A/N: This was a submission to the 'Challenge 17 - Holiday Stories!' organised by Romance. The prompt was to write a holiday-themed one-shot romance story based around any wintery festivity we celebrate. The prompt used here was 'The clock strikes 12 on New Year's Eve.'

This is an Indian story. The glossary to the common Indian words used in this story is given at the end as well as in the inline comments for your ease. Happy reading! Hope you'll enjoy it! :)

A New Year, A Renewed Love

(Genre: Romance)

'True love never fades,' they said, but sadly, love never worked that way.

Not even when your lover was right in front of you, hiding underneath a blanket to avoid the piercing rays of sun as he tried to get some more sleep after a late night of work.

True love didn't just die, but it did fade, and Sneha knew that quite well. Anyone would really, after living with the same person for seven years, married and with kids. Living in a joint Indian family didn't help either, regardless of how broadminded her in-laws were. There just always was a distance between her and Nishant, a road blocked by work, kids or other familial duties.

Just like in that moment, when Sneha sat on the edge of the bed, beside Nishant, pulled down the blanket from his face and kissed him awake. "Good morning," she whispered, smiling as her eyes met her husband's warm, dark brown ones, her slow breaths grazing his lips that curved up in a smile too.

Blinking away the sleep, Nishant pulled himself up so his back rested against the bed's headboard and wrapped his arms around his wife, nuzzling his nose against hers in a way that she had always adored. "Morning, darling. This day is going to be just great, because you wok—," his words were cut short by the sound of their three-year-old daughter's sneezing as she slammed open the door and walked inside.

"Mumma, I—," the little girl paused to let out another sneeze and wipe her nose with a small handkerchief as she now stood in front of her mother who was immediately untangled from her father's arms at her arrival.

"Oh, Kavya, you've caught a cold! I told you to not remove your socks but you never listen to Mumma, now do you?" Sneha's motherly instincts took over her entire being. She quickly kneeled on the floor in front of her daughter as she properly wiped the child's nose clean. "Come on, I'll make you a glass of hot milk and then give you some medicine," she said, standing up and leading Kavya out the door, not sparing another glance at her husband in her worried state.

If she had, she would have seen the rueful smile that Nishant's lips wore and the longing in his eyes as he stared at her retreating back.

Nishant let out a weary sigh, rubbed his face with his hands before pulling the covers off his body completely and getting off the bed. He walked to his cupboard, took out his clothes for the day—another one of his white dress shirts, a light grey suit jacket and matching pants—and headed towards the attached bathroom. He had grown accustomed to how things were between him and his wife. They both had work and kids to look after, and his daughter's health was much more important than a five-minute romance between them anyway.

In another twenty minutes, Nishant was dressed and sitting at the dining table with the rest of the family—his parents, Sneha and Kavya, while his son Ashish had already gone to school—as they all ate their breakfast of poached eggs, warm milk and aloo paranthas with some pickle.

"How is Kavya now, Sneha?" he asked, sipping his milk as he looked at his daughter whose nose was beginning to tinge red now. The little girl only responded to his stare by scrunching her nose and giggling.

"She has a slight cold, but no fever yet which is good. If it gets bad, I'll take her to the doctor after work today," she told him, passing a parantha to her father-in-law.

Nishant nodded at her before making funny faces at his daughter who giggled some more. A calm silence took over the table—that would have been an unachievable dream had their son been home—as they finished their breakfast. Nishant found his eyes drifting to Sneha as she stood up to clear the table after everyone finished. He took his own plate and his mother's and followed her inside the kitchen to find her talking to the maid. He noticed how she chose to wear a green woollen salwar kameez today and wore a black cardigan over it to trap some warmth against the wintery chill. Her dark brown hair were tied neatly in a loose ponytail and her face wore minimal make up. She looked... simple, plain. Nishant couldn't remember the last time she dressed up for him. Yes, she would dress up when they went to parties and such, but never had he felt that it was him for whom she chose to adorn herself.

"Let's go? Sneha?" he asked, adjusting his watch on his wrist and walking towards the living room where he had dropped his suit jacket and briefcase. Nishant saw Sneha following close on his heels while blurting last minute details to the maid and soon they both were settled in his car as Sneha's was still with the mechanic.

