Gayathri's feet trudged up the metal skeleton of a stairway leading to her residence. Her new residence, evident by how she failed to recognize which key opened the front door. There was one for the back entrance, one for the balcony, and other random keys that opened nothing. All of which she had forgotten to separate from the key to the front door, jangling merrily at her expense. Deciding now the time was right, a power cut fell upon the locality like a shadow. Now Gayathri couldn't find the keyhole let alone a key.
She had to find her phone if she hoped to have any source of illumination. Gayathri pushed aside past half-empty tubes of sunscreen, towels, tissues, coins and traumatized ten rupee notes, struggling to locate her phone. The bag did not seem to have a bottom, no matter how much she dug through its contents. Her stethoscope kept getting in her way. Frustrated, she flung it over her shoulder. The motion knocked the bunch of keys, which were precariously hanging from her pinky when she was on her quest, out of her grasp. She wouldn't have noticed it if it wasn't for the ringing of them falling on the steel landing and slipping through the grate. It came to a rest with a squelchy thud.
Groaning audibly, she dragged herself downstairs. She vainly tried to peek at the mulchy ground underneath the staircase, her view marred by the dark foliage. Fortunately, her phone started ringing this time, its glow revealing its location in the dark. The caller ID claimed it was a spam call. Bust Gayathri was barely looking at that. At the top right corner of her phone screen, her battery life was evidently on its last straw. Before she reached over to the flashlight button, the screen went black. It lit up again, only to reveal the fading Samsung logo. She stood there, hands falling to her side and the bag sliding down her arm slowly. She couldn't say that the day went well. It was her first day at this hospital and her first week in this town. She had gotten lost trying to find the wing she had to go to, and as a consequence she was late. And as with any regular work day, today was no joke. Her neck felt like someone had snapped it in half, and she saw a chiropractor in her future.
That's when she saw light spill onto the floor from behind her. She turned to see a smiling face above the handlebars. Ansh left the headlamp on and walked over to her. He raised his eyebrows in a question. Gayathri sighed and told him about the key as Ansh rolled up his sleeves. He must've noticed how her eyes swept over the veins on his arm because he chuckled and struck a pose. Despite the red that coloured her cheeks, she couldn't help laughing along. Ansh gave her his phone and told her to point the flashlight around. It didn't take him long, with the help of the flashlight, to find it. As Ansh held it out to her something, besides the key, was caught in the light. The shimmer of the ring from their wedding that bore her name caught her eye before she took the key from him. Her hand rested on his briefly before she took it from him. On an afterthought, he tugged on the key gently. Gayathri raised her eyebrows at him, the way she had noticed him do often. He answered with a grin as his eyes struggled to look away. She let her hand snuggle into his, which only made him grin wider.
That night, the moon was a thinning crescent, barely giving out any light. But the two figures going up the stairs to their apartment on the first floor didn't need any light to see how awkward this was. The narrow staircase wasn't wide enough to accommodate both, and Ansh was following Gayathri. She'll pause to let him catch up, and his knees would bump against her, making her turn back.
He could feel her smile, her eyebrows going up to tease him a little. They were at the landing in front of their door when the current came back, flooding the neighbourhood with light. Ansh was holding up his phone for her to open the door when the bulb above them came to life. Gayathri looked at him over her shoulder and flashed him a glad smile, and everything seemed right. The tree opposite their apartment was teeming with fireflies, glowing and radiating warmth.
He took a slight step forward, and her gaze flickered from his eyes to his lips and back to his eyes. he leaned forward, and she pushed back on the door to take a step towards him. The door, open at this point, gave way, and they stumbled into the dark house. Ansh barely managed to steady her by the elbows, but it didn't look as heroic as he wanted. They hadn't unpacked all their luggage from the move yet, and in their tumble, they had displaced quite a lot of them. The light from the filament bulb outside cast shadows upon the floor, giving them only enough illumination to see each other standing sheepishly.
***
Ansh stepped over the boxes littering the floor, making his way to the switchboard, and tried each one out till the room lit up."Would you like to go to the beach?" He offered, "I've heard it's lovely out at night."
