42 | everything change
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For almost an hour, neither Avyukt nor Avantika came out of their room.
The entire family was sitting around the dining table.
Waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
Ruhi kept looking toward the stairs.
Krish had already checked the time ten times.
Renuka was smiling to herself.
While Avyukt's dad pretended not to be impatient.
Then suddenly- Everyone's phones buzzed at the same time.
Ruhi casually opened it.
A second later- "What?!"
Krish nearly dropped his phone.
Renuka's eyes widened.
Even Avyukt's dad stood up immediately.
The story showed a picture of tiny baby shoes and tiny baby clothes. The exact ones Renuka had carefully preserved for years from Avyukt's childhood.
And beneath it was written:
"Looks like it's finally time to use these. "
And below that-
"Correction: These. Plural. ??"
A picture of the report.
And one word.
TWINS.
The entire house went silent.
Then chaos exploded.
"TWINS?!"
"TWINS?!"
"TWO?!"
"AVYUKT!"
Everyone immediately rushed upstairs.
---
The room door flew open. Both Avyukt and Avantika looked up in shock.
Before either of them could react- Four phones were shoved directly in front of their faces.
Ruhi pointed dramatically.
"What is THIS?"
Krish looked personally betrayed.
"You told Instagram before telling us?!"
Avyukt blinked. "...I got excited."
"EXCITED?!"
Renuka's eyes were already filled with tears. "Is it true?"
This time Avantika smiled.
Actually smiled.
Then nodded.
"Yes, Maa."
For a second nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody breathed.
Then Renuka started crying.
Ruhi started crying.
Avantika started crying.
And within seconds everyone was hugging everyone.
Krish somehow got trapped in the middle of three different hugs.
"Why am I crying?"
"Nobody knows."
---
Avyukt's dad finally walked toward him. Looked at the story again. Then at his son.
Then pulled him into a tight hug.
"Congratulations."
Avyukt's eyes became emotional again.
"Thank you, Dad."
---
Meanwhile Krish was staring at the report. Still unable to process it.
Then he looked at Avyukt.
Then at Avantika.
Then back at the report.
"One question."
Everyone looked at him.
"How does a man mentally prepare for one baby and suddenly get promoted to two?"
The room burst into laughter.
Even Avantika laughed.
While Avyukt just looked at the report again.
Then at his wife.
Then gently at her stomach.
Still unable to believe it.
Two tiny heartbeats.
Two tiny miracles.
The happiest moment of Avyukt Vardhan's life had absolutely nothing to do with business, money, or success.
It was standing right beside him.
Holding his hand.
And carrying their future.
After a few minutes, everyone finally calmed down. The room was still filled with smiles, laughter, and occasional happy tears.
Then suddenly... Everyone's gaze shifted toward one person.
Siya.
Who was quietly standing near the wall. The moment she noticed all eyes on her, she knew she was in trouble.
Ruhi narrowed her eyes.
"You knew?"
Siya smiled nervously.
Krish gasped dramatically.
"YOU KNEW?!"
Renuka pointed at her.
"And you didn't tell us?"
Avyukt's dad joined in.
"Not even a hint?"
Now everyone was talking at once.
"When did you find out?"
"How long have you known?"
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Poor Siya looked completely cornered.
Before she could defend herself-
Avyukt stepped forward.
"Hey, leave her alone."
Everyone looked at him.
"I told her not to tell anyone."
Immediately Avantika nodded.
"And I was planning to tell everyone myself."
Siya instantly pointed at both of them.
"Exactly! See? I was innocent."
"Very innocent," Avyukt agreed.
"The most innocent," Avantika added.
Siya folded her arms proudly.
"I know."
---
Krish looked personally offended.
"So everyone knew except me?"
"Yes," Siya replied honestly.
Krish placed a hand on his chest.
"That hurts."
Nobody felt bad for him.
---
while everyone resumed talking, Krish quietly moved closer to Siya.
"By the way..."
Siya immediately became suspicious.
"What?"
Krish glanced at Avyukt and Avantika.
Then lowered his voice.
"You know, if Bhai is getting twins..."
Siya already knew where this was going. "Krish."
"What?"
"Don't."
"I'm just saying."
"No."
"We should start planning too."
Siya's eyes widened.
"KRISH!"
The entire room turned toward them.
Krish immediately looked innocent.
"I didn't say anything."
"You literally did!"
Avyukt burst out laughing.
"Good luck, Siya."
