9 A trip to DC

Priya tossed and turned the whole night, her body still humming with the emotional barrage she underwent a few hours back. Raj wanted to kiss her! She was sure about it. But why did he want to do that? Her deliberate provocation had triggered a strong reaction from him and this was how he wanted to overcome it? Where does that leave them now? Has their truce been broken? The questions boggled her mind to no end.After a great difficulty she finally slept around three am wondering what was going on in Raj's mind.

Priya woke up around eight in the morning . Finally when she stepped out of her room, albeit with reluctance , only to find the house empty. There was no Raj in the living room nor the dining room nor the kitchen! Was he still sleeping? She wondered but didn't dare to check him up, instead she walked into the kitchen to make herself some coffee. As she picked her mug and walked to the coffee ..there she found a note! A post -it note from Raj! She quickly picked it up to read…"Sorry for everything. Hope you forget . Will be back by evening.--Raj" . The note left her confused and relieved at the same time. At least Raj will be back to his normal self and confused because she didn't still understand her behaviour nor Raj's behaviour the previous night. Was Raj physically attracted to her?Which she found ridiculous since Cynthia was a thousand times better looking than her.Then what was it? Priya drank her coffee leisurely since it was Saturday and she had no college! Since Raj was not coming in for lunch, she made herself a simple brunch with no fuss after cleaning up the mess the previous day's dinner had created! At eleven her phone rang whilst she was reading for her tests.Was it Raj? Priya's heart skipped a beat as she ran to pick it up! It was Sean. Priya sighed and said "Hello Sean..what's up?"

"Hey Priya, what are you upto? Shall we meet up for lunch or coffee someplace?"

"Oh I already had a light brunch Sean..sorry. Shall we meet up next week?"

"Oh please Priya, I am not asking you to spend the whole day..just a few hours. Can't you make it?", he implored

Priya gave in but made up her mind to come back home before Raj came back home.

"Oh alright Sean, usual place then?" She asked

"Yessss, that's my girl. Yes, the usual place ..at two?" he confirmed.

"Ok, cya then bye" . She hung up feeling a little guilty but isn't that what she should be doing? She should be leading a life as she was before she moved in and that is how it should be. With that reassurance to herself she continued studying.

By two she was at the coffee place and found Sean seated at their usual place.

"Hi.Been waiting long?"

"Hey Priya...nope...just ten minutes..I ordered your favourite cafe latte tall with hazelnut and a banana loaf.." . He said smilingly.

Priya smiled at his thoughtfulness.

Sean was a great friend whose company gave her comfort as they discussed everything about their college work, assignments and gossiped about friends. Time just flew away and it was four thirty in the evening now.Priya saw the watch and widened her eyes saying

"Oh my goodness, is that the time? I need to leave Sean.."

"Why the hurry? I will drop you if you want." ,he suggested.

"Nooooooo", Priya panicked

"Priya...why do you sound so worked up whenever I suggest to drop you home?"

"Oh it is nothing..I just do not want to trouble you"

"Oh please it is no trouble.It is not as if I do not know where you stay do I?"

"A-Actually I have moved to a new place Sean. Sorry for not letting you know. I knew you wouldn't be happy about it that is why. It is a place in Clarendon. He is a friend of my father which is the reason I moved since it is just for another three months. Are you cross with me?" Priya asked with a pitiful look.

Sean looked cross initially but he softened quickly.

"Yes I am cross with you for not taking up my offer to move into my house but agreeing to this so-called friend. Now that the cat is out of the bag shall I drop you to your new place? I will not step into the house I promise and will not disturb the "friend". Sean said as he showed the quotes with his fingers.

"Oh thank you Sean for being so understanding. Now will you drop me? I need to go". Priya quipped feeling as if a huge burden is off her shoulders but what about the deep secret she still hadn't told? That the "friend" was her husband?

Priya and Sean reached her home in no time. Sean looked at the house and said

"Neat...what a beauty. This guy must be rich. So you moved to a mansion, lucky gal"

"Hahaha, yes I am lucky. Cya on Monday then.." Priya cutoff Sean to avoid further scrutiny.