Sneha settled comfortably in the passenger seat and pulled on her seatbelt. She glanced at Nishant before looking out the window, reminiscing about their courtship period and the early months of their marriage. She remembered how Nishant would either hold her hand even while driving or would continue to nudge her every few minutes to keep her attention focussed on him. He would always tell her that he wanted to be the only thing on her mind.

Sneha nibbled on her lower lip, her eyes were focussed out the window but she wasn't looking at nothing in particular and her mind racing with several thoughts, most of them being about her husband. She turned to look at him, willing herself to start a conversation that didn't simply relate to their responsibilities. Just when she opened her mouth, the sound of his voice halted her.

"I'll come pick you up, okay? I'll be coming home early today," he told her, giving her a small smile before his eyes drifted to the school he had parked in front of. "What time would you be getting off today?"

"I—," Sneha was confused as she turned to follow his gaze, finally realising that they had already reached the school she worked at. "Four. Thank you," she answered him, gathering her bag from the backseat. She gave him a chaste peck on the cheek before getting out of the car. She felt disappointment overshadow her at how her marriage lacked spark but that was nothing out of the ordinary.

She walked through the school's corridors, greeting students and teachers she passed by until she was settled in her chair in the staff room. "What's happening, Surbhi?" she asked her colleague, who was more of a friend, as some other colleagues huddled around Surbhi's desk.

"Sneha ma'am!" Surbhi exclaimed, jumping up in her seat that was beside Sneha's. Sneha chuckled at how Surbhi's bangles jingled due to her excited movements.

Surbhi wheeled her chair even closer to Sneha's and showed her the itinerary that her husband had given her that morning. "My husband has planned a vacation for us to celebrate New Year. He is taking me to Manali!"

Sneha gave a small smile as Surbhi squealed in delight. "That's great. How lucky you are, Surbhi," she told the other lady while she herself felt more desolated than before. Surely it was because Surbhi was newly married, Sneha thought to herself, trying to pacify her worries.

However, the thought didn't help much. Throughout the day, Sneha found herself wondering if that was it for her marriage, if her marriage could never regain the same passion as before. May be she just had to settle for that because separation wasn't an option. She was raised to nurture relationships, not cast them away at minutest of tensions. And above all, she still loved Nishant with all her heart and she knew he loved her too. She just had to revive this paled love of theirs; she just had to put in more effort into their marriage and things would be better. After all, a cupid's arrow could only keep two hearts pierced together for so long without the arrowhead being sharpened time and again.

With the same thoughts still lingering in her mind, Sneha sat in the passenger seat of Nishant's car in the evening when he picked her up. A getaway might do us good, she had decided during the day and was now going to propose the same idea to her husband.

Sneha sat up straighter and turned to look at her husband, "Nishu," she began, calling him by his nickname that everyone in the family often used. Nishant hummed in response as he quickly glanced at her before turning his eyes to the road again. Sneha licked her lips once, her fingers slightly fidgeting in her lap as she spoke again, "I was thinking..." she paused for a deep breath, making Nishant glance at her once again. "Maybe we could go on a short vacation this New Year's Eve? I know with 31st being only a week from now, it will be more expensive to arrange—" Nishant stopped her before she could blabber some more concerns.

"I like the idea," Nishant replied promptly, relieving his wife of her troubled thoughts. Nishant truly loved the idea, he had been thinking of asking her to go on a vacation since so long. Though, he never could because he knew she would say no because they had kids to look after. But may be he was wrong. She was, after all, proposing to go for a vacation herself at the moment. Nishant smiled at his wife, "Maybe we can go to Nainital? Do you remember how much we enjoyed on our honeymoon there?"

Sneha smiled and nodded, her hand going to rest on his arm. "I do, of course. How could I forget; it was so beautiful. Going to Nainital again sounds perfect, Nishant. Thank you."

"It'll be my pleasure, darling. I would love to go there with you again," he told her sincerely, holding her hand in his and placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand. They both then started to plan the details of their trip—for how long they would be going, which hotel they would be staying at, what they were going to do while there and such.

