21 | mr. Khadoos
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After making Avantika revise for tomorrow's exam, I finally told her to sleep. The moment she went to bed, I walked to the couch and lay down.
Yes, I could sleep on the bed.
But I wanted her to be the one to ask me when she felt comfortable. Until then, I wasn't going to force anything.
Honestly, it didn't look like she would ask anytime soon.
She was smart and hardworking, but there were still a few things she needed to learn. College professors might not notice those mistakes, but when she would eventually handle a CEO position, those small gaps could become problems.
And when it came to studies, I was strict.
Maybe not as a husband.
But definitely as a teacher.
Just remembering how I had scolded her earlier made me smile. My little angry bird. The way she had pouted after getting scolded was ridiculously adorable. Still, I couldn't go easy on her just because she looked cute.
A few minutes passed.
I could tell she wasn't asleep.
Then she suddenly spoke.
"That couch isn't comfortable, right?"
A smile appeared on my face, but I quickly hid it.
"Why? It's perfectly comfortable."
"Hmm..."
She lay down again.
A few moments later, she turned to the other side.
Then again.
Then she sat up.
"The couch is too small. Isn't it uncomfortable?"
I bit back another laugh.
"No. I'm fine."
"Okay... but if there's any problem..."
Her voice slowly faded as she lay down again.
I knew exactly what she was trying to do.
She couldn't sleep.
She wanted me to come to the bed.
But she didn't want to say it directly.
And I wasn't going unless she asked.
The room became quiet again.
Eventually, I closed my eyes.
I was half asleep when I heard movement.
Very soft footsteps.
Then the mattress creaked.
A second later, I felt something warm beside me.
Slowly opening my eyes, I realized Avantika had left the bed and come to the couch.
She had somehow squeezed herself into the tiny space beside me.
Her head rested against my chest, one arm wrapped around my waist, and one leg thrown over mine as if she belonged there.
I looked down at her sleeping face.
A smile spread across my lips.
Without waking her, I carefully adjusted our positions so she wouldn't fall.
Then I wrapped a blanket around us.
Maybe she hadn't asked me to sleep beside her.
But somehow...
She had come to me instead.
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I woke up early before Avyukt could notice that I had fallen asleep beside him on the couch. Honestly, I had tried so many times to make him sleep on the bed, but this stubborn man never listened. What was I supposed to do?
After getting ready for my exam, I had just opened the bedroom door when I heard his voice.
"Where are you going?"
I turned around and saw him sitting on the couch, his hair slightly messy from sleep.
"To make breakfast for you. The staff probably won't be awake this early."
He looked at me for a moment before saying, "Are we going to a wedding? Why are you dressed like this? Just wear what you normally wear to college. With all these bangles and anklets making noise, how will you concentrate during your exam?"
"It's okay. I'll be fine."
He stood up and walked to the closet.
"Well, I'm not fine with it. Go change. I already told the staff to prepare breakfast early for you."
"Okay..."
Trying not to smile, I picked one of his favorite outfits and went to change.
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No one else was downstairs yet, so we had breakfast alone.
Before leaving, Avyukt fed me a little sugar and curd. According to him, he didn't really believe in these traditions, but his mother always did it for him before important days, so he wanted to do the same for me.
Soon, we were sitting in his car.
He handed me a pen.
"This is my lucky pen. My father gave it to me when I joined Vardhan Group. I've kept it safely ever since. Use it well."
A smile immediately appeared on my face.
"Thank you."
I kept staring at the pen while he started the car.
"Everything prepared?"
"Hm... yes."
He glanced at me before looking back at the road.
"Can I ask you a question?"
I immediately sat straight.
"Oh please! Was yesterday not enough? I don't want to get scolded before my exam."
He laughed.
"Fine. But be ready after the exam. I'll be checking your paper."
With full confidence, I replied, "Okay."
A little before reaching college, I asked him to stop the car.
"I can go from here. You don't need to come further."
He looked genuinely confused.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want everyone to know that Mr. Avyukt Vardhan is my husband."
His head turned toward me instantly.
"Is that something you're ashamed of?"
I froze while opening the door.
