Chapter - 43
Shivanya ~
It had been a month ever since Vihaan had taken me to that magical date. It had everything I could possibly ever dream of and every single day, I was falling for my husband harder.
"Di!!! Where are you lost?" Radhika asked me, bringing me back.
"I am right here!" I told her, pouring the milk for our coffee in the mugs because Mom had invited Taran, his parents and her had come here for dinner tonight.
It really had been so long ever since we all got together like it, despite living next door.
"I need to tell you something." she said, holding my hand as I had arranged all the cups.
"What is it, my doll? Are you okay?" I asked, turning to my side to look at her but she had a big smile plastered to her face.
"More than okay, Di. You are going to become a Maasi in the next few months." she replied, squeezing my hand.
For a moment, I simply stared at her as my mind took a second to catch up with the words she had just said.
Then it did and my eyes widened as I looked at her.
"You are pregnant?" I asked, barely able to contain the happiness in my voice.
Radhika nodded, her smile growing wider as she watched my reaction.
"Yes, Di." she replied, her voice filled with happiness.
I don't think I gave myself even a second to think after that as I pulled her into my arms, really tight.
She immediately wrapped her arms around me too, and for a few seconds, neither of us said anything.
I could feel her laughing against my shoulder.
I pulled back only slightly, keeping both my hands around her as I looked at her face.
"Are you happy?" I asked softly, searching her eyes.
Her smile softened.
"I am very happy." she answered, her eyes shining as she looked at me.
I smiled.
"Really?" I asked again, unable to stop myself.
"Really." she assured me, giving my hands a gentle squeeze.
I hugged her again.
"My baby is having a baby." I whispered, laughing softly against her hair.
She laughed.
"I know." she replied, her voice muffled against my shoulder.
I finally pulled away and looked at her properly.
"How long have you known?" I asked, still trying to process everything.
"Last night." she admitted.
"Last night? How did Taran take the news?" I asked, still holding her hand.
"I haven't told anyone yet Di. I just had to tell you first." she threw her arms around me once again and I gently stroked her head.
It felt surreal.
Radhika had always been my little doll. No matter how old she got, there would always be a part of me that remembered her running behind me through the house, stealing things from my room and then pretending she had absolutely no idea where they had gone.
And now she was going to be a mother.
I pulled back and looked at her again.
"We need to look for a good OB-GYN for you and schedule an appointment as soon as possible and Radhika, I am telling you, you will not jump here and there without a care in the world, neither will you to standing on stools, chairs, tables or couches. You will have to.....I mean I will have to take really good care of you." I began, my head making a mental checklist.
She laughed before I could finish.
"Di, I am pregnant, not made of glass." she said, looking at me with an amused smile.
"I know that." I replied immediately, still holding her hand. "But you are going to have to let me take care of you."
"I was expecting that." she admitted, shaking her head.
"You should." I told her seriously. "Because I am going to be extremely annoying about this."
She laughed again.
"I knew it."
I smiled and looked at her for another moment before my expression softened.
"But really, Radhika, we need to get you checked properly." I said, my voice gentler now. "We have to book you an appointment, get all the necessary tests done and then we'll know exactly what the doctor wants you to do."
She nodded.
"But before that.....you need to tell Taran that he is going to be a father." I said, imagining the look on my best friend's face who was currently in my living room, probably watching cricket with my husband.
She nodded slowly, a nervous smile appearing on her face.
"I know." she admitted softly, looking down at our joined hands.
I squeezed her fingers.
"You are going to tell him today." I said firmly, giving her an encouraging smile.
She looked towards the living room again.
Taran was sitting beside Vihaan, the two of them apparently having become far too invested in whatever was happening on the television. Taran's parents, Mom and Dad were sitting on the other couches, talking amongst themselves while the sound of the cricket commentary filled the room.
Radhika watched her husband for a few seconds.
"I keep thinking about his reaction." she confessed, a small smile appearing on her lips.
"You know him better than anyone." I reminded her.
"I know." she replied, still watching him.
"What are you scared of Radhika?" I asked, putting a hand on her cheek to make her look at me.
"Di, it's just been a little over a year since we married. We hadn't really talked much about kids and parenthood. I don't know how he will take this news." she sighed.
I looked at her for a moment and understood exactly what she meant.
I gently cupped her cheek.
"Taran loves you." I told her with complete certainty. "Whatever he feels when you tell him, you have to remember that he is going to hear the news of your baby and he might be surprised at first but knowing my best friend, he is going to pull you into his arms and tell you that you have made him the happiest man alive ."
