Along the Lines of Love | ✓

Chapter 80 : Second Innings

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aashiyaana mera saath tere hai na,

dhoondte teri gali mujhko ghar mila

♪

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Nikhil sat back on the bed going through the reports, particularly staring at the ultrasound image of the baby. Around three days back they had gone in for the scan. The doctor had shown them the baby on the screen, trying to explain how they detected the heartbeat.

"You're looking at it again!" Sharanya remarked approaching him. She sat beside his outstretched legs.

"Yeah, I picked up the file to see the next appointment date. I thought of adding it to my calendar so that I don't miss it."

Sharanya shifted forward, moving closer to him. She looked down at the image her husband was staring at.

"It still feels like a dream." He said softly.

"If it wasn't for the nausea, I would find it hard to believe too." She replied, with the hint of a grin on her face.

Nikhil closed the file and placed it on the nightstand. Time was literally flying by. They had been back from their quite an eventful trip to Mysore. His grandparents were ecstatic on hearing the news of Sharanya's pregnancy. Thankfully they kept it to themselves. But boy, the amount of pampering Sharanya got from them and his mother.

"You want to go for a walk?"

Sharanya looked at him. The past few weeks had been a breeze despite the changes her body went through, despite all the overthinking her brain did, despite the disrupted sleep cycle and morning sickness. It was because of him. He was always there to comfort her and hold her hand.

"Please, tell me, you finally have a craving. There are some places around the city that serve midnight snacks."

Sharanya smiled, shaking her head in a negative. Nikhil desperately wanted her to have cravings so that he could fulfil them and benefit in the process.

Sharanya had no clue how to tell him that she had cravings but of the different kind. In the past three days, she had given him hints. Like giving him a long kiss on the mouth at night when they went to bed. Like invading his personal space to simply adjust his collar, touching his neck in the process or helping him roll up his sleeves. Like kissing his neck. But none worked.

She gazed at him as he went on about how exciting it was to venture out in the night to have street food or desserts. He could talk about food until morning and never get tired of it. 

"How come you don't have those crazy food cravings?"

"It's barely been two months. Maybe I will have it in the final months." She said, holding his hand in hers. She couldn't help but stare at his fingers thinking about how nice they could make her feel.

He looked down at their hands. "So, tomorrow evening at Gargi's place then?"

"Yes," she answered, glancing up at him. She was actually excited to tell Gargi about it. She could already imagine the look and those wide eyes, and that warm smile.

"Text me once you're done I will come pick you up. And I still feel you should skip office tomorrow. Otherwise you will end up very tired." Nikhil said gently caressing the back of her hand.

He always had the impression that Sharanya was a store house of energy. Even after a long day at office she would reach home and get to the chores and cooking. But in the past few days, she came back tired and sleepy, sometimes even irritated.