"Of course not! But... bye. I'm getting late."
Before he could say anything else, I practically ran away.
---
The moment I entered campus, my best friend Naina spotted me.
"Yaar! I missed you so much!"
I hugged her back.
"Oh really? Then why didn't you come meet me even once?"
"I wanted to, but I had no time. Leave that. Why didn't you bring jiju? The finance students would've loved meeting their idol."
I immediately looked away.
"He had some work."
As we walked toward class, I noticed several girls staring at me as if getting married was some kind of crime. None of them said anything directly, but their expressions were enough.
---
After finishing my exam, I walked outside and found Avyukt already waiting near the car.
I quickly said goodbye to Naina and walked toward him.
"Okay, see you in the next exam."
"Haan, bye baby."
Before I could react, Naina kissed my cheek and waved goodbye.
"Bye!"
The second I reached the car, Avyukt took my bag and opened the door for me.
After I sat down, he handed me a lunch box.
"Eat. You must be hungry."
"Thank you."
I folded my legs comfortably on the seat and opened the box.
Meanwhile, he pulled my answer sheet notes out of my bag, placed the bag aside, and started driving.
I was about to take my first bite when he casually asked,
"So, explain question number one."
I turned toward him with an annoyed look but answered anyway.
"Good. Next one."
And just like that, the interrogation began.
Question after question.
Answer after answer.
I kept eating while he kept testing me. Occasionally I even fed him a few bites while he drove.
Everything was going fine until the last question.
The problem was-I knew the answer.
If I answered it, I'd get a lecture.
If I didn't answer it, I'd get scolded.
I stared at my lunch box, trapped.
"Nahi aa raha ya bhool gayi?"
("Didn't it come to mind, or did you forget?")
He stopped the car and raised an eyebrow at me.
I swear, I had never been this scared of my school teachers-even when I forgot my homework.
Trying to change the topic, I said,
"I know the answer, but... I want ice cream."
He gave me the most unimpressed look imaginable.
"Oh really? Ice cream is enough to change the topic now? No ice cream until you answer."
I made an annoyed face and dramatically leaned against the window, pretending to sleep.
"Wait until we get home," he said calmly. "I'll make you solve that same question ten times tonight."
I sat up immediately.
"That is unfair!"
"Completely fair. No compromise on studies."
I turned back toward the window and muttered,
"Khadoos."
He started the car again, clearly amused.
"Achha?"
---
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"Khadus," she muttered and turned her face toward the window.
"Achha?" I raised an eyebrow and started driving again.
She folded her arms and looked outside dramatically, as if I had committed some huge crime. Every few seconds she would glance at me from the corner of her eye, then quickly look away when I noticed.
I was trying very hard not to laugh.
A few minutes later she spoke again.
"One ice cream."
"No."
"Half ice cream."
"No."
"Then one milkshake."
I shook my head.
"Answer first."
She groaned loudly and dropped her head against the seat.
"O God, how can a husband be worse than a professor?"
"Because your husband is your professor."
She gasped.
"That is cheating!"
I couldn't stop the smile that appeared on my face.
Finally, after another minute of dramatic suffering, she sat up straight.
"Fine. I'll answer."
I waited.
She explained the answer carefully. Halfway through, she realized her own mistake and stopped speaking.
The moment of realization appeared on her face.
"Oh..."
"Exactly," I said.
She covered her face with both hands.
"I knew it. I knew something was wrong."
I chuckled softly.
"You wrote everything correctly except the last part."
She immediately looked at me.
"So I'll still pass?"
"Very easily."
The tension disappeared from her face at once.
A bright smile spread across her lips.
"Really?"
"Really."
She happily leaned back in her seat.
"I deserve ice cream now."
I sighed dramatically.
"You deserve it because you passed the interrogation."
She grinned victoriously.
"I knew you would agree."
"No, I didn't."
"Too late."
Before I could argue, she pointed excitedly at a small ice cream shop on the roadside.
"There! Stop the car!"
I looked at her excited face and shook my head helplessly.
Running Vardan Group was easy.
Handling Mrs. Avantika Vardan after an exam?
That was the real challenge.