N i k s h a n t

I climbed the stairs and entered my room.

I have to wait for Aaravi to sleep because when I know she's having nightmares, I can't let her sleep alone. What if she has a nightmare again at night? I can't risk it now. When she's with me, it's my responsibility to keep her safe.

I opened my laptop and placed it on my lap. I was checking some emails when my phone rang. I looked at my phone and saw that mom was calling me.

I saw the time-it was showing 4 a.m., so it must be 6:30 a.m. in India.

I picked up the phone and placed it against my ear.

"Hello, mom," I said.

"Hello, beta. Umm, did I disturb your sleep?" mom asked.

"No, mom, I was just checking some emails. Tell me, why did you call me at this time?" I asked.

"Oh, right. Tomorrow is Karwa Chauth, so wake Aaravi up at 5 a.m. because it's time for sargi and give her something to eat, because after 5 a.m., she can't eat anything. That's why I called you, because Aaravi might be sleeping right now, and I can't disturb my baby's sleep, so I called you instead,"I facepalmed.

Is she even my mom? I mean, she can disturb my sleep, but she can't disturb her daughter-in-law's sleep?

"Mom, I'm your son, so you shouldn't have disturbed my sleep either," I said, annoyed.

"Tell me, were you sleeping?" mom asked.

I would've been sleeping, mom, if I wasn't fulfilling your daughter-in-law's wish almost the whole night.

But I can't say this to her, right?

"No, mom," I pressed my lips into a thin line.

"So why are you having a problem then? You didn't even sleep, and my baby must be sleeping peacefully right now, so how could I wake her? She needs to sleep well," my jaw dropped to the floor.

"If I hadn't married her, she wouldn't even be your daughter-in-law," I said, should I be proud of this or not?

"Forget all that and listen to me," mom dropped the topic. I mean, how could she do this to me?

"Mom, you can't-" she cut me off.

"It's important, Nikshant. Since it's your first Karwa Chauth, and traditionally sargi is supposed to be given by the mother-in-law, but since I'm not there and there's no one else, you have to do it. You need to give Aaravi the sargi, which should include dry fruits, fruits, meethi pheni, sweets, and water. Feed her before sunrise because after that she won't be able to eat anything. In the evening, when the moon rises, you have to give her water, and only after that she can eat something," mom explained everything to me.

An entire day of fasting.

Like-WHAT THE HELL.

"I mean, do I have to fast too?" I asked.

"Oh hahaa, no, Nikshant beta, only the wife fasts," I frowned at mom's words.

This is injustice. I mean, why should only the wife fast the whole day? Husbands should fast too.

"It's tradition, beta, we can't do anything about it," mom said.

Who even makes such traditions where the wife has to suffer?

"Okay mom, I'll hang up now and arrange everything," I said.

"Okay, as soon as the moon rises, make sure to give her water. My daughter will be hungry the whole day, so don't make her wait. I'm warning you, Nikshant," mom warned me.

"Mom, I know. As soon as the moon rises, I'll break her fast. Don't worry," I said, my voice soft yet a bit louder.

"I don't believe you. Who knows, you might get busy with some office work, and my daughter might end up staying hungry," mom said sarcastically.

My jaw dropped hard, and my mouth hung open.

"Mom, I know my responsibilities," I said, feeling offended.

"Yeah, yeah, we all know that. I should hang up the phone so you can get your work done," mom said, and I agreed.

"Yeah, I think so too. Okay, bye mom," I said and hung up the call. I closed my laptop, stood up, and walked out of the room.

"Why should Aaravi fast alone and stay without eating the whole day? As a wife, she's doing everything, and at least as her husband, I can fast too," I thought.

"But you hate Aaravi, don't you?" my dumb subconscious said.

Why does this subconscious of mine have to fucking poke its nose in every single time?

"Bhale hi main usse nafrat karta hoon par jaisi bhi hai meri patni hai," I said, my voice a bit rude but low.

( Even though I hate her, she's still my wife )

Yes, I do hate her, but that doesn't mean I won't fulfill my duties as a husband.

"It doesn't seem like you hate her because you're fulfilling all her wishes and even want to hear her laugh and see her smile. Is this how you're going to hate her?" I closed my eyes in frustration, my jaw clenched tightly.

