Amends In Your Arms

OS: Ice Cream

It had been exactly six days since Akshu had come back home. She would spend every single moment in Abhi's arms, both of them laying in bed all day, sharing stories from their year a part. While it pained them to hear about how much they had both suffered, it also gave them more peace than they had felt in ages...finally confiding in the only person whom they knew would understand how deeply they had longed for each other.

Every time Akshu tried to get up to go help Manjari in the kitchen or to ask Shefali if she needed help with Shivu, Abhi would pull her back onto his chest, tightening his grip around her waist, forbidding her to leave him...not now, not ever. If she tried to resist, he would tell her how she only had a few days left until he would have to go back to work- Harsh had been lenient and given him a week off, but soon, he would be living in the OT once again. And with those words, Akshu would dig her head into his neck, taking in this freedom while it lasted. 

On the night before Abhi's first surgery back, he told Akshu that he had planned a surprise for her, giving her exactly 30 minutes to get ready. She squealed in excitement, quickly rushing to the closet to pick out the perfect outfit. But, before she could start sorting through her infinite dresses, she felt Abhi tapping on her shoulder behind her. She turned around to see him holding the same yellow saree she had worn on their first date. She softly smiled and took it from his hands, recalling some of their most cherished moments together. As she started to head towards the washroom, he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, whispering in her ear, 

"Mein pehna doon?" 

She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, her heart beating at a thousand miles per hour..."Tumhe aati hai?" 

"Nahi...liken try karsakta hoon." He answered with a smirk on his face, expecting her to run away in that very moment. But, what she did next took him entirely by surprise. Gently setting the saree down, she lifted her arms, gesturing for him to come towards her. 

Sensing the shock on his face, she teased him, "Ab kya hua? Try nahi karna kya?" 

"Karna toh hai hi..." He responded, taking a few steps towards her, grabbing a hold of her waist before she could escape. 

"Abhi..."

"Haan?"

"Dekho...hum late ho rahe hai..." 

"Late kaha kilye?" 

"Woh...surprise...." 

Abhi smiled seeing the effect he had on his wife, tenderly setting her hair behind her ear. "Ab toh mein help karke raha hoon ga..." He whispered, softly lifting up her shirt, his fingers caressing her bare skin. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips touch her shoulders, sending chills down her spine. 

"Abhi...." she gasped, unable to utter a word further...

"Haan bolo meri jaan..." he responded, trailing his lips down her back, sliding her out of the pants she had been wearing. She clutched his hair in her hands, unable to withstand the distance between them any longer...pulling him up, crashing her lips onto his, soaking in every inch of him. He reciprocated whole heartedly, dancing his tongue against her's, pushing her against their bedside table. She lost her balance without realizing it, both of them falling onto their bed, entirely lost in each other's presence. 

Abhi wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of their night here in this room, in this bed...but, he had been planning this surprise for an entire week. And, so, he mustered the strength of every nerve ending in his body to pull himself away from the love of his love laying underneath him. Taking her saree in his hands, he said, "Akshu, mein toh tumhari help karne ki koshish kar raha tha, liken tum toh mera faida hi uthane lagi!" 

Opening her eyes suddenly in disappointment, she pushed him off and jumped out of bed, snatching her saree from his hands. "Mein ne pehle bhi bola tha aur abhi bhi bol rahi hoon...bilkul useless pati ho tum!", She retorted, her voice cracking, her heart still reeling from the aftermath of his touch...

He giggled to himself as he watched her run into the washroom, texting Neil to make sure that the surprise was ready outside. He had strictly instructed him to keep the family away, to make sure that no one disturbed them. And just as he was finalizing the set up, he heard the door open behind him, turning around to witness the most beautiful woman he had ever seen looking even more beautiful than she had moments before. Entirely taken aback by her, he was unable to speak even in the slightest.  She playfully snapped her fingers asking, "Kya hua Dr. Birla? Aap ka dil toh theek hai na?" 

"Aap ho na mere pas, toh mera dil bilkul perfect hai", he responded, taking her hand in his, leading her outside of their room for the first time in a week. As he saw the house empty around them, he made a mental note to thank Neil later...he did not know where he had taken the family, but he knew that now he could pamper his Akshu in peace. 

Once they were downstairs, Abhi placed his hands over Akshu's eyes, telling her to not even dare  to peak. She kept asking him where they were going and what the surprise was, but he ignored her cute pleas, leading her directly to the little wonderland that was awaiting her. 

When he finally allowed her to open her eyes, she was stunned by what she saw in front of her. The entire backyard had been decorated with hundreds of fairy lights and there were roses resting in every corner. There were at least 30 different ice cream carts waiting for her, each one labeled with a different flavor. She looked up at Abhi, tears filling her eyes. He silently smiled, handing her a cone. "Akshu, jitni ice cream tumne ek saal mein nahi khahi hai, aaj tum woh sari kahogi..." 

"Abhi...tumne yeh sab mere liye..."

"Nahi, Akshu. Yeh main ne apne liye kiya hai. Kyunki meri Akshu ki khushi hi meri khushi hai...Aur I'm sorry Akshu...I'm sorry ki is ek saal mein tumhe...." 

Before he could finish his sentence, she covered his mouth with her hand, forbidding him to apologize, to take even a single piece of blame upon himself... 

"Abhi, mein..." 

He gently pushed her hand away, saying, "Akshu, kuch mat bolo...tum khane pe focus karo...tumhe yeh sab finish karni hai..." 

Overwhelmed by the way in which he loved her, Akshu filled her cone with chocolate ice cream, holding it up for him to eat. He shook his head, gesturing for her to take the first bite. 

"Kaisi hai?" He asked in anticipation, waiting for her reaction. 

She hesitated before saying, "Meethi nahi hai Abhi..." 

"Kya??" He asked, entirely shocked, entirely disappointed. As he was about to take it from her hands to try, she pulled it back, using her fingers to rub it onto his lips. And with that, she pressed her lips against his, before licking off the melting ice cream from his neck...

"Hmmm...ab toh yeh meri life ki sab se meethi ice cream hai..."