Page 112 of Made in Mumbai

“Relax, relax,” she rubbed his arm. “I am with you on all of this. And trust me, he did not even look at her twice. Didn’t even ask if she was a girl or a boy. All he cared about was his property papers. And to check with me if his name had been kept out of the birth certificate.”

“That too. I wantmyname on her birth certificate.”

Maya’s face softened. Her head bent into the crook of his neck, taking a moment. Then she nodded. When she glanced back up, her lashes were wet. “Oye,” he knocked her forehead with his, hands occupied with MM. “Don’t cry now. Today’s been a good day.”

She shook her head — “Ever since you came back into my life, every day has been a good day. I never told you, but I fell for you a long time ago.”

“When?”

“In Coorg. That night in the cave…”

“What did I do?”

“You came after me.”

Her eyes were wet, her mouth wobbling, and again, she was even more beautiful than she was yesterday. Gautam glanced down at MM’s almost finished bottle and gently popped it out. He passed her to Maya and let her burp her, while he got on his knees in front of them and wiped her eyes.

“I will always come after you.”

She smiled through those tears, her joy infectious.

“Now, let me shower. I smell. Then we will put this one to her nap.”

“What are we doing then?” She asked. “Are you going to the office?”

“Neither of us is going to the office again until we have broken this bed in completely and thoroughly.”

Her mouth dropped open. He grinned, kissed her and jumped out of the bed to get himself scrubbed of 24 hours of grime and 34 years of baggage.

When he returned, she was just coming back from her round of the house, MM asleep in her cot that she had pulled from the adjacent room. Gautam tucked the knot of his towel and grabbed her hand, pulling her hard. She collided into his chest, her face a mix of shock and excitement.

“Still snooping around like that first day?”

“You begged me to marry you, which means you begged me to be the queen of this whole house,” Maya stuck her tongue out at him. Her very purple tongue.

“Did you eat Jamun?”

Her lips pursed into a naughty smile. “There’s a tree just behind that…” He cut her off with his mouth and tasted the tart sweetness — her mixed with the Jamun, and not in that order. She fell into him, their bodies stumbling back into the bed. The afternoon sunshine and sea breeze played around them as her legs straddled his, her hands exploring his naked chest, her mouth nipping the skin of his neck like he was nipping hers.

Their sheets were tangled, their clothes were strewn around, their pants and moans and quiet laughs were woven. And in a burst of passion that had been simmering for months, their bodies exploded. Again and again, between lunch and high tea breaks, between feeding and nappy change breaks, between office calls and dinner-making breaks.

As if snapped out from its self-induced shackles, his body hurtled towards wherever hers was, finding her and having her. And by that night, he discovered her body hurtled just as intensely towards his.

“You are so insatiable,” he complained to her, throwing his legs out of their bed and searching for his pants. A kick from her on his back and a pillow to his head. Gautam laughed.

“Fine, I’ll go again just for you,” he turned and prowled back, eliciting tired giggles from her.

“Enough” she slapped a hand over his puckered mouth. “I cannot feel anything down there.”

“I know how to make you feel it,” he gabbled into her palm. This time Maya rolled off and out of the bed, throwing his T-shirt over her beautiful naked curves. His mouth watered, ready to reach out and pull her back. But she looked so peaceful, so serene as she padded out into their balcony.

She leaned on the railing, her creamy bare legs crossing at the ankles. Her hair was wild and flowing, her body curving, inviting his to spoon her. And Gautam had learned to accept those invitations.

He stepped down from the bed and checked MM in her cot. Sound asleep.

Pushing the fluttering curtains to the side, he walked out on the balcony, wrapping his arms around her. Her arms came around his, squeezing, her head falling back into his chest. Gautam closed his eyes, capturing the wild, crashing sea in them. Her hair fluttered into his face, bringing the scent of salty sea mixed with her sweet vanilla shampoo to him. Her body was warm, creating a symphony with the cool spring winds. Her sigh was soft, putting the waves to shame when it came to calming him.

He opened his eyes.

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