Chapter - 42
Vihaan
I had won million-dollar arbitrations, negotiated acquisitions that people across the industry had called impossible and spent years building our firm into the largest law firm in the country. Those victories had earned me recognition, respect and a reputation that most lawyers spent an entire lifetime chasing, yet none of them made me as happy as hearing her three simple words had.
"I am happy."
She had said them so casually while speaking to Maa outside the Court that I doubted she even realised what she had done to me. She had simply smiled, looked at me and admitted absentmindedly, that she was happy.
She had probably forgotten about those three words the moment she hung up the call.
I hadn't.
Not because they were extraordinary.
Because I knew exactly how difficult they had been for her to reach.
When I had met Shivanya, she had been brilliant.
She had also been unbelievably hard on herself.
I had never questioned whether Shivanya loved me. By the time she had found the courage to confess it, I had already known. Love had always existed in the smallest parts of her. In the way her eyes searched for me the moment she walked into a room, in the way she made sure I had eaten before asking herself the same question and in the countless little habits she had developed over the months without ever realising that almost all of them somehow revolved around me.
Shivanya had never struggled to love other people.
She had struggled to extend that same kindness to herself.
She had always been exceptionally capable. Intelligent. Compassionate. Far more resilient than she gave herself credit for. She could walk into a courtroom and argue before a Division Bench without allowing the slightest hint of nervousness to show, yet stand in front of a mirror later that evening and convince herself that she wasn't enough.
It had never made sense to me because she was the most beautiful, most strong woman I had ever seen and met.
I had watched her do that more times than I cared to remember.
The hardest part had never been making her believe that I loved her.
It had been making her believe that she deserved to be loved in the first place.
"Are you planning to sit here all afternoon, Mr. Raichand?" Shivanya's voice pulled me out of my thoughts as she returned from the washroom, a teasing smile already playing on her lips. "Or have you finally decided to continue our very mysterious date?"
I looked up.
She had tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she walked back towards the table, her handbag resting against one shoulder, the sunlight filtering through the glass windows behind her.
For a brief second...
I simply watched her.
She noticed immediately.
"What?" she asked, stopping beside the table as her brows pulled together in curiosity.
"Nothing." I replied, pushing my chair back before getting to my feet.
She narrowed her eyes.
"That's never true when you say it." she remarked suspiciously, picking up her phone from the table.
"It is this time." I answered, reaching for my coat that hung neatly over the back of the chair.
She looked unconvinced.
"I don't believe you." she declared matter-of-factly.
"I know." I said, unable to suppress the smallest smile as I waited for her to stand beside me.
She looked around the table.
"You've already paid, haven't you?" she sighed, folding her arms across her chest.
"I have." I admitted without attempting to deny it.
"Vihaan." she complained, her tone carrying just enough exasperation to make me recognise what was coming next."We agreed we'd take turns."
"Do not try to put your words in my mouth, Mrs. Raichand. I never agreed to it and besides, you are my wife, why will I ever agree with splitting the bill?" I told her, standing up.
She stared at me for a second before placing both her hands on her hips.
"You are impossible." she declared, trying very hard to look annoyed, although the smile tugging at the corner of her lips was doing an exceptionally poor job of supporting her argument.
"I have heard that before." I replied evenly, slipping my wallet back into the inside pocket of my coat before picking up the car keys from the table.
"I wonder from whom." she muttered, falling into step beside me as we began walking towards the exit.
"I believe it was my wife." I answered without looking at her.
"I am beginning to think your wife is a very intelligent woman." she remarked with an exaggerated nod of approval.
"I have always known that." I replied, pushing the glass door open for her.
She looked at me for a long moment before letting out a sigh.
"I am beginning to think marrying a lawyer was a mistake." she declared mournfully, stepping through the door I continued holding open for her.
"You are one yourself." I reminded her as I followed her out of the restaurant.
"That is different." she dismissed immediately, waving a hand as though the distinction were perfectly obvious.
"How?" I asked, curious as we started walking towards the car.
"Because I am right." she answered confidently, not missing a beat.
I could not help smiling.
"I see." I replied, slipping one hand into my trouser pocket.
"You don't sound convinced." she observed, slowing down just enough to walk beside me instead of ahead of me.
"I am." I answered simply.
She looked at me suspiciously.
