CHOOSE YOU
I sat on the cool stone floor of the temple, adjusting the pleats of my saree as I waited for Adithya to finish his prayers.
The fragrance of jasmine and burning camphor lingered in the air while the rhythmic chanting of mantras echoed softly through the ancient walls.
My birthday hadn't exactly gone as we had planned. I had been dragged into an endless meeting while he had received an emergency call from the hospital. By the time both of us were finally free, the sun had already begun to set.
Yet, when my adorable husband looked at me with those hopeful eyes and asked, "Can we go to the temple?" I simply couldn't refuse. Saying no to him had become impossible somewhere along the way.
I quietly watched him standing before the deity with his hands folded, his eyes gently closed in prayer. There was something incredibly peaceful about him.
The golden light from the oil lamps danced across his face, making him look almost ethereal.
Oh god, my husband is so fucking handsome.
A minute later, he opened his eyes, bowed once again before the deity, and walked back toward me. He sat beside me, letting out a small sigh as silence settled comfortably between us.
I turned my head toward him and smiled.
"What did you pray for?" I asked curiously.
He glanced at me before looking back at the idol. "I thanked God."
"For what?" I asked.
A small smile appeared on his lips. "For letting me meet you."
"Even after everything I did to you?" I asked with a laugh.
"Especially after everything you did to me," he replied. "If you hadn't barged into my life like a hurricane, I would've probably spent the rest of my life living the same ordinary routine without ever knowing what it feels like to love someone this much."
I smiled, unable to look away from him. "Anything else?"
He nodded faintly.
"I prayed that no matter how difficult life becomes, I should never become the reason for tears in your eyes. I asked Him to give me enough strength to protect you when you're weak, enough patience to understand you when you're angry, and enough years to grow old with you."
My throat tightened. "That's a lot to ask from God."
He chuckled softly. "He's God. If anyone can grant impossible wishes, it's Him."
I slowly slipped my hand into his and intertwined our fingers.
"You don't pray to God?" he asked softly, genuine curiosity filling his voice.
I slowly shook my head.
"Why?" He asked.
I looked at him for a long moment before smiling.
"Wouldn't it be greedy?" I asked quietly. "For years I kept asking God to give me happiness, someone who would stay beside me, someone who would love me despite everything I am. Today, all those prayers are sitting right beside me."
I intertwined my fingers with his and smiled faintly.
"Wouldn't I be greedy to stand before Him and ask for anything more when He has already given me you?"
He stared at me without saying a word.
The corners of his lips slowly lifted into the gentlest smile before he reached over and flicked my forehead playfully.
"Ow!" I complained, rubbing my forehead dramatically. "Why did you hit me?"
He chuckled softly. "Because you keep saying things that make my heart forget how to function."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "That doesn't even make sense."
"Neither does you comparing me to fairy tale princes every five minutes." He said.
"Because you are one." I shot back.
He sighed in defeat and shook his head.
I grinned and stood up, while Adithya mirrored me and reached for my hand. I let my fingers slip into his as we started walking toward the exit of the temple premises, the evening air brushing against my face as the sounds of the bells slowly faded behind us.
"The last time we came here was for your birthday, right?" I asked, remembering the day.
He nodded as we reached his bike, and I looked at him for a moment before adding, "And I saw your eyes well up when you were standing there praying."
I still remembered how he had stood before the deity that day, trying to hide his emotions even though I had noticed every little thing.
"You noticed?" he asked with a quiet chuckle, and I nodded before he climbed onto his bike and stretched his hand toward me. I took it for support and carefully hopped onto the bike, adjusting my saree before settling behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist.
"Why were you crying?" I asked, and he started the bike before answering casually, "Because my parents didn't wish me on my birthday."
I stared at the back of his head for a moment.
"That was the only reason?" I asked suspiciously.
"So what do you expect the reason to be?" he asked, glancing at me briefly before turning his attention back to the road.
I shrugged, trying to hide the grin threatening to appear on my face. "I thought you were crying because you married me."
"That was a reason too," he admitted.
I gasped in offense and immediately punched his shoulder.
"Hey! I am driving," he protested between his giggles, trying to sound offended while I tightened my arms around him and glared at the back of his head.
"You are such an idiot, Adithya," I muttered, but the smile on my face betrayed me.
"Well, that poor Adithya thought his life was over when he was forced into a marriage," he said as he stopped the bike in front of our house, and I carefully got down while adjusting my saree.
"And on that day, I prayed to God that He shouldn't put any more suffering into my life or my family." He switched off the engine and looked at me over his shoulder, and I couldn't help but smile at the irony of how different his prayers were now compared to that day.
"So what did the new Adithya pray for?" I asked as I stood beside the bike.
He didn't even hesitate before looking straight into my eyes and saying, "A lifetime with you."
My entire face immediately heated up, and I quickly turned around before he could see how badly those four words had affected me.
"Shut up," I muttered, walking towards the house with what little dignity I had left.
I could hear him chuckling behind me as he locked the bike and followed me inside. I hurried towards our room, pretending I wasn't smiling like an idiot, but the moment I stepped inside, I suddenly felt a tug on my saree pallu.
I gasped, instinctively grabbing the loose end before it could slip away, and before I could turn around properly, he pulled me back towards him.
I stumbled slightly and found myself against the nearest wall, with him standing in front of me and that annoyingly pleased smile playing on his lips.
I raised both my eyebrows at him, trying to look unimpressed despite my rapidly beating heart.
"What, sir?" I asked.
He stared at me for a moment, then straightened himself as though he was preparing for something extremely important.
