Alankrita woke up to a tickling sensation irritating her. Something ticklish was pressed against her neck. As her eyelids opened, she found her husband sleeping with his head in the crook of her neck. And that ticklish thing was his beard.

That was unexpected, to say the least.

He was cuddling with her.

“Abhimaan...” She tried to wake him up in her meek voice. As if she was a cat and was scared to disturb the lion's sleep.

“Abhimaan...” She nudged his shoulder.

“Hmm...?” He whined, like a baby whine.

“You are tickling me.” She mumbled.

“What?” He moved away from her and took a look at her face. His sleep had already flown out of the window.

“Your beard was tickling my neck.” She clarified.

“Oh.” That was his response. What else he could say?

Dear wife, sorry for tickling you with my beard.

Alankrita moved away from him and got up from the bed. Then she took her clothes and entered the ensuite bathroom. A blush adorning her cheeks all the while.

Abhimaan smiled, for no specific reason. Waking up to a whining wife feels great. It feels like heaven.

“Aaaaahhh!!!” He heard her shriek.

In a matter of seconds, he sprinted to the bathroom. The door was open, he entered and saw a freaked-out Alankrita standing in front of the mirror.

“What happened?” He asked, his tone filled with concern and astonishment.

Alankrita turned around to face him. Her eyes were wide as saucers. She pointed at a small red mark on her neck.

It was a hickey.

Which most probably happened when he was sucking her neck the previous night.

And the way Alankrita was confused, he understood she knows nothing about hickies and doesn't even remember what happened last night.

“Umm... it's called hickey. Or a love bite.” He palmed his face while explaining so.

“Is it some kind of disease?” Her question bewildered him.

Girl, are you seriously this much naive that you even don't know about love bites?

“No, actually it's a minor injury that happens when someone sucks your skin.”

“But no one sucked my skin.” Alright, she doesn't remember anything for sure.

“I did. Last night.”

“But you aren't a Vampire who'll suck my blood.” When it comes to sucking, her mind always pauses at Vampires. Side effects of watching Vampire Diaries.

“But I am a husband who was making love to his wife.” He folded his arms over his chest.

“Your wife?”

“Now don't tell me to say Hi to her, because you are my wife.”

Well, honestly, she was going to say the same thing. It doesn't feel like she is his wife. He gives her a Headmaster vibe.

“What happened last night?” This was the most sensible question she asked till then.

Abhimaan smirked romantically. He stepped closer to her, making her step back. Her back hit the washbasin and he put his arms on either side of hers.

And he kissed her.

Gently.

Slowly.

Lovingly.

Her first kiss.

He pulled out after some time and smirked again.

“This happened.”

Her eyes widened.

“But I don't remember any of this.” She frowned, she doesn't remember her first kiss.

“You were half-asleep. Maybe that's why.” He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

For some unknown reason, that shrug hurt her feelings.

“You shouldn't have.” She wiped a lone tear ready to escape her eyes.

That lone tear raised many questions in his mind.

“Why? I mean, we are married. And obviously, this will happen between us.” His words were careful, to not hurt her sentiments.

“But it was my first time. And it happened without my consent. I don't even remember it.”

One.

Two.

Three.

And tears kept rolling down her cheeks.

Abhimaan sighed, he had no idea his wife will get sad on not remembering her first kiss.

He cupped her face and wiped her tears.

“Aloo, don't cry. If you don't remember it, then it simply doesn't count as your first time. Hmm?”

Her heart began thumping wildly. Because he called her Aloo for the first time.

She nodded to his words.

He smiled, not smirking.

And again pulled her into a kiss. This one was longer than the previous kiss. Their eyes closed on their own. He was the one leading the kiss, Alankrita just enjoyed this feeling. The feeling of his lips against her. She wanted to touch him but was nervous to do so. She fisted both hands to control herself from doing anything stupid. Abhimaan pulled her hands and wrapped them around his neck, smiling into the kiss. Her fingers began roaming in his hair involuntarily. And his hands rested on her waist. However, when Alankrita began struggling to breathe, he ended the kiss with a small peck.

