CHAND 〡 ABHIRA

shaadi shuda wali feeling

Akshara pushed open the doors to the house that she was supposed to turn into her home for her shortlived married life. A gasp escaped from her lips at the rustic interiors that were seized with vines, there were regal pieces of decorations that covered some parts of the walls. she tried hiding her excitement at the prospect of a new project for her to accomplish, decorating the house with her touch.

She spun around in the living room, her blue anarkali creating waves against the dull pallette of the room. She hadn't even noticed Abhimanyu, who leaned against the doorframe his hands across his chest as he admired her uplifting presence. 

"Sambhal ke" He advised her as he caught her mid fall, and she looked at him flustered. "ghar acha laga?"

"Haan teek hain" She shrugs, already embarassed at her display of childlike joy. "We still have to look at the rooms"

"Chalo" He leads her towards the staircase and walks in silence, Akshara observing in the house and Abhimanyu observing her. He knew that this was supposed to feel abnormal, as they basically agreed to marry each other for the sake of their family bussiness and they yet were to discuss about how long they would keep up this act and the alleged reason for their divorce. 

"yeh mera room hain!" Akshara's voice brings him out of his reverie and realises she's pointing to the room adjacent to the master bedroom. "The sunlight makes the room look better"

The smile on her face drops as she turns to him and he realises that she thinks he might forbid her from it, he decides to lighten the mood and says, "I guess it's nice but mera room better hain"

He leads her to the master bedroom and flashes a broad grin at the rate in which her smile falls and she turns to him with a pout, "Not fair, we're not allowed to choose the master bedroom"

"Kyu? Mera ghar hain mera choice" He shrugs and stops midway realizing his slip up. This wasn't just his house anymore, it was both of theirs. Akshara acts as if she didn't notice and walks around observing everything to its utmost detail making a few teasing comments here and there. 

"Akshara" He calls her name and stops midway pointing at something. His tone is suddenly serious and she bits back a frown knowing he's about to inflict reality upon the both of them, "We have to think about how long we're going to keep this up"

She sighs before turning to face him, "Teek hain bolo kuch idea hain?"

"Mein? Tum batao!" He says exasperated at her indifference towards their current situation. 

"Toh tumara kuch jawab nahi hain aur merko bhi so hum aise continue kare?" She says rather diplomatically and a look of disbelief masks his features. 

"Aise matlab?" He croaks out, terrified at what she's implying. 

"Married couple?" She offers rather innocently and he chokes on thin air, trying to gasp the meaning behind her words. They had decided that they would stay together till it was necessary for the families and then part ways. She maintains her innocent demeanor for a couple of seconds longer before she breaks into giggles leaning against him. 

"Tum kitne dar gayi thi!" She says clapping vigourously. "Bilkul meethidana ke tara"

"Meethidana? paagal hain kya? Aur mein toh bilkul dar nahi gayi" He tries convincing her, "I was feeling sorry for you in case you caught feelings"

"As if" She huffs before strolling out the room, leaving him alone. 

He was someone that was used to living alone and even enjoyed it more than being surrounded by the presence of multiple people but as soon as Akshara had left the room he almost felt her absence immediately. 

It's cause you saw her almost everyday for a couple of weeks now, his subconcious assures him.

***

He stares at her as she flips through  an interior design magazine while making a few calls as she plans out the color scheme for certain furniture. He doesn't understand that her excitment stems from the fact that she was never allowed to fully express herself in her room in Goenka villa,  because she feared that Aarohi would always feel overlooked. 

"Should we go out?" He steals her attention away from the magazine, and as she looks at him in surprise he finds the urge to correct himself, "For dinner"

She sticks her bottom lip out sheepishly, " Sure! But there's something you need to know for future refrences like-- i can't cook"

"I figured" He says feigning a look of annoyance but the softness in his voice gives him away and she smiles. "I'm going to hate myself for telling you this but i-

"can cook?" she offered with a playful smile as he looked at her in question, "Oh please it's so cliche it's found in every romcom, the girl can't cook and the guy can"

As soon as she says it, she realizes the implication behind her words and she rushes to correct herself, "I mean like normally, not that this is a romcom --- you know what i mean!" she ended lamely.

He just shook his head as laughter bubbled inside him, he was quickly starting to realize that living with Akshara was bound to be interesting. The both of them go back and forth between places they should order from before finally deciding on one together. 

She can't decide what they are to each other yet, they aren't exactly friends yet but they were comfortable enough to laugh and relax around each other during dinner. She isn't delusional however to believe that this will be a regular thing between them, and knows that starting tomorrow he'll probably show up at godforsaken hours and would prefer to eat alone. She isn't fazed by it much, as she herself has her mother's studio to take care of especially with the recent renovations but a part of her does hope that they could at least try to be friends. 

The next morning Abhimanyu wakes up to the sound of humming and contrary to the usual annoyance that flares up when his usual routine is disturbed, he felt content. On a lighter note, he gets ready before jogging down the stairs to start his morning. As he plays around with his watch on his wrist as he enters the living, he catches sight of her in the kitchen, she's dressed in a light pink kurta with white dress bottoms while her hair is wrapped around in a messy bun allowing for a few strands to adorn her face. 

He can hear her sing under her breath as she seems to be making chai for herself, he fights to urge to step closer to her to listen to her voice. A minute later, she notices his presence and sends a soft smile towards his way. 

"Morning" He counters, before making his way next to her where the coffee machine was placed. "Sleep well?"

She hums before opening a cabinet to reach for the spices, in the process she leans against him but fails causing her to fall. He catches her just in time and pulls her towards him but is leaned at an angle as her body colliding into his disrupted his balance as well. Her hands tightly wrap around his neck and her eyes are still closed waiting for the impact, a few seconds later her eyes flutter open and he finds himself falling deeper into the depths of her eyes. 

"Ab shaadi shuda wali feeling agaya na" He whispers and her heart beats rapidly, it takes them a minute longer to snap back into reality. 

 He steadies her with his hands placed on her elbows, propping them up to a standing position and she looks at him sheepishly leading him to grab the required spices for her. 

She breathes out, "Thanks" 

*** 

so sorry for the late update but im on break and so i have free time to write and the required motivation for this story but as always it's your comments and votes that tell me if the writing and storyline is good enough for me to keep going so please

VOTE AND COMMENT <3