"That's none of your fucking business, so stop poking your nose into my fucking business," I clenched my jaw so hard it might break.

I know what I'm doing, and all of this is because she's with me in another country. It's my responsibility to keep her happy, and that's why I'm doing this. There's nothing more to it.

"Sure, if that helps you sleep tomorrow night," my subconscious mocked me.

"Just go away and don't try to poke your nose into my business," I gritted through my teeth.

I left the room and closed the door with a loud thud and went downstairs.

You hate her, Nikshant.

Yes, I hate her.

I'm doing all these things because she's with me in another country.

I kept reminding myself again and again that I hate her.

There's no way I have any soft corner for Aaravi. It's just that I pity her because I overheard her words outside the bathroom, that's all.

✷

I arranged everything, and now I have to wake Aaravi from her beauty sleep. Yes, beauty sleep, because I've heard most girls say that, including Aahana.

I climbed the stairs, opened her room, and saw her sleeping peacefully without a care in the world. She looked so calm. I slowly took steps toward her, and with each step, my heart started beating rapidly, as if it could explode any moment.

Some hair strands were disturbing her sleep, and my hands were aching to move them aside. My heart kept urging me to do it, so I listened. I gently tucked her hair behind her ear.

Now her face was clearly visible. Aaravi is beautiful. Her facial features are so perfect that it seems like God took his time crafting her face.

"I don't feel like waking her up when she's sleeping so peacefully," I mumbled. My hand automatically brushed against her cheek, and my thumb caressed her softly before I pulled my hand away.

Don't act like a pervert, Nikshant.

"Aaravi, wake up," I called her, but there was no response.

"Wake up, Aaravi, from your beauty sleep," I said a bit louder, but she still didn't wake up.

"WAKE UP, AARAVI!" I yelled, and she jerked awake, sitting up straight.

Did I just scare her?

Her expression looked horrible.

"Huh, what?" She rubbed her eyes, opened them, and looked at me.

"Wake up, you have to eat something. Get up because after the sun rises, you won't be able to eat anything," I said, my expression calm, but inside, I was tangled in a storm-what if she doesn't eat before sunrise? What will happen?

"Why? I mean, why do I have to eat right now?" she asked, her voice confused.

I tilted my head slightly and said, "You can ask all your questions later. First, get up and eat something, then I'll answer everything," my voice soft, yet she remained sitting on the bed.

"But-" I cut off her stubbornness. She could ask her questions after she ate.

"No buts, Mrs. Kapoor," I said, my voice firm yet gentle, and she nodded, knowing very well that I would answer all her questions once she had eaten.

"Let me brush my teeth first, then I'll eat something," she said, and I nodded.

"Come quickly, I'm going downstairs," I said and left the room.

I came downstairs and looked at the sargi plate, which didn't have sweet pheni because the shops weren't open yet. Almost everything else was present in the sargi thali.

I sat on the floor and tapped my fingers on the ground, waiting for her to come down and eat something. But this girl is still busy brushing her teeth. On what earth does brushing take this long? Frustration started building in my veins because of her, and anger bubbled in my body as my fingers tapped loudly on the ground.

"I'll count to ten, and if she doesn't come, I'll go back to my room and enjoy a peaceful sleep."

The count starts now.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Then she hurriedly came downstairs, her face drained of color and looking pale, guilt clearly written on her face.

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot that today is our first Karwa Chauth. Shreya reminded me in the evening, but mere dimag se woh nikal gaya tha," she said, catching her breath, her voice filled with guilt.

"Dimag hoga tabh na dimag se kuch niklega," I muttered, my voice full of frustration.

"Huh? Did you say something?" she raised her eyebrows. I shook my head in denial.

"Now take this sargi thali and eat anything from this plate," I said, pointing toward the sargi thali.

(A/N - I don't know anything about Karwa Chauth and all because we don't have Karwa Chauth in Bengali culture. I took help from my friend and searched on Google about Karwa Chauth mein kya kya hota hai . Please, if you find anything wrong, kindly ignore it😭)

She also sat on the floor.

