A Dinner conversation

1965: 

It was almost midnight. He got down from the taxi and unlocked the door quietly. The lights in the hall were still on. Sindhuja was there on one sofa-chair, sitting laidback in it with her eyes closed. He called out her name slowly to not wake others up, but she didn't respond.

He realised she was sleeping.

He went to the dining table and saw a plate covered there with another one. Lifting the covering plate, he saw food served. There was some extra chutney in the plate besides rice and Shorshe Maach (Fish curry), just as he liked. His lips curled in a smile. She knows this too...

He went back to the sofa and leaned down to its height for having a closer look at her face. There she was, fast asleep pouting like a child. A lock of hair obstructed a full view of her face though, which annoyed him. He thought of pushing it away, she probably wouldn't even realise anything in her sleep. So he reached out with his hand and tenderly pushed the hair behind, staring at her face for a moment. Her closed eyes and red bindi in the middle, her straight delicate nose, pouted lips...  

He couldn't help but bring his lips to her cheek for a little peck atleast, and he was but a few centimeters away from her.... When she woke up with a start sensing someone's presence. She saw him so near & almost jumped in the place, and he also backed away quickly. 

"Wha-!"

"Sindhuja it's me! I was just trying to wake you up, because you remained asleep when I called out..." He said almost breathlessly.

"What was this Jumpscaring! I almost got an attack.... What did you want? Dinner's kept there."

"I- just came to ask if you had dinner."

"Yes, I did. Did you get your work done?"

"Yeah... I'll have dinner then. You go and sleep."

She got up from the sofa. "No, I'm fine. I'll sit with you."

"It's alright-..."

"I'll just be giving some company. It's boring to eat food alone."

He smiled briefly as she followed him to the dining table. They talked about a lot of things as he completed dinner. He told about his meeting with the publishing-house owner this evening, and she just talked about everyday stuff and a new Hindi film being released tomorrow.

"I listened to its songs played on the radio today. They were really good, Lata ji sang the female part..."

"I see..."

"And, it's starring Dev Anand."

"Ahaa, that guy; isn't he your favourite actor ?"

She was a bit flushed, "Yeah, but how do you know?"

He smiled his cunning-smile. "You think P. C. Mitter  doesn't know such a basic thing about his own wife?"

She turned even more red. Her heart raced like this every time he called her his wife.

He continued, "That's also one of the most common answers. He is quite good-looking."

"Not better than you when you're smiling." She said without realising.

He raised his eyebrows amused. "Didn't know that."

She tried to cover it up by changing the topic. "Anyways, I was thinking if we could go watch the film in a theatre."

"What do you mean 'we'?" He asked in the same amused tone as before.

She frowned, but he kept a genuinely confused expression.

She grew irritated at this. "We-, well, I would mean All of us, wouldn't I? Kaka, Kaaki, Tapesh, you and me!..."

"Really?"

"Yeah! We can take Srinath too if you please." She said sarcastically.

He grinned. It was so long since they had such bickering about something. He had been missing this angry Sindhuja since the past few days.

"But why do you need to go watch Dev Anand in the theatre, when there's me? I look better than him while smiling, don't I?"

"Well, at least he doesn't irritate me like you!"

"Irritate? When did I irritate you?!"

"What are you doing right now?!"

"I'm not irritating!"

"You are. Besides, you don't smile that often to look more handsome than him."

It was his turn to frown now. 

"Fine. I'll take you to see his fake smiles, because you don't like mine."

"When did I say I didn't like you smile?"

"You do?" 

"Of course. Everyone looks beautiful when they smile." She did not want to make him realise her feelings, fearing he would get uncomfortable and leave. 

"Oh, So it was just a general statement." He made a sarcastic remark.

"What did you think?" She asked still sounding innocent.

"Nothing. I'm done."

He went to wash his hands.

Am I pushing all this ahead? She does care for me, and I care for her too, because we're both a part of the family. But does she feel anything more for me? 

But, why am I thinking of all this? I do feel something for her, but is it really love? What if it's not? What if they're just temporary feelings that would come and pass by? She is my responsibility, but am I expecting more from her than she can offer? Am I imposing this relation on her? I shouldn't. This is wrong.