I came back home and expected the aroma to hit my nostrils as everytime at this time...

Nothing

I went to the kitchen and saw none, no trace of cooking. I went to the dining room and nothing was there on the table. Wait..

What the hell!
Has something happened?

I ran till her room and the door is wide opened.. I already had my heart in my grasps, beating wildly.

I entered her room and saw her sitting on the sofa watching some animals movie and sniffing... Crying?.
She is still eating without pause and the baby is also following her and drinking his milk... Woow... I don't know what to say now.
Like mother like son.

I went back to my room and changed into casuals after a bath. I went to her room stood near door to see her smiling happily as the elephant is being saved by a kid.

I went down the stairs into the kitchen and looked around. I prepared spring rolls and Biryani, warmed milk for the baby. I was cutting Salad when I felt someones gaze on me. I turned back and looked at my wife staring at me with her mouth wide open and her eyes big as  saucers.... I took a few seconds to assess her clothing... She had 2 braids and a loose shirt with track pants.

Dayum
This girl looks too damn sexily innocent cute!
Wait
WTF shit... Never do that again!
I yelled at myself mentally.

" you can cook? " she asked coming towards the stove checking out my dishes and I nodded chopping onions. She immediately opened a cabin and gave me swimming goggles. I stared at her blankly... What does she want me to do with them?

" wear them! Your eyes won't water!" she said and I looked at her amuzed.
I mean, I never knew that this little girl uses such tricks... What else more is there in store for me?

" I'm used to it " I said to her and she nodded.

" you know what
From next time, give a small cut on the onion which should be a lil deep and then put it in water. Chop it after 10 mins, your eyes won't water... You will feel more comfortable " she said.

" so you want me to cook again? " I asked her trying to intimidate her.

" of course!
The aroma itself is delicious!
You cook 2 times a day, I will cook in the morning! We can eat tasty food 😋 every day " she said highly excited and started her imagination too!

" what would I get in return? "I asked her in my deep voice, trying to intimidate her again.

" what did I get all these months when I cooked for you? " she had a dead panned expression that literally made me gulp.

She went out of the kitchen and bought baby with her. She took the milk which cooled down and fed the baby. She dosen't look like a mother at all! It's as if she is feeding her sibling... She went out of the kitchen and I set the table in backyard.

She followed me and bought the pots.
We both sat there and had lunch in silence...  A peaceful and beautiful silence...

" have you ever cooked before? " she asked me and I looked at her. Girls always take small morsel but my wife here is taking a hand full...
Etiquette and my wife always repel.
That what I understood in past few weeks...

" yes...., for myself " I said.

" oh, you have a cook right...  Then why.... " she left the sentence in the air for me to fill the blanks...

" it was not the same when I was in Harvard , I had to cook my self, I was independent then... I didn't like anyones presence " except for her.... I said in my mind..

"ohhhhhh
Harvard! That's great!
So you are an intelligent kid ha " she said slyly and she called me a 'kid' for god's sake!

" I remember you calling me bulldozer once " I said and she choked on her food... She controlled her self and looked at me... with those big eyes. Caught u kitten.

" Ahh
That... Ah....
Because you are big " she said innocently and I smirked seeing her discomfort... She could have filtered those words..

" how do you know that I'm big?
Did you see  it  when you bathed me?"
I asked leaning on to the table, closer to her...

" naughty boy " she said as if I'm really kid! She actually said like she is my grandmom and I'm her grandson!
Damn! Why is this girl not feeling shy? Don't tell me that this girl is shameless.... She is still smiling as if I have said her a joke!
I mentally face palmed myself. I guess I need to stop trying what ever I'm doing.

She completed her food and burped.

" I'll say you now
You are the best chef!
I would love to eat it again and you can make it when you are free... I know you must be busy with your work " she said and my heart fluttered for a second with the complement that she gave.... I always get complements on work, looks whatever but her complement had an effect on me... Maybe a little... I smiled in return to her.

She picked up the plates and went inside, I followed her holding pots and glasses.

