Published on 30th October 2021.

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This chapter is one of my favorites.

For those who think that Shruti isn't contributing equally in the relationship, you need to think from her perspective and what she has been through.

Seeing a relationship budding from its very first step and then ending abruptly on a bad note, she fears falling into a same category and divorcing.

Although Rishabh has always made her feel cared, that fear still resides. Yash was same with Akriti too; he always made her feel that she was his everything. Rishabh being her crush doesn't mean that she can trust upon him without even knowing him properly. That's where time and surety for the future plays an important role.

Hope you understand what I mean to say.

One more thing, are you able to play the attached video?

♡ Let me run my fingers through your salty hair

Go ahead, explore the island vibes

So real that you can feel it in the air

I'm revvin' up your engine ♡

– S H R U T I –

When my body muscles ached because of sleeping in the same position, I stretched my legs and tried turning around but failed terribly because of a heavy load over me. I opened my eyes to see my condition and my gaze went towards a black-haired head, lying on my chest.

Rishabh!

My fingers involuntarily went between his silky locks to touch them. The only thing I knew now was that we were going to stay together. I hope it's going to be forever. For a lifetime.

I placed a kiss on his head and smiled while thinking about last night. It was beautiful. All through the night, we poured our raw emotions in every single thing we did and I couldn't help but feel proud that I got married to him.

What would've happened if papa and mumma never forced me to meet him? I wouldn't have been having him infront of my eyes. And what if I acted to be lame and denied him in the first meeting? We wouldn't have been together, probably.

I can't be more happy when I know that he would be by my side every morning when I wake up. Things people say in love! He loves me and showed me everything he meant. And, I guess, I love him too. It's impossible to think my future without him.

How ironic it is that we didn't even have anything to do with each other three months ago!

It was just ten weeks ago I met him for the first time after his farewell, after ten years. To be honest, he changed a lot from our schooling days, for the better. We're going to complete two months of our marriage in a week and I don't have any regrets.

I tried pulling his entire arm which was stuck on my waist off me and sighed when I couldn't accomplish a single percent. I loved feeling his warmth over me but he was too heavy to be on top. I couldn't even breath properly.

"Rishabh." I slowly shook his shoulders to wake him up, "Rishi..." He hummed when I called his nickname out. Rishi! "Can you get off me?" I said while running my fingers through his already disheveled hairs.

He placed a kiss on my chest and sighed before lying beside me. "Good morning. What's the time?"

"Good morning." I mumbled and turned my head towards my phone on the bedside table. As I switched the screen on, I saw a few missed calls from Aditi. When did she call? When I was busy having my good sleep. I tapped her name and called her. She picked the call on the fifth ring and I spoke, "What's the matter Aditi?"

"Don't be mad. You know that I get no satisfaction from disturbing newly-weds on their honeymoon."

"Why did you call?" I said while rubbing my eyes to wake up, "I was sleeping." I felt something crawling over my neck and jaw as I completed the last line. Rotating my eyeballs sideways, I saw Rishabh's black locks snuggled in the crook of my neck as his lips worked on my skin.

"Tired? You actually did something last night, didn't you?"

"Aditi, shut up and wait for my turn!" I mumbled and held my breath as his roamed on my bare waist. I would've surely loved it but not now when people could easily hear us. "Now, leave it." I turned my gaze towards Rishabh and gave him a glare. Did it affect him? No, not at all! "Why did you call me last night?"

"That blue file of mine I asked you to look upon, remember?"

I kept my hand on my mouth, pressing it tightly as his hand went lower and lower. When his warm palm caressed my inner thighs, I shut my eyes to calm myself down from the ingrown feelings. With much power, I set my mouth free and took a sharp breath before answering her.

"Are you there Shruti?"

"Yes, I am. It's in the third drawer in office. And, how's Parth doing?" I said in a single breath because I never knew what could've happened a second later. When his hand flickered my intimate parts, I clutched the bedsheet with my spare hand and tried squeezing my legs together which failed terribly as he held my legs in place.

For god's sake, I was busy on a call!

What would Aditi think?

"He's good."

"Oh, okay. Anything else?" I asked. At this moment, I could either talk to her or be with Rishabh. A very difficult choice, I know. Seeing how my body reacted to his touch, the second choice was the priority for now. As for chatting with Aditi, I could do that in the noon.

