The Favour

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 16

It was dinner time and it was chaotic.

Children running around the house, women sitting in the living room while laughing and talking over their lungs and men sitting in the garden with the mugs of tea in their hands.

Isha was currently in her room. She hasn't come out since her moment with her mother and no one knew why she was so unusually quiet.

Ashi was obviously missing her continuous chatter. She knocked on her door twice but she didn't open door or replied.

On feeling curious, she walked towards her room and knocked once more.

"Isha? "

No response

"Open the door! What happened? "

No response.

Ashi sighed before turning around and walking away.

Her phone buzzes in hand and she opens it to find a text from ishan.

Ishan: come in the room for five minutes.

Rolling her eyes, she entered their room and closed the door behind her.

Ishan was sitting on the couch with the stack of papers in front of him.

He was looking absolutely hot in his sitting position, elbows on his knees and him playing with his fingers.

She wondered what his fingers would feel on her body. Holding her throat up or gliding between her thigh-

Hold up now.

Clearing her throat, she walked further in the room causing him to look up.

"Hey! " She said softly before sitting sitting beside him. Her gaze flicks to the paper in front of them and she reads it.

"Marriage certificate" Written in big bold letters in the header and small text below it.

Her throat gets tighter causing her to swallow down the thick formed in her throat.

"You have to sign these" Ishan pushes it to her side so that it is completely in front of her now.

A golden colored fancy click pen in front of her rolls on the table and her hand stops it from falling down.

"Ashi, I understand if you don't want to do this. I thought about it and it's too much for you. I think I'll manage without all of this." Ishan says beside her and she knows he doesn't have anything planned. If he did, he would never have asked her to marry him in the first place.

"No it's okay.. It's just a few months.. I think I can help you with this atleast" She shook away all the second thoughts that were popping up in her head.

Ishan's head turned towards her and his breath quickened. No one willingly understood him and srood by his side the entire life and ashi being someone who doesn't know him at all is ready to give away few months of her life for him? It was too much. The feeling was too much for him to handle.

He raked a hand through his hair that weren't combed since the news dropped. He didn't realize what condition he was in or what time it was.

Taking a deep breath, her mother's words echo in her ear. "If he promises to show you stars every night until you become one of them, keep him and hold him close". Did they have a chance of making a future together?

Tears sprung in her eyes as she leaned forward. She didn't realize her hands were shaking when she held the pen.

Ishan saw it. His heart was doing weird things inside his chest.

She finally scrubed her name on one side of the paper as her tears drop on it before she could wipe them away.

Cleaning her face with her hands she pushed herself back on the couch and saw ishan's face that was set tight.

He signed the paper too and that's how their fates were sealed. They were now married. Not according to the traditions yet, but according to the law they were now Mr and Mrs mehra.

"That was a lot" She muttered with a small smile on her face.

She looked up holding back a few more tears that were threatening to fall.

Why was she crying anyway?

"Thank you, ashi. I will protect you with ny life from now. You're mine to take care. " Ishan replied. Both of their gazes stuck on the paper in front of them. The paper that holds more value than anything.

"That's okay..

She didn't complete her sentence and that's when ishan yanked her towards him and engulfed her into a hug.

Her face squished between his enormous shoulders and his between the soft crook of her neck. Them together were like a pieces of puzzle put together to form perfection.

Ashi relaxed in his arms, breathing in his woodsy musk scent and hesitantly wrapped her one slender arm around his torso while he held her with both if his warm palms on her backback, firm enough to tell her what he couldn't say it in words.

She didn't believe in words said by humans.

And for some reason, she believed him when he said he'd protect her with his own life.

She nodded in understanding and waited for him to say something.

Something that can change the atmosphere so that it becomes a little easy for them to breathe.

They sat there in each other's arms like that for a few minutes before pulling away.

"I... I'm sorry that wasn't appropriate.. I should've thought..

" Looks like you need one more hug, ishan." Humor danced in her eyes as she spoke. She wanted to change the air she was inhaling. It was too tensed for her liking.

"Huh? " He turned to her with his hair falling on her forehead looking like a small boy who woke up for school. He was too good looking and handsome with the little scruf and stubble on his jaw that was showing up in the evening because he hadn't had time to shave it.

"A hug. Looks like you need more one or two of them. "

It felt like he was able to breathe properly again. He pressed the heels of his palms in his eyes and got up with the paper in his hand.

"No.. Uh.. I have a few things to do.. Will it be okay if we leave for delhi tomorrow noon? " He asked placing the thick white sheet of paper in the files and closing the drawer.

Frowning, ashi scrunched her face in confusion.

"Delhi? "

She didn't return to delhi from the last 16 years and wasn't prepared mentally to do so. Delhi gave her nothing but took away her everything.

But was she ready to put away her trauma and visit the place for ishan's sake?

"Yeah.. I have work there and it's important for you to be there. " Ishan replied looking at her. The way she is hesitant to comply.

"You don't like delhi? " Ishan asked even when he knew he had no other option than to request her or even force her to accompany him.

"No.. It's not that... I've never been to delhi since him. " She said walking in his direction and standing in front of her.

Ishan's gaze zeroed and darkened on ashi. Who is that "him" She's talking about?

Panic flared inside her chest and she stumbled on her feet and took the hold of the door beside her.

"No one! I meant it's been a while since I visited delhi. But I'll come with you, okay? " With those last words she stormed out of the room to strech out the conversation.

Ishan was still curious to know what she blurted out and tried covering it with a lamest comeback.

Isha was getting out of her room when ashi caught her by her hand and turned her around.

Worry filled her insides as she saw isha's eyes that were all red rimmed. Like she has been crying for hours.