Radhika looked at me for a few seconds, her expression slowly softening.
"You really think so?" she asked quietly, a small smile appearing on her lips.
"I know so." I replied, giving her cheek a gentle squeeze.
She smiled.
"I hope you're right." she murmured, looking towards him again.
"I am." I assured her, following her gaze.
"Come on, let's go out before coffee gets cold." she said, taking a deep breath.
"Yes, but no coffee for you until I have talked to your doctor. You go on, take this tray out and I will make you a glass of shikanji.
She nodded, picked up the tray and walked out.
I squeezed the lemons into a glass, added some sugar, a little black salt and enough water before stirring everything together. I was still mixing it when I heard Taran and Vihaan groan in annoyance, probably someone lost their wicket.
I shook my head.
He had absolutely no idea what was coming.
I picked up the glass and walked out.
"How is it?" I asked, watching her face carefully.
"Perfect." she replied, taking another sip.
"Good." I said, settling back into the sofa.
Taran looked at the glass in her hand before looking at me.
"Why is she drinking shikanji?" he asked, raising a brow.
"Because I made it." I replied casually.
He looked at Radhika.
"That doesn't answer my question." he said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Radhika immediately looked at me and I gave her a smile.
"She wanted something cold." I answered, saving her from having to come up with an excuse.
Taran seemed satisfied with that and turned his attention back towards the television.
"S, tell me, are you still my best friend?" Taran asked me a few seconds later, turning his head back.
"Of course I am! That place is mine." I replied, shrugging.
"Then why on earth haven't we done our monthly bitching session in so long?" he asked, giving me a long look.
I looked at him for a second before laughing.
"Because apparently you have been too busy becoming a married man to remember that you still have a best friend." I replied, giving him an offended look.
Taran stared at me.
"Excuse me?" he asked, placing a hand over his chest dramatically.
"You heard me." I replied, picking up my coffee mug.
"I have been married for over a year." he pointed out.
"Exactly." I said, taking a sip of my coffee. "And somehow that one year has made you forget all your responsibilities as my best friend."
He shook his head.
"You are unbelievable. By the way, you are a married woman too now." he said, looking at me with amusement.
"I am right and yes, I am a married woman but it is your fault that we have not been doing our monthly bitching sessions. Not mine." I replied confidently.
"Of course it is my fault. When is it not?" he said, leaning back against the sofa.
"Good for you to remember that whatever stupid thing happens with us, it is all your fault." I said, taking a sip of my coffee and my words made Taran sit up straight.
"Okay, okay no. This is not happening here and now. Jiju, handle your wife and I will handle my husband or they both will convert this living room into a fighting zone which could involve verbal spats or WWE. Really depends on their mood." Radhika intervened, looking at Vihaan.
Radhika's words made me laugh, and I looked towards Vihaan.
He was already looking at me with a teasing smile.
"I don't think I need to handle her Radhika." he said calmly, looking between us. "They both seem perfectly capable of handling each other."
Taran immediately pointed towards him.
"See? This is why you're my favourite." he declared, nodding approvingly.
I turned towards him.
"Your favourite?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"At the moment." he replied, completely unbothered.
I picked up the cushion beside me.
"Take that back." I warned him, holding it up threateningly.
He laughed and leaned away.
"See?" Radhika said, looking at me with amusement. "This is exactly what I was talking about."
"I haven't done anything." I defended myself, placing the cushion back where it had been.
"Yet." Taran added.
That made me throw the cushion which landed right into his face and Vihaan stood up on his feet and Radhika stood up too as they looked at each other.
"You were right." My husband told my sister as they exchanged seats and Vihaan came and sat down next to me.
"Sunshine, are you planning to kill him?" Vihaan asked, whispering into my ear teasingly.
A laugh escaped me as I looked at him.
"Not yet." I whispered back, shaking my head. "But I am considering it." I replied, trying not to smile.
Vihaan's lips curved into a smile.
"I would prefer it if you didn't." he murmured, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
I looked at him.
"Why?" I raised a brow.
"Because he is your best friend and your brother-in-law. That reason good enough for you?" he asked again with a twinkle in his eyes.
"That reason is good enough for me." I replied, unable to keep the smile from my face.
He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
"Good."
I looked at our joined hands for a moment before looking back at him.
There was something about sitting beside him like this that still felt slightly unreal to me, even after so many months.