"I don't really know how all this is done or what's supposed to be in the plate, because I've never seen it before. But mom told me what should be in the sargi, and almost everything is here, except the meethi pheni," I told her sincerely.

"It's fine, we can manage without the meethi pheni," she said softly, looking at the sargi thali.

I glanced at my watch and then outside.

"Eat, Mrs. Kapoor, because I think the sun is about to rise," I said, my voice showing urgency.

I also took a plate that I had served for myself because I planned to keep the fast for Karwa Chauth as well.

I lifted my face and looked at her. "You have to eat everything that's in the sargi thali," I said, my tone commanding, leaving no room for arguments. She parted her lips as if to say something, but then closed them, knowing well that there was no point in arguing right now.

My gaze was fixed on her face as she ate everything on the plate. When she was full, she placed the plate on the ground and put her hand on her belly before looking at me.

"I'm full now, I can't eat anymore," she said, patting her belly, her face flushing as she felt my gaze lingering on her.

I tore my gaze away from her and looked at the plate, where a few things were left.

"What did I say? The plate should be empty. So why didn't you finish it?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows together.

"I can't eat anymore because I'm full," she said, grabbing the water bottle and gulping it down.

"But you have to eat everything, right? You're keeping the fast for the whole day," I said, my voice filled with concern because she's fasting for me, for my long life.

"I'm used to not eating. I can survive two days without food because when I stayed at Chachi's house, she would only feed me once a day-" she paused, realizing what she was blurting out. She looked up at me, her eyes showing vulnerability and nervousness.

I could feel myself burning with rage at the thought of Mrs. Sachdeva treating Aaravi like that.

Only I have the right to hurt her-no one else. I didn't give anyone else the right to hurt her except me.

Only I have the right to hurt her, possess her, ruin her, do anything with her.

"Did Mrs. Sachdeva keep you starving for days?" I asked, my voice now filled with fire that could burn anyone, and the first person who would suffer would be Mrs. Sachdeva for pulling this stunt.

"I was just babbling nonsense, just forget what I said," she replied, her voice shaky and vulnerable.

Just forget it? How can I, when you yourself revealed the truth about what Mrs. Sachdeva was doing to you in the Sachdeva mansion? And my gut is telling me that there's a lot more I still need to know.

I have to dig deeper to know more about you, about those photos, and about everything else.

Aaravi is like a puzzle to me-she can be vulnerable one moment, and powerful the next. She can cry at any time, and in seconds, she can smile as if nothing happened to her just a moment ago.

Which I have to solve, and I will solve it.

"As if you say so," I shrugged my shoulders, signaling that I would forget. But am I really going to forget what she told me? Hell no.

"You can go to your room and take some rest," I said, my voice soft.

"No, no, I have to cook food," she said, standing up.

"You should go and rest; I will take care of everything," I said, also standing up and taking the plates.

"I don't want to rest; I can help you," she insisted stubbornly.

"I said take re-" she cut me off.

"I will help you, please! I swear I will take a rest afterward," she said, pinching her throat. I shook my head at her antics.

This girl never listens to me.

"Okay, you can help me, but you won't do too much work. If you're okay with that, then help me," I said as I headed toward the kitchen.

"I swear I won't do too much work," she yelled. I couldn't help but a smile tugged on my face.

I moved towards the kitchen and placed the plates in the sink. Aaravi washed the plates while I started cooking, and we chatted in between, but then Aaravi stopped talking.

I turned off the stove and looked at her. I saw that her face looked upset or maybe hurt, and I frowned.

"Did you hurt your hand?" I asked, taking her hand in mine and carefully checking if she had any injury. Once I was sure there was no injury, I let go of her hand.

"Is something wrong, Aaravi?" I asked. She looked at me and bit her lower lip, and my gaze dropped to her lips.

She looked at her hands again and said in a sad voice, "I've heard that a married woman should apply henna for Karwa Chauth because it's considered good fortune, but I haven't applied it, and I don't even know how to."

"You don't know how to apply mehendi?" I asked, frowning.

"No, I don't know how to apply mehendi, and I never learned because Veer Bhaiya learned for me. At every function, he would apply it for me, so I never thought of learning," she said, and a sparkle lit up in her eyes whenever she talked about Karanveer. A happiness seemed to glow on her face.

