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Mythili's POV -

After the rest of the rituals and the reception ceremony, I was so exhausted that all I could do was just think about going to bed.

" Maa I have to leave for San Francisco in an hour. There has been some issues with the acquisition papers and it is imperative for me to be there right now." Shivaay said as he made his way to where I was sitting with Malini Aunty, Anamika and Amrita. He had excused himself from me a while ago as his phone had gone off.

" Shivaay! Beta you both just got married. How can you leave like this? This is not fair for Mythili." Aunty gave me a sad look and an annoyed one to her son.

" No Aunty, please! It's work. Why will I mind at all?" I immediately intervened. I had no intention to hold him back from his work of life just because we got married. How on Earth could I possibly put another sort of pressure on him?

" Beta...." Aunty started to speak once again but I kept one hand on hers.

" Aunty, it's okay. I have you all, don't I?" I asked her, trying to stop her from stopping Shivaay.

" I will try to be back in two weeks." Shivaay first gave me a brief look before turning his head to aunty.

" Two weeks? Shivaay what is the meaning of this? You'll leave your newly wedded wife alone for two weeks?" She stood up, facing him.

" Bhai take Mythili with you, then!" Anamika suggested in an overly chirpy voice and I immediately stood up, a no coming out of me.

That's when all the eyes were on me.

" I....I mean to say that I can't go because of college. This semester is quite important. I cannot afford to miss two weeks." I lied. There was no chance that I was going to be alone with him for two weeks! He isn't supposed to be tied to me just because he is married.

" Mythili is right. It is her last year. Besides, I will be working all day for the next two weeks until the acquisition gets settled. She is better off here." He thankfully agreed with me and Malini aunty nodded reluctantly.

" Fine. I'll go home with both of you, perform the grah-pravesh ceremony and then immediately come back to wind up things here with Anamika and Nupur. Mythili, please make sure that your husband eats something before leaving because once he gets busy with work, even hunger isn't something that can distract him. He hasn't had dinner yet." Aunty said before we were leaving and I nodded, sitting in the car.

The car ride was him on calls while I rolled a bit of the window down to let cool air hit my face as I took a deep breath. Aunty had closed her eyes, resting. She worked a lot today. The roads were fairly empty so it didn't take us more than half an hour to reach home.

" Shivaay beta, if you don't stop talking over your phone in the next ten seconds, I will throw it away, no matter how expensive it is." She threatened him as we got down and this time, I couldn't stop myself from laughing when he actually told the person over call that he'll call him back in a while as Aunty went inside the house, instructing us to wait outside for a while.

" Having fun at my expense, are we Mythili?" I heard his voice and I bit my lip to stop as I looked at him, suppressing the stupid giggle.

" No Mr. Rathore. I was just....." I started but in all honesty, I had nothing to say to defend myself.

" You were just what Mrs. Rathore?" He asked and I froze while a thousand butterflies erupted in my stomach and I felt my eyes going wide and a gasp escaping out of me.

" Um...who?" The words foolishly slipped my tongue before I bit it and internally cringed at myself.

" I believe there is only one Mrs. Rathore here." His voice was different at this time, more playful than stoic and more approachable than intimidating.

Before I could tell him to call me Mythili, Malini aunty had made her way towards us with the Aarti thaali, the vessel of rice and red aalta for the grah-pravesh.

" Now both of you, come near the gate and stand next to each other." She instructed us and so we complied as she started with the small puja.

" Now Mythili, gently kick this kalash with your right foot and then place both your feet in this aalta plate before walking inside." She said and I gave her a nod, doing as she asked.

As I walked in, leaving red footmarks behind, we made way to the temple of the house where I put my handprints with the aalta and prayed.

" Once Shivaay is back from his work, we will do the rest of the rituals. Right now, I am going back to the hotel to look after the guests. Shivaay, I know you will succeed like you always do, but even if you don't, it is absolutely okay. Failures are a part of life." She then went on to talk to him and kissed his forehead.

" Not a part of mine, Mom. I will see this through." He replied to her and I couldn't help but call it arrogance inside my head. No one can be this sure of anything!

Aunty then left to go back and I walked to the kitchen to fix some dinner for Shivaay. Since I didn't have much time, I sorted some vegetables with salt and pepper along with fruits and his black coffee.

I was just setting it up on the dining table when I felt another presence in the room because for some reason, I always feel his presence even before I see him these days which is sort of weird.