"...That was too easy." she murmured, narrowing her eyes.
I turned towards her.
"When have I not agreed with you?" I asked calmly.
She opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
I waited.
"You..." she began before stopping to think.
Another few seconds passed.
"I know there have been occasions." she insisted, although the confidence in her voice had already begun to disappear.
"I am listening." I encouraged patiently, unlocking the car with the key fob.
She frowned at the pavement as though the answer might be written there.
"There must have been one!!!" she muttered to herself.
I rested my forearm against the roof of the car, watching her with quiet amusement.
She looked up at me again.
"You are doing this on purpose." she accused, pointing a finger at me.
"I have not said anything." I replied truthfully.
"Exactly!" she exclaimed. "You are standing there looking far too confident."
"I usually look like this." I answered.
She sighed dramatically.
"I cannot remember a single time you disagreed with me." she admitted reluctantly, sounding almost offended by her own conclusion.
"I can." I replied.
Her eyes lit up immediately.
"I knew it!" she said triumphantly, folding her arms across her chest. "See? I was right."
I nodded once.
"You were."
She smiled proudly.
"So... when?" she asked.
"Remember the time I told you that I loved you and that we should get married?" I reminded her calmly, opening the passenger door for her. "You said it was a ridiculous idea."
She frowned.
"I did not say it was ridiculous." she objected immediately, trying to remember the conversation.
"Maybe not in those exact words, but your intent was the same, Sunshine." I told her, looking at her with amusement.
She looked at me for a moment before an unwilling smile escaped her.
"I'll admit..." she said, slipping into the passenger seat. "I wasn't exactly easy to convince."
"No." I agreed as I gently closed the door before walking around to the driver's side. "You weren't."
She waited until I settled behind the wheel before turning towards me again.
"But you still won." she pointed out, unable to hide the smile on her face.
I fastened my seatbelt before looking at her.
"We both did." I corrected simply.
For a second, she didn't say anything.
Then she smiled, the kind of smile that reached her eyes.
"...Fine." she conceded with an exaggerated sigh. "I'll give you that one."
"I appreciate your generosity." I replied with complete seriousness as I started the engine.
"Oh, don't get used to it." she warned, pointing a finger at me. "You're not winning the next argument."
"I know." I answered, pulling the car out onto the road.
She frowned again.
"You haven't even heard what it's about!!"
"I don't need to." I replied, glancing at her briefly before returning my attention to the road. "You will probably be right."
She stared at me.
"...You do realise this is why I can never stay annoyed with you?" she muttered, shaking her head in defeat.
"I was hoping that might be the case." I admitted, the corners of my lips lifting slightly.
That made her laugh for a few seconds.
For the next few minutes, the only sounds inside the car were the music playing softly through the speakers and Shivanya humming along to a song she only seemed to know half the words to.
I didn't tell her.
She looked happier that way.
I had learnt very early on that Shivanya never sang a song correctly. She remembered the first line, invented the second, mumbled something that vaguely resembled the third and then confidently rejoined the chorus as though nothing had happened. Every single time.
It amused me more than it probably should have.
Every now and then, she pointed towards something outside the window with the excitement of a child. A street vendor balancing an impossible number of balloons on his bicycle. A golden retriever sitting proudly in the passenger seat of a passing car with its head sticking out of the window. A little girl insisting on dragging her father towards an ice cream cart despite his very obvious attempts to convince her otherwise.
None of those moments lasted longer than a few seconds.
Yet she noticed every single one of them.
It was one of the first things I had learnt about her.
Shivanya never walked through life absentmindedly.
She noticed people.
She noticed kindness.
She noticed happiness.
Perhaps that was why it had always seemed so unfair to me that the only person she struggled to notice with the same generosity was herself.
The traffic eased as we left the business district behind, and almost immediately, I noticed the change in her expression.
Her brows drew together ever so slightly.
She looked out of the windshield, then at the road sign we had just passed, before looking back outside once more.
She had finally realised we weren't heading towards either the office or home.
I waited.
It took her another thirty seconds to turn towards me, curiosity finally getting the better of her.
I saw her glance at the navigation screen before looking back out of the windshield, clearly trying to make sense of the route. When that didn't help, she leaned slightly towards the window, searching for a familiar landmark instead.
The corners of my lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
She was trying very hard not to ask.
