Chapter 29: chapter 29

The next week practically flew by. Jay had taken a flight out to Bangalore next Saturday, Arnab.  was to rejoin on Monday so they had to be backat Pathankot by Sunday evening. Mowri , had learnt a lot about her husband in that one week they had spent with his family. He was very disciplined. He had a set routine and he followedthat too diligently. He always had a hearty breakfast, well, so did his family and she was surprised to see how much they could eat earlyin the morning but then they always had light early dinners. For her it was all so nevw. She could barely keep up so much so on the third day afterher marriage she had an upset stomach. After that Arnab.  had asked her to keep what routineshe had for eating and that she needn't change her habits because they had different routines and sudden changes would cause her to getsick. Slowly she could change if she wanted to.He was very adjusting that way. And Mowri , found he was easy to talk to as well. He wouldn't rush into things always taking his time to understandand then talk. His family was very warm. Sarla was so much like her it was amazing. It was as if they were long lost friends. Jay was the funniest.He had made her smile twice with his antics and he couldn't stop boasting. Rajesh was a great human being but he was a better father. She felt so close to him. He would take her along with him for walks and talk about all his feats to her sometimes even repeating his stories but she didn't mind. Arnab.  was the quietest of them all.He would talk only when necessary or just keep quiet and listen to the rest.Their house was beautiful, it was bungalow stylewith four rooms, since both Arnab.  and Jay lived separately they didn't need a bigger house than what they had. With beautiful front lawn and a small garden at the back the house was just perfect for her in laws. It was well maintained and a tastefully decorated house. Arnab. 's room was very austere in terms of furniture, wall color.There was a huge bed, a wardrobe, a set of table and chair put away in one corner, two accent chairs with a small oval table between them, a rug and some wall décor. That was it. It was way too simple and Sarla had told her he had gotten his room redone after his divorce choosing a plain cream color and simple furniture. And Mowri , had heard the sadness in her voice. She had also told her Arnab.  had beendifferent before his divorce. He had been just as comical as Jay with a bit of seriousness. But when Nisha had left he had lost his happy selfand gone all serious. He still smiled but it was never from his heart. He still laughed but not the way he used to and even then they were so far in between that when he did it surprised them.Mowri , hadn't questioned her mother-in-law on why she left or what happened. She had decided to let Arnab.  talk about it when he was ready. Besides she did not want to look nosy.Mowri , packed her bag as they were leaving for Pathankot in about half an hour. She thought about her week here. She would miss the warmth and the company both. She hadn't missed herfamily much she thought but then she had been staying by herself for around five years now so missing them just because she had gotten married was not much of a deal. So fareverything had gone perfectly she just hoped it would be the same when they reached Pathankot because from here on she would be alone with Arnab. . She was so attracted to him it wasn't even funny. What was she supposed to do? The man was so undeniably good at everything he did. How was she supposed to resist that? The close proximity hadn't helped either. It was only going to get more private. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. So far everything had  gone quite well with so many people around and lunch and dinner parties and other rituals that were supposed to take place that both she and Arnab.  hadn't had much time alone. And suddenly she would be in that situation. But it was a phase she had known Would come sooner or later. How was she going to cope with it? She hoped she fared well.Sarla had been trying to get Arnab.  to extend his stay but he had resolutely refused citing he had already taken too much time off his duty and he had to be back. Rajesh was in agreement withArnab. . Though Arnab.  had told them that Mowri , could stay back a few more days if that was okay but then Sarla had refused. They stay together or go together she had said. So here Mowri , was in her room packing the last bit. She zipped her bag close and stood up with a sigh. Her new life was just starting and she was nervous notall that much now that she knew a few things she felt more confident but still. How long could she ignore the growing attraction she felt for her husband? Not long came the answer. She trusted him in her own way and he had kept every word he had given her so far but she still needed to learn so much about him. There was so much more to a person than just his regular habits and that was what was making her nervous. Would she be able to fulfil the promise she had made to Sarla? That she would help Arnab.  to get over hispast. The biggest problem was she had no clue how. She herself hadn't been able to completely shake off hers how would she help Arnab. ?But a promise was a promise and she will just have to come up ith something maybe in turn she would be able to help herself too. This washer life now and she had to make the most of it. Besides she had to fiqure out how to achieve hergoals too. She was still waiting for a reply from the local college where she had applied. She sighed. She bid goodbye to the room where shehad been staying for the past one week and took her heavy bag outside. Rest of the luggage hadalready been loaded in Arnab. 's gypsy.Life was just starting to get interesting and if she found her attraction for Arnab.  challenging howchallenging would she find the people and the situations that would soon try and turn her life upside down.*************