"It's perfect!" He heard Sneha exclaim as he parked the car in front of their house. He turned off the engine and looked at her, more than happy to finally be able to give her all his attention.

He nodded at her. "It will be. I'm sure our second honeymoon away from family and kids would be—," his words died in his mouth as he heard the ones that came out of Sneha's mouth at the same time.

"I'm sure everyone would love it. Ashish had wanted to go—," Sneha, too, stopped abruptly, her eyes meeting Nishant's. Their eyes mirrored their surprise at each other's words, before hers became concerned when she saw a glimpse of frustration in his before he turned away from her. She rested her hand on his shoulder, "Nishant. We can't leave the family here, how will Mummy and Papa take care of the kids alone?" she asked softly, hoping Nishant would understand that his parents wouldn't be able to take care of the kids, hoping he wasn't angry or wouldn't cancel the vacation all together.

Nishant stayed silent for a few seconds, looked out the window and shut his eyelids, concealing the disappointment beneath them. He wasn't angry with her, no. He was just upset. Upset at how he couldn't even take his wife for a small getaway alone. Upset that the only private time they got together was either spent working, sleeping or was cut short by one person or the other.

But that didn't mean that he didn't understand her worries. His five-year-old son was a hyperactive child whom his parents wouldn't be able to handle if they went on the vacation alone and his three-year-old daughter was already beginning to catch a cold, it wouldn't be right to leave her while she was sick. He also knew his kids depended on their parents to take them on vacations and he couldn't break their hearts by going on a vacation himself while leaving them home.

"Nishant?" Sneha asked, her voice timid.

Nishant didn't look at her as he nodded. "You're right. We will go with the family. Come on, let's go inside now," he told her, his own voice sounding defeated. He didn't wait for her response as he opened his car door and stepped out.

Sneha felt her chest constrict with a slight ache. A part of her felt happy that he too wanted some time alone with her, but she also knew he was hurt because they couldn't get that. She regretted asking him to take the family along, but she also knew she couldn't leave them behind. So, she wordlessly followed him out the car and inside the house.

***

Their family was quite excited about the trip once the couple told them of it, especially Ashish who kept jumping from one room to another, handing random things to Sneha at random times saying he wanted her to pack it for Nainital. Sneha only chuckled and took the things he handed to her, packing only the necessary ones.

It was the morning of 31st December and they were already settled in the hotel rooms that Nishant had booked. The location of the hotel was perfect, right in front of the Nainital Lake. It was the same hotel where they had stayed during their short honeymoon and Nishant even managed to get them the same room as well.

Nishant was indeed dissatisfied for not being able to bring his wife for a second honeymoon—without the family—but now that they were here, he intended to make this visit just as memorable as their last one. All that was left to do was to plan the perfect night.

Sneha smiled at Nishant as he brought the last their bags in the room as she laid their sleeping daughter on the bed. It seemed Nainital air was already doing good to his mood. He was more light-hearted in his behaviour, more doting towards the family and her and he even dressed differently—more casually and handsomely.

Maybe, Sneha should dress differently for him too; show him that she still cared enough to make an effort for him. Because, most of the times, people assumed wrongly the meaning of the words 'appearance shouldn't matter in love.' Sure, appearance shouldn't and would never matter to the one who loves you sincerely. But in a relationship like theirs—getting exhausted by the monotony of life—it was necessary to show that the simple feelings of attraction, nervousness, appreciation, rapidly beating heart, and butterflies even, still existed by actions as simple as getting dressed up and as fancy as what Nishant had planned for his wife.

The day had been spent wandering the streets of Nainital with the family, buying small memoirs and eating the delicious street food. The Nainital Lake had been closed for some reason, so they might just have to go boating on the lake on some other day of their trip. Sneha was slightly disappointed by that. She really wished to go there each day of her trip; the lake had always been so special to her ever since their honeymoon.

It was past ten when they returned to their hotel, planning to go to the get-together organised in the hotel's backyard, complete with a bonfire, music and games. Sneha had been distracted by that time. The New Year was close and she wished to celebrate this new year with a renewed love between her husband and her. She just didn't know how.

Nishant, however, didn't notice her aloofness as he himself was lost in his thoughts. A romantic rendezvous was already set in place for them to enjoy together, only problem was how to take his wife there without letting the family find out.

