"Happy Valentine's Day Soni." Returning home a little late because of the extra workload had made Aditya feel truly rueful and sympathetic for his pregnant wife. Hence he came and directly back-hugged her, whispering in a soft voice.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Radhika replied to him with a sweet smile, tilting her head sideways to look at his tired face still having a shine of delight.
"Sorry, main tere liye kuch special nahi kar paya aaj. I wanted to do something but I couldn't." Aditya said in a meek tone, his sullen eyes filled with pure guilt and pain.
"It's ok, I understand, mera waise bhi bahar jane ka mann nahi tha bilkul." Radhika lied, trying to lessen his woes.
"Jhoot bol rahi hai na?" He looked at her with a knowing expression.
"Main kyun jhoot bolugi? I am a straightforward girl, samjha na? I don't lie." She said with such arrogance in her tone that coerced Aditya to believe his lioness, albeit reluctantly.
"Ok, abhi bol kaha leke chalu tujhe? Long drive? Tere favorite ice cream shop? Shopping? Restaurant? Beach?" Aditya offered with an enthusiastic smile, but Radhika could see faint glimpses of dark circles under his eyes which had been deprived of proper sleep for three nights.
"Kal chale jayege, waise bhi kal teri chutti haina, abhi tu fresh ho jaa, phir saath me dinner karte hai." Patting his cheek lovingly. Radhika refused their night outing, and it was apparent from her facial expression that she was fooling him.
"Yaar please, ab tu bhi baki wives ki tarah mere liye compromise mat kar, main tujhe leke jaa raha hoon bahar dinner ke liye, jaldi ready ho jaa, aur phir long drive pe jayege," Aditya said in a disgruntled tone, vehemently protesting against Radhika's flop idea to behave like a typical Indian understanding wife who stops demanding from their husbands because either they feel lack of confidence or see them drowning in sheer exhaustion.
"Arey main kaha koi compromise kar rahi hoon, tu kuch bhi assumptions mat laga." Radhika looked at him with a vexed expression.
"Main tujhe ache se janta hun soni, bachpan se saath bade hue hai, don't try to fool me. Jabse tu pregnant hui hai pata nahi itni understanding wali baatein kyun karne lagi hai, ab toh mujhe daant thi bhi nahi, complaint bhi nahi karti, office me baar baar phone bhi nahin karti. What's wrong yaar?" Aditya turned his wife in front of him, looking straight into her calm eyes in sheer disappointment. He might haven't expressed in words often but he missed Radhika's vivacious and bubbly side. The girl she used to be before the marriage. The lioness girl he fell in love with hopelessly, and the girl who controlled his bad habits and routines and transformed him into a good man. It was pricking him from inside that she was slowly changing into a quiet and peaceful woman who wouldn't baselessly fight with him and make him feel rejuvenated with her million-dollar adorable smile.
"Aisa kuch bhi nahi hai, tu overthink mat kar," Radhika said in a soft voice.
"Tujhe aai ne kuch kaha?" Aditya asked her with furrowed eyebrows.
"No way, woh toh bahut khayal rakh rahi hai mera," Radhika replied to him with honesty in her voice.
"Toh mujhse koi kami reh gayi? Maine kuch kiya? Teri koyi special date bhul gaya? Aaj kal me doctor ke waha koi appointment thi? Koi galat chiz khila di maine?" Aditya bombarded her with mixed questions, confusion evident on his face.
Radhika broke into a wide smile at her husband's cute yet innocent queries, and rested her palm on his shaven cheek, saying - "Tu toh ladkiyon se bhi zyada overthink karta hai, it's just I wanna be a good wife, aur koyi bhi baat nahi hai."
