6 | The First Thank You
Some feelings reveal themselves in concern before they ever reveal themselves in words.
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Time passed so strangely in that house that I didn't even realize when evening turned into night.
Everyone eventually drifted back to their rooms one by one after endless conversations and teasing.
I sat with Siya for a while longer before even she finally left.
And somehow—the silence after that felt louder than the entire day.
Avyukt still hadn't come home.
Not that I was waiting for him.
But still... a person should return home eventually, right?
Then again—even if he did return, what exactly would happen between us?
That thought alone exhausted me.
So ultimately, I fell asleep.
Around two in the morning, my eyes slowly opened again.
The room was dark and quiet.
I realized I was hungry.
I remembered the leftover halwa in the fridge and quietly walked downstairs toward the kitchen.
But as soon as I entered, I frowned slightly.
The kitchen light was on.
I was sure I had switched it off earlier.
Slowly, I opened the fridge.
The halwa container was empty.
A tiny smile almost appeared on my lips.
"Someone must've gotten hungry..."
But then my eyes landed on the sweet box placed beside it.
Confused, I pulled it closer.
Inside was a collection of my favorite sweets.
Every single type had exactly eight pieces arranged neatly.
Meaning whoever bought it had probably calculated one piece for everyone else... and two for himself.
A soft laugh escaped me unconsciously.
I gently closed the box.
Right when I turned around—I almost jumped.
Avyukt was standing right behind me.
My heartbeat instantly shot up.
"Have you lost your mind?" I whisper-yelled instinctively. "Who stands like a ghost at this hour?"
For a second, he simply stared at me.
Then slowly—one of his eyebrows lifted slightly.
And the corner of his lips curved faintly upward.
Since our marriage, that was the closest thing to a smile I'd seen from him.
"Interesting," he said calmly. "I was about to ask who wanders around the kitchen at two in the morning."
I narrowed my eyes immediately.
"So now you answer back too?"
Trying to ignore the weird nervousness suddenly crawling under my skin, I opened the fridge again to grab a water bottle.
Honestly... I didn't like the fact that he pointed it out first.
Some childish part of me had expected him to help instead.
But before I could think further—
"Sorry."
The word came unexpectedly.
I looked up in surprise.
He had already turned around to leave.
After taking a few steps, he stopped without looking back.
"You can eat one piece from every sweet," he said quietly. "Nobody will notice."
Then with the faintest smile hidden in his voice—he walked away.
And strangely... somehow, the silence between us didn't feel painful anymore.
I picked up the sweets and walked upstairs toward my room.
But while passing the study room, my steps slowed.
The door was slightly open.
Inside, Avyukt sat on the chair with his head tilted back against it, eyes closed.
Maybe he was sleeping.
Or maybe he was simply too exhausted to move anymore.
For a moment, I just stood there quietly.
Then I slowly walked away.
Back in the room, I finished the sweets, kept the water bottle aside, and lay down again.
But sleep didn't come easily this time.
After a while, I checked the door again.
He still hadn't entered the room.
A strange restlessness settled inside me.
I almost felt like walking to the study room and telling him to sleep properly on the bed while I took the couch instead.
But I didn't have that much courage yet.
So instead—I sat quietly against the headboard, scrolling through the morning photos Ruhi had forced us to click earlier.
And that's when I noticed something strange.
In almost every picture... Avyukt was looking at me when I wasn't looking at him.
By the time I finished scrolling through the photos, it was already six in the morning.
Panic instantly hit me.
I quickly got up, pulled out some clothes from my suitcase—which was still lying unpacked in the corner of the room—and hurried into the bathroom.
After getting ready, I stepped out and started walking downstairs toward the kitchen.
But while passing the study room—my steps slowed.
Avyukt was still there.
Still asleep on the chair.
His head tilted slightly to one side, one hand resting near scattered files, his posture looking painfully uncomfortable.
A strange guilt settled inside my chest.
I still couldn't understand him.
Was he avoiding me?
Or staying away for my comfort?
Without realizing it, I took a step inside the study room.
Then I immediately stepped back out again.
Maybe... I should just bring him coffee first.
And thank him for the sweets from last night too.
The thought itself felt strangely awkward.
I rapidly made coffee in the kitchen and carefully carried it upstairs.
But before I could leave, Ruhi and Siya appeared behind me.
Ruhi's lips instantly curved into a teasing smile.
"Wah... husband service already started?"
Before I could react, Siya came closer dramatically.
"What happened, Di? Falling for jijaji already?"
Heat instantly rushed to my face.
"Go drink your own coffee," I muttered quickly, trying to change the topic.
Their laughter followed me all the way upstairs.
I walked toward the study room slowly.
He still hadn't moved.
Carefully, I stood beside him, holding the coffee cup.
"Avyukt..." I called softly. "Coffee."
No response.
Thinking he was still deeply asleep, I carefully shifted the cup into one hand and lightly tapped his shoulder with the other.
Unfortunately—I was standing way too close.
The split second he opened his eyes, he jerked up suddenly in shock.
And because I stepped back at the same time—the hot coffee spilled directly onto my hand.
I barely even processed the burn before he stood up instantly.
"Are you crazy?!" he snapped in panic.
Before I could even react, he grabbed the cup from my hand and placed it on the table hurriedly.
Then he immediately caught my wrist carefully.
"Look at this," he said sharply, his voice filled with panic more than anger. "Your hand's completely red. Sit down. Right now. I'll get ice."
And before I could say a single word—he was already running downstairs.
I sat there completely stunned.
Honestly... it hadn't even burned that badly.
But the way he reacted—it felt like he was the one hurting instead.
Within barely a minute, he came rushing back upstairs carrying:
an ice pack,
burn cream,
and even a bandage.
When I noticed the bandage, I couldn't stop myself from laughing softly.
"It's really not that serious."
Ignoring me completely, he crouched down in front of my chair.
And somehow—that felt even more dangerous than his anger.
Carefully, he pressed the ice pack against my hand before applying the cream gently.
Then he opened the bandage.
"Okay, no," I said immediately. "That's unnecessary."
He finally looked up at me.
One eyebrow lifted slightly while his jaw tightened.
"Sit quietly," he muttered. "Do you even realize how much this hurts?"
I went silent instantly.
Because somehow—it truly felt like my injury hurt him more than it hurt me.
After finishing the unnecessarily dramatic bandage, he slowly pulled his hands back and created distance again.
Then gently—
"Sorry. I spoke too loudly."
I didn't answer.
I just stared at the ridiculous bandage wrapped around my hand.
When no response came from me, he turned to leave.
But halfway through, he suddenly stopped and walked back toward the table.
Picking up the now cold coffee, he glanced at it briefly.
"You made this?"
"Hm... but it's cold now."
Before I could finish speaking, he had already taken a sip.
For a short while, he stayed silent.
Then softly—
"It's good. Thank you."
And just like that, he walked away holding the cold coffee.
Leaving my heartbeat behind in that study room.