36. Its Time #3
She sighed knowingly.
"Aksh..."
"No arguments."
"You've been sitting for quite some time. Your back will start hurting even more."
Before she could protest, supporting her shoulders with one hand, he gently helped her lie down comfortably.
He adjusted the pillows behind her, tucked the blanket around her legs, and made sure she wasn't feeling uncomfortable from any angle.
"Comfortable?" he asked immediately.
Shivika smiled helplessly.
"Yes."
"Good."
Only then did Rakshit lie down beside her.
Without saying another word, he slipped his hand into hers, intertwining their fingers.
"It's only nine," Shivika said, her eyes shifting towards the wall clock.
Rakshit looked at the clock before looking back at her.
"So?" he asked with a smile. "What does my wife want to do now?"
Shivika thought for a few seconds before saying in a small voice,
"I want to eat something."
Rakshit immediately sat up.
"What do you want?"
"Curd."
"Only curd?"
She nodded innocently.
"Hmm... only curd."
A soft chuckle escaped Rakshit's lips.
He gently pinched her cheek.
"Wait here. I'll bring it."
Within a few minutes, Rakshit returned with a small bowl of chilled curd and a spoon.
He settled beside her on the bed and scooped a spoonful.
Rakshit patiently fed her one spoon after another, making sure she swallowed properly before offering the next.
He was simply enjoying taking care of her.
After a few spoonfuls, Shivika shook her head.
"Enough."
"Sure?"
"Hmm."
He smiled and placed the bowl on the bedside table.
Just then, his eyes fell on a tiny streak of curd resting near the corner of her lips.
Without thinking much, he picked up a tissue.
Shivika sat still, expecting him to wipe it away like he always did.
His hand reached halfway...
Then suddenly stopped.
His eyes shifted from the tissue...
...to her lips.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
Instead of using the tissue, he quietly placed it back on the table.
Shivika frowned.
"Aksh...?"
He didn't answer.
He simply leaned towards her.
Slowly...
Unhurriedly...
His eyes never leaving hers.
"What are you doing?" she whispered, her heartbeat beginning to race.
Still...
No answer.
He came even closer.
So close that she could feel his warm breath brushing against her skin.
Her fingers instinctively tightened around the bedsheet.
Her heart was beating so loudly that she was sure he could hear it.
"Aksh..."
Her voice came out as nothing more than a whisper.
He smiled softly.
"So impatient..."
Before she could understand what he meant...
His face tilted slightly.
Instead of reaching her lips...
His mouth brushed against the corner of them.
His lips lingered there for a brief moment before he gently stole the tiny streak of curd with a soft kiss.
The warmth of his lips against her skin sent a pleasant shiver through her.
Her thoughts disappeared completely.
For those few seconds...
The room...
The conversation...
Even tomorrow...
Everything ceased to exist.
There was only him.
Rakshit slowly pulled away, his forehead almost touching hers.
A teasing smile danced on his lips.
"Hmm..."
"I was right."
Shivika blinked, still unable to gather her thoughts.
"W-What?"
He looked into her eyes with a smile that made her heart skip another beat.
"It tastes sweeter this way."
Shivika's entire face turned a deep shade of red after hearing his words.
Unable to meet his eyes anymore, she immediately buried her face in his chest.
A soft chuckle escaped Rakshit's lips.
He gently wrapped his arms around her, one hand slowly caressing her hair while the other rested protectively on her back.
He continued running his fingers through her soft hair, silently waiting for her racing heartbeat to calm down.
It wasn't as if his own heart was beating normally either.
Shivika could clearly hear it.
His heartbeat was just as fast as hers.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"So..." she mumbled against his chest, "you're nervous too."
Rakshit smiled, not denying it.
"Maybe."
He tilted his head slightly before whispering near her ear,
"But I like seeing you like this."
Shivika hugged him a little tighter.
"I feel so good when you turn completely red because of me."
His words only made her cheeks burn even more.
