Treacherous Souls

XII. "What the fuck is this?"

Third Person

"Aashika, stop standing there and help me." Arjun groaned, picking up the red carpet from the floor and looking at his wife who was busy checking out her newly painted nails.

It was yet another day of torture, and Arjun was so tired of his wife being an actual brat that he was almost on the verge of crying out loud.

'God, I have no idea how these people manage to clean the whole fucking palace every day. This is so hard.' He thought, mourning over his luck and cursing his wife at the same time.

"Why? I am a brat, right? And brats behave like this only, so you better get accustomed to it, Mr. Rajput." She smiled sweetly, and went to sit on the chair she had dragged from his room.

"Aashika, if you won't help me I will chuck your stupid teddy bear out of the window." He threatened.

Being married to her for almost a year, he had gotten to know her weaknesses and was so proud of his observant eyes, but little did he know that his wife was as sharp eyed as he was, if not more.

The smile on her face widened when she said,"You do that, and I will throw your telescope out of the same window and make sure my dearest teddy bear and your dearest telescope land at the same spot."

"How- how do you know I have a telescope?"

"That is something someone like you won't understand."

"What do you mean by 'someone like me'?" He raised his brows and crossed his arms over his chest, letting the carpet drop on the marble floorboard.

"You are smart enough to figure it out on your own. You don't need a brat's help." She put extra emphasis on 'brat', just to torture her husband even more. Call her petty, but she was thoroughly offended when her husband called her a brat so she decided that he would see the real definition of brat since he didn't seem to know what a brat actually was.

"Aashika, stop being petty and help me clean up. I will pull up the carpet and you will sweep the floor, okay?" She sighed when his gaze didn't waver even after a few minutes, and thought to help the poor soul without any more tantrums.

She stood up from the chair and picked up the broom from the floor, waiting for Arjun to pick up the heavy carpet.

When she had stood up to help him, he had internally sighed in relief and had mentally prepared himself to teach her how to sweep, but his wife surprised him yet again when she swept the floor clean wordlessly in just a few minutes.

'This brat is not so spoiled after all.' He thought as he gazed at his wife sweeping the floor with her delicate hands.

***

"Manav, it's okay. I will do it. You don't have to help me." Aastha mumbled as she saw her husband pick up the broom to sweep the second floor's corridor for the second time in the span of 48 hours.

"You are helping me, Aastha, not the other way around. You did most of the work yesterday too, now sit back down and help me when I need it."

"But-"

"No, buts, Mrs. Rajput."

'Why is he suddenly being so kind to me?' Was the only thought revolving around Aastha's head as she stared at her mafia husband scouring the floor with all of his dedication.