CHAPTER: 29 A Tender Moment and Royal Secrets Unveiled
"Abhi, seriously, don't be such a baby!" Tulasi playfully chided, pointing the prasad cover, which is in the backseat. "Daddojanam? Do you want some?" she asked, her innocent eyes full of concern.
"You brought exactly that describes yourself," he teased, rubbing his head, a slight headache bothering him. He realised he was actually hungry, for the first time in what felt like ages.
Tulasi leaned forward to grab the prasad cover from the backseat, and as she did, her delicate waist and a peek of her blouse beautifully shaped with her blossom became visible to Abhi. Oh, the sheer willpower it took for him to keep the car steady!. He slowly, almost agonizingly, watched her retrieve the cover, then settle it on her lap.
She opened a packet, then, offered it to him. "How am I supposed to eat? I'm driving," he said.
"Oh, right! No spoon, Abhi! "
" Don't you have a hand then?" he teased, then, with a gentle touch, cleaned her hand with a wet wipe, scooted closer to him, and began to feed him by hand. Her fingers brushed his lips, sending shivers down his spine. Driving suddenly felt like pure torture. He wanted to pull over, to just lose himself in her presence, but he knew if he stopped, she'd stop feeding him. So, he focused every ounce of his concentration on the road, letting her feed him, savouring every tender touch. He gazed into her eyes, a profound thought, "This... this is what pure bliss feels like".
Tulasi continued to regale Abhi with stories about Shashirekha's family, the festive vibes, and everything in between. Abhi had missed her chatter terribly, finding profound joy in her innocent ramblings. "Coming here was, like, the best decision ever," he thought, a rare, soft smile on his lips. Eventually, Tulasi, utterly exhausted, leaned against the window and drifted into a peaceful sleep. Abhi gently draped his jacket over her, his thumb finger lightly caressing her cheek, a silent promise in his touch, as he continued to drive.
Meanwhile, back at Shashirekha's house, the family was gathered downstairs, chatting. Shashirekha's friends had gone up to bed calling it night, so Shashi came down to spend time with her family.
Her uncle remarked, "I've seen those somewhere before," referring to Tulasi's anklets.
"Oh, what about them, uncle?" Shashi asked. "They're just, like, slightly big anklets, right?".
"Girl, those are gold anklets, and are those diamonds I see?" he insisted.
"Diamonds? No uncle"
"You're telling me?" Shashi scoffed playfully. Her uncle, a big-shot gold shop owner, just rolled his eyes.
Her uncle, scrolling through his phone, simply said, "I told you so". Shashirekha's mind raced back to Tulasi's anklets. They'd only seen them yesterday, when the maid applied turmeric to her feet; at the hospital, Tulasi always wore shoes to keep pace with Dr Abhijit's long legs, so they were hidden. Everyone had admired them yesterday. Tulasi, with an innocent sparkle in her eyes, had proudly explained, "My dad bought them for me when I passed medicine with good marks!".
Back then, no one thought much of it. But now, her uncle showed a photo on his phone – the exact same anklets. "I told you," he repeated.
"What's with that photo, uncle?" Shashi asked, intrigued.
Her uncle began to explain: "See those anklets? No screws, no latches. Once you put them on, they're on for good. The only way to take them off is to cut them".
"Seriously? You mean you can't take them off?" Shashi exclaimed, utterly bewildered. "Yep,you cut them off ." her uncle confirmed. "And these aren't just any anklets. Three or four years ago, at an auction, some Big-shot from Chennai bought them for five crores!".
"WHAT?! Five crores?!" Shashi shrieked, her jaw dropping.
"Yeah, honey, you thought they were ordinary? Those were a queen's anklets!".
"OMG, are those diamonds then? I thought they were just, like, normal CZs!". Everyone was in a state of shock, minds racing. Shashirekha, however, had only one thought: Tulasi's anklets are five-crore ! A girl always scared of having her photo taken, wearing a mask, never discloses her family details. "Who are you, Tulasi?!".