Hotel Guest Tree,
Delhi.
The clock struck exact twelve in midnight and Advaith was sitting on the couch and was working over some project in his laptop, yet his mind was somewhere else.
He looked up at where Aarohi was sleeping on bed, who once again twisted in her sleep.From past ten minutes, Aarohi would now and then twist and turn on the bed and then wince slightly, before slipping back into sleep.
Finally not able to take it anymore, he saved his work and turned off the laptop before taking his cellphone from the cocktail table, and walked out to the living room in their suit.
Sitting on a huge recliner couch, he unlock his cellphone before surfing online for remedies for menstrual cramps.
“I want a painkiller and also a heating pad.”, after searching for almost fifteen minutes, he finally connect the call to the hotel’s reception desk through intercom and ordered necessary items, asking them to deliver as soon as possible.
Around ten minutes later there was a low knock on the door of their suite as Advaith had asked them not to ring the bell, to avoid disturbing Aarohi’s sleep.
Taking all the ordered things from bellboy, Advaith thanked him and later locked the door properly, before walking back into the bedroom where Aarohi was sleeping still in distress.
Cautiously walking to her side, Advaith crouch down at Aarohi’s level and looked keenly at her face which was glowing under the faded moonlight.
Unconsciously his left hand raised as he slowly caressed the frowns on her forehead, and in reflex Aarohi relaxed a little under his touch.
His fingers trailed down to her right cheek before he carefully caressed there.His hand refused to leave contact with her tender glowing skin which was as soft as cotton, and then suddenly corner of his lips curled a little up into a smile, when he felt Aarohi in her sleep was leaning more into his touch.
In a swift, his eyes shifted to her lips when he heard her wince once again in pain, and unconsciously his finger from her cheek trailed to her pink petal like lips, before he caressed them ever so softly.
When his rough fingers touched her soft lips, he felt something deep move inside his heart.No girl had ever affected him the way Aarohi and her beauty is affecting him.
Not even Aamira!
Sudden frowns on Aarohi’s forehead broke Advaith’s trance of admiration and he remembered about why he was there.
Carefully lowering the blanket from Aarohi’s upper body, he slowly raised her silk pyjama top revealing her milky white skin.
Current rushed down his spine when his hand accidentally touched her soft tender skin on her abdomen, and he couldn’t resist but caressed her there.
Aarohi winced again and in reflex he smoothly massaged her abdomen to soothe her pain, which really did help.Frowns on Aarohi’s forehead slowly disappeared and he took it as a cue to withdraw his hand.
Taking the heating pad from side table he first checked its temperature before slowly placing it on Aarohi’s abdomen, making her squirm with sudden heat.
“Shh! Its ok.”, Advaith immediately reached his right hand up to caress her hair in order to draw her back into sleep, and soon Aarohi was again sleeping.
Carefully adjusting the heating pad on her stomach and then lowering her pyjama top back to its place, he covered her with blanket.
Ensuring that she is not in pain anymore, Advaith walked to his side of bed before slipping into his own blanket.
It was around three in midnight when Aarohi woke up with sudden pain. She tried getting up but something hard was pinning her down on the bed.
She switched on the dim lights and raised her blanket to look beneath it.
There under the blanket, his left hand was wrapped around her waist over her pyjama top, holding the heating pad properly in its place.
She felt heavy on her stomach and carefully lifted his hand from above her, when she felt something sliding down from inside of her top.
Sliding the blanket aside she sat straight and looked beside her to see a heating pad.
A heating pad?
She frowned not remembering when did she used heating pad before going to sleep!?
But soon her frowns disappeared and eyes widen when she looked at the person calmly sleeping on his side facing her.
Did—did he just…??
A blush crept on her cheeks when she imagined about how he might have placed that heating pad on her stomach under her pyjama top, but the same blush was soon replaced by frowns as she remembered his words from the previous day in the hospital.
“What are you Advaith!?” Aarohi couldn’t help but murmur unconsciously, as she continued staring his sleeping figure.
At one point he shows care for her and when a little hope bloom in her heart, he himself comes and cut all the roots leading to that hope, leaving her once again crying over her fate.
