“I swear I will kill you for this.” Riva seethed down the phone.
Peals of laughter came from the other end, “Why? You barely write something romantic. Now is your chance.”
“A blind date?” Riva questioned, unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice, “It is juvenile!”
“It is romantic.” Koel winked at her husband, who was shaking his head at her. He was the one who came up with the prompt.
“Can’t you send me something good for once in your…”
“Write me a piece on this first.” Koel cut the call without listening to more of her friend’s complaints.
Riva stared at the phone and then her laptop. She was excited for today, hoping for a delicious prompt, something that would spark a thriller in her mind. But it seemed like Koel could read her mind and knew how to ruin her day.
Riva let out a long sigh as Raj hugged her from behind, “Can’t work?”
“Koel hates me.” She grumbled in a low voice, making him throw his head back in laughter. She loved it. Raj was one of few people she knew who laughed with their whole body.
“No one can hate you, darling.” He kissed the side of her neck. She reciprocated on his cheek.
“Your opinion is biased,” She smiled at him as he took his bag from the chair.
“Still counts.” He shrugged, “I will see you in the evening. Don’t forget our date.” He gave her one last kiss on the cheek before leaving. He knew she would write her piece by then. It was a tradition that they both looked forward to, never missing one in years.
Riva laughed at his reminder. She just had to get done with her writing first. She glared at the laptop before letting her fingers fly on the keys as a memory ran through her head.
.
“Is this seat taken?” A man approached her as Riva was fumbling with her saree. She had decided she would never wear it again. But her mother forced her into it. She was not used to handling yards of clothes while walking or sitting. The day was the third time, yet the garment escaped her understanding.
It was similar to the process of an arranged marriage.
Her parents had set her up for another date. But this time, they didn’t even have a photo for her use, just a direction that he would be wearing his army badge. There were hordes of them, going in and out of the club café. What were her parents expecting, really? Though she was the only one in Indian attire on the whole premises, she could hope for the best that he would not be able to spot her.
The heat inside the club was not helping her mood, and then this gentleman. Couldn’t they leave her alone? A perfect new Agatha novel was waiting for her at home. Yet she had to endure the company of another dull man.
“Yes, I am waiting for someone.” She said without looking up from her pallu. When she felt him still there, she looked up at him.
He was smiling at her in an indulgent way. It made her pause to recollect why she was turning away this perfectly handsome man.
“Would you be more comfortable outside?” He gestured at the sprawling gardens visible from the windows. The path around the main area was shaded with trees, and she could see the wind was blowing with the leaves. Yes, she would be far more tolerable outside. She stood up abruptly, “Let’s go.” And she marched outside.
When he didn’t follow her, she looked back at his shocked expression. He immediately schooled it into a pleasant one as he stepped beside her. Was he thinking that she wouldn’t accept his offer?
“May I?” He motioned to the length of her attire that was dragging along. She couldn’t step down the few stairs that would leave them to the path while holding the front of her saree and the end of pallu. She gave him a nod. He picked it up before offering his other hand for her to grab onto. He didn’t let go of her saree even as they started walking, helping her focus on the path in front of her instead.
They fell into easy conversation about everything.
He was better than the rest of the buffoons she had seen the past few days. He was polite and not a pig who thought her only job after marriage would be to take care of him. She had stepped on more than two suitor’s toes, accidentally of course, for that remark.
And he loved books, too. Though he was more into non-fiction, she could convert him to her side. He felt like a person willing to try everything with the number of cuisines he had tasted in his short career. He even listened to her ramblings about her idea of a novel and made good remarks about the practicality of a murder.
But what sold him to her, were his easy smiles. Riva had a feeling that he was not a person who found joy in everything. His straight posture, way of speaking, and his process of subtly checking his surroundings for danger told her he was a person who listened more than he spoke. It made her happy that he was comfortable enough with her to let go and enjoy their conversation. Even tease her back on her sarcastic quips. She didn’t realize they had walked for around two hours when they finally turned the corner to go back inside the building as night fell.