It lasted another two minutes and then she gave up.
"Vihaan..." she called, drawing my name out slowly, the way she always did when she wanted something from me.
"Hm?" I acknowledged, my eyes remaining on the road.
"Are you planning on telling me where we're going?" she asked, trying to sound casual and failing rather spectacularly.
"No." I answered simply.
She let out a theatrical sigh before leaning back into her seat.
"I don't like surprises." she informed me, although we both knew it wasn't true.
"You don't like waiting for them." I corrected mildly.
She thought about that for a second.
"Fair enough." she admitted reluctantly.
Silence settled between us again.
A few minutes later, I slowed the car before turning into a quiet lane lined with old rain trees whose branches met overhead, shielding the road from the afternoon sun.
A few minutes later, I turned the car into the basement parking of a multiplex before pulling into one of the reserved parking bays.
The engine fell silent.
Shivanya looked through the windshield before turning towards me, confusion evident on her face.
"Why are we here?" she asked, her brows drawing together as she looked between me and the building.
"You'll see." I replied, unfastening my seatbelt before stepping out of the car.
"I have officially decided that mysterious husbands are exhausting." she informed me, straightening the sleeves of her shirt out of habit before falling into step beside me.
"I was not aware that my position was under review." I remarked evenly, pressing the lock button on the key fob before slipping it into my pocket.
"It very much is." she replied with mock seriousness.
The moment we stepped inside, she slowed down.
The polished marble floors reflected the warm lighting suspended from the high ceiling. Fresh flowers stood arranged in tall crystal vases near the entrance while the aroma of buttered popcorn drifted through the spacious lobby. Plush lounge chairs were scattered across one side, and despite it being the middle of the afternoon, only a handful of people occupied the entire space.
She looked around once before turning towards me again.
"Which movie are we watching?" she asked, turning her head to look at me.
I looked towards the large digital display hanging above the ticket counters before looking back at her.
"You will know in a minute." I replied simply, beginning to walk further inside the lobby.
She let out another sigh before following me.
"I don't know why I even bother asking you questions anymore." she muttered under her breath, although I knew she intended for me to hear it.
"You will still keep asking." I observed, slowing my pace just enough for her to walk beside me.
"I will." she admitted without any hesitation. "One of these days you'll accidentally answer one."
"I wouldn't count on it." I remarked, the corners of my lips lifting slightly.
She rolled her eyes before looking around the lobby once again.
Her attention wandered from the café to the popcorn counter, then to the rows of movie posters displayed along the walls.
And then...
She stopped walking.
I took another step before realising she was no longer beside me.
When I turned around, she was standing in the middle of the lobby, staring at the giant LED screen above the ticket counters.
NOW SHOWING
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
SPECIAL RE-RELEASE
She didn't move.
Didn't blink.
For a few long seconds, she simply stood there looking at the screen as though she wasn't entirely convinced she had read it correctly.
Then she looked at me.
Then back at the screen.
Then at me again.
"No..." she whispered, shaking her head slowly, a smile already spreading across her face.
I reached into the inside pocket of my coat and silently held up the two tickets between my fingers.
Her eyes widened.
"You..." she began before letting out an incredulous laugh. "You brought me to watch Harry Potter?"
"I did." I answered, watching the excitement grow on her face.
"You actually brought me to watch Harry Potter in a theatre?" she repeated, taking two quick steps towards me as though she still needed confirmation that this wasn't some elaborate joke.
"I believe that's what the tickets are for." I replied evenly, handing one of them to her.
She looked down at it for a second before looking back at me.
"I missed this when it first came out." she said softly, almost to herself as she ran her thumb over the ticket. "I was not even aware that they existed that time."
"I know." I answered simply.
She smiled.
Not the dramatic, teasing smile she usually gave me.
Just a happy one.
Then, before I could react, she closed the distance between us and wrapped both her arms around me.
The hug caught me completely off guard.
My hands instinctively found her back as I held her against me.
"Thank you." she murmured quietly, her voice slightly muffled against my chest.
I smiled to myself before resting my chin lightly against the top of her head.
"You're welcome, Sunshine." I replied softly.
A second later, she pulled away just enough to look up at me.
"But..." she asked curiously, holding the ticket carefully between her fingers, "why Harry Potter today?"
I looked at her for a moment.