" I didn't have the time to cook anything, so this is all." I told him as he took his seat and I started to serve him.

" Stop." He said and my hands did stop mid air with the serving spoon and looked at him quizzically.

" Is something wrong?" I asked, once again, looking at everything but found nothing to be wrong as such.

" You are not my servant Mythili. Now sit down. I can help myself." He asked of me.

" I know I am not but I don't mind doing this Mr. Rathore." I told him the truth.

" I do. Now sit down." He said, taking the serving spoon and bowl out of my hands as he got up and placed it back on the dining table before pulling the chair out for me.

I reluctantly sat down and he helped himself with food when the doorbell went off. How could aunty be back so soon already? I got up to attend the door but as I took one step towards the door, I found a gentle hold on my wrist, as soft as feather touches.

" I'll see." Shivaay said, leaving my hand and started to walk towards the door and I followed him.

He opened the door to find Nupur there.

" We forgot a few gifts for the guests at home only. Need to fetch them." She said, making her way inside and then going into aunty's bedroom. Shivaay went back to eating and I followed Nupur.

" Need some help?" I asked her.

" I totally forgot to wrap these gifts man! Help me with this?" She asked, busy in wrapping the first one.

" Give me. You go and take a quick nap. All of you have been working so much in the past few days." I took everything from her and started to wrap.

" I would have argued and offered to help but I am just useless right now." She said and lied down on the bed, closing her eyes. I couldn't help but smile.

It took me fifteen minutes to wrap everything and put them in a bag. That's when Nupur opened her eyes and threw herself out of the bed.

" You are an angel." She said, squeezing me for a hug and then leaving as I followed her out.

" Bye Shivaay Bhaiya! Have a safe journey." She called after him and then sat inside the car to leave.

I was just making my way inside when Shivaay walked out with his suitcase and his car was here too.

" I had a word with Maa and they will return back in a few hours. Lock the door from inside and Mythili, under no circumstances will you talk to your parents in my absence. They had thrown away the one last mask of love they used to wear for you in front of people. They don't care about their reputation regarding you anymore. If they try to approach you, you will straight away call me." He instructed me, taking a step closer.

" Okay." I replied meekly and he gave me a nod before leaving and I made my way back inside to my room.

" I cannot deal with this dress anymore." I spoke to no one in particular and picked out my night suit. Since I had the house to myself for a while, I could conveniently wear my most used, worn night suit without one ounce of stress.

I started to take off my hair jewellery and then when it came to taking the pins off, it must have at least taken me about an hour before finally going to bed.

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The next few weeks went by just like that. I did my peheli rasoi and Maa was so impressed that she gave me a beautiful emerald set but I gave it to her for safekeeping. Snowflake was growing so fast too.

I also started going to college again and even the annual fest went by which was a huge success. One more highlight was that Maa made me move to Shivaay's room, which meant that Snowflake had too. Shivaay was supposed to get back last week but work held him back again and I don't know why but I was extremely relieved of the fact and it had a lot to do with me moving into his room but now that he was coming soon because his work was finally done and he had acquired a freaking 1000 Crore Company and his work was completely done.

Mythili's Look -

" I should probably go back to my room." I muttered to myself while standing in the Balcony, thinking.

" This is your room." That voice rang in my ears and I shivered a little but I blame it on the chilly December weather!

I turned around to find Shivaay standing in front of me. His eyes were on me and his gaze was so penetrating that I couldn't keep up and looked down.

" I meant...now that you are b..back." I stuttered, getting extremely nervous and started to play with my fingers.

" A prerequisite of getting married is living together, is is not?" The side of his lips were slightly turned and in the tiniest of bits when I, once again, raised my eyes to look at him.

I refused to answer his question and looked away again.

" I'll go and get coffee for you." I said and tried to get away from his presence but as I walked past him, I couldn't move past a few steps because my dupatta was pulling me behind.

What?

I turned around to find it stuck with the button of Shivaay's coat.

" Sorry." I muttered and made my way back to him to detangle the cloth. I looked at him, expecting him to extend his hand towards me to let me take it off but nothing of that sort happened. Instead, he leaned back on the railing of the balcony and looked at me like I was fit to be a display in the museum with a proper smile on his face now.

" Y...your hand." I pointed when he refused to do what any normal person would in the situation.

" What are you nervous about?" He asked, catching me off guard.

" I am...I am not nervous about anything Mr. Rathore." I said, shaking my head and trying the hell to calm myself down.