A year ago, I could never have imagined that Vihaan Raichand would become the person I would instinctively look for whenever something made me happy.
Or the person whose hand I would reach for without even thinking.
All of us talked for a while more before they took our leave but before they left, I pulled Radhika aside and gave her a tight hug and told her to not worry about Taran's reaction because that fool was going to be on the top of the world after hearing the news.
"Shivanya beta, movie dekhegi koi?" Dad asked me as I sat next to him in the living room.
(Shivanya beta, do you want to watch some movie?)
Vihaan and Mom were nowhere to be seen.
"How is that even a question Dad? You know that I LOVE movies just like you do!" I exclaimed, making myself comfortable.
Another reason was to keep myself distracted because how was I supposed not to tell Mom, Dad and Vihaan that I was going to be a Maasi soon!?
I just needed Radhika to tell Taran and his parents first.
"MS Dhoni, The Untold Story?" he asked, browsing through Hotstar.
"Dad, if I ever say no to watching that movie, I want you to disown me, okay?" I grinned at him and he gave me a mock serious nod, hitting play on the remote.
Forty five minutes into the movie and my phone pinged with a text message.
Radhika: I told him and I think that his brain has short-circuited. He keeps looking at me and smiling.
I smiled so widely that my cheeks began hurting.
Me: I told you!!!
Radhika: He has already started talking about baby names.
Me: See, you were scared for nothing!! Now can I please give this amazingly amazing news here to Mom, Dad and Vihaan?
Radhika: Of course, Di! You could have told them earlier also! They are my family too!
I stared at the message for another second.
Finally.
"Dad, can we pause the movie for a little while?" I asked him and he immediately did.
"Something wrong beta?" he asked, a look of concern crossing his face.
"No, actually it's a really good news. Let me just call Mom and Vihaan." I said and he gave me a nod.
I stood up and was about to walk out to call them when Mom walked towards us with Chase following her.
"Mom, where is Vihaan?" I asked her and she sighed.
"Meeting." was her reply and I rolled my eyes.
I'll have to tell him later.
"I want to tell you both that Radhika is pregnant." I announced with the biggest smile I was holding back for so long.
"Oh my God Shivanya! That is such great news!" Mom exclaimed, hugging me.
"When did you find out?" Dad asked, smiling.
"Radhika told me an hour ago. She hadn't told Taran and his parents yet so I decided to wait." I answered his question and he nodded in understanding.
"Congratulations beta. We should go over to them with some sweets tomorrow." Dad was and mom immediately agreed.
"How far along is she?" Mom asked me.
"A few weeks mostly. She found out last night. I am going to find some good OB-GYN for her and make an appointment." I informed her as she nodded.
"Good, good."
"Okay Shivanya, I think your Mom is giving me the look. Let's continue this movie tomorrow evening?" Dad asked and I nodded, laughing.
The way he was scared of Mom was so damn amusing.
Chase followed after that.
"Hey you little guy! When are you going to give me some attention?" I asked but he totally ignored me and did not give me even a small woof, continuing to walk behind mom.
"Excuse me? I am your mother, you know." I called once again to be ignored yet once again as he disappeared into Mom and Dad's bedroom along with them, leaving me alone.
I signed, turned the television off, turned the lights off and make my way to our bedroom where Vihaan was speaking to someone over his laptop as I entered.
"Tomorrow, please?" I asked, whispering to him as he looked up at me with a smile.
He gave me a nod and then ended his meeting, asking whoever was on the other side to connect with him next week while I went to stand in front of the mirror to take off my earrings.
"Get here, Sunshine." Vihaan walked up to me, gripped onto my upper arm, turned me around to face him and then pulled me into his chest, wrapping an arm around my waist.
My hands instinctively came to rest against his shoulders.
"What?" I asked, looking up at him with a smile but he did not answer immediately.
He simply looked at me.
There was something about the way Vihaan looked at me sometimes that made me forget whatever I had been about to say.
"What?" I asked again, this time laughing softly.
"You left me alone for almost an entire evening." he complained.
"Mr. Raichand, you were in a meeting when I walked in. You were working." I replied, letting my arms go around his neck, crossing over each other.
"Mrs. Raichand, had you walked in an hour earlier, I would have ended the damn meeting right about then as I did now." he replied, his lips brushing against my earlobe as he spoke, leaving shivers down my spine.
I tightened my arms around his neck, trying very hard not to let him see how easily he could still make me lose my train of thought.