Lucky for them, his mother intended to play the cupid.

"Sneha?" Sneha heard her mother-in-law, Neelam, call out to her. "Could you go and grab my shawl from your room? I think Ashish took it back to your room after we returned. You'll find it lying on the bed," she finished.

Sneha nodded, seemingly preoccupied by her own thoughts. "Of course, Mummy," was all she said before leaving.

Her cluttered thoughts were interrupted as her hurried steps led her inside her and Nishant's room—and of course the children's too. There, on the bed laid a beautiful black saree designed with simple red thread work flowers over it, and atop it rested a white paper. Sneha promptly read the note written by her mother-in-law and blushed while chuckling softly. She could almost imagine Neelam saying the written words in a chiding yet tender voice. 

'Sneha, I hope you haven't lost your skills of putting on make-up and accessorising that you surely possessed during the early period of your marriage—the skills that kept my son wrapped around your little finger. Be ready in thirty minutes.'

Once Neelam was sure that Sneha wasn't coming back to argue with her over her idea, she went to her frowning son who sat near the bonfire, watching the kids dance to the music with her husband. She cleared her throat to gain his attention and when she did, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Son, tell me you have something planned for your wife for the night or I might reconsider if you really are your father's son," she said with a straight face.

Nishant's frown deepened before his face turned embarrassed at understanding the meaning behind his mother's words. Though, he really should have gotten used to it by now. His parents, as they claimed it, were quite romantic and modern.

"I have, Ma," Nishant replied after clearing his throat.

"Good then. I don't want to see the two of you here till we retreat to our room. The kids will be sleeping with your father and I tonight. Oh, and get dressed. Your beautiful wife is getting dressed in your room and I have your outfit in mine. Take these keys and scurry off. I'll send her outside the hotel in twenty minutes, you better be waiting," Neelam told him, handing him her room key and walking away from him without waiting for his reply. She waved her hand as if shooing him away when she heard him yell a thank you to her.

As promised by his mother, Nishant found a sharp black suit with a black shirt on the hotel's bed, paired with a red tie and pocket square. She was even considerate enough to get his dress shoes out too. His mother truly seemed like the biggest blessing to him in that moment; she solved the only flaw in his plan. He hurriedly got dressed while making some calls to ensure that his plan was in motion.

Sneha was dressed beautifully in the saree Neelam had picked out for her. She was thankful for the 3/4th sleeve designer blouse that her mother-in-law had chosen. It helped retain some of the warmth as she surely wasn't going to spoil the look of her outfit by wearing a cardigan or a shawl. It won't do much against the cold winds, but something was still better than nothing she had thought. She was five minutes early when she walked down the stairs and found Neelam waiting for her at the bottom. "You look beautiful. I have a good choice," she heard Neelam say.

"You do, Mummy. The saree is so elegant," she said in agreement while chuckling.

"I am the not only talking about the saree, dear. Also for my selection of my daughter-in-law." Neelam smiled at Sneha, her hands itching to caress the girl's hair but she refrained from doing so to not spoil her nicely done curls.

Sneha smiled at her before leaning in to hug her mother-in-law. "Thank you, Mummy. I am really grateful," she whispered.

Neelam smiled and hugged her back, her hands rubbing Sneha's back comfortingly. "Of course, dear. I understand. How else do you think your Papa and I are still happy together?" Neelam asked rhetorically, winking playfully at Sneha. "Go now, he is waiting at the front of the hotel for you."

Sneha nodded, briefly hugged her mother-in-law once again before walking out, her arms going to wrap around her torso as she desperately rubbed her forearms for some warmth. She immediately found Nishant standing there, mesmerised as he gazed at her. He himself looked quite dapper in his suit, his tie needing no rearrangement for the first time.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, walking to her and taking her hand in his own.

"I see you made an effort to match," she said playfully, leaning into the warmth of his body as he wrapped a shawl around her shoulders.

"I knew you would choose to not wear suitable winter clothes because of the so-called fashion. Typical," he muttered, securing the shawl around her before taking her hand in his again and leading her to their destination. It was only a two-minute walk.

