Hello everyone!! Thank you so much for all the love and appreciation the story is receiving! Happy reading!!
Twinj: My Lifeline: Episode 85
A quick recap: Things slowly begin to get better for Kunj as his almost unbearable wait for getting back to work ends. Twinkle and he discuss some unexplored issues of their marriage, surprising each other with their thoughts about the same, but ending in agreement nevertheless.
“Kunj, what are you doing?” Twinkle asked curiously, quickly running her eyes around him. “Nothing much. Just chilling!” He answered, not even bothering to look up at her. “Kunj Sarna, for one, you are not responding on social media, so you can just tell me whatever you are actually up to. Also, you are standing in the kitchen early in the morning with your apron on, Kunj! That definitely does not look like ‘just chilling’” She glared at him, still unable to believe how clean the kitchen looked despite his presence there. “Oh.” He said simply, setting aside the slices of bread he had been fiddling with. In an attempt to toast them, she assumed. She returned her glance to him awaiting his reply, but he simply grinned at her, pointing to the writing in bold on his apron. ‘Kiss the Chef’ it read, Twinkle didn’t even have to look at it to know, she remembered it well enough, but pretended to not get his indication. “What?” She questioned innocently, making him cross his arms angrily. Oh, how she loved to tease him! “What does the apron say, Twinkle?” He asked, and she put on a look of sudden realization, with widened eyes and all. “Aren’t you supposed to be doing that?” He continued, sighing dramatically and mumbling something about how his wife never understood.
She smiled sweetly at him before tiptoeing forward and gently placing one hand on his cheek. He flashed a victorious smile when she got closer, looking at her expectantly. However, just when she was only an inch or so away from his cheek, she whispered, “Why do you deserve that though, Kunj?” She backed off and stood like she had never walked towards him at all, while he looked not so happy with her trick. She laughed internally as she thought how he still fell for this one sometimes, although most other times he would sweep her off the ground by playing along and catching her off-guard at the last moment. “Because of the effort I put into all this!” He argued, eyeing the dishes in front of him that had been prepared for breakfast. “Are you saying you made all this, Kunj?” She shot back, and he finally looked defeated, for right then, as if on cue, he saw the maid walk into the kitchen. Twinkle giggled at him before turning to the maid and returning her greeting.
Kunj didn’t seem to be done with his drama yet though. When Usha and Manohar arrived at the breakfast table a few minutes later, he was ready to go at it yet again. “Ma, guess who made breakfast today!” He chirped, and Usha almost dropped the glass of water in her hands. “Please tell me it wasn’t you.” She beseeched, looking at Twinkle who threw her a knowing look. “This is so unfair! Why doesn’t anyone believe me for once?” He protested, sounding agitated now. “We believe you, Kunj. Sit down now.” Manohar said from behind the newspaper he had held up and was reading intently. “I was the director for the entire breakfast preparation today!” He asserted, making the women giggle. “The director?” Usha asked, nudging Manohar, who put down his paper and was now watching Kunj cluelessly. “Yes, I directed the maid to make all this and also tested if it was all perfect.” He claimed proudly. This time it was Manohar who burst out laughing.
“Not fair at all!” Kunj said, picking at his food almost revengefully. “Ma, your son only wants some appreciation.” Twinkle stated, and Kunj looked up hopefully, nodding his head. “… for work he hasn’t done.” Manohar finished and they high fived each other across the table, earning a glare from Kunj. “Stop teasing my son, you two!” Usha quipped in, making Twinkle and Manohar look at her in surprise after exchanging a quick glance. “Alright, you’re allowed to laugh. Ma doesn’t have to treat me like a baby.” Kunj said resignedly, smiling at all three of them. As they watched him unable to believe what they were hearing, he spoke with a tone of resolution, “One day I am going to be able to cook too.” They all laughed now, knowing how highly improbable that was. “Twinkle, what have you done to my son, who only knew how to ‘direct’ people around in the house before?” Usha gasped expertly, to which Twinkle replied without missing a beat, “No Ma, all this has to be your upbringing! Such great work!” Kunj looked at them alternately before muttering, “My day will come too. And then I’ll be the one laughing.” But it only roused another round of laughter at the table.
