As they finished breakfast, Jhanvi instinctively reached for the utensils, gathering them to take to the cleaning area. Her movements were habitual, almost automatic, until Nirav's warm hand gently caught hers.

She looked up at him, her brows furrowed, eyes silently questioning. Nirav stood, a small smile playing on his lips, and gently took the utensils from her hands.

"Let me do it, Jhanu," he said softly, shaking his head. "Ye mera kaam hai. Tum itni thaki hui ho aur upar se—"

"But what does it matter, Niru? Kabhi kabhi toh main ghar pe reh paati hun." She protested lightly, trying to take them back. "Ghar mera bhi toh hai."

"Exactly." Nirav's voice was firm but gentle. "Kabhi kabhi toh ghar pe rehti ho tum. Toh ab aaram karo, hmm?"

"Nahi lekin—"

"No arguments, Jhanvi." His voice held a note of finality, softened by affection. "Just go and lie down."

She hesitated, eyeing him with uncertainty. With a sigh, Nirav set the utensils down on the table and walked over to her. Before she could protest again, he took her by the arm, gently but insistently steering her toward their bedroom.

"Niru, kya kar rahe ho?" she laughed, trying to resist his gentle push.

"Chup! Chupchap lait jao, samjhi tum?" His mock-authoritative tone made her smile, but she could see the sweet warning in his eyes.

"Achha baba, thik hai." Jhanvi raised her hands in surrender, laughing softly. A satisfied smile crept onto Nirav's face as he left her in the room.

True to his word, Nirav returned to the kitchen and cleaned everything meticulously. When he came back, Jhanvi was still awake, her laptop open on her lap, the glow of the screen reflecting in her tired eyes. Her exhaustion was evident, her eyelids drooping, but she stubbornly continued to work.

"Tum soi nahi na, Jaanu?" Nirav asked with a knowing smile, stepping closer to the bed.

"Nirav, mujhe neend nahi aa rahi hai," she muttered, avoiding his gaze.

"Jhooth," he teased, settling beside her on the bed. "Neend toh hai, lekin yeh tumhara kaam..." Without waiting for her protest, he gently took the laptop from her hands.

"Niru, kya kar rahe ho?" She tried to grab it back, but he carefully closed the laptop, ensuring her work wasn't disturbed.

He grinned, playful and gentle, as he placed the laptop aside. "Ab koi tumhe disturb nahi karega," he declared, pulling her by the legs with a mischievous tug. Jhanvi gasped, startled but smiling.

"Daro mat," he laughed softly, covering her with a blanket. "Now, sleep."

Nirav lay down beside her, pulling her close. Jhanvi felt the warmth of his embrace, her head resting against his chest. She sighed deeply, feeling the tension begin to melt away. For the first time in what felt like forever, she was almost lulled into sleep by his proximity.

But just as she was drifting off, the sharp buzz of Nirav's phone cut through the quiet. She felt him shift and, reluctantly, he slipped out of bed. He glanced at the screen, a small frown appearing on his face as he quickly answered the call.

"Yeah, I'll get it done today," she heard him say softly, his voice fading as he stepped out of the room.

Jhanvi lay there for a moment, the warmth he'd left behind quickly fading. She listened as the sound of typing drifted in from the hall. Slowly, she sat up, the emptiness next to her all too familiar.

She padded softly into the hallway and saw him hunched over his laptop, his face bathed in the cool glow of the screen. His fingers moved quickly, his focus already deep in his work. Nirav had been working as a graphic designer remotely for the last five years, and his job often required him to be available at odd hours, something Jhanvi had grown accustomed to over time.

She stood there for a moment, her heart heavy, a sad smile playing on her lips. This was their reality now — she in one room, he in another, separated not by walls but by unspoken distance.

She didn't say anything, only turned quietly and walked back into their bedroom. The silence in the room seemed louder now.

Settling back on the bed, she picked up her own laptop and resumed working, her tired eyes scanning the screen, though her mind was elsewhere. It wasn't the sleep she needed, she realized. It was him. The proximity she longed for, the closeness she had once felt when they first married, seemed elusive now.

