79. BIRTHDAY
I wake up before the sun not because I have to, but because today matters. For a few seconds, I don't move. I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, feeling the quiet weight of the morning settle around me.
The room is dim, a soft light barely brushing against the curtains, and then I feel it.
her. Curled slightly toward me, one hand resting over her stomach.
.. over them. My eyes drift there.
Eight months. It still doesn't feel real sometimes.
Her breathing is slow, deep, peaceful. A loose strand of her hair clings to her cheek, and I reach out without thinking, carefully brushing it away.
She stirs slightly, her lips parting as she murmurs something I can't quite hear, and I freeze, waiting, until she settles again.
Only then do I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"Sleep," I whisper softly. "Just... sleep a little more.
" Because once she wakes up, I want everything ready.
I slip out of bed slowly, careful not to disturb her, even the mattress feeling like it might betray me with the slightest sound.
But she doesn't wake, and that's enough.
I grab my phone, glance at the time 6:12 AM and walk out quietly, closing the door just enough so it doesn't click.
The house is silent for once. No Suhana shouting, no kitchen noise, no footstep just me and what I have to do.
"Bhai, you're up this early?" I turn to see Suhana standing near the stairs, arms crossed, hair messy, eyes barely open but already suspicious.
"Don't you have a life?" I mutter, walking past her.
She follows immediately. "I could ask you the same.
What are you doing?" I ignore her, but she doesn't stop.
"wait..." Her voice sharpens as she notices what I'm holding.
"Are those" "Yes." "For bhabhi?" I stop and look at her. "Keep your voice down." Her eyes widen, then a grin spreads across her face. "Ohhhhhh." "Shut up." "Maa!" she whisper shouts anyway, turning toward the hallway. "Bhai is" I grab her wrist before she can finish.
"Suhana." She looks at me, and I don't say anything for a moment. Then quietly, "If she wakes up before... I'm done..." Her expression changes. Softens. For once, she nods. "Fine. I'll help." I let go, and we both turn toward the hall.
Decorating sounds easy. It's not at least not when you want it to feel right. Not flashy, not fake. Just... hers. "Bhai, this is crooked." "I can see that." "Then fix it." "You fix it."
I shake my head and adjust the ribbon myself.
Slowly, the hall begins to change soft lights, simple decorations, nothing excessive.
A small table in the center. Cake. Gifts.
And then I take out the flowers. Sunflowers.
Suhana pauses. "...you didn't get roses?
" "No." "Why?" I don't answer immediately.
I just look at them bright, simple, warm. "They don't turn toward the sun," I say quietly. "They turn toward each other... even when there's no light." She looks at me differently after that. No teasing, no jokes just a small nod. "...she'll like them." I hope so.
The letter. I didn't sleep much last night not because of work, but because of this.
I sit on the sofa for a moment, pulling the folded pages out again.
Ten pages, handwritten, messy in places, words crossed out, lines rewritten because I didn't know how to say it, because for the first time in my life, I didn't want to say the wrong thing.
My thumb runs over the paper as I remember writing one line in particular: "I didn't fall in love with you in a moment... I realized one day I already had." I close my eyes briefly, then fold it carefully and place it back inside the box.
"Maa is coming," Suhana whispers. I look up as Mom walks into the hall, stopping mid-step as she takes everything in. Then she looks at me. "You did all this?" she asks softly. I nod. Her eyes soften as she walks closer, adjusting something on the table.
"You remembered." "I don't forget things that matter." She looks at me again, something like relief in her expression. "Go wake her," she says gently. I nod and head back to the room.
The door opens quietly. She's still asleep, in the same position, the same calm expression on her face.
For a moment, I just stand there, watching her.
This is the part no one talks about the quiet moments where nothing is happening, but everything feels right.
I walk closer and sit beside her. "Aarohi. .." No response. I lean slightly.
"Aarohi... wake up." She shifts, frowning faintly.
"...five minutes," she murmurs, and I almost smile.
"No. Not today." She slowly opens her eyes, looking at me in confusion.
"...what time is it?" "Time to wake up." She squints.
"You're being suspicious." "Get up." She sits up slowly, one hand on her stomach. "Where are we going?"
"Just come." "I'm not moving without knowing" I gently place my hand over her eyes. "Close them." "What no...Veeransh" "Trust me." She pauses, then slowly closes her eyes. I help her stand carefully, one hand around her, the other guiding.
"Don't let me fall," she mutters. "I won't." We walk slowly, step by step, her grip tightening slightly on my arm. "Where are we" "Almost there." We reach the hall. I stop, glance at everyone, take a breath, and then softly say, "You can open your eyes."
She does and freezes. Silence fills the space as her eyes move slowly from the lights to the decorations, to the cake, to Suhana, to Maa.
.. and finally to me. Her lips part, and before she can say anything, tears fall.
"Aarohi" She shakes her head, covering her mouth.
"You... you remembered..." Her voice breaks, and something tightens in my chest.
I step closer. "Of course I did." She starts crying quietly, not loudly, not dramatically—just..
. softly, like something inside her finally gave way.
I pull her into me carefully. Always careful.
"It's okay..." She clutches my shirt. "I forgot.
.." "I know." "You didn't even tell me..
." "Because I wanted this." She lets out a weak, tearful laugh.
"You're... unfair..." "Yeah." She pulls back slightly, and Suhana suddenly claps.
"Okay, enough emotional scene cut the cake!
" Aarohi wipes her tears, smiling faintly as we guide her to the table.
She cuts the cake slowly, feeds Maa, then Suhana, then looks at me.
"...you too." I lean slightly as she feeds me, and I feed her back. Simple but it feels like everything.
"Open the gift," Suhana insists. Aarohi looks at the box, then at me. "What is it?" "Open it." She sits down carefully and opens it slowly, noticing the sunflowers first. Her fingers brush against them gently.
"...these are beautiful..." Then she sees the letter.
She looks at me. "What's this?" "Read." She unfolds it and begins.
The room falls silent. No one speaks. Her eyes move line by line, and slowly, tears return.
She takes her time, reading every word, every page, her hand trembling slightly as she turns the last one.
Then she lowers it, looks at me, and stands. Before I can react, she hugs me tightly. "I love you..." Her voice is soft but steady, real. I close my eyes and hold her back. "I love you too." She pulls away slightly. "...thank you." "For what?"
"For... making this special." She smiles through her tears, placing her hand over her stomach. "And them?" I place my hand over hers. "...always." She leans into me again, and for the first time in a long time, everything feels steady not perfect, not easy, but real... and enough.