In this moment
He just wanted to be
In this soft, sweet, wild, burning
Existence of her.

Song of the chapter -

***

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" I jump up with wide eyes, all my sleep vanishing in a second.

When I see blood in his inner lip, I lose my shit.

"OH MY GOD" I slap my forehead and grab his face with both hands to look closely.

He's never letting me sleep beside him again pakka.

"That's a great way to say good morning" he says sucking on his bottom lip.

I get distracted by that completely.

Focus!

"I'm so sorry".

"It's fine bass thoda khoon hai" he says placing his hands on mine that are still holding his face.

"No! I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry" I say sincerely. "Rule number one of being friends with me - you never ever tickle me. Never ever never. It will always end up in violence like this".

"I'll remember it the next time" he presses his lips together. "Tum mujhe itne ajeeb tariko se uthaati ho toh maine socha-"

He stops when I touch his lower lip gently. "I'm really really very sorry" I say and gulp.

"It's okay Shravni. I'm-" he clears his throat "-okay".

"Pakka?"

"Pakka".

I give him a small smile and he smiles back.

He shifts a little uncomfortably and that's when I realise that I'm on top of him. Straddling him.

Straddling him.

Straddling him!

Holy shit!

I quickly get off him and run inside the bathroom.

That was awkward. Very very awkward. I take deep breaths.

It's fine Avni. He's your husband.

I keep telling that to myself the whole time I get ready.

I go outside wearing one of the new kurtis and just when I remove the towel from around my wet hair, Hriday enters.

My breath hitches. He's standing there in his post workout glory and boy does he look.. sexy.

"You look.. sticky" I lie, crunching up my nose.

His lips move a millimetre upwards which in Hriday's dictionary is called a smile. That gesture is enough to make my day. I love it when he smiles.

"You look gorgeous" he says.

More than me, he seems shocked that those words left his mouth but he covers it up smoothly as always and goes inside the bathroom.

I breathe out. What the hell is happening between the two of us?

***

"Shravni tum bahot kam khaati ho. It's annoying" he says looking at my plate.

"Aap mujhe bahot jyada serve karte ho. It's annoying" I retort.

It's true. Chaar idli plus a big bowl of mixed fruits and a huge ass glass of milk.

"That's the appropriate amount of breakfast one should have" he glares at me.

"Yes. If that one is a bhains" I roll my eyes.

"Tum kabhi meri baat maanogi?"

"But I'm full!" I whine like a kid.

"Drink that whole glass of milk. Stop behaving like a kid. Bournvita wala dudh laane bolu?" He asks, picking up his newspaper and reading it so that it covers his face.

He's definitely hiding his laugh.

I finish the glass in one go and keep it with a thud.

"Okay now?" I ask.

He keeps away the newspaper and looks at me like he can't quite understand what to do with me.

He leans ahead and swabs his finger across my upper lip.

My heartbeat picks up.

"Okay now" he says.

My heartbeat stops.

"Thanks" I mutter under my breath and get up to follow him.

Our luggage has already been transferred to our car. We're really behind our schedule because we overslept.

Inka toh samajh me aata hai but mai? I've never overslept in my life. Mujhe chaar ghante ki neend naseeb ho vohi badi baat hai aur aaj..

It's not because Hriday was beside me. It's lame and stupid to even think about anything like that.

Fir bhi you're thinking about it.

Shit I really need to be careful around him.

"Yaha se kitni der?" I ask once I get in the car.

"Maximum two hours" he says putting on his seat belt.

"Aaj aapka mood hai chalane ka?" I smile at him when he starts the car.

"Mumbai me chalana pasand nahi because of the traffic. Warna driving mujhe pasand hai" he says.

We hit the road and I can sense that he's in a good mood. Iska pura faayda toh uthana hi padega.

"Aur kya pasand hai aapko" I ask.

He looks at me briefly and then his eyes go back on the road. He doesn't say anything for a few minutes and when I think that he won't answer, he starts talking.

"I like horse riding".

That's completely unexpected and I smile widely when those words leave his mouth.

"Really? Wow! Mai kabhi ghode pe baithi nahi" I tell him.

"I'll teach you some day" he says and I grin.

I look at him from head to toe. Horse riding. Kitne achhe lagenge ye ghode pe.

Like a prince. A very handsome, muscular prince.

"What do you like?" He asks and I slap my inner self. Thoughts ko kaabu me rakho!

I look down at my fingers. Should I tell him about my diary? For some reason I stop myself from doing that.