"Wait," he said seriously. "I am trying to be romantic."
I blinked at him before biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.
"You're trying?" I asked, and his expression immediately turned offended.
"Yes, I am trying," he said, narrowing his eyes at me. "So don't laugh and ruin my moment."
I pressed my lips together and nodded solemnly. "Okay. Go ahead, Romeo."
He sighed as though I was already making his job difficult, then placed one hand against the wall beside me and leaned slightly close.
"First of all, I want you to know that I have been practising this in my head since we left the temple."
I stared at him in disbelief. "You were practising a romantic speech while driving?"
"Viyana, please. Let me finish before you start interrogating me." He sighed.
I immediately zipped my lips, and he took a deep breath as if he was about to deliver the most important speech of his life.
"You know, when I first met you, I genuinely thought you were going to be the biggest disaster that ever happened to me." He began.
I gasped. "Wow. Beautiful beginning."
"I told you not to interrupt." He glared at me.
"Oh sorry Mr. Justice saviour" I muttered, trying not to laugh.
He shook his head before continuing. "I thought marrying you would be the worst decision of my life, and honestly, you didn't exactly give me many reasons to reconsider that thought in the beginning."
"Excuse me?" I asked, offended.
"You literally threatened me into marrying you." He added.
"And yet you're still here," I pointed out smugly.
He stared at me for a second before sighing and turning around to leave. "This is why romance doesn't work with you."
Before he could turn around, I grabbed his collar and pulled him closer. "Continue, husband."
He smiled softly before continuing.
"Somewhere along the way, being your husband stopped feeling like something I was forced to be and started feeling like the one thing I never want to lose."
My smile slowly faded as I looked at him. He reached for my hand and gently intertwined our fingers.
"I don't know when it happened, Viyana. I don't know when I started looking for you the moment I entered a room or when your voice became the thing I wanted to hear after a horrible day at the hospital.
I don't know when your stupid arguments became the part of my day I actually look forward to or when I started taking hundreds of pictures of you because somehow every expression on your face feels worth remembering."
My throat tightened, and I looked away before he could see my eyes beginning to sting.
"Adithya." I whispered.
"No, let me finish," he said softly, squeezing my hand.
"Wait, idiot. I just remembered something," I muttered, suddenly pulling away from him.
He looked at me with confusion. "What?"
I pointed a finger at him as the horrifying realisation finally hit me. "Our contract expires in two days."
His eyes widened slightly before he looked at me as though he already knew where this conversation was going.
"So?" he asked cautiously.
I tried to keep a straight face as I shrugged. "So I am going back to my house."
The moment I said it, his expression changed completely and before I could laugh at his reaction, he pinched my waist hard.
"Ow!" I yelped, immediately grabbing the spot.
"Don't ever talk about leaving me," he said firmly, and there was something so serious in his voice that my teasing smile slowly softened.
"Even if you ask me to leave you, I won't. You're stuck with me." I muttered.
He paused for a second before glancing down at the hand I had placed over my waist.
"But, uh... sorry about that." He said, scratching the back of his neck.
I rubbed the spot dramatically and glared at him. "You should be sorry. This hurts, Mr. Menon."
He immediately reached towards my waist, but I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch it."
"I was going to check if I hurt you," he protested.
"You are the reason it hurts!" I complained.
He chuckled as he came closer and pressed a soft kiss against my cheek.
"So, what are we going to do now?" he asked, looking at me with that irritatingly calm expression as if our entire marriage wasn't about to expire in two days.
"We should get married again," I said casually.
He stared at me for a second before letting out a disbelieving laugh.
"How many times am I supposed to marry the same woman?" he asked.
I shrugged innocently. "As many times as I want."
He shook his head with a helpless smile. "Okay, ma'am."
I grinned at him before my expression softened. "But this time, I want you to marry me not because of an obligation, but because you choose me."
"When you asked me to marry you again, I wanted to make sure you understood something," he said, stepping closer until there was barely any space between us, his forehead almost touching mine. "You don't have to force me this time."
I stared at him silently, my heart suddenly beating harder. His fingers slipped gently between mine as he continued, "If you ask me tomorrow, I'll say yes. If you ask me three days from now, I'll say yes. If you ask me ten years from now, I'll probably still say yes."
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, unable to hide the smile that slowly appeared on my face.
"Probably?" I whispered, narrowing my eyes at him.
He immediately smiled. "Fine. Definitely."
I nodded in satisfaction. "That's better."
He laughed softly, and I rested my forehead against his.
"I love you, Adithya," I muttered, the words slipping out softer than I intended.
"What a privilege it is to be loved by Viyana Sinclair," he said dramatically, as though I had just bestowed some rare honour upon him.
I rolled my eyes, but before I could come up with a suitable reply, his arm slipped around my waist and pulled me closer.
My breath hitched at the sudden closeness, and I looked up at him, finding his eyes already fixed on mine. He leaned closer and pressed his lips against mine in a soft, lingering kiss, and I closed my eyes, letting myself sink into the warmth of the moment.
It was strange how a man I had once dragged into my life against his will had somehow become the person I couldn't imagine my life without.
The same Adithya who had once looked at me like I had destroyed his entire future was now holding me as though I was something he never wanted to let go of.
He pulled away slowly and stared at me for a few seconds before letting out a dramatic groan.
"God help me," he muttered, dragging a hand over his face as though loving me had suddenly become the greatest burden of his life.
I immediately frowned at him. "What?"
He looked at me with an expression of pure exhaustion. "You won't understand."