Raavi typed away furiously on her laptop, drafting an email about the obvious error in the project on their part, costing her a major setback, while simultaneously making a presentation for her finals, worth 50% of her grade.

She looked everywhere for the pendrive that had the blueprint of her ideas, but it was nowhere to be found.

"Kaha jaa sakta hai?!" Raavi worriedly upturned the bedsheet, pillows and everything in her room, until it struck her.

Oh shit. Pendrive toh Shiva ke paas hai.

She reached for her phone, and called Shiva, but he didn't pick up even after 3 tries. So she called Shashank, who also didn't pick up. Frustrated, she called Gaurav, who picked up on the second ring.

"Kasam se agar tu phone nahi uthata, toh mai tum teeno ka khoon kar deti!" Raavi exclaimed over the phone.

"Uthaya na phone? Kya kaam tha?" Gaurav yelled over the loud music of the club, their recent destination for boys' night.

"Tum log kaha ho?"

"Kya? Ek second-"

"Tum log KAHA HO!" Raavi yelled over the phone, thankfully hearing him step away from the music.

"Hum Crystal Club mein hai. Kyu?"

"Mera pendrive Shiva ke wallet mein reh gaya hoga. I need it immediately. Address bhejo na jagah ka, please." She explained, and Gaurav complied, as she took her scooter down to the club.

The loud music and flashy lights hit her square in the eye, taking a few seconds to adjust as she waded through the crowd, looking for the boys.

She spotted Gaurav at the far corner, and walked over to him in hopes of finding Shiva. But instead, she found him handling a very drunk Shashank, who was now giggling about goldfish crackers.

"Isko kya ho gaya?" Raavi asked, and Gaurav shook his head.

"Pata nahi. Iss idiot ki capacity 6 se 1 kab ho gayi, pata hi nahi chala." He said, holding Shashank and resting him against the sofa.

"Shiva kaha hai? Tumhare saath nahi tha?" Raavi looked around, and Gaurav shrugged.

"Idhar hi hoga, kaha jaayega."

Raavi waded through the crowd again, the dark atmosphere and sudden dim lights making it even more difficult.

After a few minutes of struggling amongst the slightly tipsy people, Raavi spotted Shiva across the room, on the sofas opposite to Gaurav and she hurriedly walked over there.

To say that she was a witness to something despicable would be an understatement, and it pulled the rug out from under her feet.

There she was, a face she wished she could punch until it turned blue, a face that went by the name of Malvika, fawning and throwing herself over Shiva, who was stumbling and trying to push her away, albeit not appearing to be in his senses.

Raavi was shocked, and she didn't know how to feel about this, about what she was seeing. But she decided to take Shiva home and figure out what was going on.

She marched towards them, and wedged herself between Shiva and Malvika, turning towards Shiva.

"Shiva?"

Raavi cupped his face, and he definitely did not look like he was in his senses. Shiva's eyes were bloodshot red, and he was much more silent than usual.

He looked drunk, but he didn't smell of any alcohol, and Raavi knew that Shiva was responsible enough to not drink uncontrollably, to the point that he would lose his balance.

"Isko...." He pointed at Malvika, losing his footing momentarily as Raavi caught him and helped him up, "Isko mujhse door rehne bolo."

Raavi was absolutely sure that something was wrong, and turned towards Malvika, who was grinning and smirking like a Cheshire cat.

"Kya kiya tumne, Malvika?" She was at her wits, as Malvika feigned innocence.

"Maine kya kiya?"

"Don't you DARE lie to ME!" Raavi pointed a finger at her face, as Shiva continuously asked Raavi to keep that witch away from him.

"Nothing much." Malvika pursed her lips, blowing on her nails, "Just mixed a little something in his drink when he wasn't looking. Warna ye mujhe attention dene ka naam bhi nahi le raha tha."

"Bada dheet ladka hai. Pehla drink uska woh dost pi gaya, dusra drink haath se gir gaya. Teesre drink pe baazi palti."

Raavi's heart dropped, as she realised that this witch had drugged Shiva, with the intention of doing very wrong things under the pretext of 'influence of alcohol'

"Sharam nahi aati tumhe? Ladki hoke ye sab karte hue? Drugging someone with the intention of- Disgusting!" Raavi yelled, her anger rising within her, and Malvika laughed.

