Made in Mumbai

14. Tum Ko Dekha Toh Yeh Khayal Aaya

Gautam fastened his watch and walked out of his room, running a hand through his still-damp hair. It was 8 already and he had to see if Maya was ready for office. If he was lucky, she would have just woken up. But in her defence, she had to report to office at 10, not go and open it like the sociopath he was.

Delicious smells wafted from his kitchen. Pots and pans made music. And the lead vocal, of course, who other than his roommate? Gautam smiled, tapping his fingers on his thigh to her rendition of ‘Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam.’ He turned the corner and froze.

She was ready to go, looking mesmerising in a bright yellow top over formal white bottoms. Her top showed off the creamy skin of her bare shoulders, the fabric flowing leisurely over her belly, making it noticeable only if she turned a certain way. The sight of her was cutting off his oxygen supply. Thank god he spotted a matching white jacket to go over it on the counter as she sang and danced around his kitchen. Her hair was up again in that wavy ponytail, making him want to pull it down and play with her hair. He had experienced firsthand how soft it was.

Gautam closed his eyes, willing himself to get his mind out of the gutter.

“I am next in line for Sangeet Samrat, thanks,” Maya’s perky quip made him open his eyes. And she stood right in front of them, smiling up at him. He was still frozen.

“Good morning,” she cocked her head, opening those big Bambi eyes and batting her lashes. His thumb reached out and rubbed at the dusting of flour on her cheek — “Good morning.”

He could feel the moment stretch and engulf her too. Her body, slowly and surely, stilled. Maya had the skill to break any moment with her brand of humour, but her mouth remained shut, her eyes meeting his, then going to his mouth, then back up — as if she was stuck in limbo like him too. Her throat worked, probably swallowing all the things that he wanted to say or do too.

“M…” he caressed the line of her jaw, his mouth jealous of his thumb. She swayed closer, her eyes closing. His mouth covered the rest of the distance, replacing his thumb, and finally, finally touching her skin. It moved up another inch, kissing more skin, feeling every little spark flowing through her flesh.

A cooker whistle tore through their bubble and he reared back, just a smidge away from her mouth. She recoiled too, scampering to the platform, turning off the burner, spreading out steel tiffin boxes, then stacking them back up. He had never seen her so ruffled.

“Umm… Are you ready to go?” He asked, adjusting his belt.

“Yes… just let this cooker cool down and I’ll fill our pulav. Everything else is ready.”

That’s when he craned his neck to check her handiwork. She had filled two small stackable steel tiffins with bhindi, roti and curd. The last stack was waiting for the pulav.

“M, you didn’t have to make lunch…”

“Why?” She turned, hand on her hip. “Do you eat cells and batteries in the day?”

He rolled his eyes, walking to his coffee machine to make a cup. He switched between tea and coffee, or sometimes nothing. Today he definitely needed coffee. His brain was misfiring on multiple levels.

“I’ve mashed up some avocado guacamole for toasts if you want…” she offered as he got his coffee flowing.

“What did you eat?’”

“Just toast.”

“Why?”

“My stomach needs to be eased into the day.”

“Still?”

Last night he had read about pregnancy problems. Nausea was apparently a first trimester thing.

“I don’t vomit still but… it’s just become a habit. Oh wow…” she moaned, closing her eyes and throwing her nose up in the air. “Make more of that please.”

“What? Coffee?” He smirked, taking a sip. “You didn’t have in the morning?”

“I can’t.”

“But you are allowed 200 mg per day…” he bit his tongue. Now she wouldn’t let him live this down.

“How do you know that?”

“General knowledge.”

“G.”

“Fine, I read up. But I need to know all this because we are living together. If something happens, I should know what’s going on. Like last time…”

Instead of making fun of him, she walked towards him and flung herself into his arms. Thankfully his cup was on the platform. “Thank you,” she whispered into his neck. He circled his arms around her, bracing her back and taking all the weight she had held on her toes. A second, two seconds, and then his mouth dipped into the waves of her hair, his lips touching her bare shoulder. His eyes closed. She sniffled.

“Are you crying?”

“Hormones,” she pulled back, rubbing delicately in the corners of her eyes to keep whatever little makeup she had intact. “You can’t make fun of me though.”

He chuckled, rubbing a trail from the side of her nose — “I won’t. Now, are we ready to go?”

“Yes. You leave with your tiffin, I’ll follow in a rickshaw.”