Sneha felt heat pass through her body and it wasn't only because of the shawl but also because of the cosy feeling that she had missed since the birth of their second child. "Where are we going?" she asked softly.

"Oh, that's a surprise," he said, pulling out his handkerchief. "I almost forgot," he murmured, walking behind her and tying the handkerchief on her eyes.

Sneha made no move to resist. "So cheesy," she told him with a smile. She felt him wrap his arm around her waist as he guided her and she clutched onto his arm for safety and support. Soon, she felt more blowing winds on her skin, though these winds carried a sense of warmth to them as well. She heard some voices—of her husband and some other men—before Sneha was being lifted in her husband's arms. When she finally felt a floor underneath her feet, she sighed. The floor rocked a little due to their movements and she immediately knew where they were.

"Can I take it off now, Nishu?" she asked him, her hand going to the handkerchief that screened her vision. Upon hearing a simple no from Nishant, she frowned. "I already know that we are on the lake, Nishu. The boat's rocking and I can sense the water around us," she reasoned with him.

"No, Sneha. There's still another surprise left," he told her, helping her sit on the rowing boat. Once they had reached the centre of the lake, he watched as the man who had rowed them there went to sit in another boat that had followed them—being rowed by another man—and went back to the shore. The two men would just come back for them when Nishant would signal them. It did cost him a fortune to get all this organised, however, it was absolutely worth it.

He slowly undid the knot of the handkerchief from his wife's eyes and watched as she blinked a few times, noticing how his handkerchief had smudged a bit of her eye make-up. He didn't mind it, though.

Sneha's eyes widened once her vision cleared and she took in the sight in front of her. They were in the middle of a lake that she recognised as Nainital Lake and around them were thousands of lit candles, providing a shimmering glow and heat against the dark, chilly night. She was so enraptured by the beauty of it that her own gasp and her husband's chuckle went unnoticed by her.

"Wow," she breathed, looking around her once more before looking back at her husband. "When— How—" Her questions seemed redundant so she simply settled for, "It's splendid, Nishu. Thank you so much!"

"I'm glad you like it," he told her softly, taking her hands in his as he sat in front of her. He placed a soft kiss on her palms. "I know how much you cherish this lake."

He seemed to go back in past as he remembered the second day of their honeymoon when they had come to this lake for boating. At the time, they had chosen a paddleboat for two and Nishant had led them in a more private corner of the lake where they had shared their first kiss. Theirs was an arranged marriage and things were awkward for the first few days of their marriage. Though, at that moment in the boat, it just felt right to take their relationship a step ahead.

By the glazed over look in Sneha's eyes, one could easily tell that she too was reminiscing in the same memory. They both were pulled out of their reverie as they heard the distant countdown that the whole city seemed to be chanting.

Ten.

Nishant cupped Sneha's cheek, feeling her lean into his touch, and pushed back the stray tendrils of her smooth hair behind her ear with his free hand while leaning forward.

Eight.

Sneha felt herself leaning forward to meet him halfway, unlike the last time when he had kissed her on this lake—when she still felt shy and nervous, and sat frozen in her seat.

Six.

"They say what you do in the very first moment of the first day of the New Year, you do it for the rest of the year. I want to keep renewing our love to make it last forever my whole year," he told her softly.

Two.

"I do, too," she whispered in reply just in time to feel his lips on hers.

One.

"Happy New Year!" The words seemed to travel through the city, combined with sounds of cheers and fireworks that lit up the sky.

---- The End. ----

Glossary to Indian terms used in the story:

1. Aloo - potato in Hindi.

2. Parantha(s) - a type of Indian flat bread that is fried in a pan or baked in a tandoori.

3. Salwar Kameez - an outfit worn by Indian women that consists of a set of loose trousers, a long shirt and a dupatta (which is kind of like a long scarf). The outfit is also called a 'suit' in India.

4. Saree - a garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk, elaborately draped around the body, worn traditionally by Indian women.

Note: Manali and Nainital are two hill stations in India that are mentioned in this story. 

So...? Thoughts? Like it? Dislike it? Love it? Feel it? Lemme know!

Please don't forget to vote and comment if you liked the story. Thank you!