"Is it compulsory to apply mehendi on the hands?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Yes, but not just on the hands. We also have to apply mehendi on our feet. It's compulsory because it symbolizes good fortune and a strong bond in marriage," she explained, and I nodded.

"I think you should rest now since you're fasting, so you shouldn't move around too much. I also have to check some emails," I said, my tone authoritative. Aaravi nodded, and we left the kitchen.

I also went to my room, but my mind was stuck on Aaravi's words. Honestly, I hate the smell of mehendi—it gives me a headache whenever I smell it.

I opened my phone and searched on Google:

Is applying mehendi on hands important for Karwa Chauth?

After reading everything, I switched off my phone and tucked it into my pocket. I left the room and walked outside the house. Roaming around the street, I spotted an Indian store. I walked in and asked about henna. The shop owner handed me the henna, I paid him, and then left the store and headed back home.

I walked toward Aaravi's room and knocked on the door. A voice came from inside.

"Come in," I entered the room and saw Aaravi sitting on the bed, reading something on her phone.

I sat in front of her and placed the henna in front of her.

"See, you are fasting for me, so I can at least do this much for you. Now, give your hands," I said. At first, she hesitated but then gave me her hand.

"Honestly, I don't know how to apply henna, but I will try my best to make it look good," I said, being honest.

I started applying henna on her palm slowly and carefully, concentrating as I worked on her hand.

When I was done applying the henna, I sighed in satisfaction as it left my mouth.

It's not looking bad.

I held her leg, but she pulled it back.

I looked at her and said, "Aren't you going to apply henna on your feet?" raising my eyebrows.

"I'll do it," she said, hesitantly.

"Aise lagaogi , both of your hands have henna on them," I pointed out at her hands.

"It's okay; it's not necessary to apply it on my feet," she said.

"But you said—" I began, but she cut me off.

"It’s okay since I have it on my hands," she said.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, and I didn't pressure her further. I left the room and went to my own. I entered my room and sank into the bed.

"Now I can sleep." With that, I slipped into a deep slumber.

A a r a v i

It’s evening now, and I am getting ready for Karwa Chauth because the moon will rise soon.

I know our relationship isn’t perfect, but at least I can hope.

I wore a red saree with a golden border, red bangles, anklets, a mangalsutra, vermillion, and, lastly, a bindi.

I am ready now, and I have to go to the terrace. I took the channi and water jug and left the room.

I came to the terrace and saw him already standing there, his back facing me.

I walked, the sounds of my anklets and bangles jingling as I took steps forward.

He turned towards me and stopped in his place, staring at me, his expression unreadable. Slowly, his gaze traveled over me, taking in my appearance.

I shiver at his gaze and lower my eyes. I can still feel his gaze on me, which is making me nervous. Slowly, I take steps forward, feeling my legs wobble with each step and my heart beating rapidly.

I finally stood in front of him and looked up; his gaze was lingering on me as if he were seeing me for the first time, with a lot of emotions passing across his face.

"You are looking like a bride, like my cherry, like my wife," he said, his voice hoarse. My face flushed at his words, and the nickname he gave me, "cherry," stuck in my heart. A surge of emotions was knocking at my heart right now.

I looked down, feeling shy at his words. He cleared his throat and said, "See, Aaravi, the moon has appeared," and I looked up to see that the moon had indeed come out.

I pulled the pallu of my saree over my head and, showing chhani to the moon, slowly brought the chhani  to Nikshant ji's face.

"God, please don't let anything happen to him or his family," I prayed. He took the water jug and brought it to my lips, and I drank the water, breaking my fast.

I bent down to touch his feet, but he held my shoulder. I looked up and saw him shaking his head.

He dropped to his knees and took my leg, resting it on his thigh, and a gasp escaped my mouth.

"Nikshant ji , what are you doing?" I tried to pull my leg back.

"Don't move," he said, taking something from his pocket. He slipped it onto my leg, and I felt something cold. I looked down and saw an anklet with an evil eye charm. A small smile tugged at my lips, but what he did next was unexpected; he kissed my feet, his lips brushing against them and lingering there for a few seconds. I felt a rush of emotions in my stomach.

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