"I'll take two." Sanjana told the man at the vegetable stand. Usually, his father would be the one selling mangoes to Sanjana, but today it was his son.

"You look beautiful today as always." Manoj said to Sanjana.

"Manoj, please don't." Sanjana replied sternly.

"Come on, Sanjana. I can't compliment you?" Manoj said, handing Sanjana the mangoes along with her change.

Sanjana turned to walk away, but Manoj took her hand and stopped her.

"I've been meaning to speak to my father...about marriage." Manoj said quietly.

"I don't want to get married right now." Sanjana said, trying to leave.

"I'm going to America for my masters. I want to marry you and take you with me." Manoj offered.

The way he spoke frightened Sanjana. His playful tone was replaced with a more serious one. He spoke so quietly as if he anticipated her rejection.

"We don't have much." Manoj continued. "I know you're too good to marry a fruit seller's son, so I worked hard for you. All throughout college, I improved myself so I could be worthy of you one day. I have a good job. I come from a good family, and I'm going to America soon. What else could you want?"

Love. Sanjana desperately wanted to tell him how important love was to her in a marriage. She knew Manoj was a nice man and would make a good husband, but her heart belonged to Arjun.

Manoj still held her hand, even though Sanjana was turned away from him trying to leave.

"Please Manoj, let me go." Sanjana pleaded.

"Sanjana, I'm going to tell my father to meet with your parents. I wanted to ask you first, but honestly your father is going to accept my proposal. I know he will." Manoj grew angry as he spoke.

Sanjana knew her father would probably want her to marry Manoj. She was waiting for Arjun to approach her parents though.

"Manoj please." Sanjana said, pulling against his grip.

"Let her go." Arjun appeared beside Sanjana. His expression clearly showed how angry he was.

"Go away, Arjun. This doesn't concern you." Manoj said.

Sanjana turned to face Arjun. She silently pleaded with him, hoping he wouldn't reveal that they were in love. She had no doubt that Manoj would use this information against her to force her to marry him if he knew.

"I believe I heard Sanjana ask you to let her go." Arjun growled.

"Or what?" Manoj challenged."

Arjun lunged at Manoj, squeezing his fingers around his neck. He pressed hard for a moment before threatening.

"Leave her alone." Arjun threatened.

He released his grip and walked away without looking at either Manoj or Sanjana. Manoj was left coughing on the ground. Sanjana was shocked. She looked at Manoj and then up at Arjun's retreating silhouette. She ran to catch up with Arjun.

"Arjun, are you alright?" She asked once she caught up with him.

Arjun ignored her and kept on walking. She followed him, attempting to talk to him a few more times before simply following him in silence. They reached a more secluded part of the village. Arjun walked into a garden at the back of a primary school. It was after school hours, so the area was empty. They would have ample privacy. Finally, Arjun stopped. He turned around to face Sanjana.

"I don't want him coming near you again." He stated.

Sanjana gave him a smile.

"Don't worry." Sanjana assured him. "You need to talk to my parents as soon as possible, though, before I start getting proposals."

"You're marrying me. That's for sure." Arjun said.

"Hopefully," Sanjana mused.

Arjun wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Sanjana looked down, fighting the urge to smile. He caressed her cheek before kissing her there.

"You're mine. Only mine."

------

Sanjana woke up completely startled. She shot up quickly and started breathing heavily. She hated when she had these dreams. Dreams about Arjun. Dreams about their memories together.

"Sanjana, are you alright?" Rohit groggily woke up. "Another bad dream?"

Sanjana looked at him, nodding.

"What was it about?" Rohit asked.

Sanjana was surprised. Usually, Rohit didn't ask her details about her bad dreams. She looked at him, not even attempting to answer.

"Do you remember?" He pressed on.

Sanjana slowly shook her head, but the truth was she remembered every part of her dreams about Arjun because they were more than dreams. They were her memories of him. She'd lived every moment of those memories and relived them through her dreams.

"Do you get these bad dreams often?" Rohit asked.

Sanjana nodded.

