55. AFTER
VEERANSH:
I wake up slowly that morning. Not because of sunlight slipping through the curtains.
Not because of noise from the haveli downstairs.
I wake up because of her. Aarohi is curled against my chest, her warmth wrapped around me so naturally that for a few seconds I simply lie there without moving at all.
Her face rests near my heart, soft strands of hair scattered across my arm while her fingers clutch my shirt tightly, almost unconsciously, like even in sleep she's afraid I might disappear if she lets go.
And strangely... for the first time in years, my chest feels peaceful.
No anger. No restlessness. No weight pressing against my mind.
Just her. Just this quiet stillness that somehow feels more powerful than anything else I've ever known.
A small smile forms on my lips before I can stop it. So this is what love actually feels like. Not dramatic. Not loud. Not the kind shown in films or spoken about in grand words. It's this. Waking up beside someone and feeling your entire world settle quietly into place.
I lift my hand slowly and brush my thumb through her hair carefully, making sure not to wake her.
She looks peaceful like this. No fear hiding in her face anymore.
No sadness lingering in her eyes. Just calm.
Just trust. My chest tightens softly at the sight.
I whisper quietly, almost to myself, "When you're in love.
.. the whole world really does start looking more beautiful. "
As if hearing my voice through sleep, she stirs slightly against me.
Her lashes flutter softly before her eyes slowly open.
For a second she looks confused, still caught between sleep and reality, but then memory returns to her face.
Immediately, that shy smile appears again the one that still manages to undo me every single time.
"Good morning," I whisper softly. Her cheeks turn faintly pink before she replies quietly, "Good morning.
" I hesitate briefly before asking in a lower voice, "You're okay, right?
No pain?" Ever since her allergy incident, some part of me hasn't fully relaxed.
She shakes her head gently against my chest. "No.
.. I'm okay now." I exhale slowly, relief spreading through me almost instantly.
"Then sleep a little more," I murmur while brushing her hair back again. "There's no rush to get up." Instead of answering properly, she snuggles even closer against me, her fingers tightening around my shirt again.
"You also don't go anywhere," she whispers sleepily.
"It feels nice... like this. Together." Something about those words hits me harder than it should.
My arm wraps around her automatically while I press a soft kiss against the top of her head.
"I'm not going anywhere," I promise quietly.
And I mean it with everything inside me.
Slowly, rhythmically, I continue caressing her hair until her breathing softens again and within minutes she falls asleep in my arms once more.
I don't sleep after that. I just lie there watching her quietly, wondering how my life changed so completely without me realizing it. There was a time this room felt cold no matter how expensive or beautiful it was.
A time when silence inside these walls only carried anger, ego, control. But now? Now even silence feels warm because she exists inside it with me. Somewhere deep inside my chest, gratitude settles heavily. Gratitude toward fate. Toward time.
Toward whatever finally decided to stop punishing me and give me something worth protecting instead. I rest my cheek lightly against her hair and close my eyes for a moment, letting myself feel this happiness fully without questioning whether I deserve it or not.
By the time we wake again properly, sunlight fills the room warmly. Aarohi looks embarrassed when she realizes how long we slept, and I can't help laughing softly at the shy expression on her face. Slowly, we both get out of bed and take turns getting ready.
I finish dressing first, but the moment she walks out afterward, my eyes lift toward her automatically and pause.
She looks different today. Not because of clothes or jewelry.
There's just a softness glowing around her now that wasn't there before.
Peace. Happiness. Love. And suddenly it becomes impossible to look away from her for even a second.
When we head downstairs together, Maa and Suhana are already sitting at the dining table.
The moment Maa sees Aarohi, her expression changes knowingly.
"Aarohi looks different today," Maa says casually while observing her carefully.
Aarohi immediately lowers her eyes shyly.
"No Maa... nothing like that," she replies softly.
Maa chuckles under her breath. "No, really. Today you look... happier." Aarohi smiles nervously while sitting down beside her. I stay quiet, but internally I feel absurdly satisfied hearing that. Because yes—she does look happier. And selfishly, I like knowing I'm the reason.
Breakfast begins normally enough until suddenly Suhana freezes mid-bite while staring at Aarohi's hand. "Wait," she blurts loudly. "What is that?" Before Aarohi can react, Suhana grabs her hand dramatically and gasps.
