17. Love?

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The book is now called 'The SEVEN PHASES of Marriage.' I'm the least creative in naming but I tried. Hope you like the new cover too.🥰

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Sunday morning was bright and sunny. Siddharth relaxed, returning from the jog before his phone rang.

"Morning, Dad!" Siddharth greeted, answering the call. It's been a long since he conversed with his father.

"How are you, son?"

"I'm good," Siddharth spoke.

"Really? I thought we were good friends," Kishore chuckled. Avni's parents called him a few minutes ago and invited them to the festival.

"Alright! I miss my wife, and I feel terrible," Siddharth sulked. There is no point in denying his feelings in front of his father.

Siddharth always found a great friend in his father. His father remained the strongest support during tough times. The men laughed together, talking about anything and everything.

If their mother pampered them and took care of them, their father was playful and friendly.

"Tell me more, son," Kishore laughed.

"Everything I do, every corner of the house, reminds me of her. She completely occupies my thoughts. I hear her bangles clicking against each other, her laughter that resembles the chime of bells, the tinkling of her anklets so clearly when I close my eyes and let my thoughts take over. I feel as if I never had a life before marrying her, Dad!" Siddharth explained, recalling Avni.

"Is it so?"

"Yeah! I'm so frustrated! I sure had a life before marrying her, which vanished all of a sudden. Life has become so mechanical these days. I can't seem to live without her anymore," Siddharth sighed.

"Don't overthink. I assure you it's a good thing," Kishore advised.

"What?" Siddharth frowned, not understanding.

"I felt the same way about your Mom too," Kishore said, recalling his life with Renuka.

"Why?" The question slipped out of his mouth.

"It's called LOVE, Dear son! You're in love with your beautiful wife," Kishore declared.

LOVE?

Is it?

Loving Avni is something he is scared of...

Siddharth could neither figure out the intensity of her love towards Santosh nor a way to heal her broken heart. He wasn't ready for heartbreak! 

The lesser he involved his heart into this relationship till she moves on, the better would be his life.

It's been 11 days, 5 hours 54 minutes since Avni left. He missed her. The new confusion that it might be love frustrated him.

It's not like he shouldn't fall in love with Avni. The problem is he doesn't know how to win her yet.

Siddharth felt like his head might explode if he kept thinking. There were numerous questions. He checked his pocket and took out the note.

'I enjoy music. It's very relaxing... There is a playlist on my laptop.'

He smiled, reading her note. Music isn't his type, but he liked the idea of exploring her interests and knowing her.

Most songs were by Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, A.R Rahman, Shreya Ghoshal, and SPB. They were a perfect mix of pop music and classical Indian ragas. He smiled, realizing his girl was a perfect blend of modern thoughts and traditional values.

Siddharth checked his phone that displayed a text from Gaurav. "Forward me the mail, bro."

He was about to get up and grab his laptop but chose to do it from Avni's PC. The idea of using her stuff like his own thrilled him.

Siddharth was shuffling through files after downloading a document before he came across a few pictures. He concluded that the photographs were clicked during her college days as one of them had a university name behind in bold.

Siddharth instantly mailed the document and eagerly glanced at her pictures.

Few were clicked at a beach, a few at the resort, and the rest at university during random times. He enjoyed her candid ones more. 

Avni couldn't properly smile when she was put under pressure, and he liked that about her. He had to constantly divert her attention during their wedding too.

A picture drew his attention. A tall guy was standing next to her while she was holding crackers. They stood close enough yet seemed distant. There wasn't a photograph with a guy except for this one, excluding group photos.

The guy was tall with tanned skin and wasn't very attractive too. The thought that it might be Santosh hurt him.

"Hello, Siddharth," Avni spoke as he answered the call. 

"What are you doing?" Avni asked the obvious. 

"Looking at some of your pictures. You were adorable," Siddharth responded.

"There are a few diaries of mine in novels rack. Can you please look for them?" Avni requested. She needed him to know everything before they laid a foundation for the relationship of husband and wife. The relationship built on trust and honesty is the strongest.

He already knew it from the day he searched for some books before she left. "I know where they are."

"Weren't you curious to read when you came across them?" Avni was pleasantly surprised.

"I was, but I'm not anymore. If it's something I should read, you'll tell me. Moreover, Invading someone's privacy isn't a good deed."

"I am officially giving you the permission, Husband. Read them all."

"But it's wrong," Siddharth tried to protest.

"I don't know about other couples. All I can say is I am not giving space to something called 'Privacy' between us. I want you to read. That way, I will be guilt-free and happy when I am confident that you know everything," Avni explained, and he couldn't deny it anymore.

"Also, Please remember I'm yours now and you're mine. My feelings were past. You're my present and future," Avni warned.

Siddharth ran his fingers across a beautiful green diary of 2017. He started reading.

🌸'The Joy Of Giving is the Joy Of Living'🌸

[Date. Month. Year Pattern]

01.08.2017

First day in university. It feels as if I'm a bird with fully developed wings. The day had been fantastic.

The 250-acre campus is filled with greenery, and I loved every bit of the small part I've explored today along with Papa.

02.08.2017

Orientation was quite inspiring though I'm pretty sure about bunking classes and last-minute studies. I hope I don't misuse the freedom I've got.

Papa left later in the evening by train. I realized nothing could be more painful and depressing than witnessing his vision fading away. Tears cascaded my cheeks no matter how hard I tried controlling. I hope he reaches safely.

