Zayne

"I love you, Naina," I murmured as I sank onto her. She wrapped her arms around me, and I reveled in the warmth of her embrace. "I love you, Naina..." I repeated, unable to express it enough. I had never felt as connected to another person as I did in that moment. I wanted to live for her, to breathe her in.

It felt as though I had waited my entire life for this moment—to be one with Naina.

"I love you," I said for the third time, lifting my head from the hollow of her neck to gaze into her eyes. They were stunning, her pupils deep and captivating. She looked directly into mine, and for the first time, I felt without a doubt that she loved me too.

"Thank you..." she replied softly. I chuckled; she was such a stubborn woman.

"Naina..." I breathed, finally pulling myself out of her. But just as I attempted to rise, she drew me back toward her.

"Don't go," she whispered, kissing my ear. She had been so tender, so accommodating, needing me as much as I needed her. I wished we could remain like this forever.

"Naina, you know physiologically, if I don't rush to the bathroom now, things are going to get pretty messy," I told her, nudging my nose against hers.

"I don't mind," she replied with a smile, catching me off guard. But I did. I pressed a kiss to her cheek and then brushed my lips against both of her eyes before making my way to the restroom.

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn't stop grinning like a fool. I tried to compose myself, but the smile wouldn't fade. After cleaning up, I returned to the bedroom to find Naina sitting up in bed.

She had put her clothes back on, but she was deliberately avoiding my gaze. Was she being... shy?

I stepped closer and gently lifted her chin with my hands. A smile danced on her lips as she bit her lip and finally looked at me.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice low and raspy.

I was puzzled by her question. "Sex?" I offered.

She laughed. "Yeah. You and me!"

I frowned, unsure what she found amusing. To me, it had been mind-blowing. I was certain she had enjoyed it too.

"What's the plan?" she asked after a few moments of my silence.

I was fairly certain she wasn't referring to round two, even though that was the only thing on my mind right now.

I scratched the back of my neck, and she laughed again.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked, genuinely confused. I didn't find the idea of us having sex funny at all, but Naina laughing was always better than her crying.

"I don't know. I just feel like laughing," she said, giggling once more. I settled beside her on the bed, wrapping my arms around her, and she clung to me like a child seeking comfort.

"Naina," I whispered, gently stroking her hair. I felt my shirt dampen as her tears soaked into the fabric, and I sighed, continuing to caress her head.

"What are you overthinking about, Naina?" I asked softly.

She sniffled, her breath shaky.

"I'm your husband. You're my wife. We both wanted this." I refused to let myself think she might regret it. I was confident she didn't; she had clung to me, unwilling to let go. This was just Naina overthinking, as she always did.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, and eventually, she pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"We could go shopping if you'd like," I suggested.

She shook her head.

"But you're always complaining about not having good brands in Mangalore. We're in Bangalore now; it's the perfect opportunity to revamp your wardrobe," I teased. She had complained a million times during her first year in Mangalore about this, but I wasn't sure if she still felt the same way.

"I don't have money to shop, and I'm not going to ask you to pay for it," she replied finally.

"Well, I plan to get you some things, so if want to try them on first and choose what you like, then we can go shopping. Otherwise, I'll just randomly order stuff, and you'll have to exchange or return whatever doesn't work." I didn't really mean that, but I couldn't think of another way to convince her to shop.

"Okay," she said, her face lighting up.

I had rented a car for the day, complete with a driver, and we were on our way to the Phoenix Mall. Maya had told me that Zara was one of Naina's favorite brands, so I thought that would be a good place to start.

"You really didn't need to do all this," she said, linking her arm with mine and resting her head on my shoulder. "The helicopter ride, coming all the way here, the five-star hotel." She had been like this with me all day, clinging to me. I never understood why some men complained about their girlfriends being clingy; I, for one, absolutely loved it.

"I just wanted to see you smile. I thought you'd either find it cheesy and smile or genuinely love it and smile," I told her.

"How did you even come up with this?" she asked, her eyes filled with wonder.

"Maya," I laughed. "You know how she is. She sent me screenshots of some books you guys like... so..."

Naina looked at me in awe. It was totally worth it.

"I love you," I told her again, but her smile faded, and she bit her lip, looking away. I didn't mind that she hadn't said it back yet, but it stung a little that my words seemed to upset her. I decided I would hold back from saying it as often, knowing it made her uncomfortable.

We finally arrived at the mall, and her eyes lit up like a child in a toy store.

We headed to Zara, where we picked out a few clothes: pants, shorts, tops, and even a dress.

I waited outside the dressing room, checking my phone. A few messages from colleagues came through, asking for advice on patient-related issues, and I responded while I waited.

Maya had also messaged me.