Never expected that I would have a life like this...

~~~~~~~~~~~

It was 8:30pm and I went down, we had our dinner and then I went back to my study..  There is another project tender that's gonna take place soon and it's a hefty one. I'm sure that this would be sanctioned under company as it has always been... I was almost done when I heard a knock on the door...

It should be lakshmi, but why is she hear at around 10 ? This late...

" come in " I said and she came in along with the baby.... She looked at me and turned away.
Oh, shirtless makes her shy ha.
I smirked and picked up a shirt and wore it, it's better not to scare her much.... As if she is scared...

I sat on the bed in the same position and put my laptop aside.

" do you need something ? " I asked her and she stood near the bed post with baby on her waist.

" Um... Nope
We were bored so we came to you " she said and I looked at her face which had multiple expressions and one of them was fear and reluctance..

At least she came till here even though she didn't want to. I thought.

I moved aside and asked her to sit. She layed the baby in middle and then leaned onto the headboard like me.

" so what shall we do " I asked looking at my little wife and she seemed to be engrossed in looking at every nook and corner of my room.

" I don't know " she mumbled and then took out her phone from pocket.

" wait!
I will show you the pictures that I have taken! Of our baby " she said and I felt a churn in  my stomach as  soon as she mentioned 'our'....

I looked at her phone in which she made the baby wear weird costumes.
Is she trying to make him look like a  joker?
But some of them were good...

" Where did you get these weird clothes? " I said pointing at the last 2 pics...

"rahul bhaiya sent most of the clothes" she said and kept on scrolling, I fumed with anger but controlled myself.

"lakshmi" I called her and she looked at me with baby in her lap, sleeping.

" throw away those clothes, I will bring baby something else,...
better ones " I said and she looked scared, I guess I gave out the anger which i tried to contain...

" you don't have to doubt on him,
He did it because I have asked him " she said slowly looking here and there, afraid to look at my face...

" okay
From next time, you need anything, you will ask me... Okay? " I asked her or most probably ordered her,  she looked at me and then nodded a 'yes' slowly.

I pulled her more near to me and then rubbed her arm on the other side...
I should work out on my self...

I swiped through a set of photos and then my eyes caught on few pics...

When were these photos even taken! This sneaky girl, she took these photos When we slept together...
She must have become a journalist or photographer... 

She tried to take away the phone but I held it firmly checking out the collection of me and baby...

" you know that you shouldn't be taking photos of me without my permission " I said to her with a smirk....

" you know that you shouldn't check out a girls phone! " she yelled in my ear and I mentally groaned.

" give it back to me " she said as soon as I entered another set of collection of photos.

" no, let me see " I said and turned to the other side and started looking at those photos... They were cute....
She is cute...

" don't you have a common sense that you are not allowed to look into my phone! " she said and I gave her a partial deaf ear.

" aha....., then who is allowed " I said and kept on swiping...

" anyone but not you! " she yelled and tried to get the phone from me.. But her words got me...

" why not me? " I asked with unknown ease in my heart...
I thought it was lost long ago...

" because you are a stranger to me! " she said and tried to take the phone which I left immediately as soon as those words left from her mouth...

I got off the bed and went to balcony.

It hurt... It literally hurt me... Why am I hurt?... Only because she called me a stranger?.... Was I expecting more?
All these days with her, I thought we had a bond.... Which I didn't realize until she called me a stranger... I felt close to her or maybe u wanted to be close to her....

' she only asked you to be normal with her, like any human... She didn't give you anything else to make you build up your hopes'

I hit the railing and stood under the dark sky with unknown emotions that are passing through me....
Fuck.... I shouldn't have let this go this far.

Lakshmi's POV :

As soon as those words came out of my mouth, he left me on the bed and went away....

Everything was fine until now, he was good to me all these days... I felt really close to him.... Then why did I say something like that?!... Oh my god...
He must have felt bad.... What did I do?... He was trying all the way to make it up to me and I knew it from day-1 when he tried to have a normal conversation with me even though he was uncomfortable....

Did I just make him go back to his old way? Did I just hurt him with my words? I really like him...
I can't let my few dumb words damage the whole thing between us...

I ran till the balcony and looked at his back facing me. I took slow steps until I reached him and I did the only thing I could do.
I hugged him.
It hurts to know that I have hurt him with my words...

His body stiffened and then relaxed. He tried to pry off my hands but I held it strongly, interlocking around his torso... I leaned my face into his back and my right cheek is now pressing to his back.

" I'm sorry " I said and I didn't get any reply...

" I'm sorry " I said and again I didn't get any reply...

" I'm sorry...please... " I said and he tried to remove my hands off him... He was successful in it, he was moving away and I did the only thing I could....

I kicked hard on his left leg and he kneeled onto the floor. He looked at me with angry eyes and was about to get up but I held his face. I looked deeper into his eyes which were pitch black...

There were unknown emotions floating in those deep orbs which pulled me into its depth.

I lowered my face till my lips met his.
A sparkling sensation ran down my spine and I looked at him who is looking taken back, and then it turned blank... I pressed more and nibbled on his lower lip but he seemed still blank.... Maybe it was all my hallucination to think that there is something between us.. Maybe...there was nothing from the start... Unknowingly it pained my heart alot..

I took a step back...that one step which I took back from him had made my eyes tear up... Why am I crying? Why is this crazy heart expecting the impossible? It should have stayed away from him... It wouldn't have pained this much....

A sob escaped from my lips and the next second my lips were pressed into his... I didn't understand for a minute  what was going around me until his hands cricled my waist and pulled me more closer ,leaving no space between us... I held onto his shirt and he raised me up on to his feet....
I laughed... I'm short....

I hid my face in his shirt and he hugged me tight...

~ Hope it stays like this
Forever ~