"Bye then.." Sean drove off in his Camry.

Priya turned back to enter the pathway and she froze. Raj's Tesla was parked in the garage! She walked back to the house with reluctance as she was still feeling a little awkward to face him after what happened the previous night. As she was about to press the code to open the door, it opened automatically from inside. Raj was standing at the door with an inscrutable expression.

Priya gave him a faint smile and got in.

"Did you have college work,if you had told me I would have sent the car?" , he sounded really clipped.

"Well, this was kind of an unplanned meeting. Sean wanted to meet up, so I said yes"

"Ok"

And that was that. Raj went up the stairs and didn't come down till dinner time. Dinner was also a really quiet affair which seemed to get on Priya slowly. The silence was unbearable and made her feel inadequate in some way. She wanted them to talk to each other normally but what had happened the previous night was still haunting him. Was he feeling ashamed that he had reacted to her that way?

"I ..Raj? Are you having a lot of work?" Priya enquired just to start a conversation.

Raj looked at her and said "Oh , yeah I had but now it is ok..and what about you?"

"Oh I have some tests coming up but that is all impromptu writing so I can't exactly prepare for it but I do have a few assignments lined up for the next two weeks" Priya was glad for the banal conversation. She was still confused as to what her feelings for Raj were but she knew that she didn't want any silences to stretch between them.

"That is great, So you and Sean met during your course or you knew him before?" Raj asked

"Oh I met him in college. He was introduced by Anita and Samaira. His father is a famous lawyer of D.C. Or at least that is what Anita tells me."

"Oh is that so? That 's nice." Raj replied and went back to finishing up his meal.

After dinner, Priya decided to stick around the living room with her books while Raj also sat there working on his laptop with a bunch of files and papers. From time to time Priya could feel Raj's eyes on her which was frustrating as she was not able to decipher Raj's feelings at all.

It was around nine when she felt really sleepy and yawned. Raj smiled (for the first time for the whole day!) and said "You are sleepy?"

"Yes, kind of. Then I will go to bed. Good night Raj" Priya said with a faint smile as she was relieved they both were back on talking terms and hoped it remained that way. As she got up and turned towards her room .Raj interrupted her with

"Ah Priya...are you free tomorrow?"

"Free? of course I am.Tomorrow is Sunday right? No college" She replied whilst rolling her eyes at his question.

"Then...would you like to come with me on a museum tour of D.C?" . He asked.

Priya was a little taken aback at his invitation as the idea of spending the whole day with him seemed a little daunting to her but the tour of D.C was too mouth watering. She always wanted to see the museums of D.C in detail leisurely and this was one such opportunity. While she was young she had begged her parents to take her to museums often but they never had the time. She had seen only very few museums on occasional school trips

Priya replied with "Yes, I would really enjoy that"

"Then shall we leave around eight ? We can have breakfast outside and then head on to the museums. Does that sound like a good plan?"

"Yes..sounds like a great plan"

After she was in her room, a bubbly feeling rose in her with anticipation of the next day. She looked into her wardrobe and took out her best peach tunic top to go with jer khaki chinos with childlike enthusiasm and laughed at her weird behaviour later in bed.

It was six when she woke up again after a blissful night's sleep. She quickly brushed her teeth and showered and put on her dress applying light makeup to suit the weather of the day to go with her small handbag. As she stepped out around seven, Raj wasn't down yet.

So she spent time making a fresh pot of coffee. She took her hot mug of coffee and went to the lawn to sip as she listened to the chirping birds and sniffed the fresh air. As she looked up at the sky..her eyes darted towards Raj's room which had full length windows with curtains drawn. Was he ready? She wondered. Priya didn't realise that Raj was watching her from the french windows of the dining room, while she was looking up!

"Hello there? Are you looking for me?" Raj asked innocently but his eyes were teasing.

"Ahh--no ..I was just looking at the sky. Are you ready? Do you wanna have a cup of coffee before we leave?" She quickly changed the subject to avoid further embarrassment.