Even though they've been married for over half a year now, their jobs had gotten in the way and they've been living apart. After they both found satisfactory jobs in the same city, their textual relationship was finally something tangible and as expected, they had no idea as to what to do with each other.
'You know it's fun on the balcony, texting with you and listening to Blinding lights. Don't know why it feels so good today.'
That was what he had sent when their first conversation, 3 years ago, came to an end. She had texted him asking about his music, and it was just the start. even though everything else was left in boxes for them to trip over, his Tabla was set atop the dining table, neat and clean. It was the first thing they had both wanted out of the clutches of cardboard. Now when he looked at it fondly, she looked at him likewise.
He cleared his throat to have her attention and peered at her shyly. Gayathri laughed her assent and asked him about his day. They each picked up a box and walked over to the room at the very end of the corridor, one they called their bedroom.
The barren room was slowly gaining character. Bits and pieces of their lives so far, making up the space that will serve them in the future. She dug through the bags strewn on the side of the room and found her clothes. Gayathri then looked at Ansh, who was also holding up a towel, in question.
"I'll use the bathroom in the next room, you can go ahead-" he managed to say.
Gayathri was still amused as she shut the door. She hung up her clothes and turned to look at the mirror when the clothes rack behind her came crashing down. It didn't take long for a knock and a concerned voice to come at her door side. She opened the door and he could immediately see what was wrong. They managed to get the debris into a plastic cover and they stood watching the paint-less, ugly patch on the wall.
He turned to face her and asked, "Now that we're both here, do you mind if I stayed longer?" He joked.
She cracked up at the funny expression he pulled on his face. Ansh had seemed at a loss of words in person and she had missed his sudden wit. Well, she wasn't one to lose either. She took a step towards him and slammed one hand on the door behind him, right by his ear, which was slowly turning red. He chuckled as she stood on he tiptoes and said,
"Would love to have you here."
***
She saw him turning pink a little, all the way from his neck, creeping up his cheeks, to the tips of his ears.
"I'll be in the next room," He managed to say, but his eyes held a look that made her want to pull him right in.
He gave the door a little tap and flashed a smile at Gayathri before turning to leave.
They've been married for a month now and had just moved in together. They waited until they both got employed in the same town before doing so.
She remembered the one entire year They had spent texting each other before finding the other in a matrimonial site, things had sped forward after that.
Steam inched out of the bathroom when she stepped out. She stood in front of the mirror, drying her hair.
Gayathri reached over for a bindi from the vanity on her right, and the photo frame set there caught her eye. It was from their wedding.
Her in a red sari and him dressed in cream. They were speaking to each other, waiting for the camera team to set up, when one of them clicked a picture.
The newlyweds- Ansh brushing something off of Gayathris's head.
Gayathri tried to tie the strings of her back-open blouse. The bow was supposed to spice up the outfit but it looked half-dead, to say the least.
As she struggled she saw Ansh walk in with a towel around his waist, reflected on the mirror.
Water dewed on his arms, gliding down the veins of his forearm.
He looked at her through the curly wet hair dangling on his forehead.
"Forgot to take clothes to change into," He explained.
He walked up to her and took pointed at the strings in a question.
With her assent, he took it into his hands.
A little knot, at the end of which his knuckles brushed over her skin, sending goosebumps all over.
Her eyes caught his on the mirror, the ends of her lips curling up.
He tilted his head to the side, bowing a little and planted a little kiss on her neck.
It was too quick for him to overthink it.
She turned about to face him and leant back on the vanity, and he pushed against the table and dipped his face to hers.
And Zapp!
***
The electricity had gone out, and they stood blinking in the dark. The mood had gone with the lights.
"Let's just go out?" He offered.
"I'll wait while you get dressed, but I need to get to my phone-"
She reached out, only to come in contact with his bare torso.
She was about to pull back, not to make him uncomfortable when he held it back against him.
After grappling in the air, he finally held her face and drew it close.
Again, the air between them was static, and they filled the space between them with leccy.
But the universe wasn't about to let them be just yet.
The lights flashed on, making them wince from the sudden brightness after a while in the dark.
Ansh was met with Gayathri's eyes locked on his by the time he had adjusted to the sudden brightness. He couldn't look away from how they sparkled.
