Do Anjaane

Chapter 29

I realized yesterday that for some chapters, the spaces between some words have gotten deleted, so sorry about that! I don't know why that's happening, but I've been going through each chapter and fixing it. Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

Vaidehi leaned against the bathroom door, taking a deep breath. "Bachgayi main. Sab kuch aaj hi hona tha kya Bhagwan-ji? Agar Akshu galti se andar aa gayi toh? Aur yeh admi, kabhi bhi kahi bhi shuru ho jaate hain. Upar se period bhi abhi aana tha. Thank God, matlab aapko, ki this is a black shirt, aur bed pe bhi kuch dhaag nahi dikhe." (I escaped. Did everything have to happen today, God? What Akshu accidentally came inside? And this man, he can get started anytime, anywhere. And I had to get my period today. Thank God, I mean you, that this is a black shirt, and there are no stains on the bed.) She quickly washed the barely visible blood stain on her husband's shirt and kept it with the rest of the clothes that needed to be laundered. She bathed and dressed in record time, choosing to wear one of her most comfortable, dark brown, sarees since she wasn't feeling too bloated today.

Walking into the kitchen, she was proud of herself for successfully avoiding her husband. She was feeling shy and self-conscious from the night before, and to top it off, she was on her period. It's not that she felt any shame in sharing that, but she didn't broadcast it either. She also liked to keep her space and wasn't very touchy-feely on her period. "Beta, tum theek ho? Itni der se uthi, tabiyat to theek hai?" (Beta, are you ok? You woke up late, is your health okay?) Chandrika and Aparna were in the kitchen preparing brunch. Chandrika cupped her face, while Aparna stepped closer, nodding in concern. "Nahi Maa, Chachi, main theek hoon. Bas kal thodi thaki hui thi, aur aaj periods bhi aa gaye." No Maa, Chachi, I'm fine. I was just a bit tired yesterday, and I got my period today, too.) "Arey, toh tum yaha kya kar rahi ho? Kamre mein jaake rest karo, na." (Arey, then what are you doing here? Go rest in your room.) "Nahi Maa, abhi tak toh soyi thi, ab mujhe kuch kaam karne ka mann hai." (No Maa, I slept until now, and now I feel like doing some work.) "Pakka, beta?" "Pakka, Maa." (Pakka- sure) "Theek hai, par zyaada nahi, hmm?", Chandrika warned her. (Okay, but not too much.)

Vaidehi nodded and smiled, joining them in their preparations. When Veer saw Vaidehi with his mom and Chachi in the kitchen, he left to sulk in his study, plotting ways to spend the rest of the day with his wife. Veer was the last one to arrive at the dining table, and Vaidehi had managed to seat herself between Chandrika and Akanksha, leaving only one seat for Veer several spots down on the other side of the table. Everyone silently laughed at his banked annoyance, and all throughout the meal, Vaidehi could feel a pair of eyes trained on her. After eating, everyone settled in the living room for chai and coffee.

Priya, Vaidehi and Yagnik brought out coffee for everyone, but Chandrika handed Vaidehi another cup, telling her that Veer was in his study and wanted his coffee brought there. "Aur haan, agar janab ko zyaada kaam nahi hain, toh usko yaad dilao ki family ke saath bhi time spend karna zaroori hain." (Oh, and if mister doesn't have too much work, remind him that spending time with family is also important.) Chandrika had seen more of her son in the past few months, after he had married Vaidehi, than she had in the past several years. But there was still room for improvement. It wasn't that he didn't love his family, but he wasn't the most expressive, and over the years, he let the business take up all his time, which had become a habit he couldn't escape.

Vaidehi had been avoiding her husband all morning, but she couldn't avoid it now, so she took the coffee cup her mother-in-law handed to her and knocked on the study door. "Come in." While walking at a snail's pace to the study, Vaidehi had come up with the perfect plan. She opened the door to the study but didn't step inside. "Main aapki coffee lekar aayi hoon, lekin Maa aur baaki sab chahte hai ki aap sabke saath baithkar thoda waqt bitaye. Issiliye, main aapki coffee living room mein hi rakh rahi hoon, aur agar aapko peena hai, toh waha aakar peeye." (I've brought your coffee, but Maa and everyone else want you to spend some time with them. So, I'm putting your coffee in the living room. If you want to drink it, you're going to have to come there.) Vaidehi had held on to the doorknob while speaking, so she immediately shut the door and speed-walked back to the living room, hoping that her husband wouldn't catch up to her and stop her.

Fortunately, he arrived a few minutes after her, and everyone's faces glowed at the thought of finally spending time with Veer. After a while, all the youngsters decided to watch a movie in the home theatre, but Vaidehi crept out after a half hour. It was an action movie she had watched multiple times with her brother, and it wasn't a particular favorite of hers, but the boys had Veer sandwiched between them, insisting that he had to watch it. However, she was really craving brownies, so she went into the kitchen and got busy whipping up her famous brownie recipe. Akshu, who was sitting closest to Vaidehi, smiled as her Bhabhi left the room. 'Now's the perfect chance.' Biding her time, she too crept out, and joined Vaidehi in the kitchen.