You Belong To Me

Rhea Mehta gingerly opened the door and peeped inside the room. A sigh of disappointment escaped from her lips when she saw the left side of the bed still occupied by its owner. She turned to look at the clock on the wall and noted that it was little past eight-thirty. “Time to do the most difficult task of the day,” she muttered and mentally checked out the task from her list as she tiptoed into the room and drew the curtains.

The room illuminated at once, revealing its awfully cluttered state. Clothes laid all around the room. Some on the floor, some on the bed and some on the bean bag that found a place at a cozy corner. Rhea glanced placidly around the small area and began picking up the clothes, forming one big heap on the empty side of the bed. She then leaned over the man she had been living with for about a year, and gazed at him tenderly. His thin lips pursed together tightly and a day old stubble framed his deep set jaw. His normally spiked-up hair was way below his forehead almost caressing his long lashes. Yet he looked remarkably attractive to Rhea. She almost stretched out her hand to run it over his square shaped face, but stopped short and whispered, “Abhi, it’s 9 o’clock. Wake up.”

“You are going to be late for work if you don’t wake up now,” she tried again, a bit louder. Her heart skipping a beat when he stirred but instead of getting up, he turned and laid flat on his stomach.

“You need immense patience while waking me up and that’s going to be a huge challenge each day. Are you ready for it?

“Challenge accepted.”

She recalled her conversation with Abhi when they decided to move in together.

“Abhimanyu Singh!” she called aloud and pulled the sheet from his body, exposing his bare chest. Her heart raced from the unexpected confrontation and her mind fought the temptation to lie down beside him.

“Fine, I’m up!” he murmured and stretched his well-chiseled body. She ogled at him, her legs refusing to move. Rhea knew he had caught her staring at him but made no attempt to hide it. Finally, she let out a deep breath and turned to leave when Abhi caught her wrist and pulled her closer to him, his deep dark-brown eyes looking at her intensely.

Rhea’s mind froze and her stomach churned like it was on an auto-somersault mode. Her thoughts wandered back to the time when they first locked eyes at a party two years ago.

“The crowd is quite crazy today,” she shouted to be heard above the music. He tore his gaze from an undoubtedly tipsy couple and studied the petite girl in front of him. Her jet black hair swept to a side, framed her oval shaped face, dark almond eyes and full lip.

“Your girlfriend?” she gestured towards the couple who were kissing on the far side of the dance floor.

“More like my ex-girlfriend.” He replied calmly, gazing at her eyes for a little too long and continued, “I just broke up with her.”

Rhea, still in her dreamy state didn’t realize when Abhi’s eyes wandered to the clock, and found he had been tricked. She zapped out and broke free from him when he glared at her in anger.

He sat up on the bed beside her and looked around rumbling, “Where’s my phone?” She turned her neck and his face was close to hers, their lips on the verge of touching. Rhea’s heart pounded and in an impulse, shut her eyes.

“Ah, there you are!” she heard him say.

“Phew! That’s twice in a matter of ten-minutes. I must be going crazy!” She thought and walked out of the room.

“It’s Sunday! You woke me up early on my day off. Why?” Abhi demanded when he walked into the living room and found Rhea sitting comfortably on the sofa, reading the morning newspaper. She gave him a side-way glance and smiled secretly; Abhi looked incredibly hot with his spiked up hair and an unbuttoned shirt, just the way she liked him.

“For obvious reasons, I needed your help,” she replied coldly without putting the paper down.

“Tell me anything like giving you a back massage, cleaning the house or even ironing your clothes!” He walked around the house, picking up his socks and shoes to show her that he can do the cleaning. “But…” he continued, “Don’t ask me to cook today. I need a break so let’s order food.”

“I’ll cook, and we’ll appoint a maid for the remaining chores. You don’t have to even lift your finger. What say. Did I hear a Yes?”

Abhi’s words echoed to Rhea. The words he said when he tried to convince her to stay with him a few months after they met. No doubt. He did keep his word to a tee, but just not on his day off as a chef in a seven-star hotel. It’s the only time he gets his personal space he confessed.

“Oh! Come on, Chef. Please”, she pleaded and walked up to him. “I know it’s your day off, but I really want you to make one of your amazing delicacies.” She pressed her lips and closed her eyes in ecstasy, thinking of the delicious paneer butter masala he had made the other day. He stepped closer to her, his after-shave piqued her olfactory lobes. She opened her eyes and found him inches closer to her face. He shook his head in protest as though he was fighting the urge to kiss her.

“I’ll help you out with the chopping and odd jobs.” she said slowly breaking the silence and the tension building up between them.

“Count on you? No ways!” he exclaimed and settled comfortably on the recliner which was his favorite spot. “Remember the last time you asked me to cook? You spent hours working on your hair and makeup, and you didn’t bother to enter the kitchen. No way, let’s just order for food.”

She placed her hands on her hips and crossed her face, thinking of ways to convince him. Finally, the idea hit her like a lightening bolt. She took out her cellphone and proclaimed, “Fine, I’m calling Nikita. I’m sure you would have taught her some exclusive recipes.”