Jhanvi's fingers rested lightly on the keyboard, her eyes tracing the glowing lines of code on the screen, but her mind was elsewhere, wandering back to a memory from the early days of their marriage. It had been a simpler time, or so it had seemed — filled with laughter, shared secrets, and the small joys of discovering life together. But soon after, cracks began to show.

One evening, they were sitting at the dinner table. Jhanvi had prepared Nirav's favourite meal — dal makhani with soft, buttery rotis — trying to cheer him up after a particularly hard week. She noticed how quiet he had been lately, but she convinced herself that it was the stress of work.

"Kaise lag raha hai khana?" she asked, smiling as she handed him another roti.

Nirav didn't even look up. He only muttered, "Thik hai," his focus was still on his phone, scrolling through what looked like work emails.

Jhanvi frowned the warm feeling of excitement slowly fading. "Thik hai?" she echoed. "Maine tumhare liye tumhara favorite banaya, aur bas thik hai?"

Nirav finally looked up, but his expression was tired and distant. "Jhanvi, I said it's fine, okay? Mujhe aur kya bolna hai?"

The words stung more than she expected. It wasn't what he said, but how he said it — like he didn't care. The warmth and affection that once coloured their conversations had been replaced by indifference. She could feel the distance growing between them, and she didn't understand why.

"I'm just trying to talk to you, Niru," she said softly, trying to keep her frustration at bay. "Tum mujhse itna door kyun jaa rahe ho aajkal? Sab thik toh hai na?"

Nirav rubbed his temples, clearly agitated, but he didn't respond right away. Instead, he stood up from the table, leaving his half-finished plate behind.

"I'm fine, Jhanvi," he said, his voice sharper than he intended. "Mujhe bas thoda space chahiye. Har cheez ka discussion karna zaroori nahi hai."

Jhanvi stared at him, hurt. "Space?" she repeated, her voice trembling. "Yeh sab kya ho raha hai, Nirav? Tum mujhse baat bhi nahi karte properly?"

He let out a deep breath, clearly struggling with something she couldn't see. "I don't know, Jhanvi. I... I just need to be alone sometimes. Tumhe yeh samajhna padega."

She blinked back tears, her heart sinking. This wasn't the man she had married. The Nirav she knew had been open, loving, always eager to share his day, his thoughts, his dreams. But now, it felt like there was a wall between them, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break through.

"Alone?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly. "Nirav, I'm your wife. Agar tumhe kuch problem hai, toh mujhe batana chahiye na? We're supposed to face things together."

But Nirav shook his head, his eyes clouded with a sadness she hadn't seen before. "Jhanvi, kuch cheezen tum nahi samjhogi," he said quietly. "Mere dimaag mein bohot kuch chal raha hai... aur main tumhe unnecessarily tang nahi karna chahta."

She stepped closer, reaching out to him, but he turned away, his shoulders tense. "What is it, Niru?" she whispered. "Please, mujhe batao"

"I'm not ready to talk about it," he replied, his voice hollow. "Just... give me time."

Jhanvi stood there, frozen in place as Nirav walked away, leaving her in the dining room, the warmth of the evening now replaced with a cold emptiness. She wanted to go after him, to demand answers, but something held her back — fear, maybe, or the realization that whatever Nirav was going through, it wasn't something she could fix with words or meals.

Jhanvi's heart ached for him, for the weight he carried. She wanted to help, but she felt helpless, caught in the middle of a storm she didn't know how to navigate. All she could do was wait for him to come back to her, and hope that one day, he would trust her enough to share the burden.

Her thoughts returned to the present, her eyes refocusing on the screen. She sighed deeply, the weight of that old argument still heavy in her chest. Nirav was in the other room, working late again. He had changed over the years and learned to cope in his way, but some nights, Jhanvi still wondered if the walls he had built between them would ever fully come down.