She smiled against his chest, refusing to look up.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
They simply stayed in each other's embrace, listening to the rhythm of one another's heartbeat.
Both of them were happy.
Happy with the way their relationship was slowly growing.
Happy with how naturally they were falling for each other.
Neither of them wanted to rush anything.
There was no hurry.
No pressure.
They wanted to take every step together, at their own pace, creating beautiful memories along the way.
Perhaps that was the most beautiful part of their relationship.
It wasn't built only on love.
It was built on trust...
On respect...
On patience...
"I'll be back after keeping the bowl in the kitchen," Rakshit said softly before getting up.
Shivika nodded with a small smile.
"Hmm."
Picking up the empty bowl, Rakshit walked out of the bedroom.
As soon as he left, Shivika decided to use the washroom by the time he came back.
She slowly moved towards the edge of the bed and carefully got up with the support of it.
For a few seconds, she remained standing, letting her body adjust before taking a step forward.
One hand rested on her lower back while the other instinctively covered her baby bump.
She began walking towards the washroom at her usual slow pace.
After just a few steps, a dull pain spread across her lower abdomen.
She stopped where she was.
Her eyebrows knitted together as she took a slow breath.
"Hmm..."
The pain lasted for a few seconds before slowly fading away.
She waited for another moment.
When it completely disappeared, she continued walking.
"It will go away on its own again," she thought.
She had been feeling similar mild pains throughout the evening.
Taking another slow step, she reached almost halfway to the washroom.
Suddenly, another wave of pain gripped her lower abdomen.
This time, it was stronger.
"Aah..."
A soft hiss escaped her lips.
Her hand tightened around her baby bump while the other searched for support against the nearby wall.
She stood there without moving.
The muscles across her abdomen felt unusually tight, and a dull ache spread towards her lower back.
Her breathing became slightly uneven.
After several long seconds, the pain eased again.
She let out a slow breath.
"It's gone..."
Thinking it had settled once again, Shivika continued walking.
Each step felt a little heavier than before, but she ignored it, believing it would pass just like the earlier pains had.
Finally, she reached the washroom door.
She wrapped her fingers around the washroom door handle.
Just as she was about to push it open, another intense wave of pain gripped her lower abdomen.
"Aah..."
A painful gasp escaped her lips.
She instinctively bent forward a little, one hand gripping the handle tightly while the other moved protectively over her baby bump.
The pressure low in her pelvis suddenly became overwhelming.
She tried to take another step towards the toilet, but her body refused to cooperate.
The urge to urinate, which she had been trying to hold until she reached the washroom, became impossible to control.
Before she could react, she involuntarily urinated where she stood.
Shivika's eyes widened in embarrassment.
"Oh..."
She looked down helplessly, believing for a moment that she simply hadn't made it to the washroom in time.
But the pressure didn't stop there.
A second later, she felt another sudden warm gush-different from urine, continuous and unmistakable.
Her breathing hitched.
The color drained from her face.
"My..."
She stood frozen.
Her heart began racing as she realized what had just happened.
"My water broke..."
Her trembling hand tightened over her baby bump.
Just then, Rakshit stepped back into the bedroom.
"Aksh..."
The moment Rakshit stepped into the bedroom, his eyes searched for Shivika.
Instead of finding her on the bed, he saw her standing near the washroom door.
She was holding the door handle tightly, her other hand protectively resting over her baby bump.
For a second, he couldn't understand what had happened.
Then his gaze fell to the floor.
Everything clicked.
His first instinct was that she hadn't been able to hold her urine.
Without a trace of judgment crossing his face, he immediately walked towards her.
"Ika..."
His voice was as gentle as ever.
"It's okay. It happens. You don't have to be embarrassed."
The moment she looked into his eyes, her own filled with tears.
Another wave of pain tightened around her abdomen.
"Aah..."
She cried out softly, her fingers clutching his T-shirt as soon as he reached her.
Rakshit immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders, carefully supporting her.
"It's okay... I've got you."
Shivika shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"N-no..."