"Yeah sure.Priya...if you want to come up and look around the house , you are always welcome, hope you know that.." Raj told her assertively.

Priya just nodded and walked towards the living room to collect her bag and scarf.

While she was wearing her shoes , Raj told her " We will be doing a lot of walking today so you better wear your most comfortable shoes. After our breakfast, we will park our car in Clarendon metro and then take the metro to L'Enfant Plaza. From then on, we can just walk or take the metro to different places we want to visit. Does that sound like a good plan?"

"Yeah, sounds great." Priya replied with a huge grin.

They had a sumptuous breakfast at their usual place and it was wonderful! Both were able to have a pleasant conversation about things in general and their Friday night encounter was seemingly forgotten , at least as of now.

The metro was practically empty as it was too early for the rush to start it being a Sunday. As they waited for their train to arrive in four minutes, Raj bought a water bottle and some munchies to go with it.

The first museum they visited was the Natural Museum of Natural History.Priya was fascinated by the fossil museum and some laser shows which were added recently. This they followed with the Air and Space museum which was Raj's favourite.He explained each and every exhibit and displays with enthusiasm and Priya lapped the whole thing with equal vigour. They took lots of pictures of each other during the course of the tour.And after just two museum tours Priya was already exhausted and felt really tired. Raj looked at her and said "Are you feeling tired already? We still have lots of things to see..Cmon Priya."

"Ahhh...let us take a break..please..it is just eleven. We have lots of time..please…" She fake pouted as she spoke this.

Raj just laughed and said "Ok dear" and he sat on the stairs at the entrance of the Air and Space museum pulling her down with him. As they both sat next to each other,they ate some munchies and glugged some water with it. Priya just sniffed the beauty around her and wished that time would stand still and nothing would change. She found him looking at her strangely and when she cleared her throat to break the staring...he just smiled and shook his head and got up.

"If you have rested enough , shall we start? We have lots of things to see and do..C mon…"

"Ah..some more time please….." Priya begged

"No...let's go ….you are very lazy aren't you?" He teased as he dragged her by her hand.

Priya fumed at this by "No way..I am not lazy. I love walking"

He chuckled at her words and they both moved on to other museums around the Smithsonian ground. They grabbed a simple sub for their lunch from a subway shop near the metro which was very very tasty. Priya was surprised to find that Raj knew all the small places around D.C which were not exactly fancy in decor nor in their menus. Priya found this new side of Raj refreshing and impressive.

While they were eating their subs Raj asked her "So did you enjoy the museums?"

"Yes of course I did. I love museums since my childhood, but didnt get to see many in India"

"Priya...did your parents never take you?"

Priya scoffed at his question and said "Hhaaa. That must be a joke. They never had time to even visit my school… so where will they have time to take me to museums?"

"Is that so? Is that why I never see you call your mum and dad?", he asked seriously.

Her eyes turned painful at his question with a lump forming in her throat and she replied with "I would prefer not to talk about it..but yes things were never hunky dory between my parents and me. Sometimes I wonder …." She stopped catching herself as she didnt want to talk about her childhood to anyone. It was one thing she preferred to be blocked forever.

Raj looked at her and said "If you do not want to share that is fine, but remember that wounds are meant to be healed and if we cannot heal the wound ourselves we can take help from others. It is not wrong nor a shameful thing to do it. It only means we are human..and now if you are done eating your sub shall we visit the Potomac river?"

Priya nodded with a faint smile and finished her sub but her heart was in a knot because for the first time she WANTED to open up and she would have if Raj had not stopped her!

After lunch they walked along the Potomac river side by the Tidal Basin and visited the Memorials nearby.By six in the evening both Priya and Raj were exhausted as they reached the L'Enfant Plaza metro to return back.

As they were at the metro station..Raj said "Hey..why don't we have dinner at a small restaurant. I know one on King St just by the river.It is a beautiful street in Alexandria with old world charm. I have a feeling you will love it. What do you say?"

"Oh sure why not..I would love to see it." Priya replied excitedly.

