Published on 2nd March 2021.

_________________________

Vote, comment, share and follow...

Happy reading!

– S H R U T I –

"Adit! Give my phone back to me." I shouted while running behind him to get my phone from his hold.

"Chocolates!" He shouted. This boy can't say anything else than chocolates!

"First give it back to me. I promise I'll give you a big bar of chocolate." I said and got my phone back in an instant. Giving him chocolates, I went towards the couch and sat beside Akriti. "Your son is just like you."

"And what am I?"

"Adamant. He loves chocolates just like you and could do anything for them."

"I know. You can get one child for yourself too." She said and I slapped her arm.

"Idiot!"

"How did your first night go?"

"How should it go?"

"Romantic and sexy." She said and I narrowed my eyes. "Well, you're not the same Shruti anymore."

"What? How am I not same?"

"Now you're married and don't care about your sister."

"As if I cared about you earlier." I said and got a slap on my arm. "Ouch! Akriti!"

"Stop fighting." Papa said and sat opposite to us.

"We're not fighting." Akriti said to papa. "If you don't like us, you shouldn't have gave birth to us."

"I? I never gave birth to you. It's your mother."

"Oh really? When they achieve something great, you say that you gave birth to them. But when they do any mischief, it's me who bought them in this world!" Mumma shouted and we chuckled.

"Stop laughing." Papa glared and we nodded. Adit ran towards papa and sat on his lap. "Adit is better than you both."

"Nana, chocolates." Adit said.

"Oh God! He can't think about anything else than chocolates. He'll ruin his teeth one day!" Akriti said.

And the time went by in chatting and enjoying. It was almost eight in evening when Adit and I were busy watching cartoons. From the time he has came in this world, we can't watch anything else than cartoons on our TV.

As the doorbell rang, Adit ran towards the door and I followed him. Opening the gate, I saw Rishabh standing there. He smiled while looking at me and I forwarded him the same smile.

"Should I come in?" He asked and I nodded. How could I let him stand out for a long time?

We walked in and he sat on the sofa. I rushed back to my room and sat on the bed.

Do I need to go back?

Ofcourse.

This early?

I need to.

I took my bag and packed my things into it. Keeping my bag on the floor, I walked out and saw everyone chatting while having snacks.

It seems that they're a family, excluding me!

"Shruti, what are you doing there? Come and have snacks." Akriti said and I nodded. She made me sit beside Rishabh while giving me a sarcastic smile.

While picking the pakoras, my arm collided with his. I pulled it back immediately and ate the snack in my hand.

If it happened in our room, situation would've been different.

But our arms decided to collide in front of everyone.

"Should we go back?" Rishabh asked me. Should I nod or should I say no? After thinking a lot I nodded in positive and he smiled.

"But you should atleast have dinner with us. It's almost ready." Papa said and mumma nodded.

"Okay." He smiled.

As the time went by, we ate our dinner and took our leave. He started driving while I sat on the passenger seat.

"Do you have some space left in your stomach?"

"What?"

"Would you like to have some icecream?"

Ice-creams are love.

"Sure." I said and he stopped the car.

"Would you have butterscotch like the last time?" He asked and I shook my head in positive. Locking the car, we walked towards the ice-cream parlour and took our order.

Stepping towards a seat, we sat in open air while gazing the dark sky. My gaze went towards his cone and I saw him eating classic vanilla flavoured icecream.

"You're having this flavour?"

"Hmm..."

"But, no-one eats it nowadays."

"I don't like any other added flavour. It's classic and plain. And... it has childhood memories." He said and I shook my head. "Any story about your butterscotch?"

There's no story to why I prefer butterscotch.

It's just because it tastes nostalgic.

"I don't have any story regarding it. It's just that my parents always bought chocolate ice-cream for Akriti. I had to eat it all my life. I don't like that flavour at all."

"That's hilarious."

"It's not."

"But it sounds like that. Leave it. Would you like to watch a movie?"

"Now?"

"Yes."

"But, we would get late."

"Late? Wait. I think you're getting it wrong. I meant to say movie at home."

Oh! I thought he was talking about a movie date.

"Okay. But we need to go back first." I reminded him and he grinned.

That smile is enough to win anyone.

I'm not an exception.

"Let's go or we'll get late." He said and we paced back to his car. He started driving while I looked the streetlights. Bright streetlights in the dark atmosphere brings a type of nostalgic feeling!

We reached back and entered inside where I saw his parents busy watching news. The atmosphere here was quite different than what I had seen all my life. Maybe, that's how an IAS officer's place is!

"You're back? Freshen up and go to bed." Ma said and we nodded. We went back to our room and I picked my clothes for night. But the main question was- who would use the bathroom first?

"You can go first." He said.

"No, you can use it first." I said.

"You can."

"But-" I was about to say something but he held my shoulders and pushed me inside the bathroom.

"Ladies first." He smiled and closed the door from out.

Huh!

Nevermind.

I stripped my clothes and washed myself up. Wearing comfortable clothes, I brushed my hairs and walked out, where I saw him searching for movies.

"Which genre would you like to watch?"

"What do you prefer?"

"It's horror from my side." He said and I gulped hard. I can't watch horror movies, that too at night. They're too scary! Sometimes, they even enter my dream!

"Let's watch comedy." I said and he nodded. "You can go and change." I suggested and he walked inside the bathroom. I sat on the bed and chose a perfect movie to watch.

"Did you decide?" He asked while wiping his hands with a towel. I nodded and started the movie. "It's ten. We can complete the movie by twelve." He sat on the bed beside me and switched all the lights off.

The movie started and I grabbed a pillow. As the movie went by, we couldn't control our laughs.

Can we live like this, forever?

I think no.

There's a long gap between attraction and love.

And I can't even attract him.

Love is a long way process!

"I can't believe this man is such a failure. How can he fail in everything he do?" He said, breaking me from my thoughts.

"True. But at last, he got what he desired."

"Hmm... I'll go and use the toilet." He said and excused himself to washroom.

It's the third night we're going to spend together in a room.

Our fifth day of being married to be precise.

As soon as he came out, I went inside and used the toilet. Brushing my teeth, I came out and drank a sip of water before slipping inside the sheets.

"Shruti... Please switch the lights off."

What?

But why me?

"You can close it too." I said and closed my eyes.

"Seriously?" I heard him saying. As I felt the lights going off, I flickered my eyes open. I turned to my right and saw him sleeping.

And now, I have only one wish.

I want to see him sleeping peacefully, every night.

What am I even thinking?

But now, atleast we can talk properly to each other and share our mind. Does that mean, it's all good?