"It never bothered you? You hardly sleep after a bad dream." Rohit continued.

Sanjana looked down. She felt guilty for ruining Rohit's sleep. She didn't know he noticed how she'd often toss and turn after having a bad dream about Arjun, unable to calm her anxious mind. Sanjana was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Rohit move closer to her.

"You know, I've heard that being in someone's embrace can have many benefits...like reducing anxiety." Rohit said, wrapping an arm around Sanjana's waist.

She looked up at him curiously.

"It couldn't hurt to try. Maybe you'll sleep better." Rohit smiled.

Sanjana looked down at Rohit's arm resting on her body. She was usually disconcerted by Rohit's affection, especially when things got more physical, but tonight she felt comforted by his closeness. She moved her body closer to his, taking comfort in the warmth that radiated off his body. Rohit stayed still, allowing Sanjana to get as close as she felt comfortable. He gave her a goodnight kiss on the cheek before drifting back to sleep.

Sanjana fell asleep almost instantly in Rohit's arms and stayed asleep for the rest of the night. Something about being in his arms comforted her and controlled her anxiety. She was glad she gave him a chance to get closer to her last night. Rohit was still asleep next to her when she woke up in the morning. She carefully released herself from his arms so she could start getting ready for the day. She made sure she didn't make any noise so that Rohit could get all the rest he needed. She wasn't sure whether she should wake him up or not. He usually set an alarm for work, but no alarm went off this morning. She decided against it and went to the kitchen to get breakfast started.

"Hi Sanjana," Radhika greeted.

She was sitting in the living room doing something on her laptop. Sanjana glanced at her, not at all in the mood to talk to her. She paused. Radhika was clad in nothing but the shortest shorts Sanjana had ever seen and a tank top that cut way too low and also bared her midriff. Sanjana turned away and walked into the kitchen.

Radhika casually followed her with the intention of making herself some coffee.

"So, are you doing anything today?" Radhika asked.

"I have class." Sanjana answered, not bothering to look at her. She moved swiftly around the kitchen locating ingredients she'd need to make pancakes.

"Oh. I thought we could go shopping or something, but that's okay. School is important. What are you studying?" Radhika tried to keep up the conversation.

"Writing." Sanjana answered curtly. She didn't like that Radhika was trying to converse with her especially while she was trying to prepare breakfast.

"Really? That's cool. Are you working on anything interesting?" Radhika replied.

"Good morning" Rohit appeared in the kitchen. He was still dressed in his pajamas and looked disheveled.

"Aren't you going to the hospital?" Radhika asked.

"I switched shifts with another doctor, so I'm going in later." Said Rohit.

"And you're staying later? What about Ajit's party?" Radhika commented.

"I'll have to come a little later than expected." Rohit answered.

"No...we were supposed to go together. I don't want to go alone." Radhika complained.

"You'll hardly be alone. I'll just have to meet you there after work. I'll come straight to the club." Rohit said.

"You work so much. You know, people who go somewhere together are supposed to arrive together. It's what couples are sup--" Radhika stopped short, realizing what she said.

Rohit watched her, furrowing his brows. Sanjana paused for a moment but didn't turn around. She continued to focus on what she was cooking.

"Sorry...I didn't mean...." Radhika trailed off.

"I know. It's okay." Rohit said.

The two stayed silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. Radhika was unsure whether or not to continue conversing with Rohit after she'd just slipped up. She wanted Rohit to say something first.

"So, I'll just meet you there?" Rohit finally spoke.

"Yeah I guess so." Radhika replied. "Coffee?" Radhika offered, handing Rohit a mug.

"Sure, thanks." Rohit said, accepting a mug from Radhika.

Sanjana said nothing about the change in Rohit's work schedule or his plans to go out with Radhika, but she worried about whether or not she'd be able to sleep tonight without Rohit there to comfort her. She was afraid she'd be haunted by Arjun's dreams if left alone. She was also afraid of what would happen between Rohit and Radhika tonight, but there was nothing she could do about that.