He narrowed his eyes, and grabbed the cellphone from her hand. “Hey hold it! You can’t call my ex for my recipes.”

“And why not? Remember how she tried to make you jealous by dancing with that other guy, the day we met at the party. She would have almost succeeded if I had not intervened,” Rhea winked and leaned closer to him.

“I bet she would grab any opportunity to meet you again,” she chuckled, clearly enjoying the color fading from his face.

“By the way,” she continued, smiling mischievously “I don’t have her number but that look on your face was worth watching.”

She broke out laughing. “Should have taken a pic! It would make the perfect wallpaper on my phone.”

Just then, Abhi grabbed her by her waist and pulled her towards him. Rhea didn’t resist and felt her knees go weak as he looked into her eyes. She could feel his heart beating faster, just as hers was at the moment. He whispered softly “You love me Rhea but you’re afraid to admit it.”

“We’ve been living in this house for two years now,” he continued. “You think I don’t know how you feel about me?”

Her eyes lingered on his face and to his eyes, and his perfectly sculptured face and then over lips. His eyes followed her gaze, and he bent a bit lower just enough for his lip to touch hers. Beads of sweat found a place on her forehead and she closed her eyes, sinking into the intoxicating fragrance of his after-shave and cologne.

A faint smile appeared on his lips and Abhi broke out laughing.

“Wow! Now that’s what I call a perfect wallpaper picture. You should have seen that look on your face,” he burst out laughing.

Embarrassed, she instantly wiped off the sweat from her forehead and walked to her room, shutting the door behind her.

“Rhea, Rhea.” Abhi banged on the door. “Come on. It was just a joke. I’m sorry!” he begged.

“OK, fine I’ll cook. And it’s going to be one of my favorite dishes which I learnt on my trip to Sri Lanka,” he continued. “But I won’t do it unless you help me.”

He heard fumbling of the doorknob and stood back to let her open the door. One look at her, and he knew she had been crying. An instant reflex told him to hug her and kiss her tenderly on her soft lips and to dry away those tears and tell her how much he loves her. But he held back. After his dad abandoned the family, many years ago, Abhi saw his mother struggling to support the family and make ends meet. He would still recollect those days when his mother would silently shed tears while looking at her husband’s photo. To Abhi, his father was dead but the relatives brought him alive by comparing Abhi’s mannerism, looks and attitude to his father. At the beginning, he had turned a deaf ear to those constant criticisms. He hated his father and had nothing to do with him but as the years went by, a deep fear crept inside him. He started to distrust himself with long-term commitment, thinking that he might, like his father, leave his family one day.

He shook his head in objection. The last thing he would want to do is break Rhea’s heart.

“What’s the occasion today? Is Sahil coming home?” he asked and gave a friendly smile when their eyes met. She replied with a nod and hung her head low.

“I know Sahil loves home-cooked food and unfortunately you can’t cook,” he tried to joke. “But hey, I can always teach you, right?” He gave her a friendly hug and guided her towards the kitchen.

“Alright, let’s start assistant,” he smiled at her and his eyes lit up when she returned his smile. “First, grab two big onions, some garlic and ginger, then lots of green chilies, a red bell pepper, tomato sauce, soy sauce, chicken and red chili flakes.”

“Hey! Go slow,” she said, running towards the refrigerator to get the ingredients.

“And while you do the odd jobs, you can tell me more about Sahil,” he asked, trying to get her to speak about the guy whom she had hardly known for two months. “All I know is that he is a boring engineer and his parents are in Jaipur. Anything interesting about the guy? How did you guys even meet!”

“Well! Sahil is multi-talented. He speaks five different languages and he is very good in playing the sitar.” Abhi noticed her eyes beamed in pride as she spoke about Sahil and wondered if he would see the same pride for him in her eyes. “In his free time he either reads books or invests in stocks. You see, Sahil works as a part time investor.” She chatted away while chopping the onions.

Abhi so badly wanted to comment about how sissy it is for a man to be reading books when he should be out playing football. Instead he said “How very interesting! He must be very intellectual,” he smirked to himself.

“Listen… ,”Rhea said in a serious tone, pausing for a moment. “I know Sahil is not the type of guy I would usually date.” She looked up at him and whispered, “But he really loves me.”

Abhi’s eyes softened and he wanted to ask if she loved Sahil, but instead added the ginger garlic paste into a pan and trembled, “That’s important. The guy should be head over heels in love with you. That’s when he will take care of you.”

She gave him a half smile and thought. “I wish you had asked me if I loved him, Abhi.”

She sighed and stressed aloud, “ My parents love him, Abhi. They feel he would make the perfect life partner for me.” She searched for a reaction, a sign to know what Abhi felt about the whole drama that was unfolding in her life.

