Nalani rushed as she heard her phone ringing in the other room. Riyansh, who had started at her a while ago, frowned and followed her. She was out of breath when she picked up the call. "Hello?"

"Woah, are you okay?" Nalani took a minute, her gaze turning to Riyansh, who had followed her and was now pulling her saree. "Yeah, I was in the other room." 

"Okay. . . Don't run. You could've called me back," Nalani chuckled. "How is everything over there?" She could hear the shuffling. There was a silence. "Vidha?"

"Yeah. . . Yeah, I'm here. Everything's fine. Anyway—Happy anniversary, and I love and miss you so much!" Nalani couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. She couldn't shake off the feeling even though Vidha said everything was fine over there. 

"Nalani? Are you there?" Nalani snapped out of her thoughts. Yes, I just miss you so much. I wish you could come to India or if we could meet somewhere—you know."

"I know, darling, but with the things going on. I— I don't think I would have time to take a vacation or come down to India. I will see if we could meet in November." 

"November? That's a long wait." Riyanshu got bored while watching Nalani talk on the phone. He looked at the bed and made his way towards it. "I can't do anything, Nalani. I will find some time for us to have a Facetime, okay? Until then, please don't overthink anything. Everything will be okay." 

"Okay, I just don't want you to stress out about everything. We are all here, and you can always come to us." 

"I know, and I'm doing well over here. You all are worrying for no reason." Nalani hummed. "Okay."

"I need to go now. Tell my brother that I'm happy and I will call him tomorrow. I love you. Please take care." Nalani hummed. "Take care." The call ended, but Nalani kept staring at the screen until Reyansh called. "Aunty, can you please switch on the fan? I'm sleepy. When is Nanna coming?" 

Nalani smiled and went over to Reyansh. "Nanna went with Hridyanshu's Uncle. They will be coming back in an hour. Why? You miss him?"

"Nanna said he would take me to the Tank Bund to see the laser show and ice cream." Nalani chuckled. "Nanna will surely take you to the tank bund. They will be back soon. Until then, why don't you take a nap? I will wake you up when Nanna is here." 

"Okay."

*

Hridyanshu sipped the wine while looking at the arrangements Nalani had made. Nalani was sitting beside him, holding a wine glass. "Do you remember the night in Dubai?" Nalani asked. Hridyanshu smiled and leaned closer to kiss Nalani. "How would I forget that night? I remember it."

"Do you know how much I have loved that night? I wanted something like that on our first anniversary. I didn't want to go out or something else. I just wanted to be home and have a bottle of wine with you." Hridyanshu wrapped his arm around Nalani and pulled her closer. Nalani leaned her head on him. "I know. . . I'm glad. I wanted something simple that looks like us. Isn't it?" 

"Yes." They both looked around at the arrangements they had made. They decorated their bedroom with their favourite flowers, lit the scented candles, and turned off the lights in their room. They could see Hyderabad's Friday night traffic. 

"I just need you and me somewhere comfortable. It was a long week, but I'm happy we can celebrate." Hridyanshu kissed Nalanis's forehead. On their first anniversary, Hridyanshu took her to South Korea and Tokyo. Nalani had her best time ever, but this anniversary, she asked to celebrate at their apartment. 

"You know—" Nalani stared up at Hridyanshu. "You are one of the best things that ever happened to me. We might have had an irritated beginning, but I never felt guilty or bad about our past. I have loved and will always cherish our arguments and fights. As you say often, I have never in my wildest dream—" Nalani slapped his chest playfully. "I thought the small girl who would always have a snappy comeback would be the one I wouldn't be staying apart from. That she would be the one who would rock my life back and forth with her crazy ideas and adventures."

Hridyanshu gently caressed Nalani's face. "I love you, Ente Ponne." 

"I love you, my mone. . ." 

*

Hey everyone, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you for being a part of Nalani and Hridyanshu's story. Your encouragement has been truly inspiring. I faced a real challenge when it came to writing the epilogue. It ended up taking much longer than I had anticipated. I struggled to find the right words, but finally, I was able to complete it. It feels like the perfect conclusion to their story. I can't wait to see all of you in the next book!