Sparkling the way they had back when they had met, when they got married, on their way to their new home...dazzling the way only her eyes could, sending him into a haze.
Her eyes twinkled in a tease and Ansh decided to accept the challenge. Pulling her in by the waist, his eyes mirroring her taunting regard.
Gayathri rested her hands on his elbows, her forearm along his, his arms were solid underneath hers.
"Are you flexing?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
He laughed, throwing his head back, his neck drawing her attention which strayed down from there.
It wasn't the first time she'd seen him like this, or even up so close, but today the awkwardness had lifted enough to give her eyes free reign over everything offered.
"Liking what you're seeing?" Ansh asked, his question laced with a grin.
Gayathris's eyes shot up to meet his, sheepish.
"I'm gonna go wait outside, I'll let you get dressed," she managed to say, her cheeks turning scarlet, a smile playing at her lips.
He nodded walking backwards to his closet, watching her closing the door.
Her eyes found his through the narrow gap between the doors before she shut it.
He counted that a victory.
***
Gayathri placed her hand gingerly on Ansh's shoulder. She had been on his bike behind him before, but, she could still use some time to get used to this. Ansh looked at her through the side mirror, her curls spilling out of the bun she had on.
"In the mood to go a little feral?" he asked. Gayathri could see the twinkle in his eyes through the mirror, This was a clear reference to straying eyes earlier and a red shot up her cheeks, she quickly put her helmet on, hoping to mask its hue.
Not one to be defeated, "What if I am?" she asked.
Turning towards his side to look at her, he kickstarted the bike. Although his helmet kept him from being able to look all the way back, she still thought he looked fairly cool. And they were off.
A notch below 60mph, he led them into a race through the night. Gayathri found her hands grabbing onto his waist, feeling the way it tapered down at his middle. He slowed down a minute later and settled into a relaxed pace. She rested her head against his back, she didn't see why she shouldn't make the most of this situation if he could.
"I don't usually drive like this and even then I kept it below the speed limit," he clarified, only for her to burst into laughter, as they turned to an alley.
Gayathri had noticed the light from the little street spilling out into the main road, but she wasn't expecting a thoroughfare lit with lanterns. the warm yellow bouncing off the walls augmented with graffiti. Reds, blues, greens and every colour imagined could be found on the vibrant walls, illustrating life in this striking city.
Ansh slowed to a stop at the very end of the alley, Gayathri looked at him in confusion. He nodded towards a graphic in a corner and she squealed. A bike not very different from theirs, a man and a woman on it, with the woman holding onto him, etched on the wall, coloured with love.
She hopped off to take a photo of it. Turning about, she lifted his helmet off of Ansh, revealing his lips, his nose and then those eyes. He brushed an awry lock of hair off his face and grinned at her. Gayathri linked her elbows with his and dragged him over, leaving their helmets hanging on the handlebar, brushing against each other, swaying a little to the salty breeze from the sea.
Ansh moved the bike along to the wall and let her lean his phone on a crate to take a photo. Turning the timer on, she rushed to join him on the bike, and eased into him, when there was a honking.
Photographs capture what our eyes are too busy to see, they encapsulate moments too fleeting to behold, and they freeze emotions that go unnoticed. With their attention and eyes, turning to look at the incoming passenger, the timer went off. It couldn't help but capture how Ansh's hand clasped Gayathris and how she leaned in closer at the sudden noise.
***
The incoming vehicle being an autorickshaw was able to pass by easily and so they were on the bike, riding into the night again.
Coming out of the alleyway, Gayathri was welcomed by a gust of saline air, which hung heavy around her and yet made her feel light. A moment later they were driving along the beach. Kozhikode beach. The waves hummed as street vendors sang to the beat they set. Vibrant kites caught in the trees glistened in the moonlight. Families were rubbing down their drenched children, and the sound of laughter filled the air.
Ansh slowed to a stop next to a panipuri vendor. With a smile for Gayathri, he walked up to the vendor and whispered something to him, collecting a plastic bag. Hanging it on the handlebar, he drove on, as Gayathri took in the sights, past the busy stretch of the beach to a more remote spot. The bag on its own was fairly suspicious but the location, far from the crowds was all the more so. Turning off his bike, Ansh turned to look at her,
"I know you're into crime thrillers, and that your imagination is running wild now, but I'm just here for a panipuri date," he chuckled.
