Tujhse Hain Raabta

Colleagues and a Surprise

The morning was sunny with a warm breeze. It wasn't too hot, just the perfect temperature. The light seeping in from the windshield had Kriti looking like she was glowing sitting in the passenger seat. And that definitely made it difficult for Arnav to keep his eyes off of her.

"You're staring." She called him out, scrolling her phone.

"You're glowing." Mindlessly, Arnav blurted out. "Um, I meant, you look pretty today." Kirti's face was too red by then.

"Now, your face is red." For whatever reason today, he was hyper focused on his wife. "I like it."

His words had Kirit's jaw open. "You're talking too much today."

Arnav didn't reply. The smirk on his face said he was taking delight in this conversation. Ten minutes later they were parked in front of Kriti's office.

"I'll pick your car up in the afternoon, okay?"

"Yeah, alright." Kriti said, unbuckling her seatbelt. She saw a few of her colleagues standing near the entrance and they were looking directly at her or they were looking directly at the man beside her.

"Colleagues?"

"Yes." Kriti nodded. "Do you want to meet them? They've been asking all about you."

They got out of the car ready to meet her colleagues and met with them halfway to the entrance. "Good morning. This is my husband, Arnav."

 Hi's were exchanged and small talk was made. A colleague who was standing right next to Kriti whispered into her ears, "your husband is really handsome." A proud look overtook her face. For years, the women around her would show-off their husbands and insistently talked about them. Today, she had her person to show-off. A hand wrapped around her shoulders, tugging her in. It was Arnav. He was still talking to a colleague but his eyes were focused on Prakash who seemed to be looking anywhere else.

A few minutes later, they took their leave and went into the office. Everyone, except Prakash. He stood near the entrance casting glances at her.

"Look at that creep." Arnav hissed. Kriti took a step to stand in front of him.

Placing her palm on his cheek, she turned his face to focus on her. "Arnav."

"Yeah?" He answered, his voice finding back softness.

"Forget about him. He never even spoke to me so it shouldn't be a bother."

"He better keep it that way." Arnav's protectiveness had her becoming more and more red. She only hoped that it wasn't too obvious.

"Listen,-" she began, "I meant to ask at breakfast but, um, how did you sleep last night?" He could definitely read in between the lines. Kriti wanted to know if he had a nightmare.

"Well, I instantly woke up when my brain was going to experience one but on the bright side, I slept for a good straight four hours."

"Oh. Arnav, I want you to wake me up if it gets too bad." She took his hand in hers. "I want to be there."

Arnav assessed her face for a minute and leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead. "Done."

"Have a good day, Kritika."

"You too."

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During lunch, Kriti sent a photo of her empty lunch box to Arnav saying the food was delicious. He simply sent a good. Of course, her husband was bad at texting. He'd rather call or talk in person.