“Why?”

“We can’t let anybody at the office know we live together!”

“And who will be there at 8?”

“You never know! What if Leo is early. Or what if the watchman tells everybody. Or what if…”

“Ok, Maya, zip it. I am not spending my morning fighting with you over this. Get your things together and let’s go. In my car. ”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No!”

Gautam glanced around, zeroed in on her bag with her wallet and phone, and grabbed it.

“Give it back!” She lunged.

“Be careful,” he laughed, running around the counter and towards the door.

“Gautam!! Come back! I’m going to kill you.”

“Get the tiffins, I’ve got everything else,” he hollered, walking out of his house to angry animal grunts coming from the cutest mouth that claimed it was next in line for Sangeet Samrat.

————————————————————

“Take this and get in touch with Nilay Patel’s team,” he passed the file to Sahyadri over his desk. She leaned in, closer than required, accepting the file. Gautam kept his gaze averted. He wasn’t clueless to her efforts to charm him. She had been at it since the day he had hired her. But in a subtle way, one that never infringed on her professionalism. So he had let it go, keeping his demeanour impersonal. After all, however attractive she would have dressed, he never brought personal life to his workplace.

“This looks good, Gautam. You have already put together the proposal…!” She gave him star eyes, like hero worship would melt him when nothing else had succeeded.

“I was up late.”

“Oh, what happened?”

“Jet lag,” he lied, when in truth he had spent the first few hours wrapped around Maya as she fell asleep on his sofa. Then, having sent her tenderly to her room, he had sat awake reading up on pregnancy and women on his phone. That had stolen any remnants of his sleep.

“You did not tell me why you went to Turkey. Are we expanding markets?”

“No.”

“Then?”

His phone buzzed, saving him from more of this inquisition. It was his cook.

“Hello?”

“Hello, sir? I just came in and Maya didi hasn’t written the menu here. What should I make for today’s dinner?”

Gautam frowned — “Call her and ask.”

“She is not picking up.”

“Ok. I’ll call you back in 5 minutes.”

He rose to his feet, striding out of his office, Sahyadri behind him — “What happened?”

“You get working on this Nilay Patel account. Give me updates by EOD.”

And like he always did, he brusquely brushed her off and descended the stairs of his terrace. His gaze fell on Maya’s Jamun tree and he had half an urge to pluck some for her. But then he remembered raw food wasn’t good for pregnant women, so he kept walking, turning down the first floor alley and around the sweeping stairs. Faint hints of Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam bled up from downstairs and he bit a smile. It seemed Maya’s morning music was an imposition for everybody.

He entered the Made in Mumbai office area and the co-working space was alive with hustle. Everybody was working but grooving too, Maya herself swaying half-leaning over her own round table, her jacket off, her hair open in wild waves. Riya noticed him first and gestured to his secret roommate.

“What?” Maya asked over the music. She gestured to him.

“Tu toh aise bol raha hai jaise mere peecche woh!” Maya laughed. Riya nodded.

“Tu toh aise bol raha hai jaise mere peecche woh,” Maya enunciated slower, making some of her colleagues sputter. It must be some slapstick dialogue from some weird movie if she was so high over it. Her colleagues were now holding their chuckles. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold his own too. But Gautam crossed his arms across his chest and held steady, just as Maya turned, her expression scandalised.

“Can I speak to you in your office for a minute?”

She nodded, swallowing, like he was a monster down from his den. He walked, and she followed. The moment her door was shut behind her though, all that fear evaporated.

“Why are you acting scared of me?” He turned on her.

“So that nobody is suspicious that we live together.”

“And if you don’t act scared they’ll think we live together?’

Vigorous bobbing of her pretty head. Gautam cracked out a snort — “I’ll take my chances. Behave normally with me. Now, why didn’t you write today’s menu on the whiteboard?”

“Because you are back. You will write it, no?”

“Why would I write it?”

“So that your cook can make what you want to eat.”

“And what about you?”

“I’ll eat whatever you eat. I am low maintenance that way,” she joked.

He shook his head, then sat down on her desk. “Come here.”

She padded to him, her gaze unsure. She was a few feet away still when he grabbed both her hands and pulled her closer between his legs — “You live there too, and I specifically asked you to live like its your house, M.”

“I know… but that’s just good manners. Don’t we tell guests to ‘make yourself at home,’ ’don’t be shy.’ Doesn’t mean they will start jumping on our sofa.”