Later that night, Jhanvi quietly prepared dinner, something she wouldn't usually have to do since Nirav had taken over that responsibility. But tonight was different—Nirav was buried in his work, his eyes glued to the laptop screen, fingers flying across the keyboard as he met the deadlines looming over him. Jhanvi didn't want to disturb him, so she placed the dish softly beside his table, ensuring he could eat without interrupting his flow. He looked up briefly, flashing her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Jaanu," he murmured, his voice tender but distracted.

She smiled back, her heart sinking just a little at the distance between them, even though they sat together, sharing the meal quietly. He was there, but also not really there—his mind was still in his work, his thoughts elsewhere. And as they finished dinner, Nirav, true to form, went back to his screen, finally delivering the work that had consumed him for hours.

Later, when he was done, he stood up, stretched, and put his laptop and phone on charge. A small sense of relief washed over him as the pressure lifted, but it was short-lived. As he made his way toward their bedroom, something stopped him in his tracks.

Jhanvi was standing near the bed, her back to him, unbuttoning her top. She hadn't noticed him enter, and he froze. Usually, he would quietly back out of the room, giving her privacy, but tonight something was different. His eyes lingered, captivated by her in a way he hadn't felt in what seemed like forever.

The soft glow of the dim lights in the room cast a gentle shadow over her figure. Her bare skin, delicate and inviting, called to him in a way that was primal, unexplainable. He didn't know what it was—perhaps it was the exhaustion finally peeling away his defences, or maybe it was the realization of how distant he had been. But he took a step forward, his gaze fixed on her.Jhanvi, still unaware of his presence, continued changing until the faint sound of his footsteps behind her made her stop. She turned, startled, and saw him standing just a few inches away. The look in his eyes was unmistakable—raw, intense, filled with a longing she hadn't seen in a long time. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Nirav?" she whispered, unsure of what he was thinking.

But he didn't answer. Instead, he moved closer, the air between them charged with unspoken desire. Her back hit the wall gently as he closed the gap between them, his body almost pressing against hers. She could feel his breath on her skin, her own pulse racing with every second that passed.

He reached out, gently tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing her cheek. His touch was soft, reverent, as if he were rediscovering her all over again. Jhanvi felt herself melt under his gaze, the years of tension between them dissolving in this moment.His lips found her forehead, a soft, lingering kiss. Then her eyes. Each touch was slow, deliberate, as if he were savoring the feel of her, the warmth of her skin beneath his lips. Her heart pounded, and she tilted her head slightly, her lips parting, aching to meet his.

The world around them seemed to disappear, leaving only the two of them, inches away from crossing a boundary they hadn't dared to cross in years. Nirav's eyes locked with hers one last time before he leaned in, their lips almost touching, trembling with anticipation.But then, the harsh sound of a phone ringing shattered the moment.

Jhanvi blinked, reality crashing back in as she fumbled for her phone, startled by the interruption. "Hello?" she said, her voice shaking slightly as she answered the call, trying to compose herself.

Nirav stepped back, the spell between them broken. He realized what he had been about to do, and something deep inside him recoiled. Without a word, he moved away from her, walking toward his side of the bed. He lay down, his back turned to her, pretending nothing had happened.

Jhanvi spoke into the phone, but her mind wasn't on the conversation. As she hung up, the silence in the room felt suffocating. She turned, her eyes drifting toward Nirav, who now seemed miles away from the man who had almost kissed her just moments ago. He lay there, quiet, lost in his own thoughts.

It wasn't the phone call that had broken the moment, she realized bitterly—it was something deeper, something they had been avoiding for far too long. That fleeting connection, the desire she saw in his eyes, had felt like a glimpse into something they once had but had long since lost.Jhanvi sat on the edge of the bed, her back to him, feeling the weight of the unspoken distance between them. A single tear escaped her eye, rolling down her cheek as she tried to understand what had just happened. She wiped it away quickly, not wanting to show her vulnerability. For a moment, she had felt close to him again, like they could be the couple they used to be. But as she sat there, staring at the wall, she realized that maybe that moment had never truly belonged to them at all.