"Nope. And, be safe. Don't forget to use protection. Enjoy!" I heard her teasing voice as she kept the call.

She heard it!

"Rishabh! What are you doing?" I spoke and he looked into my eyes. He shrugged his shoulders and placed a light kiss on my lips before removing the blanket off us. "Wait!"

"Hmm?"

I pulled the blanket over me and asked him to lie beside me. "I want to tell you something." I said and he shook his head, asking me to continue. "I..."

He turned me towards him and patted my back. "Go on."

"Actually... I..."

It's extremely hard to confess!

"Is it still paining?" He asked and I looked at him with question. I followed his gaze which travelled down to my lower body, covered with a sheet. "You told me it felt uncomfortable last night. Are you still sore down there?" He asked and I looked at him with awe.

He remembers it!

Talking about last night, we went over the board and tried a few new positions which we actually shouldn't have. My back ached but it was fine now. Although a little tiring, nothing could've compared the fact that we had a great night.

Having a time or two in the shower, we planned on taking rest. But things got amorous when we were lying on the bed, wearing a thin robe, talking our heart out. I remember that I heard a strong thunder and hugged him out of the blue. I don't know why I did that when I'm never scared of such things.

"Are you fine?" I came out of my dreamland when I felt his hand caressing my bare back. Trailing my gaze from his chest, I looked up into his eyes.

"Hmm..."

"You were saying something?" He said and I nodded. He tried so hard to make me feel less uncomfortable, then for what was I staying back? I took a deep breath and tried opening my mouth, but awkwardness couldn't leave me. I couldn't speak it when his attention and gaze was solely on me. "What happened Shr-"

"Close your eyes. Please?" I mumbled and he sighed before shutting his eyes. I watched him as the shadow of his lashes rested parallel to his cheeks. My gaze went down to his lips, which tempted me to kiss them.

Don't go in the wrong direction!

Inhale.

Exhale.

Taking numerous breaths to calm myself down, I shifted my head towards him.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

"I love you." I mumbled on his lips and he flickered his eyes wide open. I couldn't control myself from smiling when I saw him smile.

"Pardon?"

"I love you too. That's my answer for what you said last night." I said while looking straight his eyes. I don't know how I got guts to do this, but I did what I wanted to. Before I could blink my eyes, I was engulfed in a strong hug by him. Without having any second thought, I wrapped my arms around him and closed my eyes. It felt so safe.

"Shruti..."

"Hmm?" I hummed as we laid together, our heads resting against each other. His hand went deep down from my back to my butt crack and I gasped.

"Should we rest or we can have another round?" He asked and pulled me towards him with a jerk such that I collided with his bare chest. "You blush a lot, you know."

"Rest?" He smiled and shook his head, and I felt myself falling for him more and more. "Rishabh, can you promise me something?" He nodded, asking me to speak further, "Promise me that you won't ever stop loving me. What I mean to say is that you would never leave me."

"Is that even a thing to ask?" He asked and I smiled.

"One more thing. No-one would ever come between us. You'll never love any woman other than me." I said and saw his expression changing into something I couldn't interpret.

"Ye sab khayal tumhare dimag mein aa kahan se rahe hain?" (Where are these thoughts coming in your mind from?)

"I..."

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

"You know what happened with Akriti. I..."

"I'm here. Relax."

"Rishabh, I don't know how to say this. I've seen everything breaking infront of my eyes. Families shattered. It was emotionally draining, not just for Akriti but for everyone in our family. We had to fight legal battles for an entire year because that man wasn't ready to leave them." I said while looking down and he wiped the tears off my face.

I was crying?

"Adit... He was just a few months old when he had to go through those fights. I can't see it repeating."

"Trust me, nothing is going to repeat." I heard him say as he rested his head against mine and patted my back. I hope nothing happens again. A divorce is mentally and emotionally draining not just for the ones who officially go through it but also for those who had seen the relation building up from the beginning. It's something I can't describe.

All my childhood I thought that my parents never had a loving relationship. At some point of life, they couldn't survive without fighting. But so wrong I was to think that and cry at nights. They have one of the most beautiful relationships.

Fights are a normal course of relationship and they do happen in every single relationship. No-one can skip it. But overcoming it is everything and I'm glad that mumma and papa did that. At this point, I feel blessed that my parents live happily and know each other inside out. They don't make a mountain out of a mole now.