"Tch. Nahi aati na sharam. And I won't feel an ounce of shame even if you walk away from here without him. I still would have him to myself-"

The music zipped to a stop, and the crowd "oh-ed", a loud shriek echoing through the room as Malvika fell to the ground, clutching her nose as Raavi punched her square in the face.

"That's for trying to take advantage of Shiva," Raavi seethe, grabbing her hair and punching her jaw, "That's for being a shameless b*tch about it,"

She shoved her hard and let her fall to the ground, throwing her handbag on her face, "And that's for not understanding the meaning of 'no' "

The crowd stepped back, as Raavi looked on angrily, pulling Shiva up as Gaurav made his way to the front with Shashank.

"Kya maar khaaya uss aurat ne." Gaurav gulped, fearing his own life as Raavi supported Shiva.

"Tune pi hai?"

"Nahi. Aaj nahi."

"Toh ghar chalein, please? Mai isse akele nahi leke jaa paungi scooter pe." Raavi calmed down, as Gaurav got a hold of Shashank and walked to the entrance, seating them both in the car as Raavi got on her scooter and told him to bring them safely home.

.....

Raavi put Shiva's arm around her shoulders, and stumbled into the room, settling him on the bed.

"Maine kitna kaha woh ladki ko," Shiva slurred, "ki mujhse door rahe. Chadh hi gayi."

Raavi wiped the sweat off his face with her sleeve, and fixed his hair the way he liked it. "I know. It's okay. Mai aa gayi na. Fikar mat kar, okay?"

She sat down and took off his shoes, moving to unbutton his shirt, when Shiva held her hands and stood up.

"Kya kar rahi ho? Meri ek chipkali hai, mujhe koi interest nahi aap mein. Meri Raavi tumhe kachcha chaba jaayegi." 

"Shiva, shirt utaar rahi hoon. Garmi lagegi tujhe." Raavi looked over his blabber, but he didn't let go of her hands.

"Aap kaun ho, didi?"

Raavi gaped at Shiva, who was squinting at her face as if he didn't recognise her at all, and on top of everything, calling her didi. She tapped his cheeks a few times harshly to bring him to his senses,

"Shiva, mai hoon. Raavi."

Shiva blinked a few times, poked her cheek, before he broke out into a huge smile. "Chipkaliiiii! Tu aa gayi? Tu kab aayi?"

"Mai ghar laayi hoon tujhe, Shiva." She made his sit down, and moved to take off his shirt, to which he complied now.

"Accha kiya. Waha woh ladki.....mai kya keh raha tha?" He trailed off, trying to grasp at his train of thoughts.

"Tu yeh keh raha tha ki tujhe neend aa rahi hai. Paani peeke so jaa." Raavi sighed, reaching for the bottle of water, and he nudged her hand away, until he allowed her to feed him a few sips.

"Chipkali." Shiva pulled her onto his lap, caressing her face, "Tu mera kitna khayal rakhti hai. Thank you. I love you."

Raavi fixed his hair again, before smiling softly at him. "I love you, too. Ab so jaa."

"Tu humare baccho ka bhi aise hi dhyaan rakhegi. Mujhe pata hai."

She looked on, amused at his train of thoughts; either lost or on a whole different track.

They had hardly spoken about kids or even marriage. Raavi was very clear on her stance, and Shiva had been very vague about his thoughts, seemingly holding back. But they were sure about spending their lives together. There was so much more to talk about, and this was not the time, certainly not when Shiva was high.

"Accha?"

"Haa. Tu jaise sabka dhyaan rakhti hai, mai bhi rakhunga, jab tu gol-matol ho jaayegi." He smiled goofily, hugging her and resting his head against her chest, and Raavi stiffened.

Pregnancy? Raavi had never wanted to go through it, for a reason her Maasi called 'immature', and always chided Raavi about her views on adoption. Knowing that Shiva expected this in their future, she didn't know what to do.

"Meri na," Shiva went on, "humesha si iccha thi. Jab meri biwi ke pet mein humare chota sa baccha hoga, toh mai usse woh saara pyaar du, jiske woh laayak hai, uski saari tantrums jhelu." He paused, closing his eyes for a few seconds,

"Raat ko 3 baje chatpata khaane ki craving, golu pet ko leke kapdo mein fit na hone ki tension, neend na aane par gale laga sone ki wish, pair sooj jaane par maalish. Sab."