As they got into the metro, Priya realised that it was too crowded as the Sunday evening rush had started to get in. She stood by the pole to get support but soon felt Raj's hand across her as he tried to give her support. At every station,more people poured in and with every push Raj moved closer to her with both his hands encasing her. As the train jerked at the next station, Raj had no choice but to lean on her. Priya struggled to control her body's reaction; she felt Raj's hard and taut body on her.Her pulse jumped up and her deep core sent out an electric shock to her whole body as she felt his lips grazed her forehead. What is wrong with me? Am I so blatantly craving for physical touch like some teenager? She berated herself. By God's grace, their station came and they both got out or rather got pushed out by people as many seemed to mount off at that station.

King Street was one beautiful street with old world charm still alive. The tiny yet long street was lined up with tiny doll houses like shops selling trinkets to books. They were interspersed with restaurants with antique decors and delectable menus. Raj was very sure about where they had to go and Priya just followed him as she trusted him to have a great taste. And it all turned out to be one of the best dinners she ever had. The place, the food, and the evening air conspired to make it the best. But deep in her heart she knew why she felt that way..it was because she felt free, happy and wanted. And who was the reason? She knew it was Raj. Suddenly it struck her that slowly but steadily she has begun to trust Raj. That revelation struck her like a thunderbolt. But what was Raj thinking about her? She wondered.

It was nine when they reached the King St metro to go back to L'Enfant Plaza. From there they had to change to the Orange line to Clarendon, where they had parked their car. The train was very crowded as the people were now rushing back to their homes. As Priya and Raj got into the metro car, a sea of crowd separated them and Priya was pushed to the other end of the car while Raj was at the other end, though they could see each other. Even through the distance Priya couldn't deny feeling a connection with Raj as he watched her from his end.At National Airport station, Priya felt a tug at her shoulder from behind but she couldn't figure who it was as she turned back to check. They had just reached their station and were about to mount off when to her horror she realised she had lost her hand bag! She panicked and quickly looked down for her hand bag and looked up to check if Raj was there to realise that he had got off from his side! She quickly continued her search and couldn't find it anywhere. She decided to get off the train and report at the station but before Priya could hop off the train, the doors closed on her face as she watched Raj tugging at the door to make it open. But the train started off the station as she watched Raj frantically signal to her to wait at the next station and that he was coming for her. The train was practically empty now as many had got down at L'Enfant Plaza station. There was no sign of her handbag anywhere. She had been robbed! The tug she felt was she being robbed. When that dawned on her, tears welled up in her eyes but she quickly rubbed her tears with the back of her hand and decided to wait at the next station for Raj. It can't be that bad! I can manage it. She decided firmly. She got off at the next station and sat at one of the chairs on the platform. She had lost her phone, money, college id card and her only credit card and metro card as well. The platform did not have a single person now, but Priya decided not to panic as she looked up the escalator for Raj to show up any minute.

It was ten minutes later (which Priya felt was like an hour) , two men got off the escalator and walked towards her. They looked like college goers with black overcoats.Priya tried to stay obscure by not looking at them but as they were going past her , they stopped and turned back. Priya felt her heartbeat rise to hundred and eighty as she remained still.

"Hey sweetheart, are you lonely? Do you want some company to keep you warm?". One of them spoke as he came closer to her and sat next to her.

Priya jumped up and ran towards the escalator looking for an exit. She could hear chuckles from behind but she didn't dare to turn back. As she ran, tears flowed endlessly as the memories of the stalker came back to her. Suddenly she felt someone pulling her by her arm and she couldn't hold it anymore. She screamed loudly only to find Raj standing there.

When she looked at Raj..fresh tears welled up and she ran into his arms with a deep sob. She wound her arms tightly around his neck as she sobbed on his shoulder. Raj let out a deep groan and hugged her tightly making soothing sounds like "Shhhh. And saying "Don't cry, You are safe, everything is alright now".. As Priya calmed down, she let him go and could just stare at him with her teary eyes. Raj's eyes were darker than ever as he put his hand on her head and looped her hair behind her ears and finally said "Let's go home" . Priya nodded. He took her hand in his, intertwining his fingers with hers and they walked out of the metro.