Siddharth skipped a few pages, eager to read further.

15.08.2017

I made a few friends through senior and junior interaction. The seniors were amazing and quite fun.

There is only one girl named Kavya among the gang, and we shared a few common interests as we spoke. Her room is adjacent to mine, and I'm already sure that we would be great friends as time passes.

Seniors tried ragging us, which probably was the hilarious stuff I've ever witnessed. The guys danced, acted in some scenes, and proposed senior girls.

Haha! One of the proposals was very creative. The guy had to propose a senior. He addressed the girl as a sister and talked about Jaime and Cersei from Game of Thrones. The guys laughed so hard that it intrigued me to search their names on Google and find out what it meant.

I probably should be disgusted that they are twins who share physical intimacy, but I let it slide without pondering much.

03.09.2017

We played Treasure Hunt all day as it was Sunday. It was fun running from one corner to the other and knowing the campus.

A guy was ordered to propose to Kavya and me later that night as a part of ragging.

Kavya couldn't reject him, which the seniors wanted us to do. He started with me next.

I asked him to propose kneeling and holding an imaginary rose. He tried doing it, and I straight away rejected it!

Yeah... The 17-year-old me is a proud self.

*I don't want my guy revolving around me like a puppy all the time and doing everything to impress me.

*He should be the one who would win my heart without even trying to.

*The one who doesn't even turn his head even when a girl of hourglass figures passes.

*He should love my heart and care for me.

*He should understand my unspoken wishes and fulfill them like Papa always does.

*He should feed me with love like Amma does every day and pamper me, bearing all my naughty acts.

It's probably too much to ask for, but there's nothing wrong in hoping, right?

25.09.2017

The day was long and tiresome after an extra class.

The crush on Santosh is becoming intense. It's becoming difficult to deal with. I hope I find a way out of this... He's good-looking, decent, and everything I wish for, but relationships are a headache and interfere with studies.

13.10.2017

My eyes welled up witnessing an image of Santosh with a girl.

I was talking to Kavya about my crush on Santosh when she grilled me for fun. She wanted to see his picture, and I hesitantly opened his Facebook profile. He hasn't accepted my friend request yet! I noticed and shuffled through his hilarious photographs. None of them had his face correctly. Lol! Most of them were group pictures with a selfie clicked by him... The tall guy problems.

That was when I came across his picture with a girl. The thought that it might be his girlfriend stabbed my heart.

Kavya later pointed out that the girl was his senior, and I sucked in a breath I held from long.

I got to do something! I can't like him so much that he occupies my head even when too many hot guys surround me, and he isn't even around.

24.10.2017

The club inductions were thrilling. I gave my first round for Journalism dept. It did go well, and I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing a fake guest.

28.10.2017

Yayyyyyy! I got admitted into the Journalism dept., Arts and Deco, Music, and Robotics Clubs.

Siddharth reread the line, awed by her skills. He never imagined how diverse her talents could be. 

04.11.2017

It's Diwali and my birthday! One day I await throughout the year. 

Amma and Papa came to the hostel early in the morning. We went to a temple and spent the rest of the day happily at a beach. The day had been fantastic so far.

They left late in the evening. I tried controlling my tears, and luckily it worked this time. 

Coming to tears, My eyes welled up with happiness. I wanted to give a treat to my friends and rang Amma to ask Papa for money. I never asked him directly. It somehow felt awkward hearing his concerned affectionate voice. I can never tell him that I called for money and not him, even if he wouldn't think so. Amma took the call and informed me that the money was already deposited into my account as I use Papa's card, indicating a low balance.

Yeah! Papa gave me his debit card before leaving and would always check if there was enough money.

Everything would've been perfect.

Only if Santosh knew it was my birthday and wished me! 

11.11.2017

Time for Cult Fest!!!! An annual cultural fest of our university lasting for three successive days.

Kavya and I, along with many guy friends, wandered across the stalls having a great time. We had lots of fun watching dance, music, and fashion competitions.

The solo dance of some guy did remind me of Santosh, but I kept quiet. Kavya teased me moments later, reminding me that his alien ears were similar to Santosh.

DJ was fun. I danced like never before, letting go of my introverted nature.

"Alien ears?"

Siddharth chuckled at the usage though it became difficult to read further. But the guy in the photo was quite average! Isn't that Santosh, then?

He flipped the pages landing into the last few days left for the year.

28.12.2017

It's my cousin's marriage, and I'm finally at the wedding hall. The guy seemed stylish yet disgusting, but I barely cared. I am more of a decent look fan.

I heard one of our relatives, an old lady with pepper and salt hair, whispering, "It would be Avni's marriage next."

It freaked me out. Marriage is a considerable responsibility full of adjustments.

I'm the least patient and tolerant. Also, the most impulsive and straightforward girl one would ever meet. I'm proud of that, though. People realize I'm a genuine person no matter how whimsical I can be and look up to me. But this attitude might not work in in-laws' house.

Marriage? I never thought about it. But I know what my heart is hinting at.

Santosh!!

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AishuPurple

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"I thought we're finally done with Santosh! Why am I reading him again?" Is that your thought? 🙈

The diary is more about Avni's nature, her feelings and her desires. Also, it's important to be fair in any relationship if you wish to hold it for a life time. So I'm now clearing everything before the beginning of a new journey.

Siddharth is in Love! Hehe! Takes him time to realise but yeah! Excited?🤩🤩

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net