"Baking" I answer.

He rolls his eyes. "Of course I know that. But what else?"

"Mere life me kuch jyada hai nahi. I'm a boring person. My life is boring".

He doesn't presses me further and we remain quiet for a long time.

I look out the window at the clear blue sky above and breathe in the fresh air. I look at the clouds and one of them catches my attention. It kinda looks like a heart shape.

"I like clouds. I like the different shapes they make" I close my eyes as all the things that make me happy flash in my inner eye.

"And... I like new movies, new books. Old movies, old books. I like lilies. Nice smelling candles too. Sunrises, sunsets".

"I like trampolines" I chuckle. "Trampolines and swings and amusement parks. I like people with positive vibes. And mujhe bright scarves bhi pasand hai. Bahot. I like conversations at 3 am. And I like the stars".

"I like big old trees" I lean back in my seat and look up with a smile. "You know jinhe dekh ke aise lagta hai ke ye bahot mushkilo ka saamna kar chuke hai fir bhi datt ke khade hai aaj bhi. I like listening to songs jo hume apne bachpan ki yaad dilaate hai. Songs jinke lyrics dil ko chhu jaate hai".

"Mujhe chhote chhote achievements se khushi milti hai. Jaise time pe uthna, bus miss nahi karna. Cake ki icing perfectly karna. I like the smell of freshly baked bread. I like the smell of babies. Johnson's baby wala jo smell hota hai na unka vo. I like the sound of laughter, the sound of the rain, the sound of the waves, the sound of the trees rustling on a windy day, the sound that bangles make when they clink against each other. I like wrapping presents. I also like dosa with chicken gravy. Aapko kabhi try karna chahiye it's amazing".

"I like it how you always drive with the windows down, and how the wind ruffles my hair when you do that. I like binge watching TV series. I like movies. I already said that right? But I really love movies. Movies that make me laugh, movies that make me cry. And I like people who are passionate about things. Mujhe humare family dinners pasand hai. Daada daadi ke jawaani ke kisse sunna pasand hai. And I like it how you can't say no to daadi and are so loyal to your family."

I look at Hriday and he's already staring at me with an emotion that I'm not able to describe. I also realise that he has stopped the car on the side of the road.

When did he do that?

"I like days like these. Moments like these. I like now".

We stare at each other for I don't know how long. The golden in his brown eyes swirling me into depths. Depths that I know can easily drown me. My stupid self doesn't seem to mind.

His hand reaches and takes hold of my hand. It's rough and masculine and so warm against my cold one.

Goosebumps rise on my skin.

"Shravni-" he seems at a loss for words.

He then entwines are fingers and bows his head. I hold my breath not knowing what he's about to do. My hand tightens around his fingers.

He kisses each of my knuckle at a deliciously slow pace. The touch of his lips sparks a fire through my whole body.

The only thing that scares me is that it doesn't seem awkward. It seems.. perfect. Our hands entwined like that, the touch of his lips, the goosebumps on my skin, everything seems perfect.

I take in a deep breath and grasp my dupatta tightly with my other hand as I feel all kinds of sensations hit me all at once.

I've never felt anything like this before. I've never talked to anyone like this before. Not even Ekansh.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have.. kissed you like that" he says and my eyes snap back at him. He genuinely looks guilty.

He is about to pull his hand back but I tighten my fingers around it.

"Hriday, aap mere pati ho" I tell him and he closes his eyes for a few moments and opens them again.

"Tumne aaj pehli baar mera naam liya hai" he tells me.

I frown. I didn't even realise it. "I'm sorry I-"

"Shravni, tum meri patni ho" he says and I smile. Shyly.

"Stop being a smartass".

"Being? I am a smartass".

"Shut up and drive now" I say suppressing my grin and pulling my hand back.

"Subah uthte hi you kick me and then say things like these. Tum na.. tum ek dhamaaka ho" he says and I laugh loudly.

"Dhamaaka? Seriously?"

He shrugs and puts on his shades as sunlight kisses his face.

I like this side of Hriday. A lot.

In that long list of likes, there's an addition - You, Hriday Rajput.

"By the way" he adds. "I like dhamaakas".

***

Sorry for the late update. I'm just really tired nowadays. Also, I've left the song of the chapter part empty because I want you guys to suggest the songs which you think are suitable for this chapter after you're done reading the part. Comment on that paragraph itself so that other people who like it can reply. And then when I complete the book, I'll add the one I think fits perfectly. Happy reading.. ily :)