“I wold love you jumping on my sofa,” he smirked, making her seriously perk up. “But maybe not now. Mini M will have the jolt of her life.”

“Mini M?”

“You are my M, then she has to be my Mini M,” he pointed to her gentle swell of a belly.

“How are you so sure it is a she?”

“I just am. Now, what do you want to eat? I have to call him back and inform.”

“You decide.”

He rolled his eyes, squeezing her hands — “What was the last 5 minutes about?”

She sighed.

“Ok, what were you having made when I wasn’t here?”

“I wasn’t having much made. I would either eat here or I would ask him to make whatever he usually did for you.”

“What do you mean you would eat here?”

“I went home late.”

“Why?”

“It was too weird to stay in your house without you there so I got so much work done here…”

He blinked. Took a second. Then jumped to his feet.

“Let’s go,” he began pulling her hand.

“Where?” She pulled back, surprisingly strong for a pregnant girl.

“Out. You have done enough overtimes here to deserve a comp-off.”

She laughed — “Don’t be stupid. What will we do on a weekday?”

“Eat out, walk around, I don’t know… we figured it out at 19. We’ll figure it out at 34 for sure.”

“But I already made lunch.”

“Good thinking. Let’s take those tiffins too.”

“Gautam, where?”

“Get your tiffin bag and meet me outside in 5 minutes.”

————————————————————

“When did you learn to cook?” He asked, stuffing a bite of roti bursting with bhindi into his mouth. The afternoon sun was high but not hot as they sat on a bench on Marine Drive, their tiffins open between them.

“It’s good, no?” She chewed, her cheeks full. “I had a bai. Sumi Bai… Did I tell you about her back then?”

He shook his head.

“She was there since I was born. Like my nanny… she took care of me more than my parents.”

“Hmm mmmm…” he nodded, not about to open his mouth for words when he had her food in it.

“She used to also cook our meals at home. I used to go to the kitchen to make fancy pasta or pizza, and she would always catch me and make me learn something or the other. Like basics. Roti, sabzi, dal, bhaat… and I haven’t tampered with her taste at all. It’s exactly as she used to make it.”

“Never thought you’d be so domestic.”

She gave him a mock bow of her head — “Poo and Parvati, right here.”

He snorted. This reference, he did get, because she had spent the entire train journey from Matunga to Khar narrating the story of Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham to him, complete with its ‘iconic’ dialogues. He had dozed off to that story that night too. It was one of the best ways he had gone to sleep.

“Gautam?”

“Hmm?”

“Where are we going now?”

“Wherever we want to go.”

“Not back to the office?”

“No.”

Her face lit up. For somebody who was so responsible before leaving office, she was now the party-planner. This was one of the things he loved about Maya. She was serious sometimes, and that too when it was needed the most. But she just knew how to make a bland day, a bland life, fun.

“Let’s go to the Aquarium!” She squealed.

“Aquarium?”

“Yes! Taraporewala. And then Nehru Planetarium. I haven’t been there since my school days. We will see fishes, then stars. It’ll be so much fun!”

If she was standing, she would be thumping her feet and dancing. Gautam agreed.

“But,” he added. “We need to be out of there before sunset. I need to take you somewhere.”

“Where?”

“2 of yours, 1 of mine.”

“Fine. Fair is fair.”

He snorted. They packed up their tiffins, washed their hands in the roots of a side tree, and began to turn.

“Oye, G?” She called out.

“What?”

“The real Marine Drive,” she pointed.

“Ha ha.”

That tempting tongue made an appearance again, and this time he was so close to pulling her and taking it. But he held his body, and his mind. Aquarium. Fish. Octopus. He thought all unattractive thoughts.

But contrary to his expectations, the aquarium was fun. Made even better by Maya’s antics as she danced around the walk-in sea tunnel, gossiped with school kids out on picnic (she could literally gossip with the kids about other kids in their class she didn’t even know), and took lots of photos (of him, not the fishes). The planetarium was even better, and a much-needed respite as they both reclined in their seats and enjoyed the night sky show in its plush AC auditorium.

It was after 5 that they spilled out of the planetarium and ran to his car. He wasn’t sure it would be there because the parking had looked dodgy. Thankfully, it hadn’t been towed off and they quickly piled in and raced out of there.

“My 2 are done. Now what about yours?”

“Wait, wait. Mine will be the best.”