"You looked happy after Court." I answered honestly. "I wanted to see if I could make you happier."
For a second...
She just looked at me.
Then she smiled again.
"I think that you are succeeding." she admitted before slipping her hand into mine. The movie ended nearly three hours later and it was past eight in the evening while we were driving home.
Shivanya had spent the first few minutes looking out of the window, a content smile refusing to leave her face.
"I wish I were Hermione." she remarked thoughtfully after a while, resting her cheek against the window as she watched the city blur past us.
I glanced at her briefly before returning my attention to the road.
"Do you?" I asked, curious.
"I do." she admitted with a dreamy smile. "She's brilliant, brave, fiercely loyal and somehow always knows exactly what to do."
I nodded once.
"I can see that." I replied quietly, agreeing with her assessment.
She turned in her seat to look at me.
"If you had to choose..." she began curiously, studying my profile. "Would you want to be Harry?"
A quiet laugh escaped me.
"No." I answered simply, shaking my head once.
She blinked.
"No?" she repeated, sounding surprised.
"No." I confirmed calmly, my hands remaining steady on the steering wheel.
She frowned.
"Then who would you be?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as though trying to guess the answer herself.
I didn't reply immediately.
She waited exactly three seconds before giving up on my silence.
"Vihaan..." she prompted impatiently, drawing my name out in a song.
"Yes Shivanya?" I acknowledged, although I already knew she wasn't going to let the question go.
"You cannot refuse to answer!" she declared matter-of-factly, folding her arms across her chest.
"I was not refusing." I replied evenly. "I was thinking."
"Well?" she urged, looking at me expectantly.
"Ron." I answered at last with a smile.
She stared at me.
"Ron?" she repeated incredulously, her eyebrows shooting upwards.
"Yes." I replied with complete certainty.
"But the films didn't even do him justice!" she argued immediately, gesturing animatedly with one hand. "Book Ron is so much better."
"I know." I agreed without hesitation.
She looked even more confused.
"Then why would you pick Ron?" she asked, searching my face for an explanation.
I waited until we stopped at a traffic signal before glancing at her.
"Because Ron ends up with Hermione, doesn't he?" I answered quietly, as though I were merely stating an undeniable fact.
For a moment she did not react at all, she simply looked at me. Then, very slowly, a blush spread across her cheeks.
She looked away so quickly that I had to bite back a smile.
"...That," she muttered under her breath, pretending to be very interested in the buildings outside her window, "was an unfair answer."
"I thought it was an honest one." I replied mildly as the signal turned green and I eased the car forward again.
She shook her head, though I could still see the smile she was trying very hard to hide.
"You know..." she murmured, still refusing to look at me, "sometimes you say the most ridiculously romantic things as though you're discussing tomorrow's weather."
"I was not aware there was another way to say them." I answered honestly, glancing at her for the briefest moment before returning my eyes to the road.
The rest of the drive passed in comfortable silence but the back of my eyes and head had started to ache after watching the movie without glasses.
Her hand had somehow found mine across the centre console sometime after that conversation and stayed there for the remainder of the journey, her fingers lazily intertwined with mine while I drove through the familiar streets leading home.
By the time I pulled into the driveway, the clock on the dashboard had crossed half past eight.
She disappeared into the kitchen as we entered inside while I loosened my tie and placed my keys in the bowl near the entrance.
A minute later she returned carrying two glasses of water and handed one to me.
Once done, I started to walk towards our room. She walked by my side as we made our way.
I placed my phone and wallet on the dresser before turning towards the wardrobe, already beginning to loosen my watch.
Shivanya wandered over to the other side of the room, slipping her handbag onto the armchair before turning back towards me.
She paused.
For a second, she simply looked at me and then she walked over. I had just lifted my hand towards my tie when her fingers reached it first.
She did not say a word, simply smiled to herself before carefully loosening the knot.
I lowered my hand again.
"What are you doing?" I asked softly, watching her instead of the tie.
"You've been wearing this since morning." she replied absentmindedly, her attention fixed entirely on what she was doing. "It's bothering me."
"It is?" I asked with amusement.
"Mhm." she hummed as she slid the tie free from beneath my collar.
She folded it once, then again, with the same care she seemed to reserve for everything that belonged to me before placing it neatly on the back of the armchair.
When she turned back, her fingers found the collar of my shirt.