"That sounds suspiciously like you are blaming me for your meeting." I replied softly, looking at him.
Vihaan smiled.
"I am blaming you for leaving me alone." he replied.
"That's not fair! You know it had been so long since I had spent time with Radhika and talking about her, I have the happiest news to share with you." I said, looking at him in the eye.
"A happy news?" he asked, his eyebrows lifting slightly.
I nodded, unable to stop the smile from spreading across my face.
"Tell me." he asked.
"Radhika is pregnant. Taran and her are going to be parents soon!" I told him and the second he heard my words, a big smile broke onto his face.
"That is great news, Sunshine." he murmured, his eyes lightening up.
"I know!" I replied, smiling widely. "I was so excited when she told me."
Vihaan's hands settled more securely around my waist as he looked down at me.
"And Taran?" he asked, his voice warm with amusement.
"He is apparently already discussing baby names." I told him, shaking my head with a laugh. "I told her he would be happy, but she was so nervous about telling him."
"I can imagine." he replied softly.
"I knew he would be happy." I said proudly. "I know that idiot better than he knows himself."
"I don't like that particular piece of information, Shivanya." he said, nuzzling his head in the crook of my neck, probably remembering the time I was in love with Taran.
Today, even thinking about that creeps the hell out of me.
"You have nothing to be jealous of, Mr. Birdbrain! Whatever I felt for him is long, long gone. I am yours and yours only." I said, almost laughing.
"Say that again." he demanded, making me laugh.
"Vihaan!" I reprimanded him.
"Say the last part again, Shivanya. I want to hear it again." he demanded once again, kissing my neck once before looking back at me in the eye.
He was still waiting.
"Say it again." he repeated softly, his voice carrying that quiet insistence that I had learnt was almost impossible to ignore.
I shook my head.
"You heard me the first time!!" I replied, pretending to be unaffected.
"I did." he said, his eyes never leaving mine. "I just want to hear it again."
I laughed softly.
"Vihaan..."
"Please, Sunshine." he murmured, his thumb brushing gently against my cheek. "Just once more."
I stared at him for a few seconds.
There was something so earnest about the way he was looking at me that I could not bring myself to tease him anymore.
I tightened my arms around his neck and moved a little closer.
"I am yours." I whispered.
His expression softened immediately.
I smiled.
"And yours only."
The smile on his face softened into something that made my heart beat a little faster.
His hand moved from my cheek to the back of my neck, his fingers resting gently against my hair as he pulled me closer and pressed his soft lips onto mine, closing any space that was left between us.
His lips moved against mine slowly, giving me enough time to respond before he pressed them against mine again.
I closed my eyes and kissed him back.
His hand rested gently against my cheek while his other arm stayed around my waist, keeping me close to him.
He pulled away for just a second, his forehead touching mine, before leaning in again.
"I can never get enough of you." he whispered.
"Then it's probably good that I am not going anywhere." I whispered back, my fingers tracing the line of his jawline as I looked up into his eyes.
"So you understand." Vihaan murmured, his lips curving into a slow, wicked smile as he caught my hand and pressed a warm kiss against my palm. "Because if you ever tried, I would have to lock you in this room and throw away the key."
"Oh, really? What makes you think that you will be able to hold me your hostage, Mr. Raichand?" I challenged, tilting my chin up.
Vihaan's smile widened as he looked down at me.
There was something almost unfair about the confidence in his expression, the kind that made me immediately suspicious of whatever answer he was about to give me.
He gently tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear before his fingers settled against my cheek.
"Because, Mrs. Raichand," he said, leaning a little closer to me, "you have already given me far too many reasons to believe that you would willingly stay."
I let out a soft gasp, though I couldn't stop the amusement pulling at the corners of my mouth.
"You are unbearably cocky, do you know that?" I muttered, trying to look stern while my heart hammered a ridiculous rhythm against my ribs.
"Only when I have proof." he replied smoothly, his thumb tracing the line of my lower lip with a touch so impossibly gentle it made my breath hitch. "And right now, the proof is looking right back at me with those beautiful eyes."
I narrowed my gaze at him, fighting back a smile.
"As I said, so full of yourself!." I muttered.
"And you love every second of it." he murmured, his voice dropping to a low, husky hum as he stepped even closer, pressing his frame against mine until there wasn't an inch of space left between us.
"So," he said, his voice dropping an octave as a teasing glint returned to his dark eyes, "since we have the entire night ahead of us, does this mean I finally get you all to myself without any interruptions?"