Sanjana finished preparing breakfast. She retreated to the bedroom to collect her belongings for class. Rohit followed her.

"Aren't you hungry?" He asked her.

Sanjana shook her head.

"Do you want me to drop you off?" Rohit offered.

Sanjana looked at Rohit still clad in his pajamas and shook her head.

Rohit touched Sanjana's arm. She paused.

"Are you mad at me?" Rohit asked. He could sense that something wasn't right with Sanjana. She was in a hurry to leave this morning.

Sanjana shook her head.

"I'm sorry about last night." Rohit tried. Maybe Sanjana was uncomfortable about being so close to him last night and didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Sanjana gave him a small smile indicating that last night wasn't what was bothering her.

"Are you worried about tonight?" Rohit said. "If you are, you really shouldn't be." He took a step closer to Sanjana. He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. Sanjana gasped.

"Because you're my wife. I married you. I would never break your trust and go back to Radhika." Rohit continued.

The look in Rohit's eyes told Sanjana that he was being sincere. After he reassured her, she genuinely felt that there was nothing to worry about. She smiled at Rohit and allowed him to give her a quick goodbye kiss before leaving. Rohit returned to the kitchen to finish eating breakfast. He was relieved that Gita had joined him and Radhika a few minutes later.

"Radhika, will you walk with me to the salon down the street to get my nails done?" Gita asked.

"Of course! I'd join you but I just got mine done. I'll definitely walk with you though." Radhika answered.

"Oh that's alright. You can walk me there and come back here. I'll call you when I'm ready to come back. You know, walking around alone isn't safe. I hate it. I always try to have someone with me." Gita said, buttering her toast.

"I totally understand." Radhika smiled. She glanced at Rohit, who was not interested in the conversation in the least bit.

Radhika and Gita left for the salon immediately after breakfast. Rohit retreated to his room. He sighed. He wished Sanjana was here instead of in class. With so many people in his condo, he really treasured all the alone time he got with Sanjana. Rohit went into the bathroom to take a shower. His thoughts wandered to Sanjana. He knew that she didn't want him to go to Ajit's party with Radhika, but Ajit was a mutual friend and they both wanted to see him.

Rohit let the warm water fall over his body, immediately feeling relaxed. He thought he heard a sound. He was about to pull back the curtain to investigate but he remembered that he was home alone. He shrugged it off and went back to showering. Moments later, he thought he heard the door creak. Maybe it was another door in the condo. Radhika must have been back from dropping his mom off at the salon. Suddenly, Radhika pulled back the shower curtain.

"What the hell?" Rohit shouted, completely shocked. Radhika was only clad in a tower loosely wrapped around her body.

"Rohit, I need you." Radhika said.

"Radhika, you need to leave. Now!" Rohit said, growing angry.

He didn't feel that embarrassed standing in front of Radhika completely naked. She'd seen him naked on many occasions when they were together. He felt irritated more than anything.

"No Rohit. Please. I need you." Radhika said. She dropped the towel. Rohit tried to avert his gaze.

"I'm married. We can't do this. Please just leave." Rohit tried to remind Radhika.

"You don't love her. You don't know her. Don't you miss me? Doesn't your body miss the feeling of mine against it?" Radhika stepped closer to Rohit, letting the water pour over her.

"No, Radhika stop. I'm not doing this." Rohit grew angry.

Radhika wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body to his, hugging him tightly under the shower. Rohit froze. He didn't know what to do. His body wanted her but his mind knew better.

"Please Rohit." Radhika nearly whispered.

Rohit pried Radhika's hands away from him and turned off the shower. He grabbed his towel and secured it around his waist, stomping out of the bathroom without saying a word. Radhika watched him, confused by his actions. She quickly grabbed her towel that was laying on the floor before following him.

"Rohit wait!" Radhika called after him.

"What are you trying to do, Radhika?" Rohit asked.

"I...I don't know. I'm sorry." Said Radhika.

"You think you can just seduce me like this. Whatever we had is over. I'm married to Sanjana, and I will not cheat on her...especially with you. You were the one who caused us to break up, Radhika. Remember that." Rohit said spitefully.

