70. QUIET DAY
AAROHI:
When I woke up that morning, something felt strange.
Not painful. Not scary. Just different in a way I could not explain properly.
Soft sunlight filtered through the curtains and warmed the bed gently while the room stayed quiet around me.
I slowly sat up and pushed the blanket aside, noticing immediately that Veeransh was not beside me.
He was probably already working downstairs like always.
I lightly touched my throat and frowned when it felt rough and uncomfortable.
I tried calling his name softly, but the sound that came out surprised me.
My voice sounded cracked and weak, almost like the days when I used to get throat infections as a child.
I cleared my throat a few times, hoping it would improve, but nothing changed.
Maybe it was because of the medicines. Maybe because I had cried too much the previous night.
Quietly sighing, I walked toward the bathroom and turned on the warm shower, letting the water fall over me slowly.
The warmth felt comforting against my skin.
I closed my eyes and rested my hand gently over my stomach again.
There was only a tiny curve there, small enough that nobody else would notice yet, but I noticed it every single day.
Sometimes I wondered how two little babies could fit inside such a small space, and the thought made me smile without realizing it.
Then suddenly, I remembered the twins from the park yesterday.
A little boy and a little girl wrapped in blankets beside their parents.
The memory warmed my chest instantly. What if our babies were like that someday.
The thought stayed in my mind while I finished my shower slowly and wrapped myself in a towel before stepping outside.
One of the maids greeted me warmly, wishing me good morning, but when I tried to answer, my voice cracked again painfully.
Embarrassed, I simply nodded instead. Another maid asked if I wanted tea, and again I nodded silently because speaking felt uncomfortable today.
But there was only one place I wanted to go.
The study. The door was slightly open when I reached it, and inside, Veeransh was already working seriously.
His laptop remained open in front of him while files and papers covered the desk.
His phone rested beside his hand, and his expression looked sharp and focused the way it always did during work.
I stepped inside quietly, but somehow he noticed me immediately. "Aarohi?" he called softly.
Before he could say anything else, I walked straight to the desk and closed his laptop completely.
He blinked in surprise. "Aarohi..." he started, confused by my behavior.
But instead of explaining, I climbed slightly onto the chair and settled directly into his lap.
My arms wrapped around his shoulders while I rested my head against him quietly.
Instantly, his hands moved to my back, gently caressing me the way he always did whenever he sensed something was wrong.
"What happened?" he asked softly. I shook my head immediately.
"Nothing." He studied my face carefully before asking another question.
"Are you hungry?" Again, I shook my head.
"No." His eyebrow lifted slightly. "Do you want chocolate?
" Normally, I would have said yes without thinking even for a second.
But today I shook my head once more. "No.
" Now he looked genuinely confused by my answers.
"Do you want to go out somewhere?" he asked carefully.
Again, I answered softly, "No." He sighed quietly at that before his hand moved slowly to my stomach.
His palm rested over the slight curve there while his thumb traced gentle circles against it.
Then he lowered his voice and spoke softly to the babies.
"Why are you troubling my wife?" A small smile formed on my lips immediately, even though I still stayed quiet.
Something always changed whenever I sat in his arms like this.
My entire body relaxed instantly, and suddenly all the exhaustion I had been carrying caught up with me at once.
My eyelids began feeling heavy. "I'm sleepy," I whispered quietly against his shoulder.
"You feel sleepy?" he asked softly. I nodded slowly.
He glanced briefly toward the clock before saying, "After lunch.
" I immediately made a face. "I do not want to eat. "
"Aarohi..." he warned softly. "You also need to take your medicine.
" I groaned dramatically in protest at the mention of medicine.
Right at that moment, a servant entered carrying a tray of food.
Of course. He had already ordered lunch before I even came downstairs.
The tray was placed beside us carefully.
I immediately turned my face away stubbornly.
"I am not eating." He sighed patiently and picked up a spoon anyway.
