Forever Love

Epilogue

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honour that we are all gathered around here today to celebrate the success of one individual. Please join me in putting your hands together to award the global humanitarian of the year award to the one and only Dr Abhimanyu Birla"

The spotlight flashed to Abhimanyu who politely smiled, dressed in a grey checkered suit with a white button-down t-shirt and matching grey tie. His light stubble made him look so cool and as always, the audience could not avert their gaze from him.

The past three years had been a roller coaster. Abhimanyu had worked hard to open hospitals across the country devoted to assisting those in low-resourced areas. This alone had helped millions across the country and the reach was starting to spread globally. He had done this whilst maintaining his position as the Birla Hospital director, publishing more research, conducting clinical trials, lecturing at numerous universities, speaking, and contributing to conferences.

Finally, he had also, upon his lady love's convincing, taken a role as a visiting medical consultant at the Mayo Clinic. In fact, he was their first dedicated telehealth consultant and reserved a clinic for any time he visited the USA. He could not believe his luck.

But more than anything.

He knew what it was.

His lucky charm.

His wife.

He turned to her and gave her a kiss on the lips, gazing into her proud and excited eyes, which were brimming with tears of joy.

After proposing, they had both gathered a joint meeting with the whole family to readily work out a day for their wedding.

And six weeks later, they were each others.

Forever.

He rubbed her wedding ring and she smiled at him even bigger before he leaned down and rubbed her belly. Abhimanyu stood from his seat and walked to the centre of the stage to accept his award.

Upon reaching the stage, he was handed the award and shook his hand with the presenter after which millions of photos were flashed.

He took to the centre of the stage to make his speech gazing at one person and one person alone.

"Thank you to everyone who is gathered here today. Receiving this award is a great honour but it is an even greater honour to receive it in the presence of someone who has taught me what being a humanitarian is. Someone who taught me that it is not difficult because it lives in each and every one of us. Someone who taught me that if you open your heart out and love unconditionally, it becomes difficult if not impossible to try and leave this world a better place. My wife. My baby. My Akshara Abhimanyu Birla."

The TV flashed as Abhimanyu paused the screen.

"Why are you crying jaan?" he groaned.

He was sitting on the couch with a very pregnant Akshara Birla in his lap and they were rewatching the rerun of the award ceremony from one month ago.

"Abhi do you really mean it?" she cried softly, her top lip quivering and her bottom lip covered in the mango sorbet she had been snacking on. Her pregnancy cravings. Abhimanyu better not mess with them.

Abhimanyu did not know if he should laugh or cry. Seeing her in this state totally made his heart flip.

He leaned in and kissed her bottom lip so that the mango sorbet was wiped off.

'Hmm delicious" he smiled devilishly.

"Abhi" she complained hitting his chest.

He caught one of her soft punches and laughed.

"I mean it baby" he assured her.

And he really did.

If people thought Abhimanyu was a force to be reckoned with, then no one understood the reach of Akshara.

Within a couple of weeks of her retrieving her studio back, Akshara had re-opened her music therapy appointments. However, in addition to this, he watched as she worked tirelessly overtime teaching young children who could not afford music classes, lecturing at colleges, playing at vulnerable female shelters and empowering them with her songs, and volunteering at orphanages to give them music therapy.

He smiled remembering one of his favourite memories was visiting her during a time she was volunteering at one of the orphanages. He had found her clad in an orange salwar kameez, with kids sitting in awe and multiple running to the room she was in screaming "didi .. didi... didi". He knew then, that they were under the same spell - the spell of his innocent and pure Akshara.

But that day had inspired him to do something bigger and better with his life than just working all day at his hospital.

And so he had sat and devised plans with his team, bouncing them off with Akshara who accompanied him to many meetings whenever she had time but also gave him suggestions late at night, resting her head on his chest as they both debriefed on the day.

She had and would always be his inspiration.

And so he knew this award was more hers than it was his.

Not that she did not yield her own share of commendation over the past two years, but they were a total power couple.

They had both also prioritised spending time with each other and family, deciding on a yearly vacation wherever it may be.

Not to mention, that they both doted on each other so much that they couldn't help but sneak each other away. Hawaii. Paris. Bali. Maldives. Spain. Akshara's personal favourite, Shimla.

The families had joked that it had been three years yet the duo could not stop going on honeymoons.

To be honest, Abhimanyu could not blame them, they could not keep their hands off of each other and the normally composed and private Abhimanyu, had to work his hardest to keep public displays of affection to a low or else he would be ravishing his wife everywhere. His junior Rohan already teased him about his obsession with his wife and he thanked his lucky stars he and Akshara lived privately because the number of times they had had run-ins with family members catching them in an almost compromising state was unbearable.

Akshara, albeit, still blushed, had become more and more forward in her seduction game and Abhimanyu fell prey to it every time.

And somewhere amidst all of this, Akshara had fallen pregnant.

With twins!

And so she lay on his lap holding her entire life closest to her heart.

"Abhi" she whispered running her nimble fingers over his stubble.

"Hmmm.." he whispered running kisses over them.

"I love you," she said and he stopped to focus on her eyes.

"You... me.. us... our babies... it's everything, all I could ever ask for and more" she whispered quietly and his heart soared, he could never get tired of hearing those words. Straight from the heart, every time.

He cupped her face gently leaning in and just resting his forehead against hers.

"My whole entire world changed the day Neil kicked the ball at your family in the park and I went to retrieve it from you," he said and she chuckled laughing at the memory of when they first met.

"I love you jaan" he told her kissing her forehead, eyes, cheeks, and then her lips.

"Forever" she whispered.

"Forever" he confirmed before lifting her up gently and taking her to their bedroom.

There it is! Thank you so much, everyone, never thought I would be writing again so this was a pleasant surprise. I will be working on another story so keep your eyes peeled for something in the near future.

Take care till then.

N x