chapter 88

     “Help whom with what?”, Prisha chimmed in .        “None of your business!”, Vibha and Aarushi screamed at her in unision     “Rude. Stop hanging out with my cousin, sister in law. She has infected your sweet nature and turned you into an unfiltered heartless uncaring dummy like her.”, Prisha grumbled as she settled down with her tea sipping noisily at it.   Soon the rest returned and took their respective seats.      “So according to our schedule we have this stupid drive till noon and then we get lunch. After that we are free to do whatever we want and then we are heading to watch sunset around 5:30. We get dinner at 8 and then go to sleep. Tomorrow morning those who wish can join to watch sunrise. Breakfast at 9:30 and then we all go to see some tourist attractions and then start our return journey around 5 in the evening.”, Kaustubh read out the schedule he had managed to get his hands on.     “So now we go collect those saplings and bury them in holes?”, Rupesh asked and there were  a few gasps and muffled laughters at his choice of words.       “Dude made that stupid tree plantation drive sound like some kidnapping and body hiding mission. I am loving this better now.”, Kaustubh praised and Rupesh gave him a proud smile.     “So let us all meet here again for lunch and then maybe we can go for shopping after that.”, Niharika suggested and they all agreed heading out with their respective partners.        “I will throw it for you.”, Vibha offered taking the cup from Aarushi and Kaustubh signaled Rupesh . The hint was enough for the boy to know what to do. “Here, let me put it away for you.”, Rupesh offered Manas and Kaustubh did the same with Sneha. Vibha chuckled at their antique and her cousin who was glaring at them with her hands folded in front of her chest. Niharika totally unaffected by her surrounding had helped herself and was gathering her belongings to go out .           “What are you waiting for? That cup to grow legs and walk itself to the  dustbin? I swear if we have to wait at far end in the line because of your slow ass I am going to bury you in the mud instead of that sapling!”, Niharika threatened and walked away leaving behind a blinking Prisha with a horrified and disappointed look on her face. Just as Niharika stepped out of the earshot, entire table burst into laughter.       Vibha and Aarushi too headed out. Since not many had finished eating the queue wasn’t much a concern . Vibha got their gardening equipments while Aarushi collected the sapling.       “Vibha take its picture. It is so cute.”, she cooed at the little green sapling in her hand with tiny leaves. Vibha chuckled at her reaction to the plant.   “You are cuter than it, baby.”, she replied but took a picture for her nevertheless. And ofcourse took loads of pictures of her cutie admiring the cute thing in her hand.Aarushi wanted to join in the digging but Vibha refused to let her.     “Nah , can’t have my queen dirty her hands or hurt herself with any of these pointed tools. You just sit there with that little sapling.”, is all she had received from her over caring girlfriend who refused to let her even step near the wet mud.        All she was allowed to do was water the sapling after Vibha had planted it in the soil.Finally the simple task taking almost an hour and half had finished with Vibha looking like a kid who just had a blast in mud. Aarushi found it adorable and snapped few pictures of her girlfriend covered in mud .    “All done.”, Vibha declared as she admired her work.    “You did so good.”, Aarushi praised her and then turned her so she could wipe her face.      Despite being in relationship with her for all this while Vibha still wasn’t used to her girlfriend taking care of her out of blue . The flush of her red cheeks outdid the mud and Aarushi caught that. She purposely moved closer to her letting there breathes collide as she kept her eyes trained on Vibha’s cheek appearing to be fully engrossed in cleaning her face. Vibha was having a hard time controlling herself and not screaming suddenly as if she had gone mad. She was beyond gone though.        Only when she believed her girlfriend couldn’t pull any more of strings ; Aarushi suddenly placed a quick peck on her lips. Then gave her a sweet smile and stepped back.      “Come on, let’s get the room key . You should take a shower before we go for lunch.”, she suggested and walked away as if she didn’t just  hang her girlfriend’s entire processing system with her action.       They were first to enter the room. Vibha went straight to the bathroom while Aarushi decided to put their bags in the cupboard meanwhile. Vibha shut the door close and then splashed herself with cold water.         Get yourself together Vibha, what happened to your bold, dominant, shameless top image? One kiss and I couldn’t even blink my eyes. Damn this girl does things to me I can’t even explain.      Vibha took her sweet time to calm herself and then dressed up and stepped out of the shower . Before she could comprehend what was happening she was pushed against the wall right besides the washroom door. Her ever so shy girlfriend was staring at her with eyes full of mischief.   “Babe-“ She couldn’t even frame words to question her.     Aarushi grabbed her wrists and guided her arms placing them gently on her waist . She leaned closer and Vibha’s eye lids automatically shut in anticipation. She felt the soft pair of lips on hers and her grip on Aarushi’s waist immediately tightened making her flinch a bit but she relaxed almost immediately diverting her entire focus back to the kiss.      They pulled away to breathe and Vibha’s entire face was flushed . Aarushi was enjoying this a bit too much so she decided to push it a bit further . She placed another quick peck on her lips and then started kissing  Vibha’s neck and suddenly bit making her gasped . Vibha panicked but couldn’t even refuse her girl.   “Babe that’s going to leave mark-“   “Wear your turtle neck top. I don’t care. I need to mark my property.”, Aarushi replied sucking and kissing the spot she just bit .        Suddenly the bell dinged and Aarushi pulled away . Both of them were thrown off guard at the sudden intrusion. Vibha fumbled her bag and grabbed her turtle neck top and made a dash for the bathroom while Aarushi rushed to answer the door.    “You guys are 5 right? So can I stay with you?”, it was their madam from earlier who they had requested to stay with them. Aarushi immediately opened the door wide enough for her to step in . She casted a quick glance across the room and Aarushi hoped she didn’t notice her nervous self.       “Alone?”, she asked looking a bit concerned and Aarushi shook her head.     “Vibha has gone to take shower.”, she answered hating how her voice sounded so timid. Not that she expected it to be any normal after the bold stunt she herself had pulled.          The madam nodded and made herself comfortable on one of the beds. Aarushi only then did notice there were 3 beds meaning they were to share one amongst two. She could already picture what tonight was going to be like for her after she had provoked her girlfriend in broad daylight.       You love to dig your own grave don’t you Aarushi?      Just then Vibha stepped out, her turtle neck covering all the love marks but failing to hide the flush of her cheeks.     “Did you bath with cold water?”, the madam immediately raised her concern.         I swear this madam has an eyesight of an eagle.      “No. I-“, Vibha couldn’t even come up with any reasonable excuse and Aarushi was trying to suppress her proud smile.      “Come here, let me check if you caught fever.”, The madam called her over and she had no option but to quietly obey. She walked over to the madam who diagnosed her heated cheeks as fever and she was made to take the medicine for the same.       Aarushi was silently enjoying the drama while Vibha casted her ‘you just wait’ glance. Madam’s lecture to Vibha on ‘why she should not have bathed with cold water’ was interrupted right when Prisha and Niharika stormed in covered in mud .     “Did you two roll in mud or something?”, madam asked horrified at their current appearances.      “I am sure they tried to bury each other in the mud.”, Vibha replied and  madam shook her head in disbelief.     “Go wash up quickly! We have to head down for lunch as well.”, she scolded and the two bickered their way till the washroom door on who should go first and somehow it appeared that Niharika had won as Prisha waited thumping her leg on the washroom mat.      Sneha joined them shortly after looking decent enough for someone who had contributed in the gardening work.      After all of them were done cleaning up they headed down for lunch. Their professor joining them was a surprise and Prisha decided to voice it, “Don’t teachers have special menu?”     “That one is worse. I don’t understand why they believe we elders are herbivors on strict sprout and plant diet.”, she complained and everyone chuckled.        They settled down at a table with the madam joining them. “So what are all of your plans after this?”, she asked digging through the food.     “We are thinking of going to visit the markets around 4. Then we can head for sunset with everyone.”,  Aarushi answered and she received an acknowledging nod. “I will join you guys then. I will also have to find something good for my daughter. She needs gifts everytime I come back from some trip.”, the professor said and smiled at her own statement.    “You won’t go with your teacher’s gang?”, Prisha asked. The professor only scrunched her nose and shook her disgusted face in a firm no.     “Those gossip queens only know to badmouth each other and grumble like old ladies about life and stuff. I am sick of hearing their complaints. Get it enough in lunch break at college .”, she said already exhausted at the thought of it.      “ That’s better. That way even they won’t scold us for wandering off without adult supervision.”, Nihraika chimmed in.      “ That’s settled then. Let us rest for sometime after having food and then we can go to market.”, she said and they got back to eating.        Aarushi was taking her time staring at the food in front of her. The rest might have categorized it as a slow eater but Vibha had  a visible smirk plastered on her face.        “Want me to feed you baby?”, she whispered in her ear leaning dangerously close to her. Aarushi was already shy just from the flashback of those memories and Vibha’s whisper only sent her cheeks flaring in embarrassment. She kicked Vibha under the table making her gasp and bite her lip to muffle her scream.       “Shut up.”, Aarushi threatened and tried to act normal. Prisha who had noticed them only gave a teasing smile. Aaru was grateful she didn’t do any more than that.       The others didn’t take much a note of it since the story Niharika was sharing had them well entertained to notice these two.Vibha however was least interested in the story and in a full mood to pull some mischief.              While all the eyes were trained on the exaggerated gestures and the story that was as its climax Vibha’s hands sneaked under the table slowly making their way to Aarushi’s thigh. She tensed up at the slightest brush of her hand and immediately turned to glare at Vibha. Vibha only advanced more firmly resting her hand on Aarushi’s thigh. The glare now had turned into questioning raise of eyebrows but Vibha only smiled in response , gently caressing her thigh. Aarushi looked away trying to suppress her smile.           She would be lying if she said that didn’t make her blush but she definitely didn’t to wish risk any of it , not in front of her friends and the professor. Not that any of them were looking at these two but she definitely couldn’t predict what her girlfriend would pull next.      I brought this upon myself , now didn't I? I am cooked for real.   Â