Radhika was quiet. She slowly started to back out of Rohit's room. Rohit felt bad for erupting at her but it was justified. Once Radhika left, he sat down on the bed unable to believe what just happened. Should he tell Sanjana? He knew that a part of her was worried about something like this happening.

Rohit got dressed and went to the other room in search of Radhika. He saw her sitting on the bed still wrapped in only a towel.

"Radhika," Rohit said, entering the room.

"I'm so sorry, Rohit. I don't know what got into me." Radhika apologized.

"It's alright, but don't let it happen again." Rohit said.

"Are we still going to Ajit's party? I understand if you don't want me..."Radhika trailed off.

"No, no we should still go. We're both friends with Ajit, so we should both go." Rohit reasoned.

"Thank you...for understanding." Radhika smiled. "I should probably go down to the salon and see how Gita is doing. She might be done." Radhika said, standing up.

Rohit was relieved to learn that Gita was finished with her salon appointment. He didn't want to be alone with Radhika. For the first time in his life, he was incredibly happy to see Gita. He made sure to stay in her company until it was time for him to leave for work. Gita proved to be the perfect distraction, since she always commanded all the attention be focused on herself.

____________________

"She what?" Rohit had narrated the whole shower incident to Sheila when he got to work and had a free moment to track her down.

"It was horrific...I didn't really know how to react." Rohit said. "I can't believe she'd do something like that."

"Rohit, I'm proud of you." Sheila replied.

"Why?" Rohit laughed.

"You didn't give in to the temptation. That's very admirable considering how much you loved Radhika." Sheila said.

"Wow thanks Sheila. It wasn't hard though. I don't ever want to do anything to hurt Sanjana." Rohit replied.

"I'll run interference tonight!" Sheila exclaimed.

"What do you mean? Rohit asked.

"If Radhika tries to make a move on you tonight at Ajit's party, I'll distract her or whisk you away to deal with a pretend emergency." Sheila explained.

"I don't think that'll be necessary." Rohit said.

Sheila rolled her eyes.

"Okay, if it is necessary, I really appreciate it." Rohit said.

"Are you going to tell Sanjana?" Sheila asked the real question in the room.

"I don't know. I don't want her to think that there's something going on. She's just beginning to trust me, to become more comfortable around me. I don't want to ruin that." Rohit replied, sighing.

"You know, I was always rooting for you and Radhika to get back together, but now I can see your heart belongs to Sanjana. You're falling for her....hard. And I'm happy for you." Sheila said, smiling.

"Wow, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Laughed Rohit.

"Hey! I'm nice!" Sheila exclaimed.

Now it was Rohit's turn to roll his eyes. "Sure you are." he said sarcastically.

"Whatever. Are we going straight there? I end the same time you do." said Sheila.

"Sure." Rohit looked at Sheila.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" Sheila asked him.

"Well...you're not going looking like that right?" Rohit laughed.

"Rohit! How mean!" Sheila exclaimed, hitting his arm.

----

Hi! THANK YOU ALL for sticking with me for the year and a half that I was awful and didn't update! Y'all are the best! I have a month off school in December so I plan to update A LOT. Hopefully, we can get Rohit and Sanjana's love story moving along.

On a side note, Rohit is NOT going to cheat with Radhika or anyone.  This story won't be about Rohit's infidelity. It's about Sanjana and what she's gone through and how she's going to overcome her past. There's going to be moments when Radhika is going to try to sway Rohit, but that's not the central focus of the story.   

On another side note, Rohit and Sanjana are definitely going to get more intimate and very soon. Now that I'm older, I'm more comfortable writing about a normal married couple's life lol I mean it's not gonna get hot and steamy or X-Rated haha but yeah more intimacy coming soon.  Also, there will be some scenes that may require trigger warnings.  I'll provide trigger warnings at the beginning of those chapters. 

OKAY THANKS FOR READING!!! Please comment and vote so I know you still love me.