Without asking, she undid the first button.
Then the second.
Her fingertips lingered for just a moment as she straightened the collar she had opened before gently smoothing the fabric flat against my chest.
"There." she murmured with quiet satisfaction as she finally looked up at me. "Now you look like you are actually come home."
I couldn't help smiling.
"And here I was thinking that I had been home for the last two minutes." I remarked lightly.
"You know exactly what I mean." she replied with a smile that mirrored mine.
"I do." I admitted, my eyes never leaving hers.
For a brief moment, neither of us moved.
Her hand was still resting lightly against the open collar of my shirt.
She looked at me for another second before her fingers drifted upwards, brushing the side of my forehead almost absentmindedly.
The smile on her face disappeared.
I watched her expression change.
"What is it?" I asked quietly.
Instead of answering, she stepped even closer.
Her fingertips rested lightly against my forehead for a moment before moving to my temple.
Then the other side.
I looked at her with mild surprise.
"I do not remember telling you that." I replied honestly.
"You didn't." she answered softly, her thumb brushing lightly against my temple. "Your eyes squint just a little whenever your head hurts."
I remained silent.
"And..." she continued, a tiny smile appearing on her lips, "you have touched your forehead three or four times since we left the theatre."
I thought back for a moment.
Had I?
Apparently I had.
"I did not notice doing that." I admitted, looking at her.
"I know." she replied gently. "That's how I knew."
She slipped her hand into mine before giving it the gentlest tug.
"Come." she said softly. "Sit down. Let me take care of it."
I followed her without another word.
She sat cross-legged against the headboard before reaching into the bedside drawer.
When she pulled out a small bottle of coconut oil, I finally understood what she intended to do.
"You don't have to." I said, watching her pour a little into her palm.
"I know." she replied with a gentle smile as she rubbed her hands together to warm it.
She looked up at me.
"Come here." she said softly, patting the space between her knees.
I sat down in front of her.
She waited until I leaned back naturally before slipping one hand into my hair.
The warmth of the oil touched my scalp.
A moment later, her fingers began moving slowly.
There was no technique.
No hurry.
Just gentle circles that travelled from my temples to the back of my head before returning again.
The room fell silent.
Outside, rain tapped softly against the bedroom windows.
Inside, the only sound was the quiet rustle of her fingers through my hair.
After a few minutes, her hand paused.
"Better?" she asked softly, looking down at me.
I opened my eyes long enough to look at her.
"A little." I answered honestly.
She nodded once.
Without saying anything else, she resumed the massage.
This time, her fingers combed slowly through my hair before settling once more against my temples.
The dull ache behind my eyes gradually faded. I had not realised how tired I was until that moment.
She remained completely focused, occasionally brushing my hair away from my forehead whenever it fell back into place.
Several quiet minutes passed before she smiled to herself.
"I think it's working." she murmured almost under her breath.
"It is working, Sunshine." I replied, my voice lower than before.
She looked oddly pleased by that answer.
"There." she said softly after another minute, giving my hair one final, gentle stroke. "All done."
I turned to look at her.
"Thank you." I said quietly.
She smiled as though the gratitude was unnecessary.
"You don't have to thank me." she replied just as quietly.
Before I could answer, she reached forward and brushed a lock of hair away from my forehead.
Then she looked at me for a long second.
"What?" I asked with a faint smile.
"Nothing." she answered, shaking her head lightly. "I just like looking at you."
A smile found its way onto my face before I could stop it.
She caught it immediately.
"There it is." she whispered with satisfaction.
I reached for her hand and gently laced my fingers through hers.
She climbed down from the headboard and lay beside me beneath the duvet, still holding my hand.
The bedside lamp cast a warm glow across the room.
Neither of us reached for our phones.
Neither of us spoke.
She slowly moved closer until her head rested against my shoulder, as naturally as though it had always belonged there.
I wrapped an arm around her waist as she settled against me with a contented sigh.
For a long while, we simply listened to the rain.
The day had been full of conversations, the night did not need any.
Eventually, I felt her breathing become slower.
More even.
I looked down.
She had fallen asleep with one hand still loosely intertwined with mine.
I adjusted the duvet over her shoulder before pressing the lightest kiss against her hair.
The headache had disappeared and I was not entirely certain whether it had been the oil or the woman holding my hand.
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