ANAISHA ✿
I don't know when I fell asleep while waiting for Ekansh.After Ekansh dropped me back home, I practiced Kathak for a while. My shoulders loosened from a tension I hadn't realized I was carrying. My breath came deep and easy. Maybe it was the familiar ache in my muscles from the academy, or perhaps it's his talks, his eyes... I quickly pressed the thought down, a heavy hand on my own mind. That truth felt too sharp to hold just yet. So, I decided to cook something for everyone.With a smile on my face, I made Shrikhand, of course, with the help of my mother-in-law. Everyone enjoyed it so much, and Lakshya, he even kissed the back of my hand, grinning like a 5-year-old. Everyone shook their heads at him, rolling their eyes as if, 'This is always the case with him, dramatic guy.' I softly laughed.Maa insisted that I eat dinner. Ekansh will come late. He mostly comes home late, but I wanted to wait for him. To see his reaction when he ate the shrikhand I made with my hands, my stomach twisted with a tight, expectant heat. What if the sweetness was too much? Waise I know the sweetness was okay. Lekin kya karu, mera mann hai na hazaar sawaal karta hai aur mera dimaag hazaar baatein soch leta hai aur sab negative results wale (But what can I do, my heart asks a thousand questions and my mind thinks a thousand things, all with negative results)... I let out a long, slow breath. Stop it, Anisha, I muttered. Sometimes yeh thoda zyada dangerous ho jata hai (this gets a little too dangerous).To stop this tsunami of thoughts, I started scrolling through my Instagram. The first post I saw as soon as I opened the app was from my academy page: students were laughing, some practicing, some children trying to do mudras, girls twirling... happy, chasing their dreams. I felt so happy for these students that their parents supported what their children liked to do, not burden them to pursue what the parents wanted them to do. Seeing that post, my chest eased. This was the place where my heart still felt peace, where I felt alive.And then the memory of Ekansh coming to pick me up from the academy came, and a faint smile tugged on my lips. He was busy, I heard this morning when he told this to Papa, and still he came. Today there was something different in his eyes, his eyes were soft as always, but something unknown, soft yet raw in them... and I swear my heart skipped a beat. I bit my lower lip and clapped my hands together; my heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst. I instantly turned off the phone and put it back on the dining table, taking a deep breath to calm my heart and mind.But again, one more memory hit me. Yesterday at my parents' house, he took a stand for me and shut my relatives out. No one ever did that for me, not a single word, not a single person, not even my parents, when bua, my relatives, this world were saying disgusting words, were making every breath I was taking painful. But when he did that yesterday, for the first time, I realized what it felt like to have someone stand by you without asking. It's not like I wanted someone to fight for me, no, but in one corner of everyone's heart, they wished for someone who stood by them when the darkness of this world stood in front for them to consume their soul.Warmth spread through my heart... and I was afraid of it.It was 12 and Ekansh still hadn't come. I rested my head on my arm, dwelling on his thoughts."I have been waiting for you," I rubbed my sleepy eyes.But he was just standing there, and something had changed in his posture. He swallowed hard. What happened to him suddenly? I looked at him this time properly. He looked tired, hair messy, his shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbow, coat on his right arm."Ekansh.""You didn't eat yet?" he inquired, his face unreadable.I shook my head, fidgeting with my fingers. "I was waiting for you."He threw his coat on the couch. "Let's eat. I'll freshen up later."We sat on the chairs after I heated the food while he washed his hands in the kitchen sink.Before I took the spoon to serve the food, he started to fill our plates—mine first, then his own. My cheeks heated up."Don't wait for meEat your dinner on time and take a rest. I usually stuck in meetings," he murmured softly."I wanted to, Mr. Rajvansh," I repeated his line which he had said earlier to me. He glanced at me with amusement in his eyes, and his lips curled up a little. And wait, I saw one more thing: his ears were red—he was blushing! Oh my god, the CEO Ekansh Rajvansh was blushing! He looked cute. I screamed in my head.A proud smile spread on my lips.He was trying really hard to hide that blush on his face, but it was no use; now I had already seen it.We ate our dinner with random small talks, not much, just about his day, my day, about my academy. I served him shrikhand and waited patiently for his reaction. I was nervous and excited too. He took a spoon of shrikhand in his mouth, but didn't say anything.So this time I asked. I wanted to know if he liked it or not. "How's it? Is the sugar okay in it?""It's good," his eyes soft, and a small smile on his lips.After dinner, he washed the dishes. I insisted that I would do that, but he didn't let me touch even a spoon. We came to our room after that.....Ekansh locked the door of our room behind us."You go freshen up," I told him.He nodded and went inside the closet. Fifteen minutes later, he finally came out in a blue t-shirt and white trousers. I realized he had taken a shower. A towel was around his neck, and he was drying his wet hair with one hand. And he was looking handsome. I looked away, my cheeks turned crimson as soon as the realization hit me that I was staring at him quite long. I quickly went inside the bathroom.Changing into a black nighty and done with my night routine, when I came back to our room, I froze. My breath hitched.Ekansh was adjusting the fairy lights on the wall. When he realized my presence, he looked at me and cleared his throat. "I thought the room looked a bit boring. So for a change, it would be a good idea to put these up. Now look, it's good.""You okay with a little light on while sleeping, right?" he asked."Yes... I don't have any problem. And these fairy lights are looking beautiful... It feels so cozy," a faint smile tugging at my lips. Honestly, I'm happy that he installed those lights. Kyunki Mujhe Darr lagta hai andhere se (Because, i am afraid of the dark)...We lay on our sides of the bed, facing the ceiling. Ekansh put his arm over his eyes. He did that yesterday too. After a few minutes, sleep took over me.My eyes flew open after some time with a movement beside me. Ekansh was tossing and turning. I frowned. What was wrong? "Ekansh, what happened?" I asked in concern."Nothing... headache.." he was pressing his forehead from fingers and thumb."Main balm laga deti hun." I started getting up from the bed."Nahi it's okay, Maine medicine le li hai, theek ho jayega abhi tum so jao (No, it's okay I have taken medicine, it will be fine now, you go to sleep)," he explained.I nodded still concerned.Then my eyes landed on the fairy lights, and I remembered he was doing the same thing yesterday when I switched on the small lights on the corner of the ceiling. But then why did he put these lights if he—that's when I realized he did it for me. Maybe he sensed yesterday when I asked him to keep that small light in the corner on. Maybe he sensed it, like he always does, without me saying a word. And my heart skipped a beat, then it was beating so fast that even I could hear it. My eyes got moist. Har baar Bina kahe kaise pata chal jata hai inhe? (How does he know every time without me saying anything?) Without making it obvious.I stood up from the bed he looked at me. I quietly grabbed the light yellow, transparent glass vase from the corner. I carefully placed the string of fairy lights inside and set the vase in the corner of the room "Now it's looking more beautiful and not too dark, and much cozy," I commented, dusting my hands as if dusting the invisible dust from them.He nodded and smiled slightly."Good night, Ekansh," I wished him."Good night, wife," he wished back.The lights, not too bright too disturbed his sleep, not too dark to scare my soul.And we simply closed our eyes with that unsaid understanding between us, with this warm, overwhelming feeling in my chest.❀❀❀❀❀❀How's the chapter ? 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