That Perfect Smile of Him

25

                            
                             ARJUN

I turned towards the switch board after entering the house as hall looks scariest in the morning when dimmed street lights enters through the window and the doorway to our room shines through them.

I looked back at Siya who plopped on the couch, settling her legs on the table against it.

"Put a bucket of water to heat under the rod, please." She turned her head towards the ceiling after saying.

"You can sleep first. It's too early to take a bath." I interjected setting the curtains properly against lattice doors.

"No. The train's bed, its blankets... It doesn't get well with me. I will bath first."

"They are properly washed, you know."

"Still." She shrugged her shoulders, settling back on the couch again.

I quickly filled the bucket and adjusted the heating rod within it. I laid on the bed to settle down the aching muscles of my shoulders. Such a tiring journey!

"Arjun, don't sleep on the bed. You have to bath first."

"No, I am sleepy."

"Arjun. Okay you can bath first. You will get to sleep sooner then. I will wait. But just don't sleep on the bed."
She threw the cold cotton t-shirt on my face.

"Arjun, get up."
I hazily got up and I felt her pushing me till the bathroom. I worked my hands fast as my back ached to settle somewhere. Even I felt some pain in my knees for walking this long from the station to our house.

I looked at myself over the mirror after quickening a towel around my waist. I came out to find Siya rubbing the oil on her hairs. She flinched combing them.

"What happened?"

"My hairs have become a mess due to all sweatening and dust. See."
She pointed towards the hairs messed along each other with knots tangled among them.

"You take a bath and rest. It will need patience to clean them." I handed her the towel kept on our clothes inside our suitcase.

"It is paining now." She shrieked, as the comb got not so beautifully tangled between the bunch of the knots again.

"Main keh raha hu na pehle aaram karte hai."
She nodded her head keeping the comb back at it's place and went inside the bathroom.

Putting a t-shirt on myself, I entered the kitchen. Keeping some water on the stove, I left it to boil adding some tea leaves and sugar. Placing out some biscuits in the plate, I brought two cups out of the shelves. I took the container full of milk from fridge, which probably Siya would have told milkman to keep in the basket on our gates.

I shifted the cream aside using my fingers and tilting the container, I poured it out. I pulled the container aside to stop the cream to flow down along the milk. I tilted it again keeping my forefinger on the cream and poured it until the blackness didn't exist.

"Arjun! What are you doing?"
I heard as Siya yelled out from the room.

"Coming." I turned off the gas stove before the tea boling till the edges of the container started to settle down. Pouring the tea in the cups, I carried it inside the room.

"Siya." She turned back closing the cupboard and walked towards me.

"You brought tea?" Her eyes widened looking at the cups and then back at me.

"It's not that unbelievable. Tum over react mat karo!"

She sighed , picking her cup off the plate after sitting at her side on the bed. I spread the blanket on myself advancing it's another corner towards Siya's side, covering her legs.