Covering him properly with his blanket which he had kicked aside in his sleep, she slowly got out of bed clutching her paining stomach and walked into the attached balcony.
Standing in the balcony she let the chilled breeze caress her beautiful face as she stared at the twinkling stars in the sky.
“You will catch cold.”, Aarohi jumped on her place when suddenly Advaith commented from behind, and soon she felt Advaith wrapping a thin shawl around her shoulder from behind, which she in reflex immediately supported from front.
She didn’t dare to look at him when he came and stood beside her, instead she kept her eyes fixed on the dark city in front of her, yet—she was aware of his gaze on herself.
“Still feeling pain?”, Knowing someone has to start the conversation, Advaith asked looking directly at her.
“Why are you doing all this?”, Aarohi asked, still not looking at him.
“Aarohi, I agree I am not happy with this marriage and this is why I behave rudely with you because all this is really frustrating for me, but I am not a bad person. I know it pains a lot to you girls at this time, so—you know, you can tell me if you need something. I can get it for you “, It was first time Advaith had talked nicely with her and had shown another side of him which was still hidden from her.
Advaith waited for her to list out the things she needed to avoid this pain, but when she didn’t replied, he nodded in understanding and turned to go, untill—
“Ice cream.”, Advaith halted on his place but didn’t turn when he heard Aarohi replying to his earlier question.
“Ice cream! Anything else?”, Advaith asked, once again turning to her who at the same time had turned to look at him.
“And chocolates.”, Aarohi said cutely with innocent face making him nod slowly, as he said, “Ice cream and chocolates! Anything else?”
“And cakes and pastries also!”, Aarohi once again replied, this time looking directly in his eyes with innocence.
“Fine, I will ask the hotel staff to deliver it tomorrow morning. If you want something else, you can tell me and I will order it for you.”, Advaith said with a small smile on his lips.
His smile was almost unrecognizable, yet she clearly saw it under the moonlight which was the only source of light in this dark night.
“Don’t stand here for long time or you will catch cold.”, This was last thing he said before turning around and walking back into the room.
And with this, both his smile and his caring side was also gone with him!
Next morning when Aarohi woke up, Advaith had already left for office, but what caught her attention was the breakfast which Advaith had ordered for her before leaving, and which was now kept properly covered on the cocktail table near the couch in their room.
Getting down from the bed and walking to the couch, she opened the lid and grinned slightly looking at the perfect Bengali breakfast with her favorite filter coffee kept there prepared all fresh.
She couldn’t help but grin more seeing his care for her for the very first time. But again, she also knew that his all this caring side for her was just because she isn’t well and that he is just fulfilling his responsibility, as he had said the other day in the hospital, yet she couldn’t control her innocent heart which wanted to hold the thread of this little hope which he was giving her.
She once again glanced at the breakfast and saw there was a small pink note kept under plate. Taking the note from under the plate, she opened and glanced it which read ~ “Have your breakfast and have some rest. Your medicines are in the first drawer of right side table. Your ice-cream, chocolates, pastries and some sweets are stored in the fridge in the kitchen and you can have it whenever you want. Also if you want anything else, order it from reception.”
Aarohi pressed her lower lip under her teeth to stop herself from grinning loudly, as she delicately caressed his curved writing on that note.
Taking out her clothes from the bag, she entered the bathroom to get fresh before savoring the breakfast, which her husband had ordered for her for the very first time since their marriage.
She brushed her teeth and was about to enter the shower cabinet, when something caught her eyes.
She looked at her right hand in the huge mirror and next moment her eyes widen.
Where is her ring!?
The traditional family ring which Priya had given her the other day, was passed by Advaith’s grandmother to Priya, which now she had given to Aarohi with lots of responsibility, but now it was missing from her ring finger and she didn’t even knew about it.
Guilt and fear filled in her heart before she rushed out to find the ring in whole suite, but couldn’t find it anywhere.
Tears burned her eyes as she sat on their bed with thud, scared of thinking about how she will explain this to Advaith, Priya and others.