“Calm down and get ready. We're are going out.” And he left, to get ready in the guest room.

Alankrita put her hand on her chest. Her eyes were wide and her breathing labored.

He isn't what he looks like.

❄️❄️❄️

Alankrita got ready in denim jeans, a white shirt, and a multi-colored cardigan. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail. She applied some cold cream on her face to avoid dryness from the cold climate of London. She wasn't used to cold places, she could survive in hot weather more easily than in cold weather. Her body was accustomed to the hot climate of India where summers dominated the air for whole six months in a year.

She stepped out of the room, carrying her ivory overcoat on her arm. Abhimaan was sitting at the dining table and had already started eating his breakfast.

She felt a little offended seeing him start eating without her. Back in India, everyone used to wait before all are present at the dining table and only then started eating. But maybe he was used to eating alone all these years. This must be a habit for him to eat alone all the time.

Alankrita smiled shooing away these thoughts and sat on his left as he was sitting on the head chair.

Abhimaan passed a smile and continued eating. Alankrita helped herself with breakfast which was capsicum pizza. However, she was confused about how to eat it. Because Abhimaan was using a fork and knife to eat. She had no idea how to eat pizza with cutlery. But then ended up eating it the way any normal person will eat, with hands.

Abhimaan didn't object. However, she noticed the look he had on his face while glancing her way. He felt uncomfortable seeing her eating by hand. That was weird, she is not the only one to eat pizza with her hands. Everyone eats pizza this way.

“Abhimaan, why are so uncomfortable seeing me eat pizza by hand? Normally everyone eats it this way.” She asked politely.

“Umm... I have a phobia of eating with my hands. So I use only cutlery to eat food. But whenever I see someone else eating with hands, it makes me feel a little uncomfortable.”

Alankrita never heard or read of such phobia. However, she was aware that there are people who suffer from the weirdest phobias ever heard. And there are countless phobias, Abhimaan's phobia was one of those unheard phobias.

“Oh, then I will avoid eating with hands in your presence. However, I don't know how to eat with cutlery.”

Abhimaan smiled at how she immediately agreed to change her eating habits just for his comfort.

“Don't worry, I'll teach you to use cutlery.”

She smiled.

“For now, I am done eating. You quickly finish up. I am waiting for you outside.” Abhimaan walked away.

Alankrita quickly ate the remaining pizza on her plate. After finishing the breakfast, she stood up, wore her overcoat, and left to join her husband.

❄️❄️❄️

The driver ignited the engine and started the journey as the couple sat in the backseat of the car.

“Where are we going?” Alankrita asked.

“That's a surprise.” He smiled.

“I don't like surprises.” She frowned.

“Why?” He asked.

“Because it always ends up disastrous.” She said with a pout.

“For example?”

“Pranks, pranks, and pranks. Whenever Yuvi said he has planned a surprise for me, it turns out to be a prank. So I don't like surprises anymore.”

“However, I am not Yuvi.” He pointed out.

“Yeah, Yuvi is twenty-three and you are thirty-one. Both of you belong to two different generations. So you can't be Yuvi.”

“Excuse me, I and Yuvi belong to the same generation. We are cousins if you remember.”

“But you are a total of eight years elder than him. Initially, I also thought that you are his uncle.”

“Uncle? I am only thirty-one, Aloo. Don't exaggerate it.”

“Arrey, I am being honest.”

“Go to hell with your honesty.”

“But I don't know hell's address.”

“Now you are irritating me, Alankrita.”

“It's not my fault that you get irritated so easily.”

“Shut up or I'll throw you out of the car.”

“Then Dadi Maa will throw you out of the will.”

“You are so irritating, Aloo!”

“And you are so cute, Abhi.” And she pecked his cheek, making his frown disappear.

The car stopped at its destination.

“We are here.” Saying so Abhimaan got out of the car.

Alankrita came out after him and saw herself standing in front of a university campus.

“Welcome to your university, Mrs. Alankrita Ranawat.” He said with a smile.