Maya: "How did it go?"
Me: "Really well. She loved it!"
I sent her a few pictures taken by the event management team.
Maya: "Wow! You actually went all out!"
Me: "Yeah, but now I'm stuck at Zara getting clothes."
Maya: "Hmm..."
Me: "What?"
Maya: "Nothing."
Me: "What do you mean, nothing?"
Maya: "Take it slow."
Me: "It's been SIX months!!"
Maya: "Yeah, but you saw how she was last week."
I had seen her last week. I had seen her yesterday. But I had also seen her today. She seemed okay now. I wondered if Maya knew about what had actually happened with Advik that day. I didn't know how to ask without breaking Naina's confidence.
Me: "We talked about a lot of things."
Maya: "That's really good."

Just then, Naina stepped out of the fitting room.

Me: "Gotta go now, she's back."

I tucked my phone into my pocket.

She emerged wearing the jeans and top she had on before. "What happened?" I asked, hurrying over to her.

"Sir, you cannot go inside," said the saleswoman outside the fitting room, blocking my way.

I stepped back, a bit embarrassed.

Naina shrugged. "Let's go to Biba. There's nothing here that's suitable for Mangalore." She made a face, and she had a point. Mangalore was more conservative, and not many women dressed stylishly compared to Manipal or Bangalore.

"Okay, whatever you want."

We found an outfit at Biba and then grabbed a very late lunch at the food court.

"Last week was tough. Everyone was taking their exams, and I felt like a loser," Naina confided as we strolled around the mall.

I waited for her to elaborate. "What good is it that I was the topper at university during my MBBS? I got into PG without a gap, but now I'll lose a whole year anyway."

"There's no timeline or race here, Naina," I said gently.

She stopped walking and turned to face me.

"Topping your university is a great achievement, but it's okay to be giving your MD exams late. It's great that you didn't take a gap before PG. But we're not running against the clock. It's perfectly fine to do things at our own pace."

"I won't be able to take the subspecialty exams this year," she said, looking into my eyes as if searching for answers. I wished I could grab her and kiss her pain away.

"You'll take them next year," I shrugged, trying to reassure her.

"I don't want to be in a long-distance relationship..." she replied, and my heart warmed. Translation: she didn't want to be away from me.

But at the same time, my parents expected me to return to Kollam after my cardiology fellowship and practice at the family hospital. I too wanted to do a year of interventional cardiology before going home, but I was feeling the pressure to return. If Naina pursued a fellowship, it would mean we'd be in a long-distance relationship.

"We'll figure it out," I told her. Would delaying joining the hospital by a couple more years really matter? The hospital had two cardiologists right now, but they had more patients than they could manage. They didn't want to hire anyone else permanently because they were waiting for me.

"If you want to do a fellowship, you can do it whenever you want. I'll make sure we're together," I promised her, meaning every word. I didn't want to be apart from her either. She linked her arm around mine and smiled at me.

"I..." I started, but held back before another "I love you" slipped out.

We headed over to Rare Rabbit, where she picked out a deep purple and a chocolate brown t-shirt for me. I would never have chosen those colors, but they looked great when I tried them on.

"Do you want to head back?" I asked her, and she nodded.

During the car ride back, she fell asleep on my shoulder. She looked so calm! I stroked her cheek with my thumb and she licked her lips in her sleep. She was so beautiful and utterly mine.

"Naina," I said softly as we arrived at the hotel. She twitched but didn't wake up. "Naina, we're here," I told her gently. I slid her head off my shoulder and cradled her face in my hands. I brushed a delicate kiss on her lips. Her eyelids fluttered open.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty!" I whispered.

She smiled softly and then stretched.

We held hands as we walked to our room.

"Honeymoon?" a stranger asked in the elevator.

"Yes," I said, while she shook her head.

Once we got off, she turned to me, eyes narrowed. "This is our honeymoon?" she asked, incredulous.

"It could be? I didn't really think about it," I admitted sincerely.

"I think we should go abroad. My dad had said he would give us an all-expense-paid trip to B..." She suddenly stopped, her eyes widening.

I watched as she rapidly blinked back tears.

"We'll go abroad," I said quickly, wanting to reassure her. Her dad had never mentioned sponsoring our honeymoon to me, and I would never ask that of him. Technically, neither of us had our own money, but I did have a bank account from when I was a kid. My parents were good investors, and I had money that had grown passively for a long time.

She looked down at her feet, her shoulders slumped. Almost instinctively, I sensed this had something to do with that jerk. I swiped the key card and opened the door. She followed me inside.

I locked the door behind us and took her in my arms, kissing her tenderly. She was my wife, and if this was the comfort she needed, I would gladly give it to her.

"Zayne," she mumbled into my mouth. I smiled against her lips before pulling away to look into her eyes. And then, unexpectedly, she licked my jaw.

For a moment, I was shocked. No human had ever licked me, and I didn't quite know how to react.

Thank you for reading.

Remember that you are amazing, and there is a reason for everything. You are going to be okay.

❤️Faiza