Abhira: One Shots and Short Stories

Part I: The Photograph (1.2)

Part I: The Photograph (1.2)

Photographs show small parts of people's world, little snippets of their life. They are little windows into their lives and give a glimpse of how they have become what they are now.

Akshara loved getting her photos clicked, especially when she had her own personal photographer, her Abhi. Abhimanyu missed no opportunity to compliment his Akshu, shower her with his love, and remind her that she was the best thing that had happened to him.

His compliments and sweet surprises had increased ten-fold since the day they came to know of her pregnancy. Even amidst the hanging fear of the unknown and the worries surrounding a high-risk pregnancy, Abhimanyu had made peace with Akshara's decision to carry their babies to term.

Instead of wasting away his time drowned in his own worry, he decided to enjoy this beautiful phase of their journey with Akshara. His days revolved around pampering his Akshu and spending time with her, keeping her happy. But as soon as the night used to roll on, Abhimanyu donned his doctor's coat and poured hours scouring through medical reports in search of an answer. After all, who said that a person couldn't enjoy this blissful phase while turning to science for answers?

The sun rose on the horizon, engulfing Abhira's bedroom into a warm glow. Akshara was curled up against Abhimanyu, her tiny frame completely engulfed beneath his sturdy arms. After an eventful night yesterday, Akshara had finally calmed down enough for both of them to get some shut-eye. With warm, bubbling happiness in their hearts surrounding them like an impenetrable bubble, they felt safe and secure in their joy and slept with little spoken amongst themselves, except for a small whisper of "I love you".

Even beneath the blanket, it was difficult to miss how Abhimanyu kept a protective hand over Akshu's stomach and caressed it every now and then, earning a soft sigh from her. The almost non-existent baby bump suddenly made its appearance yesterday evening, resulting in an overjoyed Akshu bouncing around their room with the excitement of an energized bunny. Her excitement and clumsy nature had kept Abhimanyu on his toes the entire evening. He was a beat away from getting a heart attack whenever Akshu even as much as kept a foot wrong.

Between moving stuff out of her way and keeping his arms outstretched, getting ready to catch her if she fell, Abhimanyu enjoyed the carefree evening they spent together. It was refreshing to watch her bubbly self live in the moment and enjoy a milestone in their parenthood journey without a care in the world. Abhimanyu was content watching her, overwhelmed with joy and at a loss of words to express his happiness.

But when Akshu brought his hand to her stomach, his happiness knew no bounds. Engulfing her in a bear hug, Abhi shed tears of happiness. For the first time in months, the happiness of her pregnancy didn't carry the weight of the medical complications. At that moment, Abhira were just like any other soon-to-be parent, embarking on this beautiful journey of parenthood.

With a reminiscent smile on their faces, they slept in sheer bliss, as the two would soon be four. As the sunlight washed over their faces, Akshara hid her face deeper into Abhi's chest in an effort to catch some last-minute sleep before she was forced to get up.

"Akshu, we need to get up. It's almost time for breakfast," Abhi kissed her forehead lightly while trying to rouse her from her sleep.

"Please, Abhi, just five more minutes. I am tired, and even the babies are tired. We demand that each of us gets five more minutes of sleep, and seeing that there are three of us, its 15 minutes of sleep for me," Akshu pleaded her case while snuggling even further into his chest.

"You should have thought about this before going all energizer bunny on me last night. You almost gave me a heart attack with all the twirling and dancing".

"But I was excited. And you know that when I am happy, I can't keep calm", Akshara added with a small pout.

"Even I was excited and overjoyed, but did you see me bouncing around from one corner of the room to another? I think even our babies were shaken awake from all the jumping", Abhi says in a teasing tone.

"Well, you are there for our babies, no? To keep them calm and lull them back to sleep. Seeing as your hand has not left my belly since yesterday and even now to keep caressing it with a faraway look in your eyes," Akshu added with a soft smile, admiring how the hulk of her husband has been subtly expressing his happiness.

Caught in his not-so-subtle expression of love, Abhi bent down to lay another kiss on her stomach.

"The three most important people in my life deserve all the love and care in the world, " Abhi adds, trailing her belly with kisses.

"Abhi, don't you think it is a little early for your mischievous thoughts." Akshara had not missed the mischievous glint in Abhimanyu's eyes.

"Me, and mischievous?" Abhimanyu feigned innocence while slowly aligning himself so that his face was directly above hers, his eyes locking her in an intense gaze.

"Mrs Birla, I am only mischievous when my wife says so. Otherwise, don't you remember I am an ardent follower of Shivji", he adds while his eyes dart down towards her lips.

A soft blush rose on Akshara's cheeks.

"Doctor Abhimanyu Birla, if you forgot, we already have two buns baking in my oven; I don't think there is a space for a third one at the moment," Akshu breaks the silence, throwing the covers off her and running to get ready.

Looking at his bedside table, Abhimanyu's eye catches the photograph of them taken last night, Akshara holding a sonogram while Abhimanyu caressing her stomach. A milestone in their lives perfectly captured and preserved in time.

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Do let me know your thoughts on this part.

There will be approximately 3 - 4 more parts which will delve into different stages of Akshara's pregnancy and the sweet moments shared by Abhira at each stage.

Happy reading!