"Just a little," he said calmly before bringing the spoon near my mouth.
"Open." I shook my head. "No." "Aarohi." "No.
" Then his voice became slightly firmer.
"If you do not eat, you will not get chocolate either.
" Immediately, I opened my mouth. A small smirk appeared on his face.
"Smart." Slowly and patiently, he fed me small bites while I sat quietly against him.
Before I even realized it, half the plate was already finished.
"See?" he murmured. "You are still alive.
" I rolled my eyes dramatically at him. Then he handed me the medicine.
I glared at it with complete betrayal, but the moment he raised his eyebrow slightly, I swallowed it reluctantly.
"Good girl," he whispered softly. Then he stood up carefully while still holding me close.
"Come." I blinked sleepily. "To sleep?" I asked quietly. "Yes," he replied immediately.
He pulled out his phone and instructed someone calmly to cancel all meetings for the day.
Then he lifted me into his arms effortlessly, as if I weighed nothing at all.
The bed felt soft and warm when he laid me down carefully.
He adjusted my pillow properly and pulled the blanket over me.
Sleep already tugged at my body again. Weakly, I grabbed the sleeve of his shirt before he could move away. "Do not go," I whispered softly.
"I am not going," he assured immediately.
Then he lay down beside me, his arm resting protectively around me.
Within seconds, sleep pulled me under again completely.
When I woke up later in the evening, the room was darker now, filled with soft orange evening light.
Veeransh still sat beside me, reading something quietly on his phone.
"You did not go?" I asked sleepily. He looked at me calmly. "Where?" "To work," I replied.
"You were sleeping," he answered simply.
I blinked at him. "So?" He looked completely serious while replying, "So I stayed.
" My heart warmed instantly at his words.
Then suddenly, he stood up and looked at me.
"Come." I blinked in confusion. "Where?" A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Out." My eyes widened immediately. "Really?
" He nodded once. "To the nearest park."
I got ready slowly and carefully, remembering every single instruction the doctor had given me.
No sudden movements. No stairs. No stress.
The evening air felt cool and fresh when we reached the park.
Children ran around laughing loudly while parents watched them nearby.
Veeransh walked beside me slowly, one hand resting lightly against my back as if ready to support me at any second.
Soon we sat together on a wooden bench beneath the trees.
I watched the children playing nearby before my attention shifted toward another couple sitting close to us.
They had two tiny babies wrapped carefully in blankets beside them.
A little boy and a little girl. The sight made something warm spread through my chest instantly.
Without realizing it, I imagined us sitting like that someday with our own babies in our arms. Our babies.
Quietly, I leaned my head against Veeransh's shoulder while continuing to watch them.
He noticed immediately where my attention had gone and smiled faintly.
"Our life will look like that soon," he said softly.
I nodded quietly. Then suddenly he added, "We have not even thought about names for our babies yet.
" I looked at him in complete shock. "Already?
" He shrugged casually. "Why not?" I stared at him.
"They are not even born yet." "So?" he replied calmly.
"What if you choose strange names?" I teased softly.
A smirk appeared immediately on his face.
"My choices are always good." I laughed softly and shook my head.
"Not always." "Oh really?" he asked while leaning closer.
"Yes." He crossed his arms dramatically.
"Fine. Then you choose." I stayed quiet for a moment while imagining two tiny little lives growing safely inside me.
Maybe a boy and a girl. Maybe two girls.
Maybe two boys. Every possibility made me smile softly.
Then suddenly, something fluttered gently inside my stomach.
I froze completely. "Veeransh..." I whispered quietly.
His expression changed immediately. "What happened?
" Slowly, I placed my hand over my stomach.
"I think..." My voice softened with wonder.
"They heard you." He laughed softly beside me.
"Already listening to their father." I rolled my eyes at him, but deep inside, I felt the exact same thing too.
Our lives were about to change completely. And for the first time, that future no longer scared me. Because he was beside me. And our babies were already becoming part of everything we were.