The Unwanted Bride

18 - The Shower

Typed: 16/12/2023
Chapter 18: The Shower

Author's POV:

He came back from his usual morning runs an hour ago, showered and has made chai for everyone. It's not the first time Yug is making tea on a Sunday but it's the first time for Khushi. He'd walked into his brother's room first, nagging him to wake up and had said, "chai's by your lamp, not get now."

He's now in his bedroom. He places the chai on top of their drawer and rubs his hand over her hair. "Khush, wake up." His voice is low. When she doesn't stir, he whispers close to her ear, "Khushi, wake up, I've made chai." He kisses her ear and cheeks, helping her up shortly afterwards.

His wife yawns and rubs her eyes, staring out of the window. "How was your run?" It's not a question now, it's obvious he's been out.

He smiles, handing her the warm cup. "Good." He doesn't sit beside her, instead, Yug sits in front of her. "How'd you sleep?" She fell asleep instantly after having boiled milk last night. She's clinged into Yug the whole night.

She shrugs her shoulders, sipping the hot chair. "It's really nice and strong." There's a small smile lingering in her lips and it meets his eyes. She's smiling but it affects him so much that his eyes light up.

He shrugs his shoulders, as if to say, of course, it is. I made it. He tucks strands of her hair behind her ear, grinning at her. When his wife asks why he's smiling, he rolls his shoulders back, "I'm smiling because I get to make you chai every morning for the rest of my life and wake you up." There's this childlike innocence in his eyes and face that touches Khushi's heart.

She blinks away the overwhelmness she feels and continues drinking her chai. "Kamla di doesn't work on Sundays, I'm thinking I should mak—"

"I'm thinking we order food and watch movies."

Khushi rolls her eyes at the suggestion, "there goes all your money," she mumbles. "And I thought I was marrying a rich man."

"Exactly what I thought about you."

They both laugh at each other comic timing. Once she finished her chai, Khushi got up and extended her hand to take his cup too. He gives it up and stops her by holding the hem of her top. She stays in place, waiting. "I want you to share stuff with me. Anything. From the past or present. Okay?" The okay isn't just an okay—it sounds like I love you.

Khushi debates. It's clear her father has told him so she has to. But how does she? Their marriage began on the wrong foot—yes, he accepted her. He's respectful and they're close, they even shared their bodies with one another numerous times now but it doesn't change the fact that he couldn't accept it. This marriage wasn't organic. Their relationship is starting to become organic but Khushi can't risk it.

You can't hide it forever too. He'd know. He'll see her back one day. She's been grateful that Yug's been respectful towards her wishes—her preferences and leaves the lights turned off but how long?

No matter how careful Khushi walks, she's acknowledged to herself that she loses control around and with Yug because he's so—he's so him. He's so honest not just with words—anybody can pretend or master the art of communicating—but his actions are evidence that he's so honest. He has integrity.

When the marriage proposal had come, Khushi was anxious. She had been abused, physically, mentally and emotionally. Her body had gone through fracture after fracture, long treatments—one after another to bring her back to her usual self.

Being married meant not only sharing your life and money and home but body. She feared it. But every time he'd called her and messaged her, nothing suggested that Yug would exploit her. In fact, not one conversation had he turned sexual even as a joke.