“You know it right, that I will give the score? And I right now give it a 7 out of 10 while both of mine were 8 each. So, I win already.”

“M?”

“Hmm?”

“Zip it.”

She laughed. He wove through the traffic that was beginning to go towards rush hour. Thankfully, the side lanes and shortcuts he took landed him in the right avenues and within no time they were speeding down the road to the Gateway of India.

“Here?”

He hunted for a safe parking, couldn’t find one, and just parked at the nearest spot that ‘looked’ safe. The sun was still above the horizon but it was 5.30.

“Let’s go.”

He took her hand and they rushed across the road, reaching the dock in time for a ferry to leave.

“Do ticket,” he handed a hundred rupee note to the seller, grabbed the flimsy pieces of papers and helped Maya into the vessel. Tens of people like them were already in, some more entered behind them, and with a loud honk, the ferry set off into the sea.

Maya, for the first time speechless, wove through the throng of people trying to find seats. Popcorn and Fryum sellers made loud calls. People took selfies and made reels. It was hustle, bustle and electric — this atmosphere. Exactly her. And she, in her element, cleaved through all the crowd, with him behind her, until they had climbed to the top floor seating area and stood on the railing, gazing at the setting sun towards which their ferry was racing.

“Wow,” she took a deep whiff. Her hair was blowing back and into his face, but he had zero complains. He couldn’t see her smile, but he had enough of those in his memory to fall back on.

“I love this,” her shoulders hunched up in child-like glee.

“You’ve never been on a ferry before like this?” He stepped closer to her, caging her body in as more spectators crowded the railing around her. Her stomach was pressing into the railing. He inserted his hand between the two, keeping his body rigid to absorb any shoves or pushes. She glanced back at him.

“It’s getting crowded.”

Her stomach relaxed into his palm.

“I’ve been on private yachts but not on these type of ferries. I always wanted to, never happened. I told you, naa? I spent most of my youth wandering around Khar-Bandra area. My family friends, relatives, they just made town too toxic for me to really go around unaffected.”

“Now you can?”

“Now I have reached a point where I don’t care. It’s crazy how big jolts in life can make you so shameless and unconcerned about the trivial things. And then thinking like a mom… Like I can’t think about bringing any of those people within a 10 metre radius of my baby. If I won’t let her endure that toxicity then why should I?”

“Are you happy, M?”

She nodded. “After a long time, I truly am happy. You know why?”

“You are about to tell me.”

“Because I remembered again that happiness is found in doing, not in getting.”

He smiled. She felt it. How, he didn’t know, but she felt it and turned in his arms, bracing her hip back into his palm.

“Why are you smiling?”

“You called her her .”

“Called who her…?” She stopped short, then shoved his chest. “You are making me! If it’s a boy, he’s going to be so sad that we called him her in the beginning.”

Gautam laughed, pulling her into his chest. She turned her head to the sea, but remained there, her arms coming around him. A small voice tried to wiggle up and out of its pit of dark doom, but he pushed it back. This, right now, was perfect. He did not need anything negative to take this moment away. Not from the woman in his arms, and definitely not from himself.

————————————————————

It took them a long time to come home. Because when they returned to their parking spot, their car had been towed. Gautam proposed to send her home in an Uber but she held his hand tight and pulled him walking towards the RTO Parking Lot, not even complaining about the crowd in Town in the evening.

This area had its own charm, with ancient Victorian and Art Deco buildings lining the streets. The Flora Fountain, Horniman Circle, Bombay High Court Building, Kala Ghoda… Even amid throngs of people, your eyes were always looking at something pretty. And Maya kept reminding him of it as their trudge to get back their car turned into a walking tour. She pointed out things to him, some that he already knew, and some that he was amazed to know. Like the fact that the British had dug a tunnel out from the Old Post Office Building, an erstwhile fort, to escape if Napoleon attacked. A gem from ‘Maya Trivia.’ She was a treasure chest of those, and kept him supplied throughout their walk.

It felt good — to hold her hand and walk across old Bombay. Like a dream he had never dreamed in the first place. It felt so good, that a part of him was disappointed when they reached the RTO lot. But one look at her and he sped through the process. Maya might have pasted her brightest smile on her face, but the way she shifted her weight from one foot to the other told him he had overdone it today.

He paid his dues, signed, and got their car back. And they set off back towards the suburbs.