I looked at him for a few seconds, trying very hard not to let the smile on my face become too obvious.
"Maybe." I replied slowly, lifting my chin slightly. "But that depends on whether you behave yourself."
Vihaan gave me a look of disbelief.
"Behave myself?" he repeated, his eyebrows lifting. "After you spent the entire evening ignoring me, you expect me to behave myself?"
"Ignoring you?" I echoed, letting out a scoff as I gently poked him in the chest. "Mr. Raichand, I was being a supportive sister and then watching a movie with Dad. You were holed up in a meeting! If anyone was being neglected here, it was definitely me."
Vihaan caught my hand mid-poke, his fingers wrapping firmly around mine before pulling me closer until our chests brushed.
"Neglected?" he murmured, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his lips as he looked down at me. "Is that what you call it when I spend an hour staring at the door waiting for my wife to return?"
"You didn't stare at the door!" I retorted, though my voice lost its edge as his thumb began tracing soothing circles against my knuckles.
"I practically counted the seconds." he corrected, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made it difficult to form a coherent thought. "So forgive me if I have zero intention of letting you out of my sight for the rest of the night."
I swallowed hard, the playful retort dying on my lips as the air between us suddenly felt a little too warm, a little too charged.
"Well," I whispered, my gaze dropping momentarily to his lips before rising back to meet his steady stare, "seeing as you're currently holding me hostage, I suppose I don't have much of a choice."
"None at all, Sunshine." he murmured against my hair as he pulled me into a tight embrace, resting his chin on top of my head.
"I love you, husband." I said, feeling him against me as I smile because it felt so safe and so me right here, like this is where I belong.
"I love you more, Sunshine." he whispered, his voice dropping into a soft, resonant vibration against my chest that went straight to my soul.
Slowly, he pulled back just enough to look down into my eyes, his expression stripping away every trace of the teasing, cocky facade. I
He leaned in once again, his lips brushing softly, deliberately against mine in a kiss that tasted of promises and a lifetime of tomorrows.
When he finally pulled away, resting his forehead gently against mine, a contented sigh slipped past my lips.
"Come on." he murmured, his thumb tracing a slow, soothing path over my cheekbone. "Let's actually get some sleep before you start drafting a five-page checklist for the baby tomorrow morning."
I let out a laugh, swatting his shoulder lightly as I allowed him to guide me toward the mattress.
"Wait, I need a shower first!" I said, stopping in my tracks.
"A shower?" Vihaan groaned, his head dropping back against his shoulders with an exaggerated, pained sigh as he stared at me like I had just suggested walking barefoot across hot coals.
"Yes, Mr. Raichand, a shower." I retorted, trying to step past him with an huff.
Before I could take a single step toward the washroom, his arms shot out, wrapping around my waist and effortlessly halting my escape.
He spun me back around so smoothly I didn't even have time to protest before his chest pressed against mine, trapping me in the solid cage of his arms.
"You certainly did not mean that as an invitation, Sunshine." he murmured, his voice dropping into a rough, vibrating register that rumbled right through my chest.
His dark eyes danced with mischief as his thumb traced a slow, lazy circle against my hip, sending another shiver straight down my spine.
"...but considering that you are talking to a man who has zero intention of ever letting you out of his sight," he added, his thumb grazing heavily and possessively across my lower lip before his gaze darkened, "I am inviting myself along."
Before I could muster a single protest against his sheer audacity, his arms scooped beneath my knees, lifting me effortlessly off my feet. I gasped, my hands instantly gripping his shoulders to steady myself as he ignored my attempts to scold him and carried me straight inside the washroom.
"Vihaan! Put me down!" I half-laughed as he settled me down on the slab counter.
His eyes gleamed with wickedness as the door clicked shut behind him.
"Not a chance, Sunshine," he murmured, his hands moving steadily to the hem of his shirt. "Like I said, zero intention of letting you out of my sight."
I laughed, shaking my head as I looked at him.
"You are difficult, Mr. Raichand." I told him, trying to sound annoyed even though I was smiling.
He leaned closer, his forehead resting against mine.
"And yet you love me." he whispered.
I smiled.
"Unfortunately."
He laughed softly before pressing one last kiss against my lips.
"Fortunately." he corrected and in that moment, with his heartbeat beneath my cheek and his warmth surrounding me, I realised that perhaps happiness was never supposed to be complicated.
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