As Gayathri looked at him in mild confusion as the puzzle pieces fell into place, he opened the storage compartment in his bike and retrieved a small blanket, which he spread out on the sand. Stooping in an exaggerated greeting he bid her to sit on it.
"I'll save my pepper spray for another day," she joked, taking a seat and opening the package he had gotten from the Panipuri vendor a while ago. There was a bag of panipuris and two small steel tiffins of condiments. Almost crushed at the bottom was a smaller bag of mashed potato filling. Ansh sat down beside her with a spoon he bought along in the glove compartment and got to work, serving her rounds of golgappas.
He struggled to get the filling in without crushing the shell or touching it with his unwashed hands and the tissue paper Gayathri was using for a plate was getting damper by the minute. Gayathri lifted a couple of them to Ansh who declined only to be reprimanded by his growling stomach, and he gladly gave in to her whims.
The blanket askew and slightly drenched with condiments at a couple of spots, lay underneath the the moonlight, holding the two who were finding a home in each other in a new city.
Gayathris's phone buzzed in her hand, a message from her colleague which read,
"Was a fairly rough first day. All settled in?"
The chaos of the day had slipped from her mind in the course of the evening. From his awkwardness back at the apartment, the graffiti art, to the golgappa extravaganza, this man has made her laugh away her perturbations and she had had no clue.
Gayathri moved a little closer to Ansh and lay her head on his shoulder. He went rigid for a moment before easing into it, lowering his head to bop hers. They sat watching the waves glide over one another, teasing and tumbling.
Home isn't someplace you rest, it's people you return to, people who shelter you, people who hold you up when you come crashing down.
***
Gayathri lay flat on the bed, hair fanning on a lace pillow, spilling over a side of the bed.
Her spine arced just a little, her eyes flickering over the page, eyes wide. The deeds described in the book were just a little too much to remain unreactive to.
Ansh noticed her squirming from the velvet red armchair at the foot of the bed. He removed his earbuds, cocking his head to the side, a grin escaping his lips.
Gayathris's eyes flitted to him for a brief second before focusing back on the book, she wondered how he'd react to what she was reading. His gaze met hers, teasing and laughing...he knew what she was up to.
Standing straight to his full height, Ansh slowly walked over to the other side of the bed. She could see him moving over from the corner of her eyes, but she strained to keep her eyes on the book. Looking meant losing to him, she'd pretend to be oblivious for a little while longer. Keep him waiting... why not?
He lay down on the bed beside Gayathri, head propped up on his palm, supported by his elbow on the bed.
The old teak wood bed frame, seasoned and crafted, did not give away his movements to her by creaking. But she could imagine how he'd look at her, how his smile would play with her.
A minute later, she would be straining to not turn to him. She could barely see the pages in front of her, this game was becoming torturous.
The same thoughts probably flickered through his mind too, because he got up, and sat with his knees on her sides.
Gayathri knew he was holding himself up, to not sit on her waist, and her elbows rested on his knees, and she could feel his thighs flexing underneath the soft sweatpants.
Her eyes met his over the top of the book before getting lost in a blur of words she was no longer bothered by, she wasn't going to let go just yet.
With a chuckle from the base of his throat, Ansh took off his shirt, and she couldn't resist the urge to peek over the book again, this time at his frame.
She wanted to run her hands on them, on the lines etched on him, engraved slowly over time with work. The shirt was covering his face, and lifted higher, freeing his vision and she hurridly banished her gaze back to the foggy labyrinth of words the book was becoming.
He kissed her forehead, earning a smile but nothing more, and moved on to her ear and then her neck, taking his time memorizing her.
She gasped a little, before screwing her eyes on the book again, not yet.
With a smile again he kissed the sliver of skin her askew pyjama shirt revealed, and her eyes latched onto his over the hazy pages of the forgotten book.
His fingers held onto her waistband, tugging it down until her legs were free of them.
A final teasing kiss on her stomach, his hands holding her thighs and it was done- she was undone.
Books and blankets were cast aside....
*FIN*