Sanvika looked at Vivaan lying on the couch. She felt insulted. Awkward. Perplexed. But more than anything, hurt. This was her wedding night. She always had dreams about her wedding night with Vivaan and her imaginations did not go like this.

Her eyes threatened to spill tears. So she cleared her throat and looked away.

"Hm... You are kind of taking things too far, you know." She said looking back at him. "I mean... It's just me. We have slept on one bed even we were just friends. Then what is the big deal in sleeping on the same bed now?"

Vivaan did not reply.

Now tears really began to come. She wiped them away. "Vivaan..." she called.

"I am sorry," He whispered, not looking at her. "Give me some time. Some days... I will tell you everything."

"Everything? What everything?" She asked.

"Just.... Things."

"What do you mean...?"

He stayed silent.

"Vivaan..."

"Go to sleep, Vicky."

"Why did you marry me if things were going to be like this?" She asked.

Silence.

"Asshole..." She threw the remaining pillow at him. It hit him and fell to the floor. She got up from the bed in anger.

"I am not sleeping in this lehenga." She said. Her luggage was still in the suitcase she bought from home. She did not want to unpack it right now, so she kicked it in frustration.

"There will be my t-shirts and pants in the wardrobe," Vivaan said, still not looking at her. Sanvika walked over to Vivaan's wardrobe. And took out a yellow t-shirt. She took a look at Vivaan. "I am taking my clothes off." She told him. She could see that he was affected. His body went stiff. It felt as if he was holding his breath. Sanvika gave a triumphant smile and she began to take off her jewellery first.

"I am untying my blouse." She called over to him.

Vivaan bit onto his lips. Then he could hear her heavy skirt fall to the ground. He was tempted to turn around and look at his bride. His heart strained for it. But he could not think of intimacy with her when he had such a big secret from her. When he knew he was keeping Taylor's death from her. When he knew, one day this world and the truth will shatter her. He was not ready to see her cry in guilt. She was barely over the death of her father. Not now. Not yet.... He was not sure if he will ever be ready to tell her.

Sanvika's father wanted him to tell his daughter the truth when he felt the time is right. He also wanted Vivaan to make sure that Sanvika handles herself after she knows the truth. By being her husband, he was to support her, help her recover from the shock and guilt and make sure of her happiness. And that is why Mukesh wanted to entrust Sanvika to Vivaan.

But Vivaan had not yet decided whether to tell Sanvika the truth about Taylor or not. Honestly, he had no idea what to do. He was not ready, he knew that. He also had thoughts like she never needs to find out. If she goes back to her life in Goa, she can be spared of the truth. She need not suffer through the guilt.

Sanvika changed into Vivaan's yellow t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts and got back into the bed. Vivaan could hear her sobs in a while. She was crying a lot ever since her father died. But he felt terrible to be making her cry on her wedding night.

He got up and got into the bed with her, and spooned her from behind. She turned around to face him. "I miss papa." She whispered to him.

"I know, Sweets." He said back. "He will be in a better place now."

Sanvika nodded.

Sanvika cuddled closer to Vivaan and Vivaan softly patted her head. She was tired after the ceremony. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

But the next morning when Sanvika woke up, she was alone in the bed. Vivaan was sleeping on the couch.

========

"It is not as good as the one in Goa," Tariq said looking around the new Restaurant space. "So closed up." He looked around at the walls. "Though it is nice that we still have a view of the ocean." The perfect square space on the 10th floor of a building in Juhu had windows facing the ocean. The place was dimly lit at night and had a very luxurious feel to it. "There is no homely feel." Tariq complained, "You know what I mean. Goa one had a homely feel. A kind of light attitude and was very informal."

"Then you go and run the restaurant at Goa," Astrid rolled her eyes. "Ugh! San, what will be the menu? I may need an assistant or two if I need to cook for so many tables."

"What? You are not going to cook." Tariq snapped at her. "Look at your state. I am not letting our baby near the fire. You can't cook until the baby comes out. Wait even when the baby is out, someone needs to take care of the baby. Both of us cannot work at the same time." He looked at Sanvika for a solution to their problem.

"I was thinking of hiring a new chef for now." She said. "I also figured it would be best if Astrid does not cook in her final months. She can take maternity leave. But I was counting on you Tariq bhai, to help me with the opening and stuff."

"Sure," He said.

"I really want to help out too," Astrid said.

"Yes, you can," Sanvika said. "But not by cooking in the hot and sweaty kitchen, standing for hours." Astrid scowled.

"By the way, San... What about Yashwanth? Is he continuing?"

"No. How can I make him work here? The kid is only seventeen." This was Sanvika's worry. Yashwanth was not there with them that day and she did not know how to break the news to him, or what to do with him. "I wish he can go back to school and finish it."

"He probably won't do that," Tariq said. "he would have to start from class 8, and I don't think he is so much interested in studying."

Sanvika looked down in worry. She seriously had no idea what to do with Yashwanth. Her conscience would not allow her to make a seventeen-year-old work as a full-time waiter in her restaurant.

That night Sanvika was sitting on the bed, looking through the bills from the restaurant renovation and tallying them, calculating the total expense. For now, she had accepted her mother's monitory help. But she planned to pay her back when she start earning from the restaurant.

Vivaan walked out of the bathroom, wearing just pants, without a t-shirt. He was drying his wet hair. Sanvika looked up at him. Her eyes scanned his body, his toned muscles and perfect abs. She bit her lips, suppressing an urge to touch them.

Vivaan noticed her looking. "What are you looking at? It's not like you are seeing me without a shirt for the first time." Yes. It was not. She has seen him at beaches, and when she accidentally walked on him in the mornings. And a few other times when he was casual enough to walk around half-naked in front of her.