Though Rhea was the only pampered daughter of a leather tycoon, she never really found peace and love in her home. While her father was always busy with work, her mother chose to spend her time doing shopping and attending socialite events. Rhea hardly saw her parents together, and the day she saw them talking and laughing together was when they broke the news about her engagement with Sahil. Rhea, who wanted to live life the way she wanted, felt like a puppet in the hands of her parents. Soon after her parents mentioned their desire to get her married, she found a job as a fashion journalist in the land of dreams — Mumbai. It was the perfect place to escape, be away from her parents and Sahil. On the flight to Mumbai, she secretly sworn to marry the guy of her choice, which she would have almost succeeded if the ghosts of her past had not haunted her.

A few months after moving to her new life, Rhea found a bunch of red roses on her office desk, and was shocked to see a note from Sahil. He had followed her to Mumbai with her parent’s consent and wanted to meet her. Rhea knew this turmoil is not going to end and tired of running away from her past, she embraced the present. She made efforts to know Sahil and soon after they began to date.

“That’s good news,” Abhi replied without looking at her but his heart sank. He had never felt this miserable before. It was like he was losing something precious in his life, something which he wanted to cherish but due to his inner demons, he was just not able too. He let out a cuss. A cuss not for Sahil or Rhea but for himself to let go of the most wonderful women he had known.

By now Abhi was cooking the chicken in the pan. “Go on get dressed. Look your best for your date,” he almost choked the last sentence.

“I’ll clean up the house. There should be no trace of you in this apartment.” She walked to the living area and picked up his washed clothes.

His heart fell. He had every intention to burn Sahil’s mouth with chilies. “Then he won’t look at my Rhea every again.” He instantly traced back his sentence. “My Rhea,” he whispered and smiled secretly.

“Rhea, lunch is ready!” Abhi called out as he set the table.

“In a minute,” she called back from her room. “How do I look?” she asked him as she stood by the door.

“Ravishing,” he murmured as his eyes looked at her transfixed, refusing to blink. He felt his heart beating faster than he could ever remember. Clad in a chiffon twisted tank black dress, Rhea looked irresistibly beautiful. As a fashion journalist for a leading magazine, Rhea knew how to look her best for every occasion. “It’s a tip from the long-legged models”, she would often tell Abhi.

As though she read his mind, she turned to show a sexy v-neck back. The pearl necklace perfectly embraced her collarbone. “A gift from Sahil,” she said, touching the pearl necklace. She looked eagerly towards him, hoping that he would sweep her off her feet by just saying those three magical words. He did say three words but it was not what she wanted to hear.

“I… should leave,” he made his way towards the door. Abhi could not bear to see her getting decked up for another guy; the guy whom she might marry.

She stood stunned, her gaze traced his path. “Abhi,” she called out.

He turned to look at her and their eyes met, for the nth time that day. Without a thought, she sprint towards him and hugged him tight. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her warmth as he touched her bare back.

“Thank you,” she muttered under her breath and closed her eyes.

“Rhea…”

“Yes,” she responded, her eyes still shut enjoying the moment.

“Are you sure about Sahil?”

Shocked for a moment, she withdrew to look at him and ask, “What do you mean?”

His left hand traced a path to her waist; his other hand held a firm grip on her palm. He guided her rhythmically to the sounds of imaginary music. “I mean what I say. Do you love him?”

“I…I don’t know. I mean Sahil is a nice guy,” she responded, clearly mesmerized by the moment.

“What do you think about me?” He asked gently, making his grip more stronger, predicting that she might want to break free, which she did.

“Try harder Abhi, you just played this prank earlier. I’m not falling for it again.”

He moved her closer towards him and whispered her name into her ears. She trembled as he traced his lips from her ears to the edge of her lips. Without a second thought, his lips conquered hers into a passionate kiss. She responded by opening her mouth to welcome his tongue and clasped both her hands behind his neck to draw him even closer.

“Abhi,” she muttered under her breath.

Suddenly, she broke from the magical spell and drew away from him. “Sahil will be here any minute. You should leave.”

“Rhea, don’t.” he said still holding her hand. “I want you forever with me. You’re mine.”

Still startled from their kiss, she stared at him trying to find her voice, “Abhi, it’s not going to work. You know it too,” she said her voice still hoarse.

“Rhea, I’ve gotten so used to seeing you around in this house; in the kitchen, in my bedroom, and I love the scent of you when you wake me up each day. I long for it, it makes my day just to see you each morning.”

He paused to take a breath and then looking straight into her eyes, he said, “I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to lose you. I love you from the day we met. All I know right now is that I want to be with you forever.”

She stared at him, unable to believe what she just heard.

“Are you waiting for me to go down my knees and propose?” he raised his eyebrow and questioned.

“Oh Abhi!” was all that escaped from her mouth, sealing it with his lips. “You’ve no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this,” she giggled.

“You’ve been waiting for so long to kiss me?” he asked, kissing her on her lips.

“No you idiot! I was waiting for your proposal.”

Abhi lifted her up and kissed her again. She asked, “Don’t you think we should celebrate with lunch?”

“Nah! I think I’ll skip right to the dessert.” Saying this, he carried her to the bedroom.