet. Who proposed to you?” I ask in a neutral tone. I am not going to let her know how much the thought that someone proposing to her disturbs me.She flushes at the directness of my questions. She averts her gaze to her hand in her lap and answers, “Shiva, it is not like what you think. It is an apology bouquet.”HOLY HEAVENS! Thank God! It is not a freaking proposal bouquet. But my curiosity is aroused.“Apology? For what?” I ask before I could stop myself.She sighs and looks up. Her eyes are tired and she is having an inner battle. For the first time today, I notice her. She is in her work outfit. Which is a kurta and pants that are so loose. Ok, I don't know the name of the pant and I think it is a recent fashion. Because I see most women wear that type of pants these days. Her hair is in her usual hairstyle which is a braid. Her eyes are big and I search for the brown shade in them but it is black today. “Do you want to know the full story?” her voice pulls me out of my mind.“Huh?” “Should I tell you everything?”Oh yes! Absolutely. I want to know everything about you. I wanted to say but that may seem pathetic. So I take a different approach to justify my curiosity about her.“I think I have a right to know a few parts of your life. Remember, you read my diary and got to know about me more than I could tell. So, it is your turn to tell me about your life,” I demand but like usual my mind tells me something sensible.Ugh, Shiva. Why are poking your nose in her business? What if it is her personal? You two are not that close yet. Don't be so demanding.“If it is something too personal you needn’t tell me,” I tell moving to the kitchen. “Shiva, I will tell you everything,” she calls to me from the hall.I pause in my tracks. Turning towards her, I tell, “You don’t have if it is something too personal.”“No, this is something you must know. Else, I would feel guilty. So, take a seat and listen,” she pleads.Why do I have a feeling that this is something serious?I don't hesitate. I turn and walk to the single-seater sofa and sit down. I look at her expectantly. I am not going to rush her. For a long time, she is silent like she is still contemplating whether to tell me or not. When I am sure she is not going to say anything she breaks the silence.“There is someone in my workplace who proposed to me when I was here the previous occasion. I refused him outright. He walked away. Now, we met again but he says he is still in love with me. I don’t know what to do,” she confesses placing her head between her hands.  So, she did get love proposals but she refused. Why? There is more to this woman and I will learn everything about her slowly. But not at this moment.“How do you feel about him?” I ask in a calm tone. “He is a good friend to me. I could never look at him like that,” she answers looking me in the eye. Our eyes meet and we hold each other's gaze. Hers plead with mine to believe her. I search her face and conclude she is telling truth.Somehow the very thought that Gowri doesn't feel like that towards the man who proposed to her seems to tame the green-eyed monster in me. “Did you tell him this?”“Yeah, but he kept on insisting that I too have feelings for him,”  she tells and then starts bouncing her knees. She is nervous. A second later, she tells in a small tone, “Please don't be angry. I told him that I am married. But I didn’t say your name or anything like that. I just told him my marital status.”Damn it, woman! You must have told him my name and should have given him my biodata. I wanted to tell her but then I remember that I was the one who stupidly put that rule that she mustn't mention my name to anyone. She had followed the rules.“How did he react to it?” I ask.“To what?”“To the fact you are married,” I tell in a gentle tone indicating that I am not angry with her for telling the truth.“He thought I was joking.”“Why did he apologize to you?”“This is where I am totally confused. Yesterday, he was the one who took me to the hospital after I fell. He asked my house address to drop me but I politely thanked him for his offer and informed him that I will take a cab. He suddenly became frustrated and came close to me. It seemed like he wanted to kiss me.”🍀🍀🍀🍀GOWRII know it was a bad idea to tell Shiva about Jay but I felt guilty when Shiva looked at the bouquet. I felt like I was cheating him. So, I decided to let him know about Jay. Yes, I still remember that this marriage is nothing to both of us. Still, I felt like I must let Shiva know this.“Did he?” Shiva asks and I am surprised to notice a hard edge there. I catch his gaze and they are dark. “No, I am not sure what he was about to do. I shouted at him to stop and moved away. He seemed very angry and drove off. But today he bought this bouquet seeking forgiveness for leaving me like that.”Shiva nods his head but seems to be silent. He shakes his head a few times and then without a word, gets up from the sofa and goes to his room.What was that? I didn't expect him to give me an answer or anything but at least he should have had the courtesy to make sure the other person has done speaking before walking away like that.Why are men so difficult to understand??🍀🍀🍀🍀The coffee smell wafts through the kitchen making my empty stomach grumble in hunger. My ankle is better enough to allow me to make coffee today. I take in the smell of my coffee after a couple of days. My mouth waters. I make an extra cup of coffee just in case I spill mine again. I hear footsteps behind me but don’t bother to turn and greet Shiva. I am upset with him. Terribly upset. After he walked away abruptly, he never came out of his room.“Good morning,” he greets.“Good morning,” I greet back mixing the sugar. “Is your ankle feeling any better?” he asks.“Yes, it does pain a little but otherwise I am fine,” I answer turning around to face him. OH MY GOD! Shiva Had Shaved His Beard.Not A Trim. But A Freaking Clean Shave.My breath hitch as I look at him. He suddenly looks a lot more younger and attractive. Without his beard, he has boyish features that somehow make him cute yet attractive.Oh no! Gowri, stop. You don't find Shiva attractive. Yes, I don't find him attractive. With great self-control, I peel my eyes away from his face and focus on the coffee. Totally oblivious to my thoughts, he comes closer to me. My heart picks its speed. His body warmth makes me turn around but in doing so, it brings me face to face with him. I can smell his perfume and it is a mild one. No, I think it is his cologne. Whatever it is, it smells good. His hair is still damp from the shower and it falls on his forehead. My breath hitch when I meet his eyes. His eyes are black. Carbon black. It has a mischievous glint in it like Shiva exactly knows what his closeness is doing to me.He brings his hands towards my face and I blurt out, “What are you about to do?”He gives me a half-smile and replies in a casual and low tone, “If you move a little, I will open the window.”Oh God! Is that all? Why did my mind make things out of nothing? I move away from there with a red shade on both my cheeks. He opens the window and lets the sunlight pour into the dark kitchen. He goes towards the cupboard and his hand reaches for the coffee powder. On an impulse, I tell, “Shiva, I made an extra cup of coffee for you.”He gives a grin in response.“So, I finally get to taste your famous coffee,” he tells as I hand him his cup.I shrug in response and try to play it cool but I am FREAKING out inside, mentally checking if I had made the coffee correctly or did I miss something in it.Shiva takes a sip and I wait in anticipation. He closes his eyes and sighs in pleasure. I have a sudden urge to see this scene daily. “My family was right. You make the best coffee. It is delicious,” he compliments. I try my best to have a neutral face but my cheeks betray me. I slowly take my cup of coffee suddenly feeling full. We both sip the coffee in silence. He finishes the cup of coffee and looks at me with a serious expression.“Gowri, about yesterday evening,” he starts. I turn away trying to mask my annoyance but he notices it.“I am sorry. I know I shouldn’t have walked away like that but I got into deep thought. I have only one suggestion for you about your problem.”“Proceed,” I tell putting my coffee cup in the sink.“I don’t know what your colleague’s ulterior motive is but stay away from him. If he pesters you again. Report him to the higher officials.”🍀🍀🍀🍀