"Yeah. But that was before." She said.

"Before?"

"Yeah. Before. We have a before and after now, right?" She asked, a bit spitefully. "well according to you at least."

He gave her an expression which she could not understand. Vivaan sighed and turned around to his wardrobe and started putting on a t-shirt. "I need room in your wardrobe to put my clothes," Sanvika said behind him. Her luggage was still not unpacked.

Vivaan pushed aside a few of his clothes casually and made room. "Here," he said.

"I need more room than that." She got up from the bed and went to the wardrobe. "And you can't just push things aside. Do it properly... Come on, help me." She began to rearrange his clothes. He helped with that having no choice.

"How was your day?" Sanvika asked as they were arranging the clothes.

Vivaan shrugged. "Normal. But why are you asking such a formal question?"

"Isn't that how married couples should behave? Ask how was your day etc..."

Vivaan made a cringing face.

"Though a married couple should be doing a lot more than that," Sanvika said.

"Like?"

"Like sex."

Vivaan avoided her eyes.

"So the question is... why are we not? Doing it, I mean..." Sanvika asked, blushing too much. "Normally we should now be trashing around all over the place. But you seem uninterested to touch me."

Vivaan looked uncomfortable and he looked away. "Sorry," he said.

"Why though?" Now Sanvika's voice contained hurt. "Do you really not feel anything for me anymore?"

"That is not it." He said meeting her eyes. "But... I can't force it, right? I am just not feeling it right now. Things are not right. The timing is messed up and... your dad just died and there are other things."

"What other things?"

"I will tell you later. But what is the hurry? We need not do it immediately like a task. Honestly, I don't feel it right now."

Sanvika felt annoyed and upset inside, but she did not express it. She just finished arranging her clothes in the wardrobe. She stood back and assessed her work. The left half of the wardrobe had Vivaan's things and the right side had Sanvika's. "Weird." She mumbled.

"What?"

"This actually feels like we are married and stuff. Having the same wardrobe and room etc... Sharing space." She indicated the room. Vivaan did not deny that and looked around. He was also feeling that same emotion. "I am going to take a bath," Sanvika said, taking her towel.

Vivaan went to his desk to do a bit of work. Sanvika scanned through her clothes and found something that brought a playfully evil smile to her lips. She took them up and went to the bathroom.

Vivaan was just about to finish his work when Sanvika walked out of the washroom, drying her hair. She was wearing a low cut tight tank top and the shortest pair of cotton shorts. She left the towel on a chair, and sprawled on the bed, on her stomach, facing Vivaan. "Can you hand me that magazine?" She asked. Vivaan turned to her. He had a clear view of her cleavage.... Creamy, perfectly shaped boobs. Her shorts had ridden up and had the curve of her bums outside. Moreover, Sanvika was playing with the wedding chain around her neck, as if stressing the fact that she is his bride.

Vivaan gulped. He quickly looked away and held out the magazine for her.

Sanvika was disappointed. She took the magazine and lay down on the bed reading. She played with the drawstring of her shorts and softly pushed her top up exposing her stomach... She continued to play with the drawstrings, casually.

"Can you please not do that?" Vivaan asked suddenly.

"Do what?"

"That..." he pointed at her hand playing with the drawstring. "And cover yourself properly."

"Isn't this my room too? Can't I even be free and comfortable in my own room?"

Vivaan got up, took the blanket and threw it over her body. Sanvika quickly sat up, making the blanket fall away from her. Vivaan took the blanket again and wrapped it around her.

"You know what this means, right?" She asked Vivaan smartly, looking into his eyes. "What are you so scared of, Vivaan?"

His eyes travelled to her lips, her exposed neck, her cleavage... He edged closer, unable to resist himself. She smelled amazing after the bath. He hardly could control himself. He craved to touch her soft skin, move his lips over it. Taste her....

His lips touched her neck. Sanvika held her breath. But Vivaan stopped, he hesitated. So Sanvika moved closer to him. "Vivaan," She called him in a tone that she had never before called him in. Vivaan was losing it. Every cell in his body wanted her now. He tilted his head to the nape of her neck.

"Vicky," he whispered.

Her hands clutched his shoulder, trying to pull him in... Vivaan's fingers clutched the shoulder part of Sanvika's tank top and pulled it down as his lips devoured her shoulder. He breathed her in. His hands clutched her waist, his thumbs over her exposed skin... he was already hard. She was already wet.

"Viv-an..." Sanvika managed to say, "Please..." He was going too slow for her.

But Vivaan was still struggling inside. His head rested on her shoulder, facing her neck... And he sighed. Sanvika realised that he has stopped. He is not going to continue. She opened her eyes and looked down at him. She wanted to ask what is wrong. But she did not. Her eyes began to fill up. She struggled to blink her tears away.

Vivaan moved a finger over her naval, softly in circles. 

He lifted his head and looked at her after a while. There were tears in his eyes. Sanvika could read a thousand emotions in his eyes. She softly lifted her hand and wiped the tears from his eyes. They did not need words. She understood there is some deep reason that he is struggling with. She was ready to wait for him. She loved him that much. And in his eyes, she could see that he loved her so much more.

She placed a hand on his cheek and gently kissed his lips. Vivaan closed his eyes.

Sanvika drew back. "I will wait," she whispered.

Vivaan nodded, with tears still filling his eyes.

"Love you," Sanvika whispered.

Vivaan nodded, unable to confess his feelings at that moment.

Sanvika took the blanket, covered herself and lay down on the bed. Vivaan got up, took the pillow and went to the couch. He needed to tell her the truth soon. He could not carry the weight of that secret anymore. But he was not sure how the truth will change their relationship. And he was scared.