t w e l v e
one year

12 a.m.

As the clock struck midnight, a year had been completed.

The earth was back at the same position from the day Shubman and Sara got married.

One year of arguments.

One year of being the 'most loved' couple.

One year of taking jabs at each other.

One year of rare smiles and celebrating victories together.

The alarm rung harshly and Sara reluctantly open her eyes. She reached out for the phone, stopping the alarm, ready to sleep again. Wait, why did I set an alarm for midnight? That's when it struck her. 14th September had begun. It was her first marriage anniversary.

"Shubman, get up," her voice was faint and tired, she had fallen asleep just some thirty minutes before. Hearing no response from him, she turned to his side. Her arm stretched out, reaching for him, the diamond on her wedding ring shining in the dark room. "Gill?"

She got up, shocked to see him on the edge of the bed, sleeping peacefully unlike a person who could fall off the bed at any second.

"Oh my god Shubman," panic was clear in her voice as she grabbed his arm, trying to pull him on the bed. "He bhagwan, do we want to start the second year of our marriage with you falling off the bed?"

"Shubman, Shubman, GET UP!" She raised her voice and he finally woke up, getting up with a start.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Shubman asked, his breathing rapid, clearly worried.

"Happy anniversary," Sara smiled at him as he blankly stared at her.

"What?"

"Uhm, happy anniversary? Today's fourteenth September!" Sara had a smile on her face. Shubman shut his eyes for a moment, sharply breathing before he responded.

"Goodness, that's it? I was worried sick for a moment," he voiced out, "Anyway, happy anniversary Sara," he smiled at her.

"Oh wait, that wasn't it," she shook her head. "You were about to fall off the bed," she informed and his eyes widened.

"I was...what? Fall off?" Shubman was already sleepy and unable to process his surroundings. "You mean like I could've hurt my head?" He said, but not before yawning.

"Yup," Sara said and then wore a proud smile on her face. "But I saw you, and woke you up before you fell. I basically saved your life,"

"Okay, I don't think that falling off a bed would have led to my death-

"Why would you talk about dying?" She hastily cut him off, glaring at him. His brows knit in confusion as he responded.

"But you, you just said- said that you saved my...my life,"

"Oh my God Shubman," another interruption. "We don't have time, your parents will be knocking the door any moment and we have to look like we stayed up and wished each other nicely at midnight,"

"Oh yes, you're right," he agreed, getting off the bed. "I'll splash some water on my face, otherwise I'll look like a sleep derived zombie, you know?" He opened the door off the bathroom while still taking to Sara. "It's a good thing you overheard Mummy Papa talking about the midnight surprise, otherwise we would've been sleeping soundly which would have been suspicious,"

"Yup, I know I'm pretty great," Sara said as she folded her blanket. He exited the bathroom to see Sara combing her hair, tying it into a ponytail. She dabbed her lips with some lip balm and switched on the dim, yellow lights of the room.

"Romantic enough?" She asked and he nodded, amused at how hastily she was going around the room. Night people.

"Very romantic," he couldn't help but laugh at the notion of the softer, yellow lights being more 'romantic' than the plain white ones. "I'm a little nervous about today, " he confessed, sitting beside Sara.

"About the party? About the fact that every single thing we do for the next twenty-four hours is going to be scrutinised by everyone around us? That our parents would ask us what gifts we bought each other? That our friends and relatives will ask us each to give speeches about our love in front of the whole world? That people are going to expect us to post like hundred different pictures-

"Gee, someone is clearly more rattled than me," he cut her off and Sara paused, breathing in.

"You're right, I am nervous. I just don't want to mess it up," her voice held a hint of vulnerability as she spoke. Shubman scoffed, replying without looking at her.

"Come on, the meticulous Sara Ten- nope, Sara Gill would mess up? Impossible. I definitely have a higher chance of doing that," he said. "See, like how I just called you Tendulkar? Made you feel like I was a second away from cussing you for doing something stupid on the field," he jokingly added the second part, making Sara laugh.

"Why do you have such a good memory?"

"It works, in some cases," in some cases.

As Sara laughed at the joke he cracked, his heart skipped a beat. He was aware, aware of what was happening. But he knew that he was dreaming an impossible dream. He knew he was going to get his heart hurt, but he couldn't stop. He knew he was dealing with something unrequited, considering Sara had a hard time even forcing a smile on her face exactly a year ago.

He was an idiot to her and she annoyed him.

But he could see through her annoyance, her little acts of concern, how easily her smile would falter, how she'd constantly be anxious in the public eye. He had noticed the walls she had built around her heart.

He wanted to hold her hand, wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, and wanted to peel off her layers. But he couldn't. He couldn't and wouldn't because that was not a part of their deal. She wanted her own separate life and that was the only gift he could give to her as her husband. He simply didn't have a right in her life.

He hated that feeling. Calling her his wife in front of the world, but coming back home to a roommate, scratch that, a housemate. Every second in this facade angered him, tested him. Every second he spent being her husband, but not her partner pushed him into a darker, more hopeless place.

He wanted to get to know her. He really did. But how is that possible when you are continuously at crossroads with someone? How is it possible to understand someone when you're always at a verbal war with them?

How could he reach for her hand when she wanted to get as far as possible from him and his stupidity?

"Shubman," her voice was soft as she noticed the shift in his facial expressions- how his jaw clenched and his breathing seemed restrained.

"Hm?" He snapped out of his overwhelming thoughts and turned to face her.

"We'll get through today, I promise," her voice was gentle and reaffirming. "Together,"

"Together," he shakily replied.

As if on cue, their tender moment was interrupted by three knocks on the door.

"It's time for a party, isn't it?" Sara asked, her eyes twinkling and he just nodded.

Their 'day' kicked off with a cake and candles as Sunita and Rajesh very warmly celebrated and congratulated them. As anxious Sara and Shubman were, the two felt comforted by the love showered on them.

'Shall I stay, would it be a sin?
If I can't help falling in love with you'

A/N: My bubba fell first, but he's just a little tired and confused😭 You all better be having appropriate reactions to this chapter.

P.S.: A spin-off of this book, New Year's Day is published on my account. It features Abhay and Alisha, who we will also meet in the next chapter of our story❤️