“May I ask why you are wearing a saree if you are not comfortable in it?”
“My maa,” she rolled her eyes, “She thinks I look best in one. What do you think?” She looked at him expectantly.
“You would look best wearing your smile.” He said with serious sincerity.
“And nothing else?” She could not help but tease him. He went red for a bit before he realized it was another one of her jokes. He threw his head back and laughed out loud, making her grin.
“Ms. Riva?” A voice came from the entrance, making their heads turn. He gently laid her pallu down and stood straight with his hands behind his back.
The man who had said her name came forward and saluted the one with her, “Sir!”
He gave the intruder a slight nod and turned to Riva. She looked at him in daze.
“I thought you had left. Forgive me, I was running late.” He turned to her companion then, not realizing they were not interested in him, “Thank you for keeping her company, Sir.”
“Anytime.” He smiled, extending his hand to her, “Ms. Riva.” He took her hand, and gently touched his lips to the back, not breaking eye contact, “It was lovely to meet you.”
He tried to pull his hand away, but she wouldn’t let go. She glared at the man, and answered the newcomer, “Actually, Mr. Parth, I have to leave now, and your Sir has kindly offered to drop me home.” She squeezed his hand harder, thinking she was making an impression, but he hardly felt it. He could barely hide his grin at her efforts.
“Of course, I wouldn’t want a lady to go alone in night.”
“I can take over, Sir! We had a date actually, but I…”
“No. Thank you.” Riva finally let his hand go and turned to the person she was supposed to talk to. The one she thought was walking with her for hours, “I wouldn’t want to keep you from something more important.” She didn’t wait for his reply and glared sideways at the man towering over her at least a foot, “Shall we?” she raised an eyebrow and waved her hand at the exit. She couldn’t wait to be alone with him and give him a piece of her mind. And she didn’t even know his name!
“Of course, Ma’am.” He led her to his car in the parking.
“Who are you?” She laid out as soon as they were out of earshot.
He opened the car door for her, “I can tell you on the way.”
“No way I am getting in your car. You could be a serial killer!” She folded her hands across her chest.
“Then, I am sure Mr. Parth would be a prime witness in our case.” He motioned to her seat again. She acquiesced, mumbling about knowing martial arts while folding in her saree inside the car. He helped her before going to his side and settling in the driver seat, unable to keep the smile off his face.
“Tell me your name.” She demanded as soon as they were out of the premises.
“Raj. Your address?” He glanced at her to see her reaction and then focused on the road again, taking her home.
.
“Wow!” Koel laughed in amusement, “I don’t know why she whines about my prompts when she can come up with these pieces.”
“Aren’t all your writers like this?” Ashish stirred the pasta as he added more oregano.
“Oh no! Only her!” Koel took out the plates and forks.
She was her friend too. The one she felt she was getting to know better with this prompt exercise.
.
“So, you write your piece well?” Raj took a sip of his drink as they settled into their living room after their date.
“Yes! I had a, what do they say nowadays, blast, I had a blast writing it.” Riva was lying halfway on him. That’s why she had insisted on a bigger couch. She liked their nights like this.
“Can I read it?” He only ever read fiction written by her. He found everything else too bland for his taste.
“You have already lived it, darling.” She moved up his chest to sneak in a kiss, tasting whisky mixed with him. Her favorite.
Head here for more Riva and Raj.
A lazy afternoon, a lost bet and a little love
Raj never won a bet with Riva. The woman smiled, and he was a goner. So this is what they wagered their vacation on. Who would break first?
This post is my addition to the Thorny Thursday
. I took her blind date post as a prompt to write something new and romantic for the pair. Hope you like it.
I love your writing style. It's so easy; it flows naturally. And I think it's a perfect story for Thorny Thursday.
Interesting seeing the power dynamics at play between the characters. Physical and non-physical.