But still, I wish that they controlled themselves from arguing and thought a bit about what felt upon their children. In the end, everything's well that ends well.

As for Akriti, she gave her everything to the man who didn't care once before going to another woman. I pity men like him who don't know what they are! Divorcing him was the best choice she could've ever made.

Although she says she's alright, she spent initial days post her divorce crying her heart out, secretly at nights. I used to see her in that condition, but I never had the courage to speak anything to her. She needed some time out for herself and that's what everyone gave to her.

The year of her divorce was the toughest. It was just legal battles and nothing else. Divorce on grounds on infidelity was easy to get, but Adit's custody wasn't. That man wasn't ready to let go of his son.

When things got serious and Adit's health started deteriorating, Akriti changed, for the better. I'm glad she realised that she had to stop thinking about a bad past and look ahead for her son's brought future.

I wish we had seen such a face of Yash sooner. Things wouldn't have been much complicated then.

But then, it's life, and things happen, sometimes for the worse and sometimes for the better.

"I hope I'm not dreaming." I heard Rishabh's voice and opened my eyes. When I comprehended what he said, I shook my head, "I'm not dreaming, right?" He asked and I again shook my head. Before he could ask it again I wrapped my arm around his neck and moved close to him. "Tell me this isn't a dream."

"This is a dream." I chuckled and found him laughing with me.

A dream too beautiful to be real!

But strangely, this wasn't a dream.

I loved him and he loved me too.

✨

"I'm not going to do this." I said as he gave me different reasons to go on a water ride. He knows that I'm scared of heights! With heavy heart I sat on the back ring of swim tube and closed my eyes as I felt us moving down the slide. "I'm going to kill you!" I kicked his back when I opened my eyes and saw the height we were on.

Crossing hell in the name of a ride, I took a deep breath. We were now in shallowwater. "Are you fine?" He asked and I narrowed my eyes. How dare he ask that?

"Hmm."

"It's okay. It's just height. I want you to throw your fears away." He said and I sighed. What he was trying to say wasn't wrong, but the method he chose definitely was. I walked out of the ring and swam to another side. "Wait for me Shruti." I turned around and saw him swim towards me.

"We are not going on any other ride." I said and he nodded. Out of a sudden he pecked my right cheek and I widened my eyes. I would've loved it, infact a lot more, but we were out in public! "What?"

"Shh... Relax. No-one's here, on this side. I guess they're too scared to go on the ride." He said and pulled me onto him, my wet clothes colliding with his bare chest. I don't know about him but I was extremely turned on at this point.

I know, side effects of being on a honeymoon! You literally can't think about anything else than emotional and physical intimacy.

Before he could take a step ahead, I cupped his face and placed my lips on his. I was in love with those pairs which never failed to show me what they felt. His arms went around my back to hold me in place as I poured all my emotions into that one kiss.

I slightly opened my eyes to see him. Call me weird, I don't care. I wanted to feel his presence against me.

When I felt strange motions in my left, I flickered my eyes open and gazed in the direction, only to see a child of barely four floating in his rubber ring.

With my fast reflex, I quickly pushed Rishabh back and glanced the child for the last time to recheck if he saw anything. For god's sake, I didn't want a child to witness such a scene.

When I heard low whimpers, I turned my head down and saw Rishabh coughing. It was clear that water was stuck in his trachea. It's all because of me! "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to do that." I said and patted his back to help his out. "Is this okay?"

He let a sigh out and nodded, "It's alright. Thanks." He said and relief washed over me. When I thought that he had forgiven me, he pulled me down to his level. "Why did you throw me down like this? As far as I remember I'm not your enemy."

"That child." I pointed in my left and saw the child looking accusingly in our direction, as if we were his friends who never called him to play. "He was about to see us like that."

"Thank God he didn't."

"Hmm."

"Who allowed a child to roam around?"

"God knows... Rishabh! It's a public place. Anyone can come here." I stated and saw a man, who looked like his father, taking him away.

"So, another ride?" He asked out of the blue and I widened my eyes.

"No."

"That's your punishment for pushing me in the water."

"I'll go with any other punishment. This one doesn't sounds appealing."

"Rollercoaster?"

"No..."

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