"Wow! That ring is beautiful! Who gave you this?
" Aarohi immediately glances toward me, cheeks turning pink again before answering softly, "Veeransh gave it to me.
" Suhana's eyes widen instantly before a mischievous grin spreads across her face.
"Ahaaa... now everything makes sense! The smiling, the blushing, the glowing face I understand everything now! "
Maa just smiles quietly like she already knew long before anyone said anything aloud.
And I sit there watching Aarohi laugh softly beside me, sunlight falling across her face while that ring shines gently on her finger.
And somewhere in that moment, one simple truth settles deeply inside my chest—
I am the luckiest man alive.
AAROHI:
It has been two weeks since that night. Two weeks since the ring slipped onto my finger.
Two weeks since his voice trembled while confessing that he loved me.
And in these two weeks, something inside me has changed completely.
Not only in my heart, but somewhere deeper. Somewhere quieter. My periods are late.
At first I ignored it because sometimes stress causes delays. Sometimes travel affects the body. Sometimes it means nothing at all. But then three days passed. Then five. And now more than a week has gone by. Every morning I wake up counting dates in my head.
Every night I lie beside him wondering whether I should tell him. But I don't. Not yet. Because what if I'm wrong? What if I say the words out loud and they disappear into disappointment? I don't think my heart is ready for that.
Veeransh leaves early this morning for an urgent meeting in town. Half asleep, he presses a kiss against my forehead before leaving and murmurs softly for me to rest properly and not skip breakfast. I nod quietly while watching him disappear through the door.
But now, sitting downstairs at the dining table with Maa, I stare at the breakfast in front of me with complete disinterest. Sprouts. Boiled vegetables. Dry toast. Healthy food that usually doesn't bother me.
Today the smell alone makes my stomach twist unpleasantly.
Maa notices immediately. She gently tells me to start eating before the food gets cold.
I force myself to take a small bite, but the taste feels unbearably bland.
My eyes drift toward the pickle jar resting near the center of the table, and suddenly my mouth waters so sharply that I almost feel embarrassed.
Without thinking, I ask Maa to pass the pickle. She hands it over casually, but the moment I taste the sour, spicy flavor, relief floods through me. It tastes perfect. Too perfect. Maa watches me carefully while warning me not to eat too much sour food.
I laugh softly and admit that for some reason I desperately feel like eating something tangy today. She smiles lightly and says I should tell Veeransh so he can bring raw mangoes for me. My heartbeat skips at her words.
She pauses for a second before casually asking why these cravings suddenly started.
Panic flashes through me instantly. I look down at my plate and quickly blame the boring healthy breakfast instead.
I joke weakly that since Veeransh isn't home today, I can finally eat whatever I want.
But Maa narrows her eyes suspiciously before taking the pickle jar away from me.
I immediately protest like a child. I ask for just one more piece. Only one. Maa refuses at first, saying Veeransh will scold her if he finds out how much pickle I ate. I pout shamelessly until she finally gives in and hands me one last small piece.
I smile in victory while eating it slowly, savoring every bit of flavor.
But inside my mind the thoughts won't stop racing.
Cravings for sour food. Morning nausea. Delayed periods.
Sudden exhaustion. My hand unconsciously rests against my stomach beneath the tablecloth.
Could it really be possible? The thought both terrifies and overwhelms me.
I immediately force myself to stop thinking further because hope feels dangerous. Too dangerous.
After breakfast I return upstairs. The room feels unusually empty without him there. Sunlight slips softly through the curtains while silence settles around me. I sit on the bed for a moment, but suddenly dizziness washes over me.
The room tilts slightly and I grip the mattress tightly. I whisper to myself that it's probably because I didn't sleep properly or because I'm overthinking everything. I lie down only for a few minutes to rest my head.
But the moment my cheek touches the pillow, exhaustion drags me under completely. When I wake again, I hear the bedroom door opening. My body feels heavy and sluggish as I blink toward the entrance and see Veeransh removing his watch near the door. He pauses immediately after noticing me awake.
He looks surprised and asks if I'm still sleeping because it's already five in the evening. Shocked, I sit up slowly while repeating the time under my breath. He walks toward me and asks whether I stayed upstairs all day. I quietly admit that I felt sleepy.
He sits beside me instantly and touches my forehead carefully, checking for fever.