Their car lurched home in bumper-to-bumper traffic, with Maya giving him detailed commentary on all the photos she had taken on her phone. Apparently, it was over 200. He had half a mind to ask her to send them all to him. But he kept quiet and drove until they were back home.

The pizza they had ordered was waiting at his concierge and they were so hungry, that none of them even spent a minute to change.

He popped his cuffs, rolled his sleeves and pulled off his belt, collapsing on the sofa. While she just tied her hair up and sat cross-legged on the floor by his thigh, opening the box on the coffee table.

“Maya! Sit up here.”

“This is perfect,” she pulled out a slice of cheesy tandoori paneer pizza (again, her choice) and stuffed the end into her mouth.

“You are pregnant…”

“And I do Yoga.”

“When?” He leaned forward, coming eye to eye with her as she opened her mouth to let the steam out.

She showed three fingers.

“Three what?”

“Haww… hawwwt…” she swallowed. “Three times a week. It’s online, so I come from the office and do it at home.”

“Do you have it tomorrow?”

“Yes. It’s Monday, Wednesday, Friday.”

“Do not do it alone. I’ll be at home in case something happens.”

“Nothing will happen,” she kept eating.

“Oye, M?”

“Hmm?” She turned up to him — all pretty eyes and messy bun, mouth full of pizza. His heart melted.

“Nothing.”

After a long day of constant conversations, they ate their pizza in silence, no television or white noise needed. He was on his last slice when his phone buzzed.

“Yes, Sahyadri?” He toggled the loudspeaker on, reaching for the oregano sachet.

“Hi Gautam, when are you coming back?”

He glanced at the clock.

“It’s 9. Why would I come back now? What happened?”

“I am waiting in your office with the report on Nilay Patel.”

“Right,” he squinted. “Yes, please leave it there, I will take a look first thing tomorrow and get back to you.”

“Sure. Where are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean… are you at home? I was thinking of coming to your street to see a friend… I can drop the file at your place directly.”

Gautam felt Maya stiffen. But in that pause, he also felt his mistake, because Maya quietly got up with her empty plate. Before he could respond, she had walked to the kitchen, far away from his conversation.

“No, leave it on my desk, please. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Gautam ended the call and went behind Maya. She was by the sink, washing their day’s tiffins.

“Why did yo…”

“You can call her, it’s ok. I’ll be inside the room,” Maya smiled. “And don’t worry. I will double down my efforts to hunt for a place…”

He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, water splashing all around them.

“Repeat that now.”

“G…”

“That’s right. G. Tell me the last time you called me G and I called you M with this ease.”

“But…”

“Did I ever tell you that I want to call Sahyadri here and you are a problem?”

“No.”

“Did I ever tell you that I want you to find another place?”

“No.”

“Then?”

Her eyes lowered, and Gautam couldn’t have that. He held her chin and tipped it up — “Look at me, M.”

Those pretty eyes that had lit up his day throughout today looked full of trepidation now.

“I don’t want to… be a burden on your lifestyle. And also… if I am being honest, I don’t want to be a pile-on and see things that are not there.”

“Like what?”

His heart beat fast.

“Like this.”

“Like what, M? Spell it out.”

“You know what.”

“No I don’t.”

“Then there’s no point of me telling,” she began to push away from him but he twirled her in and took her mouth. Her body tautened. Gautam stopped. His eyes met hers, and hidden among the haze of shock was desire. Clear as day. He dipped his head, and this time, she reached up on her tiptoes and met him halfway, her arms twining around his neck as her mouth met his.

He kissed her. His whole body lit up. There was an electric spark in her that turned into an inferno when merged with him. He had to pull back before he broke all barriers tonight.

“This is what is not there between us?” He asserted, holding her by her shoulders.

“I… I don’t know what I am doing. I cannot do this. I have new responsibilities on their way.”

“I know.”

“I am way past that age of just fun,” she shook her head. “And I don’t think I can begin to trust and get fully involved with anybody again.”

“Me too.”

“So?”

He swallowed, spitting out words that were probably the hardest of his life — “You have made me think. And dream, Maya. Will you dream some more with me?”

“And then what?”

“And then see if it comes true?”

Her forehead fell forward, and his chest was there to catch it. His heart stalled. It became heavier and heavier with every empty second that passed. A ‘no’ would hurt, but if she stopped trusting him, that would hurt more. His eyes squeezed shut.

Then startled open as his chest felt something good. Something fluttery.

It was a nod.