"Kyunki jab mai humare bacche ko godh mein lunga na, it will be so worth it." Shiva whispered, looking up at her, and Raavi felt her heart sinking.

"Shiva-"

"I know, Raavi. I know." He waved his hand around, dismissing what she was going to say. "Tujhe bacche adopt karne hai, pregnancy mein interest nahi hai. Mujhe sab pata hai. But it's okay. Mai tujhe kabhi force nahi karunga." Shiva gave her a lopsided smile, a little smaller than before.

"Bas ek iccha thi, doesn't mean wish puri honi chahiye. Family se matlab hai, kaise aaye, usse nahi. Thoda mai compromise kar lunga, thoda tu adjust kar lena. 50-50?" He offered, and Raavi kissed his cheek.

"Okay." She complied, a weird feeling settling in her chest as she heard Shiva speak about the future he imagined for himself.

It soon occurred to Raavi, that she had always kept her point upfront, but she had never known what Shiva actually felt. He always seemed to hold back his thoughts, and she realised why.

Because it wasn't on the same wavelength as hers, and he was ready to compromise on his dreams, without ever asking her or even requesting her to compromise on hers.

"Shiva, tu abhi so jaa, okay?" Raavi helped him lie down and pulled the covers over him, his fingers going around her wrist as his eyelids got heavy.

"Chipkali."

"Haa?

"I love you. And I'll love our little baby. I want 1, okay?" Shiva murmured, letting his drowsiness take over.

"Goodnight, Shiva." Raavi kissed his forehead, thinking about what sunrise would bring.

......

Shiva woke up to blinding lights and a searing headache. He sat up straight, holding his head and massaging his temple, in the hopes that the loud throbbing in his ears would go away.

"Raavi!" Shiva called out, hoping she'd hear him, "Raavi, please koi dawa laa de. Sarr fatt raha hai."

A few seconds later, Raavi entered the room, with a glass of lemon juice and an empty tray.

"Drink this. Shashank ko bhi deke aayi hoon, sarr dard kam ho jaayega." She said, handing over the glass to him as he sipped from it.

"Kya hua tha kal? Mujhe kuch yaad nahi aur mera sarr dard se fatt jaayega." Shiva groaned, registering Raavi's blank expressions.

"Nothing. Malvika drugged you in hopes of....you know. So I punched her. Thrice."

Shiva gaped at Raavi, secretly very impressed at his phoolkumari. "You did WHAT? And WHO?!"

"Haa. You kept pushing her away, and she didn't understand no. So I punched her and brought you home."

"And then?" Shiva asked, watching Raavi's expressions turn grim.

"Did.... Did I do something stupid?" He asked worriedly, and Raavi nodded her head.

Shiva's heart stopped, and by her expressions, it seemed like he had crossed a line last night with her.

"Oh my god. Chipkali, I'm sorry." Shiva apologised, the panic clearly visible on his face, and Raavi frowned in confusion, "Mai aisa nahi hoon, you know that. Mai tujhe kabhi force nahi karta, that couldn't have been me. I would never EVER try to force myself on you-"

"Shiva!" Raavi put her hands on his shoulders to calm him down, "Tu jaisa soch raha hai waisa kuch nahi hai. I'm sorry, I was just joking! You didn't do anything stupid!"

She placed her hands on his cheeks, settling herself into his lap, and he sighed in relief. Had he crossed that line, she wouldn't have been here in front of him.

"But you did say something last night."

He cocked his head to the side, and Raavi broke out into a smile as she narrated his words, "Something about wanting to take care of your gol-matol pregnant wife, catering to her tantrums, wanting to see me gol-matol and take care of me like I take care of everyone. You know..."

She bit her lip and snickered, as she watched Shiva hide his face in his hands from embarrassment, shying away.

"I said that?"

"You did." Raavi smiled, quickly settling into a neutral expression, "But Shiva-"

"I know." Shiva sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Mujhe pata hai tujhe aise apna family nahi banana hai. You were very clear from day 1. And that's alright, darling. That's your choice, and I respect that. But I just hope you respect mine."

"Let me speak?" She softly said, and Shiva nodded, letting her continue.

"It's true, I didn't want that earlier." Raavi fidgeted with her fingers around his neck, "But I have a reason for that."