" You will have to work more on your lying skills Mrs. Rathore. You haven't turned any better." He said as I was still waiting for him to lift his hand up.

" My name is Mythili." I murmured, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

" I am aware about that." He replied, with a teasing gaze and the smile now turning into a smirk.

" I need to go." I tried to tell him. I have planned to not stay around him when it is not required and bother him. He already had to marry me and I will not impose my presence around him. I will leave before he gets up and come back at night after he goes to bed.

He is free to live his life as he wishes to.

" What is going on in your head Mythili?" He asked, narrowing his eyes a bit at me as he finally lifted his hand for me to untangle the dupatta which I tried just as immediately.

" Nothing." I replied, finally accomplishing what I was trying.

" You start your internship from tomorrow. I want you to come to the office after your college." He said, getting serious before I left.

But interning with him will only mean that I will have to be around him all the time which is the one thing I am trying to avoid. How am I supposed to stay away from the boss at work? That is just not possible!

" Umm...I don't think I am going to intern at all." I told him, once again, fiddling with my fingers.

" Come again?" He raised an eyebrow and his face turned stoic once again.

" We can either do some research work or intern. I am planning to do the former." I told him honestly.

" Interning will help you gain practical experience which will polish your resume a lot more than Research work. Besides, with your potential, the company will only benefit. Not interning isn't an option for you Mythili. Yes, if you still wish you work on the Research, you are free too. It will be ensured that you are given a few hours in the day for that and you can use the company's resources of that purpose." He spoke up, his every word loud and clear but I had to oppose him this time.

" But I don't want to intern. I'd rather study." I averted my eyes from him so that he doesn't scan through the lie once again.

" You will study, but you will also intern." He wasn't leaving any grounds for further argument and before I could even say anything further, Snowflake walked in and immediately started to circle around him, demanding his attention.

" Is the cat living here too?" He asked, giving her a weird look which was somewhere in between annoyance and amusement.

" Yes. But I can move out with her if it bothers you. I really don't mind." I said, trying to control my kitten but when does she ever listen to me!

" No Mythili, none of this bothers me. What bothers me is that there is not one thing that you mind." His eyeballs were drilling holes on my face and as usual, I ignored them.

" I should go and help Maa." I excused myself and tried to take Snowflake with me but she blatantly refused, sitting near Shivaay's feet so I exited out of the balcony and then, the bedroom.

" Mythili....beta Shivaay's coffee is ready. Will you please take it up to him?" Maa asked, the moment I entered the Kitchen.

" I'll ask Anamika to take it and in the meantime, I will get the dinner ready and before you tell me to go and study, let me tell you that I already have and tomorrow is Saturday so I don't have college either." I took the knife from her hands and started to chop the onions after calling Anamika who took the coffee for her brother.

" Maa...you go and rest for a while or watch a movie! I will take care of dinner. What kind of mother-in-law are you? Your daughter-in-law is ready to work but you don't even let her!" I joked because this is one thing that always works on her and keeps her happy.

She gave me a smile and did as I asked and within forty-five minutes, I had got the dinner ready. Usually, we have cooks and help but today, Maa gave them an off since she wanted to cook for Shivaay herself but then she started to feel a bit week in the evening.

Anamika and Nupur set up the dining table. Maa was sitting with Shivaay in the living room and I made my way back to the bedroom to feed Snowflake so that she could to go bed.

" Here you go Sweety." I served in her bowl and she munched unto her dinner happily. Then she demanded some attention which I gave her a lot more willingly before she eventually got bored and went to sleep.

How am I supposed to avoid Shivaay at home and now at the office? What are you doing with me, God? Why are you failing my plans!?

" Come down for dinner Mythili." Nupur called me as we made our way downstairs together. Dinner was a happening affair. All of them were engaging into various conversations while I was stressed out of my mind.

" Stop trying to think of ways about how to get out of the internship. None of your attempts are going to succeed. Your driver will bring you straight to the office after your college." Shivaay said in a low voice as he leaned towards me slightly, bring me out of my thoughts and my eyes widened. Does this man have sensors inside of him? How does he know everything!!

" I am not fit to work in your office. I'll probably ruin things." I tried to scare him as if it would work.

" I will be the judge of that. Stop undermining yourself at every step you take. It will not do you any good." Were the last words he said to me on the dining table as I forced myself to eat another spoonful of rice.

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