"You bacteria! You---" Naina sneezed loudly in between her outburst, glaring at him. "It's because of you that I fell sick! You---you---" a series of sneezes interrupted her barrage. "Youuuuuuuuuu!"

Ahanay stretched his body peacefully, his face as calm as a monk. It seemed like he had the best sleep of his life and miraculously recovered from his illness. Or rather, transferred his illness to the tiny, cuddly, warm thing that was laying in his arms all night.

"Let's go," he said, getting up, picking up the bags and striding out of the shack.

"What the hell?" She swore, still following him since there was no other ride back. "This was the-the---" she sneezed, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her maxi dress. "---worst honeymoon ever!"

Ahanay suddenly turned around, making Naina crash against his chest. "Why?" He stooped down, his sharp eyes meeting hers. Up close, Naina could see her own reflection in those eyes. She couldn't stop looking. His lips curved up into a smirk. "What did you expect?"

"I---" she sneezed the loudest, droplets splashing on his face as if a truck had run past a puddle. He closed his eyes, shutting her off, shutting the off. "I'm sorry--- no wait, you deserved---" Another sneeze blasted on his face and his eyes squeezed in quiet rage. "Hehe. Let's go." Mock flipping her hair, Naina strode ahead only to be pulled back by her waist, half lifted in the air and feel his face snuggle in the crook of her neck. "What---"

"Giving it back," his voice was muffled as he wiped his face on her neck, shaking his head. His soft hair tickled her neck, those tickles rolling down to her stomach and leaving a trail of chills. Before she could snap out of the tingling sensations and box him in the gut, she was released and placed on the floor.

"You---" But he had already disappeared in the car and she was left floundering after him. The moment she sat in and started to chide him, he turned on the radio. But Naina screamed louder than the radio, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ahanay slammed her against the car door, closing her mouth with his hand as his dark eyes bore into her. "Stop."

Quickly, Naina shook her head, her eyes wide in urgency and the moment he let go, she sneezed. A sneeze whose water droplets attacked Ahanay like mini bullets. And a new song burst from the radio, "Tip, tip, barsa paani. . ."

* * *

"Where are we?" Naina asked, yawning with eyes that were droopy from sleep.

But Ahanay didn't respond. He got out of the car as elegantly as a front cover page model and Naina scrambled after him. A stocky man in a wrinkled black uniform came running towards them, his little legs struggling to carry his body. He was smoothing the wrinkles in worry as if he was going to meet some important person.

"Sir," the man said, his head bowed down.

"You're mistaken---"

"Pawar, dispose that car," Ahanay said suddenly and Naina blinked.

"Dispose? What do you mean---"

"Right away sir," Pawar said and Naina half-expected him to salute.

"He's not a sir---"

"Come," Ahanay commanded, striding towards a mansion that resembled the Asiatic Library.

"Where are we going? Is that a museum? I cannot tolerate---"

"Welcome, Sir!" A shrill voice spoke before the doors even opened.

"There's a fucking ghost in this museum!" Naina screamed, tugging at Ahanay's arm. "Let's go. Ahanay, let's---"

The massive doors opened to what seemed like heaven, light filmy with dust that sparkled like golden stars showered on her. Inside, everything was white and posh, so spotless that it felt like she was walking into a glass house. She was afraid to step on the floor, afraid that she would break it.

"What is this place?" she breathed, afraid to even speak and disturb the divine quietness.

"Our home," Ahanay said, stepping in and four maids scurried towards him. "Please leave us alone."

The maids scurried away again with their eyes on the ground and Naina thought that she caught a glimpse of someone familiar. But before she could check again, Ahanay whisked her away to the stairs, his hand on the small of her back.

"Wait, where . . ." Naina was speechless, there was so much white and gold to take in that her eyes could see only glitters everywhere. "This is wrong . . . You're a conman . . . You're tricking them . . ."

She was whispering, her words couldn't rise above the crystal chandelier, the rich artefacts and the silk curtains that were one muddled, mass of exquisite ecstasy in her mind, producing effects similar to hallucination from drugs. She stumbled ahead on the stairs with her hand over the ivory bannister. She felt the cold, white smoothness of it that made her want to press her cheek against it.