Avantika nodded sympathetically.
"You're going to need it."
Siya covered her face in embarrassment while the entire family laughed.
And after a very long time- The room wasn't filled with misunderstandings, tears, or pain.
Only happiness.
And a lot of very excited future family members.
----------------
**********
From the moment everyone found out about the twins, the atmosphere of the house completely changed.
And the person who changed the most was- Avyukt.
At first, everyone thought he was just excited. Then they realized he had completely lost his mind.
"Sit properly."
"Don't run."
"Walk slowly."
"Where are you going?"
"Why are you standing?"
"Why are you carrying that?"
"Give it to me."
"Don't drink too much coffee."
"Eat this."
"No, eat this first."
"Wait, have some ghee."
Every two minutes he was running behind Avantika with something.
A glass of milk.
A bowl of fruits.
Dry fruits.
Juice.
Ghee.
Another glass of milk.
And if she refused?
He would simply sit beside her until she ate it.
Poor Avantika had no escape.
---
The funniest part?
He didn't even let her walk properly.
Whenever they went for evening walks, Avyukt was always beside her.
Sometimes holding her hand.
Sometimes holding her shoulders.
Sometimes practically carrying her.
"Avyukt, I can walk."
"I know."
"Then why are you holding me?"
"Safety."
"What safety?"
"Just safety."
---
It got even worse at night.
Whenever Avantika went to take a shower, Avyukt would stand outside the bathroom.
Waiting.
Like a security guard.
"Avyukt."
"Hmm?"
"Go away."
"No."
"I am literally taking a bath."
"I know."
"Then leave."
"What if you slip?"
"I won't."
"What if you do?"
By the end of it, Avantika would come out more irritated than refreshed.
---
Every night he selected her clothes.
Every morning he arranged her medicines.
And somehow he had bought what looked like an entire library of pregnancy books.
Books on pregnancy , twins, parenting , newborns ,
Books on sleeping babies , babies who don't sleep.
Books on fathers , mothers.
Books on twins again.
Nobody knew when he even found time to read them.
But somehow he had.
And he followed every single instruction.
---
At night he would take Avantika to the terrace. Both would sit under the stars.
And then came his favorite part of the day.
Talking to the babies.
Every.
Single.
Day.
He would place his hand gently on her belly and start talking.
"Good evening, tiny humans."
Avantika would immediately laugh.
Then he would continue as if it were a serious meeting.
"Please don't trouble your mother."
"And please remember your father is the favorite parent."
Sometimes he told them about his day.
Sometimes he told them family stories.
Sometimes he simply sat there talking nonsense for half an hour.
---
Massage.
It had become a nightly ritual for Avyukt.
He would carefully massage Avantika's feet, easing away the day's exhaustion, then rest his hand on her belly for a while before gently running his fingers through her hair.
Watching her fall asleep peacefully had somehow become his favorite part of the day
---
One thing never changed.
He refused to sleep without kissing her belly.
Morning.
And night.
Without fail.
Two tiny kisses.
One for each baby.
Then only he would sleep peacefully.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the house... Krish was busy chasing Siya.
Not romantically.
Academically.
At least most of the time.
Her exams were approaching and somehow Krish had become more serious about them than Siya herself.
"Did you revise?"
"Yes."
"Show me."
"Krish!"
"What?"
He attended classes with her.
Made schedules.
Asked questions.
Took tests.
And whenever he got confused- Siya ended up teaching him instead.
He had to take Siya to the exam center and bring her back. But whenever he saw her laughing and chatting with boys, he would get jealous and sit there sulking.
She couldn't do anything but laugh.
---
And finally... The phone had been gifted. Bought from Krish's first salary.
Something he was ridiculously proud of.
Even if Siya kept pretending it wasn't a big deal.
---
The house itself felt different now.
Warmer.
Happier.
Louder.
Renuka constantly checked on Avantika.
Ruhi spoiled her endlessly.
Dad acted calm but worried just as much.
And everyone had exactly one mission-
Take care of Avantika.
---
Even the daily calls never stopped.
Every day, Avantika's parents called.
Every day, Siya's mother called too.
Sometimes to ask about her health.
Sometimes to ask about the babies.
Sometimes just to talk.
By the end of every call, Avantika would be smiling.
Because she slowly realized something.
These babies weren't just loved by her and Avyukt.
They were already loved by an entire family.
A family that had waited a long time for happiness and now that happiness was finally here.