Only Yours - The Vow | ✓

Chapter: 12

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Nikshit woke up to his room filled with ladies of his house gossiping. Confused, he sat up to see his mother, sister, Sister-in-law, aunts standing together, surrounding Maithili.

His hand pulled out the phone from beneath his pillow on a habitual reflex. 5:30 PM. There were a lot of email notifications on the pop-up as well as some messages. He skimmed through them one by one. The sleepiness hadn't worn off yet.

“Done.”

Neelam announced and they all stepped away from Maithili. They were helping her in getting ready altogether. As exaggerated as it sounded, it was still sweet. She didn't know how to drape a saree by herself skillfully. Kaushiki helped out and others stood around like an audience.

The sleeping son of the house was of course blatantly ignored until they noticed him sitting there awake, looking at his new bride dolled up in a red banarasi saree. Nikshit could tell it was thick and she was already going to sweat buckets if they were going anywhere where there was no cooling system.

“Nikshit, go freshen up and get ready. Puja is in half an hour. You've got fifteen minutes to yourself.” The eldest, Prerna bua, told him as the ladies made their way out of the room. There was no privacy in this house even after he got married!

Nikshit wore the dhoti-kurta set his mother had left behind for him and joined the family on time for the puja. His eyes kept going back to look at Maithili on their own, he couldn't help it. It was like his eyes had their own separate brain that made them function when she was around. It was distracting.

Luckily it was over soon and he was informed that Maithili’s ‘Mooh Dikhai’ is going to be held today itself. For several reasons like his relatives have to leave soon and let's just finish it up today so that they could have ample time to prepare for the reception party after two days.

Maithili was thankful for the afternoon nap because the tiredness she felt all over her body could have led to her hospitalization if she hadn't gotten any sleep before.

She lazily sprawled on the bed beside Nikshit with her eyes closed. Nikshit looked at her keenly, she was laying with her face down. Her hair was pulled up in a neat bun and the backless blouse helped her feel much better as the cold air hit her bare skin.

His eyes went towards the glass of milk that was kept on the table beside and then back at her. There was so much to say and talk about with her but he'd decided not to say anything unless he was sure she'd be civilized enough to lead on a conversation.

Maithili had fallen deeply asleep. She heard Nikshit calling out her name and a frown appeared on her face. Who is disturbing her sleep?

“Go away.” She grunted, only to be shaken awake again. She sat up with a jolt, annoyed by the continuous nagging. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the lit up room.

“Go change and come eat.”

She saw Nikshit sitting with a plate of thick stuffed parathas with curd by the side in a small bowl. Her stomach sure felt empty as the whiff of ghee entered her nostrils.

She quickly slid down the bed and walked towards the closet to get her clothes before dashing inside the bathroom. Nikshit could hear the tap water running which meant the door was still open.

The TV was on and a news channel was displayed on it.

He patiently waited for her to come back. The parathas looked tasty, he was glad they were too hot or by the time Maithili would have arrived they might be cold.

“How many are mine?”

“As many as you want.”

Nikshit watched her climb up and pull a pillow in her lap before she sat facing him. His gaze subtly looked at her oversized plain yellow t-shirt and the cotton shorts that rode up further as she sat. He looked away and concentrated on the parathas. It was already late. Everyone had gone to sleep and the house helper had made fresh parathas for him when he'd requested her.