Another gigantic door opened, this time to hell with the darkest, broadest furniture and a large velvety, black bed that made her blush because of how sexy it looked. The walls were pale grey and the wood so deep a brown colour, Naina wondered how tanned the trees must have been. Without a second thought, Ahanay hurled himself on the bed with his shoes on, groaning.

"What the fuck!" Naina quickly ran towards him, pulling his arm and legs. "Get off! You're ruining someone's bed!"

He raised his eyebrow, amused. "Someone?"

"Yes, someone, some rich president! How did you fool everyone here? They don't know you're poor!"

"Poor?" He looked more amused now, his lips twitching upwards. "How so?"

"Why . . . That meal in Udipi you made me pay for, that little shack we went for honeymoon, that-that place," Naina was fumbling for words since he just grew more and more amused. Frustrated, she grabbed his leg and began pulling it with all her strength. "Get off you thief!"

But his leg didn't budge, instead, his shoe dislodged and Naina flew to the wall with the shoe in her hand.

"Fucking hell!" She cursed, her head hitting against the wall.

Ahanay sat up, concerned, but amused. "Are you---"

"Shit," Naina swore more, getting up and rubbing her head. "Shit, shit, shit! Did you hear that?" Ahanay's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "It's the police!"

Quickly grasping the edge of the window, Naina threw open the glass, ready to jump.

"What are you doing, woman?" Ahanay bellowed, rushing towards her. "Are you crazy? Step back. Step back right now if you want to live."

"I don't care! I'm not going to jail!" With that, she flung herself out of the window, only for two strong arms to catch her waist and pull her hard towards the floor. "Ouch!"

"You're fucking insane, Naina," he breathed against her hair, his body on top of hers.

"Let go! Let me go!" She began screaming and wriggling with her eyes squeezed shut, her little fists pushing against his broad chest. "Help! Help! This man has kept me hostage!"

"I'm your husband."

"The police don't know that! I don't care! So you can go to jail alone, thank you," she hissed, her eyes sharp and narrow. "Help! Help---"

"Enough," Ahanay growled, pinning her fists above her head and staring darkly at her. Naina stopped, even though she was mentally screaming. "I will leave you if you stop. Do you agree?"

Naina swallowed, he was too damn close.

"Say yes, Naina."

"I---" the bell interrupted her, distracting both of them and taking that opportunity, Naina freed her wrists and rolled away from under him.

"Ha! Now we're going to jail. Wonderful," she said, her eyes wild with sarcasm.

Sighing, Ahanay left the room and Naina followed him, partly out of curiosity, partly because she felt safe around her husband. Downstairs, an important-looking police officer with stern features stood, talking in low voices with the butler. Naina hid herself behind Ahanay, peeking just to get a little glimpse.

"Shit, he looks angry," she said, noticing how the deep lines like gashes cut across his forehead.

Ahanay ignored her, walking towards the officer and the moment the officer saw him, his hard eyes and deep lines melted into the warmest of faces.

"Sir," he said to Ahanay, eagerly moving towards him to shake hands. Ahanay shook hands with him and Naina watched all this with her jaw open. "I came here for your protection from the paparazzi."

"Protection? Paparazzi?"

"That's not needed anymore," Ahanay said, glancing at Naina. "We went for a honeymoon somewhere . . . quiet."

"Oh. Oh! I didn't see her because she's so . . ." Before he could complete that sentence, Ahanay shook his head at him. "Anyway. Anyway, nice to meet you, ma'am!" He came forward to shake hands with Naina, but she was too stunned to give him her hand.

Ahanay cleared his throat. "Let's talk in private."

The officer nodded his head so rigorously that Naina expected to fall off his body. The two men disappeared into another room and Naina stood there, alone in the middle of the huge hall. For the first time, her eyes truly took in everything around her . . . Everything.

"Who is he . . ." She murmured, scanning the numerous pictures of him, starting from his graduation at Harvard to receiving awards on fancy-looking stages. It all looked strange to her as if she had landed in a foreign country. But this was in the heart of her city, her home, Mumbai. The only difference was, that she came from the other end of the tracks where gutters ran below her building and a family of six shared a one-room flat.

Swallowing her past, she looked straight at a picture of him smiling with crinkles around his eyes. "Honeymoon phase is over, darling. I'm going to get rich. And you," she pointed at the picture. "You, sir, are going to die."

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