“Twinkle, stop pulling the blanket!” Kunj mumbled, trying to recover his share of the blanket, but she had it all wrapped around her in such tangles that there was no way he would succeed. The night was cold though and there was no way he could fall back asleep without the blanket – besides the fact they both had almost no clothing on, also why Twinkle had crumpled the entire blanket around her. “Twinkle!” He called out, louder and clearer this time and watched her open her eyes lazily and look at him. “We had just slept, Kunj… It’s already time to wake up?” She spoke, or rather croaked, her eyes threatening to shut again. He smiled at her and pecked her forehead, making her hum appreciatively as she stretched one hand towards him, an unspoken plea to come closer. He sighed deeply, repeating, “The blanket, Twinkle!” She opened her eyes with great difficulty again and looked down at the blanket. “Oops, sorry!” She said with a sheepish grin, adjusting in her place to let him sneak in next to her.
“This is nice!” He heard her say a moment after they had settled comfortably, with her head resting on his outstretched arm, snuggled as close to each other as possible. “Really, Twinkle Sarna? Don’t you think you aren’t the shy and timid person you once were?” He teased, his hands moving dangerously close to where he knew would drive her crazy, making her eyes fly open. “And don’t you think you should be sleeping and letting me sleep too, Kunj Sarna?” She asked, grabbing his hand to hold it in place. “Oh look, that shy and timid person is back!” He pointed out, winking at her. “I was never ‘timid’!” She protested, now fully awake. “If you say so.” He gave in easily, closing his eyes. “Kunj! This isn’t done! You can’t doze off after chasing away my sleep!” She complained, making him smirk. “But didn’t you just ask me to do that?” He feigned innocence, having overpowered her hands holding him back at last and continuing his advancements. She let out a songful moan at that, and he asked with his oh so stupid grin, “Is this okay then?” Although she shook her head in the negative, the clouded look in her eyes and the way her hands seemed to move of their own accord didn’t exactly say that.
Twinkle absently placed gentle kisses on his neck, letting go of her apprehensions, something that he always managed to get her to do. How though, she would never be able to tell. Perhaps it was just because this was him, her Kunj, or because of the immense love he always held in his eyes for her, or maybe since she had been in love with him ever since she could remember knowing him. “Stop distracting me!” Kunj’s insistence when her fingers drew random patterns across his chest made her giggle. She looked up at him, or what she could see of him in the room that was only dimly lit by the soft moonlight streaming in through the poor work of closing the curtains that Kunj had done. She would have to teach him to get that right the next morning, she noted mentally. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt his breath against hers and closed her eyes, giving in to the kiss that she was pretty sure would turn passionate and much more before either of them knew it.
“You are busy thinking yet again!” Kunj observed as they lay breathing heavily sometime later, running his fingers through her messed up tresses. She shook her head, but he did know her better than anyone else, so it was pointless. “I was only thinking about how things have become so much better again! It’s lovely to see you engrossed in your work, you love it so much after all!” She confessed, giving in to his unrelenting gaze, and heard him sigh relievedly. “I agree. It had been so hard, so scary initially, with all those people going on and on about how I have no value for professionalism and such.” He admitted, and she dutifully reached up to peck his cheek comfortingly at that. He smiled at her, a mischievous thought crossing his mind. “Wait, are you saying that you’re glad I’m not following you all around the entire day and annoying you?” He voiced it, startling her. “Oh yes, that too.” She replied impassively, earning a chortle.
“But guess what, if someone had told me even a day before we got married that you would end up becoming my whole world, I would have probably laughed my head off like an idiot.” He said suddenly into the silence and she giggled with a nod, perhaps she would have done the same too. “No, you would have cried.” He corrected her thoughts, astonishing her that her had read her thoughts initially, but as she realized that he was back to pulling her leg, she huffed at him, retorting, “If that bothers you so much, why don’t you go and fins yourself someone better?” He was stunned at that to say the least, and gulped hard. He knew she didn’t actually mean and that they both knew they were only kidding, but she had never said something of that sort before either. He knew a better way to respond to that though, a way that would effectively get rid of the sly smile playing on her lips. He leaned closer and latched his lips onto her neck, going for her pulse point directly. She whined at that, her mouth falling open as he got closer. “Do you really think, Mrs. Sarna, right now, when the two of us are in this state, that I’ll ever want or even think of someone, anyone else?” He asked in a hoarse whisper and she almost screamed her ‘No! I don’t!’ He sneered at her, pulling back. She didn’t let go of him this time though. “Stop teasing me, Kunj! Please…” Her words trailed off as he obeyed her. There was no way either of them could ever get enough of each other.
Whew! That’s it for now, guys. Sincere apologies for bringing in the romantic fragment, which I’m really not sure was even okay. Rotten tomatoes accepted. Until next time, much love!