His hand lingers longer than necessary while concern settles across his features.
He murmurs softly that I look tired. I avoid his eyes because I'm scared he'll notice too much if I look at him directly.
He watches me carefully before asking whether I skipped meals again.
I softly lie and say I ate properly. But then he narrows his eyes and tells me Maa informed him about my attack on the pickle jar.
Embarrassment rushes through me immediately.
I ask in disbelief whether she actually told him.
He smirks slightly and teases me about my sudden obsession with sour food.
I try to act casual and blame it on random cravings, but his expression changes subtly.
He tilts his head slightly and softly calls my name in that serious tone that always unsettles me.
Then he asks quietly whether I'm hiding something from him.
My breath stops instantly. For one terrifying second I wonder if he somehow already knows.
I whisper no, but my voice sounds weak even to myself.
He studies my face silently for a long moment before finally sighing and pulling me gently against his chest.
He tells me softly that if something is bothering me, I should tell him first instead of hiding it until the end. Tears sting my eyes because I want to tell him so badly. But fear stops me. Fear of being wrong. Fear of seeing hope in his eyes only to destroy it afterward. So I stay silent. For now.
By nightfall exhaustion wraps around my body completely. Not ordinary tiredness, but the kind that makes even breathing feel slow and heavy. Still, I force myself downstairs for dinner because if I stay upstairs, he'll come looking for me.
The dining table is lively tonight. Suhana scrolls through her phone dramatically while Maa serves dinner. Veeransh notices my sleepy expression immediately and murmurs quietly that I look exhausted. I insist once again that I'm fine.
Just as we begin eating, Suhana suddenly announces that she wants permission to go on a college trip to Manali.
Veeransh pauses immediately and begins questioning her calmly about who is going and whether boys will be there too.
The moment she admits it's a normal college trip with everyone attending, he flatly refuses.
Suhana reacts dramatically while Maa struggles not to laugh.
I quietly try to defend her, saying she'll enjoy spending time with her friends.
But Veeransh simply says no again in that calm dictator voice of his.
Suhana mutters insults under her breath while I hide my smile.
Meanwhile, I try forcing myself to eat. Two bites in and my stomach twists unpleasantly again. I stop eating immediately.
Veeransh notices at once and asks why I stopped.
Desperate to escape the food, I quickly pretend I heard someone knocking outside and start getting up from the chair.
But before I can leave, his voice stops me sharply.
He tells me to sit down because he already recognizes my excuses after an entire week of food tantrums.
He lists everything I've been rejecting lately healthy food, sweets, regular meals while repeatedly demanding sour things instead. I cross my arms defensively and continue insisting I really heard a knock.
He leans closer and lowers his voice, ordering me to sit quietly and finish eating. Maa gently tells him not to be so strict with me. I finally force down a few more bites before announcing that I'm full. The warning tone in his voice when he says my name again immediately irritates me.
I complain dramatically to Maa that no matter how much I eat, he still scolds me constantly.
Suhana nearly bursts out laughing at the argument while Maa surprisingly sides with me, saying even she feels bored looking at healthy food every day.
Veeransh looks betrayed that his own mother joined my side.
Before he can continue arguing, I quickly escape upstairs while he calls after me.
The moment I close the bedroom door behind me, laughter escapes my lips.
The entire dinner scene replays in my head his serious expression, Maa defending me, Suhana's dramatic reactions.
I sit on the edge of the bed smiling to myself.
But suddenly a wave of nausea crashes into me so hard that my smile disappears instantly.
I rush toward the washroom and grip the sink tightly while trying to breathe through the uncomfortable sensation.
Nothing actually happens, but the nausea lingers heavily in my throat.
I close my eyes and whisper to myself that it's probably just acidity.
Just exhaustion. Just overthinking. But deep down, I know something is changing inside me.
When the nausea finally fades, I feel completely drained. Too exhausted even to change clothes. I walk slowly back toward the bed and collapse onto it still wearing my saree. My head sinks into the pillow immediately while sleep pulls at me with impossible force.
Somewhere in the distance I hear footsteps moving through the hallway maybe his, maybe someone else's but I can't even lift my eyes anymore. Exhaustion drags me under completely. And as sleep claims me, one thought circles endlessly through my mind.
Something is changing inside me.
And very soon...
I won't be able to hide it anymore.