Chapter 12

                                    

                                          
It was still raining steadily as Arnav entered the Raizada mansion at the break of dawn the next day. Rahim chacha opened the door for him and when Arnav questioned about who was up, informed him that no one had woken yet. Nodding slightly at the old man, he asked him to get his breakfast ready and that he'd be down after refreshing. 
                          
"Shyam ji. I'm really feeling sleepy. Ye aap..."
                          
Anjali was tired. Her husband had been home for like a day and had returned with a voluminous appetite. He was trying to turn her around so he could make love to her again. She clutched at the sheets as he brought his head to her breasts and moaned. He then made love to her till he got off her body, both satisfied, both spent.
                          
He brought her close to him and cuddling her said, "Go back to sleep now!
                          
She glared at him and said, "Keep your hands off me..." and heard him laugh deeply. 
                          
That was when she heard the shower running in the bathroom adjacent to hers. It was Arnav's room.
                          
Was he home?
                          
She quickly got out of bed and was going towards the bathroom.
                          
"So where is your sleep now?" Her husband asked.
                          
"I think chotey is home."
                          
"So what? He's not going to run away."
                          
"Shyam ji. He rarely comes home these days. And after the puja today we'll go to our house. I won't get the time. Aur humne aapko bataya tha na—
                          
"Yeah right. Khushi."
                          
"Haan. I have to talk to him. I better go now or he'll leave to office..."
                          
"Rani saheba, I really think he won't like your meddling in his affairs."
                          
And before he could say anything else, his wife was inside the bathroom, going for her shower. Shyam rolled his eyes. But then he had never seen a brother-sister duo like them. 
                          
When Arnav came down after an hour, he saw his Nani was in the puja room and his sister no where about. Since jijaji had come home after long for puja and Karva Chauth tomorrow, he hoped to have his breakfast alone before the rest of the family would be up and about. 
                          
But luck wasn't with him. 
                          
He halted in the dining room entrance, suppressing a groan when he saw Anjali glance at him from one end of the table. Bloody hell, he should have known better. She must have heard him come in.
                          
"Good morning," he heard a terse wish from behind him. This time he made no effort to suppress the groan.
                          
"What's the matter, chote? You finally found the way home?" His Nani asked as she sat down at the head of the table.
                          
He walked over to take a seat at his usual place. "No need to be sarcastic. This is probably why I don't bother coming at all."
                          
Rahim chacha then scurried to place a plate and a glass of orange juice before him, and Arnav served himself some toast from a platter on the table.
                          
Anjali acted offended and said, "No need to be rude. You're in the wrong here and you know it."
                          
"Di, why are you up so early? I heard jijaji is here. Why don't you spend some time with him? Make up for the lost time?" He grunted completely ignoring his Nani.
                          
That didn't daunt her. "Why must we argue every time you're home? Why don't you talk to me anymore, chote? Everything is so changed between us nowadays. It has changed from the moment you started ignoring me and stopped answering my questions," she said, her voice actually sounding sad.