"Kahi baar, I've seen women lose their husbands to other women, or to the patriarchy of the society when they're pregnant." She began, and Shiva listened on intently, "Kabhi pati chod deta hai, uski taraf nahi dekhta, ya phir biwi ka khayal nahi rakhta aur baccha hone ke baad help bhi nahi karta. It scared me."

"Scared me because, I have don't exactly have a proper family. Aur jiske saath mujhe family banani hai, woh mera aur humare baby ka dhyaan nahi rakhega, ya hume chod dega kisi aur ke liye, toh akele pad jaayenge. Mai pad jaaungi. All over again." Raavi looked at Shiva, and knew he understood her view point.

Shiva watched as Raavi paused, trying to formulate her words, and he understood where she came from. Honestly, the girl only truly had 2 people she could call family, and her fears were truly justified. In the last 2 years, Shiva realised why she was scared of being alone or getting hurt. She wouldn't have a home to go to. And she always called him, her home.

"But," Raavi smiled softly at Shiva, "I've realised, agar tum sahi insaan ko chuno, you will never miss out on the beautiful moments. Maasi kehti thi, 'pregnancy is a beautiful experience', and I understand why she said so."

Raavi cupped Shiva's face, stroking his cheek and fixing the tiny hairs that fell across his forehead, "I've always loved the idea of adopting a baby. I've always, ALWAYS wanted to adopted a baby, and I'm never letting go of that."

"But I guess," She smiled, booping his nose, "having a little ball of sunshine with you would be just as beautiful."

Warmth spread within his chest, as he realised what she was implying, and for a few seconds, it filled him with a certain joy that he couldn't explain, which dissolved quite quickly as he registered the sequence of events.

"Chipkali," Shiva said, in a serious tone, "You don't have to agree for my sake. Tu mujhe mana bhi kar sakti hai, I won't feel as bad as I would, agar tu apne aap ko iss position pe daale, where you're uncomfortable."

"I'm not saying this for you." Raavi swiped at his eyes tenderly, "I'm saying this for us."

"I want everything that you said. I want someone to bear my tantrums, and give in to my weird cravings. I want someone to tell me I look beautiful, when I look like a fat teddy. I want to hold my baby and tell him, or her, that I have no regrets of having them with their papa."

"I want everything that you said." Raavi repeated, hugging Shiva. "I want a life with you."

Shiva chuckled, hugging her back, resting his cheek against her shoulder, just happy that they had equal respect for each other's choices and decisions, even more content that they were having this discussion.

"Thoda mai compromise kar lungi, thoda tu adjust kar lena. I offer you a deal." Raavi offered, and Shiva looked on interestingly.

"And what would that be?"

"See," She began to explain, "you want 1 baby and I want 4-"

"4 BABIES?!"

"Chup." Raavi put a finger in his mouth, shushing him before continuing, "I want 4 babies and you want 1, so we'll meet halfway and have 2.5 babies. Na tera, na mera."

"2.5? Abhi tak maths nahi seekha? Aadha baccha kaise karegi?" Shiva rolled his eyes, and Raavi clicked her tongue.

"We'll have 1 baby, we'll adopt 1 baby, and then shelter a puppy. 2.5 babies. Deal?" Raavi smiled wide, seeing very proud of the idea she posed.

"Aur hum kaise decide karenge kaunsa baby pehle aayega?" Shiva asked, amused at her thoughts.

"We'll leave that up to the universe." She smiled, and Shiva shook her hand.

"Okay. Deal."

Shiva chuckled, leaning in for a kiss, when Raavi stopped him.

"Agar tujhe lagta hai ki mai tujhe brush kiye bina kiss dungi, toh galat lagta hai. Go brush, dirty goose."

Shiva rolled his eyes, as she moved to get up, and he snaked his arms around her, pulling her close and tickling her.

"Shiva-NO!" Raavi laughed, dodging his tickles, "Gudgudi hoti hai chod! Mai nahi dungi kiss-SHIVA!"

"Chal chal, jaa raha hoon." Shiva grumbled, shifting her away from his lap and moving towards the bathroom, when she placed a palm on his cheek and pecked his nose.

"You'll be a great papa someday. I just know it!"

Shiva smiled, as he watched her walk away to fix up breakfast, and he was sure she'd be a great mumma to their rays of sunshine.

Someday.